WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:07.680 Hey, I'm going to invite you today to Acts chapter 13 is where we're going to be this morning in Acts chapter 13, as we 00:00:07.680 --> 00:00:13.740 get ready to look at what is the first missionary journey that's recorded for us in the book of Acts. 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:20.090 And when we think about missionary journeys, no doubt the early church has lived in a missional way. 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:24.200 And so in that sense, they've just been on a journey from the beginning that we've read together. 00:00:24.560 --> 00:00:31.900 But what makes Acts 13 unique from anything that we've seen in the spread of the gospel up until this point is in 00:00:31.900 --> 00:00:38.160 the first couple of chapters of Acts, the reason the gospel is going forth in a lot of ways is because of persecution. 00:00:39.260 --> 00:00:43.320 The church starts in Jerusalem, persecution breaks out, the church scatters because of it. 00:00:43.400 --> 00:00:45.700 And wherever they go, they continue to share the gospel. 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:47.240 And because of that, the church spreads. 00:00:48.260 --> 00:00:48.380 Acts. 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:55.740 Chapter 13 is really the first chapter where the church intentionally decides, hey, rather than leave because of persecution, let's just 00:00:55.740 --> 00:01:00.930 keep going because God is at work in not only the Jewish world, but also the Gentile world. 00:01:01.200 --> 00:01:04.090 And we just want to join God in what he's doing around the world. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:09.140 And so Acts chapter 13 shares with us the first missionary journey the Apostle Paul goes on. 00:01:09.520 --> 00:01:14.200 In the book of Acts there are recorded three missionary journeys that Paul goes on historically. 00:01:14.700 --> 00:01:20.600 We know he went on more than that, but the book of Acts ends before it shares with us the rest of Paul's journeys. 00:01:20.600 --> 00:01:23.570 Because the point of Acts is not about sharing Paul's journeys. 00:01:23.720 --> 00:01:27.710 The point of Acts is helping us understand how the gospel spread throughout the known world. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:32.620 And so the book of Acts ends when the gospel gets to the city of Rome. 00:01:32.960 --> 00:01:40.040 And so here we see with Acts chapter 13, the spreading of the church, the church stepping into something new, which 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:43.070 I think works wonderfully for us as we think about a new year. 00:01:43.460 --> 00:01:47.020 What is it God has for us, and what is it God might have in store for us? 00:01:47.020 --> 00:01:47.400 Now? 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:52.580 I know sometimes when we talk about a new year, even this week I had some conversations with people about a new year. 00:01:52.580 --> 00:01:59.190 You know, one of the questions you sometimes ask when you get together with people around this time of year is, hey, what are you got any plans for the New year? 00:01:59.600 --> 00:02:07.040 And I found it just kind of asking that question among some people that there are people that like the New year, and they do set some plans and 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:10.940 there are other people that are like Scrooge when it comes to the new year. 00:02:10.940 --> 00:02:13.450 They I'm not doing anything different because it's a new year. 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:17.800 You know, I'm just the same all the time. 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:19.960 You know, you don't you don't like looking at the New Year as a time to do new things, and that's fine. 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:20.620 Just be grumpy. 00:02:20.760 --> 00:02:22.680 I don't that's no, I'm kidding. 00:02:22.700 --> 00:02:29.160 But truth be told, when you think about a new year, like it doesn't need to be something that just radically makes us different. 00:02:29.700 --> 00:02:36.920 But I think it is good to have a place where we might look at things from a new lens, or just kind of awaken our eyes 00:02:36.920 --> 00:02:44.140 to sort of the mundane ruts that we get into and an opportunity to really hit a reset button, to reorient about 00:02:44.140 --> 00:02:48.760 around some things that we know that we should be doing or we want to be better at. 00:02:48.780 --> 00:02:53.510 And so the new year kind of gives us an opportunity to think in terms of that way. 00:02:53.760 --> 00:03:00.880 And when you look at Acts chapter 13, it's as they're beginning a new journey and they're stretching themselves as a church. 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:06.420 It gives us the opportunity, as we look at a new year, to think about how God desires to use us. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:13.580 You know, when you read the book of Acts, one of the things that I think is important to see with this particular chapter is also a pivotal chapter 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:15.680 in how this book is written. 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:21.800 Meaning the first 12 chapters of the Book of Acts, the predominant character that we followed was Peter. 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:25.580 Now there was a few other individuals peppered in between all of that. 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:31.920 But we're following the gospel moving forward, primarily through the work of Peter and a few others. 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:39.060 But when you get to chapter 13 now, it transitions from Peter, who primarily focuses more on the Jewish world, to the apostle 00:03:39.060 --> 00:03:42.260 Paul, who was the apostle sent to the Gentile world. 00:03:42.900 --> 00:03:49.980 And so from Acts chapter 13 and on we see a heavy focus in the way that the gospel is going forth into 00:03:49.980 --> 00:03:52.130 this Gentile world. 00:03:52.700 --> 00:03:59.300 And so as we get ready to read about the apostles, this missionary journey and the expansion of the gospel. 00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:03.760 This morning we're going to talk about how to expand our impact for Christ. 00:04:03.820 --> 00:04:06.780 What is it God desires to do in us and through us? 00:04:06.780 --> 00:04:09.750 And how can he do that in us and through us? 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:12.660 Acts chapter 13, verse one starts this way. 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:14.750 I'll come back to that in just a moment. 00:04:15.160 --> 00:04:16.920 Acts 13, verse one. 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:24.280 Now there was in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:27.580 mania, a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 00:04:27.580 --> 00:04:34.800 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart from me Barnabas and Saul, for the work 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:36.900 to which I have called them. 00:04:37.080 --> 00:04:42.280 Then, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:43.080 So. 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:48.220 So here's Paul and Barnabas about to embark on this missionary journey. 00:04:48.280 --> 00:04:55.520 And this first journey is similar to the second and third journey in that some of the places they 00:04:55.520 --> 00:04:57.980 go, they touch on and these other journeys. 00:04:58.640 --> 00:05:05.760 But this first journey, one of the things that makes it different is the travel they go on is not nearly as long in 00:05:05.760 --> 00:05:08.520 distance travel as well as time travel. 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:10.310 We refer to these as missionary journeys. 00:05:10.840 --> 00:05:18.020 But one of the things I think is important to understand is that this we're not talking about Paul just going somewhere, spending a day and moving on, but rather 00:05:18.020 --> 00:05:25.260 what we discover is that when the apostle Paul went to these different places, that oftentimes he spent months there, if not years, he 00:05:25.260 --> 00:05:27.680 spent an extended amount of time in the city of Corinth. 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:30.530 He spent multiple years in the city of Ephesus. 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:38.140 And so these missionary journeys lasted years that the Apostle Paul went on his first journey was the one of the shortest 00:05:38.140 --> 00:05:39.560 or was the shortest. 00:05:39.780 --> 00:05:46.860 But some of these places, when he went to these particular towns, sometimes when he went to the towns, he found out that he wasn't welcome there, and so he was 00:05:46.860 --> 00:05:48.100 immediately run out of town. 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:51.810 Other times he spent a more lengthy amount of time in those towns. 00:05:52.140 --> 00:05:53.680 But when they go on this first missionary journey. 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:59.480 This image on the screen doesn't encapsulate all of the first missionary journey. 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:01.200 Acts chapter 13 and 14. 00:06:01.460 --> 00:06:02.800 Tell about all of it. 00:06:02.900 --> 00:06:05.700 This is just Acts chapter 13. 00:06:05.700 --> 00:06:10.920 So we're looking at that particular chapter today, and we're only going to look at the first 16 verses of this entire chapter. 00:06:11.140 --> 00:06:16.480 But this journey, they go from Antioch, Syria, where Paul is currently. 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:21.690 They head down to Seleucia, which is a port city over to the island of Cyprus and then north. 00:06:22.180 --> 00:06:27.120 When they get north, they spend a good time and another town called Antioch. 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:34.340 So don't confuse that with the Antioch where Paul starts and the Antioquia Paul goes, there's Antioch, Syria, and there's Antioch, 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:35.320 Pisidia. 00:06:35.340 --> 00:06:41.550 Antioch was a fairly common name for cities because it was to honor a ruler named Antiochus. 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:41.740 So. 00:06:42.200 --> 00:06:45.100 So you have these cities named after Antiochus. 00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:46.680 Paul in one of those. 00:06:46.840 --> 00:06:53.660 And he ultimately, on this missionary journey, travels to another, which is at the very tip, the highest point on his missionary journey you see on this map. 00:06:54.180 --> 00:06:57.780 But here Paul goes on this missionary journey. 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:05.760 Now, one of the things when we think about making an impact in this world for the Lord that I think is important for us to understand and 00:07:05.760 --> 00:07:11.600 approaching this text is really what took what it took for Paul to get to this point. 00:07:12.780 --> 00:07:17.020 And it's the same for you when you think about the impact that God has for you in this world. 00:07:17.620 --> 00:07:19.590 How in the world are you going to make that difference? 00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:22.080 Let me give you point number one in your notes and we'll talk about this. 00:07:22.780 --> 00:07:23.940 It looks like this. 00:07:24.700 --> 00:07:28.680 Strengthen your root to make healthy fruit. 00:07:30.060 --> 00:07:31.530 Not all of our points are going to rhyme today. 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:31.870 So you know. 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:32.420 Right. 00:07:33.700 --> 00:07:38.400 But strengthen your root to make healthy fruit. 00:07:40.140 --> 00:07:47.140 When you think about the difference God has called you to in this world, it's got to start in 00:07:47.140 --> 00:07:49.620 the development of your own relationship with Jesus. 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:51.320 Because sometimes we come to know the Lord. 00:07:51.380 --> 00:07:58.520 We can get so excited about the transformation God is doing in me, and we get so focused on the doing that we forget about 00:07:58.520 --> 00:07:59.500 the growing. 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:06.660 And in order to make an impact in this world, it really requires you to deepen your roots in Jesus. 00:08:07.340 --> 00:08:11.310 And the deeper you grow with him, the more you have to impart to others. 00:08:12.020 --> 00:08:19.080 And this is critical for all of us to think about, not only in your own personal faith journey, but for the well-being of people around you. 00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:20.020 And you. 00:08:20.020 --> 00:08:24.740 Think about 2026 and the way God wants to use you desires to use you. 00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:31.380 All of it will be an outflow of how God has grown you in your own personal journey with him. 00:08:31.380 --> 00:08:32.580 So seek him. 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:36.140 I mean, that's the song we just sang before we started looking at acts 13. 00:08:36.140 --> 00:08:41.570 Seek first the kingdom and everything else that God takes care of in him, because he holds it all in his hands. 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:45.300 I mean, we tend to complicate the Christian life, but it's as simple as that. 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:46.400 Seeking the Lord. 00:08:46.400 --> 00:08:53.500 And as God brings his the richness of who he is into your life, you're able to then pour your 00:08:53.500 --> 00:08:55.370 life out in the beauty of who he is. 00:08:56.180 --> 00:09:02.780 And so the depth of your walk with Christ becomes important in terms of being able to make an impact. 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:06.560 When you look at a story like this, it's critical to see. 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:10.640 And leading up to Acts chapter 13, what was Paul's life like? 00:09:11.220 --> 00:09:16.380 I mean, they say that Paul had the equivalent of three in all of his studies. 00:09:16.840 --> 00:09:19.880 He was very disciplined in the Hebrew Old Testament. 00:09:19.900 --> 00:09:22.400 Only the Jews don't refer to the Old Testament as old. 00:09:22.640 --> 00:09:24.020 To them there's only one testament. 00:09:24.040 --> 00:09:24.820 They call it the Tanakh. 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:25.680 Right? 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:28.960 But he knew the Old Testament in and out. 00:09:29.060 --> 00:09:31.940 But the Apostle Paul was not a believer yet. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:33.330 In fact, he hated Christians. 00:09:33.380 --> 00:09:37.720 And so it took this radical transformation of him coming to know Jesus. 00:09:37.780 --> 00:09:45.060 And then once he came to know Jesus, we start to learn in passages like Galatians chapter one, verse 17 and 18, 00:09:45.060 --> 00:09:52.180 that Paul, right after coming to know Christ, went and spent three years in the Arabian desert and developing the depth of his walk 00:09:52.180 --> 00:09:54.600 with Jesus before he comes back to Jerusalem. 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:58.010 When he gets to Jerusalem, nobody wants him around. 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:00.800 He comes back to Jerusalem and he says, hey guys, I'm a Christian now. 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:04.460 And they're like, that's great, but don't get near me because I don't trust you. 00:10:04.460 --> 00:10:07.620 You were just killing my friends, so they don't want anything to do with that. 00:10:07.640 --> 00:10:13.260 So they send Paul from Jerusalem back to where he was from, which was is Tarsus. 00:10:13.260 --> 00:10:15.260 That's modern day Turkey. 00:10:15.280 --> 00:10:22.400 And so Paul lives in Tarsus and ministers for Tarsus for about a decade before Barnabas, who was an encourager, 00:10:23.460 --> 00:10:26.820 he starts to minister in Antioch, Syria. 00:10:27.160 --> 00:10:29.960 And he thinks to himself, man, I need some help for what God's doing here. 00:10:30.180 --> 00:10:35.860 And he remembers Paul and he goes and gets Paul, and he brings him to Antioch to help him minister there. 00:10:36.760 --> 00:10:43.860 And so Paul has spent well over a decade nurturing his own walk with Jesus before he goes on this missionary 00:10:43.860 --> 00:10:44.540 journey. 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:45.710 And guess what? 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:51.500 Whatever God calls you to in this world, it's important to remember that it all begins out of your own faith journey with him. 00:10:51.560 --> 00:10:54.720 In fact, as a church, we have five values. 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:59.430 As a church that we uphold, that our desire in these values is to perpetuate a healthy culture. 00:11:00.420 --> 00:11:06.390 And in our five values we say there is one value, our first value that takes precedence over all the values. 00:11:07.100 --> 00:11:11.150 And our primary value as a church is simply this to know Christ. 00:11:12.680 --> 00:11:14.740 Everything falls in line after that. 00:11:15.740 --> 00:11:16.680 To know Jesus. 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:20.600 The reason God created you is for relationship. 00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:28.640 And you think about the way that God, more than anything, what God desires for you and in you this year is to grow 00:11:28.640 --> 00:11:31.060 in your own personal journey with him. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:36.590 And in so doing, that's what God desires to use for his glory in this world. 00:11:36.880 --> 00:11:43.920 Out of the depth of your relationship, God then uses that to challenge and transform the hearts of people around 00:11:43.920 --> 00:11:44.180 you. 00:11:44.180 --> 00:11:50.440 I mean, who better to share the beauty of Jesus and someone who knows Jesus and how Jesus can transform lives. 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:52.880 And this is exactly what's happening with the Apostle Paul. 00:11:52.880 --> 00:11:55.160 He doesn't just wake up and say, I'm going on a journey. 00:11:56.220 --> 00:12:00.610 But no, he's nurtured the depth of his own faith in the Lord. 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:02.900 And God continued to use that. 00:12:02.900 --> 00:12:05.400 We're where the Apostle Paul was. 00:12:05.800 --> 00:12:13.020 And so God, God, God is taking him to this place of opportunity to then to share with others what God 00:12:13.020 --> 00:12:14.680 has imparted in him. 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:22.600 You know, if we're not careful, we have this tendency of getting distracted in our faith journey. 00:12:23.540 --> 00:12:27.800 And one of the things that we should know in relationships is no relationship just stays the same. 00:12:27.800 --> 00:12:30.960 Relationships aren't static. 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:32.580 They grow. 00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:33.360 They're organic. 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:33.860 Right? 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:37.340 They have opportunity to decrease or increase. 00:12:37.380 --> 00:12:40.780 And it's really what you put into it that determines what you get out of it. 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:45.300 When I think about the first century church, one of the most impactful churches in the first century. 00:12:45.800 --> 00:12:46.240 What was the. 00:12:46.420 --> 00:12:47.400 The church in Ephesus. 00:12:48.300 --> 00:12:50.460 It's where Jesus's mother ended up. 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:52.220 It's where the apostle John ended up. 00:12:52.220 --> 00:12:53.590 It's where Timothy was. 00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:55.940 It was a powerhouse church in the first century. 00:12:56.380 --> 00:13:04.220 But when you read the book of revelation in chapter two, verse four, God says this to the church of Ephesus, but 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:09.320 I have this against you because you've left your first love. 00:13:11.680 --> 00:13:19.000 The thing that drives all things I can't help but think this morning, even for some of us that don't like to set goals 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:23.040 for a new year, how is your walk with Jesus? 00:13:25.880 --> 00:13:26.780 Have you gotten distracted? 00:13:29.020 --> 00:13:36.040 And one of my hopes for us as a church this year that's different than last year, that whatever last year was in your walk with the 00:13:36.040 --> 00:13:40.240 Lord, that this year would be a year that you grow even deeper in him. 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:48.210 What would that look like for you if you just set a goal for yourself and saying, yeah, I do want to take that more serious. 00:13:49.280 --> 00:13:52.440 And I do want to nurture what Jesus has called me to in him. 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:56.360 And I want to experience the wealth that is Christ. 00:13:57.660 --> 00:14:02.800 And if you were just to make one goal for the year, what would that look like? 00:14:04.020 --> 00:14:07.070 What's that one thing that you could do to spend time with Jesus? 00:14:07.140 --> 00:14:10.000 To nurture the health of your own relationship with him? 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:16.970 When you talk in terms of making an impact, it's the simple steps that God uses to grow us. 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:24.000 Sometimes, if we're not careful, we can get so big in the dreaming that we forget to just be faithful. 00:14:25.760 --> 00:14:26.700 And it's wonderful. 00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:28.040 You ever talk to a young person? 00:14:28.060 --> 00:14:31.790 Sometimes you may be asking the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? 00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:35.400 And if and if their dreams haven't been crushed by life yet. 00:14:36.580 --> 00:14:43.620 And they might say things like, I want to be, I don't know, an astronaut, a professional, whatever athlete you know 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:45.540 and you think about the probabilities. 00:14:45.540 --> 00:14:46.640 I mean, maybe your kid can do that. 00:14:46.660 --> 00:14:50.380 That'd be wonderful if they did get me tickets to whatever event they're in. 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:56.820 But the probability of necessarily seeing that happen to the end is very low. 00:14:57.820 --> 00:15:02.780 We like to dream the big dreams sometimes, but not take the simple steps. 00:15:04.160 --> 00:15:07.400 And when it comes to making an impact for Jesus, it starts. 00:15:07.400 --> 00:15:09.450 Get this through your own relationship with Jesus. 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:11.600 Deepen. 00:15:12.100 --> 00:15:15.060 Deepen your root to make healthy fruit. 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:23.220 And so the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 13, leading up to this point on this missionary journey, it's important for us to think about 00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:30.160 all that went into his life, to be able to be set out for this particular journey. 00:15:30.160 --> 00:15:35.400 And then the second related to this is bloom where you're planted. 00:15:37.060 --> 00:15:39.160 Bloom where you're planted. 00:15:41.160 --> 00:15:48.240 And this is to encourage us not to look so far beyond, in these hopes and dreams, that we forget to see what God's put right in 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:49.110 front of us. 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:56.980 I think it's wonderful to have hopes and dreams in the Lord, and to pursue greater things and what God can do, but not to the neglect 00:15:56.980 --> 00:15:59.760 to what's right around me right now. 00:16:00.880 --> 00:16:08.240 And one of one of the great things about how God works right around you right now is that community gets to participate in how the 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:10.230 Lord is leading people beyond. 00:16:11.140 --> 00:16:18.440 When you look at what the Apostle Paul is doing in this story, one of the things that I love is you're looking at the names of individuals 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:19.920 in Antioch, right? 00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:28.020 Like you can't help but think that when Barnabas went to Antioch Barnabas sees God working, 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:29.150 but he knows he needs help. 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:30.160 And so he goes and gets Paul. 00:16:31.100 --> 00:16:38.060 And you can't think that if Paul had not come to Antioch, some of the names you're reading on this list wouldn't have been on this list. 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:44.620 But because Paul was just faithful to bloom where God put him or God was leading him. 00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:49.300 Now you have a longer list of individuals of that are coming to know the Lord. 00:16:50.260 --> 00:16:55.010 And so as God continues to stir the church, not all of them are participating in this together. 00:16:55.480 --> 00:17:02.700 And this is saying to us, you should not undermine the way God wants to work in community for all of us to participate in and what God 00:17:02.700 --> 00:17:03.400 desires. 00:17:03.400 --> 00:17:10.500 Like for Paul, this became a place to affirm where his giftedness was like, he's not just dreaming so big of what God wants 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:13.740 to do that the church isn't seeing that in him. 00:17:14.560 --> 00:17:21.640 Meaning, when you come to know Jesus and you start walking with people in Jesus, those people around you can see how God's hand is on you in 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:22.920 the way that God's gifted you. 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:26.440 So that when you say things like, man, I feel like God might be leading in this direction. 00:17:27.099 --> 00:17:29.880 You can look to that community and say, do you see this in me? 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:30.960 Like, am I just crazy? 00:17:31.360 --> 00:17:32.890 Am I just dreaming dreams here? 00:17:33.080 --> 00:17:35.920 Or can you see a way that God can use me in this? 00:17:36.040 --> 00:17:43.560 Like sometimes in I want to pick on Christianity, but I'm going to for a second, like sometimes in Christian circles, 00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:49.610 people will get so passionate about the way God's working in their heart, and you should definitely share that with others. 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:56.840 But we start coming up with these ideas of what we want to do, and it's like we do that despite the church where we just say, this is what God called me to do. 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:57.980 You can just take it or leave it. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.240 And it's like, well, where is community in that? 00:18:00.760 --> 00:18:02.140 And how can we celebrate that? 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:06.620 When you see the way the church is working in this, it's they're seeking God in his spirit. 00:18:06.620 --> 00:18:09.020 They're praying about this together. 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:10.100 They're affirming this. 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:14.300 They're sending out their best for what God desires to do around this world. 00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:19.530 And so they're seeing the they've seen how Paul's been gifted among their own community. 00:18:19.860 --> 00:18:25.460 And so they can get behind this and get excited about this and be praying about this with him as they're seeking God's face. 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:32.640 And so blooming where you're planted becomes critical for all of us as a community to see how God wants to perpetuate 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:35.070 his work in this world. 00:18:35.340 --> 00:18:38.840 And even beyond that, when you read this list of names. 00:18:38.840 --> 00:18:45.060 One of the things that Luke takes time, takes time to do here is he also identifies where these individuals are from. 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:46.100 Right? 00:18:46.100 --> 00:18:53.120 So not only not only is the gospel being made known in Antioch, but Antioch becomes this hub of potential for around 00:18:53.120 --> 00:19:00.200 the world because as they gave us this list of names, one of the things you begin to see is that everyone that Luke is talking about here is 00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:03.620 in Antioch, but they're not from Antioch, right? 00:19:03.620 --> 00:19:06.560 When you read like Barnabas, he's from Cyprus. 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:10.540 Simeon, who was from Niger, that's sub-Saharan Africa. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:11.280 Lucius. 00:19:11.280 --> 00:19:13.540 He's from northern Africa and Cyrene. 00:19:13.540 --> 00:19:13.920 Mani. 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:15.600 And he might be from that region. 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:18.400 But one of the things Luke wants to notice, he is a dignitary. 00:19:18.900 --> 00:19:20.900 He he's got political weight. 00:19:20.900 --> 00:19:23.480 He's a significant person in this region. 00:19:23.820 --> 00:19:28.680 And then there's Saul, who's who's from Tarsus, which is modern day Turkey. 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:37.380 So blooming where they're at not only gives the beauty of that community, but it gives potential for the possibility of what God 00:19:37.380 --> 00:19:38.630 can do around the world. 00:19:40.080 --> 00:19:46.840 And so this becomes critical not only for the first century church, but for us to think about what does it look like to strengthen my roots? 00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:51.970 What does it look like to bloom where I'm at? 00:19:53.340 --> 00:19:57.530 And number three is this expand through the fields God opens. 00:20:00.020 --> 00:20:02.780 Expand through the fields that God opens. 00:20:04.380 --> 00:20:12.040 You know, one of the great things about a church, as people are coming to know Christ and the church is growing, so 00:20:12.040 --> 00:20:14.300 should the ministries that we're a part of. 00:20:15.260 --> 00:20:22.340 It should grow numerically, but also even expand other ministries, other opportunities, because the body gets bigger. 00:20:22.840 --> 00:20:25.140 So comes the opportunity to reach people. 00:20:26.120 --> 00:20:28.680 And this is what the early church is doing. 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.580 They're considering where God is at work in their joining him. 00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:35.340 Right. 00:20:35.340 --> 00:20:42.460 I mean, for us, when we think about our lives and how God can use us just through the common connections we have and the and the burdens 00:20:42.460 --> 00:20:46.660 God's given us, we just look for the waves, God's making, and we join him. 00:20:47.300 --> 00:20:48.080 Maybe for us, we could. 00:20:48.180 --> 00:20:49.180 We could start like this. 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:49.440 What? 00:20:49.760 --> 00:20:52.720 What burdens has God placed on my heart? 00:20:54.200 --> 00:20:57.440 How is my community supporting in this? 00:20:58.180 --> 00:21:00.700 And then where is God doing a work that we can join him in? 00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:03.220 You think about those things. 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:10.220 It's really God directing us through, through his people and in my own life, the burdens he gives to see 00:21:10.220 --> 00:21:12.110 his will accomplished in this world. 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:18.360 And when it comes to the early church, I think they're following in those simple steps. 00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:25.780 I mean, it tells you in verse two, while they were worshiping the Lord and they were fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:27.900 set apart for me Barnabas and Saul. 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:32.200 But one of the things that's interesting about this chapter, is it doesn't tell us how. 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:37.040 It just says the Holy Spirit does this, but it doesn't tell us how the Holy Spirit does this. 00:21:37.080 --> 00:21:43.620 I mean, you could go so far as saying the Holy Spirit, just in an audible voice says, set apart from me. 00:21:43.740 --> 00:21:44.540 You could. 00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:48.180 You could say that maybe the Holy Spirit, I don't know, it doesn't tell us or. 00:21:49.260 --> 00:21:51.400 Or maybe it's much more practical than that. 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:57.660 Maybe they've seen the heart of God in Scripture, and they know God's hearts for people. 00:21:57.660 --> 00:22:01.740 Because from the days of Abraham, God said through him he will bless all people groups. 00:22:02.840 --> 00:22:04.620 And maybe they've seen the heart of that. 00:22:04.860 --> 00:22:10.130 God make himself known at the cross as he pursued us and gave his life for us, that we could have freedom in him. 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:15.890 And maybe they saw the way that God moved, even in the midst of persecution that they had endured. 00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:21.300 How they didn't stop the spread of the gospel, but rather it multiplied it. 00:22:21.560 --> 00:22:27.070 And they began to realize, this is the way that God is working, and this is God's desire for the church. 00:22:27.780 --> 00:22:29.900 And we want to partner with the Lord in that. 00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:36.940 And so they're coming to the Lord, prayerfully seeking God and how they can join him and what he desires to accomplish 00:22:36.940 --> 00:22:38.060 in this world. 00:22:39.040 --> 00:22:41.500 And it's the same for us. 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:49.190 As you begin to read Scripture, you begin to recognize what the heart of God is about, and it's about reaching the hearts of people who need him desperately. 00:22:49.920 --> 00:22:53.860 So our lives can be radically transformed in the forgiveness that only he can bring. 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:56.560 And we can walk with the hope of newness of life in Christ. 00:22:57.620 --> 00:23:00.780 And so we understand that, and we can join him in that. 00:23:00.780 --> 00:23:05.630 And he's given me position in him to represent him in this world as his ambassador. 00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:10.940 Like, we get to be a collective community for his glory to the benefit of others. 00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:13.670 And so the church is just walking in that. 00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:21.090 And when you read about what the church did and verse four, it says, so being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:23.360 and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:28.130 When they arrived to Salamis, they proclaimed the Word of God in the synagogue of the Jews. 00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:32.960 And they had John to assist them when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos. 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:41.680 It's not rocket science what the early church is doing there in Antioch, but none of them are from Antioch, and 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.810 they realize we've had the opportunity to come to know Jesus here. 00:23:45.660 --> 00:23:49.440 But now we can take the gospel to the places we're from. 00:23:50.340 --> 00:23:58.140 And so get this the first place Paul and Barnabas sailed to is the place Barnabas 00:23:58.140 --> 00:23:59.330 is from. 00:23:59.660 --> 00:24:06.780 They go down to Seleucia, which is a port town, and then they sell to Cyprus, and it tells you they go from Salamis to Paphos, which is saying 00:24:06.780 --> 00:24:11.360 from the far eastern side of Cyprus to the far western side of Cyprus. 00:24:11.380 --> 00:24:13.090 They went through the whole island of Cyprus. 00:24:14.080 --> 00:24:20.540 I mean, they're looking for the opportunities God's opening and the most up step to them is to go where they're from. 00:24:20.600 --> 00:24:26.980 And then when they leave Cyprus, get this, where they travel to Turkey and you know where Paul's from? 00:24:27.800 --> 00:24:28.280 Turkey. 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:32.490 They reach their own community. 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:39.480 This church becomes a hub for the spreading of the gospel around the world. 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:41.530 We look for the opportunities. 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:42.840 God's opening. 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:50.560 It becomes obvious to the church that steps that they're there to take to be faithful to what God's put before them. 00:24:50.700 --> 00:24:52.360 I mean, it doesn't just happen in this way. 00:24:52.360 --> 00:24:59.360 When you read verse seven, it tells us that Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence who summoned Barnabas and Saul and 00:24:59.360 --> 00:25:01.060 sought to hear the word of God. 00:25:01.840 --> 00:25:08.960 When they get to the island of Cyprus, you know how they know where to go, because a guy named Sergius Paulus said, come, tell me about 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:09.760 Jesus. 00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:17.260 I mean, they're looking for people that are hungry to know, and they're sharing who Jesus is. 00:25:17.340 --> 00:25:22.620 And by the way, Sergius Paulus, if you take time to investigate him, look him up. 00:25:22.620 --> 00:25:27.740 You'll find that there are first century documents that contain his name. 00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:34.980 And it turns out Sergius Paulus is from Antioch, Pisidia, which, after 00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:43.620 Paul and Barnabas leave the island of Cyprus, gets guess which city they go to Antioch, Pisidia. 00:25:43.620 --> 00:25:48.260 There's inscriptions in Cyprus and in Antioch with this guy's name on it. 00:25:48.800 --> 00:25:54.710 And so they're just following the trail of opportunity that God gives him for his glory. 00:25:55.480 --> 00:26:02.500 And not only do they go to Sergius Paulus, but then it tells you in verse nine something interesting, something that is easy to miss because 00:26:02.500 --> 00:26:04.500 it doesn't acknowledge it in Luke. 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:05.920 It just tells us, it says. 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:10.100 But Saul, who was called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him. 00:26:11.840 --> 00:26:19.040 In this particular verse, it's important to recognize, because this is the place that the apostle Paul 00:26:19.040 --> 00:26:21.740 goes from his name, Saul to Paul. 00:26:23.080 --> 00:26:30.100 Some people have asked the question, well, why did why did Saul change his name and have erroneously concluded the reason that the apostle Paul went from Saul to 00:26:30.100 --> 00:26:36.720 Paul is because Saul was his unsaved name, and Paul was his slave name, and he was such a terrible person. 00:26:37.400 --> 00:26:39.900 He wants to he wants to go by a different name. 00:26:39.960 --> 00:26:40.240 Right. 00:26:40.300 --> 00:26:42.320 And so they think it's because of conversion in Jesus. 00:26:42.360 --> 00:26:46.280 And I just want you to know, that is not the reason the Apostle Paul went from Saul to Paul. 00:26:47.520 --> 00:26:51.020 The reason Paul's name is changing here has to do with his identity. 00:26:51.060 --> 00:26:52.210 According to the people he's reaching. 00:26:52.300 --> 00:26:55.060 What I mean is Paul had both of these names already. 00:26:56.820 --> 00:26:58.880 Saul is his Hebrew name. 00:27:00.060 --> 00:27:02.720 And when he's ministering in Jerusalem, guess what? 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:03.240 He goes by Saul. 00:27:06.340 --> 00:27:09.000 But Paul is his Greek name. 00:27:10.040 --> 00:27:12.360 And when he ministers to the Gentiles, guess what? 00:27:12.360 --> 00:27:12.920 He goes by Paul. 00:27:15.800 --> 00:27:20.120 What it's saying is Paul's becoming who he needs to be to reach people with the gospel. 00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:24.310 He's becoming all things and seeing opportunities. 00:27:24.500 --> 00:27:24.580 So. 00:27:25.040 --> 00:27:31.980 So for him, it could look like going to a new city For him, it could look like encountering the person in front of him, Sergius. 00:27:31.980 --> 00:27:32.460 Paulus. 00:27:33.020 --> 00:27:39.480 For him, it's even as something as simple as going by his other name for better communicating the gospel to people. 00:27:41.300 --> 00:27:44.320 And so we think about the opportunities God has for us. 00:27:44.420 --> 00:27:45.850 It could be a complete transition. 00:27:47.540 --> 00:27:50.780 It could be just opening our eyes to the people God is putting in front of us. 00:27:51.560 --> 00:27:56.700 Or it could be learning how to be a better servant in the things that God has given me, whether it's a name or whatever. 00:27:58.200 --> 00:28:03.020 But looking for the doors of opportunity that God's got right in front of me. 00:28:04.580 --> 00:28:06.100 And the last is this. 00:28:08.520 --> 00:28:15.520 Walk by faith and you're going to assume this wrong if you quote the Bible verse, the Bible 00:28:15.520 --> 00:28:19.760 verse, second Corinthians five seven, don't put this down says walk by faith, not by sight. 00:28:20.140 --> 00:28:22.800 But we want to talk about this walk by faith, not by fear. 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:25.940 Walk by faith, not by fear. 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:27.920 In fact, I I would say second Corinthians five seven. 00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:34.420 One of the reasons it tells us to walk by faith, not by sight, is because when we're looking, sometimes fear can control what we do. 00:28:35.540 --> 00:28:39.360 And as people, we want to walk by faith and not by fear. 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:47.120 But you know, as you look at this first missionary journey, Acts chapter 13, one of the things that I find interesting in this chapter 00:28:47.120 --> 00:28:49.060 is what it doesn't say. 00:28:50.260 --> 00:28:54.520 And what it doesn't say is that Paul was petrified to go on this journey. 00:28:55.520 --> 00:28:59.020 Paul was mortified or absolutely afraid to go on this journey. 00:28:59.780 --> 00:29:06.890 But you know, when you think about the Apostle Paul's life, I would think that would be a pretty rational thing to include in this chapter, 00:29:07.180 --> 00:29:07.810 but it doesn't. 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:15.740 And one of the reasons I think it would be rational to include is when you, even if you know anything about the Apostle Paul's life, and he tells us in Corinthians that he was beat, he 00:29:15.740 --> 00:29:17.330 was imprisoned, he was hungry. 00:29:17.860 --> 00:29:19.710 He was shipwrecked multiple times. 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:22.270 Multiple times these things happened to him. 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:24.430 I mean, he led a very difficult life. 00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:28.150 And knowing the kind of life the Apostle Paul led. 00:29:28.280 --> 00:29:35.440 Like if you go all the way back to his conversion, if you remember in Acts chapter nine, a man named Ananias was told to go and share Christ 00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:38.580 with the Apostle Paul, and he was reluctant to do it. 00:29:38.760 --> 00:29:41.160 But in verse 15 it says it like this. 00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:48.480 But the Lord said to him, Ananias, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles, and kings, 00:29:48.480 --> 00:29:49.470 and the children of Israel. 00:29:50.340 --> 00:29:53.170 Now if God had stopped there, I think that would be wonderful. 00:29:53.620 --> 00:29:58.570 Like if God said, if someone showed up and said that to you and it came from the Lord, you'd be like, oh, that's so great. 00:29:58.760 --> 00:30:00.320 Like, let's see how God does this. 00:30:00.320 --> 00:30:01.070 This would be so good. 00:30:01.460 --> 00:30:08.560 But then God had to include verse 16 in verse 16, is this for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my 00:30:08.560 --> 00:30:08.960 name. 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:11.860 Who would be like, oh really? 00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:12.980 Sign me up, right? 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:15.000 Like, oh, let's do that. 00:30:15.080 --> 00:30:15.160 Right. 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:15.600 Let's start. 00:30:15.620 --> 00:30:16.440 Can we start today? 00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:17.500 Let's do this today, right? 00:30:17.540 --> 00:30:19.720 This that is that is an insane statement. 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:21.970 Why could he just stop with the positive statement? 00:30:22.040 --> 00:30:24.040 Why is he going to gotta say this and like. 00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:31.740 And Paul knows this in Acts chapter 13, the early church is like, hey, we think, Paul, that 00:30:31.740 --> 00:30:33.980 God is leading you on this journey. 00:30:33.980 --> 00:30:36.280 Do you do you think God's leading you on this journey? 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:37.950 And Paul signs up for this journey? 00:30:38.820 --> 00:30:45.520 I don't know about you, but I can't help but think some people in this room would be like, let me just quote to you Acts chapter nine, verse 16, right. 00:30:45.520 --> 00:30:48.100 Like I, is there a second pick? 00:30:48.280 --> 00:30:49.380 I'm I'm glad. 00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:56.360 I'm glad I might be first pick in the draft, but I'm going to fake an injury now, and maybe we can send somebody else in my place. 00:30:56.400 --> 00:30:59.520 You know, this is this is not not an easy step. 00:30:59.720 --> 00:31:04.440 But when you read Acts chapter 13, you don't find Paul reluctant to go. 00:31:04.440 --> 00:31:04.660 Why? 00:31:05.930 --> 00:31:08.020 Well, let me ask you a different question. 00:31:08.020 --> 00:31:09.830 As we kind of drive at this a little bit. 00:31:10.440 --> 00:31:12.620 Let me ask a more of a rhetorical question. 00:31:12.620 --> 00:31:16.350 I want you to answer this out loud, because I don't want you to look like a wimpy Christian. 00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:17.120 Okay. 00:31:17.480 --> 00:31:22.300 But just in your mind is it okay to be afraid? 00:31:25.520 --> 00:31:27.200 Maybe we could ask it in a moral sense. 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:29.500 Is it right to be afraid? 00:31:30.800 --> 00:31:32.720 Or is it sinful to be afraid? 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:38.500 The Bible tells you multiple times, do not be afraid. 00:31:38.520 --> 00:31:40.950 In fact, it mentions it hundreds of times. 00:31:41.040 --> 00:31:41.700 Do not be afraid. 00:31:41.700 --> 00:31:45.440 Some say it mentions it as for as many days or in the year. 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:46.060 Do not be afraid. 00:31:46.260 --> 00:31:50.160 I mean one of my favorite verses, Joshua one nine And God says, have I? 00:31:50.300 --> 00:31:51.300 Have I not commanded you? 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:54.560 Be not afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. 00:31:56.360 --> 00:32:03.480 Even in Second Timothy chapter, chapter one, verse seven, it says, the Lord doesn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power and 00:32:03.480 --> 00:32:04.620 love and a sound mind. 00:32:06.800 --> 00:32:08.920 Is it okay to be afraid? 00:32:10.220 --> 00:32:11.850 Is it wrong to be afraid? 00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:16.560 Well, I'll give you my answer and work it out for a minute. 00:32:16.800 --> 00:32:18.340 I would say to that it is. 00:32:18.420 --> 00:32:23.740 It is not wrong to be afraid, but what is wrong is to be controlled by that fear. 00:32:25.100 --> 00:32:32.160 And even as a human being, I think it's unrealistic to say that you're going to go the rest of your life and not have fear 00:32:32.160 --> 00:32:32.840 if you just. 00:32:33.020 --> 00:32:35.660 If you've got enough faith, that's not that's not accurate, right? 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:38.800 As human beings, there's a certain kind of fear that can even be healthy. 00:32:38.940 --> 00:32:39.400 Right. 00:32:39.400 --> 00:32:40.930 A concern for things. 00:32:41.980 --> 00:32:44.480 But there is there is a fear that can lead to ungodliness. 00:32:45.620 --> 00:32:49.070 And to expect that you can completely eradicate fear, I think is wrong. 00:32:50.460 --> 00:32:55.020 But it's what you do with it when fear arises that determines what you're really following. 00:32:56.100 --> 00:32:56.820 Does that make sense? 00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:02.900 Fear is not ultimately what God says to control you, but rather faith. 00:33:02.940 --> 00:33:03.100 So? 00:33:03.280 --> 00:33:05.260 So maybe we should ask the question, well, how do we get there? 00:33:06.780 --> 00:33:12.540 How can we approach this new year like Paul in Acts 13, knowing everything that was in front of his life? 00:33:12.540 --> 00:33:16.320 I mean, when you think about this year, I have no idea what this year holds for you. 00:33:17.280 --> 00:33:19.260 There could be some fantastic things. 00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:21.500 There could be some incredibly difficult things. 00:33:22.760 --> 00:33:27.080 And when you start to think about all the what ifs, those fears can petrify you. 00:33:27.080 --> 00:33:27.140 So. 00:33:27.420 --> 00:33:30.940 So rather than walk in that, how do you walk in what God desires for you? 00:33:30.940 --> 00:33:33.270 Well, there's a story and I got to do this a little quicker. 00:33:33.820 --> 00:33:41.280 But in Mark chapter four of the disciples with Jesus there on the Sea of Galilee, and it says this on that day when evening had come, he said to them, 00:33:41.280 --> 00:33:43.720 let us go across to the other side and leave the crowd. 00:33:43.740 --> 00:33:50.900 They took him with them in the boat, just as he was, and the other boats were with him, and a great windstorm arose, and the waves 00:33:50.900 --> 00:33:54.960 were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling. 00:33:55.360 --> 00:34:02.500 But he was in the stern, talking about Jesus, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, you gotta say this in a panic danger. 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:05.590 Do you not care about us perishing? 00:34:06.140 --> 00:34:11.440 In verse 39, he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, peace be still. 00:34:12.260 --> 00:34:14.570 And the wind ceased, and there was great calm. 00:34:14.679 --> 00:34:15.659 And look what Jesus says. 00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:19.400 He said to them, why are you so afraid? 00:34:20.719 --> 00:34:21.920 Have you still no faith? 00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:24.960 And they were filled with great fear. 00:34:25.659 --> 00:34:30.199 And said to one another, who is this, then, that even the wind and the sea obey him? 00:34:31.900 --> 00:34:39.090 Now, if you want to get rid of fear, here's the answer you need a bigger fear. 00:34:42.040 --> 00:34:46.780 When I think about what God has for you in this world, I know some of us in our pride might say, I'm not afraid. 00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:48.130 I'm not afraid of nothing. 00:34:48.600 --> 00:34:48.880 Right? 00:34:49.260 --> 00:34:53.380 And I would just say, well, then what stops you from living your life in faith in Jesus? 00:34:55.179 --> 00:34:56.380 I really got two options. 00:34:56.400 --> 00:34:57.360 It's pride or fear. 00:34:58.980 --> 00:35:00.740 But what keeps us from going all in? 00:35:00.740 --> 00:35:01.200 In the Lord. 00:35:02.920 --> 00:35:06.280 I think fear controls us more than we like to confess sometimes. 00:35:08.180 --> 00:35:13.220 And if we want that fear to not control us, what Jesus is teaching us here is we need a bigger fear. 00:35:15.040 --> 00:35:21.000 Interesting that Jesus's disciples, predominantly their trade were fishermen, so they knew the sea better than anyone. 00:35:21.320 --> 00:35:22.940 And for them to be afraid of saying something. 00:35:23.960 --> 00:35:26.600 But this particular miracle is also teaching us something. 00:35:27.060 --> 00:35:34.120 That when you study the Hebrew Old Testament in the very beginning, you see that when God created the heaven and earth, it tells us the earth was without form and void, 00:35:34.160 --> 00:35:35.970 and waters covered the deep. 00:35:36.380 --> 00:35:39.560 And what it's saying in Hebrew is when God created the earth, water covered the earth. 00:35:39.560 --> 00:35:40.980 It's in absolute chaos. 00:35:42.220 --> 00:35:44.090 But out of the chaos, God brings order. 00:35:44.100 --> 00:35:44.780 He speaks. 00:35:44.780 --> 00:35:45.940 Life begins. 00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:47.280 The earth is formed. 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:48.040 There's land. 00:35:48.040 --> 00:35:48.980 There's birds. 00:35:48.980 --> 00:35:50.160 There's fish of the sea. 00:35:50.160 --> 00:35:52.680 There's animals, there's vegetation, and then there's humanity. 00:35:53.880 --> 00:35:55.440 It's God who controls the sea. 00:35:56.280 --> 00:35:58.140 It's God who brings order out of chaos. 00:35:59.420 --> 00:36:06.920 And now all of a sudden, on this boat, they're seeing one who controls the water, and they're realizing, who 00:36:06.920 --> 00:36:07.560 is this man? 00:36:08.580 --> 00:36:12.520 Because there's only one who controls the water, and it's God. 00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:15.620 And they're starting to learn who God is. 00:36:15.640 --> 00:36:15.820 So. 00:36:16.400 --> 00:36:23.460 So not only do you need a God who is powerful, more powerful than your fears, but the other thing 00:36:23.460 --> 00:36:27.360 that you need is a God who is compassionate, a God who cares. 00:36:28.560 --> 00:36:35.740 By them asking that question, they're beginning to learn where to put a healthy fear, a reverence for the Lord, a 00:36:35.740 --> 00:36:36.560 fear of the Lord. 00:36:37.400 --> 00:36:40.980 Because in the fear of the Lord, what they're discovering is also a God who cares about them. 00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:46.500 And in so doing that, they begin to discover, rather than fear anything in this world. 00:36:47.320 --> 00:36:51.720 They know whose hands they're in and they know he holds tomorrow. 00:36:52.880 --> 00:36:54.040 What does this year have for you? 00:36:54.540 --> 00:37:01.700 I don't know, but I know who has it, and I know he's far greater to get rid 00:37:01.700 --> 00:37:02.240 of fear. 00:37:03.240 --> 00:37:04.420 It takes a greater fear. 00:37:05.460 --> 00:37:11.110 And when we walk in the reverence of the Lord, the church does incredible things. 00:37:11.440 --> 00:37:13.460 Leonard Ravenhill said it like this. 00:37:14.080 --> 00:37:18.740 When fear of the Lord disappears, sin becomes casual and obedience becomes optional. 00:37:20.320 --> 00:37:27.420 But guys, if we set it the opposite way, when you truly fear the Lord, you live for his glory and do 00:37:27.420 --> 00:37:29.430 incredible things in him. 00:37:30.220 --> 00:37:34.700 When the Apostle Paul finally got to Antioch in Acts chapter 13, this is the last verse I'll share. 00:37:34.740 --> 00:37:41.980 But in Acts chapter 13, we finally have the first message he shares to two people on his journey. 00:37:42.040 --> 00:37:43.340 So it talks about him sharing the gospel. 00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:49.800 In verse 16, he finally shares his first message in Antioch, Pisidia. 00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:51.440 And get this, he's in the synagogue. 00:37:51.700 --> 00:37:54.710 He stands up and the first thing that he says is. 00:37:54.740 --> 00:38:02.140 So Paul stood up and motioning with his hand, said, Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen, you 00:38:02.140 --> 00:38:02.520 know what he's saying? 00:38:04.280 --> 00:38:06.560 You who are about to do incredible things. 00:38:07.680 --> 00:38:14.980 And the reason is not because of you, but because of the one you fear and the compassion he has 00:38:14.980 --> 00:38:15.660 towards you. 00:38:16.820 --> 00:38:20.480 Maybe we should ask this morning the question, how do I know that that's God for me? 00:38:21.300 --> 00:38:22.660 I think it's wonderful to see this in Acts 13. 00:38:22.720 --> 00:38:23.380 But how do I know? 00:38:24.360 --> 00:38:27.080 And can I just tell you the answer is the same always for us. 00:38:27.580 --> 00:38:29.200 It's through the resurrection. 00:38:30.440 --> 00:38:31.700 The resurrection of Christ. 00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:33.580 Is God screaming his love to you? 00:38:34.620 --> 00:38:41.440 It's God proclaiming his power for you that he has defeated sin, Satan, and death, that you can have life in him. 00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:46.140 And because of that, you may not know what tomorrow has, but you know who has tomorrow. 00:38:47.380 --> 00:38:54.460 You want to make an impact for the Lord, and in 2026, strengthen your root to bear the fruit bloom where 00:38:54.460 --> 00:38:55.880 God has planted you. 00:38:56.200 --> 00:39:00.500 Expand in the fields of opportunity God gives and walk by faith, not by fear.