The Word of God is living and active. Not only that, its penetrating power is greater than any double-edged sword and reaches the innermost being of a person so that it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
The inner life of a Christian is often a strange mixture of motivations both genuinely spiritual and completely human. It takes a supernaturally discerning agent such as the Word of God to sort these out and to expose what is of the flesh. The readers might think that they were contemplating certain steps out of purely spiritual motivations when, as God’s Word could show them, they were acting unfaithfully as did Israel of old.
Let them not suppose, therefore, that their motives would go undetected for nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Instead, everything is uncovered and laid bare before... Him. In saying this, the readers were reminded that, like all Christians, they would someday stand before the judgment seat of Christ where they must give account to God for their lives (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
The setting was Barcelona, Spain -- the Olympics - August 3, 1992. Eight men lined up for the 400 meter semi final race. The starter gun went off and all eight men set off to try and make Olympic history. One man that day didn't finish the race. Derrick Redmond of Great Britain. After 4 years of training, four years of beating his body into submission, four years of denying himself what most of us take for granted, six days a week of training – five hours a day, in the race of his life, a race he was favored to win, he pulls a hamstring and is out.
Officially his race was recorded as "Race Abandoned" -- quit, gave up. But to Derrick Redmond and to everyone that was in that stadium that day and to millions of TV viewers, “Race Abandoned” are the last things we think of. Watch this video and see if you agree. Pretty good huh? Just like the video said, you run a race everyday called life. Many of us know the pain of being hurt, the loneliness of failure, the agony of poor choices and mistakes made.
I am here to tell you today that there is someone who wants to help you cross the finish line of life – his name is Jesus Christ.
The story of Derrick Redmond reminds me of another race. You have Jesus entering into Jerusalem as the hero – five days later, on Good Friday, he is beaten beyond human recognition. Treated like a criminal, and enemy of the state. He is hung on a cross to die for our sins. Three days later Jesus beats death and rises from the dead.
While the story of Derrick Redmond finishing a race and displaying unbelievable amounts of perseverance is impressive, it pales in comparison to what Jesus Christ did for us during Holy Week. Jesus Christ is the epitome of Perseverance. Jesus Christ is the personification of perseverance. Jesus Christ is the model of never giving up.
If you want to cross the finish line of life, if you want to be a person of perseverance, if you want to learn how to beak through quitting points in life, if you want to be a person a leaves a mark on this world, you need to understand that you need help. All great athletes have trainers. All great teams have great coaches. All successful people have mentors– someone who shows them the ropes. We all need help in crossing the finish line.
I submit to you this morning, that if you want to have the endurance of Christ, the perseverance of Christ, the compassion of Christ. If you want to leave a mark like Christ, you need Christ in your life.
Listen to Philippians 2:5, it says “Let this same attitude and purpose and mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.”. How can we have an attitude and purpose and mind like Christ? We have to be trained or cached or mentored by Christ. When that happens, we are transformed. That’s what we want to talk about this morning - how to be transformed by God grace. There are four things that you need to know if you want to be transformed by God’s grace.
#1. Change who you live for.
This is the starting point. 1 John 5:11-12 (LB) says “What is it that God has said? That he has given us eternal life and that this life is in his Son. So whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not have his Son, does not have life.”
If you want Jesus Christ to change your life, transform your life, help you in life. If you want his attitude and purpose and mind, you have to have Him in your life.
#2. Change the way you think.
That's the next step in being transformed by God's grace. Romans 12:2 says "Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect."
The word "changed" means "transformed". To really get the meaning of that word we have to go back to our high school biology days, the experiment with the glass case and the caterpillars inside of it. In a matter of days those caterpillars spun a cocoon and then a few days later a butterfly came out. We learned that this process was called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis really means change.
If you want to have the same attitude of Jesus Christ, you have to have Him in your life, and then you have to allow Him to change the way you think. Literally, to be metamorphosized by God's grace. When we are changed, when we are transformed, God says two things are critical if you are going to change the way you think.
Be careful what thoughts you allow in your mind. Proverbs 4:23 says "Be careful what you think because thoughts run your life."
Several years ago, I was speaking in front of a pretty large group of students about the issue of GIGO. Garbage in – garbage out. I had giant beer mug and a two liter of coke. I sat the mug on a stool and poured the can of coke right to the brim where it was going to spill over. I turned to the students and said, "If I was to bump that mug, what would happen?" The bright ones said – “It would spill.” That's right I said. What would come out?" Coke would come out. You mean orange juice, water, milk wouldn't come out? No, if I bump the glass with coke in it, coke's going to come out. What happens when you get bumped? What happens when I get bumped? What happens when I'm sitting in traffic on the freeway when I need to be somewhere, what comes out? When your kids flush a toy down the toilet, what comes out of you? When people treat you in an unkind way, what comes out of you?
When you get bumped in life, what comes out? The answer is, whatever you allowed in. What do you allow into your mind? "Be careful what you think because thoughts run your life." The other key thing that is critical, if you want to change the way you think
Be careful of the company you keep. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be fooled, bad friends will ruin good habits." There's a business principle that says people around you will determine the level of your success or failure. The people you're surrounding yourself with right now are either making you or breaking you. That's a fact. According to this verse it says our friends have an affect on our character. That's a great verse for parents. Show me your friends and I will show you your future. Your friends will impact your life.
Have you ever seen the geese fly south for the winter? They fly in that V formation. They don't do that because it looks neat. They do it because each goose, directly behind the other, when they flap their wings, they create a 71% greater lift for the bird directly behind them. So the whole flock can fly 71% further by staying with the right people.
So it is with the friends you choose. Are you getting a 71% greater lift? Or are you walking with the turkeys? It's a choice.
have taken you. But He does care where you are going. He wants to be involved in our lives.
#3. Choose to focus on others.
Philippians 2:4 says "Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others." Our society, our world tells us something different. Our world tells us to focus on me. My problems, my opportunities. It’s always very interesting as I talk with people, and as I hear them talk with others. I can pin point where they are in life by simply hearing the focus of their conversations.
Most people, we focus on OUR attitude, OUR problems, OUR lives. We want to talk about us. Jesus never did this. He was always focus on others. Other peoples problems, other peoples attitudes, other peoples lives. This is so key if you’re going to have the same attitude as that of Jesus Christ.
I heard about a school teacher named Miss Thompson. Every year when she met her students she would say, `Boys and girls, I love you all the same. I have no favorites.' Of course she wasn't being completely truthful. Teachers have students that they like more than others. In fact, some teachers have students they just don't like.
Teddy was a boy Miss Thompson just didn't like. His hair was unkept. His clothes had a musty smell. He certainly wasn't an attractive boy. He wasn't likable. When she got his papers she got a certain pleasure of putting X's next to the wrong answers. Whenever she put an "F" at the top of the page, she always do it with flair. Knowing her dislike for Teddy, the school counselor one day allowed Miss Thompson to view Teddy's records.
The records read: `First grade: Teddy shows promise with his work and attitude but he has a poor home situation. Second grade: `Teddy could do better. His mother is seriously ill. He receives little help at home.' Third grade: `Teddy is a good boy but he's too serious. He's a slow learner. His mother died this year.' Fourth grade: `Teddy is very slow, but well behaved. His father shows no interest.' She knew more that she wanted to know. Christmas came and the boys and girls in Miss Thompson's class brought her Christmas presents. They piled them high on her desk and among them was one from Teddy.
His was the gift that was wrapped in a brown paper bag held together with some scotch tape. On the package was written the simple words, `For Miss Thompson from Teddy'. When she opened Teddy's present out fell a gaudy rhinestone bracelet with half the stones missing and half a bottle of cheap perfume.
The other boys and girls in Miss Thompson's class began to laugh over Teddy's gift, but she quickly put on the bracelet and put some perfume on her wrist and held it up for the boys and girls to smell. They took their cues from Miss Thompson's and they responded with the oohhs and aaahhs. `Doesn't it smell lovely?' said Miss Thompson. The children agreed.
At the end of the day when school was over and all the children were leaving, Teddy lingered behind he finally came over to her desk and said softly, `Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother and her bracelet looks real pretty on you, too.
I'm glad you like my present.' When Teddy left that day, Miss Thompson got down on her knees and she asked God to forgive her. The next day when the children came they were welcomed by a new teacher. This Thompson had become a different person. She was changed. She was transformed. There was a metamorphosis that happened. She was no longer just a teacher. She had become an agent of God. She was now a person committed to loving children and doing things for them that will live on after her. She helped all the children, especially Teddy and by the end of the school year all the children in her class showed improvement especially Teddy. He had caught up with most and was ahead of some.
She didn't hear from Teddy for a longtime. Then she received a note that read, `Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know I'm going to be graduating second in my class. Love Teddy." Four years later she received another noted, `Dear Miss Thompson. They just told me I'd be graduating first in my class. The university has not been easy. I wanted you to be the first to know. Love, Teddy." Four years later: `Dear Miss Thompson, as of today I am Theodore Stollard, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know. I'm getting married next month, the 27th to be exact. I want you to come and sit where my mother would have sat if she were alive. Dad died last year. You're the only family I have now. Love, Teddy.' Miss Thompson went to that wedding and she sat where Teddy's mother would have sat. She deserved to sit there because of the time and the effort and allowing God's transforming grace to metamorphosize her, to transform her."
#4. Charge through your quitting points.
What is the quitting point? if you're a runner and you're on the twentieth lap and your legs feel like rubber, you can't take another step -- you're at a physical quitting point. Maybe you're at the job, things are overwhelming you. You are dizzy from all the work and your boss comes and tells you you're preaching this week end, gives you another assignment -- you're at a vocational quitting point.
Maybe you're in an argument with your wife or your husband for the ninth time over the same issue. One of you says the magic words that sends the other one bolting from the room -- you're at a marital quitting point. Maybe you're up to 12:00 a.m.. Your teenager was supposed to be home at 10:30 and when they walk in the door you ask them where they've been for the last hour and a half and they announce to you that it's none of your business. You're at a parental hitting/quitting point.
Maybe you feel like God has abandoned you, He's not near. You’re at a spiritual quitting point. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:16 (MB) “So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding GRACE”
Adversity helps promote endurance. When problems and difficulties come into our life, through enduring them, we can take a step further into our maturity walk. I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!
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