Guess Who? Hiding Who We Are in Christ

Ephesians 5:8b-12

Introduction

In keeping with our theme of “Identity Theft”, we will, tonight, take a look at why we as Christians may hide who we are.  As with most any topical study, we will be examining and considering a number of different passages from God’s Word, spending more time in Ephesians 5, eventually settling down at Ephesians 5:8b-10 and dig in at that point.  Hiding who we are as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ is something that we must consider when talking about our identity in Christ.  It is no secret that many of us do not willingly let others see us for who we are.  Instead, we disguise ourselves, merging with the world around us, and just blending in.

But Jesus has called us to something greater.  He has called you and me to live out who we are no matter where we are during the day—at home, with extended family, at work, at church, in our neighborhoods, or at the store.

Military/Law Enforcement/Hunters

It is no secret that hiding is sometimes a very beneficial thing to do.  It can keep us alive.  Hiding can keep us from being harmed.  Different groups will use Camouflage, which means, “the disguising especially of military equipment or installations with paint, nets, or foliage”.  It also means “concealment by means of disguise”, or “a behavior or ruse designed to deceive or hide”.

The military, law enforcement, and hunters will all utilize camouflage to enable them to escape detection by an enemy or to enable them to close in on their prey without being spotted.  Such are positive uses of hiding our presence.  Of course, there are the negative uses of hiding our presence, and that is what I would like to talk about tonight.

In order to properly address the question before us—why do we hide who we are—we must first ask:  Who are you?  Who do you think you are? 

“You Are”

As with other things in our relationship with the Lord, we tend to take who we are as believers for granted.  From Ephesians we see:

1  1.    He chose us
    2.    He predestined us
    3.    He adopted us
    4.    He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
    5.    He provided redemption and forgiveness
    6.    He lavished his grace upon us 
    7.    He has given us an inheritance and sealed us

We are grateful for these things,

FARLEY PART VIII: “WE DON’T MARRY DEAD PEOPLE” OR “DO NOT LIVE LIKE JESUS” AND “SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE IS NOT FOR THE BELIEVER” AND “EVIDENCE IS NOT NECESSARY”

We ARE To Walk As Jesus Walked

Farley argues in this section that believers are not to live like Jesus lived.  He wrote, “Hence, we’re not being asked to imitate the recorded actions of Jesus of Nazareth.  Instead, we’re invited to allow Jesus to do what he has always done—be himself.  The risen Christ wants to do this through our unique personalities in every moment of every day” (p. 178).  One of the problems with this statement is that Farley fails to describe what that looks like.  Farley also rejected living like Christ when he wrote, “Some Christians mistakenly obsess over everything that the historical Jesus did in the four gospels.  We memorize his words and actions and try to imitate them the best we can” (p. 180).  Farley discarded living like Christ when he wrote, “The motivation for daily living within the New Testament centers around acting like the person you truly are and benefiting from Christ’s life in the here and now…We’re urged to grasp an important spiritual truth: when we come to Jesus Christ, we receive his life.  Through our expression of him, we find fulfillment” (p. 182).  Again, Farley fails to describe what this looks like,