Changed Lives
![Changed Lives
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© November 16, 2014
www.pastorkennedy.com
The world is desperate to find heroes…men and women who could be dynamic national leaders, or leaders in their community – profound thinkers and problem solvers. The world has profound issues to solve – poverty, famine, war, hunger, drought, plagues, sickness, lack of education, global warming, and the issues go on and on.
God knows the world needs such leadership so, in the fullness of time, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, prophesied hundreds of years before His birth. Isn’t it interesting that our whole calendar is centered on Christ’s birth? (A.D.) Anno Domini (Latin for “In the Year of our Lord”) – and all the time before His birth, in our modern calendar, is listed as B.C. (Before Christ). Two billion people worship Jesus Christ in our world today… 2,000 years after His death and resurrection! Jesus Christ has profoundly affected our world and the people who believe in Him!
If we are believers in Jesus Christ, how have our lives changed from what it would have been, had we not believed and followed Jesus Christ and God’s Word, the Bible?
How Has Christ Affected Our Life?
o How has Christ affected our involvement with things, which we now know to be against God and His Word?
o What if we had kept on indulging ourselves with our own sinful and destructive pride, passions, greed, self-sufficiency, carnality and godless lifestyle?
o Where would we be today, if we had not followed Christ and given our life to Him?
o Our attitude about life, about money, about material “things”, about revenge, about power, about success?
o How does knowing Christ affect our marriage, our spouse and children?
o Our speech?
o Our integrity?
o Our employment?
o Our relationship with others?
o What we understand about eternity?
o How has knowing Christ affected our fear of death, and concern about life after death?
o Our hope for eternity?
Note: If we are playing a “fence-straddling game” with God right now (sadly, we have all been there some time in our life)…trying to enjoy things we know we should be avoiding, resisting, and “dying” to, on one hand, and wanting to act like a Christian on the other, just realize, we cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:13).
God will bring to light the “hidden things of darkness” and we will be judged according to how we have lived our lives (1 Cor. 4:5; 3:13-17).
There are no secrets with God.
The ravages of a sinful lifestyle are just as active and destructive in a supposedly hidden state of hypocrisy as they are in a blatantly open carnal lifestyle.
They are devastating in eternity.
Christ Came to Change Lives
Isaiah, the prophet, gives us a glimpse of Christ’s Authority in the following prophetic verses about the Messiah, written some 700 years before Jesus’ birth:
The Suffering, Sacrifice & Redemption – Christ’s First Coming as Savior
Isaiah 53:5–6
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities:
The chastisement of our peace was upon him;
And with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned every one to his own way;
And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The Coming Eternal King – Christ’s Second Coming in Power and Glory
Isaiah 9:6–7
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Lives Changed in the New Testament
Many people in the New Testament found that their lives were changed because of their personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Is Jesus Christ valid in our lives today? First let’s look at the lives of a few people in the New Testament and see how their lives were changed. And then, let’s look at our own lives and see how they have been changed!
¬ Jesus and Zacchaeus
Do you remember the children’s song about Zacchaeus?
“Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he!
He climbed up in a Sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see!
And as the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree
And He said, ‘Zacchaeus! You come down!
For I’m going to your house today!’
For I’m going to your house today!”
Zacchaeus’ Life was Changed through His Encounter with Jesus Christ
Luke 19:1–10
19 He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Who was Zacchaeus?
• He was a chief tax collector.
• He was a rich crook.
• He was a “sinner” to those who saw his life…because of his ways.
• He wanted to see Jesus.
• He was short in statue.
• He climbed a sycamore tree to be over the heads of the crowd, to see Jesus.
• Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree and told him to come down, because Jesus wanted to come over to be a guest in his house.
• Zacchaeus knew that his devious tax business practices had been wrong.
• He repented of his greed, thievery and graft when Jesus confronted him.
• He told the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
• Jesus responded to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
• Zacchaeus’ life changed because of his encounter with Jesus!
¬ Jesus’ Disciples
Matthew 10:2
Simon Peter, and his brother Andrew (fishermen);
James and John the sons of Zebedee (fishermen);
Philip and Bartholomew [also probably called Nathaniel];
Thomas and Matthew (tax collector);
James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
• The Disciples lives were changed forever because of their time spent and faith established in Jesus, as God’s revealed Messiah for mankind.
• The Disciples (other than Judas Iscariot) suffered and died, most as martyrs (we have no record of John’s death after being exiled to Patmos). Each held on to the validity of their faith in Christ as God’s Son, the Messiah, His physical Resurrection; and, in the fullness of time, His future coming again as Eternal King.
¬ Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, came to Jesus by night - to discretely cover his visit.
Jesus told him he must be “Born Again” (John 3).
“How can a man be born again when he is old?” Nicodemus countered.
Jesus was not speaking of natural birth, but of a Spiritual New Birth. He spoke of God’s love, and of Himself as God’s Messiah who would bear mankind’s sin.
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world (Jesus told Nicodemus), that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Read John 3 and review the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus. We base much of our understanding of salvation today, on this conversation!
Following Jesus’ crucifixion, Nicodemus revealed his love for Jesus and his rejection and defiance of those who had crucified Christ. He brought 75 pounds of funeral spices and helped Joseph of Aramathea prepare Jesus’ body for burial (John 19:39).
Nicodemus was a Jewish scholar and leader whose life had been changed by Christ.
¬ The Demoniac of Gadara – Mark 5:1–20
Jesus stepped out of the boat in the country of the Gerasenes and a scary man ran down from the graveyard and fell down before Him…
A Scary Man
A man with an unclean spirit, who had been living among the tombs, saw Jesus from afar, and ran and fell down before him.
A Man Controlled by Demons
He cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
A Man Uncontrollable by Society
The demon possessed man had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him and bind him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
The Demon was Confronted by Christ
“Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Jesus commanded him.
The Demons were Territorial
The spirit begged Jesus not to send them out of the country.
Jesus asked the Demon’s Name
“What is your name?” Jesus asked the demon, He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
A huge Herd of Pigs was Nearby and the demons begged to be sent to them
A herd of 2,000 pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
The demons begged Jesus, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”
Jesus gave them permission
And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
The Herdsmen Fled after their two thousand swine ran into the sea
The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.
The Townspeople Came and saw a changed man…and they were afraid
The townspeople came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
The Townspeople were given an explanation by onlookers
And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.
The Reaction of the Townspeople
And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
Jesus started to get into the boat to Leave, and the man who had been demon possessed begged to come with Jesus
As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
Jesus asked him to do something else.
And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
The man’s life was radically changed…and he told others how Jesus had transformed his life!
And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
See also Luke 8:26-39. Matthew 8:28–34 tells us that there were two demon possessed men…Mark and Luke tell of the transformation of one of the men. What happened to the other man?
The Demoniac’s Transformation
Following his encounter with Christ, the transformation of this previously severely troubled man was extreme. Given his demonic empowerment and motivation, from the legion of demons within him, when he had yielded himself to Satan’s power, he had been the source of many terrible things and tragic outbursts. His previous life was one of bondage and destructive darkness, crying out and cutting himself among the tombs, day and night.
His deliverance was the beginning of a host of cleansing and forgiveness in his own life, regarding broken relationships, heartaches and issues surrounding his family, acquaintances and community… “and everyone marveled!”
¬ Mary Magdalene
Through Jesus’ power, Mary Magdalene experienced freedom from six demons, which had held her captive (Luke 8:2). Following her deliverance Mary committed her life to following Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene was one of many women to follow Jesus and minister and care for the roving band of disciples inundated with huge crowds of people who needed Christ’s healing and spiritual instruction. She was the first to discover that Jesus had risen from the dead and ran to tell the other disciples (John 20).
Other Women touched by Christ
Jesus touched and transformed the lives of many women. Women committed to Jesus as God’s Messiah followed Him, and also provided for Jesus and the disciples out of their means.
• Susanna (Luke 8:3)
• Mary the mother of James and Josephus (Matthew 27:56)
• Joanna, the wife of Chuza (Herod’s servant, Luke 8:3) is listed also in Luke 24:10
• The mother of the sons of Zebedee (Matt. 27:56)
• Salome (Mark15:40)
• His mother’s sister (19:25)
• Mary of Clopas [KJ Cleophas, this could mean wife of Clopas or daughter of Clopas] (19:25)
• Mary and Martha (whose brother was Lazarus) of Bethany (John 11)
• “and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means” (Luke 8:3)
Throughout the Scripture Christ has changed lives.
* Zacchaeus
* Jesus’ Disciples
* Nicodemus
* The Demoniac of Gadara
* Mary Magdalene
* And a host of others…
For two thousand years following Christ’s death and resurrection, lives of those following Christ have been transformed and changed.
How Has Christ Affected Our Life?
Have we invited Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord? If so, what difference has Jesus Christ made in our lives?
o How has Christ affected our involvement with things, which we now know to be against God and His Word?
o What if we kept on indulging ourselves with our own sinful and destructive pride, passions, greed, self-sufficiency, carnality and godless lifestyle? Where would we be today, if we had not followed Christ and given our life to Him?
o How has our attitude changed about life, about money, about material “things”?
o About revenge?
o About power?
o About success?
o How does knowing Christ affect our marriage?
o Our attitude toward our spouse and children?
o Our speech?
o Our integrity?
o Our employment?
o Our relationship with others?
o What we understand about eternity?
o How has knowing Christ affected our fear of death, and concern about life after death?
o Our hope for eternity?
A Life that was not Changed
Luke 12:16–21
16 And he (Jesus) told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
~ ~ ~
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5–6
But seek first the Kingdom of God and
His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33](Changed_Lives_files/shapeimage_1.png)
