Sunday Sermons
Simple Change
Simple Change
When John the Baptist and Jesus arrived on the scene, they both uttered one simple word, repent (Mark 1:15; 3:2). We don’t have to look very far to get a working definition of repentance from Jesus and John. John told the people to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8) and such fruits included a turning away from sin and disobedience and a turning back to obeying God on a very practical and personal level (Luke 3:10-14).
A Modern Dislike for Repentance
The word repent seems to be ridiculed in our culture, and the cause of this might be because it carries with it such strong ties to personal accountability for our own actions. We have a tendency to want to blame someone else or unusual circumstances for why we have ended up in the mess we might be in. Yet the term is a beautiful word and is filled with tremendous hope:
- If God commands us to repent (Acts 17:30-31), then sin, any sin is not an inherent aspect of our nature. If it was, we could never get away from it. The great news is that I can turn away from my wicked ways (Ezekiel 18:27). I can make a clean break (Matthew 5:27).
- Not only can I forsake my former sins, I can actually perform acts of righteousness (Ezekiel 18:27). Far more than ceasing to me an ungodly person, I can actually become a godly person (1 Peter 2:12; 1:14).
- Genetics and my environment do not form a prison from which I can never escape. If can came from a family line of generational sin and rebellion, I can break free (1 Peter 1:18).
- Neither am I a slave to the culture that surrounds me (Acts 2:40). The wickedness or ignorance of the times in which I live do not have to define or control me. My destiny is not wrapped up in the times in which I lived.
- If I became a person who could not be trusted when I was in sin (Romans 1:31), the fantastic news is that through repentance I can become someone that people can trust once more.
Some Simple Steps
Feeling Worse Before You Feel Better
Beware of wanting to believe a message that says in effect, “Your sins – they are not your fault”, because such a message results in zero change. If you buy into the idea that your sins are inborn, caused by others, or impossible to remove, then you are signing yourself up for a lifetime of slavery. In the Bible, and in real life, people change when they are convicted by God’s powerful message, that at first, painfully, yet honestly exposes our selfishness (Acts 2:36; 3:15,19). Self reflection can be painful. Admitting that our selfishness is something that we created is not easy to accept, yet it is the only path to true healing. Hosea said, “For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us” (6:2). Many people in our society speak of “healing” and “closure”. The reality of the matter is that true healing and closure only happens when we assume personal responsibility for our choices, including our sinful choices. The good news is that if getting into sin was a choice on our part (Romans 5:12), then we can equally choose to forsake such sins.
The Liberation of Repentance
Cain was told that if he did what was right, then his countenance would be lifted up, that is, he would feel a lot better about himself (Genesis 4:7). Observe, he would feel better immediately. What John the Baptist told the soldiers and tax collectors in Luke 3:10-14) would equally result in people feeling better about how they were living. In Acts chapter three, Peter the apostle told the crowds, “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times or refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
Times of Refreshing
Obviously this would include the forgiveness of our sins and would equally involve:
- No longer do I have to live under a heavy burden of guilt. I have new energy (Psalm 32:4).
- No longer do I have to carry through life all sorts of extra baggage that can wear me down (Hebrews 12:1).
- No longer do I have to worry about things catching up to me.
- No longer do I have to worry about all the daily necessities of life, because God is with me now, and I don’t have to do it all on my own (Matthew 6:32-34).
- No longer do I have to try to live by trial and error. I am no longer like a blind man groping in the dark (Isaiah 59:10).
- No longer are we living rather hopeless lives, weighed down by the thought that we cannot change, that life will always be like this and that we are just destined for a very unsatisfying life.
- We actually have the motivation, courage, faith and hope now to branch out and put ourselves second, consider the needs of others, and extend kindness and forgiveness.
- My relationships suddenly start working far better when God is at the center.
- I am liberated from being in the rut (Matthew 6:32). I can now do work that is truly satisfying (Ephesians 2:10). Instead of worrying about all the things that do not matter, I have the freedom to mentally dwell on truly rewarding thoughts (Philippians 4:8).
- If I was a loner, now, as a Christian I am a member of a very big and loving family (Ephesians 2:16).
Avoid What Doesn’t Work
In the Old Testament the nation of Israel often tried to fix its problems with human or political solutions (Hosea 7:11). When you don’t like the life that you are living, there will be many alternatives offered to you by the world. Yet I like what Hosea said, “They turn, but not upward” (7:16). Changes that do not look to God for a solution, will be changes that never really address the problem in our lives. They will be changes destined for failure. During the lifetime of Hosea, Israelites were crying and wailing on their beds, but they were not crying out for God (7:14). Such a statement reminds me of when the apostle Paul spoke of the difference between a sorrow of the world and a sorrow that actually leads to real change and salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). So being miserable is one thing, but being miserable and crying out to God for help is when real change happens.
You Choose
Repentance is never something that “just happens”. You don’t have to wait for it to come along. It is not an elusive feeling. Rather it is a choice. Jesus said, “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent” (Revelation 2:21). Jesus gives me all the motivation and reasons in the world to opt for change, but the choice is still mine to make. This means that no one can prevent me from repenting. So, if you feel stuck, unable to change, the reality is that “you” are in the way. Part of you does not really want to change.
Change is All Around
Sometimes people are rather cynical about whether or not a person can really change, yet the Bible and real life are filled with examples of people who made huge and sweeping changes in their lives:
- Saul of Tarsus: 1 Timothy 1:13-15
- The Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
In fact, many of the early Christians came from very sinful and rough backgrounds (Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Peter 4:3; Titus 3:3), and the change was dramatic and quick (Acts 19:18-19). So you don’t have to wait for change to arrive. You don’t have to endure decades of very minor and slow changes to your life. If you don’t really like the life you are living, you can change that today.
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net