To Be Christ’s Presence

Romans 8:28-30                                                                 January 19, 2003

   And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

CCI: What does it mean to be Christ’s presence? It means to be like Jesus.

         The Mission of New Hope Baptist Church is to Equip God’s people to Christ’s presence in our community. This is why God called us together. That means that as a church we are to disciple believers so they become like Jesus. It also means that as members of this congregation and followers of Jesus, we are called to become like Him.

         That is Paul’s message in this passage. These verses have been the source of much controversy and debate. Questions about predestination and free will have grown out of the progression from foreknowledge to predestination to calling to justifying to glorifying in verses 29 and 30. By misinterpreting verse 28 Christians have been seduced into calling evil good and making God responsible for the evil of our world. This passage, written as a source of comfort and victory has often been used like a sledge hammer in arguments. This morning, I hope we can move beyond the arguing and see the purpose of God’s activity in our world and God’s desire for our lives.

         On Thursday, I spoke with Pastor Ed Pedley. It has been two years since he and Charlotte moved from Essexville to Holly. He told me that when they bought their new home, they chose it because it would not need to be changed after they moved in. However, as soon as it became theirs, a new garage was built, new carpeting was laid and walls were painted. There was not really anything wrong with what had been there, however, Charlotte could not possess a home and not make changes. Maybe you have known people like that. Whatever they possess, they must change to make it theirs. Cars are refurbished, rooms remodeled, pictures changed and furniture rearranged.

         I once heard of a man who was divorcing his wife because she could not stop rearranging furniture. Everyday the couch would be moved and the pictures relocated. She was looking for a way of making it her own, but never quite found it.

         Some of us look at people like this and shake our heads, others smile knowing what it is like, while still others would like to move some furniture even in this worship space this morning! I am usually quite content to simply live in a place as it is. If I were to buy a house, I think that would be enough. But the habitual remodeler can’t do it. She must make changes in what she owns. And I think God understands. Because that is the way he views lives where he has been invited to live. That is the way he views lives he has redeemed.

         Max Lucado says, God loves to remodel. Listen to the reason Paul gives us for God’s saving work in our lives. “He predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Let God live in a life long enough, and that life will change. Portraits of grief will become landscapes of Grace, walls of anger will be demolished and hidden closets cleaned. God can no more leave a life untouched than a mother can leave her baby’s tear untouched.

         That may be why we are at times uncomfortable with our lives as Christians. You and I may be satisfied with a comfortable chair and dingy walls, but God isn’t. Now, it’s Ok if God wants to clean the living room for us, he can even rearrange the kitchen cabinets, or add some bookshelves. But that is not enough for God. He wants to go to the basement and relay the foundation. He plans to gut the west wing of your life and completely remake it. You see, His goal is that we would be conformed to the likeness of His son. He wants nothing less than for us to be just like Jesus.

         Now understand God loves you just as you are. You can do nothing to make him love you more, and you can do nothing that will make that love diminish. However, he loves you too much to leave you that way.

         Lets do a little exercise together. Imagine waking up tomorrow, and for the next 24 hours, you have Jesus’ heart beating in your chest. You are still you, your arthritis is still aching, your kids still miss the bus, your job is still a bit repetitious, the only change is you now approach things with Jesus’ heart. You go to the same job, you have the same family, you drive the same car, but you have Jesus heart. What would change? How would you greet your family after stepping out of the bathroom in the morning? Would the way you treat your lazy dog be any different when you let him out? As you drive to work, how will you react when the driver in front of you stops early and makes you miss the light? With Jesus’ heart in you, would there be a difference that your co workers would notice? Would your friends find you more enjoyable? Would your enemies find you more gracious?

         And what about you? How would you feel? Would you be attracted to different activities? What about your stress level? And how about temper? Would you sleep better? Would you need fewer aspirin?

         Think about it? If you had Jesus heart for the next 24 hours, what would change? Think about it, adjust your focus, try to see things in this new way. Now capture a freeze frame of that image. And that is what God wants for you. His desire is that you will have the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus. His plan for you is nothing short of a new heart. He loves us too much to leave us the way we are.

         Max tells a story about a day when his daughter was just a toddler and playing outside. As they played the ice cream truck came down the street. Together they ran to the curb to buy a cone. When they got back to the sandbox Max unwrapped the ice cream and turned to give it his daughter. However, upon reaching the sand box, she had eaten a piece of her sand pie! Her mouth was full of dirt. Where he had intended to put a delicacy, there was now filth.

         Now, did Max love his daughter with dirt in her mouth? Of course. Do you think he let her eat the ice cream with dirt in her mouth? Of course not! Because he loved her, he cleaned out her mouth.

         Do you suppose she liked having her mouth wiped out when there was ice cream so near? What if she had said, “I can eat dirt if I want to!” Well, she is right, but it would be her loss.

         God does the same for us. He looks at us and says, “Spit the dirt out, I have something better for you.” And sometimes we say, “I can eat dirt if I want.” And we can, but it will cost us. God has something better for us. He is able to change us to be conformed to the image of Jesus. And that is good news. We don’t have to keep eating dirt. We don’t have to keep living in the old house that is falling down. If there are habits in our lives that are destructive, they can be changed. Do you have a temper? You don’t have to. Are you bitter? You don’t need to die bitter. We are changable and God is the one who can change us. He wants to give us the heart of Jesus.

         Think about that. Jesus heart was pure. He was adored by multitudes, yet he was content to live simply. He was cared for by women but never accused of lustful thoughts. He was abused by the soldiers yet he forgave them even before they asked. Jesus’ heart is pure.

         And Jesus heart is peaceful. The disciples worried about the weather on the lake, Jesus slept in the boat. The crowds fretted over what they would eat, Jesus offered them a child’s lunch. When Jesus was arrested, Peter raised his sword to attack, Jesus raised his hand to heal. His heart is peaceful.

         Jesus heart is also purposeful. He never lost touch with why he came to the earth. His heart was pleasant, filled with thoughts of the kingdom of God, enjoying children and searching for the lost. This was his heart.

         What a contrast to the human heart. We are so far removed from Jesus purity and peacefulness and purpose that is seems like a hopeless task. Would it now be great if we could have the heart of Jesus? But it seems so far beyond us.

         Well, I have news for you. You already have the heart of Jesus. If you have accepted him as your savior, you have received that heart transplant. Galatians 2:20 says, “Christ lives in me.” In other words, Jesus has moved in, unpacked and is ready to begin remodeling. In 1 Cor 2:16, the Living Bible translates it this way, “Strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ.” It is strange! If ti is true, why are our hearts so different than Christ’s heart?

         The answer may be found in the following story from Just Like Jesus. On the shoreline of Ireland there once lived alone a very wealthy yet very frugal woman. The people of the village were shocked when they learned that she was one of the first in the village to have electricity run to her house. Several weeks after the installation, the meter reader came around. He went to the door and asked if her electricity was working OK. She assured him it was working just fine. He then asked here, “I was wondering if you could help me with something, you meter indicates very little usage. Are you using your power?”

         “Certainly” she answered, “every evening when the sun sets, I turn on my lights long enough to light all the candles, then I turn them off.”

         Well, she had tapped into the power, but she was not willing to use it. And so it is in our lives. We have the power, we have the heart of Christ. Occasionally we switch on the lights, but then turn them off as soon as the old candles are relit.

         What would happen if we left the lights of Christ’s power on in our lives? God has ambitious plans for us. He wants to remodel us from the inside out to make us like Jesus. We are called to be his presence, that means that God expects us to be Just like Jesus. How do we do it? The writer to the Hebrews said, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

         When we see Jesus, and focus on Jesus, and learn of Jesus, we will tap in to the power and be changed. To be Christ’s presence in our community, we must first live in Christ’s presence each day. I challenge you, to not only tap into the power but to live in the power of the changed life that Jesus offers.

We have the power, but we refuse to use it.