WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.580 I wanna start by asking you a question. Have 00:00:02.580 --> 00:00:04.519 you ever tried driving when you're exhausted? 00:00:04.940 --> 00:00:07.500 Maybe you went on a long trip and you had to 00:00:07.500 --> 00:00:09.880 make your way home, but the week was really long. 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:11.900 It was really exhausting, but you still got to 00:00:11.900 --> 00:00:13.720 get home. So you decide we're going to tough 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:16.059 it out. And so maybe if you're like me, you stop 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:18.640 at the gas station, you grab an energy drink, 00:00:18.699 --> 00:00:20.640 some dill pickle sunflower seeds, and you get 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:24.359 on the road. Maybe you'll stop at a Bucky's and 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.260 you'll get a brisket sandwich, some chips and 00:00:27.260 --> 00:00:30.699 some beaver nuggets. If you know, you know. Maybe. 00:00:31.230 --> 00:00:33.009 You'll turn the music up really loud. You'll 00:00:33.009 --> 00:00:34.909 roll the windows down. You'll blare the music 00:00:34.909 --> 00:00:36.969 so that you can't hear anything. You can't even 00:00:36.969 --> 00:00:38.609 hear yourself think. And you'll scream, sing 00:00:38.609 --> 00:00:41.850 along with it all in an effort to stay awake. 00:00:43.289 --> 00:00:45.909 And it might work for a while. Like you may get 00:00:45.909 --> 00:00:49.149 pretty far. You may even get home. But what does 00:00:49.149 --> 00:00:52.090 that really do for you? And what does it really 00:00:52.090 --> 00:00:55.450 do to you? Think about the junk we fill ourselves 00:00:55.450 --> 00:00:58.350 with to try to stay awake. You put your body 00:00:58.350 --> 00:01:01.170 through this agony of feeding it, this junk, 00:01:01.189 --> 00:01:03.350 and you've damaged your ears with the loud music, 00:01:03.390 --> 00:01:05.269 and you've wore out your voice because you were 00:01:05.269 --> 00:01:07.730 scream singing the whole way. And you don't really 00:01:07.730 --> 00:01:10.069 know how you got home because you dozed off a 00:01:10.069 --> 00:01:12.310 couple times, but you made it. You just put your 00:01:12.310 --> 00:01:14.150 life and everybody else on the road's life in 00:01:14.150 --> 00:01:17.290 danger. I want you to think about what it's like 00:01:17.290 --> 00:01:20.310 to drive exhausted. And then I want you to think 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:23.150 about what it's like When you've had a good night's 00:01:23.150 --> 00:01:26.709 sleep and you're not exhausted and you had a 00:01:26.709 --> 00:01:29.769 good breakfast and you get on the road and maybe 00:01:29.769 --> 00:01:31.590 you've got a cup of coffee or maybe you just 00:01:31.590 --> 00:01:34.189 got a water because you feel like you're fueled 00:01:34.189 --> 00:01:38.790 for this journey. It's different, right? It's 00:01:38.790 --> 00:01:41.090 the same drive. It's the same car. It's the same 00:01:41.090 --> 00:01:44.290 you, but a completely different experience. You 00:01:44.290 --> 00:01:47.359 know, a lot of people. are trying to live life. 00:01:47.459 --> 00:01:49.180 And you may be in this situation where you're 00:01:49.180 --> 00:01:52.640 trying to live life the first way. You're trying 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:55.120 to live life full of junk and you're doing everything 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:57.400 you can. You're white knuckling down the road 00:01:57.400 --> 00:01:59.599 so that you can just make it to the next day, 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:02.159 make it to the next destination, make it to the 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:05.120 end. You're relying on your own efforts. You're 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:08.099 doing whatever you can just to get through. And 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:11.419 sadly, I think that's especially true for a lot 00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:14.930 of us as we try to follow Jesus. and as we try 00:02:14.930 --> 00:02:18.169 to live good lives. But what I hope we can understand 00:02:18.169 --> 00:02:21.169 more today is that our problem isn't needing 00:02:21.169 --> 00:02:24.449 better techniques. It's not needing different 00:02:24.449 --> 00:02:28.069 strategies. It's not needing to try harder. It's 00:02:28.069 --> 00:02:31.150 not needing to do better. It's simply needing 00:02:31.150 --> 00:02:35.590 power. It's needing a better fuel system. It's 00:02:35.590 --> 00:02:39.110 needing something better than the Red Bull. It's 00:02:39.110 --> 00:02:41.110 needing something better than my own strength 00:02:41.110 --> 00:02:44.860 and my own power. It's needing... God's power, 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:47.819 a much better power than anything I could ever 00:02:47.819 --> 00:02:50.139 produce on my own. So I want us to start looking 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:53.099 at Luke chapter 24. We're closing in on the end 00:02:53.099 --> 00:02:56.400 of our series in the gospel of Luke. And so we're 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:58.360 going to read this first passage. If it's underlined 00:02:58.360 --> 00:02:59.860 and you'd like to, I'd love for you to read it 00:02:59.860 --> 00:03:02.460 with me. If not, then that's on you. All right. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:05.120 So here we go. Luke 24, starting in verses 36, 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:07.620 going through 43. As they were talking about 00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:10.199 these things, Jesus himself stood among them 00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:13.000 and said to them, peace to you. But they were 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:14.840 startled and frightened and thought they saw 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:17.680 a spirit. And he said to them, Why are you troubled? 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:20.719 And why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:23.879 hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:26.539 me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh 00:03:26.539 --> 00:03:29.139 and bones as you see that I have. And when he 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:32.099 had said this, he showed them his hands and his 00:03:32.099 --> 00:03:34.580 feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy 00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:37.039 and were marveling, he said to them, Have you 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.960 anything here to eat? And they gave him a piece 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:42.580 of broiled fish. And he took it and he ate it 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:46.599 before them. So right there, Jesus again is proving 00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:49.500 that he's alive, but now he's doing it to all 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:51.479 of these disciples that are in this room. He 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:54.300 shows up, he proves that he's alive and not only 00:03:54.300 --> 00:03:57.300 that he's alive, but that he has power over death. 00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.860 And they're afraid because they haven't quite 00:03:59.860 --> 00:04:02.060 seen him yet. They know he's not in the tomb 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:05.159 anymore, but they haven't all seen Jesus. And 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:07.639 so when he shows up in this room, they're thinking, 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:10.229 is this a ghost? Like, how'd he get in here? 00:04:10.250 --> 00:04:12.090 The door's closed, the door's locked. How'd he 00:04:12.090 --> 00:04:13.729 get in here? So they're thinking it's a ghost, 00:04:13.750 --> 00:04:17.629 but he responds with, peace to you. And then 00:04:17.629 --> 00:04:20.410 he points to his wounds. He eats some food so 00:04:20.410 --> 00:04:23.430 that they can see that it's really him in the 00:04:23.430 --> 00:04:26.550 flesh. And he says, does a ghost, does a spirit 00:04:26.550 --> 00:04:29.449 eat? Does it have wounds? Does it have flesh 00:04:29.449 --> 00:04:32.050 that you can touch? So he wants them to understand 00:04:32.050 --> 00:04:35.550 that he's defeated death because until Easter, 00:04:35.610 --> 00:04:38.189 until that resurrection day, death had never 00:04:38.189 --> 00:04:41.660 lost. It had always won. It had an undefeated 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:45.740 record. But Jesus, in all of his power, fully 00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:48.519 displayed in the resurrection, wants them to 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:54.920 see what the power of God can do. And if he has 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:57.399 power over death, if Jesus has power over death, 00:04:57.680 --> 00:05:01.160 then everything he says and everything that he 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:07.379 does carries divine and supreme authority. Because... 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:09.579 I don't know about you, but if I see somebody 00:05:09.579 --> 00:05:13.060 take the beating and die the death that Jesus 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:15.660 died and then he rises again, I'm going to follow 00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:18.220 that guy. I'm going to follow the guy that can 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:20.339 defeat death, especially if that guy promises 00:05:20.339 --> 00:05:22.959 me that I can defeat death too. I'm going to 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:25.319 follow him. And so that's what happens here. 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:27.579 And that matters because Jesus is about to do 00:05:27.579 --> 00:05:30.740 some teaching in verses 44 through 48 that I 00:05:30.740 --> 00:05:34.600 believe could only be trusted. if it was from 00:05:34.600 --> 00:05:38.300 someone with that kind of power, someone that 00:05:38.300 --> 00:05:42.560 is truly God. So let's read the rest of this 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:45.839 portion. Then he said to them, these are my words 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:48.040 that I spoke to you while I was still with you, 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:50.759 that everything written about me in the law of 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:54.240 Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:56.810 fulfilled. And then he opened their minds to 00:05:56.810 --> 00:05:59.350 understand the scriptures. And he said to them, 00:05:59.370 --> 00:06:01.970 thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer 00:06:01.970 --> 00:06:04.949 and on the third day rise from the dead, and 00:06:04.949 --> 00:06:07.629 that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should 00:06:07.629 --> 00:06:11.069 be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning 00:06:11.069 --> 00:06:14.810 from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. 00:06:15.529 --> 00:06:18.550 So Jesus connects the law of Moses, and he connects 00:06:18.550 --> 00:06:20.790 the prophets and the Psalms, and he brings it 00:06:20.790 --> 00:06:23.509 all together, all pointing to the suffering that 00:06:23.509 --> 00:06:25.930 they foretold, all pointing to the death that 00:06:25.930 --> 00:06:28.629 they foretold, and all pointing, most importantly, 00:06:28.649 --> 00:06:33.290 to the resurrection that they foretold. And all 00:06:33.290 --> 00:06:36.529 of it was so that man could be forgiven of sin 00:06:36.529 --> 00:06:40.269 and restored to relationship with God. That was 00:06:40.269 --> 00:06:43.220 the point of it all. And that's good news. And 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:45.879 that good news message is something that we have 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:48.259 to proclaim and not just has to be proclaimed, 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:50.800 but proclaimed to everyone everywhere for all 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:54.480 time. That is a message that must be shared. 00:06:55.620 --> 00:06:57.439 And we can ask the question, well, who's going 00:06:57.439 --> 00:06:59.220 to proclaim it? Well, Jesus says, you're going 00:06:59.220 --> 00:07:02.879 to proclaim it. You are. I am. We are going to 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:05.519 proclaim it. Because we're witnesses. That's 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:07.720 what he says. And I'm going to take him at his 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:10.639 word. We are witnesses of what has happened, 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:12.939 of the fulfillment of the law, of the fulfillment 00:07:12.939 --> 00:07:16.899 of the prophets. We are witnesses. And witnesses 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:19.939 have a responsibility, right? Like think about 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:23.139 a witness in a legal sense is someone who is 00:07:23.139 --> 00:07:27.040 called upon to testify. And if you're called 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:29.819 upon to testify, you're being called on to bear 00:07:29.819 --> 00:07:35.230 witness or give evidence about. A truth. So we've 00:07:35.230 --> 00:07:39.230 got to tell the truth. So we've all been called 00:07:39.230 --> 00:07:42.250 on as witnesses. We're on the stand and we're 00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:44.649 being questioned by the world, by the people 00:07:44.649 --> 00:07:47.850 around us, by our relationships. Everyone that 00:07:47.850 --> 00:07:51.230 sees our lives is questioning what do they know 00:07:51.230 --> 00:07:55.230 about the truth? What do they know about this 00:07:55.230 --> 00:07:58.310 case? And so Jesus is telling them, you've got 00:07:58.310 --> 00:08:00.550 a message to share and you've seen it with your 00:08:00.550 --> 00:08:04.959 own eyes. You are an eye. witness. And so you're 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:06.699 going to share that message, but not just yet. 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:08.860 I want you to see what he says in verse 49 and 00:08:08.860 --> 00:08:11.519 behold, I'm sending the promise of my father 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.300 upon you, but stay in the city until you are 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:18.199 clothed with power from on high. Something I 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:21.920 want you to hear this morning is that calling 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:25.620 requires empowerment. We have not been called 00:08:25.620 --> 00:08:29.540 to testify in a case where we are not offered 00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:32.049 protection. We've not been called to testify 00:08:32.049 --> 00:08:35.690 in a case where we're not offered power. I want 00:08:35.690 --> 00:08:37.889 you to think of it like this. If I hire a contractor 00:08:37.889 --> 00:08:40.529 to build a house for me, then I have to supply 00:08:40.529 --> 00:08:42.509 the materials, or at least I have to give him 00:08:42.509 --> 00:08:45.169 some money so that he can get his hands on it 00:08:45.169 --> 00:08:47.509 and get some extra hands so that they can build 00:08:47.509 --> 00:08:50.169 the house. I've got to give him the resources 00:08:50.169 --> 00:08:53.370 to do this. Likewise, Jesus is commissioning 00:08:53.370 --> 00:08:56.409 his followers to go into all nations, to go to 00:08:56.409 --> 00:08:59.450 every people everywhere and proclaim, testify. 00:08:59.820 --> 00:09:03.820 the good news message. Living lives that proclaim 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:07.820 a good, holy, and living God. But they have to 00:09:07.820 --> 00:09:11.860 be given the resources to do that. And he refers 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:15.019 to this promise. He refers to this promise of 00:09:15.019 --> 00:09:17.700 power, of being clothed with power from on high. 00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:20.460 And so when we think about, well, what's he talking 00:09:20.460 --> 00:09:23.899 about? It's really simple. It's the Holy Spirit. 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:27.399 It is the Spirit of God being promised to be 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:30.200 poured out on all people. There are several passages 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:32.480 in the Old Testament that speak directly to this. 00:09:32.539 --> 00:09:36.220 From Isaiah to Ezekiel, God says over and over 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:40.700 again, I am going to pour out my Spirit on my 00:09:40.700 --> 00:09:45.179 people. If you're a child of God, then you count 00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:48.379 as his people. And he's going to, well, he's 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:51.460 already poured his Spirit out onto you. But I 00:09:51.460 --> 00:09:54.159 especially love this passage in Joel 2, verses 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:57.659 28 -29. And it shall come to pass afterward that 00:09:57.659 --> 00:10:00.899 I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your 00:10:00.899 --> 00:10:04.620 sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:06.820 old men shall dream dreams, and your young men 00:10:06.820 --> 00:10:09.360 shall see visions. Even on the male and female 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:12.720 servants in those days, I will pour out my Spirit. 00:10:13.460 --> 00:10:17.679 See, the plan was always to fill all who follow 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:22.230 Jesus. All who... accept this good news to fill 00:10:22.230 --> 00:10:25.850 those people with the Holy Spirit so that we 00:10:25.850 --> 00:10:29.029 could carry out the life that Jesus has called 00:10:29.029 --> 00:10:32.570 us to. Because that life's not easy. That life 00:10:32.570 --> 00:10:35.269 is not easy to fulfill. It's not an easy walk 00:10:35.269 --> 00:10:37.629 to go into this world and all of its dangers 00:10:37.629 --> 00:10:39.649 and all of the scariness and worries that we 00:10:39.649 --> 00:10:42.570 might have. It's not easy, but God has promised 00:10:42.570 --> 00:10:45.909 power because power is required to live lives 00:10:45.909 --> 00:10:49.720 that testify the good news. I want you, using 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:51.779 this kind of legal idea, I want you to think 00:10:51.779 --> 00:10:53.899 about a good crime movie. And in this movie, 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:56.340 there's probably a prosecutor who feels like 00:10:56.340 --> 00:10:58.559 they have got the smoking gun. They have got 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:02.080 the surefire eyewitness that knows exactly what 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:04.539 happened, that saw it with their own eyes, that 00:11:04.539 --> 00:11:08.440 if they testify, case solved. And that's good. 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:12.259 Until the crime boss comes around and he threatens 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:16.019 the eyewitness. And he maybe says, if you testify. 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:19.700 and you get me in trouble, I'll do damage to 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:22.000 you. Or maybe he doesn't threaten the eyewitness 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:23.679 with damage to them, but he threatens damaging 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:25.399 their family or hurting their family. And so 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:28.080 if you testify, it's going to be bad news for 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.460 your family. Or if you testify, it'll be bad 00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:33.019 news for your career or bad news for your social 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:36.590 life. And so he puts this fear. in the witness 00:11:36.590 --> 00:11:39.789 so that now the witness is discouraged from testifying. 00:11:39.909 --> 00:11:42.190 And if it does testify, it's not going to testify 00:11:42.190 --> 00:11:45.210 the whole truth because that's scary. Witnesses 00:11:45.210 --> 00:11:48.769 need courage and courage comes from power because 00:11:48.769 --> 00:11:51.470 in this life, there is a very real enemy who 00:11:51.470 --> 00:11:54.830 will use fear. He will use doubt and he will 00:11:54.830 --> 00:11:57.710 use pressure and he'll use insecurity to keep 00:11:57.710 --> 00:12:02.529 us from testifying, to keep us quiet. And I do 00:12:02.529 --> 00:12:06.860 believe that for far too long, Satan, the ultimate 00:12:06.860 --> 00:12:10.019 crime boss, has been trying to keep witnesses 00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:13.899 of the good news quiet. And because he has been 00:12:13.899 --> 00:12:17.279 successful in keeping some of us quiet, we have 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:20.139 seen the kingdom not grow like it's supposed 00:12:20.139 --> 00:12:22.460 to. You think about the church in Acts. I can't 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:25.240 wait until we get into our Acts series. The church 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:29.019 in Acts was not scared of what Rome was going 00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:32.059 to do to them. They weren't scared of what the 00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:33.980 enemy was going to do to them. They weren't scared 00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:35.720 of what it would bring for their lives. They 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:37.480 weren't scared if they would go hungry. They 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:39.580 weren't scared if they would die because they 00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:42.620 knew where their power came from. And if they 00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:45.220 could trust in that power, then they could be 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:50.700 fearless. And so we need, witnesses need power. 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:55.259 And that's why the Spirit's power matters. That's 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:57.519 why this promise is so important because Jesus 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:00.240 isn't interested in sending us out unprepared. 00:13:00.379 --> 00:13:03.039 He's not interested in sending us out unequipped. 00:13:03.179 --> 00:13:06.539 He is giving us everything we need. The disciples, 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:08.759 they've already seen this power displayed. They 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:11.360 watched Jesus face temptations. They watched 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:14.039 Jesus experience hardship and experience grief. 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:18.200 They saw... the Son of God on earth endure unimaginable 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:21.179 suffering and a gruesome death, and yet he still 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:25.120 fulfilled his mission. He still spread the good 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:29.059 news. And how did he do it? Through the power 00:13:29.059 --> 00:13:33.159 of God. And that's the exact same power he's 00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:36.480 promising them. And what's true for them is true 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:41.720 for us. If they get power, we get power. If this 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:45.639 promise was going to be poured out to all who 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:50.620 are in Christ, then we have access to it. With 00:13:50.620 --> 00:13:53.240 that said, I want you to think about the difference 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:56.759 between maybe rowing a boat and sailing. So where 00:13:56.759 --> 00:13:58.720 I grew up on the coast, we had a lot of people 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:01.120 that had sailboats. They sailed and they had 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:03.440 sailing camps in the summer where kids could 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:07.539 learn how to make a sailboat work. But me, I 00:14:07.539 --> 00:14:10.039 liked kayaking. I liked a good little rowboat. 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.679 And so I would take my kayak and I'd go out on 00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:14.659 the gulf and I would paddle out into the water 00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:17.840 and it was awesome. But it was also really tiring. 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:19.440 It was hard. And, you know, at the end of the 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.340 day, I wouldn't have gotten very far because, 00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:23.120 you know, you're swimming against the tide. And 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:25.259 so I wouldn't have gotten very far. My muscles 00:14:25.259 --> 00:14:27.320 are sore. And then I got to paddle back and it's 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:30.120 kind of difficult. But then I'd look out across 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:31.960 the water and I'd see somebody in a sailboat 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:35.960 and they are flying. They are going way faster 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:38.799 than I am. And they look like they are having 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:42.299 a way better time. than I was. And they were 00:14:42.299 --> 00:14:45.240 just like sitting there drinking drinks and eating 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:47.919 snacks while I'm sitting here struggling to row. 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:51.799 I want you to hold on to that thought because 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:55.080 there's a difference there, right? The difference 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:58.460 in paddling your own boat and letting out the 00:14:58.460 --> 00:15:01.279 sails and letting the wind take you way faster. 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:05.450 The difference is the power source. Instead of 00:15:05.450 --> 00:15:07.649 relying on the strength of one man or relying 00:15:07.649 --> 00:15:09.649 on the strength of one woman or relying on the 00:15:09.649 --> 00:15:11.950 strength of a couple people, we're relying on 00:15:11.950 --> 00:15:14.429 one of the strongest power sources in the world, 00:15:14.570 --> 00:15:17.929 wind. And so when it comes to our walk with Christ, 00:15:18.110 --> 00:15:20.769 am I relying on my power or am I relying on his? 00:15:21.250 --> 00:15:23.950 Am I relying on my own strength or am I relying 00:15:23.950 --> 00:15:26.549 on God's strength? You know, the God that created 00:15:26.549 --> 00:15:29.860 the universe and shaped the earth. With his own 00:15:29.860 --> 00:15:33.059 hands? The God that formed the most complex systems 00:15:33.059 --> 00:15:35.259 in the world with his own mind and his words? 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:40.059 Yeah, that God is offering us a power like his 00:15:40.059 --> 00:15:45.919 own. So am I going to rely on mine or his? Well, 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:48.759 the choice there should be easy. But then the 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:50.980 next question is, well, how do I access that 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:54.679 power? Well, the first thing I want us to talk 00:15:54.679 --> 00:15:59.370 about is who has access to that power? Because 00:15:59.370 --> 00:16:03.049 for the followers, they're looking at Jesus and 00:16:03.049 --> 00:16:04.970 he's saying, this promise has been made to you. 00:16:05.009 --> 00:16:07.809 And they're like, well, to all of us or to just 00:16:07.809 --> 00:16:11.690 some of us? Like are the 12 the only ones who 00:16:11.690 --> 00:16:14.590 are going to get the power or do we all get the 00:16:14.590 --> 00:16:19.169 power? Well, the Old Testament says all. And 00:16:19.169 --> 00:16:23.860 Jesus says all. And so when we say who has access, 00:16:24.100 --> 00:16:26.539 what I would say is the children of God. In the 00:16:26.539 --> 00:16:29.039 Old Testament, that would be Israel. But in the 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:31.399 New Covenant, it's the disciples of Christ. It's 00:16:31.399 --> 00:16:33.960 all who have given their lives to Jesus. That 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:37.159 is who has access to this power. So before we 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:39.039 can talk about living in this empowered way, 00:16:39.179 --> 00:16:44.240 we have to ask, am I a follower of Jesus? Am 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:49.179 I a disciple? And I want to define... Who a disciple 00:16:49.179 --> 00:16:51.940 is, who a follower of Jesus is. And the easiest 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:53.600 way I could think to do that is to look at what 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:55.639 Peter says in Acts chapter two, verse 38 through 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:59.100 39. Repent and be baptized every one of you in 00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:01.259 the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness 00:17:01.259 --> 00:17:04.220 of your sins and you will receive the gift of 00:17:04.220 --> 00:17:07.140 the Holy Spirit for the promises for you and 00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:10.180 for your children and for all who are far off. 00:17:10.750 --> 00:17:13.049 So when Peter's saying that, he's saying that 00:17:13.049 --> 00:17:15.289 to thousands of people. He's not just saying 00:17:15.289 --> 00:17:17.809 it to the 12. He's saying it to thousands of 00:17:17.809 --> 00:17:20.069 people. And what he's saying is, is if you will 00:17:20.069 --> 00:17:22.109 repent, if you'll turn away from your sin, if 00:17:22.109 --> 00:17:24.789 you will be baptized, die to yourself, rise to 00:17:24.789 --> 00:17:27.450 new life, you have access not just to forgiveness 00:17:27.450 --> 00:17:29.529 of sins. Yeah, that's important. And that is 00:17:29.529 --> 00:17:32.990 a very good thing. But also to the Spirit's power. 00:17:34.269 --> 00:17:37.269 And then that day, 3 ,000 people were baptized. 00:17:38.430 --> 00:17:42.319 And he says, Those 3 ,000 people, they get power. 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:46.680 And then who else? Their children. In other words, 00:17:46.700 --> 00:17:49.000 the people that they disciple and bring into 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:51.779 a relationship with Christ, they get power. And 00:17:51.779 --> 00:17:55.079 who else? Oh, well, all who are far off. Essentially, 00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:57.720 he's saying everyone who comes to know Jesus, 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:01.940 gives their life to him, surrenders, gets access 00:18:01.940 --> 00:18:05.000 to the Spirit's power, and it all starts with 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:08.480 belonging to Jesus. That's pretty simple, right? 00:18:09.349 --> 00:18:11.490 You mean all I've got to do is join the club 00:18:11.490 --> 00:18:14.890 and I get access to this power? Yes. It starts 00:18:14.890 --> 00:18:17.509 with belonging to Jesus. If you want to live 00:18:17.509 --> 00:18:20.470 in the Jesus way, you have to first give yourself 00:18:20.470 --> 00:18:24.450 fully to Jesus. And when you do that, the promise 00:18:24.450 --> 00:18:27.490 will be given to you. And I think there's some 00:18:27.490 --> 00:18:30.450 in this room that are trying to live that exhausted, 00:18:30.549 --> 00:18:33.829 driving life, that are trying to fuel themselves 00:18:33.829 --> 00:18:36.529 and just white knuckle their way through, and 00:18:36.529 --> 00:18:38.549 hopefully they'll make it to their destination. 00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:42.000 There are some of us that we haven't actually 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:46.259 received this power, this better fuel. And you 00:18:46.259 --> 00:18:48.539 might believe in God. You may show up to church. 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:50.740 You may listen to the songs. You may even sing 00:18:50.740 --> 00:18:52.900 the songs. You may read your Bible and do the 00:18:52.900 --> 00:18:55.480 devotionals. But you haven't truly surrendered 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:58.579 to God yet. And you haven't turned away from 00:18:58.579 --> 00:19:01.220 the sinful and selfish ways of this world. You 00:19:01.220 --> 00:19:04.200 haven't truly become an apprentice of Jesus that 00:19:04.200 --> 00:19:06.619 is following him so that you can learn his ways 00:19:06.619 --> 00:19:09.869 and then go do his ways. And as you try to live 00:19:09.869 --> 00:19:12.750 this life without the right power source, you 00:19:12.750 --> 00:19:18.349 find it impossibly hard to look like Jesus. And 00:19:18.349 --> 00:19:20.829 if you're feeling like it's hard, I want you 00:19:20.829 --> 00:19:23.509 to consider what Paul says in Romans 8, verse 00:19:23.509 --> 00:19:27.269 9. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ 00:19:27.269 --> 00:19:32.390 does not belong to Him. That's a hard verse to 00:19:32.390 --> 00:19:37.170 read. Because there's a lot of us. That maybe 00:19:37.170 --> 00:19:39.890 we're walking and we feel like, I don't feel 00:19:39.890 --> 00:19:42.890 like I've been powered. I don't feel like I have 00:19:42.890 --> 00:19:45.750 this power source that Jesus is talking about, 00:19:45.809 --> 00:19:48.170 that Paul is talking about, that Peter is talking 00:19:48.170 --> 00:19:50.450 about. I don't feel like I've got that power. 00:19:51.490 --> 00:19:53.529 And so we have to wrestle with the question, 00:19:53.650 --> 00:19:59.150 do we belong to Jesus? Have we? Repented, turned 00:19:59.150 --> 00:20:01.529 away from the sinful natures of this world. Have 00:20:01.529 --> 00:20:04.650 we been baptized, made the choice to die to ourselves 00:20:04.650 --> 00:20:07.990 and live for him? Have we given ourselves to 00:20:07.990 --> 00:20:12.549 belonging to Jesus? And I'll say it. There are 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:14.329 some people that have been in church for 50 years 00:20:14.329 --> 00:20:17.869 and they have not belonged to Jesus. And that's 00:20:17.869 --> 00:20:23.089 okay. It's not too late to start. I'm not asking 00:20:23.089 --> 00:20:25.990 you to do more. I'm not asking you to try harder. 00:20:26.089 --> 00:20:28.210 I don't think that's what the Bible is asking 00:20:28.210 --> 00:20:31.150 you to do either. What I think, what I believe 00:20:31.150 --> 00:20:35.150 actually, is that Jesus is calling us to simply 00:20:35.150 --> 00:20:41.769 belong to him. It's about belonging. It's very 00:20:41.769 --> 00:20:45.490 possible that some of us have been near Jesus, 00:20:45.769 --> 00:20:47.650 like we've been kind of following him in the 00:20:47.650 --> 00:20:50.430 shadows, or maybe we've been a little bit closer. 00:20:51.130 --> 00:20:53.740 Maybe we've been a part of the church. We've 00:20:53.740 --> 00:20:56.019 been in the church our whole lives and, you know, 00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:57.980 we've done the churchy things. We've been near 00:20:57.980 --> 00:21:00.839 Jesus, near his people. We've seen the power 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:05.079 from afar maybe, but we haven't accessed the 00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:11.559 power. I don't want to be in that boat. I don't 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:14.220 want to look back on my life and say I had access 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:16.559 to the power, but I never grabbed it. I never 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:18.839 used it. It's like if you've got lights in your 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:20.759 house, but you never turn them on. And so you're 00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:22.259 just walking around in the dark and you're stubbing 00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:24.119 your toes and you're bumping your knee on the 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:26.819 door. And it's like, hey, turn the lights on. 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:30.380 And for a long time, the church has had the lights 00:21:30.380 --> 00:21:33.019 off. We have not been living with this power. 00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:35.220 We've been wasting it because we've just been 00:21:35.220 --> 00:21:38.599 letting it go unused. That's not what the church 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:41.430 in Acts did. That's not what Jesus called his 00:21:41.430 --> 00:21:43.890 followers to do. There is a reason that they 00:21:43.890 --> 00:21:46.369 took over Rome, but we can't even take over our 00:21:46.369 --> 00:21:50.130 county because we haven't been using the power. 00:21:51.470 --> 00:21:54.170 And then there's those of us who we are in Christ, 00:21:54.390 --> 00:21:57.609 but we still don't feel empowered because we're 00:21:57.609 --> 00:21:59.269 trying to do things on our own. We're trying 00:21:59.269 --> 00:22:02.170 to row our own boats. We're trying to focus on 00:22:02.170 --> 00:22:04.789 the rule keeping and making sure we check every 00:22:04.789 --> 00:22:08.609 box. And I'm not saying that checking the boxes 00:22:08.609 --> 00:22:11.900 is a bad thing. I'm not saying that making sure 00:22:11.900 --> 00:22:14.779 we follow the rules is bad, but what I'm saying 00:22:14.779 --> 00:22:20.059 is it cannot be about our own effort. We need 00:22:20.059 --> 00:22:24.200 to work with, we need to rely on the Spirit. 00:22:24.980 --> 00:22:29.000 Because on our own, I don't know if you've ever 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:32.160 known this, but on your own, you're weak. On 00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:36.000 my own, I'm weak. And I find that to be true 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:39.359 when I'm alone. Because when I'm alone, in a 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:41.680 situation, when I'm alone in a struggle, when 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:44.380 I'm alone in my fear and my worries, that's when 00:22:44.380 --> 00:22:48.519 I feel the worst. But do you know the difference 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:51.200 when you're facing a trouble and you've got friends 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:55.079 around you? But now imagine if you could not 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:57.180 just have friends around you, but you could have 00:22:57.180 --> 00:23:02.059 the ultimate power source within you. You'd never 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:04.740 have to be alone. And you never have to worry 00:23:04.740 --> 00:23:06.559 about how am I going to make it through this? 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:09.380 You can simply say, God, I know you will bring 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:12.559 me through this. I don't have to rely on my own 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:17.460 strength. I can rely on God's. And I say all 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:20.059 that to say, for those of us who have committed 00:23:20.059 --> 00:23:23.299 to following Jesus, the issue is not the absence 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:26.960 of power. It's there. It's just we don't use 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:29.000 it. Like I said, we leave the lights off and 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.500 we walk around in the dark and we hurt ourselves 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:34.039 and we waste the ability that we could have. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:36.779 It's being on a sailboat, but having the sails 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:41.619 tied down instead of letting them out. And I 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:43.660 mean that individually and collectively. Like 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:46.319 I said, I think the church for far too long has 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:48.680 taken the Holy Spirit and we've either been afraid 00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:51.180 of it or we've abused it. But either way, we 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:53.500 have not used the power for what it was made 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:59.049 for. And because of that, we have suffered. So 00:23:59.049 --> 00:24:02.250 the question we ask this morning, if we are in 00:24:02.250 --> 00:24:05.369 Christ, if we have given our lives to Jesus, 00:24:05.430 --> 00:24:08.650 if we call ourselves Christians, the question 00:24:08.650 --> 00:24:12.210 we ask then is how do we raise the sails? How 00:24:12.210 --> 00:24:13.869 do we raise the sails so that we're not just 00:24:13.869 --> 00:24:15.910 floating about, but that we are being pushed 00:24:15.910 --> 00:24:20.690 by power? Another way to say that is how do we 00:24:20.690 --> 00:24:23.430 position the sails so that we can be moved by 00:24:23.430 --> 00:24:27.230 God? Well, the first way is we start with prayer. 00:24:27.819 --> 00:24:30.880 In Luke 11, verse 13, Jesus, He's telling the 00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:32.819 disciples, and He's talking to them, and He says, 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:35.420 how much more will the Heavenly Father give the 00:24:35.420 --> 00:24:39.759 Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? And so we start 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:44.250 by asking. We just ask God. We ask him to show 00:24:44.250 --> 00:24:46.450 his power. We ask him to show his might. God, 00:24:46.549 --> 00:24:49.150 would you show up in this moment, in this situation? 00:24:49.329 --> 00:24:51.970 Would you take control of my life? And you steer 00:24:51.970 --> 00:24:55.029 the ship and you push the ship and not my power, 00:24:55.069 --> 00:24:58.549 but yours. God, would you take over? Can you 00:24:58.549 --> 00:25:02.029 imagine if we would just ask God to show his 00:25:02.029 --> 00:25:06.109 power? And we then have to surrender. Maybe we 00:25:06.109 --> 00:25:09.049 surrender first and then we pray. Either way, 00:25:09.089 --> 00:25:10.970 surrender is a part of the equation. We take 00:25:10.970 --> 00:25:14.619 our hands off. the paddle and we let the sail 00:25:14.619 --> 00:25:16.680 out and we say, I'm not doing this on my own. 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:20.940 God, I'm going to work with you. I'm not going 00:25:20.940 --> 00:25:23.559 to work against you. I'm going to work with you. 00:25:23.579 --> 00:25:26.859 We surrender control. We deny ourselves so that 00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:30.140 Jesus can take the lead, so that Jesus can take 00:25:30.140 --> 00:25:32.960 control because God isn't going to force his 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:35.680 way in. God's not going to rip your hand off 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:39.910 the paddle. You have to surrender. So many times 00:25:39.910 --> 00:25:43.009 I think we want to just say, God, if it's your 00:25:43.009 --> 00:25:45.470 will, you'll do it. But we've got to say, God, 00:25:45.809 --> 00:25:49.049 I'm not making my will. It's your will. I'm not 00:25:49.049 --> 00:25:54.829 doing my thing. You do yours. We surrender. Because 00:25:54.829 --> 00:25:59.890 truthfully, if we're filling our tanks with junk, 00:26:00.150 --> 00:26:02.970 if we're trying to paddle by our own strength, 00:26:03.089 --> 00:26:06.809 we cannot be surprised when our lives do not 00:26:06.809 --> 00:26:10.450 look how they're supposed to. We can't be surprised 00:26:10.450 --> 00:26:12.970 when the lives around us aren't being changed 00:26:12.970 --> 00:26:16.509 because we haven't done anything. We can't be 00:26:16.509 --> 00:26:18.710 surprised when we're not operating the way we're 00:26:18.710 --> 00:26:21.690 made to when we are putting bad power sources 00:26:21.690 --> 00:26:25.769 in our operating system. And because Christ is 00:26:25.769 --> 00:26:28.369 our access point to the Spirit, because He is 00:26:28.369 --> 00:26:31.990 the way we get to the Spirit, it's in our best 00:26:31.990 --> 00:26:36.170 interest to stay connected to Him. There is no 00:26:36.170 --> 00:26:39.400 way... We can have the power of God without being 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:42.579 connected to God. So it is in our best interest 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:45.319 to stay connected. In John 15, Jesus says, whoever 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:49.059 abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears 00:26:49.059 --> 00:26:54.059 much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:26:55.420 --> 00:26:58.420 He doesn't say, apart from me, you can't do all 00:26:58.420 --> 00:27:00.859 that you were supposed to. He doesn't say, apart 00:27:00.859 --> 00:27:03.339 from me. You won't meet your potential. He doesn't 00:27:03.339 --> 00:27:05.279 say apart from me, you'll only be able to do 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:07.380 a little bit. He says apart from me, you can 00:27:07.380 --> 00:27:12.000 do, say that again, nothing. Try again. Apart 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:17.160 from me, you can do nothing. No thing. Do I need 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:19.420 to define that for you? Y 'all got it. We got 00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:22.700 it? Okay. So we have to place our trust in him. 00:27:22.839 --> 00:27:26.440 We have to abide, be in him. If we want our lives 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:29.119 to bear the fruit that they're supposed to. And 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:32.480 that fruit. We sing the song in our house every 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:35.900 night. The love, joy, peace, patience. Can anybody 00:27:35.900 --> 00:27:41.059 finish that one for me? Kindness, okay? Gentleness, 00:27:41.259 --> 00:27:44.339 faithfulness, self -control. Somebody skipped 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:46.140 goodness, but that one's in there too. Y 'all 00:27:46.140 --> 00:27:50.460 need to be good. Those fruit, the fruit of the 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:55.460 Spirit, that all comes from the Spirit's power. 00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:58.869 It is only an access from... By accessing Christ, 00:27:59.130 --> 00:28:02.069 we can access the Spirit. That is the only way 00:28:02.069 --> 00:28:04.589 we can bear that kind of fruit. And I don't know 00:28:04.589 --> 00:28:06.670 about you, but that kind of fruit sounds a lot 00:28:06.670 --> 00:28:09.369 like Jesus. And if I want to look like Jesus 00:28:09.369 --> 00:28:12.150 so that my life can proclaim His goodness, so 00:28:12.150 --> 00:28:16.529 that my life can testify Him, I need the power. 00:28:17.490 --> 00:28:22.710 I need the Spirit. Because of Christ, we have 00:28:22.710 --> 00:28:25.569 access to a power that can make us look like 00:28:25.569 --> 00:28:28.799 Jesus. like him. I'm an ugly dude. It is only 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:32.519 by the grace of God that I got a wife. I would 00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:37.880 love, I would love to look like Jesus because 00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:40.140 I don't know what he looked like physically, 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:43.720 but I wasn't saying I'm an ugly dude physically. 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:48.420 Some of y 'all may have amen that one, but I 00:28:48.420 --> 00:28:53.980 lack patience and I lack gentleness and I lack 00:28:53.980 --> 00:28:57.279 self -control. I don't always show kindness. 00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:00.859 I'm not always as faithful as I should be. I'm 00:29:00.859 --> 00:29:05.819 not good. But I have a hope because of the promise 00:29:05.819 --> 00:29:10.400 from God that if I will rely on the Spirit's 00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:15.839 power, one day I will look like Jesus. I will 00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:19.000 be good and I will be kind and gentle and self 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:22.359 -controlled and patient. And Eliza is saying, 00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:28.759 please hurry up, God. We'll look like Jesus if 00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:31.079 we'll rely on his power. We'll live lives that 00:29:31.079 --> 00:29:33.359 stay faithful to him when things get hard. We'll 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:35.779 live lives that love people who don't deserve 00:29:35.779 --> 00:29:38.420 it, who make it hard to love. We will live lives 00:29:38.420 --> 00:29:41.259 that have peace in the midst of the chaos. We 00:29:41.259 --> 00:29:44.319 will live lives that resist temptation when it 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:46.940 tries to control us. We will have lives that 00:29:46.940 --> 00:29:49.460 speak truth when it could cost us everything. 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:56.049 If we will rely on the Spirit's power. So this 00:29:56.049 --> 00:29:57.609 morning, I know there's some of us that are, 00:29:57.630 --> 00:30:00.109 we're living that kind of life that is still 00:30:00.109 --> 00:30:03.049 trying to drive exhausted. We're still trying 00:30:03.049 --> 00:30:06.369 to do our own thing, fueled by the junk of this 00:30:06.369 --> 00:30:09.150 world instead of by the power of the Spirit of 00:30:09.150 --> 00:30:13.809 God. And if you're in that boat, if you're still 00:30:13.809 --> 00:30:18.450 trying to live that life where you're rowing 00:30:18.450 --> 00:30:22.609 all on your own, I'm asking you to just let go. 00:30:23.980 --> 00:30:27.119 Let go of trying to control your own destiny. 00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:29.779 Let go of trying to control your own power source 00:30:29.779 --> 00:30:34.619 and let God fill your sails with his power because 00:30:34.619 --> 00:30:38.039 it will take you farther, faster, and way better 00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:42.059 than you could ever do on your own. And so for 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:43.940 the follower of Jesus, I'm asking you to rely 00:30:43.940 --> 00:30:46.140 on his power. And for those who haven't quite 00:30:46.140 --> 00:30:49.500 given their lives to Christ, my invitation for 00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:52.500 you is just like it was for Peter in Acts chapter 00:30:52.500 --> 00:30:58.039 two. Come, turn your life away from this world. 00:30:58.079 --> 00:31:01.859 Repent of your sins. Give up the ways of your 00:31:01.859 --> 00:31:06.079 flesh. Be baptized. Murder the self and rise 00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:11.440 to a life that lives and looks like Jesus. The 00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:15.480 choice is yours. Are you going to operate on 00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:18.940 your own power? Or are you going to choose to 00:31:18.940 --> 00:31:22.819 live a life that's far more peaceful? far more 00:31:22.819 --> 00:31:28.039 good, far more patient, far more kind? Are you 00:31:28.039 --> 00:31:30.900 going to live a life that is easier to resist 00:31:30.900 --> 00:31:32.740 temptation? Are you going to live a life that 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:35.960 can stay faithful? What life will you live? And 00:31:35.960 --> 00:31:38.339 that is ultimately answered by what power source 00:31:38.339 --> 00:31:43.920 you'll accept. And so the choice is ours. Are 00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:45.640 we going to live powered by the Spirit of God 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:47.099 or are we going to keep tucking it back in a 00:31:47.099 --> 00:31:51.099 cubby like it doesn't exist? Whatever you choose 00:31:51.099 --> 00:31:53.900 to, or however you choose to respond, whatever 00:31:53.900 --> 00:31:56.700 you need, wherever you're at this morning, we 00:31:56.700 --> 00:31:58.759 invite you to respond to the invitation as we 00:31:58.759 --> 00:32:00.380 stand and as we sing.