Sermon Brief
Date Written: September 21, 2007
Date Preached: September 23, 2007
Where Preached: OPBC (AM) in view of a call
Sermon Details:
Sermon Title: Bond, Build and Blossom!
Sermon Text: 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)
Introduction:
Do you remember those US Army commercials, “Be all that you can be…in the Army!” Statistics have shown that after that particular campaign by the Army, recruitment rose sharply and there were recruits pouring in! This is because it was a challenge to young men and women all over our nation to become ALL of what they could become… to reach their fullest potential!
Well did you know that slogan has a spiritual component as well? “Be all that you can be… in God’s Army!” It is the call of God to all believers! But unlike the US Army’s slogan that was trying to recruit NEW soldiers, the spiritual component is not a recruitment tactic but it is actually a command for those already members of God’s Army! It is THE clarion call to ALL believers to live their lives OUT LOUD for the glory of God and the praise of Jesus Christ and the honor of the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever realized that as a saved believer that you are part of the glory of God? Have you ever stopped to take in the fact that because of what Christ has done FOR you… you are called to represent God to this world?
Many of us… when we got saved it was for selfish reasons… it was to keep our tail-end out of hell… but when we become Christians FAR more than saving us from hell happens… When we accept Jesus as Savior, did you realize that you also are called to surrender your hearts and souls to Jesus Lord and master of your life! Jesus is to reign over our lives! And because of this…He is our Supreme Commander in Chief and He calls us all to be the best foot soldier of the Cross that we can be!
Scripture speaks volumes about walking in the right way before God, but there are a few passages from the NT that really bring the issue to the forefront…
In Eph 4:1 (NKJV) the Apostle Paul writes, “…I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called…”
In Col 1:10 (NKJV) he writes, “…that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…”
In 1 Thess 2:12 (NKJV) he writes, “…that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory…”
Ok, I hear you preacher, I am supposed to walk worthy in my life as a believer, but just what IS walking worthy in the Lord? Well that is kinda God’s way of saying… to those He has saved “I want you to BE and LIVE OUT all you can be… in ME!”
Bottom line is that God is calling all who accept Him as Lord and Savior to totally SELL OUT for Jesus! We are called to forsake all for the Gospel of Christ and to live in this world in such a way that we bring attention and glory to Christ Jesus!
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ… what I am telling you is that we are called by God to live BETTER than we are living now… we are called to reveal HIS glory and live out HIS plan in this world…
I want us to look at what our passage tells us this morning, the Apostle Paul writes, “18And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit…”
First of all we find the connection word ‘and’ being used here meaning that Paul is connecting this thought to a previous thought. In the previous verses Paul actually addresses when we come to Christ in salvation…
16But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed…
The ‘we’ Paul is writing about here are the believers in Corinth, and the believers all over the world…. He is referencing all of those who have placed their faith and trust in Christ Jesus. Paul begins with, And, we all… referencing those who have accepted Christ as Savior. This is inclusive of all who have professed Christ as Lord. But he does not stop at just the WHO… but he moves forward in his challenge…
Paul continues with the next phrase that many overlook or misunderstand. Paul speaks here about an ‘unveiled face’ and he makes a reference back to Moses when he came down from the mountain and when he came out of the Tent of Meeting…he had to place a veil over his face because God’s glory shone from Him and it frightened the Israelites…
Here Paul tells us that in the New Covenant in Chirst… we need to rid ourselves of that veil… we don’t need to hide God’s glory in our lives! UNVEIL Christ in your life to the world around you is what Paul is telling these believers… this is what God’s word is telling all believers today… LET THE WORLD SEE GOD IN US…
Paul continues with this illustration of how we are called to live our lives when he writes, “…beholding the glory of the Lord…” some translations use the word reflection here… but this says the same thing… we are beholding God’s glory thru our lives…The salvation He brings to us… the forgiveness He graces our lives with… are great reflections of His glory!
And Paul is saying that because the glory of God is upon us in salvation and forgiveness… our lives should reflect that very glory to the world around us! When people see God’s grace and mercy evident in our lives it is going to bring Him glory… and our lives will bring Him honor!
But Paul goes onto say that as saved, professing believers in Christ Jesus… we are not perfect but God is transforming us… God is molding us… God is shaping us… Paul puts it this way! “…[you] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…” it is a reflection of God’s glory that we have forgiveness and salvation, but in Christ there is more than JUST being saved… we are being transformed into the very image of Christ Himself by God’s Holy Spirit. Look how Paul puts is… “…from one degree of glory to another…”
When we come to know Christ as our Savior it is so much more than simply a ‘get out of hell free card’… we are called to be His ambassadors here in this world and we are taken and molded into the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit…
What a wonderful picture of what Christ HAS done for us in salvation and forgiveness and WANTS to do in us through transforming us into His image… Isn’t that a great picture?
But preacher… wait just a minute! How can that happen, is it really possible for me...for humans to live that way?
Preacher, please tell me just how we can all “reflect His glory” in our lives… after all we are human and we fail and stumble all the time! How can Paul sayh this? Well don’t let my words tell you, but let the words of our Savior encourage you… Jesus said, “…With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible..." In this verse Jesus is speaking directly about salvation, but the principle is the same… what we cannot do – GOD CAN! So when you say, preacher, there is NO way I can live like that, I say… you are right! YOU CANNOT! But I want you to notice that Paul understood this too and look at what he wrote…
Paul says 2 things here that let us know that it is NOT us… but God doing the transforming…
“…are being transformed…” is the first thing… we are being transformed! This Greek verb metamorphomai is the word where we get our English word metamorphosis… this verb is in the passive tense which indicates that the action occurring is being placed upon the recipient…
Sort of like the sentence… “The boy was hit by the ball” the boy was hit BY the ball… the boy did not hit himself, but the ball did the hitting. Here Paul says we are being transformed… we are not doing the transforming but we are BEING transformed!
The 2nd thing that Paul writes here describes WHO is doing the transforming… it is being done TO us, and it is God who is performing this action… God, in the person of the Holy Spirit! “…For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit…”
So believe me when I tell you… this CAN happen to you! You have to be a willing recipient! You have to be obedient in your walk… but if you are willing and obedient, God WILL transform you as He has promised!
If you can learn to apply this verse into your heart and lives, there is NO doubt that you can and WILL become “all you can be in Christ!” except it is not all YOU can be, but it is all Christ desires you to be! Are you ready? Are you willing? Let me give you three very BASIC steps to setting yourself up to allow God’s Holy Spirit to transform you into a lean, clean, Gospel sharing machine!
Now if you have heard these words before… LISTEN up… you are going to hear them OVER and OVER again because this is the direction God is leading me as the pastor of this church… this is the direction God desires for this church… this is the template that we can use to become the church God desires us to become within our community… within our city…within our state… and to the uttermost parts of the world!
Let me ask you again… ARE YOU READY?? The first part of the template very basic, and like I have said, you have heard this before… you must
Bond with God!
Before you can be transformed and molded into what God wants you to be’… you have to FIRST become part of God’s family. In VBS this past week we learned how you can become a part of God’s family and it is as easy as ABC, but just because it is easy doesn’t mean it is not serious… it only happens if you are serious in your heart!
A – Admit to God that you are a sinner. God’s word shares that we are all sinners and we fall short of His glory and perfection. You are a sinner, I am a sinner… we are imperfect, broken, and fallible creatures who can never do anything to please God on our own… we need to admit to this! Sin is when we fall short of God’s perfection… one sin… 1000 sins… a million sins… it doesn’t matter… one sin or a million sins… when we sin… we become sinners! And here is the thing… we are all born INTO sin because we have a sinful nature! When Adam sinned in the garden… it has been passed down through the blood lines… sin is IN our blood and we cannot change that! Are you ready to admit that you are a sinner before a perfect and holy God… until you are… you cannot become a part of His family!
The 2nd step is B
B – Believe that Jesus is God’s Son, who came to die for your sin and rise again to save you into eternal life…
The 3rd step is C
C – Confess that Jesus is Savior and Lord! Confess that Jesus is in charge of your life… confess that you give Him control over your life…
When we do this and confess Jesus as Savior and Lord, Scripture says we are saved and salvation is the first part of the template… salvation BONDS us to God and that is instrumental in ‘becoming what God desires us to be…
This letter by Paul was written NOT to sinners but to the believers in church at Corinth… This message of being transformed by God’s Holy Spirit is addressed to those who have already made that profession of faith in Christ Jesus! Have you confessed Christ as Lord today! If you do not know Jesus as your Savior I am going to invite you to come in a few minutes… come and confess your sin… admit your sinful behavior to God and confess Him as your Savior!
Bonding with God is the beginning… but it does not end there…
Just as a mother bonds with her child after birth, so should you bond with God after your spiritual birth. You are to draw closer to Him each and every day!
Where can this bonding happen? Well it happens when you WORSHIP Him! You can worship Him by yourself in your quiet time and in your own Bible study, but the Bible is clear that we should gather TOGETHER to worship Him… Bonding with God occurs in services like today… like where you are right now!
The bonding process begins when you come to worship and turn your attention to God, and give Him all your praise… When this happens in your heart… you will be able to experience the powerful presence of God and draw closer to Him and His power and strength for your daily walk!
So we can see that the 1st step is that we need to BOND with God through salvation and then through deepening our bond in worship and praise in worship! But we cannot stop there…the second step in this template is that we need to…
Build!! Build up our walk with God!
When we are born as babies there is NO possible way for us to survive on our own… we need the help, care and guidance of our parents. As baby believers it’s the same thing, we cannot survive as a new believer without the help, care and guidance of the more mature believers.
When we come to know Christ as Savior, we are called to be ‘transformed’! Did you know that the word ‘transformed’ is not used much in Scripture? In fact, in doing a word search, I could only find this particular form of the word in our passage this morning and in the more well known passage of Rom 12:2 where Paul writes:
2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Now, like I said earlier, this word ‘transformed’ here comes from the Greek word where we get our English word ‘metamorphosis’ from… it means that the original (our old nature) is changed into something entirely different (our new nature in Christ)!
Paul speaks to this later in this letter to the church at Corinth when he writes:
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come…
The change begins with salvation in Christ but it does not stop there… but the picture Paul is painting here is that when you meet Jesus and confess Him as your Savior… there is a transformation that happens… and your life CANNOT remain the same!
And after we are saved, God has called us to continue to submit to Him and allow Him to continue to shape and mold us into the image of Jesus! But here is the kicker… God is NOT going to do this against our will! We have to be willing… we have to submit… this is a voluntary submission on our part to the Holy Spirit to allow Him to change us into what God wants us to be!
I want us to look at a verse out of the letter Paul wrote to the Colossian church. Col 3:2-10 (NKJV) “…2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…”
I want you to notice several places in this passage that reveal to us that it is up to US to change… it is up to US to allow God to work in our lives… it is up to US to submit to the Holy Spirit!
Look at v.2 where Paul says, “…set your mind on things above…” or in v.5 where Paul writes, “…put to death…” or in v.8 where he writes, “…now you yourselves are to put off all these…” and finally in v.10 where Paul writes, “…and have put on the new man…”
In all these instances the syntax of the Greek reflects a voluntary and willingly submissive act on the part of the believer. It is NOT God forcing His way and will upon you, but it is you becoming obedient, and submitting knowing and growing in God!
If you are going to grow in God you have to make the effort to ‘build up your walk in Christ’ and that can be done in several areas. You can do this at home in your Bible study and quiet time with God, but as a new believer, you are not able to guide yourself, but need the mentoring and guidance of a mature and experienced believer!
Well preacher, where can I get a mature and experienced believer to give me instruction in God’s word? Do you have a special tutoring class for newcomers or new believers? Is there somewhere that can help me build up my walk in Christ?
Well, I am here to tell you that TODAY is your lucky day! We DO have special tutoring classes… we DO have mature and experienced believers ready and willing to give you instruction in God’s word! We have a plan for building you up spiritually… we call this plan Sunday School OR Adult Bible Study OR small group Bible study.
So if you are new to Christ OR if you are just looking to get to know what this is all about… I challenge you to try it out… begin to learn about God. If you desire to ‘build up your walk in Christ’ you need a small group Bible study, whether it is here at our church on Sunday morning OR it is in the home of a mature and experienced believer who is biblically sound! To grow and build your walk in Christ you have to be taught and mentored, and to do that you must be a part of a small group!
But why the small group pastor? Why can’t I get that from the corporate worship experience where I have learned to ‘bond’ with God? Can’t I grow and build my life in Christ through attending worship service?
The growth process works best when it is personal and intimate. We teach and train up our children in the small group of our family unit. Yes they go to school and learn as well… but lessons of life and many things I carry still today, I learned in the small group dynamic of the home where learning was personal and intimate with those I came to love!
Now as wonderful as our worship services are… and I believe they are wonderful… that personal and intimate learning atmosphere simply cannot happen in the corporate worship experience! But in Sunday School… that is EXACTLY where it DOES happen, that is where intimacy with God can be cultivated and lives can be built up!
First we must BOND with God in salvation and worship, then we 2nd we must BUILD up our walk in Him thru the intimate and personal action we find in a small Bible study group in the church! But for us to ‘be all Christ Jesus desires us to be’ we still cannot stop there! We also need to…
Blossom out in our faith…
As believers who have bonded to God and have begun to build up our lives in Christ, it is IMPERATIVE that we reveal the evidence of our relationship with God to the world around us. Paul says that “…[we] are being transformed into the same image [image of Jesus]…”
I am sure the question, “Why are we being transformed?” has crossed your mind… why does God want to transform us after He saves us… Well the answer to that question is so that we can reveal Christ to the world… and we do that through our very LIVES!
When Jesus was here on this world… He did not hide the fact He was here for the Father… He lived His life out loud, He did not go and hide, He did not cower when things got bad, He did not withdraw when the needy came His way… Christ live OUT who He was!
As followers of Jesus we are also called to do that same thing… we are called to live our faith OUT LOUD! Called to live our lives in such a way that others see Jesus in our lives! Let me put it to you in this way… we are called to SHOW Jesus to the world around us… like a rose bush shows the beauty of the rose to the world around! WE are called to blossom out in our faith!
The world is to see visible and tangible evidence of Jesus in our lives and how He has changed us… and made us into something new… something beautiful! Now we are never going to be perfect. The rose bush is not the most beautiful of plants with its crooked branches and large thorns… BUT the fruit of that bush produces beauty beyond imagination!
And that is what it is like with us as we serve Jesus! We are NEVER going to be perfect in this world, we have crooked branches in our lives… we have thorns in our lives… but in Christ the FRUIT of our lives can be beautiful beyond belief! When we live as we are called to live, it draws others to Jesus… when we live as we are called to live others see the love and beauty of Jesus in our lives!
W.A. Criswell, long time pastor of FBC Dallas, TX was once asked, “How did you come to pastor such large churches and do so much for the Lord?” Dr. Criswell replied with his Texas drawl, “Son, you have to bloom [or blossom] where you are planted!”
We have to understand that we are called by God to be what He wants to be... and we are called to do this WHERE He wants it done… God choses to plant us in a church, God choses to place us in a community and it is THERE that God calls us to BE who He wants us to be! YOU are here at Oak Park for a reason! You are here in New Orleans for a reason… and that reason is to reach out and share God’s love and salvation to those around us!
But preacher, I am no missionary! I’m no preacher! How can I ‘blossom out in my faith?’ Well for you to ‘blossom’ out into your community as God wants you to…you have to be involved in Kingdom work, you have to be willing and obedient to God’s plan and purpose…
There are two very specific areas I am speaking about… 2 very specific ‘blossoming’ opportunities for the believer! The first one is the general area of evangelism. What is evangelism? Well evangelism in its broadest sense is that everything we do… ALL of our life should point others to the Christ we profess as our Savior! The lives we live and the words we use and the actions we take, must reveal Christ to those around us!
But there is a more specific area that I can see where we can ‘blossom out in our faith’… this specific area does not abandon the general area of evangelism, but works well with it! This specific area is that you get involved in a ministry that the church is sponsoring!
I am not going to tell you WHERE you should be serving… but I know that God lays names on my heart every day to serve here or to serve there… So I may come to you and ask you to serve… but ultimately you must be in tune with God and know where He is leading you! I can suggest and encourage you, but only God and you know where God wants you to be! So it is up to YOU to get to where God wants you to serve, and then begin serving!
it may be cooking meals for the volunteers who come through your church…
it may be visiting the sick in the hospital…
it may be visiting the homebound or those in the nursing homes…
it may be singing in the choir…
it may be working in the nursery and allowing those parents to worship without the distraction of their children…
it may be that you should be volunteering to help the children or youth…
it may be inviting someone in your neighborhood to come and experience the ‘bonding’ process with you at the next worship service…
it may be inviting someone to join you and your small group Bible study in a building up of their knowledge of God…
it may be that YOU should be leading a Bible study…It may be that God is calling you to starting a new one…
it may be that God is calling you to be a part of a new church plant within our city…
it may be that God is calling you to prison or jail ministry…
it may be that God is calling you to walk across the street to that neighbor you have known for years and share Jesus with him or her…
it may be that you are called to some other area of service…
The point here is that when you come to know Christ as Savior… you ARE called to serve Him in His kingdom! You are called to “blossom out” in your faith so that the world can come to know Christ, and
You are called in your Christian walk to build up your walk in Christ so that you know what God wants you to be, and
You are called to bond with God, to come to know Him as Savior and then come to know Him as Lord…
Where are you this morning? Have you bonded with God in a deep and meaningful way? Are you building up your walk in Christ with intimate and personal Bible study? Are you blossoming out in your faith by living your faith out loud…by getting involved in a ministry to reveal Christ to the world?
This morning as Bro Ken comes to lead our hymn of invitation I call on all believers to come and make things right with God… here at the altar submit to His calling on your life!
If you are here today and you do NOT know Christ as your Savior, I call on you to surrender to Him today! You see some 2000 yrs ago Christ died for your sin on the Cross of Calvary and because He died and rose again 3 days later, you can know God… you can Bond with God this morning! I call on you to come and BOND with God today, and come to know Him as Lord and Savior of your life… stand as we sing!
