new way to be human: soul obsession
It seems to be about the most natural thing in the world to find yourself taking some sort of self-inventory around the turn of a new year. We have this tendency to look back and realize the areas of progress as well as the areas that… just need a bit of work. Who hasn’t made some sort of New Year’s resolution at one time or another? Now, I know that there are some in our midst that would rebel against the making of such a resolution… I am no such person. I am making a couple very common resolutions: to exercise more and to lose weight. My roommates can attest to the fact that, in my mind, apparently the New Year has not yet begun! Soon… very soon… However, let me tell you a serious problem we face with making these resolutions. We think that by addressing these issues that we struggle with, we will become happy… we will be a truly better person. Do you know what I mean? It’s as if I were to say… if I just lose these pesky pounds, then I will finally be happy. Or, if I cut caffeine out of my life, then I will be the man I’ve always dreamt of. This is the mentality that is dominant all around us. Do you remember the show “Extreme Makeover?” This S.W.A.T. team of doctors, dentists, trainers, and stylists would come in and give someone a good overhaul… suck out some fat, tighten the face a bit, put on some designer clothes… and you can have a new life! The problem with this is that it is purely cosmetic. The inner person never changes! This is the same problem with our resolutions. We try to address surface level issues in our lives, but don’t look at the root of the problems. We have to dive into the deep recesses of our heart, mind, and spirit in order to experience life transformation. I’m going to just mention a couple of verses that we have a tendency to talk a lot about here at Crosswinds… In the Psalms, we are given the example of how to pray for this. (Psalm 139:23-24)
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Paul writes about this transformation in Romans 12:2 where he says,
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
You know what I like about “extreme makeover: Home Edition?” They know that the first thing they have to do in order to move forward is demolition of the old house. There has to be a serious overhaul in order to obtain the desired results. In fact, Galatians 2:20 gives the example of going so far as to say that “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” The same principles can be found when we look at making genuine changes in our lives.
In 2 Corinthians 5: 14-17, it says,
“Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
The "new" can’t get going unless the "old" has gotten gone! True life transformation is initiated by God as He reconciles us to himself through Christ. Basically, what this is saying is that we can be forgiven of our sins because Jesus died for us. That’s it. When we come to realize this, everything is set into motion. From that point on we are made a new creation. This is what is meant by the term “born again.” It means that we have started a journey with Jesus that leaves our old ways behind as we start living out a new life.
This is a “New Way To Be Human.” And this is what we will be talking about in the coming weeks. We will be taking a look into a letter written a few thousand years ago by a guy named Paul. The letter we will be looking into is one that he wrote to the followers of Jesus living in Philippi, hence the name: Philippians. I would love to go into an examination of who Paul is this morning, but instead we’re going to do that on Wednesday night at Route 66. And each week with Route 66, we will be continuing the discussion started on Sunday mornings. What I will say this morning is that we are really going to see the heart of a devoted disciple as we examine these scriptures. Let’s just get into this and look at the passage for this morning. Philippians starts out with some greetings from Paul- we’ll be looking at this on Wednesday night. We’ll be starting at verse 12. (Philippians 1:12-26)
"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me."
This guy, Paul, endured a massive life transformation. He was once a man who hunted down the followers of Christ in order to stone them as heretics. After a supernatural encounter with Jesus, his whole life changed. Today I want to emphasize the change within our mind that takes place as we learn this new way to be human. Paul has what could be called a “soul obsession.” Prior to encountering Jesus, Paul’s focus was on protecting the traditions of his people. He was passionate… zealous… fiery… tenacious in his pursuit to be the watchdog of his faith. After his encounter with the resurrected Lord, we see a shift. He is still as fiery, tenacious, and zealous, but his perspectives have come into focus. It comes into focus in two major ways- and these are what I mean by the fact that he has a soul obsession. First, the focus of his time, attention, and passion is no longer aimed toward things of this world. No, instead he becomes devoted to the pursuit of God. If you were to read through just this first chapter of Philippians and count the number of times Paul makes reference to Jesus Christ, you would count at least 18 times that he mentions him. Eighteen! Some of us may not mention Christ even half as much within a full day. His attention on fixed on Jesus. Paul now has his priorities straight. He has put Jesus first in his life. Look back at our passage today. He says that what has happened to him has served to advance the Gospel. Who’s Gospel? That of Jesus. He says that he is in chains for Christ. Paul was imprisoned in Rome at this time. Probably not THE MOST pleasant thing in the world, but he takes it in stride because he knows that he is doing it in the name of his savior.
I'm going to hit pause here for a second to take a brief side-track. If you ever wanted to learn how to make lemonade out of the lemons this life will toss at you, look to the example of Paul. When he says, “what has happened to me…,” this is what he means- 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 tells us that Paul experienced the following:
"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."
Paul took everything in stride because he knew that this earth was not his final destination. He knew that though he was in chains here, his spirit had been set free by the blood of Christ!
To get back on track, we see that Paul lived his life at full speed. To him, his life… even his body was not his own, but was Christ’s. This all comes together in verse 21 where he says, “for me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Ever hear the saying, “You can’t keep a good man down?” This is what we’re talking about! Paul was being persecuted by people that wanted nothing more than to shut him up and shut him down. But what could they do to him? If they punish him, he says that he rejoices in his sufferings for the name of the Lord. If they imprison him, he celebrates the fact that to live is Christ… he can continue to teach those who hold him captive. And what if they threaten him with death? Well, then he delights in the opportunity to rejoin his Lord in a heavenly paradise… to die is gain! All Paul wants is to be with his Savior, but if he must continue living, then he will rejoice in the opportunity to share the Gospel and let Christ have rule over his life. His perspective is clear!
This leads me to the second meaning of Paul’s soul obsession. Not only is Paul’s soul obsessed with God, but his obsession is for the souls of others. His first priority is the pursuit of God and his second priority is the pursuit of others. He is a truly selfless individual. You see, he even said that he would rather depart and be with Jesus, but he knows that it is of a greater benefit to those around him that he remains. While he is in prison, the palace guards and the people of Caesar’s household are hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is excited that other believers have stepped up in order to carry the message boldly and courageously in his absence. He even knows that there are people out there making his life and job harder because they are preaching the Gospel out of selfishness! What is his response? Praise God that the message is going out!
Pause button (again). I hope that we can all have this perspective. Sometimes we, as individuals, find that we have issues with this church or that church. We feel like they don’t do things the right way or they are sharing the Gospel out of selfish ambition. Our response to that needs to be the same as Paul’s… praise God that the message is getting out there! The world is a big place… we need as many people working toward taking the message to the masses as possible!
We see that because of his passion for God, Paul’s heart is in tune with a love for his people. This may sound familiar because it is the very heart that Jesus describes as he speaks of the greatest commandment: Matthew 22:37-40
" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
If we really want to experience change in our lives we need to first experience the overthrow of our hearts by Christ Jesus. We must hear and believe that he is the Lord and that by him we can be forgiven of our sins. As we focus our soul upon him, we will see his perfect will... that of loving Him and loving others. Unconditionally.
When we let the Gospel invade our lives we see our priorities change. Our passions become redirected and brought into focus for the first time. But here’s the deal folks… we can experience this great transformation of our minds… we can develop a new outlook on life… we can set new priorities… we can even establish all the greatest resolutions in the world, but if we don’t ever take action… Well, if we don’t ever take action, it’s worthless. This is what it means to find a new way to be human. It’s find a new way to live. To take action when someone is in need. To walk across the room to take the message of Jesus to a hurting person. To find a way to forgive someone that has wronged you… and hurt you deeply. This is what it means for us to live Christ. I want to challenge you today. Aspire to greatness in Christ. Christ said that those who would believe in him would do even greater things than he had done. What can you do this week… this day to actively “live Christ?” Do you have a soul obsession or are you caught up with a focus on the cosmetic things of this world?
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Paul writes about this transformation in Romans 12:2 where he says,
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
You know what I like about “extreme makeover: Home Edition?” They know that the first thing they have to do in order to move forward is demolition of the old house. There has to be a serious overhaul in order to obtain the desired results. In fact, Galatians 2:20 gives the example of going so far as to say that “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” The same principles can be found when we look at making genuine changes in our lives.
In 2 Corinthians 5: 14-17, it says,
“Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
The "new" can’t get going unless the "old" has gotten gone! True life transformation is initiated by God as He reconciles us to himself through Christ. Basically, what this is saying is that we can be forgiven of our sins because Jesus died for us. That’s it. When we come to realize this, everything is set into motion. From that point on we are made a new creation. This is what is meant by the term “born again.” It means that we have started a journey with Jesus that leaves our old ways behind as we start living out a new life.
This is a “New Way To Be Human.” And this is what we will be talking about in the coming weeks. We will be taking a look into a letter written a few thousand years ago by a guy named Paul. The letter we will be looking into is one that he wrote to the followers of Jesus living in Philippi, hence the name: Philippians. I would love to go into an examination of who Paul is this morning, but instead we’re going to do that on Wednesday night at Route 66. And each week with Route 66, we will be continuing the discussion started on Sunday mornings. What I will say this morning is that we are really going to see the heart of a devoted disciple as we examine these scriptures. Let’s just get into this and look at the passage for this morning. Philippians starts out with some greetings from Paul- we’ll be looking at this on Wednesday night. We’ll be starting at verse 12. (Philippians 1:12-26)
"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me."
This guy, Paul, endured a massive life transformation. He was once a man who hunted down the followers of Christ in order to stone them as heretics. After a supernatural encounter with Jesus, his whole life changed. Today I want to emphasize the change within our mind that takes place as we learn this new way to be human. Paul has what could be called a “soul obsession.” Prior to encountering Jesus, Paul’s focus was on protecting the traditions of his people. He was passionate… zealous… fiery… tenacious in his pursuit to be the watchdog of his faith. After his encounter with the resurrected Lord, we see a shift. He is still as fiery, tenacious, and zealous, but his perspectives have come into focus. It comes into focus in two major ways- and these are what I mean by the fact that he has a soul obsession. First, the focus of his time, attention, and passion is no longer aimed toward things of this world. No, instead he becomes devoted to the pursuit of God. If you were to read through just this first chapter of Philippians and count the number of times Paul makes reference to Jesus Christ, you would count at least 18 times that he mentions him. Eighteen! Some of us may not mention Christ even half as much within a full day. His attention on fixed on Jesus. Paul now has his priorities straight. He has put Jesus first in his life. Look back at our passage today. He says that what has happened to him has served to advance the Gospel. Who’s Gospel? That of Jesus. He says that he is in chains for Christ. Paul was imprisoned in Rome at this time. Probably not THE MOST pleasant thing in the world, but he takes it in stride because he knows that he is doing it in the name of his savior.
I'm going to hit pause here for a second to take a brief side-track. If you ever wanted to learn how to make lemonade out of the lemons this life will toss at you, look to the example of Paul. When he says, “what has happened to me…,” this is what he means- 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 tells us that Paul experienced the following:
"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."
Paul took everything in stride because he knew that this earth was not his final destination. He knew that though he was in chains here, his spirit had been set free by the blood of Christ!
To get back on track, we see that Paul lived his life at full speed. To him, his life… even his body was not his own, but was Christ’s. This all comes together in verse 21 where he says, “for me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Ever hear the saying, “You can’t keep a good man down?” This is what we’re talking about! Paul was being persecuted by people that wanted nothing more than to shut him up and shut him down. But what could they do to him? If they punish him, he says that he rejoices in his sufferings for the name of the Lord. If they imprison him, he celebrates the fact that to live is Christ… he can continue to teach those who hold him captive. And what if they threaten him with death? Well, then he delights in the opportunity to rejoin his Lord in a heavenly paradise… to die is gain! All Paul wants is to be with his Savior, but if he must continue living, then he will rejoice in the opportunity to share the Gospel and let Christ have rule over his life. His perspective is clear!
This leads me to the second meaning of Paul’s soul obsession. Not only is Paul’s soul obsessed with God, but his obsession is for the souls of others. His first priority is the pursuit of God and his second priority is the pursuit of others. He is a truly selfless individual. You see, he even said that he would rather depart and be with Jesus, but he knows that it is of a greater benefit to those around him that he remains. While he is in prison, the palace guards and the people of Caesar’s household are hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is excited that other believers have stepped up in order to carry the message boldly and courageously in his absence. He even knows that there are people out there making his life and job harder because they are preaching the Gospel out of selfishness! What is his response? Praise God that the message is going out!
Pause button (again). I hope that we can all have this perspective. Sometimes we, as individuals, find that we have issues with this church or that church. We feel like they don’t do things the right way or they are sharing the Gospel out of selfish ambition. Our response to that needs to be the same as Paul’s… praise God that the message is getting out there! The world is a big place… we need as many people working toward taking the message to the masses as possible!
We see that because of his passion for God, Paul’s heart is in tune with a love for his people. This may sound familiar because it is the very heart that Jesus describes as he speaks of the greatest commandment: Matthew 22:37-40
" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
If we really want to experience change in our lives we need to first experience the overthrow of our hearts by Christ Jesus. We must hear and believe that he is the Lord and that by him we can be forgiven of our sins. As we focus our soul upon him, we will see his perfect will... that of loving Him and loving others. Unconditionally.
When we let the Gospel invade our lives we see our priorities change. Our passions become redirected and brought into focus for the first time. But here’s the deal folks… we can experience this great transformation of our minds… we can develop a new outlook on life… we can set new priorities… we can even establish all the greatest resolutions in the world, but if we don’t ever take action… Well, if we don’t ever take action, it’s worthless. This is what it means to find a new way to be human. It’s find a new way to live. To take action when someone is in need. To walk across the room to take the message of Jesus to a hurting person. To find a way to forgive someone that has wronged you… and hurt you deeply. This is what it means for us to live Christ. I want to challenge you today. Aspire to greatness in Christ. Christ said that those who would believe in him would do even greater things than he had done. What can you do this week… this day to actively “live Christ?” Do you have a soul obsession or are you caught up with a focus on the cosmetic things of this world?
posted by Gregg @ 9:38 PM
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