Can Jesus Change People? (2)

Can Jesus Change People?

Acts 9:1-9

I. Introduction – Owl in the fireplace: We heard something moving around in the fireplace. Mom opened it to see what was inside and was confronted by an owl looking back at her, which quickly went as far up the flue as possible. Every time we opened the door he would crawl back up. I am unsure what we would have done if he hadn’t, but wouldn’t it have been easier if he had trusted us and let us pull him out and return him to safety? We finally had to get a falconer to help us trap him and get him out. Sometimes Jesus must put us in a place of absolute dependence to capture our hearts and change us

II. Jesus changes the worst sinners (1-2)

A. Exegesis

1. There is no one beyond the reach of Christ

a) Saul was a Jew of Jews (Philippians 3:5-6 (NASB95)) 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

b) Saul was a staunch Pharisee

c) Saul persecuted the church

2. Paul wasn’t seeking Christ, He was fully rejecting Him

a) He was breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord

b) He was going to bind up believers and return them to Jerusalem – Most likely Christians who fled during the persecution

c) He hated everything Jesus stood for

d) And he did so with His full heart – He believed he was right and following God’s plan for His life

3. Paul would be one whom most people considered unreachable, hopeless

4. And Yet, God came to Paul in a way that He could understand and see who Jesus really is

B. Application

1. Do you ever wonder if someone is too far from God to reach? Maybe it is you.

2. God is in the business of reaching sinners, even ones that are far from Him

3. We must understand that the gospel is a supernatural power that changes people’s lives and works against their sinful nature to make them into something new

a) Romans 1:16-17

b) 2 Corinthians 5:17

c) 1 Timothy 1:15

4. But God doesn’t reject those who reject Him

5. No one is too lost to be found by God

III. Jesus can change people in an instant (3-7)

A. Exegesis

1. A light flashed and God spoke

2. God was asking why Paul was persecuting Him

3. Paul knows the voice is divine because He refers to Him as Lord

4. Jesus replies, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

a) Jesus says that Paul is persecuting Him directly – Jesus has a close identity with His followers

b) At this moment it is hard to deny that Jesus was resurrected and continues to live

5. Jesus gives a command to go on into Damascus and await instruction

B. Application

1. From this moment forward nothing in Paul’s life will ever be the same

a) He will never go back to being a Pharisee

b) He will not return to the same people

c) He will never again teach works over grace

2. There is something amazing that happens when we finally quit running from Christ and admit that He died for our sins, that He still lives, and we put our faith in Him

3. The same gospel power that changes hardened sinners can do so immediately

4. This is because we don’t have to go back and fix the sin in our lives. We place our faith in Christ to fix us

5. We must trust in the power of the gospel to stop people in their tracks and turn them around

6. You might be considering putting your faith in Christ, but are fearful of the changes that come with it – Jesus can deal with those immediately

7. It does not mean that everyone comes to Christ quickly, but it does mean that they are fully redeemed and changed the minute they put their faith in Jesus

IV. Jesus changes people completely (8-9)

A. Exegesis

1. Jesus took away His sight and his appetite until he got to Damascus

2. During that time God showed Paul what real dependence on Him would mean

3. Illustration – Berkutchi

4. When He gets to Damascus everything has changed – Not going to persecute Christians, but to join them

5. It is a massive change and proof of something happening on that road

6. Illustration – Browns traveling to KY in one vehicle, but they get here in another because they hit an ice patch and turned their car over. They had to get a rental car to make the trip. The difference shows that something happened

7. Paul would from this time forward proclaim the message of Christ and find in Christ all of His hopes fulfilled – Fruit of the Spirit, Joy amid persecution, power in the gospel

B. Application

1. The gospel is not a band-aid to the world’s problems – It is the complete and utter change of a sinner into the likeness of Christ

2. The sanctification is a process, but the person who accepts Christ has repented of their sin and turned to follow Jesus - This is a radical change for most people

3. People who are weighed down by their sins are freed to be made new – They are changed completely

V. Conclusion

A. Do you believe in the power of the gospel?

B. Do you believe it enough to apply it to the lives of people around you who need the hope of Christ?

C. Do you believe it enough to apply it to your own life?

Romans 1:16–17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

1 Timothy 1:15

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Berkutchi

In an article about Asian men who train eagles for hunting, Stephen Kinzer writes:

The capture, taming, training, and keeping of eagles are highly ritualized. Most of the birds, which have a life span of about 40 years, are caught when very young—either snatched from a nest or trapped in a baited net. Once captured, the eagle is hooded and placed in a cage with a perch that sways constantly, so it cannot rest or sleep. For two or three days it is also deprived of food. During this time, the berkutchi, as an eagle hunter is called, talks, sings, and chants to it for hours on end. Finally, he begins to feed and stroke it. Slowly the weakened creature comes to rely on its master. When the berkutchi decides that their relationship has become strong enough, the training begins…. Not all eagles can be trained, but those who take to life with a master display intense loyalty.

While the training and breaking of the eagle may seem harsh, it is a picture of how over time God breaks our independent spirit to draw us close to him.

Stephen Kinzer, “A Hunter Whose Weapon Is Also His Friend,” New York Times (11-4-99).

Waiting for a Savior

In his book, Detours: Sometimes Rough Roads Lead to Right Places, Clark Cothern tells of a Christmas when his family encountered an unexpected house guest. A squirrel had fallen down their chimney into the wood burner stove in the basement of their Michigan home. Cothern writes:

I thought if it knew we were there to help, I could just reach in and gently lift it out. Nothing doing. As I reached in…it began scratching about like a squirrel overdosed on espresso.

We finally managed to construct a cardboard box “cage” complete with a large hole cut into one side, into which the squirrel waltzed when we placed the box against the wood burner’s door. We let it out into the safety of our backyard.

Later, I thought, Isn’t it funny how, before its redemption, our little visitor had frantically tried to bash its way out of its dark prison? It seemed that the harder it struggled in its own strength to get free, the more pain it caused itself.

In the end, he simply had to wait patiently until one who was much bigger—one who could peer into his world—could carry him safely to that larger world where he belonged.

That is what we need the Lord to do for us.

Clark Cothern, Detours: Sometimes Rough Roads Lead to Right Places (Multnomah, 1999)

A Modern-Day Paul

A modern-day Paul is Chuck Colson. I had the opportunity to travel and speak on behalf of Prison Fellowship. I learned that Colson had the experience of not being accepted into the Christian community. Can you believe that? This is the man who wrote Loving God and The Body.

Colson had been Richard Nixon's close assistant during his presidential campaign and his years in office. Colson was so ruthless in his dealings with people, he was frequently referred to as Nixon's "hatchet man"--the one who handled the president's dirty work. One person described Colson by saying he'd walk over his own grandmother. It's not surprising when Chuck Colson became a Christian and confessed his wrongdoings that many people doubted his sincerity.

After he served his jail term and began his ministry, many Christians were skeptical. If it were not for those who knew the reality of Colson's Christian experience and were willing to play a Barnabas role, Colson would have had a difficult time convincing people he was indeed a different man--a converted man.

Thousands of people might never have been blessed by Prison Fellowship. We might not have Colson's two books. We might not have had half the New Testament if Barnabas hadn't been there for Paul.

Rod Cooper, "The Kiss of Encouragement," Preaching Today, Tape No. 141.