Our Identity In Christ | January 4 2026 (Art VanSlageren)

Thank you Stacey. Will I get to introduce my best

pastor friend who's going to be bringing the word to us this

morning. Many of you know Art Van Slogan

from as a pastor, First Reformed Church in Saint Catharines,

which is now Pathway Bible Church.

I need my loving wife to to keep me true and they've joined the

RCN along with us, which which has been awesome.

But for those of those of you who do not know Art, he is

ministered at, well, First Reform, which is now Pathway

Bible Church for over 30 years. And when I came to Grimsby 24

years ago with my first post as a pastor, it's Art who I leaned

on for advice on so many things, on sermon preparation, on

funerals, on Roberts Rules of Order, consistent meetings, all

that kind of stuff, and really has developed into an awesome

friendship over the years. We meet weekly to share our joys

and sorrows and to pray for one another and pray for our

churches as well as to hold one another accountable as pastors.

And it has been, it has been a joy.

Art Arts here with his wife Allison, and who is his faithful

ministry companion and dear friend of ours also.

They have three grown children, all committed to the Lord and

committed to the church, Aaron, Bethann and Bradley, and one

daughter-in-law, Nicola, who married Bradley this past year.

So I think that's probably a good little intro.

What do you think? Are we good for that?

Let's go. Let's give Art a warm welcome as

he comes up. Brings a word, yeah.

It's not too often I have an applause that brings me up to

the pulpit, but hey, I'll take it.

You know, normally I sit on that side of the sanctuary, but I was

told that's where the young adults sit.

Well, what does that say about my identity?

Oh my, well, it is certainly a privilege for me to to be here

with you in worship, to lead you in worship to, to share the Word

of God with you. John and I over the past 20,

probably 26 years, 25 years have really grown not only in our

relationship, but our encouragement for each other in

the Word. This is the focus of our time

together that we pray together and just an amazing time holding

each other accountable to and, and sometimes sharing our

sermons with each other and, and him correcting me and me never

having to correct him. So I think our mentorship is

really worked well and he's passing it on to Jacob too,

which is wonderful. Listen, it's a new year and I

don't know how many of you have made New Year's resolutions.

Are you afraid to put up your hand or, OK, I won't ask how

many of you have broken those already, but New Year's

resolutions are really intended to either improve life or get us

back on track. And the reason for New Year's

resolutions oftentimes is that we often are faced with the

question, who really am I? Where, what am I doing?

What purpose do I serve in the church, in my family that

questioned who am I comes in, in our teenage years, in our

midlife crises. And for me, in July of this

year, it'll be retirement. So all of those times are, are

times in which we, we examine who we are and, and too often I,

I believe we trying to find our identity in our work or our

friends or even in the way that we look in the church.

I've so appreciated the message. I was almost going to say, let's

just go for coffee because that was good.

I really appreciated that. I don't have labels for you all,

but it's still so good. But in the church, when we have

that identity crisis and we feel lost, the world might say, well,

you're on your own, But in the church, we say, no, for such a

time as this, you belong here. And the creator of us, the

author of the Bible, says something different and life

changing in the passage we're going to look at this morning

from Ephesians chapter one one to 14.

Before we read this, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you

for such a time as this 1st Sunday in a new Year, a Sunday

in which worship is so important to each one of us, so much a

part of Force you church, so much a part of our Christian

life, Lord, that we need to come here together to exalt your

name, to praise you for who You are, to express that in our

songs and children's messages, in our prayers.

And then in this moment, God, to hear from You, to listen to Your

Word and to what you have to say to us.

So come and change us, come and transform us, come and redirect

us, but with your truth inspire us.

We pray in Jesus name, Amen. Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

We're going to read the first 14 verses.

Let's hear the word of God. Paul, an apostle of Christ

Jesus. By the will of God to the Saints

in Ephesus, the faithful ones in Christ Jesus.

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

Christ. Praise be to the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly

realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be

wholly and blameless in His sight.

In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through

Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will to the

praise of His glorious grace which He freely gives, has has

freely given us in the One He loves.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the

forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of

God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and

understanding. And He made known to us the

mystery of His will according to the His good pleasure which He

purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will

have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven

and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

In Him we were chosen, having been predestined according to

the plan of Him who works everything in conformity with

the purpose of His will, in order that we who were the first

to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word

of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

Having believed you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised

Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance

until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the

praise of His glory. That's God's word.

And I have this amazing privilege this morning to go

through these verses with you and to see what God will have

you hear about your identity in Christ.

Because you see, we live in a culture today that is so busy

steering us away from God, steering us away even from

religion, Well, really to the religion of self.

And the result of that steering away is intended for us to live

better. But really, the results we see

in our culture around us are things like sexual immorality,

emptiness, confusion, and emptiness.

Did I say that already? OK, there's a song from 1987

that's a long time ago goes like this.

I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

Everybody know that song. You too?

Alright, 30th year, 33 years later or 38 years later, they're

still singing that song. Still haven't found what I'm

looking for. Well, this church in Ephesus,

the the letter of Paul writes to them is around 60 AD, which is

about 30 years after Christ has ascended.

And in those brief 30 years of ministry of new faith of of

churches of this persecution in Jerusalem, sending the disciples

out into Asia Minor, there's a church started that's called the

church in Ephesus, Ephesus. It's a Reformed Church by the

way, but 33 years after Christ ascension for whatever reason,

Paul is writing a letter to remind them or read direct them

as to their identity in Christ. I don't know where you are this

morning in your faith, but as we read this I get excited

Colossians one. I was so pleased to hear that

last week. Those last couple of verses are

some of my favorite, for he has rescued us.

And here we read in these first 14 verses of Ephesians chapter 1

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

written by Paul about what this identity in Christ can do for us

and really in the beginning of a new year, redirecting us and

maybe we need restoring. It happens in these verses.

It happens in the truth that Paul conveys.

So I'm going to look at three things with you this morning.

First is that our identity in Christ is secure.

OK, it's secure. The next thing is our identity

in Christ is active. It's alive.

And the third thing is this. Our identity in Christ is to the

praise of His glory. First of all, our identity in

Christ is secure. How?

Well, if you go over 1 chapter to chapter 2, there's actually a

discouraging note there, but it's a truthful note and it goes

like this. As for you, you were dead in

your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you

followed the ways of this world. That's why all this deadness and

emptiness is in our culture today as we follow the culture

of our world. There's a deadness in that.

So without Christ we're dead in our transgressions and sins.

But here in verses one and two, we have a different truth, and

that is in Christ we are alive, not dead.

We are Saints or holy ones. We are faithful in Christ Jesus

every time we meet even as I came in this morning.

How are you doing Is there is the greeting right.

That's how he's how are you. Well, Paul doesn't say how are

you. He in these verses says let me

tell you how you are. Let me tell you who you are.

This is who you are in Christ Jesus and it's really covenantal

language, which is really a reformed understanding of the

Bible is that we are a covenant family.

We were told this morning that our children belong.

They're not lost. They belong.

They are covenantal children, and we rejoice in that because

God is the one who ultimately works in them for His saving

grace. But in that covenantal language,

God says something through Paul, which declares our relationship

to be more than just one of Well, I'm now a member of Forest

View. Yeah, that's true.

But there's so much in that membership in that we are

wholly, we have been made faithful to him because he is a

faithful God. So it begins that way already as

we read this, we say, look in Christ, I am holy and I am

faithful. I'm set apart, I'm secure, I am

made right now you might be saying, well, by virtue of me

walking into the sanctuary this morning or being a member of

Forest View, does that mean I'm holy?

Well, I hope so. But let me tell you how you got

there. It's not simply coming into the

doors of a church that makes you holy.

It is a result of God's grace to you, a conviction of your sin by

the Holy Spirit and by the word that says you're a Sinner.

Without Christ you're a dead Sinner, but in Christ you are

now made alive. You are given this security in

Him that when you come to repent of your sinful human nature and

know your need and the blessing of this Savior Jesus, you're in,

you declare your need for a Savior and you are in Christ now

no longer dead, but alive. And this forward faithful

doesn't only mean that you have faith like a knowledge as we

have an alpha this, this knowledge that God gives us of

his word, but it's really a word that means with that knowledge,

you have this desire to live according to that faith that you

believe there's a security. Years ago I skied downhill

skiing. I've never snowboarded.

I'm afraid of that. But I love downhill skiing.

The faster the better. And I'm one who I don't check my

bindings all the time. So there are times when I really

feel secure going down the hill. And then one time I'm in the

moguls and my skis fall off, I'm no longer secure in my binding.

So I have to go to ski pro shop on Geneva and get them to

readjust my bindings. And when that happens, then I

feel more secure going through those moguls again.

Not that I'm good because I normally fall halfway through

and, and all of that. But what I'm saying is that when

we have something that we can stand firm in or secure in, like

bindings, there's a greater desire and a greater confidence

in going down the hill in Christ.

We have this great confidence to face 2026 not because of who we

are, but because of who Christ is.

So our identity in Christ gives us first this knowledge that we

are secure in Him. We know we need adjustments, but

we know we have this security of being in Christ through faith in

the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from my sin for

your sin, and we are then saved by His grace.

Well, then that identity in Christ is not only secure, but

it is active. Now that's a really wonderful

thing because we don't want a dead faith.

I really appreciate what force you has in terms of ministries

here. But you know, if nobody attends

them, then all we have is ministries labeled on a board.

But when we attend them and we grow in our faith, we not only

grow as active individuals, but as we heard shared earlier, this

group, this life group that we're part of, we get to share

our faith with each other. We get to share our struggles

with each other without fear of condemnation, but with the joy

of maturing in that faith. And so when we attend the

ministries that are provided for us, there is this sense of not

only being active in the life of the church, but active in our

faith. Paul has this this word as he

begins verse 3, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ. This, this word.

Praise is not just an adoration. This is an active response to

who God is, an active response to who we are in Christ and what

what God has done for us in Christ.

And as a result, we praise Him. And whether that's singing some

hymns and songs on a Sunday morning or we praise him for Him

enabling us to go through the struggles or Him giving us the

joy of unwrapping the present that we really wanted this past

Christmas. This praise is a response of

adoration. It's a response of one who is

secure in Christ and desires that faith and that security to

be active. In the 1st 14 verses of

Ephesians chapter 1, we have a variation of in Christ.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Those two words being in Christ, we have it 10 times.

The words in Christ in the New Testament appear 200 times, but

in these 14 verses, these first 14 verses, it appears 10 times.

God blesses us with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

God chose us in Him. He is freely given us His grace.

In the One He loves, we have redemption, the forgiveness of

sins. In him verse 9, God made known

the mystery of His will in Christ.

Paul goes through this whole list to show us how active God

is in this relationship with us in Christ.

That's not just a a label that we can now wear on our shirts.

It's a label that is inscribed is written on our hearts and

changes our very soul. My identity is 1 of faithfulness

of love for God and in that I am active.

Paul just goes through this list and tells us every reason why we

should praise God, every reason why we should be active in our

life of faith. We verse 12 says we put our hope

in Christ. Hope is something that we need

for this year ahead of us. It's really something that we

need for the year ahead of us because we don't know what's

going to happen. We don't even know what's going

to happen today yet, but what we do know and what we need for

even the rest of this day is not only a a faith or an identity

that is secure in Christ, but it's active in Christ.

It means that we want to take seriously this new life that God

has given to us in Christ, growing in Him.

I think one of the one of the things that often causes despair

is life itself. But we often we struggle with

sin and there are times when we actually question our identity

and we question and this sinful nature works that in us.

If I am in Christ, but I'm still doing this, am I really in

Christ? And that's that Devil's motive

is to cause us to question. He knows that He can't take you

out of the Father's hand. He knows that.

But in sin, He can cause us to question who we are.

So that's not only the reason why we're active.

It's also the reason we need to know before we leave the service

this morning is that we are secure in our faith.

It's not about how good we are, what we're wearing or the people

that we hang out with. It's are we in Christ?

Because when we identify ourselves in Christ through

repentance of sin, there is this change in us that becomes an act

of change in our lives. That word transformation that

Paul writes in Romans chapter 12.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

That's part of what we're doing here this morning.

We're studying a text of scripture.

There's something that's coming out of here that that clicks

with you, that resonates with you and begins to transform the

way that you think about your identity in Christ.

But transformation is ongoing. It's a lifetime of change.

It's a lifetime even of frustration.

We always say you take one step forward, something happens and

you end up taking 2 steps back and that's just the reality of

life. But if that's secure, if you

know who you are in Christ and if you are actively being

transformed by Christ and in Him, then it becomes a matter of

God not taking you 2 steps back, but God having you pause even

for a season to reflect on who He is and the plans.

That's what Paul mentions twice in here is about the will of

God, that you may know His will in Christ and his will isn't

always so clear right away. But Can you imagine?

Let's just say I gave you a challenge this morning of

reading Ephesians chapter one, one to 14 every day in the new

year, every day. Alright, just read this passage

amongst others, but just this reminder, even Colossians

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, even these two passages remind us of who we

are. There should never be a doubt in

our mind as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ that

we are. There should never be a doubt

that we're secure in Him and that moves us into

transformation. So we need to be daily

strengthened in that faith, which leads to the final point

this morning, and that is this. Our identity in Christ is to the

praise of His glory. Wow.

See, what we've been focusing on for the last 15 minutes is how

that works in us, how that changes our lives.

What that means for me as a person entering 2026, even as a

seasoned believer, a pastor in a church.

What it means for me is that what I am and what I do and who

I am is not for my praise is not simply for my betterment or the

improvement of my life. It is ultimately and primarily

for the praise of His glory. You get that?

If you get that, that's what life is about.

It's cause if it's only about me, there's always going to be

this sense of emptiness and as and maybe even failure at times.

But if it is about me living securely and actively in Christ

and it's for his, the praise of his glory, which Paul mentions

twice in these 14 verses, then my life has greater meaning.

And I can testify to that. You talk to somebody who's been

a Christian for more than 10:15, 20-30 years.

And as we think about why we're doing this, when we're doing it

for the praise of His glory, it draws us back every Sunday.

It draws us back to our life group when we're doing it for

the praise of his glory. If we're only doing it for me

getting better and me finding a spouse or whatever, then there's

it's not gonna be complete. There's gonna be something

missing. But as a believer is one who is

growing in our faith, when we realize that what we're doing as

believers is for the praise of His glory, and we intentionally

desire that, that changes everything. 2026 can be about

being secure in your faith in Christ.

It can be about being active, but it also needs to be for the

praise of His glory. And then December 31st, 2026, we

look back and we say this was a year in which I delighted in the

praise and the glory of God. So Paul throughout this whole

text begins to take us through this step by step walk, the step

by step encouragement in our faith.

And in that Paul begins to describe again and define again

for the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus is also

one that's mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

And you remember why the Jesus had to write the letter to the

Church of Ephesus. They had forgotten what didn't

you just go through Revelation? They had forgotten their first

love, right? They, they knew God, but

something about time and something about the culture,

something about their own lives had kind of made them withdraw

or made them forget who God is. And Jesus needed to remind them.

And that's what Paul is doing here is reminding the Church of

Ephesus of their first love. This is the key to a healthy

church where each member is growing in their faith, where we

are maturing in Christ. And as we as individuals mature

in Christ, so does force for you mature in Christ.

And then your pastors get to see this joy of leading the flock.

As was mentioned in the call to worship, we are the sheep of His

pasture. God calls us to worship.

And when pastors see people involved in the life of the

church, it is for the praise of His glory.

When we see people come to saving faith in Jesus Christ who

have been under the influence of addictions and they've come and

they have celebrated their recovery in Christ, it is for

the praise and the glory of our God.

But in there there's a warning too.

Now I hopefully there's an excitement, although you're not

all clapping like you did when I first came up here.

But there is a delight or desire for you to grow.

But there's also a season of life or a time this week or next

week where it may not be good, where you forget to read your

Bible, You forget to pray, right?

That's your routine. You get up, you pray, you read

Scripture or you go to bed. You you pray, you read, and you

fall asleep. But maybe something will

interrupt that and there is that danger in the Christian life of

being malnourished. We come here and the sermons are

always good. I watch John from time to time.

It's just wonderful to see him preach and to hear what you're

being fed by on a Sunday morning.

You're getting fed meat and potatoes here.

You are not a malnourished church, but there may be times

when one or two or ten of you are feeling spiritually out of

touch, and that's why you need this.

That's where it becomes to the praise of his glory, that the

church is maturing and that nobody is getting left behind.

Nobody is feeling any more like they're not in Christ, but they

are being taken in that journey along the road of salvation,

along the road of living faith. Your vision statement is rooted

in John 15 where Jesus speaks of his relationship with us as a

vine and branches. He is the vine, we are the

branches. Apart from Him.

We cannot bear fruit, but in Him we do.

In Him we abide, we love one another and we bear fruit.

That's the promise of God by abiding in Him.

Our life in Christ, then, is nurtured by Jesus himself, and

faith in Him will bring us complete joy.

Faith in Him will enable our lives to be a witness to others

because that's what Forest View is.

It's a church, but it's part of the living body of Christ, and

the only deadness is those who have not yet come to saving

faith in Jesus Christ. But stick around, because every

Sunday you will hear of your need for Jesus.

Every Sunday you will hear of that call of God on your life to

confess your sins, for He is faithful and just, to forgive

you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness and set you in

this new amazing life in Christ. Wherein is our identity.

The church is a living body, and we get to be part of that living

body. So to end, here's what Paul

writes versus 13 and 14. And you also were included in

Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your

salvation. Having believed, you were marked

in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit

guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those

who are God's possession to the praise of His glory.

That's where we are as we begin 2026.

As members, as those who come to worship at Forest View, we are

people who have heard the message that in Christ we are a

new creation. Apart from Christ, we're dead in

our sins. But in Christ, by repentance and

faith, were given new life, given a new identity.

That's us. We're given a new identity.

Why? For the praise of His glory.

That's it. Say it with me to the praise of

His glory. Amen.

Can I pray with you for a Let's do that.

Father, I thank you for opportunities like this to to

worship together, to read Your Word, to pray, to hear Your Word

interpreted and translated, to hear your word proclaimed in the

gospel message in Christ declared.

But oh God, to hear you declare to each one of us this morning

that we are in Christ through faith in Him, that we are

declared, that through a God who brings us into a covenant

relationship with Him. To hear you declare through our

repentance and faith that we are in Christ is a joy that sets the

tone for this year. And we say that, and we praise

you for the prey to the praise of your glory, in Jesus name,

Amen. Thanks Art.

Great reminder, E, how important it is to know our security and

Christ and how that can propel us forward and give us

confidence and moving into 2026. Yeah, to the praise of his

glory. Thank you.

If if you're in a place this morning, we say, you know what?

I I do not think that I'm in Christ, but I want to be in

Christ. I would just encourage you to

take that next step forward. Maybe you want to explore more

through Alpha this starting on the 19th.

If you want to pray to receive Christ, I would you just be my

honor to pray with you after the service.

Come on up. There will be an opportunity for

people to receive prayer and we'd love to love to pray with

you in a moment. We're going to.