Unfinished, Yet Being Shaped More Like Jesus

Oct 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When the Bag Drops: What Our Reactions Reveal

A tired child drops his baseball bag at his mother’s feet, assuming she’ll carry his burden. The moment exposes a heart shaped by entitlement, not gratitude. Life’s pressures—traffic jams, harsh words, stubbed toes—test our polished exteriors. What spills out in these raw moments isn’t an anomaly but a mirror. Our reactions unveil the unresolved clutter within, the habits we’ve carried but not surrendered. Jesus sees these cracks and meets them not with shame but with grace. The question isn’t whether we’ll falter, but what we’ll do next. [30:33]

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
(Colossians 3:5, ESV)

Reflection: What recent “dropped bag” moment revealed a habit or attitude you’ve ignored? How might Jesus be inviting you to see it as a starting point, not a failure?

Day 2: Renamed Before Proven: Identity Over Performance

Simon stood as a fisherman, impulsive and rough-edged. Jesus didn’t wait for him to earn a title. He called him “Peter”—the rock—before his faith wavered on stormy seas or crumbled in a courtyard. Our identity isn’t a reward for good behavior but a gift wrapped in grace. Christ claims us amid our contradictions, not after we fix them. The name he gives isn’t a label to grow into but a truth to live from. [33:54]

“Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter).”
(John 1:42, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you still tie your worth to what you do rather than who Jesus says you are? How might living as “already named” shift your next imperfect moment?

Day 3: Transferring Old Clutter to a New Heart

A new phone arrives, yet we cram it with the same apps, photos, and chaos. So it is with faith: we receive a new heart but drag along old patterns—anger we excuse as “personality,” gossip disguised as concern. Sanctification isn’t a system upgrade but a slow excavation. Jesus doesn’t settle for better versions of our brokenness; he reshapes us into his likeness. The old self clings, but the Spirit insists: unpack what no longer fits. [37:11]

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
(Colossians 3:9–10, ESV)

Reflection: What “app” from your old life do you keep reinstalling? What practical step could help you delete it and make space for the Spirit’s work?

Day 4: Fruit, Not Force: Letting the Spirit Grow What We Can’t

We treat holiness like a self-help project—grinding toward patience, manufacturing kindness. But fruit isn’t built; it’s grown. The Spirit cultivates love in traffic jams, peace in conflict, gentleness when we’re misjudged. Our job isn’t to engineer growth but to till the soil: confessing clutter, receiving grace, staying rooted in Christ. Sanctification is a surrender, not a sprint. [45:26]

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22–23, ESV)

Reflection: Which fruit feels hardest to “manufacture” right now? How might releasing control and abiding in Christ soften the soil for growth?

Day 5: Unfinished, Not Unloved: Embracing the Journey’s Tension

Peter denied Jesus three times but still preached at Pentecost. We’re neither finished nor abandoned. Our stumbles don’t surprise the One who carried our shame to the cross. Sanctification is a hike, not a highlight reel—valleys of failure, slopes of progress, vistas of grace. Each imperfect moment is a trail marker, not a dead end. The Spirit whispers: “I’m still here. We’re still going.” [49:47]

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 1:6, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel discouraged by slow growth? How might today’s struggles be part of a story Jesus is writing, not ruining?

Sermon Summary

Character gets revealed in those moments when pressure hits and something comes out that does not look like patience, kindness, or love. The dropped baseball bag becomes a picture of that reality: something in the heart came out in an action, and the action exposed what still needed to be formed. Imperfect moments do not create the problem. Imperfect moments reveal what is already there.

Jesus meets Simon while Simon is still rough around the edges, outspoken, overconfident, and far from steady. Jesus calls him Peter, the rock, before Peter consistently acts like one. Peter’s life shows the pattern of grace: Jesus claims him first, then keeps forming him through all the inconsistency, fear, bold promises, failure, and restoration. Peter is defined not by his fisherman’s background or his failures, but by his relationship with Jesus.

Paul names the old baggage that often gets transferred into new life with Christ: anger, malice, slander, lust, greed, lying, bitterness, and all the old ways of reacting to people. The old self keeps getting repacked when anger feels justified, gossip slips out, resentment feels safer than forgiveness, or bluntness gets defended as “just how I am.” Paul’s call to put these things to death means they cannot remain treasured parts of a person’s identity. The old clothes are beyond saving and need to be thrown away.

Christ does not tell broken people to clean themselves up enough to earn a new identity. Christ carries sin, guilt, shame, selfishness, lust, pride, and every hidden thing to the cross. His blood covers guilt, his righteousness becomes the believer’s righteousness, and his resurrection gives new life. Identity comes before transformation. Forgiven, washed, loved, and claimed people are called to live as who God has already made them to be.

The Holy Spirit grows fruit rather than handing out a checklist for self-improvement. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are formed slowly in the everyday valleys and slopes of life. Imperfect moments become places for repentance and honest prayer: “Holy Spirit, what are you trying to show me here?” Unfinished does not mean abandoned. Christ is still at work, still growing fruit, and still making his people more like Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus claims before He transforms Jesus named Simon “Peter” before Peter had lived with the steadiness of a rock. Christ’s call rests on his knowledge and grace, not on a person’s proven spiritual consistency. Identity in Christ becomes the ground from which transformation grows, not a prize handed out after transformation is complete. [34:16]
2. Old baggage cannot define new life Paul’s list exposes more than obvious outward sins because anger, malice, slander, greed, and lying all belong to the old self. Excuses such as personality, upbringing, or habit may describe patterns, but they cannot make harmful patterns holy. The new life requires honest recognition of the baggage that keeps getting repacked. [39:24]
3. The cross deals with real sin Christ carried more than vague failure to the cross; he carried anger, lust, pride, selfishness, lies, guilt, and shame. His forgiveness does not merely improve a person’s self-image but gives a wholly new standing before God. His righteousness and resurrection become the foundation for a new life. [42:50]
4. The Spirit grows character slowly The fruit of the Spirit is not a list for anxious self-manufacture. The Spirit patiently grows love, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control through the ordinary pressures of life. Slow growth can still be real growth, even when the old self occasionally shows up again. [44:55]
5. Unfinished does not mean abandoned Imperfect moments can become places of repentance instead of places of despair. The Spirit can use anger to expose a need for patience and control to expose a need for peace and trust. Christ’s ongoing work means failure does not get the final word.

## [49:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:42] - A Life Defining Baseball Moment
[31:40] - What Pressure Reveals
[32:32] - What Jesus Does With Imperfection
[33:15] - Jesus Calls Simon Peter
[36:26] - New Heart, Old Baggage
[37:57] - Put Off the Old Self
[42:29] - Christ Carries Sin to the Cross
[44:28] - Identity Before Transformation
[44:55] - The Fruit of the Spirit
[47:46] - Bringing Imperfect Moments to Jesus
[49:37] - Unfinished, Not Abandoned

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:5-10
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” [38:11]

Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” [45:18]

John 1:42
“He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter).” [33:45]

Observation questions

In John 1:42, what does Jesus call Simon, and what does that new name mean? [34:16]
In Colossians 3:5-10, what attitudes, words, and behaviors are connected with the old self, and what is said about the new self?
What kinds of everyday pressure moments were described as revealing what is already in a person’s heart? [31:40]
According to Galatians 5:22-23, what qualities does the Spirit grow in God’s people? [45:18]

Interpretation questions

Jesus gives Simon the name Peter before Peter shows the steady character of a rock. What does this show about the order of grace, identity, and spiritual growth? [34:38]
Paul says believers should put off the old self and put on the new self. Why is it important that harmful patterns such as anger, slander, lying, and bitterness are treated as more than “just someone’s personality”? [40:38]
If Christ has already carried sin to the cross and given believers a new identity, why does Paul still call believers to put old patterns to death? [44:31]
Galatians describes the fruit of the Spirit rather than a checklist for self-improvement. How does that change the way a Christian understands slow growth and repeated struggles? [45:34]

Application questions

Think about a recent moment when you were tired, frustrated, criticized, inconvenienced, or out of control. What came out of you—words, thoughts, tone, or actions—and what might that moment have revealed about your heart? [32:05]
Is there an old pattern you are tempted to excuse with words like, “That’s just how I am,” “It’s how I was raised,” or “They made me react that way”? What would it look like to honestly bring that pattern before Christ? [40:07]
Which piece of “old baggage” is most likely to get repacked in your life right now: anger, resentment, gossip, harsh speech, control, lust, greed, dishonesty, or something else? What is one situation this week where that baggage tends to show up? [40:52]
When failure brings guilt or shame, do you usually try harder, hide, blame others, or receive Christ’s forgiveness? How does remembering that you are forgiven, washed, loved, and Christ’s own change your next step? [43:11]
Which fruit of the Spirit do you most need God to grow in you right now? What ordinary relationship or pressure point may be a place where the Spirit wants to grow that fruit? [48:27]
What could it look like for you to pause after an imperfect moment and pray, “Holy Spirit, what are you trying to show me here?” What repentance, forgiveness, or change might that prayer lead to? [47:56]
Where do you need the reminder that unfinished does not mean abandoned? How can the group encourage you to trust that Christ is still at work in you? [49:37]

Sermon Clips

50s

#JesusForgives

“And long before Jesus ever begins changing us to be more like him and growing and developing our character, he deals with your sin. He carried your sin to the cross. anger, your frustrations, your selfishness, your lust, your greed, your pride, your lies, the things that only you know about. He carried it all the way to the cross, and there your sin is covered by his blood. Your guilt is covered. You are forgiven. The shame that you feel and experience does not get the final word.”

41s

#NewIdentityInChrist

“And then he does something better than making you just a slightly better version of yourself. He gives you himself. His righteousness becomes your righteousness. His death becomes your death. His resurrection becomes your new life. And it's in baptism and faith that God joins you into Jesus' death and resurrection, giving you new life and restoring what was once broken. And in that, you have a new identity.”

54s

#IdentityInChrist

“That is what Christ does for you. You are forgiven. You are washed. You are loved, and you are his. And so for us, our identity is not the result or the reward of the transformation or the formation process. But our identity, our life with him is the gift that comes first, that shapes the rest of our lives. And so, Paul, as he says, put to death what is earthly in you. He's not reminding us or he's not encouraging us to to get right with God, but he's encouraging us to say, start living as the person that God has already made you to be. And that is where the Holy Spirit comes in.”

51s

#SurrenderToGod

“But for us, it's Paul boldly saying, put it to death. Put it away. And if it were all up to us, if becoming like Jesus was up to us, finally killing every sinful desire, finally controlling every reaction or cleaning up every thought and taking off every piece of the old self, we'd never get there. Because the reality is that there is a painful distance between who God created us to be and what still comes out of us. And we cannot close the distance on our own.”

50s

#GodIsStillWorking

“See, Peter was the rock long before he consistently acted like one. And as we look at our lives, as we find ourselves in these imperfect moments, we're reminded that we are imperfect and not finished. But unfinished doesn't abandoned. And so for us, because we are already his, because your sins are forgiven, because your identity is secure, and Christ and his spirit is still at work in you, still growing fruit, still shaping your character to be more like Jesus.”

35s

#HolySpiritGuidance

“It's not us looking back and saying, man, I can't believe I did that. Why did I say that or do that? But rather, it's an opportunity for us to stop and ask, Holy Spirit, what are you trying to show me here? How are you trying to form me and shape me in this moment? What needs to be put away? Where do I need to repent? Where do I need to receive Christ's forgiveness again? And what kind of fruits are you growing in its place?”

42s

#JesusClaimsUs

“And from that point forward, Peter would be defined by his relationship with Jesus. And for us, it brings out this reminder that Jesus ultimately claims us first, and then he begins forming us. Right? He he calls Peter long before Peter consistently acts like a rock. And yet, as we track Peter throughout his life, we know that there's still some inconsistencies. He makes bold promises, and yet he doesn't completely understand Jesus.”

37s

#CalledByJesus

“So here's Simon, in front of Jesus, and Jesus knows him because he's God almighty. But he also sees what is coming down the road. He knows what is ahead and what is still to come. And so before Peter does anything impressive, Jesus gives him a new name. No longer will you be identified by your father's lineage or by the fact that you're a fisherman, but you will be called Cephus, which means rock, Peter.”

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