Who are You?
SPEAKER: PASTOR DARIN BROWNE
We live in a world that is absolutely obsessed with identity and is confusing the issue badly. We are told if we change our mind about who we are, or who we want to be, then it becomes so. People have no clue about who they are today, so they think they can modify who they are to suit their liking, because they have no stability in their life. We do, because Paul writes…
2 Corinthians 5:14-18
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
When you come to Jesus, and make Him Lord of your life, you become a new creation…the old has gone, and the new has come. If you were a drug addict, it’s gone. An adulterer, it’s gone. A selfish, self-centred person, it’s finished. You are a new creation! You have a new identity. Sometimes we don’t walk in our new identity and slide back into what we used to be, but if we could get this right in our heads and hearts, we will be that promised new creation.
WHAT ACTUALLY DEFINES YOU?
What makes you who you are? Many people’s identities are defined by their past, their failures or their achievements. That’s why that verse 2 Corinthians 5:17 is so important. The old has gone, the new has come. As Paul says in…
Philippians 3:13-14
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Whether you have a glorious past, or if your life has been a complete mess up, we are urged by Paul (who had quite a pedigree) to forget what has been and go hard for what can be. He never let his past, good or bad, deflect him from moving forward.
WHAT DEFINES OUR GENERATION?
We have a generation who are totally confused. We are told we must celebrate LGBTQ for a whole month, but we only spare one day to celebrate those who laid down their lives for our freedom. And nothing is as confused as our identity. What we are seeing is people who are unhappy with who they actual are, designing their own version of reality, their new identity.
Why is it that sex has become an identity? What you do in private with another consenting adults should not define who you are, but people are doing it all the time. Why? I might introduce myself as a Christian, a pastor, a father, a grandfather, a Queenslander, an Arsenal fan…I don’t introduce myself as heterosexual. Why is what you do for a small part of your life suddenly defining your entire life? A recent study showed that confusion about gender and sexuality in Gen Z is directly tied to the rise of smartphones. The more you see it, the more you normalise it, the more you accept it.
CONFUSION AND LIES
We have people who are supposedly intelligent and educated, claiming that men in women’s clothing are actual women, when science, the Bible and common sense say this is patently untrue. Some claim to be cats. They clearly are not, but people are trying to find their true identity by embracing a lie, then forcing others to affirm the lie. In essence, they reject their real identity, what science says they are, and they tailor a new identity based on the fantasy they want to be living out. What defines our generation is confusion and lies!
Genesis 1:27
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
God missed the memo that there are 72 genders, because He made us with our own identity, male and female. You might feel like you are a different gender, or species, but to quote Ben Shapiro, facts don’t care about your feelings. Our modern world needs to rediscover truth and facts.
WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DETERMINES YOUR IDENTITY?
Psychology Today tells us that identity is “the qualities, beliefs, personality, traits, and expressions that make a person or group who they are.” It tells us that identity gives us a sense of belonging and confidence, and mental wellbeing. Therefore, we need to understand our identity in Christ. But the crazy thing is that this is affected greatly by external factors. It’s affected by our past, good or bad, our social standing, and most important of all, the words of others. Yes, the opinion of others can affect who we believe we are.
Many people gain their identity from their nationality or heritage. Many gain identity from their job or career. Or their ministry. Many gain identity from their marriage. The test is who do you think you are if any of these are taken away. Where does that leave you? If these are the things that define you, if this is what makes you, then what if they are removed? You are on shaky ground.
Job was successful in life, but he never let his success, family, business, or failures determine who he was. When it was all taken from him…
Job 1:21
he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
He was saying that nothing I do or gain or have or lack will define me, only God defines who I am.
WHAT DOES GOD SAY?
The important part of our identity is not what we think we are, or what we think we want to be, or what we say we are, or what we have or don’t have, it is who God thinks we are. Over the next few weeks Pastor Josh and I will explore our identity in Christ, so that we, as His people, understand who we are and the incredible blessing we have being His.
So, who does God say we are? We are made in the image of God, we are children of the King, we are ambassadors, we are a royal priesthood. Our true identity is found in Christ, and this gives us the ability to live with confidence, purpose and freedom. Knowing our identity in Christ transforms how we think, live and relate to God, because salvation is not merely self-improvement it is spiritual transformation.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
You are a new creation, the old you is crucified with Christ, the new you is Christ living in you. Our identity is in Jesus, and His Spirit living within us. So, who does He say we are?
1: WE ARE CHOSEN
Ephesians 1:4
he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide,
Remember as kids when we used to choose sides. Remember the really good and popular players were picked first, and when it got to us it was, okay, I’d better take him. Well, God chose you and He chose you first, because He especially wanted you!
2: WE ARE CHILDREN
1 John 3:1
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so, we are.
We are adopted into His forever family. We are not orphans, we are not left alone to face the world, we are His kids, and we ought to act that way! In our house, when the grandkids arrive, they just help themselves to our lolly cupboard. They make themselves right at home, because they are our grandkids. They get special privileges than none of you do!
3: WE ARE SET FREE
Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Before we came to Christ, sin ruled us, enslaved us, moulded us into its miserable image. The world promised us freedom, “You can live free, sex, drugs and rock n roll,” but it’s a lie. That behaviour enslaves us. If drugs sets you free, addicts would be happy all the time, but they are miserable. If sex sets you free, the happiest people around would be prostitutes. Or if alcohol sets you free, drunks wouldn’t be sitting in gutters. Sin makes you a slave, but Jesus breaks the chains.
Our identity is that we are free. Not free to sin, but to be free to live a righteous, productive, holy life.
4: WE ARE ROYALTY
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
We are chosen, royalty, a holy nation, His special possession. He is the King of Kings, and we are His children, and we can identify as royalty! When woke people dictate their preferred pronouns, “I’m they or them,” I am happy to comply, as long as they use my preferred pronouns, which are your Majesty and Your Royal Highness.
5: WE ARE AMBASSADORS
2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
We are God’s chosen, special representatives. He empowers us to tell others about His awesome love and power. We are the only bible many people will ever read.
Over the coming weeks Josh and I will investigate many of these wonderful identities, and I urge you not to miss any of this series, because it is going to build you up and show you who you really are, so that you can live in the power and authority of who God says you are.
ATTACKS ON IDENTITY
There are many attacks on your identity, but I want to finish by highlighting one kind of attack on your identity that you will face time and time again. People usually form their identity based on their past successes or failures, their career, their family, their position or their wealth, rather than on who God says we are. This identity can also be shaped and even destroyed by words. When people attack us, either directly to us or by gossiping, our sense of value and our identity in Christ can be eroded.
These days, everybody has an opinion about everything, and they believe it is their God given right to express it, even if it hurts or even destroys the other person. Sadly, Christians can be among the most critical and judgemental people, but Jesus warned us…
Matthew 12:36
on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
Church, we must be careful how we speak to each other.
ATTACKS ON YOUR CHARACTER AND IDENTITY
Beware of people who, instead of addressing an issue, choose to attack your character and identity. This regularly happens to me, where people give me their opinion on the Church, my leadership, or my gifting. If I listened to everybody’s opinion about who I am, I would soon give up and walk away. Words can be like sword thrusts, like arrows to the soul.
Proverbs 12:18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Nevertheless, I refuse to modify my identity based on someone else’s opinion of me. I know I am called of God, I know He has a plan and a purpose for me, I know I am chosen, anointed and my life is dedicated to serving Him, come what may.
In Christ, we do not work for our identity, we work from our identity, so we need to be secure in who we are in Him.
A CHOSEN PEOPLE
Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
James says that the tongue is like a small spark that can start a massive forest fire. If you listen to everything people say about you, it can affect who you think you are. But those scripts they speak over your life…you don’t have to act them out. If you get a negative script they want you to act from, flip the script using Script-ure. Choose instead to listen to God and who He says you are. You’re a chosen people, a royal priesthood, His own special possession…
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Over the next few weeks, you will learn how to become the person God has destined you to be. Set free, serving Him, standing firm, and secure in who you are. It’s not what you do, or what they say about you. It is what God says about you that defines who you are. And remember…
Proverbs 26:2
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.
LET’S FLIP THE SCRIPT
Today I want to give you the chance to flip the script. Not to be the product of your past, your failures, your current situation or what others are saying about you. Today we can discover and stand in our true identity; chosen children, royal priests, powerful men and women of God.
But negative scripts will affect your identity until you give your heart fully to Him. This is your opportunity to be that new creation He says you can be. Today, let the old be gone, and the new come, so pray and let’s get right with God.
Have you felt attacked, slandered or hurt? Do you feel that people have spoken untrue or even evil scripts over your life? If yes, today we want to get your identity straight. You’re not who they say you are. You are who He says you are.
Have you have felt slandered, put down, discouraged or hurt by what someone has said about you? If so, this is your moment to be set free from their words. It’s time to flip the script they spoke over your life.
You need to forgive them audibly, and to speak the words of truth out loud over your life.