Thank you, Treg.
Please open up your Bibles this morning to the book of Titus.
The book of Titus.
We're continuing our series through Titus this morning.
If you did not bring a Bible of your own, there should be Bibles there in front of you in the seat backs.
And you can find that on page 938 of that Bible there in front of you.
And we are going to be in Titus chapter 3, verses 3 through 8 this morning.
Believe it or not, we only have three more sermons in the book of Titus.
We've covered a lot of ground in this little book.
And I hope that it's been as encouraging for you as it has been for me.
Last week, you saw that Treg helped us to see who we once were before the grace of God appeared.
Before the grace of God appeared in our life.
And today, this morning, we're going to pick up at that same place.
But we'll see the whole process of spiritual transformation.
The whole process of spiritual transformation.
So let's look there now.
Titus chapter 3, verses 3 through 8 this morning.
Please follow along with me as I read.
Paul says,
He says,
The saying is trustworthy.
Amen.
This is God's word.
Let's pray together.
Lord, you are God and besides you there is no other.
Who is man that you are mindful of him?
We are nothing.
And yet you have shown us kindness and love and unmerited favor in Christ.
And so we pray now that you would for the next several minutes.
Lord, cause us to look up, out and away from ourselves.
Away from our wants, our needs, our desires.
And would you fix our gaze on Christ this morning.
We pray this in Jesus name.
Amen.
Well, they say hindsight is 20-20.
But for the first 1,400 years or so, for about 1,400 years, the smartest people in the world got it all wrong.
They believed that we were at the center of it all.
The most intelligent, most well-educated men and women of the world held what we now call a geocentric view of the universe.
Meaning that they believed that the earth was at the center of the universe.
And so all known planets, all known stars, the sun, the moon, everything that they knew of, as far as they concerned, revolved around planet earth.
We were at the center.
Everything revolved around us.
And Claudius Ptolemy was influential in this view.
He was a mathematician, an astrologer, a geographer.
He was extremely intelligent, widely respected.
And his geocentric theory of the universe spread through the civilized world and was universally accepted.
That is, until Copernicus proposed what we now call the heliocentric model in 1543.
Which said, of course, that the sun was at the center of the universe and not the earth.
Y'all didn't know that you were coming here for an astrology class this morning, did you?
Copernicus's view, which we now know is the correct view, was not well received.
To put it lightly.
See, this was, it was not just a scientific proposition.
The belief that the earth was the center of the universe, that everything revolved around us.
That had become an entire framework for all of life.
In fact, it had become official church doctrine.
And so much so that when Galileo, you might know that name, in the 16th century,
and Giordano Bruno, an Italian philosopher, in 1600, proposed these same ideas,
that the earth was not the center of the universe, they were condemned as heretics.
Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life, forbidden to publish any of his works.
And Bruno was burned at the stake, proclaiming that the earth was not at the center.
You see, it was so embedded in their philosophy, and in their theology, and their view of the world,
that we are the center of the universe, that nothing else seemed to make sense.
In fact, it was heresy to claim anything else.
And as easy as it is for us to look back and scoff, and to laugh about just how wrong they were,
the truth is, we all make this same mistake.
Every one of us are prone to think, and to act, and to walk, and to talk,
as if we were the center of the universe.
But of course, this is not true.
As Christians, we know, we believe that we are not the center of the universe.
God is.
Our lives revolve around Him, not the other way around.
Christianity, although this isn't popular, Christianity is not a man-centered religion.
Christianity is about God.
That's not popular.
We want it to be about us.
But our conversion to Christianity was a transformation inside of us,
by the power of God that shifted the center of our universe away from self,
and back to where it rightly belonged to God.
From beginning to end, from beginning to end,
our existence, our transformation, our life in Christ is all about God.
Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name give the glory.
That's the cry of a transformed heart.
It is all about God.
In our text this morning, Paul is,
he's reminding Titus, and he's showing us that our salvation,
our transformation in Christ from beginning to end,
is from God, it is by God, it is through God,
it is about God, it is for God,
it is God-centered from beginning to end.
And so our outline this morning, what we're going to do,
we're going to see five God-centered aspects of spiritual transformation.
If you're a note-taker, this will help you follow along.
This is my outline this morning.
Five God-centered aspects of spiritual transformation.
And what I hope we'll see is, again,
from beginning to end, it is all about God.
First, we see the summary of transformation.
The summary of transformation.
The last week we saw that Paul wrote to Titus
that believers there in Crete are to,
verse 1, chapter 3, verse 1,
to be submissive to rulers and authorities,
be obedient, be ready for every good work,
speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling,
be gentle, show perfect courtesy to all people.
Why?
Why should believers act that way?
And he tells us here in verse 3,
for because we ourselves were once foolish,
disobedient, led astray,
slaves to various passions and pleasures,
hated by others and hating one another.
This is the before of spiritual transformation.
You all have seen those before and after photos.
I know you have.
Somebody's trying to sell you on a product,
this weight loss product,
hair recovery product, skin cream,
whatever it may be,
and they show you the before picture,
and it just looks awful.
There's a thousand things wrong with that image
besides the one thing that they're advertising
that they're trying to fix, right?
And then they show you the after picture,
and it's incredible.
It's beautiful.
The lighting is better.
It's a better angle.
They look like a supermodel in the after picture.
Paul is showing us here the before of spiritual transformation,
and it's ugly.
There's no hiding it here.
In other words, he says,
you used to act this way.
You used to be characterized by sin.
You used to walk in foolishness.
You used to walk in disobedience.
You used to walk in slavery to sin,
but then something happened.
When the goodness and loving kindness of God,
our Savior, appeared,
He saved us.
In other words, if you are a Christian,
you have been transformed.
You have a before,
and now you have an after.
There is now something different about you.
You are not the same as you once were.
If anyone is in Christ,
he is, help me out, what?
He's a new creation.
The old has gone.
Behold, the new has come.
You see, verses 3 through 5 here of chapter 3,
they give us a condensed summary.
It is a big picture overview of salvation.
So every Christian in the room can take these verses
and say, yeah, that's me.
That happened to me.
Now this is Paul's quick bullet point summary of transformation.
In fact, the whole book of Titus
is summed up in a nutshell here.
We could have saved some time
if we just went right here to these verses first.
He says,
Do good, do good works,
because you were sinful,
but God saved you.
That's the summary here.
Do good works,
because you used to be sinful,
and now God has transformed you by his grace.
That is our testimony, church.
If you are a Christian,
this is your testimony.
In this summary,
it's important here,
because it is abundantly clear
who the focus is on.
Who gets the glory,
and the praise,
and the credit here?
Who's the hero of this story?
It's God.
From beginning to end.
Paul makes it clear here.
The only thing that you and I contributed to our salvation
is the need to be saved.
The only thing that we contributed to our salvation
was the need for redemption.
Our contribution here in these verses
was sin.
It was rebellion.
It was foolishness.
It was disobedience.
But God saved us.
Paul says something similar in 1 Corinthians 6.
1 Corinthians 6.
You don't have to turn there now.
I'll read this to you,
but maybe write this down for later.
1 Corinthians 6, verse 11.
He says,
That's the before picture.
But you were washed.
You were sanctified.
You were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God.
And such were some of you.
But the goodness and loving kindness
of God our Savior appeared
in the gospel of Jesus Christ
and He saved us.
That's the summary of our salvation.
How God-centered is your testimony.
Who's the hero of your story of salvation?
How do you tell it
when you share your story of your salvation
from death to life?
Who's the hero of your story?
You all heard Sean's testimony last week.
I hated that I had to miss it last week.
But I know what he did not say.
He did not say,
Well, I was going down the wrong path,
making some bad choices,
but then I straightened up
and I decided to figure it out.
And I cleaned myself up.
I got better.
And I decided I'd start going to church.
And I decided I'd start reading my Bible
because I knew that that was the best thing for me.
And I'm much better off than I used to be.
You should have seen me back then.
I've made some really powerful strides forward.
Who's at the center of that story?
It's I.
I am the hero of that story.
Self.
In that story, God is not central.
You are.
He's the medicine that you decide to take
because you realize you are sick.
But friend, what does Paul say?
You're not sick apart from the mercy of God.
You're dead.
Dead in the trespasses and sins
in which you once walked.
Dead men, dead women,
cannot work.
Dead men,
dead men,
women cannot please God.
Dead men cannot improve.
Dead men cannot believe.
Dead men,
they stink.
Like Lazarus in the tomb.
But God made us alive
together in Christ.
But God saved us.
You want to sum up your salvation?
Here it is.
We were dead,
but God saved us in Christ.
Is that your story?
This is a three-verse summary of new life in Christ.
And so here's an application for you
when you go home this afternoon.
Here's a challenge.
I want you to write out your testimony.
And you got three sentences.
That's all you're allowed.
Three sentences.
Write out your testimony.
And make sure that God
is at the center.
Second.
Second,
we see the basis
of our transformation.
The basis
of our transformation.
Look again here to verse 5.
Paul says,
He saved us
not because of works
done by us.
Now hold on.
Paul has been telling us
in Titus
over and over
and over
and over again.
Do good works.
These false teachers,
they prove that they are false
because they are not
doing good works.
There's no fruit in their lives.
Faith accords with godliness.
Here in verse 8,
he says,
Be careful to devote yourselves
to good works.
So what gives?
He wants to make
absolutely certain here
that we get the order right.
Our works are not
the basis
of our salvation.
By no means.
Again,
dead men and dead women
cannot do good works.
We have to get this order
right.
See,
our works are not
the root
of our transformation.
They are the fruit
of our transformation.
Say that again.
They are not the root,
the basis
of our transformation,
of our new life in Christ.
They are the fruit,
the overflow,
the outworking
of our spiritual transformation.
See,
we have a hard time
with this
because we don't want
to see ourselves
as totally,
completely,
spiritually helpless.
We want to contribute
in some way.
We want to have
a part in this.
We don't want to be
helpless or weak.
We're too prideful
for that.
But that is precisely
who Jesus came
to save.
Not the strong,
not the capable,
not those who think
that they add anything.
Jesus came to save
the weak
and the needy.
It's not the healthy
who need a physician,
but the sick.
His power is made perfect
in our weakness.
And when you pull the thread
on your story of salvation,
I wonder where it stops.
Does it stop
at a prayer you prayed,
a decision you made,
any good work,
any list of good deeds,
good thoughts,
good works
as the root,
the basis
of your salvation?
If that's where it stops,
friend,
you need to keep pulling.
Now pull a little bit further.
When you peel back
all the layers,
every prayer,
every good deed,
every belief,
every act of yours
in your testimony,
what is left
at the bottom
holding it all up?
What does Paul say?
It is the merciful
heart of God.
The merciful
heart of God.
What's the basis
here of our salvation?
Paul says,
God saved us
not because of works
done by us,
but according to
His own mercy.
See,
we have to get the order right.
God did not look upon you,
look upon anything done by you,
and deem you worthy
of salvation.
God did not look ahead
in time to see what you might do
or would do,
and then on that basis,
deem you worthy
of salvation.
Again,
you see,
that puts us,
that puts our goodness
at the root,
at the center,
and God orbiting
around us.
Paul says,
the basis
of your transformation
is the merciful
heart of God.
Mercy,
by definition,
is given to those
who don't deserve it.
this was at the heart
of the Protestant
Reformation.
It's October,
and I know for most of y'all
that most normal people,
that means pumpkin spice
lattes,
and fall weather,
and flannel,
and colors changing
outside.
For nerds like me,
I think of the
Protestant Reformation.
So,
505 years ago,
Martin Luther,
he nailed his 95 thesis
to the door of the
castle church
in Wittenberg,
Germany.
These were 95 concerns
with the teaching
of the church,
95 points of doctrinal
clarification,
and at the center
of it was a practice
called indulgences.
You may be familiar
with that,
maybe not,
but this practice
of indulgences,
Luther was concerned
that the church
was teaching
you could buy
your way
to forgiveness.
You could work
your way,
earn your way,
whether by money
or by merit,
towards acceptance
with God.
And he said,
no,
that's impossible.
Faith is the path
of salvation.
Salvation is a gift
given by faith
according to the mercy
of God.
And he was right.
So he says this,
he says,
we believe that
the very beginning
and end
of salvation
and the sum
of Christianity
consists of faith
in Christ,
who by his blood alone
and not by any work
of ours,
has put away sin
and destroyed
the power of death.
Is it not wonderful news
to believe
that salvation
lies outside
of ourselves?
Amen?
Friend,
this is good news.
it's good news
that we cannot
earn acceptance
from God.
You can't do it.
If you are in Christ,
you have his acceptance
in full,
not because of you
or anything in you,
anything you've done,
but by his mercy alone.
And if you are not
in Christ,
friend,
you're working
to please God
can never earn
his favor.
It's only,
only by saving faith
in the Savior,
the perfect Savior,
Christ Jesus.
His mercy,
not our works,
is the basis
of our salvation.
Third,
the third aspect
of our transformation
here,
we see the work
of transformation.
The work
of transformation.
Look at verse 5 again.
Paul says,
He saved us,
not because of works
done by us
in righteousness,
but according
to his own mercy.
How?
Verse 5.
By the washing
of regeneration
and renewal
of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out
on us richly
through Christ
our Savior.
Now,
we were reading this
at the dinner table
the other night.
Every now and then,
I try to do it
every week,
but most weeks,
I try to read
the sermon passage
before I come here
to preach
and ask my family,
hey,
what questions
do you have
about this?
And a lot of times,
I find that they got
questions I'm not
thinking of,
and this was one
of those times.
I didn't plan to talk
about this at all.
But Amanda said,
what does it mean,
the washing of regeneration
and renewal?
What does that mean?
I didn't plan to say
a thing about that.
Ezekiel 36.
Y'all can turn there
with me.
Ezekiel 36,
verses 24 through 27.
The people of Israel
are in exile.
God is speaking to them
through the prophet Ezekiel.
He makes them a promise.
Verse 24.
See if this sounds familiar.
He says,
I will take you
from the nations
and gather you
from all the countries
and bring you
into your own land.
I will sprinkle
clean water on you
and you shall be clean
from all your uncleanness.
And from your idols
I will cleanse you
and I will give you
a new heart
and a new spirit
I will put within you.
And I will remove
the heart of stone
from your flesh
and will give you
a heart of flesh.
And I will put
my spirit within you
and cause you
to walk in my statutes
and be careful
to obey my rules.
See we have this promise here
that God has given
to Old Covenant
Old Testament Israel
this promise
to cleanse Israel
by his spirit
to give them
a new heart
to give them
renewed desires
to cause them
to walk in ways
that are pleasing
to him.
And now here
Paul says
that is accomplished
through Jesus Christ
for any
who come to faith
in him
Jew or Gentile.
Paul is showing us
how our salvation
was accomplished.
He's showing us
the work of God
in salvation.
And I love how
Paul shows us
each member of the Trinity
at work.
Here.
Each member of the Trinity
at work.
We believe God
is a Trinity.
Okay.
One God
not three gods
one God
three persons
not one God
acting at different times
in different ways
one God
three persons
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
each of them
working together
in cooperation
in the work
of redemption.
So we believe
that our redemption
was a merciful
plan of God
planned in eternity
past
and worked out
in time
according to the
counsel of his will.
But here Paul
shows us that
it is also a work
of the Holy Spirit.
He says in verse 5
our salvation
is according
to his own mercy
by the washing
of regeneration
and renewal
of the Holy Spirit.
Last week
if you were here
the section
of the statement
of faith
that you read
was concerning
regeneration.
And I'd like
to read a portion
of that again
to you this morning.
It says this
we believe
that in order
to be saved
sinners must
be regenerated
or born
again.
Born again
Christian
that's redundant
you know that right?
It's like saying
pen number
personal identification
number
born again
Christian
it's redundant
there's no other
kind of Christian
but a born again
Christian
if you are a Christian
you are born again
if you're born again
you're a Christian
you have the spirit
in you.
Alright keep going.
Regeneration
is a change of heart
by the Holy Spirit
who revives
the spiritually dead
that's the before picture
all of us
savingly enlightening
our minds
to understand
the word of God
and renewing
the whole nature
so that they love
the Lord
and desire
to practice
holiness
that's what we saw
God promise Israel
here in Ezekiel
and that's what Paul says
was brought to life
through the gospel
new life
new minds
new nature
new love for God
that's the work
of the spirit
of God
if you are a Christian
you are born
of his spirit
you have the spirit
in you
in full
there's no second
filling of the spirit
if you don't have
the spirit
you're spiritually dead
but if you have
the spirit
you are regenerated
you're alive
you're born again
if you understand
the word of God
praise God
that's the work
of the spirit
in you
if you love
the Lord
at all
praise God
that's the work
of the spirit
in you
if you desire
to practice holiness
praise God
that's the work
of the spirit
in you
if you see any
of the fruit
of the spirit
in your life
praise God
that's a work
of the spirit
in you
but how
was the spirit
given
verse 6
he was
poured out
on us
richly
through
Jesus
Christ
our savior
faith
trust
in you
Holy Spirit
Christ
Jesus
the son
of God
accomplished
our salvation
this is the gospel
church
we are saved
by the grace
of God
through faith
in
Jesus
Christ
faith
trust
in his
perfect obedience
in our place
faith
trust
in his
death
in our
place
on the cross
the death
that we
deserve
for our
sin
faith
trust
in his
perfect
resurrection
from the
dead
trust
faith
that if
we have
died
with him
in a
death
like his
then surely
we will
share
in his
eternal
life
and it
is
through
faith
in
Jesus
Christ
that we
receive
the promised
Holy Spirit
who is
our helper
who guides
us
and comforts
us
and leads
us
and convicts
us
our comforter
our helper
until he
returns
again
see our
transformation
church
is God's
work
it is God's
plan
accomplished
through
God's
son
by the
power
of God's
spirit
from beginning
to end
it is God's
work
shouldn't this
lead us to
thankfulness
church
what do we
have to
boast about
shouldn't
this lead us
to humility
church
we have
nothing to
boast about
but the
work of
God
in us
a right
understanding
of God's
work and
salvation
ought to
lead us
to be
the most
grateful
the most
humble
the most
awestruck
the most
joyful people
in all
the world
we are
saved
by God
because of
his
goodness
fourth
we see
the
effect
of
transformation
the
effect
of
transformation
what is
the effect
of
transformation
Paul says
it's
twofold
here
and there
are more
of course
but Paul
is showing
us two
effects
of
transformation
here in
verse 7
two effects
of our
salvation
in Christ
he says
in our
salvation
we have
present
justification
and future
hope
we've been
given
present
justification
and future
hope
look with me
to verse 7
he says
God saved
us
so that
so here's
the effect
here's the
result
so that
being justified
by his
grace
we might
become
heirs
according to
the hope
of eternal
life
so you see
there's two
effects here
present
justification
future
hope
he says
we are
justified
by his
grace
what does
that mean
this again
was at the
heart of the
protestant
reformation
it's this
question of
how can a
sinner be
accepted
in the
sight of
God
how can
we with
all of
our sin
all of
our
unrighteous
deeds
how can
we with
all our
rebellion
against
God
be counted
righteous
forgiven
accepted
loved
in the
sight of
God
it's
justification
this
is
courtroom
language
this is
legal
terminology
so
imagine
this
with me
in the
legal
courtroom
of God
God
is the
judge
he is
holy
he judges
all the
earth
in
righteousness
not a
single
decision
that comes
from his
counsel
is wrong
in any
way
not a
single
decision
is unjust
and one
day we
will all
stand before
him
for judgment
and if we
really know
the depth
of our
sin
we should
tremble
at that
thought
we have
earned
punishment
for our
sin
and the
just
sentence
for our
sin
for our
disobedience
is
death
it is
condemnation
not a
person
on this
planet
can
stand
and say
I've
earned
acceptance
with you
God
not but
one
Jesus
Christ
and so
when God
the judge
pulls out
the record
of your
life
every
thought
every
deed
every
motivation
every
word
and if
you're like
me that
list spills
out over
the top
of the
table
and down
onto the
floor
and out
into the
hallway
and he
asks you
how do
you plead
what do
you say
what do
you say
if you
are in
Christ
friend you
look him
in the eye
and you
say
I am
innocent
I am
innocent
not
guilty
and I know
that for certain
because it was
it was decided
long ago
not because of
anything in me
but because of
your work
in my life
because of
your saving
mercy
there is nothing
good in me
but God
you have seen
fit to nail
my sin
to the cross
of Christ
and to give
me his
perfect righteousness
by faith
not guilty
I am
innocent
because of
the gospel
2nd
Corinthians
521
it tells
me
for our
sake
he made
him to
be sin
who knew
no sin
so that
in him
we might
become
the very
righteousness
of God
and so
the gavel
comes down
and the
verdict
is declared
you are
righteous
in God's
sight
not
guilty
Paul says
that verdict
is already
decided
if you are
in Christ
you are
justified
right now
not by
your works
not by
your goodness
but by
his grace
alone
and with
that present
justification
comes future
hope
certain
joyful
expectant
life
changing
hope
if we are
in Christ
God is not
only the
judge
he is
our father
we are
adopted
as brothers
and sisters
Christ Jesus
being the
firstborn
into the
family
of God
so
so verse
7 tells us
being justified
by his grace
we might
become
heirs
according to
the hope
of eternal
life
if God
is our
father
through
Christ
we will
inherit
eternal
life
that is
our hope
life
forever
in the
presence
of God
free from
sin
free from
suffering
free from
death
fullness
of joy
in the
presence
of God
in the
new heavens
and the
new earth
full access
to God
our father
through the
blood
of Jesus
Christ
this is
what he
has done
for us
believer
this type
of
freedom
the freedom
of total
acceptance
and certain
hope
that ought
to transform
the way
we live
our lives
amen
we live
as sons
and daughters
of God
which brings
us to our
fifth and
final point
this morning
this is where
we close
fifth we
see the
evidence
of
transformation
the
evidence
of
transformation
you see
good works
the evidence
that you have
been made
a son
or a
daughter
of God
is that you
begin to
look a lot
like your
father
there's a
family resemblance
that's going
on here
and you
join into
the family
business
you reflect
his godly
character
and you
go about
his godly
work
verse 8
Paul says
the saying
is trustworthy
and I want
you to
insist on
these things
insist on
these things
Titus
don't skirt
past it
don't avoid
it
don't remove
God from
the center
why
so that
those who
have believed
in God
may be
careful
to devote
themselves
to good
works
this has been
the message
of Titus
hasn't it
faith
accords
with godliness
good works
are the
fruit
not
the root
of our
transformation
Christ
Jesus
gave himself
to redeem
us from
all
lawlessness
and to
purify
a people
for his
own
possession
who are
zealous
for good
works
not for
our glory
not for
our
attention
not for
our boost
in our
self-esteem
but for
the glory
of God
not by
our strength
but by
the strength
of God
that's what
Christ came
to create
in us
I hope
that
Luther's
quote
is still
ringing
in your
ears
we've
said it
two or
three times
already
throughout
this series
in Titus
maybe you
know it
by now
it says
we are
saved by
faith
alone
but the
faith that
saves
is never
alone
we are
saved by
faith alone
but the
faith that
saves
is never
alone
it is
always
accompanied
by the
fruit
of
good
works
so here's
the challenge
that I want
to leave
pounding in
your chest
as you leave
here this
morning
if you are
not a
believer
if you've
never known
the transforming
grace of
God
friend repent
and believe
the gospel
God's grace
is extended
to you
this moment
in the
preaching of
the word
as Christ
says
come to
me
all who
weary
and are
heavy laden
and I
will give
you rest
call upon
the name
of the
Lord
and you
will
be
saved
but friend
if you
have been
redeemed
Christian
would you
reflect on
the goodness
of God
and your
salvation
this week
would you
reflect
on what
God has
done
it is
about
him
and then
out of
that God
centered view
of yourself
and the
world
around you
and your
salvation
go do
good
for the
glory of
God
as an
overflow
of the
good
you've
received
from
him
extend
his
goodness
and his
kindness
and his
mercy
and his
salvation
to others
what good
can you do
for the
glory of
God
this week
his power
at work
in us
extended
to the
world
what
opportunities
is the
spirit
bringing
to your
mind
even
now
as
you
think
who
around
you
needs
to hear
the
good
news
of
the
gospel
who
can
you
lay
your
life
down
for
this
week
and
meet
a need
and give
an opportunity
to show
and to
share
the goodness
of
Jesus
at home
at work
in your
neighborhood
at school
what good
works can
we do
together
for the
glory of
God
as a
church
family
not
for
our
credit
not
for
our
recognition
not
for
our
morale
not
for
us
but
for
the
glory
of
God
you see
the
evidence
of our
transformation
is our
zeal
for good
works
are we
zealous
for good
works
Matthew
5
16
let
your
light
so
shine
before
others
so
that
they
may
see
your
good
works
and
give
glory
to
us
give
glory
to
your
father
who
is
in
heaven
church
for
1400
years
they
got
it
all
wrong
and
they
thought
it
was
centered
on
us
and
sadly
here
in
the
year
2022
not much
has
changed
no
we
don't
think
the
earth
is
literally
at
the
center
of
the
universe
but
we
all
tend
to
think
that
we
are
at
the
center
of
the
universe
see
Ptolemy
he
popularized
the idea
but he
didn't
come up
with it
it
started
in a
garden
Genesis
chapter
3
where
Adam
and Eve
placed
their
wants
their
desires
their
needs
their
appetite
at
the
center
but
Christ
Jesus
came
to
transform
our
man
centered
view
of
reality
and to
restore
all
things
for the
glory
of
God
it
is
all
about
him
he
is
at
the
center
our
mission
statement
at
Seaweed
Bay
is to
magnify
the glory
of
God
in
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
that's
what
we're
about
that's
the
mission
and
when
you
magnify
something
whatever
it is
that's
at
the
center
is
the
focused
point
that
lens
is
magnifying
whatever
is at
the
center
everything
else
is
kind
of
on
the
periphery
on
the
edges
is
blurred
you
can
see
it
but
it's
not
totally
clear
church
my
challenge
for
you
let's
be
a
church
let's
be
a
people
that
keep
God
at
the
center
we
may
magnify
the
glory
of
God
let's
pray
father
god
it's
all
about
you
it's
not
about
us
and
your
work
of
salvation
it's
amazing
lord
what
you
have
planned
what
you
have
done
your
power
at
work
in
us
and
we
pray
that
you
would
receive
all
the
glory
all
the
honor
all
the
praise
that
you
are
due
we
love
you
lord
and
even
our
love
for
you
is
your
work
in
our
hearts
we
pray
that
we
would
go
do
good
not
to
earn
your
favor
that's
impossible
but
lord
out
of
the
out
of
the
gift
that
we've
received
new
life
in
Christ
we
pray
that
we
would
share
and
extend
your
merciful
heart
to
others
around
us
we
pray
this
in
Christ
name
amen