“Paul- Apostle to the Gentiles”
Series: Heroes of the New Testament"
Sunday, October 5, 2008: Philippians 3:4b-11

Introduction: In the movie “The Matrix,” starring Keanu Reaves, Reaves plays a man named Thomas Anderson who lives an ordinary life. He makes a living by being a computer hacker. Then one day he meets another man by the man of Morpheus. After their friendship develops Morpheus shows him that world Thomas is living is make-believe; Morpheus awakens him to the real world. After this meeting, his named is changed to Neo where he will start a crusade to bring down the oppressing system of the Matrix… There is similarity to this movie and the life of the apostle Paul. Before we knew him as Paul, he was called Saul. He was living a life as a Pharisee (a religious leader) until he encountered Jesus Christ. This morning, as we continue our series on “Heroes of the New Testament,” we will look at how Saul becomes Paul, and begins a crusade to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the people of the world!

I. Paul’s Call to the Gentiles- (Philippians 3:4b-11; Acts 9:1-6, 15; Romans 1:5, 15:16-19, 16:26)
a. Paul’s past- To understand Paul’s transformation through the call of
Christ on his life, we have to first understand his past. In the book of Philippians 3:4-11, we just read a brief account by Paul about his life before meeting Christ. As he readies himself to talk about this, he says that he has as much right as any to have confidence in the flesh; in his physical abilities and opportunities through his status as a Pharisee. In this passage, Paul talks about circumcision on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, born of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews, a Pharisee, and a persecutor of Christians.
You might not see this, but these were all attributes that caused Paul to be set above others. The reference to circumcision was that he came from a family that followed the law; he was circumcised as he should be, on the eighth day, not later on in his life. As his belonging to “the people of Israel,” this showed that Paul was part of God’s elect people; he was a full-blooded Jew. This gave him special status. He was from the tribe of Benjamin whose land contained the holy city and where the first king of Israel came from. And he was faithful to his call as a Pharisee; a religious leader which gave him power and status.
In today’s world, it would be like someone bragging that they were born in Beverly Hills, to parents who were rich and influential, and then they became a powerful political figure. They would be seen by others, in terms of the world, as someone who had received great privileges, and who had great power and position.
In a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin is seen playing with his tinkertoys, but his wild imagination is at work. He thinks to himself: “First there was nothing, then there was Calvin!…Calvin, the mighty god, creates the universe with pure will! From utter nothingness comes swirling form! Life begins where once was void! But Calvin is no kind and loving god! He’s one of the old gods! He demands sacrifice! Yes, Calvin is a god of the underworld! And the puny inhabitants of earth displease him! The great Calvin ignores their pleas for mercy and the doomed writhe in agony!” In the last frame his dad says to his mom: “Have you seen how absorbed Calvin is with those tinkertoys? He’s creating whole worlds over there!” To which his mom says: “I’ll bet he grows up to be an architect.”
Paul mentions all this because he realizes that what is really important is not status, power, and money you have here on this earth, but what you do with the life and power and opportunity you have been given for the sake of God, the creator. That is why he says in Philippians 3:7- “Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.”
b. Paul’s call- Some people have had stories about how their life
changed from before they knew Christ, to after they accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Others have a story that is pretty benign in terms of profound change. Mine is probably in between…I come from a stable family. My mother and father stayed married until well after I was married. They were parents who provided for me all that I needed, as well as some of what I wanted. They supported me in many ways: coming to my events at school and sports; my dad was my baseball coach, and my mom was the team mom. However, when I got to high school I began to hang out with kids who were doing some bad things…drinking, drugs, partying, etc… Their example began to lead me to the place where I made some bad choices. This led me away from the Lord. But when I was 15, a friend of mine took me to church where I was introduced to Jesus Christ, and in January of 1976, I gave my life to Christ!!
Paul has a profound call. He received this call by having a conversation with Jesus. Let me read it to you from Acts 9:1-6, “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ 5’Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 6’Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” Here we see Paul not only get saved, but the Lord let him know that he would be receiving his call in Damascus. There Ananias came and healed his blindness, and then in verse 15: “But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles…” Ananias told Paul about how his call was to go to the Gentiles and share Jesus with them.
This was significant, because up to this point, the gospel had mainly gone to the Jews. With Paul’s conversion and call, now all people would hear the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ! Paul himself would talk about this often; for example in Romans 1:5, “Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” And Romans 15:16, “to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”


II. Paul’s Impact for all Christians- (Romans 1:13, 15:17-19, 16:25-26)
a. Paul’s response- Continuing in Romans 15, we read in verses 17-19,
“Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.” Paul was overjoyed to receive Christ as his Lord and savior. To Paul, it didn’t just impact his mind, but his spirit and his actions as well. His total goal was to speak of Christ, and minister for Christ. And we see that Paul went to many places to make this happen.
Paul was possibly the most traveled person in the New Testament. We know of at least 3 missionary journeys that he took: Paul went to Galatia and Ephesus in Asia, he went to Cyprus in Greece, he went to Rome in Italy. The book of Acts catalogues Paul’s journeys from chapter 13 to chapter 28. And how did Paul see this call to the Gentiles? He saw it as an opportunity. As we read in Romans 16;25-26, “Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him.”
We see Paul understanding that God wanted to reach all the nations. Just as he told his disciples in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Ex. In my life, I have had the opportunity to go to Mexico (on several occasions for mission trips) as well as to Japan twice. I have been blessed by getting to know people from other cultures and sharing my faith with them. But what is amazing about our world now, and especially the United States, is how we have so many cultures all around us. In fact, right here in Long Beach we have many cultures that are represented. Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Samoan, Hispanic… In our 90805 zip code, there is 53% Hispanic, 8% Chinese, 6% Korean, 17% Vietnamese! We don’t have to travel the world like Paul to reach out to the nations for Christ; we can reach out right here in our community.
How often do we think about sharing Christ with those who are of a different nationality with a negative view? We need to see how Paul was a hero to joyously receive this opportunity from the Lord and reach out to those who were not necessarily like him! We need to take the Lord “to the nations.”
b. Paul’s impact- Because of Paul’s willingness to respond to this call, we
see that he had a great impact for Christ and for the Christian church. Paul’s journeys not only gave him opportunity to “make disciples” for Christ. Paul’s journeys gave him opportunity to establish churches! So, let’s look for a moment at the churches Paul established.
One of the first churches that Paul established was the church in Galatia, which is known as Asia-minor. Actually, it is believed that he established more than one church, and that when he wrote his letter to “the Galatians,” it was actually to a group of churches in the Galatian area. Paul had wanted them to understand that they didn’t need to give in to the Zealot Jews who were trying to get the people to participate in Old Testament practices such as circumcision.
Another church was in Corinth. Paul was the first to preach the gospel in Corinth. In fact, Paul was the first to preach about Jesus in many of these far away places. Could you imagine going to an area, and being the first one to tell them about Jesus? That would be exciting and scary at the same time. Corinth was a city that worshipped many gods, and so Paul had a challenge to bring Christ to them. But by his being there, he led many to the Lord, and established a Christian presence in this non-Christian city.
A third church was the church in Ephesus. Ephesus, which we now know as Turkey, was the most important city in Asia Minor since it was an important intersection for the trade routes. Because of this, Ephesus became a commercial center. Paul chose to stay in Ephesus for 3 years, since it had a pagan temple that dominated the culture and was so influential. Paul’s influence turned Ephesus into a center for evangelism and the church flourished under Paul’s leadership.
The last church I want to talk about in regards to Paul is the church in Rome. Rome was a city of great political importance, and a magnificent empire. In Rome Paul found the opportunity to express the love of Christ to all classes of people in spite of great opposition, and having gotten arrested several times. To have a church established in Rome was of great importance, because Rome was so influential around the world.
Ex. In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book “Life Together,” Bonhoeffer talks about the need for community and fellowship with ALL God’s people. But he lets us know that we can’t do this without God’s help. On page 35, he says: “Contrary to all my own opinions an convictions, Jesus Christ will tell me what love toward another brethren really is. Therefore, spiritual love is bound solely to the Word of Jesus Christ.. Human love can never understand spiritual love, for spiritual love is from above; it is something completely strange, new, and incomprehensible to all earthly love.”

Conclusion: Paul is a hero, because he was the one who God chose to take the gospel out into the world. But even more, he was the one who willingly did this. Not only because Jesus called him to do it, but because it was agreed upon by the other leaders as well. Last week we read in Galatians 2:9 these words: “James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.” Paul went from persecuting Christians, to being a Christian, and making Christians. But even more, he, a Jew of Jews, went to the Gentiles! God wants us to learn from Paul, and be open to share with others around us the news that Jesus Christ loves all, and wants all to believe in Him as Lord and Savior. Let’s ask God to give us these opportunities, starting today! Amen.

“James- the Bondservant”
Heroes of the New Testament Series- 9/28/08
Matthew 4:18-22; Galatians 2:9; James 1:1

Introduction: Today I want to talk about the disciple James, and how he is a hero by the commitment of service he showed to God. James was a fisherman by trade, and as Jesus was formulating whom He would call to be His disciples, James was put on that list. As a fisherman James brought some important qualities that related not only to fishing, but to doing the work of a disciple: first, there is perseverance and patience (not giving up, even though it might take a long time to catch the fish); next, is courage (the sea of Galilee could become quite difficult at times, and having a small boat in a large sea took courage); third, is an eye for the right moment (a fisherman had to be aware of when to cast and when not to cast, and where to cast his net); and lastly, the right bait (sometimes they used nets, other times bait, and different fish will bite on different kinds of bait).

I. The Call- (Matthew 4:18-22, 8:18-20)
a. Jesus calls- Let’s take a moment to learn a little about James. He
was a fisherman, as I said before, the son of Zebedee, and came from a relatively rich family, probably due to their profitable fishing trade. He had the nickname “son of thunder,” that came from his fiery temper. He was one of the first called, along with his brother John, Peter and Andrew. He ultimately became part of Jesus’ inner circle, going with Peter and John up to the mountain to see Jesus have a conversation with God the Father and they also saw Jesus get transfigured.
I want to break this down for a minute to help us see what was happening when Jesus gave James “the call.” James was in the family fishing business. It was a profitable business. He was well established in this work. He knew it well since it had been in his family for a while. Then along comes Jesus one day, and He calls to 4 fisherman (Peter, Andrew, John AND James).
What was expected of James? Jesus didn’t just expect James to come over to Jesus, as in, “Yes Jesus, what do you want?” Jesus expected that James would leave the boat, and follow Jesus. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 4:19, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” Jesus often used analogies that related to the people with whom He was talking. Jesus was talking to fishermenand so He made discipleship out to be similar to fishing for fish.
Verse 22 tells us: “Immediately they left their boat and their father,and followed Him (Jesus).” Two things we see; first, they left immediately. They didn’t first go over and talk with their family. They didn’t go over and ask their father what he thought about them no longer participating in the family fishing business. They didn’t hold a side bar and try to discuss it amongst themselves. No, they left immediately. Jesus’ call to them was not something to be discussed or bargained over, but obeyed.
Second, they followed Jesus. This call to follow is similar to Abraham’s call, in that they were following Jesus not knowing where they would be going. Later we see how Jesus describes His lifestyle, a lifestyle His disciples took on when they began to follow Him; Matthew 8:18-20 says, “When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ 20Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” The disciples were leaving the lifestyle they knew, along with having a definite place of residence and income, to go and follow Jesus and learn from Him not knowing where their meals and lodging would come from.
I think we fail to understand all of this when we simply read the Bible. We think that it was a wonderful thing to be with Jesus, and follow Jesus, and learn from Jesus. And I’m sure in many ways it was. But they had to give up a lot, not just in their physical needs, but in submitting to Jesus and giving themselves over to Him.
If we were called, what would this mean to us? Because Jesus isn’t physically here, we wouldn’t have to follow Him physically; we wouldn’t have to walk with Him. But we do have to give up some things. So let’s talk about the commitment that is involved when we follow Jesus’ call.

II. The Commitment- (James 1:1-5)
a. James- So we come to what was involved in the commitment that
James made to Jesus. A total change in lifestyle. James’ focus is no longer on fish, but on people. Think about this, James was not trained to deal with people, but with the fishing business. James is not a speaker, but a fisherman. James is not a thinker like Jesus is. So I’m sure that at first, James’ head was spinning trying to understand what he had committed himself to do.
But like I said before, he did have some qualities that could help him…
1. Perseverance- This call was challenging, but James had
developed the quality of perseverance, and he would need this quality to keep him going when things got confusing, and when there was conflict, and when he doubted if he could do it. James was entering into a lifestyle unlike he had ever known. What Jesus would require of him would test him greatly. We see how James learned this lesson, as he writes in his letter later on, James 1:2-5, “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James learned that his persevering spirit came from God.
2. Patience- James also needed to employ his patience. Being
a fisherman entailed a lot of sitting and waiting. As James followed Jesus, he discovered that this would require patience as well. James had to be committed to waiting on Jesus, instead of seeking to make the decisions, himself. Jesus would ask James to go places and do things that would test his patience. To be committed to Jesus meant to learn to wait for what Jesus had for him to do.
3. Courage- James also had to bring out what courage was
inside of him. And yet, even this courage wasn’t enough. By following Jesus, James would encounter hostile crowds, powerful religious leaders, and crazy demon-possessed people. But we see that Jesus was able to instill this courage in James, because James opens his letter with these words: “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” A bond-servant in Jesus’ time was a person who was bought as a slave; their life did not belong to themselves. A bond-servant for God was one who willingly gave their life to God; and yet, they knew their life was not their own, it belonged to God.
4. Fiery temper- As I mentioned before, James had the
nickname of “son of thunder.” He had a fiery temper. To be committed to Jesus meant that he had to give over his temper to the Lord, and let Jesus teach him how to control his temper and use it only at the right times and in the right way. This meant James had to humble himself before the Lord at all times.
b. Us- But what about our commitment to Jesus? How do we need to
give ourselves over to God? A good way to think of it is to imagine what it would be like for Jesus to be you for a 24-hour period. What if Jesus woke up in your body, walked around living your life. Nothing changes in regards to your life, or schedule, except that now Jesus is you. Your problems aren’t solved, your challenges are still there, but now Jesus is experiencing them for you. What would happen if Jesus became you? Would people notice anything different? If His priorities governed your actions, His passions drive your decisions, His heart leads your life; what difference would this make?
This is a good way to put the call of Christ on our lives in perspective.
In a Peanuts Cartoon that I found in the book, “The Gospel According to Peanuts,” (p. 96), Lucy is talking to Charlie Brown, and she says: “Sooner or later, Charlie Brown, there is one thing you’re going to have to learn… You reap what you sow! You get out of life exactly what you put into it! No more and no less!!” Snoopy is overhearing this conversation, and thinks about what Lucy just said. In the last frame Snoopy thinks to himself: “I’d kind of like to see a little more margin for error.” God calls us to make a commitment. And based on what we put into this commitment will determine what we get out of it. It is interesting to me when people have made no real commitment to God, and then there are problems in their lives that are really caused by their own decisions, and yet they blame God for these problems. Or they ask God to take these problems away, and get upset at God when He doesn’t remove them.
We reap what we sow. If we want to have God’s presence, and power, and love, and blessings in our lives, then we need to commit ourselves to him. We need to follow the example of James and let God give us a persevering spirit; give us patience; give us courage to stand up to all that is opposed to God; and let God take away those qualities that keep us from being who God created us to be.
In essence, we need to let Jesus live in us, and make the changes He would make if our body were His body, and our desires were His desires.

III. Passing it On- (Galatians 2:9; Matthew 5:14-16)
a. The Idea- When Jesus left, he gave the disciples the command to
“go and make disciples.” Jesus wanted them to understand that as He had them follow Him, Jesus wanted the disciples to lead others to Jesus, but not just a belief in Jesus, but a desire to fully follow Jesus. Discipleship, isn’t just about believing, it is about living; Discipleship, isn’t just about understanding, it is about a transformation of our lifestyle.
In Galatians 2:9 we are told by the apostle Paul, “James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.” Paul was given the “right hand of fellowship” by James, a pillar of the church, acknowledging that Paul was accepted by God’s people. This is important, because of all that Paul had done against Christians.
You might have done some things in your life that you don’t feel good about; things that you think might keep you from being accepted by God. Know that I would love to give you this “right hand of fellowship,” and maybe when I greet you afterward, you can feel that it is God reaching out to you giving you acceptance.
Above all of that, as those who believe in Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity, and authority to reach out to others and pass on this message, this call for people to “follow” Jesus Christ, and be His disciple. You may have heard the song called, “Pass It On,” which says:
It only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon all those around, can warm up in glowing. That's how it is with God's love, Once you've experienced it, you spread His love to everyone; You want to pass it on….I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I've found. You can depend on Him, it matters not where you're bound. I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD, I want the world to know; the Lord of love has come to me, I want to pass it on.
b. The action- So how do we pass it on? How do we “go and make
disciples”? The first step is to commit yourself to Jesus Christ. You need to first be a disciple. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” We need to give up in ourselves that which keeps God from working through our lives; just as James had to give up his fiery temper. We have to break from our past, and understand that God has a new and exciting future for us.
Second, we have to have a heart like Jesus Christ. We have to love people the way they are, but also love them enough to not let them stay lost. We have to want to see others know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We need to try and help others know what it means to know Jesus in a way that changes your life. So many people are going through life groping for meaning and purpose. So many people are depressed and have no direction. So many people are not really making a difference with their lives like they could and should be. We can help them to do this by passing on the love of Christ, and helping people understand the difference that will happen if we make a commitment to Christ!
Third, this means that we have to be an example with how we live. As I said earlier, if Jesus lived in your body, what would change? Think about that, and then seek to make that change. Then help others around you to ask that question, and tell them that you will help them to make that change. One of the things I am doing more of now is mentoring people. In this mentoring, I am helping people to know the vision that God has for their lives, and then help them to set goals and carry out these goals to make it happen. I would love to do that for you if you are interested.
Fourth, it means that we can’t remain silent. As the song said, we need to “shout it” from the mountain top. Or as the Bible says in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Conclusion: James understood that he needed to be committed not just to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, but to the lifestyle that Jesus wants us to live. That is why he said in his letter, James 2:14-18, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
James was a hero because he learned how to be totally committed to Christ; to be a bondservant. I hope that you will leave here today understanding that when you commit yourself to Christ, it will make all the difference in you not only living a life of meaning, but making an eternal impact in the lives of those around you. Amen.

"Timothy- Son of Faith"

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Heroes of the New Testament Series: 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 18-20

Introduction: Radio Talk show host Dennis Prager wrote an article in the Press Telegram a few weeks ago called “If There is no God.” In this article he talks about how those who don’t believe in God talk about the destructive side of religion: intolerance, hatred, division, persecution, heretics, holy wars, etc… And while there has been a destructive side to religion, these actions are not actions that God would adhere to. But even more than this, they fail to look at the other side of the coin, and that is….. what the world would be like without faith. What would be the consequences of secularism? Prager writes that he believes there are at least 10 things that would happen without believing in God: 1. There would be no good or evil; meaning that we are subject to anyone’s opinion of what good and evil is; 2. No objective meaning to life; we are merely random creations; 3. Life is just about living, suffering, and dying (which then sends us into oblivion; there is no afterlife); 4. There would be no moral guide to life; 5. All people, when they die, would suffer the same fate; the good as well as the bad; 6. No real motivation to confront evil; 7. Society becomes more irrational; 8. You would be more like a robot, subject to your genes and environment; 9. Humans and animals would be of equal value; 10. AND, without God, all would be permitted./ Having faith in God can be a challenge at times. But without God, life would be dismal! This morning we continue our series on “Heroes of the New Testament,” and look at the life of Timothy to help us understand how we can overcome our fear with faith. Fear can limit our faith, but ultimately, faith will conquer our fears!

I. Fear- (1 Timothy 4:12; Romans 8:31, 12:18; Proverbs 28:6, 29:25

2 Corinthians 5:5, 18; Colossians 3:13; Hebrews 9:27)

There are many fears that we have, but I am going to mention what I think are

some of the more common ones that can keep us from really having a strong faith.

a. Fear of Failure- The first one is the fear of failure. The fear of

failure affects our faith for a couple of reasons. One, it keeps us from believing that we are talented and capable. When we fear in this way, we doubt our ability to accomplish what God calls us to do; we doubt the gifts that God has given us; and we doubt that God can work through us to carry out our calling.

The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” Whether it is because we are young in age, or young in our faith, or whatever it may be, we cannot allow our fear to keep us from living out our faith!

But second, fear of failure is really about our focusing on what I do; focusing on my performance. The fear of failure is about us not wanting to step out to do something, because if we fail we will look bad. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we need to focus on God. We need to believe that God is a God of unlimited resources, and when God gives me a call, He will give me the gifts I need for this call, and will walk with me as I do the task.

When we fail, it is not because of God, it is because we have not put our faith in God like we should, or we have sought to do something God doesn’t desire us to do.

b. Fear of Rejection- A second fear is the fear of rejection. We all

want to be liked by others. We all want people to think good of us. We all want to be well thought of. And so sometimes we will compromise who we are, or maybe even compromise our faith so that others will like us. FOR EXAMPLE, like me, you have probably had a time (or maybe even more than one time) where you acted in a way that was not you/ so that someone else would like you or accept you. You know that if you were to speak out against how they are living, or how they think, then they would stop being your friend. And because you don’t want to be rejected, you go along with them.

What I am doing when I do this/ is focusing on me as a person, instead of focusing on God. God calls us to stand up for what is right, and when we don’t, we compromise our faith, and become someone who God doesn’t want us to be. God doesn’t want us to act one way at church, another way at work, another way in our neighborhood, and still another way with our family. God wants us to let our faith permeate our whole being, so that we are a person of integrity. As Proverbs 28:6 says: “Better to be a poor person who has integrity than to be rich and double-dealing.”

c. Fear of Conflict- A third fear we have is conflict. This fear can go

along with the fear of rejection, because we don’t like to be in conflict with others. So to avoid conflict, we avoid speaking out. When we see something that is wrong, we don’t speak against it. If something isn’t right, we don’t seek to change it.

But the Bible has much to challenge us in this. As Romans 8:31 says: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” And Proverbs 29:25, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but to trust the Lord means safety.” The Lord is with us, even when we are in conflict. And the Lord calls us to rise above the conflict and seek reconciliation.

Let me give you 3 verses that remind us of this: 1. 2 Corinthians 5:18, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2. Colossians 3:13- “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

3. Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” So by forgiveness, reconciliation, and seeking peace, we can try to avoid conflict, but conflict can and needs to occur if God calls us to speak out. We do not need to fear conflict, because in the end God will be with us!

d. Fear of Death- A fourth fear we have is sickness and death. This is

especially true when a loved one becomes very sick and then dies. We begin to think about the fragility of life. As Hebrews 9:27 says, “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” We all will die, and that at times can cause us to fear, especially if we are not prepared to die.

We can overcome this fear by understanding the order of things. There is a reason why God has ordained death, and that is because God does not want us to live forever on this earth. This came about after Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis, chapter 3, and God kicked them out of the Garden of Eve, and banned them from the “tree of life.” From that point on, our days on earth became numbered.

On top of this, God has prepared a way for us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. Last week we talked about Jesus being a hero for dying on the cross to save us from our sins. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will be saved and live in heaven with God for eternity! This is a promise by God to us. In fact, we read about this promise in 2 Corinthians 5:5, “Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” How wonderful it is to know that God has given us a guarantee that we do not need to fear death, because after death, there is eternal life!

e. How Fear Becomes a Trap- You see, fear becomes a trap that

keeps us from living in faith. Satan knows this, and tries to get us to become fearful. And when we give in to this fear several things happen: first, our fear causes us to conform our values and our lifestyle to that which are opposed by God. We begin to value what the world values and live the way the world lives. Second, our fear keeps us from speaking the truth. And when we fail to speak the truth, God’s word and God’s ways cannot be known. Third, it prevents us from giving and receiving love. When we live in fear, we limit how much we are able to love as God calls us to love. Fourth, it leads to isolation and loneliness. Fear causes us to withdraw from people because we do not want to risk what the result might be, and so consequently, we face feelings of loneliness. Fifth, it moves us towards unhappiness. Because we have been created to be in relationship with God and others, when we isolate ourselves from our relationships, we become unhappy; we cannot live as God intended for us. Sixth, it silences our sharing about Christ. We don’t want to upset anyone, we don’t want to challenge anyone, so we fail to speak out about the good news of Jesus Christ. Seventh, it keeps us from spiritual maturity. God has designed for the challenges of life, the conflicts in life, and the experiences of sharing our faith with others as some of the activities that lead us to spiritual maturity.

The bottom line is, we can be affected by our fear, but we don’t need to be directed by it!

II. From Fear to Faith- (Isaiah 51:12; Galatians 1:10; 1 Samuel 16:7;

1 John 4:10, 18; Hebrews 4:13; 1 Timothy 1:3-7)

So how do we allow our faith to overcome our fear? Let me suggest 4 ways:

a. Face it- The first step is to face the fear. We can never overcome

anything until we admit it is an issue. We name it, and then face it. As we decide to face our fear, we can know that God is with us in this endeavor. As Isaiah 51:12 says: “I, even I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?” The God who designed all things is there for us to guide us, and walk with us, and help us through our fear!

But know that when you face your fear and step forward, sometimes you will face opposition; there will be some who won’t like you for it. FOR EXAMPLE, you have heard me talk about our parking situation in our condos. We have 17 units, but only 9 extra parking spots. Consequently, we have had to limit only 1 extra car per unit. And yet, even still, not everyone can park an extra car, and there are some units who want to park 2 extra cars there! Because of this, even though I don’t like conflict, I have had to take a stand and give warnings and tickets. People don’t like that I do this, and some don’t like me for it, but I know I am doing the right thing, and that God is with me as I seek to move forward in living as God calls me to live.

As Galatians 1:10 says, “Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.” To know that God is happy with what I am doing and the way that I am living is enough for me. I live for an audience of ONE!

b. Refocus on how God sees you- Second, we need to refocus on how

God sees us. Too often we are concerned about how others see us, and we forget to put the focus on God. As 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.’”

I know how this is, all my life I have been shorter and smaller than many around me. Because of this, people have judged me, at first, by my appearance. I have had to prove my skill and ability to others and prove their judgments wrong. Especially when it comes to sports that seem to require some height, like basketball, or volleyball. I know whom God has made me to be, I know the talent that I possess, and I can’t let others keep me from living because of fear of rejection.

And yet, this can’t be with an attitude of anger or defiance. To come at people with this negative attitude would not be helpful to the situation, and would not give a good example for God. I have to step up and do what I know I can do for the reason that I feel God is telling me to do it; not to prove something to myself, or others.

c. Embrace God’s love- Third, we need to embrace God’s love. The

One who we should be concerned about the most is God, and what God thinks of us. We cannot live or love rightly unless we have received God’s love. As 1 John 4:10 tells us: “This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” God can understand our rejection, because He Himself was rejected on our behalf. When we are rejected for standing up to what is right, God knows what we are going through! Jesus was rejected by the people, sent to the cross to die, and on the cross, there was a time when God the Father rejected Him as well.

The real power of God’s love is that He loves us in spite of knowing all about us. As Hebrews 4:13 says, “He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from Him.” People can reject us because of something we do, or because we don’t do something they want us to do, but God will love us no matter what we do. And this love is what ultimately drives out our fear. The apostle John reminds us of this in 1 John 4:18, as he says: “Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.” Jesus can pick us up when we don’t live up to God’s expectations or our own expectations, or even others’ expectations. This builds us up in our faith, just like we read in 1 Timothy 1:5, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

d. Expect your confidence to grow- Lastly, when we follow these first

three steps, we can then expect our confidence to grow. Remember, our fears limit our confidence, and we struggle to believe in ourselves and who God made us to be.

EX. When Tyler was 10 years old he got drafted into the majors. We were asked by the manager if we would let him play. Tami and I had to discuss this, because it would mean that Tyler would be playing against 11 and 12 year olds. But we believed he had the talent to do this. We knew that there would be times of struggle and growing pains, but we believed it to be the best thing for him long term. So we agreed to let him go to the majors. Sure enough, as Tyler played that year, he did struggle; especially in his hitting. He was mostly batting against 12-year-old pitchers who were much bigger and stronger than he was, and who were throwing the ball about 60 miles an hour (compared to about 40 miles per hour in the minors). Consequently, Tyler only batted .167 that year (which is pretty low). And as the year went on, we could see his confidence go down. When he went to bat you could tell he didn’t believe he could hit the ball the way he needed to. However, his fielding was wonderful. They played him in centerfield, and with his speed and his skill he was able to catch many balls and play wonderful defense. Because of this he played almost every inning of every game as a 10-year-old! Then in the fall he played some more, and he got better at hitting the pitchers, which improved his confidence. This last year he didn’t have any fear, and ended up hitting .412 during the season, and .500 for All-Stars as an 11-year-old.

Because we pushed Tyler to go out and play in the majors, and because we helped him to overcome his fear, he was able to grow in his confidence and his ability. He began to believe he could do it!

Conclusion: When we live to please an audience of One, God, God’s love crowds everyone else out, and we learn that we are totally accepted by Him. As a father I didn’t care what others thought; I believed in Tyler and knew that he could do it. That is the way that God is with us. God doesn’t care what others think about us, as long as we are doing what we are called to do. If we follow God, then we don’t need to have a fear of failure, a fear of rejection, a fear of conflict, or a fear of sickness and death. We can understand that with God, we can overcome all our fears, and by overcoming them, we will be able to be strong in our faith, and thus be more successful in living the life God calls us to live. In 1 Timothy 1:19 Paul encourages Timothy to “hold on to faith and a good conscience.” I encourage you to follow the example of Timothy and be a hero by holding onto your faith and not giving in to fear. Amen.

"Jesus, the Giver"

Series: Heroes of the New Testament

Sunday, 9/14/08; Matthew 20:25-28; Philippians 2:6-11

Introduction: If I were to ask you who your hero might be, I would get many different answers. The answers might range from politicians, to actors or actresses, to sports figures, to your parents, to great religious leaders. It would depend on what your definition of a hero is. NBC has had a series running now for about 3 years called “Heroes.” The plot of this show says: “They thought they were like everyone else... until they woke with incredible abilities.” These incredible abilities make them out to be heroes.

If you were to look at a dictionary, one definition you would come across shared these qualities as some of what makes a hero: “Courageous, honest, brave, and selflessness.” This morning we are starting a series on the “Heroes of the New Testament.” Over the next few weeks we will be looking at Timothy, James, Paul, Barnabas, and Mary (the mother of Jesus). But today I want to start with Jesus.

I. Giving Through Service- (Matthew 20:20-28; James 2:1-4)

a. Greatness-In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus speaks these words to His

disciples about what makes a person great. This statement by Jesus is a response to what happened just prior to this, where the mother of James and John comes to Jesus to ask Him a favor. She wants her sons to sit at the left and the right of Jesus in heaven. Not much to ask for, right? She wants the choice seats for her sons.

But, she breaks the cardinal rule of invitation; never ask for an invitation, wait for it to come! I think James learned this lesson, because later on, when he wrote his letter, we hear him say these words; James 2:1-4, “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. ²Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. ³If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," ⁴have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” In other words, we are not to look for greatness based on what one wears, or what one has attained in the world.

The world likes to think of those who are great by looking at those who are rich, or those who have attained a high position, or those who have achieved some kind of special status. And we buy into that thinking when we seek to tell our children to become lawyers or doctors. Parents don’t want their children to be doctors and lawyers out of the desire to see their children do good. NO, it is usually from the thinking that by being a doctor or a lawyer they will have lots of money and will be able to provide for themselves and their family with whatever they want!

EX. Think for a moment that you are watching a basketball game. Your favorite team is playing a really good opponent. All throughout the game, the game is close. The lead is going back and forth. You know that this game is going to go down to the last second. Sure enough, the other team scores with 5 seconds left to take a one- point lead. Your team calls a time-out to talk over the last play. They come out of the time-out ready to win the game. The in-bound pass goes to one player, who makes a great pass to the star of the team, the star goes up for the shot, and gets the shot off just before the buzzer goes off. With great anticipation, everybody is watching the ball. The ball bounces off the rim into the air, and then takes another bounce off the rim, then hits the back board, and finally goes in to give your team the win!!!!

Now, here’s the question: Who gets the glory? The star who made the basket, right? What about the player who made the great pass? CAN YOU SAY FORGOTTEN MAN? You see, the world thinks of greatness as those who win the game, who make the big sale, who become President of the United States. Jesus knows this, because He says to the disciples: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.” In other words, greatness is seen by being a ruler, a lord, one with power. But Jesus says that this thinking is ALL WRONG! And Jesus has come to let us know what greatness is all about; what this life is to be all about; SERVICE.

b. Service- As Jesus continues to speak to His disciples, we hear Him

say: “²⁶Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—…” Jesus turns the thinking of the world upside down with this statement…you must be a servant; you must be a slave. Could you imagine desiring this for your child? Honey, when you grow up you need to be a servant. No parent would desire this for their child.

That is because we are thinking like the world. That is because we are thinking with eyes that do not see. That is because we are hearing with selfish desires. ILLUS> The State Farm Companies Foundation is now sponsoring what is called “Growing to Greatness: The State of Service—Learning Project.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said--"He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's your new definition of greatness. … It means that everybody can be great because everybody can serve. … You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. And you can be that servant." An explanation of this project says:

“Growing to Greatness: The State of Service Learning Project is the first ongoing national study of the state of service-learning in kindergarten through 12th grade. It documents the unfolding story of service-learning and provides useful information to improve implementation, inform public policy, and give a clear picture of the many ways young people contribute to society. A radical change in perspective, G2G measures indicators of how youths are valuable to society, instead of the more common approach of measuring their shortcomings. In doing so, it not only highlights the field of service-learning, but also recasts the ways young people are viewed by society.”

What a great project!! This is one way that the idea of greatness through service can happen. As we think about Jesus, most people think of Him as one of the greatest humans who ever lived. Even those who don’t think that He was God in the flesh are impressed with the impact He has had on the world. And Jesus makes it clear that one of the reasons He came was to serve, as He says: “²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I don’t know about you, but for me, I always feel better about myself when I

serve others, as opposed to just looking to care for myself./ The people I respect the most are those who are giving of themselves. I’m sure you know people like this, people who are always willing to give a helping hand. You are moving, they are there to help; you’re short on eggs, they are there to give you what you need.

EX. Tami and I experienced this in a profound way when we moved to Pueblo West, Colorado. The community was going through some growing pains, and they were behind on getting phone service to those who were new to the area. So, they gave us a cell phone with 150 minutes for the month. Now if you think about this, you realize that only averages out to 5 minutes per day! Well, the first day we moved in, our next door neighbor knocked on the door about 9 a.m., gave us her portable phone, and said: “Here is our phone just in case you have some calls to make. I’ll be back around 5 p.m.” Of course, we made phone calls to all of our long distance relatives. J Just kidding.

What an example of service this was. What great friends they became.

II. Giving Through Emptying Himself- (Philippians 2:6-11;

Matthew 16:24-25; Romans 5:7-8; 1 Corinthians 13:1, 13)

a. The reason- But Jesus did more than come to serve. Jesus

came to die. In our Philippians 2 passage, we see this broken down for us. Paul is talking about the mindset of Jesus when he says in verses 6-8, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

Jesus didn’t come to be a “hero;” He didn’t want glory for Himself. He came to bring glory to God the Father and to give Himself, by emptying Himself. This might seem like a strange concept, but Jesus knew that for life to be born through Him, He had to first die. This was Jesus following His own teaching, when He told the disciples in Matthew 16:24-25, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.’”

Jesus is trying to help us understand the difference between existing and living. To exist is to go through the motions of life, breathing and eating and having your heart, beat. But to really live is to give up your selfish desires and give your life to Christ, and let Him guide your decisions and your actions. It is always the adventurous souls, who bids farewell to security and safety, and are willing to take on the world for Christ, who not only experience life more fully, but are able to do more with their life to change the world for God!

Jesus didn’t play it safe. To play it safe would have been for Him to stay in heaven. But Jesus decided to give up His godly stature, to empty Himself of His Godly stature, and take on human flesh. Compared to what He was in heaven, He made Himself nothing by taking on flesh. It would be like you or me leaving our bodies and entering into the body of an ant. And this was a risk, because He knew He was going to die on the cross. He was willing to give/ in this way because of the reward that He would receive for this action.

b. The result- Why would Jesus do this? Because He knew that we

could not be made right with God, we could not overcome our sinful ways, we could not enter heaven unless He paid the price. And like any hero who sees someone in need, He jumped in harms way and saved us! But what is interesting about this is that He did it for those who don’t deserve it. In most movies the hero comes to save the beautiful maiden, who he then ends up getting into a relationship with. He saves her and wins her heart and hand!

As Romans 5:7- “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.” People will choose to die for someone who they think is deserving of this sacrifice. This is true of Secret Service agents who are willing to give their lives for the President of the United States. In fact a movie was made about this called [“In the Line of Fire,” starring Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich. In the movie Clint Eastwood plays Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, who back in 1963 was a hand-picked agent by President Kennedy to protect him. But then the President was assassinated, and he felt like it was his fault; for many years he questions whether or not he could give his life for the president. Fast forward many years, and an assassin named Mitch Leary calls Horrigan and tells him that he is going to kill the president. Horrigan gets himself assigned to the president, and in a gripping final scene he throws himself in front of a bullet to save the presidents life.] Even though he was paid to do this job, he still had to be willing to give up his life for the one he was protecting.

But Romans 5:8 tell us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ died for us, who are sinners, who are not considered worthy because of sin. Christ gave Himself up for us. The result of this is told to us in Philippians 2:9-11, “⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus gives Himself in this way to save us, and to lead us to this kind of selfless living. In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul talks about the gifts God gives to us. There are many gifts, some seemingly more important than others. But then when he gets to chapter 13, he says: 1 Corinthians 13:1, 13- “And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal…And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Conclusion: Heroes motivate others around them to be better. They challenge people to do more with their lives. Jesus was surely a hero by the way He gave and calls others to give! Jesus was a hero by giving so selflessly. Jesus was a hero by giving up His true nature to come to this earth and die for You and me. And the wonderful news is that God has set it up so that you and I can be heroes as well.

How is this possible? For God, a hero is someone who gives themselves away to others. For God, a hero is one who thinks of others and not just themselves. EX. Last week we held the memorial service for Laverne Wheat. At the service, I heard person after person talk about her as someone who loved everyone, who was like a mother to everyone, and who spoke about the Lord to everyone. After her kids were grown up, she felt like God was calling her to love more, so she took on 6 foster kids!! Laverne Wheat was a hero, because she gave of herself selflessly; she emptied herself for others. I hope that you go away today with this conviction, and this motivation. Be a giver like Jesus. Be a hero. Amen.

"Changing My World"

John 10:17-18; Matthew 28:18-20

Sunday, September 7, 2008; (Communion)

Introduction: Think for a moment about some powerful forces in the world. A bolt of lightning; an earthquake; or something that has been on our mind more recently, a hurricane. These are some of the most powerful forces on Earth. But, something that is even more powerful is the “cross of Christ.”

Last week we talked about how Jesus provokes us to be humble and to remove the stumbling blocks, so that we can become more of who God created us to be. But the cross of Christ is where the real power lies, because without the cross we would be lost in our sins. It is on the cross that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, so that we could be free from our sins. As we are told by the apostle Paul in Romans 6:6- “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.”

This morning I want us to understand that it is the cross of Christ that gives us the power to change our own lives, and the power to change the world we live in!

You’ll see in your outline, in the bulletin, that there are some fill-ins. The first fill-in, in point #1 is…STRATEGY.

I. The strategy of Jesus- (John 10:17-18, 19:10-11; Matthew 28:18-20)

a. John 10:17-18- The two passages that I just read help us to

understand Jesus’ strategy. Let’s look at John 10:17-18 first. In this passage we see the dominion and authority that Jesus has. Jesus makes it clear that His life was not taken from Him, but that He laid it down on His own accord. This is an important fact, because if Jesus’ life was taken from Him, then those who took it from Him would show themselves to be more powerful than Jesus. But it wasn’t others who took Jesus’ life, but rather it was Jesus who gave it. That is why Jesus said to Pilate, at His trial, in John 19:10-11, “Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" ¹¹Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

This passage also tells us that Jesus came to be obedient to the Father, and to the plan that was given to Him. This is important, because there were a few moments where the humanness of Jesus tried to go away from the plan. Without obedience, the plan would have not been carried out, and we would not have been saved from our sins. Jesus, fulfilling the plan, brought about a power into the world like none other; the power to free us from the slavery of sin!

But Jesus also had the power to raise Himself up from the dead. This is important, because without Jesus’ resurrection, we would believe in a dead Savior. And this is indeed a contradiction of terms. A savior that is dead cannot save anyone.

b. Matthew 28:18-20- The other part of Jesus’ strategy comes from

our second scripture passage, Matthew 28:18-20. This passage shows us another kind of authority that Jesus possesses, and that is the power to pass on His authority to His followers. Jesus starts out by saying: “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth…” Then He uses the word “THEREFORE.” This word designates the passing on of His authority to us; what follows the “therefore” tells us what we have been given charge and authority to do: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…”

So we see that Jesus has power over all things, since He has all authority. He has power over death, since He conquered death by being resurrected. And He has power over life since He is Lord of all. So Jesus wants us to make disciples that will follow after Him. We don’t need to question this call, because we have been given authority from Jesus Himself. This call isn’t just a suggestion, it is a command, And because it is a command, Jesus is going to give us what we need to carry out the command. God never gives us a call that we can’t attain. He will also supply us with all that we need.

Ultimately, we can do this because we have His presence. In verse 20 Jesus says: “And remember, I am always with you, to the end of the age.” How wonderful it is to know that Jesus not only gives us His power, but goes out with us as we fulfill His call. We don’t have to do this on our own power, because then we would definitely fail. We get to be guided by the presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

II. He uses changing people to change people- (Acts 4:13-21, 1:8)

a. From fearful to bold- For God to use us to make disciples, to

change other people, we need to be changing ourselves. As we see change in our own lives, we begin to believe that others can change as well. That is why the most powerful testimony you can give, is to share how you were before you met Jesus, and then talk about how you are changed now that you have met Jesus. And then talk about how this change is continuing; you are not done changing.

Acts 4:13 is a wonderful example of this; it says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Peter and John were teaching the people about Jesus, and this made the religious leaders upset. So they brought them before the council. In this verse we see that Peter and John spoke with courage before these religious leaders. This amazed the leaders because Peter and John were just ordinary people; they had not received any special schooling.

What caused the change in them? Seeing Jesus after His resurrection and being motivated to speak out the truth about Jesus. Because they had been changed by Jesus, they had an important truth to share; Jesus can change us for the better; Jesus can save us from our sins; Jesus can make us clean and holy. And because they had experienced the presence and power of Jesus, they now spoke this with boldness.

b. From denying to witness- If you remember about Peter, he had

denied Jesus three times. There were many who saw Peter do this. For Peter to be able to be a witness for Jesus, he had to be changed in a way so that others could tell he was different. And the difference for Peter was that He was filled with power.

Peter didn’t just speak with boldness, he spoke with power. This was because he was filled with the Holy Spirit. If you remember, in Acts 1:8, just before Jesus went up to heaven, He spoke these words to His disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And then soon after that the Day of Pentecost happened, and all the believers in Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ followers went from fearful and running, to bold and confident witnesses of Jesus Christ. WHY? Because they had been changed by the resurrection, by the great command, and by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Can people tell by your witness, and by your boldness that you are with Jesus? They can’t if you are a gossip, or if you have an anger problem, or if you are unforgiving, or if you are lost in sin. But when they see Jesus change you, they believe Jesus can change them! It isn’t about knowing everything, it’s about knowing that you are changed. If you don’t feel like Jesus is changing you, then it is probably because you are not giving yourself over to Jesus to change.

IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, THEN TALK TO ME AND I WILL PRAY THAT GOD’S SPIRIT WOULD FILL YOU!

III. He uses Jesus-haters to show He can change anyone- (1 Tim. 1:12-15;

Acts 9:10-20)

a. Changed from blasphemer to servant- We see in the life of the

apostle Paul the power that Jesus has to change people. In 1 Timothy 1:13 Paul says: “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.”

Paul had been a religious leader, but he was misled into thinking that acting righteous made you righteous. Paul had been misled into thinking that he was called to persecute Christians. But one day, Paul meets Jesus, and is challenged by Jesus to believe, and then Paul is blinded. Being blinded caused him to have the time to reflect on his life, his actions, his beliefs.

I would like to read for you a passage from the book of Acts, 9:10-20. As I read this passage, I want you to understand that Paul’s name was Saul before He became a Christian. I also want you to imagine that we are watching his conversion take place on a movie screen. So let this reading bring to your mind images and emotions. “In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. ¹¹The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." ¹³"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." ¹⁵But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." ¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”

b. Changed from life-taker to life-giver- At one point in his life, Paul

was a Jesus-hater. He hated Jesus so much, that he went around killing people who were believers of Jesus. It is an amazing thought that someone can hate Jesus so much, that they not only dislike those who follow Him, but they seek to kill them!

Now maybe you have never been in this place, one who hates Jesus; or maybe you have. OR, maybe you know or have known someone who has these strong emotions about Jesus. This would be nothing surprising or new. This has been the case all throughout history.

What is powerful here, is that Paul is not the only person who has gone from being a Jesus-hater to a Jesus-lover. Those who are lost in their sin often hate Jesus, because they feel condemned by Jesus. But once they experience the love and forgiveness of Jesus, they become Jesus-lovers.

IV. He uses the weak to show He can make them strong- (2 Cor. 12:7-10)

a. Our weakness- EX. I don’t know if you know anything about the

cartoon “Sponge Bob, Square Pants,” but it is a cartoon about a sea-dwelling sponge who gets tangled up in all kinds of trouble. We don’t normally let our kids watch this cartoon, but one day they happened upon it, and we ended up watching one of the 15-minute episodes. This particular episode was about Sponge Bob wanting to build up his muscles so that he could be strong. His friend Sandy tried to show him a workout that would help him to do this, but Sponge Bob realized that it would take a long time, and a lot of work to make this happen. One day he was watching a TV commercial that showed how you could get instant muscles; they were these blow-up muscles you put on your body. So Sponge Bob purchases these fake muscles, and the next day walks around showing them off. Everyone is amazed at his instant transformation. This works well until his friend Sandy enters him in the “strong man competition.” In trying to lift the anchor to throw it, his muscles pop, and everyone laughs at him for being a fake.

There are many ways that we are weak. Maybe there is a particular sin that we are battling, and we give in too often. Maybe there is the issue of running away from the conflicts in our lives. Maybe there is the issue of us saying that we are a Christian, but we follow the world more than we follow Christ.

b. Christ’s strength- The apostle Paul acknowledges that there was

weaknesses in his life, but he talks about how this is not a problem for God. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Life isn’t about us being strong. Life is about God using us through our weaknesses. God wants us to understand that His power is made perfect in our weakness. And when this happens, we can’t boast about it, we can only give God the glory. And this is how it should be. Here we have PAUL, one who had received great revelations from God, he had great knowledge and position, and had started many churches. But God had allowed this “thorn in the flesh” to be there so that Paul was reminded where his power and victory came from; from God!

Where are your weaknesses? Give them to God, and He will do great things through you in the midst of your weaknesses. It’s not about what you and I can accomplish, it’s about what God can accomplish through us.

Conclusion: It is not until we acknowledge our need to change, that we will allow God to change us. And once we are changed, we can proclaim this change to others so that they might be changed as well. This is the witness that we are to bring to the world, God is a God of change.

If you were to look around the world, you would see that change is needed. This world can be changed, but it must be changed by the power of God working in and through you and me, and all who believe in Christ.

Jesus tells us: “Go and make disciples…teaching them in my name…” Let us follow this command, and seek to make our community, our city, our world a better place. Amen!