Jesus Changed My Story

October 8th 2023

Series:This is My Story – Missions Month 2023

Sermon Title:Jesus Changed My Story… Act Like It!

Key Passages: Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon Blurb: Missions Month 2023 is all about stories. Each week, we will learn from a bible story, a missionary story, and consider our own unique story. The hope of this series is that people will identify their faith story and share it with others!

Green in sermons means illustration, something we are looking for a response from, or a picture that goes on the screens.

Yellow means what is yellow will be on the screens and in the handout.

Sermon:

Hello Family Church!

Welcome to Week 2 of Missions Month 2023!!!!!!!!!

Family Moment –

Dan / Steve we like to try and start our messages with something personal from our family life recently to help people get to know us.

It’s that time of year again…

When we intentionally focus on what God is doing in the area of local and global missions at Family Church.

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If you’re new or newer to Family Church, we are thrilled that you are with us……and want to let you know that we LOVE missions at Family Church.

…and we have a LOT going on in Missions here!

That’s why every year we spend an entire month dedicated to celebrating what God has done and looking at the opportunities for missions that are in front of us as well!

And this year, we will highlight the missionaries and missions that we partner with both locally and all over the world!

PAUSE

And let me say this right out the gate…

If you have never been on a mission trip OR it’s been a while since you were on one, I want to encourage you to jump into one of our upcoming opportunities!

In fact, when you came in, you were handed a brochure that lists all the trips we will be taking in 2024.

You can also get trip details online at familychurch.app/missions

Whether you are single, married, or have kids…pray and ask God if He is leading you to GO on a trip this year!

PAUSE

This year, Missions Month is all about STORIES.

Everyone has a story.

Everyone!

Even if you don’t like your story….

You still have one!

And the cool thing about life is the reality that no two stories are the exact same!

Your story is unique, personal, and powerful.

And our hope is that throughout this month, you will learn how to tell you story in ways that guide people toward Jesus!

PAUSE

Each week, there will be three aspects of our messages.

We will learn a stories of a missionaries or ministry-partners.

We will look at a story from the Bible.

AND we will also connect things to our own story.

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So, let’s jump in today…

Turn with me in your Bible to the

Book of Colossians

That book is in the New Testament of your Bibles…

So, flip to the back ½ of the Bible and hunt around and you will find it!

And as you are turning there… let me ask you a question.

Have you ever had a turning point in your life?

Have you ever had a time in your life when you changed direction….

An important change happens in your life.

Maybe you were pursuing a certain career but then decided to go a different direction… and now you love your job!

Maybe you were in a relationship that was not healthy, and you finally got the courage to break it off… and now you are in a great relationship with someone and are so glad you didn’t settle.

Maybe you had an addiction, and you were ruining your life, hurting those around you… but you got help, and now you are thriving!

ADD A SHORT PERSONAL EXAMPLE….

Let me share one example from my life….I was NOT the greatest kid in high school. Ask my mom….she thought I was going to go to college…party…drink…and get myself killed…TRUE STORY….

Right after the last day of school my dad sat me down to have a talk…because I got IN school suspension because of me and my friends did on the LAST day of school…..

And my dad sat me down and had a rough talk with me about the reality that I was about to go to college….

And that I had a choice….

I could keep doing life like I had been….and where that would lead….

OR that I could change directions in college…and where that could lead…..

And that talk….for whatever reason….caused me to go to college and become a different person…..

It was a turning point in my life….

PAUSE

I would be willing to bet that in EVERY one of your favorite stories the main characters had a turning point in their story.

The part in the story when everything changes.

The character gains a brand-new perspective….

Some MAJOR shift happens in their life…

Some crucial information is discovered….

Sometimes, the turning point is referred to as “the point of no return.”

The point in the story where tension has built up and your character must make a decision.

AND after they make that decision, life can NEVER go back to how it was.

When Katniss picked up the bow….

When Luke Skywalker killed the emperor…

When Harry Potter picked Gryffindor….

When Maverick died in Top Gun….

When Scar killed Simba’s Father….

Turning points……

Life changes….

There is NO going back….

PAUSE

The same goes for our walk….or story….with Jesus….

You and I are living out our story.

Our life is a storybook that God is writing through us!

Just like a good story has a turning point for the main character, you and I have also had a turning point in our lives!

We were heading in one direction…

…pursuing one thing,

…determined a certain way,

…convinced we were right,

…But then, you came to a point you realized that path was NOT taking you anywhere good.

PAUSE

Maybe your turning point happened quickly… or maybe you wrestled with it for a while…

But, at some point, if you are a Christian, you turned FROM your old ways and turned TO Jesus.

Your story came to a turning point.

You were given new life, spiritually born again, adopted into the family of God… never to turn back to your old ways.

You had a turning point.

PAUSE

Maybe you’re listening today, and you haven’t turned to Jesus.

You have not YET turned your life to Jesus.

But you know you are at your turning point…

I pray today is your day.

I pray that today you see, in a faith story, there is always a turning point.

A moment when we LEAVE sin and CLING to Jesus.

We denounce our former way and we embrace the new life we’ve been given through faith in Jesus Christ!

This is what we call salvation, or “getting saved.”

And the Bible talks A LOT about life BEFORE and AFTER Jesus… before and after our turning point.

PAUSE

In fact, the title of this message is Jesus Changed My Life… Act Like It!

What I want us to think about, is not only WHEN Jesus turned our life around… but also HOW do we live after our turning point.

Maybe you have asked….

“Jesus saved me, now what?”

“Jesus gave me spiritual life, so where do I go from here?”

“Jesus promised me eternity in heaven, so what do I do until I get there?”

These are some basic but profound questions to ask.

If you are filling in your notes, write this question down,

Am I living like Jesus changed my story?

Repeat

I want to encourage you all to REALLY think about that….

Does your LIFE look like Jesus has changed it?

PAUSE

With that question in mind, look with me at Colossians 3… and let’s try to answer this question for ourselves.

In Colossians 3 verse 1, it says…

Since, then…

Since then meaning…Since your turning point from sin to salvation…

Colossians 3:1-17 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Pause right here.

Paul is writing and reminding us about our turning point.

He says, you “were this,” but now “you are not”.

You have been CHANGED by Jesus.

You have been spiritually raised to a NEW life.

And Paul gives a clear instructions on how we live this life we’ve been given.

First, he says, look in your Bible at verse 2….

He says, “set your MINDS on things above!”

If you are filling in your notes, here is another question to ponder..…

Since Jesus changed my story, am I MORE focused on eternal things or earthly things?

Repeat

Honestly, this is a good question to ask yourself routinely.

Sort of a spiritual checkup, if you will.

This answer can reveal if you are too caught up in earthly pursuits OR pleasures OR pressures…

OR it can reveal if you are more tuned into God’s perspective and the eternal things.

What REALLY is your focus in life????

Paul goes on in verse 3 and writes…

3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

Pause here.

YIKE Paul….that is an INTENSE ending….

Lighten it up Paul you are starting to preach like Pastor (ADD another Campus Pastor’s Name)

There are a lot of things dying.

Verse 3 says, “you died”

Verse 5 says, “put to death”

Verse 6 says, “God’s wrath is coming”

BUT did you also notice all the LIFE going on in these same verses?

Look at verses 3 and 4 again…

3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

You see when we came to our turning point with Jesus… we died.

We died to our sin,

died to our carnal,

died to fleshly nature,

and killed off our old ways.

And now… we have a NEW kind of life.

A life that is given by God!.

This is the beautiful imagery that Paul offers here.

Hiding does NOT mean being sneaky or devious…

It means we are safe.

We are covered.

We are protected.

Because of Jesus, we don’t have to fear anything.

Nothing on earth!

Nothing eternally!

Jesus covered all our past baggage!!

PAUSE

Paul continues in verse 5… to show us what this would look like in our lives…..

He says…..

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

This list from Paul is NOT an exhaustive list but a short-list of SOME of the kinds of sins that Jesus died for.

See part of accepting God…Jesus…. Is that we re-define our lives by what God says is right and wrong….

That we admit our sins, as defined by God, and commit to following God.

It’s like Mr. Wonderful on Shark Tank… we look our sin straight in the eye and say, “You’re dead to me”.

PAUSE

And I think, here again, is a good opportunity to assess our spiritual growth and where we’re at with our faith story.

Since Jesus changed my story, am I living like it?

Am I still craving earthly pleasures?

Am I still caving to the persuasion of my earthly nature?

Am I still doing stuff God calls sin?

OR am I putting those desires to death daily?

Am I changing the way I live life to align with God’s ways?

PAUSE

Let’s keep reading…

7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Paul continues to expound on this thought.

He said, “you USED TO do this in your old life… but not anymore!”

Because of Jesus, you have taken off the old self practices and put on the new self practices!!!

And that last part of the phrase is so important to note.

He says we are being renewed.

Write this down,

Jesus upgraded my story! Jesus made me new at salvation and He is making me new every day.

Repeat

This is a super important point of theology that we need to know.

When you get saved, you were spiritually born again, given a new life…

Your sins were transferred upon Jesus.

Which, by the way, is the reason Jesus came to earth, lived sinlessly, and chose to die for your sins.

So, when we confess our sins and surrender our lives to Jesus, a Divine Exchange occurs.

God gives you spiritual life in exchange for your spiritual death.

And what brings death?

Anybody Church?

SIN brings death!!!!

That is why Paul said, “the wrath of God is coming” against these things… these sins.

BUT you are no longer living in your old way.

You are no longer bound by sin.

You were made new through faith in Jesus.

AND YET, we all realize that none of us are perfect.

All of us will miss the mark, fall short, and sin again… even after being saved and made new.

And that is why we need to understand that we are ALSO being renewed every day!!!

PAUSE

Turn to the person sitting next to you and tell them, “you are a work in process…..”

Come on, tell them!!

Maybe tell the person on the other side “we are both glad is not done with you yet!”

You were made new at salvation.

You are also being renewed every single day.

And that is an essential truth to understand as you strive to live out your story.

PAUSE

So, Paul continues to explain the renewal process and what it produces in us…..verse 11…..

11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Do you see it Church?

Do you see the turning point?

The Divine Exchange between God and The Redeemed?

You were once this, but not anymore.

Jesus changed your story………… so act like it.

PAUSE

How do I act like it… well, look back at the passage… verses 12-17.

You act like verses 12-17!!!!

That’s how someone acts after coming to a turning point with Jesus.

PAUSE

Orphan Helpers blurb/video of teens who came to a Turning Point.

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Let me give you your life application today:

Life Application: Has Jesus changed my story? Have I had a turning point, where I left my sin and turned to Jesus for forgiveness and spiritual life? If so, am I living like it? If not, am I ready to turn to Jesus today and experience my turning point? I Will _________________________________________