Topic: Jesus is our example at how to live life. What can we learn about how He stood firm in His identity?
Lately I heard the following tagline: “If you know who you are, then you will know what to do.” Our mind is a battle field. We think thousands of thoughts every day. And, if you’re like me, you’re constantly thinking. Do you ever think about what you think about? Let me say that again. Do you think about what you think about? Too often we become prisoners to our thoughts and in particular to voices telling us WHO WE ARE.
Sometimes these are good things! That’s awesome. But sometimes not. Our self-talk matters. You might resonate with some of these thoughts: I suck, I am a failure, I can never do anything right, I am a bad friend, I am unloved, I am alone, etc. those thoughts can literally become our perspective of ourselves and our situation. Believing in these false identities makes us discouraged, frustrated, negative and unmotivated.
The Effects of the Fall
Having a misaligned identity is part of the Fall. Part of what happened when sin entered the world and we were separated from God. Because of the Fall our mind, body, spirit, emotion and will were all effected.
1. Our spirit was effected with a spiritual death – Romans 5:12.
2. Our bodies were subject TO death as before the Fall there was no bodily death as death is the payment for sin.
3. Our mind has become fearful, anxious, shameful, guilty, depression, anger, etc. We are now mostly dominated by negative emotions. Before the fall this was not the case.
4. Our will was given too many choices. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve could only make ONE wrong choice. Everything they wanted to do was okay except eating from the tree of good and evil. Each day, because of the fall, we are presented with a myriad of good and bad choices. The choice is to walk in the flesh or according to the spirit.
5. Our mind lost its true perception of reality and the idea of knowing was no longer relational. In Genesis 3:7, 8 Adam and Eve tried to hide from God. That shows a misunderstanding of who God is. Their minds were distorted to think they could hide and that God was not omnipresent.
The Fall has given us a default false perspective on who God is and because of that lies about our own identity seep in. Many Christians are not living free and productive lives because we don’t understand who we are and why we are here. Who we are is rooted in our identity and position in Christ. If we don’t see ourselves the way God sees us (and we know the perception in our mind is distorted to this truth) then we will suffer from a false identity and a poor sense of worth. There is a dramatic change that happened in our lives when we accepted Jesus and when we believe the lies about ourselves we are not fully understanding the Gospel. There is a piece (or two, or three, missing to the puzzle).
Mastermind
Craig Groeschel, in a new sermon series he did called “Mastermind” talks about the power of the neurological pathways in our brain. When we think something, and think it often, it is the natural way that we are going to think. For example, he said, if when you walk from your house to school every day and you take the same path through the same field every day, there is going to be an indent in the grass. Each day, you’re going to walk in the same indent in the grass and eventually a pathway is going to form. This is like our negative thoughts/false identities. If I keep telling myself that I am unloved, that’s the trodden pathway in my mind. However, to change my thinking and choose God’s truth over my life that I am loved by my Heavenly Father unconditionally I have to choose to make a new pathway. Eventually, my new pathway of understanding the love of my Heavenly Father will be the pathway that I will take by default. Groeschel says: “Your life will always move in the direction of your strongest thought”. What we think matters. What we think about God matters and what we think about ourselves matter.
What is your identity? What do you think about yourself?
Jesus’ Identity
Jesus never sinned. In the context of identity, that means that Jesus didn’t ever have a false thought about who He was or about who God was. Jesus knew who He was. However, there were many times during His life and ministry where people and situations could have tempted Him to think something other than the truth about Himself or God.
As far as we have recorded (that I noticed), Jesus was reminded of His identity as God’s beloved Son less than a handful of times throughout His ministry years. It was not something that God had to remind Him of every single time someone thought something against Him or said something about Him negatively. He knew to the core of His being how God saw Him and that’s all that mattered.
It’s not about believing who you think you are or who others think you are – it’s about believing in who God says you are. It’s about transforming your mind and the pathways you have formed to automatically believe the lies . . . And instead to carve a new pathway in your brain based on the truths of how God sees you.
Let’s look at Jesus’ life. What are the things that were told to Jesus to try and make Him go against his identity but couldn’t change the way He knew God saw Him? What’s the opposition that Jesus faced and how did He let it effect Him? How could He have let it affect Him?
As we look at Jesus’ life and the Identity in God that He embraced – think about how you might also be embracing some of these lies. Let’s be speaking truth into these.
1. The Temptation of Jesus
Have someone read Matthew 3:17-4:4
When Jesus was baptized, God could have said anything, but He made a statement of IDENTITY. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11 & Matthew 3:17)
Why did God say this? After this Jesus was led into the wilderness. He was tempted (Matthew 4:3-5). Satan didn’t tempt Jesus to turn stones into bread. He tempted Jesus to SHOW . . . to PROVE that He is the Son of God and that He could act on His own apart from God’s plan and will. But because Jesus’ identity was SET and He knew who he was, He didn’t need to prove Himself.
What’s the lie He could have believed: You are unloved and must prove yourself.
Is this your lie? Do you feel like you must prove yourself to those around you? That you must prove yourself to God to receive His life? This one is mine. If this is you, put your hand up.
What’s the Identity that Jesus instead embraced: I am LOVED by God.
Hand out index cards with verses to a few people who put their hands up to read out loud:
-Colossians 3:12.
-1 John 3:1
-Galatians 2:20
-Ephesians 5:1-2
-Romans 5:3-8.
2. One of Jesus’ biggest ministries to bring the Kingdom of God to earth was to cast out demons and heal people’s souls. The person who received Jesus’ healing touch always glorified God, but a lot of the time those around who witnessed it (including the Pharisees) did not understand or questioned Jesus’ authority. “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” (Matthew 9:32-34); Matthew 12:24.
Jesus could have believed that God was not working through Him or using Him.
Lie: I am on my own. I am alone.
Who believes this lie?
Truth: I am an ambassador of God. I am God’s co-worker. I am a citizen of heaven.
-1 Corinthians 3:9
-2 Corinthians 5:17-20.
-Philippians 3:20
-Ephesians 2:19
-Matthew 28:20
3. Not everyone joyfully accepted Jesus and His teaching. Actually there were entire cities that completely rejected Him. How would that make you feel? “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.” (Matthew 11:20).
When you have a goal given to you and you are doing all you can to (in Jesus case) spread the word of God and an entire city rejects you, how would you feel?
Lie: I am a failure.
How many of you believe this lie? I fall into this one often as well.
Jesus could have felt that way. However, He chose to trust God’s plan and to believe the truth that . . .
Truth: I am victorious.
-Isaiah 41:10
-1 John 5:4
-Deuteronomy 20:4
-1 Corinthians 15:57
-1 John 4:4
4. Another thing that Jesus did in His ministry tons was sit and eat and love on the people who are down trodden and unlovable in society. The privileged of society (this includes the Pharisees) looked down on Jesus constantly for eating with “sinners”. Even when Jesus would heal someone with leprosy, He would kneel down and touch them. Those around Jesus in those moments were probably questioning his judgement, especially as leprosy was spread through skin to skin contact. Read: Matthew 9:10-12. The feeling of being inadequate to serve and being rebuked or questioned in doing so.
Jesus could have believed that because PEOPLE were questioning Him that He was not doing something right. That He was in the wrong, not them.
Lie: I am not adequate to serve in the Kingdom. I do not have the capacity to love others as God asks me to.
How many of you feel like you cannot be used to serve in God’s Kingdom? Or that you cannot love others the way God calls?
Truth: I am a channel through which God’s love flows to others.
-1 John 4:7-12
-Matthew 5:14-16
5. As Jesus was doing God’s will he made a lot of people angry. Because of this they plotted against Him and many times tried to kill Him (although because it was not His time He was able to slip away). “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” (Matthew 12:14). Jesus could have lived His life in fear because He had enemies or because He didn’t know when He was going to die or what EXACTLY was going to happen.
Lie: I am governed by fear.
This could be fear of the future, fear of stepping out of your comfort zone, fear of dying.
How many of you feel you believe this lie?
Truth: I am courageous. I am brave. I have nothing to fear.
– 2 Timothy 1:7: “I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and discipline.”
-Deuteronomy 31:6
-Psalm 27:1
-1 Corinthians 16:13
6. Jesus is rejected from Nazareth (Matthew 13:53-57).
Lie: I am unworthy.
He could have believed that He isn’t worth it because there were people who didn’t like Him. How many of you have people that don’t like you? ME! I do! Does that mean we are completely unworthy? Nope. Why? Because it’s not about what other’s believe about us (heck, it’s not even what we believe about ourselves) but what God believes us.
Truth: I am valuable.
-Isaiah 43:4: “you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.”
-Isaiah 60:1
-Matthew 6:26
-Psalm 139:13-14.
You are loved; you are an ambassador of God – God is always with you; you are victorious; you are a channel of God’s love for others; I have a spirit of power, love and discipline within me; I am valuable (and many more Identities) are true of you COMPLETELY and there is nothing that you can do to make them more true. You can, however, make these traits more meaningful and productive in your life by choosing to BELIEVE what God has said about you. You will not be prideful if you believe these truths about yourself and you may be defeated by the enemy if you don’t begin to believe these truths. Continue to read it and affirm yourself in these things. The more you affirm who you are in Christ the more your behavior will reflect your true identity . . . Just as Jesus’ knowledge of WHO HE IS was reflected in the way He lived His life.
MY STORY
I had a cool moment the other day when I was spending time with God. I was meditating on Him and trying to spend time in silence, reflecting on Him. I don’t know about you guys, but my brain is ridiculous. I feel like I am always thinking about 100 things at a time. So to sit in silence before God is nearly impossible and it is something that needs to be practiced and developed in my heart and life. As I was sitting silently before Him, He showed me something cool. As my eyes were closed, He said: “It’s just you and I in here.” WOW. I had never thought about that before. It’s just me and God in here (point to heart). Thoughts may get in and the outside world may frustrate me but it cannot dwell with in me. It’s only me and God in here. His Holy Spirit dwells in me. I am the temple. What an intimate thing that I had never realized before! It’s just Him and I in here. He is the only one who really gets me, who really knows my heart and everything about me because He is in here. Nothing and no one else can ever get as close to me as God can. Do you realize what that means? He is an intimate and personal Father who knows your heart and dwells in your very BODY. He sees all the good and all the bad and yet He chooses to say: “Justine, I love you. You are my beloved.” Do you hear that?
Written by: Justine Dueck
Refined Joy 