Sunday Service

Well, this isn't actually the smallest group is that that I've ever preached you on a Sunday morning before? I remember it. Wasn't this last Thanksgiving with a Thanksgiving before I preach the sermon with about three people in the entire room for an entire Sunday morning. So, I'm it still feels weird, but it's not the weirdest situation I've ever been in, but I'm so glad that you're tuning in with us online. And we are continuing our sermon series called simply transformed today. And we are on week 3 of this and where we've been previously for the past two weeks. The first week, we discussed kind of our call our mission, to be different from the world. And we just talked about that were different, a little bit and what it looks like to be different and how we're supposed to be different from those who are in the world, not living as followers of Christ. And so we dug into that a little bit in the second week, I'll be really focused on this idea of what it looks like to be with Jesus, and kind of how that is a way that we can. A suit after being transformed into this week. I really want to focus on this idea. What? What is it actually look like to be a transformed person. That question might come to you a little bit as we were going for the first couple of weeks so it's okay. Yeah I get that I'm supposed to be different. I get that I'm being with Jesus and simply being present with him can be a way that I can be transformed, but what does it actually look like to be a transformed person? And so as we discussed that, I'm working to look at a specific story, a little bit later on and that title is already in your bullets in there and so you might have already read it and said okay that's the story where we're going but there's a story that I want to focus on a little bit later. This idea of a chair that we've been focusing on for the past couple of weeks, right. The first week we had this chair in it and it signified kind of our life and our life decisions in the directions that we go. And whoever is sitting in that chair, is the person that is governing. What your Decisions are which direction you choose to go. And so this kind of the struggle between me if I'm talking about my chair and God to say, you know, there's often times where I want to follow kind of the desires of the Flesh in that the darkness, and I want to be the one sitting in the chair was also a lot of times where we have this, these desires of the spirit as well. And we want to play some God in that chair and overall, God should be the one in the chair. All the time, he should be the one governing, our life and in telling us where to go and how to interact with people. And so that's what we focused on with. I'm the first week in the idea of the chair in the last week when we focus on was his idea of. All right, we've placed God on the chair, Jesus is in the chair. And now, I am sitting at his feet learning from him, observing just what he does. And scripture reading what he tells us and teaches us and just soaking in everything that he has to offer. That's where we've been out for the past couple of weeks with this idea of the chair and as we get into this week, what I want to kind of focused on, you know, on is this idea of leaning on God? Now we placed God in the chair, we are sitting at his feet and now let's just let's lean on him because life can be difficult, it can be hard and we need his strength to get us through our strength that can only take us so far. And then there's a point where, oh, my goodness, I feel overwhelmed and over, and I, I don't know what to do and in those moments, let's let's lean on. God, let's just leaned on him cuz he's the one sitting in the chair. As we move into this idea, there's a couple points on your on your bulletin. Kind of the things that I thought of when transformation has come up before not. I'm not saying that these are truth but this is just kind of the way that I used to view transformation. The first thing is that transformation is doing the right. Things transformation is doing the right things and while doing the right things, can definitely be an indicator or kind of image into being a transformed person. That's not the full picture that really isn't the full picture, you know, the the media. And I've heard pastor Matt talked about this, a few times, the media really focuses in on these negative stories that happened in Church's, right? They don't focus in on a lot of good things that happen in churches and I completely completely ignore wants that. But there still is a truth that there are negative stories that happen in churches. And sometimes when we see what we see is these, these church leaders right for their entire life, they've done. The right things, they've gone to the right places. They've gone to the right colleges that got in the right degrees and then they're in these positions get inside, they're not transforms, they're not living out of life of transformation and I will send some massive event happens. That kind of lets us into this idea like oh this person wasn't transform this entire time. They were just doing the right things and so there's this is the full picture is are they transformed person? Are they loving people in the way that they're supposed to love people and it's hard for us to determine that. We can't look inward lie and say all yes this persons transformed in this person's not so it's a lot of self-reflection of. Where am I at within this idea of transformation? Nonetheless, right. I had thought transformation is doing the right things and I didn't fully have the full picture. I didn't have the full picture in my mind. Now, secondly, when I am transformed life will be easy. Yeah, there's a few people laughing in here, right? This couldn't be further from the truth, right? Life is, is, is difficult, it's hard. It's full of wondrous Beauty. Don't get me wrong, like, life is full of so, so much Beauty yet. Also, there's a lot of difficulty in struggling and hardships, that happen, right? And I'm sure, as I say those things, you can probably think of a situation that either has happened to his ongoing in your life of wildest thing is hard. And so just kind of to fallacies within this statement when I am transformed life will be easier when I'm transformed within this life. We're never going to reach a point where we are fully transformed. Its transformation is kind of this ongoing process, this journey that we go on as we continue learning about ourselves learning about the world learning about others and how we interact with them as we continue this process of transformation. That's kind of the first fallacy within this idea. And then secondly, Life is difficult. Life is full of struggle against still full of beauty, but life can be difficult. As we continue that process of transformation though, I think that we can learn how to handle different situations may be better than we once did before. But in the end, the truth of the matter is, there's always things in my life, even when I reach this point of like that, you know, I'm so much wiser than I was in high school and so much wiser than I was in college now. And then I reached the situation is happening in my life and I'm like, I am not prepared to handle the situation. And so then what comes into play is leaning on God. Thank God. I've placed you in the chair. I'm sitting at your feet and I'm leaning on you and this time that I I don't know what to do. So guide me teach me what I should be doing. And that's kind of what I want to lean into this morning. So I were talking about this idea of transformation. The first couple weeks I've shared with you to the Oxford dictionary, trans definition of transformation, and that is to make a thorough or dramatic change in form appearance or character of, right? I haven't memorized. Now, for the first 22 weeks and slap what we're talkin about, what kind of focusing in on this idea of a character in the transformation of character and kind of our our our lives you can say, so the demon-possessed man. And this is really interesting story to focus in on in terms of transformation, it wasn't one that initially came to my mind when I was studying for the sermon but as I looked up transformation and it was trying to study the little bit, there was this article that showed up that I was like, huh? That's a really interesting story till it to. Look at within this idea of transformation and he goes through a wild series of events within that and sore going to read the entire story really quickly together. And then we're going to kind of look at a few different points from that. Looking in the story, Luke chapter 8, starting the 1st 26th, they sailed to the region of the gerasenes which is across the lake From Galilee. When Jesus. Stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town for a long time. This man had not worn clothes or lived in a house but had lived in the tombs when he saw Jesus. He cried out and fell at his feet shouting at the top of his voice. What do you want with me? Jesus, Son of the most high God. I beg. You don't torture me. For Jesus had commanded. The impure Spirit to come out of the man, many times it has seized him and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by a demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him. What is your name legion? He replied because many demons had gone into him and They begged. Jesus repeatedly, not to order them to go into the abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, in the demons beg Jesus, to, to let them go into the pigs and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man. They went into the pigs in the herd Rush down the Steep Bank into the lake and was drowned Windows tending to pigs. Saw what had happened. They ran off and reported this in the Town & Country side and the people went out to see what had happened. And when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at Jesus Jesus's feet dressed and in his right mind and they were afraid Those who had seen it. Told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured, then all the people of the region of the gerasenes ask Jesus to leave them because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and he left the man from whom the demons had gone out with him but Jesus sent him away saying return home and tell how much God has done for you. So the man went away until all over the town on how much Jesus had done for him. This is, this is kind of a wild story as we read through it, right? I'm just mad at is, he's not just possessed by one's even, but but many and he's kind of written off by those around him, right? They do everything that they can to kind of control him and, and, and put them in places where he's not going to cause harm to himself or to others, but still yet, he's let into just being a scary guy and people don't want to be around me. Is even living in in the tombs in a cemetery. Kind of in a way, right? This is an interesting guy to look at, and then for Jesus to come in to cure him of these demons. Like he was written off so much so that when Jesus cures him of the Demons, the people of the town are afraid of Jesus. They are scared of him. To the point of asking, Jesus, can you please leave? We are afraid of you and your power. There's a few different things that we can focus in on with this story. One of which I've heard this story taught in the ways of Jesus's power and how, you know, the demons look to him and ask him questions and say you know, please allow us to do this or allow us to do that in. Jesus gives them permission so we can focus in on that. But for today I want to focus in on the man who is possessed by these demons and what he was going through. In, five images of what it looks like to be transformed through which we see in the demon-possessed man the first of these. And a couple of these points are going to sound pretty familiar from weeks past. That's okay. I think. Repetition is a really, really good thing for us. Memorizing things are remembering things and so this first one should sound familiar. The demon-possessed man was now sitting at Jesus's feet. He was sitting there at Jesus's feet.

Are we talked about last week this idea of sitting at his feet and learning from him, right? And this is what the image is. This image is a teacher, a rabbi, and the student, the learner, the disciple. And so this demon-possessed man has now made a decision. I'm going to be a follower of Jesus. I'm going to be a student of him. I'm going to be Jesus's disciple, right? Cuz this that's what the images you have the rabbi and he's sitting up and or standing and the student is sitting on the ground at their feet learning from them soaking in what they are teaching. And so does demon-possessed man. The first kind of image that we see of what transformation looks like. Or are you are you sitting at Jesus's feet? Are you? His student? Are you? His disciple? Are you learning from him? And that is simply what the first image looks like. I'm hoping all five of these images are pretty, they seem like pretty simple things cuz that's why this the sermon series has called Simple transformation simply transformed. It's because they're in ways, it's very complicated, but also in ways, it can be very simple. I'm still making the decision to follow Jesus. Making the decision to say Jesus is my teacher and I am, his disciple is one of the first images. Now, if we move into Matthew 16, it says, then Jesus said to his disciples, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me in this is the decision that the demon-possessed man has made. He says, I am and I'm done with my old life and I am now following Jesus and what he guides me to do and just his wisdom and and how he teaches to live. And that is what I am following and we can follow along with that we can follow along with that. To say I am done with my old life, and I'm going to sit at the Masters feet. I'm going to learn from him, just how to live life and how to love others. What's the first image? Now, the second image as we move forward, the demon-possessed man, he was now closed. He was now closed. Now I don't find this to be. It could be a coincidence, but I don't really find it to be a coincidence is if we look and we've read the scripture before. But if we looking Colossians chapter 3 will see Paul use this image of clothing ourselves to Define some of the acts of the spirit, some of the fruits of the spirit. Those read that. Now, therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness humility, gentleness and patience with each other and forgive one. Another, if any of you has a grievance against someone forgive as the Lord forgave you, and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect. Unity. And so, what do I kind of see this is demon possessed, man, doing. He says, I'm going to sit at the Masters feet and learn from him. And I am now closed and I assumed that he would move forward and clothe themselves in these ideas of compassion in loving others. And forgiving one another and bearing with another with each other and that is what were called to do. Just the same We're called the close ourselves and compassion in gentleness and humility and kindness and love were called to put those things on. And so, yes, the demon-possessed man was no clothes fit physically, right? But he was also, I assume moving forward and closing himself, and his wonderful fruits of the spirit. And that is what were called to do as well. So if you're following along, with these two images, the first image, hey, are we sitting at the Masters feet? Are we learning from him and then, secondly, are we putting on these fruit of the spirit? Are we closing ourselves in those things? Hello. Third image that I want to get into. Is this the demon-possessed man was now in right mind? He was in right mind. Now, I'm no expert in demon possession, but regardless, I can assume that there's some things that happen when someone is possessed by a demon that are are wild and out there in a little bit crazy, but to be happening, right? And so it, it makes sense that in, in writing this, it would focus in on this idea. That hate the demon-possessed, man is now, of right mind, he is a right mind. And sometimes, you know what, what is this idea? What is it, what is right mind? Even mean, I kind of think of it in the idea of, of self-control a little bit that were able to kind of, you know, pull ourselves in and say, I know I'm tempted into this thing, but I can control myself and follow what God has me to be doing. And if we turn to 2nd Timothy chapter 1, it says this for the spirit God gave us does not make us timid but gives us power, love and self-discipline. And self-discipline is such an important thing that's supposed to be living Loosely in in Freely into say, I'm going to do whatever I want to do, but to say, I know that God has a direction for me to go in and I'm going to practice self-discipline to follow that. Because this demon-possessed, man, as he was possessed with a demon, she had no self-discipline. He was breaking out of chains, he was doing whatever, he just felt he needed to do or that the that the demons felt he needed to do. And it has he sits at the Masters feet now, and close himself in the fruit. Fruit of the spirit is also able to practice self control. And to govern kind of what he does. In a way. You still going to struggle, right? We all still have some struggles, but none, the less. Self-control is a fruit of the spirit being a right mind, being of right mind as far as we look at these, these images. First and foremost, are we sitting at the Masters feet? Secondly, are we, are we putting on, are we closing ourselves in the fruit of the spirit? And also, are we able to practice self-control? All three, really, pretty simple things. I think we're going to struggle with him. Yes. But pretty simple ideas. Ella 4th image the demon-possessed man. He longed to be with Jesus. Have you heard the sermon from last week? That should sound pretty familiar? I'd say. What does demon possessed? And he longed to be with Jesus. Let's go back and read that part of the story. One more time, the man from whom the demons have gone out. He begs to go with him to Jesus. He begged to go with. Jesus has Jesus was leaving and asked to leave by those in the land of the gerasenes.

If you want to hear more more details, as to, you know, how we're supposed to be Longing, To Be With Jesus, and encourage you, to go back and listen to last week's sermon, but nonetheless also are our longing, our desire to be with Jesus. And just to spend time with him to be in a relationship with him is also a wonderful wonderful image of what it looks like to be a transformed person. Just to say, I know what Jesus has done for me, I know what his act on the cross and his resurrection means for me and I love him so much that I just want to be with him. I just want to be talking to him. Reading what he says in scripture. I just want to be with Jesus. I want to spend some time in the quiet, just laying down and and listening for his voice. I just want to be with him. And that is what the demon-possessed man. While he just, I just want to go with you just please. Please just let me go with you. I want to follow you. And if you remember, we talked about the Rich Young Ruler and how that was the one thing that he couldn't? Do you just knew? I hate. I know that you you struggle with your possessions and in just one of those things. And so I'm going to ask you to sell all those things and just come with me and be with me and I was the one thing that he couldn't do. What does demon-possessed man? That is the one thing he could do to say. I want to go with Jesus. I want to go with. You only want to be with you until we're married. Again, Psalm 27 verse for that we read last week cuz I just I absolutely love this verse one thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek that. I made swell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to Gaze on the beauty of the Lord to seek him in his Temple. Are you, are you with David in that? Is that the one thing that you seek? Do you just want to be with Jesus so much? Do you long to be with him? And so that is the fourth, the fourth image of what it looks like to be transformed person.

I'll go on to the fifth and final one here. The demon-possessed man told others about Jesus. He told others about Jesus will go back and read that piece of the story real quick again return home and tell how much God has done for you. So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. So for following, along with these five images of this, is the fifth one. Are you telling people about Jesus, and what he's done for you? Are you telling people about Jesus and what he's done for you again? And it should be five simple things and you might be saying I already do those 5 things. Well awesome. I'm so happy that you did do those five things, right? This isn't an exhaustive list of the the whole image of what it looks like to be a transformed person. But these are five ways just sit to say and some self-reflection where am I at? Have I made the decision to follow Jesus and my clothing myself with the fruit of the spirit. Am I doing these other things that that I see people doing in scripture. Am I doing those 5 things? And so are, are you telling others about Jesus? Out as we go to Matthew 28 here, then Jesus came to them and said all authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me therefore go and make disciples of all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything. I have commanded you and surely. I Am With You Always to the very end of the age. Colortrak through the story with a demon-possessed man. I hope that you can see kind of your, your faith Journey. Your faith, Walk With Jesus. In that story to say, hey I made the decision to follow Jesus or I I want to make the decision to follow Jesus. I am always working on myself and closing myself in the, in the fruits of the spirit. I'm always doing these other things, right? I'm always, I'm always just Longing To Be With Jesus. I'm always working on myself and my self control. I'm always working on how I can tell others about Jesus. I hope that you can kind of see how that's that's kind of my walking in a story cuz I see it there. And there's always these kind of little things that I am working on all these big things that I'm working on and just how I interact with others in the world, right? And we're not going to be perfect, we're not going to be perfect. But in terms of some images, five images of what it might look like to be a transformed person. Looking at the demon-possessed man. I think those are some wonderful images to say how I'm doing pretty well. Now I need to work on myself here and just have some self-reflection there. It's so, if you were asking the question will, what what does it look like to be a transformed person? These are some of the things that I tell you, this is kind of what it looks like to be a transformed person. And again, not an exhaustive list, but hey, I think this is a pretty good list. I didn't actually put the list together, specifically. I kind of put a little bit of my my own twist on the on how it's being said, but I think it's a pretty good list there. That was removed for what I have a few more points to to discuss first and foremost, just to say, right, we are invited and called into a transformed life. With Jesus, we are invited and called into a transformed life with Jesus. I have met people who say that, you know, I descend struggle that I have or where I'm at in life. Like, you know, God just God. Doesn't forgive me? Or God. Wouldn't forgive me? Or God couldn't. Can't love me? And I'd say, no, no, no, no, God can love you. God does love you. God can forgive you. God will forgive you, right? And that is, that is where we're at. I this this this demon-possessed, man, he was completely written off. He's not just possessed by one. He's possessed by many and therefore he's called Legion, right? Cuz there's just a legion of demons in this man that are possessing this man, but he's just so far gone. He's so far gone. Nothing that anyone can do can ever cure this man of his demon possession, just ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore where he's at, right? Just completely write him off, he's gone. Yeah, what we see is that Jesus can can he can work in people so much so that he can transform. Even the people that we as humans say, are the furthest gone cuz I don't think God ever looks at someone says, they are too far gone for me. I don't think God. So does that right? And I say, I don't think that right, but But people are I wouldn't say they're ever too far gone. We just need to work on loving them or if I'm loving them like Jesus would, but just to say that, if you're in that space of saying, I'm too far gone, that's what we're all invited and called into a transformed life with Jesus. But also to say that all people are invited and called into a transformed life of Jesus. Every person we meet every person we meet are called and invited you into a transformed life with Jesus. And so that that can be kind of a humbling idea for me sometimes because I mean there's people that I meet that have a lot more visible and an open and in public since struggles and some someone else might have, right? And some of those things can make me feel kind of uncomfortable and some of those things that are our kind of known to make people in churches uncomfortable. But we also have to recognize that, hey, whether I'm uncomfortable or not, God calls that person into a transformed and loving relationship with Jesus. And so we got to treat them as such, we have to love them and how Jesus would love them. So, recognizing that, yes, I'm called in at this into this, transform relationship with Jesus. But also everyone today and meet and everyone that walks through my church is doors, they are all invited and called into a transformed life and relationship with Jesus.

Along with those two things, we also have to recognize the hay transformation is not a one-time one-size-fits-all event. It's a unique and long journey that each of us participates in, it just is And that they are so unique, right? I look at others and I say they're on a very different Journey than I am. And I tried to kind of inner work them into similar tracks that I've been on, but in reality, it's like know, they're going to understand Jesus at their own pace. They're going to read scripture at their own pace. They're going to develop their relationship with Jesus at their own pace and it's completely okay, on, loving them, and in building relationship with them and saying, you know, maybe if I've built up a relationship enough with them to say, Hey, you know, you should push yourself a little bit. Just to say, you know, hey, there on their own unique and long journey with Jesus. Nice. I should recognize that I shouldn't get super frustrated with people when they're not meeting the goals that I have for them. But saying what are the goals that you have for yourself and how can I help you attain those things? How can I help you in this process of transformation? And I know people, I know people that hate looking at their faith with Jesus as a journey, but I'm just more more convinced that hey, this is a wonderful world because Journeys can be long, they can be hard, they can be filled with struggles, they can be absolutely gorgeous and beautiful. You know I love road trips and just looking out and seeing you know rivers and lakes and trees and mountains and hills and all those different things can be beautiful. But also your car can break down but also you can hit traffic right? They can be filled with struggles and hardships but also are just so so beautiful. And so I think describing these things as a journey, our faith has a journey can be so so so accurate and so good but recognizing that. Hey we all are called into a transformed life and relationship with Jesus. Every single one of us me the person that I meet this person that struggles with this thing that II is very visible, right? We're all called into those things into that into that transformed life and relationship with Jesus. And that should kind of humble us in a way to say, hey, I just been called to love this person with the love of Jesus. I'm called to be living out my transformed life and in the world and hopefully that might get people asking questions or hopefully that can influence somebody and build a relationship with them. As we move forward, I just simply want to leave you with this that God desires for us to be transformed. He desires for us to be transformed. Its own terms of these first few weeks of what we've discussed in this idea of transformation and what, what it looks like, right? You just the saying to God, like, hey, you're in the chair. Now, tell me where to go tell me, what direction, what direction? My life, should head. What decisions I should make? How should interact with people? You are in the chair govern my life. And why you're in that chair? I'm going to sit at your feet and I'm going to learn from you. You are the rabbi the teacher. I'm the student. I am, the disciple, teach me how to live, Teach Me How to Love, teach me how to operate And then just to say is well, hey life can be hard. It can be difficult and sometimes all the time, we need to be leaning on God, then, hey, it's not my strength. That gets me through the day. It's the strength of the Lord is the strength of God that gets me through the day. Those are the first few weeks that we have of the sermon series in terms of the chair, right? And interworking that into kind of the sermon series. But also I'd encourage you just maybe sometimes sometime this week or sometime in the next couple of weeks just to look back on the story of the demon-possessed, man and say this is where he was transformed in. This is what it looks like for him to be transformed and maybe just look at some self-reflection, how am I doing in these areas? Because it's it's a lot bigger than just. The simple point of putting on and in clothing ourselves in the fruit of the spirit, right. There's a lot of fruits of the spirit who can always be working on a specific one. Sometimes I'm sometimes I can really work on humility sometimes. I can really work and compassion, things of that nature and so I did encourage you to do that. As we move forward though I'm just some next steps right? If you're in this first piece of being transformed and you're saying I want to be sitting at Jesus's feet. I want to be his student in him, my teacher. I'd encourage you to give your life to Jesus and you can do. So you can Contact the church office, you fill it out on your your digital connection card if you'd like as well. And so you can do that. We'd love to chat with you about that. You can join a small group or a service team, those are wonderful ways to continue this growth and continued this transformation process. And then also you can sign up for a connect class. That is a time where you just sit down over lunch with pastor Matt and discuss more about this church and what we believe in, what we teach and why we do what we do. And so I'd encourage you to be reflecting I was on those things as we sing our final song.