Transforming Your World
Matthew 5:13-16
So far this week, we have looked at several areas where the Lord wants you to be transformed.
He wants to make you a New Creation
He wants to transform your mind (Make A Choice)
He wants to transform your attitudes (Wash Feet)
Finally we come to the end of the week. The final message.
Tonight we are going to look at transforming your world.
In saying, “YOUR WORLD”, this means your life, and the lives of those who you are closest to & anyone you come into contact.
As I mentioned Tuesday night, God must do His work in you,
before He can do His work through you. He needs for you to be transformed on the inside, therefore He can use you to do His work. He wants to use you as an example for those who don’t know Him. For those who have never accepted His perfect gift of love that He offers to every person on the face of the planet.
Mt 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Mt 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Mt 5:15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
Mt 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
This passage tells us that you have a purpose. God has created each and every one of you with a purpose. He wants you to be transformed by His incredible love so that you can understand how important it is to tell others about it.
If you are a Christian: You are salt in the earth/bringing flavor
You are the light that shines in this dark world
Don’t lose your saltiness. Don’t let your light be hidden.
There is a great way to stay fresh as salt & remain shiny bright.
It will surely make a difference in how you tansform your world.
That is you need to Run the RACE. It is a RACE that every Christian must run everyday of their lives. Paul gives us an illustration of how we ought to live our faith as we would run in a race. We can find it in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25.
1Co 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
1Co 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Do we have any runners from track here?
Come up here – Run in place
All kinds of races: 40 yard dash, marathons 26 miles/Crazy
In all these races only one person can be the winner.
They go through strict training: lots of exercise & running
Why train? So that you don’t go to the starting blocks and fall on your face. So you don’t tire out after the first 10 steps.
Training gets you ready to run the race. (SIT DOWN)
Same with our spiritual lives. We need to exercise our faith on a regular basis or it may become something you get tired of.
Tonight I want to break down the RACE that you all need to run:
I will break down the word RACE as an acrostic.
First: “R”
Repentance is needed daily.
a. What is it?
b. Recognizing sin in your life
c. Confessing it to God
d. Turning away from it
à Why do it? (Illustration with Duct Tape)
a. When you first commit a certain sin = it hurts
b. The next time it hurts less…and so on.
c. Finally the sin is just a way of life… no longer hurtful
d. This in itself is dangerous.
This is where the REPENTANCE comes in.
When you feel bad the first time, you should repent and stay away from doing it ever again.
The more you do it, the harder it becomes to stop.
It becomes harder to repent. Harder to turn away from the sin.
Matthew 4:17 records Jesus’ words:
Mt 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Act 2:38, the Apostle Peter replies to a group of :
Ac 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance is truly significant in transforming your world.
Second: “A”
ALLY or ASSOCIATE yourselves with other Christians.
Last night we talked about being united in spirit and purpose.
This is a major part of the unity that Christ expects from us.
Jesus desires that we be united with all believers.
All of you who have a home youth group, these are the people you need to ALLY yourselves with.
Learn to trust one another and lean on one another.
Remember earlier in the week, I mentioned that we have an enemy out there called the devil. He hates you. He wants you to fail. He wants you to think you can do it on your own.
The truth is, you can’t. (Pencil Illustration)
Did you know Jesus said a prayer for you? It is found in the book of John in the 17th chapter.
Jn 17:20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
Jn 17:21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Jn 17:22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
Jn 17:23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Paul also emphasizes the need for unity in Romans 15:
Ro 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
Ro 15:6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ro 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Being Allies together is a major way to transform your world.
Third: “C”
COMMITMENT is needed to run the RACE.
1Pe 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Remember who it is that has done the transforming work in you.
We learned on Tuesday night that the person who does the will of God will live forever. When you do God’s will, there will be some suffering that goes along with it, why?
Our enemy the devil
The world and it’s pattern don’t accept Christ’s pattern
The important thing to do is to Commit yourself to God.
How can you do this?
Reading the Bible daily
Spending quiet time with Him
Serving other people
Sharing your faith
Living by truth not lies
Forgiving others (even when it is not easy/God forgave us)
Loving all people (Cool & un-cool, friend or enemy)
Purity is something God desires for your lives
Committing to God is a powerful way to transform your world.
Finally, “E”
EVANGELIZE
You have to tell others about Jesus.
Mt 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Mt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mt 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Let me give you some advice. You want to share the greatest story ever told. That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To tell them that Jesus came to earth and lived as a man and then allowed Himself to be killed by His own creation. Yet His death wasn’t for nothing. He died, to pay the price for your sins and for my sins. He has offered us a way to live eternally with Him. We just have to believe what He has done to be true and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Yet realize, not everyone is interested in hearing you read the Bible to them. It can be a major turn off to some people.
So, you might have to share with them the second greatest story ever told. That is what Jesus Christ has done for you personally. They may not always be ready to hear what the Bible has to say, but they will usually be interested in hearing your story, and that is a great starting point.
You can do that. Granted you probably won’t have groups of 20 walking up waiting to hear you, but one at time is all it takes.
In Acts 1:8 Jesus says:
Ac 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
When you receive the transforming power of God, you will be His witnesses. Not that you “can be” or “may be”, NO, you will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Evangelizing is a HUGE way of transforming your world.
