“Before and After”
Text Acts 9:1-22
How many of you have seen the pictures in the paper, in the Weight Loss Ads, the before picture, and then so many weeks, or years later - we see the After Picture. Of course the after picture is supposed to look a lot better than the before picture. The new thinner you - is supposed to be in the after picture. Welllllll, I have taken a lot of these pictures myself. My problem is I can never get to the after picture, I’m stuck on the BEFORE!!!!!!
We focus a lot on our weight and our looks - because they’re important to us. We want to be healthy. We want to look good - and there’s nothing wrong with that. But this morning I want to ask you to shift your focus from your physical self to your spiritual self for a few minutes.
This morning we Celebrate Pentecost Sunday with all of Christians around the world. In one real sense - it is the birthday of the Church. The Day of Pentecost was the day that Jesus, before he ascended back into heaven, had promised his disciples that he would send them a Comforter. He would send One that would empower them to do great and mighty things for the kingdom of God. Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem, so they did. We talked a little bit about that waiting period last week. They waited for 10 days – between the Ascension and Pentecost - then God’s promise was fulfilled. Listen to the description.
Acts 2:1-4:
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
This day, this event was the turning point in the lives of the disciples, and for the church. Can you pick out a time - an event in your life - where you point to that and say, “That was a real turning point in my life.” You hear coaches use that terminology all the time. “When Joe Montana threw that 80 yard Touchdown pass, that was the turning point in the game.” Or something similar.
Maybe it was it was the day you first child was born. Life never was the same was it? Maybe it was the day you finally got the courage to ask Mr. or Mrs. Right out on a date. A turning point in my life was when I opened a Bible and began to search for a purpose for my life. Turning points can be negative things also.
The day you had that accident.
The day you found out your Mom or Dad had died.
The day the Doctor gave you the bad news.
The day you found out Mr. Right wasn’t so right.
We all have had turning points in our lives. It’s almost a way of marking our way through this life. But what I want to share with you this morning is that God wants you to have a Turning Point in your Spiritual Life that will empower you to be more than you ever could dream of being on your own.
Let me make some comments that I believe about the Spirit led life that you need to think about, and internalize. I believe the Word of God teaches us that unless we are living a life LED AND EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit we will not be able to live life to the fullest. We will not be able to experience the greatest things in life without it. I believe that the Word of God also teaches us that we will not REACH OUR GREAT POTENTIAL THAT GOD HAS FOR US WITHOUT BEING FILLED BY The Holy Spirit.
I want to ask you this early in my message, because I want you to think about it, “Are you filled by the Holy Spirit today”, “Are you living a Life Led by the Holy Spirit?”
Saul of Tarsus was one of the most feared men in all of the known world. Who was he feared by? Christians. Saul was on a mission. It was a crusade - and he thought it was a crusade for God. There have been a lot of people who throughout history have done some horrible things thinking they were doing “for” God, when in reality they were fighting “against” him.
That is where we find Saul. He had just gotten permission, not that he needed it, but you will notice Saul was a man who lived by a code - to seek and persecute anyone who claimed to be a Christian. He had just gotten permission to seek and persecute any follower of Christ. Saul was one of the ones who had Steven stoned to death simply because he was a Christian. There had been others, and that’s why the Christians were afraid for their lives.
You know, sometimes in life, even when we think we have all the plans just right; even when we’ve made all the right moves; even when we’ve taken every possible detail into account; sometimes God has other plans.
Saul had everything planned, he was on a mission – he was on a crusade; he was giving all he had to his job. And he was doing it with great passion. But Saul ran into one of these turning points that we have been talking about. You could say it was a God moment. Look at Saul’s encounter with the Lord.
“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” Acts 9: 3-9
You could say that Saul got knocked off his High Horse. Jesus appeared to Him; spoke to Him; confronted Him; about what he was doing - and Jesus humbled him by causing Him to be blind. Saul, the one who seemed to have it all figured out, who could see what needed to be done - AND was getting it done; the one who had such clear vision, - God stepped in and in essence said, “You’re just a blind man, helpless without me.”
I’ve come to realize that I’m just a blind man - helpless without God in my life. I am helpless without God leading me, helping me, guiding my paths, my thoughts and my dreams. What place does the Holy Spirit play in your life? Before you make a decision, do you pray? Do you ask for God to help you to listen for the leading of the Spirit?
In my spiritual journey, I have discovered the times when I feel the farthest from God, are the times when I neglect, or quench the Holy Spirit. How do we do that? Let me suggest three ways we quench the Spirit.
1. Lack of prayer; God’s Word tells us to always be in an attitude of prayer, in other words, we can always be ready to communicate with the Holy Spirit - that’s what prayer is, - talking to God. When we neglect to pray we quench the Holy Spirit in our lives. It isn’t that God doesn’t want to help – but “we have not because we ask not”.
2. We also neglect the Spirit when we don’t study God’s Word. It’s the Holy Spirit who teaches what the Word means, it’s the Spirit that uses the Word to convict, to encourage, to discipline, to instruct us. The Word of God is a vital tool of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It’s the main way God reveals Himself and His will to us. To neglect it is to quench the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
3. Another way to neglect or quench the Spirit is disobedience. When we know God would have us do something, the Holy Spirit checks us. When we choose to do the opposite, that grieves the Holy Spirit. And it is also a sin.
Saul, as we know, gave His Life to the Lord through this experience on the road to Damascus. But God wasn’t through. Saul needed a second work of grace. So God sent a Christian man named Ananias to go to Saul and pray for Him and help explain what God is doing. Look at Verse17-19.
“Then 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.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.” Acts 9:17-19
God had already told Ananias that Saul was going to be his chosen instrument to carry the name of Christ to the Gentiles and their Kings. God had plans for Saul, but they would not; they could not happen - unless Saul decided to 1. Follow Christ and 2. Be filled with the Spirit. What we see happen to Saul is a total transformation. His life is one of the most dramatic turn arounds recorded in Scripture. He became the greatest missionary the church has ever known. He not only changed his allegiance to Christ, but he also changed His name to Paul, as an outward way of saying what had happened on the inside.
We are left with a stark contrast - the before and after. Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of Christians – before. And then we have Paul, one of the greatest followers of Christ that’s ever lived -after.
So what was the difference? The difference was He sold out for Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit. And he never was the same again.
If there’s anything our church needs more of, it’s Christians who are sold out for Jesus! It is Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit! When the church has no life, it means the people have no life, and - my friends, that Life comes from the Holy Spirit.
It’s not some mystical experience, it is simply asking God to do what He has promised He will do. His will for your life is to be filled with the Spirit and to be a bold proclaimer of the Good News.
What does your picture look like this morning? Are you stuck on the before? Aren’t you ready to experience what God has for you when you Trust Him? A lot of churches have different ways of talking about being filled with the spirit, some churches would have you “prove” it by speaking in some “unknown language”. Let me tell you what we believe.
“X. Christian Holiness and Entire Sanctification
13. We believe that entire sanctification is that work of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which He transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. It is wrought by God’s grace through the Holy Spirit in initial sanctification, or regeneration (simultaneous with justification), entire sanctification, and the continued perfecting work of the Holy Spirit culminating in glorification. In glorification we are fully conformed to the image of the Son. We believe that entire sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect. It is wrought by the baptism with, or the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and comprehends in one experience the cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service. Entire sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought instantaneously by grace through faith, preceded by entire consecration; and to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.
This experience is also known by various terms representing its different phases, such as “Christian perfection,” “perfect love,” “heart purity,” “the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit,” “the fullness of the blessing,” and “Christian holiness.”
14. We believe that there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character. The former is obtained in an instant, the result of entire sanctification; the latter is the result of growth in grace. We believe that the grace of entire sanctification includes the divine impulse to grow in grace as a Christlike disciple. However, this impulse must be consciously nurtured, and careful attention given to the requisites and processes of spiritual development and improvement in Christlikeness of character and personality. Without such purposeful endeavor, one’s witness may be impaired and the grace itself frustrated and ultimately lost.
Participating in the means of grace, especially the fellowship, disciplines, and sacraments of the Church, believers grow in grace and in wholehearted love to God and neighbor.
This morning, as I have been speaking, I know that the Holy Spirit has been dealing with you in some way, not because I’m some super spiritual person- but I know - because God’s Word tells me that the Holy Spirit is faithful to speak to your hearts and minds as I preach God’s Word. He is the one who brings conviction, not the pastor; not an evangelist; but the Holy Spirit.
So as the Holy Spirit has been dealing with you, he will make it clear if you need to respond to the invitation to pray. That nudging, that’s not some emotional trick. I’m not that smart or that good of a speaker. If you feel that nudge - it’s God, the Holy Spirit, trying to influence you towards God. But God never forces your will, it’s your choice.
If you choose to obey the Holy Spirit and come down and pray and ask God to fill you with His Spirit, God has promised that he will do it. It’s a free gift - just as salvation is free. What is required of you is this. You need to allow Jesus Christ to be Lord of your life. Not just on Sunday mornings from 9:30am till noon, but You must commit to Him everyday, every area of your life. If you are ready for a real transformation; for a real turn around in your life; then you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And God promises Power that you have never known before so you can live a Holy Life.
Let me tell you some of the things that will be produced in your life by living a spirit filled life. You might ask yourself “do I have these things?”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Those are the characteristics that God will produce in your life – in an increasing measure - as you keep in step with the spirit.
To be the people God has called and created us to be, we need to put ourselves in His hands and be filled with His Holy Spirit, and then be ready to experience the life God wants and desires us to have.
To be the church that God wants us to be we must have a people who are filled with the Spirit so we can have the witness, the power, the Love- to make a difference in our community. Friends, our greatest need is not finances, it’s not buildings, it’s not anything material. What we need is everyone of us giving ourselves to God, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
The invitation is almost here, The Holy Spirit has already visited you; spoke to you; convicted you. Now it’s your decision. Will you come and pray and simply tell God that you want to give everything to Him; your life; your future; your all. God will be faithful. He will fill you with His Spirit. Another way of saying it is, He will baptize you with the Spirit.
Today is the Turn around day, today you can move from Before to After. I can only imagine what God will do with you when you Give Him you everything.
If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit – would you come kneel at this alter of prayer and surrender your will to God – and invite the Holy Spirit to fill you.
Normally I led you in a prayer – but I’m not going to do that today. In you own words – come, prayer, ask for the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Glenn Newton, June 11, 2000 and Pastor Andy Grossman, June 27, 2012
Spirit of the Living God
