Seen and Loved: Identity Rooted in Christ

Sep 06, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Grace and Truth Collide at the Sycamore Tree

When Jesus stopped beneath Zacchaeus’ sycamore, He didn’t offer cheap approval or harsh condemnation. He extended scandalous grace that saw a swindler’s potential, then spoke truth that sparked radical transformation. This collision of grace and truth dismantles labels, heals shame, and rewires how we see ourselves and others. Jesus still climbs into our hidden places, speaking love that lifts our gaze from failure to freedom. [48:58]

“The Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. […] For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:14, 17 NLT)

Reflection: Where have you experienced grace without truth leaving you stuck? Where has truth without grace left you wounded? How might Jesus’ perfect balance transform that area today?

Day 2: Name Tags Written in Permanent Ink

We scribble identities on mental name tags: “Failure,” “Overlooked,” “Damaged Goods.” Jesus strolls through our crowded doubts, looks up, and declares: “Forgiven. Chosen. Mine.” His voice drowns out the crowd’s labels, not by ignoring our mess but by redeeming it. When we stop clutching our self-written labels, we find our true name etched in resurrection ink. [55:03]

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:18 NLT)

Reflection: What false name tag have you worn this week? How would living as someone “flooded with light” change your next 24 hours?

Day 3: The Freedom of Being Fully Seen

Zacchaeus thought hiding in leaves would mask his shame. Jesus saw through the foliage to the heart of a son. Being fully known by God isn’t exposure—it’s emancipation. His gaze melts our fig-leaf coverings, not to shame but to restore. The same eyes that saw potential in a cheating tax collector see your untapped kingdom purpose. [41:25]

“Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. […] He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.” (Luke 19:1-4 NLT)

Reflection: What part of your story feels too messy for God’s gaze? How might His seeing it be the key to your healing?

Day 4: When “Come Down” Feels Like Coming Home

Jesus didn’t shout “Clean up!” to Zacchaeus, but “Come down!” Grace always initiates. The tree-climber’s obedience wasn’t groveling—it was the relief of being wanted. Our worst moments become meeting places with Christ when we descend from performance trees into His “I choose you” embrace. True belonging begins when we stop earning altitude. [48:05]

“Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. ‘He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,’ they grumbled.” (Luke 19:6-7 NLT)

Reflection: Where are you still “climbing” to feel worthy? What would it look like to “come down” into Christ’s unconditional welcome today?

Day 5: Eyes That Unlabel the Crowd

The Jericho crowd saw a traitor. Jesus saw a future generosity leader. Our world reduces people to political positions, past mistakes, or productivity metrics. Kingdom vision looks deeper—not at what’s been done to someone, but what Christ wants to do through them. Every “problem person” is a Zacchaeus waiting for someone to see their possibility. [59:35]

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” (Romans 12:9-10 NLT)

Reflection: Who have you reduced to a label this week? How can you actively “see” them through Christ’s eyes before sundown?

Sermon Summary

Identity answers the question, “Who am I?” and, for a church, “Who are we becoming?” Passion’s identity begins with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, because everything the church becomes must flow from who Jesus is. John says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among humanity, full of grace and truth. Those two words belong together.

Grace without truth can become permission to stay exactly where a person is. Truth without grace can become harsh, judgmental, and hopeless. Jesus brings both. Grace says, “You are loved. Come as you are.” Truth says, “You don’t have to stay as you are.” When grace and truth come together, the butterfly comes out, and transformation becomes possible.

Jesus says that those who remain faithful to His teachings will know the truth, and the truth will set them free. Real freedom is not doing whatever feels right or chasing every desire. Real freedom is knowing Jesus, receiving His grace, and allowing His truth to shape a life. Jesus meets people right where they walk in, but He loves them enough to lead them toward freedom from sin.

The truth that everyone matters to God shapes a church that says, “We see you.” God sees every part of a person’s story, including the parts hidden from everybody else. God sees victories, struggles, questions, pain, failure, and the stuff carried through the door. God still loves the person He sees completely. That is the good news.

Luke’s picture of Zacchaeus shows how Jesus sees deeper than the labels of a crowd. The crowd sees a traitor, a sinner, and a man who has taken advantage of people. Jesus sees Zacchaeus in the tree, calls him by name, and goes to his house. Jesus starts with grace, and grace opens Zacchaeus’ heart to hear truth. Grace meets truth, and transformation follows.

The world tries to write identity on a name tag through achievement, occupation, approval, failure, rejection, addiction, or a painful past. Christ replaces those labels with forgiven, chosen, adopted, loved, and sealed by the Spirit. A past may explain part of a story, but it does not get to define identity. Identity is not something earned. Identity is received in Christ, so life is no longer lived for an identity but from one God has already given.

A church that has been seen by God begins seeing people differently. People stop becoming interruptions, projects, or problems to fix, and become image-bearers who matter to God. Grace and truth call believers to look beyond appearances, refuse to define people by their worst moment, and point people to Jesus until He takes them home.

Key Takeaways

1. Grace and truth belong together [35:34] Grace welcomes people without making light of sin. Truth exposes sin without crushing the sinner beneath shame. Jesus refuses both extremes because His love is holy and His holiness is full of mercy. Transformation grows where both grace and truth are allowed to do their work. [35:34]
2. God sees the hidden story [41:25] God sees more than the version of life presented to other people. God sees the victories, the questions, the pain, and the private failures that a person may work hard to conceal. God’s complete knowledge does not produce rejection for those who come to Christ. God still loves the person He sees completely. [41:25]
3. Jesus looks beyond human labels [48:05] Zacchaeus carried labels that the crowd considered final: traitor, sinner, and exploiter. Jesus called him by name and entered his home before Zacchaeus could clean up his reputation. Christ sees what He can redeem, not merely what a person has done. His grace creates room for a changed heart to respond. [48:05]
4. Identity is received in Christ [57:34] Achievement, approval, and failure all shift too easily to carry the weight of identity. Christ gives a steadier name: loved, chosen, adopted, forgiven, and sealed by the Spirit. A past can explain wounds and wrong turns, but it cannot own the final word. Life becomes freer when it is lived from God’s gift rather than spent trying to earn one. [57:34]
5. Seeing others reflects God’s heart [01:01:34] God’s people cannot claim to value being seen while continuing to overlook others. Christ calls attention beyond inconvenience, appearance, and a person’s worst moment. Every person encountered bears God’s image and matters to Him. Grace becomes visible when people are noticed, valued, and invited toward truth.

## [61:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:22] - A New Series on Identity
[30:52] - The Mission: Passionate Relationship With Jesus
[32:14] - Jesus Full of Grace and Truth
[34:24] - Grace Without Truth, Truth Without Grace
[35:55] - Truth That Sets People Free
[37:54] - Everyone Matters to God
[40:28] - God Sees Every Part of the Story
[44:23] - Jesus Sees Beyond Labels
[45:18] - Zacchaeus in the Tree
[48:58] - Grace Meets Truth, Transformation Follows
[51:14] - The World’s Search for Identity
[56:31] - Living From Identity in Christ
[59:01] - Seeing Others as God Sees Them
[62:52] - Seen, Loved, and Called to Respond

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 1:14
“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we

Sermon Clips

46s

#LiveFromIdentity

“So stop today allowing the world to write that word, whatever it is, on your name tag. Stop allowing your past to write it. Stop allowing your failures to write it. Stop allowing other people, young people, your friends even, to write it. Instead, receive what the creator of the universe, God, Yahweh says about us. When we begin to understand that you don't have to spend your life trying to earn an identity. You come from an identity God has already given you. Write this down. You don't have to live for your identity. You begin you begin to live from your identity.”

34s

#IdentityInChrist

“When our identity is built on what we do, what we have, what people think, or even what we've done, our identity will constantly be changing, won't it? But when our identity is rooted in Christ, we can live from something that does not change. I am loved. I am chosen. I'm adopted. I'm forgiven. I'm sealed by the spirit, the holy spirit of God. That's who I am. And that's what some of you here, some of us need to remember.”

49s

#GodSeesYou

“And today, before we go any further, I want you to hear this, and you know it, but you need to hear it again is that God the father, the creator, Yahweh, sees you. He sees us. He sees us completely. Now when I say completely, that means he know he knows every part of your story. He knows this part of your story that everybody else knows, but he also knows the part of your story that not everybody else knows. Right? That you're trying to keep hidden. He sees your victories. He sees your struggles. He sees questions. He sees pain. And here's the incredible thing. I really I think this is incredible because I think if he sees me and he really looks at me and he still loves me, that's what's incredible.”

46s

#GraceOpensHearts

“You see, Jesus did not ignore Zacchaeus. Jesus didn't pretend that everything was okay. Jesus begins and starts, catch this in case you missed it in that scripture. He starts with grace. And that grace opened the door for Zacchaeus' heart. Catch this. It opens his heart to hear the truth. And that's what Zacchaeus or Jesus did. We don't know. Now listen. You can read that story in different translations, and it doesn't run. We don't really know everything that Jesus said to him at his house. We have no idea the conversations. All we know is after that happens, Zacchaeus, he has changed.”

34s

#GraceMeetsTruth

“You see, when grace and truth come together, transformation follows. When somebody has extended grace to you and been and maybe invited you, and you've seen a difference in their life, and all of a sudden you say, you know what? I'll come to I'll come to church. And then all of a sudden, they start hearing the word of God. Not not pastor Shane. Start hearing the word of God spoken and truth being shared. That truth and grace transforms life, and that's what Jesus Christ does.”

43s

#GraceLeadsToFreedom

“But Jesus gives us both. You see, grace says, you are loved. Come as you are. You are loved. Come as you are. Truth says you don't have to stay as you are. And when grace and truth actually come together, that's when the butterfly comes out. That's when transformation becomes possible. Jesus meets us where we are with grace, but he loves us enough to lead us towards freedom, freedom from our sin, freedom through truth. So you make sure you're kinda walking with that and understanding that.”

31s

#YouMatterToGod

“You see, God loved the world, not just not just those of you who got his word of all figured out, you know, and you've read it back from a couple times, not just for you for those people. He loves all people. No matter where you've been, no matter what you've done, no matter what's been done to you, no matter what you're carrying in today, you matter to God. And because you matter to God, we see you.”

38s

#PastDoesntDefineYou

“Others of us allow our past. Some of you are sitting here today, and you've allowed your past to define you. Look at what we what I've did, my mistakes I've made, the way I acted, things that I regret, the moments again we know we can never take back, and we begin to believe that's just who I am. That's what the enemy wants. That's who I am. But when you come to Jesus Christ, your past may explain part of your story, but it doesn't get to define your identity.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Passion Community Church This sermon · AI assistant

What is the relationship between grace and truth?

How does being seen shape Christian identity?

Why does identity rooted in Christ change behavior?