We are beginning a new series called Fresh Start with today being the introduction to the series. We are starting this series at the beginning of the New Year but I want us to think that we are not so much talking about resolutions as we are going to do a deep dive in considering what it means to experience God’s transformation.
But before I begin we have I want to introduce Parker Barriault and back up vocalist Moiria Hennessey as they perform a rap song called – Remember This by the artist NF
PERFORMED SONG
In that song we heard the idea about change and something new beginning – “Say goodbye to the old me
We ain’t friends anymore”
A FRESH START – THE PROMISE
That desire for something new is within all of us. Scriptures give us a promise of a Fresh Start – verse for today – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Cor 5:17
At the core of the gospel where we speak about what God is doing in Christ – this statement reminds us it is about something new – a deep change – transformation.
Think of what it means to be in Christ. The description of your life and my life in Christ is not based on resolution but re-creation, the re-creation that comes from new life in Christ.
The change people need most is not in their circumstances, but in themselves. It is not the ability to try harder, but rather to have a soul rooted deeply in Jesus.
Let me quote Ed Stetzer – The very heart of the Christian faith revolves around change, but it is not turning over a new leaf—it is living out a new life.
Christian transformation always involves something old passing away and something new taking its place. Spiritual change is needed by everyone—the poor and the rich, the success and the failure. We are constantly in need of this change, no matter who we are.
But too many people misunderstand the words. They believe, “If I change, then God will like me more.” The bid to be be better accompanies the hope for divine blessing. But that is not the gospel.
Now the danger when we speak of change is that there is a make yourself better/improvement industry in our culture.
If we are not careful you may end up hearing that what we are offering is a entry level/low-stress therapeutic moralism sprinkled with a little bit of deism —where a faraway God makes life better and makes you a better person.
But we are not offering a religious idealism. We are not talking about about making religious people good. Read the gospel stories about how Jesus interacted with good religious people- they were called Pharisees – they were also called white-washed tombs.
The promise of God offered to us is that we can have a Fresh Start that begins with, to quote Stetzer again, “a New Life, Not Just A New Leaf.
A Fresh Start – A Problem
But with this wonderful spark of hope of a Fresh Start in Christ – we have a problem – the problem. Making changes in my life is really hard. Really living out a new life seems like an ideal not a reality. So often we do not see a change in people in churches so many walk away discouraged – our slogan for our lack of transformation – Christians aren’t perfect just forgiven.
Why is that even though we intend to be good and do the good it appears that we are prepared, ready, to do evil–should circumstances require it. And of course they do ‘require’ it, with deadening regularity.
Fresh Start is deeply difficult…
- Genetics – what do we do with tendencies/traits that run in our families? I have my father’s hands – I whistle while I drive…I like to drive slow! What about deeper darker traits?
- Past – what do we do with the past of our family systems and deep memories –
- Stubborn/Pride – Perhaps you’ve heard the illustration of how to trap a monkey. All you need is a rock and a coconut. Drill a hole in the coconut large enough to put the rock inside, but not large enough for anything else. A monkey will reach inside to take hold of the rock, but its clenched fist around the rock will not fit back through the hole. The monkey will, in effect, trap itself because of a refusal to let go of the rock. We get trapped when we will not let go.
- Comfortable – We get comfortable with sins that keep us from knowing Christ better. We get comfortable with irrelevant practices at church that keep others from understanding Who God is and what He is doing in Christ! We get comfortable with our standard of living, and it keeps us from the mission of God’s kingdom.
- Afraid – Fear of the unknown is a primary reason people don’t change. Some think following Jesus will make them a fanatic or, at the very least, socially awkward. Not knowing what God will ask of them causes many to shy away from the new life offered by Jesus. It can even paralyze Christians from fully embracing the new life they have inherited.
- Hurts – It is hard to change. Even good change costs some of a person’s security. Leaving the proverbial “comfort zone” will cause a pain effect that carries a price.
A Fresh Start – A Past Story
But here is where we need to look at how God has worked in the past where a fresh start was needed. This biblical story is where God’s people who had failed miserably and desperately needed renewal. The story of Nehemiah is about the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down. But that was just an outward image of a much deeper problem – a need for renewal and God’s transformational change when are a community and lives are broken down.
Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah: a story that speaks to a greater reality – God’s intent for there to be renewal in our lives and Christ’s church.
So in the weeks ahead we are going to look at how change occurs when things look BLEAK, our basis for being RESOLVED, Why PERSEVERANCE matters, the ongoing Challenge to lasting CHANGE.
A FRESH START – A Path
But as we begin this journey on we need to pay attention to what lies on the path of a fresh start in God’s kingdom that impacts our lives, our families, our friendship our church, our communities.
GRACE – this change we want is not merely human attainment of self improvement – it is ultimately a gift from God – a divine act of grace – a gift of His love that we don’t deserve. This is the amazing grace
Grasping God’s grace – results in us giving up on changing our own lives. Rather than wasting our lives on self-initiated change, we give over our lives to God’s work to grant us a new life.
Tweet by Ravi Zacharias – Jesus Christ did not come to make bad people good, but to make dead people alive.
Our minds cannot even begin to dream up the radical new life that is needed.
Ed Stetzer in preaching on transformation points out in in John 3, Jesus was approached by someone who needed change. Nicodemus had the right pedigree, the right spiritual training, and the right position in society, but had not been transformed. He was most likely moral and definitely religious. But Jesus informed him of the need to be “born again” (John 3:3). Nicodemus did not need more rules but rather a new life.
Nicodemus, like many of us, had to unlearn the matrix in which he lived—the idea that rules and regulations bring about lasting spiritual change. They don’t. Rules can modify behavior, but only the gospel of Christ can impart new life. We should never be satisfied with merely a new way of life. Only a new life will suffice.”
Grace means we let go of the formula – “If I obey I am accepted by God. Grace tells me instead – “Because I am accepted – I move toward obedience”.
EFFORT – Dallas Willard made an important distinction – Grace is opposed to earning – Attitude of seeking God’s approval BUT grace is not opposed to effort – our Action.
We have to grasp where we must apply effort to our faith journey of experiencing a fresh start. This should not surprise us that life demands effort.
Let me go on and speak to where effort comes into our fresh Start. There is absolutely nothing in what Jesus himself or his early followers taught that suggests you can decide just to enjoy forgiveness at Jesus’ expense and have nothing more to do with him.
Some years ago A. W. Tozer expressed his “feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout evangelical Christian circles–the widely-accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need him as Savior and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to him as Lord as long as we want to!” (I Call It Heresy, Harrisburg, PA.: Christian Publications, 1974, p. 5f) Tozer goes on to state “that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scriptures.”
This ‘heresy’ has created the impression that it is quite reasonable to be a “vampire Christian.” One in effect says to Jesus: “I’d like a little of your blood, please. But I don’t care to be your student or have your character. In fact, won’t you just excuse me while I get on with my life, and I’ll see you in heaven.” But can we really imagine that this is an approach that Jesus finds acceptable?
It takes effort to learn from Jesus how to do what he says – which is the central point of the New Testament doctrine of salvation and life.
We are called to take his yoke His way and learn from Him – so that our inner being – our spiritual being – our soul – begins to express this new life we have in Christ – and our outer life begins to show us as people who walk easily in the goodness and power of Jesus. (observation by DW in Renewing the Christian Mind)
Spiritual formation in Christ is not a passive process..Grace does not make us passive. but rather informs our soul and our actions and makes them effective n the wisdom and power of God.
Practicing Jesus’ word as his apprentices enables us to understand our lives and to see how we can interact with God’s redemptive resources,
CROSS – We all have a human desire for significance. But the way of Jesus changes us to see through the cross the divine nature of sacrifice. And as we learn this way of sacrifice we reject the way of the world and embrace the way of God’s kingdom which causes life to have true significance – which is reflecting the glory and love of God.
COMMUNITY – We need to encourage one another – love another – help one another – this journey of Fresh Start is not a solo expedition…we are called to live out this
MISSION – We need to take hold of something better: God’s agenda for a missionary people. We are called to go forth be kingdom living people where truth, justice, mercy and God’s love are the core expressions of who we really are.
Tim Keller – Jesus didn’t come primarily to solve the economic, political, and social problems of the world. He came to forgive our sins.
But in doing so the everything else is impacted...Mission includes our vocations and not just church ministry.
Conclusion
Fresh Start is about experiencing a Spirit Driven process where our inner beings – who we really are is changed in the likeness of Christ –
Our Fresh Start starts with deciding to follow Jesus – real change – transformation happens the moment we believe –
But God’s goal is now that new creation – where we become great souls learning to be like Jesus is our focus…
More Souls or great souls – the real journey is that we are becoming a community of great souls – that will draw more souls into the kingdom of God where we all learn to love like Jesus.
“The alternative to this biblically mandated transformation is to pick a rut and make it deeper.” God holds a desire to bring transformation to life, the church, and your community. The transformation is there for the choosing. Of course, so is the rut of remaining spiritual static.
We’re not all of the decisions we’ve made in the past;
we’re what what we do next…