1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,000 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,040 –> 00:00:08,140 To contact us, 3 00:00:08,140 –> 00:00:11,760 call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 4 00:00:11,760 –> 00:00:15,760 Or visit our website openthebible.org 5 00:00:15,980 –> 00:00:17,580 Let’s get to the message. 6 00:00:17,580 –> 00:00:20,400 Here is Pastor Colin. 7 00:00:20,400 –> 00:00:21,820 Today we’re returning to our series 8 00:00:21,820 –> 00:00:24,980 Regeneration. How Christ changes your soul 9 00:00:24,980 –> 00:00:29,059 And we’re seeing that becoming a Christian involves a miracle of God’s 10 00:00:29,059 –> 00:00:29,860 grace 11 00:00:29,860 –> 00:00:33,619 in which he makes you a new person in Jesus Christ. 12 00:00:33,619 –> 00:00:36,799 If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation 13 00:00:36,799 –> 00:00:40,180 the old has gone and the new has come. 14 00:00:40,180 –> 00:00:43,279 Now creating is something that God does. 15 00:00:43,279 –> 00:00:46,320 It involves bringing something into existence 16 00:00:46,320 –> 00:00:51,980 that was not there before. When you redo your house, if you do a remodeling 17 00:00:51,980 –> 00:00:56,099 you kind of primarily move things around, move some walls, make it better than it 18 00:00:56,099 –> 00:00:57,119 was before. 19 00:00:57,119 –> 00:01:00,799 Creating is different. Creating is bringing into existence something that 20 00:01:00,799 –> 00:01:02,299 was not there before. 21 00:01:02,299 –> 00:01:07,820 And the Bible does not say to us if anyone is in Christ he is remodeled. 22 00:01:07,820 –> 00:01:11,680 The old is worse than the new is better. It doesn’t say that. It’s not a matter 23 00:01:11,680 –> 00:01:14,220 of improvement, sprucing up your life 24 00:01:14,220 –> 00:01:18,580 by faith in Jesus. It’s if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. 25 00:01:18,580 –> 00:01:21,620 The old is gone and the new 26 00:01:21,620 –> 00:01:25,040 has come and we’re exploring what that means 27 00:01:25,279 –> 00:01:28,900 and what it is that God brings into existence that was not actually there 28 00:01:28,900 –> 00:01:29,580 before 29 00:01:29,580 –> 00:01:34,239 in your life. And today we’re going to look at how God brings a new mind into 30 00:01:34,239 –> 00:01:35,360 existence. 31 00:01:35,360 –> 00:01:39,120 It changes what you think. Next week a new heart 32 00:01:39,120 –> 00:01:42,320 changes what you love and then a new will 33 00:01:42,320 –> 00:01:46,540 changes what you choose. And so I hope you’ll have your Bible open at 34 00:01:46,540 –> 00:01:48,000 2 Corinthians 4, 35 00:01:48,000 –> 00:01:51,660 one of the most marvelous and important passages in the whole of the New 36 00:01:51,660 –> 00:01:52,519 Testament 37 00:01:52,599 –> 00:01:57,639 on the subject of ministry and what it means for a life to be 38 00:01:57,639 –> 00:02:04,639 changed by God’s regenerating grace. Now last Monday was the 40th anniversary 39 00:02:05,339 –> 00:02:09,800 of man landing on the moon. What an amazing 40 00:02:09,800 –> 00:02:14,679 achievement that was. The BBC in England, where we were last week, 41 00:02:14,679 –> 00:02:19,199 running features on this all week, and on Monday morning as I was driving 42 00:02:19,199 –> 00:02:21,839 across the South of England toward the airport to return 43 00:02:22,800 –> 00:02:26,000 extensive coverage. It was absolutely fascinating interviews 44 00:02:26,000 –> 00:02:32,240 with Buzz Aldrin. Archived footage from the original NASA 45 00:02:32,240 –> 00:02:36,479 recordings, when the landing actually took place, recordings 46 00:02:36,479 –> 00:02:40,479 from mission control, marvellous words of Neil Armstrong being 47 00:02:40,479 –> 00:02:44,440 repeated again and again. One small step for man, one 48 00:02:44,440 –> 00:02:51,300 giant leap for mankind. And then there was a man being 49 00:02:51,320 –> 00:02:54,100 interviewed on the radio on behalf of, they said, the 50 00:02:54,100 –> 00:02:59,520 small but vociferous group, who 40 years later do not believe 51 00:02:59,520 –> 00:03:02,919 that the moon landings ever took place. 52 00:03:02,919 –> 00:03:06,100 They had this guy up against, debating with a scientist from 53 00:03:06,100 –> 00:03:10,259 NASA. My goodness, he was vociferous. Where is the 54 00:03:10,259 –> 00:03:15,119 evidence? He said. Where is the evidence? Pictures, as far as he 55 00:03:15,119 –> 00:03:18,800 were concerned, had been doctored. Moon rocks had been 56 00:03:18,860 –> 00:03:22,059 dug up, apparently from Antarctica and the whole thing, 57 00:03:22,059 –> 00:03:26,460 according to him, was a massive conspiracy involving thousands 58 00:03:26,460 –> 00:03:30,820 of people to deceive the American public and the wider 59 00:03:30,820 –> 00:03:33,259 world, and so forth and so on. And, it was all political. 60 00:03:33,259 –> 00:03:37,660 The BBC interviewer said, well, you know it’s strange 61 00:03:37,660 –> 00:03:40,000 that none of these thousands of people involved in the 62 00:03:40,000 –> 00:03:42,960 deception have broken ranks in the last 40 years and 63 00:03:42,960 –> 00:03:45,960 actually owned up to it. But oh well, he said, just you 64 00:03:46,960 –> 00:03:51,179 wait. When I got back, I checked out on the Internet and 65 00:03:51,179 –> 00:03:58,179 found that in 1989, there was a gallop poll taken, in which 66 00:03:58,660 –> 00:04:03,059 it found that 6% of all Americans do not believe that 67 00:04:03,059 –> 00:04:07,860 the moon landings actually took place, and a further 5% 68 00:04:07,860 –> 00:04:12,300 are undecided. This is amazing. 69 00:04:12,300 –> 00:04:17,980 Over 10% in the country that did it. So I’m kind of 70 00:04:17,980 –> 00:04:21,519 reeling from this and saying, what promotes this kind 71 00:04:21,519 –> 00:04:27,440 of radical skepticism? And I don’t know. It seems to 72 00:04:27,440 –> 00:04:31,000 me that this would be a marvellous to do a PhD subject 73 00:04:31,000 –> 00:04:35,660 what makes people predisposed towards skepticism. 74 00:04:35,660 –> 00:04:38,920 What does that? I don’t know. 75 00:04:38,920 –> 00:04:41,519 I don’t know what predisposes some people to 76 00:04:41,579 –> 00:04:46,299 disbelieve in moon landings. But the bible does tell us 77 00:04:46,299 –> 00:04:51,459 what lies behind unbelief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 78 00:04:51,459 –> 00:04:54,899 And we’re going to look at that today. And before we do 79 00:04:54,899 –> 00:04:57,899 it let me just say this. That this is not a theoretical 80 00:04:57,899 –> 00:05:01,140 issue. It is deeply personal for you and it is deeply 81 00:05:01,140 –> 00:05:06,299 personal for me. Think about people in your life, family, 82 00:05:06,399 –> 00:05:11,640 friends, colleagues, who do not believe. Who are skeptics. 83 00:05:11,640 –> 00:05:15,119 Who have heard the gospel but it makes no impression on 84 00:05:15,119 –> 00:05:18,079 their life. They have not responded as you have 85 00:05:18,079 –> 00:05:21,420 responded. Do you have family, friends, colleagues who do 86 00:05:21,420 –> 00:05:25,200 not believe? Is there someone you’re praying for who’s 87 00:05:25,200 –> 00:05:28,279 heard the gospel many times but it never makes any 88 00:05:28,279 –> 00:05:30,660 impression on them? Have you ever asked this question, 89 00:05:30,660 –> 00:05:35,600 what is going on in them? What’s happening inside that 90 00:05:35,940 –> 00:05:42,399 guy’s mind? Well we’re going to go inside the mind of an 91 00:05:42,399 –> 00:05:47,500 unbeliever today. You say how do you think that. How could 92 00:05:47,500 –> 00:05:49,980 you possibly do that? Isn’t it arrogant to think you can 93 00:05:49,980 –> 00:05:52,119 know what’s going on inside of another person’s mind? 94 00:05:52,119 –> 00:05:57,760 Well listen, God knows what is going on inside every 95 00:05:57,760 –> 00:06:00,959 mind. The mind of those who believe, the mind of those 96 00:06:00,959 –> 00:06:04,640 who do not believe. When we open the Bible we are opening 97 00:06:04,640 –> 00:06:07,399 the Word of God in which he reveals things to us that we 98 00:06:07,399 –> 00:06:11,899 would not otherwise know. And right here in 2nd Corinthians 99 00:06:11,899 –> 00:06:15,019 in chapter 4 he tells us very clearly what is going on 100 00:06:15,019 –> 00:06:20,440 inside the mind of an unbelieving person. That 101 00:06:20,440 –> 00:06:23,700 includes the folks I am thinking of and praying for 102 00:06:23,700 –> 00:06:27,519 who are deeply skeptical and the ones that you may be able 103 00:06:27,519 –> 00:06:32,079 to identify in your mind and heart right now. So will you 104 00:06:32,079 –> 00:06:34,700 open your Bible then at 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and 105 00:06:34,700 –> 00:06:37,619 let’s look at verse 4. We’re going inside the mind of an 106 00:06:37,619 –> 00:06:40,959 unbeliever. And you notice that Paul says there, 107 00:06:40,959 –> 00:06:44,420 the God of this age – now that’s a reference to Satan by 108 00:06:44,420 –> 00:06:45,720 the way – 109 00:06:45,720 –> 00:06:52,119 the God of this age, Satan, has blinded the minds of 110 00:06:52,119 –> 00:07:00,160 unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the 111 00:07:00,480 –> 00:07:06,179 Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of 112 00:07:06,179 –> 00:07:09,420 God. Now let’s just try and take this in. Paul is 113 00:07:09,420 –> 00:07:11,799 talking about people who do not believe the Gospel, 114 00:07:11,799 –> 00:07:15,480 unbelievers. And he says here is the condition of a 115 00:07:15,480 –> 00:07:20,959 person who is not a believer the God of this world 116 00:07:20,959 –> 00:07:25,359 has blinded that person’s mind. If you’re blind it 117 00:07:25,359 –> 00:07:28,220 means you cannot see what is there. You don’t see 118 00:07:28,260 –> 00:07:32,200 what other people see. And so here are people who 119 00:07:32,200 –> 00:07:35,839 have heard the gospel. But it makes no impression 120 00:07:35,839 –> 00:07:37,859 on them. They don’t see it. They don’t get it. It 121 00:07:37,859 –> 00:07:40,500 makes no difference to them. Now let’s ask this 122 00:07:40,500 –> 00:07:43,440 further question. What is it exactly that the 123 00:07:43,440 –> 00:07:48,859 unbeliever does not see? Paul tells us here, the 124 00:07:48,859 –> 00:07:53,679 unbeliever cannot see the glory of Christ. They 125 00:07:53,679 –> 00:07:56,420 cannot see the light of the Gospel. Verse four, of 126 00:07:56,420 –> 00:08:01,000 the glory of Christ. So the unbeliever hears about 127 00:08:01,000 –> 00:08:04,320 Jesus but what he hears about Jesus does not make 128 00:08:04,320 –> 00:08:06,839 much impression on them. He doesn’t see much in the 129 00:08:06,839 –> 00:08:10,299 Lord Jesus Christ. So if this person comes to 130 00:08:10,299 –> 00:08:13,179 church, they will perhaps be impressed by many 131 00:08:13,179 –> 00:08:16,700 things. A person who comes to this church may well 132 00:08:16,700 –> 00:08:19,079 say, boy this is a really beautiful building. 133 00:08:19,720 –> 00:08:21,980 They’ll certainly say, I’m sure. These are very 134 00:08:21,980 –> 00:08:25,480 wonderful people, what warm people. I enjoyed 135 00:08:25,480 –> 00:08:27,700 getting to know people, so friendly, marvellous. 136 00:08:28,480 –> 00:08:31,839 They may say marvellous music. They may even say 137 00:08:31,839 –> 00:08:33,760 a couple of nice things about the preacher but 138 00:08:33,760 –> 00:08:36,919 they will not be deeply impressed by Jesus Christ. 139 00:08:36,919 –> 00:08:39,840 They will not go away enthralled by him. They’ll 140 00:08:39,840 –> 00:08:43,280 talk about everything else. But Jesus Christ they 141 00:08:43,280 –> 00:08:47,159 will not see much in him whatever is said about 142 00:08:47,159 –> 00:08:49,400 him. So you see when you’re talking with 143 00:08:49,400 –> 00:08:52,219 someone who does not believe, whatever the 144 00:08:52,219 –> 00:08:55,239 issues that you debate, at the core the difference 145 00:08:55,239 –> 00:08:59,539 is that they do not see in Jesus what you see in 146 00:08:59,539 –> 00:09:03,039 him. They just don’t see it. The unbelieving 147 00:09:03,039 –> 00:09:04,919 mind cannot grasp the glory of Christ. It can’t 148 00:09:04,919 –> 00:09:08,039 see it. And by the way, have you noticed that 149 00:09:08,039 –> 00:09:10,719 this is true of the world’s religions, that the 150 00:09:10,719 –> 00:09:15,000 world’s great religions do not see much in Jesus? 151 00:09:15,000 –> 00:09:17,599 The world’s great religions offer a morality, a 152 00:09:17,599 –> 00:09:21,020 way of life, a code of ethics, they offer a 153 00:09:21,140 –> 00:09:25,239 social hub, they offer rituals for worship. They 154 00:09:25,239 –> 00:09:27,359 say some things about Jesus but they don’t see 155 00:09:27,359 –> 00:09:29,719 much in him. They will acknowledge Jesus as a 156 00:09:29,719 –> 00:09:34,280 profit so long as he is one profit among many. 157 00:09:34,280 –> 00:09:36,500 The polytheistic religions of the world may 158 00:09:36,500 –> 00:09:39,760 even acknowledge him as a deity, one deity among 159 00:09:39,760 –> 00:09:43,299 many. They may see him as an inspiration, an 160 00:09:43,299 –> 00:09:48,400 example, a great teacher, always one among many. 161 00:09:48,400 –> 00:09:50,320 As far as the great religions of the world are 162 00:09:50,380 –> 00:09:54,119 concerned, the portrait of Jesus as it were, it 163 00:09:54,119 –> 00:09:56,940 hangs on the same wall with many others. They do 164 00:09:56,940 –> 00:10:01,340 not see a unique glory in Jesus Christ and that 165 00:10:01,340 –> 00:10:05,000 is what Paul is saying about all unbelief that 166 00:10:05,119 –> 00:10:07,440 its distinguishing mark is that the unbelieving 167 00:10:07,440 –> 00:10:12,520 might cannot see the glory of Christ. 168 00:10:13,780 –> 00:10:16,200 Remember on one occasion in the gospel man came 169 00:10:16,200 –> 00:10:18,400 to Jesus and he wanted to ask a question. He 170 00:10:18,520 –> 00:10:21,080 said, good teacher and Jesus stopped him right 171 00:10:21,080 –> 00:10:24,400 there. He said, wait a minute, why are you calling 172 00:10:24,400 –> 00:10:27,659 me good? There’s only one good and that is God. 173 00:10:27,659 –> 00:10:30,500 See, so what Jesus is saying is you’re coming 174 00:10:30,500 –> 00:10:32,159 to me and you’re calling me a good teacher, is 175 00:10:32,159 –> 00:10:35,880 that all you see in me? Because if that’s all you 176 00:10:35,880 –> 00:10:38,700 see in me, then you haven’t even begun to know 177 00:10:38,700 –> 00:10:42,520 who I am, that’s why Jesus stopped him right 178 00:10:42,520 –> 00:10:43,419 there. 179 00:10:43,419 –> 00:10:45,760 Now it follows that because the unbelieving 180 00:10:45,919 –> 00:10:50,119 mind does not see much in Jesus, the unbelieving 181 00:10:50,119 –> 00:10:52,140 mind cannot therefore see the light of the 182 00:10:52,140 –> 00:10:54,539 gospel and do you notice that Paul says that 183 00:10:54,539 –> 00:10:58,599 here in verse 4. Cannot see the light of the 184 00:10:58,599 –> 00:11:00,760 gospel of the glory of Christ. By the way, do 185 00:11:00,760 –> 00:11:02,900 you notice that phrase, isn’t that beautiful? 186 00:11:02,900 –> 00:11:05,059 What is the gospel? What is the good news? It 187 00:11:05,059 –> 00:11:09,859 is the gospel of the glory of Christ. Everything 188 00:11:09,859 –> 00:11:12,020 that we have to say to the world is about Jesus 189 00:11:12,020 –> 00:11:15,559 Christ and about his glory, the good news of 190 00:11:15,559 –> 00:11:18,340 incarnation, his perfect life, his atoning death, 191 00:11:18,340 –> 00:11:21,859 his wonderful resurrection, his reigning at the 192 00:11:21,859 –> 00:11:24,020 right hand of the father and the promise of his 193 00:11:24,020 –> 00:11:27,419 coming and glory is offer of forgiveness, glorious, 194 00:11:27,659 –> 00:11:31,760 the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ. It is all 195 00:11:31,760 –> 00:11:34,359 about him. But if you don’t see much in Jesus, 196 00:11:34,359 –> 00:11:38,359 you won’t see much in the gospel. So the 197 00:11:38,359 –> 00:11:40,520 unbelieving mind hears the gospel, but it never 198 00:11:40,520 –> 00:11:44,539 sounds like the answer to that person. Therefore 199 00:11:44,539 –> 00:11:46,619 they are always looking for something else. They 200 00:11:46,619 –> 00:11:49,260 cannot see the light of the gospel. It brings no 201 00:11:49,260 –> 00:11:51,780 hope, nor comfort, nor peace, nor joy to them. 202 00:11:51,780 –> 00:11:57,260 They remain in darkness. Now, Paul says this is 203 00:11:57,260 –> 00:12:02,700 Satan’s work. It is the God of this world who has 204 00:12:02,700 –> 00:12:06,580 blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they 205 00:12:06,619 –> 00:12:11,619 cannot see the glory, the gospel of Jesus Christ. 206 00:12:16,500 –> 00:12:21,219 This is the wretched condition into which all 207 00:12:21,219 –> 00:12:26,219 human beings are born and from which we need to 208 00:12:27,539 –> 00:12:32,539 be redeemed. So it would be very nice if the 209 00:12:32,619 –> 00:12:37,619 sole problem of our fallenness was ignorance. 210 00:12:38,780 –> 00:12:40,659 If all it was was ignorance, all we’d have to 211 00:12:40,659 –> 00:12:42,940 do is tell people. Every time you told people 212 00:12:42,940 –> 00:12:44,799 the gospel they’d say, oh, now I know it. 213 00:12:44,799 –> 00:12:47,119 And they’d be saved. But that doesn’t happen. 214 00:12:47,119 –> 00:12:49,780 Why? Because the problem is deeper than ignorance. 215 00:12:49,780 –> 00:12:51,880 The problem is blindness. When you tell the 216 00:12:51,880 –> 00:12:56,179 unbeliever, he doesn’t see it. Doesn’t get it. 217 00:12:56,179 –> 00:12:59,020 The unbelieving mind, blinded by Satan, cannot 218 00:12:59,140 –> 00:13:03,780 see the gospel of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. 219 00:13:03,780 –> 00:13:05,780 Doesn’t find any light in it. 220 00:13:06,900 –> 00:13:08,119 Now we’re going to go on to see 221 00:13:08,119 –> 00:13:12,159 how God redeems from this dreadful situation 222 00:13:12,159 –> 00:13:15,320 in which human beings find themselves. 223 00:13:15,320 –> 00:13:17,739 But before we go there, I want us to see that 224 00:13:17,739 –> 00:13:21,179 even understanding the wretched condition 225 00:13:21,179 –> 00:13:23,739 is profoundly helpful for us as Christians 226 00:13:23,739 –> 00:13:27,219 we seek to pray for and as we long for 227 00:13:27,260 –> 00:13:31,460 unbelieving friends and relatives to come to Christ. 228 00:13:31,460 –> 00:13:33,380 When I read this verse, 229 00:13:33,380 –> 00:13:36,140 I think of a friend of mine in London 230 00:13:36,140 –> 00:13:39,840 who together with his wife really grieved 231 00:13:39,840 –> 00:13:43,140 for many, many years over their daughter 232 00:13:43,140 –> 00:13:45,500 who went in their early teens 233 00:13:45,500 –> 00:13:48,500 into a deep, deep rebellion against God. 234 00:13:49,739 –> 00:13:53,400 I mean, she was wild, she was really wild, 235 00:13:54,359 –> 00:13:57,080 and over the years, 236 00:13:57,080 –> 00:14:00,820 she was exasperating to her father and to her mother. 237 00:14:02,020 –> 00:14:06,320 When she left home, she really broke their hearts. 238 00:14:07,820 –> 00:14:10,840 We had many conversations about this. 239 00:14:10,840 –> 00:14:14,000 He spoke to me about his sense of exasperation, 240 00:14:14,000 –> 00:14:14,840 and then he said this. 241 00:14:14,840 –> 00:14:18,760 He said, not only am I exasperated by her, 242 00:14:19,960 –> 00:14:21,659 he said, but honestly. 243 00:14:21,679 –> 00:14:24,799 He said, there are times I’m furious with her. 244 00:14:24,799 –> 00:14:26,460 Now, do you know what that’s like? 245 00:14:27,340 –> 00:14:30,340 You are so frustrated by the intransigence 246 00:14:30,340 –> 00:14:34,760 of someone you love, and you’ve prayed for for years. 247 00:14:38,840 –> 00:14:41,400 And he said, I knew that wasn’t getting me anywhere. 248 00:14:43,359 –> 00:14:45,640 Then one day, he said, 249 00:14:45,640 –> 00:14:47,799 I think the Lord has really helped me with this. 250 00:14:47,799 –> 00:14:50,440 And he quoted this verse. 251 00:14:50,440 –> 00:14:53,320 The God of this world has blinded the minds 252 00:14:53,320 –> 00:14:57,099 of unbelievers so that they cannot see 253 00:14:57,099 –> 00:14:59,599 the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. 254 00:14:59,599 –> 00:15:01,260 And he said to me, you know, I’ve realized 255 00:15:01,260 –> 00:15:03,820 that if that blindness is real, 256 00:15:05,000 –> 00:15:08,799 it means she really can’t see in Jesus 257 00:15:08,799 –> 00:15:09,960 what I see in Jesus. 258 00:15:09,960 –> 00:15:11,080 She really can’t. 259 00:15:12,260 –> 00:15:14,580 It’s not just that she’s being intransigent 260 00:15:14,580 –> 00:15:16,940 and she doesn’t want to see what I see is Jesus. 261 00:15:17,059 –> 00:15:21,799 It’s she can’t see what I see in Jesus. 262 00:15:22,700 –> 00:15:25,400 And he said, you know, the more I’ve thought about that, 263 00:15:25,400 –> 00:15:28,559 the more I’ve found it’s been changing my heart 264 00:15:29,840 –> 00:15:33,039 because when you know that someone is blind 265 00:15:34,400 –> 00:15:36,320 and they really can’t see, 266 00:15:37,280 –> 00:15:40,000 you don’t get angry with a person for being blind. 267 00:15:40,000 –> 00:15:41,880 You have compassion for them. 268 00:15:43,559 –> 00:15:45,719 And he said, I’ve begun to see, 269 00:15:45,719 –> 00:15:47,719 I’ve begun to change within my own heart 270 00:15:47,719 –> 00:15:50,940 and to pray for her with compassion 271 00:15:52,080 –> 00:15:53,799 rather than with frustration. 272 00:15:54,919 –> 00:15:57,760 Now, I’ve found that to be a profoundly helpful thing 273 00:15:57,760 –> 00:16:01,559 in my own life, and I hope that you will find that also 274 00:16:01,559 –> 00:16:03,880 because anger and frustration with folks 275 00:16:03,880 –> 00:16:05,359 who are not responding to the gospel 276 00:16:05,359 –> 00:16:06,559 doesn’t get us anywhere. 277 00:16:07,520 –> 00:16:10,239 And understanding of this truth 278 00:16:10,239 –> 00:16:13,760 of the true spiritual condition of the unbelieving mind 279 00:16:13,799 –> 00:16:18,380 really doesn’t see what you see in Jesus 280 00:16:18,380 –> 00:16:20,520 and can help us to be more compassionate 281 00:16:20,520 –> 00:16:23,359 as we pray and long for the redeeming work 282 00:16:23,359 –> 00:16:25,479 of God in those we love. 283 00:16:25,479 –> 00:16:28,140 Now, that’s verse four which is a glimpse 284 00:16:28,140 –> 00:16:30,919 inside the unbelieving mind. 285 00:16:30,919 –> 00:16:32,719 Let’s now jump to verse six. 286 00:16:32,719 –> 00:16:34,479 We’ll come back to five in a moment, 287 00:16:34,479 –> 00:16:36,559 but I want us to go to verse six now 288 00:16:36,559 –> 00:16:39,460 which gives us a glimpse inside the believing mind 289 00:16:39,460 –> 00:16:42,039 or inside the Christian mind. 290 00:16:42,059 –> 00:16:43,460 For God said, who said, 291 00:16:43,460 –> 00:16:45,619 let light shine out of darkness made his light 292 00:16:45,619 –> 00:16:47,219 to shine in our hearts, 293 00:16:47,219 –> 00:16:49,020 to give us the light of the knowledge 294 00:16:49,020 –> 00:16:52,739 of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 295 00:16:52,739 –> 00:16:54,239 Now, Paul is obviously now speaking 296 00:16:54,239 –> 00:16:56,539 about Christian believers, 297 00:16:56,539 –> 00:16:58,340 and he says God has made his light 298 00:16:58,340 –> 00:17:01,200 to shine into our hearts. 299 00:17:01,200 –> 00:17:05,959 Now, what is it that Christians see in Jesus? 300 00:17:05,959 –> 00:17:07,579 Well, notice what he says here. 301 00:17:07,579 –> 00:17:12,579 First, as Christians, we see God in Jesus. 302 00:17:12,699 –> 00:17:16,180 Christ, verse four, is the image of God. 303 00:17:16,180 –> 00:17:18,959 Verse six, we see the glory of God 304 00:17:18,959 –> 00:17:22,319 in the face of Jesus Christ. 305 00:17:22,319 –> 00:17:23,660 So the light of the gospel 306 00:17:23,660 –> 00:17:27,920 has brought us to see God in Jesus Christ. 307 00:17:28,900 –> 00:17:32,640 He is God with us, the Bible says. 308 00:17:32,920 –> 00:17:35,739 He is God in the flesh. 309 00:17:35,739 –> 00:17:38,020 He is the image of God. 310 00:17:38,020 –> 00:17:40,660 God is invisible, so how in the world 311 00:17:40,660 –> 00:17:43,140 could any person possibly come to know him? 312 00:17:43,140 –> 00:17:44,900 And the answer to that is, 313 00:17:44,900 –> 00:17:46,959 though no one has ever seen God, 314 00:17:46,959 –> 00:17:48,859 John the apostle says, 315 00:17:48,859 –> 00:17:50,199 God, the one and only who is 316 00:17:50,199 –> 00:17:53,400 at the father’s side has made him known. 317 00:17:53,400 –> 00:17:56,839 Jesus is God in human form, 318 00:17:56,839 –> 00:18:00,719 God with a face, God made known. 319 00:18:01,239 –> 00:18:03,660 We cannot know God apart from Jesus Christ, 320 00:18:03,660 –> 00:18:04,780 that’s the teaching of the Bible, 321 00:18:04,780 –> 00:18:07,260 no one knows the father except the son, 322 00:18:07,260 –> 00:18:09,199 and those to whom the son makes him known, 323 00:18:09,199 –> 00:18:10,339 that’s what Jesus said. 324 00:18:11,699 –> 00:18:14,520 So we see God in Jesus, God with us, 325 00:18:14,520 –> 00:18:16,439 and because we see God in Jesus, 326 00:18:16,439 –> 00:18:18,079 we see glory in Jesus. 327 00:18:18,079 –> 00:18:19,560 Notice that word, verse four. 328 00:18:19,560 –> 00:18:22,640 The glory of Christ who is the image of God. 329 00:18:22,640 –> 00:18:23,619 And verse six. 330 00:18:23,619 –> 00:18:25,739 The glory of God in the face of Christ. 331 00:18:25,739 –> 00:18:27,400 It’s the same thing being said 332 00:18:27,400 –> 00:18:28,800 the opposite way around. 333 00:18:28,800 –> 00:18:30,599 The glory of Christ is the Image of God, 334 00:18:31,420 –> 00:18:34,959 the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 335 00:18:34,959 –> 00:18:39,300 We see glory in Jesus because He is God with us. 336 00:18:39,300 –> 00:18:41,380 And what that means is that Christian faith 337 00:18:41,380 –> 00:18:43,500 can never be purely intellectual. 338 00:18:45,040 –> 00:18:47,260 Because to become a believer, 339 00:18:47,260 –> 00:18:50,479 by definition, is to become a worshiper. 340 00:18:50,479 –> 00:18:51,319 Why? 341 00:18:51,319 –> 00:18:53,859 Because to become a believer is to see 342 00:18:53,859 –> 00:18:57,260 the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 343 00:18:57,260 –> 00:18:58,739 and if you see the glory of God 344 00:18:58,739 –> 00:19:00,140 in the face of Jesus Christ, 345 00:19:00,140 –> 00:19:01,719 that’s what faith is, that’s what it means 346 00:19:01,719 –> 00:19:03,599 to be a believer, you’ll not simply say, 347 00:19:03,599 –> 00:19:05,300 I believe, you will worship. 348 00:19:06,540 –> 00:19:08,839 Your mind and your heart will be gripped 349 00:19:08,839 –> 00:19:11,540 in some real measure by the wonder 350 00:19:11,540 –> 00:19:16,219 of His incarnation, the beauty of His perfect life, 351 00:19:16,219 –> 00:19:19,560 the power of His amazing words. 352 00:19:19,560 –> 00:19:22,859 I am the bread of life, who could ever 353 00:19:22,859 –> 00:19:24,680 say anything like that? 354 00:19:24,680 –> 00:19:27,359 You live on me, Jesus is saying. 355 00:19:27,359 –> 00:19:30,239 See, the glory of that, the glory of His miracles, 356 00:19:30,239 –> 00:19:32,400 the glory of His atoning death, 357 00:19:32,400 –> 00:19:35,020 that God should take human flesh 358 00:19:35,020 –> 00:19:38,959 and take my sin on Him, that the perfect Son of God 359 00:19:38,959 –> 00:19:42,359 should become the atoning sacrifice for me, 360 00:19:42,359 –> 00:19:44,959 the glory of His life-giving resurrection 361 00:19:44,959 –> 00:19:47,359 so that eternal life should become Yours 362 00:19:47,359 –> 00:19:49,040 and mine in Jesus Christ, 363 00:19:49,040 –> 00:19:51,000 the glory of the day of His coming 364 00:19:51,000 –> 00:19:52,479 that still lies ahead of us. 365 00:19:52,479 –> 00:19:54,780 We see glory in Jesus. 366 00:19:54,780 –> 00:19:56,439 That’s why we’re not simply believers, 367 00:19:56,439 –> 00:20:00,180 we’re worshipers, and our hearts and minds 368 00:20:00,180 –> 00:20:03,339 are gripped by Jesus Christ. 369 00:20:03,339 –> 00:20:06,140 Thirdly, we know God through Jesus. 370 00:20:06,140 –> 00:20:09,140 Notice how he says we have the knowledge 371 00:20:09,140 –> 00:20:13,300 of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 372 00:20:13,300 –> 00:20:16,099 Now there will always be a sense in which we say with Paul, 373 00:20:16,099 –> 00:20:20,079 I want to know Him, but there is a profound sense, 374 00:20:20,079 –> 00:20:23,780 a biblical sense in which through Jesus Christ 375 00:20:24,160 –> 00:20:27,060 we truly already do know God. 376 00:20:27,060 –> 00:20:29,540 You know God, you’re brought into a relationship 377 00:20:29,540 –> 00:20:31,859 in which He is your Father. 378 00:20:31,859 –> 00:20:33,739 You’re his Child. 379 00:20:33,739 –> 00:20:35,859 He’s not a stranger to you. 380 00:20:35,859 –> 00:20:38,900 If you have come to see the glory of Jesus Christ, 381 00:20:38,900 –> 00:20:41,000 we have the knowledge of the glory of God 382 00:20:41,000 –> 00:20:45,140 in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. 383 00:20:45,140 –> 00:20:47,380 That is very important. 384 00:20:47,380 –> 00:20:52,119 We live in a culture that values doubt 385 00:20:52,119 –> 00:20:53,660 more than certainty. 386 00:20:53,660 –> 00:20:55,599 Have you noticed that? 387 00:20:55,599 –> 00:21:00,599 Have you noticed that uncertainty is cool? 388 00:21:01,119 –> 00:21:03,760 That it’s increasingly common to say, 389 00:21:03,760 –> 00:21:05,319 oh I don’t know, I don’t know. 390 00:21:06,219 –> 00:21:09,359 That if you sound confident about anything, 391 00:21:09,359 –> 00:21:12,500 you’re most likely to be accused of arrogance. 392 00:21:13,680 –> 00:21:15,439 And what our culture would make of Job 393 00:21:15,439 –> 00:21:17,079 saying I know that my redeemer lives, 394 00:21:17,079 –> 00:21:19,459 I don’t know because that’s not cool now. 395 00:21:20,459 –> 00:21:23,280 The language of today is that we’re all on a journey. 396 00:21:24,760 –> 00:21:27,420 And even the journey is changed. 397 00:21:27,420 –> 00:21:30,660 It used to be that if you went on a journey, 398 00:21:30,660 –> 00:21:33,780 the basic idea was you were trying to get someplace 399 00:21:33,780 –> 00:21:36,219 and you knew where you wanted to go. 400 00:21:36,219 –> 00:21:38,880 Now when many people are talking about being on a journey, 401 00:21:38,880 –> 00:21:39,880 they have no idea where they’re wanting to go 402 00:21:39,880 –> 00:21:41,619 or where they’re going to end up. 403 00:21:42,699 –> 00:21:44,939 The journey is the thing itself 404 00:21:45,880 –> 00:21:48,099 and what we don’t know is somehow prized 405 00:21:48,099 –> 00:21:49,140 more than what we do know. 406 00:21:49,859 –> 00:21:51,119 The Bible takes us into a different world 407 00:21:51,119 –> 00:21:53,439 it’s saying, look, God has made himself known. 408 00:21:55,099 –> 00:21:57,739 And when you become a new creation in Jesus Christ, 409 00:21:57,739 –> 00:22:00,900 you come to know God truly. 410 00:22:00,900 –> 00:22:02,800 You do not know him fully of course, 411 00:22:02,800 –> 00:22:05,380 because how could any human being fully comprehend 412 00:22:05,380 –> 00:22:06,739 the God of the universe? 413 00:22:06,739 –> 00:22:08,439 All eternity will be 414 00:22:09,439 –> 00:22:11,119 adoring him, 415 00:22:11,119 –> 00:22:12,699 amazed by him. 416 00:22:13,939 –> 00:22:16,479 You’ll never fathom God. 417 00:22:16,479 –> 00:22:18,239 But though we do not know him fully, 418 00:22:18,280 –> 00:22:20,239 we do know him truly. 419 00:22:21,979 –> 00:22:23,359 Because we’re not guessing about him, 420 00:22:23,359 –> 00:22:25,959 he’s revealed himself in his son. 421 00:22:25,959 –> 00:22:28,959 We have the knowledge of the glory of God 422 00:22:28,959 –> 00:22:32,680 in the face of Jesus Christ. 423 00:22:33,839 –> 00:22:37,760 So this is what Christians see in Jesus. 424 00:22:37,760 –> 00:22:40,800 Now here are two very different portraits. 425 00:22:40,800 –> 00:22:42,020 The unbelieving mind, 426 00:22:42,020 –> 00:22:43,280 blinded by Satan, 427 00:22:43,280 –> 00:22:47,640 cannot see the glory of God. 428 00:22:47,660 –> 00:22:50,699 The glory of the gospel of Christ, 429 00:22:50,699 –> 00:22:52,040 who is the image of God. 430 00:22:53,020 –> 00:22:57,540 And here is this Christian mind 431 00:22:57,540 –> 00:23:02,420 in which we see the glory of God 432 00:23:02,420 –> 00:23:04,219 in the face of Jesus Christ 433 00:23:04,219 –> 00:23:05,599 and that this is light to us, 434 00:23:05,599 –> 00:23:07,339 this is the greatest thing in our lives. 435 00:23:07,339 –> 00:23:08,459 We rejoice in it, 436 00:23:09,380 –> 00:23:10,959 so grateful for it. 437 00:23:10,959 –> 00:23:13,300 Now, the obvious question then 438 00:23:13,300 –> 00:23:15,319 is how does the transformation happen? 439 00:23:16,219 –> 00:23:18,339 How could someone who is blind 440 00:23:18,339 –> 00:23:19,380 to the glory of Christ 441 00:23:19,380 –> 00:23:22,420 come to rejoice in the light 442 00:23:22,420 –> 00:23:23,900 of the gospel of the glory of God 443 00:23:23,900 –> 00:23:25,260 in the face of Jesus Christ? 444 00:23:25,260 –> 00:23:27,339 How does regeneration, 445 00:23:27,339 –> 00:23:28,760 because that’s what we’re talking about here, 446 00:23:28,760 –> 00:23:30,000 actually happen? 447 00:23:31,239 –> 00:23:32,280 And isn’t it amazing to think 448 00:23:32,280 –> 00:23:34,099 that Paul’s writing to the Corinthians, 449 00:23:34,099 –> 00:23:39,000 Corinth was the last Vegas of the early world. 450 00:23:39,979 –> 00:23:42,300 And just a few years before this letter was written, 451 00:23:42,300 –> 00:23:43,380 there wasn’t anyone in Corinth 452 00:23:43,380 –> 00:23:44,819 who’d even heard of Jesus. 453 00:23:46,020 –> 00:23:47,599 All of them totally blinded 454 00:23:47,599 –> 00:23:50,780 to any knowledge of the glory of Christ, 455 00:23:50,780 –> 00:23:51,619 who is the image of God. 456 00:23:51,619 –> 00:23:53,819 How did these people? 457 00:23:53,819 –> 00:23:55,339 How did you and I, 458 00:23:55,339 –> 00:23:56,599 how does anyone come 459 00:23:56,599 –> 00:23:59,300 to see the light of the knowledge 460 00:23:59,300 –> 00:24:00,180 of the glory of God 461 00:24:00,180 –> 00:24:02,239 in the face of Jesus Christ? 462 00:24:02,239 –> 00:24:05,959 Well, between verse four and verse six, 463 00:24:06,920 –> 00:24:09,319 amazingly, comes verse five. 464 00:24:09,319 –> 00:24:10,739 So, let’s have a look now 465 00:24:10,739 –> 00:24:13,219 inside God’s miracle of regeneration 466 00:24:13,339 –> 00:24:15,979 in verse five and the first half of six. 467 00:24:15,979 –> 00:24:19,239 Between the darkness of the unbelieving mind 468 00:24:19,239 –> 00:24:22,180 and the light of the Christian mind, 469 00:24:22,180 –> 00:24:24,819 we read this, verse five. 470 00:24:24,819 –> 00:24:28,719 For we do not preach ourselves, 471 00:24:28,719 –> 00:24:32,739 but Jesus Christ as Lord, 472 00:24:32,739 –> 00:24:36,199 and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 473 00:24:36,199 –> 00:24:40,380 For God, who said, 474 00:24:40,619 –> 00:24:43,339 let light shine out of darkness, 475 00:24:43,339 –> 00:24:46,939 made his light shine in our hearts 476 00:24:48,420 –> 00:24:50,900 to give us, that’s how it happened, 477 00:24:50,900 –> 00:24:52,300 made his light shine in our hearts 478 00:24:52,300 –> 00:24:55,319 to give us the light of the knowledge 479 00:24:55,319 –> 00:25:00,319 of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 480 00:25:00,339 –> 00:25:02,979 Now there are two things that are happening here. 481 00:25:02,979 –> 00:25:04,500 Number one, verse five, 482 00:25:04,500 –> 00:25:07,219 we are proclaiming Jesus as Lord. 483 00:25:07,219 –> 00:25:08,660 That’s the ministry of the Apostles, 484 00:25:08,800 –> 00:25:11,000 that’s the ministry of the church. 485 00:25:11,000 –> 00:25:14,060 We are proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord, verse five. 486 00:25:14,060 –> 00:25:16,900 Number two, God is making his light 487 00:25:16,900 –> 00:25:20,439 shine into human hearts, verse six. 488 00:25:20,439 –> 00:25:22,699 So regeneration then happens through 489 00:25:22,699 –> 00:25:27,699 our work of preaching that Jesus Christ is Lord 490 00:25:27,959 –> 00:25:32,959 and God’s work of shining his light into human hearts. 491 00:25:32,979 –> 00:25:35,540 It is, in other words, a work of the word 492 00:25:35,540 –> 00:25:38,420 and a work of the spirit. 493 00:25:38,579 –> 00:25:40,500 Which is why in the New Testament we’re told 494 00:25:40,500 –> 00:25:43,400 that we are born again by the Spirit of God. 495 00:25:43,400 –> 00:25:45,579 That’s John 3 in verse eight. 496 00:25:45,579 –> 00:25:47,839 And we’re born again by the word of God, 497 00:25:47,839 –> 00:25:50,500 which is 1 Peter chapter one in verse 23. 498 00:25:51,900 –> 00:25:56,420 It is God who regenerates and God alone who regenerates 499 00:25:56,420 –> 00:25:59,640 but he has tied his amazing work of regeneration, 500 00:25:59,640 –> 00:26:03,060 this miracle of grace, he has tied it to the Gospel. 501 00:26:04,060 –> 00:26:06,300 Which is why it is of critical importance 502 00:26:06,380 –> 00:26:09,859 that the Church remain centered on the Gospel 503 00:26:09,859 –> 00:26:14,099 declaring, as Paul says here, Jesus Christ as Lord 504 00:26:14,099 –> 00:26:15,540 because it is in this way 505 00:26:15,540 –> 00:26:19,939 that God shines his light into darkened human hearts 506 00:26:19,939 –> 00:26:21,619 so that people may be born again 507 00:26:21,619 –> 00:26:24,020 of the word, born again of the Spirit 508 00:26:24,020 –> 00:26:26,739 and brought into an entirely new position 509 00:26:26,739 –> 00:26:28,339 as new creations in Christ. 510 00:26:29,579 –> 00:26:30,739 Now let’s just think about that 511 00:26:30,739 –> 00:26:33,660 in these last few moments here. 512 00:26:33,660 –> 00:26:37,099 There’s our work and there’s God’s work. 513 00:26:37,099 –> 00:26:38,880 Let’s think of our work first. 514 00:26:38,880 –> 00:26:39,780 What is our work? 515 00:26:39,780 –> 00:26:44,459 Our work is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. 516 00:26:45,939 –> 00:26:47,300 Now notice what Paul says here. 517 00:26:47,300 –> 00:26:50,540 He says we don’t preach ourselves. 518 00:26:51,780 –> 00:26:53,020 It’s very important. 519 00:26:54,420 –> 00:26:57,739 The reason we don’t preach ourselves is very simple. 520 00:26:57,739 –> 00:27:00,739 I can’t change a single human life and neither can you. 521 00:27:01,060 –> 00:27:03,260 If you think about some unbelieving person 522 00:27:03,260 –> 00:27:04,420 you’ve been praying for or years, 523 00:27:04,420 –> 00:27:05,660 can you change their life? 524 00:27:05,660 –> 00:27:06,540 Of course you can. 525 00:27:07,420 –> 00:27:09,219 The harder you try the worse it gets. 526 00:27:10,699 –> 00:27:13,739 The whole orchard can’t change one person’s life. 527 00:27:14,859 –> 00:27:16,619 The orchard can’t change Chicago. 528 00:27:20,640 –> 00:27:23,099 We do not preach ourselves because we’re not capable 529 00:27:23,099 –> 00:27:24,780 of changing one human life. 530 00:27:24,780 –> 00:27:27,060 So Paul’s absolutely clear about that. 531 00:27:27,060 –> 00:27:27,979 So what do we do? 532 00:27:28,359 –> 00:27:32,859 So what do we do we preach Jesus Christ as Lord. 533 00:27:32,859 –> 00:27:37,420 Now if you want a focus statement of the mission 534 00:27:37,420 –> 00:27:38,859 and the commission that we are given, 535 00:27:38,859 –> 00:27:39,800 it’s right here. 536 00:27:39,800 –> 00:27:41,760 What do we do, Paul says? 537 00:27:41,760 –> 00:27:45,619 We preach Jesus Christ as Lord. 538 00:27:45,619 –> 00:27:47,060 That’s what we’re about. 539 00:27:48,420 –> 00:27:50,900 Not genetic statements about God. 540 00:27:51,859 –> 00:27:54,520 Not helping people to do life. 541 00:27:55,280 –> 00:27:59,439 But proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord 542 00:28:00,400 –> 00:28:01,780 who is the bread of life, 543 00:28:01,780 –> 00:28:03,979 so that all of life may be lived on Him. 544 00:28:06,719 –> 00:28:11,439 Folks, would I be alone in being concerned 545 00:28:12,540 –> 00:28:16,800 that sometimes people who profess to be Christian 546 00:28:18,079 –> 00:28:21,800 talk a great deal in a general way about God 547 00:28:21,819 –> 00:28:25,660 and hardly ever once mention the name of Jesus Christ. 548 00:28:25,660 –> 00:28:27,020 Have you ever noticed that? 549 00:28:27,020 –> 00:28:28,500 Has that ever disturbed you? 550 00:28:28,500 –> 00:28:30,619 That disturbs me deeply. 551 00:28:32,560 –> 00:28:33,800 I picked up a book, 552 00:28:33,800 –> 00:28:36,079 I was just browsing when I was back in England. 553 00:28:36,079 –> 00:28:38,300 It was by a Christian publisher, Christian organization. 554 00:28:38,300 –> 00:28:40,640 It was 10 Stories of Transformed Lives. 555 00:28:40,640 –> 00:28:42,160 I thought I’m speaking on regeneration, 556 00:28:42,160 –> 00:28:42,979 this will be interesting. 557 00:28:42,979 –> 00:28:44,079 So I picked it up, just flicked it through. 558 00:28:44,079 –> 00:28:45,680 I spent five minutes on it only. 559 00:28:46,739 –> 00:28:49,579 Very quickly it was obvious that these were 10 stories 560 00:28:49,579 –> 00:28:53,020 of remarkable, wonderful transformation 561 00:28:53,020 –> 00:28:56,260 of people whose lives had been chronically dysfunctional 562 00:28:56,260 –> 00:28:58,300 and had become ordered and stable 563 00:28:58,300 –> 00:29:00,359 and that is a wonderful thing. 564 00:29:01,380 –> 00:29:02,699 I read through the first one 565 00:29:02,699 –> 00:29:04,520 and just very, very quickly skimming through 566 00:29:04,520 –> 00:29:07,099 the five or so pages of that story, 567 00:29:08,579 –> 00:29:11,900 I noticed that it went something like this, 568 00:29:11,900 –> 00:29:15,099 I had met these people and they were kind 569 00:29:15,099 –> 00:29:19,079 and they were warm and then I asked God 570 00:29:19,079 –> 00:29:24,079 into my life, and then there was a progression 571 00:29:24,359 –> 00:29:25,839 of ways in which the person was helped 572 00:29:25,839 –> 00:29:27,859 and their life changed. 573 00:29:27,859 –> 00:29:29,180 Then I flick to the next one 574 00:29:29,180 –> 00:29:30,739 and found very similar language 575 00:29:30,739 –> 00:29:32,219 and the next one very similar language, 576 00:29:32,219 –> 00:29:36,420 I thought, my eyes can spot the name Jesus 577 00:29:36,420 –> 00:29:39,719 or the word Christ very quickly on a page, 578 00:29:39,719 –> 00:29:42,060 I’m gonna start skimming, so I did. 579 00:29:42,219 –> 00:29:44,099 And I go through the whole book. 580 00:29:44,099 –> 00:29:46,819 10 lives transformed. 581 00:29:48,339 –> 00:29:51,000 I did not find a single reference 582 00:29:51,000 –> 00:29:55,339 to Jesus Christ, no, I am not questioning 583 00:29:55,339 –> 00:29:59,099 for one moment the reality of the transformation, 584 00:29:59,099 –> 00:30:01,680 these folks have wonderful stories 585 00:30:01,680 –> 00:30:03,339 of transformed lives. 586 00:30:05,079 –> 00:30:07,000 What I’m questioning is whether 587 00:30:07,000 –> 00:30:09,119 the transformation was Christian. 588 00:30:09,280 –> 00:30:13,140 Because how can it be Christian 589 00:30:13,140 –> 00:30:17,599 if Jesus Christ is not involved? 590 00:30:19,579 –> 00:30:22,040 Now in case you think that the pastor is picking away 591 00:30:22,040 –> 00:30:24,020 on some tiny little point because he’s just 592 00:30:24,020 –> 00:30:25,619 come back from his holidays, 593 00:30:26,800 –> 00:30:30,219 let me tell you why this is of huge importance. 594 00:30:31,719 –> 00:30:35,540 Because Satan would be very comfortable 595 00:30:35,540 –> 00:30:39,420 if churches all the way across our country 596 00:30:39,420 –> 00:30:43,079 were to settle for talking generically about God 597 00:30:43,079 –> 00:30:45,699 and God in your life, he would be delighted 598 00:30:45,699 –> 00:30:47,760 with that, for this reason it would play 599 00:30:47,760 –> 00:30:50,300 right into his fundamental strategy 600 00:30:50,300 –> 00:30:52,920 in the world in these days, which is to tell people 601 00:30:52,920 –> 00:30:54,420 there are all kinds of roads to God, 602 00:30:54,420 –> 00:30:56,119 you can connect with God in any kind of way 603 00:30:56,119 –> 00:30:58,380 that you choose, you choose your way. 604 00:30:58,380 –> 00:31:01,939 And what that does is it blinds people even more 605 00:31:01,939 –> 00:31:05,260 to the unique glory of Jesus Christ. 606 00:31:06,000 –> 00:31:07,859 Because now they think that they’re connected 607 00:31:07,859 –> 00:31:10,900 to God and Jesus Christ isn’t even on the scene! 608 00:31:12,959 –> 00:31:15,099 My friends, that’s one step away 609 00:31:15,099 –> 00:31:19,819 from a world church acceptable to everybody 610 00:31:19,819 –> 00:31:23,599 at the price of Jesus Christ being outside. 611 00:31:24,579 –> 00:31:27,219 You cannot have what’s generic 612 00:31:27,219 –> 00:31:30,959 and what’s unique in the middle of it, you can’t. 613 00:31:31,780 –> 00:31:35,599 So our calling, our commission is not to preach ourselves 614 00:31:35,599 –> 00:31:37,760 and it’s certainly not to talk general truths 615 00:31:37,760 –> 00:31:42,760 about life and God and how you can have more purpose 616 00:31:42,760 –> 00:31:43,819 and be more fulfilled. 617 00:31:46,119 –> 00:31:49,079 It’s a wonderful thing to see a person’s life transformed. 618 00:31:49,920 –> 00:31:54,920 But a better life on the same road to a lost eternity 619 00:31:56,959 –> 00:31:59,199 is a small thing compared to regeneration 620 00:31:59,199 –> 00:32:01,979 by the Holy Spirit, the gift of Jesus Christ, isn’t it? 621 00:32:04,280 –> 00:32:05,839 I wonder if right now there are some of us 622 00:32:05,839 –> 00:32:06,800 in this congregation. 623 00:32:06,800 –> 00:32:08,880 Right now, you’re saying, you know, 624 00:32:08,880 –> 00:32:10,939 I think I’m someone who’s just got a generic 625 00:32:10,939 –> 00:32:12,760 kind of faith in God. 626 00:32:12,760 –> 00:32:14,079 I’ve never quite seen it. 627 00:32:14,079 –> 00:32:16,079 Actually, what it’s all about is Jesus Christ 628 00:32:16,079 –> 00:32:18,719 and my mind and heart will have 629 00:32:18,719 –> 00:32:20,719 never quite been consumed by him. 630 00:32:22,000 –> 00:32:23,880 Friend, if you see that now, 631 00:32:23,880 –> 00:32:25,459 you know what’s just happened, 632 00:32:25,459 –> 00:32:27,660 God’s light has just shined into your heart. 633 00:32:29,420 –> 00:32:30,520 Now you’re seeing it. 634 00:32:32,500 –> 00:32:35,640 This is huge for you, huge. 635 00:32:38,439 –> 00:32:39,880 We preach Jesus as Lord. 636 00:32:39,880 –> 00:32:41,900 Absolute clarity about him. 637 00:32:41,900 –> 00:32:44,920 I want you to notice just one more thing here. 638 00:32:44,920 –> 00:32:46,560 Do you notice what else Paul says 639 00:32:46,560 –> 00:32:48,739 that’s very important in our time? 640 00:32:48,739 –> 00:32:52,680 And ourselves as your servants, for Jesus’ sake. 641 00:32:52,680 –> 00:32:56,180 In other words, while there is to be absolute clarity 642 00:32:56,180 –> 00:32:58,339 about the unique glory of Jesus Christ 643 00:32:58,560 –> 00:33:01,239 and while He is to be the center of everything 644 00:33:01,239 –> 00:33:02,959 in the life of the church, 645 00:33:02,959 –> 00:33:05,280 we are to proclaim Him in a way 646 00:33:05,280 –> 00:33:07,719 that reflects a spirit of humility, 647 00:33:07,719 –> 00:33:09,319 absolutely clear about Him 648 00:33:10,760 –> 00:33:15,760 but humble in regards to ourselves and ready to serve. 649 00:33:17,380 –> 00:33:19,180 Now, Christians living well 650 00:33:19,180 –> 00:33:21,359 doesn’t affect the truth of the gospel. 651 00:33:22,839 –> 00:33:24,239 A Christian living well doesn’t make 652 00:33:24,239 –> 00:33:25,239 the gospel more true. 653 00:33:25,239 –> 00:33:26,680 A Christian living badly doesn’t make 654 00:33:26,680 –> 00:33:27,640 the gospel less true. 655 00:33:27,640 –> 00:33:31,040 It’s true, but Christians living well 656 00:33:32,079 –> 00:33:34,280 makes the gospel plausible. 657 00:33:35,380 –> 00:33:38,780 It helps a person to be attracted at least 658 00:33:38,780 –> 00:33:40,939 to the possibility that there is a Son of God 659 00:33:40,939 –> 00:33:42,939 who loved us and gave Himself for us. 660 00:33:42,939 –> 00:33:45,280 When there’s a community of people 661 00:33:45,280 –> 00:33:50,280 in the self-loving, self-worshiping, self-serving world 662 00:33:51,199 –> 00:33:52,500 where there’s a community of people 663 00:33:52,500 –> 00:33:55,020 who learn to love one another and to serve one another 664 00:33:55,040 –> 00:33:58,420 and then to reach out to beyond the scope of the Church 665 00:33:58,420 –> 00:33:59,959 and to care for other people 666 00:34:01,219 –> 00:34:03,300 then the gospel gets some attention. 667 00:34:05,859 –> 00:34:08,379 So Paul says we’re not preaching ourselves. 668 00:34:08,379 –> 00:34:10,540 We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, 669 00:34:10,540 –> 00:34:12,500 the distinctness, unique glory of Jesus, 670 00:34:12,500 –> 00:34:15,580 and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 671 00:34:17,459 –> 00:34:19,479 Some of you know how much I’ve appreciated 672 00:34:19,479 –> 00:34:23,419 and benefited from the ministry of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, 673 00:34:24,260 –> 00:34:26,419 and many others, the finest British preacher 674 00:34:26,419 –> 00:34:29,020 of the last century still has huge influence 675 00:34:29,020 –> 00:34:31,899 though he’s been with the Lord 30 years. 676 00:34:31,899 –> 00:34:36,520 His grandson now lives in the United States 677 00:34:36,520 –> 00:34:40,139 and I wrote to him because I wanted to tell him 678 00:34:40,139 –> 00:34:42,580 about the influence that his grandfather has had 679 00:34:42,580 –> 00:34:46,699 on my life and my continuing appreciation for him. 680 00:34:46,699 –> 00:34:50,040 And I had a personal reply from Jonathan Catherwood, 681 00:34:50,040 –> 00:34:51,820 Lloyd-Jones’ grandson. 682 00:34:51,939 –> 00:34:54,959 And some very special reflections 683 00:34:54,959 –> 00:34:56,399 about this great man of God 684 00:34:56,399 –> 00:34:58,659 and the effect of his ministry 685 00:34:58,659 –> 00:35:01,379 over so many years around the world. 686 00:35:01,379 –> 00:35:03,040 And let me read you what he said. 687 00:35:03,040 –> 00:35:04,540 He says about his grandfather, 688 00:35:04,540 –> 00:35:09,399 I like to think that the reason his sermons cought hold 689 00:35:10,260 –> 00:35:13,360 was because his focus was always on the cross. 690 00:35:14,820 –> 00:35:17,800 He believed that if you can turn people’s focus 691 00:35:18,239 –> 00:35:20,419 so squarely onto Calvary 692 00:35:20,419 –> 00:35:23,179 and the wonder of God’s forgiveness, 693 00:35:23,179 –> 00:35:26,679 then changes in their lives will inevitably follow. 694 00:35:27,659 –> 00:35:30,260 Or to put it in awful English 695 00:35:30,260 –> 00:35:34,399 that would make my grandfather shudder, I like this. 696 00:35:34,399 –> 00:35:38,239 You can rarely convince someone that they’re wrong 697 00:35:38,239 –> 00:35:41,060 by telling them that you’re right. 698 00:35:41,060 –> 00:35:43,939 In fact, we’re all wrong, 699 00:35:43,939 –> 00:35:47,060 and there is only one who is right. 700 00:35:47,939 –> 00:35:48,780 See? 701 00:35:49,879 –> 00:35:51,679 Then he says in his family, 702 00:35:51,679 –> 00:35:55,280 my grandfather was an immensely humble man, 703 00:35:56,260 –> 00:35:59,260 and I think that drew people to him. 704 00:35:59,260 –> 00:36:00,459 Now you see, that’s the modeling 705 00:36:00,459 –> 00:36:01,760 of what Paul’s talking about here. 706 00:36:01,760 –> 00:36:03,860 We’re not proclaiming ourselves, 707 00:36:03,860 –> 00:36:05,659 but Jesus Christ as Lord, 708 00:36:06,639 –> 00:36:10,479 and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 709 00:36:10,479 –> 00:36:11,639 We’re right and you’re wrong. 710 00:36:11,639 –> 00:36:13,639 That’s not the way to reach the world. 711 00:36:15,739 –> 00:36:17,320 It’s we’re all wrong. 712 00:36:17,820 –> 00:36:19,139 There is one who is right, 713 00:36:20,179 –> 00:36:22,060 and we want to declare the unique glory 714 00:36:23,219 –> 00:36:26,919 of Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord. 715 00:36:26,919 –> 00:36:28,699 Now that’s our ministry, 716 00:36:28,699 –> 00:36:32,860 and Paul puts together the work that’s been trusted to us, 717 00:36:32,860 –> 00:36:34,219 and what a privilege that is, 718 00:36:34,219 –> 00:36:37,979 and then this amazing work of God that’s in verse six 719 00:36:37,979 –> 00:36:39,820 just in these last moments. 720 00:36:39,820 –> 00:36:42,899 It is God’s work to shine the light into human hearts, 721 00:36:42,899 –> 00:36:45,060 but he does that through the gospel. 722 00:36:45,060 –> 00:36:46,639 This is the amazing thing. 723 00:36:47,899 –> 00:36:50,600 Now the obvious question at this point is, 724 00:36:50,600 –> 00:36:51,439 well, wait a minute. 725 00:36:51,439 –> 00:36:53,860 Aren’t we going around in a circle? 726 00:36:53,860 –> 00:36:56,620 What good is it proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord 727 00:36:56,620 –> 00:36:58,379 to people who we just said 728 00:36:58,379 –> 00:37:01,760 are blind to the unique glory of Jesus Christ? 729 00:37:01,760 –> 00:37:03,860 If they can’t see the unique glory of Christ, 730 00:37:03,860 –> 00:37:05,179 what’s the point in us proclaiming 731 00:37:05,179 –> 00:37:06,919 the unique glory of Christ to them? 732 00:37:08,840 –> 00:37:12,560 Now, that question is so real, 733 00:37:12,560 –> 00:37:15,879 so powerful, so disturbing, 734 00:37:16,840 –> 00:37:21,840 it is the reason why the pressure is always on the church 735 00:37:21,959 –> 00:37:25,360 to shift the agenda from Jesus Christ as Lord 736 00:37:25,360 –> 00:37:30,360 to something else that unbelieving people can connect with. 737 00:37:30,479 –> 00:37:33,060 See, you’ll hear this kind of argument all the time. 738 00:37:33,060 –> 00:37:34,879 Unbelievers aren’t interested in Jesus. 739 00:37:34,879 –> 00:37:36,379 Unbelievers aren’t interested in this 740 00:37:36,379 –> 00:37:38,120 or they can’t really understand, 741 00:37:38,120 –> 00:37:39,899 Paul himself says they can’t really understand 742 00:37:39,899 –> 00:37:40,840 the unique glory of Christ, 743 00:37:40,840 –> 00:37:42,479 so no point in talking about that. 744 00:37:42,479 –> 00:37:44,760 What we must do to connect with them, 745 00:37:44,760 –> 00:37:46,159 we must talk about the family, 746 00:37:46,159 –> 00:37:47,419 we must talk about money, 747 00:37:47,419 –> 00:37:48,800 we must talk about marriage, 748 00:37:48,800 –> 00:37:49,939 we must talk about sex, 749 00:37:49,939 –> 00:37:51,540 we must talk about purpose, 750 00:37:51,540 –> 00:37:52,760 we must talk about fulfillment, 751 00:37:52,760 –> 00:37:56,080 we must talk about the things that unbelievers get. 752 00:37:58,560 –> 00:38:01,800 And here is the great mystery of God’s grace. 753 00:38:03,939 –> 00:38:07,320 It is through the humble proclamation of the gospel 754 00:38:07,320 –> 00:38:09,320 that believers can’t see 755 00:38:10,959 –> 00:38:14,020 that God shines his light so that they do see. 756 00:38:15,739 –> 00:38:20,659 That takes us to this extraordinary paradox of ministry. 757 00:38:24,459 –> 00:38:26,800 If you wanna write this down and think about it, 758 00:38:27,879 –> 00:38:29,120 it bears a lot of thought. 759 00:38:30,379 –> 00:38:34,739 If we preach what unbelievers can see, 760 00:38:35,600 –> 00:38:36,800 they won’t see. 761 00:38:38,939 –> 00:38:43,860 What we must do is to preach what unbelievers can’t see, 762 00:38:43,919 –> 00:38:45,379 so that they will see. 763 00:38:47,780 –> 00:38:49,580 See if we move off the gospel, 764 00:38:50,620 –> 00:38:52,939 we talk about all kinds of generic things 765 00:38:52,939 –> 00:38:55,340 that connect with unbelieving people 766 00:38:55,340 –> 00:38:57,060 and are part of their lives, 767 00:38:57,060 –> 00:38:59,739 but we’ve moved away from Jesus Christ 768 00:38:59,739 –> 00:39:01,739 and His glory and His uniqueness, 769 00:39:01,739 –> 00:39:04,219 we talk about all the things that they can see, 770 00:39:05,679 –> 00:39:07,219 they won’t see. 771 00:39:07,219 –> 00:39:08,399 Because God’s light won’t shine. 772 00:39:08,399 –> 00:39:09,699 God’s light doesn’t shine 773 00:39:09,699 –> 00:39:11,679 through talking about life in general. 774 00:39:12,600 –> 00:39:15,360 What we must do is speak 775 00:39:15,360 –> 00:39:17,760 about what the unbeliever can’t see, 776 00:39:18,780 –> 00:39:20,800 that is the glory of Christ, 777 00:39:20,800 –> 00:39:22,879 because as the glory of Jesus Christ, 778 00:39:22,879 –> 00:39:24,639 Jesus Christ as Lord is proclaimed, 779 00:39:24,639 –> 00:39:26,040 it is in this way Paul is saying 780 00:39:26,040 –> 00:39:29,360 that God shines His light so that they will see. 781 00:39:30,520 –> 00:39:32,520 Isn’t that an amazing paradox? 782 00:39:34,820 –> 00:39:37,060 We talk about all the things that they do see, 783 00:39:37,060 –> 00:39:37,899 they won’t see. 784 00:39:39,080 –> 00:39:41,080 We must talk about what they can’t see 785 00:39:41,139 –> 00:39:42,260 so that they will see. 786 00:39:44,000 –> 00:39:46,379 That’s what it means to be a gospel-centered church. 787 00:39:47,280 –> 00:39:51,639 Applying Jesus Christ to all of life, 788 00:39:51,639 –> 00:39:54,080 but always Him at the center. 789 00:39:54,080 –> 00:39:57,159 If I am lifted up, the Lord Jesus says, 790 00:39:57,159 –> 00:40:00,159 I will draw people to me. 791 00:40:00,159 –> 00:40:02,560 Now, not everyone will be saved. 792 00:40:02,560 –> 00:40:04,879 You know, folks have heard the gospel many times, 793 00:40:04,879 –> 00:40:06,860 but no one is saved without the gospel. 794 00:40:07,860 –> 00:40:11,860 God shines His light into human hearts through the gospel. 795 00:40:11,860 –> 00:40:13,899 And it is in this way that people come to see 796 00:40:13,899 –> 00:40:15,959 the light of the knowledge of the glory of God 797 00:40:15,959 –> 00:40:17,459 in the face of Jesus Christ. 798 00:40:17,459 –> 00:40:21,500 I, folks, cannot think of a greater motivation 799 00:40:22,760 –> 00:40:26,479 to give my life to the work of the gospel 800 00:40:28,479 –> 00:40:31,800 through which God shines the light into human hearts 801 00:40:31,800 –> 00:40:34,360 and brings people who can’t see what we’re talking about 802 00:40:34,360 –> 00:40:35,760 to a position where they do. 803 00:40:37,820 –> 00:40:40,659 You find that motivating to be part of a gospel church? 804 00:40:40,659 –> 00:40:45,659 To say, I want to give my life to the work of the gospel, 805 00:40:46,020 –> 00:40:48,780 to live it, to advance it, to breathe it, 806 00:40:48,780 –> 00:40:50,639 to proclaim it, to be about it, 807 00:40:50,639 –> 00:40:53,639 to be consumed with Jesus Christ? 808 00:40:54,699 –> 00:40:57,139 So that through my life, so that through our church, 809 00:40:57,139 –> 00:41:00,399 so through all that God enables us to do, 810 00:41:00,399 –> 00:41:03,159 we may see the miracle of His grace, 811 00:41:03,179 –> 00:41:07,399 of His light shining into many, many, many lives, 812 00:41:07,399 –> 00:41:11,419 bringing transformation, so that together with joy, 813 00:41:11,419 –> 00:41:13,419 we see the glory of God 814 00:41:16,820 –> 00:41:19,879 in the face of Jesus Christ. 815 00:41:19,879 –> 00:41:22,219 Let’s do that, let’s do that. 816 00:41:23,399 –> 00:41:25,899 Let’s pray together, shall we? 817 00:41:25,899 –> 00:41:27,500 Will you thank God right now 818 00:41:27,500 –> 00:41:29,639 for shining the light into your heart? 819 00:41:29,639 –> 00:41:32,280 How in the world do you see the glory of Christ 820 00:41:32,520 –> 00:41:33,360 when others don’t? 821 00:41:33,360 –> 00:41:35,060 God shined His light into your heart. 822 00:41:35,060 –> 00:41:38,139 Thank Him for that, thank Him for it. 823 00:41:38,139 –> 00:41:40,719 You are a totally different person 824 00:41:40,719 –> 00:41:43,120 because of that gift of His grace. 825 00:41:45,459 –> 00:41:47,439 Then will you take a moment to pray 826 00:41:47,439 –> 00:41:51,459 for someone you know and love, who’s heard the gospel? 827 00:41:53,520 –> 00:41:55,020 It may tell you what it is, 828 00:41:55,020 –> 00:41:57,020 but they don’t see any glory in Jesus. 829 00:41:57,020 –> 00:41:59,340 Oh, ask God, Lord, shine the light, 830 00:41:59,340 –> 00:42:01,379 your light into that person’s life, 831 00:42:01,479 –> 00:42:05,459 and save, some way bring someone 832 00:42:05,459 –> 00:42:07,659 who will bring it with freshness to them, 833 00:42:07,659 –> 00:42:09,860 work by your spirit so that the same 834 00:42:09,860 –> 00:42:13,199 old natural response will not prevail. 835 00:42:15,780 –> 00:42:17,620 And then will you take a moment with me 836 00:42:17,620 –> 00:42:20,600 to rededicate your life to the advance of the gospel? 837 00:42:22,080 –> 00:42:24,500 To be a person who’s about Jesus Christ, 838 00:42:24,500 –> 00:42:28,780 as gospel woman, a gospel man, 839 00:42:29,979 –> 00:42:34,959 in a gospel church, that’s about Jesus Christ 840 00:42:34,959 –> 00:42:37,739 and His unique glory, and gladly lifts 841 00:42:37,739 –> 00:42:42,739 Him up as Savior and Lord and finds life in Him. 842 00:42:44,620 –> 00:42:46,500 Father, hear our prayers for your glory, 843 00:42:46,500 –> 00:42:49,159 in Jesus name, amen. 844 00:42:53,080 –> 00:42:54,379 You’ve been listening to a sermon 845 00:42:54,919 –> 00:42:56,840 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 846 00:42:56,840 –> 00:43:01,840 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 847 00:43:02,100 –> 00:43:05,639 or visit our website openthebible.org.