10 Jan Change or Die | Part 1 “The Why Behind Your What”

Announcements:

All announcements can be found at:  waterschurch.guide

Our text alert number has changed.  Text ‘waterschurch’ to 81411 to remain on our text alert system.

February 4-9 we are organizing a work weekend at our Florida Campus.  If you can, come down and help.  We will have a church watch party, watch the Super Bowl together, canvas the neighborhood, have a First Tuesday on the Monday and do some painting, building and landscaping!

Key Verse: Acts 9

This is a season of personal change.  I am going to ___________ this year.

But when we resolve to change, they are not real changes but tweaks in our life.  They are changes that do not last.

Ice-breaker question

Q. What tweaks have you tried to make that did not last and why?

God does not want to change our ‘what’ he wants to change our ‘why’.

If your RELIGION hasn’t CHANGED your LIFE, CHANGE your RELIGION

If our faith is not making an impact on how we live we need to change our faith.  God is in the life changing business, not a one and done but a continual change and transformation.  God wants to renovate us into a completely new person. Christianity is not about being good, but about change.

There’s a big difference between EXTERNAL ADJUSTMENTS and INTERNAL TRANSFORMATION.

We can know the Bible verse by verse and still not go to heaven. Religious leaders, church goers, leaders of the Jews are the ones that killed Jesus.

Coming to church does not save us or make us good people.  That is an external adjustment and will not change us internally.  Jesus is not interested in what we do until He has changes us on the inside.

Q. What are some external adjustments that people mistake for real change?

Luke 13:1-3 (ESV)

All will perish unless we change.  The human condition has always been a mess.  The reason we see more now is because of social media and pocket cameras.   We can feel better about ourselves because we don’t ‘act’ like others. We all need to change and we all need Jesus to change us.  Gospel change is letting Jesus into our hearts to change what we do.

All Gospel CHANGE begins with ME.

1. Gospel change is not EXTERNAL, it’s INTERNAL.

No one is beyond the power of Gods ability to save.  With God all things are possible.  God can change any mind, any life, and any person.

Acts 9:1–2 (ESV)

Paul has an internal change that affected the external reality of his life. He hated Christianity.  He traveled and brought his hate with him.  He dragged off men and women to prison.  He would go to their houses and would drag them out.  He hated Christians.

a. Saul is FILLED with INTERNAL RAGE.

Acts 8:3

b. He creates ENEMIES out of BROTHERS.

c. He pursues PEOPLE he DISAGREES WITH.

Saul was not interested in change. The person least interested in finding God was Saul.  But God found him.  Just as Saul, we are recipients of God’s amazing grace.  Saul was not resolving to do something new.  He did not want to change.  God changes him sovereignly and grace-fully.

Q. Who is someone you thought was beyond God’s ability to change and why?

2. Gospel change happens when JESUS challenges our INTERNAL PRIORITIES.

We can clean up our act, get educated, become good people but all for the wrong reasons.  What changes on the outside is not necessary first, there is a ‘why’ behind the ‘what’.

Q. What are some internal changes that had to take place in you prior to any external adjustments you made?

Acts 9:3-4 (ESV)

Why are you persecuting me?

Here’s the answer to Saul’s “why”: Saul WANTED to.

We do the things we do because we want to do them.  This is the sin nature, the old man, the flesh.  We are still going to struggle with this.  Our old self is committed to killing us.  The old man cannot be reasoned with.  The inside comes outside. 

Acts 9:5 (ESV)

Up to this point, Saul thought he was on God’s side.  He was right, good and doing what God wanted him to do.  Then when Jesus encounters him, he realizes he is opposing God and not doing God’s will.

Q. Before you had an encounter with Jesus, how did you think you were doing God’s will? ( What was your ‘Saul/Paul moment like)?

Jesus upsets our PRIORITIES in PENETRATING ways.

3: Gospel change doesn’t first ALTER the COURSE of our LIFE. It ALTERS the LIFE in our COURSE!

Acts 9:6 (ESV)

It is not that our problems will go away when we come to Jesus, but it’s how will we face our problems.

1. Jesus GIVES him a new INTERNAL COMPASS.

He gives us a new inward desire so we want to do what God wants.

Acts 9:6 (ESV); Acts 9:8 (ESV)

2. Jesus CREATES brothers out of ENEMIES.

Now Paul is creating brothers out of his enemies.

Acts 9:11-12 (ESV); Acts 9:17-19 (ESV)

Q. What brothers in Christ do you need not consider enemies (example:is there someone you are upset with because of some disagreement)?

3. Jesus EMPOWERS for a NEW PRIORITY.

In All things God will work for his purposes (Romans 8:28).

Acts 9:20 (ESV)

Jesus changed Paul’s priority.  He did not want to kill now. He wanted to talk about Jesus.

Sermon in a sentence:

Jesus OVERWHELMS your LIFE, changes the WHY behind your WHAT, and SETS the course of your life on FIRE for God.

Q. How has God changed your priority?