1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Thank you. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Thank you. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:29,980 Thank you. 4 00:09:29,980 --> 00:09:40,180 in his holy name let your steadfast love oh Lord be upon us even as we hope in you this is the word 5 00:09:40,180 --> 00:09:47,600 of the Lord let's pray God we thank you for the opportunity to gather here this morning and we 6 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:52,440 thank you for those that are watching online and gathering with us and we thank you so much that 7 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:58,980 we're able to come together and worship you and study your word together and just be reminded 8 00:09:58,980 --> 00:10:05,720 of your steadfast love and our hope and all the things you are for us Lord our help and our shield 9 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:15,820 we thank you for the gladness that we can find in you even when things seem hopeless and Lord 10 00:10:15,820 --> 00:10:20,980 we just ask that you be with our service today and allow it to glorify you in Jesus name amen 11 00:10:20,980 --> 00:10:27,340 all right our first Song we're going to be starting with today is Christ the Lord is risen today 12 00:10:28,980 --> 00:10:49,720 Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia. 13 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:58,160 Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia. 14 00:10:58,660 --> 00:11:06,700 Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia. 15 00:11:06,700 --> 00:11:15,520 Sing ye hands and earth reply, Alleluia. 16 00:11:23,420 --> 00:11:48,860 It's again our glorious King, Alleluia, where all death is now thy sting, Alleluia, once he died our souls to save, Alleluia, 17 00:11:48,860 --> 00:11:53,300 Where's thy victory, boasting grave? 18 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:56,860 Alleluia. 19 00:11:56,860 --> 00:12:10,100 God's redeeming work is done. 20 00:12:10,100 --> 00:12:14,040 Alleluia. 21 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:18,720 For the fight, the battle won. 22 00:12:18,860 --> 00:12:26,540 Hallelujah, death in vain forbids him rise. 23 00:12:26,540 --> 00:12:34,540 Hallelujah, Christ has opened paradise. 24 00:12:34,540 --> 00:12:37,700 Hallelujah. 25 00:12:46,180 --> 00:12:52,540 All right. As we move on with our service, we're going to be doing our prayer and share time. 26 00:12:52,540 --> 00:12:56,040 If you're watching online, there'll be a phone number for you to text. If you have any 27 00:12:56,040 --> 00:13:00,080 requests or anything you'd like to share with us, please text that number so that we can 28 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:05,960 share that here. And then we'll be muted here during that time. So just give us a few minutes 29 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:11,400 while we have that time here together, and then we'll be back and we'll move into our time of 30 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:25,400 communion and we're going to be singing shout to the Lord 31 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:54,200 my Jesus my savior for there is none like you all of my days i want to praise the wonders of your 32 00:13:54,200 --> 00:14:10,680 Mighty love, my comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength. 33 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:22,700 Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship you. 34 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:30,280 Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing 35 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:36,820 Power and majesty, praise to the King 36 00:14:36,820 --> 00:14:42,660 Mountains bow down and the seas will roar 37 00:14:42,660 --> 00:14:49,360 At the sound of your name 38 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:55,200 I sing for joy at the work of your hands 39 00:14:55,200 --> 00:15:01,400 Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand 40 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:10,500 Nothing compares to the promise I have in you 41 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:20,280 My Jesus, my Savior 42 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:24,420 Lord, there is none like you 43 00:15:24,420 --> 00:15:30,920 All of my days I want to praise 44 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:37,540 The wonders of your mighty love 45 00:15:37,540 --> 00:15:48,860 Be my comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength. 46 00:15:48,860 --> 00:16:01,860 Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship you. 47 00:16:03,180 --> 00:16:14,660 Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing, power and majesty, praise to the King. 48 00:16:14,660 --> 00:16:27,220 The mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name. 49 00:16:27,220 --> 00:16:32,780 I sing the joy at the work of your hand. 50 00:16:33,180 --> 00:16:39,500 Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand 51 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:45,480 Nothing compares to the promise I have 52 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:51,620 Nothing compares to the promise I have 53 00:16:51,620 --> 00:17:00,520 Nothing compares to the promise I have in you 54 00:17:03,180 --> 00:17:33,160 We'll be right back. 55 00:17:33,180 --> 00:18:03,160 Thank you. 56 00:18:03,180 --> 00:18:33,160 Thank you. 57 00:18:33,180 --> 00:19:03,160 Thank you. 58 00:26:03,180 --> 00:26:16,580 We're going to be singing together 59 00:26:16,580 --> 00:26:17,680 Man of Sorrows 60 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:29,480 Man of Sorrows 61 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:32,080 Lamb of God 62 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,220 By His own 63 00:26:35,220 --> 00:26:37,980 Betrayed 64 00:26:37,980 --> 00:26:41,400 The sin of man 65 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,700 And wrath of God 66 00:26:44,700 --> 00:26:50,540 Has been on Jesus' name 67 00:26:50,540 --> 00:26:59,180 Silent as He stood 68 00:26:59,180 --> 00:27:17,880 accused, beaten, mocked, and scorned, bowing to the Father's will, he took a crown of 69 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:35,180 Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation, where your love poured out over me. 70 00:27:35,180 --> 00:27:47,180 Now my soul cries out, Hallelujah, praise and honor unto thee. 71 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:58,240 Send of heaven, God's own Son 72 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:03,100 To purchase and redeem 73 00:28:03,100 --> 00:28:11,100 And reconcile the very ones 74 00:28:11,100 --> 00:28:16,940 Who nailed Him to that dream 75 00:28:16,940 --> 00:28:29,140 Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation, where your love pours over me. 76 00:28:29,140 --> 00:28:41,660 Now my soul cries out, Hallelujah, praise and honor run to thee. 77 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:58,480 Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full, by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled. 78 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:11,480 Now the curse of sin has no hold on me, the sun sets free, oh it's free indeed. 79 00:29:11,940 --> 00:29:24,420 Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full, by the precious blood that my Jesus filled. 80 00:29:24,420 --> 00:29:27,640 Now the curse of sin 81 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:31,280 Hold on me 82 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:33,820 Who will set free 83 00:29:33,820 --> 00:29:36,960 Oh, is free indeed 84 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,200 Oh, that rugged cross 85 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,000 My salvation 86 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,680 Where your love poured out 87 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:48,980 Over me 88 00:29:48,980 --> 00:29:53,100 Now my soul cries out 89 00:29:53,100 --> 00:30:02,940 Hallelujah, praise and honor unto thee 90 00:30:02,940 --> 00:30:12,320 See the stone is rolled away 91 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:18,160 Behold the empty tomb 92 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:25,300 Hallelujah, God be praised 93 00:30:25,300 --> 00:30:31,420 He's risen from the grave 94 00:30:31,420 --> 00:30:37,400 Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation 95 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:44,160 Where your love poured out over me 96 00:30:44,160 --> 00:31:04,160 Now my soul cries out, Hallelujah, praise and honor unto Thee, praise and honor unto Thee. 97 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:32,040 One of the things about having kids is that they're always doing something that's exciting 98 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,080 and sometimes a little bit dangerous. 99 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:42,580 And what I've found is that when our kids, at least, inevitably get hurt, there's several 100 00:31:42,580 --> 00:31:43,680 things you can do as a parent. 101 00:31:43,740 --> 00:31:47,440 One of the things that sometimes we try to do if we can see that the hurt wasn't that 102 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:52,260 bad, for example, sometimes when you trip and fall, it surprises you more than it hurts 103 00:31:52,260 --> 00:31:55,460 you, and so we instantly try to distract, right? 104 00:31:55,460 --> 00:32:00,620 You know, and so we try to distract from the fact that you maybe just tripped and fell 105 00:32:00,620 --> 00:32:04,940 and hopefully they don't notice that they just fell and they feel better. 106 00:32:04,940 --> 00:32:09,680 And then there's times where they get hurt and they require some patching up. 107 00:32:10,540 --> 00:32:13,240 They need a band-aid. They need their hands washed. 108 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:17,860 They need a hug from mom or dad or maybe just to sit with mom and dad for a minute 109 00:32:17,860 --> 00:32:21,160 while you try to patch up their hurts. 110 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:25,880 All of us are hurt in one way or another. 111 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,260 All of us are hurt by sin. 112 00:32:28,260 --> 00:32:32,020 And all of us struggle with those hurts. 113 00:32:32,020 --> 00:32:37,480 And the wonderful thing about Jesus is He doesn't try to distract us from our hurts. 114 00:32:38,140 --> 00:32:40,700 He doesn't try to patch us up. 115 00:32:40,700 --> 00:32:45,020 What He does is He takes those hurts upon Himself. 116 00:32:45,020 --> 00:32:47,620 Isaiah 53 says this, 117 00:32:47,620 --> 00:32:50,860 He was despised and rejected by men, 118 00:32:50,860 --> 00:32:53,820 a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, 119 00:32:53,820 --> 00:32:56,740 and one from whom men hide their faces. 120 00:32:56,740 --> 00:32:59,660 He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 121 00:32:59,660 --> 00:33:05,080 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, 122 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:09,400 Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. 123 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:12,080 He was pierced for our transgressions. 124 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:13,980 He was crushed for our iniquity. 125 00:33:13,980 --> 00:33:17,980 Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. 126 00:33:17,980 --> 00:33:20,800 And with his wounds we are healed. 127 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:23,260 All we like sheep have gone astray. 128 00:33:23,260 --> 00:33:26,060 We have turned every one to his own way. 129 00:33:26,060 --> 00:33:30,800 And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 130 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:35,800 We're going to go ahead and pray, and then we will partake of the Lord's Supper together. 131 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:40,160 Father in heaven, we thank you that you don't just see our hurts. 132 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:43,720 We're thankful that you don't distract from our hurts. 133 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:53,960 We're thankful that you sent your Son who has taken our hurts and our shame and our fear upon himself. 134 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:58,860 He has paid the price for our sin, and in him there is hope and there is healing. 135 00:33:58,860 --> 00:34:00,940 and there is a time 136 00:34:00,940 --> 00:34:03,020 coming when you will wipe away all of 137 00:34:03,020 --> 00:34:05,000 our tears. We will sit 138 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:06,020 at your table 139 00:34:06,020 --> 00:34:08,980 rejoicing because of the sacrifice 140 00:34:08,980 --> 00:34:10,080 of your Son. 141 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:12,780 Thank you for bringing us into your family. 142 00:34:12,780 --> 00:34:14,860 Be with us this morning. Encourage 143 00:34:14,860 --> 00:34:16,540 our hearts. Strengthen us. 144 00:34:16,540 --> 00:34:19,180 Help us to see the good news 145 00:34:19,180 --> 00:34:21,060 of the Gospel. Ask that you 146 00:34:21,060 --> 00:34:23,140 bless this bread and this cup. It's in Jesus' 147 00:34:23,140 --> 00:34:24,740 name we pray. Amen. 148 00:34:24,740 --> 00:34:27,220 Jesus, 149 00:34:27,660 --> 00:34:34,840 When he takes the bread with the disciples, after the Passover meal has been concluded, 150 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:43,180 but it's not quite done, and they're preparing to drink the third cup of Passover, there 151 00:34:43,180 --> 00:34:48,080 is a piece of bread that before the meal is hidden, and afterwards it's taken out, and 152 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:52,840 it's broken sort of as a dessert or a palate cleanser, and Jesus will take that bread and 153 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:57,440 he will add into it something wonderful, and so he says this. 154 00:34:58,660 --> 00:35:00,760 When he had given thanks, he broke the bread 155 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:02,960 and he said, this is my body, which is for you. 156 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:05,140 Do this in remembrance of me. 157 00:35:05,140 --> 00:35:11,500 And then he will take the cup 158 00:35:11,500 --> 00:35:15,120 that symbolizes the redemption of God 159 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:17,080 as he redeems his people out of Egypt. 160 00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,500 And Jesus, about to redeem all of us from sin, 161 00:35:20,500 --> 00:35:23,420 will say, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. 162 00:35:23,420 --> 00:35:26,320 Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. 163 00:35:27,660 --> 00:35:35,340 For as often as you eat this bread and you drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death 164 00:35:35,340 --> 00:35:36,960 until he comes. 165 00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:45,520 We're going to maybe bite off a little more than we can chew this morning. 166 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:46,100 We will see. 167 00:35:46,100 --> 00:35:49,800 We're in Acts chapter 25 and Acts chapter 26. 168 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:56,800 And it's kind of a difficult section because it's essentially sort of all one account, right? 169 00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:02,620 Paul has been in prison now for two years or in custody for two years. 170 00:36:02,620 --> 00:36:05,940 They've been hoping for a bribe, that he'll pay him some money to let him out. 171 00:36:05,940 --> 00:36:09,220 That has not happened, and so a new ruler has come to power. 172 00:36:09,220 --> 00:36:15,840 And in Acts 25 and 26, you sort of see what happens over the course of a few days 173 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:22,000 as that ruler comes to power and a decision is made about the Apostle Paul's future. 174 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:24,900 So there's a lot of things happening here. 175 00:36:24,900 --> 00:36:29,780 And it's sort of difficult to divide this text because you sort of have chapter 25, which 176 00:36:29,780 --> 00:36:37,980 sort of lays the groundwork for chapter 26, which is sort of the finale of Paul's imprisonment 177 00:36:37,980 --> 00:36:41,400 in the region of Jerusalem and Caesarea. 178 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,200 So we're going to give it a try this morning. 179 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:51,280 Unlike what we normally do where we read sort of every verse of a passage, we're going to 180 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:57,700 kind of move through some of the big ideas, ultimately pointing us to the good news of the 181 00:36:57,700 --> 00:37:02,960 gospel, which is Paul's whole purpose. It's why he's in chains, it's why he's going to Rome, 182 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:08,140 and it's what he does when he's in a hearing with the civil officials. So we're going to pray, 183 00:37:08,140 --> 00:37:13,060 and we'll jump right into it. Father in heaven, thank you for your word, and we thank you for 184 00:37:13,060 --> 00:37:20,520 this account by Dr. Luke of the Apostle Paul. Help us this morning as we look at this lengthy text 185 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:24,740 that you would capture our hearts with your goodness, 186 00:37:24,740 --> 00:37:29,860 that you would help us to see your grace poured out 187 00:37:29,860 --> 00:37:31,720 through the good news of the gospel. 188 00:37:31,720 --> 00:37:35,400 And as we, in life, sometimes feel like we're stuck 189 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:39,280 and we're spinning our wheels and we don't know where we are to go, 190 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:41,220 I just ask that you would give us guidance, 191 00:37:41,220 --> 00:37:44,700 that you would help us, like Paul, to see the mission that you've given us 192 00:37:44,700 --> 00:37:49,040 and that when we are in your hands, we are never really stuck. 193 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:51,900 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 194 00:37:51,900 --> 00:37:55,900 Most of us have been, at one point or another, stuck. 195 00:37:55,900 --> 00:38:00,680 Maybe you were stuck in a car because of the terrain you were on 196 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:05,040 or because of breakdowns or stuck in an airport or stuck in traffic. 197 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:11,540 Sometimes we feel stuck in our jobs or in our relationships or in where we live. 198 00:38:11,540 --> 00:38:13,960 And it's never a good feeling. 199 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:18,560 Probably one of the worst times that I was ever stuck, I was in high school. 200 00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:24,380 And our church had had like a youth retreat for junior high and high schoolers. 201 00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:28,460 And one of the kids that had attended, he needed a ride home. 202 00:38:28,460 --> 00:38:31,320 He lived a really long ways away and kind of up in the mountains. 203 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:33,300 And so my cousin and I took him. 204 00:38:33,300 --> 00:38:40,560 We took my cousin's car, which was not really suited for the mountains in the wintertime in Vermont. 205 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:47,380 I think it was like a Ford Thunderbird, but not like a cool one, like an early 90s one. 206 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:51,920 that had like that air suspension that was broken in the car, so it was kind of, you know, 207 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:56,380 it kind of was a little sideways, but we were teenagers, right, so we go out, but we get 208 00:38:56,380 --> 00:39:01,240 done with, you know, everything at church, and it was pretty late at night, and he directed 209 00:39:01,240 --> 00:39:06,760 us to his house, we got him to his house, neither of us had paid attention to how to 210 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:10,560 get there or how to get back, right, we just said, turn left here, turn right there, and 211 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:16,540 so we're lost, and we're driving around, trying to find our way back to the main road, and 212 00:39:16,540 --> 00:39:19,200 And what happened is we went down this road, turned out to be a dead end. 213 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:20,780 It's a little farm. 214 00:39:20,780 --> 00:39:29,220 And we decided to turn around in this guy's driveway, which he had nicely enough not plowed for us in the morning. 215 00:39:29,220 --> 00:39:36,080 And so the fantastic Thunderbird gets stuck in a farmer's driveway at like 1 in the morning. 216 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:37,960 And we're like, oh, we're men. 217 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:38,900 We've got this. 218 00:39:38,900 --> 00:39:43,980 And so we get out, and we all stand there like you have to do if you're a man and you get a car stuck. 219 00:39:43,980 --> 00:39:45,480 We sort of stand there, and you look at it. 220 00:39:46,540 --> 00:39:49,500 And then what happened is, well, we'll try to push it out, right? 221 00:39:49,500 --> 00:39:54,180 And so we're there, and we will not push out because it weighs 9,000 pounds. 222 00:39:54,180 --> 00:39:55,600 Well, maybe we can dig it out. 223 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:59,780 Unfortunately, we don't even have a snow brush in the car, so we're using our feet. 224 00:39:59,780 --> 00:40:01,560 None of us have gloves. 225 00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:03,200 None of us have winter coats, right? 226 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:06,400 Because we're just going to sit in the car for an hour and a half, and we drive this guy home. 227 00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:12,580 And so finally, like an hour later, the farmer notices that there's a car just sitting there 228 00:40:12,580 --> 00:40:18,600 spinning its tires in his front yard and he very grudgingly goes and gets his tractor and gets us 229 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:24,660 out of the ditch and tells us where the main road is and probably mutters about young people these 230 00:40:24,660 --> 00:40:29,800 days and we get home. And it's funny because when you're stuck, right, you go through different 231 00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:35,680 emotions. At first it was optimism, right? We can deal with this situation. We can fix it. We can 232 00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:41,800 take care of this on our own. And then there's kind of this dawning realization that maybe the 233 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:46,620 problem is bigger than what we can handle. And then we go to, at least in our case, like 234 00:40:46,620 --> 00:40:50,960 frustration that moves into anger, right? Here we are trying to do something good and 235 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:55,320 we're stuck and this guy couldn't even be bothered to plow his driveway like it's his 236 00:40:55,320 --> 00:41:00,500 fault we got lost and turned around in his driveway, right? And there's this whole range 237 00:41:00,500 --> 00:41:06,480 of emotions. And all of us, I think, have felt those kind of things. Maybe not with 238 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:11,560 a car in a snowbank in Vermont in the middle of the night, but in life there are times 239 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:14,460 it just feels like we're stuck. 240 00:41:14,460 --> 00:41:20,460 And if anyone felt like they were stuck, it had to be the Apostle Paul as we come into 241 00:41:20,460 --> 00:41:22,360 Acts chapter 25, right? 242 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:28,300 There's a whole bunch of reasons why he should feel like he's stuck and he has no way out. 243 00:41:28,300 --> 00:41:34,780 The first you find actually in the end of chapter 24, as he's had these hearings before 244 00:41:34,780 --> 00:41:38,720 the Roman ruler, and you hear this, at the same time 245 00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:42,920 he hoped that money would be given to him by Paul. So he sent for him often 246 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:45,920 and conversed with him. 247 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:50,700 When two years elapsed, Felix was seceded by Portius Festus 248 00:41:50,700 --> 00:41:54,560 and seeking and desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix 249 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:58,320 left Paul in prison. So Paul has been 250 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:02,460 arrested, he's brought to Caesarea, he's defended himself, 251 00:42:02,580 --> 00:42:03,760 The charges are proved to be false. 252 00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:04,640 But here he is. 253 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:06,080 He's still in custody. 254 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:06,600 Why? 255 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:08,640 Because the guy is dishonest, wants the bride. 256 00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:11,680 And he comes to the end of his term in office, 257 00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:15,880 not because he got voted out, but because he got recalled to Rome, 258 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:19,120 which does not go well for you if you're a Roman ruler. 259 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:20,820 He says, well, I can do one good thing when I leave. 260 00:42:20,820 --> 00:42:23,540 I'll keep the Jews happy by leaving Paul in prison. 261 00:42:23,540 --> 00:42:26,700 And his replacement comes. 262 00:42:26,700 --> 00:42:30,360 And here's what happens in the beginning of Acts chapter 25. 263 00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:35,120 After three days, after Festus, this is the new ruler, had arrived in the province, 264 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:37,560 he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea, 265 00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:42,060 and the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, 266 00:42:42,060 --> 00:42:48,720 and they urged him, asking as a favor against Paul, that he summon him to Jerusalem. 267 00:42:48,720 --> 00:42:51,360 Now here's why they want him summoned to Jerusalem, 268 00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:55,040 because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. 269 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:58,240 So a new leader comes, and he's in Jerusalem, 270 00:42:58,240 --> 00:43:03,200 sort of meeting everybody, getting familiar with his constituents, and a bunch of Jewish leaders, 271 00:43:03,200 --> 00:43:10,300 this is years later, they're like, hey, you got this guy in custody in Caesarea, his name is Paul, 272 00:43:10,300 --> 00:43:15,220 terrible human being, if you could just summon him back to Jerusalem, in the back of their minds, 273 00:43:15,220 --> 00:43:21,280 going as soon as he's on the road, we're going to kill him, and we'll be done with the apostle Paul, right? 274 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:27,280 And so he comes, and this leader, you know, he begins to hear and sort of figure out what is happening, 275 00:43:27,720 --> 00:43:33,200 And they're asking him specifically to bring him back to Jerusalem. 276 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:36,700 But what happens is that Festus will say, 277 00:43:36,700 --> 00:43:39,920 well, we need to have a hearing before we can transfer the case to Jerusalem. 278 00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:42,780 And here's what happens, picking up in verse 7. 279 00:43:42,780 --> 00:43:44,540 He comes to Caesarea. 280 00:43:44,540 --> 00:43:48,520 When he arrived, the Jews that come down from Jerusalem stood around him, 281 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:53,520 bringing many serious charges, many and serious charges against him 282 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:55,700 that they could not prove. 283 00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:57,760 Paul argued in his defense, 284 00:43:57,760 --> 00:43:59,840 neither against the law of the Jews, 285 00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:02,760 nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, 286 00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:04,780 have I committed any offense. 287 00:44:04,780 --> 00:44:08,140 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, 288 00:44:08,140 --> 00:44:08,760 said to Paul, 289 00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:10,420 do you wish to go to Jerusalem 290 00:44:10,420 --> 00:44:12,960 and there be tried on these charges before me? 291 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:13,800 But Paul said, 292 00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,240 I am standing before Caesar's tribunal 293 00:44:16,240 --> 00:44:17,660 where I ought to be tried. 294 00:44:17,660 --> 00:44:19,880 To the Jews, I have done no wrong, 295 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:23,100 as you yourself know very well. 296 00:44:23,100 --> 00:44:25,060 So he had these false charges, 297 00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:28,420 And Luke describes them like this, many and weighty. 298 00:44:28,420 --> 00:44:31,900 And the idea of many here is not just like a handful. 299 00:44:31,900 --> 00:44:34,560 Like this is a pile of charges, right? 300 00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:36,300 They have a lot of charges. 301 00:44:36,300 --> 00:44:41,040 And the idea of weighty is that this is something that is very, very heavy. 302 00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:45,320 These are not like, well, he was doing 26 in a 25, right? 303 00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:49,020 Or he shoplifted a candy bar from the 7-Eleven. 304 00:44:49,020 --> 00:44:52,700 These are charges that would have had the death penalty. 305 00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:55,920 And so they don't just have one or two, but they have a whole bunch. 306 00:44:55,920 --> 00:45:00,600 And you have to imagine Paul is beginning to feel like he's trapped, right? 307 00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:06,100 He's been in custody specifically because he won't pay a bribe. 308 00:45:06,100 --> 00:45:07,740 Now the new guy shows up. 309 00:45:07,740 --> 00:45:09,800 It's obvious they're trying to get him to go to Jerusalem. 310 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:12,540 The last time they tried to get him on the road, they tried to kill him. 311 00:45:12,540 --> 00:45:14,740 What's going to happen this time? 312 00:45:14,740 --> 00:45:22,660 And here the judge that he's standing before seems to think that it's a good idea that Paul go to Jerusalem, right? 313 00:45:23,020 --> 00:45:26,920 Festus tries to change the venue, not because there's merit in doing that, 314 00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:29,600 but because he's trying to keep the side happy. 315 00:45:29,600 --> 00:45:32,840 It's like the judge has already chosen a side. 316 00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:38,180 And so Paul doesn't just have to defend himself from the charges of his accusers, 317 00:45:38,180 --> 00:45:41,060 he has to defend himself from the judge as well. 318 00:45:41,060 --> 00:45:45,160 So what will happen is Paul will say, we need to stay here, 319 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:47,240 and it's Roman law, they couldn't be accused, 320 00:45:47,340 --> 00:45:53,120 or accused couldn't be transferred to a different jurisdiction to be tried without his consent. 321 00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:54,260 Paul does not consent. 322 00:45:54,260 --> 00:45:59,900 Now, in some days in the past, Agrippa, the king, Herod Agrippa, 323 00:45:59,900 --> 00:46:04,840 and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Thastis. 324 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:10,060 And so when you have a legal proceeding, what always helps it to go more smoothly 325 00:46:10,060 --> 00:46:13,280 is that when you add a bunch more people to the situation. 326 00:46:13,280 --> 00:46:16,420 And so you don't just have the Roman ruler, 327 00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:21,260 you have now the Herodian king of that territory, 328 00:46:21,260 --> 00:46:23,900 and he's showing up with Bernice. 329 00:46:23,900 --> 00:46:26,280 We'll talk about them in just a minute. 330 00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:30,520 And he's showing up sort of to meet the new boss over this area 331 00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:33,900 to see if there's anything that he can help with, right? 332 00:46:33,900 --> 00:46:36,540 And so this is Herod Agrippa II. 333 00:46:36,540 --> 00:46:40,880 And what you see historically is that the Herod family 334 00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:45,860 has opposed God and Christianity and Jesus 335 00:46:45,860 --> 00:46:50,620 since the very beginning. Herod the Great is the one who kills all the babies in Bethlehem. 336 00:46:50,620 --> 00:47:02,000 Herod kills John the Baptist. Herod kills the Apostle James. And so here comes Herod Agrippa 337 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:09,740 II and Bernice. And this is a family that is deeply immoral. In fact, you're going to see 338 00:47:09,740 --> 00:47:15,300 just in these characters that their family tree at this point has ceased to be a tree, 339 00:47:15,300 --> 00:47:18,080 and has sort of become a vine. 340 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:23,040 So in chapter 24, remember Felix and his wife, Drusilla? 341 00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:27,260 So Drusilla is Herod, Agrippa's sister. 342 00:47:27,260 --> 00:47:32,460 The interesting thing is she's also the sister of this lady, Bernice, right? 343 00:47:32,460 --> 00:47:37,460 We hear over and over in chapter 24 and chapter 25, Agrippa and Bernice. 344 00:47:37,460 --> 00:47:39,820 Agrippa and Bernice, that's his sister. 345 00:47:39,820 --> 00:47:44,540 And if you say, they seem a little weird, the answer would be they are, right? 346 00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:54,000 It's an immoral situation that is deeply attested to by the historians and the scholars who wrote at that time. 347 00:47:54,000 --> 00:48:01,060 They wrote about Herod, Agrippa, and Bernice, and they have no say about them or their relationship. 348 00:48:01,060 --> 00:48:05,480 And it's interesting, they're never mentioned in this account without one another. 349 00:48:05,480 --> 00:48:11,700 And they're here, sort of the new ruler, to meet the new ruler and get acquainted, 350 00:48:12,020 --> 00:48:17,600 wants to help sort of the boss, he would be over Herod Agrippa. And so here's what happens. 351 00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:23,720 Paul tells them, or Festus tells them about Paul, and they say, we'll hear the accusations. He says, 352 00:48:23,720 --> 00:48:28,980 can I have your help? Listen to what he says. So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with 353 00:48:28,980 --> 00:48:33,720 great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men 354 00:48:33,720 --> 00:48:40,000 of the city. Then at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. And so they have this big display 355 00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:43,040 where sort of the regional governor, King Agrippa, 356 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:46,360 is brought in to the local territory ruler, 357 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:50,760 which is Festus, but he makes a big deal of himself. 358 00:48:50,760 --> 00:48:56,080 And so he comes in sort of with all this pomp and circumstance. 359 00:48:56,080 --> 00:49:01,860 And as he stands before Herod Agrippa and Festus, 360 00:49:01,860 --> 00:49:06,540 I want us to think a little bit about Paul's response 361 00:49:06,540 --> 00:49:09,240 and our response. 362 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:13,860 Because Festus will tell Agrippa this. 363 00:49:13,860 --> 00:49:15,920 I have to send him to Rome. 364 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,460 And I have to include a list of charges. 365 00:49:18,460 --> 00:49:19,980 And here's what it'll say in verse 26. 366 00:49:19,980 --> 00:49:23,220 I have nothing definite to write my Lord about. 367 00:49:23,220 --> 00:49:25,180 Therefore, I have brought him before you, 368 00:49:25,180 --> 00:49:26,960 and especially before you, King Agrippa, 369 00:49:26,960 --> 00:49:28,360 so that after we examine him, 370 00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:29,580 I may have something to write. 371 00:49:29,580 --> 00:49:31,860 For it seems to me unreasonable 372 00:49:31,860 --> 00:49:35,040 in sending a prisoner not to indicate the charges against him. 373 00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:36,380 He goes, Paul's innocent, 374 00:49:36,380 --> 00:49:38,780 but I've got to write some charges down 375 00:49:38,780 --> 00:49:40,400 to send to Rome, right? 376 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:43,360 So Paul has now faced two dishonest judges, 377 00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:46,460 one who keeps him in custody because he wants a bribe, 378 00:49:46,460 --> 00:49:49,280 one who is bending the rules to help the accuser, 379 00:49:49,280 --> 00:49:52,660 dishonest accusers seeking to ambush and kill you. 380 00:49:52,660 --> 00:49:54,460 You got fancy pants Agrippa, 381 00:49:54,460 --> 00:49:57,880 who comes in with all this pomp and circumstances 382 00:49:57,880 --> 00:49:59,080 above his station, 383 00:49:59,080 --> 00:50:01,160 and the people can't even agree 384 00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:05,000 on what charges to bring against Paul, right? 385 00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:06,840 I've seen enough police shows 386 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:08,160 where, you know, the guy's sitting in the room 387 00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:09,040 and the lawyer comes and goes, 388 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:11,100 charge him or let him go, right? 389 00:50:11,100 --> 00:50:12,820 They haven't charged Paul. 390 00:50:12,820 --> 00:50:14,560 They can't even think of charges to write, 391 00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:16,800 but here he is still in prison. 392 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:21,780 Think about how frustrating that would be, right? 393 00:50:21,780 --> 00:50:24,700 If it was me, I might be angry, right? 394 00:50:24,700 --> 00:50:25,600 I've done no wrong. 395 00:50:25,600 --> 00:50:27,740 In fact, if you open your eyes, 396 00:50:27,740 --> 00:50:28,760 they've tried to kill me. 397 00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:30,260 They've lied. 398 00:50:30,260 --> 00:50:32,060 They've brought charges with no foundation. 399 00:50:32,060 --> 00:50:36,000 The government illegally held me trying to get a bribe. 400 00:50:36,580 --> 00:50:39,900 You've tried to illegally change the venue on my trial. 401 00:50:39,900 --> 00:50:42,640 You now have no basis for holding me. 402 00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:47,500 And now you bring in some sleazy king to try to drum up some charges against me. 403 00:50:47,500 --> 00:50:51,800 I would be livid over the injustice of the situation. 404 00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:55,200 Maybe you wouldn't be livid, but maybe you'd just be discouraged. 405 00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:58,820 You go, how can I find truth in this? 406 00:50:58,820 --> 00:51:01,800 Every judge I've stood before has been dishonest. 407 00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:04,400 Everything I've tried to do, they've tried to turn around. 408 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:05,440 They've been death threats. 409 00:51:05,440 --> 00:51:06,240 They've tried to kill me. 410 00:51:06,300 --> 00:51:07,560 They've tried to change the venue. 411 00:51:07,560 --> 00:51:10,720 I just, I can't find any hope in this. 412 00:51:10,720 --> 00:51:13,440 I would feel stuck. 413 00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:16,900 Paul likely may have felt stuck, 414 00:51:16,900 --> 00:51:18,120 but look at how he responds. 415 00:51:18,120 --> 00:51:21,720 He doesn't respond with anger or despair. 416 00:51:21,720 --> 00:51:23,160 He doesn't lash out. 417 00:51:23,160 --> 00:51:26,520 In 2410, when he makes his first defense, 418 00:51:26,520 --> 00:51:27,360 he'll say this, 419 00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:29,920 Knowing that for many years you've been judged 420 00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:32,940 over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. 421 00:51:34,340 --> 00:51:37,680 But then in the verses we mentioned a little bit earlier, 422 00:51:37,680 --> 00:51:40,140 chapter 25, 10, and 11, Paul says, 423 00:51:40,140 --> 00:51:43,740 I am standing before Caesar's tribunal where I ought to be tried. 424 00:51:43,740 --> 00:51:45,440 To the Jews, I have done no wrong. 425 00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:46,260 You yourselves know. 426 00:51:46,260 --> 00:51:50,980 If I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, 427 00:51:50,980 --> 00:51:53,740 I do not seek to escape death. 428 00:51:53,740 --> 00:51:56,440 But if there is nothing to their charges against me, 429 00:51:56,440 --> 00:51:57,800 no one can give me up to them. 430 00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:00,040 I appeal to Caesar, right? 431 00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:03,840 And so he says, I'm not here because I'm trying to avoid punishment, right? 432 00:52:03,940 --> 00:52:07,000 If I'm guilty, I understand what I deserve. 433 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:10,720 I'm not trying to avoid consequences. 434 00:52:10,720 --> 00:52:12,020 I believe I'm innocent. 435 00:52:12,020 --> 00:52:13,740 And then in 26, 2 and 3, 436 00:52:13,740 --> 00:52:17,980 I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, 437 00:52:17,980 --> 00:52:20,880 that I'm going to make myself my defense today 438 00:52:20,880 --> 00:52:22,740 against all the accusations of the Jews, 439 00:52:22,740 --> 00:52:26,580 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of Jews. 440 00:52:26,580 --> 00:52:30,400 Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. 441 00:52:30,400 --> 00:52:33,580 So Paul, as he stands before King Agrippa, this immoral king, 442 00:52:33,580 --> 00:52:37,900 whose family has a history of killing followers of Jesus. 443 00:52:37,900 --> 00:52:42,000 He says this, I consider myself fortunate. 444 00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:43,660 Did you know that word fortunate? 445 00:52:43,660 --> 00:52:47,660 Everywhere else in the New Testament is translated blessed. 446 00:52:47,660 --> 00:52:51,540 When Jesus does the Beatitudes, blessed are the meek. 447 00:52:51,540 --> 00:52:54,560 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 448 00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:56,800 Blessed are the same word that he uses. 449 00:52:56,800 --> 00:53:02,260 Paul isn't saying, I got lucky here today by standing before you, you immoral king. 450 00:53:02,260 --> 00:53:06,920 He says, I'm blessed to stand in this courtroom in front of me. 451 00:53:06,920 --> 00:53:10,980 It's very different than I think my reaction would have been. 452 00:53:10,980 --> 00:53:14,620 I don't know that I would have seen this as a blessing, 453 00:53:14,620 --> 00:53:17,040 something to be joyful about. 454 00:53:17,040 --> 00:53:18,140 But look at what Paul will do. 455 00:53:18,140 --> 00:53:20,420 He's going to share the gospel. 456 00:53:20,420 --> 00:53:22,840 And he's going to sort of follow this outline, 457 00:53:22,840 --> 00:53:25,020 and we've seen it before, and we've heard Paul's story 458 00:53:25,020 --> 00:53:27,140 a couple of times in the book of Acts. 459 00:53:27,140 --> 00:53:29,960 And what he'll do is he'll share where he was before Christ. 460 00:53:30,140 --> 00:53:36,200 He'll share what Jesus did to get his attention and then he's going to share the mission that Jesus gave him. 461 00:53:36,200 --> 00:53:42,980 And Paul, as he tells people about Jesus, he simply tells the good that God has done for him. 462 00:53:42,980 --> 00:53:49,120 That he took me, an enemy of Christ, and he stopped me in my tracks, showed me the good news, 463 00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:53,640 and now I can't help but tell everybody about the goodness of Jesus. 464 00:53:53,640 --> 00:53:58,240 And one of the things that we ask ourselves is how do I tell someone about Jesus? 465 00:53:58,980 --> 00:54:03,160 is simply tell them the good that Jesus has done in your life. 466 00:54:03,160 --> 00:54:07,860 I want to point your attention to verses 16 to 18, 467 00:54:07,860 --> 00:54:09,340 specifically verse 18. 468 00:54:09,340 --> 00:54:12,600 Because Paul says here, says something wonderful. 469 00:54:12,600 --> 00:54:15,720 As he talks about what Jesus has done 470 00:54:15,720 --> 00:54:17,200 and the mission Jesus gives him, 471 00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:17,780 and he'll say this, 472 00:54:17,780 --> 00:54:19,500 Rise, stand upon your feet. 473 00:54:19,500 --> 00:54:21,940 For I have appeared to you for this purpose, 474 00:54:21,940 --> 00:54:23,340 to appoint you as a servant 475 00:54:23,340 --> 00:54:27,560 and a witness to the things which you have seen me 476 00:54:27,560 --> 00:54:29,900 and to those in which I will appear to you, 477 00:54:29,900 --> 00:54:31,640 delivering you from your people 478 00:54:31,640 --> 00:54:33,840 and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, 479 00:54:33,840 --> 00:54:35,260 to open their eyes, 480 00:54:35,260 --> 00:54:37,600 so they may turn from darkness to light 481 00:54:37,600 --> 00:54:40,200 and from the power of Satan to God. 482 00:54:40,200 --> 00:54:42,860 And they may receive forgiveness of sins 483 00:54:42,860 --> 00:54:45,480 in a place among those who are sanctified 484 00:54:45,480 --> 00:54:47,240 by faith in me. 485 00:54:47,240 --> 00:54:50,660 Before we look at the four things 486 00:54:50,660 --> 00:54:53,220 that Paul proclaims here in the Gospel, 487 00:54:53,220 --> 00:54:54,860 I want you to understand 488 00:54:54,860 --> 00:54:58,000 in that Paul is not proclaiming his ideas or plan, right? 489 00:54:58,000 --> 00:54:59,900 So just about everywhere you go, 490 00:54:59,900 --> 00:55:03,780 in any hobby or interest or self-improvement you try to get into, 491 00:55:03,780 --> 00:55:06,000 there's somebody out there trying to sell you a plan. 492 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:07,300 So if you say, you know what? 493 00:55:07,300 --> 00:55:08,880 I want to eat better, right? 494 00:55:08,880 --> 00:55:12,120 You go out and find somebody who will sell you their plan 495 00:55:12,120 --> 00:55:14,820 and their way of eating that's going to transform your life. 496 00:55:14,820 --> 00:55:16,400 You say, I want to get in shape, right? 497 00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:17,840 You go out and begin to do some research, 498 00:55:17,840 --> 00:55:22,220 and you can find some fitness guy who's going to get in shape, 499 00:55:22,220 --> 00:55:24,160 and he'll usually name it after himself. 500 00:55:24,260 --> 00:55:27,400 You get into business and you're seeking to grow your business. 501 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:30,840 Maybe you're selling something and your sales are here and you want them here. 502 00:55:30,840 --> 00:55:33,440 You'll find a guy and he goes, I've got a plan for you. 503 00:55:33,440 --> 00:55:36,720 And I'll show you how I do this and how you can do it too. 504 00:55:36,720 --> 00:55:38,520 Same for marriage. 505 00:55:38,520 --> 00:55:41,080 Here's my plan to make your marriage better. 506 00:55:41,080 --> 00:55:43,100 Here's my plan to raise your children better. 507 00:55:43,100 --> 00:55:46,020 Here's a plan for just about everything we do. 508 00:55:46,020 --> 00:55:49,220 We can find somebody who can sell us a plan. 509 00:55:49,220 --> 00:55:54,040 Now I want you to notice very carefully that when Paul begins to preach the gospel, 510 00:55:54,260 --> 00:55:56,980 he's not preaching Paul's plan. 511 00:55:56,980 --> 00:55:59,100 Paul's not showing up and saying, 512 00:55:59,100 --> 00:56:03,020 I've got something that I came up with that is for you. 513 00:56:03,020 --> 00:56:07,180 But Paul definitively points toward Jesus, right? 514 00:56:07,180 --> 00:56:09,480 In verse 16, he says, 515 00:56:09,480 --> 00:56:12,640 Jesus told me I'm going to be his witness and his servant. 516 00:56:12,640 --> 00:56:15,040 And I'm going to witness about him, not about myself. 517 00:56:15,040 --> 00:56:19,400 Verse 17, Paul is told by Jesus that Jesus is the one who delivers 518 00:56:19,400 --> 00:56:21,560 and Jesus is the one who sends. 519 00:56:21,660 --> 00:56:27,060 And in verse 18, Paul is told, he tells us the things that he proclaims. 520 00:56:27,060 --> 00:56:29,360 They're all about what Jesus has done. 521 00:56:29,360 --> 00:56:34,740 And so as we begin to see these things, these are not about Paul, but about Jesus. 522 00:56:34,740 --> 00:56:41,040 So the first thing that Paul proclaims to these judges that sit in judgment over him 523 00:56:41,040 --> 00:56:44,700 and the crowd that I imagine is gathered to watch the drama unfold, 524 00:56:45,200 --> 00:56:54,060 Paul, first of all, proclaims Jesus is the way that we may be turned from darkness into light. 525 00:56:54,060 --> 00:57:01,000 So darkness can cause us to be uncertain and can cause us to be afraid. 526 00:57:01,000 --> 00:57:04,880 I think it was 11 or 12 years ago, Brent and I were camping in Pennsylvania. 527 00:57:04,880 --> 00:57:08,020 It was 4th of July weekend and we decided we wanted to see some fireworks. 528 00:57:08,020 --> 00:57:13,260 And we looked at the trail map of the place that we were camping at 529 00:57:13,260 --> 00:57:18,240 And we found a hill that sort of overlooked the lake, that overlooked the town, that was having fireworks. 530 00:57:18,240 --> 00:57:23,420 And so we, in the group we were camping with, we said, you know, let's hike to the top of this mountain, 531 00:57:23,420 --> 00:57:25,840 and we can watch the fireworks and hike back down. 532 00:57:25,840 --> 00:57:32,100 So we had our little trusty trail map, which was not so much a trail map as it was a brochure that we stole from the park office. 533 00:57:32,100 --> 00:57:35,980 And so we go down there, we try to find the trail, we start seeing blazes. 534 00:57:35,980 --> 00:57:42,360 And it turns out this trail, maybe at one point in its history, had been a trail. 535 00:57:42,880 --> 00:57:46,060 But in this day, it was just basically woods with some blaze marks, right? 536 00:57:46,060 --> 00:57:48,660 There's trees you've got to go over and under. 537 00:57:48,660 --> 00:57:50,660 We get to the top. 538 00:57:50,660 --> 00:57:53,940 The trail map had described it as, you know, stand at the top of this mountain, 539 00:57:53,940 --> 00:57:56,520 and you get a beautiful view of the surrounding lake. 540 00:57:56,520 --> 00:57:59,800 Turns out that must have been written about 25 years ago, 541 00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:03,060 because all the trees were 20, 30 feet tall. 542 00:58:03,060 --> 00:58:04,940 You couldn't even see the lake. 543 00:58:04,940 --> 00:58:08,640 And about that time, it gets dark, which we're like, oh, firework time. 544 00:58:08,640 --> 00:58:09,900 Well, we're not going to see any of those. 545 00:58:10,220 --> 00:58:12,840 And then it starts pouring down rain. 546 00:58:12,840 --> 00:58:20,860 And so instead of going back the way we came, we said, well, this trail map, you know, if we keep going down the other side, the trail will loop us around. 547 00:58:20,860 --> 00:58:30,460 And so before you know it, we're in the dark completely, in the pouring rain, and we have no idea where the trail actually is. 548 00:58:30,460 --> 00:58:33,860 And Brent, the pessimist, was like, all right, we're here to die. 549 00:58:33,860 --> 00:58:37,680 And about that time, I think we stumbled over a bear. 550 00:58:37,840 --> 00:58:42,460 Nobody can be for sure, but when you stumble over a deer in the woods, they go crashing 551 00:58:42,460 --> 00:58:43,740 off really fast. 552 00:58:43,740 --> 00:58:50,660 This, whatever it was, either a deer or a bear or maybe Sasquatch, it kind of lumbered 553 00:58:50,660 --> 00:58:56,420 off the trail very, very slowly, and we're like, all right, and Brent's like singing 554 00:58:56,420 --> 00:58:58,400 some marching songs to keep the bear away. 555 00:58:58,400 --> 00:59:03,660 You know, it just, it was dark, and you're wet, and you're hopeless, and you're like, 556 00:59:03,660 --> 00:59:06,260 we're just never going to find our way back, right? 557 00:59:06,440 --> 00:59:07,640 We're lost in the woods. 558 00:59:07,640 --> 00:59:08,680 This is the end. 559 00:59:08,680 --> 00:59:11,580 And then we finally found our way back. 560 00:59:11,580 --> 00:59:12,740 We went down the mountain far enough, 561 00:59:12,740 --> 00:59:15,780 found a logging road that led to the campground, 562 00:59:15,780 --> 00:59:18,320 and we made it back home safely. 563 00:59:18,320 --> 00:59:19,520 But there's something in the dark, right? 564 00:59:19,520 --> 00:59:20,700 Every noise seems bigger. 565 00:59:20,700 --> 00:59:24,340 Every fear seems to expand. 566 00:59:24,340 --> 00:59:29,720 And the darkness can leave us struggling and hopeless. 567 00:59:29,720 --> 00:59:32,100 But there's another thing the darkness does, 568 00:59:32,100 --> 00:59:33,500 especially the spiritual darkness. 569 00:59:33,640 --> 00:59:37,460 we use it oftentimes to hide our sins. 570 00:59:37,460 --> 00:59:40,420 And Paul here is proclaiming two things. 571 00:59:40,420 --> 00:59:42,360 One, that the darkness you're in 572 00:59:42,360 --> 00:59:43,940 can be turned into light. 573 00:59:43,940 --> 00:59:46,460 Your hopelessness can be turned into hope. 574 00:59:46,460 --> 00:59:49,500 Your fear can be turned into courage and joy. 575 00:59:49,500 --> 00:59:52,400 But also those sins that you've been hiding in the dark, 576 00:59:52,400 --> 00:59:53,800 they can get dragged out of the light 577 00:59:53,800 --> 00:59:55,160 and they can be taken care of. 578 00:59:55,160 --> 00:59:58,280 And you don't have to hide or run from your sin anymore 579 00:59:58,280 --> 00:59:59,820 because you can be in the light 580 00:59:59,820 --> 01:00:02,040 and Jesus can care for your sins. 581 01:00:03,640 --> 01:00:10,860 And then he will say this, Paul proclaims that through Jesus we will not be under the power of Satan. 582 01:00:10,860 --> 01:00:14,640 You see, there's two choices in this world where to follow. 583 01:00:14,640 --> 01:00:18,500 We can either follow God or we can follow Satan. 584 01:00:18,500 --> 01:00:21,560 And even if we say, well, we're not following either of those, 585 01:00:21,560 --> 01:00:26,280 ultimately our life moves in its trajectory toward one or the other. 586 01:00:26,280 --> 01:00:28,940 I don't know if you've ever had a bad boss. 587 01:00:28,940 --> 01:00:33,580 In college I worked nine months at a Sonic fast food restaurant. 588 01:00:33,640 --> 01:00:35,920 Probably the worst boss I ever had. 589 01:00:35,920 --> 01:00:39,780 I showed up the very first day, and he's just like, go make some fries. 590 01:00:39,780 --> 01:00:41,520 I was like, well, I have no idea how to make some fries. 591 01:00:41,520 --> 01:00:42,200 He's like, not that hard. 592 01:00:42,200 --> 01:00:42,760 Figure it out. 593 01:00:42,760 --> 01:00:47,720 Never trained anybody in the restaurant, but sure liked to yell at you if you didn't do it right. 594 01:00:47,720 --> 01:00:54,900 In fact, that was his primary managerial style, was just screaming at everybody how they were doing things wrong. 595 01:00:54,900 --> 01:00:59,960 And that nine months, I was so happy when I got done, and I said, all right, I'm leaving for the summer. 596 01:00:59,960 --> 01:01:01,480 He's like, well, come back when you get back. 597 01:01:01,480 --> 01:01:02,340 I was like, no, thank you. 598 01:01:02,340 --> 01:01:03,260 I'm done, right? 599 01:01:03,300 --> 01:01:04,940 I'm out, right? 600 01:01:04,940 --> 01:01:08,460 What you find is that when we live 601 01:01:08,460 --> 01:01:11,680 with evil over our life, 602 01:01:11,680 --> 01:01:14,700 it takes us where we don't want to be. 603 01:01:14,700 --> 01:01:16,920 It breaks us down. 604 01:01:16,920 --> 01:01:17,940 It leaves us hopeless. 605 01:01:17,940 --> 01:01:20,440 But then there's Jesus who says, 606 01:01:20,440 --> 01:01:22,160 come to me, all you who are weary 607 01:01:22,160 --> 01:01:23,880 and are heavy laden. 608 01:01:23,880 --> 01:01:25,520 And Paul says, 609 01:01:25,520 --> 01:01:26,920 Jesus brings you out of the darkness 610 01:01:26,920 --> 01:01:27,560 and in the light. 611 01:01:27,560 --> 01:01:29,600 He changes who it is you follow. 612 01:01:29,600 --> 01:01:31,960 He gives you hope and peace 613 01:01:31,960 --> 01:01:33,020 and a future. 614 01:01:33,160 --> 01:01:37,760 And then he says this, that through Jesus we may receive forgiveness of our sins, 615 01:01:37,760 --> 01:01:40,480 sanctification, and a new family, right? 616 01:01:40,480 --> 01:01:42,580 So our sins are, first of all, forgiven. 617 01:01:42,580 --> 01:01:44,020 They're taken away. 618 01:01:44,020 --> 01:01:47,480 And our tendency since the very beginning is that when we sin, 619 01:01:47,480 --> 01:01:51,240 either we try to hide, maybe we try to fix it, 620 01:01:51,240 --> 01:01:54,680 maybe we make excuses, or maybe we blame others. 621 01:01:54,680 --> 01:01:58,700 But it never takes away our sin, but Jesus comes. 622 01:01:59,020 --> 01:02:00,880 And as we read this morning in Isaiah 53, 623 01:02:00,880 --> 01:02:04,080 He takes all of our sin, our brokenness, 624 01:02:04,080 --> 01:02:07,240 and through His wounds we are healed. 625 01:02:07,240 --> 01:02:08,120 He takes our sin away. 626 01:02:08,120 --> 01:02:09,000 But He doesn't just say, 627 01:02:09,000 --> 01:02:11,800 all right, good, your sin is fixed, you're on your own. 628 01:02:11,800 --> 01:02:15,920 And a few years ago, down at the stop sign right here in the corner, 629 01:02:15,920 --> 01:02:18,500 we had a little bit of ice and a little bit of snow, 630 01:02:18,500 --> 01:02:20,320 and some guy was driving along, 631 01:02:20,320 --> 01:02:23,500 and for whatever reason, his car stopped at the stop sign 632 01:02:23,500 --> 01:02:28,240 at this perfect spot where all the wheels were under sort of ice and snow, 633 01:02:28,580 --> 01:02:30,580 And he was just sitting there, and he was spinning the tires. 634 01:02:30,580 --> 01:02:33,100 And so after listening to that for a little bit, I walked down, and I said, 635 01:02:33,100 --> 01:02:34,800 Hey, you need some help getting out? 636 01:02:34,800 --> 01:02:35,860 He's like, I don't know what to do. 637 01:02:35,860 --> 01:02:38,240 Everything I do, it just sits in the same place. 638 01:02:38,240 --> 01:02:41,080 And it's a hard spot because there's not really a hill. 639 01:02:41,080 --> 01:02:41,940 It's sort of flat. 640 01:02:41,940 --> 01:02:43,980 There was no traction to be had. 641 01:02:43,980 --> 01:02:47,960 And I said, all right, well, instead of spinning your tires, let's all just get out and push. 642 01:02:47,960 --> 01:02:51,920 And so we kind of just slid the car to a place where it had traction. 643 01:02:51,920 --> 01:02:54,380 And then I went back inside and said, Good luck. 644 01:02:54,380 --> 01:02:56,220 Hope you don't get stuck at the next stop sign, right? 645 01:02:56,700 --> 01:02:58,620 Jesus doesn't do that to us, right? 646 01:02:58,620 --> 01:03:01,580 He doesn't get us unstuck from our sin 647 01:03:01,580 --> 01:03:04,740 and then go, alright, you're all set, see you later. 648 01:03:04,740 --> 01:03:07,320 What does He do? It says He sanctifies us. 649 01:03:07,320 --> 01:03:09,720 He doesn't just take our brokenness away, 650 01:03:09,720 --> 01:03:11,720 but He gives us His righteousness. 651 01:03:11,720 --> 01:03:14,440 Sanctified means made holy. 652 01:03:14,440 --> 01:03:17,320 That Jesus doesn't just take away our bad, 653 01:03:17,320 --> 01:03:19,180 but He gives us all of the good. 654 01:03:19,180 --> 01:03:22,780 And then, right, there's a spot for you. 655 01:03:23,540 --> 01:03:28,280 A new family is what Paul talks about. 656 01:03:28,280 --> 01:03:31,700 It's a company of those who are sanctified. 657 01:03:31,700 --> 01:03:33,920 It's a part of those who are sanctified. 658 01:03:33,920 --> 01:03:35,600 It's a place among them, right? 659 01:03:35,600 --> 01:03:37,840 And not as an afterthought. 660 01:03:37,840 --> 01:03:41,820 Rachel's birthday was the beginning of April, 661 01:03:41,820 --> 01:03:43,600 or the second week of April, I guess. 662 01:03:43,600 --> 01:03:46,020 And we were going out to eat with some friends, 663 01:03:46,020 --> 01:03:47,160 and I made a reservation. 664 01:03:47,160 --> 01:03:50,020 We all get to the restaurant, and we're standing there, 665 01:03:50,020 --> 01:03:51,440 and they go, oh, you have a name for the reservation? 666 01:03:52,160 --> 01:03:55,920 And I was like, yeah, Brandon Merrill, and they kind of flipped through their list. 667 01:03:55,920 --> 01:03:59,200 And they go, oh, we don't see a reservation there for you. 668 01:03:59,200 --> 01:04:01,820 Well, we'll try to squeeze you in somewhere. 669 01:04:01,820 --> 01:04:06,100 That's not a very good feeling to get somewhere and not have a place for you. 670 01:04:06,100 --> 01:04:09,100 Thankfully, he didn't realize there was a second page of the list. 671 01:04:09,100 --> 01:04:12,720 And so when somebody pointed out to him there was, and he scrolled over, there was our reservation. 672 01:04:12,720 --> 01:04:14,260 And it was all set. 673 01:04:14,260 --> 01:04:18,340 But it's not a very good feeling when someone says, yeah, we weren't really expecting you, 674 01:04:18,420 --> 01:04:21,320 but we'll try to fit you in somewhere in the back corner 675 01:04:21,320 --> 01:04:23,240 next to the kitchen or the bathroom. 676 01:04:23,240 --> 01:04:25,540 That's not what happens when you're a Christian. 677 01:04:25,540 --> 01:04:28,140 The picture here is that you're wanted. 678 01:04:28,140 --> 01:04:30,320 That Jesus takes away your sin, 679 01:04:30,320 --> 01:04:32,700 He makes you righteous, 680 01:04:32,700 --> 01:04:35,700 and He brings you into a family 681 01:04:35,700 --> 01:04:37,920 where there is a place for you at the table. 682 01:04:37,920 --> 01:04:41,280 This is wonderful. 683 01:04:41,280 --> 01:04:45,220 But I want you to see in these two chapters 684 01:04:45,220 --> 01:04:50,180 is that we serve a God who turns things upside down. 685 01:04:50,180 --> 01:04:53,800 From our perspective, it seems like Paul is stuck. 686 01:04:53,800 --> 01:04:57,920 But in reality, God has placed Paul there for a purpose. 687 01:04:57,920 --> 01:05:01,000 And that purpose is the proclamation of the Gospel 688 01:05:01,000 --> 01:05:03,060 from darkness into light, 689 01:05:03,060 --> 01:05:04,820 from Satan to Jesus, 690 01:05:04,820 --> 01:05:07,520 from sin to holiness, 691 01:05:07,520 --> 01:05:10,500 from being alone to being brought into part of a family, 692 01:05:10,500 --> 01:05:13,660 all through the power of Jesus and what He's done. 693 01:05:13,660 --> 01:05:17,920 In fact, that's what Paul says is, this is for those who believe in Jesus. 694 01:05:17,920 --> 01:05:20,680 And God has put Paul into place. 695 01:05:20,680 --> 01:05:22,200 Paul's not stuck. 696 01:05:22,200 --> 01:05:27,540 The funny thing is, the people who are stuck are the people that Paul is speaking to. 697 01:05:27,540 --> 01:05:29,760 God has turned the tables. 698 01:05:29,760 --> 01:05:34,460 No longer, as Paul proclaims the gospel, is he standing before a court. 699 01:05:34,460 --> 01:05:38,500 But rather, this court is standing before him, hearing him preach. 700 01:05:38,500 --> 01:05:41,120 And we know that they see it that way. 701 01:05:42,380 --> 01:05:44,340 Because Agrippa will say this. 702 01:05:44,340 --> 01:05:49,140 In a short time, you would persuade me to be a Christian. 703 01:05:49,140 --> 01:05:51,940 And Paul says, whether short or long, 704 01:05:51,940 --> 01:05:54,420 I would to God that not only you, 705 01:05:54,420 --> 01:05:56,800 but also all you who hear me this day 706 01:05:56,800 --> 01:05:59,300 might become as I am except for the change. 707 01:05:59,300 --> 01:06:00,860 And people have argued back and forth 708 01:06:00,860 --> 01:06:02,680 about what Agrippa says when he said, 709 01:06:02,680 --> 01:06:05,080 in a short time, you would persuade me to become a Christian. 710 01:06:05,080 --> 01:06:06,060 Is he saying to Paul, 711 01:06:06,060 --> 01:06:08,180 do you think you can make me a Christian 712 01:06:08,180 --> 01:06:10,340 in these 20 minutes you've been talking? 713 01:06:11,340 --> 01:06:12,980 Or is his words more hopeful? 714 01:06:12,980 --> 01:06:16,120 Paul, it's not going to take very much more 715 01:06:16,120 --> 01:06:17,680 for me to be a Christian. 716 01:06:17,680 --> 01:06:20,160 Either way, he acknowledges 717 01:06:20,160 --> 01:06:22,260 that Paul is not defending himself here. 718 01:06:22,260 --> 01:06:23,340 He's proclaiming the Gospel. 719 01:06:23,340 --> 01:06:26,040 And Paul, by way of invitation, 720 01:06:26,040 --> 01:06:28,620 simply says, this isn't just for you, King. 721 01:06:28,620 --> 01:06:31,100 It's for you who are listening over there. 722 01:06:31,100 --> 01:06:32,300 You are listening over there. 723 01:06:32,300 --> 01:06:34,140 And Festus, who is listening over there, 724 01:06:34,140 --> 01:06:36,140 I would that you be as I am, 725 01:06:36,140 --> 01:06:38,120 a servant of Jesus Christ, 726 01:06:38,120 --> 01:06:41,080 except not in chains. 727 01:06:41,340 --> 01:06:50,520 what i love is that for God's people God takes our stuckness and he turns it into an opportunity 728 01:06:50,520 --> 01:06:58,320 for the gospel he takes all of these things that Paul has experienced and turns it to an 729 01:06:58,320 --> 01:07:03,880 opportunity for Paul to preach the good news about Jesus from darkness into light from sin 730 01:07:03,880 --> 01:07:08,760 into sanctification from loneliness in the family all through the power of Jesus 731 01:07:08,760 --> 01:07:11,040 God turns things 732 01:07:11,040 --> 01:07:12,560 upside down 733 01:07:12,560 --> 01:07:15,040 who turns our struggles 734 01:07:15,040 --> 01:07:16,520 on their heads like Joseph says 735 01:07:16,520 --> 01:07:19,260 to his brothers what you intended for evil 736 01:07:19,260 --> 01:07:20,880 God used 737 01:07:20,880 --> 01:07:21,820 for good 738 01:07:21,820 --> 01:07:24,520 so one of the things that I would say to us 739 01:07:24,520 --> 01:07:26,020 as Christians 740 01:07:26,020 --> 01:07:29,080 is that when we feel 741 01:07:29,080 --> 01:07:30,280 like we're stuck 742 01:07:30,280 --> 01:07:32,960 one of the questions that I think 743 01:07:32,960 --> 01:07:35,040 we should ask is why has God put me 744 01:07:35,040 --> 01:07:37,160 here and how can I 745 01:07:37,160 --> 01:07:38,060 use this 746 01:07:38,060 --> 01:07:39,880 as a witness for the Gospel. 747 01:07:39,880 --> 01:07:41,780 It's what Paul does. 748 01:07:41,780 --> 01:07:43,440 In the middle of his stuckness, 749 01:07:43,440 --> 01:07:44,680 he says God has a purpose 750 01:07:44,680 --> 01:07:46,640 and that purpose is this. 751 01:07:46,640 --> 01:07:50,060 And to understand that as Christians, 752 01:07:50,060 --> 01:07:52,460 God can take the most hopeless situation 753 01:07:52,460 --> 01:07:55,080 and He can turn it on His head. 754 01:07:55,080 --> 01:07:57,280 If He is with us, 755 01:07:57,280 --> 01:07:58,320 He does not leave us. 756 01:07:58,320 --> 01:07:59,920 He encourages us. 757 01:07:59,920 --> 01:08:00,720 He equips us. 758 01:08:00,720 --> 01:08:01,820 And He helps us. 759 01:08:01,820 --> 01:08:03,940 Not always out of the bad situation, 760 01:08:03,940 --> 01:08:07,820 but always through the bad situation. 761 01:08:08,060 --> 01:08:09,420 that God takes care of us. 762 01:08:09,420 --> 01:08:11,280 And if we're not a Christian this morning, 763 01:08:11,280 --> 01:08:13,600 I want you to hear Paul's message. 764 01:08:13,600 --> 01:08:15,480 That through Jesus, 765 01:08:15,480 --> 01:08:17,960 that you don't have to hide in the darkness. 766 01:08:17,960 --> 01:08:20,800 You don't have to be a slave 767 01:08:20,800 --> 01:08:23,160 to those sins that you've been fighting. 768 01:08:23,160 --> 01:08:24,900 That there is forgiveness. 769 01:08:24,900 --> 01:08:27,060 That there is change. 770 01:08:27,060 --> 01:08:29,320 And it comes through Jesus. 771 01:08:29,320 --> 01:08:29,980 Let's pray. 772 01:08:29,980 --> 01:08:31,480 Father in Heaven, 773 01:08:31,480 --> 01:08:33,260 thank You for grace. 774 01:08:33,260 --> 01:08:35,820 Thank You for hope. 775 01:08:36,380 --> 01:08:39,240 Thank You that You turn our brokenness upside down. 776 01:08:39,240 --> 01:08:41,780 Thank You that You take our stuckness 777 01:08:41,780 --> 01:08:43,360 and You use it for Your glory. 778 01:08:43,360 --> 01:08:45,700 Help us, like Paul, 779 01:08:45,700 --> 01:08:49,440 to make the most of the opportunities You give us, 780 01:08:49,440 --> 01:08:52,580 even when it seems like it's easier for us 781 01:08:52,580 --> 01:08:55,640 to maybe be frustrated, discouraged, or hopeless, 782 01:08:55,640 --> 01:08:58,140 to understand that even in those dark moments, 783 01:08:58,140 --> 01:09:00,800 You're working and You're doing something wonderful. 784 01:09:00,800 --> 01:09:02,920 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 785 01:09:04,040 --> 01:09:08,700 We're going to stand and sing about our need for Jesus. 786 01:09:08,700 --> 01:09:10,640 We're going to sing, I Need Thee Every Hour. 787 01:09:34,040 --> 01:09:40,720 A voice like Thine can peace afford. 788 01:09:40,720 --> 01:09:46,040 I need Thee, oh, I need Thee. 789 01:09:46,040 --> 01:09:51,040 Every hour I need Thee. 790 01:09:51,040 --> 01:10:00,660 Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. 791 01:10:04,040 --> 01:10:12,540 I need Thee every hour 792 01:10:12,540 --> 01:10:17,360 Stay Thou, live I 793 01:10:17,360 --> 01:10:22,120 Temptations lose their power 794 01:10:22,120 --> 01:10:27,080 When Thou art nigh 795 01:10:27,080 --> 01:10:33,240 I need Thee, oh, I need Thee 796 01:10:33,240 --> 01:10:46,940 Every hour I need Thee, O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. 797 01:10:53,440 --> 01:11:12,880 I need Thee every hour, teach me Thy will, and Thy rich promises in me fulfill. 798 01:11:12,880 --> 01:11:33,160 I need Thee. Oh, I need Thee. Every hour I need Thee. Oh, bless me now, my Savior. I come to Thee. 799 01:11:42,880 --> 01:11:49,320 I want to thank you for being here this morning. 800 01:11:49,320 --> 01:11:56,240 We'll be back this Wednesday night in 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 3. 801 01:11:56,240 --> 01:12:00,240 Also, ladies meet on Thursday at 1 p.m. 802 01:12:00,240 --> 01:12:06,860 So we are thankful that you are here with us this morning. 803 01:12:06,860 --> 01:12:13,840 We're going to pray, read a verse of Scripture, and then we'll sing the doxology. 804 01:12:13,840 --> 01:12:17,960 Father in heaven, thank you that you are with us. 805 01:12:17,960 --> 01:12:20,300 And if you save us, you help us. 806 01:12:20,300 --> 01:12:21,980 Just be with us through this week. 807 01:12:21,980 --> 01:12:24,820 Help us to keep our focus on you. 808 01:12:24,820 --> 01:12:30,420 And help us to make the most of the opportunities that you give us through your strength and by your spirit. 809 01:12:30,420 --> 01:12:32,660 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 810 01:12:33,660 --> 01:12:39,580 Paul, writing to the church in Rome, will say this in Romans 12, 12. 811 01:12:39,580 --> 01:12:46,020 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer. 812 01:12:46,020 --> 01:12:46,880 Let's sing it off. 813 01:13:03,660 --> 01:13:17,480 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.