What Does The Bible Say About Me?
Timeline
WELCOME
TALK with Matt Edmundson
16:42 - What Does The Bible Say About Me?
21:28 - Why Does It Matter What God Says About Me?
22:17 - What Does God See When He Looks At Me?
23:33 - Knowing Who I am in Christ Jesus
WORSHIP
38:31 - Reckless Love with Lyrics
CONVERSATION STREET with Matt & Phil
44:53 - Jesus and fostering and adopting
46:00 - Phil's Story
48:50 - What Does Your Instagram Bio Have To Do With Identity?
50:00 - God's Love Brings Peace
52:30 - Placing Your Identity In How You Feel
53:31 - Taking Your Thoughts Captive
57:25 - Jesus And Emotions
CLOSING WORSHIP
01:02:26 - Overcome with Lyrics
Podcast:
What does the Bible say about me?
— Matt Edmundson
What does God think of me? And how should I think about myself? These are both questions of identity: who am I? The best way to answer them, is to ask what does the Bible say? It will tell me what God thinks of me and what to think about myself.
But first, let's ask,
Why does it matter what God says about me?
Let's look at a story from Mark's Gospel, a book of the bible that chronicles the life of Christ.
Jairus Goes To See The Christ
The story is about a guy called Jairus. He lived in Capernaum, north of the sea of Galilee, and was a ruler of the local synagogue.
Jesus spent quite a bit of time in Capernaum, so when Jairus' daughter got really sick, he knew that Jesus was a good person to see as he would have at least heard about some of the miracles that Christ had performed.
So Jairus heads to see Jesus, and invites him to come to his house to pray for his sick daughter. Jesus accepts, but as they are walking to the house, Jairus' friends intercept them with an update on his daughter:
“Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
Imagine how Jairus must have felt at this point. He was now the father of a dead daughter. His identity had suddenly changed. And the identity of Jairus' daughter had changed too, as she was now dead. At least, that’s what everyone was saying.
So let's ask,
Does What Everyone Else Was Saying About Jairus Or His Daughter Matter?
And does it align with what Jesus Christ said about them?
Let's jump a few verses and find out. Jairus takes his new found, miracle-working friend to the house and find a whole bunch of folks who are grieving and upset.
“Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
Wow. There is now a massive disconnect between what God says about this young girl and about what everyone else says about her. There is even a disconnect between what God is saying about this young girl and what medical evidence is saying about her.
And it's not just me that thinks that is extraordinary. Everyone in Jairus' house were more than a little bemused by it. In fact, "they ridiculed him" (Mark 5:40).
But it is Christ Jesus who has the last laugh here:
Jesus Raises Jairus' Daughter From The Dead
“Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.”
I bet they were overcome with great amazement. I am too, and it's 2,000 years later!
But what I want to draw out from this story is, why does it matter what God says about me? In life, I have found that there are often two opposing views: what the Bible says about us, and what everyone else - including ourselves - says about us.
When we understand and believe what God says about us, our lives are transformed. We might not be literally raised from the dead like the girl in the story, but the miracle for us is just as great. Christ Jesus will literally pull us up from our metaphorical death bed, and give us a new identity.
We are no longer dead, but alive.
What Does God Say About Me And Who Does God Say I Am?
Let's run through some key passages in the Bible. I'm going to show you some of the things that you should look for, so that as you read them you can grow in your God-given identity and can continue to carry on the study for yourselves.
Here's the first one:
What Does God See When He Looks At Me?
What do you see when you look in a mirror? If you are like most people, when they look in a mirror, they often see flaws. They see their weight, wrinkles on their face and maybe their hair color or lack thereof.
The trouble with that is we can think that is the way God sees us too. We think that when He looks at us he sees flaws, a sinner, someone who is average, someone who often disappoints him, someone who is broken and needs to be fixed.
But when God sees us he doesn't look at our flaws, instead, He sees our Lord Jesus Christ.
And this is crucial for us in understanding our identity. In church circles, we call this, knowing who I am in Christ.
Knowing Who I am in Christ Jesus
So if we think about Jairus's daughter, in Christ Jesus she was asleep, not dead. When you look in the mirror you may see someone who is broken and needs fixing, but in Christ you are complete.
Frame Of Reference
Right now, I am sat in a chair, travelling at 0mph. You may be sat down reading this blog too. You could be at home on a couch, or sat on a moving train, who knows?
Relative to the walls around me, I am not moving. Relative to what I see and experience, I am stationary.
So what if I change my frame of reference? What if I look at myself relative to something outside of these walls, like the sun? Then that becomes a very different picture. The earth orbits the sun at 67,000 mph. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if the earth is moving at 67,000 mph then I also am working at 67,000 mph.
However, I couldn't use the argument to get out of a speeding ticket. Whilst it is true, everyone else is looking at my speed relative to the speed camera, not relative to the sun.
In the same way, all those people looked at Jairus' daughter relative to what they knew. But Jesus looked at her relative to what He knew.
When can either look at ourselves relative to what we know, see, experience and feel, or relative to how God sees us, through God's eyes. To do that, we look at who we are in Christ.
Here are some Bible verses to help us:
I am loved
This is foundational for our Christian faith.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This is my sun. I may not feel loved, but the truth is, I really am loved by God. Once that sinks in, my identity changes. How I view life is changed. I put on my new self. What does God say about me? He tells me I am love more than I could ever comprehend. And nothing can separate me from that love.
I am forgiven
Remember what I said about seeing our faults when we look in the mirror? Well, the same applies to how we see other people too. It's like we are a magnet for seeing the stuff that isn't right. So what do we do about that?
Often in the west we have an innocent/guilty worldview unlike in the east, where the honour/shame worldview is more prevalent, or in Africa and South America where there is a stronger fear/power mentality.
“In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
Whichever part of the world we live in, or worldview that we live under, forgiveness is the key to everything and central to the Christian message.
In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
This is a powerful verse but what does it mean?
In Him
Notice that phrase at the start - in Him. This is the key; our identity is in Him. It's not about us or what we have or haven't done, but it is about Him. He is the metaphorical sun that we orbit, and that we reference our identity to.
When you read the Bible, and you see phrases like "in Him", "through Him" or "in Christ", take note - because it is talking about your identity, what God says about you.
This verse tells us that we have been forgiven of all our sin, shame and guilt. All the things that have stopped us living the life that God planned for us, was all put on Jesus Christ.
This is a crucial part of our identity, not in a way that should make us feel self-righteous, or better than other people, but in a way that acknowledges we are here because Christ lives, because of the riches of His glorious grace, and nothing else.
But there's more:
I'm a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
There is that phrase again - in Christ. In Him, we are a new creation.
That means we leave our old self behind. Where you may have struggled with habit patterns before you were a Christian, they no longer have to affect you in your future.
What else does God say about me?
I'm holy.
I am righteous. That means God sees me without flaws. He sees me the same way He sees His only Son. It means that I can enter into the presence of God without shame and fear.
I'm chosen.
God chose me before the foundation of the world. Do you remember being at school and you choose teams to play football? I was usually one of the last chosen. I remember that feeling well, it wasn't great.
But thank God He looks beyond my ability to play football. I am one of God's chosen, and so are you.
God has a plan for us.
We aren't here aimlessly. The bible tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He knitted me in my mother's womb. And He did that with a purpose in mind.
I'm the heir of God.
“...heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...”
I am at that phase of life when I need to think about my will. Who get's what when I die? Who get's what possessions and who gets what position? So think about that where God is concerned.
The Christian faith states that God demonstrates His love by sending His only son to die. And because Christ died and rose, we are now heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, and called children of God.
I'm a masterpiece.
Have you ever thought of yourself as a masterpiece?
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Notice that phrase again - "in Christ". We have been created in Christ. We are His workmanship, His craftsmanship, His poetry, His masterpiece.
This isn’t God making just any old thing. This is God taking His time, doing His best work on you and on me. It’s not always that easy to believe, especially when all you see are mistakes in the mirror.
According to Forbes, we are exposed to 4,000 - 10,000 ads a day, all of which tell us that we are not good enough in some way, especially if they contain beauty products.
But you are His masterpiece.
That may sound crazy. It sounded crazy when Jesus said the little girl was sleeping. Everyone ridiculed Him, but then He sent them all outside. Get away from the voices that tell you something different to what God tells you.
Find Out For Yourself
Dig deep into this. Find these Bible verses and look for the phrases "in Him", "in Christ", "by Him", "through Him" etc. This world is more than happy to put you down. It is more than happy to help you believe a lie.
We have to understand what God says
The Bible tells me that you are God’s masterpiece. You are chosen and He has a plan for you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made in His own image. You are an heir of God, holy, a new creation, redeemed and loved.
It also tells me that your are part of a team, a royal priesthood that are all equal in the eyes of God. Equal regardless of your bank balance, gender, race and nationality. All equal.
And God says you are not only a masterpiece, but so is the person sitting opposite you in the office, or on the train. You might not like them a whole lot. You might disagree with their politics or their stance on vaccination, but God created them and loves them just like you.
He Was Right
Lets not be like those folks in Jairus’ house that scorned our Lord Jesus Christ and ridiculed Him because they thought that what He said about the young girl was wrong based on what they could see and experience.
Because you know what, in the end, He proved He was right about that little girl.
And He’ll prove He is right about you and those around you when you let him, when you dig into the Bible and let it change you from the inside out.
CONVERSATION STREET
With: Matt Edmundson & Phil Watson.
Conversation Street
Conversation Street is part of our live stream, where the hosts (in this case, Matt & Phil) chat through Matt’s talk and answer questions that were sent in through the live stream. To watch the conversation now, click here.
Finding my true identity in Christ and not in my job title
Matt: Phil, was there a point in your life where you thought, "actually I need to get a bit more of a handle on this whole topic of identity"?
Phil: Definitely. After university, I became an export manager. That's when the rubber hit the road for me about identity. I had a business card, a business account, I had suits and I used to go abroad a lot. I was doing exactly what I'd aspired to since I was young. I had a proper job, income and status.
I hate my job
But you know what? I hated it. I absolutely hated it. So much so, I got quite down about it all. It was then I realised I'd actually been putting my identity in the wrong place. I'd put it in what I do, rather than who I am. So, I ripped up my business card and went, "this is what I do to earn some money, but it's not who I am".
God's special possession...
Then I had a different approach to it. I decided, this is something I do and whether I have a good day or a bad day, it doesn't define me. I think we all have good and bad days. Nobody lives in a perpetual state of everything going well. But understanding God's love is such an integral part of who I've become and who I am.
God's Love Brings Peace
Phil: It's not something that I understood once and never forget either. I have to keep on learning through reading the Bible, through the Holy Spirit, and through going to church and connecting with other Christians.
Knowing this love brings me a true sense of tranquility and helps maintain my mental health too, because, you are allowed to have mental health issues by the way.
Fundamentally, if I remember that God's Word says He made me, He loves me and has a plan for me, then that quells the worries that I struggle with. It fills me with a perfect peace.
Mental Health
Matt: For me, it would be so easy to put my identity, in my successes as an entrepreneur. Don't get me wrong, I don't think you have to be successful to put your identity in the wrong place, but if you're successful, it's easy to become known for just being successful. But it's not who I am.
That in turn has a massive impact on my mental well being because it takes the pressure off.
Placing Your Identity In How You Feel
Matt: A big trend I've noticed recently is with people who who choose their identity based on how they feel on a particular day. It's all about me and how I feel.
Phil: It's like the song, "Love Is All Around" where it says, "my mind's made up, by the way that I feel".
It's a rubbish lyric, because if you asked me how I feel on a Monday morning, it'd be a different answer from a Friday evening, for no other reason, than I feel a bit perkier on a Friday evening than I do on a Monday morning.
You can't base your life on that.
Taking Your Thoughts Captive
Phil: But there's another verse in the Bible, where it talks about holding your thoughts captive, and it means, when I get angry with myself, about who I am or with other people, the Bible says, hang on a minute, let's just look at what you're thinking about and examine it.
This allows you then to question your thoughts and ask, is this useful or even true?
Perspective
It might feel true at the time, but actually, if you take a step back and remember what God says about Himself, about you and those around you, things might start to look a little different. You might have just made a mistake, which your emotions aren't enabling you to see in the moment.
It's Not Easy
Now I don't don't want you to think we're saying, "Oh, it's simple. Hold your thoughts captive", because I know that's not possible for all people in all circumstances.
But I do know that it's a really important part of remembering who I am. I didn't get it all sorted when I became a Christian in 1989. I have this battle again and again and again.
Matt: Paul wrote that we're going to "cast down these arguments in every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and we bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5-6).
Sometimes it feels like, these things are insurmountable. But the long term plan is just to start thinking about myself like God thinks about me, to see situations like God sees them.
Trusting God Despite How You're Feeling
Phil: So when things are a bit scary and you're wondering where it's all going you say, "God, you're big, you know everything, you're a loving father and you're powerful. I'm just gonna have to trust you on this one." It's tremendously reassuring.
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