Identity / Part 2 And Part 3

Recap

Last week, we looked into the definition of identity, the beginning with Adam and Eve, and the main source of your identity being Jesus Christ.

Your Identity Restored: How Christ Sees You

In the very beginning, humanity was created in the image of God. We were made whole, perfect, and intimate with our Creator. Adam and Eve got to literally and physically enjoy what we are desiring as believers today. They reflected His nature, his love, and His authority. However, something changed.

The Fall Of Man: Our Fractured Image

In Genesis 1:27, it says, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them". (NASB) What does this verse mean? It means that we were made to reflect God's nature, His love, creativity, authority, and holiness. Adam and Eve did not just live in paradise; they lived in complete unity with their Creator. They were known by Him, they walked with Him by the noon day, and they carried no amount of shame in them. They didn't earn their identity, it was given freely to them by the Creator who loved them simply because He was the Creator.

In Genesis 3, we must look deeper than from our weekly verse. We see the serpent (Satan) deceived Eve, by causing her to question her identity by a simple lie. "Did God really say?" (Genesis 3:1 - NASB) It is one of the most cataclysmic statements that is repeated throughout our world today still. Through Adam and Eve's disobedience, they went from trusting God, their Creator fully in all things, to retreating and trusting in themselves. This single act of disobedience caused the connection with God to be disconnected and forever separated. When our separation came into the world from God, it brought in sin, we lived in shame, fear, and eternal division from God. From what was once perfect unity with God, was now replaced with personal performance, possession seeking, power hungry, and immediate approval of oneself. This brought into play confusion, guilt, and self striving which has replaced His presence.

We have to remember, the fall was not just about breaking a command from the Lord God, it was about forgetting the Holy and Undefiled relationship we had with God by willingly rejecting it. We as humanity had lost sight of who we were in God's eyes. Since the fall, we have tried to fill the eternal void with our own vain efforts. But that is not the end of the story . . .

The Search For Identity Today

Right now, people born into this same fractured image of sin, are searching for meaning and significance. Culture tells us that we are the ones who define ourselves, no one else.

Culture says, do what you think is worth achieving, how you best look, what others think or say about you, your past mistakes will define you regardless of your current state, and your social status says a lot about who you truly are. LIES from SATAN!

NONE of these things that are listed above can GIVE you LASTING identity. These symbols of identity we hear within our world are constantly SHIFTING, FADING, and will eventually FAIL you.

This is why the Gospel is not just Good News for our Salvation, but it is Good News for your IDENTITY!

Christ: The Second Adam & Your Restorer Of Your Identity

In 1 Corinthians 15:45, it says, "So also it is written, 'the first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING PERSON.' The last Adam, was a life-given spirit." (NASB) Who is the second Adam referring to? The first Adam in the Garden brought death and seperation, but the second Adam, which is Jesus Christ, brought LIFE, RESTORATION, and IDENTITY. Jesus was our substitute for our seperation from God because He came to restore what was lost in the Garden. Through Christ's life, death, and resurrection, Christ did not just forgive sin, He restored complete identity by restoring relationship with us.

When Christ looks at you Brother/Sister, He does NOT see your failures, your past, or your shame. He sees you as a child who is REDEEMED, RIGHTEOUS, one who is LOVED and CHOSEN by Him. Through Christ, your identity is not defined by what you have done or are doing, but by what He HAS DONE for you!

How Does Christ See You In This World?

• You are a NEW CREATION

  • 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (NASB)

  
  

• You are God's WORKMANSHIP/MASTERPIECE

  • Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (NASB)

  
  

• You are an ADOPTED CHILD and LOVED by God

  • John 1:12, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name." (NASB)

  
  

• You are CLOTHED in Christ's RIGHTEOUSNESS and are CLEAN

  • Isaiah 61:10, "I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,

    My soul will be joyful in my God;

    For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,

    He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,

    As a groom puts on a turban,

    And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (NASB)

    
    

  • 2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (NASB)

From The Garden Of Eden, To The Cross, And Into God's Grace

The Garden of Eden was the place where we lost our identity with God. It is the story of God's RELENTLESS PURSUIT of His people. The Fall was devastating, but it was not final. What all seemed lost in the Garden of Eden, was just the beginning of the REDEMPTION. Jesus came so that we can have our brokenness healed, so we were given hope, and so we knew our identity. The Garden of Gethsemane where Christ told the Lord to take the cup He would carry to Calvery, but not by His own will, but by the Father's will. Why? Because Christ was restoring the original Garden by going back to where it all started. The Cross of Calvery, is where Christ gave it back by shedding all of His blood upon your sins that He took upon Himself. For what was broken, Jesus restored and still restores today!

How Do I Walk In Restored Identity Today?

First let's expose the lies of the enemy of what he (Satan) says you have to do.

Satan says, "you have to EARN God's love", "your PAST DEFINES you", "you have to STRIVE to BECOME someone for your identity", guess what? That is ALL LIES!

Jesus says, "You do not have to earn my love, you ALREADY HAVE IT", "your past doesn't define you, I DO", and "you don't have to become someone, you are ALREADY RECEIVED by ME".

This is SOLID TRUTH!

You are NOT what the world says. You ARE who God SAYS you ARE and YOU ARE HIS!

Conclusion

The Fall of Man was forever tragic in our human history and is reflected by the seperation from God of those who choose to live a life away from God. However, as you have read, that was not the end of the story was it? Through Jesus, God rewrote the ending. Jesus stepped into our failure and redefined your future. Christ sees you not through brokenness, but through His wholeness of His LOVE for you. Not through the Fall, but through the VICTORY.

He calls you by His name. He says that you are fully KNOWN, LOVED, and REDEEMED. He wants to invite you back into a covenant relationship that was forever changed in the Garden of Eden by Him, Jesus. The question you should be asking is not, "Who Am I?", but "Whose Am I?" That answer Brother/Sister, is in Jesus Christ. You BELONG to Him.

He sees you through the lens of His VICTORY, not your PAST history!

You are NOT DEFINED by the Fall; you are DEFINED by the RISEN ONE, JESUS CHRIST!

Next Weeks Blog

This next Wednesday, June 11th, we are going to go into a deep dive into how you can now embrace your identity into a fallen world that we live today and not lose your hope in Christ. This will be very encouraging and I believe it'll give you courage to stand bold for your Faith.

I am going to give you time to digest Part 2 & 3, as well as Part 4 on Wednesday.

The following Blog, after June 11th, will not be posted until Monday, June 16th at 9:00 PM.

Until We Meet Again ~ Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!