"CHANGED BY GRACE!"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte

JEREMIAH 1:1-10

1. WE ARE INCLINED TO SEE HUMAN IMPERFECTION APART FROM GRACE:
1. Look at Jeremiah: "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth."
2. He saw his own imperfections. We are like that with ourselves and with others! We see the flaws, we notice the deficiencies, we point out the inadequacies.  Apart from grace, we see imperfections in others.
1. Which of us would have chosen Peter? He was a motor-mouth; impetuous; headstrong; and a Christ denier.
2. Which of us would have chosen Judas? He was a thief and betrayer.
3. Which of us would have chosen James and John? They were ambitious; self-seeking; and sneaky.
4. Which of us would have chosen Matthew? He was a traitor; collaborator with the enemy.
5. Which of us would have chosen Paul? He was a persecutor and murderer of Christians; he was an anti-Christ.
3. Now there are two outlooks common to mankind; outlooks to avoid:
1. We tend to be like Samuel who overlooked so insignificant an individual as shepherd boy David in selecting a king for Israel: but God said in 1 Samuel 16:7 "for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
2. We are often like those to whom Jesus spoke saying: "and why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3, 4
3. Some may say: "You have no talent, no outstanding qualities, no dazzling personality so you are not useful!" "Your history is tainted, your life is marred by sin, so there is no place for you!"
4. Jesus, Himself experienced this: We read in Matthew 13:55-57 "'Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?' And they took offense at Him." He was undistinguished in their eyes.

The man had seen just a nondescript looking stone and commented on its lack. Just then the jeweler picked the stone up and did something to it. The stone took on a new depth of luster, a new radiance, a new sheen. It looked as if it contained a rainbow so bright were its colors. The man was a amazed at the transformation, but the jeweler knew the beauty was there all along. So it is with our God. He sees what we don't see. He knows what we don't know. What escapes us does not escape Him.

2. GOD KNOWS THAT BY GRACE ANYONE CAN BECOME BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL:
1. Look at God's answer to Jeremiah's lame protest: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:8 (NASB).  God's grace would work to make Jeremiah what he needed to be.
2. When we think of the lives H's changed we think of
1. Simon: that pile of mush, that shifting sand. But beneath it all Jesus saw something solid and named him "Peter" the "Rock." He saw not what he was, but what he could become.
2. A demon possessed prostitute: yet Jesus saw something precious in Mary Magdalene and set her free. He saw not her immorality, but the purity he'd give her.
3. A timid, frightened high school boy who couldn't even stand before a class to give an oral report at school: yet, for what it's worth, he stands before you today to say, "Jesus changes lives."
3. God is able to see beauty and worth and potential in every life. Not the new age nonsense that all truth and goodness is inherently within us and all we have to do is look within to discover it! I mean the capacity for good He created in us:
1. The image of God which has been marred and hidden by sin.
2. The potential to be a tool, an instrument in the hand of the Master.
3. God is able to see that latent capacity within us which He's placed there Himself in creation and in our birth.
4. We've all seen the "before and after" demonstrations on t.v. shows where a prune is transformed into a princess and a frump is turned into a debutante. Those who participate are made to look younger, fresher, smoother, and more vital by applying professional secrets. The experts can see a hidden beauty and know how to bring it out. God knows, too, how to see and how to develop the beauty and potential He's created within us -- and sometimes we are amazed at the results.

The visitor to the jewelry store was amazed. He couldn't figure out why the stone had undergone such a change. "What have you done to the stone?" he asked. The jeweler explained, smiling, "this is an opal; it needs only to be placed under a black light to bring out all its beauty." I want to remind you that there's a greater power than a black light at work to change our lives.

3. GOD'S GRACE IS POWERFUL TO TRANSFORM LIVES:
1. Look at what God did to Jeremiah that changed him forever: "Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah1:10 (NASB).  God's grace transformed Jeremiah into a useful servant.
2. God knows that anyone can be new and different and He has the power to effect the change!
1. Philippians 1:6 "for I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
2. Philippians 2:12, 13 "so then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God Who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
3. When He touches a life, things happen; changes take place; we are not the same.
1. Anger comes under control:
2. Lust is displaced by pure desires:
3. Greed does not dominate our lives:
4. Marriages, homes and other relationships are transformed:
5. Values are shifted from material to spiritual; from temporal to eternal:
6. Service for Christ takes on new meaning, willingness and dimension:
7. What we read, the jokes we tell, the songs we sing are different!
4. God changes lives! How often that happens:
1. The ugly duckling becomes the swan; Cinderella becomes the princess of the ball.
2. The loser, the nothing, the useless becomes worthy when God makes a difference.
3. "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17.

We may be inadequate. We may have sins we need to deal with. We may be nothing in the eyes of others. The good news is that we don't have to stay the same; the sad news is that we may be perfectly satisfied with what and who we are -- but until we are touched by the Master's hand our true potential, our true life, our true being will not be discovered or manifest. God's hand is extended to you this morning; others may have passed you by, overlooked or neglected you; He reaches out in His grace. The Psalmist says to the faltering, to the hesitant, to the unsure, to the fallen: "The Lord sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down." Psalms 145:14 (NASB). So put your hand of faith into His hand of grace and let Him change your life. He's able to do that because He created you uniquely, He's qualified to do that because He knows you intimately and He is eager to do that because He loves you infinitely. He has often reached out His hand to you; He does so this morning; He bids you come to Him just as you are; He'll receive and welcome and pardon you once you've been changed by the Master's grace.

Story from unknown source

Return To Archive

Return To Home Page