Living A Life That Reflects The Gospel | Celina Tan

You're listening to a message to go from acts Church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

So today the title of a message is living a

life that reflects the Gospel, all right, and raising God's

grace rejecting sin.

Okay.

So when we read this portion of scripture, you know,

we know that the Gospel actually called us to transform life.

Okay.

That is not just a reflection of faith, but a

response to God's grace.

Okay.

So Paul's letter to Romans, especially in chapter six, you know,

give us a reminder of what it means to live

in alignment with God's will. So Romans chapter six wer

Sunday Tree for the wages of sin is death, you know,

and the free gift of eternal life to Christ Jesus. Okay,

this scripture, I think we often hear about it, and

especially uh you know, during Christmas or maybe during your

baptism class, we always hear about this okay.

So these words is a.

Sharp contrast of the consequence of sin with the gift

of salvation.

Okay.

So it challenges to consider whether our life really reflect

the truth.

Okay.

So we need to really reflect what Christ has done

for us in our life.

Okay.

And when we reflect upon what Christ has done for

us in our life, we need to live a life

that seek God's holiness. Okay, And we our life also

we need to live it in such a way that

inspire others to leave the same, which is to seek God. Okay,

So why did I say that? You know, when I

was preparing this message is such a tough message to

talk about because we are here talking about sin. You know,

teaching children about sin is really very easy. We always

tell them that, you know, children, sin miss you do

not the things, right, so all of us know that

sin means we do not the things okay, Like you know,

we always say that Okay, stealing, killing, you say no

to mummy. You know, you trow temper and try to

mummy and everything. All this is seen, Okay, very easy

to teach children. But for a doubt Okay, yes, we

know that sink are some of the things that we

know it immediately one like for example, stealing, lying. Okay,

all this we know is sein. But what I'm going

to draw us to is from a different perspective. Okay,

So the concept of scene can be really extract Okay,

But this morning, I'm just going to bring us to

the definition that from the Greek term Paul used called

harmartano Okay, Okay, that means okay, there is five definitions

that from the Greek word here it means to be

without a share in okay, to miss the mark, to

err or to be mistaken, to wonder from the path

of up rightness, to violate God's law.

Okay. What does it mean to be without a share in? Okay?

Sometimes sin leave us cut off from God and the

blessing that He intends for us.

Okay. Sin isn't just an action, Okay.

It also creates a barrier causing a separation between us

and God.

Okay. To miss the mark, all right? We know that

to miss the mark.

If let's say you imagine an archer trying to shoot

the arrow, miss the mudmans a flight of tension, it

will never go to the bull's eye.

Okay.

So means in this point, to miss the mud means

we are falling short of God's standard. God has a

standard for us to live, and when we miss the mark,

it means that we fall shot of God's standard.

Okay.

Our target is a life that reflects God's righteousness. That

is the standard okay, but sin causes us to miss

it and preventing us from reaching God's given potential.

Okay.

To error, to be mistaken okay, it means that it

doesn't necessarily lead us to poor choices. It also distorts

our understanding, making earth susceptible to deception or error.

Okay.

It means also we see life inaccurately okay, means that

we look at life based on our own less not

true God's lens.

Okay.

To wonder from the path of righteousness means that.

We derail.

Right, we violates God's law, means we disregard God's authority.

Okay. So it's very straightforward. We know that all.

This is the definition of sin. So this morning, I'm

just gonna talk about focusing on point four and point five.

How we wonder away from God's law, How we wonder

away from God's righteousness? Okay, So we all know the

law of God actually refers to the commandment Okay, the

principles and the instructions that God has given to us

to guide us to live a life that reflects his

holiness Okay, to reflect his love, to reflect his justice.

And where can we find the law? Where can we

find God's law in the Bible.

Okay. The whole Bible is God's law. Okay.

The scripture is his law. Why does God give us this.

It's so that we have a manual to know how

to live our life. His scripture is not so that

to make our life difficult. His scripture is actually to

help us to maintain a relationship with him. You know

that from the beginning until the end, God is not

there just holding a cain, you know, just wanted to

punish us when we break his law. From the beginning

until the end, what we found from the scripture is

that He wants a relationship with us. He is seeking

a close relationship with us, and he wants us, you know,

to build a community then walk in accordance to his

will and his purpose.

Right.

So that's why he gave us the law. He gave

us the scripture. He gave us a commandment.

Okay.

So when I look at this definition and when I

will look at the word law Okay. Being a teacher,

you know, I always teach the children the ten commandments

because that is the easiest.

Law to teach.

Okay, So when we look at the commandment, Now, let

me teach the bigger children here.

What is the first two commandments? Okay?

You shall have no other gods before you before me,

That's what God say. And you shall not make yourself

and idle. So to simplify it, God first.

No idle. Okay.

So remember that because of the sto rite a sentence

like me, I forever cannot remember more than two words.

Okay.

So God first, no idle okay. And this twol scripture

is the foundation of every single thing. It's the foundation

of every single decision.

In our life. Okay. Why does God give us this commment?

He comments us to place him above all else, allowing

no substitutes, okay, in our heart, in our life okay.

And that is the strongest commment and the commonment that

we have to remember. And you know, in our sentences,

right every time there is a but okay, God said

him first, no idle.

But we always.

This thought the commandment we walk our life. You know,

we have different priority in our life.

Okay. For students, we have studies, we have exams, we

have whatnot.

For your working adults or adults, you know, we have career,

we have relationships, we have wealth, we have personal ambitions

and whatnot, and we always bring that above God. I'm

not here to no point finger anyone, because why, as

I point out to everyone, the finger point back to

me as well.

And that's me too.

You know, when we walk in our our journey right,

every single day, right, all these things will take over God.

You know, we know, we know, we know the commandment

God personal idol. But subtly, yet profoundly, we.

Break this commandment and we fall into the scene of idolatry. Right.

We idolize our career, we idolize our family, we idolize

every single thing that we can see in front of us, right,

and we break this commanment.

Does that mean we don't know? This comment? All of

us know, but we fail to do so right.

And beyond just the commment, beyond just the law, it's

the whole world of God right, just not as I say.

The Word of God is so God.

Given us the manual for us to build a relationship

with Him, right, and it's also served as a guide

to keep us aligned in all that we do. In

some hundred nineteen and one nineteen and one hundred and five,

it says, what the Word is a lamp to my

feet and a light to my path. The word of

God leaders in the way that we need to do.

His word illuminates the way, shine the lights so that

you know we will not walk in darkness. But oftentime,

you know, if I ask you how many books have

you read throughout your whole life, we will say.

That, oh, oh, I've read you know how many books?

Okay, self help, loud novels, LAH, school book, lah, text book,

lad whatever you read from page one until the last page.

But if I ask you have you read the Bible

from cover to cover? I can tell you a lot

of us we read, not that we didn't read, but

not from cover to cover. I myself included, because I

do skip certain book that I've like, read few pages two,

difficult to understand, I skip.

Okay, But we need to read it. Nonetheless, we need

to read it none the.

Less because if we don't read it, we don't see

God to his word.

We will stray from the word. All right, We will

stray from the word, and in the end, what happened,

we will miss the mark? All right? That is okay,

what we want to talk about the law of God.

We straying away. We wander away from the law, from

the word of God. So this morning, let's take a

moment to reflect our own life. Now, let ourselves is

God truly first in every area.

Of our life?

Has there been any moment of our life that we

have wandered away from His word or missed the mark?

You know, it's really one thing that we say that,

you know, Lord, we are devoted to you. But it's also.

Another thing to really live it out in a tangible ways. Okay,

a lot of times we say that, don't give lip services.

We need to live it out right, So start to

consider the weariest aspect of our own life.

All right, we have we.

Really stray away from God? Have we really put God

first in our study, in our world, in our relationship,

in our finances, in our family?

Right?

Have we really fully surrendered all this area of our

life to God's authority? Or have they taken God's place

and became an idol in our life? You know, it's

very easy to make all this area of our life

as idle. Sometimes we really need to be very careful.

When we caught ourselves saying this, Lord, I'm sure you understand.

God understand, but what his commonments say him first, not

any other thing. Right, So we are living in a

world that is competing with a lot of competing demands. Okay,

demands are all up down, left, left, right, and we

are easy to fall into distractions. And it's very easy

for us to part God somewhere else because while we

always say that God, I'm sure you understand what I'm

going through.

No, God, you take a back seat. No God, you wait. Lah.

You know, God, my boss said that if I don't

finish this work, you know, I will be fired. So God,

my time, devotion. If you have to wait, maybe I

need you tomorrow or God. You know a lot of

times we do that, Okay, we age God out. So

as a believer, we need to every day examine our heart.

Where is God? Okay?

So we need to examine and we need to ensure

that God remained at the center of every part of

our life.

Okay.

So do remember that God is always there to invite

us deeper into relationship.

Okay.

So when we look at Jeremiah the one word the Tree,

God says this, but this is the covenant that I

will make with the House of Israel. After those days,

says the Lord, I will put my Lord in their

mind and write it on their heart.

And I will be their God and they shall be

my people.

So in this scripture, it reminds us what God is

inviting us into a deeper relationship with Him and a

covenant where His law is no longer just written on

a tablet or a stone, but it is inscribed in

our heart. How can this word be inscribed in our

heart if we don't meditate on the world that He

has given to us. You know, when we don't meditate,

when we don't spend time with God. Whatever God going

to put in your heart right, you will like, are

you sure?

Are you sure?

God?

That is what you're saying? Are you sure? This is

the Lord that I'm supposed to follow?

Right?

So that's why I always come back to the Word.

That's why what I wanted to encourage all of us

here this morning is that hold on.

Type to this word of God.

I know that when we read the Word of God right,

that it's one thousand and one Lord inside there. And

you will say that, oh, I'm such a failure. I

feel that I feel every single Lord that God has given.

But this morning, what I'm going to tell you is

that while that is Lord to help us to walk

in alignment, God has given us his grace to Christ Jesus.

You know, Christ has died for us so that our

sin can be forgiven. So all we need to do

is to constantly pray and the Holy Spirit were guidess.

Okay.

So in this relationship, do remember that our obedience to

the word of God should not be driven by the

fear of the law, okay, but by the love towards him.

If you love God, you follow his voice. If you

love God, you follow his commonments. If you love God,

you do what he called you to do. Always remember

that you don't say that I obey the commonment because

I scared I will get lightning strike. No, I obey

the commonments because that is what God says. So because

you love Him, you do what he tells you to do, Okay.

And it is not out of obligation, but it is

out of your devotion towards God.

Okay. So let me share with you. Okay.

I would say that this is a very funny moment okay,

because this question is usually what we will ask the kids.

Okay. But the funniest part is this is asked by

my husband. Okay.

So last week he had to go through a one

hundred mc q open book test for the Royal Ranger

Ministry that he was in. Okay, so he was so stressed.

Ah wait, he said that I need to finish this

one hundred question. And then me being me, I'm like

one hundred question in MA is one day or so, okay, finish.

But he is not a study kind of person. So

one hundred m to him if he was a one

million questions to him. Okay, So he was so stressed.

He was doing his question and he said that to

pass the test he has to score ninety five and

a birth. Then now I understand why he's so stressed.

But then I look at him. I say, by his

open book, ma hiyah, easy, Lia, you just go go

ahead check in the book that you can find. Then

he said that the question is not so straightforward. Okay

that I say, okay, never mind, go and do your question.

So while he was doing halfway, then he like, I

need help, Okay, what help? I need you to confirm

one question one answer for me? Yeah, I say, you

asked me here about Royal Rangers. I know nuts about

Orangeress because I'm not in the ministry.

Back when I was in the previous church, I say,

how would I know what does your royal rangers mean?

Ask me to start a bonfire? I cannot ask me

to tie the scout rope. I cannot you ask me

for what? He said, No, there's nothing to do with orangers.

But it's a general knowledge that say, okaykay, you asked

what's the question? So he started taking out his paper

and then he read the question and the question goal

like this, in juggling between life, work and ministry, what

should you focus on? Then he looked at me. Then okay,

what will you answer me? In juggling between life, work

and ministry?

What should you focus on? Before I give you the choices? Nod?

Okay, so what I want because I just came back

from workman, so I was, I'm packing and then he

gave me the questions.

I just don't do him godlived, who else? I just

answer him. Now he's like, oh okay. Then he started

as a girl there. I look at him, correct answer.

Then I asked him what are the choices that you

have in your in your you know, in your MC question?

Then he started naming that, Oh okay, the part of

the answer is God, family, ministry, and.

That I didn't let him finish the whole thing there.

I said, okay, what God is there? That is God?

That there?

He look at me blame like it's like juggling between

life and ministry. Are you sure it's God because it's

not in the question. Okay, you see like how malayiaus

education taught us. Then I told him this, what did

the Word of God say?

God first? No idol in juggling between everything. Don't look

at the area of your life. Look at who is

the controller of this area? The Bible say God first,

so it should be God.

I say, you still don't trust me what the other

scriptures say, see first the Kingdom.

Of God and it is still God.

I said, trust me, it will be correct one okay.

So he did, okay, Lord and behold okay, so he went.

I submitted he has and then he texted me on

Friday he said I got my result already. I said, oh, so,

huh I get ninety three or one hundred?

Then I say, feel ready, Lo, they say no one.

They say that because I wrote so many people that

went through the test, only two persons got above ninety

and he is one of them. So he is ninety

three and the other one is I think not ninety

two or what I cannot remember.

Okay, so they say that, Okay, they let him fast. Okay,

so you see, like you know, it's such a simple question.

Trust me, If I go X kids right, all of

them will not be like here have to think so lo,

so we cost to our kids everything.

The answer is God. If it's not God is Jesus.

So that is something we also always have to teach

ourselves in whatever things that we do.

Who will be the focus? Who should be first? God?

Right?

It is God. But you know, knowing is one thing.

Doing is another thing.

So we need to recognize what are the thing that

caused us to wander away from the knowledge that we

know that God should be first?

Okay. So the first cause is distraction. All of us

are creature of distraction. We are easily distracted. Okay, So

life business can put us in countless direction. Okay.

When our schedules are being filled up, God becomes enough

to talk, right, I say, right, schedules or fill up,

we will say that God. You wait us, Okay, guilty

as charge. Sometimes I'm so busy, aby to tire Rachel, God,

I'm very sleepy. I sleeper, sir. When I sleep, it's

the next day day. I'm like, oh crap, I forgot

to read the Bible. Okay, this is what happened. Okay, distraction, Okay,

we miss destruction doesn't mean that we don't value God anymore.

We still value but we always, you know, entertain the

things that we can see in front of us rather

than what we know, which is God. Okay.

So God often becomes a part of our routine rather

than the foundation of our life. So that's why I

always remind myself that, you know, Selena, before you start

your day, pray, before you start your day, listen to

the word of God. Before you start your day, read

the word of God, so that we will not let

any other thing take over God's position. You know, last time,

I always say that I'm not a morning persona I

cannot read the Bible. Now I can not that I

need to pray.

I need to read.

Because why the rest of my day depend on the

grace of God. My rest of the day depend on

the wisdom that God's going to give to me. My

rest of the day fully dependent of the miraculous work

and power to help me go through and break through

my day. Okay, So first cause distraction. Second cost temptation.

I think I don't need to talk much about temptation. Right,

Temptation praisers on our waknesses and our desires. Temptation will

pull us away from God. Temptation will cause us to

cripple the principles that we have. Okay, when we.

Are young, we will say that, Lord, I will give

my life to you.

I will serve you till the end of the day.

Why because I have my father and mother to pay

my bills. I have my father and mother to fit me.

I can do every single thing that I can. You know, Lord,

I would give myself to you. When you enter into college, Lord,

I will give half of my time to you, because

the rest of half of my time I need to

study for my exam if I feel my parents will

show me.

Out of those house.

Right when we enter into young working adult wood, Lord,

I will only give you twenty five percent because I

got deadline to chase.

You know, I need to do the things that my

boss asked me to do.

You know all the young kidler does you name me?

When you enter into parenthood, Lord, I'm sure you understand.

I will serve you with only ten percent because why

you know, my baby doesn't slip through the night. I

have to keep a wake up. I don't think the

next day I will have the you know, the brain

energy to serve you. And I'm pretty sure the CIPC

will understand Selena will not force me to serve. And

I'm sure you understand. God, right, we slowly cut down

and cut down and cut down. Or maybe sometimes you know,

when we talk about temptations, you're both say that truly

I need you to go and handle this project. You know,

once this project is as soul, you will be rewarded

three times your salary. But but you know the bat

we talked later when there's no one here, and then

prior to this, you say that God, I would give

my career to you.

I will not say yes to bribery. I will not

bow down to anything.

But at the same time that I suddenly I got

ten thousand bills to pay, but I got only one

thousand in my bank account, and then to finish this project,

I got twenty thousand.

God, I'm sure you understand you break your principles.

Or maybe you know a lot You're okay out here, God, No,

but Frank godfri right, Lord, I want.

My life partner to be a person wholy fully devoted

to God.

Twenty years old, can now five boyfriend twenty five years old,

No boyfriend thirty years old, No boyfriend thirty five years old,

no boyfriend forty years old. There's a non believer love

you with all his heart, his mind, his sould, his spirit.

Lord.

I'm pretty sure you understand right, I need a life partner.

Never mind not I marry him first and I bring

him to church. Okay, I'm not condemning anyone. Now, I'm

not condemning anyone, but I'm just sharing from my own journey,

my own perspective or maybe like you know, in your family,

especially if let say you are a pre no you

are the first gen believer A this is my own journey.

You know, I accept and my parents sident you go

to church. I'm not going to call you my daughter anymore.

I'm like, how if I got to church, my parents

won't call me your daughter anymore? That I got know

how to stay? I got no money to pay for

my bus, I got no food to eat. I cannot

do anything.

How should I say that?

You know, as a christ I go for the conference

and I say that God, I'm going to serve you

with all my heart, mind, soul and spirit. Then come

back home. My parents said, well this old me. Okay, Sorry, God,

I cannot serve you anymore.

Or we're going to do that.

Are we going to break our principles that we have

committed to God that is in alignment. When I say

all these principles are it's not the principles that we

said because we want to please people, but it is

in alignment with the word of God.

What God says about Briberry is a sin. What the

God says about you.

Know, the relationship with unequally yoke, what that God says

about putting him first. You know, every single principles that

we made, every single decision that we made, it has

to be in alignment to the world of God. So

let the Holy Spirit convict our hearts. Don't let temptations

take over your life. Right And the third one peer pressure.

Just because everyone is doing it doesn't mean you have

to do it. Just because everything, every one thing that

it is the right thing to do. But God says

that it's not the right thing to do. Are you

going to follow that everyone? Or are you going to

follow God. If the society says that that is how

the way it should be, do you follow peer pressure?

So one of the things that I found out recently about,

you know, in my workplace with my colleagues. Okay, I

find this very funny, but I wasn't judging that person.

So it was the Hungry Ghost Festival thing. So the

people in my office, I think I should before majority

of them they are non believer, Okay, we need a handful.

There is either Muslim or Christian. Okay, so Muslim and

Christian gethered together. I think it's a handful. The rest

are all Buddhists. So during the Hungry Go festival, they

actually went down to pray and have this. Okay, I

don't know what kind one fire they have. So a

colague of mine came to me. I said, that is Alena,

are you joining us to pray?

They're me being me. I look at the bringling pray.

What you know, because I totally forgot that it was

Hungry Goes first festival. That's a pre word. Say oh,

it's Hungry Go festival. We are going down to pray,

And I just said that, oh, please go ahead. I'm

a Christian. I don't participate in all this. So another

colleague of mine said that.

I'm also a Christian word, no, look at her? Then

where do you go, Gornela? Everybody's going mare, So what

are you going to do that? No? No, I'm just

going to watch that. They're like, what's the fun.

About watching people burning things? Okay, So to me it's

like probably to hurt to me when I look at it.

Probably to her is out of curiosity, or maybe it's

peer pressure because why all her good friends in the

company are there, so she doesn't want to miss out.

Right, So it's the same thing.

Do we conform to peer pressure just because we don't

want to miss out, or we're going to make a stand.

So I make a stand saying that no, I will

not go because to me, it's nothing to say. It's

just fire and you guys shouldn't be burning anyway, the

weather is so bad.

Okay. Yeah, so that is something that we have to

remind ourselves. Don't fall into peer pressure. Okay.

So these three things, okay, distraction, temptations, peer pressure are

the very things that cause us to wander away from

the world of God. So be careful when you go

through every single path in your life. When you notice

all these things are slowly creeping, sometimes destruction, temptation of

peer pressure will come very.

Subtly, slowly.

You may not even realize it, and you will say that, okay, la,

just a bit nimar klan is not so bad after all. Okay,

you know, in Malaysia, in Bahasa Malasia, we have this

saying cate ciccate, lama lama jodi bukit a bit a bit, slowly,

it will become a mountain food.

Okay. In Cantonese, Eco tax seal singsa soisa ah missa.

Just one piece of tiny sand you gather, it will

become a mountain. So same goes to sin a bit,

a little bit, it will became a lot. So, knowing

all this, what should you do?

What should you do?

In First John, chapter one, verse nine, it says, if

we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to

forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We need to repent on all our sins. So when

I prepare this.

Message, I shouldn't tell God that you know, Lord, I'm sorry,

you know, I'm sorry that I have wandered away.

I have put things above you.

You know I have put you on the sideline, especially

when I'm too tired or I'm too busy.

But I want to make right with you. And Romans

dowards for It says that.

You know, do you despise the richest of His goodness

forbearance and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of

God leads you to repentance.

Remember of his goodness. His goodness will lead us to repentance. Okay.

So true repentance is more than just feeling sorry.

It's not just say story God and then you just

continue to do but and it's a transformative act of

turning back to God. So when we repent, we acknowledge

that we need his forgiveness and his grace and making

a conscious decision to turn from sin and walk in

His ways. Okay, and repentance restore our relationship with God

and enlighteness once more. With his will, repentance, come back

to the spirit of repentance, okay, and then obey the

prompting of the Holy Spirit ezequila these six verse twenty

seven says that I will put my spirit within you

and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you

will keep my judgment and do them. Galaisian five sixteen

says I say, then walk in the spirit, and you

shall not fulfill the last of the flesh. So when

you partner with the Holy Spirit, and you walk with

the Spirit, and you listen to the prompting of the

Holy Spirit, you will know that you can walk in

alignment with God. Because why the Holy Spirit is our

guide and he convicts our hearts. It will urge us

towards the holiness. So every time when you want to

do something wrong, every time you want to do something wrong,

you will suddenly feel uneasy one and you will feel

like should I even do it? The things that I

do will live even please God. And that is the

Holy Spirit prompting your heart telling you that you should

not do. And the Holy Spirit will reveal the areas

in your life that needing the growth the correction. And

do remember that obedience involve humanity and willingness to follow

even though it is difficult.

Okay, we all know one to obey is really very difficult.

But we still need to obey, all right, and we

need to submit daily to the Holy Spirit and allow

him to shape us in the likeness of Christ. Okay,

So why do I share all this to all of us,

you know, in life with our church, Okay, that all

may know. Okay, we need to live a life that

reflects God's goodness. We need to live a life that

is worthy of the Gospel. So as I read from

Philippin's Ship the one verse thirty seventh, Okay, this scripture says,

conduct yourself in a manner.

Worthy of the Gospel of Christ. All right.

This is the very reason why we need to align

our life towards God. We need to live a life

that reflects that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

Okay.

So we need to live in a way that honors

the immense gift of grace that we have received. So

if you say that you're a believer of Jesus, you

have received the grace of God, which is towards salvation.

All right.

And always remember that the Good News Gospel is not

just a message of salvation, but it's an invitation of

a life transform You cannot say that you have Jesus

in your life, but your life is not being transformed

insight out.

Okay.

So living in a manner worthy of the Gospel. It

means that responding to grace with the heart that desire holiness. Okay,

And we need to remember that we are motivated not

by fear of punishment, but out of love.

And gratitude for the grace. Okay.

So John Tree sixteen tells us that for God so

loved the world that he gave his only son, that

whoever believed in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

So God's grace in an invitation a calling for us

to live righteously that reflects this love.

Okay.

So Paul clarifies in Romans Sis that the grace that

we have received is not a permission.

To keep sinning.

We have received the grace, right, we cannot say that

when we sing it's okay, I do wrong. Ready, I

go back and repentel Okay. For those of you who

know the kning me, I will always do this. I

say it's okay, I go back a rependila. I do

know the things say they go back repaenna. But that

shouldn't be the way.

Right.

We started the scripture saying that should we keep on

seeing so that God can show us more and more

of his wonderful grace.

What did Paul say, of course? Not? Okay?

So we have received so much, we are called to

a higher standard. Always remember that we are called for

a higher standard. And when we live a life that

brings glory to God, we bear witness to the transformative

power of His love. And when we bear this transformative power,

when we leave this high standard, people will look at

us and say that why are you different? And then

it gives you the opportunity to share. I am different

because how of what God has done for me and

causes me to change from the inside out. So Romans

chapter six, verse twelve to forty. It says that do

not let sink control the way you live. So Church,

don't let sink control you, okay, don't let sin bind

you up. Don't let sin causes all the distraction and

derail you from what God has intent for you. All right,

do not give in to sinful desire. Don't say that, oh,

just because while you're waiting what you're waiting for is

not here, then you compromise. Don't, okay, but the word

of God say, do not let any part of your

body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead,

give yourself completely to God. When you give your life

to God, he will never shut change you one, all right.

He will never shot change you. Instead, he will transform

your life so that His name can be glorified. So

can I invite the extreme team up as I draw

towards a close. So this morning, no now is afternoon?

Okay?

Let us be reminded that grace is both a gift

and a calling, all right. It's a called to live

in a way that exemplifies the gospel we believe in,

a gospel that offer eternal life, transform character, and compel

us to walk in alignment with God's love and holiness.

So as we go all from this place, when you

go home, let's read through Roman Sics again and reflect.

Are there areas where we have allowed distructions, temptations, and

pressure to push God out from our daily life? Have

we been wandered away from the world of God that

we miss the mark? Have we ever say that you

know God, you wait for me? La, Yes, God will wait.

But why do you always have to ask God to

wait for you instead of you waiting upon the Lord

you know?

Don't give in to your challenges, don't give into the

way of this world. So this afternoon, I just want

to challenge.

All of us here all of us, including myself, to

move towards repentance.

If there's any area in our lives that has not

been in alignment with God, Let's seek God for his forgiveness.

Let's ask God for strength to live in alignment with

his will. You know, one thing that I'm always reminded

of is that God says that when you seek Me first,

everything will be added unto you. His promises are always

he as an amen. And one one statement that we

always often here is that delay is not denial. You

may not get it now, doesn't mean the Lord does

not love you. Instead of asking God that no, Lord.

Why you're not answering my prayer? Why don't you ask God?

Is there any area of my life that.

I need to change so that Your power can come

upon me that I can transform more into your likeness.

So let's commit to put God first in all things,

empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey His voice. When

we live a life that honors God, we can become

the beacon of His love and truth to the world

around us. Our life can become a testimony, a living

freedom of the Gospel that speaks more powerfully than words alone.

And as we go forth, let's strive to live.

In a manner worthy of the Gospel, drawing others to

the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit ASTs Church RG. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week, a

hit for you. God bless