Christ Is Our Identity by: Dr. Pete Norris

Today on power in the world. Where are we seated? In heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We're not seated in earthly places. See you're here but not here. That's why Jesus stood on the earth and said you know what I'm in heaven with the Father right now and you're looking at me right here. So we got to understand that we're a heavenly being operating in a physical world and we got dominion over the physical world when we understand that the kingdom is inside of us. The manifestation of the finished work of Christ is who we are. So Christ is our identity. Welcome to Power in the Word. Where do you get your identity? Your parents? Your job? Maybe a hero in your life? Well today Dr. Narr shows us in the Word of God that our identity is rooted in Jesus Christ who gives our lives meaning in a world full of confusion and strife. It's a great message. You stay with us and you'll be encouraged. I think there's so many people trying to believe. Believe is not a work. It's by grace man. So I want you to go to Romans chapter 8 verse 19 and we're going to start there. For the earnest expectation of creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. How many of you know creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God? How many of you know the church is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God? How many of you know the world is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God? This is not talking about earth is waiting guys. This is talking about creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. When we actually take our place as sons of God we won't have to worry about having a revival. I want to do away with all that idea too. I want to do away with all that idea that God's going to bring a revival that's going to change the world. God's done and brought his son and he's already changed the world. The revelation is when the revealing of the sons of God manifest we won't have to have a revival. See we've been brought up in that mentality. Show me what's in here. So we got to understand that what's got to happen is we need to tell people who they are instead of trying to get them out of hell. We need to reveal to them who they are and what Jesus has done for them so that they can grab hold of what who they are and what they've been. See we have a misrepresentation in our mind of who we are. We think there's something we got to

do to get right. He made you right. Okay so the creation is earnestly desiring the revealing of the sons of God. Look at somebody say I'm a son of God. Matthew chapter 16 verse 13. And Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples saying now watch this. I want you to listen to this. What who do men say that I the son of man am? Now why didn't he call himself the son of God? Because it was before the resurrection he was not the son of God until after the resurrection. So who do men say that I the son of man am? So here's Jesus confessing he's the son of man right here. He said who are they saying the son of man is? Now watch this verse 14. And they said some say John the Baptist some say Elijah other Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Verse 15. And he said to them but who do you think? But who do you say that I am? Who do you say that I am? But who do you say that I am? So he's saying who do you say that I am? Now look at verse 16. Simon Peter answered and said you are the... so wait a minute now. He was asking him who do you say the son of man is? Then they turn around and Peter says you're the Christ. Jesus the son of man was not the Christ. Jesus the son of man was the son of man. He was Jesus but he was not the Christ. Christ is the anointed and his anointing. So we understand that Peter looks at him and said the son of the living God. In other words he's Christ the son of a living God. He was speaking who he was going to be and not who he was at the time. Now think about this. Look at verse 17. Jesus answered and said to him blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed that to you but my Father who is in heaven. So he was saying you're blessed Simon Bar-Jonah. Simon means what? The weakling reed right? Bar means the son of Jonah. So we understand that Peter was the son of Jonah. We all know that right? So look at verse 18. I also say to you that you are no longer Simon Bar-Jonah. You're Peter, Petra, a piece of the rock. In other words your identity of what you recognize me changed your name. Do you understand that when you got recognized him as who he was it changed your name? Now I'm going to really shake your cage today because he told Peter he said Peter you're no longer Simon Bar-Jonah. Simon Bar-Jonah. Weakling Reed, you're a Petra, you're a piece of the rock. Now, who was the rock under the old covenant? Jesus. Now watch this, and on this rock I'm going to build my church and the gates of Hades. That's not talking about hell, guys. The word Hades here is not, it's the word

hell, but it's the actual Greek word for grave. He said, in other words, the gates of the of the Hades, or the grave, shall not prevail against it. That's not talking about all hell is going to come against you and you're not going to overcome. What he was saying is, they're going to put me in the ground but it's not going to be able to hold me, because I'm coming up. And I'm coming up because of the revelation you just prophesied. So they were prophesying he was going to be the Christ, even though he wasn't the Christ yet. Who are you? See, you're still talking like the old man. You're not prophesying who you really are in the new creation. And so he said, you got to understand, Peter, the flesh and blood didn't reveal to you who I am. Who revealed to you that is the Father which is in heaven. But you got to understand, that was not Peter's father. Because Jesus, God couldn't be a father until after the new creation. Come on, guys. Now watch verse 19. And I'll give you the keys to the authority of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Verse 20. And he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. Now, think about this. Who is he? Who is he talking to here? He was talking to Jews, right? And I want to clear that up. We got to understand who he was talking to. When you read the Bible, you got to understand who he was talking to. The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is not written for the church. Jesus hadn't died and resurrected yet. That cannot be New Testament. Because it's after the resurrection that the testators got to die for the New Testament to come alive. As long as the testator is alive,

the Testament can't be written. Are you with me? So at Jesus' death, then the new covenant came. At his resurrection, it was fulfillment that made him the sons of God and made me and you sons of God. So when he resurrected, he got everybody on that revelation that Peter had. Now Peter cut you out and cut your ear off. You know him, right? But you got to understand, Peter was that dude that'd get uptight. Peter was that dude that went to the Roman soldier and whacked his ear off. But Jesus didn't reach down and get that old ear. He gave him a new ear. That's the same one that pierced the side of the man on the cross. And then that one on the cross said, he's got to be the Messiah. Why? Because he got a different ear to hear. That's why he didn't have ears to hear. Let him hear what the Spirit is saying to us. See, we got to understand who he was talking to and what he was talking about. So Peter had a revelation of who he was and he still done all the stuff wrong. Once you know him as the Son of God and as the Messiah, or the Anointed, which is Christ, that was not his last name. So we understand that according to the Book of Acts, that he says this, that this man, Jesus, shall be called Lord and Christ. Now watch this. You need to get a hold of that Lord and Christ because that's powerful. Go to 1 John 3, verse 2. And I want you to see this now. Stay with me and read it carefully. When you're reading the Bible, read it carefully. Don't read it in your Western cultural mindset. Beloved. Who's beloved? So he's talking to us, right? Remember? We've been made accepted in the Beloved. Remember? We've been made accepted in the Beloved. David's name is Beloved. And this is my Beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased with. But now watch this. Beloved. Now, now, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Now I want to stop right there. Go meet him. This ain't on your sheet, but it's in my spirit. So we're going to go there. Let's go to 4 and 17. Love has been perfected among us in this, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. That's not talking about when you stand before the Lord.

Because as he is, so are we in this cosmos. How is he? Not how he was, but how is he? He's seated in heavenly places. Me and you are what? Seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, right? So as he is, so are we in this world. Now let's go back here just a minute because I want you to see it. For we shall see him as he is. Not as he was. When are we going to see him? Now. Now. Because we're the Beloved. We're children of God. Now we are children of God. You can't lose that children of God. How are you going to do it? How are you going to lose your DNA? See, we've got to get away from this religious buff that keeps us bound up into slipping off the edge, falling off the boat. Listen, I told somebody today, I was with a guy today, and I said, look. He said, how much do you confess? I said, none. He said, why? I said, I don't do anything wrong. He said, what do you mean? I said, because we're in Christ. He is born of God, cannot sin. Because the seed remains in him and he can't sin. See, the Bible says that. said don't judge anybody by the flesh. You're looking at everybody by what they do in the flesh. Paul said I wouldn't even known I had any flesh. I heard Smith Wiggleworth say this. He said I'd go sometimes 45, 30 days and didn't even know I had a body. I mean it's the last time you forgot you had one. Because we're so sense conscious that we're not spirit conscious so we live in the mentality of a sin consciousness instead of being God conscious. God has made us perfect. We don't sit around and sin conscious all the time. If you're thinking about sin it's because you don't understand grace. And if you're thinking about sin you're back under the law and you don't know Jesus. So you can't be born of God and be in the law. Think about it. I'm not here to condemn you. I'm here to lift you up. Let's go to Colossians 3 and 1. Now watch this. How many of you know that Jesus is our identity? Right? If then Christ is our identity, right? If then you were raised with Christ, were you raised with Christ? Seek those things which are above where Christ is

sitting at the right hand of God. So think about it just a minute. Now you picture that as saying that Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. But who's really sitting on the right hand of God? We are. But not only that, where are we seated? In heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We're not seated in earthly places. See, you're here but not here. That's why Jesus stood on the earth and said, you know what, I'm in heaven with the Father right now and you're looking at me right here. So we've got to understand that we're a heavenly being operating in a physical world and we've got dominion over the physical world when we understand that the kingdom is inside of us. The manifestation of who Jesus is, the manifestation of the finished work of Christ is who we are. So Christ is our identity. So I'm going to make a comment. You ready? We have the same faith as the Son of God. Same faith. Now go with me to Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 and I'm going to show you this in scripture. Because here's what you think. You think you've got your faith and there's God's faith. No. No. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Turn to somebody and say, Christ liveth in me. Christ liveth in me. So what does that make you? You better watch that around church folk. They'll call you a false prophet. Think about it a minute. Think about it a minute. John said the antichrist spirit's been operating on the earth forever. But we're looking for it in a person. Come on guys, help us. Help us. Help us. Help us. I'm telling you, Jesus is more powerful than that. He finished it. It's over. It's Katie barred the doors. You can sing the national anthem. It's over.

It's a done deal. Amen. You got the ticket into the movie. Remember the thing we done that one Sunday? And this guy went to heaven. And he said, well, have you been born again? He said, no sir. He said, have you read your Bible all the way through? He said, no sir. He said, have you paid your tithes? He said, no sir. He said, what church did you join? He said, I ain't joined no church. He said, who told you you could come? He said, the man in the middle cross. Think about it. The man on the middle cross said you are who you are. The church has told you who you ain't. Ain't, that ain't a good word. I'm going to clean it up. The church has told you who you are not. And so he sent me to tell you who you are. That you're some kind of something. Now watch this. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live, how? By the faith of the son of God. Not in the faith of the son of God, but by the faith of the son of God. Now that's after the resurrection. Who loved me and gave himself for me. So now this life I'm living in the flesh, I'm living by the faith of the son of God. So I've got the faith of the son of God. So when I took on the identity of his resurrection, he became Christ and I became Christ. And now he, Christ, liveth and moveth and hath his being in me. And now if you look at me, you look at him. Because Colossians 3 and 3 said, if you be dead, then your life is hidden with Christ in God. So when God looks down, he just sees Christ. That is my identity. See, that's why the devil don't want you to get your stuff. Because if you start getting your stuff, he got to go. He's already been defeated. Let's go to the Passion Bible in Galatians 2 and 20. My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and it no longer lives. Oh, your old self don't live. Why is it talking so much? Why is it acting out? Why do you say, well, let me tell you what I used to do. That guy died. He don't talk. See, he knew he wasn't going to live. Think about... When he went to the young boy, you remember the young child?

And he was in the cemetery line? You remember? They were taken to the grave. And what did he do? He showed up and what up? He got up. Remember to the girl he went to? And he said, give her some food, because that stuff she's been eating is killing her. See, the church is dying on the vine because of what they're eating. One minute we're going to tell them they're grace, and in the next minute we're going to tell them they need to do this. If you'll do this, then God will do this. And if you'll do this, then God will do this. We give an offering, and we're going to believe God that he's going to do this because I've done this. My whole identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of my new life is no longer mine. For the anointed one, who's the anointed one? Christ lives his life through me. We live in union as one. My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God, not by in the faith of the Son of God. My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God living on the inside of me. I've got the same kind of faith as Jesus. That's why, listen to me, I'm feeling really shaky. That's why I couldn't stay on the cross either. I had too much faith to remain there. Just like you. You were buried with Christ and you resurrected. That's what made you Christ. Now watch this. Watch this. Who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, dispensing his life in the mine. My God. Let's go to Ephesians 2 and 1. Now watch this. And you he made alive. It sounds like past tense to me. But the church said you got to do it. You who he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

Dead in trespasses and sins. Now think about it a minute. He made you alive, you who were. Who were dead in trespasses and sins. You were dead in trespasses and sins and he made you alive. When did he do that? Before the foundation of the world. Now think about it just a minute. When did you accept it? But you were already saved before you knew it. Because he made you alive. He did the work. Let me tell you something. Now listen to me very carefully because this is going to help you. If your confession could get you born again, you wouldn't have needed a Messiah. Now, how powerful is what we say? Very powerful. It's life and death. But watch this. I want to go to verse 5. Even when we were dead in trespasses. Even when I was dead in my trespasses. Made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. Who is Jesus? Grace. Did he bring grace and truth? Moses brought the law but he brought grace and truth. The Bible says that grace and truth came. Come on guys. Stay with me here. Grace and truth came. So by grace you have been saved. By grace. He doesn't say you have to do anything. He said when you were dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ. So he put you in Christ and Christ came into you and now you're in union as one.

Galatians 2 and 20 in the Passion Bible. Go to Romans 6 and 4. Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death and that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in the newness of life. But see, we can't walk in the newness of life if we don't know who we are. The Bible said in the book of Jeremiah in the end time people are going to and fro not having any idea where they're going. That's the church. They have no idea who they are. They'll go hear one preacher tell them one thing, another preacher tell them one thing and then they're confused. And the people that get saved under condemnation preaching that's the only time they're going to know God's dealing with them. If people could just find out God loves them. See, God's doing some wonderful stuff. Let's go to Romans 6 verse 8. Now, if we died with Christ, and we did, we believe that we also shall live with him. Is that when you get to heaven? Verse 9, see comma. Knowing that Christ having been raised from the dead dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him. Now without sin you can't die. Now if Christ is living with me and inside of me, then that means I can't die. Because it takes sin to die and he redeemed me. What did John say? Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. You and I are free from sin and because of that dies no more. Death no longer has no dominion over him. not only on him, but it has none over you neither.

Now watch this. Watch this. I want you to see this. Let's go to verse 10. For the death that he died, he died to once for all. He died for what? That's not a verb. So his sin nature died so that me and you'd be free from our sin nature. So now I've been quickened and made alive because he died as me and resurrected for me. And now when he resurrected, I resurrected. So the death that he died, I died also. And now I don't have sin anymore because I'm dead to sin. Now watch this. But the life that he lives, he lives to God. Now go to verse 11 with me. Likewise, you also reckon yourself to be dead. Now the word reckon is an accounting term and it means yourself to be dead indeed to sin. So the word indeed is reality. So you reckon yourself to be dead in reality to sin but alive to God, where at? In Christ Jesus our Lord. So he's living inside of me. Listen, for me to sin, he's got to sin. And so the reality of what I'm trying to get you to see is that you're hidden in Christ and because you're hidden in Christ, you're not allowed to sin because the real you, which is the spirit part of you, Paul said we should never judge anyone by their flesh. Paul said I wouldn't even have known there was covenant if it hadn't have been for the law.

Now the only way you can fall from grace is to fall back into the law. Go to me to Mark 14 and 61 and 62. Stay with me. Now watch this, guys. This is powerful. But he kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, saying to him, Are you the Christ? The son of the blessed? Are you the Christ? The high priest asked him, are you the Christ? Now let's see if Jesus said, I don't know. 62. Jesus said, I am. And you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the clouds of heaven. Now watch this. I want you to see this. He said, I am. Remember what God told Moses? He said, tell them the I am sent you. He said, I am. How many of you know that we're the I in God? So when we say, I am, it's God speaking. When you say, I am sorry, you're saying God's sorry. That's the power of the I am. You need to think about it when you say, I am, I am, I am, I am, I am, I am, I am, I am. Now watch what he said. He said, you'll see the son of man. Not the son of God. You'll see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven. Now he's not talking about the fluffy things.

He's talking about a cloud of people. Now think about it a minute. You know when they come back? After the resurrection? And he said, you're going to see the son of man. So he wanted them to recognize who he was when he came back as the son of God. Because they were carnal people. So he said, you're going to see me come back. Now watch this. So after the three days, what happened? He came back. And he walked on the earth and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all of them was walking along with him. You know the story? They said there was about what? About 500 of them? Walking around on the earth. You ain't seen them in years and all of a sudden they're walking around. Come on guys. The Bible says there's a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on. Who are they? What happened to those people that were walking around on the earth? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they had come back. All them dudes died. A physical death. But they didn't die a spiritual death. Because the blood of Jesus and the resurrection was power enough to dig them out of their death and bring them back to life. So in Christ was in a place called paradise. Now I don't want to mess you up too bad, but paradise is the same word as Eden. So all he done was took them right back to the very place they came from.

And you're going to see that in just a minute because I'm going to go a little bit deeper with you in just a minute. Turn to somebody and say, go deeper with us. Let's go to Luke chapter 3 verse 21 and 22 in the Amplified. I believe it's the Amplified. No, it's the New King James, excuse me. When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized. And while he prayed, the heaven was opened. How many of you know the heaven's been shut for 430 years? Right? Verse 22. The Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him. And a voice came from heaven that heaven hadn't spoken in 400 years. since Malachi, which said, you are my beloved son, in you I am well pleased. Now, this is when he's being what? Baptized, right? Now the Bible said that you and I were in Christ before the foundation of the world. So when Jesus was being baptized, was you and I being baptized? And so we see all of a sudden the heavens open up and he said, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased, in you I am well pleased. Isn't it amazing that the scripture says that Jesus always did the things that pleased the Father? Let's go to Ephesians 5 and 27, that he might present the church to himself in glorious splendor, without a spot, without a wrinkle, or any such thing, that she might be holy and faultless. You're absolutely faultless and you're forever and completely cleansed and holy and above reproach in his sight. That's the only sight you've got to be looking at. You know why you're holy in his sight?

Because when he looks, he sees Christ, not see, don't see you. Now look at this. Go to Galatians 3 and 29 and I'm through. If you are Christ, then you're Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. And that's not Christ's disease. That means you're all one now. What did he say in John 17? Me and the Father are one and we want them to be one with me and you and the Father. And the Bible said in Colossians 2 and 9, we're the Godhead and bodily. That's the Trinity, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then verse 10 says, and we're completing him. How many of you know the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit and me are all one? Hallelujah. You can't separate us. You can't separate us. So if I'm in Christ and Christ is in me, then we're one. He said, I want you to have the same union that me and the Father have. Glory be to God. So I died with him, I died with him, I was on the cross with him, I was buried with him, I resurrected with him, I was made alive with him, I was risen with him, I was seated in heavenly places with him, and I can never get out of him. And he can never get out of me. Is that not good? Isn't it good to know that you're alright and that you ain't going to hell every 13 seconds? Isn't that good? I'm happy. Ain't that good? You ought to be happier than you look like you are. And y'all didn't, a single one of you go to sleep, praise the Lord. Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for your goodness and your mercy. I thank you for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I thank you for revelation knowledge. I thank you for healing for our bodies. I thank you for the power of the Spirit that's alive on the inside of us. Lord, I thank you that right now, we're the righteousness of God, blessed, highly favored, deeply loved. Father, we are the fulfillment of your prophecy. We are the answer to the reason that Jesus and God made the whole world. We are the glory of your finished work. We are the heirs of your inheritance. And Father, we thank you right now

that we're the recipients of your testament. In Jesus' name, I pray. And everybody say it. Amen. God bless you guys. Thank you so much for joining us today at Power in the Word. All of us here at Harvest Fellowship Church want you to know that God is not mad with you, but he loves you so very much. And he has a plan for your life. Please feel free to contact us here at Harvest Fellowship Church at our website, harvestfellowshipchurch.net. So until next week, please remember, there's power in the word.