WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:03.430 Now we open our Bibles again today to the ninth 00:00:03.430 --> 00:00:09.550 chapter of the book of Acts. Last week we looked 00:00:09.550 --> 00:00:13.269 at a verse by verse exposition of this text, 00:00:13.369 --> 00:00:16.230 verses 1 through 30. Today we're going to come 00:00:16.230 --> 00:00:18.170 back at it and look at some of the practical 00:00:18.170 --> 00:00:22.070 applications that seem to arise within these 00:00:22.070 --> 00:00:26.589 verses. It's the stuff from which movies are 00:00:26.589 --> 00:00:31.019 made, human drama. directed by the intervention 00:00:31.019 --> 00:00:36.119 of the supernatural. Saul's conversion is the 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:39.320 most significant in the book of Acts, and it 00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:41.859 might be argued the most significant in the past 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:46.859 2 ,000 years. For this man was destined to be 00:00:46.859 --> 00:00:54.079 the revealer of God's mystery, the Church. His 00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:57.500 contribution to Christianity is so important. 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:01.700 that some unbelieving skeptics say that without 00:01:01.700 --> 00:01:05.019 him there wouldn't be a Christian religion at 00:01:05.019 --> 00:01:09.859 all. Indeed, I've heard one Jewish friend state 00:01:09.859 --> 00:01:13.900 that he could appreciate Jesus, but he had no 00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:20.219 use for Paul. He also suggested that Paul was 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:25.400 an anti -Semite and that he created the Christian 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:31.299 religion in his lifetime. Now one who would make 00:01:31.299 --> 00:01:33.579 statements like that does not understand either 00:01:33.579 --> 00:01:38.719 Jesus or Paul. He certainly does not understand 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:42.319 the heart of the apostle when he said that he 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:46.060 would be willing to go to hell if that were possible 00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:49.260 for the sake of his kinsmen, the Jews. That is 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:53.939 not an anti -Semitic statement. The Lord Jesus 00:01:53.939 --> 00:01:58.719 Christ founded the Church. sent the Holy Spirit 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:03.239 on the day of Pentecost to create it. What we 00:02:03.239 --> 00:02:07.319 have in these chapters of Acts is the early history 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:11.240 of this new body, the church. Now it's going 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:15.120 to begin to revolve more and more around this 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:19.620 person Saul, later called Paul. At the first 00:02:19.620 --> 00:02:22.020 it was primarily Jewish. Now it's going to become 00:02:22.020 --> 00:02:26.250 more Gentile in makeup. The church was led by 00:02:26.250 --> 00:02:29.490 Peter up to this point, but very soon now he's 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:33.229 going to be phased out and Paul will become the 00:02:33.229 --> 00:02:36.770 key figure, at least as Luke records this history. 00:02:37.569 --> 00:02:40.370 Up to this point Jerusalem has been the center. 00:02:41.009 --> 00:02:44.770 Very soon now Antioch and Syria is going to become 00:02:44.770 --> 00:02:49.969 the center of Christianity. Now Saul was controversial 00:02:49.969 --> 00:02:55.500 in his day as much as he is today. This arose 00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:59.000 partly because of the zeal which he possessed, 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:02.860 the commitment that he had to what he believed, 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:07.400 first of course as a Pharisee of the Jews, but 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:11.639 then as an apostle of the church. And it is the 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.219 transition, it is the conversion from the one 00:03:14.219 --> 00:03:16.819 to the other that we are looking at in the first 00:03:16.819 --> 00:03:20.780 part of Acts chapter 9. Across the scene of this 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:24.840 drama come four main characters. First, there 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:29.939 is Saul, the enemy, and he comes with an intention 00:03:29.939 --> 00:03:35.199 to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ. And then 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:42.080 enter Jesus, the Lord, who comes with an intervention 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:46.680 to convert the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:52.740 And then onto the stage comes Ananias, the disciple. 00:03:53.389 --> 00:03:56.229 who arrives at the house in Damascus where Paul 00:03:56.229 --> 00:04:00.389 was with an induction for him to serve the Lord 00:04:00.389 --> 00:04:04.530 Jesus Christ. And then finally there is Barnabas. 00:04:04.710 --> 00:04:09.169 Barnabas the friend who arrives with an introduction 00:04:09.169 --> 00:04:14.750 to encourage Paul in his early days. Now from 00:04:14.750 --> 00:04:17.050 this story which we looked at in some detail 00:04:17.050 --> 00:04:20.910 last week, I'd like for us to draw several practical 00:04:20.910 --> 00:04:25.720 applications. to apply to our lives. The first 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:31.540 one is this. We should always remember our union 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:36.720 with Jesus. We should always remember our union 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:41.360 with the Lord Jesus Christ. We see this observed 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:45.660 in verses 1 and 5. Look at that with me. It says 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:49.680 in verse 1, Now Saul still breathing threats 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:55.769 and murder. against the disciples of the Lord. 00:04:55.970 --> 00:04:58.689 Notice that. Against the disciples of the Lord. 00:04:59.290 --> 00:05:02.209 But in verse five, when Jesus addresses him, 00:05:02.769 --> 00:05:07.790 he says, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 00:05:07.930 --> 00:05:11.629 Do you see that? Saul was reaching out his hand 00:05:11.629 --> 00:05:14.870 against the disciples of the Lord. But to do 00:05:14.870 --> 00:05:18.069 that is to strike out against the Lord Jesus 00:05:18.069 --> 00:05:23.019 Christ himself. To touch the Church of Jesus 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:30.319 Christ is to touch Christ Himself. This oneness 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:35.920 of life, this unity that we see illustrated here, 00:05:36.300 --> 00:05:41.220 was established by two actions. The first action 00:05:41.220 --> 00:05:45.339 was when God joined Himself to our humanity. 00:05:45.779 --> 00:05:50.459 That is the incarnation of the Son of God. It's 00:05:50.459 --> 00:05:53.560 the story of Christmas, but it's ever so much 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:57.779 more than the story of a baby born in Bethlehem. 00:05:59.740 --> 00:06:04.540 It is the record of God Himself intervening in 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:11.160 human history, entering its flow, becoming a 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:18.939 human being Himself. One statement of this truth 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:22.540 is found in Hebrews 2 verse 14 where it says, 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:41.060 What is the writer saying? It is that the Son 00:06:41.060 --> 00:06:47.910 of God at the incarnation became one with humankind. 00:06:50.110 --> 00:06:53.750 He took upon Himself our humanity, our flesh 00:06:53.750 --> 00:06:57.230 and blood, our human nature, but without sin. 00:06:59.269 --> 00:07:04.029 He joined Himself to our humanity. That's the 00:07:04.029 --> 00:07:08.709 first action. In order that He might join us 00:07:08.709 --> 00:07:13.709 to Himself. That's the second action by which 00:07:13.709 --> 00:07:18.110 this union is established. You see, when we trust 00:07:18.110 --> 00:07:23.029 the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, we are united 00:07:23.029 --> 00:07:28.790 at that instant with Him. We are made one with 00:07:28.790 --> 00:07:31.829 Him. I suppose there's not a more clear statement 00:07:31.829 --> 00:07:35.850 in the New Testament than Romans chapter 6. Would 00:07:35.850 --> 00:07:39.310 you turn there and look at these verses? And 00:07:39.310 --> 00:07:42.209 remember as you do that every time you see the 00:07:42.209 --> 00:07:46.980 word baptize or baptism in the Bible, It is not 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:52.240 in water. There's not H2O running over your Bible. 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:55.939 Now what I mean by that is that it does not always 00:07:55.939 --> 00:08:00.399 refer to water baptism. The word baptize means 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:04.920 to dip, to immerse, to place into, or symbolically 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:09.759 to identify with. And it is that meaning that 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:14.100 is here in Romans chapter 6. to place into or 00:08:14.100 --> 00:08:17.319 to identify one thing with another. It says in 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:20.720 verse 3, Do you not know that all of us who have 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:25.779 been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized 00:08:25.779 --> 00:08:29.600 into his death? Therefore we have been buried 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:32.860 with him through baptism into death. In order 00:08:32.860 --> 00:08:35.360 that as Christ was raised from the dead through 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:38.600 the glory of the Father, So we too might walk 00:08:38.600 --> 00:08:41.960 in newness of life for if we have become united 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:47.659 with him In the likeness of his death Certainly, 00:08:47.659 --> 00:08:51.659 we shall also in the likeness of his resurrection 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:55.360 Notice in verse 5 he defines what he means earlier 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:59.240 by baptism. He's talking here about being united 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:05.559 with Jesus Christ The point is this At that time 00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:08.080 when you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ whenever 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:13.019 it was, five years ago, fifty years ago, yesterday, 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:17.860 at that moment you were united with Jesus Christ 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:21.740 to the point that you are one in spirit with 00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:26.820 Him. That is what we see illustrated back in 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:31.000 our text in Acts 9. That oneness is so complete. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:35.440 that for Saul to persecute Christians meant that 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:41.000 he persecuted Jesus Christ. This means that where 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:44.740 we go, what we do, the experiences we pass through, 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:50.620 the heartaches or joys that we face, that every 00:09:50.620 --> 00:09:57.100 part of life is lived in union with Christ. He 00:09:57.100 --> 00:10:01.809 knows all that we are and all that we do. And 00:10:01.809 --> 00:10:10.889 listen, He is a participant in it. This doctrine 00:10:10.889 --> 00:10:16.690 is very practical. It leads the New Testament 00:10:16.690 --> 00:10:19.669 to apply it in three specific ways. Number one, 00:10:20.509 --> 00:10:23.210 this doctrine is a great purifier of life. That 00:10:23.210 --> 00:10:26.809 is the context of Romans 6. But it's said again 00:10:26.809 --> 00:10:29.669 in 1 Corinthians 6 where the Apostle says simply, 00:10:31.299 --> 00:10:37.840 immorality, a command. We are to run from that 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:42.259 which is immoral. We have nothing to do with 00:10:42.259 --> 00:10:46.419 it. Now why would he say that? Well, just previously 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:50.700 in the verse he said, he who has joined himself 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:58.600 to the Lord is one spirit with him. His point 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:01.559 is that we ought to have nothing to do with that 00:11:01.559 --> 00:11:05.679 which is unclean or immoral, because we are one 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:11.519 in spirit with Jesus Christ. The members of our 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:16.700 bodies are members of His body, and what we do 00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:21.779 with them is important. Flee immorality. It's 00:11:21.779 --> 00:11:24.559 a great purifier of life. Secondly, it's a great 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:29.409 comfort to the heart. This idea that I am one 00:11:29.409 --> 00:11:31.929 with Jesus Christ is a great comfort to me as 00:11:31.929 --> 00:11:35.309 I consider it because it means that He knows 00:11:35.309 --> 00:11:41.649 and He understands and He cares what I'm passing 00:11:41.649 --> 00:11:45.909 through. Maybe it's the experience of unemployment 00:11:45.909 --> 00:11:51.169 or perhaps it's the sickness and potential death 00:11:51.169 --> 00:11:55.509 of a child. I was visiting in a home this last 00:11:55.509 --> 00:11:57.870 week and while I was there another couple came 00:11:57.870 --> 00:11:59.549 in who happened to be staying with the couple 00:11:59.549 --> 00:12:03.129 I was visiting and this couple who entered a 00:12:03.129 --> 00:12:05.210 little later brought their son with them and 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:07.409 by looking at him I knew immediately he was very 00:12:07.409 --> 00:12:12.950 ill. As we talked further came to light that 00:12:12.950 --> 00:12:16.110 this young boy who's but six years of age has 00:12:16.110 --> 00:12:20.889 since he was 15 months old been treated for leukemia. 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:27.419 I'm very sick little boy. If you're a parent 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:30.399 in a situation like that, the question might 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:35.259 possibly come to you, does the Lord really understand 00:12:35.259 --> 00:12:39.559 this? Does He know the uncertainty that I'm facing? 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:46.159 Does the Lord really care about the grief I feel 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:50.519 watching my child slip downhill? fighting for 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:56.519 his life against this disease. I talked with 00:12:56.519 --> 00:13:02.000 a lady in our church who is in a rest home, weaker 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:05.440 than she's ever been in life because of heart 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:10.200 condition, desiring more than anything else in 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:15.679 the world to go home to be with the Lord, in 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:21.820 pain because of the shortness of breath. She 00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:27.080 said to me, sometimes I wonder if the Lord really 00:13:27.080 --> 00:13:34.639 does care, if He really does know. I can't condemn 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:37.419 her for saying that because most of us at some 00:13:37.419 --> 00:13:41.820 point have had that question in our minds. You 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:46.059 know what this doctrine says to me? Yes, Jesus 00:13:46.059 --> 00:13:52.759 cares. Yes, Jesus knows. Yes, He understands 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:57.080 what I am passing through because I am one with 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:01.960 Him. Whatever happens to me happens to Jesus. 00:14:06.059 --> 00:14:08.600 Then there is a third wonderful application of 00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:11.720 this truth. It is that it is a great assurance 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:16.220 for the future. Because I am one with Jesus Christ, 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:19.200 it means that I am assured of a future resurrection. 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:24.980 It is a little bit of a chilling experience, 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:27.580 isn't it, to watch film on television of a body 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:31.059 being dug up? As many of us saw this last week 00:14:31.059 --> 00:14:34.059 when the body in Brazil was recovered from the 00:14:34.059 --> 00:14:36.960 grave after six years, thinking it might be Mengele's. 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:42.279 To see that human body come up in bits and pieces 00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:47.639 of bone is a reminder to all of us of the grave. 00:14:49.539 --> 00:14:52.080 In our culture we try to preserve the body as 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:54.879 long as we can, but inevitably deterioration 00:14:54.879 --> 00:15:01.980 sets in. Eventually the body returns to dust. 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:08.940 But as a believer in Jesus Christ, I have a wonderful 00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:13.500 assurance. It is that when I die I go to be with 00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:19.139 the Lord, that my spirit is there with him. But 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:23.360 it also includes this body. It is going to be 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:29.179 raised gloriously from the grave. Though it may 00:15:29.179 --> 00:15:32.919 return entirely to elements of the earth, there 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:35.419 is nothing that will be able to keep it in the 00:15:35.419 --> 00:15:37.759 grave on that day when the shout of the Lord 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:43.480 Jesus Christ is heard, Come up, my beloved. And 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:46.639 when the church is called up, the first ones, 00:15:47.980 --> 00:15:50.980 To come forth will be those who have died in 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:53.940 Christ and who are in the graves. Their bodies 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:57.039 will be raised. Their spirits come from the Lord 00:15:57.039 --> 00:16:00.600 to be united with their bodies again and forever, 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:05.299 and we will be with the Lord. It's great assurance 00:16:05.299 --> 00:16:07.340 for the future. It also means that I have an 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:10.720 inheritance coming. You see, Jesus Christ is 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:13.879 the heir of all things by the grace of God. I'm 00:16:13.879 --> 00:16:17.279 one with him, therefore I am a joint heir. Romans 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:23.059 8. And all things in all of God's creation will 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:27.899 be yours and mine to share with Him, including 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:32.220 His reign. We are going to sit on the throne 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:35.399 with Jesus Christ and reign over His coming kingdom. 00:16:36.059 --> 00:16:39.480 Why is that true? Because of this doctrine. We 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:42.840 should always remember our union with Jesus. 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:47.919 A union does not mean equality. He is still the 00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:52.580 creator and we are the creatures, and there is 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:57.399 an unbridgeable gap between the two. We will 00:16:57.399 --> 00:17:04.740 never be gods, but we are united with God. He 00:17:04.740 --> 00:17:10.140 is still the Lord, we are the servants. Because 00:17:10.140 --> 00:17:13.420 we are His servants, our concern in life should 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:16.240 be... accomplishing His design and purpose for 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:21.140 us in being here. You are in union with Jesus 00:17:21.140 --> 00:17:24.200 Christ if you are saved. You are an extension 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:27.140 of His very life in the world. The thing you 00:17:27.140 --> 00:17:29.180 need to be concerned about is finding out why 00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:32.299 you are here and get on with your work. You will 00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:36.799 not always be here. Now there is another application 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:38.900 that I see in our text that is important for 00:17:38.900 --> 00:17:41.460 us to talk about, and that is that we should 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:44.880 willingly expect to gain enemies. as we proclaim 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:48.140 Christ. I want you to remember that in our text 00:17:48.140 --> 00:17:50.319 we studied last week, Paul had several threats 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:53.500 against his life. He escaped them all, but there 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:55.680 were those who wanted to kill him because of 00:17:55.680 --> 00:18:01.579 his proclamation of Jesus as the Christ. That 00:18:01.579 --> 00:18:06.099 will happen to you, too. Now, I would give you 00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:08.299 this word of warning. Be sure that it is the 00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:13.220 gospel which offends another person and not you. 00:18:14.690 --> 00:18:18.049 It's possible for any of us to be rude or crude 00:18:18.049 --> 00:18:21.529 in talking to another person and in doing that 00:18:21.529 --> 00:18:25.630 become offensive. That's not what I'm talking 00:18:25.630 --> 00:18:29.549 about. You can be as loving and kind as sweet 00:18:29.549 --> 00:18:32.809 and as filled with the Holy Spirit as possible, 00:18:33.470 --> 00:18:36.170 and yet in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ 00:18:36.170 --> 00:18:39.789 there will be those who will take offense because 00:18:39.789 --> 00:18:45.180 the gospel itself is offensive to many. The message 00:18:45.180 --> 00:18:48.380 of Christ is not universally appreciated or even 00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:53.079 tolerated for that matter. So don't count on 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:55.339 being the most popular person on your campus. 00:18:57.099 --> 00:18:58.859 Don't count on being the most popular person 00:18:58.859 --> 00:19:01.259 in your office or in your neighborhood, because 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:05.299 you likely won't be. Don't make it your goal 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:08.119 to be a member of the best -like church in town, 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:11.420 because a church that faithfully proclaims Jesus 00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:14.799 Christ will not be the one to receive the applause 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:20.460 by the world in general. In Luke 6 26, Jesus 00:19:20.460 --> 00:19:23.599 gives us these straight words. He says, Woe to 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:29.880 you! Woe to you! When all men speak well of you, 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:33.440 for in the same way their fathers used to treat 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:37.339 the false prophets. Do you know what Jesus is 00:19:37.339 --> 00:19:40.549 saying? He's saying that if everybody likes you, 00:19:40.589 --> 00:19:42.609 pats you on the back, and says you're doing a 00:19:42.609 --> 00:19:46.670 great job, if you don't offend anybody, if everybody 00:19:46.670 --> 00:19:49.089 speaks well of you, then count on it, you are 00:19:49.089 --> 00:19:52.849 a false prophet. Because that's a mark of a false 00:19:52.849 --> 00:19:58.650 prophet. He has no enemies. You see, we're not 00:19:58.650 --> 00:20:01.609 only known by our friends, folks, we're known 00:20:01.609 --> 00:20:04.789 by our enemies too. Now in saying that, I want 00:20:04.789 --> 00:20:08.630 to balance it. We should not be paranoid. We 00:20:08.630 --> 00:20:12.950 should not go out looking for enemies or try 00:20:12.950 --> 00:20:16.069 to make them because they will make themselves. 00:20:18.130 --> 00:20:20.289 My point is that we just need to be realistic 00:20:20.289 --> 00:20:22.990 about this, that the gospel offends many people. 00:20:23.029 --> 00:20:25.210 Why? Because in the first place it puts man in 00:20:25.210 --> 00:20:29.910 his place. The gospel message of Jesus Christ 00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:33.450 says man is lost, bound for hell, and there is 00:20:33.450 --> 00:20:36.950 nothing he can do to save himself. There is not 00:20:36.950 --> 00:20:39.349 a spark of goodness or divinity in him that can 00:20:39.349 --> 00:20:41.069 be fanned and therefore he will pull himself 00:20:41.069 --> 00:20:46.309 up by his bootstraps. That is not true. The gospel 00:20:46.309 --> 00:20:51.150 puts man in his place. It destroys his sinful 00:20:51.150 --> 00:20:56.150 ego. And sinners don't like that. It offends. 00:20:58.410 --> 00:21:02.289 But it also puts God in his place. It exalts 00:21:02.289 --> 00:21:06.980 him. It says that God alone is the author of 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:10.740 salvation. That when a man, woman, boy, or child 00:21:10.740 --> 00:21:13.859 is saved, it is by the grace of God, not by his 00:21:13.859 --> 00:21:18.279 self -efforts. And again, there are people who 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:21.019 find that very offensive because they feel they 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:24.700 can do something to at least contribute toward 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:29.900 their salvation. And thirdly, the Gospel offends 00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:32.940 because it narrowly defines the way of salvation. 00:21:33.740 --> 00:21:38.140 It says that apart from Jesus Christ, there is 00:21:38.140 --> 00:21:42.660 no way to God. In other words, however sincere 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:45.759 a person may be in what he believes, if he has 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:49.220 not trusted Jesus Christ, he is lost and condemned 00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:54.599 to hell. Now that is offensive, my friend, in 00:21:54.599 --> 00:22:02.410 our world today. It offends the intellect. It 00:22:02.410 --> 00:22:06.170 offends the sensibilities of unconverted people, 00:22:06.470 --> 00:22:10.769 but it's the truth of the gospel. You see, God 00:22:10.769 --> 00:22:13.890 does not save people on the basis of their sincerity. 00:22:14.849 --> 00:22:18.690 He saves on the basis of faith in what He has 00:22:18.690 --> 00:22:31.559 said about His Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:35.259 is offensive. If the world took offense at Jesus 00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:38.279 and it did, how much more is it likely to take 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:42.400 offense at us, who are his followers? He is the 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:45.819 stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, 1 Peter 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:49.900 2 .8. Paul talked about the stumbling block of 00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:53.380 the cross, which says that man is helpless and 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:56.599 can be saved only by the work of the cross alone 00:22:56.599 --> 00:23:03.400 through simple faith. The story is told about 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:07.119 John Wesley who was riding along one day on his 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:11.619 circuit preaching the gospel, and he suddenly 00:23:11.619 --> 00:23:15.279 realized that for three days he had had no persecution. 00:23:16.460 --> 00:23:19.680 Not a brick had been thrown, not an egg had been 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:22.579 thrown, no words had been said to him. And if 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:24.599 you've ever read Wesley's journal, you know that 00:23:24.599 --> 00:23:29.140 was unusual. For three days he had not experienced 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:33.529 persecution. Alarmed by that, He stopped his 00:23:33.529 --> 00:23:36.569 horse and exclaimed, Can it be that I've sinned? 00:23:36.710 --> 00:23:40.130 Am I backslidden? And so he slipped down off 00:23:40.130 --> 00:23:42.150 his horse and went on to his knees and began 00:23:42.150 --> 00:23:44.809 praying to God to show him if there had been 00:23:44.809 --> 00:23:50.710 some fault in his life. A rough fellow on the 00:23:50.710 --> 00:23:54.670 other side of the hedge row heard Wesley praying 00:23:54.670 --> 00:23:58.289 and recognized him as the preacher. He said, 00:23:58.549 --> 00:24:00.650 It's that Methodist preacher. I'm going to fix 00:24:00.650 --> 00:24:03.519 him. So he picked up a brick that was nearby 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:07.380 and tossed it over the hedge. It missed its mark 00:24:07.380 --> 00:24:11.460 and fell helplessly, harmlessly beside Wesley. 00:24:12.299 --> 00:24:14.339 But Wesley opened his eyes when he heard it hit, 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:16.700 and he jumped to his feet and exclaimed, Thank 00:24:16.700 --> 00:24:19.160 God, it's all right. I still have his presence. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:23.799 You see, we're not just known by our friends. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:29.750 We're known by our enemies. Some people declare 00:24:29.750 --> 00:24:32.170 themselves our adversaries. That should not be 00:24:32.170 --> 00:24:35.809 our concern. But it is important that we faithfully 00:24:35.809 --> 00:24:39.609 proclaim Christ and lift him up so that he can 00:24:39.609 --> 00:24:44.990 draw people to himself. A third application comes 00:24:44.990 --> 00:24:49.869 from our story in Acts 9. It is that we should 00:24:49.869 --> 00:24:52.950 freely receive into our fellowship those whom 00:24:52.950 --> 00:24:56.480 God has received. Do you remember when Ananias 00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:59.720 came into the house? The first word out of his 00:24:59.720 --> 00:25:06.019 mouth was brother. In other words, he was communicating 00:25:06.019 --> 00:25:09.680 to Saul, I receive you as one of the family. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:13.799 Brother Saul. It says a couple of verses later 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:17.640 in verse 19, for several days he was with the 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:19.799 disciples who were in Damascus. In other words, 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:23.000 they opened their arms to him. They said, you're 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:27.950 one of us now. Over three years later, Saul went 00:25:27.950 --> 00:25:31.329 back to Jerusalem. There was a different story. 00:25:31.970 --> 00:25:35.910 In verse 26, it says, he was trying to associate 00:25:35.910 --> 00:25:38.569 with the disciples in Jerusalem, and they were 00:25:38.569 --> 00:25:41.710 all afraid of him, not believing his testimony. 00:25:41.789 --> 00:25:45.069 So they refused him. They shut the doors. But 00:25:45.069 --> 00:25:48.150 Barnabas reached out to encourage Saul and brought 00:25:48.150 --> 00:25:51.450 him into the apostles, told about him, and so 00:25:51.450 --> 00:25:53.670 they accepted him. In verse 28, it says, he was 00:25:53.670 --> 00:25:56.750 with them. moving about freely in Jerusalem. 00:25:57.589 --> 00:25:59.609 And so you see they embraced him. They took him 00:25:59.609 --> 00:26:05.109 in. This is the same Apostle Paul who would write 00:26:05.109 --> 00:26:09.849 a little while later to the Romans, accept one 00:26:09.849 --> 00:26:15.589 another just as Christ also accepted us to the 00:26:15.589 --> 00:26:20.589 glory of God. Romans 15 .7. Accept one another. 00:26:22.069 --> 00:26:27.069 I tell you amazing issues. can prevent acceptance. 00:26:28.569 --> 00:26:33.509 Skin color divides some believers. Political 00:26:33.509 --> 00:26:42.049 leanings, social standing, economic status, personal 00:26:42.049 --> 00:26:46.730 habits and convictions. What version of scripture 00:26:46.730 --> 00:26:51.349 do you choose to use? I know of a church in Detroit 00:26:51.349 --> 00:26:54.170 a number of years ago now, maybe ten years ago. 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:57.539 that refused people who wore wire -rimmed glasses. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:03.799 They were not accepted into the membership. I 00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:05.400 think it was the same church that went another 00:27:05.400 --> 00:27:07.799 step further in taking an obscure text in the 00:27:07.799 --> 00:27:10.799 Old Testament out of context. They said that 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:14.220 no one could come to their church who wore a 00:27:14.220 --> 00:27:18.559 mixture of wool and linen clothing. If your cloth 00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:20.500 and your suit or dress was made out of that mixture, 00:27:20.539 --> 00:27:23.400 you were not welcome there. It is absolutely 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:25.819 amazing to consider what separates some Christians. 00:27:27.420 --> 00:27:29.640 It is sometimes thought, too, that a person before 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:32.420 he can be accepted in a church must clean up 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:36.740 his life, be qualified to join. Sometimes we 00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:38.759 give the impression, don't we, that a church 00:27:38.759 --> 00:27:43.059 is a society of the perfect. But, friend, the 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:45.740 New Testament pattern was different than that. 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:49.039 The New Testament pattern was immediate acceptance. 00:27:49.470 --> 00:27:53.029 on the basis of a valid profession of faith. 00:27:54.789 --> 00:27:56.750 Now, we would go a step further than that and 00:27:56.750 --> 00:27:59.829 say that acceptance is based upon not only profession 00:27:59.829 --> 00:28:04.650 of faith, but acceptance of doctrinal fundamentals, 00:28:06.069 --> 00:28:10.329 the basic doctrines of the faith. Those are essential 00:28:10.329 --> 00:28:12.650 if one is going to be embraced as a brother, 00:28:12.650 --> 00:28:16.690 of course. But beyond that, we ought not to be 00:28:16.690 --> 00:28:19.869 putting up walls. between ourselves and others. 00:28:20.650 --> 00:28:24.410 Even though we may disagree on some secondary, 00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:28.609 non -essential matters, we ought not to separate 00:28:28.609 --> 00:28:33.309 fellowship over them. Let's let God do the scrub 00:28:33.309 --> 00:28:36.470 down of his newborn children, not try to do it 00:28:36.470 --> 00:28:39.609 ourselves. And what better place is there for 00:28:39.609 --> 00:28:42.450 that scrubbing to take place than in the fellowship 00:28:42.450 --> 00:28:48.579 of a local church? But so often there is a judgmental 00:28:48.579 --> 00:28:52.519 spirit among believers in the church, almost 00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:58.640 a piousity, if I can create a new word, which 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:01.720 scrutinizes and looks down its long narrow nose 00:29:01.720 --> 00:29:06.019 at another, condemns him for some non -essential 00:29:06.019 --> 00:29:09.819 really unimportant thing. That's fair sacral. 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:15.279 I do want to say that there is a legitimate doctrine 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:19.099 of separation in the Scriptures. It comes out 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:23.700 of God's holiness. For example, we are to separate 00:29:23.700 --> 00:29:29.420 ourselves, to have no fellowship with apostates 00:29:29.420 --> 00:29:33.380 and false teachers. That is those who deny the 00:29:33.380 --> 00:29:36.880 faith, those who teach false doctrine, who deny, 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:39.640 for example, the deity of Jesus Christ. We are 00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:45.049 not to embrace them. We're to separate from them. 00:29:45.250 --> 00:29:47.589 We're to separate from professing Christians 00:29:47.589 --> 00:29:51.150 who live habitually sinful lifestyles. We're 00:29:51.150 --> 00:29:52.849 to have nothing to do with them, 1 Corinthians 00:29:52.849 --> 00:29:59.990 5. We're to separate from unbelievers when it 00:29:59.990 --> 00:30:04.170 comes to equal partnerships, such as marriage, 00:30:05.990 --> 00:30:11.559 potential marriage, or business. or a joint undertaking 00:30:11.559 --> 00:30:15.240 of some sort. Come out from among them and be 00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:19.299 separate, says the Lord, 2 Corinthians 7, 14. 00:30:20.839 --> 00:30:23.440 So there is a legitimate doctrine of separation 00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:26.299 in the New Testament, but we must be careful 00:30:26.299 --> 00:30:30.400 not to allow that to develop an exclusivist spirit 00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:36.539 amongst us over matters that are eternally unimportant. 00:30:36.910 --> 00:30:39.130 that is unimportant in the light of eternity. 00:30:40.289 --> 00:30:44.769 We do draw a line regarding the fundamental doctrines 00:30:44.769 --> 00:30:48.970 of the Bible. We cannot fellowship with any who 00:30:48.970 --> 00:30:52.609 deny those doctrines, but, on the other hand, 00:30:52.690 --> 00:30:55.589 we must guard against a suspicious, distrusting 00:30:55.589 --> 00:30:59.670 spirit of one who professes to love our Lord 00:30:59.670 --> 00:31:04.319 Jesus Christ. And we must seek rather to engender 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:09.539 a warm, loving acceptance of that person, though 00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:12.759 he may not be at the point we'd like to see him 00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:15.980 be in his maturity and his understanding of the 00:31:15.980 --> 00:31:19.460 faith. If there's any place on earth that ought 00:31:19.460 --> 00:31:23.059 to provide a place for people to feel free to 00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:25.700 be themselves and to be transparent, it's the 00:31:25.700 --> 00:31:28.730 local church. If there's any place there ought 00:31:28.730 --> 00:31:31.970 to be a welcome without reservation or hesitation, 00:31:32.130 --> 00:31:35.049 it should be the local church. If there's any 00:31:35.049 --> 00:31:37.470 place that there should be an encouraging word, 00:31:38.829 --> 00:31:43.069 it's the local church. We must be careful not 00:31:43.069 --> 00:31:47.569 to establish a standard of perfection for others 00:31:47.569 --> 00:31:53.609 that we ourselves can't possibly attain. So let's 00:31:53.609 --> 00:31:55.769 reach out and receive others. That is especially 00:31:55.769 --> 00:32:00.069 important in a church and in our church. I talked 00:32:00.069 --> 00:32:02.049 to someone recently who said that he and another 00:32:02.049 --> 00:32:05.569 person visited a church of 7 ,000 in the San 00:32:05.569 --> 00:32:09.450 Francisco area. And they said down in the church 00:32:09.450 --> 00:32:12.109 they fully expected to be unnoticed because of 00:32:12.109 --> 00:32:14.710 the mass of people. They have two or three services, 00:32:14.750 --> 00:32:18.029 so they're not all 7 ,000 in one service, perhaps 00:32:18.029 --> 00:32:21.950 up to 2 ,000. But he said no sooner were they 00:32:21.950 --> 00:32:23.920 seated... And there were people who actually 00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:26.180 got up out of their seats in other parts of the 00:32:26.180 --> 00:32:28.819 auditorium and went over to them to welcome them 00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:30.779 asking if in fact they were visitors because 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:34.339 they'd never seen them before. That's great. 00:32:34.680 --> 00:32:37.079 There ought to be that kind of warmth. We have 00:32:37.079 --> 00:32:39.900 to work at that. We need to reach out to those 00:32:39.900 --> 00:32:44.740 that we don't recognize or know. I welcomed someone 00:32:44.740 --> 00:32:48.519 recently and very sincerely so who's been attending 00:32:48.519 --> 00:32:55.920 here two years. Yeah, it was embarrassing, but 00:32:55.920 --> 00:32:58.339 when the color drained from my face, I was all 00:32:58.339 --> 00:33:02.460 right. And it does drain. It'll drain from your 00:33:02.460 --> 00:33:05.640 face too if you catch somebody like that. It 00:33:05.640 --> 00:33:08.079 pleases me when I hear people say, and I do frequently 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:10.980 hear people say, I felt really warmly accepted 00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:16.500 visiting your church last week. Let's continue 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:19.619 to engender that and develop it so that we maintain 00:33:19.619 --> 00:33:23.859 a warmth of accepting others. and not allow secondary 00:33:23.859 --> 00:33:26.519 unimportant things come between us and others. 00:33:28.140 --> 00:33:30.079 Now let's get ahead here now to number four. 00:33:30.180 --> 00:33:32.660 The fourth application from our text is this. 00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:37.240 We should never consider anyone beyond the grace 00:33:37.240 --> 00:33:41.859 of God. I suppose if you had to select the characters 00:33:41.859 --> 00:33:44.759 that might have been thought impossible to be 00:33:44.759 --> 00:33:47.259 saved 2 ,000 years ago, Saul would have been 00:33:47.259 --> 00:33:50.829 near the top of the list. Here was the fellow 00:33:50.829 --> 00:33:54.029 who was the leading persecutor of the church. 00:33:55.289 --> 00:33:57.690 But God reached down one day and saved his wicked 00:33:57.690 --> 00:34:01.109 heart. Who would have believed it on the day 00:34:01.109 --> 00:34:05.950 before he went to Damascus? Some didn't even 00:34:05.950 --> 00:34:10.130 believe it afterward. We should never consider 00:34:10.130 --> 00:34:12.989 anyone beyond the grace of God. Nothing, no one 00:34:12.989 --> 00:34:18.190 is too hard for God. His love and grace reach 00:34:18.190 --> 00:34:23.710 out to the most defiled or the most self -righteous, 00:34:25.150 --> 00:34:29.610 to the eager or to the hardened, to the happy 00:34:29.610 --> 00:34:33.110 and satisfied or to the hurt and the suffering. 00:34:34.030 --> 00:34:37.610 God's love and grace reach out alike to all. 00:34:39.190 --> 00:34:41.750 The name Thelma Barfield will be familiar to 00:34:41.750 --> 00:34:46.239 some of you. She was the first woman executed 00:34:46.239 --> 00:34:48.780 in the United States in a couple of decades, 00:34:48.780 --> 00:34:51.840 as I recall. She was put to death a few months 00:34:51.840 --> 00:34:56.260 ago as a convicted murderer. But a book now has 00:34:56.260 --> 00:34:58.480 been published on her life, which she had a part 00:34:58.480 --> 00:35:03.119 in writing, and it tells about her dynamic conversion 00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:07.599 in prison. Now she came to know and witness for 00:35:07.599 --> 00:35:10.260 the Lord Jesus Christ up until the very time 00:35:10.260 --> 00:35:14.230 that she was put to death. You see, God's grace 00:35:14.230 --> 00:35:16.469 can reach to anyone. We should never consider 00:35:16.469 --> 00:35:20.409 anyone beyond His grace. I'd like to tell you 00:35:20.409 --> 00:35:27.469 about Lola, a hardened woman of the street. She 00:35:27.469 --> 00:35:30.510 was put in jail in Covington, Kentucky for attempted 00:35:30.510 --> 00:35:35.769 murder. There was a Christian jailer there who 00:35:35.769 --> 00:35:39.190 happened to attend our church. In the process 00:35:39.190 --> 00:35:42.440 of time, he had an opportunity to witness. to 00:35:42.440 --> 00:35:47.480 this hardened woman, Wola. You would never have 00:35:47.480 --> 00:35:49.380 thought by looking at her, and she was in her 00:35:49.380 --> 00:35:51.420 sixties I suppose at that time, you would never 00:35:51.420 --> 00:35:53.940 have thought in looking at her that she was a 00:35:53.940 --> 00:36:00.360 candidate for salvation. Her demeanor, her language, 00:36:01.219 --> 00:36:05.619 her looks, none of them said that she was prepared 00:36:05.619 --> 00:36:09.329 to receive Jesus Christ. But that Christian jailer 00:36:09.329 --> 00:36:12.150 continued to witness to her, and it was not long 00:36:12.150 --> 00:36:16.070 before she was saved. She professed faith in 00:36:16.070 --> 00:36:18.110 Jesus Christ, and I want to tell you, she was 00:36:18.110 --> 00:36:22.650 radically changed. The look on her face was different. 00:36:22.690 --> 00:36:26.630 Her language was cleaned up eventually. I remember 00:36:26.630 --> 00:36:31.409 her baptism. Radically changed by the grace of 00:36:31.409 --> 00:36:37.860 God. When they brought her down to be baptized, 00:36:38.019 --> 00:36:41.599 they brought her handcuffed. She was still in 00:36:41.599 --> 00:36:46.099 jail when she was baptized. And eventually, she 00:36:46.099 --> 00:36:50.239 received a reduced sentence and was freed because 00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:57.539 of the change that took place in her. But it's 00:36:57.539 --> 00:37:00.980 not just on that end of the scale. I wish I could 00:37:00.980 --> 00:37:04.360 share the details. I can't, but a pastor friend 00:37:04.360 --> 00:37:08.679 of ours had the opportunity to intervene in a 00:37:08.679 --> 00:37:11.480 family situation of one of our national leaders. 00:37:13.579 --> 00:37:15.900 And as a result of that, the father and son were 00:37:15.900 --> 00:37:22.539 reconciled. And the son came back to talk some 00:37:22.539 --> 00:37:26.719 more about joining his church, this pastor's 00:37:26.719 --> 00:37:30.980 church. And in the course of a few weeks, This 00:37:30.980 --> 00:37:33.440 son of one of our national leaders professed 00:37:33.440 --> 00:37:36.500 faith in Jesus Christ. He and his wife both are 00:37:36.500 --> 00:37:39.599 being baptized this month in that local church. 00:37:41.760 --> 00:37:46.519 My friend, the grace of God reaches beyond the 00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:53.000 point which we think impossible. Yes, it is true 00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:55.820 that one can harden his heart against God to 00:37:55.820 --> 00:37:59.489 the point of being beyond hope. But the point 00:37:59.489 --> 00:38:04.989 is this, that we do not know who or when. Therefore, 00:38:05.090 --> 00:38:08.309 we can keep praying and proclaiming Jesus Christ, 00:38:09.570 --> 00:38:12.389 being confident that God's grace is still able 00:38:12.389 --> 00:38:15.210 to reach. God is pursuing every person. God is 00:38:15.210 --> 00:38:17.829 not willing that any should perish, but that 00:38:17.829 --> 00:38:21.050 all should come to repentance. So whether it's 00:38:21.050 --> 00:38:24.110 a White House aide by the name of Charles Coulson, 00:38:24.349 --> 00:38:28.309 or it's a hardened murder on death row, We should 00:38:28.309 --> 00:38:33.030 never consider anyone beyond the grace of God. 00:38:34.190 --> 00:38:39.610 That includes you, you listening to me. However 00:38:39.610 --> 00:38:43.690 deeply you feel that you've fallen, however heavy 00:38:43.690 --> 00:38:47.690 the shame you carry, or however miserable you 00:38:47.690 --> 00:38:51.369 feel, or how broken your life and its dreams, 00:38:52.750 --> 00:38:55.309 or for that matter, however self -righteous you 00:38:55.309 --> 00:38:58.519 think yourself to be. You are not beyond the 00:38:58.519 --> 00:39:02.159 grace of God. He is able to reach down into that 00:39:02.159 --> 00:39:08.559 pit where you are today, and He is. All He is 00:39:08.559 --> 00:39:11.019 asking you to do is to reach up and take His 00:39:11.019 --> 00:39:14.619 hand by faith and say, Lord, I receive what You 00:39:14.619 --> 00:39:20.599 have to give. God's grace is able to reach to 00:39:20.599 --> 00:39:23.000 you, but I have a word of warning that goes with 00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:26.150 that. And it is that you must be careful not 00:39:26.150 --> 00:39:32.489 to presume upon the grace of God. Do not fall 00:39:32.489 --> 00:39:34.909 for the devil's lie that you should wait for 00:39:34.909 --> 00:39:38.909 a more convenient time or that you should first 00:39:38.909 --> 00:39:41.150 get yourself cleaned up and made presentable 00:39:41.150 --> 00:39:44.429 to Jesus Christ because his invitation is to 00:39:44.429 --> 00:39:47.829 come just as you are, just the way you are right 00:39:47.829 --> 00:39:51.409 now. He loves you so dearly he wants to reach 00:39:51.409 --> 00:39:54.830 down and pick you up out of that pit. establish 00:39:54.830 --> 00:39:59.329 you upon himself a solid rock. Will you let him 00:39:59.329 --> 00:40:06.010 do it? John Newton was born 260 years ago this 00:40:06.010 --> 00:40:11.829 year. In his early days, he traveled with his 00:40:11.829 --> 00:40:15.489 father aboard a ship in the Mediterranean area 00:40:15.489 --> 00:40:20.869 that led him into a profligate, immoral lifestyle. 00:40:21.530 --> 00:40:25.199 He was a wicked, debauched person by his own 00:40:25.199 --> 00:40:31.019 confession. As an early teenager, 13 years of 00:40:31.019 --> 00:40:35.559 age, he began to be involved in the trading of 00:40:35.559 --> 00:40:39.760 African slaves throughout that part of the world, 00:40:40.219 --> 00:40:45.500 the British Empire. But at 23, the grace of God 00:40:45.500 --> 00:40:48.960 intervened in Newton's life, and he was miraculously 00:40:48.960 --> 00:40:53.380 saved. and cleansed from all the sin of his past 00:40:53.380 --> 00:40:57.480 and made a new person. And it led him to write 00:40:57.480 --> 00:41:01.320 the words which we love to sing, amazing grace. 00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:08.659 How sweet the sound. It saved a wretch, a wretch 00:41:08.659 --> 00:41:15.699 like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. 00:41:16.699 --> 00:41:22.099 Was blind. But now I see. My friend, that can 00:41:22.099 --> 00:41:25.500 be your testimony today, too, if you'll open 00:41:25.500 --> 00:41:29.940 your heart to Jesus Christ as he knocks. Heavenly 00:41:29.940 --> 00:41:33.719 Father, I pray that on those heart doors where 00:41:33.719 --> 00:41:36.780 the Lord Jesus is knocking that there might be 00:41:36.780 --> 00:41:39.739 the response of faith saying, Lord Jesus, come 00:41:39.739 --> 00:41:46.000 in and save me. Lord, down in those dark, horrible 00:41:46.000 --> 00:41:50.619 pits of sin. where some are wallowing and struggling. 00:41:51.480 --> 00:41:55.139 May they look up today and see your hand of love 00:41:55.139 --> 00:41:59.480 and grace extended. And they themselves then 00:41:59.480 --> 00:42:01.699 reach up with their hand of faith and receive 00:42:01.699 --> 00:42:04.800 you, that they might be lifted out of that horrible 00:42:04.800 --> 00:42:09.460 prison where they are. Lord Jesus, call to yourself 00:42:09.460 --> 00:42:13.539 this morning. That boy or girl, that young man 00:42:13.539 --> 00:42:18.760 or woman, that grandfather, that mother. and 00:42:18.760 --> 00:42:24.440 save them. And Lord, may those of us who have 00:42:24.440 --> 00:42:28.059 done that be living obediently to the commands 00:42:28.059 --> 00:42:30.860 of your word, even those that we've looked at 00:42:30.860 --> 00:42:33.460 this morning. Amen.