-LOOK AGAIN
(Change)
YOU CAN CHANGE Whether you think that you CAN or whether you think that you CANNOT, you are right. "Change" itself can help you get the strength to keep the change going. In containing forest fires. One lesson HOTSHOT CREWS and SMOKE JUMPERS learn early is that FIRE CREATES ITS OWN WIND, and that wind can cause the fire to jump ahead much more quickly than anyone can anticipate. In the same way, CHANGE CREATES ITS OWN FORCE. TWO KEY WORDS GO WITH CHANGE THERMOMETER (Measure/Register temperature) We begin with our temp being measured as a newborn and the practice continues throughout all our life. The second word that is important for change and transformation to take place is “thermostat.” THERMOSTAT (Regulate/Adjust temperature) GOD WANTS US TO BE BOTH God wants us to be both Thermometers (to measure things) as well as Thermostats (to make necessary changes) in our lives and in the world around us. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship.” - Romans 12:1,2 It would be very hard to do this if we didn’t know what Paul wrote in the previous verses. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” -Romans 11:33-36 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed…” Conform = to strike a pose. [Like the Heisman Trophy Pose] Transform = to strike a new pose, to change. Q: What do you need to be keeping away from yourself? [Stiff-arming like a football player running with the football trying to keep the defense from tackling him] Q: What is your Thermometer reading? “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…” -Romans 12: Q: What changes need to be made in your life? Q: What adjustments need to made to your Thermostat? GOD WILL HELP YOU “You, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” -Isaiah 64:8 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us… 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:26-28 “Consider how far you have fallen! [Thermometer] Repent and do the things you did at first.” [Thermostat] -Revelation 2:5 WE LIVE IN A WORLD THAT CAN EASILY CHANGE US IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL Either the “Word” will change us or the “WorLd” will. This is what Jesus was talking about when he prayed for us in John 17. Not that God would take us out of the world, but that he would protect us in the world. That we would be “in” the world, but not become part “of” the sinful nature of it. WE ARE CHANGING DAILY Doctors tell us that we are changing daily. The question is, what are those changes, and what, if anything can we do about them? Let’s make sure that we are in as-much-control as we can possibly be over these changes While it is true that the world can easily mold us into its image, it is also true that we not can mold the world into our image [The image of Christ]. It is not easy, but we can start one person at a time in our little corner of the world. It usually happens that people tend to spiral down rather than up. The World usually has more of a negative effect on people than the Word does a positive effect. Have you ever been down in life, or down on things in life and wondered why? Do you know that often the answer is not even your fault. People (in the world) are all around you. They will often drag you down, and you or they may not even be aware that it is happening. Just as gravity pulls things down, so the sinfulness of the world tends to pull or drag us down as well, and it will always be due to someone’s sin (either ours or theirs). YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH Focus on what God says. “You are the salt of the earth…” -Matthew 5:13 We sang in worship the song titled, “Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong (Here are some of the lyrics) “Who am I that the highest King, would welcome me? I was lost but He brought me in, Oh His love for me. Who the Son sets free is free indeed. I'm a child of God, Yes I am. Free at last He has ransomed me. His grace runs deep. While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me. In my Father's house, There's a place for me. I'm a child of God, Yes I am. I am chosen, Not forsaken. I am who You say I am. You are for me, not against me, I am who You say I am. Who the Son sets free, is free indeed. I'm a child of God. In my Father's house there's a place for me. I'm a child of God. Yes I am.” LISTEN TO WHAT “GOD” SAYS ABOUT YOU It is what God says about you that is important, not what the world or people “of the world” say or think about you. On a side note, I am sorry that some of these negative people “of the world” are Christians. While they may be Christian, if they were truly in the WORD, they would not be acting like they were “of” the WORLD. Regardless, listen to what “God” says about you. WE WILL ALWAYS CHANGE (For the better or the worse) Whether the changes are for the better or for the worse, they usually happen gradually or one-step at a time. The example of the experiment with the “Frog in the Kettle” has been around for a long time. If you put a frog in a kettle and slowly raise the temperature, the frog will eventually boil to death because he doesn’t realize that the water is getting hotter and hotter. If you put a frog in a kettle of boiling water, he would jump out immediately. Beware that changes often happen slowly. The beautiful and encouraging thing is that the change of mind can happen immediately. While it is only GOD that can change your heart and mind for the better, only YOU can make the decision to act-out on your changed heart and mind on a daily basis. Godly change may be intimidating, challenging and uncomfortable at first, but in the long run we will wonder how we ever lived before we made the change. “Come let us return to the Lord” -Hosea 6:1 The word “change” means to “to become, or to make different.” God wants to make us different. He wants to help us to change our minds and our actions. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12:2 The way to keep from being conformed to this world is by allowing our minds to be transformed or changed to the mindset of Jesus. He was humble, confident, and determined to represent his heavenly Father top serve others. We don’t often see others with that mindset. But we can live this way and we will be blessed with peace and contentment. God will give us the mindset to live in this way and he will help us to fight anything that tries to destroy it. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they (our weapons) have divine power to demolishstrongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought (Through talking to God in thought and prayer) to make it obedient to Christ.” -2 Corinthians 10:5 Temptations usually start with a thought to misuse something which is good. That is why it is important to “take captive every thought” so that it does not take us captive. To make every thought “obedient to Christ” means to be aware of the danger of the temptation. What is gained and what is lost by allowing tempting thoughts to turn into actions? CHANGE OF CONDUCT 1 Peter 2:12 says to change your conduct. It’s hard to have change of conduct without first having a change of mind. And if change does happen without a change of mind, it will not be sustainable. It will only be short-lived or temporary. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 23:27 when he called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs that looked good on the outside, but inside were full of dead men’s bones. With regard to theological debate and religious discussion, I tell people that the best argument FOR Christianity is being a “real” and “genuine” Christian. Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well. Many hypocritical Christians have deterred many people from seeking God beyond their experience with “insincere” Christians. If we think of Christians as advertisements for Jesus, do we represent a God that others would want to place their trust in? In other words, would people want to buy the Jesus that we represent? THERMOSTAT VERSES TO HELP YOU MAKE THE NECCESARY CHANGES “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” - Philippians 4:13 “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” -Isaiah 40:29 “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” -Ephesians 6:10 “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” - Isaiah 40:31 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness …For when I am weak, then I am strong.” -2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being…” -Ephesians 3:16 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” -Matthew 11:28 Conclusion: Whenever you see a Thermometer or a Thermostat, please remember that you are both of them and you have God’s wisdom, power and strength to read things accurately [Thermometer] and make the necessary changes [Thermostat] according to God’s will. He is always Jesus to us. This is yet another opportunity for us to “Be Jesus to others". Pastor Dave Word of Life Church 17525 W. Bell Rd. Surprise, AZ 85374