Embracing Eternal Living: A Journey of Transformation
Summary
In our journey of spiritual transformation, we are invited to participate in what I call "eternal living." This concept is not just about life after death but about engaging with the divine here and now. Eternal living means becoming part of what God is doing on earth, aligning our lives with His eternal purposes. This transformation is rooted in the nature of God and His activities, and it is through His grace that we enter into the community of the Trinity, making our lives eternal.
The traditional view of salvation often reduces it to a mere transaction—a certificate, a ticket, and a catalog. However, true salvation is about being caught up in what Jesus is doing now. It is about being part of His life, which in turn makes our lives eternal. Spiritual transformation is an ongoing process of aligning ourselves with God's work on earth, and it has a glorious future.
Our lives are hidden in Christ, and God, in His vastness, allows us the freedom to hide from Him if we choose. The question "Where are you?" is a perennial human question, pointing to our need for identity and power. When we bring our lives into God's life, we begin to find our true identity and power.
Knowledge plays a crucial role in this transformation. It is not about esoteric wisdom but about understanding and representing things as they are. Knowledge gives us the right and responsibility to act, to direct action, and to teach. It is through knowledge that we can engage in spiritual transformation, which involves the transformation of our spiritual nature.
Everyone undergoes spiritual formation, whether they realize it or not. The question is, what kind of spiritual formation will we undergo? Christ offers us a process of constant renewal and restoration, leading to eternal living. This involves practices, teachings, and a deep engagement with the divine.
In our culture, there is a tension between control and freedom, between law and grace. The drive to control often manifests in religion, leading to outward conformity rather than true transformation. Our task is to live a revolution of love and understanding, embracing the treasure of walking freely in the kingdom of God by His grace.
Key Takeaways:
1. Eternal Living: Eternal life is not just a future promise but a present reality. By participating in what God is doing now, we engage in eternal living, aligning our lives with His eternal purposes. This transformation is rooted in God's nature and activities, making our lives truly eternal. [01:24]
2. True Salvation: Salvation is not merely a transaction but an invitation to be part of what Jesus is doing on earth. It is about being caught up in His life, which transforms our lives into eternal ones. This ongoing process aligns us with God's work and has a glorious future. [03:02]
3. The Role of Knowledge: Knowledge is essential for spiritual transformation. It is not about esoteric wisdom but about understanding and representing reality. Knowledge gives us the right and responsibility to act, direct action, and teach, enabling us to engage deeply with the divine. [09:04]
4. Spiritual Formation: Everyone undergoes spiritual formation, consciously or unconsciously. The question is, what kind of formation will we choose? Christ offers a process of renewal and restoration, leading to eternal living through practices, teachings, and divine engagement. [12:38]
5. Control vs. Freedom: In our culture, there is a tension between control and freedom, often manifesting in religion. True transformation comes not from outward conformity but from embracing the treasure of walking freely in God's kingdom by His grace. Our task is to live a revolution of love and understanding. [24:10]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:19] - Spiritual Transformation and Unity
- [00:53] - Eternal Living
- [01:42] - Rethinking Salvation
- [03:18] - Being Part of God's Work
- [04:29] - The Hidden God
- [05:30] - Finding Identity and Power
- [06:18] - The Importance of Knowledge
- [07:32] - Misconceptions About Knowledge
- [09:04] - Knowledge and Responsibility
- [10:19] - Belief vs. Truth
- [12:07] - Spiritual Formation for All
- [13:19] - Christ's Offer of Renewal
- [16:09] - Control and Human Behavior
- [19:09] - Secular vs. Spiritual Reality
- [24:10] - Religion and Control
- [27:22] - Living a Revolution of Love
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. John 17:3 - "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
2. Colossians 3:3 - "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
3. Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
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Observation Questions:
1. What does the sermon suggest is the difference between "eternal life" and "eternal living"? [01:06]
2. How does the sermon describe the traditional view of salvation, and what alternative does it propose? [02:22]
3. According to the sermon, what role does knowledge play in spiritual transformation? [06:18]
4. What does the sermon say about the tension between control and freedom in our culture? [16:57]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of "eternal living" change the way one might view their daily life and actions? [01:24]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that true salvation is an ongoing process rather than a one-time event? [03:02]
3. How might the understanding of knowledge as described in the sermon influence one's approach to learning and teaching? [09:04]
4. What implications does the sermon suggest about the relationship between control, freedom, and spiritual growth? [24:10]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current understanding of eternal life. How does the idea of "eternal living" challenge or affirm your beliefs? [01:24]
2. Consider your view of salvation. How does the sermon’s perspective on being part of what Jesus is doing on earth resonate with you? [03:02]
3. Identify an area in your life where you feel the tension between control and freedom. How can you apply the sermon’s message to find balance? [24:10]
4. Think about a time when you relied on knowledge to make a decision. How does the sermon’s emphasis on knowledge as a responsibility impact your future decisions? [09:04]
5. What practices or teachings can you engage in to align more closely with God’s work on earth, as suggested by the sermon? [12:38]
6. How can you live out a "revolution of love and understanding" in your community, as the sermon encourages? [27:22]
7. Reflect on your spiritual formation journey. What steps can you take to ensure it aligns with the renewal and restoration offered by Christ? [13:19]
Devotional
Day 1: Eternal Living as Present Engagement
Eternal living is not merely a future promise but a present reality that invites us to participate in God's work on earth. This concept challenges the traditional view of eternal life as something that begins after death. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of aligning our lives with God's eternal purposes now. By engaging with the divine in our daily lives, we become part of what God is doing on earth, making our lives truly eternal. This transformation is rooted in the nature of God and His activities, and it is through His grace that we enter into the community of the Trinity. [01:24]
"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, ESV)
Reflection: How can you actively participate in God's work today, making eternal living a present reality in your life?
Day 2: Salvation as Participation in Christ's Life
True salvation is not a mere transaction or a ticket to heaven but an invitation to be part of what Jesus is doing on earth. It involves being caught up in His life, which transforms our lives into eternal ones. This ongoing process aligns us with God's work and has a glorious future. Salvation is about being part of Jesus' life and mission, which in turn makes our lives eternal. It is a dynamic and transformative journey that requires us to engage with God's purposes on earth. [03:02]
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you align your daily actions with the life and mission of Jesus, experiencing salvation as a transformative journey?
Day 3: Knowledge as a Tool for Spiritual Transformation
Knowledge plays a crucial role in spiritual transformation. It is not about acquiring esoteric wisdom but about understanding and representing reality as it is. Knowledge gives us the right and responsibility to act, direct action, and teach, enabling us to engage deeply with the divine. This understanding allows us to participate in the ongoing process of spiritual transformation, which involves the transformation of our spiritual nature. By seeking true knowledge, we can better align ourselves with God's work on earth. [09:04]
"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32, ESV)
Reflection: What specific area of your life requires a deeper understanding of God's truth, and how can you seek this knowledge today?
Day 4: Choosing Christ's Process of Renewal
Everyone undergoes spiritual formation, whether they realize it or not. The question is, what kind of spiritual formation will we choose? Christ offers us a process of constant renewal and restoration, leading to eternal living. This involves practices, teachings, and a deep engagement with the divine. By choosing Christ's process of renewal, we can experience a transformation that aligns us with God's eternal purposes and leads to a life of eternal significance. [12:38]
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)
Reflection: What specific practice or teaching can you incorporate into your life to engage more deeply with Christ's process of renewal?
Day 5: Embracing Freedom in God's Kingdom
In our culture, there is a tension between control and freedom, often manifesting in religion. True transformation comes not from outward conformity but from embracing the treasure of walking freely in God's kingdom by His grace. Our task is to live a revolution of love and understanding, moving beyond the constraints of control to experience the freedom that comes from living in God's grace. This freedom allows us to engage with God's purposes on earth and experience true transformation. [24:10]
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1, ESV)
Reflection: In what area of your life do you feel constrained by control, and how can you embrace the freedom of walking in God's grace today?
Quotes
Spiritual formation is founded in God's nature, it is founded in his life, it is founded in his activities, and that is why our lives become eternal when we enter the community of the Trinity through the grace of God. Our lives become eternal. [00:00:22]
Eternity is now in process, it has been in process forever. We are invited to participate in eternal living, that means to make ourselves a part of what God is doing. That's how our lives become eternal. [00:01:08]
We face constantly this idea of well, what is being saved. The delightful minister up in Canada I heard preach, I just loved his teaching, his preaching, wonderful man. He said when he got saved he thought he got three things: a certificate, a ticket, and a catalog. [00:01:59]
I recommend one, that being saved is a matter of being caught up in what Jesus is now doing on earth, that being saved is a matter of being caught up in what Jesus is now doing on earth. That's how you become a part of his life, and your life becomes eternal. [00:02:57]
When we bring our lives into God's life, then we begin to have identity and power. Now I think that for now we have covered the points in your outline. You have three points, I don't have a poem, but I want to leave you with this for this session. [00:05:41]
Knowledge is our ability to represent things as they are on an appropriate basis of thought and experience. Knowledge is interactive relationship, but that's what comes out of it. See, that's why if you're going to have your car worked on you'd like to have the person to have had a little interactive relationship with cars. [00:06:42]
Knowledge gives you the right and responsibility to act, to direct action, to formulate policy and supervise it, and to teach. That's what knowledge does, nothing else does that. When we talk about spiritual transformation in these sessions we're going to be communicating knowledge. [00:09:01]
Everyone gets one. Hitler had a spiritual formation just like Mother Teresa. Everyone gets one, you can't avoid it. It's just a question of which one you will get because the need is so deep, and it always concerns identity and power. [00:12:17]
Christ comes to us, brings God to us, offers us the treasure for our vessel, and a process of constant renewal and restoration by what we do, the practices we engage in, the teaching we hear, and the outcome of that would be eternal living. [00:13:56]
The drive to control expresses itself in religion almost more than anywhere else, and it creates what Jesus called the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, and we have many varieties of that, and that is outward conformity. [00:24:04]
The treasure is walking free in the kingdom of God by the grace of God. That's the treasure. Now you can do that and be religious, and you can be religious and not do that, right. But the real question is exactly the one that Jesus was addressing in John 4. [00:25:43]
Let's don't be mad at religion. Don't be mad at religion. We need to be compassionate and understanding, and in our religious context let's don't declare a revolution, let's live a revolution. But if you declare it you'll just have another fight. [00:27:18]
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