Introduction

We are going to start a series of messages this week looking at a big topic and an important topic – “Who We Are In Christ”

It’s important as if we do not have a revelation of who we are in Christ I feel that we will not live our life the way the Lord means us to. The Word talks about the power we can have, the great things we can have, and the great life we can live. Until we know who we really are in Christ we will not see that power manifest and we will not live the life that God has for us.

This will not just be a feel good message, although it should encourage you. It will also be a call to believe and a call to action.

But where to start? The Lord has given us so many things through Christ, there’s almost too much to mention.

The Lord brought to mind a sheet that I was given once by a member of the congregation. It was entitled “Who I Am In Christ”, and it tells us the following –

We are accepted in Christ

We are secure in Christ

We are significant in Christ

This series of messages will talk about our acceptance, our security and our significance in Christ.

As humans we have many needs. We need food, warmth, clothing a home and our health. These are some of our physical needs. We also have emotional and psychological needs. Three of the strongest of these needs are acceptance, security and significance. You might not realise this but you need and desire acceptance, security and significance.

It is very special to be told “I love you”. We all need to be loved and accepted. I love it when my wife, children and grand-daughter tell me they love me. I dare anyone to tell me otherwise!

But it’s not just about being loved, it’s about affirmation too. It’s also nice to be told that you are good enough, that you are all you need to be and that you are just fine the way you are. It’s nice to be told you are good enough for me and I like you for who you are.

We all need love and affirmation, we all need that acceptance.

And we also need to feel that we belong, to be told you can be with me and you belong here with me.

We also need security, to feel safe, to have peace of mind. It’s not nice being somewhere dangerous. Being safe and secure is a basic human need.

I used to do a lot of hill walking as a youth and young man. And as a young man I used to do some pretty stupid things. On one walk when a storm blew up instead of stopping or turning back our party kept on climbing, determined to reach the summit. It was a very scary experience; this was before I came to fully trust in the Lord. I was afraid until I got back to the car. Once inside the car I felt safe and secure, it felt like a place of rest. The storm was raging outside but I was fine inside.

Praise God that I have a much better place of security, my Lord Jesus.

I’m sure that you’ve all been in similar situations and know that feeling when you get to a place of safety ad security. To be in a place where noting can harm you and nothing can damage you. A place where storms can be raging around you and it cannot touch you. A place where awful things are going on all around and you know that you are going to be fine.

It’s a nice place to be is it not, a nice place to be.

We also need to feel significant. We all need a sense of worth, a need to feel that we are doing something important, that we are doing something of value. This could be in the family and home, at your work or in your fellowship.

I’ve done a fair bit of voluntary work in the past and it was strange to see the same faces again and again in different organisations. They were trying to fulfil their need for significance by working for various charities and organisations.

So we all need acceptance, security and significance.

But it not just enough to feel these things, we need to be told also. We need someone to say I accept you and I love you. We need to be told you are safe and you are significant.

The man in the street looks for these things from other men, and if we don’t find these things we get hurt. Christians look for these things from men too, yet we don’t need to.

We already have these things from God, we already have them! We are not going to get them, we already have them.

As a believer you already have acceptance, security and significance from God through Christ Jesus.

You have acceptance from God through Jesus.

You have security from God through Jesus.

And you have significance from God through Jesus.

It’s almost funny (not really) that man craves these things that they can freely receive from God and look in any place for them except in Christ Jesus. People without Jesus do crazy and dangerous things to get these things when they can have them from the Lord.

As for being told that you have acceptance, security and significance, all you need to do is open the Word. The Bible is the true and inspired Word of God and His Word tells us that we have acceptance, security and significance in Christ Jesus.

This is a message God wants us to hear, and to hear it right now! His acceptance of us is through His Son, the security we have is through His Son and our significance is through His Son. Once we truly grasp these facts we will be changed! Praise God!

This may sound a big thing. Indeed it is! Once we truly undersand our acceptance, security and significance we will think differently and as a result behave differently.

If you are serious in wanting to change your Christian walk for the better can I please challenge you to read the scripture sheet daily. Soak in the scriptures. Meditate on them.

Read them out aloud, let yourself hear these truths. Read them to each other!

Tell yourself that you are a child of God. Tell yourself that you are complete in Christ. Tell yourself that there is no condemnation hanging over you. Tell yourself that you can do all things thru Christ who strengthens you.

Start believing what God is telling you through His Word.

You are accepted in Christ.

You are secure in Christ

You are significant in Christ.

AMEN.