Sermon Notes of Elder Larry Omasta's Sermon on July 1, 2018: "Caterpillars and Christians What Do We Have in Common? (2 Corinthians 3:18)" [In today's sermon, Elder Larry Omasta compares the metamorphous of a caterpillar into a butterfly with the spiritual transformation of a self-centered human into a person exhibiting the love of God to others by the Holy Spirit.] Notes Introduction: I have a confession to make! Today s sermon didn t start out with such a colorful and intriguing title Caterpillars and Christians. I had originally given this message a typical descriptive title (Spiritual Transformation), which was pretty boring. Once you saw that title, most of you would have said Ho-hum and mentally gone to sleep. But I wasn t happy with it. So, I had asked God how He wanted me to present this material that he had inspired me to put together. And so that evening just as I had gotten into bed, and started to relax, this title and a different way of presenting this message popped in my mind. So, I jumped out of bed and jotted down a lot of notes. And the next morning I reworked the sermon. And as this message progresses you ll see how God is miraculous transforming us. And it involves God s incredible, deeply felt love for all humanity. Why Did Jesus come? Why did Jesus come to this earth? Why did the Word of God, the Logos, willingly humble himself by giving up his glory so that he could take on the very nature of humanity? There are 2 important reasons. Unfortunately, most Christians are just familiar with the 1st one. So, probably all of us would answer the question this way: o Jesus came to take away our sins by dying on the cross thus redeeming us to the Father. o And, of course, that s absolutely true. There are many scriptures that support this understanding. Eph. 1:7, "In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God s grace. We re redeemed because of God s grace towards us."
2 Let s look at one more Scripture, which also talks about this. Col. 1:21-22, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22) But now he has reconciled you by Christ s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." We understand that because of what Jesus has accomplished for all of us by His death on the cross, He has not only taken away our sins but He has also given us His righteousness. Biblical scholars call this the great exchange. Jesus exchanges our sins for His righteousness. We become covered or clothed, so to speak, with the righteousness of Christ. And that s why we can be presented to the Father holy and without blemish. Now what s important to understand is that we are declared righteous even though we still have our fallen human nature. And that s important to understand. Another important reason: Now, as fantastic as this is, our redemption is only part of the answer as to why Jesus came to this earth. And this is something very exciting to share with others, who don t know Jesus yet. You see, when we turn from our sinful rebellion against God and accept Jesus, not only as our Savior but also as Lord to rule over our lives, He then does one more incredible thing for us. He sends the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to us. And because of this we now become a new creation, because the primary role of the Holy Spirit is to begin our miraculous spiritual transformation. Spiritual transformation: And through this spiritual transformation, God doesn t leave us in our fallen sinful state of immorality, dishonesty, greed, bitterness and prejudices. Wow, that s really good news, isn t it? This means that we re no longer imprisoned by our sinful habits and our dysfunctional-ism. The truth is God is in the process of changing us to be like his Son. This is God s ultimate plan for us. That s an incredible statement, but it s the Gospel truth! And yet sadly, not all Christians understand this. God is in the process of changing us to be like his Son. That s God s ultimate plan for us, which we need to share with others. Now let's be honest. By ourselves we can only change our outward conduct to a limited degree, to a very limited degree. In the past, we ve tried to change what we consider are some of our bad habits and we fell short.
There s an old saying that goes like this: changing clothes doesn t change the person. And what is meant by that is this. Outward discipline or outward pressure doesn t make lasting changes or alter what is within a person. That s not to say that outward change or self-discipline is not good to do. But outward change is not enough to truly change our self-centered hearts or to change our fallen human nature. And that s the key. Most religions and philosophies of this world teach that if you make efforts to change the outside, you will eventually change the inside. Humanists, who emphasize human fulfillment in the natural world and who often reject belief in God, teach the same thing. For example, Benjamin Franklin wrote in his autobiography, that he worked on his selfpride for several months. But he had to admit that his efforts were a total failure. And how did he come to that conclusion? It was because he became so proud of himself when he thought he had finally overcome his self-pride. He was proud that he became humble. You see, it takes the Spirit of God to change us internally our efforts can t do it. 2 Thess. 2:13 tells us that "...God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit." In the Greek, the verb sanctify means to make holy. This is how the NLT states it: "God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation a salvation that comes through the Spirit who makes you holy." The bottom line is we can t make ourselves righteous or holy by our own efforts. Paul wrote in Gal. 2:21, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law (meaning human effort to obey the law, or by doing human good works), Christ died for nothing! (in vain)." As we said earlier, this same Jesus, who redeemed us by taking away our sins by dying on the cross, also came to do much more for us. The second reason for the coming of Jesus: The 2nd reason He came was to make us a new creation by transforming us through the Holy Spirit. 2 Cor. 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" NLT, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 3
4 Gal. 6:15, "Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation." Message Bible (MSG), "It is not what you and I do submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life!" Caterpillar to butterfly: So how does God transform us into a new creation? Well, God gives us many physical analogies to help illustrate spiritual concepts. Let s look at the example of the caterpillar. How can an insect that crawls on the ground or on plants be changed into one that flies? How can a multicolored, fuzzy insect, that most people say is ugly, be changed into a beautiful, delicate, fascinating creature with brightly colored wings that people admire? In short, how can a caterpillar become a butterfly? Metamorphosis/transformation: Well, we don't fully understand the process, but science has come up with a word to describe it it s called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is what happens when a caterpillar spins a cocoon around itself and within a few days or a few weeks, a butterfly miraculously emerges. Now there is a spiritual analogy that parallels this physical event. How can a person who is a slave to various destructive sinful habits and who is totally stuck on himself become a remarkably different person, a compassionate, caring person exhibiting the love of God to others? Again, we don't fully understand the process, but we do know that the Bible talks about it in great detail. The Apostle Paul uses the word transformation to describe it. 2 Cor. 3:18, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being TRANSFORMED into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is Spirit." Now the Greek word for being transformed is meta-mor-phoo-mai. So in English we have a similar word in spelling and sound metamorphosis which is essentially a transliteration of the Greek word. The word metamorphosis means in a biological sense a change in form, structure or function. It can also mean describing humans as a marked or complete change of character, appearance or condition. NLT, 2 Cor.3:18) "And the Lord who is Spirit makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."
MSG, 2 Cor. 3:18) "And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." Wow!! What that Scripture in 2 Cor. 3 tells us is absolutely incredible isn t it? It's somewhat fascinating that science uses the same word to describe the physical transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly which Paul used to describe the spiritual transformation in the life of a Christian from one being sinfully self-centered to one becoming like Christ, who exhibits self-sacrificing love to others. By the way, just as the caterpillar can t take credit for becoming the butterfly, we can t take credit for the transforming work that takes place in our lives, either. Only God can transform us who are broken, flawed humans into the likeness of his glorious righteous Son. Here s another Scripture using this Greek word meta-mor-phoo-mai. Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve (discern) what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will." NLT, 12:2) "Don t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." YES, God is in the process of changing the way we think. MSG, 12:2) "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it." You'll notice that in both scriptures we just read in 2 Corinthians and Romans, the verb structure is passive not active; "being transformed" and "be trans-formed." That means something is being done to us not by us. That means God does the transformation. And He does it through the Holy Spirit that He has sent. It s the Holy Spirit who changes us from the inside out. The Holy Spirit changes our inner most thoughts, our attitudes, our mindset; in other words the Holy Spirit changes our hearts--the seat of our emotions and reasoning abilities. God s ultimate plan for us for all of us for all humanity is nothing short of a miracle God wants to change our stubborn, calloused heart into the gracious heart of Christ. The incredible news is that God wants all of us to be just like His Son Jesus. He wants us to have a heart like his. Eph. 4:13, "God's people are to become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." This is a very profound statement. This is what Scripture tells us about the Father s desire for each of us. 5
6 He wants us to become just like Jesus. So the next time we see a brightly colored butterfly, it should put a smile on our face and remind us how much God is transforming our lives minute by minute, day by day from a broken people into the exact likeness of his wonderful Son! What is our role? Now I know what many of you are thinking. So let s ask the troubling question out loud. We realize that God is doing the transformation, but is there anything we need to do in order for this transformation of God to take place more easily or more effectively in our lives? The answer is yes, of course. So what does it take? As pastor Craig has been telling us this past year, It takes our participation and cooperation. We simply can t put on lives on autopilot and think we re going to automatically follow the lead of God. It takes thoughtful submission on our part. We have a responsibility to have a willing heart to follow our Lord and Savior. You might say that for us as Christians, our willingness to yield ourselves to Jesus provides a friendly environment in which the Holy Spirit can work. Conversely, apathy and indifference to God's way of life is a negative and hostile environment for the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us not to grieve or sorrow the Holy Spirit as explained in Eph. 4:30 NIV, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." MSG, "Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. The Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted." I like how Eugene Peterson puts in the Message Bible. Don t take such a gift for granted. But on the other hand, we must be careful not to go to the other extreme, which we all tend to do as humans, and rely on our own strength, or our own "spiritual actions or spiritual disciplines" such as prayer, Bible study, meditation, and even fasting. Yes, we need to do ALL those things in order to help line up our heart with God s heart and to line up our will with his will. The bottom line is we must RELY UPON GOD and not ourselves for this transformation to occur, yet we need to actively interact and participate with God.
7 Three key points: So, here are three key points, that will help all of us, on how we can better interact and participate with God: 1. Yes, we need to pray so we can seek and submit to God s will in our lives. o Jesus taught us this when he gave us the model for prayer. o First Jesus taught us to praise or hallow God s name and then to pray for his kingdom to come, and next he tells us that we should pray, o "Your will (meaning our heavenly Father s will) be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). o Jesus who was God incarnate God in the flesh told us in John 6:38, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." o If this is how Jesus felt, as the Son of God, how much more should this be our desire not my will be done but yours Lord! o We can say this to God as we turn over to Him all of our life s difficulties and all our personal struggles with our sinful habits that enslave us. 2. Another thing we can do to participate with God in his transformation of our lives is to read and meditate on the NT especially the Gospels, which highlight the life and teachings of Jesus. o Jesus told his disciples about the many benefits of the coming of the Holy Spirit. But let s just focus on this one recorded in o John 14:26, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." o So the Holy Spirit would help the disciples recall everything that Jesus had said to them. o So how does this apply to us, when we are living almost 2000 years after the death of Jesus? o Jesus has never really ever talked to us, has he? o Well, in one sense he has. o When we study and meditate on the Gospels on what Jesus taught and how he dealt with people, it s just like we were there with him as the disciples were. o And the more familiar we are with what Jesus said and how he interacted with all kinds of people, the more the Holy Spirit will be able to recall to our minds, the words and actions of Jesus. o And when we have self-centered or antagonistic thoughts, the Holy Spirit will help us recognize them as not being the thoughts of Jesus. o Even as we talk to people, we can ask God in a silent prayer, How do I love my neighbor as myself, when he or she bugs me? o Or how can I have more compassion for those who don t know you God and your great love you have for them?
Personal example: o Or give me the exact words that I need to say to this person to impact their lives. o Quickly let me give you a personal example of this. o This happened a few years ago when I was working with a small hi-tech manufacturing co. o I was talking with our international rep from Taiwan (Chien Lee), who was frustrating the two company owners because he wasn t following their advice on how to sell their product there. o They couldn t make any headway with him, so they wanted me to talk with him because of all my previous international travels. o So, I was very polite trying to get him to tell me his reasoning behind what he was doing and why he wasn t following the company guide lines. o I didn t argue with him like the owners had. o Then, he suddenly interrupted me and asked me this question: Why are you treating me so differently than the others? You are treating me with dignity and respect why? o At this point, I really didn t know how to answer him. So I asked the Holy Spirit to give me the right words to say. And I was amazed at what I told him. o I said, I m a follower of Jesus. o And that stunned him. o He then went on to tell me that his sister who has immigrated to CA changed her religious beliefs and told him that she was now a follower of Jesus and wanted to talk to him about what had happened to her. o But he told me that he had refused to talk with her about religion. o And then he told me, I m a follower of Buddha which I had never know before. o And then he said, Because you have impressed me in how you have treated me and then told me that you are a follower of Jesus, I am definitely going to talk to my sister, who s also a follower of Jesus. o This is truly an amazing story. o I ve never given that answer to anyone before or since that incident. But the Holy Spirit knew exactly what I should say to him. o As the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts into the heart of Jesus, we too will interact with people totally differently than we ve ever done before. o We will look upon them with compassion and Godly love. o We will become a new person, we will become like a butterfly! o So prayer, Bible study, meditation are important tools for us not to become self-righteous about but to humbly draw us closer to God, so that we can be more in tune with him and his perfect will for us. 8
3. There s one more important point we need to talk about. We are all on a unique journey with God. So, we don t need to compare ourselves with anyone else. Concluding comments: o We re all guilty of comparison, type thinking. o Well, he s more spiritual than I am. o Or we think, She s got her life all together much more than I do. o When we compare ourselves with others we tend to get discouraged. o We need to remember that Jesus wants us to come to Him and to focus on our relationship with Him as he changes us through the Holy Spirit. o God created us as unique individuals. No two people have identical fingerprints, or vocal patterns, or even retinal eye scans. o And no two people have identical laughs, or sneezes or personalities. We are all unique. o And our spiritual transformation is also unique with Jesus. We just need to be in tune with him, and not worry about anyone else. o Each of us is in good hands with Jesus as he transforms us through the Holy Spirit. So, in conclusion, what do caterpillars and Christians have in common? Both are being transformed by God. Both are being transformed into a vastly different type of being. Both are transformed into a beautiful creation. Since we have given our life over to Jesus, Jesus has made his home in our heart through the Holy Spirit. And as a result we are a new creation. And as a new creation through the Holy Spirit, God begins to give us new eyes, so we can see by faith. He gives us a new voice to encourage people and new hands to serve others. God gives us a new mind so we can have the thoughts of Christ. He gives us new strength so we don t grow tired and weary. And most of all, God gives us a new heart a heart just like Jesus. May God grant us the understanding about the spiritual transformation taking place in our lives as a result of the sanctifying work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. So in conclusion, let s be inspired with these encouraging words from Paul in Phil. 1:6. Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Let not our hearts be troubled, God will complete his sanctifying and transforming work in us to his honor and to his glory, because he loves us so very much. Closing prayer 9