Wed., September 18, 630pm

The gospel is from Luke 15 verses 1 to 10 how the tax collectors and sinners were all gathered around to hear Jesus, but the Pharisees and teachers of the law. I muttered this man welcomes Sinners and eats with them. Then Jesus told him this Parable suppose you had a hundred sheep and lose one of them doesn't he leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it and when he finds it be joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says Rejoice with me. I have found the lost sheep. I tell you that in the same way. There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents Land Rover 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses one doesn't she Lytle and treat the house and searched carefully until she finds it and when she finds it she calls her friends and neighbors together and says Rejoice with me. I have found my lost claim in the same way. I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents this is the gospel of the Lord. God. Please be seated.

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Grace mercy, and peace to you from God our Father our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I meant know someone once said that change is the only constant in life and you know, what no matter who you are. One of the greatest challenges that you're going to face is is managing all the changes that happened in your life. Now some of these changes you're going to have control over a most of the changes you're going to have little or no control over for example, take a look at this next picture here that picture was taken around 1979. So it's about 40 years old. I'm the one on the left there with the peach. Felt bell bottom suit is one thing you can say for sure is fashion has changed right? I think they got that material from a pool table or something. But anyway, another thing that's changed from that picture you could tell is my height right? I'm a good two or three in smaller. I think then when that picture was taken on my hair obviously is change the color the is the land and my weight has changed. I think right now I probably weigh about 50 lb more than I did when that picture was taken, you know, there's some other things in that picture that have changed that was that picture was taken in front of my grandparents house. And that house isn't in our family anymore in in my grandparents are with the Lord and my brother Bob on the right hand side with that bull haircut. He's with the Lord as well and my mom's the one who took the picture and and she's with the Lord to sew a lot of things have changed. And in that. Now, I don't know. But most people don't like change and I'll have to raise my hand on that. I don't I don't like change. I like just to have a maintained status quo, right? I always feel safer. For some reason when I'm in familiar surroundings and and life is just solid and grounded but changed I just has a way of upsetting all of that. But you know what change will happen and we can't stop it. There's nothing we can do about it just look outside and you kind of have evidence of that right where I'm going through a change of seasons. We can see it in our Gardens we can see it in some trees definitely in the daylight. And then as we pass through different seasons in our lives, you know, once again, we're challenged with managing changes that occur as we we go through those different seasons our bodies change our abilities change our interest change our priorities change sometimes a group of friends. We had changes Archie. Turn change they grow up and eventually they move out and our families changes is some of our loved ones are called home by the Lord and responsibilities change sometimes our residents changes. We moved to another location and definitely our jobs changes. Well, you know, our neighborhoods are City in our country change to a week ago today was September 11th and course. We remember the events that occurred on that day in 2001 and how those events brought change to our country right are comforting and sense of safety. We're kind of stolen that day and Homeland Security was increased and the war on terror was heightened in New York City skyline was permanently changed and many families were forever changed with the loss of a loved one. You don't hear a Bethany right? We're not immune to change our church secretary for 18 plus years Sharon hygge is is a retiring and in a week and we're having a special a retirement luncheon for her this Sunday. I'll share some information about that later. So we have that change and we have two new staff members were going to be taking her place Karen. Jeng Chi and and Lauren Christ and they're joining our staff and we have a new copier, you know, it sounds silly but there's a lot of change that goes with that. You have to learn all the options. It's supposed to fold and assemble bulletins. We'll see if I'm smart enough to figure that out. I don't know. We have a new school year and that's underway. And so we have some new school staff and course for our students. There's a change in their classrooms and their teachers and in their grade and in their schedules and then we have a new year here that began a week ago with Christian and struck. And so we have new adult classes in new children classes as well. So last week we began this this new sermon series The Way of Jesus lessons on discipleship in the lesson. We learned last week that Pastor Volvo shared is that disciples are helpers of joy and this week the lesson we're going to learn is this that disciples are changed to change. So first of all to be a disciple of Jesus changed is needed. So number one disciples have been changed in this change doesn't begin with what we do it begins with who we are Paul who wrote an epistle that was read a few moments ago from 1st. Timothy one Whirled peas words in Romans 8. He said the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law nor can it do so to see A change is needed by Nature. We are hostile to God by Nature we are enemies of God and there's nothing we can do to change Who We Are Paul himself was once an enemy of God and he mentioned that in verse 13 of our tax from 1st Timothy 1 listen to what he said. He said I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man and see Paul knew that he had been changed but Jesus came to and changed that's how last week Pastor read that text of Paul on the road to Damascus and how Jesus appeared to Paul in and changed it from being an enemy to a servant from being somebody who eliminated Christians to somebody who would make Christian. So Paul describe how Jesus brought about that change listen to what he said. He said I was shown Mercy And he said that's the grace of the Lord was poured out on me abundantly along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Jesus came for Paul and for you and for me and and really for the whole world and that's what Paul told us and verse 15. He said here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full except. It's Christ. Jesus came into the world to save Sinners. That's the gospel message, right that's unchanging truth of God, and it's that message that creates change. God changed us by changing him sell my God who is a spirit also became true, man, and he changed his address. He left his Heavenly home and he came down here to save us Center. He changed the use of his power not always and fully using that power that he had is got any any did that as he subjected himself to his father's command and he kept those Commandments perfectly for each and everyone of us. He also change from being served to serve it right allowing us sinners to capture him and to beat him in the nail him to a cross. Any changed his clothing to he removed his robe of righteousness his Perfection and he gave it to us and exchange you put on the filthy rags of our sin. Jesus became the worst of Sinners as he took upon himself to sins of all people for all time and you suffer the punishment that you and I deserve for those sent even death on a cross. Jesus Kim because he came we are change or change forever from Sinners to Saints from Hell Bound To Heaven bound from dead to alive from Lost to Found Jesus life death and Resurrection changes Who We Are And just like Jesus changed Paul. So Jesus changed you two in holy baptism. And in his word, you have been shown Mercy just like Paul and the grace of the Lord has been poured out a bunch of Leon you along with the faith and the love that are in Christ Jesus in so now you are his disciple through faith in Jesus disciples have been changed. Do you know what not only is it true that the disciples have been changed but it's also true that disciples are being changed. God change who Paul wasn't Paul responded then by changing with God's power what he did in other words how he lived his life. He dedicated himself to Jesus who had changed it. When the Bible talks about Paul when it first mentions and me standing guard over clothes of some people who were stoning Stephen the very first martyr of the church. Import quickly then went from supporting the persecution of Christians to Leading the persecution of Christian. He went from house to house and need to be dragged Christians out of their homes and and he would take him to prison. I really think that it Away Paul wasn't any different from those terrorists at 9:11. He too thought that he was fighting a holy war and that he was doing God's will. But after Jesus comes to Paul and changes him Paul, then did something interesting. He went to Arabia probably for about three years and he went there so that he can continue to be changed see reconstructed his worldview which in change since Jesus had appeared to him and he's studying God's word, especially those prophecies about the promised savior and how Jesus was the Fulfillment of all those prophecies. He meditated on God's word. He devoted himself to being a student of Jesus and of the Christian faith and you received instruction from people who are more mature in the Fate that that time than he was and he began living as a disciple of Jesus. Paul new see that he still had a a ways to grow in Grace. He understood that he was he was going to change some more really for the very rest of his life. He also knew that God was shaping him through the various experiences that he had so that he could be a better servant of the Lord even when Paul was starting churches sharing the good news of Jesus with other people. He still experience things like shipwrecks and beatings and lashings and stonings and arrest and imprisonment and you know what God used all those things to mold Paul. Now Paul called himself in our texts. The worst of Sinners some older translations used to say chief of sinners. In fact, we have a hand in our hymn book by that title chief of Sinners though. I be what they're really just means when you go and look at the original just means I'm the number one Center on the top center. It's interesting because Paul definitely cause much pain and suffering for God's people when he persecuted in the you-know-what Paul wasn't referring to his past when he called himself the worst of Sinners we use the present tense. He said I am the worst of Sinners think about that the man who is out there suffering much for Jesus starting churches sharing God's love with people. I'm the guy who would write 13 of the 27 New Testament books says, I am the worst of scent What does that mean for me? Is that mean for you? LR are you and I are we the perfect Christians. Would anyone confuse us with the mighty Paul might my guess is that it depends on if you're talking about the pre conversion Saul or the post conversion Paul Wright. Paul did some pretty rotten things as a Pharisee, but I'm convinced really that when he referred to himself as the worst of Sinners whiskey. He did so only because you never met me. You know Paul did these rotten sinful things with good intentions, right? He honestly thought that he was serving God, but he acted out of ignorance. He just didn't know. Put me two different story. I on the other hand. Quite often know exactly what I'm do and and I do it. Anyway I send will. Father forgive me for I know exactly what I did and I still do. How about you can you relate? T we have been changed but you know what changes is still needed in our lives and like Paul we're growing and we're changing to and like Paul were called by God to change our worldview were called by God to to study God's word on a regular basis were called to be students and and Learners of Jesus and and other Christian faith when called to devote Our Lives to to the Lord in and God will use our experiences are trials are relationships to mold us to just like you did Paul. His disciples we are being changed. I want to share three passages from scripture that talk about disciples and how they're always being changed by God Hebrews 6:1 says therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity. So we're supposed to always be growing in our faith and then our knowledge 2nd Corinthians 3:18 says and we all are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing Glory which comes from the Lord who is the spirit. So we are being transformed into the image of Jesus the Holy Spirit does it's called sanctification and he does it through God's word in and through the sacraments. Right? So we we always are growing in on Philippians 1:6 says he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of Our Lord. Jesus salt the holy spirit's always working on us and he's not going to be done until God calls us home going to change the topic here for a second. I been on the keto diet for the last eight weeks and I've had some success made some changes in my life and it's led to some changes in my body, but I have to be honest. I really can't take credit for it because there were others here at Bethany or on this diet before me and they experienced success and they shared it with me, right they were changed and they were so excited about this change that occurred in their lives that they couldn't help but be agents of change and so what they did is they share their knowledge and their experience with me and I and I thought you know that I was really thankful for that, but we're talking about a diet. Temporary things right? We're talking about our bodies how much more excited should we be about the change that God has made and is making in our lives right now, right? I mean if you're excited enough to share about a diet what we all should be excited to to share about internal changes that God has made in US changes in our school and in our body for all time, right? So the third thing I want to point out to you as disciples are agents of change. You see changed people change people. The way it is Paul's conversion wasn't the end of his story and you know what your conversion isn't the end of your story either write listen to would Paul set inverse 12, you said I think Christ Jesus our lord was given me strength that he considered mean trustworthy appointing me to his service. That's the important part that I want to focus on now that he was a pointed to God's service. So we have been changed so that we might be used by God to change other people. So, how can we do that? Well, there's a lot of ways. I'm just going to share a couple with you here. You can let God use you in the various roles that you have, right? It may be as a loving parent or as a faithful spouse, or maybe it'll be TN child. Maybe it's your role as a friendly neighbor or a dedicated employee or a hardworking student or a doting grandparent. Care for others like God is cared for you and help others. As God helps you prayerfully consider ways that you can use the gifts that God has given you support our new special needs Pantry. That's just getting off the ground called sharing greats. You'll find some information about that in our news and notes and ways, you can help visit the the lonely the sick shot in the hospital. I send cards to individuals to various people sympathy cards friendship cards. Thank you cards get-well cards praying for other people. I provide financial assistance for God's word right here at Bethany in for the carrying of of our flock here. And you don't want for the times you fall short find comfort in knowing that your God is a patient guy that he's patient with you that he's forgiving that he will have mercy on you so that you can show his Mercy to others. He will pour out his grace on you abundantly so that you can pour that same Grace out on others will increase your face so that you can share that faith without it and I'll fill you with his love so that you can share that love with us. Sol disciples have been changed disciples are being changed and disciples are agents of change. But it's also interesting to note that the disciples will be changed. Listen to 1st Corinthians 15. We will all be changed in a flash in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed to or changed to change like the clothes with Paul's closing that he used in our text here this evening now to the king Eternal Immortal invisible the only God be honor and Glory forever and ever I met you not respond to God's grace.