[New Year Resolutions – Killing the monsters]
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13b-14)
This material was originally presented in Microsoft PowerPoint format to a Student Ministry. All verses are taken from the NIV translation unless otherwise noted. If you have questions or would like a copy of the original PowerPoint (less the video, which is too large to email), just drop me a line at Robert.fox@alltel.com
[New Year’s Resolutions – Putting the Past Behind Us]
Slide Graphic: baby new year, with hat and sash, from the back (hence “behind”)
Slide Text:
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13b-14)
How many of you made New Year’s resolutions?
Only about 40% of Americans make any New Year’s Resolution at all any more, according to one poll (http://www.welchmedia.com/news/article_385.shtml), down from over 80% in years past. Less than half. Of those polled who did make resolutions last year:
- 47% related to their head, i.e. a self-improvement type goal
- 38% related to their waistline
- 34% related to their wallet
- 31% related to their heart, i.e. a relationship or dating goal.
Statistics also tell us that even if you did make a resolution, by February, over 90% will have failed (http://www.more-selfesteem.com/newyearresolutions.htm)
Why have people stopped making resolutions? Why do so many people have trouble keeping them? I mean, these are theoretically goals that are very important to you – important enough to make a resolution for the year to accomplish this thing. If it’s that important to you, why can’t you make yourself do whatever it is?
Wouldn’t it be interesting if the Bible said something about that? Wouldn’t that be the kind of information you could really use? Guess what? The Bible is all about making and keeping resolutions. Lots of REALLY interesting stuff in here.
What’s more, the Bible goes on to tell us about what God himself wants us to have on our New Year’s Resolution list.
In Philippians, Paul said that he was resolved to do one thing – press onward to win the prize set before him by Christ. King David was resolved “to serve God’s purpose in his generation” (Acts 13:36). What are you resolved to do with your life this year? How does it compare with what God wants you do? Whatever it is about yourself you are resolving to change, how are you going to make sure you don’t fail?
[Monsters in the Mirror]
Slide Video – Clip from “Incredible Hulk” – dream sequence where Hulk comes out of mirror to attack Bruce Banner (DVD approximately 1:49:00-1:50:00)
I don’t care who you are, you have something about yourself you need to change this year. Some monster inside. Maybe no one knows about it but you. But you know. When you look in the mirror, you know what the monster looks like.
(show clip)
Maybe that monster is pride, anger, lust, or fear. Maybe you have an addiction – pornography, sex, drugs or alcohol. Maybe you are addicted to chocolate and your monster is a lack of self-control. I have a monster. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but I will stand before you and admit that I have things I struggle with – monsters inside that I struggle against, but that occasionally take over.
[The monster takes over]
Slide Video – Clip from “Incredible Hulk” – Bruce becomes the Hulk (DVD approximately 57:10-59:50) beginning with “Betty’s in trouble” and ending with Hulk close-up, leaning in to couch
OK, so this was not the best of the recent flood of super-hero blockbusters. If we looked for cool movies then tried to build a lesson around them, this movie would not have been at the top of the list. But we don’t do that – we are here to talk about how to live your life, how to be a Christ-follower. Today we want to talk about resolving to change your life this year, overcoming your private monster, no matter how powerful it is. We want to talk what God wants you to be, and how you can get there.
In that context, I think this movie is an excellent illustration. Think about this. How many of you have something inside you that you are ashamed of, something that you wish wasn’t there, but occasionally takes over? I bet all of you.
Bruce Banner had an anger problem. He could not allow himself to get angry, or he turned into the Hulk. Maybe some of you have anger management issues. Maybe your issue is somewhere else, but it’s still something you struggle to keep from gaining control, right?
(show clip of transformation)
[What does God want your life to look like?]
Slide Graphic: One of our students, with hands in the air – victory!
Slide text:
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. (Romans 8:29 MSG)
I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of (John. 10:10 MSG)
Slide Background Music: “Who am I” – by Casting Crowns
So you have a monster. You don’t like it. You want to change your life. Have you thought much about what you would want your life to be like at the end of the year, when you have completed all your life-change resolutions? The Bible tells us what God would like your life to look like?
When God created humans, he created them “in his own image” (Genesis 1:26). We were created to have the same kind of character that we saw in Christ. We were not created to be gods, but to be godly. Ephesians 4:11-13 talks about the gift of teaching, and ends up by saying that the whole point of teaching is not to give people knowledge, but so that people will become like Christ.
So if we were shaped to be like Christ, what should our lives be like? What did the life of Christ teach us? Fortunately, we don’t have to figure that one out – the Bible lays it all out pretty clearly. This may sound sacrilegious, but I think we could replace the title of the “Bible” with something like “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Life”. Not because only complete idiots would use it, but because its so straight-forward even a complete idiot can use it (Which is why I’m here today). I don’t know why, but a lot of people seem to be under the impression that the goal of Christian life is to memorize scripture, wear uncomfortable clothes, listen to boring music, and enjoy sitting for hours on uncomfortable wooden pews.
Jesus didn’t say (in John 10:10) that “I have come so that you might have knowledge” or “I have come that you might know what kind of clothing is appropriate”. Jesus said “I have come so you can have LIFE – and have it more abundantly” The Message translation is a “more and better life than they have ever dreamed of”. Wow – now that’s worth having! Give me some of that!
That’s what God really wants your life to look like – a better life than you’ve ever dreamed of. One where you have the character of Christ – honor, integrity, passion, vision, selfless generosity – a life that makes a real difference, impacting peoples lives.
One of my wife Tammy’s best friends from her childhood was a girl named Cindy. They remained close for years and years. Cindy’s father worked for the electric company in a fairly high position – in the world’s eyes, a man of importance. Then, during cutbacks in the 80’s, he lost his job. He was in his 50’s and both he and his wife had health problems – he had trouble finding another position. They wound up spending a good deal of their retirement savings, until he finally took a position as a groundskeeper at a local high school. In the world’s eyes, he was a failure, having fallen from an executive to basically a janitor, but you never got the impression he was bitter about it, he was doing what he had to do to provide for his family. He worked there for a little over 10 years, and always had kind words for everyone he met. I met him several times, and was impressed by his quiet integrity, his sincerity. You got the feeling he really cared about people, and would always do the right thing by you, no matter the cost. You never heard him complain. When he died of a heart condition, he had touched so many lives that, at his funeral, literally thousands of people crowded in to pay their respects, to honor this man, this janitor.
I sincerely admire that man. When I die, I have to say that I would far rather die as a janitor that touched the lives of thousands of people than as an executive with a corner office and a fat bank account. What is really important? To really LIVE. To have the kind of character that Christ showed us how to live out.
Don’t you want that? The Bible says that this is what God wants for you too!
They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. (Deuteronomy 32:47a)
Near the end of his ministry Jesus began to speak to the crowds of people who followed him and tell them that following Christ meant living a different kind of life. Many of them didn’t want to hear this, and left. When Jesus asked his disciples if they were going to leave also. Peter spoke for them all when he said, “Where would we go? Your words bring REAL LIFE. We have already committed ourselves.” Peter told Christ that they has already made their resolutions, and had decided that they wanted to clean out the crud, the monsters in their own lives, and life the kind of life Christ was showing them how to live.
After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to leave?" Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, (John 6:66-68 MSG)
[So How do We Kill The Hulk?]
Slide graphic A: Yield sign with U-Turn
Slide Graphic B: Luxury Yacht
Slide Text:
The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen. (John 6:63a MSG)
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)
Slide background music: “Total eclipse of the heart” (turn around) by Bonnie Tyler
So now we’ve admitted that we all have monsters inside and would like to resolve to change our lives, and we’ve seen that God has an exciting vision for our lives – one with no monsters in the mirror. But how do we get from where we are today to this life God has for us? How do we get rid of the monster. We’ve tried wrestling with it, but its just too strong.
There is a secret to being able to change your life. It wouldn’t be such a secret if people actually read the Bible, but, there you go. We live in a society that can’t read and interpret for themselves; they want the Truth spoon fed to them in tiny, candy-coated bites between commercials.
What’s funny is that psychologists have only recently “discovered” this Truth – “hidden” right here in the Bible all these years. And what is that truth? That transformation starts in the mind. You can train the body, but unless you change the mind, the body will fail.
(I heard this next illustration on a Rick Warren DVD – “CRAFT – preaching for life change”)
Say you are on a boat – a really fancy one with cruise control and auto-pilot. You crank up the engines and point the autopilot due north. Off you go. You don’t even have to have your hands on the wheel – the boat is “programmed” to go north. Now suppose you decide that you don’t really like the direction your boat is going. There are two things you could do. First, you could grab hold of the wheel and force it around to the south. Then you could stand there, bracing yourself, and fight constantly to hold the wheel in that position. If you let go even for an instant, the boat swings back around to the north again.
Or, you could simply change the programming in the autopilot, and go kick back on the Sun deck with your shades and an ice-cold diet coke.
Which makes more sense? Which is more likely to be successful? Which is easier and less stressful?
The problem is, we try to change the direction of our lives through sheer muscle and willpower. The Bible tells us all over the place that this isn’t going to work (i.e. John 6:63). The Bible says that the way to change the direction of your life, the way to be transformed, for good or bad, is through your mind. (Romans 12:2)
[Kill the Beast!]
Slide Graphic: Scene from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” where Gaston leads the mob to kill the beast
Background music: Mob Song from the movie (“Kill the beast!”)
Slide Text:
Your Beliefs
Determine
Your Character
Determines
Your Actions
Another way of saying that is that your actions are determined by your character, and your character is determined by your beliefs. If you want to be successful at changing your actions, you have to change your beliefs.
If every behavior comes from a belief, the behavior that is not godly (AKA Sin) must come from false beliefs. The Bible certainly says so
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ’Who can bring me down to the ground?’ (Obadiah 1:3)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (Proverbs 3:5)
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. (Proverbs 3:7
When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden, he didn’t just walk up and hand her an apple. First he convinced her that what God had said, “You will surely die,” was not true (Genesis 3:4). Everything that followed began with that false belief.
When Satan attempted to tempt Christ in the wilderness, he also began by attempting to question the word of God. Christ, however, did not change his beliefs. Christ did not change his character. Christ’s actions reflected his godly character.
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians (1:9-11), Paul tells the people in Philippi that he has been praying that they will grow in knowledge, so that they will be able to discern what is pure and best, and their lives will be changed. Knowledge is not the end goal – the goal is to change our lives.
Think about your monster – that awful thing you see in the mirror – that thing you struggle with. I can say this because the same thing is true of me and my monsters. The reason we struggle so hard with this is that we are attempting to turn our boats around by sheer strength, when we haven’t really changed the autopilot setting. We haven’t really every agreed with God that this monster really is a bad thing. We can’t get rid of the monster, because there is part of us that likes it.
[I Like it!]
Slide Video – Clip from “Incredible Hulk” – Conversation in cabin between Betty and Bruce (DVD approximately 1:10:16-1:10:38) where Bruce tells Betty that the thing that scares him is that when he loses control, and the beast takes over, he likes it.
The Bible says that we can’t overcome the Sin in our lives because we still don’t really agree that it is sin. We don’t share God’s view of it.
Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Genesis 4:7)
You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. (Proverbs 28:13 MSG)
The New Testament keeps saying to “Repent and be saved”. Do you know what the word “Repent” really means? I’ve heard preachers over and over again say that repent means to “turn around”, “change direction”. That’s not exactly true. That’s a result of repenting, but isn’t the repenting itself. The Greek word we translate as “repent” doesn’t actually mean “to change your direction” – it means “to change your mind.” Agree with God that this thing is sin. If you can get to the place where you REALLY agree with God that it is sin, where your mind really is changed, then you have repented. You have reprogrammed your autopilot. Yes, you will then “change direction”, but it will be natural and easy, not a fight.
Don’t get me wrong – this is really hard to do. I still have monsters in my mirror. But the Bible says that this “repenting of your sin” thing is not a test of your willpower, your self-control – it’s a test of your beliefs – of your faith.
They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31)
[We serve a God of Second Chances!]
Slide Graphic: New young tree growing from dead stump of an old tree.
Slide Text:
We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails. (Proverbs 19:21 MSG)
Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. (2 Corinthians 3:19 MSG)
I hope this helps you.
God wants your life to be fuller and richer than you can possibly imagine
That comes from having the character of Christ
Your beliefs determine your character.
Your character determines your actions.
If you are struggling with some monster that keeps breaking loose from inside you and causing you to act ungodly, you will NEVER be able to fight off the monster by sheer force of will for more than short periods of time. The only way to get rid of the monster is to change your beliefs – to really, honestly, wholeheartedly agree with God that the monster really is bad. Change your autopilot.
Fortunately for me, we serve a God of second chances. You and I have been trying to wrestle with the monsters inside us and failing over and over again. I don’t know about you, but that gets me very discouraged. I feel so unworthy – so inadequate. I sometimes feel like I must be a fake Christian, because I can’t get rid of the monster. Maybe you feel the same way.
Let me tell you this – God LOVES you! He wants you to have LIFE! “I have come so that you can have LIFE!” Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus is the WAY, because it was his death that paid the penalty for your sins. Every time you let the monster take control, that’s another sin that Christ suffered for on the cross, personally – for you.
Jesus is the TRUTH, and if you can trust him, trust that the path he laid before you is the best path, better than the path you might have chosen for yourself
Jesus is the LIFE inside you – more beautiful than you can imagine.
[You found me!]
Slide Video – Clip from “Incredible Hulk” – Where the Hulk is loose in the city, surrounded by tanks, helicopters, and hundreds of soldiers, but it is obvious they are not going to be able to subdue him. The Betty comes running in, comes right up to him with a look of compassion in her eyes. She has been pursuing him. She is not afraid of him. She is not appalled and repulsed by what she sees. She sees him as what he can be, not what he is right now. And he just melts (literally) back into Bruce Banner. (DVD approximately 1:53:00-1:54:54)
It’s kind of like when I met my wife. One of the things that let me know she was the one for me was that she was my biggest cheerleader. She saw me as a better person than I saw myself. I liked her version of me better than my own version. Part of what I fell in love with (a little narcisisticly) was her vision of me. I embraced it and began to love living up to it.
Until we fall in love with God’s vision for us, our autopilot has not been reprogrammed.
Jesus hasn’t given up on you. He is pursuing you. No matter how strong your monster is, if you just turn your focus to Christ, and see yourself the way he sees you, see yourself as you could be, as you were designed to be, the monster just fades away. You have to fall in love with Christ’s vision of who you could be – and want that more passionately than the old vision you had for yourself.
So, make a resolution this year. Turn your focus to Christ, and learn the truth about who you could be. Change your mind and think the way God thinks about values, about money, possessions, your future, and your priorities. Feel the way God feels about anger, greed, lust, and fear. Fall in love with Christ’s dream of who you could be – make it your own – set your autopilot to the truth of Christ. And the truth will set you free.
Make this your resolution this year. Like Paul, forget about the past, good or bad, and pursue the vision God has for you.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13b-14)
