The Whole Body, Part 3: The Eyes

The Eyes of the Body and the Need to Regard Christ First

Well this morning we continue on with this series we've begun now for the past two weeks the series of the body ideas the whole body getting our Minds around what it means to be a sound a healthy a mature a perfect body.

Growing up in all things into him who is the head as we looked at last week when we began The anatomy of a healthy body proper and all of our unity all of our health is bound up with him. Who is our head?

We are the body of Christ joined together as members in him by him by his spirit having a commonality being bound up together in this calling in this hope of glory and this is in part why we're Beginning from the top at the head and we're gonna slowly kind of work our way down again skipping some digits and ligaments some some organs, but Generally looking at different aspects of what it means to be a whole body a healthier a mature church body.

Again, just to pick up that language of Ephesians for the the goal here is that across these several weeks? We will grow up in all things into him who is the head Christ from whom the whole body. Joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.

According to the effective working by which every part does its share. Causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. So we began with the head last week. That was part two and then here part three this morning.

We're looking at the eyes. When I talk about the eyes or the sight of our body, I'm mainly focusing on our regard. The things that we regard or maybe within that we could talk about our attention. What we're looking at what we're focusing on the things that we notice.

What does it mean for our body to have healthy eyes sound eyes? How do we have a regard for the things of the Lord and for one another that is mature? How do we have attention on the right things in the right order?

How can we have an outlook and a focus in a way that corresponds to this desire to grow up into all things into Christ? Well the point I'll be making throughout this sermon this morning and we'll we'll of course foot stomp it toward the end is this.

We cannot regard each other rightly without regarding the things of Christ. It's a very simple point, but I hope I can establish it. Well, we cannot regard each other rightly. Without regarding the things of Christ again regarding being the idea of seeing beholding focusing on noticing.

That's all contained within this idea of the eyes and the passage I want to use to get us there is Philippians chapter 2 Verses 1 through 4. I think two things are held out to us here between verses 1 2 and verses 3 4.

So Philippians 2 beginning in verse 1. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any affection and mercy. Paul says fulfill my joy by being like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out. Not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

And.

Again, we cannot regard each other rightly unless we regard the things of Christ or to put it in this idea of looking out. Toward one another we can only look out for one another if we're looking at the things of Christ.

That's how we hold together these four verses. What we look at will determine why we look out. That's all we're looking at this morning. Our eyes are our regard. There was no pun intended. Eyes on the things of Christ means eyes on one another.

Eyes on the things of Christ is verses 1 2. Eyes on one another is verses 3 4. We cannot regard each other rightly without first regarding the things of Christ. So let's look at each of these statements these if conditional statements in verses 1 2.

In Greek when you have a conditional sentence, it can imply you can construct it in a way Grammatically to imply either a negative answer or a positive answer and all of these conditional sentences are structured in a way that expect a Positive answer, so he's not saying if as a shot in the dark.

I hope there is he's not saying if as if there's not. He's saying if and the answer to that is yes, there is. If there's any consolation in Christ, yes, there is if there's any comfort of love. Yes, there is.

If there's any fellowship of the Spirit. Yes, there is. If there's any affection and mercy. Yes, there is. Before we even get into these verses you see what Paul's doing. He does this methodically throughout his letters.

He's always pointing to some good gospel grounding truth before he gives exhortation. Before he gives admonishment. Before he gives rebuke before he gives practical instruction. He's often we put it this way.

He's often giving what's true the indicative before he gives what ought to be done the imperative or the command and here we see. That he said he's describing the things that we have in common as a result of the Lord working in and through us.

Each of these four statements that we'll look at this is all Wrought out by the presence and grace of God in Christ by his spirit these things are at work effectively in us and since that's true Paul says if you have these things if you're Regarding these things if you're seeing these things then you'll be able to do verses three and four.

We're gonna hold that all together. The first if is this the consolation we have in Christ that word consolation we don't use it very commonly. Another translation could be the comfort we have in Christ when you console someone who's grieving or mourning and he says there's a consolation that we have in Christ a Comfort that comes from him that we share in because we belong to him.

We're consoled. We're comforted. We're we're helped in Christ. When there's deeper shades of meaning attached to this word, it goes a little bit more than the comfort we have in Christ. It's also the comfort who is Christ.

Christ is our consolation. He's the consolation of Israel. Christ sends his spirit to dwell within us. What's the spirit identified as the comforter? That's Christ's sending one who will comfort his people.

It's his comfort his spirit the spirit of the Lord. And so the idea is Christ himself is the consolation. Listen to how Charles Spurgeon puts it. It's the spirits business to cheer the hearts of God's people.

He consoles us. Of course he convinces us of sin.

Of course.

He illuminates and instructs us but still the main part of his business lies in making glad the hearts of the redeemed and Bearing up the weak and lifting up the spirits of those who are bowed down. Now mark you as the Holy Spirit is the comforter.

Christ is the comfort the Holy Spirit consoles. But Christ is the consolation. That's exactly right. The Holy Spirit's work is is not in a glass jar separate from the work of Christ. Every act of God is a triune act and so that the comforter the comfort that he brings is the very presence and hope of Christ himself as Willed by the Father as accomplished by the Son as applied by the Spirit.

The the comforter dwells within us and he draws us to the one who is our comfort all of our hope and stay to Christ Himself who bears us up to the Father? We see his love his goodwill toward us in Christ by the Spirit you see there's this cascade from the Father through the Son by the Spirit to us and From us through the Spirit to the Son unto the Father.

And you see this glorious picture. Sometimes this consolation could be translated in other translations of persuasion. There's any persuasion in Christ. In other words, this is a comfort that draws. It's a comforter that if we could use human human figures, it puts an arm around and says come come.

Let's reason together. Come come come this way. Come come keep going in this direction. There's a persuasion that's taking place if there's any persuasion in Christ. Anything about the person or the work or the relationship we have to him.

That's a persuasiveness. F .B. Meyer carries this out so well. He says Jesus Christ is interested in every church fellowship. But we do not always realize how much he is doing to persuade us to maintain it.

Have there not been times in your life when you've been greatly incensed in other words greatly offended greatly upset by something. But you find this still small voice speaking within your heart a gentle Influence coming over you a yearning towards a brother or a sister about whom you had been cherishing some hard or unkind feelings.

What is that? It is the persuasiveness of Christ. There's any persuasion from Christ any comfort any consolation. And you see that carried out in the second statement if there's any comfort of love. This is almost synonymous with consolation.

There's a comfort that's actually the comfort of affection. That is Christ's affection for us. That becomes part of our affection toward one another. It's the love of Christ born out to others who love Christ.

I Love Christ and I love others who love Christ. I love Christ and I love others because I love Christ and he loves them. It's impossible. To love with a fervent love the bridegroom but to hate the bride it's just not possible and so this affection this this Consolation this persuasion.

It's a comfort of love. If anything this could be viewed like an incentive. Paul is holding it out. If there's any leaning from love if there's any gain to be had in love any encouragement from love. And this is a love again that is Christ's love at work effectively in us.

Thirdly a fellowship in the spirit. You remember in in times past we've talked about this word fellowship, it's almost always emptied of its meaning. We think of fellowship as the mere gathering. But but I would say Fellowship is not something that worldlings can mimic not the fellowship that we're describing here.

It's not a mere gathering. You don't fellowship with relatives at your annual cookout. You don't fellowship at the Elks Club or fellowship at the bowling alley. Fellowship is not just a mere gathering.

Fellowship is a partaking a participation in the purpose of God. A Fellowship is a joint venture. Fellowship is a gathering toward a specific end toward a common goal. Partnership is helpful. But the idea is more Participation.

We have a fellowship as Christians in the Holy Spirit. He's the one that's united us. He's the one that's given us a common purpose a common destiny a common goal. He's given us gifts not just his presence but gifts to carry out that common purpose and so Paul's again holding this out as an incentive if we are partakers of this work of the Spirit if We have joined together in him unto his purpose.

You can't escape this picture. It's all held together the the comforter the consolation the love the fellowship. This is all wrought out by the Spirit of Christ. And this is all of our unity all of our oneness.

This is why Paul says in Ephesians 4 that Christians are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit.

In.

The bond of peace he says there's one body and one spirit just as you were called in one hope of your calling. So the Spirit manifests our fellowship. The Spirit Unites our hearts in faith. The Spirit prompts our walks toward that vision in that glory.

It all comes from the Holy Spirit indwelling his people. He does this of course individually. 1st Corinthians 6 can speak of the individual. This is a reason you're not to join your members to a harlot in the context of 1st Corinthians 6 because your body is a temple Of the Holy Spirit.

There's something individual about that. I think that's a it's a right application. But there's also something corporate. 1st Corinthians 3 16. Do you not know that all y 'all are the temple of God and the Spirit dwells in you?

There's a corporate dimension to being indwelt by the Spirit. Vulcan say we've been baptized into one spirit. We all drink of one spirit. In other words there. There is a bond. There is a fellowship of the Spirit that is actually the source of all of our unity of all of our growth into him.

Who is our head? And so we participate with the Spirit this means as not only as individuals. But as a church we seek not to grieve the Holy Spirit. We seek not to quench the Holy Spirit. We dare not provoke the Spirit lest Ichabod be cast over our fellowship.

Do you see? You keep in step with the Spirit as the people of God not just as individuals day by day throughout your week. But as a church as a gathered body we must endeavor to keep in step with the Spirit.

It's the same thing that Paul is saying endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. It's the Spirit's unity, but you need to endeavor to keep it you need to keep in step with it. You need to repent where he presses conviction you need to obey where he presses illumination.

You need to bend and to submit where he exalts God's Word in a way that puts a certain calling or direction upon your life. This is what we have to do individually as well as corporately. So the condition here is a realization.

That we are participating in the Spirit as to spirit leads and prompts directs gifts grows. This compels us a certain regard and view not only for the things of Christ. But also a certain regard and look at one another.

It's what we look at that determines how we look out. And then the fourth conditional statement here is affection and mercy. There's any affection. There's any mercy. It almost goes without saying that if you have these other three things in place.

You're going to have affection and mercy if you have fellowship in the Spirit if you have the comfort of his love if you have the Consolation of Christ you're going to have affection and mercy. These things will flow.

Our motivation begins with this affection out of the mercy that we receive from God and when we have received the Affection of God in Christ when we have been bestowed upon by his mercy. We then turn to others in mercy.

Mercy received is mercy shown. Love received as love shown. It's not possible to truly understand God's mercy if we don't Replicate it in a myriad of small ways to others again. The one who has understood his debt rightly could never grab someone by their collar and demand pay me what you owe.

He's not understood the first thing about mercy. The one who understands mercy Dwells in a certain lowliness of mind. That's exactly where Paul's going in verses 3 4. And so this idea of a constant rich Deepening love for the things of Christ and for one another all has its wellspring in the love and deepening mercy of God in Christ unto us.

As we were saying even Last week the Bible does not say that we have to like each other. Grin and bear it and just get the job done. The Bible says we have to love one another. We have to be very careful how we define that love it should be biblically defined.

We should not allow worldly Definitions or worldly examples to impinge upon what scripture would define love as being as what love looks like. The the church here at Philippi would have already had this established just by how Paul relayed his own experience to them at the very Beginning of the letter.

He says you're in my heart.

You're in my heart.

God is my witness how greatly I long for you with all the affection of Jesus Christ. He says I long for you. God is my witness. I long for you. You could put it this way. Paul is lovesick for the brothers and sisters of this congregation.

I yearn he says. My affection is kindled. I'm praying for you constantly. You're in my heart. Everywhere I turn. I see you. I'm yearning for you. Where is that coming from? Is that the Paul that we knew on the road to Damascus?

That's a result of Christ saving Paul of Christ drawing Paul into his own presence of of Christ teaching Paul of his person of his perfection of his work of redemption and Paul Receiving this being saturated with these gospel truths begins to have the same Christlike love toward the body of Christ.

He says just like Christ could say you're in my very heart. You're the apple of my very eye. I long for you. I yearn for you. That's the goal that Paul holds out to this church. That's the goal that the Lord would hold out to every church we're gonna have this this fervent love one for another and not settle for less as Though God would settle for less He wants us to grow up into him in all things that includes his own affection and love for mercy.

And so that's the goal. That's a goal. That's not possible. If we're striving in the flesh. That's not a goal. That's possible with carnal wisdom. That's not a goal that's accomplishable if we're thinking earthly thoughts or looking at each other in earthly ways.

That is something that comes from the very Spirit of God himself. It's a supernatural love. It's a love from above. These are the conditions that Paul lays out again. Yes. You have this consolation in Christ.

Yes, you have this comfort of his own love. Yes, you have this Participation this fellowship in the very Spirit of God and yes. You've received and are being stirred by God's own affection and mercy. If you have any of this Paul's logic is then be like-minded.

Fulfill my joy have that same kind of love be of one accord. Paul takes all of those gospel givens and he turns it toward the unity of the body. Why is Paul longing for them? This is why he uses this language fulfill my joy.

I'm not fully able to rejoice yet because you're not fully united in these things. I'm not fully able to enjoy what is lacking in the body. I'll be able to fully rejoice when I see you having that same love and being of one accord.

So Paul says fulfill my joy. I'm yearning for that joy to be fulfilled. Oh. He says how I want to see the wholeness of the body of Christ. That's his outlook. That's how he's looking at others in the church.

That's his eyes. And he wants the church to have that same sight that same attention that same focus. So he says in verses three and four, here's how you'll do it. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind.

Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others. What is Paul saying?

Must be done in a phrase.

Self-denial. Self-denial. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition rather than having a selfish ambition. Deny yourself. Let it not be out of conceits rather than prizing and swelling up in your pride.

Deny yourself empty yourself even as Christ emptied himself in lowliness of mind not in height not in this sort of a Strutting around like some proud peacock. I remember going to a Sort of a little zoo.

It wasn't a full zoo. It was more of like an animal animal rescue shelter and they rescued a number of peacocks whose tails had been Chopped in order to probably make souvenirs or who knows what and and so these poor birds very majestic birds.

They were strutting around. Perhaps unaware they didn't have that beautiful spread of tail feathers, but they were still very proud. So they're sort of puffing out their chest and strutting by and then these little stubs.

Would slowly spread and rattle and it was a very pathetic sight and it's just a picture to me. This is what we look like when we're strutting around in our pride. There ought to be something glorious that we could boast in but there's not.

We just have little. You know stumpy feathers and things misgrown and little pieces of bone sticking out. No, it's self-denial and lowliness of mind. Think of others higher than yourself. Esteem others better.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interest. In other words, not only look out for self. But look at the interests of others. So don't just look at self. Look at others. Don't just esteem self.

Deny self so that you can esteem others in a phrase. Self-denial is what Paul's getting at it cuts against our natural orientation as human beings toward ourselves. If you if you have a toddler. Or have had a toddler.

You know exactly what we're getting at here. We're born into this world and we think the world is ours and the world revolves around me. It's a hard life lesson to learn the world does not revolve around you.

When you're three when you're four when you're five. It does seem like the world revolves around you. Mom and dad. Do everything just to get you through the day. It seems like everything is at your beck and call.

Then you grow up and you learn how to get in line with the world and you realize. You're just a very small cog in a very large operation. We are naturally oriented toward the self. We are not naturally oriented toward others not in our own families not in our church body.

Not in any level of human relationship. And so the gospel comes and Paul says as a result of all these things we've looked at in verses 1 2. There's now a shift in the way that we regard ourself and therefore the way that we regard others.

If these things are true, I no longer see my life myself. My path in the same way I once did. Now that I have a consolation in Christ in a comfort of his love now that I have this Participation in the work of the Spirit this glorious goal as a result of this affection and mercy that's been wrought out in my life.

I have a whole new identity. I have a whole new purpose. I have a whole new realm of priority. I'm seeking the kingdom first his righteousness. And so whatever had characterized my life in the past. That dog-eat-dog mindset of pursuing my ambitions with reckless abandon.

Trotting upon anyone who gets in my way like a politician very carefully. Also, perhaps very deceitfully using people in ways that best suit my needs my ends my desires. Well, that's how we used to live.

That's how the world lives. It's all about me. Until you receive the affection and mercy of Christ and it's all about him and then your love starts to get Reordered if you've begun with him if you're looking rightly if the eyes of the body are fixed upon him.

It changes the way we look at everything else. I Cannot see myself in the same way. I once did. I now can no longer see others in the way I once did. Because I've seen Christ because my eyes are fixed on him and I have all of these things this Cascading picture of the gospel wrought graces his gift of salvation all that comes with it.

I'm changed forever. My outlook has changed forever the things I focus on. It's all shifted how I identify myself. How I understand my role my purpose my end that's all shifted. But when we think about who we are in Christ, in other words part of this self-acknowledgement is inherently self-denial.

I Cannot conceive of myself as part of God's body nor can I rightly understand and look at God's body unless I Acknowledge that now I have a new self that requires self-denial. I'm a stone among many stones being built up into the temple of the Living God.

I'm a leaf on a branch of many branches that are abiding in the vine. I'm a member. One of many members knit together and jointed into this bride of Christ. It's it's forcing me to think about my relationship to others in an entirely new way.

I'm not the temple. I'm not the bride. I'm not divine. I'm one part and I have a part to play. So it's not a bad estimation. It's a right estimation it's not Having the wrong kind of esteem. I think at some point in Christianity.

You need to have that Nehemiah like reaction should should such a man as I flee. In other words, you know. We shouldn't always have the sort of dark cloud raining upon our heads and that's the way we have lowliness of mind.

We should be able to say should such a man as I. Should such a virtuous wife as I go in this direction. You need to have the right kind of esteem, but that esteem can't become pride or conceit or selfishness.

And so you need to humble yourself you need to think of yourself rightly and you cannot think of yourself rightly nor humble yourself. Unless you're seeing God rightly and therefore seeing others around you rightly.

Paul is able to love and serve the body of Christ. Because of what he's known of Christ and how that changed the way he understood himself. Do they have a boast. I could boast too. In fact, I used to boast.

In fact, my whole life was my boast. Pharisee of the Pharisees born on the eighth day. Circumcised on the eighth day of the tribe of Benjamin according to the law. Blameless. My whole life I built up in this glorious way, what's that now as a result of knowing Christ?

Rubbish. You see it was radically reoriented. What did that lead to a Self-denial that freed him to serve and love Christ's body out of love and service to Christ himself. It's the right esteem it's the right self-acknowledgement.

It's the right view of others viewing others. Who also have been saved unto Christ and what that means as an obligation toward them. They too are of the body of Christ. They too have the affection and mercy of Christ wrought upon them.

They too are participating in this fellowship with the Spirit. What does that mean for me? It means I cannot isolate myself. I cannot be an eye that says to the hand. I have no need of you. I recognize now this radical obligation this interdependency that we've been speaking about now for two weeks.

Paul says this in Romans 12. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things. Associate with the humble don't be wise in your own opinion. It is this radical thoroughgoing Humility, I think of myself less.

I Esteem others better. I'm seeing myself rightly. I'm seeing myself as God sees me a part of the bride a member of his own body a gifted functionary for the outworking of the Spirit's desire in us and through us.

A Humility is this means to see myself as God sees me to see others as God sees them. So at one level it lowers my natural selfishness on the other hand. It also raises up my regard my sight my focus on others.

Paul says it this way. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. Don't do anything if it's coming out of a selfish vein if it's towards some selfish and just don't do it. Paul says let nothing be done in that way.

What does it look like for a church to not do anything out of selfish ambition or conceit? I asked the question going toward maybe even a meeting tonight whether depending. What would it look like for our church to not let anything be done out of selfish ambition or conceit?

Would anything change or would nothing change? No, we're asking the question simply this are you unselfish as a person? Are you unselfish? Anyone care to raise their hand. Who here is unselfish. Who here is selfless.

Who here has the mind of Christ? We're naturally selfish. We'd like to think of ourselves as Unselfish and we do that by trying to find someone who we regard as selfish and we make ourselves feel better in comparison to them.

Me selfish never look at so-and-so.

I'm.

I'm the paragon of modesty and humility and charity compared to them. But that's never the standard. The standard is Christ. Again are you selfish? If we're honest with ourselves, we know that we're not Selfless but we're selfish.

We do most things through selfish ambition most things meeting the demands the comforts of the calls of the world the flesh and the devil. A Selfishness in this way is like oil to the water of the word.

It's the problem with selfishness and it's a problem with the body that is operating through selfishness. Through pride of place through viewing others through this lens of conceit. I don't need you. I rank up like this against you.

You're not worthy of my time my love my effort my concern. The selfishness is like poison to a growing body. The spirit is grieved and quenched because he's seeking to bring about love and order and unity.

Selfishness cuts against that. Think about it in this way. The selfish person will hardly ever apply the word to themselves. Simultaneously a selfish person is a master at applying the word to everyone but themselves you know James talks about the mirror of God's Word and we see it in a moment and then we turn and we forget what we've seen.

A Selfish person is prone to forget what they've seen because they're not even interested in seeing themselves in the mirror to begin with. They're only looking at the mirror to find things about other people.

You know who this would be good for. Mm-hmm. I Read this. This is I should tell it. I should tell it to him. That would be really good for him. It's the mirror for everyone else but not for me. There's a certain self blindness that comes with selfishness.

They know everything that everyone else ought to do but next to nothing about what the word means for them. In other words I can start to see God's purpose God's calling God's way and how. Everyone around me is falling short of that and they really need to do this and they really need to grow in that and they Really ought to be like that and not like this, but I can't apply that same standard to myself.

In fact, I don't even care to and if anyone dares press or point a word at me. My my feathers are more than ruffled. I'm more than incensed and offended. That is a hallmark of selfishness. You consider 1st Corinthians 4.

You have these believers of the church at Corinth and they're developing a sort of popularity scale. Which faction do you belong to? I'm of Paul. I'm of Apollos. I'm of Cephas. Oh, well, I'm the really Holy Roller.

I'm of Christ.

And.

Paul just rejects that wholesale. He says you're supposed to be the super spiritual ones. Vying for some supremacy in position over against each other. You haven't understood the first thing about Christ the first thing about the gospel.

And so he says 1st Corinthians 4, you know, I wanted to address you as if you were spiritual, but I couldn't because you're fleshly. You know, this would be a very different letter if you were spiritual.

But I can't even talk to you as if you're spiritual. You're just so fleshly so here's the rest of the letter now. It's a very different kind of letter. That's Paul writing to the church at Corinth. What is he seeing there?

Ambition envy. Selfishness conceit. He's a spade seeing this display of almost worldly craving for elevated status. And he just calls it as he sees it. It's all fleshly. It's worldly. And if you're gonna be worldly, I'll speak to you as worldly.

If you're gonna be fleshly I'll write to you as fleshly. What does he say of himself? He says you're vying after Apollos and Peter and myself as if we're divided against each other. He says this men ought to regard us as servants of Christ.

So, how does Paul protect his own heart his own ministry from the things that are slowly ripping apart the church at Corinth? He says I've regarded myself as a slave. In fact, you ought to regard me in that way as well.

Some letters he's willing to press the authority of the dignity of his office. Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ in Some letters in situations like this. He only introduces himself as Paul a slave of Christ.

Men ought to regard us as slaves. Paul says I regard myself not as your superior. But as your servant because I serve a master who became a servant for my sake. One who though has untold wealth infinite riches and splendor became poor for my sake.

One who though the very wellspring and source of life. Took upon himself the pains and curse of death for my sake. If that's my paradigm and model you ought to regard me as a slave. Paul saying don't come and puff me up.

Don't come up and try to line up behind my faction.

I'll have nothing to do with that. And so.

Christianity has no place for For vying for positioning for angling. We consider it in this way. We know that Christ dwells in every believer. From the least to the greatest that's the promise of the New Covenant.

No longer will a man need to say to his neighbor know the Lord. They shall all know me from the least to the greatest all members of the body of Christ have some knowledge some indwelt Presence by his spirit.

They've been born again. Behold old things have passed away. All things have become new in Christ. This is true of every member of the body of Christ. Whether an hour old or eight decades old. This is the truth.

This is the reality of the body of Christ. They all have an interest in Christ. They'll have a position in Christ. They're all indwelt by the Spirit of Christ from the least to the greatest and Therefore you have never met a genuine believer who you're not called to love as you would love Christ himself.

We've talked about this in the first week of this series. How do you do that you come to appreciate the fact that they're indwelt by the Spirit of Christ? You come to consider what Christ is doing in their life.

How Christ is present in them. What do you see of quite of Christ reflected in their life in their speech in their testimony? Maybe you still see a lot of the old man a lot of the pockmarks of the world the flesh and the evil one.