Activity vs Identity
So many of us are so prone to getting caught up in what we do (activity) that it adversely taints who we think we are (identity). But the gospel informs a different way. By focusing first on who God is and what he's done, we're able to see who we really are in Christ. When we truly submit to the realities of the gospel, then this new identity orients what we do!
“Say therefore to the people of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’””
God, in his glorious plan and love for his people, reveals all the mighty plans he has for them as he brings them out of Egypt. Exodus 5:22-6:8 is often referred to as the Table of Contents for the entire OT. Specifically looking at Exodus 6:6-8 we see this amazing pattern evolve:
First, God’s identity informs or enables his activity of delivering his people out of Egypt
Secondly, he reaffirms his people’s identity → “I will make you my people...”
Then, he reveals to them their future activity → to inherit the land (back to creation, Abraham, covenant, etc.)
This sermon by Daniel Huskey from January 8, 2017 outlines just that.