John 3:16 (NKJV)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
It is liberating when we truly understand that we are priceless in the sight of God because God sent Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross of Calvary. He is the Good Shepherd who will leave the 99 sheep to look for the one lost one.
Ephesians 1:5-6 (NKJV) Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
The root of rejection started in the Garden of Eden when God removed Adam and Eve from the garden after they had sinned against Him. Thereafter, men started on their quest to look for love and acceptance in the fallen world, without knowing that the acceptance that would bring lasting rest to their hearts is a restored relationship with God. The redemptive work of Jesus Christ has caused us to be accepted and hidden in Christ.
This positional truth has nothing to do with what we have done but purely the grace of God and His Agape love towards us. It will bring us to a position of rest, where we don’t need to perform to be accepted. It is revolutionary because we have always been asked to perform and do well in life for men to love us with Phileo love, which is conditional, but through this new identity, we can now rest in Agape love, which is unconditional.
Romans 5:1-2 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
The new identity in Christ gives us confidence that we have direct access to His throne of grace to find help and mercy in times of need because we know that we have peace with God and are accepted by Him. We can get off the performance treadmill through which we previously tried to get His acceptance because He accepts us based on what Jesus has achieved for us and who we are in Christ. We are seen as righteous, blameless, and holy because we are hidden in Christ. We can have faith that He is listening to our prayers prayed in Jesus’ name!
Therefore, let us add on our identity in Christ. We are loved by God, we are His children, and we have peace with Him. Having our identity in Christ will help us to weather any storms in our lives.
Sermon Series: How to Do Well in Your New Identity?
永久的安息
约翰福音 3:16 神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的不致灭亡，反得永生。
当我们真正明白我们在神的眼中是无价的时候，我们就自由了。因为神为此不惜差派耶稣为我们死在加略山的十字架上。祂是那个会为了找回那迷失的一只羊而离开那九十九只羊的好牧人。
以弗所书 1:5-6又因爱我们，就按着自己意旨所喜悦的，预定我们借着耶稣基督得儿子的名分，使他荣耀的恩典得着称赞。这恩典是他在爱子里所赐给我们的。
拒绝的根源始于伊甸园，当时亚当和夏娃得罪了神，神把他们赶出了伊甸园。此后，人们开始在堕落的世界中寻找爱和接纳，却不知道能为他们的心灵带来永久安息的接纳是他们与神恢复了的关系。耶稣基督的救赎工作使我们被接纳，并被藏在基督里面。
这个位份的真理与我们曾经的作为无关，而是纯粹基于神的恩典和祂对我们的Agape爱。它会把我们带到一个安歇的位置。我们不需要为了被接纳而表现自己。这是革命性的，因为我们一直被要求在生活中表现出色，让人们能以友爱（Phileo）—一种有条件的爱–爱我们。然而如今藉着这个新的身份，我们能够在Agape的爱中安息。这是无条件的爱。
罗马书 5:1-2 我们既因信称义，就借着我们的主耶稣基督得与神相和。我们又借着他，因信得进入现在所站的这恩典中，并且欢欢喜喜盼望神的荣耀。
基督里的新身份给我们以信心，我们可以直接来到万王之王的施恩宝座前，在需要的时候寻求帮助和怜悯，只因我们知道，我们与神和好，并被祂所接纳。我们曾经努力表现以期获得祂的接纳，如今可以歇下了，因为祂接纳我们是基于耶稣为我们所成就的，以及我们在基督里是谁。我们被视为公义、无可指摘和圣洁，因为我们隐藏在基督里。我们能够相信祂在倾听我们奉耶稣之名的祷告！
所以，让我们把身份加进基督里。我们被神爱着，是神的孩子，与神和好。这基督里的身份将帮助我们度过生命中的任何狂风暴雨。
讲章系列：如何演绎好你的新身份?
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