Series Introduction

In the Old Testament part of the Bible, there are countless genealogies because, in the culture of the time, a person’s sense of identity came first and foremost from their family history, particularly from the name of their father.

The Bible tells of how, as time went on and nation states were born, people began to define their identity according to who they did or didn’t share common ancestry with. They became known by their nationalities.

In Bible times there powerful kings and powerless slaves, women expected to bring up children and men expected to be the bread winners. Titles and roles defined much of people’s social identity.

The same traits and labels are clung to by people today and yet each one of you is more than your family history, more than your citizenship and more than your titles! Your identity is all that God says that you are and he says a lot about you.

Over the next three weeks we’ll examine just a snapshot of how you might begin to discover a new and glorious identity in the light of who Jesus is.

I recently watched "Avengers Infinity War" in which Thor, the mythological god of thunder finds out about the troubled upbringing of one of his colleagues and then he tries to show empathy for them by talking about his own family troubles. He says,

“Families can be tough. Before my father died, he told me I had a half-sister that he imprisoned in hell. Then she returned home and stabbed me in the eye. So I had to kill her. I feel your pain.”

The quote really stuck with me is because it is simultaneously absurd whilst
still being a great way to describe how strong the feelings associated with family history can be.

The script writers are using exaggerated humour set in a fantasy realm in order to bring some comfort and extend sympathy to those in the audience who are facing the very real breakdown of family relationships. When you consider that many in the audience are fairly young and may be having their sense of identity shaped by things said and done in broken homes, the writers use of fantasy characters and humour to help them process their pain and let them know they are not alone is actually quite inspiring.

It’s not as inspiring as what God has to say to every one of us about our identity. The script God has written for our lives begins with a scene long before our birth where we were planned in the mind of our loving Heavenly Father, loved before we even existed, chosen to be recipients of his favour, accepted as we are and delighted in. In God’s story we find our identity is both older than our existence and yet can also be renewed in the here and now, no matter what our family history is.

All of this is written down in a letter that Christians believe God inspired, a letter written by one of Jesus’ early followers by the name of Paul who wrote to Christians in a place called Ephesus to remind them of their true identity as children of God.

The First Thing To Notice
•This isn’t a story about us but rather about how we find ourselves in the story of God.
•God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet he has also blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
•Those whose identity is found in Christ, i.e. Christians are those who are blessed with everything that follows in this passage.

THOSE IN CHRIST ARE:
• Chosen before the creation of the world
Whatever your family history might try to tell you, if you believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God and your Lord, you must not believe that you are a reject. Before your earthly family even existed, you were chosen by God to one day find your identity in Christ!
•Holy and blameless in God’s eyes.
Whatever your family might suggest you are guilty of, whatever anyone may have against you, Jesus Christ came and died to make you holy and blameless from the moment you placed your trust in him! You’re identity is found as one of God’s holy people, blessed with holiness and innocence by Jesus.
•Loved.
Whatever affection or lack of affection you may have experienced at home, Jesus Christ came and died to make sure you would know that you have always been loved by God.
•Predestined.
Whatever your family history may suggest about your future, Jesus Christ came because God’s plans for you are bigger and better than you could ever have imagined! Your future is in the family of God!
•Adopted as sons and daughters.
Whatever sense of abandonment your family history may have left you with, Jesus Christ came because God does not abandon his children, even if they have abandoned him. He chooses to love and care for us when all others might turn away from us because each of you is a child of God!

NONE OF THIS IS AN ANNOYING ACCIDENT
•Everything happens in accordance with his pleasure and will.
Whatever your parents may have told you or made you feel, you are annoyance and you are not an accident. God was pleased to create you, chose willingly to die for you and it brings God pleasure to see you find your original identity in Christ, as he always intended!

What if you are not “in Christ?”
•You aren’t a Christian through family history but you can be through choosing to place your faith in Jesus.
•As God’s son, Jesus is the one who came to offer you every blessing that God is pleased and willing to give you as a gift including a new identity as a Christian.
•No matter what your family history is, your family present & future can be the family of God.
•You can redefine yourself based on who God says you are.
•Identifying as a child of God changes everything!

You can pray to God today and he will hear you and come into your life if you ask him to. You can choose today to become a follower of Jesus by asking for his forgiveness for not relating to him before, and by accepting and trusting his willingness to bring you into God’s family with all the blessings that brings with it. You can begin to explore your new identity as a child of God today!

If you’re already a follower of Jesus,
You can pray too and ask him to help you heal after any family history that has left you hurting and which has kept you from fully embracing and enjoying your identity in Christ. You can take some NextSteps to discover more of that identity in Christ.

Taking a Next Step Away from an Identity Crisis

If you’re exploring faith, download the YouVersion Bible app where you’ll find a daily reading plan called “Living Changed: Identity”. Also pray for God to guide you and reveal more of what Jesus means for you. Come again next week and explore more about your identity!

If you’ve become a Christian and would like to connect with your new identity as one of God’s people, the church, why not consider baptism? Sign up for the course and you can decide afterwards if its for you.

If you'd like to partner with God and this church, check out the partner section of our NextSteps webpage (see link below) for book recommendations, and small group studies that will help you embrace your identity as a disciple of Jesus, partnering with him and the church on his mission in the world!

Similarly, if you're ready to take a next step to lead better, check out the lead section of our NextSteps webpage and look under the more resources section for details on a book or small group study or DVD entitled “Alter Ego” by Craig Groeschel who will help you grow into who you are made to be in Christ! It’s a great book for leaders and their small groups