Sunday Morning Service 01.28.24

(soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) - Good morning church family, happy Lord's Day.

Let's continue to pray for our Indian mission team who left last Friday as a help to pastors in India in their gospel work. This morning we begin with the song, Oh Great God, which I hope would be our earnest prayer to the Lord in light of the gospel we received.

And I'll read a shortened passage from Ephesians 2 and it reads, and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh and were by nature children of wrath.

But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved, amen. (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) ♪ Oh great God of highest heaven ♪ ♪ Occupy my lowly heart ♪ ♪ Own it all and reign supreme ♪ ♪ Conquer every rebel power ♪ ♪ Let no vice or sin remain ♪ ♪ That resists your holy war ♪ ♪ You have loved and purchased me ♪ ♪ Make me yours forevermore ♪ I was blinded.

♪ I was blinded by my sin ♪ ♪ Had no ears to hear your voice ♪ ♪ Did not know your love within ♪ ♪ Had no taste for heaven's joys ♪ ♪ Then your spirit gave me life ♪ ♪ Opened up your word to me ♪ ♪ Through the gospel of your son ♪ ♪ Gave me endless hope and peace, amen ♪ ♪ Help me now to live a life ♪ ♪ That's dependent on your grace ♪ ♪ Keep my heart and guard my soul ♪ ♪ From the evils that I face ♪ ♪ You are worthy to be praised ♪ ♪ With my every thought and deed ♪ ♪ Oh great God of highest heaven ♪ ♪ Glorify your name through me ♪ You are worthy.

♪ You are worthy to be praised ♪ ♪ With my every thought and deed ♪ ♪ Oh great God of highest heaven ♪ ♪ Glorify your name through me ♪ (upbeat music) - Well, good morning, church family. I just have a couple of announcements for you. As Isaac mentioned, our missions team is abroad.

I think they've arrived safely and they're gonna be in for a very busy week. So please keep them in your prayers. They'll be returning Saturday and joining us next week. But this week looks to be extremely busy. There's a lot of fruit to be born, a lot of labor on the part of our team.

So please join with them in praying for them. If you are a member of the church, today is the last day for you to turn in your membership covenant. I'm reading each one as it comes in and I know who you are, who haven't turned it in yet. Okay, and so this is a possible threat.

We may Asian shame you if we don't get it by today. So please do turn that in, okay? And also, if you are a brother at our church, we have a men's ministry workshop that's coming up February 17th. Pastor Sung Kang from Foundation Mission Church, he'll be joining us and he'll be walking us through just what it means to pursue holiness as a man of God.

And so that's February 17th and we do need you to register hopefully sooner than later so that we can account for the food. Okay, so please take care of that. Let me go ahead and pray for the offering. There is a box in the back. Otherwise, you can just give your offering to the Lord electronically on our various platforms.

Okay, let me pray. Father, thank you for just allowing us to gather this morning in worship. We are here to celebrate you and I pray that you would be honored this morning. And I pray, Father, also for your feeding and that our hearts would be reminded afresh of our purpose as Christians.

And as we bring our tithes and offerings to you, Lord, we acknowledge that every good thing that we have is from you. And we're just saying thank you, God, for just being so faithful and so kind to us. Give us continued wisdom to steward all of our resources well.

And would you really protect and guide our time this morning together. And Jesus, let me pray. (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) - Let us rise and before we continue on our service, if we could spend a few moments to greet the neighbors around us.

(people chattering) (people chattering) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) ♪ We won't fear the battle ♪ ♪ We won't fear the battle ♪ ♪ We won't fear the night ♪ ♪ We will walk the valley with you by our side ♪ ♪ You will go before us ♪ ♪ You will lead the way ♪ ♪ We have found a refuge only you can save ♪ ♪ Sing with joy now ♪ ♪ Our God is for us ♪ ♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ ♪ Raise your voice now ♪ ♪ No love is greater ♪ ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is for us ♪ ♪ Even when I stumble ♪ ♪ Even when I fall ♪ ♪ Even when I turn back ♪ ♪ Still your love is sure ♪ ♪ You will not abandon ♪ ♪ You will not forsake ♪ ♪ You will cheer me onward with never-ending grace ♪ ♪ Sing with joy now ♪ ♪ Our God is for us ♪ ♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ ♪ Raise your voice now ♪ ♪ No love is greater ♪ ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is for us ♪ ♪ Neither height nor death can separate us ♪ ♪ Hell and death will not defeat us ♪ ♪ He who gave his Son to free us ♪ ♪ Holds me in his love ♪ ♪ Neither height nor death can separate us ♪ ♪ Hell and death will not defeat us ♪ ♪ He who gave his Son to free us ♪ ♪ Holds me in his love ♪ ♪ Sing with joy ♪ ♪ Sing with joy now ♪ ♪ Our God is for us ♪ ♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ ♪ Raise your voice now ♪ ♪ No love is greater ♪ ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is for us ♪ ♪ Sing with joy now ♪ ♪ Our God is for us ♪ ♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ ♪ Raise your voice now ♪ ♪ No love is greater ♪ ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is for us ♪ (gentle music) ("How Great the Chasm") ♪ How great the chasm ♪ ♪ How great the chasm that lay between us ♪ ♪ How high the mountain I could not climb ♪ ♪ In desperation I turned to heaven ♪ ♪ Spoke your name into mine ♪ ♪ Then through the darkness your loving kindness ♪ ♪ Tore through the shadows of my soul ♪ ♪ The work is finished ♪ ♪ The end is written ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, my living Lord ♪ ♪ Who could imagine so great a mercy ♪ ♪ What heart could fathom such boundless grace ♪ ♪ The God of ages still turned from glory ♪ ♪ To wear my sin and bear my shame ♪ ♪ The cross has spoken ♪ ♪ I am forgiven ♪ ♪ The King of kings calls me his own ♪ ♪ Beautiful Savior, I'm yours forever ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, my living Lord ♪ Sing hallelujah.

♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Praise the one who set me free ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Death has lost its grip on me ♪ ♪ You have broken every chain ♪ ♪ There's salvation in your name ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, my living Lord ♪ Hallelujah. ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Praise the one who set me free ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Death has lost its grip on me ♪ ♪ You have broken every chain ♪ ♪ There's salvation in your name ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, my living Lord ♪ ♪ Then came the morning that sealed the promise ♪ ♪ Your buried body began to breathe ♪ ♪ Out of the silence the roaring lion deplored ♪ ♪ The roaring lion declared the grave has no claim on me ♪ ♪ Then came the morning that sealed the promise ♪ ♪ Your buried body began to breathe ♪ ♪ Out of the silence the roaring lion declared the grave ♪ ♪ The roaring lion declared the grave has no claim on me ♪ ♪ Jesus, yours is the victory ♪ Hallelujah.

All right, if you guys have your Bibles, go ahead and turn to Galatians chapter two, and I'm gonna be reading from verses 19 to 21. Galatians chapter two, verses 19 to 21. For through the law, I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly. Let's pray together. Would you speak, Lord, and feed your people?

And as we feed off of your word and your truth, grant us strength and power to persevere with joy and with compassion. And would you grant us ears to hear hearts that are tender and receptive, God, to your truth? And help us this morning to see things as you would see them, and fill us with joy and passion as we feed.

We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. So you're all familiar with the word metamorphosis. It's one of the first five-syllable words that grade school children learn. The process of metamorphosis in the animal kingdom is very common knowledge. And through centuries, it has been observed that certain creatures in the animal kingdom go through a process of metamorphosis in their life cycles.

Metamorphosis is especially common in insects, and they generally undergo two types of metamorphosis, incomplete and complete. Grasshoppers, dragonflies, and cockroaches have what scientists call an incomplete or a partial metamorphosis, where the young just look like wingless miniature versions of the adults. But insects like butterflies and moths undergo a complete metamorphosis, where the young not only look entirely different from the adults, but they consume completely different foods and exhibit completely different behaviors.

There are four stages in the metamorphosis of butterflies and moths. First, there's the egg stage, followed by the second stage, where they call it the feeding stage, where it's a caterpillar. The third stage, they call the transition stage, where the caterpillar becomes a pupa or a chrysalis, and it has a cocoon.

And the fourth and final stage is called by various names, the adult, mature, or reproductive stage. And we've all learned about this at some point. The butterfly starts as an egg, eats voraciously as a caterpillar, becomes a chrysalis, and then matures into a beautifully shaped winged creature. And the life cycle of a butterfly is textbook stuff.

It's pretty standard. So this is an observed, confirmed, and factualized process that you and I are familiar with. The metamorphosis is in the very DNA of every butterfly. So the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly is an expected outcome. We would all be shocked if out of the chrysalis comes just a fatter version of the caterpillar.

It is a mysterious and beautiful process, even though it's something we have come to expect. The transformation is radical, it is unalterable. And metamorphosis, by definition, is a change of the form or nature of a creature into a completely different one. The Bible teaches us that when a person who has once been spiritually dead believes upon Christ, there is a spiritual metamorphosis.

And the Christian metamorphosis, too, can be spiritually observed and confirmed. The complete transformation of the Christian, likewise, is miraculous, mysterious, and radical. This, too, is unalterable, this, too, is irreversible. And this transformation, in the same way, is also textbook. The metamorphosis of a Christian is spelled out explicitly in the Bible.

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, "he is a new creature. "The old things passed away, "and behold, new things have come." Among insects, the metamorphosis can be incomplete, where the young simply looks like wingless, tiny versions of the adults. But in Christians, the metamorphosis, the radical transformation, is always complete.

It is always total, it is always all-encompassing. The old things are gone, the new things have come, hearts of stone have been completely replaced with tender hearts of flesh, the satanic has been replaced by the godly, and those who once were spiritual corpses change and become living vessels filled with the very Spirit of God, and who walk in newness of life.

So a Christian, by definition, is a new creation, radically, totally, and irreversibly changed. There's no such thing as a partial Christian salvation. And again, this is textbook stuff. The old has gone, the new has come, and the Christian's legal standing before the judgment of God has been instantaneously changed, and that's what we call justification.

And though the outward, perceivable change may not be immediately noticeable, the very DNA of the Christian is also completely and instantaneously changed upon belief, and that's what we call regeneration. And it's only a matter of time that the DNA starts to produce its results. So the passage that I read for you in the beginning, Galatians chapter two, 19 to 21, is our main text for this morning.

It's a very well-known and well-memorized passage. It's a passage we all inductively studied together back in November, and we're gonna reflect on this today, and hopefully, it whets our appetites for part two of Galatians, which will begin in about a week and a half. So let's take a moment to read the three verses again.

Galatians two, 19 to 21. For through the law, I die to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly. So in these three verses, the Apostle Paul gives us a snapshot of the stages of the Christian's metamorphosis, and we're gonna look at that snapshot today, and here's the outline and thought flow up front, okay?

I'm gonna walk you through these three verses to explain first why we have been transformed, so the purpose of our transformation. There is a reason for your transformation, and then I'll be describing the means and the process involved in this transformation, and to close, I'll be launching off of verse 21 and the overall context of Galatians, and detailing for you what is inferred of the end result or the end product of our transformation.

Okay, so first point, the purpose of our transformation, chapter two, verse 19. Second, the process of the transformation, verses 20 and 21. The third point, the product of our transformation. So let's look at Galatians 2, 19 again, and it reads, for through the law, I died to the law so that I might live to God.

So before we look at the purpose behind God's transformation of a person, we need to take a moment to examine why God had created man to begin with. So through even a cursory reading of the scriptures, we can easily conclude that you and I have been created by God and for God to love God and to serve God.

God does not exist for man's happiness or fulfillment. Man exists for God and not the other way around. Man was created by God and for God's glory, and this God, our creator, is set apart. He is holy, and to give holy service to God was the original purpose for which all things have been created.

And all things in this creation were deemed initially very good. But we also see through the scriptures that sin entered the world and caused every human born after the fall to rebel against that purpose and to commit what R.C. Sproul calls cosmic treason. The fallen and natural man, in his fallen and natural condition, is born with a delusional and twisted sense of entitlement.

He is born innately thinking that God the creator, if in fact he does exist, exists to serve him and to bless him. The scripture describes fallen and natural man as simply an unreasoning creature of instinct who is blind to the sins that separate him from God. He's a fool.

He is a lover of the temporal. He is a lover of pleasure. He is worldly. He is self-exalting and self-centered. And he is completely oblivious to the purpose for which he has been created. Fallen natural man. The Christian, on the other hand, is one who has had his eyes open to the truth of his rebellion, his utter depravity, and to his inability to draw near by himself to holy God.

In the beginning of Galatians 2.19 reads, "For through the law, I died to the law." And we see through the context of Galatians that this simply means that the Christian has rejected the notion that he can satisfy the requirements of God's holy law in and of himself. The Christian is one who, by grace, has come to the realization that he cannot be reconciled to God by his own strength or by his own effort.

The Christian is one who has come to understand that the law, or moral living, or upright living, cannot save him and that the holy law of God serves only to condemn him. And the Christian is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, by the sacrifice of Christ alone. And in that moment of belief, he is instantly transformed.

And the transformed Christian is one who understands that his primary purpose in his being saved and transformed is that he might now be restored to that original purpose. He has been created by God and for God to love God and to serve God, and now he can, and now he must fulfill that purpose.

So the Christian has a zeal for this purpose, and the purpose, or the fulfillment of this purpose, is wired into the very DNA of the Christian. He lives to God with a passion and fervor, not in order to be saved, but because he is saved, amen? For through the law, I die to the law, hinnah, so that I might live to God.

Now, we've covered this before, but the Greek word hinnah is a very important word in the scriptures. It's a conjunction word translated as in order that or so that, and it always denotes the reason or purpose of something. The word hinnah, or so that, always describes the desired outcome or expectation to what has previously been set.

So there's a purpose to a Christian's change in standing and in nature. For through the law, I die to the law, why? Hinnah, that I might live to God. And it's important to pause here and to think deeply and honestly about a few questions. Does your life more closely resemble that of the self-centered, self-exalting, worldly and fallen man, or more that of the man who now understands the purpose for which he has been created and the purpose for which he has been saved?

Remember, the old is gone, the new has come. So if you have indeed experienced that instantaneous transformation, if you have indeed become a new creation, what is the purpose of your job or career now? Is it still to fulfill and satisfy you, make you financially comfortable? Does your job exist to make you shine, to make you thrive?

Or have you been placed in your job to proclaim the excellencies of Christ in the dark corners in and at your job? What is now the primary purpose of your role as a spouse or a parent or a son or daughter? Do the people around you exist to please you?

Or do you exist in their life to lead them to the glory of Christ? What is the purpose of why you even eat or drink? Is it simply to be merry since tomorrow you die? Or is the purpose of even the most mundane things in your life for the glory of God?

What is the purpose of your presence in this church? Is it to bless you or is it to build his kingdom? Is the knowledge of Jesus Christ your life's pursuit and your life's goal? Or is that knowledge only the means to somehow unlocking God's special blessings? We are not saved to simply escape hell.

Amen? Amen? We were not saved so that we can simply be more moral, that we can make the world a better place, that we can access God's favor and protection in this life, or so that we can have an eternal insurance policy of sorts. The primary purpose of our lives, our very creation, our redemption, and our transformation is henna so that we might live to God.

We are not our own. We were bought at a price, it says in 1 Corinthians 6. Therefore, we are to honor God with our lives. That is the primary purpose of our transformation. Again, that we might live to God and live fully to God. And as the Westminster Catechism states, the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

And that forever has already started for the Christian. So what does this tangibly mean then for the here and now while we are kind of in this limbo stage? We're kind of in this, not cornucopia, cocoon chrysalis stage, right? Waiting the final product. I'm gonna read Galatians 2, 28 to 21 for you, and this will bring us to our second point.

The process of the transformation. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.

I do not nullify the grace of God. And we're gonna read the rest in the third point, so be patient, okay? By the grace of God, we have seen our desperate need for a Savior, we have cleaved ourselves to Christ by believing upon his name, Acts 4, 12. And because of belief, we're in right standing before God.

And this is the beginning point of the transformation process, and that's called justification. And as we know from Romans 8, 30, that those who have been justified will one day, guarantee, will one day be glorified. And this glorification is the final part of the Christian life cycle. So broadly put, from where we are conscious of all the changes, our transformation begins at justification, and it will end with glorification.

Glorification is what awaits us in the resurrection and what awaits us in eternity. The beginning of the Christian life cycle is justification, and the end is glorification. This is textbook. It is mysterious, it is radical, but at the present, you and I who put our faith in Christ are in this cocoon-like middle stage, waiting for that final transformation.

And it's an awkward, already but not yet stage. It's like an engagement period between a man and a woman. You're kind of one, but you're not. You're spoken for and you're taken for, there's a ring on your finger, but you're not one. So in this in-between stage, even though it serves an important purpose, right?

The invites need to go out, there are other sheep who are not yet of the fold. Even though it's an important purpose, it's very much an awkward and confusing one. It's often a very painful one. And on occasion, we may be left wondering if we indeed have been changed at all.

Many years ago, I had heard that most lizards, a lot of animal talk today, okay? Most lizards can self-amputate their tails to distract predators and to escape. Not just if you already knew this, okay? So I remembered that. So when I went camping as a young teen, the first morning of our camping trip, I saw a lizard basking in the sun, chilling on a rock.

And only in the interest of science, not because I was cruel or naughty, just in the interest of science, I went up to the lizard, and I kicked it. To see, wait, don't judge me. (audience laughing) To see whether or not, for myself, if that tail would snap off.

And it did. And this three-inch, severed piece of tail thrashed and flailed for several minutes. Moments before, when the lizard had just been resting in the sun, there was no movement in the tail. But interestingly enough, once the tail had detached from the body, it took on a life of its own, literally.

That tail was dead. It was cut off from its source of life, but it was still dying. It was both dead and still dying. And sometimes, similarly, we who have been transformed completely still feel like that that transformation is incomplete. We are one with Christ, but sometimes we still feel so distant from Christ.

We have been permanently and irreversibly changed, but the residue of our old self, it's still stubbornly very present. Why do we struggle so much to remember our purpose? To live lives that are consistent to our transformed nature? Well, it's because sin, though it is dead in us, it is still dying in us.

It's both an already and not yet. We have been changed, but we are still being changed. We've been transformed, but God is still transforming us and conforming us to the image of his Son. We have been united with Christ in his death, but we are still being united with Christ in his death.

And this process, which we call sanctification, is currently the stage in which we find ourselves. Justification, glorification, in the middle, we're being sanctified. We have been crucified with Christ, but we are still living life in the flesh. So this life we are living in the flesh, while we are awaiting glory, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.

We have been crucified with Christ, and we are still, figuratively speaking, hanging there. And we are persevering in our hanging by faith. I wanna point our attention to the first few words in this very well-memorized passage of the Bible. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live.

The verb, susterao, okay, I have been crucified. It's very significant for two reasons here. It is in the present perfect tense, and it is a passive verb. The present perfect tense is used for past actions that are related to or continue on into the present. So we are still crucified with Christ.

It is ongoing. Secondly, it's in the passive. This is something that was done to us, and it's continuing to be done to us. And just as no one can physically crucify himself, I don't think that's possible. Neither can we spiritually crucify ourselves with Christ. Our past and ongoing crucifixion, our sanctification, was initiated by God, and it is ongoing because it is God's will for our earthly lives.

Our sanctification is God's will. It is part of his good and pleasing and perfect will. Do you agree with that? First Thessalonians 4.3. You better agree with that 'cause it's in the Bible, okay? For this is the will of God, your sanctification. Secondly, it's a prerequisite to seeing God face-to-face.

In Hebrews 12, after the writer says that God disciplines the Christian in the way that a loving father would discipline his child, he talks about the need for sanctification to be embraced and almost pursued by the beloved child of God. Hebrews 12.14. Pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Our sanctification is God's will. Our sanctification is a prerequisite to seeing the Lord, and it's also the very purpose for Jesus' sacrifice of himself. For by one offering, Hebrews 10.14, he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Justification, glorification, sanctification. So this life we are living in the flesh is a crucified life, and it will continue to be a crucified life.

Here's a question. When does a crucified man get off the cross? You have an answer in your head? When does a crucified man get off the cross? Only after he's completely dead, right? The phrase dead man walking has been traditionally used to describe a condemned prisoner being walked to his place of execution.

Figuratively, we are not just dead men walking who walk by faith and not by sight. We're not just dead men walking. We are dead men hanging, eagerly waiting for this crucifixion to come to its merciful end. Now imagine for a moment with me what it would be like to be crucified.

(hands tapping) Is it comfortable? Ooh, that's nice. Is it comfortable? Is there a way to somehow position or adjust your body to make it less uncomfortable and perhaps more tolerable? With each passing hour hanging there, stripped, naked, and bloodied, do you think that you just get used to it?

Or do you think you would feel the pain with greater intensity as you try to keep your lungs from collapsing by pushing against those nails? And in that crucified moment, how many of us would not just prefer it all to just end quickly? Wouldn't death be better by far?

Would not death be gain? The ongoing crucifixion of the old self. This is the Christian's primary proclamation. This is the Christian's boast. This is actually the Christian's only boast, and that, too, is textbook. It's in the book. Galatians 6, 14. "But may it never be that I would boast "except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ "through which the world has been crucified to me "and I to the world.

"But may it never be that I would boast "except and only and solely in "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." It's a very strange thing for a Christian to find this cursed world to be a very, very comfortable place. It's a very strange thing for any Christian whose boast is that, to find this cursed world to be a very, very comfortable place.

It's a frightening thing for a Christian to be in love with the things in this world. Here's a mini litmus test. If we were to think of the Christian life as a ship, what kind of ship would this life be in your mind and in your future? Christian life is a ship.

What do I see in the pathway of this ship? Is it a luxury cruise ship where Christ has purchased a first class seat for you? Or is it more of a battleship or a lifeboat on which Christ is in the captain's seat and wants to use the boat to save drowning sailors?

This is something very sobering for us to think about while we crucified Christians live in Orange County. 1 John 2:15, "Do not love the world "nor the things in the world. "If anyone loves the world, "the love of the Father is not in him." Do not love the world nor the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Wiggle around that. You cannot. The observable evidence of your metamorphosis cannot but be a growing dissatisfaction with the things of this world.

I believe that love, joy, and peace increases in the Christian life with each passing year, but I also believe that the pain and the discomfort in this crucified Christian life also intensifies with each passing year. And if somehow in your mind right now you're trying to push against this statement I just made, or if you disagree, make sure both your push and your disagreement are rooted in the Scriptures.

Otherwise, your faith is not based on the Bible. It's based on wishful thinking. The initial moment of crucifixion, when the giant nails penetrate the bones onto the wooden beams, I would imagine to be very painful. But the process of hanging there with the entire weight of my 200-pound body, it was 220 last year, all right, 200-pound body, being held up by my torn flesh and my broken bones, I imagine it to be even more excruciating pain.

The hanging part is more painful than the nailing part. In the ancient world, a spear to the side of the crucified man was considered an act of kindness. It was considered mercy because the process of slowly dying on a cross was pure agony and the spear would end it.

Oftentimes when a person is saved, many of the surface-level sins get immediately purged out of the person's life. It's a miracle, right? God changes the heart and lots of stuff get flushed out. A lot of immediate changes take place in the lives and in the hearts of new believers.

But believe it or not, our rebellion ran extremely deep. It's deep inside the core so that the residual effects of this rebellion takes a long time to bleed out. So the initial shocks of the nails can be painful, but the agony of the ongoing bleeding out of our sins is likely even more shocking and more painful.

God hates all sins. But you know where we're at the top of his list? It's not pornography. It's not embezzlement. It's not even murder. Proverbs 8:13 gives us a little bit of a glimpse into what God hates the most. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth I hate.

More than drunkenness, more than sexual sins, more than theft, God abhors pride. And if you are his child, he's gonna wipe pride out of your life. He is out to destroy and flesh out all the residual rebellion from your life. He is gonna put 'em all to death. Are there things currently that are happening in your life to expose and rid you of your self-reliance, your insecurities, your arrogance, your pattern of deception, your self-sufficiency, your boasting of what you have and what you do, your self-exalting ways, your desire for attention, your desire for approval, your desire to be celebrated by those around you?

Perhaps the Lord in his love is putting those things to death and he is letting you bleed out because he loves you, because he is weaning you off of this world. He is emptying you of everything that needs to be emptied in order to fill every part of you with the righteousness of Christ.

So take a moment when you pray, "God, why are you doing this to me?" Do you really want him to answer? 'Cause you're arrogant! You're self-exalting! You love the created things more than the creator who is to be forever praised. It is evidence of his love. And the Christian recognizes that, as painful as it is, and he perseveres.

I'm gonna keep the last point brief. What is the final product of this metamorphosis? Verse 21 of Galatians 2, "I do not nullify the grace of God, "for if righteousness comes through the law, "then Christ died needlessly." The end product of the transformation of the Christian is perfect and eternal righteousness.

The perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ is what we will be clothed with. What we are clothed with, but we will be clothed with completely. Psalm 117 gives us a little preview, then, of what awaits. For the Lord is righteous, he loves righteousness, and the upright will behold his face.

I've shared with you that at the end of the Christian metamorphosis is glory, and what awaits in our glorification, no man at present can accurately describe in words. 'Cause the Bible doesn't even describe it. Fully in words. But what awaits us, the Bible does say, "No eye has seen it, no ear has heard it, "no mind, however brilliant, "has ever conceived of all the glorious things "which the Lord has prepared for those who love him, "through those whom he will glorify." It is beyond our imagination.

No matter how vivid our imagination can be. You and I will be co-heirs with Christ, and we have been and will be seated in the heavenly places with Christ. Strange. Textbook. There's not gonna be too much by way of application in this sermon, partly because there are no direct applications that come from the passage.

Actually, Galatians, it's an epistle that is mostly all description. The first command doesn't show up until chapter five. Actually, chapter four, verse 21 has a command, but Paul says, "Tell me something," so it's just rhetorical, okay? So there's no application that Paul gives until way later in the book of Galatians.

But by way of application, I'm gonna leave you with a hope-filled passage detailing what awaits us. So hopefully, while you're hanging on for dear death, that this helps you to persevere. First John three, two to three, "Beloved, "now we are children of God, "and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.

"We know that when he appears, we will be like him, "because we will see him just as he is. "And everyone who has this hope fixed on him "purifies himself just as he is pure." Amen. The only application is hang on and enjoy it, I guess, as much as you can.

But you know what's cool about being crucified? You can't crucify yourself, nor can you take yourself off. But if God has placed you there with Christ, you can't get off it, and you will be glorified. He has sealed that with a promise. The life that you now live in the flesh, you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave himself up for you, if indeed your heart has been transformed, if indeed the old is gone and the new has come.

If you're going through a season where you're being especially sanctified and you're especially feeling the pain of sanctification, walk by faith, live by faith, because he loved you, he loves you, and he gave himself up so that you would have life and life to the full. Amen? Let's pray together.

Father, we ask that you would help us to remember that the heavens and the earth will pass away, but your words are eternal, they will never pass away. And in your word, we are told of our horrible past, we're told of our future, and we trust it. We trust you, we trust your word, and help us to live faithfully and persevere in the truths of your word.

Empower us, strengthen and enable us, and encourage those of us who are feeling very feeble. Pray this in Jesus' name. - If we could all rise for our closing praise. (gentle music) ♪ What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer ♪ ♪ There is no more for heaven now to give ♪ ♪ He is my joy, my righteousness and freedom ♪ ♪ My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus ♪ ♪ For my love is only bound to his ♪ ♪ Oh, how strange and divine I can see ♪ ♪ All is glory at night, I'm but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ The night is dark, but I am not forsaken ♪ ♪ For by my side, the savior, he will stand ♪ ♪ I labor on in weakness and rejoicing ♪ ♪ For in my need, his power is displayed ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my shepherd was his head and me ♪ ♪ Through the deepest valley, he will lead ♪ ♪ Oh, the night has been long, and I shall overcome ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ No fate I dread, I know I have no gift ♪ ♪ The future's sure, the price it has been paid ♪ ♪ For Jesus bled and suffered for my heart ♪ ♪ And he was raised to overthrow the grave ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my sin has been defeated ♪ ♪ Jesus now and ever is my need ♪ ♪ Oh, the chains are released, I can sing, I am free ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ With every day, I long to follow Jesus ♪ ♪ For he has said that he will bring me home ♪ ♪ And day by day, I know he will be with me ♪ ♪ Until I stand with joy before the throne ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my hope is on this Jesus ♪ ♪ All the glory evermore to him ♪ ♪ The rings will ring till my lips shall repeat ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my hope is on this Jesus ♪ ♪ All the glory evermore to him ♪ ♪ When the rings is complete, still my lips shall repeat ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ When the rings is complete, still my lips shall repeat ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ Yet not I, but through Christ in me ♪ - Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the eternal love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit empower and be with each and every one of us who are walking by faith and not by sight.

Amen. ♪ God sent his son ♪ ♪ They called him Jesus ♪ ♪ He came to love ♪ ♪ Heal and forgive ♪ ♪ He lived and died ♪ ♪ To buy my heart ♪ ♪ An empty grave is there to fill ♪ ♪ My Savior lives ♪ ♪ Because he lives ♪ ♪ I can face tomorrow ♪ ♪ Because he lives ♪ ♪ All fear is gone ♪ ♪ Because I know ♪ ♪ He holds the future ♪ ♪ And life is worth the living ♪ ♪ Just because he lives ♪ ♪ The one who holds the night ♪ ♪ Is the sovereign of my days ♪ ♪ He will keep you from all evils ♪ ♪ Behind you and before ♪ ♪ He will sustain you through this journey ♪ ♪ From now and evermore ♪ ♪ He will keep you from all evils ♪ ♪ Behind you and before ♪ ♪ He will sustain you through this journey ♪ ♪ From now and evermore ♪ ♪ He will keep you from all evils ♪

Sunday Morning Service 01.28.24

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