In Search of Gospel Identity 1 Corinthians 3:21-4:7 “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3). “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:8). “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:8-10). “Identity revolves around not only a sense of who I am, but also who I am becoming. A clear sense of identity provides direction, a vision of where one is headed in life. There is purpose and a reason for being…Identity in Christ is the ground of being for believers, providing stability during times of difficulty or turmoil. A person’s identity in Christ doesn’t change when external conditions change. There is a balance between too much change (chaos) and too little change (rigidity). There is equilibrium and permanence, along with the ever-present potential for healthy growth, a movement and a rhythm, a healthy flowing back and forth, repeating the pattern of emptying, renewal, and resurrection... Identity in Christ Jesus mean identifying with limitless availability, involving on-going newness of being. It means boundless possibilities for who we can become with Christ present in us. The greater reality is that we are in him, and he is without limit. As we assess and explore who we are in Christ, the natural limitations of earthly existence do not apply, and our being can be re-defined in radical ways.” Patrick F. Cioni 1. What Distracts us From Discovering a Secure Gospel Identity? 2. What Are the Keys to Discovering and Experiencing a Secure Gospel Identity? *Refuse to build your identity around what others think. “People sometimes say their feelings are hurt. But our feelings can’t be hurt! It is the ego that hurts – my sense of self, my identity. Our feelings are fine! It is my ego that hurts.” Timothy Keller “A truly gospel-humble person is not a self-hating person or a self-loving person, but a gospel-humble person. The truly gospel-humble person is a self-forgetful person whose ego is just like his or her toes. It just works. It does not draw attention to itself. The toes just work; the ego just works. Neither draws attention to itself. Here is one little test. The self-forgetful person would never be hurt particularly badly by criticism. It would not devastate them, it would not keep them up late, it would not bother them. Why? Because a person who is devastated by criticism is putting too much value on what other people think, on other people’s opinions.” Timothy Keller *Refuse to build your identity around what institutions think. *Refuse to build your identity around what even you think. 3. What Are the Promises A Gospel Identity offers us? *FREEDOM “Gospel-humility is not needing to think about myself. Not needing to connect things with myself. It is an end to thoughts such as, ‘I’m in this room with these people, does that make me look good? Do I want to be here?’ True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self-forgetfulness. The blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.” Timothy Keller *SECURITY *JOY “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” (Galatians 2:20, emphasis added). What kind of people are we? What’s our group identity? How do we act together? We are a people who are happy to be together and we create environments of joyful belonging. We are a people who value relationships above performance or productivity. We are a people who are faithful friends, “I will not abandon you, even when we have a conflict.” We are a people who would rather listen than speak. We are a people who see what God is building in others. We are a people who spontaneously love our enemies and return blessings for cursing’s. We are a people who remind each other who we really are whenever we forget. We are a people who share others pain, even when we have caused it.