SPONGES AND CLAY

Sermon: Isaiah Mast - Sunday, June 21, 2026 

 

Having Christ Formed In Us

INTRODUCTION

I want to paint a picture for you.

Then it will bring us to a fork in the road.

I'll explain the two paths, identify the true one, and give you two ways to apply it.

I would like to haunt you, if I may.

Haunt you with what has haunted me and should haunt every person at some point in their journey.

Footprints in the snow.

I’m leaving footprints in the snow
And I know another soul will think it's a path to go
And I don’t have a choice
Cause my world's laden with snow
So I’m leaving footprints wherever I go

Isaiah says:

“They will meet their end together with the one they follow.”

Paul says:

“Follow me as I follow Christ.”

“Whatever you've seen in me put into practice.”

“It is no longer I who live but Christ in me.”

Can you say that?

Main Question

You are not here so others can see more of you.

You are here so they might see Jesus and meet Him.

James K.A. Smith tells the story of someone who returned to church hoping to meet God and left saying:

“I came to church in hopes of meeting God, but all I found was you.”

Chew on that for a moment.

WE ARE ALL SPONGES AND CLAY

Children absorb everything.

Do we ever really outgrow being formed?

No.

We are all being formed.

“We are being either transformed into the love and beauty of Jesus or malformed by the entropy of sin and death.”

C.S. Lewis:

“We are either becoming immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

My version:

At the end of our life we are the exaggerated form of everything we didn’t kill and everything we kept alive.

Does that not haunt you a little bit?

I WAS WATCHING YOU

I am what I am because Christ was formed in me.

But I am what I am because Christ was formed in you.

I was being shaped by you.

I was absorbing what you were overflowing.

I was watching you.

(Insert personal examples)

Darren...

Pastor Ben...

Norm...

Janeene...

Kristal...

Gonam...

Aaron...

Mom...

Dad...

Dustin...

Principle

If you have someone worth imitating:

Imitate Christ shining through them.

Honor them.

But I was also watching when people did not act like Christ.

• When pride entered conversations
• When garbage was left for others
• When blame replaced repentance
• When apathy replaced faithfulness
• When comfort replaced service

If a brother or sister is not acting like Christ:

Correct them in love.

And do not imitate what is not Christ.

THE CONCLUSION SO FAR

If all this is true:

We ought not remain as we are.

We must be disciplined and discipled by Christ.

Today.

We have no time to lose.

We must become more like Him.

And allow Him to form others through us.

THE FORK IN THE ROAD

This brings us to a crucial junction.

The Fork in the Road of Formation

Two paths:

Path One

Live like Jesus out of:

• Guilt
• Fear
• Pride
• Performance

The heavy false gospel of works.

Path Two

Live like Jesus through:

• Grace
• Faith
• Freedom
• Joy
• Love
• Purpose

Religious machine

OR

Free child of God

SCOUGAL'S INSIGHT

True religion is not outward performance.

True religion is:

“Christ formed within us.”

“A Divine Life.”

If your Christianity is driven only by:

• Tradition
• Parents
• Fear
• Obligation
• Self-preservation

Then you are missing the point.

You may be religious.

But Christ is not being formed in you.

Paul says:

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

CHRISTIANITY IS AN OVERFLOW

The Christian life is dutiful and principled.

But it must be even more driven by the overflow of Christ within us.

Less like being pushed.

Less like being pulled.

More like an undercurrent.

A fountain overflowing from within.

A free life.

Tethered securely to God.

Walking so closely with Him there is hardly any tension in the rope.

CHRIST FORMED IN YOU

Jesus said:

“Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.”

Paul said:

“I am in labor until Christ is formed in you.”

When Christ is formed in us:

We are protected from false gospels.

We become animated by grace.

Not heavy.

Not heartless.

But joyful.

Purposeful.

Alive.

HOW DO I GET CHRIST FORMED IN ME?

Think less about getting more of Christ.

Think more about giving more of yourself to Christ.

John the Baptist:

“I must become less. He must become more.”

Yield to Christ.

Give Him the right of way.

Jesus:

“I am the vine, you are the branches.”

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”

Notice the order:

Be with Jesus

↓

Become like Jesus

↓

Do what Jesus did

THE CENTRAL QUESTION

Will you abide in Christ?

Or as I like to say:

Will you slow down enough to be loved?

Because the person who acts like Christ

Is the person who has first been loved by Christ.

APPLICATION #1

CONTEMPLATE AND ADORE

Where is Jesus?

Where do I go to be with Him?

Worship.

Not merely singing.

Worship.

Romans 12:

Offer yourselves as living sacrifices.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

The simplest practice:

Contemplation

Thinking about who God is

And adoring Him for it.

Reading Scripture.

Prayer.

Nature.

Serving.

Singing.

Anything that turns your attention toward Him.

And here is the beautiful part:

The more you look at Him and say:

“I love you.”

The more you hear Him say:

“I love you too.”

Can I be the voice of Jesus for you?

“I love you.
I want you.
All of you.
Every piece.”

The number one rule of being with Jesus:

Contemplate Him.

Adore Him.

Let Him love you.

Your greatest enemy may not be sin.

It may be hurry.

APPLICATION #2

WRESTLE WITH GOD

This is probably not what you expected.

Wrestle with God.

Psalm 34:18

“He is close to the brokenhearted.”

The times I felt most loved by Jesus.

The times I was formed most deeply.

Were not the easy times.

They were the brokenhearted times.

The wrestling times.

The questioning times.

The lamenting times.

This is biblical worship too.

Lament.

And Scripture is full of it.

The largest category in the Psalms is lament.

The strongest people of faith

Are often the people who wrestle with God the most.

If you never make room for lament,

You miss a major place where Jesus meets you.

Your temptation will be to escape pain.

Don't.

Because:

To escape your pain is often to skip out on God's love.

CONCLUSION

First

Jesus loves you.

You are a child of God by grace through faith.

Not by your performance.

Second

This life is a journey of formation.

Being with Jesus.

Becoming like Him.

Doing what He did.

Helping others do the same.

Third

Your fight is to build rhythms of worship.

Contemplation.

Adoration.

Lament.

Living in grace.

Not as a religious machine.

But as a dearly loved child of God.

CHALLENGE

What will you stop doing

So you have more time to worship?

More time to be loved by Jesus?

More time to have Christ formed in you?

One less thing.

One less distraction.

One more opportunity to say:

“I love you.
You are my everything.
Love me into your image.”

FINAL APPEAL

I don't want to come back and find everyone the same.

I don't want to find a religious machine.

I want to find people transformed by love.

Because:

To not worship Christ is to not be loved.

To not worship Jesus is to barricade His love from transforming you.

Can you imagine what would happen

If Jesus loved us into His image every day?

And then through us loved others into His image too?

If every new believer could hear:

“Follow me and you will meet Jesus.”

If every footprint we left in the snow

Led straight to the arms of Christ.

If people left saying:

“I came to church and met with God, I found Him in everyone of those Christians and then I met Him for myself."

GOSPEL INVITATION

If you have never met Jesus:

Simply say:

“Jesus, You are Lord.
You are my Savior.
Forgive me of my sins.
My life is for Your glory.”

Then find someone who follows Him and follow them.

Let them show you who Jesus is and how to be His disciple.

If they don’t—they are a liar and Love is not in them.

Let's Pray.

*Click here to watch the full replay of this service, "Sponges & Clay" - Isaiah Mast