Paul, Part 2

Today on Summit life with Jamie Greer to see religion to make you conform to a standard but only the gospel can transform the heart and give you a passion for God religion to make you obey Seattle to God is not just looking for obedience is looking for a whole new kind of obedience. The obedience that grows out of desire and obedience were you seek God because you crave God and obedience were you do righteousness because you love righteousness life Jamie Greer. As always, I'm your host Molly asking you question. Is there a difference between being religious and having a relationship with God, and if so what does that difference look like today. Pastor Jenny continues our study in the book of acts taking a look at the apostle Paul who went from number one religious enemy of the church to fearless champion of the faith because of his personal relationship with Jesus.

We are continuing to learn about the transformation of Paul in the teaching series title. If you miss any of the previous messages in this study.

Jamie Greer.com. Now let's go to Pastor JD as he teaches from chapter 9 symptoms if I could of the Spirit of God working you on signs that you are about to be converted.

If you never have been for symptoms.

I guess that your comment allocation regeneration for you besides you get signature size if you're going to get saved. They are going to be found here. In the story of Paul who is also on the story because it is become Paul your CV symptoms begin to arise and him and I want you to think about them in light of your own life at some numbers one, but Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest of the asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belongings of the way which is the first on a name given to the Christian movement. The way men or women might bring them bound to Jerusalem now as he went on his way to approach Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around them and falling to the ground. Hear the voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me.

So Saul said who are you, Lord, and he said on Jesus in your persecuting for Satan. So Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were open, he saw nothing burst in. Another was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias, and he said here I am Lord Lord said to him rise and go to the street called straight at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul for bold he is. Pray that at this point and I said excuse me, I do not need to object, but I've heard many things about this man, how much evil. He's done here say to Jerusalem, but the Lord said to him, go because he is a chosen instrument out of mind to remind me before the Gentiles against the children of Israel trying to show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. So Ananias departed and entered the house and laying his hands on him. He said brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me, so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit and immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and when he opened his eyes. This time everything look difference.

So he arose and was baptized for signs that you are being converted for realizations that you have that show that the spirit of God is at work in you number one, you realize that God has been pursuing you, God has been pursuing you is not punishing to punish Jesus in your place. So what is doing now is he's bringing you back to himself. When we say around here is God's not going to pay you back and try to bring you back what God is doing for you is not retribution its restoration, God gave the retribution the Jesus of the what he could give to you was loving discipline to bring you back to himself.

And I know it's painful and I know some of you have been going through that it's not about God hating you. It's about him loving you is not about him paying you back.

It's about him bringing you back and I just got to ask. Are you listening sudden realization number two you have been blind Paul's blindness is given to us is a picture of all people that are separated from Christ is either primarily to forms of spiritual blindness. The first one is what we call their religious blindness. Or you think that your way is better than God's really feel like you don't really need God. And so you pursue a life that we call sin.

Sin Sanders means that I'd rather be in charge to God because honestly I think I make a better God be God. The second form of blindness is religious blindness. That's what Saul has mentor you think you can be good enough to earn God's approval that if you just try hard enough and keep the rules good enough when God will accept you transfers he's illustrated this way.

He said he seduces King one day in his court showed up. This is not dirt farmer would poor poor farmer, green onions and carrots and so the gushers out is a carrot for 1/2 feet long. Jesus King I farm for 40 years and never seem to care this big and when I look at this. I thought that such a magnificent carrot. I've got to give it to my king because I love my King and my king is worthy of the king was genuinely touched and so the king said well he says I happen to own all the farmland right around your little farm I decide to give it to you as a gift because I love you I love a lot of people in my country so that all the property so one of the noblemen. It was stated in the king's court thought that's what the king gives him response to a carrot.

Imagine what he would give in response to a real gift like a horse to the noblemen good job at 95 numbers magnificent horse that he's ever seen and he brings it back to the king's court the next day leads it into the king's presence is is okay. You are a worthy King of love serving you all these many years is to give you just this horse is a gift of my appreciation the king who was evidently pretty wise, looks at this noblemen and says yesterday. The farmer was giving the carrot to me today. You are giving the horse to yourself and what he was illustrating with that is the fact that when our good deeds are done to extend our status or exalt our status before God for truly self-interested. This is a problem with our good deeds with that kind of heart is twofold. Once their hypocritical second, their self-serving. That's what Martin Luther called the evil of our good deeds. He said most people get that they need to repent of their sin when they don't get is that they need to repent of their righteousness because the righteousness has been done for all the wrong reasons.

That's where Paul was.

He was in the middle of bad righteousness in his works were not pleasing to God because a spiritually dead heart that tries to do good works is wearisome to you and because their attempt to self-justification and lead you to constant comparison you're always comparing somehow my stocking up in comparison what happens either leads to pride or despair right pride when you're doing well despair when you're not doing well which ends up leading to jealousy and jealousy turns into hatred and fear and hatred and fear lead to violence. That's why religious people like Paul are the meanest people on the planet. Paul was really good, but Paul was not nice at all from an atheist. Talk about the problems that religion because my response is usually yeah you are absolutely right. Religion creates the meanest people on the planet because religion leads to hypocrisy and leads to pride leads to comparison which leads to jealousy quickly is the fear which leads to violence and contrast that is the gospel a gift of grace undeserved grace the way we say it is an acronym GRA CE God's riches at Christ expense Jesus Christ dying in our place paying the penalty for our sin. Clothing us in his gift righteousness, giving us a new heart and the power of his resurrection and when Paul experienced that it changed his heart.

He was blind he saw, but now he could see in his spiritual site is in a consistent three things that are going to dominate the rest of his ministry to give these really quickly.

Three characteristics that your eyes have been opened a A a sense of wonder.

A sense of wonder, instead of a sense of entitlement and pride is now public will of course not except me and approves of me I'm better than everybody else now. From this point on. Paul's going to be filled with wonder and say I can't believe that God save me.

I can't believe he chose me Christ Jesus came into the world safe center. I see wonder how would God have loved and chosen me, my wife and I heard Elise Fitzpatrick speak at an event last week that I was also speaking at. She said that one of the signs that God is really awake and you as you spend time laughing at your Christian experience last or she said what's the joke I'm the joke that's the joke.

I just had to believe in God chose me, knowing what I know about me.

I can't believe that God chose a better sense of entitlement to pride. We got to open your eyes a sense of wonder recently that I was remiss some bookable letters of John Newton who wrote the song amazing Grace is an old man in the 70s was writing to another guy said on socially but this point I thought of a different thought.

I said I thought always love to pray.

I thought I would've gotten rid of jealousy and orbit control my money mistaken, this is me is that this the reason that God allows us to continue to struggle all of our life with indwelling sin. Is he wants us to grow ever more amazed at his grace Martin Lloyd Jones essay this way, the ultimate test of our spirituality is our amazement at the grace of God is he most people measure their spirituality by their perfection of some spiritual fruit. How you measure spirituality how patient you are alone you pray.

Much of the Bible you know people you share Christ with what is the measure of your screenshot how well how intensely worship whether or not tears come in your eyes, your prayer worsening is that how you measure your spirituality. The problem is this side of heaven.

We have our sinful flesh which always at work in us and will constantly be discouraged if we look within. God always wants us looking outside to the finished work of Christ, not inside to our progress in sanctification of God always allows us on this side of the resurrection to struggle with indwelling sin so that we will grow ever more wondrous at the grace of God the ultimate test of our spirituality is our amazement, or wonder at the grace of God is seen most of us think of spirituality thing about this. Most of us think of spirituality is giving ourselves to a place where we don't need the grace of God that much, I'm pretty patient ballerina Bible so I know I afford to go to. I'm not the one who needs the most grace that is not the side of your spirituality. That's a sign of blindness because your your your amazement at the grace of God. He chokes me that is the sign that God has opened your eyes on this side of heaven. Spiritual growth is not getting to a place where you don't feel like you need to grace of God growing ever more wondrous of it and Paul from this point on is can be filled out, wonder if this was a crises came the world safe center cover whom I am the chief was achieved and the chief using the present tense.

I am cheap and what that's going Paul to his transparency.

Instead of hypocrisy to pausing to spend from this point on these cuts going to talk about is false, I am the chief of sinners. I find the law when I want to do good and evil is present with me the law tells not to covet more children to cover the more that I covet the wretched man that I am I commencing in my flesh. Nothing good dwells to see what people admiring his flesh.

He wants people running to a Savior.

Paul would become see a man characterized by graciousness and generosity instead of hatred and pride you think about this the man who wrote first Corinthians 13 below chopper that everybody read to the weddings nothing to do with marriage, love is patient, love is kind love bears all things, believes all things, holds all things in doors all they said the man who wrote that used to be a murderer. The man who wrote Romans nine, where he said if I could I would go to hell if it meant my fellows use common salvation. That is a man who used to take his enemies bind them testament to prison and tell them to go to hell. Now here he is saying to his enemies. If I could I would go to hell in your place. You see, those who believe and behold, the wonder of the gospel become like the gospel I told you Saul's new name. Paul met small Ananias Nieves, the Lord is gracious and Paul would spend the rest of his life talking about himself as a small man who was the recipient of the lavish grace of God amazing Grace. Essentially, he would say, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. It is by grace. Ephesians 28. He would say I have been saved and that is not of myself the way I say this to my kids. You have to be good at being good for God to love you, she's not about trying.

It's about trusting is not about your success in doing, but your faith in what has been done is by grace you have been saved through faith, not on what you do. Faith in what God has done nothing as of yourselves. It's not according to our works at all.

So where can we post how can we boast. Paul says there's nothing to boast about the drives been open if you're boasting this because you're blind and all the saints, and I should remember the grace the Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, for your sake we can foresee this body might become rich.

When you think about that.

Won't that move you to become gracious and generous toward others you have received Christ unspeakable gift.

Paul would say what you then become tenderhearted kind to one another, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ sake is forgiven you instead of fear. Paul would say there is therefore no condemnation to those of us who are in Christ Jesus. Instead of jealousy and pride. Paul would say I'm a let this mind be in me which is in Christ Jesus, who, though he was God did not consider that something to be maintained, but instead became a servant so that he can love and save me instead of anger and wrath. He would say put away all malice and wrath of evil speaking, never avenging yourself.

Not one time, refusing to repay evil for evil and overcoming evil with good. Because that's where the God overcame us instead of picking up the sword to repay. He would take up the cross to save instead of demanding his rights.

He would pick up a towel to serve amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now I'm buying it blind but now I see the gospel did what religion could never do it.

Open Paul's eyes and changed his heart. You see religion to make you conform to a standard but only the gospel can transform the heart and give you a passion for God. Religion can make you obey the CSO to God is not just looking for obedience is all new kind of obedience. The obedience that grows out of desire and obedient for you. Seek God because you crave God obedience where you do righteousness because you love righteousness and I kind of obedience comes not by exhortation to do better. It comes by revelation of what God has done, not by exhortation but by revelation.

That is the way the God change the impossible number three. Your past, you begin to realize does not disqualify you for God's grace. Paul was a murderer and his conversion scandalized Ananias scandalized the church Jesus had to say.

The church were 15 go.

I chose amazing instrument of my real grace you see is always scandalous John Newton Road amazing Grace formally been deciphered.

Translation you know that is one of his autobiographies. Newton was say every time I saw not a slave ship you say just a ship in general is that I will be overcome with a sense of horror and shame that I did, I did knowledgeably I did voluntarily.

I did it because I wanted money and he said I cannot fathom, but that is me. And so he would write the words amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now in final blind announcing it was scandalous that God saved him round told you before I say that's what you mean from the word save right. Was it just sounds uneducated.

I went to school for 13 years after high school I want to sell uneducated cousin or say thoughts on some backward fridge. You gotta make sure I decide. So like I want to sound sophisticated, but I can't find a word to replace it, but I want to be enhanced. I want to be improved for some work I need to be strengthened, to be set free gathers all sometimes that that's not what I needed. I'm a wretch I needed salvation.

I needed to be delivered from a body of death that deserve to be in health very no way to say that except for I was a wretch by the way, here's the other thing is you're not a wretch. God's grace is not that amazing visitors.

Two things about the gospel that are really difficult to believe one that you were so bad that Jesus had to die to save number two. He was a loving but he was glad to die to save which of the shooting. You have more trouble believing which one that you were so bad that Jesus had to die today.

I have trouble believing on you think hell is harsh harsh punishment and chances are you'll be good at math. You think God probably could have saved me with a lesser thing than the bloodied death of Jesus. I'm Italian there was any other way to save you any lesser punishment. Jesus would've taken it, but he had to go to the cross have his skin ripped open and literally go to hell for you so that you said you why because what you deserved was the cross.

What you deserved was hell.

You are a wretch.

Is that hard to believe it should be if you're American, it should humiliate you and make you angry. But it's the beginning of grace the other side of that, but he was so loving that he was glad to die for me. She conversion is a dual realization is, Tim Keller says I'm worse than I ever dreamed. And he is more gracious than I've ever dared hope she will. We always want to do is one we want to make our badness not as bad said in his grace is a need to be as severe solar news exalt herself little bit bring God out little bit got a single event, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, Jesus saved Saul the murder Jesus saved John Newton the slave trader can save wretch like you. Number four come with human number for your past does not disqualify you from future usefulness your past is not disqualify you from future use was look at verse 15.

Again, no is a chosen instrument of mine to hear my name for Gentiles and kings is the stand before kings God took the greatest enemy of the church who had the blood of God's saints on his hands and put them before kings with the salvation of the world on his lips. You must never forget that the church's greatest missionary was once greatest enemy is here is one of the greatest mysteries of the gospel, the greater the damage of sin, the greater your usefulness. Your chest saved me and for you just like he had a million for Paul, thanks for joining us today on Summit life with pastor JD Greer if eating a late and missed part of the teaching today. You can listen to this entire message online. JD Greer.com so JD re-creating a new resource for our Summit life listeners to help them dig deeper into the book of acts during this series, and we have volume 2 of our sent Bible study. We offered volume 1 back in March and now it's time for the second half. They've all been waiting for. Can you tell a little bit about this resource and what to expect. You know, like all the Bible studies. These can be used privately one-on-one or it can be used for the group. The second volume covers chapters 9 to 28 of acts.

It's a great supplement to your personal devotion times somebody you're discipling. You could use this to go through the book of acts may be in conjunction with these messages or if you're part of a small group me. It might be something that would provide a good discussion God as you as you presently Brenda asked asked tells the story of the early church, and it follows apostles like Peter and Paul who are probably not quite. Do you think they are and we see them as the superhuman spiritual giants and saints, but they were ordinary men. I'm playing men. In some ways that they just said yes to God and got used in incredible ways as you study should press deep into the promises of the book of acts are prayers that you won't just be learning a lot of new information are prayers in your heart is stirred to get on board with the same mission that the early church at and that is the spread of the gospel.

You can get just, volume 2 right now or you could get volumes one and two, JD Greer and believe the gospel isn't just the guiding actually the whole pool. So when you donate to support this ministry you are helping us reach people around the world. This gospel centered Bible teaching were so grateful for your support and as our way of saying thank we'd like to three new resource that was created by the Summit life team just for you.

It's volume 25 designed specifically to help you dig deeper into the second half of the asked for your copy when you give a suggested donation of $25 or more. Call eight 663-3552 screening 866-3524 go online and request copy when you visit a clear.com and Molly benefits. Join us today. Be sure to listen again Tuesday the national my face dictating here continues our study, outlining that racial integration was seen here tomorrow for Senate light JD