“THE POWER OF A CHANGED LIFE” Galatians 1
INTRO – We, Americans, are obsessed with power.
- Yesterday, I took my son and a couple of his buddies to a truck show in Greenville. Convention Center property filled with all sorts of trucks. Everybody showing off the power of their truck – power of its engine; power of its stereo and speakers; power of its hydraulics system.
- Last night on TV, show about guys who race lawn mowers. Take an ordinary riding lawn mower and turn it into a racing machine that can reach speeds of up to 50 mph!
- Other TV shows about huge powerful dump trucks and earthmovers. Or airplanes, drag racers, boats. Or the power of corporations. Or the power of the human mind. Or the power of the weather. Or the power of certain medical treatments.
- We have shown our military power to Saddam Hussein and company in an up close and personal way over the last several months.
We like powerful things – cars, guns, stereos. The Greek word for power is the word dunamis, from which we get our word “dynamite.” Reminds me of a story a guy who was known to catch tons and tons of fish whenever he went fishing, no matter where he went. Game warden got a little suspicious. Disguised himself and asked this guy if he could go fishing w/ him. “Sure.” Early next morning, got into boat, went out into middle of lake, reached in his tackle box, pulled out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and dropped it into water. When it exploded, all fish floated to surface, took a net, and scooped them in. Took another stick, did it again. Game warden couldn’t believe it. Pulled out badge. “You can’t do that! I’m placing you under arrest. Take this boat to the shore right now!” Man reached in, lit another stick of dynamite, handed it to warden and said, “You gonna fish, or you gonna talk?”
Dynamite has a definite effect on all its surroundings. It definitely changes things b/c of the power that it has and the power it produces. But it takes someone lighting the fuse to make something happen. A stick of dynamite just sitting in a tackle box won’t have any effect on the fish in a lake!
It’s my prayer today that someone’s fuse will be lit today in this place! I pray that someone today will get G take hold of their life with His power, light their fuse, and change them forever. When that happens, others’ lives will likely change as well.
The Apostle Paul was one who had experienced definite change in his life. And that change affected many people, even us today. Let’s look at the power of a changed life and determine how to apply it to our lives today.
I. THE MESSAGE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE – v. 1-5
A. Warren Wiersbe story of young boy at his front door trying to sell him a subscription to a newspaper. Very persuasive young man. “It only costs a quarter, and the best thing about this newspaper is that it prints only the good news.”
i. In a world that is filled with so much trouble and heartache, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find any “good news,” so maybe the newspaper was a bargain after all!
B. For the Xn, the person who has truly trusted Jesus X as his personal Lord and Savior, the real “Good News” is the Gospel.
i. It is the good news that “X died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:3-4)
ii. It is the good news that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn. 3:16)
iii. It is the good news that “whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom. 10:13)
C. How many of you can truly say today that this message is the message that has changed your life forever? P definitely could say this:
i. Verse 1 – Galatian Xns were being led astray by group called Judaizers, who were distorting Gospel by saying that a person still had to observe many of the Old Testament laws in order to be saved. They were attacking the message of the Gospel.
ii. But they were also attacking the messenger, Paul. So right off the bat, he began defending and establishing the genuineness of his ministry as an apostle.
1. “apostle” – “one who is sent w/ a commission” – an envoy, ambassador, or messenger who was chosen and trained by JC as His special worker in proclaiming His truth during the early formative years of the church.
2. “sent not from men nor by man, but by JC and G, the Father who raised Him from the dead” – Judaizers had accused P of being a self-appointed apostle who had no authority to teach and to rule the churches. P counters that with this strong assertion that his authority was not self-given, but G-given.
D. After establishing his G-given authority as the messenger, he gives a quick synopsis of his message, a message that also is not self-given, but G-given – v. 3-5
i. This message is one of grace and peace – v. 3
ii. This message is one of great sacrifice – v. 4a
iii. This message is one of forgiveness – v. 4a
iv. This message is one of deliverance – v. 4b
v. This message is one of G’s will – v. 4c
E. Wiersbe puts it this way:
i. This message, the Gospel, centers in a Person – Jesus X.
ii. This Person paid a Price – He gave Himself to die on a cross.
iii. This Person paid the Price that He might achieve a Purpose – delivering sinners from bondage.
F. This is the message that will change your life.
i. It will change your life now and forever.
1. We are saved from the penalty of sin the moment we accept X as Savior.
2. We are being saved from the power of sin.
3. One day, we will be saved from the presence of sin.
II. SHOW THE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE WITH YOUR LIFE – v. 11-23
A. Every Xn has a testimony; your own personal story of how G has changed and is changing your life. P gives the Galatians his personal testimony of the incredible changes that G had brought about in his life.
i. V. 13-14 – “his previous way of life”
1. Persecuted the church and tried to destroy it.
a. Acts 8:1-3
2. Advancing in Judaism.
a. Gk. word for “advancing” literally means to chop ahead, like blazing a trail through a forest.
b. P kept on blazing a trail, cutting down anything and anyone in his path.
3. Extremely zealous for the traditions of the Old Testament.
a. P’s misguided zeal was unmatched. His passion for his religion and his intolerance for the truth about JC was like no other Jew.
B. “But when G…” – What wonderful words!
i. The power of G changed P’s life on that Damascus Road. And the rest of his life was lived in such a way that he showed that the change was for real.
C. That needs to be the story of our lives as well.
i. We all have a “previous life,” that time in our lives when we lived for ourselves w/out X in our lives.
1. Scripture tells us that we were enemies of G.
2. We, like P, were determined to live our lives our way, doing what we wanted to do, living like we wanted to live.
3. We were blazing our own trail.
4. We were zealous for ourselves.
5. Focus of our lives was on our needs, our wants, our desires, our own plans for our lives.
ii. Question is: Have we had a “But when G…” moment in our lives?
1. When was your “But when G…” moment?
iii. And then the question is: Are you living your life in such a way now to show the change that G brought into your life?
1. Still have to struggle with our sin nature.
a. P still did – Rom. 7 – Constant struggle against sinful nature. “What a wretched man I am!”
2. But there still should be ongoing evidence of the change that G has brought to your life.
a. Deep conviction when you sin.
b. Can’t stay in sin.
c. Growing desire to serve G.
d. Growing desire to stay in fellowship w/ G.
III. GLORIFY GOD WITH YOUR CHANGED LIFE – v. 24
A. An unchanged person wants all the glory for himself or herself.
i. Like the Academy Awards night.
1. Want the red carpet treatment.
2. Want all the cameras focused on them.
3. Want the flashbulbs popping b/c of them.
4. Want everyone to notice everything about them.
5. Want their face to be on the front page the next day.
B. The changed person wants all the glory to go to G.
i. Wants G to be glorified in the choices made.
ii. Wants G to be glorified in the thoughts we think.
iii. Wants G to be glorified in the words that are said.
iv. Wants G to be glorified in the actions that are done.
v. Wants G to be glorified in every aspect of life.
C. This is not something that happens overnight, but is a gradual growth and maturing process.
CONCLUSION – P’s life is a tremendous testimony to the power of a changed life. And your life and mine can also be a tremendous testimony to the power of a changed life.
Charles Spurgeon gave this illustration of where our power comes from that changes our lives:
In driving piles, a machine is used by which a huge weight is lifted up and then made to fall upon the head of the pile. Of course the higher the weight is lifted the more powerful is the blow which it gives when it descends. Now, if we wish to impact our age and society with ponderous blows, we must see to it that we are uplifted as near to God as possible. All our power will depend upon the elevation of our spirits. Prayer, meditation, devotion, communion, are like a windlass to wind us up aloft.
We must know the message that will change our lives – the good news of Jesus Christ – and we must let Him change us.
We must show the change in our lives with the way we live our lives. If we’re not showing that change right now, we need to repent immediately and come running back to Him.
We must glorify Him and Him alone with our changed lives. World will tell us to go for the glory for ourselves. But we don’t live for ourselves any longer. We live for Him.
Invitation today:
- I need to experience the change in my life that only Jesus can bring. G is calling me into a relationship with Him right now and I’m ready to let Him change me forever.
- I need to show my changed life with my life more than I am right now. I’ve not been letting the changes be evident in my life. I’ve not been glorifying G with my life.
