MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS:  SPIRITUAL GROWTH:  What motivates us for change?

Last week, Steve painted an awesome picture, a vision of what spiritual change could look like – The vision was that Christ’s accepts us who we are, we can drink from him, he is the water of life, and we can encounter him. Absolutely amazing! But what motivates you to get there. What motivates us for spiritual growth? Read Luke 18:10-14

Whilst the Pharisee and the Tax Collector are societies highest and lowest, they have two things in common with each other and with us.

a. They are both human
Before their society moulds, before they see the world through the lens of the culture they live in, they are men, normal, created, breathing, fleshly, men – both created by God – both made in his image – to be in his presence!

b. They are both broken
Adam and Eve, in the garden, right at the creation of the world and mankind, choose to usurp God’s authority and eat from the tree they were told not too.  And the result of this disobedience of God is that they are banished from the Garden, the presence of God– man is created to be with God – they are now banished from his presence – everything changes!  When Adam and Eve have a son, Seth, in Genesis 5, Seth inherits his father’s image – but what kind of image is it? - a broken, banished from Gods presence kind of one.  The Pharisee and Tax Collector are in the same position – created in God’s image, yet broken by sin and banished from his presence – we are in the same boat!
All of us cling to something to get us back into relationship with Him.  We try and prove ourselves.

1. Prove ourselves to God
The Pharisee tries to prove himself to God.  How many of us try to prove our way into heaven – “I am a good man – surely that gets me in” – “I read my bible everyday” – “I always keep to the speed limit” – “I committed to Christ when I was a kid, why worry now, I’m in” – “I pay my taxes” – “I prayed everyday for my Dad to be healed, and he didn’t, so I gave up on God”
We bargain something of our lives with God so that he would give us something.  Is God really that small that we can bargain with him?  And con him into letting us in so we get what we want, we bring God down to our level and make him human – someone we can barter with. 
Ultimately, The Pharisee is in charge. We want to be in charge.  We want to be God.  We are trying to prove ourselves to Him, to tell him we have what it takes to restore the broken, we want to make God as small as we can so we can give him something that would pay our way and fix our problems.

2. Prove ourselves to others
In standing at the front of the temple and praying, the Pharisee compares himself to the tax collector and justifies himself as being a better man.  The tax collector and the society around the Pharisee set the bench mark for this comparison, and the Pharisee just has to do one better.
What he does is prove himself by what others think of him.  He needs to keep up the Pharisee appearance in order to keep up with benchmark – if he drops any of the balls he spirals down the social ladder.  The last thing you want is for people to see what’s really inside – he has to wear a fake mask to keep himself above what everybody else thinks is in, so he can stay in and feel proved. 
What kind of mask, what appearance are we keeping up today?

3. Prove ourselves to ourselves
We tell ourselves we are good people, or we made the right decision, or “I am right, she is wrong” – because we justify ourselves by our own actions.  We have become our own Gods – choosing what is right and wrong.  But how come when we sin, or let someone else down we feel so bad, we feel so guilty. The longer the distance of time between when we last sinned and now, displays how strong we are at being good people, at proving just how good we are – again God is small, we are big.

In all three of these ways of proving ourselves – we or another broken human being is God. 
We have this great vision for change – yet we make ourselves the way to get it.

Every time we do this we make spiritual growth about us and our change - no-one like the Pharisee, tax collector, you or I can restore the image first broken by Adam and so restore our identity as those in relationship with God.  No one born of Adam can complete the vision of change. Romans 5:6 – “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, [when we were still broken and banished] Christ died for the ungodly” - Paying the price of death, with his blood, for our freedom.
Basically in order to restore our image, in order for us to have union with God again – Christ, God made flesh, must be crucified for us to be accepted back into relationship with God.
Tim Chester – “We don’t change so we can prove ourselves to God, we’re accepted by God so that we change”
You can’t change without being accepted – it is always self centred proving – that it why it feels like hard work.
You can change burden free when you know you’re accepted.  Note the order – accepted, justified and proved then you can change.  God gives us a new identity – he redeems our broken image.

We try and prove ourselves to God and he says my son died so you could be my son
We are accepted – as Steve taught us last week through the telling of the woman at the well.
I am a child of God.  When I look at what needs to change in my life, He looks at me and says, you’re my son – you’re already accepted regardless of the change.  Changing will not make you more acceptable to me – what does this do?
It takes the pressure off – I don’t have to prove myself to him.
We try and prove ourselves to each other and God says my son died so you’d be his Bride
We are married to Christ.  As a bride comes under the security, safety, protection, love and care of her husband, so we do with Christ.  He now protects us as his bride – when life seems to get on top, when sin seems to bad, when temptation is too much, he stands next to us and says, I protect you, rest in me.

We try and prove ourselves to ourselves and God says my son died so you’d get a Co-worker
God doesn’t just call us a son, take us as his bride and leave us to get on with it.  No he gives us a co-worker - he puts himself in us, by his Holy Spirit to help us understand this new identity – to live this life as a son and bride.  He is able to correct our thinking about ourselves.  When we start thinking and behaving like the broken man or woman we were, he steps in and helps us be the man or woman God has redeemed us to be – the man or woman we are.

The motivation for change is that God has already given you the new identity – you already have the new life with God – it came free and you are now proved by Him to be with him.  You don’t have to work for it or pay for it – no amount of hard earned change will make you more or less loved by God.  The change comes as we realise this new identity.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
1. In what ways do you find yourself trying to prove yourself to God, other people, or yourself?
2. What internal benchmarks do you set yourself that you need to achieve to find acceptance?
3. What appearances or ‘masks’ do people have to wear to be part of your mission group?
4. Think through situations where your behaviour is affected by the three ways to prove.
a. How does your new identity affect your behaviour?
5. How can you as a mission group help others to find their new identity?

Image copyright: Beppie K