Well, I'm wondering how many of you have made New Year's resolutions.
Dare I ask for you to put your hand up ever so slowly
if you think that's a good thing to do.
Because, frankly, I never do it.
I don't do it because I know that it only is going to take an hour or two
and I've actually messed up my New Year's resolution.
But if you are a devotee of John Piper,
John Piper would say we need to be making new resolutions every day.
Every day we are to be turning our eyes towards Jesus.
So I need to take a little lesson from that.
Now, considering it's the beginning of a new year,
I thought it would be good to talk about change
because this is our moment to actually step into a new year
and to be fresh and to go with vigour into what it is
that the Lord actually would wish for us to be doing.
So I want to ask you,
if you were to change something of yourself,
what is it that you would be wanting to start with?
Lots of us would start with things like,
we want to be skinnier,
we want to be taller,
shorter,
better looking,
or would you change your eyes,
your hair,
your teeth,
your legs,
your bulges,
maybe just quietly?
If you were to wave a magic wand
and change any part of your appearance,
would it be a light touch-up
or would it be like one of those massive extreme makeovers
that you see on television,
which I personally actually really love,
where you can't even recognise the person
who's had the extreme makeover
from the person who started?
I just think that is amazing.
Well, I think we all go through periods
where we desperately want to change something,
something about ourselves.
Teenagers live in a state of wanting,
living in a state of constant fear
that they don't look good enough,
that they,
so they tinker and experiment with fads,
with fashion,
with this T-shirt,
that hat,
or whatever the latest artist might be wearing.
But when we grow older,
we get smarter.
Or do we?
We spend hours trying to find just the right dress
or the right shirt
or the right pair of pants
that will fit into whatever the crowd is
that we're trying to impress.
And some diet obsessively
and work out,
which is good for our health,
but it can be a losing battle really,
can't it?
Because we might lose weight
and finally look good
and then slowly it all sort of starts
to creep back on again
and we might reach a stage in our life
where we think it's just much better
to cover it up
and not even bother anymore.
Or maybe we just stop caring
about ourselves altogether.
But people change slowly.
If they change at all.
But as hard as it is to change on the outside,
it seems infinitely harder
to change on the inside.
Think about all the struggles
that you might have in your life.
What would you change about yourself
on the inside if you could?
Would it be an impatient spirit,
a critical tongue,
envy of those around you,
a spirit of discontentment,
lingering resentment,
lust you can't conquer,
financial mismanagement,
a guilty conscience,
an inability to work with others,
overbearing stubbornness,
a judgmental spirit,
a profound discouragement,
an inability to appreciate life,
an ungrateful spirit,
a disorganised life,
an inability to say no,
a mean streak that you can't seem
to get rid of?
The list is unending.
We would all want to change something.
But we don't know how to do it.
And we don't know where to begin.
And dare I say,
many of us have areas in our life
that need change
and we are so blinded
by the fact that we need to change that
that we don't even see it.
That's called deception.
We all dream of being someone different at times.
A better person.
Advertisers know this
and so that is why your email box,
your inbox is always crammed filled
with advertising to tell you
that you can lose weight,
you can make money,
you can learn a new language.
I constantly receive,
and I'm not too sure
if the computer actually knows this,
but I constantly receive
unwanted emails about this herb
that you can take in a pill form
from Africa
where you don't have to exercise,
you don't have to worry
about what food you eat
and you lose weight.
I mean, how fantastic is that?
The problem is,
I think the only thing that you lose
is lots of dollars
and maybe not the weight.
So, you know,
sort of unfortunately,
that's not something
that I want to take up.
Change is hard.
Go to any bookstore
and you'll see an entire wall
of self-help books.
Helping people to change
is big business nowadays.
But when we get up in the morning
and we look in the mirror,
it is still the same person
that we see from yesterday.
That's why we sometimes want to move.
We change jobs,
we buy a new car,
we start a new career,
we have a new boyfriend,
we have a new girlfriend,
we have a new outfit,
we go and change work.
It's not as easy as those things.
Those things aren't wrong in themselves,
but sometimes we need to make outward changes.
But it's not the outward stuff
that trips us up.
It's the stuff that's on the inside.
Well, the great news is
that there is an answer
and most of you here in this building
would actually know
that the answer
is going to be the Sunday school answer.
It is Jesus.
We all know that.
Do we?
Yes, of course we do.
We all know that it's Jesus,
is the answer.
So why is it that we have so much trouble?
What we learn with our heads
needs to travel 30 centimetres
in my old schooling, one foot,
but 30 centimetres to reach our heart.
And without that journey to our heart,
whatever we know about Jesus,
we'll actually be missing the point.
So the change,
the lasting change that we want
is going to come
by our hearts being transformed.
What does it mean to follow Jesus then
with our hearts?
In our reading in Matthew 4,
we see Jesus
walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee
and he calls Peter and Andrew
and also James and John
to follow him.
Two sets of brothers
who are at work
doing what they do daily,
earning a living.
Now these guys
have already met Jesus
either days or weeks
or a couple of months beforehand.
Not sure of how long it is,
but we see their first meeting with Jesus
in John chapter 1
from verse 35.
Let me read it for you.
The next day,
John was there again
with two of his disciples.
When he saw Jesus passing by,
he said,
look,
the Lamb of God.
When the two disciples
heard him say this,
they followed Jesus.
Turning around,
Jesus saw them following
and asked,
what do you want?
They said,
Rabbi,
which means teacher.
Where are you staying?
Come,
he replied,
and you will see.
So they went and saw
where he was staying
and they spent the day with him.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother,
was one of the two
who heard what John had said
and who had followed Jesus.
The first thing Andrew did
was to find his brother Simon
and tell him,
we have found the Messiah,
that is the Christ.
And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him
and said,
you are Simon,
son of John,
you will be called Cephas,
which now means,
translated,
Peter.
It seems that these new followers
of Jesus
had hung out with Jesus
for a time
and then had time
to reflect on who Jesus was.
And so when he's called to them
to drop everything
and to follow him,
they were ready
to do so immediately.
That is,
they left their work,
they left their income
and their security,
they left their family,
their focus
was on Jesus
and Jesus alone.
They weren't concerned
about what others
might have thought.
Obedience to Jesus
meant what was important
in life yesterday,
that is work,
income,
now is totally secondary today.
Jesus is now
their focus
and their priority
in life.
They were believers first,
but now
they are obedient followers.
Two very,
very different things.
their world
is about to change,
but will it change quickly?
No.
Will it change with ease?
No.
Will there be lessons
to learn?
Yes,
definitely.
And will there be rejoicing?
Yes,
definitely.
It is the same for us
when we obediently
follow Jesus.
Is Jesus
your main focus
in life?
Are your eyes
fixed on him
over and above
your family,
your work,
your free time,
your sport,
your hobby?
This is a challenge
for me.
My free time,
if I have it,
I love watching movies.
Love it.
But I can watch a movie
quite easily
and be sitting there
knowing full well
that I have not
gone and read my Bible,
I have not allowed
Jesus to input
into my life
by reading
his word,
I haven't actually
had time
praying that day
and committing
my day to the Lord.
I have my priorities
very,
very messed up
at times
and I am certain
that
many of you
might have also.
If we were to judge
the adequacy
of a bunch
of fishermen
by their appearance,
what would we see?
We would see
sun-beaten bodies
they'd be well-tanned,
they'd be muscles,
strong men physically,
not sure
how strong
they would be
emotionally,
educated in fishing,
not so educated
academically,
hard-working.
Would we look
and choose
them
for the A-team
to be the disciples
of Jesus
the Messiah?
I think not.
and why not?
Because we
constantly
fall into the trap
of looking
at a person
and judging them
by what is
on the outside,
their education,
their financial
security,
what school
or college
they went to,
what uni,
how they look,
what they wear
and we do
this same thing
without knowing
what is on the inside
and without
realising
someone's potential.
And we make
the same
foolish mistake
and foolish
judgement
of ourselves
and we
miss
the need
and the potential
to change
the inside.
We are in a trap
that we
cannot fix.
Consider what happens
when a caterpillar
enters a cocoon
only to emerge
later
as a beautiful
butterfly.
The caterpillar
doesn't change
its basic nature.
Metamorphosis
reveals what
was always
there
in the genes
of the caterpillar.
Caterpillars
can't fly
but they were
born
to fly.
when the caterpillar
has been changed
into a butterfly
it becomes
what God
always
intended
that caterpillar
to be.
And we cannot
see
what God's
intentions
for us
are either
because
it happens
from the inside.
These great
men
who Jesus
called to
follow him
also had
need of
change
on the inside
but the
change
was going
to be
painful
at times
at least
and dare I
say
downright
embarrassing.
We read
in Matthew
26
where Jesus
predicts
his death
and also
that Peter
was going
to deny
him
not once
but three
times.
Of course
Peter didn't
believe this.
of course
he would
have been
offended
that Jesus
would think
such a
thing.
I mean
how often
have you
been offended
when somebody
speaks
something about
you that
you embarrassingly
find out
was correct
in the end?
This
happens
to me
more times
than I'd
like to
count
or that
I'd like
to share
even maybe.
my heart
is clearly
not pure
and not
perfect
and dare
I say
nor is
yours.
Look at
Peter's
confident
answer.
He declares
even if
I die
with you
I will
never
disown
you.
And then
it doesn't
take very
long for
Peter's
heart to
be shown
when he
has the
encounter
with the
servant
girl
who
confidently
states
that
Peter
was also
with
Jesus.
And what
does
Peter
do?
Remembering
this is
the Peter
who loves
Jesus
declared
he will
never
fall
away
and
deny
Jesus.
Peter
lies
and he
runs
away.
Isn't
it bizarre
that we
all believe
that if
I just
move
into a
different
space
be it
changing
work,
changing
church,
changing
friends,
that the
problem
won't
follow
us.
But it
does.
If the
problem is
never
resolved
it's
always
going to
stick with
you like
glue.
Another
person
confidently
says that
Peter was
with Jesus
and Peter
denies it
and then
a group
of men
challenge
Peter
and he
denies
that he
knows
Jesus
the third
time.
Imagine
Peter's
shock
when he
heard
that rooster
crow.
How
devastating.
How
utterly
terrible
to see
one's
own
heart
for what
it truly
is.
Peter
wept
bitterly.
Friends,
that too
should be
our response
when we
truly see
the reality
of our
hearts.
How often
or have
you ever
been so
struck
by the
darkness
of your
heart
that you
have
wept
bitterly.
Maybe
for us
to move
into
2016
we
first
all
need
to
shed
heartfelt
tears
of the
darkness
of our
own
hearts
and receive
the love
and the
grace
and the
forgiveness
that only
Jesus
can actually
bring.
Jesus
called Peter
to follow
him
and it
was
Jesus
who saw
potential
within
Peter
even
though
there was
much to
learn
and much
change
to occur
and Jesus
has called
us to
himself.
He has
called us
to follow
him.
He has
called us
to obey
him
and we
too
have
much
to
learn
and
much
change
to
happen
within
us
and we
wonder
at the
beginning
of another
year
can I
change
is there
potential?
In the
year
1464
a sculptor
named
Agostino
di
Duccio
Apology
if I've
said that
incorrectly
began
working on
a huge
piece
of
floored
marble
intending
to produce
a magnificent
sculpture
of an
Old
Testament
prophet
for a
cathedral
in
Florence
Italy.
He
laboured
for two
years
and then
he stopped.
In
1476
Antonio
Rossellino
started to
work on
the same
piece of
marble
and in
time
abandoned
it also.
In
1501
a 26
year old
sculptor
named
Michelangelo
was offered
a considerable
sum of
money to
produce
something
worthwhile
from that
enormous
block of
marble
called
the
giant
and as
he began
his work
he saw
a major
floor
near the
bottom
that had
stymied
other
sculptors.
He decided
to turn that
part of the
stone into
a broken
tree,
a broken
tree stump
that would
support the
right leg
and the
rest he
worked on
for four
years
until he
had produced
the
incomparable
David.
Today the
17 foot
tall statue
stands on
display at the
Academia
Gallery in
Florence
where people
come from
all around
the world
to view it.
more than
a masterpiece
it is one
of the
greatest
works of
art
ever
produced.
It has
been said
there is
no statue
more perfect.
You might
have a
different view
as I do
but that's
what they
say.
How did
Michelangelo
do it?
Well here
is the answer
in his own
words.
He said
in every
block of
marble I
see a
statue.
As plain
as though
it stood
before me
shaped
and perfect
in attitude
and action
I have
only to
hew away
the rough
walls that
imprison the
lovely
apparition
to reveal
it to
other eyes
as mine
see it.
Said in
more colloquial
terms
I cut
away
everything
that didn't
look like
David.
All of
us
are works
in progress.
Now apply
this to
the spiritual
life.
We're not
finished.
We're not
glorified.
We're not
perfected.
We're not
completed.
We're all
under
construction.
Whilst the
chipping away
of unwanted
bits
continues
it's hard
to imagine
what the
final result
will be.
God
never
stops
working
on us
because
there is
so much
work
that needs
to be
done.
In
Isaiah
64
verse 8
it says
O Lord
you are
our
father
we are
the clay
you are
the potter
we are
all the
work of
your hand.
In my
mind's
eye
I picture
God as
a sculptor
working with
a rough
piece of
marble.
He's
working on
a big
chunk
named
Deb
Gould.
It's a
hard job
because the
chunk is
badly
marred,
it's
misshapen,
it's
discoloured
and cracked
in odd
places.
It's about
the worst
piece of
marble a
sculptor
could ever
find.
But God
is undeterred
and he
works patiently
at his
job
chipping away
the bad
parts,
chiseling,
in an
image
into the
hard stone,
stopping
occasionally
to polish
here and
there.
One day
he will
finish
one section
of the
statue.
The next
morning when
he returns
to the
studio,
that section
is messed
up.
I thought
I finished
that yesterday
he says,
who's been
messing with
my statue?
It turns
out that
I'm the
culprit.
I'm my
own
worst
enemy.
What I
thought would
improve
things has
only messed
them up
by my
actions,
by trying
to take
control,
by being
self-centred.
But God
is faithful.
He is
patiently
picks up
his chisel
and goes
back to
work.
He's
chipping
away
everything
that doesn't
look like
Jesus.
In my
case,
it's evident
that he's
got a
long way
to go,
but I'm
encouraged
by the
certain
knowledge
that he
will not
give up.
He will
not quit
halfway
through a
project.
What God
starts,
God
finishes.
After
Peter's
huge
debacle,
one would
think that
he would
be kicked
out of
the list
of close
friends and
disciples of
Jesus.
But if
you turn
with me to
John 21,
verses 15
to 18,
we read
this.
When they
had finished
eating,
Jesus said
to Simon
Peter,
Simon,
son of
John,
do you
love me
more than
these?
Yes,
Lord,
he said,
you know
that I
love you.
Jesus
said,
feed my
lambs.
Again,
Jesus said,
Simon,
son of
John,
do you
love me?
He
answered,
yes,
Lord,
you know
that I
love you.
Jesus
said,
take my
sheep.
The third
time he
said to
him,
Simon,
son of
John,
do you
love me?
Peter was
hurt because
Jesus asked
him the
third time,
do you
love me?
He said,
Lord,
you know
all things,
you know
that I
love you.
And Jesus
said,
feed my
sheep.
Isn't that
beautiful?
that is
no accident
that Jesus
asked that
question three
times.
Three times
Peter disowned
Jesus and
three times
Jesus wanted
to show
Peter that
he is still
Jesus'
man.
Jesus knew
the change
in Peter's
heart and
he was
reinstated as
it was to
the role that
Jesus had
always planned
for him.
Peter had
the role of
feeding Jesus'
sheep to
lead his
people.
It was a
ministry beyond
anything a
simple fisherman
would ever
have dreamed.
We see the
transformation of
Peter, the
change that was
orchestrated by
Jesus when we
read Peter's
address to the
crowds in Acts
2.
The Holy
Spirit comes
and fills all
the followers
of Jesus and
miraculously they
speak in
different tongues
with eloquence,
with power,
with authority.
This is a
change that
cannot be
achieved by
human effort
or by positive
thinking or by
any self-help
book.
This is a
change that
Jesus makes
for those who
follow and
obey him.
Remember right
at the
beginning we
saw Peter
and the
others leave
everything to
follow Jesus.
Being a
disciple of
Jesus is
dependent upon
us being
100% devoted
and in love
with Jesus
above all
other
distractions.
Jesus needs
to be our
priority for
change to
occur.
Do you want
change?
Do you want
change on the
inside that
will last?
Then we need
to make
2016 a
year of
being devoted
to the
only one
who can
change us
into the
people that
he envisions
us to be.
Let me
encourage you
this week
to spend
time with
God and
ask him
what area
of your
life this
year needs
changing on
the inside.
It will not
happen overnight
but it will
happen if you
obey Jesus
and keep your
eyes on him
day by day
moment by
moment.
How wonderful
it will be
that when we
are in heaven
we will get
to see the
masterpiece
that the
Lord is
working on
right now
for each
other.
Remember we
are all
works in
progress and
we all have
potential if
we follow and
obey the
master.
We may
even choose
the same
engraving on
our headstones
when the day
comes that we
die that Ruth
Graham, the
wife of the
great evangelist
Billy Graham,
has on her
headstone.
and it
says,
end of
construction.
Thank you
for your
patience.