WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.679 Back in 1984, a Christian pastor in Iran was imprisoned on charges of apostasy in that country. 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:19.580 Such charges, if found guilty, would mean that he would be executed. And he spent nine years 00:00:19.580 --> 00:00:27.900 in prison before he finally got a chance to answer these charges in court. And so on the 3rd of 00:00:27.899 --> 00:00:36.140 December 1993, he wrote his defense to the court of justice. And as part of that defense, 00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:45.739 he summarized his life in these words. He says, I am a Christian. As a sinner, I believe Jesus has 00:00:45.739 --> 00:00:53.399 died for my sins on the cross and by his resurrection and victory over death, he has made me righteous in 00:00:53.399 --> 00:01:00.960 the presence of the Holy God. In response to his kindness, he has asked me to deny myself and to be 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:07.379 his fully surrendered follower and not to fear people, even if they would kill my body. 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:17.939 Life for me is an opportunity to serve him and death is a better opportunity to be with Christ. 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:26.599 Therefore, I am not only satisfied to be in prison for the honor of his holy name, but am ready to give 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:34.900 my life for the sake of Jesus, my Lord, and enter his kingdom sooner, the place where the elect of God 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:44.280 enters everlasting life. Now, whatever your perspective on life of religion, philosophy of life is, I got to 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:51.159 say this, hardly a person in the world that does not want to be able to face trials, hardship, difficulty, 00:01:51.540 --> 00:02:01.299 in fact, even daily life itself, like that man in that moment. To face life with boldness and contentment 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:14.159 and poise with satisfaction, settledness, security. In fact, to even face death with so much life. 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:24.759 In Acts 26, Paul is giving an account of his life in Jesus Christ before King Agrippa II. 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:32.659 His life, like that Iranian pastor, has been turned inside out and upside down by Jesus Christ. 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:41.319 That is, like the Iranian pastor who followed him centuries later, he has discovered a treasure 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:51.560 that truly satisfied, a treasure in life that truly satisfies. It is the gospel treasure 00:02:51.560 --> 00:03:03.859 that is to be known and experienced by all people that, in fact, has driven the entire agenda of the 00:03:03.859 --> 00:03:11.199 book of Acts as we've been discovering it again and again. It is this gospel treasure that is the 00:03:11.199 --> 00:03:20.339 heartbeat of this church at St. Paul's and it's my goal for us today that we grasp a little bit more of it. 00:03:21.119 --> 00:03:26.119 So I've got really three points and if you got the St. Paul's app, it'd be great if you could open it up 00:03:26.119 --> 00:03:31.799 and there's three things. A treasure for all people, a treasure that makes sense and a treasure that truly 00:03:31.799 --> 00:03:40.199 satisfies. So the first point, a treasure for all people. King Agrippa II, his great-grandfather, 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:48.079 was King Herod who ordered the murder of all the male infants in the vicinity of Bethlehem because he 00:03:48.079 --> 00:03:56.959 feared that Jesus was the challenger to his throne. That was how insecure Herod was on the inside. 00:03:57.500 --> 00:04:06.939 His great-uncle had John the Baptist executed and his father, Agrippa I, had executed James, 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:15.180 the brother of Jesus and imprisoned the apostle Peter. And so now we have Agrippa II, the latest in 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:23.920 the line of a morally bankrupt and insecure family. Acts 25 verse 23, we are told that Agrippa and 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:31.860 Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with high-ranking military officers 00:04:31.860 --> 00:04:41.800 and the prominent men of the city. Now the phrase there, great pomp, comes from a word that means 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:52.020 fantasy. That is, if you saw the picture of Agrippa entering this audience room, it looks like a scene 00:04:52.020 --> 00:05:00.900 from a fantasy movie. This is a big show of importance, of self-importance. It is designed to show power, 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:11.939 significance. It is designed to intimidate Paul. But despite the outward appearances of wealth and 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:24.019 power and prestige, what we have here with Agrippa is an inner bankruptcy, an inner insecurity. 00:05:24.019 --> 00:05:34.159 Bernice, who is accompanying Agrippa in this moment, is Agrippa's younger sister. She was once engaged 00:05:34.159 --> 00:05:43.939 to the nephew of the philosopher Philo, but instead she married her uncle. But now, having moved away 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:54.000 from that, she is living incestuously with her brother Agrippa. This woman had a notorious 00:05:54.000 --> 00:06:02.779 reputation, even in the days of the Roman Empire. And so here we have Agrippa and Bernice. 00:06:04.019 --> 00:06:16.160 They're a sick, sin-infested couple, and yet on the outside, it's fantasy. It's pomp. They dressed up nicely. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:25.640 Rome considered Agrippa as an authority on the Jewish religion because his family had lived in Judea and 00:06:25.640 --> 00:06:34.440 oversaw the Jewish religion in the area for several generations. And so he's brought in to bring some 00:06:34.440 --> 00:06:41.700 expert advice for Festus because he didn't know what to do with his prisoner of Paul and the dispute that he 00:06:41.699 --> 00:06:47.659 was happening with the Jewish leadership. And so Festus is hoping Agrippa is going to write him a report 00:06:47.659 --> 00:06:55.939 that he can hand on to Caesar. And so Agrippa calls Paul to speak. And Paul shares his testimony 00:06:55.939 --> 00:07:05.480 of Jesus' work in his life. And then eventually Agrippa catches on to what's actually happening in this 00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:14.420 moment. Do you think, this is Agrippa, do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to become 00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:26.379 a Christian? By a short time along, I pray to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me today 00:07:26.379 --> 00:07:37.579 may become what I am, except for these chains. So Agrippa hearing Paul's testimony, hang on a minute. 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:48.719 Paul, are you trying to convert me? And Paul, without mincing his words in any way, oh, absolutely, Agrippa. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:08:01.100 You and everyone here, in fact. That is Paul's goal of this whole chapter, this whole speech. That is his 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:09.200 aim, that everyone would become followers of Jesus Christ and discover the hope and the treasure that 00:08:09.200 --> 00:08:15.400 he has. From the religious to the secular, from the upright to the immoral, from the Jew to the Gentile, 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:22.519 from the pompous to the pompous to the pompous, all would come and be followers of Jesus Christ. 00:08:24.039 --> 00:08:26.919 And that's, in fact, what we've seen right through the book of Acts. 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:33.319 That's exactly what has happened right through the book of Acts. This gospel, this treasure has 00:08:33.319 --> 00:08:38.939 penetrated all kinds of cultures and people groups and classes of people and cities, 00:08:38.940 --> 00:08:47.120 for the major cities, for the little villages, for the Jew to the Gentile, and it still does across the 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:54.340 globe 2,000 years later. And so the question for you, the question for Agrippa in this moment, 00:08:55.100 --> 00:09:00.580 having been confronted with the fact that Paul wants him to become a Christian, why would Agrippa want to 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:08.300 do that? Why would anyone want to do that? Well, that brings us to the thrust of Paul's message. 00:09:08.940 --> 00:09:18.340 It's because the core message of the Christian faith, the gospel, this treasure, makes sense. 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:26.280 Agrippa says to Paul, do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian? And Paul is trying here, 00:09:26.560 --> 00:09:31.820 obviously, to persuade Agrippa that the Christian faith makes sense. Firstly, 00:09:31.820 --> 00:09:44.140 that the Christian faith makes rational sense. Paul says he met the resurrected Jesus Christ 00:09:44.140 --> 00:09:56.380 on the Damascus road. In verse 22, he says the Messiah would suffer and as the first to rise from the dead 00:09:56.379 --> 00:10:05.019 would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles. This is when Festus 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:13.820 interrupts Paul in verse 24. When he hears Paul talking about the resurrection, he just can't hold it. 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:21.700 He just jumps in and says, you are out of your mind, Paul. Your great learning is driving you insane. 00:10:21.700 --> 00:10:31.440 It sort of sounds like he's being partly polite, but it's actually pretty derogatory. It's like, 00:10:31.540 --> 00:10:40.020 Paul, you've got all these PhDs, but you're mad. You're crazy. That's the sense of it. 00:10:40.019 --> 00:10:49.639 But Paul comes back respectfully in verse 25. I am not insane, most excellent Festus. 00:10:51.240 --> 00:11:01.360 Paul replied, what I am saying is true and reasonable. True and reasonable. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:09.259 And verse 26 is Paul's appeal to the true and reasonable. He at this moment turns to Agrippa 00:11:09.259 --> 00:11:15.720 and says that this king, Agrippa, is familiar with these things and I can speak freely to him. 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:25.600 I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice because, and this is a pregnant statement, 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:37.340 it was not done in a corner. Not done in a corner. In other words, Festus, I understand you may not be 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:43.320 familiar with the story of Jesus Christ or the resurrection. You know, you're not an expert in 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:47.860 Judea. You haven't lived there. I understand that. But Agrippa's different. 00:11:47.860 --> 00:11:59.259 Family dynasty have lived in Judea for generations and the events surrounding Jesus Christ was so 00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:07.779 significant that anyone living in the area around Judea in the past 20 years could not laugh off as 00:12:07.779 --> 00:12:14.539 insane the events of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as you yourself, Festus, have just done. 00:12:14.539 --> 00:12:26.699 There is way too much evidence. Agrippa couldn't escape it. The events were all public. 00:12:28.980 --> 00:12:35.879 You see, in the New Testament accounts, there were dozens of miracles performed by Jesus, let alone the 00:12:35.879 --> 00:12:43.919 ones that are not recorded. And those miracles were witnessed by thousands of people. 00:12:44.539 --> 00:12:52.679 Public, obvious, brilliant, spectacular miracles over three years. You can't just laugh it off. 00:12:54.500 --> 00:13:06.539 You can't just laugh it off. You can imagine workers building roads or something, sitting down at 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:10.159 smoke-o time, drinking their coffee. 00:13:13.079 --> 00:13:17.000 And someone says, these Christians. I mean, what a joke. I mean, come on. 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:20.159 The other bloke goes, yeah, I don't agree with it. I as well. 00:13:21.439 --> 00:13:24.799 But then again, we did go to Lazarus's funeral, didn't we? 00:13:25.719 --> 00:13:28.379 And there's no denying he did stink. 00:13:28.379 --> 00:13:34.340 Like, he really stank. He was dead for four days. 00:13:36.340 --> 00:13:43.019 His body was decomposing. We all went to his funeral. Now he's back at work. 00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:48.879 I mean, I don't know how that happened, but there he is. 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:52.439 How do you explain it? 00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:55.939 Thousands of people saw it. 00:13:56.820 --> 00:14:02.159 They may not believe it or be able to explain it, but it wasn't done in a corner. 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:05.559 And then there's the empty tomb. 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:10.580 Hundreds and hundreds of people said that they saw Jesus alive. 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:14.580 Not a fuzzy, out-of-focus photo of Jesus. 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:18.879 Not a piece of toast with a burnt bit that sort of looks like Jesus. 00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:21.840 Actually alive. 00:14:22.820 --> 00:14:25.340 Talking, eating, walking, fishing, touching. 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:26.300 Alive. 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:33.100 And so many of these people had lived transformed lives because of seeing Jesus alive. 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:38.640 And many of those people died because of their trust in the resurrected Jesus. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:41.600 I mean, who dies for a hoax? 00:14:42.580 --> 00:14:43.419 Who does that? 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:52.039 Paul says to Agrippa, you know all about this, don't you? 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:54.279 It wasn't done in a corner. 00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:55.559 You know this stuff. 00:14:55.659 --> 00:14:59.139 In fact, these conversations would have been conversations you had in the palace. 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:02.199 Of course, there's the public thing that you set out to everyone, 00:15:02.340 --> 00:15:04.139 the written scripts, the speeches you gave. 00:15:04.139 --> 00:15:07.139 But behind, you and your dad must have been talking. 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:09.259 I don't know what happened. 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:11.699 I'm not sure how to explain it. 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:16.580 You know, Agrippa, that I'm not crazy. 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:19.720 You know that there's lots of evidence for what I'm talking about. 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:22.159 You may not believe it, understand that, 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:26.860 but you cannot ignore the fact that this is public evidence. 00:15:26.860 --> 00:15:33.740 Agrippa here does not say, 00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:36.419 with Festus, you're mad, Paul. 00:15:36.800 --> 00:15:38.240 You're a lunatic, Paul. 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:44.360 Notice that he doesn't argue with Paul. 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:51.779 He jumps straight to a diversion, a concession. 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:56.639 Are you trying to persuade me to become a Christian too? 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:03.379 And what's more, in the last two verses of this chapter, 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:06.620 Agrippa and others declare Paul, 00:16:06.740 --> 00:16:10.220 as he has been declared three times previously in the book of Acts, 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:12.799 innocent of all charges. 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:19.120 Agrippa is dodging the real issue 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:21.599 because he doesn't want to submit to the evidence. 00:16:22.959 --> 00:16:25.639 He certainly isn't saying that Paul has got the facts wrong. 00:16:31.079 --> 00:16:32.719 It makes rational sense. 00:16:33.859 --> 00:16:35.620 There's way more evidence, obviously, 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:38.259 but Christianity claims to be fact. 00:16:38.259 --> 00:16:43.159 It claims historical evidence that can be tested. 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:47.279 Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:48.819 That's the heart of it. 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:53.659 Christianity makes a whole lot of rational sense. 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:57.220 But, like Agrippa, 00:16:58.299 --> 00:17:03.439 no one comes to or rejects the Christian faith 00:17:03.439 --> 00:17:07.279 purely on the grounds of rational evidence. 00:17:08.259 --> 00:17:11.140 We're more complex than that as people. 00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:13.740 And so, secondly, 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:16.819 Christianity makes personal sense. 00:17:17.879 --> 00:17:20.079 Now, in verses 4 to 12, 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:23.019 Paul is really kind of making one basic point. 00:17:24.140 --> 00:17:24.980 He says, 00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:26.680 I was a committed Pharisee, 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:27.680 a strict Jew, 00:17:27.879 --> 00:17:30.319 who lived to honour the law of God. 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:31.539 In other words, 00:17:31.859 --> 00:17:36.019 my whole life was to honour God with the law code. 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:38.099 My whole goal in life, 00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:39.359 my whole vision in life, 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:40.539 was to obey the law. 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:41.799 That's my passion, 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:45.359 was to please God by being obedient to the law. 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:49.180 All of my zeal in persecuting the Christians 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:51.079 was because, as far as I was concerned, 00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:52.299 they were lawbreakers, 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:55.519 and they had to be persecuted for breaking the law. 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:59.279 But at some point, 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:01.900 before he became a Christian, 00:18:03.339 --> 00:18:06.920 Paul realised he couldn't obey the law. 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:12.559 He couldn't achieve the very thing 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:15.220 that his heart was driving him to do, 00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:19.039 desperately trying to achieve. 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:23.359 And he writes about this in Romans chapter 7. 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:29.960 The commandment not to covet came home to him, 00:18:30.159 --> 00:18:31.899 and he writes there that, 00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:35.500 I read the commandment and it killed me. 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:37.279 It slew me. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:38.980 It put me to death. 00:18:39.099 --> 00:18:39.859 I died. 00:18:39.859 --> 00:18:44.379 It's like he's sitting in bed at the end of the day 00:18:44.379 --> 00:18:46.000 with his 10 commandment checklist, 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:48.139 patting himself on the back 00:18:48.139 --> 00:18:49.539 as he ticks off each one. 00:18:50.159 --> 00:18:52.740 Obeyed, obeyed, obeyed, obeyed. 00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:53.479 Does it every day. 00:18:53.639 --> 00:18:54.500 Goes through his diary, 00:18:54.839 --> 00:18:55.919 obeyed all the 10 commandments. 00:18:56.740 --> 00:18:58.439 God must be so pleased with me. 00:18:58.759 --> 00:18:59.719 Haven't committed adultery, 00:18:59.819 --> 00:19:00.859 haven't murdered anyone today. 00:19:00.979 --> 00:19:01.379 Fantastic. 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:02.859 Then he gets to number 10, 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:03.859 do not covet. 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:05.859 And he goes, 00:19:07.459 --> 00:19:11.099 coveting cannot be understood behaviorally. 00:19:13.179 --> 00:19:15.339 Coveting has to do with the motivation of the heart. 00:19:16.779 --> 00:19:19.319 And the law that he was driven to obey 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:24.559 helped him to see that he in fact couldn't obey it. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:29.259 He was never, ever got to the point 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:33.759 where he was content with what he had achieved. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:36.859 Ever content with his zeal for God. 00:19:37.179 --> 00:19:38.240 He needed more. 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:41.379 He was never sure that his law obedience was enough. 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:42.479 And in the inside, 00:19:42.579 --> 00:19:45.659 he coveted more and more and more and more and more. 00:19:46.939 --> 00:19:51.479 The law helped him to see that he had a heart problem. 00:19:52.939 --> 00:19:55.219 No matter how much law obedience, 00:19:55.979 --> 00:19:57.439 it was never enough. 00:19:58.259 --> 00:19:59.359 He was never content. 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:00.579 He was never satisfied. 00:20:00.579 --> 00:20:03.619 On the outside, 00:20:04.419 --> 00:20:05.859 he was confident, 00:20:06.659 --> 00:20:07.659 law abiding, 00:20:08.099 --> 00:20:09.279 fiercely religious, 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:12.139 persecuted the Christians. 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:14.240 But on the inside, 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:15.720 he was unsettled. 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:17.159 On the outside, 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:18.500 he was superior, 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:19.960 condescending, 00:20:20.379 --> 00:20:21.399 self-righteous. 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:24.220 And on the inside, 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:25.620 he was inferior. 00:20:27.019 --> 00:20:27.540 Fear, 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:28.440 guilt, 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:29.180 shame. 00:20:31.060 --> 00:20:33.840 Which normally happens in life, 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:34.600 day by day. 00:20:35.360 --> 00:20:37.700 The people who are the more verbose, 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:39.080 self-confident, 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:41.900 a brash kind of person, 00:20:42.019 --> 00:20:43.700 tends to be really, 00:20:43.860 --> 00:20:46.100 really insecure on the inside. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:47.799 And that's Paul. 00:20:49.899 --> 00:20:56.119 So you can see here how Paul is trying to sort of get under a grip of skin and into his heart. 00:20:56.500 --> 00:20:59.959 All the pomp and the fantasy and the power and confidence. 00:21:00.719 --> 00:21:03.519 And yet what is obvious to all is the sin, 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:04.539 the shame, 00:21:04.659 --> 00:21:05.000 the guilt, 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:06.579 the brokenness on the inside, 00:21:06.679 --> 00:21:07.379 the insecurity. 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:16.360 Most scholars agree that God started to get in to Paul's heart, 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:18.920 started to target Paul's heart, 00:21:19.340 --> 00:21:23.660 when Paul stood there in all of his religious seal, 00:21:24.120 --> 00:21:26.900 giving his assent to the execution of Stephen. 00:21:28.520 --> 00:21:35.980 Paul had never seen anyone in his life so content as Stephen. 00:21:35.980 --> 00:21:40.259 So not needing more. 00:21:41.640 --> 00:21:43.240 So content in God, 00:21:43.380 --> 00:21:43.900 in fact. 00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:48.019 Someone with poise and respect and boldness, 00:21:48.360 --> 00:21:49.900 even in the face of death. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:53.279 Someone who loved and prayed for his enemies. 00:21:56.680 --> 00:21:59.720 And while Paul went on to persecute the Christians, 00:21:59.920 --> 00:22:03.079 God was working on the inside, 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:03.880 in his heart. 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:06.700 And then finally on the Damascus road, 00:22:06.820 --> 00:22:07.600 Paul met Jesus. 00:22:08.100 --> 00:22:10.540 Now this is the third time in Acts, 00:22:10.800 --> 00:22:14.720 that Paul recounts his testimony of meeting Jesus. 00:22:15.080 --> 00:22:17.200 But this is the only time, 00:22:18.060 --> 00:22:19.740 that he tells his testimony, 00:22:20.280 --> 00:22:23.380 and he includes these words in verse 14. 00:22:23.380 --> 00:22:29.140 It is hard for you to kick against the goads. 00:22:29.140 --> 00:22:33.180 Now a goad was a sharp stick, 00:22:33.560 --> 00:22:37.220 that shepherds used to get sheep to go on the right direction. 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:38.340 We always have these views, 00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:39.180 and the shepherds are, 00:22:39.460 --> 00:22:41.140 they just spend their time cuddling their sheep. 00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:41.920 But in actual fact, 00:22:41.980 --> 00:22:42.600 they had sticks, 00:22:42.800 --> 00:22:44.440 and they whacked their sheep as well. 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:50.200 And God had been poking and prodding Paul on the inside, 00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:52.360 unsettling him on the inside. 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:56.019 And kicking against the goads was an expression in Paul's time, 00:22:56.179 --> 00:22:59.279 that means you cannot keep resisting the deity. 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:05.519 There is a God who is poking in your heart, 00:23:05.679 --> 00:23:05.879 Paul. 00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:12.299 Paul had been driven to please God, 00:23:12.299 --> 00:23:14.419 as his passion in life, 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:19.019 and that drivenness caused him to persecute Jesus. 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:21.720 And then this Jesus, 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:24.880 who Paul immediately calls my Lord, 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:25.779 before he knows it is, 00:23:25.840 --> 00:23:26.460 my Lord, 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:27.700 my Lord, 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:31.240 and then discovers that in actual fact, 00:23:31.300 --> 00:23:31.980 it's Jesus. 00:23:34.060 --> 00:23:36.160 The one he'd been persecuting, 00:23:36.700 --> 00:23:38.000 in his zeal for God, 00:23:38.100 --> 00:23:39.759 he discovers was in fact, 00:23:40.600 --> 00:23:41.400 God himself. 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:46.900 And then Jesus makes all the difference to Paul. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:48.600 In particular, 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:49.720 the gospel message. 00:23:50.320 --> 00:23:52.940 We get a glimpse of the gospel in verse 23, 00:23:53.480 --> 00:23:54.860 that the Messiah would suffer, 00:23:55.900 --> 00:23:57.360 and as the first to rise from the dead, 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:59.980 would bring the message of light to his own people, 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:00.980 and to the Gentiles. 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:04.840 Paul needed the gospel light, 00:24:05.140 --> 00:24:07.080 in his dark heart. 00:24:08.080 --> 00:24:10.400 Now the gospel is the good news of the Messiah, 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:11.380 the Christ, 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:12.640 the King of Kings. 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:15.660 Jesus of Nazareth, 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:17.060 though innocent, 00:24:17.520 --> 00:24:19.420 would suffer and rise again, 00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:21.540 for the salvation of humanity. 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:24.000 Jesus Christ, 00:24:24.360 --> 00:24:26.360 is the only one, 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:28.740 who totally lived, 00:24:28.920 --> 00:24:30.280 a perfect life. 00:24:31.020 --> 00:24:32.500 Paul had strived, 00:24:32.620 --> 00:24:33.700 all of his life, 00:24:33.840 --> 00:24:34.860 to do that, 00:24:35.120 --> 00:24:36.840 in order to please God, 00:24:36.940 --> 00:24:38.040 and yet he couldn't. 00:24:38.039 --> 00:24:40.500 And Jesus lived, 00:24:40.500 --> 00:24:41.500 the life that Paul, 00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:43.000 should have lived, 00:24:43.940 --> 00:24:44.859 and that we, 00:24:45.039 --> 00:24:46.059 should live. 00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:48.639 And he died the death of Paul, 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:49.379 and we should die, 00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:50.740 because we failed to live, 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:51.940 the life that we should live. 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:54.379 And so, 00:24:54.639 --> 00:24:55.399 the gospel, 00:24:55.899 --> 00:24:57.279 helped Paul, 00:24:57.740 --> 00:24:58.500 understand, 00:24:58.859 --> 00:25:00.279 why he was so, 00:25:00.359 --> 00:25:01.259 eaten up inside, 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:04.119 but it also provided, 00:25:04.119 --> 00:25:05.759 the solution for him. 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:07.940 The gospel explained, 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:09.299 why he was guilty, 00:25:09.700 --> 00:25:11.799 and it resolved his guilt. 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:15.799 Christian faith, 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:17.160 makes rational sense, 00:25:17.299 --> 00:25:18.900 but it also makes personal sense. 00:25:20.180 --> 00:25:22.099 It is only in Jesus, 00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:23.900 any of us, 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:25.579 will ever get the thing, 00:25:26.220 --> 00:25:27.900 that we have been striving for, 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:28.759 all of our lives, 00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:29.759 whatever it might be. 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:31.259 It might be significance, 00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:32.440 it might be love, 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:33.359 it might be acceptance, 00:25:33.579 --> 00:25:34.480 it might be justice, 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:36.079 it might be beauty, 00:25:36.220 --> 00:25:37.539 it might be eternal life, 00:25:37.859 --> 00:25:39.359 it might be a clear conscience. 00:25:39.879 --> 00:25:40.920 Only Jesus, 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:42.859 can give us, 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:45.220 the thing that drives our hearts. 00:25:47.140 --> 00:25:48.440 The thing that we covet, 00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:51.539 but we will never achieve. 00:25:52.819 --> 00:25:53.940 It will never be enough. 00:25:54.879 --> 00:25:55.900 Only Jesus, 00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:57.680 fills our hearts. 00:25:57.680 --> 00:25:58.000 You see, 00:25:58.220 --> 00:25:59.360 the gospel of Jesus Christ, 00:25:59.360 --> 00:26:00.840 doesn't just make rational sense, 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:01.860 it makes personal sense, 00:26:02.080 --> 00:26:05.060 it fills up our hearts. 00:26:06.560 --> 00:26:07.080 You see, 00:26:07.160 --> 00:26:08.480 we are complex beings. 00:26:09.080 --> 00:26:10.539 When it comes to persuading, 00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:11.740 we're complex. 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:13.799 It's not just rational evidence, 00:26:14.120 --> 00:26:15.279 there's a lot more things. 00:26:15.360 --> 00:26:16.060 We are persuaded, 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:17.580 something is true and right, 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:21.160 partly because it's facts, 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:22.400 but also relationships, 00:26:22.580 --> 00:26:23.140 and emotions, 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:24.700 and all these things, 00:26:24.700 --> 00:26:25.840 have got a part to play 00:26:25.840 --> 00:26:27.900 in us being convinced. 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:30.019 For instance, 00:26:31.080 --> 00:26:32.180 if you're a boss 00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:33.680 employing a new staff member, 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:37.160 your goal is to be absolutely, 00:26:37.980 --> 00:26:39.519 completely certain 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:41.559 that this is the right person 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:42.660 before you hire them. 00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:43.279 You want that. 00:26:43.460 --> 00:26:44.299 You want to make sure 00:26:44.299 --> 00:26:45.580 this person is absolutely 00:26:45.580 --> 00:26:46.819 the right person for the gig. 00:26:46.819 --> 00:26:50.619 You want watertight proof 00:26:50.619 --> 00:26:52.000 that this person 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:53.460 is the right person 00:26:53.460 --> 00:26:54.099 for this role 00:26:54.099 --> 00:26:55.079 before I hire them. 00:26:56.919 --> 00:26:58.319 If that's the case, 00:26:58.879 --> 00:26:59.939 you will never hire 00:26:59.939 --> 00:27:00.720 a single person. 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:04.319 You can use reason 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:06.460 to get you 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:07.319 to the place 00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:08.359 of probability 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:09.480 that this person 00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:10.559 might be the right person. 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:14.279 reason can get you 00:27:14.279 --> 00:27:15.139 to the point 00:27:15.139 --> 00:27:15.919 of probability, 00:27:16.460 --> 00:27:17.339 but it can never 00:27:17.339 --> 00:27:17.980 transfer you 00:27:17.980 --> 00:27:18.440 to the point 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:19.019 of certainty. 00:27:22.059 --> 00:27:23.399 How do you make 00:27:23.399 --> 00:27:24.480 that transition 00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:25.139 from probability 00:27:25.139 --> 00:27:25.839 to certainty? 00:27:27.159 --> 00:27:28.299 You have to hire them. 00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:30.440 You have to take a risk. 00:27:31.159 --> 00:27:32.119 You have to jump in. 00:27:32.500 --> 00:27:32.919 You have to make 00:27:32.919 --> 00:27:33.339 a commitment. 00:27:35.700 --> 00:27:36.759 Time and a commitment 00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:37.619 to the person 00:27:37.619 --> 00:27:38.879 will either make you 00:27:38.879 --> 00:27:39.359 certain 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:40.699 or make you 00:27:40.699 --> 00:27:41.459 uncertain. 00:27:44.500 --> 00:27:45.619 You need to use 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:46.240 reason 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:46.819 to get you 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:47.219 to the point 00:27:47.219 --> 00:27:47.819 of probability, 00:27:48.399 --> 00:27:49.479 but reason 00:27:49.479 --> 00:27:50.219 is not enough 00:27:50.219 --> 00:27:50.799 for certainty. 00:27:51.919 --> 00:27:53.000 You must commit 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:54.699 your whole self 00:27:54.699 --> 00:27:55.439 to get certainty. 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:56.079 You must 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:57.799 jump in 00:27:57.799 --> 00:28:01.199 reasonably. 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:04.479 And so to the skeptics 00:28:04.479 --> 00:28:05.459 tuning in here now, 00:28:08.399 --> 00:28:09.319 what if 00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:10.379 God did not 00:28:10.379 --> 00:28:11.279 give you 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:12.500 a watertight 00:28:12.500 --> 00:28:13.500 argument 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:15.700 about his 00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:16.240 existence 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:17.720 and about 00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:18.460 the truth 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:19.399 of Christianity? 00:28:19.619 --> 00:28:20.159 What if he didn't 00:28:20.159 --> 00:28:20.539 do that? 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:21.879 You might be 00:28:21.879 --> 00:28:22.480 searching for that 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:22.740 now, 00:28:22.819 --> 00:28:23.200 but what if he 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:23.980 didn't do that 00:28:23.980 --> 00:28:24.480 for you? 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:26.799 What instead 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:27.419 he gave you 00:28:27.419 --> 00:28:28.159 a watertight 00:28:28.159 --> 00:28:29.059 person 00:28:29.059 --> 00:28:31.079 against whom 00:28:31.079 --> 00:28:31.779 there is no 00:28:31.779 --> 00:28:32.240 argument? 00:28:32.899 --> 00:28:33.619 What if he did 00:28:33.619 --> 00:28:33.819 that? 00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:37.319 And so I 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:38.059 challenge you 00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:38.759 to read 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:39.559 the gospel 00:28:39.559 --> 00:28:40.319 of Mark 00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:41.339 in the New 00:28:41.339 --> 00:28:41.799 Testament 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:42.759 or John 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:44.960 and engage 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:45.839 with the person 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:46.659 of Jesus. 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:49.039 Do it with 00:28:49.039 --> 00:28:49.599 someone else. 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:49.980 I mean, 00:28:50.059 --> 00:28:50.679 make contact 00:28:50.679 --> 00:28:51.339 with us here 00:28:51.339 --> 00:28:51.759 at Supports. 00:28:51.819 --> 00:28:52.159 We would love 00:28:52.159 --> 00:28:52.519 to do that 00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:52.939 with you. 00:28:53.700 --> 00:28:54.000 You see, 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:54.659 when you look 00:28:54.659 --> 00:28:55.359 at the claims 00:28:55.359 --> 00:28:55.879 of Jesus 00:28:55.879 --> 00:28:57.419 and the character 00:28:57.419 --> 00:28:58.000 of Jesus 00:28:58.000 --> 00:28:59.339 and the activities 00:28:59.339 --> 00:29:00.019 of Jesus, 00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:02.480 it is so hard 00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:03.740 to dismiss him 00:29:03.740 --> 00:29:05.279 as being 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:06.259 anything else 00:29:06.259 --> 00:29:07.299 but what he 00:29:07.299 --> 00:29:08.019 says and who 00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:08.839 he says he is. 00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:11.200 You just 00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:12.420 can't explain 00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:13.000 him away. 00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:20.700 So lastly, 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:23.599 when you 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:24.180 finally do 00:29:24.180 --> 00:29:24.880 come to Jesus, 00:29:25.019 --> 00:29:25.519 you discover 00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:26.000 a treasure 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:26.559 that truly 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:27.099 satisfies. 00:29:28.740 --> 00:29:29.380 The good 00:29:29.380 --> 00:29:29.740 news of 00:29:29.740 --> 00:29:30.099 Christianity 00:29:30.099 --> 00:29:30.859 is for 00:29:30.859 --> 00:29:31.220 everyone. 00:29:31.319 --> 00:29:31.599 It makes 00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:32.000 sense and 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:32.339 are truly 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:33.019 satisfied. 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:34.259 And Paul, 00:29:34.359 --> 00:29:34.640 what we 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:35.240 notice here, 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:36.059 is just so 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:37.420 incredibly bold 00:29:37.420 --> 00:29:38.940 with a gripper. 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:40.480 And yet, 00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:40.900 at the same 00:29:40.900 --> 00:29:41.140 time, 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:41.420 he's not 00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:41.779 arrogant. 00:29:42.460 --> 00:29:43.240 He's respectful 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:43.660 and he's 00:29:43.660 --> 00:29:44.240 poised, 00:29:44.500 --> 00:29:45.039 but he's 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:45.619 not afraid. 00:29:47.079 --> 00:29:48.019 Verse 18 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:49.420 is the source 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:50.000 of Paul's 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:50.539 contentment 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:51.200 and boldness. 00:29:53.660 --> 00:29:54.140 Jesus 00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:54.880 mentions the 00:29:54.880 --> 00:29:55.519 fruit of the 00:29:55.519 --> 00:29:56.299 gospel in our 00:29:56.299 --> 00:29:56.619 lives, 00:29:56.680 --> 00:29:57.059 the fruit of 00:29:57.059 --> 00:29:57.640 this treasure 00:29:57.640 --> 00:29:58.120 being worked 00:29:58.120 --> 00:29:58.460 out in our 00:29:58.460 --> 00:29:58.700 lives. 00:29:58.780 --> 00:29:58.880 And he 00:29:58.880 --> 00:29:59.040 says, 00:29:59.380 --> 00:29:59.540 that they 00:29:59.540 --> 00:30:00.020 may receive 00:30:00.020 --> 00:30:00.500 the forgiveness 00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:01.280 of sins 00:30:01.280 --> 00:30:03.160 and a place 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:04.200 among those 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:05.080 who are 00:30:05.080 --> 00:30:06.480 sanctified by 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:07.360 faith in 00:30:07.360 --> 00:30:07.700 me. 00:30:09.600 --> 00:30:10.240 Those who 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:10.660 put their 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:11.160 faith in 00:30:11.160 --> 00:30:11.920 Jesus Christ, 00:30:12.020 --> 00:30:12.360 it says, 00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:12.940 receive. 00:30:13.300 --> 00:30:14.060 That means it's a 00:30:14.060 --> 00:30:14.240 gift. 00:30:14.420 --> 00:30:15.100 You don't work 00:30:15.100 --> 00:30:15.320 for it. 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:16.240 Paul has spent 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:16.860 all his life 00:30:16.860 --> 00:30:17.500 trying to get 00:30:17.500 --> 00:30:18.740 this and he 00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:19.100 says, 00:30:19.300 --> 00:30:20.860 I receive it. 00:30:21.860 --> 00:30:22.640 I don't achieve 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:22.860 it. 00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:24.379 we receive 00:30:24.379 --> 00:30:25.179 forgiveness of 00:30:25.179 --> 00:30:27.079 sins and 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:28.599 a place. 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:30.319 Paul had 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:31.219 been working 00:30:31.219 --> 00:30:33.000 for that to 00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:33.719 achieve it, 00:30:33.819 --> 00:30:34.179 but he 00:30:34.179 --> 00:30:34.599 couldn't. 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:35.699 And Jesus 00:30:35.699 --> 00:30:36.199 offers it to 00:30:36.199 --> 00:30:36.559 him a gift. 00:30:36.819 --> 00:30:37.199 The word 00:30:37.199 --> 00:30:37.819 place there 00:30:37.819 --> 00:30:38.259 means a 00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:38.639 home. 00:30:39.099 --> 00:30:39.699 It's a place 00:30:39.699 --> 00:30:40.039 where you 00:30:40.039 --> 00:30:40.459 belong. 00:30:40.679 --> 00:30:41.059 It's a place 00:30:41.059 --> 00:30:41.319 where you 00:30:41.319 --> 00:30:41.699 fit. 00:30:42.019 --> 00:30:42.859 It's a place 00:30:42.859 --> 00:30:43.339 where you 00:30:43.339 --> 00:30:45.599 finally rest, 00:30:46.599 --> 00:30:47.099 content, 00:30:48.099 --> 00:30:48.579 satisfied. 00:30:48.579 --> 00:30:50.679 When you 00:30:50.679 --> 00:30:51.079 become a 00:30:51.079 --> 00:30:51.419 Christian, 00:30:51.759 --> 00:30:52.240 you're not 00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:52.939 just forgiven 00:30:52.939 --> 00:30:53.480 of sin, 00:30:53.559 --> 00:30:53.980 which is a 00:30:53.980 --> 00:30:54.759 negative thing, 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:55.619 but you're 00:30:55.619 --> 00:30:56.359 also given 00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:57.119 a place. 00:30:57.519 --> 00:30:58.019 You are 00:30:58.019 --> 00:30:58.839 adopted. 00:30:59.480 --> 00:30:59.879 You are 00:30:59.879 --> 00:31:00.619 brought into 00:31:00.619 --> 00:31:01.119 the family 00:31:01.119 --> 00:31:01.539 of God. 00:31:01.639 --> 00:31:01.839 You are 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:02.199 loved. 00:31:02.359 --> 00:31:02.619 You're 00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:03.099 accepted. 00:31:03.460 --> 00:31:03.659 You've 00:31:03.659 --> 00:31:03.919 got a 00:31:03.919 --> 00:31:04.399 place. 00:31:04.539 --> 00:31:04.839 You've 00:31:04.839 --> 00:31:05.019 got a 00:31:05.019 --> 00:31:05.480 place where 00:31:05.480 --> 00:31:05.960 you go, 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:08.819 where you 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:09.279 rest, 00:31:10.699 --> 00:31:11.099 where you're 00:31:11.099 --> 00:31:11.659 satisfied, 00:31:12.539 --> 00:31:13.220 where you're 00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:13.579 content. 00:31:16.639 --> 00:31:17.279 That's the 00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:17.740 good news of 00:31:17.740 --> 00:31:18.119 the Christian 00:31:18.119 --> 00:31:18.480 faith. 00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:19.439 Jesus Christ 00:31:19.439 --> 00:31:20.039 left his 00:31:20.039 --> 00:31:20.599 place in 00:31:20.599 --> 00:31:20.859 heaven. 00:31:21.859 --> 00:31:22.399 He lived 00:31:22.399 --> 00:31:23.339 amongst us 00:31:23.339 --> 00:31:25.039 and while he 00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:25.559 lived amongst 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:25.859 us, he 00:31:25.859 --> 00:31:26.119 said, I've 00:31:26.119 --> 00:31:26.759 got no place 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:27.259 to lay my 00:31:27.259 --> 00:31:27.519 head. 00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:27.839 This is 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:28.199 not my 00:31:28.199 --> 00:31:29.759 home so 00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:30.119 that we 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:30.599 could have 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:31.099 an eternal 00:31:31.099 --> 00:31:31.740 place of 00:31:31.740 --> 00:31:32.179 rest and 00:31:32.179 --> 00:31:32.659 contentment 00:31:32.659 --> 00:31:33.879 and satisfaction 00:31:33.879 --> 00:31:34.839 in him. 00:31:35.419 --> 00:31:36.399 He told his 00:31:36.399 --> 00:31:37.399 disciples, I'm 00:31:37.399 --> 00:31:37.819 about to 00:31:37.819 --> 00:31:38.639 depart to 00:31:38.639 --> 00:31:39.500 prepare a 00:31:39.500 --> 00:31:40.599 place for 00:31:40.599 --> 00:31:42.259 you where 00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:42.639 you would 00:31:42.639 --> 00:31:43.240 dwell in 00:31:43.240 --> 00:31:44.019 his presence 00:31:44.019 --> 00:31:45.199 forever, 00:31:46.039 --> 00:31:46.740 a place where 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:47.359 you belong, 00:31:47.480 --> 00:31:48.059 a place where 00:31:48.059 --> 00:31:48.359 you are 00:31:48.359 --> 00:31:48.779 loved. 00:31:50.859 --> 00:31:51.299 And as 00:31:51.299 --> 00:31:51.960 Paul stands 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:52.779 before Agrippa, 00:31:53.159 --> 00:31:54.339 he knows 00:31:54.339 --> 00:31:55.179 that he has 00:31:55.179 --> 00:31:55.539 in that 00:31:55.539 --> 00:31:56.179 moment the 00:31:56.179 --> 00:31:57.519 delight, the 00:31:57.519 --> 00:31:59.000 regard, the 00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:01.460 affirmation of 00:32:01.460 --> 00:32:02.799 the king of 00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:05.299 kings, the 00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:05.819 king of the 00:32:05.819 --> 00:32:06.659 universe in 00:32:06.659 --> 00:32:07.079 Jesus. 00:32:07.919 --> 00:32:08.960 As he stands 00:32:08.960 --> 00:32:09.859 before king 00:32:09.859 --> 00:32:12.220 Agrippa, he's 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:12.839 got the love and 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:14.159 the affirmation of 00:32:14.159 --> 00:32:14.559 the king of 00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:14.859 kings. 00:32:14.859 --> 00:32:17.579 Paul had 00:32:17.579 --> 00:32:18.299 seen this 00:32:18.299 --> 00:32:18.719 kind of 00:32:18.719 --> 00:32:19.399 boldness in 00:32:19.399 --> 00:32:20.679 Stephen before 00:32:20.679 --> 00:32:21.500 he himself was 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:22.099 a Christian 00:32:22.099 --> 00:32:24.939 and it got 00:32:24.939 --> 00:32:25.379 under his 00:32:25.379 --> 00:32:25.679 skin. 00:32:27.879 --> 00:32:28.879 If you want 00:32:28.879 --> 00:32:29.319 to be 00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:30.339 persuasive, 00:32:31.339 --> 00:32:34.019 then you 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:34.500 need to be 00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:36.019 persuaded by 00:32:36.019 --> 00:32:37.500 the truth of 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:38.119 the good news 00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:38.539 of Jesus 00:32:38.539 --> 00:32:39.099 Christ. 00:32:39.740 --> 00:32:40.519 That's for you, 00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:40.859 Christian. 00:32:40.959 --> 00:32:41.619 If you want to be 00:32:41.619 --> 00:32:42.479 persuasive, you 00:32:42.479 --> 00:32:42.959 need to be 00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:43.480 persuaded. 00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:44.819 You need to be 00:32:44.819 --> 00:32:45.559 contented and 00:32:45.559 --> 00:32:46.519 rest in Jesus. 00:32:47.480 --> 00:32:48.319 To the degree 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:49.720 that you are 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:51.620 is the degree 00:32:51.620 --> 00:32:52.860 to which you'll 00:32:52.860 --> 00:32:53.420 have the same 00:32:53.420 --> 00:32:54.500 kind of security 00:32:54.500 --> 00:32:55.860 and boldness 00:32:55.860 --> 00:32:57.160 and poise 00:32:57.160 --> 00:32:58.799 and freedom 00:32:58.799 --> 00:33:00.480 and contentment 00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:01.220 in life, 00:33:01.340 --> 00:33:01.960 whatever your 00:33:01.960 --> 00:33:02.700 circumstances. 00:33:05.100 --> 00:33:06.039 Thirteen weeks 00:33:06.039 --> 00:33:06.700 into a lockdown, 00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:07.620 do you want that 00:33:07.620 --> 00:33:08.960 sort of contentment, 00:33:09.140 --> 00:33:10.279 boldness now, 00:33:10.860 --> 00:33:12.240 satisfaction in life 00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:13.660 now because 00:33:13.660 --> 00:33:14.519 with the 00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:15.019 treasure of the 00:33:15.019 --> 00:33:15.920 gospel, you 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:16.440 have everything. 00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:17.319 Do you want 00:33:17.319 --> 00:33:17.579 that? 00:33:18.440 --> 00:33:19.160 I want that. 00:33:19.779 --> 00:33:20.279 Let's pray. 00:33:21.740 --> 00:33:22.660 Gracious God, 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:23.160 we are, 00:33:24.440 --> 00:33:25.539 with all the 00:33:25.539 --> 00:33:26.380 complexity of 00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:26.980 this life that 00:33:26.980 --> 00:33:27.539 you've made as 00:33:27.539 --> 00:33:28.640 complex beings, 00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:31.079 we are 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:32.920 so grateful 00:33:32.920 --> 00:33:33.779 that in Jesus 00:33:33.779 --> 00:33:34.839 you offer us 00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:35.339 everything. 00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:37.900 I pray that you 00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:38.799 would help us, 00:33:39.120 --> 00:33:39.900 first of all, 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:40.500 for those who 00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:41.079 don't know you, 00:33:41.079 --> 00:33:41.659 to come to 00:33:41.659 --> 00:33:42.379 grasp this 00:33:42.379 --> 00:33:43.819 treasure that 00:33:43.819 --> 00:33:44.639 is the gospel. 00:33:45.319 --> 00:33:46.339 For those of us 00:33:46.339 --> 00:33:47.220 who do know you, 00:33:47.419 --> 00:33:48.279 I pray that this 00:33:48.279 --> 00:33:49.699 treasure will 00:33:49.699 --> 00:33:51.059 grow and increase 00:33:51.059 --> 00:33:51.859 in our hearts 00:33:51.859 --> 00:33:53.099 more and more 00:33:53.099 --> 00:33:53.699 and more 00:33:53.699 --> 00:33:55.819 and all other 00:33:55.819 --> 00:33:56.879 earthly treasures 00:33:56.879 --> 00:33:58.439 will be put in 00:33:58.439 --> 00:33:59.419 their proper place. 00:34:00.299 --> 00:34:01.099 Give us this 00:34:01.099 --> 00:34:01.740 poise, 00:34:01.879 --> 00:34:02.639 this contentment, 00:34:02.740 --> 00:34:03.579 this satisfaction, 00:34:03.799 --> 00:34:04.579 this boldness in 00:34:04.579 --> 00:34:05.899 life that only 00:34:05.899 --> 00:34:06.899 you can give us 00:34:06.900 --> 00:34:08.740 because we have 00:34:08.740 --> 00:34:09.599 rest in you, 00:34:10.119 --> 00:34:11.340 eternal rest in you. 00:34:12.139 --> 00:34:12.500 Amen.