This past Sunday I preached a sermon at First Pres for our ongoing series entitled "Putting It All Together" which is a series about Spiritual Transformation.  In this message I addressed the notion that spiritual transformation is an essential aspect of the Christian life.  As followers of Jesus Christ we will be transformed.  Here is the transcript of the sermon...

Read Ephesians 4:17 - 24

A few years ago there was a TV show called Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  This television show was about people coming together to assist individuals and families who were less fortunate, facing hardships in life or individuals who have given much to their communities by doing renovations to their existing homes or rebuilding new ones for them.  Those who are picked receive a surprise visit from a world renowned design team who is headed up by Ty Pennington who wields a megaphone and barks out orders to the team to motivate them to get the job done.  When the show first aired the team went to homes that were in major deplorable.  Some conditions of homes were hazardous and downright dangerous.  The team would come in and renovate the home by making the necessary repairs and upgrades so the house would be livable once again.  Over time the show changed from home renovations and improvements to complete demolition and rebuilding a brand new home in its place. Hundreds of volunteers from the community would come to the work site and assist in building a completely new home in a week’s time.  The new homes were much larger and efficient than the previous home.

I have always felt this show served as a great analogy of what transformation can look like in a person who is a believer in Christ.   
 
This morning we will be spending some time in Ephesians 4:17 – 24 and we look at how transformation is something that all believers go through.  It is God’s plan for every Christian.       

The Old You and the New You
The Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians in the passage that was just read reminding them that they who were once dead in their sins are now newly alive in Christ.   He reminds them of the necessity of transformation and begins by showing them what transformation is not.
 
Verse 17, 18 – Paul writes, “You must no longer walk as the Gentiles (unbelievers) do…” He speaks of the former ways of life.  One author suggests that if we could change the word “Gentiles” to “Americans or some other relevant label we would have little difficulty bringing verses 17 – 19 into our contemporary situation, for they are like a mirror.”  Paul reminds us that believers should not walk in their former depraved state.  Humanity is desperately wicked, walking in rebellion and in need of a savior. 
In our depraved state we are alienated from God.  We do not acknowledge him nor have any regard for him in our minds or heart.  Our hearts are hardened to him.   
 
Verse 19 – The sinful and depraved person is hard and callous towards God and is not submitted to him.  This person lives by his sensuality and impurities.  Unbelievers live for the pleasures of flesh and pleasures of the world.  Sensuality has become their god.  They have completely submitted themselves to their own lusts and pleasures. 
This unfortunately has become the way of life for many.  Their belief is, if it feels good, do it.  They do not want boundaries and they believe that they are free to live as they choose and nobody can tell them otherwise.  They will pursue their misconstrued idea of happiness at any cost without regard of who they hurt in the process.  The depraved unrepentant sinner is void of God and full of self.
 
Verse 20, 21 – “But that is not how you learned Christ…” Paul is saying, “Since you are now a follower of Jesus you are not supposed to live the way you used to live.”  You once walked in meaningless self-indulgence, but now you are called to walk in the truth and obedience of Jesus Christ. 
The sad truth is that there are hundreds of thousands of people who profess Jesus as their Lord and yet continue to walk in their lustful, depraved and futile ways.    
 
Verse 22 - “Put off the old self…”  Think of the old life like an onion as Christians peel off the old self (sinful self).  The way they used to live is no longer the way they live their lives today.  They shed themselves of the former ways of life.  The sinful life they were once enslaved to is to be discarded and thrown away like an old pair of smelly shoes.  
Why is this?  Because their old ways are not the ways of God; they are the ways of a godless, self-centered world and they all were once subject to and loved it so dearly.  The old life does not belong to God it belongs to world which is vain, deceiving and corrupt.   
 
Verse 23, 24 – “be renewed by the Spirit… and put on the new self.”  This is the transformation process we are speaking of throughout this series.  We are called to shed the old and put on the new.  This new life is crafted after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness.  This transformation process is described in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  This is one of the most beautiful illustrations of the new life in Christ.  Paul writes to the Corinthians that if anyone considers themselves to be a follower of Jesus then He has become a new creation.  The old ways of living are gone and behind us the new has come.  What I find most beautiful about this transformation is in becoming a NEW CREATION. 

The new creation is not a better version of the old self.  I do not become Jeff 2.0, I become a completely new creation transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is now evident in my life.  One who has been transformed by the power of the Spirit is indeed a changed individual.  People will notice the difference by the way you act, talk and treat others.  I believe the true litmus test for the Christian is evident in their transformation.  If there is no transformation then there is no new life in Christ.  Unfortunately many who have proclaimed Christ as Savior have fallen prey to the natural enemy of transformation and that is complacency.  Christian pastor A.W. Tozer writes, “The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire.  Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth (transformation).  Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people.” 

I think it is safe to say that we have all struggled with complacency in our lives.  I know I have.  Maybe some of you are struggling today or you may not even realize you are living in complacency.  But I am reminded that Jesus did not save us so we would sit.  He saved us so we would continually grow, and go out and be a representative of Him to the world.

I think what may linger in the minds of many is, “If the old life has passed away does this mean it will no longer affect me?”  The answer is no.  No matter what has happened in your past, your former self will always be etched into your lives.  There is no way the past cannot be part of your life.  Who you are is deeply connected to your past.  However the past no longer defines you nor has control over you.  You have been freed from the old self and now a new creation in Jesus Christ.
One of the challenges when I was a new believer was “putting to death the sinful things of the past”.  The old self haunted me.  I struggled daily (and in some areas continue today) with the sins of my life as a non-Christian.  The Bible constantly reminds me that I am a “new creature” and the sinful things I used to do have passed away.  I pray every day that God will deliver and protect me from this battle of the old and the new.  In Colossians 3:5 the Apostle Paul tells the Christians in Colosse to put away all the sinful things that lurked in them.  The words “put to death sinful things” also means to mortify or kill the sinful things in our life.  Matthew Henry, a Bible commentator, wrote this, “(We must) mortify them (sinful things), kill them, suppress them, as a weed or vermin which spread and destroy all about them… It is necessary to mortify sins, because if we do not kill them then they will kill us.”  Our battle against sinful things is a battle that is fought daily.  The old and new self are constantly battling one another.  Yet we must be encouraged because the new self is empowered by the Spirit of God and He gives us the ability to put to death the old self so we can live transformed lives for His glory.
 
CONCLUSION
Do you struggle with the old self?  Do you find that the new you sometimes doesn’t really feel like a new you?  Have you even put off the old self and put on the new self in Christ? 
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These are deep questions to be answered and prayed through.  I challenge you this week to take these to the Lord and ask him to empower you through the Spirit to live the new life in Christ and put away the former ways of life so you can live as a fully transformed child of God.

Here are the notes to my sermon I preached this past Sunday, September 4th, 2016.  I am working on my Romans devotional and I hope to be back to posting daily devotionals soon.  Until then... Enjoy.

 Read Exodus 3: 1 – 6; 4: 10 - 14
 
Aside from Jesus, Moses is probably one of the most revered and highly regarded individuals in the Bible.  There is much written about him.  The first five books of the Old Testament (called the Pentateuch) are traditionally believed to have been dictated by Moses and is the story of God working through him to establish God’s chosen nation, Israel.  It would be impossible for me to touch on every detail of his life in our short time together, so my purpose in the next few moments is to look at Moses’ life as the leader of a nation one of its most significant times in history. 

Moses:  The Leader
As I prayed about what God would have me speak on concerning Moses, my attention was brought to his leadership qualities.  We can learn a lot about leadership when looking at the life of Moses.  These qualities do not ONLY apply to leaders in the church, but also apply to all believers today.
What I love most about Moses’ leadership examples is that he was not really a great leader at the beginning nor was he the most qualified.  He was, however, an influential man whom God called and used in great and mighty ways to lead his chosen people.
Today we will look at five qualities of Moses’ life and leadership that I believe can benefit us all as we apply them in our lives today. 
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1.  Moses was called by God. 
   This is probably one of the most important qualities of any spiritual leader PERIOD… CALLING.  (Read Exodus 3:4, 10)  Moses was in the desert serving his father-in-law and as he came upon a burning bush he heard the voice of God calling to him.  The voice called him by name and gave him specific details as to what was in store for him.  God tells Moses He is going to use him to deliver the Israelites out the hands of the Egyptians and Moses would serve him on the mountain. This was his calling and it was essential to the work of God. 
   
   I run into people constantly who have no concept of calling.  Believe it or not leadership is a calling and is not necessarily something that is learned.  Certainly people go to school, college, seminaries etc. and learn how to be leaders in church, but if God has not called individuals to this role they will never be effective for the Kingdom of God. 
   
   There are people who are able to attract people, build large church buildings, and convince others to support them in various ways, but God will not put his hand of blessing upon an individual who He has not called.  As humans we often associate good leaders with accomplishments, charisma and the likeability (or attractiveness) of an individual.  We do not see this in the case of Moses.  God does not chose Moses based on his qualities, confidence or character as a way to accomplish his will.  As God speaks to Moses we read that God uses the word “I” a lot.  God is the one who calls a leader and accomplishes success in one’s life.  This applies to all Christians, whether in leadership or a laity, God must be the initiator in all things in order for success to happen.  He will call us and our job is to be available.
   
   
2. Moses was dependent on God.  
   When one is called by God it is important to understand that one cannot do whatever he is called to do on his own.  In fact when God calls it would benefit you well if you responded much like Moses does in Exodus 4:10 – 12 (Read).  When I received the calling to ministry my initial response was, “Um, God… Are you sure you have the right man here?  I mean look at me, I am overweight, I am not a dynamic speaker, I don’t fit any mold for a Pastor and besides I am not a leader.”  It took time for me to understand that God wasn’t calling me because of who I was and what I thought I could accomplish, He was calling me in spite of me.  A called person knows that success comes when they are completely dependent on God.  Ultimately I have no control over the success of my ministry.  My job is to be available when God calls and completely dependent on him when he does.  In Exodus 33:12 -16.  Moses basically says, “I will go wherever you call me to go, however I will not go unless you go before me.”  A true leader or believer knows he cannot accomplish anything for God unless he/she is completely dependent on God.
   
   
3. Moses prayed for his people.
   A leader must always pray for his flock.  There were times when Moses was praying that God would shut the complainer’s mouths, but I also know he prayed for his people as well.  This is evident in Exodus 32:11 -14.  Little did the people of Israel know that Moses was interceding for them.  The people were openly critical of Moses, his leadership and with God.  There are a number of times where God says to Moses, “I’ve had it with this rebellious nation!  I’m going to kill them all and start all over.”  Yet Moses as the leader intercedes for them and because of this the Bible tells us that God relented. 
   
   I want to assure you that you are prayed for daily.  I know there are some who complain, belly ache, and criticize and we pray for them as well.  We know as a pastoral staff prayer matters and we are committed to praying for this congregation because that is what God calls leaders and Christians alike to do. 
   
   
4. Moses was in continual fellowship with God
   Moses was a man of prayer he spent a lot of time with God.  He was on a mountain with Him and he was shown the tail end of God’s glory (the most any man or woman in the Bible ever saw of God).  His face shined the Shekinah glory for days after being in the presence of God.  Exodus 33:7 – 11 tells us Moses would leave the camp of Israel and make a tent and fellowship with God.  The people respected this and they knew the presence of God was with him.  I love that verse 11 says, “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to a friend.”  This was a privilege and it is a privilege all believers have today.
   
   Time with God is very important.  We sometimes need to leave the camp (or our offices or homes) and go spend time with the Lord.  I love to do this and I plan to do it more in the months to come.  It is during this time with God that He speaks to us as a man speaks to a friend. 
   
   
5. Moses was Flawed
   Moses was a flawed individual.  He was not perfect, he misrepresented God at times, he made bad decisions, and he generally ticked off the masses, but this did not disqualify him as a leader.  In fact this made him a better leader to the people, because in his flaws and quirks the people could see that it wasn’t Moses who was being glorified, it was God.  (Read Numbers 20:10 – 13).  This is a sad day in the life of Moses.  He misrepresented God to the people.  It was a mistake that Moses would live to regret, yet God in his mercy continued to use Moses even after this fatal flaw.
   
   ​I am aware that I am far from perfect.  I know my limitations and I know there are times I have missed out on a blessing because of my stubbornness or my stupidity.  I know that God has not abandoned me in my sin.  I know God still chooses to work through me (even when I can’t understand why).  God displays his mercy to us so that we may display mercy to others.  I for one am glad that God uses imperfect people to accomplish his perfect plan.

 
Conclusion
The life of Moses is a fascinating and we see that he was an influential leader called by God, completely dependent on Him, who prayed for his people, communed with God and regardless of his flaws, God used Him in mighty ways.  This gives us all encouragement, to know that God is actively seeking men and women to use to accomplish His will.  With the successes and failures of Moses we clearly see the hand of God in all areas of this mans life.  We also find encouragement in knowing that God’s hand remains upon us today to accomplish his will.  God has done amazing things throughout the history of of Israel (I would encourage you to read through the stories of Moses’ life) and I believe He continues to have amazing plans in store for His Church today.  What those plans may be, I don’t know, but we can pray, wait and enjoy the ride when He does move among us.