ICE BREAKER: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
REVIEW:
This week, Pastor Sherri helped us understand identity at a deeper level. We have been raised to believe WHAT I DO determines WHO I AM, and that means your actions, titles, success, status, relationships, etc., all combine to make up your identity.
This is why there is such a focus in our society on external achievement and why we often feel so insecure in our identity from day to day.
What are some things you have rooted your identity in? (your job, relationship, status, etc.)
Do you ever feel unsure about who you are at the deepest level?
It seems like most people go through identity crises' several times throughout their life. That is a natural reaction when we root our identity in things outside of us that are largely out of our control.
Jesus turned this cultural understanding on its head. This is expressed by the Apostle Paul when he said:
2 Corinthians 5:17
……if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
When we put our trust in Jesus, our identity is changed from the inside out. It is no longer based on the things in the world around us but rather on the Spirit of God inside of us. Sherri taught us:
WHAT I DO does not determine WHO I AM
WHO I BELIEVE I AM determines WHAT I DO
Identity starts with an understanding of who you are in relation to God. Over and over, scripture affirms truths about our identity as people who are IN Christ:
We have been made NEW.
We are UNITED with God
We are Saints through Jesus... and so much more!
That does not mean how we behave no longer matters! In fact, our behavior reveals whether or not we really believe in our new identity as Children of God.
APPLY:
Scripture talks about the sin of believers A LOT, but it never identifies them as sinners because the authors of our Christian scriptures understood that when we believe in Jesus, our identity is no longer in our old self– but in the new life, Christ has given us. Your identity is no longer sinner but as a saint!
How does a new perspective on your identity change how you view yourself?
What will be your biggest challenge in embracing this new identity?
HERE IS THIS WEEK'S APPLICATION QUESTION:
What is ONE WAY you will work to root your identity in WHO YOU ARE instead of WHAT YOU DO this week? (be specific)
PRAY: Spend some time praying for God to show you how He sees you through your relationship with Jesus. Get honest in your prayer about the things you have been basing your identity on and seek to give those up to Jesus.
