Good morning, everyone. It's good to get another chance to preach. I know I just preached not too long ago, but we try to help Kenny out so he can get away and he's at a meeting in Lufkin, Texas, and hope everything goes well with him there. And want to welcome visitors that we have here. We're always glad you're with us. If you have a chance to stay around afterwards, we'd love to get to know you. Want to thank all those who participated in the service so far. Want to thank Kenneth for songs and the reading. If you have a little inkling this is maybe about resurrection. What I wanted to talk about this morning is life changing power. Have you ever had an event happen in your life that changed it? Changed your entire life? Many of us have. We got married and that was a big change and a big adaption had to take place. When you had your first child that was a big change. Maybe you had a major tragedy in your life, or a loss of a loved one, and we've had those issues going on lately, and we pray for them. Maybe you had a challenging job that brings out the best of your talents. You've had a, you graduate from college, you got your degree, and now you've got a profession, and you can go and you're doing it, and it's working out so well, your life has changed. Maybe you move far away from home. 51 years I lived in Ohio. 51 years and we pulled up stakes, pulled up roots, and came here. Don't regret it a bit, but it was a little odd and strange when we first came. Y'all talk different, okay, but I've learned the lingo and learned some of the things and but that was a big change in my life. Not only a change in culture, a change in people, new friends, things like that, but also it was a change in medicine. I was, I'm retired now, but as a doctor, it was a big change. Our lives were really altered. And then we had all these grandchildren. We got 12 of them. It's been a lot of changes in our lives. A lot of things happen.
But, you know, confessing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and being buried with him in baptism, that is a game changer. That should have changed our lives in a huge way. To start a new life, no longer entangled in sin, free from the clutches of Satan. It changes people in different ways. I grew up in a church, was buried with Jesus in baptism. It was happy time, happy with my family. But some people have stories that are major changes. Mine won't. It was a big change. It's a big change in my life. Moving down here has changed me spiritually so much. My baptism did, and I knew I had to stand up for Christ. But it wasn't so easy for my wife, Patti. She was a Lutheran when she was baptized, oh it was a joyous time for us and for me. I was so happy for that, but not for her parents. They were pretty angry with her. Her father yelled at her. It was pretty tough. Took a long time for them to, not so much get over it, they never got over it, but at least maybe to live with it. Also. I remember Gary Sandusky, when he'd preach lessons, he'd talk, tell his story. How his life, he was a motorcycle guy, and he was rough, and he had a rough life, and alcohol and drugs too were involved in some of his life and and how he changed his life. And I remember he said one day he was reading his Bible at home, and Diana, his wife, comes and says, What are you doing? Totally different. He had a total change in his life.
But you know, in the Bible, we can find people also that have had major changes in their lives. The apostles suddenly, had a major change. Peter, Andrew, James and John. In Matthew, chapter four, verses 18 to 22 Matthew writes, "and Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew, his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Then he said to them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed him." Now they had seen Jesus previous. We know that through John. The book of John, book of John, but they dropped what they had just dropped it and left their profession. "Going from there he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John. His brother in the boat was Zebedee, their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." And we have Matthew. He walked away from his job as a tax collector. Now, I know that was not a really pleasing job for the Jews, and they didn't like him that much for that, but for a job, it was a good job. In Matthew nine, verse nine says, "as Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting in a tax office, and he said to him, Follow me. So he rose and he followed him." Philip and Nathanael in John chapter one, verses 43 to 51. Now Nathaniel's Bartholomew, okay? But they were called by Jesus, and we know initially, Jesus called Philip, and Philip followed, and Philip went on and told Nathaniel. And in verse 47 it says, in John 1:47 said, "Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him and said of him, Behold, an Israelite, indeed, in whom is no deceit." Wouldn't you like Jesus to point at you and say, Hey, so and so, there's a man with no deceit. Nathanael says, How do you know me? And he said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." And Nathaniel said to him in verse 49, "he answered and said to him, Rabbi, You are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel. Jesus answered and said to him, because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree do you believe? You will see greater things than these. And He said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
These are just accounts of the seven, seven apostles, seven out of the 12. For three years, they followed Jesus through his ministry. These men had a special bond, a special bond together that looked like it was inseparable. They followed the teacher. They were mesmerized by his words, by his actions and by His miracles. And something happened. Something happened to them. Obviously, we know that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. And he wasn't a part of them. You know, Jesus warned them many times of his fate that was coming. They swore endless loyalty, the other 11. Peter confessed his intent always to be at his side. Well, Mark chapter 14, verses 27 to 31 we see Jesus saying something different. Says, "And Jesus said to them, all of you will be made to stumble because of me this night, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered, but after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter said to Him, even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be. Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you today, even this night before the rooster crows twice you would deny me three times. But he spoke more vehemently." Argued with Jesus. Spoke out strong and said, "If I have to die with you, I will not deny you. And they all said, likewise." All 11 said the same thing and stood up for Jesus.
Then we know Judas betrayed him. He was arrested and crucified on Calvary. As he went through this mock trial and was convicted, his disciples were scattered, just like he said. None was by side, by his side during the trial. We know that John was close by, at his crucifixion, as Jesus hung on the cross, because he talked to him and said, Behold, my mother and he and from then on, he took her home. But the rest of them, they scatter. It took another event. It took something else that changed their lives forever. Our Lord and Savior was raised from the dead. Matthew, 28 verses, one to 10, says, "Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the others and the other Mary came to see the tomb, and behold, there was a great earthquake for an angel of the LORD descended from heaven, came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing is white as snow, and the guard shook for fear of him and became like dead men." They were in shock. "But the angel answered and said to the woman, do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He's not here, for he has risen. And he said, Come see the place where the Lord lay, and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and indeed he is going before you into Galilee. There you will see him. Behold, I have told you. So, they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring his disciples word, and as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, rejoice. So, they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
That miraculous event, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that changed the world. The same 11 men. Now we know Judas killed himself, but the other 11 were back together and at Jesus's side again. And they even chosen. They chose another one, Matthias. They became the most powerful missionary group that rocked the world. And if you read Daniel in chapter two, it talks about a rock that was not hewn by human hands, that crushed the feet of that statue. That was Jesus, and he did it through these men. These men were part of that rock, the resurrection of Jesus. They were witnesses of the risen Christ, and they went and told everybody, anybody they could tell they would tell it. They never split up again. They were separate, yes, all going different ways, but they were unified as one. And in First John, chapter one, verses one to four, John says this, he says, "that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life, the resurrected Jesus Christ." They saw Him. They looked upon him. They touched him. They put their fingers in his, in the holes that were pierced in his wrists. They saw Him, they touched him, and they witnessed that he was there. "The life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us, that which we have seen and heard we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full." The foundation of our entire faith lies upon the resurrection. Our faith is built upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ, such life changing power that each and every one of us as Christians have been benefited from through obedience of Jesus. As was read in First Corinthians 15 by Jason, and I'll read 14 to 17, says, "If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty. And what I'm telling you here would be a lie if Christ is not risen, and your faith is also empty, yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom he did not raise up. If, in fact, the dead do not rise, For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile. You are still in your sin." Without a risen Savior, our faith is worthless. So powerful.
But there was another man, and we're studying, we're finishing up the book of Acts in our class. There's another man, that we happen to know more about, and that's Saul. And his life demonstrates that awesome power. Saul was a Hebrew among Hebrews. Philippians, three verses, four to seven, he says, "Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in flesh, I more so. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of Hebrews. Concerning the law of Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church. Concerning the righteousness which is in The Law, blameless." He was trained at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the best teachers of Jewish law, and he was trained well. He persecuted the church upholding, what he felt he was doing, was upholding the law of Moses. In Acts, chapter 26 verses nine to 11, Paul said, "Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus, of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem and many of the saints I shut up in prison having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them, and I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. And being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them, even to foreign cities." Saul consented to the execution of Stephen. Acts, chapter seven. He admits it in Acts chapter 22. He stood by and watched their clothes while they slung rocks at Stephen and killed him for the sake of Jesus Christ. He was on top. He had it made as a Jew. He had power. He had prestige and wealth. Saul was well accepted by the Jewish elite. He was a Pharisee. He was on his way to the top, if he wasn't at the top. But you know, Saul knew about Jesus, he knew about the truth, but he didn't see the truth, you know, and Paul in his teachings and his writings, a lot of times he said, he'd quote Isaiah, that their eyes are dim, their ears are dull of hearing. They could see, but they couldn't perceive. They could hear, but they wouldn't listen. That was Paul, that was Saul. If he'd have studied the prophecies and not listen to the influence of the Jews, he would have seen the light. He was expecting a deliverer to be their king, a physical king that was going to restore them, restore Israel back as a sovereign nation, which never occurred after captivity.
Saul didn't exist in a bubble. Sometimes you think that because you, when you read it, you don't see that much, but I'm sure he saw Jesus at some point in his ministry. He was a Pharisee. He was around. I wouldn't be surprised if Saul witnessed a miracle or two, but seeing the fleshly Jesus, that wasn't going to change him. There's a good chance he saw a part of Jesus's trial, and maybe even watched the crucifixion. We don't know. Maybe he heard rumors of Jesus that He was raised from the dead. If he was listening to Stephen before they stoned him, he would have heard that. Nothing was going to change him. He was bound and determined to stop the Christians. That was his goal. Then he had a life changing experience on the road to Damascus. He was there to capture and drag Christians back to Jerusalem for punishment. As we said before, he would beat them or have them beaten so they would blaspheme, that they would deny Christ, things like that. Terrible. But then it happened. You can read in Acts chapter 9, you can read the account in Acts chapter 22 and also Acts chapter 26. Paul was not afraid to tell his story. But next chapter nine, Luke gives the account in verses one to 18, and it talks about him on the road to Damascus, and a bright light shone. Paul falls to the ground in fear. He was blinded by the light, but he saw Jesus. He saw a risen Savior. He saw him. This time he died, now he sees him alive, and it changed him. "And Jesus said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to kick against the pricks." And he asked Jesus said, What do you want me to do? Jesus said, Get up go in to Damascus, the street called straight, and you will then be told what you need to do. He was completely changed, though. Inside his heart, he was changed. He saw the risen Jesus that changed him totally. He had 180 degree turnaround. The resurrected Jesus changed him. He gave up his status. From then, I think, I think at that time, his status didn't matter, his wealth, his power gone, as far as he's concerned, rubbish. And he says that in his epistles. He gave it all up to serve the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. He saw living Jesus face to face. It was blinded by the light. It took people to have to carry him and help him and guide him into Damascus. He was there for three days, the Lord calls Ananias to go to him, and Ananias, I can see Ananias going, huh? Are you kidding? This guy? He was butchering people. He's persecuting people. He's beating them, throwing them into prison, and they've been executed, and he consents to it. I can imagine Ananias. Lord told him he's my chosen vessel, and he'll go to the Gentiles and go to him and tell him what he must do.
Now, Paul was there. He said, the Lord told Ananias he had been praying there for three days, praying. He was sorrowful, he was blind. He fasted for three days, didn't eat anything or drink anything, and he prayed for three days, and he was not yet saved. That's an important point. He was not saved yet. You can't pray through to your salvation. Baptism was essential. Ananias came to him, touched him, he received his sight, and he said him, he told Saul, he said, Why are you waiting? "Saul, Saul, why tarriest thou, Arise and be baptized, washing away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord." That's what he had to do to be saved. His heart was changed, but he needed salvation. He needed remission of sins. And that's exactly what Paul did. He preached Christ to the Gentiles. He went on and did that. He had three long missionaries journeys. He was ridiculed, beaten, imprisoned, starving, hungry. Had to work for what he got a lot of times, many times he went without. All for the cause of Christ, a resurrected Jesus. He started churches in Galatia, Asia, Cappadocia, Macedonia and Greece. All these places, he started new churches. He was working for the Lord. He, they were, again all of them. He was helping the other apostles. They were all one. They were a missionary machine, and they spread the gospel throughout the then known world. He was given the Holy Spirit.
He had the ability to work miracles, but he was eventually in prison in Jerusalem. After the end of his third journey, he had to head back to Jerusalem. Friends told him not to go to Jerusalem, but he did. He wasn't afraid to die. He had no fear. He was actually, had to be transported down to Caesarea because the threats to kill him while he was there in Jerusalem, after he had been arrested. A mob grabbed him out of the temple, started beating him. Wanted to beat him to death, but a Roman soldier, a tribune, saved him from that. And he tells the story. He gets up before that mob, before he went in the barracks, and tells this story. Told that story again in Acts, chapter 22 of exactly what happened to him on the road to Damascus. He wouldn't afraid. They listened so far, but when they heard he was going to the Gentiles, that was it. And we don't hear anymore. He told the story to the King Agrippa. No Fault was found in Paul, but he had appealed as a Roman citizen in order to avoid going back to the Jews, and so he had to go to Rome. He used this as an opportunity to preach and to teach why he was in Rome in prison. The Lord told him that's what he was to do. In Acts, chapter 23 verse 11, says, "but the following night, the Lord stood by him and said, be of a good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome." So he remained. He remained in prison in Caesarea for two years, and then went to Rome and was in prison in Rome for two years. Secular history has it that he was released after two years. Don't know for sure of that, and I'm not going to, don't quote me on that. But it's felt that of two years he was released because there's nobody came. And if you read the end of Acts chapter 28 there really was nobody that came to accuse Paul, and there were no letters. They didn't even know anything about it, the Jews there. and he probably sat there for two years, because that's what it took. And then he got released. But he was told in Acts chapter 27 he said, You will, an angel told him, you will go before Caesar, and that Caesar was Nero. Nero was a paranoid, tyrannical emperor. He burned Rome and wanted the Christians to pay for it, and I feel he probably did face Nero. And you know what he told him? He told him his story. He told him that same story. He wasn't afraid. He lost his life for it. He was beheaded, according to secular history or belief. He was changed in an amazing way.
So, let's get back to what it says to be in how did your conversion affect you? Okay? The power of the resurrection, the power of the gospel changed each and every one of us. Now, some of you may have made a complete 180. Some of us, not so much, but it changed every one of us. We're all changed as the Christians, the members here that are Christians. Now there may be somewhere not but those that are, it changed you. You wouldn't be here, sitting here today, if it didn't. Think about it. Where would we be if we didn't let that change us? If we weren't obedient to the gospel? Where would we be? Sometimes I sit and I think. And I thought, no doubt in a terrible place. No doubt in a position or situation I never want to be in. But you decided to accept the Lord's invitation. What a wonderful thing, Jesus and the resurrection has changed each and every one of us. What a life changing decision. And you know what? We're going to change again. First, Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 51 to 58 Paul says, "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised and corruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality." It's a life change. "So, when this corrupt has put on incorruption and is mortal, has put on immortality, then shall it be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh Death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is a law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." We were victorious by being buried with him in baptism. But we need to keep going. Keep on going.
You know, maybe some haven't changed like they should. Maybe some of us haven't. You haven't given up your sinful ways. You haven't truly put Christ first in your life, or maybe you have for a while, and you fell back, and you need to make a change. Maybe you decided to bring that old man of sin back into your life. You do need to come back to Christ and change those worldly ways. If you repent and change that blood of Jesus Christ that you came in contact with when you were buried with him in baptism, will still wash those sins away if you truly repent. Need to humble yourself and come confessing your error and be restored back to God. First John, chapter one, verses nine and 10 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." And James 5:16 says, "Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." You can come forward and ask for the prayers of the congregation to help you, and you can make your life right and set it right. But you know, if you haven't obeyed the gospel, you need to take a look at yourself. If you haven't accepted Christ, and you're of age and understand and you haven't accepted that resurrected Jesus, without obedience, there's no benefit in the resurrection for you, it won't benefit you. Open your eyes and your heart and see that you need Jesus. Make that decision to change your life, and that means for eternity, repent of your sins, change your ways, confess that you believe that Jesus, Christ is the Son of God, be buried with him in the watery grave of baptism for remission of sins. It's impossible to be saved without baptism. Absolutely impossible. Let the power of the resurrected Jesus change your life. Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned." If you're subject to invitation, would you please come now as together we stand and sing.