A New Identity Card

Please put this small sign in your window

BE A SAFE DRIVER

Petition to “Keep California Beautiful”

Please sign your name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Two weeks later, totally different people came and asked them display the big sign.
They didn’t know there was any conneciton with the petition.
50% agreed!
Why?
We live out of our Self Identity

am deeply loved by my Father God.

He has re-created me as a new person who is:

I choose to live out of this new identity,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Ephesians 2”

v.5 We were dead, so it’s a completely free gift
v.7 He’s piling up words, almost running out of them as he tries to describe the gift
note v.4 and v.7
The essence of his love is its freeness—pure grace
- in other words, it doesn’t require any merit on our part, but is a gift
Father: adoption

Create or “re-create”
- since we had some kind of existence, we are being re-created, but it is a new life
v.5 “made us alive” —an event has happened to us
v.10 his workmanship, a new creation

v.6
Who here is seated in the heavenly realms right now? Anybody?
- Excuse me, but I can see you seated here.
When do we actually experience this? or, when do we experience the presence of God?
- worship, prayer…
Also see 1:19–23 (the previous chapter) Wow!!
- We exercise this power when we pray. We have access to the powerhouse of the universe.
- The card is very much abbreviated, but this is what power is
- Are you going to live differently this week if you have this power at your fingertips?
- You are living in God’s presence, with his ear open all the time to your prayer
- There are also negative aspects of this spiritual world.

I spent some time trying to fit all this on a card.
- To start with I had masses, but gradually I pared it down
- When I got to this point it just sent a thrill through me
v.7 amazing riches
- what will it actually look like? (don’t know!)
again there is kindness (love)

Not a single verse, but
- look on to v.19–22
- I’m sure you’ll agree that we can’t leave this out of our identity
- If we left it out, we’d just be a collection of individual Christians
So because of this, our identity card is actually a citizenship card!
- Two for the price of one, how about that!
- Even now we are building a community together
- and looking to be a dwelling place for God by the Spirit
- not just having a fun time together, but reflecting who God is.

Note that I couldn’t fit the verses about a new family on there—you’ll have to remember that.

Ephesians 5:8
“for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
We’ll read through and then you can sign

am deeply loved by my Father God.

He has re-created me as a new person who is:

I choose to live out of this new identity,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .