Session 6 - Learn Who You Are in Christ & Be Yourself!

1 Peter 1, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Did you know the cross is not enough to save you? You're not saved by the cross, you're saved by the cross and the resurrection. You need both. You're born again through the resurrection. The cross is the divine act by which God made you a totally forgiven person. The resurrection is the divine act by which God made you a righteous person, a born again person through the resurrection. And so we need both. And that's why it's so important to understand that we have resurrection righteousness. People talk about our righteousness like it's kind of fake. You know, they say things like, don't worry. When God looks at you, he sees Jesus instead. Oh, thanks a lot. So God's relating to you like this. Oh, hey, pal. How you doing, buddy? Yeah, I'm over here looking at Jesus, but hoping you're having a great day. Or maybe Jesus glasses, you know, God's got the Jesus glasses on and he doesn't really see you. He sees Jesus instead of you, and whoa, if he were to pull those shades off his eyes, he would see what you really look like, sad and pitiful and ugly and sinful. There's been a new birth through the resurrection, a new birth. God doesn't have to fake himself out. You see that? God doesn't have to pretend and pull the wool over his own eyes and act like you're acceptable. He made you acceptable, born again, this living hope through the resurrection. So Romans 5 says it best.

I love this verse. It says, if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more having been reconciled, we will be saved by what? Saved by his life. Reconciled by his death, brought near by the blood. That's essential. It's necessary. Brought near by the blood and yet saved by his life. And so there's two sides to this gospel coin, if you will. On one side, we got the death of Jesus. Through the death of Jesus, you're forgiven. Through the death of Jesus, you died to the law. Through the death of Jesus, you are brought near to God, but you still have a problem. You can't be a forgiven sinner. You can't just be a forgiven, reconciled sinner. He turns you into a saint. You're not a sinner. You're a saint who sometimes sins. Big difference. You know, the year was 1886 and it was Mr. Pemberton. We got some Pembertons in the house this weekend. Did you know that? Last name Pemberton. They're here today. I said, hey, are you related to the Coca-Cola Pembertons? They said, I don't know. But anyway, Mr. Pemberton, there he was. The year was 1886 and he had the secret formula for Coca-Cola and he had it hidden, locked away in his vault. He didn't want anybody to see it.

Now one day, the reporter from the Atlanta Journal and Constitution said, yeah, I want to do a story on you and on Coca-Cola and on the secret formula. And sure enough, Mr. Pemberton kind of got a big head and he said, yeah, come on over, do the interview. And he laid the secret formula right there on his desk and he posed for the picture with the photographer and the story came out on the front page. Now, the only problem was the photographer was able to zoom in and get that secret formula for Coca-Cola right off his desk. And so what was a secret was now revealed. What was a mystery had now been made plain. And that's what we see in Colossians 1, a mystery, a mystery now revealed. This mystery, which was hidden from the past ages and generations, has now been manifested to his saints to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles. And here's the mystery, Christ in you, the hope of glory, not long distance phone calls, Christ in you, not walking with the Lord. How's your walk with the Lord? Are you walking with the Lord? No, he's in, he's in. You're in him, he's in you. A mystery. And you know, the Jews didn't see it, but the Jews weren't the only ones to get it. The mystery was that God would unleash this miracle on the Gentiles, and that's most of us. You want the cure for racism? It's to see the world through God's eyes. And he says, the Jews, yes, the Gentiles, yes, all of them. Come on in, whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord. No favoritism, no partiality, let's do this.

Then you get eyes to see God's heart. And then, and then, you're looking and you're not recognizing people according to the flesh. You're recognizing them according to how God sees us. Now, we talked about this earlier, but look at this. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And then I show up again, I live by faith in him. A deposit, a guarantee, a resurrection, a life. That makes you really righteous. You have resurrection righteousness. Now, one of my favorite verses, this is gonna be a, you're gonna look at this verse at first, and you're gonna be like, wait, why is that one of your favorites? Okay, check this out. Here it is, it says, is the law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be, for if a law had been given, which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on the law. Now, the reason I love this is because it settles a historic debate. There have been people, theologians, writing books that make great doorstops, and they're about 10 inches tall. And they're thick, and they come to the conclusion that you're not really righteous. It's not imparted, it's just imputed. Have you heard that? So imputed is like a term that you would use

maybe as an accountant, sort of, like a biblical accountant, like, oh yeah. Mr. Farley, we looked at the books, and sure enough, it says right there on the ledger, in column number three, it says, yes, sir, you've been declared righteous. So you'll enjoy that in heaven, won't you? See, you'll enjoy that in heaven, won't you? Because you've been declared righteous, and it's imputed to your account. It's in the heavenly bank account, but it hasn't been imparted, they say. And so for centuries, there's been a debate about whether righteousness for the believer is only imputed, or whether it's also imparted. Now, Romans says that Abraham was credited with righteousness. Nothing wrong with saying you've been credited with righteousness, but there is a deeper truth that goes along with that, and here it is. If the law could impart life, that's imparting something, sharing something, giving something that's real. If the law could impart life, then guess what? You would have been righteous by the law. So what does that tell you? Sum it up this way. You have an imparted life righteousness. That means you're really righteous, because Jesus really lives in you, and you're really righteous because Jesus

really made you born again. We say born again, what is that? Born of God? So I'm gonna put it in a really weird way for you. The Holy Spirit gave birth to you. You are born of the Spirit. That means the Holy Spirit gave birth to you. That means that you have life through him, and that means you've been imparted with life, and you have imparted life righteousness. That means it's real. Like, all this talk, if this isn't real, what are we doing? Like, you've got a new nature, a really new nature, new desires, new heart, this is legit. This is not God with a fancy magnifying glass kinda pretending with a special lens. This is either true or false. And if you call yourself born again, then what changed? If you've been reborn spiritually, then is that matter for your righteousness? Of course it does. The very fabric of your being is now righteous. You're compatible with Christ. And so this is a powerful truth, imparted life righteousness. He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we could be saved. we might become the righteousness of God in him. That's not a might, like, oh, maybe you could become, who knows, oh, we'll see.

You know, getting a little Scottish or Irish there, I don't know. But, oh, we'll just test it, we'll see how you do at your righteousness, huh? You might, you might become righteous, but then again, you might not. No, this is grammar, like, I went to Starbucks so that I might buy a coffee. This is cause. I went to Starbucks, why? Well, I went there yesterday so I might buy a coffee. What does that imply? Well, I was on a mission, that was my reason. Same thing here. It's not in doubt, it's not a maybe, it's just in English we use might. So that, Jesus became sin so that we could become righteous. How many times did Jesus sin? Zero, and yet he became sin. How many righteous things did you do? Zero, and yet you became righteous. Now, that's some lucky charms. And they're magically delicious. So, what does this mean? No more shopping, no more waiting, begging, hoping, pleading for something new to come your way. You got righteousness, you got life, you're sealed, you're okay. And when religion comes knocking, and they're telling you, yeah, but.

Oh, you're saved, but. Oh, yeah, yeah, you're going to heaven, but. You need this gift, you need this second blessing, you need this second experience, you need the gift that I've got. You need to be like me. We can say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. No, no, I'm complete in him, thank you very much. He has given us, what does it say? His divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. Everything you need. Does it say, folks, everything you need for church? You know, for Sunday at 10.30, which is tomorrow, by the way, I see y'all there. But, is that what he says? Ah, I'm gonna give you everything you need for church world. No, life and godliness. Those are both mentioned. Godliness, yes, everything you need for godliness, but you're a parent, you're a friend, you work, you have a job, you have a life. I've given you everything you need for godliness, of course, because he's God, but I've given you everything you need for life. Wow, that's big. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And by the way, that's where you're seated, right? Seated in the heavenly places? All right, blessed with every spiritual blessing. Can you be blessed with every spiritual blessing and still need a second blessing? Have you heard that? It's great that you're saved, you need a second blessing. No, no, actually, thank you very much, I got every blessing. Well, it's awesome that you're saved, but now you need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Actually, I can't be born of the Spirit unless I'm in the Spirit, which means I was in the flesh and he transferred me and he put me in the Spirit. I was in Adam, now I'm in Christ. I was in the flesh, now I'm in the Spirit. I'm born of the Spirit, I got every blessing. I don't need more. Everything you need for life and godliness. Don't be a sucker for the sales pitch. Of self-improvement through some spiritual gymnastics or heroics where, you know, you come up front and they knock you over and you're flopping around like a fish and then, oh, I tell you what happens. In the parking lot, you start thinking, gee, I kinda wanna flop around like a fish again. Now I gotta wait seven days. And now I'm dependent on that guy. Gah, he's got a strong wrist. And the revolving door of experience,

chasing to get the high and get the feeling. Look, there are people in pagan religions dancing around campfires who were also, no joke, falling over uncontrollably with ecstatic utterances that they don't understand. You can get that a whole lot. The Mormons talk about a burning in their stomach. Do you know that? They talk about a burning sensation in their stomach that they believe is God-given and you gotta have that burning. We could survey the religions of the world, pagan or otherwise, and we could say, you know what? Look at the experiences that humans talk themselves into, think they need. pursue and chase just like drugs, just like narcotics, and the music goes and the same lyric repeats. You ever been? It just keeps going, it keeps going, keeps going, 15-20 minutes, keeps going, and you're being lulled into a sense of who knows? At this point I'm bored. I'm going up front because I'm bored, you know? I mean, every spiritual blessing complete in Christ, everything you need for life and godliness. Don't be a sucker for the sales pitch, there's a lot out there and you are complete. For in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form and in him you have been made complete and he is the head over all rule and authority, fullness, completeness. So then you gotta ask, are there two methods? Because I mean basically, yeah, we talked about law and grace and we talked about all kinds of things, it's finished or it's not finished, but we still, you know, Paul makes it very clear that there's not two methods. You don't get saved by one method and then live by another method. Now I'm going to ask you to think back about, you know, to that moment or that time, that summer, that year, whatever, you heard the gospel, you believed, you were saved. What attitude

did you have to be saved? The attitude was probably something like, I can't save myself, only God can, only Jesus can save me and I'm gonna let him, I'm gonna let him save me, I believe him. Well guess what? That's how you live, same attitude. Just as you received him, what does it say? So walk in him. The same way you received him, walk in him. So what does that look like on a Monday? Lord, I mean, I mean, I've already been trying for a year, a decade, I've done the, you know, tried real hard at being acceptable to the religious folk and I can't live the life, only you can show me what the life really looks like and you say, you say, it's easy and it's light and I'll find rest for my soul. I'm exhausted, Lord, I can't, only you can and I'm gonna let you. Let, L-E-T, three letters, a very small word, let your speech be seasoned with grace, let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you. Isn't that awesome? He cleaned house, he moved in, he gave his life for you, he gave his life to you, he wants to live his life through you. How do you do it? You let. He's got it rigged, he's ready, he's eager, he's more excited than you are. You say, well, I need the magic button, you know, to push, to let. Learn who you are and be yourself. Learn who you are in Christ and be yourself and just let. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. See, that's just logic, like that's Paul's logic. Hey, you got your very being is in the Spirit, you got your sustenance, your life, your spiritual food from the Spirit, we live by the Spirit. Here's a crazy idea, maybe we ought to, well, I don't know, like maybe listen to him and stuff, because he's in, and you're in him, and he's in you, and he's your life, and he's your satisfaction. So, what if he is, what if God is absolutely eager in every second, but see, we can't hear it, we can't hear it because of the noise. The noise of, oh, prepare your heart, your heart's not right, you got to get right, you're out of the will of God, you're out of fellowship, you need to do a quiet time, you haven't done this in years, you need to get back to where you were, you lost that love and feeling, remember how you used to feel when you were first saved. We keep missing the obvious, you're in, you're in, and he's eager, and he's ready, and he's in you. And let me say the other thing that needs to be said here. It is not some foreign experience. He

knows you, he's not trying to get you to be somebody else. He likes the tone of your voice, your intonation, he likes your hobbies, he likes your wits, your sarcasm, your humor, he likes your hobbies, he likes your artistic flair, he likes your creativity, he likes your smile. He likes you, you don't have to go be somebody else. You get to be you and then you realize, oh, this whole time, this whole time I made it hard and He was eager. He accepted me this whole time. I kept thinking I had to have a different job or be in full-time work or be a missionary or be a pastor or be a this or be a that to really be. No, He gave us life and I can't be you and you can't be me and we can't be each other. We don't need to be, we just be you and that's exactly what He wants and you can enjoy every ounce of being righteous to the fullest. He gave us life to the fullest. Wow. Let's talk about Wayne Gretzky. I mean, that guy, are you kidding me? That guy was incredible. My wife is Canadian. She followed hockey her whole life, her parents did, everybody did up there, they all do. She tells me, I mean, Gretzky would not skate to the puck. He would skate to where the puck would be and he would skate circles around other people and of course he won all kinds of MVP awards and all kinds of championships. One of the most decorated, probably the most decorated hockey player of all time. Now I want you to imagine by some miracle you are inhabited by the spirit of Wayne Gretzky and you're invited to play in your first NHL game. Is this far out? No, because you believe you're inhabited by Jesus, right? You're inhabited by the spirit of Wayne Gretzky and you're standing there at the edge of the ice, you're ready to play this NHL game.

Now you have a choice. You can skate like you've always scat, no. You can skate like you've always skated or you could allow the life of Wayne Gretzky to be expressed in and through your unique personality. Now you're standing at the edge of tomorrow. You're about to live life. You could live life like you've always lived, gutting it out, trying your hardest, just using your gray matter and strategies you learned growing up. Or you could say, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait. I'm made for a miracle. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and he lives in me. I'm inhabited by the spirit of Christ. I'm going to let him express himself in and through me. This is not mystical or far off and it, let me say this. It is not hard. It is you being you. What's it going to feel like? A buzz? A feeling? Electric? Boogie-woogie? Uh-uh. It's going to feel like you being you. You being you. And when we realize that, we've said he accepts me, he loves me, he likes me, and he expresses himself through my unique personality. And I'm going to tell you, there's not a whole lot of Christians having fun. You decide you're going to have fun with your heavenly father. You're going to look, you're going to seem a little different. You're not going to seem so rigid and so bossy and so difficult and so unapproachable.

And so you're going to, you're going to just seem like a healthy version of you compared to the other version of you that you were trying to make work. And so we see all who are being led by the Spirit, these are sons of God. Are you being led? Oh, I sure hope so. That doesn't say, oh, I wish I could be, oh, to be led by the Spirit, I just can't imagine. You don't have to imagine. Look at the verse again. It doesn't say you should be. Those who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Every child of God is being led by the Spirit. He never stops. Every second, every minute, every day, oh, I need to be led. No, you don't. You are being led. Big difference. Do you see what I'm saying? What if there's nothing to do to get you ready? What if there's nothing to do to get qualified and ready? What if He's prepped you, equipped you? What if you really do have everything you need? No more waiting, hoping, begging, pleading, waiting. Maybe I'll get it later. You don't even have to get it, just know this. He loves me. He likes me. I get to be me. Bam. You'll learn and grow for 50 years. You'll learn and grow in heaven.

So what? It's not all about knowledge. He's equipped you. You are being led. He never stops parenting. Imagine God just says, you know, I think I'm done for today. I'm going to take the weekend off. He's always leading, and it's right here at the heart level. You can live from the heart and trust your heart because He cleaned house and He moved in. Be yourself. Learn who you are in Christ and be yourself. That's a two-step program I gave you. Learn who you are in Christ and wake up every day and be yourself. Then rinse and repeat. All right, let's pray together. Father, we just love being real, and we love you and what you've done for us in this. It truly is miraculous that we don't have to be somebody else and we don't have to fit the mold, and there is no cookie-cutter Christianity. We're all different. Thank you. Thank you that you like us and accept us and embrace us. Thank you that we get to be smack dab in the middle of what you're doing. Thank you for this incredible message of the gospel, better than we could have ever imagined. We are thrilled, and we will continue to be surprised and thrilled at your grace. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.