Notes used to present a Zoom lesson during the summer of 2020.

Last week we discussed: God Never Changes.  After learning about poor changes that man has brought about and connecting those events with the unchanging character of God, Glenda brought up the fact that there are good changes.  And so, It seemed fitting to discuss how God wants us to change.

I chose the image of a fruit bearing tree with roots exposed to demonstrate the ways that God wants us to change.  He wants us to grow, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:15-16, in every way into Him…so that the body made up of each of us individually builds itself up in love.  Isn’t it amazing that so much of what God wants us to do in some way involves love — whether it is the ultimate goal or an avenue to get to the goal.

Ephesians 4:15-16  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

• Like the roots of the tree, God wants us to grow down, grounding ourselves in the foundation of His word.
• Like the trunk of the tree, God wants us to grow up, reaching towards Him and striving to live up to His standards.
• Like the leaves of the tree, God wants us to grow out, enveloping those who are running the same race with love that permeates throughout all our actions toward each other, developing strong relationships that will edify us and prod us onward.
• Like the branches of the tree, God wants us to grow strong as we produce the fruit of the spirit

As we grow, we change who we are, to become who He wants us to be.  We give up the ways the world wants us to be as we learn to live like Him.  We change.  We are different than what we were. We are better than what we were.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Conform – behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards.

Transform – make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of.

So, God wants us to stop being socially acceptable and start being dramatically different.  Different to the point that others notice the change. The goal is to be good, acceptable, perfect (complete).

We are going to talk about 5 areas God wants to see a change in our lives.

Change my Direction

God wants us to change the direction we are going by repenting, giving up our sin.  Sinners who have not previously submitted to God’s will give up their sins and completely turn from the left to the right, from dark to light — 180 degree turn in their lives.   

Those who have submitted to God’s will through repentance and baptism will still find themselves failing at times and need to take stock of their situation, turning from their sins, adjusting their course.  As one studies and learns more about God’s will, the Christian, new or old, will adjust his actions, thoughts, character, and attitude to align more closely with what God desires.   

As Peter spoke, in Acts 3, to his Jewish brethren with the lame beggar he had healed standing right next to him, he told them how they had killed the very One whom they had been waiting for — the promised Messiah.  With the uplifting message that even though they had done this horrible deed, God wanted them to turn back, to change direction, so their sins would be blotted out.  

Notice especially verse 19 (Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out) and verse 26 (by turning every one of you from your wickedness) 

Acts 3:17-26  “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

 The result of changing direction of repenting, is sins being blotted out.  And as an extra special blessing, heaven rejoices.  Yes, for you and me and anyone who will change and live according to God’s plan, the Creator of the earth and the host of angels will rejoice.  What an honor.  What a blessing.   

Luke 15:7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.  

Change My Foundation

 We change our foundation by choosing to live under God’s authority.  Looking to Him as our guide, our leader who is lighting the way we should go. 

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

 Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.  

 God has chosen various ways to speak to His people through the centuries.  Some, like the patriarchs, he spoke to one on one.  Some, like those in Moses’ times and afterwards were spoken to through prophets.  Hebrews 1:1 tells us that He has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus.  And Jesus passed the truth along to the apostles through the Spirit.  And the apostles wrote down the truth for all of us to read and study and learn and live by.   

Something so simple that we teach our 6-year-olds, reading, is the way God speaks to us.  There are no special tools or technology needed except the written word and the code to decipher it.   

Anyone who wants to know what God has revealed about Himself and about His desires, can have access to it as we see in the story of Cornelius.  He prayed to God.  God saw Cornelius as a man who was interested in learning about Him, so God made His message available to Him.   

He will do the same for anyone wanting to know Him.  God may choose one of us to share His word with others. Because of this, we not only dig deep into His word to build a strong foundation for our own lives but to also be able to share what we know with others.   

2 Timothy 2:2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 

 It is important that we not only acquaint ourselves with God’s word but that we learn to rightly divide it — discern what it means.  It can be taken out of context.  Many errors have been taught by someone who did not rightly divide it.  Dig deep in the word.  Let it nourish you as the fertile soil nourishes the tree.

Psalms 1:1-3 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Change My Relationships 

We change our relationships by preferring one another and loving each other through the good times as well as through the bad. 

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

 Other versions read, “In honor, preferring one another” 

Our desire should be to be with each other whenever possible.  Our physical families are great.  We love them dearly.  If they are followers of Christ, all that much better.   But just as our physical family desires to be together, so should our spiritual family.  We should consider whether we enjoy our spiritual family or not.  If not, we need to change the relationship we have with them.  Do we feel more comfortable with childhood friends or workplace companions than we do those who are in Christ?   If so, we need to change the relationship we have with our brethren and with our friends/companions. 

1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

 It is more than just how we treat each other at the building 3 times a week.  How do we respond when we see a brother or sister in Christ at the grocery store or at a restaurant?  Do we consider each other’s needs during times that we are “making merry with our friends”?  Do we think about those who are living under different circumstances than my own?    Young couple?  Older couple?  Childless?  So many children they do not know what to do?  children gone astray? Single?  Widowed?  Divorced? Sick? Stressed? 

We may need to change the way we think of our brethren and then change our actions.  Our goal is to encourage one another, build each other up.  We can only do that if we have a strong relationship with each other. The Christians in Thessalonica had it right.  Look at the commendation Paul gives them: 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

 This change may require us to put our wants and needs aside for a time.  And we should be able to expect our brethren to do the same for us when we need their help and encouragement.

 1 Corinthians 10:24  Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

Change My Development

We change our development as we work towards more faith, self-control, patience, etc.   As we dig our roots deeper in God’s word, we will be able to promote from the milk of the word (1st principles and beginning knowledge) to solid food.  The Hebrew writer was not happy with his readers when he wrote to them about their lack of growth. 

Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

 They should have been feeding on God’s word and growing continually instead of, as in the Toys R Us commercial, “I won’t grow up!“ Some of us are perpetually in a state of not growing up.  Most of us are there at times.  It is hard to grow up.  The more we mature, the more responsibility we are given.  It is so much easier to sit back and let someone else spoon feed me what they think God’s word says.  It is difficult work to dig deep and discover it for myself.   

As we dig deep into God’s word, we find that we are growing in many ways.  Peter gives a list of ways that he expected his readers to grow: 

• Virtue – high moral standards
• Knowledge – facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education.
• Self-Control – the ability to control oneself, one’s emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations.
• Steadfastness – the quality of being resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.
• Godliness – conforming to the laws and wishes of God; devout; pious.
• Brotherly affection – phileo/adelphia – to love another like your own brother.
• Love – agape – wanting what’s best for another. 

2 Peter 1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 What result are we wanting from all this dedication to change the way we develop? That what God began in us will be completed.  We will reach the goal, not of flawless perfection, but of completeness that brings us closer to being Christlike.   

Philippians 1:6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 

Change My Source Of Blessings

 We change our source of blessings as we realize that God is the source of true blessings.  Too many of us look to other sources for blessings.  Physical blessings.  We look to the government to get us out of the mess we are in.  We look to the legal system to get us what we deserve.  We look to an inheritance from our parents or a retirement plan from our employer.  Once we get these things, then we will be happy.  Then we will be able to do what we have always wanted to do.  We should be looking to God to fulfill all our needs.  Does that mean we should not prepare for the future?  Of course not.  God talks about being prepared.  It means that when we put God first, blessings (physical and spiritual) will come our way.  Maybe not in the amount our neighbors receive (maybe more).  Maybe not in the timing we would like.  Maybe not like we had always dreamed.  But blessings will come.  We will have food to eat, clothes to wear, homes to live in.  God provides for his own.   

He wants us to ask Him.  He wants us to live on His terms.  He wants to bless us. 

Matthew 7:7-11  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

 Worry is the result of a lack of faith.  God does not want us to be anxious about anything.  We are to put our complete trust in Him.  Is the economy falling apart?  Look to God.  Is there crime in our neighborhood?  Look to God.  Is there sickness in me or my family?  Look to God.  Does my family fail to follow God’s teachings?  Look to God.  Pray to God.  Be thankful to God.  

Philippians 4:5-7 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 To look to anyone but God for the things we need demonstrates a lack of faith.  Every good thing that we have is from God.  How can we turn to someone or something else to give us what God already has given us?  

 James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

 I would like to end on three passages from Psalms.  Passages that can be hidden in our heart to be drawn on when times are hard.   

Psalm 18:2-3 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

 Psalm 34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

 Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 We can be confident in the fact that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  This confidence can give us the courage and strength it takes to change.  Change is hard.  Change is uncertain.  Change takes work.  But when we change the way God wants us to change, we become like this beautiful tree that offers shade to those who are in need, and produces fruit for the good of all who come near.  God blesses us and we in turn can bless others.