How do I change?

Hey, thanks again for sending in questions related to our recent sermons. This last week in our study of Jeremiah, we talked primarily about how sin affects God. Um, that when we run from him, when we disobey him, when we live contrary to him, that it breaks his heart. Uh, he’s truly grieved, angry, um, but neither does he completely push us away forever.

In fact, he does the opposite. He pursues us to pardon us, to forgive us, to bring us back to him. So, the question this week is, um, really, how do I change? If I see sin in my life, I don’t want to grieve God. I love God. Um, I want to walk in step with him, but, uh, sin has entangled me. I’m, I’m into things I can’t get out of.

I want to begin things that I don’t seem like I can begin. Um, how, how can I actually start living the way that I want to live and that God wants me to live? Um, and I would, I would say, uh, that is the exact right question, which we should all be asking every day and pursuing every day and striving for every day. Um, and a response is multi-layered.

Certainly, certainly our, um, our, our decisions, our willpower has a role to play. There’s many places where we’re commanded to, um, get sin out of our lives. Second Corinthians 7, you know, like, let’s, let’s purify ourselves. Um, let’s, let’s get sin out. Um, there’s a role that the community plays. Uh, Hebrews 10, let’s stir one another up to, to, to good deeds. Um, and, uh, or Hebrews 12, going back to our responsibility, let’s let go of the sin which so easily entangles.

So there’s certainly our decision, our willpower, other people helping us along the way. Um, but ultimately, what, how that’s going to happen is God, God intervening in our lives. Um, sin won’t get out of our lives without us striving, but in the end, we will see it’s really not our striving that did it. Um, a few examples, you know, even going back to the Old Testament, Leviticus 20, uh, verse 7, God commands his people, be holy, right?

So you’d think that’s them that’s doing it. But then verse 8, the immediate next verse, God says, I’m the one who makes you holy. So first command, be holy. Second, how that’s going to happen, I the Lord your God make you holy. Um, First Thessalonians 5:23, may your whole body, soul, spirit be blameless at the coming of the Lord.

Okay? It’s a command, be blameless. Verse 24, the one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. So again, God fulfilling the command that he has issued on our behalf. Philippians 1:6, um, you know, he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Um, again, God doing the transformation in our hearts to make us more like him. Um, even, uh, even our desire, um, to walk in holiness comes from God. It’s John 16, it’s the Holy Spirit that convicts the world in regard to sin.

So, if you are asking the question, how do I, how do I get my life more in line with God? The good news is God is already working in your life. He’s already started a work in you. Um, and he will carry it on to completion. Doesn’t mean that we don’t strive, um, but it does mean that really God is the one who, who does it.

We’ll see this more, um, in our Jeremiah series, that, uh, Jeremiah gives lots of commands to the people. He denounces much of what they’re doing, but ultimately, the way that they’re going to be healed is God is going to bring them out of this mess. Um, and so I know the question comes, so what, so what does that mean that I actually do? Um, yes, uh, persevere, strive, confess your sin, read your Bible, be in community with others, ask for help, pray, beg God, uh, to bring sin out of your life.

Put good habits in your life. Um, put boundaries around yourself. If there’s places you shouldn’t go or people you shouldn’t talk to or things you shouldn’t walk. Absolutely do all of that. Strive, as we are commanded, uh, to do. But, you know, someday in the future, when you’re looking back on this season and all your efforts to get sin out of your life, um, if you’re in a future state where you’re, where sin, where some particular habit or whatever is out of your life, when you’re like, how did

that happen? How did that get out of my life? What, what you will see in hindsight is it really wasn’t the striving, it really wasn’t the community around you. It was really God in all of those things, um, that liberated you, um, out of, out of this sin that so easily entangles. Um, and he will get all the praise and glory. Um, so we hope that’s helpful. We’ll see you next time.