Your true identity

GG notes for Ivy MCR following Graham Cooke’s teaching (you can now download the teaching from the Ivy MCR website, it’s well worth it!)

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READ 1 Peter 1:1-9 in various translations. 

Q. What grabs you from the passage?

Peter was writing to 5 provinces under persecution. He calls them ‘elect’ which means specifically chosen. They are also living as ‘resident aliens’ wherever they end up. Pray, thanking God for choosing to love you, and being Lord of your journey. Most of what follows now is from my notes on Graham’s talks.

GC:  Jesus died to give us HOPE – a brilliant expectation! He wants to teach you to put on the identity you have so you can impact the world around you. 

DISCUSS: Are you known as a person of hope?  

Matt 1613  Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock[b] I will build my church, and the gates of hell[c]shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[d] in heaven.” 20  Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. 

When Jesus asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ He wasn’t having an identity crisis! When you know who you, are you know how you’re supposed to live. You’re free to have a new tomorrow. The church is there to call us up to who they really are. Jesus is teaching them about identity here…

They gave him 4 wrong answers;

  1. John the baptist (he’d just been beheaded!)
  2. Elijah
  3. Jeremiah
  4. One of the prophets.

Later some people saw him in his home town and said ‘He’s just Joseph’s boy.’ They kept getting Him wrong.

Q: What wrong ideas do people have about Jesus these days?

DISCUSS: What roles do you fulfil when others relate to you? List them. Which could be stripped away and which ones are the real you? 

What is my identity in Jesus?

Your true identity is made up of…

  1. Who we are on earth (our background and upbringing) that shapes your personality.
  2. How we are known in heaven.