Yes! You Really CAN Change - Where Do We Get the Power to Change?, Part 1

Are you on the Christian treadmill. You know that one try hard to do good they'll try hard to do good fail. Read the Bible more trying to frame or go to church more fail.

If you're sick of that life and finding that it simply isn't the abundant life promised with joy in life, peace and power than today is the day for you. I have been there. I have done that we as believers don't have to live stay with and will learn from God's word breakout Christian treadmill. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with children Living on the Edges of international discipleship industry during the daily Bible sure many of you were nodding along an agreement whether you're trying to stop a bad habit or establish more life changes difficult for the middle chip series. Yes, you really can change last couple of program strips focused on the common obstacles in the way of true life change in this program will to learn about the supernatural source that empowers us toward that kind of transformation. If you've missed any part of this series can always catch up on the chipping room. Okay, here's chip now with this message where we get the power to change from Ephesians chapter 4 where you get the power to change then came up to me. The very first time I ever publicly taught through Ephesians 4136 we covered last week, I literally got done guy walks up to me using Young's Cella sky light for local college basketball team in. We got to know one another and I mean he was living the life. His life was dramatically changed and I literally got done and he caught me just as I was going around the corner and he stops to give stop.

So I did and he opens his Bible and he opens it up right here to Romans chapter 6, he just listen to this. He says thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed.

This form of teaching in which you were entrusted.

You've been set free from sin and become a slave to righteousness, and this big 64 garlic amigos is not true doesn't work what you mean he said a lot. Lots changed my life. I've been there some areas and he was very specific. I can't change. I'm supposed to be transformed and I can't what's wrong with me. We had a little discussion he literally this is one of those bizarre experiences I leave that walk on around, get a cup of coffee between services and a young mom that I got to know pretty well who came from horrendous background drug and alcohol addictions, fractured relationships difficult home life to come to Christ. Amazing transformation last couple years and she walks up to me with an open Bible Romans chapter 6. I'm thinking there's something going on here and she goes she goes to different virtues look look right here verse 422 it says, but now that you've been set free from sin and have become slaves to God benefit you reap is holiness that results in eternal life, and she does this isn't working. I'm thinking I guess I really had a bad day on this one and assemble what you mean. She goes on nonalcohol gods really change my life. But I smoked dope every day, every single day and I'm concerned about my four-year-old daughter and I've tried to quit and I prayed to quit and I want to quit and I can't quit where you get the power to change sort and talk about today. Listen to the apostle Paul. Interestingly, in the very next chapter after chapter 6 he says, for I desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out for what I do is not good. The evil that I don't want to do this I keep on doing. I mean, he's basically saying I want to do it's right by myself not doing it in the very thing I don't want to do by myself doing that anybody in this room. Having that struggle at all yeah same here, chapters 1, two and three of the book of Ephesians. This is what God is done for you. Chapter 4 opens up and this is the practice. I urge you therefore, Paul says as a prisoner of the Lord to walk in a manner worthy of your new life. And then he said the way you walk in this new life the way that your belief and behavior tell the same story is the the cocoon if you will, of communities is be humble and gentle and patient, bearing with one another love making every effort to maintain the unity of the body in the bond of peace and he gives us the reason he went through those amazing high things is one God, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and sell just by way of review and then I thought I would just sort of poking you and poke at me. I thought since I wasn't completely humble and gentle and patient and bearing with other people.

This week I thought I would put down the opposite of those, and if I'm not humble means. I'm proud and selfish and if not gentle means I'm demanding and harsh. If not, patient means I'm impatient and angry if I don't bear with people means I'm kinda critical of them, especially those that live inside my house and judgmental and I'm not making every effort I'm kinda slothful and actually I disengage instead be connected people. Is there anybody other than me that had some of the experiences on the right side of that column. Yeah, not now listen, here's what I want to understand Christ comes into our life.

His game plan is to turn us from a green caterpillar and be metamorphic sized member.

A walk is a process into the transformation of a beautiful butterfly in terms of her character and likeness of Christ. Listen to what the apostle Paul.

He goes on to say he says now if I do what I do not want to do. He identifies the problem.

It's no longer I who do it, but it sin living in me that does it.

What a wretched man that I am who will rescue me from this body of death and then he gives us the answer. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And so the question is how did Jesus conquer sin and how does that work practically in everyday life.

The apostle Paul says it's going to be a struggle. In Romans chapter 6, he's going to give some truthful look at little bit later about what's actually true.

This, but how do you overcome the struggle with sin. What did I say to those two people. What did the conversation go like and just before we go too far.

Let me give you a private moment that you don't have to share with anyone. If there is an area in your life that you would say real. Honestly you really want to change you have the desire to change. You know God wants it to change, but you feel stuck with what's up with you is a critical attitude.

Is it your addiction to worker media is some addiction. Is it you fill that in. Because here's what I want you to get. This isn't theoretical.

God has given us all the power we need to change. But until we understand what happened to Jesus. Are you ready for this.

From the time on Friday night when he died to the time on Sunday morning when he rose from the dead. If you don't understand what he did. You'll never understand how to access the power to change because what is true in all the New Testament teaching is what is ever true of Jesus. When you are united to him by faith.

You are co-crucified and co-resurrected and so what ever is true of him becomes true of us in the Christian life isn't trying hard to live like Jesus or achieve some morality. The Christian life is a relationship with God the father to the work of the cross as a spirit enters your life and you live this new life member.

I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, in this human body, I live yet not I but Christ lives in me and this new life I live. How we live by faith in the son of God out of what you love me and gave himself for me. Now verse seven through 10 of Ephesians 4 will explain how it happens, but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

You might circle phrase grace given it means an endowment it's not the same word is a spiritual gift, it's, it's the idea of a sacred trust or an endowment something a treasure that is being given to you and therefore it says he reaches back" Psalm 6818. He makes some small modifications but he says when he speaking of Jesus ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men underline. He gave gifts to men because right after this is going to explain the gifts will talk about the gifts and how spiritual gifts really interact to help us be conformed to the image of Christ. And then now he explains now this expression, he ascended, what does it mean except that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth. He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all the heavens and here's a purpose clause so that he might fill all things that I don't know about you, I didn't grow up reading the Bible.

I never open the New Testament till I was 18, is a brand-new Christian the big thick part of the Old Testament. I didn't touch that for about a year. I couldn't understand it. But even when I started reading to the New Testament two or three times and then I begin reading to the Bible.

I remember the first time reading this and thinking I bet this is really important, but I don't have a clue what there's what's it mean he ascended, descended lower parts of your captors does any that make sense to you that for some of you may. But here's what I want you to get it tells us Jesus identity and it tells us what he did on our behalf.

In such a way that if you get it like the Ephesians got it. It'll help you understand how to grasp the power to really change these keywords. He led captive a host.

The captives right above that I want you to write victorious Savior. These keywords are to tell us Jesus identity and what he actually did.

The next key phrases.

Lower parts of the earth above that write the word righteous judge. The last phrase is that he might fill all things above that right, Lord of lords and King of Kings and what you get to see is the apostle Paul will take some different pieces and pull them all together and he's going to describe for you and me. What Jesus accomplished and whatever he accomplished its truth him becomes true of us. Phrase number one. He led captive a host of captives. This imagery is from the Old Testament, but was still true in many in the Roman world here's the picture you go to battle against your foes may be there in a large city, you surround the city, you build ramparts, you may cut off the water cut off the food. It may take months or even years in some of those battles and then you defeat your enemy and want you defeat your enemy in those days you would often deport them to other places. And when you would defeat your enemy you would come back to your hometown and celebrate the victory.

Often the general or the king would be on a white horse behind him would be all of his army often and there you know their best battle array behind them would be the captives that are described here and they would chain them. 357, across and they would be stripped to the waist or sometimes a good low graphic they would strip him naked and then behind them would be what's called the spoils. There might be you know all the cattle all the donkeys all the gold all the silver all the jewelries so this is a procession or a train and so imagine this general coming back into his hometown people cheering. He's on a white horse he's demonstrating. We won the victory. Here's who won the victory.

The soldiers behind them. Here's our humiliated defeated foe, and behind them.

The evidence of the great victory are the spoils, gold, silver, animals, and so the people would cheer the military would get much of the spoils, but then the spoils or the gifts as an evidence of the victory would be given to some of the people in the town so if I was a lady cheering I might get a cow or I might get a bracelet and so I would get these gifts, but these gifts are an indication of the victory that's been one and a foe that is been defeated and Paul uses this imagery as Jesus as the victorious victor over sin over death and over Satan and he's going to talk in a minute about the captives who he's overcome and what he's done in giving us gifts or spiritual gifts are the evidence of that victory.

The next key word is he's the righteous judge us as the lower parts of the earth.

Now if you're familiar with the New Testament and some are and some aren't.

I let me encourage you later today to just read Luke chapter 16, beginning at about verse 19 and Jesus tells a parable in the story the parables is pretty simple, but it gives us a picture of the Jewish view of what happened to people when they died in the Old Testament economy and he tells a story of a righteous beggar named Lazarus and the wicked man who was absolutely selfish and uncaring. They both die and they go into shield the place of the dead, and there's two compartments.

There is paradise. The abode of the righteous. And then there's Hades or hell, which is the abode of the wicked, and so you have this picture of Lazarus is with Edgar Abraham's bosom in paradise. And this wicked man looks and is a great chasm and he asked please tell them to bring I'm I'm tortured with this, some water for me and he says there's no way that you can go from one place to the other. It's fixed and fizzled until my five brothers in the responses.

Even if someone was raised from the dead. Your brothers wouldn't believe they have Moses and the prophets, but the picture I want you to get is there is this reality of a Jewish Old Testament picture of what was going on when people die. The lower parts of the earth, then here's what happens when Jesus went to the lower parts of the earth.

He made a proclamation and an announcement he proclaimed of victories been one to the abode of the wicked, and he proclaimed the good news that the Savior, the Messiah is going to do what all that you hope for and all the animal sacrifices all that you believed of God. All the promises of God there finished. It's been one the Messiah has come, follow along if you will, Hades. This is what it says in first Peter 318, 19, for Christ died once percent, the righteous for the unrighteous, why to bring us to God, he was put to death in the body but made alive by the spirit through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison important. The word preached here is not the same word will seem just a minute. This is a word for a pronouncement of judgment.

The lower parts of paradise. First Peter 46 for this reason the gospel was preached different word even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men with regard to the body, but live according to God with regard to the spirit. Now let me ask you to do something if you will open your Bibles to John chapter 5. Some of you are looking at me like this is really weird. Okay I get that.

What I want you to do is open to John chapter 5 I want you to listen to what Jesus said would happen. He's preaching in John chapter 5, beginning at verse 24 Millicent what he says he's giving this tremendous offer. He says truly, truly, or I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me notice the tense of the verb has eternal life and the result of this present possession of eternal life. When you believe or trust in Christ, is he will not be condemned, but is crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, knows what he says. A time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live. Notice what Jesus role is for the father has life in himself and so he's granted the son to have life in himself, and he has given him authority to what to judge because he is the Son of Man. Notice the very verse 28 do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out and those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned and the apostle Paul is saying in this little picture here when he went into the lower parts of the earth. Jesus was first victorious victor over sin and death and Satan. Second, he went into the lower parts of the earth, and he condemned and gave judgment on the wicked and then told those who been trusting in him it's over.

Your faith has been fulfilled.

Finally, this last unique phrase that he might fill all things in the idea of Phil here is the idea that Jesus is taking back all territory is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.

There's victory over sin there's victory over death. There's this victory over Satan. Remember when he is tempted by the devil and the devil said to him, if you will bow down before me.

I will give you these kingdoms. Apparently, God's economy. He had responsibility over a certain rain upon the earth because of sin and and and Jesus avoid that temptation. But now what he does caution Sue says he destroyed the works of the devil and he is now proclaiming he fills all things. He's the ruler he's the Lord he's the king of kings now in real time. It's a defeated foe.

You can look death in the eyes because it sting is gone since power broken since penalty gone. In fact, we pick up this in Revelation chapter 5. Follow along and listen carefully for the very end. They sang a new song you are worthy to take the scroll and open it seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men from God in every tribe and every language and people and nation. You have made him to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on the earth. And then I looked, I heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands in 10,000×10,000, and they encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders and in a loud voice, they said, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise man I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them, singing to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever. We taken some very remote pieces and a couple hard passages in the very words of Jesus, and we have understood what does it mean that he ascended that he also descended that now he is the ruler, the king, the Lord of lords is a victorious Savior and everything that happened with regard to him of conquering sin and death and Satan is now true view at the very bottom, just so there's not confusion, what you need to understand is all Saints or all believers were we all get say the same way. If you are an Old Testament saint you believed by faith, but their sacrifices each year and the day of atonement were putting you sort of been holding one day a Savior would come and your sins will be completely forgiven and dealt with. So they were looking forward to Christ. We now as New Testament believers are saints we look back on what Christ is done, but all believers. Owner New Testament we are saved on the basis of Christ's finished work on the cross by grace through faith.

Part one trips message.

Where do we get the power to change will be right back with his application of the stitching from his series.

Yes, you really can change the point of the series is not only to say the genuine life change is possible, but to help us reflect on areas where we struggle. Maybe you need to break an addiction repair a broken relationship or correct the behavior.

Whatever the issue is you can make the change and would love to help you with that process. Digging deeper into this series would be a great way to start. Take a look at the study guide stream. The small group video or download the free MP3s to listen anytime the place your order or for more details on yes, you really can change go to LivingontheEdge.org call AAA 83336003 or Special offers on the chip and remap. I'll be right back in just a minute to really talk with you specifically about how to put into practice what we have shared in the teaching time but here's what I want you to know I've pastored for well over 30 years and this pattern of try hard to do good fail. Try hard to do good fail.

Try hard not do so good and start faking it is literally how a huge portion of genuine and sincere followers of Jesus are seeking to live out their life and what I can tell you is trying hard in religious activities do not bring the internal dynamic supernatural change to God once in your life but what I what I've learned over the years is people don't understand. They simply don't understand how life change occurs, what the sources what's the role of renewing our minds. And what's the role of people in our lives were teaching through this series right now, but let me encourage you, I put this in a brand-new book called yes, you really can change.

Let me encourage you to get the book read through it slowly. Share it with one other person or maybe two. God wants to help you have a breakthrough in your life to experience dynamic genuine change from the heart, but it means digging in.

Let me put a book in your hands that will help you do just that. What were pretty excited about the release of the new revised edition of Chip's book. Yes, you really can change. Let me encourage you go to your website. LivingontheEdge.org to pick up your copy of yes, you really can change. Pick one up for yourself. Maybe get one for a friend and spend some time over coffee, encouraging one another on your new journey of life change.

Now here's chip with a final thought, someone has rightly said, we are what we eat. If your mind and heart isn't saturated with the truth.

You will not change. I can't tell you how many people I meet and I love them.

And God loves them and I'll speak somewhere in the come up afterwards and that some of the struggles in their heart and their life or with pornography or in a relationship with one of their kids or anxiety or depression.

I mean, and I always ask him tell me a little bit about your daily practice or you know weekly practice of getting into God's word. What you putting in your mind and what I want you here with a heart of compassion is that people who have their minds renewed are making progress and people whose minds are not being renewed aren't making progress. It's the key member what Jesus said, you will know the truth and the truth will you can fill it in. Can't you the truth will set you free. What you don't need more expectation. Let me give you a specific game plan beginning right now today to get into the truth.

Number one I want you to decide for the next seven days. What's the best time for you to spend time with God.

Okay, you got it unite person before you go to bed that's gonna gun if he there, you might fall asleep at it that your best time. Do it. Are you morning person is your lunch hour.

Do you have a 20 minute break right now with me decide what's the best time number two where you gonna do it just for seven days only get you started. Now I want you to take one verse something your hearing on the radio or your reading the Bible and I want one verse that really matters to you and want you to write it on a 3 x 5 card today are not messing around. I mean today you write it down and then at the beginning of the day and you carry with you and may be at dinner at some breaks and before you go to bed. I want you to read that one verse and ask God to make that one verse real in your life. These are just baby steps to get you going. Third is I want you to decide in your travel time that instead of listening to talk radio or music and on the way to work. On the way back. You are going to play Christian biblical teaching to renew your mind. These are baby steps to get you going, but I'm telling you it will help. Are you ready let's dig in together you can know the truth and the truth will set you free fax to let me take just a second and think the generous people make monthly donations to support the ministry of Living on the Edge your faithful gifts help us inspire Christians to live like Christians. Every gift makes a huge difference.

If you haven't partnered with us yet. Would you prayerfully consider joining the Living on the Edge team make a one-time gift or set up a recurring donation by going to LivingontheEdge.org or calling us at AAA 83336003 website. Again, is LivingontheEdge.org and her phone number is AAA 83336003 and no were blessed by whatever the Lord leads you to do.

Until next time, this is Dave Gurley saying thanks for listening. This addition of Living on the Edge