Ephesians 1:3-7 | "The Path of the Chosen - Identity in Christ"

Introduction: A man who forgot his identity...

I once read a novel about a man who wakes up in a hospital with no memory. He’s bedridden, leg is in a cast, and the doctors keep him sedated around the clock. When he asks why he’s there, all they tell him is that he was in a terrible accident.

He grows more and more uneasy, of course. He soon learns that there’s nothing wrong with him; his leg isn’t even broken. Someone is trying to keep him trapped in that hospital. So, he stages a daring escape and goes on a journey to rediscover his true identity. 

He learns that a mysterious, subterranean castle, contains a path that if he follows, will restore his memory. Overcoming dangers and opposition, he reaches this path and walks it. And he discovers he’s no mere mortal, but a prince and the heir of a great, far-off kingdom. Once he regains his true identity, he wages a war to reclaim what rightly belonged to him.

This story is familiar, because it’s true

 Now, this story might sound familiar, because been retold many times. I’ve wondered why so many books, movies, and TV have this plot. Why does this story resonates in the hearts of so many people? The reason is simple: the story is true. 

There are people who are living common, everyday lives, and don’t know that their true identity is much, much greater. But I’m not talking about fantasy characters; I’m talking about people in this room.

 A few months ago, I preached about identity. I explained that our true identity doesn’t come from your natural life. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, the real you comes from him. Would you like to know what that is?

 My message for today is “The Path of the Chosen.” God has provided a path for us, his word, to discover our identity. 

Why does this matter?

 Why does this matter? Shouldn’t we just say our prayers, go to church, serve God? That’s it? Well, when you accepted Christ, you died. You were crucified and buried with him. And you were raised up with a new life. That new life is the real you. And how can you live that new life, if you don’t know who you are? You must learn who you are in Christ so you can rightly live as he desires. 

What does it mean to be “In Christ”?

 I want to explain what I mean when I say your identity is found in Jesus Christ. The NT constantly uses this phrase: “in Christ.” What does that mean?

To be “in Christ” means your entire life is now completely dependent on and defined by the person of Jesus Christ. The way you see yourself must be based on him: his nature, character and so on. As John said, “As he is, so are we in this world” (1 Jhn 5:20). He has made you like himself, by imparting himself (his Spirit) into you. 

You’re a “carbon copy” of Jesus. That’s what the name “Christian” means: you are a “little Christ.” If that bothers you, if you prefer to be your “own person,” you’re saying you don’t want to be a Christian. 

All of us are basing our identities on something; and if it’s not Jesus... it’s no good. 

 Today we are going to look at just five aspects of our true identity in Christ. There are many more, but this is a good start.

Point 1: “In Christ, you are blessed” (Ephesians 1:3)

 Let’s turn to our text, Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1:3 (ESV) — 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. 

 Right at the start we get our first point for today. What is your true identity in Christ? Write this down: “In Christ, you are blessed.” That might not have been what you were expecting. But this is pretty important, my brothers and sisters. 

The term “blessed” in some Christian circles has almost become a dirty word. Some Christians look down on the idea of being blessed. They think if we pray for blessings, we are somehow using God for our own selfish purposes.

The theological backbone of being blessed

 So, let me explain a very important theological truth: according to the Bible, you are either blessed or you’re cursed. There’s no such thing as being in the middle. “I’m not cursed, but I’m not blessed either!” You can’t be “blursed”!

 From the very opening pages of the Bible, God is blessing his creation. In Genesis 1 we read that God blesses all the creatures he puts on the earth. When he made man and woman, he blessed them and said “Be fruitful and multiply.” He put humans in a lush garden, gave them everything they needed, including his constant presence. The world began under the blanket of God’s blessings. 

But something happened: Adam disobeyed God and brought a curse onto the earth. That curse, according to Genesis 3, includes sickness, suffering, sorrow, and ultimately death. So, we started out blessed, but due to sin, we ended up cursed.

 But God wasn’t finished with us. Many years later, God chose a man and told him, “In your seed, all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 22:18). That was Abraham. That seed was his descendant Jesus, who suffered on the cross so that the “blessing of Abraham would come upon the Gentiles through Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:13-14). 

If you are a believer in Christ, according to Ephesians, you have “every spiritual blessing.” That’s not optional: your identity comes from Christ. He is blessed you are blessed. 

Spiritual Blessings in the Heavenly Places

 Some of you might be wondering what “spiritual blessings in heavenly places” means. Does that exclude “natural” blessings? Or does this suggest that we only get these blessings when we go to heaven?

 No to both. Paul says “spiritual blessings” to let you know that you are not blessed because of earthly factors. You’re not blessed because you have a college education, come from a rich family, or have an impressive job.

 Our blessings are spiritual, meaning they come from the Holy Spirit. God the Spirit imparted them to you when you first received Jesus Christ. They are yours, because the Spirit of Christ lives within you (Rom 8:9-11). You don’t have to struggle for them, fight for them, or fear you’ll lose them. 

And you don’t have to wait for heaven to be blessed. Notice Paul wrote that God “has blessed us...” “Has blessed” means he’s already done it! The term “heavenly places” refers to where they came from. 

The people of Ephesus believed their false god Artemis’ image fell from heaven. They believed their gods lived in the heavens. Paul shatters that lie by saying Christ, not Artemis, is in the heavenly places. He sits at the right hand of the Father. 

And from that position, far above power and problem in this world, he has blessed you. You are not waiting to go to heaven to be blessed; you are blessed right now, because you are in Christ.

Blessings are not a bad thing!

 I know some here bristle at all this talk of blessings. That’s because you are thinking too carnally. You’ve heard someone on TV go on and on about “blessings,” referring only to material stuff. In response, you and many Christians have developed a bias against any teaching about blessing, prosperity, and so.

Plenty of people have abused the God’s promises. They doesn’t mean we abandoned them. My brothers and sisters, I don’t care what some televangelist said. I’m only concerned with the truth. And the word of God says you’re blessed. You can accept that, with no fear that you’re being selfish or greedy. Because these blessings are made evident in your life as you focus on Christ. Not on stuff.

Why you need to affirm this truth

The real reason you need to know this: it is a matter of what you are trusting. The people of this world chase after money and stuff, because it gives them a sense of security, contentment, as if everything is going to be alright... because I have these material things.

But you have something much better: you have Jesus. You don’t have to worry about your life or chase after money, because God has promised to always take care of you. Everything you need is met in Christ. He is the All-sufficient one. His grace is sufficient for you. Sufficient means it meets the need.

You can laugh at the circumstances of life. Why? Because you are so smart? Savvy? Well-invested? No! Because, your identity in Christ is blessed! 

Take it by faith

 Now, some of you probably have trouble accept all this. You look at yourself in the mirror and say, “This is blessed?” I don’t have a dime to my name! Look at this face! Does this face look blessed to you!? 

But this has nothing to do with what you own. Your current life situation doesn’t factor into this. It doesn’t matter what your bank account says. It doesn’t matter what you have or don’t have. You are blessed because the word of God is always true. 

So, you need to accept this by faith. That means you believe it, even if you don’t see it. Despite whatever trouble you are going through right now, because you are in Christ, you are blessed.

 God is on your side (Rom 8:31). Your name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Jesus Christ the Righteous is interceding on your behalf, right now (1 John 2:1). God hears your prayers. He is moving on your behalf. Angels attend to you (Heb 1:14). One day you will have a golden crown on your head and you will rule on earth with Jesus (Jas 1:12; Rev 20:4). These aren’t fairy tales; that is what the word of God says! All of this is true about you, right now.

 There was a preacher, long ago, who discovered just how blessed he was. His name was George Mueller. Without the backing of a large church, he built an orphanage in England. Over the course of his ministry, he took care of approx. 5,000 orphans. He didn’t have the resources of a modern ministry. He simply prayed, trusting that God would take care of him and these children.

 Here’s one of his stories:

“The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat,” the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. “Mr. Mueller,” he said, “last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in.”  Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children.

Just like Mueller, you are blessed. Even as you walk through a trial. Even as you go through difficulties. Tell yourself, “I am blessed because I am in Christ.”

Point 2: “In Christ, you are holy” (Ephesians 1:4)

 Paul is only getting started. After announcing that we are blessed in Christ, he goes on to describe another aspect of our identity. Ephesians 1:4 (ESV) — 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.

 He uses that term again, “in him” meaning in Christ. That clues us in on our next point. What is you true identity in Christ? Write this down: “In Christ, you are holy.” Oh, if I only had a few hours, we could properly discuss this. Once again, “holy” is one of those words that Christians is so often misunderstood.

 About 100 years ago, the Holiness Movement started. This was an important movement, because these were Christians who rejected the carnal, lax attitudes that were common in the Church, and deeply desired to be consecrated to God. Some of them truly understood what holiness is.

But sadly, some people in this movement misunderstood true holiness. So, the movement devolved into legalism. Adherents of this movement equated holiness with outward appearances. They rejected anything they deemed “worldly,” even simple things like makeup or dancing. They condemned Christians who didn’t meet their extreme standards and reinforced the old adage: “Holier than thou.” But despite their misconceptions, the truth is, you really want to be holy.

How the Bible defines “holy”

 In the Bible, God established what “holy” means. And it has nothing to do with your hair, clothing, or the music you listen to. In the OT, God told his people that they were special. Unique. A treasure among all the nations of the world (Exo 19:5). They were chosen by him: to know him, serve him, and be his light in a dark world.

This is what it means to be holy. The opposite of holy is “common.” You are not like the people of this world. God has put his mark on you (Eph 1:13). The Spirit of God dwells inside of you (1 Cor 3:16). You are no longer one of the “riff-raff.” You belong to heaven. You are a member of God’s kingdom (Col 1:13).

Holiness is not performance

 Holiness is not something you do. You don’t perform a certain way to become holy. Holiness is not about outward appearances. You are no less holy if you go to a movie theater or a bowling alley. 

God is the one who takes an unholy person and makes them holy. Jesus told Peter, “Do not call anything common, that I HAVE MADE HOLY” (Acts 10:15). You might not think of yourself as holy. You might think that is a proud thing to say. But even before the worlds were made, God chose you to be holy. To be one of his treasured people. And when you received Christ as your Lord and Savior, he put his Spirit into you--making you holy.

Believing you are holy changes you

 That’s powerful. It’s one of those kinds of truth that will change the way you see yourself. You may look at your life and doubt that you are holy. But it’s not about your appearance or how you feel. It is about what Jesus Christ has done for you. You are holy because of him. And even if you don’t see it or feel it, you must accept it by faith.

 When someone understands that they are holy in Christ, how will it change the way they carry themselves? Will they accept what they world says about them--that they are only important because they have a lot of money? Will they think they are only special if they are good looking? Of course not.

You are holy. You are different. You are not like the world. And that means you don’t have to go and do the things the world says are so important. You are holy, so you don’t have to indulge in sin. That’s beneath you. God has made you special. You are his special person. You never need to stoop down and dirty yourself with the stuff Satan claims you need so badly.

Point 3: “In Christ, you are blameless before God” (Ephesians 1:4)

 The same is equally true of what Paul also wrote in this verse. It’s our next point. What is you true identity in Christ? Write this down: “In Christ you are blameless before God.” Being blameless is amazing. It means nobody can point a finger at you and accuse you of wrongdoing. 

Now, I’m sure there are plenty of people who can talk about the stuff you’ve done! People can say stuff about me. So, you might think, “That must mean I’m not blameless!” 

Maybe, in the natural, there are people who can accuse you of wrong. But they cannot do that before God. There is no one in the universe who can stand before God and make accusations against you. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve failed. It doesn’t matter how badly you’ve stumbled. No angel in heaven, no demon in hell can blame you of anything before the Father.

 Why is that? Because you are in Christ. Because of what Jesus has done for you. You may not feel blameless or look blameless. But you need to accept this by faith. The word of God says it; so, it’s true regardless of how you feel. Any accusation made against you before the Father cannot stand. He doesn’t even hear it.

 This means that when God thinks of you (and he’s always thinking of you), he doesn’t think of you in the natural. He’s not looking at all your flaws, weaknesses, or shortcomings. Example: bad temper... No, when God looks at you, he sees Jesus. You are in Christ! His blamelessness, is your blamelessness.

 Did Jesus ever do anything wrong? Can anyone make an accusation against Jesus before the Father? Good luck with that! The Father said he was well-pleased with his Son (Mat 3:17). Jesus never sinned (1 Pet 2:22). Not even those who arrested him could find a sin to accuse him of; they had to make something up (Mat 26:59–61)! Your identity comes from that man; you get his perfect blamelessness.

 This is more important than you might realize. We think God is still grading us based on our behavior. When we don’t measure up, God has reason to blame us. But you are in Christ. God is not looking at your performance; he’s looking at Jesus. Not even Satan can stand before God and accuse you.

 Now, why is this the case? Why doesn’t God see our sin? We’re going to find out in a few minutes.

Point 4: “In Christ, you are adopted as God’s son” (Ephesians 1:5-6)

  Paul keeps going in the next two verses. Ephesians 1:5–6 (ESV) — 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 

 This is our next point. What is your true identity in Christ? Write this down: “In Christ, you are adopted as God’s son.”

That’s right, we are all sons of God. Sorry ladies, but it’s true. Let me explain.

 In the ancient world, adoption was serious thing. It was a common method of securing an inheritance. When a man adopted a child, that child became 100% a member of that family. He had the same rights and privileges any natural-born child. It didn’t matter who his birth parents were. He was now the son of this father and he would inherit everything he had.

The same thing is true in our modern adoption system. That’s why, as some of you know, it’s very hard to adopt a child. The government doesn’t take it lightly, because of the great significance of it.

That’s how much earthly governments esteem adoption. So, how much more does God? Paul says very clearly that, because of Jesus, we have been adopted by God as his sons. J.I. Packer said, “Of all the gifts of grace, adoption is the highest.”2 That’s a strong statement, but it’s true. We are not “step-children.” We are not second or third cousins, who have to sit at the kids’ table--where they stick the broken card table that barely gets the table cloth. We are sons of God. We are his very children. We get to sit at the head table.

 Just listen to what John says about this: 1 John 3:1 (ESV) — 1 Behold what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are!

 If there was one aspect of your identity in Christ that I’d say was most important, it would be this. You are God’s child. He is your loving Father. Yes, we know God is our Lord, our King, our Master. But John and Paul are very deliberate when they wrote these words. We are children of God. We are not servants, struggling to please a demanding boss. We have been adopted into God’s family. He sees us the same way he sees Jesus.

 Do you understand the gravity of that statement? That is why Paul calls us “sons” of God. Because God sees us exactly as he sees Jesus. That means you have the first-born inheritance that Jesus’ has. You are a co-heir with him(Rom 8:17). When he returns in all his glory and power, you will be with him. 

Not because you earned it. Not because you deserved it. But because of his glorious grace.

The glorious grace of God

 Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is the foundation of our new covenant with Christ. Grace means you never earn or deserve anything from God (Rom 11:6). He is giving you everything you need, because of grace. Christians often have a hard time accepting this. We are willing to accept grace when we are first saved. But after that, we think it’s all up to us. We grow, we serve, we please God, based on our performance.

 My friends, please understand: all of the wonderful things we are reading about today are yours because of grace. You will never, ever earn anything from God. Oh, he has lots of good things for you to do. But those good works are not a currency that earns you God’s love or help. You must be grounded in the reality that God accepts you because of what Jesus did, not what you do. The more you understand that, the more you will be equipped to serve him.

“Before the foundation of the world” & “Predestined”

God’s grace is so amazing that even before you were born, God planned all this for you. Before you did anything good or bad, before he even laid the foundation of the world, God chose you and predestined this life for you. So, if that’s the case, then your efforts had nothing to do with it! He didn’t save you because you did something to deserved it. You just receive it thankfully and live the life he planned for you.

That language, “God chose” and “predestined” you is the subject of hot debate among Christians. You may fall on different sides of this debate, but one thing we must all agree on: your salvation, your very life, was no accident. God planned it. He wanted you to be born. He wanted you born again. He chose you and he “pre-planned” an amazing life for you. All the bumps and step backs did not surprise him. All your screw ups were factored into it. No matter what happens in your life, even if you face persecution or death, you have no need to fear. God’s got this; he’s had it all along.

There might be someone here who has never put their trust in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t change the fact that God does have a plan for you, but you will never know it unless you put your trust in Jesus. Don’t waste another second, turn to him and be saved.

Point 5: “In Christ, you are forgiven” (Ephesians 1:7)

All of this may sound too good to be true. But there is a reason we can look over these points and say with certainty, “This is true for me.” This is my true identity. And Paul explains how this is possible in our last verse for today. Ephesians 1:7 (ESV) — 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. 

 This is our last point for today. What is you true identity in Christ? Write this down: “In Christ, you are forgiven.” This is what makes everything else we talked about possible. This is the very foundation of our identity. Without this, nothing else we discussed is real. But, praise God, all of it is real.

 Paul explained we have “redemption.” Redemption means to redeem or “buy back.”3 It’s origins are connected to debt and slavery. In the ancient world, if you had a debt you couldn’t pay (often because you committed a crime against someone), you would have to work off the debt as a slave. If the debt was really big you could be working it off for the rest of your life. 

But if someone incredibly kind came along and decided he wanted you free, he could pay the price you owed. You would be cleared of the debt and released from bondage. But who would be kind enough to do that?

 In the book of Exodus, God redeemed Israel out of slavery in Egypt. What price did he pay? Blood. Lambs had to die for Israel to be spared and released from bondage in Egypt. But all of us had a much greater debt. Our sin was a debt so large, that nothing we could do--not even our blood, sweat, and tears--could pay it off. Before God, we could offer nothing that would pay back what we owed. It was a debt that kept us enslaved to sin, Satan, and death.

 But someone came along who wanted us free. God decided to redeem us himself. But not with silver or gold. Not even with the blood of an innocent animal. God offered up the blood of his beloved Son. 

Jesus Christ willingly shed his blood to purchase us out of our slavery to sin. He died in our place, suffering what we deserved. And he rose from the dead to prove that the payment was made. The debt has been cleared, and in Christ, we are alive forever. His blood was the payment that set us free.

Forgiveness means it never happened

 Forgiveness of sin is very powerful. Much more powerful than we realize. God didn’t sweep our sins under the carpet. He didn’t say, “Okay, I’ll let it go just this one time!” 

The Bible says Jesus purged our sins (Heb 1:3). To purge something means you clean it until it is completely pure. It doesn’t matter how badly you sinned. I don’t care how far you fell, how hard you stumbled. Jesus Christ shed his blood so that all your sins could be totally forgiven. True forgiveness in Christ means it is as if the sin never happened. That’s how powerful the blood of Jesus is.

 Some of you might be thinking, “Yes I know this. Isn’t forgiveness just a basic truth?” Never. We will never receive a gift more precious than forgiveness of sins. The reason you can say, “I am blessed. I am holy. I am blameless before God. I am adopted as his precious son,” is because Jesus Christ bore all your sins on the cross. He went the farthest anyone will ever go to redeem you from sin and death. You will dwell forever in his presence, never fearing shame, guilt, or condemnation, because of what he’s done for you.

 Now, let’s be honest. You don’t actually “see” forgiveness of sins. You could look at your life, all your failures, and tell yourself, “It can’t be true. I know what I’ve done. I still live with the guilt.” This is why you must accept it by faith. Believe it, even if you don’t see it. Even if you don’t feel it. Keep reminding yourself of what this verse says.

 You are forgiven. That is your identity. Not condemned. Not punished. Not “okay until the next time you screw up.” No. You are forgiven, according to the riches of God’s grace.

According to the riches of God’s grace

 Consider that phrase: according to the riches of God’s grace. “According to” is a term of measurement. It’s like saying “based on” or “in proportion to” something. We are not forgiven according to how much we sinned. We are not forgiven according to how much we can pay God back. We are forgiven according to the riches of God’s grace.

 How much grace does God have? If it can be measured, it’d be far greater than you can possibly imagine. It’s like this, God measured out your sins, like he laid them out in a line. And then he measured out his grace beside them. Woah, it’s much more. And God forgave you that much. Not according to how much you sinned, but according to how much grace he has. 

That means, you will never be able to out-sin the grace of God.

God is not mad at you

 Why am I emphasizing this so much? Am I somehow encouraging you to sin, because of grace? Of course, not. But I know there are Christians here who are living under a cloud of condemnation. You know God loves you, but you’ve fallen for the lie that he is only pleased with you, as long as you do all the right things, all the time, and never slip up.

None of us are living as perfectly as we should. Yet every time you mess up you believe God has turned away from you. You think the “conviction of the Holy Spirit” is not him lovingly guiding you back to his grace and forgiveness, but a crushing weight of guilt and anger. 

 My friend, God has forgiven you. Period. There is nothing you can ever do to “make it up to him.” What is more precious than the blood of Jesus? What can you do that is greater than Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross? 

I know you want to please God. I know you long to reject temptation and live a life worthy of his glory. But God is not grading you based on your performance. He has forgiven you according to his glorious grace! You are completely forgiven, now and for all eternity! You are not supposed to earn it. You’ll never deserve it. He is giving it to you, because he loves you that much.

 And here’s the thing, the more you are grounded in your true identity as a forgiven child of God, the more you will live a life glorifying to him. You’ll produce more fruit than you ever did striving under that cloud of condemnation.

 That is why we call this good news. 

Closing: See Yourself as You See Jesus

 We’ve only barely started discussing our true identity in Christ. Hopefully, this has stirred something up in you. You might be wondering, what do I do next? How do I embrace these truths and everything else the Bible says about my identity? It’s very simple: don’t stop here. You are transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom 12:2). Keep reading what the Bible says about you. *Mention bulletin. Fill your mind with these truths. And your lifestyle will follow.

I heard a preacher tell the story about a man he once met. After talking to him, he leaned over and told his wife, “Watch your purse around that guy--nobody is really that nice!” But he got to know this man and learned about his life: He grew up in a very dysfunctional home. Both his parents were alcoholics; they totally neglected their son. He was like a wild animal. The city would occasionally wrangle him into clothes and take him to school. He’d wear the clothes until they literally fell apart. As an adult, he become a drug addict and alcoholic, until he ended up in jail.

 But while in jail, he heard the gospel from an evangelist and received Christ. He talked to the evangelist and asked, “What do I do now? I don’t even know who I am.” The evangelist gave him his Bible and simply told him, “Read this book. Whatever it says about Jesus, that’s what you are.” 

This man who once lived like a wild dog studied the word of God. It didn’t matter that he had an awful childhood or all the sin he committed. He was now in Christ. He saw himself in Christ. And whatever the Bible said about Jesus, he knew that was him.

That’s what it really means to be in Christ. Whoever Jesus is you are. When the world tries to tell you that you are something you’re not, you can humbly say, “I am blessed, I am holy, I am blameless, I am a son of God, I am forgiven... because I am in Christ.”

To the unbeliever...

Some here have never accepted these truths. You’ve never embraced Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You’ve said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” My friend, if you wait until you see Jesus, it’ll be too late. Understand me: nothing I said today is true for you, unless you believe in Jesus. Nobody else died to save you. Nobody else loves you as much as he does. Today is the day you must ask him to forgive you of your sins and save you. You do that, today, even though you have not seen him. In a few minutes we will have a time of prayer. Come down and talk with one of our prayer team and they will help you.

Let’s pray.