Joy Week 2: Joy in my Identity

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Last week, we learned that joy isn't something we chase. It's a gift we received

through our relationship with Jesus.

Today, we're taking it one step further, discovering that true joy comes not

from who we think we are, but from who God says we are in Christ.

If you've ever struggled with your worth or felt defined by your past,

this message will remind you of the spiritual blessings, identity,

and inheritance that are yours as a child of God.

Let's dive into Ephesians 1 and reclaim the joy of being in Christ.

David Taylor was a decorated Army veteran.

He was a skilled cybersecurity expert, and he was a dedicated husband and father.

He served his country with honor, and he returned home to establish for himself

a successful career in leading a life that was filled with meaning and filled with purpose.

But one day, everything changed for him when someone stole his identity.

Anyone had their identity stolen?

Unfortunately, I have. The church has one time.

His social security number was used to open credit lines and to buy cars and to rent apartments.

But worse, the thief committed crimes under David's name.

And he skipped court dates.

And one evening, David was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction.

His light was out on his blinker.

He was in the car with his young kids.

And he was pulled over and told that he had warrants for his arrest.

In a single moment, his entire life was derailed.

He lost his job, his security clearance,

his reputation No one believed who he was or that he was who he said he was

His life became completely frozen He couldn't get a job,

he couldn't get work, he couldn't even get housing And he felt absolutely powerless to fix it,

When interviewed, he said these haunting words. He said, I went from serving

my country to being treated like I was a criminal.

I felt like I didn't even exist anymore.

He was a man with gifts and he was a man with a calling and a mission.

But because his identity had been stolen, he was rendered useless,

at least in the eyes of the system.

And friends, this is exactly what the enemy wants to do to you.

Satan is a master of identity theft.

He knows that if he can steal your sense of who you are in Christ.

If he can make you believe that you are your failures, that you are your sins,

that you are your shame that you hold, that you are your past,

then you'll stop living in your God-given purpose.

Maybe you'll sit on the sidelines because you're paralyzed or you're questioning

your worth and missing your mission.

Maybe some of us, we allow depression to set in and anxiety.

And like this gentleman who had his identity stolen, we feel like we no longer exist.

And if we do exist, we feel like we are who the enemy says that we are.

Worthless. Full of shame. But here's the truth.

John 10 says, I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus came to define who you are.

And this morning, here's what we're going to do. We're going to expose the lies of the enemy.

And we're going to reclaim our true identity.

Not the identity that the world tries to define us by.

Not the one our past tries to chain us to as slaves to our past.

But the one given to us by our Heavenly Father. Would you go with me to the Lord in prayer?

Father, we come to you, and I just want to say thank you.

Thank you for who you are. Thank you for your word.

May we hide it in our hearts that we wouldn't sin against you.

But may we hide it in our hearts also, so that it's on the tip of our tongue

and on the forefront of our minds, so that when the enemy tells us we're something, we know the truth.

And may that truth set us free. Would you speak through your word today?

Speak through your servant. We ask in your name.

Amen. If you have your Bibles with you, I want to invite you to turn to the book of Ephesians.

And this morning we're going just to walk through Ephesians chapter 1,

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

pretty much 1 through 10, 1 through 14. We'll see how far we get.

But we're going to highlight some things that God says about who you are in Christ.

One of the greatest joy stealers in our lives is when we begin to listen to

the wrong voices about who we are.

We listen to the voices in our head that say we're unworthy.

We listen to the voices that say we're unloved, that we don't matter,

that we don't have value, that nobody cares about us.

We hear and we believe this message that no one values us.

And we allow lies from the enemy to shape our core beliefs.

And it's those false beliefs, those false lies about ourselves that allows us to lose our joy.

The enemy steals our joy. And so this morning, I want to remind you who you are in Christ Jesus.

Because if we get it in our head, who we really are, if we're in Christ,

then there's nothing that will be able to steal our joy, no matter what anyone says about us.

I want to remind you, if you were here last week, what the big idea was that we talked about.

We learned that joy isn't a feeling that we chase.

It's a gift that we receive through our relationship with God.

And so joy starts by walking face-to-face. We talked about the presence of God, right, in our lives.

Joy starts when we walk face-to-face with God in his presence through every situation.

But today, here's today's big idea.

Joy doesn't come from who I think I am. That's not where joy comes from.

It comes from who God declares that I am.

It doesn't come from what I think about myself. Praise God.

It comes from who God declares you to be in Christ Jesus.

So read along with me. Follow along. We're going to read Ephesians 1, 1 through 14.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will, to the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.

Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with

every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.

In Christ, and we're gonna see that a lot. In Christ.

Verse four, for he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

To be holy and blameless in love before him.

He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself.

What a thought. He predestined us for himself.

According to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace

that he lavished on us in the beloved one. That's Jesus.

In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses

according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all

wisdom and understanding.

He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure that

he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time to bring everything together

in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.

In him, we also received an inheritance because we were predestined according

to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, verse 12,

so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

In him, you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the

word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.

The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance until the redemption

of the possession to the praise of his glory.

This is a big, mighty chunk of scripture here.

But over the next few minutes, I want to walk through this passage and I want

to pull out some incredible truths that Paul is teaching as he wrote under the

divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

And see, when you and I, we read scripture together, everything we read teaches us.

From the greatest truth down to the smallest detail in scripture,

the word of God is always speaking.

And the first thing that we see here in verse one is authority identified.

Paul begins the book of Ephesians in verse one, introducing himself as the author.

However, pay attention to the choice of his words. He starts by providing us

with an explanation of his authority to pen what he's about to write.

He says, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will.

Paul isn't making some prideful statement or comment here. It's quite the opposite.

Paul's saying, I'm not writing this of my own will. I'm not writing this of

my own volition. I'm writing this by the divine will of God.

Paul didn't choose to be an apostle.

Rather, God appointed him to it. In Galatians 1, we see that it was a divine

call that was upon Paul's life, and it didn't originate with man.

It originated with God, not himself.

So he begins with authority, and then he reveals something that's very important

for us to understand when we read this passage.

The audience identified. Who is he writing to. He says, to the faithful saints

in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.

The letter is addressed to people with two characteristics.

He says it's addressed to the faithful saints who are in Christ Jesus.

Let me ask you a question. What is a saint? What's a saint?

And we're not talking about the football team, if you can call them that.

You know, I'm not hating, but maybe I am.

But it's actually a biblical term that's used and applied to all born again

believers, not because of your

actions or your deeds or the things you've done to try to attain a title,

but rather the term saint refers to a believer's position in Christ.

So if you are in Christ, guess what? You're a saint.

You're a saint. You didn't even know it because, not because of you and who

you think you might be, you're a saint because of your position in him.

In Christ, all believers are saints.

Again, not because of your actions, but because of your position in Christ.

Why does it matter that we know who Paul is writing to?

It's because Paul's getting ready to talk about the incredible riches,

the incredible benefits, and the results of being in Christ.

He talks about the riches and blessings of being in Christ.

But the condition for everything that follows his introduction is that to receive

these and to be living in this rich life and to have the benefits of the inheritance

that we're talking about,

you have to be in Christ.

You must be in Christ to experience the blessings of God.

In verse 2, most of us might fly by this simple phrase, but Paul says,

grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

But here in this sentence, Paul's reminding us that as a Christian,

you have grace in your life and you have peace in your life.

When we read scripture, we have to chew on it. We have to meditate on it.

And when Paul says grace to you, what's he saying? What is grace?

Grace means divine assistance for daily living. It's God's riches if you want an acrostic.

The seminary answer is God's riches at Christ's expense.

God gave you everything you need by his work on the cross, but it's to be applied in your daily life.

And so he's reminding us to fully rely on God for strength for daily living.

Then he also wants to remind us that we have peace, but he notes that the source

of all peace comes from God the Father.

There is not just joy by living life face-to-face with God. There's peace and

there's grace to be received.

Ephesians 1 says this, Blessed is God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ,

for he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in love before him.

He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself,

according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace

that he lavished on us in the beloved one.

In order for us to live a joy-filled life, we have to begin to tell ourselves

the truth about who we are in Christ.

And so Paul lays the foundation in verse 3, and he says, we have been blessed

with every spiritual blessings in the heavens in Christ.

And then in verse 4 through 14, he outlines this powerful list of spiritual

blessings, and he says, Christians, these are the things you have if you are in Christ.

You're no longer what you used to be. You have a brand new identity.

And so in the time we have left, I just want to remind you of who you are in Christ.

We need to regain our identity in Christ if we're going to restore joy that's been stolen from us.

First, you need to see that you are chosen by God.

How many of you, you remember being on the playground or in gym class and you're

like, oh, please pick me, please pick me.

I don't want to be the loser that's last. Please pick me.

God picked you. As if out of everyone in the whole world, God picked you.

He chose you before the foundation of the world.

Before the creation of the world, Scripture teaches us that God chose you to be in him.

That's the doctrine of election that's taught all throughout Scripture.

And I want to give you just a couple of verses for each of these points.

2 Thessalonians 2.13 says, But we ought to thank God always for you,

brothers and sisters, loved by the Lord, because from the beginning, God has what?

Chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit.

That's becoming, sanctification is the process by which we're becoming more

and more and more like Christ and through belief in the truth.

Second Timothy 1.9 says, he has saved us and called us with a holy calling,

not according to our works. Ooh, praise God.

Praise God we're not chosen because of who we are, but according to his own

purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ, Jesus before time began.

God in his grace chose us, chose you for salvation, not based on your works,

not based on your merit, but according to his own purpose and will and good pleasure.

See, Christianity is not a list of rules to follow. It's a relationship.

Jesus, in his good pleasure, he finds joy in walking with you.

That's encouraging to me. That should give you joy, that the God of the universe

finds joy in you. He finds joy in you.

When we understand that we've been chosen by God, even before time began,

it should cause us to be filled with joy.

Not only are you chosen, but if you're in Christ, verse 4 says,

you are blameless and holy.

Number two, you're blameless and holy. If you're in Christ, your sins are not

held against you. and listen to this declaration of your innocence in Romans 8.1.

He says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

Man, no condemnation. Everything I've ever done, everything I've ever said,

whether in public or private, if I'm in Christ,

I'm forgiven and I'm not held under the penalty because Jesus took that for me on the cross.

There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Because Jesus was condemned for my sin. Jesus was condemned for your sins.

You are not your mistakes. You're not the things that you've done.

You're blameless in the sight of God. You're pure in the sight of God.

You're holy in the sight of God. So stop believing the lies that you are, your mistakes.

That's not you anymore if you are in Christ.

Colossians 1, 21 and 22 said, once you were alienated and hostile in your minds,

expressed in your evil actions.

But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death to present

you holy, faultless, and blameless before him.

When we go to the Father, Jesus presents us as being pure.

Jesus presents us as being holy.

That's incredible because of what he did.

How can we not go through life full of joy knowing that the very God of the

universe chose us before it was even created,

and now we stand before God the Father blameless in Christ?

You're pure. You're holy if you're in Christ.

Number three, you're adopted into God's family.

You've been chosen. You've been adopted in God's family.

Verse five says he predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself.

That's the what of adoption. Now here's the why.

According to his good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace

that he lavished on us in the beloved one.

You are adopted as a son and you're adopted as a daughter into God's family.

You now are an heir of the king.

He's placed you in his family and he gives you all the privileges and rights

and benefits of being his child.

We are brought into God's family with the full rights as his children.

That's incredible. That should

floor you, that we have all the things that God has to offer for us.

Galatians 4 says, When the time came to completion, God sent his Son,

Jesus, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law so

that we might receive adoption as sons.

And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,

crying, Abba, Father, so that you are no longer a slave, but a son.

And if a son, then God has made you an heir.

You didn't know that you're royalty.

How many of us walk around thinking that we are royal? Well, I know some of you.

How many of you allow that to define you on a daily basis rather than the lies of the enemy.

You're walking around feeling like you don't have much value,

that you don't have much worth, yet God calls you an heir of the King.

When you're in Christ, you're adopted, and we cry out, Abba, that means Daddy.

That's the closeness of the relationship that we have now with Him. He is our Father.

The very creator of the universe is our Father, and He wants to live life with you.

How can we not be joyful about that?

Number four, you are redeemed by His blood.

Verse seven says, in Him, we have redemption through His blood.

What does that mean, we have redemption?

To be redeemed means to be brought back or rescued, especially through a payment of a price.

So in the context of scripture, redemption means that Jesus Christ paid the

price with his blood to free us from the power of sin, to forgive our sins and

restore us to a right relationship with God.

If you go back to the beginning of the story of God, God created mankind,

Adam and Eve, and they were in right relationship, but sin came into the world

and it broke that relationship.

And because of that, we needed to be restored in our relationship with Christ

Jesus, with God, through Christ Jesus.

He restores us to a right relationship with God. And only in Jesus could we ever be redeemed.

You are the redeemed one. I am the redeemed one.

And it's his blood that was the ransom price. And nothing less will do.

It's the only thing that can purchase our freedom.

Number five, that clock is ticking really fast this morning.

You have forgiveness of sins.

You have forgiveness of sins. In him, we have redemption through his blood,

the forgiveness of our trespasses,

according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all

wisdom and understanding.

It's through Christ's sacrifice on the cross and the blood of Jesus that you

have now been made alive in Christ.

Your forgiveness has been paid in full.

And Paul writes that it's been paid according to the riches of his grace.

Number six, you are lavished with grace. He has poured on grace upon grace upon

grace upon those who are in Christ.

Listen to me. You can never out-sin the grace of God.

I'm so thankful for that. Romans 5.20 says, The law came along to multiply the trespasses.

See, when we compare the law of the Old Testament with my sin,

holy cow, I will never measure up. It multiplies how wicked I am and how wicked you are.

But where sin multiplied, Paul says, grace, I love this, multiplied even more

so that you can never out sin the grace of God.

Where sin multiplies, grace is multiplied more and more and more.

Aren't you thankful for that?

Doesn't that bring you a sense of joy? that, wow, although sin is great,

his grace is so much greater.

Number seven, you have an inheritance.

Verse 11 says, in him, we have also received an inheritance,

again, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works

out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will.

Now, it's hard to understand some of these doctrines, predestination, election.

Yet it's in Scripture. And it's one of those things that we can just rest in

the grace of God, that if we're in Christ, we have what He says we have.

We mentioned some of these already, but I want to give you, and I think I put it in the notes there.

This is just, I mean, an incredibly short list of what you have inherited at the time of salvation.

You have eternal life.

Does that bring joy to us? It should. It should. We have peace with God. We have the Holy Spirit.

We have righteousness. We're holy. We're forgiven. We're citizens in heaven.

We have eternal life.

Again, because it's eternal apparently.

Victory over sin, victory over death, a new purpose and a new calling.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg of the things that we have when we come and we are in Christ.

There's so much more that we could study in this rich passage.

And I want you to remember why we're going into such depth, why we're digging

into the details within these verses.

We do so to remind you of the incredible blessings that God has in store for

those of us, those of you who are in Christ.

We're going to take communion in just a minute, but I think the most important

question that I could ever ask you as my friend is this,

am I in Christ?

Are you in Christ.

What would your answer be? Am I in Christ?

I hope it's yes. I hope you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have accepted

Christ into your heart, that you've received him, and you've said,

I'm no longer living for myself.

I live for him. I live for his glory. I live for his purposes.

I'm part of the kingdom of God now.

The songs we sang today if you didn't know they talked about who we are in christ,

i'm a child of god yes i am and when you're going through the valleys you listen to that music,

i'm a child of god yes i am i'm not who you say i am i'm not my mistakes from

yesterday or last year or 10 years ago.

I am pure and holy and called and living a life on purpose.

That's who you are. You are forgiven. You are pure.

You are righteous before God because you are in Christ before Jesus.

Would you bow your head and close your eyes and let's just go to the Lord in prayer.

And I want to give you a moment. Maybe you're here this morning and you're not in Christ.

You haven't done that yet. You haven't given your life fully over to Christ.

If that's you, can I just encourage you?

I want you to have joy and peace and strength and all the benefits of being in Christ.

Being in Christ will change your life, but it will change your eternal destiny forever.

And it's as easy as admitting that you are a sinner, that you are in need of

a Savior to restore and redeem you and restore the relationship that was broken with Christ.

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Then you confess it with your mouth that he is Lord. If you do that right now,

if you ask him to come into your heart and into your life, he will and he will

change you from the inside out.

And where there's sadness, there will be joy. Where there's depression and loneliness,

and anxiety and fear, it will be replaced with peace in the valley,

peace on the mountaintop, peace in your life because you're walking now in the presence of God.

If you just prayed that prayer and asked him to come into your heart and life,

I just want to encourage you to do the next thing.

I want you to, every eye is closed still.

Would you just raise your hand and say, yeah, that's me. That's where I am.

I'm taking that step. I'm asking Christ into my heart.

Would you just lift it up real quick? No one's going to embarrass you or call you out.

Secondly, if you're here today and you're not living in joy and you're struggling

to find joy, man, get in the word of God.

Go home. When you're home, listen to it. Let it remind you of who you are in Christ.

You are not forgotten. You are not alone. You have, you're an heir of the king.

And everything that he says you are, you are.

Father, thank you for declaring us righteous because of the...

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