Sermon for 02/05/06

Explore our opportunities for...

Sermon for 02/05/06
(First time visitors: Please read the notes HERE about these sermons first!)

How to Change the World – YES YOU CAN, IF YOU WANT TO

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: Is wanting to change the world a grandiose “pie in the sky” idea? No, it is the will of God! That is, if “changing the world” means pouring God’s love down upon His broken children who are separated from Him, so as to point them to the source of eternal and unconditional love! John 3:16, the Great Commandment, the Great Commission… all point to God’s purpose to change the world! Questions we address in this sermon are: Who am I to think I can change the world? What if I don’t want to? What if my life is already driven by another busy purpose? What would it take and cost me to focus on continuing Jesus’ mission on earth? After understanding that Jesus is calling us, (and empowering us to do the impossible), then I will ask a blunt question at the end of the sermon: Will you abandon your agenda and follow Christ’s? Your answer will have a major impact on your life!

1) CHANGING THE WORLD! With a raise of hands, how many of you would like to change the world in a positive way? The answer to that question was an easy one for most of us; we were born yearning for meaning and purpose. The average person lives 25,550 days, and in that limited time, we want our life to count for something! Why? Because God has woven into our beings a desire to pursue significance. We are wired for it! You know “why” most of us desire to change the world in a positive way? Because “Changing the world” is God’s main purpose! And we are but products of God’s handiwork!

2) GOD’S DESIRE! There are some who think God just threw creation together like a “big experiment” and sits back to see what will happen. But the scriptures tell us other wise. God’s desire is to change the hearts, minds and lives of every one of His broken children who are living in a broken world! The most well known scripture, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Obviously God is not an impassionate scientist who watches an experiment with no attachment or concern for the outcome. God’s desire, motivated by love, is to change the world! And the sending of His Son into the world – proved that! His Son’s mission was to transform hearts and lives! To bring them true and lasting love and life! Jesus came to demonstrate God’s desire “to change the world!”

3) OUR PURPOSE! Then Jesus lays on His followers an amazing revelation – God intends that WE, you and me, will continue Jesus’ mission in our own little corner of the world! Because He comes to live inside us, His purpose becomes our purpose. When Great Commandment was spoken to us, Jesus said, (Matthew 22:37) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Suddenly our purpose is clear: to love our neighbor! Of course, it is Christ’s love, living within us, that will change and transform their world, as it was Christ’s love that changed ours! In the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20) Jesus clarified our purpose even more: “Therefore GO and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and TEACHING them to obey everything I have commanded you.” What He is saying is, “Like me, spend what is left of your life changing the world with my love!”

4) GOD WANTS! YOU WANT? After preaching this message for 11 years at ASLC, most of you are fully aware of what God wants from you. But today, I am going to bluntly ask you: Is that what YOU want? Do YOU want to “change the world with God’s love”? I’m not asking you if you think it is a “good idea”, or a “noble cause”. I’m asking you if you see it now as the sole reason for your existence! I’m not asking if you will add it to your other purposes in life, I’m asking on Christ’s behalf, if you will make “changing the world with God’s love” your one and only purpose in life. (Long Pause for reflection). God wants it! But do YOU?

5) YOU! Now I suspect some of you are sitting there, a little uncomfortable, thinking… “Well that’s a pastor for ya! Just because they dedicated their life to God, they expect everyone else to just drop everything and become a Billie Graham or Mother Theresa!” Nope! The world doesn’t need more clones of Billie Graham, Mother Theresa, or Pastor Chuck! God wants you be you! The “you” HE designed you to be. Not the “you” the world tells you to be. Not the “you”, that you want to be. But the special person God’s blueprints originally revealed! Christ is asking: “Who will you live for? The world? Yourself? Or me? I want to change the world – the hearts, minds, and lives of my beloved but lost children. I designed you specially to let me work through you to accomplish that goal. But I need all of you, 100%, not just a part of you. You know I love you, but will you trust me to transform you into a new creation? And will you bring Glory to Me by sharing in, and dedicating yourself to my purpose?”

6) WHO ARE YOU? Some of you may be asking, “But who am I to even contemplate changing the world?” Who are you? You are the beloved child of God! At your baptism He said, “With you I am well pleased!” You are the one He sacrificially died on the cross for – hoping you would turn around and respond to that love with love! You are one of God’s greatest creations – designed for changing the world! He’s just awaiting your invitation to come in and begin the transformational process that sets you free AND equips you to be His hands, feet, and voice to a broken world. Who are you to contemplate changing the world? God’s partner in mission! You are the privileged ones, designed to hold and distribute the divine love and spiritual power that brings healing, faith, and hope to God’s damaged creation! THAT’S who you are!

7) HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM! See, as grand, wonderful, and life-giving as your initial salvation was, that was not His ONLY design for you. He desires to increasingly live within you, and wants to use you daily! Doesn’t matter if you grew up with low self-esteem – let Him reside in you and He will build you up! If you have a high self-esteem, (Maybe “too much” ego) – He may even have to lovingly humble you throughout your journey to remind you that you weren’t meant or equipped to change the world alone. But it’s not really about having low or high self-esteem - no, Christ wants you to have a “healthy” self-esteem. Healthy self-esteem is based on the Spirit’s revelation that 1) God loves you, and 2) He has designed you for a special purpose! Of course, Christ will not force Himself on you – He wants you to surrender your life to Him voluntarily, that He may use you as a willing partner! See, spiritually equipped with “Healthy self-esteem” you understand… You were blessed to be a blessing!

8) ALREADY! Perhaps the scariest thing for me as new Christian in my early twenties, was discovering that (if I understood God right) He ALREADY had a “plan” for me! Hence, I was going to have to let my existing plans go! Woe! Back the train up! Some of you know what I am talking about! Some of us struggled alone for years to create, nourish, and define our “purpose!” We invested in, dreamed about, and dedicated our time, energy, and resources towards accomplishing those plans, …and then some preacher comes along and suggests we never had to! …that God ALREADY had your purpose figured out before you were a twinkle in your parent’s eye! Did you feel the spiritual tremor?

9) TRUST ME? “But that’s not fair!” I protested! “I already have a purpose! I want Bailey Manufacturing Company so bad I can taste it!” And Jesus just smiled and asked, “Do you trust me Chuck?” “I love you Lord!” “No, I didn’t ask if you loved me, I asked if you trust me?” “Jesus, no one is more thankful than I am for my salvation and the love you showed me on the cross!” “Chuck, I know that, but now I’m asking you – do you trust me? I am telling you that my plan for your life is better than the one you selected for yourself. Will you trust me?” Ouch!

10) CUT BAIT OR FISH? In the fishing world there’s a saying, “Are you going cut bait all day, or are you going to fish?” Jesus comes to us when the time is right and asks each of us: “Are you going to let me transform you into a ‘new person’ by changing the way you think and act, or are you just going to sit in that pew the rest of your life? Are you going to remain a “consumer” of my blessings but not evolve into ‘a blessing to others’ according to my design?” We hesitate to answer, because if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re still not sure if life is REALLY about letting God use us for His purposes, or if we are to use Him for our purposes! Many sit in the church “cutting bait”, but not sure if we are ready or wanting to “fish” - according to His design, abandoning our own!

11) PURPOSE! Let’s be honest: many of us have worked hard to design our own “self-purposes”! And we design them for a variety of reasons; some thinking happiness comes to those who get wealthy, or famous, or are deemed successful in their field! Sometimes the plans that drive us are the result of guilt, resentment, anger, or fear, …or are driven by materialism, or the need for approval… but regardless, Jesus embraces us and gently suggests that being successful, famous, or wealthy is NOT the same as fulfilling your purpose. Let me repeat that: being successful, famous, or wealthy is NOT the same as fulfilling your purpose! I love you so much I dare to afflict the comfortable among you by asking you to look up at that cross and tell Him the truth: Are you fulfilling His purpose for your life?

12) BY GOD, FOR GOD! Friends, most of you KNOW God loves you! But what many of the saved forget is that we were made BY God – FOR God! Colossians 1:16 tells us “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created by Him and for Him!” Life is about letting God use you for His noble purposes, not using Him for your own. It comes as a shock to many in the American culture who are told repeatedly that life is all about individual freedom, seeking opportunities to make our dreams, our goals, our desires to come true! Americans are encouraged to SPECULATE as to what might make you happy and then told to “Go for the gusto!” This is the opposite of God’s original intent! God’s design says your true purpose in life does not come from speculation but REVELATION! Paul told young Timothy (2 Timothy 2:7) how to find direction and truth when he wrote: “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” Do we have to invent or create our own purpose and mission in life? No – we just need to turn to the Lord, to have it revealed to us! And Jesus is revealing that we were made BY God, for God!

13) GOD’S PLAN! So, isn’t it logical that if God, the divine designer, already has a set of plans for our life that are guaranteed to bring us the greatest purpose and joy in life, we ought to turn to Him and ask about it? Now, HOW you actually change the world according to His divine plan is what the next sermons in this series will deal with – but for now our focus is on whether we are actually willing to surrender to God’s authority, and trust in His plan for our life! Because to do so could change our entire life! It could dramatically disturb our comfort zone and turn our world upside down! After our “salvation” is recognized and accepted, the hardest step in our spiritual growth is the realization that God is not just the starting point of our new life – He is the source of it! It’s startling for us to realize that He planned our life’s purpose BEFORE we existed! …without our input! (Imagine the nerve of God to plan our life without us!) But He did! So… will we ask Him about it? Surrender to it? Dedicate our life to that Godly plan?

14) GOD’S WILL! See, if we truly TRUST that “God knows best” then, we have to not just agree with Romans 12:2, but we need to surrender to it: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Answer this: Do you believe that God’s will (not yours) is good, pleasing, and perfect? Do you? Look at your life – what you did and said this week, was it focused completely on God’s will? Or was it still conformed to the world? Or to your desires? “Wanting” to change the world is not the same as “changing” the world! And changing the world won’t happen until we put this question to rest: Do you believe that God’s will (not yours) is good, pleasing, and perfect? If you do – then your life may have to change dramatically and radically! You must be willing to be transformed – completely. You must be willing to have your mind renewed!

15) THE TIME IN-BETWEEN! So.. Are you willing? That’s not me asking that question – it’s Jesus using your pastor’s voice to ask if you will 1) turn your back on what the world has taught you, and 2) let Him transform your heart and renew your mind? Are you willing? As you ponder His question – think on this: You are alive, because God wanted to create you! The “when”, “how”, and “where” of your birth – He planned! Your birth and your death – He planned before you came about. But whether He is allowed to fulfill and play out His plan for the time in between your birth and death… He amazingly leaves that up to you! If you were designed by God, for God – then understand, your life did not happen haphazardly. It was not a mistake, nor an accident, for God never makes mistakes! Your life was planned with great precision! If this amazing Creator and Father did this out of love – if He planned our beginning and our end – why would we not trust this God of infinite love, (all powerful, all wise), to plan the time in between? Are you willing?

16) SIMPLIFIES! Some of you may be open to God’s revelation this morning, but are still internally locked in tension because of thoughts like this: God, how can I focus fully on your purpose when my existing life is so complicated, busy, and full now? Ah – that’s the beauty of taking such a leap of faith: when you acknowledge and surrender to His plan for your life – this new purpose simplifies your life! You just take every activity in your life and ask: Does this activity help me fulfill any of God’s purpose for my life? If yes – you do it! If no – you get rid of it! This new purpose simplifies your life!

17) PEACE? See, while “challenges” remain for Christians, life doesn’t get harder when you follow God’s plan – it gets easier! It’s when you DON’T know God’s purpose for your life – that you will inevitably try to do too much! You will not know peace! Let me ask you – are you too often stressed out, fatigued, and in conflict? Then, you are still struggling to understand and accept God’s balanced and simpler life style that He designed for you! But when we surrender to and understand God’s plan for you – it becomes the foundation we base all our decisions on. And we are not so easily distracted by the rushing world around us! Then we will experience what David shared in Psalm 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you!”

18) YOU CAN CHANGE! Friends, you live in a world broken by sin. But the good news is that it doesn’t have to stay that way! You can change! Why? You were made so that God could love you! Your life has profound meaning! No one else but God knows which meaning and purpose will bring you the greatest joy. So in order to fulfill the purpose God made you for – you will have to let Christ help you challenge and confront the “traditional wisdom” around you, and replace it instead with the Lord’s biblical revelations concerning your life! See you can change! IF YOU WANT TO! And it’s not you, but Christ that will do the changing! …if you will let Him! …because it is His mission to “change the world” with His love – one heart at a time! See, Jesus didn’t say, “It’s up to you to imitate me!” Imitate? Naw – Christ wants to be more than a ‘model’ for us – He wants to INHABIT US! …to live within us! Because of love, He comes to change in us what we cannot change by ourselves. If… we are willing – we can change!

19) TOO MANY! There are too many people who walk this earth – eating, breathing, and taking up space! Too many are left speculating as to what life is all about – they have not been privileged to be immersed in God’s revelation (as you have) that 1) we have been made BY God, FOR God. …2) put on this earth to make a contribution. …3) to add to life on this earth! …4) designed to have Christ living within us so that we may continue His mission here on earth! And there are too many Christians sitting in the pews who don’t want to change the world – but how sad: because I’ll say it bluntly - they don’t know Jesus! Because even one lost child is too many: hence Jesus came to change you, that together you and He may change the rest of the world with His love!

20) HE IS HERE! Friends, earlier, you expressed the desire to change the world! Is it possible some of us have been distracted from that purpose? Who will we live for? Ourself? …or our Lord and Savior? Christ is here this morning with the love and power to change hearts and transform lives! And He declares He designed YOU to join Him in this mission. Can you change the world? Oh yes, if you want to! …if you ask Him to align your will with His! His Spirit is here and eager to help you receive the character, life, and love of Jesus now! …here to enable you turn your back on the wisdom of the world, and present yourself to Christ for transformation and renewal, …here to empower you to do what you cannot do on your own: Join Jesus in changing the world!

Praise God!

AMEN

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that changing the world with your love is too often the last thing on our minds. We are so easily distracted by the busy world around us, and by our own selfish desires. Forgive us for holding on to dreams, goals, and lifestyles that are not according to your original design for us! Come inhabit our hearts, transform them, renew our minds, and help us start living our lives according to your plan, not our own.

Lord, it always boils down to trust. To leave our comfort zones, our preconceived ideas, our self-made dreams – well, it scares us. We need to trust you more, but we cannot accomplish this on our own. Forgive us and help us! Simplify our lives with your divine plan. Help us to continue your mission on this earth, filling us with the peace that comes from following you, and only you! Lord, change us, that we may join you in changing the world with your precious and life-giving love!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, our hearts are open – come fill them! Give us the wisdom, the strength, and the faith needed to allow your Holy Spirit to change us! Renew our minds, transform the way we think, help us to abandon the ways of the world, that we may dedicate our whole lives to following you and changing the world with your love! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, with the power and desire to change hearts and transform lives, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, hearts transformed and minds renewed; remembering that you were created BY God and FOR God! Ask Him to live in you and through you as He works to change the world! You have been blessed to be a blessing! Praise God! AMEN

Opening prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we bow our hearts before you now, unsure whether the broken world had more negative affect on us this week than we had positive effect on it. Sometimes we feel lucky just to survive the week! Any idea of healing, or positively changing the world may have gotten lost somewhere in the distractions and busyness of each hectic day. Some of us have been weakened by the brokenness we encountered, and others left tired, with feelings of frustration, even despair. If we are ever to be your hands, feet, and voice to a broken world, we are going to need to receive today what only you can give us! Forgive us that we may forgive others. Heal us that we may offer that same healing to others. Give us faith, hope, and love that we may pass it on to others. Lord, it is our humble and sincere wish that you would so use us in the days to come, that we experience some of the miracles you produce through willing and faithful hearts! Embrace us now and fill us with your Holy Spirit that we may help you change the world with your love – one heart at a time! In Jesus Name We Pray! AMEN

Return to Sermon Index & Intro Page