Vision pt4
Notes
Transcript
WE SEEK TO WALK IN AUTHENTICITY AS WE FOLLOW JESUS AND TO ENGAGE OUR NEIGHBORS THROUGH THAT LENS.
Of all of our cornerstones, the one that has probably been most misunderstood over the years is authenticity. People have grabbed on to that one to make it mean all kinds of things. For some it has almost been a license to do whatever they feel like. For others, it has been permission to not deal with past sins and their consequences. The list goes on…for some of us authenticity has become a word we use to not be changed by Jesus.
That’s not ok.
When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth he made a statement in 1 Corinthians 6 that was at the heart of what we meant about authenticity. He lists a bunch of sinful actions and practices and then says in verse 11- “And that’s what some of you were...”
Just like we talked about the very first week, Paul was determined that the Church and the people who make it up were not going to be forever defined by their sins, but they were also not going to stay in them. Authenticity at West Metro is about being honest about our scars, but joyfully celebrating the Savior who made them whole!
Turn with me to Romans 8. In this section of the letter, Paul is talking about what happens when Jesus changes us. Let’s look at what being real can do to a person’s life, and how that invites people into a new and transformational way of relating to God.
(Read verses 1-8)
This is a LOT.
First, it reminds us of the source of our deliverance. We can live authentically, because we are not bragging about we have made ourselves better. We have been changed by Jesus.
no longer condemned
set free from sin and death
fulfilling the law that made us guilty- He makes us righteous!
And what does Paul contrast that to? Our former way of life!
Look at the end of verse 4 into verse 6- we no longer walk- when we know Jesus - “according to the flesh” In other words we are no longer acting like sin is no big deal.
In Galatians 5, Paul contrasts the way of the flesh with the way of the Spirit: (Galatians 5:19-24) verse 24 is the kicker- those actions are in the process of being killed when we meet Jesus- they are becoming less and less who we are and being replaced with the fruits of the Spirit
So in this, we see its seriousness and- Look on in verse 5- our minds are changed about sin.
Why? because we finally see sin for what it is- a march to death- something that is killing us, and instead we are experiencing life in Jesus!
Look at verse 7-8- That all has to change because when we choose to please our old natures we are acting out of hostility to God- basically saying to Him- I know what Jesus did, but I don’t care. I prefer the fleeting pleasure of the moment over the struggle of being obedient to God.
Paul caps this by saying that those who are not in a relationship with Jesus cannot please God- (Gospel presentation here)
And here is the problem with some of us- we see these verses and we become determined to fake it. We want the fellowship of the church. The family. The warm feeling of being in some form of harmony with people. But we do not want the hard stuff- the repentance, the sanctification, the accountability. In short, we want a good religious feeling, we don’t want Jesus. So we fake it OR we hide in plain sight and act like God is somehow ok with our sin. Neither is true.
What God wants is to meet you- authentically- where you are, but not leave you there. In short, He wants to remake you into a new authenticity that looks authentically like His Son.
So what happens? (Read verses 9-11)
We learn a new way to live- our true self is led by the Spirit and not by what we want or excuse
We are becoming more alive, because sin is being eclipsed by righteousness
We are becoming the most authentic version of ourselves the longer we follow and are made new by Jesus.
What does this mean as we love Jesus and people passionately? It means we never expect people to not be who they are when they come into West Metro. No one needs to be ashamed or hide their struggles. But it also means, that we are going to challenge people to be changed by Jesus.
We aren’t asking anyone to conform to a certain pattern at West Metro, but we are saying we are ALL pursuing Jesus, and we believe that He is making all of us into new people- the very best versions of ourselves.
Join us.