Momentum - Week 12
Back in the 1970s, there was a TV show called The Six Million Dollar Man. The main character, Steve Austin, was an astronaut who was badly injured in a crash. So, the medical team rebuilt him. They replaced parts of his body with bionics and made him better, faster, and stronger. He was rebuilt, but he was still the same man.
That is not what God does with us.
When you give your life to Jesus, you are not rebuilt. You are not upgraded or enhanced. You are born again. Not better. Brand new.
Today, we are going to read about the most dramatic transformations in the New Testament and understand how God made Saul a new person.
Acts 9:1-21 (NLT2)
Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains. 3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. 9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink. 10 Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. 11 The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. 12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.” 13 “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! 14 And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.” 15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 19 Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. 20 And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” 21 All who heard him were amazed. “Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?” they asked. “And didn’t he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?”
A little bit of context about why Saul and the Pharisees acted the way they did. In the first few verses, Saul was convinced he was right. Saul was a respected Pharisee, and the Pharisees admired a man from Numbers 25, named Phineas.
Phineas heard that an Israelite man had brought an idol and a Midianite woman into his tent. So, as soon as he heard it, Phineas jumped up, grabbed his spear, and killed the man and the woman. So, it became known that Phineas had great zeal and passion for God, and he became a model for the Pharisees of what it looked like to take God's holiness seriously. And, Saul wanted to be like that. A man of zeal. A man willing to resort to violence to protect the truth. That’s why he organized the stoning of Stephen. That’s why he dragged followers of Jesus out of their homes to march them to Jerusalem in chains. He believed that his fellow Israelites who surrendered their lives to Jesus were guilty of Idolatry and were damaging the Jewish faith.
He believed he was doing the Lord’s work. He believed God would be pleased with his persecution of these followers of Jesus. His early example reminds us that…
RELIGION WITHOUT RELATIONSHIP LEADS TO RESENTMENT
Saul had religion. Saul had traditions. But Saul did not have a relationship with God.
Today, churches close their doors because many people have confused religion with relationship. As a Pastor, I have seen firsthand how religious people hurt other people inside the church. They are religious about tradition, about worship times, about bible translations, about what people wear to church, property, budgets, bylaws, ministries, and more. They shame people for how they dress, how they talk, or where they come from. They complain about everything new and just want to keep everything the same.
And, they think God is pleased with them.
But He is not.
They are actually hurting the very church they claim to love. Just like Saul, they are sincere, but they are sincerely wrong. They block change. They love traditions. They manipulate others to gain control.
But most of us have probably experienced religious people and seen how they have hurt others in the church. And if we are not careful, that same type of religious zeal can sneak into our hearts, too.
So, Saul is on his way to hunt down followers of Jesus, and Jesus stopped him dead in his tracks. The glorious light of Jesus humbles Saul. He drops to his knees, blinded by the love and grace of Jesus. He is helped up, led to a town where he spends the next few days alone with God in prayer. And while he is praying, another man named Ananias, who knows all about Saul and his shenanigans, receives a vision from the Lord telling him to go find Saul.
Let me be bold enough to say, that if God began speaking to you in a vision, I am willing to bet money that most of us would jump up and do what God said to do. I mean, isn’t that what we pray for? We pray for clear, detailed direction from the Lord. Yet, that wasn’t enough for Ananias.
He had a problem with what God was telling him to do, so the first word that came out of his mouth was not “yes.” The first word out of his mouth was “But.” And when it comes to applying God’s word to our lives, often we can say the same thing.
So…when it comes to following Jesus…
DON’T LET YOUR BUT GET IN THE WAY. JUST SAY “YES.”
We understand from God’s Word that God does not want us to gossip or deceive others…But we do. We know God calls us to forgive those who hurt us…But…we hold on to bitterness. We know we are designed and gifted to serve others…But we say we are too busy. We know Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us…But we would rather talk about them. We know purity honors God and protects our hearts…But we make excuses for what we watch, what we click, or who we sleep with.
Ananias had a pretty good reason for objecting to God’s instructions. He knew all about Saul. Everybody knew about Saul. People were terrified of him. Ananias didn’t want to go to him, because he didn’t want to be killed.
And usually, for me, my excuses are pretty weak. I’m tired. I’ll do it next time. I don’t want to. When “but” gets in my way, it is usually driven by self-centered desires. So the next time you know what God wants from you…Don’t argue with him. Just say “yes.”
Now, let’s look at the changed life of Saul. One day, he is dragging followers of Jesus out of their homes, arresting them, killing them, and is convinced his religious zeal is approved by God. The next day, he is preaching about the forgiveness of sins found only through Jesus! He doesn’t understand fully how God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus are one – but he cannot deny the radical transformation that happened when he was made new and born again!
So, like we see in the life of Saul…
LIVE FROM WHO YOU ARE NOW IN JESUS
What really happened to Saul? This was more than turning over a new leaf. This was MORE than choosing to attend church. This was more than believing that Jesus was who he said he was. Saul did not change himself. God changed him.
How?
Before God changed him, Saul was DEAD (as a doornail).
Ephesians 2:1 (NLT2)
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
A spiritually dead man cannot bring himself back to life. Saul wasn’t barely alive. He wasn’t weakened by sin. He was completely, totally, spiritually dead and lifeless. So how could a dead man surrender his life to Jesus?
Well, on that road to Damascus, God changed Saul. Religious Saul experienced the promise that God made in the Old Testament.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT2)
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
God put His Spirit inside of Saul. Before Saul could repent and surrender his life to Jesus, God made him spiritually alive so he could call out to him.
You and I were once dead because of our sin. And the same Spirit that God placed in the heart of Saul, he placed in us. God made us alive so we could repent of our sins and surrender to Jesus.
And, if you are a follower of Jesus, you, too, were born again. Not improved. Not upgraded. Born again.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT2)
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
So, if God has made us a new person, why do we still struggle? Why do I still say something I should not say? or think of something I should not think? or want something I should not want? Why do I still sometimes “have it up to here” with my kids? Why do I still feel a little jealous of others?
Paul said in Romans 6:6 that we are no longer slaves to sin and that sin has lost its power in our lives. But the lingering desire to sin is still present.
Galatians 5:17 (NLT2)
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
So even though you are a new creation… and even though you are free…You and I will still feel the pull to sin. But the good news is that, unlike before you become born again, you and I are under no obligation to do what the flesh pulls us to do.
Romans 8:12 (NLT2)
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
So, LIVE from who you are NOW in Jesus. Make decisions based on your new life in Jesus. You do not have to choose to follow your old sinful desires any longer. Through Jesus, sin has lost its power in your life.
When your flesh starts whispering old lies, you do not have to listen. You are not your old life. You are not your past sin. You are not the worst thing you have ever done.
You are new. THE POWER OF SIN IS BROKEN. You do not need to pray for more strength. You have the Spirit of God living within you. You do not need to wait for freedom. You have been set free. You do not need to fix yourself. You have been made new.
So, live from who you are now in Jesus.