John 10:11-15

Who Am I?

A Question of Identity

One metaphor that Jesus uses to describe our identity is as His sheep. He is the Good Shepherd; we are His sheep. Our identity as sheep is not so much about us, but it is about the one we have as the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd protects His sheep from the wolves. The Good Shepherd fights on behalf of the sheep and lays down His life for the sheep. 

How does it make you feel that your identity is found in God’s protection? You are the sheep; God is the shepherd. That is an amazing comfort when we are confronted by wolves of all types every single day. God is not going to run away to save Himself. God puts Himself in harm’s way to protect you. You are God’s sheep. God will protect you.

It may not feel comforting to be compared to sheep. Sheep are fairly dumb. But it is comforting to know that as sheep, we have a shepherd who cares for us, loves us, and sacrificed Himself for us. To paraphrase Psalm 23, as we walk with the Lord as our shepherd, we can fear no evil. Even though we walk through dark times, God is with us, and He will protect us.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

Who Am I?

A Question of Identity

In 2011, LeeAnn and I had the opportunity to take a week of vacation to Washington D.C. It felt like every single place we visited over that week was a place to be respected and held in reverence. We toured the White House, Capitol building, and Supreme Court. We went to the Vietnam Memorial, World War II Memorial, and the Holocaust Museum. Each place we went was a place of honor, so a certain amount of decorum was expected. Each building, monument, and museum was to be honored because of either the work that was done there or the era of history that the place represented and honored. Those places were identified as honored grounds and deserved respect. 

In this teaching concerning sexual immorality, Paul describes our bodies as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Your identity can be defined as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Your body is a place where God resides. The Temple was a place of honor and reverence. The Temple was identified as a place that deserved respect. If you recall, there were strict rules concerning who could enter which part of the Temple in the Old Testament and in the Gospels. The most restricted place was the Holy of Holies; the High Priest could only enter once a year. This, of course, was the place where the curtain was torn in two as Jesus died on the cross, showing that God was available to all. God’s seat on earth was no longer in the Holy of Holies. It is in your and my heart. Paul’s message to the Corinthians and to us is to treat your bodies as holy because the Holy Spirit resides in you. Your identity is found in being the temple of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 8:12-17

Who Am I?

A Question of Identity

Today we begin a series entitled “Seven Questions Every Person Asks.” Each week of the series, we will ask one question in which you are not alone in asking. These are the deep questions of identity, belonging, acceptance, and meaning. We will explore the answers the Bible gives to these questions of life.

This week, we explore the question of identity. When you are asked to define yourself, how do you respond? Do you give the basic facts about your life? Age, gender, family lineage? Do you tell people about your occupation? Favorite college or pro sports team? Do you define yourself by where you grew up or where you live now? When you ask yourself the question “who am I?”, how do you answer?

In a world where questions of identity seem to be more popular than ever, Romans 8:12-17 tells us one way that we can define our identity. You are an adopted child of God. And as an adopted child, you are an heir with Christ. What a wonderful identity! What a wonderful way to define yourself. You don’t have to define yourself in the basic ways of the world. You are not defined by what you do, who you are around, or how you look. You are defined as a child of God. Not only a child, but an adopted child. God chose you to be His child. Your identity is found in being a child of the King.