A Brand New Life

Acts 3

Horses vs Cars.

You didn’t have barns as often as you had garages.

Suddenly you had to have a windshield

It changed the human understanding of distance.

Most horses - 15-20 miles a day

Work horses, dispatch, war horses and that sort of thing - up to 35 miles

Thoroughbred endurance racing horses, - 50 miles

See, when human beings began to adopt the car, the automobile, it wasn’t just a new way of being on horseback.

And tonight we’re going to take a look at how Jesus completely, fundamentally changes us.

The Book of Acts is the account of the Church continuing the work started by the Son of God by the indwelling power of the Spirit of God all for the glory of God.

When Jesus saves us, He doesn’t give us an updated, or a better version of our old life.

When Jesus saves us, He gives us a new way to live.

Three ways we live differently. If you’re going to live this joyful, this victorious christian life. Here’s three parts of it.

We acknowledge or our need (3-10)

Sooner or later we have to recognize the fact that we are in daily, moment by moment, need of Jesus.

We are that beggar at the gate.

WE need Him to heal us. He’s the only one who can do it. Other people can carry us, but only God can set us back on our own feet.

But see, that goes against the grain of everything i’ve ever known. Of everything that’s comfortable for me. It’s not a mode of thought that comes naturally.

Remind yourself daily of the Gospel.

Memento mori. No, we don’t remember that one day we will die, we remember that YESTERDAY We were DEAD!

We own our sin (11-15)

He accuses the people of giving Jesus over to Pilate.

He accuses them of choosing Barabbas

He accuses them, personally, of murdering the Son of God.

Now let me ask you, do you think all of these people were there the night that Jesus was betrayed? Or the night that he was handed over to Pilate?

Do you think ALL of the people were there, when Pilate put Barabbas and Jesus in front of them, and did ALL of them call for Barabbas to be released to them?

Do you think ALL of them held the nails in place, or swung the hammer?

NO! But their sin, my sin, OUR SIN! Is what led to Jesus being crucified.

You cannot live this new life while ignoring or excusing your sin. We have to look at the cross and realize that we are personally implicated in the murder of the Son of God.

And the more we see that, the more disgusted we will be by our sin.

Stop living for the things that Jesus died for.

I carried a picture of my first wreck for years. Because I didn’t want to do the things that led me to have that wreck. I looked at that truck and it was mangled. And I’d sit there in my car, before I cranked it up, and I’d say, God, Please keep me in control of this vehicle. Please let me drive only as fast as I can control it.

We live in light of God’s grace (16-20)

What all the money in the world couldn’t buy for this man, Jesus gave him in that moment. See these people, they’d been giving this many money for years, but he was no better off. He still couldn’t walk.

In a moment, Jesus moved PAST everything this man thought he needed, and He met the need this man truly had.

Let me ask you something, what have you been trusting Jesus for? Don’t you think it’s time to trust Him with something bigger?

What would happen, tonight, if you stopped saying, Jesus, THIS is what I need, and you instead, said, Jesus, You see my need. What is it that You want to change in me?

Trust God for what He wants to do.