Tim Keller | May 3, 1998
Moral reformation is not the same thing as spiritual transformation. In moral reformation, one begins to outwardly comply, but the habits of the heart haven’t changed. In other words, moral reformation comes by looking at the rules and conforming, but spiritual transformation comes from looking at Jesus Christ. When we look at Christ, we can be regenerated — he can change our hearts and transform us spiritually.
Today’s sermon comes from a series on the character of Christ and how that character can produce deep changes in our hearts. Today we’re going to look at the joy that Jesus gives us. We learn three things in this passage about joy: the promise of it; the structure of it; and the growth of it.