Clarifying Your Identity

“All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ they asked.” Luke 4:22 (NIV)

Jesus shared from Isaiah 61:1-2 in the hearing of those in the synagogue and identified Himself as the fulfillment of that prophecy. The people spoke well of Him. Amazed at Jesus’ gracious words, they tried to reconcile His professed identity by asking, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

The people were confused. Their understanding of the coming Messiah did not position them to anticipate a carpenter’s son from Nazareth as the Messiah. The humanity and humility of Jesus did not line up with their view of the Messiah. They were expecting a mighty military leader with position and prominence who would restore Israel.

As followers of Christ, we can identify with His dual identity. Though virgin born, Jesus had an earthly father and a Heavenly Father. We too have an earthly father and our Heavenly Father.

• “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” Heb 12:10 (NIV)
• “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

Your identity in Christ is formed and fashioned by your Heavenly Father. God has created you for His glory. You are God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10) and you belong to God (I Pt. 2:9). If you ever forget who you are in Christ, look up! You are a child of the King!

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell