Abiding in Christ Part Three
John 15, Romans 12
Transformation
Good Morning –Welcome
If you would turn to John 15 and put your finger in Romans 12, these will be our text this morning as we continue in our study of Abiding in Christ.
This is the last week of the study as we prepare and get ready for Lenten season.
Would you please bow your head as we open our time in prayer –
From John 15 we have seen that abiding in Christ is to be connected.
It is being connected to our life source. (Jesus)
He is our savior, our strength, and our redeemer.
The only way we can be who the Lord wants us to be is by connection and commitment to Him.
Jesus himself tells us that we can do nothing of spiritual value without Him.
The only fruit that matters is the fruit that comes from Him because it is that fruit that bring glory to the Father.
Jesus makes bold statements-
“No man comes to the Father except through Jesus.”
“Remain in me, and I in you. No branch can bear fruit; it must remain in the vine.”
“Ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Fathers glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Remain, stay steady, and keep your position- that is what happens when you abide in Jesus!
Connect to the Lord
Connect with others because of your relationship with the Lord
Desire to connect to people who don’t know Jesus – have the heart of Jesus
So that is where we are so far- Realize you cannot be connected to the Lord that intense without something happening and that is what I want to spend a minute or two talking about- He changes in us as we draw close to the Lord and connect the way that we should.
Flip to Romans 12:1-8 Read from Bible
Paul is throwing down the challenge for believers!
He remembers Jesus words to stay connected and where we get our strength and direction.
He knows that any fruit that matters is fruit that comes from the Spirit of God working in our lives.
He says a living sacrifice, not a dead dried up piece of meat on the altar but one that is at the altar alive in him asking God for direction and wanting to live and serve The Lord.
TRANSFORMATION-
CHANGE-
BE DIFFERENT THAN THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW GOD.
Matthew 16-
Jesus walking with his disciples and asking them who do people say I am? – They say you are John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah… then Jesus looked at Peter- Who do you say I am? “YOU are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Why was that so profound? Because it was a revelation of God that could only come from God- it was revealed to him by the Lord.
Acts 9-
Apostle Paul, his personal encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. It changed his life. It also changed the course of history on what he did for the kingdom of God.
When you encounter Jesus, when you are connected to Him- Things change
The choices we make in our life
The best choice you will ever make is accepting Jesus Christ as savior-
The next best choice you can make is allowing the Holy Spirit of God to work in your life and empower you to do the work that God calls all believers too.
Choices-
We have all made some pretty bad choices- there is not one of us that does not have something they would have changed if they were to get a do over-
I believe that there are many Christians, saved on their way to heaven, limping into heaven because they would not let God empower their lives and did things in their own power instead of the power of God.
Over 30 years ago, I left one denomination and came to the Nazarene Church. So I am a Nazarene by choice! I began to look at the polity and doctrine of the Nazarenes and they lined up with how I believed.
If it was good enough for Jesus the Nazarene, it was good for me. (Ha Ha)
There are 16 fundamental truths the church of the Nazarene believe in and practice. (What makes Nazarenes Nazarenes)
I began studying what the Nazarenes were all about. We have 1000’s of churches in USA and there are 6-7 within a 60 mile radius of right here. Many Districts spread over the world. Two closest Districts, the Philadelphia District which Rosedale belongs too is made up of 58 churches and the Mid Atlantic district which begins across the river in New Cumberland and spreads throughout Pa. and Maryland. We are out there.
We are bigger outside of the United States than we are in the US which shows why we are so missions oriented.
WE ARE INTENTIONAL AS A DENOMINATION TO SERVE GOD AROUND THE WORLD
You ever wonder why you have good intentions and they seem to fail and you do things that you did not intend to do?
Paul clearly spells it out for us.
Romans 7:15-20
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
It is the human situation-
Paul is bearing his soul to the readers –
He knew what was right and wanted to do it, yet he could not do it.
He knew what was wrong and the last thing he wanted to do was do it, but yet he did.
He felt like two people were living in the same body. He was haunted by frustration and the inability to do what was right.
It is us doing things in our strength instead of the strength of God working in our lives.
You have to make a choice this morning-
Choosing to be an encourager
Godly Encouragers are people willing to make sacrifices NOW
Encouragers can be defined as “someone who offers a word of encouragement to someone who has fallen or someone who stumbles.”
In the Greek, encourage means to comfort, to console, to strengthen.
It really means to offer courage.
At the time of Apostle Paul writing these words to the church:
They were under great persecution.
They were discouraged.
They were thrown out of their game.
They just needed someone to come along side of them and encourage them. (Sounds like today)
Here is what I am saying this morning-
Maybe you’re here this morning and you could just use a push.
Maybe you’re here this morning and you could give someone else the push they need.
One study shows that 75 % of what people say is critical of someone else. That it takes 4 positives to offset one negative comment.
The day of please and thank you is quickly going away and an attitude of expectation is upon us.
“Have it your way”, “Just do it”, “It is all about me” have replaced our ability to show compassion to each other.
Acts 13:15-
“The synagogue rulers sent word to them saying, brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
Transformation-
Romans 12:1-2 Read again
Paul urges us (begs us) in view of what God has done for us, the mercy that He has shown us, we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.
Have you wished that a certain part of your life you could change? Come o now!
Is there an area of your life you aren’t satisfied with and you know that God is not pleased or satisfied with either?
An area that you could be transformed?
Transformed into a strong person when you were afraid?
Transformed into a more patient person when you are around a person who really irritates you?
Transformed so you can say no with authority to a temptation when it comes up?
Jesus talks about a transformation.
He talks about how we can get from where we are in life to where God desires us to be. He promises to help us get there.
“I beg you to give your bodies to God”
Paraphrased-
“ Don’t copy the behavior of the world, but let God transform you in to a new person by changing the way that you think.”
Paul is talking about a real transformation.
Real changes to your life.
Permanent life altering change
Not like the transformer robots, they quickly change from one thing to another, and back again. two shapes, two lives.
God talks about a permanent transformation and you will be brand new.
The word transform here is the same word that we get the word metamorphosis from. Caterpillar goes into a cocoon, and comes out a butterfly. It will never be a cocoon again.
Some of us will grab this and some of us won’t.
The reason some won’t is because they don’t like change. It is uncomfortable. It takes us out of our comfort zone.
Here are some reasons we won’t get it.
They don’t think they need to change
We all have things that god wants to work at:
Were not the perfect parent
Were not the perfect co-worker
You are not the perfect boss or employee
I’m not the perfect pastor
When we look in the mirror and we allow God to change that person in the mirror instead of blaming others, there will be transformation.
When I know more/ I will change
I need more information
Knowledge is good/ advocate of education.
Knowledge alone never get’s applied to your life.
15 minutes a day- give God your first 15 minutes a day to pray and read his word. your life will be changed. Guaranteed!
We know what to do, but will we do it.
It is hard to apply biblical truths to your life.
You become stale if knowledge is not applied to your life.
I know a lot of people bible smart/ life challenged.
I can change myself
I’ll just bear down and change. Work hard.
I’m not going to get angry anymore, not be impatient with this person.
The truth is we fail, over and over again.
Apostle Paul says:
What a miserable person I am because I don’t do the things that I want to do, and the things that I don’t want to do, I do.
Why can’t he do it alone? Why can’t you?
Because we are not strong enough in ourselves to overcome.
We cannot change ourselves.
Paul couldn’t do it- you have to understand why you can’t either.
I want to change overnight
This will bring frustration and anger
That you think you are no better in that area of your life.
We begin to doubt ourselves, begin to doubt god, lose faith in god’s ability to change us.
When you decide (chose) to fellow Jesus, salvation comes in a instant. you say yes to Jesus, you are instantly a child of God, as long you allow Jesus to be your savior, eternity is secure, heaven will be your home.
There are some things in your life that is a process and will take time for you and God to work out.
Philippians 1:6-
“Be confident in this, that he (God) who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Isn’t that great news!
God makes the changes and he promises to be there with you through the process.
Sanctification is a very dear word to a Nazarene,
We believe that it is an act of God, after we have had a born again regeneration experience by which believers are made free from original sin (sin nature we are born with) and brought into a pure devotion to God by his cleansing.
We believe that after an encounter with God, that it will be your desire to grow in God’s grace allowing God to work these changes in your life. That you will allow God to spiritually develop you and that is a process. It can be instant, but most times it is a process.
What can God do in your professional life?
How about in a marriage? Dating relationship?
What addictions am I struggling with?
God is working on us to make the changes in our life so that we can have a transformation.
God is the potter, we are the clay. The clay does not tell the potter what to make and how to do it.
A life that is not shaped by God is lacking a purpose, but when touched by God it is transformed.
It is God who sees the finished product before it is done.
Closing:
I give you my thoughts this morning
I give you my life to transform
I want to change the way that I think
God I surrender to you this morning
…my life
…surrender my finances
…surrender my marriage
…surrender my career
I want to be transformed by the power of God and not by what I can do alone.
Altar call
