Covenant Baptist Church
Sermon Guide for January 6, 2019
Have you ever considered changing how you change?
Who can change?
It is possible for anyone to change when we trust and obey Jesus.
Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT
What needs to change?
…throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Most changes we make on our own won’t last because, generally, we will do the kind of things a person like us would do.
Any significant, lasting change means the kind of person we are on the inside must change.
For the follower of Jesus who is living life in the Kingdom of God, it is entirely possible to increasingly become the kind of person Jesus was and more and more live the kind of life Jesus lived.
How do we change?
Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT
1. Be intentional not just “hopeful”
…throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life…
We must purposefully put ourselves before God and regularly engage in practices that lead to transformation of our hearts.
2. Stop trying to change yourself.
...Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
We must learn to stop trying to change ourselves and rely on God to change the real condition of our heart.
3. Do your part and God will do His.
…let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature created to be like God…
Our part is to regularly put our minds on the things that the Spirit uses to renew our thoughts and attitudes.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2
When we put into our minds the truth of God, the Spirit uses that truth to transform the condition of our hearts.
"Your primary contact with God is through your mind, and what you do with your mind is the most important choice you have to make." ~ Dallas Willard – Life Without Lack.
"Wrong ideas about God make it impossible for us to function in relationship to one another." ~ Dallas Willard – Life Without Lack.
Romans 6:4 NASB1995
G2 (Growing & Going) Exercise:
● Know This: You were created to be like God – that is to become the kind of person Jesus was so that you can live the kind of life Jesus lived.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:24
And in case you are wondering that was a life of unadulterated joy, compelling love, enormous influence on those around you, peace that guarded his heart and mind, hope that never failed and constant awareness of the present and perfect love of God. It is the most beautiful and most amazing life imaginable.
● Read and Reflect on the Gospels regularly in 2019:
Some of you may be ready to make this a daily discipline while others may start weekly. Read a portion of one of the Gospels daily and reflect on the truth that Jesus reveals to us about who God really is and what God is really like.
In general, for this soul training exercise, you will read less and reflect more. This reading is not about finishing or getting through the chapter. This reading is about engaging what you read and taking it in to the deeper places of your soul. It is far better to read one verse and gain a clearer view of who God is and what He is like and retain it than it is to read an entire chapter and retain nothing.