Topic: Identity in Christ

Part 4

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There is a widely held belief among behavioral scientists that the way you see yourself has a direct correlation to how you perceive the world around you.

Series Thesis: We want to shape the way we see ourselves around the way God sees us and who we are in Christ so that we can have a healthy, godly perception of ourselves and our world.

(Proverbs 4:23 GNB) Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Old Testament Relationship with God:

• God was with them.

(Isaiah 41:10 NKJV) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

(Psalms 46:1-3 NKJV) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. (2) Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; (3) Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

(Psalms 91:14-15 NKJV) “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. (15) He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

(Genesis 39:1-3 NKJV) Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. (2) The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. (3) And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.

• God was for them.

(Psalms 118:5-6 NKJV) I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. (6) The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

(Psalms 124:2-3 NKJV) “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose up against us, (3) Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;

New Testament Relationship with God:

• God is with us.

(Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

(Hebrews 13:5 AMPC)  “… He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] [Jos 1:5]

• God is for us.

(Romans 8:31-39 NLT) What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? (32) Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?

But to the Old Testament believer, the Presence of God was way far off in the Tabernacle or the Temple; wherever the Ark of the Covenant was.

(Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

When we hear this phrase, “Our Father in Heaven…”, our thinking immediately goes to God being way far off in the place called Heaven, wherever that is. God is a Spirit, eternal, no time nor distance.

God is:

• Omniscient – All knowing
• Omnipotent – All powerful
• Omnipresent – Can be everywhere at the same time

But Jesus went a step further when He was raised from the dead and paved the way for us to be Born Again.

Your sins aren’t just forgiven. You are a New Creation! He opened the door for another level of relationship with God:

• God is in us!

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT) (19) Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, (20) for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

(2 Corinthians 6:14-16 NKJV) (14) Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (15) And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? (16) And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”

(1 John 4:15 NKJV) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

If you are Born Again, the Holy Spirit is living and abiding in you; in your spirit!

• When we begin to know Who is in us, we become fearless warriors.

(1 John 4:4 NKJV) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

As soon as we become God-inside conscious, we will begin to depend on God inside. It takes us out of the failure-realm and puts us over into the realm of success.

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Part 3

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There is a widely held belief among behavioral scientists that the way you see yourself has a direct correlation to how you perceive the world around you.

Series Thesis: We want to shape the way we see ourselves around the way God sees us and who we are in Christ so that we can have a healthy, godly perception of ourselves and our world.

(Proverbs 4:23 GNB) Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

If you are going to understand who you are in Christ, you have to understand the Doctrine of Identification.

• When Jesus came to the earth, He identified with us in that He became flesh and blood like we are.

(John 1:1-3 NLT) In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He existed in the beginning with God. (3) God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.

(John 1:14 NLT) So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

• When He hung on the Cross and God laid our sin upon Him is when we identified with Him.

So, our “in Christ” began when He was on the Cross.

• We were “in Him” when sin was laid up on Him because it was our sin that put Him there.

(2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

• We were “in Him” during those awful hours when He was separated from God and under condemnation, when the judgment for our sins fell heavily upon Him.
• We were “in Him” when He went down to the place of suffering and torment.
• We were “in Him” when He had paid the price and God legally justified Him and raise Him up from the dead.

(1 Peter 3:18 NLT) Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit.

• We were “in Him” when He conquered Satan and the host of hell and took from him the keys of death and hell.

(Colossians 2:15 NLT) In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross.

• We were “in Him” when He rose triumphantly and defeated the grave.
• We were “in Him” when He took His blood into the Heavenly Holy of Holies.
• We were “in Him” when He ascended and sat down in the highest place in the universe.

(Hebrews 10:12 NLT) But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

(Ephesians 2:6 AMPC) And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

The Father is expecting us to occupy our position “in Christ” where there is no condemnation, where we stand complete in Him, where His fullness and completeness become ours!

Jesus is still identifying with us!

(Hebrews 7:25 NKJV) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

(Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Confession (Greek: Homo-logeo) – means “saying the same thing.”

• We need to be saying the same thing about us that Jesus is saying about us!

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Part 2

We want to shape the way we see ourselves around the way God sees us and who we are in Christ so that we can have a healthy, godly perception of ourselves and our world.

Proverbs 4:23 GNB  Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

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• We let culture define who we are.
• We let our past define who we are.
• You’ll never be right until you can see right.

As long as your personal assessment is based on the world’s culture, or your past, you are never going to be right.

(Romans 12:3 KJV)  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

(Romans 10:17 NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Activate Your Faith!

For many believers the simple problem is a case of inactive faith. Faith that is dormant will not work for you.

Philemon 1:6 KJV That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

“…that …your faith may become effectual…”

• “…may become activated…”

(Greek: energeo – energized or activated) Paul’s words could actually be rendered, “That … your faith may become energized and activated.”

• “…acknowledging …”

(Greek: epignosis – a well-instructed, intensive, deep knowledge of the facts)

• “…every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”

Greek: Good, profitable, and useful

Because the word epignosis depicts a well-instructed, intensive, deep knowledge of the facts, Paul is letting you know that it is essential for you to possess a knowledge of the facts.

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What are the Facts?

1. A knowledge of exactly who you are in Jesus Christ.
2. A knowledge of what Jesus has purchased in your redemption.
3. A knowledge of every good thing that God has placed in you by Jesus Christ.

There are approximately 136 expressions in the New Testament, that tell us who we are and what we have because we are in Christ.

A key in the ignition switch does no good unless it is turned. Likewise, the truth in your life does no good until it is spoken! The moment you open your mouth and start confessing the good things that are in you by Jesus Christ, a supernatural connection is made between your faith and all that Jesus has deposited inside you.

At that moment, the gifts and treasures God has placed inside you become supernaturally activated. The confession of your mouth — your acknowledgement of the truth — is what sparks these spiritual blessings and causes them to become operative, activated, and manifested realities

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• When you believe a thing in your heart and say it with your mouth, it becomes real to you!
• Faith’s confessions bring about heaven’s realities in our lives.

(2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

All of sins spiritual scars have been removed from us!

(Ephesians 1:3 NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

(Ephesians 1:3 GW) Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer.

(Ephesians 1:4-10 NKJV) …just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, (5) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (6) to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (7) In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (8) which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, (9) having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, (10) that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth–in Him.

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Part 1

There is a widely held belief among behavioral scientists that the way you see yourself has a direct correlation to how you perceive the world around you.

Series Thesis: We want to shape the way we see ourselves around the way God sees us and who we are in Christ so that we can have a healthy, godly perception of ourselves and our world.

Proverbs 4:23 GNB  Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

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Side-effects of a bad self-image or low self-esteem:

• You’re obsessed with perfection. (never quite good enough)
• You think you bring nothing to the table.
• You are over-sensitive.
• You tend to be fearful and anxious.
• You feel angry.
• You are a people pleaser.
• You usually hate yourself.

Be careful what your self-assessment is. What we have done has let these two things shape the way that we see ourselves:

• We let culture define who we are.

If you are good looking on the outside, then you are an awesome person. If you are wealthy, have possessions, you are an awesome person.

• We let our past define who we are.

We live our lives looking through the rear-view mirror.

God is not limited to nor is He really interested in what happened in your past. He is more concerned about your future. He sees your potential!

This will keep you from realizing your potential.

Some of you are bound to words that have been spoken over you!

Romans 12:3 NIV  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

The Greek language is four times more descriptive than the English language.

• Highly – huperphronéō – an improper view, to not think clearly, you have bought into a wrong way of thinking, not in your right mind
• Sober – sophroneo – having a right mind, to think realistically, rationally, practically, be in your right mind (Gadarene demoniac)
• Faith – a belief and security about what God thinks about you and how He sees you, assurance of your relationship with God

“Don’t have an unhealthy view of yourself, but rather be set free from the wrong view and let God give you right thinking by being assured of who He is and what He believes about you.”

We have been listening to the wrong relationships and we need to listen to the right relationship.

Root Cause:

• You’ll never be right until you can see right.

As long as your personal assessment is based on the world’s culture, or your past, you are never going to be right.

Steven Furtick — ‘The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.’

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Changing Our Identity

How do I begin to see right?

Essence of poor identity is having the wrong perspective.

(Judges 6:11-16, 24 NLT) Then the Angel of the LORD came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. (12) The Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!” (13) “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The LORD brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” (14) Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” (15) “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” (16) The LORD said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” (24) And Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the LORD is peace”)…

(Judges 6:13 NLT) “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The LORD brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

1. See God correctly.

For you to see you correctly, you have to first see God correctly.

Some see God as mean and mad. But He is not!

(Psalms 59:10 TLB) My God is changeless in his love for me. And He will come and help me…

You will never believe in what He says about you until you believe in how He sees you!

(Judges 6:15 NLT) “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

2. See myself the way God sees me.

Have a healthy, right perspective of yourself.

(1 Peter 2:9 NLT) But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

3. Get around people who see me the way God sees me.

(Proverbs 27:17 NKJV) As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance (identity) of his friend.