ACTS: "Can a Person Change?" - Acts 7:59-60

Brett Meador: All the horses I want you to put off the night clothes and I want you to put on the armor of light and what does that look like putting on Jesus Christ. And that's a work in progress. The Lord says I will change your heart I will change your life but I also want to change your exterior garments the exterior part of you and how do you do that you put on Jesus.
Guest (Male): Pastor Brett Meador on swapping filthy rags for robes of righteousness.
Brett Meador: But as you put on Christ the Lord will give you the strength and we're not perfect we haven't figured it all out but we're a work in progress.
Guest (Male): The first martyr Stephen displayed the same spirit of forgiveness that Jesus demonstrated on the cross. Not only did he ask God to forgive those condemning him, but he proclaimed it boldly. Pastor Brett Meador highlights the powerful example Stephen set in today's word, offering valuable lessons for every believer seeking to live Christ-like both inwardly and outwardly.
Brett Meador: We have in our story here today things get very real and our character in the story as they get real he's about to die and he knows this. It's Stephen this guy who is a fairly new Christian why do I know he's a new Christian because Christianity is new like the whole idea of being a Christian's fairly new only months old and now we have a guy who loves Jesus and he's speaking the truth in front of the Supreme Court of Israel the Sanhedrin and he's there defending his faith and belief in Christ. And they're getting angrier and angrier and by the end of his sermon they're gnashing their teeth at him and they're gonna want to kill him and eventually that's the way this story well let's read it it's Acts chapter 7 I just want to focus on the last two verses because what happens when it gets very real Acts 7:59. It says "and they stoned Stephen calling upon God saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit and he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their charge and when he had said this he fell asleep." Interesting description of death he's hit with these rocks and what happens he falls asleep but but what does he say do you notice some characteristics here of Stephen it reminds you of someone else who does Stephen remind you of in this part of the story anybody?
Guest (Male): Jesus!
Brett Meador: He sounds like Jesus when Jesus died on the cross he sort of let his spirit go to the Father even as Stephen said receive my spirit it's interesting because the psalmist prophetically wrote about this about the releasing of his spirit we're going to see how Jesus is really modeled here by Stephen. How does this happen? How does a guy when he's on his last dying breath and he's saying words like Jesus? How does this happen? He's become like Jesus. He's just like Jesus and we'll see how that shakes out. You know how did Stephen as a young Christian at his time where things get real how did he become more like Jesus? Saying words like Jesus, forgiving, being bighearted like Jesus. The Lord does that work in us and the first thing that he does when it comes to change you have to allow the Lord to change your heart number one. Now I use the word allow deliberately. Does it sound a little weird to allow the Lord to do anything? He's God, you're not, why would we allow him? Well as it turns out God doesn't superimpose his will on you in a way that from our perspective the Lord it's more of an invitation. Yes, I believe God is sovereign. But for some reason the Bible also kind of tackles it from our perspective not God's perspective but our perspective and it's the Lord "come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." There's an invitation for you the question is are you going to allow the Lord as he lovingly invites you to come? Are you going to allow him to give you that comfort and rest that he wants to give you? There's a bunch of things the Lord says I will do this if you allow me and so he gives you a free will and it's kind of up to you on that. So the idea of getting your heart changed that's where it all begins. It starts with the heart. Jeremiah talks about this in the new covenant. He starts with the notion your heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it. Can I just say that's an important verse for you to know and I'll tell you why because our goofy world we like to say all the time follow your heart. Can I just say how stupid that is? Why? The Bible says your heart will deceive you your heart is deceptive wicked above all things that's the bad news. The good news is guess what God actually wants to change your heart. Literally like a heart transplant. If you want to follow your heart there's some things that have to happen before that happens. Let's talk about it. The new covenant that Jeremiah talks about there in Jeremiah 31:33 "but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel" and you say well this was for Jews. Yep. But this same covenant we get to be superimposed on when we are grafted into the vine of the Jewish people the Lord will do this for us as well and that is "after those days saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people." This is Jeremiah talking about what God wants to do he wants to write his will in your heart. So instead of having a deceitful lying heart suddenly your heart is reminding you of things God cares about and you'll be God's people when he writes that on your heart. In fact the author of Hebrews chapter 8 verse 10 he actually echoes the exact same thing in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. He quotes from Jeremiah 31:33 same exact thing. So if you want to change it has to happen in the heart. Change starts with the Lord changing your heart. You are required by the way to change your mind. That's the free will part. And when you change your mind and say Lord my heart I need help with that I need a heart change so how does that happen the power to change comes by the Holy Spirit in your new heart that the Lord wants to give you. So the repentance part is where you change your mind. That's what it means to repent change your mind and then you say okay I'm going to be responsible for what I'm responsible for change my mind. But Lord now I'm going to ask for you to change my heart because I can't do that. And the Lord says guess what I will give you a new heart. The Lord says I'm the great heart surgeon. David knew this to be true the psalmist. He talked about his heart all the time in the Psalms like for example remember when David said "search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts see if there be any wicked way in me" that's in my heart "and lead me in the way everlasting." So the idea of a heart change is the key to changing the number one key. So number one allow the Lord to change your heart. Then next thing on the thing of change we'll put on our list is number two allow the Lord to change your life. To start to make a change. How do you become more like Jesus? You gotta first see your heart change and then the externals will come after changing your lifestyle. What you do, what you think is important. Allow the Lord to change the places you go. You might even see the Lord start to change the people you hang out with because we're going to see the people you hang out with that's who you become like. And maybe the Lord's saying okay it's time to change your life and make some different decisions about where you go and who you spend your time with. Speaking of the stoning of Stephen to death there was a guy standing there holding everybody's clothes that were stoning him to death. A young kid by the name of Saul of Tarsus. If you know who that is he became a man who hated Christians hated the church and went around persecuting the church. Killed them and also put them in prison. This is Saul of Tarsus but if you know the story God knocks Saul off his horse on his way to Damascus and said "Saul why do you persecute me?" And Saul said "who art thou Lord?" And the Lord said "I am Jesus the one you're persecuting." And suddenly Saul sees that he's on the wrong side of the game and he realizes that Jesus is true and alive and the risen Savior and so he becomes a Christian and he starts preaching the grace saved by grace through through Jesus Christ and the cross alone. Paul's the one who penned the Ephesians 2:8 that I just quoted you're saved by grace through faith but guess what Paul then spends a ton of time saying once you're saved by grace through faith you got a lot of change that needs to take place. Listen to what Paul the Apostle says and I want you to notice some nuanced things here Ephesians 4 and 5. Says "when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus you were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires to be made new in the attitude of your minds and verse 24 to put on like you're put off the old put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor for we are all members of one body." Now before I keep reading notice the idea of putting off it's like taking off a garment and then to put on a new garment we're going to get into that we'll talk about that in a second. So he says "for we're all members of one body in your anger do not sin do not let the sun go down while you're still angry and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer but must work doing something useful with their own hands that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you are sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness rage anger brawling slander along with every form of malice be kind and compassionate one to another forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. And be therefore followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor." This is what the Bible says. The Bible says yeah you're saved by grace through faith hallelujah we get to go to heaven. But once you're saved wow we're supposed to be a work in progress we're supposed to see change. And what are we supposed to change into? Like Stephen to become more like Jesus. We're supposed to be conformed into his image where do we read that? Well Paul when he talks and this is for you Calvinists "for whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate." But what did he predestinate us for? A lot of times we think for salvation whether you're saved or not which that's true but here it says "whom he did foreknow he did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son." That's what you were predestinated to do. To be formed into the image fancy words for saying basically to be more like Jesus. To look more like Jesus. To sound more like Jesus. That he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate them he called to those he called to them he justified to whom he justified them also he glorified. Man I love that we're called to be conformed to the image of his son and we're a work in progress. By the way this is right after he said you're saved by grace through faith not of yourselves it's a gift from God right after that he says "for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." In other words you're not saved to stay the same way you are in your sinful deceptive heart and your lifestyle and your sinfulness. Don't just say I'm just the way I am and God loves me the way I am to stay the way I am no God loves me to save me from who I am and then wants to work in me change to become more like Christ. You're his workmanship the word workmanship "poiema" is the Greek word which is like writing an artful poem. That's what God's doing in your life he's doing a work of art in you and it's going to be chiseling away some of the rough edges to shape what he wants in your life and the question is are you more like Jesus today than when you first believed? The movie Freaky Friday remember the mom and the daughter swapped places? The soul of the daughter was in the body of the mother and the reason we think that movie so funny is because the mom went to school in the daughter's body. That's hilarious! Why? Because it was so different she acted so different and same with the mother and a funny little movie or whatever. But let's just pretend for a second what if Jesus swapped with you just for a minute or for a day? If you high schoolers that are here if Jesus was took over your body and went to school what would your friends think? Would you be nicer to your friends? At lunchtime instead of you going with all your popular friends and just making sure you're hanging out and being seen with those that are like good to be seen with what if would Jesus go sit with lowliest of people? The kid that everybody thinks is a weirdo and nobody likes would Jesus go sit at that table and just be nice to that person? Would Jesus be extremely respectful and kind to the teachers? How different would it be? Would people say wow what have you done with our friend? You look like him but he is not that person. It kind of freaks me out when I think man Lord I have so far to go when I read like that Ephesians 4 and 5 I realize oh Lord even that communication that's not good that comes out of my mouth. Your friends would hear if Jesus filled your body they would only hear gracious words. Because it says people wherever Jesus went they marveled at his gracious words that he spoke. Are you a gracious word person? What an interesting thing to think about. Well anyway we're his workmanship so allow Jesus to change your heart but you also want to allow Jesus to change your life your lifestyle kind of a total makeover. But it's not just your life and your heart but the third thing is to allow the Lord to change your clothes. Really Brett? Are you serious? Dead serious. One of the major themes of the Bible is the Lord says a lot about your spiritual clothing. Not literal clothing but spiritual clothing and the Lord says guess what I want to swap your old clothes. Question for you Bible students. As far as you and I and we put on our best robes and our best clothes to God what are those look like? Anybody? Filthy rags. That's what the Bible says. The best thing we can put on our clothing Lord says those are filthy rags. That's the bad news. Where do we read about this? Well it's Isaiah the prophet Isaiah talked about this and the bad news is this verse 6 of 64. He says "but we are all as an unclean thing and all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags and we all do fade as a leaf our iniquities like the wind have taken us away." It's interesting our righteousnesses all of them the best of them they're just filthy rags to God. That's what the Bible says that's you pretty much. All of our righteous—that's the bad news. We're wearing filthy rags and we were born in a sinful way. But the good news is in Isaiah 61 verse 10 it says "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord my soul shall be joyful in my God for he hath clothed me with garments of salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments as a bride adorneth herself with jewels." It's all about the garments and you are covered spiritually not literally but figuratively you're spiritually covered in filthy rags. Lord says let me take those rags away and let me put on you a robe. Well I'm not into robes. It's a spiritual thing we're talking about. And if you're not into robes another thing that we're supposed to put on the Bible talks about is armor. For example Ephesians 6:14 "stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth and having your on the breastplate of righteousness" and it goes on talks about helmet of salvation and the shoes with the preparation of peace. Like we're supposed to care about what we're wearing spiritually. How does that work out practically? Look at Romans 13:11. It says "and that knowing the time that now is high time to awake out of sleep for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed the night is far spent the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light." Now before I keep reading in Romans 13 do you see what this says? We're supposed to put off the pajamas and put on the day clothes the armor of light. I think that putting on thing is is something that I was showing you in those earlier verses we were reading the putting on the clothes this is what he's talking about here as well. You know I've noticed there's a trend of wearing pajamas now everywhere you go. Have you seen that? I've seen people walking in their pajamas down the street and stuff. But spiritually the Bible is saying get rid of the pajamas it's time to wake up and put on your day clothes and put on your armor of light. And then he goes on and explains what that actually looks like he goes on and says "let us walk honestly as in the day not rioting not in drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying but put ye on" there it is again "put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof." What is making provision for the fulfill the lust—I'm just a person of anxiety that's the way I am. No the Lord says I want you to put off the night clothes and I want you to put on the armor of light and what does that look like putting on Jesus Christ. And that's a work in progress. The Lord says I will change your heart I will change your life but I also want to change your exterior garments the exterior part of you and how do you do that you put on Jesus. Well Brett that sounds kind of fake. You Christians are a bunch of fakes. I know you're going through hard times but you plaster on a fake smile and you're nice and your fake Christianity some people really have a problem with that. But I do have to put on Jesus Christ and try to speak gracious words that doesn't come naturally but can I just say when you put on Christ one of the things that does happen as you get into it for years it starts to become more natural and it actually becomes who you are. You don't have to try as hard if you start like some of you it's going to be really hard to put on a gracious word and a kindhearted demeanor and a compassionate attitude that's going to be really hard for some of you. But as you put on Christ you'll get better and better at it the Lord will give you the strength that's the power of the spirit we were talking about. Is that fake Christianity? No it's a bunch of wacko weird sinners like us trying to change who we are and we're not perfect we haven't figured it all out but we're a work in progress. That's what the Bible says. The more you put on Christ the more his characteristics become your own. Could that be what Paul is talking about again more scripture for you Colossians 3 it says in verse 8 "but now ye also put off all these things." Again put off like clothing. Put off these things anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not to one another seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds. That old man is the old sin nature. And have put on the new—so you put off the old man put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him that's Jesus. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all. And it goes on "put on therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies." Brett why are we talking about intestines? What is a bowel of mercy? In Bible days they would use that term it was from the deepest part of your soul. We kind of call it a gut feeling I have a gut feeling about that. The Bible uses that same sort of thing talking about the bowels of mercy that you're merciful from the very depth of your heart is the idea and how does that happen you had a heart change in the first point of our lesson. So with that heart change you have bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. I love it says "if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity which is the bond of perfection." Charity of course being love. "And let the peace of God rule your hearts to the which also you are called in one body and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." See all this scripture that I'm reading today it's not just to show you how much I can read. It's all about the Lord saying I want to change you. I don't want to save you to keep you the way you are. But Stephen's story reminds me of a guy who it didn't take long but he's forgiving like Jesus, he's talking like Jesus, he's acting like Jesus and that's the goal of all Christians. And especially when the rubber meets the road when things get tough when things get real are you defaulting more to acting like Jesus or do you default back to your old sin nature? It's when things get real you realize am I learning what Jesus is really all about? Something for us to think about. If you want to change these are some things the Bible gives us that are very important. Change is possible and the world says no you're just the way you are and you're just going to stay the way you are sinful and messed up and make excuses for yourself but no the Bible says man the Lord wants to change you. Allow number one the Lord to change your heart. Allow the Lord to change your lifestyle. Allow the Lord to change your clothes and then allow time for the Lord to just be with him and spend time with him that you become more like Jesus. If you do that when trouble comes and when things get very real you'll be more like Jesus. If you don't do this stuff when things get real you'll fall back to the default more like you. The heart that's deceitful above all things desperate wicked. God forbid. May the Lord give us ears to hear what the spirit says to the church.
Guest (Male): Amen. Pastor Brett Meador closing our time here on Today's Word. And that's all the time we have next time Pastor Brett will continue another verse by verse study in the book of Acts. Today's Word Radio is the radio ministry of Athey Creek Church in the Portland Oregon area where Pastor Brett is the senior pastor. We invite you to find out more by going to todayswordradio.com. If you missed any portion of this study you'll find all of Pastor Brett's messages online at todayswordradio.com. I also want to mention that in addition to the main Athey Creek campus in West Linn we also have several locations in the Portland Oregon area. For more information go to todayswordradio.com and click on the link locations. Again todayswordradio.com and click the link locations. Well just before we go Pastor Brett Meador leads us in a brief word of prayer.
Brett Meador: As we see Stephen here Lord as he goes down big representing being very much like your son Jesus Lord it makes us wonder how we would do in his circumstances facing death. When things get real Lord we want to be more like your son. We want to be strong and courageous and let our light shine before all men and we know that comes through that process of change. Would you do that with us Lord? I pray that we would let you have access to the changing of our hearts and our lives and even our spiritual clothing. Lord may you change us. Not just let this sermon go in one ear and out the other but instead of just being hearers help us to be doers on this one. Help us to evaluate how much we've changed how far we have yet to go and that we'd be open to letting you have access to our hearts and our lives. Where the spirit is willing and the flesh is weak would you be our strength Lord? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Guest (Male): Amen. Pastor Brett Meador closing our time here on Today's Word. And that's all the time we have next time Pastor Brett will continue another verse by verse study in the book of Acts. Today's Word with Pastor Brett Meador is an outreach of Athey Creek Church in West Linn, Oregon.