Who We Are in Jesus Part 5

I want to continue reminding us who we are in Jesus. I think that it is essential for us to know who we are in Jesus so that when our enemy, the devil, lies to us about who we are, we can know it is a lie and move away from it.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are God’s workmanship.

The word for workmanship is the word we get masterpiece from. We are God’s masterpiece.

We may not feel like a masterpiece.

But Jesus has declared that we are God’s masterpiece. Since we have been declared God’s masterpiece, we need to live that way, doing the good works that God has prepared for us.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as God’s masterpiece, doing the God works God has made us for.

Ephesians 2:19

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellowship citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

We are citizens of God’s kingdom.

We are not strangers or aliens to God. We once were, but now we have exchanged our citizenship in the world for citizenship in God’s kingdom. We are now strangers and aliens in the world.

Being a citizen in God’s kingdom means that my focus, my priority is no longer this world, but the kingdom.

In Colossians 3:2 Paul encourages us to set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. When I am a citizen of God’s kingdom, I can and will do that.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living in this world as a citizen of the kingdom of God.

Colossians 3:12

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

We are chosen ones.

God chose us to be His children. We did not choose Him, but He chose us and because He chose us we have the opportunity to have a relationship with the Creator as our Father.

God always makes the first move.

We love Him because He first loved us.

He died for us while were still sinners.

He goes before us, not behind us.

He chose us so we could know Him.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is showing gratitude for God choosing us.

We are holy.

We are commanded both in the Old Testament and the New Testament to be holy because the God we follow is holy.

Holiness is being set apart for a purpose. In this case, we are set apart for God’s purpose.

Holiness also contains the idea of being morally upright. Holiness means that I am living in the strength of the Holy Spirit which enables me to live morally upright, fulfilling God’s purposes.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living morally upright and fulfilling God’s purposes in this world.

We are the beloved of God.

God loves us and we are His beloved.

Being His beloved means we are special to God. Humans are the most special of all of God’s creation for we are created in the image of God. We are the only part of the creation which has been affected by sin that God sent Jesus to die for.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing live as the beloved of God.

Colossians 3:3

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

We are hidden with Jesus in God.

That means that both the Son and the Father protect me. Satan must go through Jesus and the Father to get to me.

I believe that we have no idea how many times daily God protects us from Satan’s attacks. We are told in Ephesians that we are in a spiritual war. Satan, the enemy of God and His people, knows he cannot attack God head on and win, so he attacks God’s people. Satan knows that if we are not alert and connected with Jesus, he can defeat us and that will hurt Jesus because Jesus loves us.

We must realize that we are in a spiritual war, and if we stay attached to Jesus, He will protect us from the effects of Satan’s hatred of us.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is staying hidden in Jesus so that we can experience the protection of God.

Colossians 3:4

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

We are an expression of the life of Jesus.

We can experience the life of Jesus when Jesus is our life.

Paul says that it is no longer he who lives but Jesus who lives His resurrected life through him.

The world needs to see the person of Jesus.

The world needs to see the truth of Jesus.

The world needs to see the love of Jesus.

When we live as an expression of the life of Jesus, the world can see those things through us.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as an expression of Jesus in a fallen world.

Living in Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe