50 "Committed to the Call of Christ" Acts 21:1-16 | Sunday, May 31, 2026

And I'll invite you to remain standing,

please, and turn your Bibles to the book

of Acts, chapter 21.

Acts 21 · chapter mention

Acts, chapter 21.

Acts 21 · chapter mention

I want to mention that next Sunday is

our celebration Sunday as we worship the

Lord and give him thanks for five years

of ministry here in the Boulder Valley.

Many of you have been a part of that uh

from the very beginning and some of you

uh for several years and some of you

have just started coming here in recent

weeks. And regardless of how long you've

been here, we're thankful for that

you're here and for the way that God is

working in your life. And we're sure

looking forward to rejoicing and

celebrating together next week. Acts

Acts 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21. We're in a sermon series

verse by verse through the book of Acts

that's entitled the empowered church.

The entire message of Acts is about how

the work of Christ continued by his

spirit through his witnesses from

Jerusalem to Rome. And where we're at in

the book of Acts right now is Paul's

final voyage back to Jerusalem. The rest

of the book is going to cover not only

his journey, but his defense and his

witness of Christ before governors and

kings until he takes a ship in chapter

27 to Rome. And that's where the book

ends is with Paul preaching the gospel

in Rome. And so that's the final section

we are entering into here beginning in

Acts 21. We'll cover verses 1-6

this morning. Read along as I read from

verse one. And it came to pass that

after we were gotten from them and had

launched, we came with a straight course

unto Coas in the day following unto

roads and from fence unto Peter. And

finding a ship sailing over unto

Phoenicia, we went aboard and set forth.

Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we

left it on the left hand and sailed into

Syria and landed at Ty. For the ship was

to unlaid her burden. And finding

disciples, we terried there seven days,

who said to Paul through the Spirit that

he should not go up to Jerusalem. And

when we had accomplished those days, we

departed and went our way. And they all

brought us on our way with wives and

children till we were out of the city

and we kneelled down on the shore and

prayed. And when we had taken our leave

one of another, we took ship and they

returned home again. And when we had

finished our course from Ty, we came to

Tameus and saluted the brethren and

abodeed with them one day. And the next

day we were the uh we that were of

Paul's company departed and came into

Cesaria. And we entered into the house

of Philip the evangelist which was one

of the seven and abodeed with them. And

the the same man had four daughters

virgins which did prophesy. And as we

terried there many days, there came down

from Judea a certain prophet named

Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he

took Paul's girdle and bound his own

hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the

Holy Ghost, so shall the Jews at

Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this

girdle, and shall deliver him into the

hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard

these things, both we and they of that

place besought him not to go up to

Jerusalem.

Then Paul answered, "What mean ye to

weep and to break mine heart? For I am

ready not to be bound only, but also to

die at Jerusalem for the name of the

Lord Jesus."

And when he would not be persuaded, we

ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be

done." And after those days, we took up

our carriages and went up to Jerusalem.

There went with us also certain of the

disciples of Cesaria and brought with

them one man of Cyprus, an old disciple

with whom we should lodge. The title of

our message this morning is very simply

committed to the call of Christ.

Committed to the call of Christ. Let's

pray and ask God to give us

understanding of his word. Heavenly

Father,

we want our savior Jesus to be praised

and glorified in our lives.

You have given us a great call and I

pray that we would follow your

instruction from this text that we would

be faithful witnesses unto Christ as

your word says. We need the help of your

spirit to understand the spiritual

truths from your word. And so I pray you

would open our eyes, our ears, and our

minds to receive your word. And I pray

that would it would affect true change

in our lives. I ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you for standing in honor of God's

word. You can be seated.

Last weekend we celebrated Memorial Day,

a day to remember those soldiers who

paid the ultimate price to fulfill their

calling as a good soldier. I want you to

imagine with me for a moment being one

of those young soldiers on a landing

craft heading for the shores of

Normandy.

You know what awaits you. Machine guns

on the cliffs. Artillery mortars

bombarding those sandy shores. Bullets

flying everywhere.

You have no idea which of the soldiers

around you are going to make it. You've

already written a farewell letter to

your family and friends, knowing almost

assuredly

the fate that awaits you.

If someone gave you the chance

to turn around and go home in that

moment,

would you take it?

I think that's a question that those of

us today who live in freedom on the

backs of those who had no choice ought

to ask ourselves today. Would I have

taken that chance?

See, most people spend their lives

avoiding suffering, avoiding danger,

risk, and hardship. If we know that

something painful awaits us, we try to

go the opposite direction. We put it off

as long as we possibly can. But there

are moments in our lives when the

mission becomes more important than our

protection.

When the calling matters more than our

comfort.

Soldiers know exactly what danger awaits

them. And yet they remain completely

committed to their calling.

And that's really what we see in Acts

Acts 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21.

Paul is on a spiritled voyage to

Jerusalem.

He testified as we saw last week in

chapter 20 to the Ephesian elders on the

shores of Myitus that the Holy Spirit

was witnessing in every city that bonds

and afflictions awaited Paul at

Jerusalem.

But he had a calling to fulfill.

When Christ appeared to Saul in chapter

nine, he not only saved his soul, but he

commissioned him to bear witness to the

name of Christ before the Gentiles,

before the kings, and before the

children of Israel. That was the calling

on Paul's life. And it was made very

clear from the beginning that that

calling carried the certainty of

suffering.

And yet what we find in this text is

that as every stop brings Paul one step

closer to Jerusalem,

the warnings continue.

Suffering and shackles await him.

Friends are warning him. His companions

are pleading with him not to go. And yet

we find that Paul just kept on moving

not away from but toward Jerusalem.

How would you respond

if you knew that following Christ

guaranteed

suffering?

Because whether Christ calls you to

preach or to serve as a missionary or to

bear faithful witness of him here at

home, that calling can often come with

some form of suffering.

Whether it's the abandonment of your

family, the loss of a job, or

estrangement from lifelong friends,

it could even bring physical affliction.

A week ago, I learned of a man who runs

in our Baptist circles by the name of

Benjamin Shetler. His father is on the

staff at West Coast Baptist College out

in Lancaster, California. and he founded

an organization that travels to the

streets of major cities in the US for

the specific purpose of engaging people

with the gospel.

Last week when he was in New York City,

he was violently attacked, robbed, and

landed in a hospital bed. All because he

followed his calling from Christ.

And Ben's story is a reminder to us

today that even in our circle and even

today, following Christ can still prove

costly to us.

So I ask, how should we respond when

Christ's call carries the certainty of

suffering?

And Luke's narrative from Paul's example

is rather a simple answer.

Remain committed no matter what.

Remain committed no matter what. As we

look at Paul's example here today, it

models three ways that each of us need

to remain committed. But then I want to

conclude the sermon with a reason why we

should remain committed. And so let's

consider first of all that we need to

remain committed wherever the call is

leading. That's what we see in verses 1

through3. Remain committed to where the

call is leading. Paul's voyage shows his

commitment to getting to Jerusalem.

According to chapter 20, Paul has less

than six weeks to reach Jerusalem by the

day of Pentecost. And thus far, he has

traveled only 350 miles in 3 weeks. And

he has the same amount of time to go

twice the amount of miles to get back to

Jerusalem.

And so he's in a hurry. And in this

chapter, what we find is the voyage

speeds up significantly.

After a few frequent stops at Coas and

and roads and Peterra in verse number

one, we get to verse two where he's

finding a ship. The idea there is to

search and find. And so he is looking

for a ship that is sailing over unto

Phoenicia. That would have been north of

the border of Israel. So instead of

making stop by stop, port by port, he's

trying to find one that's going to get

him straight over toward Israel. And he

finds this one going to Phoenician. It

says, "We went aboard and set forth. Now

when we had discovered Cyprus, we left

it on the left hand and sailed into

Syria and landed at Ty for there the

ship was unlaid her burden." And so what

the idea that you get here is that they

continue sailing on this particular

ship, but instead of making a port stop

at Cyprus, they just get on right

through. And Paul very quickly is able

to land there on the shores of

Phoenicia.

And so the sense that you get is that

Paul is in a hurry to get to Jerusalem.

Well, why is that?

Last week we saw that Paul addressed

those Ephesian elders and and if you

actually just look back there, we'll

just read it in verse 22 of chapter 20.

Paul says this, "And now, behold, I go

bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem." And

so the the spirit of God is compelling

Paul to get there. He's following the

leadership of the Holy Spirit. But

notice it says, "Not knowing the things

that shall befall me there, save that

the Holy Ghost witness in every city,

saying that bonds and afflictions abide

me." But look what he says in verse 24.

But none of these things move me,

neither count I my life dear unto

myself, so that I might finish my course

with joy and the ministry which I have

received of the Lord Jesus to testify

the gospel of the grace of God. Paul had

a calling on his life and he was

determined to fulfill that calling.

And so he tells them, I want to finish

my course. What draws our attention here

in these first few verses of chapter 21

is the fact that Paul knew suffering was

coming. But instead of turning away or

delaying his journey, rather he is

headed straight for Jerusalem.

This kind of reminds me of the first

time that I took my family to Disney

World. My daughter Jenna was about four

years old, almost five. She was about to

turn five. And she was so determined to

ride every ride when we got there, even

at her young age. But the problem is

that the very first ride that we came to

was Space Mountain. And Jenna is of the

dark. And so that whole ride is pitch

black. And so, as you can imagine, by

the time she rode it with her

grandparents, and when she came out, she

was just done. She was, "I'm not riding

any more rides." and and she rode very

few over the next two days that we were

there. Well, we fast forward 5 years

later and we got to go again last year

and she was determined to ride every

single ride there this time to overcome

her fears. But you know where it

started? Space Mountain. Now, as we were

making our way through that forever long

line, we start getting a little bit

closer and we make the final turn into

the room where you load onto these

little rockets and they go around and

launch into a black hole. And as we're

getting closer, I could see the fear in

her eyes, the intimidation on her face

as what she experienced before was soon

to happen again. Even tears started to

flow. She didn't want to do it. She was

shrinking back from it. But you know

what happened? She pressed through the

fears. She fought off the tears. She got

in that rocket. She went into the black

hole. She conquered it and fulfilled the

goal that she set out to do, no matter

how she felt. And I I see that that's

what's going on with Paul here. The

narrative doesn't tell us exactly how

Paul felt in this moment. But he had

every reason to delay, every opportunity

to turn around, every opportunity to not

go forward. And yet he never did. He

went straight forward and remained

committed to getting to the place where

Christ called him to go regardless of

how he felt in those moments.

I want to say to you this morning that

though suffering may be certain,

we must remain committed wherever the

call is leading us. For some, it might

be leading you to witness to a co-orker

or to a hostile relative that you've had

some conversations before and yet yet

the the burden to witness of Christ is

welling up within you that you you need

to say something again. It might be

calling you to invite a neighbor over to

your home to share the gospel.

Christ might call you to go to Pearl

Street and set up a booth there to

engage people with the gospel in the

public square and proclaim Christ like a

Ben Shettler.

It might be to serve in some capacity of

public service. Whether that's as a

police chaplain or victim's advocate

that could put you in some high- risk

and high danger situations or it might

be to serve in a jail ministry where

you're surrounded by criminals to

declare to them the hope of freedom in

Christ.

or Christ may call you to bear witness

of him in a closed country in high

danger territories in the Middle East or

in Nigeria.

Our calling from Christ is to bear

witness of his name so that condemned

sinners might believe and be forgiven

and be saved from eternal judgment to

come. May God help us remain as

committed to our call as Paul was to his

wherever it may lead us.

But I want you to notice secondly in

verses 4 through7

that not only we need to remain

committed wherever the call may lead.

Number two, we need to remain committed

whenever others tell us to stop.

What we notice is when Paul arrives at

Ty in verse number four, it tells us

that the disciples told him not to

depart. Look at verse four. It says,

"And finding disciples, we terried there

seven days who said to Paul through the

spirit that he should not go up to

Jerusalem." Notice they said this

through the spirit.

Does that mean the spirit of God was

telling the disciples that Paul should

not go while at the same time he was

telling Paul that he should go? Do we

have a contradiction here? Well, I

believe the word of God is perfect and I

believe the spirit's work is perfect.

And so that can't be the answer. I

believe here's what h what's happening.

As we read back in chapter 20, Paul

said, "The spirit is bearing witness in

every city that bonds and afflictions

await him." I think this falls under

that category. In fact, I think that

chapter 21:es 1-16 are a demonstration

of what Paul was talking about to the

Ephesian elders back in chapter 20 that

that he is that the spirit of God is

bearing witness every place he goes that

bonds and afflictions await him. And so

it's through the spirit's revelation

these disciples interpret it to mean

that if Paul is going to suffer, he

should not go. But that was not Paul's

interpretation.

Paul's interpretation was though

suffering may come, I must go. I must

go. He had a calling to fulfill.

And so the disciples try to persuade him

not to go. But notice what Paul does in

verse number five. And when we had

accomplished those days, we departed and

went our way. And they all brought us on

our way with wives and children till we

were out of the city. And we kneelled

down on the shore and prayed it. And

when we had taken our leave one of

another, we took ship and they returned

home to Gen. And they just continued on

to Tomus.

Luke paints this beautiful farewell

scene.

that these disciples and their women and

their children have all come out of the

city with Paul to the shores. And I want

you to imagine the waves are rolling in.

The the ship is there at the dock and

and these disciples are all knelt down

there on the sandy shores to to pray.

And no doubt they are weeping and and

wondering for the uncertainty of Paul

and they've been begging him not to go.

And and the reason that they that they

were begging him not to go is be was not

because they didn't want Paul to fulfill

God's will. It's simply because they

loved him in sincerity.

They were concerned about his safety.

But nevertheless, Paul said, "I must

go." And they departed.

In the 1700s,

a young British Baptist preacher by the

name of William Kerry stood up in an

assembly full of ministers and preachers

and said, "I am going to India to

proclaim the gospel there."

A minister immediately shouted, "Sit

down, young man. You are an enthusiast.

when the when God is pleased to convert

the heathen, he will do it without

consulting you or me.

They said, "You're not going to India."

Nevertheless, William Kerry was

undeterred by their opposition. He

boarded a ship along with his wife and

his children. They set sail for India.

It took him seven years to see his first

convert. But he faithfully labored

through great suffering, sickness, and

discouragement. He buried most of his

immediate family there in India. But

through it all, he translated the Bible

into many languages. He planted several

churches, tr uh uh trained many

nationals, and he left a legacy to where

he was known as the father of modern

missions.

God used him in these great ways because

he remained committed to the call of

Christ even when others tried to stop

him.

And so I say to you today that when

Christ call carries the certainty of

suffering, there will be some who tell

you to stop.

It could be that the story of a Charlie

Kirk or a Ben Shetler may cause your

family to plead with you to stop serving

in the public square.

I remember when my in-laws followed

Christ's call to go to one of the most

dangerous parts of Mexico City as

missionaries. They had family who stood

in the way. They warned them not to go.

And when that didn't work, they

threatened to have their children that

were still in their home taken away from

them. And when that didn't deter them,

they wrote them out of their will. a

very wealthy man her father was.

And yet I watched as my wife's family

determined this is the call that God has

placed on our lives and we must go. And

God has worked in amazing ways through

their lives as well to see countless

souls trust Christ. And a church has

been planted and a national is being

trained and and they're about to go and

start a new church in another dangerous

area of Mexico City. The same thing that

happened with Paul happened 300 years

ago with William Kerry and it still

happens today. But the people who stand

in your way and the people who try to

stop you won't always be people from the

outside world. Sometimes it'll people be

the people who you love the most. Your

family, your friends, your parents. It

could even be church members. It could

even be spiritual mentors in your life

that try that are concerned for your

soul. And it's not it's not born out of

the fact they don't want you to do God's

will, but they're sincere. It's born out

of love, just like Paul's friends were.

They care for you and they may try to

stop you,

but as Paul did, when it comes to the

call of Christ, we must remain committed

though others tell us to stop.

We must remain committed wherever the

call may lead. We must remain committed

whenever others tell us to stop. But I

want you to see finally.

We need to remain committed whatever the

cost.

That's what we see in verses 8 through

verse 16.

In verse 8, Paul continues his journey

to Cesaria.

They enter the house of Philip the

evangelist. He was one of the seven that

was appointed to care for the widows in

Jerusalem. And yet God had even bigger

plans for him as he witnessed in Samaria

and saw many souls come to Christ. And

he witnessed in the desert to an

Ethiopian unic who came to Christ and

took the gospel to Ethiopia. And then he

goes to Cesaria and evidently settled

shop there and established a church

there and had other disciples there. But

he also had these four daughters who

prophesy.

They had that gift.

But yet it was the old familiar voice of

an old prophet that warned Paul once

again of suffering to come. In verse

number 10, his name is Agabus.

You might remember Agabus from Acts 11.

Agabus came from Judea up to Antioch and

he prophesied there that a devastating

famine was going to come across the

whole world which prompted the believers

at Antioch to send an offering down to

the brothers of Judea to help care for

their needs. And Luke told us in that

narrative that that famine came to pass

in the days of Claudius Caesar.

The point of that is to show that Agabus

is a true prophet. That what he says

will come to pass. It says in verse 11,

"And when he was come unto us, he took

Paul's girdle, a a a long belt that they

would wrap around their waist several

times to hold their coat up." He takes

his girdle and it says he bound his own

hands and his own feet and said, "Thus

saith the Holy Ghost. So shall the Jews

of Jerusalem bind the man that owneth

this girdle and shall deliver him into

the hands of the Gentiles."

Now Luke is doing something specific

here in his narrative.

This phrase, deliver them to the hands

of the Gentiles, is the same phrase that

was used in Luke's gospel when it talked

about Jesus being delivered into the

hands of the Gentiles to be crucified.

It speaks to impending death for Paul.

And so now, not only is the Holy Ghost

testifying that bonds and afflictions

await him, but even certain death will

become his fate.

And notice, of course, what happens in

verse 12. And when we heard these

things, both we and they of that place,

Luke is joining in on it now. And the

companion of of other men from the

churches of Macedonia, Aaya, and Asia

that have traveled with Paul. Now, his

own company and and the disciples there

at Cesaria, they're all joining in, and

they're beseeching Paul. They're

begging. They're imploring him, don't go

up to Jerusalem.

But we see Paul's unrelenting

resolve in verse number 13. Then Paul

answered, "What mean ye to weep to break

mine heart?"

Paul felt the full weight of emotion of

what his impending suffering and death

would cause to his brothers and sisters

in Christ. What it would cause to the

churches in Macedonia and Asia and Aaya

and throughout all the world if he goes

to Jerusalem and and dies. And yet Paul

says, "For I am ready not to be bound

only, but also to die at Jerusalem for

the name of the Lord Jesus." Paul was

determined.

Paul was committed no matter what the

cost may be to do what the spirit was

leading him to do, to fulfill his

ministry, to finish his course. Paul was

committed no matter the cost. And it

says in verse number 14, "And when he

would not be persuaded, we ceased,

saying, the will of the Lord be done."

And they take their carriages and they

head for Jerusalem.

Paul remained committed to Christ's call

even if it cost him everything. Another

great Baptist missionary named Adaniram

Judson made a similar decision to follow

Christ's call to the country of Burma or

modern-day Myanmar.

In a letter of proposal to the father of

the woman he loved,

he penned these words. Listen.

I have now to ask whether you can

consent to part with your daughter early

next spring, to see her no more in this

world, whether you can consent to her

departure to a heathen land and her

subjection to the hardships and

suffering of a missionary life. whether

you can consent to her exposure to the

dangers of the ocean, to the fatal

influence of the southern southern

climate of India, to every kind of want

and distress, to degradation, insult,

persecution, and perhaps violent death.

Can you consent to all this for the sake

of him who left his heavenly home and

died for her and you?

For the sake of perishing immortal

souls, for the sake of Zion and the

glory of God, can you consent to all

this in hope of soon meeting your

daughter in the world of glory with a

crown of righteousness brightened by the

acclamations of praise which shall

redounded to her savior from the

heathens saved through her means from

eternal woe and despair.

That's quite the proposal letter to a

father, isn't it?

The father

resigned the answer to his daughter

Anne.

And Anne herself pinned in this letter

to one of her friends these words.

My determinations are not hasty or

formed without viewing the dangers,

trials, and hardships attendant on a

missionary life, but with a sense of my

obligation to God and a full conviction

of its being a call in providence and

consequently my duty.

That was the woman's response.

Adam and Anne Judson understood the cost

and yet remained committed to fulfilling

their call even if it cost them

everything.

And so I say to all of us today who bear

the name of Christ. Remain committed to

your call even if it costs you

everything in your life.

Because following Christ's call may lead

you to trade the wealth of an upscale

occupation for a mud hut in a third

world nation. It may lead you to a

dangerous inner city. It may lead you

into precarious situations alongside law

enforcement and violence. Victims

may cost the price of an education to

learn a new language. The cost to travel

the world as a preacher of the gospel.

It may cost you family. It may cost you

friends. It may even cost you your life.

It may lead to imprisonment, disease,

and even death.

All throughout the centuries, countless

Christians were willing to count the

cost and fulfill their calling come what

may. And I simply wonder, are we is

resolved,

pastor? Sure, these intense scare

tactics we live in America. We're free.

Listen, friends, I'm deeply concerned

that America

Christians are not prepared

for the wave of suffering that one day

will come.

It's already on the horizon.

We're seeing political divides here in

the United States that we have rarely

seen before.

We're seeing attacks on houses of

churches

that we have rarely seen in the past.

They have seemingly multiplied over the

last 20 to 30 years. And friends, this

is just the start. Listen, I'm not

trying to scare us into fatalism, but I

am trying to do what a good shepherd is

called to do, and that is to prepare

God's people for the suffering to come.

Lest when it comes, you fall away,

as the author of Hebrews warned them in

their day.

Are we as ready as Paul was to remain

committed to Christ's call wherever it

leads?

Are we prepared to press forward

whenever others tell us to stop?

Are we willing to proclaim Christ

whatever the cost?

Some may ask, why should we?

What is it that compels

a man like Paul

or a William Kerry or an Adam and Anne

Judson to lay it all on the line for

Christ. And why should I?

The answer is rather simple.

You ought to remain committed to Christ

because Christ remained committed to

you.

Luke does something spectacular with the

close of his narrative in Acts.

He frames Paul's final voyage to

Jerusalem much like he framed Christ's

final journey to Jerusalem.

If you know Luke's gospel in chapter 9,

Jesus was transfigured into his glory on

a mountain before three of his

disciples.

Moses and Elijah appeared in that

moment. And Luke tells us that they

spoke to Jesus concerning his decease,

which he would accomplish at Jerusalem.

The word translated to cease is

literally the word exodus.

that through Christ's death on the

cross, he was going to lead an exodus of

a new people of God in a new redemption

from their sin and from the judgment of

hell to life eternal in heaven with God.

Christ through his death would lead a

new exodus. But you know what that

meant? If Jesus goes to Jerusalem,

bonds

and afflictions

and death await him. And you know what

happens by the end of chapter nine?

Jesus steadfastly

set his face toward Jerusalem,

not away from it. He did not delay it.

He just continued traveling from Luke

Luke 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9 all the way to Luke chapter

Luke 21 · chapter mention

21. It's about Jesus's journey to

Jerusalem, stopping in every town,

encouraging disciples, telling them that

he is going to suffer, that he is going

to die, that he's going to rise again

the third day. And you know what

happened on Jesus' journey to Jerusalem?

Peter rebuked him. He said, "Not on my

watch."

You know what happened on his way to

Jerusalem? There were some just outside

the city that said, "You shouldn't go to

Jerusalem, Jesus."

And he said, "You go tell that fox

Herod."

He basically said, "I'm coming."

Jesus goes to Jerusalem

and he suffers

immeasurably for our sin. He gives his

life on the cross for the salvation of

our souls.

And the narrative that Luke frames of

Jesus's journey to Jerusalem is the same

narrative that he frames of Paul

voyaging from Asia to Jerusalem, knowing

bonds and afflictions wait him, being

told by disciples and friends and

companions not to go. And yet, just as

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane cried

out to his father, Lord, take this cup

away from me. Nevertheless, not my will,

but thine be done. He resigned himself

to the will of the Lord. And what do we

see in this text? When Paul will not be

persuaded, they said, "The will of the

Lord be done."

Paul makes his way to Jerusalem.

And in this very chapter, he is

arrested.

He is transferred from prison to prison

lest the plots to assassinate him be

carried out. Eventually, he takes a ship

to Rome where he there is imprisoned for

years, but he's able to preach the

gospel freely until the day that Neero

had him beheaded for his faith in

Christ.

I hope you understand today that Paul

was not a trailblazer.

He was a trail follower.

The one who blazed this trail was the

ultimate hero that we look to in our

savior, the sinless son of God, Jesus

Christ, who set aside the comforts and

the glories and the wealth and the

worship of heaven, to come to this

earth, to take on our suffering, to live

a sinless life, to die a sinner's death,

to pay the atonement price for all of

your sin and for mine and for Paul's.

And he rose again the third day and

ascended into heaven and he reigns

forever more. And Jesus in that way

blazed a trail that all of us are to

follow where Jesus said if any man will

come after me if any man will be my

disciple let him deny himself take up

his cross and follow me friends a cross

is not the financial burden that you

carry today a cross is not the pain of

the experience of your past the only

thing a cross stands for is death itself

that true disciples of Jesus Christ are

called to follow the trail that Jesus

blazed. Even if it means taking up an

instrument of death. Even if it means

laying down our lives for the one who

gave his life for us. Because we know

that like Jesus, we too will be raised

from the dead. And we too will be

reunited with him. And we too will reign

forever more with him as kings and

priests in a new kingdom. That is our

hope. And that is the journey that all

of us are called to take just as Paul

was.

Now listen,

we're not all apostles.

Not all of us have the same gifting as

Paul. Not all of us have the same unique

calling as Paul did. Not even all of us

will assuredly face death.

But we never know who it will be.

in the scripture. I'm I'm convinced that

in America, our freedom has left us

unprepared for the suffering that is

guaranteed to come.

And it's our responsibility as churches

not to sugarcoat it, not to tell

believers that life's going to be easy,

not to tell you that that you're just

going to go on through life and live a

comfortable life and come to church on

Sundays and work your job. and and and

if that's how life goes, then praise the

Lord for it. But that is not the

expectation

of true disciples of Jesus.

The expectation is that we will follow

the trail that Jesus blazed

and we won't be prepared for it if we're

too scared to speak about it. If we're

too ignorant to expect it.

But my prayer is that each of us would

come to the place where we are willing

to remain committed wherever the call

leads. To remain committed when others

tell us to stop and to remain committed

whatever the cost.

May we have the same resolve

that countless others have who have gone

before us.

If you're not a Christian here this

morning,

I want to tell you that Jesus was

committed to the call of his father to

sacrifice his life as the perfect

atonement for your sin.

And the Bible says that if you will turn

from your sin, believe on Jesus Christ,

and call upon his name to save and

rescue your soul,

all your sins can be forgiven.

You can be saved from eternal judgment

in hell, and you can have eternal life.

That's what Jesus did for you.

No matter where it led, he stayed

committed. When others told him to stop,

he stayed committed. And when it cost

him his everything,

he hung on that cross, spilled his blood

to cover your sin.

Only he can save you, and he will if

you'll trust him. Now our heavenly

father,

we come before you seeking the divine

grace of our savior Jesus

to remain committed to him

come what may.

And I feel the weight that our response

this morning from every believer

must be to seek the power and enabling

strength of the Holy Spirit

to remain relentlessly

resolved

to fulfill our call

to faithfully witness of Christ

no matter who it may be. to lay it all

on the line

no matter what we face.

God, would you please strengthen us by

your grace and fill us with the boldness

of the Holy Spirit to preach Christ and

him crucified and risen again for the

salvation of all who will believe.

May that message firmly take root in

this city that desperately needs Jesus.

But for it to take root,

we must be committed to it. Help us, oh

God. I pray that if there's anyone here

today

who remains lost and in their sin,

that they would turn and trust Christ

today. That they would find forgiveness

and salvation full and free in Jesus

Christ. It's in his name I ask.