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<v 4>Well, we're Chris and Laura Adair,

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and we've been in this area a long time since 1994. We have four children,

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um, getting older, 22 tomorrow,

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two 18 year olds that we just sent off to college.

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And our youngest is Hannah and she's 10.

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<v 5>Hannah had been, uh, not feeling well on and off for a little bit, and uh,

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had gotten to the point where we decided that we needed to take her in, uh,

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to get her checked out to see what was going on. And, uh,

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I took her into the doctor's office and he looked at her and said, okay,

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we need to do a full blood workup.

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And he came back within five to 10 minutes and he walked into the room and

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basically said, results like this, I call an ambulance.

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So arrived at Duke, uh,

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at the er and then basically they said that we need to find out now what,

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what's the cause? Why is this happening?

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<v 4>And she never had really had any experience like this.

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So they immediately started, um, uh, blood transfusions, immediately,

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IVs in one arm and then IV in another arm.

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And then after a little bit they said, well, she either has a, um,

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a virus or she has cancer. And we were just, uh, in complete shock.

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And so that day they admitted us to the picu,

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the pediatric intensive care unit there.

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And that kind of be began the whole journey of trying to figure out what was

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going on.

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<v 5>There was just a lot of things that we had to figure out and decide really,

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really fast. Um, I think when it really hit me, uh, the most,

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I was in my car and I just, I lost it. I was irate. I was mad with God.

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I couldn't understand how this could be happening to us. Um, and, uh,

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I just heard this most powerful voice I have ever heard.

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Hannah's cancer is not me trying you. I am not testing you,

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but watch what I do Now, the, the power in that and, and,

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uh, I, I can't even explain it.

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It was like there was an incredible instant peace that just

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came upon me. I went from crazy, angry to just,

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it's gonna be okay. From that point on,

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I just went through the process of the whole treatment as,

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okay, let's see what God does next. And he showed up time after time,

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after time after time. And it always, I always thought when I saw that,

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I was like, this is him fulfilling what he said.

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<v 4>Um, when they started saying that they knew it was leukemia, a ML leukemia,

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you just kind of go into shock. Nothing would stick. I couldn't remember names,

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I couldn't remember stuff. But, um,

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our friends and our small group people just rallied,

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just immediately came in and we had people visiting us and coming out and, um,

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we were just overwhelmed by the goodness of people and the goodness of God.

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<v 5>And, uh, the other thing that I think I learned from this, uh,

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my daughter as she was going through the chemo,

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was keenly aware of whether or not we were okay.

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I was there one time and watched her and she would look over at me and smile at

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me and be very sweet to me.

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And then when she didn't know that I was watching her,

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I could see her wincing and struggling with the chemo and with the stuff that

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she was going through. But it was important to her that we were okay.

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I had never had any idea how strong my daughter could be

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or how strong any of us could be.

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We are capable of dealing with, especially with God on our side,

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far more than we ever imagined that we even know.

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Just as long as you don't quit, it's a day by day, by day. It's what it was.

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And the hospital, just make it through the day.

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You keep on going and you're gonna be okay. You'll make it through.

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God can handle all the other details.

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<v 7>And isn't that a great story?

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I I tell you mean stories like that will give you hope. And, uh,

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I'm so thankful to have a church family that we know is gonna rally around all

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of us when we get in times of need. Listen, hope.

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Good to be with you this weekend. Love you guys.

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We are gonna be continuing in a series that we've been calling who we are.

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And so we're in week three. Uh, I've mentioned a few times, uh,

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over the last month or so,

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I believe God's kinda given us this new identity that he wants us to step into.

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Like what does it really mean to be his church?

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And then for us specifically at Hope Community Church.

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And what he's given us is this very clear and this very simple picture of what

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that looks like. And it's this, that we would be a family that loves God,

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follows Jesus and shares hope. When we kick the series off,

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we talked about what does it mean to be a biblical family?

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Like to recognize that, to take on our identity as sons and daughters, uh,

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of the living God, that all of us, regardless of race, socioeconomic status,

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background,

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that all of us are actually brothers and sisters as a part of the same family.

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With that means all of us have certain roles and responsibilities within the

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family.

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Last week we talked about what does it mean to love God to actually live into

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this call, that we have to love God as the scripture says,

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with all of our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength.

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But what we realized is what we unpacked is all of us in our lives,

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we have this temptation to take these small g gods, uh,

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and maybe clinging a bit more tightly to 'em than we should.

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We kind of grab a hold of these idols. And so we said, man,

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if we're gonna love God with everything we have,

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we've gotta come to know God for who he is,

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because it's only in those moments or those idols gonna pale in comparison to

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who he really is. This week, uh,

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we're gonna talk about something that on one hand is so incredibly simple,

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but on the other hand,

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I think it evades most of us for the more majority of our lives. And it's this,

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our call from scripture to actually follow Jesus. And,

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uh, I want you to know as we start out, I just, I have this concern for us.

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And when I say for us, I really mean us. I mean like for me, for you,

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for the elders within the church staff, volunteer leaders, congregation,

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really anybody who would call themselves a Christian,

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regardless of whether they go to hope or not.

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And you could be hearing my voice today,

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wherever you're listening to this and think, well,

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I don't even know that I'm a Christian. That's okay. Uh,

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I actually think this is a good message for you to hear,

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to actually really find out what this whole thing is about.

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But here's why I'm concerned, because I think in today's western world,

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the term Christian is so nondescript.

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Like what does it really mean? And for so many different people,

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it can mean different things. For some, it could mean, well, hey, I mean,

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I go to church one to two times a month.

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My family grew up going to church. I grew up going to church with them.

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And so I still go to church. Now, it could be, hey, I was baptized as a baby,

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as a part of, of a different church.

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It could be I wanna raise my kids in some type of positive environment.

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Maybe you pray before meals or when you need something in life.

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Or you could just say, I don't really know much. I just know that when I die,

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I don't wanna go to hell. And so being a Christian seems like it's a good idea,

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but my concern is this,

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we can actually go through our entire lives and actually miss what

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is at the heart of our faith.

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Remember last week we talked about when we've gotta focus on the main things and

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so we can miss what's what's at the heart of our faith, which is this,

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to embrace the gospel of Jesus and to surrender our lives

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and following him. I mean, that's at the root of what it means to follow Jesus.

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And I'm, I'm just telling you right outta the gate,

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like that's the bottom line of where we're going.

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And so we're gonna kind of spend some time unpacking that.

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But for the time being,

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what I want all of us to do is to take all of our preconceived notions of what

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it really means to be a Christian. I want us to throw him out the window. Uh,

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don't leave while you do that.

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'cause who knows what you do when you get outta here.

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But like for the time being while we're together,

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let's throw those out the window. And let's take a look at God's word together.

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So embrace the gospel of Jesus and to surrender our lives

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and following him, we gotta start with what is the gospel like?

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What does that mean? If we're gonna embrace the gospel,

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the gospel literally means the good news. So when we say the gospel of Jesus,

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we're talking about the good news of Jesus. So what does it mean to embrace it?

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Uh, if you have your Bibles, I wanna encourage you turn to Acts chapter two,

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verse 22. We're gonna kind of walk through verse 22 through verse 40 41.

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What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna read to you the first public sermon that we have

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recorded from a man by the name of Peter. And, uh,

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Peter was actually one of Jesus' first disciples. Back in those times,

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there were rabbis, uh, rabbis taught, uh, the Jewish law, the Torah,

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uh, Jewish tradition.

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And then they had disciples that actually followed them that sat underneath

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their teaching. So Peter was that for Jesus.

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He was one of 12 guys that walked with Jesus on earth for about three years.

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He sat under his teaching, he saw him heal people, he saw him cast out demons,

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and he actually saw and interacted with Jesus after Jesus rose from the dead.

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Okay? So he was actually an apostle. You could hear that and think,

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wait a minute, somebody rose from the dead. Um, just stick with me. Uh,

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we'll get to that here in just a minute, a little context for us.

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So I want you to know what the audience of this sermon, uh,

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which was largely a Jewish audience,

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would've already known before we jump into it. So, um, they had this belief,

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as do we as Christians, just to set the groundwork here.

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They had this belief that God created the world and it was very good and its

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original creation. The world had peace. Uh,

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the word the Bible uses this shalom like this holistic peace amongst the world

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like God. And man had this perfect relationship.

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They walked together in the cool of the day.

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Man and woman had this perfect relationship, but then Satan entered the picture.

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And Adam and Eve, uh, God's first two original male and female created,

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they were led to believe a lie that they actually know better for themselves

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than what God says is best for them.

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They actually were led to believe in a garden of abundance,

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that the one thing that they didn't have was actually what they needed the most.

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And it, this probably sounds a little familiar to our everyday life,

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but they believed that God was withholding something from them that led them to

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disobeying God. And so in that moment,

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sin entered the world that led to broken relationships between God and man that

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led to separation. And so a curse actually fell on the earth like that peace,

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that shalom completely disrupted.

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God did promise in that moment that one day through their offspring,

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Satan would be defeated and things once again would be made right between God

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and man. Uh, throughout the years following,

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God institutes a sacrificial system that showed that for the forgiveness

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of sins, there had to be a shedding of blood.

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That was something that had to be done over and over and over again,

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in case you haven't noticed,

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because man is very good at continually sinning and rebelling against God.

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There's also prophecy all throughout scripture that one day a savior would come

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and reinstate God's kingdom that which was disrupted in the garden.

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So a savior will come,

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a Messiah will come and restore this kingdom once and for all.

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And then one day a baby is born in the town of Bethlehem.

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The baby's name is Jesus. He grows older. And at the age of 30,

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about three years prior to where this sermon begin,

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not this sermon that I'm preaching,

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but the sermon that we're gonna talk about three years prior to that,

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Jesus begins his public ministry. And uh,

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he essentially begins it as a Jewish rabbi. He begins teaching,

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he begins performing miracles, casting out demons,

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rebuking some of the other teachers of the law, the Pharisees.

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And he makes claims that he is the son of God and not only the son of God,

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but the fulfillment of those prophecies that everybody had been waiting

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thousands of years for completely disrupted the religious system of the day,

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ultimately led to him dying a shameful death on the cross. Okay?

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So that's all that this audience would've known as Peter gets up,

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they would've known more than that,

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but they knew that as he got up to share this message. So with that,

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we're gonna go to Acts chapter two, verse 22. I do wanna warn you,

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um, in many churches, large churches,

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especially like when we get up and we start to give a sermon, we work hard,

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like to find an intro, like a way to kind of ease into the topic, um,

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to make it palatable for you, to make it digestible. Um,

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that's not really, uh, Peter's style, okay?

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And so I just want to give you a heads up, like he jumps right to it. But I,

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I think every now and then, like it's important for us just to take a,

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a sober look at truths and see how they fit into our lives.

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And so we're gonna jump right in. Acts chapter two, verse 22. He says,

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men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth,

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a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God

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did through him in your midst, he's saying, Jesus,

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the one that you saw and heard all the things that he did,

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as you yourselves know, verse 23, this,

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this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and

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foreknowledge of God. So he, we knew this was coming. Get ready for this.

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Very gently, you crucified and killed him by the hands of lawless men.

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He's saying this, Jesus, this one that you know about, you saw,

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00:28:50.246 --> 00:28:53.485
you heard the things he did, you killed him,

317
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the Messiah that we've been waiting for all these years. You put him on a cross,

318
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but it doesn't end there, right? That doesn't sound like good news.

319
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This is embracing the gospel, the good news of Jesus. Verse 24,

320
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God raised him up losing the pangs of death.

321
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Anyone who's ever lost a loved one or a family member,

322
00:29:11.276 --> 00:29:13.715
you know there is hurt as it relates to death.

323
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It says because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

324
00:29:17.765 --> 00:29:19.955
Jesus could not be held by the grave. He says,

325
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understand why you placed him on a cross. The story doesn't end there.

326
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He's overcome death. I'm gonna skip to verse 29. Brothers,

327
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I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David,

328
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that he both died and was buried and his tomb is with us to this day.

329
00:29:37.596 --> 00:29:40.395
He's saying, Hey, remember King David, the patriarch of our faith,

330
00:29:40.396 --> 00:29:42.125
like one of the greatest kings that we've ever had,

331
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who by the way lived a great life, uh, and was a prophet,

332
00:29:45.585 --> 00:29:49.985
but he died and he's still in his tomb. It goes on to verse 30,

333
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but therefore a prophet speaking of David and knowing that God had sworn with

334
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an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,

335
00:29:59.165 --> 00:30:03.665
he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ,

336
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that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

337
00:30:10.565 --> 00:30:13.935
He's saying, listen, David is dead and he is in his tomb, but when he was alive,

338
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he did speak of a messiah.

339
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He prophesied about a messiah that was gonna come and be resurrected from the

340
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dead. And so for hundreds of years, really thousands of years,

341
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we believed that this was gonna happen.

342
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Not only do we believe it was gonna happen,

343
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we actually longed for this day to come. Verse 32, then Jesus,

344
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this, Jesus God raised up

345
00:30:34.075 --> 00:30:36.195
and of that we are all witnesses. He's just saying this, Jesus,

346
00:30:36.196 --> 00:30:40.835
that that was crucified. He rose through the power of God. And not only that,

347
00:30:41.015 --> 00:30:44.715
but we actually saw him. We interacted with him. We spent time with him.

348
00:30:45.965 --> 00:30:46.798
Verse 36,

349
00:30:48.535 --> 00:30:52.835
let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him

350
00:30:52.836 --> 00:30:56.515
both Lord and Christ. This Jesus, here it comes again,

351
00:30:56.985 --> 00:30:57.915
whom you crucified.

352
00:30:58.655 --> 00:31:01.595
You ever been like in an argument with someone maybe around the house and you do

353
00:31:01.596 --> 00:31:05.515
something wrong and they kind of constantly remind you of it maybe one or two

354
00:31:05.516 --> 00:31:08.235
more times than you think that they should? It feels a little bit like,

355
00:31:08.236 --> 00:31:10.595
that's what's going on here. We get it? Alright, we crucified 'em.

356
00:31:10.705 --> 00:31:14.435
Peter's saying this again. He said, we've known as a people for years and years.

357
00:31:14.515 --> 00:31:17.475
This is gonna happen. We've longed for it. We've sought God for it.

358
00:31:18.135 --> 00:31:21.635
God sent us the one who was gonna rescue us to put all this brokenness back,

359
00:31:21.775 --> 00:31:25.555
all this brokenness back together again. Our rescuer, our redeemer, our savior,

360
00:31:26.015 --> 00:31:29.915
the one who was gonna finally restore back into place the kingdom of God.

361
00:31:29.916 --> 00:31:33.155
The one who was gonna finally restore is we would say the family of God.

362
00:31:34.415 --> 00:31:37.435
And he went to a cross and he was resurrected.

363
00:31:37.545 --> 00:31:40.915
What I want you to understand though, when Peter continually says, um,

364
00:31:41.775 --> 00:31:42.795
you put him on the cross,

365
00:31:44.305 --> 00:31:48.035
it'd be easy for us to like kind of miss our place in the story because he's

366
00:31:48.036 --> 00:31:50.835
obviously talking to a largely Jewish audience who was there,

367
00:31:51.075 --> 00:31:54.555
and they actually did have some implication in why he was on the cross instead

368
00:31:54.556 --> 00:31:58.715
of someone else. But I think we gotta realize, like the reason I Kat, you know,

369
00:31:58.895 --> 00:32:02.155
shared this is what they would've known is because each and every one of us

370
00:32:02.515 --> 00:32:05.595
actually do play a part in why Jesus was on the cross.

371
00:32:07.895 --> 00:32:08.585
The truth is,

372
00:32:08.585 --> 00:32:13.115
each and every one of us have sinned and rebellion in our lives.

373
00:32:14.135 --> 00:32:17.555
And make no mistake, like the Bible is clear, the wages of sin is death.

374
00:32:17.935 --> 00:32:20.715
And for the forgiveness of sins, there has to be shedding of blood.

375
00:32:20.716 --> 00:32:24.955
And so Jesus was on the cross in part because of us.

376
00:32:26.075 --> 00:32:29.675
Um, the good news in all of that is while he was on the cross,

377
00:32:29.825 --> 00:32:32.755
what he was doing was paying the penalty that we deserved. I mean,

378
00:32:32.756 --> 00:32:34.675
this is just a real sober, straightforward,

379
00:32:34.905 --> 00:32:38.115
what does it mean to embrace the gospel? This is the good news.

380
00:32:38.165 --> 00:32:41.805
Jesus went to a cross to pay a penalty that we deserved, went into a tomb.

381
00:32:41.806 --> 00:32:46.005
Three days later, rose from the grave. You get to verse 37. Now,

382
00:32:46.006 --> 00:32:48.805
when they heard this, they were cut to the heart

383
00:32:50.375 --> 00:32:55.155
and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles Brothers, what shall we do?

384
00:32:56.875 --> 00:32:59.935
So they heard this and they were cut to the heart.

385
00:33:00.965 --> 00:33:03.775
Like they had this moment, this moment of reckoning.

386
00:33:03.776 --> 00:33:07.135
And my hope is that every single one of us that can hear my voice,

387
00:33:07.136 --> 00:33:10.295
like when we're faced with this truth, we recognize, man,

388
00:33:11.115 --> 00:33:12.175
we have to do something.

389
00:33:13.455 --> 00:33:16.665
This is not a truth that we can face and not recognize.

390
00:33:16.725 --> 00:33:18.025
We have to make a decision.

391
00:33:20.505 --> 00:33:23.965
So my hope is that we're in a place saying, what should we do?

392
00:33:24.665 --> 00:33:26.845
You look at verse 38, and Peter said to them,

393
00:33:27.865 --> 00:33:32.725
repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus

394
00:33:32.726 --> 00:33:34.525
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

395
00:33:34.625 --> 00:33:38.085
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Which by the way,

396
00:33:38.105 --> 00:33:41.565
the moment that we make a decision to trust in Jesus is our Lord and savior,

397
00:33:41.695 --> 00:33:44.245
God's spirit comes into our lives. Verse 39,

398
00:33:44.725 --> 00:33:48.725
for the promise of this is for you and your children and for all who are far

399
00:33:48.785 --> 00:33:51.765
off. There's not one who's too far away for this to be true of them.

400
00:33:52.325 --> 00:33:56.765
Everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. Um,

401
00:33:57.185 --> 00:34:00.765
so this is taking place in Acts, um, Matthew, mark, Luke,

402
00:34:00.766 --> 00:34:03.085
and John are what's known as the gospels.

403
00:34:03.086 --> 00:34:05.205
They actually tell the account of Jesus' life.

404
00:34:05.605 --> 00:34:10.085
And the book of Matthew near the end, just before Jesus leaves Matthew 28,

405
00:34:10.085 --> 00:34:13.805
19 and 20, Jesus says to his disciples, of which Peter was one of them.

406
00:34:14.245 --> 00:34:18.485
And and this is kind of known inside, uh, the Christian faith is, um, the, the,

407
00:34:18.486 --> 00:34:20.485
the great commission. He says to them,

408
00:34:20.825 --> 00:34:23.325
go therefore into the world and make disciples.

409
00:34:23.326 --> 00:34:25.245
So as you've been a disciple following me,

410
00:34:25.305 --> 00:34:27.325
go into the world and make other disciples,

411
00:34:27.765 --> 00:34:31.765
teaching them to obey everything that I've commanded you and baptize them in the

412
00:34:31.766 --> 00:34:35.165
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is us saying, Hey,

413
00:34:35.166 --> 00:34:36.445
we're dead to our old way of life,

414
00:34:36.545 --> 00:34:39.485
and now we're stepping into this new way of life following Jesus.

415
00:34:39.805 --> 00:34:40.638
And that's what Peter's doing.

416
00:34:40.915 --> 00:34:44.805
He's actually taking action on the command that Jesus gave to him before he

417
00:34:44.806 --> 00:34:49.125
left. So he says, repent. Uh, this word repent.

418
00:34:50.585 --> 00:34:54.364
It literally means like do a 180. So he's saying, Hey,

419
00:34:54.365 --> 00:34:55.565
like we're walking this way,

420
00:34:55.566 --> 00:34:58.844
walking in rebellion away from God as far and as fast as we can.

421
00:34:59.065 --> 00:35:03.364
And he's saying, Hey, repent. Turn from your sin and turn back to Jesus.

422
00:35:03.665 --> 00:35:07.045
Follow him and be baptized. That's the call.

423
00:35:09.415 --> 00:35:12.405
Verse 40. And with many other words,

424
00:35:12.864 --> 00:35:15.245
he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying,

425
00:35:15.315 --> 00:35:18.205
save yourselves from this crooked generation.

426
00:35:19.895 --> 00:35:23.645
Verse 41 said, those who received his word were baptized. Listen.

427
00:35:23.785 --> 00:35:27.165
And they were added that day, about 3000 souls,

428
00:35:28.055 --> 00:35:30.045
3000 people. Um,

429
00:35:31.795 --> 00:35:34.625
Peter gets up no worship band,

430
00:35:36.255 --> 00:35:39.685
no side screens, no wheelbarrow, full of props.

431
00:35:41.625 --> 00:35:45.525
And he gets up and he tells him the brokenness in this world that we are

432
00:35:45.715 --> 00:35:49.445
responsible for, which by the way seems incredibly important for us. I mean,

433
00:35:49.446 --> 00:35:51.045
he says it over and over again. Take,

434
00:35:51.195 --> 00:35:55.645
take ownership of this thing that we're responsible for. God dealt with it.

435
00:35:56.535 --> 00:36:00.844
Jesus came, he was crucified. He rose from the dead, believe,

436
00:36:01.825 --> 00:36:03.405
repent and be baptized.

437
00:36:03.425 --> 00:36:07.725
And 3000 were added that day to the family of God immediately after that.

438
00:36:07.965 --> 00:36:12.565
So this, we just stopped in Acts two, uh, 41 in Acts 2 42.

439
00:36:12.625 --> 00:36:14.325
The very next verse, uh,

440
00:36:14.505 --> 00:36:19.005
we unpacked in week one when we talked about what it means to be a part of a

441
00:36:19.006 --> 00:36:21.525
healthy family of God, what a healthy family of God does.

442
00:36:21.725 --> 00:36:24.125
So you see things like breaking bread together, praying together,

443
00:36:24.126 --> 00:36:27.885
living lives of radical generosity and service to other people that are devoted

444
00:36:27.886 --> 00:36:31.605
to the apostles teaching and following Jesus together. But it starts,

445
00:36:33.125 --> 00:36:35.785
all of this starts with embracing the gospel,

446
00:36:38.015 --> 00:36:42.265
following Jesus starts with that decision. And um,

447
00:36:43.344 --> 00:36:47.265
I think it would be a miss for me to not stop and ask you a question.

448
00:36:49.625 --> 00:36:50.755
Have you ever made that decision?

449
00:36:55.145 --> 00:36:57.605
And I am not asking like, do you try to be a good person?

450
00:36:58.655 --> 00:36:59.815
Because that's not what it's talking about.

451
00:36:59.955 --> 00:37:04.655
I'm not asking if you're pro-life or if you care for the poor. Uh,

452
00:37:04.855 --> 00:37:06.375
I I I'm not asking if you,

453
00:37:06.755 --> 00:37:09.495
if you were grew up Catholic and were baptized as a baby,

454
00:37:12.585 --> 00:37:16.525
I'm asking have you come to terms with this truth? And,

455
00:37:16.526 --> 00:37:21.325
and I know that we live in a world that that doesn't really want to lean into

456
00:37:21.565 --> 00:37:23.045
anything that sounds like objective truth.

457
00:37:23.065 --> 00:37:27.085
But have you ever sat in the moment of accepting that your sin and my sin,

458
00:37:27.086 --> 00:37:29.885
and I, look, I wanna be like gentle with this. I wanna say our sin.

459
00:37:30.265 --> 00:37:32.645
The reality is like Peter's really clear,

460
00:37:33.025 --> 00:37:34.965
we have to take personal ownership of this.

461
00:37:34.966 --> 00:37:38.485
And so I'm just gonna ask you with strength and with confidence and with the

462
00:37:38.486 --> 00:37:39.965
boldness that I see in scripture and say,

463
00:37:40.075 --> 00:37:43.525
have you ever accepted that your sin put Jesus on a cross

464
00:37:47.305 --> 00:37:50.485
and that his death paid the penalty for our sins and that he rose from the grave

465
00:37:50.486 --> 00:37:54.965
overcoming sin and death so that we could be restored into the family of God?

466
00:37:54.966 --> 00:37:57.925
That's the gospel, that's the good news. It's nothing that we could earn.

467
00:37:58.195 --> 00:38:01.125
It's something that Jesus did for us. We have to receive it.

468
00:38:01.305 --> 00:38:04.125
We have to embrace it. Have you embraced it?

469
00:38:05.844 --> 00:38:08.335
Have you repented? Have you been baptized?

470
00:38:10.895 --> 00:38:12.275
If not, um,

471
00:38:12.535 --> 00:38:16.305
my prayer for you is that you would be cut to the heart

472
00:38:17.895 --> 00:38:21.705
Like what we read about in, in the Book of Acts. Um, I,

473
00:38:21.785 --> 00:38:23.905
I pray that the Holy Spirit would help you understand, man,

474
00:38:23.906 --> 00:38:28.905
that that God sized void in your life where you know you're missing out on

475
00:38:28.906 --> 00:38:29.175
something,

476
00:38:29.175 --> 00:38:33.985
it's only going to be met by stepping into a relationship with Jesus and being

477
00:38:34.225 --> 00:38:37.925
restored to the family of God. And so I I was thinking about this this week,

478
00:38:38.325 --> 00:38:40.485
probably, definitely too late in the week, man, I,

479
00:38:40.605 --> 00:38:44.965
I wish we had baptisms set up across all of our campuses this weekend where we

480
00:38:44.966 --> 00:38:47.844
could just say, Hey, listen, if you've never made that decision and you want to,

481
00:38:47.985 --> 00:38:51.525
as Peter said, repent and be baptized, man, let's go to work. Let's,

482
00:38:51.526 --> 00:38:54.765
let's get to dunking and uh, we'll leave when everybody's done.

483
00:38:55.055 --> 00:38:58.485
We're not gonna do that. We will have the opportunity to do that at some point.

484
00:38:58.585 --> 00:39:01.285
I'm committed to making sure that we can do that across all of our campuses.

485
00:39:01.505 --> 00:39:05.805
We are gonna be celebrating baptisms across all of our campuses next week.

486
00:39:06.205 --> 00:39:08.844
I know our mobile campuses have some restrictions on what they can do in their

487
00:39:08.845 --> 00:39:12.405
schools. And so I want to tell you, if you're in this place and you're like,

488
00:39:12.406 --> 00:39:16.445
you know what? I've never made that decision to like publicly declare my faith.

489
00:39:17.195 --> 00:39:18.205
This could be your time.

490
00:39:18.665 --> 00:39:21.364
And so what I want you to do across all of your campuses, when we're done,

491
00:39:22.265 --> 00:39:24.325
I'm not gonna have you stand up or anything like that right now.

492
00:39:24.685 --> 00:39:27.645
I want you to go talk to somebody that you see up on the stage. Uh,

493
00:39:27.646 --> 00:39:30.844
maybe it's your campus host, your campus pastor, somebody in the worship band.

494
00:39:31.025 --> 00:39:32.445
Go to next steps and let 'em know, Hey,

495
00:39:32.446 --> 00:39:36.805
I wanna make a decision to follow after Jesus. Um, we've also got another way.

496
00:39:36.825 --> 00:39:41.645
So you can text the word follow to 7 2 9 8 9 and say, Hey,

497
00:39:41.685 --> 00:39:44.525
I wanna make a decision to follow Jesus. I wanna be baptized.

498
00:39:44.545 --> 00:39:46.405
You can text follow to 7 2 9 8 9.

499
00:39:46.805 --> 00:39:50.605
I did it this morning just to make sure it works. Um, you're gonna have to flip,

500
00:39:50.606 --> 00:39:53.965
press enter like two or three more times than you think that you probably should

501
00:39:54.114 --> 00:39:57.085
just go with it, okay? By the time you get to the end, uh,

502
00:39:57.086 --> 00:39:59.165
you'll get a prompt sent to your email. And um,

503
00:39:59.885 --> 00:40:02.844
actually one of our associate pastors from the Garner campus followed up with me

504
00:40:02.965 --> 00:40:05.205
and told me he was incredibly excited that I made a decision to finally start

505
00:40:05.206 --> 00:40:09.565
following Jesus. So, uh, you will hear from somebody. So listen,

506
00:40:10.864 --> 00:40:13.325
we gotta embrace the gospel. We gotta embrace the good news.

507
00:40:14.025 --> 00:40:18.965
That's the first part. The second is to surrender a life of following Jesus.

508
00:40:20.505 --> 00:40:21.925
How much time I got? Okay,

509
00:40:22.265 --> 00:40:25.325
we don't have a ton of time  for me to unpack what this really looks

510
00:40:25.326 --> 00:40:28.405
like. I, as I was kind of working on this message, um,

511
00:40:29.525 --> 00:40:33.844
I thought I realized about halfway through the week that um, this would,

512
00:40:34.205 --> 00:40:37.445
I found this out a lot recently. Like I get these big ideas. It's like, Hey,

513
00:40:37.446 --> 00:40:39.125
this would be a great sermon series. Uh,

514
00:40:39.126 --> 00:40:40.925
this is gonna be tough to put into one 30 minute message,

515
00:40:41.225 --> 00:40:45.245
but you wrestle was like a pastor was wanting to teach the whole council of God

516
00:40:45.445 --> 00:40:47.645
on what it means to follow Jesus and discipleship,

517
00:40:47.985 --> 00:40:49.205
but you don't have a ton of time.

518
00:40:49.385 --> 00:40:52.125
And then you've got this other thing like as a shepherd, uh,

519
00:40:52.126 --> 00:40:55.245
at Hope Community Church over God's people that have called hope home.

520
00:40:55.475 --> 00:40:59.085
Like what are the most important things that God has for our people?

521
00:41:00.505 --> 00:41:04.085
And I really do believe this idea of surrender can get lost to us.

522
00:41:04.315 --> 00:41:06.925
Like it's so easy in today's world to miss what this is about.

523
00:41:07.085 --> 00:41:08.925
And so what I wanna do, um, very briefly,

524
00:41:09.125 --> 00:41:12.685
I wanna tell you three stories of three people in the New Testament,

525
00:41:12.905 --> 00:41:16.485
in the gospels that actually came to a place where they had to make a decision.

526
00:41:16.864 --> 00:41:19.765
Am I going to follow Jesus? Am I gonna surrender my life? Um,

527
00:41:20.025 --> 00:41:23.205
two of them make a decision to do so. One of them does it.

528
00:41:23.945 --> 00:41:28.005
And so the first is this guy by the name of Simon, who was also called Peter.

529
00:41:28.485 --> 00:41:30.805
Uh, this is in Matthew four 18 through 22. Uh,

530
00:41:30.985 --> 00:41:32.285
I'm just gonna kinda tell the story.

531
00:41:32.735 --> 00:41:35.885
Turns out it's the same Peter that you actually heard a sermon from.

532
00:41:35.995 --> 00:41:39.645
It's just three years prior. So he's fishing on a boat and this guy,

533
00:41:39.655 --> 00:41:43.045
Jesus that has a following shows up and he says to Peter, listen,

534
00:41:43.305 --> 00:41:45.645
the people are pressing in. I'd like to get in on your boat.

535
00:41:45.725 --> 00:41:47.885
I know you're done fishing for the day 'cause you're cleaning your nets,

536
00:41:47.886 --> 00:41:50.844
but can I get on your boat and us kind of push out so I can teach?

537
00:41:51.145 --> 00:41:54.965
So he does that. They go out and he tells Peter, he says, Hey,

538
00:41:55.035 --> 00:41:58.445
drop your nets in the boat and, and from the boat and catch some fish.

539
00:41:58.446 --> 00:42:03.205
And Peter's like, Hey, so I'm a fisherman. Um, seems like you're a teacher.

540
00:42:03.885 --> 00:42:06.844
Uh, I've been fishing all day and there's no fish here,

541
00:42:07.625 --> 00:42:11.445
but because you told me to do it, I'm gonna do it. Just,

542
00:42:11.446 --> 00:42:12.685
just a slight note there,

543
00:42:12.686 --> 00:42:15.364
worth noting that like when it comes to following Jesus,

544
00:42:15.395 --> 00:42:18.525
sometimes doing things that don't necessarily make sense to us,

545
00:42:18.905 --> 00:42:21.525
but we know he's called us into is a part of following Jesus.

546
00:42:22.025 --> 00:42:25.245
He drops his nets in the water, and I mean, the catch is so big,

547
00:42:25.405 --> 00:42:28.364
they have to bring other boats out to help them get all their fish in the water.

548
00:42:28.525 --> 00:42:31.645
About three in, into the boat. About three years ago, my son,

549
00:42:31.745 --> 00:42:33.645
myself and my dad went deep sea fishing.

550
00:42:34.185 --> 00:42:38.805
And we had like a day for the ages. We, we call it all the fish.

551
00:42:39.565 --> 00:42:42.605
Um, I, I had to explain to my son kind of while we were coming back in. I said,

552
00:42:42.606 --> 00:42:44.085
son, I need you to understand something. When you fish,

553
00:42:44.315 --> 00:42:47.885
sometimes you have good days, some days you have bad days.

554
00:42:49.325 --> 00:42:54.285
Um, every now and then you have a day of a biblically proportional like miracle.

555
00:42:55.225 --> 00:42:56.925
And that's what today was. But like,

556
00:42:56.926 --> 00:42:59.205
that's kind of what I have no idea why I just told you that story.

557
00:42:59.206 --> 00:43:01.645
This is not about me, this is about Peter. So they catch this fish,

558
00:43:01.705 --> 00:43:05.725
but Peter knows man, something is different about this guy, right?

559
00:43:05.925 --> 00:43:09.765
And so they get back to the, to the shore and Jesus says to him, listen, um,

560
00:43:10.165 --> 00:43:13.485
I want you to follow me and I'm gonna make you a fisher of men.

561
00:43:13.875 --> 00:43:16.685
This idea that all the stuff that I'm calling people into,

562
00:43:16.965 --> 00:43:19.925
I want you to follow me and we're gonna go call other people into this.

563
00:43:20.145 --> 00:43:25.094
And scriptures say that Peter left everything and went and followed

564
00:43:25.095 --> 00:43:25.928
Jesus.

565
00:43:27.235 --> 00:43:30.735
And I want you to know that when we make a decision to follow Jesus,

566
00:43:30.765 --> 00:43:34.585
there's things from our past that we have to leave behind

567
00:43:36.755 --> 00:43:37.995
that's just a part of surrendering to Jesus.

568
00:43:39.265 --> 00:43:43.435
There's another guy by the name of Zacchaeus. Uh, Zacchaeus was a tax collector.

569
00:43:43.875 --> 00:43:47.475
Uh, tax collectors were hated, uh, by the Jews, uh,

570
00:43:48.155 --> 00:43:49.795
specifically because they were Jews,

571
00:43:50.655 --> 00:43:55.275
but they were collecting taxes that actually went to the evil Roman empire that

572
00:43:55.515 --> 00:43:58.915
believed by some was actually a part of what was limiting God's kingdom from

573
00:43:58.916 --> 00:44:02.235
being re uh, restored. But not only did they tax them,

574
00:44:02.255 --> 00:44:05.315
the way that they got paid was they would overtax them. Alright?

575
00:44:05.335 --> 00:44:08.275
So they're hated, they, but their own people don't like them.

576
00:44:08.614 --> 00:44:11.955
But this guy was intrigued by Jesus. And so, uh,

577
00:44:12.094 --> 00:44:15.795
the Bible says that he was a a we man, um, small in stature,

578
00:44:15.835 --> 00:44:18.795
I think is the translation. And, but he knew Jesus was coming.

579
00:44:18.935 --> 00:44:22.475
So he runs out in front of the crowd, climbs up into a tree so he can see him.

580
00:44:22.476 --> 00:44:26.315
And then as Jesus is coming by, he sees him and he says, Zia, come down.

581
00:44:26.395 --> 00:44:28.555
I wanna go to your house and I wanna hang out with you. Point of notice.

582
00:44:28.985 --> 00:44:30.835
This was a guy that society hated,

583
00:44:30.836 --> 00:44:33.165
that Jesus saw and wanted to go spend time with.

584
00:44:33.635 --> 00:44:37.725
Very different than the religious traditions of the day following.

585
00:44:37.726 --> 00:44:41.005
Jesus sometimes leads you in different directions than religious tradition.

586
00:44:42.185 --> 00:44:44.925
So he goes and sits down with him, shares with him.

587
00:44:44.926 --> 00:44:46.685
And Zacchaeus gets to a point where he says, listen,

588
00:44:47.705 --> 00:44:51.364
I'm gonna sell half of what I own and I'm gonna give it away.

589
00:44:51.825 --> 00:44:54.005
And then everybody that I've overtaxed,

590
00:44:54.185 --> 00:44:56.844
I'm actually going to go and make it right. And Jesus says,

591
00:44:56.845 --> 00:45:00.125
surely salvation will come to your house today, but look,

592
00:45:01.355 --> 00:45:04.705
to follow Jesus, it cost Zia something.

593
00:45:06.395 --> 00:45:08.755
Remember we said last week, what does it mean to love God with our heart,

594
00:45:08.935 --> 00:45:11.395
our soul, our mind, our strength? It says that, man,

595
00:45:11.396 --> 00:45:15.635
we go all in with our intellect, our will, our resources, our time, our talent,

596
00:45:15.815 --> 00:45:17.515
our treasure. It cost him something.

597
00:45:20.325 --> 00:45:22.275
Third guy, we don't know his name. Uh,

598
00:45:22.295 --> 00:45:26.035
the Bible describes him as a rich young ruler. I don't know about you.

599
00:45:26.085 --> 00:45:29.875
Those are three characteristics that sound like they'd be nice to have rich

600
00:45:30.215 --> 00:45:34.915
plenty of money. Young who doesn't want to feel a little bit more young. Uh,

601
00:45:35.165 --> 00:45:39.715
ruler had power, success, like it sounds like this guy has everything together.

602
00:45:39.775 --> 00:45:43.315
Sounds like he has everything you need. Yet he goes to Jesus and say, Hey,

603
00:45:43.505 --> 00:45:48.315
what must I do to inherit this thing that I just can't seem to get my

604
00:45:48.316 --> 00:45:50.195
hands on? Some translations say,

605
00:45:50.196 --> 00:45:52.315
what must I do to inherit the kingdom of heaven?

606
00:45:52.316 --> 00:45:54.315
This thing that Jesus is talking about. Some say,

607
00:45:54.425 --> 00:45:56.835
what must I do to inherit eternal life?

608
00:45:58.135 --> 00:46:00.715
And Jesus is kind of playing games with him a little bit.

609
00:46:00.716 --> 00:46:03.795
He starts rattling off some of the 10 commandments, and the ritual rule says,

610
00:46:03.796 --> 00:46:07.395
Hey, I've been doing all those things since I was a kid. And she says, okay,

611
00:46:07.396 --> 00:46:12.075
well how about this? Go and sell everything that you have,

612
00:46:12.945 --> 00:46:16.635
give it to the poor, and then you'll find what it is that you're looking for.

613
00:46:17.735 --> 00:46:21.795
And it says that the rich young ruler turned and walked away

614
00:46:23.135 --> 00:46:27.395
and was sad. Now,

615
00:46:27.975 --> 00:46:32.945
did he tell him that because money is bad? No, he didn't. Um,

616
00:46:33.175 --> 00:46:35.705
there's nothing innately wrong with money, but I'm telling you,

617
00:46:35.706 --> 00:46:36.785
when it comes to Jesus,

618
00:46:37.165 --> 00:46:40.265
he has a way of knowing those little things in our lives that we just don't want

619
00:46:40.266 --> 00:46:43.864
to give up on. Again, we talked last week, what does it mean to love God?

620
00:46:43.865 --> 00:46:47.265
We have these small G gods, these little idols that we hold onto,

621
00:46:48.325 --> 00:46:51.025
and Jesus just has a way of saying, I know the thing that it is.

622
00:46:52.445 --> 00:46:55.265
And if we're really gonna love God, if we're really gonna follow Jesus,

623
00:46:55.395 --> 00:46:58.825
we're gonna get to places in our lives where he's gonna ask us to lay down those

624
00:46:58.826 --> 00:46:59.535
things.

625
00:46:59.535 --> 00:47:02.745
Some people you can hear the story about the rich young rule and be like, man,

626
00:47:02.945 --> 00:47:05.705
I can't believe that guy had a firsthand encounter with Jesus.

627
00:47:05.715 --> 00:47:07.945
Jesus told him what to do and he didn't do it.

628
00:47:09.665 --> 00:47:13.945
I actually have a level of respect for this guy, and here's why.

629
00:47:13.946 --> 00:47:18.895
Because he counted the cost and he was honest with himself and said, man,

630
00:47:18.935 --> 00:47:23.145
I just, I just don't know if I can do it. And um,

631
00:47:24.375 --> 00:47:27.745
clay Burgess, one of our pastors here, he says, sometimes you gotta be careful,

632
00:47:27.844 --> 00:47:30.120
man, sometimes you gotta move from, from preaching to medland.

633
00:47:30.305 --> 00:47:33.125
And I'm gonna kind of go from preaching to Medland here,

634
00:47:35.475 --> 00:47:40.055
but I I think it's highly likely that our churches across the world are filled

635
00:47:40.056 --> 00:47:44.415
with thousands and thousands and thousands of men and women and students who

636
00:47:44.416 --> 00:47:49.295
aren't necessarily being honest with themselves about if they've

637
00:47:49.296 --> 00:47:51.815
really surrendered to a life of following Jesus.

638
00:47:53.755 --> 00:47:58.535
And it's so easy to show up in churches and come in, come out and leave,

639
00:47:59.114 --> 00:48:01.815
and maybe we check a box and we feel good about ourselves. But man,

640
00:48:01.816 --> 00:48:06.575
if we throw everything out the window and just look at what the Bible says,

641
00:48:07.535 --> 00:48:10.335
man, without embracing the gospel of Jesus and without saying,

642
00:48:10.475 --> 00:48:13.135
we are going to surrender our lives to following him,

643
00:48:14.975 --> 00:48:17.895
no one is gonna cost us something. Matthew 1624 through 26,

644
00:48:18.085 --> 00:48:21.135
then Jesus told his disciples, if anyone would come after me,

645
00:48:21.155 --> 00:48:25.575
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

646
00:48:27.975 --> 00:48:29.855
That's, that means we're continually going back to the gospel.

647
00:48:29.995 --> 00:48:33.815
The gospel is not just a one time transformation thing that happens in our

648
00:48:33.816 --> 00:48:36.975
lives, and then we don't ever need to go back to it. I'm telling you,

649
00:48:36.995 --> 00:48:39.575
for me and my life, every single day,

650
00:48:40.614 --> 00:48:43.695
I have to go back to things that I'm constantly struggling with. And I'm like,

651
00:48:43.795 --> 00:48:46.055
I'm 45 years old. When is this gonna change?

652
00:48:50.385 --> 00:48:54.015
Verse 25, for whoever would save his life will lose it. See,

653
00:48:54.016 --> 00:48:56.055
the rich young ruler, he thought his finances,

654
00:48:56.075 --> 00:48:58.655
his resources were gonna be what was gonna save him,

655
00:48:59.275 --> 00:49:03.175
but it says he went away sad. So you can, you can decide not to follow,

656
00:49:03.315 --> 00:49:04.935
but that thing that you know,

657
00:49:04.936 --> 00:49:07.695
and you could be that rich young ruler where you feel like you got everything

658
00:49:07.696 --> 00:49:10.735
that you should have, but for some reason you're still missing something

659
00:49:12.295 --> 00:49:14.855
is because we try to save our lives. Jesus says, but we'll lose it.

660
00:49:14.856 --> 00:49:17.815
But whoever loses his life, for my sake, will find it.

661
00:49:19.715 --> 00:49:24.335
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

662
00:49:27.755 --> 00:49:28.594
And I wanna be really clear,

663
00:49:29.135 --> 00:49:33.594
I'm not saying in this that that requires perfection.

664
00:49:35.235 --> 00:49:36.068
<v 0>Uh.

665
00:49:36.305 --> 00:49:38.035
<v 7>Nothing could be further from the truth. I mean,

666
00:49:38.036 --> 00:49:40.715
you start out hitting hard with a message, Hey, here's the application.

667
00:49:41.015 --> 00:49:45.675
Repent and be baptized. It's like, okay, um, the truth is,

668
00:49:45.745 --> 00:49:50.675
this guy Peter, like he was a fisherman, which meant, um,

669
00:49:51.055 --> 00:49:52.275
he had a trade already,

670
00:49:52.276 --> 00:49:55.114
which means all the other rabbis had already passed this guy over.

671
00:49:56.105 --> 00:50:01.005
Like he wasn't the best of the best, but Jesus said, Hey,

672
00:50:02.785 --> 00:50:05.325
follow me. I ain't gonna work with you.

673
00:50:07.065 --> 00:50:12.005
And then the gospels are filled with accounts of Peter getting the

674
00:50:12.006 --> 00:50:14.205
thing wrong. I'm not kidding. There's a scene where like,

675
00:50:14.225 --> 00:50:16.925
the people are coming to arrest Jesus. Jesus knows this is what it is.

676
00:50:16.995 --> 00:50:19.925
He's told them this is what's gotta happen. Peter pulls out a knife,

677
00:50:20.285 --> 00:50:23.205
cuts the guy's ear off. Jesus is like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, hold on.

678
00:50:23.445 --> 00:50:26.765
Let me, let me go put this back. Play. Peter, calm down. Stand down please.

679
00:50:29.175 --> 00:50:29.695
<v 0>Jesus.

680
00:50:29.695 --> 00:50:33.915
<v 7>Tells Peter like, Hey, you're gonna deny me three times.

681
00:50:35.355 --> 00:50:37.315
He said, no, no, no. I'll never deny you. Never deny you.

682
00:50:39.364 --> 00:50:42.435
Jesus is arrested, crucified.

683
00:50:42.585 --> 00:50:45.555
He's someone sees Peter and says, Hey, wait a minute.

684
00:50:45.556 --> 00:50:48.395
You're the guy that knows Jesus. Now the one that they thought was gonna save,

685
00:50:48.995 --> 00:50:52.315
uh, restore God's kingdom and now been crucified was dead.

686
00:50:53.605 --> 00:50:56.955
Peter says, no, I didn't know him. He's scared, he's fearful,

687
00:50:59.725 --> 00:51:04.195
denies him three times. And Jesus raises from the dead.

688
00:51:04.196 --> 00:51:07.475
He finds him, has a conversation with him, says, alright,

689
00:51:08.435 --> 00:51:11.305
we're gonna get you moving on the right track. In fact,

690
00:51:11.385 --> 00:51:13.625
I think you're gonna be a huge part of building my church.

691
00:51:17.485 --> 00:51:17.855
So it,

692
00:51:17.855 --> 00:51:22.705
it's recognizing like it's a daily struggle that we've gotta recognize

693
00:51:22.706 --> 00:51:26.145
that we've gotta be willing to lay down our lives, surrender them to Jesus.

694
00:51:27.925 --> 00:51:32.585
If our church was filled with thousands of men and women and students who

695
00:51:33.025 --> 00:51:37.864
embraced the gospel and live lives fully surrendered to Jesus, I'm telling you,

696
00:51:38.425 --> 00:51:39.705
our our families would look differently,

697
00:51:43.445 --> 00:51:46.625
our communities would look differently. Um,

698
00:51:46.935 --> 00:51:48.025
I'll tell you what would look differently.

699
00:51:48.205 --> 00:51:51.945
Our ministry teams on our weekends at our campuses, they would look different.

700
00:51:52.645 --> 00:51:56.745
I'm gonna meddle again. You know,

701
00:51:56.746 --> 00:52:01.665
we have to close classrooms every single weekend at some of our campuses for

702
00:52:01.864 --> 00:52:04.745
Kid City because we don't have enough folks that are part of the family of God

703
00:52:04.895 --> 00:52:09.185
that have said, Hey, I'm gonna step into a role and responsibility. Um,

704
00:52:09.495 --> 00:52:14.465
there's, there's actually no really good reason why 600 to 700 men,

705
00:52:14.466 --> 00:52:17.065
women, and students, um, fill all the,

706
00:52:17.245 --> 00:52:22.025
the serving roles that are required for 6,000 of us to show up on the

707
00:52:22.026 --> 00:52:26.864
weekend. This is a huge family of God. We all have roles and responsibilities.

708
00:52:26.925 --> 00:52:27.785
If we love God,

709
00:52:27.875 --> 00:52:31.265
we're willing to give everything that we have and bring it all to the table.

710
00:52:31.485 --> 00:52:34.145
If we're willing to follow Jesus, he's gonna call us to surrender some things.

711
00:52:34.375 --> 00:52:36.665
I'll tell you another thing that will look differently. Um,

712
00:52:37.665 --> 00:52:40.645
the giving here at hope would look differently financially.

713
00:52:43.805 --> 00:52:48.245
Um, there's no reason why 15 to 20% of those who call Hope Home

714
00:52:49.605 --> 00:52:53.525
actually fund the ministry and the mission and vision for the other 80%.

715
00:52:56.805 --> 00:52:58.925
And mean, I just would challenge us, like I,

716
00:52:59.805 --> 00:53:03.045
I don't know what area it is for in your life that you need to take a step.

717
00:53:03.065 --> 00:53:05.685
And I don't really have enough time to like kind of give you a list of all the

718
00:53:05.686 --> 00:53:08.844
things that I thought about. But the truth is, I'll bet, you know,

719
00:53:11.925 --> 00:53:12.925
And I just wanna encourage you, like,

720
00:53:13.425 --> 00:53:15.965
we don't get a lot of time to get this right

721
00:53:18.864 --> 00:53:20.844
and Jesus is saying, Hey, follow me.

722
00:53:23.265 --> 00:53:25.125
My prayer is that we would be a church that,

723
00:53:25.475 --> 00:53:30.005
that embraces the gospel and is willing to live lives of surrender

724
00:53:30.006 --> 00:53:34.885
following after him. And I know that if we were as a church man,

725
00:53:34.886 --> 00:53:38.485
we would be sharing hope with the community and the world around us in ways like

726
00:53:38.486 --> 00:53:42.205
we've never imagined. That's what we're gonna talk about next week. Um,

727
00:53:42.525 --> 00:53:47.485
lemme pray for us. Father, thank you so much, um, for your word. Um,

728
00:53:47.486 --> 00:53:50.765
thank you for the clarity and the boldness that, um,

729
00:53:51.175 --> 00:53:54.445
Peter had when he got up and said, Hey, listen, we gotta be really, really,

730
00:53:54.446 --> 00:53:58.205
really clear. The savior of the world came and because of our sins,

731
00:53:58.265 --> 00:54:03.165
he was put on a cross. But it doesn't stop there. The grave couldn't hold him.

732
00:54:03.166 --> 00:54:05.285
And through the power of God, he raised him from the dead,

733
00:54:05.535 --> 00:54:07.445
overcoming sin and death. Lord,

734
00:54:07.565 --> 00:54:11.844
I pray right now that in every man and woman and student's heart that can hear

735
00:54:11.845 --> 00:54:14.844
my voice right now, if they have never made a decision to follow you,

736
00:54:14.845 --> 00:54:18.405
they would find themselves in the place that we saw those people in that sermon

737
00:54:18.425 --> 00:54:23.205
and that they would just be cut to the heart. Father,

738
00:54:23.285 --> 00:54:25.885
I pray that they would recognize that the gospel of Jesus,

739
00:54:26.105 --> 00:54:28.485
the good news of Jesus is made available to them.

740
00:54:30.465 --> 00:54:35.005
And I pray that they would take that step. The hard words repenting,

741
00:54:35.905 --> 00:54:40.525
making a decision to trust in you as the Lord and Savior and to be baptized.

742
00:54:41.344 --> 00:54:43.525
And Lord, for anyone else who's made that decision, God,

743
00:54:43.565 --> 00:54:47.605
I pray that we would be honest with ourselves about what surrender looks like in

744
00:54:47.606 --> 00:54:50.485
our lives. Lord, I know for me personally,

745
00:54:50.665 --> 00:54:53.005
you've got some things that I've not been willing to deal with.

746
00:54:55.715 --> 00:54:56.125
Lord,

747
00:54:56.125 --> 00:55:00.165
I thank you for the areas of my life where you've given me the boldness to be

748
00:55:00.166 --> 00:55:04.285
able to take that step. Even when I didn't want to Lord.

749
00:55:04.405 --> 00:55:06.685
And I pray as a church congregation, as a church family,

750
00:55:06.785 --> 00:55:11.125
we would experience the freedom and the joy and the abundant life that comes

751
00:55:11.315 --> 00:55:14.844
from saying, yes, we will follow you, we will surrender to you. We love you,

752
00:55:15.344 --> 00:55:19.445
and we pray these things in Jesus name. Everyone said, amen.

753
00:55:29.925 --> 00:55:30.805
<v 1>Come on church, let's respond.

754
00:55:32.255 --> 00:55:32.605
<v 0>Let's.

755
00:55:32.605 --> 00:55:33.885
<v 1>Tell ourselves the gospel story

756
00:55:42.445 --> 00:55:43.278
when

757
00:55:55.485 --> 00:55:56.318
the

758
00:56:28.405 --> 00:56:29.238
began.

759
00:56:36.765 --> 00:56:37.805
What sacrifice.

760
00:56:45.565 --> 00:56:49.005
Come on, we're gonna save this for all of eternity, all king. Jesus.

761
00:57:18.505 --> 00:57:19.338
Jesus.

762
00:57:25.165 --> 00:57:25.445
<v 0>Alright.

763
00:57:25.445 --> 00:57:27.405
<v 1>Church, come on. There was a moment.

764
00:58:21.385 --> 00:58:22.865
Jesus come,

765
00:58:35.005 --> 00:58:35.838
Jesus,

766
00:58:41.565 --> 00:58:42.765
Jesus king.

767
00:59:41.285 --> 00:59:42.118
Singing.

768
00:59:47.765 --> 00:59:52.285
<v 0>Singing. Cry out.

769
00:59:52.645 --> 00:59:53.478
Cry out.

770
01:00:09.285 --> 01:00:10.125
<v 1>All creation. We