"Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory" Rm:8:17
Identity Theft is one of the biggest crimes being committed in recent times. Many unsuspecting persons have had their personal information appropriated by varies ones and is being used for their own advantage and gain at the expense of the victims, that is, they are obtaining for themselves what should belong to another and keeping someone from what is rightfully theirs.
Often, this Identity Theft is not even realized until it is
too late, the victim does not even know it has occurred until the bill arrives
or another problem arises
Spiritual Identity Theft
Satan wants to commit the same crime
against Christians today. Satan wants to rob Christians of their Identity in Christ;
he attempts to appropriate for himself what rightfully belongs to us through
Jesus Christ diminishing or cheating us out of a deeper personal relationship with
our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Many Christians have had their Identity
in Christ taken from them, or maybe better said, their identity has been it is hidden
or confused, and they do not know it. Satan does not want you know who
you are in Christ, he wants to cast a pall of illegitimacy over you, and your
life and ministry, he wants to keep you from your true identity n Jesus. In
short, he wants to commit spiritual identity theft.
Satan will use any means to accomplish this,
even sadly to say, other Christians. He does not want you to be who you
were called and meant to be in Christ.
As Satan lusted after position and power and
the place of God and attempted to take it in the eternity past so, he now
attempts to take your identity and place as well or keep you from it.
No matter who we were born as in Adam,
through our first birth; in Christ, we have a new identity all through the second
or the last Adam which is Jesus,
"So it is written: "The first man
Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit."1Cor:15:45
Jesus came that we might experience an all-new
identity in him. Rooted in Christ not the World. The time has come for
Christians to embrace their true Identity in Jesus.
What is Your Identity in Christ?
Our Lord Jesus shares all things which
are his with us, except his deity. From Jesus, issues forth our true Identity,
everything that is Jesus’ he so willingly shares with us if we will but receive
it. It is as if, we are the children of a great wealthy man but our true indent
has been concealed or withheld from us and that our true heritage is unknown to
us.
This heritage, which is so freely offered to
each and all through Jesus is presented to us through the Gospel about Jesus.
This heritage, which is ours’, is much more than “material” possessions, rather,
it is a deep abiding love relationship with God which he wants so dearly for us
to receive, if we will but receive it from his gracious hand.
Jhn: 16:15-tells us that all the
spiritual resources that belong to Jesus—"All that belongs to the
Father is mine...the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to
you"
Our God had blessed us, even now in Jesus, not
just someday beyond the confines of this life, but even now.
"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 holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for
adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ,"Eph:1:3-5b
When we heard the message of the Gospel, and
accept the truth of that message, and came to see what our Lord has
accomplished for each and all humanity, if they will but freely receive it, we then,
can experience the blessings which our God has determined that we all should
share in through Jesus.
"And you also were included in Christ
when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you
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." Eph: 1:13-14
We all are included in these great blessings
all in and thru Jesus.
This is, and has been, even from Eternity past,
the will and purpose and pleasure of our God to bless us all through his son
Jesus. Our God is pleased to grant us every good thing in his son Jesus. Our God,
is for us, and always graciously incline to all humanity, even if humanity is in
ignorance, indifference or even in defiance, our God still loves us.
"it is your Father’s good pleasure to
give you the kingdom."Lk:12:32b
It is literally the will of God that we all be identified as the very
Children of the Creator God"
Jhn: 1:12-13- Tells us that it is by own God’s will we are
“children of God”- not man’s will, but God’s will.
This is the very reason for which our Lord
Jesus has come, so that we may be who we were always meant to be from eternity past.
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those
who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but
born of God." Jhn: 1:12-13
A New Life
We have, in Jesus, been given an all-new life.
This is the life which St. Paul lived, this life was not just theoretical, but
practical for everyday living. It was a life lived out in "participation” with Jesus, thru Jesus'
perfect faith, which never fails.
Now in Heaven
"I have been crucified with Christ and I
no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" Gal: 2:20
Even now, in the view of our Father in
Heaven, each and all of us seated in the very height of Heaven with and all through
Jesus, that is, our God the Holy Trinity, has elevated us, that each and all,
to such lofty height in and in his Holy Son Jesus Christ.
"And God raised us up with Christ and
seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus," Eph: 2:6
If we could but catch but a glimpse of
what this truly speaks to us, we all would fall down and worship our God in the
person of his Son Jesus. There would never be one empty seat in any Church, anywhere,
upon the Earth, so glorious is this truth, it defies our understanding.
The language in which St. Paul writes is
present tense which indicates that this is the current realty for us, not just
some day. This is true for us even here and now.
That, when our God looks upon his Holy Son
Jesus, in his glorified resurrected humanity, the Father see all of us as well,
and when the Father looks upon us, he sees Jesus. That is, Jesus is not just
Emanuel, "God with us", Jesus is "us with God". Jesus is there in the Heavens being for
each and all of us as we were all meant to be, for us.
Jesus Shares With Us, Everything but His
Deity.
Whatever Jesus is, there is
corresponding imputation to us, and to our Identity.
He is the Heir of God, we then, are heirs of
God
Rm: 8:17- Heirs with Christ
Jesus is in the body, that is Jesus is
humanity through the incarnation, therefore, we are part of Jesus’ body.
1Cor: 12:27- Part of the body of Christ.
Jesus is the one who reconciles, we are the
reconciled.
2Cor: 5:18-19- We are reconciled back to
God.
Jesus is the King and Kingdom of God embodied;
we are now citizens of the Kingdom.
Philp: 3:20- We are Citizens of the Kingdom.
Jesus is our High Priest; we are now made
priest of God.
1Pet: 2:9- We are A Priest hood.
Jesus is the Redeemer; we are the
Redeemed.
Jesus is the Savior; we are the saved.
Whatever Jesus is, there is a corresponding
imputation to us and our Identities.
Christians Need to Know
We need to know who we are in Christ, and
not allow Satan to commit identity theft, rob us, to steal our identities, which
is, who we are in our Lord Jesus.
In the world, legitimacy is derived by the
acceptance and approbation of men, for a Christian’s legitimacy comes only
through Christ. Jesus' worth, who Jesus is, God imputed to us, and when we come
to believe the Gospel message, which invites us to share in, and be who we were
always meant to be, we then experience our true identities in Jesus.
Too many Christians have had their
Spiritual Identities taken from them and they live in that uncertainty and sure
hope. Some feeling doubt as to God's good and gracious intent and desire toward
and for them. These Christians lack what that God has intended them to have,
they lack worth or legitimacy. But this is only in their own minds not God’s.
The Father loves them more than they, or any of us, can ever know or
understand. God’s love is unconditional, it pursues us.
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life”. Ps:
23:6a
Our Father accepts them fully as Children of
his house hold. In God's heart and mind, they, and we all, have complete
legitimacy in God’s eyes through Jesus.
The believer, does not need the approval of man,
it comes from God only. Our Identity, our worth, our legitimacy, everything
that we are to be, are found only in Jesus.
Sometimes, we Christians can be fearful that
they might fail and loses out on salvation through their own lack, but this is
the very reason why our Lord Jesus came, we cannot save ourselves. Jesus came
to provide us all these blessing and to be for us all what we could never be of
our own selves.
Do not allow Satan to commit Identity Theft by making you doubt your heritage which is yours’ in Jesus. Do not let him appropriate for himself what God has given you in his Son Jesus Christ, or keep you from accepting your true identity as a Child of God.
Everything Jesus has, and is, he shares with
us, that is our Identity and our heritage, who we were all meant to be.
Some wonder what is the purpose of life? The
answer is simple; we were born to come to believe in Jesus. When a person comes
to believe in Jesus their life has accomplished everything a human life was
ever intended to accomplish.
Our Identification
We need to keep our minds fixed on Jesus;
by having a singular focus on the person of Jesus Christ, by coming into
regular Worship, Bible Study, Prayer, Fellowship, our understanding of our
Identity in Jesus is strengthened and made a surer reality.
Jesus prayed to his Father that we all would
come to know him, and by so doing, experience the realities of the eternal life
that Jesus has secured for each and all of us, if we will but freely receive
it.
"this is eternal life that they may know you,
the only true God and Jesus Christ: whom you have sent" Jhn:17:3
When we know who Jesus we know who we are, and
our identity as Children of our God all through and in Jesus. Don’t let anyone
to commit identity theft against you and rob you form experiencing of your inheritance and your heritage as a
child of God.
Benediction: May we each and all, know
our true identity in our Lord Jesus Christ, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.
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Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
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