Sermon Tone Analysis

THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH

*Message Five: “The Preaching of the Word Produces Change”*

*Practice #1: Preach the Word*

* *

INRODUCTION~/REVIEW

 

The premise of the message last week was that the preaching of the Word of God always accomplishes exactly what God intends for it to accomplish.

One of the ways that God uses His Word is in the production of life.

We said that there can be no life apart from the Word of God.

We illustrated and validated that truth by examining the Scriptures.

The Scriptures demonstrate that without the Word of God physical life would not exist – review Genesis 1 – and the Scriptures also demonstrate that spiritual life cannot exist apart from the Word of God (see John 6:63).

The Word of God has the power to produce life.

There is no life apart from the Word of God.

There is a second truth about the preaching and teaching of the Word of God that we need to be aware of and that is power of the Word of God to change your life.

Scripture makes an assumption that salvation leads to a changed way of living.

That may comes as a surprise to some people, but nevertheless Scripture operates under the assumption that a person who has been born again will be different after their conversion than they were before their conversion.

Because the Scriptures make this assumption it provides us with two vital pieces of information.

The first vital piece of information that it provides for us is it identifies the magnitude of the change that God calls us to.

The second critical piece of information that the Scriptures provide for us is the means or the method whereby this change is going to take place in your life.

Let’s begin this morning by describing the magnitude of the change that God has called you to as a Christian.

Let’s read together Romans 8:29

* *

I.  THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGE

* *

*“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” (Romans 8:29, NASB95)*

 

When God the Father redeemed you He already knew exactly what he wanted you to become.

According to Paul God has pre-destined (pre-determined) that you are going to become like Christ.

The theological term for this life long, continual process that begins at the moment of your conversion and culminates with your glorification – which takes place when you find yourself face to face with Christ.

Now I want to point something out to you that is key to your understanding of the process of sanctification.

Look at the Romans 8:30

* *

*“and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also*

*justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

(Romans 8:30, NASB95)*

 

Verse 30 is a description of everything that God does for us in our salvation.

It was God who predestined us, it was God who called us.

It is God who justifies us.

And it is God who will glorify us.

All of that is accomplished for us by God.

There is one element that is missing from that list of things that God does apart from any effort on our part.

Would you like to guess what it is?

Sanctification!

Please don’t misunderstand God doesn’t leave you on your own.

The Scriptures teach that He is constantly working in your life and He provides you with the resources that will produce change in your life.

BUT!

You must supply the necessary effort in order to produce this change.

Another way of looking at sanctification is the process of becoming what you truly are.

Jay Adams writes “In a real sense we are not merely human beings, we are human becomings.

The Christian life is not static, it is a life of change.”

A Christian is one who is being changed into the image of Christ.

Focus on the word changed.

There cannot be any progress in sanctification, in becoming like Christ with change.

Right away your defenses go up.

Why?

Because we are resistant to change!

Why are we resistant to change?

One reason is because of the effort that it takes on our part to produce change.

We can take it even on step further and say that it takes continual sustained effort to change and to keep changing.

This is a GOOD NEWS~/BAD NEWS scenario.

Good news is that change is possible.

Regardless of what your former life was characterized by there is hope for change.

Change is possible.

Listen to what Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth.

 

*“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”(1

Corinthians 6:9-11, NASB95)*

 

Paul says some of you were fornicators, you were idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, drunkards and on down the list.

Then Paul interjects a most precious word and that is the word BUT!

But you were washed, but you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

What has happened to them?

They have been changed!

Would you know this, that whatever it is that you are struggling with, you can change!

If you are a Christian you have the ability and the resources available to you to produce lasting biblical change in your life.

Stop right now and ask yourself what is the one thing that you need to see changed, that you want to see changed in your life right now.

What is it that you struggle with?

Pride?

Sharp tongue, worry, sinful ways of thinking, lustful thoughts?

What is it that you need to change in order to become more like Christ?

The good news is that change can begin to take place in your life today.

The bad news is change requires effort.

There cannot be any sanctification apart from change.

The Scriptures describe sanctification as the putting off your sinful habits and replacing them or putting on godly habits.

Where do we find what to put off and what to put on?

Anybody want to guess?

In the Scriptures.

As we hear the Word of God preached and we study the Word of God on our own and apply it to our lives our lives are changed.

Here is another opportunity for self-examination.

How have you changed, how have you become more like Christ in the past week, the past month, the past year, the past five years?

Now I’m not going to kid you, the kind of substantive change that the Scriptures command us to undergo can be very difficult.

Why is this change so difficult?

As Christians we need to recognize that what we currently are the sum total of numerous factors in our lives.

The family that we were raised in has exerted influence and taught and trained you, if you were raised in the church that has affected you, if you were not raised in the church that has affected you.

How you were taught to handle or not handle problems and your reaction to different situations in your life all of that has gone into shaping you into what you are today.

Then you have to factor in time as well.

You’ve been acting and reacting in the ways that you do if you’re are an adult for years.

All of these individual factors go into shaping your personality.

Many people hold a false belief, that false belief is that their personality cannot be changed.

They express this belief with phrases such as “I was born that way” or “That’s just the way that I am”.

Again the underlying assumption is that they cannot change.

But that is never true for the Christian.

What motivates a person to come to Christ?

When they get a true picture of who they are and who God is and they recognize that someone has to change and it’s not God!

Why do we begin the Christian life by desiring change, but so quickly resort back to the belief that we can’t change?

When God saved you He changed you, but it is your responsibility to work out who you truly are.

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