How the Gospel changes who you are

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus:

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:1-11

Introduction

Well, friends, it’s very good to see each and every one of you here this morning. It’s getting a bit chilly—winter is upon us. I can also see that a number of people in the congregation are ill; there’s definitely a flu virus going around. And so if you are watching online with us, it’s good to have you with us this morning. I hope that you’re well served by the streaming team.

It’s the usual practice of our church to work verse by verse, chapter by chapter through God’s Word. As a congregation, we presently are in the book of Romans—actually, Romans chapter 8. Don’t turn there because that’s not where I’m preaching from this morning. Because of where we are as a congregation and because we’ve been looking at our constitution and considering in particular the role of deacons in our constitution, the elders thought it best if we spend a number of weeks handling the passages that deal with deacons. That way we can set for ourselves a biblical understanding of how God’s Word engages with the topic, even as we come to our constitution.

So a couple of weeks ago we worked through Acts chapter 6 from verse 1 to 7. Last week—or the week before last; I wasn’t here—the week before last we looked at 1 Timothy 3 from verse 8 to verse 13. And this morning we’re looking at Philippians 1, verses 1–2. Maybe just to say: those are all the passages in Scripture that deal either directly or indirectly (in the case of Acts) with what God’s Word has to say on the topic of deacons. So as a congregation we are now well placed, having handled biblical truth, to start to engage on biblical truth applied in our local church. We’ll do that next week as we come together as a congregation and speak about some of the constitutional changes and what that entails in the life of our church.

This morning we are looking at that third passage: Philippians 1, verses 1 and 2. That’s in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and then Colossians. (My bad—thanks to those of you who said “no”; you were listening carefully. Well done.)

It’s just two verses. It seems a shame to stand to read just two verses, so even though it’s not printed at the back, we will read through to verse 11. That will give you a little bit of context in terms of the flow of the passage.

Before I read the passage, I’m going to pray that the Lord guides us and guards us from error and ultimately is glorified as His people apply themselves to His Word. Let’s bow our heads in a moment of prayer.

Father God in heaven, I want to say thank You for Your Word. It is faithful and true, and it is sufficient, Lord God, for all matters of life and godliness. Even this morning, Lord God, would You show us Jesus in Your Word? And might we, Your people, love Him more and more. Transform our lives. This morning, Lord God, we’re looking at radical identity with Jesus. Transform our lives. For those who are stale in the faith, would You shake them? For those who are not in the faith, Lord God, would You open their eyes that they might see the Savior and live? I ask these things in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Friends, can I ask you to please now stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word—as many as are able? Please stand.

Hear the Word of God as it is read from the book of Philippians chapter 1, beginning at the first verse:

Paul and Timothy, servants—or slaves—of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Amen. Amen. Please be seated.

Well, churches do need constitutions. They help us to organize and to clarify and to protect how we function together. But friends, churches need more than good documents. They need a gospel-centered identity. If we lose who we are in Christ, no structure, no paper, no constitution will save us. That’s why our amendments about deacons must be grounded in Scripture. That’s why we need to begin in Philippians 1, verses 1 and 2.

Paul doesn’t start his letter with instruction or correction. He starts his letter with identity. He reminds the Philippian church—and through them, us—that every Christian, including those who serve as deacons, are slaves of Christ, saints in Christ, and blessed by Christ. And friends, that identity is not earned. That identity is received. It is not individual; it is a shared identity one with another. And it is not optional; it is essential to everything that we are and everything that we do as the church of Christ.

So here’s the main idea from Philippians 1:1–2: **Identity with Christ is through the gospel, and it radically changes how we see ourselves, how God sees us, and how God blesses us.**

We’re going to see that in three points. The gospel radically changes how we see ourselves:
1. You are a slave of Christ. (Philippians 1:1a)
2. You are a saint of Christ (Philippians 1:1b).
3. You are blessed by Christ (Philippians 1:2).

A Slave of Christ

Our first point this morning is Philippians 1, the first part of verse 1: **You are a slave of Christ.**

Notice what Paul says in the first part of this verse. This letter is written by Paul, who is with Timothy, and they together are *slaves of Christ Jesus*. Let me read just the first part: *Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ.* If we had to break it down even further: just *Paul and Timothy*.

Who Was Paul?

Now, Paul—who is Paul? Paul was born in a city called Tarsus. It was a university city, one of the three great university cities in the Roman Empire. He studied under a great rabbi named Gamaliel, and you might remember that he was present at the stoning of Stephen in Acts 8:3. Paul’s story doesn’t end as a Pharisee. Paul was saved on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, and he becomes an elder of the church in Antioch in Syria (Acts 11:25). He goes on a number of missionary journeys—at least three are recorded in Scripture, and probably one happened after the canon was closed. Paul is, of course, the apostle to the Gentiles. He wrote thirteen of the letters of the New Testament, and he is the author—by his own account—of the book of Philippians.

Now when I say he is the author, I mean that Paul is actually the author of Philippians. I know it says here *Paul and Timothy*, but if you read the whole book of Philippians, you will note that the word *I* (in terms of Paul) occurs forty-two times, and the word *me* occurs twenty-one times. This is written in the first person. The word *we* (in terms of “me and a co-author”) doesn’t occur in this letter at all. Paul is the author of Philippians.

And yet you will notice in this introduction, Paul says *Paul*. He doesn’t say *Paul the apostle*. He doesn’t tout his apostleship to his Philippian audience. I think that’s because (a) the Philippians are batting off a good wicket—everything is going fairly well in the Philippian church—and (b) Paul has such a close and tender relationship with them that he doesn’t need to hold his apostolic authority over them.

Who Was Timothy?

Our text says *Paul and Timothy*. Who is Timothy? Timothy was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. Paul refers to him tenderly in Scripture as his *true son in the faith*. Timothy pastored the congregation in Corinth, and at other times pastored the congregation at Philippi and the congregation at Ephesus. He is Paul’s companion on his missionary journeys. He is the example of faith that Paul uses as he goes from city to city. And he is often Paul’s secretary as Paul writes his letters. He’s not so much Paul’s co-author of this book as he is Paul’s co-laborer to the Philippian church.

Slaves of Christ Jesus

Paul describes himself and Timothy as *servants* of Christ Jesus—or actually better stated: *slaves* of Christ Jesus. There is a word for *servant* in the New Testament. In fact, we’ve been talking about it quite a bit over the last number of weeks. It’s the word *diakonos*. We translate it as “servant” or “waiter,” “helper”—it’s got those kinds of connotations. But that’s not the word Paul uses in Philippians 1. In the first part of this verse he says we are *douloi*. We are *slaves* of Christ Jesus.

This is a common self-deprecating identity among the New Testament writers. The word *doulos* doubtlessly means *slave*. Its meaning is so unequivocally associated with slavery that no study of history is even needed; it’s the only way the word occurs in ancient Greece. There were twelve million slaves in the Mediterranean world. When Paul writes the book of Philippians, one out of every five people in the Roman Empire is a slave. This is a picture that his audience would have naturally understood.

Now, believers are described in many ways in God’s Word. God’s people are described as children, as heirs, as members of a body, as branches of a vine, as sheep of a flock, as salt and light, as soldiers, as athletes, as farmers. But in this particular instance, Paul refers to himself and to Timothy—and elsewhere, we are described—as *slaves* of Jesus Christ.

*Slave* conjures up images of the slave market: a master picking up a slave, paying for a slave, owning a slave, controlling a slave. A good master providing for a slave, protecting a slave, disciplining a slave, rewarding a slave’s good service. This is one of the ways that we are described in terms of our relationship both with Jesus Christ and with God our Father. It’s so common that almost all the New Testament writers describe themselves as slaves at one point or another:

– Paul in Romans 1:1 and in Titus 1:1 introduces himself in those epistles as a slave.
– James, the brother of Jesus Christ, in James 1:1 describes himself as a slave of his brother Jesus Christ.
– Peter the apostle—the first apostle with James and John, close to Jesus Christ—describes himself in 2 Peter 1:1 as a slave.
– Jude, another brother of Jesus Christ, in his tiny little epistle describes himself in Jude 1 as a slave.
– And the Apostle John in Revelation 1:1 describes himself again as a slave of Jesus Christ.

If you are not a slave of Jesus Christ—if you have not been bought out of the slave market of sin, if you have not been bought into His household, if you are not protected by Him, if you are not disciplined by Him, and if you will not be rewarded by Him as a slave—friend, you are not a Christian. Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew 25:21 says, *“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share in your master’s joy.’”* We are to be *slaves* of Christ Jesus.

Christ Jesus

I just want to draw your attention to the order of the words. Normally when we speak of Jesus, we speak of *Jesus Christ*. But Paul often refers to *Christ Jesus*. Why does he switch those two words around? The word *Christ* isn’t Jesus’s surname and Jesus His first name. *Christ* is really just a title; it means *Messiah* or *Anointed One*. It identifies Him as the One who has been sent by God. That is what Paul is stressing in Philippians 1:1. Paul’s perception of himself is that he is a *slave of Christ*.

Do you understand that idea? It is radical identification with Christ. There was a time that Paul was a persecutor of the church of Christ, so that Jesus Christ said to Paul, “Paul, Paul, why do you persecute *Me*?” But subsequent to salvation, Paul has become a slave of his Lord and his Savior. Radical identification with Jesus Christ.

And this would have stood in contrast to everything that the Roman mind—the people of Philippi—would have understood in terms of their own position. In Acts 16:12 we read that Philippi was a proud Roman colony, a leading city in the district of Macedonia. Paul’s self-deprecation as a *slave of Christ Jesus* would have been a challenge to the Philippian readers’ minds.

That’s the first point: **slave of Christ**—Philippians 1, the first part of the verse.

A Saint of Christ

Our radical identity with Jesus Christ means that we are slaves of Christ, but it also means that we are **saints of Christ**. That’s the second half of verse 1.

Let me tell you what it says, and then we’ll read it and step through it in a little bit of detail. This letter is *to those in Philippi who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, together with their overseers and deacons*.

So let’s read that passage: *“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.”*

We could split this into two parts. The first part is “to the saints in Christ.” To the saints in Christ who are in Philippi. It’s really “to all the saints in Christ… to all the saints in Christ in Benoni.” What’s the point here? The point is that the church—the assembled ones, those who have been called out by God—are to be comprised of a people that has been made pure.

What Does “Saint” Mean?

What does that word *saint* mean? It gets used in our modern day in many different ways. Often it refers to old dead guys who did something special in far‑back history. But that’s not the way the Bible—the New Testament—uses the word *saint*. *Saint* means *consecrated*, *set apart*, *holy*. Sixty‑one times in the New Testament it occurs in a plural form, and only one time does it occur in a singular form. In other words, God in the New Testament isn’t so concerned about *individual* saints—an individual person who has done something individually special. He’s concerned about a people, often in a particular place and at a particular time, who are collectively called *saints* of God.

Friends, we as God’s people here at Benoni Baptist Church are to be *saints* of God—consecrated and called out from a wicked world, made holy and sacred to Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Savior.

In Ephesians 1:4 we read this: *He chose us in Him*—who’s the “Him”? Jesus Christ. *He—God—chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.* What did He choose us as a people for? *To be holy*, to be consecrated, to be sanctified and blameless in love before Him.

In Ephesians 2:19 we read that we are no longer foreigners, no longer outsiders, no longer strangers, but we are *fellow citizens with the saints*—fellow citizens with those who are called redeemed, with those who are called consecrated, with those who are called holy, with those who are called sacred.

To be a believer in Jesus Christ, to be part of even this local body, the church, is not just to be a slave like Paul called himself, but to be a *saint*.

How Do You Become a Saint?

Now, how do you become a saint? Some parts of the church will tell you that you need to live a godly life, do something remarkable, probably die for your faith, and then people need to pray to you and receive miracles through you as a confirmation of sainthood. That’s *not* the way you become a saint according to the New Testament.

According to the New Testament, we collectively are to be saints. How does Clinton become a saint? How does Trevor become a saint? How does Hine become a saint of the living God? The answer is in the text: *to all the saints **in Christ Jesus**.* In Christ Jesus. Friends, if you are to be holy, you will not make yourself holy. You need God to make you holy. If you are to be holy, you will not become holy by living a better and better life. You need a righteousness given to you that is not your own. And you receive that from Jesus Christ who is Lord and Savior. Again, it’s *Christ Jesus*—this focus on the Anointed Messiah from God. And again, it’s identification with Christ Jesus. This radicalized identity with Christ changes our positional standing before God from *sinner* into *saint*.

In Philippians 1:3–7, the passage that happens just after this, Paul gives thanks for the Philippians for their gospel partnership, and he prays that they might experience spiritual growth. Their shared identity as *slaves of Christ* and their shared identity with Paul as *saints in Christ* is the basis for the gospel partnership that follows.

The Visible Church

Now, who are the saints? The saints are those *who are in Philippi*. This is the visible church. The church is invisible in that it’s made up of all believers throughout all time and in every place. But the church has a visible manifestation. The letters of the New Testament were written to churches—almost all of them to churches that existed at a time and in a place, a known group of people. Benoni Baptist Church is a local manifestation of the invisible church of God. It is a local church made visible.

It says that Paul is writing *to the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi*. He’s writing to this congregation, to this church which is visible. And part of that church includes the *overseers* and the *deacons*.

I don’t want to make much of *deacons* at this point in the sermon; I just want to preach the text, and then we’ll get to deacons in terms of the implications of the text. But right now I want to make the point that the saints are those who have believed, those who have been baptized, and those who have been added to the church of Jesus Christ as members of that local manifestation. You can read about that in Acts 2:42.

Overseers (Elders, Pastors)

The *overseers* in this case are a subset of that membership base. Overseers are the focal point of local church leadership. It is the office of *elders*. Now the pattern of the New Testament, the pattern of Scripture, is that a *plurality*—meaning more than one—of spirit‑enabled men rule the local church. The Bible uses three interchangeable words to refer to men who serve the church in this capacity: *elder*, *overseer*, and *pastor*. So a pastor is an overseer and an elder; an overseer is a pastor and an elder; an elder is a pastor and an overseer. Three different words but referring to one particular role. The different terms show ministerial function rather than differing levels of authority.

That means, very practically, that as pastor I don’t sit above Dave or Robin or Andre. In actual fact, if you refer to me as *pastor*, you ought to refer to each one of them as *pastor*. If you refer to me as *elder*, you should refer to each one of them as *elder*. If you refer to me as *overseer* or *bishop*, you should refer to each one of them as *overseer* or *bishop*.

Now, each member is to take part in the church’s life. And we recognize that God gifts His church with elders. They serve by managing and caretaking, by overseeing, by ordaining. Their service needs to include teaching and preaching. They also exhort and refute and determine church policy. And as shepherds, they need to set an example for all to follow—for all the rest of the flock to follow. Elders are to be men who are above reproach; they must be blameless, and this must extend to their marital, their social, their business, and their spiritual life. And in this way they are to pursue and exemplify truth and godliness to all the saints in the local church.

Deacons

It says that this letter is written to the church in Philippi together with the *overseers*—that’s the pastor‑teacher, elder, overseer, bishop—as well as the *deacons*.

Who are the deacons? The deacons are who we’ve been speaking about for the last number of weeks. We looked at them in Acts 6—this picture of the recognized servants within a local community. We saw them in 1 Timothy 3:8–13—the recognized servants in the local community.

Now Jesus Christ Himself exemplifies servant leadership to the church. Christianity is a life‑call of humble obedience and humble service to Him. Some believers have the spiritual gift of service. Recognized deacons, however, serve the local church in the office of deacon. They are recognized into the position, and they are qualified to serve in that role. I say *qualified* to serve in that role because those who would serve as deacons must live dignified lives. They are to be spiritually mature individuals in our midst, and they must have stable families. Both men and women may serve in this capacity. We looked at that the last time I preached. In the text from 1 Timothy 3, the word translated “wives” given the context should have been translated better as “women.” Likewise lists elders and male and female deacons.

Now, it’s important to note that Scripture—in all three examples of the use of *deacons*—does not prescribe the function of deacons. And as such, there’s to be much freedom for the local church about how they ought to operate. At Benoni Baptist Church, they serve the congregation for a fixed term of service to God’s glory.

Paul, by including the overseers and the deacons together with the congregation here, highlights the communal identity of all believers as *saints in Christ Jesus*. It is a shared identity—a shared radical identity—that all believers need to have who belong to Christ. Each and every one of us is to be a *saint*.

So in summation of my second point: the letter is to those in Philippi who have been made holy by Christ Jesus, together with the overseers and the deacons.

Blessed by Christ

Three points—three ways that our identity shifts radically when we are in Christ. The first is that we are *slaves* in Christ. The second is that we are *saints* in Christ. And the third—this is good news—we are **blessed by Christ**.

Paul, in verse 2, desires for them to be blessed with grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me read verse 2: *“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”*

We could split this up into two sections.

Grace and Peace

*Grace to you and peace.* Paul desires something for the church in Philippi. He desires that they receive something which they don’t deserve, because that’s really what *grace* means: receiving something which you haven’t worked for. It’s given lavishly by God. What have we received from God that we don’t deserve? We’ve received forgiveness, reconciliation, abundant life, eternal treasures together with Jesus Christ—we are seated in the heavenlies. We’ve received the Holy Spirit of God, and we have received a place in heaven that has been reserved for us. Paul prays that they might receive grace.

But he also prays that they might receive *peace*. What does that word *peace* mean? *Eirēnē*. It means the end of conflict with God—that conflict ends, and now we can rest in Him in perpetual peace.

You might say, “Well, I wasn’t at war with God.” That’s not what the Bible says. In Romans 2:5 it says, *“Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath when God’s judgment is revealed.”* The truth is, a human who has not yet placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior isn’t at peace with God but is at *enmity* with God. But we read again in Romans 5:1, *“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”* If we are to receive peace, friends, that peace will come through Jesus Christ who is Lord and Savior.

So Paul prays for the Philippian church that they might experience an ever‑increasing measure of grace and an ever‑increasing measure of peace. I say *ever‑increasing* because right now he’s not praying that they might receive grace at salvation and peace of salvation; he’s praying that those who are saved—those who are saints—might *grow* in grace and *grow* in peace, and that that might abound in their lives.

From God Our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

He goes on to say that this grace and this peace is *from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ*. Paul realizes that if blessings flow to us, they are going to flow from heaven above. They will flow from our God whose Father—a Father of lights who gives good gifts to His children. And it’s going to come not just from God the Father, but from God the Son, from *the Lord Jesus Christ*.

That word *Lord* reminds us that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, that He is divine, that He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and that He is presently making intercession for us, asking the Father to send the Spirit and asking the Spirit to give grace and peace, that it might abound in our lives more and more.

Paul desires that the Philippian church—and I desire that you—might be blessed with grace and peace that comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Connect to the Gospel

How does this passage connect to the gospel? In Philippians 1:1b we read that believers are *saints in Christ Jesus*. I want to remind you that you did not make yourself a saint. We are made *positionally* saintly through Christ Jesus’s atoning work on the cross—not by our own self‑efforts, but through Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death. Hebrews 10:10 declares that *we have been sanctified*, that we have been made holy *through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all*.

Paul’s greeting in Philippians 1:1–2 encapsulates the implication of the gospel. Our salvation is rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But that salvation transforms us from something—it transforms us from sinners into saints.

Application for believers

How do we apply this gospel reality in our lives?

Saints—those of you who have been coming to church for a long time and love Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior—how do you apply Philippians 1:1–2 in your life? Slaves of God and saints of God ask perpetually, “Lord Jesus Christ, what do You want from me?” They surrender their whole lives to Him. They surrender their schedules to Him. They surrender their spending to Him. They surrender their speech to Him. They surrender their lives to His authority. You might say that we surrender our time, our talents, our testimony, and our treasure to Jesus Christ who is our Master, as slaves of Christ.

Application for unbelievers

Unbelievers—those of you who are dragged here this morning by a friend or by a spouse, or maybe you came of your own free will, but you have not yet placed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, you have not yet put your faith and your trust in Him—let me just tell you: you are already a slave. You are a slave to your sin, and you have no way of making yourself a saint. You are doomed. You are at war with God, and it is a war you cannot hope to win.

But Christ died for your sins and He rose from the grave. He promises that if you put your faith and your trust in Him, He will save you from the wrath that is to come, and He will transform you from a sinner into a saint. The call on your life is to believe upon His name today.

Conclusion

Now, by way of implication, how does this apply to our constitutional amendments?

Over time, as our church has grown and developed, some areas of our constitution no longer reflect how we function. To address this, we are working to revise the deacon section of our constitution to ensure that it is both faithful to Scripture and practical for our church today.

From the three texts that we’ve been considering over the last number of weeks, we can draw the following principles:

– **From Philippians (the text we looked at today):** The deacon is one of only two offices which serve the local church.
– **From Acts 6:1–7:**
1. The church is to be part of the election process of its leaders—this is to be reflected in our affirmation process.
2. The elders are to delegate practical ministries to the deacons.
3. The deacon is to be full of the Holy Spirit—practical service must flow from spiritual vitality, not mere competence.
– **From 1 Timothy 3:**
1. The deacon must embody character and competence.
2. The deacon must go through a time of testing.
3. The deacon can be a man or a woman who meets the biblical qualifications.

In conclusion, as we finalize our section on deacons, we must remember that we are not just updating procedures. We are not just affirming priorities. The gospel needs to shape how we structure our church because it shapes who we are *in* the church.

Deacons don’t just serve out of status or skill alone, but because they are *slaves of Jesus Christ*, *saints in Jesus Christ*, and *blessed by Jesus Christ*. And this is true of every single believer that is here today.

Friend, your life is not your own. Your righteousness is not your own. Your peace is not your own. All these things flow from the person of Jesus Christ. So don’t forget: the strength of our structure is not in its cleverness but in its connection with the gospel message. That’s where we began, and that’s where we must stay.

The argument this morning is that **identification with Christ through the gospel radically changes how we see ourselves, how God sees us, and how God’s blessings flow to us**. The outline was: the gospel radically changes how we see ourselves. You are a *slave* of Christ. You are a *saint* of Christ. And you are *blessed* by Christ.

May God add richly to the teaching of His Word. Amen.