Who are you becoming?
Amidst the roar of preparations to celebrate the new year, century, and millennium, have you had the chance to stop and reflect on who you are becoming?
The celebrations are finished. The last of the crowds at Time Square have gone home and now the street cleaners are sweeping out and hauling away the garbage. The empty Champagne bottles are in the box to go back to the bottle depot. The army surplus store owners are jetting off to the Bahamas to spend their Y2K windfall. And, except for a few minor glitches, life is returning to normal. School goes back in this week, and most of us will return to work or our regular routine. For some there is a large feeling of let down. For others the feeling is “back to business as usual”. Others have a fear of the arrival of the January credit card bill. The uncertainty many of us felt, the anticipation, even the excitement is slowly being replaced by the realization that life is going to pick up right where it left off.
For many people, January is typically the most difficult month of the year, and this year it may just be worse. January has the highest occurrence of depression, the shortest and coldest days, and the let down that happens after something that we have looked forward to for so long has come and gone. This morning I want to offer you some hope. This morning I want to remind you that Jesus is still in control, and that He is not finished with us yet.
This morning I want to take a few short moments as we worship together and remember Jesus’ death and resurrection to reflect on who we are becoming. Because as we begin a new century, the God we serve has something amazing to offer us. Something exciting!
He offers us a second chance. He gives us another opportunity. He comes to you this morning with open arms, waiting and willing to welcome you into His family. God is a God of second chances. That is the message of the entire Bible – we have another opportunity to get our relationship with God straightened out and on track.
Adam and Eve got a second chance. Even though God had placed them in a place of perfection, they turned away from God. And yet he welcomed them back! He offered them a second chance to know Him, and already set in motion a plan to redeem all of humanity through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.
Noah got a second chance for all of humanity. The Scriptures tell us in Genesis 6:6-8 that “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air – for I am grieved that I made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Did you catch the “But”? God let Noah start over.
Moses led God’s people out of Egypt and to the promised land. And even though they didn’t go right in, God gave them a second chance 40 years later.
And they kept getting second chances! The book of Judges records how the Jews obeyed God and prospered, started to rely on the blessings instead of the source and turned away from Him, which caused the blessings to cease and calamity to ensue, and then God sent them a leader or judge who led them back into relationship with God and God blessed them again. Even though they rejected God, He gave them a second chance.
What about King David? He loved God and served Him faithfully and passionately, but his passions and desires got the best of him and he fell into adultery and murder. And STILL, when he humbled himself and repented before God, God welcomed Him back.
Nineva? an evil city, wretched in every way – repented when Jonah brought the message of impending judgement and God forgave them.
Those are a few examples from the Old Testament – what about the New Testament?
Peter – first claims “Lord I’ll die with you” and then denies even knowing Jesus let alone loving Him, and not once but three times – and Jesus restored Him after He rose from the dead.
The man born blind received his sight. The demon possessed man who ran naked among the tombs was set free and returned to his family in his right mind. The Roman soldier’s daughter was healed and restored to him. The woman caught in adultery heard Jesus say “I do not condemn you – go and sin no more.” Even as he hung dying on the cross, Jesus turned to one of the robbers being crucified next to Him and said “Today you will be with me in paradise”. They all got a second chance.
Or the apostle Paul. He started off by being the biggest persecuter of Christians in Palestine. He beat, imprisoned, and even murdered the followers of Jesus. And then he met Jesus in a blinding flash of light as he walked down the Jericho road, and Jesus helped him begin again.
And the theme continues all the way through to Revelation, where in Chapter 3 Jesus still calls to His people “I stand at the door and knock…”
And this morning that same Jesus offers you a second chance also. He is still knocking. He offers you the opportunity to begin again, to start anew, to be re-created. His Spirit is here right now, wanting to fill us with power to live holy lives.
Who are you becoming?
This morning we are celebrating communion – and this table is all about second chances. The chance to become more like Jesus – the chance to be forgiven and changed and empowered. Jesus said that this is a NEW covenant – a new agreement between God and His people. It represents the opportunity for us to know God personally through the sacrifice of Jesus. To receive forgiveness and be welcomed into God’s family with open arms and a place prepared for us.
Do you realize that this simple ceremony has been practiced for more than 2000 years? That when we take the bread and the cup we join together with Christians from two millennium to remember our Lord’s death and resurrection, and to look forward to His return. This table is a connecting thread, it connects us all the way back to Jesus in the upper room with His disciples, and along the way to millions of Christians who share our faith in Christ and who have received from Him the chance to start anew. The elements are basically the same, the words are the same though now in English instead of Aramaic from Jesus lips or Greek from Paul’s. And the point is the same: Jesus died and rose again so that we could have a second chance at relationship with God.
Do you know what else is the same? The power is the same. The same power that Jesus used to forgive, to heal, to restore, and to rise from the dead is available right now. The same Spirit is present around this table with us this morning, and He wants to enable us to become more like Jesus this morning.
Who are you becoming? Do you need the power of God to touch you this morning and give you a fresh start? Meet Him here at the table this morning.
Is there something holding you back in your Christian life? Is there something keeping you from experiencing the abundant life that God wants for you? Is there some sin that you harbor deep in your heart that has a strangle hold on your spiritual life? Maybe there are some visible sins that you need to deal with – sexual immorality or theft or violence or greed or gluttony. Or maybe there are invisible sins you need to deal with – pride or lust or greed or envy. Or perhaps there are sins of omission – things that God has put on your heart or commanded in Scripture to do, such as loving your neighbor as yourself or caring for the poor and needy, that you are NOT doing. I urge you this morning to accept Jesus offer of both forgiveness for the sins of the past and power to overcome in the future. To break the hold these sins have over you and set you free to live the life God intends for you to live.
Maybe its not sin – maybe there is pain and suffering in your life, and you are hurting this morning. Then to you I offer the peace of the Holy Spirit – Jesus said in John 14:27-28: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you… do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid… I am going away and I am coming back to you”. You too can begin afresh this morning not necessarily in an absence of the pain or suffering but in the knowledge that Jesus Himself is with you in the midst of it.
Who are you becoming?
Are you becoming more like Jesus? Less selfish and greedy? More full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? As we begin a the third millennium I want to encourage you to reflect on who you are now, and who you want to become. And it begins with the opportunity this morning to begin anew, to start afresh, to open a new chapter in a new book. Will you have the courage to change?
Every once in a while, humanity surprises itself. This past new years eve is an example – the marketing departments tried to seize the opportunity to get us to spend more money – hotel rates increased, lavish and expensive parties were planned, and diamond companies tried to convince us that if we really loved our spouse we would spend thousands of $$ on a diamond-something-or-other for her. And yet most people sat back and thought – what is really important to me? And so lots decided to stay home with family or gather in smaller groups with close friends. A number of you decided as Joanne and I did to begin the new year in worship of your Lord. Collectively, we paused to consider things of greater significance – things like love and relationships and faith, and of how Jesus is the light of the world that shines in the darkness. I invite you to take that one step further this morning and reflect on character, and on who you are becoming.
There are two parts to the development of character in us – there is our part and there is God’s part. We have a role to play, and so does the Holy Spirit. Our role can be summed up in simply this: making room for Him to change us inside. Our job is to permit Him and give Him space to renovate our souls. It begins with conversion – with that point when we first yield ourselves to Him, ask for forgiveness and accept His love – and make Him Lord or boss of our lives.
Have you taken that first step yet? Have you asked Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior? If not, what is holding you back this morning from taking that step??
If you have taken that first step then you know that it grows as we continue to allow Him room to change us. That is the purpose of all of the things we do as Christians – that is why we worship, to make room for the Holy Spirit to work inside of us. That is why we pray – to give Him space to change us. That is why we meditate. That is why we give. That is why we get alone, in solitude. That is why we fast. So that, in all of these things, we make room for God to develop our character. It begins with us making a decision – an act of our will – and then regularly making space for God to work inside of us and fill us with His love and power. Maybe as we begin a new year you need to recommit to making space available to God everyday to work in your life as you read His word and talk with Him.
God’s love for you is so great that He offers you and I another chance to know Him intimately. This morning I challenge you to make Him the first priority in your life – more important than money or career or status or beauty. I challenge you to begin the new year, new century, and new millennium by determining to progress in your character and in your Christlikeness.
I want to give you the opportunity right now to reflect on who you are becoming, and on who God wants you to become. I want to make space for you to hear from the Holy Spirit this morning, and we are going to do that as we prepare for communion. In a few moments we will celebrate the Lord’s death and resurrection, looking forward to His second coming. Will you make a determination to begin this new century by taking a step forward in your spiritual life? We will have a few minutes of silence to give you space to reflect, to pray, to hear from God this morning. Then Pastor Lynette will lead us in worship – feel free to keep praying if you want to or to join in worship. One final thing: I’ve felt the Spirit prodding me with a particular text this morning, yet it didn’t seem to fit anywhere in the sermon, so I offer it for some of you to meditate on – Revelation 3:14-22 – I’m not sure where it fits or who it is for, so I just put it out for you to consider: Rev. 3:14-22.
So let’s take a few minutes of silence, then some worship and would the communion servers please come forward then.
Who are you becoming, and what are the next steps you need to take?
silence: worship.
I’ve tried to encourage you and challenge you this morning. Now as we gather around the table and partake of these elements, let it be as a concrete way of affirming any decision you may have made this morning. Let it be a way of saying “Yes” to Jesus and allowing Him full access to every part of your life.
Prayer of forgiveness; thanks for the bread; serving.
I Cor. 11:23-24; eat
I Cor. 11:25; prayer for the cup; serve.
Jesus blood bought for us a second chance; drink.
Jesus promised He would come again, and even though He didn’t show up at midnight on New Years Eve as many people thought He would, He will come again. Paul writes: (vs 26).
Prayer of thanksgiving.
Encourage to share any decisions you may have made with someone who can help hold you accountable and encourage you along the way.
