Sermon Tone Analysis

“*BEING TRANSFORMED*”

                   (A Sermon Series from 2 Corinthians)

 

Westgate Chapel 05-6-07                       2 Corinthians 3:17-18

 

Proposition:      The unlimited access to a Holy God provided for us through Jesus’ death and resurrection, gives us freedom from self and sin to be transformed from glory to glory.

! i.    introduction

!! -     ALMOST two years ago, at the beginning of a sermon, I handed out a piece of paper and asked you to complete this statement….

!!! ~*     The reason I am saved is….

!! -     AND some of you wrote…

!!! ~*     …to have my sins forgiven.

!!! ~*     …to go to heaven.

!!! ~*     …to share my faith with others.

!! -     WHILE all of those answers are a part of the work of God in our lives, the real answer is from Ephesians 1, where in verses 6, 12, and 14 we are told that we were chosen by God, predestined and redeemed to be “*to the praise of His glory*.”

!! -     EPHESIANS 3:11 goes on to say that it is God’s express plan for us that “*rulers and authorities in heavenly places*” look down on our lives in amazement and see the “*manifold wisdom of God*.”

!! -     NOW you and I both know ourselves well enough to know that in those first days of surrendering our lives to Christ….that there was not much in our attitudes, lifestyle or conduct that would have brought praise to God.

!! -     AND the two verses from 2 Corinthians 3 that we will be examining this morning demand the question….how

much has changed in our lives since we gave our lives to Jesus Christ?

!

ii.   the grace of god that saves

!! -     THE only hope that you and have of living a transformed life is the daily flow of God’s grace into our lives.

!! -     WHAT is grace?

Theologians tell us that it is the unmerited favor of God.

!!! ~*     Grace is the loving, revealing, calling, saving, transforming, keeping, healing, providing power of God.

!!! ~*     It is divine power extended to each one of us without any prejudice….in

other words it is unmerited.

You can’t earn it.

!! -     IT is the only way to be saved.

!! -     WE are saved by grace…God’s grace.

!!! ~*     It is by His grace that you even become aware of Him.

!!! ~*     It is by grace that you become aware of your sinfulness and the judgment of God.

!!! ~*     It is by God’s grace that you become sorrowful for your sin, and came to God in repentance and faith to receive His gift of salvation.

!! -     SO, it is purely by God’s grace that you are saved….not

as a result of your works.

!! -     BUT the tragedy of America’s evangelical theology today is that few pastors or churches clearly establish the expectation that salvation is not just about getting your sin and guilt removed.

Salvation is also about the transformation of the life of the believer through this same grace.

!! -     IT is one of those tensions in Scripture that appear to be contradictory, but in reality are rather two truths that are both true at the same time…

!! -     WE indeed are saved by God’s grace through no works of our own

!!!       “*For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, /it is /the gift of God*; 9 *not as a result of works, so that no one may boast*.”

(Ephesians 2:8-9)

!! -     AND the proof that we are saved is the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.

!!!       “*The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God*….”

(Romans 8:16)

!! -     BUT watch the tension here.

We are also told in no uncertain terms that another proof that God’s work of saving grace has taken hold is that we start immediately to live transformed lives.

!!!       “*What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith* [is a Christian]* but does not have works?*[transformed

life]* Can that faith save him*?”(James 2:14)

!! -     AND James answers that question in verse 17,

!!!       “*Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, /being /by itself*.”

(James 2:17)

!! -     ONE salvation from God through Jesus Christ that is the result of God’s grace alone, received by faith.

!! -     TWO proofs of salvation!

!!! ~*     The inner witness of the Holy Spirit that you and I are children of God by faith.

!!! ~*     The external witness of on-going transformation of your life and mine, which is also by God’s grace.

!! -     BROTHERS and sisters this is huge!

!! -     I PERSONALLY am convinced that this subject addresses the deplorable condition of the lives of the majority of so-called Christians in America today….now

proven by George Barna’s research.

!! -     WE have preached a cheap grace Gospel of….

!!! ~*     Make a decision.

Invite Jesus into your life if you like.

!!! ~*     Poof, the Holy Spirit will witness to your spirit that now you are a child of God.

!!! ~*     Now you are eternally secure.

Growing in God is optional and just for those who are disposed to being “super-spiritual.”

!! -     AND the condition of the Church in America is the fruit of that teaching and preaching.

!! -     DALLAS Willard, in his book, The Divine Conspiracy” calls it bar code Christianity (hold up bar code) where as long as you get the bar code by “inviting Jesus into your heart” it doesn’t matter how you live the holy God is somehow obligated to take you into heaven when you die as long as you have the bar code.

!! -     THAT is pure nonsense.

!  

! iii.  the work of the grace that transforms

!! -     I AM not talking about a Christian life that is perpetually insecure.

!! -     I AM talking about a Christian life that is lived with a measure of Holy Spirit guided reflection and self-evaluation….because of the potentially serious consequences of just assuming that you are indeed saved because you got the bar code ten years ago.

!! -     AND at issue, in our two verses from 2 Corinthians 3 today, is….are you living a life of transformation?

!! -     GRACE is how you are saved.

!! -     GRACE is how you will grow.

!! -     BUT here is precisely where American Christians miss the purposes of God.

!! -     BECAUSE the ongoing transformation of our lives is by grace…we have erroneously concluded that there is therefore nothing they can do about it.

!! -     SO that is what they do!

Nothing….except

maybe;

!!! ~*     attend church once a month.

!!! ~*     throw a buck into the offering plate.

!!! ~*     teach a SS class if they have to.

!! -     AND for the rest of the week, months and years we live to please ourselves, expecting the grace of God to chase us down and overwhelm us.

!! -     TRANSFORMING grace is not poured out automatically on all Christians anywhere!

!! -     TRANSFORMING grace takes work!

!! -     WHAT, pastor?

I thought grace was the gift of God.

!! -     IT is a gift….but

like the covenant of the Old Testament, it comes with conditions to be met.

!! -     PAUL says,

!!!       “*So then, my beloved…work out your salvation with fear and trembling*; 13 *for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for /His /good pleasure.*”

(Philippians 2:12-13)

!! -     WHAT is this work?

!! -     WELL, this is where our two verses from 2 Corinthians 3 come in.

!! -     REMEMBER two Sundays back we talked about the glory of God….that it was “the full force of God’s self-revelation”….everything

He is in one time and space.

!! -     LAST Sunday we talked about the veil…the separation from God…that is now removed so that we have unlimited access.

!! -     TODAY the message is….do you care about, do you even want to or have you taken advantage of that unlimited access to God?

!! -     YOU have the freedom not to!

!! -     GOD is not going to force anyone into relationship with Him.

!! -     BUT if you choose not to….there

are consequences for your Christian life.

!! -     SO, in verse 17, Paul writes,

!!!       “*Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, /there /is liberty*.”

(2 Corinthians 3:17)