Conformed but not converted - Bro Jesse Howell 6-30-2024

Where he's the Lord. Thank you, brother Nathaniel. Appreciate the Lord here

this morning. So good to see each one in the house of the Lord.

We miss those that are out. Keep them in your prayers. Be

turning to Luke, I really feel like that I've got of heard in here

this morning to preach to someone. Leave. The Lord will meet us here

to this morning. What about you leave? The Lord will meet us in

his house. I will say, we're two or three are together together.

There is he in the midst. Appreciate everybody here this morning, Luke.

A twenty second chapter the gen reading in verse them the thirty one will read

two verses. The Bible says, and the Lord said Simon, Simon,

behold, Satan hath desired you. Satan desire to have you, that he

may sit you as we. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith

fell not, and when thou art converted, strengthen thy bready. Would you

lift your hands this way here this morning, lift them up to God and

ask God to help It's Lord. We thank you for your goodness and your

mercy. God. We thank you for your grace and your kindness. Lord,

for all that you've done. God We thank you for your spirit,

Lord that is with us here today, God that goes with us, God

that endswells within us. Lord, we ask that you would touch each one,

God, that you would touch each vessel in this place here at ninth

Lord, that this morning, that you would speak to us, God,

that you would be with us. God annoyed my lips, Lord, to

preach your gospel. God, we asked you annoyed these ears to hear your

word. God will give your glory and we'll give you praise in the wonderful

and lovely name of Jesus. Amen and Amen. You can be seated in

the presence of the Lord here this morning. The Lord put this on me

about eight fifteen this morning. I've got about half the amount of notes that

I usually have when I come to the pool pit. But I feel like

the Lord. And I was messing with my wife this morning because y'all preachers

know, when you get a thought, you'll write it down in your phone

or on a piece of paper if you've got I've got a notebook on my

phone and I'll write it down. And I have probably ten or fifteen little

outlines that God has given me, and I feel like I will preach one

day, and I told my wife, I said, you know, it

just couldn't be one of the ones that I already had a lamp outline for.

You know, it just had to be something new. But I want

the mind of God here this morning, So I want you to I heard

an elderly preacher say, I just need I need you to help me get

it off the ground because I can trash land at myself. So I want

y'all to get with me here this morning for just a few minutes. I

want to keep you along. I certainly miss our pastor the man of God

here today, but looking looking back for our foundation here this morning. In

the sixth chapter of Luke, we're gonna look, we're gonna start a verse

twelve. We're gonna read a little bit here this morning. The Bible says

Luke six and twelve. When it came to pass in those days that he

went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.

Who's he talking about talking about Jesus. Jesus went into a mountain to

pray and continued all night in prayer to God, reading on. And it

was and when it was day he called up to him his disciples, and

of them he chose twelve, whom also he named Apostles, Simon, whom

he also named Peter, and Andrew, his brother James, and John Philip,

and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and

Simon calls the Looties, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot,

which also was the trader Luke's account. Here is Jesus choosing twelve disciples

to go with him on a daily basis. These are men that Jesus has

chosen to walk side by side with him, to be with him and help

him on his missionary journey through the world that he created, through the world

that he made. These are the guys. These are the men that he

chose to stand side by side with him. These are the men that Jesus

hand picked. He said, I'll tell you, and I'll tell you,

and if you paid attention here it says in verse thirteen. And when it

was day he called up to him disciples, He called up to him his

disciples. So he called all of his disciples together, and out of all

of his disciples, he chose twelve specific men. He chose twelve. Out

of the multitude, or however many it was, he chose these twelve.

He's chosen men. And in reading this, I want you to take notice

of the man named Simon. This man named Simon by his father and mother,

I suppose, was renamed by Jesus. Jesus called him Peter. And

I'm glad here this morning that I've got a new name, that I've got

a new name written down in glory, because I'm not the man that I

used to be. I'm not known by what I used to be known.

I'm not known by what I used to say. I'm not known by the

way I used to act. But I'm known by a new name here this

morning. God and Jesus had big plans for this man named Peter. He

had big, big plans for Peter. He renamed him. And Peter was

an old Jewish salty dog, if you will. He was a fisherman along

with his brother Andrew. The Bible says that they had some fishing buddies named

James and John, the sons of zeventy, the sons of Thunder, as

you might know them, right. And Jesus called Simon. He called all

four of them guys. He called Simon, and he requested him to join

him on his mission. Luke five Luke chapter number five ten. The Bible

says here and it was so, and it and soul was also changing John

the sons of Zebedees, which were partners with Simon, and Jesus said up

to Simon, fear not from henceforth out y'all catch men. Jesus tells Simon

that he will no longer be a fisherman as his trade. He tells Simon

that his his that his means of making ends meet would no longer be fishing,

would no longer be fishing for fish to sell at the market, would

no longer be fishing for fishes to put food on the table that night.

But from henceforth on, he said, if you would instead be a fisher

of men, what Jesus is saying, You're not gonna be a fisherman anymore.

Out on the sea. You're gonna be preaching the gospel. You're gonna

be reaching for souls that are less fortunate. You're gonna be reaching for those

that are uncommon, that that don't have the common, the common things of

life, the ones that most people believe are under you, that you most

people believe are under them. You're gonna be reaching for those people. Every

disciple of Jesus, every every child of God here this morning should be fishing

for men. We should be reaching out for someone. We should be witnessing.

We should be saying a good word to someone. We should be spreading

the good news. It is, it is. It is required of all

Christians to go into the highways, to go into the hedges and compel them

to come. The Bible said in the eleventh verse of the fifth chapter that

they forsake all and followed him. The Bible says, and when they have

brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed him. These men

that Jesus called forsook everything, and they followed Jesus. I want you to

look at a definition with me here this morning. Cambridge Dictionary says the words

conformed. That word conformed means to behave according to the usual standards of behavior

that are expected by a group or a society. Jesus requested and expected Peter

to leave us. Next, he requested and expected Peter to leave his fishing

boat. He expected him to leave his means of life and to follow him.

And Peter conformed to the will of God. Peter conformed to the will

of Jesus. We read in the Bible that they forsook all. Peter said,

as you wish, as you request, I will leave it all right

here, and I'll go with Jesus and I'll walk with God. He conformed

to the will of God. He conformed to the play of God. And

what a sacrifice these men made, What a drastic change. These guys made.

No doubt they loved the life that they now lived. I have no

doubt that Peter loved loved walking with Jesus. He said, I'll trade the

fishing boat any day to see the miracles that this man is performing. I'll

tray any day that the fick touching these fish, to walk in these dusty

streets with this man and see them blinded, eyes open. I'll gladly hang

up my necks to see someone that was pair of lines begin to walk again.

To see someone that was stuck out of pool, that couldn't knew nothing

about it. I'll gladly give it all up to see the plan of God

come forth in his life. I believe Peter loved living this new life.

I don't think he dreaded it. I don't he was sorry of the choice

he made. I don't think that he was upset that he left everything.

I truly believe that he was excited. I have no doubt that he loved

with walking with Jesus, talking with Jesus, gleaning from Jesus, hearing the

wisdom of Jesus. Every woman ever heard Jesus said, never a man spake

like this man at twelve years old. He just wanted to dis Christ at

twelve years old. They said, what in the world is this little boy

doing? These? Teaching works beyond his years, wisdom beyond his years,

works beyond what he should know. Ne are a man spake like this man.

Peter loved helping other people. I believe he was living his best life

helping other people, witnessing Jesus alter and change people's lives, forever seeing them

come in one way and leaving the other. But I want to preach here

this morning, And I told you I won't be long. But I want

to preach for just a little while this morning on conformed but not converted,

Conformed but not converted. I seen many people in my few years that love

church. They love holiness, They love the social aspect of church. They

love the friends that they have, They love the companionship that they find.

They love the relationship that companies the companies the family of God. And they

conform to the standards. They conform to the dress code, and they conform

to the cone of condent that is expected. You remember what the work conformed,

don't you. I read it to you. It needs to behave according

to the usual standards of behavioral that are expected by a group or society.

Right. I feel like Peter conformed to what Jesus was doing. He enjoyed

it. I need you to help me here, just for a little while.

This morning, We're gonna go somewhere, and I want to push towards

an altar here this morning. That's what I want. I want to see

some people in here that are gonna praying in the altars. I've seen people

that go with the flow when the music is just right, they take a

laugh. When pastors under the spout where the anointing is coming out, they

jump up, they shout glory, they shout hallelujah. They love church,

they love what they feel in church, so they conform to church, they

conford to the norm. They can conford to what everyone else is doing.

They get caught up getting conforming that they can forget about being converted. They

get caught up in their music, they get caught up with the preaching,

and they forget to slow down and that God changed me. Conforming is wonderful.

Conforming is great. I love people that will conform. I love people

that will get with the program. They'll take the bull by the horns,

They'll swallow it, hook light and sinker. They'll pick it up and run

with it. I love people like that. I love people that get behind

something. They get behind the vision and get behind the plan. But don't

forget in that conforming, in that getting with the program. Don't forget to

slow down and let amazing grace come in. Don't forget to slow down and

open your heart and let mercy call over the top to the bottom of your

soul. Don't forget the broken and the contract heart that God will not despise.

There's gotta be a change inside as well as a change outside. There

must be a change inside. There must be a change outside. Peter followed

Jesus for quite some time before we get to our text this morning in chapter

twenty two, we're gonna read it again our text this morning. We read

it first Luke twenty two, verse thirty one, and the Lord says Simon,

Simon, behold, Satan have desire to have you, that he may

sift you a week, But I have prayed for you that I faith fail

not right. And when thou art converted, strengthen the brethren. What I

want us to look at here this morning is the worth of Jesus Christ,

the worth of the Son of God. When he says to Peter, when

you are converted, when you've been changed, when something takes side of you,

takes place inside of you on the inside, when you converted, when

you're not just conforted, we're not just walking in a guilty distance. When

you're not just walking because everyone else just walking. When you get converted,

strengthen the brethren. Jesus is saying, I feel like here this morning.

When you get it on the inside, when it goes below the shoulders,

when it's a hard thing, when it's down deep in heart, when you're

not just conforming, then strengthen the brethren. If you want to help people

in this world, if you want to save people. If you want to

speaking of their life, you need something on the inside, not just the

show, not just the feeling, but something on the inside. Jesus said

Peter needed to be converted. Peter was a great man. I'm sure I

can't I can't wait to meet him. I can't wait to walk up and

see Peter in glory, to meet him, to talk with him. But

the Son of God said he needed to change. The Son of God said

he needed a conversion, He needed to be converted. He needed more than

what he had. I remember the night that I truly got converted. I

remember the night that I truly sold everything out to God, and I said,

as you wish, Father, as you desire, and as you request,

I will. I long to be converted into that that I should be.

The word converted means adapted to be suitable for a new purpose. Peter

walked with Jesus. Peter loved Jesus. I believe that he believed Jesus was

the Christ. He said he did now art the Christ, the Son of

the Living God. But all of that never saved Peter. All of that

never gave Peter what he needed to stand believe in Jesus was Christ believing that

Jesus did much good. Jesus knew that Peter needed a change on the inside.

The way that Peter was going looked good. On the outside. He

walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus. Peter was very faithful. Peter was

a faithful disciple of Jesus. Yet he needed a change inside. Peter looked

like he was fine on the outside. To the naked eye, he looked

like everyone else. To the naked eye, he fit in. I believe

Peter did some good. I believe Peter meant well. But God knew that

when temptation would come, and when the testing would come, and with that

little learn would come up that fire, he'd say, I know you were

winning. Jesus. Thus that Peter wand fell because he didn't have what he

needed inside when testing came, when temptation came, Peter did not withstand the

opposition. Later on, in our chapter twenty two our texts, the chapter

of our text, verse number fifty five begins, and when they had kindled

a fire in the midst of the hall and were sat down together. Peter

sat down in Longville, but a certain maid beheld him as he sat by

the fire, and earnestly looked upon him and said, this man was also

with him, And he denied him, saying, woman, I know woman,

I know not. I know him not. Yeah. And after a

little while another saw him and said, thou art also of them, and

Peter said, man, I am not. And about the space of an

hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, of a truth, this fellow also

was with him, for he is a Galilean. And Peter said, man,

I know now what thou sayest. And immediately while he yet spake the

cock crew to everyone around Peter, he was with women right to everyone around

Peter, he was with Jesus. To everyone around Peter, he had Jesus's

back because these people. Three different people said, I know he was with

them. I know he's one of them. There's nothing that he can do

or say to convince me that he is not one of them. But Jesus

said, when you're converted, so on the outside, Peter was with him

on the outside, from the outside looking in. Peter had it all together.

He had everything just like it should be in this scripture reading that we

just read, Jesus has been arrested and we read in the heat of the

moment that Peter fails because he didn't have what he needed inside. But Peter

went out, and the Bible says he weipt Peter, and I personally believe

that at that point Peter was converted. I believe that at that point Peter

realized what I have done, what I have missed out on in not selling

everything, and I'm not here to mask Peter. I told you I can't

wait to meet him, but I can't go against what Jesus said. Jesus

said, Peter now could be converted. That's the son of God that knows

everything. And I can't tell you what you need to do. I can't

see exactly where you are at. But if the pastor's preaching and the best

his lines up, we have some willing to do. I'm almost done here,

I'm almost done. I've got a few minutes left. Peter realized his

shortcoming at that moment, and he repented of it. We can have a

change of heart. I believe that at that moment Peter had a change of

heart. He realized that he didn't have exactly what he thought he had,

or maybe he realized he didn't have what he needed, and when we stood

back and we look at the way of life. Sometimes we look at our

way of life, the way we're living. We look at the way we're

going, we look at the life that we're leading, and we look at

the the what's behind us, and we look at the aftermath of what we're

leaving. Then we must realize and we must understand that what we're doing is

not working. We must realize in the artists, with ourselves that we need

a change of heart, we need a change of life, We need something

to be different in our hearts. Peter walked the walk. Peter talked to

talk, but there was something more than he needed. I wan used to

stand here this morning, and I wonder here this morning, if we've got

a precious soul, that would be be honest, and you would be honest

with yourself and God, and you would say I've conformed. I did what's

expected of being. I've looked around and I did with everything. And I

know that do you or everything that I see others do that I've conformed to

what the church does. I've conformed to the program. I walk the wall,

I talk to the talk, but I need something more because when I'm

honest with myself that what I'm doing it won't get me to where I need

to go. The way that I'm living won't end me up where I need

to end up at. When Peter was converted, what appreciate he was.

If Peter wasn't converted, it wouldn't have been said in the bar. Then

Peter stood up and began to preach in the upper room. If Peter didn't

realize that he needed a change, the great things that Peter done would have

never tooken place, because he must be converted. Here this morning, Romans

twelve and two says, and be not conformed to this world, but bee

transformed, Bee transformed. That sounds like a conversion to me. That sounds

like a drastic change to me. And I feel like here this morning,

maybe someone would lift a hand, maybe they would be artist with himself and

say, I need a change. What I'm doing is not working. What

I'm doing looks like it's working. It's looked like I've got everything under control.

But on my bad night, when I'm there there and the lights are

off and it's starting, I really realized that I need a change, that

I need a change of direction. I need a change of life. I

need to change your heart. I need to change your mind because what I'm

doing will not get me through, will not get me over here. I'm

going you could have that change here tonight. I believe it took Peter that

one prayer, that one time being honest with himself, that one time being

honest and saying I failed you, Lord. No time to make up,

no time to act like it's okay. But I need to change God.

What I'm doing is not working. I'm ready for a change. I want

us to find a place to pray. Here this morning, we can find

that change in Jesus. Here, this morning, we can find a new

name down in glory there, written down in the book of life. H

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