SERMON: REMEMBER AND REPENT

 

16 September 2012

I. Introduction

-- turn in Bibles to Revelation 3:1-3

Revelation 3:1-3 (NIV)

1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.

3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

-- I once read a story about a group of women who were studying the Book of Malachi together -- as they were studying Chapter 3, they came across Malachi 3:3 -- "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness" -- but they didn't really understand what this verse was talking about -- what its point was about the character and nature of God and how they could apply it in their own lives

-- they decided they needed to know more about the process of refining silver so they could fully understand what this verse was talking about -- one of the women offered to do some research and report back at their next Bible study

-- that week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him work -- she didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining

-- as she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up -- he explained how, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were the hottest in order to burn away all the impurities -- as she watched him put the silver in the fire, the woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot in our lives

-- she remembered that Malachi 3:3 said that God would sit as a refiner and purifier of silver -- she asked the silversmith if he had to sit and hold the silver in the fire the whole time -- he replied, yes -- not only did he have to hold the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire -- if the silver was left in the flame even a moment too long, it would be destroyed

-- the woman was silent for a moment -- then she asked the silversmith how he knew when the silver was fully refined -- he smiled and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image reflected in it"

-- this morning we are truly going to finish up our series on holiness -- for the past several weeks, we have been talking about pursuing holiness in our lives -- and I have pointed out that holiness is nothing more than the desire to see God's image reflected in all aspects of your life -- behavior -- thoughts -- and attitude

-- last week, we talked about how leaning on our true identity in Christ is one key to walking in holiness -- today, we are going to talk about another key in the pursuit of holiness -- the gift of repentance

-- that's what Malachi 3:3 is really all about -- it's about God refining our lives through the crucible of continual confession and repentance so we begin to reflect His image more and more each day

-- repentance is a word we use in the church a lot, but usually only in the context of evangelism -- when we are witnessing to someone about Christ and their need for a Savior, invariably the question will be asked, "What must I do to be saved?" -- and we respond with the same words that Peter used in Acts 2:38, "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" -- for us, repentance is mostly an act of new believers

-- but, when you realize that the majority of the New Testament was written to the church -- to men and women who were believers -- then you'll quickly realize that the call to repentance -- the need for repentance -- never goes away

-- for the unbeliever, repentance results in salvation -- for us, repentance is a work of sanctification -- a means of grace that God uses to make us holy

-- let's look at this passage in Revelation and let's dig deeper in this subject of repentance

-- before we look at this again, let me give you a little background on Sardis, the church that these verses are written to -- Sardis was the capital of the Lydian empire and one of the greatest cities of the ancient world -- it was about 60 miles inland from the port city of Ephesus

-- it was a very wealthy and prosperous city, and people took pride in the wealth they had amassed -- they built elaborate homes and businesses and places of worship -- not only was the temple of Artemis there, a temple that was double the size of the Parthenon, but also a large Jewish synagogue located right in the middle of the city

-- it was to these people -- the wealthy and prosperous believers in Sardis -- that Jesus had John write these words

-- look back at verse 1

1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

-- the first thing that jumps out to us here in this verse is that this message is written to the church -- it is written to believers -- to men and women who had already come to Christ for salvation -- who had repented of their sins and received forgiveness through God's grace

-- but, look how they're living now -- Jesus says, "I know your deeds -- I know what you're doing -- you look like you're alive -- you look like a church -- you talk like a church -- but you are not who I called you to be"

-- every member of this church had surrendered their will at one point to God -- they had come to Him and said, "we can't do anything on our own -- we can't deal with our own sin -- forgive us and cleanse us from our sin"

-- but, now, they were living in their own strength -- rather than relying on God, they were relying on their own wealth and their own power and their own deeds and trying to do church based on that

-- and even though the people around them applauded them and they had a reputation for doing good, Jesus said, "You are not alive -- you are dead"

-- it's easy for us to look good on the outside -- it's easy for us to look better than we are -- to look like we've got it all together when in reality, we're dying on the inside -- that what was going on with this church at Sardis

-- verse 2-3

2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.

3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

-- look at what Jesus tells this church to do -- they're trying to be Christians in their own strength -- they're trying to manage their sin and to live a holy life on their own -- and Jesus tells them, "Wake up! -- open your eyes to the truth -- remember what you have received and heard -- remember the message of grace -- that you are saved by faith and not by works or by any effort of your own -- remember and repent"

-- there's that word again -- "repent" -- but this time, it's not given to unbelievers -- it's given to the saved from the lips of Jesus Himself

-- what is He asking them to do? -- what is the biblical meaning of "repent?"

-- the word literally means "to change your mind" -- it means to make a U-turn

-- I'm going to pick on Kim this morning -- not long after we moved back to Georgia, Kim was out riding near our house and she took the wrong road -- and she quickly realized it, but she thought to herself, "There has to be a road that connects this one to the one we live on" -- so, she kept driving and driving and driving

-- while she was driving, she passed a church -- Kim, what did the church sign say? [God allows U-turns] -- so, she woke up -- she opened her eyes to the truth and turned around and went back to the right road

-- that's repentance -- changing your mind -- changing direction -- turning around and turning to God

-- that's what Jesus was telling the church at Sardis to do -- "you need to repent -- you need to change your mind -- you need to change direction -- because I am not going to sit idly by forever -- before you know it, I will come as a thief in the night -- will I find you ready for My return?"

-- the same is certainly true for us -- while our sins have been forgiven, all of us still have that sin nature that dwells deep within that still leads us to make the wrong choice when we are tempted

-- I think all of us can agree with what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:15 -- "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."

-- we still sin -- it happens -- more than we would like to admit

-- but we know what to do about it, don't we? -- Jesus said repent -- change your mind -- turn from sins -- live a different life

-- you've all heard that before, right? -- you've all done this before, right?

-- but, let me ask you this -- how's it working out for you? -- are you still sinning? -- are you still doing that same sin that you repented of?

-- yeah, if you're honest with yourself, repentance doesn't seem like it really does much, does it? -- it makes us feel better -- it takes away the guilt of the sin we just committed -- it puts us back right with God again

-- but, what good is repentance if we just turn right back and sin again? -- that is the crux of the matter

-- the problem is that we have the wrong idea of repentance in the church today -- and that's why there is no power in our repentance

-- what does repentance look like in your life? -- does it look something like this?

-- you give in to temptation and sin -- you know you've sinned -- the Holy Spirit convicts you of this sin -- you know you've done wrong and disobeyed God

-- so, as a good Christian, you go to 1 John 1:9 -- you confess your sin and repent of it -- you say, "God, I messed up again -- I sinned here -- I agree that what I did was wrong and I'm repenting of my sin -- I turn away from it and I turn to you -- I won't do it again"

-- have you ever prayed that prayer or something like it? -- yeah, we all have

-- and then what happens -- we resolve in our hearts that we're not going to do that sin again -- and we don't -- for a little while -- it might be days -- it might be weeks -- heck, it might even be years -- it all depends on how strong you are and how much will-power you have -- but one day, you're going to find yourself giving right back into that sin again and you'll be right back into that same old cycle of "sin -- confess -- repent -- resolve" that you just were in

-- so, what's the problem? -- the problem is a misunderstanding of what Jesus means when He tells us to repent of our sins

-- it's really kind of funny, when you think about it -- we tell unbelievers that there is nothing they can do about their sin -- they can't work their way to heaven -- they can't buy their way to heaven -- only God can forgive them through His grace because of Christ's atoning death on the cross -- only God can deal with their sin

-- but, once someone becomes a believer, we give them the idea that it is their responsibility to finish cleaning up their lives -- now that they are a believer, they are supposed to repent and stop sinning and become holy all on their own -- we kind of get the idea that it is our job to deal with sin once and for all

-- do you see what we're telling people? -- to the unbeliever we say, "Trust God to take care of your sin" -- to the believer we say, "you have to take care of your own sin -- sure, God will forgive you if you fall, but it's your responsibility to repent and not do it again"

-- here's a truth we need to get deep in our hearts -- and this is critical when it comes to understanding biblical repentance -- we can't do anything about our sin -- let me say that again and make sure you get it -- we can't do anything about our sin

-- we couldn't do anything about it before we came to Christ, and we can't do anything about it now -- just like we need the power of the Cross to bring us to salvation, we need the power of the Cross to defeat sin in our life once and for all -- we can't do it on our own, and that's where repentance comes in

-- the problem with the church's idea of repentance is that we have turned it from a work of grace into a work of man -- when we repent, we try to solve our sin problem on our own -- in our own strength -- through our own power

-- this is nothing more than sin management and it doesn't work -- we don't need to try to manage the sin in our life -- we need to have it removed once and for all -- but, it's something that we can't do

-- only the power of the cross can break a pattern of sinful behavior -- grace alone resolves sin

-- if we could have resolved sin on our own, then there wouldn't have been any reason for Jesus to die on the cross -- but, because we could not break the power of sin in our lives, Jesus took our place and died on the cross -- not just for our salvation -- not just for the forgiveness of sins -- but also for our sanctification -- for the power to overcome sin in our lives right now

-- true biblical repentance isn't about us doing something about our sin -- true biblical repentance means admitting we can't do anything about our sin, and trusting God to work with us to overcome it

-- that's the difference between true biblical repentance and the church's idea of repentance -- true biblical repentance means God works with us -- the church's idea is that we solve sin on our own

-- I'm running out of time -- let's get to the heart of the matter and to what's most important for you -- Jesus told the church at Sardis and He tells us, "Repent" -- so, how do we do that?

-- look back at verse 2 -- the very first words -- Jesus says, "Wake up!" -- what does this mean?

-- it means to open your eyes -- open your eyes to the truth of God's Word -- compare what you are doing in your life to what God tells you to do -- our standard for living is not the world or what the world says is acceptable -- our standard for living is the Bible

-- Jesus says, "Wake up and see how your life is not lining up with what I have called you to do" -- the first step is to see our sin

-- that was the problem with the church at Sardis -- they couldn't see their sin -- they couldn't see that they were doing wrong -- they thought everything was okay

-- the first step in the repentance process is to wake up and see that you are a sinner

-- the second step comes from 1 John 1:9 -- confess your sins -- what does it mean to confess? -- it basically means to admit your sins to God -- to agree with Him that you have sinned -- that you have disobeyed His word

-- confession is a surrendering of your ideals to God's ideals -- it is saying, "I was wrong in what I was thinking -- I was wrong in what I was doing -- when I compare myself and my actions and my thoughts to your Word, it doesn't line up -- I agree that I have sinned against You"

-- now, you need to keep in mind that confession doesn't resolve your sin -- feeling sorry about what you have done doesn't make your sin go away -- admitting our sin is an important part of the process, but words do not resolve sin

-- confession is an alignment of the mind to God to prepare the heart for the next step

-- look back at verse 3 here in Revelation 3 [read vs. 3a]

-- the third step is remembering what you have heard and received -- what is that? -- that is nothing more than the gospel message -- remembering that Jesus died on the cross for us to forgive us from our sins and to break the power of our sin nature

-- this is where last week's sermon comes in -- remember who you are and remember what Christ did for you -- we are not the same person that we used to be -- we are new creations in Christ -- we have new strength and new power through the very presence of the Holy Spirit within us

-- we do not have to live with sin any longer -- those chains were broken at the Cross -- as Paul wrote, we no longer live, but Christ lives in us and He has defeated our sin through His body and His blood

-- the final step is here in verse 3 -- repent

-- and here's where the rubber meets the road -- we have already woken up and seen our sin -- we have confessed our sin and agreed with God that we have disobeyed Him -- and we remember the work of Christ on the Cross -- we remember who we are -- we remember grace

-- now, when we repent, we repent through that grace and not through our own power -- we don't try to manage our own sin, but we trust in what Jesus has already done

-- flip over real quick to Acts 5:30-31

Acts 5:30-31 (NIV)

30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.

31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

-- notice what it says right there -- Jesus died on the cross and ascended to the right hand of God so that He might give repentance and forgiveness to the world

-- we all know that Jesus gives us forgiveness -- that's grace -- the gift of God that came to us on the Cross

-- but, look what else it says -- Jesus gives us repentance -- what this means is that true biblical repentance is an act of faith -- it is about trusting, not willing

-- here's where I was saying that most of the church is getting this wrong today -- repentance is not an act that we do -- it is not self-will

-- many, many Christians do not trust God in the process of repentance -- they view repentance as something they should do, but this preempts the power -- perhaps they have been taught that when they sin, they only need to confess it, to agree it's wrong, but what's missing is the hope of it being defeated

-- repentance is grace -- it is a gift from Christ -- it is something that He gives us, not that we give Him

-- the thing we need to remember is that every act of repentance depends on an act of redemption -- to redeem means "to liberate by payment, or to release from debt or blame" -- willpower, no matter how sincere, cannot buy you this freedom -- there is no dealing with any sin without a redemptive act

-- as Christians, we depend on the redemptive act of Christ on the cross and in His power, not only to save us from our sins but to resolve and remove the remaining sins in our lives

-- when you start to realize that repentance is not something you do but something that God does, you realize a real power over sin for the first time in your life -- the work of Jesus is for every sin, not just for the forgiveness of sin, but for the healing from those sin

-- repentance then is trusting that Jesus has already forgiven you of your sin and believing that He will work with you to give you victory over the sins that remain

-- "It is the complete reorientation of your life in response to the work of God in Jesus Christ." [Source: Discipleship Journal. -- Rene Padilla]

-- through repentance, you change your mind about who does the work in saving you from your sin -- you no longer bear the burden, but you let Christ bear the burden for you as you trust in His grace and deliverance from sin

CLOSING

-- so, let's bring this home and wrap up what we've been going over for the past several weeks

-- first, let me remind you that sin is a choice -- James tells us in his book that all sin begins with our desires -- with our thoughts -- when we are tempted, we are given a choice whether to obey or disobey God

-- we can choose to obey God -- we can choose not to sin -- that is the first step in living a holy life -- but, we also have to remember that we do not have the power to act that out on our own -- here's where we have to remember who we are and that through Christ we can do all things

-- we make the decision and then trust and depend on Christ and His power to help us to do what is right

-- however, we know that we all make the wrong choice from time to time -- we all choose to sin and let our desires lead us into disobedience -- that is when we go through the process of repentance:

-- we wake up and see our sin

-- we confess and agree with God that we have disobeyed Him

-- we remember who we are in Christ and what He has done for us

-- and then we receive Christ's gift of repentance and we trust that He will give us the power and strength, through His grace, to overcome this sin in our life once and for all

-- the big thing to remember is that repentance is not a work that you do, but the grace of God working through you

-- so, when you choose to sin, this is the type of conversation that you need to have with God:

-- "God, here we go -- I did it again -- I made a wrong choice -- I sinned against you -- I agree with your holy Word that this was an act of disobedience

-- God, I remember what Christ did for me on the cross -- I remember that I am a new creation because of Him and that He broke the power of sin in my life with His death and resurrection

-- God, here is a sin I trust you to do something about -- I am convinced I cannot deal with this sin -- I trust what you did at the Cross is powerful enough, not only to bring me to heaven one day, but powerful enough that it can break this very sin's power that is now plaguing my life

-- God, I repent of my sin and I put my trust in You and Your power to heal me of this sin -- Thank you for what you have done and what you will do through your Son in my life -- Amen"

-- let's pray

SERMON: THE HIGH GROUND

 

 

 

9 September 2012

I. Introduction

-- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14 (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace

8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

-- a farmer was walking through the forest one day when he found a young eagle sitting on the forest floor -- it was obvious at first glance that the eagle was hurt -- it had a broken wing and it couldn't fly and the farmer knew that it would probably die if he left it alone

-- so, he took the eagle home and put it in the pen with his chickens -- here it was protected from predators and could heal in peace -- over time, the eagle started imitating the chickens and started to eat and behave just like them

-- well, one day, a wildlife biologist happened to be visiting the farmer and saw the eagle out in the chicken pen -- he asked the farmer why an eagle -- the king of the birds -- was living with the chickens -- The farmer told the biologist what had happened and said since he had given it a home in the chicken pen and fed it chicken feed, it had started acting like the chickens it lived with -- in essence, it was no longer a great eagle of the wild outdoors, but a member of a tame chicken flock

-- the biologist said, "It still has the heart of an eagle -- surely, he can be taught to fly." -- the biologist took the eagle from the chicken pen and raised him toward the sky and said, "You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly."

--The eagle, however, was confused -- he didn't know who he was -- he didn't know how he should live -- and when he saw the chickens passing by pecking at the ground, he jumped down from the biologist's arm and started feeding with them once again

-- so, the biologist took the eagle from the chicken pen and went up on the roof of the house and urged him to fly again, saying, "You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly." -- But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and this new world and jumped down once more and flapped his eagle wings just enough to get back to the chicken pen for the chicken food.

-- Finally, the biologist took the eagle to the top of a high mountain -- standing there in the open, with the wind blowing in their faces, he held the eagle high above him and encouraged him again, saying, " You are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly."

-- The eagle looked around, back towards the way that they had come from the chicken pen and then up to the sky -- there in the sky, another eagle was coming towards them, soaring on the currents of the wind -- the eagle looked back at the chicken pen one more time and then up at the eagle that was approaching -- he slowly stretched his wings, and then, with a triumphant cry, he launched himself from the arm of the biologist and soared away into the heavens to join the eagle that was already there

-- It may be that this eagle still remembers the chickens with nostalgia -- it may even be that he occasionally revisits the chicken lot -- but as far as anyone knows, he has never returned to lead the life of a chicken because he now knows who he is -- he is an eagle -- a great bird of prey -- the king of the raptors -- created by God to soar through the heavens and to hunt from the sky for food -- not to spend his whole life on the ground scratching out an existence1

II. An Identity Crisis

-- last week, we finished looking at the pursuit of holiness through the fruits of the Spirit -- over the last nine weeks, we talked about each of these fruits -- love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, and self-control -- and we talked about how each of these is essential in the life of a Christian striving to be mature and holy

-- and, truth be told, there was probably nothing in those messages that you haven't already heard before -- at some time -- in a sermon or in a Bible study or in a Sunday School lesson

-- but, here's the question that I want to pose to you this morning -- if we already know the path to holiness -- if we already know how we are to live as Christians -- then why do we find ourselves no different from the world?

-- why are we living on the ground with chickens when God has created us to soar with the eagles? -- that's what I want to talk about today

-- I think the church in America today has an identity crisis -- we don't know who we are so we act like those around us -- we're no different than that eagle who acted like a chicken, only we follow the ways of the world

-- we have given in to a lie and we are choosing to live our lives based on that lie and not on the truth of Scripture -- we have been influenced by the world and live our lives based on who the world tells us we are, not on who God tells us we are

-- let me show you what I mean -- everyone in here has probably heard the plan of salvation at some point in your life -- if you've been in church or around Christians for any length of time, you've heard it -- and it usually goes like this

-- God loves you and has a great plan for your life -- however, man is sinful and is separated from God and cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life

-- it's kind of like there's a huge chasm between us and God -- we are on one side of the chasm and God is on the other side and there is no way across -- there is nothing that we can do to make it to God -- we can try to build a bridge with good works but the gap is too big -- we just can't make it

-- so God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross in our place and to make atonement for our sins -- the cross makes a bridge across the chasm so that we can now go to God

-- in order to be saved, each person has to choose for themselves to cross that bridge -- they have to believe that Jesus is God and that He died for their sins and ask Him to forgive their sins and trust in His atoning sacrifice on the cross

-- everyone with me? -- everyone heard this before, right, especially the illustration about the chasm separating us from God? -- "this is an accurate picture of someone who doesn't have life in Christ"2

-- now, I believe that most of us here this morning are Christians -- we have already crossed that bridge -- we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior -- but even though we are saved, we still sin -- right? -- is there anyone in here who doesn't sin -- at least a little? -- that's what John said in 1 John 1:8 -- "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" -- all of us sin from time to time, even Christians

-- now here's what I want you to think about -- what happens when a Christian sins -- what have you been told?

-- "when a Christian sins, they break their relationship with God -- they put a barrier between them and God and they must go back and confess and repent of their sins and ask God to forgive them so their relationship will be restored" -- that's right, isn't it? -- that's what you've heard?

-- what would that look like graphically? -- exactly the same as what we tell non-Christians -- that our sin has caused a chasm to develop between us and God and that we have to go back to Jesus and ask for forgiveness in order to get back to God again

-- even though we don't come out and say it in this many words, what we are basically telling people in our church is when you sin, you have to start over -- you have to go back to the beginning and follow the same steps you did before you were saved

-- "it's as if their salvation never took place"2

-- last night I was watching the Georgia football game -- and it was sloppy play on both sides of the ball -- lots of mistakes -- lots of false starts -- interceptions -- fumbles

-- at one point early in the game, when no one had scored yet, it looked like Georgia was finally making some progress -- they had gotten the ball on their own 9 yard line and had driven it all the way into Missouri territory -- and then it happened -- Murray fumbled the ball -- luckily, he fell on it and Georgia recovered

-- but you know what was curious? -- they didn't make Georgia go back to the beginning -- they didn't make them go back to the nine yard line and start over -- Georgia started the next play from the point where they fumbled

-- if this is true for a football team, why isn't it true for saints who have been redeemed through the precious blood of Christ?

-- if you get nothing else from this message, I want you to get this -- when we sin, we are not sent back to the beginning -- we don't go back across that chasm of sin

-- our position and identity were changed through the cross of Christ -- we are no longer sinners but saints who sin -- we are not seeking salvation -- we are seeking sanctification -- we are pursuing holiness

III. Ephesians 1:3-14

-- as I said, the problem in the church is that we have an identity crisis -- we have bought in to the lie of the world that tells us that when we sin as Christians, we are back in the chicken pen and if we want to get right with God again, we have to make our way back up to the mountain

-- if you truly want to pursue holiness in your life -- if you truly want to grow more and more like Jesus -- then you have to stop letting the world tell you who you are and start listening to who God says you are

-- trusting who God says I am and living in that truth lays the foundation for maturity and holiness

-- so, who are we in Christ? -- Paul tells us right here in Ephesians 1

-- look back at verse 3-10

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace

8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

-- we are blessed -- that means that God's favor is upon us -- we have received God's grace through His Son Jesus Christ -- that grace is unconditional -- God's love is unconditional -- it doesn't say here that we are blessed only as long as we are obedient to God -- it doesn't say here that when we sin, God takes His blessings away and makes us go back to the start

-- no, Paul reminds us here that we are blessed -- in fact, we have received every spiritual blessing that is possible -- what does that mean? -- that means God has held nothing back -- He has given us everything that He gave His Son because we are one with His Son -- because of Christ, we are heirs of the kingdom -- because of Christ, we are the sons and daughters of the King -- we have redemption through His blood -- the forgiveness of sin -- the grace to live a new life in Him

-- in John 15:5 Jesus said that if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit -- our character and our attitude and our behavior will reflect the nine fruits of the Spirit that we have been going over

-- over in Ephesians 2:6, Paul says that we have been raised with Christ and are seated with Him in the heavenly realms -- our position has changed -- we are no longer on the far side of the chasm -- we are with God and are living our lives from this side of the chasm -- from the position of grace

-- verse 11-14

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

-- we have been chosen -- chosen for what?

-- when I meet with disciples, I like to ask them three questions

-- first, I ask them if they are saved -- and most of them say yes because they probably wouldn't be meeting with me if they weren't

-- then, I ask them what they are saved from? -- if we've been redeemed, what have we been redeemed from -- what have we been freed from? -- and they always sin -- we've been saved from sin

-- then I ask them what are you saved for? -- and I usually get a lot of blank stares because no one has ever asked them this before

-- we need to understand that God saved us -- He redeemed us through the precious blood of Christ for a reason -- He didn't just save us so that we could escape Hell -- He saved us so that we could live out the kingdom life here and now -- He chose us to be holy and blameless in His sight -- He chose us to do the good works that He prepared for us to do -- He chose us to bring praise and glory to His name through our life

-- we can't do that if we're living with the chickens -- we can't do that if we refuse to live in our new identity with Him

-- I knew a lady in Tennessee where I used to work and every week she would come in and moan and cry over the sins in her life -- "I am nothing but a sinner -- I keep sinning and I keep having to go back to Jesus to ask forgiveness -- I'm no good"

-- but she was wrong -- she's not a sinner any longer -- if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are not a sinner -- you are a saint -- your sins have been forgiven and you have been redeemed -- you have been seated in the heavenly realms with Christ -- you have been given every spiritual blessing -- you have been indwelt with the very presence of God -- you are not a sinner -- you are a saint who sins

-- to go back to my illustration, you are not a chicken -- you are an eagle -- and you need to start living like an eagle and not like a chicken

-- so, what does this look like? -- how do you get out of the chicken pen and start soaring with the eagles? -- how do you move from being trapped by your sin into the promise of holiness?

-- it comes down to one phrase -- trust and obey -- in that order -- just like the song

-- first, you have to trust -- it comes down to faith

-- do you truly believe your sins have been forgiven -- past, present, and future?

-- do you believe you are who God says you are?

-- "Many of us say we believe that salvation brings a “new birth,” a new identity, but the way we view ourselves betrays our words"2

-- we don't see ourselves as the sons and daughters of the King, so we don't live that way -- if we see ourselves as chickens, then that's the way we'll live

-- we saw a good example of this a couple of weeks ago -- Prince Harry went to Vegas -- he fell for the lie of the world that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas -- and he forgot who he was -- and look what happened

-- his good name and the name of his family has been raked through the mud over the past two weeks -- he's been on the cover of every sleazy tabloid paper there is and he's been the butt of hundreds of jokes because of his actions in Vegas

-- if you lie down with the dogs, don't be surprised if you get fleas -- and if you decide to take up residence in a chicken pen, don't be surprised if you start to act like a chicken

-- we need to remember who we are and we need to remember what's been done for us -- we are Christians -- and we need to live like Christians -- we need to remember that we are the sons and daughters of the King -- that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessings -- that our sins have been forgiven and that sin and death has no power over us -- we need to lean on this understanding and live out of it

-- "God wants you to believe that He has already changed you so that He can get on with the process of maturing you into who you already are"2

-- to trust first means that we believe in who we are and what has been done for us -- that means that when we sin, we believe what the Bible tells us -- that this sin has already been forgiven on the cross -- our position with God has not been affected -- we are not cast back to the starting point where we have to strive in our own power to achieve a relationship with the Father

-- instead, when we sin, we confess and agree with God that we have done wrong -- we admit that we sinned and we repent of this sin by surrendering to God's power and not relying on our own strength to bring us victory

-- our efforts will not make us godly -- and striving in our own strengths to defeat sin will only make us slaves to that sin

-- when we instead trust in God and put the focus on God and His redeeming power instead of the sin, that is when we start to see victory over sin in our lives

-- get this point -- you can't do anything about sin except to carry it to the Father and trust that He will work with you to remove it -- He doesn't want you to carry the load -- He doesn't want you to do the work -- He wants you to say "I can't do it -- do it for me"

-- the second step to achieving holiness and maturity with Christ is obedience -- not striving in our own power to be holy -- but trusting that God is working in us and through us to help us live out who we are

-- as we trust God's power in our lives with our sins, He will work with us to give us victory over those besetting sins -- when we strive to obey Him and put the focus on Him and not sin, then we will see our lives growing in grace and we will see us becoming more and more like Jesus

-- "The goal is to learn to depend on — to trust— what God says is true about you, so that together you can begin dealing with that stuff.”"2

IV. Closing

-- before the 1988 Winter Olympics there was a special on TV that featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing, impossible as that sounds

-- now, I've never skied, but I love the Winter Olympics and I watch them every time they're on -- and I can only imagine how hard it has to be for a regular person to be flying down that slope at breakneck speeds going around those obstacles without falling -- I can't imagine how difficult that would be if you couldn't see

-- well, this show demonstrated how these blind skiers were able to learn to do slaloms -- they started on the flats and taught them how to make right and left turns -- then, when that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, "Left" and "Right"

-- As they obeyed the commands, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers’ word -- It was either complete trust or catastrophe -- it was only by trusting their partners and obeying what they were told that these blind skiers were able to navigate those challenging slalom courses

-- it's the same with us -- just like those blind skiers, we've been told that we are never going to be any good -- we've been told that we're always going to be mired down in our sins -- that we're just like the world and everyone around us -- we've been told that we're chickens and that's all we're ever going to be

-- but God speaks His truth to us through His Word -- and He tells us that we're not sinners any longer, but that we are saints living in His Kingdom -- He tells us to trust in Him -- to believe in who He says we are and what He says we can do -- not what the world says

-- and then He tells us to respond in obedience to His Word -- to believe that sin and death have no power over us because of the cross -- and that if we rely on Him and trust in His name and are obedient to His commands -- we will grow into the men and women that He has called us to be and do the great works that He chose for us to do before the beginning of time

-- who are you this morning? -- how do you live your life? -- are you still stuck in the mire of a chicken pen or are you soaring on the winds with God?

-- as we close in prayer ask yourself these questions and move into the holy life that God has in store for you

-- let's pray

SOURCES:

1. Theology News and Notes, October, 1976, quoted in Multnomah Message, Spring, 1993, p. 1. (Modified by the sermon author)(www.christianglobe.com)

2. The Truefaced Experience, John Lynch, Bruce McNicol, Bill Thrall