What is the Gospel?What is the Gospel?

The Gospel is the story of a God who The Gospel is the story of a God who comes down and lives out His comes down and lives out His perfection in humanity.perfection in humanity.

The goal of the Gospel is The goal of the Gospel is transforming me into His image.transforming me into His image.

The process of transformation is my The process of transformation is my beholding Him.beholding Him.

This is the purpose of life—being This is the purpose of life—being transformed into His image. transformed into His image.

When When happiness happiness is my goal, is my goal, pain pain is is my enemy.my enemy.

When When holiness holiness is my goal, is my goal, sin sin is my is my enemy.enemy.

““When relief of the inevitable When relief of the inevitable pain of living in a fallen world pain of living in a fallen world becomes our priority, at that becomes our priority, at that moment we leave the path moment we leave the path toward pursuing God.” toward pursuing God.” Inside Inside Out, Out, p. 79p. 79

““The choice before us is rather The choice before us is rather stark: either live to be stark: either live to be comfortable…or live to know comfortable…or live to know God. We can’t have it both God. We can’t have it both ways. One choice excludes the ways. One choice excludes the other.” other.” Inside OutInside Out, p. 99, p. 99

““We change our behavior when We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain becomes greater than the pain of changing.” of changing.” Boundaries with Boundaries with Kids, Kids, p. 72p. 72

Sins committed against usSins committed against us Sins we commitSins we commit The results of living in a sinful The results of living in a sinful

worldworld

We evaluate our priorities by We evaluate our priorities by comparing them to God’s.comparing them to God’s.

We seek to shift our priorities to We seek to shift our priorities to match God’s, instead of excusing match God’s, instead of excusing ours or attempting to dismiss His.ours or attempting to dismiss His.

““At the bottom of a broken marriage, a At the bottom of a broken marriage, a shattered family, or a forsaken shattered family, or a forsaken friendship you will always find stolen friendship you will always find stolen glory. We crave glory that does not glory. We crave glory that does not belong to us, and we step on one belong to us, and we step on one another to get it. Rather than glorifying another to get it. Rather than glorifying God by using the things he has given us God by using the things he has given us to love other people, we use people to to love other people, we use people to get the glory we love. Sin causes us to get the glory we love. Sin causes us to steal the story and rewrite it with steal the story and rewrite it with ourselves as the lead, and with our lives ourselves as the lead, and with our lives at center stage.” at center stage.” Instruments in the Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Redeemer’s Hands, p. 35p. 35

““Every day, in some way, we buy the Every day, in some way, we buy the lies of autonomy and self-sufficiency, lies of autonomy and self-sufficiency, worshiping the creation rather than worshiping the creation rather than its Creator.” its Creator.” Instruments in the Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Redeemer’s Hands, p. 27p. 27

““Sin is the ultimate disease, the grand Sin is the ultimate disease, the grand psychosis…Rebellion is the inborn psychosis…Rebellion is the inborn tendency to give in to the lies of tendency to give in to the lies of autonomy, self-sufficiency, and self-autonomy, self-sufficiency, and self-focus.”focus.” ““I have the right to do what I want.” I have the right to do what I want.” ““I don’t need to depend on or submit to I don’t need to depend on or submit to

anyone—I am all I need, myself.”anyone—I am all I need, myself.” ““I am the center of my world—I’ll do I am the center of my world—I’ll do

whatever brings me happiness.” whatever brings me happiness.” IInstruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, nstruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, p. 14p. 14

““Independence, self-sufficiency, and self-Independence, self-sufficiency, and self-absorption lead us to think of ourselves absorption lead us to think of ourselves first and to climb over the fences between first and to climb over the fences between ourselves and our desires. We want control ourselves and our desires. We want control and hate being controlled. We want to make and hate being controlled. We want to make up the rules and change them whenever it up the rules and change them whenever it suits us. Essentially we want to be God, suits us. Essentially we want to be God, ruling our worlds according to our own will. ruling our worlds according to our own will. No matter what else we are rebelling No matter what else we are rebelling against, our rebellion is ultimately directed against, our rebellion is ultimately directed at God.”at God.”Instruments in the Redeemer’s Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Hands, p. 14p. 14

““The fool says in his heart, ‘There is The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Psalm 14:1no God.’” Psalm 14:1

““Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols.” to the multitude of his idols.”

An idol of the heart is anything that An idol of the heart is anything that rules me other than God.rules me other than God.

Uprooting idols is not an event—it is Uprooting idols is not an event—it is a process. a process.

Idols are uprooted one by one as we Idols are uprooted one by one as we behold behold God and compare our lives to God and compare our lives to HisHis..

This is how we are changed into This is how we are changed into God’s image!God’s image!

Evaluate prayerfully.Evaluate prayerfully. Make a list of what your heart Make a list of what your heart

hungers after.hungers after. Where do you turn when you are Where do you turn when you are down?down?

What craving drives you to What craving drives you to destructive thoughts and/or destructive thoughts and/or behaviors?behaviors?

What motivates you to spend What motivates you to spend your time the way you do?your time the way you do?

Prayerfully evaluate how the God Prayerfully evaluate how the God you worship is different than the you worship is different than the God of the Bible.God of the Bible. What did you long for as a child What did you long for as a child and not have?and not have?

What do you instinctively seek What do you instinctively seek when you are down?when you are down?

What does your heart ache for?What does your heart ache for? How does God promise to satisfy How does God promise to satisfy your heart longings?your heart longings?

““Whatever rules the heart will Whatever rules the heart will exercise inescapable influence over exercise inescapable influence over the person’s life and behavior.” the person’s life and behavior.” Instruments in the Redeemer’s Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Hands, p. 68p. 68

““Sin is much more than doing the Sin is much more than doing the wrong thing. It begins with loving, wrong thing. It begins with loving, worshiping, and serving the wrong worshiping, and serving the wrong thing.” thing.” Instruments in the Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Redeemer’s Hands, p. 67p. 67

““The deepest issues of the human The deepest issues of the human struggle are not issues of pain and struggle are not issues of pain and suffering, but the issue of worship, suffering, but the issue of worship, because what rules our hearts will because what rules our hearts will control the way we respond to both control the way we respond to both suffering and blessing.” suffering and blessing.” Instruments Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, in the Redeemer’s Hands, p. 71p. 71

““Keep thy heart with all diligence; Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23Proverbs 4:23