Change Through Scripture: Knowing Jesus Transforms Our Lives

your thinking needs to change. Your thinking needs to change. It needs to be transformed. It needs to be renewed. And today, we're gonna look at the ultimate thing we could change that will most contribute to our joy, peace, and happiness. Like, if you could change just one thing this year. If you changed nothing else, but just the one thing we're gonna look at today. I believe that the thing we're gonna look at today is the most important change that any of us could make. [00:23:12] (35 seconds)  #RenewYourMind

``I need to remind you of the gospel and of how we change by the gospel because the stakes are high. It's about entry into God's kingdom. It's about life forever with God. And the message we get all over the bible and right here in second Peter is this, we don't change in order to get eternal life. That's that's kind of the default we slink into is that, man, I gotta change, I gotta be better, I gotta be good, and then God will save me. The whole bible and Peter says this, that's not how we're rescued. That's not how we're saved. We don't change in order to get God. [00:27:03] (40 seconds)  #SavedByGrace

He's saying, listen, the things that Jesus did, the things that Jesus taught, the events of his life, they're not myths. We were there. We were the eyewitnesses, man. The the apostles didn't just get together and decide to make up some stories and turn Jesus into a political and religious leader to start their movement. Peter's saying, man, we're just telling you the truth of what we saw and what we heard. That's all. We're telling you what we saw Jesus do and what we heard Jesus say. And it's not just Peter. He says, we. We were eyewitnesses. You don't believe me? Go ask some others. [00:31:53] (37 seconds)  #ChangeShowsFaith

All of history from creation is driving toward the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and everything from the resurrection of Jesus is flowing out from it. He is the center, the apex of all of history, and he was even there in the beginning during creation where it says that God created the whole world through Jesus. Which means this, the idea that we can achieve true lasting good change in life without Jesus is bananas. It's crazy. We need Jesus in order to change because it's only through Jesus that we can change. But an all important question we must answer is this, [00:38:35] (41 seconds)  #GodWantsYourJoy

Because God's answer to your greatest, most pervasive problem is wrapped up in you knowing who Jesus truly is and what he's truly done for you. And the problem is that many people have taken what's true about Jesus and how he revealed himself and saying, I don't exactly like that and so I'm gonna take most of who Jesus is, but add my own thoughts and opinions and create a new Jesus. And then they cling to that Jesus and even begin to worship that Jesus. But the problem is you're now worshiping and clinging to someone who's not real. [00:39:28] (38 seconds)  #KnowTheRealJesus

And so church, here's what I wanna do. I just wanna ask you three really practical questions. And I want you to actually write down the answers to them. And so if you have a place to write, find some paper to write on, something to write with, find a place where you can write the answers. If you don't have any of that, get out your device, open up the notes app, find some place where you can write down the answers to these three questions. They're super important. Again, I think if there's only one thing you could change this year, this is the most important thing. And so you don't have to go into crazy detail, but I want you to answer these three questions so you can have it for yourself. Here's the first question. Number one, what is your current bible reading routine? [00:46:54] (39 seconds)  #BibleReadingRoutine

Question number two, do you know the Jesus of the bible? It's a yes or no question. Do you know the Jesus of the bible? Now listen. If you do, if you wrote yes to that question, then part of who you are, part of your experience is that you are in the process of changing to want to be in God's word more. That's part of the sanctification process that you entered at justification. That there is gonna be a lifelong increasing desire to want more of Jesus. And the place that we get more of Jesus is in God's word, So you're in a lifelong process of wanting more of the bible. K? [00:48:40] (54 seconds)  #KnowJesusReadBible

And what I love about that is she was able to do something really beautifully to me. She she was able to look at my life and just say, wake up, man. What are you prioritizing? What are you doing? And maybe that's what Peter's done for you this morning. Maybe Peter through this text has just kinda looked at us and said, man, wake up. Wake up if you've fallen asleep to God's word. Wake up if God's word has taken a back seat in your life. Wake up if you're not reading God's word and in God's word and memorizing God's word. You need Jesus. You need truth. You need to be reminded. You need God's word. [00:57:37] (42 seconds)  #WakeUpToGodsWord