WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.180 I'm going to invite you to Acts chapter nine this morning. 00:00:03.260 --> 00:00:07.820 Acts chapter nine is a passage we're going to be looking at together as we're going through the book of Acts. 00:00:07.880 --> 00:00:15.240 And we're at a pinnacle moment in the story of Acts, which deals with the conversion of the apostle Paul, which I think becomes the most influential 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:17.310 figure in all of church history. 00:00:17.680 --> 00:00:20.790 And we get to learn what took place as it relates to his conversion. 00:00:21.380 --> 00:00:25.980 And as we talk about this, I don't know why I'm on that page, but give me control. 00:00:26.400 --> 00:00:26.850 There we go. 00:00:27.220 --> 00:00:33.350 As we look at this together one of the things I want us to focus on is one, in dealing with the conversion of Paul. 00:00:33.400 --> 00:00:37.540 It's good to read what happened in his story, but also make it personal to our own lives. 00:00:37.540 --> 00:00:41.000 And just saying this, I hope we all have a conversion story. 00:00:41.900 --> 00:00:49.160 I hope we all have a moment in our life where we can look back and say, this is this is what it took for me to come to that moment 00:00:49.160 --> 00:00:56.220 where I made a decision about Jesus and where I would lay my hope in life and to understand the beauty of what Christ has 00:00:56.220 --> 00:01:03.300 done for us, the way that he's given his life, so that we can find freedom in him, that Jesus paid for our sins at the cross so 00:01:03.300 --> 00:01:05.840 that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God. 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:09.280 He's God's done something for us that no religion could ever do. 00:01:09.340 --> 00:01:12.900 That no matter how much you try to dull yourself up in religion. 00:01:13.220 --> 00:01:16.420 What we discover is religion really leads to two paths in life. 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:18.220 It leads to pride or despair. 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:25.760 It'll lead us in pride and thinking that we are everything that we, we build ourselves up to be, and that we're better than others because we're 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:27.780 able to perform better than other people can. 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:33.480 So we can lead us to this path of pride, or it leads us to this place of despair and saying, I can never measure up. 00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:40.940 But that's the beauty of the gospel, is that it's not about religion, but relationship with the Lord and understanding what Christ has done for us and pursuing 00:01:40.940 --> 00:01:47.320 us with relationship in him so that we can be forgiven and given a new name and new identity in Christ. 00:01:47.380 --> 00:01:54.500 Discovering the purpose for which we were created as we're discovered in Jesus, because Christ made us in his image and he remakes us at 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:55.170 the cross. 00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:59.930 And so I hope we all have a conversion story, a place where we he trusted in the Lord. 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:07.980 But also, I hope we understand that the Christian faith is more than a conversion story, meaning that your conversion 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:11.860 leads you to something glorious in a relationship with God. 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:19.200 And as you think about what your faith journey is entails, we're going to see how that unfolds with the Apostle 00:02:19.200 --> 00:02:23.520 Paul in recognizing God created me for more than just a conversion story. 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:30.260 And sometimes, sometimes we have this way of looking at moments in life as if they're in an end, in and of themselves. 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:35.470 When God really uses certain things for a springboard to something greater. 00:02:35.640 --> 00:02:43.100 What I mean by that is sometimes as a as a minister, when I perform weddings, I like to remind the couple that all of this work doesn't 00:02:43.100 --> 00:02:46.320 come to the point where now you hit the wedding and everything's finished, right? 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:50.700 That the marriage is the beginning of the beautiful journey that God desires to create. 00:02:50.880 --> 00:02:55.530 Or sometimes when we do baptisms here at the church when people are baptized. 00:02:55.660 --> 00:02:59.840 I'd like to remind people that baptism is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of something beautiful. 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:04.460 God's doing in you as you're declaring your faith in him before other believers in Christ. 00:03:04.540 --> 00:03:07.470 And the same thing with conversion or coming to Jesus. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:12.260 It's wonderful when that happens in the life of people when we rejoice over that. 00:03:12.380 --> 00:03:17.910 But that begins the beautiful story of learning what it means to walk with Jesus every day. 00:03:18.160 --> 00:03:24.480 The idea of that relationship with Christ made known in your heart and through your life. 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:28.450 And so God has created us for more than just simply conversion. 00:03:28.460 --> 00:03:35.560 But to see how that conversion story unfolds in an incredible way, and that's what we're going to talk about today, is we're going to look at the Apostle Paul's life 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:42.320 and see how this saved sinner goes to a servant sent for the cause of Christ. 00:03:42.380 --> 00:03:49.400 And we're going to discover practical lessons that we learn in this conversion story of the apostle Paul. 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:52.420 And we're kind of going to do it today as a record, meaning. 00:03:52.420 --> 00:03:59.460 Normally when I share a message with you guys, I like to just three four points at most, and I don't even expect anyone's 00:03:59.600 --> 00:04:01.680 ever going to remember 3 or 4 points. 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:08.960 My hope and prayer every Sunday is that God just stirs our heart in a way that we just take a nugget of truth that God wants to continue to use to transform 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:10.620 our life as we follow him. 00:04:10.760 --> 00:04:12.140 But today, we're setting a record. 00:04:12.140 --> 00:04:13.440 We're going to talk about eight points. 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:15.310 I have never done that before. 00:04:15.740 --> 00:04:17.540 But look at this conversion story. 00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:20.029 I thought to myself, man, I don't want to eliminate some of these things. 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:21.620 Like, normally I whittle down a message. 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:23.560 I'm like, nope, I'm leaving it all in. 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:24.600 It's after Thanksgiving. 00:04:25.140 --> 00:04:29.100 We'll probably have a low crowd, which we don't, but I don't know. 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:30.800 Well, who knows what's going to happen, right? 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:32.980 So I gotta share this quickly with you. 00:04:33.080 --> 00:04:37.400 But this is one of the most powerful stories in the history of the church and what God can do. 00:04:37.500 --> 00:04:44.500 But here's the incredible thing is, like, while we might read this as a story in the Bible, we know God continues to do his miraculous work in our 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:45.450 hearts and lives today. 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:51.600 So when a life is given over to the Lord completely, God does powerful things through his people. 00:04:51.660 --> 00:04:52.620 Surrender to him. 00:04:52.660 --> 00:04:54.480 So this story is important for us. 00:04:54.480 --> 00:04:54.680 So? 00:04:54.780 --> 00:04:55.380 So what? 00:04:55.400 --> 00:04:58.650 What can we learn about the Apostle Paul's conversion? 00:04:58.940 --> 00:05:00.480 Well, number one is this in your notes? 00:05:01.280 --> 00:05:04.460 God's plan for my life is bigger than my conversion. 00:05:04.840 --> 00:05:06.500 And we already talked about this together. 00:05:06.520 --> 00:05:08.460 But God's plan for my life is bigger than my conversion. 00:05:09.640 --> 00:05:12.000 And in Acts chapter nine, it starts off that way. 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:19.140 In verse 15 when the Lord said, he's talking to Ananias here, who was an instrument God uses in leading the 00:05:19.140 --> 00:05:20.320 apostle Paul to Christ. 00:05:20.380 --> 00:05:23.960 But he says, but the Lord said to Ananias, go. 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:31.050 For Paul is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. 00:05:31.900 --> 00:05:39.120 And so while God's interest is in the Apostle Paul's heart before him, God's interest is also bigger than 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:40.180 the apostle Paul. 00:05:40.880 --> 00:05:42.890 And guys, it's the same for you and for me. 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:48.260 I love this God's saying, look, not only do I want him to know me, but there's incredible plans for his future. 00:05:48.260 --> 00:05:49.450 He's even going to be before Kings. 00:05:49.880 --> 00:05:52.670 And, I would say the same thing for you. 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:59.780 Like, God's got an incredible plan for your life to not only see a transformation in your heart, but also through your life and the way God wants to work, to see other lives 00:05:59.780 --> 00:06:01.210 transformed in him. 00:06:01.460 --> 00:06:08.660 And you know, you might be a little bit unique from Paul, meaning perhaps God doesn't have a king for you to share the gospel with. 00:06:08.760 --> 00:06:14.180 I don't know very many of us that have, kings for friends, except for some of you might still think the Nigerian prince is legit. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:16.980 And if you do, please talk to me after the service. 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:18.340 I'm concerned for your well-being. 00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:18.540 Right. 00:06:18.580 --> 00:06:18.740 But. 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:21.800 But if you get an email asking for money from him, don't give it. 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:29.680 But God certainly has a plan in your life for your life to see his glorious work made known not only in your heart, but through you. 00:06:30.400 --> 00:06:37.540 And so God is describing the bigger picture, something far more grander than just the check off the box of 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:40.510 I accepted Jesus as my Savior and that's it. 00:06:40.660 --> 00:06:47.080 But God, God has so much more in mind with as you come to know him, what he desires to do through you. 00:06:47.260 --> 00:06:53.060 And in fact, in Acts chapter nine, verse 31, if you read the conversion of the Apostle Paul. 00:06:53.300 --> 00:06:56.080 The story unfolds in 31 verses. 00:06:56.080 --> 00:07:02.090 Verses and verse 31 kind of comes to that culmination point of what happens as Paul's converted. 00:07:02.200 --> 00:07:09.240 And it says to the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up and walking in the fear of 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:12.880 the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:14.580 I think how incredible. 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:16.500 I mean, one, it's communicating. 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:23.020 Paul was such a tumultuous person to be around that when he converted, it's like, oh, let's just take a deep breath for a minute. 00:07:23.540 --> 00:07:31.320 But also, I think it's important to understand how the church is moving this thought of peace, because peace is not saying it's 00:07:31.320 --> 00:07:32.740 the absence of conflict. 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:35.540 Sometimes when we hear the idea of peace, that's what we think. 00:07:35.580 --> 00:07:40.440 But when you consider the early church and all that they're going through, there's certainly not without conflict. 00:07:40.940 --> 00:07:47.760 I mean, anytime you gather a large group of people with different personalities, there's just going to be conflict because God made us all different. 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:50.860 Sometimes weird, sometimes sinful. 00:07:50.860 --> 00:07:52.300 But God made us different, right? 00:07:52.400 --> 00:07:56.420 And because of that, when we bump into one another, it can create some conflict. 00:07:56.440 --> 00:08:02.330 But even more than that, when you consider the steps of the early church, I mean, they've faced persecution. 00:08:02.420 --> 00:08:06.200 They've gone through displacement of being kicked out of their homes and running for their life. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.970 There's all sorts of difficulty that they're going through, but yet there's peace. 00:08:10.840 --> 00:08:17.980 And so what we're learning is peace in this sense is not the absence of conflict, but rather the kind of peace that God gives us transcends 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:19.940 the circumstances of this world. 00:08:20.020 --> 00:08:27.440 In fact, if the pursuit of your life is to find peace, as in the absence of conflict, we know that nothing in this world will ever truly 00:08:27.440 --> 00:08:31.900 satisfy, because in certain seasons you might find temporal peace. 00:08:31.960 --> 00:08:33.530 But everything in this world is temporary. 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:38.090 And if you look for this world to provide that type of peace, it will only ever disappoint. 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:45.060 The peace that God gives us transcends the temporal of this world to something more permanent, something eternal. 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:53.240 And when we think about in terms of peace as God's people, what we're talking about is the presence of God and the power of God through the promises 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:53.640 of God. 00:08:54.720 --> 00:09:01.820 Saying what we have in him is always secure, and therefore it gives peace to our soul, because we know that no matter what the world throws at us, 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:02.900 it can never be taken away. 00:09:04.300 --> 00:09:06.460 And so the early church has this peace. 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:09.640 It's a greater story of what God's unfolding for us. 00:09:09.660 --> 00:09:12.950 In fact, I think the better way of thinking about peace is much like a harbor. 00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:19.100 I think in terms of the purpose of a of a harbor, harbors are built for the protection of the ships on the inside. 00:09:19.660 --> 00:09:23.940 Meaning once they cross out of the boundaries of the harbor, they're left into the waves. 00:09:23.940 --> 00:09:26.720 And whatever the conditions and the elements are the waves of the day. 00:09:26.780 --> 00:09:32.470 But once you come around that wall of the harbor, you're protected from the elements of the waves. 00:09:32.900 --> 00:09:34.780 And that's the idea of a lighthouse. 00:09:34.800 --> 00:09:42.100 The lighthouse worked as a beacon to sailors in the midst of the night and working through the storm, trying to find that place of solace to protect 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:42.200 them. 00:09:43.460 --> 00:09:46.340 And when they could see the harbor, they knew if they or they could see the lighthouse. 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:51.700 They knew if they could get to the lighthouse, they were able to maneuver on the other side of the harbor and be protected from the waves. 00:09:53.120 --> 00:10:00.280 And when it comes to the idea of God's peace, that's what his peace brings us, is the source to sustain 00:10:00.280 --> 00:10:02.740 us in the midst of a tumultuous world. 00:10:03.640 --> 00:10:08.420 Something that transcends God's plan for my life is bigger than my conversion. 00:10:08.660 --> 00:10:12.620 God's got a beautiful story to write in me and through me. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:17.860 However, when we go on this faith journey, inevitably we're going to we're going to come to a tough road. 00:10:17.860 --> 00:10:24.920 And oftentimes that tough road is met in relationship with others, because not everyone's going to be in agreement 00:10:24.920 --> 00:10:30.840 with what I am doing in my faith journey with Jesus and how I am pursuing him. 00:10:30.920 --> 00:10:38.060 Not everyone is going to like that, and especially when it comes to the Apostle Paul and his conversion before he came to know the Lord, 00:10:38.140 --> 00:10:39.840 he was a rather difficult individual. 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:43.280 In fact, it tells you in Acts chapter nine, verse one. 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:50.820 But Paul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, 00:10:51.280 --> 00:10:58.320 so that if he found any belonging to the to the way men or women, they used to refer to Christianity as the way men and women 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:01.000 he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 00:11:01.260 --> 00:11:08.340 Now, as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him, and falling to the ground, he heard a 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:13.950 voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:21.900 You know this miraculous moment where God intervenes in the life of Saul when he's on his way to slaughter Christians and imprison 00:11:21.900 --> 00:11:22.820 Christians? 00:11:22.980 --> 00:11:23.800 But here's what we learn. 00:11:23.860 --> 00:11:27.340 Point number two grace reaches the hardest of hearts. 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:31.380 Grace reaches the hardest of hearts. 00:11:31.420 --> 00:11:37.940 In fact, to be honest, they make the best converts, especially when you come face to face with the Holy God. 00:11:38.800 --> 00:11:40.080 Now, let me just say a couple of things here. 00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:41.540 Why was Paul so angry? 00:11:41.540 --> 00:11:47.000 I think it's worth considering because if we're going to be honest, sometimes we can get this way too. 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:53.380 Now, we may not physically kill and murder people, but the attitude of our heart is very destructive. 00:11:54.580 --> 00:11:56.120 And what leads us to do this? 00:11:56.120 --> 00:12:02.000 Can I just tell you for the Apostle Paul, one of the things I believe that he's going through in this moment is grief. 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:06.770 And grief has a funny way of working itself out in our lives. 00:12:07.960 --> 00:12:15.040 And one of the reasons I think Paul is going through grief is when you read passages like, for example, Philippians chapter three, verse six, it tells us that he 00:12:15.040 --> 00:12:16.610 is zealous for his faith. 00:12:17.140 --> 00:12:21.080 Paul really believes that what he's doing in this moment is honoring to God. 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:23.560 And he's very zealous about it, right? 00:12:23.560 --> 00:12:24.920 In a religious sense. 00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:32.040 In fact, he described the Jewish people in Romans chapter nine, verse one, in Romans chapter ten, verse one, the same way they have a zeal for 00:12:32.040 --> 00:12:39.080 God, but not according to knowledge, meaning it wasn't the true God, it was the God that they thought that they were serving, but wasn't the real 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:39.500 God. 00:12:40.300 --> 00:12:44.600 And so Paul talks about this zeal and here's what I think is happening to the apostle Paul. 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:48.980 He's getting to a place where he realizes his religion can't hold him. 00:12:50.800 --> 00:12:57.020 He's getting to a place where he's recognizing the holes in his theology of what he thought he believed. 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:05.970 And when we start having things ripped apart from us that we feel is precious, we go through a period of grief. 00:13:06.340 --> 00:13:13.580 In fact, if you're familiar with the five stages of grief when someone we love dies, we often go through those stages of grief. 00:13:13.660 --> 00:13:14.860 Maybe not all of them. 00:13:14.900 --> 00:13:17.230 Sometimes you might go through all of them within a minute span. 00:13:18.060 --> 00:13:24.180 But we go through stages of grief, and it doesn't just have to be when people that we love pass away. 00:13:24.260 --> 00:13:24.820 Get this. 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:30.500 We can also go through stages of grief when the idols of our life are passing away. 00:13:31.180 --> 00:13:34.680 There are things that we might hold precious and we want to grab hold of that. 00:13:34.900 --> 00:13:39.020 And when we realize that they're falling apart before us and we can't do anything about it. 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:42.360 But we still love that idol and we want to hold on to it. 00:13:42.400 --> 00:13:44.250 We'll go through those stages of grief first. 00:13:44.420 --> 00:13:51.520 We might deny it, then we might bargain with it, and then we'll go through depression, and then we'll even use anger before we finally get to 00:13:51.520 --> 00:13:52.120 acceptance. 00:13:52.160 --> 00:13:54.580 And I think this is what's happening in the Apostle Paul's life. 00:13:55.720 --> 00:14:01.840 He's angry because he realizes that his religious system is falling apart and it can't hold him. 00:14:02.540 --> 00:14:07.780 Now, I'm not saying that makes an excuse for how people behave, but here's what I want you to know. 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:10.310 When you go into this world honoring Christ with your life. 00:14:10.680 --> 00:14:14.700 And people don't always agree with you, and sometimes they're maligning you. 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:16.900 What they're really attacking isn't you? 00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:24.260 But rather there's a there's an inner battle that's taking place with within them, and it's just manifesting itself upon you. 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:29.200 Now, I don't I don't want to say and then therefore that justifies everything that they're doing. 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:33.920 But what I think it helps us do is to understand in a more compassionate way where people are coming from. 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:41.520 Because for all of us to come to Jesus, we have to be willing to let go of everything else and say, Christ alone 00:14:41.520 --> 00:14:42.980 is worthy of my life. 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:46.340 And so for the Apostle Paul. 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:48.620 Grace is reaching in the hardest of hearts. 00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:51.420 And here's what I think is happening with Paul. 00:14:51.540 --> 00:14:55.540 He's gotten so fixated on other people in this religious sense of thinking. 00:14:55.540 --> 00:15:04.140 He's performing and he's in the right and doing all of these things that it isn't until God strips him of everything, that 00:15:04.140 --> 00:15:05.200 he begins to realize. 00:15:05.260 --> 00:15:07.880 The one thing that he really needs is the Lord. 00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:10.640 In fact, it's not going to pop up on the screen here. 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:18.220 But in verses six, seven, and eight it tells us Paul gets up from this moment and he goes into to the town Damascus, and 00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:22.920 he spends three days there, blind and without food or water. 00:15:24.160 --> 00:15:25.670 I mean, he is completely desperate. 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:34.780 And it wasn't until God took his eyes off everything else that he realized how much he needed the Lord. 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:43.580 Grace has this way of reaching the hardest of hearts, and it does it in two ways is one when we realize 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:46.480 in the grace of God just how much we need him. 00:15:47.380 --> 00:15:50.250 I mean, this is where Paul, the apostle Paul gets to in life. 00:15:50.540 --> 00:15:54.760 He first he thinks, well, he's capable of doing all this in his own strength, right? 00:15:54.760 --> 00:15:59.560 His performance, his self righteousness, everything he deserves because all that he's done. 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:04.020 And in that kind of system, he's comparing himself to other people. 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:05.020 What's wrong with them? 00:16:05.020 --> 00:16:07.320 Why can't they look at me? 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:08.260 How great I am. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:13.140 But the life of the believer or our lives in general? 00:16:13.140 --> 00:16:14.210 We could say it like this. 00:16:14.420 --> 00:16:21.440 It's not a game of comparing yourself to others, but rather it's about recognizing who you are before 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:24.960 a holy God and before a holy God. 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:28.500 The Bible is very clear that we're sinful people and he is a just God. 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:35.040 He's perfect, and there's nothing that you can do before a holy God to take away your sins. 00:16:36.160 --> 00:16:38.520 And therefore before him you have his wrath. 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:42.880 But in the midst of your sins, God didn't give up on you. 00:16:43.940 --> 00:16:44.880 He still loved you. 00:16:44.880 --> 00:16:45.820 He pursued you. 00:16:45.980 --> 00:16:50.840 He even gave his life for you on the cross as a sacrifice for your sins. 00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:54.830 He became your sin so that you could be in his freedom. 00:16:54.880 --> 00:16:57.030 You get to walk in the beauty of Jesus. 00:16:57.720 --> 00:16:59.110 I mean, that's the gospel message. 00:16:59.160 --> 00:17:06.180 So not only does grace help me recognize how desperate I am for the Lord, but his grace also delivers me and 00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:10.740 the beauty of who Christ is, that I could find freedom in him. 00:17:11.540 --> 00:17:14.010 And so the hardest of hearts are transformed. 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:17.640 It's not because of what I've done, but because of what he's done on my behalf. 00:17:18.560 --> 00:17:19.560 And number three. 00:17:19.560 --> 00:17:24.180 Then, as grace reaches the hardest of hearts, we learn this. 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:27.260 To persecute the church is to persecute Christ. 00:17:28.620 --> 00:17:31.260 To persecute the church is to persecute Christ. 00:17:31.360 --> 00:17:34.610 And this is what we find with the Apostle Paul is he's journeying on this road. 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:36.550 It says in verse five. 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:39.460 And he said, who are you, Lord? 00:17:39.580 --> 00:17:43.380 Paul asks this great light that appeared to him, who are you, Lord? 00:17:43.400 --> 00:17:47.500 And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 00:17:48.760 --> 00:17:53.340 Guys, there's a couple of things here that I think is incredible to consider in what Jesus is saying. 00:17:55.260 --> 00:18:02.280 Jesus is so connected to his body, the church, that he sees any attack against them 00:18:02.280 --> 00:18:05.650 as attack against him. 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:13.480 Now, this is an incredible thought to consider one one as a group corporately in Jesus, that he cares about us as a body that 00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:19.200 way, that anything brought against you is an affront first against him. 00:18:19.360 --> 00:18:23.230 He sees himself that integrated into what the body of Christ is. 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:27.600 But also you can think about it in an individual sense in your own faith journey. 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:28.630 How do I know God loves me? 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:30.200 How do I know God cares about me? 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:34.320 Well, he correlates what you're going through in this life as if he himself is walking through that. 00:18:35.340 --> 00:18:42.340 And I think this is this is incredible for us to consider and the tender care of our presence before the Lord and the way that he sees 00:18:42.340 --> 00:18:42.700 you. 00:18:43.100 --> 00:18:43.840 It's wonderful. 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:51.840 In fact, in passages like the book of Hebrews, it tells us if a brother and sister in Christ suffers in this world, we as a body 00:18:51.840 --> 00:18:58.720 of believers should suffer with him in the sense that we're saying we're connected to one another and the beauty of what Jesus desires to do. 00:18:58.820 --> 00:19:04.860 So no matter what the world brings against his people, we get to walk with an understanding that Jesus sees me. 00:19:04.860 --> 00:19:06.300 Jesus cares about me. 00:19:06.300 --> 00:19:10.710 Jesus loves about what loves us as a body and what we're walking through in this moment. 00:19:11.860 --> 00:19:20.280 And then I could say, on the other side of the coin, how you treat the body matters because 00:19:20.280 --> 00:19:22.400 Jesus sees this as his bride. 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:28.820 You know, one of the things that I like to think, for the most part, I'm a pretty even keeled kind of guy. 00:19:28.820 --> 00:19:36.260 But I will promise you if you ever try to do anything to my wife, you'll have to kill me before I stop. 00:19:36.280 --> 00:19:36.460 Right? 00:19:37.480 --> 00:19:39.460 And the reason for that is I love her. 00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:43.160 And to attack her is to attack me. 00:19:44.300 --> 00:19:47.580 And I care about her, and I want to honor her. 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:50.600 And I don't want other people to dishonor her. 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:54.840 And so I want to be mindful of that in moving this world. 00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:01.040 And to be honest, if you want to show appreciation towards me, the best way to do that is to love my wife, right? 00:20:01.100 --> 00:20:02.280 Like, I mean, I'm nice. 00:20:02.300 --> 00:20:03.760 I care when people do nice things. 00:20:03.820 --> 00:20:10.980 I mean, that's wonderful, but when my wife feels honored, loved and appreciated, I feel loved, honored and appreciated in that and even in our church. 00:20:11.020 --> 00:20:16.900 Like we know when it comes to our families, one of the best ways to love our families is to do a good job at loving the kids. 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:20.460 Because by loving our children, we also love the parents. 00:20:21.020 --> 00:20:23.780 And parents feel appreciated by the way their kids are cared for. 00:20:24.820 --> 00:20:27.780 And when you think about the body of Christ, this is what Jesus is saying. 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:29.100 This is his bride. 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:35.360 And if you want to love Jesus, one of the best things you could do is His honor, his bride. 00:20:36.340 --> 00:20:43.340 That's what makes a gathering like today so important for us as a people to not not just see it as somewhere I just show up and check in, 00:20:43.340 --> 00:20:43.960 check out. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:50.620 But to think about how God can use me, even in this hour, to encourage people around me for what God desires to do in their life. 00:20:51.600 --> 00:20:57.440 This is Jesus's bride, and there's nothing more sacred than this because Jesus gave his life for you. 00:20:58.560 --> 00:21:05.800 And so what Jesus is saying here is incredibly profound and important for us to think about, and the implications of our own steps in life, and 00:21:05.800 --> 00:21:12.960 how I see God's will working in my heart as I minister to what Jesus cares about and what Jesus cares about, first and foremost 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:14.150 is his church. 00:21:15.100 --> 00:21:17.900 So to persecute the church is to persecute Christ. 00:21:17.900 --> 00:21:22.000 Number four is this conversion is a complete life reorientation. 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:24.690 Conversion is a complete life reorientation. 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:28.980 And you see this throughout the story, but I'm only going to highlight it in verse five and six. 00:21:29.340 --> 00:21:36.620 But as Paul's going in this journey and he's fixated on his own things, suddenly God directs his attention and Paul asks this question 00:21:36.620 --> 00:21:39.020 in verse five, who are you, Lord? 00:21:39.620 --> 00:21:45.430 And I think this is a this is a very important question that Paul asks, but I don't think this is the only time Paul asks this question. 00:21:45.820 --> 00:21:48.880 I think Paul continue to ask this question for the rest of his life. 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:56.720 Now, I think this was a question that continued to be refined because he became more aware of who the Lord really was, but it was a question he got never 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:58.590 he never got tired of asking. 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:02.920 Because this journey that we're on with the Lord is a relationship journey. 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:03.900 It's organic. 00:22:03.900 --> 00:22:05.370 We get to grow in this. 00:22:05.840 --> 00:22:10.600 And so this is a question not only that Paul should ask all of his days, but all of us should ask all of our days. 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:12.310 Lord, teach me your ways. 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:17.540 Let me understand who you are, not just know about you, but to intimately know you. 00:22:17.580 --> 00:22:18.700 And then God says this. 00:22:19.040 --> 00:22:20.920 He said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 00:22:21.300 --> 00:22:25.260 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. 00:22:26.420 --> 00:22:33.480 So this is Paul's life now being redirected to really one master, one lord, one leader guiding him. 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:41.520 And if we're not careful in the way that we live our lives, we could live our lives with many masters and in so doing, live 00:22:41.520 --> 00:22:45.130 our life to try to please everyone and everything. 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:51.300 And in doing that and following that kind of road, you will never find your life's purpose. 00:22:51.340 --> 00:22:58.580 You will never find your life content because you can never please everyone, and you will always disappoint 00:22:58.580 --> 00:23:01.120 people's expectations of you. 00:23:01.340 --> 00:23:03.810 And you were not made to please everyone. 00:23:04.120 --> 00:23:11.260 In fact, God created you for one purpose and that is to live for his glory, to live your life for an audience of one. 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:18.310 And it's not until your life is given over to him that you'll truly fulfill the purpose for which you were created, which is in him. 00:23:18.780 --> 00:23:21.730 And so this is Paul reorienting his life to that purpose. 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:24.890 Every once in a while as a pastor, I get a little bit befuddled. 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:32.640 By the way, sometimes people are phrasing questions and what I'll call their faith journey. 00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:39.840 Meaning, sometimes it is easy for us to revert our faith journey into religious ways of thinking rather than 00:23:39.840 --> 00:23:41.120 just relational thinking. 00:23:42.560 --> 00:23:49.700 And sometimes there'll be a way in which we live, where we don't really have a relationship with the Lord, but we just know there's certain things that Christians 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:54.560 do, and we just want to show up to check that box so we can quote, please, the Lord. 00:23:54.560 --> 00:23:56.550 And so, I'll have my conversion. 00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:58.110 I surrender to Jesus. 00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:03.300 But then I'll show up to church on Sunday because, well, that's what a good Christian does, and I should probably be baptized. 00:24:03.320 --> 00:24:15.200 But that's because, well, 00:24:15.380 --> 00:24:15.380 that's a step Christians should take. 00:24:15.380 --> 00:24:16.020 And I'm just going through this religious process in order to make God happy. 00:24:16.020 --> 00:24:22.920 And let me just tell you, when it comes to a faith journey, we don't we don't go through a process in order to, quote, finally, make God happy with us as believers, we do things in the Lord because we have found our joy solely in him. 00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:25.240 God, I want to know you. 00:24:26.520 --> 00:24:29.860 I want to follow you, and I want to gather together on Sunday. 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:37.280 It's something I'm looking forward to because I know the intimacy of this people, the that you have given your life for and what you want to do in their hearts and lives. 00:24:37.320 --> 00:24:40.530 And I get to be a part of encouraging your bride what you love. 00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:46.440 And I get to proclaim that to the world by being baptized and just saying, I'm following Jesus. 00:24:46.520 --> 00:24:48.010 This is not this is not about checking the box. 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:51.080 It's about enjoying the journey of the relationship that I have in Christ. 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:57.380 And so this is what the Apostle Paul is learning to do, is reorienting his life towards that one purpose. 00:24:57.860 --> 00:25:03.560 And number five, and I gotta move a little faster, is this God works through ordinary, faithful disciples. 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:06.340 God works through ordinary, faithful disciples. 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:10.710 It says in verse ten, now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:13.670 And the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. 00:25:14.040 --> 00:25:15.320 And he said, here I am, Lord. 00:25:15.600 --> 00:25:19.330 And the Lord said to him, rise and go to the street called straight in the house of Judas. 00:25:19.560 --> 00:25:23.180 Look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying. 00:25:24.020 --> 00:25:30.500 And when he had seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. 00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:38.370 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:43.460 And here he has authority for the chief priests to bind all who call on your name. 00:25:43.580 --> 00:25:50.720 But the Lord said to him, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. 00:25:52.280 --> 00:25:53.220 So here's Ananias. 00:25:53.260 --> 00:25:56.380 I'm just going to kind of tease this. 00:25:56.420 --> 00:25:57.510 We don't know a lot about Ananias. 00:25:57.780 --> 00:26:02.150 In fact, if you looked up the word Ananias in the rest of Scripture, like, okay, this is a great passage on Ananias. 00:26:02.600 --> 00:26:05.050 God, show me more things about Ananias in the Bible. 00:26:05.480 --> 00:26:07.310 And you look in the Bible for more things about Ananias. 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:08.630 You know what else you find about Ananias? 00:26:09.860 --> 00:26:11.000 Nothing. 00:26:11.020 --> 00:26:12.720 Absolutely nothing. 00:26:12.820 --> 00:26:14.360 He's the he, in fact. 00:26:14.560 --> 00:26:18.640 And when you read this story, you realize Paul's on his way to Damascus to kill Christians. 00:26:19.080 --> 00:26:20.740 Christians are aware of this. 00:26:20.900 --> 00:26:24.800 So there's probably no one left in Damascus except for this guy. 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:26.030 I know who this guy is. 00:26:26.360 --> 00:26:32.700 This is the guy that no matter what time you tell people to show up, he's always 15 minutes late because he's the last one to get out of Damascus. 00:26:33.020 --> 00:26:34.620 That's how he gets picked, right? 00:26:34.660 --> 00:26:37.170 He's like God's like, I need a person. 00:26:37.320 --> 00:26:38.830 Oh, there's only one Christian left. 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:39.760 It's you. 00:26:39.760 --> 00:26:40.880 Ananias, right. 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:44.890 The only thing we know about Ananias in the story is that he's a disciple of Jesus. 00:26:46.080 --> 00:26:46.500 That's it. 00:26:47.960 --> 00:26:49.120 He's a follower of Jesus. 00:26:49.160 --> 00:26:51.980 And we might also know he's probably usually late for everything he goes to. 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:53.060 We may be that, too, but. 00:26:55.180 --> 00:26:56.710 But he's just a follower of Jesus. 00:26:57.900 --> 00:27:00.800 And can I just tell you guys that's exactly how the Lord wants to work. 00:27:01.800 --> 00:27:04.760 He does extraordinary things through ordinary people. 00:27:06.320 --> 00:27:12.400 In fact, if you were to read the book of Corinthians, one of the things you find that Paul compares ourselves to is jars of clay. 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:16.720 He compares the you and I as followers of Jesus to jars of clay. 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:21.130 And if you do a little deep dive in the Greek, you're like, oh, teach me about these jars of clay. 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:22.930 Are these special, unique jars? 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:26.340 No, no, they're just common little pots. 00:27:26.540 --> 00:27:28.740 Just fragile little pots that can break. 00:27:28.760 --> 00:27:30.280 You might use it to wash dishes. 00:27:30.600 --> 00:27:33.040 You might use a pot for you going to the restroom. 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:35.460 They're just the common, ordinary pot. 00:27:35.560 --> 00:27:37.760 That's what God describes us as. 00:27:38.860 --> 00:27:39.900 But here's the point. 00:27:39.900 --> 00:27:43.900 It's not about the pot, but about what goes into the pot. 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:47.240 And the Lord filling your life. 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:48.910 That's what makes you extraordinary. 00:27:49.140 --> 00:27:54.610 It's not about you, but about him and doing things for the Lord. 00:27:54.700 --> 00:27:58.260 If it were all about you impressing people, guess who gets the glory in that? 00:27:59.580 --> 00:28:05.260 But because God uses ordinary things, it's him who unmistakably gets the glory. 00:28:06.280 --> 00:28:12.600 I mean, even when it comes to me as a pastor, if you just if I if I were just a little candid for a moment, I'm getting to that point now. 00:28:12.600 --> 00:28:13.850 I've got four boys in my house. 00:28:14.540 --> 00:28:15.280 Two of them are teenagers. 00:28:15.820 --> 00:28:17.100 Third one's about to be a teenager. 00:28:17.220 --> 00:28:19.020 Can I just tell you a common prayer for me? 00:28:19.740 --> 00:28:20.960 God help my kids follow you. 00:28:22.560 --> 00:28:28.720 Help my kids be faithful to you, Can I just tell you a common prayer as an individual? 00:28:28.800 --> 00:28:30.560 Lord, help me be faithful to you. 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:33.580 Or even in my home with my wife. 00:28:33.580 --> 00:28:35.360 Lord, help me honor my bride. 00:28:37.340 --> 00:28:39.880 I want to honor Jesus with my life. 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:40.020 But. 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:41.160 But I'm just a person. 00:28:42.600 --> 00:28:43.420 It's the same for you. 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:45.100 And that's exactly what God uses. 00:28:46.220 --> 00:28:49.160 Ordinary people doing extraordinary things because. 00:28:49.180 --> 00:28:50.850 Not because of us, but because of Christ. 00:28:51.560 --> 00:28:52.920 Number six. 00:28:52.920 --> 00:28:54.110 Suffering is a part of the calling. 00:28:55.700 --> 00:28:56.820 Suffering is a part of the calling. 00:28:57.100 --> 00:29:01.060 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. 00:29:01.900 --> 00:29:03.820 And I go share with Paul. 00:29:03.900 --> 00:29:05.860 I can't help but think that this is part of the incentive. 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:07.680 Don't worry, Ananias. 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:08.590 I'm going to make him suffer. 00:29:09.020 --> 00:29:09.520 Like. 00:29:09.800 --> 00:29:10.720 Okay, I'll do it now. 00:29:11.790 --> 00:29:12.040 God. 00:29:12.040 --> 00:29:13.110 But suffering is a part of the journey. 00:29:13.340 --> 00:29:20.340 And one of the one of the reasons I love bringing this point out is because I think in American Christianity, we don't really have much vocabulary room 00:29:20.340 --> 00:29:24.120 for this because sometimes. 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:30.340 If we're not careful, we'll reject Jesus for our creature comforts. 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:34.420 Because if we're honest, what's more important to us is our creature comforts. 00:29:35.500 --> 00:29:40.790 We'll follow Jesus when it's convenient to follow Jesus, but not when the S word is used. 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:41.280 Suffering. 00:29:43.500 --> 00:29:43.980 There is a. 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:46.450 If I just summarize this quickly. 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:53.680 In the 1800s, there was a lady by the name of Fanny Crosby, and Fanny Crosby did some extraordinary things with her 00:29:53.680 --> 00:29:54.230 life. 00:29:54.320 --> 00:30:01.700 It's thought that Fanny Crosby wrote at least 8000 hymns in her life, and some think as many as 9000 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:04.370 or more, because she often wrote hymns under a pseudonym. 00:30:05.120 --> 00:30:11.240 So Fanny Crosby in the 1800s wrote about 9000 hymns with her life, and she was a popular songwriter during the day. 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:14.740 Take, take whatever you're famous Christian artist is that you like today? 00:30:14.740 --> 00:30:16.320 Multiply the popularity by three. 00:30:16.340 --> 00:30:17.620 And that's Fanny Crosby, right? 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:25.020 Fanny Crosby in the 1800s was that famous of a of a Christian hymn writer, she wrote probably our most famous hymn was 00:30:25.020 --> 00:30:26.130 Blessed Assurance. 00:30:26.800 --> 00:30:30.730 But the most interesting thing about Fanny Crosby is that she did it all blind. 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:34.580 Fanny Crosby was blind from infancy. 00:30:35.600 --> 00:30:36.770 She never saw a sunrise. 00:30:37.740 --> 00:30:39.420 She never saw her mother's face. 00:30:39.940 --> 00:30:40.460 She was blind. 00:30:41.840 --> 00:30:43.740 People would often ask her if. 00:30:43.760 --> 00:30:45.460 If you could see, would you. 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:46.480 Would you ever want to see? 00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:49.780 And I just want you to know you never have to ask any blind person that question. 00:30:49.780 --> 00:30:50.960 The answer is always yes. 00:30:51.180 --> 00:30:51.640 Okay. 00:30:51.820 --> 00:30:54.260 If you have the ability to see, you would want to be able to see. 00:30:54.840 --> 00:30:56.820 But she would respond to that in an incredible way. 00:30:56.820 --> 00:30:57.480 She would say it like this. 00:30:57.640 --> 00:30:59.560 Even though she may want to see she would say it like this. 00:30:59.760 --> 00:31:05.640 You know, if I did have the ability to see, I most likely would have never written any of these hymns. 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.320 Her blindness wasn't what prevented her in life. 00:31:10.440 --> 00:31:14.600 It was actually what fueled her to do what God had created her for on this earth. 00:31:17.100 --> 00:31:24.520 God used that adversity to challenge her to overcome those obstacles, to do incredible things, 00:31:24.620 --> 00:31:27.260 to encourage the body of Christ and to glorify the Lord. 00:31:28.280 --> 00:31:35.640 It was the blindness because it's the same thing with suffering and suffering for us as people. 00:31:35.660 --> 00:31:41.890 I'm not saying we need to line up for suffering, but when there's struggle in the faith, that's how you know your faith is genuine. 00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:50.200 When you're willing to say, and I still choose Jesus, you're demonstrating that what matters to you more than anything is Christ. 00:31:51.180 --> 00:31:55.880 Fanny Crosby, when she would talk about that, she would also add some sweetness even further to the to her thoughts. 00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:57.040 And she would say this. 00:31:57.420 --> 00:32:01.350 And one day when I see again, it's going to be when I'm in heaven. 00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:05.440 And the first thing that I'm going to see with my eyes is my savior. 00:32:06.820 --> 00:32:13.360 You think how incredible, in the midst of struggle that the beauty of Christ is made known. 00:32:14.280 --> 00:32:16.880 I need to give these last couple points in two minutes here. 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:22.300 But number seven is this the Holy Spirit transforms us immediately. 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:29.500 And you see this with the Apostle Paul, as God makes himself known in the heart of the apostle Paul says in verse 18. 00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:32.840 And immediately the scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. 00:32:33.120 --> 00:32:35.790 Then arose and was baptized, and took food, and was strengthened. 00:32:36.020 --> 00:32:39.340 For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 00:32:39.340 --> 00:32:46.710 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus, look, in order to follow Jesus in order to serve Jesus, you don't have to have everything perfected in Jesus. 00:32:47.380 --> 00:32:49.860 What you do is just start honoring Jesus where you're at. 00:32:50.760 --> 00:32:56.690 And when God does that work in us, we want to continue to just see it made known in the way that we live our lives. 00:32:57.180 --> 00:32:59.030 And let me give you the last point, because I gotta close here. 00:32:59.460 --> 00:33:04.280 Last is this fear is often the greatest obstacle to experience God's blessing. 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:07.740 Fear is the greatest obstacle to experience God's blessing. 00:33:07.740 --> 00:33:09.720 Verse 26. 00:33:09.720 --> 00:33:16.800 When he had come to Jerusalem, Paul, he attempted to join the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe 00:33:16.800 --> 00:33:17.900 that he was a disciple. 00:33:18.440 --> 00:33:25.940 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and declared to him, how on the road he had seen the Lord who spoke to him, and how at Damascus 00:33:25.940 --> 00:33:28.090 he preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 00:33:28.700 --> 00:33:29.480 Let me just say this. 00:33:32.020 --> 00:33:39.200 I can imagine what this story would look like without an Ananias and Barnabas, individuals that were willing to 00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:46.500 step in for the sake of glorifying God to the benefit of others, could imagine what Paul's life would have been without 00:33:46.500 --> 00:33:48.080 an encourager by his side. 00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:56.540 And there are a lot of reasons to be concerned in this world, but there's an even greater reason to live for the Lord, and that is because 00:33:56.540 --> 00:33:58.520 you have the Lord with you wherever you go. 00:33:59.480 --> 00:34:03.180 You can let fear dictate who you are, or you can let Christ. 00:34:04.700 --> 00:34:05.680 Barnabas. 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:06.380 It just took one. 00:34:07.260 --> 00:34:13.840 One person and the world in the first century was turned upside down by a life who radically lived for Jesus. 00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:19.780 Because when it comes to your life, One bold step in Christ, and God does incredible things. 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:22.840 I'll close with this. 00:34:22.860 --> 00:34:26.600 There was a story in the 1960s by a man named Francis Powers. 00:34:26.900 --> 00:34:30.560 He was he was a pilot for the military during the Cold War. 00:34:30.600 --> 00:34:33.010 And he went down behind enemy lines and was captured. 00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:41.260 And during that time, 1962, in fact, there was a man by the name of James Donovan who was appointed to help bring about his 00:34:41.260 --> 00:34:48.540 release, and he had to go behind the wall in East Berlin in order to bring about that release. 00:34:48.639 --> 00:34:50.719 And everyone was nervous for him. 00:34:50.760 --> 00:34:54.020 In fact, people were worried if you go over that wall, you're not coming back. 00:34:54.860 --> 00:34:57.060 And they try to encourage him not to do it. 00:34:57.540 --> 00:35:04.240 And when it came to James Donovan, one of the things that made him unique is that this was just a guy who happened to be at the right place at the right time. 00:35:04.300 --> 00:35:06.160 He wasn't a politician, he wasn't a spy. 00:35:06.160 --> 00:35:13.260 But he found himself in a situation where he got to broker this deal to try to get this guy released, and he's come to those moments where he could have lived 00:35:13.260 --> 00:35:13.840 in fear. 00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:14.620 This is what he said. 00:35:14.700 --> 00:35:19.820 He said, if I let fear make the decision, then fear becomes my master. 00:35:21.140 --> 00:35:23.220 And I think this became a movie. 00:35:23.240 --> 00:35:26.780 I think Tom Hanks was eventually played a part in something that had the word bridge in it. 00:35:26.840 --> 00:35:34.240 I can't remember what the movie was called, but this individual stepped in boldness and was able to broker the release of 00:35:34.240 --> 00:35:37.370 this American soldier that was held captive. 00:35:37.900 --> 00:35:40.870 And I think that's it's a wonderful story to see how that unfolds. 00:35:41.120 --> 00:35:46.180 But I just think there's even more incredible things that God desires to do in a life given over to him. 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:49.460 What's going to dictate and determine your steps? 00:35:50.240 --> 00:35:57.320 You're going to let other masters lead you, or you're going to let the master guide you, the one who intimately cares about 00:35:57.320 --> 00:36:01.770 every step of your life, the one who created you in his image and recreates you at the cross.