You Can Be Different

Let me open with this.

If there is no intelligence behind the universe, then nobody or nothing designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. Thought is merely the by-product of some atoms within my skull. If so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true? And if I can’t trust my own thinking, I can’t trust arguments leading to atheism and therefore have no reason to be an atheist, or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I can’t believe in thought; so, I can never use thought to disbelieve God.

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

2 Corinthians 5:17

These verses tell us that you can be different, transformed into the person that will have a home in heaven.

Your life can change, be different. Paul the writer of the book of Corinthians is telling the people of Corinth and us, how we can change our relationship with Christ Jesus, from open hostility toward God, Jesus, and the children of God, to one who has been reborn, reconciled to Jesus. Paul knew this all too well, as he himself had experienced dramatic change in his life. This dramatic change was the result of an encounter with Christ Jesus on the Damascus Road (tell story of Saul of Tarsus – wrote 14 of the 66 books of the bible. Acts 7:58; 8:1; 9). Let’s look at the changes Christ can make for you and to you.

1. He Can Change Your Status

a. Alive or dead in Christ

b. Everyone stands someplace in relation to Christ.

i. With Him or against Him

ii. Knowing of Him, but not trusting in Him

iii. Wanting to accept Him, but looking for a reason why

iv. Flat out rejecting Him

c. Notice what happens when you accept Jesus.

i. Pass from death to life. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 1 John 3:14

ii. Pass from darkness to light. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. John 12:46

iii. Pass from condemnation to justification. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18

2. He Can Change Your Destination

a. Sign on the roadside: “Where will you spend eternity?”

i. The bible answers this clearly for all mankind. Heaven or hell!

ii. Satan tries to confuse you about this.

1. Explain these:

a. Purgatory

i. Some churches teach that there is a temporary holding place or place of temporary punishment that a person goes to if they are not entirely free from their earthly sins. Only by dealing with the lite punishment of being in purgatory, and prayers by those on earth can help those in purgatory.

(don’t read scripture but expound on it)

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43

b. Reincarnation

i. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:27 -28

c. Oblivion

i. But the bible is very clear that those who are dead in Christ will be raised first along with those believers who are still alive. For those who are dead apart from Christ, it says that the earth, sea, and hades would give up its dead, and all those will be tossed into the lake of fire.

d. Some even say that everybody goes to heaven.

2. He tries to keep you from salvation. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

b. Jesus changes our eternal destination. (don’t read scripture but expound on it) In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2-3.