Please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to the book of 2 Corinthians.
2 Corinthians.
And as we look forward to officially constituting as a church family,
we are walking through our mission and vision for the church.
And so two weeks ago we sought to understand our mission as a church,
which is we exist to magnify the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And the vision, the how, how do we plan to go about that great mission is threefold.
So we saw last week from Psalm 34, 3, the first way we plan to magnify the glory of God is to enjoy Him together.
Lord willing, next week we'll gather and we'll hear the third part, which is that we plan to evangelize the lost.
And this morning from 2 Corinthians, we'll see that we plan to magnify the glory of God by equipping the saints,
by equipping the saints to reflect God's glory together.
So if you would, your Bibles open to 2 Corinthians chapter 3.
We're going to be just in verse 18 this morning.
2 Corinthians 3 verse 18.
Bible's open if you just follow along with me as I read.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another.
For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Amen. This is the word of the Lord.
Would you please pray with me?
Father, we thank you for this word.
We thank you for your power of transformation at work in those who believe.
We pray even now as we open up this word that you would do that in us.
We pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.
Well, it has come to my attention that I have failed you in a very important area.
Of your discipleship.
During the past week, we had a couple from the church over for dinner.
I won't tell you who.
And they mentioned that they were in their 23rd year of marriage.
To which I responded, was their Jordan year.
And I thought that this was an obvious reference.
But my reference was met with a confused look.
And so I had to explain.
I was, of course, referring to Michael Jordan.
The undisputable greatest basketball player of all time.
Who wore number 23 in his tenure with the Chicago Bulls.
And then later with the Washington Wizards.
Although we don't need to talk as much about those years.
You all, I'm sure, are at least somewhat familiar with the legend of Michael Jordan.
When I say that name, I know that you know at least who I'm talking about.
14-time All-Star.
5-time MVP.
Defensive Player of the Year.
And, of course, 6 for 6 in the NBA Finals.
6 championship rings.
But, in my opinion, one of Michael Jordan's greatest accomplishments is that he is listed at 6 feet 6 inches tall.
You may not know this.
You can fact check me later.
Nobody in his immediate family was taller than 6 feet tall.
Michael Jordan's father, James Jordan, was 5 foot 9.
Dolores, his mother, was only 5 foot 5.
Even his brother, Larry, who Michael himself said could have been a better basketball player than him,
only grew to be 5 foot 8.
But, Michael Jordan, 6 foot 6.
He was determined to grow.
So, legend has it that he would come home every day after school,
hang up his arms from the monkey bars every day,
just try to let gravity do its work to stretch him out and grow as much as he possibly could.
His mother, Dolores, would tell him to pour salt in his shoes every single night
and say a prayer over them that he might grow.
And so he did, every night, pour salt in his shoes.
And I can't say exactly what made it happen,
but sure enough, inch by inch,
Michael began to grow.
By his sophomore year of high school,
he had grown to 5 foot 11.
By the next summer, he had grown 4 more inches to 6 foot 3,
and then ultimately growing 3 more inches to an NBA-worthy height of 6 foot 6 inches tall.
This morning, we are considering again
how we plan to magnify the glory of God together.
And what Paul tells us here in 2 Corinthians is that
we magnify his glory by growing up into him
so that we might reflect his glory.
And this is the type of growth that we're aiming for together as a church.
Of course, we want to grow numerically.
We want more people gathering here to worship alongside us,
but that's not our primary target.
Our primary target is growth in maturity.
It is growth in Christ-likeness.
It's growth that each of us individually and all of us corporately
would grow to reflect the glory of God.
And this is, I believe, the charge that Paul gives to pastors
in Ephesians chapter 4.
This, I hope, is a familiar passage to you by now,
but Paul says,
He, Christ, gave the shepherds and teachers, that is the pastors,
to equip the saints, that's you, for the work of ministry.
What's that?
For building up the body of Christ
until we all attain to the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God
to mature manhood
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
That's the target.
That's what we're aiming for.
And so the question that I want to ask this morning is,
how do we get there?
How do we grow up together to reflect the glory of God?
So here in our passage, 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18,
this morning,
Paul gives us three essential truths for spiritual growth.
Three essential truths for spiritual growth.
If you're a note taker,
this is our outline this morning.
It'll help you to follow along
three essential truths for spiritual growth.
First, is that spiritual growth requires spiritual sight.
Spiritual growth requires spiritual sight.
This is the prerequisite for spiritual growth.
Look here to our verse again.
Paul says in verse 18,
he says,
We all with unveiled face,
beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed.
So not we all, period.
Everyone, everywhere.
Not we all who regularly attend church
and come and sit in the same place
and sing the same songs.
Not we all who look the same
and act the same
and think the same
and vote the same.
What does he say?
We all with unveiled face.
The prerequisite for you to grow spiritually,
to be transformed,
to reflect the glory of God,
is that you have had the veil removed
from over your face
so that you can see the glory of God
in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Look there to verse 13.
Verse 13.
To better understand what he's saying here,
we need to understand the context of this passage.
So Paul says here in verse 13,
he says,
Moses would put a veil over his face
so that the Israelites might not gaze
at the outcome of what was being brought to an end.
But their minds were hardened.
For to this day,
when they read the old covenant,
that same veil remains unlifted
because only through Christ is it taken away.
Yes, to this day,
whenever Moses is read,
a veil lies over their hearts.
Paul is referring to the passage
that was read here earlier this morning
from Exodus chapter 34.
And this was a passage
that would have been familiar
from the Old Testament
to anyone who was familiar,
had a working knowledge of the scriptures
there in Corinth.
Moses went up to the top of the mountain
on Mount Sinai
to meet with the Lord.
He received the words of the Old Covenant,
the Ten Commandments on the tablet.
And when he came out of the presence of the Lord,
you remember what happened to his face?
It shone.
It glowed.
He had been in the presence of the glory of God.
And his face radiated,
so much so that he had to put a veil
over his face
so that the people could look at him
and hear and receive and listen
to the words of the covenant.
He had to veil it
because it was too much for them to behold.
But here in 2 Corinthians,
Paul gives another reason
why Moses wore that veil.
Look there again.
So verse 13,
he says,
Moses put a veil over his face
so that the Israelites
might not gaze at the outcome
of what was being brought to an end.
In other words,
that shining, radiant face of Moses,
it didn't stay that way forever.
It was going away.
It faded with time.
It had momentary glory,
but then it was normal again.
Paul's primary point here
is to say that this is the outcome
of the old covenant.
It had a type of glory for a time.
It had a type of purpose.
It served its purpose,
but it was fading.
It was going away.
Its purpose was coming to an end.
And so Paul says there in verse 11,
if what was being brought to an end
came with glory,
much more will what is permanent
have glory,
namely the new covenant,
the work of God
and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But there's a problem.
There's a problem.
This new covenant is far greater,
far more glorious,
far better,
but the problem here for the Jews
was they can't see it.
Verse 14,
he says,
their minds were hardened
for to this day
in Paul's day,
hundreds and hundreds of years later,
to this day,
when they read the old covenant,
that same veil
remains unlifted.
They cannot see
the glory of God
in the gospel of Christ.
They can't behold it.
Their minds are hardened
and their hearts are veiled.
See, this veil,
we need to see,
is a metaphor
for spiritual blindness.
This veil is a metaphor
for spiritual blindness.
But that's not just a problem
for the Jews, is it?
This should sober us,
church,
that the Jews
who were so close
to the presence
of God,
so familiar
with His acts
in history,
so culturally
and traditionally
and very intimately
rooted in Him
and in His Word,
were blind
to the glory
of God.
How can this be?
We would be wise
to note
here this morning
that spiritual sight
is not an issue
of familiarity.
Spiritual sight
is not an issue
of familiarity.
Who is more familiar
with the Word of God
than the people
of God?
Yet a veil
lay over their hearts
to keep them
from seeing.
And you
may know the Scriptures
inside and out,
frontwards and back,
may have studied it
time and time again,
sat under a million sermons
and yet are blind.
Do not mistake
familiarity
with the Scriptures,
with faith
in Christ.
We would be wise
to note that
spiritual sight
is not an issue
of heritage
or of physical lineage.
The Jews believed
that because
they were physical
descendants
of Abraham,
they were in the line
of Abraham,
that they were right
with God.
They belonged to Him.
They were in the covenant.
But Paul says
that covenant
has been fulfilled,
swallowed up
by a greater covenant,
a new covenant,
but they can't see it.
They were blind.
Maybe it is that
you have a believing
mother,
believing father,
grandmother,
grandfather,
who raised you
in the word,
shared the gospel
with you,
brought you to church,
loved you,
was a man or woman
of the faith.
If that's you,
then praise God,
but take note,
spiritual sight
cannot be inherited
by blood.
Do not mistake
physical lineage
for spiritual life.
You must be born again
of the Spirit.
We would be wise
to note
that spiritual sight
is not an issue
of proximity
to the truth.
Do you ever wonder
what it was like
for the Jews
to be there
at the foot
of the mountain
and to know
that right up there
at the top
was the presence
of the glory of God?
And to know
that if I so much
as come near
the foot of that mountain
and touch it
with the point
of my finger,
I would be
just obliterated.
They were so near
to the presence
of God,
but yet they were
blind to His glory
for all of their
practices,
all of their
obedience,
all of their
religious culture.
Sadly,
so many of them
did not know
the Lord,
and so it is,
I fear,
with many
self-professed
Christians.
It's good
for us
to go to church.
It's good
for us
to be
in a community
of believers.
It's good
for us
to surround
ourselves
with Christian
influence,
surround ourselves
with the truth,
to be around
the faith,
but do not
mistake
spiritual
proximity
to spiritual
perception.
in order
for us
to grow
in the
Lord,
we must
behold
the Lord,
and in order
for us
to behold
Him,
the veil
must
come
off.
Those of us
who know
the Lord
know exactly
what I'm talking
about,
don't you?
You know
exactly what
I'm talking
about.
I've heard
so many
of your
testimonies
over the
past few
weeks
and months,
and for
many of you
there was
this clear
moment
when,
for lack
of a better
phrase,
you just,
you got it.
The lights
just came on.
Somebody shared
the gospel
with you,
you read
your Bible,
you heard
a message,
maybe you
were familiar
with the truth
for a long
time,
maybe you
had gone
to church
for your
whole life,
but something
different
happened
inside of
you,
and you
saw the
worth of
Christ.
All of a
sudden,
you saw
the goodness
of God,
you saw
your need
for salvation,
you saw
the sufficiency
of Christ
to save
you from
your sin.
What happened
was God
took off
the veil.
He removed
the veil
to allow
you to
see the
glory of
God in
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ.
As Paul
says later,
God who
said,
let light
shine out
of darkness,
has shown
in our
hearts to
give the
light of
the
knowledge
of the
glory
of God
in the
face
of
Jesus
Christ.
He opened
your eyes
to see,
and with
your eyes
now open,
you began
to grow.
You know,
the most
important
question you
can ask
yourself
this morning
is,
do you
see the
glory of
God
in the
gospel?
do you
see it?
Can you
see the
worth
of Christ?
Not
physically,
with your
physical
eyes,
of course
not,
but spiritually,
truly,
do you
behold the
glory of
God and
love Him
and see
Him as
worthy of
your time,
worthy of
your worship,
worthy of
your life,
worthy of
your devotion?
We have
to start
here.
Can you
see it?
that's the
beginning of
spiritual
growth,
but what's
the end
of spiritual
growth?
What are we
growing towards?
What's the
end goal
here?
This is the
second essential
truth for
spiritual growth,
and it's that
second,
spiritual
growth
restores
the image
of God.
Spiritual
growth
restores
the image
of God.
Look there
to verse
18 again.
Paul says,
we all
with unveiled
face,
beholding the
glory of
the Lord,
are being
transformed
into
the same
image,
from one
degree of
glory
to another.
This
tells us
the goal,
the end
goal of
spiritual
growth,
doesn't it?
What is it?
It's to be
transformed
into the
same
image,
that is,
the image
of the
Lord.
Every
man,
every
woman,
every boy,
every girl,
every child,
from the
moment of
conception,
bears the
image of
God.
This is how we
were made.
This is what we
see in the
account of our
creation in
Genesis chapter
1.
God said,
let us make
man in
our own
image,
after our
likeness,
meaning we
were created
to mirror
or to
reflect the
glory of
God.
And so they
were instructed,
we were instructed
to fill the
earth and
subdue it,
to be fruitful
and multiply,
to fill the
earth with
little image
bearers,
which again
is on the
sanctity of
human life
Sunday is the
primary reason
that we
denounce the
horrors of
abortion.
We were made
to reflect
and to show
the world
what God
is like
in His
character,
in His
goodness,
in His
holiness,
in His
creativity,
in His reign
and His rule
over all
things.
We were made
to be like
God,
which is what
makes the
devil's
temptation
to Adam
and Eve
that much
more absurd.
doesn't it?
You remember
what He
said?
Eat this
fruit and
your eyes
will be
opened and
you will be
made like
God.
What
happened?
They ate
and their
eyes were
veiled.
And the
image of
God,
which they
already had,
though it
remained,
was now
marred and
broken and
tarnished
by sin.
All of us
come into
the world
with this
messed up,
sin-stained
image.
But here's the
thing,
when you are
reborn from
the Spirit,
reborn by the
grace of God,
the veil has
been removed,
the Spirit
gets to work
in you,
restoring the
image of
God.
I want to
try to
reframe how
you think
about spiritual
growth.
If I can
try to do
that in our
time together
this morning,
I want you to
listen here.
Because some
of you,
when you hear
spiritual growth,
your mind
automatically goes
towards self-improvement.
Just being a
better version
of you.
It goes to
growing step
by step,
being improved,
being the better
version of
yourself.
You hear that
we want to
equip you to
do the work
of ministry,
and you hear
that we want
you just to
be your most
productive self.
If you go to
any bookstore,
just about any
bookstore,
go to the
Christian section,
which I strongly
advise you not
to do,
and you look
for a section
on spiritual
growth,
you'll probably
find a lot of
this same sort
of talk.
That's not
what we're
aiming for
here.
That's not
what this is.
I hope that
we see here,
Paul is showing
us there's
something much,
much bigger
at play
than merely
bettering
yourself,
than merely
self-improvement,
than merely
just working
on your flaws
and fixing
your mistakes.
Spiritual
growth
is transformation
into the
image of God.
spiritual growth
is transformation
into the
image of God.
It is the
work of God
in you
by His
Spirit to
restore the
image of God
that was dragged
through the mud
in the fall.
And this is the
plan of God
for all of us,
we all with
unveiled face,
all of us who
are in Christ.
Romans 8,
29 says,
for those whom
He foreknew,
He also
predestined to
be conformed
to the
image
of His
Son in order
that He might
be the firstborn
among many
brothers.
This is the
hope of all
of us who are
in Christ.
1 Corinthians
15,
49 says,
just as we
have borne
the image
of the man
of dust,
that's Adam,
we shall
also bear
the image
of the man
of heaven.
That's our
hope.
See,
doesn't that
reset the
standard,
doesn't it?
It resets
the paradigm.
We aren't just
trying to be
the best version
of ourselves,
we are aiming
to reflect
the glory
of God.
What does
He say?
Be holy
for what?
Help me.
For I am
holy.
What did
Jesus say
to His
followers?
You must
be perfect
as my
heavenly
Father is
perfect.
That's a
high standard
Christian.
But take
heart because
believer,
the power
for this
transformation
does not
come from
us.
It can't.
We can't
do it.
Paul says
this comes
from the
Lord
who is
the
Spirit.
You know,
there's a
word for
this,
big theological
word called
sanctification.
Sanctification.
Our statement
of faith
concerning
sanctification
says,
we believe
that sanctification
is the
process
by which
according to
the will
of God
and through
the power
of the
indwelling
Holy Spirit,
we are made
partakers
of His
holiness.
It is a
progressive
transformation
into the
image of
Christ
that has
begun in
regeneration
and is
carried on
in the
hearts of
believers
by the
work of
the Holy
Spirit
and the
continual
use of
spiritual
disciplines
including
especially
reading and
hearing the
word of
God,
the communion
of the
saints,
self-examination
and self-denial,
watchfulness,
and prayer.
Now,
did you hear
the same
key words
that I
heard when
I read
that?
Did you
hear those
same key
words?
Sanctification
is a
process.
It is a
progressive
transformation
into the
word,
into the
image of
Christ.
It is
begun in
regeneration
and is
carried on.
You hear
that language,
don't you?
In other
words,
it does
not happen
all at
once.
I'll tell
you what,
one of the
most frustrating
things about
the Christian
life,
some of the
most discouraging
at times
moments of
this spiritual
transformation
is that it
is not
instantaneous.
It's a
process.
We are,
as Paul
says,
being
transformed
from one
degree of
glory to
another.
I remember
growing up
we had
heating and
air conditioning,
I promise,
but you
might not
ever know
it.
My parents
were so
tight with
the thermostat.
We weren't
poor,
I promise
you,
but they
would say
that they
were just
being frugal,
and I just
knew that I
was cold.
Clark
Howard made
some recommendation
about the
ideal thermostat
reading,
and it became
law in my
house.
If I had
an opportunity
just to
sneak over
to the
thermostat and
adjust the
temperature,
even by just
a couple of
degrees,
I would take
it.
Maybe an
hour would
go by,
and I'd
sneak back
again if
the plan was
working,
and bump it
up another
degree,
maybe another
two degrees,
and eventually,
without them
noticing from
one degree of
temperature to
another,
the temperature
in the room
would change.
It had to be
degree by
degree,
otherwise,
if there's
just a sudden
fluctuation of
temperature,
the whole plan
would go out
the window,
and we'd be
right back
where we
started.
See,
if you are
in Christ,
if you have
had that veil
removed from
over your
heart,
then you can
be certain,
this is what
Paul tells us,
that the
Lord is at
work in
you.
You may not
notice a sudden
swing in
temperature,
but as you
look back
over your
life,
you should
notice the
work of
God,
that from
one degree
to another,
from one
degree of
glory to
another,
you have
grown more
and more
to reflect
the image
of the
glory of
God.
Some of
you,
though,
I know,
are in the
middle of
a season
of just
noticeable
growth.
Maybe you've
come to
faith recently
over the
past several
months,
several years,
and you just
feel like you're
growing leaps
and bounds,
and you see
his work
everywhere,
you have
passion for
the Lord,
you desire
to grow,
you want to
know him
more.
I just want
to encourage
you to hold
on to that
as long as
you can.
Press as
deep into
that as
you possibly
can,
but know
this also,
that our
journey to
glory is
not a
sprint,
it is a
marathon.
There will
be seasons
of noticeable
growth,
tremendous
growth,
seasons of
hunger for
the Lord,
seasons of
noticing his
hand in
everything,
and there
will be
seasons where
it feels
like you're
running through
the mud.
You barely
notice his
work at
all.
Take heart,
believer.
Through it
all, the
Lord is at
work from
one degree
of glory to
another in
all who
belong to
him.
He who
began a
good work
in you,
I'm sure
of it,
Paul says,
will bring
it to
completion at
the day of
Jesus Christ.
You are
being transformed
from one
degree of
glory to
another.
But how
does that
transformation
happen?
Practically,
how does this
transformation
take place?
This is the
third and
final essential
truth for
spiritual growth.
It answers the
question for us,
how do we
get there?
Third,
spiritual growth
comes from
regarding and
relishing the
gospel.
Spiritual growth
comes from
regarding and
relishing the
gospel.
You get a
twofer here.
You get a
bonus.
Regarding and
relishing.
You might have
heard John
Piper call this
seeing and
savoring.
It's the same
thing.
You get the
point here.
You will
grow into
the image
of God.
You will
grow to
reflect his
glory as
you regard
and relish,
as you see
and you savor,
as you look
to and you
love the
glory of
God in
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ.
Look there
one more time
to verse
18.
He says,
we all with
unveiled face
beholding the
glory of the
Lord are
being transformed
into the same
image from one
degree of glory
to another.
For this comes
from the Lord
who is the
Spirit.
So how are we
being transformed?
It's by
beholding.
Beholding the
glory of the
Lord.
See there's a
principle here
that we need to
know.
The English
poet William
Blake I think
said this first.
He got this
right.
He said,
you become
what you
behold.
You become
what you
behold.
This is true
of our
idols,
church.
Psalm 115
says,
those who
make them
become like
them.
So do all
who trust
them.
So when you
behold your
idols,
you give them
your attention,
you give them
your heart's
desire,
your heart's
devotion,
whether that's
money or
approval or
comfort.
sex or
pleasure or
entertainment,
you will become
whatever it is
that you
behold.
If you fill
your mind with
political talk
radio week in
and week out,
guess what is
going to come
out of your
heart eventually,
out of your
mind?
It'll be
anger,
discontent,
anxiety,
frustration about
the world around
you.
See we become
what we behold.
when I grew
up watching as
many Chicago
Bulls games as
I possibly
could,
putting Michael
Jordan's posters
up on my
wall and then
went out in my
driveway with my
tongue out.
I know I
looked exactly
like Michael
Jordan.
Can't tell me
otherwise.
Maybe not.
Church, if
you're hearing
this and you
wonder why your
growth spiritually
has stagnated,
why it feels
like you're not
growing at all,
you may need to
take a step back
and ask yourself,
what are you
beholding?
What is it that
you're giving most
of your heart's
attention to?
If it's not the
glory of God in
the gospel of
Jesus Christ,
turn your eyes
upon Jesus.
What does the
old hymn say?
Look full in
his wonderful
face.
The things of
earth will grow
strangely dim in
the light of his
glory and grace.
We become what
we behold.
It's true of our
idols, but church,
what a promise we
have here from
Paul in 2nd
Corinthians that
this is also true
of God.
When we behold
him, we become
like him.
John says,
we are God's
children now and
what we will be
has not yet
appeared, but we
know that when
he appears, we
shall be like
him because we
shall see him
as he is.
See, there's a
connection here
between sight and
sanctification.
salvation.
But right now, we
can't see him
perfectly as we
one day will.
So where do we
look?
We look to the
glory of God in
the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
God's glory is
displayed for us
to see and to
savor, to
regard and to
relish in the
sending of his
son to live and
to die and to
rise, to rescue
sinners like me
and you from the
depths of our sin,
and then to
transform us that
we might reflect the
image of the glory
of God.
Do you need to
have the veil
removed from over
your heart?
Look to Christ.
Only through
Christ is it
taken away, but
when one turns to
the Lord, the veil
is removed.
Do you want to
grow into the
image of God?
I hope you do.
Look to Christ,
who is himself
the very image
of God.
Do you want to
look more like
God in the way
that you think,
in the way that
you act, in the
way that you
speak, in just
the way that you
are?
Look to Christ.
Behold the
glory of God
in the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
And Christ
promises you
from one degree
to another,
you will be
changed.
So,
very practically
for us here
as we close,
God
and
I just want to
end this
morning by
sharing with
you some of
the opportunities
that we have
here as we've
thought and
prayed for how
we might equip
you to reflect
the glory of
God.
It doesn't have
to be limited
to this, of
course, but
this is
frameworks for
how we aim
to equip you.
I want you to
think of these
as just
opportunities for
us as a
church to
behold him
together.
This is not
everything.
I just want to
draw your
attention to
a few ways
here as we
close.
One,
Sunday evening
prayer.
Sunday evening
prayer.
We plan this
year to gather
Sunday evenings
on the first
and the third
Sunday of
every month
for a time
of worship
and corporate
prayer.
We had our
first one last
Sunday evening
and I just
want to
encourage you
make this a
priority.
Make this
time a
priority.
If you feel
a need to
grow in your
love for the
Lord, to
grow in your
devotion to
him through
prayer, I
got good news
for you.
We're going
to do it
twice a
month right
here Sunday
evening, so
come.
Another
opportunity is
Sunday school.
I like to
call these
grow classes.
You know
why?
Bet you
can't figure
it out.
Because that's
our goal for
that time
together.
It's that we
might be
growing to
reflect the
image of
the glory
of God.
I'll just
say this, if
you want to
know if that
is worth your
time, if you
haven't been
going, just
talk to anybody
that's been
going there.
Ask them if
it's worth
their time.
Ask them if
they've grown
at all over
the past few
months in
their time
there in
those grow
classes.
The children
are learning
so much in
their time
during that
hour as
well in
that grow
class time.
One of the
best ways that
you can grow
to delight in
the glory of
God is to
serve.
Miss Regina,
Miss Becky,
Amanda, serve
back there
faithfully.
I'll just say
this, you don't
understand anything
until you can
explain it to a
child.
Okay?
And you don't
know patience
until you can
spend time
explaining the
gospel week in
and week out
to children.
And what an
opportunity that
is to shape
and to mold
this next
generation to
delight in the
glory of God.
God.
So I invite
you to
serve.
The men
and the
women are
now gathering
weekly.
Men on
Wednesdays,
women on
Thursdays.
They're gathering
in community
that we pray.
They're studying
resources that we
pray will help
them, enable
them to grow
in delighting
in the Lord.
If you are a
man or if you
are a woman
in this room,
which is
everybody here,
you're invited.
You're invited
to come.
Take part in
these opportunities.
And if those
times don't
work for you,
let us know
what works
better so we
can start
another group
where you
can grow.
Church,
here's the
point.
If you hear
this and you
just hear a
list of events
on a calendar
to keep you
busy, you
have missed
it.
And these
are not just
things to do
because we
had nothing
else to do
and we want
to just put
something on
the calendar.
This is,
we want to
equip you.
to magnify
the glory
of God
by growing
up into
him and
reflecting his
glory together.
So church,
let's look
to Christ.
Let's behold
the man upon
the cross.
Behold the
Lamb of God
who takes
away the
sins of
the world.
Would you
behold our
God?
regard and
relish the
glory of
God and
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ and
I promise
you this
year will
grow.
Will grow.
Would you
pray with
me?
Lord,
what we
are aiming
to do is
impossible apart
from you.
I can't
do it.
Treg can't
do it.
Nobody,
nobody can
produce this
growth only
through the
Lord who
is the
spirit.
And so
we pray
as we
devote
ourselves
to these
means of
grace for
our
sanctification,
as we
devote ourselves
to your
word,
as we
devote
ourselves
to prayer,
as we
devote
ourselves
to
fellowship,
Lord,
would we
be given
eyes to
see your
glory in
the gospel?
If there
are any
here,
Lord,
who remain
hardened in
their sin
and their
minds are
blind to
your glory,
I pray
now that
you would
remove the
veil from
their heart.
And for
the rest of
us,
Lord,
would you
just give us
the grace to
notice from
one degree of
glory to
another how
you are at
work in
growing us
to reflect
your image.
We pray
this all in
the name of
Christ.
Amen.