1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:05,240 Oh yeah. Today is the final installment 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:10,160 of our sermon series, Unexpected Moments That Change Everything. 3 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:15,720 And today's unexpected story, I think, is in the top five of all 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,960 the stories and scriptures in terms of how incredible and 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,880 impactful it is and maybe even in the world. 6 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,960 Yeah, I was talking about this story last week to the lead 7 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:30,760 pastor of one of the fastest growing, largest churches in our 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,080 movement. And he said that this story is 9 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,640 one of the reasons why he has confidence in Christ, that the 10 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,080 Bible is true and that Jesus is really Lord and Savior. 11 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:41,800 In fact, you guys might know of this pastor. 12 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:47,040 His name is Clayton Something, but you can't miss him. 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:52,800 He's this tall, dark, handsome, striking, winsome preacher, just 14 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:58,600 in case he's watching. Today's story is that of Saul, 15 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:02,880 or Paul as you might know him, and his unexpected encounter 16 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,160 with Jesus. We're talking about the apostle 17 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,360 Paul. We're talking about the guy who, 18 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,240 besides Jesus, from a human perspective, has had the 19 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,240 greatest influence on the spread and the development of 20 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,480 Christianity. And we probably would not be 21 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,000 here today from a human perspective. 22 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,960 It weren't for him. He wrote about half of the books 23 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:27,880 of the New Testament. He spent a lot of his life 24 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,080 traveling the Roman Empire to tell people who had never heard 25 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:33,840 about Jesus about this one who is Lord and Savior. 26 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,840 And he was imprisoned many times for his faith, ultimately gave 27 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:43,200 his life for Jesus Christ. And you'll see his name on the 28 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:47,200 top ten of those who have had the greatest influence on our 29 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,160 culture, on Western civilization itself. 30 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,240 This is a huge story, and I'm just praying that I can do a 31 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,560 justice today. Well, Saul's story is not only 32 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:02,120 an amazing, unexpected encounter with Jesus, it's also, and maybe 33 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:07,400 more importantly, the model for all of us who put our faith in 34 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,880 Jesus Christ. So all twelve of our locations, 35 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,360 to those joining online and inside, I'm so glad you're with 36 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:16,520 us. And we just praise God for all 37 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,480 that he's doing in our midst of this church. 38 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,400 And if you're new around here, we're so glad that you're here. 39 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:23,200 We would love to connect with you. 40 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,240 And if you're looking to connect more with God and with this 41 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,720 church, please stop by the New Here booth at the conclusion of 42 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,360 this service at your location. Well, today's story starts in 43 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:36,680 the book of Acts. We got to get the backdrop of 44 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,000 Saul's story to really appreciate it for all that it 45 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,520 is. The book of Acts is the 5th book 46 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:45,040 in the New Testament. It's a killer book full of lots 47 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,640 of adventures about what happens after Jesus returns to heaven, 48 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,160 how the church grows, and everything that takes place in 49 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:54,920 Acts chapter 2 after Jesus had returned to heaven. 50 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,000 This was about 50 days after his crucifixion. 51 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,400 They preach the gospel for the first time. 52 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:04,880 The Holy Spirit comes and 3000 people become Christians in one 53 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:07,040 day. And from Acts chapter 2, when 54 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,440 that happened, for the next few chapters and through Acts 55 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:11,960 chapter 6, it's just up and to the right there. 56 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,840 The church is growing every day and sometimes again by thousands 57 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:16,200 at a time. It's incredible. 58 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,160 That's takes place for about 3 to five years. 59 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:22,560 But then in Acts Chapter 7, things take a turn. 60 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,240 The first Christian, his name was Stephen, was put to death 61 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,360 for his faith in Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter 8, it says the 62 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,840 church was being destroyed. In Acts chapter 8, verse one, 63 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,080 there's something that I want to read to you about what was 64 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:39,760 happening with the church. It says on that day a great 65 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,520 persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and all 66 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,480 except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and 67 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,440 Samaria. The Christians were on the run 68 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,720 for their lives and those who are antagonizing the the church 69 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,240 thought we're going to get rid of this thing no sooner than it 70 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,000 started. And those who are probably new 71 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,080 to the faith, we're thinking what's going on. 72 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,040 I just put my faith in the one who said he's Lord of heaven and 73 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,400 earth and now this is happening to me. 74 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,640 God, what are you doing while you allowing this to happen? 75 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:10,880 Everything was great in Jerusalem where they were 76 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:12,960 together for those few years, but now they're having to 77 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,560 scatter and be separated. And I don't know what's going 78 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:21,959 on, but if you would have read from Acts chapter 1, you would 79 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:26,280 know that what was happening in this moment was actually playing 80 00:04:26,280 --> 00:04:31,160 into Jesus hands perfectly. Acts chapter one verse 8 says 81 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,440 this. Jesus says you will be my 82 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:39,640 witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the 83 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,840 ends of the earth. From a human perspective, what 84 00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:48,400 seemed like the worst thing in the world was actually Jesus's 85 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,200 plans being perfectly accomplished. 86 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:56,560 And isn't this what happens in our lives so much of the time? 87 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,160 What seems to be the most chaotic, hopeless situation is 88 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:06,040 actually God accomplishing his perfect plans in our lives. 89 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,640 That thing that you're resisting the most, maybe that thing that 90 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,520 you're praying to God that he would take away, is actually 91 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:20,240 maybe God working out his plans intentionally to the T for your 92 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:22,320 life. And in fact, the Bible gives a 93 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:26,080 promise to those who are Christians of that very thing. 94 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:31,040 If you are a person who loves God, and if you're a person who 95 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,280 has received and accepted the call of God according to His 96 00:05:34,280 --> 00:05:38,520 purposes, you have this promise in Romans 828 that God causes 97 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,000 all things, the good things and the bad things to work together 98 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,040 for good for you. And if you're not yet a 99 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:47,400 believer, you can have that promise over your life too. 100 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,960 That's what was happening even in the midst of what seemed to 101 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,640 be so terrible from a human perspective in Acts chapter 8. 102 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:59,080 Well, we go to Acts Chapter 9 and that's where we meet Saul a 103 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,040 little bit more. Saul had given approval to 104 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:04,680 Stephens death in Acts Chapter 7, but he's pressing the attack 105 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,400 and here's what it says in Acts Chapter 9, verse one. 106 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:12,880 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats 107 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:17,200 against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and 108 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,120 asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, one of 109 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,080 these cities in those outlying regions, so that if he found 110 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,800 there any belonging to the way, that's the way of Jesus, that's 111 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:29,240 Christians, whether men or women, he might take them as 112 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,120 prisoners to Jerusalem. It wasn't enough for Saul that 113 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:36,680 Christianity was starting to come apart at the seams, as it 114 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,680 seemed. No, he wanted to chase down 115 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,560 these Christians and eradicate this new faith right away. 116 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,120 Why was Saul so hostile to Christianity? 117 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:53,560 Because he was a zealous Jew. He knew the Old Testament inside 118 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:55,800 and out, and he had lived his whole life for this purpose. 119 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,160 In fact, you might have known from his name, if you were a 120 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:03,080 person who knew about Judaism, that Saul is a very Jewish name. 121 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:07,920 Saul was the first king of the Jews 1000 years earlier. 122 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,360 And so this Saul in our story story is trying to do the same 123 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,480 thing as King Saul did, which was to lead for God in his 124 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:19,200 generation. And Saul thought that anyone 125 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,720 from the Old Testament, anyone who claims to be God, who's a 126 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,400 person should be put to death. That was Jesus. 127 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,880 And anyone who would perpetuate this lie, this fact that Jesus 128 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,600 of Nazareth is claiming to be God, well, they don't deserve to 129 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:36,960 live any longer either. When you think of Saul, you need 130 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:42,320 to be thinking of the most Antichrist person who comes to 131 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:44,720 your mind. You need to be thinking of maybe 132 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:49,760 for you it's like Hitler, Marx, somebody like this, a world 133 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,400 leader in the past. You might be thinking of the 134 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,200 most hardened atheists who are trying to convince people not to 135 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,920 believe in Christianity, like Christopher Hitchens, a rich 136 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,680 Richard Dawkins. Maybe you're thinking of the 137 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:05,480 most radical Islamics who are trying to kill anybody who does 138 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:07,360 not follow Allah, who is not a Muslim. 139 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:11,080 There is nobody in world history who has been more Antichrist 140 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:16,760 than Saul was, and that was until his unexpected encounter 141 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:22,200 with Jesus. We read about that in verse 3 as 142 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:26,640 he neared Saul near Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light 143 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,520 from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard 144 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:34,720 a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 145 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:37,760 Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. 146 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,840 I I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. 147 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,360 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you 148 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:48,760 must do. Saul got up from the ground, but 149 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:52,040 when he opened his eyes he could see nothing, so they let him by 150 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:56,200 the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind and 151 00:08:56,200 --> 00:09:00,880 did not eat or drink anything. So here's Saul. 152 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:02,880 He's going from Jerusalem to Damascus. 153 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,640 He's walking along the way, and he's as confident as you could 154 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:07,760 possibly be about what he was doing. 155 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:09,840 He thought he was doing a service for God. 156 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,800 And as he's going along, the Bible tells us in another place 157 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:14,520 that it was in the middle of the day. 158 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:18,240 So the Suns out in all of its brilliance, and yet there is a 159 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:22,040 light that flashes around him that puts the brilliance of the 160 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,920 sun to shame. It causes him to fall to his 161 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,240 knees. He's completely disoriented, 162 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,240 trying to figure out what in the world just happened. 163 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:31,840 And he hears a voice, and it's a divine voice. 164 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:34,960 And the voice asks him a question. 165 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:41,200 The voice says, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 166 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:48,800 He says who are you Lord? And he hears 3 words that change 167 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:54,200 his life forever. I am Jesus. 168 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,880 You see, Saul had thought to this point that he's just 169 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,440 dealing with this rogue movement of people that he could control, 170 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,520 that he could put to put put down. 171 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,600 Saul thought that he's just think that he's just dealing 172 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,960 with these kind of beliefs in this worldview and this thought 173 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,160 that's out there that he can argue against. 174 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:19,000 But what Saul realized in that unexpected moment is that 175 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,160 Christianity isn't just a movement. 176 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:23,160 Christianity is not just an idea. 177 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:31,040 Jesus is alive. He is real, and he is living and 178 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:35,880 reigning and ruling right now. And you might be here this 179 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:38,320 morning and you're saying, hey, you know, this church gets 180 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:42,720 together and they worship because they all have the same 181 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,160 moral values. They share all the same just 182 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:48,440 convictions and worldview about the world. 183 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:53,080 They like all the same music. They like the big guy on stage 184 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,840 who has to apologize for what he just said right before that. 185 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:59,960 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We get together. 186 00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:03,280 We're here today and we're here every time we gather because of 187 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:10,800 one thing, because of Jesus. He is alive and He really lived 188 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,920 a perfect, sinless life, and He really died on the cross for the 189 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:18,080 sins of the whole world. And He really, on the third day, 190 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:20,760 rose again. And He's really in heaven right 191 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,640 now and He's praying for us and He's really coming back again on 192 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,160 a day that we won't expect. And He's really right here with 193 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,000 us as we're gathered in His name by His Holy Spirit. 194 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,840 Oh, Christianity is not just another religion of the world's 195 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,040 religions. It's a relationship with the 196 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:43,360 living Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. 197 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:50,160 And you know what I think is more impressive than the flash 198 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:54,800 of light or the audible voice of God in that encounter is what we 199 00:11:54,800 --> 00:12:00,680 learn about Jesus. You see, Jesus wasn't threatened 200 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:03,600 by Saul coming after his people. He wasn't like, oh, no, what are 201 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,280 we going to do? Saul's trying to destroy 202 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,960 Christianity. Jesus doesn't fight against Saul 203 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:10,880 and say, like, I'm going to take this guy out and teach him a 204 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:13,600 lesson. What we learn about Jesus in 205 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:18,800 this encounter is that Jesus comes to his enemies. 206 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,720 He comes to them gently with a question. 207 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:29,880 He comes to them in love. You might think that Jesus is 208 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:33,520 really threatened and bothered by all of the people in our 209 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:36,600 society today who are against him. 210 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,800 All the universities, all the political leaders, all the 211 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:44,560 nations, all the systems that hate Jesus and are trying to 212 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:46,240 oppose him. He's not threatened. 213 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:51,240 He loves them. And if you're here today and 214 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:56,360 you're mad at God, Jesus wants you to know he's not mad back at 215 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,160 you. He loves you. 216 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:00,720 He wants a relationship with you. 217 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,240 Jesus isn't about retaliation. Jesus is about redemption. 218 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:09,080 Jesus doesn't want to fight against you. 219 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:13,280 He wants to forgive you. He loves you. 220 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,680 Saul was reflecting on this encounter with Jesus later in 221 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,160 his life in one of his letters, First Timothy. 222 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:26,400 And there he answered the question, why did Jesus choose 223 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:28,160 to appear to him and not somebody else? 224 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,200 There are a lot of people that Jesus got appeared to. 225 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,760 Why did he choose saw? This is what we learned in First 226 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:39,360 Timothy chapter 116. But for that reason I was shown 227 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:45,240 mercy, so that in me the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus, might 228 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:52,560 display his immense patience as an example for those who would 229 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:56,680 believe in him and receive eternal life. 230 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:03,480 Jesus intentionally chose the most unexpected suspect in Saul 231 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,640 so that you and I and that generations from the 1st century 232 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:11,800 until now until Jesus comes again would say to ourselves, if 233 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:16,240 Jesus wanted Saul, then Jesus can want me. 234 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:22,520 If Jesus can come to and save and change the most the the 235 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:25,920 chief of sinners, the worst of sinners, there's nobody who he 236 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,520 can't change. I was talking recently to 237 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,360 somebody sharing about how I have a friend who makes films 238 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,560 and he's been meeting with the Son of Sam, the guy who was the 239 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:37,080 serial murderer who's become a Christian. 240 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,560 And this person was saying what? That is a hard thing to imagine, 241 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,240 that a person like him could become a Christian. 242 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:50,720 But Jesus does the unexpected and there is nobody you or 243 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:55,800 anybody you know that can't be saved and changed by him. 244 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:00,320 Maybe you've heard the story about Lee Strobel. 245 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:05,080 Lee Strobel was a guy who went to the University of Missouri as 246 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,360 an undergraduate or any Mizzou fans in the House. 247 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:13,440 Then he went to Yale University for his law degree and he joined 248 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:17,240 the team at Chicago Tribune. He was an award-winning 249 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:19,960 journalist and a reporter in their legal department. 250 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,760 Well, in 1979, Lee's wife became a Christian. 251 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:29,720 Now this was a problem because Lee was a convinced and hardened 252 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,720 atheist. And so when his wife became a 253 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,720 Christian and he was new to his marriage, he didn't just, he 254 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:37,760 didn't say like, oh, OK, yes, dear. 255 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,400 He hadn't learned that part of marriage yet. 256 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,160 No, he said, I'm not having this. 257 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,320 And so he said to himself, I'm going to take all my skills and 258 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:49,160 all my learning and I'm going to put together the most convincing 259 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:53,120 case, the Christianity is not true, so I can win my wife back 260 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:57,040 from this crazy Christianity. And so he goes on this two year 261 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,480 expedition to disprove Christianity. 262 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:08,480 And in 1981, Lee Strobel gave his life to Jesus Christ and he 263 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:12,080 went on to become a pastor of one of the largest churches in 264 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,000 Houston, TX. And he's written multiple books. 265 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,280 The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and so many others 266 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,640 trying to convince people of the exact same thing that Saul 267 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,400 experienced is that Jesus is alive. 268 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:29,560 And there are stories all across all of our rooms where we're 269 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:33,000 gathered of people like this. Who wouldn't have thought they'd 270 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,520 be here today, raising their hands, praising God, being in 271 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,600 church because Jesus did the unexpected thing in their life 272 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,480 too. And he can do it in your life if 273 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,080 you will put your faith in Him today. 274 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:51,200 Well, as amazing as Saul's encounter with Jesus was, it 275 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:55,400 wasn't enough. You would think that if you have 276 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,560 that kind of encounter, this flash of light, audible voice of 277 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:01,400 Jesus, it's like, boy, you're good to go from that point on. 278 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:05,200 But Jesus actually said, no, Saul, there's more I've got for 279 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,760 you, but you've got to get up and you got to go into Damascus 280 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:09,920 and wait until you learn what's next. 281 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:12,480 And that's a lesson for all of us. 282 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:17,240 You know, you might have had an encounter with Jesus where maybe 283 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,400 he was in this room and you were moved to tears and you just felt 284 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,599 his presence and you heard him speaking to you and the words 285 00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:27,400 that came through you knew were the voice of God to you. 286 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,840 And maybe it was a time where he brought you through a trial and 287 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,120 you prayed and prayed and prayed and said, God bring me through 288 00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:35,200 this and he brought you through. Maybe it was a healing that you 289 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:37,920 were asking, God, give me more time and he healed you. 290 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:42,000 Maybe it was at one of our conferences or at camp, you 291 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,400 experienced an encounter with Jesus and it was undeniable. 292 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:52,320 But the encounters that we have with Jesus aren't all that we 293 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:55,440 need. It's an invitation to take the 294 00:17:55,440 --> 00:18:00,000 next step of faith to see what more He's got for you. 295 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,960 We aren't meant to just go from encounter to encounter, as great 296 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,200 as those encounters are, and we love those. 297 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:10,240 But they are just God calling us to go and take the next step of 298 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,600 faith with Him. And I just want to say, too, if 299 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:15,800 you're here today and if you're here in my voice, you're saying, 300 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:18,120 man, I've never had one of those encounters, so I can't even 301 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:20,440 relate to you. So maybe God's just not for me. 302 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:23,880 I want you to go and listen to last week's sermon which 303 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:29,360 addresses that very question. Saul goes on to Damascus, and 304 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:32,280 there he's waiting. And as he's waiting, Jesus 305 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:35,480 decides, hey, the way I'm going to give Saul my messages through 306 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:37,880 another person. And that person's name is 307 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:39,840 Ananias. Ananias is already a Christian 308 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:43,120 who lives in Damascus. Jesus appears to him in a vision 309 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:47,120 and says, Saul's in town. And Ananias is thinking, this 310 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:49,640 can't be good because he doesn't know what happened on the road. 311 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:53,000 And Jesus says, I've got a message I want you to take to 312 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,160 him. And Ananias is just trying to 313 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,680 figure out, is this really Jesus to speaking to me or what? 314 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,800 And so we pick up on this part of the story in verse 13. 315 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:07,600 Lord Ananias answered, I've heard many reports about this 316 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:11,280 man and all the harm he's done to the holy people in Jerusalem, 317 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,120 and he's come here with the authority of the chief priest to 318 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:16,160 arrest those who call on your name. 319 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:18,360 You want me to go get arrested by this guy? 320 00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:25,600 The Lord says to Ananias, go, this man is my chosen instrument 321 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:30,680 to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to 322 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,800 the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must 323 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:40,280 suffer from my name. This just goes to reinforce the 324 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:45,560 idea of how wicked Saul was, that Jesus has to appear in a 325 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:49,400 vision to a guy and, and, and Ananias even gets the vision and 326 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,520 he's still doubting whether he was really supposed to obey. 327 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,640 And Jesus has to say, go, this is real, this is me. 328 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,520 But what we learn in Ananias's words that he has to deliver to 329 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:06,040 Saul is more about why Jesus chose Saul to appear to him. 330 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:12,360 What we learn is that Saul is not just being called to Jesus, 331 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,720 he's being commissioned for Jesus. 332 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:21,760 Saul is not just changing from being persecutor to believer. 333 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:23,680 That would have been big enough, right? 334 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:26,240 That's a huge story. No, he's being changed from 335 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:30,200 persecutor to preacher. He's being changed from 336 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:35,280 Christianity enemy #1 to Christianity evangelist #1. 337 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:39,520 This is like Osama bin Laden being changed into Billy Graham 338 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,520 to preach the gospel to the whole world. 339 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:48,920 And this is where we begin to understand why Saul became Paul. 340 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:53,480 Sometimes people mistakenly think that Jesus changed Saul's 341 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:59,200 name to Paul, but actually Saul voluntarily chose his name or 342 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:03,280 changed his name from Saul to Paul so that he could fulfill 343 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,120 his mission. And what was the mission Jesus 344 00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:07,040 told him to do? You're going to go be you're 345 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,080 going to go and proclaim my name to the Gentiles. 346 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,080 Who are the Gentiles? The Gentiles are non Jewish 347 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:13,480 people. So he's talking about the whole 348 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:16,120 Roman Empire. Saul, that's your territory. 349 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,040 And you're even going to preach to the kings. 350 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:20,280 Now, you're still going to preach to the Jews, but this is 351 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,880 your primary audience over here. And Saul, he didn't want to go 352 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:27,520 into town, all these Greco Roman towns coming in with the name 353 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,200 Saul because a lot of the people already might think, oh, this 354 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:32,400 guy's preaching about Judaism and we already know about that. 355 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,800 We're not interested. And so Saul ditched his name 356 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,360 Saul, when he was going to preach to the Gentiles, and he 357 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:41,760 took the name Paul, which was a much more Greco Roman name 358 00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:46,680 because Paul wanted to do whatever he could do to win as 359 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:51,040 many people as possible to who did not know about Jesus, that 360 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:55,440 he is Lord and Savior. You got to hear me out. 361 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:01,560 And the same thing is true for us when Jesus calls us to faith 362 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:03,520 in him. It's not just so that we can 363 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:06,680 have the gift of salvation. It's so that we can pass on the 364 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:11,040 gift of salvation. Everybody is called and 365 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,400 commissioned. Everybody who's a disciple is 366 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:18,000 supposed to be making disciples. Now, I realize not everybody has 367 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,040 the same gifting. Not everybody is called to be 368 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,320 able to go and preach to the whole world. 369 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,480 Not everybody's called to stand up on a stage. 370 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:28,880 But everybody's called to make disciples. 371 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:35,120 And God has put people in your life on purpose, people who are 372 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:40,600 close to you but far from Him, so that you and so that I can be 373 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:45,200 his chosen instrument to reveal to them what we have learned 374 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:49,600 about Jesus. I think you guys would agree 375 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,120 with me when you say that the greatest thing in our life is 376 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:54,760 that we know Jesus Christ. There's nothing that's been 377 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,840 better than the day that we put our faith in Him and have known 378 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:00,160 Him for the rest of our lives. That's the greatest thing in the 379 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:04,560 world. It's #1 but I think the second 380 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,840 greatest thing in the world is getting to lead somebody else to 381 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,800 Jesus, too, Being able to be a part of somebody else's 382 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:16,680 experience of coming home to faith in the one who loved them 383 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:22,600 and died for them. Now I want to address what Jesus 384 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,480 said to Saul at the very end. It's a sobering word. 385 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,200 It's like following on this incredible privilege and 386 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,440 excitement about you're going to be my preacher to the whole 387 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:32,840 world. It's like, OK, that's 388 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:35,120 incredible. But there's this, there's a 389 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:38,640 sober message at the end that you're going to suffer a lot for 390 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:43,520 me and I don't want. I don't think that Jesus was 391 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:46,800 saying that so that we would think that he's getting back at 392 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,640 Saul, that he's like trying to punish him for all the things 393 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:51,960 that he did, like all the harm he caused all those other 394 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:53,720 Christians. It's not what Jesus is talking 395 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:55,680 about. What Jesus is talking about is 396 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,600 the kind of suffering that all the other apostles experienced 397 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:03,800 as well, all except for one of Jesus apostles was murdered for 398 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:07,600 his faith and the other one who wasn't was in prison for life. 399 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:11,120 And this is true for you and me as well. 400 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:17,080 We carry a light, the light of God in the world, but it's in 401 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,320 the darkness, isn't it? And sometimes the darkness 402 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,000 responds and they take that light in faith and they say 403 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:27,000 thank you, I'm so glad. But other times the darkness 404 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:32,000 wants to quench the light. And so if you're wanting to take 405 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,120 Jesus to other people, just like Saul, you need to hear there's 406 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:37,160 going to be some suffering. There's going to be sometimes 407 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:39,720 when people say, no, I'm not interested. 408 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:42,600 There's going to be sometimes where you feel like embarrassed 409 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,000 for saying what you just said. They're going to be sometimes 410 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:47,400 that you're, they're going to talk about you behind your back. 411 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:51,160 But it's a small price to pay in light of the price that Jesus 412 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,080 paid for us and the joy and the privilege that we get by being 413 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:57,760 able to share Jesus with other people. 414 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:06,880 Well, Jesus comes to Saul and he comes to him through Ananias, 415 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,920 and he not only delivers the word, he lays his hands on him 416 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,240 and he prays for him. And this is what happens in the 417 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:15,880 final scene, Acts Chapter 9, verse 17. 418 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:20,000 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it, places his hands 419 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,880 on Saul. He said, Brother Saul, the Lord 420 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,640 Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, 421 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:32,360 has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the 422 00:25:32,360 --> 00:25:35,160 Holy Spirit. Immediately something like 423 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,080 scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again. 424 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,680 He got up and was baptized and after taking some food he 425 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:47,120 regained his strength. What happened here in this final 426 00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:50,960 scene with Saul is actually the exact same thing that happens to 427 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:53,680 anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ. 428 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:59,200 He received the Holy Spirit, it says he was baptized and the 429 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,000 scales fell from his eyes. And you might be saying, wait, 430 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,240 OK, I know I received Jesus when I put my faith in him. 431 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,800 I know that I got baptized. But scales falling from the 432 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:09,720 eyes, like what do you mean? Wait? 433 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:14,880 I didn't catch that part. The reason that I think Jesus 434 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:19,000 temporarily blinded Saul on the way was to teach him a spiritual 435 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,120 lesson. That's true for us as well. 436 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:26,680 You see, Saul thought he knew exactly what life was about 437 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:29,520 before Jesus. He thought he understood the Old 438 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:32,120 Testament as clear as day. He thought he knew who God was. 439 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:34,520 He thought he knew the meaning and purpose of his life and of 440 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,120 life in general. But it wasn't until he 441 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:43,840 encountered Jesus that he realized that before Jesus, he 442 00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:47,000 was actually completely missing the boat. 443 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,080 He was blind. But it was only in the light of 444 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,480 Jesus that the scales fall off. And he realized the whole that 445 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:55,760 the whole Old Testament was actually all about Jesus. 446 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:58,640 He realized that God's actually God who doesn't want to 447 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:02,200 retaliate, He wants to redeem. He realized that who he is and 448 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:04,760 his purpose in life. And the same thing is true for 449 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,120 all of us who put our faith in Jesus. 450 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,000 I look back on your life before, if you're a Christian, before 451 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,000 you knew Jesus, you thought you knew who you wanted to be. 452 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,400 You thought you knew the meaning and purpose of your life. 453 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,560 You thought you knew what kind of marriage you wanted to have, 454 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:20,760 what kind of kids you want to raise, all this sort of stuff. 455 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,560 But now that you've put your faith in Jesus, you realize you 456 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,520 were so misled. You were just wandering around 457 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,000 in the dark. You were completely blind to 458 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,880 what life was really about. But now, in the light of Jesus, 459 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:35,920 the scales came off and you realized who you are in Christ. 460 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,880 It's your love by God. You realize your purpose and 461 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:43,160 your calling to be able to love him and to make Him known. 462 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:49,120 You realize the meaning of life. It's all about God and Jesus and 463 00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:54,480 loving other people. The scales come off only in the 464 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,120 light of Jesus. As we wrap up this sermon 465 00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:02,000 series, we think back on the last several unexpected stories 466 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,080 we've had. We started with Zacchaeus, and 467 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:09,280 then Nicodemus, and then Gyrus's daughter and Gyrus and and the 468 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:12,880 woman with the issue of blood and Thomas and now Saul. 469 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:16,640 And there's been a common thread, as Clayton pointed out 470 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:18,640 last week, that's been woven through them all. 471 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:23,160 And it's this faith is the currency of heaven. 472 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,440 If you go to the store today on your way home to get some food 473 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,440 and you go up to the register to pay and you pull out your 474 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:35,680 Mexican pesos, well, sorry, you're not going home with 475 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:39,600 anything. But if you've got cash, you can 476 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,320 get whatever you want. In fact, if you have enough, you 477 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:45,240 could probably pay and buy the whole store and nobody would ask 478 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,840 questions as much as you have of that right currency, you can 479 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:52,560 have it. And so if you're coming today 480 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:55,160 and you're saying I'm ready to start a relationship with Jesus 481 00:28:55,160 --> 00:29:00,080 Christ because you know what, I have been so good this week, I'm 482 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,520 sorry, your good works aren't the currency of heaven. 483 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,640 If you're coming to God today and you're saying, God, I really 484 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,040 want to see you work in my life and I want to know that I have 485 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,640 eternity with you because you know what, I'm a really well 486 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:14,320 respected person in my community. 487 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,760 I'm sorry to say you're not doing business with God that 488 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,400 way. But if you come today and you 489 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,760 say God, I'm not anything special. 490 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,440 But I heard today what you did with Saul, and I know then if 491 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:29,160 you can do it with him, you can do it with me. 492 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,640 And I put my faith in your son, Jesus Christ. 493 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,880 Guess what? You can do business with God. 494 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:42,960 Access to God is given by faith in His Son, and that's for 495 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:49,640 anyone. Saul, Paul later in his writings 496 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,760 talked about his life and his calling and his purpose, and he 497 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:58,200 wrote this one verse about himself that I feel like it's 498 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:00,560 kind of a mission statement for his life. 499 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:03,000 And it says this in Galatians 220. 500 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:10,600 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but 501 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:16,840 Christ lives in me the life I now live in the body. 502 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:22,400 I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave 503 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:27,960 himself for me. Saul's statement that he can 504 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:31,080 leave his old life behind and have Jesus Christ living through 505 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:34,720 him is the same thing that anybody can have written over 506 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,520 their life. If God did it for him, He can do 507 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,680 it for you. And all it takes is putting your 508 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:44,560 faith in Jesus Christ and walking with him by faith every 509 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:47,560 day of your life. We're moving to a time of 510 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:56,740 decision. To those of you who have not yet 511 00:30:56,740 --> 00:30:59,820 started an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, 512 00:30:59,820 --> 00:31:03,260 today can be the day where you cross that line. 513 00:31:04,220 --> 00:31:06,620 And God wants to do that. He is waiting. 514 00:31:06,620 --> 00:31:10,800 He is ready. And in First Timothy 116 that I 515 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:15,200 read earlier, the Bible says God says the reason that you heard 516 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:19,040 this message about Saul is to let you know the immense 517 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,640 patience he has for you. Immense patience. 518 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:26,240 That's a lot of patience. Jesus will keep calling you. 519 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:30,080 He'll keep waiting for you. He'll keep enduring all your 520 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,120 misgivings and all your doubts and all your questions and all 521 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:37,160 you're not yet. Jesus is like that parent who's 522 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:43,680 just patiently, calmly waiting for the child to settle down and 523 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:48,320 be ready to move on. Jesus is like that patient 524 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:51,240 parent who's waiting for the teenager to come home, the 525 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:53,400 rebellious teenager. He doesn't even know if he's 526 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:57,560 going to come home that night, but he's got the light on and 527 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:01,360 he's waiting up, just hoping and waiting for him to come home. 528 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:06,760 There was a time in my life when I was wrestling with this 529 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:09,960 decision about whether I wanted to put my faith in Jesus. 530 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,200 And it was back probably 30 years ago. 531 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,080 And there was this Christian song at the time that my youth 532 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:19,000 pastor used to sing, and it would go like this. 533 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:22,240 It says Jesus is here with his arms open wide. 534 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:25,480 You can see him with your heart if you'll stop looking with your 535 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:28,400 eyes. And it talks about how Jesus is 536 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,320 standing before us and he's got the crown of thorns on his head 537 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:34,960 and his the blood's just beaten down his forehead and he's got 538 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:37,880 tears in his eyes. He's got the marks on his hand 539 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:41,680 in his side and he's got, he's just standing there waiting for 540 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:43,000 you to come. And he says, I've done 541 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:44,720 everything that needs to be done. 542 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:50,560 All you got to do is come. And you know Paul, even though 543 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:54,080 he got to see Jesus or at least have that visual encounter with 544 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:56,800 him of the flash of light and hearing the audible voice, he 545 00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:01,320 still said later in Second Corinthians 47, we walk by faith 546 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:06,040 and not by sight. Jesus is here. 547 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,080 The fact of the matter, you don't have to imagine or wonder 548 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:10,600 if that's true. He's here. 549 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:13,920 He made a promise that whenever we gather in His name, He's in 550 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,240 our midst and He's standing before you and He's ready for 551 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:19,560 you to come. Will you put your faith in Him 552 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:22,400 today? But it takes movement. 553 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:26,560 Faith is something that has to be exercised or it's not faith. 554 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:30,840 Would you raise your hand today? Would you come forward today? 555 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:33,840 Would you step out and say, I'm going to do it? 556 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:35,880 I'm going to take Jesus at His word. 557 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:38,560 I'm going to trust in Him as my Lord and Savior. 558 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:42,720 You can do that today as we sing this next song, as people come 559 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:45,080 forward to pray, You can come forward, you can pray, you can 560 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:47,760 go and talk to somebody over here under the screen to learn 561 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,480 about how you can start that intimate personal relationship 562 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,480 with Jesus Christ. As we sang earlier, you can come 563 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,600 out of the grave. You can come out of the 564 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:57,040 darkness. You can come out of the 565 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:01,160 blindness and step into His glorious light and find Jesus 566 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:04,800 Christ in all the unexpected, beautiful things He wants to do 567 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:08,520 in your life. And for those of you who are 568 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:14,239 believers in Jesus Christ for us, is Christ living in your 569 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:18,040 life or have you gone back and started living your own life? 570 00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:21,320 As Paul said, it's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives 571 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,400 in me. Are there parts of your life 572 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:27,000 that you have not surrendered to Jesus today? 573 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,280 Would you fall on your knees like Saul did? 574 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:35,360 And in that moment of of falling to his knees, it was like a 575 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:37,320 moment of surrender. It's like I give up. 576 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,480 I don't stand on my own 2 feet anymore. 577 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:43,400 I put my faith in the Son of God and not faith for the first 578 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:45,920 time, but faith in those areas of your life where you're 579 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:47,960 struggling to make him Lord of your life. 580 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:51,760 Maybe it's your finances, maybe your relationships, maybe your 581 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:56,239 thought life and whatever it is, say God, take this part of my 582 00:34:56,239 --> 00:35:00,080 life today. I can't do it, but faith is the 583 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:01,840 currency of heaven. You can do it. 584 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:05,000 So I put my trust in you. God work in my life because I 585 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:08,320 want you to shine through me to the world around me. 586 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:13,240 Would you stand and pray? Jesus, you are an incredible God 587 00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:15,120 and you are alive and we love you. 588 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:18,560 Father, thank you for sending your own Son, Thank you for 589 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,080 loving us so much, and thank you, Holy Spirit, that you are 590 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:23,600 here with us right now. And I pray that you would have 591 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:25,560 your way in each of our hearts and lives. 592 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:29,160 Father, through your Spirit that we would respond and that you 593 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:32,640 would be glorified and lifted up so that people can come to know 594 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,480 Jesus Christ as Lord and his Savior. 595 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:36,320 Amen.