The Gifts of Christmas

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."- Luke 2:8‭-‬12 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

Is our Christianity truly joyful? Or are we faking it? Is it a struggle to have joy? The core of Christianity is joy.

The joy of Christmas comes from the Good News of the baby Jesus coming to a broken world.

The shepherds are outsiders. They are outcasts from society. But in a flash of light, angels appear and proclaim the birth of Christ. The first reaction is one of fear and anxiety. It had been a long time since Israel had heard from God whether prophet or judge. So the people were afraid. Hence the first words of the angel, fear not! And immediately followed by the proclamation of joy.

God has sent salvation in his son. God is working out redemption, salvation, and restoration. With a backdrop of suffering, sin, and pain, we see a great joy come. So it still is today. So in the midst of stress, anxiety, rushing, and pain, we still have this great joy. Jesus has lived the perfect life and died for our sins. So we have eternal life and a perfect restored relationship with God.

How can we increase our joy?
+ Learn how to delay your gratification this season
+ Get rid of unhealthy comparison and competition in your life

Advent: The gifts of Christmas: Hope

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.- Isaiah 9:1‭-‬7 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Hope animates our lives. It helps us to persevere through trials and difficulties. It drives us to make goals. But losing hope can kill us. It can make us like walking dead. Not only that, but we must have hopes that are good. There are bad hopes. We can hope in things that can only disappoint. Like an abused woman who hopes their abuser doesn't leave them; there are harmful things to hope for.

The ultimate source of hope

Isiah gives these words of hope. However this will not come to pass for three hundred years. The prophecy was spoken in past tense to indicate the confidence that it would come to pass.

To those who hope for joy, Jesus comes to fill us with joy. The harvest is the last step of farming. After plowing, planting, guarding against pests, and waiting patiently, finally, time to taste the fruits of their labor. But more so than anything else we can hope in, whether careers, relationships, our spouse, sports teams, or any other goal or dream...

To those hoping for freedom, Jesus provides true freedom. Israel was under Assyrians and the Romans. There were times of freedom between the slavery and political oppression. But the freedom Jesus gives is freedom from sin. Humans enslave because there is something horribly wrong inside each of us. Jesus comes to conquer sin and death not by strength, but by God's power. The day of the Midianites was the story of Gideon. God calls for the smallest army of the most incompetent soldiers to battle thousands of Midianites.

To those who hope in peace, Jesus answers that as well. Not just the absence of war, but wholeness. Everything working as it should, with justice and properly restored. Can we hope that this world will work properly and be restored by human hands? Can we expect that we will deal with each other lovingly and justly? Does history tell us that we are moving away from war, oppression, neglect, slavery, and hatred? No, we repeat it time and again, different people and different contexts with the same problems.

Faith begets hope. Faith is trusting that what God promises will come to pass because God is trustworthy. Hope is the feeling of excitement and anticipation. Hope animates us. It drives us to make goals and push forward. It is what allows Christians to enter hopeless situations and being hope for more than what circumstances may dictate. God will move. People will be changed. The world will be restored.

Gospel Thanksgiving

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18 ESV

John Yun

It is one thing to feel gratitude, it is another to give thanks. One is a feeling. The other is an action. We may have trouble conjuring a feeling. But we can pursue the act of giving thanks. How often is our gratitude directed towards God? How do we give thanks to God?

Pray. Do not confuse it with mediation. Prayer is a conversation. We are not to simply consider what we should be thankful for. We should talk to God about what God has given to us.

How much of our prayer life is asking for things? Do we acknowledge what God has done for us? Do we meet God with a humble heart before it's savior? If our prayer life is only about asking God to give us this, to help us out of this situation, to get us... then something's missing.

We should thank God unceasingly. For every good thing God brings into our lives. If we counted all the things God brings, then we would be praying endlessly. This doesn't mean we have our heads bowed and eyes closed all day. But it is a conscious turning towards God. A God-consciousness. Knowing that God is always present and always involved in our lives.

Why is it so difficult to feel grateful? Children are taught to say thank you, even if they don't feel it. It is the polite thing to do. So it is with the children of God. We don't feel gratitude towards God. This is often a symptom of pride. We don't want to acknowledge that God deserves credit. A proud person feels they deserve a good life. It is a sense of entitlement. The key to deep gratitude is humility. "Every good and perfect gift comes from above..." Every good thing that comes is grace from God. It isn't something we can produce ourselves.

When a child receives a gift for their birthday or Christmas, they jump up and down in joy. They did not and could not have earned that gift. They receive with unbridled joy.

Another reason that we are ungrateful is because we are forgetful and blind. We forget what God has done as soon as he's answered our prayers. We only ask and ask and ask without reflecting on how God has answered our prayers. We don't see how God has been at work...

Finally, the last barrier to thankfulness is anxiety and idolatry. An anxious heart is rooted in feeling that God either doesn't care or will not provide. An idolatrous heart is searching for anything and everything to satisfy except God. Instead of keeping God front and center, we seek satisfaction in other things. We don't think God can or will satisfy.

How do we give thanks when we have all these things going wrong in our lives? Family troubles, relationship problems, trials, struggles at work, health issues... We can always give thanks in Christ. We have a Savior who suffered and knows our troubles intimately.

Gospel Spreading

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.- Acts 11:19‭-‬26 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Every member is on mission (witnessing is priority!)

A great persecution had broken out in Jerusalem. This caused believers to spread out and preach the gospel as they went. Who spearheaded this massive spreading of the Gospel? The disciples were still in Jerusalem. It was the everyday believer. They lived their lives with gospel intention. They didn't want to leave Jerusalem. But even so, they witnessed about Jesus wherever they found themselves.

Perhaps that is you. You find yourself in Philly. But that wasn't what you wanted/planned. You're at a job or school that you're not crazy about. You are living in a neighborhood that you don't really like. But maybe that's where God wants you. He wants you to witness to that supervisor. He wants you to engage that neighbor. He desires that you help at your local school. Are you faithful to the call to make disciples in your current situation/circumstance?

Believers engaged everyone

The church at Antioch reached out to not just Jews, but the Hellenists as well. The church at this time usually reached out to the Jews. But Antioch was very diverse, if somewhat segregated, so we find that the gospel was shared with these wild pagans. What interest could they have in the God of the Jews? It was unbelievable. This is the first place where they were called Christians. Why? Because it was a diverse ethnic group. It was not just Jews, not just Indians, etc.

It is very similar to Philly. This city is so diverse, but also so segregated. Diversity is difficult. It is hard to be in community with those who are different from us. But this is what the church should look like. People of different ethnic, socio-economic status, political affiliation... making up the same church.

And the hand of the Lord was with them

It was the hand of God opening the hearts of people. It was God working through them. All these things cannot come about by our hard work alone. We need God. So we must pray for convicted hearts, kingdom growth, and wisdom & desire to love our neighbors.

Gospel Community: part 2

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.- Galatians 6:1‭-‬2 ESV

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.- James 5:19‭-‬20 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

Truth telling

Pursuing Holiness through Accountability

Why is gospel community important?

We need to hear the truth. We need accountability. This reminds us of what sin is doing in our lives. It keeps us from drifting away. We do need a personal spiritual life, but that is not enough. We need a community that challenges and confronts sin in our lives.

Gospel community is hard

Speaking the truth in love requires love. We are selfish and harsh. We either don't confront because we don't care what that sin will do. Or we confront them in a harsh manner in order to belittle.

For those being confronted, there can be this fear of judgement. Or this need to defend ourselves. Finally, pride. We don't want to hear other people's feedback on our spiritual lives. Or maybe it's simpler than that, maybe we don't want to grow. Maybe we don't want to change, we're comfortable. Are you okay with your current state of spiritual stagnation?

How do we practically build each other up?

First, we need to realize that this is not a casual activity. We need to pray for God to empower us. For humility; for a selfless love. We must be in his word, so we can recognize sin.

Pray for your heart. If this bothers just you, perhaps you should bear with them. If it affects the community, then ask for another point of view. Not gossip, but rather if whether you discern rightly. Then confront them lovingly.

For those who are confronted, stop and consider the words of rebuke or admonishment. Put aside your pride and consult the word. See if there is truth in what was said. 

Gospel Transformation (Part 2)

Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 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 7:16-‬25 ESV

Dr. John Applegate

A Picture of Addictions

For a layman to preach, one of the best ways to start is to address from where we come. Not to instruct about topics that we know little, but rather what we are familiar with.

Addiction to drugs are much like desire for other's approval. Addicts were seen as people with some sort of moral failure. Why then are we equating pride to addiction?

"Bondage to the rule of a substance, activity, or state of mind, which then becomes the center of life, defending itself from the truth so that even bad consequences don't bring repentance, and leading to further estrangement from God." - Ed Welch

Each person has different desires and natures that makes them vulnerable to various substances, activities... From gambling, drinking, eating, ... etc.

Challenges to Applying the Gospel

We go through these addiction cycles. We're told to apply the gospel, but what does that mean? We don't unpack the gospel and see how it maps and applies itself to each person's addictions and the rest of their lives.

We are aware of our conscious personality, but what of the the subconscious? A picture of a crack pipe, needle, or other drug paraphernalia can trigger the reward center of the brain in 33ms. Too fast for the conscious mind to process, but enough for the brain to start considering the addiction. It's like our addictions know how to bypass the guard at the front gate and go around to the easy back door.

The heart knows both the conscious and the subconscious. It drives them both. It is our core identity that drives our behavior. This is why we often co-op the gospel to drive our own desires and agendas. The Gospel is used and abused, often rationalized as a way to justify our sinful addictions.

The Gospel Path to Freedom

So what then? Are we to be forever stuck in this cycle of addiction? Paul calls us wretched men. And then tells us of our new identity in Christ. What does this mean?

We need to learn several things:

First, there is a fight. Self deceptions are coming. There is an enemy within, foremost among sinners. Prepare to spot the lies that will open the door for other sins to sneak by. We must prepare for the next attack rather than sitting in the dark.

Secondly, we need to know our counterfeit gods in our lives. There are competing desires that keep us from taking in the Gospel. They keep us from tapping into the power of the Gospel when the battle comes to our gates.

Lastly, consider the downsides of our sin. Burn the sweetness of Christ into our hearts. Consider the aftermath of sin, the guilt and remorse. Think of the intimacy we have with God and how this sin distances us from God. We need the pleasures afforded by Jesus to overtake the pleasures of our addictions/sin.

"Faith keeps us laying hold of the grace and mercy of Christ and thereby avoiding despair.  Repentance keeps us facing our ongoing struggle with sin and thereby avoiding pride." - How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp

We are without hope without the gospel of Christ. This is our path out of addiction. Jesus came into our world to identify with the outcast, shameful, and guilty. We need not be afraid, Jesus came for those who struggle with guilt and shame.

Gospel Worship

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" And he said: "Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled." The holy seed is its stump.- Isaiah 6:1‭-‬13 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The making of worshippers

Isiah was a prophet during the reign of King Uzziah. He was walking into the temple when he received a vision. He saw angelic beings. These were pure beings compared to humans. So the angels covered the eyes and feet in an act of modesty. God was set apart even from the angels. He is so great that he is on a whole other level. Isiah sees this and he is lost, he is undone. Isiah was considered the most righteous man in his generation. But when he caught a glimpse of God, his sense of self worth and righteousness fell apart. As long as Isiah compared himself to his peers, he could consider himself righteous. But the moment he saw the greatness and righteousness of God, he saw himself as unclean. But God does not come to crush and judge, he comes to save. He sends the angel to cleanse him of sin. Then God asks for someone to go and speak to his people and not be heard. This is a job that nobody would want. Preach and get no response. Speak and be ignored. There is nothing for Isiah to gain from this. Isiah is not coerced. This is grateful response of one who is forgiven by God.

The pattern of encountering of God
. Sees God
. Sees his sin
. Receives grace and assurance
. Responds in grateful devotion
. Given a promise

The focus of worshippers

The story of Jesus is the central storyline of the Bible. Some consider the Bible to be a book of stories. A collection of good moral teachings. But we consider the Bible to be all about Jesus. The Bible is not like a bag of pearls, but rather if we grab a pearl, we will find that we have pulled out a necklace of pearls and Jesus is the centerpiece.

But it is not just the general worship of God. We worship God for his redeeming work through the life and death of Jesus. The gospel is how we focus our worship.

The shaping of worshippers

Why do we need to reminded again and again of the gospel? Doesn't it get old? Why are we called to worship again and again? Worship is where God does a work in our hearts. He is working on our hearts. Why would we need this? Because this world is constantly trying to turn us away from God and to worship other things. We are prone to wander. We are easily distracted from and forget the gospel.

Sundays are important. But we need more, we need daily gospel immersion. More than just worshipping on Sundays, our everyday lives should become a daily worship of God.

The Gospel

And he said, "There was a man who had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them.  Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.  And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.  And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.  "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.  And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.  "Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.'  But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,  but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.  It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"- Luke 15:11‭-‬32 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

In the coming weeks, we will be doing a series on the core values of Renewal church. We typically cover chapters of books, but we will be taking this time to visit this topic. This is not only to inform newcomers. It is also to remind and help those who have been here for awhile what it is that we desire. And not only intellectual agreement, but to assess whether we follow through with our actions, time, and resources.

Today, we will be covering the Gospel. We could have chosen many different passages. But I think the story of the prodigal son fits well. This story summarizes the two alternatives to the Gospel: religious and irreligious living. In this case, religious living refers to belief systems & moral frameworks other than following Jesus.

The sons

The younger son represents irreligious living. He asks his father for his portion of the inheritance. This is the equivalent of wishing his father was dead. This is utterly shocking. But the father gives the younger son what he wants. And the son takes this and goes to a far off country to squander everything in wild living. Prodigal does not mean lost. It means wild and excessive expenditure. And how does it end? The son runs out of money and becomes a servant. Not just any servant, but one that feeds pigs. For a Jewish boy, feeding and wishing to eat the food of pigs is absolute rock bottom.

This son represents those who want nothing to do with God. They want good things without a heavenly father. But it only ends in enslavement. They desire these earthly created things above all, but these things cannot fulfill. So they work and work and work, but still cannot find satisfaction. We were created to worship and we will worship even if we run from God. The son is dehumanized. He's living like an animal.

The older son has been working at home this entire time. Hospitality is a big deal. For the older son to not come in is utterly shameful. The older son is angry. He says that "all these years" he has worked hard for the father. This is not anger of the moment. This is a festering resentment. This son did not go to some far off country and squander his inheritance. This son was always so close to the father, but his heart was so very far.

The accusation leveled by the older son is this: "Father, you are stingy towards me. You are not fair!" The fattened calf is like a steak and the goat is like a hamburger. The older son thinks of his relationship with the father in a transactional manner. He is bitter at God. This is how outwardly religious people are like. They appear to love God, but when you peel away the layers they only love themselves. God is only a means to an end. They count their righteous deeds carefully. It inflates their view if their own goodness. This makes them critical of those who do not measure up. Their actions make them seem right with God, but their hearts are so far away from God.

How God treats his sons...

For the younger son, his actions would have shamed both his family and the community. He was planning to ask for his father to make him a servant. The son's actions would have required restitution in this society of shame. The father called for a ring, a robe, and shoes. The ring and robe was symbolic of status and authority. This was no servant. Slaves went barefoot. This is no slave. The father is saying that the younger son was restored to family in every way.

For the older son, the father speaks words of reassurance. The older son may have wondered about his own inheritance. Was the father playing favorites? No, the father said that the older son's place was secure. The older son has the love of his father.

The third son

There is no third son in this story. The third son is the one telling the story. He does what the older son did not. He goes to the younger son in a pig sty and tells him to come home. He takes in the sins of both of the brothers and takes their punishment. Jesus is the righteous son, the older brother in the kingdom. He shares the father's inheritance with those two brothers.

The sons cannot pay the father back. Christians do not act out of fear or for wages/blessings. They serve because they have the love of the heavenly Father through Jesus.

Leaders day '18

What are Renewal Core Values? (And do we embody them?)

. Gospel
. Gospel Worship
. Gospel Transformation
. Gospel Community
. Gospel Spreading
. Gospel Mercy and Justice

Churches can fall into the trap of being gospel centered in name, but not in action. It may appear on the website, but the church isn't driven by the gospel. What we are seeking is a Gospel centered culture. And who drives culture? Leaders.

Gospel-centered Leadership

. Humble Confidence

Confidence without humility is oppressive to those not leading. The leader knows everything and imply there is only one way to do it. Humility by itself is always focused on their own failings. They are always listening to others. But gospel leaders are called to walk a middle ground with both confidence in Christ and humility in their personal abilities (1 Cor 15:9-10).

. Invites Critique

As we pour out in ministry, the last thing we want to hear is criticism. But we are sinners with blindspots, so should welcome critique. Leaders should be quick to listen. And not only that, but even badly given critiques should be humbly considered. We should not discard it based purely on the packaging.

. No "Game Face"

With positions and titles in the church, there are those who will serve but don't want the title. We don't want the expectations. There are standards for these positions. There is always a gap between the standard and our lives. This gap will always exist. The problem does not lie in the gap, but in our comfort with this gap. We become comfortable with the gap between our personal lives and the responsibility of our position. This is spiritually perilous.

What does this peril look like? We don't shared our weaknesses or struggles. We only share "safe" things. The leaders teach those under them to hide their sin.

So what should it look like? We should share our failures. We don't minimize the sin. But we don't hide it. We put a spotlight on it and ask for prayer. When we do this, we highlight the greatness of Jesus. We don't glorify ourselves, but our God.

. Restfully Ambitious

We aren't always busy working. But we also don't want to completely lose any ambition for God's kingdom. We need both motivating and moderating grace. We need grace to fire us up and also grace to cool us down. We need to both serve and rest in the church.

What does it look like when it goes wrong? We start to get our sense of identity from what we do. We are workaholics in ministry or some other area of our life. We can't rest properly. Or we can't say no to people who ask for help. We may have savior complex. (Psalm 127:1-2)

One possible application may be to take a media fast daily. Don't use your phone first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Bring your fears to God. Find a quiet time for God.

. They marinate in the Gospel

When fears come up, they preach the gospel to themselves. When self centeredness comes up, they consider what God is concerned with. When we peel back the layers, people should find the gospel. Regardless of the ministry, when people encounter us, they should find the gospel at the very heart of those who lead. It should be found in our speech, our actions, in our personal lives.

Paul's Mission

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand." This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. - Romans 15:14‭-‬33 ESV

Rev. Won Ho Kim

The passage before from Romans 12-14 was Paul telling Christians how we should live. This passage turns personal and introspective.

Paul's Aim: Full of goodness and knowledge

Paul wanted the gentiles Christians to be full of goodness, godliness, and wisdom. He wanted them to be able to instruct and admonish each other. Is there anything harder than confronting feeling believers in love? This is spiritual maturity. Paul is not only seeking out conversion and evangelism. He wanted the sanctification of believers as a pleasing sacrifice to God.

God desires more than just to convert. He wants us to be full of wisdom, goodness and love.

Paul's Ambition: Foundation laying

Paul is saying he's fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ in these regions. He has no more room to work in this region. What does that mean? There are plenty who have not heard the gospel.

Here's one interpretation: Paul has planted a church in each of the key city centers in the region. Paul had finished evangelising to the region. The areas between these regions was not the responsibility of Paul but of these churches.

This is the foundational concept for frontier missions. For planting believers and churches where there are none. They bring light where there are none. But this is different from church development. We each must play our part.

Paul's Attitude: Fearless

Paul's ambition was so strong that he wanted to go to Spain. Why? In those days, Spain may have been considered the end of the world. It would have been a massive undertaking. There are no cars, no planes. He wanted to stop at Rome and then go to Spain. But instead, he was sent to Rome in chains to appeal to Caesar. Most scholars believe he never made it to Spain. But it's that really the most important thing? God knew what was in Paul's heart. No great strides in the kingdom can happen without great dreams for God. This isn't just frontier missions, but even in loving our neighbors, serving the church, evangelising our family, friends, & neighbors. It is necessary for us to have these dreams whether they come to fulfillment or not. God can use us as we come to serve God.

Paul's Aids: Funds and Fellowship

We often think of Paul as this lone missionary going off to preach throughout the gentiles. But Paul often traveled with others. He had a home church in Antioch. He looked to the church in Rome for support. Food, money, and companionship were all under the idea of support. He was looking to enjoy the company of fellow believers for awhile. Paul was not on mission alone. He was one member of a team; one member of a church.

Diversity, differences, and the Gospel

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.- Romans 14:1‭-‬23 ESV

Mr. Travis Drake

The conflict

This is two groups of Christians. It is likely a racial divide, but Paul does not use that wording. He refers to them as those of strong and weaker faith. The Jewish observances of the Sabbath and abstaining from certain food are noted as examples. And not as good examples but rather something that Jews were mocked for. Paul refers to these things and tells Christians not to mock them for these things.

These are not doctrinal differences, but rather everyday practice. For our day and age, it would look like this. Do we wear suits or jeans to church service? Do you have drums and guitars or organs during worship? Do we only sing hymns or Psalms? What is the "right" way? But this is too one-dimensional. Faith allows for diverse practice. This is not a core Gospel issue. These are ethnically contextualized ways of practicing faith. We are taking what is a secondary concern and making it primary.

Are we trying to tell people how to live their lives? The strong are to welcome the weak and vice versa. God treats both with love, do we do the same? Do we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with love? We need to be gentle and loving with those who are different from us. God accepts those differences; they are not sin. We should not elevate personal preferences to the importance of sin. God does not flatten our diversity. He uses it for His glory. Heaven is not a melting pot; it is a mosaic. The uniformity that God demands is that we act for the glory of God. The ethnic diversity will still exist in heaven.

The solution

We should not use our personal convictions to break down the protections around our weaker brethren. A weak faith well protected is better than a strong faith unprotected. The commands are directed at the strong. The strong are called to abstain from things to protect the weak. We should be ready to sacrifice for those who are not like us. We should be willing to be inconvenienced for others in the body of Christ. There's a personal cost. It is difficult. This is the nature of the Christian life.

How do we do this?

We are not given options here. We are called to love in diversity. This is not impossible. So how do we do this? If we feel like we are dying to ourselves, we are dying for the Lord. We can die. God can call us to death, but Jesus is Lord of the dead. Even if we need to die, Jesus is Lord still over our lives. He is our salvation and life. In Christ, we are dead, resurrected, and restored. We are already these things. God is calling us to what we already are. The spirit of God lives in us.  Our faithful life in diversity with our brothers and sisters in faith is what we are. So be it.

Learn, discern, and pray.

Learn to give things up. Become comfortable with being inconvenienced for small things. Do this at smaller things so that when it comes to a Gospel matter, we are ready. We need to read and learn about the cultures around us. Not to judge, but to understand.

Discern what is the impact of our actions on our neighbors, family, friends, and church. Are we curious about those who are not like us? Do we ask hard questions so that we can love those around us?

We need to pray for those around us. Pray for humility and for us to change. Ask God for the hard things. Pray for racial reconciliation. Pray that we could find someone in the next six months who is not like you and to befriend and learn more about them.

From Israel to the Nations, and back again

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." But what is God's reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day." And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever." So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob"; "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins." As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. - Romans 11:1‭ ESV

Rev. Charles Han

God's covenant faithfulness

Paul is asking, Has God rejected His people? Has God abandoned them? Paul says no. The rejection is neither total nor forever. God has kept himself a remnant among the Israelites. There are Jewish believers among the church in Rome. God has hardened the hearts of his people. Why? This is so that the salvation of the gentiles will make God's people, Israel, jealous. The rejection would push the message of salvation outward. Not only that, but it was to acknowledge that the gentiles were fully invited to the table of God. They were not second class citizens in the country of heaven. The gospel was not only for the Jews.

God's relentless grace

God offers grace to the Jews, but they rejected His offer. They felt that they could find salvation by deeds, by following religious teaching and personal efforts. God allowed Israel's heart to be partially hardened. But God would being salvation back. The jealousy from seeing the salvation and redemption of these gentiles would break the pride of these people so they would accept God's offer of grace. God would rescue his people.

God's unsearchable wisdom

A story of brothers comes to mind. Joseph is betrayed and sold into slavery. Not only that but suffering at the hands of Potifers wife. But eventually, he rises to the position of prime minister. A famine breaks out and his brothers are forced to come to him. They find themselves at the mercy of their younger brother. And Joseph forgives them. He tells them that they meant him evil, but God meant it for good. For both Joseph and the people of Israel...

Assignments for this week:

1. Find God's promises for you by faith
2. Ponder God's kindness to you through disappointment and suffering.

God's unquestionable love

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 8:31‭-‬39 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

We are a deeply fearful and fear driven people. This is the nature of our sinful hearts. Even in this modern age with modern medicine, peacetime, food, and shelter, we are still fearful in this nation. With limited access to information via our personal devices, it can exacerbate rather than assuage our fears.

Why do we fear so much? Because we fear God so little.

Fear of sufficient provision

Paul addresses this fear by speaking of greater needs being met. God gave us his son graciously. This is such a difficult and hard thing, how then can God withhold anything else from his people? If God would not spare his own son, God would do anything for his people. God paid an unimaginable price for his rebellious and sinful people. This is our security. God will withhold no good thing from us.

Fear of others

Will other people judge us? There is no condemnation in Christ. It is repeated over and over again in the word. Many people will condemn us for our sins. This is not those who reveal our sins, but those who accuse us as unacceptable. That God finds us lacking. But God is the ultimate and final judge. No one can overrule Him. He declares us righteous by the blood of Jesus. Jesus is our defender and advocate. God is the one justifies and he has done so. There is no one to overturn God's verdict.

Fear of separation from God

Is there anything that will make Christians fall away from God? Is there anything that makes God lose his grip on us? This list by Paul is not something we understand here in America. This is literal for Christians around the world. Not small inconveniences, but real affliction for the sake of Jesus. What does it mean to be more than conquerers? In Christ, all our enemies and their efforts to destroy us bring about our good and glory. Satan attempts to separate us from God. But he can only grow us in holiness. He cannot destroy or condemn those in Christ.

All Things For Your Good

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 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. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. - Romans 8:28‭-‬30 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

What does salvation look like?

Those who love God. It is that we desire God above all other things. There is no qualifying amount or maturity of our love for God. It is only that we desire Him and wish to grow closer to Him.

For what purpose?

We are saved for our salvation and glorification. And what does that mean? It means we will be like Jesus.

What is promised?

God is absolutely sovereign. He works all things.  Matthew 10:29-30 Job 2:9-10

God is absolutely good.

God ordains all things, both the best and worse things, only for your ultimate good. It is not to say that we redefining good and bad. Sin is evil. A crime committed against you is still a sin. Your sins against others are still evil. 

The best example of this is the cross. Jesus, the perfect innocent son of God, died a horrific death for crimes he did not commit. God ordained it. And it was for our ultimate good. The sins and messups in our lives are not something to our shame. It isn't like we are on God's plan B or C. God uses even these things for our good. God may purposely let us struggle with sin. He may let us fall into some sins over and over again. Why? It is so that we can understand grace. Not just an intellectual understanding, but to understand in our hearts.

All Things For Your Good

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 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. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. - Romans 8:28‭-‬30 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

What does salvation look like?

Those who love God. It is that we desire God above all other things. There is no qualifying amount or maturity of our love for God. It is only that we desire Him and wish to grow closer to Him.

For what purpose?

We are saved for our salvation and glorification. And what does that mean? It means we will be like Jesus.

What is promised?

God is absolutely sovereign. He works all things.  Matthew 10:29-30 Job 2:9-10

God is absolutely good.

God ordains all things, both the best and worse things, only for your ultimate good. It is not to say that we redefining good and bad. Sin is evil. A crime committed against you is still a sin. Your sins against others are still evil. 

The best example of this is the cross. Jesus, the perfect innocent son of God, died a horrific death for crimes he did not commit. God ordained it. And it was for our ultimate good. The sins and messups in our lives are not something to our shame. It isn't like we are on God's plan B or C. God uses even these things for our good. God may purposely let us struggle with sin. He may let us fall into some sins over and over again. Why? It is so that we can understand grace. Not just an intellectual understanding, but to understand in our hearts.

The Spirit of Adoption

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.- Romans 8:14‭-‬17 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

God is our true, perfect heavenly Father. All that we do is in response to our father. We are empowered by the Spirit to fight sin. Paul brings us our status with God to encourage us. It is to assure us. Paul brings up adoption as the picture of fatherhood.

Christianity is about being brought into a family. This brings along privileges as children in God's family.

The certainty of our adoption

If you are being led by the Spirit to fight sin, then you are children of God. This is the leading of the Spirit. We learn to dispise sin and kill it. It is not looking for making the best decision for careers, dating, marriage, buying a house, etc. It is the desire to fight sin in our lives.

We are sure of our adoption because of the great cost. Our adoption was paid for by the blood of Jesus. It doesn't matter what we've done or who we are. The cross tells us that we are God's children. No doubt.

The characteristics of our adoption

There are two spirits. The spirit of slavery makes us fearful. But adoption gives a sense of intimacy, discipline and family resemblance. The call to God is not a quiet recitation, but the cry of a child to their father.

Does your spiritual walk today lack joy? Then cry out to God. God will happily answer your prayer for joy in following God.

Parents discipline their kids. Fathers will place their kids in challenging situations and help us to grow. Only illegitimate children are left to their own devices. God will sometimes place is into difficult situations to help us avoid more painful situations later. This is God's love for us.

The pain of discipline is not pointless. God does this to purify us and make us holy. This is so that we begin to resemble God more and more in our life. This is the long direction of the Christian's life.

The confirmation of our adoption

The Holy Spirit reminds us that we are children of God. Not only do we witness ourselves to God's love, but the Holy Spirit testifies as well. So when we are discouraged, God's Spirit pushes us to remember our status. We are children of God.

Not only this, but we will suffer. We will suffer along with Christ. Not First World Problems, but suffering for Christ. Insults, shame, and even threats of death. That is guaranteed. Are we too comfortable? Do we exhibit the light of Christ to the world?

In addition to this suffering, we also inherit glory. We will be perfect and have a place in heaven with Jesus. The riches of God are ours. A place where we will be fully accepted and welcomed forever.

Minding the Things of the Spirit

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.- Romans 8:5‭-‬11 ESV

Pastor Paul Kim

Those who live according to something will set their minds on it. Paul contrasts living by the Spirit and by the flesh. This isn't a call to be more moral. It is entirely different.

What it means to set our mind on the flesh

The word flesh does not mean just the physical body, but all of human nature. It refers to the corruption of not only the body, but also our hearts and minds. Our entire nature has an anti-God bent. We seek to oppress the truth of God. We wish to rebel against God, against the word of God. Our minds are filled with shame and worry that show our lack of trust in God. It is a selfish focus that says the Christ is not sufficient. Vulnerability and transparency is something we talk about but never do. We have to put on a good front. We fear the loss of our comfort and safety. We protect these things at all costs rather than trusting in God's provision and protection.

To focus on these things means death. Not physical death, but a hopelessness. We will lose a sense of hope.

What it means to set our mind on the Spirit

To focus on the things of the Spirit results in life and peace. We don't grasp the Spirit, but it works on us. This is given to us by the grace of God, not something we can produce on our own.

What does this new life look like? We learn what pleases God. We learn what is sin and what is not sin. We begin to hate sin and things that displease God. Not only do we know what sin is, but we begin to hate them. But we don't hate them because they are wrong, but rather we hate them because they grieve God. Not only do we hate sin, but we grow in love. We grow in our love for God and other people. Love of God is seen in our delight in His law. Love of others is seen in how we love those who are difficult to love.

We move from selfish focus to looking to the glory of God. We become kingdom focused. Christianity is not about getting a ticket to heaven. It is about living for a king, the king of Kings. It is seeking discomfort for the benefit of another. That is the gospel. We are out to seek to make others flourish. That is what it means to live for the things of God.

The grace found in the Spirit of God

We will still find ourselves in sin. But the Spirit is working, there is daily struggle, but there is a progressive turning. The struggling is in itself a sign that we are in the Spirit. There is nothing in  fallen human nature to incite us turn to God. That is the work of the Spirit. So what then? Try harder? No, Paul makes no such command. Instead he speaks of a change in authority, in loyalties, in allegiances. "You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit" He makes a declaration that our identity is belonging in Christ. All this change will come eventually through the struggle, but we are in Christ. That is not something we become or earn.

No Condemnation

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:1‭-‬4 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

This passage is considered the most hopeful of the entire Bible. There are no commands or imperatives. It gives the clearest picture of sin and God's grace.

Our innocence

Christ's delivery of us from death gives us great security. By faith, we are once and for all declared righteous. Before Christ, there was the law and the sacrifice of animals for sin. Now, in Christ, salvation has finally come.

Our freedom

The law of Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. The spirit has released us from the law of following commands and reaping death for our sinfulness. Jesus came in flesh so that God could condemn sin via Jesus. So sin is condemned, but we find freedom and life. Jesus takes on the sin of all believers for all time. He is condemned and forsaken by the heavenly Father. The innocent one becomes mired into raw liquid sin. So we will never be forsaken or condemned. Justification and sanctification always go hand in hand.

Our growth

What do you love now? Jesus, the one who's saved you through the cross? Or the greed, envy, anger, lust, & selfishness that put Him there?

So how do we kill sin?

1. Hate your sin. (What it does to you and those around you... Don't become desensitized to what sin is doing)
2. Starve it. (Don't feed your indulgences)
3. Quarter it. (Sin has allies. There are some conditions give sin an advantage over us. So keep away from circumstances like that)
4. Lean on God. (He is always fighting with us to kill sin. He does not give up on us.)

I have kept the faith

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. - 2 Timothy 4:1‭-‬18 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

The Bible charges us to finish well. Not only that, but we are given promises to empower us. We are not Paul and we are not like him, but we can strive to be like him in spirit.

Remember what our finish line is

Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead. There is two judgements coming. One in the ultimate judgement given to those who do not have faith in Jesus. Another is for the believers who will have to give an account of how they lived their lives. Paul considers his life to be poured out as a sacrifice to God. Not to waste his time on things that have no impact.

When Jesus comes back, those who yearn for Him will be rewarded with a crown of righteousness. What does this mean? It means that we are to desire Jesus' return rather than anything of this world. We want Him more than whatever we have in this life.

What should we focus on?

Preach the word, in season or out. We are to share the word in word and deed. This is more than just reading and knowing the word. It is to make His word known. We can set aside hours for quiet time, study, and learning. But above that, we are to live out the word in our lives. We are to prepare to share the word with our friends and neighbors.

Stay away from becoming intoxicated by worldly desires. We need to focus on what God desires. Not to say that we need to avoid all worldly pleasure, but that we keep in mind God's mission for us.

Remember that Jesus stands by our side

Paul spoke about how some believers deserted him during his trials. Trial and desertion is normal. When you want to serve, you will often find that people will check out or not support you. Paul isn't just saying Jesus is trustworthy. Paul was strengthened by Jesus. He knows our needs and intimately understands temptation.

Living out the law by dying to the law

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. - Romans 7:1‭-‬12 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

The topic in our passage is the law or commandments of God. What is our relationship with God's law? We need to die to it in order to live it

Dead under the law

The law of God cannot save us. The Jews loved the commandments given through Moses. It was their life. The commandments of God are holy and just. If a man is sent to man to life in prison, is the law wrong? No, it is the man's sin, his breaking of the law that is the problem

The law exposes our sinfulness. Paul brings up the tenth commandment. Why? Because it is a sin that everyone commits. It shows how sinful we all are. Everyone covets. The law exposes us for who we are.

The law doesn't just reveal sin. It provokes us to sin more. When we are told not to do something, we are incited to do it. If we are told to do something, we wish to rebel even more. We find pleasure in the illicit, the illegal. It is our very nature to be defiant.

The law condemns our sin. It does not bring life to us but rather sentences us to death. The law gives nothing to the sinner but death.

Dead to the law, married to Christ

Those who are believers have died to the law. They have died through the body of Christ. How? We are in union to Christ. We find life and salvation through our union with Jesus. So we are free from self-reliant law-keeping. This is futile. Change is not true, not lasting. This change will be outward conformity. Trying to change based on our own willpower is unsustainable and insufficient.

It is only through reliance on Jesus that we can truly change. Change from the inside out. Not behavioral modification, but true lasting change.

Married to Christ, obeying the law

Our union with Christ is like marriage. But what kind of husband is he? We can figure this out by contrasting Jesus with the law.

We were married to Mr. Law.  He was a good man, in his way, but he did not understand our weakness.  He came home every evening and asked, “So, how was your day?  Did you do what I told you to?  Did you make the kids behave?  Did you waste any time?  Did you complete everything I put on your To Do list?”  So many demands and expectations.  And hard as we tried, we couldn’t be perfect.  We could never satisfy him.  We forgot things that were important to him.  We let the children misbehave.  We failed in other ways.  It was a miserable marriage, because Mr. Law always pointed out our failings.  And the worst of it was, he was always right!  But his remedy was always the same: Do better tomorrow.  We didn’t, because we couldn’t.

Then Mr. Law died.  And we remarried, this time to Mr. Grace.  Our new husband, Jesus, comes home every evening and the house is a mess, the children are being naughty, dinner is burning on the stove, and we have even had other men in the house during the day.  Still, he sweeps us into his arms and says, “I love you, I chose you, I died for you, I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  And our hearts melt.  We don’t understand such love.  We expect him to despise us and reject us and humiliate us, but he treats us so well.  We are so glad to belong to him now and forever, and we long to be “fully pleasing to him”!

Being married to Mr. Law never changed us.  But being married to Mr. Grace is changing us deep within, and it shows.

Being married to the law is difficult and feels like condemnation. Being married to Jesus is encouraging, merciful, loving, and forgiving. What is the dominant voice in our life? Is it Jesus or the law? We listen not to tablets of stone from ages part, but the Holy Spirit speaks to us through our new hearts of flesh.

You grow in obedience to God's law not by impersonally following a list of rules but by intimately following a Person (Jesus), not by law keeping but by Christ loving. Sanctification happens not by the law, but by marriage, by grace.

Application

When we read Ephesians 4:32 and we see the command to be kind and forgiving, how do we approach it? Do we push ourselves harder? Do we ignore it? No, we look at what Christ has done. We soak in the forgiveness of God that we have through Christ. We are humbled and our hearts are softened towards our enemies and those around us. As we read though the Bible, make sure we focus on the indicative that powers the imperatives. What we have though Christ indirectly powers our internal change so that we can obey the commands. Never can we obey the law of God to such an extent so that we will be acceptable before God...

Slaves of Righteousness

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 6:15‭-‬23 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

True spiritual freedom is found in slavery to Christ.

The inevitability of slavery

Paul comes at sin from another angle. Should grace be the cause of giving into sin? The answer is the same, not at all! The argument here is that there is no neutral ground. We will either serve Jesus or sin, but not both. We cannot choose to have no master. We can be enslaved by money, pleasure, or other sinful desires. Or we can submit to Jesus and God. For those who have been set free, they can choose. But for those who have not been set free, they are still under the dominion of sin. They have no choice to submit to God.

The impact of slavery

Lawlessness leads to more lawlessness. Righteousness leads to sanctification. Sinful behavior will only lead to a greater degree and severity of sinful behavior. It always gets worse.
It hurts the people around us. It will damage the testimony of the church. It hurts our integrity. We say one thing and do another. If we continue to dabble in sin, it leads to tastes of death. Bitterness, disappointment, brokenness of life..

But what if we submit to ourselves to God? It gets better and better! We will be progressively better and better in both character and will. We become more and more like Jesus over time. It ends in eternal life. As we continue down this path, we will instead receive tastes of life. Joy in service, love for others, rejoicing in salvation.

The intentionality of slavery

We need to live as those who are free. Daily surrender to God. It covers things big and small. Suppose we have two job offers. One is comfortable, well-paying, but makes it harder to serve at church and surrounds you with ungodly behavior. The other doesn't pay as well. It is in tough area, but gives you time to serve the church and use your spiritual gifts. The choice is yours.

True understanding of the gospel will lead to a change in heart. We will want to please God with all our heart. The ten commandments were given, but Israel became more sinful rather than more like God in character. We submit to God because of what he has done, not because we just seek to obey.

So the sin is brought to Jesus rather than trying to make it up to God somehow. We lay it down at his feet daily. That is how we submit to Jesus. We are gripped by Jesus... and it drives us to kill sin and to pursue God rather than selfish desire & gain.

Dead to sin, Alive to God

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.- Romans 6:1‭-‬14 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

Why believers in Christ must change

People were questioning how grace works. If grace covers all of our sin, then what incentive does one have to change? Can we not just keep living as normal without changing? Paul says no, it cannot be. Not only can believers change, but they must change.

Believers are united with Christ. The term Christian only comes up three times in the Bible. Paul's favorite way of referring to believers is those who are "in Christ". The union of marriage points to our intimate union with Christ. So when we get married, we join a new family. We share burdens and joy. It is not longer me, but now us.

So for the believer, we go with Christ through Easter. We are dead in sin. We are raised to life. And we are joined to the heavenly family of God. Jesus is the head and we are the body. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. There is nothing a body can do without a head. There is nothing branches can do without a vine. So, this is how Christ works with those who are joined to Christ. A grafted branch cannot help but grow! Those who keep embracing sin likely are NOT joined to Christ.

Believers are dead to sin. We were dead in sin, but now we are dead to sin. This is in the past tense. What can this mean? We constantly feel the pull of temptation & the struggle to fight sin. Paul is speaking of the power of sin. We are no longer under the authority of sin. We are no longer in the death grip of sin. Jesus has died to sin, He is no longer subject to sin. Sin has been decapitated, but it is still struggling and fighting you. The body of sin at work in us still attacks us, but the head of sin is no more. The proof of salvation is the struggle for righteousness. To fight against sin in our lives at all is proof that sins authority is not over us. To be mournful over sin is what people alive in Christ do. Repentance is the proof that Christ is in us. If you are engaged in a holy struggle to give glory to God and are burdened by sin, then you are in Union with Christ.

How people change

Consider yourself dead to sin. That is how we change. When we sin, we are forgetting our true identity. We are already in Christ, so present ourselves to God as instruments for righteousness. We have already crossed from death to life, we do not need to go back to the vast chasm. We are legally no longer slaves to sin, but we still feel experincially the oppression of sin. We live under grace, not sin.

You feel your addictions own you. But is that true? No. If someone discovered you in your secret sin, you would stop. That is the fear of man. But believers have an even greater power at work, we have the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. The victor if the way is sure, so let us battle in the light of our position.

Encounters with Jesus: Mary and the Gardener

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"  Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"—and that he had said these things to her. - John 20:1‭-‬18 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

It's reliability (the resurrection)

All credible historians agree that a man Jesus lived and was crucified. But this is where the disagreement begins. Many believe that Jesus was dead and buried and that was it.

The Greeks believed in a resurrection of the spirit. The spirit left the body and that was it. There was no bodily resurrection.

Mary thought that the body was stolen. Grave robbery was commonplace. The disciples were confused about what happened. Until they met the resurrected Christ...

Women were the first to see the resurrected Christ. Consider this, women's testimony was inadmissible in court. No one would try to make up a credible story using women's testimony. How about grave robbers? Then what about the body wraps? They were left behind and not only that, but some was nearly wrapped. What robber leaves things neatly behind them?? It doesn't happen. The Jewish and Roman authorities wanted to put down this "cult" of Jesus followers. They would have left no stone unturned in trying to get the body. They would have paid good money for someone to produce the body. And nothing, no body.

It's result (the resurrection)

Mary was freed from demons by Jesus. She is so distraught that she does not recognize the angels or Jesus. She thinks this man is a gardener. So Jesus asks, "why are you crying"? What is the meaning of this? It is a gentle rebuke. Jesus has won.

Death had been defeated. Not only physical death, but spiritual death was defeated. Jesus has won for us the breaking of the spiritual death that is separation from God. He is victorious over hell. Mary was weeping as one without hope. But for those in Christ, there is hope, even in death. We weep at the separation, but we know this is temporary. We will meet again.

The disciples were hopeless. They had just watched Jesus die upon the cross. It all appeared meaningless. But there is a God and there was a reason for this pain. The suffering is not without meaning. In heaven, we will find more fulfillment and satisfaction in Jesus. The suffering and loss will make heaven the more sweeter. The suffering in this life will add to your joy rather than subtracting.

The right response

Jesus asks who Mary is looking for. She was looking for a kind caring teacher. Jesus is God. He is not simply a good moral teacher. He wants us to give Him control over our lives. He deserves to be Lord over our lives. But he is trustworthy and He did it first. He submitted to God, even to the cross, for us, his enemies. We can submit without concern. He had led by example.

So what is the right response? Jesus calls Mary to share with the rest of the disciples. So it is with us, we are called to proclaim. Tell others that Jesus has risen. Mary thought Jesus was the gardener and in a way she was right. Jesus is the cosmic gardener. He is clearing the thorns and thistles. He is planting seeds that will sprout and bring forth vibrant life and beauty. The entire world is His garden and it will be restored to it's former glory.

Encounters with Jesus: The Sought-out Seeker

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today."  So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."- 19:1‭-‬10 ESV

The search

Zacchaeus was a short man. He wanted to see this Jesus. Rich, powerful men of this time wore long robes. They did not run, it was deemed undignified. But Zacchaeus did not only that, he climbed a tree. This is an utterly ridiculous scene. This tax collector was utterly despised by the people. Climbing a tree would have been like painting a target on his back. He must've been driven by something strong to endure that embarrassment and ridicule.

We don't know what drove him to go to such lengths. But we can speculate that perhaps he was lonely, felt the emptiness of riches, and heard about this man who befriended sinners. A man who had a former tax collector in his inner circle, a disciple.

Jesus was passing through Jericho. But he did not meet this tax collector by chance. He walked up to that tree and called this man by name. No introductions needed. Jesus knew this man and he knew why he was there. We may see that this tax collector was seeking Jesus. But Jesus was seeking him. Jesus seeks the lost.

The lostness is not being clueless. It doesn't mean that sinners are clueless. It means that they are without a home. They do not have a heavenly home. They are without a restored relationship with their heavenly father. That is what it means that people are lost.

The invitation

Zacchaeus does not invite Jesus. Jesus invites himself over. This is simply not done. What does this mean? To go over to someone's house and eat with them means that you accept them and commit yourself to deep relationship with them.

Why is this important? Zacchaeus was living a despicable life. He was a thief and not even considered human by society. Jesus invites himself into his life before anything has happened before any life change has occurred. We don't need to come to Jesus after we clean up our lives.    This is the gospel.

What does this mean to us? It is understanding who Jesus is and accepting Him joyfully. He is Lord. When we receive Him, we give him the master key to our lives. He now can command us in every area of our lives. We need bring nothing to this.

The church are those who are saved. So if Jesus is about seeking the lost, can we not seek them as well? Alternatively, are we like the crowd? Do we grumble and obstruct those seeking to get a glimpse of Jesus? Church, are we making it hard to see Jesus? Do we force people to climb trees to get a glimpse of Jesus?

How do we make things hard? Here's some possibilities... Do we hide our sin and our weaknesses? How does it affect those who seek Jesus? Two ways, they can feel that they must clean up their lives to meet Jesus. They have to be holy to find God. Or they can see through the act, the hypocrisy, and be repulsed. They want nothing to do with the hypocrites.

The declaration

Zacchaeus was extorting the people. Justice, in that day, would call for restitution of 120%. But he goes above and beyond, he would give back 400%. Why? This man chased riches. So what happened? The explosive effect of new affections... Jesus became his new affection. He found deep satisfaction in Jesus rather than earthly riches. He no longer needed earthly wealth in light of his riches through Jesus.

Encounters with Jesus: the religious reborn

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."John 3:1‭-‬21 ESV

Necessity of new birth

Pharisees were seen as not just spiritual men. They were seen as the pillars of society. Nicodemus came to investigate Jesus. There was many miracles and life changing sermons. He and other teachers came to find out the truth of this man, Jesus. Was he a cult leader? Was a prophet of God? They came to get to the bottom of this affair, but Jesus flips this agenda on its head. Jesus digs to the heart of Nicodemus. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he does not belong to the kingdom of God. This is utterly shocking. The Jews assumed that the kingdom was theirs by right of their birth. Nicodemus was a leader among the religious leaders. He knew the scriptures and taught others how to follow them. Jesus told this man that he had no share in the kingdom of God. Regardless of his knowledge of the law of God, his racial background, and his personal obedience of God's law as he understood them... It did not give him any standing before God. He needed to be born again. To Nicodemus, it was completely inconceivable that he was not in the kingdom of God. So here is the take away, are we in Nicodemus' shoes? Are we naively assuming that we are in the kingdom? This idea if being born again is not new. It was an idea written in the scriptures before Jesus was born.

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all 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 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." - Ezekiel 36:25‭-‬27 ESV

How does this happen

It happens by the work of the Holy Spirit. Birth is not chosen by the baby. They don't pick their birthdays. Additionally, we are spiritually dead. They cannot bring themselves to life. So God brings us back to life. So how then are we reborn? The Holy Spirit brings our dead hearts to life to see our need for Jesus.

How does it work?

People coming to faith is a mystery. Back in those times, there wasn't a weather man giving meteorological forecasts. They have no idea when and how the winds will blow. So it is how this works in salvation, we cannot force this to happen in our timeline and with our own power. We cannot see the wind, but we can see it's effects.

Those who are born again have two big changes. Self-exposure & desires.

They speak of their own sins the most. They will speak of their own sins rather than the sins of others. They walk into the light and expose their sins, so they can walk rightly before God.

They change not only their actions, but their desires are changed. They are active in serving because they want to please God. The reborn love worship because it shows how they treasure Jesus. They don't love it because it makes them look good, or they can play music, or they like the music... That is the desire of those who are not born again. We see this in Nicodemus after Jesus' death. He demanded the body of Jesus. He wrapped it himself rather than allowing women to do it, as the norm. He did this because Jesus was no longer just some awesome rabbi, He was Nicodemus' treasure.