1
00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:02,200
Morning, it's good to see you 
guys. 

2
00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:06,960
Historically here at Frontier, 
this first Sunday after Advent 

3
00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:08,640
is what we call New creation 
Sunday. 

4
00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:12,520
And this year happened to fall 
before the new year. 

5
00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:14,840
So right, new creation before 
the new year. 

6
00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:18,680
And Cole had just, he had sent 
out a text. 

7
00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,360
He's like, hey, who wants to, 
who wants to preach this? 

8
00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,360
You can preach any sermon. 
And I was thinking I was going 

9
00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,320
to pull a fast one on him and 
just start Genesis, the creation

10
00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:32,000
story a week early. 
But I just, I decided not to do 

11
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,280
that because he, he gave free 
rein. 

12
00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:40,600
But anyways, I want to pray and 
then we'll, we'll read some 

13
00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,040
scripture and and dig into who 
we are in Christ this morning. 

14
00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,400
Lord, I need your help this 
morning. 

15
00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,040
It seems like more than any 
other morning of the whole week,

16
00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,280
even when I didn't have a voice 
until recently. 

17
00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:03,520
Basically, we just need your 
help to focus on you, to look to

18
00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,360
you, to remember that all these 
kids with us this morning are 

19
00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,280
they're, they're here for you 
too. 

20
00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:16,360
And we can look at them and see 
your new creation in them as 

21
00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,960
they learn and as they grow too.
And just pray for your hearts, 

22
00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,520
for our hearts to receive your 
word, to be able to see Jesus 

23
00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,960
clearly, clear, clearer even to 
go forward in the new year than 

24
00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:31,080
we have previously in Jesus 
name, Amen. 

25
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,000
Too often our picture of the 
Christian hope has been shaped 

26
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,880
more by probably by cartoons 
than by Scripture, as if the 

27
00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,840
goal is to escape this world 
rather than see it be renewed. 

28
00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:49,840
But the Bible knows nothing of 
this kind of escape from the 

29
00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:51,160
world. 
Heaven, OK. 

30
00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,120
From Genesis to Revelation, 
God's promise is a renewed 

31
00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,520
creation, a physical world made 
new, where resurrected people 

32
00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:04,920
dwell with King Jesus forever. 
And if you would just stand with

33
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,400
me, I'm actually going to read 
out of two sections out of 

34
00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,880
Second Corinthians this morning.
So if you'd please stand, we're 

35
00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,480
going to be in 2nd Corinthians 4
and then 5. 

36
00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,960
And the Scripture will be up 
here, should be up here on the 

37
00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:23,520
screen. 
So I'm in 2nd Corinthians 4 

38
00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:29,400
verses 16 through 18, and it'll 
be 514 through 21, so out of 2nd

39
00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:34,880
Corinthians 4. 
So we do not lose heart, though 

40
00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,480
our outer self is wasting away, 
our inner self is being renewed 

41
00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,360
day by day. 
For this light momentary 

42
00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,640
affliction is preparing for us 
an eternal weight of glory 

43
00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,280
beyond all comparison as we look
not to the things that are seen,

44
00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:51,160
but to the things that are 
unseen. 

45
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,760
For the things that are seen are
transient, but the things that 

46
00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,640
are unseen are eternal. 
And so see here, Paul's not 

47
00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:01,600
saying ignore your suffering or 
harshness of life because 

48
00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:03,240
someday you'll leave all this 
behind. 

49
00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,520
He's saying, don't lose heart 
because all of this is headed 

50
00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,000
somewhere. 
And part of what carries us 

51
00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:10,920
forward is where this renewal is
headed. 

52
00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,240
So then we're going to this is 
where we'll spend our time this 

53
00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:20,760
morning is here in Second Things
514 through 21 verse 14 for the 

54
00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,960
love of Christ controls us 
because we have concluded this 

55
00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,200
that one has died for all, 
therefore all have died and he 

56
00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,000
died for all that those who live
might no longer live for 

57
00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,720
themselves, but for him who for 
their sake died and was raised 

58
00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,760
from now on, therefore, we 
regard no one according to the 

59
00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,880
flesh, even though we once 
regarded Christ according to the

60
00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:44,880
flesh, we regard him thus no 
longer. 

61
00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,440
Therefore, if anyone is in 
Christ, he is a new creation. 

62
00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,840
The old has passed away. 
Behold, the new has come. 

63
00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,280
All this is from God, who 
through Christ reconciled us to 

64
00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,480
Himself and gave us the ministry
of reconciliation. 

65
00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,840
That is in Christ. 
God was reconciling in the world

66
00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,360
to Himself, not counting their 
trespasses against them and 

67
00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,200
entrusting to us the message of 
reconciliation. 

68
00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,840
Therefore we are ambassadors for
Christ, God making His appeal 

69
00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,040
through us. 
We implore you on behalf of 

70
00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,440
Christ, be reconciled to God for
our sake. 

71
00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,480
He made him to be sin who knew 
no sin, so that in him he might 

72
00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,640
become the righteousness of God.
He can be seated. 

73
00:04:38,590 --> 00:04:41,710
So everything Paul is saying 
here that we're reading this 

74
00:04:41,710 --> 00:04:45,270
morning hangs around 1 reality. 
And that reality is that God is 

75
00:04:45,270 --> 00:04:49,790
creating something new by 
reconciling sinners to himself 

76
00:04:49,990 --> 00:04:53,640
through Christ. 
So we want to see God's 

77
00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,200
reconciling work, which is the 
foundation of new creation. 

78
00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:00,960
He starts off really with what 
controls US. 

79
00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,640
Verses 14 and 15, right? 
We just read it for the love of 

80
00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,320
Christ controls us because we 
have concluded this, that one 

81
00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,000
has died for all, therefore all 
have died and he died for all 

82
00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,800
that those who live might no 
longer live for themselves, but 

83
00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,000
for him who for their sake died 
and was raised. 

84
00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:25,200
So our obedience to God flows 
from reconciliation and not just

85
00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:27,920
obligation. 
And God has already acted. 

86
00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,560
We responded in love. 
It's this idea like the, the 

87
00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,720
love of Christ controls us. 
It compels us, it pushes us 

88
00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:37,240
forward. 
I'm not, I'm not just talking 

89
00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:43,560
about like this idea that, you 
know, love of Christ is there 

90
00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,600
for me. 
It's literally brings us life 

91
00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:49,760
and carries us forward and 
pushes us forward. 

92
00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:54,000
And he knew that we wouldn't 
always have feelings that line 

93
00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:59,920
up with that reality because 
love feels different, distant. 

94
00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,600
And he's not saying to look 
inward here. 

95
00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,360
He tells us to look at the 
cross. 

96
00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,280
He's saying to contemplate 
Christ who loved us and gave 

97
00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:11,480
himself up for us. 
Look carefully at Christ. 

98
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,040
If you're if you're here this 
morning, you're struggling to 

99
00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,280
feel God's love for you, then 
contemplate his work through 

100
00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:21,680
Christ and truly think on these 
things in order to come to a 

101
00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:26,880
deeper and deeper realization of
the implications of the gospel. 

102
00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,680
We we think on what He has done 
for us as we study his word, as 

103
00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:37,480
we worship in our own hearts, as
we worship here together and as 

104
00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,200
we do the richness of the person
and work of Christ penetrates 

105
00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:45,920
our minds and our hearts and 
gradually is transforming our 

106
00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:50,280
lives under the influence of the
Holy Spirit as we desire more 

107
00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:55,600
and more to serve Him. 
So what this might look like is 

108
00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:59,360
tomorrow when you wake up 
because your kids woke you up at

109
00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:05,000
3:00 AM and you're feeling short
and you're tired and you're 

110
00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,400
apathetic. 
You have this little piece of 

111
00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,920
paper with you that says 
Galatians 220. 

112
00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:11,480
It says the life I now live in 
the flesh. 

113
00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,320
I live by faith in the Son of 
God who loved me and gave 

114
00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,200
himself for me. 
And so you're reminded that how 

115
00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,880
much Christ has loved you. 
So you have the ability to then 

116
00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:25,240
love your kids or love your 
spouse because the overflowing 

117
00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:28,120
love of Jesus, you're able to 
see that more clearly so that 

118
00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:33,360
you can have patience and have 
kindness and have love yourself.

119
00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:42,080
And then Paul tells us how God's
work changes how we perceive the

120
00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,000
world because of this compelling
love. 

121
00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,720
We see others as those, he's as 
those. 

122
00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:51,760
He is also reconciling. 
Verse 16 says, from now on, 

123
00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:54,520
therefore, we regard no one 
according to the flesh. 

124
00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:58,080
Even though we once regarded 
Christ according to the flesh, 

125
00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:03,680
we regard him thus no longer. 
So that means reconciliation 

126
00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,960
with God doesn't just change 
what we believe, it changes how 

127
00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:11,760
we see in Paul's writing from 
the standpoint of he's lived 

128
00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,400
this. 
He used, he at one point 

129
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,560
evaluated Jesus externally. 
He's he at one time called Jesus

130
00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:21,160
a fraud, right? 
He only knew Jesus according to 

131
00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:22,880
the flesh. 
And you know what he said? 

132
00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:25,480
He said that he was a false 
Messiah. 

133
00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,280
He was a problem to Judaism. 
He deserved to be crucified. 

134
00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,000
Who's the one holding the coats 
when they stoned Stephen that we

135
00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:33,840
read about in the New Testament?
It's Paul. 

136
00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,880
He judged Jesus by his 
appearance, by his power and 

137
00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,039
expectations. 
And Paul realized he was 

138
00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:41,960
completely wrong. 
That's what he's writing this 

139
00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,840
from. 
So new creation corrects our 

140
00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,440
vision, and we stop seeing 
people as merely political, 

141
00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:51,480
social, or behavioral 
categories. 

142
00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:55,560
We see them as eternal souls. 
People. 

143
00:08:55,560 --> 00:09:02,840
God is either reconciling or 
calling us to be his ambassadors

144
00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,920
of reconciliation. 
So that changes how we think 

145
00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:10,920
about our kids, our neighbors, 
our spouses, the people we don't

146
00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:14,400
agree with. 
We don't look past 

147
00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,040
responsibility, but we look 
through the behaviors. 

148
00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:22,240
We look to the heart and we see 
a heart that needs to feel the 

149
00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,600
love of and be compelled by the 
love of Christ. 

150
00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,800
And this is where reconciliation
and new creation of me, and this

151
00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:32,320
is what I really love. 
Verse 17. 

152
00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,400
Therefore, if anyone is in 
Christ, he is a new creation. 

153
00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:42,160
The old has passed away. 
Behold, the new has come because

154
00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,400
God doesn't just reconcile us so
that we can be forgiven and just

155
00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,760
kind of wait around for heaven, 
be kind of semi good people. 

156
00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,280
He reconciles us that the life 
of the age to come begins 

157
00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:56,160
breaking into the present 
because if anyone is in Christ, 

158
00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:59,600
he has a new creation, not just 
destined for renewal someday, 

159
00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:05,200
but already being remade now. 
So the hope that the Bible 

160
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,120
offers us is not just that Jesus
gives up on the earth and 

161
00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,320
rescues souls out of it. 
It's that he renews everything. 

162
00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:17,000
Bodies that don't decay, a world
without death and life live 

163
00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:21,440
fully in God's presence. 
And this future isn't just 

164
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,880
something we wait for, it's a 
vision that pulls us forward. 

165
00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:25,200
Right? 
The New Testament speaks of 

166
00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,720
believers having a new mind, a 
new will, a new heart, a new 

167
00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,040
inheritance, a new relationship,
a new power, new knowledge, new 

168
00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:35,680
wisdom, new perception, new 
understanding, new 

169
00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:39,760
righteousness, new love, new 
desire, new citizenship, and 

170
00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:44,840
many other new things, all of 
which are summed up in newness 

171
00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,040
of life. 
And it's not just something we 

172
00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,120
wait for. 
It's a vision that pulls us 

173
00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:56,120
forward. 
But the reality is, is I'm 

174
00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:59,200
talking about all this newness. 
And we're hearing and we're 

175
00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,360
seeing this newness, but we know
something isn't right, right? 

176
00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,800
We know that's not the case. 
And it's because we are in 

177
00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:09,480
what's called the already, but 
not yet. 

178
00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:14,040
So when Paul says new creation, 
he means something has already 

179
00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,200
begun, but it's not yet 
finished. 

180
00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,520
Christ has decisively acted, but
the world still groans. 

181
00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,000
So we are truly new, even as we 
still struggle. 

182
00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:27,800
That tension explains why we 
suffer without losing heart. 

183
00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:31,880
The future has already invaded 
the present, but it hasn't yet 

184
00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,720
been fully revealed. 
We live between the already what

185
00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,160
Christ has done. 
Looking forward to the not yet 

186
00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:43,280
what He is still yet to do. 
And that helps us realize that 

187
00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:50,000
while our experience of God's 
grace in Christ is real, there's

188
00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,120
a part of it that's incomplete. 
Because we still live in a 

189
00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,200
fallen world and we're still in 
a battle every day. 

190
00:11:57,560 --> 00:12:02,320
And it can be tough. 
And we may experience suffering 

191
00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,920
and loss, we're promised, we're 
going to experience opposition. 

192
00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,120
But the important thing to 
remember is this, that the 

193
00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:14,000
decisive battle in victory has 
already been won by Jesus in our

194
00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,720
lives too. 
And one day he's going to come 

195
00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,520
again in glory. 
And we are already more than 

196
00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,680
conquerors through him who loved
us to reconcile us with God. 

197
00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:37,480
And as a new creation, we're not
supposed to see ourselves as 

198
00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,560
earthly citizens anymore. 
And Paul's explains it and shows

199
00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:45,760
us in and how through why we're 
sent. 

200
00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:52,280
Verses 18 through 20 say all 
this is from God, who through 

201
00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:56,880
Christ reconciled us to himself 
and gave us the ministry of 

202
00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,440
reconciliation that is in 
Christ. 

203
00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,400
God was reconciling the world to
Himself, not counting their 

204
00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:08,480
trespasses, trespasses against 
them, and entrusting to us the 

205
00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:13,200
message of reconciliation. 
Therefore, we are ambassadors 

206
00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,120
for Christ, God making His 
appeal through us. 

207
00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,040
We implore you on behalf of 
Christ, be reconciled to God. 

208
00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:25,160
Did you see that? 
All this is from God, not us. 

209
00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:30,680
So reconciliation begins with 
God's initiative and is 

210
00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:34,440
accomplished through 
forgiveness, not by just 

211
00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:39,240
ignoring our sins, but dealing 
with it fully in Christ. 

212
00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:46,520
And we see that shift with the 
message we're supposed to carry 

213
00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:48,760
because Paul calls US 
ambassadors. 

214
00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:53,040
He's reminding us that we belong
to a Kingdom that is coming and 

215
00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,480
is already arriving. 
Because ambassadors live in a 

216
00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,640
place that isn't fully home yet,
right? 

217
00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,720
They they speak with an accent, 
they live differently and their 

218
00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:05,800
lives point beyond themselves to
the King. 

219
00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:11,320
They represent ambassadors who 
know the only way that God can 

220
00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:15,360
reconcile with sinners is by not
counting their trespasses 

221
00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:19,720
against them because he has to 
set our sins aside. 

222
00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:22,640
And really, that's why we talk 
about sin. 

223
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:29,480
If we never talked about sin, 
there would be no, no need for 

224
00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,080
reconciliation. 
There would be no clue that 

225
00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,440
there's something that's keeping
us apart from God. 

226
00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,840
It's not just pounding the fact 
that we're sinners and then and 

227
00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:43,440
there's not a hope. 
It's the fact that we have to be

228
00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,520
able to see our sin and 
understand that we need to be 

229
00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,480
reconciled with God to be able 
to experience him, to experience

230
00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:55,680
all the joy in the life, this 
new creation, this new person 

231
00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:58,840
that that He's showing us we are
in Him. 

232
00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:07,640
It's not sharing sin and we're 
not just announcing self 

233
00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:10,720
improvement like that's not what
New Creation Sunday is about is 

234
00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,120
just being an improved person in
the new year. 

235
00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:24,240
We're looking at having actual 
peace with God And as this 

236
00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:29,040
thought is coming to completion.
Paul wants us to get a picture 

237
00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:34,080
of new creation to see Christ in
verse 21 he says for our sake he

238
00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:39,720
made him Jesus to be sin who 
knew no sin so in him we might 

239
00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:45,280
become the righteousness of God.
So Christ took all of what we 

240
00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:55,600
were and gave us all he what all
of what he is before God because

241
00:15:55,600 --> 00:16:02,440
he knows, remember, he knows 
that 15 minutes from now, this 

242
00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:05,800
being compelled by the love of 
Christ probably isn't going to 

243
00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,800
feel that way. 
And when that love feels 

244
00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:12,000
different, it's not we're not 
supposed to look at ourselves 

245
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,840
and look what we need. 
Look at these things. 

246
00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,720
It's to look to Christ, look at 
the cross, look at what look at 

247
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,000
Christ's love for you. 
Look what he gave up for you, 

248
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:28,120
him his entire self. 
He took on all of your sin and 

249
00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,440
it's and it's not enough just to
know this. 

250
00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:32,560
It's are you compelled with the 
idea? 

251
00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,240
I'll be the first to admit when 
I was up last night at midnight 

252
00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:39,440
with my 2 year old, I wasn't 
compelled with the love of 

253
00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:46,280
Christ, but because I was 
prepping this, I was sitting 

254
00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,640
there holding him and I'm like, 
oh, just go to sleep. 

255
00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:51,960
I want to be rested for the 
morning. 

256
00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,880
And then I remembered, Oh yeah, 
the love of Christ compels me. 

257
00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:00,280
Jesus. 
Jesus has rocked me time and 

258
00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,480
time again when I've been 
sinning. 

259
00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:09,079
I can love Hayden right now and 
be patient because God's patient

260
00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:11,920
with me and it totally just 
flipped it for me. 

261
00:17:18,420 --> 00:17:22,260
So I'm not talking about just 
knowing, but then even just 

262
00:17:22,260 --> 00:17:25,500
being being amazed by it. 
Like are you amazed by the fact?

263
00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:30,940
Are you walking around amazed by
the fact that Jesus gave all of 

264
00:17:30,940 --> 00:17:35,300
himself for you? 
Thinking about that is going to 

265
00:17:35,300 --> 00:17:39,480
take care of so many of these 
other things that we come up 

266
00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:44,320
against and it's not minimizing 
the suffering, it's not 

267
00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:46,720
minimizing the hard things we go
through. 

268
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:51,320
But when it comes to the sin 
that we face, it conquers that. 

269
00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,920
So look at Jesus, have that 
scripture in your back pocket, 

270
00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:04,240
contemplate Jesus work and come 
back to being amazed because if 

271
00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:09,440
you're amazed, then Jesus love 
will control you because you see

272
00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:13,200
that more and more amazed at how
every time you're you're angry 

273
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:15,520
for the wrong reason. 
Christ took it. 

274
00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:21,120
Because if we're controlled by 
Jesus love for us, imagine being

275
00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:25,080
freer from people's opinions, 
your own revenge, your own 

276
00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:28,240
agendas that you have. 
Being more intrigued than 

277
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:33,600
irritated with people, quicker 
to repent and forgive than judge

278
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:37,720
others and hold grudges. 
Where your thoughts, your words 

279
00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,240
and choices would be shaped more
by God's grace than by your own 

280
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,200
impulses and sin. 
Being more generous and less 

281
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:52,640
selfish, more faithful and less 
fearful, more trusting and less 

282
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,720
suspicious, more present and 
less busy. 

283
00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,680
All of which is yours if you're 
in Christ. 

284
00:19:04,810 --> 00:19:09,840
And so we don't lose heart. 
Though our outer self is wasting

285
00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:12,680
away, our inner self is being 
renewed day by day. 

286
00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:16,320
For this light momentary 
affliction is preparing for us 

287
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:20,200
an eternal weight of glory 
beyond all comparison, as we 

288
00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,240
look not to the things that are 
seen, but to the things that are

289
00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:25,640
unseen. 
As we look to Jesus. 

290
00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:29,480
For the things that are seen are
transient, but the things that 

291
00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:33,680
are unseen are eternal. 
So if you're in Christ this 

292
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:38,160
morning, you're a new creation. 
The old has passed away. 

293
00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,520
Behold, the new has come. 
Let's pray.