A LIFE-CHANGING ENCOUNTER

(I Cor 15:8-11)
April 16, 2017

Read I Cor 15:3-11 -- Ever have a life-changing encounter?

For me, one such happened in 1956 when I was 8. We moved
from a farm near Columbus, NE to Hutchinson, KS. Wed been
there a couple days when Frank Gordon came by carrying two
gloves and a baseball and my life changed forever. I had
no knowledge of baseball prior to that, but two throws and I
was hooked.

But as great as that encounter was, it cant hold a candle to an encounter that I
wish and pray for everyone here today an encounter with the risen Christ.
Nothing in time or eternity could compare with that life-changing encounter.

I Cor 15:3-4 contains the most succinct statement of the

gospel found in the Bible: that Christ died for our sins in accordance
with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures. Got a guilt problem, as we all do? Good
news! Jesus took your penalty on the cross and rose again to give you life,
forgiveness and freedom from guilt. But the question is, have you met Him?
The life He gives is not automatic. We must repent our sin and accept the gift
He offers. That involves a personal encounter with the risen Lord -- exactly
what Paul describes in our text that happened to him. He met Jesus, in
person. So can we.

Jesus is no longer here physically, having ascended back to heaven. BUT He

remains present in the world in the person of the Holy Spirit whose job it is to
point us to Jesus as Savior and Lord, effecting that personal encounter needed
to give us new life in Christ and a lifetime of companionship with Him. That
surrender to Christ can be just as life-changing for us as for Paul. How?

I. The Risen Christ Helps Us See Self Differently

Many people saw the risen Jesus during His last 6 weeks on
earth. But after His ascension, there was one more physical
appearance. 8) Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to
me. Untimely born bc tho Paul lived during Jesus earthly ministry, he never

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saw him. The appearance he had was untimely bc it came after Jesus left the
scene. What an appearance in Acts 9!

Paul was born Saul in the city of Tarsus. But he was educated at the finest
schools in Jerusalem and became a devout Pharisee. Like other Phars, he
thought when Jesus was put to death, that was that! He was no believer, but he
became the greatest enemy of the early church seeking out followers of
Christ to imprison and kill them. In Acts 9, he gets permission from the high
priest to go to Damascus, root out Christ-followers and return them in chains
to Jerusalem. That was Sauls plan; God had a different plan. Sauls about to
have a life-changing encounter with risen Christ.

Acts 9:3: Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and

suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground,
he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
5 And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to
do. Thus began the most dynamic ministry of any follower of Jesus ever. Paul
was a master of understatement in saying, [Jesus] appeared also to me!

With that, a switch flipped. Paul saw himself differently. 9) For I am the least
of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the
church of God. Before, he saw himself as flawless: Phil 3:5: circumcised on
the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of
Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as
to righteousness under the law, blameless. Before, he saw himself as a hero
for persecuting the church. Now he sees that what he thought so right was
abominable to God. His pride took a huge hit: Phil 3:7 But whatever gain I
had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Paul came to see that it was him
or Christ; it was his good but horribly flawed intentions or the perfection of
Christ. He had to choose and he chose Christ because he saw himself for
the lost soul that he really was despite his every advantage.

And all who have encountered the risen Christ have made the same discovery.
Paul said he was unworthy to be called an apostle but so was Peter and
James and John and all the rest. None of us is worthy. Rom 3:10, None is
righteous, no, not one. The first thing we discover in meeting Christ is we are
not worthy of Him but we also discover Hes been worthy in our place! It
doesnt matter how good you are or how bad you are you need Him and
Hes there if you will only ask.

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Years ago a prestigious church in London had 3 subsidiary churches in rough
areas. But on the first Sunday of each new year, all the churches came together
and celebrate Communion. One day the pastor noticed a former thief kneeling
at the Communion rail beside a judge of the Supreme Court of England the
very judge who had sent him to jail for 7 years. After release, the thief had
accepted Christ and joined one of the sister churches. So, there they knelt
the judge and his convict. Later the judge walked out with the pastor and said,
Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion rail? The
pastor said, Yes, but I didnt think you noticed. After a moment the judge
said, What a miracle of grace. The pastor agreed, Yes, that man is a
marvelous trophy of grace. The judge said, I was not referring to him. I
was thinking of myself. Yourself? I dont understand. The judge
explained, That man is a miracle, but when he heard about Christ, he and
everyone else knew he had nothing to offer; his need of Christ was obvious.
But look at me brought up in the best environment, taught to live a moral
life; faithful at church and prayers, graduate of Oxford and now a judge.
With all that, it is only by Gods grace that I could ever see my sin and
repent my selfish goodness. Im a far greater miracle.

Are you a miracle of Gods grace this morning? Have you met Christ face-to-
face, seen yourself for the self-righteous sinner that you are and repented
your sin like Paul like the judge? When we meet Jesus we see self
differently.

II. The Risen Christ Helps Us See God Differently

Nothing in life is more critical than this. Before Christ, Paul

saw God as a great Judge in the sky just waiting to strike him
down. He pled his goodness, all the while knowing deep down
it never could be good enough. Always lurking in the back of
his mind was Lev 11:45: You shall be holy, for I am holy. In
his most honest moment, he knew he could never meet that
standard.

But when he met the risen Christ, he got a whole new view of
God. When he met the Christ who died for his sins and rose
again to give him life he realized that what God demands
GOD SUPPLIES! It wasnt up to Paul to provide his own
holiness. It had already been provided for him, by Jesus.
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That was crystal clear when Paul saw the risen Christ. And
with that the demanding God became the holy, giving, loving
Father. Paul saw God differently.

So, v. 10, By the grace of God I am what I am. Not by the works of Paul,
but by the grace of God the grace that sent Christ to pay Pauls debt and set
him free. Amazing grace! Paul got it. Gal 3:10 For all who rely on works of
the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not
abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them. You want to
save yourself all you gotta do is be perfect. Thats why, 11) Now it is evident
that no one is justified before God by the law, for The righteous shall live by
faith. Not works, faith. So, v. 13: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the
law by becoming a curse for us. The penalty we earned, He got; and the
righteousness He earned, we got by grace thru faith. Amazing!

Do you know grace? When you meet the risen Christ, you
meet the God of grace. Beloved, listen, its not what we can
do for God; its what Hes done for us in Christ. Thats
what the story of the flood was all about, the story of Abe and
Isaac, the Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace all showing us
grace.

A guy walked into a restaurant and asked, Do you serve

crabs here? The host said, We serve anybody; please
sit down. Paul was a hostile crab before he met Christ. Rom
8:7: For the mind set on the flesh (my efforts) is hostile to
God, for it does not submit to Gods law; indeed, it cannot.
But in Christ, God serves any crab, any enemy, any sinner; He
serves a helping of grace that will change your life. You
need this God. John 17:3: And this is eternal life, [that they do
better? No!] that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
you have sent. Get Him and you can say with Paul, By the grace of God I
am what I am. Not by my goodness, but by His!

III.The Risen Christ Helps Us See Life Differently

10b-11: and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the

contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not
I but the grace of God that is with me. So, when Paul met the
risen Christ he saw himself differently; he saw God
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differently, and, he saw life differently. No longer is life a
mission to ingratiate himself to God a selfish endeavor to
take care of himself no matter who else gets hurt. Now hes
on a mission to share a life-changing gospel.

He can even say he worked harder than any of the other

apostles. Hes not bragging, just saying that tho untimely
born, hes made up for lost time! Hed supported himself
more, traveled more miles, preached to more people, wrote
more letters and suffered as much or more hardship than any
of the apostles -- all by Gods grace not out of a sense of
duty but out of love.

Life changes when people meet Christ. Maybe not occupation

or location, but its always a change in orientation. Christ-
followers are no longer living for self but for Him. At
school, at home, on the job, how can I represent Christ? Tell
me your dreams and whether they include God, and Ill tell
you if youre real or not. Theres a new orientation in an
old career! Gal 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer
I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. In
Christ, the old me is gone; the new me lives for Christ by faith. His goals are
my goals; His interests are my interests; His purposes are my purposes. Life
changes when Jesus comes in.

Ive used this before, but it fits so well. Lee Strobel was a Harvard-educated
Legal editor for the Chicago Tribune a profane, hard-drinking, carousing
man when his wife came to faith in Christ. That started a skeptical Strobel on
a 2-year jihad to disprove Jesus resurrection. But he say: On November 8,
1981, I realized my biggest objection to Jesus also had been quieted by the
evidence of history. The tables had turned. In the face of this overwhelming
avalanche of evidence in the case for Christ, the great irony was this: it
would require much more faith for me to maintain my atheism than to trust
in Jesus of Nazareth! He gave his life to Christ and everything changed
so much so that a few months later, his 5-year-old daughter, Allison, said to
her mother, Mommy I want God to change me like He did Daddy. If you
claim Christ today, heres the question would your husband or wife or kids
or parents say theres been a change one theyd want to see in their lives as
well? The risen Christ changes lives, Beloved from the inside out.
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 IV. The Risen Christ Helps Us See Truth Differently

Relativism rules today. Absolute truth is out. If it works for you, so be it. But
the question isnt, does it work for me? The question is, does it work for God?
So Paul concludes: 11) Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you
believed. Preach what? The gospel that Christ died for our sins, that he was
buried, that he was raised on the third day. That is the rock-bottom, absolute
truth of the universe because there is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12).

There are not multiple truths; not multiple ways to God; all roads do not lead
to the same place. The only certainty is this: I am the way, the truth and the
life; no one comes to the Father except thru me (Jn 14:6). Thats good news,
folks. Jesus told Pilate just before Pilate sentenced Him: For this purpose I
was born and for this purpose I have come into the worldto bear witness to
the truth (Jn 18:37b). Then He went and proved it by His death and
resurrection, validating every claim He ever made. There is absolute truth.
That truth is Jesus the risen Lord. Have you met Him?

A Russian lady, new to the US, was on her first shopping trip. As she entered
the store, she stopped stock-still. Whats wrong? Looking at the vast array
of choices she answer, Nothings wrong. Its just, how do you ever decide?
Maybe youre asking the same about all the religions in our world. How do
you ever decide? I have just one question. Where besides Christianity do you
find a person who lived a perfect life, spoke with divine authority, performed
other-worldly miracles on a daily basis, willingly gave His life for your sake
and then rose again? Just one place. And thats why theres just one way of
salvation; because theres just one risen Christ. He changes everything.

Conc -- Josh McDowell hated his father the town alcoholic. All his high
school friends would joke about Joshs father and he joined in laughing on
the outside but crying on the inside. Sometimes hed find his mom in the barn
so beat she couldnt move. When friends came over Josh would tie his dad up
in the barn, hide his car and pretend he wasnt home. He hated his dad.

Then, in college, some friends challenged this atheist to investigate the

resurrection of Jesus. Josh set out to disprove it, but instead, he encountered
the risen Christ and his extensive research resulted in the best-seller,
Evidence That Demands a Verdict. He still hated Dad, but he testifies, About
5 months after I made that decision for Christ, a love from God entered my

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life so powerfully it took all that hatred, turned it upside down and emptied
it out. I was able to look my father squarely in the eyes and say, Dad, I love
you. And I really meant it. That shook him up.

Josh got in a serious car accident, and his dad came to visit, sober that day, but
uneasy. Pacing the room he said, Son, how can you love a father like me?
Josh shared the gospel and then said, I have placed my trust in Christ,
received Gods forgiveness, invited him into my life and he has changed me.
God has taken away my hatred and replaced it with love. I love and accept
you just as you are. About an hour later his dad said, Son, if God can do in
my life what Ive seen him do in yours, then I want to give him the
opportunity. I want to trust him as my Savior and Lord. What a miracle.

Josh further testifies, Usually after a person accepts Christ, change is slow.
In my own life the change took about 6-18 months. But the life of my father
changed right before my eyes. It was as if God reached down and flipped a
light switch. Never before or since have I seen such a dramatic change. My
father touched alcohol only once after that day. He got it as far as his lips
before thrusting it away. Theres just one conclusion: relationship with the
risen Christ changes lives. And it can change yours, too or that of those
you love, maybe not as dramatically, but just as surely. If you dont know
Him, accept Him. If you do, share Him. Lets pray.