El Sorprendente Camino Hacia Un Carácter Auténtico | Crossroads en Español

Hello and welcome to Encuentros Reales. We are again in Turkey and Greece. And it's hard to believe, but this is week four and we have something special. This week is about character and to talk about it, we will go to Corinto. What else happens there that makes it a powerhouse or a place to talk about character? What happens? Yes, well, Corinto is, I think, my favorite place in Pablo's life. It's an incredible scenery. It was one of those three great cities of ancient Greece that I mentioned, Athens, Corinto and Sparta. In the ancient world, Corinto had become notorious for immorality. There was the notorious Aphrodite Temple at the top of the mountain, just behind Corinto, called Acrocorinto. There were many prostitutes of the temple there. And so it was like a notorious place of immorality. And so for us it is a great place to talk about character, because there was a lot of lack of character there. And Pablo, when he got there, had this interesting connection with a couple, Priscila and Aquila, Jews. And what they had in common was their vocation. They were leather workers, which means making leather shops, also other leather articles and things like that. So we can call Pablo a shop craftsman. And so when we go there today, it has been excavated beautifully, and we see the city of Corinto that Pablo saw, which is amazing. It is an amazing place for us to see how Pablo had to help these previously pagan people who had become followers of Jesus. But they had to unlearn many of their old habits and old customs. And so, you know, when you read the first and second letter to the Corinthians, you can see how many problems that church had.

But when you understand Corinto, it is something understandable, you know? So it is very interesting because Nerula, you live in a context, perhaps a little similar, where what surrounds you and the people around you do something totally different to what is the character of Jesus. If you want to talk about that from your local perspective, I would love you to guide us on how it is for you. I had problems with my father and the people around me. I was someone who thought that for a human being to change is, if not impossible, very difficult. But I have witnessed the change and transformation in the lives of others around me, of other Christians close to me, and in my own life. And not only that, even me, for example, a Muslim father who is still very conservative and who also used to be very radical, I see it. So that is a great testimony for me. Your character changes. Exactly. And for me it is very valuable because perhaps I could have told him some intelligent things and tried to convince him, but to be able to live the testimony to which we are called. But the Christian word means follower of Christ, so we must follow him. How? By imitating him, right? By imitating his character. And so to be able to live this example and show people how that really affects the lives of those around you in a very good way, I think it is a great testimony. That is precisely correct. Well, Pablo has a lot to teach us from Corinto about what it means to have a pious character. So let's go to Corinto right now. Welcome to Corinto! Today it is a quiet little town. But in the days of Pablo, and for almost half a millennium before that, Corinto was one of the most important cities in the entire Greco-Roman world. The reason is its strategic location. Corinto sits on an isthmus of tiny land, barely four miles wide. Isthmus only means as a land bridge.

And it connects central Greece in the north with southern Greece in the Peloponnese Peninsula. Athens up there and Sparta down here. Now, the Peloponnese Peninsula was very dangerous to navigate. You didn't want to do it if you didn't have to do it. And so what Corinto allowed was for the ships to approach one of its two ports, Lechion on one side and Centraea on the other. You would unload your cargo in a cart pulled by oxen. Then you would take the ship out of the water. You would put it in carts and all of that would be dragged to the other side. Today there is only one large canal. Much better. Why did they do it? I don't know. They did the oxen cart thing. If you've wondered why all the statues of older people of this time are like totally strong and defined, it's because they did this. It's like CrossFit, but much better, apparently. I don't know. Now, while that was happening, the soldiers had some free time. So, to pass the time, they came here. They came here. This here are the ruins of the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, fertility, and pleasure. This place was full of prostitutes from the temple, and the sailors loved it. Have you heard the phrase, curse like a sailor? It was not compared to the sailors. This was like celebrating like a sailor, and not only the sailors, but also the locals. Corinto had a reputation, even at that time,

even in the Roman world. Forget your modern Christian values. At that time, they looked at Corinto and its citizens and what they did here, as if they had the lowest character. In other words, the worst of all sinners. There is even a Greek verb, Corintianizar. It basically means to live immorally and indulge in sexual intercourse. This is the city to which Pablo arrives, the city of low character, which I think is the perfect place to talk about the next step. In our career, the step of character. This is what Pablo says in Romans 5. We glorify ourselves in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Hope does not deceive us. What do you get when you persevere? You get an increase in character. Character literally means proven, like by trial. Your character is not who you want to be. It is not who you want to be. It is not the image you have of yourself, not even in your best moment. Your character is what you have consistently shown to be every day that passes. And at this point in his career,

Pablo has shown to be a man of great character, a man of strength, wisdom, and love. Pablo came directly here from Athens and spent two years investing deeply in the people of the city. And not to spoil the end of the film before we have the opportunity to see it, but in many ways, what happens in Corinto is Pablo's first great victory. Because it is not only effective with a small group of people, a particular group, it is effective with everyone, Jews, gentiles, rich, poor, city officials, immigrants, even religious people become through Pablo's work in the people. Pablo likes to name people in his letters, and Lucas, in fact, names a lot of people. We know a lot of names. People like Febe, a powerful woman whom Pablo established, he named her leader of the church. And then in the future, he entrusted her with the task of taking her most significant work to the most significant city of all, the book of Romans written in Rome. Bye. Another one, Cloro, local leader that Pablo named as an official in the church here in Corinto.

And he entrusted her with being his eyes and ears to watch over the Corinthians in the years to come. Another is a man named Erasto, an official of the city that Pablo tells us about in Romans 16. Now you can hear all these names and go and say, how do we know that any of these people really lived? How do we know that the Bible is reliable? It's an excellent question. We have to do it. The answer is to seek evidence. When they were excavating Corinto about 100 years ago, they discovered this inscription right here that has the name of Erasto. He says he was an official in charge of public works and paid to pave this square of the district of Ocio. Of his own resources, in gratitude for having been chosen for the position. At that time, there would have been bronze letters here with his name and that inscription. Once again, what we find is that when we go to excavate, the Bible turns out to be very, very reliable. Pablo arrived in the city. Very soon he became friends with another couple who was also new to the place. Their names were Priscila and Aquila. They came from Rome,

expelled by Claudio for a disturbance about Jesus. They were manufacturers of stores and curtsiers like Pablo. They made good friends and became associates. The business was probably here, in the general market. This section of stores was new in Pablo's time, ideal for a new business. Where was the store exactly? We don't know. But we do know that it would have looked exactly like this. Maybe it was this one. I don't know. But in the workshop, it is where Pablo most likely began to have this idea of the shape of the race in his mind. Why? Because a main client of a store manufacturer in Corinto were the fans who asked for stores to see them. the Isthmic Games nearby. Games. The Isthmic Games were like the Olympics in Corinth. They were very important. It's easy to imagine Pablo working and talking to clients. Why do you need a store? Let's go to the Isthmic Games. What happens there? Oh, there are all these races, and in reality, there's only one winner in each race, and the winner gets this crown on his head. Imagine the lights coming on in Pablo.

He thinks, what? Maybe he sees the race. The image is formed. That's how it feels to follow Jesus. There's a race. From that moment, the concept becomes part of Pablo's teaching and preaching. It's no coincidence that he wrote this to Corinth, 1 Corinthians 9. Don't you know that in a race, everyone runs, but only one wins the prize? Run to win the prize. Because of his long stay and because of the number of letters that Pablo wrote here, we know that Corinth had a special place in his heart. By the way, he didn't just read the two letters. Pablo mentions four letters that he wrote to the Corinthians. What we call 1 and 2 Corinthians are actually 2 and 4 Corinthians. He loves these people. Why? They were known as the worst sinners, something with which Pablo identified. This is how Pablo described himself in Timothy. I have here a saying worthy of total acceptance. Christ Jesus came to save sinners, and I am the worst. But for that same reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus could show his immense patience as an example. Pablo says, look, I am the worst of all.

And I wasn't exaggerating. In Pablo's mind, he was the worst of all sinners. He had persecuted the beginnings of the church. He had hunted and attacked Christians. But Pablo says that God sought him, and has changed my character to serve as an example, so that we all see Pablo and think, if God could change him, God could change me. That change is the process of repentance. It is the process by which each person who preached and responded to the Good News, including Priscilla and Aquila, went through. Believers and church leaders were sent by Pablo to Ephesus to supervise the church. This process of change is what we are focusing on today. It is the process that leads to character. Now, Pablo began here in the synagogue after establishing his store-making business, after putting it in motion, he does what he usually does. He goes to the synagogue to reason with the Jews, but it goes very badly. Pablo no longer has patience. He shakes the dust off his clothes and says, I'm done with you. I will go to those who will answer me. This is how the story goes in Acts 18. He left that place and went to the house of a man named Tisio Justo, who was a faithful worshiper of God. His house was next to the synagogue.

Crispo, leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his family. Many Corinthians who heard Pablo believed and were baptized. Pablo is hugely impacted. People from all over the city are being changed by what he is saying. And he is pushing against the current here because there was no concept of change. As in our culture, change is not popular. The most popular idea is, you know what? That's how I am. You know what? I just get angry. You know what? I'm just a stressed person. You know what? Who am I? I just have anger attacks. I can't, I don't have, that's how I am. Pablo faces that tide and says, it doesn't have to be who you are. He finds another idea that fits just that, and it's the notion that, well, it can't be so bad. I mean, everyone does it. In this town, everyone went to the temple. Everyone was a prostitute. Everyone got drunk and partied with their vices. Everyone does it. How bad is it?

In our time, I think it's more like everyone watches pornography. How bad can it be? Everyone jumps to the truth to try to put on makeup, to look a little better. How bad is that? I mean, everyone has these little holes and flaws in their life. How bad can it be? Everyone does it. Well, yes, everyone does it, and everyone is stuck. Everyone does it, and everyone is stressed. Everyone does it, and everyone does not finish their career. Look, Paul offers an opportunity to change, repentance and growth of character. It is not about behavior management. Paul does not give them the Ten Commandments. Paul does not evaluate them with a form to see their score. Paul invites them to be transformed to the likeness of the character of Christ. Listen to how he says it in 2 Corinthians, and all of us with our faces uncovered. We reflect the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. We are transformed to His likeness with more and more glory by the action of the Lord. After a year and a half teaching and preaching, Paul saw that transformation in many people, and others in the city also saw it, and they did not like it. The Jews went after Paul, upset by what was happening in his city. Paul was dragged to the Bema, the street of justice, where Galion, the local governor, presided over the trial.

If you are Paul, this moment is a déjà vu. It feels like what happened in Philippi when you were beaten. But it was not that. It was something that never happened to Paul. Here is the story of Acts 18. When Paul was going to speak, Galion said to the Jews, If it were a crime or a serious crime, Jews, I would be right to accept your complaint. But as it is a question of words and names of your own law, see it for yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things. And he threw them out of the street, and they all grabbed Sostenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him there. Galion did not pay attention to anything. This never happened to Paul. Galion basically declares, No, I think these charges are ridiculous. I refuse to listen to the case. Why would he say that? I think it's because Paul had already been judged before. His character has already been put to the test and demonstrated. He has a reputation in the town, and Galion knows it. That's why he underestimates the charge, saying it's ridiculous. Everything the Jews decide to do is to beat someone. So they choose poor Sostenes, their brilliant leader of the synagogue, and they unleash all their fury against him. Curiously, there is a Sostenes that appears later connected to Corinth. In fact, 1 Corinthians is co-written by Sostenes. Here is the beginning of that letter. Paul, called by the will of God to become an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother Sostenes, to the church of God that is in Corinth. Could this be Sostenes himself? I think so. We are not sure. Think at this moment while Sostenes is beaten and lies on the ground and the crowd leaves.

There would be a man looking, who knew exactly how it felt to believe that you were right to attack Christians just to end up on the ground. There would be a man watching, who knew exactly how it felt to be turned against you and to be publicly beaten. And for that reason, I think there would be a man watching, who would have extended his hand and said, Hey Sostenes, can I help you get up? I think it's time to change. If you and I are going to continue our career, we have to assimilate this of increasing our character, of being transformed to the image of Christ as Paul, as Sostenes and many others in this place. And that means embracing repentance. Amen. I'm seeing that I need your help. Strip away those crooked lies, that I've been believed a thousand times. Oh you know I tried everything else, and now I'm seeing that I need your help. Empty me, break my bones, and burn my soul. throne if that's what I need I'm surrendering all of me will let my life testify that your everything will drain my pot so I'm coming up empty empty me there's a feeling flowing in my veins there's a wonder that I can't contain I lost the world but I got my soul small price to pay but it ain't fool's gold empty me break my bones and burn my throne if that's what I need I'm surrendering all of me will let my life testify that your everything will drain my pot so I'm coming up empty me

spring up, oh well, living water overflow spring up, oh well, living water overflow spring up, oh well, living water empty me break my bones and burn my throne if that's what I need I'm surrendering all of me will let my life testify that your everything will drain my pot so I'm coming up empty me break my bones and burn my throne if that's what I need I'm surrendering all of me will let my life testify that your everything will drain my pot so I'm coming up empty me empty me break my bones and burn my throne if that's what I need I'm surrendering all of me will let my life testify that your everything will drain my pot so I'm coming up empty me It's a two-word repentance prayer. Empty me. Repentance is the key to transforming the character of what we are talking about today. It's about eliminating my character and replacing it with the character of Christ. We are talking about Paul and Corinth. This is the temple of Aphrodite as it was seen in the time of Paul, where crazy things happened. The most notable thing about Paul in Corinth, however, is that while he lived in the city of sin, Paul focused and could see sin in himself. If we want to conform to the character of Christ, we must do the same. Deal with sin in our life, with the character that is outside. And we must invite the judgment of God. I am excited to tell you that in 19 and a half minutes, that is what we will do together. We will walk to the tribunal of the throne of God and we will invite him to correct us and censor us. No one applauds. Of course not. Because you think, that sounds like a terrible idea. Why would we do it? Why would we do that? Relax, we'll get there. Start with this. We heard in the video about being transformed.

Paul used conform to communicate the same idea, conformed to the character of Christ. He wrote this in Romans 8, 29. Because those whom God knew beforehand, he also predestined them to be transformed according to the image of his Son, so that he may be the firstborn among many brothers. Now, people read the word predestined in the Bible. They get upset. What does that mean? And all that? What it means here is a destiny out of your control. God says, I will do it. If you run, if you fight, if you resist, if you get angry. If you make a fuss about it, it doesn't matter. I will conform you to the character of Christ, not to your best self. This makes us radically different from the path of personal overcoming of the world. Become your best version. It is not God's goal. God actually says, I want less of you and more of the character of Christ formed in you. That is another way of talking about character. It is to look at all the teachings of Jesus and say, what does that mean? Do you know what it means? If you summed up all the teachings of Jesus, all the writings of the New Testament, all the letters of Paul, you could summarize the character of Christ in one word. Love. Jesus himself said this in John 15. This is my singular commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has more love than this, that one puts his life for his friends. You are my friends and you do what I command you. Yes, Jesus is coming. Fulfill all the law, the ten commandments, the whole list in Leviticus and all those things. Fulfill all that and replace it with a single commandment. Love as I love you.

Put my life. He went to the cross and put his life. And you will ask yourself, what would I do to model the character of Christ called love? What would I do? Easy. Go to Home Depot, buy wood, something resistant, a 4x4 or 6x6, build a cross and nail it. It's a joke, it's not that. Some of you thought, is that what it means? No, it's not that. Relax, it's not that. Well, what does it mean? Well, Paul tells us exactly how that would look in a letter he wrote to this city. It is one of the most famous chapters of the whole Bible. 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter of love, and he wrote it for this town for the first time. It was read right here. Maybe if you've been to a wedding, you've probably heard it read. It includes the section that says, love is patient. Love is kind, and people read it at weddings. It's very, very sweet. I spoke with Pastor Lena Schuller of Eastside this week, and she reminded me that when she was only 14 years old, she read 1 Corinthians 13 at my wedding. She said, in fact, like, I didn't read it, I cried. That's what I did. And that's why you've heard it at a wedding. And although it applies to marriage, definitely. Use it in your marriage, absolutely. That's not the context in the letter. The context in the letter, when Paul writes these words, is about how to embody the character of Christ. It starts like this. I'll read you the whole chapter. It starts like this, 1 Corinthians 13. Paul writes, if I spoke human and angelic languages, but did not possess love, I am only a gong that resounds, or a cymbal that sounds.

If I had the gift of prophecy and understood all the mysteries and all the knowledge, and if I had a faith capable of moving mountains, but I have no love, I am nothing at all. If I give all that I possess to the poor, if I give my body to difficulty to be able to act, but I have no love, I am nothing at all. Nothing. This is the plot twist of our career. There is territory that God wants you to take, but the territory that He is most interested in taking is within you. Change of character. And clearly, Paul says in this letter, you can do amazing things for Him. You can understand all the mysteries. You can move mountains with your faith. You can give all that you have to the poor. But if you do not embody the character of Christ, if you do not conform to the character of love, it is of no use. Nothing. Nothing calls to conform to the character of Christ. It is not a test of your achievements. It is a test of your character. Many of you this week have questioned my character as a father, in fact, because you notice something, and it is that I speak of my youngest daughter, Gracie, and I speak of my eldest son, Ben, but I never mentioned my middle son, Ely. About six people pointed that out to me this week, one of whom was Ely, and I do not want to pay for therapy,

so Ely is a great boy. He gave me the best gift I think they have given me in my life for Christmas this year. So sweet, so considerate, he did it using his own Legos. This is a photo of it. It says, Dad, you are smarter than Iron Man, cooler than the Mandalorian, wiser than Gandalf, more worthy than Thor, stronger than Black Panther. Cool, right? So cool. But, but, If God does not look at me, and says, you love like Jesus, none of that matters. None of that matters. Don't say to Eli, he worked very hard on that. No, it matters. It doesn't matter what others say about you. It doesn't matter what you achieve. The calling of Christ is to embody the character of Christ. That is the argumental twist. Well, how would you do it? Paul gives us very clear instructions. It continues in verse four. It says, love is patient. It is kind.

It is not envious. It is not haughty. It is not proud. It is not indecorous. It is not selfish. It does not get angry easily. It does not hold a grudge. Love does not rejoice in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects. It always trusts. It always waits. It always perseveres. I know, I know that there is a feeling in some of us, perhaps in most of us, that when we hear the word love, even when we hear these words read from the Bible, something in us is like, wow, that's a little soft. Do you know what I mean? Like God wants me to become a softy, like a walking human Squishmallow. Is that the goal that God has for my life? No, it is not. No, it is not. But I understand why you feel that way. I understand it. I totally understand it. I believe that everyone has been sold a version of love that is soft. The version of the world of love.

A love so soft that when we find it, we do not conform to it. It is so soft that it conforms to us. It is fluffy. It is based on feelings. If I feel it, I do it. And if I stop feeling it, we fall out of love. It is simply weak. It can fade. It can fail. It does not take much. You do not need difficult conversations because it is all about accepting yourself and affirming yourself as you are. You do your thing and you tell me to do mine. And that is all it takes. Soft. But God's love is not soft. God's love is hard. Do you know that it is difficult to be patient? Do you know that it is difficult to be kind? Do you know that it is difficult not to get angry easily? It is difficult to be humble. It is difficult to pray for your enemies. It is difficult to pray for those who persecute you. It is difficult. It is not soft. It is difficult. In fact, God says that it is so difficult that nothing can break it.

He says that it will never fail. This is how Paul continues with the rest of 1 Corinthians 13. Here is the rest of the chapter. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease. Where there are tongues, they will be silenced. Where there is knowledge, it will disappear. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when the whole comes, the partial will disappear. When I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I left behind the habits of childhood. Because now we see a reflection in a mirror. Then we will see face to face. Now I know in part. Then I will know fully. Just as I am fully known. Now these three things remain. Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of them is love. See? Love is so difficult that when you find it, it does not conform to you. You conform to it. Martin Luther King, in a speech in 1967, said, Love is the most durable power of the universe.

It is more durable than you. It is more durable than me. But when we find it, it will not bend. We must bend to it. We must conform to it. And the only way to do it is through the process called repentance. The conformed character requires repentance. It requires allowing you to walk before the court of God and inviting it to correct you and amend you. Four quick keys to repentance before doing it. Embrace humility. 1 Peter 5.5 says, Be humble among yourselves, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. And the question is, why does God demand mutual humility? It is because the places where your character does not fully coincide with the character of Christ, that gap, that sin in you, most of the time will be pointed out by someone else in your life. Our friends and family are sinners. If you need someone, get married. It works wonders. I was not even in Sarah's votes, and she is very generous. She points out my sin. It is there, in some way.

I don't know if others have it, but I have it. It happens to others. It's there. By the way, you don't have to get married. I have it. I have it. Pablo didn't get married. Pablo didn't get married. I have it. Friends work. Good friends totally work. I have it. I have it. I have it. There in the storehouse, doing stores with Priscila and Aquila, I have it. I have it. of course they had conversations. I have it. Pablo, that bothers me. Stop. I have it. I have it. I have it. Priscila, what are you doing? I have it. Absolutely. It will come from other people. I have it. It requires humility when they bring it to us. The second key is to trust that this correction is for your own good, even if it causes you pain at the moment. In fact, perhaps I should emphasize that it hurts because genuine regret and true correction will inevitably be painful right at that moment.

It can even lead to severe consequences, but ultimately the correction is not about condemnation. It's not to condemn you. It's to conform you. It's not because God hates you and has surrendered to you. It's because He loves you and has something better and greater for you. That's the whole point. Hebrews 12 says this, Did you forget the exhortation that is addressed to you as sons and daughters? My son, do not despise the discipline that comes from the Lord, nor tire yourself when He reprimands you. For the Lord disciplines the one who loves, and corrects every son who welcomes in his life. You must endure this because it is for your discipline. God is treating you like sons. What son does his father not discipline? For the moment, all discipline seems painful and unpleasant, but then it yields the peaceful fruit of justice to those who have been trained by it. The author affirms that all correction, all discipline, is always painful in the moment. It always is. That is why you must persevere. Perseverance generates character in you. I, while we were doing this journey and preparing this message, in the last two weeks, I had to repent in conversations with friends. I felt almost a knife in my chest, pointing out something, and I had to apologize and repent. I broke. It is difficult.

It is painful. It hurts. Yes, it hurts. In fact, when God corrects you, it will feel sharp on purpose. It will feel sharp. If you ever get to a point in your life where you feel there is like a knife in your neck, there is a blade touching your skin, before quickly concluding, Oh, it is the enemy attacking my life. Well, whose hand is in the handle? Is it the enemy of your life? Or is it God who loves you and wants to correct you, who has something better for you? That is a good question. Hebrews 4 says, Because the word of God is alive and active, more penetrating than any double-edged sword, able to discern even the division of the soul and spirit, of the cojunturas and the tuétanos, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are completely naked and exposed before the eyes of the one to whom we must give account. So when the word of God comes to you, it will feel like a sword. In John 15, Jesus was describing exactly the same thing. He called it the scissors of power.

He said that God will power every person who is fruitful. He will power you. And if you have powered something, you know that it is severe and sharp. Perhaps you think, well, that is an option. Kyle, is there another option in Scripture to receive God's correction? Any other metaphor used, something like that? Good news, yes there is. There is another metaphor that God uses to describe how his correction will be felt in our lives. He uses it seven times throughout the whole Bible. And it is not a sword. That is the good news. Instead, it is fire. So it is a refining fire. The key point is that if you want your character to grow, it will hurt. And the best thing you can do is to accept it, even if it hurts. Three. Key to repentance. Accept the cost because it is also worth it. We are doing the Bible in one year and we were in Leviticus recently. I got stuck in Leviticus 4 and 5 This is the Old Testament before Jesus.

What to do if you discover sin in your life that you were not aware of? How do you handle it? And the basic instructions are take one of your goats or sheep and sacrifice it. And if you don't have a goat or sheep and you can't pay for it, it's okay, get a turtle. And if you can't pay for a turtle, it's okay, take fine flour and burn it. I was thinking about that. I thought, man, I don't know how much a turtle costs. You know, I've never seen them in PetSmart, but it costs something. In those days, admitting your sin really cost you something in material terms. It would be as if today God said, When you cover a sin in your life, when you see a gap between your character and the loving character of Christ, go to your garage, take out your car and set it on fire. when you discover your sin, it's worth it. It's worth it. It's worth it. It's worth it. It's worth it. That was, in essence, what it meant. It was expensive. It's worth it. And thank God, that's not what God tells us to do now, but it will still cost you something.

It could cost you your pride. It could cost you your reputation. It could cost you your time. It could cost you a quiet meal at the table tonight. It will be expensive, but it's worth it. It's worth it because He has a race for you and a crown waiting for you and hope at the end of the race. Your race is at stake. Fourth key. We all have something. We all do. Me too, of course, of course. Me too, of course. In the time we have, in a few minutes, I won't be here pretending. I'll be here asking God if there's something inside of me that He wants to expose. Something in me about what He wants to put His knife on. Something in me that He wants to cut and replace with the character of Christ. We all have something. Since we talked about character today, you already knew what it was about. It's been in the back of your mind since then. Maybe you've been having this fight in your own mind. No, not that. I don't want to face it today. I'll address it tomorrow. Friend, you've wanted to deal with that tomorrow for a long time. Why don't you let God take care of it today? Remember, don't try to condemn yourself. He's trying to conform you. We all have something. You're at the point where you think, ah, I think I'm okay. Okay. Okay, you can be okay, but don't expect to finish your career. Just don't count on that. We all have to be molded to the character of Christ. If you're part of the Crossroads family, I remind you that what we're asking God for, for what we've been praying for, for what we've been pressing for, is to see a revival in our nation, to see God work in an unprecedented way, to see Him heal our land.

Well, this says in 2 Chronicles 7, verse 14. Si mi pueblo, que son llamados por mi nombre, se humillan, oran, buscan mi rostro, y se apartan de sus caminos malvados, entonces yo iré desde el cielo y perdonaré su pecado y sanaré su tierra. Sí. It's a lesson. It's a lesson. Everything we've done in this career, everything we do every week at Crossroads, it's not to entertain you. It's to help you and me to be transformed. Maybe you've heard the phrase, information without transformation is just entertainment. A wise friend this week put the word spiritual. She said, spiritual information without transformation is just spiritual entertainment. That's not what we're looking for here. We're looking for transformation in myself and in you. That's what the rest of our time will be about. I'm going to stop talking in a few minutes, and instead, I'll just read the words of God directly from the Scriptures. Remember, it's a sword. My exhortation is that you allow it to pierce you. Don't fight. Uncross your arms. If there are closed closets in your life where you haven't let God in because you don't want Him to see things,

open the closet. Let Him in. If you've raised a wall, God doesn't go beyond talking about anything other than what's behind the wall. Knock down the wall. Remember, it's not to condemn you. It's to conform you. It may hurt, but it's for your own good. I'll read a prayer from the Scriptures, and then the description of the love of 1 Corinthians, chapter 13. I'll do it three times, using three different translations. The prayer is from Psalm 139. It's an invitation for God to examine us, to know us, and to point out the places where our character doesn't match the character of Christ. When you hear that prayer, you can respond with an amen. Then I'll read the words of 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, which describe the character of Christ, of love. And when I read those words, I want you to pay attention to the stab, to the stab, to the scalpel in his chest. Just one word, just one sentence, is enough. Let's begin. Psalm 139. Escudriñame, oh Dios, y conoce mi corazón.

Pruébame y conoce mis inquietudes, y ve si hay en mí camino malo, y guíame en el camino eterno. Primera de Corintios 13 El amor es paciente, es bondadoso. El amor no es envidioso, ni se jacta. No es orgulloso, ni arrogante. No se empeña en lo suyo. No es irascible, ni guarda rencor. No se alegra de lo malo, sino que se alegra con la verdad. El amor todo lo soporta, todo lo cree, todo lo espera, todo lo soporta. El amor nunca termina. El amor nunca termina. Enter me, break my bones, burn my throne if that's what I need. Honor me, let my life testify that You're everything. Drain my pride so I'm coming up empty. Pruébame y conoce mi corazón, y ve si hay en mí camino malo, y guíame en el camino eterno. Primera de Corintios 13 El amor es paciente, es bondadoso. El amor no es envidioso, ni se jacta. No es orgulloso, ni se empeña en lo suyo. No es egoísta, no se irrita fácilmente. No lleva un registro de las ofensas. El amor no se alegra de la maldad, sino que se alegra con la verdad. Siempre ampara, siempre confía, siempre espera, siempre persevera. El amor jamás se extingue. Enter me, break my bones, burn my throne if that's what I need. I'm surrendering all of me. Let my life testify that You're everything. Drain my pride so I'm coming up empty. El amor es sufrido y es benigno. El amor no tiene envidia. El amor no se exhibe. No está inflado. No es grosero.

No busca lo suyo. No se irrita. No piensa mal. No se regocija en la injusticia, sino que se alegra con la verdad. Todo lo sufre, todo lo cree, todo lo espera, todo lo soporta. El amor nunca deja de ser. Enter me, break my bones, burn my throne if that's what I need. I'm surrendering all of me. Let my life testify that You're everything. Drain my pride so I'm coming up empty. Break my bones and burn my throne if that's what I need. I'm surrendering all of me. Let my life testify that You're everything. Drain my pride so I'm coming up empty. That is our prayer. Would you empty us of all the places where we do not reflect your being? Would you empty all of us? And would you forge in our interior the character of Christ, the love? Lord, I felt quickly your sting, your stab, of your knife stuck in my chest. Love is tolerant. Two nights ago, when I went to look for Ben at a friend's house, he took fifteen more minutes than expected to leave, and I had no patience. I got angry quickly. I provoked myself. God, that has been a pattern in my life for a long time. Would you mold me so that I look more like your son, Jesus? I apologize for that. Change me. Lord, I pray for all those present, for all those who see us online. Who have the courage and the courage to offer themselves to you, God. Will you accept our repentance?

We receive your correction. Will you change our character, God? Will you make us a congregation, a church that looks like you? That can run and win the race you have for us? God, thank you for being a good God. Who loves us so much to change us. Amen.