A Decade of Renewal: Renewed Mission

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where  moth and rust  destroy and where thieves  break in and steal,  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,  but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!   “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and  money.    “Therefore I tell you,  do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:19-33 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Meant to live for a bigger kingdom

We are created for more then just living for ourselves. We are made for more than just our little kingdoms. We shrink ourselves when we live within such small borders.

Identifying small kingdom living

Earthbound things as the most desired thing
Needs driven (wants morph into "needs")
Anxiety driven (animalistic survival mindset)
Bored with the things of God and His kingdom

God becomes a means rather than an end.

If God is the end goal, then is loving God than which drives and masters us? Are we gunning for His kingdom and loving Him more? Or is our praise time just lip service. Is Jesus truly your treasure?

A decade of renewal: renewed community

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!  It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!  It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.
Psalms 133:1-3 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Community is like the anointing oil.

This oil is specially and specifically for anointing. And the picture is that it is abundant and overflowing. God made us for himself, but not just Him... But also for community.

We are broken sinners. Fearful of rejection and rejecting others. We can be married or be in a crowd and still feel deeply alone.  When the desire for community is met, there is joy and contentment. So therefore, God created the church.

The church community is here and not yet. It is the heavenly ideal, yet not quite. We are becoming like Christ; we are works in progress. By the work of Christ, we are a family. We are called to love the community that God has given, not the one we dream about.

Not only that, but we are blessed by this flawed community. It is through the messiness of sinners in gospel community that we grow and mature in God. He promises

Enchantment -> Disillusionment -> Maturity

Don't check out of church. God blesses the mess.

A decade of Renewal: Renewed Lives

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. - Romans 2:28-29 ESV

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. - 2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. - Romans 7:19, 21-21, 24-25 ESV

Rev. Young Lee

Gospel renewal here at Renewal church

We wish to be married to Jesus, but remain bachelors in lifestyle. We want eternal life & salvation, but not sanctification. We want to benefits without changing our lives.

What is Gospel change

Circumcision is not what makes us followers of God. It is not public actions, but the heart. We don't change behavior first. We must change our affections in order to impact our behavior. We must have an inner circumcision. We do not do things for men, but for God. Christianity is not about making us worship God. But rather God will make us worshippers. It is not about trying to be more pure, but loving purity. Transformation is not about behavior, but the heart.

Power of change

Peter talks about godliness and then... the promises of God. Why these things rather than power or strength? Because what we know of God is greater than self control. Knowing and loving God's promises gives us hope. We can't change until we have hope of change. Hope gives us power to persevere.

But more important than just any hope is the promise of fulfillment. Hopes can be dashed. But God promises victory and glory. If God is all he says he is, then He will fulfill His promises.

Change, without the gospel, is by denial and fear. But true and lasting change comes from affection. We can tell ourselves to avoid sin, but this is unsustainable. This kind of change will not last. We need a greater love. Lasting change confess from tasting how good God is.

Measuring change

How do most of us try to measure this change? Sanctification is not measured by how perfectly we avoid sin. We need to measure by passion and progression. "Wretched man that I am..." is not followed by more self discipline. But "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" is his response. He looks at how he has been saved. We cannot look at the day to day, but rather the gradual progression of change in our lives. Not being holy, but becoming holy. Not glorious, but being glorified.