All year long we are talking about taking giant steps to get unstuck from our past. As part of that, this summer, we are taking a deep dive into what it means to love... the Summer of Love, Jesus Style.

Today, we pivot to a topic that's often misunderstood: self-love. But we're not talking about the Instagram version, filled with selfies and posing. We're diving deeper into a self-love that's not self-centered, but centered in Christ.

In the heart of our discussion is a powerful message from Colossians 3:9-10. It's a call to action, urging us to strip off our old selves—our past mistakes, failures, and sins—like an old coat. In its place, we're invited to wear something new: a self that's renewed in knowledge, in the image of our Savior.

Why does this matter? Because the way we see ourselves shapes everything.

It influences how we treat others, how we face challenges, and how we make the world a better, or a worse, place.

Loving ourselves the right way—through the lens of our identity in Christ—isn't just about feeling good. It's about freeing ourselves to love others more authentically.

Today, we're here to explore self-love without the fluff.

So I'm calling this talk: Step Up to Self-Esteem

Let's get into Scripture:

"Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it." (Colossians 3:9-10)

There is something here that will really give you a deep understanding of yourself.

You have an old self and you have a new self.

There's an Old You and there's a New You. Before and after.

Well, before and after what?

Before and after this:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When you receive Jesus as your Savior, God says you become a new creation.

The person you were before Jesus, it says, that person has passed away. That identity is gone. That identity is out of sight. That's your old self.

All things have become new. That's your new self. A new creation. A new spiritual species. A new identity. A new nature. A new self.

There's your before and after. Before you get saved. After you get saved. This "before and after" matters because this is the foundation of genuine self-love.

It's not about ego. It's not about self-adoration. It's not about an every-kid-deserves a trophy kind of prize.

Genuine self-love begins with knowing your NEW CREATION IDENTITY in Christ.

Have you received Jesus? Have you been saved? You can be. I invite you to be.

Remember, we are talking about loving yourself, Jesus style. And what I'm trying to say to you is this:

Knowing your NEW CREATION IDENTITY in Christ is how you finally embrace your truest value and worth.

There is a phrase here that explains where this comes from. Do you see those little words, "in Christ." If anyone is "in Christ," you become a new creation.

I think that if there is any secret way to understand self-esteem, it's hidden in those two words. In Christ.

In that very nano-second you get saved, something happens so big that its ripple effect goes on forever. In that blink of an eye, the thing that happens is that you get joined together with Jesus forever.

That is a new union. That union is your truest possible Identity.

From that moment on, "in Christ" becomes the defining phrase of your existence. Every time the Bible says that you are in Christ (or in Him) it means that something is true of you because you have been joined to Christ once for all and forever because you have been saved.

This is a teaching that's not actually a secret; it's an open secret. It's a teaching that, once you get it, you can really help your self-esteem skyrocket. I'd like to focus on that teaching for a moment... are you ready for this?

The thing that makes Christianity so different from every other religion is this truth of union with Christ. Here are some ways that the Bible talks about this:

"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be united in the likeness of His resurrection." (Romans 6:5)

"But whoever is joined to the Lord is one spirit." (1 Corinthians 6:17)

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22)

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

A Christian is a person who has been joined to Christ, united together with him, grafted like a branch into a vine, and brought into such a close relationship that you can say, "Christ lives in me."

We can organize everything that the Bible says on this topic in 3 ways... to make it easy, just like a marriage. A husband and wife are joined together in 3 ways.

I'm going to build out a chart as we go.

The first way is the marriage certificate itself. This is what makes you legally married, and legally joined to your spouse.

The second way is being present with each other. Living together. You are one because you are together. This is where the magic happens. This is what can make your relationship beautiful and enjoyable.

The third way is your lifestyle and commitments, so that you serve one another, honor one another, and respect one another.