New Identity

So who was it who said, be who you are and say what you feel

because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind?

This particular philosopher has influenced the entire generation of children

throughout the 20th century, Dr. Seuss.

I'll auto-quote the great Oscar Wilde,

be yourself, everyone else is already taken.

There's hardly a more pressing topic nowadays

than the issue of personal identity.

Who am I?

Whether we are speaking about race, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality,

and how they shape the political culture

or about our personal sense of self

and how it informs our day-to-day life,

the issue of identity, personal identity, is always there.

It hasn't always been that way.

In fact, prior to the 1960s,

there is very little discussion on the issue of personal identity

anywhere in literature prior to the 1960s.

Accelerated social change has meant that the external frameworks

for identity formation are constantly moving

and so it is difficult to know who am I.

The answer to the question, who am I,

is quite elusive for our culture,

our society in which we live,

but it is not for the Christian.

Now, if you've just tuned in to us for the first time,

just joined us,

we just started last week our annual vision series.

We are in the New Testament letters of 1 and 2 Peter

and we're looking at sections of those

about what it is,

what the Christian life entails.

Last week we saw that Peter describes

becoming a Christian as nothing less than new birth,

reborn, an entire new life.

It's as radical as having been dead and now alive.

Total new life.

Not just mere forgiveness of sin.

That's not the Christian life in its totality,

just forgiveness.

It's an entire new life.

Tire new priorities.

Touches everything.

Now, but the new birth doesn't change who we are

in all our ethnic, national, genetic,

and socioeconomic markets,

but it does change our lives in such a way

that we are fundamentally different people.

And that's what this vision series is all about.

We are building up our way up to Easter,

the resurrection,

the celebration of the death and resurrection

of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity.

And as we build up to Easter,

we are looking at what resurrection life looks like.

How does this new birth,

being reborn, rebirthed by Jesus Christ,

how does it change us?

And today the issue is how does it change our sense

of who we are, our identity?

So if you're someone who takes notes,

three points really today.

What is the new identity?

Being true to your new identity

and power to live our new identity.

That's the three points.

So the description of the Christian's new identity

and life is in the very first verse of 1 Peter.

In chapter 2 verse 11,

Peter again describes Christians as exiles and foreigners.

The word exiles that Peter uses here

refers to a particular kind of person in the first century.

The best way to understand the meaning of the word exile

is resident alien.

And I don't mean when I say alien,

little green guys.

I mean, you know, foreigners.

Resident foreigners, resident aliens.

It means, as it describes the Christian's identity and life,

it means that you're not a tourist.

You're not a tourist.

You are certainly in a country

that you are not a citizen of,

but you are not a tourist of that country.

You live there.

You have, if you like, a working visa, so to speak.

You are a functioning part of that society

with a job, a home.

You've got friends.

You've got neighbours.

You are working for that particular country's good

and you are paying taxes.

On the other hand,

you are not a citizen of that country.

Your home is elsewhere.

Your citizenship is elsewhere.

You have many things in common with your neighbours and your friends,

but you don't share all of their values.

You don't share all of their customs.

You are different.

As a non-citizen, you are also not expected to stay there forever.

This is what Peter kind of describes the Christian identity and life is.

We are resonant aliens,

not tourists,

but we are engaged,

engaged to love our neighbours,

to work for the good of our neighbours.

Another similar word might be pilgrim.

Pilgrim means that we are on our way home,

but we are not yet home.

While there are so many fantastic things that happen when you become a Christian,

for instance,

you're pardoned,

you're accepted,

you have the praise of the praiseworthy

and the approval of the one who is approved above all things,

you are loved.

All those things that happen when you become a Christian

are just the beginning.

In other words,

if you are a Christian,

you do not live your best life now.

At all.

Not even close to living your best life now.

Becoming a Christian is the beginning.

And until we reach our home,

we are exiles and we are pilgrims.

So, first reality check.

That means that if you are a Christian,

your life will never be satisfying until you get home.

It will never, ever be satisfying until you get home.

If you ever get to a point as a Christian,

you go,

I've got it.

I'm content.

You have a problem in following Jesus.

We will struggle.

Things will never be just right.

We will always feel frustrated that we are not changing and growing

and dealing with sin.

There will be empty times.

There will be struggles.

There will be frustrations all the way through the Christian life.

And it's because we are not home.

We are not home.

What's home for the Christian?

Home for the Christian

is where everything fits and works

to satisfy the deepest longings of our souls.

In a similar way that our homes are like that.

You know, you go traveling.

You may stay in some great places,

but you come home and go,

ah, my bed.

Oh, I know where the cups are.

I know where to go and grab that.

Everything fits.

It's ordered.

But our home for the Christian

is a place where the deepest longings of our souls

are met.

Complete sanctuary.

A place of complete love

and a complete rest.

And the Bible is filled with stories

that tell us that we are exiles.

In fact, the whole trajectory of the Bible

is one of coming back home.

It begins with home.

The perfect paradise,

the Garden of Eden.

We lost that paradise

because of sin,

turning our backs on God

because ultimately He is our home.

And from Genesis 12,

God promises a new home.

And one of the great themes of the Bibles

is being exiled and brought back home.

Abraham, Egypt, Babylon.

The Old Testament people of Israel

are simply a microcosm

of God's biggest plan,

bigger plan for humanity.

The Bible ends.

It begins with us

being in home

and then losing it

and it ends with a perfect paradise

of the new heavens

and the new earth.

From creation to new creation.

From one home to our eternal home.

And the point is,

this world is not home.

It is filled with death.

We are always losing loved ones

and we are always losing love.

Now I understand completely

that there and in this room even,

that there are those

who don't believe in God

or the Bible.

The irony of that is,

if you think this world

is all that there is,

but you don't understand,

you don't know why

you are so unhappy.

You're fully convinced

this world is all there is

but you don't understand

why you are so unhappy.

You are in exile

and you don't know it either.

If you think this world

is all there is

and we have,

which is the dominant philosophy

of our age,

that we have evolved

to fit this world,

that's natural selection

and how evolution works,

then why is the human race

so unhappy?

Why is it in so much turmoil?

especially so when

apparently

personal happiness

is the goal of life.

How's it going for you?

If this is the only home,

why can't we handle death?

Why is there a thing

called grief?

Why isn't death

merely just the natural process

of evolution?

If we were adapted

to this world,

then you could love

someone with all of your heart

and it wouldn't bother you

if they died.

But it does

and that's because

this world

does not fit humanity,

does not fit the human heart,

does not fit the soul.

We are not home.

The Bible says

the reason

we were created

was for fellowship

with God,

our Creator.

Our true home

is the loving embrace

of our God.

Psalm 90 says

that He is

our dwelling place

and until

we are home,

we are on a pilgrimage

and things will never be

the way that we want them to be.

Life doesn't fit.

This world doesn't fit.

There will be

really good times

and there will be

really hard times.

That is this experience

for even the greatest,

the heroes

of the Christian faith.

life.

That is who we are.

That's our identity.

We are exiles

and pilgrims.

So how do we

be true

to that new identity?

What does that look like?

How do we know

we are living

out that identity?

It's important

because I think

there are two ends

of the spectrum.

traditionally

in Christianity

in the way

that we might

engage

with the issue

of us being pilgrims

and this not being

our true home.

And we tend to gravitate

in one way

or the other.

On one end

is withdrawal

from the world.

On the other end

of the spectrum

is accommodation

of the world.

The Christian

is not identical

to their neighbours

but they are

deeply involved

in loving

their neighbours.

So one end

of the spectrum

is withdrawal.

That's

hyper-conservativism.

Down the other end

is liberalism,

just accommodation

of the world.

Those of us

with a Western heritage

tend to have

their identity

wrapped up

in personal achievement

and accomplishment.

On the other hand

those with

an Eastern heritage

tend to have

their identity

connected to

family,

race,

blood.

When either

of them

becomes a Christian

the source

of their value,

the source

of their worth,

their security

becomes

far more

deeply grounded

in being

God's child

than

through

accomplishment

and achievement

through

the accomplishment

and the

achievement

of God's

son.

The achievement

of God's

family.

Jesus Christ.

Now what it

means is

when you become

a Christian

it doesn't mean

you stop being

Anglo,

doesn't mean

you stop being

Asian or

Hispanic or

African,

doesn't mean

you stop being

any of those

things.

In the same

way,

it doesn't

mean you

stop becoming

a truck

driver,

an accountant,

it doesn't

mean that you

lose that

identity.

It means

another identity

comes into

your life

which is

far deeper,

far more

crucial.

It means

a Christian

sits at a

distance from

the idols of

their own

culture because

they give

ultimate

significance

to the

God of

all cultures.

So

Christianity is

not a

movement away

from culture,

it is a

new way of

living within

it.

The

Christian's

primary

identity is

not attached

to their

vocation.

It's not

attached to

their achievements.

It's not

attached to

their gifts,

their personal

preferences.

The

Christian is

a resident

alien.

They are

the same

and yet

they are

different.

So how

do we know

if we're

living that

out?

Have a

look,

flick over

to the

next chapter,

1 Peter

1 Peter 2:11

chapter 2

verse 11.

1 Peter

1 Peter 2:11

chapter 2

verse 11.

Let me

just pause

there for a

minute.

I really

value if

you've got a

Bible in

front of

you.

Because it's

actually God's

word that I

want to preach

here, not

mine.

You need to

have confidence

in God's

word, not in

the words that

are coming out

of my mouth.

So you need a

Bible in front

of you.

It's one of the

core values for

us as a

church.

church.

If you

don't bring

one to

church, then

get an

app and

put it on

your phone.

1 Peter

1 Peter 2:11

chapter 2

verses 11

and 12.

Dear friends,

I urge you

as foreigners

and exiles to

abstain from

sinful desires

which war

against your

soul.

Live such

good lives

among the

pagans that

though they

accuse you of

doing wrong,

they may see

your good deeds

and glorify God

on the day he

visits us.

Now if we

are living the

exile life,

two things are

happening at

exactly the same

time.

Have a look at

these verses

again.

Though they

accuse you of

doing wrong,

they may see

your good deeds

and glorify

God.

that is,

if we are

living the

exile life,

two things are

happening.

We will be

accused,

misunderstood,

we will be

offensive,

we will be

viewed as

strange,

we will be

viewed as

even dangerous

in society.

But others

will see

something

different.

They will

see the

beauty of

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ being

worked out

through you

and they

will come

to Jesus.

That is,

the exile

life at

exactly the

same time

is both

offensive and

attractive.

effective.

That's the

test of

whether you

are living

the exile

life.

We won't

just attract

people,

we'll also

turn people

off.

And we

won't just

turn people

off,

we will also

attract people.

We'll do both

of those things.

when Peter

mentions living

good lives,

he is alluding

here to

the words of

Jesus in the

Sermon on the

Mountain in

Matthew chapter

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

5.

And at the

end of

Matthew 5,

or partway

through Matthew

5, Jesus

says to

his disciples

that they

will be

persecuted.

And immediately

after saying

that, he

talks to them

about being

salt and

light in the

world.

Matthew 5

Matthew 5:16

verse 16,

let your

light shine

before others

that they

may see

your good

deeds and

glorify your

Father in

heaven.

In other

words, what

I'm saying

there is,

Jesus and

Peter are

saying exactly

the same

thing.

The good

life, the

good deeds,

is what the

Sermon on the

Mount is all

about, the

words of

Jesus.

Now, you'd

be grateful to

know, we're

not going to

go through

that verse

by verse

right now,

but,

know that

in the

first century

there were

at least

four ways,

four ways

that the

early church

lived out

the Sermon

on the

Mount in

such a

way that

it was

both attractive

and offensive.

Four ways.

And the

four things

in the

first century

that was

both attractive

and offensive,

forgiveness,

generosity to

the poor

of all

races and

cultures,

the ability

to face

death

cheerfully,

and lastly,

sexual

chastity.

Christians

were radically

different than

the first

century world

in those

four ways.

Strangely

different and

also radically

compelling at

the same

time.

You see,

the Greco-Roman

world was a

shame and

honor culture.

If you

were wronged

in any

way, it

was considered

honorable to

take vengeance

upon that

person or

that group

of people.

And it

was regarded

that that

was the way

that society

stayed together

and worked.

Shame on

a culture.

The Christian

message of

forgiveness,

of turn the

other cheek,

of don't

repay evil

with evil,

was considered

unworkable at

best in the

first century

and dangerous

at worst.

It was going

to upheaval,

turn all

of society.

The core

values and

the principles

of society.

It was

regarded as

offensive.

Forgiveness is

regarded as

offensive.

It still is

today,

but just

not in

liberal

progressive

societies.

Sydney

loves the

concept of

forgiveness.

New York,

London love

the concept

of forgiveness.

Gaza

doesn't love

the concept

of forgiveness

at all.

Middle

Eastern

cultures do

not preach

forgiveness.

It is

offensive.

Shame and

honor cultures

do not love

forgiveness.

But mercy

and forgiveness

is attractive

to the

recipients.

Another

thing,

Christian

generosity,

the poor

of all

races,

was

regarded

as

strange

in a

shame and

honor culture

that gets

its identity

from family,

race,

and blood.

from the

very

beginning,

Christians

believed in

the Bible's

teaching that

all people

are made

in the

image of

God,

and therefore

all have

an inherent

worth and

value and

dignity.

In fact,

it is from

that very

Christian

teaching that

any concept

of human

rights arose.

It did not

exist.

The concept

of human

rights did

not exist

before the

Christian faith.

Christians

also faced

death with

poise and

cheerfulness

because they

had confidence

in the future

resurrection.

No other

person in

the first

century had

that kind

of hope

at all.

At all.

The Roman

Empire could

not understand,

I've only been

reading it in

this past

couple of

weeks,

could not

understand how

you can torture

someone,

torture them

over and

over and

over again

and they

respond with

grace.

Could not

understand that

concept at

all.

The fourth

area of

impact and

rejection was

sexual chastity.

The Greco-Roman

culture of the

first century

didn't believe

that the

human body

was important.

What mattered

to them was the

mind and the

soul.

So for them,

sex was

nothing more

than a bodily

appetite.

You can see

this in

1 Corinthians.

Sex was

nothing more

than a bodily

appetite.

It was a way

of getting

personal pleasure,

nothing more.

Christianity

claimed that

sex was a

way of making

a full and

total life

commitment to

one other

person of the

opposite sex in

marriage.

Complete life.

life.

And it was

absolutely nuts

in a

promiscuous

first century.

And yet,

it was so

attractive for

the women and

the children in

the first

century.

Before

Christianity,

they had no

rights and all

of a sudden,

the Christian

faith comes in

and says,

no, no,

you have

rights.

you are

not just a

tool to be

used for

male appetites.

That was a

way, four

ways that they

were both

offensive and

attractive.

The Christians

were persecuted,

they were

tortured, they

were killed

because their

views were

offensive, but

the Christian

faith grew and

spread and was

attractive right

across the

Roman world.

In any and

every culture,

a group of

Christians who

live the new

birth of

following Jesus

will be both

offensive and

attractive at

the same time,

but it will be

in different

ways depending

on your

culture.

In every

culture, it

will attract

you in some

ways and it

will repel

you in other

ways.

That is the

exiled life that

Jesus has

called us to.

How are you

going with that

test?

Have you

think about

it?

Too often, we

are either

offensive or we

are attractive.

We are one or

the other.

Offensive because

we're always talking

about the faith,

we're not

offensive.

That's all we

ever do.

We take every

opportunity to tell

people they need to

repent of their sin,

preach it out from the

street corners.

We're always tell,

tell, tell, tell, tell,

tell, tell, tell all

the time, getting

pushed back

constantly.

Or we're

attractive, but we're

not offensive.

We're attractive

because we keep a

low profile, not

saying too much at

all, live a decent

kind of life.

It is possible to be

like Jesus in being

offensive and it's

possible to be like

Jesus in being

attractive.

But Jesus was

both.

He wasn't one or the

other, he was both.

And it is also

possible to be

neither offensive

nor attractive.

In which case, if

you are neither

attractive nor

offensive, you're

nothing like Jesus

at all.

You need to

experience new

birth.

to be

offensive takes

courage and

boldness and to

be attractive takes

great humility and

compassion.

What's your next

step?

Do you need to

grow in courage

or do you need to

grow in humility?

Courage without

attractiveness,

courage without

attractiveness is

self-righteousness,

attractiveness without

courage is not

compassion, it is

not humility, it is

cowardice.

Cowardice.

And unfortunately in

the Western world,

too many Christians

nowadays are

gravitating towards

cowardice.

So where do we get

the power to live out

this new life?

That's my last

point.

The first thing is

to never lose

sight of 1 Peter

1 Peter 2:9

chapter 2 verse 9.

You are a chosen

people, a royal

priesthood, a holy

nation, God's

special possession.

They are four very

rich and loaded

ways to describe the

exiled Christian

life.

God didn't choose

the Christian because

they are the choice

ones, but because

of his love.

We are chosen by

sheer grace.

By sheer grace.

As the last

statement says, we

are his special

possession.

We are his

treasure.

God has got

galaxies.

He has got

galaxies upon

galaxies that we

have not even

explored, but none

of it means

anything to

him like the

Christian does.

Do you know

that kind of

unconditional love

and acceptance

and approval?

Has it captured

your heart?

Has it captured

your imagination?

Until it does,

until it does,

I don't believe that

we will have real

courage.

neither will we

have real

compassion and

mercy and

humility.

If you want to

actually know this

kind of unconditional

love, then you

need to see

verse 2,

chosen according

to the foreknowledge

of God, the

Father, through

the sanctifying work

of the Spirit,

to be obedient to

Jesus Christ and

sprinkled with his

blood.

God, the

source of our

unconditional love

is the shed

blood of Jesus

Christ.

Jesus, God

the Son, was

enjoying all the

bliss of home,

all the bliss of

home, the ultimate

home, dwelling

eternally with the

Father and the

Spirit, enjoying

perfect relationship

and perfect love.

But he left it.

He left home.

And he came into

this world taking

on human form and

identified with us

in our exile.

The one who was

home chose to be

in exile.

You won't read

anywhere in the

gospel accounts,

the biographies of

Jesus' life,

where Jesus was out

preaching and then

he went home.

Nowhere.

In fact, he tells

his disciples that he

has no place to lay

his head.

No place.

He chose to be

exiled from heaven

and even when he

was here, he

wandered.

It was what he

came to do.

And at the end of

his life, even

then, he was

crucified outside

of the city.

He was the

ultimate exile.

My God, my God,

why have you

forsaken me?

Was his cry from

the cross.

He took the

ultimate exile

that we deserve

so that we

could be brought

into the

ultimate home.

And only when

we fix our

gaze on him,

on him

dying,

that big

death for

us,

so that we

don't have to be

permanently

exiled from the

presence of God,

only then will

we really

have courage.

Will we

really have

humility?

He died

such a big

death for me.

Why should I

not die just a

little death for

him?

We are

exiles and

strangers,

friends.

If you've

come to

Christ, you

are exiles and

strangers.

If you're not

a Christian,

you too are an

exile, you

just don't

see it yet.

One of the

things that

struck me when

I first moved

to Chatswood

nearly 15

years ago

was just

how few

and how

small the

parks were

in Chatswood.

And having

young children

at that time,

these things are

things that you

think about.

Needing to go

to a park,

regular requests,

regular trips to

the park,

which were on

the way to

Bunnings.

And in

fact, even to

this day, as we

drive past,

I remember that

one.

I remember that

park.

I remember the

swings there.

I remember that.

Parks were

big.

Great places to

visit for

downtime and

relaxation.

And frankly,

we've had some

great family

times in parks

over the

years.

But I've

also seen

some pretty

horrid parks

too.

In fact,

I think of

two parks

that I

visited

where I

immediately

walked out.

And why?

Why?

Because people

had moved

in to

those parks.

Awful

scenario where

those parks

were filled

with homeless

people.

And what

happens when

a park is

filled with

homeless people?

It quickly

becomes

unattractive,

dirty,

unpleasant.

very, very

quickly.

Very quickly.

Parks are

great places

to visit,

but a

park cannot

bear the

weight of

the full

human life.

It can't

do it.

It's not

meant to

be a

home.

I use

this simply

as an

illustration

to point

to a

greater

reality.

If we

really

rely on

anything

more

or love

anything

more

or try

to get

significance

and security

from anything

more

in this

world,

then Jesus

Christ and

his salvation,

those things

that we are

looking to,

even if they

are good

things,

they will

never

satisfy.

Because those

things,

whatever it

might be,

I talked

about them

last week,

relationships,

your career,

your home,

your travel,

your beauty,

whatever it

might be,

those things

cannot bear the

weight of the

full human

life.

life,

because those

things are

never home.

Only Jesus

Christ is

home.

And so

our prayer

should be

this,

Lord Jesus,

I want to

live for you

because you

were exiled

for me,

I want you

to bring me

home as

only you

are able

to do.

Thank you.

Thank you.