Gospel-Centered Change

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Greer we become righteous or acceptable to God's sight by a certain way the gospel is the truth that you can know righteous before God, so God offers you righteous standing before him as a gift, not according to what you have done what Christ has done the MetLife pastor Jeannie Greer at the summit church in Raleigh, North Carolina. I'm your host Molly bit of it today were beginning a new teaching series that gets to the very heart of this ministry.

It simply titled gospel, you've been a believer for a while you've moved beyond the gospel message but pastor Jenny argues that we never move past the good news of the gospel.

We should strive to move deeper into it.

In fact, getting deeper into the gospel is the key to the entire Christian life pastor JD calls this first message gospel centered change this teaching resonates with you and you like to share with others.

You want to visit us online@jeanniegreer.com but for now, let's not waste any time and jump right into God's word, the message Bible without which it open it. John Chuck 50 I purposes. First is I want us to work together. One of the most important passages were Jesus explains how people change.

I think this is a question on a lot of people's lives, not just Christians. You don't believe me just going to Barnes & Noble and walking to the self-help section of Barnes & Noble. It's like Apple Store how a fearful person can develop courage. How a person who is undisciplined to develop self-control. Other books on how people who are fanatics or people who are racist, become become tolerance. Everybody wants to know how it is you can change can really change is possible on this passage, Jesus will take you down deep to show you how decision change along the way he gives you one of the most concise yet comprehensive pictures of what a disciple of his looks like you studied up the next eight weeks. Specifically, were going to look at five different disciplines that he says that his disciples will practice my first purpose is to give you an overview this morning. Where were headed second purpose isn't going to be explaining a courtroom summit church something that if your listening will be in almost every single sermon so that means if you been around here. You heard me talk about this before and that because this is the core of everything that we do. I people who have been at this church. You tell me that this was something new that God taught them in this church. Whenever Elder set up in a church for 40 years.

40 years of in a church seven.

Deacon had been chairman of the deacons but in the last five years God has taught me more about this than he had in all the years prior to this combines things like this sometimes take a few times of repetition to really let them soak you. Plus I talk ridiculously fast and it may not be possible. Just get all this from a fire hydrant. This notice, we believe we believe that the gospel is not just for unbelievers. We believe the gospel is for Christians to the gospel is not just how we beginning Christ the gospel is also how we grow in Christ. We believe that in the gospel are all the resources that are necessary for Christian growth for me say that again. We believe that in the gospel are all the resources that are necessary for Christian growth. We would go so far as to say that the way to grow in Christ is never growth beyond the gospel, but deeper into the gospel for most people the gospel which is the message that Jesus died as a substitute for our sins and offers a salvation now is a gift that gospel was their initiation into Christianity. It was the prayer that they prayed to begin their Christian life.

The diving board, all of which they jumped into the pool of Christianity. I want to show you why we say that the gospel is not just the diving board off of which we jumped into the pool of Christianity, but the gospel is the pool itself why it's not just the ABCs of Christianity wide is the sea of Christianity that everything that you're going to experience for the rest of the Christian life is simply swimming deeper in the gospel. We always talk about the gospel setting you free from sin want to show you this morning why the gospel must not only set you free from sin must also set you free from all substitutes of religion are your reader John chapter 15 verse one we walk you through it and all brawls and principles here for the jumper diverse when I'm by, says Jesus.

My father is the vine dresser. This is one of Jesus's seven I am passages in the gospel John, I am is the Hebrew name for Jehovah. So Jesus is talking about. This is something that is true of him because he is God. Verse two every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Using the metaphor of gardening and he saying that that for a wise gardener to know how a plant grows you have to prune it.

I do not repeat this to you by experience, by any means whatsoever, I'm to be saying this is what people do just got a big settlement, but in order for many plants grow.

They have to be through a good example is a rosebush, a rosebush, it is not prune properly will not have rose as a grown florist.

What happens is literally plant grows in on itself and you have all these findings and begin a couple about these few roses that could be beautiful and what you got is it literally chokes itself.

In addition to that biodiesel.

Earliest by sprouting up everywhere. What happens is the resources of the plant redirected away from the roses that really needed and all these little false pursuits right and so when it's not prune properly you end up not with a few luscious roses, you wind up with a bunch a little scraggly cute enough to look at what you want to see an example. This drive by my house anytime and look at the rosebush.

Zaremba love in order for those things to really forest it has to be prunes. Jesus is saying this is what's going on universally already.

You are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you now in Greek, there is a connection of words is a play on words that is missing in English.

Jesus did not just switch metaphors from pruning to taking a bath that why you brought the Lord clean or cleaning Greek literally means strict trip like prompt what he say that it is all already adjusted what I have taught you've already been stripped of a lot of your false pursuits. I taught you that the world is passing away much of the sin is useless and shall follow me, I shattered your private tell you how badly you need forgiveness but in addition to that teaching you see this a lot of parts of your life chasing a lot of things you should be chasing so I rip those things out of your life to go on for the rest of your life is I want to be taking things out. I'm going to be pruning you so that you are focused directly on the things that I am doing through you.

Some of you know, a lot of times this is painful plant after a gardener has gotten done with it is not pretty. The only things a lot of the ground look like they'll be attached to the plant and would like a perfectly healthy and boulders lying there on the ground and you got a little piece of the flu or roses that are there underground plant looks bald without leaving, but that is the process that the gardener uses to bring out the best things he wants to do enough plants. The gardener has not removed anything that was a loss to keep board game to lose the gardener has not removed anything even though it's painful and was bloodied.

The gardener has not removed anything that was not a loss to keep working to lose it's painful and I wanted to say you always understand it, but when God prunes you see that's that's what God is doing verse four abide in me and I view as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me, you branch your lives as it's connected to the vine branch has no life in itself, but as the branches connected to the bind the life of the bind flows into it in the same way. We have no spiritual life in ourselves. But as we abide in Jesus, the life of God flows into us the life of God and of course the person of the Holy Spirit. Abide is the Greek word made no Minot, which literally needs to make your home in as you make your home in Jesus, as you place yourself in Jesus's life. The Holy Spirit is the flow menu verse five I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I am him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing now to allow the liberty your nothing here does not literally nothing mimics when you why I say that because we all know people who are connected to Jesus to do things. I may have families, they get married and have children watch different things right babe into logistics. Jesus spoke several times in the Gospels talks about people who are not connected to him at all, but Matthew 70 talk about some that did miracles and his names on the preached in his name all the ministry in his name but he said I never knew you. So when he says nothing here doesn't mean nothing religiously needs nothing of eternal value needs nothing that has real life and that's a very important point, which were about diverse sex, one does not abide in me is going well. You branch and weathers the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.

Verse seven. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you by this is my father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciple. It is by sheer discipline that I am not jumping off of each verse and preaching an entire sermon because I know that if I did would be here until Thursday. Okay we are going to come back to some stupid love her so much wonderful material.org to spend eight weeks in and around these verses. Okay so present at the father has love me so I have loved you abide in my love. What astounding state the father's love for his son that must be like it's eternal divine. It's God the perfect father's love for his first son.

Parents love their children the love that you have for your children is a pale reflection of the eternal love of the father for the son that is the love that the father that Jesus loves us with Jesus is making your whole back home and in a message titled gospel centered change will be right back with the conclusion of today's message in just a moment but first let me turn you about our new featured resource. Our greatest joy comes not when we are working overtime to impress God. We were serving him from a place of gratitude in the gospel. Bible study he wants us to see the difference maker is the gospel now this amazing gift that God gives us doesn't merely punch our ticket to having that actually drives everything that we do as believers for your gift of $50 this month will send you the DVDs and teaching along with five Bible study guide. So give us a call today at eight 663-3552 training or go online to Jeannie clear.com to reserve this Bible study. Right now we're going to return to her teaching. Once again, here's what you need to abide Christian mumbo-jumbo. A lot of times, that was me abide.

So I got memorize Scripture.

You walk around on the Christian to what need to abide is a list of behaviors this verse shows you what it means abiding means resting in his love, abiding in him is not so much about things that you want to do for him as it is resting in his thoughts about you.

This seems to be the hardest part of Christianity for people to learn God's acceptance is given to us not as a reward for what we have done to what we refer to a run. Here is the gift of righteousness God's righteousness given to us as a gift we we become righteous or acceptable in God's sight by acting a certain way that makes sense right more righteously you act the more God accepts you the more God is.

Please review the close refills. Do you, the more he approves of you, but the gospel is the counterintuitive truth that you can never be righteous before God, so God offers you righteous standing before him as a gift, not according to what you have done, but according to what Christ has done in your place gift of righteousness given in love right way to remember that grace GRA see God's righteousness that Christ expects gift righteousness at Christ expects you see when you receive that when you abide in that you rested it is life starts to flow into you and then you start to change.

Not because you're told to change because your heart sinks you begin, not just the right will you begin to desire the right things to be commanded to do what's right what's right not to be crude but but there was a powerful rollup in front of you this morning. I would never commit any of you don't like that will about right, of course not your dog.

You know you don't throw up… The hot dog bonus the dog would have to be commanded to stay away from the throat without you. This is not your nature. But when your nature has been changed so that you desire them. I think you'll need to be commanded those things you avoid them if you no longer desire them. It's not just your behaviors that change but your heart and your desires. Faith in what God has done releases the life of God into you faith in what God has done releases the life of God in you the changes the desires within you that I would write this down real change begins not with you being told what you want to do for God, but believing what God has done for you.

That's the counterintuitive truth that so many people seem to not get will check this was a gift almost bought a change will change begins not with you being told what you want to do for God, but believing what God has done for you in the New Testament, believing rightly precedes behaving like birthday. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love to suck My father's commands, and abide in his love, not just for Scripps people and sometimes because like well you just talk about God's gift righteousness and rest in God's grace, but here it sounds like Jesus is saying abiding in him is conditional on us keeping his commandments all very good question, but that's not actually what it says. Look at it again and again. It doesn't say that his love is a reward for having kept his commandments. It says that one of the ways we remain connected to Ms. Liles is by keeping his commandment that is given us over the next several weeks we'll talk specifically about five different commands that Jesus gives to us in this passage by different ones like the Bible ones are to minister read the Bible and pray.

Spend time with them.

That way I only got read the Bible and write number two command us to have godly character. Number three. He commands us to be in community. He commands us to be involved in taking Christ to people who do not have him and he commands us to be generous to his five commands that he is probably referring to here and I request what's the purpose Russ keeping his commandments, is it that when we keep them.

God approves of us mortals closer to us. When I just explained you. That's exactly opposite of what it say, because God's acceptance is given to us the gift of righteousness.

The purpose of keeping those commandments is twofold. What's this one.

It's a proper response to God's grace we do those things because having been changed by God's grace that we now desire not to prove that we are about what but number 216.

This is maybe where I might loose it's also a means by which we remain connected soon. There's lots we explain take reading the Bible for a minute reading the Bible every day memorizing Scripture does not make God love you more Christ righteousness of perfectly complete as I can add to it.

I read your Bible every day and it makes him likable. You completed Christ but what was reading the Bible daily does is put you in the presence of the awareness of the love of God for you. You can remain by reading the Bible, you can begin to saturate your thinking and the love of God, and you begin to think in line with the gospel to the challenge is not earning God's love given as a gift. The challenges living in the constant awareness of God's love the hard work of Christianity is not only God's love is believing that God's love was given to us as a gift so obeying the command read the Bible allows you to daily reflect on the truth of God's love as you believe in that love.

This power is released, reading the Bible simply offers you the opportunity to rest in God's love, which is what releases the live got a sensible like this a while wire has no power in itself that my dad change a light fixture and I just don't know what technologies they jumpstarted up like the white which one which one flies. I don't know.

I want to touch when you called electricity to it. It has no power itself but wire is a conduit from a power source. It has the power to self, but it connects you to the place from which the power flows when the same way these commands the spiritual disciplines have no power in themselves, but they connect us to the place from which the power flows all those things. All these commands even community is another great example. That's how you remain connected to the gospel because God is using his church to remind you of the love of God first 13 generosity generosity helps connect you to the gospel.

Example – the government generous in your life you know what I'm talking about right to me is by being generous but you become more generous human notices I can thousand dollars for every doctrine longer when you just come to visit them if you love me. Whatever centers me about about to my shame yesterday.

It is not often that my first thought without money is a great thousand dollars. I can best of the kingdom of God. Although I think I need another flatscreen TV right like is a place in the hallway between my bedroom in the family room with not one, and I will build a keep a little about your flatscreen duty like not what happens. It was God's command may be generous so I take $1000 and I invested in the kingdom of God. And guess what happens.

God uses that to put me in touch with generosity gospel assert the love, generosity, more Jesus said 621 it's where your treasure is, for your heart follows.

So it is by being generous, that we become more in touch with generosity price, which actually changes our hearts to love and of the gospel more that make sense.

The whole deal is these things like wires that connect us to the place from which the power flows.

Verse 11. These things are spoken to you, that my joy might be in you and that your joy may be full. Verse 12 this is my commandment that you love one another is I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, can someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you, but let's try this verse on my friends and it doesn't work, you're my friend just left me to number 16 not choose me, but I chose you there.

Jesus establishing that he is a caliphate's not real excited. My purpose there.

Jesus is making might be a Calvinist, but his main point here is not the son you tell this is my point of what followed. I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the father in my name they might give it to you. Verse 17 these things I command you so that you will love one another. This passage shows us first of all number one this passage shows us what spiritual change is just make sure to summarize this in case you didn't totally get what spiritual changes spiritual change of the life of Jesus coming into you see, God told Adam but will make backup reason that spiritual change because the condition were in a spiritual death. God told Adam and Eve in the day they ate a big fruit that they would surely die never register you will notice that it brought all of the so you on what happened and they not died in his work known the bodies begin the die but immediately their spirit was alive and Don died, and the result was Nomar begin to your long thing no longer desire God's glory.

They design their no longer they put God first in what other things were longer with a God center. They became radically certain theologian Katie Greer. After Jenny.

Sometimes we think of the gospel as a one-time event that occurs at conversion really shallow view and you know all the Bible writers, particularly the New Testament ones show you that the gospel is not just the way that you begin the Christian life. It's also the way that you grow in the Christian life as a major theme for us here at Summit life is that is that it's by going deeper into the gospel that you grow more alive in Christ. The gospel is the one thing the one thing that is directly referred to as the power of God other than Jesus Christ himself. The Gospels, the only thing that's called the power of God more gospel you have deep in your heart the more alive that you become in Christ.

And so this month Molly, we are offering a resource of video-based curriculum that I created called gospel that that will will will take you deeper into what that means. Like, what does it mean to say the gospel.

Consider how do you go deeper into the gospel Bible study kit.

That's what you'll you'll you'll get. It has two DVDs five study guides so that you complete the study with others, and a copy of the book called gospel. So it's like it. Missing is an incredible package and I think it will really help you both yourself and family and them with other people that God put you in the last influence really excited recommend this JD here.com thanks Katie for many of us where we need to dig deeper and get to know God on any level.

This study is a great launching point in your copy of Pastor Davies gospel Bible study today. When you support Senate knife generous financial get $50 or more, 86633 528-663-3524. Give online Jenny career.com I Molly benefits encouraging you to listen tomorrow gospel were just getting started, sure to join us Friday on the Greer ministry