Newness in a New Year

I read an article this week from a national newspaper that was entitled, The List: What’s In & Out in 2018.

As I read the article, I wondered who decides what is in and out. It couldn’t be what was popular because this was written before the year had even begun. I imagined in my mind a group of people sitting in a big room around a table deciding what was going to be in and what would be out.

I believe that many times we, as followers of Jesus, let the world tell us what is in and out.

For followers of Jesus, God, not the world, defines who we are and what is right and wrong and what is in and out.

The Word of God tells us who we are in Jesus.

In 2 Timothy 3:16 it says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

God’s Word teaches us who we are.

God’s Word tells us when we are not living like who we are.

God’s Word redirects us to live like who we are.

God’s Word trains us to live like who we are.

The Bible says a lot about who we are. I want to focus on seven truths about who we are in Jesus.

John 1:12

Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God.

We are Children of God.

As God’s children we are:

Loved by God

Protected by God

Provided for by God

Heirs of God

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as children of God. 

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

We are a chosen people.

God chose us. A person can only come to Jesus because God has called him. We love Him because He first loved us. It is all about God choosing us, God loving us, God initiating the relationship with us.

Think about that. The God of all creation chose you and me to be His people.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as God’s chosen people.

We are a Royal Priesthood.

Only Jesus combined the offices of king and high priest. We as followers of Jesus are kingly priests. We are given the privilege through God’s authority to come before God’s throne.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as people who have direct access to God the Father through Jesus.

We are a holy nation.

Holy means set apart for God’s purpose.

Nation does not refer to a political entity but to a group of people.

We as followers of Jesus are a group of people who have been set apart for His purposes.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as people set apart to do God’s will.

We are God’s special possession.

We belong to God.

We are special to God.

In Deuteronomy God says that Israel is to be a peculiar people. That word peculiar means treasured possession. We as His people are His treasured possession.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as God’s possession.

We are a people called out of darkness into God’s light.

Darkness is always associated with evil.

Light is always associated with good.

We are a people called out of evil and called in to goodness or righteousness by God’s grace.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as light people not darkness people.

Ephesians 5:1

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children of God.

We are the beloved of God.

God loves us just because He loves us. It is not because of anything we have done or will do or even could do. Jesus loves us because we exist.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as people fully beloved by God.  

God’s Word tells us:

Who God is

What God does

Who we are in Jesus

What we can do in Jesus

As we enter a new year may we believe that we are who God says we are.

Believing Jesus, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                            Joe