I think all of us realize how difficult the task is to live a life of holiness, but fortunately, God has given us His grace through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live for Him. But living a life of holiness is a process. The Apostle Paul writes: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). It is this concept of being renewed day by day that influences the title of today’s sermon: “Renewing Our Ministry SHAPE.”

If we look further in 2 Corinthians to the fifth chapter, we read in verse 17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you are “in Christ,” you are no longer trapped in a life of sin and shame. He has given you all that you need to live a life that honors Him—a life of holiness. In 2 Peter 1:3-4, the Bible tells us: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” The result of the all-powerful work of God in our lives is not just being delivered from the penalty of sin, but being delivered from the power that sin has over us as we seek to live a life of holiness. That’s what this section is all about—walking in holiness, as our inner self is being renewed day by day.