Introduction: Marital problems; depression; anxiety; fractured relationships with friends and /or family members; a lifestyle of sin; etc. are serious issues, even in the church today. When persons find themselves in similar circumstances, they need help. They need the power of Christ. They need to change. They need joy in Him.
People come to counseling because they have a problem and are in need of change. Sometimes they feel that others are the ones who need to change, but it is they themselves who need to change. The goal of all counseling is change whether that counseling is psychological or biblical. The good news is that for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, real change can occur and joy can be had in Him. The question is: how can Christians change so that they might find the joy they desperately need in Christ. Before they can change, they need a foundation for change. To that dynamic we turn.
I. The Christian has a foundation for change if he understands that change comes by grace from God.
A. We do not have the power or the desire to change apart from the grace of God working in our hearts.
1. 1st Corinthians 15:10 (NASB) 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
2. Here Paul says that God’s grace made him what he was. Because he had been granted grace, he labored abundantly. He constantly labored for the Lord and changed day by day as a result of the Spirit’s sanctifying work. He labored, yet, it wasn’t him but the grace of God in him. Let the one who wants to change look to Christ and His powerful grace.
II. The Christian has a foundation for change if he or she appropriates the abundant resources that God has given her.
A. Those resources include, among other things, the word of God, the Holy Spirit, and prayer.
B. The word of God is given to us for instruction and hope.
1. Romans 15:4 (NASB) 4For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
2. The knowledge of the Scriptures affects our attitude toward the present and the future.
3. The more we know about what God has done in years past, the greater the confidence we have about what he will do in the days ahead.
4. We should read and study our Bibles diligently to increase our trust that God’s will is best for us.
C. The Holy Spirit is given that we might have spiritual power from His application of the word to our hearts.
1. 1st Thessalonians 2:13 (NASB) 13For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also perform its work in you who believe.
D. Prayer is given to us that we might approach the throne of grace boldly for help in time of need.
1. Hebrews 4:16 (NASB) 16Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
E. Prayer is also given to us in order that we may obtain wisdom to apply the word to our hearts in the right way.
1. James 1:5 (NASB) 5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
2. By wisdom, James is talking not only about knowledge, but about the ability to make wise decisions in difficult circumstances.
3. Whenever we need wisdom, we can pray to God, and he will generously supply what we need.
4. Christians don’t have to grope around in the dark, hoping to stumble upon answers.
5. We can ask for God’s wisdom to guide our choices.
6. Wisdom means practical discernment.
7. It begins with respect for God, leads to right living, and results in increased ability to tell right from wrong.
8. God is willing to give us this wisdom, but we will be unable to receive it if our goals are self-centered instead of God-centered.
9. To learn God’s will, we need to read his Word and ask him to show us how to obey it.
10. Then we must do what he tells us.
F. Paul affirmed that God the Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.
1. Ephesians 1:3 (NASB) 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
G. Let us meditate upon the word and pray for the Spirit to work in our lives.
H. As we have been given every blessing from the Spirit, He will no doubt work in our hearts for change.
I. Let us look to Christ and His abundant provision.
III. The Christian has a foundation for change if he embraces the sufficiency of Scripture for change.
A. That dynamic implies that Christ is sufficient for change.
B. He is all and everything and what we need.
C. 2nd Peter 1:2-4 (NASB) 2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
1. In other words, through knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness by virtue of His divine power.
D. When a person has a problem that is not physiological (sleep deprivation, hormonal imbalance, etc.), his problem is spiritual.
E. The bible calls depression, anxiety, anger, lust, fear, worry, etc. sin.
F. Nevertheless, the good news is that Christ came to save sinners from their sin.
G. He has given His Spirit that we might deal with sin every day of our lives.
H. We have everything we need for life and for Godliness.
I. Christ is sufficient.
J. Let us look to Christ and His perfect sufficiency.
IV. The Christian has a foundation for change if she acknowledges her complete dependence upon Christ.
A. John 15:1-8 (NASB) 1"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
1. Here the Lord exhorts us to abide in Him.
2. That is, we are to remain in Him, look to Him for our salvation and sanctification, call upon Him in the hour of trouble, keep close to Him for instruction and guidance and rescue among other things.
3. He says that we are to abide in Him because apart from Him we can do nothing.
B. Let us not seek to change apart from His life-giving power.
1. Let us not seek man-made methods and solutions to problems that relate to our created souls.
C. Who better to fix the problem with that which He created than God Himself?
D. Let us live in such a way that we truly are dependent upon Christ so that when change occurs,
1. He is the One who gets the glory.
2. In addition, that is as it should be.
3. Let us look to Christ and His effectual work.
V. The Christian has a foundation for change if he submits to the operation and power of the Holy Spirit in his life.
A. We have already mentioned the Holy Spirit, but He deserves special attention concerning our need for change.
B. Ephesians 5:18 (NASB) 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.
1. He commands us to be filled with the Spirit and tells us what the result of such is in the subsequent verses.
2. The results include admonishing one another with song, giving thanks to God, and submitting to one another.
3. He demonstrates how that plays out with regard to husbands, wives, parents, children, etc.
4. The word picture conveys influence or control.
5. We are not to be controlled by alcohol but by the Spirit.
C. Paul wrote Colossians from the same prison he wrote Ephesians.
1. He repeats himself in large measure in Col. 3:16f.
2. The two texts are almost identical.
3. The one thing that Paul says differently is the initial imperative command.
4. In Eph. 5:18 he says be filled with the Spirit.
5. In Col. 3:16 he says let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
6. These phrases are synonyms.
D. Galatians 5:16 (NASB) 16But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
1. He then proceeds to divulge the fruit of the Spirit.
E. In other words, if we want to change, we must walk in the Spirit.
F. That is, we must let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.
G. That is, we must be filled with the Spirit.
H. That is, we must obey the Lord.
I. Let us look to Christ and His Holy Spirit.
VI. Sixth, the Christian has a foundation for change if he or she sets there heart on God’s purpose for there life.
A. The reason we exist is to glorify God.
1. We do that by giving Him the praise that He deserves and we do that by putting His character, His power, and His grace on display.
2. As we reflect Christ in our lives, the greater glory He will get as others see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.
3. Matthew 5:16 (NASB) 16"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
B. 1st Corinthians 10:31 (NASB) 31Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
C. And the wonderful reality here is that the Christian derives no greater joy than the joy of seeing Christ glorified.
D. Psalm 16:11 (NASB) 11You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
E. Christ came into the world that we might glorify Him for His mercy.
F. Romans 15:8, 9 (NASB) 8For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME."
G. As we turn from our self-focus and find our joy in Christ, God gets the glory.
H. Let us look to Christ and His ultimate purpose.
