Our Identity in Christ - John Miller

Okay for a message this evening. The title of my topic is our identity

in Christ Jesus. Open your bibles with me to First Peter chapter two.

We will find our text there. I would like to notice versus nine and

ten. First Peter, Chapter two, Versus nine and ten. But before

we read that, did any of you ever feel rejected? I hope to

get some answers out of you. Did any of you girls ever feel worthless?

No response? Did any of your best friends ever abandoned you? And

did you ever feel like just giving up? Okay, I've got a response

over here. They beat you? Okay. First Peter two, nine and

ten says you are a chosen Notice that a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,

a holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises

of Him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which

in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God,

which had not obtained mercy, but now we have obtained mercy. Praise

the Lord for those verses. This, what we have just read, gives

us our identity in Christ Jesus. Have a little story I'd like to read

quite A number of years ago, a certain man with no identification was found

beaten, naked, unconscious behind the Burger King in the state of Georgia.

He was taken to the hospital where he gained consciousness, but he had no

memory of who he was. The FBI did a fingerprints and did fingerprints and

a DNA DNA testing on him, but couldn't figure out who he was.

They did a TV show on him, but nobody claimed him. A private

investigator was hired to find out who this man is, but nothing turned up.

A local nurse that was working there at the hospital. She took him

into her home and for eight years she tried to patiently restore his memory,

but to no avail. It's a true story. Nobody knows who he is

and he doesn't know himself. Imagine if that were you. Imagine if that

were you. You come to church here at Halsey, you know your name,

you know your family, you know your past and more or less what

lies I had. Something happens tomorrow and when you get up you have no

idea who you are for the next eight years, completely without an identity,

no past, no present, no friends, just no connections. Your past

identity has been erased. That would be scary. Scary indeed, do you

know who you are? Do you know? You know your name? You

know your parents' names? Do you know your grandparents' names? You know who

your cousins are? Do you know where they live? Wow? Yes,

well this man he didn't, He had no idea. I work as a

prison chaplain, Texas, and I meet some people like this. I meet

men like this, they never met their parents that they can recall. I

ask them what their goals are when they get out of prison. They said,

we don't know. We have no place to go I have, we

have no friends, I don't I don't know how do I have brothers or

sisters or I don't know who my parents are. I have no place to

go. Do you know who you are? You know who your dad is?

Wow? That's a blessing. Yes, exactly this evening, what we

just read here about this man and not knowing who he is, not having

any identity whatsoever, that is exactly what Satan is trying to do to all

of us, robbing us of our identity, taking it away from us so

we lose out in our Christian life and experience. He's trying to erase it.

There's a spiritual war going on over each one of our identity this evening.

Satan cannot create anything. Only God creates, but he can pervert and

destroy, distort, and that's what he tries to do with our identity in

Christ. He can hurt God, but he can go He can hurt God's

people. For example, if you want to hurt me, you hurt my

family. That's exactly what Satan is trying to do. He's trying to hurt

God's people. He knows that if he can keep you from being who God

intended that you should be, that you will lose your true identity and you

will be in his clutches. We have a perfect example of that in the

Bible. I want you to open your bibles to the book where the main

character of the book had an excellent spirit. Okay, no, where did

you open your Bible? What where did you open it? You didn't?

What about some of you? Where'd you open your where'd you open here?

I think I knew this younger first, Peter, Well, I don't think

where'd you open yours? Job? Well, he was a good man,

But does it say in the Book of Job that he had an excellent spirit.

Anybody back here? Do we have preachers here tonight? Local preachers?

Do we have a local preacher here? Raise your hand? Oh you're you're

one of the local preachers. Okay, where'd you open yours? Yes,

Daniel, over your bible, just breathe it to Daniel chapter six. I

think it's in verse three, Daniel, chapter six. Let me see,

Yes, here it is Daniel, chapter six, verse three. Then this

Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent spirit was in him,

and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Okay,

so our identity in Christ? Go with me now to the first chapter one

of the book of Daniel. And here we want to notice another example of

King nebuchad Nazar. He was trying to get Daniel and his three friends to

lose their identity. He didn't like their godliness. He didn't like Daniel's name.

Do you know why? Why did he like Daniel's name? He changed

his name. What does the name Daniel mean? Do we have a Daniel

here this evening? Your name is Daniel? What does your name mean?

Yes? God is my judge. And if you look and read throughout the

Book of Daniel. All throughout the Book of Daniel, when he was tested,

he remembered what his name meant, and he lived by that. Let's

read the first maybe the first eight verses of the first book of first chapter

of Daniel. Some of these names, Well, if I would pronounce them

exactly how it is in Spanish, I could easily do it. But the

English language is so hard. Just for example, you probably know better than

the boys do. How do you spell physical? Why? Phy? Why

don't they just drop those three and put enough there? I mean, that's

what it sounds like, okay. In the third year of the reign of

Jehoah Kim, King of Judah, came Nebuchadnazar, king of Babylon, unto

Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoah Kim, King of Judah,

into his hand with part of the vessels of the House of God,

which he carried into the land of Sharna to the house of his God.

And he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his God. And the

king spake unto Ashpiness, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring

certain of the children of Israel and of the King's seed, and of the

princes children at home, was no blemish, but well favored and skillful in

all wisdom and conning, cunning in knowledge and understanding science, and such as

had ability in them to stand in the King's palace, and and whom they

might teach the learning of the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the King appointed

them a daily provision of the king's meat and of the wine which he drank,

so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof he might stand

before the King. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel,

Hannaniyah, Michael, and Azariah unto whom the Prince of the Eunuchs gave

names for. He gave unto Daniel the name of Elschazar, and to Hannaniah

Shadhrak, and to Michael Mishak, and to Azeraiah of a Nagel. But

Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of

the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested

of the Prince of the Eunuchs that he might not defy himself. Okay,

notice here we're talking king about our identity in Christ. Now, Daniel and

his friend his friends were from God's people. They knew the law, they

knew what God was requiring of them. They were well instructed in that.

And here King Nabat Khnezzar came and he took them out of that godly environment

and put him in his environment where there were ungodly people. So this was

one of the ways that he tried to change their identity. He didn't like

the fact that they were living with God's people. He wanted them to conform

where he was, okay, So he did that with the environment. He

changed their names. You remember why. He didn't like the meaning of Daniel's

name, so he gave him another name, which was a pagan god.

He changed their food, he tried, he changed their language. Why did

he do this? He did this to strip them of all their godly heritage.

He intended to destroy what God had intended Daniel and his three friends to

be. And that is exactly what he tries to do to us today,

strip us of our godly heritage, our identity, and get us to switch

over to him. We dare not let that happen. I like the example

of Daniel in verse eight, It says he purposed in his heart that he

would not defy himself with a portion of the King's meet. Daniel was under

tremendous peer pressure. He had to be and I think this here, the

story that we just read, when they came with that food. Can you

imagine. Let's say they were fifteen of them sitting here and they came with

that food, and the first one took it, the second one took it,

and on down the line they all took it. And he came to

Daniel. What did he do? Did he take it? He didn't.

He was under tremendous pair pressure. Everybody else did it, but he was

willing to stand up and be a man. If you boys have if you

have a work bee or something, do you all wear billcaps? You were

billcaps? Okay, so you're all going to the workday and you were billcats.

But your dad has a nerve to tell you that you have to wear

a straw hat. How are you going for you? You don't know yet?

Not liking it? That's what I figured. Would you enjoy that if

your dad told you everybody else wears a billcap, but you have to wear

an ugly straw hat? That's exactly where Daniel was. Everybody else took of

this food, but he had purposed in his heart that he is not going

to defy himself. No, sir, we're I'm going to stick by what

I was taught. Good example for us. He did not allow the king

to sway him. He was even willing to or did I already say this?

I think this test that he had here was probably harder for Daniel than

what it was when they threw him into lions down. All the others took

of that food and drank of that wine, but he was willing to stand

on his two feet and say no. Daniel was a man of God.

How does Satan try to keep you from knowing your true identity? He uses

a lot of different tools, different ways, the opinions of other people,

and even your parents, they have set things. I don't know if all

your parents are Christians or not, but my parents tried to dissuade me to

not go the way that I felt God would have me go. What about

your peers? Do your peers ever try to sway you to go their way?

Maybe that lies more to over here. We'll touch on that in just

a minute. Maybe your enemies or friends. Some were true and some were

not, but they were all trying to mold you into their image rather than

what God wants you to be. Satan uses hurt. He uses pain to

hide your true identity. If he can get you to be resentful, if

he can get you to be bitter because of something that has happened along the

way, If he can get you to be angry, that probably applies applies

more over here. If he can get you to be angry, or to

be guilty, or to be ashamed. He knows you're going to miss your

true identity. They're not allow that to happen. He uses the media.

You know these things you care around in your pockets. He tries to use

that too, so you eventually lose out and lose your identity. Be a

man like Daniel, wasn't down on your two feet. You need to have

a purpose in your heart that, by the grace of God, you were

going to be faithful, very important. He uses culture try and change our

identity or to make us think that we should be like so and so.

Um. Maybe he tries to tell you, ladies, that you should dress

like so and so. Does that dress is so pertly and the way it's

cut out, the way it's made. Where where did you get the material?

Why? God, it at the Mennonite store wherever. You know what

happens two days later a bunch of Mennonite girls go and buy some of them

material. Yes, and then perhaps you know, use that good smelling stuff.

What is it called perfume? Is that what you call it in English?

And some of the other the other ladies, where did you buy that?

Smells so good? And on Monday morning when we go to wart and

buy it. You know this is just a but yeah, it's it's real.

The same happens about trucks. Will get on that after a little bit,

yes, or even haircuts for the boys. You know what style for

haircut? Nowaday, do you know hair haircut is? You know, you

leave a bunch here in the middle. I'm not saying it's right or wrong,

but you leave a bunch right here in the middle. Maybe have a

little bun, but it's really cut short on the side. Yeah, that's

style. That's the way it is when God, you know, he he

inspires us to do right. Let's follow that example. Satan's temptations, Satan's

thoughts or our temptations, and if we yield, we lose our identity.

Little by little, we we yield to the temptation to those temptations, will

lose our identity. Satan says things like you have to gain God's acceptance.

Or he comes along and he says, you don't really matter, You're not

important. I struggle with that sometimes, you know, the older I get,

the more I struggle with the thought that I'm worthless. I passed,

I went on past that, Agel. There's a lot of things I can't

do anymore like I used to, so that can cause struggle for us.

Or Satan comes along and says, do you remember that sin you committed?

M and you say you're a Christian, you should be ashamed of yourself.

All shame comes from Satan, doesn't come from God. Jesus didn't come to

the world to condemn us, but he came to save us. Wrong thoughts

way too often control us, and we miss our true identity. Okay.

The title for our messages our identity in Christ. The phrase in Christ is

mentioned around a hundred and forty times in the Bible. It's the most used

term to describe who we are. The word Christian is only used a couple

times in the Bible, but again and again it says, in Christ telling

us who we are, I'd like to look at five different points that give

us our true identity. Let's briefly read again our text in verse Peter two

Versus nine and ten. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,

a holy nation of peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of Him

who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in times

past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which

had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Okay, one chosen,

the second one a royal priesthood, the third holy nation, the peculiar

people. When it says peculiar, I looked at word up and it says

treasured. And number five we are people that have obtained mercy. Okay,

I'm going back to number one. Chosen. We are chosen, completely accepted

by God. Did you ever struggle with the thought if you are a local

here, did you ever struggle with the thought that you're not a shock in

a burgee because they're the important ones here? I remember it was like nine

years ago when we when we came from Custa Rica after being there for forty

five years, came to Texas and the church at Osiola, a church we

were used to small churches twelve fifteen, twenty families in Custa Rica. Here

we walked into the church Housola and wow, sometimes there remember three hundred people

there on Sunday morning. I walked in there for the first time, and

I kind of got the idea that everybody was looking at us out of the

corner of their eyes because we weren't orcs. We have lots of orrics.

They're the important people, and that's what we didn't think. Ephesians Chapter one

is the verse that I really like one verse four. According as He hath

chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be

holy and without blame before God. It doesn't say anything whether burkes or shrinks,

or ulrics or yolders. Before the foundation of the world, even before

the sun burst into existence, God had chosen y'all. Yes, it gave

He gave us our identity. We are important to God before everything. God

chose us before the ocean, before the planets, before the galaxies. God

had chosen us. He chose to love us. That gives us our true

identity. In Christ, Jesus tied us three verse seven. I think it

says, being justified by his grace, we are what being justified by his

grace, It says we are what anybody? Okay, girls, do it

again, preacher man heirs, Yes, we inherit what be host to God?

It's ours. Yes, we are heirs. He made us heirs.

He gave us eternal life. We can darn up dunce. It's a free

gift from God. He made us airs before that sun burst into existence.

He already had chosen each one of you. That gives us her true identity.

Okay, we must go on. I think already went over time,

but I told it when we were in for prayer before before a service.

Do y'all know that there's something positive about going over time? There is?

They won't They probably won't ask you again. Okay. Point number two.

God not only accepts us, but he values us. We are priceless.

If God owns us, then we are very valuable. It gives us our

true identity in due to I mean seven six. Maybe we won't turn to

that, but it says we are very similar to our text and fors Peter

to nine and ten says we are holy, we are chosen, We're special,

and above all people that are upon the face of the earth. We

are the special ones, above all people that are on the face of the

earth. Why are we valuable to God? John three sixteen. For God

soil of the world. He was willing to die for each one of our

sins. That makes us valuable, Holy nation, a peculiar people. Webster

says, special or remarkable. God says, our true identity is that we

are holy. We are valuable. Open your Bibles with me to Luke twelve.

In Luke twelve, we have a really good example Luke chapter twelve,

verse twenty four. Luke Chapter twelve, verse twenty four says, consider the

ravens or the birds, for they neither sown nor reap, which neither have

storehouse nor born, and God feedeth them. How much more are ye better

than the fowls. I'm convinced that the birds are in God's welfare program.

And on they do is chirp and poop. They're on His welfare program.

And it says we are better than they. Wow, Yes, we are

better than they. If any of you want to do you're worth, take

a look at the cross and you will discover what you're worth. Okay,

we must go on. We're completely accepted and valued, eternally loved. Did

you ever hear the expression I love that person to the moon and back.

Did you ever hear somebody say in when my uncle comes around, he doesn't

have any teeth anymore? God never does that. He made us. And

if your nose is a good bit bigger than the majority of the nose is

around here, that's the way God made you. And it's special. I

struggle with you know, they say the order we get or or our ears

never quit growing, And I think there's truth to look at mine. They're

huge. Yes, God meet us that way. We are special. God

loves us. That never happens with God. He's not ashamed of who he

made were eternally loved, It says in Hebrews. I think it is that

he's not ashamed to call us what somebody Okay, girls do it again.

He's not ashamed to call us what you're getting there, you're getting closer,

okay, preacher man. He's not ashamed to call us father. And I

think. It says, yes, he's not ashamed to call us his brothers.

That's right. Jeremiah thirty one three. It says that he loves us

with an everlasting love that gives us our true identity. Two things that you

need to remember about God's love. It's unconditional. It's unending. Unconditional love

doesn't say, and God didn't say this, I'll love you as long as

you are faithful. I'll love you as long as you keep going to church,

and as long as you read your Bible. It's not the way it

is. I'mconditional love. We have a number of married folks here, including

my wife and I. Do you remember when you promised to love in sickness

and in health? And you remember that and probably your bride was young and

beautiful. She still is, well that's your opinion. Yeah, I remember

when I made that promise, and I think my wife is still pretty.

But you know, we've kind of lost our we've kind of lost our spark.

And that's one thing you boys need to remember very important. You know,

I must go on indication. After God created everything there in chapter one,

we come down to verse thirty one and it says God saw everything that

he made and behold it was what good? Somebody else? Very good?

Yes, Then we go over to chapter two of Genesis and there's something that

wasn't good? What was that? You chill me? No, wasn't that

in chapter three? Okay, boys, you know what it says. What

is it that wasn't good? It's in chapter two and I think verse eighteen.

Just say it, admit it, any of you know? Yes,

it's so good to man should be alone? Yes, okay, so you're

probably at that stage. And let me tell you, there will never be

a time in your life when you're as handsome as what you are now,

or when you're as purty as what you are now. But don't let that

sway you, young man. You see a pretty girl the other day at

work, A young man was telling me about a girl and said, she's

so pretty, and she is. You know what I told him to do.

I told him you go look at her mom. She's forty years older,

has six children, he has gray hair and some wrinkles, has bags

under her eyes, and she gave thirty five pounds. I don't say this

disrespectfully to you ladies, not at all, but really that it's the truth.

Are you still going to love her? Unconditional love? So God loves

us in spite of all the failures and the sin that we have committed.

God still loves us. His love is unconditional. Yes, we're accepted,

we're valued, we're loved, and we are totally forgiven. The Bible tells

us we were not a people. It says in our text, but now

we are the people of God. What happened? We were not a people

of God, but now we are. What happened? It's so simple,

and I am amazing Cannon again at the simplicity of the Gospel. God does

exactly what he says he will. We go to First You know, we're

talking about we were not a people, but now we are. We go

to First John at one nine. It says, if we confess our sins,

He's faithful just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

on righteousness. God does what he promises. We go to Psalms one hundred

and three. It says, he removes our transgressions from us as far as

the east is from the west. And he what he removes our transgressions as

far as the east is from the west, and he yes, good for

you. I like you. He remembers, no more. They're taking away.

That makes us a Christian. If you committed us in yesterday and you

repented and ask God to forgive you, he did exactly that, He took

it away, and he remembers no more. Makes us a Christian. Yes,

totally forgiven. We are a treasured people her consience from all on righteousness.

Once we understand first John one nine, we understand our true identity in

Jesus Christ. Okay, we must want we're valued. I think this is

my last point. So we're accepted, We're we're we're valued, we're loved,

we're forgiven, and we're capable. The Bible says here we are royal

priests. If you're a Christian, if you're in the family of God,

you are a priest. What does the priest do? He does two things.

He represents man to God and God to man. You and I are

capable of doing that. Let's go back again to our text. He made

us a chosen generation, a royal priest, a holy nation of peculiar people.

That we should do. What show forth the praises of Him who have

called you out of darkness into his light. That is our responsibility. We

are priests. Yes, that's why we don't confess to a priest. We

are one. We are priests, we are servants. We are called by

God. That's our job as priests. We are to tell the world that

there is acceptance. We are to tell the world that they can be valued,

that they are loved, that they can be forgiven. When and if

that becomes a reality in their lives, they are capable. Our sufficiency is

of God. He has made us able ministers. I think it's very important

that we take that seriously. What was the last command that Jesus gave to

his disciples before as he was ascending into heaven? Anybody? Can you say

it louder? That was probably part of it. Yo. He told the

disciples they should do something going to all the world. That was his last

command to disciples. And I think beings that we are priests, it should

be one of our first goals. Jesus's last command should be one of our

first goals in this life to preach the Gospel. We will maybe notice that

in the message on It's the Secret of Paul's success. What did Paul do

right after he got baptized. He got baptized on the third day. I

think it was. I'm not real sure when to did the instruction class,

But what did he do right after he got baptized? And I'm for instructing,

don't get me wrong. What did he do right after he got baptized?

Okay, girls, I can't get a lot out of these men over

here on this side. What did he do? Well, I already went

over time. What did he do? Yes, Jesus, Well, he

wasn't ordained. But we're priests. That's what we're called to do. We

need to make good of this thing that we are priests. We need to

preach Jesus. Whether we're at work, or whether you're at the Walmart or

whether you're in a restaurant, it doesn't matter. Preach Jesus. Remember here.

Some time ago, I was at at our grocery store and as I

was waiting, and I noticed the young man there check out. His name

was Cody, and it was something different turned about Cody, and I looked

at him, and I watched him as he was checking out other people.

And we got up there. I said, Hi, goody, how are

you? And well he said, I'm doing great. I said, are

you a Christian? He said, well, yes, thanks for the encouragement.

He said, most of my friends are out there doing drugs and other

things. But he said, I'm a Christian. But he said, I

really appreciate the encouragement. That's what we are called to do. Where to

preach Jesus. What do you all do Sunday afternoons? Take us some news,

what's okay? But after that, what do you do? Maybe play

golf? I suggest that a number of you boys get together. I don't

know what the preachers call saying, a number of you boys get together and

you take at least four of the girls, and you go to town and

you sing on the street corner, and the one of you boys has your

Bible and you preach your heart out to the people that come. Boy,

yes, we're priests. Very important, very important. Okay, that's quick.

I'm not finished, but I will finish. So May God bless you

be sure to not lose your identity, be true to the calling that God

has placed upon you. May God blessed shore. We pray our Father in

heaven, We thank you for your faithfulness, your love, Thank you for

these groups, this group of young people here bless each one in a very

special way. We thank you that you love us and that you care for

us in spite of who we are. We thank you you love us unconditional,

and our heart's desire is to in return love you back, and,

by thy grace be faithful until you come again. In Jesus name, we pray Ama