WEBVTT 00:00:09.449 --> 00:00:14.289 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.289 --> 00:00:16.589 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:19.809 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.109 --> 00:00:22.989 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:27.230 you are through our website ecb .asia or our 00:00:27.230 --> 00:00:31.070 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.070 --> 00:00:35.270 by this week's sermon. Good morning, everyone. 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:41.640 I am really happy to be here this morning. As 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:44.659 we are in this season of celebrating 60 years, 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:47.799 I give thanks to what God is doing in this church. 00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:52.200 We've just started actually coming to ECB maybe 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:55.939 almost three years, and we came out of a really 00:00:55.939 --> 00:00:59.960 challenging time of ministry and realized that 00:00:59.960 --> 00:01:02.359 I'd probably not be pastoring anywhere anytime 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:07.120 soon. And I asked my son, Where should we go 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.319 worship? And so the first time in my life and 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:12.439 in our whole family's lives, we began to church 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:15.719 hop for about three months through Bangkok. And 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:17.439 at the end of the three months, I asked my oldest 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:20.700 son, where do you want to worship? He goes, ECB. 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:23.060 So I go, here we go. We're going to ECB then. 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:26.420 And we've been here since. And I give thanks 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:30.819 because we've been welcomed very warmly. We come 00:01:30.819 --> 00:01:33.579 here and we get to hear the word of God every 00:01:33.579 --> 00:01:37.719 week, faithfully preached. And we just have loved 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:41.879 being here these many, many months. And so if 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:43.859 you're new here, actually, please stick around. 00:01:44.060 --> 00:01:46.799 It's a great church to be a part of. But I want 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.700 to give thanks to God for that. And so today, 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:55.760 the topic that I'll be sharing is Jesus is our 00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:07.590 new nature. put their faith and trust in Jesus 00:02:07.590 --> 00:02:12.310 Christ, something radical happens. Something 00:02:12.310 --> 00:02:15.090 amazing happens. And we look at this scripture 00:02:15.090 --> 00:02:19.129 this morning just to bring our focus together. 00:02:19.189 --> 00:02:21.090 I don't know where you've been this morning, 00:02:21.189 --> 00:02:24.789 how the weekend was, how the week has been, but 00:02:24.789 --> 00:02:27.110 when we come before God's word, it's really good 00:02:27.110 --> 00:02:31.960 to slow down, to take a deep breath. And to just 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:35.080 meditate on something profound as we'll read 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:39.560 this morning. And so in 2 Corinthians 2, verses 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:44.479 5 -17, it says this. Listen to his word. Therefore, 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:50.439 if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has 00:02:50.439 --> 00:02:54.960 come. The old has gone away. The new is here. 00:02:56.280 --> 00:03:03.800 Take a deep breath. Hear it again. Therefore, 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:09.340 if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has 00:03:09.340 --> 00:03:18.020 come, the old has gone, the new is here. Take 00:03:18.020 --> 00:03:26.939 a deep breath. Amen. We arrived in Bangkok in 00:03:26.939 --> 00:03:29.599 the year 2013. I make that sound like it's a 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:33.719 long time ago. 13 years ago. And we moved from 00:03:33.719 --> 00:03:36.599 New York City, I moved my whole family to Bangkok 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:40.439 to serve as missionaries, focusing on discipleship 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:44.139 and church planting. And as I reflect on those 00:03:44.139 --> 00:03:48.120 years as we began, I don't think anything could 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:52.000 have prepared us for how difficult and challenging 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.599 it would be to serve God in Thailand. And so 00:03:56.599 --> 00:04:00.930 as years passed, And as we planted churches and 00:04:00.930 --> 00:04:04.150 as we pastored people, I reached the point when 00:04:04.150 --> 00:04:10.750 I just realized, why do I feel so joyless right 00:04:10.750 --> 00:04:15.610 now? Why do I feel dry? Why do I feel fruitless? 00:04:16.889 --> 00:04:19.750 You have to talk to God. God, I'm serving you. 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:24.720 Why am I feeling this way? Where is this abundant 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:27.720 life? Where is the truth of this scripture in 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:33.839 my own life? And so let me continue to seek after 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:38.420 the Lord and ask why is it this way? Ultimately, 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:44.279 it led me to this very important question. How 00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:48.959 do we transform? And more accurately, how do 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:55.550 I? How do I experience Christ in such a way that 00:04:55.550 --> 00:05:00.189 the truth of new creation, of new life, would 00:05:00.189 --> 00:05:06.250 be in me? So when we talk about this topic of 00:05:06.250 --> 00:05:11.230 Jesus' new nature in us, I want to share around 00:05:11.230 --> 00:05:15.569 three areas and explore the idea of what is actually 00:05:15.569 --> 00:05:20.629 biblical transformation. Why is it difficult 00:05:20.629 --> 00:05:24.529 and also very important that we wrestle with 00:05:24.529 --> 00:05:27.829 this? And then ultimately, how do we experience 00:05:27.829 --> 00:05:31.370 it in our own lives? How do we experience the 00:05:31.370 --> 00:05:36.790 transformation Jesus wants us to have? And so, 00:05:36.910 --> 00:05:40.290 when we think about biblical transformation, 00:05:40.410 --> 00:05:44.569 and especially if you read the scriptures and 00:05:44.569 --> 00:05:49.040 you especially study how Paul writes, about the 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:53.120 Christian faith, you'll see that he engages three 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:57.100 specific areas. So when we talk about biblical 00:05:57.100 --> 00:06:00.240 transformation, where is this transformation 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:04.720 supposed to happen? Firstly, it happens in our 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:09.120 actions and behaviors. Our actions and behaviors, 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:12.459 how we live our lives out. Secondly, it also 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:16.019 happens in our thoughts and our reasoning, what 00:06:16.019 --> 00:06:19.500 we believe. how we perceive the world, how we 00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:22.660 engage the world with our minds. And then lastly, 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:27.199 it's in our emotions and our desires, our loves. 00:06:28.379 --> 00:06:31.160 In other words, if we were to look at these three 00:06:31.160 --> 00:06:34.860 areas, what can we label these three areas? Firstly, 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:38.160 it's our hands and our body, right? That needs 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:42.740 transformation. It's our heart, it's our mind 00:06:42.740 --> 00:06:47.860 and our head that needs transformation. And also 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:52.220 our heart and our spirit. I'm not sure if you've 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:55.079 heard the quote. A lot of people use this within 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:58.819 theological terms, but head, heart, hand. We 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:00.819 want to experience transformation in head, heart, 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:06.180 and hand. Now, just to introduce this does not 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:10.439 mean this is biblical yet. I think if you have 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:12.899 come from a different faith and become a Christian 00:07:12.899 --> 00:07:16.920 or you are exploring Christianity, you will realize 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:22.560 that this is not new. What makes this biblical? 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:26.000 What makes this biblical is the direction of 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:29.199 the transformation of these three areas. And 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:31.920 so when we think about this, we have to ask ourselves 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:36.920 this morning, where is God calling us to be transformed? 00:07:37.870 --> 00:07:40.990 Is it in our habits and the way we live out our 00:07:40.990 --> 00:07:44.230 lives? Is it in the way we think and what we 00:07:44.230 --> 00:07:49.209 believe? Perhaps we've been believing a lie all 00:07:49.209 --> 00:07:52.589 our lives and it's causing certain types of fruit 00:07:52.589 --> 00:07:56.730 to come out of our living. Maybe it's loves. 00:07:56.889 --> 00:08:02.870 We love things that either align with Jesus or 00:08:02.870 --> 00:08:05.990 don't align with Jesus. So it's really important 00:08:05.990 --> 00:08:09.110 is what is the question we have to ask? And so, 00:08:09.149 --> 00:08:13.009 for example, when we think about biblical transformation 00:08:13.009 --> 00:08:16.209 of our head, heart, and hand, we're thinking 00:08:16.209 --> 00:08:19.649 about asking the right questions. Where is transformation 00:08:19.649 --> 00:08:24.170 going? So, for example, in our bodies or our 00:08:24.170 --> 00:08:27.449 hands, right? We could ask this question, how 00:08:27.449 --> 00:08:33.149 am I living more and more like Christ? How am 00:08:33.149 --> 00:08:37.230 I living more and more like Christ? About thoughts 00:08:37.230 --> 00:08:41.629 and reasoning. How am I knowing Christ more and 00:08:41.629 --> 00:08:47.029 more each and every day? Or about our hearts. 00:08:47.070 --> 00:08:51.289 How am I growing in love for God and for others? 00:08:52.429 --> 00:08:59.169 In summary, when we think about biblical transformation, 00:08:59.269 --> 00:09:03.179 if we think about... Discipleship and spiritual 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:07.980 formation. Especially as I've helped others to 00:09:07.980 --> 00:09:10.600 grow in their faith, I'm asking these type of 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:13.980 questions. I'm super curious about where God 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:18.720 is working in this person's life to cultivate 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:23.620 transformation in their lives. So, spiritual 00:09:23.620 --> 00:09:30.320 formation, discipleship, is... The ultimate goal 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:37.259 is to become more and more like Jesus. How have 00:09:37.259 --> 00:09:41.720 we been discipled? How have we been formed? Has 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:45.840 that led us to become more and more like Jesus? 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:51.360 Where are you right now? Where's the journey 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:56.779 taken you? Where have you seen Christ grown in 00:09:56.779 --> 00:10:00.440 you? And where do you see that Christ needs to 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:07.399 grow something new in me? Right? If you've been 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:11.500 in the faith long enough, you'll realize that 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:15.740 this journey is not an easy one. Even in the 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:18.379 scriptures, we read how the spiritual journey 00:10:18.379 --> 00:10:21.519 is sometimes experienced as having to travel 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:25.860 through the valley of the shadow of death. It's 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:29.490 not easy. We have to experience the sin of others, 00:10:29.570 --> 00:10:33.990 our own sin. We have to experience the broken 00:10:33.990 --> 00:10:38.929 world and asking God, why is it like this? In 00:10:38.929 --> 00:10:41.649 reality, this is why it's difficult to be disciples 00:10:41.649 --> 00:10:46.730 of Jesus Christ because we're always being discipled. 00:10:47.309 --> 00:10:52.669 Always. And the question becomes, who and what 00:10:52.669 --> 00:10:56.549 is discipling us? And for what end and purpose 00:10:56.549 --> 00:11:04.990 is this happening? What are we engaging in our 00:11:04.990 --> 00:11:09.809 daily lives? Those things are discipling us. 00:11:10.190 --> 00:11:13.090 And then we have to ask the question, is this 00:11:13.090 --> 00:11:18.350 leading us to Jesus? Is this leading us to Jesus? 00:11:21.350 --> 00:11:26.649 Comer writes this. Formation will happen to you, 00:11:26.730 --> 00:11:31.690 but formation into a person of love in Christ 00:11:31.690 --> 00:11:39.309 will not. What does this mean? It means that 00:11:39.309 --> 00:11:42.470 if we want to be transformed into the likeness 00:11:42.470 --> 00:11:45.690 of Jesus Christ, if we want to see discipleship 00:11:45.690 --> 00:11:48.750 and spiritual formation bear the fruit of Christ 00:11:48.750 --> 00:11:53.330 in our lives, it does not happen. by accident. 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:59.809 It doesn't just happen. It requires from us an 00:11:59.809 --> 00:12:03.809 intentionality and a deep awareness of those 00:12:03.809 --> 00:12:08.009 places in our lives that need transformation. 00:12:09.429 --> 00:12:13.190 What might that be for you this morning? Where 00:12:13.190 --> 00:12:17.610 do you see God inviting you to have courage? 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:23.100 To say, this is an area that I know, Lord, I 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:29.980 need to give to you. I need your help. I need 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:34.419 your transformation. The other reality is this, 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:38.019 is that why is it difficult? It is a constant 00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:45.659 checking in with God of where we are and who 00:12:45.659 --> 00:12:51.889 are we becoming. I don't know about you, I've 00:12:51.889 --> 00:12:54.750 lived in New York City for one part of my life 00:12:54.750 --> 00:12:58.889 and now Bangkok for the other. They're very similar 00:12:58.889 --> 00:13:03.929 contexts. Super busy, always feeling like you 00:13:03.929 --> 00:13:08.929 have to be on. And the question is, for all of 00:13:08.929 --> 00:13:12.289 us, is do we have that, do we allow ourselves 00:13:12.289 --> 00:13:18.289 that opportunity to slow down and to ask and 00:13:18.289 --> 00:13:23.570 reflect? Upon where we truly are. And where is 00:13:23.570 --> 00:13:30.070 God leading us. Because Jesus warns us. If we 00:13:30.070 --> 00:13:33.909 don't take this intentionally. And check in. 00:13:34.070 --> 00:13:38.049 And really understand where we are. It can be 00:13:38.049 --> 00:13:42.850 very dangerous. Jesus in Matthew chapter 7 says 00:13:42.850 --> 00:13:47.110 this. Beware of false prophets. Who come to you 00:13:47.110 --> 00:13:52.919 in sheep's clothing. but inwardly are ravenous 00:13:52.919 --> 00:14:00.120 wolves. Do you hear this warning? Beware of false 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:04.500 prophets who have come to you in sheep's clothing, 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:11.799 but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Jesus is helping 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:15.919 us to realize that there will be and are false 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:20.750 prophets, false teachers, false messages and 00:14:20.750 --> 00:14:25.409 with false promises that we can access so easily 00:14:25.409 --> 00:14:32.710 now. Who are you listening to every day? Whose 00:14:32.710 --> 00:14:40.529 social media page are you following? What messaging 00:14:40.529 --> 00:14:48.009 is being communicated to you? Is that content 00:14:48.779 --> 00:14:52.659 taking you away from Christ or bring you to Christ? 00:14:55.940 --> 00:14:59.559 And so the question we have to ask, if this is 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:04.840 the reality that we live in, what are we sowing 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:11.679 into our lives? What are we watching? What are 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:17.259 we listening to? What are we captivated by? And 00:15:17.259 --> 00:15:24.679 are these things leading us to Christ? He continues 00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:29.899 on in this passage. A healthy tree cannot bear 00:15:29.899 --> 00:15:33.980 bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good 00:15:33.980 --> 00:15:38.440 fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:43.200 is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:48.730 will recognize them by their fruits. Jesus here 00:15:48.730 --> 00:15:53.169 is saying, I'm looking for something. I'm looking 00:15:53.169 --> 00:15:59.269 for people whose lives are characterized by things 00:15:59.269 --> 00:16:04.990 that are everlasting, eternal, good. And if it 00:16:04.990 --> 00:16:08.850 isn't, these things will be cut down and burned. 00:16:10.950 --> 00:16:15.720 So the question we have to ask here is, What 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:22.679 is growing out of our lives right now? When people 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:29.840 experience us, what are they experiencing? Is 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:35.879 it Christ? Or something else altogether? What 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:42.600 are they recognizing in us? And ultimately, we 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:46.440 have to ask the question, What does God recognize 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:56.840 in us? What I'm going to read next will be startling. 00:16:58.059 --> 00:17:01.159 And this is why it's so important that we understand 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:04.519 how we're being formed and where we're going. 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:09.000 Jesus continues on and says, Not everyone who 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.940 says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:14.890 of heaven. but the one who does the will of my 00:17:14.890 --> 00:17:23.130 Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will 00:17:23.130 --> 00:17:27.869 say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in 00:17:27.869 --> 00:17:31.410 your name and cast out demons in your name and 00:17:31.410 --> 00:17:37.089 do many mighty works in your name? And then will 00:17:37.089 --> 00:17:43.630 I declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from 00:17:43.630 --> 00:17:53.470 me, you workers of lawlessness. Jesus is painting 00:17:53.470 --> 00:17:58.930 a picture of the future where all people will 00:17:58.930 --> 00:18:04.230 be standing before him. And some will go, Jesus, 00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:16.400 Jesus! And he will say to them, It calls us to 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:20.440 wake up this morning. It calls us to go, how 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:26.119 am I taking my formation? Is it, I'm being serious 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:29.839 about it? Is my deepest desire to become like 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:33.259 Jesus or not? Because these passages tell us, 00:18:33.259 --> 00:18:36.400 they ask us this question. What is Christ looking 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:42.400 for? You have many people on that day who did 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:47.029 many good works. And many will hear from Jesus, 00:18:47.150 --> 00:18:52.670 I never knew you. What is Jesus looking for? 00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:59.190 As I study this scripture, I can't help but believe 00:18:59.190 --> 00:19:04.490 that what Jesus is looking for is himself in 00:19:04.490 --> 00:19:13.240 us. He desires to... See transformation in us 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:17.279 that's so radical that on that day, we will not 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:19.519 be going, this is what we've done for you, Jesus. 00:19:19.579 --> 00:19:22.200 This is what we've done for you, Jesus. This 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:27.819 is what we've done. No, it will be, Lord, you're 00:19:27.819 --> 00:19:33.099 all I've ever wanted. I've wanted and I've tried 00:19:33.099 --> 00:19:39.720 to follow you all the days of my life. And Jesus, 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:46.220 I hopefully will say, I know you. I've seen you. 00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:50.619 I've seen your love for me. And I've seen how 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:57.359 that love has borne fruit out of your life that 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:02.660 praises my name. That's what he wants. He wants 00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:08.309 to see that type of fruit. Okay, please take 00:20:08.309 --> 00:20:16.430 a deep breath. These are real words of warning 00:20:16.430 --> 00:20:21.690 for us this morning. Real words that we have 00:20:21.690 --> 00:20:31.609 to take seriously. And so, are our whole lives 00:20:31.609 --> 00:20:37.640 surrendered to God? Is the goal of our formation 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:43.660 and growth leading us to love, to follow, and 00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:48.980 to become more and more like Jesus? Where are 00:20:48.980 --> 00:20:52.099 you in this journey? Maybe you're a new believer 00:20:52.099 --> 00:20:54.500 trying to figure out what does it mean to be 00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:59.160 a Christian? Others may be decades in the faith 00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:03.339 going, wow, this journey has been long. And this 00:21:03.339 --> 00:21:06.220 is now the opportunity to go, where am I right 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:13.299 now? Can I be honest with you, though? I've been 00:21:13.299 --> 00:21:16.480 a believer for over 20 years. I've been serving 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:20.140 the Lord vocationally in Thailand for 13 years. 00:21:21.940 --> 00:21:26.920 And you know what? I still see parts of my life 00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:32.289 that's very selfish. that yearns for comfort 00:21:32.289 --> 00:21:36.609 over what is best in the name of Jesus. There's 00:21:36.609 --> 00:21:42.769 still parts of me that rather avoid showing love 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:49.710 because of it being inconvenient. There's still 00:21:49.710 --> 00:21:52.809 parts of me that is very active with certain 00:21:52.809 --> 00:21:56.569 things because it defines and gives me value 00:21:56.569 --> 00:22:02.269 and worth aside from Christ. And there's still 00:22:02.269 --> 00:22:06.869 that lie that's ever present that says, your 00:22:06.869 --> 00:22:14.549 good works will save you. And if that's true 00:22:14.549 --> 00:22:20.490 in me, perhaps in you too, these words that Jesus 00:22:20.490 --> 00:22:24.509 has said should not be surprising. Because he 00:22:24.509 --> 00:22:28.450 wants more. He wants more from us than just that. 00:22:29.609 --> 00:22:33.470 He wants a relationship with us. But he gives 00:22:33.470 --> 00:22:35.690 us these words and we have to wrestle with them. 00:22:36.210 --> 00:22:42.529 We have to go, Lord, how do I transform into 00:22:42.529 --> 00:22:51.410 that person that you desire? And so Jesus Christ 00:22:51.410 --> 00:22:55.569 who said, not everyone will enter the kingdom 00:22:55.569 --> 00:22:59.480 of heaven. but the one who does the will of my 00:22:59.480 --> 00:23:05.720 Father who is in heaven. This Jesus also said, 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:15.920 it is finished. Jesus on the cross speaks his 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:23.059 last words and says, it is finished. Why is this 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:28.590 so important? Why is this good news for us? Because 00:23:28.590 --> 00:23:32.329 there's only one person in all the universe, 00:23:32.789 --> 00:23:37.809 in all of creation, in all of history, that actually 00:23:37.809 --> 00:23:42.529 deserves to walk into the kingdom of heaven. 00:23:43.329 --> 00:23:48.049 And that's Jesus Christ. He's the only one who 00:23:48.049 --> 00:23:53.029 has fulfilled the Father's will perfectly. Nobody 00:23:53.029 --> 00:23:59.009 else. And he has made it such a way for us that 00:23:59.009 --> 00:24:02.970 when we put our trust and our love and our allegiance 00:24:02.970 --> 00:24:08.309 and our obedience in Christ, he says, you now 00:24:08.309 --> 00:24:12.029 have access to into the kingdom. You now have 00:24:12.029 --> 00:24:17.890 access into transformation. When he says it is 00:24:17.890 --> 00:24:21.690 finished, he accomplished a treasure trove of 00:24:21.690 --> 00:24:26.910 things for us who say we follow Jesus. I want 00:24:26.910 --> 00:24:30.750 to point us to just one this morning. Let's turn 00:24:30.750 --> 00:24:39.250 to Ezekiel chapter 36. And it says this. In Christ, 00:24:39.269 --> 00:24:43.650 this is true for us. God will give you a new 00:24:43.650 --> 00:24:48.119 heart and a new spirit. God will put within you. 00:24:48.339 --> 00:24:52.240 And I, God, will remove the heart of stone from 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:57.059 your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And 00:24:57.059 --> 00:25:00.259 I will put my spirit within you and cause you 00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:05.039 to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:10.000 my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:13.579 gave to your fathers and you shall be my people. 00:25:13.819 --> 00:25:18.190 And I will be. Your God. And when Jesus says, 00:25:18.309 --> 00:25:22.390 it is finished, he's saying, this is now true. 00:25:22.690 --> 00:25:25.890 This is now true for every one of you who have 00:25:25.890 --> 00:25:29.029 said, I believe in Jesus. I put my faith in Jesus. 00:25:29.109 --> 00:25:35.630 I love him. And he's the only one. Is that true 00:25:35.630 --> 00:25:39.069 of you this morning? Because if it is, then access 00:25:39.069 --> 00:25:45.859 to transformation is yours. It's yours. We don't 00:25:45.859 --> 00:25:50.279 have to work for it. We have to receive it. We 00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:54.599 have to adore Christ and receive it from him. 00:25:55.759 --> 00:26:01.019 And so when we talk about transformation, we 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:06.799 start and end with Christ. Because Christ, again, 00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:11.039 is the only one who fulfilled the Father's will 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:17.230 perfectly. And what will was he fulfilling? To 00:26:17.230 --> 00:26:20.609 fulfill the will of the Father, to display his 00:26:20.609 --> 00:26:26.210 love to a broken world, a dying world. What did 00:26:26.210 --> 00:26:31.009 the Father desire? That Christ would come, die 00:26:31.009 --> 00:26:34.170 on the cross for us, forgive us of all our sins, 00:26:34.369 --> 00:26:39.029 and not only that, raise from the dead to give 00:26:39.029 --> 00:26:44.460 us new life. And he gives us his spirit now, 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:49.660 daily, with us, moment by moment, so that that 00:26:49.660 --> 00:26:55.960 transformation will occur. What does that firstly 00:26:55.960 --> 00:27:01.000 require of us? It requires that we trust in Christ. 00:27:01.599 --> 00:27:07.180 It requires that we follow him. Because he's 00:27:07.180 --> 00:27:12.140 the one who promises to transform us. He doesn't 00:27:12.140 --> 00:27:15.720 call us to transform ourselves. Again, as we 00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:19.460 put our faith and trust and obedience in Christ, 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:25.220 we are allowing him to transform us because he 00:27:25.220 --> 00:27:28.500 promises that. And where does he promise that? 00:27:28.559 --> 00:27:31.980 This is a, I'll give you homework. If you go 00:27:31.980 --> 00:27:34.779 through the scripture, you'll see many, many, 00:27:34.819 --> 00:27:38.180 many, many more scripture verses that. Say, what 00:27:38.180 --> 00:27:40.279 does our transformation look like? And I just 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:44.619 want to introduce you to three. In terms of our 00:27:44.619 --> 00:27:48.140 body, what does it say? Romans chapter 6. When 00:27:48.140 --> 00:27:51.140 we think about the meaning of baptism, it says, 00:27:51.220 --> 00:27:54.480 just as Christ was raised from the dead by the 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:59.140 glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness 00:27:59.140 --> 00:28:05.069 of life that we would live differently. In terms 00:28:05.069 --> 00:28:07.789 of our mind and our heads and the way we think, 00:28:08.069 --> 00:28:12.970 1 Corinthians 2 .16 says something very radical. 00:28:12.990 --> 00:28:21.230 It says, but we have the mind of Christ. We have 00:28:21.230 --> 00:28:27.269 access to him and to the way he thinks. What 00:28:27.269 --> 00:28:29.990 about our heart and our spirit? Galatians chapter 00:28:29.990 --> 00:28:34.410 4, 6 says, And because you are sons and daughters 00:28:34.410 --> 00:28:39.089 now, God has sent His Spirit of His Son, the 00:28:39.089 --> 00:28:44.950 Spirit of His Son, into our hearts, crying, Abba, 00:28:44.970 --> 00:28:50.670 Father. A God we may have experienced far and 00:28:50.670 --> 00:28:54.759 away. Because of his spirit given to us. And 00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:58.140 a new heart and new spirit we receive. We now 00:28:58.140 --> 00:29:04.880 recognize that God is Abba. Daddy. Father. And 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:08.119 we can have a new relationship with him. As a 00:29:08.119 --> 00:29:13.319 father to his beloved children. This is what 00:29:13.319 --> 00:29:21.559 we have in Christ. Amen. Let us close in prayer. 00:29:24.610 --> 00:29:30.190 Father, Abba Father, may your spirit never stop 00:29:30.190 --> 00:29:34.349 doing the work of transforming us to be more 00:29:34.349 --> 00:29:37.710 and more like Jesus. Lord, we worship you and 00:29:37.710 --> 00:29:41.309 we praise you and we celebrate what you have 00:29:41.309 --> 00:29:48.609 done here these 60 years at ECB. May we be a 00:29:48.609 --> 00:29:52.559 church filled with people. Formed and transformed 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:58.079 by Jesus Christ through the gospel. May we celebrate 00:29:58.079 --> 00:30:02.819 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 100 years 00:30:02.819 --> 00:30:09.559 from now. May we celebrate how ECB has been faithful 00:30:09.559 --> 00:30:14.839 to Jesus Christ. To his mission to make disciples 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:19.799 for global impact. May we continue to know and 00:30:19.799 --> 00:30:24.500 be known for being a people discipled and formed 00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:29.900 by the gospel, bringing Christ's power and presence 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:35.440 to this city and to the nations. It's in his 00:30:35.440 --> 00:31:02.630 name we pray. If God is calling you to support 00:31:02.630 --> 00:31:05.190 our ministries, you will find giving options 00:31:05.190 --> 00:31:09.049 on our website. And remember to join us next 00:31:09.049 --> 00:31:10.730 week. God bless you.