Conformed to the Image of Christ — 2 Corinthians 3

0:00 Good morning. Good morning. Happy Mother's Day, mothers. In that responsive reading, we were reading that the mother's, she's not afraid of the snow because she moved to Florida? I've been down in Florida for a while, and I I know, somebody has to do it.

0:30 Suffering for the lord. Somebody has to do it. It's, been a privilege to serve the lord down there and, working together with brothers and sisters all around the world, praying for the work here, for the work in Florida, for everywhere, right? For the work in Mexico gonna be going on. What a wonderful thing to be a part of the family of God.

0:57 Why don't we open with a word of prayer? And we'll go from there. Father, we just come before you and praise you. That all things come from you through your son. Lord Jesus, your word says that all things were created by you and for you.

1:16 Lord, we worship you as our creator and our god and what a wonderful god that has such a wonderful, awesome plan, lord, to create a people for yourself, a family for yourself, sons and daughters for yourself so that we can know you, serve you, and enjoy you for all all eternity. Wow. We give you praise, lord. Father, we are especially thankful for what Mother's Day means. Lord, thank you for our moms.

1:53 Lord, we love you. We worship you and praise you that you have designed in your plan of creation, mothers. Lord, that's from your own heart. Your word says that, and we just give you thanks. We pray for each mother here.

2:06 Lord, there are some that are expecting even for the first time. We praise you, Lord, for this awesome gift, Lord, of how you teach us through the pictures, Lord, of family and mothers and being born from a mother and a mother loving us and just on and on it goes. Lord, we just pray your richest blessing upon the mothers here. We give you praise. Help us now as we read your word to hear from heaven and to rejoice in what you're doing down in Florida and here and around the world and especially lord, what's yet to come.

2:45 We give you praise in Jesus name. Amen. In first Thessalonians two verse seven, there is a reference which is pretty interesting. I'd like to mention about mothers. And we've all got a mother.

3:06 Some of them are here. Some of them are not. Some are in glory and, waiting for us, and the rest. But in chapter two verse seven of first Thessalonians, Paul makes interesting reference about mothers. He says, verse seven, first Thessalonians two, Paul speaking to this church in Thessalonica that he loved so much.

3:32 He says, but we proved to be gentle among you as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children, having thus a fond affection for you. It's interesting how Paul just gives that picture reminder of his love, a male, that he has for believers. And he equates that with tender love of a mother. And so I say, God bless the mothers, praise the Lord. What a gift we have, That they tenderly love us, how they nursed us, and that's...

4:10 I obviously don't want to say God is quote unquote a mother, he's not a mother, he's a he, he's a father, right? That's how we pray to him. But everything is from him, this is his heart. He's the one who has the mother's heart. Right?

4:22 And that's part of god's infinite awesome love. So happy Mother's Day. Praise the lord. Just a quick couple words about brief report of what's going on in Florida. My week is a busy week suffering from the Lord.

4:41 I go from half the week in Fort Lauderdale to half the week to Key West and working in primarily two assemblies down there And both of them were established a long time ago, the one in Key West over one hundred years ago. Actually, I'm still not 100% sure if it's fact or not, I think it is. I've heard it from some good sources, some of the elders down there, that that was the first assembly down in South Florida. It's down all the way at the bottom of Key West. And from there, they sent missionaries, as it were, to start new assemblies up in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, that area.

5:19 It seems to be so, it seems to be the oldest assembly there. Anyway, it's dwindled down to nothing, just about. There's a few sisters there who keep the doors open, and, there are a few other believers that come and go. Key West is an island about three miles by two and a half miles square, 40,000 people live there, and there's an international airport on Key West. People come from all over the world just to come there and not for a family vacation usually, It's usually just to party, and, they're well known for their, licentiousness, their freedom to sin and, be homosexuals and drink and party and all that.

5:59 So it's a great opportunity to reach those kinds of people, but there's also 40,000 people that live there. And Jacob had the privilege of coming down there. He didn't get to stay very long. He came right in the middle of some contrast going on, but pray for us. There's some great work going on there.

6:17 We're able to go there every week and help out with the teaching, and Thursdays is their prayer night, and we have bible study there, so we're trying to help encourage them grow and one day see males raised up as leadership there. And get to go into jail in Key West. It's jail for the whole, all the islands that are down there, and they house up to 500 men and 500 women, and there's a lot of people in jail. I get to go every Saturday for three hours. It's a wonderful time.

6:51 So put me down for prayer, especially from one to four on Saturday. It's an awesome time. There's some, about a half a dozen guys come out on a regular basis. It's a county jail, so there's a great turnover. They come in there to start, some of them move on, get sentenced to go somewhere else, some of them serve their time there for a month or two, some serve for a couple years there.

7:11 But these half a dozen guys are gonna be there for a little while, they say. And we've been going through the book of Colossians for three hours, and I'm just in heaven there just about sitting around with these guys who are hungry. They wanna come out for the word, and we've... Some of them may have been saved as they were coming in, but it seems like all six or seven of them at least, besides others who come in and out for a few weeks that have been there, it seems like they're really understanding the gospel, and it's it's really it's really a privilege. One guy wrote a song.

7:45 Yeah. No. I didn't bring it in. He wrote a song just about his salvation to the lord, and it's really beautiful. It's just he's really...

7:52 He really understands that it's Christ alone, faith alone, not his works. He knows he's not condemned. We've been going through Colossians using that as an outline to just go through the whole gospel. Colossians says, when they understood the grace of God and truth, that the gospel flourished all throughout the world. So we're trying to help them understand the grace of God and truth.

8:14 And just focusing, again, the book of Colossians so wonderfully focuses on Jesus Christ, and just his greatness, his glory, and his his salvation for us. So pray for that. Pray for the assembly in Fort... In Key West. There are a few believers.

8:30 There's a a young Spanish guy, Hector. There's a French family there. They got baptized, a couple of them, a month or so ago. The daughter and then the grandmother got baptized. They were recently saved, and in between is the mother.

8:45 She's been saved for a while. There's three main husbands, three main ladies, the French girl and then the two other ladies. All three of their husbands are not saved, so please pray for their salvation. They're cordial, the two, Nancy and Maria, the main ladies, they're cordial, they're nice. They let their wives come to the assembly each week.

9:07 The French girl, that husband just recently divorced her, and it's a real ugly scene. Two beautiful little kids. So pray for those three men to be saved. There's also a Japanese woman and a Japanese guy. They're just friends.

9:22 They stick together because they're Japanese. And one, they're really hungry for the word. Pray for them. And it's a little bit of a language problem. And the grandmother who got baptized French, she understand...

9:34 It's interesting. It's it's French, Japan... Japanese, and and Spanish, and I know a little bit of English. Fort Lauderdale. Then I'd come back to Fort Lauderdale, and, that's an assembly that was established a while ago.

9:48 Pray for that. It's primarily, elderly people, and, they've just gone through some really, really rough times. Really terrible time of, where a wolf was among them, and really did some damage, and tore down the work quite a bit. They're rebuilding. The elders are really committed to praying together fervently.

10:12 Twice a week, they come together for a couple hours and pray together. So keep praying for those two works there. And then there's also a little bit of work I'm doing with some of the Spanish assemblies there, and so appreciate your prayers for that. I just wanted to give you a report. Lord willing, I am flying back Tuesday.

10:43 Lord, will and I my plan at this at this point is to tentatively come back in the heart of summer here and do some ministry in the area primarily maybe Downtown Cleveland and outreach here and stuff like that And Lord willing, accompany Ray on their Mexico trip, so pray for that. Three points I'd like to talk about this morning. I'd like to remind us, I like for myself to keep in mind the big picture. It's so good to remember that. And what is God's purpose in and for my life?

11:19 Three points today. What is God's purpose in my life and for my life? The big picture from God's point of view. Number two, in number one, what is that God's purpose? We're gonna find that that is to conform us to the image of Christ.

11:34 Okay. Then number two, what is that image of Christ? What's that look like? Okay. If God's purpose for my life is to conform me to the image of Christ, what does that look like?

11:42 Who is this awesome son of God, Jesus? And then number three, what's my responsibility in this plan? So if you turn with me to Revelation 21, it's kind of a topical study, but but also just verse by verse as we look at some of these passages. 20, Revelation 21. God has a awesome plan for the universe.

12:07 He made a universe. There's a number of ways to look at it for his glory, obviously. He did everything for his glory so that all his creation will gaze upon him, will worship him, and praise him because of who he is and what he has done, what he is doing, what he's going to do, what he is for all eternity. Even the rocks are gonna cry out, it says. Every created things, even in the sea, in Revelation, it says.

12:34 So, apparently, the octopus are gonna proclaim that Jesus Christ is lord and he's awesome and he's good and he's powerful and perhaps pictures, illustrations, but nonetheless, all of creation for his glory. He's really got a purpose. One way to look at it is he's making a family. He's making a family. He has one begotten son, right?

12:57 The lord Jesus. We're going to look at some passages that clearly define this. He's really creating adopted sons and daughters. He desires. He wants more children just like his son, the lord Jesus.

13:13 Not saying that he needs, not saying that he's in need, that he was lonely, and he needed more. That's not what I'm saying But the scriptures teach very clearly that God's big picture in this creation age is to create a world where he would redeem lost sinners and adopt them into his family. And those children would, in his plan, in his program, be conformed, changed back into that very image of the lord Jesus Christ so that his son, the lord Jesus, would have the preeminent place be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. So, let's look at Revelation 21. I believe this is going be a great encouragement to us all And and and just to remind us where we're where we're headed.

14:05 What's this life all about? Because as soon as we stop here, you know, some of you... I don't... Well, maybe on Mother's Day, the mothers aren't cooking, but sometimes there's a a meal going and you know, you're worried about the food back home and school and jobs and sickness and you know, there's good there's good things, there's bad, and there's everything in between and life goes on as soon as we stop the church meeting, right? But the big picture in all this, all things working together for this purpose.

14:34 Verse one twenty one. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there's no longer any sea. This isn't the last two chapters of the scriptures. God describing what this new heaven's gonna be all about. Where's it all headed?

14:50 What's it all gonna be about? And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride, adorned for her husband. Apparently, that's us. Another picture is is is a bride for the lord Jesus Christ living in this new city, Jerusalem and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the tabernacle or the dwelling of God is among men. He shall dwell among them.

15:19 They shall be his people. And God himself shall be among them. So he's creating a people for himself. Verse four. And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.

15:34 There shall no longer be any death. There shall no longer be any mourning, grieving over death, or crying, or pain. The first things have passed away. Now we're in the culmination, the climax, the end result of what this creation is all about. The first things have passed away.

15:55 Verse five, and he who sits on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new. And he said, write for these words are faithful and true. It's going to happen. It's true. It's faithful.

16:07 And he said to me, it's done. I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning, and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. Salvation is free, right? Life is free.

16:20 It's from Christ. His death on the cross. Just receive him. Verse seven, he who overcomes shall inherit these things and I will be his god. And he will be my son He will be my son.

17:12 What has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has a temple, the temple of god, the dwelling of god with idols for we are. We are that temple of the living god just as god said. I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their god.

17:28 They shall be my people. Therefore, come out from their midst. Be separate, says the lord. Do not touch what's what is unclean and I will welcome you. He's our god.

17:38 He's our creator. He's dwelling among us and I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the lord almighty. Sons and daughters. First John chapter three, a well known passage to many of us, one of our favorite passages. Chapter three verse one.

18:07 Just kinda setting the stage here for our main passage of scripture. God is creating a people for himself to dwell in, to dwell among, and he will be our father, and we will be his sons and daughters. Verse one of chapter three, first John. See how great a love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of god. And I think maybe the emphasis might be like this if you would listen to the intonation of my verse.

18:47 See how great a love the father has bestowed upon us that we We who are have been so rebellious and sinful, we were enemies of god, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, that we should be called children of god and we are. We are children of god. Now, we are the children of god. For this reason, the world does not know us because it did not know him. Beloved, now, we are children of god.

19:17 When we receive Christ, that's what John one twelve says, right? As many as received him, god gives the right, the power to become children of god even to those who believe in Christ's name. Now, we are children of god and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. So, it's not completed yet. His plan is not fully finished.

19:43 We are his children now. Salvation is finished. The price for salvation. We are his children. Never to be taken away out of the the father's family.

19:54 We are children of god but it hasn't appeared what we shall be. We know that when he appears, when Christ appears, we shall be like him. Because we shall see him as he is. God creates a world allows rebellion into his kingdom, allows Lucifer to become Satan who now rules the whole world, the Bible says. Allows mankind to follow, to fall into sin, to willingly choose to sin.

20:33 Adam did, it says. Disobeyed the father, rebelled against the father. The first offspring ever produced on planet Earth, the first baby born grows up and murders his brother. Wow. A wicked, wicked, sinful people had to destroy it the first time with no one in the flood.

20:53 Right? So rebellious, so wicked, so hateful, murdering, murdering, murdering, murdering. And the new lot, no pun intended, that comes out of Noah and the... And goes on and produces now where we're at today in 2015. And look at us today.

21:12 My goodness. But one day, the children of god, we're gonna see Jesus Christ as he really is and we shall be like him. Fantastic. Turn to Romans chapter eight, which is gonna be our main passage for this morning. Romans chapter eight.

22:00 Right? Why? All this seems to fit into god's perfect plan of forming, you're gonna see, which some of you already know the passage, but it's so powerful that god uses all things together to conform us to the image of his son so that one day down the line in eternity, Christ is the firstborn of many brethren. Hebrews says he's not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters. What a plan of God.

22:34 Romans chapter eight, we'll start in verse 14. For all who are being led by the spirit of god, these are sons of god. There it is again. Sons, children of god. For you have not received the spirit of slavery leading to fear again but you have received spirit, a spirit of adoption as sons.

22:56 There it is again. Adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out. And and brother Dave said in the first service there. Papa, Abba, that's what Abba means. It means daddy.

23:10 It's intimacy. It's love. It's tender. Abba father. Father being the most respectful, most view...

23:18 That... They're both so tender and yet Abba Father adopted his sons that we can call god Abba. Not a spirit of slavery to the law. But now, spirit of sonship, spirit of adoption, sons by which we cry out, Abba, father. The spirit given to us.

23:38 Right? Verse 16, the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are, there it is again, children of god. And if children, heirs, inheritors also, heirs of god and fellow heirs with Christ. There it is, the family. We see that in first Corinthians 15 that in the end, after Christ has placed all things under his feet, the last enemy being death, then he what?

24:05 He hands the whole kingdom back over to his father and all of us together so that god may be all in all just this awesome plan of god. I mean, we're we're gonna go to Mexico lord willing to do evangelism and see souls saved but what's the big picture? The big picture is god is using us who are redeemed, who have been reconciled. He's given us the ministry and the message of reconciliation to go out and see these lost sinners hopefully or hear even today as we would preach the gospel to people to be reconciled back to himself through Christ, through his death, and resurrection so that they could become children of god. And start that process.

24:44 And Paul says, I'm confident of this very thing that god who began this good work in you will complete it. What's the good work? To make a family for himself that we would all be his sons and daughters for all eternity. Wow. And, the new family starting and and sons and daughters of family on Earth.

25:03 Right? It's a picture of all that to help us understand the beauty of family, the beauty of being children. And one day, of course, it'll be perfect. God being our father, Christ, not ashamed to call us brothers. He's the eldest, the firstborn among many brethren.

25:22 We'll see that in just a moment. The firstborn. The spirit himself for 16 again bears witness with our spirit that we are children of god and if children were heirs, we're going to inherit the Bible says. All that Christ inherits is ours. If indeed we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

25:44 That's why the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel is so poisoned. Christ suffered then glory. Christians are gonna suffer then glory. And we get a little taste of the glory now, don't we? A lot of taste.

25:56 The holy spirit in us, in the family, in Mother's Day, and when things are going well. But what about when you're lying in bed? I I got a text this morning from a brother in in Fort Lauderdale, a dear brother. His wife just buried her mother just a month ago. Godly woman, she's in glory, an older lady.

26:12 But his wife, her hands are all bent over and twisted with horrible arthritis, and she's got other problems going on. And and dear woman, she's got a voice like an angel. Oh my gosh, can she sing. And brother Rhett said, please pray for Susan today. She's not doing well this morning.

26:29 The hope is in the future. Even Peter says that. He says, fix your hope completely. First Peter one thirteen, fix your hope completely on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ when it all comes to fruition. So whatever we're going through now, whether it's a good day or a bad day, we've got this hope.

26:54 And God says through Peter, fix your hope. Establish your hope there on that day when Christ is gonna be revealed. That's when you get Grace, the grace to be given you. We've got grace now but we're gonna get even more. The grace to be revealed given to us at the revelation of Christ.

27:13 What grace is that? Is you're gonna see when we're transformed, when we see Christ, when we're in a new body, when we have the redemption of our bodies, we'll see in just a moment Romans eight here. So again, the end of verse 17, if indeed we suffer with Christ in order that we also may be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Amen.

28:02 Just in in the airplane flight down here, the airport in Florida, they were cancelling flights going to Costa Rica because there was a volcano that erupted. I guess there was another one. Just the whole creation groaning, animals. Every once in while, as I'm scrolling around on YouTube, sometimes I like to watch nature flicks just because I love to worship God looking at some of the God's glory and his creation and animals and stuff. And somehow, I made a mistake of looking at animals killing other animals.

28:28 I won't do that anymore. But that's the creation just groaning. Horrible what other animals are doing to other animals. What humans are doing to other humans. Right?

28:37 We're groaning. All of creation groaning, longing for the revealing of the sons of god. When it's all culminated, when we get our new bodies, we're in heaven with Christ. He's the firstborn among many brethren and the father is the father of all. Our god and our father, Jesus said.

28:58 Wow. Wow. Verse 20 verse 20, for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, god cursed the creation, right? At the fall of man and creation don't like it. So that the in hope, look at verse the end of verse 20 there.

29:19 In hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of god. When it all comes together in heaven. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until until now. This groaning, this sinful state of the universe is like childbirth. Amen, Heather?

29:50 And the other mothers. Right? Expecting mothers just... And mothers who are. Right?

29:54 Like childbirth, painful. And and this is a time of pain and suffering. But one day when that child is born, the suffering's over. One day when we receive the redemption of our bodies, all the groaning and suffering's over. Verse 23, and not only this, but also we ourselves having the first fruits of the spirit.

30:15 We've tasted the goodness of what's to come. We've got the holy spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons. Which is the redemption of our bodies. We get redeemed bodies.

30:33 We're groaning. Second Corinthians five, almost the whole chapters. Well, thirds of the chapter is about that. Just how we're groaning to get out of this temporary tent into our eternal dwelling, our our new bodies which is compared to a new home. For in hope, verse 24, we have been saved.

30:54 In hope, we've been saved. Yes, there's definite blessings here but you get saved in Iran. It's different there. You get saved in North Korea. It's different there.

31:05 You get saved in North Africa. It's different there. You get saved in China, India, and so many other places. It's different there. Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Nepal.

31:16 It's different there. We're blessed to have freedom. Are we? Sometimes it's our hindrance, isn't it? The freedom and the wealth that's here.

31:26 But our hope is in glory. The redemption of our bodies is coming. For in hope we have been saved. But hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one also hope for what he sees?

31:40 Look, the hope of salvation, we don't have it yet. If it was, then it wouldn't be hope, right? We're hoping for heaven. We can't wait for heaven. Can't wait to see Jesus, to be with Jesus.

31:56 But if we hope for what we do not see with perseverance, we wait eagerly for it. Amen. And in the same way the spirit also helps our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the spirit is because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of god.

32:20 Verse 28, and we know that god causes all things to work together for good to those who love god, to those who are called according to his purpose and here's his purpose. Verse 29, he's causing all things, the groanings, right? That's what the whole chapter has been about. The sufferings, he's causing all these things to work together for this purpose. Verse 29, for whom God foreknew.

32:48 He foreknew you. He knew you before the creation of the world was created. Before the world was created, he wrote your name in the book of life before the world was created, it says. He knew you intimately. You're his.

33:20 The plan is he's conforming us to the image of his son so that the climax of the climax is so that Christ himself might become the force... First born among many brothers and sisters. Wow. That's it. When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be.

33:42 When we all see Jesus, we will sing and shout the victory. It's coming. It's coming. We're gonna pass through out of this life either by death or the rapture. We're gonna be in glory.

34:01 Sons of God, adopted into his family by his grace. Jesus says, when you pray, pray like this. He's my father. But now, brothers and sisters, he's our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be his name. Wow.

34:23 Praise his holy name. So he's causing all things to work in our lives to conform us to the image of his son so that his son would be the firstborn among many brethren. And look at verse 30, it's gonna happen. Those whom he predetermined the destination, he already said that everybody he's going to save has this destination. They will arrive there.

34:45 Philippians one six says it again, I'm confident he began the good work will complete it. He predestined those, he called, Called. He's drawing. He's drawing the the elect to himself. Those that are unsaved.

34:58 He's calling. He's drawing them, right? And then those he called, he justified. That's the moment of salvation. Declared righteous.

35:06 The moment a person repents toward god, puts their faith in the lord Jesus Christ, justified, declared righteous. God made him who knew no sin. To become sin. So that we, when we believe in Christ, become the righteousness of god. We are the righteousness of god.

35:26 We just don't have the body to go along with it yet, yet but we're going to. And those whom he justified, he also past tense glorified. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. And it goes on, if god's for us, who can be against us?

35:45 He didn't spare his own son but he delivered him up for us. Isn't he also going to give us all things freely through him with him? The culmination, it's all going to happen freely all things. Doesn't mean a red sports car and a nice new house. Has nothing to do with that at all.

35:58 Has to do with the new body and everything that's gonna culminate to make you just like Christ. He's gonna give you all things so that you can understand the incredible, wonderful, beautiful, awesome father that Jesus has. And you get to call him your father too. Wow. Glory to God.

36:24 And nothing's gonna separate us from that love, not even death. There's Christians... Somebody told me, I don't know if it's true, but I know there's a lot of Christians being killed. Somebody said every four minutes now. Every four minutes.

36:36 I don't know if it's true. A Christian is being killed for being a Christian somewhere in the world. That don't separate them. Actually, that's entrance. Right?

36:48 That's the entrance. Paul lays his head down in that chopping block. I can only imagine he preached the gospel to the guy with the sword and said, I forgive you and Jesus loves you. He died. You can become the righteousness of god.

37:00 You do what you have to do, but you can be forgiven. Believe on Christ. He died. He rose again. Head falls on the ground.

37:11 Body falls on the ground. Paul is released, absent from the body, present with the Lord, Waiting for that new body. Waiting for that new body. Glory to god. So what is this image of Christ?

37:30 He's making us into this image of Christ. Who is this awesome son? It's the whole bible. Right? I mean, it's all about Christ.

37:36 But I'd like to go to one passage, Philippians chapter two. Philippians two, starting in verse three. I believe these two verses, verse three and four, describe the image of Christ perhaps in such a concise, I won't say more than any other passage, but it just puts it all together. It encapsulates Christ. And I know that from verse five.

38:05 Look at what it says in verse five. Have this mind, right, in you or this attitude, my Bible says. In you, which was also in Christ Jesus. What attitude? The next verses are not the attitude.

38:23 No, no. It's how Jesus demonstrated that mind. The mind is the thought, the attitude. What was the attitude? Verse three and four.

38:31 That's the mind of Christ. This is the image of Christ. Each one of us as Christians need to memorize these two verses and eventually memorize this whole passage if you don't already. Not just for the sake of memorization but just to meditate on and gaze upon the glory of Jesus Christ. Verse three, do nothing.

38:51 From selfishness or empty conceit. Wasn't that the mind of Christ? Did Jesus ever do anything from selfishness? Or vain conceit? He always wanted the father to be glorified, not himself.

39:07 He never did one thing for himself. As I knew, I was aiming toward this message today. It's been a rough weekend because this guy is selfish all the time. But let god be true and every man a liar. Right?

39:22 It's not me. I'm not saying be like me. God says this is the image that he's gonna make us into, to the point where we do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, lowliness of mind. Let each of you regard one another as more important than yourself. Wow.

39:43 That's what all things are working for, making us into this image of Christ. So that one day in glory, Christ, the firstborn, Christ, the only begotten, the selfless one, god the father, John six thirty six, 36, 37, I think it is. Jesus says, all that the father gives to me will come to me. The father gives a gift to the son, us, made in his image. Jesus, you are so marvelous.

40:29 In verse four, do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Jesus never looked out for his own personal interests, always the interests of others first. Now, of course, he had to eat so that you could say, well, he looked out for... Well, he couldn't have been sinning. So eating and taking care of yourself so that you can always look out for the interests of others.

40:53 Right? And then have this mind, this attitude in yourself, which was also in Christ. Here's how he lived it out. The epitome. Here's the climax of it all.

41:04 Although he existed in the form, the exact image of God. What form was Jesus in before he was a human? The form of god. Spirit, invisible, always existed, no beginning, equal in essence with the father. Father, son, holy spirit, always been, no creation.

41:27 They didn't, they were never created obviously. They're eternal, right? The father, the son, the lord Jesus, existed in the form of god. He didn't regard equality with god, something to be held on to. I can't humble myself.

41:40 I'm god. I'm going to stay up here in heaven. No, he empties himself. Empties himself. Look at what it says.

41:46 And taking the form of a slave. Of a slave. That's what the word says. Some of you say bondservant, bond slave. It's a slave.

42:00 The creator of the universe, Jesus Christ, comes down and humbles himself. This is who god is. Because Jesus said, what? If you've seen me, you've seen the father. Our father, our god, the lord Jesus, our god is humble.

42:17 Empties himself. Wow. This is amazing. Doesn't exist in our human understanding, our human hearts because we're we're sinners. But this is who god is making us into that same image.

42:30 He empties himself taking the form of this bond slave being made in the likeness of men. And now being found in appearance as a man. Now he's in the form of man, but not just the form of man, the form of a slave. Not a king riding the white horse, he's a slave. He humbles himself even further by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

42:49 The highest, the absolute highest one becomes the absolute lowest one. And that's the image of Christ that God is trying to make you and me into, that we would humble ourself and consider others more important than ourselves. We're out of time just about, but first Corinthians 13, you go to the love chapter. That's Jesus. Love is.

43:12 You could put Jesus is in every one of those. Right? The fruit of the spirit. Love is long suffering. Jesus is long suffering, kind, keeps no record of wrongs, not considered about himself.

43:28 Right? Just to wrap up now, what is our part in this plan? First Corinthians three eighteen. First Corinthians three eighteen. God has a plan.

43:41 What was the earthquake in Nepal all about? Part of it, as it fits into God's eternal plan, is that he's using all things to create people into the image of his son. More sons and daughters, and I will dwell among them, and I will be their father. They will be my sons and daughters. And I don't understand it all.

44:09 But because of sin in the world, that's why there's suffering, that's why the earthquake, and that's another angle. But the big, the broad scope of the the paintbrush in God's picture of creating a universe is that the end result is a family, brothers and sisters in the image of his son, the Lord Jesus. What's our responsibility? What part do we play in all this? What can we possibly do in this plan?

44:36 First Corinthians three eighteen. The first 17 verses are all about how we're not under the law anymore. And the law does nothing but keep a veil over people's faces so that they don't understand that we're saved by grace. The Jews, the law keepers were still trying to work their way, trying to do something, but it doesn't have to be Jews. Many humans, Gentiles who are not Jews, we think we have to do something.

45:06 We think we have to be baptized. We think we have to go to church. We think we have to do good deeds, all these things to be right with God. But that's the law, condemns us. But when...

45:17 We'll pick it up in verse... Did I say one Corinthians? Two Corinthians. It is first. Two Corinthians.

45:29 Two Corinthians. Thank you. I was in first, that's why I couldn't... Yes. I'm getting senior.

45:59 Until this very day at the reading of the old covenant, the law, the same veil remains unlifted because it is removed in Christ. But to this day, whenever Moses has read the law, a veil lies over their heart. But whenever a man turns to the Lord, whenever a person receives Christ, return... Turns to Christ, the veil is taken away. Now they can see.

46:21 And now the glory is revealed. And interesting, one of the pictures, the veil also separating the holy of holies from the holy place. The veils removed. Now, have access to the lord. Verse 17, now the lord is the spirit and where the spirit of the lord is, there's liberty but we all, all the Christians, all the children of god, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord.

46:47 That's Jesus. What's our responsibility? As we behold the glory of Jesus Christ in the mirror. What's the mirror? Well, James says it's the law of liberty, the word of God.

47:00 As we look at Christ in his scriptures, as he's revealed, we see the glory of Jesus Christ. Look at what it says. What happens? We are being transformed into that same image from glory to glory just as from the lord, the spirit. The holy spirit as we meditate through the scriptural teaching whether it's actual looking at the scriptures or just meditating at the lord's supper, remembering Christ, looking at his glory.

47:30 Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son. The glory of the son of god hanging on the cross. As we look at the son of god in all his glory, as we behold him, the holy spirit transforms us bit by bit into that same image. And one more passage, first John chapter three.

47:58 So it would do us well, brethren, to gaze upon the lord Jesus Christ in the mirror, which is the scriptures at his glory. And we'll conclude with this passage we started, but I specifically left off the last verse. First John chapter three. See how great a love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of god, and such we are. For this reason, the world does not know us because it did not know him.

48:35 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know this though, when he appears, we shall be like him. Because we shall see him just as he is. What's our responsibility, brethren? As we have this hope fixed on Christ, as we perhaps are reminded at least, hopefully understand perhaps a little better, God's eternal plan for us, that He's making us into the image of Christ.

49:11 That's His eternal plan for us. And all things, single, married, young, old, male, female, with child, without child, sick, healthy, all things working together to conform us into this image of Christ. God is using all these things. As we behold and gaze upon the lord Jesus, we meditate upon this great hope that's waiting for us, the redemption of our bodies. When finally, we will be like Jesus, no longer selfish.

49:42 But only selfless. Verse three, whoever has this hope fixed on him, purifies himself. Purifies himself. So, what's our responsibility? We gaze upon the lord Jesus in the mirror and as we see in the mirror something that's not like the lord Jesus, through the grace of god, through the spirit of god, he's transforming us but our part in cooperating with the holy spirit, when he reveals sin to us that's not like Christ, selfishness to us that's not like Christ, purify ourselves.

50:19 Right? To work with the Lord. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Why? Because it's God who is at work in you both to will.

50:27 He giving you the desire as you think about what you're hearing the word of God even this morning. The will, and the way to do it. Let's pray. Father, what a great hope you've given us. What a great plan of salvation.

51:09 You promised to complete that work in us, Lord. Oh, Father, would you please, by your spirit... Lord, maybe we didn't do a very good job this morning, but, Lord, the scriptures were ready. You can apply these scriptures to our lives and help us to know, Lord, that you love us so much that you've made us your children. Lord, help us to turn from anything that's not like Christ.

51:32 Give us grace to purify ourselves. Father, pour out your spirit on us. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for our Lord Jesus.

51:42 Lord Jesus, we can't wait to be with you. And we can't say anything, but we worship you. What a God you are. What a God you are. Being equal with God in every way, yet you emptied yourself, taking the form of a slave, humbling yourself to the point of death, even the death on the cross.

52:06 Truly, Lord, one day our knees will bow so gladly. And Lord, this morning we bow in our hearts. Surrender all, as the song said we sang. And we confess with our mouths, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

52:31 Happy Mother's Day. God bless you.