Bob’s Blog

Stopping human achievement today and trusting in Christ’s accomplishment on the cross will give God the glory now and provide us with perfect righteousness forever.

We are crossing the threshold into our fourth message of a five-part series that deals with Identity Theft. God is disclosing to us through his Word that our identity in Christ is the key to wholeness, and many Jesus-followers have difficulty with self-worth, spiritual growth and maturity. We discovered in our last message that our identity in Christ is mugged by the mirror. Instead of trying to recreate the external image based upon what the world says, we need to grab hold of the truth that says that through Jesus Christ, we’re already significant, already sufficient, and already secure. God wants to see the beauty inside whatever our body mass might be.

We will continue to discover in these next two messages that there are “identity thieves” that steal our sense of who we truly are and render our lives diminished versions of what they were intended to be. Our identity in Christ is…

stolen by success

pick-pocketed by the past

These “identity thieves” block out the cross or fight for allegiance in each of our lives. This five-part series reveals that our longing for security and acceptance can only be found in Christ. In the cross of Christ, we find our true identity.

We know how early in life the definition of success thing starts. We’ve been to a playground and just sat around with a bunch of parents who have toddlers playing all over the place and listened to the conversation. It’s unbelievable. We’ll hear things like, “So when did she learn to walk?” “When did he learn to talk?” “Can he say his A-B-C’s?” “Well if she’s going to get a scholarship, then …” Unbelievable. Three year olds!

The problem is that human achievement results in earthly rewards, which fuels the fire for more achievement leading to greater rewards. In the process of achieving more and earning more, few if any learn to fine true fulfillment. This is especially true if we’re the classic Type A. But no matter if we’re Type A or Type B, something within all of us warms up to human strokes. These strokes drive us on to do more, to gain greater recognition, to achieve more valuable rewards, better pay, or higher promotions. We are motivated to do more when our efforts are noticed and rewarded. That is why they make things like impressive trophies and silver platters and bronze plaques and gold medals. Most people love putting those things on display.

I brought some stuff over from my office. I’ve got kind of an eclectic office. It’s not exactly what you would expect from a pastor-type. I keep little things.

I have a signed baseball from some Angel players from a few seasons back.

On my light switch I have this little reminder: “God answers knee mail.”

I have a camping bowl from Yosemite.

I have this little 49er cheerleader teddy bear.

I have a brick that reminds me that I’m part of the body life journey at Christ First.

I’ve got a number of pictures—this picture of a beautiful woman with this strange guy. I keep it in my office so I can see Sue every day. I’ve got a picture of this really young looking family. I’ve also got a picture of these really cute kids—my grandchildren.

I have a plaque “To Our Pastor” given to me from a person in our church.

I have a trophy of our men’s So. Cal. Slow Pitch championship team from 1977.

I have a number of assorted hats and pennants.

I have a number of diplomas that I keep hanging on my wall. They say that I’m smart—college and seminary degrees along with my ordination certificate.

If we want to see image management at its most glaring, best or worst, we need to just go to a ten-year reunion, go to a twenty-year reunion, go to a forty-year reunion, and just watch everybody there. It’s all about impressing the other person. Someone shows up, remembering he was voted least likely to succeed and he thinks, “I’ll show you.” So he rents a car, a really nice car, and act like it’s his. Others rent a really nice suit and act like it’s theirs. Rent a really nice date, act like it’s theirs. It’s like the doctor who saw his 92-year-old patient out one day with a very, very attractive, very much younger woman on his arm. And the old man said to his doctor, “Hey, doc thanks for the great advice.” And the doctor said, “What advice was that?” And the old man said, “You told me

to get a hot mama and be cheerful.” Doctor said, “No, I said you have a heart murmur; and be careful.”

When all is said and done, what’s our legacy going to be? If in our lifetime our legacy’s just kind of a nice portfolio and a few plaques and awards and a thousand lost golf balls,

we might have worked the image and we might have looked successful, but we never really loved and we never really lived. We’ve just been stolen by success!

The Western mind and culture leave little time for leisure, prayer, play, and contemplation. Hurry needs answers; answers need categories; categories need labeling and dissecting. God is simply reduced to fit into our schedule of success. We suffer, because God no longer fits.

All this brings us to a little letter written to a small band of believers living in ancient Philippi. Because the writer, Paul, felt so close to them, he wasn’t afraid to be honest and allow them to see the dark side of his past. But before doing so he underscores the underlying theme of his letter by reminding them to find the joy in living.

Let’s look at Philippians 3:1-11…

1 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If others think they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul is about to launch into his earthly achievements—those intense years of his own existence when he worked so hard to impress God. But before he does that, he wants to make sure that they hear the importance of being people of outrageous joy. He calls that “a safeguard” in the opening verses of this passage. Not only were the pressures of life enough to steal their joy, there were also the ever-present legalists on the loose.

1 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

Paul testifies personally concerning the difference between striving for works righteousness vs. faith righteousness; between having confidence in the flesh vs. boasting in Christ, having a righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

The Honest Testimony of a High-Achieving Pharisee

Paul’s words about “confidence in the flesh” trigger a lot of emotion in him. While writing them he must have experienced a flashback to the way he was stolen by success for so many years—in fact, all of his adult life. However, this high-achieving Pharisee experiences God gift of eternal life in Christ. It comes down to a vertical and eternal relationship with God, unlike the humanist’s message. Salvation through human works? No way. Human pride? No reason.

Let’s note the contrast.

1. A revealing of a proud title

4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If others think they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

Nobody’s trophy case was larger. Had they given an award for the high achievement in the field of religion, Paul would have won top honors in his nation year after year after year. His wall could have been covered with plaques, diplomas, framed letters from influential individuals, and numerous artifacts—all impressive. Paul has earned the respect of every law-keeping Judaizer in the known world.

The pedigree and brief list of achievements may not seem impressive to us today, especially if we are not Jewish, but we must not discount their significance. Paul was the ultimate high achiever of his day. He excelled in the things we would claim as human status today. Paul’s list is impressive…

Birth – “circumcised on the eight day”

Family – “of the people of Israel; “of the tribe of Benjamin”

Race – “a Hebrew of Hebrews”

Place – “a Pharisee”

Goals – “persecuting the church”

Lifestyle – “righteousness based on the law, faultless”

As we read Paul’s description of his younger days, we discover a profound drivenness, as if he were out to prove something. Several clues suggest that he probably was. He was born outside of Palestine, in Tarsus, rather than in Judea. He devoted his life to intensive study of the Law. He attacked Christians with unusual vengeance. Perhaps it all added up to an intense desire to be accepted by the Jewish society in Jerusalem.

The same is true for us today. We desire to be accepted by those in our peer group or cultural setting. Even like minorities and other outsiders, we cope with rejection or discrimination by the larger society. We turn inward and refuse to participate in the dominant culture. Or we remove or diminish differences and blend in with the majority. Perhaps we might be accepted, even if never treated as an equal. Paul seems possibly to have chosen the latter course.

When added up, Paul had arrived. When compared to others, he qualified as righteous—successful in a religious life. Paul outstripped all his contemporaries, eclipsed all other lights. His name was dropped by everybody who was anybody. However, his last entry in his Daytimer read, “Next stop: Damascus.” On that fateful trip, everything changed.

2. A revolving of a passionate testimony

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

When Paul met the Lord, he realized that his accolades and achievements were worthless in comparison to the worthiness of a relationship with Christ. His robes of self-righteousness were nothing more than filthy rags. All his trophies and plaques and impressive earthly honors were as worthless as garbage. One glimpse of true, heaven-sent righteousness was enough to convince him forever that he has spent his entire life on the wrong road traveling at breakneck speed toward the wrong destination for all the wrong reasons.

Paul takes inventory of his life to determine what he has done that counts and what doesn’t count. Now we can appreciate the importance of that little word “but” in the midst of Paul’s listing of all his achievements.

But! God called an abrupt and absolute halt to Paul’s (Saul) maddening pace

But! His entire frame of reference was altered

But! His whole perspective changed

But! He now stood stark naked and spiritually bankrupt

But! He now saw himself reclothed in the accredited righteousness of Christ

But! Everything changed within him and about him

Rather than be driven by confidence in the flesh, his consuming passion was to spend the balance of his years on earth knowing Christ more intimately, drawing upon his resurrection power more increasingly, entering into his sufferings more personally, and being conformed to his image more completely. A personal relationship with Christ is worth giving up past achievements and enduring suffering in the present. His dreams of being successful on his own were forever dashed on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Taking Inventory–

Paul’s list of qualities and the conclusions he draws offer some important guideposts to help us assess our motives for and definitions of success:

How is your personal life? We’re referring to the real you that’s there when nobody’s looking…like when you’re all alone in your car or SUV. Are you personally contented and at peace?

And what about your relationships with a friend or spouse? And your relationships with your children? Everything okay there?

While you are allowing me to get this close, may we take a look at your inner person? Are you secure or still rather afraid? Any habits out of control? Any addictions you can’t seem to conquer?

Let me ask a few what ifs: What if you became ill? What if you lost your earning power? What if you lost your title? What if your next physical exam led to the discovery of a lump or a tumor…and that lump or tumor proved cancerous? What if you had a stroke? Are you ready to die?

Are there some secrets that haunt you? Are there some terrorizing worries that won’t go away…that money won’t erase?

Finally, has life become more fun to you? Do you laugh—I mean really laugh—now that you have “arrived”? Or are you still too driven to relax?

If we’ve answered those questions honestly, then we’re ready to hear the rest. There’s an option:

First, spending our life trusting in our own achievements brings us the glory now but leaves us spiritually bankrupt forever.

Second, stopping today and trusting in Christ’s accomplishment on the cross will give God the glory now and provide us with perfect righteousness forever.

Which option makes better sense?

Before we answer this most important question, let’s consider the following illustration. This closing thought comes from the writings of Tony Campolo in his book entitled, Who Switched the Price Tags?

Each year we have a student recognition day at our church. We ask the young people of our church who are students at colleges and universities to give us reports of how their educational experiences have been going. It is a very special Sunday because ours is a Black Baptist church. The older members of our congregation have not had the educational opportunities that our young people enjoy. Consequently, they love to hear about what their children and grandchildren are learning. On one such Sunday, after have a dozen students had given their reports, my pastor got up and delivered some closing words. He said…

“Children, you’re going to die! You may not think you’re going to die. But you’re going to die. One of these days, they’re going to take you out to the cemetery, drop you in a hole, throw some dirt on your face, and go back to the church and eat potato salad. When you were born you alone were crying and everybody else was happy. The important question I want to ask is this: When you die are you alone going to be happy, leaving everybody else crying?

The answer depends on whether you live to get titles or you live to get testimonies. At your memorial service before they lay you in the grave, are people going to stand around reciting the fancy titles you earned, or are they going to stand around giving testimonies of the good things you did for them? Will they list your degrees and awards, or will they tell about what a blessing you were to them? Will you leave behind just a newspaper column telling people how important you were, or will you leave crying people who give testimonies of how they’ve lost the best friend they ever had? There’s nothing wrong with titles. Titles are good things to have. But if it ever comes down to a choice between a title or a testimony—go for the testimony!”

The Apostle Paul went for the testimony! How about each of us? Are we going to go for the titles or are we going to go for the testimony? Let’s go for the testimony! Let’s not get stolen by success!

I’m going to invite you right now to rest in God’s grace for a few moments—just to feel his smile, to feel his approval. There will be some Scriptures placed on the screen. Let them help you to re-wallpaper your mind to the truth of who God is and who you are inside. So just sit quietly as the music plays, and let the love of God wash over you. Amen.

God wants to see the beauty inside us. Created in God’s image, we are enough—as is—for God’s love is “one size fits all!”

We are entering into our third message of a five-part series that deals with Identity Theft. God is disclosing to us through his Word that our identity in Christ is the key to wholeness, and many Jesus-followers have difficulty with self-worth, spiritual growth and maturity. We discovered in our last message that our identity in Christ is robbed by relationships. Nothing characterizes our modern age more than fractured, dysfunctional personal relationships. But deep within our hearts is a God-like shape. A perfect fit for Jesus in everyway. No heart is too big, no heart too small.

We will continue to discover in the next three messages that there are “identity thieves” that steal our sense of who we truly are and render our lives diminished versions of what they were intended to be. Our identity in Christ is…

mugged by the mirror

stolen by success

pick-pocketed by the past

These “identity thieves” block out the cross or fight for allegiance in each of our lives. This five-part series reveals that our longing for security and acceptance can only be found in Christ. In the cross of Christ, we find our true identity.

Are we beautiful enough, handsome enough, thin enough, and muscular enough? How do we measure up to the unrealistic standards set by our outward-appearance-obsessed culture? And if we meet those standards, what’s the ‘beauty’ quotient on the inside? We’ve been buying a lie that says looking a certain way and being attractive means being fulfilled, accepted, admired, or loved. Instead of trying to recreate the external image based upon what the world says, we need to grab hold of the truth that says that through Jesus Christ, we’re already significant, already sufficient, and already secure. God wants to see the beauty inside whatever our body mass might be.

What do we see when we stand in front of the mirror? When we get up first thing in the morning? What do we see? Do we like what we see? Are we thinking, will they like what they see? What do we see? Do we see someone that’s beautiful? Someone that’s handsome? Someone to whom God says, “you are quite enough!” Do we see someone who’s made in the image of God? Or do we see someone who needs to change their image somehow? There’s a piece of all of us that wants to look our best, and its okay to look our best; but we all, to some extent struggle with some insecurities about how we look on the outside. None of us are really exempt from that, are we?

Guys, have you ever been to a workout place, and you’re standing in front of the mirror; you’ve got your 70-pound, 80-pound, perhaps a 30-pound bar that you’re curling with? You’re looking in the mirror and you’re going, “Whoa, man, I am ripped.” You start getting those thoughts in your head. And then this other guy walks next to you, and he’s, like, huge; and he’s got a 200-pound bar. He’s standing there, and you’re looking at yourself going, “Oh, man, I’m not ripped; I’m ripped off” All of a sudden, all the joy you were feeling and all the confidence you were feeling about yourself is just sucked away, and your identity gets stolen, because you just got mugged by the mirror.

Girls, do you know that Barbie was an anatomical freak? She was. If you did the math, to have legs and a body like that, you’d have to be like 7’5’’tall. You’d have to have two ribs removed from each side to make sure you got that hourglass figure. She didn’t have a complexion problem, any of that kind of stuff. She was, like, the perfect woman. Now listen to what Michelle Graham writes. She says, “This is the image that has been marketed to young girls all over the world as an inspiration to womanhood, and we eat it up. Barbie has become a $1.5 billion a year industry.”

Graham continues, “I’m certainly no expert on the psychological effects of Barbie on young children. But, I do know, at a very young age, I myself bought into the idea that unless my Barbie wasn’t physically perfect, she wasn’t as good as the other Barbie’s on the block. In fact, she embarrassed me.” Then she writes, “As I grew into adulthood, I left my Barbie behind. Unfortunately, I struggle with the belief that unless I am physically perfect, I somehow am not as valuable as everybody else.

For women, Barbie moved out, and Victoria’s Secret moved in. There’s nothing quite like a glance at a Victoria’s Secret catalog to invoke a flood of insecurities and feelings of disappointment.” Any of you women been there where you look through the pages and go, if I could only look like that? How do you feel when you see your husband rivet his eyes or a group of men stare at the models on a recent Victoria Secret commercial? A recent survey found that 70 percent of women felt depressed, guilty, and shameful after looking at a fashion magazine for only three minutes. You take a look at Barbie or these fashion models, and your identity gets stolen, because you just got mugged by the mirror.

Those of us who are older feel inadequate when the five B’s attack our bodies: baldness, bifocals, bad breath, bulges, and bunions. You know we’re getting old when… Everything hurts, and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work. The gleam in your eye is from the sun hitting your bifocals. It feels like the ‘morning after’ but you haven’t been anywhere the night before. Your little black book contains only names starting with Dr. You get winded playing chess. A dripping faucet causes an uncontrollable bladder urge. You know all the answers, but nobody asks you the questions. You look forward to a dull evening. You burn the midnight oil after 9pm. Your back goes out more often than you do. Your pacemaker makes the garage door go up when you watch a pretty girl pass by. The little grey-haired old lady you help across the street is your wife. You have too much room in the house, but not enough in the medicine cabinet. You sink your teeth into a steak, and they stay there.

Turning 60 is something of a milestone. It’s also the time many people retire from their job. Some of us mark this milestone quietly, some might have a party, but Larry Elmore did something different. Larry was a commercial pilot facing compulsory retirement at 60. So he marked his 60th birthday and his retirement by doing 60 parachute jumps in one day! It seems he doesn’t know the meaning of “feeling old”. It seems that he, like many senior adults, just got mugged by the mirror.

It only takes the flip of a remote control to see that our culture makes a very clear statement. We’ve bought into the lie that says our value is directly proportionate to our physical attractiveness. The result? People are consumed with outward appearance: $20 billion last year spent on cosmetics alone; $2 billion on hair care products; and $74 billion spent on diet foods in our country. How do we explain this consumption toward physical attractiveness to the children of some Third World countries? We’ve been mugged by the mirror!

Some people believe that self-identity and the Bible don’t mix. Others are convinced there is no better place to find self-respect and self-acceptance. We considered the truth in our last message that identity in our relationships can be pursued with pride or with humility. It can be cultivated within the boundaries of biblical wisdom or without it. Although the Bible encourages an awareness of a healthy self-identity that has its origin in God, educational or community based programs often find it necessary to encourage individual self-identity and self-respect without bringing God and faith into the picture. The Bible teaches us to see the value of our lives by adding God’s perspective to our own.

The Lord selects David to succeed Saul through a godly perspective as recorded in 1 Samuel 16:1-7…

1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” 4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

We may observe in these verses that God sent Samuel to the Judahite family of Jesse to designate one of his sons as God’s choice as Israel’s next king. Though the prophet initially tried to anoint Jesse’s oldest son Eliab by human standards, God prevented him from doing do though a selection process based upon heavenly standards.

Coloring Outside the Lines

It should be apparent that our Father in heaven, like all loving parents, wants us to feel good about ourselves. But God wants it to be on his terms, not ours. That might sound like bad news. But it isn’t. Heaven’s values are so much richer and more meaningful than the short-term lived human values that tend to catch our eye.

By what values do we see ourselves?

1. We can see ourselves perceived by human standards.

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.

When it comes to the real basis of our identity, we need to build on the truth of what the Lord said to the prophet Samuel while showing him the next king of Israel. Of one “hot prospect” the Lord said not to look at his outward appearance or at the height of his stature. Our natural inclination is to think that our identity and ability to feel good about ourselves lies in values variously perceived by human standards—

beauty

bucks

appearance

brains

brawn

aptitude

affluence

pleasure

possessions

abilities

prominence

power.

If these are our values, we will be mugged by the mirror. Regardless of how they are described, they are superficial, short-lived and misleading. Our net worth is not equal to the sum total of our appearance, our abilities, and our affluence. It’s a lousy lie that convinces us to look into the mirror and to feel bad about ourselves because we don’t compare well with others when it comes to beauty, brains, bucks, or brawn. It’s a lie of unbelievable proportions that cause us to think that real value is found in a handsome or beautiful face, a well-dressed body, a quick mind, and a large bank account.

Yet the children of the world are nurtured or neglected, pampered or put off, largely on the basis of the bone structure and fat deposits of their bodies, the alertness of their minds, or the social status of their parents. Children are raised to feel good or bad about themselves depending on how they fit into the selfish, ever-changing mirror of the world around them.

Does this mean we should always despise these other values? No, they have their place. We need to cultivate and appreciate wealth, appearance, ability, and influence whenever higher values show us that it is appropriate to do so. We need to do the best we can with what the Lord has given us. Being a well-groomed, color-coordinated person has its place. And in a limited sense, this can help us to feel better about ourselves.

2. We can see ourselves perceived by heavenly standards.

7 ….But the LORD said to Samuel, “The LORD does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

God chose to look upon the selection of the Israel’s next king by heavenly standards and not by human standards. God’s rebuke of Samuel is one we all need to take seriously. Like God, we need to make choices based on what is in another person’s heart. God’s supernatural inclination is to affirm that our identity and ability to feel good about ourselves lies in values variously perceived by heavenly standards—

character

righteousness

love

generosity

kindness

faithfulness

self-control

justice

humility

diligence

wisdom

courage

Throughout the Old Testament narratives, God show his tendency to “color outside the lines” of human expectations. Ancient near eastern societies always gave special privileges—especially leadership roles—to firstborn sons. However, in the biblical stories, God regularly chose people who were overlooked and ignored by others to do his most special work. In the events of Samuel the prophet, David joins a long line of other individuals who were honored by God, even though they had been disqualified by people because of their birth order. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, and Moses were also younger brothers whom God exalted over their peers.

So after recording the importance of God’s “inner view,” however, the same chapter describes David, the Lord’s anointed, as “glowing with health and fine appearance and handsome features” (16:12). Apparently, the Lord himself sees the practical significance of human considerations while making it plain that his eye is on the heart.

Jeremiah the prophet declared to his troubled, dying world in Jeremiah 9:23-24…

23 This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24 but let those who boast boast about this: that they understand and know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

We don’t measure our identity in Christ by human standards. We look upon the heart, not the outward appearance distorted by the world’s mirror. We let our heart be captured by the most important person in our lives. We believe God when he tells us that the best is yet to come. We trust the most reliable authority in the world when he tells us that in Christ, we have a new lease on life and a new assurance for life.

Perhaps one of the best ways to close this message is with the testimonies of two people who have found a new beginning—help in this approach of choosing heavenly standards over human standards. They’re just not going to be mugged by the mirror!

First, a woman in her late fifties writes:

“In seeking to perceive a godly perspective of life through scripture, I have learned so much more about the origins of my lifelong problem of a healthy self-identity than anything I have ever read. I have searched books on psychology and talked to numerous people. And I’ve had psychology courses in college. Now, for the first time ever, I have somewhere to begin in attempting to unravel my problems. I have always felt cursed with oversensitivity, taking offense too easily. I have seen what that feeling has done to others—especially my own dad and mom—and I really didn’t want to pass this on to my own family (although to some extent, I guess I already have). Having given my life to the Lord and recommitting myself to God’s loving care just a year ago, I’ve had less of a problem because I’ve been trying to live more for Jesus and less for me. Surrender has been the guiding principle of my life this past year. But I would be guilty of telling a lie if I said my problems with self-identity were gone! I still struggle with it. The difference now is the hope I feel in my Savior. I have asked Jesus to be the Master of my life, to guide my steps, to mold me into the new creature he wants me to be. And he’s doing it. It may be a longer process than I want to be, but the Lord knows what I need. Yet, it is so difficult to die to self. I choke sometimes on my pride. It wells up in my throat and I want to fight, to swear, to yell, to cry when I feel wronged by another or judged by the outward appearances of the world. But I say instead, ‘Thank you, Lord. I praise you for sending this. I know that you cause all things to work together for good.’ It’s working. Lately the Lord has taken what started out to be terrible days for me and turned them completely around so that I feel a warm, loving glow within, and am smiling and thinking of others rather than myself.”

Second, a man in his early thirties writes:

“A couple of weeks ago on vacation, I was looking back through some old pictures of myself. The before and after pictures are pretty amazing. You would look at them and go; I don’t know who this is. You just go, Oh, my goodness. I had a lot of hair, a lot of hair; and I was really thin and kind of buff. But as sand through the hourglass, so are the hairs of our lives. Those pictures are just downright amazing. Do you know what I really want? I really want people to look at me and see the amazing, striking difference in the before-and after-Jesus pictures of my life. You see, back then I had lots of wavy hair, but I was ugly to the bone. I don’t like to quote Fred Sanford but he said, ‘Beauty is skin deep, Ugly goes to the bone.’ Well, I had some pretty tight abs and pecks and all that kind of stuff, but I made fun of people. I was insensitive. I was kind of fashionable. Clothes hung pretty good on me; but I dressed myself in anger, malice, envy, impure thoughts, lust, and pride. I let the thief distort the image of God in me. I let him steal my identity. But then I drew close to God, and God drew close to me; and Jesus Christ filled up the hole in my heart. Through the years and countless reconstructive surgeries, he’s done an extreme makeover on my soul. And the good news is, he’s not done. With that internal focus, I just want to say, I can’t wait till tomorrow, because I get better looking’ every day.”

A favorite Scripture of late … because the older we get, we’re falling apart. Let’s look what it says. The Message just “reveals life like it is” in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18…

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now, they’ll last forever.

God even uses us—people who had a distorted image because we didn’t want to look into God’s mirror. So we have been mugged by the world’s mirror of human standards. We didn’t think God’s mirror would satisfy us. However, when we come to know that it will satisfy us, God says, “I want to use you as a mirror now to reflect my glory to a watching world. There is no need for you to be mugged by the mirror of the world!”

Father in heaven, we pray that you would help us to see ourselves the way you see us, and that we would refuse to let anything else determine our worth. God, would you stamp in our hearts that even when the world doesn’t choose us, we’re chosen by you; and that’s enough. That’s enough. God, thanks for teaching us today. Continue to teach us this week as we learn these Scriptures. Amen.

Deep within our hearts is a God-like shape. A perfect fit for Jesus in everyway. No heart is too big, no heart too small.

We are entering into our second message of a five-part series that deals with Identity Theft. Identity theft is a problem most of us didn’t think about 5 years ago. Today it is common to hear the stories of victims who are trying to salvage their name and credit rating after learning that someone has stolen and misused a password, social security number, or charge card.

In our introductory message God disclosed to us through his Word that our identity in Christ is the key to wholeness, and many Jesus-followers have difficulty with self-worth, spiritual growth and maturity. Our true identity in Christ has also been distorted by the Devil—the great deceiver himself. We are somebody because Christ lives in us. In Christ we have all we will ever need. And in Christ we are totally secure. Nobody, nothing can ever take away our identity in Christ!

We will discover in the next four messages that there are at least four “identity thieves” that steal our sense of who we truly are and render our lives diminished versions of what they were intended to be. Our identity in Christ is…

robbed by relationships

mugged by the mirror

stolen by success

pick-pocketed by the past

These “identity thieves” block out the cross or fight for allegiance in each of our lives. This five-part series reveals that our longing for security and acceptance can only be found in Christ. In the cross of Christ, we find our true identity. This identity in Christ is robbed by relationships. Nothing characterizes our modern age more than fractured, dysfunctional personal relationships.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks describes the general state of our relationships today in many parts of America and the world: “relationships are marked by vandalism, violent crime and a loss of civility; by the breakdown of the family and the widespread neglect of children; by an erosion of trust and general loss of faith in the power of governments to cure some of our most deep-seated problems, and by a widespread sense that matters crucial to our future welfare are slipping beyond our control.”

We don’t trust each other anymore. Relationships have lost their permanence. Lifelong marriages have ceased to be the accepted norm. Lasting careers are disappearing. Not so long ago a person could expect to work for one corporation for 30-40 years and then retire with a company pension and perhaps a gold watch. No more. Young people can now expect to have to learn several trades in a lifetime, with the accompanying disruption to relationships, just to survive economically.

The diagnosis is simple. Relationships that work are based on common rules. When standards become vague and people cannot agree to accept and adhere to the same values, society goes awry. Relationships are robbed. There have to be agreed-upon principles for human beings to follow. Otherwise we will continue to experience chaos in our relationships.

Well I have in my hands a little toy that each of my girls played with when they were toddlers. Does anyone else have one of these in their home? If you have toddlers you know, it’s got all these different shapes on the outside with corresponding shaped pieces that you place inside. Actually being from California this is our ACT test. I didn’t do so well, but I remember when oldest daughter Julie was like three or four years old, she would–she was going to make the piece go in the hole she wanted it to. You would hear her just slamming it you know? Then she would walk down the hall and I’d go, “Julie where are you going?” “I’m going to get a shoe.” She’d come back and she’d just pound more on this thing. She would get so frustrated doing this deal. I use this toy as an illustration not to remind me of a frustrated toddler, but it reminds me of the millions and millions of people who are equally as frustrated with life. In reference to their relationships, there’re trying to pound a square playing piece into a round hole. We expect other people to complete us. We expect a relationship to fill up a hole in our heart. This desire is setting up our relationship to fail and to frustrate us. This expectation is both unfair and unrealistic because it robs us of healthy relationships.

Identity theft happens all too often in relationships. It’s scary to think that somebody else is living our life. We see it all the time. We watch people who will do just about anything and turn into anybody in order to be accepted by a certain group or a certain guy or a certain girl. Why do we think gangs flourish? Why do we think people so readily give up their body sexually speaking? It’s because there’s this need to be accepted. So we will be whoever we need to be and live our lives through other people.

We tragically let other people live our lives. Why do men and women compromise their values at work? Why do we care so much about what other people think or say about us? Why do we end up in co-dependent patterns and relationships where we just need to be needed? It’s because we’re looking to have significance in our lives. So we spend our lives trying to cram the square peg of relationships with imperfect people into that round hole of our heart and our identity gets stolen and we end up letting other people live our lives.

Friends, if we do that long enough somewhere along the line, don’t we know by now, we’re going to get really, really hurt. Hasn’t it been true in our experience? Haven’t we found that people eventually will hurt us? Even as healthy and as good as relationships can be, they don’t possess an unfailing love. People will betray us. People will break promises. People will break vows. People will exclude us, will reject us. They’ll wound us. They’ll disappoint us even abuse us, and when we get stung by somebody, when we get hurt by somebody that we were expecting to complete us, all that acceptance, all that security, all that significance that we’ve been craving is gone, and our identity gets stolen with it.

The Bible is a book about relationships—how they can be revitalized and restored. It emphasizes the most important relationship any human being can have—with God himself through Jesus Christ! It shows how reconciliation with God leads to a right restoration of our relationships with other human beings—marriage partners, friends, fellow church members or fellow employees.

Indeed the initial breakdown of a right relationship with God started not long after the creation of human life itself. Adam and Eve became estranged from God, and such a breakdown continued from there right down to our modern age of disjointed human relations.

This breakdown is described in Genesis 3:1-13…

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

It’s the simple mathematics of being human. Two people plus one relationship equals inevitable pain. One unkind word, careless act, or intentional attack, and a gulf is opened that could potentially damage a relationship forever. We may observe in these verses that because of this one estrangement from God and from one another we today are robbed by relationships.

Harmony Stolen

In the beginning, God created the planet and populated it with life. God decided to place something of his own self into this world, so he made human beings in his own image and breathed his own breath into them, giving them life. God created people to live in close relationship with himself — a relationship that brings true, satisfying, lasting life. There was perfect harmony established by God.

But these first humans, being free to love, broke the relationship when they chose to turn away from God—they chose instead to live independently of God, trying to find meaningful life and relationship in their own ways. The consequence they suffered from being separated from God—the Author of life—was a physical, emotional and spiritual death. Their disconnection and broken relationship with God had a deteriorating effect—disharmony in their sense of self, their relationship with other people and with creation around them.

God will disclose to us through his Word from Genesis 3:1-13 the root problem (cause) of this breakdown, and the tendencies (effects) that developed.

The Root Problem:

Pride =

a humanistic attitude of independence as we

recognize that all we have is attained by self-gain.

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Satan’s approach to Eve is a classic model of the reasoning that leads to pride and ultimately into sin. God’s command not to eat of one tree in the Garden established a standard (2:17). Satan attacked this standard by questioning the existence of the standard—“Did God really say?”; casting doubt on God’s motives for establishing the standard—“For God knows that when you eat…you will be like God.”; and denying the consequences of violating the standard—“You will not certainly die.”

The apostle John writes concerning the issue of pride in 1 John 2:16…

For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful people,

the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have

and do—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Recently there was a debate on CNN over pornography. Satan’s arguments marshaled once again. An ACLU lawyer ridiculed the idea that even gross pornography is wrong. He claimed censorship of pornography would deny readers their rights and pleasures. And he claimed that no harm would come through filling the mind with pornographic images.

Our only protection against evil is the belief which Eve through pride abandoned. We must affirm what God has said. We must be convinced that God’s standards are not intended to deny us pleasures but to protect us from harmful pride. And we must realize that tragic consequences will follow violating God’s standards of right and wrong. God hates pride because it made sin a reality in God’s creation. And pride brought sin into the world. Proverbs 8:13 says…

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride

and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

Pride leads us to believe that we don’t need God any longer. It promotes this humanistic attitude of selfish independence. This truth is revealed in the following illustration: God was once approached by a scientist who said, “Listen God, we’ve decided we don’t need you anymore. These days we can clone people, transplant organs and do all sorts of things that used to be considered miraculous.” God replied, “Don’t need me huh? How about we put your theory to the test. Why don’t we have a competition to see who can make a human being, say, a male human being.” The scientist agrees, so God declares they should do it like he did in the good old days when he created Adam. “Fine” says the scientist as he bends down to scoop up a handful of dirt.” “Whoa!” says God, shaking his head in disapproval. “Not so fast. You get your own dirt.”

God hates pride so much that he is even willing to allow adversity into the lives of his children to root it out. God has such a distain for pride that he is willing to go so far as to send adversity to keep pride from becoming a problem. A prideful spirit led Adam and Eve into sin—the cause for a breakdown in their relationship with God and with one another. The harmony they had known was broken by strife. This strive caused two key effects or tendencies biologically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually.

The Tendencies:

Hiding = a humanistic response to keep secret; to screen from view by turning away in shame or anger.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Adam and Eve’s sewing fig leaves together portray their first, futile effort to deal with pride. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves. Yet they knew their attempt to deal with sin was a failure. How do we know? When Adam and Eve heard God nearby, they hid from God among the trees of the garden. Try as we may to deal with sin by our own efforts, deep down we human beings retain a sense of guilt and shame that witnesses to our lost condition. There never has been, and never will be, human beings saved by their own works.

The children’s popular game of “Hide and Seek” is a tag variant in which one or more players search for the other players. The game is best played in areas with lots of potential hiding spots, such as a forest. In the case of Adam and Eve, it was a large lush garden. Adam and Eve hid, and God seeks them out. They screen from view by turning away in shame, hoping to run away from God. In their hiding attempt, they also hide from each other by covering themselves.

Adam and Eve were initially transparent in relationship with God and one another (2:25). “The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.” However, due to a broken relationship, like Adam and Eve, it’s easier to shield against intimacy. The intimacy factor has been so damaged by prideful sin that relationships lack openness. We hide from one another. We learn to keep intimacy with God and one another at arm’s length so long that we become incapable of true intimacy.

Hurling =

a humanistic reaction of blaming; thrusting with

great vigor or forcefully putting down with violence.

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Adam and Eve’s blaming each other picture their second, futile attempt to deal with pride. They were set at odds, blaming each other for their act. Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. The harmony they had known was broken by strife. Spiritually Adam and Eve were even alienated from God, and this created a sense of fear. The God of love has suddenly become an object of terror.

No human being is as bad as he or she might be. But all human beings, the victim’s of sin’s legacy of physical, psychological, social and spiritual death, are as bad off as they could be. We are all too familiar with the aspects of hurling against one another. The byproduct of this tendency to hurl is what the Bible calls “death.” Each is a witness—a billboard—announcing loudly that sin is a reality with which we must deal.

When we become defensive because of our pride we hurl against one another. We cover up our sin by placing blame on another person. This reaction is also called the tactic of a scapegoat. A scapegoat is one made to bear the blame of others. In the bible a scapegoat was a live goat over whose head Aaron confessed all the sins of the children of Israel on the Day of Atonement. The goat, symbolically bearing their sins, was then sent into the wilderness.

It becomes a lot easier to hurl and blame others for our own shortcomings. We assign all of the responsibility for some event or action to someone other than ourselves. We not only assign all of the responsibility for something to someone, but we also condemn and criticize the source of the problem. With this second, more intense form of hurling there is a sense that the other person has intentionally harmed us or has been terribly unfair. Hurling usually is accompanied by unrealistic should/must rules and magnification.

What are the results of hiding and hurling in our own lives or on others around us?

Reclaiming Stolen Goods

We need to reclaim the stolen goods that have been robbed by relationships. There are primarily six ways to guard against “Identity Theft” in relationships.

1. Grieving the Hurts–Psalm 55:1-8; 12-17

This way is really a revelation of how fellowship with God leads ultimately to the victory of faith. Faith creates the courage to cast our broken relationships on God, and the conviction that God will deliver is created.

2. Seeking Forgiveness–Psalm 130

This way makes us distinctly conscious of our distress with sin, and the desire for God to bring forgiveness through his pardoning and redeeming. We recognize our deep need inwardly to approach God with our sin, seeking forgiveness and restoration.

3. Accepting God’s Grace– John 4:6-19

This way affirms that God’s love for us flows from his character, not ours. It is not dependent on anything we have done or will do. Our obedience to God shows others that we truly love God and accept his unmerited favor in our relationships.

4. Experiencing God’s Faithfulness– Isaiah 49:13-16

This way acknowledges that God will be faithful to his people who place their trust in him and respond to him when he calls. When we experience estrangement in our relationships we know God is present to help us in our time of distress.

5. Growing in the Capacity to Love– 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

This way teaches us that what we are to value in others. And what others will value most in us. And, above all, what God values in us. We are to grow in the capacity to love others. We mature in our relationships when our attitudes and actions express love.

6. Nurturing New Relationships– Colossians 3:12-17

This way instructs us to live out Christlikeness in our relationships with others. This living in the likeness of Christ is not found in rules that we follow. We nurture new relationships in simple and pure expressions of compassion and love for others.

Let’s spin down this message by focusing upon Psalm 17:7-8…

Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

When it comes to healthy relationships, did we know that we are the apple of God’s eye? Hide me in the shadow of your wings. We ask God to wrap his strong loving arms around us. We all long to be loved with a love like that. We all long to be the apple of somebody’s eye. We all long for an unfailing love, one that is constant, one that will not disappoint, one that is compassionate, one that is dependable, one that is unconditional, and one that is perfect.

Relationships are fragile treasures. They can fail for a variety of reasons. Sometimes misunderstandings tear relationships apart. Sometimes unresolvable conflicts explode between people through hiding and hurling. Sometimes fears learned in earlier relationships undermine new investments in intimacy. Sometimes a person’s pride harms a relationship by cheating or deceit. For these and many other reasons, friendships, business partnerships, marriages, and family relationships break apart. When a significant relationship fails, a part of us dies with it. When our relationships break, our heart also breaks. But we were created to live in relationships. We need other people. Intimate relationships with friends or with family or with a spouse enrich our lives. It is in the context of close relationships that we thrive and grow.

So when we feel robbed by relationships, we must remember the truth that deep within our hearts is a God-like shape. A perfect fit for Jesus in everyway. No heart is too big, no heart is too small. Jesus is the answer. He fits them all!

Father in heaven, we want to thank you so much for the way you love us and the way you speak into us and to the way you fill up that hole in our heart. Thank you Jesus for being the answer God teaches as we teach in the coming weeks. Amen.

We are somebody because Christ lives in us. In Christ we have all we will ever need. And in Christ we are totally secure forever.

We embark upon a five-part message series that deals with Identity Theft. Identity theft is a problem most of us didn’t think about 5 years ago. Today it is common to hear the stories of victims who are trying to salvage their name and credit rating after learning that someone has stolen and misused a password, social security number, or charge card. Statistics show that identify theft is on the rise. In 1999 to 20004 there were 17 million victims. In 2005-2006 alone, there were over 10 million. So since tracking began in 1999 there have been over 27 million identity thefts reported.

Even if we would track what is happening on the internet, fraud is rampant. SPAM volume is growing exponentially; 50% of attacks are generated outside the U.S. Statistics show that 10 out of 16 messages are SPAM. 1 in 4 email messages is virus infected. Knowing the danger of identity fraud will help us think twice before giving personal information that could permit others access to our bank account or social security number.

Being informed can also deepen our understanding of a spiritual principle that we have often taken for granted. According to the Bible, we are not the only ones who have reason for concern. God himself takes a risk with his identity whenever he allows us to use his name. When we identify ourselves as his children, and even more when we let it be known that we are Jesus-followers, God’s credit rating gets mingled with our own. Yet by endangering his own reputation, God gives us the greatest of gifts.

The use of God’s Name and credit is at the heart of what the Bible says God does for us. It is not a privilege we would expect or ask for. It’s natural to want to take care of ourselves, to solve our own problems, and to be obligated to no one. Our culture tries to convince us that if we find the right relationship, keep up our appearance, and strive for success, we’ll live happy, fulfilled lives.

We will be discovering in future messages that there are at least four “identity thieves” that steal our sense of who we truly are and render our lives diminished versions of what they were intended to be. They block out the cross or fight for allegiance in each of our lives. We were never meant to be chameleons, changing into whatever we need to be in order to gain love and acceptance. We were created for more—much more—than the way we look, what we accomplish or fail to accomplish, and the sum of our past rejections, failures, and wounds. This five-part series reveals that our longing for security and acceptance can only be found in Christ. In the cross of Christ, we find our true identity.

Who are you?” We all have a sense of identity, of “who we are”. Much of our identity was developed in our upbringing, much also contributed to by our education, but also much from our deciding “who we wanted to be.” Commonly, this is defined in functional terms, “I want to be a pastor.” “I want to be a teacher.” “I want to be a father.” “I want to be a wife.” Naturally, we have taken on a sense of identity that is usually multifaceted. The point is, our actions come from that sense of identity, not the other way around. As a teacher, we do certain things, etc. The connection between our identity and our actions is an aspect of how we are designed.

Now, let me ask you some important questions: Do you really know your identity in Christ? How do you see yourself as a Jesus-follower? Do you see yourself as powerful? Or do you see yourself as impotent? Do you understand the true extent of what it means to have the Son of God living inside of you? Do you hold your head up high because of your relationship to Christ, or are you sometimes embarrassed? Do see yourself in rags or in riches?

If our identity in Christ is the key to wholeness, why do so many Jesus-followers have difficulty with self-worth, spiritual growth and maturity? Because our true identity in Christ has been distorted by the Devil—the great deceiver himself.

Speaking of the deceiver, there is a story told of the Devil who disrupted a church service one Sunday morning. In the middle of worship, the Devil came charging into the Sanctuary yelling and screaming. This caused so much fear that all but one person in the congregation scattered and left the Worship Center. Remaining was a little elderly gentleman sitting on the front pew. Refusing to move, the Devil said to the man, “Don’t you know who I am, and what I can do to you?” The man replied, “You don’t scare me one bit. I’ve been living with your sister for fifty years!”

In the scriptures, to deceive is to cause someone to believe something that is not true. “Satan, who deceived the whole world, was cast out” (Revelation 12:9). Satan deceives not only Jesus-followers but even unbelievers. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). So we must not be deceived. Contrary to culture or what the deceiver says, we are not a product of what we do or don’t do. We are a product of who we are in Christ and his work on the cross. Jesus-followers are not saved by how we behave but by how we believe!

As we near another celebration of America’s freedom—Independence Day—do we identify with being an American more than our identity in Christ as Jesus-followers? We cherish our freedom as Americans, however, Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness won’t really give us the freedom we really need. Sometimes we emphasize the fact that the truth has the power to make us free. Truth is truth whether we believe it or not. And truth is truth whether we know it or not.

But let’s approach this from a different perspective. There are times when we can never be free unless we “know” the truth. If we do not know the truth, we may be acting on a lie. If we act on the basis of an untruth, then the untruth becomes the reality for us. We must not shortchange ourselves by believing we are less than God says we are. What a shame it would be to believe we are penniless when we are really prosperous. There are compelling reasons from a biblical point of view to perceive our need for access to God’s name and credit.

Let’s look at Paul’s opening words to the Ephesian believers in 1:1-6…

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

These words of Paul’s letter tell of our spiritual possessions in Christ. Jesus-followers inherit the wealth by faith and invest the wealth by works. Without this balance, our spiritual riches do us no good.

There is a cartoon that shows an arrogant lawyer reading a client’s last will and testament to a group of greedy relatives. The caption read: “I, John Jones, being of sound mind and body, spent it all!” When Jesus wrote his last will and testament for his church, he made it possible for us to share his spiritual riches. Instead of spending it all, Jesus paid it all. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross made possible our salvation.

In the first six verses of Ephesians, we will discover at least three characteristics of our identity in Christ. Paul names just a few of the blessings that make up our spiritual wealth in Christ. So before we come to the Lord’s Table to remember the sacrifice Jesus paid for our salvation, it would be affirming for us to see our true identity in Christ.

1. In Christ We Are Significant

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Paul opens this letter to the church, he addresses it to the “saints.” This is a good biblical term commonly applied to all believers. In fact, in some ancient manuscripts, the designation “at Ephesus” is not found at the beginning of this letter. Because of that, many believe that this was a general letter from Paul to be circulated among all the churches. In any case, Christians are commonly referred to as saints. It comes from the Greek word hagios, which literally means “holy.” To be a saint, in the New Testament sense of the word, is to be a “holy one.” And that’s who we are in Christ.

We must not be misled by the mistaken idea that sainthood is something which can only be conferred upon certain dead people by some ecclesiastical body. According to God’s Word, all believers are already saints. From God’s perspective, we are saints, not because of who people say we are, but because of what Christ did for us. We are righteous because Jesus died on the cross so that he could give us his righteousness. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He {God} made Him {Christ} who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” We are now the righteousness of God in Christ. What an amazing statement!

When Christ died on the cross, he paid the penalty for our sin. He died there to put to death our old self. But he not only died to forgive us, he died to enable us to receive his life. As we surrender to him, he gives us his life in exchange for ours. He becomes our life. We live by his life. Christ is in us, and we are in Christ. Now we live from this new level of life. His righteousness is made ours. When God looks at us, he sees us in Christ. Here’s the truth of who we are in Christ. In Christ we have significance. We must begin to realize our righteousness in Christ. It comes as we begin to see ourselves as in Christ.

Here is where we find the importance of knowing the truth. Unless we know our true position in Christ, we will never begin to live from that position. We are significant because of our position in Christ. This is what we must begin to see by faith. This is who we really are. It has been said that some people can’t get saved because they won’t accept their sinnership, and that some Christians can’t walk in victory because they won’t accept their sainthood. In Christ we are significant. In Christ we are saints. We have his permission to live like a saint!

2. In Christ We Are Sufficient

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

God has given us sufficiency in Christ. Let’s look closer at this jewel of a verse. It is not that God will bless us. God has blessed us. It’s a done deal. God has not just given us a blessing; he has given us spiritual blessing. But let’s look further. God has not just given us spiritual blessing; God has given us every spiritual blessing. And finally we are told that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. What a promise! It’s really more than a promise. It’s a current reality.

Again, if we do not know this truth, we will never walk in it. In Christ we have sufficiency, because we have every spiritual blessing in Christ. And so we must learn to rely on our resources in Christ. In Christ, we are rich. The riches of Christ have already been deposited into our account. We must now begin to draw upon those riches.

It is as if someone made an anonymous and secret deposit into our checking account. If we did not know about the existence of that deposit, we would never be able to draw upon it. But when we came into the knowledge of that truth, then we would immediately have access to that resource. This is precisely what the Word of God is saying to us. We may choose not to believe it, and live in spiritual poverty. Or we may choose to draw upon our resources in Christ. We can write a check on this account and take it to the bank! See if it doesn’t clear. It will not bounce.

Sometimes we can feel that we do not have what it takes to do what God is calling us to do. Throughout the Scriptures we find God calling us upward. There is a high calling for the Jesus-follower. There is much the Lord commands us to do. But the commands of Christ are not burdensome. It has been said that every command of God is not a demand on us, but a demand upon the God who gave the command. God will never give us something to do that he hasn’t already given us the power to do. In Christ we are already sufficient for everything he calls us to do. We begin to live in that knowledge.

3. In Christ We Are Secure

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

God chose us in Christ. We are told that God predestined us to adoption as sonship through Jesus Christ. And we are also told that God freely has given us his grace in the Beloved. In Christ we can learn to rest in our relationship to him. In Christ we are secure, because we are in the Beloved. The point is that we are his. We are in Jesus. Therefore, we are secure. Our security rests on our relationship.

It was God’s will to choose us. God called us in order to adopt us as his sons and daughters. We are told that this is his will. God has given us what we do not deserve. God has freely bestowed on us his grace and made us part of his family. No wonder John could say, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

I remember as a young boy playing baseball in the park with my friends. All the boys would gather together and we would choose sides. Two captains would pick the boys they wanted on their respective team. I was little in size and stature so I was perceived by the other boys as lacking in the skills of hitting, throwing, catching, and running. So it was often an embarrassing situation for me to get picked last. In fact, I remember a few times the following scenario: “You take Bobby. No, you can have Bobby. Well, I don’t want Bobby. You take him.” Well, I ended up on one of the teams adding to the strength of its players. However, the way we formed the teams by choice was brutal.

This is not so with God. God loves us. God has chosen us. God has accepted us. There is nothing we can do for God to love us more. There’s also nothing we can do for God to love us less. God doesn’t change us so that he can love us; God loves us in order to change us. It is God’s love that changes us. We surrender to that love. We bask in it. We rest in our relationship in Christ. In Christ we are secure. In Christ we are accepted. What a powerful passage!

In Christ we are significant. We are righteous. We are saints, so we learn to realize our righteousness.

In Christ we are sufficient. We are rich. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing, so we learn to rely on our resources.

In Christ we are secure. We are received. We are accepted in the Beloved, so we learn to rest in our relationship.

In the Summer of 1967, 100,000 young people, ages 15-25, flocked to my hometown—San Francisco—to experience the hippie movement. This mass convergence was sparked by the hit song in San Francisco called, “Wear a Flower in Your Hair.” Once there, they experimented with LSD, pot, immorality, and Eastern mysticism, in what became known as the “Summer of Love.”

When these newly recruited, “Flower Children,” returned home at the end of the summer, they brought with them new styles and ideas, flooding the cities of the U.S. and Europe with a message that opposed authority and scorned conservative morals. This counterculture rebellion was fueled by music and art, and it rapidly shifted global culture. A great divorce from God and his ways of kindness, along with the losing of our identity in Christ occurred in this turbulent time, and the effects of the “Summer of Love,” are still with us today. The church is obviously saturated with those effects.

On the 40th-year anniversary of the “Summer of Love” that occurred in 1967 (really a summer of divorce), it’s time for multi-generations of Jesus-followers to reclaim their identity in Christ; to return to God; and to reaffirm through prayer and fasting our trust in God for America’s healing. A Call to Prayer leaflet is inserted in our bulletin today. Nearly all the Presidents of the United States have found great power through prayer. We may pray through these prayers from Sunday, July 1 to next Sunday, July 8. This Saturday, 07-07-07 is a day for national repentance, fasting, and prayer for our 40-year generational rebellion. Let’s fast Saturday’s lunch. Let’s pray together. Our chapel will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for intercessory prayer. It’s a time for church leaders, pastors, mothers, fathers, college students, youth, children, every race, every denomination, and every age to come and divorce false worship, and remarry the Lord. We don’t allow anyone to take away our identity in Christ. Identity theft need not ambush Jesus-followers!

So we are not “flower children.” We must remember that we are called “the sons and daughters of God.” We recall what Jesus said about the importance of knowing the truth. We can’t behave right unless we believe right. Proverbs 23:7 says that as a person “thinks within himself, so he is .” If we live based on what others say about us, we may or may not be any better off. It depends on whom we talk to. But if we live based upon who God says we are, then we can hold our heads up high. We are somebody because Christ lives in us. In Christ we have all we will ever need. And in Christ we are totally secure. Nobody, nothing can ever take away our identity in Christ!

Father in heaven, you have given us so much. The miracle of life is beyond our understanding. The opportunity to know you is a gift beyond comparison. The people around us are priceless. Please forgive us for losing sight of what is most important. Please forgive us for ignoring you, your will, and the hurting and lost people for whom Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary. May today be the day that your kingdom comes and your will is done in us, as it is in heaven. Amen.

OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

I am created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27)

I am gloriously and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)

I am a child of God (1John 3:1-2, John 1:12)

I am destined to be conformed to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29-30)

I am being transformed into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18)

I may come boldly to the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 2:18 and 3:12)

I belong to God and am part of a royal kingdom and priesthood (1 Peter 2:9, Rev. 1:5-6)

I am loved by God and nothing can separate me from that love (Romans 8:31-39)

I am chosen by God (Ephesians 1:4)

I am forgiven and my debt is canceled (Colossians 2:13-14)

There is no condemnation in me (Romans 8:1)

I am strong enough through Christ to accomplish whatever he calls me to do (Philippians 4:13)

I am God’s handiwork (Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 1:6, 2:13)

I am an eternal being with everlasting life (John 3:16, 6:47)

I have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)

I have the peace of God which passes understanding (Philippians 4:7)

I have been rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of God’s Son (Colossians 1:13)

I possess abundant life through Jesus Christ (John 10:10)