Alright. Come on, Riot. I think miss Kay's gonna take that car away from you, but Alright. Amen. We'll start with Romans eight twenty nine.

Started a series of messages last week on roadblocks to change. Tells us in Romans eight twenty nine, for whom he did foreknow, that is God, for whom God did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. That word conform implies something, and that something is change. God saved us to what? To change us.

To change us into the image and the likeness of Christ. Romans twelve two, and be not conformed to this world. Don't be changed into the likeness of this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and perfect acceptable will of God. So God is transforming us. What does that mean?

Well, that again implies change. The word transformation, is akin to the word metamorphosis. And as the caterpillar changes and transforms into a beautiful butterfly, thus, we are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ from the inside out. It is a fundamental principle of the Christian life that we are in a process of what? Change.

God desires to change you. He will receive you as you are, but that he might change you into something better. Change you into the image of Jesus Christ? If you would, look in Ephesians chapter four. Ephesians chapter four.

And we could read the entirety of chapter four and chapter five. We're not going to do that this morning for the sake of time, but let's just take a portion of this passage out to emphasize the change that God is desiring to make in the life of his children. Chapter four verse 17. Ephesians four beginning in verse 17. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk, live, not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind.

By other Gentiles, he means unbelievers, okay, who do not know Jesus, who have not been born again, who are not the children of God thus, were not to walk as they walk, were not to live as they live, having the understanding, their understanding darkened, being alienated, separated from the life of God through the ignorance which is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness and greediness. This is a description of humanity apart from who? The transforming power of Jesus Christ. But ye have not so learned Christ. We know better.

We have better in Christ. If so be that ye have learned have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that ye put off concerning the former conversation, manner of conduct, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you put on the excuse me. That you put on the new man, which after God has created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore, put away lying. Speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole, steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy spirit of God whereby you're sealed until the day of redemption.

God by his spirit is seeking day by day to do a good work in us that he will finish until the day of Jesus Christ. And now there's the transformation of us into the image of Christ to the glory of our heavenly father. You see, before these Gentiles to whom he was writing knew Christ, stealing was commonplace, lying was commonplace, vulgar language was commonplace. That may be somewhat true of the world in which we live today? I think so.

But God wants to change us so that our pattern of life, our way of life, our very thinking changes to reflect the thinking of our savior. To all everyone to be a person after God's own what? After God's own our God's own heart as God changes us day by day. As Paul puts it in Corinthians, when we are weak, he is what? Strong.

Christian life is one of constant change and growth, ups and downs, struggles and victories, but it is also one of surrender. For it is only in losing ourselves to Christ and trusting in his strength and grace that we are transformed into his what? Into his image. When we're weak, he is strong. In order to win, you must let go and let God.

Humanity finds that often very difficult. Sometimes as Christians, we find that difficult. I've got it under control. I'll take care of it. If I just change this, if I just do that different, I'll fix it.

God wants to fix us. And the best way to do that is to well, what it tells us here in Proverbs three, five, and six. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not unto thine own understanding. All thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The answer is in trusting the Lord. The answer in trusting the Lord is getting to know the Lord. Not gonna trust the Lord if you don't know him. You gotta spend time with him. Learn to trust him better as you get to know him better, as you let go of thinking you've got all the answers and let God show forth himself in you and guide you into all truth.

Directing our paths or making our paths straight indicates movement, change, a journey, and indeed the Christian life is a journey, a journey which requires change. The first important step to change is seeing a need. Change begins with seeing a need to change. The righteous or rather self righteous will not come to Christ for help just like one who is well or believes himself to be well won't go to a doctor. Mark two seventeen, Jesus put it this way.

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, they that are whole have no need of physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. What does that mean? Well, you're not gonna come to Christ for salvation until you realize that you need a what? A savior.

But it also means this child of God, we're not going to change in that area that we need to. We're not going to see victory in that area that we need to unless we recognize that there's an area that needs to change in our thinking, in our conduct, to more in line with the image of who? Of Jesus Christ. We must recognize a need to change, and there is. For you today, what needs to change?

Not change for your your spouse or your child or your neighbor or the person sitting in front of you or behind you. But we need to ask the question, God, what needs to change in in my life? Step number two, second roadblock to change. That is there must be a desire to change. It's not enough to see that something needs to change.

There must be a what? A desire. A desire to change. This is, again, a big problem with humanity. In John chapter three, passage you're very familiar with, beginning in verse 16, it says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Why did Jesus come into the world? He didn't come into the world condemn us. He came in the world to rescue us from sin and hell. Give us everlasting life.

He that believeth on him, that is Jesus, is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. Jesus came to rescue us from condition we already a state that we were already in. But it goes on. Might not be quite as familiar with verses nineteen and twenty.

It says, and this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world. That light is who? Jesus. And men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God. What is the problem with humanity? It doesn't want. It has no desire to what? To change.

They're in darkness and they'd rather what? Stay in darkness. Because when exposed by the light, it reveals a need. It reveals a shortcoming. For all have sinned and come short of the what?

Of the glory of God. And so humanity lacks a desire to change. If you're a child of God, you have the spirit of the spirit of God, the holy spirit living inside of you. You have changed, but you still need to change what? More.

You should have a desire in your heart. God has given you. We need to strengthen that desire. We need to fall in line with that desire. Not not the desires of the flesh like like the Gentiles who are described here in Ephesians' words that live in the lust of the flesh.

But the first is seeing the need. The second is having a desire. The number third one, the roadblock we looked at last week is selfishness and pride. Because sometimes you see a need to change, and God has put a desire in your heart, but your pride fights against it. And our selfishness fights against it.

And you don't wanna give it up, whatever it is. You don't wanna let it go. You you don't want to to have the fight against the flesh in temptation. You don't want to humble yourselves and admit to the Lord. But change requires humility, and pride gets in the way.

And this morning, I'm going to look at two fears, two fears that are roadblocks to change. The first is the fear of failure. The second is the fear of man. The fear of failure. Believe that you cannot change or that you will not succeed.

This fear is a result of a lack of faith, a lack of faith in yourself. No. A lack of faith in who? A lack of faith in God. Now see, the first statement I made is what you hear if you watch motivational TV all the time.

You gotta have faith in who? Faith in yourself. Yeah. You just don't have enough faith in yourself. You can do it.

You can pull yourself up by your bootstrap. You can the Bible doesn't say you need to have faith in yourself. The Bible says you need to have faith in Jesus Christ who came and died on the cross to save you from your sins and to make you a child of God and to change you into his image. He can do it. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

It's a lack of faith because God tells us that you can have victory. Select at a few verses. Second Timothy one seven, Paul writes Timothy says, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of what? Power and of love and of a sound mind. Timothy was struggling.

He he had a a heavy weight of responsibility on his shoulders as a pastor. And Paul said to him, don't give in to what? Fear. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. He has given you the power to have victory.

He's given you the power, the enabling power to do what he has called you to do. He has filled your heart with the love of Christ, and he has given you a sound mind to carry it out. For God has not given you a spirit of fear, Timothy. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid.

Trust in the trust in the Lord. He is going to help you to do this. It may seem like a daunting task, and sometimes it does. But God is able. Joshua one nine, talking about a daunting task.

Timothy had a church to pastor. Joshua had a people of 2,000,000 to lead into Canaan and an army of 600 and some thousand to lead into battle against cities that had walls that were that were several feet thick and several stories high that were impenetrable, armies with chariots. And he had reason, I think, to be just a little bit, what? Scared. What did what did God say to Timothy?

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage. Be not, what? Afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Don't be afraid that you're going to fail in the mission that I have given you, Timothy, Joshua, because I will what?

What does God say? I will be with you. I'm not able, but I know one who is. David was not able to kill Goliath by himself, but it was a piece of cake for God. He directed that stone to the very spot it needed to go, and down came the nearly nine foot giant to the ground.

As David marched confidently forward with a sling and a stone in the face of a giant who said he's tear him for limb to limb and feed his limbs to the animals. We can be confident when we wade out into tomorrow against the temptations and the trials and the struggles and the hurts that God is with us, that he will not fail us, and that we can go forth with confidence and not with fear. First John four four says this, ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. Say but don't get me wrong.

Satan's a powerful enemy. He's been around a lot longer than we have. He has power. We don't. But the power of God, the Holy Spirit lives inside my heart and your heart, and greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world.

I'm no match for Satan, but Satan is no match for God. No match for God. And I do not have a reason to fear because I may stumble and fall a 100 times, but God will be there to pick me up. And in the end, we will win. We will win.

Galatians six says six nine says, be not weary in well doing for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not. Trust in the Lord. Don't be overcome with fear of whatever God has called you to do or whatever God has showed you needs to change or whatever sin needs to stop or temptation needs to be conquered. If you trust in the Lord and you put one foot in front of the other, one prayer in front of the other, one victory in front of the earth, we will see victory in Jesus Christ. We just need to trust in him and not to give up.

Often, do try, but we give up far too soon because we're not convinced or confident that we will change, that we will overcome the temptations of the flesh in the world. But I've tried again and again to overcome this temptation, this this stronghold, this sin in my life. I've just given up. Don't. God pleads with you.

Don't give up. You can have victory in Jesus Christ. First Corinthians ten thirteen, there is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape. Deliverance that ye may be able to bear it.

There is victory. There's victory over temptation. There's victory over the flesh, the sin, and the world. Trust in the Lord. Put one foot in front of the other.

Trust in him. Sometimes we give up. We don't think we can overcome the setbacks and failures of the past. Well, man, look at what I've done. I've failed here.

I've failed there. I tried this. I tried that. And this has happened to me. And because this has happened to me, I can never have victory.

That is Satan talking, not who? Not God. Who wrote Philippians? Help me out. Who wrote Philippians?

Paul. Okay? Where did he write Philippians from? Jail. He's under house arrest.

In Rome. Who was Paul before he became a believer in Christ? He was a persecutor of Christians, a denier of God of Jesus Christ. He threw prayer he arrested Christians, believers, and threw them in prison, had them tortured and sometimes executed. This is who he was, but then he met God on the road to Damascus, and God changed him.

And now rather than being the one throwing people in prison for the cause of Christ, he was the one who was in prison for the cause of Christ. How did that happen? How did Paul go from being the one throwing people in prison for Christ to being the one in prison for Christ, not only being in prison for Christ, but being content in prison for Christ? Well, he said here in Philippians three, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are what? Behind and reaching forth on those things which are before I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

God changed his life. He changed his trajectory. He changed who he was, his heart inside on that day when he accepted Jesus Christ. But he continued to change Paul day by day just as he is changing who? Changing us.

And as Paul, we need to see this as he saw this, forgetting those things which are what? Behind. They're behind. They're they're taken care of. They're they're forgiven in Jesus Christ.

I now have an opportunity to move forward in the power of God and the forgiveness that is in Christ Jesus and the love of Christ. So Paul says, I don't allow the things of the past to hold me back. I look to the future in Christ Jesus who has redeemed me. And the same thing is true of us. We need not let the past hold us back.

We are forgiven in Jesus Christ. And we can overcome, whether it be the sins of the past or the hurts of the past, the struggles of the past. As Christian, you have every reason to look to the what? To the future and not to the past. And then sometimes we give up too soon.

We don't believe we can overcome the daunting task that we see rising up like a mountain in front of us. God says, I want you to do this. God said in high school to me, in a service at camp, I want you to go into full time ministry. And I had one of the worst cases of stage fright, especially if I had to talk. Now, I learned to sing in front of people, but I couldn't talk in front of people.

And you say, well, why? What's the big difference? Well, when I get up to sing, all the words are already what? They're already written for me. I don't know.

It was just different. And I saw that mountain rising up and saying, God, I that no. Uh-uh. Can't do that. But after two years in college, God finally convinced me that what God calls us to do, God enables us to do, and that he will go with us and that we need not what?

We need not let fear of failure stop us. And you know something? I've now been doing this for thirty years. Not in my strength, but in his. And he hasn't failed me, and he won't fail you.

So don't allow fear of failure to keep you from changing. Trust in the Lord. Fear number two, and that is the fear of man. Another thing, roadblocks and changes, fear of men. Proverbs twenty nine twenty five, it says, the fear of man bringeth a what?

A snare. But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. The fear of man brings a snare. So often, we see the change, we desire to change, but then we allow the fear of what others might say, the fear of how others might respond, the fear that we might be humiliated in front of others, that they might reject us or cast us out, that they might say something mean, and we allow the fear of man to stop us from doing what God has called us to to do. What is the fear of man?

It's putting pleasing men, pleasing others above pleasing who? Pleasing God. It's connected to pride. Yes, it is. Because we're too concerned about what others think of who?

Think of us. Yeah. And what does the fear of man bring? It traps us. It traps us.

God wants us to go do this, and then we start, well, what if I say this? Or are they going to respond this way? Or maybe they'll reject me or or maybe they'll you know, and we start all these things start going through our head. If I do what God asked me to do, if I go talk to about this, if I give up this that my friends know that I was doing with them, what are they going to say? And the devil traps us.

And the fear of man, keeps us, hinders us from doing God's will, from changing. We must get over the fear of man and replace it with the fear of the Lord. We must desire to please God more than to please others. And so often, be honest. The thing that keeps us from changing sometimes is the fear of man.

And we must confess that. And we must turn from it. Proverbs one ten says, my son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Don't listen to them. Why?

The writer Proverbs goes on to say they set a trap for themselves. Don't you get caught with them. This is particularly difficult a lot of times for young people who want to be accepted by the crowd. And sometimes that crowd even claims to be Christians. But Christians don't always do the right thing.

And just because others are doing it doesn't make it right or good. And they'll drag you right along with them if the fear of man is the driving motivation behind what you do. Attentify those who would influence you or pressure you to do wrong, the scripture say. Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine we that ye have learned and, what? Avoid them.

That means you might actually have to cut what? Tithes. It might not be easy, but it might be necessary. Because if you're going to let God have his way in your life, then there's some things you might have to let go of that's pulling you two different directions. And that may even be friends.

It says in Psalm one one and two, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. He he's contrasting to two motivations here, driving forces in the lives of people. One is joining the group that's going away from who? God. And the other is choosing to turn your back on that group and to please who And to get to know who?

And to spend time with who? The Lord, meditating in his word day and night. The fear of man brings a snare. But who so putteth his trust in the Lord shall be what? Shall be safe.

Putting your trust in the Lord's gonna save you from a lot of sorrow and misery. Just think about it if you've been been around for a while. Some of the dumbest things you did, you did with other people. And you did it because you wanted to be accepted. You did it because it was popular.

You did it because, well, they were doing it. And you got trapped. But if you just would trust in the Lord, you would have been what? Safe. Yeah.

This is often a big problem for Christians. You must be willing to cut ties if need be to choose the fear of the Lord over the fear of man, over the fear of rejection, over the fear of persecution, over the fear of lost relationships. If our concern for the opinions and acceptance of men is greater than our love for God, we will find it very hard to, what, To change. It's a trap. It's a trap Satan would love to keep you in.

Choose the fear of the Lord and the love of the one who made you and gave his life for you, and you will change. If you let go of the fear of man, the sky's the limit. You will change. Quit hanging on to that. Choose instead to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of litmus, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto who? Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Remember who? Remember Jesus.

Remember what he did for you. Remember where he is today and what he is doing for you. See the reward, the prize that is to be had when we follow who? Jesus, the example that he has laid before us. And lay aside those weights that are holding you back, the fear of failure, the fear of man.

Spend time with the right people, other children of God, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some has been exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Choose wise friends, not foolish ones. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Choose the fear of the Lord over the fear of men. Joseph Joseph chose the fear of the Lord.

He said to Potiphar's wife, how can I do this thing and sin against God? And what happened? Well, you say, yeah, he got thrown in jail. Yeah. And he was in jail for actually a few years.

But then he was taken out of jail and he became the second highest ruler in all the land of Egypt. Man, that took some time and there were some valleys, but did God forget about him? Did God did God depart from him? Did God know? He chose the fear of the Lord and he reaped a great reward.

Daniel chose the fear of the Lord and he purposed in his heart not to defile himself. Samson chose the fear of man and look what it cost him. What promise he had and what it cost him. King Saul chose the fear of man, and it cost him the kingdom and his sanity. The apostles chose the fear of the Lord, and one day their names will be written on the foundation of the eternal city, it tells us in Revelation.

But Judas, who chose the fear of man, will be remembered no more. God wants to save us from sin and hell. Don't allow the fear of man to keep you from who? From Jesus. And child of God, God is working today, tomorrow, and the next day to change us into the image of Christ, to give us joy and peace, to use us to make a difference in the lives of those whom we love, but we must get over the fear of man in order to help them and to glorify him.

We must get over our lack of faith and learn to trust the Lord. And when he says he will be with us and we will succeed, we must trust in him that we can change, that what he asks, we can accomplish through him. You can change. You will. But give God a chance, and don't ever don't ever give up.

Let's pray. Dear God, thank you, Lord, for the change that you've already made in so many of our lives on the day we came to know Christ and every day since then, Lord. You're still working on us. We thank you, Lord, for your patience, your mercy, and your grace. We pray, Lord, if there's one here today that is yet to trust Christ as savior, they may come as we sing this hymn of invitation this morning.

You will receive them as they are by faith, and then you will change them day by day as you have been changing us. And you will not fail them if you have not failed us, Lord, if they will but come and trust and receive you today. I pray, Lord, for your children that are here this morning. Lord, we know the areas in which we need to change. Lord, I pray that you would put a burning desire in our heart to allow you to make that change.

I pray, Lord, that we would kick pride to the curb, that we would trust in you, that you are able because you are, and that we will choose the fear of the Lord over the fear of man and see you do great and mighty things in our lives this week and the next and the next. Thank you, Lord, that you are a God of power and might, of love and grace. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity today to praise your name. In Jesus' name we do pray. Amen.