Welcome, my friend, to the Bible study program In Search of the Lord's Way to become and to be a Christian. I’m Mack Lyon. Is it really true that people can’t change their lifestyles? What do you say that we look into the Bible for what it says about that? Stay tuned.
Oh, say friend! It is so good to have you with us today. We pray we’ll both be blessed by our Bible study. The Bible is the living, active word of the living and true God. Although the last words of it were written many hundreds of years ago-- even in another language its message is as fresh and as relevant in any language as today’s newspaper. President Woodrow Wilson once said, “A man has deprived himself of the best there is in the world who has deprived himself of a knowledge of the Bible.” We agree, don’t you?
Suppose we examine it, then, to see what it says about a very critical matter of life that we’re hearing discussed in our 21st Century. Well, if you think you might want a free printed copy or a CD or audio-cassette tape, you should jot down our address and our telephone number now. Our address is In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Our toll-free telephone number is 1-800-321-8633. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. You might want to visit our website, too. The message is being streamed there. We also have a new devotional thought there every day now.
Today’s message titled, “People Can Change” has been prepared and is delivered by our brother in the Lord and our co-laborer here in the Search program, brother Phil Sanders. Ken Helterbrand’s going to lead us in a hymn now, and then Phil will be here for Bible reading and prayer with you.
Thank you, Mack. Today we are going to be reading from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 21, beginning in verse 28 and continuing down through verse 32. “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and he said, ‘Son, go work in my vineyard today.’ And he answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, ‘The first.” Jesus said to them, Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.” That reading is from Matthew 21, verses 28 to 32. Let’s pray together. O Lord, we are grateful to be your children, and we are thankful, Father, that you have given us Your will for our lives. Father, help us to be able to change our lives and to be more like your Son, Jesus to live for Him and to love Him. This we pray in the name of our Lord, Jesus. Amen!
I’m so glad to be here with you and to be able to spend this time with you. You know, the best lessons of life come from God’s Word, the Bible. I don’t know about you, but I need a lesson now and then. Lessons teach us, so that we might not make the same mistakes that we’ve made in the past. Lessons open up an opportunity for us to change our lives and do better. Because lessons point to something better, we have hope for the future. I thank God for the lessons of the Bible, because they protect me and they help me to go in the right direction to avoid the hazards of life. Some folks suggest that people cannot change. Have you ever heard somebody say, “Well, that’s just the way I am”; or “I can’t change”; or “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” Or “Well, it’s genetic; I was born that way.”
When I hear people say such things, I have to ask, “Is that really true?” You know, people are born with an ability to make changes in their lives? But the idea that people can’t make changes in their spiritual or moral lives. Well, I have to admit that really doesn’t square with what I’ve seen in people or what I read in the Bible. Through the years I’ve seen all kinds of people make serious changes in their thinking and in their lives. I’ve seen alcoholics stop drinking, smokers stop smoking, and people with foul mouths stop swearing. Perhaps you have seen that program “The Biggest Loser,” where people who are greatly overweight; they compete with each other to see who can lose the most weight. Well, the contestants change their eating habits; they begin a rigorous exercise program. Some of those folks have lost more than a hundred pounds, and you wouldn’t even recognize them. They change their ways, their appearance, their thinking, and their lives. They push each other to make the changes, and you know what, they are disappointed when someone won’t make an effort. Can people change? Well, these people did.
Making changes in our lives is challenging, yes; because the temptation to continue doing what we have been used to doing remains strong. Now, an alcoholic may stop drinking, but the temptation to drink will return again and again. The alcoholic has to keep his heart strong and remind himself why he won’t drink. He has to fight the battle over and over, but he can win. There are thousands who have overcome the temptation to drink and any number of other things. Now, an alcoholic will always be challenged, but he can break the habit of drunkenness. Can a person change? Of course he can.
Many times it is not so much a question of whether a person can change as it is “do they want to change?” Many people make the excuse that they cannot change, when the truth is they just simply don’t want to. People start a sinful practice, and it becomes a habit, and then it becomes an addiction, and it controls their lives. They don’t plan to be controlled by their appetites, but they become slaves. You remember the Lord Jesus said in John 8 and verse 34, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that everyone who commits a sin is a slave to sin.” My friend, that’s a harsh reality. No one likes to be controlled, but because of Christ it is not the end of the story. My friend, I tell you, there’s hope for you! And there is a way to overcome the past.
Now I know He said that the one who commits sin is a slave of sin; but just two verses later in verse 36, John 8, the Lord promised, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jesus can set us free from sin and its control over our lives. Jesus helps the Christian to rise above the failures and the moral stains of the past. God can help us become a new person, freed from the old and born again. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (or new creature). The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Now, the apostle Paul explains a little more of what he is talking about. Whatever he says in the book of Colossians chapter 3, verses 5 to 10, He says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. And on account of these things (he says) the wrath of God is coming. (And then he said) in these you once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: (and then he mentions) anger, and wrath, malice, and slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (And then he says) do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” You know, if people cannot change, why would God demand it? God is not cruel. He doesn’t expect us to do what we cannot do! But God knows what we can do, and he knows that we can change our thinking; we can change our behavior; and, yes, we can change our lives.
You remember that the Lord told a story about a young man who changed; and He tells this in the book of Luke chapter 15, verses 11 to 24. Oh, you remember that story. “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all that he had and he took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and he hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into the fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and I will go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. And I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose; he came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
This touching story reminds us of the fact that people can wake up to life, the life that they have been living and they have been ashamed of and they can come home to the Father. It also reminds us that God meets every one of his children just like this father did the prodigal son. He runs to them with open arms and embraces them, and He celebrates their return. I tell you the lost can be saved, and the dead can become alive spiritually. Change can and does take place! People don’t have to remain the way they have always been. They can change their lives. Repentance is a change of heart that leads to a change of life. And God made us people who can change our thinking; we can control our thoughts; and can change the focus of our lives.
You remember the Bible says in the book of Ezekiel chapter 18, verses 20 to 23 that: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear (or suffer) the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteous of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked person turns away from all of his sins that he has committed and he keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, then he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. (Then God asks) Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” My friend, God wants everyone to turn to Him, to change and to do what is right that they may live with him eternally. Regretfully not everyone will change.
I want to tell you a true story of forgiveness and freedom. In 1935 a family in Oklahoma with eight children lost their father. Their mother went to work as a nurse to feed the family, and the children had to spend much time raising themselves. The youngest boy as time went by got into the wrong crowd and began to do all the wrong things that rebellious teens do. He often drank and committed crimes. He would rather steal than pay for anything, even when he had the money; and as a young adult he spent many nights in jail.
He was a strong, young man; and if he had been drinking, he would tear up his jail cell. As time went by he was wanted for theft or burglary in several states. Well, once when he came home to visit family in the late 1950s, he stole a check-writing machine; he was caught; and he went to prison for four years. Well, this got his attention. While he was there, his oldest sister and her husband came to visit and would talk to him about the Bible and his soul. Some fellow prisoners were also Christians, and they taught him what he should do to be saved. He learned that he had never been baptized according to the Scriptures and that he needed to be baptized.
Well, he served his time and came out of jail in 1962 just a year before his mother died. At first he was humble and spiritually motivated, but before long he returned to a rough life out in the oil fields of Oklahoma. He was often drunk and took drugs. His mouth was foul and his behavior very obnoxious. For more than twenty years he forgot the promises that he made to God while in prison. In 1985, I remember he attended my father’s funeral and was so obnoxious, I said in my heart that I didn’t care if I ever saw him again. I have to tell you I regret saying that now. But the Lord, you see, had something more in store for him. In 1987 the doctors told him that his heart was enlarged, like a cow’s heart, and he would soon die if he didn’t change his ways. Many nights he would hunt raccoons and drink; and he often woke up in a ditch, not really knowing where he was. The doctor’s words, though, hit home; and he remembered all the promises he had made to God and to his older sister while he was in prison. Frantically he approached every preacher in town to find spiritual help. But none of them had time for him. One even threatened to call the law.
Well, then he remembered the two family members who taught him in prison. My father was dead, but he knew that I was a preacher; and so he called me one Friday night and asked me to come to his house to teach him. The next morning I was there and had my Bible; and he knew that he hadn’t been baptized according to the Scriptures and he wanted me to teach him what the Bible said. So I began in Matthew 3 and told him how Jesus fulfilled all righteousness and was baptized by John. I showed him that the one who believes and is baptized will be saved-- Mark 16:16. We saw that the baptism of Christ was the new birth of water and the Spirit John 3, verse 5. We learned that we needed to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins, that is to be saved Acts 2, verse 38. And in baptism we go down into the water and we come up out of the water-- Acts 8:38 and verse 39. We learned that when we are baptized, our sins are washed away Acts 22, verse 16. We learned that baptism is into Christ’s death, that we’re buried and raised with him to walk in newness of life; that our old man of sin is crucified with him in baptism so that we can be free from sin Romans 6, verses 3 to 7. We learned many other things about baptism that day, and then five precious souls went down into the lake behind their house and were baptized.
From that day my uncle never drank again. He began attending church every time the doors were open. His language was godly and his attitude one of love and faith. He began reaching out to prisoners at the county courthouse, and soon many were being baptized. Then he went to other county jails; and soon he went to the Oklahoma state prisons where he taught young men who had fallen into the same sinful traps that he himself had known. He spoke straight about sin but with lots of love; and they began to respond. From 1987 onward he baptized more than a thousand souls into Christ with his own hands. Never had I seen such a great change in any man.
But that kind of change is not so unusual for people who come to Christ. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9-11, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (And then he says) And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” God helped them change from sinners to saints. And if God could make a difference in the life of these Corinthians and my uncle, He can make a difference in your life, too. He can help you overcome every sin in your life and become the kind of person that you want to be. My favorite saying is, “I’m not all I want to be; I’m not all I ought to be; I’m not all I’m gonna be; but, thank God, I’m not what I used to be.” God can help each of us become the person that He intended for us to be. My friend, you can win over sin, if you will give yourself to the Lord and obey the gospel, that is be baptized like my uncle did, after he repented. And He’ll help you overcome every sin and problem you face. Faith truly is the victory in Christ our Lord. Are you willing to come to Him? Let’s pray together. O Lord, may each one listening be willing to make the changes necessary in his life to please You. Father, we are thankful that Your grace and mercy helps us; and bless us always. Be with us that we may be obedient to Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Aren’t you glad you were with us today? Thank you, Phil, for an excellent message that we all needed. And I want to tell you how you can have a free printed copy of it, or a CD or an audio cassette tape of this message if you would like one. “People Can Change” is the title. If you have ever heard someone say, “Well, I’m sorry, but I cannot change. God made me the way I am and I don’t think He expects me to change,” well, you may want to study this message again. If so, please address your request to In Search of the Lord's Way. P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. And our toll-free telephone number is 1-800-321-8633. The program in its entirety is being streamed on the website at www.searchtv.org.
Everything is free here on this program. I know that’s different for a religious program. But it’s true-- because we’re sponsored here by some of your friends and perhaps your neighbors who are members of one of the churches of Christ in the area served by this station. They would love to have you attend one of their Bible studies or worship meetings. We would like that, too. We pray you will. We will be back next week. God bless you. I hope you can, too. We love you.
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