WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.879 So, let me give you a brief intro on what we're going to be doing in the next three weeks, 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:09.160 because unfortunately you're stuck with me today and the next two weeks. 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:12.540 ! Because Nathan is going to be over at Oakwood. 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:20.400 And so, if you look in Acts 9, you're going to see some of the subtitles. 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:28.379 And subtitles aren't inspired by God, so we're going to break this up a little differently than some of the other things do. 00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:33.140 But today, we're going to look at just verse 1 through 19. 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:38.200 And then the following week, we're going to basically go down to verse 31. 00:00:38.759 --> 00:00:43.100 And then we'll go 32 through the end of the chapter. 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:51.099 And so, this week and next week are going to be about Saul turning into Paul. 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:57.960 And then the following week, we will look at, you see that there's a couple of healings. 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:02.460 There's a healing of Annias, and then there's Dorcas, who is restored to life. 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:09.640 And we're actually going to use that text to actually talk about having a proper knowledge, 00:01:09.739 --> 00:01:12.040 a proper theology of what healing is. 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:15.640 It's a subject that's meant a lot to me. 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:18.320 For those of you who know it, I've kind of gone through in my life. 00:01:18.820 --> 00:01:23.260 But I want you to understand, like, biblically what healing is. 00:01:24.680 --> 00:01:28.360 And so, we're going to unpack that and hopefully destroy a lot of the myth 00:01:28.360 --> 00:01:32.880 and then return to a lot of the truth about the biblical view of what healing is. 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:37.759 So, I promise not to call anybody up here, and I'm not going to hit you with a jacket and knock you over 00:01:37.759 --> 00:01:39.420 or try to make you all fall over. 00:01:39.659 --> 00:01:42.140 So, lay blankets over your face. 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:47.179 But that'll be the next three weeks, basically. 00:01:47.399 --> 00:01:50.659 So, this week and next week will be Saul turning into Paul. 00:01:50.659 --> 00:01:59.719 And most of us here are not unfamiliar with the story of Saul. 00:02:00.759 --> 00:02:11.759 But I really pray, I've been praying that you would please, please just pause to look very closely at the life of this man 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:18.460 and how God saved him and how God used him in hopes that it will touch your own soul this morning. 00:02:18.460 --> 00:02:21.820 So, let's just read the text together. 00:02:22.659 --> 00:02:26.420 Starting in verse 1, we'll go through verse 19. 00:02:27.819 --> 00:02:28.580 It says, 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:34.060 But Saul, still breathing out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, 00:02:34.640 --> 00:02:39.400 went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus. 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:45.700 So, if he found any belonging to the way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:53.959 Now, as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:58.339 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, 00:02:58.459 --> 00:03:02.239 Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:03:03.339 --> 00:03:04.139 And he said, 00:03:04.179 --> 00:03:05.120 Who are you, Lord? 00:03:05.819 --> 00:03:06.620 And he said, 00:03:06.739 --> 00:03:09.599 I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:14.919 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:21.039 And the men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. 00:03:21.959 --> 00:03:23.740 And Saul rose from the ground. 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:27.400 Although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. 00:03:27.939 --> 00:03:31.180 So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 00:03:31.579 --> 00:03:35.819 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:39.859 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. 00:03:40.419 --> 00:03:42.219 The Lord said to him in a vision, 00:03:42.539 --> 00:03:43.239 Ananias. 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:44.659 And he said, 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:46.180 Here I am, Lord. 00:03:47.019 --> 00:03:48.139 And the Lord said to him, 00:03:48.219 --> 00:03:50.519 Rise and go to the street called Straight. 00:03:51.259 --> 00:03:55.659 And at the house of Judas, look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.219 For behold, he is praying. 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:00.680 And he has seen me in a vision. 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:06.879 And a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. 00:04:07.760 --> 00:04:08.900 But Ananias answered, 00:04:09.020 --> 00:04:18.060 Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:23.840 And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all who call on your name. 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:25.799 But the Lord said to him, 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:34.419 Go, for he is my chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and the kings and the children of Israel. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:39.579 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. 00:04:40.359 --> 00:04:42.799 So Ananias departed and entered the house. 00:04:43.419 --> 00:04:45.079 And laying his hands on him, he said, 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:52.039 Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me, 00:04:52.659 --> 00:04:56.620 so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:04:57.620 --> 00:05:02.199 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.039 Then he rose and was baptized. 00:05:05.919 --> 00:05:07.819 And taking food, he was strengthened. 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:09.959 Pray with me. 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:18.219 Father, as always, it's a joy, a deep joy, 00:05:19.159 --> 00:05:24.579 and a pleasure to be with those who have come to encounter the same Jesus 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:27.659 and to worship you together with them. 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:34.039 And God, I ask this morning that by your Spirit and for your glory, 00:05:34.039 --> 00:05:39.620 you would work in our hearts and remind us of our salvation. 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:44.379 And remind us of where you brought us from and where you're taking us. 00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:48.459 Lord, as we offer at this time to you as an act of worship, 00:05:48.659 --> 00:05:51.939 may my speech be pleasing to you. 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:56.539 And may the listening of those who are here also be honoring. 00:05:57.679 --> 00:06:00.279 We love you, Lord, in Christ's name. Amen. 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:07.000 So a few things that we're going to look at to just sort of help you. 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:09.639 Like I'm going to make, we're going to walk through this story, 00:06:09.779 --> 00:06:15.639 but I want you to stop and basically contemplate each point in regard to your own life 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:18.120 and in regard to your own salvation. 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:22.699 So that's what I hope this morning will happen is that you will leave here 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:27.500 really contemplating like the pit that Jesus has drawn you from 00:06:27.500 --> 00:06:32.000 and that your soul will be even more thankful, 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:34.519 more gracious for the work of God in your life. 00:06:35.959 --> 00:06:38.199 So, y'all know me. 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:40.879 Number one, I want you to contemplate this. 00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:43.560 You can see this in verses one and two, 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:47.439 but really simply, our former life. 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:54.319 So those of you who have been around the church for a number of years or not how long, 00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:57.500 like one of the first things in a lot of discipleship groups 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:00.060 is they will teach you how to share your testimony, 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:02.300 your story with other people, 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:04.659 which is very, very valuable. 00:07:06.159 --> 00:07:08.899 And so number one is our former life, 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:10.959 and we can see this in verses one and two. 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:17.099 And so if you look back, just for a second, back at chapter 8, 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:19.539 this is where Saul was first introduced, 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:23.819 and he is seen on the scene of the execution of Stephen, 00:07:24.479 --> 00:07:28.979 and he is giving approval to Stephen's execution in verse 1 of chapter 8. 00:07:29.919 --> 00:07:34.779 And this execution triggered a region-wide persecution of the church, 00:07:35.479 --> 00:07:40.279 and Saul was one of the main guys who took off after this. 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:43.500 If you look at verse 3 of chapter 8, it says this. 00:07:44.699 --> 00:07:46.599 Amidst this persecution, this is what happened. 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:49.000 But Saul was ravaging the church, 00:07:49.599 --> 00:07:51.299 and entering house after house, 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:55.979 he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. 00:07:56.959 --> 00:08:00.620 If you see the word ravaging, I guess in most of your ESV Bibles, 00:08:01.459 --> 00:08:04.759 ravaging really means like to the idea of havoc. 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:12.339 It's the idea of even use of a wild boar going into a vineyard and tearing things apart, 00:08:12.680 --> 00:08:17.519 and also of use of animals tearing people apart. 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:21.060 It's the same word that's used in Greek literature. 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:25.800 So you can literally say that Saul was tearing the church apart. 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:31.180 And this was not necessarily an empire persecution from Rome. 00:08:31.240 --> 00:08:35.500 It was more of a Jewish persecution just in this region that happened. 00:08:36.340 --> 00:08:40.680 And so Luke connects, reconnects Saul here at the beginning of this chapter. 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:43.159 And it says right here, as you can see, 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:48.120 he was breathing out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. 00:08:49.060 --> 00:08:49.360 Right? 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:53.820 Yet we see the persecution in Jerusalem alone wasn't enough for Saul. 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:59.039 He wanted to kind of extend that beyond Jerusalem itself and into the regions. 00:08:59.180 --> 00:09:03.419 And that's why he went to the chief priests and the elders and got permission to go. 00:09:03.740 --> 00:09:09.740 So he had legal authority to go and to round up all these people who were claiming to belong to the way, 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:14.379 which was an early term for followers of Jesus. 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:17.539 Meaning that they followed the way of Jesus. 00:09:17.539 --> 00:09:20.980 This understanding that Christ was the only way to God. 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:26.799 And that they should follow the way of how Jesus lived and his teachings, etc. 00:09:27.779 --> 00:09:29.779 And so he was going for these people. 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:31.039 And he had no regard. 00:09:31.959 --> 00:09:36.120 Whether you're a woman, whether you're a child, whether you're a man, old or young. 00:09:36.819 --> 00:09:37.819 He didn't care. 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:42.139 If you claimed to belong to Christ, he was coming for you. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:45.299 He was tearing the church apart. 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:50.799 And indeed, you really could call him the terrorist of his day. 00:09:52.079 --> 00:09:57.919 And as if he was saying, if you're a follower of this Christ, know I'm coming for you. 00:09:58.539 --> 00:10:00.699 And if I find you, it's not going to be pretty. 00:10:01.539 --> 00:10:05.959 I'm going to wipe your filthy kind off the face of the earth. 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:08.959 You have blasphemed the God that I serve. 00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:11.079 And you have gone against the law of Moses. 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:13.440 So I'm coming for you. 00:10:14.400 --> 00:10:17.000 It's as if he's got that condom mentality. 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:25.740 And a lot of it, as we know, some of the worst persecution in the world and some of the worst acts of terror are from religious zealots. 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:28.240 Because they really believe in what they're doing. 00:10:29.040 --> 00:10:32.540 And believe that somehow they're serving God in the process. 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:37.699 So briefly, I know, again, most of you are very aware of this. 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:40.959 I'm not going to bore you with a lot of history facts. 00:10:41.059 --> 00:10:44.500 But you should sort of know Saul's background a little bit. 00:10:45.139 --> 00:10:53.699 But he was born in Tarsus, a city known for its schools and its education, Greco-Roman thinking and philosophy. 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:55.900 So he was exposed to all of this. 00:10:55.980 --> 00:10:57.900 And like his father, he was a Roman citizen. 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:03.120 Which, if you don't really study that, you don't really know how significant that is. 00:11:03.140 --> 00:11:03.780 But it was huge. 00:11:03.860 --> 00:11:09.080 He had a lot of rights and a lot of privileges that other Jews didn't have at all. 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:19.240 So he was a master of the languages of the day, including Greek and the Roman world, as well as Hebrew and Aramaic. 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:26.759 He was very learned and well-read in the Greco-Roman thinking, culture, philosophy. 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:32.860 And as a Jew, he grew up as a Pharisee in the house of Pharisees. 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:34.980 He called himself a son of a Pharisee. 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:38.740 And he wanted to be in the top religious elite of his day. 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:42.320 Pharisee means separated ones. 00:11:42.899 --> 00:11:47.960 People that call themselves out from the main group to be extra zealous, extra holy, 00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:49.460 away from the others. 00:11:50.540 --> 00:11:58.840 And to add to that, around the age of 14, he studied under the rabbi of his day, like the top guy, Gamaliel. 00:12:00.040 --> 00:12:03.120 So Saul was the most driven and the most zealous. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.259 In Galatians 1, let me just read to you. 00:12:07.019 --> 00:12:10.740 So Paul, at this point, reflecting back on who he was, 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:13.740 Galatians 1, verse 13, he says, 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:22.879 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 00:12:23.419 --> 00:12:28.240 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people. 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:32.799 So extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:37.799 So he was among the greatest persecutors ever in the church. 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:42.279 And as the church was still small but spreading at this time, he thought, 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:45.099 This is the time to end this nonsense. 00:12:47.319 --> 00:12:49.359 So that's his background. 00:12:50.019 --> 00:12:52.639 But if you notice what I just read in Galatians 1, he says, 00:12:52.719 --> 00:12:56.079 Many of you have heard of my former life. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:00.179 Which is where we get the first point here, our former life. 00:13:00.179 --> 00:13:02.399 So what about you? 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:07.539 If you're in Christ today, you have a former life. 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:14.179 You have a life that you lived and when you did not belong to Jesus, 00:13:14.319 --> 00:13:17.500 there was a time you were not in Christ at all. 00:13:18.439 --> 00:13:23.399 And notice, I have noticed like over the years that people who forget 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:28.000 and don't remember where they came from and who they were, 00:13:29.079 --> 00:13:35.079 they grow very cold in their affections towards Christ over a period of time. 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:37.179 Have you forgotten? 00:13:38.659 --> 00:13:44.319 Have you forgotten the sin and bondage that you were in before Christ delivered you? 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:48.960 So as you grow in your relationship with Christ, 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:53.020 you also should grow more and more of your awareness of how much you need him, 00:13:53.640 --> 00:13:54.780 not vice versa. 00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:58.580 All of us had different idols that we served, 00:13:58.680 --> 00:14:00.360 things that we loved more than God, 00:14:01.060 --> 00:14:04.480 things that we gave our life to that were not worthy. 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:09.040 And all of us were slaves to sin. 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:10.059 And Jesus says, 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:13.579 he who commits sin is a slave to sin. 00:14:14.980 --> 00:14:19.819 But most of us come from several different scenarios. 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:23.219 I don't want to be so bold to say you had to come from one of these scenarios. 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:25.500 But it either starts off, 00:14:26.179 --> 00:14:28.679 I grew up in the church and in a Christian home, 00:14:28.839 --> 00:14:32.099 or I didn't grow up in the church or a Christian home. 00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:34.500 But for a lot of us, 00:14:34.540 --> 00:14:38.120 some of you may have become a believer at a very young age, 00:14:38.420 --> 00:14:38.920 legitimately. 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:41.820 You walk with the Lord for a long time, 00:14:42.580 --> 00:14:44.580 never really do anything too crazy. 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:48.040 But you are aware of your sin, 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.840 and you really do trust in Christ as the Savior. 00:14:51.920 --> 00:14:53.379 And if that is you this morning, 00:14:54.340 --> 00:14:57.940 don't be one of those ridiculous people who say, 00:14:57.940 --> 00:14:59.899 well, I don't have that great of a testimony. 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:03.899 When you hear someone get up and talk about drugs and sex and prison, 00:15:04.139 --> 00:15:06.360 don't ever compare like that, ever. 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:09.919 It dishonors the work that God has done in your life. 00:15:11.019 --> 00:15:14.819 And it should actually cause you extreme joy and thanksgiving, 00:15:14.959 --> 00:15:17.720 because you didn't have to go through that. 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:22.819 God could have just allowed you to be crazy and do all the stuff, 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:23.399 but he didn't. 00:15:23.459 --> 00:15:24.860 He saved you at an early time. 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:27.980 And he put people around you that taught you the gospel. 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:31.700 Well, anyone who has lived the other life would tell you, 00:15:31.800 --> 00:15:32.800 like, you don't want to do that. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:34.320 Like, praise God. 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:37.019 It's not like I needed to have this crazy life 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:39.000 so I could come out and tell people about Jesus. 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:44.720 Give thanks to him that he spared you a life of sin and brokenness. 00:15:45.920 --> 00:15:47.659 Others of you may have grown up in the church, 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:51.179 and this is more like my story for the most part. 00:15:52.059 --> 00:15:54.559 And you just kind of play the game. 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:58.360 Showed up on Sunday, Sunday school, did the deal, 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:00.219 went on Wednesday nights just for extra credit. 00:16:01.379 --> 00:16:03.199 Mainly went because your parents made you. 00:16:04.299 --> 00:16:07.559 And later on, you just rebelled against that. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:10.000 You had a secret life off to the side, and that was me. 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:14.139 And then later on, God humbled you and brought you back. 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:16.899 And that was more or less my story. 00:16:17.899 --> 00:16:20.179 And then there's another type that grew up in the church, 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:20.940 in a Christian home. 00:16:20.980 --> 00:16:23.440 And this is the people who, for a time, 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:26.139 thought that their religious deeds made them right with God. 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:28.299 I'm the goody-two-shoes. 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:31.580 I don't drink, cuss, or chew, or go to those who do. 00:16:31.659 --> 00:16:32.940 Like, that's the old saying, right? 00:16:33.940 --> 00:16:38.660 And I have a really good friend of mine who grew up kind of like that. 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:41.340 She was always the finger-pointer at me and my brother, 00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:43.660 which she should have been, but she was always like, 00:16:43.680 --> 00:16:45.820 you know, you guys aren't really living the life. 00:16:46.420 --> 00:16:50.340 But later on, she would tell you that she really doesn't think 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:53.460 that she was born again most of her life until a few years ago 00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:58.560 because she was so full of her own self-righteousness and piety 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:01.439 that she really didn't see her need for Jesus 00:17:01.439 --> 00:17:04.000 until God exposed that to her. 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:05.679 Like, you're no different than the Pharisees. 00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:08.119 You're no different than the religious elite. 00:17:09.379 --> 00:17:11.819 And so God humbled you and brought you down 00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:14.139 and showed you that you really weren't that moral, 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:15.539 really weren't that religious, 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:17.500 and you came to know Christ. 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:22.179 And the other scenario was you didn't grow up in the church 00:17:22.179 --> 00:17:22.980 or a Christian home. 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:25.819 And you might have lived a pretty moral life. 00:17:25.819 --> 00:17:30.019 I know some guys that are, like, probably better guys than I am. 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:32.960 Like, they haven't done as many crazy things as me. 00:17:33.579 --> 00:17:34.539 They're very nice. 00:17:34.619 --> 00:17:35.299 They're very patient. 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:39.399 And I find almost that to be the hardest group to share the gospel with 00:17:39.399 --> 00:17:40.919 because they don't really see their need. 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:44.899 They have to be able to see that their morality is nothing 00:17:44.899 --> 00:17:46.779 compared to God's holiness. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:49.200 And some of you, that might have been you. 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:51.019 You might have been a good person before Jesus, 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:55.799 but not really good compared to the blazing glory of the holiness of God. 00:17:55.819 --> 00:17:58.399 And then others of you, 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:03.980 you might have lived that crazy life. 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:07.859 You might have done some things that are very harmful to yourself, 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:08.639 to your family. 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:12.319 You lived in darkness and loved the darkness 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:13.619 and were unashamed of it. 00:18:14.579 --> 00:18:16.179 And then at some point, 00:18:17.139 --> 00:18:19.179 God humbled you and brought you to himself. 00:18:20.679 --> 00:18:22.220 All of us have that story, 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:25.019 so you need to value your story. 00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:27.559 You may have some similarities to others, 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:29.859 but you have your own story. 00:18:29.940 --> 00:18:30.680 Only you are you. 00:18:32.139 --> 00:18:38.000 And it's not that God had to exercise more power to save other people than you. 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:39.920 God doesn't have that problem. 00:18:40.619 --> 00:18:41.539 But at some point, 00:18:41.619 --> 00:18:43.700 he brought you down to your knees. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:47.200 So be amazed at his grace in your life. 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:49.400 The psalmist said, 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:50.620 Oh, 00:18:50.620 --> 00:18:51.740 give thanks to the Lord, 00:18:51.800 --> 00:18:52.680 for he is good, 00:18:53.360 --> 00:18:55.960 for his steadfast love endures forever. 00:18:56.820 --> 00:18:59.519 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, 00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:03.920 whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands. 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:08.460 So celebrate what Christ has done in your life. 00:19:09.180 --> 00:19:13.680 What he is doing and what he will do for the glory of his name. 00:19:14.580 --> 00:19:16.019 Never forget that goodness. 00:19:16.300 --> 00:19:16.700 Remember, 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:21.880 remember your story and what God has brought you from, 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:23.759 the pit that he has brought you out of. 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.339 We all have a former life. 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:29.220 So that's the first point. 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:36.240 Number two is our encounter with the living Christ. 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:43.480 And we see this verses 3 through 9 in our story in Acts. 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:45.480 Verses 3 through 9. 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:46.420 So Paul's on the road. 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:48.299 He encounters Jesus, 00:19:49.339 --> 00:19:50.900 the risen Son of God. 00:19:50.900 --> 00:19:56.040 So the language that's used in this story is anything but boring and casual. 00:19:56.560 --> 00:19:57.019 It's vivid. 00:19:57.180 --> 00:19:57.880 It's intense. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:19:58.880 It's dramatic. 00:19:59.080 --> 00:20:01.100 It's meant to shock the reader. 00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:04.560 So Saul has gone on about his agenda. 00:20:05.100 --> 00:20:06.580 They carry out his plans. 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:07.740 And God abruptly, 00:20:08.620 --> 00:20:10.620 suddenly stops him in his tracks. 00:20:11.860 --> 00:20:12.360 It says, 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:13.320 So how did that happen? 00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:15.340 A light from heaven shone. 00:20:16.060 --> 00:20:17.759 This idea of it flashing, right? 00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:20.880 And this isn't a light from the material creation. 00:20:21.040 --> 00:20:25.060 Because later on we read that this was brighter than the noonday sun. 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:32.700 It was a radiance of light that seemed to be something that Saul would have known about from the Old Testament. 00:20:32.820 --> 00:20:36.540 Something that Isaiah or Ezekiel or Daniel would have encountered. 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:38.040 This intense, bright light. 00:20:39.060 --> 00:20:41.540 And it's a sign of like the holy presence of God. 00:20:41.539 --> 00:20:46.319 And he seems to almost be aware that something like that is going on. 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:48.099 But he's terrified. 00:20:49.539 --> 00:20:50.759 So on the Damascus road, 00:20:50.879 --> 00:20:56.980 Saul of Tarsus was confronted with the blazing glory of the risen Son of God. 00:20:56.980 --> 00:21:01.099 Saul, so abrupt that he fell to the ground, probably off a horse. 00:21:01.799 --> 00:21:03.819 Which if you've ridden a horse and fallen, it hurts. 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:08.079 It's something you've got to just get back up and keep doing or quit. 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:12.000 But, so, that itself can be startling. 00:21:12.099 --> 00:21:18.279 But also, he's blinded by the sheer holy radiance from the man that's standing in front of him. 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:21.119 But observe, he doesn't stop there. 00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:22.180 He gets called out. 00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:24.279 Saul, Saul. 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:25.859 Right? 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:28.039 Called him by his name. 00:21:28.119 --> 00:21:30.759 Specifically, have you ever noticed this while I was studying this? 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:34.240 Do you see the sovereign grace of God here? 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:36.839 Why didn't he address the other men? 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:39.220 He just addresses Saul. 00:21:40.180 --> 00:21:42.619 And not these other unbelievers who are with him. 00:21:43.379 --> 00:21:45.059 They hear it, but they don't see him. 00:21:45.059 --> 00:21:48.940 So, Saul is called out by name. 00:21:49.859 --> 00:21:51.659 And he hears the charge against him. 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:53.919 Why are you persecuting me? 00:21:55.659 --> 00:21:56.259 Confused. 00:21:57.619 --> 00:21:58.179 Bewildered. 00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:58.859 Scared. 00:21:58.940 --> 00:22:00.119 He asks, who are you? 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:02.599 Sir, our Lord. 00:22:03.679 --> 00:22:05.740 And in terror, imagine this. 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:07.319 He hears the voice. 00:22:07.419 --> 00:22:11.019 I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:19.299 So, imagine that horror of encountering the risen Son of God who you rejected and mocked. 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:25.579 And that you gave approval to the man, for them to kill the very man who was telling you about Jesus, Stephen. 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:27.519 You cheered that on. 00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:29.920 But, wait a minute. 00:22:30.200 --> 00:22:31.759 Saul is persecuting the church. 00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:32.900 Right? 00:22:33.579 --> 00:22:35.920 But Jesus says, you're persecuting me. 00:22:36.779 --> 00:22:38.099 And why is that? 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:45.740 And most of us understand that to persecute the church is to also persecute Christ himself. 00:22:46.379 --> 00:22:49.099 Because we are members of his body. 00:22:49.219 --> 00:22:50.639 We are the bride of Christ. 00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:52.539 We are one with Christ. 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:56.000 And so, anything done to Christ is something done to the church. 00:22:56.579 --> 00:22:57.619 And vice versa. 00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:01.119 And so, shock. 00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:03.259 This is like his worst nightmare coming true. 00:23:03.339 --> 00:23:05.759 Like the Jesus that he had preached against. 00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:09.299 And the persecutors that he had been arresting and putting to death. 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:11.639 All of a sudden, he's wrong. 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:13.599 Stephen was right. 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:15.419 Imagine that. 00:23:16.139 --> 00:23:22.000 So, he's confronted with all these violent crimes that he has committed against the risen Son of God. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:24.619 So, Saul set out to arrest Christians. 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:27.960 But instead, Christ arrests Saul instead. 00:23:28.299 --> 00:23:28.759 Flip that. 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:32.319 Christ literally arrests Saul on the road. 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:37.519 He uses language in the New Testament saying, like, I was apprehended by Jesus. 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:40.960 So, he is broken and traumatized. 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:45.440 And you kind of see that his companions sort of pick him up, take him on to Damascus. 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:47.519 And he stays there for three days. 00:23:47.580 --> 00:23:48.299 And he's blind. 00:23:48.900 --> 00:23:50.259 He doesn't sleep or eat. 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:54.480 Not sure if he was fasting and he was just reflecting over his life. 00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:58.940 Or if that trauma was so intense that he just couldn't eat. 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:00.320 Couldn't sleep. 00:24:01.140 --> 00:24:02.220 Or maybe even both. 00:24:03.600 --> 00:24:06.680 Nonetheless, he expected to come into that city a conquering hero. 00:24:06.860 --> 00:24:10.500 But instead, he comes crawling literally on his knees. 00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:14.400 Because he has met King Jesus on the road. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:18.100 Just hold your hand in Acts 9. 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:20.600 But just flip over to Acts 26 really quick. 00:24:24.140 --> 00:24:30.059 So, later on in Acts, Paul is giving an account before King Agrippa. 00:24:30.740 --> 00:24:33.080 And he reflects back on this story. 00:24:34.140 --> 00:24:37.820 And it kind of gives us a little bigger picture of what happened. 00:24:39.120 --> 00:24:41.120 Acts 26, verse 12. 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:43.580 And this is Paul talking. 00:24:44.059 --> 00:24:44.680 Who was Saul. 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:49.620 I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:57.100 At midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, 00:24:57.799 --> 00:25:00.480 that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:07.960 And when we had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 00:25:08.539 --> 00:25:11.700 Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:15.180 It is hard for you to kick against the goads. 00:25:15.180 --> 00:25:19.220 So, to kick against the goads was a phrase. 00:25:19.940 --> 00:25:26.799 A goat is this long, pointy stick that was used by a herdsman to move cattle and to move stubborn livestock. 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:31.680 But in the Greco-Roman world, this was a phrase that was used to basically say, 00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:36.000 by your actions and by your life, you are opposing a deity. 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:41.559 So, he understood, I'm opposing God in some way. 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:43.279 And he said, 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:44.119 Who are you, Lord? 00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:46.000 And the Lord said, 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:48.220 I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 00:25:48.720 --> 00:25:51.159 But rise and stand upon your feet. 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:54.059 For I have appeared to you for this purpose, 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:59.200 to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:02.059 and those in which I will appear to you, 00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:07.080 delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:10.500 to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, 00:26:11.100 --> 00:26:15.279 so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:18.420 that they may receive forgiveness of sins 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:22.900 and place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. 00:26:23.740 --> 00:26:26.920 So, another picture of what story just happened. 00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:32.940 And so, just remember that regardless of your story, 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:39.620 we all have had some encounter with the risen Son of God. 00:26:40.120 --> 00:26:43.039 If Jesus was dead, in fact, and not living, 00:26:43.120 --> 00:26:44.480 you wouldn't have an encounter with Him. 00:26:45.660 --> 00:26:49.019 So, regardless of that, according to God's sovereign plan, 00:26:49.560 --> 00:26:51.960 at some point, He began working in your heart, 00:26:52.100 --> 00:26:56.840 convincing you, showing you your need, guilt in your life. 00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:57.900 Shame in your life. 00:26:58.600 --> 00:27:01.019 Worry and burdens that you were carrying in your life. 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:03.880 Showing you that you needed a Savior. 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:06.160 And this is what's going on. 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:10.660 He's moving in Saul's life, convicting him of sin. 00:27:11.820 --> 00:27:12.140 Right? 00:27:12.140 --> 00:27:17.520 But some of us, I don't ever want you just to compare just to Saul, 00:27:18.060 --> 00:27:20.160 because a big mistake that a lot of people make is thinking, 00:27:20.280 --> 00:27:22.220 I hadn't had that Damascus Road experience, 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:25.460 so am I actually a believer or not? 00:27:26.460 --> 00:27:29.840 Well, the truth is that God saves the same way, 00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:32.240 but yet that process may look differently. 00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:35.259 Some of you may have had an experience like this, 00:27:35.319 --> 00:27:36.940 like God knocks you down, literally, 00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:38.759 and you came on your knees, 00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:41.019 and you literally gave your life to Christ at that time. 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:43.660 Some of you may have had that. 00:27:44.660 --> 00:27:47.759 Others, it's been a more gradual process, 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:53.519 where Christ was slowly knocking down the idols in your life, 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:55.519 making you more and more aware of your need. 00:27:56.400 --> 00:27:58.059 And at some point, you were converted. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:27:59.799 You came to Christ. 00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:04.339 So, something I also want you to notice in this text 00:28:04.339 --> 00:28:07.740 is that regardless, God took the initiative, not you. 00:28:07.740 --> 00:28:10.460 God hunted Saul down. 00:28:10.620 --> 00:28:12.759 He didn't just say, you know, just kind of waited like, 00:28:13.339 --> 00:28:16.079 Saul, I really would like you to possibly be a missionary. 00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:17.660 How do you feel about that? 00:28:18.380 --> 00:28:21.339 He, like, literally hunts Saul down and knocks him off the horse. 00:28:22.099 --> 00:28:23.920 And regardless of how you feel about it, 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:25.240 that's the same way he did to you. 00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:28.279 At some point in your life, he showed you. 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:32.620 He convinced you of your need for him. 00:28:33.640 --> 00:28:35.700 So, God took that initiative. 00:28:35.700 --> 00:28:40.000 God sought us and bought us. 00:28:41.140 --> 00:28:44.140 A Puritan, great writer John Flavel, 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:48.200 contemplating on this idea of when we came to know Christ, 00:28:49.140 --> 00:28:49.559 he said, 00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:54.900 A remarkable performance of God's providence for his people 00:28:54.900 --> 00:28:57.319 is the ordering of the occasion, 00:28:58.200 --> 00:29:01.019 the instrument, and the means of their conversion. 00:29:01.019 --> 00:29:06.579 You are more beholden to him for this than all your other mercies. 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:12.200 I cannot but think that your heart must be deeply affected by the thought of it. 00:29:12.980 --> 00:29:16.079 Every gracious heart loves to meditate on this. 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:20.319 It is certainly the sweetest history that was ever told. 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:24.519 Oh, what a sweet remembrance it should bring to your soul 00:29:24.519 --> 00:29:28.319 to remember that encounter with the living Christ. 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:32.460 Thirdly, back in Acts 9, 00:29:32.639 --> 00:29:36.200 thirdly, our faithful helpers, 00:29:36.619 --> 00:29:38.500 our faithful helpers, 00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:41.240 and you see this just in the following verses, 00:29:41.399 --> 00:29:42.539 verses 19 through, 00:29:44.339 --> 00:29:46.539 excuse me, I wrote that wrong, 00:29:46.619 --> 00:29:47.519 just to give you the correct, 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:49.400 10 through 14. 00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:52.740 So, there was a servant of God, 00:29:52.859 --> 00:29:54.720 a believer in Damascus, 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:55.440 Ananias, 00:29:55.940 --> 00:29:57.619 a faithful follower of the Lord, 00:29:58.440 --> 00:30:00.480 that God sort of wakes up, basically, 00:30:00.619 --> 00:30:01.099 and says, 00:30:01.799 --> 00:30:02.440 Ananias, 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:04.759 it's like a picture of almost in the Old Testament 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:07.519 where God called out the prophet Samuel 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:08.700 as a young boy and said, 00:30:08.819 --> 00:30:09.139 Samuel, 00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:11.059 and woke him up, right, 00:30:11.599 --> 00:30:12.220 in a vision. 00:30:13.099 --> 00:30:13.920 So he responded, 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:14.859 Here am I, Lord, 00:30:14.859 --> 00:30:18.159 indicating he was ready and eager 00:30:18.159 --> 00:30:20.619 and available to serve God at that moment. 00:30:21.779 --> 00:30:23.399 So Ananias had heard of Saul. 00:30:24.179 --> 00:30:26.039 He heard of how scary he was 00:30:26.039 --> 00:30:27.240 and all the acts of terror 00:30:27.240 --> 00:30:30.019 he had been taking out on the church. 00:30:30.819 --> 00:30:31.639 And he is like, 00:30:31.679 --> 00:30:33.399 he's done this in Jerusalem, 00:30:33.479 --> 00:30:35.359 and I know that he's come here to Damascus 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:36.459 to do the same thing, 00:30:36.979 --> 00:30:38.639 even to people like me. 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:41.599 So he had a lot of reasons to think twice 00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:43.539 before going to Saul. 00:30:44.419 --> 00:30:46.000 So even though he was afraid, though, 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:48.259 he chooses to trust the Lord and to go. 00:30:48.939 --> 00:30:49.779 And notice this, 00:30:49.819 --> 00:30:51.359 it says Saul was praying. 00:30:52.599 --> 00:30:53.579 And so in a way, 00:30:53.699 --> 00:30:55.279 Ananias would be the means 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:57.559 by which God answered that prayer. 00:30:58.599 --> 00:30:59.559 So can you imagine, 00:30:59.719 --> 00:31:00.259 like just stop, 00:31:00.319 --> 00:31:01.000 just think about this, 00:31:01.079 --> 00:31:03.719 imagine God calling you to go 00:31:03.719 --> 00:31:06.459 and share Christ 00:31:06.459 --> 00:31:08.819 with an Islamic extremist 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:11.439 who has made it his duty in the past 00:31:11.439 --> 00:31:13.939 to kill and arrest all people 00:31:13.939 --> 00:31:15.599 who didn't obey the Quran and Muhammad. 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:18.220 Just imagine that. 00:31:18.299 --> 00:31:19.839 Like that's about the intensity 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:21.740 of what is going on here. 00:31:22.639 --> 00:31:24.000 So the application is, 00:31:24.119 --> 00:31:25.879 again, no matter what your story is, 00:31:25.919 --> 00:31:27.159 all of us can look back. 00:31:27.779 --> 00:31:28.519 I know I can. 00:31:28.539 --> 00:31:29.599 I can name them for you. 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:31.859 Of people that God sent 00:31:31.859 --> 00:31:32.839 at the right time 00:31:32.839 --> 00:31:34.659 to listen to you, 00:31:34.779 --> 00:31:35.480 to love you, 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:36.740 to speak the truth to you, 00:31:36.740 --> 00:31:39.140 to pray with you, 00:31:39.359 --> 00:31:41.160 to show you how to walk with Jesus. 00:31:41.700 --> 00:31:43.299 They embodied the love 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:44.700 and compassion of Christ 00:31:44.700 --> 00:31:46.079 before you, 00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:48.460 taught you the truth, 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:50.460 warned you about your sin, 00:31:50.620 --> 00:31:51.920 warned you about the coming judgment, 00:31:52.059 --> 00:31:53.120 and pointed to the cross 00:31:53.120 --> 00:31:53.599 and said, 00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:55.299 God has made a way 00:31:55.299 --> 00:31:56.700 for you to be reconciled 00:31:56.700 --> 00:31:58.039 to himself. 00:32:00.660 --> 00:32:02.339 A man named Daryl Johnson, 00:32:03.359 --> 00:32:04.480 Larry Trammell, 00:32:04.620 --> 00:32:05.319 Josh Stringer, 00:32:05.319 --> 00:32:06.119 or Zach Watson, 00:32:06.279 --> 00:32:06.879 all were men 00:32:06.879 --> 00:32:09.059 who God placed in my path 00:32:09.059 --> 00:32:10.039 when I was around 18 00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:12.859 to help me see my need for Christ 00:32:12.859 --> 00:32:14.059 and to point me to Christ. 00:32:14.599 --> 00:32:16.259 And then the end of the figure of speech 00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:17.740 almost took my hand 00:32:17.740 --> 00:32:19.019 and walked me to Jesus. 00:32:20.259 --> 00:32:21.819 Just contemplate who that is. 00:32:21.939 --> 00:32:22.720 Men and women 00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:23.939 who love you and disciples you. 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:25.119 It may have even been your parents. 00:32:26.299 --> 00:32:27.240 So I challenge you 00:32:27.240 --> 00:32:28.439 just to do something, okay? 00:32:28.500 --> 00:32:29.279 Like this week, 00:32:30.299 --> 00:32:31.859 whoever God has used in your life 00:32:31.859 --> 00:32:33.039 to help you know Christ 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:35.099 that may have been a part 00:32:35.099 --> 00:32:36.559 of your conversion experience, 00:32:37.319 --> 00:32:38.299 call them, 00:32:38.459 --> 00:32:39.039 reach out to them, 00:32:39.079 --> 00:32:39.740 and thank them 00:32:39.740 --> 00:32:41.000 for just being obedient 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:42.779 and being faithful 00:32:42.779 --> 00:32:44.299 and available 00:32:44.299 --> 00:32:45.179 and not afraid 00:32:45.179 --> 00:32:46.659 even to come to you 00:32:46.659 --> 00:32:47.519 and to talk to you. 00:32:48.699 --> 00:32:49.979 Reach out to those people. 00:32:50.559 --> 00:32:51.319 It will cultivate 00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:52.139 a deeper joy 00:32:52.139 --> 00:32:53.419 in your own salvation. 00:32:53.420 --> 00:32:56.680 Number four, 00:32:57.480 --> 00:32:59.300 verses 15 through 18, 00:33:00.320 --> 00:33:01.160 our conversion. 00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:03.460 Our conversion. 00:33:05.080 --> 00:33:05.440 So, 00:33:06.080 --> 00:33:07.700 what was Saul's chosen purpose? 00:33:07.820 --> 00:33:08.980 We've kind of read about it. 00:33:10.340 --> 00:33:11.420 It says it right here. 00:33:11.500 --> 00:33:13.840 He is a chosen instrument of mine 00:33:13.840 --> 00:33:15.039 to carry my name 00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:16.720 before the Gentiles, 00:33:16.900 --> 00:33:17.180 kings, 00:33:17.300 --> 00:33:18.300 and children of Israel. 00:33:18.940 --> 00:33:19.500 Literally, 00:33:19.640 --> 00:33:21.220 it means like a vessel of election. 00:33:21.220 --> 00:33:23.940 The religious zealot, 00:33:24.039 --> 00:33:24.339 Saul, 00:33:24.460 --> 00:33:25.940 who became the apostle Paul, 00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:28.039 carrying the gospel of Jesus 00:33:28.039 --> 00:33:29.460 across the Roman world. 00:33:30.299 --> 00:33:32.140 That was going to be his mission. 00:33:32.759 --> 00:33:33.480 Planning churches, 00:33:33.880 --> 00:33:34.400 pastoring, 00:33:35.319 --> 00:33:35.640 teaching. 00:33:36.920 --> 00:33:38.120 I don't mean building buildings. 00:33:38.200 --> 00:33:39.140 I mean planting churches. 00:33:39.339 --> 00:33:40.319 That's what he was going to do 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:41.500 throughout the Roman world. 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:44.299 And because of that task, 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:46.279 because of that task, 00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:47.740 he would suffer 00:33:47.740 --> 00:33:49.279 for the sake of Christ 00:33:49.279 --> 00:33:51.039 like we just read right here. 00:33:52.039 --> 00:33:53.000 It's possible 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:54.019 no other believer 00:33:54.019 --> 00:33:55.819 suffered as Paul suffered, 00:33:56.279 --> 00:33:57.200 taking the gospel 00:33:57.200 --> 00:33:58.259 to a sinful world. 00:33:58.980 --> 00:34:00.839 You can read in 2 Corinthians 11, 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:02.279 this account of all the stuff 00:34:02.279 --> 00:34:02.940 that he's been through 00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:03.640 up to that point. 00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:05.079 Imprisonments, 00:34:05.400 --> 00:34:06.900 countless beatings, 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:08.260 often near death, 00:34:08.980 --> 00:34:11.460 40 lashes five times over, 00:34:11.619 --> 00:34:12.079 he said, 00:34:12.820 --> 00:34:14.840 beaten with rods three times, 00:34:15.720 --> 00:34:16.539 stoned once, 00:34:16.599 --> 00:34:17.860 and shipwrecked three times, 00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:19.000 and on and on he goes, 00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:21.400 all for the sake of Christ. 00:34:22.179 --> 00:34:22.980 When most of us 00:34:22.980 --> 00:34:23.619 have a hard time 00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:24.440 crossing the street 00:34:24.440 --> 00:34:26.260 or crossing the hallway 00:34:26.260 --> 00:34:27.019 in our dorm room 00:34:27.019 --> 00:34:28.019 just to talk to someone 00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:29.000 about Christ. 00:34:29.480 --> 00:34:31.059 But this man was convinced 00:34:31.059 --> 00:34:32.039 that Jesus was 00:34:32.039 --> 00:34:32.820 the Son of God 00:34:32.820 --> 00:34:34.480 and was convinced 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:35.420 that eternity 00:34:35.420 --> 00:34:36.840 was weighing in the balance. 00:34:37.699 --> 00:34:38.860 He was so grateful 00:34:38.860 --> 00:34:40.000 for his own salvation 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:40.719 that he couldn't just 00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:41.699 keep it to himself. 00:34:41.699 --> 00:34:43.379 So we have to cultivate 00:34:43.379 --> 00:34:44.159 those things 00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:45.500 in our life. 00:34:46.460 --> 00:34:47.679 So conversion, right? 00:34:48.379 --> 00:34:49.219 Most would say 00:34:49.219 --> 00:34:49.859 at this point, 00:34:49.919 --> 00:34:50.579 this is when Saul 00:34:50.579 --> 00:34:51.619 was actually converted, 00:34:51.719 --> 00:34:52.379 not on the road, 00:34:52.799 --> 00:34:53.659 but at the time 00:34:53.659 --> 00:34:54.319 the Holy Spirit 00:34:54.319 --> 00:34:55.299 was convincing him 00:34:55.299 --> 00:34:56.119 and showing him, 00:34:56.599 --> 00:34:57.500 working in him, 00:34:58.159 --> 00:34:59.059 and at some point 00:34:59.059 --> 00:34:59.919 he was born again. 00:35:00.059 --> 00:35:01.239 He was regenerated, 00:35:01.819 --> 00:35:02.480 which was all 00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:03.279 an act of God. 00:35:04.159 --> 00:35:04.859 Not something 00:35:04.859 --> 00:35:06.099 that we cooperate with, 00:35:06.159 --> 00:35:06.679 but it was all 00:35:06.679 --> 00:35:07.500 an act of God. 00:35:07.500 --> 00:35:09.159 And this is, 00:35:09.340 --> 00:35:10.500 conversion is basically, 00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:12.039 basically this. 00:35:12.099 --> 00:35:12.960 You want a definition. 00:35:13.139 --> 00:35:14.059 It's like our willing, 00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:16.199 our willing response 00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:17.760 to Christ 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:18.659 and to the gospel 00:35:18.659 --> 00:35:20.139 where we place 00:35:20.139 --> 00:35:21.139 our total trust 00:35:21.139 --> 00:35:22.500 and faith in Christ alone. 00:35:23.380 --> 00:35:24.679 It kind of has two sides, 00:35:24.860 --> 00:35:25.739 faith and repentance, 00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:27.260 like conversion, 00:35:28.219 --> 00:35:29.039 faith and repentance 00:35:29.039 --> 00:35:30.340 is seen in the scripture. 00:35:31.079 --> 00:35:32.239 So we throw ourselves 00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:32.940 before Jesus, 00:35:33.099 --> 00:35:34.039 trusting in him alone 00:35:34.039 --> 00:35:34.760 to save us. 00:35:35.260 --> 00:35:36.500 We repent of our sins. 00:35:36.500 --> 00:35:37.179 We renounce 00:35:37.179 --> 00:35:38.679 our former way of life 00:35:38.679 --> 00:35:40.320 and we follow Christ 00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:42.500 and follow his way. 00:35:43.400 --> 00:35:44.360 And it's all because 00:35:44.360 --> 00:35:45.059 of the initiative 00:35:45.059 --> 00:35:46.380 of God's working in us 00:35:46.380 --> 00:35:47.139 to be born again. 00:35:47.360 --> 00:35:48.820 It's the evidence 00:35:48.820 --> 00:35:50.320 of our regeneration. 00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:52.239 So, 00:35:52.780 --> 00:35:54.099 a couple things here. 00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:56.360 Ananias went to Saul 00:35:56.360 --> 00:35:57.739 and he called him 00:35:57.739 --> 00:35:58.480 his dear brother. 00:35:58.599 --> 00:35:59.119 Like a very, 00:35:59.179 --> 00:35:59.400 like, 00:35:59.460 --> 00:36:01.199 tender phrase. 00:36:01.300 --> 00:36:02.199 This man who was 00:36:02.199 --> 00:36:02.940 an enemy, right? 00:36:03.500 --> 00:36:04.159 He's just calling 00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:04.980 dear brother. 00:36:04.980 --> 00:36:07.940 And so, 00:36:08.260 --> 00:36:10.760 he healed him physically, 00:36:11.179 --> 00:36:12.440 but the Holy Spirit 00:36:12.440 --> 00:36:13.579 entered Saul's soul. 00:36:14.480 --> 00:36:15.240 Do you believe, 00:36:15.300 --> 00:36:15.920 like in the power 00:36:15.920 --> 00:36:16.440 of the gospel, 00:36:16.599 --> 00:36:17.119 do you believe 00:36:17.119 --> 00:36:18.539 there's no one out there 00:36:18.539 --> 00:36:20.659 who is not fair game 00:36:20.659 --> 00:36:21.199 for God? 00:36:22.159 --> 00:36:23.139 A lot of us do. 00:36:23.199 --> 00:36:24.019 We write them off, 00:36:24.079 --> 00:36:24.280 think, 00:36:24.360 --> 00:36:24.539 oh, 00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:25.679 they're too far gone, 00:36:26.340 --> 00:36:27.219 they're too religious, 00:36:27.420 --> 00:36:28.059 or they're too much 00:36:28.059 --> 00:36:28.780 into the world. 00:36:28.780 --> 00:36:30.920 No. 00:36:31.600 --> 00:36:32.680 This story is meant 00:36:32.680 --> 00:36:33.660 to just trump that 00:36:33.660 --> 00:36:34.400 and show you 00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:35.720 that the gospel 00:36:35.720 --> 00:36:36.660 is the power 00:36:36.660 --> 00:36:37.820 of God's salvation. 00:36:38.900 --> 00:36:39.780 Don't underestimate 00:36:39.780 --> 00:36:40.640 the power 00:36:40.640 --> 00:36:41.400 of the gospel. 00:36:42.500 --> 00:36:43.620 It can change 00:36:43.620 --> 00:36:44.240 anyone, 00:36:45.080 --> 00:36:45.480 literally. 00:36:46.900 --> 00:36:47.180 So, 00:36:47.240 --> 00:36:48.340 the application here 00:36:48.340 --> 00:36:49.560 is that 00:36:49.560 --> 00:36:50.480 he was converted 00:36:50.480 --> 00:36:51.040 at this point, 00:36:51.100 --> 00:36:51.620 but some of you 00:36:51.620 --> 00:36:52.240 may remember, 00:36:52.300 --> 00:36:52.740 like I said, 00:36:52.780 --> 00:36:53.480 that exact time 00:36:53.480 --> 00:36:53.880 it happened, 00:36:53.960 --> 00:36:54.560 or it might have been 00:36:54.560 --> 00:36:56.200 over a period of time, 00:36:56.199 --> 00:36:56.980 but regardless, 00:36:58.079 --> 00:36:58.839 you cannot 00:36:58.839 --> 00:37:00.460 encounter the risen Lord 00:37:00.460 --> 00:37:01.859 and remain unchanged. 00:37:02.579 --> 00:37:03.119 It's just not 00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:03.599 going to happen. 00:37:03.719 --> 00:37:03.859 So, 00:37:03.980 --> 00:37:05.219 examine your own life, 00:37:06.019 --> 00:37:06.719 and I'm going to just 00:37:06.719 --> 00:37:07.699 steal an illustration 00:37:07.699 --> 00:37:09.819 from Paul Washer, 00:37:10.439 --> 00:37:11.799 but he said, 00:37:12.419 --> 00:37:13.739 imagine if I came in here 00:37:13.739 --> 00:37:15.779 late to be here, 00:37:16.179 --> 00:37:17.039 and I said, 00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:18.559 I apologize for being late 00:37:18.559 --> 00:37:19.480 because on the way here 00:37:19.480 --> 00:37:20.339 I had a flat tire, 00:37:21.019 --> 00:37:22.019 I had to get out, 00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:23.059 and while I was 00:37:23.059 --> 00:37:23.839 changing my tire, 00:37:23.939 --> 00:37:24.679 an 18-wheeler 00:37:24.679 --> 00:37:25.859 came by 00:37:25.860 --> 00:37:26.960 going 100 miles an hour 00:37:26.960 --> 00:37:27.620 and hit me. 00:37:29.079 --> 00:37:29.480 But, 00:37:29.680 --> 00:37:30.380 I'm okay, 00:37:30.500 --> 00:37:30.920 and that's why 00:37:30.920 --> 00:37:31.680 I was late though. 00:37:32.720 --> 00:37:33.240 He said, 00:37:33.300 --> 00:37:34.039 there's only two options. 00:37:34.120 --> 00:37:34.900 One is you're lying, 00:37:35.700 --> 00:37:36.660 because no one can 00:37:36.660 --> 00:37:38.640 encounter an 18-wheeler 00:37:38.640 --> 00:37:39.160 like that 00:37:39.160 --> 00:37:40.120 and just walk away 00:37:40.120 --> 00:37:40.920 unchanged, 00:37:41.519 --> 00:37:42.900 or you're crazy. 00:37:43.940 --> 00:37:45.240 But here is his question. 00:37:46.599 --> 00:37:47.340 What is bigger, 00:37:47.440 --> 00:37:48.220 an 18-wheeler 00:37:48.220 --> 00:37:49.800 or the Lord God Almighty 00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:50.559 who created heaven 00:37:50.559 --> 00:37:51.019 and earth? 00:37:52.180 --> 00:37:53.860 You cannot encounter God 00:37:53.860 --> 00:37:54.680 and just walk away 00:37:54.680 --> 00:37:55.260 unchanged. 00:37:56.400 --> 00:37:57.280 Your change may not 00:37:57.280 --> 00:37:57.960 be as dramatic, 00:37:58.079 --> 00:37:59.000 but you're going to change. 00:37:59.420 --> 00:38:00.160 You're not going to remain 00:38:00.160 --> 00:38:00.760 who you were. 00:38:01.519 --> 00:38:02.440 God is going to give you 00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:03.640 more love and more joy 00:38:03.640 --> 00:38:04.860 for Him and His ways, 00:38:05.180 --> 00:38:06.460 and it will change you 00:38:06.460 --> 00:38:07.099 over time. 00:38:08.480 --> 00:38:09.360 All of us have been 00:38:09.360 --> 00:38:10.519 transformed by Jesus, 00:38:10.800 --> 00:38:11.900 and we shouldn't be 00:38:11.900 --> 00:38:12.760 who we once were. 00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:15.280 Number five, 00:38:15.360 --> 00:38:16.320 this is the last thing. 00:38:17.700 --> 00:38:18.519 We'll see some more 00:38:18.519 --> 00:38:19.340 of this next week, 00:38:19.400 --> 00:38:20.079 but number five 00:38:20.079 --> 00:38:21.280 is our new family, 00:38:21.280 --> 00:38:23.780 18-19. 00:38:24.700 --> 00:38:25.220 It says, 00:38:25.340 --> 00:38:26.320 immediately something like, 00:38:26.380 --> 00:38:27.620 scales fell from His eyes 00:38:27.620 --> 00:38:28.580 and He regained His sight. 00:38:29.240 --> 00:38:31.080 Then He rose and was baptized. 00:38:32.440 --> 00:38:33.260 In taking food, 00:38:33.320 --> 00:38:33.960 He was strengthened, 00:38:34.060 --> 00:38:34.860 and for some days 00:38:34.860 --> 00:38:36.040 He was with the disciples 00:38:36.040 --> 00:38:36.880 at Damascus. 00:38:37.680 --> 00:38:38.080 So, 00:38:38.200 --> 00:38:38.800 this is what happened. 00:38:38.860 --> 00:38:39.680 He regained His sight, 00:38:39.820 --> 00:38:41.660 He was filled with the Spirit, 00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:42.920 and then in response, 00:38:43.019 --> 00:38:43.720 He was baptized 00:38:43.719 --> 00:38:45.319 as a demonstration 00:38:45.319 --> 00:38:46.859 of that inward change 00:38:46.859 --> 00:38:47.939 that had occurred 00:38:47.939 --> 00:38:48.599 in His life. 00:38:49.759 --> 00:38:50.500 And very cool, 00:38:50.599 --> 00:38:51.519 it says He got up, 00:38:51.579 --> 00:38:51.980 He ate, 00:38:52.619 --> 00:38:53.459 and He was strengthened. 00:38:53.699 --> 00:38:53.899 So, 00:38:54.679 --> 00:38:55.359 if you know anything 00:38:55.359 --> 00:38:56.199 about the Old Testament, 00:38:56.319 --> 00:38:57.019 a lot of the narratives, 00:38:57.219 --> 00:38:58.299 like Elijah, 00:38:58.500 --> 00:38:59.059 for example, 00:38:59.799 --> 00:39:01.039 this was like symbolic 00:39:01.039 --> 00:39:03.619 of sort of breaking a fast, 00:39:03.719 --> 00:39:04.439 like your time 00:39:04.439 --> 00:39:05.159 that you've been struggling 00:39:05.159 --> 00:39:05.719 is over, 00:39:06.279 --> 00:39:07.099 and so you eat, 00:39:07.679 --> 00:39:08.719 and you get up, 00:39:08.739 --> 00:39:09.559 and you move on. 00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:11.299 David did that 00:39:11.299 --> 00:39:12.439 after his child died, 00:39:12.759 --> 00:39:13.480 very similar. 00:39:14.179 --> 00:39:14.659 He got up, 00:39:14.699 --> 00:39:15.359 and he ate a meal. 00:39:16.339 --> 00:39:16.539 And so, 00:39:16.619 --> 00:39:17.179 his attitude, 00:39:17.379 --> 00:39:18.379 not just toward Christ, 00:39:18.500 --> 00:39:18.759 changed, 00:39:18.799 --> 00:39:19.299 but his attitude 00:39:19.299 --> 00:39:20.399 towards the church 00:39:20.399 --> 00:39:21.399 changed. 00:39:22.179 --> 00:39:23.379 He began to see them 00:39:23.379 --> 00:39:24.299 as family, 00:39:24.419 --> 00:39:26.000 as brothers and sisters, 00:39:26.879 --> 00:39:28.139 and he learned 00:39:28.139 --> 00:39:28.799 that they were not 00:39:28.799 --> 00:39:29.659 who he thought he was. 00:39:29.799 --> 00:39:30.339 You know, 00:39:30.419 --> 00:39:31.659 learned that they were not 00:39:31.659 --> 00:39:32.739 who he thought they were 00:39:32.739 --> 00:39:33.500 at all. 00:39:34.379 --> 00:39:35.159 Because where he thought 00:39:35.159 --> 00:39:35.959 they were outlaws 00:39:35.959 --> 00:39:36.919 and blasphemers, 00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:37.619 he actually learned 00:39:37.619 --> 00:39:38.279 that they weren't. 00:39:39.539 --> 00:39:39.939 So, 00:39:41.199 --> 00:39:42.239 applying this, 00:39:42.239 --> 00:39:44.219 I hope that 00:39:44.219 --> 00:39:45.559 all of you 00:39:45.559 --> 00:39:46.459 have a deep love 00:39:46.459 --> 00:39:47.139 for the church. 00:39:47.899 --> 00:39:48.539 Not this, 00:39:48.639 --> 00:39:49.359 but this, 00:39:49.619 --> 00:39:51.179 and outside of that, 00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:53.199 the people of God. 00:39:54.199 --> 00:39:55.159 It is said in Scripture 00:39:55.159 --> 00:39:55.839 that all those 00:39:55.839 --> 00:39:57.099 who are truly born again 00:39:57.099 --> 00:39:59.259 will love the church. 00:40:00.500 --> 00:40:01.239 And people would say, 00:40:01.319 --> 00:40:01.899 I love Jesus, 00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:02.679 but I hate the church. 00:40:02.779 --> 00:40:02.939 Like, 00:40:02.959 --> 00:40:04.159 you need to examine your heart. 00:40:05.299 --> 00:40:06.699 Need to examine your heart. 00:40:06.699 --> 00:40:06.739 But, 00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:08.799 it's a sign 00:40:08.799 --> 00:40:09.739 of true conversion 00:40:09.739 --> 00:40:10.480 that you love 00:40:10.480 --> 00:40:11.539 the people of God. 00:40:12.599 --> 00:40:12.839 So, 00:40:12.899 --> 00:40:14.000 do you love the church? 00:40:14.919 --> 00:40:15.859 I know that when I 00:40:15.859 --> 00:40:16.539 became a believer, 00:40:16.679 --> 00:40:16.779 like, 00:40:16.839 --> 00:40:18.079 you couldn't keep me away. 00:40:18.339 --> 00:40:18.500 Like, 00:40:18.519 --> 00:40:19.000 if you were, 00:40:19.319 --> 00:40:20.439 I was seeking people out, 00:40:20.539 --> 00:40:20.699 like, 00:40:20.739 --> 00:40:20.919 hey, 00:40:21.480 --> 00:40:22.199 share with me, 00:40:22.339 --> 00:40:22.859 teach me. 00:40:22.939 --> 00:40:23.839 I want to hang out with you. 00:40:23.899 --> 00:40:24.539 I don't care if you don't 00:40:24.539 --> 00:40:25.199 want me to hang out with you. 00:40:25.199 --> 00:40:25.699 I'm going to. 00:40:26.419 --> 00:40:27.739 Every Bible study that happened, 00:40:27.799 --> 00:40:28.460 I was at it. 00:40:28.879 --> 00:40:30.279 Whether it was a bad Bible study 00:40:30.279 --> 00:40:30.799 or a good one, 00:40:30.839 --> 00:40:31.319 I was there. 00:40:33.480 --> 00:40:34.419 Couldn't keep me away. 00:40:34.519 --> 00:40:34.599 Like, 00:40:34.599 --> 00:40:35.359 I wanted to be 00:40:35.359 --> 00:40:36.379 with the people of God. 00:40:36.380 --> 00:40:38.240 They were like a new family to me. 00:40:38.760 --> 00:40:40.079 And they loved me more 00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:42.019 than a lot of my buddies 00:40:42.019 --> 00:40:43.059 from my old life 00:40:43.059 --> 00:40:43.820 ever did at all. 00:40:45.260 --> 00:40:45.780 And so, 00:40:45.860 --> 00:40:47.000 you should love the church 00:40:47.000 --> 00:40:47.579 if you have been 00:40:47.579 --> 00:40:48.420 truly born again. 00:40:50.140 --> 00:40:50.579 So, 00:40:50.840 --> 00:40:51.480 in closing, 00:40:52.420 --> 00:40:53.599 just a couple of things. 00:40:55.119 --> 00:40:55.340 So, 00:40:55.420 --> 00:40:56.860 God can use anyone, 00:40:57.220 --> 00:40:58.720 no matter how obscure, 00:40:59.460 --> 00:41:00.780 to reach others for Christ. 00:41:01.840 --> 00:41:03.360 Ananias had no idea 00:41:03.360 --> 00:41:06.240 exactly what this man, 00:41:06.239 --> 00:41:07.239 he was going to be with, 00:41:07.279 --> 00:41:07.779 would become. 00:41:08.799 --> 00:41:09.179 Right? 00:41:09.339 --> 00:41:10.039 But God used 00:41:10.039 --> 00:41:10.939 this humble man 00:41:10.939 --> 00:41:12.059 to go 00:41:12.059 --> 00:41:12.699 and to share 00:41:12.699 --> 00:41:13.279 with the man 00:41:13.279 --> 00:41:13.979 who would become 00:41:13.979 --> 00:41:14.839 the Apostle Paul. 00:41:16.379 --> 00:41:16.819 And secondly, 00:41:16.979 --> 00:41:17.839 never underestimate 00:41:17.839 --> 00:41:19.659 the power of the gospel 00:41:19.659 --> 00:41:20.459 to save anyone. 00:41:20.719 --> 00:41:21.979 We've already talked about that. 00:41:23.039 --> 00:41:23.959 Never underestimate 00:41:23.959 --> 00:41:24.979 the power of the gospel 00:41:24.979 --> 00:41:25.739 to save anyone. 00:41:26.299 --> 00:41:27.399 And if you're in need of that, 00:41:27.459 --> 00:41:28.099 if you're in need of 00:41:28.099 --> 00:41:29.319 God reviving you 00:41:29.319 --> 00:41:29.919 a little bit 00:41:29.919 --> 00:41:30.799 in your own walk, 00:41:30.859 --> 00:41:31.739 He can do that too. 00:41:32.699 --> 00:41:33.479 He can give you 00:41:33.480 --> 00:41:34.340 a clean, 00:41:34.539 --> 00:41:35.559 new heart today. 00:41:36.860 --> 00:41:37.219 So, 00:41:37.539 --> 00:41:38.340 the other thing is 00:41:38.340 --> 00:41:40.300 to treasure your story 00:41:40.300 --> 00:41:41.039 in Christ. 00:41:41.800 --> 00:41:42.760 Treasure your story. 00:41:42.920 --> 00:41:44.199 Don't forget 00:41:44.199 --> 00:41:45.860 who you were 00:41:45.860 --> 00:41:47.059 in the darkness 00:41:47.059 --> 00:41:48.340 that you once walked in. 00:41:48.340 --> 00:41:50.519 So, 00:41:50.579 --> 00:41:51.700 as Jesus said 00:41:51.700 --> 00:41:52.539 to the man 00:41:52.539 --> 00:41:54.120 who He healed 00:41:54.120 --> 00:41:54.700 of demons 00:41:54.700 --> 00:41:55.420 in Luke 8, 00:41:56.880 --> 00:41:57.380 He said, 00:41:57.840 --> 00:41:58.420 this says, 00:41:58.500 --> 00:41:58.900 the man 00:41:58.900 --> 00:42:00.200 for whom the demons 00:42:00.200 --> 00:42:00.820 had gone out 00:42:00.820 --> 00:42:01.680 begged that he might 00:42:01.680 --> 00:42:02.500 stay with Jesus. 00:42:03.260 --> 00:42:04.539 But Jesus sent him away 00:42:04.539 --> 00:42:05.059 saying, 00:42:05.940 --> 00:42:07.240 return to your home 00:42:07.240 --> 00:42:08.559 and declare 00:42:08.559 --> 00:42:09.640 how much God 00:42:09.640 --> 00:42:10.559 has done for you. 00:42:11.240 --> 00:42:12.240 And he went away 00:42:12.240 --> 00:42:12.980 proclaiming 00:42:12.980 --> 00:42:13.920 throughout the whole city 00:42:13.920 --> 00:42:14.920 how much Jesus 00:42:14.920 --> 00:42:16.340 had done for him. 00:42:16.340 --> 00:42:18.160 do that. 00:42:18.600 --> 00:42:19.280 Go and proclaim 00:42:19.280 --> 00:42:20.019 how much Jesus 00:42:20.019 --> 00:42:20.920 has done for you. 00:42:22.360 --> 00:42:23.059 And do it now 00:42:23.059 --> 00:42:23.820 and do it this week. 00:42:24.900 --> 00:42:25.780 Let's pray together.