Transformed By God

Thank you, Treg.

Please open up your Bibles this morning to the book of Titus.

The book of Titus.

We're continuing our series through Titus this morning.

If you did not bring a Bible of your own, there should be Bibles there in front of you in the seat backs.

And you can find that on page 938 of that Bible there in front of you.

And we are going to be in Titus chapter 3, verses 3 through 8 this morning.

Titus 3:3–8

Believe it or not, we only have three more sermons in the book of Titus.

We've covered a lot of ground in this little book.

And I hope that it's been as encouraging for you as it has been for me.

Last week, you saw that Treg helped us to see who we once were before the grace of God appeared.

Before the grace of God appeared in our life.

And today, this morning, we're going to pick up at that same place.

But we'll see the whole process of spiritual transformation.

The whole process of spiritual transformation.

So let's look there now.

Titus chapter 3, verses 3 through 8 this morning.

Titus 3:3–8

Please follow along with me as I read.

Paul says,

He says,

The saying is trustworthy.

Amen.

This is God's word.

Let's pray together.

Lord, you are God and besides you there is no other.

Who is man that you are mindful of him?

We are nothing.

And yet you have shown us kindness and love and unmerited favor in Christ.

And so we pray now that you would for the next several minutes.

Lord, cause us to look up, out and away from ourselves.

Away from our wants, our needs, our desires.

And would you fix our gaze on Christ this morning.

We pray this in Jesus name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, they say hindsight is 20-20.

But for the first 1,400 years or so, for about 1,400 years, the smartest people in the world got it all wrong.

They believed that we were at the center of it all.

The most intelligent, most well-educated men and women of the world held what we now call a geocentric view of the universe.

Meaning that they believed that the earth was at the center of the universe.

And so all known planets, all known stars, the sun, the moon, everything that they knew of, as far as they concerned, revolved around planet earth.

We were at the center.

Everything revolved around us.

And Claudius Ptolemy was influential in this view.

He was a mathematician, an astrologer, a geographer.

He was extremely intelligent, widely respected.

And his geocentric theory of the universe spread through the civilized world and was universally accepted.

That is, until Copernicus proposed what we now call the heliocentric model in 1543.

Which said, of course, that the sun was at the center of the universe and not the earth.

Y'all didn't know that you were coming here for an astrology class this morning, did you?

Copernicus's view, which we now know is the correct view, was not well received.

To put it lightly.

See, this was, it was not just a scientific proposition.

The belief that the earth was the center of the universe, that everything revolved around us.

That had become an entire framework for all of life.

In fact, it had become official church doctrine.

And so much so that when Galileo, you might know that name, in the 16th century,

and Giordano Bruno, an Italian philosopher, in 1600, proposed these same ideas,

that the earth was not the center of the universe, they were condemned as heretics.

Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life, forbidden to publish any of his works.

And Bruno was burned at the stake, proclaiming that the earth was not at the center.

You see, it was so embedded in their philosophy, and in their theology, and their view of the world,

that we are the center of the universe, that nothing else seemed to make sense.

In fact, it was heresy to claim anything else.

And as easy as it is for us to look back and scoff, and to laugh about just how wrong they were,

the truth is, we all make this same mistake.

Every one of us are prone to think, and to act, and to walk, and to talk,

as if we were the center of the universe.

But of course, this is not true.

As Christians, we know, we believe that we are not the center of the universe.

God is.

Our lives revolve around Him, not the other way around.

Christianity, although this isn't popular, Christianity is not a man-centered religion.

Christianity is about God.

That's not popular.

We want it to be about us.

But our conversion to Christianity was a transformation inside of us,

by the power of God that shifted the center of our universe away from self,

and back to where it rightly belonged to God.

From beginning to end, from beginning to end,

our existence, our transformation, our life in Christ is all about God.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,

but to your name give the glory.

That's the cry of a transformed heart.

It is all about God.

In our text this morning, Paul is,

he's reminding Titus, and he's showing us that our salvation,

our transformation in Christ from beginning to end,

is from God, it is by God, it is through God,

it is about God, it is for God,

it is God-centered from beginning to end.

And so our outline this morning, what we're going to do,

we're going to see five God-centered aspects of spiritual transformation.

If you're a note-taker, this will help you follow along.

This is my outline this morning.

Five God-centered aspects of spiritual transformation.

And what I hope we'll see is, again,

from beginning to end, it is all about God.

First, we see the summary of transformation.

The summary of transformation.

The last week we saw that Paul wrote to Titus

that believers there in Crete are to,

verse 1, chapter 3, verse 1,

to be submissive to rulers and authorities,

be obedient, be ready for every good work,

speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling,

be gentle, show perfect courtesy to all people.

Why?

Why should believers act that way?

And he tells us here in verse 3,

for because we ourselves were once foolish,

disobedient, led astray,

slaves to various passions and pleasures,

hated by others and hating one another.

This is the before of spiritual transformation.

You all have seen those before and after photos.

I know you have.

Somebody's trying to sell you on a product,

this weight loss product,

hair recovery product, skin cream,

whatever it may be,

and they show you the before picture,

and it just looks awful.

There's a thousand things wrong with that image

besides the one thing that they're advertising

that they're trying to fix, right?

And then they show you the after picture,

and it's incredible.

It's beautiful.

The lighting is better.

It's a better angle.

They look like a supermodel in the after picture.

Paul is showing us here the before of spiritual transformation,

and it's ugly.

There's no hiding it here.

In other words, he says,

you used to act this way.

You used to be characterized by sin.

You used to walk in foolishness.

You used to walk in disobedience.

You used to walk in slavery to sin,

but then something happened.

When the goodness and loving kindness of God,

our Savior, appeared,

He saved us.

In other words, if you are a Christian,

you have been transformed.

You have a before,

and now you have an after.

There is now something different about you.

You are not the same as you once were.

If anyone is in Christ,

he is, help me out, what?

He's a new creation.

The old has gone.

Behold, the new has come.

You see, verses 3 through 5 here of chapter 3,

they give us a condensed summary.

It is a big picture overview of salvation.

So every Christian in the room can take these verses

and say, yeah, that's me.

That happened to me.

Now this is Paul's quick bullet point summary of transformation.

In fact, the whole book of Titus

is summed up in a nutshell here.

We could have saved some time

if we just went right here to these verses first.

He says,

Do good, do good works,

because you were sinful,

but God saved you.

That's the summary here.

Do good works,

because you used to be sinful,

and now God has transformed you by his grace.

That is our testimony, church.

If you are a Christian,

this is your testimony.

In this summary,

it's important here,

because it is abundantly clear

who the focus is on.

Who gets the glory,

and the praise,

and the credit here?

Who's the hero of this story?

It's God.

From beginning to end.

Paul makes it clear here.

The only thing that you and I contributed to our salvation

is the need to be saved.

The only thing that we contributed to our salvation

was the need for redemption.

Our contribution here in these verses

was sin.

It was rebellion.

It was foolishness.

It was disobedience.

But God saved us.

Paul says something similar in 1 Corinthians 6.

1 Corinthians 6.

You don't have to turn there now.

I'll read this to you,

but maybe write this down for later.

1 Corinthians 6, verse 11.

1 Corinthians 6:11

He says,

That's the before picture.

But you were washed.

You were sanctified.

You were justified

in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

and by the Spirit of our God.

And such were some of you.

But the goodness and loving kindness

of God our Savior appeared

in the gospel of Jesus Christ

and He saved us.

That's the summary of our salvation.

How God-centered is your testimony.

Who's the hero of your story of salvation?

How do you tell it

when you share your story of your salvation

from death to life?

Who's the hero of your story?

You all heard Sean's testimony last week.

I hated that I had to miss it last week.

But I know what he did not say.

He did not say,

Well, I was going down the wrong path,

making some bad choices,

but then I straightened up

and I decided to figure it out.

And I cleaned myself up.

I got better.

And I decided I'd start going to church.

And I decided I'd start reading my Bible

because I knew that that was the best thing for me.

And I'm much better off than I used to be.

You should have seen me back then.

I've made some really powerful strides forward.

Who's at the center of that story?

It's I.

I am the hero of that story.

Self.

In that story, God is not central.

You are.

He's the medicine that you decide to take

because you realize you are sick.

But friend, what does Paul say?

You're not sick apart from the mercy of God.

You're dead.

Dead in the trespasses and sins

in which you once walked.

Dead men, dead women,

cannot work.

Dead men,

dead men,

women cannot please God.

Dead men cannot improve.

Dead men cannot believe.

Dead men,

they stink.

Like Lazarus in the tomb.

But God made us alive

together in Christ.

But God saved us.

You want to sum up your salvation?

Here it is.

We were dead,

but God saved us in Christ.

Is that your story?

Is that your story?

This is a three-verse summary of new life in Christ.

And so here's an application for you

when you go home this afternoon.

Here's a challenge.

I want you to write out your testimony.

And you got three sentences.

That's all you're allowed.

Three sentences.

Write out your testimony.

And make sure that God

is at the center.

Second.

Second,

we see the basis

of our transformation.

The basis

of our transformation.

Look again here to verse 5.

Paul says,

He saved us

not because of works

done by us.

Now hold on.

Paul has been telling us

in Titus

over and over

and over

and over again.

Do good works.

Do good works.

Do good works.

These false teachers,

they prove that they are false

because they are not

doing good works.

There's no fruit in their lives.

Faith accords with godliness.

Here in verse 8,

he says,

Be careful to devote yourselves

to good works.

So what gives?

He wants to make

absolutely certain here

that we get the order right.

Our works are not

the basis

of our salvation.

By no means.

Again,

dead men and dead women

cannot do good works.

We have to get this order

right.

See,

our works are not

the root

of our transformation.

They are the fruit

of our transformation.

Say that again.

They are not the root,

the basis

of our transformation,

of our new life in Christ.

They are the fruit,

the overflow,

the outworking

of our spiritual transformation.

See,

we have a hard time

with this

because we don't want

to see ourselves

as totally,

completely,

spiritually helpless.

We want to contribute

in some way.

We want to have

a part in this.

We don't want to be

helpless or weak.

We're too prideful

for that.

But that is precisely

who Jesus came

to save.

Not the strong,

not the capable,

not those who think

that they add anything.

Jesus came to save

the weak

and the needy.

It's not the healthy

who need a physician,

but the sick.

His power is made perfect

in our weakness.

And when you pull the thread

on your story of salvation,

I wonder where it stops.

Does it stop

at a prayer you prayed,

a decision you made,

any good work,

any list of good deeds,

good thoughts,

good works

as the root,

the basis

of your salvation?

If that's where it stops,

friend,

you need to keep pulling.

Now pull a little bit further.

When you peel back

all the layers,

every prayer,

every good deed,

every belief,

every act of yours

in your testimony,

what is left

at the bottom

holding it all up?

What does Paul say?

It is the merciful

heart of God.

The merciful

heart of God.

What's the basis

here of our salvation?

Paul says,

God saved us

not because of works

done by us,

but according to

His own mercy.

See,

we have to get the order right.

God did not look upon you,

look upon anything done by you,

and deem you worthy

of salvation.

God did not look ahead

in time to see what you might do

or would do,

and then on that basis,

deem you worthy

of salvation.

Again,

you see,

that puts us,

that puts our goodness

at the root,

at the center,

and God orbiting

around us.

Paul says,

the basis

of your transformation

is the merciful

heart of God.

Mercy,

by definition,

is given to those

who don't deserve it.

this was at the heart

of the Protestant

Reformation.

It's October,

and I know for most of y'all

that most normal people,

that means pumpkin spice

lattes,

and fall weather,

and flannel,

and colors changing

outside.

For nerds like me,

I think of the

Protestant Reformation.

So,

505 years ago,

Martin Luther,

he nailed his 95 thesis

to the door of the

castle church

in Wittenberg,

Germany.

These were 95 concerns

with the teaching

of the church,

95 points of doctrinal

clarification,

and at the center

of it was a practice

called indulgences.

You may be familiar

with that,

maybe not,

but this practice

of indulgences,

Luther was concerned

that the church

was teaching

you could buy

your way

to forgiveness.

You could work

your way,

earn your way,

whether by money

or by merit,

towards acceptance

with God.

And he said,

no,

that's impossible.

Faith is the path

of salvation.

Salvation is a gift

given by faith

according to the mercy

of God.

And he was right.

So he says this,

he says,

we believe that

the very beginning

and end

of salvation

and the sum

of Christianity

consists of faith

in Christ,

who by his blood alone

and not by any work

of ours,

has put away sin

and destroyed

the power of death.

Is it not wonderful news

to believe

that salvation

lies outside

of ourselves?

Amen?

Friend,

this is good news.

it's good news

that we cannot

earn acceptance

from God.

You can't do it.

If you are in Christ,

you have his acceptance

in full,

not because of you

or anything in you,

anything you've done,

but by his mercy alone.

And if you are not

in Christ,

friend,

you're working

to please God

can never earn

his favor.

It's only,

only by saving faith

in the Savior,

the perfect Savior,

Christ Jesus.

His mercy,

not our works,

is the basis

of our salvation.

Third,

the third aspect

of our transformation

here,

we see the work

of transformation.

The work

of transformation.

Look at verse 5 again.

Paul says,

He saved us,

not because of works

done by us

in righteousness,

but according

to his own mercy.

How?

Verse 5.

By the washing

of regeneration

and renewal

of the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out

on us richly

through Christ

our Savior.

Now,

we were reading this

at the dinner table

the other night.

Every now and then,

I try to do it

every week,

but most weeks,

I try to read

the sermon passage

before I come here

to preach

and ask my family,

hey,

what questions

do you have

about this?

And a lot of times,

I find that they got

questions I'm not

thinking of,

and this was one

of those times.

I didn't plan to talk

about this at all.

But Amanda said,

what does it mean,

the washing of regeneration

and renewal?

What does that mean?

I didn't plan to say

a thing about that.

Ezekiel 36.

Y'all can turn there

with me.

Ezekiel 36,

Ezekiel 36:24–27

verses 24 through 27.

The people of Israel

are in exile.

God is speaking to them

through the prophet Ezekiel.

He makes them a promise.

Verse 24.

See if this sounds familiar.

He says,

I will take you

from the nations

and gather you

from all the countries

and bring you

into your own land.

I will sprinkle

clean water on you

and you shall be clean

from all your uncleanness.

And from your idols

I will cleanse you

and I will give you

a new heart

and a new spirit

I will put within you.

And I will remove

the heart of stone

from your flesh

and will give you

a heart of flesh.

And I will put

my spirit within you

and cause you

to walk in my statutes

and be careful

to obey my rules.

See we have this promise here

that God has given

to Old Covenant

Old Testament Israel

this promise

to cleanse Israel

by his spirit

to give them

a new heart

to give them

renewed desires

to cause them

to walk in ways

that are pleasing

to him.

And now here

Paul says

that is accomplished

through Jesus Christ

for any

who come to faith

in him

Jew or Gentile.

Paul is showing us

how our salvation

was accomplished.

He's showing us

the work of God

in salvation.

And I love how

Paul shows us

each member of the Trinity

at work.

Here.

Each member of the Trinity

at work.

We believe God

is a Trinity.

Okay.

One God

not three gods

one God

three persons

not one God

acting at different times

in different ways

one God

three persons

Father

Son

Holy Spirit

each of them

working together

in cooperation

in the work

of redemption.

So we believe

that our redemption

was a merciful

plan of God

planned in eternity

past

and worked out

in time

according to the

counsel of his will.

But here Paul

shows us that

it is also a work

of the Holy Spirit.

He says in verse 5

our salvation

is according

to his own mercy

by the washing

of regeneration

and renewal

of the Holy Spirit.

Last week

if you were here

the section

of the statement

of faith

that you read

was concerning

regeneration.

And I'd like

to read a portion

of that again

to you this morning.

It says this

we believe

that in order

to be saved

sinners must

be regenerated

or born

again.

Born again

Christian

that's redundant

you know that right?

It's like saying

pen number

personal identification

number

number

born again

Christian

it's redundant

there's no other

kind of Christian

but a born again

Christian

if you are a Christian

you are born again

if you're born again

you're a Christian

you have the spirit

in you.

Alright keep going.

Regeneration

is a change of heart

by the Holy Spirit

who revives

the spiritually dead

that's the before picture

all of us

savingly enlightening

our minds

to understand

the word of God

and renewing

the whole nature

so that they love

the Lord

and desire

to practice

holiness

that's what we saw

God promise Israel

here in Ezekiel

and that's what Paul says

was brought to life

through the gospel

new life

new minds

new nature

new love for God

that's the work

of the spirit

of God

if you are a Christian

you are born

of his spirit

you have the spirit

in you

in full

there's no second

filling of the spirit

if you don't have

the spirit

you're spiritually dead

but if you have

the spirit

you are regenerated

you're alive

you're born again

if you understand

the word of God

praise God

that's the work

of the spirit

in you

if you love

the Lord

at all

praise God

that's the work

of the spirit

in you

if you desire

to practice holiness

praise God

that's the work

of the spirit

in you

if you see any

of the fruit

of the spirit

in your life

praise God

that's a work

of the spirit

in you

but how

was the spirit

given

verse 6

he was

poured out

on us

richly

through

Jesus

Christ

our savior

faith

trust

in you

in you

in you

in you

Holy Spirit

Christ

Jesus

the son

of God

accomplished

our salvation

this is the gospel

church

we are saved

by the grace

of God

through faith

in

Jesus

Christ

faith

trust

in his

perfect obedience

in our place

faith

trust

in his

death

in our

place

on the cross

the death

that we

deserve

for our

sin

faith

trust

in his

perfect

resurrection

from the

dead

trust

faith

that if

we have

died

with him

in a

death

like his

then surely

we will

share

in his

eternal

life

and it

is

through

faith

in

Jesus

Christ

that we

receive

the promised

Holy Spirit

who is

our helper

who guides

us

and comforts

us

and leads

us

and convicts

us

our comforter

our helper

until he

returns

again

see our

transformation

church

is God's

work

it is God's

plan

accomplished

through

God's

son

by the

power

of God's

spirit

from beginning

to end

it is God's

work

shouldn't this

lead us to

thankfulness

church

what do we

have to

boast about

shouldn't

this lead us

to humility

church

we have

nothing to

boast about

but the

work of

God

in us

a right

understanding

of God's

work and

salvation

ought to

lead us

to be

the most

grateful

the most

humble

the most

awestruck

the most

joyful people

in all

the world

we are

saved

by God

because of

his

goodness

fourth

we see

the

effect

of

transformation

the

effect

of

transformation

what is

the effect

of

transformation

Paul says

it's

twofold

here

and there

are more

of course

but Paul

is showing

us two

effects

of

transformation

here in

verse 7

two effects

of our

salvation

in Christ

he says

in our

salvation

we have

present

justification

and future

hope

we've been

given

present

justification

and future

hope

look with me

to verse 7

he says

God saved

us

so that

so here's

the effect

here's the

result

so that

being justified

by his

grace

we might

become

heirs

according to

the hope

of eternal

life

so you see

there's two

effects here

present

justification

future

hope

he says

we are

justified

by his

grace

what does

that mean

this again

was at the

heart of the

protestant

reformation

it's this

question of

how can a

sinner be

accepted

in the

sight of

God

how can

we with

all of

our sin

all of

our

unrighteous

deeds

how can

we with

all our

rebellion

against

God

be counted

righteous

forgiven

accepted

loved

in the

sight of

God

it's

justification

this

this

is

courtroom

language

this is

legal

terminology

so

imagine

this

with me

in the

legal

courtroom

of God

God

is the

judge

he is

holy

he judges

all the

earth

in

righteousness

not a

single

decision

that comes

from his

counsel

is wrong

in any

way

not a

single

decision

is unjust

and one

day we

will all

stand before

him

for judgment

and if we

really know

the depth

of our

sin

we should

we should

tremble

at that

thought

we have

earned

punishment

for our

sin

and the

just

sentence

for our

sin

for our

disobedience

is

death

it is

condemnation

not a

person

on this

planet

can

stand

and say

I've

earned

acceptance

with you

God

not but

one

Jesus

Christ

and so

when God

the judge

pulls out

the record

of your

life

every

thought

every

deed

every

motivation

every

word

and if

you're like

me that

list spills

out over

the top

of the

table

and down

onto the

floor

and out

into the

hallway

and he

asks you

how do

you plead

what do

you say

what do

you say

if you

are in

Christ

friend you

look him

in the eye

and you

say

I am

innocent

I am

innocent

not

guilty

and I know

that for certain

because it was

it was decided

long ago

not because of

anything in me

but because of

your work

in my life

because of

your saving

mercy

there is nothing

good in me

but God

you have seen

fit to nail

my sin

to the cross

of Christ

and to give

me his

perfect righteousness

by faith

not guilty

I am

innocent

because of

the gospel

2nd

Corinthians

521

it tells

me

for our

sake

he made

him to

be sin

who knew

no sin

so that

in him

we might

become

the very

righteousness

of God

and so

the gavel

comes down

and the

verdict

is declared

you are

righteous

in God's

sight

not

guilty

Paul says

that verdict

is already

decided

if you are

in Christ

you are

justified

right now

not by

not by

your works

not by

your goodness

but by

his grace

alone

and with

that present

justification

comes future

hope

certain

joyful

expectant

life

changing

hope

if we are

if we are

in Christ

God is not

only the

judge

he is

our father

we are

adopted

as brothers

and sisters

Christ Jesus

being the

firstborn

into the

family

of God

so

so verse

7 tells us

being justified

by his grace

we might

become

heirs

according to

the hope

of eternal

life

if God

is our

father

through

Christ

we will

inherit

eternal

life

that is

our hope

life

forever

in the

presence

of God

free from

sin

free from

suffering

free from

death

fullness

of joy

in the

presence

of God

in the

new heavens

and the

new earth

full access

to God

our father

through the

blood

of Jesus

Christ

this is

what he

has done

for us

believer

this type

of

freedom

the freedom

of total

acceptance

and certain

hope

that ought

to transform

the way

we live

our lives

amen

we live

as sons

and daughters

of God

which brings

us to our

fifth and

final point

this morning

this is where

we close

fifth we

see the

evidence

of

transformation

the

evidence

of

transformation

you see

good works

good works

the evidence

that you have

been made

a son

or a

daughter

of God

is that you

begin to

look a lot

like your

father

there's a

family resemblance

that's going

on here

and you

join into

the family

business

you reflect

his godly

character

and you

go about

his godly

work

verse 8

Paul says

the saying

is trustworthy

and I want

you to

insist on

these things

insist on

these things

Titus

don't skirt

past it

don't avoid

it

don't remove

God from

the center

why

so that

those who

have believed

in God

may be

careful

to devote

themselves

to good

works

this has been

the message

of Titus

hasn't it

faith

accords

with godliness

good works

are the

fruit

not

the root

of our

transformation

Christ

Jesus

gave himself

to redeem

us from

all

lawlessness

and to

purify

a people

for his

own

possession

who are

zealous

for good

works

not for

our glory

not for

our

attention

not for

our boost

in our

self-esteem

but for

the glory

of God

not by

our strength

but by

the strength

of God

that's what

Christ came

to create

in us

I hope

that

Luther's

quote

is still

ringing

in your

ears

we've

said it

two or

three times

already

throughout

this series

in Titus

maybe you

know it

by now

it says

we are

saved by

faith

alone

but the

faith that

saves

is never

alone

we are

saved by

faith alone

but the

faith that

saves

is never

alone

it is

always

accompanied

by the

fruit

of

good

works

so here's

the challenge

that I want

to leave

pounding in

your chest

as you leave

here this

morning

if you are

not a

believer

if you've

never known

the transforming

grace of

God

friend repent

and believe

the gospel

God's grace

is extended

to you

this moment

in the

preaching of

the word

as Christ

says

come to

me

all who

weary

and are

heavy laden

and I

will give

you rest

call upon

the name

of the

Lord

and you

will

be

saved

but friend

if you

have been

redeemed

Christian

would you

would you

reflect on

the goodness

of God

and your

salvation

this week

would you

reflect

on what

God has

done

it is

about

him

and then

out of

that God

centered view

of yourself

and the

world

around you

and your

salvation

go do

good

for the

glory of

God

as an

overflow

of the

good

you've

received

from

him

extend

his

goodness

and his

kindness

and his

mercy

and his

salvation

to others

what good

can you do

for the

glory of

God

this week

his power

at work

in us

extended

to the

world

what

opportunities

is the

spirit

bringing

to your

mind

even

now

as

you

think

who

around

you

needs

to hear

the

good

news

of

the

gospel

who

can

you

lay

your

life

down

for

this

week

and

meet

a need

and give

an opportunity

to show

and to

share

the goodness

of

Jesus

at home

at work

in your

neighborhood

at school

what good

works can

we do

together

for the

glory of

God

as a

church

family

not

for

our

credit

not

for

our

recognition

not

for

our

morale

not

for

us

but

for

the

glory

of

God

you see

the

evidence

of our

transformation

is our

zeal

for good

works

are we

zealous

for good

works

Matthew

5

16

let

your

light

so

shine

before

others

so

that

they

may

see

your

good

works

and

give

glory

to

us

give

glory

to

your

father

who

is

in

heaven

church

for

1400

years

they

got

it

all

wrong

and

they

thought

it

was

centered

on

us

and

sadly

here

in

the

year

2022

not much

has

changed

no

we

don't

think

the

earth

is

literally

at

the

center

of

the

universe

but

we

all

tend

to

think

that

we

are

at

the

center

of

the

universe

see

Ptolemy

he

popularized

the idea

but he

didn't

come up

with it

it

started

in a

garden

Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter

3

where

Adam

and Eve

placed

their

wants

their

desires

their

needs

their

appetite

at

the

center

but

Christ

Jesus

came

to

transform

our

man

centered

view

of

reality

and to

restore

all

things

for the

glory

of

God

it

is

all

about

him

he

is

at

the

center

our

mission

statement

at

Seaweed

Bay

is to

magnify

the glory

of

God

in

the

gospel

of

Jesus

Christ

that's

what

we're

about

that's