Who Do You Think You Are?

A. Ps. 139:14. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I
know that full well.” A human being is an amazing creature! Only we are capable of having an
“identity crisis.” A human being is a who and not a what. We are not only conscious beings, we are
self-conscious. We can not only think, we can think about our thinking.
(2) Among the things we need to think about is the quality of persons we have become. The quality of persons we would like to be, ideally. The influences that have contributed to our being who we are right now.
1. What about the influences that are taking us into our future. These issues have to do with our self-understanding and our character. Too often, we get both of these from the “social mirror.” And too often, the results are not very satisfactory. We need to understand that God has something better for us than just the considerations of this world.
(A) How often do you consider the question: Who are you? We need to think consciously and
carefully about who we are. The inscription at Delphi in ancient Greece said: “Know
thyself!” Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Our actions spring from
our character. What we do results from who we are. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is
he.” Prov. 23:7. Prov. 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the
issues of life.”
(1) Many things make you what you are. Your family. Like it or not, a connection to those
who gave you birth is carried in every cell of your body. Our physical characteristics
are determined by your family. Your conduct (Words and Deeds) define you
constantly. Your thoughts and desires motivate you to be who and what you are.
Your values determine you character. That’s how the world and God and your
neighbor will define you.
(a) The inward you will cause you to be what you are outwardly. That’s the part of you
most people never see. That’s why you can fool most people most of the time
about who and what you really are. it is the inward person that is most significant.
1 Sam. 16:7. “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” It is the “hidden person of the heart” that matters most.
(2) How did you get to be who and what you are today? Is who you are like your junk closet at home? A hodgepodge of junk, a jumble of haphazard accumulations? Or are you who you are because of careful choice and decision?
The world makes excuses for you. That way you don’t have to take responsiblity for who you are. It’s called the deterministic view of human behavior. Genetic determinism: We are controlled by our genetic makeup so it’s our ancestors’ fault. Psychic determinism: We are controlled by our early childhood experiences therefore, it’s our parents’ fault. Environmental determinism: We are controlled by what happens around us, so it’s everybody else’s fault.
Bible says we determine who and what we will be in life. We get to choose. Rom. 12:2. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is?his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
(3) We are free to choose. That freedom to choose is the basis of our accountability to God. And we will answer to God for our choices 2 Cor. 5:10. We cannot always choose what happens to us. But we can always choose what we do about what happens to us. History is a record of the encounter between character and circumstance.

(1) You can choose you thoughts, decisions, emotions, beliefs, attitudes, personality, character, happiness and eternal destiny. Happiness comes by taking control and responsibility for yourself. Write your own script, program your own computer, run your own brain. Learn to be proactive instead of being reactive. Live by decision not by default.
(2) Be who God intended you to be. Be who you are. Happiness and joy come from integrity: alignment between our values and our conduct. In Jno. 13:17, Jesus said, “Knowing what to do and doing it brings happiness.” Doing what you know to be right will keep you right with God. It takes discipline to always choose what is right. It is not always easy to discipline ourselves to live consistently and congruently with who we are — but life offers us a basic choice between two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
(1) Long ago someone said, “To thine own self be true.” Always be the best you can be. “If you haven’t discovered something that you will die for, you aren’t fit to live.” Now is the time to choose your convictions and your character!
(2) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 01/19/03 pm