Courage to Change

St Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto: Sermons

Scripture Passage

2 Corinthians 5:17

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Sermon Script

With a Faith-Driven Attitude

Today is the last day of 2023. In a few hours, we will welcome 2024.

How meaningful it is to come on the last day and worship together, thanking God for everything he did for us this year.

This year was special. Christmas Eve was on Sunday. And the last day of this year is on Sunday. So it was very meaningful.

On this last day, let us think about change.

It is quite appropriate to think about change before we take the new year. People make new resolutions for the new year. That is a commitment to change.

I talked about change last week already by reflecting on Mary.

Jesus brought a new era, a new beginning. And Mary was impregnated with the new beginning in her body.

That wasn't easy for Mary. It was a scary experience. But Mary listened. She didn't close her ears.

She listened to her heart because God speaks to our heart. In her listening, she heard very clearly and loudly that nothing was impossible with God.

Yes, nothing is impossible with God.

Take the new year with that attitude.

That is to prepare yourself mentally and spiritually. Plan it. Make resolutions. Dream dreams.

BUT BELIEVE THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.

Change is always hard. Never easy. Change always makes you uncomfortable.

That's why you have to have this attitude that nothing is impossible with God.

This attitude comes from your faith. So having faith is good. It gives you a positive attitude towards life.

Inevitable Change

Changes happen to you in three ways.

First, change just happens.

It just happens every day, every moment. It is nothing to do with you or nothing to do what you do. You have no choice but to take it.

Like aging. Some people say aging sucks. I don't but some people say that.

Whether aging sucks or not, you have no choice but to take it. Whether you like it or not, it just comes to you.

Seasonal change – it just comes. No matter how much you like summer, winter will come.

Relationships change. They don't stay the same.

People change. Your children will not stay the same. They will grow, leave you, and find their own life. Sometimes it's sad but that's the way it is.

These changes happen regardless of what you do.

So be prepared to ACCOMMODATE these changes. If winter comes, be prepared with warm clothes.

Learn to accept these changes. Don't resist. You don't need to be sad. Don't be depressed about it.

Just think wisely how you are going to welcome these changes and deal with them.

These changes will not necessarily bring harm to you. But often your unwise reaction to these changes can bring harm to you.

Change by Choice

Secondly, there are changes that you make.

Around this time, people often make resolutions. From tomorrow, a new year begins. So we want to make some changes.

I already bought at least three notebooks. One – 2024 calendar book. One – My personal journal. One – 5 Year journal.

We need to constantly make intentional changes.

Being able to make changes shows your empowerment. You don't want to take whatever is given to you.

You want to make the best of it. So you make changes.

If your health is not good, then make changes to improve your health.

If you don't like certain things about yourself, then make changes so that you feel better about yourself and also become a better person.

If you are in a toxic relationship, do something about it. You don't have to live with the abuse.

If your habits make you unhappy, then make concrete plans to change your habits. You are not just victims of your old habits.

No matter how long you have lived in a certain way, you can always change. That's what I believe.

Nothing is impossible. That is the empowerment. The more you are empowered, the more courage you will have to make changes.

Don't be scared of changes.

Make a good friend with change. Routinely unroutined. (I don't know whether it is the word.)

Discomfort forces you to make changes.

In that way, discomfort is good. Problems are not a road block but a pathway to a better life because you see the need of change.

Change with Divine Presence

Thirdly, this is what I am interested in the most. There is change that happens with you when you are connected with the divine.

It is not just natural change that happens to everyone. It is not the change you can intentionally make. It is the change that comes as a result of your connection with the divine.

It is the kind of change St. Paul experienced.

It was not a natural change. It was not a change he made. It was change as a result of being connected with the divine.

It was so powerful that Paul said this.

It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

When you are deeply connected with God, you realize that you are not alone.

You are not alone in making all the important decisions. You are not alone in carrying all the burdens.

You realize that you are deeply connected with the divine. You are not God but deep within you, there is divine presence.

You are empowered by this divine presence. Your thinking is enriched by this divine presence.

The darkness and the sinfulness used to dwell within us. This negative sinful power used to sabotage you and control you. It has made your will weak and useless. It has paralyzed you.

But Jesus Christ came and took away this dark power within us and created divine presence instead.

When we are connected with this divine presence, we become new.

So in today's passage Paul said this.

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

That was a wonderful discovery for Paul. You can really change when you have this divine power.

You cannot change yourself. That is just wishful thinking. A good theory, a good idea.

But you need power to change. You cannot be both the object of change and the agent of change.

If there is gonna be change with us, the power has to come from outside.

The Crux to Change

What we cannot do, God can do.

Once a young man came to Jesus and asked, How can I have the eternal life? Jesus said, Keep all the commandments. He said proudly, I did.

Then Jesus said to him, Go sell all your possessions and give to the poor. Young man could not do it and went away sad.

The disciples asked Jesus, then who can be saved?

Jesus said,

What is impossible for mortals is possible for God. (Luke 18:27)

Death is the change that comes upon you. You cannot do anything about it. You just have to accept the change that is imposed on you. You are totally helpless there.

But the resurrection is the change that only God can bring to you.

You cannot be the agent that brings about that change. What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.

A lot of changes happen to you all the time.

Many of them, you can do nothing about. You just have to accept them.

But when you are connected with God, everything will work out for good. God will use these changes that happen to you to make you a new person.

These changes will not make you a helpless victim but God will use them as catalysts to make you a new person, a stronger person, a more compassionate person, a wiser person, and a happier person.

In 2024, experience good changes. Have courage to change! Happy New Year!

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