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Sharing the Gospel - The Blueprint Series
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In this sermon, Ridley Barron preached about the transformative power of sharing the gospel and the centrality of Jesus Christ. He emphasized the importance of personal transparency in faith journeys and how past struggles can provide hope for others. Drawing on Paul's transformation and trials, Barron highlighted the necessity of understanding Jesus' identity for determining one's life and eternity. He encouraged believers to rely on the Holy Spirit, focus on the message of resurrection and repentance, and engage others with compassion. Through historical references, practical evangelism tips, and the "ABCD" approach, Barron underscored the need for prayer and genuine compassion in evangelism, urging believers to actively proclaim the gospel and live by Jesus' standards.
Timestamps:
00:00 Paul appears before King Herod Agrippa II.
04:54 Be prepared to share your faith boldly.
09:42 Sharing past struggles can inspire others' faith.
12:44 Focus on Jesus; He is the hero.
15:13 Who is Jesus? What do I do?
18:30 Christ's resurrection guides ethical, repentant living.
22:04 The gospel demands a response: accept or not.
26:58 Pray for non-believers and proclaim Jesus.
28:02 Don't delay decisions; prioritize spiritual truths.
33:45 Choose Jesus for hope and eternal life.
35:03 Encouragement towards salvation and overcoming doubt.
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Transcript
Introduction to Acts 26
00:00:00
Speaker
Good morning, if you've got your Bibles, let's turn to Acts 26. And if you have been here with us, been worshiping with us over the last few weeks, you might be first of all saying, wait a minute, what happened to Acts 25?
00:00:12
Speaker
because we were in
Transition from Acts 25 to Acts 26
00:00:13
Speaker
Acts 24 last week and that's very astute of you to pick up on that. um So we are not skipping Acts 25, we're just breezing over it at 30,000 feet so that we can get into 26 this week. ah We are
Completion of Acts and Upcoming Series
00:00:27
Speaker
on course to wrap up the book of Acts. Everybody say amen. We're gonna be wrapping up the book of Acts here just shortly in a few weeks and move right into our Christmas series, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Can y'all believe Thanksgiving is almost here?
00:00:42
Speaker
crazy. um
Paul's Defense before Felix and Agrippa
00:00:44
Speaker
So ah at the end of Acts 24 you will remember that Felix had forced Paul to appear before him to give an account for why he was being charged. um Paul gave a defense. It was the second of five different defenses that Paul offers in the book of Acts. We read all of them throughout the course of Acts. Today we're going to be focusing on the third one but at the end of Acts 24 it says that ah Felix served for a couple more years and then a guy by the name of Porcius Festus came in. Festus became the governor of this area that Paul was being tried in and because Felix didn't want to irritate any of the Jewish people who were accusing Paul, he made Paul stay in prison even though Paul had pretty much proven his innocence that he was falsely being charged by the Jewish people.
00:01:34
Speaker
So when we pick up the story today, Festus is the governor of this area. Paul
Paul's Journey to Caesarea and Herod's Court
00:01:39
Speaker
has made it to an area known as Caesarea Maritime. I want to throw some pictures up there for you so you kind of get an idea where this is. Lisa and I had the opportunity 10 years ago, whatever, we went on our trip to Israel to go visit this place. This was where many of the governing Roman authorities ruled from because even though Jerusalem was the capital, it was an exciting place. This was on the coast, and in an area that's dry and arid, coastal breezes mean a lot.
00:02:06
Speaker
So they built these beautiful palaces along the coast. If you see there on the left is what they called their um their hippodrome kind of thing. It was a place where they would race horses. Very big place. Right out the front, I'll show you another picture in just a second. But that part sticking out into the water was the palace where Paul is going to make his appearance today. Here's an aerial shot of it. And if you look very closely, you can almost make out a little rectangular area there in the middle.
00:02:32
Speaker
Archaeologists believe that at this point ah the governor had an indoor swimming pool. So that would have been the pool that it would naturally get filled by the ocean water as the what the tides would rise. The picture that you're going to see here next is an artist's concept of what it might have looked like. ah You can see the coastal waterline there along the left side of the picture, big palace, giant place there.
00:02:58
Speaker
As Paul goes in today into the beginning of the story, ah estimates are that there were several hundred, maybe even a thousand people in this palace the day Paul appears before King Herod Agrippa II and his sister Bernice. Okay, you'll pick up that part of it in the story. Now, you may have recognized the name Herod. Herod Agrippa II is the grandson of King Herod The Great, who was the one who um carried out the murder of all the babies at the birth of Jesus Christ. King Herod the Great had a son by the name of Aristobulus IV.
00:03:34
Speaker
You may not know that name because he wasn't much to think about. He actually was put to death at some point early on and Herod Agrippa I came in and became a ruler and Herod Agrippa II, who was, I'm sorry, he's the great-grandson of King Herod the Great, is the guy that we're talking about in the story today. So Herod Agrippa II, because he has a background with Judaism, plays an important part in this picture because Paul wants to appeal to that ah connection to Judaism inside of him because he knows he has a history there, he has a little bit of a knowledge. So
Defending Faith: Lessons from Paul
00:04:08
Speaker
we're going to dig into this and the thing for me today is that we go back to 1 Peter 3.15 that we talked about last week. 1 Peter 3.15, Peter writes these words, he says, be prepared in season and out of season to give a defense for the hope that you have.
00:04:24
Speaker
And that was our encouragement from those words last week. Today, because God is good and his spirit works things out for our good, Paul's story, Paul's testimony today, serves as an incredible example of how to give a defense, how to stand before the world, and offer the reason you have for hope.
00:04:43
Speaker
If you're a follower of Jesus Christ today, I want you to understand something. The command to share, the command to tell, the command to go to all the world is not an option for you as a follower of Jesus. Now for some of you it may be, I just tell the people in my workplace. For others of you it may be that you're being called to go and be a missionary to some part of the world or even some part of here in the United States.
00:05:05
Speaker
For others of you, it may be that your telling is that you're being called into ministry in a more professional sense as some of the guys here on our staff. Or others of you, it may be that it's just chance happenings and those opportunities come at the Dollar General or at Brooks or wherever you are. You just are bold and speaking your faith. But it is a command that God has given you. Not your pastor. And it's not just a suggestion.
00:05:30
Speaker
You should be prepared in season and out of season to give a defense for the hope that you have. Here's how I know it's important. All four gospels as well as the book of Acts start the New Testament with commands that say, you will be my witnesses. You will be my witnesses. This is plan A in the Great Commission and there is no plan B.
00:05:51
Speaker
If the world's gonna know the hope you have, it's because you and I get passionate about speaking the name of Jesus. So let's dig into this story. And as I said, there's some things we're gonna pull out from here. We're gonna start in Acts 26 verse one. It
Paul's Respectful Engagement with Agrippa
00:06:03
Speaker
says, Agrippa said to Paul, you have permission to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense.
00:06:11
Speaker
I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, especially since you are very knowledgeable about all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. The first thing I will tell you that Paul demonstrates for us is that we should address unbelievers respectfully. This is an art we've lost in our world. We don't know how to be respectful of people.
00:06:38
Speaker
I only have to take you back about a week and a half, maybe not even a week and a half, maybe to yesterday if you watch the news. And you can see that when people disagree in our country today, we hammer them. We rip them apart. We tear them down. And nothing could be further from the hope that God has for us. The Scriptures tell us as much as it depends on us to live at peace with everybody.
00:07:01
Speaker
Even the people we disagree with, Jesus commanded us to pray for those who persecute us, pray for our enemies, bless those people. You and I, if we are going to earn the opportunity to talk about Jesus with the world, have got to start by first learning learning to love and respect them. Otherwise, they don't want to hear what you got to say because your words don't match up with what you profess with your actions.
00:07:25
Speaker
So we gotta be willing to address people respectfully. What we say is more important than how we say it. Jesus told me that and my wife told me that. You're just slightly less important than him. But um jesus Jesus told us that, but seriously, my wife reminds me all the time. She she says things to me like that. She says, hey, i i get I get what you're saying, but the way you said it, I didn't wanna hear it.
00:07:54
Speaker
your nonverbal cues, the things you your tone of your voice, all of those things become a hindrance when people are hearing the gospel if we don't speak and act with love towards the people we are trying to reach for the kingdom of God. Let's keep reading.
00:08:09
Speaker
Verse four it says, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time if they are willing to testify that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand on trial because of the hope in what God has promised to our ancestors. The promise of our 12 tribes hope to reach as they earnestly serve him night and day King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope. Why do any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? He hears speaking specifically to the Pharisees, if you will remember going back a few weeks, we talked to about this reality, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection. So how ironic it is that when Jesus is resurrected
Pharisees' Disbelief and Paul's Transformation
00:08:57
Speaker
as the first born among the resurrected, they don't wanna acknowledge him. It's almost like they're thinking in the head, resurrection's for everybody except for the one we don't like.
00:09:06
Speaker
And so they're they're allowing their biases to keep them from seeing what Paul's trying to teach them. Let's keep reading. It says, in fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I actually did this in Jerusalem and I looked up many of the saints but excuse me locked up many of the saints in prison since I had received authority for that from the chief priest. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them.
00:09:31
Speaker
In all the synagogues, I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme. Since I was terribly engaged enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities. We all failed to, oh, that's a, sorry, another passage. um So I think the second thing that we have to recognize when we're sharing our faith is we have to let them know what it was like not to believe. What were you like before you knew Jesus? You know, many of you, if you were honest, would say, I'm very, very embarrassed about the kind of person I used to be. The words that used to come out of my mouth, the behaviors I was a part of, the things I did, those kinds of things, man, they bring great shame to me.
00:10:08
Speaker
And in a sense, that's okay. I get that because it helps you to realize your need for Jesus, your need for a savior. But have you ever thought about the fact that what you used to be might be an encouragement to somebody else who's still there to come out of that? That's one of the reasons why AA and NA and Al-Anon and those groups are so really, really successful is because they come around and encourage people who are currently in the midst of their problem by the stories of people who used to be there.
00:10:37
Speaker
And so when you and I as believers are willing to speak about what we were like before Jesus, then it gives the opportunity for somebody else to identify with who we are and to say, hey, if they can come out of that lifestyle and be a follower of Jesus, then there's hope for me. There's hope for
Focus on Jesus' Story
00:10:54
Speaker
me. Paul was very clear to say, look, none of you guys probably have gone to this far.
00:10:59
Speaker
Probably none of you have ever gone to the to the extreme of putting people to death because of their faith and their confession of Jesus Christ. And that's who I was before I was rescued and before I was delivered from what I used to be without Christ. Now some of you may be asking, what do you mean before Christ? What what do what does that what is that?
00:11:21
Speaker
classified as, what do you mean by that? Well, Romans 5.8, which is my favorite verse in scripture very clearly says that you and I used to be enemies of God. It says that even while we were in that position as enemies of God, Christ demonstrated his love for us by dying for us. Let me assure you, nothing you do can earn the salvation that Christ has offered. There's nothing you have to do to try to accomplish what Jesus has done for you.
00:11:50
Speaker
And so Paul said, you know what? i I used to be a certain way, but because of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, I am now in a different place. Your personal transparency goes a long way in helping connect with others who are searching for the hope that you have. Let's keep reading.
00:12:09
Speaker
ah
00:12:12
Speaker
Verse 12. It says, I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests. King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun shining around me and those traveling with me. We all fell to the ground and I heard a voice speaking to me in Aramaic, so Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.
00:12:44
Speaker
I asked, who are you, Lord? And the Lord replied, I am Jesus, the one you're persecuting. When we're telling the story of Jesus, we gotta make sure it's always about Jesus. You ever heard somebody start to talk about, hey, let me tell you my journey with Christ, and it sounds like a ah story about them. It's all about them, all about who they were, all about what they did, all about them, them, them, them, them, and it seems like Jesus is just an afterthought.
00:13:11
Speaker
But if you're telling the story, there's only one story we're telling, it's the one of Jesus. He is the hero all the way through the Scriptures. Next year as we're reading through the Bible, some of you are going to be amazed to find out that Genesis through Revelation, every story that comes to us from the pages of Scripture, every story points to the greatness of God. You aren't the hero of the story.
00:13:35
Speaker
the people we call heroes in the Bible, the David's, the Moses's, the Noah's, the Aaron's, those guys aren't even the hero of the story. All of us in this room, all of us that walk this planet exist to bring glory to one person who is the hero and his name is God.
00:13:50
Speaker
and that's what the scriptures tell us. This is the third account in the book of Acts where um Paul takes the time to tell his testimony, to tell the story of what he happened. I wanna take you back to Acts chapter nine for just a second because in Acts nine, which is the first place where he tells his story, he does he tells us something really, really interesting as part of this.
00:14:13
Speaker
It says in verse one, ah Well, let's skip down. Verse 3 says, As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. Now, if a light is really, really bright in the mid-east, in the desert, you know this is an astoundingly bright light Matt Risley preached our service for us at eight o'clock service this morning. He said, you know what it's like? It's like when you're riding down the road in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, and one of those obnoxiously big trucks with the bright LED lights that's coming down the road towards you. He said, that's kind of what I imagine it to be. But it was bright enough that not only Paul, but his companion companions saw this bright light from heaven. Verse four, it says, falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
00:14:58
Speaker
Who are you Lord? Saul said, I am Jesus, the one you're persecuting. Sounds very much like the story he's told us in chapter 26. But he says, but get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. This brings to mind two really important questions that you and I have to address here this morning. Number one, who is Jesus?
00:15:20
Speaker
Who is Jesus? When you walk out of here this morning, whether this is your first time in church or your fiftieth time in church, you will now become responsible for this information.
Critical Questions about Jesus' Identity
00:15:31
Speaker
Who is Jesus? And how you choose to answer that question will determine your eternity. It will determine how you spend the rest of your life.
00:15:42
Speaker
If it's true how you answer that and you really, really believe it with all your heart, it's gonna change the way you wake up tomorrow morning. It's gonna change the way you live your life, Monday through Sunday. Who are you, Jesus? But the second question, which is equally important here, Paul gets told, you go and you will find out what it is you are to do for me. Who are you, Jesus? So what did I do about it?
00:16:07
Speaker
What do I do about it? The Bible tells us that every single one of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us are in need of a savior. And all of us have a choice that we have to make.
00:16:20
Speaker
We either shake our head, acknowledge that, and walk on and pretend like it doesn't make a difference, or we choose to submit every area of our life to His authority, ask for His grace and mercy, and make Him Lord of our lives. That word, we throw it around so much, I don't know that we often understand exactly what it means, but to be Lord means that we are no longer in charge.
00:16:43
Speaker
It is the authority of God in our lives that directs us where we need to go. That's why we talk so much about this word, which is critical, obedience. Obedience. You cannot call Jesus your savior and Lord and decide to live life by your standards.
00:17:02
Speaker
So Jesus, Jesus is the hero of the story. He always will be and always must be. Let's keep reading through the story. um Verse 16.
00:17:16
Speaker
But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared for you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me." Am I reading the right place? Okay. You're gonna have to follow me. Acts chapter 26. I'm in verse 17.
00:17:40
Speaker
Sorry, I got thrown off up here. It says, I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and to share among those who are sanctified by faith in me. The fifth thing we need to to remember is to stick to the message of resurrection and the call to repentance that's based on scripture.
00:18:06
Speaker
What do
Resurrection and Repentance
00:18:07
Speaker
I mean by that? Well, if you ever have doubts when it comes time for you to open your mouth about Jesus, let me just encourage you, go back to the cross. If you can't think of anything else to talk about, if you don't have confidence in anything else that's coming up in your soul, just be still before God and take people back to the cross because it is the center, the center of human history. And it is the center of every decision that you and I must make.
00:18:36
Speaker
how we treat our spouses, how we treat our children, how we handle our businesses, the ethics by which we live our life are all based on the reality that we have a Savior who died for us and was resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit to live again, conquering death so that we no longer have to fear it. There is a clear call all the way through Scripture for repentance.
00:19:00
Speaker
Repentance is just a fancy word we use to describe turning 180 degrees from the path we used to be on to the path that Christ has called us to be on. Repentance starts the work of Christ Jesus in our lives. It opens the door for the Holy Spirit to do what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us. Until we get tired, excuse me, until we we get called home by Christ, let's not get tired or become bored or embarrassed with the message that the cross of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world.
00:19:31
Speaker
we cannot refrain from telling that story. Verse
00:19:41
Speaker
as he was saying these things in his defense, Excuse me, I skipped a part. Let's go back to verse 22. I'm sorry. To this very day, I have had help from God and I stand and testify to both small and great saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place. I think the next thing that we gotta do in sharing the story is we must rely on the help that comes from God. We don't need your eloquence to tell the story. Don't need to have your wisdom.
00:20:10
Speaker
to be more prepared to share that story with others. Paul tells us in verse 22, it is by the power of God, the help from God that I tell the story. When Jesus was talking to his disciples, he warned him, he said, there's gonna come a time and a place in the future where you're gonna be sent ah into the synagogues, into the the the throne rooms of the world, and you're gonna be forced to make a stand for me. And he said, when you get to that place, don't worry about what you will say.
00:20:37
Speaker
the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say. How many of you ever thought, man, I'm gonna have a conversation tomorrow with that relative of mine that didn't know Jesus or that friend that doesn't know Jesus and you lie awake all night long preparing your speech? You ever done that? Man, I i mean i i got it down point four points in a poem and and man, I'm ready for this. And then you get in that moment after spending some serious prayer and it just comes out of you in a way that you never anticipated.
00:21:06
Speaker
That's what Jesus Christ encourages us. He says, lean on the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit do what he is empowered to do. Be encouraged that you will never save anybody. It's always gonna be the work of the Holy Spirit in someone's life.
Relying on God and Sharing Faith
00:21:20
Speaker
To be faithful servant servants and witnesses of Jesus Christ, we need to at all times rely on the Holy Spirit. And the Bible's very clear, it's the triune nature of God that is work and the act of salvation. You see, God sends us, Jesus died for us, the Holy Spirit works in us so that we can tell the story that we just sang about a minute ago.
00:21:43
Speaker
Now, verse 24, as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, You're out of your mind, Paul. Too much study is driving you mad. But Paul replied, I'm not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I'm speaking words of truth and good judgment. For the king knows about these matters and I can speak boldly to him. For I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice since this was not done in a corner.
Agrippa's Response to the Gospel
00:22:11
Speaker
King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe. Agrippa said to Paul, are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?
00:22:23
Speaker
We have to make specific application boldly for people. What do I mean by that? You don't just share the story, but you ask them the question. you You bring it to a point where you say to them, hey, now that you know, now that you've heard, now that you've been made aware of what the gospel is all about, the gospel demands a response.
00:22:47
Speaker
The gospel demands a response. This morning here in this place, the gospel demands a response. Either you've accepted Jesus Christ or you have not. There's no middle ground. There's no third party. There's no third grouping of people in eternity. You either know Jesus, you have a relationship with Jesus, you've given authority of your life to Jesus, or you missed. You're still living as an enemy of God.
00:23:15
Speaker
And so when we have conversations, gospel conversations with people, it becomes important that we ask them the really hard question, what do you want to do with Jesus? What do you want to do with Jesus? And that question is the dividing line of all eternity. Verse 24 again, it says, as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, you're out of your mind, Paul. I heard a couple of people snicker when I read that the first time.
00:23:47
Speaker
Isn't that pretty much what the world thinks of most followers of Jesus though? You've lost your mind. You can't see God. You can't feel God. You say you hear from God, I never hear from God. You you people are crazy. What was the phrase they like to use in the 70s? Everybody was a Jesus freak. Praise God, I'm a Jesus freak.
00:24:15
Speaker
Praise the God, I'm unafraid to believe what the the word of God tells us. But the world is going to mock us. The world's gonna think, and and we will face similar responses from people when we start talking about our relationship with God. When we talk talk about these crazy ideas about learning more about Jesus, or hearing from Jesus, or hearing from the word of God, there's a great chance that people are gonna look at us and go, you have lost your ever-loving mind.
00:24:45
Speaker
Festus called Paul and insane. But again, I remind you, it's not your job to convince people. It's your job to lay out the evidence for the gospel before people, only the spirit can help them with that decision. Only the spirit can convert. We have to trust them with the results. Persecution,
Signs of Living in Faith
00:25:05
Speaker
the Bible tells us over and over again. Count it all joy my brothers, when you face trials and persecutions, facing that kind of ridicule, facing that kind of mocking, it's just a sign that you're living your life correctly. That you're living your life the way God has called you to live it. You're living contrary to what the rest of the world is doing.
00:25:24
Speaker
Lastly, verse 29, it says, I wish before God, replied Paul, that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you, but all who listen to me today might become as I am, except for these chains. The last thing I would tell you is that we must pray for the people we are evangelizing. Paul's words to that crowd, again, almost a thousand people probably, is I wish before God,
00:25:52
Speaker
My prayer is, I would hope that every single one of you would come to know this Jesus Christ.
00:26:01
Speaker
Paul has a heart of compassion towards his listeners. He genuinely cares about the eternal destination of every single one of them. You see,
Praying for Salvation
00:26:11
Speaker
unbelievers that we are sharing Jesus with are not projects.
00:26:16
Speaker
They're not ticks on a sheet that we check off to say, hey, had a conversation with them, had a conversation. They are people, genuine human beings, just like you and I, who have yet to find Jesus Christ. And with a heart that's like Christ, then we should have a desire to see other people know them, which means we should be unafraid to commit ourselves to praying for those people. We do that as we pray for unreached people groups on a regular basis. Here's a church.
00:26:45
Speaker
We do it as we send out missionaries on a regular basis to places like Guatemala and Alaska and Denver, Colorado. We pray for people who are lost that we know who are in our sphere of influence. But do you genuinely sincere plead for the souls of those who do not know Jesus Christ? This might be uncomfortable to some of you, but every single one of you here this morning were prayed for last night at a seven o'clock, our Saturday night prayer time.
00:27:15
Speaker
I would encourage some of you to come and join us on a Saturday night to have other brothers and sisters pray for people who are lost who need to know Jesus Christ. Guys, after all, this is why we still exist. This is why we gather as a church so that we can continue to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. We believe with all our hearts, there's something special about this Jesus.
00:27:39
Speaker
And because
Centrality of Jesus' Story
00:27:40
Speaker
that, we are willing to reorient our lives around the person and the story of who he is. Last week as we got to the end of the story, I was telling you how Felix was given the opportunity over and over again to hear the stories that Paul was sharing and to set up the same hope that Paul had. And I got to then that message and I said to you a couple of times, don't be like Felix. Today, my encouragement to you, don't be like Festus.
00:28:08
Speaker
You see, Festus was probably about 30 years old when he heard this testimony from Paul about what Jesus had done.
00:28:18
Speaker
Clearly, the gospel was presented to him.
Warning Against Delaying Faith Decision
00:28:22
Speaker
Because his knowledge of Judaism and his exposure to it through his family, he knew the the Messiah prophecies that had been filled in the Old Testament for years.
00:28:32
Speaker
History would tell us, not the Bible, but the history will tell us that for two more years, Festus would live and then Festus would die a premature death without Jesus.
00:28:47
Speaker
My guess is that somewhere in Festus' private times, he convinced himself, I'll have time to make that decision later on. For now I'm too busy ruling a kingdom. For now I'm too busy chasing after the things of this world. For now I'm too busy swimming in my indoor swimming pool. For now I'm too busy being me. Someday I'll get around to it and his someday came and he wasn't ready. And because of that, Festus will spend eternity in hell without Jesus Christ.
00:29:20
Speaker
So here's what I wanna do. Very quickly to end this. I'm gonna make this really, really easy for you because I know some of you still are going, man, i I don't know. You just shared a lot of good stuff, but I don't know. If the opportunity came up at lunch today or at school tomorrow or at my workplace, I just don't know if I would know exactly how to do this. So I'm gonna make this as easy as possible, A, B, C, D. Number one, always make it about Jesus. I'm just gonna break your heart. You're not that interesting.
00:29:53
Speaker
I'm not that interesting. Nobody cares about my field trip in seventh grade. Nobody cares about the girl I dated in high school. Nobody cares about what I graduated with, what degree or whatever. What they care about is how I once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was blind, but now I see.
00:30:15
Speaker
I once lived in darkness as an enemy of Jesus Christ, but by His grace, His mercy, His compassion, I have been welcomed in as a child of God. It's always about Jesus. Secondly, the B, be brief. Some of you are long-winded people. I'm not looking at anybody in particular, but you know who I'm talking about, right?
00:30:42
Speaker
The phone rings at the office and I see your name pop up and I'm like, I ain't got time for this. Or you see somebody walking down the street and you cross over the street because you know you've only got 10 minutes and they're about to kill 10 minutes with you. Keep it brief. Don't lose the interest of the person who's been given kind enough to give you a few minutes to talk to them about Jesus. See, keep it current.
00:31:13
Speaker
I was born a poor child on the wrong side of the tracks down in South Georgia. If I started my testimony that way, you would instantly check out because you're going, this dude's 57 years old. We got a long way to go before we ever get to history. I don't need to know all your history. You don't need to know all of mine. Okay? So keep it current.
00:31:35
Speaker
but Many times we we always want to go back to that that that moment, that moment where we accepted Jesus Christ, that's awesome, that's great. But you don't have to tell every detail since then.
00:31:47
Speaker
You can jump forward to the present and say, let me tell you what he's doing in my life today. The other part about that that's important, not only do you drag them through 40 years of your history, but it also lets them know that Jesus is still active in your life today, doing some really cool stuff with you. He's not a once and done kind of God. He is active and present in your life every single day of your life, as long as you're listening. Lastly, D, don't preach. Only one of us in here called to preach, and that's me.
00:32:18
Speaker
Thank you. And some of you are going, you've preached long enough this morning so wrap this up and so I'm gonna wrap it up. You don't need to preach. You don't need to tell people that their lives are evil. The world knows it's evil, right? Even those people who try to pretend everybody's good, and all they gotta do is read the headlines and they know there's bad stuff in this world. None of you have to be told when you do something wrong because you instantly know.
00:32:48
Speaker
You instantly know. Even children, when they're born, you ever watched your child when they're a toddler and they do something wrong? Where do you find them? In the c closet hiding it, right? Or behind the couch pretending like it's not them. In fact, most of you, if you've had children, have heard a phrase most of your life that they repeat over and over again. Not me. Not me. So they don't need you to tell them the situation they're in.
00:33:18
Speaker
What you need to tell them is the situation they could be graduated to. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was an enemy of God, but now I am a treasured child of the King. And that is the hope of the world. This morning, if you don't have a real relationship with Jesus Christ, today could be the beginning of your testimony.
00:33:45
Speaker
Today could be the beginning of your, I once was this, but now, praise God, I am this. But it's your choice. What will you do with Jesus? Will you pray with me?
00:34:05
Speaker
For the testimony of Paul that encourages us with great words of hope. We praise you. because of the work of the cross where Jesus gave his life for us, that because of that, we can have that hope.
00:34:24
Speaker
And this morning, every single one of us are responsible for this truth, that God so loved the world, he gave his only son. So that anyone in this room, anyone that's listening online right now, anyone who hears this message and receives it,
00:34:43
Speaker
that it's not necessary that they perish and spend eternity and hell removed from Jesus, but instead they could have eternal life.
00:34:57
Speaker
What a great exchange, God, to move from darkness into light, from death into life, from hopelessness into eternal hope.
00:35:14
Speaker
So this morning, Father, I pray that if there's anyone here who needs to take the step across that line, that their heart would be encouraged to do that very thing. That today would be the day of salvation for someone in this room. If there's anyone here who has just the slightest bit of doubt, that they would come and have a conversation with somebody on our staff, because your word says we don't have to live with doubt. We can know for sure. We can know for certain that we have this relationship.
00:35:44
Speaker
Thank you for that reassurance.
00:35:49
Speaker
Maybe there's somebody here this morning that's just experiencing some pain in their life because maybe they started that journey long ago, but today they find themselves struggling. Maybe it's the weight of their own sin. Maybe it's the pain caused by someone else's choices in their life. Maybe it's just the fact that they've gotten off the road for a while and they're trying to find their way back.
00:36:13
Speaker
Lord, today we welcome that with open No matter how far removed we are from Christ Jesus, grace can always bring us back. That's good news. So this morning, help us to choose, to choose wisely what we do with the person of Jesus.