Speaker: Nathan Guy

The dictionary defines “metamorphosis” as “a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.” Did you hear what that phrase could mean: “a change of the nature of a person into a completely different person, by supernatural means.”

Jesus speaks harshly about traditions over people, then he offers healing to outsiders. Finally, he offers a “double touch healing” to make a point for the disciples…and for us. Mark 7 & 8.

Christianity has been around a long time, and we have had every chance to tell the story differently. We could have removed the cross and talked about a good man who taught pleasant things intended to help us think better thoughts about ourselves and others. But Christians have always–and continue–to preach Christ crucified. What appeared to be the world’s greatest tragedy was, in fact, our salvation. So…why is the cross good news?

It was St. Athanasius who said the cross was the only form of death he knew where you did with arms outstretched. See the cross as the story of a God who looks at you as he stretches his arms upon the cross and declares, “Want to know how much I love you? I love you this much!”

Who provides your bread? In Mark chapter 6, Mark tells us that sometimes God provides enough bread to last the day, sometimes he provides more than enough, and sometimes he calls upon you to be bread for the world. But in all things, God sees your plight, runs to you, and reveals his glory. Will we forget about the bread?

The Holy Spirit will glorify us when we appear with Christ in “glory” (Col 3:4), as Christ is glorified in his holy people, as all things are ushered into the glory of the sons of God (Romans 8). But what does it mean for the Spirit to be a present sign and seal of our future glory? The final installment in our series “this present strength.”

If God believes in goodness, kindness, generosity, and peace, then he must hate evil, stinginess, mean-spiritedness, oppression, and animosity. You can’t be for something without being against its opposite. A God who could care less about sin, evil, and corruption is no God at all—powerless against darkness—and can never be trusted to mold us into people after His image. How could he be a God who makes righteous judgments if he allows unrighteousness to flourish?

In short, if there is a God—who truly loves us—he must not only be generous and kind; he must also be a consuming fire.

Sin is a master. It isn’t just an infection; it’s a disease. Romans 8 says whatever we yield our bodies to is our master. So don’t yield your bodies to sin. Instead, yield them to God’s Holy Spirit. Why? We know why. Because the Spirit represents abundance. Fulness. It is God’s good and best gift. And the Spirit is the overwhelming power that can change how we think, how we act, and (on the day of Jesus) how we look (1 John 3:2). We know the Spirit works in us and for us. But I wanted to highlight an important corollary: He empowers us.

Don’t you love a good dinner table? Table is where you tell stories; it’s where you share stories. And who you eat with tells me a lot about your story. The self-righteous and well-to-do tried to think up the worst thing they could say about Jesus. And here is what they came up with: “this man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). This is the fifth lesson in our series “The Good and Beautiful God.”