1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,440 Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located 2 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,680 in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship 3 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:21,920 Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism, 4 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,300 discipleship, and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church 5 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:31,600 and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be 6 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:35,880 your host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages 7 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:47,480 are a blessing to you and bring you closer to God. 8 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:51,520 Hello and welcome back to the podcast. My name is David Bickford. I'm the pastor at 9 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:58,040 the Potter's House Salmon Arm Church. Today's message that I put together is called Darkness 10 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:03,960 to Light. Its subheading would be, You knitted me together in my mother's womb. The text 11 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:09,720 that we are going to be using this morning as a jumping off point is Acts 26 verses 12 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:15,060 12-8. If you are following along you can go ahead and pull out your Bible, pull out your 13 00:01:15,060 --> 00:01:24,120 sword there and go ahead and turn to Acts 26 verses 12-18. So the time of recording 14 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:29,760 this I just came back from a little mini vacation with my wife Sarah. We were able to go to 15 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:36,000 Sun Peaks for a few days and so you know you'd think oh you're probably nice and well rested 16 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:43,600 and relaxed except for the fact that darn military stuff comes up and my neck is throbbing 17 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:50,840 with pain as I record. So we had a great time, did some snowshoeing at night and we did some 18 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:58,120 axe throwing but yeah my neck is all messed up and so I just hoped this nerve pain kind 19 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:03,960 of calms down. But with that it kind of goes hand in hand with the illustration I have 20 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:10,920 for this message because it goes back to my background again. So it's all about the Marine 21 00:02:10,920 --> 00:02:17,440 Corps boot camp and the yellow footprints. And so when I was a kid I really wanted to 22 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:24,440 join the military. It was a huge focus of my life even from as young as 14 which I think 23 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:31,960 I've said before. But one of the key things that separates Marine Corps boot camp from 24 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:43,920 other armed services boot camps is how it's all kind of veiled in this almost haunting 25 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:50,960 apparition of what you're walking yourself into. The Marine Corps has its own lore, it 26 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:58,240 has its own story, its own driving force. And so 10 days after I turned 18 I was on 27 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:03,720 my way to the Marine Corps recruit depot in San Diego and I had been preparing for this 28 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:11,500 since I was 14 and now the only question that remained was if I was going to be good enough. 29 00:03:11,500 --> 00:03:16,960 So my parents dropped me off at the MAPS station which stands for Military Entrance Processing 30 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:24,260 Station and that is where I had my final processing before getting sent to the airport and taking 31 00:03:24,260 --> 00:03:29,800 a flight by myself to San Diego. I didn't have much in the way of belongings, the Marine 32 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:35,440 Corps makes it pretty clear what you're allowed to bring. So we're not allowed to bring much 33 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:41,060 of anything because you're closing the door on your old life and you're starting a new 34 00:03:41,060 --> 00:03:47,320 life as a Marine or a Marine recruit. So there weren't any cell phones at this time, there 35 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,920 were cell phones, they were invented, I'm not that old, but they weren't cheap enough 36 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:56,240 that a kid would typically have these things. There weren't any tablets, you weren't going 37 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:01,160 to bring a laptop because that just wasn't something that you typically had. But you 38 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,700 were allowed to have a personal effect so you were allowed to bring a Bible or something 39 00:04:04,700 --> 00:04:10,600 like that but for the most part you were going with just the clothes on your back. And so 40 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:17,040 when you're on that flight, I'm flying from Michigan over to San Diego, you've got all 41 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:24,520 this time, this idle time just to think, what are the next 24 hours going to look like? 42 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:31,840 What have I done in making this decision to join the Marine Corps? Who am I going to become? 43 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:36,080 So when I'm thinking about that and when I'm putting this message together, it got me to 44 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:42,240 thinking about how we all begin in the dark. Once I got off that plane in San Diego, I 45 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:48,120 met up with some other recruits who were also headed to MCRD. There were people there with 46 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:55,800 signs to direct us and they bring us on as a group onto this dark bus. Now the people, 47 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:00,720 the drivers of these buses, they're polite but they're very firm. They're not active 48 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:05,280 duty Marines. I'm sure some of them are veterans or whatnot. But for the most part, they're 49 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:10,680 just being polite, they're being courteous, but they're also being somewhat blunt with 50 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:17,160 their direction. There was clearly this eerie feeling that was in the air, like this palpable 51 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:24,000 tension that you could almost cut with a knife, it was so tense. There was a bit of a morbid 52 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,920 or sadistic humor to what was about to happen to us, but at this point, we didn't fully 53 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:34,720 realize what was coming our way. That drive on the bus felt like forever, but really it 54 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:42,000 wasn't that long at all. The driving time between the San Diego airport and MCRD up 55 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:51,280 in Miramar isn't really that long. But the bus was dark. It was already well after sunset, 56 00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:56,520 which to us seems like it was part of the plan. There was a strategy at play. They didn't 57 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:03,560 want us to be able to see where we were going and what we had signed up for. So with this 58 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:08,280 allure of the Marine Corps, it was clearly set up this way that we were going to be in 59 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:17,280 darkness entering into our future. So as we get to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, the bus 60 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:26,760 finally comes to a stop. And then we have this deep silence that we're sitting in right 61 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:35,560 before the chaos ensued. Marines are born into chaos. And from the second that a drill 62 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:42,000 instructor steps onto the bus and chases us out onto those yellow footprints, we're standing 63 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:48,560 under these bright floodlights that are shining down on us as the chaos erupts all around 64 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:55,340 us. So in our text in Acts 26, 12 through 18, we're going to read a little bit about 65 00:06:55,340 --> 00:07:04,600 Paul and his conversion. So in verse 12, it says, In this connection I journeyed to Damascus 66 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:10,680 with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O Kings, I saw on the 67 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:16,360 way a light from heaven brighter than any or brighter than the sun that shone around 68 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:21,520 me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all had fallen to the ground, I heard 69 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:28,480 a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It 70 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:34,760 is hard for you to kick against the goads. And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord 71 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:40,520 said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have 72 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:46,720 appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness for the things 73 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:52,720 in which you have seen me and those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from 74 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:58,480 your people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that 75 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:03,220 they may turn from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God, that they 76 00:08:03,220 --> 00:08:09,800 may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in 77 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:16,000 me. So our lives are bound to the cycle of birth and death, darkness and light, sin and 78 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:20,800 repentance. And throughout the scripture, we can see a pattern. We can see humanity 79 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:26,800 is birthed from the dirt or pulled from the darkness and placed into the light only to 80 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:31,880 fall back into the darkness and needs God's light. Then we are sent into the world to 81 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:36,840 be the light until we are taken home to be or to heaven to be near the true light that 82 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:42,880 is God. Which brings me to my first point, which is born from the womb into the light. 83 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:48,740 In Ecclesiastes 11 5 it says, as you do not know the path of the wind or how the body 84 00:08:48,740 --> 00:08:54,960 is formed in the mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the maker of all 85 00:08:54,960 --> 00:09:02,120 things. An unborn baby spends around 38 to 40 weeks in the womb. And during this time, 86 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:07,180 there's a lot of work being done. The baby is undergoing some amazing changes and developments 87 00:09:07,180 --> 00:09:13,960 by week four, a baby is the size of a grain of rice, but it is already developing a digestion 88 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:19,320 system by week five, the nervous system is starting to develop by week nine, the baby 89 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:25,720 is developing its eyes, mouth and tongue. That is what is meant when David cries out 90 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,640 and how we are fearfully and wonderfully made in Psalms 139 11 through 16. It says, if I 91 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:38,360 say surely the darkness shall cover me and the light about me be night, even the darkness 92 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:43,800 is not dark to you. The night is bright as the day for darkness is as light with you. 93 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:50,040 For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb and I praise 94 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:55,240 you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it 95 00:09:55,240 --> 00:10:01,840 very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately 96 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:07,480 woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance and in your book 97 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:13,280 were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none 98 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:19,080 of them. From the very moment we are conceived and even before that God knew us, though we 99 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:24,720 were cloaked in darkness, our God knew us and knows us today. Not even the darkest of 100 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:30,880 the womb can separate us from the Father. He can reach into the dark places and care 101 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:36,120 for us. It is often in these dark places, these places of beginning that God does the 102 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:41,640 most work in our lives. So as I stood there as a young recruit on those yellow footprints, 103 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:47,080 I did not know what was going to happen next. Drill instructors were everywhere yelling 104 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:53,960 and barking as if they were the devil dogs that we had heard so much about. Marines were 105 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:59,160 called Teflhunden by the Germans in World War I, which translates to devil dogs. It 106 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:07,080 certainly felt to all of us recruits that these drill instructors were devil dogs. The 107 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:13,760 next several hours were a blur of running, standing, running, screaming, sir, yes, sir. 108 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:18,120 The purpose of this exercise is to show that Marines are expected to endure chaos because 109 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:24,560 we're born into that chaos. A baby is also born into chaos. It doesn't take a rocket 110 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:29,600 scientist to understand that when a woman goes into labor, it is a chaotic mess for 111 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:38,560 everyone involved. It can be loud and it certainly is painful and the imagery or the sensory 112 00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:45,920 overload of that baby is hard for all of us to imagine. And I think that's part of the 113 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:54,960 blessing of why we're not born with that memory intact. How traumatic would that be if you 114 00:11:54,960 --> 00:12:01,920 were taken from the womb into the world? So you're taken out of all you ever knew, the 115 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:06,680 darkness, the warmth, the comfort. You're not even breathing on your own. You're stripped 116 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:10,860 from that world. Now you're in an entirely different environment where you're forced 117 00:12:10,860 --> 00:12:15,120 to breathe air for the first time. You're forced to have your eyes open to a little 118 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:22,360 bright, harsh lights for the first time. You think of that, how traumatic that would be. 119 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:26,880 And I think it's a blessing that we don't remember that to be taken from the darkness 120 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,940 of the womb into the light of the world. This is a powerful thought because it is the story 121 00:12:30,940 --> 00:12:36,240 of our entire existence told over and over again. We have all been born from the womb, 122 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:41,360 taken from the darkness and the light. And hopefully we have all taken that next step. 123 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:46,840 Our world has fallen and sin permeates every aspect of the world. The hurt, the pain, the 124 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:52,920 violence, the despair, even death itself comes to us from that first sin of Adam and Eve 125 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:59,240 passed down to us through the ages. The thing with us being a Christian though is that we 126 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:05,400 know that there is hope. We know that there is something more. Thank goodness for those 127 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:10,700 brave enough to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with us. Thank God for sending his 128 00:13:10,700 --> 00:13:17,260 son who died for us on Calvary. And that brings me to my second point, which is the hope for 129 00:13:17,260 --> 00:13:25,780 humanity is the next point. The reason we are here, the reason for which we glorify 130 00:13:25,780 --> 00:13:31,440 God and give him praise. So the title, like the heading of the next point is born again 131 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:37,280 into Christ and John three, one through seven, it says, you must be born again. And verse 132 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:43,640 seven, now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This 133 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:48,660 man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come 134 00:13:48,660 --> 00:13:54,640 from God for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered 135 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:59,160 him truly, truly. I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 136 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:05,420 God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second 137 00:14:05,420 --> 00:14:10,140 time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, truly, truly. I say to you, unless 138 00:14:10,140 --> 00:14:16,820 one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born 139 00:14:16,820 --> 00:14:21,700 of flesh is flesh and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said 140 00:14:21,700 --> 00:14:28,700 to you, you must be born again. God sent his son, Jesus, Jesus Christ, to bring us out 141 00:14:28,700 --> 00:14:33,840 of the darkness again. This is the picture of our second birth or what we call being 142 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:39,860 born again. This is the greatest of miracles, the ability to come into direct relationship 143 00:14:39,860 --> 00:14:46,100 with the father again through his son, Jesus Christ, being born again, bridges the gap 144 00:14:46,100 --> 00:14:51,940 that the first sin created. So in our text, we see this spelled out for us when Jesus 145 00:14:51,940 --> 00:14:58,300 spoke to the apostle Paul in verse 16. It said, but rise and stand upon your feet for 146 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:03,380 I have appeared to you for this purpose to appoint you as a servant and a witness to 147 00:15:03,380 --> 00:15:10,580 the things in which you have seen me and those in which I will appear to you. Delivering 148 00:15:10,580 --> 00:15:16,100 you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I'm sending you to, open their eyes 149 00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:21,200 so that they may turn from the darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, 150 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:25,380 that they may receive forgiveness of sins in a place among those who are sanctified 151 00:15:25,380 --> 00:15:31,280 by faith in me. So when Saul was converted, he died to his 152 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:37,520 own life and he was reborn as Paul the apostle to the Gentiles. This calling led him to cast 153 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:43,920 off his old life as a persecutor of the church and become one of the most strident builders 154 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:49,580 of the church. How dramatic is this change in his life, this death to himself and this 155 00:15:49,580 --> 00:15:56,460 rebirth as a new creation in Christ Jesus? How can such a change occur in a man or a 156 00:15:56,460 --> 00:16:02,580 woman's life? Has anything so grandiose happened in your own life? Everything changed 157 00:16:02,580 --> 00:16:10,480 for Paul on that road to Damascus, but this is not a one-off experience. We have example 158 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:16,820 after example of this throughout the New Testament. When Matthew was called, he left behind his 159 00:16:16,820 --> 00:16:22,080 entire world to follow Christ. This change was so thorough that all the apostles, excluding 160 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:27,720 Judas, were persecuted for their belief in Christ and their salvation. All except John 161 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:35,540 would die while being martyred. So while back at Marine Corps Boot Camp, I had no idea the 162 00:16:35,540 --> 00:16:44,160 changes that were going to be required of me. Eventually, the yelling of the drill instructors 163 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:50,300 changed into constructive coaching, but one seemed like torture now made sense. As you 164 00:16:50,300 --> 00:16:55,000 get closer to the end of basic training, it is like the scales begin to fall off your 165 00:16:55,000 --> 00:17:02,480 eyes. The drills, the yelling, the running, push-ups, pull-ups, they all begin to click. 166 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:10,440 The very last event of the Marine Corps Boot Camp is an exercise that's called the crucible. 167 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:15,600 This event is a multi-day event in which you get very little sleep and you're under extreme 168 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:21,200 pressure with very limited food. You spend a lot of time in the darkness again. It is 169 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:27,920 an extremely difficult tradition, but the end is magnificent and difficult to really 170 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:35,240 describe. The emotion of it is difficult to describe. But on the very last morning of 171 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:41,360 the crucible, you get up before sunrise and you begin another forced hike. If you're in 172 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:49,320 San Diego for boot camp, you're starting this hike as a very steep uphill gravel hillside. 173 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:54,640 You're already tired. You're already sore. You're hungry from not having much food over 174 00:17:54,640 --> 00:18:02,160 the last few days, but you drudge on. As the sun begins to rise and the night begins to 175 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:09,200 recede, you drudge on. Eventually, you see the top of the hillside within reach. As you 176 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:16,560 crest the summit, you can see the sunrise and you know that it is the end. The final 177 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:22,600 challenge has been met. For me, becoming a Marine was one of the most pivotal moments 178 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:27,480 in my life. I was not saved at this point in my life, but looking back, I can tell you 179 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:33,420 that the emotion that I felt on that day was overwhelming. Still, it pales in comparison 180 00:18:33,420 --> 00:18:41,160 to salvation. I was born in the desert both as a Marine and as a son of God. Only one 181 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:46,200 year and three months separated the time that I became a Marine and the time that I was 182 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:52,680 born again. Just like Paul, the grace of the Father is more than anyone deserves and it 183 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:57,920 is there for each of us. The darkness of our lives and our choices are relevant to the 184 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:05,960 power of God's grace. In Job 1222, it says, he uncovers the deeps out of the darkness 185 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:12,480 and brings the deep darkness to light. And in John 1.5, it says, the light shines in 186 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:18,680 the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. As sons and daughters of the Lord, we 187 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:27,280 are now to walk in that light. Which brings me to my final point, which is heavenly citizenship. 188 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:32,840 In Philippians 3, 20-21, it says, but our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await 189 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:39,160 a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious 190 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:45,360 body by the power that enables him, even to subject all things to himself. I can't wait 191 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:52,560 for my heavenly body. I'm only in my early 40s, but as I'm riddled with arthritis and 192 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:59,440 all sorts of stuff, I can't wait for that heavenly body. In Ephesians 5, verse 8, it 193 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:06,800 says, for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the world. Walk as children 194 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:13,160 of light. So on top of that hill, at the end of boot camp, there's a ceremony. The ceremony 195 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:17,920 is the Eagle Globe and Anchor Ceremony. This is the first time our drill instructors call 196 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:25,420 us Marines. Almost three months have gone by and they hand each of us an EGA, an Eagle 197 00:20:25,420 --> 00:20:30,640 Globe and Anchor, and shake our hands. The Eagle Globe and Anchor is the insignia of 198 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:36,880 the United States Marine Corps. Young men stand there with tears in their eyes. The 199 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:42,880 challenge, the hardship, the pain, and the trials have all been for this moment. I find 200 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:50,820 it interesting as I remember back to this, and I contrast this to society today. So much 201 00:20:50,820 --> 00:20:56,040 of society doesn't believe that hardship should ever happen in your life, that rather everything 202 00:20:56,040 --> 00:21:01,920 should be given to you as an entitlement. But nothing worth doing is worth doing without 203 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:08,720 hardship. Similarly, as we become Christians, we think that hardship is going to end and 204 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:15,400 never touch us again. But the reality is that hardship creates growth. Being pulled from 205 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:22,560 the darkness into the light produces character. So even in this moment as we're standing there 206 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:28,260 on the hillside, there is an understanding. There's an understanding that there is a deeper 207 00:21:28,260 --> 00:21:34,900 responsibility to bear when you're given the title of Marine, just like there is a deeper 208 00:21:34,900 --> 00:21:41,760 responsibility to us as Christians and followers of Christ. Some expectations have to be met. 209 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:46,320 As we engage in our celebratory Warrior's Breakfast on that hillside, it's understood 210 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:53,220 that this is only the beginning. There will be new challenges, new hardships, new triumphs. 211 00:21:53,220 --> 00:21:59,860 Today is only the beginning of the story. The book is still to be written. I got saved 212 00:21:59,860 --> 00:22:05,400 in a different desert, as I mentioned, a year and three months later. I've spent a lot of 213 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:13,000 my time in deserts all around the world. I've spent time in the Iraqi desert, the Kuwait 214 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:23,560 desert, in the ruins of Babylon. Deserts in the United States grew up in a lot of deserts. 215 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:32,760 The power of salvation, though, is indescribable. But even that indescribable power of salvation, 216 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:38,680 it only marks the beginning of the journey. We're still living in a very darkened world, 217 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:44,680 a desolate world, just like those deserts. But as a Christian, when you finally give 218 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:49,720 your life to Christ and you've received the Holy Spirit and the joy and the peace and 219 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:55,520 everything that only comes from the Lord, there is an understanding that we are called 220 00:22:55,520 --> 00:23:01,880 to be the light unto this lost world. It is the light of Jesus that shines in us, that 221 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:07,240 is meant to lead others to the cross and then to their own salvation, their own relationship 222 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:14,940 with Jesus Christ. It becomes our responsibility to train up disciples and mature followers 223 00:23:14,940 --> 00:23:23,420 of Christ until the day that Christ does come. But wait, there's still more. Even though 224 00:23:23,420 --> 00:23:28,720 we're conceived in darkness, we're born into light. We live in darkness, but we are redeemed 225 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:33,920 and born again into the light of our Lord Jesus. We serve our Lord as the light to a 226 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:41,240 dark world, but we will enter into a kingdom of eternal light. At the end of the race, 227 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:46,440 we will have communion with our Lord in heaven. We will never again be separated from the 228 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:51,980 light of the Lord. In John 14, 1 through 3, it says, let not your hearts be troubled. 229 00:23:51,980 --> 00:23:56,200 Believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house, there are many rooms. If it 230 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:02,800 were not so, I would have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go 231 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:08,460 and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am, 232 00:24:08,460 --> 00:24:14,960 you may also be. And you know the way to where I am going. We have confidence in these words 233 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:21,200 from Jesus our Lord. In Revelation 21, 3 through 4, it says, and I heard a loud voice from 234 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:26,960 the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them 235 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:32,000 and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe 236 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:38,440 away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning 237 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:44,840 nor crying nor pain anymore for the former things have passed away. The last of this 238 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:49,120 world's darkness will come to an end and we will be born into light, the light of the 239 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:54,880 Lord. Through our salvation in Christ Jesus, we will again be transformed. Just like was 240 00:24:54,880 --> 00:25:01,200 stated in the above verse. In Philippians 3, 21, it says, who will transform our lowly 241 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:07,360 bodies to be like glorious bodies by the power that enables him even to subject all things 242 00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:15,160 to himself. Our new heavenly bodies, again, we find ourselves taken from the darkness 243 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:19,960 of this world into the light of our Lord. And with that, if I could have every head 244 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:27,160 bowed, every eye closed, obviously, if you're driving, be safe. We all come to a decision 245 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:32,880 in our life of who we want to be. As a young man, I had to make a decision if I was going 246 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:39,640 to follow through with my choice to join the Marine Corps. And I thank God I did. I believe 247 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:47,920 that it was part of his plan for my life because he put me in contact with a friend, John Morris, 248 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:53,440 who led me to the Lord in a different desert that year and three months after boot camp. 249 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:59,540 And he got me, you know, like I came to Jesus Christ, but I became part of this wonderful 250 00:25:59,540 --> 00:26:05,320 fellowship that we're a part of today with so many churches globally, so many believers 251 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:16,560 globally, all preaching just an undiluted gospel Bible. Just the simple fact that Jesus 252 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:22,520 Christ died for your sins and that if you repent and accept him, he can be your Lord 253 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:28,280 too. And with that, if this message has convicted you, I pray and I pray that it has. I pray 254 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:33,280 that you lift your hand, whether you're, you know, whatever you're doing, just lift your 255 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:38,880 hand. I can't see it, but God can. Don't let this moment go by. This is an invitation 256 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:45,040 to you to accept Jesus as your savior. So if you lifted your hand, you meant it. I just 257 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:50,680 want to simply lead you in a quick prayer. Do what I know that you died for my sins. 258 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:55,760 I repent of my sins and I accept you, Lord Jesus, as my savior. And I thank you for your 259 00:26:55,760 --> 00:27:03,920 grace in Jesus name. Amen. Super simple, super quick prayer. You repent of your sin and you 260 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:12,720 accept him as your Lord. Your life has changed. Now I pray that you did. If you prayed that, 261 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:17,720 that you'll take the next step, which is simply just to download a Bible, read a Bible. You 262 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:21,520 can do like you version or any number of Bibles. There's tons of good translations out there 263 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:26,520 and start reading the words of God for yourself. You can start a new Testament or whatever. 264 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:32,160 You can reach out to me. We can, we can have a chat and then start praying. Just cry out 265 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:38,640 to God with the troubles of your life. And finally, find a Bible believing church to 266 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:45,440 lock into that you can serve because part of coming into the light is making yourself 267 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:53,080 available to help others. Just like, you know, others have helped you in your life. You want 268 00:27:53,080 --> 00:28:00,140 to be able to help those less fortunate than yourself. If you need help finding a church, 269 00:28:00,140 --> 00:28:04,860 like I mentioned, we have over 3,500 churches globally. If you're in Sam and are please 270 00:28:04,860 --> 00:28:10,360 come and visit us for church. I'd be ecstatic to have you come to service. But if you're 271 00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:17,180 not reach out the email contact information is all in the show notes. And I'd be more 272 00:28:17,180 --> 00:28:20,700 than happy to put you in contact with one of our number of churches. We're just simple 273 00:28:20,700 --> 00:28:25,320 Bible believing churches preaching a simple gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, we have a Pentecostal 274 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:32,440 background and we're very proud of that. And I just want to thank everybody who is taking 275 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:38,020 the time to listen to these messages. I want to thank you those who've shared the podcast 276 00:28:38,020 --> 00:28:41,920 who are, you know, because it does help us grow and help us get the word out. And we 277 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:47,260 have seen some good growth lately. And so I just want to pray that you guys would continue 278 00:28:47,260 --> 00:28:52,920 to like, you know, like, share and subscribe so that we can get this out to as many people 279 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:57,820 as possible. I want to thank you for listening to get today. And I pray that you have a blessed 280 00:28:57,820 --> 00:29:08,800 day. In Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Salmon Arm 281 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:13,620 podcast. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep 282 00:29:13,620 --> 00:29:18,020 up to date on what we're doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ 283 00:29:18,020 --> 00:29:28,540 can revolutionize your life.