(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) (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) (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 India mission team who left last Friday as they help the 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 short passage from Ephesians 2. 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) Sing, "Oh great God." ♪ 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 ♪ (soft piano music) 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.

Sing, "Help me now." ♪ Help me now to live a life ♪ ♪ That's dependent on your grace ♪ ♪ Keep my heart and guard my soul ♪ ♪ Confirm the evils that I face ♪ ♪ You are worthy to be praised ♪ ♪ With my every thought and deed ♪ ♪ O 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 ♪ ♪ O great God of highest heaven ♪ ♪ Glorify your name through me ♪ Well, good morning, everybody. I just have three really quick announcements. The first one, as Isaac had mentioned, our 19-member team to India, they've probably just arrived and they're now on their way to the villages.

So please pray for them this week as they are doing very sensitive work and as they're doing a lot of fruitful work. And they have no time really to rest. So please keep them in your prayers. They'll be back on Saturday and then they'll be with us next Sunday for worship.

A couple things that I wanna just highlight. We have a bunch of announcements, but you can look at most of those just on your own. The first one is for the men of the church. In a few weeks, February 17th, we have the men's workshop. And we need you to sign up ASAP so we can figure out the food, okay?

So it's gonna be nine to one. And our pastor Sung Kang, he preached for A Good Friday a few years ago. So he's gonna be walking with us through just what it means, personal holiness of men. And so February 17th, so please do sign up for that and register so that we can account for food, okay?

Thirdly, today is the last day for you members to turn in the membership covenant. I've been reading and tracking each one that's been coming in. And I know who you are who haven't turned it in yet, even though you've had three weeks, okay? So please do turn that in today or we may resort to the Asian public shaming methods.

All right, so you've been warned. I'm half kidding, okay? We do have an offering box in the back if you wanna give a physical offering. Otherwise, you can send in your electronic payments, not payments, electronic offering. But let me go ahead and pray for this and we'll continue on with our service.

Father, thank you for just the joy of gathering together with your saints this morning. And all over the world, people have gathered to proclaim your excellencies and to hear your word and the fellowship. And I pray for us this morning that our worship would first and foremost be pleasing to you as you are the audience.

You are the VIP here. And so we're here for you. And so I pray that you would fill our minds and our hearts with awe. You would speak to us, feed your people. And Lord, would you do your work in our hearts and in our lives. And we thank you, Lord, for just providing for all our needs.

We pray that you would help us to steward well everything that you give us. And we acknowledge, Lord God, that it's all yours anyway. And so we bring this morning just our tithes and offerings to say thank you and acknowledge your lordship over our lives. Guard and protect our service this morning for your glory and for our joy.

In Jesus' name we pray. (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) , , , (people chattering) (upbeat music) I'm so sorry.

We'll try one more time. (people laughing) (upbeat music) We won't fear. ♪ 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 high.

♪ Neither high 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 high 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 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 that laid between us ♪ ♪ How great the chasm that laid between us ♪ ♪ How high the mountain I could not climb ♪ ♪ In desperation I turned to heaven and spoke to God ♪ ♪ In desperation I turned to heaven and spoke to God ♪ ♪ 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 hope ♪ ♪ Who could imagine so great a mercy ♪ ♪ What heart could fathom such boundless grace ♪ ♪ The God of ages stepped down from glory ♪ ♪ To wear my sin and bear my shame ♪ ♪ The cross has spoken, I am forgiven ♪ ♪ The King of Kings calls me soon ♪ ♪ Beautiful Savior, I'm yours forever ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, my living hope ♪ - 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 hope ♪ - 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 hope ♪ ♪ Then came the morning that sealed the promise ♪ ♪ Your buried body began to breathe ♪ ♪ Out of the silence, 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 has no claim on me ♪ ♪ Jesus, yours is the victory ♪ - Hallelujah.

♪ Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me ♪ ♪ Death has lost its grip on me ♪ ♪ You have broken every chain ♪ ♪ There's salvation in your name ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, my living hope ♪ ♪ 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 hope ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, my living hope ♪ ♪ Oh God, you are my living hope ♪ - Amen, you may be seated.

- Well, if you guys have your Bibles, please turn with me to Galatians chapter two. And I'm gonna be reading verses 19 to 21 for us. Galatians chapter two, verses 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 for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly. Let us pray together. Father, would you grant us a great day of reminders?

Of encouragement, of challenge, and would you cause us to remember our identity in Christ? Speak, Lord, your servants are listening. Feed us, transform our hearts, help us to continue to grow. We pray this in Jesus' name. Well, you're all familiar with the word metamorphosis. It's one of the first five-syllable words grade school children learn.

The process of metamorphosis in the animal kingdom is common knowledge, and through centuries, it has been repeatedly observed that certain creatures in the animal kingdom go through a process of metamorphosis in their life cycles. And metamorphosis is especially common in insects, and insects generally undergo two types of metamorphosis, incomplete metamorphosis and complete metamorphosis.

So grasshoppers, dragonflies, and cockroaches have what scientists would call an incomplete or 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.

And we've all learned about this. A butterfly starts as an egg, then eats voraciously as a caterpillar, becomes a chrysalis, and then matures into a beautifully shaped winged creature. The life cycle of a butterfly is very textbook stuff. It's pretty standard, and this has been observed, confirmed, and factualized that the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly, it's an expected outcome.

So we would all be shocked if out of a chrysalis came a fatter version of the caterpillar. So this transformation is radical, and 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 had once been spiritually dead believes upon Christ, there is a spiritual metamorphosis.

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

Second Corinthians 5.17 reads, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature." The old things passed away, behold, new things have come. So among insects, the metamorphosis can be incomplete, where the young simply look 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 walk in newness alive.

So a Christian, by definition, is a new creation, radically, totally, and irreversibly changed. There is no such thing as a partial Christian salvation. 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 is 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. That is what we call regeneration. And it's only a matter of time that the DNA starts to produce its results. The passage that I read for you in the beginning, Galatians 2, 19 to 21, that's our main text for the morning.

It's a very well-known and very well-memorized passage. It is a passage we all inductively studied together back in November. And we're gonna reflect on this today, and hopefully it wets our appetites for part two of Galatians, which begins in about a week and a half. So I wanna take a moment to read these three verses again for us.

Galatians 2, 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. 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 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 be looking at this snapshot today. I'm gonna walk you through these three verses to explain first why we have been transformed, so the purpose of our transformation.

And then I'll be describing the means and the process involved in this transformation. And then I'll launch off of verse 21 and the overall context of Galatians, and I'll detail for you what is inferred of the end result, the end product of our transformation. Okay, so the purpose of the transformation, chapter two, verse 19.

The process of the transformation, 20 and 21. And then the product of the transformation, verse 21. So I wanna 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.

Through every 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, 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 initially deemed very good. But we also see through the scriptures that sin entered the world and caused every human being born after the fall to rebel against that purpose and to commit what R.C.

Sproul calls cosmic treason. So the fallen and natural man in his fallen and natural condition is born with a delusional and twisted sense of entitlement. And the scripture describes fallen and natural man as simply an unreasoning creature of instinct who is blind to 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-centered. And he is self-exalting. And the natural and fallen man is completely oblivious to the purpose for which he has been created. The Christian, on the other hand, is one who has had his eyes opened to the truth of this rebellion, his utter depravity, to his inability to draw near by himself to holy God.

So the beginning of Galatians 2.19 reads, for through the law, I die to the law, and we see through the context of Galatians that that simply means that the Christian has rejected the notion that he can satisfy the requirements of God's holy law in and of himself. So 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 and upright living cannot save him, and that the holy law of God only condemns him. This 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 the primary purpose in his being saved and transformed is that he might now be restored to his 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 fulfillment of his purpose is now wired into his very DNA. He lives to God with a passion and a fervor, not in order to be saved, but because he is saved. So Galatians 2:19, "For through the law, "I die to the law, hinnah, so that I might live to God." And we covered this before in Bible study, but the Greek word hinnah is a very important word in the scriptures.

It is a conjunction word, translated as in order that or so that. And it always denotes the reason or the purpose for something. The word hinnah or so that always describes the desired outcome or expectation to what has just previously been said. So there is a purpose to a Christian's change in standing and in nature.

And it reads, "For through the law, I die to the law, "why, hinnah, 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 of that of the man who now understands that the purpose for which he has been created and the purpose for which he has been saved and remember the old is gone and the new has come.

Complete transformation. And as a reminder this morning, I wanna tell you that we were not saved simply to escape hell. Amen? We were not saved so that we can simply be more moral, that we can access God's favor and protection in this life, that we can have this eternal insurance policy or that we can just make the world a better place through Jesus.

That's not what we were saved for. The primary purpose of our lives, our very creation, our redemption, and our transformation is hinnah so that we might live to God. We are not our own. We were bought at a price, as it says in 1 Corinthians 6, and therefore we are to honor God with our lives and this is the primary purpose of our transformation.

Again, that we might live to God and live fully to God. 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 that tangibly mean then for the here and now while we are kind of in this limbo stage?

Let me read Galatians 2, 20 to 21 for you and this will bring us to our second point, the process of our transformation. I have been crucified with Christ and 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 up for me.

I do not nullify the grace of God. And the rest of the verse I'll read at the end, okay? So by the grace of God, we have seen our desperate need for a savior and we have cleaved ourselves to Christ by believing in his name, Acts 4, 12. And because of belief, we are now in right standing before God.

Only by belief, amen? And this is the beginning point of the transformation process and it's called justification. And we know from Romans 8, chapter eight, verse 30, that those who have been justified will one day be glorified. So if you have put your faith in Christ, you will be glorified.

And this glorification is the final part of the Christian life cycle. So broadly put, okay, from where we are conscious of the changes, our transformation, it begins at justification and it will end with glory, okay? From where we can perceive the life cycle of the Christian starts from where we are justified and ends when we are glorified.

So glorification is what awaits us in the resurrection and what awaits us in eternity. This is textbook. It is mysterious, it is radical, but at present, you and I who have put our faith in Christ are in this cocoon-like middle stage waiting for the 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've been spoken for and taken, but not fully. So this in-between stage, even though it serves an important purpose, right? The invites need to go out, right? There are other sheep who are not yet of the fold.

This in-between stage still is a very awkward and sometimes confusing one and it is often a very, very painful one. And on occasion, we may be left wondering if we indeed have been changed at all because there is so much old self still remaining. Many years ago, I had heard that most lizards, there's a lot of animal talk today, okay?

I had heard that most lizards can self-amputate their tails to distract predators and to escape. You guys know this, right? They go, tail breaks off and then they run, okay? So I remembered this fact when I was camping with my friend as a young teenager. And on day one, the morning, the first morning of the camping trip, I noticed a lizard chilling on a rock.

He was basking in the sun. And purely on the interest of science, not because I'm cruel, okay? I kicked the lizard. I was a lot more agile back then, so I kicked the lizard. And I wanted to see for myself whether or not the tail would indeed snap off.

And it did. Hey, don't judge me, all right? And this three-inch severed piece of tail thrashed and flailed for several minutes. So moments before I kicked it, in the interest of science, the tail was dormant, even though it was connected to the lizard. But interestingly enough, upon its detachment from its life source, it thrashed, it flailed, and 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. Sometimes, we who have been transformed completely still feel like that transformation is incomplete. We are one with Christ, but sometimes we feel so distant from him.

We have been permanently and irreversibly changed, but the old residue of our old self, it's still very stubbornly present. Why do I still struggle so much to remember my purpose, to live a life consistent with my transformed nature? It's frustrating. Well, it's because sin, though it is dead in me, it's still dying in me.

It's both an already and a not yet. So if we have believed upon Christ, we have been changed, but we are still being changed. We have 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. 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 waiting for 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. And I wanna point our attention to the first few words in Galatians 2.20, okay? One of the most well-read passages in the Bible. Hopefully you catch this, okay?

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live. The verb susterao, I have been crucified, is significant for two reasons. It's in the present perfect tense, and it is a passive verb. Why is that significant? The present perfect tense is used for past actions that are related to or continue on in the present.

So we are still crucified with Christ. It is ongoing. Make sense? Secondly, it's in the passive. This is something that was done to us and is continuing to be done to us. So just as no one can physically crucify himself, if I were to ask you, "Can you crucify yourself to a cross?" You couldn't.

You don't have enough hands. Just as no one can physically crucify himself, neither can we spiritually crucify ourselves with Christ. Our past and ongoing crucifixion, our sanctification, it was initiated by God, and it is ongoing because it is God's will for our earthly lives. So our sanctification is God's will.

It is part of his good and pleasing and perfect will. If you agree with that and know that as truth, say amen. 1 Thessalonians 4:3, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification." Secondly, sanctification is a prerequisite to seeing God face-to-face. In Hebrews chapter 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 the sanctification to be embraced and almost pursued by the beloved children of God.

So I wanna read Hebrews 12, 14. "Pursue peace with all men and pursue the sanctification, "without which no one will see the Lord." So our sanctification is God's will. Our sanctification is a prerequisite to seeing the Lord. And our sanctification is the very purpose for Jesus' sacrificing of himself.

Hebrews 10, 14. "For by one offering, he has perfected for all time "those who are sanctified." So this life we are living in the flesh is a crucified life. And it will continue to be a crucified life. When does a crucified man get off the cross? Think about this.

When does a crucified man get off the cross? Only after he is completely dead. So imagine for a moment with me what it is like to be crucified. (markers tapping) Is it comfortable? Okay, imagine with me. Is there a way somehow to adjust the position of 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 get used to it? Or do you think that you would feel the pain with greater intensity as you try to keep your lungs from collapsing by just pushing against those nails? In that crucified moment, wouldn't you just prefer it to all just end quickly?

(markers tapping) Would not 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 the Christian's only boast. And that too, brothers and sisters, is textbook. Galatians 6, 14. But may it never be that I would boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May it be that I would never, may it never be that I will boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. It's a very strange thing for a Christian to find this cursed world to be a very, very comfortable place.

Nod your heads if you're tracking. It is a very, very strange thing for a Christian whose very identity is being crucified with Christ to find this world to be a very comfortable place and to try to wiggle into a posture where it actually becomes more pleasurable, more secure, more fulfilling.

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 you 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? 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 at the captain's seat? This is very, this is something very sobering for us to think about while we are crucified Christians living in Orange County. It is a very, very strange thing, almost a blasphemous thing for a Christian to find this world pleasing and comfortable.

First 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. This observable evidence of your metamorphosis cannot but be like a growing dissatisfaction with the things of the world. I believe that love, joy, peace, and patience, they will increase in the Christian life with each passing year.

But I also believe that the pain and discomfort in this crucified Christian life also increases with each passing year. The initial moment of crucifixion, okay, keep imagining with me, where the giant nails penetrate through your bones onto the wooden beams, I would imagine that to be very painful. But the process of hanging there with the entire weight of your body being held up only by your torn flesh and your broken bones, I would imagine it to be even more excruciating, unbearable pain.

The hanging is more painful than the initial nailing. In the ancient world, a spear to the side of the crucified man was considered an act of kindness and mercy because the process of slowly dying on a cross was pure torture. The spear ended the suffering. Oftentimes, when a person is first saved, a lot of the surface-level sins get immediately purged out of the person's life.

They gush out. A lot of immediate changes take place in the lives and in the hearts of new believers. But the fallen nature of rebellious fallen man, it runs super deep. It's deep inside the core, so the residual effects of the rebellion it takes a while to bleed out.

The initial shock 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. So if you are like, "What is wrong with me? "Why am I not holy enough yet? "Why is there so much rebellion in me?" Praise God that that's his grace revealing those things to you.

God hates all sins. But you know what sins are at the top? Proverbs 8:13 gives us a little bit of an insight. "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. "Pride and arrogance and the evil way "and the perverted mouth I hate." You notice what's not on the list?

Sexual sin, addictions and drunkenness, embezzlement, stealing, cheating on your taxes. That's not on this list, although God hates those things. More than drunkenness, more than sexual sins, more than theft, God hates pride. And if you are his child, he is going to kill your pride. Are there things that are happening in your life to expose and rid you of your self-reliance, your insecurities, your arrogance, your deception, your self-sufficiency, your self-exalting motivations?

Are you realizing more and more that you're disgusting? Are you being humiliated? Perhaps the Lord, in his love, is putting your pride to death because he loves you, not because he just wants to shame you. You know why he sometimes allows you to be frustrated with the things of this world?

Because he is weaning you off 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. Amen? So it's only normal for the crucified man to increase in agony and long for heaven. For heaven.

I'm going to keep this last point brief. What is the final product of the metamorphosis? Okay, Galatians 2.21. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly. Righteousness. 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. And Psalm 117 gives us a little preview of what awaits. For the Lord is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright will behold his face. I have shared with you that the end of the Christian metamorphosis is glory.

And what awaits in our glorification, no man at present can accurately describe in words. No eye has seen it, no ear has heard it, no mind has conceived of the glorious things which he has prepared for the glorified Christian. The co-heir of Christ who has been already and will be seated in the heavenly places with Christ, Ephesians 2.7.

Six and seven. So we don't know what awaits us fully. But the Bible tells us it's beyond imagination. (audience laughing) By way of application, I'll leave you with a hope-filled passage detailing what awaits us. Because in Galatians, there is no command, no imperative, no application until chapter five, okay?

So I'm just gonna leave you with a passage, hopefully, that while you're hanging on for dear death, you can 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. But we know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is.

(pages rustling) 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. So the only application is keep hanging there. Persevere in your hanging by faith. 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 you have been transformed, if your home is not here, if indeed you are waiting for the resurrection and the return of Christ, persevere. My hope in this life, my expectations for this life, my love for this world are supposed to be wasting away because I'm a new creature with a new DNA longing for a new permanent address to be at home with the Lord.

Persevere. And remember that the weaning off of this world is normal. Amen. Let's pray. Father, help us to exalt in our humiliation. Lord, you've said in James 1 that the rich man is to glory in his humiliation because like the flowering grass, we will fade away. So as you're stripping us of our affections for this world, I pray that you would replace them fully with a great affection for Jesus Christ.

For that is our purpose and that is our joy. We love you, Lord, and pray this in Jesus' name. - Let us rise as we sing our closing praise. (soft piano 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, He's only bound to this ♪ ♪ Oh, how strange and divine I can see ♪ ♪ All is mine and yet not I but through Christ in me ♪ (soft music) ♪ The night is dark but I am not forsaken ♪ ♪ For by my side the Savior, He will stay ♪ ♪ I labor on in weakness and rejoicing ♪ ♪ For in my need, His power is displayed ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my shepherd will defend me ♪ ♪ Through the deepest valley, He will lead ♪ ♪ Oh, the night has been won and I shall overcome ♪ ♪ Yet not I but through Christ in me ♪ (soft music) ♪ No freight I dread, I know I am forgiven ♪ ♪ The future's sure, the price it has been paid ♪ ♪ For Jesus bled and suffered for my fault ♪ ♪ And He was raised to overflow the grave ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my sin has been defeated ♪ ♪ Jesus now and ever is my King ♪ ♪ Oh, the chains are released, I can sing, I am free ♪ ♪ Yet not I but through Christ in me ♪ (soft music) (upbeat music) ♪ I long to follow Jesus ♪ ♪ For He has said that He will bring me home ♪ ♪ And day by day, I know He will begin ♪ ♪ Until I stand with joy before the King ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, the glory evermore to Him ♪ ♪ When the pain of weakness and blindness ♪ ♪ Shall repeat, yet not I but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, the glory evermore to Him ♪ ♪ When the pain of weakness and blindness ♪ ♪ Shall repeat, yet not I but through Christ in me ♪ ♪ When the grace is broken, still my voice ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ - Amen, now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the eternal love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each and every one of us that is persevering in the faith from now forevermore, amen.

♪ God sent His Son ♪ ♪ They called Him Jesus ♪ ♪ He came to love ♪ ♪ Heal and forgive ♪ ♪ He build and die ♪ ♪ To buy my poor head ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ ♪ Blessed Redeemer ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ The rescue for sinners ♪ ♪ The ransom from heaven ♪ ♪ Jesus Messiah ♪ ♪ Lord of all ♪ ♪ His body the bread ♪ ♪ His blood the wine ♪ ♪ Broken and poured out ♪ ♪ All for love ♪ ♪ The whole earth trembled ♪ ♪ The veil was torn ♪ ♪ Love so amazing ♪ ♪ Love so amazing ♪ ♪ Jesus Messiah ♪ ♪ Name above all names ♪ ♪ Blessed Redeemer ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ The rescue for sinners ♪ ♪ The ransom from heaven ♪ ♪ Jesus Messiah ♪ ♪ Lord of all ♪ ♪ All our hope is in You ♪ ♪ All our hope is in You ♪ ♪ All glory to You God ♪ ♪ Light of the world ♪ ♪ Jesus Messiah ♪ ♪ Name above all names ♪ ♪ Blessed Redeemer ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ The rescue for sinners ♪ ♪ The ransom from heaven ♪ ♪ Jesus Messiah ♪ ♪ Lord of all ♪ ♪ Jesus Messiah ♪ ♪ Lord of all ♪ (upbeat music) the world.

(upbeat music) , the world. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) ♪ I will sing a wondrous story ♪ ♪ Of the Christ who died for me ♪ ♪ How He left His home in glory ♪ ♪ For the cross of Calvary ♪ ♪ I was lost but Jesus found me ♪ ♪ Found the sheep that went astray ♪ ♪ Threw His loving arms around me ♪ ♪ Drew me back into His way ♪ ♪ I was bruised but Jesus healed me ♪ ♪ Faint was I from many a fall ♪ ♪ Sight was gone and fears possessed me ♪ ♪ But He freed me from them all ♪ ♪ Days of darkness still come o'er me ♪ ♪ Sorrow's paths I often tread ♪ ♪ But the Savior still is with me ♪ ♪ By His hand I am safely led ♪ - Thanks, thanks.

All right, let's try God is for us real quick. (gentle music) (upbeat music) (gentle music) ♪ 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 our 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 on 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 high nor death can separate us ♪ ♪ Hell and death could not defeat us ♪ ♪ He who gave His Son to free us ♪ ♪ Holds me in His love ♪ ♪ Neither high nor death can separate us ♪ ♪ Hell and death could not defeat us ♪ ♪ He who gave His Son to free us ♪ ♪ Holds me in His love ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ - All right, I thought that was pretty good.

I think for me, I was still slightly rushing on the bridge, but I always have to be really careful with that. - Our God is for us. - All right, let's try intro one more time. (upbeat music) Very good. And so, at least for the chorus, Debbie, so you're cutting out first-time chorus and the very last-time chorus into the outro.

Yes. Or like the, I meant like the, it's like, ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is ♪ So you're doing that a total of two times in this song. Okay, so first-time chorus and the very last time? Okay, for sure. So yeah, as instruments, we'll all follow suit with that.

- I'm just patting the entire time. - Yeah, you're just patting the whole time, yeah. - Well, it's funny, 'cause it's like all the way onto the pad and the piano's not on at all, but I realized while he was up here giving an essence that I had to play for offering.

- Oh, yeah. - And it would have just been 100% patting. - That's fine, too, honestly. - Which is okay, yeah. - All right, we'll pray 925 in the corner. (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (congregation chattering) (gentle music)