The Winds Of Change Are Upon Us

The Winds of Change Are Upon Us

Introduction: Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion states: "Everything continues in a state of rest unless it is compelled to change by forces impressed upon it."

In other words, change is dependent upon some other source or force. At first thought, we would say, well, everything changes. That assumption is good but not detailed enough to truly stand on its own. Change requires another an activating source or force. Consider yourself now versus the you of 5 years ago. Consider our city now versus how it was 10 years ago. If any of us was to slip into a coma and awake 10 years later all the changes around us would make it most diificult to get from here to there. Some of the people we once knew would have changed so much we wouldn’t even recognize them. No doubt change happens. Change is simply a part of life. The seasons change. The weather changes. Everything around us goes through cycles of change. But, that change is occuring because of other forces acting upon them.

I want to focus on change today - the change that you and I need to go through in our lives. If we were to just get honest with ourselves today, everyone of us would admit that there are things that need to be changed in our lives. The problem here is not really knowing that we need change in our lives, we know that, but rather it’s realizing that a changed life requires you actually bringing about a change in things in your life - that’s Newton’s Law - another force acting. It means bringing the will into subjection so the will can then activate the necessary force within us to bring about the change we need.

For instance, if I want to lose weight, I must do something about it. The weight will not just fall off because I want to loose it. I have to change my eating habits, change my exercise habits, change my attitude about food. Without changing these areas of my life, the weight will not come off. There is really no miracle cure that will cause me to change my weight without my changing some things in my life.

This is how it is in every area of our lives. Change just doesn’t happen. We must make a determination to identify the problem areas and set out to do whatever is necessary to bring about the desired results. Consider your life with Christ for a moment. How many of you are totally happy with where we are in your relationship with Jesus? I would bet very few to none of us are.

When we gave our lives to Christ, we heard about this new life we are supposed to have in Him. The problem is many of us never have experienced the fullness of it. Too many of us had our salvation experience and then simply sat back and waited for change to happen. The problem is that that change we’re waiting for just never happens. Change requires personal intervention and action. If you don’t put anything in to it, it will never come about.

Jesus Christ has a wonderful life planned for all of us. But living out that life He has for us requires change. The winds of change need to sweep through our lives today in order for us to have the healthy relationship with Jesus that we are meant to have. As we look at three particular areas in our lives that need change today, I want to encourage you to allow the convicting wind of the Holy Spirit to sweep through you in order to bring you into that place in your life where God wants you to be so that you can experience the fullness of His blessings for you and for your life. Look at Colossians 3:5-10 with me.

Text: Colossians 3:5-10

The winds of change need to bring:

1. A CHANGE OF DIRECTION

- vv. 5-7 - "Therefore, put to death whatever in you is worldly: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them."

A. These verses give us two lists of things we need to make sure we get rid of.

B. At first glance, you may think you are immune from these items Paul has listed; but on further investigation of the root problems Paul is discussing, I believe we will see they do apply to all of us here today.

C. Four things Paul teaches:

1. We must be dead to the old life.

a. We are to "put to death" these things Paul has listed.