WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:03.109 But super glad you're here. Super glad that we 00:00:03.109 --> 00:00:06.309 get to talk about the gospel. That's what we're 00:00:06.309 --> 00:00:09.189 here for. We're here for the good news. And the 00:00:09.189 --> 00:00:11.689 truth is, last week we talked about the gospel 00:00:11.689 --> 00:00:16.510 and what it is. And I kind of gave you this little 00:00:16.510 --> 00:00:21.910 illustration or image to base your thoughts of 00:00:21.910 --> 00:00:25.989 the gospel message on God created. We messed 00:00:25.989 --> 00:00:30.500 it up and died. He promised. He came, he died, 00:00:30.579 --> 00:00:33.700 he rose, he left. He's coming back to restore 00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:37.060 what he designed, what he created in the beginning. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:42.960 And that's the gospel. It's God's desire to live 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:47.719 with us for eternity and constantly showing us, 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:53.179 proving to us that he is coming back to finish 00:00:53.179 --> 00:00:58.539 the job, to bring us home. And we talked about 00:00:58.539 --> 00:01:00.420 last week how it is the mission of the church 00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:03.359 to carry that good news message to the world. 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:07.280 To bring the gospel to the world so that they 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:10.239 can know, they can see this truth. And so that 00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:14.500 they can experience the grace, the mercy that 00:01:14.500 --> 00:01:17.840 only God brings. And today I want us to kind 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:19.859 of take a step back and make it personal because 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:23.099 we talked about it in a large grand scale view 00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:25.519 and we talked about our mission as a unit, but 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:28.120 I want us to make it personal. And to do that, 00:01:28.140 --> 00:01:30.359 I first have to ask this question. How has the 00:01:30.359 --> 00:01:35.299 gospel changed your life? You individually. How 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:39.799 has it changed your life? What's it done? How 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:42.079 have you seen it transform you? What freedom 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:46.379 has it brought you? If you've noticed. The series 00:01:46.379 --> 00:01:49.359 title is Freedom is Here. And we're going to 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:51.459 be studying Galatians. We're going to kind of 00:01:51.459 --> 00:01:53.980 sneak peek at this week, but next week we'll 00:01:53.980 --> 00:01:57.420 really dive into Galatians and this freedom packed 00:01:57.420 --> 00:02:01.040 gospel letter from the Apostle Paul and what 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:03.939 it meant for them and what it means for us. Because 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:07.939 the gospel, if it has changed you, it has brought 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:10.039 you freedom. What freedom has it brought you? 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:12.759 What difference has it made in your story? And 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:16.939 then who is one person? that you know that needs 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:20.379 to hear the gospel message, who's one person 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:22.560 that you know that needs to experience that freedom. 00:02:23.419 --> 00:02:26.560 Because the truth is, and this is the truth we 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:29.780 have to know today, is that the freedom that 00:02:29.780 --> 00:02:32.879 Jesus gives us, the freedom that he brings into 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:36.120 our lives, this life -changing, transformational 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:39.460 gift of grace that Jesus brings, it's not just 00:02:39.460 --> 00:02:42.300 for us. It's not just for me. It's not just for 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:46.680 you. But it is for... When Jesus says go into 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:48.860 all the world, proclaim the gospel to all creation, 00:02:49.139 --> 00:02:51.560 he doesn't say go proclaim it to the people you 00:02:51.560 --> 00:02:53.919 like, go proclaim it to your friends, go proclaim 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:58.539 it to your family. It is all creation. I love 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:00.439 the song, you've got to take the Lord with you 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:04.099 everywhere you go. In the street, in the home, 00:03:04.300 --> 00:03:08.699 on the job, on the road, highways, byways, you've 00:03:08.699 --> 00:03:12.979 got to take the Lord with you everywhere you 00:03:12.979 --> 00:03:17.349 go. Take the gospel with you because it's meant 00:03:17.349 --> 00:03:20.469 to be shared. It's meant to be handed over and 00:03:20.469 --> 00:03:23.610 passed on to the next person. It's kind of that 00:03:23.610 --> 00:03:26.530 pay it forward mentality where because you've 00:03:26.530 --> 00:03:29.610 received grace, you then give grace to others 00:03:29.610 --> 00:03:32.919 because you've received. Freedom, you then pass 00:03:32.919 --> 00:03:35.699 freedom to others. It's meant to be shared. See, 00:03:35.740 --> 00:03:38.159 Paul, he starts this letter to the church in 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:41.479 Galatia with these words in verses or in chapter 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:44.020 one, verses three through five. He says, grace 00:03:44.020 --> 00:03:46.860 to you and peace from God, our father in the 00:03:46.860 --> 00:03:51.199 Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins. 00:03:51.870 --> 00:03:54.550 to deliver us from the present evil age according 00:03:54.550 --> 00:03:58.009 to the will of our God and Father, to whom be 00:03:58.009 --> 00:04:00.310 the glory forever and ever. Amen. Paul doesn't 00:04:00.310 --> 00:04:03.490 waste any time. Right in this letter, he gets 00:04:03.490 --> 00:04:05.250 straight to the point, straight to the heart 00:04:05.250 --> 00:04:07.889 of the matter, and that is that Jesus willingly 00:04:07.889 --> 00:04:14.069 gave himself to rescue us. He willingly died, 00:04:14.349 --> 00:04:20.079 was spat on, was beaten. Was ridiculed, was mocked. 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:22.300 I mean, can you imagine some of the words that 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:24.319 were said to him? And you've seen how people 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:27.720 treat people that they disagree with. You've 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:29.639 seen how people treat people that are on the 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:32.319 other side of the aisle from them. I mean, just 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:34.800 get on Facebook in November of an election year 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:37.860 and you'll see it. You see how people treat people 00:04:37.860 --> 00:04:40.540 they disagree with. Just imagine how they treated 00:04:40.540 --> 00:04:44.019 Jesus who was coming in and saying things and 00:04:44.019 --> 00:04:46.560 doing things that completely went against everything 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:49.439 they had ever known, ever believed. And it was 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:51.819 just completely countercultural. And this Jesus 00:04:51.819 --> 00:04:55.000 was a threat to their life, to their society. 00:04:55.819 --> 00:05:00.300 And so just imagine how they treated him. And 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:04.029 he did that. He endured that. for us, willingly 00:05:04.029 --> 00:05:07.009 gave himself to rescue us, not because we deserved 00:05:07.009 --> 00:05:09.569 it, not because we were good enough, but because 00:05:09.569 --> 00:05:16.610 it was the will of God to save us. And that is 00:05:16.610 --> 00:05:23.490 good news. That's good news. It's the best news. 00:05:24.430 --> 00:05:27.639 Because... If he doesn't willingly give himself 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:30.920 to save us, even in the midst of all of our transgressions, 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:33.680 in the midst of all of our wrongdoings, I've 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:38.180 seen how evil and how sinful I can be. And maybe 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:40.079 when you've looked in the mirror at times in 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:42.540 your life, you've seen just how ugly you can 00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:48.040 be. And Jesus looks past that and says, I still, 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:52.339 I love you. I love that song. God is love because 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:56.740 he is. This all -loving God that looks past all 00:05:56.740 --> 00:05:59.579 of our wrongdoings and says, I'm going to save 00:05:59.579 --> 00:06:03.720 you. I'm going to do everything I can to rescue 00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:08.819 you. And that's good news. That Jesus rescues. 00:06:08.819 --> 00:06:12.819 That Jesus frees. And that's exactly what happened 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:15.720 in the life of a man named John Newton. You see, 00:06:15.819 --> 00:06:19.300 John Newton's early life was filled with rebellion. 00:06:19.949 --> 00:06:23.550 He was an angry, profane, and hardened man, somebody 00:06:23.550 --> 00:06:28.050 that lived a life that was against God. He worked 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:32.670 as a slave trader. He made his living off of 00:06:32.670 --> 00:06:34.829 the suffering of other people, and he didn't 00:06:34.829 --> 00:06:39.990 care. But one night, John Newton was out at sea, 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:41.769 and he's caught in the middle of this violent 00:06:41.769 --> 00:06:46.670 storm. And so he thinks he's going to die, and 00:06:46.670 --> 00:06:49.170 as anyone does when they think it's their time, 00:06:49.870 --> 00:06:53.889 They cry out to God. Even if they don't believe 00:06:53.889 --> 00:06:58.430 in Him. Even if they don't trust in Him. For 00:06:58.430 --> 00:07:01.250 some reason, when it gets hard and life starts 00:07:01.250 --> 00:07:05.129 to dwindle, they cry out to God. And he cries 00:07:05.129 --> 00:07:08.129 out to God and he begs for mercy. And John Newton 00:07:08.129 --> 00:07:11.290 believes God answered because he survived the 00:07:11.290 --> 00:07:13.790 storm. And he came out of it alive. And over 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:16.750 time, John Newton's heart becomes transformed. 00:07:16.870 --> 00:07:21.420 He ends up leaving the slave trade. He ends up 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:24.759 becoming a preacher, actually, of all people. 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:28.519 And he later wrote one of the most famous hymns 00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:31.259 of all time. Maybe you've heard it. Amazing Grace. 00:07:33.019 --> 00:07:36.360 And this is what John Newton famously once said. 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:40.079 I am not what I ought to be. I'm not what I want 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:45.540 to be. I'm not what I hope to be in another world. 00:07:46.540 --> 00:07:50.279 But still, I am not what I once used to be. And 00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:54.879 by the grace of God, I am what I am. See, that's 00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:59.290 Galatians 1 .4 in real life. An example of Christ 00:07:59.290 --> 00:08:02.170 gave himself to rescue somebody like John Newton, 00:08:02.290 --> 00:08:05.250 somebody that was a part of this present evil 00:08:05.250 --> 00:08:08.850 age that Paul talks about. And the gospel, it 00:08:08.850 --> 00:08:11.769 comes into this guy's life. It takes this man 00:08:11.769 --> 00:08:15.370 that was enslaved by sin, that was consumed by 00:08:15.370 --> 00:08:19.149 his own hatred and evil, and it turns him into 00:08:19.149 --> 00:08:22.970 a man proclaiming the freedom that is only found 00:08:22.970 --> 00:08:30.740 in Christ. He didn't earn it. He definitely didn't 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:36.879 deserve it. But grace is greater than all of 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:45.240 our sins. And freedom, freedom transforms. Maybe 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:48.480 you've had moments in your life where you felt 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.279 like you were trapped by something. Maybe it 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:52.870 was death. Maybe it was a sickness. Maybe it 00:08:52.870 --> 00:08:56.230 was a family curse. Maybe it was a location or 00:08:56.230 --> 00:08:59.990 a job or whatever it was. You felt like you couldn't 00:08:59.990 --> 00:09:05.950 get out. You couldn't press forward. And hopefully 00:09:05.950 --> 00:09:08.470 you've come out on the other side of it. And 00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:13.509 now you know what that freedom feels like. I 00:09:13.509 --> 00:09:17.350 think of somebody in modern day because the truth 00:09:17.350 --> 00:09:19.590 is the gospel still changes lives, does it not? 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:25.779 It's not history. There's a guy, he's a relatively 00:09:25.779 --> 00:09:28.340 young guy. His name's Lecrae. He's a Christian 00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:30.940 rapper. But Lecrae, he grew up in a broken home. 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:33.840 He didn't have a father. He was surrounded by 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:36.779 drug abuse. He was surrounded by violence, instability. 00:09:36.940 --> 00:09:40.039 He chased after the acceptance of his peers through 00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:43.440 partying and being involved with gangs and drugs. 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:46.500 And eventually he finds success in the rap scene. 00:09:47.629 --> 00:09:50.330 he looked like he had it all together, but he'll 00:09:50.330 --> 00:09:53.990 tell you that inside he felt like he was dying. 00:09:54.909 --> 00:09:57.429 And he felt like he had nowhere to go. He was 00:09:57.429 --> 00:10:01.029 enslaved by sin. He was enslaved to addiction. 00:10:01.289 --> 00:10:04.929 He was enslaved to the pressure of image. And 00:10:04.929 --> 00:10:07.409 at one point, Lecrae says this, I was running 00:10:07.409 --> 00:10:10.250 away from God as fast as I could, but he kept 00:10:10.250 --> 00:10:16.289 pursuing me. And it was in college. After nearly 00:10:16.289 --> 00:10:19.009 losing his life in a car accident, that he finally 00:10:19.009 --> 00:10:23.570 surrendered his life to Jesus. Again, when life 00:10:23.570 --> 00:10:30.110 looks thin, people turn to Jesus. He gives his 00:10:30.110 --> 00:10:32.429 life to Jesus. The gospel broke through his pride. 00:10:32.570 --> 00:10:35.230 It broke through his heart and heart. It broke 00:10:35.230 --> 00:10:37.450 through all the shame. And it gave him a new 00:10:37.450 --> 00:10:39.730 identity. He was no longer just a product of 00:10:39.730 --> 00:10:42.169 the streets and a product of a broken home, a 00:10:42.169 --> 00:10:45.610 product of a fatherless home. But now he is a 00:10:45.610 --> 00:10:52.970 son of God. Because the gospel transforms lives. 00:10:53.330 --> 00:10:57.190 It frees souls. Today, Lecrae is still making 00:10:57.190 --> 00:11:00.799 music. But instead of glorifying the things that 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:03.700 once enslaved him, what Lecrae uses his platform 00:11:03.700 --> 00:11:08.120 to do is to tell millions of young people about 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:13.480 the freedom that is found only in Christ. And 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:15.759 he's honest, and he tells people very clearly 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:18.919 that he still wrestles with doubt. He still wrestles 00:11:18.919 --> 00:11:21.759 with depression. In fact, Lecrae has been ridiculed 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:24.769 by Christians more than anybody. Because of the 00:11:24.769 --> 00:11:26.629 way that he tells people about Jesus. But you 00:11:26.629 --> 00:11:28.710 know what he keeps doing? He keeps telling people 00:11:28.710 --> 00:11:31.029 about Jesus because he doesn't care about anything 00:11:31.029 --> 00:11:35.730 else except for sharing the freeing gospel message 00:11:35.730 --> 00:11:41.110 with the world. And this is what he says the 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:45.929 difference is in his life. I'm free. Sin does 00:11:45.929 --> 00:11:51.389 not own me anymore. I know who I am. And I know 00:11:51.389 --> 00:11:56.740 whose I am. And if you've ever seen Lecrae, he's 00:11:56.740 --> 00:12:01.500 got a tattoo on his arm that says 116. And it 00:12:01.500 --> 00:12:04.860 stands for Romans 116. I'm unashamed of the gospel. 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:08.440 And because that's his life story. He's lost 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:10.679 friends. He's lost family members. He's lost 00:12:10.679 --> 00:12:13.500 fans. Because he is unashamed to tell people 00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:15.799 that if you will give your life to Christ, he 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:18.820 will free you from everything this world seeks 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:23.990 to use to entrap you. The gospel looks at our 00:12:23.990 --> 00:12:26.769 ugly lives. It looks at our broken selves and 00:12:26.769 --> 00:12:30.710 it says, that's not your story anymore. You've 00:12:30.710 --> 00:12:33.350 got a new one. That's not who you are anymore. 00:12:33.570 --> 00:12:36.850 That is not the life that I'm writing for you 00:12:36.850 --> 00:12:42.029 in this book. Jesus is rewriting it. And that's 00:12:42.029 --> 00:12:43.850 what he wants to do for you. And it's what he 00:12:43.850 --> 00:12:45.570 wants to do for me. And it's what he wants to 00:12:45.570 --> 00:12:47.950 do for the people outside of this building. Jesus 00:12:47.950 --> 00:12:51.450 wants to use this good news message to take broken 00:12:51.450 --> 00:12:54.490 people and make them whole. He wants to take 00:12:54.490 --> 00:12:57.169 this gospel message and take guilty people and 00:12:57.169 --> 00:12:59.669 show them they're forgiven. To take the gospel 00:12:59.669 --> 00:13:02.009 and take the outsider and show them that they 00:13:02.009 --> 00:13:04.669 are now a child of God. They are a part of a 00:13:04.669 --> 00:13:07.370 family greater than anyone that could ever be 00:13:07.370 --> 00:13:11.279 on this earth. He wants to take this gospel message, 00:13:11.419 --> 00:13:16.279 look at your chains and break them and free you. 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:22.559 So let me ask you again. How has the gospel changed 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:30.460 your life? Because it has in some way, whether 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:33.419 you know it or not. And for some of us, it's 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:35.480 not this grand scale thing. I mean, some of us 00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:38.600 grew up in the church. And we always had this 00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:41.179 faith -filled household. And we've never really 00:13:41.179 --> 00:13:44.899 known rebellion, but we know what it looks like 00:13:44.899 --> 00:13:48.639 to live a life that isn't exactly in step with 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:53.080 God's will for our lives, right? And so no matter 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:55.460 where we come from, whether we came from a household 00:13:55.460 --> 00:13:58.419 of sinners or we came from a family of God, we 00:13:58.419 --> 00:14:02.279 have been in a place where we need redemption, 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:07.139 where we need forgiveness. And so in some way, 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:09.860 the gospel has changed your life. It's changed 00:14:09.860 --> 00:14:13.139 mine. We just have to look and see how has it. 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:15.980 Because here's the thing. The freedom that the 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:19.559 gospel brings isn't just for us. It is for everyone. 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:22.879 Because Jesus wants to transform. He wants to 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:26.580 free everyone. And I'm sure you know somebody. 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:30.379 You know some one person that needs freedom. 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:33.659 In Luke chapter 15, the Pharisees, they're upset 00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:36.240 that Jesus keeps spending his time with sinners, 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:38.940 that Jesus would choose to spend his time in 00:14:38.940 --> 00:14:40.980 the bars, that Jesus would choose to spend his 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:43.120 time at these wedding feasts where people are 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:45.059 just getting drunk, that he would choose to spend 00:14:45.059 --> 00:14:49.340 his time with the leper, with the woman in adultery, 00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:52.940 with the woman with multiple husbands, that he 00:14:52.940 --> 00:14:55.840 would choose to spend his time with a tax collector. 00:14:56.649 --> 00:14:58.850 And they just can't wrap their heads around the 00:14:58.850 --> 00:15:02.049 fact that Jesus, the person claiming to be the 00:15:02.049 --> 00:15:06.389 Holy Son of God, would choose to be with sinners. 00:15:06.610 --> 00:15:12.149 And Jesus tells a story. What man of you, having 00:15:12.149 --> 00:15:15.370 a hundred sheep, if he's lost one of them, doesn't 00:15:15.370 --> 00:15:20.669 go out leaving the 99 to go after the one that 00:15:20.669 --> 00:15:25.330 is lost until he finds it? And when he's found 00:15:25.330 --> 00:15:30.500 it, He lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. And 00:15:30.500 --> 00:15:33.620 when he comes home, he calls together his friends, 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:37.139 his neighbors, saying to them, rejoice with me 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:41.159 for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:46.259 so I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven 00:15:46.259 --> 00:15:52.240 over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:56.919 persons who need no repentance. Think about that. 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:04.980 Jesus is saying, when I leave the 99, first of 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:08.720 all, He's saying, I leave the 99 to go find one. 00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:13.559 Now, when thinking about the whole shepherd thing, 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:20.000 if a shepherd left his sheep on their own, he's 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.399 leaving them defenseless. And so, a shepherd 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:26.580 leaving his sheep defenseless, he runs the risk 00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:32.039 of losing a lot of sheep to wolves or whatever 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:34.460 kind of vicious animals are out there trying 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:38.019 to kill him. He runs the risk of people coming 00:16:38.019 --> 00:16:42.139 and stealing his sheep. But he's willing to risk 00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:48.340 that to go find one. To go find the lost one. 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:52.620 And what he says is, is heaven throws a party. 00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:58.259 Over one saved soul. And again, we'll get up 00:16:58.259 --> 00:17:00.919 and get loud for a football game. We will get 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:03.720 up and get loud for our babies graduating. We 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:06.140 will get up and get loud because we got the promotion. 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:11.339 Heaven rejoices. It throws a party when one person 00:17:11.339 --> 00:17:13.819 is saved. But when somebody gets saved, we're 00:17:13.819 --> 00:17:17.700 just like, oh, that's so sweet. We give them 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:21.579 a little hug and welcome to the family. Heaven 00:17:21.579 --> 00:17:30.279 throws a party. It rejoices over one. The shepherd 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:35.180 doesn't say 99 is good enough. He doesn't shrug 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:37.839 his shoulders and just write it off. He goes 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:43.099 after the one. And if Jesus is that kind of shepherd, 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:46.559 and we as a church want to follow the example 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:51.380 of our leader, then we can't be content to stay 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:56.160 in the pen with the 99. If we know that there's 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:00.180 just one out there, we got to go find them. Because 00:18:00.180 --> 00:18:05.279 they deserve freedom too. They deserve to be 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:10.680 saved too. And it's not because I said so. It's 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:13.920 not because we feel bad for them. It's not because 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:16.599 you just want to bring everybody and anybody 00:18:16.599 --> 00:18:19.440 into this building. It's because Jesus says that 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:22.680 one is important. So important that heaven throws 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:27.359 a party. When they come home. And that's why 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:30.980 today, we're asking this question as a church. 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:35.900 Who is your one? How's the gospel changed your 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:38.579 life? And who's the one that needs to know how 00:18:38.579 --> 00:18:41.140 the gospel transforms? That needs to know how 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:43.680 the gospel frees? Who's your one? I'm not asking 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:47.019 you to go save all of Union County. I'm asking 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:49.740 you to go find one person that you work with, 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:51.839 that you go to school with, that you play ball 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:54.420 with, that you play golf with, whatever it is 00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:57.700 that you do in your life outside of this building 00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:00.539 for the rest of the day or the rest of the week. 00:19:00.779 --> 00:19:03.740 Who's the one person that just needs to hear 00:19:03.740 --> 00:19:12.319 about Jesus? Who's one? Who's the one person 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:16.250 that you know that you can just see? That they're 00:19:16.250 --> 00:19:19.390 still carrying guilt. That they're still carrying 00:19:19.390 --> 00:19:23.230 shame and fear and hopelessness. That they don't 00:19:23.230 --> 00:19:25.529 feel like they have a real clear direction of 00:19:25.529 --> 00:19:27.490 life. Who's the one person that you know? Because 00:19:27.490 --> 00:19:30.569 we all know one. It may be a cousin. It may be 00:19:30.569 --> 00:19:32.829 a co -worker. It may be a classmate. But you 00:19:32.829 --> 00:19:38.549 know one. And all you have to do is tell them 00:19:38.549 --> 00:19:45.599 the sweetest story ever told. The good news. 00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:49.980 You know, we've got our Friends and Family Day 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:53.980 coming up. And we've got these cards out here. 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:57.140 And I told you, all you've got to do is just 00:19:57.140 --> 00:19:59.940 hand it to somebody. You don't even have to talk 00:19:59.940 --> 00:20:03.680 to them about it. You just hand it to them. Put 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:06.400 it on their desk. Leave it on their counter. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:09.200 When you're at their house for dinner, just put 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:14.640 it on the fridge. Or you can just... Up front, 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:18.359 say, hey, this is what God has done for me in 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:22.339 my life. This is how he's freed me from the baggage 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:26.119 that I've been carrying. And I don't know if 00:20:26.119 --> 00:20:28.119 you need that, but I would love to share it with 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:30.140 you because here's the truth. We're called to 00:20:30.140 --> 00:20:32.500 love people. And I heard somebody say, how much 00:20:32.500 --> 00:20:34.240 do you have to hate somebody to not tell them 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:36.240 about the life -saving medicine that comes from 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:41.960 Christ? If I know the cure, if I've got the life 00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:44.630 raft and I see him drowning, How much do I have 00:20:44.630 --> 00:20:47.650 to hate them to not throw it to them? And sure, 00:20:47.710 --> 00:20:50.309 they may be able to swim, but for all I know, 00:20:50.349 --> 00:20:55.309 they need this life raft. And so Friends and 00:20:55.309 --> 00:20:57.869 Family Day is not just a day that we're trying 00:20:57.869 --> 00:20:59.769 to, you know, hype up so we can fill the seats. 00:20:59.789 --> 00:21:02.750 That would be nice. It's a day that we're trying 00:21:02.750 --> 00:21:04.930 to hype up because we need people to hear about 00:21:04.930 --> 00:21:08.910 Jesus. We need people to feel and know that there 00:21:08.910 --> 00:21:11.869 is a home here of people that want to help them 00:21:11.869 --> 00:21:15.210 experience the love and the family of God, the 00:21:15.210 --> 00:21:18.890 freedom that only Christ brings. And so I'm asking, 00:21:18.990 --> 00:21:22.890 who is the one that you're going to tell about 00:21:22.890 --> 00:21:27.690 this freedom? Because it's not just about an 00:21:27.690 --> 00:21:31.859 event. It's about a lifestyle of caring for the 00:21:31.859 --> 00:21:36.059 one. You know, sometimes we get so wrapped up 00:21:36.059 --> 00:21:37.880 in trying to save the whole world that we forget 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:40.000 that all we have to do is just save one person. 00:21:40.099 --> 00:21:43.039 And I saw this illustration and I loved it. And 00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:45.519 I'm not good at math and I think I probably already 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:48.019 told you guys this before, but I'm going to say 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:50.759 it again because it just blows my mind. We've 00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:53.920 got 90 people in here. And 90 people go and they 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:58.140 tell just one person about Jesus. That's 180 00:21:58.140 --> 00:22:00.960 people now in the kingdom of God. And now if 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:04.940 180 people go and tell just one person. Somebody 00:22:04.940 --> 00:22:07.740 do some math for me. Anybody. 180 plus 180. 360. 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:10.559 Did I get it right? Oh, look at me. Mississippi 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:16.240 education, baby. All right. So 360 times two. 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:22.660 720. And if 720 go and tell one. 1440. And if 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:25.960 1440 go and tell one. You see how this keeps 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:32.799 going? It's just compounding interest. And all 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:35.200 we got to do is tell one. And maybe we won't 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:39.180 bat 1 ,000, right? But I used the illustration 00:22:39.180 --> 00:22:41.099 earlier. If I'm batting 300, I'm pretty good. 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:43.819 And so we've got 90 people in here, but only 00:22:43.819 --> 00:22:49.900 30 people come. Well, that's just 120. And now 00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:53.960 120 go until 120. And again, you're only batting 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:58.230 300. I'm not going to do the math. Quite frankly, 00:22:58.309 --> 00:23:00.730 I just hurt my brain. But you get the point. 00:23:02.009 --> 00:23:07.269 If we will just go and tell people the gospel 00:23:07.269 --> 00:23:12.049 and how it's changed our life and how Jesus desires 00:23:12.049 --> 00:23:15.329 to have them in his household, how he desires 00:23:15.329 --> 00:23:17.829 to see them in heaven with him one day and to 00:23:17.829 --> 00:23:20.009 live with them for eternity and how he desires 00:23:20.009 --> 00:23:23.549 for them to be free. If we'll just tell one, 00:23:23.829 --> 00:23:29.569 we can change the world. There's a reason that 00:23:29.569 --> 00:23:32.589 in the first century, the Christian church multiplied 00:23:32.589 --> 00:23:38.450 like crazy. It's because those people believed 00:23:38.450 --> 00:23:42.769 and were convicted about this gospel, this man 00:23:42.769 --> 00:23:45.849 named Jesus that came to save them. And they 00:23:45.849 --> 00:23:49.410 told everyone about it. And all I'm asking is 00:23:49.410 --> 00:23:54.390 that we just tell one person about it. So before 00:23:54.390 --> 00:23:57.730 we dive into Galatians next week, I want to just 00:23:57.730 --> 00:24:00.609 highlight these two questions. How has the gospel 00:24:00.609 --> 00:24:03.670 changed your life? How has it transformed you? 00:24:03.710 --> 00:24:07.190 What freedom has it brought you? And who's one 00:24:07.190 --> 00:24:09.109 person that you need to share it with, that I 00:24:09.109 --> 00:24:12.710 need to share it with? Because we all know somebody 00:24:12.710 --> 00:24:16.390 that needs to experience the freedom that Christ 00:24:16.390 --> 00:24:21.210 has brought us. Over the next 10 weeks, we're 00:24:21.210 --> 00:24:24.400 going to see how... Galatians unpacks this very 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:28.079 key truth. For freedom, Christ has set us free. 00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:32.180 We're not bound to the law anymore. We're not 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:34.700 bound to traditions of man. We're not bound to 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:38.279 the laws of this world. We are bound only to 00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:44.539 life in Christ and His gospel message. For freedom, 00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:48.440 Christ has set us free. That freedom is here 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:51.339 for you. It's here for me, and it's here for 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:56.289 your one. And so, this morning I ask you, have 00:24:56.289 --> 00:25:01.289 you allowed Jesus to set you free? Have you let 00:25:01.289 --> 00:25:04.589 him take the handcuffs off of you to break the 00:25:04.589 --> 00:25:10.109 chains from your life? And if not, will you today? 00:25:10.750 --> 00:25:13.650 See, the shepherd is still seeking. He's still 00:25:13.650 --> 00:25:17.210 saving. He's still bringing home the lost one. 00:25:18.789 --> 00:25:22.240 And so if you are lost, If you don't know if 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:24.839 you're saved, if you just want to make sure, 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:28.019 if you just need prayers because you feel like 00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:30.079 you have not embraced that freedom that Christ 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:33.119 has brought, or if you want to pray for one person 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:35.099 specifically that you know that needs Christ, 00:25:35.339 --> 00:25:37.720 we're offering an invitation for whatever your 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:39.519 need is now as we stand and as we sing.