If you don't know whose you are, you don't know who you are — your identity is only settled once you know you belong to God.
Knowing who you are shapes how you see yourself, others, and God — and that knowing starts with knowing whose you are. Through Moses's identity crisis and Peter's letter to persecuted believers, Pastor Pat shows that anyone who trusts Jesus is chosen, royal, holy, and part of a kingdom that will never end.
“If you don't know whose you are, you don't know who you are”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 1 of 7
Moses wrestled with an identity crisis, but God has none
Pastor Pat walks through Exodus 3, where Moses—born Jewish, raised Egyptian, and a Midianite shepherd for forty years—stands before the burning bush and twice asks God, 'Who am I?' God's reply, 'I am who I am,' is set against Moses's confusion: Moses has an identity crisis, God does not, and God wants the same settled identity for us.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 2 of 7
Peter reminds persecuted believers who they are in Christ
In 1 Peter 2:9-10, Peter tells suffering Jesus followers they are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God's own possession. Pastor Pat notes that once they know who they are, they can show others the goodness of God—identity comes before mission.
“Moses has an identity crisis. God has no identity crisis”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
“I think the story indicates that God so desperately wants you and me to not have an identity crisis”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
“You are chosen. That's what it says in first Peter nine”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
“Once you had no identity as a people, now you are God's people”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 3 of 7
The Hebrew word for 'name' carries far more weight than a title
Pastor Pat explains that Hebrew has only 18,000 words compared to English's 100,000, so 'shem' (name) means reputation, authority, and identity, not just a label. He traces this through Micah 4:5, Proverbs 18:10, and Psalm 20:7, and shows how God renaming Abram to Abraham was changing his identity, not just his paperwork.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 4 of 7
Our identity is tied to a 5,000-year story running from Abraham to Jesus
Pastor Pat traces the promise from God telling Abram to count the stars, to God's covenant with David for an eternal kingdom, to Daniel's vision of 'one like the Son of Man' worshipped by every nation, to Jesus taking that very title for Himself. Anyone who trusts Jesus is grafted into that whole story.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 5 of 7
In Christ, Gentiles share fully in the same inheritance as Jews
Turning to Ephesians, Pastor Pat unpacks Paul's 'mystery'—that Gentiles and Jews together share equally in every spiritual blessing in Christ. He applies this personally, noting that most in the room are Gentiles now unexpectedly written into Abraham's, David's, and Jesus's story.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 6 of 7
A changed name means a changed identity, not just a changed title
Pastor Pat shares his own middle-of-the-night exercise of writing 'I am Patrick of the clan of McCullough' and feeling gross realizing his family history gave him no real identity to stand on. He describes the relief of instead claiming to be part of the family of Abraham, David, and Jesus—a son of the King.
A story from life
Pastor Pat's late-night family-name exercise leading to an identity crisis and then an emotional reframing through the biblical story
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 7 of 7
A changed identity changes how you see your own worth
Pastor Pat tells of a woman rescued out of stripping and prostitution who, dancing on stage one night, asked herself, 'Is this all I'm worth?' A CD teaching her she was made in God's image and loved by Him changed how she saw herself entirely.
“I'm Patrick from the family of Abraham, from the family of David, from the family of Yeshua Jesus, and I'm part of a kingdom that will last forever”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
A story from life
A woman formerly working as an exotic dancer whose identity was transformed after hearing teaching about her identity in Christ on a CD given to her at her workplace
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Take it into your week
Pastor Pat's charge is that once you know whose you are, you should let that truth answer the question 'who am I' all week long.
Application
Remember your true identity when asked your name
This week, when someone asks your name, shake their hand and say it normally, but internally remind yourself you're part of the family of Abraham, David, and Jesus, and a son or daughter of the King.
Put your faith and trust in Jesus
If you've never done this, Pastor Pat invites you to pray right now to accept Jesus's forgiveness and receive a new identity as God's son or daughter.
Take a next step through baptism
Fill out the card or the website tab to say yes to being baptized next week as a visible step into your new identity.
Remember Jesus's sacrifice through communion
As you take the bread and cup, remember that Jesus's body and blood are the only reason your new identity and place in His kingdom are possible.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI