In this series, we’re trying to wrestle with how significantly Jesus changes a life. Jesus himself described it as someone starting over, being born again.
One of the first Christian leaders, Paul, said it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
This might make it sound like a one time thing, but it’s actually just the beginning of constant transformation. Here’s how Paul put it in Romans 12:1-2 (ESV): “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.“
Like when a baby is born, all kinds of development suddenly kickstarts – breathing air, feeding by mouth, seeing unfiltered light, and more. No longer in the womb, a baby’s mind and body start transforming to adapt to a new world.
In coming to earth as Jesus, then dying and rising again to destroy death’s power over humanity, God has reset the world. We can be born afresh into a new world – the kingdom of God.
If you’ve never accepted his offer to reset your life, to make you a new creation, then it’s quite simple. Tell Jesus, then tell someone else.
Start by telling Jesus. Simply pray, and ask him to let you start over. Apologize for all the things you’ve said, done and thought to turn away from him, and tell Jesus you want to turn back to him.
Then tell others. First, let me know, and another Christian in your life who can support you. Then, tell the world, by being baptized. We are about to celebrate Redeemer Church / Redeem the Commute’s first baptism on February 8th, and we’d love for you to be next. This is the way to show on the outside what God is already doing on the inside.
Then follow this series to learn how Jesus intends to transform each area of our lives. How we adapt to the kingdom of God, even in the midst of a world where others haven’t. We’ll look at these key areas of life:
Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I'm Ryan your host of the Daily Challenges. Here we are in nature. And that's because this week we're studying how following Jesus resets our views of death, and in fact, Jesus resets death itself. We saw yesterday how western culture ignores, delays, avoids, fears death.
The result of ignoring it is that we are uninformed! We can be uninformed in a practical sense – having given and received no sense of one another’s funeral wishes, burial options, etc. until it’s too late. But we can be unprepared in a spiritual sense as well.
Paul, one of first Christians leaders wrote this to the first church community in Thessalonica.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 1 Thess 4:13-14
First, we should deal with what he calls the dead: those who are asleep. What might he be saying? There are various theories about just HOW death is like sleep for Christians, but Paul doesn’t go that far. We can simply note that he’s talking about those who have died, and says there is something akin to sleeping happening with them.
Clearly Paul and these first Christians had expected Jesus to return, usher in the full kingdom, before any of them died. The “second coming” seemed that imminent. The letter was written sooner after Jesus’ death than many other letters, and they were clearly full of anticipation and excitement. Then some died, and you can imagine the questions and discouragement as they realized their expectations were out of line. So Paul tries to explain Christian death, and says they are essentially sleeping.
Why is sleeping good news? Sleeping means time passes unawares. Sleeping is peaceful. Sleeping is part of life, not death. Those who have died in Christ are in many ways alive, but at peace, and waiting patiently for God’s kingdom.
Sleeping is hardly worth grieving about! When they wake, they will be in the fullness of God’s kingdom of heaven. The Bible has lots of imagery about that, but the bottom line seems to be the presence of God. That’s what makes it worthwhile, not golden roads, clouds or cream cheese.
Question: How do you respond to the idea of death being a sleeplike state? How is it different from other descriptions you’ve heard? Does it give you hope, or fear?
When our computers get bogged down and unmanageable, we know to hit a reset button to simply start over. Wouldn't a reset button be great in life? We know it would be complicated, with all our responsibilities and routines to consider, but imagine the freedom and refreshment of a new start in life! What would you do differently? What would you pay more attention to, and what would you ignore? How would you avoid getting bogged down and broken again?
The great news is, in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God has begun to "reset" our universe, our world, and even us. We're invited to start over with him, in what he calls his kingdom. We're invited to start a new life with a clean slate.
What gets wiped clean, and lived differently, when God resets our lives? We'll explore how God resets these key areas of our lives:
Reset: Goals
Reset: Time
Reset: Money
Reset: Work
Reset: Body & Food
Reset: Sex & Marriage
Reset: Family
Reset: Compassion
Reset: Nature
Reset: Society
Reset: Death
Join us for the next several weeks, and invite God to reset your life.
