Whose you are defines Who you are

Many people today are struggling with who they really are. There are those who define themselves by their sexuality or who they imagine themselves to be. There are others who define themselves by politics or money and power. There are also others who are confused about what to honor or how things should be honored. For both of these sets of questions, we need to know how should we as God’s people define ourselves or rather see how God defines us and how should we live in light of that definition?

We must start with the premise that pastor and author David Lomas starts with, “There is a fundamental difference between who we are and what we do.”

There are 3 ways we naturally find our identity: what we do, what have, and what we desire.

All of these things change with time and growth or change.

Think of people named Baker, Smith, or Miller. They got their very names from what they or their family had been doing.

Still today when we talk about who someone is, it is primarily what they do.

But if you find your identity in what you do, it will be shaken when you change what you do.

Or maybe we root our identity in what we have.

We can see ourself as better or more valuable by how much we have or how much we give.

That also changes as our stuff or possessions or relationships change.

So when we say identity, we are talking about who we really are; the deep knowledge of where I come from, where I’m going, and to whom I belong.

“Identity is a complex set of layers, for we are many things. Our occupation, ethnic identity, etc., are part of who we are. But we assign different values to these components and thus Christian maturing is a process in which the most fundamental layer of our identity becomes our self-understanding as a new creature in Christ along with all our privileges in Him.”-Tim Keller

So what do we mean when we say honor?

Honor is the recognition of worth and and value in a person or persons and the resulting expression of appreciation.

We are called to and want to honor God because He is the greatest treasure in the universe.

We are called to and want to honor others because all people are image bearers and have value.

There are others that we will look at as well.

But something gets in the way of us honoring God and honoring others well. We will look at that today.

Where do we find ourselves at this point in the story of Esther?

We are somewhere between the 7th year of the reign of Xerxes (when Esther was crowned queen) and the 12th year of his reign (when Haman casts lots). It seems to be close to the 12th. So Esther has been queen for several years. Mordecai has seemingly been given greater opportunities at the gates to give advice and weigh in on courtly issues. There is mention of a second gathering of virgins which could be a parade showing Xerxes’ power again. But as a reminder of Xerxes’ ongoing selfishness and lack of satisfaction in who he was made to be.

We see Mordecai being consistent with the call to covert Jewishness he had commended to Esther. But somewhere along the way, Mordecai wakes up, or remembers who he is! This knowledge leads him to be more overt about his identity and to go against the king’s edict.

There are 3 ways we naturally find our identity: what we do, what have, and what we desire.

In the past, function and identity were more obviously connected.

Think of people named Baker, Smith, or Miller. They got their very names from what they or their family had been doing.

Still today when we talk about who someone is, it is primarily what they do.

But if you find your identity in what you do, it will be shaken when you change what you do.

Or maybe we root our identity in what we have.

That also changes as our stuff or possessions or relationships change.

We also are tempted to find our true identity in our desire. That what we long for is really most important about us. This changes over time and life seasons as well.

So when we say identity, we are talking about who we really are; the deep knowledge of where I come from, where I’m going, and to whom I belong.

So let’s see how knowing who God says we are changes who we honor and how we live in light of that.

Esther 2:19–3:6 ESV

Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king. After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Knowing your true identity changes who and what you honor.

We see again in this text the hidden presence of God. From the start of Esther through chapter 2 we see someone who has assimilated into the prevailing culture and went along with it so much as to reap personal benefits from it. There has been no indication till now that Mordecai was any different from anyone else living in Persia. So what changed between the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3?

may have been the seeming ignoring of his life saving political savvy

may have been due to the promotion of Haman his mortal enemy

even if it was part of both of those, what this story reminds us is that God was the one working behind the scenes in Mordecai’s heart.

No one risks certain death without real heart change.

This heart change brought Mordecai to see clearly or maybe just to remember who he was as one of God’s people.

This remembrance led Mordecai to not bow to Haman, and in essence, any more to worship anyone but God.

The text uses the word for bow twice each time it’s mentioned but it always translated bow down and give honor to/pay homage.

This adoration is what Xerxes demanded of all his people and was now demanding for Haman as well.

Mordecai says very simply he would not bow to Haman because he is a Jew. He knew who he was and that changed who and what he honored.

Thankfully God still works in similar ways in His people’s hearts.

God moves through His Word, by His Spirit, awakening us to new life in His Son. It is in the revelation of your deep, sinful need and the great hope won by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as your only way of salvation and satisfaction. You may remember when you came to not just know facts about God but to have real, vibrant faith and joy.

These moments are when God truly showed us who we are without him and by faith who we can be recreated to be in Him!

But we must start with what is our identity in Christ:

What is our identity according to Scripture:

You are redeemed from slavery to sin. (; )

You are reconciled to God. ()

You are forgiven all your sins. ()

You are washed clean. ()

You are free. (; ; )

You are adopted by God. (; )

You are accepted by God. ()

You have become a child of God. (,)

You are justified by Jesus. (; )

You are united to Jesus. ()

You are whole in Christ. ()

Knowing these powerful truths that only God could make happen and be true about us, leads us to honor and praise Him above all others.

When you know that you cannot fix yourself but by God’s magnificent grace He has declared you to be the beloved of God, your deepest desire will be to make much of His greatness.

As we come to see who we are in Christ, our lives begin to look differently in how we live and love. This begs the question, how should we live in light of being a new creation in Christ?

2 Corinthians 5:17–18 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

Particularly, what are we to honor

We are often faced with a similar challenge: who should we honor and why we should honor them.

It may be a boss that is underhanded, mean, or selfish.

It may be with family members that you are supposed to love but yet can’t get along with or fundamentally disagree with.

The Bible gives some clear instructions on who and what to honor (the word honor appears 147 times in Scripture).

We are to honor God above all else.

We are to honor our parents. ()

Exodus 20:12 ESV

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

We are to honor those in authority.

Romans 13:1 ESV

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Romans 13:1 ESV

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Exodus 20:12 ESV

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

not necessarily because we agree with them in all things but because God has sovereignly given them authority. We honor and trust God when we honor them.

Honor your church leaders. ()

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

Honor each other. (, )

Galatians 6:10 ESV

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Romans 12:10 ESV

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

But we also honor service, humility, sacrifice, perseverance/endurance.

There are 3 ways we naturally find our identity: what we do, what have, and what we desire.

In the past, function and identity were more obviously connected.

Think of people named Baker, Smith, or Miller. They got their very names from what they or their family had been doing.

Still today when we talk about who someone is, it is primarily what they do.

But if you find your identity in what you do, it will be shaken when you change what you do.

Or maybe we root our identity in what we have.

That also changes as our stuff or possessions or relationships change.

We also are tempted to find our true identity in our desire. That what we long for is really most important about us. This changes over time and life seasons as well.

So when we say identity, we are talking about who we really are; the deep knowledge of where I come from, where I’m going, and to whom I belong.

What is our identity according to Scripture:

You are redeemed from slavery to sin. (; )

You are reconciled to God. ()

You are forgiven all your sins. ()

You are washed clean. ()

You are free. (; ; )

You are adopted by God. (; )

You are accepted by God. ()

You have become a child of God. (,)

You are justified by Jesus. (; )

And so we have to figure out what to do. How does our Gospel identity help us to honor God and others?

You are united to Jesus. ()

You are whole in Christ. ()

Knowing these powerful truths that only God could make happen and be true about us, leads us to honor and praise Him above all others.

When you know that you cannot fix yourself but by God’s magnificent grace He has declared you to be the beloved of God, your deepest desire will be to make much of His greatness.

Knowing who we are in Christ as God’s children tempers who and what else we honor.

When God is honored above all else with our hearts, words, and deeds, we can honor others and do good to them in freedom.

We can speak well of them and find ways to do good for them and to them.

Also we can know what and who is worthy of Honor in light of His character and greatness. Our belonging to God changes what and how we love and how we see the world. Just as in a family different things are honored, so in the family of God we will honor different things than the world does.

All people deserve dignity as image bearers. But knowing how to honor the right things flows from knowing you are seeking to please God in all things because He is pleased with you in Christ.

Application: 2 things:

Remind yourself daily that Christ is your life and you are in Christ!

Colossians 3:1–4 ESV

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Consider if what you are doing, saying, or thinking honors Jesus before you do it!

Ask others how you can bless them and are their ways you can do more good for them.

When we start thinking of what matters most and how it changes who and what we honor, we may run into conflict. Not everyone will love and cherish Jesus. So how do we handle that?

Buck Rogers-a man out of time

Knowing your true identity gives you courage to endure persecution.

Mordecai had heard and seen first hand what happened to those that defied the king’s orders. If the king would send his own wife away for defying him, how much more would he do to a generic adviser from the courtyard?

Many of the others officials asked him repeatedly why he wouldn’t bow and warned him of coming consequences.

Mordecai is consistent with his confession of what motivates his refusal to bow anymore. What was true about God’s people was their joyful hope that they would He would be their God and they would be His people.

he knew he had a better and lasting possession-Heb. 10:34

Hebrews 10:34 ESV

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

Knowing who we belong to and knowing the faithfulness of God in Christ to bring His people all the way home helps us endure in persecution.

Somewhere deep inside Mordecai came to understand that being one of God’s people was more important than his standing in Persian court, the respect of others, and even his life.

It was in this knowledge that Mordecai didn’t cave in when people threatened or challenged his decision to not bow and adore another human being.

Similarly, we as God’s people can stick to our guns and hold fast to our confession because we are hidden in Christ and he is holding us.

We are called to hold onto to Christ and build our lives on the rock of Jesus’ life and words. This is what helps us when the storms of suffering and persecution come.

Matthew 7:24–27 ESV

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

So to know that deeply is imperative but also have the perspective that our life is not ours anymore. We are seeking to honor Jesus in all things, whether it is easy or hard mercies that come our way.

Philippians 1:20–21 ESV

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

We can say to live on even in difficulty is good or to die in him is good because our earnest desire is for him to be honored.

In Christ we have found such joy and hope that we have let go of all our false identities that seek to be our central one.

Our marriage-it can be lost

Our children-can be lost

Our jobs, our money, our church membership

All are good things but when we are challenged with what we believe and there is a threat of persecution, we must know first and foremost that we are the beloved of God.

We need to remember that suffering and persecution are not arbitrary actions by mean people or overwhelmingly powerful demons.

Those things/people may be in play, but because we belong to God, we know that He is at work in these things to make us more like Jesus.

Our confidence is in what God says about us for it is true no matter what the circumstance: we are His forever if we have been given new life in Christ!

Application: When difficulty or persecution comes for following and honoring Jesus above all else, consider Christ and His endurance and His presence in your life. Return to his promises and soak in them.

Hebrews 12:1–3 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Hebrews 12:

But is the purpose of knowing who we are in Christ just for our enjoyment and endurance, or is there more still? Come further up, come further in.

In Lord of the Rings, the revelation of Aragorn as the true heir to the Kingship of Gondor, gives great courage for those that are fighting against evil and telling the world that the new king has truly come.

Knowing your true identity leads you to joyful mission.

Because what is true of us is true because God has declared it be so and because Jesus has paid the price for us to be found, we can not only believe it but also share this greatness with others.

What was awakened in Mordecai gave rise to Esther’s courage and ultimately God saving His people. This desire to live out what was true about Mordecai, led others to take notice. They could see that something was more important to him than carrying on as usual or even his own physical safety.

As New Testament believers, we are called to know deeply who we are in Christ so we may endure in the difficulties of this life but also so we can give a reason for why have hope in this fallen world.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This is always the call in all of Paul’s letters as well as Peter’s and John’s: indicatives before imperatives-know who Christ is and what he has done, then by grace and the Holy Spirit we know our new identity and how to live in light of that.

Then and only then are we called to live out these Gospel truths.

What joy there is in being chosen of God, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession! But this text says there is a purpose in this important declaration of our new identity in Christ:

That we might proclaim His excellencies!

We do this because he has called out of darkness and into his marvelous light.

We are not trapped in the darkness any longer. We have been set free by the blood of Jesus to live in the world as Gospel people. This is the proper motivation for mission: all that God has declared to be true of us in Jesus are His excellencies that we can share with others.

So what does that look like?

Application:

We are to live in such a way that people ask us why we are so hopeful. We can then share the excellencies of Christ without reservation and without fear.

We are to speak highly of Christ and what He has done then we can speak of how it has affected us. Our testimony is not the Gospel, it is the fruit of the Gospel.

2 books to recommend:

The Truest thing about you by David Lomas

Identity Theft

As we come to the table listen to what Landon Dowden says to tie this all together:

And that is why we come to the table.

Communion

Benediction:

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