Changed Lives is Our “Business”
Changed Lives is Our “Business”
Sunday, November 25, 2007
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Cor 5:17
1. God’s grace, unmerited favor, has been given to us as the gift of salvation (Rom. 3:23-24; Eph. 2:8-9). As we attempt to imitate Christ in our daily life we are to demonstrate grace to others (1 Peter 4:8-10).
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” Romans 3:23-24
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace”
(1 Peter 4:8-10)
2. Helping people improve their relationship with God is a more urgent need than confronting their actions. Our focus is to affect change from the inside out, not from the outside in. Society is best changed by changed people (Luke 19:1-9; John 8:1-11; John 12:1-11).
“And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7
3. Changed lives are our “business.” The truths of the Bible ministered in grace within the fellowship of believers, produces changed lives. We must always ask ourselves, “How is business?”
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things.” Romans 2:1-2
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Cor 5:17-18
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:1-10)
4. We need to recognize that trusting God is a process that is most effectively facilitated through relationships between believers and non-believers. In a very practical way, the Lord often uses believers to lead their non-believing friends and family to Christ.
5. What kind of church do we want to have: (1) A Christian clubhouse where no one gets in who doesn’t look or act like us or (2) a place where Believers who have a personal relationship with God can worship God and be taught biblical truths & people who are seeking a relationship with God have a trustworthy and safe haven to investigate the claims of Christ.
6. Our small group teams must seek to reach this attitude from day one. We don’t change people God changes people; and He does so from the inside out. Just as God’s grace has been given to us, so we are to show it to others and all the Lord to use us in this great plan or redemption that He is carrying out!
Enjoyment of God
The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the ocean.
- Jonathan Edwards
GracePointe Baptist Church
2209 N Post Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73141
Phone: (405) 769-5050
