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A very well-known story is the story of Cinderella. The girl who has a loving father who marries a woman with two daughters. Then the father dies, and the stepmom becomes the evil stepmother with the evil stepdaughters. Eventually, they start to treat her like a slave in her own house. Her self-worth is broken down. Then something wonderful happens. She meets the prince who falls in love with her. The whole story of the glass slipper plays out and at the end, the evil stepmom is exposed, and she marries the prince. She gets a new identity and they live happily ever after.
Every time I watch one or the other rendition of this story, I always ask myself: Why does she allow them to degrade her like that? Why doesn’t she stand up for herself and take what is rightfully hers? The problem is that she is powerless and has no authority. This affects her view of herself and her identity.
In a similar way, people don’t know their identify and worth in Christ. Like the stepmom, the world and the enemy criticize people until it affects how they see themselves. If you think that you aren’t worth anything, you won’t expect much. You set the bar very low, and you will never reach for more.
Illus. A man buys a ticket for a cruise. To save money he brings his own food. He sits in his room the whole cruise with his picnic basket. Bread grows stale. Captain informs him when he disembarks that he could have had the most wonderful food included in the cruise.
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Christ has lavished us with spiritual riches that we cannot even fathom.
1 Corinthians 2:9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
We cannot hope for, believe for, or take hold of it if we don’t know about it. That is why I love the book of Ephesians. Especially the part we are getting into tonight. Paul begins by reminding them of who God is, and who they are in Christ.
Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8which He lavished on us.
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I. Your Identity is Set in Stone
When you live your life without your identity being grounded in Christ, it can feel like you are walking on quicksand. You are never sure when you take the next step if it is going to be firm, or if you are going to sink. As Christians, Christ is our rock and foundation. If you have a wrong view of your identity, your foundation will be affected.
Our identity is linked to what Christ did for us, because that reveals the worth he sees in us to us. There are a few key revelations we need to understand the riches we have in Christ. This will really ground our relationship and identity in Christ.
A. Your identity is grounded on Grace
The first word we should understand is ‘grace’.
➢ Verse 2- Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
➢ Paul’s prayer for them is that the grace and peace of Christ might become part of their spiritual walk. He will go on to expand what this grace looks like. But we should first define grace and peace.
➢ Grace differs from mercy. Mercy is not getting the penalty for something you have done. Grace is getting something that you did not deserve or work for. That is unmerited favor.

Pastor Rich Jones
Pastor Matthew Dodd
Rich Jones Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel Worship Center
Calvary Chapel Hillsboro
Calvary Chapel Oregon
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