2014.05.11 Acts 9: 20-
31
Total Transformation in Christ
As we have been
going verse by verse through the Book of Acts…. we met Saul of Tarsus as he
witnessed the stoning of Stephen…. The first martyr of the early church… …..
Paul was radically transformed when he met Jesus on the Damascus Road…. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews…..
He studied at the feet of the finest Jewish scholar possible at the time….
Gamaliel…. He was a devout Pharisee who
was earnestly looking for coming of the Messiah….
After the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus….. He
began a one man war against Jesus and his followers…. He fought against his own conscience and the
LORD GOD…. But after meeting Jesus on the
Damascus Road….he changed sides and continued to fight for the very Gospel that
he had tried to destroy….. Instead of Killing Christians….. He proclaimed the
Good News immediately and everywhere…….. He
was totally transformed by the grace of God…
In one moment the history of the world was changed when
this man was transformed….. Saul the
blasphemer became Paul the proclaimer of Christ's love….. He was a changed man……
This angry and radical enemy of Jesus Christ became the author
of the greater part of the New Testament….. He became a Godly and radical
follower of Jesus…. What a
transformation……
Paul serves as one of the greatest examples
of the power of God to transform a life…. He is oe of the greatest illustrations
of the radical Christian life…... What we learn about Paul in the story of his
transformation is applicable to every transformed life....
He is a great example for all believers in every
generation…It all began when he surrendered his will to Christ….. He humbled himself and repented of his sins….
calling Jesus LORD….
Let´s pick up the text where we left off… After being
blinded on the road to Damascus…. Paul received His sight…… Not only physically
but spiritually as well…. And then his new life is reflected in the things that
he does… Acts9…v20….
Acts
9: 20- 31 NKJV
20
Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of
God.
21
Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those
who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so
that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”
22
But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt
in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
23
Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. 24 But their plot
became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. 25
Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a
large basket.
26
And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they
were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But
Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how
he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had
preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 So he was with them at
Jerusalem, coming in and going out. 29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the
Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.
30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him
out to Tarsus.
31
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were
edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy
Spirit, they were multiplied.
Acts 9: 20- 31 Sch 2000
20 Und sogleich verkündigte er in den Synagogen Christus,
daß dieser der Sohn Gottes ist.
21 Aber alle, die ihn hörten, staunten und sprachen: Ist
das nicht der, welcher in Jerusalem die verfolgte, die diesen Namen anrufen,
und der dazu hierher gekommen war, um sie gebunden zu den obersten Priestern zu
führen?
22 Saulus aber wurde noch mehr gestärkt und beunruhigte
die Juden, die in Damaskus wohnten, indem er bewies, daß dieser der Christus
ist.
23 Als aber viele Tage vergangen waren, beschlossen die
Juden miteinander, ihn umzubringen.
24 Doch ihr Anschlag wurde dem Saulus bekannt. Und sie
bewachten die Tore Tag und Nacht, um ihn umzubringen.
25 Da nahmen ihn die Jünger bei Nacht und ließen ihn in
einem Korb über die Mauer hinab.
26 Als nun Saulus nach Jerusalem kam, versuchte er, sich
den Jüngern anzuschließen; aber sie fürchteten ihn alle, weil sie nicht
glaubten, daß er ein Jünger sei.
27 Barnabas aber nahm ihn auf, führte ihn zu den Aposteln
und erzählte ihnen, wie er auf dem Weg den Herrn gesehen und daß dieser zu ihm
geredet habe, und wie er in Damaskus freimütig in dem Namen Jesu verkündigt
habe.
28 Und er ging in Jerusalem mit ihnen aus und ein und
verkündigte freimütig im Namen des Herrn Jesus.
29 Er redete und stritt auch mit den Hellenisten; sie
aber machten sich daran, ihn umzubringen.
30 Als das aber die Brüder erfuhren, brachten sie ihn
nach Cäsarea und schickten ihn nach Tarsus.
31 So hatten nun die Gemeinden Frieden in ganz Judäa und
Galiläa und Samaria und wurden auferbaut und wandelten in der Furcht des Herrn
und wuchsen durch den Beistand des Heiligen Geistes.
What a transformation…… He is no longer calling Jesus and
his followers……. blasphemers who must die…..
He is boldly proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savoir and
Messiah…… He is so excited to see the truth….. He had earnestly sought to obey
the law…. He waited for the Messiah to appear…. And now he is here..…
v20…
Notice…. Immediately he preached Christ….
Jesus is the Messiah…. the redeemer…. the Savoir of the
World…. It was all true….. Why had he been so stubborn…. Why did he fight the
truth with such anger….. talk about a new creature….
His entire life had been radically transformed and he
could not wait to tell everyone about Jesus….. Paul did not waist a minute…..
Immediately he preached the Christ…. Paul knew the Old Testament very well….. All
he needed was the key to unlock the big picture…. and Jesus was the key…... The
Good news of the Gospel came pouring out of him as he connected all of the dots
and saw Jesus in every page of scripture…. He preached Jesus with all of his
heart….. everywhere…. He was thrilled to be forgiven…..
verse
21…."But all that heard him were amazed."
As we follow Paul´s life and ministry in the Word of God…
we see him rejoicing in every tribulation and hard time….. and trusting in
Christ alone for deliverance and Salvation…. Not ever again trusting in good
works of righteousness… We already see in our text today…. Paul laying down his
life for the sake of the Gospel…. Just like Stephen … He is willing to proclaim
the Good news no matter what the cost….
Paul
now understood that true circumcision was in the heart….. True circumcision is
a work of the Spirit of God in the heart´s of men and women….. The Lord Himself
reaches into our lives and says Live….. He takes out our hearts of
stone and gives of hearts of flesh for His great names sake and for His
Glory….. We rejoice in all that he has done for us in Christ alone… We become
true worshippers… We worship like Paul worshipped….. serving and preaching the
good news no matter what the cost… and
praising our great God and Savoir…. The Lord Jesus Christ with our very lives….
turn with me to Phil 3…
Philippians
3:1-3 NLT
Whatever
happens, my dear brothers and sisters,
rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and
I do it to safeguard your faith.
2
Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say
you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God
are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done
for us. We put no confidence in human effort,
Philippians 3:1-3 Neues Leben
1 Was immer auch geschehen wird, liebe Freunde, freut
euch im Herrn. Ich werde nicht müde, euch dies zu schreiben, denn es wird euch
nur noch mehr stärken.
2 Nehmt euch in Acht vor den Menschen, die sich verhalten
wie bösartige Hunde, wie solche, die andere verstümmeln, denn sie behaupten,
ihr müsstet euch beschneiden lassen, um gerettet zu werden.
3 Denn wir, die wir Gott durch den Geist anbeten, sind
die einzigen, die wirklich beschnitten sind. Wir setzen unser Vertrauen nicht
auf menschliche Anstrengung, sondern sind stolz auf das, was Christus Jesus für
uns getan hat.
What a great
definition of a Christian….. A genuine Christian worships by the Spirit of God…..
They glory in Christ Jesus alone….. and put no confidence in the flesh…….
In this text we can see…… (discern) the distinctive
qualities of the true Christian…….. These are the things that identify a true
Christian….. Genuine Christianity has nothing to do with being religious….
Paul says we are the true circumcision…… Meaning that we
as genuine believers…. have a circumcision that is internal…... We have a
cleansing that is in our hearts….
God have given us
a new heart made of flesh….. He has taken out our heart of stone…. He has
sprinkled us with clean water… Ezek36….
This is the opposite of the external obedience that is represented in the Law
and circumcision…
The Jews thought that their physical circumcision gave
them special privilege with God….. Paul says that is a false circumcision……
That which is outward is meaningless…..
We who have repented and believed are the true
circumcision….. We are not cleansed on the outside….. We have not cleaned up our act… We have not outweighed our sins by our
good deeds….. That´s the lie of all Pagan religions….. That what the Egyptians
believed…. We have been cleansed on the inside by the power of the Holy
Spirit…..
Paul is warning the believers to stay away from people who
claim to love the Lord but are fighting and arguing…. These false teachers who are criticizing the
Godly teaching of Paul….. They are hypocrites and legalists…. Some are trying
to make the Philippians to pull back from the grace and mercy of God…. and return
to external things like circumcision to make themselves righteous…. All lies….
Paul says you stay away from them… They are false teachers to say these things….
They are false believers and evil workers…. The scriptures often compare the
false believer with the true believer….
Throughout the history of the church…… It has been
necessary to make a difference between genuine saving faith….. and just being
religious….. Churches are full of religious people who are just fans of Jesus……
Being a fan of Jesus will send you to hell…..
We need to be clear about who is a true Christian and who
is not…… It is very important to know the difference….. Paul is warning
believers to not go back to the law….. The law didn´t save us and it cannot keep
us saved….. He says it´s a trap…. It´s poison…… You have been saved by grace
through faith…. Eph 2: 8,9…. Perfect
text for your own Quiet times…
Jesus
himself warned us about deceivers and false teachers…. John 10:10
The enemy, the devil….. is behind what is going on……. He
is desperate to deceive as many as possible in these last days… As we approach
the glorious day of the return of our Lord and Savior….. Satan is out to lead
as many away as possible….. to steal, kill and destroy……
Matthew
24:23-26 NKJV
23
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not
believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great
signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told
you beforehand.
26
“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or
‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
Matthew 24:23-26 Sch 2000
23 Wenn dann jemand zu euch sagen wird: Siehe, hier ist
der Christus, oder dort, so glaubt es nicht!
24 Denn es werden falsche Christusse und falsche
Propheten auftreten und werden große Zeichen und Wunder tun, um, wenn möglich,
auch die Auserwählten zu verführen.
25 Siehe, ich habe es euch vorhergesagt.
26 Wenn sie nun zu euch sagen werden: »Siehe, er ist in
der Wüste!«, so geht nicht hinaus; »Siehe, er ist in den Kammern!«, so glaubt
es nicht!
In order to not be deceived we need discernment…. We need to know the Word of God to be able to discern the truth…. We need to be Bereans…. No matter who is
teaching us we need to search the scriptures to see if it is so….. we need to
say….. Is that true? Is that what the Bible says…? Discernment or being
discerning is checking what one reads, hears or sees with the Word of God to
see if it is biblical and of God…….
Back to Phil 3….
Philippians
3:1-3 NLT
Whatever
happens, my dear brothers and sisters,
rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and
I do it to safeguard your faith.
2
Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say
you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God
are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done
for us. We put no confidence in human effort,
Philippians 3:1-3 Neues Leben
1 Was immer auch geschehen wird, liebe Freunde1, freut
euch im Herrn. Ich werde nicht müde, euch dies zu schreiben, denn es wird euch
nur noch mehr stärken.
2 Nehmt euch in Acht vor den Menschen, die sich verhalten
wie bösartige Hunde, wie solche, die andere verstümmeln, denn sie behaupten,
ihr müsstet euch beschneiden lassen, um gerettet zu werden.
3 Denn wir, die wir Gott durch den Geist anbeten, sind
die einzigen, die wirklich beschnitten sind. Wir setzen unser Vertrauen nicht
auf menschliche Anstrengung, sondern sind stolz auf das, was Christus Jesus für
uns getan hat.
V1…. Rejoice in the LORD…. Paul says rejoice…. Paul
practiced what he preached….. Even when beaten and thrown into prison….. He
rejoiced and worshipped the LORD…. Acts 16…v25.. In the 4th chapter
of this letter to the Philippians he says rejoice always… Phil 4:4… Our
rejoicing in the LORD has nothing to do with our circumstances…
V2…True believers
worship Him…
As we look at these verses….. The first quality that
marks a true Christian is worship….. There is deep within the true believer a
longing to glorify God….. a longing to worship God….. A total commitment to
serve God from our hearts…… To worship the LORD our GOD with our lives…. That
is exactly what Jesus said… Turn to John 4…
John
4:23,24 NKJV
23
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:23,24 Sch 2000
23 Aber die Stunde kommt und ist schon da, wo die wahren
Anbeter den Vater im Geist und in der Wahrheit anbeten werden; denn der Vater
sucht solche Anbeter.
24 Gott ist Geist, und die ihn anbeten, müssen ihn im
Geist und in der Wahrheit anbeten.
God seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in
truth!..... Do you worship in spirit and in truth….. loving God….. delighting
in Him….. enjoying the peace and confidence and assurance that comes because
all your trust is in Him….? The first quality that marks a true believer is
genuine worship……
That's exactly what Philippians 3:3 is saying…… What is
the true circumcision? Those who worship God in Spirit and in truth……. We were saved to be true
worshipers…… So how can you tell a true
worshiper? How can you tell a true Christian? They worship God from the heart……
Now let's take a look at the word "worship" for
just a moment… Philippians 3... the word "worship" here is the word
latreuo……. It means to minister, to
serve, to worship……. It's a great big word…...
Worship is saying and singing things that glorify God….. That is worship but that's not all it is…….
Worship finally comes down to how you live……
In Hebrews it says, "Do good and share." Why? "For with
such spiritual sacrifice, such worship God is well pleased."
Every part of our lives should be part of our
worship…. λατρεύω latreuō… means
worship….. but it also means service…..
Worship also means that you serve Him……. In the Old Testament the priests led in worship as they worked in the temple and
performed the sacrifices and offerings before the LORD…..
How
do we know we're true Christians?
Genuine
believers Worship from the heart….. because we love God…… Jesus Christ is our source
of joy and rejoicing!
That's a worshiping heart….. Only the Holy Spirit can
produce that...
The Holy Spirit transforms our lives life so that we
worship God in Spirit and in truth! Do
you…. Do we worship God from our hearts…. Do we worship in Spirit and in truth?
We need a heart check….
2
Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves." I
can't examine you…… You can fool me because you can do all the outward stuff…..
You can be an almost Christian and I can't tell the difference…… God knows
there truth! Listen….. Don't you be deceived…… examine your heart in the light
of the Word of God! Do you want to know God´s will? I´m not sure you do…. But
if you do…. This book will give you Godly wisdom and discernment for your
lives….
Turn with me to Romans 12…v1…
Romans
12: 1,2 NKJV
1 I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God.
Romans 12: 1,2 Sch 2000
1 Ich ermahne euch nun, ihr Brüder, angesichts der
Barmherzigkeit Gottes, daß ihr eure Leiber darbringt als ein lebendiges,
heiliges, Gott wohlgefälliges Opfer: das sei euer vernünftiger1 Gottesdienst!
2 Und paßt euch nicht diesem Weltlauf an, sondern laßt
euch [in eurem Wesen] verwandeln durch die Erneuerung eures Sinnes, damit ihr
prüfen könnt, was der gute und wohlgefällige und vollkommene Wille Gottes ist.
V1…. A living sacrifice……. Reasonable service…. Out of
our right relationship with the Lord Jesus…. comes praise, and adoration, and
service….. And you live your life as an act of worship…… you live your life as
a living sacrifice….. holy and acceptable unto God which is our reasonable service….
Here the greek word is the same word often
translated worship…
latreia…. It could be translated (our reasonable act of worship)…..
And that's the way
we are to live our lives…. it is a
living sacrifice... it is an act of worship….. Are you ok with that?.... That
means that this life is not about us….. It´s about our great God….. He has
forgiven and redeemed us…. We belong to him…. We don´t live for ourselves any
more…… The words…. I want I need I deserve should never come out of our
mouths….. We have been bought with a price…. Back to Phil 3…
The
Second quality in Philippians 3 is that
a Christian glories in Christ Jesus…..
What does this mean? Well, the word "glory" is a marvelous word.. καυχάομαι
kauchaomai…
The verb means to glory or to boast with great joy!
Paul uses it in the sense that this is what we are most proud of…… Paul uses it more than 30
times….. and all the other New Testament writers put together only use it
twice..... Paul loved this word….. He gloried in all the LORD has done for us… He means my joyful boast as a believer is all
in Christ Jesus……. That is the character of a true believer…..
He
is our life…. Oder….? He's our Lord and Savior, He's our life…. We glory in nothing but the cross of
Christ…… Like Paul we are determined to know nothing but the
cross of Christ…... All the credit is His, all the glory is His……We Glorify our
great Redeemer…… we are nothing….. He is everything to us… That's the true Christian….
That´s why a true Christian has no confidence in the
flesh…. Since all the glory goes to God….. And the only thing we boast about is the Lord Jesus Christ….. Then
we certainly can't put any confidence in our flesh….. We are not righteous in
ourselves….. We can never be good
enough…… We need help…. We need the righteousness of Christ….. The Jews placed all their confidence in
the flesh…… They were descended from Abraham physically…… They had a physical
surgery called circumcision….. When they performed the ceremonies and obeyed
the Law…… it was all the flesh…….
The
only thing our flesh can do is sin…… The
only thing the law can do is show us our sin…. It proves to us that we need
help….. We are driven to the Foot of the LORD Jesus…. Just like Paul on the
road to Damascus….
Close
What marks a true Christian? Genuine repentance which
turns completely away from the wretchedness of our sin filled hopeless
condition……. We cry out to God for mercy and the salvation that only comes through God's
grace….. Worship
in Spirit and in truth….. giving all the Glory to Jesus Christ….. That's the true circumcision……. This is what
burst into Paul’s Life in an instant that day on the road to Damascus…… And He
was totally transformed by facing the truth about himself…… He threw himself at
the foot of the cross……. There is where he found mercy and help……
How about you and me….. When we look at the cross do we
really see ourselves…… When we look at the cross do we remember what Jesus
suffered….. Do we remind ourselves that our sin was the reason that he suffered
and died….. Do we Christians look at the cross and say we need help……. We are
pretending to Love the Lord our God with all of our heart and soul and
strength…. This is not a game…. We would never do in front of each other what
we do in the dark…….. Nobody knows nobody sees…… Stop deceiving yourselves………
God knows……. The Word of God speaks to us loud and clear…… God is not mocked…….
But He is Patient…… He commands us to examine ourselves…… too confess our sins
and be forgiven……. Will we……… Or will we continue to pretend….. Acting like
super Christians…… super spiritual….. Acting Like Paul before he was
converted….. The deepest desire that Paul had was to love and serve and worship
his savoir…. Turn back to Philippians 3… v10… Here´s Paul heart….
Philippians
3: 8-10 NKJV
8
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having
my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in
Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him
and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death,
Philippians 3: 8-10 Sch 2000
8 ja, wahrlich, ich achte alles für Schaden gegenüber der
alles übertreffenden Erkenntnis Christi Jesu, meines Herrn, um dessentwillen
ich alles eingebüßt habe; und ich achte es für Dreck, damit ich Christus
gewinne
9 und in ihm erfunden werde, indem ich nicht meine eigene
Gerechtigkeit habe, die aus dem Gesetz kommt, sondern die durch den Glauben an
Christus, die Gerechtigkeit aus Gott aufgrund des Glaubens,
10 um Ihn zu erkennen und die Kraft seiner Auferstehung
und die Gemeinschaft seiner Leiden, indem ich seinem Tod gleichförmig werde,
This text is worth a separate sermon….. another time…. Look
at v10…. This is my life….. to know Him no matter what the cost…..
You cannot be a
fan of Jesus…. Stop pretending!. That´s being a hypocrite like Paul was before he was converted….
The Word of God rings loud and clear down through the
centuries…… Repent the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…… today is the day of
salvation….. let´s pray….
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