Changing Change

Good morning and welcome to Living Faith Church. I am so excited to be able to worship Jesus Christ with you on this amazing Sunday. If we have never met before, my name is Aaron. My wife Stella and I are honored to be able to serve on the Pastoral team at LFC. Well, here we are. We have arrived at the last Sunday of the year 2024. It is about this time that we begin thinking about what they want to do differently in the upcoming year. According to last years numbers:

112 million Americans will make a new years resolution

89 million of these Americans will try and loose weight

70 Million will feel significant pressure to try and be the person they feel they are not capable of being

102 Million will give up on these goals before the year is over

I have had plenty of opportunities to change my life over the years. And I know that you have as well. One area that has been quite difficult for me is in the area of my driving. I am not a particularly patient person. I don’t really like being stuck between two locations. If I am in between my home and coffee shop, I’d much rather just be at the coffee shop. Now, over the years the Lord and my wife have worked on me quite a bit, and I have become much more patient than I used to be. Now, some of you who know me well may be shocked to hear that I once was less patient that I am today - but this is the truth, and you are very thankful for this. But, Stella and I used to argue quite animatedly about my driving habits. How fast I drove, how fast I turned corners, how fast I decelerated coming to a stop light, how fast I accelerated when the light turned green. I said, I like the feeling, it’s like taking off in an airplane, and she said, I don’t want to be in an airplane. So I said, if you don’t like how I drive, then you drive. This made more problems than it solved.

I know that change is hard, I know that most of us actually stink at change and most of us fail to ever succeed in our new years resolutions. So, I have one question to ask each of us here in this room. Why are we putting ourselves through this pain? Why don’t we just ditch the New Years resolution and find a better way to improve our lives? Maybe, just maybe, the Bible has something to say about new years resolutions. OK- Maybe it doesn’t. But it does have a lot to say about the improvement of ones life. And this is what I want to talk about today.

Romans 12:1–2 (NASB95)

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Here, the Apostle Paul contrasts two words that often describe the way people try and change. These two words are conformed and transformed.

Upon first glance, one may wonder why Paul thinks that being conformed is such a band idea. Isn’t this what we are trying to do with our life anyway? Are we not trying to conform our behavior to that of Gods will? But Paul seems to believe that this is not Gods will at all. He says, “do not be conformed, but be transformed…”. Because to be conformed is to be go along with the plan even when it is unnatural. However, to be transformed is to change your nature to fit the new plan. That is the juxtaposition of these two prefixes. Con meaning together or with, and Trans meaning across. Transformation means I am matching my behavior with your behavior. Transformation means my behavior has crossed over and now has become synonomous with your behavior.

This was the very problem I was having with my driving habits. I was trying to match my driving style to that of Stella’s, and it wasn’t working, it was unnatural. One day while arguing about my driving, I told her; while driving 15 over the speed limit, I’m tired of trying to drive how you want me to. And Stella said back, I don’t want you to do it for me, I want you to do it for yourself- for your safety. One day her words rung true in my head - “I don’t want you to do it for me!”. In that moment I realized something, she didn’t want me to do it for her. She wanted me to actually WANT to be a good driver. And this made me so mad, until I realized, this was literally the solution to the problem, I had to change!

The reason we have such a hard time with our new years resolutions, or change in general, is because we are not putting into practice the teachings of Paul. We are trying to conform our old nature to that of something we have seen and want, when what we need is an entirely new nature. Later to the church of Ephesus, Paul would write:

Ephesians 4:24 (NASB95)

24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

The reason conformation fails so miserably is because while the body may be doing something different, the mind has not changed. I can have surgery to deal with a weight issue, but unless I change the way I think and feel about food, those health issues will simply return. And this is precisely why the Apostle Paul correlated transformation with a renewed mind. We don’t need just need new behavior, we need a new mind to lead that new behavior.

A New Creation

I have one really important questions to ask you today. Who do you see yourself to be? God did not die on the cross so that for the rest of your life you could mope around confessing that you are a dirty rotten sinner and thank God for grace because without it you’d be condemned to Hell. Yes! Thank God for the grace, and true, without it we’d all go to hell, but according to Gods Word, I am not a sinner saved by grace, but rather, by grace, I am a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB95)

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

And this is a critical distinction, because if I see myself as dirtbag saved by grace; I am thankful for grace, but I’m still a dirtbag. And my behavior follows my mind, that is why conformation produces little change, because who you think you are keeps you from being who God has called you to be. Do you want to know who you really are? Then soak in 2 Corinthians 6:18

2 Corinthians 6:18 (NASB95)

18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.

Put On The New Self

Now, some of us may look at this Ephesians 4 and when it says: “Put on the new self…” think that the old self is simply underneath. But that simply is not the case. And this is an important distinction. Look at this word “self”. The Greek word is Anthropos, it is also translated as: Man, Mankind, Humanity or Human Being. The Apostle Paul is not referencing putting a mask over a old nature, but rather clothing the regenerated spirit with a new nature, a new man.

This is Paul referencing the words of Christ to Nicodemus

John 3:3 (NASB95)

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Remember, we are being transformed, not conformed. We are not taking an old man and putting new cloths on. The Spirit of God is now alive in us, causing the old flesh to be discarded and a new creation is born.

Healthy Living In Christ

So rather than looking at yourself in the mirror as 15 pounds over weight and telling yours 2025 is the year to get fit. Align your yourself to the new you, the God nature.

2 Corinthians 6:16 (NASB95)

16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Of course God wants you to be healthy, but make it an act of worship, and not an act of idolatry.

Work As Worship In Christ

Maybe you are one of those who’ve set a new years resolution to procrastinate less; and of course, you postponed that from last year to this year. Listen; God has a lot to say about procrastination, it’s right here in the book of Proverbs 3:28

Proverbs 3:28 (NASB95)

28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.

The reason Paul told us to put on the new self, to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, is because Only Gods kids can live out the God nature. So stop asking “how am I…”, and start asking “how would God…” . This new you of 2025 is an act of worship unto God.

God Honoring Speech In Christ

Maybe you’ve been trying to change the way you talk. Or maybe, someone has told you that you’re jokes are funny. I know how that is,

I once told a dad joke before I became a dad… It was a total faux pas.

God cares deeply about how you use your words.

Colossians 3:17 (NASB95)

17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Ephesians 5:4 (NASB95)

4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Paul used three adjectives in this verse; filthy, silly and course, we could read this passage like this.

“and there must be no obscenity, or indecent behavior, no gossip, or foolish talk, and no vulgar jokes, and imprudent speech. But rather, giving of thanks.”

Instead of setting a goal to cuss less, ask:

What would God say to this person who is driving 15 under the speed limit.

If God were having this conversation, what kind of four letter descriptors would He use?

Changing Change

The truth is, we can try very hard to make our lives match these images and ideas we have in our mind, but we should just focus on being more like Christ. So often self improvement becomes a form of Christian idolatry. We are so focussed on ourself, and improving ourself, that we forget that we are supposed to be being made into the image of Christ! After all, we are pursuing Him, not our imagination.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB95)

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

He uses a mirror as an illustration, reminding us, that how we view ourselves changes everything about how we change, and in the mirror is “the glory of the Lord”.

Change begins with three questions:

How Do I Want This Change To Make Me Feel?

How Do I Want God To Be Revealed To Others Through This Change

How Do I Want My Future To Look Because of This Change

For me, it was simple.

If I would drive better, my wife would feel more safe in the car and we would argue less.

Driving the speed limit would reveal a holy surrender, A submission to the Lord and His authorities in my life.

Driving better would stop many future arguments, reveal my love, and keep me out of court.

Salvation Response

One thing that I have learned over the years is, I need a lot of help. I don’t change easy. I love change when I’m the one initiating it, but more often, the change that needs to happen, is in the area of my blind spot. Today, the Spirit of God is in this space and He is shining a light on the blind spot of many hearts, revealing your need for a Savior. You may be scared to let go, scared to change, scared of all kinds of things, but the truth of the matter is, God sees more in you than you do, your blind spot, is that you are making less of your life than your creator is. You are important to God, you are priceless in Gods sight, and He desires that not one of you would die and go to hell. And that is why over 2000 years ago He died for your sins. He did that before you were even a thought in your mothers mind. Paul said in Romans 5:8 that God pre-chose you, meaning He chose 2000 years ago to choose you today.

Romans 5:8 (NASB95)

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The best decision you could make in life, is to let Jesus have control over your life- to live your life for Him instead of yourself. To confess your sins, ask God to give you a change of emotion, will and spirit towards your sinful behaviors, and give you a heart to love and serve Him. Today, I want to pray with you- for that change to be made in your life. If you want to pray with me, and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior, raise your hand right now.

“Heavenly Father, I trust You to save me through Your Son, Jesus.  Forgive me for all of my sins.  Make me brand new.  Because You died for me, I want to live for You.  Fill me with Your Spirit, so I could follow You.  Jesus, You’re now my Lord and the Savior of my life.  Take my life.  It is Yours.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.”