A Divine Appointment - Pastor Jeff Schreve

[Music] I'm pastor Jeff Shrieve thanks for joining us today I'm from his heart you know when I first became a Christian I can remember an overwhelming desire to tell other people about Jesus have you ever felt like that you know the Lord said the last thing before he ascended to heaven he told his disciples but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses we're in a series called witness and we're learning how to shine for Christ and share what great things he has done for us so grab a Bible follow along and prepare your heart for a blessing [Music] [Music] we're in a series called witness learning how to shine for Christ and to share our story those two things to shine and share those two words I want those words when you wake up every morning those words to just be on your mind and on your heart what is my job as a Christian to witness it's to shine for Christ and to share what great things the Lord has done for you well today we want to look at a message I've entitled a divine appointment some people say well you know well what does it mean to have a divine appointment I I've heard that used sometimes in in churches and Christian circles and things a divine appointment what exactly is that well everybody knows about a perfect storm you know perfect storm is just when circumstances are just right you know and many of us saw that movie it was all these storms coming together for the perfect storm well that's a that's for a bad thing but a divine appointment is for an awesome thing it's for a wonderful thing it's God orchestrating all the particulars to bring a sinner together with a soul winner a sinner who is ripe and ready to hear the gospel together with a soul winner who is prepared to share the gospel and he brings them together at the right time at the right moment and there is salvation that takes place because of that divine appointment now the Bible is filled with stories of divine appointments I mean Jesus had divine appointments all over the Gospels everywhere he went well he's divine so I guess any appointment he had we could technically call that a divine appointment but he would meet people and they would be ripe and ready last week we talked about the woman at the well she was so ready to hear about Jesus and there was a divine appointment he said I must go through Samaria why because there's a I'm meeting at noon had insight car at Jacob's Well that was a divine appointment well in the book of Acts we read about divine appointments and none is more vivid than Philip and the man from Ethiopia Acts chapter 8 I'll begin reading in verse 25 the scripture says and so when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord they started back to Jerusalem they were in Samaria and they started back to Jerusalem and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans but an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip Philip was the man who in Acts chapter 6 was selected to be a deacon man full of faith in the Holy Spirit but an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying arise and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza this is a desert road and he rose and went and behold there was an Ethiopian Ethiopian eunuch a court official of candy see or can decay in the Greek queen of the Ethiopians who was in charge of all her treasure and he had come to Jerusalem to worship and he was returning and sitting in his chariot and he was reading the prophet Isaiah and the Spirit said to Philip go up and join this chariot and when Philip had run up he heard him reading isaiah the prophet and said do you understand what you are reading and he said well how could i unless someone guides me and he invited philip to come up and sit with him now the passage of scripture which he was reading was this he was led as a sheep to slaughter and as a lamb before it's Shearer's is silent so he does not open his mouth in humiliation his judgment was taken away who shall relate his generation for his life is removed from the earth and the eunuch answered Philip and said please tell me of whom does the prophet say this of himself or of someone else and Philip opened his mouth and beginning from this scripture he preached Jesus to him and as they went along the road they came to some water and the eunuch said look water what prevents me from being baptized and Philip said if you believe with all your heart you may and he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and he ordered the chariot to stop and they both went down into the water Philip as well as the eunuch and he baptized him and when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away and the eunuch saw him no more but went on his way rejoicing but Philip found himself at as at us and he as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea this is such an awesome story about a divine appointment now here's our question how can you and I as Christians experience divine appointments because they are so exciting and so wonderful and so cool so how can we experience that how can you experience that three areas to develop in order to experience divine appointments area number one is sensitivity to the Lord you can develop sensitivity to the Lord sensitivity to his voice now in this story in Acts chapter eight if you read a little background God sent Philip to Samaria you remember that the gospel Jesus said to the disciples and you shall be my witnesses acts 1:8 you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem that's the capital city of Israel in Jerusalem that's the the big time place that's the hub of the temple everything is there in Jerusalem it starts there but it doesn't stop there in Jerusalem and in all Judea Jerusalem is in Judea Judea is an area a town like a county in all Judea it spreads out from Jerusalem and into Samaria Samaria that's the land of the half-breeds they're half Jew half Gentile there they're a mixed race and the Lord says then it goes into Samaria and from Samaria to the uttermost parts of the earth that's how the gospel is supposed to spread so Phil up in Acts chapter 8 he ventures into Samaria and he preaches the gospel in Samaria and you know what happened people respond to the gospel and people are getting saved and he's experiencing a great revival and Peter comes down to check it out Peter and John and they lay their hands on the Samaritans and the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit and it's like wow the Lord is saving Samaritans and he's even giving Samaritans the Holy Spirit just like he gave us the Holy Spirit and their minds are being changed cuz Jews really had you know God was the god of the Jew and Samaritans we hate them and Gentiles we hate them even more than we hate Samaritans so it's just kind of embedded in the mind of the Jew Yahweh is our God and you guys are outside but now a sudden their understanding hey God is not just the God of the Jews he's using the Jews to be a lighthouse to reach the Samaritans and to reach the Gentiles and to reach the whole world and to let people know that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world and so Philip goes and he experiences great things as he goes to Samaria and then all of a sudden he is traveling back to get back to Jerusalem but he's going through Samaritan village and it's just village after village it's just like Lord this is awesome the Spirit was moving and then all of a sudden he gets a message from God through an angel and he says get up and and go down south to the Gaza Road and that's what you need to do it's like I got to do that oh okay that's a long way to go you know from where he was to the Gaza road is about 60 miles and it's a desert road and you'd think oh it's a desert road there's not much going on there Lord Lord there's a lot going on here but okay Lord that's what you want me to do he was sensitive to the Lord how can you how can I develop sensitivity to the Lord here's a guy Philip he is in right smack-dab in the middle of God's will he's doing what God wants him to do he's walking in the light as Jesus himself is in the light and boy he is walking with God in the fullness of the spirit and he hears the Lord's voice and he is sensitive to the Lord how can you be like that well to be sensitive to the Lord it takes time it takes time with the Lord time to hear his voice you know we talked about in Christian circles we challenge people to have a quiet time quiet time I mean the first time I ever heard that it's like what is that quiet time I mean that's it makes me think I was like four years old it's nap time nap time was quiet time right and so a quiet time when we talk about that in Christianity it's not nap time a quiet time is prayer time and Bible study time its individual time it's worship time we're just with you and the Lord and the idea is you get quiet before the Lord you get quiet in terms of you not have a lot of background noise you're not trying to do multitask you're just quiet before the Lord and you're praying that's talking to God and you're listening to the Lord and God speaks primarily through his word and so you're having time with him God speaks as we have quiet time we through a quiet time we develop a sensitivity to the Lord and to his voice because the scripture says he speaks in a still small voice and if you and I are going to hear the still small voice of God we have to get quiet before the Lord because he doesn't speak in a shout very often he speaks in a whisper this is the way walk in it that's how God speaks so I have to get quiet to hear him and you know what I have to have in my quiet time I need to have unhurried quiet time unhurried quiet time why because if I want to hear from God I can't put God on as Mark Cuban does on Shark Tank you're on the 24-second clock you're gonna take this deal tell me something 24 seconds see we some of us do that to God we put God in the microwave so to speak and we say Lord I got I got a minute so share with me something great for today Lord in sixty Seconds hurry up Lord now it's 55 seconds come on Lord yeah give me something well if your God are you gonna share with you if you put him on the shot clock like that I mean can you imagine Debbie coming to me and saying Jeff I really have something important I need to share with you and I'm like okay you got 60 seconds cuz I'm busy Debbie and I go she's like really you're gonna be looking at your watch while I'm sharing my heart with you yeah 55 seconds go you know you're you're burning time here well she would just say forget it and probably not that nicely but I mean she she wouldn't not be happy about that and she there's no way she's sharing her heart with me why because I'm not real I'm I'm trying to speed her along and if we're gonna hear from Almighty God about the plan Almighty God has for us we have to just say with Samuel speak Lord for your servant is listening and that's thrown away my watch god I just want to hear from you so how can I be sensitive to the Lord it takes time with the Lord and it takes obedience to the Lord so you can hear his voice not only time with him to hear his voice but obedience to him now when we talk about time with him there's a scripture that I have in your notes there Hebrews 5:14 it says but solid food is for the mature who because of practice you might want to circle that word practice who because of practice that means habit that means there's they're doing this day after day after day who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil it takes practice it takes time with God so that you can hear his voice and it takes an obedient heart now it's amazing when you think about Philippi he got his message from an angel I don't know if the angel appeared to him or how exactly that happened but it was an angel of the Lord that gave him the message straight from God you know angels are messengers from God you know they don't come up with their own stuff they just tell whatever God tells him to do and so he gets this message and it didn't sound right it's really when you think about it I mean God is using him like crazy ants mariya and all the sudden it's like Philip new assignment what's the new assignment well you go to Gaza go down to the desert road you're gonna take a 60-mile desert trip down to a deserted road the Gaza he leads from Jerusalem down into Africa go go to that road well he didn't get any particulars he didn't know who was gonna be there he didn't know what he was gonna do but he said yes yes he just had an obedient heart the Bible says this it says today if you hear his voice harden not your hearts see when you hear from God don't harden up don't don't stiffen up don't don't push him back don't say no to the Lord just learn these two words yes Lord not maybe Lord not later Lord not tomorrow Lord yes Lord see how well you can do that yes Lord not very well you didn't do it very well let's try it again yes Lord so when God speaks to your heart even in this service and you feel him pulling at you when we have the invitation at the close of this message and I invite you to come and get things right with Jesus I invite you to come to the altar to pray about things to pray about shine and share to pray about your witness or to pray for a family member or a neighbor or a friend or somebody you go to school with somebody you you work with and you feel the Lord tugging you you don't have a church home you feel the Lord saying this is where I want you to be when you feel the Lord say you need to give a testimony through baptism as you saw the four do that today you don't resist today if you hear his voice harden not your heart you don't say no Lord you don't say later you Lord you don't say maybe next week Lord you say yes Lord you're sensitive to him see if you say no to him you really can't say no Lord you say no sir no sir cuz once you once you take say no he's not Lord any more of your life you're just saying no sir I'm not gonna do what you say I'm gonna be the boss I'm gonna be Lord of me but but when you say that your heart starts to get hard your ears start to get clogged up you don't hear from God as easily and God doesn't call on you we're talking about divine appointments God's not going to say hey sue you go hey Amy you go hey Fred you go because you have a habit of saying no no no so God picks the person that says yes yes yes hey it takes time with the Lord to hear his voice it takes obedience to the Lord to hear his voice you can develop that you can develop sensitivity to the Lord Phillip was sensitive second area in our Christian lives that the Lord wants to develop so we can experience divine appointments is sensitivity to people's spiritual condition sensitivity to their spiritual condition there's a song that was written some years ago that is just so right on it's just so spot-on many of you have heard it it says this every day they pass me by I can see it in their eyes empty people filled with care headed who knows where on they go through private pain living fear to fear laughter hides their silent cries only Jesus hears people need the Lord people need the Lord at the end of broken dreams he's the open door people need the Lord people need the Lord when will we realize that people need the Lord God not only does he want us to develop a sensitivity to him he wants us to develop a sensitivity to people people that we rub shoulders with every day people that we see in the community every day in the grocery store at work wherever it might be at school you you pass them by and there people who need the Lord listen all people are lost without Jesus all people are lost without Jesus now this man from Ethiopia we call him the Ethiopian eunuch to be a eunuch most of you know what that means it means your damask elated not a fun thing obviously to be a eunuch it was something that was practiced in the kingdoms of the ancient Near East especially if they had a guy that was going to have anything to do with the harem they would make that man a eunuch so that the king and so those in charge they never had to worry about any hanky-panky going on with the guy in charge of the harem because they knew this guy there's nothing we took care of that and so that's what this guy was he was an Ethiopian eunuch and he worked for this lady we read about her that can they see or Kenda gay that's not her name that's her title that can decay is like Pharaoh it's like king and it was the the woman in Ethiopia which is really Nubia which is a really big country back then in Africa an area back there in Africa the king the the guy was God and he didn't do anything because there any kind of business dealings in the country that was beneath him he just sat around and let people worship him and so the the Queen she took care of everything in the country and she had a treasurer who really helped her do that and that was the Ethiopian eunuch unnamed here but he had a big time job he was a big time guy and he had access to lots of wealth and lots of privilege and prestige and power but he's lost he's lost and it doesn't matter what people have it doesn't matter how much money they have every person without Jesus is lost and he is empty she is empty inside now that covers everything everybody without Christ all of sin and foster the glory of God there's none righteous not even one that's all people without Jesus and many people are religious and lost all people lost without Jesus and in the all people lost without Jesus you have some that are religious but they're still lost they're just religious and lost they just are a church member in loss they've just been baptized but they're still lost here's a guy the scripture says that Philip when the angel said go he went and it says in verse 27 and he arose and went and behold there was an Ethiopian eunuch court official of Candide queen of the Ethiopians who was in charge of all her treasure and he had come to Jerusalem to worship it come a long way as he had traveled as much as 1,200 miles he's in the north in the south and he comes up to Jerusalem to worship it would take him weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks to get there why is he doing that well there's some kind of a religious thing going on for him he's looking for a religious experience but he's coming back from Jerusalem and you know what had been changed any he's just had a little bit of religion you mark it down religion never saved anybody doesn't save anybody and as a matter of fact religion can be a whole lot like a flu shot how many of you got a flu shot this year anybody get a flu shot I've seen some video of people getting a flu shot and all of a sudden they walk funny I so I don't ever get a flu shot I let Debbie get the flu shot check it out so anyway maybe that's that on my part but I don't get a flu shot but here's the thing about inoculations and I didn't check with any of my doctor friends to make sure I'm right on this but this is way understanding so they can preach on it different next time here's the way understanding when you get a flu shot or any kind of an inoculation it's a little bit of the flu just a little bit not enough to give you the flu it's just a little bit so your body fights that off so you build up you know the animal antibodies within you so if you encounter the flu you're ready to go because you're strong you've already experienced a little bit of that your body has seen that and your body is up to the task religion is like a flu shot to people because if you expel but it just goes in your head as Pam shared it was all in her head there was no power to overcome why because she just had knowledge of God in her head the Jews had knowledge of God in their heads when does it become real when does it become life-changing when head knowledge turns into heart knowledge Paul said in Romans if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved for with the heart man believes resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation its head and heart working together and so many people they know facts and figures about God they've had a little flu shot and there he keeps them from coming to Christ that's why the the the gospel had trouble penetrating penetrating the Pharisees because they knew some stuff and they had everything figured out and God was in this box and he didn't match up with Jesus and they said no this can't be right he just says you read in the Gospels search the scriptures does any prophet come out of Galilee well no the Prophet doesn't come out of Galilee the Messiah comes out he's born in Bethlehem why don't you do a little research and find out where Jesus was born he's Jesus from Nazareth but he was born in Bethlehem see they never did their research but they just looked at Jesus that he doesn't fit and so they threw him out and and they were so hard to reach religious people are hard to reach and some people are religious but they're still lost you know there's a statistic that says in an average Baptist Church about half the congregation not Christians half I mean you look to your left look to your right to one of those next to you based on that statistic he's not she's not a believer now I'm glad that the place is full and people are here but you know when you start thinking about church people if half of them don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ what's going on they're just going through the motions now what is it what is the difference because I feel like I can sense pretty well if I'm talking to somebody we're talking about spiritual things I can sense pretty quickly does that person get what I'm talking about or they just thrown out religion and and what's the difference it's kind of like this think about it this way the difference between a true Christian and a religious person a true Christian is like a guy a gal who has on a set of headphones and is listening to music and they're hearing the beat and they're keeping up with the beat because they hear the music a religious person is somebody who watches those with the headphones on and they copy what they're doing and they go through the motions but you know what they don't have headphones they don't hear anything they're just copying and when the song changes mister religion over here he's like something changed over there don't know what it was let me do that okay I'll start doing that he doesn't know what's going on he's just copying outside he's not hearing the music inside so he doesn't get it he doesn't get it hey all people without Jesus are lost and there are many people who have religion but they're lost because religion never saved anybody Nicodemus is the example of the the height of religion he is the ruler of the Jews and he comes to Jesus in John chapter 3 by night and says rabbi we know that you have come from God because nobody can do the signs that you are doing unless God is with him and jesus said to that guy unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God Nicodemus you might be good and you might be a ruler of the Jews and you might try and keep all the Ten Commandments although you can't keep them perfectly but you are lost and you're born again you won't see the kingdom of God all people lost without Jesus many people religious and lost and many people are seeking and need your guidance many people many people who come to church why are they coming to church because they're seeking it's not because they're religious per se it's because they're seeking they've heard some things maybe you're here and this is your first time to be at First Baptist Church why are you here well I saw a little bit on television I heard that that God was doing some things here hey I'm new in the community I'm looking for a church and and so they're checking it out some people are seeking this guy from Ethiopia he made a long trip not so much because he was religious he was a Gentile he was seeking to find God and he went to great lengths to find God and you know it was sad when he came to Jerusalem you know what he found their dead religion and dead religion doesn't help anybody doesn't save anybody and now he's coming back and he's got a copy of the scripture he's got Isaiah we know that for sure cuz he's reading Isaiah but he is struggling and he wants to know more it says in verse 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot and was reading the prophet Isaiah and the Spirit said to Philip go up and join this chariot and when Philip had run up he heard him reading isaiah the prophet and said do you understand what you're reading and he said well how could i unless someone guides me and he invited philip to come up and sit with him and he needed a guide there are people that you rub shoulders with and that i rub shoulders with and they may not tell you hey I'm really kind of seeking to see if Jesus is real I'm seeking I got a hole in my heart and I'm seeking but you can know because people need the Lord that everyday they pass you by and you can see it in their eyes there empty and they need Jesus everybody needs Jesus and some people understand they're empty and they begin to look and see is there something more and that person needs a guide and God has placed you here and me here to be that guide and to come alongside them and see Philip he asked the question in verse 30 do you understand what you're reading and the man it was just an open door and the man said well no how could I I need a Bible teacher you know any Bible teachers around here and Philip said why do I me you know I can help you with that I may not know everything but I know some things let me help you and so we asked a question hey do you understand who Jesus is do you know about Jesus we we were called to be fishers of men so we we cast out there and we just get that out in the water so we don't know who God is working on at the moment so we just keep casting we don't necessarily know where the fish are biting so we just keep casting we keep asking questions we keep opening doors spiritually so you can develop first of all sensitivity of the Lord you can develop secondly sensitivity to people's spiritual condition and you can develop thirdly clarity in your witness clarity in your witness verse 30 do you understand what you're reading and he said well how could i unless someone guides me and he invited Philip to come up and sit with him now the passage of scripture which he was reading was this you talk about a perfect storm you talk about a divine appointment it doesn't say the passage that he was reading was the genealogy in Genesis chapter 5 that would be pretty hard from beginning from this scripture to to help the guy out but he was reading Isaiah 53 that talks specifically about Jesus he was led as a sheep to slaughter and as a lamb before it's Shearer's is silent so he does not open his mouth in humiliation his judgment was taken away who shall relay his generation for his life is removed from the earth and the guy was like who's the prophet Isaiah talking about he talking about himself or is he talking about someone else you go home and you read Isaiah 53 he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities the the sin fell upon him who is Isaiah talking about eating about Jesus and the Bible says in verse 35 and Philip opened his mouth and beginning from this scripture he preached Jesus to him from this scripture he preached Jesus to him you know the Bible says in Acts chapter 10 of him speaking of Jesus of him all the prophets bear witness all the prophets bear witness to Jesus they're believing on Jesus that's where you get forgiveness of sins you remember in Luke chapter 24 where Jesus shows up with these two guys walking on the road to Emmaus and they're all bummed out because Jesus has been crucified and now he is crucified on Friday and now it's Sunday and they're walking back from Jerusalem back to Emmaus their town and they're just like oh so for Lauren and and Jesus just shows up begins walking with them but they don't know it's Jesus he prevented them from seeing who he was and Jesus said hey what you guys talking about I said what do you mean what we're talking about where where have you been haven't you heard everybody's talking about Jesus we thought he was the Messiah but now he is dead but there are some women they said that he they saw him arisen from the dead but how can that be and Jesus says to those guys they still don't know who he is he just says old foolish men and slow and hard to believe all that the prophets have spoken was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer and then enter into his glory and the scripture says that beginning with Moses and the prophets beginning with Moses and the prophets he explained to them the things concerning himself from all the scripture he didn't explain all the things concerning himself from the scripture he explained the things concerning himself from all the scripture from Genesis to Malachi he would just point book after book this is about me this is about me this is about me this is about me this is about me all the prophets bear witness every part of the Bible bears witness to Jesus so what did Phillip do beginning from this scripture he preached Jesus to that guy listen be prepared talking about clarity and your witness be prepared to tell people about Jesus be prepared to tell him tell him of Jesus whose mighty to save open your mouth you said well that's my problem Jeff I mean he Philip opened his mouth and had something to say I opened my mouth and and I don't know what to say I just kind of stutter and stammer and and I I can't just beginning from whatever scripture start preaching Jesus to people I understand that I understand that but maybe you've been a Christian for five years ten years twenty years thirty years wouldn't it stand to reason that after a certain amount of time you'd be able to share the plan of salvation with somebody you'd be able to share with somebody what the Lord has done in your life you'd be able to share with somebody what the gospel is all about I mean isn't that a legitimate thing for the Lord to expect from you and me that we would know enough to be able to share I mean you know not to be a Bible scholar but you know somebody said what is witnessing it's one beggar telling another beggar where you found bread I mean how much study does that guy need to do to be able to do that not a whole lot so here's the challenge learn salvation scriptures so that you know scriptures that you can point somebody to that show how man is a sinner and he needs a Savior and Jesus is that save when Debbie and I were newly married I took a job with Nalco Chemical Company in 1988 I became a salesman for Nalco and some of you in here know about water treatment chemicals I know a couple have worked before at Nalco and so you know what that job is like that job is hard there's a lot there are lots of things to learn there were 750 different products that we produced out of the Sugarland plant and I remember as a young guy just coming in it was like my head was swimming because I had to learn products and I had to learn processes I had to learn how cooling towers worked and boilers worked and and wastewater treatment plants and raw water plants and all this stuff and I'm not really great with engineering as it you know I'm not not much of a gearhead my mo was when it got tough and people were asking me hard questions my go-to was what if we went to lunch how about we go to lunch you know let's just do something so you quit asking me all these hard questions you know my name is Jeff you can ask that question what's your name and let's go to lunch I mean it was just tough and especially at the first I didn't know anything so I never wanted anybody to ask me anything but the company they knew hey you're a new guy you're not gonna know things but you know after about six months they would start being like hey you know what you're not such a new guy anymore we've been giving you lessons you've been riding with these other guys you ought to know something by now you ought to be able to talk to somebody by now about the processes about the products we have to help them with their process that's just the way it is in business and everybody knows that if you have a job you know I have to learn this job and if you don't ever learn the job then you pretty much don't have a job there anymore we get the wrong idea in Christianity like yeah there's nothing for me to learn there's nothing really you know for me to do hey he's called you to be his witness he's called you to shine and share shine for Christ share your story and know what the gospel is and learn those scriptures so when the opportunity the Lord knows hey I have a tool in my toolkit in this situation arise and go and you can go and you're prepared and you're ready so learn salvation scriptures and learn how to share your story and how to share his story and how your story intersects with his story see his story is the story of grace your story is how you one beggar came to know where the food was you came to know His grace so learn that and then be prepared to lead people to Jesus Christ be prepared to do that now Philips shared with him and he obviously shared with him about what that commitment means to receive Christ and how Jesus did die on the cross and shared with him about baptism not that baptism saves because it doesn't save but baptism is important it's important because it's the first act of obedience and this guy this Ethiopian man his heart was just about to burst and as they're traveling the desert he says look water what prevents me from being baptized and here's what Philip tells him verse 37 if you believe with all your heart you may because it doesn't do any good if you don't believe with all your heart if you don't believe with all your heart you're just getting wet you're just a wet sinner you're a wet religious sinner but if you believe with all your heart then you may because then it means something and then it's a picture of dying to your old way of life and getting a brand-new life in Jesus Christ and the man said I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and he was baptized and then the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away he's just gone and the Ethiopian was like wow that was a he's just gone I don't don't know where he went but who cares praise God I have been saved and my life is now different and he goes home to Africa and he begins to tell people about Jesus hey be prepared not only to share the story but to close the deal so to speak be prepared to lead that person to Christ ask the questions does this make sense to you is there any reason that you can think of that you wouldn't want - right now ask Jesus Christ to come and be your Lord and your Savior you put the ball in their court to say what are you going to do because see if you just leave it kind of nebulous it's it's like setting the hook you know when you fish and if the hook that the the fish is nibbling on the bait and you feel them tugging what do they tell you to do set the hook so you can reel em in and and in in fishing for the souls of men we need to be able and bold enough to say does this make sense to you would you like to right now receive Jesus because let me tell you the devil is gonna work on that person he's gonna be whispering in his ear what did we say the two words are the two words that you need to know come on you got you got to do a little better than that what are the two words okay what is the devil sang when that person is really close to receiving Christ the devil is right there on their shoulder saying later later that's right but dude tomorrow you can do it tomorrow the devil's favorite word is tomorrow God says come now and let us reason together today if you hear his voice harden not your heart behold today now is the day of salvation and so there's this tug of war and so we need to be encouraging that person right now give your heart to Jesus that Ethiopian was so ripe so ready it was a divine appointment now just in closing I want you to think about where are you in this story and where do you relate to this message today are you a lost person whose religious you come to church you remember the church you've been baptized but it's all in your head just like Pam said for her it's just all in her head you ever opened your heart to Jesus that what's that's what makes the difference between heaven and hell so your religious lost person are you a seeker like this Ethiopian was hey let me tell you Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life he's the one that can fill your imp the life and change your life from the inside out and you need to come to him are you like Philip are you somebody who's sensitive to the Lord listening to the Lord willing to say yes Lord maybe you're the person that we didn't really see in this story you're on the sidelines you're saying why I know I know I'm a Christian but I haven't really engaged in saying yes Lord I haven't really gone down to Gaza I haven't really said Lord I'm willing to do whatever I haven't really taken seriously the command to shine and to share and to be his witness well today's the day for that to change today if you hear his voice harden not your heart a friend we've been talking about witnessing shining for Christ and sharing your story and here's the question as you really think about this do you have a story as the Lord really done a work of salvation in your heart if not today is the day for you just pray this prayer with me just say Lord Jesus I need you I know that I'm a sinner and I can't save myself but Jesus I believe you are God in the flesh I believe you died on the cross for my sins and I believe you rose again from the dead and right now I ask you to forgive me of my sins to come into my life I surrender my all to you be my Lord and Savior I promise to follow you all the days of my life my friend if you pray that kind of prayer and mean it the Lord will come in and they'll give you a story to share of his glory and grace I'd love to hear from you to know that you're watching to know that you just prayed that prayer with me please take the time to call that toll-free number write me email me let me know what's going on and how we can pray for you you really are important to God you're important to us we're here for you from his heart is the viewer supported broadcast ministry of dr. Jeff Shrieve who believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life God still loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life you can find out more about that plan when you go to from his Harbor or arching [Music]

Channel: From His Heart Ministries

Views: 1,957

Rating: 4.8709679 out of 5

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Id: zKStc3TuqTI

Length: 45min 29sec (2729 seconds)

Published: Sun May 20 2018