I'm Baptized, Now What? | Acts 9:17-26 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Can you please pray with me before we open God's word? Lord, we thank you for this time, for these testimonies, for the the freedom to be able to gather in a place like this to worship you without fear and to hear from your voice. And we pray now, Lord, with all that we've already heard and experienced, there can be an excitement and even a reflection that might cause us to be distracted from what you wanna say at this time. We pray that you still our hearts and tune our ears to hear what you have to declare to us. We love you and we honor you and we believe that you will say something now.

In Jesus name, amen. It is an undeniable pattern in the scriptures that when a person professes their faith in Jesus Christ, their next priority is to be baptized. And regardless of what traditions may suggest, the bible clearly indicates that baptism follows belief. We heard it from, brother John who boldly said it. Baptism follows belief.

And as much as water baptism is important, it is not the entirety of what it means to follow Jesus Christ. I've personally seen over the years that when people learn the importance of what we just observed, they rightly pursue it and they sometimes pay a high price for it, but then they find themselves without direction afterward. What's next? What now? And I've personally seen over the years that when some people get baptized, they virtually disappear after.

They don't get connected to the local church, a local church. There's no observable growth and unfortunately, sometimes you even see people revert and go back to their old ways, and this is not an uncommon trend. I'd like to explain baptism in this way. It's similar to a wedding ceremony. The wedding ceremony is a time where you, in a celebratory fashion, invite others to witness a covenant that you are making with someone else.

But like a wedding ceremony, baptism is just one event. What follows a wedding ceremony? Marriage. And it is no different with the Lord Jesus Christ. Than when you and I put our faith in him and then we declare that faith saying, I am unified.

I am one. My heart belongs to this Lord, the only Lord and the only savior. You are now committed to a daily lifelong relationship with him. And I'm persuaded that for churches who teach on the importance of baptism, they must also instruct believers what their lives should look like after that initial step of obedience. And that is what I want to convey to you today from the word of God.

And this is not just for those who stood before us this afternoon, this is going to be a reminder for every genuine follower of Christ in this place. So that you can, by hearing these directions, reflect on your own life and say, is my life consistent with the model that is presented to me in the bible of what my life should look like? And the way we're going to accomplish this is looking particularly at one, one of the most influential and exemplary disciples of Jesus, the apostle Paul. You know, what's interesting is that when you read the bible, you will not find a record of the baptisms of the original 12 disciples. But the Holy Spirit has preserved for us the conversion story, the baptism, and the first steps of Paul's movements after his baptism.

And that's what I want us to look at together to gather in a brief amount of time four things four things that every genuine Christian should expect and pursue after putting their faith in Christ and publicly declaring their allegiance to him. Meet me in your bibles in Acts chapter nine beginning in verse 17, and let's read a few verses together. And listen, Christian, believer, this is also, I hope, going to be a means for you to equip yourself so that you can help and guide other people in the infancy of their faith. When they might ask you, what does my life look like now? You can offer these points among other things.

Acts chapter nine beginning here in verse 17, here's what we read. So Ananias departed and entered the house, and laying his hands on him, he said, brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately something like scales felt from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized. And taking food he was strengthened.

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. Four things. Four things that should follow your public declaration of profession of faith. Notice here that after Paul and his personal transformation and public profession met with some disciples. That's what you read at the end of verse 19.

Right? For some days, he was with the disciples at Damascus. The the point is so clear, it's undeniable that when a person brings their heart to Christ, when a person links themselves to the truth, their fellowship changes. You have to understand that when Paul first arrived into Damascus, he hated the disciples of Jesus Christ. He was there to persecute them, arrest them, harass them, and even have some of them executed.

And the very object of his hatred now became his delight. Listen, this is an undeniable mark of a person who has truly been transformed by the gospel. You will desire to be with Christians. Now if somebody were to ask you, I'm speaking to the Christians, if somebody were to ask you doubting their own salvation, how can I know that I am truly a follower of Christ? How can I know that Christ really transformed my life?

What answers would you give them? What truths would you encourage them to reflect on? John the apostle gives us one trait that I believe is oftentimes overlooked. It's not taken into account. He says this in first John three fourteen, and we know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers.

If we do not love, we abide in death. So notice what he's saying here, that one of the marks that you have went from death, spiritual death to life, is that you have a new found affection for fellow Christians. That you have a longing to be in their company, that you have an ambition to serve them and be served by them. Those are in separable signs of a person who has and possesses saving faith. And to be void of this kind of love warrants a legitimate examination of the authenticity of your salvation.

That's not my claim. That's not my standard. That's what John says. Notice what he says at the end of the verse, whoever does not love abides in death. And he qualifies what kind of love he's talking about.

Love for the brothers. Whoever doesn't have this kind of love, this kind of care and commitment to a group of Christians as well as the universal church, that person has every right to think about whether or not they are truly followers of Jesus. And this is such an important point to the Holy Spirit, to God himself who authored this book, that he repeats that qualification more than once in the book of first John. If you don't believe me, look at first John five one at another time, that those who've been born of God will love those who've also been born of him. So then if one of the indications that I have been changed, that this this seal of God's salvation has been placed on my heart, being loved for others, how do I know if I'd love others?

How do I measure that my love for the brethren is legitimate? And you don't have to guess. He explains. Look at verse 16 of first John three. By this we know love that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

There it is. The way that you know that this love from God has changed you is that you are willing to lay down your life for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Now what does that mean exactly? Does that mean that if the opportunity arises that I should actually die in the stead of another? Perhaps in some instances that is the case, but I don't think that's the main point that John is trying to get across.

To lay down my life is not necessarily a one time event, a one time great act of sacrifice, it's a lifestyle. It's a way of living. And that's what he says in the very next verse. I mean, the Bible explains itself. Look at verse seventeen, first John three seventeen.

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against them, how does God's love abide in him? So the thread is is is is there. If you have been changed by God, you're gonna love the brothers. And the way you can know that you love the brothers is that you're willing to lay your life down for them. And the way you know that you've laid your life down for them is in practical ways.

If you see a brother in need and you close your heart against them, how does God's love abide in you? This is not theoretical or sentimental. It has action behind it. And so let's let's consider the implications of this. If I've been saved, I'm gonna love the brothers.

But the way in which I love the brothers requires, listen very carefully, requires me to be intentional and committed to brothers and sisters. In other words, I'm going to pursue something greater than a superficial shallow interaction with other Christians. I'm going to be acquainted with other Christians and know them well enough where I am aware of their needs. And then based on that, the wisdom that I've been given and the resources maybe at times, I I try to meet that need. So here's a question for all of us in here.

Do you have that heart for the church? Do you have that kind of love for fellow Christians? Do you pray for them? Do you bless them by your presence? You know how much it blesses people when we come to the house of God?

Do you do you seek to discover your gifts so that you can share those gifts with others? Do you even beyond the service times, are you associated with Christians enough where you can assist them if they need assistance? And one of the things that blessed me so much about this church, this local body is the organic fellowship that God has created in this place. And and sometimes I learn of things myself that were not necessarily part of a program or an effort from the leadership. That when somebody in this place has to go through surgery or or becomes sick, there's an initiative that people in this church take.

They go on rotation to cook meals and maybe to visit or to offer something beyond just you being here for a service. That's the work of the Holy Spirit of God. That's the mark that his love has been embedded on our hearts. And notice here that as I'm about to present this point, this is not, here's what you gotta do to show that you really belong to God. That's that you're putting the cart before the horse.

What I'm about to explain, what I've been explaining is, here's what you will do because you've been born of God. This will be the natural spring and overflow of what God has done in your soul. Do you love the brothers? It is a oxymoron. It is a contradiction to say, I'm a Christian, I love God but I'm not sure if I love people who claim to love God.

That's foreign to the Bible. That does not make sense. What you have here is Paul, after he has his own experience with Christ, meeting with the disciples. Let's go back to Acts nine and look at a second point. So we read for some days that he was with the disciples at Damascus.

Look at verse 20 of Acts nine, and immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogue saying, he is the son of God. And all who heard him were amazed and said, is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon his name? And has he not come here for this purpose to bring them bound before the chief priest? So when you experience Christ, he saves your soul. Not only is your relationship with the believing community different, your engagement with the lost, with the unbelieving is also marvelously altered.

Notice what Paul does after he meets with the disciples to recuperate and to be strengthened. He immediately finds the nearest synagogue to preach Christ. I love that word immediately. It's something that a genuine Christian in this place can attest to. That when you have had your eyes open to the goodness of God, you have in you this deposited urgency and zeal to share what happened to you.

Is that not true? It's this level of excitement that almost makes that ambition effortless. I remember first becoming a Christian and I missed a lot of appointments. Because when I would go to the grocery store, whenever I had to pick up food or wherever the case may be, there would still be so many of these conversations that would come up. And I've seen that with other believers as well.

They just consumes you. Everything orients around, how can I share what Christ has done in me to others? And that's precisely what you see in Paul's life here. It doesn't mean here that he was immediately placed in an office of leadership or of of being trusted with some kind of responsibility in the church. No.

The bible warns against new believers taking on such roles. But it doesn't mean that we can't go out there and share and tell others. And Paul's life proves to us that that desire, that that goal to make Christ known doesn't die off with time, at least it shouldn't. You see here throughout his life in the scriptures that it was something that remained consistent. And at the same time, the trajectory of Paul's life proves that when you truly experience Christ, you will have this desire to share him and it will remain with you through all your days even though you might have to battle fear and maybe spiritual lethargy, that's all real.

That's all common. We can't be we can't be unrealistic with those temptations. Paul's example teaches that Christians do not disassociate with the unbelieving world in a cult like manner when you come to faith in Christ. What happens is that now those relationships with those that you might have once sinned with and and were unbelieving with, there is now a redemptive purpose in your interactions with them. Through wisdom and prayer and dependence on God, you you want to show them who Jesus is.

And I wanna tell you that it doesn't just happen through communication. He did preach Christ in the synagogues, but I want you to look at verse 21 again. Look at what the people said when they learned that this was Paul telling others about Christ. And all who heard him were amazed and said, is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem? I mean, they already knew he was causing chaos in the Christian community.

He was the number one persecutor against the church. They learned it all the way up to Damascus. This Paul now that was causing a tornado in Jerusalem has now come here to do the same, but they realize what? Has he not come here to do this? For this purpose?

To bring them bound before the chief priest? So in other words, this audience, they weren't just amazed at what Paul was saying, they were astonished by what he was no longer doing. He was preaching Christ, but they knew who this Paul was before he has come to persecute Christians, but he's not persecuting Christians anymore. What's the lesson? This man's message was consistent with the man.

He did not just verbalize his change, his life was a living advertisement of it. And so the second point here is that when you have truly experienced Christ, when you make that public declaration of faith as some did today, your life leaving this place is going to look different. The only thing about you being changed at baptism, if it's only getting wet, then you got it wrong. It's about an internal transformation that others will be able to recognize over time you're not the same person. Not just based on what you're saying, but I can see it.

And that was the case with this amazing man of God. Is there anything else in this man's example that shows us what should become of a person who follows Jesus Christ wholeheartedly? Absolutely. Let's come back to our text in acts nine verse 22. But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

He increased all the more in strength. What kind of strength is the Holy Spirit referring to here? Spiritual strength. You see, when the gospel becomes real to us and we respond to it in faith, we want to grow in our knowledge of the one who saved us and our conformity to who he is. Something that was absolutely irrelevant to you and you were disinterested in, that you were indifferent to, now becomes this burning passion.

I want to know the one who saved me and I want to, by his power, live like him. That's not optional. That is something that is definite with somebody who has encountered the power of the cross. You know, it's amazing. This is not the only reference to growing in strength in this chapter.

We read it earlier. When Paul, after he encountered Christ on the road to Damascus, he was so moved by, he was so impacted that he fasted for three days. We read that in Acts chapter nine. And after Ananias comes commissioned by Christ to open his eyes and to be baptized, what do we read back in verse 19? And taking food, he was strengthened.

In that case, we're talking about a physical, refreshing, and recovery. But back in verse 22 is spiritual. So this is the point that I'm trying to make. The the way in which Paul was strengthened physically parallels the way you and I will be strengthened spiritually. What did he do?

He ate. What happens to a person who is really saved, really transformed? That that what they did in their public declaration was was authentic? You're gonna have a new appetite for the word of God. You're gonna hunger for it.

You're saying, is that really what that's talking about? Well, look back at verse 22, the connection of increasing in all more strength is related to confounding the Jews who live in Damascus and proving that Jesus was the Christ. So we're talking about an increase of strength and effectiveness in the knowledge of what he believed in. So here's the point. This is what you and I have to understand that when somebody is saved, they will become more aware and they will acknowledge that through the proclamation of the faith, the explanation of the faith, the defending of the faith, that they have invested time to study the faith, meditate on the faith and grow in the knowledge of the faith.

Now Paul here is not saying that all of us are gonna become preachers, but what he is showing is that his appetite for the truth is reflective on all of us who will truly follow Jesus Christ. He was able to now be more efficient and able to confound and to prove how where did that come from? Because he was diligent. Because something in him now needed to rewire everything that he learned about the world, about God, and Christ honored that and helped them to grow in true spiritual strength. Do you have an appetite for the things of God?

I'm not saying do you have an uninterrupted discipline of reading, I'm just saying down deep inside, can you say, I really wanna know God more? Does it bother you when you hear maybe a sermon like this that I'm not familiar with? That used to bother me. When I first got saved, then I would come into meetings like this, conferences, brand new baby in Christ. The preacher would get up there and name books of the bible.

I don't know where they were. I would just go And I have people around me saying, no no, it's on the right side not the left side. And that irked me. If I really believe that Jesus said that and this is the means by which this is the the database of who he is, then I gotta know him. I want to know him.

Not so I can win debates and arguments, so that I can know who saved me. That will become true of you if you really experience the gospel. That was true of this man, Paul. And that's why the end of second Peter, the very last verse of second Peter, Peter the Apostle says, but grow. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Grow. Are you growing? Or has nothing changed even after you got baptized? Then what does it mean? What does it mean?

It's like getting married, spending all that money for that ceremony, and days and weeks and months and years go by and you don't know anything about your wife more than you did that day. See when we put it in real practical terms, we're like, that sounds silly, but we tolerate it in the church when it comes to our faith. Does it make sense? No desire to know Christ? No desire to pick up this word and read it?

I'm not saying that every single day you're gonna have that ambition. I'm just saying, is it even present? Is it even there? Are you convicted about not having it? Now Paul shows us here that you'll have it.

Yes, it'll be challenged. That's why those commands like in second Peter three eighteen, grow because we need to be stirred, we need to be reminded. But if it's not evident, if it's nowhere to be found, if a message like this doesn't move you, oh, you you have you have every right to step back and ask some questions. There's one more thing. We talked about how Paul met with the disciples after his transformation.

You you will want to be with Christians. You you will want to be with the church. We saw that he testified of Christ not just in word, but also in deed. You you want to you want to live in a way where people know that you're associated with Christ. And yes, there might be hesitations and yes, you might have to battle with some things, but you want to.

You want to. Thirdly, you're gonna grow in spiritual strength. You're gonna wanna eat, because like a baby that comes out of the womb after a delivery, that baby naturally is inclined to eat. Give me food. It's no different with a spiritual birth.

If there's no appetite after a spiritual birth, that would be concerning just as it would be concerning for a newborn baby to not have an appetite. There's one more thing. Let's come back to Acts nine verse 23. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates by day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

One thing that you can expect following Jesus eventually, it's not just that love for people, not just wanting to tell people about Christ, not just a love for the word of God and growing in strength in your spirit, you will also experience at some point in some way suffering at the hands of others. Suffering at the hands of others. And we see here that in verse 23, when many days had passed, what happened? The Jews plotted to kill him. Why?

Because nothing disturbs Satan more than a robust, consistent, steadfast, serious Christian who takes their calling seriously, who yes grows, but also from that growth spills over, serves God's people, and even serves this unbelieving world. Satan, as powerful as he is, he's finite. He is limited. He has limited resources and so he has to be strategic and he reserves his efforts for those who are actually walking wholeheartedly with his enemy, the Lord Jesus Christ, your friend and your Lord. And that's what we see with Paul.

Paul now was growing on Satan's most wanted list and he wasn't gonna waste any time to try to stifle, derail or maybe even destroy him. He saw where this man was going and we wanted to put an early end to it. And so what happens? Well, we learn here that one of the ways in which Satan tries to hinder holy men and holy women by of God is by causing people from outside and within to be an obstacle. Pay attention to what I said.

From outside and from within. From outside, I mean people who do not believe in Jesus. And they're not just neutral about it, they actually hate what you believe in. They might believe contrary, they might not claim to believe anything at all, but they despise what you adhere to. And that was true with these unbelieving Jews.

They saw Paul as a threat and so they came against him to the point of wanting to kill him because he was sharing this soul saving message with others and it was making an impact. Now I'm aware that what I'm just sharing with you right now about Paul being actually targeted unto death does not resonate with probably all of us in this place. Because we don't pay such a price for what we believe in here in the West. But can I remind you that the Christian experience in America is a minority? The majority, statistically speaking, the majority of Christians when they are contemplating following Jesus, you know what they have to ruminate over?

Am I willing to go to jail for many many years? Am I willing to have my family taken from me? Am I willing to endure torture? Am I willing to meet execution? That's what Christians in other parts of the world are thinking about.

So I was thinking about this last night, I thought, if I was speaking to a room filled with people who lived under a communist regime or in a culture that advocates killing your own family, dishonoring you publicly. I I would wanna point point to Paul's example here and show them that as much as you will face hostility and and even threats on your life, when you follow Jesus Christ, you win God's protective favor. Because notice what happens, when many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. How how it was made known, we're not exactly told. But you see this this this consistent thing in Paul's life in the book of acts that God often intervened in his life providentially.

That he invisibly maneuvered things to make sure that Paul understood ahead of time of what was coming his way. And why I bring that up is because there is a day coming and it did come where Paul would be imprisoned and he wasn't gonna get out. Paul would be imprisoned in what historians believe to be in his sixties and he would have his head lopped off for his faith. But until then, nothing or anyone could pry him out of God's hand as long as it was placed on him. And the promise is no different for you and I.

God will not allow anything to happen to you as a follower of his son that does not align with his perfect will, And he will protect you and provide for you until your testimony on the earth is complete and you're ready to graduate into glory. This this truth only becomes more powerful when you realize how Paul reflects on this point. You don't have to turn there, but as he's speaking to the Corinthian believers, he reflects on his resume of his suffering for Christ. And he touches on this moment, but he gives even more insight of what happened. Let me read this to you.

It's in second Corinthians eleven thirty two and thirty three. He says, at Damascus, the governor under King Eratas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. That detail is not mentioned in the narrative of acts. He he mentions it later on. Paul does.

And notice what he says here that the Jews were not the only ones plotting to kill him. The Jews had the government hired to find arrest and kill Paul. And so that's why you find twenty four hour surveillance in Paul's whereabouts. And here's the point, the extent of God's protection that despite spies, armies, secret government agents, nothing could thwart God's protection over Paul's life. One with God is majority.

Doesn't matter who stands before you or around you. And what was true for Paul is true for you and I. You will and you will endure. Listen, we celebrated today. We cry today.

There's an atmosphere of peace and joy and acceptance here, but let me speak to those who just got baptized. Let me remind those who've been following Christ, when you walk out of those doors, not everybody's gonna celebrate your faith. When people might find your testimony online, they they might give them more reason to hate you, despise you, do anything to try to harass you. But I also mentioned that there's even hindrance, potential hindrance from within. And what I mean by within is the intentional and unintentional offense that might come from the Christian community.

Notice I said intentional because there are professing Christians who are capable of hurting and unintentional. That sometimes Christians can do things accidentally due to their own fallen nature, not maliciously, would that be enough for Satan to give you a reason to not be full fully committed to the cause of Christ. Where where am I getting that from in our final passage of acts nine? Look at what happens in verse 26. And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples and they were all afraid of him for they did not believe that he was a disciple.

So you have to understand what's going on here. Paul left Jerusalem as one of the greatest Pharisees and Jewish religious leaders of his time. He has permission to go into Damascus and to arrest Christians. He goes and Jesus arrests him. Opens his eyes, reveals to them that he sinned against God and that there's forgiveness.

He receives that forgiveness and now he has a whole new call. Now he's preaching Christ in Damascus and at some point here according to Galatians, he goes away into the Arabian wilderness and he receives personal tutor and learning from Christ. And then he is now ready to go back to Jerusalem for the first time since he left there as an unbeliever in Christ. And you have to remember that Jerusalem was the main hub of the church at this time. And what do we learn?

When he goes back to Jerusalem and they learn that this is the same Saul of Tarsus who hurt and destroyed so many of our community is a believer, they didn't believe him. Nice try Paul or Saul. You we know who you are and we know that this is some elaborate scheme to really you're a spy, we're not having it, and they shut the door in his face. Now, we don't blame these Christians in Jerusalem, do we? No.

We understand where we might be if we understood that a terrorist who's killing Christians by the droves that was ravaging the church, one day shows up here and we just heard some things, we would be on guard. At the same time, you can imagine the potential hurt that Paul felt. Because remember now, we read earlier when many days had passed. Paul was consistent since his conversion. Paul was preaching Jesus Christ and Paul on a daily bis basis risked his life because of his allegiance to the truth.

And because of that, he lost the fellowship and the love and the affirmation of those that he once stood with. And the people that he desperately needed now as a Christian stiff armed him. Where is he gonna go? I've met too many Christians who've allowed offense from other Christians, deter them and derail them to the degree that they are never the same as they once were. They live in isolation, there's an open wound and they never move on to know the full potential that God has for them as an ambassador.

I've seen it so many times. Can I tell you something? In my own history, in my own walk with the Lord, I've been walking with the Lord for about twelve years now, I've been more attacked by professing Christians than unbelievers. But I've also read my bible enough to know that disappointment from supposed or even genuine disciples is to be expected. Paul knew it at the beginning of his faith, and Paul was followed by that internal tension at times till his last moments on the earth.

Can you imagine if Paul came to the church in Jerusalem and they treat him that way? And he goes, you know what? If this is what it means to be a Christian, forget about it. I'll still believe in Christ. I won't deny him, but I'm just gonna do this thing solo.

What would become of the church? What would become of the bible? And yet you have so many today. Even today, perhaps you drug your feet together. You did not wanna be here because the church has turned you off.

And you're just here out of reluctance. But you're gonna go back into your old ways. You're not gonna know what it means to love the brethren, to be loved by the brethren, to know what God has in store for you. And you're content. And I'm here to tell you, did you miss the memo?

That following Jesus Christ is a promise of enduring some kind of suffering, whether that suffering is persecution from outside or Christian stepping on your toes from time to time from inside. Shake it off, Christian. Shake it off by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let Christ heal you. Keep your eyes on him and just commit to the cause no matter what.

No matter what. You know, when Paul would go and preach at a certain city and I'm ending it here, and he would see Christians come together and the church would be established, In the infancy of their belief, he would preach a similar message. He had a simple model, and I wanna quote it to you from Acts fourteen twenty two. He would go back and he would go on a cycle. Right?

He would go on this tour to these churches to strengthen the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and reminding them that through many tribulations they must enter the kingdom of God. Not some tribulations, many. Many from outside, many from within. The government might turn on you Christian, your boss might find out that you got baptized and you became public and you're a bigot now so you're gonna lose your job. And even maybe even from inside, a leader, spiritual leader might disappoint you.

Christians who are not mature or have the love of Christ developed yet in their hearts might mistreat you. What are you gonna do? Turn your back on Christ? Diminish your devotion to him? Allow yourself to remain deflated.

That's not God's will for you. And he told us ahead of time. What many people are unwilling to say to Christians even when they first became Christians Christians, you're gonna face many tribulations. But let me also say this, it will be worth it because he is worth it. Our Lord and our savior experienced many tribulations for what?

Because he's committed to saving you, redeeming you, restoring you. So may he receive our unwavering commitment as well. Four things. Four things that a person who places their faith in Jesus and professes it from the place of baptism should expect and pursue. You have love for the brethren.

You're gonna live as a testimony who Christ is and what his gospel is all about. You're gonna wanna grow in strength and you're gonna expect to endure some suffering. And all along the way, the same Jesus who saved you will shepherd you. He will guide you. He will empower you.

He will forgive you when you stumble. If you do stumble along that path, even if you, for a season, do not honor those directions, he is even now, today, ready to say, would you come back to my complete will for your life? So I'm ending it by, I wanna just address two types of people here. For the person who is not a Christian, I wanna let you know that you can become who you were created to be, but it is only through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was sent to die for sinners, to die on the cross to shed his blood so that he can cover every sin and wrong that you have committed.

Every and anything that you have done can be wiped clean once and for all if you acknowledge that you have sinned and that he is the savior, that there's no other way to be pleasing to God but accept that payment, you repent and you trust and in that moment you will know that you are saved. Have you done that? Now let me ask you this, because you might be turned off by this message. Why are you turned off? What about what I just said is so offensive to you?

What about what I just said to you caused you to recoil? What about think about it. Don't let your emotions take over. Think about it. The implications of it.

God loving you and paying the price for you so that you can have eternal life. Do you love your sin that much? Has your sin has your sin really saved you for anything or saved you for something? No. It's only disappointing you and it's only gonna set you up for more disappointment hurt because you weren't created for sin.

You were created to know that you're savior. Accept him today. I I plead with you that you would put your faith in this Jesus. For the person who has confessed Christ, you even made your your faith go public. Are you walking with him with a heart that's committed to him?

Do you remember what it was like when you stood before 10 or 20 maybe thousands and you said, I will follow him all the days of my life. Is that true of you today or has money now become your master? Have you idolized your family? Are you more ambitious and excited about your job, your body, your health, your experiences, your travels? Whereas at one point, you had a brimming longing that no matter where you went, what you had, you have all you need in Jesus.

And it was so real to you. It wasn't a duty, it wasn't twisting your arm to make him known by way of word and example. I wanna tell you today that this Jesus is so compassionate that though you might be cold today, he can warm your heart. He can melt your heart and he could bring you exactly where you need to be. Let's pray.

If the praise team can join me so that once we finish praying, we can sing to the Lord. I wanna just ask you and give you a little bit of time to reflect on the things that were shared, not just from the word, but throughout this time. And ask the Lord to help you wherever you need help. Lord, we ask in absolute humility that you would make yourself real to us again and perhaps for the first time to those who who who don't know you. Lord, we have testified of your gospel.

We've sung about your gospel. We've preached from your word about the gospel. But now we're praying that by your spirit, you make this gospel real to us. Lord, we thank you for saving us. Help us lift for you from that place of gratitude to honor you, Lord.

Where we need to repent, help us repent. Where we've fallen short, Lord, strengthen us. Thank you for the simplicity. Thank you for the confirmation of your word of what it means to be a disciple of your son. Lord, we we sing about your power now.

We sing about what you're able to do, what you have done, and Lord what you can do through us for other people. We give you glory. We give you all the thanks and the honor. In Jesus name, amen. Amen.