Thank you for listening to the Riverbend Church Podcast.
Riverbend Church exists to lead all people to know, love, and
live new life in Jesus Christ. We hope that you enjoy this
message. Hey, welcome.
Good morning, everybody. OK.
Welcome to Church Oakwood. We're grateful you're here with
us. Online community.
Grateful you're here with us too.
Wherever you're watching from. Maybe you're at the beach
soaking in the sun. We hope you enjoy that.
We're grateful that you're with us.
Thank you for being here today. Gainesville as well.
We we have an awesome day in store.
I'm so excited about what God is doing here.
My name is Jared and I'll be here helping, helping lead,
helping teach. In this season, if I haven't met
you, I'd love to. We have a great team here, great
team of pastors, great team of of people that are that are
willing to serve the Lord In this season.
It's really awesome to see. I, I truly am, am still taken
back by how many volunteers you have at Riverbend Church.
It's really awesome. I see the shirts.
You matter. They're all over the place.
And how about the Donuts? Anybody grateful for the Donuts?
It Yeah, OK. We got an exciting day in store.
You see the baptismal pool behind me.
That's that is the most exciting thing we do here.
Anybody agree with me that we get to?
Yeah, few of us. You can't see it, but it's going
to happen at the second service. So if you want to stick your
head in through the back or something, maybe at the end or
after, after our time together when we get into the 11:00
o'clock, that's what we're going to enjoy.
Celebrating death to life. You know, when we celebrate
baptism, we see a public declaration of what Jesus has
done on the inside of the people that are in those waters.
It's a declaration to the world where these people are going to
say later today. And so many of you who have gone
through the baptismal waters, you're declaring to the world, I
am not the same. I'm a new creation because of
Jesus. My old life has been crucified
with him and buried. And when you came up out of that
water, you're saying, I've been raised to walk in Newness of
life, newness of life. Jesus has changed my life.
That's the declaration that we get to celebrate later today.
And Jesus does change lives. That's what we're going to talk
about today. I wonder if if your life has
been changed. I wonder if you're different
because of knowing Jesus. I looked up the word change in
the dictionary. Webster's You know, commonly
it's a It's a well known dictionary, right?
I wonder. I wish I could meet Webster or
Miriam or whatever his name is. I want to meet him, Marry him, I
don't know. I looked up this word change in
the dictionary and there were two the first two dictionary
definitions that came up. I found it interesting that they
were very different because this word change can mean different
things. It's it's one word, but it's
broad. The first definition that I saw
when I looked it up was to make different or to alter to adjust
to alter to make it different. But the second definition was
another level. To make radically different to
transform. So change can be little change,
little alteration or change can be transformation.
And today, from the top, I want to make it clear that we're
talking about the second type of change.
Because God doesn't merely alter who you are when He touches you.
When he touches someone, they are made radically different.
And I've been challenged this week as I've been studying.
You may say, well, that you say that every week.
Yeah, because I'm challenged every week.
I wonder if we're coming to church looking for an upgrade,
looking for an alteration like I do when I go to the.
Suit Taylor and I want my suit to fit a little better, Just a
little alteration. Can you take a little bit out
from under this arm that's getting a little loose?
God, I wonder if we're coming to church looking for an alteration
or if we're coming here to be touched by him, to encounter
him, to be in his presence and to walk out radically different.
It's two types of changes. One of the clearest verses in
Scripture about change is Second Corinthians 517.
You know it very well that anyone who belongs to Christ has
become a new person. Change.
Transformation. The old is gone.
The new life has begun. That's what we're going to see
in these waters later today. Well, some of us will see it, I
know. But that's what that is.
Old life is gone. New life.
Has begun transformation. Changes have been made, but not
just little alterations like it's a total transformation from
the inside out. I wonder if we are settling for
alterations when God wants transformation.
Just have a little fun before we dive in together.
I found the story of a man who dialed a wrong number and he got
the answering machine of this man that he didn't recognize.
The voice on the other end and that voicemail greeting said I'm
not available right now, but I thank you for calling and I
thank you for caring enough to call.
I'm making some changes in my life.
Please leave a message after the beep and if I don't return your
call, you will know that you are one of those changes that I'm
making. It's not what you want to hear
on the other end. As we've looked at Saul's
conversion story over the past several weeks and I know we took
some some time off from this. And last week my uncle Scott
Cagle was up here bringing the word and he didn't correct
himself when he said nephew. So I'm not correcting myself
when I say uncle, I will claim him absolutely.
He did a great job the week before that.
Pastor Preston Graham was up here delivering the word.
And then the week before that, Greg Peck, Pastor Greg Peck from
across the highway or whatever we say down there in Oakwood was
delivering a word for us on July 2nd.
And we've taken a few weeks here in the summer and we've been
scattered in this story. But if you remember, we spent a
great deal of time here in Chapter 9 talking about Saul's
conversion story. Saul, who later would be known
as Paul, who wrote letters like the letter to the Corinthians.
And we've when we study his story, we see that he was
radically changed. He wasn't just an alteration in
his life. It was.
A radical change, and everybody knew it.
It was obvious. In fact, it was one of the more
obvious in all of Scripture. So obvious that people didn't
believe it. Like this man was killing
Christians before and now he's converting people to become
Christians. This man was persecuting
Christians, punishing Christians before, and now he's preaching
about Jesus. Total 180.
Total transformation from a human perspective.
The trouble with changing is you have a reputation now.
Have you ever wished that you could just start over and wipe
the slate clean and maybe get some new friends that didn't
know you win? That's the trouble.
That's the hard part about changing, because when you
change, you have this reputation people expect.
You have this past that people expect.
Sometimes we, I'm afraid, run from that reality, run from that
reputation, run from that past, or try to hide it in order to
wipe the slate clean and live a new life and live a changed life
because from a human perspective.
It's tough to change when you have a reputation, but from
God's perspective, the weaker your reputation, the stronger
His power will be seen in your life.
We're diluting our testimony of its power and potency when we
Polish our story to preserve our reputation.
I think you'll be shocked by the strength that you find when
you're vulnerable, when you're transparent, and when you show
God's grace through your life and you don't hide behind who
you were or you don't hide from who you were.
Paul had to own who he was. There's no hiding it that the
world newest story, in fact it was published for all to see.
It's it's been published for all these years for all the world to
see. He owned it and he had a story
to tell that was powerful because he owned it.
Acts, chapter 22. Paul is speaking to the Jewish
Council in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 22.
Verse three would just be here for a moment, and this is what
he said. I am a Jew born in Tarsus since
Alicia, but I was brought up in this city and educated at the
feet of Gamalia according to the strict manner of the law of our
fathers being zealous for God as all of you are this day.
And look at verse 4I persecuted this way.
I persecuted the way of Jesus. And even to the death binding
and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high
priests in the whole council of elders can bear witness.
You all can see this was my life.
This is what I did. This is who I was.
I even received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward
Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in
bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
I was on the way to do more of what I had been doing.
I was on the way to take the leaders of this party, the
leaders of this movement, back to Jerusalem and punished them
when God intersected my story. Look at First Corinthians 15,
just really quickly here, verse 8.
This is Paul as well. Last of all he said as to 1
untimely born Jesus also appeared to me, for I am the
least of the apostles. I am unworthy to be called an
apostle because I persecuted the Church of God.
This is who I am. I know who I am.
I this is, this is, excuse me, who I was.
I know who I was. I know what I did.
I'm unworthy because of that, don't deserve this because of
that. But look at verse 10.
But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward
me was not in vain. By the grace of God, I am what I
am. I stand here today in this
calling, in this purpose, in His grace toward me.
Was not in vain because what he touches, he transforms, What he
touches he makes radically different.
And Paul comes and says in all of you on all of his humility.
I own it. I I was this, but now I'm this.
And look at God's grace, because you see when we hide our past or
we try to make it. Prettier or more polished than
it actually was? Aren't we deluding the power of
God's grace to bring us from there to where we are?
Go ahead and turn with me to Acts Chapter 9, where we're
going to be spending the rest of our time together.
If you don't have your Bible, it'll be on the screen.
Just a quick recap as you're turning to Acts Chapter 9.
Paul Saul at the time was on the way to Damascus to kill more
Christians, as we've just said. And Jesus stopped him in his
tracks and caused him to go blind.
And for three days Saul was in darkness.
For three days he was in that something about 3 days in
darkness. And then God sends a man named
Annanius to go lay hands on Saul.
Preston covered this a few weeks ago, but when Anna and I us got
there, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to
you on the road by which you came, as sent me, that you may
regain your sight and be filled with the Spirit.
And then in verse 18, he said, it says immediately something
like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight
immediately. And then he rose and was
baptized, and taking food, he. Was strengthened, and for some
days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
And then look at verse 20. These are the three verses we're
going to be spending most of our time together, verses 20 through
22. And immediately there's that
word again. Immediately, another translation
says. Straight away, straight to the
point. Cut into the chase immediately.
What did he do? He proclaimed Jesus in the
church. He proclaimed Jesus in the
synagogues, saying he is the Son of God, and all who heard him
were amazed and said, Is not this the man who made havoc in
Jerusalem of those who called upon this name?
Isn't this the guy? That we were watching persecute
the church? And has he not come here for
this purpose, to bring them bound from the chief priests?
But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the
Jews. Dumbfounded, perplexed,
surprised the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving.
That Jesus was the Christ We're going to study here.
Saul's first sermons that immediately he began to proclaim
Jesus in the synagogues and and his message was quite simple.
He is the Son of God. He is the Son of God.
What about this word immediately?
Immediately. What did he immediately do?
What would you have immediately done?
What would I have immediately after this miracle after this
total life transformation? What?
What would my immediate response have been?
He immediately began to proclaim Jesus.
He immediately preached Jesus. He didn't immediately rise to a
leadership position. I wonder if I was in there, if I
was in his shoes. I was thinking about this this
week. I wonder if if I were to be in
Saul's shoes, and this would have happened to me on the road
to Damascus and my eyes would have been opened and all of this
and and I knew the Bible because I've been studying the Old
Testament my entire life. I wonder if I would have walked
up in there with confidence and said, all right, it's time.
I need a position. I hope not, but I wonder I'm the
guy. He didn't do that.
He just began to proclaim Jesus. He wouldn't take a leadership
position for years. Can I tell you that you don't
need a leadership position to serve?
Can I tell you that you don't need a leadership position to
proclaim Jesus, to preach Jesus, to talk about Jesus, to say what
he's done in your life? Can I tell you that this is one
of the biggest disconnects I think in our modern church
movement is we think that the person up here is the only one
who can talk about this because the person up here is the only
one qualified to use the right words and not mess up.
Disconnect. Saul was just transformed.
He was going the opposite direction.
He was teaching the opposite thing, and immediately he began
to proclaim Jesus. Immediately he didn't make
excuses, even though he had plenty of excuses to make.
He could have said I'm not ready.
I'm not ready. I've got the knowledge but I'm
not ready. I don't have the track record
yet. He could have said they won't
believe me. Why should they listen to me?
They know where I've been. They know who I was.
Why should they listen to me? I'm not going to get up here and
make a fool of myself. He didn't make those excuses.
He didn't let what the other people thought determine his
obedience. And I think this is a key point
for us to take away today. Don't let what other people
think of you determine how you obey Christ.
He immediately preached Jesus. And what was his message?
It's very simple. He is the Son of God.
He is He is the Son of God. How amazing is it that Saul's
last words before he went blind? Remember when he was on the road
and he was struck with this bright light and he fell down.
His last words were or sorry, his first words were who are
you, Lord? His first words were that
question, and then his first words after conversion were.
The answer to that question, he is the Son of God, you may say,
Is that. Is that all he preached?
Because that it's awful simple. And they were in all of that.
They were amazed by that. They were confounded by that,
yes. Because this was a clear and
profound message to the Jewish audience.
This is ultimately Jesus being the Son of God is ultimately
what separates him from any other God.
This is what separates Christianity from any other
religion. That he is God.
That he's fully God and fully man.
This is what the ancients have been trying to tear down about
our movement, our our belief in Jesus.
If this is both central and crucial to our faith that Jesus
is in fact God, he could not save sinners as simply a great
man. No great man could pay the
ultimate price for sin. God in flesh was the only way
for salvation to be accomplished, and Saul had been
teaching the exact opposite of that.
He'd been leading in the exact opposite way, and now he's
preaching the faith that he once tried to destroy.
His whole life was built on rising the ranks of the Jewish
tradition. Think about how powerful these
words were coming out of this man's mouth because they knew
where he had been and they hear him now.
He'd been made radically different.
I can't imagine what the Jews were thinking when they were
listening to him. This powerful leader, this proud
man, is now standing before us, humble and meek and
unapologetically humble at that, giving up all of his worldly
advantages, everything that he's built and earned.
He's given it up for what? For the sake of Christ, Paul
would later say. For I counted all his loss for
the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, and all
who were amazed, All who heard were amazed.
And they said, is this not the man who made havoc in Jerusalem?
Is this not the same guy? And put yourself in their shoes
for a moment. Is this not the same guy who who
killed my best friend Stephen? This is not the same guy who
stood on the hill and presided over the stoning of my best
friend. This didn't happen that long
before I remember it very well. How am I to stand here now and
believe that he is a different person?
And how many other personal examples were there, like this
one of Steven? If I were one of the disciples,
I would have been tempted to take matters into my own hands.
How can it be? This can't be the same guy.
But it was the same guy. We said, well, we talked about
new creation. What do you mean he's the same
guy? The old life is gone.
The new life is here. But what God has brought you
from proves His grace to the world.
We don't hide from where we've been.
We rest in God's power because of where He's brought us.
Saul had been touched by Jesus. He had been touched by love
himself because God is love. God doesn't just have love or
show love. He is love and and Paul had
encountered love himself. There's this beautiful poem
written by Myra Brooks Welch and I hope you'd stay with me
through this. There's some old language.
The first word is twas and I don't just just stick with me.
I know it. It's it means it was.
It's a contraction. It's old.
There's some old language in here, but stick with me.
It's called the Touch of the Master's Hand.
It twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it
wasn't even worth his while to waste much time on the old
violin. But he held it up with a smile.
What's the bid, good people? He cried.
Who will start the bidding for me?
A dollar? A dollar?
Now Two. Only two $2.00 And who'll make
it 3-3 dollars? Once $3 twice going for three,
but no. From the room far back a Gray
haired man came forward and picked up the bow.
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening up the
strings, he played a melody pure and sweet, as sweet as an Angel
sings. The music ceased in the
auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, said, What
shall we bid for the old violin as he held it up with the bow,
$1000. And who'll make it 2/2/2000?
And who'll make it three 3000 once 3000 twice 3000 and gone,
said he. The people cheered, but some
exclaimed. We do not quite understand what
changed it's worth. And the answer came The touch of
the master's hand, and many a man with a soul out of tune and
battered and scarred by sin, is auctioned cheap by the
thoughtless crowd, just like the old violin.
But the master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite
understand the worth of a soul and the change that is brought
by the touch of the master's hand.
O master, I am the tuneless One. Please lay your hand on me.
Transform me now. Put a song in my heart of
melody, Lord to thee. The crowd never can quite
understand the worth of a soul and the change that is brought
by the touch of the master's hand.
This is not an alteration. When you're touched by love,
it's transformation. It's radically different, and
Saul's story reminds us that God makes people radically
different, and it reminds us even deeper than that, that that
he saves even some that aren't looking for him at all.
Saul was going the opposite direction.
He wasn't looking for Jesus at all.
Jesus stopped him in his tracks and touched him.
Can I tell you today, I don't want you to leave here without
knowing that you are not too far gone.
You're not too far gone. But how you know, Jared?
You don't know. You don't know what's there.
You don't know what was last
night, Jared? You don't know what was this
weekend? How can I be saved?
How could I be revived? How could I be?
I've been struggling with this for years and years and years in
years I've been praying. I'm done praying because it's
not working. How could I be restored?
How could I be healed? How can I be free from the bonds
of addiction? How can I be revived from this
depression that I've been in? What must I do to be touched by
the master today? Maybe you're asking that
question. It's a good question.
I want to look at one final story.
It's a story that was told in the Gospels.
Matthew, Mark and Luke give this account of a woman who had an
issue of blood. Maybe you've read this story.
This is a devastating condition. For 12 years the blood was
continuous and it'd be devastating today.
But it was certainly devastating then because she would have been
considered unclean and she would have been outcasted.
And Jesus is making his way through a crowd, actually on his
way to heal a 12 year old dying girl.
The crowd is pressing in around him.
Everyone's packed around him because they don't want to miss
what's going to happen next. You never know what Jesus, You
never know. And in Luke's account of this
story, in Luke chapter 8, verse 43, there was a woman who had a
discharge of blood for 12 years, and though she had spent all her
living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.
I've tried it. I spent my money on what the
world has to offer me. I spent.
I tried every physician. I tried every hope I'm to the
end of my rope now how could I ever be healed?
And she came up behind Jesus, and she touched the fringe of
his garment. Just the end of it.
And immediately her discharge of blood ceased.
Immediately there's that word again.
And Jesus said, Who was it that touched me?
Who was? Somebody touched me in a crowd
that's pressing it around him. Of course somebody touched him,
but the word says that she didn't even touch him.
She touched the fringe of his garment, which surely that would
have touched all kind of things. Jesus, what are you talking
about? There's people all over the
place, Peter said. The crowd surrounds you and are
pressing in on you. What are you talking about?
Jesus said someone touched me, for I perceived that power has
gone out from me. That's a whole another servant.
You think he was confused about somebody touching him?
No. He was asking that question to
teach the crowd about faith, to teach the crowd how they could
experience the same thing. Maybe they don't have the same
issue. Maybe you don't have the same
issue. Chances are you don't.
But you have some things that are holding you back, some
conditions, something. And Jesus, The same God who is
intimate enough to intersect this woman's story, is also the
same God who uses it as an opportunity to let the crowd
know that he is there, that they can have faith in him as well.
And when you have faith in him, everything changes.
When the woman saw that she was not hidden, this is verse 47,
she came trembling and falling down before him.
She declared in the presence of all the people why she had
touched him and how she had been immediately healed.
She did not hide. Imagine how hard that was to
stand before the crowd and say, I've had an issue of blood for
12 years. Many of you didn't know that.
I've been trying to hide it. Many of you did know that.
I mean, I know that it makes me unclean and I know the tradition
and and I've been trying everything.
I know I've been trying everything.
And here I am trying one last thing because I heard about this
man named Jesus, and when I touched the fringe of his
garment, immediately I stopped bleeding And look at what Jesus
said to her in verse 48. Daughter.
First word.
Relational. Daughter, family.
It's your faith that has made you well.
Go in peace. What do we take away from this
today? We're going to take away one
thing on another day. If I had time, I'd give you at
least 12 from that. Just a little part of Scripture.
But today we got time for one. And the one thing I want you to
take away from this is fate is the gateway.
Faith. Faith.
Daughter, it was your faith that made you well.
Touching him didn't unlock the healing it.
It was there was something magical about touching him.
It was the faith. Faith was the gateway.
Love was the power. And this is good news for us
today because some of you are so paralyzed by your past and stuck
in your sin that you can't even contemplate getting close enough
to Jesus to reach out and touch his garment.
Can I tell you today, it's not about reaching.
It's not about making your way there.
It wasn't about that for this woman on this day.
It was about her faith. It's about our faith today.
This is good news. This is good news because we
can't earn it. We can't climb it.
We can't get there on our own. But he's done it all already,
and faith in him is what we'll say.
Faith in him is what will heal. Faith in him is what we'll
restore. Faith in him is what will
revive. Faith is the gateway and you can
be made new today. Repent and believe the gospel.
Repent and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the only
begotten of the Father. He was not created.
He has no beginning and he has no end.
No one could take his life. He laid it down on his own
accord and as he laid down his life for you.
For me the sacrifice was enough so that all who believed in him,
that had faith in his name would be able to put on his
righteousness, and that with God would look down on you because
of your faith in Jesus. He doesn't see your filthy rags
from your past. He sees the righteousness of
Christ. Jesus is the Son of God and
Jesus is the Christ. Paul proved the Messiah, the one
who had been sent to fulfill all of God's promises.
The Bible says that all of his promises find their yes and Amen
in Jesus, and by faith in His name, you can be made new today.
God isn't here to give you an alteration.
He's here to make you radically different.
And it's not his power that's in question.
What's in question is our submission.
Bible says that as salt increased in strength, he
confounded the Jews by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
He They were confounded. They were surprised.
They were stunned. They were confused by His
transformation. People who knew you before
Christ will be confused by your transformation.
Don't fall into the temptation of watering down who you are
because they expect you to be more like who you used to be.
Don't water down the transformation that God has
brought in your life just because you're afraid of what
other people will think. I'm challenged.
I am challenged, and I want to give you my challenge.
They do. Other people have more power
over my actions than Jesus does. Who has more authority?
Because when other people have more authority, I'm more
interested in an alteration, because I want the suit to fit
just a little better. I don't want it to be totally
transformed. I want the outside to fit.
I don't want the inside to be made new when other people have
more power over me, when other people are my authority.
But if this message is true, that Jesus is the Son of God, if
it's true that he did what he said he was going to do, if it's
true that he accomplished the work of salvation, he alone
deserves the glory for that. If this is true, If he died, was
buried, and rose again on the third day, and has been risen
into heaven to reign forevermore, If it's true, and
if I believe it to be true, then what other response do I have
but to bow my soul before him in submission every day, to seek
his grace humbly every day to accept his salvation for me in
surrender? I'm not trying to earn it myself
anymore. It's your glory that's due.
You alone have accomplished my salvation.
What more response do I have but to acknowledge his authority and
to follow him. To follow him.
To follow him, forsaking all others with Christ as my
authority. Oakwood, we love you, Pastor
Greg. You can take it from here.
We'll see you real soon As we consider the word.
Today I want to invite you to to take some time as we sing one
more song. Take some time and prayer with
God. Take some some time to bow your
soul before him, under his authority, and ask him to reveal
to you what he's speaking. Father God in heaven, we're here
for you. We're here for you only we got a
lot of things going on, but right now these moments are for
you. And I pray that you help us to
focus on you ultimately and completely.
And I pray that as we focus on you, that all else would fade
away. I pray that we would be
radically different from our encounter with the King of
Kings, the Lord of Lords, the author of life.
Help us to trust you in Jesus name.
Amen. Thank you for listening to the
Riverbend Church Podcast. Learn more about who we are as a
church and how to connect. You can head over to our
website. Ribbon Church dot life.