The Fear of Change

2 Corinthians 5:14–21 NIV

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

5 - Introduction: Hillbilly Change Video

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Mark Twain: The only person who likes change is a wet baby

How scary is change for you?

Reasons for Difficulty in Change

-Brings uncertainty

-Personality – Cautious to begin with

-A major Change occurred in your life that brought pain

-We like to be in control

C. We change All the time – World at Rapid Pace, Underwear, Seasons

Here is a bold suggestion

Last Week’s Message - Being Born from above, moving from Light into Darkness.

The World is Not as it should be.

Christians call this Sin - God created the world

The Recognition in Paul and the Corinthians that they need change - The Purpose of 2 Corinthians.

We are a Reformed Church - Reformed “Past Tense.” Reformed and Reforming. Present Tense. According to the Word of God.

One way we overcome the fear of change is to recognize its need.

Another is to see that the Good News involves change that....

Embracing that Change is good.

The Old has Gone, and the New has come - Stan’s Creations.

God could just scrap it all - and decide not to change it.

Points of the Gospel - God is reconciling us to him - that is the big change.

* Jesus came to earth, healing without hesitation, caring for the outcasts, those who are abused, bringing justice.

* Jesus died to forgive our sins

* Jesus rose from the dead – Conquering Death and giving us eternal life

* Jesus sits at the Right hand of the Father with all Authority to bring everything under his direction.

* Jesus will come again once all who are reconciled to him to change everything for the good once-and-for all.

God decides to Transform this world into something beautiful

But this may be what people fear the most is that God invites us to participate in that change. In fact Paul challenges us to be....

Of course not just any change, but the change that God is bringing in this World.

What we might fear is...

Doing it wrong, losing friends, being labeled by society.

1. Fear shuts us off from participating in God’s mission and loving others. Fear makes us inward focused, isolating us from the world around us and removing us from God’s plan to save the world.

1. US government’s ambassador is the President’s highest-ranking representative to a specific nation abroad. They are a spokesperson for the United States to the nation in which they reside, as well as a spokesperson to the United States on behalf of the other nation. They are skilled in negotiation and has a patient tenacity to accomplish his nation’s goals through a spirit of reconciliation (“What Are the Roles of a Diplomat?,” Discover Diplomacy, US State Department, accessed December 4, 2017, https://diplomacy.state.gov/discoverdiplomacy/diplomacy101/people/170341.htm. As God’s children on earth, we are his representatives, sent with a mission to see his purposes carried out in our world. We do so most effectively from a stance of reconciliation, not retaliation.

We are spokes-people for the Kingdom of Christ in community that we reside

We are a spokesperson to the Kingdom of Christ on behalf of that community

We are called to patiently accomplish the goals of the Kingdom of God through a spirit of reconciliation.

Unfortunately the Church can operate more like Border Security and the Department of Immigration. We wait for people to come to us, and then we process them as towards the goal of citizenship. Sure we might do things to attract people to us.

Our big Change as a Church is to move from a Border and immigration model of church to what the Bible calls us to do and that is an ambassador model of the church mission.

And that is a big shift in the way we do things. It has meant, and could continue to mean re-evaluating and losing dearly held programs that are about attracting people to us, and then taking that energy to send us out as ambassadors into the community.

The Missional Communities - What we are learning, and why I think it is hard, and why we might be nervous about it.

I believe, however, that if we are truly a Reformed and Reforming Church we will make more friends in our community by being ambassadors, we will actually be doing ministry as Christ called us to, not just staying in our group and hoping people will come to us, and we will actually grow in our relationship with Jesus. Oh, Jesus I see how much you loved us, because you came from heaven as an ambassador, an it wasn’t easy, and you experienced rejection, and heartache, and even death in order to reconcile me to God. My love for you is increasing.

On an emotional level - Change requires us to first 1. Unsettled, Denial, Facing Reality, Letting Go.

Conclusion:

Reference the Reformed Confessions: The Reformed Confessions are statements of faith written to clarify the Gospel at times when the Church was in crisis. Heidelberg Catechism: Q&A 1, 29, 32, 43, 56, 59-61, 84, 86, 126 Belgic Confession: Articles 17, 23-24 Canons of Dort: Head I, Article 13; Head II, Article 3; Head V, Article 12 Belhar Confession: Article 3

The Fear of Change

14 - How scary is change for you?

How scary is change for you?

15 - We need to change.

16 - God is changing the world.

17 - We are ambassadors of that change.