Recalibration in Acts: Transformed by the Spirit
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Big Idea:
Big Idea:
Spiritually mature people are transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Intro:
Intro:
Good morning [Church Online]
All year long we’ve been focusing on the theme of spiritual maturity. We believe God is calling our church to spiritually grow up. And on Sundays, we’ve strategically supported that vision in our sermon series...
We started off the year in Ephesians 4, talking about how to grow in Christ.
Next, we went verse by verse through the Book of Jonah, dealing with the reality that maturity is messy.
And recently, we’ve begun processing the idea of recalibration...
Sometimes, in order to grow, you have to get back to the basics. To put it another way, we must care about the things that Christ cares about.
For the past 3 weeks, we’ve been in a series on “dreams”, discovering and pursuing the purposes (dreams) God created us for. But now, we are going to jump into the Book of Acts to help us recalibrate.
The Book of Acts is the story of the early church. It is the story of - after Jesus died, rose again, gave them instructions, and then ascended to heaven - what it looked like for the disciples (followers of Jesus) to respond to Christ’s commands.
If you will, how they cared about the things Christ cared about. And it’ll be beneficial for us to examine what they did, so we can recalibrate to what truly matters to Jesus too.
One important thing Jesus said was...
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Basically, “Christians (My disciples), your mission is to go everywhere and preach the gospel to everyone!”
And that command wasn’t just for them… it still stands for us today. We too are charged with this very important mission. We must ensure we are always making every effort to reach our community with the gospel. And if we find that we’re not, we need to recalibrate.
Honestly, I think we do a good job of that at our church. Not that we couldn’t do better or more, but it is part of The River Church culture to reach out. That being said… I actually want to talk about something else Jesus said in that same passage. Before sending them on this gospel mission, it says...
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
There’s a lot in this passage, but here’s what I want to point out… “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Again, lots to say here… but here’s where I want to direct our focus:
Essentially, Jesus tells them, “You MUST be TRANSFORMED!”
As we focus on spiritual maturity...
As we recalibrate to what truly matters...
As we seek to care about what Christ cares about...
We MUST understand that followers of Jesus, those who are spiritually maturing, are those who TRANSFORMED by the power of the Holy Spirit!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
When you become a Christian (a follower of Jesus)… when you repent (turn from your sin)... and put your faith in Christ (trusting in what He did on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins)… the Scriptures says something SUPER SIGNIFICANT happens… YOU ARE TRANSFORMED INTO A NEW CREATION BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Spirit of God makes His home in your heart and you CHANGE.
And I’d like to pose an important recalibration question to you this morning:
If you call yourself a Christian, have you CHANGED?
Is your life different from when you didn’t follow Jesus?
Is there TRANSFORMATION?
Because Jesus said there should be; in fact, the implication is... you can’t participate in God’s mission or purposes unless there’s been Holy Spirit transformation. Therefore, it’ll be important for us to consider if transformation has happened, because if not, we CANNOT spiritually mature.
Now, I know this idea of transformation can be a little confusing. If you’re sitting here and thinking, “I really don’t understand what that means,” take heart, you’re not alone.
Actually, John 3, Jesus was talking to super intelligent Jewish theologian. His name was Nicodemus. And Jesus tells him about the necessity of transformation. In that moment, he used a different phrase, “born again.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
And Nicodemus was like, “What you talkin bout Willis? I don’t get it!”
Here’s a super smart, theologically-minded person, who struggled with the idea of Holy Spirit transformation. So, it wouldn’t surprise me if we struggle too.
Therefore, let me give us a few examples of what Holy Spirit transformation looks like...
Body:
Body:
After Jesus died and rose again… and before the disciples were transformed by the Holy Spirit… they were champions at hide and seek. Actually, just the hiding part...
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
Now, if you’re not familiar with the gospel story, when Jesus was arrested and crucified, most of the disciples ran away. Then, even after they heard He had risen, they still hid.
One good Bible study practice to learn is the identifying repetition. When things are repeated, it usually acts as a point of emphasis… since they didn’t have exclamation marks, bold lettering, highlights, or capitalization. And not only does it talk about the disciples hiding in verse 19, but in verse 26 it also says...
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
What does this tell us? To use a word from the 90s, they were “busters.” They were cowards.
But in Acts 2, SOMETHING HAPPENS [say?]… the fulfillment of what Jesus promised in Acts 1:8...
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
All of a sudden… they were TRANSFORMED. How do we know? Because their CHARACTER changed. Before… they were cowards. Scared and ashamed of following Jesus. But when the Holy Spirit filled them, they became bold, powerful preachers of the gospel.
And we see evidence of this all throughout Acts, but we get a good summary of their character transformation in...
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
One way you can know if you have been transformed by the Holy Spirit is your character has changed. When you acted one way before you followed Jesus, but now you act differently?
I saw this happen at Camp Berea this past Summer. As most of you know, we take our Youth Group up to New Hampshire every Summer to spend a week having fun, but more importantly, to focus on Jesus.
I personally think Berea is a special place. The Holy Spirit dwells there in unique ways that allow people to be more sensitive to the movement of God. And every time I take the Youth up, I see special things happen. But this past summer… I saw TRANSFORMATION.
I’ve told this story before (apologies to those who have heard it), but during the week of camp, Wednesday is called “Next Steps Night.” We arrive on Sunday, and at this point, most kids have “unplugged” and are less distracted by the outside world. They are ready to focus on Jesus. Again, every year something cool happens on Next Steps Night. But this year, I saw transformation… specifically in character.
That night, after service, I was meeting with a couple of kids who wanted to take next steps, but after that, I walked back to the cabin. As I was getting closer to the cabin, I saw kids sitting on the porch. I realized it was our Youth! When I got really close, I saw they were crying and praying.
These were the same kids cussing and farting two hours earlier...
Now, they were praying for each other. They were confessing their sins. They were worshiping. They were boldly reading and proclaiming God’s word to one another. There was character transformation because the Holy Spirit had been poured out on their lives, just like in Acts 2.
Pause and take a moment to ask yourself… “Has my character changed?”
We find another example of transformation in Acts 8. Recently, I mentioned a man named Stephen. He was an ordinary guy, who did extraordinary things, through the power of the Spirit. And they killed him for it.
And the one who orchestrated his murder was ...
And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Saul - a Jewish religious leader - was passionately COMMITTED to persecuting the church. But then, SOMETHING HAPPENED [say?]...
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
What happened was Saul encountered Jesus… And not only did he get a name change to Paul, but he was also TRANSFORMED by the Holy Spirit. And shortly after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, we read...
And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
The man who was passionately COMMITTED to killing Christians was TRANSFORMED and now passionately COMMITTED to Christ. He was CHANGED… so much so that people asked, “Is this the same guy?”
Btw, that’s a good indicator of transformation… when people notice you’re not the same person!
Paul, himself, said (one of my favorite verses)...
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
When you are transformed by the Spirit, your COMMITMENTS change. I see this happening here in Glastonbury. People once passionately committed to other things are now passionately commited to Christ! That’s because they have been transformed by the Holy Spirit!!!
And a question we need to ask ourselves this morning is, “Who am I committed to?” Because that will help us evaluate if there’s been TRANSFORMATION!
…I’m going to jump outside of Acts for this next story. In the Book of Mark, we meet someone scary...
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
This man was demon-possessed. How do I know? Let’s keep reading...
And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
This guy had an army of demons inside of him. Creepy. But here’s what I’d like for us to observe. His actions were extremely destructive - to both himself and others. And those actions revealed his future destination - which was eternal destruction (what the Bible calls hell).
But then… SOMETHING HAPPENED! [say] Jesus TRANSFORMED him...
And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
Then...
As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
When you are TRANSFORMED by the Holy Spirit, your ACTIONS change. And those ACTIONS reveal that your DESTINATION is no longer destruction, but heaven! You now live to glorify God… just like the once demon-possessed man.
And the question for us is, “What do my actions reveal about my destination?”
Are my actions destructive?
Do they reveal a destination of eternal judgment?
Or, do my actions reveal I’ve been TRANSFORMED by the Holy Spirit?
And to give a little extra clarity, here’s what the actions of someone who’s been TRANSFORMED by the Holy Spirit looks like...
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Are your actions filled with these fruits?
You know… we’ve talked about some tough things today. Important things. Foundational things. If we want to spiritually mature, we must be willing to evaluate if there has been LIFE TRANSFORMATION… and to RECALIBRATE if there hasn’t. In a sense, Paul says this to the Corinthians...
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Today, examine yourself. Ask, “Have I been TRANSFORMED by the Holy Spirit?”
Has my CHARACTER changed?
Have my COMMITMENTS changed?
Do my ACTIONS reveal the Kingdom of God as my DESTINATION?
Now, you might be thinking, “But Pastor George, I believe in God. I go to church. I call myself a Christian. What’s so important about visible transformation?”
First off... demons believe in God, go to church, and can pretend they are “Christians.” So there’s that. But, let me answer why visible transformation is important using the words of Jesus...
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.
Visible transformation reveals what kind of tree you are. Bad fruit, bad tree. No fruit, not transformation. Without visible transformation, there’s a problem...
One problem may be you’re not truly following Jesus, because following Jesus always leads to Holy Spirit transformation. If you believe in God, come to church every week, but lack transformation, you might be like King Agrippa in Acts 26. Here, Paul preaches the gospel and...
And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”
Agrippa rejects the gospel. And, every week, when you come here and hear the gospel, in the privacy of your heart, you reject the good news too.
And if that’s true, then the truth is… your “Christianity” isn’t real. It’s fake. The apostle John talks about this possibility...
These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
I know that’s hard to hear, but it’s necessary if you want to spiritually mature. The truth can hurt, but it also sets you free!
However, let me give another reason why visible transformation might be lacking... that might be easier to handle...
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Maybe God HAS started a good work in you. Your faith is small, but genuine. There has been TRANSFORMATION, but it’s been slow and easy to miss. If so, then maybe all you need is more time. And you need to keep trusting God with what He started.
As John Piper says, “Keep trusting the One who keeps you trusting,” because...
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
Response:
Response:
As we close, If you’ve found that you failed the examination, then… RECALIBRATE. And how do you do that?
Well, if you find are a genuine follower of Jesus, and the process of transformation has begun, but you just need more time… then...
“Keep trusting in the One who keeps you trusting.”
But if your examination has revealed that you haven’t been transformed by the Spirit, then let me give you 3R’s to respond with:
1) Don’t Resist.
1) Don’t Resist.
As Stephen preached the gospel, he told the people...
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
Don’t do that. Don’t resist the Holy Spirit!
2) Repent.
2) Repent.
Turn from your sin. Then...
3) Receive the Holy Spirit.
3) Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you need TRANSFORMATION, simply respond they way they did in Acts...
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
...I realize this is a tough message, but let me share something I heard on Faith Radio (94.1) this week...
Pastor Paul Sheppard says, “Not everyone who cuts you, hates you.”
Sometimes you encounter backstabbers looking to hurt you.
But sometimes, the cut is from a surgeon trying to heal you.
Today, I pray the Holy Spirit does surgery on our hearts, so we can spiritually mature. If today hurts, my encouragement is, “Don’t resist the Holy Spirit’s surgery.” Because He’s desiring to TRANSFORM our lives!
Let’s pray...
Father, today, we are ready to stop playing around. It’s time to get right with You. It’s time to recalibrate! It’s time to be TRANSFORMED by the power of the Holy Spirit. We will not resist anymore. We will repent and receive. Change us today. In Jesus name, amen.