You are invited to shift your perspective from fear to faith, recognizing that your value is fully restored in Christ. Start by letting that love drive you to see others not as failures, but as precious children of God who need to know His healing power. Embrace this new identity today and let it change how you interact with everyone you meet.
What is up, Real Church? Pastor David John Phillips here. Thank you for taking the time to tune in to this podcast. We're in the middle of a series titled All Things New. Jesus died and rose again in order to make all things new in your life, to put his life in you.
I know if you lean in for this message, you are going to gain a new perspective on some things. So get ready. Here we go. All things new. Alright.
So, we are in a series titled All Things New. Really, it started in on Easter service. Right? Jesus died and rose again. Because of his resurrection, many around the city that day were raised to new life.
We saw that they they literally got up out of the graves and went into the city. Jesus' *resurrection* raises others to new life. Amen? So let's just dive into scripture. I've had this chapter on my heart in when I was thinking about preaching this message, and so we're just gonna go there.
We're gonna go to 2 Corinthians-5, and we're gonna start in verse 14. It says, for Christ's love compels us. Now, I don't know about you, but when I read scripture, I love I read it in context, obviously. It's important to read in context, and it's important to understand each phrase in context, and it's important to understand each phrase. This phrase, for Christ's love compels us.
The word compels is to "drive forward", to drive forward forcibly. If you've been born again, then you have the love of the Father inside of you driving you forward in your newness in Him. Being shifted in such a way, understanding that Jesus didn't just die and rise again so that you could be *forgiven* and make it to heaven 1 day. That's part of it for sure. But, he didn't just die and rise again so you could be forgiven and make it to heaven 1 day, go to church every now and then, open the Bible every now and then, say a prayer every now and then, and feel good about yourself.
He died to restore and rose again to restore your value. He died and and rose again to restore restore your your created created value. Value. *Sin* marred you. Sin shifted the way that you related to your heavenly Father.
Spiritually, you're unrecognizable because of sin. But, Jesus who died on a cross, was unrecognizable in your place, so that you could be recognized once again as a son or a daughter of the Father. That's a big deal. Jesus died and rose again, yes, to forgive you. Yes, so that you can spend eternity with the Father.
Why? Because your value has been restored. You are a son or daughter of the king, righteous and holy, not because of what you did, but because of what Jesus did. Because of his goodness credited to your account. All things made new.
He died and rose again to make you new. So what does this new life look like? I wanna show you a good understanding or a good place to understand what a new Christian life looks like or what it looks like to walk in the newness of life day in and day out, is to read the book of Acts. Have you ever read the book of Acts? Have you really really sat down and read it?
I would encourage you, if you haven't in a while, or even if you have, go back and read it again over the next couple of weeks. And, don't just read it as a book of stories that happened 2000 years ago, but read it as an example. This is what it looks like to have the new life of Christ inside of me, empowering me to walk it out. To really receive the love of the father in such a way that it changes me from the inside out, and teaches me, and empowers me to express it to everyone around me. In *Acts-5* and verse 12, It says, the apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people.
Now, just stopping right there. A lot of people say, well, okay, that's the apostles. Like, that was 2000 years ago. That's a whole another time. But, when I read my Bible in Mark, it says, these signs will follow those that believe.
It doesn't say, these signs will follow the apostles. It says, these signs will follow those that believe. Now, we see in a group of people where these signs are following. Why? Because they're apostles?
No. Because they believe. *Lord*, help my life to be 1 that expresses such a belief in you that it causes people to see it and say, wow, Jesus. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's colonnade. Now, is like the beginning of the church and they understood the importance of meeting together.
Why? Because by meeting together, you're connecting with the body of Christ. And they understood that to not meet together was to not to connect with the body of Christ, which meant you're not connected to the head. And if you're not connected to the head, you're gonna dry up and die. It's very very important to stay connected to Christ and to stay connected to his body.
Amen? Yes. It says, no 1 else dared joy them join them even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. That's interesting.
People on the outside, it says, didn't dare join them. They were highly regarded. They were revered. Why? Because they knew God was with them, but yet, they people were still added to their number daily.
Why? That means the church wasn't waiting for others to come and see, but the church was going out and being the love of Christ in the community and bringing them in. That's why they were being added to their number daily. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets. As a result.
As a result of what? As a result of the church understanding the newness of life that was in them, and expressing the newness of life to the world around them. As a result of that, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats, so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits real. And, all of them were healed.
Everybody say, all. All. Wow. All of them were healed. Not some of them.
All of them. Let that break some of the religious boxes that you have in your mind about what it looks like to follow Jesus. May my life be so on fire for Christ, and my doubt be so undone by belief in him, that people who hang out with me, even being in my shadow, are such so miraculously changed that spiritually, emotionally, and physically, they are healed and move forward in Christ Jesus. Is that your prayer? What would it look like if if your life so expressed the love of Jesus that people who just hung out with you, their lives were forever changed?
It would look like Christianity. Amen? I like to take my daughters on daddy daughter dates. I just do. I take my son on guy time and I take my daughters on daddy daughter dates individually.
Sometimes together, but a lot of times individually. And, there's a reason for that. Because, I know how important it is for me to spend individual time with my heavenly Father. I just do. It's vital.
And, if that's how I receive my the love from my Heavenly Father, that's 1 of the ways. We spend time corporately with Him, but I have to get alone with Him too. And, if that's how I receive love for Him, then I know I'm probably supposed to love my kids in the same way, so that they can have a pretty clear picture of the heavenly father's love at least as a kid from me. So, I spend 1 on 1 time with my son, we call it guy time, and I spend daddy daughter time with my 2 girls, Selah and Eden, soon to be 3 girls. So, I took Eden to Walmart on Thursday, and we went and we bought these.
And, I had an idea. God had put something on my heart Thursday morning to do and it just wouldn't go away. And, I knew it was him because it was out of my comfort zone a little bit and something that would express his love to the world around me. And so, because it wouldn't go away, it's like my heavenly father was annoying me in the best of ways. And usually, it's out of your comfort zone and it's something you don't normally do, then you probably should just obey and go do it because he wants to express his love through you to the world around you.
So, I used it as an opportunity to do a daddy daughter date. I took my girl my Eden Rose, and we went and bought a couple of these and bought some Sharpie markers. And then, course, I got her a toy too. I got her some silly putty. We came home.
And then, we worked on some signs. Jesus loves you and prayer works. Can I pray for you? Amen. Yeah?
And so then after that, I took Selah on her daddy daughter date. And we went to Clearwater Beach, and we stood on the corner, Clearwater Beach and she held this sign most of the time and I held this sign most of the time. And, as people walked by, had multiple reactions. Some people were like, meh. When God's trying to show his love to you, don't go meh.
Yeah. Some people will walk, say, oh man, cool. And and I would just say, hey, can I pray for you? And they'd say, sure. And they'd stop and me and Selah would would pray for them, which is awesome.
1 of them that stopped, we were praying for them and a whole another family sat on a a wall right across the sidewalk over here. And I noticed it, and we we finished praying for these 2 girls who were friends, and as they walked away, the father got up, it's probably early forties, got up and walked over and he said, in a very thick Russian accent, I think it was Yugoslavian. He said, you can pray for me. And I said, okay. I said, do you know Jesus?
He said, I'm trying to. I said, are you born again? He said, no. I shared the gospel with him in 30 seconds and he gave his life to Jesus right there. You know, he was the reason that *God* put on my heart.
He was the main there was a multiple other reasons. God works all things together for good. Right? He was the reason that God put on my heart that morning to go out there. And, our laying our self down to obey him is how he shows his love through us to the world around us in little things.
Now, that's not even that's that's the best part of the story, but it gets it just keeps getting better. So, we get done praying, 2 grown men holding hands in the middle of downtown Clearwater, St. Louis sitting standing right there. And his wife walks up. And his wife come to find out, is a believer in Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, loves God.
I said, man, you've been praying for your husband a whole long a long time, haven't you? She said, yes. Yes, I have. I said, do you realize he's born again right now, today, and that he is what happened today is a product of your prayers? Tears fill her eyes.
I said, you you realize I, in many ways, was a terrible husband the first 5 years of my marriage, and I am a product of my wife's prayers just like he is a product of yours. And now, I'm a pastor? Not saying he's gonna be a pastor 1 day, but what I am saying is, your prayers mattered in such a way that his life was transformed and changed. And I looked at him, I said, Zorin? Because that was his name.
I said, Zorin, you are called to be the spiritual leader of your home. She's been leading spiritually. You, as a baby, need to learn from her until you can take over and lead her. They turned around. As they began to walk away, his 12 year old son ran up to me seeing everything that happened to his daddy and gave me $20.
He said, would you give this to your church? You know why? Because he saw God working in his family and "where your treasure is", your heart is also and his heart's with God. He wasn't giving it to me, he was giving it to God. I got to pray for him, bless him, prophecy over his life, which is awesome.
You know what? The dad learning from his son turned around, brand new little baby believer, saw his son, got $20 out of his pocket and Kate, would you give this to your church? That's how you know their hearts changed because where your treasure is, your heart is also. Their hearts now with God. Ain't that cool?
That is beyond cool. It's amazing. It's Christianity. It's Christianity. Now, I'm gonna put this in the giving box second service because I'm gonna share the same story.
But, we are called to receive his love and to express his love. It goes on, verse 17, then the high priest and all his associates who were members of the party of the Sadducees were filled with jealousy. They knew a form of godliness but denied the power thereof. They had religion. When I was talking about healing and everything, if you got a little uncomfortable, let that box break.
Otherwise, you'll be sad, you see. You'll be filled with jealousy when God really does start moving and you'll hate them and persecute them and kill those people just like they were Jesus was killed by those people. Don't be a religious Pharisee. Read the book of Acts, believe it for what it says and walk in it. Yeah?
Alright. They arrested the apostles, put them in public jail. Were they free? Doesn't look like they were free. You know, you realize your freedom is not defined by what other people say about you?
Your freedom is not defined by the government? Your freedom is not defined by what your friends say? Your freedom is defined by what Jesus said? And, he says, he who the son sets free is free indeed. Nobody can ever take your freedom, you can always share the gospel.
*Come* hell or high water, come life or death, you can always share it. The only thing that that prevents you from walking in that freedom is yourself. But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, go stand in the temple courts, he said, and tell the people about this new life. This new life. What new life?
The new life that we have in Christ Jesus. What is this new life? Let's go back to 2 Corinthians-5:16. From now on, therefore, we regard no 1 according to the flesh. NIV says, from now on, we look at no 1 from a **worldly point of view**.
I like that version better in this verse. It's a little it's a little more under it helps me to understand a little bit more. From now on, we regard no 1 from a worldly point of view. We don't look at anyone from a worldly perspective. How do you have we need a mindset shift, like, we need a worldview shift.
Regard no 1, how do you have that worldview shift? How do you start that worldview shift? It can't come by effort. You know how you start it? Easter, Jesus died and resurrected to new life.
And because of that resurrection, you can have that new life, so you need to be resurrected to new life. You know how you're resurrected? You can't be resurrected unless you die. You gotta die. Don't look at me funny.
It's truth. You gotta die. That's the only way to have the new life of Christ is you have to die. *John-12:24-25* says, unless a "kernel of wheat" fall to the ground, it remains a single seed. But, as soon as it dies, it becomes multiple seeds.
He who loves his life will lose it and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. *Luke-9:23* and 24. If you want to follow me, you must deny yourself. Pick up your cross daily and follow me. He who loves his life will lose it and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
You gotta die. *Galatians-2:20*, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who Live. Live. You gotta die.
Let me ask you this. *Romans-5:8* says, while we were still dead, *Christ or while we were still dead in our sins*, Christ died for us. While we're still sinners, Christ died for us. How many of you guys believe? Raise your hand if you believe that Christ died for you.
You believe Christ died for you? So you believe Christ died? Yes. Do you feel like he died? No.
You don't believe he died because you feel like he died. No. You believe he died because scripture says he died. And because scripture says he died, you know it to be true, so you believe it. Right?
The thieves on the cross beside Jesus, the 2 people on the cross beside, did they die? Do you feel like they died? No. You believe that they died because scripture said they died. That's truth.
You understand? How is it any different with yourself? *Romans-6:6*. Can we bring that up real quick? Romans-6 verse 6.
We know that our old self was crucified, was, past tense, with Him, in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we should no longer be enslaved to sin. Go to verse 8. *Romans-6:8*, Now, if we have died with Christ. In Christ we have died with Christ. How is that possible?
I don't feel dead. *Christ* says, my old self is dead in him. When did that happen? It's pretty cool. Roman adoption.
The Romans were in charge at this time. And, a lot of times when Paul's writing, he's he's writing in such a way that the culture of the time would understand. And, Roman adoption has this very characteristic about it. 1 of the things about Roman adoptions is this, in Roman law, the old life of an adopted person was completely wiped out. For instance, all legally, all debts were cancelled.
They were wiped out as though they had never been. The adopted person was regarded as a new person entering into a new life with which his old past had nothing to do. Old past had nothing to do with it. New family. Therefore, the history of his new family was his history.
Yep. So good. Therefore, the history of Christ, you are in Christ now, adopted as a son or a daughter of Christ Jesus because you have been born again. Therefore, the history of Christ is your history, and the future of Christ is your future. What was credited to Christ because of what He did is now credited to your account because you are in Him.
You see this book? You see this paper? Separate entities. Now, I put this paper in the book. Let's pretend I bind it in there, I glue it, it's in the book now.
Do you see the paper? You don't. As a matter of fact, the paper's "lost in the book". So now, when you think about the history of this entity together, do you think about the history of the paper or the history of the book? The paper's lost in the book.
The history of the book is now the history of the paper because it's in there. You can't it's just a part of it. When I mail the book away, where's the paper go? Why? Because the paper's in the book.
The future of the book is the future of the paper because the paper is found in the book. You are in Christ. His future is yours. His history is yours. You have been crucified with Christ because he bore you in himself on the cross.
Therefore, you are dead to all of the things that you struggle with. Anyone who has died, Romans-6:7, has been set free from sin. I'm not a heretic, that's in Scripture. For 1 who has died has been set free from Sin. You don't believe me yet.
For 1 who has died has been set free from Sin. Okay. So when you look down and you see the chains around your feet because you feel that, that isn't the truth. The truth is you're set free from that. Put your eyes back on Christ Jesus, look down again and realize that by his blood those chains are broken.
You can step out of those and you can move forward because that does not define you. Christ's death and resurrection define you. His life defines you. That is who you are. Quit defining yourself by your past because you are not your past anymore.
Amen. Corinthians-5:16. From now on, we regard no 1 according to the flesh. Or, from now on, we look at no 1 from a worldly point of view. From what on?
Go to 5 14 and 15. For the love of Christ controls us or compels us, NIV, because we have concluded this, that 1 died for all, therefore all died. 15. And he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, from what on?
From the from the understanding that the old me is dead, I'm no longer I don't have to be sexually immoral any longer. I don't have to be a homosexual any longer. I don't have to be a drug addict any longer. I don't have to be whatever struggle or sin that you used to struggle with was. That is not your identity.
You're dead to that, and you are who Christ says that you are. Period. So from now on, we have to shift our worldview, our mindset towards everything and everyone because we've been resurrected and his new life is in us. So what is the worldview we should have now towards everything? Because from now on, we are to look at no 1 from a worldly point of view.
No 1. We used to have a worldly point of view when it came to God. We used to have a worldly point of view when it came to God the Son, Jesus Christ. Many of us looked at Him as just a fictional character. That's a crutch for people that they need.
Many of us looked at him as a a real person who died and lived a good life, but means nothing for me today. He's just a way to God. What a lie. Many of us looked at him as who he is who he says he is in the Bible. He's God.
And, I can pray a prayer when I need something, but just keep doing what I want because he's like my personal candy machine, and whenever I need a fix, I go to him. What a lie. How should we see him? He's my Lord. He's my Savior.
He's my friend. He's my God. He loves me. He died for me and rose again and gives me his life. He restored my value and gave me access to the heavenly father.
I follow him at the cost of myself and it's worth it. Amen? Amen. We used to look at God the father from a worldly perspective. He doesn't exist.
He's just a power or force that's impersonal. He's the same God as every other religion. It's all 1 way. What a lie. He's a mean God who's playing puppeteer with people's lives and can't wait to smack those he doesn't like or those who don't do what he wants.
Ever looked at it in that way? How should we see him? We should understand that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father in bodily form. Therefore, God the Father loves us enough to die for us. The Father is love.
The Father wants to heal my diseases and set me free. He wants a relationship with me and wants to help me live out all that He created me to be. The Father wants to pick me up when I fall down, as I walk forward in Him. I can run to Him when I sin, instead of run from him because of Jesus, because of what Jesus did for me. I don't have to have shame anymore.
He placed his nature in me. I am confidently his son and can walk into my heavenly father's presence with no fear or guilt. He chose me. Therefore, I choose him. *Holy Spirit*.
We used to look at him from a worldly perspective. He doesn't exist. He's weird. He's scary. He's an impersonal force or whatever else you used to say about the Holy Spirit.
How should we see Him? Through the kingdom perspective. No longer. We look at no 1, not even the Holy Spirit from a worldly perspective. He's alive and He's in me.
He comforts me and He tells me what the Father is thinking. He gives life to my body. He empowers me to live out all the Father has planned for me. He guides me into all truth and tells me things yet to come. He manifests his presence daily in and through my life.
He makes dead things live and sick things well. He is a person who gives me supernatural gifts to show the love of the Father to myself and to others. He wants me to experience more of him and he empowers me to share in everything he has shared with me with the world around me. He empowers me to share everything he has shared with me to and with the world around me. He wants me to "shine for him".
Amen? So, once we shift our understanding of who God is, and our perspective shifts to see the heavenly Father who for who he really is, see Jesus for who he really is, to see the Holy Spirit for who he really is, then we can see ourself for who he says that we are. Now, we can love others in the way that we're loved by God. Because we're supposed to love others as we love ourselves. Right?
Used to, we judged others in the way that we judged ourselves or even worse. Now, we see ourselves clearly, so we don't have to prove ourselves anymore to everybody else. We can see them for who God created them to be. Amen? We used to look at others through worldly perspective too.
We used to judge their value by what they could do for us or how they made us feel. But, what we've seen them accomplish or fail at, we used to judge them by what we see. They're worthless or they're worth more than me. They're depressed or they're more joyful than I am. Judge them by ourselves.
They're a failure or they're more of a success than I am. They're all alone. They're a terrible dad. They're self made success. They're better or worse than me.
But, we have to see them for what God says about them. They are created by God, so they are precious to him. They need to know how much they're loved by God. Like Jesus forgave me, I can forgive them because I know that they if they're messing up, they don't know what they're doing. They don't know the love of the father.
Jesus paid the price to restore their value and they don't even know it yet. I need to show them. Them trying to hurt me is coming from hurt within them. It's showing their need to know God. I don't have to be hurt by them, can hurt for them and point them to Jesus who can heal their pain.
The people around me either need to know *God* or they do know him and I'm put here to be the express love of God to them. I'm put here to shine. If I know who I am in *Christ* then I can know who others were created to be and I can speak to them from that place of love. I don't think I went through how we used to look at ourselves. But, because of him, I'm valuable.
Because of him, I'm loved. Because of him, I'm in Christ. Because of him, I'm in right standing with God. Because of him, I'm forgiven. Because of him, I'm healed.
Because of him, I'm blessed. Because of him, I'm not alone. Somebody needs to hear that. Because of him, I'm never alone. No matter what I feel.
Because of him, I'm new, I'm holy, and I'm in him. Not because of me, but because of him. Amen? Amen. New perspective, a worldview shift because we have been made new in him and through him, and we can continue to walk out that newness.
Amen? Thank you for for tuning in today to the Real Church podcast. I pray that you walk away from today encouraged with a deeper understanding of how much God loves you. If you'd like to connect with us, we can't wait to reach out to you and pray for you. You can go to www.realchurch.us/connect.
And then also, if you would like to give to what "God is doing" in and "through our ministry", you can do so at www.realchurch.us/giving, or you can text any amount to 84321, and then just search in the link that comes up. Search for Real Church Lord. "God bless you", and the "best is yet to come".
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Transcribed with Deepgram