Introduction:
It appears that since workers in the United States want 15 dollars a hour; to take food orders and put cheese burgers together, or make fries, McDonalds are replacing cashiers with automated cashiers. However, these robotic machines, can only do what they have been programed to do. They cannot think and can only respond in their limited capacity.
God did not want us to be robots. He could have designed us, whereas, we could only listen to Him. He could have designed us not to sin. He not want to make us having no other choice but to serve Him. He wanted us to choose for ourselves whether we would love Him, and obey Him out of that love.
Before I get into the sermon, let me admit to you something. I always teach my kids to use all of their available resources, whether they are studying for a test, working on a thesis, or doing a research paper. Use all of your available resources.
Today I have been using my students as part of my available resources. I have been teaching my kids how to prepare Christ centered messages. Anything apart from this is not really preaching. Therefore, this sermon is a by product of my students and I working together as they learned to prepare Christ centered messages.
In this text we see three verbs needed in order for our lives to be renewed in Christ Jesus.
I. The First Verb Needed In Order for Our Lives to be Renewed in Christ Jesus is Change:
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Change is not something we like to do. The sentence that has killed more churches in America than any other sentence: We have never done it that way before. Change is never easy and yet, we must not remain where we have been or where we are at today.
It is a true saying that God will accept us where we are at when we come to Him. In Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God-what is good and well pleasing and perfect.”
The Apostle Paul expresses the need for believers to be Holy in the site of God. Paul doesn't show a free grace gospel but shows a connection between justification and holiness. The cannot be separated. You cannot have one without the other. The thought should be hated, that we think we ca live a sinful life and still be justified. No one can be dead and alive at the same time.
Change has to take place in our lives. I am thankful that I am not the same person today as I was even six years ago. Those students I have worked with, some of them have been baptized into Christ Jesus.
I have tried to influence my students by giving Christ centered messages. When changes takes place in our lives; that does not mean we will not fail. I have had more failures in my life, then I have had successes.
When I was first born, I was taken from my mother at birth because family services felt that my family were not a good family to be raising children.
Before I was seven I was rushed to a Children Hospital two hours a way. They put me in a funeral car because they thought I would be dead by the time I reached the hospital.
It was determined that I was mentally handicapped and would not be able to complete the fourth grade, it was determined that people should not worry about my schooling because I would not go beyond the fourth grade.
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I was severely beaten and molested in one foster home. My head was put through a window at a young age. I have a deformed spinal cord, epilepsy, and bipolar. The reason I am receiving disability.
However, God had a different plan for my life. Not only did I graduate from elementary to high school, I have three college degrees and a Honorary Doctorate of Divinity for the work I have done in the field of youth ministry. While I have had many failures God has turned them into successes and presently I am an American Ordained Ministry Partner with the United Church of Christ of the Northern-Western Samar Conference and I could not be more happy. I have been assigned to do something I love doing and that is teaching my students to become church workers in their various congregations. But in order for this to take place I had to undergo changes in my life, that I would be all that Christ wanted me to be.
Transformation is important to change. I have been taking a Bible course at Setting the Captives Free. I once was entangled in the sin of pornography, and want to mentor other men to get out of this sinful addiction.
One student wrote, “This Bible study is not for me. My idea of walking victorious is to be able to be in the midst of the temptation and not yield to temptation.” Not is this only foolish, it is Un-Biblical. Everyone taking this course has a mentor and accountability partners. This Bible study deals with overeating, drugs, self-mutilation as well as sexual addiction. By the grace of God, and in accordance of His will, I have been victorious.
UCCP is one of the most forgiving denominations that I know, but it is expected of us to acknowledge our sins, and to learn from our mistakes. I wanted to make decisions that will keep my eyes focused on my author and finisher of my faith which is Jesus Christ.
We are told to run light- an attitude of change, I want to throw anything that keeps me from focusing on Jesus Christ and this should be your attitude as well. Addictions are not easy to break. However, with constant prayer, and talking with people you can trust, meditating on God's Word; it can be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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This year at the CYF Youth Week we are using speaker that exemplifies the theme renewing our lives in Christ Jesus. We will be using our Administrative Pastor, and the professors in the University of Eastern Philippines. I will not have a part in order to make room for other speakers, that will give examples of living for Christ in their own lives.
II. The Second Verb needed to renew our life in Christ Jesus is Obedience. We cannot expect to renew our life in Christ Jesus without living a life obedient to his word. We have no other authority how to live our life except through God's Word. Vs 1 What shall we say then? Are we to remain in Sin that grace may increase? This has the tone of obedience. Sin is willful transgression against God's divine law. We are to live in accordance to God's Word. Verse 5 “For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly be united in the likeness of his resurrection.”
Our goal as Christians is to imitate Jesus Christ in our lives.
We must be willing to trust and obey Jesus Christ. I told my students that I would let them down at some point. I will not do this on purpose, but I will probably let them down in some way. However, Christ Jesus is someone who will never let them down.
The sinful habits, and vices needs to be laid at the feet of Jesus. The Samaritan after she received the living water that Christ gave to her, she laid the jars at the feet of Jesus because she no longer needed them.
When we come to Jesus, we no longer need the addictive vices, the lust of the eyes, the lust of flesh and the pride of life. We can lay it all at the feet of the cross of Jesus.
You say it is to hard to let go of the habits, well consider this, it was not easy for Christ to go to the cross for you and I. It was not easy for Christ to be separated from his heavenly father, the scars on his back, the crown of thrones upon his head, the nails in his arms and feet, but never so much love flow from a person's veins.
Communication has always been important to God. Before the fall God walked and talked with Adam in the cool of the evening. How he longs to walk and talk with each of us.
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How much time do we give him?
In order to be obedient we have to have a living relationship with heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ.
This means we have to take time getting into the Word of God, taking time to pray, guarding our hearts and and our minds. Imitating the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as our living example.
III. The final verb we need in order to renew our lives in through Jesus Christ is sacrifice. Jesus said, that we must pick up our cross and follow Him. Vs 10 and 11 For the death he died, to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Being dead to sin, takes an attitude of sacrifice. What do you do when you are all alone, what about when you are alone on the computer, or with your boyfriend and girlfriend? Are you obeying your parents, do you respect others, including the faculty of your various schools. What about are you honest with your professors, when you are either late or you do not come to class.
My wife and I have have sacrifice to help several students pay on their college education. We do not expect the students to be in the top of their classes. We expect them to work hard, and to do their best. We expect them to go to class. To be truthful.
Well I would expect that most of your parents would expect these same kind of things. Your professors sacrifice to bring good lectures, the least you could do is to go to class. To work hard on your assignments. Be the type of students that Christ would want you to be.
We have to sacrifice to live a live pleasing unto the Lord. This means sometimes we
have to say no, when our friends want us to do something we know is wrong. Parents cannot always know what their children are doing or have been doing.
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I grew up in a little town, where everyone knew you. If a neighbor saw you do something they could correct you. And our parents would thank them and we would be even in more trouble. Parents would not sue an individual for correcting their children.
In Texas USA a judge told a parent that spanking is no longer a suitable punishment for correcting children. My sister spanked her daughter with her hand and she was fully clothed. Her child was taken away from her, we had to hire a lawyer in order to fight to get the child back. Teachers are assaulted in American, almost hundreds of students and teachers have lost their lives, from students killing classmates and teachers and other faculty members.
Christ lived a life of sacrifice, it was not easy for him to go to the cross for you and I the least we can do is honor him with our lives. Sacrificing sinful desires and habits that do honor God.
But someone will say, but we are only human; that is true and we will make mistakes, we will sin and fall short of the glory of God, but we ought not to remain in that sin. We ought to seek godly counsel, go to godly people, that you can trust, to help you overcome sinful desires and pleasures. We need to be men and women after God's own heart. Striving to be like Christ in every way that we can.
CONCLUSION:
Today we saw three verbs needed to live a renewed life in Christ Jesus. The first was Change, the 2nd was Obedience and the 3rd is sacrifice. As Christians we must be dead to sin. We need to trust God through Jesus Christ.
My favorite prayer is called the Serenity Prayer: Father, help me to accept the things I cannot change. Help me to change the things I can change, and give me wisdom to know the difference.
None of us are perfect but we are to strive to be perfect like Christ Jesus. I have been teaching Stanley a new song. Be careful little feet where you go; be careful little eyes what you see, and be careful little mouth what you say.
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This song is not only good for children it is good for adults. I pray and challenge you this week, to be careful what you see, be careful what you hear and be careful what you say.
I have not seen this in a long time, but there are three monkeys, the first one covers his eyes, see no evil, the second covers his ears, hear no evil, and the third covers his mouth speak no evil.
Sometimes this is hard to do, but in order to change, obey, and sacrifice it is advice we can all live with. Remember, it is he or she that is faithful and overcomes that will inherit the kingdom of God. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Amen.
