What About The Change?

Today we began by listening to a Steven Curtis Chapman song, “The Change”. Click here to read the lyrics.

I love how he sings about all of the external “stuff” – the T-shirt, the bracelet, the necklace, the Bible magnet, the welcome mat, the bumper stickers, and my favorite, the fish stuck on his car. It can be so easy to use these things. But is that really what we want people to see? “What About The Change?” What is “The Change” that he is talking about? Let’s read:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

When we are born again, we are immediately changed into a new creature – all things become new. After all isn’t that why Jesus said you must be “born again”? We go from being simply flesh and blood beings into spiritual beings. Let’s read another passage from the Bible:

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

We are transformed from natural, earthy beings into heavenly. But is this the end of it? Or is it just the beginning? Let’s read one more passage:

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Here’s today’s Key Point Number 1: We Are Being Changed into HIS Image! And “The Change” is good! We are continually being changed into this same image, the image of our Lord Jesus! We sing the song “Just As I Am”, and that is a wonderful truth of how we come to Jesus. And after that it gets even better, as we are transformed into the image of Jesus! We need to recognize that the Holy Spirit desires to do this work in us, and we need to embrace The Change!

So how do we go about embracing The Change? Where do we start? Let’s see what Jesus said:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:25-28)

Let me ask a question: What do “Religious” Systems, Prison Systems, Dictatorships, and Totalitarian Regimes all have in common? They try to control human behavior from the outside. Just like the Pharisees that Jesus chastised, they try to clean up the outside – “for man looks on the outward appearance” (from 1 Samuel 16:7). So, how is true Christianity different? “but the LORD looks on the heart” (the conclusion of 1 Samuel 16:7). Here’s today’s Key Point Number 2: The Change works from the Inside Out! Like it says in the song: “If God’s Spirit lives inside of me, I’m gonna live life differently.” It WILL happen! The Holy Spirit works on us from the inside, gently revealing the truth about ourselves to ourselves, as much as we can handle. And as our interior is cleaned up, the exterior takes care of itself.

So, what is our part in this change? We get to “put off” and “put on”:

But now you also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (Colossians 3:8-14)

Now, I probably haven’t said anything Earth shattering in this lesson. And I do know that many people understand that there is a need for change. Here is the main point I want to leave us with today – Key Point Number 3: Don’t be Discouraged – God Loves You! As the Holy Spirit is transforming us into the image of Christ, it is a sign of God’s love for us! Let’s look at the Old Testament:

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

And from the New Testament:

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:19-20)

So the only question is: do you want to be wise, or a fool?

The ear that hears the reproof of life abides among the wise. He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding. (Proverbs 15:31-32)

God wants us to be like Jesus. He wants to transform us. Do not be discouraged if you make a mistake. Do not feel condemned when He points out something that He wants you to give up. If we love God, it will happen:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28-39)

God loves you, and wants to see you change into the image of Jesus. Let’s embrace The Change! Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our heart! Let’s put off the old man and put on the new! And let’s not get discouraged when it gets difficult – it WILL happen:

Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)

So let’s be eager and willing to hear the Holy Spirit guide us into The Change, changing us into the image of Jesus!

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