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,

SUFFERING

Suffering cannot be avoided if we are really to know Christ…(Hebrews 4:15; 5:2)…”I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10)…

But what is the nature of Christ’s suffering that we must share, in order fully to know his fellowship?  His suffering included poverty and humiliation, pain and death.  All of these he endured for us.  We must not forget this altruistic dimension of his afflictions.  He suffered to take on himself the guilt and consequences of the sins of others.  Thus, if we are to know him through like suffering, we will not merely have to experience the difficulty of nameless forces and circumstances; we must also experience what it means to suffer for the sins of others.  We must be willing to endure and love the damaged and damaging personalities who make us suffer.  This is Luther’s theology of the cross—the understanding that our deepest knowing of the One who bore the cross for us in some measure depends on our own cross-bearing of the miseries of this world and even of the miserableness of others.

…Whether we suffer under the weight of circumstances or under the weightiness of bearing the consequences of the sins of others—these disciplines teach us more of what Christ endured for us. As a result, we know him to a degree and depth not available through any other means of study or contemplation.

The discipline of suffering shows us how tender and tenacious was Christ’s care for us.  The body blows that come, the accusations, the deprivations, the betrayals—in each we can say, “Ah, Lord Jesus, now I understand more deeply who you are and how much you loved me, for you endured this when you could have escaped it all.  You suffered for my sake and that of countless others who caused you pain.  Ah, Jesus, now I know you.”

Bryan Chapell in

Holiness by Grace: Delighting in the Joy That is Our Strength,

pp.170-172  (Emphasis added)

So, just what does this mean for us?  It means we can look trials, difficulties and suffering brought to our lives by the sin of others—yes, even by other believers—and we can stare it down!  We can smile to ourselves when someone sins against us, knowing “it ain’t about us!”  It is all about God conforming us to the image of Christ, it is about “knowing Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings”!

I shared this with a friend a few weeks ago, and told him that this core truth has made a huge difference in my life, particularly in the case of extreme hurt brought about by a family member in the distant past.  Not only did I wrestle with the whole concept of God’s providence at that time, but I also struggled with forgiveness.  God worked in the intervening years, and brought me to a point where forgiveness truly took place.  Yes, it “should not” have taken as long as it did, but he did bring it about.  My view of the impact of the sin of others on my life and on the lives of those I love is completely different now.  Now I can say, “Bring it on!”  Why?  Because of what Christ did on the cross, because of the gospel.

ON GOD'S GRACE

Affirming that God doesn’t love us on the basis of our keeping within his paths does not require us to act as though he has left us without good direction.  In church circles where the beauties of grace are passionately proclaimed, some people inevitably will worry whether a gospel emphasis opens the door to  licentiousness.  However, others will begin to wonder if it is any longer appropriate to challenge one another to be holy, or to correct anyone who does not follow Scripture’s mandates.  Grace does not forbid giving directions, promises, corrections, and warnings.  Only cruelty would forbid such help.

Bryan Chapell in Holiness by Grace, p.126

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,