Introduction – Making new year resolutions

Well, it's my privilege to kick start with you this series called, “Know Grow Go”. It’s the first sermon of the year and there's a lot of stress involved. But I promise that can only go uphill from here after. Okay? So, it's a start of the year and most people, like you and me, will probably have made their New Year's resolutions. For some, it's going to the gym more. For others, you probably want the chance to read the Bible from cover to cover; this is the year that you finally get to do it! For some, it's all about saving just a little bit more money. Whatever it is, resolutions are common.

Well, resolutions are not only for individuals. In fact, churches at the start of the year usually chart the course of the year. They do things like vision-casting, and outlining what they want to achieve for the year 2023. So, what are some common visions and goals that we usually see or hear in churches?

Well, as I scour the internet, some churches, they just have one word. For example, a church in Australia has the word for the year “Legacy”. So, in other words, for this year, it is all about leaving a mark, leaving a legacy here on earth. Then there are some churches who simply have a numeric goal in mind. For instance, for this year, they want to reach 1000 people for Jesus; they want to start 10 churches; they want to reach many different unreached groups of people. Others are a little bit more pragmatic for this year. They just want to start new ministries, have new developments and new outreaches to serve the Lord with. Now there's nothing wrong with all these platforms.

What is Gospel Light’s aim for 2023?

There's nothing wrong with charting the year ahead. But it begs the question: What is Gospel Light’s vision? What is Gospel Light’s aim for 2023? Do we have some grand or lofty project that we're looking forward to? Do we have Punggol Dream version 2.0? Is that something that's on the horizon for us? I'm proud to tell you that it's none of these things.

Instead, it is the burden of the shepherds, the burden of the church, to go back to the core Gospel fundamentals. To go back to the basics, as it were. Now, what does “going back to the basics” mean? It doesn't mean that we have to unlearn the things that we've learned. It doesn't mean that we're dumbing things down so that things are clear, because we have been a little bit more complicated over the years. Now, it doesn't mean that. Not at all. What it means is that we want to get the Gospel right. We want to get it drilled into our system, so that as we approach the coming year, we don't have to grope around to find our niche, to find out who we are. But we find out who we are in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Know – Grow - Go

So, this leads to the important question: What are the basics that we're talking about in Gospel Light Christian Church? It's quite simple, really. Our mission statement says we are to “Lead generations into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ”. In other words, it's all about leading people to the Lord Jesus Christ. To put it simply, it's all about knowing Jesus. After that, growing in Christ. And leading people to go for Christ. So, over the course of the next few weeks, we'll be embarking on what it means to “Know. Grow. Go.” You probably have seen [the poster] in our lifts. You probably have heard it preached and mentioned in our pulpit ministries. But most importantly, I want you guys - we want you guys to know what it absolutely means: To know Jesus, to grow in Jesus, and to go for Jesus.

So let me kick this off with the first thing. That is to “Know”. I must say that this is a really important topic to consider. Because I know that many of you in this room, perhaps all of you probably already know a lot about Jesus. But perhaps for some of you, you're new here. Very much welcome. You might have heard about Jesus through Easter, Christmas or through our various camps, through our outreach events, like Mid-Autumn carnivals. You know, that [Jesus] is a good guy, He is a good teacher, He is a force for good in the world - but you have not fully grasped what He came to accomplish. Hence, this morning, this topic is really for you.

This topic is for you to know Jesus for whom He is. For others, you might have been in church for years now. And you might have been…you might be a regular attendee of this church. But you can't seem to confidently say that, you know Jesus. You're here for the sake of being here. Perhaps you're dragged here, out of your own will. Maybe today, there is that curiosity in you. And after all these years, you want to figure out for yourselves whom the Lord Jesus is. And for most of you faithful followers of Jesus, while you've heard hundreds of sermons about this topic, you've read many books, I hope this will not just be a sermon among many others. I hope that this [sermon] will give you even more confidence on what the church really stands for; that we're not just all about creating programs, we're not just about being attractive and attractional. But we want people to know Jesus, to grow in Jesus and go for Jesus.

The relationship between knowing Jesus and understanding our place in the world.

So how do we go from here this morning? We'll be looking at Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In many ways, this is an interesting book. It's interesting because of how modern and similar it is to modern, 21^st-century Singapore. Like many of us, Paul writes to a group of people who were struggling to know Jesus. You see, Ephesus was not just a normal city, it was a really pagan city. It was well-known for a culture of witchcraft and sorcery. It's interesting when the Apostle Paul preached and many heard the Gospel in Ephesus, this is what [the Bible in Acts 19:19] says:

“A number of those who practiced magic arts brought and burned the books in the fire-”

So, it was a city where believing in Jesus was not the coolest thing in the world. There were lots of competition. You look to the left - you see pagan and emperor worship. You look to the right - there is full-blown Judaism. So, Paul wrote to a group of people who probably felt lost, let alone insignificant, in the light of the prevailing cultures and norms of Ephesus. I wonder if you feel the same way? Perhaps you're asking the same questions that they're asking: “What is my place in this big world with competing claims and ideas?” “How can I truly know Jesus?”

While we look at this passage, what's fascinating is Paul's description of [these conflicted Ephesian believers] throughout this book: That they are a group, immensely blessed in Christ. A group of people radically transformed by knowing Jesus. It's really all about that: That those who know Jesus experience the life-transforming power of the Gospel. In fact, it is not just a minor renovation [in their lives], it's a 180-degree transformation. Knowing Jesus, believing in Jesus makes all the difference.

So, join me as we unfold what Paul says in our passage this morning. So, we'll be asking ourselves three questions. Firstly, we're going to ask: “Why do we need to know Jesus? Why do we need to know Jesus?”. Secondly, “How can we know Jesus?” And thirdly, “What happens to us upon knowing Jesus?”

1. 1. Why Do We Need to Know Jesus?

So firstly, why do we need to know Jesus? We live in a world obsessed with filters.  We see that especially in social media. There's a filter for everything. People usually use filters for fun, sometimes to embellish or to beautify, to hide some pimple or acne. But outside social media, filters are also quite a commonplace thing. It factors in every modern-day common conversation. Politicians rely on filters. Figure-heads rely on filters to filter out controversial things, to pick and choose what the hearers actually want to hear. So, when we look at our passage, we have a deep sense of appreciation of what Paul is actually saying, because Paul is not being politically correct. He is not speaking in filters. He is not sugar-coating [or] mincing his words. In fact, he says it plainly and without reservation.

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This is what [Paul] says in [Ephesians 2] verses 1,2 and 3:

“And you are dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind, and we're by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

• a) Dead: God reckons every person dead in trespasses and sin

It's a long passage, but I just want to pick out three things that Paul uses to describe our human sinful condition. Firstly, Paul says that we are all dead. Here's what Paul has to say: “and you were dead in trespasses and sins”. Friends, here's the remarkable truth of every person in the world. We are all dead in trespasses and sin. That is plain and simple. Now, obviously, we're not speaking literally. We still breathe, we have bones, we have flesh. [Paul is] saying that without Jesus, without the Gospel, there is no life, no desire [for God], no purpose, nothing worthy, meritorious, nothing good in us that puts us in God's good graces. Friends, this is all encompassing. It's not just simply talking about the worst of the lot, the Hitlers and the Pol Pots of our generation. But it's talking about all of humanity.

If you really think hard about it, we find this offensive, don't we? Because deep down inside we feel that there’s at least some, there's some moral good done by someone, somewhere! Look at my neighbors, my friends, my coworkers! How can we say that they are “dead in sin”? Well, if you have that question, I want you to hold that [thought] because Paul kind of clarifies that later. But at this stage it is worth knowing the actual point that Paul is raising: All humanity is dead in sin. Paul is not saying that we're sick, we just need to find a cure to better ourselves in one way or another. It's more serious than that. Paul says, we're actually dead in our trespasses and sin. That's why the Gospel message is not at all about finding a cure, trying a little bit harder to get things right. But it's all about the Lord Jesus Christ doing it all. The problem is us. We are dead and unable to find life apart from Jesus. It's not that there's any ounce of goodness in us. It's not that there's any redeeming factor in what we do. It is the fact that apart from Jesus, even the most pious, most moralistic, most good-natured, the person who says “Hi” to you at work, the person who buys you lunch, dinner - apart from Jesus, everyone is dead.

• b) Dominated: By the World, the Devil and our Flesh

Well, not only that, here's the second description that Paul has. Paul goes on to say that all humanity is dominated by cruel masters, namely: the world, the devil, and the flesh. This is what he has to say in verses two to three [of Ephesians chapter 2]:

“…following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body, and the mind.”

There are three things that dominate us in this passage. Firstly, we're enslaved to the course of this world. The world is a master. Whatever the world says, we follow. Our behaviors or attitudes or conduct are influenced by the world, alien to God's standard of righteousness. And that is understandable because number two, we live in a world that's ruled by the “prince of the power of the air”. Can you see it? This is a world filled with evil, where God's values are lost, and evil wages war with God's people. As a matter of fact, it's a world where evil exists, and is worshiped. Just think of the widespread culture of witchcraft and sorcery in the context of Ephesians. This is a world that belongs to the devil. Well, it's not just the world and the devil that we're dominated by. But number three, we're enslaved to the flesh. We live for the passions of the flesh. It's not just talking about the desire of human autonomy and a desire to live independently. It's talking about life dictated by the flesh. In other words, living life, wanting to sin and straying away from anything that pleases God. This is a life dominated by desire. And it's really fascinating because we live in a world where freedom is a basic human right. But Paul takes it up, turns it over on its head and says, “Look, you guys, you may make your own choices, you may look like you're free, but you're not actually free. You're dead-on enslaved.” And friends, this is really the truth of all humanity.

We all yearn for freedom, but through the lens of God, in relation to God, we are all enslaved. This is what [Paul] says, we either follow God, or we follow the world, the devil and the flesh. We're enslaved and we're unable to resist whom we follow. We're like smokers stuck under the influence of nicotine. We're alcoholics under the influence of alcohol. We want to please God, but we're unable to because of where we stand against God. We're like puppets on a string. We think that we can make our own moral choices. But there are strings attached. And someone out there is calling the shots.

Now you might be sitting there and thinking to yourself, “Well, I don't think I fit the criteria that you're describing. I'm not a devil worshiper. I don't feel like I'm dead. I feel lively, alive! What does this [description of our being dominated by the world, devil and our flesh have] got to do with me?”

• c) Damned: We are objects of God’s righteous and holy wrath

Here's where the rubber meets the road for you. Here's why this really matters because Paul says thirdly, that we are damned. He says that we are “by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:3b). It means that we're worthy of receiving divine punishment because of our sin. Can you see it? This is the absolute truth that we need to learn today. We are objects of God's righteous wrath, not the passionate or vindictive kind of wrath that we experience, but the wrath that befits a holy and righteous God. God is angry at sin, and sin deserves punishment.

And as we conclude this point, it's worth taking a step back and asking yourself, “What's wrong with humanity?” Paul says that all humans do not stand on neutral ground. It's either in or out. There's nothing in between. All humans are dead, dominated and eventually, damned. No excuses. We 18:36 all have this sinful condition. Or what does it really mean for you sitting right there?

18:47 Mental Exercise: Assess the good, loving people in our lives through the lens of Scripture

Take a look at your family. Loving parents. Loving husband [and] wives. Obedient kids. But apart from Jesus - what does Paul say? They're all dead. Take a look. You can look at your friends. You love to hang out with them. They give you the best advice. You love to have company with them. But what does Paul say? Apart from the Lord Jesus? Dead. Colleagues. Co-workers. Lovely folks. “Dead” according to Paul. Now I'm not just pushing blame to others. Why don't you take a look at yourself? You're here but you find all this dull, and uninteresting. You have no desire, no interest, no life, but you're sitting here. Could it be that you're the person that Paul is describing? Dead? Well, if that's you, here's the million-dollar question: How then, can we know Jesus? How can we know Jesus? (Ephesians 2:4-7)

1. 2. How can we know Jesus?

This what Paul says. It is by grace through faith in Jesus in [Ephesians 2] verse 4 to 7. Look at this:

“…but God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace, you have been saved - and raised us up with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Can you hear it? We're saved by grace through faith in Jesus and such a thought is massively liberating, isn't it? Because all the while, our culture [and] education system tells us that we have got to earn it to keep it. You want to get an HDB? Well, you have got to work hard for it. Save up. You want to go to the elite school where you're going to study your socks off? You want a high paying salary, a high paying job? Well, you’ve got to show your worth. It's all about you. So, when Paul says it's all about grace, we are shocked and left dumb-founded.

What does the Bible truly say? That it's not about you… it's “grace”. It's a gift from God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. God has done it all. There's nothing you can ever do to earn it. And you know? What's the best news that this passage gives? It is that this is not for a select elite. Not for deserving few. But it's given to the worst of the lot. Undeserving sinners. All of us, you and me.

• a) John Newton – how he went from slave-trader to Christ-follower

Well, you might have heard of the song “Amazing Grace”. It's written by John Newton in December 1772. In many ways, it's a description of his personal conversion. You see, his father, [as John Newton was] growing up, was a slave trader, and he followed his father's footsteps. And likewise, he scoured all of Africa, inhumanely searching for slaves. He recalls that in one journey, he met with a fierce storm and it was there when John Newton cried out to God, “Have mercy on us!”. After a long battle with the storm, he came out alive. And he dedicated his life to following Jesus. He left the slave-trading business. He took up Greek and Hebrew, and ultimately he left and followed the Lord Jesus till he died.

It was late in his life, when he was asked if he could remember anything despite his ailing memory. Just one thing if he could remember. One thing. This is what he said, “That I am a great sinner. And Christ is a great Savior!” A slave-trader turned follower of Jesus. Friends, this is what Christianity is all about. That we are great sinners and Christ is a great Savior. Is this too good to be true? Well, not at all. Because “God being rich in mercy, because of His great love that He has lavished upon us, even when we're dead in trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ.” [Ephesians 2:4-5]

• b) Banking our entire trust in God’s saving grace given in Christ Jesus

How can you be saved? How can you truly know Jesus? Well, as the verses strongly tell us, “…we are only saved by grace through faith” [Ephesians 2:8] . We are saved by putting our faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus. And here's the awesome fact: None of us is too sinful, too dirty, too regrettable for God to save. The offer of salvation is available for anyone, regardless of race, regardless of economic status, background, social status, ethnicity. Why do we need to know Jesus? How can we know Jesus?

1. 3. What happens to us upon knowing Jesus? The ultimate union leading to deep life change.

Finally, we come to the third thing: What happens to us upon knowing Jesus? Our passage tells us that we are saved by grace through faith and this is by virtue of being united with Christ. In fact, we have been seeing that all throughout the passage. Take a look at these verses. Verse five [of Ephesians 2]: “God has made us alive together with Christ”. Verse six: “He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”. Verse seven: “…in the coming ages, He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.” Finally, verse ten: “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”

What happens when we know Jesus? Well, we are united with Him. Our position has changed because we have been united with Christ. We're no longer living for ourselves. We're inseparably, inextricably, in union with Jesus. As a matter of fact, what God has done in Jesus, for instance, in raising Him and seating Him in heavenly places, God does through us. And it's only through our union with Him that we can truly experience the life-transforming power of this Gospel. The Ephesian church has experienced it, and many, I believe, today have experienced it. So, what does this union with Christ offer? So what, if we are united with Him?

Well, Paul gives us three realities:

• a) Revived! We are made alive from being dead in sin.

Firstly, our union with Christ provides Life. We are revived. We are made alive with Christ. Listen to what Paul says in verse five [of Ephesians 2]: “…even when we were dead in our trespasses, God has made us alive together with Christ.” Paul describes the transformed life as being “alive” in Jesus. Remember? We were dead in sin. We were hopeless, no life, no passion, no desire [for God]. But now we are made alive in Christ. It is as if the light has been switched on. I'm not saying that we were once alive, then we died, and then we rose again. No! The point is that we were dead and we were made alive through our union with Jesus. We have been “quickened”. God has made life out of nothing. That by virtue of our being united with Christ, we are raised as Jesus was raised from the dead.

• b) Raised! We are seated in heavenly places, above the world, the devil and our flesh.

Secondly, we're not only revived, we are raised. I wonder if you can see that in verse six: “God has raised us with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Remember, remember Paul's words that we were always dominated by cruel masters like, the world, the devil and our flesh.

We'll look at the wonderful contrast that we see in this verse six. Instead of being enslaved, we're now seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This is what our union with Christ actually accomplishes. Total freedom from the powers of this age. It means that our position, our identity has changed - that we are no longer puppets, just controlled, blindly following what the world, the devil, the flesh commands - but we are able to obey, we're able to please Him. We're able to delight in His word, to actually sincerely do what God wills. [We have] totally new passions, new freedoms, new attitudes. And even more, the passage tells us that we're not just set free, but we're ushered into a glorious reality: We're seated with Him in the heavenly places. Enthroned with the Son, [we] will one day share in the glory of the Son.28:43 Can you see the big difference? Can you see how knowing Jesus makes all the difference in the world?

• c) Recreated! We are His workmanship, designed for good works.

Finally, having been revived and raised, Paul tells us that we are in one sense “recreated”. This is what it says [in Ephesians 2:8-10]: “For by grace, you have been saved through faith. This is not of your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God had prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Now Paul says that we are created for good works. To be clear, he's not saying that we were saved by good works, but we are created for good works. In other words, there is a purpose to our salvation where in one sense, [we are] recreated with totally new desires, totally new attitudes, totally new passions, to do good works for Jesus Christ.

Friends, it is no surprise that if you plant a mango tree, it will bear a mango fruit. That's exactly the picture here. Those who have been saved by Jesus will bear fruit for Jesus. That's what [Pastor Jason] always mentioned. Maybe you've heard it. Maybe you have not. Let me just say it: That our faith expresses itself from the inside out, because we have been saved by Jesus. We are moved and spurred to do good works for Him. Totally new passions, new desires, new attitudes, new life. I won't really touch on this much because this [notion of growing in Christ and doing good works in and for Him] will be explored in the coming weeks. But I'll leave this with you: That those who have experienced the grace of God must live holy and godly lives. Totally new life.

In conclusion

Let's summarize. What do we mean by “Know”? What do we mean by “knowing” Jesus? Firstly, we looked at the “Why”. Why do we need to know Jesus? Well, it's important because the Bible says that apart from Jesus, we are dead. Dead, dominated and damned!

Then we looked at the “How”. How can we know Jesus? Well, it's by acknowledging that salvation from sin only comes by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus. And it's completely devoid of our human contribution. [Salvation is granted] not because we help God, not through our human effort, but this is something that we cannot, we can never, ever achieve. It's all by God's grace being poured out in Jesus.

Then thirdly, we look at the “What”. What happens to us upon knowing Jesus? Well, according to Paul, we are united with Him and we are brought from death to life, from enslavement to freedom from damnation 31:52 to life, to recreated life with Him.

So let me conclude. Dead, dominated, damned. Revived, raised, recreated. There is no “in between”. No sitting on the fence. Either you are on one side or the other.

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Questions for personal reflection

If I asked you today: “Where do you stand?” What will your answer be? Are you dead? Or alive? Enslaved or freed? Is your ultimate destination damnation? Or the heavenly places? Where are you? Could it be that you're dead? Could it be that you have no desire, no passion for God? You go through the motions. In fact, you're here because your family is here but deep down inside, 33:00 you don't want to be here. Christianity is boring. I'm here because it's fun. Deep down inside, you're just going through the motions.

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In fact, this is really scary because some of you know a lot about Jesus. You've heard hundreds of sermons, read thousands of books. You've said “The Sinner’s Prayer”.  You can actually confidently say to yourself, that you're not as sinful as the person sitting next to you. Now I’m not poking holes at your faith – that’s for Scripture to do. But if that is you, could it be that there was no Life [in you] to begin with? Could it be that you're what Paul describes? Dead? You see the church. Lively as it is. Bustling with activity. People engaged in spiritual conversations. The church can be the biggest graveyard that you'll ever see. Where are you? Dead, damned, dominated? Made alive, freed, recreated?

If that's you, this is what Paul says: “…that God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we're dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”(Ephesians 2:4)

There it is. This is our prayer for all of you. If that is you, then you can experience life anew because of what Jesus has done. You can experience true delight in His Word. You can experience true delight in in loving God's community all because of what Jesus has accomplished. You can actually please Him instead of try trying and failing, and trying and failing. You can please Him, all because God has done it all. If that's you, would you take God at His Word? That on the cross, He paid the punishment for your sins - punishment that we so deserve - achieving for us what we could never achieve for ourselves. It's not too late. You're not too sinful. Come. Believe. Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus.

Now, I believe for some of you here, you're still seeking the Truth. And that's absolutely all right. You're here. You're considering Christianity and you want a little bit more. Why not explore Christianity further? Consider joining a “New Believers” class or “New Seekers” class - where people are there to engage with you, and to help you in your pursuit of truth. Consider reading the Bible with people. Perhaps a friend or family member? Join a [Care Group] where there's a group or community [of] Bible-loving, God-minded believers to help you in your journey of faith. Talk to our befrienders, or ushers, or pastors, or leaders, or deacons. Write in to us. All in all, what we just want you to do is to give Christianity a try before forming your own conclusions on what Christianity is, and what Christians are.

Now, I want to speak to you, my church family. We are reminded that salvation is not through our own doing so that no one may boast. We are saved so that we don't get the glory. But God ultimately gets [the glory]. That's why there's zero contribution on our part. That's why we can never contribute to our salvation. I sincerely hope that this Truth humbles you. I hope that this Truth drives you to the feet of the Lord Jesus, in thanksgiving and humility. You see, true eternal Life is not up to us. It's all because God the Father, through the Son by the Spirit has made it possible for us. It's not because we were more privileged to be born in a Christian family, not because [at] the point of my salvation the speaker was really eloquent, not because the stars aligned, the conditions were in place… All because salvation belongs to the Lord. God did it all.  Therefore, we have no room for boasting, but mere humbled thanksgiving, to our Savior and King.

The heart of service: bringing people to a saving knowledge of Jesus

I know most of you are serving in many ways. And perhaps in many capacities. In fact, I urge you to see that [serving] is a really important thing. It's all about bringing people to the knowledge of Jesus. And to see that what you're doing, in your ministries, in your areas of service, [is] so crucial. [Our areas of service are] so important in bringing people to the Lord, since salvation belongs to God. Since there's nothing we can do about it - shouldn't we [serve]? How much more we, as a people, participate and involve ourselves in bringing people to the knowledge of Jesus? And this is why I myself, have been personally so encouraged by all of you [who], in one way or another, directly or indirectly, have brought people to the Lord Jesus, by your tireless sacrifice, week in and week out. The [Care Group] prep you do - every week. The Children's Ministry preparation that you painstakingly work for, for weeks. Showing up to chop meat and vegetables. Showing up just to tell people where to park. Telling people, telling [the] rebellious Gospeliters where to sit. What for? Well, all because people need to hear the Gospel. People need to know Jesus. So that people can have the chance to know Jesus.

I love that so much about you. And I hope that as we take fresh steps together at start of the year, that this [self-sacrificing service] will continue. That in whatever we do - that you know, [the] tireless service and commitment - we do so that people get the chance to hear [and] to know Jesus. I hope the grace of God, moving forward, will continue to spur us into leading generations into a life-changing relationship with Him, so that in Gospel Light, we're not just a church that has a nice building, lots of friendly folks, engaging ministries, [but that] there were people actively leading people to the feet of the Lord Jesus -  so that we will help them to know Him, to grow in Him, and to go for Him.

Let's pray.

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The Bible says we're dead, damned and dominated. We are alienated and unable to resist the urge to follow this world, and its standards and its passions. But God being rich in mercy, have loved us even in our trespasses. Though we are totally undeserving - people who do not deserve to be given life - God in His grace has lavished upon us in Jesus Christ, such that today we can be radically transformed. You can receive life anew. 41:28

Many of you are here and you do not know Jesus. I hope that this [teaching] will come and help you realize your sinful state. That you're absolutely hopeless. That you would turn to Him. Put your faith in Him.

For those of you who are seeking. You're on the fence about what Christianity is all about. You're on the fence about whom is [this] Jesus that I'm talking about is. 42:09 Well, I hope this [teaching] will help bring you a step closer to find confidence in the Truth with the Lord Jesus; what He came to do, and what He came to accomplish. To help them, to help you see the wonderful grace of Jesus in the Gospel.

For all of us, I pray that this [teaching] will drive us to the feet of the Lord Jesus. Not in boastfulness. Not in pride. Not in saying that we have done it all, but in humility and thanksgiving, acknowledging that salvation belongs to the Lord. And in turn, we pray that for each one of us here, that we will know Jesus. And through our faithful service and commitment to Him, will bring people to this knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, Father, be with us even as we consider Your words. Thankful that in the cross, we have been loved, we have been lavished with grace, such that today we can live radically new lives transformed for the Gospel. We pray for many here who do not know You. Pray that they will see You for who You are. Pray that the sessions this week, in the coming weeks, will give them further clarity on their place 43:43 in this big, wide world. Pray most importantly for all of us, they will never get tired of knowing Jesus. Jesus will be the Start and the Finish of our lives. All this we pray in the name of Your Son, Lord Jesus. Amen!