The Most Extreme Makeovers
Pastor Greg Tabor
Ridgeway A/G
1/16/05
Introduction
How many of you have ever watched one of these shows on TV that show an extreme makeover of a person or a house? The end results of surgery or reconstruction are astonishing. Might I suggest this morning that the dramatic overhauls these individuals or their living spaces undergo is nothing in comparison to the dramatic changes that must take place for Paradise to be regained?
This morning I want to look at three makeovers that God performs. And regardless as to what you’ve seen on television, these are the most extreme makeovers.
1. A Spiritual Makeover
Let’s look at the before and after pictures of a Spiritual Makeover.
Before.
The Bible tells us we are made in the image of God. While we cannot fully know all that entails, it seems to me that it would entail the ability to know God and have relationship with Him. Some people who have been burned or mangled from an accident understand what it means to have their physical image distorted. But in Genesis 3 something worse happened to mankind. The image of God was distorted and marred.
“Adam and Eve brought upon themselves, then, the personal consequences of sin (see Gen. 3:16-19). In addition, the entire human race was infected by sin. Ever after, children brought into the world would be naturally blighted by the inclination to sin. This disease of the human nature, upon a child’s reaching the age of moral responsibility, inevitably issues in personal acts of sinning, for which the individual falls under the wrath of God. The effect of Adam’s sin, then, innocence was lost, the divine image in humankind was distorted weakened, people became enslaved to sin (see Rom. 6), and discord and death entered the world.” (Menzies, William W. Bible Doctrines: A Pentecostal Perspective. Logion Press: Springfield, MO. 1993. p.89)
Mankind found itself in a big mess. Paul wrote the church in Colosse reminding them of who they were prior to conversion:
Read: Colossians 1:21 NIV
Read: Romans 1:18-32 and Romans 3:9-20
We need an extreme makeover. Spiritually speaking, a person without Christ is spiritually dead. He/she is numb to the things of God.
Read: 1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV
Jesus described the need for a radical change when talking with a man named Nicodemus.
Read: John 3:1-6.
Being ‘born again’ is essentially that. Not in the physical womb, but rather spiritually. Man needs a spiritual transformation. We call this regeneration.
After.
Acts 20:21 NIV says, “turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” Repentance is sorrow for your sins and turning from them, while faith is believing Jesus is who He says He is and did what He said He did. His work on the cross is sufficient for your sins. It is at this point that you get a spiritual makeover and you become like the following verse:
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
You don’t just get a little makeup powdered on you, you get a completely new heart. The Bible calls you a “new creation.” And listen to this verse:
Read: Colossians 1:22 NIV
The people that get on these makeover shows are hoping to get rid of all their blemishes. Christ takes away your blemishes in a way that plastic surgery could never do. Isn’t that what you want to be, “without blemish”?
I want to encourage you this morning. If you have not been ‘born again,’ then there is no better time than the present. The conviction you feel on your heart is the Holy Spirit convicting you of your sins. Without God drawing us to Christ we could never come to Him, because of our spiritual insensitivity. God is merciful in that He comes to us first. Won’t you make the next step?
2. A Physical Makeover
Have you ever wanted to change something about your physical appearance? Most of the time women say they want to lose weight. If you’ve ever tuned in to one of the reality shows that feature extreme makeovers, you see people who are looking for a changed life as a result of major physical changes they are fixing to undergo. Well, the physical makeover we are going to talk about this morning is not something you can attain at Curves, a local Spa, or at the hands of a plastic surgeon. Unlike current makeovers, this one is the most extreme one you’ll ever get, and it is currently something you will have to wait for, possibly until after you’re dead. Well how can a dead person have a makeover done on them, I mean what about the decay and the eventual turning to dust of the body, isn’t it a little late then?!
The Package Deal.
The first thing we need to establish is that your bodies will be resurrected. You needn’t worry about whether your current body gets aged and dies. Our bodies being raised from the dead is part of a package deal Christ finished on the cross. In fact Paul wrote the Roman church and said:
Read: Romans 8:23-24 NIV
God is saving us completely. We are not going to be Casper the ghost floating out there somewhere on some planet, but we are going to have physicality. He’s redeeming us holistically. He made us people with a body, as well as an immaterial part. Therefore, He’s going to eventually completely restore all of us.
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:21-23 NLT
New and Improved.
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV
The body we get is definitely going to be built to last. Will our new bodies have connection with our present bodies? Very much so!
“we see that the blueprints for our glorified bodies are in the bodies we now possess. While orthodoxy does not dictate that every cell of our present bodies will be restored in the resurrection, it does require continuity between our earthly bodies and our heavenly bodies. Just as there is continuity between our present bodies and the bodies we had at birth – even though all of our subatomic particles and most of our cells have been replaced – so too there will be continuity from death to resurrection, despite the fact that not every particle in our bodies will be restored. In fact, without continuity, there is no point in even using the word resurrection.” (Hanegraaff, Hank. Resurrection. Word Publishing: Nashville, TN. p.70).
Look, our bodies will be resurrected, not replaced. I think Paul’s illustration of the seed and the plant that springs from it sheds light on the relationship between our present “tents” and our future “buildings.”
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:36-38
Our current bodies are like the seed and our resurrection bodies are like the plant that springs from them. “the seed sown is related to the new plant that sprouts, but the new sprout has a different and genuinely new body that God has given it” (The NIV Study Bible, study notes on 1 Cor 15:36-38, p.1757).
Just Like Jesus.
What will these resurrection bodies be like?
Read: 1 Cor 15:42b-44, 50-53
Ever wanted to look like someone else? Well, when we get our complete physical makeover, we will.
Read: 1 Cor 15:49; 1 John 3:2-3; Phil. 3:21 NIV
Our bodies will be like Jesus’.
“No more bulging middles or balding tops. No varicose veins or crow’s-feet. No more cellulite or support hose. Forget the thunder thighs and highway hips. Just a quick leapfrog over the tombstone, and it’s the body you’ve always dreamed of. Fit and trim, smooth and sleek.” (Hanegraaff, Hank. Resurrection. Word Publishing: Nashville, TN. p.67. Quoting Joni Eareckson Tada).
3. A Home Makeover
Have you ever wished that Tv show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition would pull up? What about Trading Spaces? Just having one room renovated would be nice! I can remember all the work that needed to be done on our home to make it look good, from wallpaper, to paint, kitchen flooring, carpet, outside paint and new screens. I also remember how some of the landscaping was a mess and the front yard needed care. Well, you and I are fixin’ to experience the most extreme makeover to a home in the history of creation. We are fixin’ to see the world undergo a major change.
Falling Apart.
It wasn’t just man that suffered when Adam sinned. Listen to this:
Read: Romans 8:19-22
We do not know this side of Christ’s return the extent to which the natural world has suffered. A couple of Scriptures shed some light on it though:
Read: Genesis 3:17-18
And after the flood we read:
Read: Genesis 9:2-3
I’m sure some of the groaning of creation is expressed not only in these types of things but in natural disasters like earthquakes, etc. But one day there will be a reversal of all of this.
Remodeling and Reconstruction.
There are some that hold to the belief that this earth will not be discarded as rubbish, but rather renewed, redeemed and ultimately renovated. One writer put it this way:
“That, ultimately, is the hope of the Christian: not only that God will resurrect our physical carcasses, but that he will redeem the physical cosmos” (p.86). “Both in 2 Peter 3:13 and in Revelation 21:1 the Greek word used to designate the newness of the new cosmos …means new in nature or in quality. The expression… ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ Rev. 21:1, means, therefore, not the emergence of a cosmos totally other than the present one, but the creation of a universe which, though it has been gloriously renewed, stands in continuity with the present one” (Hanegraaff, Hank. Resurrection. Word Publishing: Nashville, TN. p.87. Quoting Anthony Hoekema)
Our fellowship believes in a millenial reign of Christ on earth. “The Millenium is going to be a wonderful, glorious time. The world will be cleansed of its present pollution and renewed to a state superior to that of Eden before the Fall” (Menzies, William W. Bible Doctrines: A Pentecostal Perspective. Logion Press: Springfield, MO. 1993. p.239). Then we believe that Scripture is clear that there will be a final judgment and that heaven and earth will pass away and God will create new ones. Listen to the following verses:
Read: 2 Peter 3:10-13
Read: Revelation 21:1
Whoever is right on the issue of renovation or re-creation, I really don’t care. The fact is that the Bible is clear that what is here will be gone and we will get a major overhaul. The world will be better than Eden. I’m ready to move in!
Conclusion
Each person sits in this room this morning needing this sermon for different reasons.
Perhaps you are not a Christian. You may come to church off and on, but you have never repented of your sins and put your faith in Christ. This morning realize you are spiritually dead. But also realize God wants to make you a new creation. In a moment I want you to come down here so I can pray with you and you can receive this awesome change in your life.
Perhaps you are in here and you are a Christian but you are living with sin. Peter says that since we know the earth is going to be destroyed what kind of lives should we live? The answer is lives pleasing to God. Christian, you need to repent and return to your first love and start living life with eternity in mind. I’d love to pray with you this morning.
Perhaps you are in here and you are either struggling with the effects of age or illness or a handicap of some sort. This sermon is encouraging to you because you need to realize that we won’t always suffer with these problems. Don’t get discouraged and don’t lose heart, because the weakness you now experience will be swallowed up in victory when your body is transformed. Of course, in the meantime, we believe that God can heal your body and if He chooses not to heal He gives us grace to endure our present trials. I want to pray with you.
Perhaps you are in here today and you are a little fearful of all that is going on around you. You hear about hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, mudslides, wars, terrorism, gangs, etc., etc. From natural disasters to the evils of men, the world at times can seem like a pretty harsh place. But today you are encouraged to keep your eyes on Jesus, the One who will one day stop this chaos and create a new world without sin and death. I’d love to pray for you that God would help you to not fear the decay around you, but to rest in Him in the midst of the storm.
