A Life That Is Changed Someone said to me one day: “I would not give a plug nickel for a religion that did not change me!” -- And you know, I agree! That is what is so impressive about the transforming power of Jesus Christ -- in our lives! The Apostle Paul describes it best in the words of 2 Corinthians 5:17. Here is described the life changing power of Jesus Christ! Have you experienced in your life -- the transforming power of Jesus? The Apostle Paul certainly did -- & you can too! Listen to what Paul writes in 2 Cor. 5:17.“Therefore if any man (man/woman/boy or girl) be in Christ,he is a new creature (a new creation):old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” I like the way it reads in the NLT -- “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same any more, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” Paul is saying: -- If anyone -- that includes you or me -- is in Christ -- that is, if they truly become a Christian -- then he/she is a new person. We become a new person altogether! The old life is gone -- the past life is finished! Everything has become fresh & new! -- A brand new beginning! We are not the same anymore -- for the old life is gone -- a new life has begun! -- A life with Jesus Christ gets a fresh start! In Jesus Christ -- God gives us a new heart & a new start! I do not know of a better description as to what takes place in us when we are truly saved -- than what we find right here in this verse. It is no wonder that Jesus calls this wonderful experience -- being “born again”! (John 3:3) We cannot change our own hearts; -- we cannot make ourselves holy & clean; -- we cannot make ourselves fit for heaven. But when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives -- He forgives us of our past sins; -- He cleanses our hearts -- & He makes us a new person on the inside. To an unsaved person -- these words might seem like an enthusiastic exaggeration -- but those of us who have become regenerated through saving union with Christ -- can bear witness that there is no exaggeration at all! I for one can personally testify to this life changing transformation that Jesus brought into my life through His wonderful saving grace! I brought a lot of grief to my parents -- as a rebellious teenager -- getting into serious trouble -- running with the wrong crowd -- staying out all night, cruising the nearby towns -- stealing a car to get to the next town & abandoning it -- only to steal yet another car to get back towards home. My best friends all ended up in jail. -- I would have as well had not God gotten a hold of my heart -- whereupon I gave my life to Jesus! Jesus made me into a new person altogether -- & the old life was gone; -- a new life was begun! Thank God for a religion that changed me from the inside out! A few years ago -- singer Russ Lee came out with a song titled -- “I Smile.” When you discover how his life was changed by Jesus Christ -- you’ll know why he sings a song that says: -- “I smile when I think about the way You turned my life around. -- I smile when I think about the happiness in You I’ve found.” When Russ was 17 -- his days were wasted on drugs, alcohol, boredom & pain. -- His life was full of self-inflicted trouble & hopelessness. One day, while listening to an old rock song called -- “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” -- Russ realized that this described his own life. Two days later -- a friend invited Russ to church. There Russ heard that real satisfaction comes from knowing Jesus Christ -- so he reached out in faith to Jesus. So what was the first thing Russ did after trusting Christ? According to the book Touched By The Savior -- written by Mike Yorkey -- Russ said, “I walked back out to my car. -- In the trunk was a garbage bag filled with drugs I had been selling. -- I won’t be needing these again, I thought -- & I was right. -- I threw the bag away. -- From that day forward, God transformed my life from the inside out. -- I became a new creation.” No wonder Russ Lee can sing with exuberance, “I smile.” Can you? -- A song in the heart puts a smile on the face! Let me tell you this morning about the change Jesus Christ can bring into your life! 1. Jesus Can Change the Desires of Your Life! Faith in Jesus Christ brings about a radical change in the heart that transforms our behavior & our desires. Evil habits drop off. -- New desires replace old ones! When we are “in Christ” -- we have a new spiritual life with a Christ-ward pulling power. That creates in us new spiritual desires! Everything now has a new center for us; -- & that new center is the Lord Jesus Christ. -- We view everything now in relation to Him. Therefore -- “... old things are passed away.” Old ways of viewing things; -- old ways of estimating people; -- old standards of value; -- old ideas of pleasure; -- old fascinations with things merely material; -- old earth-bound horizons; -- old hates, old desires. Allow me to illustrate what I’m saying. Years ago in Northern Ireland -- an alcoholic cried out to Christ in desperation. -- He asked the Lord to save his soul from sin & to rescue him from his addiction. He became a born-again Christian -- & by the power of Christ he stopped drinking. His old friends at the pub dismissed his conversion as a passing phase. -- “Give him a month” -- they said -- “& he’ll be back on the bottle.” But a month went by -- & he hadn’t touched a drop. So they tried to mock him out of his new faith. They asked him -- “Do you believe that part of the Bible where Jesus turned the water into wine?” -- He replied, “Indeed I do.” “Would you then ask Jesus to do that for us? -- It would be nice of Him to oblige us. -- Or do you think that was just something made up about Him to get the likes of you converted?” The man responded -- “I do believe Jesus turned water into wine. -- In fact, He did better than that for me. -- He turned liquor into furniture & food. -- If you don’t believe me -- just ask my family.” Salvation is not turning over a new leaf -- but receiving a new life! Salvation is more than a reformation of habits; -- it’s a transformation of character! Salvation in Jesus Christ can literally change the desires of your heart! 2. Jesus Can Change the Direction of Your Life! My life without Jesus Christ had no real direction or purpose; -- I just existed from day to day without any real sense of direction. Much of what I did was in an attempt to fill the emptiness -- the void I felt in my heart. But when I invited Jesus into my heart -- He not only forgave me of my sins -- but He also took my stumbling along -- & gave me direction & purpose. -- He began to bring fulfillment into my life. Where once I stumbled in darkness -- now I walk in the Light! God’s been in the business of changing the direction of people for a long time. If you want to talk about real miracles -- don’t close the Book at the chapter that deals only with a small boy’s lunch turned into a meal for 5,000 people. Read on to all that’s said about a man named Peter -- a fisherman turned preacher. Read about Mary Magdalene -- a prostitute turned pure. Read about Paul -- an enemy turned into a Christ proclaimer. Read about a seemingly endless chain of people whose lives were completely transformed once they had been encountered by Christ. Maybe you can’t be as articulate -- as Paul was with the story of his radical conversation on the Road to Damascus -- recorded in Acts 9 -- when the direction of his life was not only changed -- but his name was changed from Saul to Paul. But my friends -- there are millions upon millions who can see a sharp dividing line emerging in their lives. It is the “B.C. Line” -- before Christ -- & after Christ has come into our lives. Believe in God -- & you will believe in miracles! Believe in His Son -- & you will experience a miracle! True spiritually is not found in the recital of some creed -- or in the perfect performance of some ritual -- but in the acceptance of Jesus Christ as one’s personal Lord & Savior. When we surrender to the Lord -- the entire direction of our life is changed! Devotion to the cause of Christ -- & sincere love for Him becomes our new direction & purpose. Christ becomes number one -- the driving force in our new life. Wholehearted devotion to the Savior is no longer a task -- it comes freely out of this newly regenerated heart of overflowing love for the Lord & His work. Jesus Christ is the determining factor that makes the real difference. With Jesus -- all things are possible; -- without Him, nothing is worth while. Lives centered in Jesus Christ are love-centered instead of self-centered. One day several people heard a man on the street using very shocking profanity. Someone -- out of sincere concern, shouted -- “Get away from that fellow. -- The God he is cursing might split the earth & let him go down alive into Hell for his blasphemy.” This ungodly man was none other than John Bunyan -- who, after his conversion, wrote the great Christian classic -- Pilgrim’s Progress. Oh, what a change the grace of God can make in the life of a sinner! Almost unbelievable is the transformation that occurs when Jesus comes into our heart. We don’t need a new environment -- or a better education -- to make us acceptable to God. All we need is a new nature -- made possible by the transforming power of Christ -- which gives us a new direction & purpose in life! 3. Jesus Can Change the Destination of Your Life! In His Sermon on the Mount -- Jesus told us that “you can enter God’s (heavenly) kingdom only through the narrow gate. -- The highway to eternal destruction is broad -- & its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. -- But the gateway to eternal life is small -- & the road is narrow; -- & only a few ever find it” (Matt. 7:13-14). When God saved me -- He took me off the Broad Road which leads to destruction -- & He set me on the Narrow Road which leads to eternal life. I once was bound for hell; -- now I am bound for Heaven. Once I feared death; -- now I have a hope -- a beautiful home prepared for me in Heaven. I have come too far now to turn back; -- my eyes are set on my eternal destination. The Bible tells us that we who are born again are “pilgrims & strangers” in this world (1 Peter 2:11). When we got saved -- we became citizens of a place called Heaven. There are times when we look at this life with all the burdens & sorrow -- & we long for our heavenly home. There are many days when we would all have to confess -- if we were honest -- that “we feel like traveling on.” This old world is not my home; -- I’m looking forward to my “forever home.” William Mackay had been brought up by a godly, praying mother; -- but when he became a medical student in the local university -- he renounced his early training. Joining a group called the “Hell Club” -- Mackay assisted one evening in a mock celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Sacrilegiously -- he raised a glass of wine & said, “Behold the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ!” Suddenly he turned pale & trembled from head to foot. Setting the glass down -- he fled from the place in terror & spent the night pacing the streets muttering -- “I’m guilty of the blood of Christ!” By daybreak he had made his way to his parent’s home. Under deep conviction of sin -- he went to his room & began praying for God’s mercy. When his dear mother heard him -- she came & threw her arms around his neck -- exclaiming, “Are you actually praying, my son?” Then with her help Mackay accepted Jesus as his Savior. William Mackay immediately went back to the university & testified to his classmates. Not long afterwards -- he penned the lyrics of the Gospel song -- “Revive Us Again.” The opening words were part of his new witness for Christ: -- “We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love,For Jesus who died & is now gone above.” Eventually Mackay studied for the ministry. And so the man who was once president of the “Hell Club” -- became a beloved pastor & hymnwriter. Once he was hell bound -- but then he was heaven bound! When Jesus Christ comes into our lives He changes our eternal destination! In Christ -- “all things are become new” -- & we are given a new view of the beyond. John Wesley said -- “Our people die well.” Yes -- “in Christ” -- we can all die well. Conclusion: -- In the window of a dry cleaning shop I saw a sign that read: -- “Under new management.” It seemed to say, “Come in & try our service -- things are different now.” My friends -- today’s Scripture tells of a similar declaration that can be made by anyone who becomes a true Christian. We were the slaves of sin & Satan -- but “in Christ” we are now ruled by God & His righteousness. We have been emancipated from a cruel taskmaster -- & have come under the direction of the One Who gives us freedom & everlasting life. We are under new management -- when we are “in Christ.” Christ takes the darkness -- & turns it into light. He takes the night -- & turns it into day. He takes the worn-out -- & weaves it into new cloth. He takes the black -- & makes it into white. He takes the empty -- & fills it. He takes the confused -- & settles it. He takes the meaningless -- & makes it purposeful. He takes the dead -- & raises it up to life. He takes the twisted -- & straightens it out. He takes the wrecked -- & repairs it. He takes the waggly tongue -- & harnesses it. He takes the impossible -- & makes it possible. He takes the forgotten -- & remembers it. He takes the lost -- & finds it. He takes the soiled -- & cleans it. He takes the rough -- & refines it. He takes the weed -- & sprouts a rose. He takes the storm -- & calms it. He takes an old sinner like you or me -- & makes us into a new person altogether! -- Oh, Praise His Name forever! No wonder the song writer proclaimed: --“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, Since Jesus came into my heart.” The change Christ brings in us is truly remarkable! That beloved evangelist many called Uncle Buddy Robinson -- use to say: “When the Lord comes in -- He kicks the devil out!” Really -- it is rather simple! -- We make it entirely too complicated. Jesus said -- “Come to me, all you who are weary & burdened -- & I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Again, He said -- “I am come that you might have life -- & that you might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus said He came -- not to destroy men’s lives -- but to save them. He stand ready to hear your prayer of confession even now. The song writer put it so well when he wrote: --It is no secret, what God can do. What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you. With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you. It is no secret, what God can do! My friend -- if you are not “in Christ” today -- you are missing out on the wonderful change Jesus Christ can bring about within you! For ‘”in Christ” we have new desires -- a new direction -- & best of all, a new destination! Our text contains some key words: -- “If” -- speaks of condition. “any man” -- is universal -- everyone -- anyone -- you or I. “in Christ” -- not in the church -- not in baptism -- not in confirmation -- but in Christ! This speaks of an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ! We used to sing a chorus: -- Into my heart; -- into my heart; Come into my heart -- Lord Jesus Come in today; -- come in to stay; Come into my heart -- Lord Jesus. -- Why not make that your prayer this morning! Pastor Lyle Pettit -- Wynne Chapel -- Cochise, AZwww.wynnechapel.org