Faith Forward

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Glad that you're here on the I don't know, 75th rainy Sunday morning.

Man, y'all are we're gonna give some complimentary ors out next week, I think.

But uh it stops for service.

So just get in and we'll get dried off.

But thankful that you're here.

Hope that you're having a good summer so far.

And uh we're going to finish this study this week, everyday evangelism.

And uh then we're gonna be jumping into uh the fruit of the spirit after next week.

This is a reminder to everyone here.

Next week is Father's Day.

Alright, so if there's a dad in your life, bring them with you.

Be here with dad, and uh we will have every Father's Day, Sunday, you know, the ladies, we get flowers, beautiful things.

Dads, we get donuts.

So we're gonna have big, nice donuts, get here a little early, and uh, we'll have those.

Anyway, turn your Bibles to Acts 26.

If you got that little worship guide, it may be throwing you off.

And it would very much throw you off if you were in Acts chapter 1 this morning, as I was in 26.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

I think that is operator error, so I apologize.

Uh, but go to Acts chapter 26, and um, in everyday evangelism, we talked about being a friend, and then we talked about filling up because what comes out of you is what you're full of.

Acts 26 · chapter mention

And so the Bible says, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

So what you are full of, you pours out of you.

And last week we talked about fighting, uh, fighting through prayer, and fighting for souls in prayer.

So this week we're gonna be talking about faith moving forward.

So, how do we do those things and then make faith move forward?

And that word, faith forward, you could sum it with this word is testimonies.

Testimony.

I want to kind of practically speak, I want to teach you two testimonies.

Is one is your testimony, how you come to Christ, and then God testimonies.

Or we can say a God thing.

Anyone grow up in a time you've been in, if you've been in church for a long time, just raise your hand.

I want to see most, lots of people here.

Some of you, church is a pretty new concept or been in and out.

Um, some of you kept your hand up like that.

It's been a long time.

Long time.

I used to hear people say I cut my teeth on the pews, stuff like that.

Um, but I've been in church long enough, and if you've been in a long time, you've had things like popcorn testimonies.

Y'all know about this?

Anybody been in a service like this?

Popcorn testimonies or testimony service?

It'd be like a Sunday night, and there was no real general plan, but people were gonna share testimonies.

Um, my previous pastor, John Reynolds, he decided on a winter retreat that it was popcorn testimony time.

Now, this is a tricky thing with teenagers.

Okay.

So he gets up and he's like, I he just he got a feeling.

And I was pretty new to helping with that youth group.

Um it was it was that summer that I had started, and this was winter that year, went on a winter retreat.

And anyhow, um, so he's gonna do popcorn testimonies.

And this young lady, now he had invited a few other churches.

If you're gonna do that, I want to tell you, you know, you gotta know when that microphone is hot, okay?

And so this girl from some other church, she gets up and she takes the mic because John's feeling popcorn testimony time, the spirit's moving, and this girl gets up and she said, I've been having some sexual thoughts.

I'm like, does anybody else hear this?

And she went on, and she had that mic, and it was hot, and I'm like, oh my! And I'm looking around at his other youth leaders, I'm like, is anybody gonna help him?

John is sweating bullets, just looking, and I'm like, mmm.

So I get up.

I have no testimony to share whatsoever.

Okay?

But I get up and I go walk next to the girl because I'm like, I gotta save my man right here.

He's about to die if she keeps on.

And I'm telling you, she did keep on.

And I just looked at her finally and I was like, I got something important to say.

Because I had to save him out of them testimonies, and I got, I just I don't even know what I said.

I rattled on about nothing, but it saved the moment.

Another time we were working later on, he hired me at a church in Indiana.

Yeah, this was in Delaware, he hired me as his youth pastor in Indiana.

This was him as a youth pastor in Delaware, and he's gonna have testimony service.

Now, his plan and idea was that three people share 10-minute testimonies of peace.

And this lady gets up 40 minutes, she's going on, she said things about demons in the halls, and I'm like, what is going on?

Like, I want you to understand a testimony is an important thing, but uh I've walked through and lived through some crazy testimony times.

But I want you to know today, your testimony of your time, how you came to God, and then God's stories.

God's stories happen all the time.

And it has to become less awkward and more normal for us to be sharing as Christians our God's stories.

So that's what I hope that you'll get out of this morning.

Let me pray.

Father, we love you, and we are thankful to be people that have a testimony.

God, we're thankful for your goodness and your grace and the way that you walk with us in our life.

And God, that you not only give us something, but you give us something that we can use and find purpose and value, and God, it can impact other people's lives.

I pray, Lord, that not only you find those things, but God, that we would use them and do them.

Bless our time together in your word in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

I want to say just before we get into Acts 26.

It rained a lot, and then we have some people that are on vacations and this and that.

We have a team this morning.

There was people running around here like crazy.

I don't know, I'm just gonna be honest.

We got a team that works so well that I really don't know when something has gone wrong, but I've seen people going like this, moving back and forth.

And I just, can we give a little round of applause for the team, the worship team, the serve team, all of the people that get here?

Chairs are up, things are clean.

I'm thankful for the way that you serve, church.

And that doesn't get said enough, but I wanted to say that.

The first point this morning is this the revelation to Paul from Christ.

This is Paul, just a backstory.

Paul is giving his testimony account to King Agrippa.

And so if you'll look in chapter 26, verse 11 through 13, we'll start there.

It says this, and I punished them, talking about what he previously did pre-Christ, I punished Christians, them often in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me, and those who journeyed with me.

I'll read one more.

And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Is it hard for you to kick against the goads?

Letter A is this faith by seeing Christ.

If you want to put your ribbon or your finger in Acts chapter 9, the corresponding incident of this is found in Acts 9, 3 through 6, and we'll look at it a little bit.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

But letter A is faith by seeing Christ.

Saul, interestingly, had to be blinded to see.

I love this moment in Scripture.

Do you ever wonder what it is like?

I'm sure that you do.

You probably talk to your kids about what it is like to be in heaven.

What happened on Damascus Road in that light?

Just previous, the man is persecuting Christians.

And then this light shines, and all we're told is this bright light.

But what happened in that light?

I wonder.

I wish we knew.

It could just be a light, it could be just what it says, but I tend to think 1 Corinthians, this is why I think, 1 Corinthians 1.18 says, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved or being saved, it is the power of the cross.

Or it is the power of God.

Could it be, maybe, that Saul was given a glimpse back at the cross?

Whatever it was, it transformed him from Saul to Paul.

Everything in his life that was suddenly in this blinding light moment changed.

I want to tell you, as people who share your testimony, as Paul is sharing it here, you don't have to be a blinding light.

You don't have to be anything that draws somebody in that way.

You don't save a person.

You're a planter, you're a waterer.

God gives the increase.

And let me tell you, this blinding light moment to Paul, it was God bringing the increase.

And I want to tell you further, John 6.44 says this.

So this, I'm not putting you off the hook of sharing, but I want to tell you, we don't save.

John 6.44 says, No one comes unto the Father unless the Father draws him.

So faith through seeing Christ, God showed Paul exactly what he wanted to on Damascus Road.

And when he turned from that road, everything from there forth was different.

Have you had a moment like that?

Can you look back at a Damascus road?

I'm not saying a bright light from heaven fell on you.

But did everything change and never go back?

That was Paul's story.

Letter B is this forward by submitting to Christ.

You'll see letters A and B correspond faith and forward, faith and forward.

Forward by submitting to Christ.

I want you to go back to Acts chapter 9, and I want you to see from this passage.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

Look at verse 5 and 6, and you're gonna see.

I read some of it, but I want you to see it here.

And he said, After he said that then he fell to the ground, the voice said, So why are you persecuting me?

He said, Who are you, Lord?

Then the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you're persecuting.

It is hard for you to kick against the goat, the goats.

So he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what do you want me to do?

Then the Lord said to him, Arise, go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.

For by submitting to Christ, he said, Lord, or God, and the voice that came from heaven said, Why are you persecuting me?

Saul said, Who are you, Lord?

This experience, this blinding light, this moment told him something was greater than himself, something was happening, and he said, If you're Lord, who are you, Lord?

And he said, I am Jesus Christ.

By the way, what a rich doctrinal moment that's happening here.

Because if Jesus is just a prophet, if Jesus was just a good man, if Jesus was just a man who died on a cross, who didn't resurrect, then Paul's conversion never happened.

But Jesus is God.

That is bedrock to our Christian faith.

And he said, Jesus, who is God, says, it is hard for you to kick against the goads.

Y'all been using that phrase lately, right?

Right?

What does that mean?

It's hard for you to kick against the goads.

An ox goad was something that was used to prick an ox so that it would steer in the right direction.

So when you go against the steer, there was a goat that would prick that ox so that it would get back on the right path.

And he was saying, you're kicking against the goad.

You're you're doing this to you.

The way that you're living your life.

You're persecuting me, who is calling you to me.

Why do you rebel?

When it hurts.

Some of us have a hard time learning, right?

So we rebel again and again and again.

And what we're doing is kicking against the pricks.

We're kicking against the goad.

You ever done something that was you against you?

I'll tell you one.

Um I took a group of teenagers to um, oh, now I'm gonna forget the name of the the big amusement park in Ohio, Cedar Point.

So I took a group of teenagers to Cedar Point.

We left on Sunday after church.

It was five and a half hours, so we get down there and we do Cedar Point all day long.

Back then I didn't, I didn't leave.

Some of the kids that got me late in youth ministry, I'd leave at five or six.

I want to get home.

I gotta get to bed.

Anyway, in early youth ministry, I was there to the park closed because I was like one of them.

And so we get there Sunday night, we go to bed, you know, it's late by the time we get there.

We get up early morning, we're there at the park as early as possible all day until it closes at 10.

It's five hours back home.

Now, I should have said no to something, but my my pastor asked me when we were getting a new worship pastor who was coming from Oklahoma.

Fortunately for the church, I was a professional in moving, so I had a crew that was waiting 5 a.m.

Monday morning to take off to Oklahoma from Indiana, 20 whatever hours it was to there, and then move all their stuff.

Anyway, so I am on my way back, it's like midnight on this is Sunday, and I'm like, I'm I'm getting tired.

Can you imagine?

I'm getting tired.

And I'm like, I'm gonna try one of these five-hour energies, right?

I don't know what this is.

It I can tell you this, it tastes disgusting.

But I threw the thing down and I'm fine.

I'm going.

This is my first time with this dance, and I'm like, this is good.

So I make it home at like three in the morning.

I don't know what my mind was thinking, but I'm like, I got to sleep good.

So I go to the cupboard.

I gotta meet people supposed to be 5 or 5:30 in the morning.

I took Tylenol PM to go to sleep.

My brother-in-law's there, he wakes me up, and I'm like, I wake up, I get up, I get in the van, and they're going.

I'm supposed to drive one of the vans on my two and a half, whatever hours of sleep.

I get in the van.

I don't even know how they got me in the van.

I was in the van.

Next thing I know, it is 12 in the afternoon.

So seven hours had gone by.

I'm I'm just laid in the back illegally of a church van, and um somebody wakes me up.

We go to go in a rest stop, and it is the hottest day I've felt in life.

This move that we had in Oklahoma, it reached in the 120s.

It was disgusting.

So I get out of the van, I'm walking off whatever, my high and my low, whatever you call that, my five-hour energy, my Tylenol PM, and I get into the truck stop restroom, and the next thing I know, I'm on the floor, and a man is over top me.

Brother Rick, brother Rick, you got are you okay?

Man, I'm gonna tell you what happened.

I kicked against the gold.

That was me fighting me.

I don't know what brain ever thought five-hour energy and Tylenol PM should go together, but that's what I that was me fighting me.

Y'all ever fight you?

Do you ever do something you know you shouldn't do?

Anybody honest?

We've got some liars in the church.

Tell you what.

I was kicking against the goads.

If you don't, listen to me, for some here today, you need to hear this.

If you don't change your direction, you're gonna kick against a goad.

And for some, it's gonna hurt, and it's the price is gonna be more than you want to pay.

Paul admits later this is hard.

Paul says, the thing that I want to do, I don't know why, but I don't do.

And the thing that I don't want to do, that's the thing that I do.

Do you ever feel like that?

On Sunday, you come, you say, Dear God, help me.

And the Bible says that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

And my spirit says, God, I don't want to, I want to be a better mom, a better father.

And then Monday comes and my flesh goes, kicking against the goats.

What a message that happened in that shining light.

He said, Quit.

Can I just tell you, Matthew 11, 28 is found in this moment.

If you will come to me, all that you that are labored and heavy laden, I will give you rest.

Quit fighting me.

Just come to me.

Well, that's what was happening with Paul on that road.

But Acts 9.6, he went forward after he heard that voice, after he saw that light, even though later Paul admitted that was hard, he went forward in submission.

Acts 9.6 said that he was trembling, he was astonished.

But he said, Who are you, Lord, and what do you want me to do?

He submitted.

Church, some of you today, you've never had that moment and said that line.

God, your God, I believe you're God.

What do you want me to do?

What do you want me to do?

Not what do I want me to do, and I keep getting go to what do you want me to do?

I submit.

I am yours.

I surrender.

Paul said, Lord, what do you want for me to do?

Go back to 26 verse.

Chapter 26, verse 19.

I want you to see this this little important phrase.

Because it's going to go back to the need for a testimony.

But he says to Agrippa, remember, he's recounting all this.

And he says, Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.

I would highlight that.

I was not disobedient to the vision.

We can sum up submission to Christ in this microphase phrase.

I was not disobedient to the vision.

Have you been obedient?

You have a testimony, faith that can move forward.

Are you being obedient with it?

Did Christ change you, church, and want you to keep your story private?

Well, verse 18, it talks about why that submission, he says, to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness.

Paul said, He opened my eyes, a Christian persecutioner, so that their eyes would be open.

How did their eyes get open?

Well, Paul's gonna have to take his faith forward.

How are their eyes gonna be open, church?

Are you taking your faith forward?

Are you being a friend?

Are you being filled up?

Are you praying for someone specifically?

And then are you taking your faith forward?

Well, we're gonna see number two, it takes us from revelation, seeing who God is to transformation.

We're gonna see how Paul's life changed.

The transformation of Paul through Christ is the second point.

And look at Acts 26.

I want you to see verse 15 through 17.

Again, this is what we've read this, but look at it again.

So I said, Who are you, Lord?

And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose.

There it is.

To make you a minister and a witness, both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send you.

Letter A is this faith from a desperate life.

From something.

He's taken us from something to something, from a desperate life.

Paul was a Judaizer, which was a rule maker.

He was a zealot, he was.

More eager, he said, than his peers.

When he describes himself, he says, I was circumcised on the eighth day of the tribe of Benjamin, not converted, but a born Jew.

He calls himself a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee of Pharisees, the most conservative religious group.

Paul says, I was the top of the top in this life.

I was following all the regulation, all the rules, I was doing everything right, and I was good at it.

That's what Paul said of his whole life.

Saul was desperately trying to live for the man-made accolades that life brought.

And he was climbing all the rungs.

And I've come to find out something in life, church.

When you get to the top rung of that life, what's next?

It's another ladder.

There is no top rung.

When you get to the top rung, there's another step to a new ladder.

And then there's another ladder at the top of that top rung.

The world's ladder is just another ladder.

But for Paul, you see, he made a 180 on Damascus Road.

He had a 2 Corinthians 5.17 experience.

If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Old things are passed away.

Behold, all things are new.

He had a new experience.

Faith from a desperate life.

That thing that he used to be, he says, I'm not that anymore.

Amen, church.

I'm not what I once was.

And so he said to him, This is your purpose.

This is what I'm pulling you from.

I'm pulling you out of being this Judaizer, this sect of people, this Pharisee of Pharisees, into a life with actual purpose.

Well, letter B.

He moves him forward through a distinguished life.

The word distinguished means God's separated.

The word holy means separated unto God.

The word sanctified means set apart by God.

I want you to see something.

Look back at Acts 9, verse 17 and 18.

Acts 9:17

Just see how some of this unfolded.

And Ananias went his way, this is verse 17, and entered the house, and laying his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Look at this.

Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once.

He arose and was baptized.

Paul's eyes were opened, the scales fell.

He could see after this blinding light.

And you know what Paul said?

He said, Somebody find me a tub.

I need a river.

I need a lake.

I need to get in some water.

It said, immediately.

Whatever it was that changed him, he knew immediately I have to be baptized.

He didn't get changed.

He didn't tend to his eyes.

He didn't phone a friend.

I bet Paul's baptism was amazing.

This was a man who was just killing Christians.

And now it looks like he's taking the initiation of Christianity.

Now he is a Christian.

It said in that scripture, for this purpose to be a minister and a witness.

God took his life and began to change him for this purpose to be a minister and a witness.

God interjected, and Paul entered a set apart life.

If anybody was ever set apart, we could say this.

I mean, it was like God said, Paul, you're set apart.

Paul, whoop, and just flipped him around.

Paul, blinding light, not anymore.

This.

I mean, that is set apart.

That is distinguished as it comes.

Well, Paul later would say this about the change in his life.

This is important to his testimony.

Philippians 3, 7 and 8, if you have time to turn there.

Listen to how he testified the God things in his life.

This is what Paul said about what he once was.

Philippians 3, 7 and 8.

But what things were gained to me, these I have counted lost for Christ.

Yet indeed I want all, or I count all things lost, for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

For when I have suffered all, and I count everything to be rubbish that I may gain Christ.

He said, Whatever it was, it was lost.

Whatever it was that I was, it was lost.

Whatever the world told me was giving me a testimony, he said, it was lost.

And further, it was garbage.

Yesterday, I was a garbage man.

Heather told me this week there was a track meet, and I thought her track contract is a booster.

President was done.

Callie's graduated.

Done with that.

Praise the Lord.

But they had one more fundraiser, I found out this week.

And that was yesterday.

And if you're looking at why I'm so red, this is a part of that joy.

But I was a trash man yesterday.

And I found out a lot about trash men at seven hours of the track meet.

Alright?

You know, I learned a lot about people.

How people look at trash people.

I learned about grown people who they may or may not miss the trash can and don't care.

There's a trash can, they throw towards it, miss, and leave it.

I learned about grown people who see a trash bag that falls into a trash can and never think a second thought.

They put the trash on top of the trash can.

Have you ever dealt with this kind of thing?

I have.

Some of you shaking your hand.

I didn't know what disease I was coming home with yesterday.

I seen grown people watch me with a 200-pound cart with 20 to 40 trash bags in it, come up to me as I'm moving and go, oh, hey, wait a second.

You know what kind of strength it takes to get this cart moving with all this momentum.

I'm headed to the trash, and they say, Oh, hold on a second.

Okay, let me hit the brakes.

Because they didn't want to throw their trash in the 42.

I counted other trash cans.

But there I was conveniently coming by, mobile trash man, that's my service.

They stopped me for that.

And then let me tell you, the judgmental glances you get as a trash man.

There I am with my neon yellow gloves.

Yes, I'm wearing them.

But people are looking at it like I'm less than human.

I'm like, I am trying to provide you with a nicer experience.

I know that I smell, but I'm just trying to make it nice for you.

I know they see trash juice splattering as I'm moving bags.

I know all these things are happening.

I'm painting the picture.

Paul said, my life before it was garbage.

Everything over, hear me, church.

Don't just focus on Saul.

Everything that the world is trying to sell you that isn't Christ, it's garbage.

If you're living for the 401k, oh that's fine, that's okay.

But compared to Christ, he said it's garbage.

If you're living for the next big thing, well, fine, go do the next big thing.

But he says, compared to the knowledge of Christ, my testimony, it's trash.

Everything that the world tries to tell you is success that is not Jesus Christ, and this testimony that we get to be gospel on the ground is garbage.

When you've been set apart by Jesus Christ, it is the loftiest.

Child of God, that is the apex.

The blood of Jesus.

What is more valuable than that precious blood that's all to cover up yours and my sin?

The greatest call in this life is to be set apart by God.

And hear me, church, he does not set people apart to set them aside.

He doesn't call you to himself and then say, Well, you're good.

One day you'll go to heaven.

Do what you will in between.

That's not the distinguished life.

The distinguished life comes with a story to share.

So what's your story?

Point number three this morning is this the glorification of Christ through Paul.

Look at verse 18 through 22.

Again, there's that purpose.

He says, to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light, that people would get the gospel and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not obedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do works befitting repentance.

For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

Therefore, having obtained help from God to this day, I stand witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come.

Verse 22, that Christ would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.

Letter A is this faith through heralding.

Heralding.

A herald is someone who simply speaks.

Someone who speaks.

And I want to tell you, that's the last part to this everyday evangelism.

It's getting less awkward about speaking.

God's stories happen every week.

Will you make it a point to speak your God's stories?

He said, last week, I'll pray for somebody.

Will you also, I ask you, pray for you?

Because Paul said, pray for me, Ephesians 6, that I would have an utterance, a door, that I may speak boldly.

That was his specific prayer.

And so, speaking.

Verse 22, again there, he said, Witnessing, I'm witnessing, I'm standing before you, Agrippa, witnessing both to small and great.

I'll talk to small and great.

Anyone that will listen to this story.

If you went back to Acts, it says six in this experience, his eyes were closed for three days.

The last thing he remembers in his life mission was, I am killing Christians.

And now he heard the Christ of Christianity.

Do you think this is, you know, the kids say this today?

Mind explosion.

I was killing Christians.

And now, did all this really happen?

Three days that his eyes were shut before he met and was baptized.

No food, no drink.

He fasted.

What in the world do I do?

What do I do?

How do I do this?

What do I do?

If I am, am I a Christian?

I bet Paul asked himself, Am I a Christian?

What do I do?

If I'm a Christian, then what is it that I'm supposed to do?

What's interesting, later Paul would go on a trip to Arabia for three years.

And we're not privy to the information of all that happened there, but most commentators believe Paul was spending time in scripture and worship, discipleship, and the results on the other side we do see.

Paul at one time boasted in this life.

Later, Paul would write in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 if I can boast in anything, it's how weak I am.

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

And my boast is in Christ alone.

You see, he began immediately when he came back from Arabia, he began to take the message of Jesus Christ faith forward.

Everyday evangelism.

And that's what we have to become more comfortable with the speaking part.

Now I'm not telling you, listen, y'all have seen me do this before.

I went cold turkey with my dad.

Is anybody in the house?

What's gonna happen if you die today?

Bless God, if you don't know them, you're gonna burn.

Like I've been on visit after visit after visit.

That's why I'm telling you, make a friend.

Get to know somebody, find their need, bless their need, take them a meal, right?

Get to know somebody in need and then be full.

Let me be full.

I got, listen, it is hard to do the right thing.

I'm kicking against the goads when I'm not doing this.

I gotta fill up me daily.

And then when an opportunity arises, when you're at the gym, when you're at the grocery, hey, can I tell you a God story?

Man, something happened the other day, or somebody's going through something, and because they're your friend, they say, This guy, this lady, she is different.

They've already been invested in me.

And they start to ask you, how'd you get through this thing?

And you go, well, let me tell you a God story.

Faith through heralding.

I want you to turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 2.

2 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

I'm gonna read.

What this looks like before God, and another way this is described.

Second Corinthians chapter 2.

2 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

I've already quoted verse 15, but look at verse 14.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place.

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved.

Highlight that.

And among those who are perishing.

To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other, the aroma of life leading to life.

And who is sufficient for these things?

For we are not so many peddling the word of God, but as sin out of sincerity, as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

It says, thanks to God who makes manifest.

That word manifest is fanaru, and it means making out of nothing something.

You ever felt like out of nothing, God created a scenario in front of you?

I didn't even know this was out of nothing, he makes manifest, and he can make something out of nothing.

It says the savor.

Now, you could read that quick and thought it said the savior, but it says the savor of his knowledge by us.

The fragrance, when you got Jesus Christ in you, and there's a world around you that needs it, there's a savor, there's a fragrance.

1 Corinthians, I said this already, 118, the message of the cross is foolishness to the lost.

They say, why would I want to be saved?

Why would I need to be saved?

Why would I want that life?

For most that are lost, that is the general idea that it's foolishness.

But God, Fanaru, makes something out of nothing.

And that's the part that, as long as you're being obedient, because here's how people play it.

Well, it really don't matter.

What if I get rejected?

I don't feel like doing that.

It's really not that big a deal.

It is, because out of nothing, God can make something.

He can manifest, he can fan a room.

And so he diffuses that fragrance.

Now he uses the wording fragrance because we can all relate.

It's not like you're walking down the street and somebody goes, Oh my, Christian.

I smell it.

It's like Prada Black.

Christian.

Or they smell it the other way, right?

Oh! Like garbage, like Pastor Rick on Saturday.

But I want you just take a second.

I want you to go with me why he uses fragrance.

Oh, would just humor me if you would.

Can you close your eyes?

Okay.

I want to see if you can if you can smell what I'm cooking here.

Turkey basted in salt and butter.

Homemade yeast rolls.

Mashed potatoes and gravy.

Christian vegetables.

AKA Casseroles.

Green bean.

Sweet potato.

Grandma's homemade dressing.

The fragrance is seeping into the halls.

Cinnamon rolls, pumpkin roll, pumpkin pie, pecan pie.

Look at that.

What a good church you are.

If you're visiting today, I told everybody to set an alarm for 1111 last week because we're going to be praying for lost people.

Good work.

I took you right out of the whole fragrance, though.

Did y'all smell like I smell?

Did y'all smell Thanksgiving?

Anyone smelled Thanksgiving?

Did anybody taste it a little bit?

Jason, I know you did.

I could tell.

Did any of you feel like you gained a little bit of weight?

Just right?

Some of you are like, a few people were looking towards the door.

We're leaving for lunch.

That fragrance makes sense to you.

He said, the knowledge of Jesus Christ through the testimony as you speak it, I can make something out of nothing.

For some people here, you just went to a place out of nowhere.

You weren't planning to go to that place, but as I spoke, the testimony of Christians as they speak, God can turn something from nothing.

Let me take it this way.

Woke up one morning in our house in Connorsville, and the house was disgusting.

I walked around because it's my job as the man to find out why the house smells disgusting, and if I can fix it, fix it, man.

That's your job if you didn't know that.

And what I found out, Heather had diluted bleach into the sink the night before to let it clean and whatever that does.

But I didn't know I surged it out.

I'm like, this smell is so foul.

When I got to that sink, it was like a backhand to the face.

A mouse fell in the bleach.

I can't even describe it, but y'all can, right?

I just took you to a place, right?

You can smell that it was disgusting.

It said, to one, it's the aroma of life.

We don't know who the one is that the aroma of life is coming to, but it's like that thanksgiving.

And to one, it's just death because they're still in the foolishness of the cross.

It's just death, right?

And they will reject it.

But to one, you're not there for the rejection anyway.

You're there for the one that would receive.

And so as we speak, either way, 2 Corinthians 2.17 says, but we speak Christ.

The speak part is vital, church.

Acts 4.20 said that we couldn't help but speak the things we'd heard and seen of Jesus Christ.

Now I want to tell you, it is really hard to be speaking and overflowing the things that we've seen and heard of Jesus Christ.

If we hadn't seen and heard Jesus Christ all week.

Make sense?

Like we fill up with this so that we can go out on our life mission.

But you got to be filling up with it.

That's what Acts said.

I can't help.

Psalm says, to declare the glory of the Lord.

Psalm also says, let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

John the Baptist went before Jesus Christ.

He was a herald.

It's all about this speaking.

And we say, oh, Pastor Rick, it's not politically correct today.

People might get offended.

It's awkward.

They're going to turn me down.

Maybe.

But maybe out of nowhere, God's going to make you that smell, that fragrance unto Christ that somebody is so much after.

The Bible says, faith, hear me, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

And it says, How shall they hear unless somebody preach or speak?

Well, let me try to make it practical for a moment.

So the 1111 prayer person.

If you're visiting, I invite everybody in the church last week to set an alarm at 11 11.

By the way, man, that's That blew me away.

By Monday morning, I have a list of over 40 people that you've texted me people's names.

I'm going to try to make a list to put out here so anybody that wants to pray over those specific names.

But uh, we texted back and forth.

Somebody texted me from Costco.

I'm walking through Costco, praying.

It was 11, whatever, praying.

I said, Well, that prayer is going up in bulk.

I know that.

But uh just a church that's getting involved more in prayer.

So you're praying for your prayer person.

Here's some practical things.

Well, how do I get into that conversation, Pastor?

Here's one sentence you can say.

Can I ask you about your spiritual journey?

We talk about all manner of all kinds of things.

Some people might share with you their bank stuff, they might share with you about their marriage.

To ask a person, can I ask you about your spiritual journey?

Seems legitimate from a Christian.

And then, whenever there's an opportunity, can I share with you a God story?

God stories are just blessings.

Okay.

It may be a blessing, it actually maybe is just something you learn.

So it may be something hard, right?

But a God story.

Think about what God is teaching you, think about what God is showing you, think about blessings, and be willing to let them fly right out of your mouth.

I'm not talking about 10 minutes.

I'm talking about one minute.

I share this with the serve team.

A guy came up to me afterward, talked to me for one minute.

He shared with me his God story.

To use the blessings specifically.

Then when God does something through prayer, share that.

When he teaches you a scripture, share that.

A God story.

So I want to give you a challenge.

Last week, that's awesome because we're still obviously the alarms are still going off.

But I want to give this challenge.

There's seven days in a week.

Can you share one God story a day?

Seven days in a week.

It can be to your family.

But start getting into practice, not thinking it's awkward, right?

This is what we're created to do and share.

So seven God stories in one week.

And I would love for you.

I sent out my phone number last week.

Text me your God story.

I would love to have hundreds of God's stories that this church has happening in their life because God is at work.

That I know.

Okay.

So here's a little segue.

So we've shared a God story with the coworker who we've been praying for, we believe is lost.

And then if now God has to be working, if they shut it down, then you know this is not the Holy Spirit working, opening the door.

But if the Spirit is moving in this moment, I've shared my God thing, and then I feel it, and they seem attentive, you say, Can I share my story?

This is how you came to know Jesus Christ.

This is a step from God's been doing this thing and they're engaged, they're like, How is it that you're different?

What is it?

Whatever.

They're engaged with you, and you jump to, can I share my story?

And share your story.

Like, listen, find a way to condense it.

Okay.

I always, when those popcorn testimonies times when people started giving dates or ages, I was like, oh no.

When I was 12, and then when I was 14.

And then that's I'm like, oh my, can we get to that?

Which at which age was the most important?

So get to the meat of it and learn how to share your God story, how you came to know Jesus Christ.

Some of you may be sitting here and you're going, I don't, I don't know that part.

You can today.

Today can be the day that you open up your heart, you repent of your sins, and you accept Jesus as your Savior.

You can have the landmark date today, this day, can be the day of salvation.

We have classes, and often we'll have what is my testimony, and people I watch people on that part.

It's like they're kind of wondering.

They're almost share your story.

If you get to share that story, here's the last part of the practical part.

And the person is still connected, they're still locked in.

When you're done with that story, you can ask a question like this Have you ever done that?

Have you ever had a moment like that?

This friend you've been praying for, hoping that they'll receive this, you share your story, and you say, Have you ever done that?

No matter what they say, you can say, Let's pray.

And if they hadn't done it, you can ask them during that prayer, Would you like to receive Jesus?

Share your story.

You see, Paul's story was this.

I was Saul, or yeah, I was Saul, and now I'm Paul, Damascus Road.

There was a blind man in the Bible who says, I met Jesus, now I see.

There was a woman at the well that came running into town and said, This man knew everything of me.

Zacchaeus said, Jesus, I met him.

I went, he came to my house.

Jesus is my friend.

He had a story.

And you know what?

They told those stories.

None of these people had a PhD or a seminary degree.

They went to people like them and they shared their story.

And that story.

Look, the woman at the will said the whole town was revived.

Everybody heard the story of Jesus.

She didn't go back and reiterate the Sermon on the Mountain.

She just said, I'm at Jesus.

He changed my life.

That's what people need, church.

Last point, let her be.

Finish up.

Forward through harmony.

Acts 26, 23 and 24.

It said that Christ would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, and he would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.

That's important.

Now, as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are beside yourself.

Much learning is driving you mad.

But he said, I am not mad.

Most notable Festus, but I speak the words of truth and reason.

Forward through harmony, you see, proclaiming, Jesus said, Paul, I'm bringing you to this moment.

I'm changing your life that you could proclaim to Jews and Gentiles.

He said, I want teamwork amongst Christians.

Teamwork, church.

Some of you need to be watering and planting.

And watering and planting.

And sowing and serving and loving.

I used to tell teenagers, man, if one of you prays for one kid in school, yeah, maybe.

But if two or three or four of you start huddling around this one kid, I just have to believe there's some strength in that might pull them to Christ.

Well, we find out later and we don't have time, but Acts 9.31 talked about as Paul went in and was a brother to the Christians, they were unsure of him at first, some of them afraid.

Rightfully so.

He was previously in churches killing people.

And so they were unsure of him.

And in Acts 9.31, it says, Because of Paul, the churches of Jesus Christ were built up.

They were walking better because of his testimony.

Is the church walking better because of your testimony?

Are you a divider?

Are you a uniter?

Do you bring people together?

Is your testimony that of someone who loves and is working together with people?

Forward through harmony.

You see, suburgeon says Satan hates Christian fellowship.

Anything which can divide saints from one another, Satan delights in.

There's the words of suburbion.

Paul hoped to win Agrippa because if he could win the king, it would bring so much unity.

He hoped for unity amongst Christians, that Christianity would be widespread.

And so he had this opportunity.

He could lose his head over it.

Anything could have happened, but Paul said, Oh, king.

If I could just win him.

He wanted to see Christianity widespread.

And probably the person who is most influential in seeing it widespread in the early church.

But there's a sad phrase.

And I read it and verse 28.

Look at that.

I hate this phrase.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, you almost persuade me to become a Christian.

Almost.

Church, there's some almost in the room.

There's some almost in your life.

And I gotta tell you what those almost need.

They need a little more of the fragrance.

They need a little more of you.

There's almost.

And I told our serve team this morning, but you know, growing up in Alabama, I didn't, a lot of you grew up in Alabama.

You're born almost.

You're born into almost a Christian.

And people will live and die their life staying an almost Christian.

And that is the saddest thing.

People think they're okay, but they've never had a change of heart.

They've never come to know Jesus Christ.

And Paul said, Paul said, Agrippa said to Fest that this man might have been set free if he'd not appealed to Caesar.

All this was in the account.

Paul put so much on the line.

He wanted to see this man come to Christ.

He wanted to see the harmony of the gospel throughout the kingdom.

Is there harmony through your testimony?

You've heard of famous preachers, Wesley and Whitfield.

Phenomenal.

Thousands to the Lord through these men.

Disagreed greatly on some areas of doctrine.

I mean, couldn't have been more different in some areas.

They were known for having really tough debates on their theology, but they grew in love for one another.

Here's a question was asked, Do you expect to see John Wesley one day in heaven?

Whitfield was asked, Do you expect to see John Wesley?

He said, No.

Wesley will be so close to the throne of glory, and I will be so far away that I will hardly get a glimpse of him.

Couldn't have disagreed more, but the love that they had in Jesus Christ bonded them more than the disagreement.

One of the things I love about this church, its testimony is when people visit, they say, everyone was so inviting.

It felt like family.

Well, I want to close.

If you'll indulge just a few more minutes and ask you this question: what is really valuable to you?

What is really worth living for?

I'm back and forth this week.

I share this illustration a lot to get the gospel across when I've got a short time to share the gospel, and some of you might have even heard it before, but I want to share with this question.

What is really valuable to you?

I want you to think right now.

Is there five things?

What is your life saying is really valuable?

Not things, but your schedule.

What is really, really, truly valuable to you?

There's this old man who was outside of a jewelry store and he was nervous.

He was pacing back and forth, and he was holding in his hand something that he thought might get mocked, and he was trying to gather up courage just pacing out in front of this store.

And finally, as he walked in and he was nearly tearful just over the ideas that were going on in his mind, he walked in and an expert jeweler said, May I help you, sir?

And he said, Well, he said, I've got this red pebble.

He said, It was my father's before it was mine.

And I've seen this red pebble, it'll show up just like all of you.

You have something, it hits the junk drawer, it shows back up, it finds its way back out, it gets in a toy room.

He said, This red pebble has been here, it's been there, it's showed back up, it's been lost for many years.

He said, and I came across it again the other day.

Kids have played with it, everybody's had their hands.

And he said, I wanted to bring it in here, and just at that moment it hit him, and he began to weep, trying to hold back tears.

He said, Sir, it's just been really tough.

Life has been really tough.

He said, I'm just gonna be honest, I'm desperate.

My family is starving.

He said, Is this worth anything?

He said, I've tried and I've tried all kinds of things.

He said, Sir, if you'd tell me this is worth anything, it sure would help me.

The jeweler pulled the stone out, he looked at it, he grabbed a magnifying glass and began to examine it very closely.

And after a few moments, the jeweler stepped back and he said, Mister, your pebble is no ordinary stone.

He said, What you have is a pigeon's blood red ruby.

This is full of fire.

And Claire, this is a 24 carats.

He said, I would like to make you an offer today.

He said, Okay.

What is your offer?

He said, I'd like to pay you$250,000 in exchange for your stone.

The man immediately fell on his knees and he began to cry.

He said, Sir, are you okay?

He said, Sir, what do you think about this offer?

He was just in disbelief.

He said, I will take that offer.

And this man got up and he walked out feeling brand new.

That's what I want you to hear, church.

For years and years he lived poor, and his family lived poor.

He struggled, not having much.

All the time, right close to them was the most valuable thing any he and his family had ever seen.

Something that would change everyone's life.

From that day moving forward, that man told everyone about the blood ruby.

You see, church, the Bible says, for you are bought with a price.

Therefore, glorify God with your body.

God thought that you were so valuable.

Romans 6.23, he said, For the wages of sin is death, the payment of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

He sent Jesus Christ to pay your price and die on a cross.

He must have thought that you were extraordinary and valuable.

So many people today are living for so many things, and what they're looking for is value for relationship, for trophies, and all the while they're lonely and they're going without one.

Right near is the most valuable thing.

Church, there's people in here today, and you're looking and you're searching.

You're a Christian and you're wanting something more, and I want to tell you it's so close.

It's not a pigeon's blood ruby, but it is blood.

And it's what Jesus Christ shed on the cross for you.

And your story that he gave you is the most valuable thing that goes with you through this life and can bring somebody to the next.

The most valuable thing.

What are your eyes fixed on for value?

I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes this morning.

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