JUMPING INTO CHANGE
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
November 3, 2002
Text: Mark 10:46-52
One of the consistent themes of Reverend Lee Lawson, our evangelist last
week, is that God challenges us to change. The problem is that we human
beings resist change, which means that we often find ourselves resisting
Gods challenges to change. From our initial human state of original sin
where we resist Gods grace-filled gift of salvation in Christ all the
way to our spiritual growth where we still fight against God having
control over this and that part of our lives, we resist change. Change is
not easy, as illustrated by this little historical fact:
"The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is four feet,
eight-and-one-half inches. Why such an odd number? Because that's the way
they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British
expatriates. Why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the
people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge. They in turn
were locked into that gauge because the people who built tramways used
the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which
were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches. Why were
wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did
not match the old wheel ruts on the roads. So who built these old rutted
roads? The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial
Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever
since. The ruts were first made by Roman war chariots. Four feet,
eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to
accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. Maybe the call for that's
the way it's always been isn't the great excuse some people believe it
to be. (Clark Cothern, Tecumseh, Michigan. Leadership, Vol. 19, no. 1)
Changing a habit in our lives, even for something good, is usually not
easy. We live our lives struggling with the same old things. We say we
want to change, or we want something to change, but do we really want it
if we do nothing to bring it about? Every year since 1997 at our church
we have used 50-Day Spiritual Adventure resources. One of the features of
this ministry I came to understand quickly is that it targets and
promotes change in Christians engaging in spiritual growth. The founder
and leader of the ministry, the Reverend Dr. David Mains, shares that 50
days, about seven weeks, is considered by many in the social sciences
field to be an adequate amount of time for a person to replace an old
habit with a new habit. So for 50 days, those actively participating in
the Adventure are engaging in Bible reading, reflection, prayer,
application, outreach, and other Christian discipleship habits. After 50
days of concentrated effort in those areas, a Christian disciple has had
the opportunity to replace some old habits with good, new God-pleasing,
spiritual growth habits. We plan to offer Adventure resources again next
year during the pre-Easter time frame.
But we certainly dont have to wait until then to think about change or
work with God to bring about change in our lives, in our families, in our
churches. Has God's Spirit spoken to you about your relationship with
Him? about your attitude? your habits? your priorities? What about anger?
or language? hidden sins? Are you bound in the chains of alcohol, drugs,
gambling, pornography, gossip?
Mark 10 introduces a fella named Bartimaeus who didn't miss his chance
for change. Jesus came to Bartimaeus's community then; this same Jesus
comes to us today. Jesus transformed Bartimaeus's life. He wants to
change our lives. But in spite of all the power and sovereignty and love
of God for and over His creation, we can resist His desire for us to
change. We can fight God tooth and nail, or we can resist His will in
subtle, secret ways. We can even think that we win out against God when
it appears that He leaves us alone to do our own thing. In the end,
though, we never really win in a contest of wills against God. Our
spiritual lives and witness always suffer needlessly when we resist Gods
will for us to change. So there are some things we need to do in
partnership with God if we are going to jump into the change God is
trying to bring about.
First, we must desire change. Blind Bartimaeus wanted to see, which is a
natural desire. In verse 51, Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for
you?" Bartimaeus replied, "I want to see." Through experience, though, I
have discovered that not everyone wants to be well. Maybe you have
experienced this, too. There are people who enjoy doing the same old
habits even though it makes them miserable or brings about some form of
disaster.
Over the years, I have had people come to me for marital counseling. A
marriage is falling apart, and a couple says they want to stay together.
The reasons vary: an affair, abuse, addiction, poor financial decisions,
whatever. Ultimately it comes down to habits and patterns of living.
Ultimately the decision to save a marital relationship comes down to a
husband and a wife changing destruction patterns of behavior for positive
relationship patterns of behavior. Sadly, many I have met think they can
save the marriage without making personal changes. Well, it doesnt take
a rocket scientist to figure out how the marital relationship ends up. No
personal change means no healing means no change in the relationship.
Of course, this is true for many different applications. People say they
want to be free from some financial stresses, but do not give up gambling
or unnecessary entertainment or some other habit that could result in
saving instead of spending. People say they want to avoid health
problems, but do not give up smoking or excessive drinking or overeating.
People say they want to know Gods will for their lives, but do not spend
time in the Bible or prayer or worship or applying what they do know of
Gods will.
The desire for change is usually bred out of frustration or desperation.
No doubt there were others in the crowd who wanted to be healed, but they
had not come to the point of desperation. One unknown comedian wrote:
I spent a fortune
On a trampoline,
A stationary bike
And a rowing machine
Complete with gadgets
To read my pulse,
And gadgets to prove
My progress results,
And others to show
The miles I've charted-
But they left off the gadget
To get me started!
We can buy all the right stuff. We can read all the self-help books and
listen to the tapes. We can go to the best counselors. But until we
really desire to change, we will never see the power of God released in
our life.
Second, we cannot always wait for ideal circumstances. Bartimaeus did not
wait for ideal circumstances. Verse 46 describes the setting. "As Jesus
and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a
blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the
roadside begging." The text says Jesus was accompanied by "a large
crowd." Bartimaeus was blind and probably alone. How could he possibly
expect Jesus to pay attention to him? In spite of these obstacles,
Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus.
Many of us wait for the perfect time to initiate change. I know this is a
particular struggle for me. I like perfect circumstances! There are
always reasons why today isn't a good day. "I can't start my diet today
because we're going out to lunch on Friday." "I can't receive Jesus as my
Savior until I clean up my act." Procrastination is a weapon in satan's
arsenal. God tells us, "Now is the time of God's favor; now is the day of
salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). The time for change is when God convicts
us of our need to change, not when we hypothesize that circumstances are
perfect to pull off a change. Bartimaeus did not try to improve the
circumstances; he just called out to Jesus from where he was.
This leads immediately to a third requirement for change: in order to
allow change in our lives, we must often stop worrying about what people
will say. Bartimaeus didn't care what people would say. Verse 48 states,
"Many told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more." The verb tense
indicates that "they continued to rebuke him." In other words, poor,
blind Bartimaeus was not told just once to shut up; they kept telling him
to shut up. At the same time, Bartimaeuss action is also continuous - he
kept on shouting, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" He didn't care what
people thought of him.
It's sad that we care more for what others think than what God thinks.
It's a tragedy that we miss opportunities to be touched by God because of
what others might think. Someone might call us a "Jesus freak" or a
"religious fanatic." How terrible!
Chuck Swindoll has shared about the power of peer pressure. A
psychologist, Ruth W. Berenda, carried out an experiment with teenagers
to show how a person handled group pressure. They brought groups of 10
into a room. Each group was instructed to raise their hands when the
teacher pointed to the longest line on three charts. What one person in
each group did not know was that the nine others had been instructed
ahead of time to vote for the shortest line. So this poor, uninformed
member of the group, thinking this is a snap, would typically glance
around, see everyone else voting for the shortest line instead of the
longest line, be absolutely confused, and slip his or her hand up with
the rest of the group. The instructions were repeated, the next card was
raised, three lines - one, two, three - pick the longest line, and nine
hands go up for the shortest line. The uninformed member of the group
would say that a short line is longer than a long line in order not to
buck the trend! That person lacked the confidence to challenge the group.
This conformity occurred in 75 percent of the cases. Berenda concluded,
"Some people would rather be respected than right." Some of us would
rather be respected by others who are wrong than to be touched by God who
is right. (Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity,
Dallas: Word Publishing, 1989, pp. 225-26) Stop worrying about what
people might say if you are changing a habit in obedience to God.
Fourth, we must cry out to Jesus. Bartimaeus responded to his opportunity
and cried out to Jesus. Verse 47 tells us what he did: "When he heard
that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, 'Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!" He didn't sit quietly thinking, "I wish someone would
help me." He didn't argue, "If only there were less people around." He
didn't contemplate, "What will people think?" He cried out for Jesus!
God was walking through the neighborhood, and Bartimaeus wasn't going to
miss Him. Nobody else was going to do it for him. No one can initiate
change in your life - you've got to make that decision yourself. God
speaks to you. He wants to transform your life. He desires to set you
free "from the sin that so easily besets us." But we must wholeheartedly
cry out to Him.
In verse 51, Bartimaeus did cry out to Jesus, "Rabbi, I want to see."
Make no mistake about it. Bartimaeus knew he couldn't heal himself. He
knew Jesus could. The power to change doesn't come from within us - the
power to change comes from God. Jesus said in verse 52: "Your faith has
healed you." The word translated "has healed you" can be translated "has
saved you." Bartimaeus believed - Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus could
heal him. The same faith that released the power of God to heal
Bartimaeus released the power of God to save him. Saving faith is also
life-changing faith. The same God who can save our soul can also change
our life.
Richard DeHaan tells of an embarrassing moment. I was struggling with a
videocassette player for a group at church and couldn't make it work.
Someone saw my plight. I stood there as he sized up the situation - and
then plugged the power cord into the outlet. Why hadn't I thought of
that? I was so preoccupied with patch cords and monitors that I
overlooked the obvious. I forgot about the power. He goes on to relate,
It's nothing compared to what the angels see as they observe me. They
must be astounded by my efforts to make life work without God's power. I
join them in sad wonder. How can I forget that the infinite, personal
Spirit of Christ lives within me to guide my life and give me power?
Plug in and ask Jesus to transform your life.
We may need to make some changes. Lord, change my attitude. Change my
temper. Lord, give me the strength to break that destructive habit. Lord,
help me control my tongue - help me control my eyes. Do we really want to
change? Stop waiting for ideal circumstances. Stop worrying about what
people will say. Cry out to the one who can change you - Jesus Christ.
I have a little story that I have used to illustrate the decision to
follow Christ. Its not perfect, but I think it helps a person think
about what they need to do when they hear of Gods plan of salvation. I
think it also applies to this topic of change. Imagine I own a
restaurant. As I walk down a city street, I see a person in desperate
need of food, but without any money to buy the food he needs. I go to
this person and give him a card and say, Take this card and go to my
restaurant. You will be given as much of anything I have for you to eat,
and you will not have to pay for it. It is paid for! Your hunger will be
over; your life will be saved. This person immediately faces several
choices, or changes. He can refuse my card outright, but his hunger will
never go away, and it will kill him. He can accept my card, but still not
go anywhere. He can sit in that same spot and not move and die of hunger.
He can accept my card and then go to another restaurant. But he will not
be fed there; the price for his meal has not been paid in that
establishment. Or he can take the card and go to my restaurant and eat
freely.
Why would anyone pass up a life-saving, life-giving, life-sustaining
offer like that? Well, I dont always know, but people do. Why does
anyone pass up the opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation
or, once received, pass up the opportunity to change in accordance with
Gods will? Again, I dont always know why, but people do pass up those
opportunities as well.
The Scriptures tell us that Jesus heard Bartimaeuss call, and that
Jesus stopped and said, Call him. So they called to the blind man,
Cheer up! On your feet! Hes calling you. Throwing his cloak aside, he
jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. It's not enough to decide to
change. Believing He can change us, we've got to cry out to Jesus... and
jump into change!
Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN
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