As we continue to talk about biblical change, I'm going to just read some old quotes. Ancient Greece and on. It's a little newer, but people have been talking about change for a long time. Socrates, 400 BC, Greek philosopher. We don't actually have any of his writings. But his students wrote about him and so I think Plato actually wrote this but he quoted it to Socrates. Let him who would move the world first move himself. Sophocles, he wrote Greek tragedies, Oedipus Rex. All men make mistakes, but a good man yields, and when he knows his course is wrong, he repairs the evil. This is from a guy I wasn't familiar with, Rumi. Well, I guess I had a couple in college, but that's not who we're talking about. He was a 1200 Persian poet. Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I'm wise, so I'm changing myself. Another Russian, Fyodor Dostoevsky, who wrote Crime and Punishment and other things. Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most. And then there was a theologian again, this one, who was a first existentialist. He developed the idea of angst, fear and anxiety. Søren Kierkegaard, he was liberal. But he did say this, prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. Now, I also wanted to add a little Chinese philosophy here. So this is from Un No N. We pronounce it in America as unknown. I tried to change the world, but I was outnumbered. Most of us will do anything to be good except change our way of living. Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same. Don't expect to see a change if you don't make one. So you see, as we talk about change, it's not a new topic. It's something that human beings are always wanting to do. But the question is always how you will change and who you will change into. And biblical change, of course, is for us to be like Jesus Christ. Well, let's turn again to 2 Timothy 3. So I read 14 to 17, where the beginning is Timothy coming to Christ, and then Paul directing Timothy how that people become like Christ, how to disciple his church. how to disciple himself. 2 Timothy 3, verse 16. We'll start with 14, excuse me. But as for you, Timothy, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you've become acquainted with the sacred writings. Of course, that's Scripture. which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. What is that? It's the first stage of change in coming to Christ. Now, how you come to Christ is God uses His Word. He makes it profitable for these things. All scriptures breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, Step one, for reproof. Step two, for correction. Step three, and for training in righteousness. Step four, that the man of God, the Christian, might be competent, equipped for every good work, to be like Jesus. So these four steps, teaching what is right, what is not right. Now step three, how to get right. And step four will be how to stay right. So that's how you can help remember them. But we're going to look at step three, correction. 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, all scriptures breathed out by God and profitable for correction, that the man of God, the Christian may be complete, equipped for every good work like Jesus. Now correction talks about restoration. Correction is talking about if you have a broken bone and it's, you look on the, you know, the x-ray and you can see, you know, all the white bone as you look at x-rays and you see this big, you know, black gap in between your forearm when you break it. It's talking about being knit together and restored. And in fact, in this correction, usually your arm when it's broken, it's put back together is often stronger than it was at first. And it's talking about God's work as He corrects us to make us right, makes us better than we were at first. It's talking about something and restoring something to its original and proper condition. So for us, it's restoring us to the pre-fall in knowledge and righteousness and holiness. Before Adam and Eve rebelled against God, it's making us again like Jesus Christ. Some of you, like me, might like the PBS Antiques Roadshow. An expert said to a woman, you have an old hutch made in New England in the late 1700s, just before the War of Independence. And you can see the lady's eyes go, ooh, wonder how much this is going to be worth. You know, you never see that, but you know, they can see. And so the expert then says, but it's had some rough wear over the years. Its feet have been sawed off. The original door has been replaced. A different top was added. And in this condition, it's worth, yes, yes, 1700s, pre-revolution, $3,500. But the specialist said, if you take some time and effort and spend $3,500 to restore it to its original condition, then in today's market, I expect it would be sell for about 10 times that amount or $35,000. You see, it was brought back to its original condition and made worth something. And we are, of course, as sinners, we are worth something because we're in the image of God, but we become like Jesus Christ when that is restored in us, and that's what correction is about. Not just saying to someone, you're really sinning, I can't, but it's coming beside them and say, oh man, I know what it's like to be caught in sin, and I'll walk with you to help you change to become like Jesus Christ. That's the body of Christ. That's helping and encouraging the weak and the frail or even those who are rebelling. Correction, restoration is needed in the life of all men, women, boys and girls because of Adam and Eve's sinful rebellion against God in the garden. All have sinned. fallen short of the glory of God. The defaced image of God needs to be restored to its original condition of perfection. And that's what God is all about in biblical erection to make us like Jesus. In Ephesians chapter 4, we'll look at that more tomorrow, but Ephesians chapter 4, the very first verse of 4 says this, I therefore, Paul, a prisoner of the Lord, encourage you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling in which you've been called. So if you've been called a Christian, He is saying to the church, you should live like Christ. I want you to be like that. You're a Christian, a little Christ. You're to be that to the world. Well, the question is, are we? And we know that God's at work, but we are not there yet. And joyfully, when we go to heaven, that will be finished, but that's what we're about doing now, becoming like Christ. And so in verse 24, it says this, to put on the new self, excuse me, First it talks in verse 23 about putting off our old self and then putting on our new self. We'll be looking at that tomorrow, but that's what Christians are about. That's a lifelong process of becoming like Jesus. Biblical correction is not only needed when we come to Christ, but also as we come like Christ. This side of heaven is we continue to sin and need to be brought back to Him. And not listening to correction has a disaster result in our own lives, in our family's lives, in our friends' lives. When we sin at home, it doesn't just affect us. It affects the husband and the wife and the children. When the children sin, it affects the parents. When the parents sin, it affects the children. When you sin at work, it affects the workplace. When you sin at school, it affects the school. When you sin against your neighbors, it affects them. And so it's not just you, but we need to listen to correction. If we don't, it becomes disastrous. When a family falls apart, And we've seen that so much in our world today. You go to family reunions and there's so many other people and families and children and some people don't come to weddings and some people do come to weddings because of these broken relationships. It doesn't just... When a man and wife splits, it just doesn't affect them. When a child dies because of drug overdose and rebellion, it doesn't just affect them. It affects everybody else. And so, correction is needed for us, but it also then works in the whole church and the whole community. But when we refuse to listen to correction, it's disastrous to ourselves and others. On November 23rd, 1983, an Avianca Airlines Jet Flight 11 crashed outside Madrid. To the investigator's dismay, they concluded that the crash could have been easily avoided. Minutes before the impact, a computerized voice warned the pilots over and over again in English, which is the language of international flight, pull up, pull up, pull up. And later they hear on the black voice box say, okay, okay, and then it was turned off. They didn't pull up. They thought they knew what they were doing was better. And that's the way we are often too, right? People come and speak to us and say, pull up. Stop. Let's take a break. You're going the wrong direction. You have to change the way of your life. And we say, yeah, okay. Yeah, I heard you. Thanks for coming. And nothing changes. and it affects our own lives and the lives of others. That's our natural tendency. So we need to ask God for a supernatural work in our heart that we can hear reproof and correction. It's not easy for us to do. When we refuse to listen to correction from God's word, when we hear it publicly, when it's preached, when it's taught in Sunday school, when it's brought privately from a pastor, an elder, or a friend, to our lives for conviction, We need that Holy Spirit to work so those disasters do not happen in our own lives. and our own families. King David and his adultery with Bathsheba is a classic example of the trouble not listening to correction as he suffered both physically and spiritually until he repented and returned to the Lord after the prophet came to him. I want to take you to a scripture to just see the kind of things that he writes about going on in his life. because he was refusing to take what sin did in his life. We're familiar with Psalm 51, right? That great Psalm of repentance. But I wanna take you to another one that David also wrote in Psalm 32 to see the struggle when we continue to live in sin. Psalm 32 verses three to 11. And this is David before repentance when he was living in rebellion, that it was affecting him and his family and his whole kingdom. And we know the results. While David continued to be king, his heart was changed. He lost the kingdom. His own son rebelled against him. And many other horrible things happened. He's restored to the Lord, but just because you might be restored and God is ever so gracious to us when we repent, doesn't mean that all those things would ever be repaired. And so when people come for correction in our lives, we need to listen, you know? And so we come to Psalm 32, verse three. For David says, for when I kept silent, my bones wasted away. So physically, he knows he's guilty. He knows that what he's done is horribly wrong. Through my groanings all the day long, for day and night, your hand was upon me. My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. What's happening there? God is knocking on his door. God is using his conscience. He's pounding on that door of his heart, right? Because God loves him and he's making life hard. God makes consequences to our sin when we refuse because he loves us. And David's talking about this. He says, who did it? God did it. God has set up this world so there are consequences when we sin. And He doesn't do it because He hates us. It's because we have cement heads and He needs to get our attention and change our hearts around to know and love Him. Then the joy happens in verse 5. I acknowledge my sin to you. I did not cover my iniquity. I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. How amazing is that? When we do repent, God forgives us. He doesn't hold his heavy hand on us and want to crush us. And David writes about his sin. One of the joyous things about David in the scriptures here, they don't hide the way we are, right? The man who we know has had a heart after God, at times had a heart that was nowhere near God. Doesn't that give you hope? Boy, it does to me. And even though there's consequences, God receives him back and restores him. And he talks about this and it's in the Bible for us. God could have whitewashed the scriptures and not have these stories in us. And then we'd read the scriptures about these golden perfect people and we'd say, there's no hope. But God, and David had God repent so much that he wrote the scriptures about what he did. He wasn't afraid to have them in there. Not because he was good or you wouldn't need to look good on him, but he's showing us how good God is. It's wondrous. And that's what we can tell people about the wonders of God's grace and mercy even though David was already a believer here. I acknowledge my sin to you and did not cover my iniquity. I said I will confess my congression to the Lord and you forgave my iniquity and my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found. That means everyone who's godly and sinful like I am, repent, be corrected now. God brings that because He loves you. We need to have that with each other if we're going to love one another. Surely in the rush of great waters they shall not reach you. You are a hiding place for me. You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with shouts of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with an eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule without understanding, which must be curbed with a bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but the steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts God. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in the heart. That's good news. That's good news for some menheads. And I'm one. And thank the Lord that he had David write these Psalms for us to give him praise and to give us encouragement. Correction is a good thing. Because when you're not doing right, then it's hard to even think what is right. You're not doing this, now do this. Just give me some steps, because when you're in that place, you can't even see, you can't even look up. But when you're forgiven, oh Lord, now help me know what is right. And the scripture tells you what is right. Well, how do we stay that way? The scripture also gives that by The next part of verse 16, what's it say? All scriptures breathe out by God and profitable for training in righteousness. How you stay right. If you're righteous, you are right, right? You're holy. How do you stay that way when you repent? And notice what it says, it says training. A better translation is discipline training in righteousness. It's talking about running, it's talking about marathon. Training is the word for gymnasium in the Greek. It is work. If you're going to be godly and righteous, it is work. You're not zapped with holiness. That's the whole idea of Pentecostalism and the second blessing. We'll zap you and the Holy Spirit will do it. And you can just sit back and let go and let God. Training in righteousness. To be spiritual, you have to work at it. Oh, no. No, you're saved by grace. God's power and Spirit help you. But all through your life, it's training. It is work. You will not be spiritual coming to church every week and sitting in the pew. That's a good thing. It's one of the means of grace. It's how God brings teaching to you. Doctrine. What is right? But you need reproof and correction and training in righteousness. You need hard work to become godly. It doesn't happen by osmosis. You don't get zapped. God gives us help. Praise the Lord. And most of us would like to train for a marathon, and then it's over, or a race, and then it's done, or lose enough pounds, and then it's done, or get my degree, and then it's done. Your degree in the Bible and growing like Jesus Christ doesn't happen till heaven. It's work now every day, and it's meant to be hard. Because we can't do it on ourselves, we have to trust in God. And sometimes we've been a Christian for a long, we're just stale, and often because we're not training in righteousness anymore. You wouldn't believe it, but for the last 35 years to keep my body like this, I ride a bicycle an hour a day. I've worn out a Schwinn Airdyne. My metabolism is so low that I do that much exercise and I'm still not exactly svelte. Then when I started losing weight and going back to it again, I had to add walking two miles a day. to what I did already. I have to work at it to make a goal. I don't mind it. It's something I want to do. I want to lose weight. I should lose weight. I can't be a glutton. I can't live for food. But it's work, and I'm willing to do that for that. You want to be godly. You say, I want to be a good Christian. I want to know Jesus. I want to be like Betty, Jane, and Glenn. What wonderful saints. Well, if you talk to them, they worked a whole life of godliness, and for them, you don't ever have to say, oh, it was so hard. They rejoiced because God was good and helped them through the difficult. Do they have difficulties? You know about their daughter, right? And caring for her and all that for many years. And they don't go, oh, that was so tough. They'll tell you it was hard. But they say that was God's training ground to make us godly, the hard things that He brings into our lives. 1 Timothy 4, 7 and 8, the same book, the first chapter, the first letter, have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather, train yourself for godliness. Now, what's he make the comparison with? With bodily training has some value. Yeah, do a marathon, ride the Schwinn Airdyne, do whatever you do. Steps, I don't know what you do, right? It has some value. For five years, 10 years, maybe 70 or 80 years, maybe 100. But godliness has value forever. And the same kind of gymnasium and training you have to do for a marathon, you need to do to be godly. It's not zapped. We want it zapped. Oh God, make me godly. Yeah, here's the way. Four steps. The scriptures. As God, the Holy Spirit, brings the scriptures to you for teaching, for reproof, correction, and training in godliness. For training, while the bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come. Godliness in the life of a Christian is not a suggestion. This kind of training and hard work isn't, God didn't say, oh, if you get around to it, be okay. After you get your degree, it'll be fine. After you run the marathon, it'll be fine. After you get that job, it'll be fine. After your kids grow up, it'll be fine. And once your kids go from little ones to be bigger ones, it'll be fine. It's harder during all those different times, but there's no times where it says, don't do it. Your training is lifelong. Being in God's word and having it apply to you. Godliness in the life of a Christian is not a suggestion or an option, but a command to be training, progressing in godliness to become like Jesus. Godliness cannot be zapped or whipped up like instant pudding. Training means work, daily sustained effort. The word Paul uses, as I said, is from gymnasium. It means being disciplined in the ordinary means of grace that God has provided for you to grow in godliness. Public hearing of the word. In worship, being at worship, hearing the word, listening to the word, applying the word, private reading of the word, having Christians and talking about the word and your growth in discipleship. Prayer to glorify God and for prayer for your others and prayer for yourself. Worship and fellowship with other believers. Partaking of the sacraments, baptism in the Lord's Supper. In 2008, in the summer, I was watching the Olympics. And I was really impressed. I've never watched women play volleyball before. And these women on the American team were just great. And they did the best that the women have ever done in Beijing. They came in second and got a silver medal. I like biographies in books, and so when the Olympics, what I like is those up close and personal. How did they get there, you know? What did it take for them to win a silver medal? Well, in the 2008 Olympics, for them to get there, they began training together the week after the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Their commitment to be prepared was such that they practiced or played their matches seven days a week for an average of 12 hours a day. They worked 50 weeks a year for four years, only taking off the week of Christmas and Easter. Their workouts included such hard, intense running, jumping, hitting, and diving exercises that they found themselves often playing with and nursing injuries the whole time. Why did they do that? They wanted the gold! Right? They got the silver. That was good. See how hard they worked? What they did? Did you see what their commitment was? Do you want to become like Jesus Christ? That's the command. By training. in the very things we're talking about, righteousness. It doesn't, you will not get zapped and be godly. I'm not telling you to do it 12 hours a day, of course we can't. It's talking about priorities and commitments that we need to be encouraging each other. You see, they had a team that they encouraged. When one of them slacked off or was sick, hey, where are you? I miss you. Hey, I can't hit the way I should. How can you do that? Let me come beside you. This is the way you do it. They were family for 12 years, for four years, 50 weeks a year. They came beside each other. They knew they ate with each other. They slept with each other. They were the body of Christ. They didn't do it alone. And that's what we have. And yet we're pretty independent. We, after all, we're Americans. I can do it. I got bootstraps. And meanwhile, we're not doing it. And we don't let anybody know until there's problems. Of course, our discipleship is different, because Jesus says, if you're going to follow me, what's this disciple says, what do we have to do? Take up. cross daily and follow Him." Deny ourselves. What? Deny ourselves. What? Deny yourself to follow Him. He said to all, if anyone would come after Me, let him desire himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. What did the cross do to Jesus? killed him see what do we need to do to so many of our other desires to be godly you have to die or at least be put in their place but I want to be zapped pastor I want this to be easy pastor it's not don't expect that but God has given you a team much better and a volleyball team. He's giving you brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. Call out to them. Get to know them. When you're struggling, say, will you pray for me? Will you call your elders or your pastor to say, I don't know what to do. I'm stuck. And notice, that's the way the church has been. David, the man after God's own heart, had to have someone come to him, and he was undone. He was playing. The church of Laodicea had to have Jesus come and crash down their door. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 12. In Hebrews 12, we're going to read verses 5 through 11. And you're going to see what we're called to do here and how Jesus is talking to these converted Jews, the Hebrew church, and talking about the work that it's going to take and how he's involved with us, that we're not doing this alone. But he's saying, you haven't yet done this. But they're saying, oh, this is so hard. And they were actually having their homes taken from them. They were losing their jobs. Some of them were being killed. And they're saying, this is hard. Isn't it training enough? Hebrews 12, verses 1. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, and that's Hebrews 11, all those people of the faith that died. There were Son and two and all those different things. Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all they went through. It says, they've gone before us. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings to us closely. Oh boy, don't we know about close clinging sin? I know about, I'm wearing an exercise shirt because I don't like it clinging to me, but we know how hard it is, you know, when our clothes cling to us, right, and the rolls are hanging over. We don't want anybody to see that, right? And it's hard to get rid of them because they cling to us. Sin is a whole lot stickier, right? Our old ways are a whole lot harder to get rid of. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. And the trouble is, with our sin, we love them. And so we pet them. They're our deities, our little pets. Ooh, don't let anybody get to it. I like it so much. It's my pet. Don't you bother my pet. It's my little sweetie. We love it. It's been with us all of our life. It's been so So loyal to us. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. When is the race done? Next week. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Next week I can finish. When's the race done? When Jesus comes back or you're taken to heaven. Training in righteousness is lifelong. who for the joy set before him, he, Jesus, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him, think about Jesus, who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you might not grow weary or fainthearted in your struggle against sin. You see, others aren't gonna like it as you change and talk about righteousness and bring correction, and things are happening. And you get trouble sometimes from your own family. You're just being righteous and super holy. No, I'm trying to be godly. Now, if you do it in the wrong attitude, but the world won't like it either. And then he says this, continue on for you've not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Wait a minute, I didn't sign up for this. No, you did sign up for it, right? Because if you go to the cross daily, deny yourself, you bleed, right? And have you forgotten the exhortion addressed to you as my sons, to Christians? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him, for the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son whom He loves. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom the father does not discipline? If left without discipline in which we have all participated, then you're illegitimate sons and children and not sons. You know, we hate that phrase, kind of like, you know, parents. When your kid's right, your dad, mom come, I hate to do this. I'm gonna have to spank you, but it hurts me more than it hurts you. It's hard to believe until you become a parent that when they do it right, they're doing it because they love their children. Spare the rod and spoil the child, right? God's not gonna spare bringing difficulties and troubles into our lives that we would become like him. This is a whole lot more than what we want. We like a little bit. Yeah, I'll go for a jog once in a while spiritually. Oh yeah, I might even train a little bit for a couple years until I get there. But we don't get there until heaven. And so it is this constant work that we have to do. Man, pastor, I'm sorry I came to this retreat. Eternal training until you come back. Going to the cross. I haven't yet shed blood. Oh, man. I can't wait to go home and start this regimen. I didn't sign up for this. Well, you did if you're his. I've only been reading to you his word. But you're not alone. You do have, which we've already talked about, the body of Christ, but let me encourage you this way. And I want you to see that again, and we look at the Scripture, it is work. I talk to people sometimes and they say, you know, work is hard. Well, I'm certainly sympathetic to them and I listen and I give some encouragement, but then at some point I usually say, well, where are you going? I'm going to work. What is work? Work. Work is called work and not rest because it's work. You have to exert yourself. It's not easy. All right? Well, turn to me, and I trust I can leave you with this encouragement. Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13. Here's Paul writing to a church that was a good church, but he's asking them to do more because they belong to Jesus. Philippians 2 verse 12, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to praise Jesus and have fun. Know what it says? Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Work. The cross. The gym. Daily training in righteousness to become like Jesus, not zapped. Now, there's certainly days we fail, right? And His grace covers it, and we repent of that. And there's days where we get tired and we throw our little temper fits. It's enough, God. You've given me too much. I don't want to do it. Now, it's not all exactly like that, but we have those moments and those times, and sometimes it's months, sometimes it could be years. Right? I'm just not going to do it, Lord. And He thankfully just doesn't kill us, right? He brings people into our lives. He brings the Word that shows us what is right. And He'll bring people or His Word then to reprove us, to show us what's not right. And then He'll bring His Word and people to correct us, to show us what is right. And then He brings others and brings us back on that path of training and righteousness to do what is right. But notice, if it was only that first half of the verse, then we couldn't do this. And of course, we can't do it on our own. Right? How many of you have been able to do this on your own? Every day, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, right? First thing you wake up in the morning, hey, you want to go to the spiritual gym? Work out my salvation with fear and trembling, right? You may have tried that for a while, right? Someone talks about some sin, not going to do that tomorrow. You know, my wife and I have a fight. We'd say at night, we've settled, we've kissed, go to bed. Not going to fight tomorrow. Wake up next morning, get to the dinner table. Something happens that I don't like, right? And I don't usually say, well, that's terrible. I don't like it. I just make some smart remark, right? Again. Or I'll give her the look, you know. Right? I'm still working on that. Right? But it's daily, and we fail at times. And if it was on our own, you and I cannot do. What I've been telling you about all this, you can't do on your own. You already know that. Right? You already know that we fail at this all the time, but we're not in it alone. Look at the second half of the verse. Look at it, rejoice in it because it says this, for it is God who works in you to will and act according to his purpose for you to become like Christ, right? He's not only given us his word in the church, but he has given him his self. You know, there's never been a time in my life that I've called upon God to help me do something that he hasn't helped me. The problem is I know these things and I think, I'm going to go out and do them. I pull up my spiritual bootstraps and I try to do them and I try to do them by myself. Do you know what I'm saying? And you don't say, Lord, I can't do this, but with you, all things are possible. I can do all things, not stuff a basketball hoop, right? You're not going to see me jump up and go, like, you know. I'm not called to do that, but I can love my wife. I can love you. I can listen to rebuke and change. I can hear correction and change because With Christ, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Yes, you are called to work, but the joy is, is God is working inside of you. Rejoice in this call. It's not a call that you're doing alone. Understanding and doing biblical teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness cannot be done by your natural strength. but by the promise supernatural of the Holy Spirit. This work is motivated and powered by the Holy Spirit and is not just a work of your flesh. Your efforts to be godly apart from the Holy Spirit are a losing proposition." I've tried that. I'll go out and be godly and do it without God. Maybe you don't have a clue what that is, but I do. I know how easy that is. You know, I gotta do this, but I don't say, Lord, you know how often I fail. Would you help me today? And there's never, ever been a time that I haven't received that help and grace. Let me leave you with this from 2 Corinthians 3, 17 and 18. Now the Lord is the spirit. And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we with all unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord are being transferred into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Our hope is not by doing these things naturally on our own. Working hard, but working with the Spirit, who, did you see, isn't instantaneously from one degree to another, we are made in the image of Christ. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord for his word that directs us in what is right, and what is not right, and how to get right, and how to stay right. And he's given us a body, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, to help us in this, But especially, he's given us himself, that I will never leave or forsake you. Jesus says, I can do all things, all these things, all biblical things to change through Christ who strengthens you and me. If I can be a help with you in this walk. Let me know. If you need your other brothers and sisters here to help you in that walk, let them know because that's what we're called to do and equipped to do because we have God's word that is profitable for these things, the stages and the steps of biblical change that we as His church would become like Christ. Let us pray. Father, I haven't just given a pep talk to your church and said, okay, now go out and do it. But to be reminded that you have called us, that our ultimate work is for you, and you can find joy in it as we come like Jesus. And even though it is hard, anything that is hard is, anything that's good is hard, but you not only called us for this work, but you've given us your word, you've given us the body of Christ, But most importantly, You've given us Yourself. May we desire to become like our Savior, and would You do that work in us because of Him. Amen.