Reboot

REboot Jonathan Landis 8-3-11

Intro: Our lives are similar to building a building. As your life and mine progress, we build upon past events and past lessons. They shape our thinking and actions. The thinking we put into practice in turn shapes our future.

In many cases, a person wouldn’t be who they are today, if they had NOT gone through what they went through. Even bad experiences can teach us valuable life shaping lessons, when we process them correctly.

There are some things in our life though that should not be shaping our future. Some events of our past we’d be better off without. Reputations… we’d be better off without.

If only we could reboot our lives and start over…

ASK: Do you think we can reboot our lives? Why or why not?

It may be impossible to erase our past and start without even the memories… but we can LIVE FRESH and NEW! There is a way to REBOOT our lives and begin living differently than our past.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

What an amazing promise!!! Our past doesn’t have to define us.

Just because you were abused, doesn’t mean you have to always be a victim.

Just because you compromised and lost your virginity, doesn’t mean you have to go on living in impurity.

Just because you have reputation for being a rebel doesn’t mean you have to continue on that path.

With God all things are NEW. Your life can be Rebooted. Your life can change directions and begin being something much better than what it’s been. You can be made new!

Let’s talk for a minute about your day…

It was the first day of school for most of you today! “Back to school,” for some people those words bring feelings of dread and sadness. For others “back to school” is an exciting time to reconnect with friends and be done with their boring long summer days. Personally I drive a school bus, and I have mixed feelings about going back to school.

ACTIVITY: Get out your cell phones, and in 4 words or less text me your answer to this question. ASK: How was your first day?

-Personally I don’t love everything about going back to school, but I do love that it’s like a natural time in our lives for change. Back to school is a little chance for reboot. You probably got new clothes, new shoes, new notebooks and pens… maybe you even went all out and sprung for a new back-pack. Have you ever considered starting off a new school year not just with a new look, but a NEW YOU?

One of the first things you learned in school when you were a little kid was the ABC’s.

I’m giving you some ABC’s to Reboot your life. I dare you to follow these ABC’s and this can be the beginning of the NEW YOU.

1. Attitude

2. Behavior

3. Commitment

One of the first things people notice about you, besides your new shoes and skinny jeans, is your ATTITUDE!

1. Attitude

Your attitude is WAY more important than what you wear, and chances are people are gonna’ remember your ATTITUDE way after they forget what you were wearing.

If you want to Reboot your life, start with letting God bring change in your ATTITUDE. What about your reputation? Who do people think that you are? When a person hears your name, what kinds of images or words come to their mind? Maybe, they’re good things, maybe some of those things, not so good… how can you change your reputation? Start with attitude.

A BIG PART of our attitude is how we look at other people. If you’re perception of people is tilted a certain way, then you’ll talk about them or treat them in a different way.

Do you think the Bible has anything to say about our attitude?

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NLT)

16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!

Knowing Christ changes our attitude about HIM and other people. Without Christ in our lives we look at others from a worldly perspective. Are they popular? Do you look good? Do they smell good? Do they have money? Do they hang out with cool people? Are they wearing the right clothes?

Don’t act like you’ve never looked at people that way… You don’t have to be a part of the “in crowd” to judge people on outward appearance.

But God changes your perspective. He changes your attitude about people. But where does that attitude change start? Is it in deciding to treat everybody nice one day… no, not really. Lasting attitude change starts with changing your attitude about CHRIST!