Sermon Tone Analysis

THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH

*“Preach the Word”*

*Message Six: Biblical Conversion*

* *

Back in the last century, specifically the decade of the seventies before the arrival of the minivan people would buy an ordinary van and then they would take this plain ordinary van and they would transform it into whatever suited the owner’s personality and many times the owner’s bad taste!

The metal walls and the floor of the van would be covered with shag carpeting, and most of the time the preferred color was something like burnt orange!

Captain’s chairs would be installed and a killer stereo system would be cranking out the music of the day.

But the transformation usually didn’t stop with just the inside, oh no the outside would undergo a similar transformation as the inside did.

All sorts of animals and creatures would be painted on the van, or perhaps a nature scene or even some kind of hideous figure would be painted all over the van.

These vans were kinda like the Mystery Machine that Scooby Do and the gang rode around in.

What were those vans called?

They were called “conversion vans”.

Why?

Because they had undergone a major change.

Last week we examined the power of the Word of God to produce, to effect change in a person’s life.

There can be no life apart from the Word of God and there can be no fundamental change apart from the Word of God.

God’s goal in your redemption is to change you from what you are to what He has predestined you to be.

What has God pre-destined you to be?

"*For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” (Romans 8:29NASB95)*

God’s design for you is to change you from what you are into what He wants you to be.

I’ve used a particular word or phrase both today and last week that is key to our proper understanding.

That phrase is “fundamental change”.

What do I mean when I say that the change that takes place in us is something more than superficial self-generated change.

Like the vans of the seventies, a total transformation must take place.

We must be converted.

The questions before us this morning are, what is conversion and how does this same conversion take place?

There are many things about Biblical Christianity that are grossly abused and mis-understood today.

Conversion is certainly one of those subjects.

I am probably asked more questions about conversion than I am about anything else.

So I think it would be beneficial to examine this subject from the Scriptures.

Let’s study the subject of conversion by simply asking and answering some basic questions.

Question one:

 

*1.

IS CHANGE NECESSARY?*

* *

This seems to be an un-necessary question.

But many people are quick to say that they don’t need to change.

They have developed complacency, a fatal complacency with who and what they are.

Still others in our day of tolerance and political correctness would openly wonder if we have the right to confront people with their need to change.

Yet in spite of complacency and objections the Bible is crystal clear and steadfast that change is not only needed, change is a must!

Why is change a must?

Because of what we fundamentally are!

According to the Scriptures a person who has not experienced a biblical conversion they are…

 

            1.

Spiritually dead.

"*And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,” (Ephesians 2:1NASB95) *

Obviously Paul is writing to those in Ephesus who had already been converted.

But how does he characterize them before their conversion?

He said that they were dead in their trespasses and sins.

A person who has not been converted needs to realize that

 

            2.

You are not a good person.

You may not be as bad as you could be, but you’re not as good as you need to be!  Listen to what Paul wrote to the Romans

"*What then?

Are we better than they?

Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”

“Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known.”

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." \\ (Romans 3:9-20NASB95)*

Before conversion each and every person finds themselves characterized by the Scriptures as not being good, they are unrighteous, they do not seek after God, they do not do good, and to emphasize his point, Paul says “THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE!”

Do you know what these verses are, or at least what they should be?

They are a reality check!

These verses bring us face to face with the reality that we are in desperate need of change, a change that is only possible by the grace of God.

Another reality check is that God does not owe His grace to anyone!

Grace by definition cannot be owed.

Something that is owed to a person is not grace it is a DEBT!  God does not owe us grace, what does He owe us?

He owes us justice!

*2.

IS CHANGE REALLY POSSIBLE?*

Hopefully at this point we agree that change is necessary.

That leads us to another question.

Is change really possible?

Most people do not believe that fundamental change is a realistic possibility.

Perhaps that belief is based upon their own attempts to change.

Or on their observations of others who have attempted to change and failed.

The world for the most part has given up believing that real change is possible.

How do we know that?

We know that because the word relies on M & M’s.

Not the candy, but rather management and medication.

Do you have an anger problem?

Then let’s send you to anger management classes.

You drink too much?

Let’s try and get you to manage it.

Or if we can’t manage it, let’s medicate it.

The reason the world has given up on believing real change is possible is because they are too narrow in their focus.

The world focuses only on the resources that are available to them in this physical world that they can see.

They deny that there is any outside help available to them.

Of course the outside help we are referring to is the help that God provides through His Spirit and His Word.

The gospel contains the promise of change for all who turn from their sins and turn to Christ; those who turn from sin to Christ experience a change in their very nature.

*3.

WHAT CHANGE IS NEEDED?*

That’s a good question.

Just exactly what kind of change do we need to undergo?  Society and the self-help experts believe that the only change we need is to re-order our lives so that we can reach our potential.

Now we are beginning to focus in on the real issue.

The world’s desire, mankind’s desire is to reach whatever they may think their potential is, but in reality that is simply another expression of their self-centeredness.

It is this desire for everything to center on us that must be changed.

Why must it be changed?

Self-centered living always leads us away from God.

Only God –centered living brings us closer to God.

Many today are more focused on discovering themselves, as if everything revolves around them.

But the Scriptures teach something that is totally opposite of that.

The Scriptures teach that we do not need to discover ourselves, rather we must turn from our self-centered living – which is an expression of our sinfulness and turn by faith to Christ.

The Scriptures teach that we must turn from our sin and turn to God.

It is only as we turn away from our sin and turn towards the Savior that the kind of change we need to have happen to us takes place.

We don’t need more of us, we need more of Him!

Mark Dever writes, “*/It is in this great change that we are saved.

We understand our state apart from this change to be dire, and so we call this change conversion, or salvation.