God: Our Way Maker and Source of Transformation

1) "Because we do believe God is a way maker and because this month of October we are emphasizing prayer, I know that there are some of you who are here today and you need God to make a way for you. And so we want to dedicate this moment in our service to pray for healing. There are some of you who are here today. I know many of the stories in this room. I certainly don't know all of the stories, but you need a prayer for physical healing over a need that you have in your life. You're fighting an illness, you have a diagnosis, and you need God to supernaturally provide healing for you. We are going to ask him to make a way." [00:00] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "And we're really going to see the significant transformative power of God's word, of the Bible. And in particular, what the Bible is going to say to us today is it's talking about the gospel. Because the Bible is a single story, a redemption story, a narrative of God's great love for us in sending Jesus to provide a measure of our forgiveness we are unable to provide. We are unable to provide for ourselves so that we can be in right relationship with God. And all of the Bible tells this incredible story of God's love in sending Jesus to rescue us." [10:00] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "According to Lifeway Research. Forty -five percent of regular church attenders open their Bible once a week. Only 45%. Which means that 55 % of regular church attenders do not open their Bible every single week. Can you imagine not accessing this incredible gift that God has given us? Like, I'm not much into comics or into superhero movies. But if you think about, like, Captain America would never go into battle without his shield. Thor without his helmet. Hammer, you know? Iron Man without his suit. And yet, too many Christians are walking into the battlefield every single day and we are forfeiting the great weapon that God has given us so that we might be prepared, anchored in his truth with the transformative word of God." [12:00] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "Because Peter says God's word is alive. He says God's, word is living. He says God's word is breathing. And of course, he's not the only New Testament writer to make that claim. According to Hebrews chapter four, verse 12, it says, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two -edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit of joints and marrow and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. I read this week, a quote describing the way the Bible lives and the way it's, because it's living, the way it works within all of us who have been, transformed by it." [36:15] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "Additionally, beyond just the Bible being alive, Peter says God's word is abiding. Again, verse 23, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living. Living and abiding word of God. Circle that word, abiding. Because for something to abide, we know this from our study in the Gospel of John, it means that that something remains. And God's word, his gospel, literally his transformative work of redemption remains with us as a vehicle of transformation. And this transformational change is for all of us. For all who have been born again to a living hope and it is a change that remains. It abides. It endures because God's word remains." [39:53] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "Because this has transformed my life. This has truly changed me because in our life, things are up and they're down and it seems like that happens almost daily. How about you? If you've lived any part of life for any length of time, then you know things change up and down. There are good days and bad days. There's days when it's sunshine and there's days when it's storms. But when we are a people who have the transformative work of God's word, it's something we can anchor to. It's something that we can cling to, that we can hold onto. So why, why would we leave it like sitting on the shelf? You know what I mean? Because God's word is living and it is abiding and it is living and it is abiding." [42:52] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "So what are the indications that a person has been truly transformed by this word, the gospel, the word of God? The scriptures. Well, the first is God's word transforms how we love others. I mean, you saw this right away at the beginning of verse 22. God's word has a transformative power. It's an imperishable seed. It is the good news that was preached to you. And this word transforms how we love others. He says, we are to have a sincere brotherly love and that we are to love one another earnestly from a pure heart." [48:41] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "God's word transforms how we love others. The second thing he says is God's word transforms how we live as holy. So it transforms how we love others and how we live as holy. Remember, uh, uh, chapter two, the first three verses are connected with the, the end of chapter one. He says, so put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Two things are happening that are worth our attention as it relates to this call to action that Peter makes. He says, first put away. And then he says, malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander." [53:29] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9) "And then that leads me to the last, the last evidence of a life that's been transformed by the word is God's word transforms how we long for God. Again, verses two and three, I don't know if you're supposed to have a favorite part of a sermon, but this is for sure mine in part in verses two and three, he says, like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk that by it, you may grow up into salvation. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. So really great description that Peter uses here. He plays off the idea of having been born again. And Peter describes, the spiritual nourishment in terms that would be very familiar." [56:47] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10) "And so the question I think that this sermon demands that we ask is a simple one. What am I going to do with the word? Or maybe what have I done? What have I done with the word? Here's the question for every person in this room and those who are watching online. Ask yourself this. Have I been transformed by the word of God, the imperishable seed, the good news that was preached? Have I been transformed by it, changed, born again to a living hope? Because if not, that you can. Today you can. Because did you know what this word says? It says, God's love is so great that he sent his only son that whoever would believe in him would never perish but have everlasting life." [01:05:31] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)