Turning Point

[0:00] Talking about a turning point and just to introduce my message today, some thoughts about what really matters, what does our city need, what does our world need?

[0:29] There's much despair and concern all around about. It seems like we're going the wrong way. Now, in my secular career time, I worked long in the public sector and I've worked with some smart people doing good work in the health sector, in political office, in welfare agencies, in providing counselling.

[0:54] I've worked in many ways, supporting people get training, apprenticeships, jobs, education. In my secular time in working, I've helped in different community sector agencies, supporting some of the most vulnerable people in South Australia.

[1:13] And I've also been active in local government, trying to deliver services that people value, that helps people, that makes lives better. And for all of the good of all of that, really, that's not really the main problem, the real problem.

[1:30] And many people are trying to do lots of good things. They are good things. In all these settings, in government, in public sector, in private sector, in non-government sector.

[1:41] But really, none of these things address the real problem, the real problem. Fundamentally, all of these efforts fail. They're not enough to save a nation, to help Australia, to help our community, truly, really.

[1:54] Because actually, the work of governments is not addressing that root problem. The root problem. The thing that is wrong with our society.

[2:07] What's the heart of the problem? And as believers, we know what that is. The heart of the problem is the heart. It's the heart of man.

[2:17] It's one of the sessions with the addictions course. The problem is at the heart of man. It's sin. That's the problem. And even many churches are failing to address this. This that is the most fundamental problem.

[2:31] To meet this true need. Many churches have got diverted into welfare causes. As much as it's good giving food and assistance to people. And I'm not saying not to do that.

[2:42] But that can be missing the whole point of why the church is. The whole point. Missing really what God wants for us as Christian people. As God's church. And we've come.

[2:53] I put to you to a turning point. A turning point. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for our gathering together today. Lord, for your word. Still our hearts.

[3:04] Lord, help me to deliver what you want us to do and hear and act on. Lord, your word. May you be glorified. Lord, hide me behind the cross.

[3:16] And Lord, may you be lifted up and draw all men unto yourself. Lord, we pray for every heart, every home, every need, every hurt. Knowing that you are the healer. And that, Lord, we can come unto you.

[3:28] And know that our heart's need is met fully and completely by you. Our salvation. Lord, we thank you for it. Faith is ending yet to trust you. That even today might be that wonderful day.

[3:41] That our heart can be changed. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. We've come to a turning point, if you like. And I say to you today that really the only hope of our city, of our world, of our nation, is a conversion of souls.

[3:58] A conversion. This is our fundamental need. And I want to invest my energy, my life into that. To that purpose. And I urge you to that end. To that priority. Really, brothers and sisters today, our only true hope is the revival of souls.

[4:13] One soul at a time. It's souls getting saved. Souls being won. Precious souls. I'm talking really, you could say, on the doctrine of salvation. But in particular, one of the words that speak of salvation is conversion.

[4:27] Conversion. What does the Bible say about this word? Conversion. Conversion of a life is the turning point of a life.

[4:38] It's a life turned around. And it's finding true hope. What does the Bible actually say about this word, conversion? I've looked at this word in various occasions and words that are allied to this word.

[4:52] And that's my message today. Conversion is a turning. It's a turning. It's a turning. It's a turn. And years ago when I was 20-something, as a new Christian, I was a keen Christian.

[5:05] I heard about a Christian broadcasting shortwave radio. There was numbers of them. And I decided to be a part of that. And it was sending these Bible messages, uplifting Bible messages, over the world, across the airways, to nations that had shortwave radio and not much else.

[5:25] And these Christian radio stations were sending out these short radio signals, these radio programs, to many parts of the globe. And for a long time I sponsored and produced regular 15-minute weekly broadcasts.

[5:41] And I called my program Turn to Jesus. Turn to Jesus. That was my kind of slogan. And this is my message today really for you, for me, for us. Turn to the Lord Jesus.

[5:53] Really it's the essential message of the Bible. Be saved. Be converted. And the Bible speaks much about this turning. And as I say, it's the same word. Conversion means turning.

[6:06] So we must turn to Jesus. We see that there in my first reference here, James chapter 5, where James speaks about this critical need.

[6:18] He says this in James 5 verse 19. He says, Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him, let him know that he that converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins.

[6:38] It's saving a soul from death. It's saving them from the error of their way. The work of conversion is beyond and above anything that this world can do to make lives good for people, to make the world a better place.

[6:51] It's the ultimate and absolute, isn't it, to know the other world, that we're ready for the other world to come, that we're ready for eternity. There's an eternal value to a soul being saved. You know, there's much more than improving someone's lot in life as much as that may be a good thing.

[7:05] This is about the gift of eternal life. And conversion is about turning people from error to truth. It's because to be in error is to be wrong, is to be fatally wrong, is to be dead wrong.

[7:20] Literally, the Bible talks about death, to save a soul from death. Conversion means saving a soul from death. And the best and kindest thing any one of us can do is to do what James is putting to us here, to save a soul from death, to convert a sinner from the error of his way.

[7:41] This is the grandest, greatest thing that we can do as a Christian man or woman is to tell others, isn't it, about the Saviour? And conversion addresses the fundamental problem of a man, which is sin.

[7:54] What does the Bible say then about conversion? Here's one of the references, convert. Convert a sinner. Convert a sinner from the error of his ways.

[8:05] What I want to present to you is some Bible references about this word conversion. What does the Bible actually say? What does it mean? Firstly, we see our Lord urged that we must be converted.

[8:18] It's essential. He says this in Matthew 18.3. He says, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

[8:31] We must be converted. We must leave the death style and come into the lifestyle of to know eternal life, to know the eternal Saviour, to know heaven.

[8:43] We have to be converted. Some people are too proud to humble themselves. Now, the context there was of our Lord addressing these highfalutin types who didn't want to bow their knee.

[8:55] He says, you've got to become just like this little child, patting him or her on the head, you can imagine. Become as this little one. Humble yourself is the context. Some people are too proud to come to God, aren't they?

[9:08] They're too proud to humble themselves as little children. Now, in our witnessing efforts yesterday, I met a woman yesterday who proudly said, I am an atheist. You know, I kind of joke with my brother Peter.

[9:21] I almost feel like saying, oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. You know, it's just such a dreadful thing to be an atheist. You know, I can't think of anything worse, really, than to be an atheist. And then she said, I'm a health professional.

[9:36] Oh, I'm somebody special. As if she was above this primitive concept of actually bowing the heart, the will to admit, to confess, there is a God and I believe in him.

[9:48] And I urge her to consider, as a health professional, the wonder of a human body. And honestly say then, there is no creator. To see that wonderful design, that complexity, and yet to say, there is no creator.

[10:04] You know, she defiantly would not humble herself to that. That which is the obvious truth, surely. You know, I think, how do you spell atheist? F-O-O-L.

[10:16] That's what the Bible says. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. Friends, they are wise in their own deceit, self-deceived. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.

[10:27] We must come to a turning point to be converted. We must. We must. We must humble ourselves. We must come as little children would come, simply to trust.

[10:38] The Bible shows us how. How it works. How conversion works. Notice the word conversion. Again, get this, lock this in your mind. It means a turning. A turning. That's what it talks about.

[10:50] And we're going to see some references to that. Firstly, we see where there is a turning from idols unto the living God. We see that in, as we get to Acts 14, verse 15.

[11:05] And the context here is Paul and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra to these idol worshippers around them. And the people started to try to sacrifice them and worship them, literally.

[11:17] Acts 14, verse 15. And Paul and Barnabas protested and said, no, we're also men of like passions as you. And we preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities, idol worship, unto the living God, which made heaven and earth and the sea and all things that are therein.

[11:39] These idol worshippers saw the power of God at work in the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. They wanted to enthusiastically worship these preachers, these mere men, as their idols.

[11:51] You know, some mega church superstar preachers, they virtually do that, don't they? They virtually worship them. And Paul and Barnabas says, no, we're just mere men.

[12:02] We're mere mortals. Turn from these vanities, from this idol worship, and turn unto the living God, the creator, the maker of heaven and earth. Now, some people love to continue to worship their idols.

[12:15] They're still over here. They're still in that idol worship, the worship of idols. And some virtually worship themselves, the self, don't they? Worship of self.

[12:27] Some worship their material wealth, their prosperity. Some worship their careers, their families. And we should love our families, but not worship them.

[12:40] Some worship their religion. Oh, that's what we've always grown up as. That's my family religion. Sending you to hell, but, yeah, that's their religion.

[12:51] They worship that. They're rock stars. Some worship the rock stars, don't they? Some worship the planet. You know, there's some new slogan now, only have one child. You know, otherwise we could be damaging the planet. There's this crazy idea that people have.

[13:03] They worship the environment. They worship their own comforts and pleasures. Some for idols to have their favorite sport or their sports team. You know, everything's about the game, coming up, the game.

[13:15] The, the, the, waving the flag, the scarf, the beanie, the colors. They worship the sports team. Some worship their physical appearance.

[13:26] You know, when they look in the mirror and they, they, they love themselves so much. Or they worship their health as if that's the be-all and end-all. Some people worship science, so-called.

[13:37] Some people just worship stuff, don't they? Just got to have more stuff, more stuff, more, more, more. The problem is these are all vanities. They're idols, friends. They're idols.

[13:48] They're vain vanities. Paul and Barnabas says, turn. Turn from these vanities. Turn from idols to serve the living and true God. Friends, atheism, unbelief is a false god.

[14:01] It's vanity, isn't it? Surely. How vain. To not know your maker. Man has to come to a turning point, friends. Salvation, conversion is a change of the object of our faith.

[14:15] Who are you going to put your faith in? Vanities, idols? Or the true and living God, the saviour of the world? Who will you worship? Who will you turn to? Who will you believe?

[14:27] You know, some pray to idols, literally. And I know I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again for those who haven't heard it. But on one occasion, I had occasion to go into a Buddhist temple.

[14:40] For some purpose, I had to be there. And I went into the first floor where the idol was, Buddha. This big, fat Buddha, you know, gloriously painted in golden colour.

[14:54] And I asked one of the worshippers present, oh, what's this? And he said, well, it's made out of concrete. And they got some gold spray can, whatever it is, or whether it was some gold finish.

[15:09] And I went up to the Buddha and I banged him on the head like that. And nothing happened, you know. It was just a lump of concrete. A lump of concrete.

[15:19] And these people bowed down to this Buddha. And they put their incense before him. And they chant their mantras unto him. And he's a dead, dumb idol. A false god.

[15:30] It's vain. Vanity, isn't it? Isn't it? Pointless. We serve the living and true God. Amen. Who are you going to put your faith in? You can't pray to an idol and get an answer.

[15:42] They cannot speak. They're dumb idols. Or will you serve and know the real God? The living God. A dying world needs the living God. Amen. And the world contrasts idols with the true and living God.

[15:54] As we see here, 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 9, it says that you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Friends, conversion is a turning from the idols, a turning unto the living and true God by faith.

[16:09] It's a new worship, a new master, a new and one and only God. What should we do with the idols? We must smash them, tear them to part, rip them up and burn them.

[16:20] You know, when some people get saved, they actually have a little bonfire in the backyard of all the rubbish of their old life, of the old ways, of the old sinful heart. And they smash the idols.

[16:32] Whatever takes God's rightful place of worship. And I had one, there was one chap I know, someone gave him a Santa. And when the children weren't looking, he tore it to bits and he burnt it and smashed it and destroyed it.

[16:48] Because he didn't want an idol in his house. And maybe that's a bit over the top, but no, that was an idol to him. And he wanted to get rid of it. He didn't want a Santa in his house. Friends, we must not have any idols.

[16:59] Amen. We need to have the living and true God. And conversion is the answer for our world. And we see secondly, where we read of another time of conversion, where it talks about a turning from darkness unto light.

[17:14] A darkness unto light. Now, we go to Acts 26. We see there where Paul was addressing King Agrippa. And he explained how conversion is a turning unto God.

[17:28] He had preached, it says in Acts 26, verse 20, that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance. He's telling about a turning.

[17:39] And then, oh, we skipped one there. I must have pressed the wrong button there. That's the one. He turned to God. And then it goes on in Acts 26, verse 18.

[17:51] Paul says further about God opening men's eyes. He opens blind eyes. And it's a turning from darkness to light.

[18:02] It says that there in verse 18 of Acts 26 of his mission that he's been sent to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among the sanctified by faith that is in me.

[18:22] Satan has a power, friends. His works are darkness. Don't we see his works all around us? The works of Satan, the power of Satan. And, friends, Satan wants to keep people in the dark.

[18:36] In fact, despite all the talking Paul gave to King Agrippa, the king stayed in the dark. And we see in verse 28 it says, Paul, you almost persuade me to be a Christian.

[18:49] You ever get some people like that? You talk to them and talk to them. And you spend hours talking with them about the gospel, about the saviour. But it seems like they're no better for it.

[19:02] Almost saved is to be completely lost. Almost saved is to be totally lost. Satan blinds minds.

[19:13] The darkness shrouds them. There's a power over people. He wields this oppressive power over hearts and minds. Friends, there's so many people. I like to call them the walking dead around us, aren't they?

[19:27] They're like, well, you could use that kind of correlation, couldn't you? They're dead men walking. They're blind men. And then there's blind leaders of the blind not helping them any.

[19:41] Friends, Satan blocks out the light. He doesn't want the light to come in. And unbelief is a fatal kind of blindness, isn't it? To be unbelieving is to be blind.

[19:54] We see the works of God is that he has delivered us from the power of darkness. He's translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. He doesn't want us to stay in darkness. He wants to translate us, transfer us, move us from darkness unto the kingdom of his dear son, to the light.

[20:13] It says of him in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. What a grateful, joyful knowledge. Can we know that you're forgiven?

[20:24] Friends, of unbelief it says darkness is this gross shroud. It's a deep darkness. Now, in my younger days, my family and I went down a mine shaft at Mount Isa.

[20:41] And I experienced the darkest of darkness. We went down one kilometre down deep inside the earth. And the tour guide shut off the lights. And it was a thick darkness.

[20:53] I couldn't see my hands in front of my eyes. And it's almost like, how do you get so dark that you can't even see? There's nothing. It's just so dark. And that's the kind of darkness some people live in, isn't it?

[21:05] That don't know the saviour. Of the day of the Lord, it says it's a gloominess. There's a desolation. Darkness in Zephaniah 1 verse 15. It's associated with a heaviness of the soul, of trouble, of distress, of judgment.

[21:21] Friends, some are living in that dark prison cell, but they never see the light. And to live without light is a dreadful thing, a deathly thing. You know, people can die being shut away in darkness.

[21:33] Man without God is in the deepest darkness of his soul, friends. And what a dread place to be. Don't stay there. We don't have to stay there. That's the good news.

[21:44] That Jesus is the light of the world. Our Lord has come to free us from the kingdom of darkness. He shed his light. We see many verses that speak of the light of God.

[21:54] He is the light of the world. And it tells us of him that he has visited us. It's to give light to them that sit in darkness.

[22:06] Our Lord shines the light, that brilliant, bright light of his person. And it tells us in 2 Corinthians 4 how the gospel is a glorious gospel and it brings light.

[22:22] The God of this world will blind us, but the gospel, the salvation message is glorious. And the Lord Jesus can shine into the darkest of hearts.

[22:33] Friends, the devil wants to shut out the light. And you and me, we're light bearers. We are carriers of his light. The Bible talks about Christian people as being, ye are the light of the world.

[22:46] Let your light so shine, it says. There's many verses that speak about the brilliance of your light, that you are reflectors of his glory. And he wants you to shine. Our Lord wants you to shine, but the devil wants you to be quiet.

[23:00] The devil wants you to shut up. He wants to shut out the light. He wants the smoke screen to make things hazy and foggy for the world around us, the lost.

[23:13] He wants to blind minds. And he wants to close out God's light and close down your thinking. But friends, this truth, this turning, this conversion, this truth of conversion is a turning from darkness to God's light.

[23:28] It's like the difference between night and day, isn't it? To know the Lord Jesus, when the light goes on, isn't it? Know him. And it tells us of the Christian life that the path of the just is as a shining light that shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.

[23:46] But in contrast, the way of the wicked is as darkness. What a contrast. What a sad state to be staying in darkness. The light goes on when we get saved.

[24:00] And the good news is that that light can break in. The one who said, let there be light, can say, let there be light inside of us. Amen. And he can send his light into the darkest of hearts.

[24:13] Sends his light deep down into the darkest of hearts. It tells of his shining the light of 2 Corinthians 4 verse 6. Think of this truth today.

[24:35] If we find the light, why should we ever want the darkness anymore? You know, as believers, honestly, if God has shone his light into your heart, don't go back to the darkness.

[24:47] That's no place for you. The devil wants to lead you back there. But God, by his strength, will help you to stay in the light, to walk in the light. He'll give you the strength.

[24:57] And it talks about a fighting. He's going to give you a fight inside of you. As a professing Christian, he's called us out of darkness. And he's given us an armor to wear, the armor of light.

[25:10] I see a brilliant white suit on there, brother. You know, God gives you a brighter, a whiter suit than our brother here. He gives us a brilliant light, the armor of light.

[25:21] That we should be covered with light. That we should be shining with God's light as an armor around us. That we should be light beams. Lights for Jesus.

[25:31] Amen. And this darkness that is against us is not passive too. As a Christian, we've got an armor to wear because there's a battle to fight. We see another reference to this theme of darkness and of light where it tells us we're meant to be wrestlers.

[25:47] Wrestlers not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the darkness, the rulers of this darkness, of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places.

[25:58] So there's a sense where we should not be passive Christians, but active. We should be actively wrestling against the darkness. Friends, think of this conversion.

[26:26] Friends, think of this conversion. He wants us to be able to take us away from the error of your way, on the way of death, to know God's truth, the way of life.

[26:38] Taking you away from the false gods that you love to worship. He wants us to be rid of them and to put our faith wholly in the living God.

[26:51] He wants to take us out of the darkness, the darkness of this world, and to shine his light beam into our very heart. His marvelous light into our very soul.

[27:02] So not only is conversion, as we saw firstly, a turning from false gods to the true and living God, a turning from darkness to light, but thirdly, we see that it is a turning from the power of Satan unto God.

[27:18] We'll repeat this verse again, Acts 26, 18. It says, of Paul's mission, that he has been sent to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them, which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

[27:40] We see that Satan has a power. Now this word power is authority. Satan has some kind of authority. He's got an influence. He's got a kind of government.

[27:52] And his government is such that he has authority over some people. They're under his thumb. And this government of Satan, this power of Satan, is such that he opposes God and he opposes the right.

[28:09] Now, friends, if you are outside of Christ today, you are under the rule and government of Satan. You're under his dominion.

[28:20] You're under his dominion. As a pawn in his hand on the chessboard. As a dog on his leash. He's got you under his domain. And Satan wants to keep you there.

[28:31] Satan's power is directed at enslavement and misery. All of the evils of life could be traced back ultimately to the outworking of the power of Satan.

[28:42] Do you want to be set free from the power of Satan? I put to you, surely you wouldn't want to stay in that. And it comes down to whose authority are you under?

[28:57] You can come out from under Satan's authority. You can get rid of Satan's yoke over your life. What we need is conversion. Conversion. It's a turning.

[29:07] Stop going Satan's way. Go God's way. Stop sitting under Satan's domain, his power, his authority. Come under God's authority.

[29:19] Know Christ as your saviour. What we need is a turning. And God affects this turning by his mighty power. He turns us from darkness to light.

[29:32] Turns us from the power of Satan to God. And we come under the authority of the king of kings by faith. Come under his righteous dominion. Notice it says it's by faith.

[29:44] By faith. What works for us as God's people is the power of the cross. God has given us the saving power of the gospel. It's the power of God unto salvation.

[29:57] Amen. The power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it. God's power is the power of forgiveness. You know, to be forgiven. Wow.

[30:08] Isn't that something? Something really special? To know, yeah, I'm forgiven. All of the wrong I've done, I can receive forgiveness of sins. That's powerful, isn't it? Nothing beats that.

[30:19] But for your sins to be forgiven. To know sins forgiven. And that power, that is the power of God, affects a change in us. It's a conversion. A new way of living.

[30:31] We receive a new life. A new creation. Friends, we can be, as it says, a new creature in Christ. Old things are passed away.

[30:43] All things have become new. We're brought under new management, if you like, when you see some shop change ownership. They sometimes paint on the window.

[30:53] Under new management. That's what happens when you become a saved man, a saved woman. I'm under new management. Under God's management. New owner. I'm his possession.

[31:05] He's bought me with a price. I'm his. He is mine. And we enter a whole new dimension. A whole new way of living. We get a whole new motivation. Conversion brings a heart change.

[31:18] Conversion. It's a turning point. Have you come to that turning point? Have you come to that conversion in your life where he saves? It's a turning. It's a turning from death to life.

[31:31] It says of those who believe that they pass from death unto life. In that simple transaction of trusting, we can pass across that bridge, as it were, from that state of being in death to that state of being in life.

[31:46] And it's a turning from idols. To the living God. From darkness to the light. The saviour of our soul. From the power of Satan to the gracious God.

[31:58] And friends, God affects this turning. But we are instruments too. You and me. Because we can share this message, don't we? I know there's some fired up. They want to tell. They can't but.

[32:09] They cannot but. And oughtn't that be in our heart, we cannot but tell what God has done for us all. And Paul did that to Agrippa. Agrippa did not hear.

[32:19] You know, you might give your testimony. You might share the gospel. And he's almost just so close. Yet so far. So far. All you can do is be faithful and tell.

[32:32] Just like that dear woman, the health professional. I'm an atheist. So close. Yet so far. Such wisdom. So called. Yet such foolishness.

[32:43] Truly. And there's another man I met too yesterday. A Christadelphian. And he talked about his baptism. He talked about his faith. And yet when I asked the man, what of Jesus?

[32:55] What of the Lord Jesus? And he said, well, he was a good man. You know. No, you missed the point altogether. No man can save you. No man.

[33:06] Not the best of men. It's to be the God man. It has to be God manifest in the flesh. And he was saying, well, we all manifest God. No, sir.

[33:16] I am in no league with the Lord Jesus Christ. God manifest in the flesh. That's Jesus our Lord. He's no man. Of course, he is 100% man.

[33:28] But he's not just 100% man. He's 100% God. And they're missing the point, aren't they? What a sad thing. And he's got such Bible knowledge yet to miss the whole point.

[33:39] No man can save your soul. It's got to be Jesus. The Savior. The Lord God. God manifest in the flesh. God become flesh. Dwelling amongst us. And we behold his glory.

[33:51] We see the one to whom all shall bow. And all shall confess he is Lord. And yet they miss the point. When they don't know the Savior, they miss the whole point.

[34:06] Yet if you can but trust him, if you can but believe, it says that we can be a new creature. A life change can happen on the inside of us.

[34:17] And we can turn from idols to the living God, from darkness to light, from Satan and his power to our gracious, delivering, saving God. Friends, and it tells us how as a saved man, we're changed from glory to glory to glory.

[34:35] We're all on that journey to ultimate glory. And it's by God's spirit. We just aren't the same person anymore. There's a heart change. And we heard a wonderful testimony from our sister on Thursday night.

[34:46] The transformation of God in a human soul. Nothing compares to that. It's not any kind of human engineering. It's got to be the divine engineering, doesn't it?

[34:58] It's got to be the divine intervention that changes us from glory to glory. And it says that we can be changed. This same word is the same word used in Romans 12, of transformed, that we can be transformed.

[35:10] We can be so changed that we're transformed by the renewing of our mind. Let God work that work of transformation inside of you.

[35:21] Once you're saved, that's just the beginning. There's more. And I'll talk a bit more about that tonight as we talk a little more on the theme of the doctrine of sanctification. We're talking about the new life.

[35:33] Just ignore the slides for now. We can be converted. Converted like Paul was converted. From the Christian killer to the builder of the Christian church. As Lydia was converted when the Lord opened her heart.

[35:46] As Peter was converted. As he was the one who had been a denier of Christ, became a proclaimer of the saving gospel of Christ. As Nicodemus, one who was, as it were, one who sought Christ secretly, became one unashamedly identified with Christ.

[36:07] Friends, conversion is a changed life. Have you been converted? Now sadly, there's a resistance to conversion worldwide.

[36:18] And it's through the word. It talks about multiple times with Matthew 13 verse 15. It says this, For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing.

[36:29] Their eyes have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted. And I should heal them. That's Matthew 13 verse 15.

[36:39] And it's often repeated in other references. God emphasises this such, that he tells of this resistance to conversion. Now, we can witness and witness, but some will not be converted.

[36:52] But that doesn't stop us from witnessing. Friends, don't fail to witness. Don't fail to deliver. We're his messengers. And if they refuse the message, it's on their own head.

[37:02] But God tells of this blockage of ears, of eyes, of hearts, and of healing mist, of conversion mist. Now, just ignore that now.

[37:16] People can think, why should I change? Why should I listen? You know, it's possible to be religious, but lost. You know, you might be one of the most faithful attenders of this church, and go to hell.

[37:27] Now, woe betide me if I haven't exhorted you. Get saved. Be converted. Be converted. The question is, are you converted? Transformation has to happen.

[37:40] When you change your allegiance, you change the one that you have faith in. You change the one that you trust in. You change the one who can be that one that you're placing your heart trust in.

[37:53] That's the transformation. And it's an exchange life too. Where he exchanges our rags of our robes of righteousness, which are tainted and stained, with his perfect righteousness.

[38:06] Because he, it says that God made him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin. That we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And, it's like you get a new identity.

[38:19] You know, you hear of these witness programs where they hide someone's identity, and they change your name. You know, they might even give you plastic surgery to make you look something different because you're such a target for some assassin.

[38:32] And they give you a new identity. Well, something is even greater, isn't that, when you become a believer? That, that old person, you don't even, it's almost like you don't resemble them anymore. There's been such a change, a heart deep change.

[38:45] There's been such a transformation, a regeneration. It says, repent ye therefore, and be converted. Acts 3 verse 19.

[38:57] Be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when times of refreshing shall come, from the presence of the Lord. Now, this morning, I just urge you, you might say, preacher, I've heard this, and I've, I'm actually, I'm not even sure that I'm saved.

[39:12] Friends, it's not something complicated, or complex. It's really very simple, to simply trust, the saving.

[39:26] So, I've had enough of, of the, the death style. I want to have life, eternal. I've had enough of the idols, the false gods that, have filled my heart, and my energies, and my love.

[39:39] And I want to know the living God. I want to know Jesus. I've had enough of the darkness, of sin, of, of, of the devil's domain, of, of blindness. I don't want to see Jesus.

[39:52] I want to see him. I want to know him, and know his light. I've had enough of the power of Satan. I've had enough being under Satan's yoke, of the, of the drudgery, of, of being, a, a slave of Satan, under his domain.

[40:07] I want to come under God's dominion. I want to know Jesus, as my saviour. I want to know, and trust, and believe, and receive in him. And friends, it's, that miracle of conversion, it's because of the cross.

[40:20] That's what matters. And it's because the Lord Jesus took our place, our sin, our shame, our guilt. He paid it all. That's the turning point. When you see him, for who he is, not some mere man, not the best of men, but the almighty God, intervening on our part, taking our place, paying the sin price, our penalty of death, and trusting him.

[40:44] I pray you turn onto Jesus today. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you that you are the awesome, almighty God. We praise you, Lord, that you're the creator of heaven and earth, the creator of our very soul.

[40:58] Lord, and it is to you that all glory is due. Lord, we thank you that a turning can happen in the darkest of hearts, to find the light of the glorious gospel, to find the truth, to know the saviour.

[41:15] Pray that people might come to know our wages of sin. Our very penalty of death was fully paid at the cross for us.

[41:27] Lord, we can put our trust entirely and squarely and only in you. Our great saviour in God. We pray for each one, each soul here, that they might know that turning point, that conversion.

[41:40] And Lord, we that know it, it's not something we manufacture or make of our own working, but we receive that work of God, that miracle on our part, by your spirit's power.

[41:55] Lord, we pray that each one might know that grace of God that leads us to repentance, that leads us to trust, to turn squarely unto you, to know life eternal, even in the here and now.

[42:08] Pray, each soul might have that comfort and assurance today, not by virtue of any working of our own, or thinking, or effort, or deserving, or merit. No credit of ours, Lord, all credit is due to you.

[42:23] Pray, each believer might think of this wonderful truth, that it is such a blessing to see a sinner converted from the way of death, to come to know the living God.

[42:36] Help us, Lord, to be witnesses, to shine your light, to be transmitters of it, and Lord, to be faithful witnesses for you. Give us the strength to do that, Lord, even when we might meet many Agrippers that are almost saved, yet not saved.

[42:53] That it won't disappoint or discourage us, that nothing will deter us from this mission, which must occupy every... Let it be for your praise. In Jesus' name. Amen.

[43:05] God bless you. Amen. God bless you. Amen. God bless you. Amen. Amen. Amen.