Conformed to the Image of Christ.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Amen. [0:01] All right, go ahead and have a seat. [0:03] Welcome to Village Church. [0:04] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, one of the pastors here at Village [0:08] Church, and I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you this morning. [0:13] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to Romans chapter 8.

[0:17] We’ll be completing what has kind of been a mini-series through Romans 8, 28 through [0:23] 30 this morning. [0:26] But during the month of August, what we’ve been doing is, if any time during the service, [0:31] anything that I say or anything that you see in the scriptures brings a question to your [0:36] mind, there will be a phone number up on the screen for you to text that question into. [0:41] And so please feel free to text that question in after the time of preaching is over and

[0:47] we partake of the Lord’s Supper as we do every week here at Village. [0:50] I’ll return to the stage and cover some of those questions that are asked. [0:56] Don’t wait to see if I answer the question that you might have, because if you wait to [1:02] the end, then we might not be able to get your question in time because they’ve got [1:05] to be put up on the screen and everything. [1:07] So go ahead and send those questions in as soon as you think of those questions or as

[1:12] soon as you have those questions, and they know what my notes look like, so they’ll [1:16] know what I’m covering, what I’m not covering. [1:17] So you’ll be just fine either way. [1:20] But let’s go ahead as a church and let’s read Romans 8, 28 through 30 and jump right [1:25] into it. Here’s what the word of God says. [1:29] And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who

[1:36] are called according to his purpose, for those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be [1:42] formed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many [1:48] brothers and those whom he predestined. [1:50] He also called those whom he called. [1:53] He also justified and those whom he justified. [1:57] He also glorified.

[2:00] And we started this journey through these three pivotal texts in the Book of Romans, [2:05] sort of hinge verses that everything that Paul is teaching you about your life is kind [2:10] of swinging upon and showing two weeks ago what he means by the fact that we know that [2:15] all things work together for good to those who love God and those who are the called [2:20] according to his purpose. [2:22] That if you know Jesus, if you trusted him as your savior, if you believe in the resurrection

[2:27] of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins through the atonement that was made on the cross, [2:31] then you can be certain in your faith that everything that comes into your life, both [2:37] the things that you would say these are very pleasant. [2:39] I’m very happy about these things. [2:41] Those will all be worked for good. [2:43] But also those things that come into your life that you have a harder time finding

[2:48] joy in, the things that are not pleasant, the things that are painful, even the suffering [2:54] that goes on in your life, the loss that happens in your life, all of those things as well, [3:00] because of the resurrection of Christ, because of God’s victory over sin, all things will [3:06] work together for good. [3:10] And then last week, we took a look at what really is Paul’s defense of that promise [3:15] in verses 29 and 30.

[3:18] So go look at those two words for knowledge and predestination. [3:22] We took a look at the fact that what Paul is doing in verses 29 and 30 is he is giving [3:27] proof for why you can trust that all things work together for good, because God in eternity [3:33] past has predestined what will happen in the future so that history will work itself [3:41] towards his ultimate glory. [3:44] And he’s shown that through the fact that he engineered history to work in such a way

[3:49] that Jesus came at the perfect time, at the perfect place, at the perfect moment, was [3:54] crucified on the cross, then rose from the dead. [3:57] And in that act, God shows that he has power over all things, the living and the dead. [4:04] Nothing happens that catches him off guard. [4:07] Nothing happens that can be a way to make his plans come undone. [4:12] But instead, everything that occurs works right in to the sovereign plan of God.

[4:19] And then that became very personal in the fact that we took a look at not only has God [4:23] made a general predestination, but instead his predestination is very personal in your [4:29] life. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, because God has called you with an effectual [4:35] calling in actual time to come to faith in Jesus. [4:39] But he planned that far before you were ever born, before he even laid the foundations [4:45] of the earth. Ephesians, chapter one tells us in Ephesians one six tells us that we are

[4:51] adopted by God to the praise of his glorious grace. [4:58] And so we know that the purpose of your salvation, the purpose of my salvation, the purpose [5:04] of the gospel of Jesus, the good news that he saves, the purpose for going out is ultimately [5:10] for the glory of God. [5:12] And that is where you will find ultimate joy if you place your faith in Jesus Christ. [5:20] And so we’ve done a lot of talking about what you should believe, what you should think,

[5:26] what the word of God means. And today I want to take the third week of looking at these [5:31] verses and unpack the phrase conformed to the image of Christ. [5:37] If you know that all things work together for good, you have the evidence of God’s [5:42] sovereignty. What does that look like in your everyday life? [5:47] How will God use all of these specific experiences in your life to conform you to the image of [5:56] his son?

[5:57] Because we said two weeks ago that we know that all things work together for good is [6:02] a statement that can be misunderstood by us to mean what we think is good. [6:08] And oftentimes, I don’t know if you’re any like me, but my good can come directly into [6:12] conflict with God’s good. [6:14] So I don’t always get to see my good happen. Sometimes I do. Sometimes it lines up with [6:20] the Father. But if it doesn’t line up with the Father, he’s not the problem. Steve is.

[6:25] But what I can trust is that he has defined specifically what that good ultimately will [6:32] look like in my life. And that’s in verse 29. [6:36] When he says those whom he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. [6:42] That’s the good that God is working in your life. [6:45] So because of the Gospel of Jesus, you can trust that everything that happens in your [6:54] life, no matter what it is, no matter how pleasant, no matter how unpleasant, all those

[7:01] things will be used by God to conform you to the image of his son, Jesus. [7:09] This morning then, our purpose is to look at how your faith needs to inform the way [7:16] that you live in light of the promises that God has made in this verse. [7:23] How do you live according to the purposes of God so that Jesus might be the firstborn [7:30] among many brothers? [7:32] Well, it needs to change the way that you look at three things in your life. The first

[7:35] thing we’re going to take a look at is that it needs to change the way that you look at [7:38] your identity. [7:40] The second thing it needs to change is the way that you look at what you are becoming [7:44] or what you are hoping to become in your life. [7:48] And the third thing that we’re going to take a look at is that it needs to change how [7:52] you look at your future and the plans that you’re making about your future and the hopes

[7:58] that you’re going to have about your future. [8:01] But number one this morning, being conformed to the image of Christ is about finding your [8:06] identity in Christ. [8:08] Being conformed to the image of Christ is about finding your identity in Christ. This [8:12] is where it starts. This is the core value that we have as a church of redemption. [8:18] That you are called by God through Jesus Christ to find your identity in who Jesus is above

[8:27] absolutely everything else. [8:31] How you think reveals what you believe. Friends, the mind is the soil in which faith is planted [8:40] and then bears fruit in your life. [8:43] Your mind was created by God. It was created to worship God. It was created to know God. [8:51] It was created to believe God. It was created to trust God. It was created to give God and [8:59] earn your life to give him the ultimate glory in every pursuit, in every action, in every

[9:07] thought. You are to take it captive to the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the [9:13] source of how you think about yourself, your purpose, your place in the world and your [9:20] place within the lives of other people. [9:24] Everything that occurs in your life impacts the way you think. It builds what is commonly [9:30] known as your world view. All of this then forms your identity. Ultimately, how you think [9:39] about this life serves as a revelation of what you believe about yourself and what you

[9:44] believe forms who your identity is. [9:47] God through the book of Romans, through the apostle Paul, has been unpacking for us what [9:53] our identity should be. He does this through the mind. In Romans chapter 6 verse 11 the [10:01] apostle Paul uses these words. He says, So also you must consider yourselves dead to [10:07] sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. The same terminology that is used in Romans 8 [10:13] 28, he says we know. He says the mind, we know, we trust, we believe. He says in that

[10:18] same terminology in Romans chapter 6 when he says you must consider. He is saying this [10:25] is where it starts. You must think about your life that it is dead to sin and alive to Christ. [10:32] That is an identity issue. That is how you are thinking about yourself. That is how you [10:37] are thinking about your purpose. That is how you are thinking about why you do everything [10:42] that you do. Earlier in Romans chapter 8 he says this starting in verse 5. He says [10:48] for those who live according to the flesh, sinful, the default nature that we are all

[10:54] born into, dead to sin, if you think according to the flesh you set your mind on the things [10:59] of the flesh. But those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things [11:04] of the spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the [11:08] spirit is life and peace. In fact when we were talking about those verses just a few [11:15] weeks ago, we talked about Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 3 where it says his mind is [11:22] stayed on perfect peace whose mind is stayed on the God. So this reality that when you

[11:28] are dwelling on the things of God, when you are saturating your mind with the word of [11:32] God, when you are saturating your life with the moves of the spirit in prayer and the [11:37] moves of obedience in your life, it is the reality that God’s grace has come into your [11:42] life because Jesus has borne your sins and he has forgiven you if you have trusted in [11:48] him. He has given you a new life by his resurrection from the dead where he proves that he has [11:53] power of not just life but also death and sin. And when you dwell on that, when you

[12:00] think on that, Romans chapter 8 is telling us, it gives you peace, it gives you joy. [12:09] Then in Romans 8, 15 I believe he comes to a climax when he is talking about the way [12:15] that your mind is supposed to be stayed on when you are thinking about the gospel. He [12:19] starts in verse 15 and he says, for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall [12:24] back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, [12:31] Abba, Father, the spirit himself, our children of God. And that is where he wants your identity

[12:44] to be found. It is not a mystery. It is not something that God wants you to be confused [12:52] about. It is not something that God wants to leave you on the outside of and you just [12:56] have to kind of meander around in life not knowing where you are supposed to find your [13:00] identity. No, Romans chapter 8 gives us the picture. It says you are a child of God if [13:07] you have trusted in Jesus as your Savior. So when you live with that identity, you [13:13] have life and you have peace. And what we see in Romans 8, 29 when he talks about being

[13:18] conformed to the image of Christ, you also have purpose. If you are in Christ, then [13:25] all of life is to be anchored in and flow from the identity that being adopted into [13:32] the family of God through the truth of the gospel gives you. Because when you find your [13:39] identity or where you find your identity is where your life will ultimately flow from. [13:47] That is going to be true if you base who you believe you are and what you believe about [13:53] yourself in the gospel as an adopted child of God. That is true. But it is also true

[13:58] if you find your identity or if you place the values of your life or if all of the [14:04] joy that you are seeking is outside of Christ, your activities, your actions, your thoughts [14:10] will flow from those things as well. So what you think about yourself, how you think about [14:18] your life is vital in following Jesus. Because that is where faith is. It is in what you [14:29] believe. And Paul is calling you, believe what God has said about you. You need to allow [14:36] the gospel to define your life. It needs to define your values. It needs to define

[14:43] where you place your time, where you place your energy, where you place your materials [14:48] and your possessions and your money. And all of that flows from what your identity is found [14:53] in. And ultimately that will reveal what your affections are for. What your definition of [15:00] happiness is. What makes you feel pleasure. Because ultimately God wants you to find [15:07] your satisfaction in Him and in Him alone. And often times it is very hard to believe [15:12] that but God is calling you to have your brain rewired by the power of the Spirit through

[15:17] the gospel. Here is what I mean when I am talking about placing your anchor in the [15:24] truth of the gospel. I have found great hope in reverse engineering my life from what I [15:30] believe about Jesus. And when I am talking to so many people I find this very helpful [15:35] in explaining to you how you have kind of gotten off track and where you need to find [15:40] your life when you reverse engineer it, when you work it backwards. What I mean is, is [15:45] that if Jesus rose from the dead then that necessarily means matter of fact that He is

[15:53] God. And if He is God then everything that He said is true. Everything. Everything. And [16:00] there is no lies if He is God. It also means if He rose from the dead and He is God and [16:06] everything that He said is true then He has authority over my life because of the resurrection. [16:14] And if He has ultimate authority and the scripture points to the resurrection and the scriptures [16:20] then are written by those who are pointing to the resurrection and those who are pointing [16:24] back to the resurrection as the apostles and those who followed Him were doing then the

[16:28] scripture then is His word and it has authority over my life. And if it has authority over [16:32] my life then I will only find real purpose in obeying what Jesus has said. And I will [16:40] only find real purpose in my life is if I base everything that I think about myself, [16:45] everything that I think about this world, everything that I think about how I view this [16:49] world, how I view success, how I view my relationships with others. Everything needs to be rooted [16:55] in one fact and then everything branches out from there. And that fact is that Jesus

[16:59] rose from the dead. Because when you start somewhere else it can get very confusing. [17:06] But if you start there then you will have a firm anchor in factual truth. You will have [17:15] a firm anchor in the person of God. You will have a firm anchor in the work of God. You [17:22] will have a firm anchor in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And in all of the things of [17:27] this life that can be absolutely confusing and a mix of terrifying. If you live long [17:34] enough you are going to find both. You will at least have an anchor in something that

[17:42] is unchanging. Something that can’t be redefined. Something that isn’t questionable in your [17:51] life. But instead you will be firmly rooted in the reality that God is good and God is [17:57] involved in your life. Secondly this morning I want you to understand that being conformed [18:04] to the image of Christ is about becoming more like Christ. He says in verse 28, he says [18:12] everything works together for good. This is two qualifiers for those who love God, those [18:17] who are the called according to his purpose. And then he says if you want to know if those

[18:21] two are true, verse 29 starts, those who are new, he also predestined, those who are predestined, [18:26] he predestined them to be conformed to the image of his son Jesus Christ so that he might [18:32] be the firstborn among many brethren. And then he starts in verse 30 and he goes through [18:37] the order of salvation and how it took place and how God is working it into and out of [18:43] you through your life. And what he is unpacking there is the eternal purpose of God. Pastor Ray Ortland has this to say about Romans 8, 28 through 30. He says that this text reveals God translated his eternal purpose into your actual experience by calling you through the gospel. So he starts in ancient times. And he says those who are new, he also predestined. And this is all God’s work. And he says, God’s work is to be [19:14] in God’s time, for he ever laid the foundations of the earth. But then when he gets to that

[19:18] term called in verse 30, then he goes into real time, your experience if you have faith [19:26] in Jesus Christ. There was a specific time in your life where you heard the gospel, read [19:32] the gospel, had relationships that led you on a long journey of understanding the gospel. [19:37] And there is a point in time in which God opened your mind to understand, believe, and [19:45] place your faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so God’s eternal plan at 15,000 feet comes [19:54] into actual reality at a 15 foot view when you place your faith in Jesus and then you

[20:02] have the privilege of taking part in the eternal purpose of God in your life. And [20:09] taking part in that purpose is what conforms you in your life day in and day out to being [20:18] conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. It’s the greatest joy that you will ever know [20:25] and the greatest purpose because your identity then starts to become action. It begins to [20:34] display itself through your activities. Philippians chapter two verses one through eleven can [20:41] be summarized with the statement that we are to think and live with the mindset and intentions

[20:49] as Jesus did. It begins to start with the mind and the way that you think about your [20:56] purpose in Philippians two and it starts this way in verse one. There’s any encouragement [21:00] in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the spirit. So he’s trying to draw you [21:06] into a way of life by saying you participate with the spirit. Any affection and sympathy, [21:13] complete my joy in being of the same mind. So unite in a specific purpose. Do nothing [21:21] from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

[21:27] Let each of you look not only to his own interest but also to the interests of others. Have [21:31] this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus. Though he was in the form [21:36] of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but he emptied himself taking [21:40] the form of a servant being born in the likeness of man and being found in human [21:44] form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on the cross. [21:51] Here’s where you go wrong with how you think about what you’re becoming in this life. This

[21:59] starts at a very young age. You begin to think about your life and what you like and what [22:04] you don’t like, what you want and what you don’t want. Everything about your purpose [22:09] is you. It’s based on who you are, based on what you want, based on what you want to [22:14] build, based on what you want to have. It’s completely selfish, completely conceited, [22:19] completely self centered. That will never conform you to the image of Jesus Christ.

[22:27] What the apostle Paul is doing in Philippians chapter 2 is he’s giving us a commentary [22:32] in Romans 8, 29 about being conformed to the image of Christ. He’s saying if you want to [22:38] know what your purpose needs to be in this life, if you want to know what will conform [22:41] you to the image of Christ, look at why you’re doing what you’re doing and what it’s making [22:45] you become. Most of the time when we think about our affections, we think about what [22:52] makes us the center of attention, what makes us the center of our plan. Paul says if you

[22:57] have faith in Jesus Christ then you need to have the same mindset of Christ who though [23:02] being the centerpiece of all of creation emptied himself of it all, took the form of a servant, [23:09] became one of his creation, then he lowered himself to death, and then even lower, he [23:14] lowered himself to death from the death of a criminal, an excruciating death. If you [23:20] want to have purpose, if you want to become like Christ, because being conformed to the [23:28] image of Christ doesn’t just take place in one moment, it takes place over one lifetime.

[23:34] As you walk a journey in which you look to the purpose of Christ, you say how can I [23:39] be like him, how can I live like him, how can I have mission like him? And he says [23:45] it will do some crazy things to you because you’re going to start doing some things where [23:49] you look at others as more valuable than yourself. You start doing things out of rivalry, you [23:56] start doing things out of vengeance and retribution, you start doing things that just better you [24:01] and nothing else gets the benefit, you start doing things where all of your money is only

[24:06] invested in you and your kingdom and your leisure and what you want and what you need. [24:11] You begin to use everything that God has given you so that others can have the joy of Christ.

[24:20] You begin to make sacrifices to live for him. Instead of living for yourself, you live for [24:26] others. Why? Because that is what Jesus did. The big question you need to deal with in [24:32] your life is how do you do that? Because it’s one thing to say, yeah, that’s the journey. [24:38] And then we all run around and we’re like, we don’t know how to do it, but we’re trying.

[24:44] The New Testament, I’m going to be general, the New Testament is clear on two things. [24:50] That counting others is more significant than yourself. Living for others is done in two ways.

[24:58] Make disciples. And you build the Church of Jesus Christ. [25:03] You make disciples and you build the Church of Jesus Christ.

[25:08] I see so many people running around wanting to invest their lives and things that matter and the [25:14] things that God wants us to do. But you’re filled with activities that God has never been really clear about.

[25:23] And you’re just doing what you can.

[25:26] What I want you to understand is it’s not as complicated as we want it to be. [25:31] Because we want it to be complicated because that means we don’t have to do as much. [25:35] Because then we can be like, I’m just trying to find his will right now.

[25:40] I’m just trying to find what he wants to do with my gifts. [25:42] Well, what do you get? No clue.

[25:46] Hoping to find those as well.

[25:53] Jesus between Matthew 16 and Matthew 28 gives us the greatest chapters that I personally think the clearest in all of Scripture. [26:05] Do those chapters. Don’t worry, I’m not going to read them. It’s a lot of reading.

[26:11] He unpacks his vision for his people in the church. [26:16] I believe that in Matthew chapter 28, when Jesus says, go make disciples, [26:22] he’s giving us the vision of what he began to unpack in Matthew chapter 16 when he told Peter, [26:28] this is Peter on this rock. I will build my church. [26:33] Gates of hell will not prevail against it.

[26:39] Offensive term saying that the gates of hell will not be able to stop the advance of the church of Jesus Christ. [26:46] Between 16 and 28, he unpacks his beautiful vision of what the church will be, what the church will do, [26:53] what the church will take part in, and then he sacrifices his life for the church. [26:58] Sacrifices his life for his people. [27:00] Lays his life down for those whom he predestined.

[27:07] When Matthew 28 gets up, he says, death will not have victory over me. Go build my church. [27:16] Make disciples. Teach them the truth of all that I have commanded you. [27:22] I word all their reasons, all that I have commanded you. I believe truly that he’s looking back at everything that he’s unpacked in previous chapters. [27:30] And in the book of Ephesians, he gives us his great vision for his church, for his people. [27:35] This is what you’re building.

[27:40] Friends, the gospel of Jesus Christ is so good that our lives cannot be wasted on any other purpose. [27:46] But that which God has been crystal clear about. [27:49] We need to make disciples and we need to build his church. [27:53] Friends, and what I mean by that is that’s got to start somewhere. [27:55] The first place that’s going to start with many of you is that you commit to being a disciple and then making disciples.

[28:04] If I think that is one downfall that most of your lives have is that you are unwilling to devote the time and energy that you need to be made into a disciple and then making disciples. [28:19] Here’s what Romans chapter 12 says. I want to fast forward in our series of Romans. [28:23] We’re not going to get to chapter 12 for a long, long time, so you’ll have forgotten about this by then. [28:28] But he says in Romans chapter 12, verse 2, he says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect. [28:41] Friends, you will be transformed to conform to the image of Jesus rather than anything else when you commit to it. [28:50] When you put your investments in life into that thing.

[28:54] But too often, we look at discipleship as taking a brief break from being conformed to the image of the world to get a little transformation. [29:04] And then we go back to our regular scheduled activity.

[29:09] Too often, that’s the downfall of our discipleship. [29:13] Too often, that’s what we’re doing. [29:16] Your life needs to be all about being conformed to the image of Christ, to being transformed. [29:22] And that term just simply means changed.

[29:26] You need to commit your life to being changed, is what Paul means. [29:31] Your discipleship can be measured by the amount of change that you are experiencing in your mindset, in your faith, in your repentance of sin, into trusting the cross of Jesus Christ, and then also into your activities after that. [29:46] Because your motivations matter. Your motivations change through the process of following Jesus. [29:53] You need to remember the mission that Jesus has given you. [29:57] Where we fail so often is that we forget what God has called us to do. [30:02] And so we start focusing on a hundred different things.

[30:06] We need to remember the mission. [30:08] So many times the Apostle Paul in the New Testament, all of his letters, he ends his letters by saying, I write this to you by way of reminder.

[30:16] He’s not saying, oh, I’ve got something new for you. [30:19] He’s saying, you already know this, but you forget it. [30:23] How often in your weeks do you see yourself not acting as a follower of Jesus only to say, how have I forgotten the gospel?

[30:32] And then the process of repentance starts by what? [30:34] By remembering who your first love is, by remembering the gospel of Jesus, by remembering what it is that you need to be doing. [30:44] Friends, if you don’t have the knowledge, the process begins by gaining that knowledge, by saturating your mind with the scriptures. [30:52] And by remembering the truth of who Jesus is and who you are in light of who he is. [30:57] Because when you understand this, it begins to change the way that you live and you will live differently. [31:04] And I think that is what we’re so terrified of.

[31:09] Because a change is hard enough. [31:12] I mean, I don’t even like changing the TV channel half the time.

[31:17] My chair moved like a foot the other day in my house and my whole world was shattered.

[31:25] So I immediately pushed it back. [31:28] Like this is unacceptable. [31:30] The kingdom is being undone.

[31:34] So I’m very uncomfortable with change. [31:36] I’m a creature of habit. [31:37] Like to eat the same things over and over again, which I most of you crazy. [31:42] But the reality is that most of us, especially when it comes to something as big as the gospel [31:50] of Jesus, something as big as repenting of sins that have been habitual in your life [31:55] for possibly years, it’s very difficult to change, but it’s really more difficult to

[32:03] really want that change, to really put into practice the things that will promote that [32:09] change. Because you know what it’s gonna need? That you use your time differently. That [32:15] instead of pouring so much of your time over here, you start pouring it over here and then [32:20] over here and then over here and then you say, well, I don’t have any time for those [32:24] other things. Right. You don’t. You can’t have it all. Toyota lies. You cannot have [32:35] it all. No matter how hard you try, you’re making sacrifices. You’re either making sacrifices

[32:41] for the confirmation of Jesus Christ in your life or you’re making sacrifices against [32:46] it. Those are the only two options. There’s no sin. Friends, being conformed to the image [32:54] of Christ will require you to live differently. So you need to commit to living for the gospel, [33:00] to putting environments in place in your life where you remember the mission that Jesus [33:06] has called you to by his wonderful grace on the cross to the resurrection. The fact that [33:11] he has called you to himself. I don’t think we understand cosmologically how huge that

[33:17] is in the realm of eternity. That the creator God who spoke everything into existence has [33:22] called you to himself to be his people, to live for his purpose. There’s nothing bigger [33:29] in the history of the world than that. It was so quick to forget it and point our affections [33:37] somewhere else. You need to commit to loving God, loving others and making disciples. That [33:42] is how you get involved in the eternal plan. You work to see the gospel of Jesus go into [33:49] the lives of others. And this is how God builds his church. Friends, you cannot love others

[33:59] be disciples and make disciples without commitment to intentional environments and actions for [34:07] it. You can’t do it. You’re going to meddle into your life here. You may or may not like [34:15] it. That’s what I’m tasked with. That’s what I must do. We supply those environments and [34:25] those things. I never say those are the only ways to grow and be conformed to the image [34:29] of Christ. Those are the ways we do it as a church. So we call you into those things. [34:34] When you make decisions against those things, you really are making a decision against

[34:39] being conformed to the image of Christ and building his church. Here’s the reality. [34:43] If you are growing and being conformed to the image of Jesus, your life over time will [34:51] move from serving as a sacrifice to sacrificing in order to serve. Because most of you are [35:02] at a place right now where serving for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of others [35:10] to know him, for the sake of building the church is a big sacrifice for you. You’re [35:21] actually beginning to make sacrifices so you can serve more and more because that’s

[35:25] actually where you’re finding joy. Because wherever you’re finding your ultimate joy [35:31] is what you will sacrifice for. So there will come a place in your life if you’re being [35:37] conformed to the image of Christ where you will stop thinking about your life and saying, [35:40] oh, I’ve got to make all these sacrifices because I need to serve. I know it’s okay. [35:48] This is the same plan. You do that. I do it too. I’m not immune to this. You will begin [35:57] to see yourself saying, what can I sacrifice so that I can serve more? And that’s a completely

[36:03] different mindset. And understand that if you’re a follower of Jesus, that is the vision [36:08] for where you want to be. That is the vision for where you’re hoping God will take you. [36:13] Because that is the vision of the New Testament for your life. Let’s break this down by year. [36:20] If you’re a member here at Village Church, I think currently under the membership covenant [36:26] you commit to serving here in the church once a month. There are 12 months a year. So if [36:35] we break that down, you’re saying that there are 12 days a year that I will mark off to

[36:41] engage in serving. Many of you have taken more vacation days this summer for leisure [36:48] than you have intentionally taken all year to serve to build God’s church in front of [36:53] us. When you begin to think about it, you start saying, oh, where are my values actually?

[37:06] Some of you have taken your 36th much needed vacation day and spent it completely on yourself, [37:16] your rest, your recuperation, the river, the beach, whatever. And when you see your name [37:26] on that serving schedule, you say, wow, I don’t have time for that. See, we need to get that [37:35] honest about what we do and how we spend our time, what that actually reveals about where our [37:42] affections actually are. Because your affections will be seen in what you value and what you value [37:49] will be seen in how you actually expend your energy in this life. It’s the question that you

[37:55] need to confront yourself with. And friends, it’s a question I have to confront myself with.

[38:00] This is my schedule revealing that my affections are more for this world or for the gospel of [38:07] Jesus Christ. Because your schedule can diagnose what your spiritual condition actually is.

[38:16] And if it’s true that you’re spending all of your energy, all of your time on yourself, [38:22] then that’s your whole vision for growing, for the gospel of Jesus is concerned. [38:27] And if that’s your vision, then friends, that’s why you’re not growing.

[38:32] You need to commit to loving others. You need to commit to living for the gospel. [38:40] You need to commit to growing in the gospel. You need to commit to all of the environments that are [38:50] And the reality is, and I want to be very clear, that when you make those commitments, [38:54] it’s going to necessarily change your schedule. And friends, it should. It should. [39:04] Thirdly, this morning, I want you to understand that being conformed to the image of Christ is about [39:07] trusting that your future is set by Christ. Being conformed to the image of Christ is about

[39:14] trusting that your future is set by Christ.

[39:18] Last week, we talked about the fact that God in eternity past predestined what would take place. [39:23] But then at the end of verse 30, Paul uses this very interesting phrase. He says, [39:29] those who be called, they’ll also justify it. Those who be justified, they’ll also glorify it. [39:35] I don’t have time to unpack justification. Please go back in our Roman series. [39:40] We spent like, I think, three months on it. So set some time aside. It’s going to take a lot of runs.

[39:49] But I want to talk about that term glorified. It’s an interesting term because it’s about something [39:54] that hasn’t taken place for you yet. It’s about something that hadn’t taken place for Paul yet when he wrote this. [40:00] It was something that hadn’t taken place for the people in the Church of Rome. [40:04] He’s talking specifically about what he talked about in Romans chapter 8, verse 21. [40:09] In Romans chapter 8, verse 21, he’s talking about the suffering that this world is enduring. [40:14] And he says, the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption

[40:20] and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. [40:25] This is a future event when everything is consummated and Jesus returns for His people. [40:31] And we go and we’re glorified. We spend eternity with Him. [40:35] It’s a future event. He calls it the redemption of our bodies, the resurrection of the dead, [40:39] the resurrection to us to glorify bodies that are imperishable, eternal. [40:44] That’s a day that is coming. But in Romans 8, 30, he uses the past tense to talk about it.

[40:51] And I personally believe that that’s a purposeful action by Paul. [40:55] Because he’s been talking about the things that have been predestined. [40:58] And he’s saying basically, your glorification, the redemption of your body, your resurrection [41:04] when Jesus returns for His people is so set. It’s so certain. [41:11] It’s so much a reality that I will talk about it in the past tense as though it has already happened. [41:18] Because it’s unshakable. There’s no doubt about it.

[41:22] And when you live as a disciple of Jesus Christ, when you follow Jesus, [41:27] your activities in life serve to show what you believe about the future.

[41:34] You see friends, discipleship is an activity that reveals what you believe about the future. [41:40] You’re all being discipled. The question is, is what are you being discipled towards?

[41:46] And when he talks about the term glorifying, when he talks about the redemption of your bodies earlier in Romans 8, [41:52] what he’s beginning to say for you is that when you are taking part in discipleship [41:58] and being made into a disciple as well as making others into disciples, [42:01] what you’re saying is, is I believe that the future is set by the God that I’m being discipled towards. [42:08] It’s an activity in eschatology.

[42:12] Friends, Paul is writing about God’s plan for your life. [42:19] The level of trust that you need to have. [42:22] He’s calling you to be all in on the Gospel. [42:25] He’s saying that is the only thing that you can be certain of about the future in your life. [42:31] It’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the fact that he will make good on all of his promises, [42:36] chiefly in this context, the promise that he will work all things for good.

[42:41] But if you are not being conformed to the image of Christ, [42:46] what does that say about whether or not you believe all things work together according to his good? [42:53] What does that say about your relationship with Jesus? [42:55] What does that say about your faith? [42:56] What does that say about what you actually trust in with your life? [43:02] See, Philippians chapter 1 puts it in more practical terms.

[43:05] The Apostle Paul writes, he says, I am sure of this. [43:09] I’m certain. I know.

[43:13] He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

[43:23] What he’s saying there is there’s a point A of your discipleship. [43:26] That’s the he who began a good work. [43:29] So there’s a day where you began your process of discipleship. [43:33] He’s saying if you trust in Jesus Christ, there’s a point B. [43:37] And that point B is when you are finally conformed to the image of Christ, [43:43] when you’re glorified, when the redemption of your body happens.

[43:48] What Paul’s saying is that everything in between there shows to reveal whether you actually trust that or not. [43:56] How you use your time, how you use your energy, [43:58] how you use all the gifts that God has given you in this life go to reveal the place that your faith is actually in.

[44:09] When will that happen? [44:10] When Jesus returns. The point, though, is that there really isn’t any question as to whether it will happen. [44:17] It’s set. It’s certain. It’s predestined. [44:23] He will fulfill his promises. [44:24] Friends, I simply call you to live for what God has declared about the future. [44:32] If you are in Christ, God has declared that you are to live in such a way to believe what God has said to conform you to the image of his son.

[44:44] Do you trust what God has promised? [44:47] If you do, then live in light of your faith. [44:52] Because when you do that, you will be conformed to the image of Christ. [45:00] Friends, if you’re restless in life, so many of you are, [45:06] look to the purpose that God says will conform you to the image of his son, Jesus Christ. [45:13] Believe that it will conform you to his image.

[45:16] Believe the word of God. [45:20] Friends, every week our response to the word of God is communed to the Lord’s Supper. [45:30] When we eat and drink of this meal, we proclaim that we are in need of what God has for us.

[45:41] I can tell you one thing’s for certain about me. [45:44] I have not yet been fully conformed to the image of Christ. [45:49] I’m still in process. [45:52] I’m still growing. [45:54] I’m still learning. [45:55] Frankly, I’m still repenting.

[45:58] When you eat and drink of the Lord’s Supper, the bread representing the broken body of Jesus on the cross, [46:04] the cup representing his shed blood, [46:07] what you’re doing is that you’re proclaiming, [46:12] I still need Jesus.

[46:15] I’m still dependent on God’s grace.

[46:19] Come to a table,

[46:24] in need, with nothing to offer God. [46:28] And then God says, what you’re doing through communion [46:32] is it is a picture that God has everything that you need. [46:38] And when you eat and when you drink, it’s a picture that God has supplied with everything that you need [46:43] through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus.

[46:47] And when I eat and when I drink, what I say is that I believe God can fulfill me. [46:55] And he’ll fulfill his promises over and over for me. [46:59] Friends, if you believe that, there are stations in the back. [47:02] There are stations in the front. [47:05] Come. [47:06] Proclaim your need.

[47:07] I’m going to go ahead and get right into it. [47:10] The questions that came in. [47:12] What do you do if you want to set your mind on Christ, but you never feel anything? [47:18] This is something that I would say I’m personally acquainted with. [47:23] I basically have two moods, three if you consider hungry a mood.

[47:29] Hungry, grumpy, and sleepy. [47:31] It’s a lot like the dwarfs. [47:33] And because of that, I am not that emotional of a person. [47:39] Therefore, my affections don’t always come out through me being a very feeling person. [47:45] And because of that, when I go to study the scriptures [47:50] or just read them as a spiritual discipline and spend time in prayer,

[47:55] quite frankly, there have been seasons in my life where it’s almost like there’s a drought taking place. [48:01] So those have been seasons where when the psalmist writes, he says, [48:05] as the deer pants for the water so my soul longs for you. [48:08] That’s not like a happy-go-lucky psalm. [48:11] That’s a psalm of I feel dehydrated because I don’t feel like the presence of the Lord is active right now in my life. [48:19] And so sometimes because of how unemotional I am, and people will tell me, you know, I just I felt this or I felt that.

[48:25] And then that’s when I get quiet. I’m like, yeah, me too.

[48:29] But it’s like something wrong with me. [48:32] But what you do is, is you have faith.

[48:36] And what faith tells me to do is faith says, even when I feel nothing, I submit my life. [48:45] I surrender my life. [48:48] I’ve come to realize that through surrender, when I go to the word, when I don’t really feel like going to the word, [48:54] when I go into times of prayer, when I don’t really feel like going in times of prayer, [48:58] I’m actually expressing dependence and I’m fighting sin in greater ways than when I feel like it.

[49:07] So when you don’t feel it, friends, quite frankly, those are the times you need. [49:12] Those are the times you need to do what John Piper called fight to desire God, because for some of us, [49:19] and maybe you’re acquainted with this as I am, it is a fight to give your affections to God, [49:26] especially when you’re not that in touch with your affections to begin with. [49:30] And so what I say to you is, is you set your mind on Christ by surrendering your time to Christ, [49:35] by when the flesh and it is the flesh tells you, I don’t need the word today.

[49:39] You say, oh, I need to work more today because of that. [49:41] And your act of repentance is actually going to the word. [49:45] It’s actually you fighting for prayer. [49:47] And I said this a few weeks ago in Q&A. [49:49] But when you pray, don’t worry about your eloquence. [49:53] Even if you don’t have words to say, God doesn’t call you to be eloquent.

[49:56] God just calls you to be present.

[49:59] God doesn’t care about your words being amazing. [50:03] He just wants you to surrender to the fact that you’re actually saying physically, I need you. [50:09] So I found the most unfeeling people actually need the most.

[50:15] That’s been my experience.

[50:18] Secondly, this morning, why is Jesus referred to here as the firstborn? [50:21] He is part of the eternal, uncreated Godhead. [50:25] I would say the scripture shows us in the number one, I want to deal with this in an overarching Godhead reality. [50:32] And then I want to talk about it in practical, what he’s actually saying in Romans, Chapter 8. [50:36] But what we’re talking about in the eternal Godhead is that Jesus’ position within the Godhead has always been the position of God the Son. [50:43] That is not a new thing. That’s an eternal reality.

[50:46] And Colossians said he’s the firstborn over all of creation. [50:50] And what he’s saying there is not that Jesus was born to God. [50:54] But what he’s saying is that’s actually a position historically in the cultural context to show his authority. [51:02] That he is the authority figure over all of the brethren. [51:07] And historically that context is very important to understanding chiefly what he’s saying in Romans 8 about the analogy of adoption. [51:16] When he says that Jesus, so that Jesus might be the firstborn among many brethren, he’s actually saying that when you become a joint heir with Christ, you do not possess the authority of Christ.

[51:28] You are submitting to the firstborn in the family who actually has all of the authority. [51:36] But an analogy also is helpful when you’re thinking about yourself as part of the family of God. [51:42] And I believe that’s part of his divine decree of predestination. [51:45] That God is so wise that he created the family so that we would understand what it means to be part of his family. [51:52] And so God the Son is the firstborn over all the brothers and sisters that become part of the family of Jesus. [51:59] And he’s the one that speaks for us. He’s the one that works for us. He’s the one that intercedes for us.

[52:05] Because he’s the one that has all the authority. Everything falls under his feet as Philippians and Ephesians remind us.

[52:14] What would you say to a believer who’s struggling with depression? [52:19] First thing I would say is keep struggling. [52:22] You know, we talked about that in Romans chapter 7. [52:26] That a fruit of salvation can often be found inside of the fact that there is a struggle. [52:33] It should frighten us when there is no struggle. [52:37] If there’s no struggle, then is there any fruit?

[52:42] Well, the fact that there is a struggle can be a great fruit of salvation. [52:46] But then number two, understand that Romans 8 is this wonderful text. [52:51] And it’s a text that I go to all the time. [52:53] If I was to say, if I could have one chapter of the Bible to read for the rest of my life, by God’s grace, that’s not true. [53:00] But if I did, it would probably be Romans 8. [53:03] Because it really does give me everything. It gives me the no condemnation of God’s grace.

[53:07] It gives me the fact that my mind needs to be set on the Spirit of God. [53:11] That my life needs to be set towards the Spirit of God and that God is acquainted with my struggle.

[53:18] That’s what Romans 8, in the center there where he starts talking about the groanings of creation and the groanings of your life. [53:26] Everything that we struggle with in this life is an effect of the curse of sin. [53:30] But when we struggle in faith, we realize that there is coming a day where we won’t have to struggle anymore. [53:37] And that is when the redemption of our bodies takes place. [53:40] And so keep struggling. [53:42] Now, if you’re having thoughts of, you know, is God good?

[53:47] Preach the Gospel to yourself. [53:49] But if it goes past that, and I’m very clear here, that if your depression turns to thoughts of self harm, [53:55] if your depression turns to thoughts of injuring yourself, someone else, thoughts of despair, seek help. [54:03] One of the greatest graces that God gives into our culture is the Church of Jesus Christ. [54:06] You don’t have to struggle alone, nor should you. [54:10] Pictures all over the scriptures of the fact that you were not meant to struggle alone.

[54:14] So you should seek help within the church. [54:16] And also, if you’re within the church and a friend comes to you in that way, you might possibly need professional help as well. [54:22] I would love to refer you to someone if you’re in need of that.

[54:29] Next, how do you balance out commitment to church following Jesus and other commitments in life? [54:34] Good luck.

[54:37] It’s kind of the best advice I got for you. [54:39] You know, here’s the key. [54:43] There’s going to be a lot of tension in your life if you breathe. [54:48] But there’s going to be even more tension in your life if you’re a follower of Jesus in a fallen world. [54:54] Because there’s so many things that are pulling at our time and pulling at our commitments day in and day out. [55:02] But what I really want you to understand is I think you get that.

[55:05] But what I think you’re struggling in is one very important word. [55:10] No.

[55:14] You need to say no to more things that have nothing to do with Jesus Christ. [55:22] Quite frankly. [55:24] And I’m seeing this in kids more than I am anything else. [55:26] I’m going to meddle a little bit. [55:27] But that’s what preaching is all about anyway. [55:30] You’ve got your kid in a math tutor on Monday, a science tutor on Tuesday, soccer on Wednesday, baseball on Thursday,

[55:38] his baseball tutor on Friday, Saturday. [55:42] He’s at his soccer tutor in the morning. [55:44] Then he drives four hours to a soccer tournament to stay overnight somewhere to be in two-day tournaments. [55:49] And then Monday, he’s got to be at school Monday morning with all of his homework done, well rested, clothes clean, balanced diet. [55:57] You’re killing. [55:59] You’re killing yourself.

[56:00] You’re killing your kids. [56:01] Stop it. [56:02] Stop it. [56:03] Your child’s not going to play professional sports. [56:05] Get over it.

[56:10] I mean, get over it. [56:11] Numbers don’t lie. [56:12] No one makes it. [56:14] I’m convinced none of them actually exist. [56:16] They’re robots. [56:19] All right.

[56:20] And quite frankly, the way that you use your time and the way that you invest your time and your child’s time [56:25] does show what you value in this life. [56:28] And so you need to be saying no to more things that have nothing to do with discipleship. [56:33] You’re not called by God to create or to birth or conceive the next LeBron James or Pele. [56:41] I don’t know who any of them are. [56:43] But I could say all the baseball players, but I won’t do that right now to show you my sense.

[56:48] But the reality is that you are called by God to make a disciple of your child.

[56:57] That’s it. [56:59] And so if you blow it, and I want to be clear, on everything else, everything, you blew it. [57:08] They didn’t get the best reading book. [57:10] I mean, it was just like, oh, my goodness, you forgot to get them a tutor. [57:13] You know, oh, my goodness, he can’t do brilliant geometry equations. [57:16] But he’s a disciple of Jesus Christ.

[57:21] Right. Great.

[57:25] What is the role of repentance in placing your faith in Christ? [57:29] The role of repentance. [57:31] And I think we talked about this a little bit in Chapter 6 and the beginning of Chapter 8, [57:36] where the term conversion, specifically to be converted in the original language, [57:42] means from turning from one thing to another thing. [57:45] So you cannot come to faith in Jesus Christ without repentance,

[57:50] without realizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. [57:53] And that’s what happens, is that you turn your life from that towards Him, [57:59] in hopes that He will redeem you from your sin. [58:02] And that’s mostly going to be a general knowledge. [58:06] Okay. [58:07] So it’s a fact. I know I’m a dirty, rotten scoundrel. I’m a sinner.

[58:12] I have missed the mark. I’ve transgressed against God. [58:15] I’ve broken His law. Because of that, I deserve hell. [58:18] But Jesus, by His grace, by His sacrifice, has saved me from that. [58:23] But then, as you grow in following Jesus, repentance gets more specific. [58:31] J.I. Packer, great quote, I love it. [58:33] He says that repentance is turning from as much as you know of yourself,

[58:37] as much as you know of your sin, and as much as you know of God, towards Him. [58:40] And then as you grow in your knowledge of those three areas, your repentance grows. [58:46] And so, in my life, I’m still discovering places where I’m sinful. [58:51] And when I discover those places, I convert. I repent. [58:56] I turn towards Jesus rather than those things. [59:01] Aren’t there ways to make disciples outside of the church?

[59:12] You can’t make a disciple without the church.

[59:16] There are great things to take part in that will turn into discipleship. [59:22] So let me be clear. There are great things to take part in that will begin the process of discipleship [59:28] in people’s life that are outside of the walls of the church. [59:31] But you cannot follow Jesus without the church. [59:33] So if their discipleship never translates into investing life in the local church [59:41] and growing in the body of Christ, then they’re not becoming a disciple of Christ.

[59:45] The church is His bride. [59:47] You can’t know Jesus without also knowing His bride. [59:52] And so whatever it is that you’re doing needs to have a pathway to the local church. [59:58] And if it doesn’t, it’s not helpful. [60:01] So you need to make it helpful. [60:05] Is it wrong to find satisfaction or happiness in things outside of Christ,

[60:09] like work, relationships, material things?

[60:14] The tough part of that question is the term outside of Christ, [60:19] because nothing outside of Christ will ever give you any satisfaction or happiness. [60:25] The pursuit of life is letting the gospel engage you in such a way [60:32] that you begin to look at work, relationships, material things, etc. [60:37] as things that fall under the authority and reign of Christ [60:41] and begin to attempt to redeem those things for the purpose of Christ.

[60:47] And when you find something and you’re like, I can’t make that work for Jesus. [60:52] I can’t make that conform me to the image of Christ, then you need to abandon that.

[61:00] If you have any more questions, please feel free to email them to me. [61:04] Get in touch with me this week. Call me, email me, Facebook me, tweet me, Skype me, whatever. [61:11] All the wonderful things that exist nowadays to keep us in touch every minute of every day. [61:17] Feel free to contact me. I love you guys. Have a great day. [61:20] Let me pray for you first. Father, thank you so much for these people. [61:24] Thank you so much for your son, Jesus Christ.

[61:27] You’re a great God. Your kingdom is coming. [61:30] Prepare us for it. Amen.