- Hello, Saddleback.
I'm gonna say hi to all of you
at each of our twenty
different campuses,
and those of you
joining us online.
If you'll pull out
your message notes,
we're in part two
of our new series.
You know, a few years
ago, I read a news report
about a man with
no identification,
who was found beaten and
naked and unconscious
behind a hamburger
restaurant in Georgia.
Now, he regained
his consciousness,
but he had total amnesia
for the past eight years,
and nobody knows
who this guy is.
He had ID on him, the FBI
ran his fingerprints and DNA,
found nothing.
Dr. Phil on TV hired a private
investigator, found nothing.
A nurse named
Katherine took him in
and is still trying to
reawaken his memory,
but nobody knows this
guy's true identity.
Now, imagine if you were
that man, and for the last
eight years you had had your
identity completely stolen.
How would you feel about that?
You know, this week I
read about the fact that
identity theft costs people
billions of lost dollars
and pesos and euros and
yuans and other currencies.
Identity theft is
a global problem.
In fact, here in America,
there's a new scam
that identity thieves are using.
These criminals use
stolen identities
to file fake tax returns,
and then they steal
people's tax refunds.
Last year, over 1.5
million fake tax returns
were filed here in America,
and as a result, each year,
the government pays out
over $5 billion in refunds
to people who it doesn't
belong to, to fake accounts.
That means over the
past five years,
the US government has
given away over $25 billion
of your money, if you live in
America, to identity thieves.
But you know what?
There's an even more
sinister and evil thief
of your identity, and
his name is Satan,
and he wants to steal far
more than just your money.
He wants to steal
your true identity
of what God created you to be.
He wants to hide
your true identity,
he wants to diminish
your true identity,
he wants to confuse
your identity.
He doesn't want you to
know who you really are,
who God made you to be.
He doesn't want you to know
the power that you have
as a child of God, as a son
or daughter in God's family.
You know, one of the
reasons you get so tired,
and get so stressed out, is
because there's an unspirital,
unseen spiritual battle or
war going on in your life,
over your identity,
every single moment.
As your pastor, I need
you to understand this.
Satan's not as powerful as God.
For one thing, Satan
cannot create anything.
He can't create.
Satan can only distort,
Satan can pervert,
or Satan can destroy,
but he can't create.
But he can pervert,
distort, destroy
the beautiful things
that God creates,
and, of course, we see
that happening everywhere.
He does it with money,
he does it with sex,
he does it with physical
beauty, he does it with power,
he does it with your identity.
And Satan uses a number
of different tools
to confuse you about
your true identity.
What does he use?
Well, number one, he uses
hurt and pain and trauma.
If Satan can get you
angry or bitter or ashamed
about something that's happened
to you, or through you,
or by you, then he's gonna
distort your true identity.
So he uses hurt and pain.
Number two, he uses
other people's opinions.
And I hate to tell you this,
but people lie to
you all the time,
and some of the things
that have been said
to you about you,
by peers, by parents,
by partners, by
enemies, by friends,
they just aren't true, but he
can distort your true identity
by what other people
say about you.
He uses the culture,
he uses the media,
and you get these messages all
the time through the media,
through movies and
music and novels
that you should be like that,
instead of being who God
really, truly made you to be.
And then, of
course, number four.
Satan actually uses thoughts
that he suggests in your mind,
and when he puts a thought
in your mind, he says,
"You're no good,
you're worthless,
"you'll never amount to
anything, you're a failure,"
are all the things that he says.
And most of all, he uses the
things you tell yourself.
He uses the lies you
tell yourself, over
and over about you.
He uses your feelings,
and you say, "I feel this
way, so it must be true."
Your feelings are a
terrible predictor of truth.
They're often totally off-base.
Just because you feel
something doesn't make it true.
Doctors can give you a medicine
or stimulate your brain
and make you feel things that
are totally untrue about you.
But when he gets, Satan gets
you to believe those things,
then he can distort
your true identity.
Now, my first message that
we started in this new series
called The Foundation
Of A Well-Lived Life,
we talked about God's
timing in your life.
But as your pastor, and
as your spiritual coach,
my goal for you is that
you live a life well-lived.
And so today, I wanna focus
on another very important
component or element
of a foundation for
a well-lived life.
I want us to look at learning
your true identity in Christ,
what God says about you,
what's true about you.
Knowing who you really are,
who God made you to be,
and knowing what God thinks
and says about your identity
is absolutely essential to
living a life well-lived.
Your happiness is directly
connected to your identity
and how you see yourself,
and if you don't know
who you really are,
then you can't be fully happy,
you can't be truly successful,
you can't relate
effectively to other people,
you can't be
genuinely fulfilled.
So how do I know
who I really am?
Well, you know, the famous
17th century French physicist
and philosopher, Blaise
Pascal, wrote this.
"Not only do we not only know
God through Jesus Christ,
"but we only know ourselves
through Jesus Christ.
"We only know life and
death through Jesus Christ.
"Apart from Jesus, we cannot
know the meaning of our life
"or our death, or
the meaning of God,
"or even the meaning
of ourselves."
Now, in the Bible, in the
New Testament, it lists
over 35 different aspects of
your true identity in Christ.
Did you know that?
If you'll just read
through the New Testament,
you'll find 35 truths about
your true identity in Christ.
Today, I want us to
just focus on five,
five aspects of
your true identity,
and if you understand
these, you believe these,
and you act on these,
you build your life
on these foundations as
a solid rock of truth,
these five aspects
will change your life.
Now, the five aspects
of your true identity
that I want you to see
in this time together
are found in the
Bible book 1 Peter.
In chapter two of 1 Peter,
and there, Saint Peter gives us
five descriptions of
our true identity.
That's all we're
gonna look at today.
Lemme read you this passage,
1 Peter chapter two,
verses nine and 10.
He says there, "You,
you are a chosen people,
"you are a royal priesthood,
you are a holy nation,
"you are a people
belonging to God."
Each of these statements
are packed with meaning.
He says you are these things,
"That you may declare the
praises of Him who called you
"out of darkness into
His wonderful light."
Peter says, "Once you
were not a people,"
you didn't have an identity,
"but now you are
the people of God.
"Once you hadn't received mercy,
"but now you have
received mercy."
Now, today, let's
unpack the meaning
of each of these five phrases,
because each one of them
is loaded, it's packed,
with significance for your life.
This is God's true view of you.
God's true view
of you in Christ.
So, first, write this down.
In Christ, number one, I
am completely accepted.
That's the first thing you need
to know about your identity.
In Christ, I am
completely accepted.
Now, that's important, because
the deepest wounds in life
often come from rejection.
And because rejection
hurts so much
and we all have
rejection in our life,
we spend so much of our life
trying to earn acceptance.
We wanna earn it
from our parents,
we wanna earn it from
our peers, our friends,
we wanna earn acceptance
from those we respect,
we wanna earn acceptance
from those we envy.
And this drive to be accepted
influences everything
in your life,
the kinda clothes you
wear, the car you drive,
the house you buy, the
career you choose, and we buy
and we do all kinds of crazy
things to earn acceptance.
Now, the pain of not
being chosen on a team,
you probably experienced that,
where they're choosing
up sides, and you're not
one of the first ones to be
chosen, and you keep going,
"Oh, God, please don't let
me be the last to be chosen."
And you hate it, if you've ever
been the last person chosen
when they're picking teams.
Being chosen does a lot
for your self-worth,
and if you're
chosen for an award,
if you're chosen for an honor,
if you're chosen
for a promotion.
You know what gives
me self-esteem?
Is that Kate Lewis,
who is now Kate Warren,
chose me over all
those other guys.
I knocked them all off.
I beat 'em.
Kate chose me.
That gives me value.
And here's the good
news, 1 Peter 2:9,
"You have been chosen
by God Himself."
Whoa, if God chooses
you, if God likes you,
and you like you, if somebody
else doesn't like you,
that's their problem.
Now, why am I
completely acceptable?
Because God chose me
before everything.
The Bible says in Ephesians 1:4,
"He chose us in Him," in
Christ, He chose us in Christ,
"before the creation of the
world," did you know that?
Before God created the universe,
He had already chosen you,
"to be holy and blameless
in His sight by His love."
Before God chose
to make the Sun,
before God chose
to make the oceans,
before God chose to make
the earth and the world
and the birds and everything
else, He chose you.
That shows how valuable
and how acceptable you are.
God chose you,
you're acceptable.
Number two, Jesus
made me acceptable
by His death on the Cross.
Titus chapter three,
verse seven, says this,
"Jesus treated us much
better than we deserve.
"He made us acceptable
to God," circle that,
"He made us acceptable to God,
"and He gave us the
hope of eternal life."
Now, this acceptance,
God accepts you,
is not based on
your performance,
it's not based on what you do,
it's based on what Jesus did.
It's not based on who you are,
it's based on who Jesus
is, His character.
God loves you, and He
says, "You are acceptable,
"'cause my Son died for you.
"I made you and my
Son died for you."
So, the first thing we need
to know about your identity,
is that I'm
completely acceptable.
The second thing you need
to know about your identity,
what God says about you, the
true view of you is this,
I'm not only completely
acceptable, I am
extremely valuable.
You are extremely valuable.
In fact, the Bible says
that your life is priceless.
Most of you know that
I'm a book collector.
I have a library of
over 40,000 books,
and most of them I bought used.
And when you go into a used
bookstore or you go online
to used books, they rate
every book as they're either
poor, or good, or acceptable,
or fine, or like new.
There are categories.
God says, "You're not just
acceptable, you're valuable,
"you're fine, you're priceless."
And Peter's second description
in 1 Peter 2, verse nine,
he says, "You are a holy
nation," circle that word, holy,
gonna explain that.
And you are "a people
belonging to God!"
Circle the word belonging.
What makes something valuable?
God says you're priceless,
you're invaluable,
what makes you so valuable?
Well, value is dependent
upon several things.
First, value depends
on who owns something.
You know, when you
go to an auction,
things that are owned
by famous people,
or by celebrities,
or historical people,
they cost more because they
were owned by somebody else.
It might just be an ordinary,
you know, pitcher or jar,
or shoe, but if it was
owned by somebody famous,
it raises its value.
Would a car owned by a
famous celebrity, Lady Gaga,
be worth more than your car?
Uh, yeah.
Would basketball shoes
worn by LeBron James
be more valuable
than your shoes?
Yes.
Would a piece of furniture
used by a Prime Minister
or a President be more valuable
than maybe your furniture?
Probably.
How about a guitar
used by a rockstar,
compared to the
guitars that I have?
Yes.
You see, the owner often
adds values to common things.
So, who do you belong to?
Well, the Bible tells us.
Deuteronomy 7:6, "You
are a people holy
"to the Lord your God,
his treasured possession."
Did you know that you are
God's treasured possession?
Isaiah 43, verse four, God
says, "You are precious to me."
Like a precious metal,
like gold, like platinum,
you're precious to me.
So, why am I extremely valuable?
Well, first, God owns me,
but it infers more than that,
because God is my Father.
God is your Father, and the
Bible says in Luke 12:24,
"Look at the birds,
God feeds them,
"and you're far more valuable
to Him than any birds!"
Why?
Because you are His child.
God is your Father.
And another reason
why you're invaluable
is because Jesus
gave His life for me.
Jesus gave His life for me.
In 1 Corinthians 7,
verse 23, the Bible says,
"You have been bought
and paid for by Christ,
"so you belong to Him."
So Christ died for you,
and God created you,
and He's your Father,
you belong to Him,
that adds value to your life.
You know, value not only
depends on who owns something,
but value depends
on what somebody's
willing to pay for it.
So if I were to ask
you the question,
how much is your house worth?
Well, I can tell you, without
even lookin' at your house,
I can tell you what
your house is worth.
It's worth whatever somebody's
willing to pay for it.
No more and no less.
You might think it's worth a
lot more, but it's only worth
whatever somebody's
willing to pay for it.
How much was a
piece of art worth?
It's worth what somebody's
willing to pay for it.
How much is a rare
baseball card worth?
What somebody's
willing to pay for it.
A few years back, I remember
there was a story in the news
about the daughter of a
very wealthy oil sheik
in the Middle East, and
that daughter was kidnapped.
And the sheik put out a word
all over the Middle East,
"Pay any price for her return.
"Pay any price for her return,
she is the king's daughter."
Well, you're the
King's daughter.
You're the King's son.
You're God's child.
And the greatest random
ever paid was paid for you,
by Jesus Christ.
We have a God who suffers.
God came to earth
and suffered for you.
God exchanged His own
Son for your salvation,
for your freedom.
Christ gave His life that
you might have eternal life.
And if you wanna know
how valuable you are,
you look at the Cross.
The Cross proves your value.
When Jesus, with His
arms outstretched,
dying on that Cross,
is saying, "I love you,
I love you, I love you.
"You're this valuable,
you're this valuable to me."
So the people who told you in
your life you're worthless,
they're dead wrong.
That's an evil statement.
They're dead wrong.
You're not worthless,
you are priceless.
You're not just completely
acceptable to God in Christ,
you are infinitely
valuable to God in Christ.
He accepts me and He says
I'm acceptable and valuable.
Third thing God says about
you is you're lovable.
Write this down, number three.
I'm not just these other
things, I'm eternally loved.
That's the third thing
God says about you,
God's true view of you.
You are completely acceptable,
and you are infinitely valuable,
and you are eternally loved.
1 Peter chapter two,
verse 10, says this.
"Once you were not a
people," in other words,
you didn't have any identity,
you're kind of nothing,
"but now you're
the people of God."
Now, that has
profound implications.
When you accept
Christ in your life,
you become part of His family.
That family, by the way,
is called the church.
The church is the
family of God on earth.
It's gonna go to Heaven.
The church is the only thing
that's gonna last forever,
God's family, and you know what?
God as Father is not
ashamed of his family.
Look up on the screen
what this verse says.
Hebrews chapter two,
verse 11, says this,
in the New Living Translation.
"Jesus and the ones He makes
holy have the same Father.
"And that's why
Jesus is not ashamed
"to call us His
brothers and sisters."
Isn't that an amazing thing,
that Jesus Christ would say,
"You're my sister,
you're my brother."
He's not ashamed to say,
"You're my sister,
you're my brother,"
'cause we're in
the family of God.
That shows infinite value,
it shows infinite love.
Jeremiah 31, verse
three, God says this.
"I have loved you, my people,
with an everlasting love."
Nobody else loves you like that.
God says, "I have
loved you, my people,
"with an everlasting,"
it's always lasting, it's
not ending, it lasts forever.
It is everlasting love.
With unfailing love.
You've had people love
you in ways that failed.
I have failed my wife,
and I love her dearly.
I have failed my kids,
and I love them dearly.
I love you and I
have failed you,
members of Saddleback Church.
But the Bible says God
has an unfailing love.
And He says, "I have
drawn you to myself."
Now, you need to understand
for your identity,
two characteristics
of God's love.
Number one, it's unconditional.
It's not, "I love you if."
You know, a lotta times
you see people on TV,
or girlfriends and
boyfriends say, you know,
"I love you if," and
that's conditional love.
"I love you if you love me.
"I love you if you please me.
"I love you if you turn me on.
"I love you if you do the
things I want you to do."
That's not real love.
I love you if is
conditional love.
And then there are people who
say, "I love you because,"
and they write these nice
Hallmark card letters.
"I love you because
you're good looking."
Well, that's conditional,
'cause what happens when
they lose their good looks?
"I love you because
you're talented."
What happens when you find
someone more talented?
You stop loving them?
"I love you because
you love me."
What if they get sick,
or they stop loving you?
Will you still love them?
When you say "I
love you because,"
you are giving conditional love.
God's love for you is
not, "I love you if."
God's love is not,
"I love you because."
God's love for you is,
"I love you, period.
"I love you in spite
of the fact that you
"don't always love me, that
you're not always consistent,
"that you don't always
do the right thing."
God's love is unconditional,
and number two,
God's love is consistent.
That means it's not fickle.
It's not unpredictable.
Some people growing up, grew
up with inconsistent parents.
Inconsistent parents
create insecure kids.
I had a guy come in one time,
"I didn't know if my dad
"was gonna slug me or hug me.
"I never knew, he
was unpredictable."
You're never gonna
have to ask God,
"Will God love me today?"
When you get up in the
morning, you never have to ask,
"Is God gonna love me today?"
You see, we always
get into trouble
when we doubt God's love.
It is unconditional
and it is consistent,
and it is everlasting,
it is eternal.
Why, why are you
eternally loved?
Because God is love.
Psalm 100, verse five,
"God's love is eternal and His
faithfulness lasts forever."
So let's just review.
God's true view of you says,
you're completely acceptable,
you are infinitely valuable,
you are totally lovable,
eternally,
everlastingly lovable,
and now He says, number
four, you're forgivable.
Write this down, I'm
totally forgiven.
This is what God says about you.
I'm totally forgiven.
1 Peter, chapter two, verse
10, he says, you know,
"At one time you did
not know God's mercy,
"but now you have
received His mercy."
He says, you know, before
you were living in guilt,
you were living in
shame, but he says,
you've received God's
mercy in Christ.
Do you know that before
God even made you,
before God even created you,
before God designed you,
before you took
your first breath,
He already knew the worst
things you'd ever do.
And He still loves you.
And He's not surprised.
It's not like, "Oh, man, I
didn't see that one coming.
"I didn't know that was
gonna happen in your life."
He already knows everything
wrong that you would do.
The good news is that in
Christ, my sins are wiped out.
It's like takin' a giant eraser
and erasing all my sins that
are written on a whiteboard.
That's grace.
You know, some people,
even Christians who have
accepted the love of Christ,
that have committed
their lives to Christ,
they still don't get grace.
And so any time something
bad happens in their life,
they think, "God's
getting even with me.
"God's getting even with me."
Is God really treating
His children that way?
Does God get even
with His children?
The answer is no.
Absolutely not.
That's not grace.
Romans 8:1 says, "There
is now no condemnation."
Zero, zip, nada, nothing,
"there is no condemnation
"for those who are
in Christ Jesus."
Write this down in your outline.
God doesn't carry grudges.
God says, "I don't
hold them against you."
But when you sin, when you've
given your life to Christ,
and you're in Christ,
God doesn't reverse
it, He releases it.
So, you need to understand
that you are totally forgiven,
and you're totally
forgiven for two reasons.
First, because it is
God's nature to forgive.
God is a forgiving God.
You ever feel like, you
know, "I wonder if God gets
tired of me, coming back to Him
and asking for forgiveness?"
Well, Isaiah 43:25,
God says this,
"I am the God who
forgives your sins,
"and I do this
because of who I am.
"I will not hold your
sins against you."
Wow.
God forgives me, not
'cause I deserve it,
not because I've earned it,
but because He's
a forgiving God.
It is His nature to forgive,
He wants to forgive.
And the other reason
you're completely forgiven
is because Jesus has already
paid for all your sins,
so you don't have
to pay for them.
In Ephesians chapter one,
verse seven, it says this,
"For by the blood of
Christ we are set free,
"that is, our sins are forgiven.
"How great is the grace of God!"
Alright, God's true view of
you, this is your real identity.
I'm completely acceptable,
I am infinitely valuable,
I am eternally lovable, I
am completely forgivable,
freely forgiven.
Number five, this is a big one.
I am fully capable.
Did you know that's
what God says about you?
You're not incompetent.
You're not a cipher,
you're not a nobody.
God says you are fully capable.
I am fully capable of becoming
exactly what God made me to be.
1 Peter chapter two,
verse nine, he says,
"You are royal priests,"
and that's packed
with a lot of insight.
"Chosen to tell about the
wonderful acts of God,
"who has called
you out of darkness
"into His wonderful light."
What, he says you're a priest?
Have you ever
thought about this?
You don't realize this,
but you're a priest.
Every believer in
Christ is a priest.
He says, you are a
chosen priesthood.
What does a priest do?
A priest represents God to
man, and represents man to God.
Can you name a
greater position than
a royal priest, representing
God to leadership?
So what are you supposed
to do, as a priest?
If God says you are a priest,
it means you don't have to
go to a priest to
confess your sins,
'cause you are a priest.
You go directly to
Jesus, the High Priest.
What are you supposed
to do as a priest?
Acts 26, verse 18, look at
this verse on the screen.
"You are to open their
eyes and to turn them,"
he's talking about unbelievers.
"You are to open their eyes
and turn them from darkness
"to the light and from the
power of Satan to God."
That's what you do as a priest.
"So that through
their faith in me
"they will have
their sins forgiven
"and they will receive
their place," their place,
"among God's chosen people."
You know, the whole reason
we started the Peace Plan
at Saddleback Church,
and sent out over
26,000 people so far,
basically to be priests
around the world,
to promote reconciliation
and plant churches,
to equip ethical leaders
where there's corruption,
to assist the poor
where there's poverty,
care for the sick where
there's disease and illness,
and to educate the
next generation where
there's illiteracy
and lack of education,
and ignorance.
And we say, when we
developed the Peace Plan,
it wasn't for the pastors
of the church to do it,
it's for every member to do it.
And I know a lot of people go,
"Well, I couldn't do that."
Well, you couldn't
on your own power.
But with God in your
life, Christ in your life,
always break through you.
You're a priest,
did you know that?
Not on your own power,
but I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me.
2 Corinthians, chapter three,
verses five and six says this,
"The capacity we
have comes from God,
"It is he who made us capable
of serving the new covenant."
You are completely capable.
Now, lemme tell you why
this one's important.
Because most people
live their lives
with this gnawing
sense of insecurity.
I'm just not measuring up, I'm
not enough, I'm not capable,
I'm not secure, I'm insecure.
And why is that?
Well, one reason,
you're replaying old
tapes in your memory,
and you're still
acting on things
that people said
to you years ago.
They weren't true then,
and they aren't true now.
And you're playing these tapes
over and over in your mind,
and you need to
replace those old tapes
with what other people say,
with the truth about
what God says about you,
'cause Jesus said the
truth sets you free.
And the Bible says
you are capable.
Why are you capable to
handle anything in life?
Why am I capable to
handle anything in life?
Write this down.
Because Christ lives in me.
That's why I'm capable.
Capability is not simply
my own human power,
but in Philippians 4:13 it says,
"I can do everything through
Christ who gives me strength."
"I can do everything through
Christ who gives me strength."
You have God's spirit inside
you, and you're a priest.
Now, you know, studies
have shown that
the younger you were when
you were first rejected,
the greater the impact
it has on your life.
And in a sense, when
somebody rejected you,
you were rejected as a young
child, they cursed you.
They cursed you.
And they cursed you
with things that said,
you don't matter, you're a
failure, you don't measure up,
why can't you be like
your brother or sister,
you can't do anything
right, and they cursed you.
How do you reverse a curse?
I'll tell you how.
Start believing what
God says about you.
Start affirming the
truth of God's Word.
Take these verses, take
this outline, cut it all up,
make affirmation cards
with these statements.
Put the statement on there,
I am completely acceptable,
and put the verses on there.
I am infinitely valuable,
and put the verses on it.
I am everlastingly lovable,
and put the verses on it,
And read them, read
them in the morning
when you first get up,
read 'em when you go--
put 'em by your
bedside at night,
read 'em before you go to sleep,
so that the first thing on
your mind in the morning,
the last thing at night, is the
identity coming from Christ.
You know, studies
have shown that
how you feel about yourself,
your self-identity,
is largely determined
by what you think
the people that matter most
to you, think about you.
Let me say that again.
Your self-identity
is largely determined
by what you think the people
whose opinion matters most
to you think about you.
Now, since that's true, I
highly recommend that you make
Jesus Christ the most
important person in your life.
That you care more about
what He says about you
than anybody else.
See, in Christ,
you are acceptable.
In Christ, you are valuable.
In Christ, you are lovable.
In Christ, you are forgivable.
In Christ, you are capable.
That's what God says about you.
This is your true identity.
You are not what your parents
or others have
tried to make you.
You are not what others who
criticize you or say about you,
what you are, you're not that.
You're not what you tell
yourself in self-condemnation.
And you're not what
Satan accuses you of.
So, really, as your
friend and pastor,
somebody who loves you, I
wanna ask you this question:
Who are you gonna believe?
Are you gonna believe what
your God, your Creator,
your Master, your
Savior, says about you?
Or are you gonna believe
what Satan says about you,
your peers, parents, yourself?
No, start believing
God's true view of you.
Now, there's a whole lot more
I gotta unpack about this.
We don't have time
to get into it,
but there's one other
thing I do need to mention.
How should my identity
affect how I act?
Well, here's the key.
God expects me to
treat everybody else
the same way He treats me.
If you would get that,
it will improve your
relationships so much.
God expects me to
treat everybody else
the same way that He treats me.
The Bible says we are
to accept one another.
The Bible says we are to
show respect to everybody,
even people you
totally disagree with.
The Bible says we are to
show kindness to everyone.
The Bible says we
are to show mercy
and forgiveness to everyone.
The Bible says we are to
encourage the gifts that God
put in everyone and help draw
them out of other people.
Again, in your outline,
I've listed some verses
that deal with everything
I've just said,
and your homework is
to look up those verses
that I put there
on your outline.
You know, years ago, I read
a story about an immigrant
named Alan Lee, who moved
here to California, years ago,
from Vietnam, as a refugee.
It was after the Vietnam war,
and he had to flee as a refugee.
And I remember
reading that he wrote,
"Even though I was now
free, I wasn't imprisoned,
"I was free, I was
in America," he said,
"But I'm in a new country,
and I struggled to
find my identity."
He said, "I didn't wanna
be known as a boat person.
"I didn't wanna be
known as a refugee.
"I didn't even wanna be known
as a, quote, immigrant."
But he said, "I didn't
know what my identity was."
Then in 1983, he gave
his life to Jesus Christ,
at a Billy Graham Crusade,
and he discovered his
true identity in Christ.
Recently, he wrote this.
Listen to this.
"Today, I'm no longer
confused about who I am.
"I'm God's child, and my
citizenship is in Heaven,
"and I'm grateful to have
found my true identity,
"my identity in Christ."
That gives stability,
that gives security,
that gives satisfaction,
that gives significance.
Wouldn't you like
to have that, too?
Let's bow our heads.
Bow your heads
with me right now,
and I'm gonna lead you
in an identity prayer,
and I want you to
pray this prayer.
Just first say what I
say, in your mind, to God.
Say, thank you, Father.
Say, thank you, Father, that
you can heal broken hearts
and bitter memories,
and damaged self-esteem.
Thank you, God, that
you could do that.
Thank you that patterns
can be erased and reversed.
Thank you, God, that you can
turn nobodies into somebodies.
Jesus, help us all
to see ourselves
through your eyes of love.
I want you to pray this.
Dear God, help me to see
myself the way you see me.
Thank you for loving me, for
sending Jesus to die for me,
so I can be forgiven.
Jesus, from today forward, I
wanna listen to what you say,
not what others say,
and I wanna fulfill
my true identity,
not what my feelings tell me.
Help me to realize my
feelings often lie.
I wanna learn to trust you
and your Word, completely,
in every area of my life.
Help me to care more
about what you think
than what other people think.
May the truth, your
truth, set me free.
Now, with our heads still bowed,
I want you to repeat these
truths with me, aloud.
In all of our 20 campuses,
including those of you online,
I want you to say this
aloud, with your head bowed.
Say this.
Because of Jesus, just say that.
Because of Jesus,
I am completely accepted.
I am extremely valuable.
I am eternally loved.
I am completely forgiven.
And I am fully capable.
Amen.
(upbeat music)
Thanks for checking out
this message on YouTube.
My name is Jay and I'm
Saddleback's Online Pastor.
I wanna invite you to
take your next step
by checking out our
online community
or help you get connected to
a local Saddleback campus.
Three things we have
to offer you right now.
First, learn more about
belonging to a church family
by taking Class 101.
Second, don't live life
alone, and get into community
with others by joining
an online small group,
or a local home
group in your area.
Third, join our Facebook
group to be more engaged
with our online community
throughout the week.
Take your next step and
learn where a local campus is
near you by visiting
saddleback.com/online,
or email online@saddleback.com.
Hope you hear from you soon.
