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A New Identity - Romans 4:13-25
Kingdom Life -Bethel Church, June 4, 2017
“who are you?”
God identifies us through relationship!
Our tendency:
- identify ourselves by what we do rather than who we are
- goes all the way back to Eden
When we look at God in the Bible…
- God does things based on who He is
- He doesn’t define who He is by what He does
- God revealswho He is through what He does…
important distinction!
the pattern… Genesis 1
- God’s actions flow out of who He is
- God is Creator, so He creates!
- God is self-sufficient – He creates out of nothing!
- God is the ultimate authority – He speaks and it is so!
- God is good – everything He creates is good!
- God is love – he provides and invites participation!
Genesis 1:26-29
- before Adam and Eve have done anything…
- God declares their identity! Out of nothing
- they reflect His image! Creator
- God declares their authority! Ruler
- they will care for / develop / enjoy God’s creation! good/loving
Genesis 3:1-4
- God’s enemy, Satan, comes with an offer
- they can form their own identity through what they do
Satan questions the goodness of God. Genesis 3:1
Satan questions the authority of God. Genesis 3:4
Satan questions the identity of God as Creator. Genesis 3:4
Satan’s offer, stripped down…
- they can be like God through what they do
the problem…
- they are already like God…
- they are His creation and already reflect His image
- this is an opportunity to
try to take God’s place as creator
to create their own identity through what they do
to deny God’s goodness and authority
the result…
- their actions / their work, failed
- if we get our identity from what we do…
- what happens when our actions fail? don’t accomplish our plan?
when we get our identity from something / someone besides God
- then that becomes an idol, something that takes the place of God
- idols will always disappoint and fail
Seeing these principles in the life of Abraham (Genesis 12-21)
- his name was originally Abram – exalted father
- at 75 he still has no children – not a father at all, a failure!
- God reveals Himself to Abram (Genesis 12).
- God asks Abram to leave family and country – identity!
- God declares He will give Abram:
a new country
a new family – a great nation
a life of blessing so he can be a blessing to others
Abram is 99 – another 13 years have passed
- God repeats and expands his declaration
- God speaks his identity out of nothing,
not based on his failed and incompetent work!
How does this relate to us?Romans 4 (page 941)
Romans 4:13-25… Abraham’s life is a live example
- perhaps you haven’t become disappointed with your idols yet…
perhaps you have!
- God declared Abraham’s identity, and then made that a reality
- God declares that we too have a new identity
God, who in Romans 4: 17 “…calls into existence the things that do not exist.”tells us that a new identity can be ours through what Jesus has done: [we grow] strong in [our] faith as [we] give glory to God, fully convinced that God [is] able to do what he had promised. Romans 4:20-21 [personalized]
That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Romans 4:22-25 ESV
…now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ… So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone…
Ephesians 2:13 &19-20 ESV
When we place our faith, our trust in what God has declared and done through Jesus, we have a new identity!
So, we identify with him through baptism…
- a picture of dying to my old identity, rising to a new one
- under the authority [kingdom!] of the Father, Son, and Spirit
If you have never placed your confidence in what God has declared, what God has provided through Jesus, I invite you to do that today. If you have questions, ask!
This week…
Discuss with a couple of your brothers & sisters:
- Are we living out our new identity in Jesus?
- How can we do this better? more consistently?
- How can we encourage and help each other in this?
Then pray together
- Thanking God you are in his kingdom & family.
- Asking God to give you direction on encouraging each other.
- Thanking God for your fellow citizens and siblings!
for further thinking and discussion…
Read through Genesis 1-3. Look for how God reveals who He is through what He does. Then look for what God declares about the people He created. What does this say about my God-intended identity?
Read through Genesis 12-21 to see how God worked with Abraham. You will find some interesting stuff there that we didn’t talk about today. Are there points in the story where I identify with Abraham’s struggles with identity, or with his struggles to trust in what God has declared?
Read through Romans 4. What is my identity based upon? What is my relationship with God based upon? Is it based on what God has provided through Jesus, or something / someone else?