Sunday, December 3, 2023 - Embracing Moments That Will Transform Your Life, Pastor Paul Vallee

EMBRACING MOMENTS THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE There is nothing like life-and-death situations that cause us to rethink life. A crisis is one of the most fundamental means that helps us realize that we are weak and needy. Ultimately, it can bring us to faith in Christ, leading to lasting transformation in our lives. Randy Alcorn points out in his book, ‘If God is Good,’ death draws our attention to what really matters- the state of our souls and the God and people who will outlast this life. Death is a wake-up call, a reminder that our time here is fleeting and everyone’s going to die.” Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. Yet, in our culture, we do everything we can to avoid the reality of death. Yet, this unwanted intruder eventually shatters all our worlds. The Bible takes a different view. Death is the final enemy that Christ came to defeat. Death can be a compass to recalibrate our bearings in this life.   Often, we avoid the issue and don’t consider it. We become engaged as if this life is the only life. The seduction of our society’s prosperity dulls us from the ultimate reality. God spoke through his prophets to warn against becoming indifferent towards Him because of the good life. Hosea 13:6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud and forgot me. The temptation to forget God when life is good is always before us. So, when trials come, and struggles challenge us, we need to mature to the point where we see them not as enemies but as allies to help grow our faith in God. Too many people question God when bad things happen to them. They wonder if God is punishing them, has disappeared, or worse yet if God cares. The Bible paints a different picture of trials. Rather than being seen as a negative, they are seen positively.  James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. What is James telling us? Trials, difficulties, challenges, and crises are God’s tools to strengthen our faith, mature it, and complete it so that we don’t lack anything. Randy Alcorn reminds us: “To hate suffering is easy; to hate sin is not.”3 The natural man draws back from suffering and embraces sin, whereas as we grow in our faith life, we begin to see the value of the struggles that cause us to see this life as it is. The spiritual man sees the nature of sin as it is, to see past sin’s seductions and realize the depths of despair that it produces.   Suffering, when embraced with the right attitude, can have amazing results. In our text today, we find a man coming to Jesus because his family was in crisis. How many can relate to that? How many can say it was a personal crisis that brought me to Jesus? I can say that for myself. My brokenness and sin brought me to Jesus for forgiveness, healing, and a purpose beyond myself.  The primary purpose of John’s gospel is to bring us face to face with Jesus and what happens when we encounter him in the various circumstances of life to realize who He is and what He has come to bring us: a new life.