Sermon for 09/30/07

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Sermon for 09/30/07
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CHRIST ESTEEM: A New Identity Hidden in Christ!

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: This is the 4th in a series that explores a movement in modern psychology that is infiltrating the church: the concept of self-esteem. Last week we explored some hard, cold, historical facts; we are the children of Adam (hence born sinners!) Our earthly identity was not found in God but in Adam. But today we discover that in Christ we are new creatures! Our new identity and life comes as the Holy Spirit creates within us a faith that grasps God’s provision in Jesus Christ! Our new identity is no longer found on earth but in heavenly places. We don’t have to find a new spiritual self – based on self-esteem, we have only to focus on Christ who has chose to live in us! Our life, peace, contentment, and joy are not dependent on “how” we look, but “where” we look! Only the perfect get into heaven – and we are considered perfect by God because we are identified with Christ! Hence, our new life is in Christ! And He is where we are! Christ is our only life!

1) WHAT GOD HAS DONE! First, a few review questions: What do you get when you educate a sinner? That’s right – a smarter sinner! What do you get when you refine and discipline a sinner? Yep - a refined, disciplined sinner! What do you get if you help a sinner get more religion? …a religious sinner! Fact is, because our earthly identity is found in Adam, we are sinners by nature! And while we walk this earth, there is nothing we can do that is going to change that fact! Even “more self-esteem” does not change our nature – we simply become sinners who are trying to like ourselves! Nothing we try on our own changes our identity in Adam, because our focus is all wrong! Our focus is on us! And we are the problem! But the solution is found in Jesus! When we focus on Jesus, we see WHAT GOD HAS DONE to reverse the negative effects of Adam. On the cross, Jesus, paid the penalty for our sin, and His death, became our death! And… His resurrection became our resurrection! Therefore, because of WHAT GOD HAS DONE, we are now identified with Christ, and we obtain a new identity and a new life!

2) NEW CREATION! Today let’s explore what this new identity and life are! If Jesus brought about our death on the cross, then “Who are we now?” Well, the Apostle Paul says we’re a new creation! He wrote: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Imagine it; all our sins – forgiven! God has credited to our account the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ! The relationship with the Father that was destroyed by sin, has now been fixed! And our new identity is – as God’s beloved children! Because of what Jesus has done, we are a new creation.

3) NOT OF THIS WORLD! Now notice, as we uncover this new “personal identity” in Christ, we discover we can no longer claim an earthly identity! In John (18:36) “Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’” Likewise – our new identity is no longer of this world! In fact, the Gospel encourages believers to think of themselves now as aliens, or strangers upon this earth. In Hebrews, we’re told, (11:13) “All these people were still living by faith when they died… and they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” Peter also reminded other Christians, (1 Peter 2:11) “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” Little wonder people claim to have trouble “finding themselves” in this world – they are looking in the wrong places; they are not looking UP! Jesus’ Kingdom, and our true identity is not of this world – it is found in the spiritual realm – in heavenly places!

4) HEAVENLY REALM! In Ephesians 2 (4-6) Paul states “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…” So what does great Godly love, “grace”, and being “seated” with Christ in the heavenly realms mean for us? Paul tells us (Colossians 3:1-4) “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” If your new identity is found in the heavenly realm, shouldn’t our hearts and minds be fully focused on that heavenly realm?

5) HIDDEN WITH CHRIST! Paul continues, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Ever wonder what it means to have your life hidden with Christ? It means you no longer have an earthly identity to be bothered with! You have no reason to be concerned with what other people think of you! …or with a need to gain more self-esteem! Why? Because from God’s perspective, the old “self” is dead! …and no longer needs to be improved! There’s no “self righteousness” or “holiness” to develop! If we’re DEAD, then the only life left to us is the life in Christ! He is our only life! God has miraculously taken us “out of the picture” completely. We’re now identified with Christ; we are where He is! And until we arrive in heaven… our real life remains hidden with Christ in God!

6) WHY/WHEN? Why then are so many of us still so self focused?! Why do we still let our lives be run by what our parents, spouses, bosses, or neighbors think about us? Why do we remain focused on our weaknesses and faults, …judging ourselves harshly according to earthly standards? …when we don’t even belong to this earth! Why so self focused? Are we still trying to earn God’s love? …or find an “earthly identity”? …or even a “spiritual life” through our own works and efforts? Can we not hear the Good news? God is no longer concerned with our “earthly identity”! As far as He’s concerned; the old Adam within us is dead! God now sees our identity in Christ! So when are we going to stop trying to maintain a life based on “self”? Paul found his new identity in Christ! When will we do that, and be free!? When will we discover that we are “more than a conqueror”? When will we see ourselves as “saints”? When will we be able to do “all things in Christ”?

7) WHERE? ABOVE! The answer? ...when we take our focus off ourselves, and “…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is...” Friends, I cannot tell you how important this spiritual principle is! The fact is; look at yourself, (honestly) and all you will see is sin! You can have a low or high self-image, it’s still a “self-image” or “earthly-image” that leads us to uncover a weak and broken sinner! But when you look to Jesus Christ and AWAY from yourself, you will see your new identity, your new righteousness, your new glorious position with God in heavenly places! If the Holy Spirit is trying to open your eyes to anything this morning, it is this: Your life, peace, joy and contentment is NOT dependant upon “how” you look. It depends on “where” you look! You don’t need internalized “self-esteem” to experience true life, you need “Christ-esteem!” The identity or life you encounter, will depend on “where” you look! Will you look inward – or upward to Christ? We are being called today to set our hearts on things above!

8) PERFECT? Why is this so important? Let me ask you: “Do you have to be perfect to get to heaven?” Most folks answer “No! No one is perfect. If perfection was necessary, no one would get to heaven!” But that is wrong! You DO have to be perfect in order to get to heaven. God is a perfectly righteous God and no imperfection can stand before Him! Sin – any sin – separates us from Him! Now, if you evaluate yourself from a “worldly perspective” – then you’re toast, with no chance of making it! If you are focused on your earthly identity “in Adam”, then just pack an asbestos suitcase – because the “up” elevator has just been shut down to us! BUT… if we look at our identity as being “IN Christ” then rejoice - because God has already declared us perfect in Christ Jesus! When the Father looks at us – all He sees is Jesus! And all He sees is perfection! Yes, you DO need to be perfect to get to heaven! And because of what Jesus has done – our sins are washed away – and Christ’s righteousness becomes our righteousness! Woe!

9) JUSTIFIED BY FAITH! In the world of theology, we call that “Justification by faith.” It helps to break the word “Justified” down and say it is “Just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned”. God has already declared us perfect in Jesus Christ, and already seated us among the heavenly places! This is our IDENTITY! …an identity outside of ourselves! By joining us to Jesus Christ, God credits Christ’s righteousness and perfection to our account! Only the perfect will get to heaven, but because of Christ – we are justified by faith!

10) SELF OR CHRIST? Now friends, modern psychology does not understand “Justification by Faith”, nor can they can offer it to their clients. They say contentment, joy, and inner peace comes from focusing internally …and by developing a “healthier” concept of self – higher self-esteem. But lower or higher self-esteem still focuses on self …which is… sin! And sin separates us from God! It will never lead to “perfection” or to the “heavenly places”! Self-esteem can never justify us! It cannot save us! We are “justified” through faith! We need to give up on “self” – and focus instead on Christ. For by His death, the old Adam within us dies, and by His resurrection, we are made new creatures in Christ! More “self”… offers only the illusion of goodness. Christ washes away our sins and offers the unimaginable: righteousness and perfection. His own!

11) NOT! Now, “Justification by faith” comes with a big warning attached to it! We must be very careful to maintain that OUR righteousness and perfection before God is based on what GOD has accomplished in Christ, NOT in what we accomplish for Christ! (We are NOT justified by our works! In fact, any good works we DO manage is due to Jesus being in us!) So YES – we can stand here assured of eternal life! And YES – we can maintain our righteousness before God! And YES – we shall stand before Him on judgment day unafraid! But NOT because of our works! NOT because we have high self-esteem! In fact, we have these things DESPITE our works and self-esteem! Why? Because God lovingly chose to give us a new identity in Christ Jesus! We elong to the heavenly places because when God looks at us – He sees that Chris has joined us to Himself! And so, we are declared righteous because we’re identified with Christ! We are justified by what GOD HAS DONE for us IN Christ, NOT in what we have accomplished FOR Christ!

12) ALL SAINTS! I hope next time I ask “Who here is perfect?” you will raise your hands! Why? Because it demonstrates you understand Justification by faith! I suspect “Visitors” may scratch their head suspecting “inflated egos”! (Don’t fret; many unchurched already suspect we’re out of touch with reality – after reading our name: All Saints! “Good grief,” they say, “what a bunch of holy rollers! Declaring themselves Saints! Yeah, right!” Admittedly, “All Saints” is a problematic name for doing outreach to the rest of the community that is only too aware of human “brokenness”. As Charlotte’s cousin put it “I’m certainly not going to fit in amongst a group of saint-like people”! See, we have to comprehend “Justification by faith” to understand the possibility of our name!) People focused only on the brokenness of this world will balk at any claim of perfection, until invited to look upward to claim a new identity in Christ which miraculously makes us ALL SAINTS!

13) FOCUS? Try this; repeat after me: “I am perfectly righteous in Jesus Christ!” So... did it feel comfortable? Do you know why some of us have a hard time confessing these words? Because we are having a hard time taking our eyes off ourselves! We sense our potential – and sigh at how sinfully far we are from it! In evaluating our own life, we just can’t bring ourselves to claim the words “righteous” and “perfect” as belonging to us! That’s because of our focus! The question is: WHERE do you choose daily to focus? Try this; look away from yourself (not towards it), and focus upon Jesus – in Him you will find your true identity! A new identity! A life-giving, and life-transforming identity! For God has given us righteousness and perfection IN Christ Jesus! Why choose to listen to the self-esteem movement and stay focused on manufacturing a better “self” based our own feeble powers and sinful nature, when Jesus offers us His own divine righteousness? Shall we choose an identity focused on us …or Jesus?

14) LIVE OFF CHRIST! Here’s an interesting fact; finding a “new identity in Christ” – is only needed while on earth! In other words, on the day of our death, or on the day Jesus returns, (which ever comes first), God will see to it that we finally become somebody in and of ourselves! We’ll be made righteous and holy as God intended us to be. Paul says, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4) But for now, while on this earth, we have to live off the personal identity of someone else: Jesus Christ! Martin Luther says that until that final day comes, we have one foot on earth, and one foot in heaven. The old Adam within us rises every day only to be drown again in the ongoing process of our baptism! But there will be a day when the old sinful Adam will not rise again – ever! And we shall be truly and permanently become righteous and perfect! But for now… what a blessing to be able to surrender “self” and live off the personal identity of our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ!

15) SOMEBODY! Imagine how our lives would change, if we stopped letting our broken world and “self-image” determine our identity! Instead of stressfully trying to “please everyone”– what if we focused ONLY on Christ?! Instead of worrying about what others think of us – what if we trusted in Jesus to bring us a new identity and life?! Instead of chasing money, fame, or success in order to “be somebody” – imagine being free to follow Christ anywhere – knowing that in God’s eyes – we already ARE somebody?! Somebody defined by and joined to Jesus Christ!

16) ENOUGH? Do we TRUST in that new identity to be enough? I wonder. As long as I have proclaimed it is enough – people have looked at me as if I don’t understand. “Pastor, you don’t get it – I’ve got bills to pay, bosses to please, a spouse and children to care for, and a calendar filled with activities that wear me out. Sure, it’s OK for you to stay focused on God 24/7 – it’s your job! But I’m lucky to find time for God on Sunday morning! I have so many hats defining me – being a Christian is just one of them!” If you can relate to that thinking, then what you are really asking is “Can I trust that an exclusive identity in Christ can be enough?”

17) IDENTITY! Friends, where DOES your “identity” come from? God says that true inner peace and joy can ONLY be found through one identity – an identity in Christ! Can any other identity bring you an eternal seat in heaven? Fact is, any identity based on “self” or the demands of “others”, will impede God’s divine blessings! Where does your identity come from? The scriptures awaken us to see that in and of ourselves, we are nobody! But a new identity in Christ changes that! Our citizenship is now in heaven! Hence, we are but strangers passing through this world – aliens and pilgrims! For now, we must live off the gracious life of Jesus Christ! That’s why Paul says, “For to me, to live is Christ!” (Philippians 1:21) and “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Is that your identity too? Do you find your complete identity in Christ? Is to live – to be in Christ?

18) WHO AM I? Imagine it; our citizenship is in heaven, and yet for a little while longer, we must live in this world. As broken as it is – the good news is that our new identity means we are never alone or powerless! Jesus is where we are! He told us in Matthew (28:20) “And surely I am with you always…” He has sent His Spirit into this world and into your hearts as a guarantee of what awaits us! He comes to assure us that the Holy Spirit will make it possible to live out our earthly lives knowing that who we are is found in Christ! God has an answer to the human question “Who am I?” You are in Christ! Friends, if we long to accept this truth, Jesus asks us to profess these words with confidence!...

WHO AM I? I am a child of God! I believe that in Christ Jesus my sins have been fully and freely forgiven, and I am a new creation. I have died with Christ to my old identity in Adam. I have been raised with Christ to new life! I am seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. God has given to me the full righteousness of Jesus Christ! I am joined with angels, arch angels, and all the saints in heaven. God is my Father, and if He is for me, who can be against me? Because of who I am in Christ, I am more than a conqueror. In fact, I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengths me. Christ Jesus is my life! Everything in my life here on this earth is working out for good according to the purposes of God. These things I believe and confess, because God, my father in heaven, says they are true! Amen! (Don Matzat – Christ Esteem)

19) JESUS CHRIST. Friends, if this is your identity (and God declares it is) – then you are truly blessed! For you have experienced true grace! When God looks at you, He is seeing Jesus! The Lord’s righteousness and perfection is now credited to your account! Even if we should fall, our identity is not changed! So let us rise up! Brush ourselves off! Take our focus off ourselves and place it on Christ! Let us humbly and thankfully receive our forgiveness, lift our eyes to the throne, and go on our way rejoicing – for we have now what the self-esteem movement can never give us; a new identity and a new life in Jesus Christ! Praise God! AMEN!

The following paragraph was cut out to shorten the sermon. It remains here for those who are reading this on our web site. It was originally found in the beginning of the sermon as paragraph 3…

3) UNIVERSALISM? Now before go too far: let’s make this very clear – we are NOT promoting Universalism (the idea that all people will be going to heaven no matter what). The concept of becoming new creatures in Christ is still received and appropriated through faith. The reason I preach and teach, the reason you share your faith, is because it is through the Word that the Holy Spirit is able to create the faith which grasps God’s provision in Jesus Christ! Remember what we read last week? “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Only a heart OPEN to the Holy Spirit can grasp and receive this new identity in Christ! IF we are to turn our back on “self”, and turn instead to Christ – it will be the Holy Spirit’s doing! The “new creation” idea (that in Adam we were sinners, and that in Christ we are made righteous), will be sadly rejected by the pride and strong will of some to “preserve self”! No, this is NOT Universalism. Jesus died for all people, but not all will receive this truth through the Holy Spirit!

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we have listened to your word, and now we begin to act upon it by confessing that we have not lived our life with the confidence and joy of being a new creation! Our focus has not been upwards, but upon ourselves – judging ourselves harshly according to earthly standards. We have foolishly tried to fix our sinful nature through will power and gaining “self-esteem”. Forgive us, and help us to see that we are the problem, and that you are the solution! Empower us to stay focused on you!

Lord, we confess we do not live our lives as aliens or strangers in this world. We have chased after money, fame, or success as if our identity depended upon it. We have cared too much about how other broken people have judged us, and we not walked confidently, fearlessly, or joyfully in our new identity in Christ. Forgive us, and help us to believe we can do all things through Christ who strengthens, guides, and loves us!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, we are awed to discover that on the cross you gave us a new identity and a new life! As you live in us, teach us to live in you! Help us to surrender “self” and world opinion for the life-giving identity found only in you! In whatever time we have left in this earthly walk, help us to see that we are never powerless or alone – for you are with us always. Help us to see that our true identity and lives are found in Jesus Christ! It is in His Name We Pray. AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who has credited Jesus righteousness and perfection to your account, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, and claim your new identity and life! Remember: You have been joined to Christ on the cross, see yourself as God sees you. No amount of self-esteem will bring you the inner peace and joy that Christ-esteem offers! AMEN

Opening prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we walk into the quietness of this Holy Place, hoping to hear… well, some Blessed Words that calm our troubled hearts! We come hoping to hear Holy Words that clarify our purpose as we seek to discover who we truly are. We seek Wise Words that help us sort through all the worldly voices that have told us how to spend our time, talents and treasures. We seek Loving Words that remind us we are not alone, and that we belong to someone who cares enough to die for us! We seek Forgiving Words that compassionately and mercifully wash away our selfish faults and weaknesses that separate us from you and one another. We seek Healing Words that touch and repair broken relationships, hearts, and hopes. We long to hear YOUR Words Lord, for no other utterance can bring us true life! It is through your Sacred Words the Holy Spirit is released into our hearts and lives, to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves! Though we humbly and thankfully offer our imperfect and inadequate words of praise and worship, we ask that you receive them and use them to join us closer to you! In this blessed hour - embrace us, transform us, and bring to us a greater understanding of our new identity and new life in Jesus Christ! AMEN!

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