"NEW YEAR'S REVOLUTIONS!"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte

ROMANS 12:1-21

1. A REVOLUTION IN AFFECTION:
1. Paul would have us escape the allurement of the world and its influences. Paul would have us be unaffected by affection for the world. James and John concur:
1. James said, "Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God" James 4:4 (NLT).
2. John said, "Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world" 1 John 2:15-16 (NLT).
3. Paul further wrote, "And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self©control, right conduct, and devotion to God" Titus 2:12 (NLT).
2. What this means is that while once our affection centered on this world, this life, the pleasures, possessions, purposes that pertain to this environment, a revolution has occurred and our affections have turned toward God and things of eternity. It means that we are not friends of the world, but of God. So, what does it require to be God's friends. Certainly more than a friendly feeling toward Him. Greg Laurie points out:
1. First, true friends of Jesus will obey Him. Jesus said, "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you" John 15:14. If you are not obeying Him, then you have no right to claim that you are His friend.
2. Second, the obedience Jesus requires is an active obedience. Some people think it is enough to merely avoid what God forbids. They might say, "I am not a thief, an adulterer, or an alcoholic." That would be like saying to someone, "I am your friend because I don't rob you or cheat you or insult you or beat you up." But it is not just a matter of not doing the wrong things. It is also a matter of doing the right things.
3. Third, true friends of Jesus obey Him because they want to. Obedience comes as a desire and not a duty if we really have a friendship with Jesus. We don't say, "Read the Bible? Again?" or "Pray? I don't really feel like praying right now." When Jesus is your friend, you look forward to Bible study. You look forward to prayer. You look forward to your time with Him.
3. Dr. George Sweeting tells about the time his family visited Niagara Falls. It was spring, and ice was rushing down the river. As he watched, he could see that there were carcasses of dead fish embedded in the ice. Gulls by the score were riding down the river feeding on the fish. As they came to the brink of the falls, their wings would go out, and they would escape from the falls. He watched one gull which was engrossed in the carcass of a fish, and when it finally came to the brink of the falls, out went its powerful wings. The bird flapped and flapped but it had delayed too long so that its claws had frozen into the ice. The weight of the ice was too great, and the gull plunged into the raging water below. The lesson is that "The finest attractions of this world become deadly when we become overly attached to them. They may take us to our destruction if we cannot give them up."

So we need a revolution in affection. But we also need:

2. A REVOLUTION IN ATTITUDES:
1. Look at the attitudes Paul promotes in these verses:
1. An attitude of humility which plays out in these ways:
1. Not thinking of ourseves more highly than we ought,
2. Honoring one another above ourselves."
3. Not being proud or conceited, but willing to associate with people of low position.
2. An attitude of sincere love which shows itself in these ways:
1. Being devoted to one another in brotherly love.
2. Rejoicing with those who rejoice; mourning with those who mourn.
3. Living in harmony with one another.
4. Not repaying anyone evil for evil.
5. Being careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
6. Living at peace with everyone.
7. Not taking revenge, but leaving room for God's wrath,
3. An attitude of hating what is evil; clinging to what is good.
4. An attitude of being zealous, keeping spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
5. An attitude of being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
6. An attitude of willingness to share with God's people who are in need and practicing hospitality.
7. An attitude of blessing those who persecute us.
2. Attitude determines our outlook on life. Attitude makes us negative or positive. Think about it: Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation's deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.
3. Attitude is crucial because what we think, we become; our attitudes determine the direction of our lives; our attitudes determine our actions.

So we need a revolution in affection and in attitude. But we also need:

3. A REVOLUTION IN ACTIONS:
1. Overcome evil with good. That means do the good. Let good actions overcome evil actions. Some make the mistake of thinking that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior.
2. Doug McIntosh wrote about keeping our behavior, or actions, lined up with our belief. He offers these suggestions for changing our actions:
1. Realize that spiritual warfare goes on every day, and that it can influence you. Wrong choices will open you up to attacks that will put you in bondage. But right choices will deepen your relationship with God and help you grow stronger.
2. Invite the Holy Spirit to fill your life and help you be alert to your current moral struggles. Confess your sins, decide to make better choices in the future, and ask for the grace to help you do so.
3. Don't tolerate "little things" that you know are wrong because "little" sins can be just as significant as "big" ones.
4. Meditate on God's holiness, and strive to live a pure life so you can better honor Him.
5. When you experience a moral failure, try to make things right. For example, if you lied to someone, go back to that person and change your story so it reflects the truth.
6. Take God seriously. Remember that Christianity is not a hobby - it's meant to be a faith that connects you to the living God and transforms you completely.
7. Plan in advance to avoid situations that you know will tempt you to make wrong choices. Draw extra strength from prayer and Scripture reading and avoid becoming involved in any situation in which you would be ashamed to invite Christ to join you.
3. A school teacher who was bypassed for a promotion went to her administrator and complained, "I have twenty years of experience, and you promoted someone who had only been teaching five years." The administrator replied, "No, you don't have twenty years of experience. You have one year of experience twenty times. You're still teaching the same things and in the same way you did your first year. You haven't grown in your profession." Christ wants us to grow, to develop, to become effective representatives of Himself. He wants our behavior to change, not to be just a replication of past wrong actions over and over again.

When there is a genuine revolution in our affections, and God becomes the center, our attitudes undergo a radical change. When our attitudes undergo revolution, our lives are changed. When our lives are changed, our actions change. There is a turning, a repentance, a revolution. A change in affection, in attitude and in action needs to come from within, from the heart made new by Jesus Christ. He will change your heart, and that will bring about some significan New Year's Revolutions. Are you ready to ask Him to do that? Then make this song your request: "Change My Heart, O God!" / "Search Me O God."

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