Jump Start # 3081

Ephesians 4:22-24 “That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which is the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Very close to our church building stands a tall old brick farm house. It’s been there for decades. It was built in 1860. Recently, developers purchased the land with the intentions of putting some stores on the lot. They were going to tear down the old farm house. The local community rallied to save the old farm house. Eventually, the community one. The developers are in the process of moving this brick house to a new location. I drive by that spot every day. There has been a lot of work going on. The side additions to the farm house have been removed. The ground around the farm house has been cleared away. Today, I saw several large wheeled carts that I suppose will be used to lift the house upon and then move to the new location. It sure has taken days and days of work and what masters of engineering to figure out how to do this without destroying the old house.

In a short while, this old farm house will be sitting proudly in its new location. Within a year or so, new people to our community will think that the farm house has always been where it was moved to. A new place. A new location. It sure took a lot of work to get it there. There was a whole process that involved many people.

The moving of that old farm house made me think of our verse today. A change takes place. The old self was left behind. It was laid aside. A new self was created. This new self is different than the old self. A new way of thinking. New habits. New and better people in your life. New hope. New purpose. Gone are the habits that tied us to sin. Selfishness, greed, indifference, earth bound thinking—all left behind.

The moving of that farm house made me realize some things:

First, there is a lot of thinking, considering and planning that must take place before any visible actions are seen. For the prodigal, he came to his senses first. Then he thought to himself. He planned what he was gong to say to his father. He rehearsed that speech. Then he got up and headed home. Finally, he spoke to his father. That process of leaving the old behind and seeking a new and better life in Christ is caused by faith. This has nothing to do with health. This has nothing to do with being arrested, fired, or expelled. It’s all about God. There is a lot of thinking that takes place first.

Sometimes the rest of us can look at someone and conclude that nothing is changing. We expect change to happen quickly. I knew about that farm house being moved back during the winter. For a long, long time it seemed like nothing was happening. But things were being done. Blueprints were being drawn. People where  getting lined up. Surveys were made. Little orange flags appeared one day in the yard around the farm house. A lot of steps were taken before any hardhats showed up. And, so it is with someone coming back to the Lord. There is a lot of thinking going on. Faith is making a choice. Our impatience can believe that the person isn’t doing anything when actually, a whole lot of decisions are being made in the mind.

Second, to move that old farm house, some things had to be torn down. It wasn’t possible to move it as it was. And, so it is when we come to the Lord. There are some things that just have to go. Some things, as our passage states, must be laid aside. Coming to Christ involves more than just adding church to a busy life. There are some things that have to be dropped. Wrong thinking. Wrong doctrine. Wrong attitudes. Even, wrong people. Those things can’t go with us to Christ. They will ruin our relationship with Jesus and cripple our discipleship. Knowing what to leave behind is hard for some. There are some friendships that are just not healthy. The longer we hang on to them, the more they keep us from being what we ought to be. Some habits are really hard to break. The culture of saying bad words has been around some for a lifetime. Stopping that and changing that is hard. Being compassionate is hard for some. Being generous is hard.

Third, once the old farm house is safely set in the new location, it will be able to serve the community for many more years. And, the same is true of our lives. Once we are reshaped, rebuilt and rewired in Jesus Christ, the new person in us is in a much better place to help and serve others. As time passes, we no longer remember or want to remember what the old life was like. The new place we find ourselves is so much better. The hope, the joy, the promises, the blessings, all found in Christ will make us wonder why it took us so long to change. Christ does more than forgive us of our sins. He creates a new us. He makes us better than we ever have been. And this new person does not want to ever go back to the way he was.

Moving a farm house…not nearly as difficult as it is moving out of our old selves and moving into the new life created by Christ. But, hard as it may be, it can be done and is being done every day.

Roger

Jump Start # 2667

Ephesians 4:22-24 “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which, in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

There is one word that can sum up our verses today. That word is change. Change the way you think. Change the way you act. Change the way you do things. And, that one word is often hard for us. We don’t do well with change. We get accustomed to the way things are. We drive down the same roads. We shop at the same stores. Many of us even sit in the same pew during worship. And, when life forces us to change, it’s hard on us.

It takes awhile to get used to a new phone, a new remote, finding things in a new store. And, the older one gets, the more he wishes that things would go back to the way they used to be. But that never happens. So, one is forced to embrace change or be left behind.

The passages today are not about new technology, or new roads, but a new way of life. Conversion is called “the newness of life.” Things are different. Things are no longer what they once were. It’s not a matter of simply adding church to your busy life. You, through Jesus Christ, have changed. You are not the same person as you once were. Your value system changed. What impresses you has changed. What you are after has changed. On the outside, you look the same, but on the inside, you are not the same. You have changed.

Some thoughts for us:

First, this change comes in the form of choices that we must make. Once in a while, you’ll run into someone who was baptized but he never really changed. He’s still rough, raw and offensive. He’s remained selfish and indifferent to others. He speaks cruel and judgmental things. He’s hard on his family. He doesn’t seem to care much about his church family. This guy got into the baptistery, but somehow he left his heart out. He never changed. And, the waters of baptism will not magically change a person, he has to make the right choices in his life.

Paul uses two action words in our verses today. First, laying aside. Putting off. Stopping, is a much clearer understanding. Second, put on. Start doing. So, change is manifested in both a positive and a negative. One has stopped doing the things that are not healthy spiritually and now he has chosen to do the right things spiritually. His choice. His actions. His new life.

Second, this change is possible for all of us. The old saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” may be true of dogs, but we are not dogs. We are created in the image of God. You can change. You can stop wrong behavior and wrong thinking. You can start doing what is right and thinking right. No one is too old to do this. It takes some effort. It takes some “want to” and will power and diligence, but it can be done. It can be done because God says so.

Third, once this change has been made, it will be noticed by you, by your family, by those you associate with. A different and better attitude will be seen. A better and more positive spirit will be expressed. A kinder, more compassionate, more willing to help out heart will be part of you. You’ll be more patient. You’ll forgive more. You’ll check your words before you say them. You’ll listen more and talk less. And, what people will see is a better you. It ought to improve your marriage. It ought to give you a better relationship with your children and siblings. You’ll feel better about yourself. You’ll realize what a mess and how miserable you once were.

Fourth, you’ll find that you have much more in common with your church family. You’re thinking, ideas, dreams and hopes will gel into a common love for the Lord and His kingdom. You’ll like worship much more. You’ll find that people enjoy your company and want to know what you are thinking about things.

Finally, you’ll see that you cannot really change others. You can only change yourself. You can show others. You can influence others. You can teach and even warn others. But, in the end, they have to change themselves, just as you had to change yourself. Sometimes we invite trouble and battles when we try to pressure or even force others to change when they don’t want to. This is hard for parents of grown children to deal with. You remember when your child was three, you told him what to eat, what to wear and when to go to bed. But when that child is now thirty-three, he doesn’t and probably won’t listen to you. Your role has changed. You have gone from controlling his life to being an advisor. And, the truth is, our children often do not want nor like our advice. You can only change yourself.

Change. Some fight it. Some find it hard to deal with. But when we change our insides for the Lord, what a wonderful, wonderful world is opened up to us.

Roger

Jump Start # 765

Ephesians 4:22-24 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

This week we have been focusing upon the concept of change. A new year brings the hopes and opportunities for improvement. We often call those things resolutions or goals. We looked at John 9 and the changes that came when Jesus restored sight to the blind man. We also looked at John 4 and Jesus’ promise to the Samaritan woman that an hour was coming when God would be worshipped in spirit and in truth.

There are really two types of changes that we face in life: one is voluntary and the other is beyond our control. Life is full of changes. The weather changes and there is little we can do about that. As we age, we change. The person of sixty doesn’t look like the person of twenty-five. A person can try to keep in shape but he will not be able to stop the aging process. Our kids grow up and move out. Solomon said a “generation goes and a generation comes.”

The voluntary changes in life is something that we all can work on. These are choices. We decide to do these things. Eating right, saving money, being content, becoming Christ like are all choices that we are capable of making.

Our passage today reminds us of those things. Paul told the Ephesians that there was the old man and a new man. The old man was the person they were before they became a Christian, the “pre-Christ” man. That person had a history and lots of baggage. He did basically whatever he felt like doing and sin and mistakes filled the landscape of his heart. Then he came to know Jesus. He learned, believed and followed the Lord. Grace and forgiveness took over. He now viewed life through the eyes of Christ. His character and nature changed. He learned patience, humbleness and righteousness. He became a new person.

That scene is the life story of every person who is a Christian. We all have a past. We now all have a different future. Jesus is the answer. That new person in Christ is a product of godly choices made every day. It doesn’t just happen.

Sometimes along the journey of life, we quit making those godly choices. We get lazy spiritually. We become tired on the insides. We become discouraged. We go through the motions but no longer are motivated to be that new person. We find the old ways, the old choices start reappearing again. If we are not careful what we find is that on the outside, we claim to be a Christian but  on the inside we have returned to the old self. It is the insides that eventually determine the outsides. Paul’s words are to a church. Christians need to be reminded to put on the new man. Right choices need to be made.

The wonderful thing about all of this is that a person can change if they want to. Someone who hasn’t been hitting on all cylinders can get fired up for the Lord and make great changes. Someone who has been on the sidelines of life can make the right choices and get in the game and make a difference. That choice is within each of us. You can know the Bible if you want. You can teach others if you want. You can become a spiritual giant if you want. You can be a man or woman of prayer if you want. You can change your family’s spiritual legacy if you want.

Things do not have to be the way they are. You are not stuck nor destined, you can choose to be a new person in Christ. Those choices come with consequences and effort, but they are within your reach.

People often take inventory at the end of a year to see how things are. This is true especially financially. A person will look at the year end mutual fund reports to see how things did. They may make some adjustments and changes. If they like what they see, they will keep things going. If they don’t like what they see, they will make changes. That works financially. It also works spiritually. If you don’t like where you are spiritually, make adjustments and changes.

If your prayer life stinks, do something about it. If your worship attendance is sporadic, do something about it. If your knowledge of God’s word is sketchy, do something about it. Put on the new man. Make the changes. You do not have to stay the way you are.

Put on…great words to remind us to make the right choices today!

Roger