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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist
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message from God's Word will be a blessing to you.
Acts chapter 3 in the word of God, this.
Morning would you turn there Acts and chapter #3 it was a
couple weeks ago we were at the end of second Peter and we saw
that every single one of us were to grow right we saw that we.
Were to grow in grace, we were to grow in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus. Christ and we also saw.
That we were to grow. In giving him glory and.
We all agreed, I believe. That that was what?
We were to do with our lives and then last.
Week I asked you the question that that nosy.
Question that only a pastor would ask you, right?
And that was this. Well, so did you grow?
Sure. We preached about it and we
talked about it and we all agreed that it is in the word.
Of God. But the question is, did we
actually do what the Bible? Told us to do and so I hope that
over the last. Week you reflected upon that and
that it wasn't just the fact that growth is about just
getting tough or looking deep within yourself to be able to
find the way to be able to grow, but it's really if there's the
answer. Within you it's not.
Certainly within your own flesh. But the answer for the believer
is this the Holy Spirit who? Lives inside of you, he.
Is the one that. Empowers you.
He is the mechanism in which we are to be able to grow.
Listen, you want to grow on your own apart from the Holy Spirit.
That's a fool's errand. And so we looked at that over
the last couple weeks. But I would also like to ask you
another question here this morning.
In the same. Vein, as we continue to look at
Peter and we continue to look at his growth that it wasn't just
something that he talked about. But it was something that.
He lived out in his life in the book of Acts.
And as we look at this issue of growth, maybe we need to ask
ourselves this question this morning.
Do. You realize that someone is
depending upon you to grow. See maybe you think this issue.
Of growth is intimately. Personal.
And in a way it is because only you can grow in your own life.
Someone else cannot force you to grow.
I cannot come over to your house, say, Come on, man.
Grow, grow, grow, you'd say. Go, go, go, go.
Home. We don't want you here, pastor.
All right, I can't make you grow in and of myself.
Listen, that is an intimately personal decision that only.
You can make. And that the Holy Spirit can
help you with. But I will tell you this.
This morning that. God has people in your life that
are expecting you grow. God has people in your life that
need you to grow. So perhaps over the last couple
weeks you've thought, well, I haven't grown and I maybe don't
have a desire to grow. And I would submit to you this
morning that if that is the case, then there are people that
God is counting upon you to be able to reach and to help and to
lead and to serve, and the guide who have been neglected.
You know this isn't just about you, it's about the.
People that God has placed. In your life to be able to help.
To grow. Romans 14, seven says None of us
live unto ourselves. And none of us die unto
ourselves. Meaning this if you think life
is a solo mission, it's not that God has placed you in this.
Life to be able to. Be a help and a.
Blessing to others and they're counting on you to grow.
Would you stand? Pleased for the reading God's
Word in Acts chapter 3 this morning Acts chapter 3 will
begin in verse #1 and it says now John and Peter or well
Peter. And John went up.
Together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the 9th
hour. And a certain man lame from his
mother's womb was carried, whom they lay daily at the gate of
the temple, which is called beautiful, to ask alms of them
that entered into the temple. Who's seeing Peter and John
about to go into the temple? Asked.
And alms. You know, talking about alms,
meaning he he wanted some money and Peter fastening his eyes
upon him with John said, look on us.
And he gave heed unto him, expecting to receive something
of him. And Peter said silver and gold
have I none? But such as I have, I give thee.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk, and
took him by the right hand and lifted him up.
And immediately his feet and ankle bones receive strength.
And he, leaping up, stood and walked, and entered with them
into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.
And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and
they knew that it was he which sat at Homs, at the beautiful
gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and
amazement. At that which had happened unto
him, and as the lame. Man, which was healed, held
Peter and John. All the people ran together.
Under them, in the porch that is called Solomon's greatly
wondering, a man, thought he. Was going to get a little bit of
money. But he got something a whole lot
better. He got healing through Jesus
Christ. And so we're look at that this
morning and the Ministry of. Peter and John to this.
Man, and a message I've. Entitled.
Somebody is counting on you to grow.
Would you be? Seated and let's pray together.
This morning. Heavenly Father, I do thank you
for. This morning and the people.
Who are here where I thank you for?
Our guests and visitors and returning guests and visitors,
Lord, we thank you for them all. We certainly don't take for
granted that there would be people that would take out of
their day to be able to come to not just any church, but to this
church to be able to hear Your word.
And so, Lord, we thank you humbly for that.
But I pray that as I give the word of God this morning,
they'll be given rightly, Lord, they'll be given clearly.
And most importantly, if there's someone here again who needs to
be saved, that they would. Understand the life changing.
Message of Jesus from this passage.
And we do ask it all this morning in Jesus name, Amen.
Life really doesn't end its salvation, it just begins.
The day you get saved, you become a servant of God.
And life changes for you completely.
It was Jim Berg and his book Change into his Image, which I
would. Encourage you to read if you've
never. Read it before Jim Berg.
Said this, our Lord did not come to this planet, live a perfect
life and become a worthy atonement for the sins of the
world, so that those who became as children could merely be well
adjusted, live morally upright lives, and enjoy personal
happiness and success. He died to redeem us from the
penalty and power of a sinful heart that keeps us from being
useful. Servants to the living God.
I like that you were saved to serve.
You were saved to be able to minister the gospel ministry to
others who are around you. And Peter is starting to.
Realize that now, isn't he? The man who around 40 days or so
ago, this is after Pentecost. But we know that somewhere
during the ascension, before the ascension of Jesus Christ, that
Peter decided to quit. He decided to go fishing, but
yet that he was told and admonished by Jesus to get back
in and to be. Able to.
Love the sheep and more than he loved the fish.
And so he did so and he took leadership in Acts chapter 1 and
then Acts chapter 2, the promise of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
And what happened? Peter wasn't just talking and
putting his foot in his mouth anymore.
Peter is talking and preaching with boldness that can only be
attributed to a man who is allowing the Holy Spirit to work
in his life. And we saw that at the end of
Acts chapter 2 that 3000 people got saved.
Imagine the parking problems they would have had compared to
what we have here at Liberty Baptist Church.
Amen. 3000 people got saved that day and were added to the church
and they continued in the apostles doctrine and prayers
and everything was going and everything was great.
But then we start chapter #3 and Peter and John are together.
Now, I don't want to take too long to dwell on this, but
listen, Peter and John were together.
Remember we looked at a few weeks ago the fact that Peter
and John didn't really get along very well in days before, and
they were like oil and water. And even though they've been
together for three years in the ministry of Jesus, they didn't
get along well. But now they are here and
they're in harmony. And that's what the power of the
Holy Spirit can do when people are willing to listen to the
Holy Spirit in their lives. And now there are two men who
come from two different ways of thinking, but they realize,
listen, we got the same way of thinking in Jesus Christ.
We need to be able to work together.
And here they are. And they're going to the temple,
by the way, not during the hours sacrifice, because the hour of
sacrifice held, no. Hold on them anymore.
Now they're coming during the hour of prayer.
This is what they are coming. And as they are going, they're
going through what is called the beautiful gate and reading a
little bit of the history of the beautiful gate from Josephus,
who was a Jewish historian. It was said that that beautiful
gate, also sometimes called the Corinthian gate, was covered
with Corinthian brass, not Corinthian leather, but
Corinthian brass with silver and gold.
It was located in the east side of the temple, and Josephus said
that it was more beautiful and it was more opulent than any of
the other gates. So it was literally called the
beautiful gate because of how ornate it was.
And many people would have been drawn through that gate because
of its beauty. But bringing those people
through that gate also meant that there were.
Men who wanted ohms. Men who needed.
Money. And they realized, well, if I
could, maybe. Talk to people, if I could maybe
ask people for money as they're going through this gate and they
have maybe a. Little bit of a religious
feeling within their bosom. During this time, because
they're about to go in and worship the Lord and maybe have
coming out from worshiping the Lord and maybe perhaps we can we
can talk to them during this time and receive a little bit of
money. And the Bible says there was a
lame man. There was a man that was born
without being able to walk and that for some great period of
time people had picked him up and had dropped him off at this
gate. And at the end of the day they
would pick him up and take him back home.
And this had happened over and over and over again.
For how long? Well, I don't know exactly how
long the Bible doesn't tell us, but it was long enough that
people knew who he was. So we're not talking about
something that just happened a week or two weeks.
I would I would dare say by what we see here in the text that it
probably been many years that this man had gone through the
same routine that someone had picked him up.
They had taken him to the temple, they set him down the
beautiful gate. He asked for money.
At the end of the day, they picked him up, they took him
home. And he had a reputation as one
of them who would sit there at the gate.
So Peter and John are going through this beautiful gate and
as they do, he asked for alms just like he did on every other
day to every other man and woman that would have walked through
that gate. And as they do so, Peter and I
believe as he listens to the Holy Spirit within him, no, not
an audible voice, but the urge of the Holy Spirit saying to to
Peter at that time that he is to address this man, but he's not
to address him with silver and gold.
You know how I know he was a Baptist preacher?
Because he says this silver and gold.
Have I none silver and gold Have I none?
And he he says, he says look at me and the man is excited.
He says hey I'm I finally got someone's.
Attention. Listen, you know.
From. People who have asked.
For money in the past. Often times they're they're
gays, a virtue. They don't want to look you in
the eye. They're already expecting that
someone's going to say no. And here's this man.
He I imagine his expectations. Already this nobody's giving me
any money, nobody's going to help me and.
Peter says hey, pay attention. And he gets excited.
He says. Silver and gold have I none, And
I imagine in that one moment that man goes, Oh well, what
else can you help me with? My need is silver and my need is
gold. But Peter, through the Holy
Spirit, realized his need was a whole lot greater than silver
and gold, that he had something to offer that couldn't.
Be offered any other way? By any other person.
And he said this in the name of Jesus.
Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk now we.
Kind of take for. Granted the miracles that take
place in the gospels, but do you realize for Peter this is a
first for Peter? This is something that he.
Has not done in the past and he's.
Trusting the Lord that this is what is supposed.
To be done and what happens? Well, the Bible makes it clear
this man gets up and boy, what a scene it was.
In fact, it doesn't just say that he got up.
It says in verse 8 and he leaping stood up.
But by the way, when Jesus heals, it's not like the faith
healers, you see that the snake oil salesman that you find it
and say, well, eventually I'm going to feel better.
I got healed but in probably about a month I'm going to get a
little bit. Better here.
No, He. Got healed and what happened?
He jumped up and he jumps up and he's, I mentioned he's crying
and he's grabbing Peter and he's grabbing John.
A man, listen, who had never walked in his life.
This wasn't a man who had gone through an accident or an
incident and lost the use of his legs.
And certainly that would have been tragic enough.
But there's a man who didn't even know what it was to walk,
who never experienced to be able to actually use his feet and his
leg bones in his entire life. And all of a sudden the strength
is given to him in a moment and he's jumping and he's leaping
and he's glorifying God. And what happens?
All those people that are going in the temple, they don't care
about the temple anymore. What are they doing?
They're gathering around Peter and they're gathering around
John and they want to know exactly it was what happened?
How did this happen? What's going on?
This, this is incredible. We know this man, we've seen
this man. He's never gotten up before.
He's never stood up. All he ever does is ask for
money. And here he is.
He's restored and he's with Peter and he's with John.
And we remember those guys from Pentecost and what's going on
what, what exactly is happening here.
And Peter again filled with the Holy Spirit, What does he do?
He used the opportunity to give glory to God, and he uses an
opportunity to preach. The Gospel.
Look at verse #12 He says this. And when Peter saw it.
He answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at
this, or why you look ye so earnestly on us, as though by
our own power or holiness we made this man to walk.
Peter says, listen, if you thought there was anything
within me. He says, If you only knew who I
am, If you only knew what my back story was, There's nothing
within me that could cause this. This man who was lame on his
feet to be able to walk. It's not about my holiness and
it's not about my power. Go down to verse #16 And he said
And his name through faith in his name hath made this man
strong who ye see and know. Yeah, the faith which is by.
Him hath given him this. Perfect soundness and presence
of you all. What does he say?
He says, listen, it's not because of me, it's because
Jesus. It's not because of me.
It's because faith in his name. And listen, it was because of
faith in the name of Jesus Christ that this man was
physically healed. But I also want to say this to
you this morning and listen to me.
It's also by faith in Jesus Christ that someone is not
necessarily physically healed, but a more important healing
than a physical healing is a spiritual healing.
And only Jesus Christ can save a soul.
Only faith in Jesus Christ can save someone to take them from
death unto life. As we looked at Mephibosheth
last week on Sunday night, how this man, Mephibosheth was lame
on his feet. He had nothing, he could do
nothing, he owned nothing. But all of a sudden the King
came by and he had everything. Why?
Because of what the King could do for him.
And the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, King Jesus is the
one that can bring healing into your life.
Oh sure, physical healing, but we're not really talking about
that. What we're talking about,
something far more important, is we're talking about a spiritual
healing that you can pass from death unto life.
When you trust in Jesus. Christ your Savior.
If you don't know Jesus Christ your Savior, if you've never had
a time and a place where you realize that you were a Sinner
and only Christ could save you, you need to call upon Him today.
You know. This is what you need to do.
There is no other priority. There is no other step that you
need to take. The Gospels be extended to you.
It's been purchased. Your salvation has been
purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
What you need to do is call upon Him.
Not upon the sacraments, not upon your works, not upon the
money that you give, not upon church membership, not upon any
of the things that you can do. Because listen, if you could
save yourself, Jesus Christ didn't need to come.
If you could save yourself, Jesus Christ didn't need to die
on that cross. No, no, what you need is what
only Jesus Christ can offer. He is the door.
He is the one that can give you life and give you life more
abundantly. So you're going to call upon
him. And this is good stuff, don't
you? It's just crazy when people say
the Bible is. Boring.
It's. Like, I don't think you read the
Bible if you think the Bible is boring because this is exciting.
And Peter, a man who was a failure a few weeks ago, has a
crowd come up and he says this. You know how to do?
How to preach to him? Like, I don't want to get over
the fact that this is the same Peter that was cursing a few
weeks ago. I don't know him.
And now he's saying. Hey, Jesus Christ.
You don't know him, but you need to know him.
Find out that his preaching was so bold and we'll.
By God's grace, look. At this later, his preaching was
so bold that he and John ended up getting arrested and he got
out and you know what he said? Well, we'd listen to you, but we
got to listen to Jesus first. So we're going to keep
preaching. Who is this guy?
It's a guy who grew. A man who?
The Holy Spirit. Had done a work in his life.
This was an incredible day and one that the spirit moved within
Peter to see healings of both a physical and of a spiritual
nature. But you remember.
What I said a few minutes ago that someone is counting on you
to grow. You might wonder.
Well, OK. Pastor, I see, but where do you
get that from This text that we were reading like I, Pastor, I
agree with. Everything you just said, it's
all right. Here, but I don't understand why
the thrust of the messages someone is counting on you to
grow, because I don't know that I saw that necessarily well.
Let me remind you a couple things go back to verse #2 it
says in a certain man lame from his mother's.
Womb was. Carried, whom they laid daily at
the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful to ask alms of.
Them that entered into the temple now drop.
Down to verse #10 and they knew that it was that let's try that
again I'm. Sorry.
And they knew that it was. He which had sat for.
Alms at the beautiful gate of the temple, and they were filled
with wonderful or with. Wonder and amazement.
At that which had happened unto him.
Seems to be that there's no doubt that this was a man that
was fairly well known. This man was only well known
because of the passage of time. He had been.
Laid at the gate, but by the way, not.
Just at different. Gates.
He was laid at the same gate. Every day for an extended period
of time. So something I it's just, I kept
coming back to this this week. During my study and I kept I
kept thinking about this and it really it's what I want to focus
on for the next few moments if we have the time by.
God's grace, it's this. If this man.
Had been sitting at the gate of the temple for an extremely long
time. You know this man had.
Been there. Always asking for money.
Always needing a healing. And he just got healed on this
day. But he'd been there for a very,
very long time. Why hadn't?
Jesus healed him already. I mean, seems to me that Jesus
spent quite a bit of time in the temple.
I have no doubt that Jesus. Would have passed by this man
many times I mean I don't think there's any doubt that we can
surmise that Jesus would have passed by this man gone through
the gate beautiful to go in and out of the temple that as he
done so that this man who had been there for a very long.
Time would have been there. And while Jesus may have
acknowledged. Him while Jesus may have.
Talked to them, it's never found in the word of God and we do
though this. Jesus had never healed him.
So why Peter and not Jesus? Why for three possible?
Years did Jesus pass by him here and there every time he was in
Jerusalem. But Peter, on this day, is the
one that brings. Healing to him.
Now I can't. Always say that.
I mean, can any of us really say we know the mind of the Lord?
I'll say this. If you say you always know the
mind of the Lord, then. We got some.
Questions for you, because none of us can discern the mind of
the Lord unless the mind of the Lord's already preserved for us
within the Word of God. He gives us His mind in 66
books, doesn't he? And so we're thankful to be able
to have that. And there's some things we can
surmise. From what we see here.
But we do know this. God is sovereign and nothing.
Escapes him. Here's what I mean.
Jesus. Didn't.
Just go past him and say you know what I've been meaning?
To heal him. And I forgot.
You know what, Peter? You take care of it for me.
I can't believe I forgot about that.
Say, Pastor, you're being sarcastic.
No. OK, that would be really
sarcastic, you know. God's sovereign nothing that
happened. In Job's life came as a surprise
to God Job chapter one Job chapter 2 God was intimately
acquainted with every difficulty that came in job's life.
None of it caught in my surprise.
And I'm not suggesting here that there's anything that took place
that got Jesus by surprise or that Jesus was neglectful or
anything like that. In fact, I think we could
surmise knowing what we know about God, knowing what we know
about his omnipotence, knowing what we know.
About his omniscience. Knowing what we know about his
character, about his love. And his compassion.
I think we can surmise that that because we know that nothing
escapes him. There's no doubt in my mind that
Jesus hadn't done a work in this man's life specifically because
he left the work for. Peter to do.
Amen. That he left this man for some
period of time because he knew someday that it would be the job
of Peter to walk by and to be able to see his ministry expand,
to see his ministry grow, to see his faith and trust grow in God
as he understood in this moment that, wow, the Lord will use me
in ways that I never even thought possible.
And So what do I see from this? That listen, God doesn't need.
Us to fulfill his work. Before we get too.
Far down this road here. God doesn't need you and he
doesn't need me. We can get a little bit too high
on our horse, can't we? In the sense that, well, I'm a
preacher of the Word of God. The Lord needs me.
Listen, that's about. The time when the Lord says hey.
You're done, the Lord. Needs me.
He doesn't need me for anything. I caused him more grief than
help. The Lord needs me.
The Lord needs you. He don't need any of us.
He chooses to use us. And in many ways that's even
more wonderful that God has chosen to use you and God has
chosen to use me. He doesn't need us to.
Proclaim His name, but He chooses us to proclaim his name.
He doesn't need us to. Lead.
But He chooses us to lead. He doesn't need us to fulfill
the obligations of life, but He chooses us to be able to do so.
Why? Because of His great love, He's
left some obligations. For us, not because he's.
Neglectful, but because he wants to continue to see us grow, and
someone's counting on you to grow.
There's some people that God has left behind for you to be able
to be a blessing to. And if you don't grow, you can't
be the person you need to be for those people that He has called
you to be for. Listen, I'm not saying this.
Man would never have gotten. Healed if Peter went a fishing
because the Lord can work things out however he wants.
It's not like Peter could have stymied the plans of God.
You know, but God says, all right, this is for Peter, and
Peter goes to fishing and he never comes.
Back and God says now what am I going to do?
Like the old saying says, has it ever occurred to you?
That nothing's ever occurred to God like.
Nothing ever just came to his mind.
Whoa, I didn't see that possibility.
He knows it all. He's seen it all.
The end from the. Beginning.
But God had planned for Peter and John to be the ones to grow
enough to be able to minister this man.
And it couldn't happen while they were fishing and it
couldn't happen while they were trying to do things with their
own power. What I'm saying is there were
people that were counting on them to grow.
There's going to be people in Samaria that Peter's got to
preach to. They're going to count on him to
grow. There's Gentiles who are going
to be outside of the household of the faith until Peter
receives a vision from the Lord that says don't call unclean
that, which I have cleansed talking of the Gentiles.
And what does Peter do? He goes and preaches the gospel
to him. He basically opens up the
gospel, if you will, humanly speaking, to the Samaritans and
to the Gentiles. He goes on and there's a pillar
of the church, as Paul calls him.
He goes on and defends the Gentiles salvation.
In Acts chapter #15 when there were those Judaizers who tried
to say, well, they can't get saved unless they follow the
law. And Peter says this, you don't
understand the gospel does. Peter can't do these things
unless he grows. He can't be the person who God
has called him to be unless there is growth in his life.
But but really, this message isn't about Peter because he's
gone. I'm looking forward to meeting
him someday. I'll tell you got a lot of.
Questions for him can't wait to meet him, but his message is
about Peter. This message is about you.
It's about me. And the question is this, do you
realize that God has put people in your life to be able to
minister to? And if you don't grow, you won't
be able to be the person he's called you to be.
You know, he could use the angels to proclaim the gospel to
your neighbors, but what has he done?
He's left them for you to minister to.
He's called you to be able to do that job.
He he could write an interoffice.
Memo at your work saying. Hey everyone who's a believer,
let's have a Bible. Study together, but he's called
you to be salt and light in your workplace and to be able to
maybe read the Bible with people who are there.
Witness your faith as you can in your workplace.
You know he's he's left that job for you to do.
You know, would it be great if a new believer got saved and the
Lord just uploaded all the information they.
Need right in their brain. He doesn't do that, does he?
Oh. No, you're a new creature.
You pass. From death to life.
But there's still a lot about the Christian life you don't
know. And God has ordained.
The method of growth for a new believers being in the word but
also that in the church that the elder teach the younger and if
you don't grow enough and you can't teach the younger.
And again, that's not necessarily.
Elder and younger in age, but in Christ.
And if you can't do that, listen, there are people that
God has left for you, for you to be able to minister to within
the church, and you can't do that.
Well, that's the pastor's job. You think I can?
Minister to everybody adequately.
Within this church, do you? Think I should minister to
everyone adequately in this church?
I only have one life experience. You have your life experience
that God's brought you through and there's people that he wants
you to help. But what if you don't grow
enough? Then you just come to church.
You come and you go and you come and you go and you miss what God
has for you, which is to be a blessing to someone who's
younger in Christ. Hey fellas, if you got a wife,
God's called you to minister to her.
He's called you to minister to her.
He's told you in in Ephesians chapter 5 to love her as Christ
loved the church. Listen, you are to show Christ.
To her. That's a tall order, isn't it?
God's left you with that responsibility and if you don't
grow, you will not be able to fill that responsibility because
you can't do that on your own. You can't do it on your own
husband and wife with children to be able to raise them in the
nurture and the admission of the Lord.
Listen, you got to grow so that you can pass on the faith to
your children. You've got to grow so you can
pass on the faith to your grandchildren.
Listen, how will you pass on the word of God if you don't read it
for yourself? How can you pass on a love for
church if you're not in the House of God for yourself?
You know, God has left you with this responsibility and it
requires your growth. Hey, he's left us a whole town
to be able to minister, to say things are dark out there.
I know. And he's left these people for
us. Why?
So we could show them Jesus Christ.
Could he just write it in the clouds?
Sure, he could, but he's chosen us to be his ambassadors.
He's chosen us to be the ones to be able to go and share the good
news of Jesus Christ. There's people he's left for us
to help. You say, Pastor, I don't feel
very capable of that. Well, maybe you could say
something like this. Well, silver and gold have I
none. But such as I have, I give you
basically saying, Lord, I'm not much.
But you already knew that, didn't you?
That's why you gave me the Holy Spirit to grow.
And I'm going to grow because my family's counting on me.
I'm going to grow because my spouse is counting on me.
I'm going to grow because my kids are counting on me.
I'm going to grow because my grandchildren are counting on me
I'm a grow because my church is counting on me.
I'm a grow because my. Neighborhood, my office, my
friends, my, my peers, the kids in my school, they're all
counting on me. And so I have to grow it.
If I don't grow, I don't live unto myself and I don't die into
myself. No, no, this isn't just about
me. He's left me here not because he
needs me, but he's left these people for me.
Not because he's forgotten about them, but he's left them
because. They're my mechanism of growth.
As they are to grow at the same time.
And if you forget what will happen?
And this is really where the issue comes down for us this
morning, Really, only a strong man can help a lame man.
A weak Peter can't help this man.
A weak John cannot help this man.
Why do we need to grow? Because as we grow stronger in
the Lord, we're able to help those in desperate situations,
and we're able to help those that God has called us to lead
in the 1st place. 2nd Corinthians 518 All things are
of God, who hath. Reconciled us to himself.
By Jesus Christ hath given us, listen, the ministry of
reconciliation, John 1020 or John 2021.
And Jesus said to them, Peace be unto you, as my Father has sent
me, Even so send I you. He's commissioned us.
He's called us to go out and he's left people for us, not
because he forgot about them, but because he loves them so
much and he loves us so much. He wants to grow to reach those
people and that's why we have to get stronger.
Peyton, my daughter, many of you know her as if I take for
granted. There's a few of you that are
new that may not know all of my family yet, but believe it or
not, we have an older daughter that doesn't even live here
anymore. She's married, but Peyton comes
up to me and this is kind of a little child thing because I
feel like our older girls did this too.
But she has a water bottle because, you know, the water
bottles are the thing nowadays, isn't it?
It's it's kind of a cult. I mean, let's be honest, the
water bottle people and the pickleball people, they really
annoy me. All right, But OK, that's an
exaggeration. But.
Peyton has a water bottle, you know, keeps her water cold and
all that, and that means we don't.
Buy a bunch of these bottles so it's really good but but she
has. This water bottle and.
She'll come up to me almost every morning and say.
Dad, I don't know why she has to.
Make the noise too, because she's not moving anything.
I don't know why she's moving. I can't open it as a baby.
Daddy's not going to open it for you.
What a what? A jerky 1.
And I'm only admitting this in front of you.
Actually, I don't know why I'm admitting in front of you.
No, no, there's a reason why. I know she can open it.
She just doesn't want to. Say listen, stop making.
That noise and open the bottle and then it says.
Oh, I did it. Wow.
You know, you know why I forced her to do it.
I want to grow stronger. She needs to grow stronger.
Could you imagine her being in her 20s and going?
It's like, it's like I got to get.
Married. I got to find a man, open my
water bottle. Like, no, OK, that's not good.
That's not good. These things ought not to be.
You know what I'm saying? Because I want her to grow.
I put her in situations to strengthen her.
If she does not grow, then someone else is going to have to
do the work for her. Now, I want you to listen
carefully. I want you to look right into my
beady eyes right now, OK? Because we're close to being
done. If you don't raise your children
in the nurture, the admonition of the Lord, if you're not
strong enough to be able to do that, at least growing, someone
else will. This world wants to raise your
children and they want to raise your grandchildren.
So what do you do? You need to grow enough so that
you could listen. I don't.
I never said you were to be perfect.
You just need to be growing and grow because if you don't raise
them, the public school system will.
Entertainment will. The music industry will all the
people you don't want downloading into your child's
mind. What do you do?
If you don't do it, someone else will.
Spiritually speaking, if you don't grow, who will reach your
spouse on if they need to get saved?
If they don't see you growing spiritually an unsaved spouse,
well, how are they going to come to Christ?
Now listen, I'm not, I'm not saying that you are the one to
be blamed. They have to make that decision.
But we do know that the Bible also says we have a
responsibility to be the watchman, to be the proclaimer
of the word of God. You say, well, pastor, you can
do it for me. Listen, they'll never listen to
me if they don't see it in you. You got to grow.
Who if? You don't win your family.
Who will if we don't reach our town?
Who will if we don't reach our neighbors?
Who will if you don't offer encouragement?
Who? Will if you don't help.
Reconcile your loved ones. Who will?
Over and over. The question is who will do it
if we don't? Because he's left these people
for us to minister to. Not because he's forgotten about
him. No, because he wants you to be
able to be the one so it can be in your process of growth.
He said, well, if I don't grow, it's just up.
Look at this pastor. It's a personal decision.
It may be a personal decision, but don't think the
ramifications. Just extend to your life and
your life alone, because it will extend far greater than you
could ever imagine. Here's Joseph.
Bad things happen in his life, but he grows.
What happens? He ends up saving his family.
Here's Daniel. Bad things happen in his life.
He's stolen from his homeland. He's made a eunuch.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
I get every reason to tap out and say I don't want to follow
God. God used him to save a nation.
Here's Ruth in the same situation, taken by force.
What happens? She grows.
And what saves? No, we're not living to
ourselves and we're not dying to ourselves.
God needs you to grow, so He needs me to.
He needs you to because He ordained you to, not because he
needs you because he's incapable.
He needs you to because he's already chosen you to do it.
I read a book a few maybe a year or two ago on the the Johnstown
or Jonestown or Johnstown flood in Pennsylvania is a David
McCullough book. It's like the very first book
that David McCullough wrote and it sounded like a great book to
read. But you know, when you realize a
600 page book about a flood, that's like, I haven't read that
much about the flood in the Bible.
You know, I don't know that I want to read that much about
this flood that happened, but it was a tragedy.
Over 2000 people died. And the reason that happened was
because there was a dam that was created that was supposed to
have been strengthened. It was made, it was created.
It was supposed to have been strengthened and made stronger
over the years because it was earthen and there was other
parts of it that were supposed to have been.
Enhanced and made better. And also to be cleaned and to
make sure that everything would would end up being, you know, if
there's a spillways, the water need to go over that the
spillways would be clear. And all those things every.
Possible safety precaution was neglected and everybody thought,
well, it'll take care of itself. And what happened was a
catastrophic rainstorm took place that overwhelmed the dam,
went through the valley and ended up causing such horrific
damage. As I mentioned, almost 2000
people died. It was a miracle for those who
even lived. And in the middle of the flood
was a great fire that took place.
And if fire and water all together?
An amazing mixture of catastrophe almost unseen in our
history as a nation. It all came.
Down to a few people that said, you know what, I think things
are fine the way they are. I will say.
This and I will be done. You don't know the effects
downstream if you refuse to grow.
You don't know the effects downstream, but I will tell you
this. They will be catastrophic.
God has called you to grow, and in His love and in His mercy,
He's given you everything you need to grow with the Holy
Spirit inside and the Word of God.
He wants you to grow. He'll help you to grow.
There's other people that need you to grow.
So I'll ask for the third time in three weeks, will you grow
this week? Thank you for listening to the
sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church.
If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we
can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at
info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday
at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA.
May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.