Jeremiah 1: Neither Your Talent Nor Your Fear Says Who You Are

Introduction

At Lifehouse Tokyo, this year's theme is that the joy of the Lord becomes our strength. In October, the church is talking about the joy you find in the purpose of your life. Pastor Masashi, with Felix interpreting into English, adds a condition: "If you don't know your identity, it is hard to walk in your purpose."

He gives a simple example: the chair you are sitting on was made so that people could sit on it comfortably. You can stand on it or use it for something else, but then you are not making full use of what it was made for. Your life, too, was created by God for a purpose. It is neither a coincidence nor an accident.

The message follows the calling of Jeremiah, a young man who answers "impossible" when God appoints him a prophet to the nations. From it, the pastor draws four statements about identity, and then an invitation: to become a light of hope.

Outline of the Message

1. "Who Am I?": A Question That Can Blur Everything

For the pastor, identity does not come from what you do or from your skills. It was prepared before you were born, and it is something you discover.
He searched for his own for a long time. Born in Singapore, he lived in Japan until fifth grade, then in the United States until college. In the United States, he did not look American. In Japan, he looked like everyone else, but the way he thought and spoke was not Japanese at all.
Before he knew God, he was lost: "Why am I here? Who am I? What am I living for in this age?" The more he thought about it, the more confused he felt, to the point that his mental health was seriously affected.
It was by meeting God that he understood he was loved, created, and that a purpose was waiting for him.

2. You Were Chosen Before You Were Born

Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."
What was true for Jeremiah is true for you: even before you were conceived, God knew you and set you apart to accomplish good things.
The pastor is the father of a one-year-old girl. At the first ultrasound, the baby was tiny. Thinking of this verse, he said to himself: so small, and already known by God before birth. "You think: I am loved, I am special."
You may lack confidence, or feel that you have no purpose at all. God says to you: I chose you, I have known you since before you were born, I love you. The pastor simply invites you to receive that: this is where the journey toward your identity begins.

3. Your Identity Comes From God, Not From Your Talents

Your country of origin does not make your identity, and neither does what you are good at. "You are an engineer, but is your identity engineer?" The pastor played soccer, Felix loved video games: that was what they did, not who they were.
Jeremiah 1:6-8: the prophet defends himself, saying he does not know how to speak because he is a child. God tells him not to say that, to go to everyone he sends him to, and not to be afraid, because he is with him to rescue him.
Your weaknesses do not make your identity either. While he was studying, the pastor took a public speaking course. "Can I say something? I hated it." Every session, a five-minute speech, eyes fixed on those who looked bored, and a trembling voice.
He had drawn a conclusion: speaking in front of people is impossible for me, and that is my identity. Just like Jeremiah. Today, he speaks in front of the church, and his role often leads him to talk with people.
Ephesians 2:10: we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the good works God prepared beforehand. The pastor likes the English translation that says "masterpiece." In front of the mirror, we mostly notice what is wrong. God, for his part, says you are his masterpiece.

4. Your Past No Longer Defines You

Past experiences and mistakes tend to become our identity.
This is why God sent Jesus. He died on the cross for our sins, rose on the third day, and is alive today. If you believe in what he did, you are forgiven and saved: "That is the most important identity."
2 Corinthians 5:17: if you believe in Jesus, you are a new creation, and the old things have passed away. You have become a son or daughter of God.
When the pastor tries to stand by his own strength, he sees only his weaknesses and the worst of his past. When he remembers what Jesus did, Ephesians 2:10, and 2 Corinthians 5:17, he remembers that he is living a new life.
Hence his advice: when we rely on ourselves, we listen to all kinds of voices, while what matters is what God says. Read the Bible every day, even for a short time, asking God to speak to you. Write down what you read in a journal and apply it to your life. "Try it."

5. Let God Take Away Your Fear

Jeremiah was filled with fear: too young, unable to speak well. That is natural, and common in today's society: the future is unclear, we worry, and fear grips us.
People often ask the pastor why he needs God. On good days, you might think you can do without him. But the further you go in God's purpose, the more you meet things that are impossible to do alone. God prepares plans that go beyond what we imagine.
Jeremiah 1:9-10: the Lord reaches out his hand, touches the prophet's mouth, and says to him: "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth." God touches exactly the place where Jeremiah thought he was incapable, and gives him strength.
If your worry comes from your past experiences or from the people around you, God can take it away, show you your true identity, and move you forward toward your purpose.
1 John 4:18-19: there is no fear in love, perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. We love because he first loved us. When you try something new or obey God, the fear of failure or guilt can rise up: "What if God gets angry?" The pastor answers: "God is not angry with you."
His daughter helps him understand the Father's love. When he calls her, she turns around with a smile, and he feels like crying. When he asks her to jump, she barely leaves the ground, but he finds her jump extraordinary and already imagines her as a professional athlete. Every step she takes toward him makes him proud.
This is how God rejoices over his children when they pray, write down what he tells them, and walk with him even in hardship. Knowing it fills you with grace and peace.

6. Knowing Your Identity Makes You a Light of Hope

Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse that is much sought after and much highlighted in Asia. It was also through this verse that the pastor wanted to know Jesus: plans for peace and not for evil, to give a future and a hope.
Yet it has to be read in its context. The people had been deported to Babylon, wanted to go home, and would not be able to for decades. Jeremiah stood up to give them hope: the situation is not good, but God has a plan, and that plan is not disaster.
John 1:5: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot put it out. "The light shines brightest in the deepest darkness."
When you know your identity and walk in your purpose, joy overflows and the people around you receive light and hope. Whether you are a mother, a father, or a student, you can influence others in your own way, right where you are.
The pastor tells the story of a young woman he has known since his student years in Tokyo, who has recently married. She wanted to do great things, but sometimes lost confidence, "really like Jeremiah." She held on again and again to what God told her in her journal, turned back to him even when her busy life threatened to make her lose sight of him, and kept on being set free. Today, she carries the hope of Jesus in Japan and, with her husband, forms a couple who serve together.
"Discovering your identity, that is what life is." It has already been prepared, since before you were born: "You are a son or daughter of God. You are the light of the world. You are his masterpiece."

7. Praying to Receive Your Identity

The pastor first prays for those who want to know their identity better, who wonder why they are here, who feel incapable or unworthy: that God would take away their worry, give them peace, and make them a light that carries his hope.
He then prays for those who want to know God, or to return to him after drifting away: "Deep down, you already know it: you need God." He invites them to raise a hand and open their hearts to Jesus.

Key Takeaways

God knew you before you were born. Your identity is not something you manufacture, it is something you receive and discover with him.
What you do well and what you do badly do not say who you are. God calls you his masterpiece.
In Jesus, your past no longer defines you: you are a new creation, a son or daughter of God.
God is not angry with you. His perfect love drives out the fear that keeps you from moving forward.
Whoever knows their identity becomes a light of hope, even in the darkest times.

Personal Application

What answer do you give today to the question "Who am I?": your job, your origin, your results, or what God says about you?
Which weakness have you ended up taking for your identity, like Jeremiah with "I am too young"?
Which past mistake keeps coming back to tell you who you are, when you are a new creation?
This week, can you read the Bible every day, even briefly, and write down in a notebook what God tells you?
In your home, your studies, or your work, to whom can you be a light of hope?

Verses Quoted

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Jeremiah 1 teach us about our identity?

In Jeremiah 1:5, God tells the prophet that he knew him before forming him in his mother's womb and that he had set him apart before his birth. For Pastor Masashi, this is true for you too: your identity is not something you make, it was prepared before you were born and you discover it with God.

Does my identity depend on my talents or my weaknesses?

No. Your job, your sport, or your hobby are what you do, not who you are. Your weaknesses do not define you either: Jeremiah said he was too young to speak, and Pastor Masashi, who trembled when speaking in public, now speaks in front of the church. Identity comes from God, who calls you his masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).

Why does the preacher read Jeremiah 29:11 in its context?

This promise of a future and a hope was given to a people deported to Babylon, who would not return home for decades. Jeremiah nevertheless spoke of hope in the middle of the night. For Pastor Masashi, whoever knows their identity becomes in turn a light where they live.