Awareness, Confirmation and Conversion - John 3:1-8 4/26/09

Awareness, Confirmation and Conversion - John 3:1-8 4/26/09

1Now there was a man for the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.[a] 4"How can a man be born when he is old?" How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked, "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying. 'You must be born again. 8Teh wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Gonna start with born again...in case you get stuck there
Sometimes when humans hijack biblical phrases and hurt people with them.
There are not 2 classes of Christians, born again and not, all Christians are born again.
What does that mean?
It means that a change is taking place from the inside out.
Out of your soul, your spirit, you have begun a journey with Christ

Awareness, confirmation, conversion
conversion
I love this topic - why?
It is such a blessing to walk with people as they come to know our Father
and to come to know that
There is a God who is bigger than my ideas about Him.

Awareness, confirmation, conversion
How this played out in the life of Nicodemus
He is a Pharisee - a member of their ruling council
Awareness - John 3 - seeking. there is something good about Jesus
Yet Jesus does not go for the closing of the sale. He does not pull the trigger on him.
Jesus is inviting Nic to believe in a God that is bigger than his current belief system.

Confirmation - John 7 considering his own belief system

John 7:45-52 45finally the temple guards went back tot he chief priests and Pharisees, who asked then, "Why didn't you bring him in? 46No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared. 47You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. 48Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law-there is a curse on them." 50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was on of their own number, asked, 51"Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find our what he is going?" 52They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.

How this plays our for us...
It is an ongoing process-we never arrive
Unless you know it all
The time I knew the least was when I thought that I knew it all
To the degree that we have it all figured out, is the degree to which we need a conversion

Awareness
We are seekers...
We will never in our life know everything about God
Isaiah, my ways are higher than your ways Isaiah 55

8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

It doesn't mean that you don't seek, but it means that you never arrive
We must keep seeking our whole life, with a humble heart

Confirmation...deciding to stay with old beliefs
My confirmation experience
For the 50 kids today - do I decode to keep what my parents taught me?

Do I decide to keep what I have believed for so long...
What is I let it go and make some changes?
This is all that I have known...

For me, massive changes in my lifetime
Liturgy + traditions
second coming
for another - alter calls
Alter calls...why we don't have them...

My preference is that God acts...no preacher is needed
Marriage and relationships - serve me or serve others

Conversion...they all look different
see how the wind blows
you can't control them...they are intensely personal

yet we try
and we end up cookie cutting people...
you didn't do it this way, so it isn't any good.

this is not an exact science-there is no formula
The wind blows as it wills
Sometimes we resist simply because we don't want to look like "them
But what is we came to believe that the spirit really works in difference ways?

Examples
The Apostle Paul
Peter - Matthew 16 you are the Christ the som of the living God
Isaiah
Noah

Conclusion
Not everyone come to Christ or experiences him in the same way
Out understanding of our experiences change.
John Wesley
Faith of a servant, faith of a son.
Churches are full of people who beleive they were Christians at 14, 18 or 22 but now have learned so much more,

What if I told you that 20 years from now you may look back on today and wonder if you were a Christian

This is why one conversion, on choosing isn't enough
Choosing once, twice, three times...
Decision for Christ is an ongoing part of being in relationship with him

Today I want to say to you...where ever you are at, what ever is going on, what ever it looks like for you...you can choose him

Are youready to move into a new phase of your relationship with God?
Let us pray.

Confirmation, Power to Live - April 22, 2001

Sermon 4-22-01 confirmation, power to live

American Graffitti……taking requests
Sermon provided by request
Scripture usually 40 days after easter, but fits today
Read scripture

Jesus…power/authority/lordship
I am with you
What does that mean???? Power
What would you do if you knew you could not fail

We fail…we have failed, we will fail
What would you do if you could not fail
Buy a lottery ticket/Ask prettiest girl to prom

If I knew I could not fail, I would apply my all to success
I would apply all my energies
God has done his part, what is mine
Softball, bring shoes & glove
What is my part in this equation???

1. realize youre not perfect…you will fail
pain & stress is good
they drive us to pray
I pray for others…..
I pray for me….I am important to Jesus too

2. I would give
tithes X 2 = RETURN ON INVESTMENT
I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF TITHING UNTIL I STARTED TITHING. THEN I REALIZED THAT I ALWAYS HAD A "MEANS TO THE END". GOOD THINGS JUST HAPPENED. PEOPLE ARE OFTEN INTIMIDATED BY 10% OF WHAT THEY
MAKE. MY PHILOSOPHY IS THAT YOU START SMALL, AND HE WILL BLESS YOU WITH MORE. SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT CHURCHES "WASTE MONEY". WELL, IN MY OPINION,
THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM... I DID WHAT THE BIBLE HAS INSTRUCTED ME TO DO AND WHAT HAPPENS TO IT AFTER THAT, IS THE PERSON WHO'S IN CHARGE PROBLEM. I CAN'T ALWAYS TITHE AS MUCH AS I SHOULD BUT, I DO THE BEST THAT I CAN EVERY SUNDAY. START SMALL AND GROW..
Church’s job to call people to faithfulness
Priorities on a big scale picture

3. live clean

PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR FAMILY. BE THERE FOR YOUR SPOUSE. YOUR CHILDREN.. YOUR
IN-LAWS...AND EVEN STRANGERS... GIVE WILLINGLY EXPECTING NOTHING IN
RETURN.. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE FAVOR MAY BE RETURNED.. AND IF SOMEONE
"NASTIES" ON YOU, SO BE IT. THEY HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. REMEMBER,
"VENGEANCE IS MINE"... TAKE THE ATTITUDE IN HOUSEHOLD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO
GIVE MORE THAN YOU RECEIVE AND THE OTHER WILL THINK THE SAME.. THIS WILL MAKE FOR SOME "GREAT HARMONY"

4. forgive…
let go/forgive & choose your battles X 4 = LESS ULCERS, WRINKLES AND LOWER
BLOOD PRESSURE
LET GO OF THE PAST. THE HEART ACHES. THE ILL THOUGHTS. THE FEARS. LEARN
FROM THEM AND GO ON. IF YOU DWELL ON THEM, YOU MAY MISS SOME OF THE
BLESSINGS THAT ARE IN STORE FOR BY WASTING ALL THAT ENERGY ON BATTLES THAT
YOU CANNOT WIN. AND IF YOU DO WIN ONE, WHAT HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHEd

Conclusion…
These steps can help lead us to joy, health, prosperity
Implement these, you will fail less often
You will be successful in the things that God calls us to do

Not softball, Go make disciples