WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.339 So today's passage is taken from Book of Acts chapter 9, verse 19 to 31. 00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:10.439 ! You can follow along your own Bible. 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:17.780 If you don't have a Bible, you can grab one in the front of the stage or the back of the hall or near the entrance. 00:00:18.379 --> 00:00:22.179 It's on page 863. 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:27.339 Acts chapter 9, verse 19 to 31. 00:00:27.339 --> 00:00:31.940 Let's hear the God's word today. 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:34.320 Verse 19. 00:00:57.340 --> 00:01:02.880 And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests? 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:12.980 But Saul increased all the more in strength and confined the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:20.359 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:24.760 They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him. 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:32.620 But his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, knowing him in a basket. 00:01:32.620 --> 00:01:43.340 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:51.939 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord who spoke to him, 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:55.960 and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 00:01:55.959 --> 00:02:03.299 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:09.459 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists, but they were seeking to kill him. 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:14.979 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:22.840 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. 00:02:23.399 --> 00:02:28.599 And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:34.359 Let's believe and respond to God's true and living word. 00:02:40.299 --> 00:02:41.639 Henry, do you want to come on up? 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:51.579 Henry, you probably don't need much of an introduction, but let me just introduce you in case some people don't know you. 00:02:51.739 --> 00:02:57.719 So those that have recently joined Watermark in the last two years or so might not know Henry and Florence. 00:02:58.299 --> 00:03:05.439 Henry and Florence were wonderful, wonderful members of the Watermark congregation for about three years, two years or so, 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:11.079 before they relocated back to Europe and moved to Europe two and a half years ago and are back in Hong Kong visiting. 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:16.320 And when I heard that they were visiting, I said, Henry, we'd love to have you to continue to open up God's word. 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:17.720 So Henry's going to be preaching this morning. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.920 But just if you think, who is this person I've never seen before? 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:21.960 Where did he come from? 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:24.240 And I might not see again for a couple of months. 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:27.300 Henry and Florence, great to have you back with us this morning. 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:31.760 This church family have missed you guys the last two years, and it's lovely to have you with us. 00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:34.060 So Henry, thank you for opening up God's word to us. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:34.939 Thank you, Kevin. 00:03:35.040 --> 00:03:35.740 Thanks for that. 00:03:35.740 --> 00:03:39.280 Welcome and thank you for asking me to preach. 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:42.800 It's a great privilege and honor to do that, of course. 00:03:43.020 --> 00:03:45.020 It's just great to be back in Hong Kong. 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:48.340 Kevin didn't say that I'm Irish. 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:49.379 My wife is French. 00:03:49.460 --> 00:03:53.480 We're now living in France, but we lived more than half our lives in Hong Kong. 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:56.460 So Hong Kong is our real home. 00:03:57.200 --> 00:04:04.120 And it's wonderful to be back in Watermark, to see so many of you that we do know and many others that we don't know. 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:06.080 But, hey, that means the church is growing. 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:08.819 And what a great venue you have here. 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:11.800 Wow, it's fantastic. 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:13.580 We've been praying for that as well. 00:04:13.900 --> 00:04:22.680 And may the Lord bless you as a church and as a community of saints, of God's people who meet and worship here. 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:31.100 And as you minister and serve the Lord, may this be a great venue to do that, that his work may grow and that his kingdom would be extended. 00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:41.840 So our passage this morning has already been read to us by Sherman, Acts 9, verses 19 to 31. 00:04:42.820 --> 00:04:47.060 A couple of years ago, I took a course in theology. 00:04:47.820 --> 00:04:52.600 And this particular course was entitled Conversion and Transformation. 00:04:52.600 --> 00:05:03.040 One of the assignments of that course was to write an essay about my own conversion and transformation and ongoing spiritual development. 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:11.360 In doing some research for the essay, I came across a simple but profound statement in one of the required textbooks. 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:16.680 In that book, a church historian called Alan Crater wrote, 00:05:17.280 --> 00:05:24.980 Conversion to Christianity involves a change of a person's belief, belonging, and behavior. 00:05:25.780 --> 00:05:28.180 The phrase really stuck with me. 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:35.860 Conversion to Christianity involves a change in a person's belief, belonging, and behavior. 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:43.139 You know, in many ways, the book of Acts, certainly the second part of the book of Acts, 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:50.060 could read like an extended reflection on the conversion and transformation of Saul of Tarsus. 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:59.340 Throughout Luke's narrative, it's abundantly clear that Saul's conversion involved a massive change for him 00:05:59.340 --> 00:06:03.639 in his belief, in his belonging, and in his behavior. 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:13.319 And so here in Acts 9, 19-31, we discover what happened to Paul after his extraordinary conversion on the Damascus Road, 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:15.479 his encounter with the risen Christ. 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:20.979 Saul's conversion itself, I take it, was not really typical. 00:06:22.159 --> 00:06:28.199 People do not normally fall to the ground, are blinded by a blazing light, 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:35.620 and hear the audible voice of the risen Lord Jesus as part of the conversion experience. 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:41.740 But what happened afterwards is typical, or ought to be typical, 00:06:42.159 --> 00:06:45.860 of genuine Christian conversion and transformation. 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:51.680 Kevin last week dealt with Saul's conversion on the Damascus Road. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:53.740 He had the five Ps, remember? 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:56.019 Today I've got the three Bs. 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:02.860 But he talked about how God deeply changes us when we know Christ. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.579 And today, we're going to be looking at what does a transformed life really look like? 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:10.199 What does it mean to be a Christian? 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:13.899 What are the principles from Paul's post-conversion experience, 00:07:14.460 --> 00:07:18.500 his story, that apply to each one of us who say that we're Christians? 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:26.339 Let's find out how belief, belonging, and behavior are changed, are reshaped. 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:29.220 Because we belong to Jesus, we say we're Christians. 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:34.720 But first of all, a little bit of the background of this story from Acts 9. 00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:39.759 We should note that Luke actually compresses the story, the timeline. 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:45.620 He uses phrases like several days in verse 19, or after many days in verse 23. 00:07:45.779 --> 00:07:47.279 But he doesn't give exact dates. 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:49.299 He doesn't say how long this period lasts for. 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:54.959 But two of Paul's other writings, in Galatians and in 2 Corinthians, 00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:57.299 we get little glimpses of the same story. 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:00.279 And we can put it all together to fill the chronological gaps. 00:08:01.319 --> 00:08:04.579 We might also note that we're talking about Saul of Tarsus. 00:08:04.799 --> 00:08:08.559 That's who Luke refers to him as in this passage. 00:08:08.719 --> 00:08:10.799 Up to about chapter 13 in Acts. 00:08:10.919 --> 00:08:12.839 And then after that, he becomes Paul. 00:08:13.419 --> 00:08:14.319 Paul the Apostle. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:17.480 Paul was his Roman name, of course, and Saul was his Hebrew name. 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:18.740 And it's the same person. 00:08:18.860 --> 00:08:23.339 And I might swap and change the names around a little bit, depending on context, 00:08:23.599 --> 00:08:26.500 as we talk about Saul this morning. 00:08:26.899 --> 00:08:29.139 Let's piece it together initially from Acts. 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:35.340 After his conversion, Saul stayed several days with the disciples in Damascus. 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:41.540 And then, he started preaching in the synagogues where the Jews met for worship. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:45.240 He proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of God. 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:46.340 That was his message. 00:08:46.540 --> 00:08:47.759 Jesus is the Son of God. 00:08:47.820 --> 00:08:48.440 Verse 20. 00:08:48.940 --> 00:08:52.920 And as time passed, his arguments grew increasingly powerful. 00:08:53.920 --> 00:08:57.120 And he proved that Jesus was the Messiah. 00:08:57.660 --> 00:08:59.379 So Jesus is the Son of God. 00:08:59.800 --> 00:09:00.900 Jesus is the Messiah. 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:02.379 That's what Paul was doing. 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:09.379 And eventually, after some period of time, the opposition against him by the Jews in Damascus 00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:15.199 reached such a crescendo that some of his friends had to help him escape through a hole in the wall. 00:09:15.319 --> 00:09:17.539 And he left Damascus and went to Jerusalem. 00:09:19.139 --> 00:09:22.399 Luke then tells us that, yeah, he went to Jerusalem. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:25.980 And there he attempted to join the Christians in Jerusalem. 00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:28.779 But remember, Paul had left Jerusalem sometime before. 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:30.440 And he was persecuting the Christians. 00:09:30.519 --> 00:09:31.680 So they were a bit afraid of him. 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:32.460 Was this a trap? 00:09:33.259 --> 00:09:34.779 Who's this guy that's coming back in? 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:35.700 Saul of Tarsus. 00:09:35.820 --> 00:09:37.860 He's got a pretty bad name in the Christian community. 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:38.620 Should we? 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:40.060 What's going to happen here? 00:09:40.139 --> 00:09:42.259 So a really good guy. 00:09:42.659 --> 00:09:45.159 A senior kind of guy in the church. 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:46.240 Barnabas. 00:09:46.340 --> 00:09:48.259 His name means encourager. 00:09:49.259 --> 00:09:52.039 He said, this man is genuine. 00:09:52.259 --> 00:09:53.560 His conversion is real. 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:56.859 God has really entered this man's life and transformed him. 00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:58.299 You can welcome him. 00:09:58.699 --> 00:10:04.579 So over a period of time in Jerusalem, Saul met with Cephas. 00:10:04.699 --> 00:10:05.319 That's Peter. 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:08.479 He met with James, the brother of the Lord Jesus. 00:10:09.219 --> 00:10:11.259 I'd love to have heard those conversations. 00:10:11.459 --> 00:10:13.819 Can you just imagine what they sat down and chatted about? 00:10:15.839 --> 00:10:19.799 And he was welcomed into the community. 00:10:19.799 --> 00:10:25.519 But actually, it's from a passage in Galatians that we get the chronology here. 00:10:26.259 --> 00:10:27.679 And so this is what it says. 00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:35.179 Then after three years, I went to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him 15 days. 00:10:36.319 --> 00:10:37.579 So it's pretty obvious. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:45.339 Three years, he had been north in Damascus or the general vicinity. 00:10:45.340 --> 00:10:48.800 But his time in Jerusalem only lasted two days. 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:54.820 And during those two weeks in Jerusalem, Saul again spoke boldly in the name of Jesus. 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:58.780 And he debated with the Hellenistic or Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem. 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:02.800 Again, opposition against him intensified. 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:05.220 There was another plot to kill him. 00:11:05.300 --> 00:11:07.980 That's the second plot now, Damascus and now Jerusalem. 00:11:07.980 --> 00:11:16.840 And so the Christians in Jerusalem escorted him to Caesarea on the coast where he got a ship and sailed to his hometown, 00:11:17.539 --> 00:11:23.360 which of course was Tarsus in the province of Cilicia in modern-day Turkey. 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:29.500 It's also from Galatians that we learn that during those years, we don't get it from Luke in Acts, 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:39.560 but Galatians tells us that during his time in Damascus, he spent time, an unspecified amount of time, in Arabia. 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:42.720 By Arabia, he means the Nabataean kingdom. 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:47.360 And that would be modern-day Jordan and its surrounding regions. 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:52.639 Perhaps Petra is the best-known ancient Nabataean city today. 00:11:53.759 --> 00:12:01.460 And Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, so this is piecing it all together, Acts, Galatians 1, 2 Corinthians 11, 00:12:01.940 --> 00:12:09.500 that he was escaping Damascus from the governor of King Aratas, who was the Nabataean or Arabian king. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:16.960 So putting it together, Paul had upset the Jews in Damascus by preaching that Jesus is the Messiah, 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:22.019 Jesus is the Son of God, and he must have upset the Nabataeans in Arabia somehow as well, 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:25.400 because they were chasing him, and they were trying to capture him in Damascus. 00:12:25.660 --> 00:12:32.639 So that's when he escaped from Damascus, went to Jerusalem, and spent two weeks in Jerusalem. 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:37.879 This map that will appear on the screen shows us basically what happened. 00:12:38.420 --> 00:12:44.340 Jerusalem to Damascus, that's with the letters, to persecute the Christians in Damascus, 00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:50.399 to capture them, imprison them, bring them back, and maybe even kill them in Jerusalem. 00:12:51.899 --> 00:12:57.259 He became a Christian on the road to Damascus, stayed with the Christians there, 00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:00.460 went to Arabia, came back to Damascus. 00:13:00.540 --> 00:13:02.180 That period of time was three years. 00:13:02.560 --> 00:13:06.060 Went to Jerusalem, spent a couple of weeks there, and then eventually, 00:13:06.059 --> 00:13:11.159 well, not eventually, after two weeks, he's chased out of Jerusalem again, 00:13:11.619 --> 00:13:20.919 goes to Tarsus through Caesarea, and then it's about another 14 years probably before he went back to Jerusalem. 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:22.679 So that's the chronology. 00:13:22.899 --> 00:13:27.079 That gives us a little bit of the background story. 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:32.579 But our focus this morning is to look at Saul's example of conversion and transformation. 00:13:32.580 --> 00:13:37.000 There's an overarching principle here, that to be a true Christian, 00:13:37.680 --> 00:13:46.460 there must be a change in our lives, a change in our beliefs, a change in our belonging, 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:49.480 and a change in our behavior. 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:53.000 So we look at belief, first of all. 00:13:54.700 --> 00:13:57.800 Saul of Tarsus was a zealous Pharisee. 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:02.740 He would have won the gold medal for being a zealot Jew, 00:14:03.339 --> 00:14:09.019 Orthodox Jew, and as a member of the Pharisees. 00:14:09.459 --> 00:14:12.459 He regarded Christianity as a dangerous heresy. 00:14:14.319 --> 00:14:16.519 The Torah, the Jewish scriptures, 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:19.079 with the Jewish traditions and observances, 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:21.179 were central to his worldview. 00:14:22.339 --> 00:14:23.199 Keep obeying God. 00:14:23.319 --> 00:14:25.039 Do the commandments. 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:31.659 Not just the Ten Commandments, but the 623 or whatever number of commandments it is in the Old Testament scriptures. 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:34.699 Do all of those, and you'll be right with God, he believed. 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:36.500 He thought Jesus was a fraud. 00:14:37.939 --> 00:14:44.139 A crucified Messiah was impossible in Saul's mind. 00:14:44.959 --> 00:14:50.019 I mean, who ever heard of the Messiah being crucified, being put to death? 00:14:51.219 --> 00:14:53.199 The scriptures told you that was impossible. 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:55.879 It said that cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. 00:14:56.220 --> 00:15:00.600 So how could Jesus of Nazareth possibly be God's anointed one? 00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:04.280 How could he die under a divine curse? 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:05.660 It was a joke. 00:15:06.379 --> 00:15:08.920 I mean, nobody believed that your God died on a cross. 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:15.040 Nobody believed that the one that God had appointed and anointed to be the Savior 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:21.139 would end up crucified by Roman soldiers. 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:29.480 Yet in Damascus, after his conversion, Saul began preaching that Jesus is the Son of God 00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:31.319 and the Messiah. 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:34.980 Saul's beliefs had changed. 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:39.539 Saul, along with all the other Jews, had expected a Messiah. 00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:42.959 He knew what the Messiah ought to look like, he thought. 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:51.319 He would be a figure of hope, a political liberator for the Jews, a son of David, a king chosen by God 00:15:51.319 --> 00:15:59.939 who would rule in righteousness and a peaceful kingdom with the Jews elevated once again throughout the world. 00:15:59.939 --> 00:16:05.779 He would inaugurate that kingdom of justice and prosperity and harmony, 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:08.319 and the hated Roman occupiers would be gone. 00:16:09.579 --> 00:16:11.419 They looked for the Lion of Judah. 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:13.579 And who did they get? 00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:15.360 They got a slain lamb. 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:23.980 They expected the kingdom to be established by violence and force and power. 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:29.759 Instead, it was established through self-sacrificial love. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:36.279 They expected salvation, God's salvation, to be for the Jews, exclusively for them. 00:16:36.899 --> 00:16:38.519 And instead, it was international. 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:39.539 It was for everyone. 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:40.759 It was for the whole world. 00:16:40.919 --> 00:16:45.100 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:49.139 So what changed it for Saul? 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:50.779 What happened? 00:16:50.899 --> 00:16:52.439 Why did his beliefs change? 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:55.740 On the Damascus road, Saul encountered the risen Christ. 00:16:55.740 --> 00:17:02.639 He became convinced that the crucified Jesus had been vindicated by God through the resurrection. 00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:09.539 The very fact that disqualified Christ or Jesus in Saul's mind, his crucifixion, 00:17:10.019 --> 00:17:14.680 was the very thing that became central to his new faith. 00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:18.440 This is how one author describes it. 00:17:18.519 --> 00:17:19.500 F.F. Bruce says, 00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:24.859 Paul found himself instantly compelled by what he saw and heard. 00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:31.660 To acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified one, was alive after his crucifixion, 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:35.299 vindicated and exalted by God, 00:17:35.859 --> 00:17:39.740 and was now conscripting him, Saul, into his service. 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:42.200 What a radical change. 00:17:42.819 --> 00:17:45.759 What a transformation had happened. 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:51.879 Years later, Paul puts it together when he wrote one of his letters to the believers, 00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:53.420 the Christian believers in Corinthians, 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:54.619 and he said, 00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:58.559 this is the core of the Christian gospel. 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:01.960 Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:03.839 He was buried. 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:06.720 He was raised on the third day. 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:09.980 And he appeared to many witnesses, 500 at one time. 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:11.259 He appeared to Peter. 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:12.400 He appeared to James. 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:13.880 And Paul says, 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:16.140 he even appeared to me. 00:18:17.040 --> 00:18:19.300 I have seen the risen Lord Jesus. 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:22.360 My beliefs have changed entirely. 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:25.519 This is the message, Paul said, 00:18:25.800 --> 00:18:27.780 and it's of first importance. 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:32.519 Conversion involves a radical reorientation of belief. 00:18:33.560 --> 00:18:37.400 For Saul, it meant accepting that the crucified one was now the risen Lord. 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:41.880 That salvation comes not through Torah keeping. 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:44.340 Not through all those laws, 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:49.020 but through Christ's atoning substitutionary death on the cross. 00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:52.580 That God's promises are fulfilled. 00:18:52.900 --> 00:18:54.860 Everything he had read in the Torah, 00:18:55.060 --> 00:18:56.540 in the Old Testament scriptures, 00:18:56.980 --> 00:18:59.440 that he had heard from a child growing up, 00:18:59.740 --> 00:19:02.840 everything is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:05.280 the Christ, the Son of God. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:09.319 Instead of blasphemy in Jesus, 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:11.259 Saul saw glory. 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:13.440 Instead of deception, 00:19:14.639 --> 00:19:16.220 he saw truth. 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:18.259 Instead of a curse, 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:19.799 he saw redemption. 00:19:21.879 --> 00:19:24.859 Theologian Alistair McGrath puts it like this. 00:19:25.220 --> 00:19:26.099 He explains it. 00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:30.439 Christianity holds that the life, 00:19:30.819 --> 00:19:31.119 death, 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:33.740 and resurrection of Jesus Christ 00:19:33.740 --> 00:19:36.459 have changed things. 00:19:37.379 --> 00:19:38.459 The created order, 00:19:38.959 --> 00:19:39.759 and above all, 00:19:39.899 --> 00:19:41.719 humanity has fallen into disorder. 00:19:42.899 --> 00:19:44.959 Things are not what they're meant to be, 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:47.799 and something has to be done about this. 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:50.940 The same God who made the created order, 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:52.639 therefore acts to renew it, 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:53.980 and reorder it. 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:56.740 The Christian doctrine of sin 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:59.099 gives an account of what went wrong. 00:19:59.899 --> 00:20:01.240 The doctrine of salvation 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:04.220 deals with the restoration of the created order, 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:08.039 and humanity to its proper relationship with God. 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:10.299 This is what Paul, 00:20:10.639 --> 00:20:11.639 Saul of Tarsus, 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:12.599 now believed. 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:14.579 Everything had changed for him. 00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:17.439 Becoming a Christian was a radical reversal. 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:18.839 For Saul, 00:20:18.939 --> 00:20:20.220 it changed his beliefs. 00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:24.279 Jesus had become front and center in his life. 00:20:24.939 --> 00:20:26.059 Paul could later write, 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:30.039 for me to live is Christ. 00:20:30.539 --> 00:20:32.460 For me to live is Christ. 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:36.019 Jesus Christ was central. 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:39.740 It consumed Saul of Tarsus. 00:20:39.919 --> 00:20:42.220 It consumed Paul the Apostle, 00:20:42.220 --> 00:20:44.079 and he should. 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:45.379 He, the Lord Jesus, 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:49.000 should consume our thoughts, 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:50.000 our passions, 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:51.000 our lives. 00:20:52.419 --> 00:20:54.500 So it changed Saul's beliefs. 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:56.299 It also changed his belonging, 00:20:56.819 --> 00:20:58.139 transformed his belonging. 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:01.059 Previously, Saul had belonged 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:02.039 to the inner circle 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:04.000 of the Jewish religious authorities. 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:06.720 He had a mandate from the high priest. 00:21:07.419 --> 00:21:08.799 His mission to Damascus 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:10.319 was to persecute the Christians. 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:13.480 He was an enforcer of Jewish orthodoxy. 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:15.299 But after his conversion, 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:17.839 Saul's allegiance changed. 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:19.480 It shifted completely. 00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:21.500 Before he was raising havoc 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:22.500 among the Christians, 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:24.120 now he was one of them. 00:21:24.220 --> 00:21:25.920 Now he was preaching boldly 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:27.700 that Jesus was the Messiah. 00:21:27.900 --> 00:21:29.500 He even called him Lord. 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:30.720 What a reversal. 00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:31.740 What a change. 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:34.279 In the various letters 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:35.360 that Saul, 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:35.880 Paul, 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:36.860 Paul the Apostle, 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:37.599 wrote 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:39.720 that we have in our New Testament, 00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:42.279 over a period of about 20 years, 00:21:42.539 --> 00:21:44.360 he repeatedly emphasizes 00:21:44.360 --> 00:21:45.380 this new allegiance. 00:21:46.339 --> 00:21:46.660 Firstly, 00:21:46.860 --> 00:21:48.480 Christians belong to Christ. 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:50.640 He is Lord 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:51.680 and Master 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:52.779 of our lives. 00:21:53.620 --> 00:21:54.019 And then, 00:21:54.380 --> 00:21:56.039 maybe somewhat surprisingly, 00:21:56.759 --> 00:21:58.200 Christians also belong 00:21:58.200 --> 00:21:58.980 to one another, 00:21:59.660 --> 00:22:01.819 to the community of saints 00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:02.940 expressed locally 00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:04.759 in an individual church. 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:07.319 Paul describes it like this 00:22:07.319 --> 00:22:09.140 in Romans 12, 00:22:09.220 --> 00:22:10.000 verse 5. 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:11.299 In Christ, 00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:12.539 we though many 00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:13.740 form one body 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:15.200 and each member 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:17.299 belongs to all the others. 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:20.200 Let that sink in. 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:23.000 Each member 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:25.220 belongs to all the others. 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:26.720 That's church. 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.140 That's what it's all about. 00:22:31.500 --> 00:22:33.160 Christians don't just associate 00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:33.920 with one another. 00:22:34.460 --> 00:22:35.840 They organically make up 00:22:35.840 --> 00:22:36.800 the body of Christ. 00:22:37.540 --> 00:22:38.240 As Christians, 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:39.560 we're interconnected 00:22:39.560 --> 00:22:40.519 with one another. 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:41.360 We're responsible 00:22:41.360 --> 00:22:42.160 for one another. 00:22:42.259 --> 00:22:43.259 We love one another. 00:22:43.820 --> 00:22:45.120 It's a mutual belonging. 00:22:45.300 --> 00:22:46.759 It's a communal existence. 00:22:48.340 --> 00:22:49.100 At first, 00:22:49.180 --> 00:22:50.320 as we already know, 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:51.640 the Christians in Jerusalem 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:52.960 were skeptical about him, 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:54.420 but Paul, 00:22:54.820 --> 00:22:55.120 Saul, 00:22:55.300 --> 00:22:56.740 was invited 00:22:56.740 --> 00:22:58.680 into that circle 00:22:58.680 --> 00:22:59.320 of Christians 00:22:59.320 --> 00:23:00.019 in Jerusalem. 00:23:00.340 --> 00:23:00.920 And we think 00:23:00.920 --> 00:23:01.920 that he stayed there 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:02.800 at this time 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:03.960 for just two weeks. 00:23:04.659 --> 00:23:06.899 But he identifies openly 00:23:06.899 --> 00:23:08.419 as a disciple of Jesus, 00:23:08.419 --> 00:23:09.859 as a follower of Christ. 00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:11.059 He preached about him. 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:12.639 He got into big trouble for it. 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:13.759 They wanted to kill him. 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:15.440 His belonging 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:16.519 had entirely changed. 00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:17.099 The last time 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:17.839 he was in Jerusalem, 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:19.440 he was with the high priest, 00:23:20.159 --> 00:23:21.240 with the Jewish authorities. 00:23:21.700 --> 00:23:22.099 Now, 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:22.940 he's with 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:24.099 kind of the underground church. 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:24.599 church. 00:23:26.759 --> 00:23:27.759 But he wasn't keeping 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:28.500 his head down. 00:23:28.719 --> 00:23:30.279 He was preaching boldly. 00:23:30.819 --> 00:23:31.199 And so, 00:23:31.639 --> 00:23:31.799 he, 00:23:32.179 --> 00:23:33.459 the persecutor, 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:34.579 became the persecuted 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:35.759 in Jerusalem. 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:37.159 This new belonging 00:23:37.159 --> 00:23:38.279 came at a cost 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:40.559 to Saul. 00:23:40.959 --> 00:23:42.259 The Hellenistic Jews 00:23:42.259 --> 00:23:43.179 wanted him dead. 00:23:43.679 --> 00:23:44.099 And so, 00:23:44.199 --> 00:23:45.019 he quickly left 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:46.039 for Caesarea 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:47.839 and then on to Tarsus. 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:50.279 As we think 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:51.099 about belonging, 00:23:52.019 --> 00:23:52.639 remember that 00:23:52.639 --> 00:23:53.059 belonging 00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:54.539 to a church 00:23:54.539 --> 00:23:55.619 is not the same 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:56.659 as belonging 00:23:56.659 --> 00:23:57.339 to a club. 00:23:58.699 --> 00:23:59.639 I've got friends 00:23:59.639 --> 00:24:00.099 who are members 00:24:00.099 --> 00:24:01.039 of golf clubs 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:03.119 or they play bridge 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:04.000 with a group 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:04.879 of acquaintances 00:24:04.879 --> 00:24:06.339 or they're part 00:24:06.339 --> 00:24:06.899 of a running 00:24:06.899 --> 00:24:08.099 or a hiking group 00:24:08.099 --> 00:24:10.279 or a theatrical society 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:11.299 or a book club, 00:24:11.439 --> 00:24:11.720 whatever. 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:13.500 And they think 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:14.079 that I belong 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:14.779 to a church 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:16.200 in the same way. 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:17.000 It's just a group 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:18.680 of like-minded people 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:20.660 and I spend some time 00:24:20.660 --> 00:24:21.259 with them 00:24:21.259 --> 00:24:22.039 on a Sunday morning. 00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:23.140 So, 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:23.660 that's church. 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:24.799 It's like a club. 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:26.180 That's what my friends, 00:24:26.360 --> 00:24:27.380 my non-Christian friends, 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:27.680 think. 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:29.279 But that's not 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:29.980 what this belonging 00:24:29.980 --> 00:24:30.900 is about at all. 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:31.539 Here, 00:24:31.640 --> 00:24:32.120 it's far more 00:24:32.120 --> 00:24:32.960 like a family 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:34.700 who love one another, 00:24:35.380 --> 00:24:36.660 who care deeply 00:24:36.660 --> 00:24:37.420 for one another, 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:38.700 who carry one another's 00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:39.019 burdens, 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:40.720 who share their lives 00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:41.180 together, 00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:42.759 who show hospitality, 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:44.500 who make loving sacrifices 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:45.880 for each other, 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:46.740 whose lives are 00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:47.860 embedded together. 00:24:48.080 --> 00:24:48.860 That's church. 00:24:49.820 --> 00:24:50.720 Paul explains this 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:51.460 belonging in one 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:52.019 of his letters 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:52.840 in 1 Corinthians. 00:24:53.060 --> 00:24:53.519 He says, 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:54.940 you are the body 00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:55.600 of Christ 00:24:55.600 --> 00:24:57.200 and each one of you 00:24:57.200 --> 00:24:58.340 is a part of it. 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:00.519 If one part suffers, 00:25:01.320 --> 00:25:02.259 every part suffers 00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:02.740 with it. 00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:04.740 If one part is honored, 00:25:05.320 --> 00:25:06.640 every part rejoices 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:07.180 with it. 00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:08.779 We rejoice 00:25:08.779 --> 00:25:10.060 with those who rejoice. 00:25:10.059 --> 00:25:10.879 We mourn 00:25:10.879 --> 00:25:12.259 with those who mourn. 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:14.079 That's what community 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:15.240 feels like. 00:25:15.399 --> 00:25:16.359 Belonging to Christ 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:17.659 means belonging 00:25:17.659 --> 00:25:18.639 to his people. 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:20.339 Christianity 00:25:20.339 --> 00:25:21.679 was never designed 00:25:21.679 --> 00:25:22.319 to be lived 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:22.919 in isolation. 00:25:22.919 --> 00:25:24.259 There's no such thing 00:25:24.259 --> 00:25:25.379 as a lone ranger 00:25:25.379 --> 00:25:25.919 Christian. 00:25:27.319 --> 00:25:28.339 It requires 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:28.919 commitment, 00:25:29.259 --> 00:25:29.759 vulnerability, 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:31.299 shared life, 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:32.240 mutual care. 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:34.079 that's why church 00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:35.640 membership is so important. 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:36.539 It shows that you 00:25:36.539 --> 00:25:37.480 have intentionally 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:39.039 attached yourself. 00:25:39.180 --> 00:25:39.839 You belong 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:41.299 to this group 00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:42.099 of people 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:43.759 who also belong 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:44.480 to Christ. 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:46.240 It's why doing church 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:46.819 on your own 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:47.319 at home, 00:25:47.400 --> 00:25:47.799 online, 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:49.059 doesn't really work. 00:25:49.120 --> 00:25:49.740 It's not it. 00:25:52.259 --> 00:25:53.359 Church was meant 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:54.019 to be 00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:55.240 communal, 00:25:55.740 --> 00:25:56.740 together. 00:25:56.740 --> 00:25:56.859 together. 00:25:57.620 --> 00:25:59.059 We need to invest 00:25:59.059 --> 00:26:00.120 our lives 00:26:00.120 --> 00:26:00.740 in each other. 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:03.940 In France now, 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:05.099 Florence, 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:05.539 my wife, 00:26:05.579 --> 00:26:06.079 and I host 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:06.960 a community group 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:07.539 in our home. 00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:08.480 Actually, 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:09.299 I joke that they 00:26:09.299 --> 00:26:10.160 really only come 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:10.940 because Florence 00:26:10.940 --> 00:26:11.839 is such a good cook 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:13.299 and she prepares 00:26:13.299 --> 00:26:14.160 the meal for them. 00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:15.480 But it's mostly 00:26:15.480 --> 00:26:16.519 made up of young people, 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:17.339 a little bit like 00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:18.019 jars of clay 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:18.799 when we were here 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:19.500 and part of that 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:20.279 community group 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:21.160 in this church. 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:22.740 And the young people 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:23.819 in the 20s and 30s, 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:24.500 and we know them, 00:26:24.500 --> 00:26:25.359 we've got to know them 00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:25.940 and love them. 00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:27.859 We share meals together, 00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:28.819 but we also share 00:26:28.819 --> 00:26:29.619 our lives together. 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:30.839 We know about 00:26:30.839 --> 00:26:31.559 the struggle 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:32.380 some of them have 00:26:32.380 --> 00:26:33.019 as foreigners 00:26:33.019 --> 00:26:34.180 to get the right visa 00:26:34.180 --> 00:26:35.180 to live and work 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:35.779 in France. 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:37.079 We know about 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:38.000 how disappointed 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:38.740 they are with 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:39.740 the state-appointed 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:40.880 lawyers who mess 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:41.619 up their cases. 00:26:42.380 --> 00:26:42.960 We know about 00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:43.539 the difficulties 00:26:43.539 --> 00:26:44.839 of being a schoolteacher 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:45.640 where you might be 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:46.799 threatened in the classroom 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:49.380 verbally or even 00:26:49.380 --> 00:26:51.059 physically by a teenager. 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:52.799 We know about 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:53.859 the financial worries 00:26:53.859 --> 00:26:55.079 of some of these 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:55.979 young people, 00:26:56.979 --> 00:27:00.019 the complicated families 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:00.599 that some of them 00:27:00.599 --> 00:27:01.199 come from, 00:27:02.379 --> 00:27:03.879 their financial troubles 00:27:03.879 --> 00:27:05.240 that they can barely 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:05.979 afford good 00:27:05.979 --> 00:27:06.779 and proper food. 00:27:07.979 --> 00:27:09.059 We know about 00:27:09.059 --> 00:27:10.759 setbacks in finding jobs, 00:27:10.879 --> 00:27:11.919 about relationship, 00:27:12.179 --> 00:27:12.879 heartbreaks. 00:27:13.899 --> 00:27:15.139 We know about 00:27:15.139 --> 00:27:16.919 health issues 00:27:16.919 --> 00:27:18.339 and other everyday matters. 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:20.000 But there are 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:20.839 meals together. 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:22.779 We pray for one another. 00:27:22.779 --> 00:27:22.859 together. 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:24.660 There's helping out 00:27:24.660 --> 00:27:25.359 financially. 00:27:25.660 --> 00:27:26.799 There's hospitality. 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:27.759 There's meeting up 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:28.839 for coffee or lunch 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:29.299 together. 00:27:29.559 --> 00:27:30.339 There's going to 00:27:30.339 --> 00:27:31.099 football matches 00:27:31.099 --> 00:27:31.579 together. 00:27:31.779 --> 00:27:32.399 There's going for 00:27:32.399 --> 00:27:33.460 bike rides together. 00:27:33.879 --> 00:27:34.759 There's attending 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:36.879 graduations and 00:27:36.879 --> 00:27:38.119 attending baptisms. 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:39.559 Why any of this? 00:27:39.639 --> 00:27:40.339 Why would we bother? 00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:41.299 Why do we do this? 00:27:41.680 --> 00:27:42.420 Because when you're 00:27:42.420 --> 00:27:42.899 a Christian, 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:44.200 each member belongs 00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:45.119 to each other. 00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:46.420 We belong to 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:47.200 all the others. 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:48.399 There's a responsibility 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:49.220 that we have 00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:50.240 to one another. 00:27:51.300 --> 00:27:52.019 Being a Christian 00:27:52.019 --> 00:27:53.140 involves changing 00:27:53.140 --> 00:27:54.380 a person's belonging. 00:27:56.060 --> 00:27:57.100 But it also 00:27:57.100 --> 00:27:58.120 might mean adversity. 00:27:58.360 --> 00:27:59.280 It's not a free ride. 00:27:59.460 --> 00:27:59.960 Belonging to the 00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:00.820 community of saints 00:28:00.820 --> 00:28:01.880 might cause suffering 00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:02.860 at the hands of others. 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:03.900 Maybe family, 00:28:04.420 --> 00:28:05.100 maybe friends, 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:05.920 maybe colleagues 00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:06.759 treated badly 00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:08.019 because of your faith. 00:28:08.860 --> 00:28:10.259 Saul's new identity 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:11.560 led to hardship 00:28:11.560 --> 00:28:12.480 and rejection, 00:28:13.240 --> 00:28:13.720 danger. 00:28:14.200 --> 00:28:14.940 Belonging doesn't 00:28:14.940 --> 00:28:16.000 guarantee ease, 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:17.559 but it does guarantee 00:28:17.559 --> 00:28:18.640 a shared life 00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:19.440 with the community 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:20.160 of saints 00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:21.559 and with others 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:22.620 who are participating 00:28:22.620 --> 00:28:24.220 in God's family. 00:28:26.340 --> 00:28:27.279 So we've looked 00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:27.840 at believing, 00:28:28.380 --> 00:28:29.420 we've looked at belonging, 00:28:29.620 --> 00:28:30.680 how these are changed, 00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:31.980 and the third one, 00:28:32.380 --> 00:28:34.620 the third change 00:28:34.620 --> 00:28:35.559 is behavior. 00:28:36.580 --> 00:28:37.380 It shapes 00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:39.700 becoming a Christian, 00:28:40.120 --> 00:28:41.080 being a Christian, 00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:42.460 shapes, 00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:43.480 reshapes 00:28:43.480 --> 00:28:44.120 our beliefs 00:28:44.119 --> 00:28:45.519 our belonging 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:46.979 and our behavior. 00:28:48.339 --> 00:28:49.439 A few years ago 00:28:49.439 --> 00:28:50.179 in Hong Kong, 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:51.619 I was talking 00:28:51.619 --> 00:28:52.039 with someone 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:52.779 when we realized 00:28:52.779 --> 00:28:53.159 that we had 00:28:53.159 --> 00:28:53.919 a mutual friend. 00:28:55.099 --> 00:28:56.019 The other person 00:28:56.019 --> 00:28:56.879 asked me how I knew 00:28:56.879 --> 00:28:57.459 this friend 00:28:57.459 --> 00:28:57.939 and I said, 00:28:58.059 --> 00:28:58.839 oh, it's because 00:28:58.839 --> 00:29:00.139 we go to the same church. 00:29:01.339 --> 00:29:02.500 And at that point, 00:29:02.619 --> 00:29:03.319 the reaction 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:04.000 of the person 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:05.159 that I was talking to 00:29:05.159 --> 00:29:06.299 was disheartening. 00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:07.759 She said, 00:29:08.239 --> 00:29:09.459 oh, I didn't think 00:29:09.459 --> 00:29:10.439 from his language 00:29:10.439 --> 00:29:11.500 he'd be the kind of guy 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:12.399 that went to church. 00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:14.880 I found that sad. 00:29:16.320 --> 00:29:17.259 Sad because 00:29:17.259 --> 00:29:18.259 the Christian faith 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:19.259 is not just 00:29:19.259 --> 00:29:20.420 merely intellectual 00:29:20.420 --> 00:29:21.019 assent. 00:29:21.860 --> 00:29:22.660 It's a lived 00:29:22.660 --> 00:29:23.660 transformation. 00:29:24.780 --> 00:29:25.420 My behavior, 00:29:25.600 --> 00:29:26.300 my lifestyle, 00:29:26.540 --> 00:29:27.720 my language, 00:29:27.860 --> 00:29:28.640 my attitudes, 00:29:28.840 --> 00:29:29.660 my reactions 00:29:29.660 --> 00:29:30.400 are supposed 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:31.220 to reflect 00:29:31.220 --> 00:29:32.180 that I belong 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:32.800 to Jesus. 00:29:33.840 --> 00:29:34.460 Paul wrote, 00:29:34.900 --> 00:29:36.120 follow my example 00:29:36.120 --> 00:29:37.120 as I follow 00:29:37.120 --> 00:29:37.759 the example 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:38.440 of Christ. 00:29:38.440 --> 00:29:38.580 Christ. 00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:40.720 The Christian life 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:42.539 is one of imitation. 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:43.779 We imitate 00:29:43.779 --> 00:29:44.660 Christ. 00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:46.000 We reflect 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:47.080 Christ's character 00:29:47.080 --> 00:29:48.740 in our daily 00:29:48.740 --> 00:29:49.299 conduct. 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:51.140 When your friends 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:52.799 and your colleagues 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:54.000 and your family 00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:54.779 look at you, 00:29:54.840 --> 00:29:55.420 do they see 00:29:55.420 --> 00:29:55.799 Jesus? 00:29:56.860 --> 00:29:57.779 Or would they say, 00:29:58.299 --> 00:29:59.720 they don't look 00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:00.460 like the kind of 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:01.400 person that would 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:02.039 go to church. 00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:03.700 Who do they see 00:30:03.700 --> 00:30:05.160 when they see you? 00:30:05.160 --> 00:30:07.460 In Acts 4, 00:30:07.580 --> 00:30:08.380 verse 13, 00:30:09.060 --> 00:30:10.019 observers noted 00:30:10.019 --> 00:30:10.920 that Peter 00:30:10.920 --> 00:30:11.900 and John, 00:30:12.860 --> 00:30:13.900 that they had 00:30:13.900 --> 00:30:15.000 been with Jesus. 00:30:16.040 --> 00:30:16.860 Would people 00:30:16.860 --> 00:30:18.000 say that about me? 00:30:18.560 --> 00:30:19.279 About you? 00:30:20.580 --> 00:30:21.259 They've been 00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:21.860 with Jesus. 00:30:24.440 --> 00:30:25.160 Previously, 00:30:25.420 --> 00:30:26.160 Saul had been 00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:26.900 a violent 00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:27.720 persecutor 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:28.460 of Christians. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:30.900 Three years 00:30:30.900 --> 00:30:31.620 later, 00:30:31.800 --> 00:30:32.480 in Jerusalem, 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:33.340 he returns 00:30:33.340 --> 00:30:34.100 as a bold 00:30:34.100 --> 00:30:35.120 preacher of Christ. 00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:36.040 His speech 00:30:36.040 --> 00:30:36.620 had changed. 00:30:36.740 --> 00:30:37.300 His goals 00:30:37.300 --> 00:30:37.980 had changed. 00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:39.140 His relationships 00:30:39.140 --> 00:30:39.900 had changed. 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:40.800 His identity 00:30:40.800 --> 00:30:41.680 had changed. 00:30:42.040 --> 00:30:42.920 He had changed 00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:44.000 from the inside out. 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:47.560 He was fully 00:30:47.560 --> 00:30:48.620 committed to Christ, 00:30:49.160 --> 00:30:49.720 believing that 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:50.480 the whole 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:51.440 universe 00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:53.019 revolved 00:30:53.019 --> 00:30:53.820 around 00:30:53.820 --> 00:30:56.560 Jesus of 00:30:56.560 --> 00:30:57.040 Nazareth, 00:30:58.519 --> 00:30:58.960 Christ, 00:30:59.480 --> 00:30:59.960 the Son 00:30:59.960 --> 00:31:00.200 of the 00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:00.779 living God. 00:31:03.300 --> 00:31:03.860 Earlier, 00:31:04.040 --> 00:31:04.779 Paul had thought 00:31:04.779 --> 00:31:05.339 that Christ 00:31:05.339 --> 00:31:08.079 was a 00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:08.519 heretic, 00:31:08.639 --> 00:31:09.079 if you like, 00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:09.819 that he was 00:31:09.819 --> 00:31:10.440 a fraud. 00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:12.460 And now he 00:31:12.460 --> 00:31:12.920 believes 00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:13.940 everything is 00:31:13.940 --> 00:31:14.639 centered in 00:31:14.639 --> 00:31:14.980 Jesus. 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:17.379 He said, 00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:19.299 in Christ 00:31:19.299 --> 00:31:20.259 lives all 00:31:20.259 --> 00:31:20.879 the fullness 00:31:20.879 --> 00:31:21.859 of God, 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:23.240 and Christ 00:31:23.240 --> 00:31:24.099 is all that 00:31:24.099 --> 00:31:24.700 matters and 00:31:24.700 --> 00:31:25.319 lives in each 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:26.019 one of us. 00:31:27.399 --> 00:31:28.519 What a change. 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:30.000 Christ is front 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:30.539 and center. 00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:31.240 Christ is 00:31:31.240 --> 00:31:32.039 everything now 00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:32.559 for Paul. 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:33.279 I live 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:33.759 for him. 00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:35.139 You know, 00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:35.419 there's 00:31:35.419 --> 00:31:37.599 possibly, 00:31:37.819 --> 00:31:38.319 probably, 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:38.899 I don't know 00:31:38.899 --> 00:31:39.220 which, 00:31:39.659 --> 00:31:40.000 maybe, 00:31:40.399 --> 00:31:40.960 my favorite 00:31:40.960 --> 00:31:41.339 verse in 00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:41.619 the Bible. 00:31:42.619 --> 00:31:43.339 I have been 00:31:43.339 --> 00:31:44.159 crucified with 00:31:44.159 --> 00:31:44.879 Christ and I 00:31:44.879 --> 00:31:45.460 no longer 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:45.759 live, 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:46.440 but Christ 00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:47.019 lives in 00:31:47.019 --> 00:31:47.339 me. 00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:48.000 And the 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:48.500 life I 00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:49.000 now live 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:49.240 in the 00:31:49.240 --> 00:31:49.619 flesh, 00:31:49.619 --> 00:31:49.940 in the 00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:50.179 body, 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:50.740 I live 00:31:50.740 --> 00:31:51.619 by faith 00:31:51.619 --> 00:31:52.019 in the 00:31:52.019 --> 00:31:52.419 Son of 00:31:52.419 --> 00:31:52.720 God, 00:31:52.819 --> 00:31:53.539 who loved 00:31:53.539 --> 00:31:54.179 me and 00:31:54.179 --> 00:31:54.480 gave 00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:54.819 himself 00:31:54.819 --> 00:31:55.559 for me. 00:31:55.879 --> 00:31:56.379 Christ 00:31:56.379 --> 00:31:56.799 is 00:31:56.799 --> 00:31:57.519 everything. 00:31:57.519 --> 00:31:59.039 Christ 00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:00.139 is in 00:32:00.139 --> 00:32:00.539 us. 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:02.139 He is 00:32:02.139 --> 00:32:03.700 in everything. 00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:04.319 He is 00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:05.119 all and 00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:05.859 in all. 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:07.299 He is 00:32:07.299 --> 00:32:08.000 the focus. 00:32:08.819 --> 00:32:08.940 He, 00:32:09.339 --> 00:32:09.920 all the 00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:10.500 fullness 00:32:10.500 --> 00:32:11.339 of God 00:32:11.339 --> 00:32:12.059 resides 00:32:12.059 --> 00:32:12.819 in 00:32:12.819 --> 00:32:13.680 Jesus 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:14.359 Christ. 00:32:15.079 --> 00:32:15.440 Do I 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:15.900 believe in 00:32:15.900 --> 00:32:16.420 a crucified 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:16.960 God? 00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:17.879 Absolutely. 00:32:19.319 --> 00:32:19.759 It might 00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:20.379 be mad, 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:20.960 it may be 00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:21.460 a joke, 00:32:21.579 --> 00:32:22.039 some people 00:32:22.039 --> 00:32:22.500 might think 00:32:22.500 --> 00:32:22.720 it's 00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:23.379 blasphemous, 00:32:23.379 --> 00:32:24.139 but my 00:32:24.139 --> 00:32:24.599 God was 00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:25.039 crucified. 00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:27.119 And I 00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:27.639 believe in 00:32:27.639 --> 00:32:27.859 him. 00:32:30.200 --> 00:32:30.819 And I 00:32:30.819 --> 00:32:31.099 want to 00:32:31.099 --> 00:32:31.500 tell others 00:32:31.500 --> 00:32:32.039 about him. 00:32:32.440 --> 00:32:32.879 And he's 00:32:32.879 --> 00:32:33.740 alive today. 00:32:34.159 --> 00:32:34.599 He might 00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:34.819 have been 00:32:34.819 --> 00:32:35.359 dead once, 00:32:35.440 --> 00:32:35.659 but he 00:32:35.659 --> 00:32:36.200 is alive 00:32:36.200 --> 00:32:37.019 forevermore. 00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:37.779 Christ 00:32:37.779 --> 00:32:38.700 is all 00:32:38.700 --> 00:32:39.740 and in 00:32:39.740 --> 00:32:40.119 all. 00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:42.319 And so 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:42.940 Saul 00:32:42.940 --> 00:32:43.839 identified 00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:44.599 with Christ 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:44.899 and he 00:32:44.899 --> 00:32:45.359 wanted to 00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:45.659 live a 00:32:45.659 --> 00:32:46.039 life that 00:32:46.039 --> 00:32:46.399 pleased 00:32:46.399 --> 00:32:46.720 him. 00:32:48.159 --> 00:32:48.680 Our 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:49.000 behavior 00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:49.420 matters 00:32:49.420 --> 00:32:50.000 because we 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:50.460 belong to 00:32:50.460 --> 00:32:50.779 Jesus. 00:32:50.940 --> 00:32:51.259 How we 00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:51.599 speak, 00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:51.980 how we 00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:52.220 treat 00:32:52.220 --> 00:32:52.700 others, 00:32:53.019 --> 00:32:53.420 how we 00:32:53.420 --> 00:32:54.159 respond under 00:32:54.159 --> 00:32:54.659 pressure, 00:32:54.660 --> 00:32:55.279 it all 00:32:55.279 --> 00:32:56.220 reflects our 00:32:56.220 --> 00:32:56.700 allegiance. 00:32:57.980 --> 00:32:58.300 Let me 00:32:58.300 --> 00:32:58.820 explain it 00:32:58.820 --> 00:32:59.400 like this. 00:33:00.620 --> 00:33:01.080 My wife 00:33:01.080 --> 00:33:01.380 Florence 00:33:01.380 --> 00:33:01.840 probably 00:33:01.840 --> 00:33:02.700 won't 00:33:02.700 --> 00:33:03.360 really like 00:33:03.360 --> 00:33:03.580 this 00:33:03.580 --> 00:33:04.100 illustration, 00:33:04.340 --> 00:33:04.680 but it's 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:05.040 true. 00:33:06.300 --> 00:33:06.580 You know, 00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:08.380 you see 00:33:08.380 --> 00:33:09.360 this kind 00:33:09.360 --> 00:33:10.240 of outside 00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:11.160 Henry Craig, 00:33:11.640 --> 00:33:12.040 but my 00:33:12.040 --> 00:33:12.420 wife and 00:33:12.420 --> 00:33:13.080 others see 00:33:13.080 --> 00:33:15.060 someone who 00:33:15.060 --> 00:33:15.800 doesn't suffer 00:33:15.800 --> 00:33:16.640 fools gladly. 00:33:17.259 --> 00:33:17.820 I can be 00:33:17.820 --> 00:33:18.540 abrupt with 00:33:18.540 --> 00:33:18.860 people. 00:33:19.100 --> 00:33:19.759 I can ignore 00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:20.040 them. 00:33:20.340 --> 00:33:20.820 I don't even 00:33:20.820 --> 00:33:21.540 see them at 00:33:21.540 --> 00:33:22.040 times, 00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:23.019 but I have 00:33:23.019 --> 00:33:23.600 learned from 00:33:23.600 --> 00:33:24.259 my wife 00:33:24.259 --> 00:33:26.859 learned from 00:33:26.859 --> 00:33:27.619 her example 00:33:27.619 --> 00:33:29.740 because Florence 00:33:29.740 --> 00:33:30.680 speaks to 00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:31.119 people in 00:33:31.119 --> 00:33:31.579 a kind 00:33:31.579 --> 00:33:31.920 way. 00:33:32.940 --> 00:33:33.099 She 00:33:33.099 --> 00:33:33.660 acknowledges 00:33:33.660 --> 00:33:34.099 people I 00:33:34.099 --> 00:33:34.480 don't even 00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:34.859 see, 00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:36.059 taxi drivers, 00:33:36.379 --> 00:33:37.039 cashiers, 00:33:37.400 --> 00:33:38.160 concierges, 00:33:38.519 --> 00:33:39.180 delivery men, 00:33:39.379 --> 00:33:40.039 shop assistants, 00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:40.879 and she 00:33:40.879 --> 00:33:41.480 doesn't mutter 00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:41.980 under her 00:33:41.980 --> 00:33:42.460 breath like 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:43.500 I do when 00:33:43.500 --> 00:33:43.940 other people 00:33:43.940 --> 00:33:44.500 do silly 00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:44.960 things in 00:33:44.960 --> 00:33:45.279 front of 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:45.500 her. 00:33:46.940 --> 00:33:47.440 And the 00:33:47.440 --> 00:33:48.039 reason she 00:33:48.039 --> 00:33:48.619 gives for 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:49.200 her behavior 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:49.900 is always 00:33:49.900 --> 00:33:50.359 the same 00:33:50.359 --> 00:33:50.700 one. 00:33:51.480 --> 00:33:52.019 I want 00:33:52.019 --> 00:33:52.740 to be a 00:33:52.740 --> 00:33:53.480 good witness. 00:33:54.880 --> 00:33:55.559 I want 00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:56.660 to be a 00:33:56.660 --> 00:33:57.200 good witness 00:33:57.200 --> 00:33:57.640 to my 00:33:57.640 --> 00:33:58.359 faith in 00:33:58.359 --> 00:33:59.220 Jesus Christ. 00:33:59.480 --> 00:33:59.839 I want 00:33:59.839 --> 00:34:00.579 to testify 00:34:00.579 --> 00:34:01.640 to who 00:34:01.640 --> 00:34:02.359 he is, 00:34:02.460 --> 00:34:02.660 and I 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:03.019 want to 00:34:03.019 --> 00:34:03.680 reflect the 00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:04.279 character of 00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:04.779 Christ and 00:34:04.779 --> 00:34:05.200 how I 00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:05.740 behave. 00:34:07.220 --> 00:34:08.079 A good 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:09.760 witness to 00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:10.320 the fact 00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:11.400 that Christ 00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:12.340 reshapes 00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:13.000 your life. 00:34:14.420 --> 00:34:14.699 And so 00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:16.480 sometimes I 00:34:16.480 --> 00:34:16.980 do suffer 00:34:16.980 --> 00:34:17.659 fools gladly. 00:34:18.699 --> 00:34:19.500 Sometimes my 00:34:19.500 --> 00:34:20.500 behavior has 00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:21.039 changed. 00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:21.380 Why? 00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:22.599 Because I 00:34:22.599 --> 00:34:23.860 also want 00:34:23.860 --> 00:34:24.440 to reflect 00:34:24.440 --> 00:34:25.599 Christ and 00:34:25.599 --> 00:34:26.000 I want to 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:26.860 be reshaped 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:28.340 by him in 00:34:28.340 --> 00:34:29.059 my behavior. 00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:29.980 Conversion and 00:34:29.980 --> 00:34:30.779 transformation are 00:34:30.779 --> 00:34:31.300 not about 00:34:31.300 --> 00:34:33.139 perfection, but 00:34:33.139 --> 00:34:34.119 they do amount 00:34:34.119 --> 00:34:35.039 to a direction, 00:34:35.239 --> 00:34:36.000 a trajectory 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:37.420 of your life, 00:34:37.739 --> 00:34:38.420 a movement 00:34:38.420 --> 00:34:39.739 toward becoming 00:34:39.739 --> 00:34:40.559 like Christ. 00:34:41.279 --> 00:34:42.059 Let's wrap 00:34:42.059 --> 00:34:42.480 this up. 00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:44.659 Saul's 00:34:44.659 --> 00:34:45.320 conversion was 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:45.800 unique. 00:34:46.460 --> 00:34:46.820 It was 00:34:46.820 --> 00:34:47.820 dramatic. 00:34:49.119 --> 00:34:49.539 We don't 00:34:49.539 --> 00:34:50.199 all become 00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:50.819 Christians the 00:34:50.819 --> 00:34:51.419 way Saul of 00:34:51.419 --> 00:34:52.139 Tarsus did. 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:53.019 But the 00:34:53.019 --> 00:34:53.859 reshaping that 00:34:53.859 --> 00:34:54.579 followed his 00:34:54.579 --> 00:34:55.799 life should 00:34:55.799 --> 00:34:56.339 be a model 00:34:56.339 --> 00:34:57.079 for each one 00:34:57.079 --> 00:34:57.919 of us as 00:34:57.919 --> 00:34:58.319 believers. 00:34:58.859 --> 00:35:00.719 Saul's life 00:35:00.719 --> 00:35:01.399 tells us what 00:35:01.399 --> 00:35:02.500 it ought to 00:35:02.500 --> 00:35:03.079 look like as 00:35:03.079 --> 00:35:03.859 a Christian in 00:35:03.859 --> 00:35:04.779 the period after 00:35:04.779 --> 00:35:05.319 we become 00:35:05.319 --> 00:35:06.019 Christians. 00:35:06.579 --> 00:35:06.879 Three 00:35:06.879 --> 00:35:07.500 essentials. 00:35:08.319 --> 00:35:08.619 New 00:35:08.619 --> 00:35:09.179 beliefs, 00:35:10.199 --> 00:35:10.799 trusting in 00:35:10.799 --> 00:35:11.419 the crucified 00:35:11.419 --> 00:35:12.039 and risen 00:35:12.039 --> 00:35:12.639 Christ. 00:35:13.379 --> 00:35:13.679 New 00:35:13.679 --> 00:35:14.179 belonging, 00:35:15.399 --> 00:35:16.339 identifying with 00:35:16.339 --> 00:35:17.759 Christ and 00:35:17.759 --> 00:35:18.139 with his 00:35:18.139 --> 00:35:18.519 people. 00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:20.259 new behavior, 00:35:20.900 --> 00:35:21.559 living in a 00:35:21.559 --> 00:35:22.000 way that 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:23.300 reflects and 00:35:23.300 --> 00:35:24.139 honors Jesus. 00:35:25.739 --> 00:35:26.400 You see, 00:35:26.460 --> 00:35:27.159 many people call 00:35:27.159 --> 00:35:28.019 themselves Christians 00:35:28.019 --> 00:35:28.980 because they 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:30.039 accept certain 00:35:30.039 --> 00:35:30.639 truths. 00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:31.960 They say they 00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:32.800 believe in 00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:33.119 Jesus. 00:35:33.920 --> 00:35:34.420 They know he 00:35:34.420 --> 00:35:35.019 died for their 00:35:35.019 --> 00:35:35.420 sins. 00:35:36.159 --> 00:35:36.599 Yet their 00:35:36.599 --> 00:35:37.639 everyday lives 00:35:37.639 --> 00:35:38.480 tell another 00:35:38.480 --> 00:35:39.019 story. 00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:39.880 Christ hardly 00:35:39.880 --> 00:35:40.420 makes any 00:35:40.420 --> 00:35:41.659 difference in 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:42.239 their choices 00:35:42.239 --> 00:35:43.219 or their 00:35:43.219 --> 00:35:44.960 priorities or 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:45.659 their desires. 00:35:45.659 --> 00:35:46.399 their faith 00:35:46.399 --> 00:35:47.299 lives largely 00:35:47.299 --> 00:35:48.980 in the mind 00:35:48.980 --> 00:35:49.719 and not in 00:35:49.719 --> 00:35:50.239 the heart. 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:51.839 It's 00:35:51.839 --> 00:35:52.920 understood but 00:35:52.920 --> 00:35:53.719 not embraced. 00:35:54.579 --> 00:35:55.739 They live as 00:35:55.739 --> 00:35:57.059 practical atheists 00:35:57.059 --> 00:35:58.159 and call 00:35:58.159 --> 00:35:58.539 themselves 00:35:58.539 --> 00:35:59.019 Christians. 00:36:01.219 --> 00:36:02.019 Others 00:36:02.019 --> 00:36:02.899 faithfully attend 00:36:02.899 --> 00:36:03.379 church. 00:36:03.819 --> 00:36:04.279 They might even 00:36:04.279 --> 00:36:05.199 readily identify 00:36:05.199 --> 00:36:05.980 with some 00:36:05.980 --> 00:36:06.299 Christian 00:36:06.299 --> 00:36:06.920 denomination. 00:36:07.539 --> 00:36:07.980 They belong 00:36:07.980 --> 00:36:08.699 outwardly. 00:36:09.359 --> 00:36:10.099 Yet beneath 00:36:10.099 --> 00:36:10.960 the surface 00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:11.480 there's no 00:36:11.480 --> 00:36:12.539 personal trust 00:36:12.539 --> 00:36:13.159 in God, 00:36:13.539 --> 00:36:14.359 no quiet 00:36:14.360 --> 00:36:15.140 assurance that 00:36:15.140 --> 00:36:15.620 their sins 00:36:15.620 --> 00:36:16.220 are forgiven. 00:36:17.380 --> 00:36:18.240 No vibrant 00:36:18.240 --> 00:36:19.420 fellowship daily 00:36:19.420 --> 00:36:20.059 with Jesus. 00:36:20.700 --> 00:36:21.380 They may belong 00:36:21.380 --> 00:36:22.760 socially but 00:36:22.760 --> 00:36:23.500 they still don't 00:36:23.500 --> 00:36:24.340 have a believing 00:36:24.340 --> 00:36:25.099 connection. 00:36:25.420 --> 00:36:25.860 No deep 00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:26.820 relationship with 00:36:26.820 --> 00:36:28.079 God or with 00:36:28.079 --> 00:36:28.620 his people. 00:36:29.820 --> 00:36:30.340 So they don't 00:36:30.340 --> 00:36:32.200 really believe 00:36:32.200 --> 00:36:32.840 or behave. 00:36:32.960 --> 00:36:33.260 They just 00:36:33.260 --> 00:36:33.660 belong. 00:36:34.500 --> 00:36:35.079 The first group 00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:35.760 that I mentioned 00:36:35.760 --> 00:36:36.360 just now, 00:36:36.500 --> 00:36:37.280 they believe but 00:36:37.280 --> 00:36:37.900 they don't really 00:36:37.900 --> 00:36:39.099 belong or behave. 00:36:40.340 --> 00:36:40.860 And then still 00:36:40.860 --> 00:36:41.780 others live 00:36:41.780 --> 00:36:42.320 upright, 00:36:42.500 --> 00:36:43.500 respectable lives. 00:36:43.500 --> 00:36:44.139 They're good 00:36:44.139 --> 00:36:44.519 people. 00:36:45.119 --> 00:36:45.920 They're kind, 00:36:46.039 --> 00:36:46.500 responsible, 00:36:46.699 --> 00:36:47.039 decent, 00:36:47.539 --> 00:36:47.900 but they're 00:36:47.900 --> 00:36:48.579 self-centered 00:36:48.579 --> 00:36:49.679 and self-reliant. 00:36:49.780 --> 00:36:50.179 They look to 00:36:50.179 --> 00:36:50.539 their own 00:36:50.539 --> 00:36:51.539 goodness for 00:36:51.539 --> 00:36:52.260 their salvation. 00:36:52.500 --> 00:36:52.820 They're their 00:36:52.820 --> 00:36:53.460 own savior. 00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:53.960 I'm a good 00:36:53.960 --> 00:36:54.360 person. 00:36:54.659 --> 00:36:55.099 I don't need 00:36:55.099 --> 00:36:55.380 church. 00:36:55.460 --> 00:36:55.860 I don't need 00:36:55.860 --> 00:36:56.440 anyone else, 00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:56.880 they say. 00:36:57.219 --> 00:36:58.000 They behave 00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:59.099 well but they 00:36:59.099 --> 00:36:59.639 don't really 00:36:59.639 --> 00:37:00.639 belong and 00:37:00.639 --> 00:37:01.480 they don't 00:37:01.480 --> 00:37:02.059 really have a 00:37:02.059 --> 00:37:03.039 saving faith in 00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:03.719 Jesus so they 00:37:03.719 --> 00:37:04.159 don't really 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:04.679 believe. 00:37:05.599 --> 00:37:05.860 You see, 00:37:05.900 --> 00:37:06.280 to be a 00:37:06.280 --> 00:37:07.280 Christian involves 00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:08.000 all three. 00:37:09.360 --> 00:37:09.840 Believing 00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:11.159 and belonging 00:37:11.159 --> 00:37:12.679 and behaving. 00:37:12.679 --> 00:37:13.359 So here's the 00:37:13.359 --> 00:37:14.099 question today. 00:37:16.299 --> 00:37:17.159 What has 00:37:17.159 --> 00:37:18.159 changed in my 00:37:18.159 --> 00:37:19.259 life because I 00:37:19.259 --> 00:37:20.019 follow Jesus? 00:37:21.980 --> 00:37:22.899 What do I 00:37:22.899 --> 00:37:23.919 truly believe? 00:37:23.960 --> 00:37:24.659 Not just in 00:37:24.659 --> 00:37:25.399 theory but in 00:37:25.399 --> 00:37:26.460 the deepest part 00:37:26.460 --> 00:37:27.199 of my being. 00:37:27.879 --> 00:37:28.579 What would I 00:37:28.579 --> 00:37:29.139 stake my 00:37:29.139 --> 00:37:29.480 belief, 00:37:29.659 --> 00:37:31.279 my life on? 00:37:32.179 --> 00:37:33.059 What would I 00:37:33.059 --> 00:37:34.000 be prepared to 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:34.599 die for? 00:37:36.099 --> 00:37:37.179 I say that I'm 00:37:37.179 --> 00:37:37.739 a Christian but 00:37:37.739 --> 00:37:38.299 do I really 00:37:38.299 --> 00:37:38.699 belong? 00:37:39.699 --> 00:37:40.659 Do I live as 00:37:40.659 --> 00:37:41.239 though I'm the 00:37:41.239 --> 00:37:41.919 center of my 00:37:41.920 --> 00:37:42.440 own world? 00:37:43.559 --> 00:37:44.340 Do I love 00:37:44.340 --> 00:37:45.079 fellow believers 00:37:45.079 --> 00:37:47.639 in a tangible 00:37:47.639 --> 00:37:48.579 costly way? 00:37:49.340 --> 00:37:50.019 Is my life 00:37:50.019 --> 00:37:50.840 intertwined with 00:37:50.840 --> 00:37:51.240 theirs? 00:37:52.720 --> 00:37:53.220 And then my 00:37:53.220 --> 00:37:54.780 behavior, does it 00:37:54.780 --> 00:37:55.539 reflect that I'm 00:37:55.539 --> 00:37:56.119 a follower of 00:37:56.119 --> 00:37:56.400 Jesus? 00:37:57.400 --> 00:37:58.300 Am I seeking to 00:37:58.300 --> 00:37:58.740 please him 00:37:58.740 --> 00:38:00.639 occasionally or 00:38:00.639 --> 00:38:01.139 always? 00:38:02.280 --> 00:38:02.980 Do my 00:38:02.980 --> 00:38:03.680 beliefs, my 00:38:03.680 --> 00:38:04.880 belonging, my 00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:06.119 behavior align? 00:38:06.700 --> 00:38:07.639 Do they point to 00:38:07.639 --> 00:38:08.260 the clear 00:38:08.260 --> 00:38:09.539 conclusion that I 00:38:09.539 --> 00:38:10.400 have been with 00:38:10.400 --> 00:38:10.920 Jesus? 00:38:12.720 --> 00:38:13.599 Conversion to 00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:15.119 Christianity is a 00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:15.840 fresh start. 00:38:16.680 --> 00:38:17.300 It's a new 00:38:17.300 --> 00:38:18.660 beginning that 00:38:18.660 --> 00:38:19.740 continues to 00:38:19.740 --> 00:38:20.680 transform our 00:38:20.680 --> 00:38:21.639 beliefs, our 00:38:21.639 --> 00:38:23.039 belonging, and 00:38:23.039 --> 00:38:23.680 our behavior. 00:38:25.139 --> 00:38:25.940 Christians are 00:38:25.940 --> 00:38:27.380 those people whose 00:38:27.380 --> 00:38:29.059 lives are being 00:38:29.059 --> 00:38:30.280 reshaped by 00:38:30.280 --> 00:38:30.800 Christ. 00:38:31.800 --> 00:38:32.680 It's mine. 00:38:33.440 --> 00:38:34.559 It's my life being 00:38:34.559 --> 00:38:35.260 reshaped by 00:38:35.260 --> 00:38:35.700 Christ. 00:38:36.260 --> 00:38:37.380 It's yours. 00:38:37.380 --> 00:38:39.920 Let's pray. 00:38:43.240 --> 00:38:44.220 Lord, may the 00:38:44.220 --> 00:38:46.800 words of my 00:38:46.800 --> 00:38:47.519 mouth, our 00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:49.840 mouths, and the 00:38:49.840 --> 00:38:50.800 meditation of our 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:51.900 hearts be pleasing 00:38:51.900 --> 00:38:52.940 in your sight, 00:38:53.820 --> 00:38:54.380 O God. 00:38:56.039 --> 00:38:56.820 And may we 00:38:56.820 --> 00:38:58.420 ensure as we 00:38:58.420 --> 00:38:59.400 examine our lives 00:38:59.400 --> 00:39:00.619 that we believe 00:39:00.619 --> 00:39:02.460 that we belong 00:39:02.460 --> 00:39:03.960 and that we 00:39:03.960 --> 00:39:06.139 behave in a 00:39:06.139 --> 00:39:06.760 way that 00:39:06.760 --> 00:39:08.579 shows the 00:39:08.579 --> 00:39:09.400 image of Christ 00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:10.199 in our lives. 00:39:11.039 --> 00:39:11.280 Amen. 00:39:11.280 --> 00:39:11.380 Amen. 00:39:11.380 --> 00:39:11.440 Amen. 00:39:11.440 --> 00:39:11.559 Amen. 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:11.559 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:41.539 Thank you.