Colossians 3:12-14 (NKJV) Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
All of us have the responsibility to deal with themselves in order to uphold relationships in our family and our church community. Because we are the living stones that make up the temple of God, how each of us carries ourselves will affect the body of Christ and the members of the family.
By holding onto our “old man” or old identity, the emotional baggage that we carry will lead us to make rash decisions, stop us from humbling ourselves and restart from scratch if necessary, and be frustrated when we don’t get what we want. Still wanting to hold onto our old positions or achievements as our identity, we will react negatively to the people around us including our loved ones. Someone whose ego has been hurt will tend to be unkind, impatient, intolerant, aggressive and bitter because they demand respect and entitlement.
Sometimes we will come across rude and demanding people at hotel receptions or restaurants, whose egos and sense of entitlement have been inflated by their achievements. They are likely to carry these attitudes and behaviour into their home, where they may also be condescending, impatient, intolerant, and aggressive towards their spouse. The situation will be exacerbated if their ego is hurt once they have lost their positions in the companies. Likewise, if we don’t renew our mind to have our identity in Christ, we will also be prone to become bitter, angry and carry an attitude towards people, especially when we feel insecure and rejected, suffering from a prolonged identity crisis, and feeling unsettled in our hearts.
However, it will be very different when we have our identity in Christ because we esteem how God looks at us. We are at rest when we know that we are accepted in the Beloved, and have peace with God whom we hold in high esteem. There is no longer anything to prove because we have broken away from our old identity where we have had to strive for the praises and approval of men, and there is no room for us to be offended, disappointed or jealous because we are secure in Christ. We will maintain Agape love, extend grace, and show patience to those around us. The family and the church will be blessed when we live in peace and harmony with family members and the body of Christ.
Sermon Series: He Came to Give You a New Identity
活出你的新身份
歌罗西书 3:12-14所以，你们既是神的选民，圣洁蒙爱的人，就要存〔原文是穿;下同〕怜悯、恩慈、谦虚、温柔、忍耐的心。倘若这人与那人有嫌隙，总要彼此包容，彼此饶恕。主怎样饶恕了你们，你们也要怎样饶恕人。在这一切之外，要存着爱心。爱心就是联络全德的。
我们大家都有责任面对并处理好自己，以维护家庭里和教会里彼此之间的关系，因为我们乃是神圣殿的活石，我们每个人的言行举止将会影响基督的身体以及家庭中的成员。
我们若仍然坚持活在“旧人”或旧的身份里，那么我们所背负的情感包袱会使我们做出鲁莽的决定，阻碍我们谦卑自己并有必要时从头再来，我们也会因得不到所要的而感到沮丧。我们仍想保留我们的旧地位或成就作为我们的身份认同，因而会对周围的人包括我们所爱的人做出消极反应。自负感受伤的人往往是不友善、没耐心、不宽容、好斗并心怀苦毒，因为他们要求尊重与权利。
有时候在酒店接待处或在餐馆里我们会遇到没礼貌和苛刻要求的人，他们的自负感和权利感因自身成就而膨胀。他们很有可能会把这种态度和行为带回家去，在家中对配偶的态度也会是居高临下、不耐烦、不宽容并咄咄逼人。一旦他们失去了在公司里的职位，他们的自负感就会受伤，情况也将进一步恶化。同样的，我们若不更新自己的心思意念，把自我身份认同定在基督里，我们也易于变得心怀苦毒、忿怒，并以恶劣态度对待他人，尤其当我们感到缺乏安全感和被拒绝、长期遭受身份危机，以及内心感到惶恐不安。
然而，当我们在基督里有了自己的身份，这将是非常不同的，因为我们尊重神如何看待我们。当我们知道自己在爱子里已蒙神悦纳，并且已和我们所崇敬的神和好了，我们就能得享安息。再也没有什么需要证明的了，因为我们已经脱离旧人的身份，不再需要努力争取人们的赞扬和认可。我们不再轻易感到被冒犯、失望或嫉妒，因为我们在基督里非常安全。我们会对周围的人保持从神来的爱 （Agape无条件的之爱），延伸恩典，并且有耐心。当我们与家人及基督的肢体和睦相处时，我们的家庭和教会将必蒙福。
讲章系列：祂来给你一个新身份
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