Great to be here. We've been wanting to come to this church for quite some time, and it's great to be here. I get to be here on a Sunday.
Just a bit of background. My name is Seth, as I said. My wife is in the back. She's Jessica, and we've got a little two-year-old girl back there.
She just turned two, Rebecca, and two boys, Daniel and David, as well.
So, yeah, we both, as you can probably tell, are from America, but we've been living in y'all for the last about five and a half years,
working to help the team that is working to start that church there from Middleton.
So we did go to Middleton for a while, so we like Middleton. It's a good place.
But we also, we love it in y'all.
So, what I'm going to just share with you this morning, I think it's something that's maybe familiar, maybe even too familiar.
We've heard it a thousand times, many of us.
We've gotten to the point where we can really quite easily recite the main points without even thinking.
And we hear somebody else start talking about it, and we just can tune out because, oh, sure, I know this already.
But maybe, maybe we're not really familiar enough.
Maybe it's just words that we're saying, and it's, we've forgotten what they really mean.
Maybe the power and the wonder of what we're talking about is lost in familiarity,
is lost because it's just so ordinary to us, because we've just heard it too many times.
And that is, of course, the gospel, the good news.
The good news that starts with an amazing creator.
Like we were reading earlier, I didn't tell you to read it, but it is perfect, because in Psalm 8 it says,
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you've ordained,
what is man that you are mindful of him?
I want you to catch something in there.
He says the heavens, the whole universe, that God didn't even have to use his full strength to create these things.
He was able to make them, it says the picture is, with his fingers.
As if the universe is something so small that God had to use his fingers to make it.
This is how big a God we are talking about.
A God that is so big that the universe to him is something small that he makes with his fingers.
This is the same God who knits us together before we're born.
This is the God who is the perfection and the definition of everything good, of everything wonderful.
This is God.
But this is the God that we ignore.
This is the God that we decided wasn't really worth listening to, wasn't really worth our time or our attention.
This is the God that we decided doesn't really have a clue about what's best for me.
So I'm going to take matters into my own little tiny hands that can't create universes.
They can only take what God's already created and make different things out of them.
We're going to take matters into our own tiny little fingers and try to sort things out and say,
Well, God, you know what?
Leave me alone because I'm going to handle my own little universe myself.
Thank you very much.
And in so doing, we have made ourselves worthy of the wrath of this God.
And yet the gospel, the good news, is that this is the same God, the one that we rebelled against,
is the same God who didn't leave us to rot in our rebellion.
This is the God who died to take the punishment so that we, the tiny little specks of dust who hated him,
wouldn't have to take the punishment that we deserved.
And this is the God who defeated death once and for all so that he could give life and change treasonous rebels like us
into his adopted children.
That's good news.
And this is the God who no longer condemns his children, but works all things together for good.
That's the gospel.
That's good news.
It's not some feel-good fairy story.
It's not a hopeful fiction.
It's not some little thing that's written in an old book.
It's the foundation of reality.
And it's the foundation of our lives.
I want you to turn to, if you've got one of the church Bibles, it's 1161.
It's 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, page 1161.
And we'll start in verse 14, just read a few verses.
So 2 Corinthians 5, 14 says,
So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view.
Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has gone.
The new has come.
And we were singing about that earlier.
The old has gone.
The new has come.
A new creation.
The new has come.
Everything is made new.
The gospel changes everything.
Like he was saying earlier, that it's the news that changes the whole thing.
That changes everything about everything.
It's more essential, and I'd say it permeates the world more completely than the air that we breathe.
And it affects everything.
So what we're going to do is this week, we'll look at how does the gospel change,
how does it change my perspective on myself?
Because it says here, we should no longer live for ourselves, but for him who dies.
It also says, we regard no one from a worldly point of view.
That if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation.
It changes everything.
So what we're going to focus on this week is to say,
how does the gospel change how I view myself?
My perspective on myself.
And then next week, we'll look more into how does the gospel change my view of others,
and how I relate to others.
What does it mean to not regard them from a worldly point of view,
and how does the gospel change my view of them?
But the first, for this week, we'll say,
how does the gospel change my perspective of myself?
And I think the first thing we can say about it,
if we're looking at God, and how great and big God is,
then the gospel really exposes who I really am.
It changes my view of myself because it exposes who I really am.
The first thing it shows us is that compared to God,
I'm pretty small.
Understatement of the century.
But compared to God, my fingers are small fingers.
They can't do very much.
The picture in Psalm 8 is that God's fingers create universes.
So I'm pretty small compared to that.
Another thing that we see when we look at the gospel
is that my sin is extremely serious.
It's not something I can brush aside.
It's not something, it doesn't really matter.
It's very serious because I've rejected my creator,
and I've rebelled against my rightful king.
And this is serious.
Because of who God is, my sin is serious.
And I fully deserve his wrath.
But the gospel also shows us that God,
well, like the song was saying,
I'm special because God has loved me.
Not because of something I've done,
but because God has loved me.
And he has been willing to give himself,
to die my death,
because I had no strength or ability to do it.
So the gospel shows us that basically God didn't,
God couldn't just tell us,
you know, 10 steps to get to heaven or something,
and we could just sort it out on our own.
There was no ability in us.
We couldn't do it ourselves.
My view of myself changes because I,
I have no ability to make it back to God.
But he had to die for me to do that.
But he was willing to do it.
Which shows both that I am totally unable to save myself,
and also that God loves me very much,
and values me,
and wants to.
So all of these things, I think,
have an effect on us.
And the fact,
the first effect, I think,
would be,
it just has to kill our pride.
There's no room for pride in the gospel.
I mean, what good can we claim in comparison to God's good?
What accomplishments can we claim in comparison to God's accomplishments?
And, I mean, it's laughable,
but what moral superiority could we ever claim
when our sin had to be paid for by Christ's death?
We have no pride.
We have no space for pride.
And Ralph was reading earlier,
when Paul said,
you know,
whatever was gained to me,
I consider loss
for the sake of Christ.
And what is more,
I consider everything a loss
because of the surpassing worth
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whose sake I have lost all things,
and consider them rubbish,
that I may gain Christ,
and be found in Him,
not having a righteousness of my own
that comes from the law,
but that which comes through faith in Christ,
the righteousness that comes from God.
So even the good that we have
was not a good that we could create ourselves.
Even the good that we have
is a good that we were given from God.
So Paul says,
everything that he was proud of,
everything that he valued before,
is a loss to him
compared to the treasure that he's found in Christ,
and having Christ's righteousness.
So there's just absolutely no room
for pride in the gospel.
No room for it at all.
But on the other hand,
humility grows very well.
Humility grows very well
in the soil of the gospel.
But I don't want you to misunderstand me
because humility is not just
talking badly about myself.
That's not necessarily humility at all.
Because whether we're talking good about ourselves,
building ourselves up,
or whether we're downing ourselves
and talking badly about ourselves,
a lot of times,
they have something in common.
In both of those cases,
really the focus is ourselves.
So whether we're talking ourselves up
or we're talking ourselves down,
we're still talking about ourselves.
We're still putting ourselves in the spotlight.
We're still putting ourselves in the center.
And the gospel has the effect
of taking us out of the center.
C.S. Lewis says it this way,
that humility is not thinking less of yourself.
It's thinking of yourself less.
It's keeping ourselves in proper perspective.
It's realizing that we really are not
the center of the universe.
And it was a shocker.
It's hard for us to remember.
It's hard for us to keep that.
Even though we may know it's true,
it's hard to actually live that way.
Because we tend to look out for number one.
And we tend to look out for number one
because we feel like
nobody else is going to do it
as well as we will.
We tend to think that
if we don't look out for ourselves,
who else is going to do it?
We don't really trust that God is going to,
really has our best interest in mind.
But what does the gospel do to this?
The gospel proves,
without a shadow of a doubt,
that God is better at looking out
for our best interest than we are.
Much better.
Much better than we are.
So it frees us.
It frees us to take ourselves
out of the spotlight
and to put God there.
And it proves that
I don't deserve my own devotion.
I don't deserve my own love
as much as God does.
Really, He's the one
that's worthy of my love,
worthy of my total commitment,
that I'm not the one
that's worthy of those things.
So humility grows well in the gospel.
And it frees us
from our constant obsession
with ourselves.
It frees us to look to God.
To put Him in the center
where He belongs.
Which is a very, very freeing thing
when it comes to daily life.
So the gospel shows who I am.
That's the first thing.
It puts me in perspective
by showing me really who God is
and how I relate to Him.
But it does more than that.
It changes my view of myself
not only by showing me who I am
but also by freeing me
from the power of sin.
Paul said in Romans 8,
there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So the gospel frees me
from the power of sin
by freeing me from the guilt of sin.
Because of what Christ has done,
God does not condemn.
Forgiveness is offered,
forgiveness is given
and it is complete.
And that's extremely,
extremely important
for us to remember
in our daily lives.
1 John says that
if we confess our sins,
He is faithful to forgive us
and cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
So we don't have to live
in the muck of guilt.
We don't have to live
with this weight
of condemnation over our heads.
We're free.
We really are free.
And even though we may feel guilty,
we have, the Bible says,
the accuser that tries to accuse us
before God.
The devil tries to make us feel guilty.
But you know,
even he doesn't really believe it.
I mean, he doesn't care
if we follow God's law.
He'd rather we didn't.
But he does care
if he can drive a wedge
between us and God
and our guilt
when it's already been paid for.
feeling guilty
after we're not
is a wedge
that is driven
between us and God.
So if we,
as God's children,
if we really are God's children,
if we're not,
then yes,
we are guilty.
But if we really are God's children
and Christ has really paid
for our sin,
then we're not guilty.
God doesn't see us that way.
Not even,
the devil doesn't even see us that way
because he doesn't,
he doesn't want us to obey God.
So really,
we'd be the only ones
that would see ourselves as guilty
if we're in Christ.
And the cure for that
is to trust God
and believe what he says.
That it really is true
that he has taken
all of our guilt.
That he really means
what he says
and that his forgiveness
is real.
And that he really can cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
So if we look at ourselves,
it's easy to despair
because we see all the reasons
that we would be guilty.
But if we look to Christ,
we see that our sin
really is paid for.
And we have to trust,
trust him
that he really is saying the truth.
But the gospel goes further
in freeing us from sin.
Not only does,
not only does God declare us
not guilty
because of Jesus,
but he also fills us
full of himself.
Paul prayed
to the Ephesians,
he prayed for the Ephesians
that they would be filled
up to the fullness of God.
Jesus also promised
that he who comes to me
will not hunger,
he who believes in me
will not thirst.
See, the power,
the draw of sin
is that it promises
to fill us.
It promises to fill
those places in us
where we are longing
for satisfaction.
We're longing for something
to fill our hungry,
our empty places.
And sin makes
all these promises
that yes,
it can fill us.
Of course it lies.
It can't.
It doesn't deliver
on the promises.
It leaves us more empty
than before.
But the draw of sin
is that it promises
all of these things
and it promises
to fill a hunger
that really is there.
We are hungry
for satisfaction.
But what if
we were full?
What if we were already
full of the goodness
of God?
What if we were full
of real satisfaction?
What would that do
to sin's draw for us?
Proverbs says it this way,
One who is full
loathes honey
from the comb,
but to the hungry
even what is bitter
tastes sweet.
That when we're full,
even things that look sweet,
we don't want them
because we're already full.
So the pull of sin,
the power of sin
to draw us
and attract us
is disarmed
when we're full
of God's goodness.
If we stay close to Him,
then sin actually
loses its power
to attract us
because we already
have the real thing.
We already have
real satisfaction
and all those
empty promises
start to lose
their power.
So the gospel,
it shows me
who I am,
but it also
grants me the freedom
to pursue
real joy
and real satisfaction
in God
without the burden
of trying to appease Him
or trying to pay
for the debt
that we've owed Him
because He's already
done that.
So it frees us up
to fill ourselves
full of God's goodness
without having to
try to earn that.
So it frees us
from sin,
from the guilt of sin
and from the power
of sin.
But even that,
that's not all
because the gospel
also gives us
a confident
hope for the future.
We already said
the gospel proves
without a doubt
that God
has our best interest
in mind.
I mean,
it's obvious
that God is willing
to do whatever it takes
to secure our goods
in His glory.
So,
I mean,
what we can say
is that,
you know,
like Paul said,
He who spared
not His own Son
but delivered Him
up for us all,
how shall He not
also with Him
freely give us
all things?
God was willing
to do
the ultimate thing
to save us.
So,
how can we not
trust Him
for all of the
smaller things as well?
Paul says that
all things work together
for good.
We've said it
a few times today.
All things work together
for good
for those who love God
and are called
according to His purpose.
He even said
that we can exalt
in our tribulations,
in the hard things,
because they make us
more like Christ.
There's a guy
called Milton Vincent.
He wrote a great
little book called
The Gospel Primer
for Christians.
I got some of the ideas
for the sermon
from that book,
actually.
I highly recommend it.
But he said it this way.
He said,
The Gospel
is not just
one piece
of good news
that fits into my life
somewhere
among all the bad things.
The Gospel
actually makes
genuinely good news
out of every
other aspect
of my life,
including
my severest trials.
The good news
about my trials
is that God
is forcing them
to bow
to His Gospel purpose
and to do good
unto me
by improving
my character
and making me
more conformed
to the image
of Christ.
And Paul
says it this way,
Our light
and momentary troubles
are achieving
for us
an eternal glory
that far
outweighs
them all.
So God
has promised us
that He will work
all things
and He means
all things
for good,
for those who love Him.
He's promised us
a future,
He's promised us
an inheritance
for those who are in Him
that is beyond anything
that we can imagine
and makes all the troubles
of this life
seem light
and momentary
in comparison.
And He's done more
than enough
to prove
that He is able
to keep His promises
and that He really
does mean
what He says.
Peter says
in His great mercy
He's given us
new birth
into a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ
from the dead
and into an inheritance
that can never perish,
spoil,
or fade
which is kept
in heaven for you.
So the gospel changes
how I view myself
because it changes,
it shows me really
who I am
in comparison
to who God is.
It puts me
in perspective
but it also
frees me
from guilt
which would be natural
if it was just,
if the gospel
only showed me
myself
in comparison
to God,
it would make me
despair.
But the gospel
frees me
from the guilt
of my sin
and lets me
pursue joy
in God
and real satisfaction
and real life
in God
and lets me
go after that
freely
to a God
who is
happy to give
and wants to give
life to us.
and it gives me
this confident
hope for the future
that no matter
what
tomorrow brings,
no matter
what
the future
brings
while I'm here
on earth,
that I have
this confident
hope
that God
is working,
He is forcing
all things
to work
for my good.
So what
is our response
to all of this?
Well,
I think there's
a few things.
Obviously,
we've talked about
it already,
but one is that
just,
we're humble,
we're humbled
because we recognize
that God
is ultimate.
He's the one
in the center stage.
He's the one
that the universe
is about.
So we are humbled,
we are put in our place,
but not devalued
because God
has shown
great value for us
and that He loved us
and was willing
to give His Son
for us.
So yes,
humility
is one response,
but also obedience.
And I think obedience
because we recognize
that God's commands,
they're coming from
this God who loved us
and was willing
to do anything,
so much to save us.
So these commands
are coming from
this God
who has proven
that He wants
what's best for us.
So our obedience,
even when we don't
see clearly
why it would be
best for us,
we can recognize
that it's coming
from a God
who does know
and does do
what is best for us.
And so we delight
to obey
because of the commands,
where the commands
are coming from
and because they bring
us closer to Him.
I think also
all of this
makes us thankful.
Basically,
we deserved
a cup
full of God's wrath.
We deserved,
you know,
a cup
that just
all the way
full of God's wrath
for our sin.
and yet
Jesus
drank
all of that
wrath
for us.
But He didn't
just leave it empty.
If He had left it
empty with no wrath,
that would be
something
to be amazed at.
But He didn't.
He didn't leave it
empty.
He filled it again.
The Bible says
He's given us
every
spiritual blessing.
That He's filled us
to overflowing
with His blessings.
So,
not only has Jesus
drained every drop
of God's wrath
against us,
there's none of it left.
But He's also
filled us
so full
that we are
overflowing
with God's blessings.
That
should make us
overflow
with thankfulness
forever.
Also,
it results
in our ability
to love.
The Bible says
we love
because He
first loved us.
He's shown us,
He's proved to us
what love
really is.
He's defined
love for us.
And He's given us
the ability,
by Him loving us,
He's given us
the ability
to love Him
in return
and to even
show that love
to others,
which we'll talk
about more
next week.
But also,
He's given us
access to Him
at all times.
The Bible says
that we can come
boldly,
we can come
confidently
before the throne
of grace
because
there's nothing
standing in the way
because of what
Jesus has done.
Our sin is paid for.
We can come
boldly before God
at any time
and approach Him
in prayer
as we would
approach our Father
because He is
our adopted Father
who loves to hear
and loves to answer
the prayers
of His children.
So we have
this access to God.
But also,
I think that
all of this
makes us,
gives us
the ability
to really
just forget
ourselves
because
our lives
we're free
to actually
focus
on the one
who is really
worthy
of all of our
love,
all of our
devotion,
and all of the
glory and honor
and praise
forever.
And there's a
huge amount
of freedom
in just being
able to
look outside
of ourselves
and not be
so consumed
with myself
and all the
things about me
and trying to
force everything
to fit
into what I want
and to
actually live
with an
outward focus
and with a
God focus.
So there's a
huge amount
of freedom
in just
self-forgetfulness.
And I think
we could go
on and on.
This gospel,
like I said,
it's more
essential and
it permeates
the world much
more than
the air that
we breathe.
The implications
reach into
everything,
literally
everything.
But these
are a few
things,
that it
changes the
way that I
view myself,
that it
changes my
standing before
God,
it takes care
of my guilt,
makes me free
to pursue Him
and joy in Him
and it also
gives me this
confident hope
for the future.
But I think
we can constantly
just live our
lives out of
the overflow
of all the
amazing things
that the gospel
teaches us
about God
and about
ourselves
because it
just changes
everything.
So,
yeah,
next week
we'll continue
by just
seeing how
this
truth of the
gospel changes
our relationships
with others.
So,
I hope to see
you then.
just
do
now.
I
do
thing