If not me, then who? If not now, then when?

[0:00] My message tonight is if not you then who? If not now then when? I got together with an old friend just Thursday last.

[0:21] ! In fact he had a guitar there and he said he'd not play it for two years and then so he got it out and he asked me to play it but I've not played it. I've not played it for not quite two years but for a while. Mine's gathering dust.

[0:34] I got together this old friend and I used to know him as a teenager in fact. So it was quite some while back and while we were chatting, actually I'm getting mixed up.

[0:45] This is another friend I'm talking about. Forget that. I got together an old friend just this last Thursday. This was another old friend. While we were chatting he made the point of how he had noticed there's a real glaring lack of people taking responsibility.

[1:00] He was talking about his neighbourhood and about how the place was not cared for, where he lived and how he'd asked someone to help him and they didn't turn up. And it had stood out strongly to this man that he had wanted people to come and help him with something that had just not turned up and he felt really let down.

[1:18] It was a big let down. And this quality of taking responsibility is sadly lacking in people these days. My plea to you is this. Take responsibility. Take responsibility.

[1:31] Romans 14.12 it says, So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14.12, So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

[1:43] Who does it say that we have to give account to? For? Ourselves. Ourselves. Take responsibility for your own life. Not about the other man, the other woman.

[1:55] I want to challenge you to fill the place that you can fill. God has shoes for only you to fill. Some people don't ever seem to put the shoes on.

[2:06] They know what they should do but they don't put the shoes on. Or maybe they put them on and they don't tie the laces and they end up tripping. It's a bit like at home sometimes I've got these slippers that I put on and I don't put them on properly.

[2:18] I just sort of scuff around in there. I don't take putting those slippers on seriously. And it's like that with some people with the things of God, with the call of God on their lives, with the service of God that they can render.

[2:32] They don't put their hole into it. It's kind of half-hearted. The Bible talks about putting our energy and our strength into what God puts in our hands to do.

[2:45] What God gives us the ability to do. Not to have shoes that slip on and off as it were as the shoes of service but that we are in the game, fully in the game.

[2:56] We're not on the bench sitting out for most of the game but we're in the game. We're on the field. We're not on the team. We're on the team.

[3:07] We're on the team. Yet for some, they are in the fight but then they falter and they take time out for extended times. Some shirk responsibility.

[3:18] When it comes to jumping in, boots and all, it's as if they can't do that. And I urge you tonight, take responsibility. Let's not be like someone who's scuffing around in some slippers or just carelessly putting on shoes that they're not tying the laces, tripping up or as it were a footy player that's out for much of the match just sitting on the bench because they just can't be bothered as it were.

[3:46] Funny how if someone asks you to do something or join in something, you can impulsively say yes and just go for it. You know, I had reasons to be caught on this week, someone moving house and they said, oh look, no one's helping me and I said, I can help and I just rocked up and helped him.

[4:07] We can be like that sometimes when we impulsively, we get asked by someone to do something and we just go and do it. But sometimes, for example, when it comes to following the Lord Jesus, it's like it's a tough call.

[4:20] We might have to give up something some people think. You know, when we go and witnessing, we see people and they've always got some weedy excuse, some cop out, as if they just, they realise there's something they've got to give, something they've got to give up as they would think.

[4:35] But not that that is so necessarily, but it's like it's just such a big impost to be a Christian. And it's like that in terms of serving as well.

[4:49] When there's work to be done, people can sometimes think someone else will do it. Someone else will do it. People seem inclined to think somebody else will do that.

[5:01] Now you've probably heard this one. It's a familiar kind of prose about this reality that we face. How someone put this reality that faces us in this context.

[5:16] It's called, That's Not My Job. This is a story about four people named everybody, somebody, anybody and nobody. There was an important job to be done and everybody was sure that somebody would do it.

[5:33] Anybody could have done it, but nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was everybody's job. Everybody thought anybody could do it, but nobody realised that.

[5:48] Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that everybody blamed somebody when nobody did what anybody could have. Now, if you're totally confused, so am I.

[5:59] But the point is that there's people passing the buck, isn't it? It's passing the buck. Anybody could do it. Everybody could do it. Anybody could do it. But nobody did it. And sometimes we can think, oh, somebody else will do that, as it were.

[6:13] And we thank the Lord for people. And this morning we had some great help from Bethany, just at a few hours notice stepping in and playing the piano. And that was a real blessing for us as a church.

[6:25] And likewise, I know we've had some changes in the kitchen area and we've had some other people just put up their hand and jump in and serve. And we thank God for you.

[6:36] It's a great blessing. It's something we can all keep our eyes open to, isn't it? We've all been given talents to use, to invest. And it tells us in the word that we must all give account of our stewardship.

[6:50] There'll be a kind of accounting time. Not that our salvation is earned by what we do, but necessarily our salvation is activated. We want to serve. We love to serve because God has put that in our heart to do.

[7:04] And I pose to you two questions tonight. First one, if not you, then who? If not you, then who? Because really, God's got a personal call to every person here tonight.

[7:18] Every believer here has a call. And I know I've referred to this of late. Moses said, here am I, pick Aaron.

[7:29] Moses kind of passed the buck. He said, oh, look, I can't talk very well. I've got this speech impediment. I'm obviously not qualified or able. So pick Aaron.

[7:40] You know, it's kind of passed the buck. Somebody else. Yet in contrast, Isaiah says, here am I, send me. If not you, then who?

[7:52] Paul saw that he had a race to run and he determined to run it well. In Philippians 3.14, he writes, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

[8:04] Paul tells of a high calling. Elsewhere, it speaks of a heavenly calling. Elsewhere, it speaks of a holy calling. You have a calling. You have a calling. You have a mission that only you can fulfill.

[8:16] You have shoes that only you can fill, as it were. Shoes of service. 2 Thessalonians 1.11, Paul says, Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.

[8:38] Paul prays for the Thessalonians. Paul prays for the Thessalonians. He says, I pray always for you. God would count you worthy of this calling. Friends, you have a calling. Brother, you have a calling. Sister, you have a calling.

[8:49] Every one of us. Your life has purpose. You have a calling, a mission to fulfill. If not you, then who? The cults are active. Door knocking.

[9:00] Door knocking. Thank God we had a good church working the same street as us yesterday, giving out some gospel material. But I tell you, friends, there's some cults out there that are busy, busy people.

[9:15] Aren't they? As I say, this was the friend I met to be, because I met two old friends last week. But this other old friend that I met, I met him just last, this last week. Jeff is his name.

[9:26] After some 35 years. And he just looks a bit grayer than he did as a teenager, as I was. He's got more hair than me. But he was telling me that he still believes in the Lord.

[9:40] He's hoping he can join us one day. But he was telling me that Jehovah's Witnesses are dropping material to him regularly. He knows it's wrong, but he's kind of having a gander at it.

[9:52] And he knows that it's not true doctrine. But friends, the point is, if not you, then who? The cults are out there. And Christians are not out there.

[10:06] They're not out there. If not you, who will witness to the people in your street? If not you, who will reach your workmates?

[10:17] If not you, then who will reach out to your family members? It's a challenge, isn't it? If not you, then the cults will. The cults will. Let's face it.

[10:28] The Lord Jesus came to his various disciples. Numbers of times he said to individuals, one by one by one. He said, follow me.

[10:39] Now, the Lord Jesus, he didn't use some kind of whiz-bang sales technique or some kind of hypnotic, manipulative, motivational, big long spiel to convince them to argue, to tell people all the benefits, as it were, of making this decision.

[10:58] He simply said, come, follow me. Follow me. And here is your mission. If you choose to accept it, it's simply that, isn't it?

[11:10] Follow Jesus. Take personal responsibility for your own walk with God, for your life. Nobody else can do that.

[11:21] Only you can do, for your life, what God wants you to do. If not you, then who? There's no one else. You are the one answerable for yourself.

[11:32] And we will hear him calling us individually and respond. God comes to us, each one of us, individually, personally, soul by soul, one by one, person by person, one person at a time.

[11:47] Genesis 22, 11. I'm going to read a few scriptures here, but just listen out. Tune in for the common theme in all these verses. Genesis 22, verse 11.

[11:58] And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, here am I. Genesis 31, 11.

[12:10] And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I said, here am I. Exodus 3, 4. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, the burning bush, and said, Moses, Moses.

[12:28] And he said, here am I. 1 Samuel 3, verse 4. The Lord called Samuel, and he answered, here am I.

[12:39] Isaiah 6, 8. I heard the voice of the Lord saying, who shall I send? Who shall I send? Who will go for us? Then said I, here am I. Send me.

[12:50] It's a bit of a theme there, don't you think? Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah. Here am I. God speaks very personally, doesn't he?

[13:02] Very directly. What a theme. Here am I. God speaks to you individually, personally. And he says to us in the word, your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

[13:17] He says to us personally, build up yourselves in your most holy faith. It's a personal action that we need to take, to take action personally. As far as our spiritual growth.

[13:30] Don't blame someone else if you're not growing spiritually. Build up yourselves in your most holy faith. What is your purpose? Now, I know motivational speakers and a lot of flaky kind of preachers use much talk of purpose.

[13:46] The purpose driven and all that. But we do have a biblical purpose. A biblical purpose. And we need to find and activate the biblical purpose I put to you.

[13:58] And what is that? I put to you that our purpose is that same purpose that our precious Lord had. In 1 John 3 verse 8, in part it says, For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.

[14:14] He has been manifested for that purpose. To destroy the works of the devil. And likewise for every believer we've got that purpose. To make a difference.

[14:25] To oppose the works of darkness. To serve our great Saviour. I urge you tonight, let's not make the mistake of neglect. Neglect.

[14:36] Now, if you look closely enough at my house, there are some cobwebs.

[14:47] I've got to confess that tonight. There are some areas that I haven't got the feather duster and dealt with. Those particular corners in my house. And why?

[14:58] Neglect. Neglect, isn't it? Cobwebs grow. Dust gathers. Neglect is a problem. Now, of course we know the very sad, gruesome reality of child abuse.

[15:12] There's a kind of less noticed child neglect. It's kind of not noticed when a child is neglected. And you see, sadly these days, mums or dads on their phones and the little babies screaming for attention and it's neglect, isn't it?

[15:28] Neglect. Neglect. Now, God help you mums and dads if you've got little ones. And yeah, we don't want to make that mistake. It's a big trap, especially these days. But there's ways that children can be neglected, isn't there?

[15:41] There's that neglect of compassion, that neglect of eye contact, that neglect of communication. Your children, as they're growing, it's so vital. Let's not neglect our children.

[15:52] But what about your soul? What about soul neglect? That's a real problem today, isn't it? The neglect of the soul. Some would neglect salvation itself. As Hebrews 2 verse 3 talks, how shall we escape if we neglect?

[16:05] So great salvation. Don't neglect your salvation. Another sad case of neglect is the neglect of your gift. 1 Timothy 4.14, Paul tells Timothy, Timothy, neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of hands of the presbytery.

[16:25] Timothy had a gift, but it was growing cobwebs. It was dusty. It was neglected. People can neglect fellowship.

[16:36] People can neglect that spiritual impact they can have on others. They can neglect their Bible. They can neglect prayer. They can neglect outreach.

[16:47] Let's not neglect that, these things. Very important. I'm talking personally here tonight. How we can go for it when we get an opportunity to witness.

[17:00] For example, Ezekiel 22 verse 30. It says, the prophet, the Lord told Ezekiel, Ezekiel 22 verse 30, And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap for me, for the land, that I should not destroy it.

[17:18] But I found none. The Lord was looking and he saw a big gap, a big empty space where someone should have been standing. Standing in prayer. Standing in intercession.

[17:29] And there's a gap there. And standing in the gap is stepping into the centre of God's will. When there's a gap, let's stand in that gap. Amen. And here we can find God's peace and that presence of God.

[17:46] If we can stand in the gap, as it were. We can find shalom. God's peace. We can find wholeness there. In Psalm 29 11 it says, The Lord will give strength unto his people.

[18:00] The Lord will bless his people with peace. Brother, sister here tonight, the Lord will give strength. The Lord will bless his people with peace. And we can have peace, perfect peace.

[18:13] Peace that passes all understanding. That will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. You know this word shalom. In the Old Testament that we translate peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

[18:25] He's the Prince of Shalom. And this word peace, it means wholeness. There's a wholeness that we find in Christ. He is the Prince of Peace. The Prince of Shalom.

[18:37] The Prince of Wholeness. And there's a gap. Sometimes we miss the gap. As it were, there's a place God wants us to fill and we're not there. There's a gap there.

[18:49] A bit like I've got a gap in my teeth at the moment. There's a centre of God's will. That is to be in Christ.

[19:00] To be in Christ. It's here that we find true fulfilment. The Lord Jesus, he touched people. And it says that people were made sound. They were made whole.

[19:12] And it's the word sozo. And it means salvation. It means wholeness and soundness. Salvation. When Jesus touches us, he makes us whole.

[19:23] And friends, we can be encouraged by that. It's person by person. Jesus makes us whole. He gives us that wholeness. He fills the gap in our heart. And we can know his presence no matter what.

[19:35] No matter what the storm. We can personally experience his kingship over our lives. And we can be his servants. Become his servants. Now, if we are a servant, just think about it for a minute.

[19:48] If you're a servant, then disobedience is not an option. Is it? If you can think back in the old times when there were servants and maidens and such. If you're a servant, then the servant had to serve whether they felt like it or not.

[20:07] I don't know that they got much sick leave or such things. But the servant always had to serve. And likewise for us, disobedience is not an option. If we're God's servant, let's do our duty.

[20:20] Let's do right. That's the least we can do for our precious Lord. So we've looked at, as I say, if not you, then who? Stand up and feel the place of service that God has for you.

[20:35] Feel the place that God wants you to fill in the centre of his will, which is in Christ. To have that wholeness, that completeness, that shalom, that presence of God in your heart and soul.

[20:49] If not you, then who? Someone that no one else can fill the place that you can fill in God's service, in God's calling for you.

[21:00] Only you can do that. The second question is this. If not now, then when? Okay, you might say, Preacher, yes, I know I need to do something.

[21:13] I know I need to seek God's will and do it. I know that.

[21:24] And you may appreciate that tonight and accept that God has called you to do something, to deliver something, to serve in some capacity. Whether it be witnessing to family and friends or whether it be just simply being a stronger Christian.

[21:45] There's something, yes, I know I need to do something. You know God's got a purpose for you. He's called you. You've called on him. And he's still calling you.

[21:56] There's work still yet future for you. There's ministries. There's opportunities that lie ahead for you.

[22:07] God's got purpose for you. That's why you're here. That's why you're alive. That's why you've got breath and blood pumping. Know there's a valid reason why you are reached out by God and he touches your life.

[22:23] Now, perhaps there's a valid reason why you're saying, when I say, if not now, then when, you might say, not just now. Not just now. Look, I've got things on my plate.

[22:34] It's often when we go witnessing, oh, look, just too busy. Just, perhaps you may genuinely plan to do it. You generally want to.

[22:46] You want to, but you plan to, but ultimately you expect to get to it. And, but I know only too well for myself, I've got to be honest here tonight. It's so easy for me to use that cop out phrase.

[22:59] I will get to it one day. I can be like that. Maybe you can. You know, I've got, I talk about lists that Julie gives me these lists and I, I, I've got good intentions of getting to those things.

[23:14] But look, it's easy to get to the point where we're putting things off, but putting things off with God. It's dangerous, isn't it? It's thin ice, isn't it?

[23:25] My plea to you is now is the time. Now is the time. Especially as regards salvation. We know Paul writes to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 6 verse 2.

[23:36] He talks about the day of salvation. He says, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Now is God's time. Don't put it off.

[23:48] Don't put it off. Brother, sister, get hungry for God. God can turn things around. God can turn your heart unto him.

[24:00] God can help you be a stronger believer. God can do it. Let go and let God. Do it now. And to not do the good you can is sin.

[24:12] Let's face it. In James 4, 17. And I'm guilty of this one. Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. We know what we ought to do, but we don't do it.

[24:26] It's wrong. Don't put it off. What God's putting on your heart to do. You know, the Lord Jesus, he came along to Peter and Andrew and then to James and John as they were down by the seaside just biding their time with the busyness of life, and he said, follow me.

[24:46] There wasn't any kind of influencing or manipulating or some side benefits. Look, follow me and you can have this, that, and the other. Just follow me, simply that.

[24:58] It was going to, it meant a cost to them. It says in Matthew 4, 22, immediately they left their ship and their father and they followed him. Notice Matthew 4, 22, it says, and they immediately.

[25:12] Immediately. And this word is a feature through the gospels. There's times where it says immediately or straightway. It's the same word. It's essentially they immediately, they dropped everything and just said, yes, Lord, I will follow you.

[25:29] Notice for even the apostle Paul, as he came on the Damascus road and he was out heading to Damascus to kill the Christians. And in Acts 9, we see that God turned him around as it were inside.

[25:43] He still was going physically to Damascus where he ended up, but God turned him around in his heart. And it says, when he got to Damascus and was ministered to, and the scales came off his eyes.

[26:02] In Acts 9, verse 20, the first thing that he did, and straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues that he is the son of God. Well, he didn't muck around. He didn't wait and say, oh, look, I'm not trained enough.

[26:14] I've got to go to Bible school or I've got to get some kind of mentoring and I've got to do some homiletics classes. No, and straightway he preached Christ.

[26:26] In Acts 9, 29, he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Grecians, but they went about to slay him. He spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus.

[26:38] He's just nearly saved. Straight away he preached Christ. He spoke boldly. Now is the time to take action.

[26:51] It tells us in Luke 12, 35, let your loins be girded about and your lights burning. It's got the sense of be ready to take action. You know, have your belt on, as it were, you know, get everything in order and get your legs out.

[27:07] Get your lamp ready so you're ready to go. You're ready to launch. Now my niece is serving in the Australian Army and I'm told that they can get as little as four hours notice.

[27:18] Four hours that she's suddenly got to uproot herself from Australia and where her unit is being sent. She's just got to go.

[27:30] Whether they deployed to Afghanistan or some other theatre of war. So my niece has to have a bag ready just in case she gets the call. She's got to have a, as it were, her loins girt and her lights burning.

[27:42] She's got to be ready to go at a moment's notice. And she's got to be dressed for action and ready to go where she's sent. And it's the same for us, isn't it, as God's people, that we should be ready to be deployed for God.

[27:59] Galatians 6 verse 9 it says, Let us not be weary in well-doing, for we shall, in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Brother, sister, you shall reap.

[28:13] You shall reap. Don't be weary. Don't be discouraged. Do not faint. Keep on sowing. Now in order to reap, we have to sow, don't we?

[28:26] Don't expect to harvest when you don't sow. So now is the time to be sowing, as it were. In other words, do that now. If you do not sow, then do not expect to reap.

[28:38] So the point is we've got to do now what there will be a blessing from. What we do now will later bring reaping.

[28:53] The point is do it now. Do what you're able to do in the now. So I suppose I'm saying we might be working and labouring, we might be feeling inclined to be weary and discouraged, but as we do the sowing now, we can expect to reap later.

[29:15] Talking about investing in your spiritual life. Talking about building up your faith now so you can be stronger then. The time is now.

[29:27] The time is now. There's a sense in the word of godly haste. A divine urgency. A divine urgency. In Luke 14, 21, when the master wanted to have people at his supper and he saw there was only a lacking number.

[29:45] He said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor, the maimed, the halt, the blind.

[29:57] The master says go out quickly. There's a sense where there's an urgency to this call. How much time have we? God does not commend people for being half-hearted.

[30:11] But he wants us to be a glad-hearted, humble servant. And he commends fervency. Proverbs 18, 9, it says, He that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

[30:27] And we can be slothful in our work, kind of just casual, careless, complacent, just not putting the heart into it. And it says that someone who's slothful, kind of lazy, is a brother to the one who is a great waster.

[30:43] You know, I've had occasion, I had to slip into a hotel to use the facilities. And I had occasion to go through the room with all the ching-ching, all the funny noises and the glaring lights and the...

[31:02] All that stuff. And you see these people there pressing the buttons. They're just pressing the buttons, pressing the buttons. What a waste. Don't waste your life.

[31:14] There's a sense where we can be a great waster. Invest your life. Invest your life. Now, out yesterday, we were knocking some doors and I mentioned it earlier, but we faced one man, he had some mild interest and he indicated he was open to the gospel.

[31:31] And I know Brother Barry challenged him because he was saying, he's one of these guys, oh, later on. You know, later, Ron. You know, later. But Barry challenged him, we don't know how long we have got.

[31:45] Amen. We don't know how long we've got. Honestly, the Bible talks about procrastination, putting things off. Don't put things off in terms of God. Do not put it off.

[31:57] We can have wholeness today in Christ. And it's in Christ that our wholeness is found. There's a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. In Matthew 9, 21, she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

[32:14] May that be your heart tonight. If I can but touch his garment, I shall be whole. She didn't wait one more day. She didn't want to wait one more day.

[32:26] She said, I must touch him. I must touch Jesus. I shall be whole. And she did. And she was made whole. The Lord Jesus makes people whole.

[32:37] Sozo. It's the sense of wholeness, of saving. He still saves and makes people whole today, doesn't he? He can. He does. He will. If not now, then when?

[32:50] Our days are numbered. Psalm 90, 12, it says, so teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Now, I've got a calendar on my phone and I put appointments in that calendar.

[33:05] But sure as eggs, there's some future appointments I'm not going to meet. Because God's got an appointment for me. And God's got an appointment for you. It is appointed unto men once to die. But after that, the judgment.

[33:17] There's future appointments and future dates in your diary that you're not going to see. So, teach us to number our days, Lord.

[33:28] We should be our prayer. Time is finite. It's a finite resource. When a moment is gone, it's gone forever.

[33:41] Gone forever. The Bible talks about the years the locusts have eaten. Joel 2, 25. Wasted years. We cannot get that time back. It's gone.

[33:53] But we can decide now, for the days ahead, what we will do. As I say, there's a sense of making haste in a godly way. In Psalm 119, verse 60, the psalmist says, I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

[34:10] He said, I made haste. I delayed not to keep thy commandments. Don't delay. Do it today. Do it today. You know, I could try to use some hard sell techniques and say, this offer is for a limited time only.

[34:27] And it is. Get to it today. Re-fire. Renew. Refresh. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecclesiastes 9.10.

[34:40] In other words, get a burden from the Lord and fulfil it. Now, I referred earlier, I still have a burden for a new church plant. I think there's opportunity.

[34:51] I think there's need. And I intend to pursue that, even if only for a season, to see how it goes. But I'm keen to be moving on that. Now, God can give you a burden to do something, to serve in some function, some capacity.

[35:05] He's gifted you. He's enabled you. You've got so much to offer and only your shoes. You can fill. Only you can fill them.

[35:17] Now, there'll be obstacles ahead. But press ahead. As you sense God's will, fulfil it. Step out in faith. Like Peter, out of the boat.

[35:28] Out onto the water. What did he walk on? He walked on the word. He walked on the word. Matthew 14, 28 through 29. Peter says, Lord, bid me to come.

[35:41] And the Lord said, come. One word, come. And he walked on the water to Jesus. He did not delay. If not now, when?

[35:56] Let's not put it off. What God has put on our heart to do. If you're not saved, today, now, is the accepted time.

[36:13] If you're a Christian, you want to respond to God, do it today. Let it be today. He'll touch you as you reach out and touch him.

[36:25] Acts 8, it tells of Philip. And here was Philip at the time in a time of revival.

[36:36] God was blessing. There was much receptivity to the gospel in Acts 8. And in verse 26, it says, The angel of the Lord spoke unto Philip, saying, Arise and go.

[36:50] Go south. And he arose and went. God had another mission for Philip. He didn't argue or say, oh, look, I'm kind of busy right now.

[37:08] He arose and went. And there's a sense where we should get up and go, as it were. When God urges us and puts something on our heart to do, do it now.

[37:19] There's not a sense of doing something when we get around to it. Right through the word, it's very much a responsiveness when God calls.

[37:31] Go now. The angel said, go. And Philip got up and went. Our Lord addressed the man who had been possessed with a legion of unclean spirits in Mark 5.

[37:44] And the man wanted to tag along with the disciples. But Jesus said unto him, Mark 5.19, go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord have done for thee and have had compassion on thee.

[38:00] Sometimes God simply tells us, go home. Go and tell. Go and tell your friends, your family. Go and tell. Sometimes it's only us that can do that, isn't it?

[38:13] To reach the closest. And that's hard enough. I know myself. Notice our Lord's words were very much personal.

[38:26] What the Lord has done for you. The Lord has had compassion on you. Go home and tell people what God has done for you. How God has had compassion on you.

[38:37] Only you can do that, can't you? I can't tell your testimony. You can't tell mine. It's only you have your personal testimony. Your personal story to tell.

[38:50] A missionary, William Carey said, expect great things from God, attempt great things for God. So there's a sense where we need to step out beyond our own strength and capacity.

[39:04] Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God. In other words, believe God and act on that belief, on that faith. And I think you could even say, do the ordinary things for God too.

[39:18] Do the common, everyday, garden variety things. Do the humble things. Take the towel like a servant. Labour for that which is eternal.

[39:29] Go now, like Philip, on that assignment that God has called you to do. He took this man from revival into a desert. Because there was a man there that Philip had to communicate with.

[39:45] God had to send Philip. Because this man was reading the prophet Isaiah and he was thinking, how can I understand except someone guide me? Philip was that man.

[39:57] Likewise, you have an assignment. Every one of us. You might think, who am I? If not you, then who? God's called you. You, you, you. Each one here.

[40:09] You personally. Called personally by God. God's got his will just for you. His assignment just for you. If not now, when? When will you respond?

[40:21] When is it God's will that we hold back? They acted immediately. They acted immediately. Straight way. It was a feature of our Lord's ministry to go promptly, urgently.

[40:38] Like I did refer to this one this morning when we were door knocking a man said, I'm an atheist by profession. And I urged him, look, you're more than a body.

[40:49] You're more than a brain. You've got a soul. God cares about souls. We care about souls. I urge the man, we care for you. We care for you. That's why we're doing this. Not so we can browbeat you or win an argument with you, badger you.

[41:05] We witness because we care. We witness because we care for souls. That's what we're here for. And I'm praying for that man, that he will see what he is missing out on. Some think that they know better than God.

[41:19] They don't even accept his existence. But really, no one can truly say that. We all have one accountable that we're accountable to. And friends, tonight, now is the time.

[41:34] You might say, preacher, look, I've just got some things going on for me. I'll get to it. David says the king's business requires haste.

[41:44] In 1 Samuel 21 verse 8, he was kind of being talked with here and he wanted to impress that there was an urgency about what God had put in his heart to do.

[42:00] He says the king's business requireth haste. Now, I use that one when I'm running late for church. No, we shouldn't be hasty in a bad way, but we should be hasty to do that which is God's business, shouldn't we?

[42:13] The king's business. We should take that as something we should have an urgency about. We should care about spiritual things, care about our soul. Have we forgotten God?

[42:26] Jeremiah 2.32. It says, I can admit to that myself.

[42:43] At times, life gets busy and God doesn't always feature in our thinking like he should. Like he should for me.

[42:57] And some can think, not just now, I've just got too much else on my mind. It says in Psalm 10 verse 4, The wicked, through the pride of their countenance, will not seek after God.

[43:10] God is not in all his thoughts. Now, I had someone say to me on Thursday, just gone, very honestly, they said, oh, I just don't have time for church.

[43:22] Look, and people can say that, maybe that's true. What matters? Friends, it tells us, give an account of thy stewardship.

[43:35] It tells us so then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. We've all got decisions to make. Choices, actions, inaction. I put to you, do it now.

[43:46] As far as, seek after God now. Stop saying later, Ron. There's a round to it, as it were. No more excuses.

[43:57] There is a sense where God's given us the impression that it's now. It's now. Now is the time. Now stop looking back.

[44:08] And let's not look too far ahead as if it's later. Then I'll take action. Yeah, I'll get this out of the way. Then I'll do something. Let's take action in the now.

[44:21] Today is the day to make a decision. In Psalm 95 it says, Oh, come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker. For he is our God and we are his people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand.

[44:34] Today, if you'll hear his voice, harden not your heart. Today, if you'll hear his voice, harden not your heart. Everybody, somebody, anybody could have acted and got the job done.

[44:46] Nobody did. Don't be a nobody. Give glory to the Lord your God. Jeremiah 13, 16. Give him glory such that he will be glorified with your life.

[44:59] Do what you need to grow your faith, to take responsibility. In a bad news world, we have good news. The best news ever to impart.

[45:11] Sow now and you will reap later. Friends, there's consequences for our actions and inaction. Everyone is going to reap. That's the reality, isn't it?

[45:23] Everyone. Depends what we're sowing, what we sow. I urge you tonight, decide now to follow Jesus.

[45:34] That's the simple message. Follow me, he says. Follow me. It's never too late to turn to him. If not you, then who?

[45:47] Only you can stand before God. Give account for yourself. Nobody else. You can't account or answer for others. Only for yourself. It's about you.

[45:58] Each one. Personally. And if not now, then when? If you're perhaps sensing, yes, I can see that for me, but I'm going to put it off.

[46:09] No, don't do that. Don't put it off to get right with God. There's no guarantees of tomorrow. I'm speaking to many and some, it's like they're just so close.

[46:22] I know someone else was telling me that lately that they were witnessing to someone and they're just so close. You know, almost a Christian, but not.

[46:35] They haven't jumped over on the other side. It says we pass from death unto life. Make that jump tonight. Amen. Amen. Pass from death unto life.

[46:47] It's like this dividing line. Step over that line and trust Jesus as your Lord tonight. Follow him. And friends, believers here tonight, be encouraged. I urge you tonight, be encouraged no matter what.

[47:01] Follow me, he says. Follow me. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for every believer here tonight, for everyone whose heart you've opened. Lord, do a work in us.

[47:12] Be glorified. Lord, help us with our circumstances. Lord, give us grace. Lord, give us strength. We know we can only lean on you. We bless you, Lord.

[47:24] Lord, we pray for any hurting hearts. We pray for any that are in need. Lord, that you are our supply. Lord, we can trust in you. We can trust in you no matter what.

[47:36] No matter how we feel. No matter what the circumstance. We can trust in you. We can trust in you. And we know that we can touch the hem of your garment. And you can make us whole. Lord, we can reach out and touch the Lord.

[47:49] We can reach out and touch you this evening, Lord. That you can touch us too. And make us whole. Lord, help us to be a people that hear you and act.

[48:00] And not put it off, but make it happen now. Work in us now, Lord, by your spirit. That we can today hear your voice. And that you'll harden not our heart, Lord.

[48:11] That our heart can be softened. And that your heart, our heart will be like your heart. Lord, that we'll be like you. That we'll follow you, Lord, no matter what. No matter what, Lord.

[48:23] In Jesus' name. Amen.