Identity in Christ: Purpose and Community in Faith

 

Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound connection between our identity in Christ and our purpose as His followers. Using the backdrop of the Colossian church's struggles, we delved into the Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians, emphasizing the importance of remembering who we are in Christ, especially in times of crisis. The Colossian church faced pressures to compromise their faith, both from cultural influences and internal challenges. Paul, through his letter, reminds them—and us—of the critical need to hold fast to our identity in Christ.

We are called by God for a purpose, much like Paul, whose life was transformed from a persecutor of Christians to an apostle spreading the gospel. This calling is not based on our qualifications but on God's sovereign plan. Our identity as Christians is inseparable from our mission to make Christ known. This mission-driven life is exemplified by a group of young believers in our church who have taken it upon themselves to share the gospel with every student in their school, demonstrating the power of living with purpose.

Furthermore, we belong to a spiritual family. As saints in Christ, we are set apart and united as brothers and sisters. This familial bond transcends biological ties and cultural differences, calling us to love, support, and encourage one another. Being part of God's family is both a blessing and a responsibility, urging us to invest in relationships and show up for each other.

Lastly, we are recipients of God's grace and peace. These gifts are at the heart of the gospel, shaping our identity and how we live. Grace is the foundation of our salvation, and peace is the reconciliation we have with God and each other. As a church, we are called to be gospel-focused, letting these truths transform our lives and our witness to the world.

Key Takeaways:

1. Called by God for a Purpose: Our identity in Christ is inseparable from our mission. Like Paul, we are called to live as mission-driven Christians, sharing the gospel and fulfilling God's sovereign plan. This calling is not about our qualifications but about God's purpose for us. [50:44]

2. Belonging to a Spiritual Family: As believers, we are part of a spiritual family, united as brothers and sisters in Christ. This bond transcends biological and cultural differences, calling us to love and support one another. Our identity is deeply connected to our relationships within the church. [01:01:21]

3. Recipients of God's Grace and Peace: Grace and peace are central to the gospel, shaping our identity and how we live. Grace is the foundation of our salvation, and peace is the reconciliation we have with God and each other. We are called to be peacemakers in a divided world. [01:09:22]

4. Mission-Driven Church: Our church is called to be mission-driven, united around the Great Commission to make disciples. This involves boldly sharing the gospel and living with purpose, as exemplified by the young believers in our community. [56:09]

5. Gospel-Focused Living: Being gospel-focused means receiving and proclaiming God's grace and peace. It is the foundation of our faith and shapes our mission and relationships. As a church, we are called to let these truths transform our lives and witness. [01:14:46]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [39:10] - Introduction to the Colossian Crisis
- [43:25] - Paul's Letter to the Colossians
- [47:05] - Identity and Purpose in Christ
- [50:44] - Called by God for a Purpose
- [53:49] - Living as Mission-Driven Christians
- [56:09] - Example of Mission-Driven Youth
- [58:25] - Embracing Our Identity
- [01:00:05] - Belonging to a Spiritual Family
- [01:01:21] - Unity in Christ
- [01:03:23] - Family-Centered Church
- [01:04:23] - Loving and Supporting Each Other
- [01:05:29] - Investing in Relationships
- [01:07:12] - Encouraging One Another
- [01:09:22] - Recipients of Grace and Peace
- [01:14:46] - Gospel-Focused Church
- [01:16:34] - Resolutions for the New Year
- [01:17:18] - Closing Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Colossians 1:1-2
- Ephesians 2:8-10
- 2 Corinthians 5:19-20

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Observation Questions:

1. What were the two main pressures that the Colossian church faced, as mentioned in the sermon? How did these pressures threaten their faith? [43:25]

2. According to the sermon, how does Paul describe his identity and purpose in his letters to the Colossians and Ephesians? [50:44]

3. What example from the sermon illustrates the concept of living a mission-driven life? How did this example demonstrate the power of purpose? [56:09]

4. How does Paul address the Colossians in his greeting, and what does this reveal about their identity as believers? [01:00:05]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the sermon suggest that a crisis of identity can lead to a crisis of compromise? What might this look like in a modern church setting? [43:25]

2. In what ways does the sermon illustrate that our identity in Christ is inseparable from our purpose? How does this understanding impact a believer's daily life? [53:49]

3. The sermon describes the church as a spiritual family. What are the implications of this identity for how believers interact with one another? [01:01:21]

4. How does the sermon explain the role of grace and peace in shaping a believer's identity and mission? What does it mean to be a recipient of these gifts? [01:09:22]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt pressured to compromise your faith. How did you respond, and what might you do differently now, knowing your identity in Christ? [43:25]

2. Consider your current understanding of your purpose as a Christian. How can you align your daily actions more closely with this purpose? What steps can you take to live a mission-driven life? [53:49]

3. Think about your relationships within the church. How can you invest more deeply in these relationships to reflect the identity of a spiritual family? What practical steps can you take to support and encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ? [01:05:29]

4. Identify an area in your life where you need to experience more of God's grace and peace. How can you actively pursue these gifts in your daily walk with Christ? [01:09:22]

5. The sermon highlighted the example of young believers sharing the gospel in their school. Who in your life can you share the gospel with, and what specific actions can you take to start that conversation? [56:09]

6. How can you contribute to making your church a family-centered community? What specific actions can you take to foster unity and love among your church family? [01:04:23]

7. Reflect on the concept of being a peacemaker in a divided world. What is one situation in your life where you can actively pursue peace, and how will you approach it? [01:14:46]

Devotional

Day 1: Our Identity Fuels Our Mission
Our identity in Christ is deeply intertwined with our mission to share the gospel. Just as the Apostle Paul was transformed from a persecutor to a proclaimer of the gospel, we too are called to live mission-driven lives. This calling is not about our personal qualifications but about God's sovereign plan for us. Our purpose is to make Christ known, and this mission is exemplified by young believers in our community who are actively sharing the gospel with their peers. Their actions demonstrate the power of living with purpose and the impact of embracing our identity in Christ. [50:44]

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to align your daily actions with your identity and mission in Christ?


Day 2: United in a Spiritual Family
As believers, we are part of a spiritual family, united as brothers and sisters in Christ. This bond transcends biological and cultural differences, calling us to love, support, and encourage one another. Our identity is deeply connected to our relationships within the church, and being part of God's family is both a blessing and a responsibility. We are urged to invest in these relationships, showing up for each other and fostering a community of love and support. [01:01:21]

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." (Ephesians 2:19, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your spiritual family needs your support or encouragement today, and how can you reach out to them in a meaningful way?


Day 3: Embracing Grace and Peace
Grace and peace are central to the gospel, shaping our identity and how we live. Grace is the foundation of our salvation, and peace is the reconciliation we have with God and each other. As recipients of these gifts, we are called to be peacemakers in a divided world. Our lives should reflect the grace and peace we have received, transforming our interactions and witness to others. [01:09:22]

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:15, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you actively pursue peace in your relationships and community this week?


Day 4: Living as a Mission-Driven Church
Our church is called to be mission-driven, united around the Great Commission to make disciples. This involves boldly sharing the gospel and living with purpose. The example of young believers in our community who are committed to sharing the gospel with their peers highlights the power of a mission-driven life. As a church, we are encouraged to embrace this calling and work together to fulfill God's purpose for us. [56:09]

"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'" (Mark 16:15, ESV)

Reflection: How can you contribute to your church's mission of making disciples, and what role can you play in supporting this collective effort?


Day 5: Gospel-Focused Living
Being gospel-focused means receiving and proclaiming God's grace and peace. It is the foundation of our faith and shapes our mission and relationships. As a church, we are called to let these truths transform our lives and witness. By living gospel-focused lives, we can effectively share the message of Christ and impact the world around us. [01:14:46]

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16, ESV)

Reflection: What changes can you make in your daily routine to ensure that the gospel remains at the center of your life and interactions?

Quotes

"We are called by God for a purpose. Now, Paul, he has a very unique, purpose. He's an apostle, right? And so that's just this word that means he's a sent one. He's someone who's been commissioned by God for a specific purpose. And he doesn't claim that title for himself out of selfish ambition or out of pride. He says this is something that God did by his will. You see, Paul's calling isn't something that he chose. It's not something even that he earned. In fact, his story demonstrates that his calling is a part of God's sovereign, his divine plan and purpose." [00:49:40] (34 seconds)


"Man, I'm so encouraged by them. Listen, God is working in our church. He's doing things that are powerful in alignment with his purposes. Now, my prayer is that we would all have such an intentional and a bold faith, right? But we talked to these guys a little bit about kind of what was going on and we gave them a chance to share on a Wednesday night in front of our students a current testimony, much like Caroline shared with us. And Josiah asked one of them, he just said like, hey, you know, what motivated all this for you?" [00:56:46] (30 seconds)


"And he said, you know, I started following Jesus and then I started reading the Bible and reading about followers of Jesus. And I noticed in the Bible that every follower of Jesus was just sharing the gospel with every single person they met. And so I thought, I guess I better start doing that too. That's all he said. But it's so simple, right? But this is the thing that's crazy about it. A new believer, the primary thing that he noticed about the identity of followers of Christ is that they were living with this purpose, right? To share the gospel, to be mission -driven, to be servants of God in this way." [00:57:56] (38 seconds)


"Being a part of God's family means we're connected to each other in a way that transcends biological ties, in a way that transcends cultural differences, in a way that transcends our personal preferences. We are united by our shared faith in Christ and our common mission to glory. Glorify him. I think often what happens is we get fixated on all of the different things that divide us." [01:02:44] (27 seconds)


"Because that's what it means to be a family. You have differences, right? You have struggles. You have these problems and these challenges. It can be messy and there can be misunderstandings and disagreements. But as brothers and sisters in Christ, what unites us is always more powerful than what divides us. We've got to hold tight to that." [01:04:23] (19 seconds)


"Being a part of a spiritual family, it's a blessing, but it's a responsibility that we have too. And I just want you to hear that. So let's just take another New Year's resolution here. Let's resolve to be a family centered church, okay? And I'll give you some practical ways you might do that. Number one, invest in relationships this year. Invest in relationships. If you're not connected to a life group or if you're not connected to a ministry team, maybe you've just been coming on Sunday mornings and listening to the messages or in and out a little bit one way or another. Look, you've got to take this step. You've got to jump in. You've got to commit yourself to the family." [01:05:29] (38 seconds)


"We are recipients of God's grace and peace. We're recipients of God's grace and peace. I could spend so much time on this particular point, but I won't. I would encourage you to meditate on what it means to be a recipient of God's grace and peace this week. But let's just start with the idea of grace." [01:09:22] (20 seconds)

"Grace is one of the most beautiful truths of the gospel. Because it's God's unmerited favor and kindness toward us that we can never earn or deserve. Remember Paul's words in Ephesians 2 verses 8 through 9 he says you've been saved by grace through faith not from yourselves it's God's gift it's not from your own works so that no one can boast grace is the foundation for our salvation it's the reason that we can stand before a holy God and be forgiven and be free it's it's the the very thing that gives a person like Caroline so much joy as she talks about the gospel despite the difficult circumstances that she has been facing but grace doesn't just stop at salvation it sustains our walk with Christ it sustains our walk with Christ because being a recipient of God's grace it means that we are recipients of God's power at work within us transforming us and enabling us to live out the purpose that he's given us despite ourselves despite all the ways that we might go against it Paul explains this in Titus 2 verses 11 through 12 he says the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and live in a sensible and righteous and godly way in this present age he says grace doesn't just save us but it trains us to live in a way that reflects God's character to live as people who are set apart as his family and committed to carrying out his mission now Paul also speaks of peace right and I think a lot of times when we think about peace we we view it as like an absence of conflict right so if you're if you're at peace there's just no conflict no no problems in your life that's not actually true in scripture peace is is much more than just like a ceasing of conflict it's a deep sense of wholeness and well -being and reconciliation with God despite conflict Romans 5 1 captures this beautifully it says since therefore we've been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ before we came to Christ we were separated from God our sin created a a barrier and there was no way for us to overcome it on our own but through the life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus that barrier was removed we were reconciled to God and we now have peace with him despite our sin right despite the things that we've done to introduce conflict right and that peace it's not just a vertical piece something that's between us and God it's also something that expands into a horizontal piece our relationships with one another Ephesians 2 14 says it this way he is our peace who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility he's saying that through this gospel we have peace with God and peace with one another because barriers between people are broken down remember we're united as a family what unites us is so much more powerful than what divides us the barriers between people are broken down the pathway to unity has been opened by the death and resurrection of Jesus and so as recipients of God's peace we're then called to be peacemakers peacemakers in a divided and a broken world in our lives and in our lives and in our lives and in our lives and in our lives and in our lives in our families in our community and even in our church Paul's saying ultimately that our identity is inseparable from the gospel from the grace and the peace that we've received and that we proclaim and that we participate in and it's this identity marker that's undergirding all the others the gospel of grace and peace unites us as a family the gospel of grace and peace is what calls us to mission and so as a as a church we say we're gospel focused because we're focused on receiving and proclaiming and participating in that grace and peace gospel is not just the starting point of our faith it's the foundation of everything that we do grace and peace are central to the gospel they shape our identity our mission our relationships being gospel focused that's what makes us family centered and what makes us mission driven so one last resolution for us church can we resolve to be a gospel focused church" [01:10:43] (0 seconds)


"Number one is to just receive God's grace daily. Receive God's grace daily. Begin each day just by remembering that your salvation is a gift, and let that truth of grace free you from striving and fill you with gratitude. Let it fuel your worship as you come together with the family of God, and let it shape your purpose each day as you mission. You know, this is the time of year where people start Bible reading plans, and we start all kinds of different things like that. Let's just let this be the starting place, right? Wake up every day and recognize that you are a recipient of God's grace. Something you didn't deserve, that God would give it to you." [01:14:46] (45 seconds)


"These are the blessings at the heart of the gospel that shape who we are and how we live. Grace reminds us of God's unmerited favor. Peace assures us of our reconciliation with him and our call to be peacemakers in the world. So let's be a gospel -focused church, letting these truths transform our lives and our witness. As we're entering this new, new year, as we face all kinds of crisis and challenges, hold fast to our identity as a gospel -focused, family -centered, and mission -driven church. It's not about what we do. It's about who we are in Christ. Let's pray." [01:17:18] (39 seconds)


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Transcript
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