50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perish able inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed .

Ocassionally, it is important to take time to re-focus our lives and be open to change. Our view of personal goals and commitments is blurred by the dust kicked up in the business of living. The edge of faith is dulled by life's interactions and the unceasing conflict with sin and evil. Thus we need moments when we step back. After rest and reflection, we are able once again to live life with purpose, with a sharp focus on God's plan and purpose for us. Stephen Covey tells this story:

Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a large tree.

one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Turn with me this morning in the Bible to a clear statement of purpose which I hope will inspire us as we sharpen our focus on our own purpose. Philippians 3:8-13 8

What is the over-riding purpose of the Believer? "I want to know Christ in His suffering and in His power so I attain eternal life and fulfill destiny!"

Does that purpose of attaining eternal life guide the decision-making process behind every choice you make? If your like me, your view of eternity and destiny is often obscured by the pressures, problems, and pleasures of the day. Thus we need to re-focus. Even the writer of this lofty statement realized his own failure. He acknowledges, "I do not consider myself to have taken hold, in fact my grip on this loosens from time to time... but ONE THING I DO.... forgetting what is behind me, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me."

Last week my emphasis was on forgetting the past. Before we can change and fulfill God's purpose and destiny for our life we must be able to forget the past with all its accomplishments and failures. When we meet the 3 fold condition of forgiveness, repentance, confession and faith in Christ's atoning blood, we have a legal right to forget the past and press on into the future. We have a legal right to put off the old and put on the new. On this very day we have the right to close another year and say goodbye to a millennium with the faith, hope and confidence of God's high calling upon our lives. Let's not waste an ounce of energy with the past and utilize all to press into the things of God in the year 2000. Let's determine to stay focused on God's purpose for saving us so that we can finish our course and glorify God through out our life.

and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

With the beginning of a new year we often make New Years resolutions. What we are saying is that we see a need for change and that can be a good thing just so long as God is behind the change. We are notorious for starting and not finishing New Years resolutions but when God births the need for change He will press the issue until its completed. Let me suggest three reasons why you should consider making some God birthed New Years resolutions.

1. First, we all need changes. Some we find very hard to admit to ourselves. But there is a great power in confession--to ourselves, to God, and to others. Owning up to our failures is the first, painful step on the road to something better.

15See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

2. Second, when we change calendars is a good time for reassessment. How did last year go? What do I want to do differently this year? This time of year always reminds me of a passage of scripture, "Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among thorns" (Jer 4:3). It makes sense. The more land you put into production, the more prosperous you'll be. But some of us are stupid enough to try to sow seeds in land overrun by star thistles without breaking up the soil and taking care to root out the thorns as they come up. Call it laziness or Call it stupidity. Let me ask you a serious question. What percentage of your life is producing something of value to God? How much "unplowed ground" do you have that ought to be broken up in 2000 and made useful? Reassessment. The brink of a new year is a good time for reassessment.

realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?

3. Third, New Year's is an excellent time for mid-course corrections. Sure, we might fail in what we set out to do, but if we fail to plan, as the old saying goes, then we plan to fail. If you're so fearful of failure that you never set up your row of tin cans to shoot at, you're not very likely to hit any at all. Failure is not the end. For the person who determines to learn from it, failure is a friend. You wanna talk about failure look at the Apostle Paul. Throughout his life he was opposed, persecuted, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, deserted by trusted co- workers, slandered, and scorned. Sometimes it seemed that projects to which he had devoted years were turning to dust right before his eyes. But during one of his stints in prison, an unwillingness to quit. "Forgetting what is behind," he wrote, "and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:13-14, NIV) No wonder he made a mark on his world. He stopped looking back, and looked forward instead. He didn't let the fear of failure keep him

from trying again.

YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR FUTURE JUST SO LONG AS YOU DON'T RESIST CHANGE! LET ME GIVE YOU 3 REASONS WHY PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE:

1. THE #1 REASON WHY PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE IS FEAR. FEAR OF FAILURE, FEAR OF REJECTION, FEAR OF LOSS AND FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN.

15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received

the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

2. PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE BECAUSE THeY ARE CONTENT AND SATISFIED WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE. PETER JAMES AND JOHN WANTED TO BUILD A HOUSE ON THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION BECAUSE THEY HAD REACHED A HEIGHT-ENED PLACE OF CONTENTMENT. MOST OF US WANT TO STAY ON THE MOUNTIAN TOP OF YESTERDAYS VICTORY INSTEAD OF GOING ON AND GROWING UP IN CHRIST. YOU NEVER GROW UP ON THE MOUNTIAN TOP BUT ONLY IN PASSING THROUGH THE VALLEY OF CHANGE.

6Passing through the valley of weeping they make it a place of springs; yea,

the early rain covereth it with blessings.

3. SOME PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE BECAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD IS WANTING TO DO IN THEIR LIVES. THEY CAN SEE NO PERSONAL NEED FOR CHANGE OR THEY DON'T SEE ANY BENEFIT FOR CHANGE.

4. HABITS AND TRADITIONS WILL HINDER CHANGE. FAILURE TO LEAVE OUR COMFORT ZONE WILL MINIMIZE GOD'S CHANGES AND TRANSFORMATIONS IN OUR LIVES. NO ONE HAS EVER DONE IT THIS WAY BEFORE IS A COMMON COMPLAINT OF PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO CHANGE BECAUSE OF TRADITION OR HABIT.

Col 2:7-8

8Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

5. PEOPLE WILL NOT CHANGE WITHOUT GODLY LEADERS. MOST PEOPLE WILL FOLLOW THE LEADER BECAUSE THEY CAN SEE AND UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS BEING FULFILLED IN SOMEONE ELSE WHICH GIVES THEM A SENSE OF SECURITY AND UNDERSTANDING. THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOLLOWED MOSES AND JOSHUA, THE JUDGES, THE PROPHETS AND THE KINGS. THE DICSIPLES FOLLOWED JESUS AND THE BELIEVERS FOLLOWED THE APOSTLES. PRAISE GOD, THERE ARE STILL GOD ORDAINED APOSTLES, PROPHETS, EVANGELIST, PASTORS AND TEACHERS WHO CAN SHEPHERD AND LEAD GOD'S PEOPLE TODAY! PEOPLE WILL NOT CHANGE BY THEMSELVES SO GOD HAS RAISED UP LEADERS TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUBMIT TO GOD'S PROCESS OF CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION FOR YOU LIFE. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR FUTURE.

Eph 2:19-22 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

NOW LET ME ASK YOU THIS QUESTION: WHEN ARE PEOPLE WILLING TO ACCEPT CHANGE?

1. DESPERATION: WHEN YOUR NEED FACTOR EXCEEDS YOUR FEAR FACTOR YOU WILL CHANGE.

2. UNDERSTANDING: WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND GOD'S OBJECTIVE, PURPOSE AND BENEFIT FOR CHANGE YOU WILL HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO CHANGE.

3. REVELATION: PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO CHANGE WHEN THEY RECEIVE MORE REVELATION ON GOD'S PURPOSE AND DESTINY FOR THEIR LIVES.

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;

but blessed is he who keeps the law.

Now, Let me ask you this question: How can you change your future and build your life with a sense of vision and purpose and when you loose your sense of destiny and purpose, how can you regain it? Here are some important questions to put to yourself.

Gratitude is a powerful antidote to many poisons of the soul. The wisdom of the Word is:

Gratitude or thanksgiving is a choice. Our first reaction to difficulty will not be to find a place of praise and thankfulness before our Father, but we can make the choice. Note carefully that God does not ask us to be irrational and to thank Him FOR all circumstances. He asks us to be thankful IN them.

Gratitude will protect you from bitterness, envy, despair. The Psalmist often reminds us that gratitude is the key to the doorway of God's presence. Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

You are a creature of habit whether you admit it or not! Human beings establish rituals and patterns sometimes consciously and often without conscious thought. The important question to ask about your habits are whether they are habits that are life giving? There is no time like the present to begin a habit of happiness, a habit of loving concern for others, a habit of prayer, etc.

What in your life is absolutely non-negotiable? What about you cannot be bought for any price? If you answer that you've discovered a boundary. Those parts of life that are most precious must be protected with boundaries.

There is a boundary around my family. I will do my utmost to protect my family from physical and spiritual harm. There is a boundary in my life around my personal integrity. I have not yet found an amount of money or a situation that would cause me to sell my integrity.

Boundaries allow us to determine who we will admit in our circle of influence. Boundaries help us to choose the best over the best. None of us is rich enough to say "yes" to everything that catches our attention. We must choose how and where we will spend our life which the Bible reminds us is by God's allottment but "three score and ten years." Boundaries need not be prison walls. They can be guidelines!

Here are a couple of evaluation questions that should be so obvious that I won't spend any time elaborating on them!

These two choices are so incredibly important.

The Psalmist wrote.... I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

Never sell yourself short in life by refusing to discover and develop the gifts that God has given to you. Most of us have access to an incredible amount of resources (I'm not just talking money here) compared to the majority of people in the rest of the world. Sadly, most of us use the greatest percentage of our resources for pursuits that relate strictly to our own pleasure and/or comfort. Another way to say this is that WE ARE SELFISH.

Do you do anything that requires sustained effort from you strictly for others, something that has no direct benefit for you? Are you regularly, consistently, and excellently practicing some kind of service in the name of Christ? NOW, please be honest. You have no place to serve, no ministry ... you say?

AND you could do it in the name of Christ. AND if you had discovered your spiritual gifting, you could find great fulfillment in that service. My friend, I'll give it to you straight--- you can buy boats, take every cruise and vacation your VISA card can support, play cards with the boys, spend every spare moment in your hobby.... and find your life as barren as a desert. Why? Because you're only serving yourself.

The richly satisfied life is one that includes service in the area of our spiritual gifts.

Look back at the last year. What projects did you begin? Did you see them through? Are there unkept promises still hanging over you, unfinished business that nags at your conscience. Make a choice to finish, to be a person whose word means what is said.

There is a rich sense of satisfaction when we are able to close the chapter of a finished project, a completed task... especially one that has required great effort. Choose your projects wisely and when you've committed... finish. This habit will keep your focus sharp in your spiritual life.

Proverbs 28:19-20 19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. 20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

Anyone who has ever found himself in debt and unable to pay knows how difficult it is to choose to stay on purpose when creditors are calling and pressuring. Freedom is lost to others who control your life.

Consider this: emotional debts are just as enslaving! I've met people who carry deep hatred of another for wrongs done decades ago. And because they do not settle the debt, they are still controlled by the person they claim to hate. This becomes a major weight that we must cast off as we forget the past and press on into the future.

Inevitably, we find ourselves in conflict with people. We will be wrongly treated, in big and small ways ... and we will treat others wrongly. To learn to forgive and to seek forgiveness, makes a great heart. The word of God offers us a principle that is stunningly simple and which if we accepted it would prevent much heartache.... Ephesians 4:26 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Listen, there are no throwaway people, no one that we can wound and walk away from without paying a price. So, friend, if you want to stay sharply in focus for God, keep your emotional accounts cleared. Settle your grievances with forgiveness quickly.

And finally, ask yourself-

God's example to us was given in the days of Creation. Genesis says, 2:2-3 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

One of the wisest choices you can make is to set aside a day each week to take a break from the grind of living and to enter into active worship. Prepare for worship with the same level of planning and intention that you would use in preparing for a high level meeting at work. You will find that what you take from your worship experience will be in direct proportion to what you bring to it.

Now, don't confuse recreation with worship. Learning to play is important, but playing while renewing is not focused on declaring the worth of God and hearing from Him. Seek balance. Someone once said,

Sharpen your focus by bringing a balance in work and worship.

As we move into the New Year and the pace of life quickens let's ask ourselves the hard questions and sharpen our focus on the purpose of God for our lives and be open to change. Do some spiritual house cleaning! In 2 Chronicles 29, there is an account of a spiritual revival among God's people under the leadership of a young king named Hezekiah. He came to power when he was just 29 years of age. Listen to his choice of priorities....

2 Chronicles 29:3-6

The chapter goes on to tell how the job of cleaning out the temple took 2 weeks time! They cleaned the trash out and threw it in the dumps outside of Jerusalem. Then they cleaned up the inside and made the holy place truly pure once again. 2 Chronicles 29:35-36

What a picture for you and me! In this time we learn from the Scripture that we (you and I!) are the temples of God. He no longer inhabits buildings of wood and stone. He is not worshipped with bloody sacrifices on great altars. He lives in our lives by His Spirit and is honored by the offering of our love and service. However, He still looks for clean temples that are dedicated to His use and purposes. And where there is a sharp focus, a pure dedication, and an openness to change the people rejoice!

Regain your focus on God's purpose and plan in your life. Sharpen your edge and you can change your future. Ask yourself these questions. . .

May you share the determined, sharp focus of the Apostle Paul and say with him: "I want to know Christ and be found in Him...having a righteousness that comes by faith...sharing in His sufferings and His power... so that I will attain eternal life. I forget the past and press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me" Amen