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 our rejection started in the Garden of Eden when God booted Adam and Eve out of the garden after they had sinned against Him. Thereafter, men started on their quest to look for love and acceptance in the fallen would without knowing that the acceptance that ultimately brings rest to their hearts is a restored relationship with God.
The redemptive work of Jesus Christ has caused us to be accepted in the Beloved. Because we are hidden in Christ, God will always accept and welcome us. This positional truth doesn’t depend on what do, but purely on the grace of God and His Agape love towards us. It will bring us to a position of rest, where we don’t need perform in order to be accepted. It is revolutionary because we have always had to perform for man to show Phileo love to us, but we can now rest in God’s unconditional love through this new identity.
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.
This is the kind of confidence that comes with our new identity in Christ where we have direct access to the King of kings at His throne of grace to find help and mercy in our time of need, because we know that we have peace with Him, and are accepted by Him without needing to be on the performance treadmill; He accepts us based on what Jesus has achieved for us and who we are in Christ. Hidden in Christ, we are seen as righteous, blameless, and holy, and we can have faith that He is listening to our prayer prayed in Jesus’ name!
Our identity in Christ is indeed the best identity to have because it will hold us up in good times and in bad times. Once we have our identity in Jesus Christ, it will help us to weather any storm in life. We will be able to manage our emotions because we are secure in Christ and no longer rely on man’s praises. In fact, we will only begin to enjoy the abundant life meant for us when we have the right identity in Christ. There is nothing to prove to anyone; we are only looking to God to be our cheerleader because we have chosen to live our lives for Him.
Sermon Series: He Came to Give You a New Identity
让神成为你唯一的啦啦队长
以弗所书1:5-6又因爱我们，就按着自己的意旨所喜悦的，预定我们借着耶稣基督得儿子的名分， 6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，当亚当和夏娃犯了罪，神把他们赶出了伊甸园。此后，人类在堕落的世界开始探索如何寻找爱和接纳，却不知道真正让他们内心得到安息的接纳是恢复与神的关系。
耶稣基督的救赎工作使我们在神的爱子里被接纳。我们隐藏在基督里，所以神会永远接纳和欢迎我们。这位份的真理与我们所做的事情无关，而纯粹是神的恩典和祂对我们的Agape无条件的爱。这使我们得到安息。我们不需要为了被接纳而做任何事情。这是革命性的，因为我们总是被要求表现出色，盼望别人以Phileo有条件的爱对待我们。但通过这个新的身份，我们能够在神无条件的爱中安息。
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上帝相和。我们又借着他，因信得进入现在所站的这恩典中，并且欢欢喜喜盼望上帝的荣耀。
这信心伴随着在基督里的新身份而来，在那里我们可以直接来到万王之王的恩典宝座前，在需要的时候随时寻求帮助和怜悯。因为我们知道我们与神和好，并且被神所接纳。我们不需要为了得到祂的认可而不断表现自己。祂接受我们是基于耶稣为我们所成就的和在我们基督里的身份。我们被视为公义、无可指摘、圣洁，因为我们隐藏在基督里。当我们奉耶稣的名祷告时，我们可以相信祂正在聆听我们的祷告！
我们在基督里的确实是最好的身份，因为无论我们是面对失败还是成功，它都会支撑着我们。一旦我们在耶稣基督里有了自己的身份，它将帮助我们度过生命中的任何风暴。我们的情绪不会随风摆动，因为我们安稳在耶稣基督里。我们不是在寻求人的赞扬和认可。事实上，只有当我们在基督里拥有正确的身份时，我们才会开始享受为我们而设的丰盛生命。 没有什么需要向任何人证明； 我们只希望上帝成为我们的啦啦队长，因为我们选择为祂而活。
讲章系列：祂来给你一个新的身份
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