Sermon

Living In Light of Our New Identity

August 3, 2025 Christ the King Church Sermons

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Thank you, Mike. Thank you, Christ the King Church, for having me here today. Good morning to all of you.
It's a privilege to be here again. I don't know if you remember, I was here a little over a year ago.
That time, neither Mike or my professor, Dr. Eric Turley, were here, which I don't know if he is today.
But if I'm less careful with my words, that's why. Or if I'm more careful, I should say.
Thank you also, Les, for leading us in our reflection for communion.
Him, alongside with Brian Kankowski, have been longtime partners with Escali, with our ministry, through Missions of Feud.
And they have been a blessing to our family, as has this church and many people here, such as Dave, who has been down to Brazil with us a few years ago.
And it's a privilege to think about and plan for our return.
My wife, Carol, and I, originally from Brazil and returning soon.
We couldn't be more excited for that.
Now let's turn to our passage in 1 Peter.
Peter's first letters towards the end of your Bible.
If you've reached Revelation, you've gone too far.
If you're in Hebrews, you're almost there.
1 Peter 1, we'll begin reading in verse 13, all the way to the end of the chapter.
I'll read and you can follow along in your Bibles.
1 Peter 1, verse 13, verse 13.

1 Peter 1:13
1 Peter 1, verse 13.

1 Peter 1:13
1 Peter 1, verse 13.

1 Peter 1:13
1 Peter 1, verse 14.

1 Peter 1:14
5 Peter 2, verse 15.
5 Peter 2, verse 15.
is the good news that was preached to you.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your word.
Thank you that it endures forever.
May you speak faithfully through your servant.
Give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you have to say
and transform our hearts.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Amen.
The way you respond to a gift is very much dependent
on the kind of gift that you receive
and the kind of person you receive it from.
If you receive a quarter from a random person in the street,
that's very different from receiving citizenship in a safe country
after you fled your country from war.
The first gift is not going to change anything about who you are and what you do.
But the second gift will surely change a lot of things about you.
From constant fear to a life at peace.
From unemployment to self-sufficiency.
From malnourishment to probably having to watch out for your weight,
especially if the country is in Brazil.
So, in a much greater way, God's gifts to us are identity shaping.
What God has done for us in Christ changes who we are.
And in so doing, God calls us to live a new life in light of that identity.
And this is what this passage is all about.
You see, Peter is writing to a group of believers
who are scattered throughout Asia Minor.
They're suffering distress for their faith.
Because for some, they're seen as troublemakers
because they don't worship the pagan gods like everyone else does.
For others, they're seen as social misfits
because they don't take part in the parties that they take part in.
Yet for others, they're seen as rebellious
for having a higher allegiance to Christ than they do for the Caesar.
Yet, little does anybody suspect
that these meek Christians
are living completely different lives
from everyone else in the Roman Empire
because they belong to a different empire.
Another kingdom
that God has set them apart
to inherit.
The first 12 verses of this letter
were all about describing
the living hope that Christians have
beyond this life.
Eternal life like we sang about today.
And Peter concludes in verse 13 saying,
Therefore, preparing your minds for action
and being sober-minded,
set your hope fully
on the grace that will be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
We too live in similar circumstances
to those that those Christians were experiencing.
Christ followers everywhere
are facing growing alienation
from the rest of society.
tighter restrictions
on what we can say and where.
And greater ridicule
everywhere that we show our faces.
Just like the first readers of this text,
we too who have placed our faith in Christ
are walking on earth as strangers
and exiles.
Wherever we go,
we're expecting a future kingdom
in the coming of Jesus Christ.
Which we don't see yet.
In light of the uncertainty
of their circumstances,
Peter was calling them
to set their hope
in the certainty
of what God had promised them.
And this is the call
God is issuing to us today.
But how does one live like that?
How can we prepare our minds
and set our hopes
in the future
while living in the present?
The rest of this chapter
is Peter's answer
to that question.
And in fact,
here's the main point
of the verses we just read.
The main calling
that God is issuing to us today.
Set your hope in Christ
by living in light
of your new identity.
Set your hope in Christ
by living out
your new identity.
Here's the way I want us
to break down today's teaching.
We'll see that this text
highlights
three identity-shaping gifts
we receive from God.
They're the gifts
of a father,
a ransom,
and a word.
I don't expect you
to get all that right now.
But receiving these three gifts
make us change everything
about who we are
and how we live in this world
as we wait
for those future promises.
They give us
a new identity
to step into
and live out
while we wait
for the coming kingdom.
So as we cover each gift,
we'll also seek
to understand
what sort of response
or character
God is calling us
to have
as we are shaped
by that gift.
Let's begin then
by turning again
to verse 14
where we'll reflect
on the first
identity-shaping gift
we receive from God,
which is a father
that we can imitate
and fear.
A father
that we can imitate
and fear.
Verse 14 says,
As obedient children,
do not be conformed
to the passions
of your former ignorance,
but as he who called you
is holy,
you also be holy
in all your conduct.
Since it is written,
you shall be holy
for I am holy.
I'm aware
that when we speak
of God as our father
and us as his children,
everyone will have
a different concept
of what a father is
or what a father should be
based on the kind of dads
that we've had
or that we wish we'd had.
But from the Bible,
we learn many things
that accurately describes
the perfect kind of father
that God is.
In the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus said,
When you pray,
go into your room
and shut the door
and pray to your father
who is in secret.
And your father
who sees in secret
will reward you.
And when you pray,
do not heat up empty praises
like the Gentiles do,
for they think
that they will be heard
by their many words.
Do not be like them,
for your father knows
what you need
before you even ask him.
Now that's what
a perfect father looks like,
right?
The one who listens to us,
who rewards us,
who knows what we need
before we even ask him.
And those are great things.
And praise God the Father
for being like this.
There are some things,
though,
about having the gift
of God as our father
that we might overlook
or underappreciate
for many reasons.
In the same Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus also said,
You therefore must be perfect
as your heavenly father
is perfect.
This means that for Jesus,
being a child of God
is not only about
receiving good things from him,
but also about
becoming like him.
Part of the perfection
of having God as a father
involves calling his children up
to be like him.
That's why in verse 15,
when Peter's describing
how we ought to live
as obedient children,
he says,
As he who called you is holy,
you also be holy
in all your conduct.
So from the get-go,
the gift of having God
as a father
and our new identity
as his children
is not something
that can be received passively.
Like, okay,
he's my father.
Cool.
That will go against
everything that God
is trying to accomplish
in us as our father.
It would mess up
his perfect fathering
if we remain the same
after becoming his children.
So this gift
is supposed to make us
become like its giver
by imitating him
like a child
imitates her father.
Look at how Peter's wording
is intentional
in his challenge to us.
Verse 14,
Do not be conformed
to your former passions.
Instead,
be holy as I am holy.
That is,
do not take on
the shape
of your desires,
but take on
the shape
of God.
Desire the things
that he desires.
Reject the things
that he rejects.
Rejoice over the things
that he rejoices.
Conform your identity
to his identity.
How challenging
is this message
to our modern years
who want to talk
about our identity
as ultimately
self-determined?
Right?
To begin with,
Peter crushes
the narrative
that we are free
to choose
who we want to be.
Unlike Disney
would lead us
to believe,
we are not more free
when we get to live
however way we want to.
No,
the Bible testifies
that we are either
conformed to our passions,
slaves to our sins
as Paul puts it,
or we are becoming
more like God.
There is no in-between.
There is no other option.
What seems like freedom
is only more slavery
in disguise
because we can never
act contrary
to the desires
of our heart
even if it harms us.
That's where
all addictions,
toxic relationships,
and frustrations
ultimately come from.
A misaligned heart.
But with God
as our Father,
we get to be
really free.
If the Son
sets you free,
you are free indeed.
Free from the slavery
of our desires.
Free from the burden
of trying to be authentic.
Free from the consequences
of a misaligned heart.
If our identity
is found
in being adopted
as God's children,
we get the privilege
of beginning
to live like our Father,
holy in all
our conduct.
He gives us
the gift
of a perfect Father
to imitate.
But that's not all
that should change
in our lives
once we receive
this identity-shaping gift
of being children
of God.
Peter goes on
to say in verse 17,
look with me,
verse 17,
and if you call on Him
as Father
who judges impartially
according to each one's deeds,
conduct yourselves
with fear
throughout the time
of your exile.
Now, I think it's fair
to say
that when we think
of a perfect Father,
being a judge
is not one of the first things
that comes to mind.
But here,
Peter is teaching us
that another aspect
of having this gift
of God's perfect Fatherhood
is remembering
that He's the one
who judges impartially.
In one sense,
this is supposed
to be really reassuring.
I mean,
if I knew
that my father,
Nelson,
back home
was the hometown judge,
I would be laid back
and relaxed
because no one
could mess with me.
Much more than that,
we have a Father in Heaven
who hears the cries
of His children
and delivers them
by judging the wicked
partially now
and fully
in the final judgment.
Think about
how encouraging
this was
for a community
that experienced trials
every day
while living
in a society
that was hostile
to them.
I wonder how encouraging
that is to you
who have been wronged,
who have been mistreated
by your boss,
by authorities
from the government,
by your teacher,
by your parents.
But the thing
with this judge,
our Father,
is that He judges
impartially.
Meaning that
when it comes
to judging,
He actually
does not see color.
He actually
does not see wealth.
or status.
He sees everyone
with equality.
All His judging
is according
to each one's deeds.
Now,
how is the gift
of having a Father
who judges impartially
supposed to shape
how we live?
Well,
Peter's answer
is that
we are to conduct
our lives
with fear.
That's right,
fear.
The same Father
who listens
to us,
rewards us,
knows what we need
and cares for us
in innumerable ways
is also the judge
that not only
our enemies
must fear,
but us too.
But what kind
of fear
is this?
Is it a
scary fear?
What are we
supposed to do?
Is it a
paralyzing fear?
I think you know
the answer to that.
Think about this.
In the same context
of Leviticus 19
where we get
the phrase
you shall be holy
for I am holy,
it is also said
in the next verse,
every one of you
shall fear
his mother
and father.
So as he
applies Leviticus 19
to New Testament
believers,
Peter brings
these two verses
together
and calls us
to fear God
the Father
in a similar way
that we would fear
our earthly mother
and father.
We don't fear him
like unbelievers
and rebellious people
against him do,
but we fear him
as we do
our earthly mother
and father.
Now I don't know
what kind of
relationship you have
with your parents,
either now
or when you were
a child,
and a lot of abuse
has taken place
that can make us
misunderstand
what it means
to properly fear
our parents
and consequently
what it means
to fear God.
But when godly
authority
is used
in the home,
it is not far
to see
how love
and fear
can go together.
It is the godly
fear of your father
that leads you
to wearing a helmet
when you go skating.
It is the fear
of your mother
that leads you
to cleaning up
your room.
It is the fear
of your parents
that lead you
to respect
the elderly.
We see then
that both of the ways
God calls us
to live as his children
with holiness
and with fear
are a function
of his paternal love
because he wants us
to grow
and because he wants
to protect us.
And the more
we embrace
this gift
of being adopted
by God,
the more we live
in light of
our identity
as his children,
the more we become
hopeful
of that future kingdom
where we
and all his children
will relate to him
with perfect holiness
and with appropriate fear.
Now let's turn
to our next
identity shaping gift
which is
a ransom
that we can trust.
A ransom
that we can trust.
Look again
at verse 18.
It says,
Knowing that you
were ransomed
from the futile ways
inherited from your forefathers,
not with perishable things
such as silver or gold,
but with the precious
blood of Christ
like that of a lamb
without blemish
or spot.
I imagine you can tell
that verse 18
is just a continuation
of verse 17.
Verse 17 taught us
to live in fear of God
and now verse 18
comes to say
that we're to do so
while knowing something.
And this something
that Peter wants us
to know
will totally influence
how we see this father
that we must imitate
in fear.
Here's what we're
supposed to know.
We have been ransomed.
Now the word
ransom or redemption
depending on your version
that shows up in the text,
it might not be much to you.
But to ransom someone
is to pay
to rescue them
from something.
You ransom someone
from jail
by paying their bail
and you ransom someone
from debt
by paying what they owe.
And in this case,
we have been ransomed,
verse 18 says,
from the futile ways
inherited from your forefathers.
Which is just another way
of saying
that we were set free
from our sins.
What used to enslave us
does not have
that kind of power anymore.
You see,
the Bible speaks of
at least two different ways
in which we're set free
from our sins.
Ransomed from them.
In one sense,
in one side,
there's the liberation
of the consequence of sin.
And on the other side,
there's the liberation
from the practice of sin.
And this is an important distinction.
The ultimate consequence of sin
is eternal death
and separation from God.
Even if we don't believe this,
our conscience testifies
to the reality
of a final judgment.
The practice of sin,
on the other hand,
is not living according
to God's way.
One is the penalty,
the other is a lifestyle.
I wonder if you can tell
which one Peter's talking about here.
You will ransom
from the futile ways
inherited from your forefathers.
He's talking about
the practice of sinning, right?
We have been set free
from a way of living,
a sinful way of living,
and called to live
in a new way.
But the more I meditate
on this truth,
the more I ask myself,
where does the joy
I have over my freedom
from sin
actually come from?
Am I simply glad
that I don't have to go
to hell anymore?
Or am I happy
because the ways of God
are way better
than the ways
I used to live on?
I believe there's space
in the Christian life
for both kinds of joy.
But here,
Peter's particularly concerned
with the second.
In fact,
Peter's talking like my mom,
who would always caution me
about playing soccer outside
after I've already
taken a shower
and got dressed to leave.
She'll say,
boy,
why are you going back
to the dirt
if you're already
being cleaned up?
Peter's calling us
to remember
that we have already
been brought out
from a futile way
of living,
cleaned out of the dirt.
So here's the question
for us
to whom that is true.
What are the futile ways
of our past
that we're still
going back to?
What is the dirt
that we insist
on putting upon ourselves?
By God's grace
and through His Spirit,
I call you to identify
what that is in your life
and put it to death
because that is what
put Christ to death.
And we shouldn't dare
to treat that casually
for our Father judges
and He judges impartially.
But now,
I get it that we're
ransomed from our sins.
But why is this
the gift of a ransom
that we can trust?
Why am I labeling it
this way?
Well, as I said before,
verse 18 is nothing
but a continuation
of the previous verses.
On those verses,
we learn that God
is a holy and judging Father.
And now Peter
is calling them
to remember
that the same God
is also our Redeemer.
Look at how he makes
his argument.
Verse 18,
You were ransomed
from the futile ways
inherited from your forefathers
with the blood of Christ.
Peter starts by remembering us
that it is Christ's blood
which is the means
by which we were ransomed.
It is by His blood.
It is the costly price
that acquired
the gift of our redemption.
So there is
an initial contrast.
On one side,
there is this Father
that we must imitate
and fear.
On another side,
there is Christ
who paid to redeem us
from our sins.
But before we can start
pitting the two
against each other,
Father v. Son,
as if they somehow
had different intentions
or different affections
towards His people,
Peter explains
how Jesus
has done
what He did for us.
Verse 20,
Jesus,
the Son of God,
was foreknown
before the foundation
of the world.
meaning the Son
is eternally known
by the Father.
Never created,
always existing,
but this Son
was only made manifest
by God
at a particular point
in history.
2,000 years ago,
He was made manifest
for the sake of you.
This is an important phrase
I don't want us to miss out.
When Jesus showed up
in this world,
His incarnation,
His life,
His ministry,
His death in our place,
His resurrection,
were all done
for the sake of you,
God's children.
Jesus is God's ransom
sent for you.
Verse 21,
through Jesus,
you are believers in God.
And this God
is the one
who raised Jesus
from the dead
and gave Him glory.
The same glory
we will share with Him
in that future reward.
Therefore,
Jesus' work
is entirely God's work.
He was made manifest
by God.
He was resurrected by God.
He was glorified by God.
If Peter could give
this people
any encouragement
of a living hope,
it is all thanks
to God the Father
who did these things
through His Son,
the Redeemer.
That's why verse 21
ends saying,
your faith and hope
are in God.
Brothers and sisters,
God's love
can be trusted.
His fatherhood
is good for us.
If He demands holiness,
it's because holiness
is good for us.
If He causes us to live
in reverent fear of Him,
it's because that kind of fear
is good for us.
After all,
He's the one
who sent Jesus
to ransom us
from our sins.
That's the gift
we must remember
while we imitate
and fear the Father.
in a very costly way,
He has proven
to be for us
by the shedding
of His blood.
And now,
for our final
identity-shaping gift
in verses 22 to 25,
we have received
a word
that enables love.
A word
that enables
love.
I think we can
all relate
to our time
in our lives
when we thought
that we were doing
something amazing
as kids
just to find out
later that it was
our parents
doing it all along.
Kara and I
have these friends
on campus.
They used to live
on campus,
Jason and Elizabeth,
and they have
this very cute boy,
Brooks.
When we first met him,
Brooks was
just one year old.
He was a one year old
baby,
and when they hosted us
the first time
in their house,
Brooks came
running towards me,
half running,
half crawling,
and walking
a little bit.
And without saying
any words,
he gave us
this drawing
that he had made,
which it did have
a bunch of scribbles
everywhere,
but right in the center
of it,
with big,
beautiful,
perfect English letters,
said,
Welcome,
Salvianos.
We did feel
very welcome
that day.
I didn't know
any better,
so I turned
to Brooks and said,
Wow, Brooks,
this is so cool.
I can't believe
you already know
how to write.
And people started
laughing that day,
too,
for some reason.
I really thought
he had drawn up
the letters,
even though I knew
he couldn't read them,
but I thought,
as a one year old,
sure,
he had the coordination
to do,
to write something.
It was only
later that night,
we were having
dinner,
and I suddenly
realized,
wait a minute,
it was probably
Elizabeth who wrote
the letters,
and he only did
the scribbles.
I didn't say it
all out.
In my defense,
though,
you can actually
look at it
from both sides.
Because,
on one side,
the drawing
was partially
Brooks,
because he did
put a lot of
artistic effort
into it,
but on the other
side,
the part of the
drawing that put
into words,
what Brooks
wanted to
communicate,
that was all
Elizabeth's.
His work and
her work are
two sides of
the same coin.
They're two
patterns of
the same drawing.
One of the
things Peter's
describing in
verses 22 and
23 is that
the reality of
our conversion,
that is,
our turning away
from former
passions and
turning with
faith to God,
also has two
sides.
ones.
One of them
is ours and
the other is
God's.
On our side,
Peter says in
verse 22,
that you have
purified your
souls by your
obedience to
the truth.
On God's
side,
he says,
verse 23,
you have been
born again
through the
living and
abiding word
of God.
It's not an
either or.
It's a both
and kind of
thing.
Now,
when you read
that on our
side,
we were
purified by
obedience to
the truth
in verse 22,
you might say,
wait a minute,
Peter,
I thought we
were saved by
grace through
faith.
What is this
obedience that
you're talking
about here?
Is Peter saying
that we are
saved by works
instead?
That's not at
all how Peter
is conceiving
of obedience
though.
After all,
we should ask
ourselves,
what does it
mean to
obey a
truth?
Gravity will
make you
fall.
That's a
truth.
How do you
obey it?
By believing
it and
living by it.
Because you
believe in the
truth of
gravity,
you don't
jump off of
a cliff
expecting that
you're going
to fly away.
When you
no only
refrain from
jumping,
you have
obeyed
gravity as
truth.
Likewise,
we obey the
truth of the
good news
about Jesus
by believing
in it and
trusting in
him as
the highest
treasure of
our hearts.
And this
obedience
purifies us,
not because of
the intensity
of our
believing,
but because of
the quality of
the work of
the one in
whom we
believe.
It is
Jesus'
precious blood
that has been
sacrificed to
ransom us from
a former way
of living.
sin.
We obey
this by
believing in
it and
as a result
living as
people who
have been
set free
from sin.
And if
that's the
case,
what's the
biggest evidence
that we're
living in
light of
the truths
that we
believe about
Jesus?
Jesus himself
says it
elsewhere,
by this
everyone will
know that
you are my
disciples,
if you
love one
another.
John 13,
35.
Love is the
distinguishing
attribute of
our obedience
to the truth
of who Jesus
is.
If we were
purified from
the passions
of our
former ignorance
and from
the futile
ways inherited
from our
forefathers,
this is what
we were
purified for.
You see,
for Christians,
for us
Christians,
love has
become the
new organizing
principle of
our lives.
We were
purified for
love, so
our relationships
should be more
than anything
marked by a
distinguishing
flavor of
love.
It should be
the thing that
stands out the
most about
us.
We're supposed
to be doing
it earnestly.
And I
imagine,
especially if
you don't know
the Lord yet,
that this
calling is one
of the most
compelling
aspects of
our new
identity.
I mean,
it can be
pretty hard to
love other
people,
people,
but we
sure love
to be
around those
who do
it well,
right?
And maybe
that's what
brought you
to visit
this church
today.
Some loving
people in
your neighborhood
who are just
too nice for
it to be
mere friendliness.
You asked
them once what
was unique
about their
lives,
and soon
enough,
you're in a
place that you
thought you
never would
step foot
into.
You're in
this church.
You're listening
to God's
word.
My job
now is to
answer that
question for
you.
Where does
this love
come from?
What is
God's
identity
shaping
gift that
enables love
to become
true in
our lives?
Peter says
that there
is a reason
why we
can and
should love
each other
earnestly.
Verse 23,
it is because
you have
been born
again.
And I
don't want
you to be
intimidated by
that phrase if
you don't know
what it
means.
Christians
are made
new when
they begin
to follow
Jesus.
This is what
it means to
be born
again.
Starting
from our
hearts,
which is
our body's
center of
operation,
which takes
every desire
we have
in forming
all of our
decisions.
Starting
from there,
our old
life that
was ruled
by sin
has given
way to a
new life
ruled by
the Spirit
of God.
One that
leads to
holiness.
One that
leads to
abundant
joy.
One that
leads to
self-sacrificing
love.
And the
gift of
God that
enables that
to become
possible,
the imperishable
seed that
causes us to
be born again
is the
living and
abiding
word of
God.
You can
see that the
little section
of verses
24 to
25 is
formatted
different in
your Bibles.
It is indented
because it is a
quote from a
song in the
book of the
prophet Isaiah

Isaiah 40 chapter mention
chapter 40.
This song is
how Isaiah
celebrates God's
plan for
redeeming his
people Israel
and it was
written hundreds
of years before
Jesus came into
the world.
The prophet Isaiah
listens to God's
word of promise
and though it is
far yet from
being realized,
he rejoices and
celebrates because
he knows that
unlike anything
else, the word
of the Lord
endures forever.
But then Peter
says, and this
is really
powerful, Peter
says that the
same word that
the prophet Isaiah
spoke of hundreds
of years before
is the good news
that was preached
to you.
Look at how
amazing this is.
The word of God
that promised
restoration to
Israel in Isaiah
40 is the good
news of the gospel
that was preached
to you.
This word is
what Peter says
is the ultimate
cause of us
being born again.
We are only
able to be
born into
this family,
to be adopted
as God's
children because
his word has
made it happen.
After all,
earlier in verse
11, before our
passage, Peter
made it clear
that this word
was preached to
us by the
Holy Spirit.
And when the
Holy Spirit
preaches these
words, they
cease to be
merely human
words.
And they
become God's
creative power.
Just as much
as it was in
Genesis 1, he
creates new
life in you
when by the
Spirit you
hear what he
says.
Friends,
thousands of
years later,
this abiding
word of God
is still causing
people to be
born again.
And that's the
kind of community
he invites you
to be a part
of.
A holy
people of
obedient children
who conduct
their lives
with fear.
They trust
their Redeemer
and most of
all, who
love one
another earnestly.
This is the
kind of community
that in this
world, we
show that we
belong to a
different world.
This is the
kind of community
that when we
live like it,
when we live in
it, we show
that we belong
to a different
kingdom.
When we live
like this, we
show that we
are placing
our hopes in
something other
than anything
else that this
world has to
offer.
We set our
hopes fully on
the second
coming of
Jesus Christ,
which is where
he calls our
hearts to be.
As we conclude
then, I want
to extend a
final call to
you.
And I'm
thinking particularly
of you who are
not familiar with
these things yet.
They have not
become personally
real to you so
far.
My hope is
that the new
identity God
calls his people
to live in is
compelling enough
that you would at
least consider
investigating the
faith somewhere.
A community
marked by
sacrificial love
and who strives
to follow in the
footsteps of Jesus
should make you
think twice before
rejecting this
faith and the
hope that it
offers.
I encourage you
to read the rest
of this book of
1 Peter.
Find out what
this is all
about and talk
to someone from
here about it.
I'm sure the
Lord has many
things to show
you in that.
And I also want
to address those
of you who have
been very much
believers for a
long time.
Maybe this
message was
difficult to you
because it is
yet another list
of things you're
failing to live
by.
You're not
holy enough.
You don't fear
the Lord as you
should.
You don't love
others as
yourself.
I'm right there
with you in that
struggle.
If that is your
case I want to
remind you that
God's call for a
new life comes
after his gifts
of a new
identity.
Before God ever
tells you therefore
do this he always
says because I have
done this.
Remember your
redeemer.
And may this word
today serve as a
reframing of all the
imperatives in the
Bible.
They're not a list
of what you got to
do to turn his
frown into a
smile.
But they're the
outflow of the
love of the
triune God for
you.
It is the outflow
of the love of
your Holy Father.
The outflow of the
love of the
redeeming son.
The outflow of the
love of the spirit
in his word.
So receive his
gifts gratefully and
live in light of your
new identity.
humanity.
Let's pray.
Dear God thank you
for your love for
us.
Thank you because in
your love you have
given us many gifts
that change who we
are.
And you have promised
to us a new kingdom
which we hope for.
Help us to live as
hopeful people.
As people are waiting
for that kingdom.
May we show the
world that we belong
to a different kingdom
to a different world.
And may you shape us
daily to live in this
new identity by the
power of your
enduring love.
Amen.
Amen.
Thank you.