Acts 10:34-43
34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-- 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 39 "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen-- by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
“The Light Revealed as Servant”
How many of you made a New Year resolution this year? Every New Year presents a “new” chance to start everything over… have a clean slate… make a fresh go of being the people we want to be! If you read the top ten list of New Year’s resolutions… you will find that they are all very worthwhile endeavors and they are all probably something that every single one of us should do in our own lives. Let’s look at them quick:
10) Get Organized
9) Help Others
8) Learn Something New
7) Get out of debt
6) Quit Drinking
5) Enjoy Life More
4) Quit Smoking
3) Lose Weight
2) Get Fit (exercise)
1) Spend more time with family and friends
Many of us start out the year with the best of intentions to do some things better in our lives. We start out determined and enthusiastic, however… it doesn’t take long before our enthusiasm begins to wane. In fact, the statistics are extremely disheartening… did you know that 80% of people who make New Years resolutions fall off the wagon by Valentine’s Day! So why do we keep trying? Why do we keep persisting? Why don’t we just give up trying altogether?
Because we have the hope of real change, the hope of doing something to improve our lives.
This last week, something amazing happened in the media. A man by the name of Ted Williams who was an unknown homeless man just 7 days ago, is now a household name! He became an overnight sensation on youtube… and we are going to watch his “now famous” clip now:
[Show Ted Williams “Homeless Man with a Golden Voice” clip from youtube.]
Now, this hit the internet this last Tuesday… and his story is Amazing. It all starts out with a radio personality who has it all. He had the perfect job, he had the perfect wife, he had the perfect house, he had it “all” when drugs and alcohol changed his life. Eventually his dependency on drugs and alcohol led him to be fired from his job, divorced from his wife, bankrupt, kicked out of his home, and homeless… living on the streets… and HE WANTED A CHANGE!
He was eventually able to get himself cleaned up a bit, and become sober… going on two years when this famous video was taken. Can any of you guess what he credits his amazing life change to? God!
“I could not have done it without God,” he says, “now I’m just trying to get back. God has already changed me, now it’s time for me to change myself.”
Do any of you know the “rest of the story?” Keep in mind that this only happened on Tuesday… guess what has happened since then! While not only becoming an internet sensation, he has received dozens of job offers… the most illustrious of them… the Cleveland Cavaliers have offered him the job of being the voice of their team. They KNOW… a change has really happened. A change has happened… and it’s not the kind of change like we see with New Year’s resolutions. Even the 20% who manage to make it past Valentine’s Day are making tiny life improvements… they are simply overcoming bad habits. This story is about REAL change.
Oprah Winfrey once lost 140 pounds as part of one of her “New Year Challenges.” However… it didn’t take long before she gained it ALL back. She said, “I didn’t just fall off the wagon… the wagon FELL ON ME!” That is what happens when we try to go it alone. That’s what happens when we try to do it on our own steam. Even when we succeed, we discover the success is temporary. It’s not a “real” change.
Real change is hard! That takes us into our scripture verse today. This verse shows us that our source of hope our TRUE source of change can only be found in one place… Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus gives us our example. In verse 38, it says that Christ was able to do all the things he did because “God was with him.” It makes us remember the challenge placed on us… “What are we capable of doing… if we allow God to work inside of us?”
We are witnesses of everything Christ did… (verse 39)… not just by word but also by deed. And as witnesses, we should observe that Christ is our example… and we see that example time and time again in scripture. We need to follow that example.
So, as we start a New Year… rather than aiming to overcome bad habits through New Year’s Resolutions… let us aim to make a real change in our lives by following the example of Christ.
If we are going to follow the example of Christ we need to know who Christ is. Where do we go to find out who Christ is? To scripture… “43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
We don’t just have the New Testament, but we also have the Old Testament as our guide. So all throughout this month we will be examine WHO CHRIST IS… so that we may follow his example.
So today, we look to yet another scripture text from the Old Testament… Isaiah 42:1-9. If you wanna know what Christ is like… if you wanna know what you should be like… if you want “REAL” change… let’s try to learn the example set for us through the prophet Isaiah… and the first words out of his mouth in chapter 42… talking about Christ… “Here is my servant.” First and foremost… Isaiah describes the most powerful man on earth… our example to live up to… as a servant. The one with all the power is a servant, submissive.
Go on reading, and it paints a picture of a man who conquers the world through servitude. This passage, is one of the main passages that points to Easter and is known as a “suffering servant” passage.
All of Israel was waiting for a savior, waiting for a military leader. Isaiah says the Messiah is coming but he is going to be a servant. He IS going to stand up to evil… but in a way you’ve never seen before.
Fast forward back to Acts and our verse today, and he writes that we have SEEN this fulfilled! The Christ has come… he made himself a servant… he gave everything… and he WON!
If we want REAL change, we should follow his example… WE need to become servants as well… submissive to God.
You wanna put 2010 behind you? You want 2011 to be entirely changed and new? There is truly chance for new life for us! This change doesn’t happen through promises we make… they happen through promises that Christ makes. This change doesn’t happen through our resolutions… they happen through God’s resolution through Jesus Christ! Christ can do a new thing in us IF we follow his example and become a servant! IF we allow God to come in and be the true on in charge. When God is in charge of our lives… that is when true change happens.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
