Have you ever made a new year’s resolution? Of course you have. We’ve all made them. This year I’m going to:
Lose weight
Drink less
Smoke less
Cuss less
Spend more time with family
We’ve all tried to make changes and most certainly we’ve all blown it!!! In fact many of us have made the same resolutions every year for 10 years running now. This year I’m going to show you how to not just change, but transform.
Today we are going to use the verse that was the inspiration for naming our church, as the background. Our scripture today is 2 Corinthians 5:17. I will be reading this to you from the NASB and the CEV translations this morning.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (CEV)
“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.”
The first thing we can take from this promise is that all are welcome. Have you ever heard this, "We don’t serve your kind in here!!!" Our world is a place of discrimination: Race, Color, Sex, Religion. Don’t believe me...try going out to your favorite restaurant this week with no shirt and no shoes....chances are you will get no service. Some of us have been left out. I can remember those times as a kid, when no one wanted me on their kickball team. Exclusion hurts!!! The good news is that Christ died for all people. That means the jerk, the bully, the axe murderer and you.
Everyone has the opportunity for newness in Jesus Christ. No one is ever turned away.
The question then becomes, are you in or out? There is only one requirement for newness. You must belong to Christ. To belong means to be a part of – You must be a part of Christ. Being a part of Christ means that you must repent of your sins (change course), believe that Jesus is Lord and ask Him to take control. You must surround yourself with His presence. Jesus uses the word "abide" in John 15:4 to describe this type of relationship:
John 15:4 (NASB)
“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.”
If you are going to truly abide it will take some commitment on your part. You must be willing to spend time with Jesus. You must communicate with Jesus. Let’s not treat our Lord, like we often treat our families...you know what I mean. You and your wife sit in the same room for 2 hours. You watch T.V. and she reads a book, but you don’t talk. I would not call that quality time, because there is no communication. The same is true in your relationship with Christ. Immerse yourself in Him. Let me give you another illustration. Suppose you and the love of your life come here to the altar on your wedding day and as I go through the vows and ask for the "I Do" your groom tells us that I’m only going to spend 1 hour per week with you, his new bride. The rest of the week He’s going to go hang out at Trish’s house. Now he reassures us that his relationship with Trish is strictly physical, that you really are the love of his life. Now I see some of you laughing, but aren’t we guilty of doing the same to Jesus. "Jesus I love you, but I’m only going to spend from 11-12 on Sunday morning with you. The rest of the time I’m going to go sleep with my mistress the world, but I want you to realize Jesus...You really are the true love of my life..." Immersing yourself in Christ meanst that you go where Jesus wants to go. Take an interest in what’s on His heart. Listen to Him as He speaks to your life.
Now the change we’re talking about is not just a change of scenery. You know what I mean. When the world thinks it’s time for a change, what do people do? The world looks for newness with a:
Change of address
Change of hairstyle
Change of employment
Change of relationships
One MAJOR problem here...all of these changes are external and temporal. We’re not just talking change...We’re talking transformation here!!!
To be transformed you must become something completely different than you are now. Think about the caterpillar it goes into the cocoon as one thing and re-emerges as another. Think about it this way, if I repaint my house, isn’t it still the same house, just a different color? If I gut the interior, move studs, hang sheetrock, add fixtures and windows and doors...it is no longer the same house it is structurally different. Look at what Romans 12:2 says about this:
Romans 12:2 (NCV)
“Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking…”
Did you catch that? Transformation comes from within and works itself outward. Did you ever see the cartoon "Transformers?" The "Transformers" were robots that became things like 18 wheelers and airplanes. God wants you to become so much more than you are today.
Now let’s talk ancient history. Our past often hinders our future, because we tend to look behind us. Our past failures, past mistakes, failed relationships and what’s this? Past successes. Some people aren’t just hindered by mistakes they are in bondage to successes as well. Does anyone here care to admit to ever having watched "Married With Children?" Ok, you may remember Al Bundy’s shining moment of glory in his life. Anyone remember what that was? That’s right, he threw 5 touchdown passes in a high school football game. That was his crowning achievement. Al was a prisoner to the past. In Christ, our pasts are put to death. Let’s see what Romans 6:6 says about this issue:
Romans 6:6 (CEV)
“We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin.”
Now I want you to think about something else. Death of the past brings complete freedom. I’ve been to alot of funerals and even some autopsies in my time, and I would have to agree dead people are some of the freest people. Now follow me here for a minute, I have yet to hear a dead person complain about lower back pain, creditor harassment, cold weather, or busy schedules....have you? Romans 6:7 sums it up nicely:
Romans 6:7 (NASB)
“For he who has died is freed from sin.”
And look at what God tells us through Isaiah:
Isaiah 43:18 (NCV)
“The Lord says, ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.’”
You see there’s a problem with living in the past. You are going to trip over what lies ahead of you. It get’s your focus on the wrong things.
If that past is dead then we have a new lease on life...A New Beginning. Our new life is found in Christ. Romans 6:4 gives us this great promise:
Romans 6:4 (NASB)
“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
God wants you to experience the joy of newness, it’s His plan for your life. Look at Isaiah 65:17:
Isaiah 65:17 (NCV)
“Look, I will make new heavens and a new earth, and people will not remember the past or think about those things.”
Think back to the caterpillar, he comes out of the cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. So then what is the end result of God’s transforming process in your life? God wants to transform you into His likeness. Look at what Ephesians 4:23-24 has for you:
Ephesians 4:23-24 (NCV)
“But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God-made to be truly good and holy.”
I want you to notice something here. The newness comes from God. The transformation power is His. I can sit here all day long and commit to turning into a bald eagle...but I’m powerless to make it happen. God on the other hand has the power to transform me into His likeness....incredible!!!! God is committed to your transformation. God wants nothing more than to see this change take place in you, He will do whatever it takes to see it happen.
Now what about you? What About The Change? Are you ready to change? I’m probably going to step on some toes, but that’s ok, because God has been mashing mine pretty good these days. It’s time to get off the fence mediocrity nauseates God. You know too many Christians are settling for a life of status quo. God has really been after about the need to get off the fence. In fact read His words to a church. The church in Laodecia was the focus of this wake up call.
Revelation 3:16 (MSG)
“I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold – you’re not hot - far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit.”
Ouch!!! But you know God has pointed out to me in recent weeks that as a whole the church in America is content to ride the fence. I’m going to draw the same line in the sand for you that God has drawn for me. God has impressed upon me the need to call the church away from mediocrity. There are far too many churches today where a person can go be tepid. What scares me is what God says..."You make me want to puke!!!" God is telling you to decide one way or the other. If your cold...He can begin to melt that heart of ice. If your on fire, He can fan the flames even hotter, but if you settle for mediocrity you make God sick!!! Today I challenge you to be transformed, to settle for no less than complete change. If you are looking for status quo...this isn’t the place, because God is fanning the flames.
So what needs to happen. You need to evaluate the changes that need to take place. Will you let Jesus transform your life? This is God’s best for you…it’s His plan for your life. So what must happen? First of all there must be repentance. We need to confess our mediocrity and then change course. Doing the same old thing will continue to produce the same results. Don’t believe me? Wondering why the new years resolution of weight loss hasn’t been working...you’ve been eating the same as you always have. See what I’m saying. More of the same produces the same results. You must implement a plan of action to change course. Start by inviting Jesus to be the Lord of your life.
What will happen? Complete and total transformation will take place in your life. You will be changed from the inside out. This will be no temporal change, but it will result in change that lasts.
