James Meehan - How To Create Lasting Change
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Have you ever wanted to make a change in your life? Like there's this thing that you're currently doing that you don't want to do anymore, or maybe there's a thing that you're not doing that you want to start doing because you think it will make your life better. Have you ever wanted that? Or maybe you've like wanted to make a change and then you actually made the change, but eventually you went back to the old way of doing things and now you're frustrated because it seemed like you had arrived, but now you're not where you want to be. If that is you, if you've ever wanted to make a change and weren't able to do it, or you did make the change, but now you've gone back to the old way of doing things, you are not alone. That's true probably for most of us in at least some areas of our lives. And there's good news, because today, we're talking about how to create lasting change. That's the title of this message.
We are in a series called Tear Down the Idols where we've been looking at some of the dominant idols in our world, and learning how we can tear them down so that we can fully devote our lives to God. But the important thing to remember is that tearing down the idols is not the last thing we do in the process. Because after you tear down the idols, the best thing you can do next is build an altar. If you are taking notes, that's the main point of this message. After you tear down an idol, the best thing you can do is build an altar. Because if you do not, then more likely than not, something else that you don't want another idol, another substitute, another bad habit will take the place of whatever it is that you've torn down.
If you're new with us in this series, we've been talking about idols, anything other than God that we put above God, and we've been talking about how dangerous it is to let those things, things like our desires, things like ourselves, things like money and power. When those things come before God, that's when they get tricky. That's when they get a little bit dangerous, because idols are counterfeit and they are costly. They're counterfeit, meaning they're not real. They are fakers pretending to be something they're not. And they are costly, because when we serve idols, they will always take more from us than we want to give. That's why we've been talking about this idea that idols always promise more than they deliver, but God always delivers on His promises. And so after we do the work of tearing down idols, the next thing we meant to do is to build an alter out of our lives, to replace the bad thing with something better.
To help us do that, we're going to be looking at a passage of scripture found in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings. And in this passage of scripture, we are going to see the three essential ingredients to create lasting change in our lives, in our communities, and in our faith. Before we jump in though, I want to give you the context and remind you that context is a really big thing. It's such a big thing that in Switch when it comes to reading the Bible, we often say that Jesus is king and context is everything. Jesus is king, meaning everything in the Bible is meant to lead us to Jesus and teach us how to live like Jesus. And context is everything. That means that everything around what we are reading gives meaning to the things that we are reading. It's like the details, the setting, the characters, what's happening in history, all of that shapes what we're reading so that we can understand it wisely and apply it to our lives today.
So what is the context for 1 Kings 18? Well, at this point in history, the people of Israel, God's chosen nation, have turned their backs on God and started worshiping idols, particularly the false god, Baal. And in this scene that we're going to read, God has sent a man named Elijah, His prophet, His messenger to go toe to toe with the prophets of Baal, to show the people of Israel who the real God is, to lead them to tear down the idols they have built and to come back to God. Where we're gonna be reading in this story is about halfway through the sequence of events. And the first half of the story that we're skipping over is all about the prophets of Baal trying to get their god to show up. But after hours of praying and crying out to him, nothing happens. And so they've had their turn. Now it is Elijah's turn.
In 1 Kings 18 starting in verse 30, we read this, "That Elijah called to the people, 'Come over here!' They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down". After you tear down an idol, the best thing you can do is build an altar. And so to start off this miracle that's about to take place, Elijah rebuilds the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. So what is an altar? An altar is a structure where people offer sacrifices to God. Oftentimes they would be made of like stones or they would be in like temples. That's what an altar is. And the reason altars are important is because altars are a visible reminder of what God has done, and a physical expression of our devotion to Him.
If you think about like a high school graduation ceremony, that is kind of like an altar, because it's meant to be a visible reminder of all of the hard work, the years of dedication that high school graduates have put in that led up to that moment. And it's a physical expression that they are stepping out of one season of life into another one. It is a physical expression of their commitment to take all of the lessons they learned in the previous years into the next chapter of their lives. We do high school graduations to mark the moment because it's a really big deal. And instead of just passing by, we wanna make sure everybody understands how important that is. That's what alters are for. They are used to mark the moment, to be a visible reminder of what God has done, and to be a physical expression of our devotion to Him.
So what Elijah is doing is he is setting the stage for what's about to happen so the people do not forget what God is about to do. And so the people understand that when God moves He always wants us to be a part of what He's doing. What is an altar? It's a structure where people offer sacrifices to God. They are visible reminders of what God has done and a physical expression of our commitment to Him. Picking back up in verse 31 and 32, "Elijah took 12 stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord". As Elijah rebuilds this altar, he shows us the first ingredient required to make lasting change. The first ingredient is people. It says that he took 12 stones. Each one represents a different tribe of Israel.
What's so interesting is that when Jesus stepped onto the stage of history, He assembled a team of 12 disciples. Each disciple meant to represent one of the tribes of Israel because Elijah and Jesus understood that real change doesn't happen alone, that it always happens when the people of God are working together as a part of His mission. That is the first ingredient to create lasting change. If we continue on in verse 32, we read that, "Elijah dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons. He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, 'Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.' After they had done this, he said, 'Do the same thing again!' And when they were finished, he said, 'Now do it a third time!' So they did, as he said, and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench".
So how do we create lasting change? The first thing that we need is the right people. The second thing that we need is we need persistence. Elijah said, "Hey, go do this thing, and now go do it again, and then do it a third time". Because real change almost never happens after a single decision. It almost never happens after a single action. It almost never happens in a single day. It takes time and commitment and dedication. We've gotta keep doing the same thing over and over and over and over again until the change occurs. And then even after the change happens, we've gotta keep doing the same exact thing so that the change actually sticks. Otherwise, we will just go back to the way things used to be. Becoming healthy takes more than eating one salad, than taking one pill, than going to one small group, than like showing up to a counseling appointment one time.
Real and lasting change doesn't happen because you read one Bible plan. It takes consistent, persistent, effort over time in the same direction. That's where real and lasting change comes from. If we continue on in this passage of scripture, picking up in verse 36, we read that, "At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed. He prayed, 'O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that You, O Lord, are God and that You have brought them back to Yourself.' Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, 'The Lord, He is God! Yes, the Lord is God!'"
How do we create real and lasting change? Well, we need three things. We need the right people. We need persistence. And the last thing that we need is prayer. We need prayer. If you were to ask me, I would tell you that prayer is the bacon of creating lasting change. And here's what I mean by that. Like a cheeseburger is really good. A cheeseburger is nice, but when you put bacon on that cheeseburger, oh man, it becomes something special. You can create change. You can make a difference if you've got the right people and you are persistent, but without prayer, while you may make a difference, you will not see God do the miraculous, because it is through prayer that we are inviting the God of heaven and earth to bring His power into our situation. We are inviting the Lord of the universe to step in and do what only He can do.
It wasn't until Elijah prayed that fire came from heaven and God showed up in a way that nobody would ever miss. If you wanna create real and lasting change, you need the right people. You need to be persistent, and you've gotta wrap it all in prayer, because after you tear down an idol, the best thing you can do next is build an altar. So how do you build your life into an alter? Because the truth is for us today, the most important altar you build isn't going to be a pile of stones. The most important altar you build will be your life. That your life would become a visible reminder of what God has done, that your life would become a physical expression of your devotion to Him, so that when people see you, they would see the love of God shining through you.
So how do you build your life into an altar? Well, it's gonna take the same three things that we just read about in that passage of scripture. It's gonna take the right people, it's gonna take persistence, and it's going to take prayer. And so what I wanna do for the rest of our time is share with you three questions that you are going to talk about in your small group to help you take these ideas and put them into practice. The first question is this, who are your people? Who are your people? Because we become like the people we spend time with. Our Pastor Craig Groeschel has often said that if you show him your friends, he will show you your future. Because we as human beings are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.
So who are your people? This summer, who are you going to be investing your time into? Like who are you gonna be hanging out with, talking to, hanging out online, in real life? Like what are you gonna be doing with your time? And perhaps more importantly, who are you going to be spending that time with? Like are you gonna surround yourself with people that are going to bring the best out of you, that are gonna help you be focused and disciplined on what matters most? Or are you just gonna surround yourself with the people who tell you what you wanna hear, but never what you need to hear? We become like the people we spend time with, and who you spend your time with this summer will shape the person you are in the fall. And if you wanna show up this fall to school, in this next school year as a person who is more grounded in their faith, who is more rooted in community, who is more prepared to make a difference than ever before, then you've got to surround yourself with the right people.
The second question, what do you need to be persistent in? What do you need to be persistent in? You see, the life that you want tomorrow is built on the choices you make today. And the truth is, a better life than what you have now does not come from making easy choices. More often than not, it comes from making difficult choices. So it's gonna take some work. It's not gonna be easy. If it was easy, you'd already have done it. Ronnie Coleman, one of the most famous bodybuilders in history, said, "Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift heavy weights". Everybody wants a better life, but few of us are willing to be persistent enough to see the change take place and actually stick.
So what do you need to be persistent in? For you, is it that you need to be persistent in going to bed early enough that you actually get enough sleep so that when you show up to breakfast or lunch or whatever the first meal of the day is for you with your family, you can actually be kind and patient with them instead of just a little bit snippy? Maybe for you, the thing that you need to be persistent in is starting every morning in God's word, making time to be with your creator before you jump on TikTok.
Maybe for you, the thing that you need to be persistent in is showing up to church every single week to worship and serve because you know that that is such an important part of having a strong relationship with Jesus. Maybe the thing that you need to be persistent in is honoring your parents, even when they ask you to do something that you don't want to do. Maybe the thing that you need to be persistent in is being a good older brother or sister to your younger siblings 'cause you're gonna be spending a lot more time with them this summer than you were during the school year. What do you need to be persistent in? Figure out whatever that thing is and come up with a plan so that you will not just do it one time or two times, but you will make a daily commitment to keep showing up and doing again and again the thing that is gonna help you become the person that you want to be.
The first question, who are you gonna spend your time with? Who are your people? Second question, what do you need to be persistent in? And the third question is this, how can you fuel all of that with prayer? How can you fuel it with prayer? Because prayer is the bacon for making real and lasting change. And out of all of the ingredients, if you were to ask me, I would say this is the one that is most important because this is the one where we are inviting God to be a part of the process, where we are asking Him to do for us what we could never do on our own, where we are inviting the Lord of heaven and earth to show up for us in a miraculous way in the same way that He did for Elijah and the people of Israel. How can you fuel all of this with prayer? And if you aren't sure the answer to that question, then my best advice would be to start reading the Bible plan, "Becoming like Jesus Prayer".
It's a Bible plan that we put together to help you make prayer a regular part of your routine, to make it a habit that you do consistently so that every single day you understand how to talk to God like He's your friend, how to invite Him into the hard parts of your life, and how to pray for other people who might be hurting and need God to show up in their lives. And if you wanna take it even further, then invite your Switch group to read that Bible plan with you because then you'll be reading a plan about prayer with the right people so that you can be persistent together. Like literally, if you do anything that would be my number one recommendation for you. Because if you wanna create real and lasting change, if you want to tear down the idols and replace them with an altar that your life would become a visible reminder of what God has done, a physical expression of your devotion to Him, then I don't think there's anything better you can do than surround yourself with the right people.
Be persistent in the things that really matter and fuel it all with prayer. If we continue reading in that passage from verse Kings the kinda final verse in that section is verse 40 where we read this, "Then Elijah commanded, 'Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don't let a single one escape!' So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there".
Now for some of us as we read that, it sounds kind of extreme, it sounds a little bit harsh, like, did they really have to kill them? And the reason why that sounds harsh to us is because we don't really know how dangerous idols are. We're a little bit numb to the destruction they can cause in people's lives. The reason why Elijah wasn't playing around is because he understands just how deadly a life of sin can be. He understands that if you wanna throw your life away, the best thing you can do is serve an idol. But if you wanna have life and life to the full, the only thing you can do is serve Jesus. Put God first, devote your entire life to Him.
And there are some of you who have been joining us for Switch every week of this series, and we've been talking about idols, and for some reason, you just still haven't gotten it, because whatever the idol is in your life, you just don't see it as that big of a deal. But I want these words to actually unsettle you a little bit because the truth is, those idols, they're robbing you of life, they're robbing you of what matters most. They are wreaking havoc in ways that you may not realize yet, but eventually, if things do not change years down the road, you will see just how destructive they can be. So do what Elijah did. Do what the people of God did, tear down the idols and devote your life to God. Because idols, they always promise more than they deliver, but God always delivers on His promises. And Jesus tells us that if we hold to His teachings, if we follow Him faithfully, then we will know the truth and the truth will set us for you.
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that you love us enough, that you meet us patiently in the middle of our sins. God, I pray that you would speak to the hearts of those students listening to this message who maybe haven't yet realized just how dangerous the idols that they are worshiping and serving really are, that you would wake them up to the reality of how wrong sin is and how much havoc it will cause if it goes unchecked. That God, You would give them the wisdom and the courage to tear down those idols and devote themselves to You so that they can experience the freedom that You promise. Pray all of this in Jesus' name, amen.
Still in an attitude of prayer with heads bow and eyes closed. Maybe there are some of you that as you're watching this message, you are starting to realize that you don't even have anything near a real relationship with God. Like maybe you've grown up in church, maybe you've heard about Jesus, and it's always just been like kind of there, but it's never actually been real. The thing that you need to understand is that you were created by God with a purpose for your life, that God created you to live in relationship with Him. But the problem is that as human beings, we've all sinned. We've done things that hurt ourselves and others.
We have disobeyed God, and that disobedience, that sin has created a separation between us and God. Our relationship with Him has been broken. And because of that, we are now lost. But God loves you so much, that 2000 years ago, He became a human being named Jesus. He walked on this earth without ever sinning. He loved God with everything He did. He loved people in a way that no one else ever had before. And when He went to the cross, He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins so that anybody who puts their trust in Him could be forgiven. But that's not where the story ends because after Jesus died, He rose from the grave proving that He is the son of God, that what He said was true. And now He's inviting everyone everywhere to find new life in Him.
And maybe that's why you are here today to begin a real relationship with Jesus, to turn your back on your old life, to tear down the idols, to put your trust in Him and to become a new person, to find the life and life to the full that you have been searching for. If that's you, and you wanna say yes to Jesus today, then type in the chat, "Jesus, I give you my life". Jesus, I give you my life. There is no better decision you can make than to be found by Jesus, to let yourself know Him and be loved by Him. So type it in the chat, "Jesus, I give you my life". And as people are making that choice, we're going to pray together alongside them out loud for Jesus to change our hearts and to make us new.
Lord Jesus, we love You so much. We're so thankful that You would die for us. Make us new. Make us whole. Help us to live for You. Pray this in Jesus' name. Amen, and amen and amen.