Pursuing Purpose – Week One: “Who Am I?” – The Question of Identity

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 1:24-31

Big Idea for Today: 

“Since we are created beings, then we are not the measure of, or central to, anything. Therefore, our identity is not something we have to discover for ourselves, but instead it is something we receive from the One who created us.”

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” -Ephesians 1:7

You are .

“4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” -Ephesians 2:4-5

You are . 

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” -1 John 3:1

You are a .

“I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.” -1 John 2:12

You are .

“13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” -Psalm 139:13-14

You are .

“38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39

You are . 

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” -Romans 5:1

You are .

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” -1 Corinthians 15:57

You are . 

“There is a story about a schoolboy who was asked what he thought God was like. He replied that, as far as he could make out, God was ‘the sort of person who is always snooping around to see if anyone is enjoying himself and then trying to stop it.” -C.S. Lewis

God does not say “do these things so that I will love you”, He says “I love you, so follow me.”

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” -2 Corinthians 5:21