January 10, 2016

I heard someone Cher recently this principle and an illustration of it and I liked it. So I just stole it shamelessly that that context is the key to the understanding of words and their meanings. They don't have a meeting in isolation. So he gave us an example of the word Row in one context role might mean a roll of fuse or a row of chairs, but in another context it might be a verb or your rowing a boat and he said in England the word row refers to a conflict or an argument and so the context shapes the meaning of words that sound like a basic English 101 concept and so this is the gentleman that shared this was a Bible teacher and so he said we have to learn that as we go to scripture we have to say there's a context to scripture that helps us understand what's being said and scripture and by way of illustration. He pointed out Mark chapter 8 at the end where Jesus talks to his disciples and his Do you say that I am and Jesus says you're the Christ. You're the one sent from God. Peter says that the Jesus in Jesus says exactly you're right. And he pointed out that the meaning of that passage takes on greater Clarity when you realize its context of Cesery of lip by which was a pagan City. And so Jesus father is in The Narrative of Mark in the New Testament all this teaching and time with his disciples is going on in Israel and end in Jewish settings so to speak but then he bothers to kind of take them to this new setting to this very Pagan City where there would be false gods and Idols over the river there that was believed to go to the center of Earth that lead people to hell. They're all these false statues. There's idols and Zeus and Apollo us and all these things. So Jesus Takes the disciples there and says, who do you say that I am Because he's trying to he's trying to teach them something and the context in which he's teaching them makes a difference in what he saying and they said well, you're the one sent from God and he says right. And you saying I'm not just the Jewish savior? I'm the savior of the world. All of these other statues all of these others are pretenders their parodies of the reality on the ground. I'm the one sent from God to rescue Humanity. It's not in Zeus. It's not a policy of not these Greek gods. It's not these misunderstandings these false ideas. I am the one true God come to rescue Humanity. That's huge. When you think about the intentionality of Jesus taking them to this Pagan City with all these false god and pointing out to them with great clarity more than just the Jewish Messiah. You need to understand. I'm the savior of the world. As John said holy spirit inspired when he saw Jesus Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Mind-blowing radical statement that this Jewish rabbi walking on to the theme is going to be a lamb that removes the sin of the world. I think about the radicalness of that statement and Jesus Lives housing that same thing when he takes them and Mark 82 Cesery of Phillipi. I want to look at another passage and think about the context of this passage. This is Luke chapter 24 on the road to Emmaus. Some disciples had been with Jesus but they're not quite sure who he is yet, and they're greatly discouraged because from their perspective Jesus who came and preached. I'm from God and I will die but God will resurrect Me 3 days later. They just didn't hear the part about the resurrection. It didn't click it seemed impossible for it from their perspective. Jesus died and that's the end of it.

And so they're walking with heads down. overwhelmed as far as they're concerned they live in a world with no hope

Play perhaps it followed other religions or follow Judaism. They had tried the law. But when Jesus came in free something different, they knew it in their hearts and in their minds, we need to follow him because everything else we've been doing in working. We haven't found Hope anywhere else and now maybe we found Hope in this one. He's the Messiah and then they crucify him. And I walking on the way to Emmaus and they're their men without hope. World must be all there is and what there is of this world just crucify the only the only thing close to a good man. We never met. And I guess the powers-that-be. That's that's who rules the world the Roman authorities. They dragged him up and killed it. And I guess I just messed must be the way the world works. It's it's fatalism right? It's inevitably have no say we have no control the ones with the most power the government or those who control the culture there. They're going to win we might as well just give up.

I mean, maybe we can eat drink and be merry for tomorrow. We die right week if Jesus didn't really got to grab hold of something. So so what we going to do, you know, maybe I'll just live for the newest handbags that makes me feel better about myself or or maybe I'll just let you know if I get a speed boat and go fishing on weekends. That would make life pretty darn good or maybe I'll get fit. I'll fight aging I will be the most awesome looking 55 year old ever. People say you you can't be your older 40.

Or maybe I'll get a bigger house or more stuff.

I mean if Jesus didn't real. If there's if there's no home, then we're going to fill our lots of something out me. Mabel just live Monday in life has been good person my mom business and I'll eat. Eat good food. Go to potlucks about gluttony. That's the unacceptable stand to preach against in the church in North America, right? Does more harm to individuals and families than any other ailment in North America?

We seldom stand against that because so many of us find that as a culturally acceptable form of self-indulgence. I will just need to be merry or collect stuff. We seldom preached against materialism that aggressively of God. Look down upon North America. Do you think maybe materialism might be the number one thing he would say is tearing our hearts away from him.

But the love of money and the stuff that money can buy. Takes first place in our hearts.

I better quit meddling to go back to preaching right? That's what happens though when you don't have the hope of Christ in your heart, then you'll try to find it somewhere else. Maybe maybe some folks will find it. Sexually they'll say I'll just live it up and party and have all these players and lots of boyfriends and girlfriends and that'll just be my identity and it'll all be about what I desire and fulfilling that desire and there's so many dead ends that the adversary will lead us down if we don't have the hope of Christ in our hearts and this is the context in which Jesus speaks these words these men who've lost all hope. You're so discouraged and they realize it's him in the breaking of red. His it. Look this is what I told you while I was still with you so that so they realize it's him and he says them this is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms. Yeah, and I'm the Messiah resurrected it. Don't you remember I told you this when I was with you I told you everything in the prophets everything in Moses must be fulfilled. I must go to the cross. I set my face to Jerusalem Peter said no. No. No, you can't do that put me back in the Army Satan. I knew what I had to do and I went to the cross. I was fulfilling the Old Testament. I'm telling you he saying that he's been without hope this was part of the plan that I went and everything was fulfilled. He continues any open their minds so that they can understand the scriptures. He told them this is what is written the Messiah will Her and rise from the dead on the third day. And repentance for the Forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to All Nations beginning at Jerusalem. You are a witness of these things. He says to them. In the midst of their hopelessness, he says to them, you know, what open your eyes open your eyes see the scriptures. I told you this must happen. Yes, I suffered. Yes. I died on the cross but I resurrected on the third day. It's me. This is me. This is his talking to you through Christ who came out of the grave and everything that I told you is now validated is truth. And now this is the Great Commission and now we're going to preach Repentance changing up your mind opening your mind. What scripture says realizing that God did provide a way that that was God's son who came in the flesh this Jesus whom you crucified as Peter says in his sermon in Acts that this was God Among Us. He says it's true the thing that you dared to say, could we possibly hope that this massage is preaching the truth. Could it be true that God is making a new way to the High Life have more meaning than just self-indulgence. Could there be a way that doesn't say well if you can be good enough you can make your way to God because we all know we can't be good enough to be true that this Messiah has come I'm coming from God's to make a way for Humanity to be restored to be reconciled to be redeem to God and answer is yes. Yes. You see it. Now with your own eyes. The one who died on the cross is now resurrected and I'll go and preach repentance and forgiveness. Sans And the other great Commissions in Matthew he be he says all authority. Has been given to me. Think about the context again. Think about what that means.

I mean the one that the government said we're in charge of this world where the Roman government baby stand up and get that guy on a cross to the cross in front of everybody with signs that say this is what you get when you stand up against the powers that be wrong will crucify you and mock you and humiliate you in front of a crowd Rome declared its power and the grave could not hold Christ. He resurrected three days later and came to these men among all his other disciples and said it's true. It's true. Now go and preach. Hope go and preach an entire new reality in the universe. No longer is Humanity left to find its way in life through self-indulgence and pleasure. The longer is Humanity bound to some sort of system if I can behave good enough, maybe I can become someone close to God instead of humanity is rescued. It is saved God has provided a way for any who would hear and believe and trust the good news a whole new way of living life. an entirely new way I completely new way. I don't know about you, but I think we hear this good news and it seems too good to be true. And we tend to go back to the old way of doing things right anybody here struggle with sand. Anybody here ever use Self Indulgence as a form of comfort never go shopping when you're depressed. If you eat too much when you don't feel good. I mean listen, I'm the poster child for this. I've been losing weight since last May and ends at the end of the Fall. We've had so much on our plate as a family and you guys know that I've struggled I've struggled. I'm either up in the middle of night with one of our new babies or I'm thinking about the passing of my dad in November and he'll what I think it would be good a big piece of cake would make me feel a little bit better. You know, can I get an amen? I think if I could eat 26 Oreos right now and drink a half a gallon of milk. That would pick me up a little bit. You know, what's in the morning. I fed the baby she went back to sleep, but I'm tired but I still can't go back to sleep. So maybe Captain Crunch will rescue me, you know if I could just have a big. Oh, you don't want to go online and look at Amazon if I could just buy that, you know this new thing we slipped back into the old way of living life. We're either work. We're trying to be around saviors wood. Comforting ourselves. We're trying to ultimately rescue our self or we can slip into the other old way of saying, you know what I'm going to be good enough dog on it. You know, I've got a natural disposition toward self-discipline. So I'm just going to be the kind of person who doesn't struggle with weight. And since I'm naturally that way I can just look down on everyone who does struggle with weight and I'll just make me feel better about myself. Can I get an amen from all the you self-righteous and 27 people? My son, is that why so I think my wife is that why so I say that with good nature? There's some folks who are genetically just in the right predisposition to be a certain way and it's easy. If you're just kind of genetically that way to kind of say well, yeah, what's your problem? Why aren't you saving yourself? Why aren't you doing things? There's some folks who don't struggle with certain things and it's easy to say, I don't know what your problem is, but most often we're judging others by the things that we don't struggle with. And that's at The Forum of self-righteousness. Is it really we don't really realize that but we're carving our own pass out. And am I the things that I do? Well, I'll call those the standard and I'm pretty darn good FaceTime when I read the newspaper, you know, I'm so much better than some of those other folks we can slip into that sort of self-made standard and even though it's good to be doing good things and it's good to be refraining from bad things. Don't mishear me those don't become ultimate sources of our Salvation are identity. It is Christ to whom we turn and we have to keep our relearning that and end in learning the Glorious news of that that we don't have to save ourselves because we can't anyway and that this life's Pleasures are temporary and not ultimate and if we go down that path as an ultimate path, it is a dead end and again, don't mishear me a nice big slice of chocolate cakes are good thing every now and then But if you need it every day to get through the day, then you've got a problem with chocolate cake, and that's that's the challenge because we're making that our source instead of depending upon God and Christianity the gospel. Is this announcement of a whole new way of thinking about life. The atonement or the cross / like correctly relates the Old Testament to the new this is one of three fundamental shifts that occur when Jesus speaks to those after the resurrection and says now here it is a whole new covenant A Whole New World exists. God has completed his work in me. I went to the cross and now I'm resurrected and now you go and preach this good news this gospel this brand-new think this atonement it changes fundamentally the way we look at scripture. What are the strengths of our movement is that we I think it better than most other churches the relationship between the Old Testament and the new the relationship between the Hebrew Covenant and the Christian coming because we are not under the Hebrew Covenant as God revealed to Abraham. We're under the New Covenant the one that Jesus established now some of the main ways that people think about the differences between the Covenant some people think silence. Optimization me churches have that sort of approach. And so they say anything that I can find under the old Covenant in the Old Testament a passage of scripture. I find in the Old Testament that not is specifically that is not specifically refuted by the New Testament. Then that's binding on me as a Christian. And so you get lots of creatures and the nomination in churches that have a Heyday going through the prophets. Are there more interesting sometimes at least you don't have to do as much work to discover interesting they are so it's easier to get a hearing and get your DVD set box. If you're teaching 8 amazing things from some Old Testament Prophet or from some books and so they can Champion that sort of perspective in the Book of Revelation Christ is the full revelation of God. There's nothing else hidden that you're missing. You don't need that DVD set. You don't need to follow that certain teacher who's going to open up all the mysteries of the old Covenant to you as a Christian.

Okay, what are the big things that causes disunity in the church in North America is an inappropriate and unbiblical understanding of the relationship between the Old Testament and the new we just open it up and say the Bible the Bible the books the books in the area found a verse in this binding. It's all what you've heard me say this before I heard preachers preach out of Malachi that God says if you open the storehouses of Heaven, I will pour out blessings upon you just test me and see that's saith the Lord and get your phone now friend and dial that number but I will send you a holy handkerchief because if you give me money God will open up the gates of Heaven wash. That is Hennessy and it's freezing out only on TV, but in our churches where we miss you the Old Testament and we say the folks guys this Cosmic gumball machine and if you'll just do the right thing, you'll owe you blessing. Then we can think of it morally sometimes it's not about getting a few do these 18 things more like God will be bound. He will owe you some sort of blessing until we get into this sort of crazy stuff and that's not what Jesus and apostles teach or model. Sometimes the church is practiced that the apostles Model A customizable harmonization. What that means is you do whatever you want to see that there was one Churchill say, well we take this part not that part and something we know churches like this or churches that say we're going to say that you have to have a certain type of hairstyle for haircut for your clothing has to be a certain way or your food diet has to be a certain way or we we we just select certain things. We never really bothered to say am I doing this consistently. Is there any sort of principal sometime? Well safe. Well, here's a pathogen song that says God will thwart our enemies. So we are a Christian Nation. So God is on our side and our political battles hogwash. We are missed handling scripture for our own sake. The right understanding of the relationship between the Old Testament New Testament is established by the cross. The entire Old Testament is a pre-christian system. The New Testament is authoritative over the Old Testament. In that nice that there's Clarity it is not a mystery. You don't have to scratch your head and say what who's right that guy on TV or Robby. I'll tell you right now Robbie.

I don't do that too often. Do I I try to be generous with others who differ in opinion, but I can tell you now. I believe absolutely that the work of Christ on the work of Christ on the cross is the completed work of God. It is a complete revelation of God's there is nothing else. We're waiting on we don't have to discover secret somewhere. It's not up to us to get the right teacher or the right formula. Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God's there's nothing else to wait for nothing else along for nothing else to say, but I don't quite understand enough yet. I need to study a little bit more Jesus Christ is it and I believe that his work on the cross definitively says we are New Testament Christians. We are under the New Covenant and the Old Testament is submissive. It is under the authority of the New Testament. So unless the New Testament and the apostles Bring It Forward it is not binding on you and I can I get a big sigh of relief everybody, right? Guess what? If you want to know your Bible you don't have to study every verse in the Old Testament exhaustively. Sometimes Christians will spend a lifetime studying scripture. Just one more series at that more will just come out with one more DVD series, then I'll finally get around to witness into my neighbor if I can just do one more study on the Book of Joel Osteen Joel a little bit better. I finally start dealing with the consumerism this evening up my heart started following God's more Faithfully. Do we slip into that mistake? How many people run to the Christian bookstore to get the newest book? This is the one that's going to turn the corner for me. Don't mishear me the Old Testament, especially when the New Testament of the Apostles Bring It Forward God's Authority inspired word every bit of its Gods authoritative inspired word. But the parts that the that Jesus and apostles don't bring forward our examples for us or history lessons, but they're not binding for us. So I don't want to go to the old Covenant and say Here's a passage that Jesus or the apostles don't bring forward but it says that God's going to start my enemy and I'm going to pray that God hurt some Nation that's got Christians in it print out to Jesus. And I'm over here Lord. If you would just work that Nation to dare to stand against America for there's a stand against Israel.

for God so loved the for God so loved the for God so loved the we are citizens of Heaven. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. And so one of the number one things in my lifetime that I've seen cause division in the church is a misunderstanding of the old Covenant versus the new this desire to live under the old Covenant this desire or somehow say we're better. We don't need Grace or we have to do this again. I love the Old Testament. It is the inspired word of God, please do not misquote me. What I'm talking about is interpretive interpreted principles interpretation. How is it that we look back and study and apply the Old Testament to our lives. We look back and study and apply the Old Testament to our lives Jesus Christ and the cross the early Church in the apostles. Is that clear? I went by go out here and say Robbie said he'll test was not inspired. Robbie says, I don't have to study the Old Testament. Ronnie said the Old Testament was it important? I am not saying that I am saying the way in which we study the Old Testament is through the lens of Jesus Christ his work on the cross the early Church in the apostles. That's how we handle scripture that becomes the core of our faith Jesus on the cross. That is the heart of Christianity. The atonement is the core of the gospel and Christian to look at 2nd Corinthians 5. That's exactly what I was talking about. He sang in the history of all time both past and future from the very beginning to the very end of time. The Corvette is the cross itself that God was in Christ. God was in Christ that moment on the cross God was in Christ reconciling the world to him. The Jesus willingly volunteer Lee became sin. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians could instead be marked by his righteousness. Is that pretty much the most significant events that has ever occurred in history or will ever occur. Is there anything Superior? Not when God came down and gave Moses the Ten Commandments fantastic moment. Love the Ten Commandments. Don't miss hear me. But the Cross of Christ and Superior to every event in history from the very beginning of time to the very end of time the heart of all time. Is that God Came Down In the Flesh and took on send So that we could be redeemed or reconciled to him Galatians is all about that Paul. Again, again is pleading with the early Church in Galatians. We've got to let go of the Old Testament the law served as a tutor to bring us to Christ because Christ was the ultimate solution not the law doll pointed us to Christ and therefore Christ became our law. There's no law call says in Galatians it except for the law of Christ. Being in Christ at fault. Where is it? So often Christ Living in my heart no longer me living but Christ that lives in me and he changes my heart. He changes who I am so that I become more and more like him one of the mistakes we make a living is Christian. Just we slip into thinking that Christianity is not having the self-discipline to restrain my heart. And so we strive very hard to restrain our hearts. We live a life that says I need to make sure I don't do certain things in order to be a good person for a good Christian. So we have whatever list depending on our culture the pain that we were born on the verse of the Bible. We used those lists can vary but we have this list of what it means to be a good Christian and we think that's what it means to live the Christian Life this constant struggle with our own heart this constant of boundaries and borders and think I've got to restrain I've got to pull back and it's a fight over and over against that's not what the New Testament teaches. That might sound new to you, but that's how radical the crosses that's how radical the atonement is for the New Testament teaches is that because of the atonement because of the work of Christ Our Hearts actually change. We don't have the same old hearts and we're trying to say well, here's an example of Jesus. I'll push up my sleeves and try to do what he did. Jesus is our example, but his example is also the very thing that changes our hearts when we looked upon Christ who chose the cross to redeem us. Our hearts should be moved. They should become soft and changeable. They said they should become palatable. It is the work of Christ the beauty of God revealed in giving his life for you and I should change our hearts the message of the cross the message of Christianity changes our hearts. It is not a religion where we simply learned some good things to try to push up our sleeves and figure out how to do it. It is a life transforming truth that God showed up in history. How do you put on a suit of Flesh and allowed it to be ripped and torn and nailed to a cross so that you and I would no longer be condemned because of our sins. And if Paul says in Romans, it's that kindness of God that turns our hearts toward him that calls us toward repentance. And so my life is not a life of costly trying to restrain my heart. My life is a life of trying to gaze upon Christ. So frequently that his Beauty changes my very heart and a Jesus who died for me. So preciously, even when I would continue to do the study what I know, I'm doing something wrong and I still do it and he still his mercies are new every morning if I will open my eyes to that reality is my heart continues to become a heart stent cannot judge and condemn others so freely because I just met with the Savior who's mercies were new to me this morning who is gracious to me. And so it changes not just myself this but I'm going to try to go out and be a nice person today hit changes my very heart the way I see others becomes different. It is not this journey of Robbie trying to learn to be a good Christian. Is this journey of a person seeing Christ and being transformed? That's what we want to do at the church. We want to dwell upon Christ. That's the main thing you talk about keeping. The main thing. The main thing it is to fix Our Eyes Upon Jesus the author and Perfecter of our faith and be so moved by his Beauty and his goodness that we become like him more and more like him. The atonement or the cross is the core of unity and purpose in the global church. It's the cross that brings us to God. It's the cross that makes us family. The reason we are Brothers and Sisters in Christ is because we are reconciled to God the Father through Jesus Christ on the cross. It is to cross the work of Christ that brings us to God that reconciles us that makes us family with one another and that binds Us in shared Mission or Ministry and that is to stand over all else whether it be race or culture or Politics the Cross of Christ. We are called to make Superior to everything else in our lives. Amen.

Because it is superior because it is the one thing that saves you and I I mean think about Christianity globally. Are there Christians outside North America? Let me not get so radical here.

Are there Christians outside, Kentucky? Are there Christians outside North America? Are there Christians in the Middle East? Are there Christians in cultures that are radically different than our culture? Are there Christians that grew up in families that are radically different than our families. Are there Christians that would eat food or or have ethnic or Regional practices or clothing or routines or dances are celebrations that you and I would say never say anything like that or the Christmas like that. There are a million things that we could choose to divide ourselves over among Christians throughout the globe. We could say the first of all you're not in Lexington, so Not even a Kentuckian there might even be Christians who are volunteer fans. Can you believe that? I know I've heard it maybe even Louisville fans, maybe even do believe that that is insane there Christians are Canadian Canadian Canadian 2 for going to be in heaven. That's the craziest thing for Christians in the Middle East there Christians in Germany can African Christian to live and do a million things that you and I might say, but that's kind of why don't you know,

Who were called to do is not to focus on those differences, but the focus on the cross. The three the thing that unites us. That we have seen the love of God revealed through Christ on the cross and we have submitted to him. We have declared Jesus our lord and savior. Suddenly were United with Christians everywhere. Because the thing we have in common is we're all in love with Jesus. Or in all of it. He save this save us all.

Revelation says they'll be a day when it when every tongue every tribe will do what in heaven. sing the Praises of Jesus how much time is wasted here on things that will not matter at all in heaven and we think we got to get figured out and get right.

What we've got to do here to celebrate Jesus. That's what you're called to do as a Christian. You're called to celebrate Jesus to continue to fall in love with him so much that people want to say Robbie. What is that stupid smile on your face? I know that you got a lot on your plate and there's plenty of reasons for you not to smile. And why do you have that dumb grin on your face? How are you able to to be nice to others when they're not nice to you or how you able to walk through a difficult time? People need to look at our marriages or the way, we handle our money and see the glory of Christ revealed as we're generous and open-handed to the needy as we're gracious and forgiving to our spouses. Even when our spouses are wrong, and we're right which is the way I see things most of the time, you know, We all slip into that so easily but our job as Christians is to be so moved by the beauty of Christ. Be so moved by his graciousness his goodness that we are transformed. That we're not just trying really hard to be good. But that our hearts are actually changed that things that we would normally hold onto in bitterness that said let me find herself thing going to it Christ as it gets me. Can we forgive our parents who may be treated us go early. Can we forgive us spouse who divorced us in a wrong way? Can we forgive somebody in a business setting who did the wrong to think we were absolutely right? They were absolutely wrong scan. Our hearts be so changed that we let go of her and bitterness that we become different people. We become like Christ because his beauty is life-changing.

so is not just about being a good church member being a good Christian the way we Define it sometimes God calls us to sew much more. He calls us to give our lives completely to him. For our lives to be about him for us to believe that the cross is the most significant thing that has ever happened in history for we'll ever happened in history had to believe that giving our lives completely to the kingdom of God is the best thing we could ever do with our lives to give her money away to the church and charity in such a way that friend say are you insane and we say yeah is the love of Christ that compels us, you might call us crazy or a fool as false as a 2nd Corinthians. We see this truth. It means giving up binge watching Netflix with him. I'm still struggling to give that up. But the babies are helping me give that up completely. It means we might give up a night at home because we're going to babysit for a single mom. It means we might not buy a new car when we can afford it because the money we saved can help a missionary.

It means we might open her home to a Bible study, even though we feel uncomfortable doing that or were busy enough as it is. It means we would fundamentally give our life to Christ. with him as our Lord and we would sound do anything or do you want me to do? Doordash are others with others your goodness and greatness goes back to the spinal truth. I'll invite the worship team to come forward. The foundation of the atonement for us personally one that many things to celebrate his this there for Paul says in Romans 8:1 there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Christ has done that for us.

Because of Jesus there's a freedom we have there's a freedom from sin. There's a freedom from being bound from the sense of self condemning that that rattles around in our head over and over. There's a freedom that says Jesus words in the gospel that said to the young man who called him good teacher said don't think in those terms God is the only one who is good.

That our goodness is a gift from God to us. And that we can accept it and receive it be filled with his righteousness. We can be cleansed it. It's true that there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Think about how radical that is.

and that freedom Let Freedom out know about you, but it makes me want to stare at Jesus

I want you to refer someone like me. Why do you keep doing it every day?

the Marvels answer the hidden God the Father.

That they're very essence they are loved.

But they love the likes of me in the likes of you.

But they did it willingly.

Makes me want to know that savior more. 11 more not out of any sense of obligation or trying to be a good follower. But because I believe the truth, I believe the gospel, there's no condemnation. And that makes me want to set it is feet. Makes me want to choose the better thing makes me want to hear from him and learn from him. It makes me want to be changed by who he is. But my very heart changes. Bitterness that I be tempted to hold on to changes that self-righteousness that I'm attempting to hold on to it somehow comforting changes. That I just let all that go. free Up Room For the Love of Christ have more space in my heart

That's what we invite you to when we say do you want to make Jesus Lord of your life? You want to become a Christian you want to join the church? We're saying do you want to make Jesus your lord and savior? Do you want to give him everything? everything your own sense of self-righteousness your own sense of pride your own sense of accomplishment along with your sins that you've never told anyone along with bitterness or hatred or racism or whatever might be in your heart. Do you want to give all of that to Jesus Christ in exchange for his love and righteousness?

That's the invitation and a my mind there everybody in here. I'll be up front.

Well, it's clear the pews and just all all gather around the stairs and pray and say Yes, I want it. I want it again. I want it today. I want it tomorrow. I want the next day.

I want to be empty of myself and I want to be full of you. At one of my prayers since the new year and I'll shut up preachers talk too long. Me one of my prayers since the new year is is to have less of a critical spirit. I'm amazed at the ease with which I can be critical of others. Breaks my heart.

Part of my old life frame these past few weeks just got a new year's resolution type things in my own artist is I'm trying to daily sale or help me help me let go of a critical spirit. Who am I to be so quick to be critical and I can do it and some of you may have been the victim of it and I apologize.

I suspect all of us. If we if we're honest we have stuff that we'd like to bring to the Lord as a lord. I I really I don't want to be this kind of person anymore. Ruin be loving for my spouse or I want to be a better parent toward my children. I want to I want to win this to my neighbor. I want to have heart that breaks for those whose lives are screwed up and said it was feared that judges them as you get your screwed up that way to begin with. And the only way we're going to get that it's not my pushing up her sleeves not by saying on, you know a New Year's resolution. The only way we're going to get that is by turning our eyes on Jesus again and again and again Looking him Square in the eyes Square in the face and seeing the amazing gospel again and again and again. Athol daily I'm saying Lord. I know how good you are and how good you've been to me over and over and over until I want to rid my heart of the ease with which I have a critical spirit. I want that gone that is not going to happen without Christ doing that without me turning my eyes upon him. Whatever it is that you've got in your life. I invite you to either in Europe you privately in your own prayer time or come forward will be Folks up front to pray with will be folks in the back to pray with. I'll be in the back if you have a decision. Let's just see this as an opportunity to call out to Christ to invite him more fully in our life. To continue to resemble him. Please stand as we sing Our closing song.