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Podcast 27 - Identity
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Join us as we discuss some areas we use to define our identities and what the Bible says about what it means to be a child of God.
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Transcript
Introduction to Grove Hill Podcast
00:00:10
Speaker
Hey, welcome back to the Grove Hill Podcast. John Ballard on my left, your right. Kyle Hess on my right, your left. Yours truly, Ridley Barron, right here in the middle. We love getting together chatting with you over things that are going on in life, whether it's the gospel or how the gospel affects the world around us. And so we're inviting you to be a part of these conversations.
Identity and Its Societal Impacts
00:00:32
Speaker
Today, the subject is one, I think, really, really, really important for our world today. Everyone in our culture seems to be asking a question that goes something like this.
00:00:43
Speaker
Who am I? I think it goes back marriages that fall apart, insecurities and anxieties we have, even going back to the whole issue of transgenderism and sexuality and gender identity and those kinds of things. Who am I? Some things that we commonly anchor our identity to, things that we're all very familiar with, like our careers. Men are really, really bad about this. John, you said something before we came This is a great point to insert that. I think it's good. Go ahead and it in there. The investment of time that we have in a normal week, you know, it, 168 hours? Mm-hmm.
00:01:19
Speaker
we're said to you know have to work a 40, 50, 60 hour a week job. It's easy to find your foundation. It's easy to find your validity. Oh, well, that's who I am is I'm a plumber. yeah That's just what I like.
00:01:34
Speaker
That's what I know. Well, scripture says different. And it is hard to disconnect those things sometimes. So it's a rub and it's a pull and it's a whole lot of strain because God says no that's that's not who you are that's just the modes of transportation in which I use so yeah so the investment of time equals my identity comes from yes so that's one of the anchors politics and nowadays everybody wants to know how you voted who you voted for in the last election those kinds of things um I think I'm changing my party this year from what it was to the common sense party yes unfortunately there are no candidates ah
Parental Pressure and Family Identity
00:02:13
Speaker
Parenting. you You said you're going to make sure parenting was a part of this. Yeah, um I think a lot of times parents, ah their identity is in their children, and that ranges anywhere from, I didn't make it to college ball, so my kid's going to make it to college ball, to if my kid fails, that means I'm failing as a parent, and so you know if if the kid makes a bad decision, you're like, oh I'm the worst parent, right? yeahp And there's a lot of things to where... ah parents are not leading their children, but they're putting pressure on their children to be the identity of the family. Whereas a lot of times, looking the other way and leading as a parent is the best thing you could do for your your child, because then they know what to follow. And so they're looking for guidance at that age. They're not looking for the family identity to be on their shoulders. think that's one legitimate reason why, mean especially men, I think,
00:03:05
Speaker
because of pride. When their children, like you said, don't succeed or they fail in some way or make a bad choice, they get enraged because it's an embarrassment to them. sure It's not really so much about the kids. sure It's about their identity coming under question. Two others. Achievements.
Cultural vs. Christian Identity
00:03:20
Speaker
Everybody recognizes that one. We all love the trophies, the awards, the plaques, the medals, the accolades. And then our feelings. And that one becomes such a big deal because um songs, movies, books, popular you know social media people will tell you, well, what do you feel? Trust your feelings. Follow your heart. What does the Bible tell us about following our heart? now It's inherently deceitful, yeah. It's deceitful above all other things. So don't trust your heart. Right. And so here you got culture and Christianity coming head to head, bang, bang, bang, in all of these areas. Because if your identity, and this is important, you need to hear this. If your identity is in something you can lose, you will never have peace. Yep. Because you're constantly trying to hold on Yeah, a lot of people identify with the thing that they're good at. And so um football players, for example, they put so much into it, they become good at it, and then one play they blow their knee out, right? And then they look around, they go...
00:04:18
Speaker
Who am I? What do I even do in this life? Football was everything. And then it leads to depression. It leads to anxiety because their identity was in something they're good at rather than something that's higher than them that they can't lose.
00:04:31
Speaker
And sadly, ah some of these stories end up with suicide. Sure. Absolutely. They get to that point. I don't know who I am. don't know Without a football in my hand, I can't be. yeah so yeah Romans
Defining Identity in Christ
00:04:42
Speaker
1. I was just reading this passage the other day. we worship the created and not the c creator. and That's right. It's just like, hold on, we're getting the, you know, cart before the horse.
00:04:53
Speaker
Why, you know, why are we thinking that something that was created out of that is going to be a sustaining thing whenever it's, it's very, very fluid. Yeah. And talking about fluidity, like,
00:05:06
Speaker
don't Don't put your house on the sinking sand. Yeah, might right. That's good. All right, so let's talk about what identity in Christ is because we just kind of acknowledged that everybody's looking for identity.
00:05:18
Speaker
As followers of Christ, I think in our head, all of us know that's what we're supposed to be seeking. What is identity in Christ? There's three parts to this, and let's kind of break them down. First of all, it's who God says you are.
00:05:31
Speaker
So who does God say I am? Son, a daughter, an heir. Loved. um Not condemned. Romans 8.1. We're not condemned, but we are a part. We have an adoption. So i think that's just the beginning. Tip of the iceberg. For sure. Okay.
00:05:48
Speaker
ah Because of what Jesus has done, what does that got to do with our identity? again back to the love um he cared for us and enough prioritized enough that he would give his life on the cross for us and so that makes me not want to look at the things around me to identify and it makes me want to go okay if this man cared enough to die for me ah that's who I want to follow that's what I want to be like yeah yeah the third part of this not because of what I have achieved
00:06:19
Speaker
So to me, that goes back to what we said a minute ago. If your identity is in something you can lose or earn or whatever, then there's never stability or peace in your life because you're always trying to hold to those things. So let me go back and say the whole statement together because I think it's important. Your identity in Christ is who God says you are because of what Jesus has done, not because of what you have achieved.
00:06:42
Speaker
And so if Jesus said it That settles it. And I know that's an old preacher saying, but it's just true. It's just true.
Biblical Foundations of Christian Identity
00:06:50
Speaker
Let me hit these real quick, and then we'll go on to the next section where I want to talk about why why our identity the the the settling of our identity is so important before we go on to whatever's next but here here's some key truths if you want to write these down you're listening today you mentioned romans chapter eight we're adopted sons and daughters adopted sons and daughters you know the beauty of being an adopted child that i've always thought was pretty cool because my one of my daughters i adopted um when you have a child you love that child in a very special way it's unique it's yours But an adopted child is even more unique in a different way because you chose that child instead of that child being given to you. And so that puts them in a different standing. And then they are, as the Bible describes it, grafted into the family. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5.17, you are a new creation because of Christ Jesus. Colossians 3.12 says you're chosen, holy, beloved. And then Paul hits it again in Ephesians 2, you and I are seated with
00:07:52
Speaker
Christ. Every time they do the Super Bowl or the World Series, the camera always pans the crowd and it goes up into those luxury seats and there's those people sitting up there like, ah God help us. Taylor Swift sitting up there with her friends. why kansas why Why do we care? Why do we care? But anyway, they do that. Why? Because they want to go, look who's seated with her. Well, here's the deal.
00:08:13
Speaker
Tough luck, Taylor Swift. I'm seated with Jesus Christ. And he doesn't have a luxury suite. He's got the kingdom of heaven all at his disposal. So that's where your identity comes from. It's not your self-esteem. We're not talking about building your self-esteem. We're talking about recognizing your unity with the person of Jesus Christ. Yeah, I think i think one of the big disservices the church has done is um Romans 3.23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That is the most important verse, really, ah to to get us to the point where we need salvation. After we're saved, after Christ claims us and adopts us into his family, he no longer says, hey, I identify you as a sinner. He says, I had identify you as the list you just went through. Holy, sanctified, justified, child of God, child of light, all these things to where he's saying, I've pulled you out of your identity of sin, and you now identify with me, right? Mm-hmm.
00:09:06
Speaker
Yes, we fail, we sin, but it's no longer our identity. Where we as Christians often say, oh I'm just a sinner. And then it puts us in that vicious cycle of, oh, I sin because I'm a sinner, I sin because... No, you're called to a higher standard by the Lord. You are seated next to Christ, right? And it gives superseding precedence to...
00:09:28
Speaker
Are we letting our feelings, our emotions be the driver? Or are we letting Christ be the driver of, you know, the the path that we go when we lead in this life? Yeah. Yeah. yeah So...
00:09:41
Speaker
oh yeah great When I was growing up in Georgia, i'm ah I'm a Georgia Bulldog fan for those who don't know it. When I was growing up in Georgia, I had the opportunity to go to a lot of ball games because of friends and family and stuff like that.
Practical Implications of Christian Identity
00:09:52
Speaker
Went to to Athens to go watch the Bulldogs play at least once a year most of the time. um Went through this period, long period, where I didn't get to go. When I went to those games, I was like every other redneck in the stands. Drinking my drinks, eating my nachos, cheering for the team, going crazy, screaming at the rest, those kinds of things.
00:10:11
Speaker
Years later, i went back to Southeast Georgia, pastoring a church. A very, very dear friend of mine who worked on the staff at Athens said, I got tickets to a game. Took me to the game. Man, we didn't sit in the stands. We were up in the VIP space where they have the endless buffets kind stuff. But you know what?
00:10:27
Speaker
I was a different person. I didn't scream at the refs. I didn't lick my fingers. ate off the buffet using all all the right stuff. Why? Because I was seated with somebody else. Right.
00:10:37
Speaker
Was the game still exciting? You better believe it was. It was good, it was right, it was important, but I saw it from a whole different perspective because the whole time I'm watching that game and engaged in that game, I'm thinking about who is it I'm with.
00:10:51
Speaker
And so i just, I think that's a really incredible thought. our Our position is changed in Christ Jesus so that now we view everything in this world, yeah what we eat, what we drink, what we do from a entirely different perspective.
00:11:07
Speaker
Alright, let me throw this at you. A statement I ah made to you while we were getting ready to come online here. But I i want you to kind of help me process this for the listeners out there. This is a core theological point. Religion says that we have to perform and then we can belong.
00:11:25
Speaker
The gospel says you belong, now go live like it. Why is that important? what's What's the difference there for most people? Again, it's that that standing point because if I had to earn my God's love, um that's also something I can lose, right? Because if if it's in my power, just like if you had to create your identity in football, it's also something you can lose. Um, but in this mindset, God saying, no, you are worth it. You're valued.
00:11:56
Speaker
And then he goes off of that standard, you know? So it's kind of a flip to what the world would say. Hey, I have to achieve this to get your love. And God says, no, I love you. Now go do this. Right. It's so backwards. Uh, the, the whole thing, you know, we mentioned it, uh, in different conversations around here that sometimes you're retraining the brain to say, wait,
00:12:17
Speaker
you're not the one doing the work. yeah You know, the whole, like some of you who know your scripture really well, there's this like Romans, James, like, is it the faith? Is it the work? No, like it's not the faith that is the, or it's not the works that is the originating point. right It's the faith and the works outflow from it. It's God that does that. Cause if we're the sustainers to it,
00:12:40
Speaker
Guess what happens? Our engine runs out. yeah Our engine wasn't built to run to all these things like the the fruit of the Spirit. When we see that in Scripture, try upholding all those. It doesn't work when you do it in and of yourself. But when you let the Holy Spirit drive those things, He grows those in a supernatural Holy Spirit way. And you're able to respond with the work of the Spirit, not, hey, I'm going to try this and I hope for the best.
00:13:08
Speaker
ah it' A good example of what we're talking about here. We just just said the Bible describes us as sons and daughters. A son doesn't obey in order to become a son. He obeys because he is a son.
00:13:22
Speaker
And that's that's the difference in the order of it. A popular saying identity comes before activity. Once you recognize whose you are, who you belong to once you get your identity right, then the activity follows. Um...
00:13:40
Speaker
um Identity before activity. Just tell yourself that. I've got to be comfortable in my skin because of who's inside that skin with me. The one who who occupies my heart and my soul. I've got to be comfortable with all that before I can effectively go out and do everything.
00:13:57
Speaker
what it is the gospel commands us to do yeah in ephesians 4 and 5 there's a bunch of don'ts you know don't let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth don't be greedy rage anger brawling all these things it talks about fleeing from sexual immorality no hint of it obscenities foolish talk all these things but right in the middle at chapter 5 it says be imitators of god therefore as dearly loved children, and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." And so it's like we have all these don'ts, um but the main focus of these don'ts is to be imitators of God. And so to look at the life of Jesus, to look at the character of God, and say, okay, that's the standard I want to be. I want to like Christ.
00:14:47
Speaker
be like christ And then those other things take care of themselves in that. And so if I'm like Christ, I don't have to worry about obscene talk. It's not going to come out of my mouth if I'm acting like Christ. And so identifying with him, being an imitator of him, is the best way we can go about this. Because otherwise, if I look at that list, fail, right? going to fail every single one if I'm trying to do it on myself. But if I can be like Christ, those things take care of themselves.
00:15:13
Speaker
All right, to close, I'm going to throw four different statements out there.
Integrating Identity in Christ into Daily Life
00:15:17
Speaker
We'll just toss them back and forth, let y'all deal with them. i'm gonna and and These are how you can establish your identity. yeah Play a little table tennis here.
00:15:24
Speaker
ah How to establish identity in your daily life so that it becomes a part of your daily routine. Number one, seems like we always come back to this because it's so critical, saturate your mind in Scripture. yeah Saturate your mind in Scripture. Why is that such an important part of our identity?
00:15:40
Speaker
I always tell the the students that the Sunday school answer is always the right answer. Read your Bible and pray. yeah um Reading scripture, saturating it, it helps us know who Christ is. right If I'm going to get to know somebody and and Jesus is that person, this is the only place that I'm going to learn who he is. And so saturating ourselves in this is going to give us a clear picture of who Christ rest is and the person we're supposed to be imitating.
00:16:03
Speaker
I encourage you, pick up the Bible and read it and just as part of your regular reading, every time you come to the phrase, in Christ, underline it. and And realize how important that is. Not only important for how we choose to live after that moment when we find it, but just how important it is in that we have that to help us live that life. Second statement, stop letting feelings be your final authority.
00:16:29
Speaker
Just stop it. Just stop it. stop it just um Look outside yourself. We have a world that and and you mentioned it. The culture says, make sure you're okay. Make sure you're happy. We were, my wife and I were talking about this the other day. There's such a driving thought towards what's going to make me feel happy and think outside of yourself is where you kind of start to draw it to what really matters. um and And go back, say say what you said again, so I can kind of... Stop letting feelings be your final authority.
00:17:05
Speaker
temporary. m Feelings are temporary. Yeah. From moment to moment. From moment to moment. There's times to where if I would have acted on my feelings, I'd be in prison right now. You know, in all seriousness. I mean, look at look at just a ah very thing that has been made super frequent in our culture today, the road rage. Mm-hmm. people have worked off so much of emotion. yeah And what is supposed to be just a transportation back and forth from work has now turned into a game of like, I think I should make it. Life. Yeah. like Life or death. yes i So do not work off your emotions. They're going to change from day to day because They're about as reliable as the Tennessee forecast. Yes. Yeah. Not not so reliable.
00:17:52
Speaker
That's great. I mean, it's true. i mean I mean, we joke about it, but even the weather affects your emotions. Oh, for sure. You know? So why would you put put your identity in something that's so wild and and
Social Media and Identity Challenges
00:18:03
Speaker
scattered? All right. Number three, kill the comparison game.
00:18:07
Speaker
Get rid of Facebook and Instagram. He went there. No, we we tend to identify in what people say is important. And so, you know, if vacations are important and we're not having them, then we feel like we're at we we're not who we're supposed to be. um We compare about families and marriages and all these types of things when God says, hey,
00:18:27
Speaker
I am holy. You're not. Come to me. Right? And that's the comparison game we should be playing is is where do I stand in Christ? Oh, if I'm called to be holy, then I need to be like Christ, not like the Joneses. no For about one month out of every year when you come to the Barron household, we have a tree inside our house.
00:18:47
Speaker
Is that we around Christmas time? Yes. We have all kinds of decorations on that tree. We have lights and candles and music that plays. And if you came into my house and spent that entire month with me, you could easily go away and go, that's what their life is like. yeah It's not. right Most of my life is spent emptying the trash, feeding the dog, chasing chickens and cats around the yard.
00:19:10
Speaker
No tree inside the house. Right. So what I'm saying is you get that small glimpse of my life and you think, that's it. that's that I want that life. That's exactly what social media is. yeah There are rare exceptions, but most people are going, let me show you the best seven days of my life and let you think that's how my life really is.
00:19:28
Speaker
You know? true. ah Lastly, live from your position, not for your position.
00:19:38
Speaker
That goes back to this idea, of this concept of I obey to be accepted, which is religion, versus I am accepted, so I choose to obey. The pressure's off. yeah yeah the The pressure's off. there's I'm reminded of athletes. I kind of throw throw some illustrations that direction because it's such a familiarity for me. right But the pressure's off. There is...
00:20:05
Speaker
some of the most fun uh exciting probably most productive things that i ever did in athletics when the pressure was off it's the same thing in the christian walk the pressure's off you didn't have to do the heavy lifting like jesus wrapped in flesh lived life sacrificed was rose again he did it we live in light of that not of redoing the work of Christ. we We can't do the work of Christ.
00:20:32
Speaker
We just have to take it on and in motivation of that, go and live from that, not for. Have you ever noticed the difference when you record a football game and you know the end score and then you go back and watch it?
Resilience Through a Secure Identity in Christ
00:20:46
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:47
Speaker
flag is thrown you go yeah no anxiety no big deal yeah we know what happens at the end right um I think that's the beauty of identity in Christ yeah we know the end of the story we even know how he gets us to the end of the story so what may be catastrophic for someone whose identity is based on their career or their children just is simply a bump in the road for those who really truly know and identify with Christ Jesus um so ask yourself these questions listener what do you fear losing most in your life? Because that's probably a some kind of clue as to what you're identifying. yeah What criticisms devastate you?
00:21:26
Speaker
I said this, I think a few weeks ago in one of the sermons, I told a friend of mine, I said, one of the greatest gifts I have received is getting old because now I don't care what people think anymore.
00:21:36
Speaker
Yeah. You ever been around old people? They just, they don't know. cut it loose they'll burn public they'll say what they think i mean they just they don't care and there's a beauty to that yeah you know it's like what are people going to do to me yeah uh and and then maybe this last question might even be more revealing what achievement that you aim for would make you feel enough like you had arrived because the truth is as human beings we we chase those accolades and when we get to them we come up empty going oh there's got to be something else you know i mean i've won my share of trophies i've won my share of awards and certificates i've had people pat me on the back and i've never come to one of those moments and going oh that was it i've arrived always just come away going okay there's there's got to be something else there's something new
00:22:25
Speaker
um So yeah. The answers to those questions are probably going to reveal where you're getting your identity from. where you're Where you're getting even your sense of purpose. If Christ is your identity, and this is what we're trying to drive home for you today, if Christ is your identity,
00:22:42
Speaker
losses in your life, trials in your life, struggles in your life, they cannot destroy you because they can't touch you. right now um They'll affect you. and i mean you could You could be sad, you could be hurt, all those types of things, um but you're still able to put your feet, one foot in in front of the next the next day.
Invitation and Gratitude
00:23:01
Speaker
and so So as always, if you'd like to have more conversations about this, follow up. If you're asking questions and you're thinking, man, I really need some better answers than what I'm able to find on my own, we would love for you to come and chat with us, call us, email us here at the offices. We'll get somebody ah on the line with you that have those conversations. Even more importantly, we invite you to come visit us Grove Hill Church, 8, 9, 30, and 11 each Sunday. We are exploring these very kinds of questions as part of our services on a regular basis. We're right now in the middle of the book of luke
00:23:30
Speaker
and going week by week through the life of Jesus. And if you want somebody to answer your questions, there's a great candidate. to you He's got all the wisdom in the world. Hey, thanks for following us today. i think our our following just increases every week. We might be up to 9 or 10 now.
00:23:46
Speaker
Now we are thankful for all of you, the many people who follow us and the thoughts and comments that you make. Be sure to click, like, and share, and you'll look forward to seeing us back here next week. Not us looking forward to seeing you because we can't see you. right. You look forward to seeing us next week. Love you guys, and we'll see you then.
00:24:02
Speaker
Bye.