Sand Paper Christians
Romans 12:2, John 15:18-19
Intro:
These words were scribbled on the tomb of an Anglican bishop in the crypts of Westminster Abbey...
"When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country, But, it too, seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me. But, alas, they would have none of it. And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world." (Author unknown)
How sad and how true are those words
we can be world changers,
but it calls for us to change ourselves first.
The world needs world changers, because the world is in trouble.
We cannot continue to go in our present direction because history and scripture tell us that the bridge is out.
Promiscuity, hedonism, drug-addiction, the deterioration of the family, the rise in violent and hate crimes, homosexuality, pornography, abortion, materialism, murder, rape, terrorism, juvenile delinquency, the decline of the public school system, the drop-out rate and on-campus crime.
Our society is in dire need of change-agents... the ones who can facilitate the change.
There was a time when they looked to the church to be that change agent.
Sadly, today.... there is a rising perception of the church as inept, benign, and irrelevant.
When people need help today with family problems, moral guidance, and they are turning to self-help groups, support groups, and the government.
And why is it that despite the fact that 86% of Americans claim to be Christian and claim to believe in God… we have so little affect on culture, on politics, on crime, on immorality.
The Monk was right….
WE HAVE NOT CHANGED OURSELVES.
We can still be the change agents the world needs and God intended us to be.
Let me use an object lesson to explain how.
1. What We Used To Be Like.
We used to be sinners, driven by sensuality, by materialism, by our desires and temptations.
Just like the rest of the world.
I want to let this stocking represent our OLD NATURE, our pre-Christian life.
We lived in a world of sinners and we fit right in... just sliding right along and going with the flow, (rub two stockings together)
We liked the way it felt to fit in. We liked being one of the gang, others to like us.
Being different was a great sin and the thing we tried very hard not to do.
So, there we were… just a stocking like the rest of the stockings, slip-sliding along… fitting in.
But then, one day, a bad thing happened to upset our little world....
2. God saved us.
You might say, "That was not a bad thing."
Well, not at first it wasn’t.
Because at first we were saved but we continued to act pretty much like we did before.
Rub stockings together
We just did a few new things... attend church, pray when we needed something, and maybe cut out a couple of really objectionable activities.
But for the most part, most people were not even aware of the change in our life.
We just continued to fit in with our old friends, our old activities, and our old ways.
But that created a problem
3. GUILT
We began to realize that we could not be new wine in old wineskins
We could not just add a few spiritual activities to our un-spiritual activities, add a few Christian friends to our un-Christian ones.
We began to realize that God’s will for us was "...be not conformed.... but TRANSFORMED"
We realized that God, who we had invited into our heart as Lord, Boss, Master.... was taking it literally
He thought we really meant that stuff about becoming new, transformed, different, not like we were.
He did not understand that all of that was just church-talk
He was like the co-worker that you really can’t stand who hears you say, "Come see us." and he thinks you mean it and he shows up at your house at supper time with his nosey wife, his fat, ravenous children, and his annoying long-haired pooch who is shedding all over your couch.
There is God, standing at the door of your library (your thoughts) and saying these disgusting pictures (Sexual thoughts) will have to go or I’ll have to."
And He walks into the kitchen and looks in the pantry to see what you are eating... your appetites and desires. He says, "This stuff is disgusting, and I will not eat this stuff."
Then he walks right into your vault, your finances and says, "You will have to do a better job with your money. You are wasting this money and too tight in this area. And by the way, you will have to give 10% to the church."
And you shout, “Who asked you??? I didn’t invite you into my library or my vault.... and I resent you going there. I have a closet for you and I’ll let you out when I want or need you."
And He turns to leave. You watch him walk out the front door and you feel your heart being ripped out. With him, goes the joy and the happiness. There is nothing left but darkness, coldness and emptiness.
You want to shout, "Well, good riddance!"
But your insides are being ripped out and instead you shout, "O.K., you win, we’ll do it your way, just come back inside and don’t leave."
He comes back in, begins to throw out some junk that doesn’t belong in your life, and brings in some of his stuff and furnishes your heart with it.
At first the change is painful
Change can be like having five porcupines in a small box. When one porcupine changes its position… it causes pain for the others.
Change, transformation, is not easy and is often painful, but is always worth it.
You look around and notice that this place looks nothing like it did before. But instead of being resentful, you are happy.... you really like this new heart. You friends change, your thoughts, your speech, your desires.... everything.
And inside... you are very happy.
But that creates a problem....
3. The Rub.
You start to realize that the transformation that made things so nice inside, between you and God, has created something terrible on the outside
You have been changed into something different, something new.
(((Hold up sand paper)))
You used to be like the world, slip right along, and fit right in...
But now there is a terrible rub.... (((rub sandpaper over stockings)))
We no longer fit in, we are different.
And people don’t like different.
People can deal with change if…
it is change that benefits them
it comes slowly
they have a choice
But they reject change if they feel it is forced on them.
A doctor told a man, “You must make lifestyle changes or you will die. You must tell your wife to cook more nutricious meals. You will have to stop working so hard so tell your wife she’ll have to abide by a strict budget. You must have rest so tell her she’ll have to keep the kids quiet.
The man said, “Doc, it will be more official coming from you.” So, the doctor called the wife to give her the message.
When the man got home he asked his wife if she got a call and what the doctor had said.
“Yes, I did get a call. He said you are going to die.”
You are no longer one of the insiders, the group, the gang.
In fact, they don’t really want you around because you cause them pain (conviction)
We try to make ourselves fit in....
4. We Try To Reduce the Rub.
We try to scrape off the sand... be smooth, be like them.
Our desire is to have it both ways....
have relationship with God on the inside
be like and liked by others outside
We start to change the outside, doing things like them.... TO CONFORM
But that causes a problem...
5. God Does Not Want Us To Be CONformed.
If like them was what God wanted us to be, he would not have wasted His time sending His Son to die for us to make us different.
Jesus could have avoided the pain and the suffering.
There would have been no use for a manger, a cross, or an empty grave.
God does not want to see if we can be like the world man applying for Carriage driver
6. God Wants U s To Be TRANSformed.
Transformed means METAMORPHOSED
the process by which heat and pressure turn limestone into marble
the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly
7. God Intends There To Be A Rub
Matt. 10:34f Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.
It was God’s plan for us to be different
think differently
look different
talk differently
walk differently
He gives us new rules to follow, new goals to pursue, new things that make us happy.
8. The more like Christ we become on the inside, the worse the rub will be on the outside.
The more seriously we take God at His Word, the more problems it will cause between us and the lost.
turn the other cheek
thou shalt not lie
thou shalt not steal
honor thy parents
if hand offends- cut it off
be not unequally yolked with unbelievers
come out from among them and be ye separate
take up your cross daily and follow me
9. The World will not like it.
Mt 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake...
Jn 15:18-19 If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world (stocking) the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world (sandpaper) but I have chosen you to come out of the world, therefore, the world hates you.
10. We would not make difference if we could conform.
They would not recognize our change
The rub is what makes them notice us.
In Luke 3:4-6 Jesus said that it would only be when we cut down the high places (sin), and straightened out the crooked places (ungodliness), and made the rough places smooth (besetting sins) that the world would be able to see Jesus in us and find salvation.
Sand paper without grit won’t do it
stockings won’t do it
ONLY SAND PAPER.... only lives that have been transformed from the inside out.
Invitation:
THE CHOICE IS YOURS.
Have your life transformed from the inside out and know the joy of fellowship with God, but miss it with the world
and change your world for God
OR
Let your life be conformed to the world and know fellowship with them but miss it with God
And make no difference in your world
