Hey, welcome back to Restored. It's week five of our journey together in Christ. And I'm really excited that you're still joining me with this. And I look forward to connecting with you, by the way, on the page where you get these recordings is my email. And if you're not part of Hillside and you're using it, I'd love to hear from you and connect with you and hear what God's doing in your life. My favorite thing in the world is to hear testimonies of Jesus in people's lives and what's going on with that. So by all means, please do connect with me in some way.
Okay. Today, I'd like to talk to you about our identity. Identity is the biggest question of a human life is to answer, who am I? And throughout adolescence, that's the question that teenagers are asking, who am I? And we get answers from a variety of places in our lives, don't we? And if we get answers from the wrong source, it can really throw our whole life all off in a crazy wrong direction. If we look to, you know, people that have a certain belief system, it can really frame things for us in a way that could be either really, really helpful or really, really harmful.
So believing who we are and understanding who we are really is central to walking with Jesus, that we're not who we used to think that we were. We're not what the world defined us to be. We're not what anybody in our lives used to define us to be. Look at it like this. When, if you've ever seen people who are royalty, like genuine princes and princesses, I'm English, so I look at British royalty and they carry themselves in a certain way. And I get away, forget all the pride and those kinds of things that can come with it. But there's a certain bearing that people who grow up in a palace have because they've been trained from their earliest days.
You're royalty. You are made to rule. You are made to not be like a commoner and not get caught up in these things that can destroy your life. But you need to be an example to people of how to live life. And they're just kind of trained in that from the beginning. So they walk and carry themselves a certain way. And without the arrogant, prideful aspect of that, when we come to Christ and we know that we're now sons and daughters of God, that means if he's the king of all kings, that means that we also are royalty.
We're born to be kings, ruled by the king of all kings. But nevertheless, there's something that happens on the inside and affects our behavior then when we know, I'm not made for base, low living. I'm not to be, you know, like the old saying, you know, turkeys stay on the ground and we're made to soar like eagles. So we, we begin to live a different way. In other words, once we know who we are. So we looked our first week, right? That key scripture, which I hope you have memorized by now, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things are becoming new. Right after that, or right before that, rather, it goes on. It starts by saying, therefore, from now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh. So in other words, who we used to be, based on our external features, based on our gender, our race, all of those things, they kind of take a backseat now. Everything about who we used to think we were is about to change. And God's intention for us is that we answer a certain question of life, which is, God, why did you make me?
And what is it about me that makes me me? Because I've gotten my answers from all the wrong places. And now I'm looking to you to find out, who am I? And here's a powerful scripture. And this will be your memory verse for the week, Galatians chapter three. And I'm going to start reading here in verse 26. If you want to turn there and join me in this, this is a good one to underline because it really does change our perspective on who we are. For all of you, or you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who are baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. In other words, now, when you look at yourself in the mirror, what we want you to see is that you look just like Jesus. You're made in the image of God. Christ is the perfect image of God. We were made in the image of God. Little by little, we're getting rid of all the other stuff, the paint, the war painting, whatever that we added on, this clown face that we made ourselves into in our old life. And little by little, we're beginning to see who we really are.
Now that we're in Christ, we've clothed ourselves with Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek. There's no slave or free. There is no male or female even because you are all one in Christ. And if you belong to Christ, you're Abraham's seed and you're heirs according to the promise. So all the superficial things, your socioeconomic status, right? We define ourselves. What's the first question we usually ask one another, men in particular, when you meet somebody? What do you do for a living? And if somebody says, oh, I'm a lawyer, I'm a billionaire entrepreneur, we hold them in a certain regard, right?
And if somebody says, answer to that question is, well, you know, I clean up the poop behind the elephants at the circus, then we have a certain perspective on that. And we judge based on those things all the time, don't we? We judge one another based on race. And maybe some of us are less racist than others. But right away, we have a certain belief system about certain races and what their stereotype is and what other races stereotype is. And what we're saying here is that in Christ, none of that matters anymore. And finally, it's not even male or female in Christ.
So although those are different and distinct, just like, yeah, the races are different. None's better than another. None's more important than another, but they're different. Socioeconomic status. There is a difference between a billionaire and a garbage collector. Not that one's better than another, but there's a difference between them. And there's a difference between men and women, but neither is superior to the other. Because what matters now is only one thing, and that's the name of this lesson today, in Christ. What matters now is that in Christ, through faith in Christ Jesus, we've been baptized into Christ.
So when we look at one another, and especially when we look at ourselves in the spiritual mirror, what we ought to begin to recognize is that Christ is in me now. I'm a different person. I'm going to live differently because my identity has changed. And I'm going to live up to that identity, not by striving, but it makes me want to live that way. You know, let's put it this way. And my testimony is when I found out the meaning of my name. I was never curious about it. My name is Stephen, or Stephanos, if you look in the Greek language at it.
And I never cared about the meaning of that name until I was in Christ. And I noticed that the guy's name, the first martyr of the church, as we call him, it was Stephen. So I wondered what his name means. And I looked it up, and it means a crown, a crowned one, Stephanos. And something happened inside of me. Like, I was even named something that was my prophetic destiny. I was destined to be a child of a king, and be crowned with the same kind of crown. Now, it's not just because it's my name.
All of us are that, right? I just said that. We're that in Christ. But something came alive in me, and I began to look at myself and say, Stephen, this is who you really are. So why were you living this way, when actually you're this? And so understanding our identity changes how we go about living, because we feel this inward sense that I don't want to live a double life. I don't want to be one way on the inside and behave a different way on the outside. I want to live with, in other words, I want to live with integrity.
Integrity means the same on the outside as we are on the inside. And little by little, this whole process of discipleship that we're in together right now is harmonizing what we are now made to be inside with how we behave on the outside. Not by striving, not because we have a great willpower or discipline in our lives, but because something is happening inside that's now going to reflect itself on the outside. You can look at the countenance of somebody after they've, you know, look at somebody, for example, who is a drug addict. And when you look at, you know, I've worked with a number of people who have been really deep in drug addiction.
And when I meet them, they look like they are 20 years older than they actually are. The countenance just becomes withdrawn and hardened and the pain of life and the pain of that lifestyle makes even their face look different. And one of my favorite things to see is when somebody comes alive in Christ, even their face begins to look younger and brighter. And that's your destiny, by the way. However you came to Christ, you're going to look younger, you're going to look brighter, you're going to look more joyful, more peaceful. It's just a matter of time. So as I keep saying, be patient with that process.
But it begins and it's thriving on this revelation of who we actually are in Christ right now. So if you'd come with me to Ephesians chapter one, this is a passage of scripture that I'd like you to really marinate in this week. Because again, we've been trained to think a certain way about ourselves by the culture around us, by our family of origin, by our close friendships. And we've been taught a certain way of being. My goodness, if we went to middle school, how much pressure was there to fit into one of the categories of people? You know, the jocks, the nerds, the whatever's, the beauties, the cheerleaders, whatever. We all felt this pressure to conform into a certain group.
And so that became part of our identity. Now in Christ, to have a new identity imparted to us, we're going to need some new information. That's one of the things about the Word of God that I love. That it provides new information to help me think differently. We need training. Our minds need to be renewed, the scripture says, to learn how to think like God thinks. And the first and most important change of thinking that needs to happen is how we view ourselves. So Ephesians chapter 1 is this beautiful 30,000 foot view.
It's like God looking in and giving us a heavenly perspective on who we are. And let's take a look at it together. I'll start in verse 3 and kind of make some comments along the way for just a few minutes here. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in every spiritual blessing or with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. So there's this expression, in Christ. What does that mean? Well, you can think of it like this. Christ is in us and we are in Christ.
In other words, Jesus of Nazareth was the human embodiment of Christ. So he was limited in time and in space. He got hungry. He lived as a human being. We're not in his physical body like that. But Christ existed before there was creation. In him is the fullness of the Godhead. He was there before the foundations of the earth were laid. And it was by him that everything was created. And so us being in Christ means that we're wrapped up on the inside of this God, who is the origin of our life, by the way, as we'll see in a moment.
In Christ means I'm in this protective environment where I'm loved with an everlasting love. And my identity now, when I appear before God, my identity is I am in Christ. The air that we live in, right? The physical air that we're in. We're in the air. I'm in the air right now. But it's only because I'm taking the air on the inside that I breathe and I stay alive. So I can be in the air and everybody is in the air. But only those who take the air in have life.
And that's what salvation is like, right? In him we live and move and have our being. Actually, a pagan poet said that, that Paul quoted in the book of Acts. And so he's like the air that we live in. But in order to benefit from it, we've got to take him in. But what we've become aware of in Christ is that we're in not just physical air, but the spirit of God, the actual God who created the heavens and the earth, we live inside of him. And I'm awakened to that reality.
And it makes me want to take deeper breaths to experience this new life that I have right now. So that's what it means. In Christ, we are blessed. Here's number one. We're blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. So if it exists in heaven, we now have access to it in Christ. It goes on, verse 4, and it reveals something pretty profound. Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before him in love. There's a mind-blowing concept.
Before God even said, let there be light, he chose us in Christ. In other words, we were in Christ before he even said anything to make the creation, before we even existed, we were in Christ. In other words, our place of origin is in Christ. You know, when you look at the creation story in the book of Genesis, which we'll do at some point, I'm sure, during our times together. But God actually spoke to like the ocean. And he said, let the oceans team with, you know, with fish and all the things that live in the sea. So where's the fish's origin?
It's in the water. And then he spoke to the skies that he'd created. So let the skies team with birds and this, and let the land produce, let the land produce the crops of the field and all the things that grow out of the ground. Even all the animals, he said, he spoke to the ground. He said, from the ground, let's bring forth all the animals. In other words, there were certain things that existed in creation that everything else that exists in creation came from. The non-living things, all the living things came from that.
What was our origin? Well, it wasn't the dust of the earth that God formed together to bring Adam into the world. Here we find out that we actually were chosen in Christ, that God already had us in his heart. We are first a dream of God. We are first a living desire of God. And that's where our origin is. How does that make you feel to know that you are the embodiment of a desire that was in God's heart before he even created all the amazing things that exist in creation?
Does that change the way you feel about yourself? I sure hope so. Verse 5, he predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the kind intention of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. There it is again. Who's the beloved? Well, it's Christ. And what's the reflection of Christ in the earth? The church or the body of Christ as a scripture call it. We were accepted in the beloved before there even was a beloved, before there was a being on the earth for God to express his love to.
That's what the beloved really refers to. We were chosen in that place. We were already objects of his affection before we were really even an object. Isn't that amazing? All right, it goes on. In him, verse 7, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight. It's in Christ. Remember, going back to what we crucified, what else was crucified? It's because we were in Christ on that cross. Now we have access to redemption.
What does that mean? Redemption as a word simply means we were something that got purchased, bought back, something that, you know, say you were a slave and for the rest of your life, you were destined for the mines or whatever horrific slave life you were about to live. And then somebody came along, your slave plantation, as it were, and said, I want to buy that one. And you think, oh man, I'm just getting bought for another slave master. And that guy comes, he purchases you. He says, actually, I purchased you so that you could be free from your slavery. That's redemption.
He's purchased us out of that. We have forgiveness of our trespasses, everything we ever did, wiped clean, everything we will ever do if we stay in Christ, wiped clean again through repentance, which is a tremendous gift of God, according not to our faithfulness to this covenant, but according to the riches of his grace. How rich is his grace? Well, he's the eternal, everlasting God. How rich do you think he is in mercy? It's his being. God is love. He cannot not be gracious. He cannot not be merciful. It's just who he is.
The only difference is that in Christ, we've now said we will take that rich, rich grace that's been extended really to the whole world, and I'll appropriate it for myself. I'll take that winning lottery ticket, and I'll go cash it in. And I won't just hold on to it or treat it like it's nothing and, you know, put it in some file folder somewhere. That's what we have access to in Christ. Verse 9, he made known to us the mystery of his will. This is a big question. What's my purpose in life?
What's the will of God for my life? We start to ask in Christ. How do I know I'm doing the thing that I was born to do? Well, the mystery of his will has been made known to us according to his kind intention, which he purposed in him. And what is the purpose? With a view to the administration of the fullness of times, that is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heaven and things in the earth in him. In other words, we began our life in Christ.
Before we had life, we were chosen in Christ. And what's our purpose in life? Is to get back into a place where we're gathered together in him. And yeah, in that place, we'll discover all the meaning and purpose of this beautiful life that he created for us by remaining in him. Congratulations. If you've been one who said, oh yeah, I would like to be gathered back together in Christ. I would like to receive this invitation to come back into Christ and be found in the God who created all things. I mean, the universe didn't come to exist because some random material exploded one day.
There's like that scientific theory got one thing right. There was a beginning and everything began from one place, but it wasn't just some random thing that appeared out of nowhere. It was from the God of heaven and earth who had all of the universe contained on the inside of him and said, I'm going to speak everything outside of me. And the whole universe is really a reflection of God's heart and God's desire. Not the mess that we've made of it, but the perfect beginning of all things. That's what God made. And now those of us who are in Christ have been found back in him.
And now, by the way, this is what evangelism is about. We've been part of the team of people who are going to gather everything possible back into Christ. The invitations for everybody. And the hope is that everybody will come back and experience this life that we found, God. That's God that we've found who offers eternity for all those who say, yeah, I'll get inside of that God. I'll be found in him. Also, verse 11, we have obtained an inheritance. We have an inheritance which has been predestined according to the purpose of his works, who works all things after the counsel of his will.
So in him, we have an inheritance. Now, in normal life, we have to wait until somebody dies to get their inheritance, right? If you have parents who have money stored up, it's after they die that you get the inheritance. Well, I've got great news for you. Jesus already died, which means we don't have to wait till we die to get our inheritance. It's not our death that brings an inheritance. It's Jesus' death that opens the door for our inheritance, for all who are in Christ. What does that inheritance include? We'll go back to verse 3, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
So in other words, if it exists in heaven, it should exist in the earth. If it does not exist in heaven, it should not exist in the earth. So what's included in that inheritance? An end to all strife, an end to all conflict and fighting, an end to all disease, an end to all mental illness, an end to all heart sickness, an end to all of the things that make life miserable that don't belong in this earth because they're not in heaven. The prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, did he not say, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven? This is what we already have access to and why we can pray that prayer with confidence that not only did Jesus teach us to pray that, but he intends to answer that prayer.
And we already have access to all of that in Christ to the end. Verse 12 now, that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be for the praise of his glory. Verse 13, last verse, in him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed you were sealed in him with the spirit of promise who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's possession to the praise of his glory. So the Holy Spirit, we learned about Holy Spirit last week, the baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit. Here's another thing about Holy Spirit.
That's like a pledge. So if you have, let's say that you have a rich uncle and you're included in his will, but you don't know for sure how rich he is. And he says, look, I'm going to give you 10% of your inheritance right now, just so that you get a little taste of what it's going to be like to be so wealthy. You don't know what to do with all the money. He gives you that 10% and it's more money than you could spend in the rest of your life. And you say, oh my goodness, if that's just a pledge of the inheritance, like a down payment on what I have to spend for all eternity, then man, is eternity going to be something else.
So the Holy Spirit, this life that we have right now, if it exists in heaven, we can have it in the earth. The Holy Spirit says, go and explore the territory of your salvation. Begin to live this supernatural life that's now been made available in Christ to us all. Go ahead and begin to live in a way where the Holy Spirit is in front of you and your spirit's alive in Christ with all the righteousness and all the joy and all the peace that's in that Holy Spirit. Go and explore that territory. It's a pledge of our inheritance. In other words, how do we know the answer to the question that can plague a spirit who doesn't know the new identity we have in Christ?
Because you can go the rest of your life and anybody can wondering, am I really saved? Do I really have eternal life? And it's like that old, do you remember the thing that people used to do with flowers? You know, he loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not. And we could go through all of our lives wondering, does he really love me? Am I really accepted by him? Am I really a son? Am I really a daughter? And especially on those days that we've really blown it.
We really had a jacked up, awful day. We've sinned. We really messed things up. And we can pull that flower back out and start picking away, hoping that it ends on, he loves me. Or we could trade that version of it in for another flower, if you will. He loves me. He loves me a lot. He loves me. He loves me a lot. In other words, there's no option. He's already given me a pledge. The spirit of God in me makes me know I'm a son of God or I'm a daughter of God.
There's this thing in me that knows what it knows. And that's that I've been accepted in the beloved. All these things that we just read about, that's who I am now. And nothing can change me. One ministry said it like this. Once you've been sunned, you can't be unsunned. God did not make a mistake when he chose you. What's the reassurance that he gives to your heart? Holy Spirit on the inside of you. So have a wild time exploring the territory of your salvation. All this rich inheritance that we have in Christ.
You'll see in your devotions for this week. We're going to break down this chapter and I'm going to urge you to meditate on it until your heart agrees with what the Word of God says you are and who you are. Because this right here will change everything about what you believe about yourself and what you believe about God from this day and for the rest of your life. Amen. Praise God. Thank you so much for joining me again. It's been a joy to open up these scriptures to you. Again, if you want to connect with me about anything whatsoever, I'm available.
You have my email. By all means, feel free to use it. I mean that. But especially make sure that you get together with your cohort and you explore this territory together. Explore maybe the parts where you say, man, that sounds too good to believe. And I get it. This grace that we've come into, it really does so many times feel like, man, that is too good to be true. And I'm telling you, it's too good not to be true, because God is that good. I love you. Have an awesome week in Jesus.