Growing Up: Why and How to Change

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Growing Up: Why and How to Change</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id257.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Coming Clean"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id259.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Setting the Record Straight on Marriage"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>“Growing Up: Why and How to Change,” 1 Corinthians 6:1-20, February 24, 2002am, Berean Bible Church</B></div> <bR> <div>      During the Olympics, Bank of America had ads where their employees participated in Olympic games like speedskating and skiing. The speedskater crashed on the first corner, and the skiier tumbled head over heels from the top of the mountain down. They are bank employees, not Olympic athletes. Putting on the clothes and equipment does not make them Olympic athletes. Who you really are shows up in what you do. Olympic athletes act and perform like Olympic athletes. Bank of America people don’t. </div> <div>      We need to know who we are in Christ and what difference it is supposed to make. You can’t be a follower of Christ and stay the way you have always been. Followers of Christ need to act like followers of Christ. That’s why personal change is such a crucial part of growing as a Christian.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Who we are in Christ makes a difference in our lifestyle (the key principle, vss. 9-11).</B></div> <div> A. We have been Purified.</div> <div> B. We have been Sanctified.</div> <div> C. We have been Justified. This is the concept of being declared righteous, as in a courtroom. Even though all the evidence is against you (sin), God can declare you righteous because Jesus paid the penalty you owe (death).</div> <div>      Paul says that Christians are people who once lived in sinful lifestyles (of various kinds) before they were Christians, but now that they <U>are</U> something different (in Christ), they <U>live</U> a different lifestyle.</div> <div>      Regarding homosexuality, it is sinful, but change is possible; as with any sin, we are born sinners, and God’s grace allows us to experience lifestyle change. Whatever sin you struggle with, <U>God has made you a saint, so live like a saint</U>. You can’t live like a saint in order to become saint (become saved and have assurance of heaven). God first has to make you a saint by saving you, then you can live like a saint.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Who we are in Christ affects our relationships with others and our personal morals (the application, vss. 1-8, 12-20).</B></div> <div> A. Vss. 1-8: Applied to how we get along in the church: Christians should be wise enough to settle disputes (vss. 1-6) and loving enough to avoid them in the first place (vss. 7-8). Regarding lawsuits, Corinth was a litigious society, with unfair justice system, where lower classes could not sue the upper classes. The well-off in the church were taking advantage of the less-fortunate Christians. Because of who we are in Christ, our relationships with one another must operate on the principle of love.</div> <div> B. Vss. 12-20: Applied to how we use our physical body: Christians must avoid sexual immorality because we are united with Christ. In Corinth, a popular view was that <I>the body</I> could not saved, but instead would be destroyed, so it did not matter what you do with it. Because of who we are in Christ (including our physical bodies), we must use our bodies in ways that honor God.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. How to Change (because who we are in Christ brings changes in our lifestyles).</B></div> <div> A. Discern God’s will. God’s will does not necessarily equal the preferences of other people. Find out what <U>God’s</U> will is, through his word.</div> <div> B. Decide to do God’s will. You can know God’s will and think you should do it, but change will not happen until you make a firm decision to do God’s will.</div> <div> C. Be empowered by God. This demands prayer, reading God’s word, and a reliance on Holy Spirit. Regularly ask for the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.</div> <div> D. Develop new patterns of thinking, based on the word. A change in thinking always goes before change in behavior (Rom 12:1-2).</div> <div> E. Replace bad habits with right habits. It is incredibly difficult to just stop doing something. It is much easier to replace a bad habit with a right habit.</div> <div> F. Be accountable to another believer. You cannot live the Christian life on your own. We grow best and change when we willingly help each other.</div> <div> G. Move forward, step-by-step. This is the process of training. Think about Olympic athletes. All of them were born talented, but they all had to develop their skills and talent with committed effort in training and practice. They had to grow and develop a little bit every day. The same is true of your Christian walk – it is growth and develop that takes place a day at a time as you put forth effort under God’s control and through his power.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2002, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>