I WANT TO SPARK SOME THINKING IN YOUR MIND TODAY. I MAY NOT ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING ELSE OUTSIDE OF JUST GETTING YOU TO THINK A LITTLE BIT, ABOUT SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT GOD IS DOING IN OUR LIVES. NOW WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU CAN TURN TO THE BOOK OF TITUS, CHAPTER 2. I KNOW WE DON'T TURN THERE VERY OFTEN, BUT THERE'S SOME THINGS BEING SAID HERE THAT, THAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU FROM OUT OF THIS 2ND CHAPTER OF THE BOOK OF TITUS. WHILE YOU'RE TURNING THERE, LET ME GET YOU TO THINKING A LITTLE BIT. I WANT YOU TO PERFORM JUST THREE LITTLE EXPERIMENTS WITH ME. FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO THINK BACK OF YOUR YESTERDAYS. I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO THINK OF WHERE YOU WERE WHEN JESUS FOUND YOU. NOW I KNOW WE DON'T WANT TO DWELL ON THAT. BUT I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT IT JUST LONG ENOUGH SO THAT YOU'LL RECOGNIZE, THAT YOURS WAS A LIFE, JUST AS MINE WAS, OURS WAS A LIFE THAT NEEDED SOME CHANGES. NOW MAYBE TODAY, YOU'RE LISTENING TO ME AND YOU CAN SAY, WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PREACHER. I'VE NOT GONE THROUGH ANY CHANGES." WELL, FOR YOU, YOU'RE IN NEED OF SOME CHANGE. THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN YOUR LIFE TODAY THAT ONLY GOD CAN MAKE DIFFERENT. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE YOU, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE YOUR EFFORT, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE YOUR OWN DETERMINATION. YOU NEED GOD'S MIRACLE WORKING POWER TO RELEASE ITSELF INTO YOUR LIFE TO MAKE SOME CHANGES, THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR YOU TO OVERCOME SOME THINGS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN YOUR LIFE. NOW, IF YOU'RE BORN AGAIN, YOU'VE BEEN SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, YOU OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO LOOK BACK INTO YOUR YESTERDAYS AND SEE WHERE SOME CHANGES HAVE TAKEN PLACE. NOW I NEED TO STOP LONG ENOUGH TO SAY THIS. IF YOU LOOK BACK AND YOU CAN'T SEE ANY CHANGES, YOU DIDN'T DO SOMETHING RIGHT. MAYBE IT'S JUST THIS, YOU DIDN'T LET GOD DO WHAT GOD WANTED TO DO. BECAUSE EVERY ONE OF US THAT HAS BOWED AT THE FOOT OF THE OLD RUGGED CROSS, HAS EXPERIENCED SOME CHANGES IN OUR LIVES. AND THOSE CHANGES ARE GOOD CHANGES. I HOPE THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THIS TODAY. THAT WHEN GOD COMES THE WORK THAT HE DOES, IS ALWAYS A GOOD WORK. HE DOESN'T BRING BAD THINGS TO OUR LIFE. OH, I KNOW THERE'D BE SOME PEOPLE THAT'D LIKE TO THINK THAT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE DOES. NO, GOD DOESN'T BRING BAD THINGS TO OUR LIVES. HE MAY BRING SOME THINGS TO OUR LIVES TO ENCOURAGE US TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR, TO CHANGE HABITS, TO CHANGE APPETITES. BUT THE END RESULT OF THOSE THINGS THAT HE'D LIKE FOR US TO DO, IS GOOD, IT'S NOT NEGATIVE, IT'S NOT BAD. THE REWARD FOR DOING WHAT GOD WOULD LIKE TO DO WITHIN US IS ALWAYS GREAT. BUT IF WE DON'T DO WHAT GOD IS ASKING OF US THEN THE OUTCOME WILL BE BAD. SO THE FIRST EXPERIMENT IS, TO FIRST OF ALL, THINK ABOUT YOUR YESTERDAYS AND SEE WHERE YOU WERE WHEN GOD FOUND YOU. THE SECOND THING I'D LIKE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT TODAY AND TO THINK ABOUT IS THIS, WHERE ARE YOU NOW? YES, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CHANGES. BUT ARE THOSE CHANGES COMPLETE? HAS GOD DONE ALL THAT HE WANTS TO DO? I THINK YOU'LL FIND THE ANSWER IS PROBABLY, NO. WE'RE NOT COMPLETE, THERE ARE STILL SOME CHANGES, GOD HASN'T DONE EVERYTHING HE WANTS TO DO. SO THAT LEADS ME TO MY THIRD EXPERIMENT. THINK ABOUT TODAY, WHERE YOU BELIEVE GOD WANTS YOU TO BE. OR MAYBE EVEN THIS, THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN YOUR LIFE. ARE THERE STILL SOME THINGS THAT GOD NEEDS TO DO TO HELP YOU TO COMPLETE THE TRANSFORMATION FROM WHAT YOU USED TO BE, TO WHAT YOU KNOW GOD DESIRES YOU TO BE. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TODAY. THIS IS VERY SIMPLE, PRACTICAL, LIFE EXPERIENCE TEACHING. THAT'S THE KIND I LIKE TO DO. BECAUSE I LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT CAN HELP ME TO LIVE BEYOND WHERE I AM TODAY. TO ACHIEVE SOME THINGS THAT ARE NOT EASILY ACHIEVABLE. YET WITH GOD'S HELP, WE CAN BECOME GREATER THAN WE ONCE WERE. IN THE BOOK OF TITUS, CHAPTER 2, BEGINNING WITH VERSE 11, WE READ THIS, "FOR THE GRACE OF GOD THAT BRINGETH SALVATION, HATH APPEARED TO ALL MEN. TEACHING US THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT WORLD. LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE AND THAT GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THAT GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY AND PURIFY UNTO HIM SELF, A PECULIAR PEOPLE, ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS." NOW I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THE WHOLE 2ND CHAPTER OF THE BOOK OF TITUS. BECAUSE IN THAT CHAPTER YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR GOD SAY TO US, THAT THERE IS AN EXPECTATION OF OUR LIVES. GOD IS TAKING US FROM WHERE HE FOUND US, IN OUR LOST STATE. WE DIDN'T CONSIDER PERHAPS AT THAT TIME, HOW WE OUGHT TO LIVE, HOW WE OUGHT TO CONDUCT OUR LIVES. WE DIDN'T CONSIDER AT THAT TIME, WHAT THE FUTURE MAY HOLD IF WE CONTINUED ON THE JOURNEY THAT WE WERE WALKING. WE DIDN'T CONSIDER IN OUR YESTERDAYS THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ACTIONS AND OUR DECISIONS. SO WE LIVE PRETTY MUCH ACCORDING TO HOW OUR CONSCIENCE WOULD ALLOW US TO LIVE. AND THEN GOD COMES ALONG, HE REDEEMS US, HE SAVES US. AND IN THAT SAVING GRACE OF GOD THAT TOUCHES US, GOD BRINGS ABOUT SOME CHANGES IN OUR LIVES. FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE AWARE OF SOME THINGS THAT WE WEREN'T AWARE OF. WE COME TO KNOW ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT. AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE ARE AWARE OF AND THAT WE COME TO KNOW ABOUT, ARE HOW WE OUGHT TO CONDUCT OUR LIVES AS CHILDREN OF GOD. NOW THAT BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT, THE LONGER WE WALK WITH HIM. IT OUGHT TO BE THAT AS WE WALK WITH GOD, OUR LIVES MATURE. THAT WE LIVE BEYOND OUR YESTERDAYS, SO THAT WE CAN GRASP A HOLD OF THE VICTORY'S AND THE BLESSINGS THAT GOD WANTS TO GIVE US TODAY. NOW THE REASON THAT MAKES ME HAPPY IS THIS, IS BECAUSE I'M GLAD THAT GOD HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD LEAVE BEHIND US THE BAGGAGE OF YESTERDAY. PLEASE TODAY, HEAR THIS PREACHER. DON'T LIVE IN YOUR YESTERDAYS. OH, IT'S ALRIGHT TO CHERISH THE MEMORIES. BUT DON'T LET YESTERDAY CONTROL YOUR TODAY AND ROB YOU OF YOUR TOMORROW. YOU'VE HEARD US SAY THAT MANY, MANY TIMES. UNFORTUNATELY WE KEEP SAYING IT BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING IT. THEY'RE LETTING YESTERDAY ROB THEM OF ALL THE GREAT THINGS OF TODAY AND THE BLESSINGS OF TOMORROW. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR YESTERDAYS. NOW WE KNOW THAT, IF WE REALLY STOPPED AND THOUGHT ABOUT IT. WE'D ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT OUR YESTERDAYS. OUR YESTERDAYS ARE OUR YESTERDAYS. THEY ARE OUR PAST. NOW, WHEN WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, YOU HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS. WE CAN'T CHANGE YESTERDAY, BUT YESTERDAY CAN CHANGE US. AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LIVE IN OUR YESTERDAYS. WHEN WE LIVE IN THE PAST, THE FAILURES OF THE PAST, THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST, THOSE TERRIBLE EXPERIENCES OF YESTERDAY. WHEN WE LIVE BACK THERE, IT ROBS US OF ALL THE GOOD THINGS GOD HAS FOR US TODAY. SADLY, THERE ARE JUST SOME PEOPLE THAT CAN'T LIVE BEYOND WHAT HAPPENED YEARS AGO. I RECENTLY HEARD OF A FATHER AND SON, WHO LIVED ABOUT 4 MILES APART FROM EACH OTHER. YET, THEY HAD NOT SPOKEN FOR OVER 30 YEARS. IMAGINE THAT, LIVED WITHIN 4 MILES OF EACH OTHER BUT NOT HAVE SPOKEN TO EACH OTHER FOR OVER 30 YEARS. WHAT HAPPENED? WELL, I REALLY DON'T KNOW ALL THAT HAPPENED. AND IF YOU ASKED THEM, THEY COULDN'T TELL YOU REALLY WHAT HAPPENED. YET THEY DO KNOW THIS, THAT SOMEWHERE BACK THERE OVER 30 YEARS AGO, APPARENTLY DAD FAILED, ACCORDING TO THE SON, DAD MAY HAVE FAILED IN SOME WAY HE WASN'T THE FATHER THAT THE SON EXPECTED HIM TO BE. AND IF YOU TALKED TO THE FATHER, SOMETHING HAPPENED WITHIN THE SON AND HE WASN'T THE SON THAT THE FATHER EXPECTED HIM TO BE. AND WHATEVER TOOK THEM APART ORIGINALLY, HAS KEPT THEM APART ALL OF THIS TIME. NOW OVER 30 YEARS, THEY CAN'T GO BACK AND RELIVE THAT TIME. THEY'LL NEVER GET THAT TIME BACK IF THEY COULD RECONCILE. THE SAD PART IS THIS, THE FATHER HAS NOW PASSED AWAY. THERE WAS NO RECONCILIATION. ISN'T THAT SAD THAT SOMEBODY WOULD ALLOW SOME LITTLE THING THAT HAPPENED IN THEIR YESTERDAYS, I CAN ALMOST HEAR SOMEBODY SAY, "BUT PREACHER IT WASN'T A LITTLE THING, IT WAS A BIG THING." WELL, IT DOESN'T MATTER THE SIZE OF THE ISSUE. WHAT MATTERS IS, IS THAT WE HAVE BECOME MATURED MEN AND WOMEN TO WHERE WE FIND A SOLUTION TO OVERCOME THAT THING, THAT KEEPS REACHING OUT FROM OUR YESTERDAYS TO GET A HOLD OF US AND DRAGGING US BACK. WE CAN NEVER BE ALL THAT GOD DESIRES US TO BE WHEN WE'RE STILL TRYING TO LIVE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF WHAT HAPPENED BACK THERE SOMEWHERE IN OUR PAST. WE'VE GOT TO LET IT GO, WE'VE GOT TO PUT IT BEHIND US. WE'VE GOT TO LET THE GRACE AND THE MERCY OF GOD HELP US TO REACH OUT OF THAT. AND TO GRASP A HOLD OF SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT HE HAS PREPARED FOR US. SO TODAY, WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHAT TITUS IS TALKING ABOUT, TITUS IS TRYING TO HELP US TO REALIZE THAT GOD HAS SOME EXPECTATIONS OF US. HE WANTS US TO COME OUT OF THAT OLD LIFE THAT WE WERE ONCE LIVING, THAT LIFE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH DESPAIR, THAT WAS FILLED WITH PROBLEMS CREATED BY OUR OWN AMBITIONS, OUR OWN APPETITE, OUR OWN NOT BEING AWARE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING MUCH HIGHER TO GRASP A HOLD OF, WE WERE IN A LOST STATE. BUT NOW GOD HAS FOUND US. AND WHEN GOD FINDS US, HE BEGINS TO CREATE THESE CHANGES WITHIN US. NOT TODAY, IT'S THOSE CHANGES THAT I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT. THOUGH I'M QUICKLY RUNNING OUT OF TIME. I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, THIS IS GOING TO BE A TWO PART-ER. THERE'S NO WAY I CAN FINISH ALL OF THIS TODAY. BUT I WANT TO AT LEAST TUCK THIS THOUGHT INTO YOUR MIND. THAT AS YOU LOOK AT YOUR LIFE AND YOU SEE SOME THINGS, THAT YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T NEED ANYBODY TO TELL YOU THIS, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THEM YOURSELVES. THEY ARE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGED. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT IN YOURSELF. THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I SEE IN MYSELF THAT I WANT TO SEE CHANGED, BUT I LACK THE POWER TO CHANGE THEM ON MY OWN. I'VE TRIED, I'VE EXERCISED ALL THE DETERMINATION THAT I COULD MUSTER WITHIN MYSELF. BUT I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE VICTORY OVER THOSE THINGS. SO I RELY ON GOD. AND WHAT I COULD NOT DO FOR MYSELF, GOD HAS HELPED TO DO FOR ME. AND FRIEND, HE WILL DO THAT FOR YOU TODAY AS WELL. THOSE THINGS THAT YOU DESIRE TO SEE CHANGED IN YOUR LIFE, GOD WILL HELP TO BRING ABOUT THOSE CHANGES. THERE'S ANOTHER VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THAT I WANT TO READ TO YOU. IT'S FOUND IN 2ND CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER, [COUGH] EXCUSE ME, CHAPTER 3, VERSE 18. IN THIS VERSE IT SAYS, "BUT WE ALL WITH OPEN FACE BEHOLDING AS IN A GLASS THE GLORY OF THE LORD, ARE CHANGED INTO THE SAME IMAGE FROM GLORY TO GLORY." LISTEN TO THIS NOW, "EVEN AS BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD." WHEN YOU LOOK INTO THE MIRROR TODAY AND YOU SEE YOURSELF. AND YOU SEE THOSE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE, REMEMBER THIS, THAT IF WE WILL YIELD OUR LIVES TO THE LORD, SURRENDER OURSELVES TO GOD, GOD, WILL IN TURN, SEND HIS SPIRIT INTO OUR LIVES. AND THROUGH HIS SPIRIT WILL CREATE THOSE CHANGES THAT WE DESIRE. ESPECIALLY IF THOSE CHANGES ARE DESIRED BY GOD. NOW YOU MAY NOT LOOK ANY DIFFERENT. I'M NOT GOING TO STAND HERE AND TELL YOU TODAY, THAT GOD WILL REMOVE THE WRINKLES FROM YOUR FACE. HE'LL REMOVE THOSE BLEMISHES FROM SKIN, HE'LL MAKE YOU LOOK 20 YEARS YOUNGER. THAT WOULD BE ABSURD WOULDN'T IT, WE KNOW THAT THAT ISN'T WHAT HAPPENS. YET, LISTEN TO THIS NOW. YET, BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD IS DOING IN US, WE WILL HAVE A MORE YOUTHFUL VIBRANCY. WE'LL LOOK YOUNGER JUST BECAUSE OF THE ATTITUDE AND THE MINDSET, THE SPIRIT THAT IS WORKING WITHIN US. IT WILL REMOVE THAT GLOOM AND THAT DESPAIR. IT'LL TAKE THE UGLINESS OFF OUR NATURE AND GIVE US AN INNER BEAUTY THAT WILL START TO SHINE THROUGH. HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED THAT? THAT THROUGH YOUR EXPERIENCE IN GOD, YOU WILL APPEAR DIFFERENT TO MEN AND WOMEN BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD IS DOING WITHIN THE NATURE OF OUR LIVES. OH YES, IT WORKS THAT WAY, MY FRIEND. BUT HERE'S THE SECRET, WE HAVE TO YIELD OURSELVES UNTO GOD. AND WHEN WE YIELD OURSELVES UNTO GOD, GOD COMES AND THROUGH THE WORKING OF HIS SPIRIT, HE BRINGS ABOUT THE NECESSARY CHANGES IN OUR LIVES THAT SHAPES US AND MOLDS US INTO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. NOW AS I PREPARE TO LEAVE YOU TODAY, THIS IS WHAT I WANT YOU TO HEAR. IT OUGHT TO BE THAT EVERY MAN, WOMAN, BOY AND GIRL, WHO HAVE YIELDED AND SURRENDERED THEIR LIVES TO GOD, THAT WE OUGHT TO DESIRE WITHIN OURSELVES, TO BE MORE LIKE JESUS. THAT OUGHT TO BE THE PRAYER OF EVERYONE OF US TODAY. I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE LIKE ME. AND I HOPE THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT ME TO BE LIKE YOU. BUT I THINK WE ALL, WOULD LIKE TO BE LIKE JESUS. WHEN YOU READ THE BOOKS OF MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE AND JOHN AND YOU STUDY THE LIFE OF JESUS ON THIS EARTH, NAME ME ONE THING ABOUT HIM THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE LIKE. NAME ME ONE CHARACTERISTIC, ONE ATTRIBUTE OF CHRIST, THAT IS A FAULT, THAT IS A FAILURE. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIND ANY. HE WAS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY. AND TODAY THERE IS NO LOFTIER GOAL THAT WE CAN SET WITHIN OUR OWN LIVES THEN TO BE LIKE JESUS. BUT TO BE LIKE JESUS, THE POWER OF CHRIST HAS GOT TO LIVE WITHIN US. THAT SPIRIT OF THE LORD HAS TO BE ALLOWED TO WORK. AND IF WE WILL ALLOW IT TO WORK, GOD WILL BRING SOME CHANGES. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, YOU'RE GOING TO BEGIN TO FIND. FIRST OF ALL, YOU'LL START LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT THINGS, NOT THE WRONG THINGS. NOW I CAN'T TAKE THE LAST FEW SECONDS THAT I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS, GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. AND IF YOU'LL LET HIM, HE'LL WORK THAT PLAN IN YOU AND YOU'LL BE BLESSED BY THE CHANGES HE BRINGS. I WANT TO QUICKLY CLOSE IN A WORD OF PRAYER. HEAVENLY FATHER, I ASK YOU RIGHT NOW, FOR EVERY LIFE THAT HAS HEARD THIS MINISTRY TODAY, HAS HEARD YOUR WORD, HELP THEM TO ACHIEVE THOSE THINGS, THAT YOU DESIRE TO FIND IN THEIR LIVES. HELP THEM TO DO WHAT THEY CANNOT DO FOR THEMSELVES. IN CHRIST' NAME I ASK IT, AMEN.