Thursday, October 2, 2014
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Caterpillars? Let's face it; don't tell them what I said, but they're ugly. Butterflies are beautiful. Now, I have known people with butterfly collections. I've never known anyone with a caterpillar collection. I guess it's just that every caterpillar gets fed up inching along instead of flying. They get fed up with being hairy and ugly instead of being colorful and eye-catching. But fed up won't do it. No, that caterpillar has to get into this cocoon and get metamorphed. That's a word I learned for that miraculous process. It means changing your form-metamorphosis, right? There's something, actually, for you in that cocoon, especially if you're tired of crawling spiritually or if your spiritual experience gets pretty hairy sometimes.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Don't Forget the 'Meta' In Your Morphosis."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Corinthians 7 beginning at verse 9. Paul says of some early Christians, "I am happy now, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance." Now, here is one of the most misunderstood words probably in the Christian vocabulary. And it's one of the most neglected experiences in the Christian life.
Repentance – It's vital if you want Christ's peace and Christ's power. It's the key. It's what releases His power. Repent! Now, obviously it means more than, "I'm sorry, God. I did something bad." Because these people said they were sorry, but Paul said here that repentance is more than that. Listen to verses 10 and 11, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.
Now, when you repent of a sin, you're not just saying, "Oh, I feel bad about it." You're saying, "I feel so bad about my sin that I'll stop doing it. In fact, I'm going to set up my life so I cannot and will not do it again." That's called abandoning the sin; forsaking it; throwing it in the fire so you can't do it any more. The Greek word for repentance is metanoeó. When you see meta on a word, it usually reflects change; a change of shape in the case of a caterpillar. Metabolism – that's what changes your food, right? So metanoeó-repentance-you're talking change here, not just feeling guilty.
The caterpillar might say, "I'm sick of feeling ugly. I don't like being like this any more. I want to be different." That's not enough, caterpillar. He has to submit to a transforming process that makes him something totally new.
Now, maybe you've told God you're sorry, but maybe it's time to go a step further and say, "Go ahead, God, and break my heart over my sin." See, when Peter realized what he'd done to Jesus in denying Him, that's when he looked in Jesus' eyes and Jesus turned and looked at him. He went out and he wept bitterly. When's the last time you've had that kind of passion over hurting Jesus. It's not because you broke a rule, but because you broke Jesus' heart.
And then you repent specifically. Not, "Lord, forgive my many sins whatever they are." No, name it. Repent emotionally and passionately. Get in that cocoon where sorry leads to a change. That's when the power of God is released. You've got to burn your bridges to all the things that have helped you do that sin and the people who've helped you do that sin and the influences. You need to go back and make it right with the people who've been affected by that sin and ask their forgiveness. Look around for some accountability people and ask for some help from some people who will hold you to the commitment you've made.
See, God is as tired of your crawling spiritually as you are. He wants you to fly, and repentance is the missing difference. Ask God right now to forgive that sin and to change you. Don't forget that 'meta' in your morphosis and become in Jesus a new person.