Change, Change, Change! Series

INTRODUCTION

• VIDEO CLIP

• SLIDE #1

• As we live in this world, do we have any obligation to the world around us?

• Since we are called to serve Jesus, what is our obligation as temporary citizens of this world?

• I think we all have people in our lives that we would love to see come to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I know we lament the direction that the world is headed.

• We live in a world that can easily mold us into it’s’ image. If we allow that to happen, can new really have an effect on those around us for Jesus?

• How do we have a real affect those around us for Jesus?

• We need to do something that can be very uncomfortable for us, CHANGE!

• Change can be intimidating and challenging because of the very nature of what the word means.

• The word “change” means to “become of make different.”

• If we walk, talk, act, and live like everyone else in the world, what is so different about that? Why would that attract people to Jesus?

 WE are going to look at three areas of change that each of us needs to focus our life on this morning. These changes need to be considered because they will have an affect not only on ourselves, but on those around us, for ETERNITY.

 Let’s turn to 1 Peter 2:11-12 together.

 SLIDE #2

 1 Peter 2:11(ESV) 11Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

 SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. Change your mind.

• As we delve into this verse we see that Peter loves and cares for his readers to the point that he is urging them to listen to the counsel he is giving to them.

• The word “urge” paints a picture of passionate pleading. What is being shared through the text is important for many reasons but the big appeal to the readers and to us is twofold.

• First, we as Christians, we are sojourners in this world which means that we are foreign settlers who temporarily reside in a strange house. This world is not our home! We are citizens of heaven!

• Secondly we are called exiles. This implies that we are visitors who tarry for a time in a foreign country but who will be shortly traveling on to our true homeland.

• Since where we currently reside is temporary why would we get engrossed into where we now are?

• If we are going to be different than the world around us it starts with changing our mind. We need to have a different mindset than the world around us.

• SLIDE #4

• Romans 12:2(ESV) 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

• The way to keep from being conformed to this world once we belong to Jesus is to allow our minds to be transformed or changed to the mindset of Jesus.

• 2 Corinthians 10:5 explains it this way.

• SLIDE #5

• 2 Corinthians 10:5(ESV) 5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

• Taking EVERY thought captive to obey Jesus is the ultimate! It takes prayer, practice and perseverance to do that.

• In our passage, Peter urges us to ABSTAIN from the passions of the flesh.

• “Abstain” means to not permit the mind to show ANY hospitality when such desires seek a place to stay.

• We are called to constantly hold off or keep distance from those prompted desires instead of seeing how close we can get to them.

• In the Bible times this phrase we translate “passions of the flesh” dealt with the area of sexual sin. In the Bible though the term was expanded to cover other areas.

• SLIDE #6

• Galatians 5:19-21(ESV) 19Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21envy,£ drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

• When you put together abstaining and fleshly lusts what you get is this. We are told we are not to permit the mind to show any hospitality to any of the fleshly lusts. We are not to allow anything that motivates sinful behavior an opportunity to keep residence in the mind.

• Sometimes the thoughts come into the mind through the prompting of the Satan, but we can control whether or not they stay there.