Awakening to the Glory of Christ: The Gospel's Power

Devotional

Day 1: Spiritual Blindness and the Need for Divine Intervention

Understanding lostness involves recognizing that spiritual blindness is a profound condition that prevents individuals from perceiving the glory of Christ. This blindness is not due to the absence of the gospel's light but rather an inability to see it, as the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. As believers, it is crucial to acknowledge that only God can open the eyes of the spiritually blind, allowing them to see the light of the gospel. This understanding should drive us to rely on God’s power in our efforts to share the gospel, knowing that He is the one who ultimately opens hearts and minds. [17:14]

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV): "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who seems spiritually blind. How can you pray specifically for God to open their eyes to the gospel today?

Day 2: The Transformative Power of Conversion

Conversion is a miraculous act of God, akin to the creation of light, where He opens our eyes to see the glory of Christ. This transformation is not merely a change of belief but an awakening to the beauty and sufficiency of Christ. It is a profound shift where what was once uninteresting becomes captivating. As believers, we should marvel at this miracle and be reminded of the power of God in our own conversion experiences. This understanding should inspire us to share our testimonies and the gospel with others, trusting in God’s ability to transform lives. [21:13]

Ephesians 5:8-9 (ESV): "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)."

Reflection: Reflect on your own conversion experience. How can you share your testimony with someone who needs to hear about the transformative power of Christ?

Day 3: Our Role as Messengers of the Gospel

As believers, we are called to be messengers of the gospel, faithfully proclaiming the truth. Our role is to speak and live out the gospel, trusting that God will work through our efforts. We are like clay pots carrying the treasure of the gospel, and God uses our weaknesses to display His power. This understanding should encourage us to be bold in sharing the gospel, knowing that it is God who ultimately opens eyes and hearts. Our responsibility is to be faithful in our proclamation, leaving the results to God. [29:05]

2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV): "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."

Reflection: Consider a recent opportunity you had to share the gospel. How can you be more intentional in your role as a messenger of the gospel this week?

Day 4: The Importance of Teaching with Patience and Gentleness

Teaching is an essential part of conversion, as it involves patiently instructing others in the truth. We must be kind, gentle, and persistent, trusting that God may grant repentance and lead others to a knowledge of the truth. Our teaching is a means through which God works to open eyes and hearts. This understanding should encourage us to invest in teaching others, whether through formal settings or everyday conversations, knowing that God uses our efforts to bring about transformation. [35:02]

2 Timothy 2:24-25 (ESV): "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth."

Reflection: Who in your life can you teach or mentor in the faith? How can you approach this opportunity with patience and gentleness?

Day 5: Trusting in God's Sovereignty in Salvation

Despite the challenges we face, we can be encouraged by the sovereignty of God in salvation. He is the one who opens eyes, defeats Satan, and sheds light in hearts. Our task is to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel, knowing that God is the one who ultimately saves. This understanding should give us confidence and peace as we engage in evangelism, trusting that God is in control and that His purposes will prevail. [39:06]

Isaiah 55:10-11 (ESV): "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to trust more in God's sovereignty? How can this trust impact your approach to sharing the gospel?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, we are called to understand the profound truths of the gospel, lostness, and conversion. The gospel is the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Lostness, as described in 2 Corinthians 4:4, is a state of spiritual blindness where the god of this world blinds the minds of unbelievers, preventing them from seeing the light of the gospel. This blindness is not due to the absence of light but rather an inability to perceive it. Conversion, then, is a miraculous act of God, akin to the creation of light in Genesis, where God opens our eyes to see the glory of Christ. This transformation is not just a change of belief but a profound awakening to the beauty and sufficiency of Christ.

As believers, we are called to be messengers of this truth. Our role is to faithfully proclaim the gospel, knowing that it is God who opens eyes and hearts. Acts 26 reminds us that we are sent to open the eyes of the blind, turning them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. This task may seem daunting, but we are merely clay pots carrying the treasure of the gospel. God works through our weaknesses, ensuring that the surpassing power is His, not ours.

Our involvement in this divine mission is both a privilege and a responsibility. We are to teach with patience and gentleness, trusting that God may grant repentance and lead others to a knowledge of the truth. This process requires perseverance, as conversion is a miracle that only God can perform. Yet, we are essential instruments in His hands, called to display the love of Christ through our lives and words.

May we be encouraged and emboldened to reach out to those around us, knowing that the gospel we offer is infinitely more satisfying than anything the world can provide. Let us grasp the depth of the gospel, the reality of lostness, and the miracle of conversion, and be eager to teach and live out the whole counsel of God.

Key Takeaways

1. Understanding Lostness: Lostness is not merely a lack of belief but a spiritual blindness to the glory of Christ. This blindness is a profound spiritual condition that requires divine intervention to overcome. As believers, we must recognize that the light of the gospel is always shining, but it is God who opens eyes to see it. [17:14]
2. The Miracle of Conversion: Conversion is a miraculous act of God, akin to the creation of light. It is not just a change of mind but an awakening to the beauty and sufficiency of Christ. This transformation is a work of God, where He opens our eyes to see the glory of Christ, making what was once uninteresting now captivating. [21:13]
3. Our Role as Messengers: We are called to be messengers of the gospel, faithfully proclaiming the truth. Our role is to speak and live out the gospel, trusting that God will work through our efforts. We are clay pots carrying the treasure of the gospel, and God uses our weaknesses to display His power. [29:05]
4. The Power of Teaching: Teaching is an essential part of conversion, as it involves patiently instructing others in the truth. We must be kind, gentle, and persistent, trusting that God may grant repentance and lead others to a knowledge of the truth. Our teaching is a means through which God works to open eyes and hearts. [35:02]
5. The Encouragement of God's Sovereignty: Despite the challenges we face, we can be encouraged by the sovereignty of God in salvation. He is the one who opens eyes, defeats Satan, and sheds light in hearts. Our task is to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel, knowing that God is the one who ultimately saves. [39:06]
** [39:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[17:14] - Understanding Lostness
[18:49] - The Light of the Gospel
[19:06] - What is Conversion?
[20:24] - The Miracle of Conversion
[23:09] - A Testimony of Transformation
[25:12] - Our Role as Messengers
[26:02] - The Call to Open Eyes
[27:41] - Parallels with Acts 26
[29:05] - The Power of God in Evangelism
[31:08] - The Relief of God's Sovereignty
[32:56] - The Role of Teaching
[34:16] - Encouragement in Our Role
[37:08] - Summary and Prayer
[40:08] - Reflection and Response

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

2 Corinthians 4:4-6
Acts 26:17-18
Genesis 1:3

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Observation Questions:

According to 2 Corinthians 4:4, what is the primary reason for spiritual blindness among unbelievers? How does this relate to the concept of lostness? [17:14]
In Acts 26:17-18, what mission does Jesus give to Paul, and how does it relate to the role of believers as messengers of the gospel? [27:04]
How does the sermon describe the process of conversion, and what biblical event is it compared to? [19:06]
What does the sermon suggest about the role of believers in the process of conversion, and how does it relate to the metaphor of "clay pots"? [29:05]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the sermon explain the relationship between God's sovereignty and human responsibility in the process of conversion? What implications does this have for believers? [29:05]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that teaching is an essential part of conversion? How does this align with the instructions given in 2 Timothy 2:24-26? [35:02]
How does the sermon describe the transformation that occurs during conversion? What does it mean for Christ to become "irresistibly desirable"? [36:48]
What does the sermon imply about the challenges and encouragements believers face in their role as messengers of the gospel? How does the concept of God's sovereignty provide relief? [39:06]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you felt spiritually blind or distant from God. What helped you to see the "light of the gospel," and how can you help others in similar situations? [17:14]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of being messengers of the gospel. Identify one person in your life who is spiritually blind. What steps can you take this week to share the gospel with them? [27:04]
Consider the metaphor of being a "clay pot" carrying the treasure of the gospel. How can you embrace your weaknesses and allow God to work through them in your ministry or daily life? [29:05]
Teaching is highlighted as a crucial part of conversion. How can you improve your ability to teach and share the gospel with patience and gentleness? What specific actions can you take to develop these skills? [35:02]
The sermon discusses the miracle of conversion as an awakening to the beauty of Christ. How can you cultivate a deeper appreciation for the beauty and sufficiency of Christ in your own life? [21:13]
Reflect on the encouragement of God's sovereignty in salvation. How does this understanding impact your approach to evangelism and your confidence in sharing the gospel? [39:06]
The sermon calls believers to be eager to teach and live out the whole counsel of God. What specific areas of your life need alignment with this calling, and how can you make those changes? [39:43]

Sermon Clips

In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. To be lost, that is to be perishing, to be hell-bound forever, is blindness to glory. Every student you want to win to Jesus, his fundamental problem is blindness to glory. [00:17:00]

Lostness is blindness to spiritual light. Light is really shining out of the gospel as you unpack the gospel to people, and you do it faithfully and biblically and under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Light shines that people don't see. It is irrelevant to the reality of the light. Their problem is blindness. [00:18:01]

Conversion is a miracle. You just sang it in one of those songs, you came down from heaven and opened my eyes that I might see. God has to do for everyone what he did for Paul on the Damascus road, not as dramatic but as miraculous. We've all experienced it. If you're saved, you have. [00:21:20]

Once, Christ wasn't beautiful to you. There was nothing compelling in the gospel. The cross was foolishness, a stumbling block, boring to watch television, go to the football game, hang out with friends. This religious stuff was absolutely uninteresting. And then, late one night, someone had shared with you, you can't explain it, a veil was lifted. [00:22:56]

God sends you to do what he alone can do because he will not do it without you. God is not into moving through unreached peoples and unreached campuses and just vertically dropping on people with regeneration. He does not do it that way. He always drops on people through the gospel spoken by human beings. [00:29:05]

Even though only God can open eyes, only God can defeat Satan, only God can shed light abroad in the heart, just like only God at the beginning could say, let there be light, and there was light. So I hope the way you feel that land on you is as a great relief. [00:31:08]

The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. That's your role. Now here's God's role: God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth. Repentance is a gift. You can't make it happen, but God can. [00:34:16]

God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, spiritual knowledge, and they may by means of this captivating knowledge escape from the snare of the devil, having been captured captivated by him to do his will. And what have you done? You have patiently taught. [00:35:02]

Let there be light into that person you love and have been wrestling with for three of their university years. Let there be light, and they are broken. The light goes on, the devil flees, and they are free to see the captivating glory of Christ and freely embrace him. [00:36:40]

Conversion means opening the heart so that people can see Christ as irresistibly desirable and therefore freely they embrace. And you feel like the three years of struggle and tears and prayer and witness and pizza were worth it. [00:36:59]

May God grant to Campus Crusade a unified common vision of the gospel as the glory of Christ who is the image of God, and of lostness as blindness to glory, and of conversion as the opening of eyes to see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. [00:19:54]

May he make you encouraged and emboldened to reach two thousand new campuses. I pray that the sense that I'm a clay pot, that's verse seven after verses four and six, we have this treasure in clay pots so that all the surpassing power will be manifest as God's, not mine. [00:39:06]

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Awakening to the Glory of Christ: The Gospel's Power

Devotional

Day 1: Spiritual Blindness and the Need for Divine Intervention

Day 2: The Transformative Power of Conversion

Day 3: Our Role as Messengers of the Gospel

Day 4: The Importance of Teaching with Patience and Gentleness

Day 5: Trusting in God's Sovereignty in Salvation

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Awakening to the Glory of Christ: The Gospel's Power

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