Brinkley DNOW Sermon
Notes
Transcript
Me
Me
Introduce yourself
From FBC Monticello
23, just recently graduated from college w/ Computer Information Systems degree
Married for 8 months… beautiful wife Joana
DNOW series - So Much More
This weekend, your students have been learning that there is So Much More to Christianity than we could possibly think.
First session - So Much More to how God sees us
Second session - The Gospel means So Much More than we may think
We
We
We as Christians are called to be holy.
Jesus calls us to be perfect - Matthew 5:48
Peter tells us God calls us to be holy
But do you ever feel as though you’re putting on a mask? Do you ever feel like your tired of putting on your Sunday best?
Maybe you’re the opposite. Maybe you are living your life the same way you did before you knew Christ. Is there any evidence of change? Maybe a little, but not to the extent that God has called us to?
You see, God has called us to so much more than we could possibly imagine. He saved us from sin not so that we would continue to walk in sin, nor so that we would continue to walk in shame of our sin.
Jesus saved us from our sin so that we can walk free in Christ. We can live our lives to the fullest, doing the things He has called us to do.
God
God
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
When we are saved, we become a new creation in Christ. We don’t try to do better just cause that’s what you do… we do it because we have been made new.
It’s not religion… not tradition… its a new creation. A heart change. A desire change. A mindset change. A perspective change. We begin to think, see, and act more like Christ as we walk with Him.
EXAMPLE: tithe envelopes with checklist
GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO SO MUCH MORE
Two Positions:
Before Christ
Darkened understanding
alienated from the life of God
hardened heart
Callous
given up to sin
After Christ
renewed spirit
new self
created in the likeness of God
true righteousness and holiness
We shouldn’t be in the 2nd position acting like we are in the 1st. We must understand that we are a new creation in Christ and allow that to change the way we live.
But here’s the beautiful part:
Although we will inevitably fail, we no longer need to feel shame.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
I’m so thankful that the Bible isn’t full of “perfect” characters. Each and every character has their myriad of mistakes:
Abraham didn’t trust God to give him a child and tried to make his own solution
Noah got drunk right after getting off the ark
Moses was a murderer
David commited adultery and murdered her husband
Solomon had a ridiculous number of wives and mistresses
Jacob was a deceiver and wasn’t very loving to his first wife
Joseph was prideful in himself
Peter denied Christ 3 times
Paul killed Christians
But those mistakes aren’t what defined them. It was their faith in God that counted to them as righteousness. Despite their mistakes, God still loved them and desired to use them for His great plan.
You
You
Remove the old self… you don’t need it! Why continue to live in sin with Jesus has died to save you from it?
But to those who try your best, just let go. Allow God to change you. Don’t live as though God is still punishing you. He’s not. He loves you, His Son died for you. Now go live your life to the fullest for Him.
We
We