All right.
Thank you so much for that reading.
We've been talking a little bit.
If you were here last, actually, you know what?
This cross needs to be closer to the middle.
Because even though this banner is just metal and vinyl,
there's nothing inherently beautiful about metal and vinyl.
The image on it is the cross.
The cross of Jesus Christ.
And that is what our focus is in this series.
This is what our focus is in worship.
And this is going to stand.
And again, there's nothing more sort of special about bringing the cross closer to me,
but just even communion.
Listening to those lyrics, listening to Arnell and Eric lead us.
You know, what heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are still, when striving sees in light of the cross.
And if there's one thing I hope we get away from,
we take away from this morning,
is that Jesus Christ is amazing.
And he's everything.
And it's so simple, and you will probably have heard the word Jesus Christ,
the name of Jesus Christ before,
but it's something that we go back to again and again.
So that's even when we did communion,
when we prayed for the kids,
when we listened to Aniko's testimony,
these acts of worship,
again and again responding.
The kids that we sent out,
an act of worship,
saying,
kids, this is so important,
that we're going to actually dedicate our time,
our volunteers,
ourselves as parents,
both biologically and spiritually,
to say,
this is so important,
you need to hear this,
you need to hear the message of Jesus Christ.
So this is what this series,
is about right now,
in Christ,
union with Christ.
And last week,
if you were here,
Chris focused on chapter two of Ephesians,
and what it means for our identity to be completely shaped by Jesus Christ.
And we learned that those,
but whose we are,
this is what he said,
whose we are determines who we are.
In other words,
if we are children of this perfect heavenly father and king of the universe,
whose we are,
if we're these children of this heavenly father,
then we are actually given this status of royalty.
And that shapes who we are.
Just think about a monarchy today.
I know maybe a lot of you guys follow the British royal family, right?
It's not just the fashion,
and the glitz,
and the glamour,
but just,
I guess,
the gossip,
and the exciting news that comes out of there.
Who follows,
who's a fan of Prince Harry here?
It's all right,
don't be bashful,
you can be honest.
What about Prince William?
Who's more of a Prince William fan here?
Prince Harry?
Oh!
Yep,
I think I like William a little more too.
Who doesn't really care?
There's a few people who aren't being completely honest here.
But here's the thing,
here's the thing.
Regardless if you're a Harry fan,
or a William fan,
or a Middleton fan,
the truth of the matter is,
when they came into this world,
when they,
you know,
when they came into this world,
little as babies,
they didn't do anything
to earn
that title of Prince.
They didn't do anything.
They literally just came into existence.
They didn't do anything to achieve that,
and in the same way,
when we are born again
into God's family,
we have this new identity,
and God even calls us
a royal priesthood,
that we didn't do anything
to achieve.
So as we move into today's sermon,
we're building on that foundation
that Chris laid last week
about our identity.
In Christ,
we have a new identity,
and that shapes our entire lives,
and our whole lives,
and that's what we're going to turn to
this morning.
So,
if you had met me
during my years
in university,
it's quite a few years ago,
even though I might not,
you might not be able to tell,
and you maybe observed me
for a little while,
and you had talked to me,
you probably would have seen
a pretty solid Christian resume,
a Christian CV,
if you want to put it that way.
I was a leader
in my university ministry.
I prayed a lot.
I read the Bible.
That was the time
when I read the whole Bible
from beginning to end,
and it wasn't just a normal Bible.
It was a study Bible.
So,
it had lots of annotations
and lots of commentary,
and I read all of that, too.
So,
that was a big deal.
I had a regular prayer
and devotional times.
I had gone through
a number of discipleship classes.
I went on retreats.
I shared the gospel with others.
I went on a mission trip.
Big check there.
Went,
actually left
the confines of my country.
Actually used my passport.
Big check.
I gave financially.
Check.
I even wore a WWJD bracelet sometimes.
You guys remember those?
If you don't know what that means,
it stands,
it's an acronym
for What Would Jesus Do?
And it was quite big sometimes.
It might still be big.
I don't know.
I don't really follow that anymore.
But I even had the fashion
to tell me
and to tell others
of who I was.
So,
I did all these things
pretty well
and it felt like
I was growing
as a Christian.
That I was making progress
and I might even venture
to say and tell someone
or at least think
in my own heart,
I was a pretty good Christian.
And if I had read
today's passage
that Esther and Vicki
so beautifully read,
if I had read that today,
I would have been
pretty confident
thinking that I was
putting off the old self
and putting on
the new self
every day.
That was me
in university.
But,
of course,
there's a big but here.
But one day
I got really upset
at a friend.
And honestly,
in hindsight,
it was over something
that was much more
about my personal expectations
than anything.
And after I kind of
just blew up
at them,
I was pretty shocked
at myself.
I realized
that that outward expression
of my anger
was really just,
aside from being
very uncomfortable
and stupid in hindsight,
it was really just
the tip of the iceberg
because inwardly
it had become
so much easier
to be judgmental
towards the people
around me,
especially the Christians.
because I had felt
like I had become
such a good Christian
myself.
And sure,
I was more self-controlled
most of the time
in my outward behavior
towards others,
but inside,
just like Ed was saying
during communion,
it was a cauldron,
a pot of mixed motives.
Some godly,
some very ungodly,
some I didn't even realize.
And basically,
the question I faced
in university
in that incident
and numerous
other little incidents
was this.
Jeremy,
what's the point
of all these things
I do as a Christian,
things I take pride
as evidence,
as fruit of my faith,
when I can still
be such a jerk?
What's the point?
And I had placed
so much value
in those things
I was doing
as a Christian
that I forgot
about being
a Christian
was first and foremost
about my identity,
just like we learned
last Sunday.
So Paul says
in chapter 4,
we just read,
you must no longer
walk as the Gentiles
do in the futility
of their minds,
darkened in their
understanding,
alienated from
the life of God
because of the
ignorance that is
in them
due to the
hardness
in their heart.
And in that context,
Gentile simply means
anyone who's not
following Christ.
And back then,
back in university,
I certainly wouldn't
have considered
myself one of them.
but in hindsight,
I could see that
even as a professing
Christian,
how I was walking
in futility,
in ignorance,
in darkness,
finding my value
and identity
in the things I did.
Some of us here
may have been Christians
for a very long time
and we're still
struggling with
finding our identity
in things we do.
I still struggle
with that today.
I think that's why
I can empathize.
No matter what
your beliefs are
this morning,
whether you're
Christian,
non-Christian,
agnostic,
atheist,
Buddhist,
Hindu,
Muslim,
whatever your
worldview is today,
I think we all
know something
just by virtue
of living in Hong Kong
and living in the world.
it's this.
It's part of the system
to measure what we do
and to ascribe value
to that.
And here's what I mean.
Just think about it.
You know,
you're a kid,
you're a young age,
you're in school,
you're getting marks,
you're being assessed,
you move up from grade
to grade,
you know,
you go to university,
GPA,
degrees,
clubs that you have
to join,
high table dinners
if you're in Hong Kong U,
you have that path
for career advancement
and job promotion.
And numbers are everywhere.
We use them
to measure everything
from national economic growth
to the number of reps
you did at the gym yesterday.
right?
Just like Ed was talking about,
the markets,
numbers.
And we live in a culture
that is just saturated
in this idea
of self-improvement.
It's the name of the game.
You know,
browse any major bookstore
and you'll see
just scores and scores
of books,
both Christian
and non-Christian,
that are basically telling you
how to be
a better person.
You know,
our society,
our culture,
at least a lot of what we hope
and aspire to
is built on meritocracy,
this idea that
those who do well,
who perform well,
should advance.
It's only fair, right?
And then we have to devise
these systems
that measure
what it means
to do well.
And so all of that
is ingrained
in us.
Now,
don't get me wrong,
I'm not anti-meritocracy,
I'm not anti-statistics,
I'm not anti-numbers
and metrics.
I happen to think
numbers are very useful
and I use them
every day.
And self-improvement
is a good thing.
And who wouldn't want
to improve
and get better?
But here
is the question
that I think
we're being challenged with
and I certainly have been
as we look at the passage
and we look at
the message
of Ephesians.
Is that
the best way
to describe
the Christian life?
Our walk
as Christians?
Is progress
and growth
the best way
to describe
the Christian life?
And as we look
at the remainder
of the passage,
I think the answer
is quite clearly
no.
So follow with me
in chapter 4.
Paul is contrasting
Gentiles
with Christians.
And this is what he says.
That is not
the way
you learned
Christ.
You have heard
about Him.
You were taught
in Him.
The truth
is in
Jesus.
That is not
the way
you learned
Christ.
You have heard
about Him.
You were taught
in Him.
The truth
is in
Jesus.
And if you've been
part of Watermark
for a decent
amount of time,
you realize
we talk about
Jesus a lot.
He's the reason
why we're called
Christians.
So you've got to figure
he's pretty important,
right?
And we're going
to continue
talking about him
in the coming months
in just different
sermon series
about how
Christ actually
shapes different
dimensions and
aspects of our
lives.
And some of us
are probably
thinking,
what?
Jesus again?
I've heard that
before.
I've heard that
before.
It's like,
I'm sympathetic.
It's like you're
going to school
and year after year
you're just learning
the same thing
over and over
again.
And then you're
like,
did I even
move up a grade?
It's Jesus again?
But Paul makes
it so clear
in Ephesians.
If you remember
last week,
Chris explained
that the first
three chapters
of Ephesians
is basically
about our
identity
in Christ.
And Paul is
hammering that
home.
Remember who
you are.
Remember who
you are,
guys.
Remember who
you are.
And then in the
second half,
he's moving,
he's shifting
towards what
is the result
of that
identity,
that new
identity.
But here
in chapter
four,
at the beginning
of the second
half,
guess what?
It's Jesus
again.
And I'm not
making this up.
There's something
about this guy
Jesus,
and Paul is
saying we
have to go
back to him
again and
again,
seeking him,
seeing him,
experiencing how
he transforms
every aspect
of your lives.
And this
isn't a school
subject,
because Jesus
is interested
in every
last detail
in your life
right now,
past,
present,
and future.
So the truth
is the answer
for Christians
is always
Jesus.
And though we
joke about that
time,
especially with
the kids,
they just know
that that's the
answer,
regardless of
the question.
Even though we
joke about that,
it's actually
true.
And it's what
makes Christianity
so utterly
unique,
among all the
major world
religions and
worldviews,
because everyone
else points you
to a set of
teachings that
you have to
follow and
get things right
to be good
enough for God,
right?
But the
Christian gospel
points you to
a person,
Jesus,
the only person
who ever got
everything right
because he's
God.
And the gospel
says put your
faith not in
yourself but in
him.
Hold on to
him.
Love him.
Be in
relationship with
him.
Like the image
that Chris gave
us last week,
we're all like
this prostitute,
this sex worker
on the street.
We're starving,
ashamed,
sick, and
broken, and
Christ is the
perfect king
who reaches out
and says,
I love you.
Not because of
anything you did.
Not because of
anything you
didn't do.
I love you,
I choose you,
and you are
beautiful in my
eyes.
And I give you,
I bestow upon
you a new
identity.
This image of
the bride and
the bridegroom is
used over and
over again in
scripture.
And even
though we are
so unfaithful to
God, he
faithfully pursues
us like that
perfect king.
If you're not
sure, if you've
never heard about
that before,
just go, when
you go home
tonight, read
the book of
Hosea in the
Old Testament,
and you'll see
what I mean.
So when we
think about our
new identity,
our new life that
we've been
learning about,
it's about a
relationship,
relationship.
The Christian
life is
ultimately about
a relationship
with God.
Not progress,
not growth,
not self-improvement,
not transformation.
It's ultimately
about a
relationship.
And you may
have heard of
all that before,
but remember that
the concept of
being in a
relationship, a
personal relationship
with a personal
God, that's
pretty revolutionary
in human history.
And if we
forget that, if
we take that
for granted,
we're just going
to default back
to our drive,
that ingrained
drive to do
and to measure,
to do things
and to do
better.
Think about a
loving relationship
that you have
right now.
It might be your
relationship with
your husband,
your wife,
a family member,
a best friend,
a close friend.
Is the ultimate
goal of that
relationship to
be a better
person in that
relationship?
No.
Or is the
ultimate goal to
love and to
cherish that
person, to get
to know that
person, to
respond to that
person?
Husbands, when
you propose to
your wives, did
you say, you
know, my love,
after this
journey, I want
to be a better
person.
I just want to
improve myself.
Will you marry
me?
No, right?
And if you did
that and she
still said yes,
man, she is a
keeper.
That'd just be
weird, right?
Parents, do you
say to your
children, son,
daughter, the
real reason I
brought you into
this life is so
that you and
your mom could
have, I mean,
me and my mom,
me and your
mom, me and
your mom.
The reason we
brought you into
this life, mainly
your mom, the
reason we brought
you into this
world is because
we want to have
better lives.
Do you say that
to your kids?
If you do, stop
doing it.
Because that's
scarring.
It's scarring to
have the weight of
your generations of
expectation on you.
And just remember
that God didn't
give you children so
that you could
fulfill your own
dreams.
So when you
truly love someone,
loving them is the
goal of the
relationship.
And I'm not
talking about
transactional
relationships where
you're just in the
relationship to get
something out of it.
I know I do that
all the time.
I'm sure you can
think of examples
in your own life.
I'm not talking
about those types
of relationships.
I'm talking about
a loving relationship.
And yes, your
personal growth might
become apparent and
develop as a
byproduct of that
loving relationship.
relationship.
But if self-improvement
is your goal,
whether it's
subconscious or a
stated goal, if that
is your goal, you
will have no power for
any real and lasting
change, any real or
lasting transformation.
And that's what I
realized those years in
university.
I could do all the
amazing Christian
activities I wanted,
but my heart was
still like what the
Bible says in
Jeremiah 17.
Deceitful.
Desperately sick.
Beyond understanding.
Because doing things
in the name of Jesus
doesn't make me a
Christian.
Being in a loving
relationship with
Jesus is what makes
me a Christian.
You know that
prostitute who's been
chosen and united
with the king?
She doesn't parade
around trying to find
validation in the
things she does.
She knows that the
status that's been
bestowed on her is
only because the
king chose her to be
his queen.
And the king is with
her.
He's beside her.
He's leading her.
Did you notice in
chapter 4 when Paul
says we are to
learn Christ?
Christ?
To learn Christ?
That idea of
learning a person
is utterly unique.
It's truly unique.
Nowhere else in the
Greek Bible does it
say learn a person.
It doesn't even, as
far as we know, it
isn't even in any
Greek writings before
the Bible at all to
learn a person.
But in Ephesians,
Paul is saying that
Jesus Christ himself
is the content of
what we learn as
Christians.
We welcome him as a
living person.
We're taught in him.
The truth is in Jesus.
And experiencing a
relationship with
Christ is the
ultimate goal of the
Christian life.
God pouring out his
unconditional love to
you and us just
responding in love
towards him.
Our love motivates
us to learn Christ,
to learn what he
loves, what he
cares about, to
learn what honors
and glorifies him,
to learn to be like
him.
And everything we do
as Christians must
come out of that
relationship.
You know, all those
spiritual disciplines I
was practicing back in
university, Bible
study, prayer, fasting,
whatever it is,
they're just ways to
get to know Jesus,
the person I love.
All those acts of
worship and the life
I experienced in
community, that's
just a way to
respond to Jesus,
the person I love.
Genuine change,
genuine growth,
genuine progress
will only come out of
that love.
And guys, this is
actually really, I
think this is really
good news when we
think about our
spiritual walk.
Because if progress
is the ultimate
goal, and if we're
honest with ourselves,
then I think we
would fail all the
time because we're
always going to fall
short of perfection in
this lifetime.
You know, we might
think we've overcome
this one kind of nasty
plant of selfishness,
righteousness and
pride and self-righteousness,
but like any weed, it
just pops up again in
another shape, another
form, another
circumstance.
You know, I like to
think of sin in terms of
both things we commit,
you know, things we do
that we shouldn't do, but
also things we omit,
things that we should do,
but we fail to do.
And I know I tend to
think about the first,
just things that it's
like a big list of
don'ts.
But just think, even if
you were somehow able
to, quote unquote,
remove all the bad
things from your life,
what about all the good
things that you should
be doing?
Because true goodness
and perfection includes
all the good things that
God has called us to do
and to be.
And then it's not our
own sinfulness that we
just have to reckon
with.
In this broken and
fallen world, we also
have to reckon with the
sin of others and just
sickness.
You know, when sickness,
suffering, and other
things in life interrupt
you, it can feel like
your whole plan for
progress and self-improvement
is just thwarted.
And all your plans are
thrown out the window.
Your first plan in every
contingency plan out the
window.
So you see, there will
always be something that
pops up.
You know, something in
your life that you
struggle with.
And if you dwell upon
everything that could
potentially go wrong,
both from the inside or
from the outside, you're
just going to always have
that nagging insecurity.
If you live your life as
if it's ultimately about
progress, you're either
going to be disappointed
perpetually, or you're
going to somehow have to
live in ignorant denial of
how sinful you really are.
If you're thinking that
I'm, oh, Jeremy's just a
Debbie Downer.
Oh, just, why is he so
cynical and pessimistic?
Well, I don't think I am.
I'll be honest, because I
wrestled with that.
Am I just being cynical as
I get older?
I've been inspired by what
Paul says.
The Apostle Paul, the author
of this letter, Ephesians,
the author of like half the
New Testament, is the man
that God used to write all
these books and plant all
these churches.
If there ever was a hero of
the faith, the Apostle Paul
was.
If there was ever someone who
could live out that life of
Christian progress, that was
the Apostle Paul.
But towards the end of his
life, he writes some pretty
interesting things.
Writing to the Roman church, he
says this.
Just listen carefully.
He says, I am unspiritual, sold
as a slave to sin.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do, I do not
do.
But what I hate to do, I do.
I have the desire to do what is
good, but I cannot carry it out.
For I do not do the good I want to
do.
But the evil I don't want to do,
this I keep on doing.
And it just seems like he's
laboring this point over and
over and over.
There's this disconnect.
And later he even tells his
protege, Timothy, that I'm the
worst of all sinners.
And this is a man towards the
end of his life reflecting on
this life of being a prophet,
of being the mouthpiece of God,
of seeing a vision of God
himself, planning churches,
writing all this scripture.
And so I don't think Paul was
expressing some kind of false
humility.
That's not the Paul we see in
all his writings.
I think for all the progress that
the apostle Paul saw in his life,
at the end when he looked back,
he really grasped the depths of
sin within the human heart and
how desperately he needed God's
grace.
In a culture fixated with progress,
the constant temptation is to
think of our spiritual growth
mainly in a linear way.
You've probably just consciously
or subconsciously thought of it
that way.
It's just like a straight line
graph.
You're just improving.
There's a line, the trajectory
towards more holiness, more purity,
more sanctification.
And I'm not saying that can't
happen.
But practically speaking, the
Christian life is more circular.
And what I mean is that it's a simple
process of repentance and faith
again and again.
We see the sinfulness in our lives
and we repent, turning back to the arms
of Christ, the loving arms of Christ.
Putting our faith back in this daily process
of knowing God, responding to him.
The linear might happen,
but you're not worried about that
because each day there is a moment
for repentance and faith.
Each moment there's a moment for repentance
and faith, even right now as you're sitting
in your chairs.
And let me be clear, spiritual growth
will happen.
And that's where I can be hopeful.
But like physical fruit, the fruit of the
spirit doesn't just sprout out before your
eyes.
You know, if you just stand there and stare
at a fruit trying to measure your growth,
you're going to be bored out of your mind.
Because you're not going to see it.
And if you're focusing so much on the fruit,
the plant will probably start dying.
Right?
But if you make sure that the plant stays
connected to the source of life,
to a loving relationship with our Savior Jesus,
the fruit will grow.
And sooner or later you will see it.
And more importantly, the people around you
will see it.
So just as a side of encouragement,
you know, when you see fruit in people's lives,
when you see them growing,
affirm them.
Affirm their growth,
their relationship in Christ.
And that's what community is about,
for us to encourage one another.
I want to conclude by applying all of this
to our lives right now.
And we're going to use the cross chart
to help us.
And I know,
I know we've shown this to you many times
before.
But today I want to explain it in a slightly different way.
So this is your relationship with Christ.
And every day you're looking backward
and you're looking forward.
Communion, which we observed earlier,
it calls us to remember that at a point in history,
at the very far left of the chart,
Jesus Christ came into our lives,
into history.
He lived a perfect life to die for our sins
so that we can be forgiven.
And then there was a point in time,
or maybe a few points even,
if you don't remember a specific time,
but clearly where there was a turn,
a conversion point.
When you realize that,
you realize what Jesus came and did on the cross.
And then you accepted that gift of grace,
that gift of forgiveness.
And you chose to follow him,
and the relationship began.
That point might be today for some of you.
It can be today.
And then at the same time,
looking forward,
in communion,
Paul also says,
as often as you eat this bread
and drink this cup,
you proclaim my death
until I return.
And that's eternity,
looking forward to the future.
So you're looking to the past,
to what Christ has done.
You're looking towards the future,
to eternity,
when Jesus will return
in victory and glory,
and he'll make everything new.
He'll make us new.
He'll make us perfect again.
And between those two points,
looking back and looking forward,
is today.
your relationship with him
every day.
You're walking in a loving relationship
with Christ
every day.
And you're constantly aware
of how sinful you really are,
just like the Apostle Paul did.
And you're constantly aware
of how God really is,
how holy and perfect
he really is.
but you're also constantly aware
of how amazing Jesus is.
And that mercy
and that relationship
through Christ.
And every moment
is shaped by that cross.
That's your relationship.
That cross today,
that's your relationship
with Christ.
You see,
the beauty of understanding
your relationship
with Christ
and that it's
not about progress,
but it's about
a relationship.
The beauty of that
is you don't have to worry
about whether you're
making progress today
or whether you're not
making progress today.
Because every last circumstance
in your life
is an opportunity
to experience
that relationship.
relationship.
Because that's the real goal
to experience,
to cherish
that relationship
in the cross.
You know,
if things are going great
right now,
then you celebrate
with Jesus first.
If things are going bad
in your life right now
and you've messed up,
weep and mourn
with Jesus first.
And if someone
on the street
annoys you,
turn to Jesus first.
If someone's hurt you,
turn to your friend
Jesus first.
Turn to your father first.
Every moment
is a chance
to learn Christ,
to know him,
to trust him,
to receive his love,
to respond in love.
And inevitably,
that relationship
will become more
and more precious
to you.
So at the end
of the passage
in chapter four,
Paul tells us
to put off
the old self
and to put on
the new self.
That new self
is a completely
new identity
and the original
language actually
suggests that we
have already
put off the old self
and we've already
put on
the new self.
And since you already
have this new identity
and that new identity
is going to be
perfected in eternity,
then why don't we
just start living
that out today?
That's right.
Last week,
we learned that
our identity
is Christ.
And today,
our walk
is Christ.
Our Christian walk
is Christ.
That relationship
is our spiritual walk.
Christ is our life.
It's everything
we need.
And that's why
those martyrs
in the past
when they were persecuted,
they could walk
to the gallows
to be hung.
They could walk
to the stake
to be burned
singing God's praises
because they knew
they would not be measured
by any achievement
they did.
They would be measured
by the love
and relationship
that they had in Christ.
That's why they could
praise God
walking to the gallows.
And so think about this
with me
as you respond.
As we pray,
how are you experiencing
that relationship
with Christ today?
Do you know,
do you feel,
do you recognize
that he's with you?
Has that relationship
even begun
for you today?
And if not,
let that be the beginning.
Let today be the beginning
of that relationship.
More specifically,
what's going on
in your life right now?
What is that circumstance
or ten circumstances
that God
is using
to point you back
to that relationship
with him?
To that relationship
of unconditional love
and acceptance?
Let's actually
take a moment
right now
to reflect on that.
And just invite you
to close your eyes
and pray.
Reflect on what
is going on
in your life today.
in the light
of your relationship
with Christ.
God, we're going to keep reflecting
on you on the cross.
And this isn't the end of the sermon.
This is just the beginning
of recognizing day after day
that we need you.
And our lives are defined
by the relationship that we have with you.
So God, I pray that
whatever circumstances are happening,
whatever is going on,
those circumstances
instead of drawing them away
from you, Lord,
they would point us back
to the relationship we have with you, God.
Lord, whatever it is
that you need us to see this morning,
pray that your spirit would prompt us,
would convict us.
God, if I walked
to the gallows this morning
because of persecution,
because of
those who hate you,
Lord, would it be
my praise,
the praise on my lips
that says,
it is the love that I have from you.
It is this relationship
that I walk with you
that has defined me.
God, I pray that you continue
to illuminate, Lord,
those circumstances
in our lives.
Whatever it is
we're going through, Lord,
we know you're with us, God.
So we respond to you now
in praise
and prayer
and repentance
and in faith.
Amen.