Choosing Christ and obeying Christ is life transforming
Written by Randy Richardson
Sunday, 04 November 2007 13:37
Sermon Notes
2 Corinthians 3:16-19
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord?s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
What is God?s part in our transformation?
God reveals Himself and truth through the Spirit, Scripture and Christian community. He gives us the power to obey through His Spirit.
What is our part in our transformation?
We only have three tools in our bag:
- Faith
- Repentance
- Obedience
1. God gives us choices
Genesis 2:9
And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
We show God that we love Him by choosing Him.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, ...
God sets before us blessings and curses, life and death and gives us choice.
John 7:16-17
Jesus answered, My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God?s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
James 4:4
You adulterous people, don?t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
Sinner or saint
“Man has both potentialities within himself: which one is actualized depends on decisions but not on conditions.”
Viktor Frankl
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... We are in charge of our Attitudes.
--Charles Swindoll
Ephesians 4:17-32
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Choosing Christ and obeying Christ is life transforming
Small Group Study Questions
Bible passages: Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 3:16-19, Ephesians 4:17-32
Icebreaker: If you could live anywhere in the world where would you choose to live, and why?
Strong>Worship: Sing, pray or pray Psalm 42 (putting hope in God even when it is hard)
Edification:
- According to 2 Corinthians 3:16-19 God is transforming us to be like Jesus. What is God?s part and what is our part?
- Do you really believe the decisions you make effect your spiritual life?
- What habits do you need to take off?
- What habits do you need to put on to replace the old habits?
- If you cannot thing of a habit would you be willing to ask your spouse and friends here to help you identify a bad habit?)
- What specific steps do you need to take to in order to put off and put on the new habits?
- Spend some time in prayer offering up your lives and your choices to Christ who loved you and endured the cross to be with you.
Share the Vision:
Spend a few minutes talking about how you can use Christmas as a way to help those far from God come closer. Christmas parties, inviting people to church, etc?