Remodeling Your Life

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to "Try Jesus!" If this is your first time joining us, it’s great to have you with us. I would like to thank all the new members for joining "Try Jesus" from Ohio, Colorado, Wisconsin, New York Florida, Arizona, and Alabama this week.

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6 KJV). God loves to make his people new (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ezekiel 36:26,26; Revelation 21:5).

What a glorious time it is to be alive! Some people might think "Hey you must be living in "la-la land." Don’t you see our world is going to "hell in a hand basket?"

If they would give me a moment I would tell them, sure things look pretty bad in our country today, but for the authentic child of God they can stand on Jesus' words of promise.

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:28 KJV).

Only true believers and followers of Jesus can make this claim, "amen? Hallelujah!" Let’s pray. "Heavenly Father, as our nation descends lower and lower into a trail of human misery and degradation, you are still calling people to choose your way of life.

Lord, this morning open up hearts that have lived in misery and want new life. Open your living powerful words to every heart seeking deliverance from pain and suffering.

Lord, send your power this morning to break up and cast out every spiritual stronghold. Renew and rebuild those lives seeking forgiveness and help. Be exalted alone in this message, in Jesus name, amen."

How many of you know there are individuals who specialize in teaching others how to be gracious host? When you take your family out on special occasions, you hope to make their day a memorable one.

Professional hostesses should be accommodating in everything involving people. That's sort of the cut and dry way of saying a hostess should be looking at seeking the highest good of the individual(s) they are catering too.

Typically you want people who are people skilled. Basically, they just know people. They thrive on connecting with personalities. They know how to read the atmosphere of the guest invitations.

They are skilled in customer service, professionalism, high energy events, multitasking ability, and thoroughness planning.

They also are known to have number skills that help in efficiently serving adequate numbers attending the event. They are quick to respond to inquiries and request to family and other guest invitations.

They typically arrive early and end up being the last one to leave to make the day pleasant at the beginning and the end of the event. The professionalism of a host or hostess should have their fingerprints all over the special event.

Again, a true host or hostess has his/her whole mind prepared to launch into their task with headlong directives to achieve success for their customers. Those who attend begin to understand who the skills point too.

Did you know God brings the same fervent desire to remake, redesign, and reestablish a wonderful makeup of your whole life. No one on this earth was greater than Jesus at being a gracious host wherever he went.

But what sets Jesus above any professional host or hostess is he sees the outward and inward need of every individual. Let’s look at a couple of incidents where you see this play out in the scripture.

The scene takes place at the sea of Tiberias. After Jesus was crucified Peter told the disciples he was going fishing. Sometimes when difficulties and struggles in life come, we revert back to that comfort area where God is not present. Or so we think (John 21:1-4).

But in this event the resurrected Savior had not forgotten about his disciples. But in this event Jesus became the perfect host who took care of every need facing the disciples.

He met their physical need, and then he met their spiritual need. How did he meet Peter's spiritual need? He prayed that his faith would not fail. A great host always prepares firsthand before speaking the words "Come and dine" (John 21:12).

Earlier Jesus had spoken to Peter during the Passover meal. Peter and John had to buy and prepare the lamb as well as the unleavened bread, herbs, wine, and other ceremonial food (Luke 22:8-13).

Jesus gave instructions on the location and how the Passover would be prepared. During this historic time that thousands of years later would be repeated by many, the disciples began to quarrel about who would be the greatest in Christ Kingdom (Luke 22:24-27).

Sometimes people resort to nit-picking when gathered around something wonderful a host might prepare for them. They look for trivial things to critique that don't fit their liking of how things should be done.

It seems Peter was always front and center of one on one discussions about his relationship with Jesus. Jesus, being the great host that he is, told his disciples that they would sit at his table upon thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:30). What an eternal host we have awaiting us! 

This meeting was a time where Jesus expressed great care for Peter by telling him Satan wanted to sift him as wheat (Luke 22:31,32). But also Jesus loved Peter enough to tell him he would pray for him that his faith would not fail. A great host cares about your emotional well-being.

[Satan wanted to crush Simon Peter and the other disciples like grains of wheat. He hoped to find only chaff and blow it away. But Jesus assured Peter that his faith, although it would falter, would not be destroyed. It would be renewed, and Peter would become a powerful leader.]

This how Satan comes into our lives as a host destroyer. He is everything opposite of a loving caring Savior. He has no caring attitude for the broken hearted. He is filled with selfish pride and ambition.

This was the same selfish attitude of a man named Simon who Jesus visited during his ministry. Simon did right in giving the invitation for Jesus to come to his house, but he failed miserably being a gracious host (Luke 7:36-39).

Simon was more concerned about status and reputation than he was at sacrificing and serving to seek the highest good of all guest (Luke 7:39).

Even uninvited guest. Have any of you ever been surprised by guest your children may have brought home during a special gathering?

Jesus saw through Simons dismissive attitude of the woman who performed how a true host should treat a guest. Jesus was great at pointing out flaws in people’s lives and still loving on them also (Luke 7:40-43).

Jesus showed Simon how a true host conducts himself around those that would enter his home. This is how it’s done.

44} And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

45} Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46} My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

47} Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48} And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. (Luke 7:44-48 KJV).

[Simon had committed several social errors in neglecting to wash Jesus’ feet (a courtesy extended to guests because sandaled feet got very dirty), offer him the kiss of greeting, and anoint his head with oil.]

It was this woman's act of hospitality was done through faith. It is God’s grace through faith that saves us. Acts of love and generosity are byproducts of a changed heart. Jesus honored the woman because he knew her heart of repentance.

Our adversary Satan is just the opposite of this story concerning the woman. When Jesus told Peter Satan wanted to sift him as wheat, he wanted to grind him to powder that the slightest wind would destroy his life.

The Greek word sift ( siniazō) means to sift. To shake in a sieve. To gain inward agitation. To try one's faith to the verge of overthrow.

Satan doesn't care how fast or slow he destroys a life. If he can make his way in and start to crumble your life, he will. People’s lives are not on solid ground (without having Jesus in it).

When individuals are addicted to harmful abuses in their life, it only takes the smallest relapse to send them headlong into destruction.

Jesus told us Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10). Paul described Satan as the prince of the power of the air. The devil, as he is also called is the commander of the powers in the unseen world between earth and sky.

[Satan rules an evil spiritual kingdom, directing the demons and those who are against Christ and the rule of the Kingdom of God. When Jesus was raised from the dead, he was victorious over the devil and his power.

He demonstrated his own power even over death. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the permanent ruler of the whole world; the devil is only the temporary ruler of the part of the world that chooses to follow him.]

Satan destroying a life is like a house that is gutted and left standing to decay away. He seeks to corrupt all that God has created and one time called it "good."

After creating Adam and Eve God then said it was "very good!" And guess who Satan went after? God’s greatest masterpiece, humans.

When Satan inhabits a life, he brings these emotions against us:

1) Doubt- to make you question God's love, goodness, and his living word.

2) Discouragement- to make you look at your problems instead of God’s deliverance.

3) Diversion- to make the wrong things look attractive so you will desire them more than God’s right things.

4) Defeat- to make you feel like a failure (low self-esteem) so that you give up on life (he brings suicidal thoughts).

5) Delay- to make you put