REVOLUTION NOW! #1: A CLOSER REVOLUTION
INTRO: What’s a revolution? It’s the name of our new Master’s Commission, but it’s MORE! It’s time for a revolution NOW! There are too many bored Christians in the church! Change!
IT’S TIME FOR A REVOLUTION NOW:
REVOLUTION DEFINED: (Three Definitions)
Closer: the action by a celestial body of going round in an orbit or elliptical course, as in “the revolution of the earth about the sun takes one year.”
Warlike: the overthrow of one government or ruler and substituting another by the people.
Radical: a sudden or radical and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.
KEY TEXT: (Romans 12:1-2).
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, in view of the mercies of God, that you:
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (That’s a CLOSER REVOLUTION)
And do not be conformed to this world, (That’s a WARLIKE REVOLUTION)
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, (That’s a RADICAL REVOLUTION)
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
A CLOSER REVOLUTION:
First definition of revolution = the action by a celestial body of going round in an orbit or elliptical course, as in “the revolution of the earth about the sun takes one year.”
“I beseech you therefore, brethren… that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
1. Present - to stand beside, stand by or near, to be at hand, be present
2. Worship - to centre our lives on God, not ourselves, and live a lifestyle of worship for the glory of God. This begins with complete surrender of our lives to Christ.
3. “My people have been lost sheep… They have lost their way and cannot remember how to get back to the fold.” (Isaiah 50:6, NLT).
LESSONS FROM THE PLANETS:
1. It takes the Earth 365 days to orbit around the sun (Earth = about 150 million km away)
2. Mercury only requires 88 days to orbit around the sun (about 58 million km away)
- Mercury’s temperature can reach up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit (it’s HOT!)
3. Pluto requires 90520 days to orbit the sun - 258 years! (about 6 billion km away)
- Pluto’s temperature ranges from -378 to -396 F
- when we orbit away from God, we become like Pluto:
- it takes us longer to do things for Him & - we become cold towards God.
We need a CLOSER REVOLUTION - like Mercury around the sun (then we’ll be HOT!)
- Some of you maybe you’ve been knocked out of your orbit because of life’s circumstances.
- Some of you maybe you saw something ‘attractive’ and abandoned orbit around Jesus
- It’s time to return to a closer revolution of orbiting our lives around the Son, Jesus!
CHALLENGE:
“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35).
- What does it mean to deny yourself? It means you are God-centered, not self-centered.
ILLSTRATE: There’s a throne in your heart. Is Jesus on the throne - or are YOU?
- “I purchased the whole house and I want all the keys or I don’t want any of them.”
- If Jesus isn’t Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all!
- Revolutionary discipleship! We need a revolution in the church today!
ORBIT CHECK:
- How’s your orbit? Are you in close revolution around the Son? How can you tell?
- How’s your giving life? Are you honouring God with your finances? (Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”).
- How’s your thought life? Are you honouring God with your thoughts?
- How’s your passion for God, and your love for Him?
Are you a part of the frozen chosen? Dead men walking? So cold, no life, no fire?
QUOTE: “The world has yet to see what God will do in and through and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.” (DL Moody said: “I will try my utmost to be that man!”).
CLOSING CHALLENGE: How do we get a closer revolution and orbit around The Son?
1. Through continual conversation (prayer). Draw close to Him and He will draw close to you
2. Through continual meditation, by reading & thinking about his Word throughout the day.
MOTIVATION: “In view of the mercies (compassion) of God.” What Jesus did for us! Because God has been so good to us, why wouldn’t we want to stay close to Him?
(with credit to a sermon by J. Martin from Sermon Central.com who inspired some of these ideas).
[visit our Revolution website: www.revolutionmc.ca]
