INTRO ILLUSTRATION
A little boy was not exactly happy about going to church on Easter Sunday morning. His new shoes hurt, his tie pinched his neck, and the weather outside was just too good to be cooped up inside. As he sulked in the back seat of the family car, he complained to his parents: “I don’t see why we have to go to church on Easter anyway.
They keep telling the same old story, and it always comes out the same in the end.”
So lets be honest. If you are a Christian you have heard what the Lord is about to give us before. In fact if you are just visiting here today and you very rarely go to Church, you have probably also heard what we are about to talk about. It’s the same old story.
POSSIBILITIES
You may be here as a friend of Greg’s and you have just come along because its like the thing a friend comes to church for and so you are sitting there saying… please can this guy just wrap it up so we can get done…I have heard this before, like when I went to my last mates funeral or wedding or at Christmas when I had to the family thing at Mom and Dads church….
I came well kind of for no other reason than I have tried everything else in my life to find some sense of why I am here and despite some pretty huge reservations on some level, I kind of want to see where this Christian thing goes. Other people know about me being a Christian.
Finally – long term Christian. I know about the guy that died for me and I am here well because that’s what we Christians do, we come to Church on Sunday…Its what we always do. It’s the same old…
SAME OLD - GOOD
Well if you came to hear the same old…good because this morning we are going to hear it again.
Perhaps this time, if you have not as yet actually clicked that the Lord is trying to tell you something, you may just get the gist of what it is he is trying to tell you.
But maybe, and this is what I am praying for, maybe, you wont see it as the same old. Maybe you will hear something this morning that will change your life.
Uh oh now that’s something I have heard before – Christ will change my life…
Ok lets use a better word. Christ does not just change I want to say to you this morning that Christ revolutionises. Christ will revolutionise your life.
REVOLUTION
At school – final student newspaper, it carried an article – Where Will They Be. Look at matrics at what they would most likely be doing in 10 years.
Craig Smee – most likely to be arrested in a political revolution.
Well I am wrapped up in a revolution. And this morning I wanted to share it with you.
QUOTES ½
American Patriot, Patrick Henry, speaking of a revolution said "Give me liberty or give me death!".
Black Nationalist, Malcolm X speaking of a social revolution said that he intended create the equality revolutions, "By Any Means Necessary!"
Great humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, also speaking on a social revolution, said "I have a dream… that one day all God’s children, black men and white men…"
James Brown, recorded a single entitled "King Heroin" back in the early 70’s, speaking on the revolution against drug addiction, he said, breaking the habit, "is a revolution of the mind, get your mind together…"
QUOTES 2/2
Gil Scott Herring said in a revolution rally said, "You will not to stay home brothers.
You will not be able to turn on, tune in, and cop out because the revolution will not be televised brother”.
The President of the most powerful nation in the world - George W. Bush, said, "I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer…" This "War on Terrorism" is a revolution.”
WHAT IS A REVOLUTION?
Well from these quotes it seems pretty big. I mean you may be thinking about things like the French Revolution.
You may be thinking of the Industrial Revolution.
Revolution is big change.
Change in thinking. Change in how you do things. Change in almost everything you were doing before. Revolution
Revolution is a complete turn around. It means a complete change.
WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TODAY!
So revolution means change. So when I say Christ will revolutionise your life, can we just for the moment leave it as he will change your life. I know you may have heard that before and be hiding your yawn, but can we just hang on to it for the moment?
What I want to ask you this morning is this:
For those of you who have not publicly stood up and said that you want to be part of the this Christ led Revolution, what is stopping you? Why cant you? Why don’t you want to? Whats holding you back?
And for those of you who have said amen to Jesus, why do I feel like the revolution has left me behind a little. Why cant I be a little closer? Fell a little more intimte with whats happening in the revolution that is supposed to be knocking me off my feet?
BOTH QUESTIONS
Both questions really boil down to the same thing. Either way, you are not quite in with the revolution. You see its good, and that’s why we do alpha, to sometimes go back to the same old to check that we got the same old right. Its good to sometimes check where we are with the revolution and make sure where we stand with divine things.
WHY THE REVOLUTION?
Alternatives don’t look so great.
I don’t know about you, but I could do with some answers to those things that make me cry myself to sleep some nights.
It would perhaps help if maybe just maybe this Christian revolution thing could help me deal with the anger I have in me.
ALTERNATIVES CTD
Sheesh I have read every book, tried every tarot card reader, smoked every plant, drunk every substance, I mean I have even stuck a needle or two in my arm to find an answer or two.
Can anyone help me with why I feel so useless sometimes?
Ok those ones are a bit tough, so could you perhaps just help me with the fact that no one seems to listen to me.
Or maybe, its about everyting for you. You just worry about everything.
Craig you know you are right you might be saying. But for me it’s the fact that I am just not good enough for God. You don’t know the things I have done in my life. I have cheated on my partner. I have had thoughts about cheating and have come so close. I lie. I take the best slice of cake before offering others, I swear, I like to party and have people notice. I serve Jesus because I don’t want to die.
RATHER BE DEAD
Or maybe your only other alternative is actually not to live. You would rather actually not be here. You hate yourself so much that you would rather cut yourself until you bleed.
REAL
Don’t know about you, but if revolution is change, I would rather change from what we have just mentioned. I mean come on, you must have fitted into one of those categories. Well if you did, you are a candidate for change. You know that you need it. You know its time to look somewhere else.
JERIMIAH 3:14
Scripture agrees with you 100% - Change you faithless people, for I am your father.”
Lets just establish some ground rules. I don’t believe any of us here this morning don’t believe we were made by God. If that’s as far as your belief structure goes, well that’s ok.
For those of you who are long term Christians, we know God mad us.
So God is therefore fundamentally our father. As Jerimiah 3:14 says. He says if you are without faith, then pleae change because I am your father.
GOD MADE US TO HAVE FAITH.
GOD MADE US TO HAVE FAITH
In each of us, is the little voice we have those daily chats too. That little voice is begging to have some new answers to old questions. Its begging for you to have some faith in some new solutions. I want to ask you today to give the one you have been putting off a try. God made us. He gave us the solution we needed to put our faith in, and we battle and so today, if you are feeling that in some things in your life you have given every other solution a shot but nothing seems to work, I am asking you to try trusting in the Father that’s asking you for your own revolution. He wants you to revolutionise your solutions to life.
JOHN and JESUS
There was a guy in the bible named John the Baptist. He was a prophet who foretold the coming of Christ.
In Mt 3:2 in the ALT the first words recorded him saying, were very similar to the quotes we started with. He also called for change. “Change your ways” he cried in Matthew 3:2
Jesus Christ followed suit and this time in Mt 4:17 “Change your ways, for the kingdom of God is near.”
Change – Revolutionise the way you have been operating. Don’t try and solve things in your life in the same way you have been. That’s what we have already decided. I mean no need for the bible to tell me that.
Well for both old and new, undecided and very staunch, I want to ask you the question.
IF YOU KNOW CHANGE IS NEEDED, WHATS STOPPING YOU?
STOPPING?
Christians – complete trust in the cross? Leave everything there? No worries? No concerns? – If not amen – If so – its time for the revolution to sweep through your life again.
New? Don’t want to change as much as you think Christianity is going to change you? What you got to loose? You yourself have to admit that you have to try something different?
So lets try writing it down.
Paper…. Write down the thing that is stopping you. The one bad thing in your life that you seem to have that blocks you from Christ. Write down that thing you are deeply ashamed of. No name. Just the word or words.
Write down the thing or things that you think he took to the cross…etc.
MINE
I am going to share mine, to perhaps help you know what I mean. I carry so much anger. It’s built in me. It boils and seethes. I just can’t seem to beat it.
LEAD THE PROCESS
Then pray music etc
Well can I let you in on small secret, the words Jesus and John spoke – lets read them…
REPENT
We need to do the turn – the revolution this morning. We need to take these issues and turn them on their ear.
We need to take the sin that is in our lives and revolutionise what we do. We need to take it by the scruff of the neck and ay in the name of Jesus we will not do these things again.
REPENT – CHANGE – REVOLUTIONIZE.
Here on the cross where you left your sin – Is a gift. It’s a gift of what God sees. You see he changes the way he looks at your sin. He did that by sending Christ.
GIFT - NEW
The gift of revolution is waiting for you this morning. If you feel that its time to make the change. Come and get your gift. If you feel that its about blooming time I do something about all this stuff I am carrying, come and get your gift. Come up and stand and finally for once be counted today as being with Christ.
You don’t need to have all the knowledge, you don’t need to know the bible, all we are asking today is that you consider the set of solutions Christ has. All w are asking is that you acknowledge that the ways you have been trying to solve some of your problems, just did not work and that you are now going to give this Christ thing a bash.
GIFT – OLD
Maybe you feel like you have lost touch a little with the cross. You have been carrying too much on your on steam and you have forgotten that to leave those things you should have at the cross… well know that because you have recommitted your life to repentance, there is a gift for you too….
Once you have left them…it is a load off. A relief like you will not know.
TWO HOURS SLEEP A NIGHT.
SLIDE
GREG…
SYMBOL REVOLUTION – BAPTISM.
Greg, are you willing to affirm your promises to God and to strive to fulfil His Will, as laid down by the Master Jesus Christ?
Do you accept that to live in Christ you need to acknowledge your sins and repent from your past ways, always relying on the blood of Jesus for salvation?
PRAYER HOLY SPIRIT
TESTIMONY
SONG
