Signs that Jesus Changed Your Life
Acts (To Be Continued...) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Brandi Liechty—Hope Clinic Interview--
1. Brandi, remind us just in case we forgot or someone doesn't know--What is the Hope Clinic? What services do you provide? (give a brief overview)
2. The Hope Clinic recently bought a house in Berne for ministry--what is the plan for this house...and what is your role in all of this?
currently serves as the Outreach Coordinator but also Program Coordinator
3. How can we pray for you and the Hope Clinic?
Then, we would go on the floor, surround you, pray for you
encourage people to talk to Brandi if they have questions about the house or Hope Clinic
baptism...
*Baptism doesn’t save you*—no it is a sign or symbol that God gave to use to remind us of who does save us—and that’s Jesus.
It’s a picture of the transformation we undergo when we follow Jesus Christ.
Jesus commanded us
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and Romans 6:3-4
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
this pictures our death to sin with Christ, burial to sin with Christ, and resurrection to new life with Christ
and all of this is very public—baptism is a public declaration that Jesus has changed us and washed our sins away and we want to follow Him as our Lord.
invite forward
Tyler Neuenschwander...
tell us who your family is…and names
tell us where you work...
4 questions —
i. Do you confess that you are a sinner, and that because of your sin you deserve to be separated from God forever?
ii. Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose again so that you might have eternal life with God?
iii. Are you now trusting in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins?
iv. Do you intend, with God’s help, to obey Jesus’ teachings and follow Him as your Lord?
2 interview questions:
1. how did you come to faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior?
2. why do you want to get baptized today?
pray for each one - Mark
baptize each one -
our subject today actually goes really well with baptism...
Please turn to Acts 9:19.
How can you tell that someone is a Christian? How can you tell that someone has truly come to saving faith in Jesus Christ?
how do you know?
this is a question that new believers ask...
and this is a question you may wrestle with as your kids grow up in the faith and come to saving faith in Christ,
or the people you reach out to, share Christ with, minister to—how can you discern if they have come to faith in Christ.
When we lived in Lima, I helped volunteer with Youth for Christ at an inner city after school program for middle and high school students.
We would provide tutoring, a safe place, food, and ultimately Jesus.
and I would usually help with tutoring, and all the tutors always had me help kids with math b/c nobody wanted to tutor math.
and over time, I noticed that one of the marks of true change for Christ in a student’s life is that they started taking their math homework more seriously.
now, can you find that anywhere in Scripture? I don’t think so…but I could tell that when a kid came to Christ—they had more focus, more purpose, a direction…that it even trickled down into how they did their math homework.
Today’s passage concerns the apostle Paul (or Saul)
Last week, we saw God dramatically confront Saul (also known as the Apostle Paul). Saul was on his way to Damascus from Jerusalem (almost 150 miles NE!) to persecute and arrest Christians.
(map)
and on the way Jesus confronts Saul, Saul is blind for 3 days, but for the first time starts seeing, and Saul surrenders his life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
he is genuinely converted from sin to Jesus.
and we start to instantly see how it changes his life...
and look at some signs that Jesus changed your life
Please turn to Acts 9:19-31
Acts 9:19–31 (NIV)
19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. (start here) Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”
22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him,
24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.
25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.
30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
how could we tell Saul/Paul had changed after he met Jesus?
how can you and I tell if we or someone we know has changed?
While some of this is unique to Saul—there are some signs of conversion:
Sign #1: a willingness to share Jesus with others
vs. 20 Acts 9:20
20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
now, certainly, Saul/Paul had the gift of evangelism—no doubt. His background in the OT, his background as a Jew but also a Roman citizen, he seemed like he could move freely among the religious Jews and the pagan Gentiles pretty easily.
and most of us probably won’t go into a Jewish synagogue to share...
but just as Saul was now motivated to share about Jesus…so we must be, too.
those who are truly changed by Christ—now want to tell others; they look for opportunities to tell others.
and it doesn’t have to be as sophisticated as Paul.
one of my favorite stories of this—is John 9. where Jesus heals a man who had been blind from birth. and the religious leaders are upset—b/c it was a Sabbath day, so they interrogate the formerly blind man.
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
you don’t have to know everything about Jesus to share Jesus—but a mark of true change is now a willingness to show and tell about Him—wherever you find yourself—whether on the assembly line, or the football field, or at Swiss Village.
this is why it is so good to have your story prepared—to take some time to think about—how has Jesus changed my life? that can make a huge difference, and we have resources here that can help you share the Gospel.
Sign #2: a willingness to grow, learn, and develop (vs. 25-26, Galatians 1:17-18)
look at verses 25-26
25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
so Paul left for his life in vs. 25—from Damascus, and verse 26 makes it seem like he went to Jerusalem right away.
but we actually get some clues from Galatians (a letter written by him) that more time elapsed between verse 25 and 26
Galatians 1:13–18 (NIV)
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased
16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.
so if you put Galatians with Acts 9. and go back to Acts 9:25-26…there is a span of 3 years...
there is a span of 3 years where when Paul was lowered in a basket to flee Damascus, he fled to Arabia—the desert—and then —this is 3 years later when to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples
see the map.
he went there first of all to flee persecution…and it’s possible that he maybe still preached (went back and forth to some degree)...
but many theologians believe that Saul needed time to be quiet and reflect on the paradigm shift he just experienced. He needed time to connect all the dots from the OT to see how Jesus is the fulfillment of all of these things.
in some of his Paul’s letters in the NT—he writes of the mystery God revealed to him—the mystery of how Jews and Gentiles are now one in Christ Jesus—one body, one church—and Jesus revealed that to Him.
it’s possible that happened during his 3 year desert Sabbatical, a time of quiet, learning, reflection.
some have even suggested that the 3 years in Arabia for Paul were comparable to the 12 disciples who spent 3 years with Jesus.
he had a desert experience—which we see the Israelites had wilderness experience, Jesus did for 40 days and nights, and now Paul for 3 years...
now, I am not calling you to go into the desert—for 3 years.
but there is something worth pausing about with this…there is something to be said to learning about Jesus, getting equipped about Jesus, taking time to get trained and understand the Scriptures.
while there is urgency to share Jesus b/c the world is lost—it is worthwhile to reflect deeply on the rich truths of Scripture, and learn. now I also think you should do while engaged in ministry at some level—and it’s possible Paul did some, but he spent time focusing.
I remember when I was in Bible college at Taylor Fort Wayne…before I went, i kind of arrogantly thought 4 years…4 years..people need Jesus now—why do I need to go to school. but about halfway through, I realized, I have learned a lot, but I have more questions than answers.
graduated from there.
eventually I went to seminary for another 3 years—some people call it “cemetery...” b/c it’s true some people’s faith dies in seminary. but I found it so rich and helpful—b/c it introduced me more to the global church, and all the streams of theology and church history and whenever someone asks me a theological question—I remember thinking, “We talked about this sometime in seminary…and I have resources (besides Google)
this doesn’t mean you need to go school or seminary to learn—there are so many tools out there—some of you are using the Bible Project to learn. some of you the Bible recap.
but it’s worth having some of your own desert, Arabia experience as you get grounded more and more in the faith (humility)
3. Sign #3: a willingness to suffer for Jesus b/c He is so valuable
Jesus had said this about Saul:
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.
16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
and those words immediately come true.
As he suffers in Damascus:
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him,
24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.
25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
and Jerusalem:
29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.
I believe that we will suffer for what we feel is valuable.
We suffer for what we hold dear, and love, and treasure.
If you have kids, why will parents spend sleepless nights and changing diapers and changing their routine? b/c you like it? no your kids are valuable....
why will parents as kids grow sacrifice time and money and energy as their kids get older—even as adults they sacrifice much—why would parents do this?
b/c they love their kids and find them valuable.
if you are an athlete, why do you put your body through rigorous training...
or a musician…rigorous practice...
or a student in school or college…studying long hours...
b/c you find becoming better athlete, musician, or student valuable...
we suffer for what we consider valuable...
suffering—shows what is of value to us. if suffering forces us to quit—we didn’t find it valuable, ultimately.
while we may not face people killing us for following Jesus…we will face temptations to fall away. we will ask, “Is it really worth it to follow Jesus.”
When life doesn’t go according to plan…is it worth it to follow Jesus?
when we can’t pay the bills…is it worth it to follow Jesus?
when a loved one dies unexpectedly…is it worth it to follow Jesus?
Jesus isn’t answering my prayers…is it worth it?
when I get that scary medical diagnosis…is it worth it to follow Jesus?
that’s what you will be forced to ask.
for Saul or Paul—the answer is yes!
He says elsewhere—Philippians 1:21
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
even death is gain for Paul—b/c he will go and be with Christ immediately..
so…are you willing to follow Jesus—even during suffering?
what is your #1 treasure?
what are you willing to suffer for or make sacrifices for?
is it Jesus or something else.
someone who has truly been converted to Christ—will desire to start putting Jesus first....
Paul mentions his sufferings elsewhere--
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,
26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.
27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.
32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.
33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.
the reason Paul valued suffering so much—it pointed to Jesus...
Paul’s sufferings…pointed to Jesus...
his weakness…pointed to Jesus...
those who come to faith in Christ don’t love suffering, but they approach suffering way different—b/c it is an opportunity to be weak so Christ can be strong
4. Sign #4: our lives are all about Jesus… (vs. 20, 22, 27)
look at how Saul did this…remember he was against Jesus…didn’t think Jesus was the Son of God or Messiah before his conversion.
20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
Messiah = Anointed one, chosen by God
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
so Jesus is...
the Son of God - not just a man—He is God (vs. 20)
the Messiah - the one chosen by God (vs. 22) to rescued us
the Lord — He calls the shots…not me. (vs. 27)
Life basically boils down to 2 ways to live..
am I going to live my way...
or Jesus’ way.
Paul had encountered Jesus…and it changed everything.
I want to call Mike up, and have a time of response.
as we think about these signs of true change, you could mention more.
you could talk about the Fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, etc. Galatians 5.
you could go to 1 John. 1 John mentions 3 tests to know if you are a Christian:
the doctrinal test - do I know certain things about who Jesus is
the moral test - am I becoming more like Jesus
the social test - do I love other people
we mentioned 4 here...
—a willingness to share Jesus
—a time of learning, growth and development
—a willingness to suffer for Jesus
—all about Jesus
there is good news in all of this:
we don’t do this alone—we have Jesus and one another to spur us on. the Holy Spirit—as we focus on Jesus—helps produce these in us—and we need one another to spur us on in this (vs. 31 the church — we don’t do it alone and it’s not for us alone that these changes happen)
Jesus doesn’t ask us to do something that He has not been through…for the most part...
we see him, going around sharing about God and the kingdom of God
we actually read that even though as God he knew all, as a man, he grew, learned, developed.
we see him—suffering—for us in our place—undergoing the worst suffering possible on the cross
and we see his life was all about glorifying His Father
he helps us....
take a moment right now and examine your own life—if people were to look at your life—could they tell that you are a Christian? what needs to change? what do you need to surrender to Jesus?
is your life all about Him or yourself?
take a moment and pray about that…and then we will pray.