The Changed Life Of The Christian Lesson Nine

1. The Changed Life Of The ChristianLesson Nine Introduction • Disciples Of Jesus Pattern Their Lives After The Lifestyle And Teaching Of Jesus. • This Is What Makes His Church, The Body Of Christ, Different From The Rest Of The World. • The Changed Lifestyle Of The Believer Is A Testimony To The World And A Glory To God.

2. A New Relationship With God • A New Relationship With God Changes Our View Of Life. • The Most Important Change Takes Place When A Believer Surrenders His Life To Jesus As Lord And Is Buried with Christ In Baptism. • The Relationship With God Is Brand New Although Many Lifestyle Changes Need To Follow. • These Changes Will Continue As You Grow And Mature As A Christian.

3. Paul’s Letter To Rome • The Apostle Paul Wrote A Letter To The Saints In Rome, Describing How Their Relationship With God Had Been Established By Their Faith In Christ Jesus. • He Discussed A New Attitude Of Peace, Joy, And Hope That Was Available To These Christians And To Christians Today. • He Also Points Out How We Can Even Look At Hardships And Suffering Much Differently Than Before We Knew Him.

4. Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

5. “Justified Through Faith” • We Are “Justified Through Faith.” • Justified Is A Legal Term That Means • “Brought Back”, • “Made Right.” • Some Have Defined It As (Just If I'd) Never Sinned. • When You Put Your Trust In Jesus As Your Only Atonement For Sin, • You Are Brought Back Together With God And Made Right From His Perspective. • All Sin Is Washed Away By The Blood Of Jesus, And God Remembers Them No More (Hebrews 10:17). • Therefore, Your Past Is Different From What It Once Was. • It Is Forgiven And Forgotten.

6. Our New Relationship With Him • Our Present Life Is Also Different Due To Our New Relationship With Him. • A Peace Within Comes From God That Allows You To View Life From A New Perspective. • It May Be Compared To Putting On A Pair Of Colored Glasses That Changes The Way You See Everything. • It Even Changes The Way You Think About Possessions. • If You Belong To Him, Everything Your Own Belongs To Him. • Everything You Have Can Be Seen As A Gift From Him (James 1:17), And How You Use These Gifts Can Glorify Him. • He Has Blessed You With Them So You Can Be A Blessing To Others (Gen. 12:2).

7. A Changed View Of Difficulties • God Wants You To Also Look At Problems In A Different Way Than You Did Before. • The Difficulties Don't Go Away, But You Are Able To Look At Them In A New Light. • Now They Can Be Seen As Challenges That Help You Grow As You Overcome Them (James1:2-4). • Furthermore, He Provides You The Strength To Overcome Them.

8. View You Troubles as Temporary • You Are Able To Look At Your Troubles As Being Only Temporary While You Are On Your Way To Your Eternal Home. (2 Cor. 4:17) • Your Suffering Here Is Seen As Bearable Compared To The Reward That Will Be Yours In Heaven (Romans 8:18). • Even When You Are Persecuted For Your Faith, You Shouldn’t Be Surprised. • Jesus Said This Would Happen, And He Told His Followers To Rejoice When It Does (Matthew 5:11-12). • We Will Study This More In Lesson Eleven.

9. A Changed View of Others • Your Relationship With Other People Can Be Different Than Before, If You Allow Christ’s Love To Control You. • His Love Should Influence All Other Relationships.

10. 2nd Corinthians 5:14-17 14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

11. So Why Do We Live? • We Live For The Purpose Of Telling Others About Jesus. • Matthew 28:18-20 Tells How Jesus Sent The Apostles To Make Disciples Of All Nations. • He Wanted Those Disciples To Do Everything He Commanded The Apostles To Do. • That Includes You!

12. Your New Purpose • Your New Purpose Is To Go And Share The Message Of Jesus With Everyone In Your World. • We See An Example Of This In Mark 5:17-20, The Story Of A Man Who Was Possessed By Demons. • Jesus Cast The Demons Out Of The Man Who Then Wanted To Go With Jesus, But Jesus Would Not Allow Him To Do So. • Jesus Encouraged Him To Go Back Into His Village And Tell Others What Was Done For Him. • Now That You Have A New Relationship With God, Go And Tell Others What He Has Done For You.

13. 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

14. Be Concerned For The Souls Of Others • As You Become More Like Him, You Should Be As Concerned For The Souls Of Others As He Is And Share The Message Of His Love With Them. • Can You Think Of People In Your World Who Need To Know Him And Experience The Peace, Joy, And Hope That Only He Provides?

15. Transformed Life • Paul Reminds The Christians In Rome That They Have Put Their Lives On God’s Alter As A Living Sacrifice. • You Too Must Think Of Yourself In This Way. • You Now Live For Him And His Purpose. • Your Whole Life Should Be A Worship To God – To Adore, Glorify, Honor, And Praise Him. (Eph. 1:12)

16. Make A List • Make A List Of Ten People That You Will Pray For Every Day. • You Might Want To Think Of This As Your Ten Most Wanted List. • Ask God To Help You See Opportunities To Share The Message Of His Love. • Pray That God Will Give You The Courage To Do So. • Pray That God Will Open Their Hearts To Be Receptive. • Christ’s Love In You Should Become The Major Theme Of Your Life.

17. Serving Others • Your Reason For Living Is Completely Changed: • You Now Serve God By Serving Others. • He Expects You To Do So (Ezekiel 3:16-21), And You Will Be Held Accountable For Doing This (Matthew 25:31-46). • You Serve God By Telling The Message Of His Love And Grace To The People In Your World.

18. God Wants Us To Be Like Him • God Wants His Children To Be Like Him. • He Demonstrated A Greater Love For You Than For Himself When He Sent Jesus So You Could Be Saved. • He Wants Us To Think Like Him.

19. Philippians 2:3-5 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

20. The Transformed Life • Paul Reminds The Christians In Rome That They Have Put Their Lives On God’s Altar As A Living Sacrifice. • You Too Must Think of Your- self In This Way. • You Now Live For Him And His Purpose. • Your Whole Life Should Be A Worship To God –To Adore, Glorify, Honor, And Praise Him. (Eph. 1:12)

21. Romans 12:1-2 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

22. You Must Change • Transformation Will Not Happen If You Continue To Be Like The World Around You. • You Must Change The Way You Think And Act. • The Changes You Make Will Be A Clear Statement To Your World About God’s Will For Them.

23. You Can Be A Light • You Can Be A Light To Your World. • When They See The Good Things You Do, They Will See God’s Character In You And Give Praise And Glory To Him (Mat. 5 14-16)

24. 1 Peter 2:11-12 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

25. The Power To Change • Have You Ever Tried To Change Your Habits Only To Go Back To Them Again? • We Fail Because We Try To Change On Our Own. • But Now You Have Received God’s Spirit To Live In You. • He Empowers Us To Live Changed Lives. • God Gave You His Spirit When You Obeyed Him (Acts 2:38; 5:32)

26. God’s Spirit Dwells in You • Since Your Obedience, God Has Made You The Dwelling Place Of His Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19). • The Spirit Is The Seal And Guarantee Of Your Inheritance (Eph. 1:13), And He Is Our Teacher And Our Guide (John 14:16-17, 26).

27. Romans 8:5-14 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

28. God’s Spirit In You • When God’s Spirit Lives In You, You Are Able To Live Differently From The Rest Of The World. • He Provides The Power To Do So. • There Is No Limit In What You Are Able To Do With The Power He Provides. • You Cannot Even Imagine What He Might Be Able To Do Through You. • You Are Now Tapped Into A Tremendous Resource Of Great Power To Change Your Life

29. Ephesians 3:20-21 • “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”.

30. Bearing Fruit • When God’s Spirit Is Living In You, Your Life Should Bear The Fruit Of His Spirit. • The Power Available Through His Spirit Will Help You Overcome The Acts Of The Sinful Nature (Galatians 5:16-26), And To Have A New Nature, One Like Christ’s. • Look Carefully At The New Characteristics His Spirit Enables You To Have.

31. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”.

32. Paul’s Encouragement • In Many Of Paul’s Letters He Encourages Disciples To Put Off Their Old Nature And To Put On The New Nature Of Jesus Christ. • In Each Case, Paul Was Addressing Baptized Believers. • They Already Possessed The Spirit Of God, But Paul Was Reminding Them That They Still Had Many Changes To Make In Their Lives.

33. Ephesians 4:22-24 “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 to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”.

34. Colossians 3:5-14 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity”.

35. Love, The Most Important Factor • Paul Says That Love Is The Most Important Factor. • If You Really Love Other People, You Will Not Mistreat, Misuse, Or Offend Them By Doing Ungodly Things. • Paul Says Love Binds Everything Together In Perfect Unity. • Love Should Be The New Theme Of Your Life. • Paul Reminds These Christians That Changes Must Continue To Take Place As Long As They Live.

36. 1 Peter 4:3-4 (Contemporary English Version) “You have already lived long enough like people who don’t know God. You were immoral and followed your evil desires. You went around drinking and partying and carrying on. In fact, you even worshiped disgusting idols. Now your former friends wonder why you have stopped running around with them and they curse you for it.”

37. When You Fall Again • Some Fail To Make An Initial Commitment To Jesus Because They Are Afraid They Will Not Be Able To Keep It Perfectly. • That Is A Wrong Decision To Make. • No One Is Able To Walk Perfectly Pure And Holy After Baptism. • We All Need The Constant Cleansing That Comes From God Through Jesus Christ.

38. 1 John 1:7-2:1 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One”.

39. Confess Your Sins • He Wants You To Admit Or Confess Your Sins To Him And Rely Constantly On His Cleansing. • So When You Fall He Wants You To Get Back Up, Call On Him In Prayer, And Move Forward In Your Transformation Process.

40. Conclusion (To Chapter Nine) • Some Think They Cannot Become Christians Until Changes In Lifestyle Have Already Been Made. • What They Are Really Saying Is They Think They Can Make Those Changes By Themselves. • God Wants You To Surrender Your Life Over To The Lordship Of Jesus Christ. • With The Help Of The Holy Spirit, You Will Begin To Live A Life Of Holiness And Purity That Will Glorify God.

41. Conclusion (continued) • He Will Keep You Clean As Promised, Even When You Fall. • You, Too, Can Be One Of His Disciples. • You Can Begin To Live Your Life With A Whole New Purpose Empowered By His Spirit And Cleansed By His Blood.

42. The End Of Lesson Nine