Ed Newton- It's All About Jesus

good morning to you CBC oh so good to see you thank you for making a choice in a commitment to be in the house of God but our prayer for you is not only that you would be in the house of God but you would meet with the God of this house you have a fantastic phenomenal pastor that has I would consider the greatest privilege in all the earth and that is to lead and Shepherd people much like you and it has been my joy in being here the past two weekends and I know that we are anticipating eagerly awaiting what God is going to do in the days to come I want to say this prophetically into the life of this church your best days are still yet to come and if you have a Bible let's go ahead and meet together to talk about what God has in store for us Acts chapter 4 is our focused passage Acts chapter 4 if you were with us last weekend we talked about this phrase this crazy love that is love makes us do crazy things but this morning I want to talk to us about how power makes us do crazy things literally the predicament I was in in regards to this opening illustration is the same scenario I'm in today my flights at 1 o'clock therefore I'm cutting it a little bit closer today therefore I'd love to be able to hang out after the service and high-five and handshake and hug as many people as possible but I was in a situation like this several years ago actually I was last flight of the evening out of Memphis Tennessee Saturday evening I look a little bit Shady I'm just being honest with you so I try to take preventive measures from being if you will frisked and surveyed by TSA that is the Transportation Safety Association so I put on a pair of basketball shorts tank top flat bill cap and just went hey listen if they're gonna Pat me down they're gonna see the fact that I just got a tank top on I'm not I'm not hiding much and so all of a sudden it's in that moment that I step in line I got my garment bag my roller bag my backpack sweet lady that work for the airport has one responsibility and that is to count the number of bags you're only allowed to carry aunts I had three however I did not count my garment as an official item of luggage I mean it just contained my suit jacket for the morning so all of a sudden she tenderly walked up to me and she said excuse me sir I don't know if you know this or not but you're only allowed to have two carry-on items and you have three and I need you to step out of a line if that's okay for you to go check that other bag I said ma'am listen if I miss this flight I I'm gonna miss my engagement in the morning she said sir I don't know if you know this or not but it's a it's against FAA policy for you to take three items onto that airplane so I need you to step out of line and go check one of those bags any bag you want to check it's your decision just check one of those bags and all of a sudden and just this moment of haste I unzip my roller bag take my garment bag and I jam it into my roller bag which means I'm doing exactly what she asked me to do which was consolidate however when I zipped up my roller bag it did not get all of my garment bag in because it would not fit therefore it was protruding that is my garment bag was protruding like a busted can of biscuits have you had that moment where you cracked the can of biscuits and you're like okay that's not gonna go back in there and then I looked at her OCBC I'm not here to be the banach believer I got issues I'm one step away from stupid every day of my life no need to say Amen so all of a sudden when I zipped up my garment bag into my roller bag I looked at her and I said these words oh I regret them now I looked at her and I said are you happy now she walked off I thought I didn't handle the situation but behind me it was a sweet lady that looked at me she looked at my roller bag noticing my medallion status she goes I noticed you're a frequent flyer so what do you do for a living is that Paul's dramatically everything in me wanted to say I'm a professional skateboarder that's what I wanted to say but as I shared with her that I was a preacher all that look she gave me on that Sunday afternoon on the way home the spirit of the Living God was stirring in my soul make it right but I was not gonna go out of my way to find that lady that I unfortunately was so mean-spirited too but as I was coming through the security checkpoint guess who I saw I walked up to her and I said ma'am I don't know if you remember me from yesterday she this is how she segue the conversation she went oh honey child how many of you know that's code language for you're about to get busted that's exactly what that means it was that moment that all a sudden I said ma'am listen I I'm a minister of the gospel but most important I'm a Christian and I didn't handle that the right way yesterday would you please forgive me all of a sudden she looked at me and I'll never forget she made two statements that are forever engraved in my heart she looked at me and she said first of all let me tell you something young man and I went here we go fill in the blank she said something to me I'll never forget she goes real men apologize so your apology received number two so liberating she said and if it's okay to say this to you pastor ministers are allowed to have bad days too but it's interesting as we talked about last week in love makes us do crazy things and power makes us do crazy things just because I have a status with a particular airline doesn't mean that I'm able to look down on anybody I'm no better than anybody in this room the same spirit of the Living God that's in me it's the same spirit of the Living God that's in you but all of a sudden we get to this passage that we're gonna look at and the questions about power Acts chapter 4 verse 7 if you're with me this morning same in acts 4 verse 7 the Bible says when they had set them in the midst that is Simon Peter and John the question was asked by what power or by what did you do this now what happened in Acts chapter 3 Simon Peter and John on their way to the temple on the ninth hour that's 3 p.m. religious people are gathered prayers are being lifted scriptures being read it's quite significant what's happening in the house of God but on the outside of the house of God is a gate known as the beautiful gate you can read about that in Acts chapter 3 but there's a man that's at the beautiful gate that does not feel loved accepted or even beautiful the Bible teaches us that he was a lame man from birth that is crippled now when you read John chapter 9 verse 2 you'll hear conversation between the disciples and Jesus when they're looking at a blind man and they asked the question who sinned Jesus did this man who's blind or did his mom and dad because there was an unfortunate theology of the day that because someone had a disability they were under the judgment of God but Jesus would correct that improper theology to say no one sinned and so that God could be greatly glorified and I believe many of us could say that the greatest lessons we've learned in life is watching people with a disability by the way can I just say this to you church I didn't plan on saying this but I feel as if the spirit of the Living God is just bringing this to the surface of our conversation both my parents are deaf hearing impaired no more question I get everywhere I go is how did I learn how to talk when both my parents don't talk all I could say is I don't know except for the fact that God had a plan and a purpose for me but your church in the service that just finished up the 9:00 a.m. service this section where these beautiful people are seated is dedicated to the Deaf section I met a man this morning that just shared with me just about 30 to 40 minutes ago that He gave His life to Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior last Sunday here at CBC and brought his family with them today to hear the good news of Jesus Christ through the interpreter CBC thank you for having a ministry for deaf people thank you for loving those that have been ostracized and overlooked or the outliers in society this is what I love about the church it's where the bank president sits on the same row as a Taco Bell worker have nothing in common except for Jesus and have everything in common that is the Church of Jesus Christ and so the question that was asked by what power did you do this what name did you do this because Simon Peter looks at a man who is laid there day after day after day and overlooked and Simon Peter says what we have to offer you is not silver or gold but in the precious name of Jesus of Nazareth stand up and walk and this man was restored they go into the temple but in the midst of this religiosity is not welcomed they end up in what's known as Solomon's portico that would be the equivalent of 2015 of meeting at the Starbucks it's where life goes down and all of a sudden Simon Peter begins to preach about Jesus and then the religious leaders of the day all you need to know is that the Pharisees and the Sadducees would fall into the category of paul blart the mallcop not packing heat but will tase you in a heartbeat with religion and all of a sudden the question with the Maglite in the face of Simon Peter by what power did you do this now listen to verse number 8 then Peter filled with the holy spirit said to them rulers other people and elders if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man by what means this man has been healed or let me read this with a little bit of a cadence let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead by this this man is standing before you made well this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you the builders which has become the chief Cornerstone and then verse 12 there is salvation and no one else for there's no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved their message was quite clear it's all about Jesus - his name - his fame - his glory now when we talk about a message being clear and I think about advertisement I think about marketing there's nobody that makes their message quite clear than an establishment that has billboard signs all across America with renegade Cal's positioned upon them with a very simple statement that we all know which we'll get to in just a moment of all the things they could promote think about this their lemonade hello blessed be the name of the Lord their lemonade their sweet tea we call it brown kool-aid in our house waffle fries they're 90% air but scrumptious if you don't put those chicken sandwiches which by the way they've sold over 250 million chicken sandwiches if you to put those chicken sandwiches in to end it would almost circumference the earth in which you and I live upon if you were to stack up those chicken sandwiches it wouldn't make its way to the International Space Station number of Nuggets they've sold would cover a quarter of the earth you and I live on let it rain nuggets from heaven and what I'm saying to you is chick-fil-a is such a blessed company that you don't even have to pray for the food because it comes blessed amen we call it we call it Christian communion when we go to chick-fil-a not trying to be blasphemous we just love it at our house no I don't even get me started about that sauce hello I could put a strong up Polynesian sauce right now but you know this to be true I left you guys last Sunday made my way to the airport what's the day that you long for chick-fil-a the most Sunday I left the church parking lot headed to the airport what do you got a dry bite chick-fil-a they're closed well praise God for that but I don't need it to be open cuz I'm jonesing for some chick-fil-a you know they've sold more calendars those cow calendars that many of us get our coupons from they've sold more cow calendars than Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition calendars to that I applaud there's a lot of mechanics staring at cows in their workplace but you know their message is pretty simple is it not I mean they could promote so many things like that milkshake it's got a thousand calories in each cup and I would say it's worth working out just to get that milkshake it's worth every single calorie those walnut' brownies in that granny style container I mean everything they do is on point or as our young people would say on fleek alright and so but one of the things I know to be true is their message is quite simple it's three words and can we say this together on the count of three one two three eat more chicken if your life was a billboard what would be your message would it be camouflaged would it be covered would it be concealed or could we agree to this CBC and for those of you visiting its forwards it's all about Jesus all may that be our heart crying may that be our message but notice verse 13 not only do we notice in this hour of interrogation it's all about Jesus their message was clear but number two they were marked by the cross verse thirteen the Bible says now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated common men they were astonished and they'd recognized they had been with Jesus the statement uneducated does not mean they were unable to read or write it's a statement in regards to the fact that they did not sit underneath an official recognized rabbi the Apostle Paul and his BC days before Christ known as Saul sat underneath the rabbi known as Gamaliel so what they're saying is this you have not received proper training but one of the things that's amazed about you and I being a part of the kingdom of God family of God sons and daughters of God were ordinary people but we serve an extraordinary God and therefore it's the hope of glory in us that operates in the supernatural therefore we realize that based upon the authority in which they were given to allow a crippled man to be restored they did not use the supernatural power of God to make a name for themselves but instead we're ultimately channeling this supernatural power source for the kingdom of God and ladies and gentlemen either we're using God to build our kingdom or God's using us to build his kingdom and as we think about that what must our message be it's all about Jesus but it's in our servitude that ultimately a lost and dying world at the intersection of helplessness and hopelessness knows that our God is for real when I think about servitude I think about Jesus who had all authority but he wrapped a towel around his waist as John 13 says and washed the feet of the disciples it's Mark chapter 10 verse 45 he would make this statement I didn't come for you to serve me I came to serve you and give my life a ransom for many how is it that your co-workers your classmates your neighbors and your friends and family will know that you've been with Jesus it's our servitude it's what we do in here that must fill the streets out there so as we lift our hands to a holy God may we extend our hands to a lost and dying world and may it be through the fact that our life has been changed but it's his glory on display in our life and I want to serve well for example one of the things that happens in Parenthood is you'll get to a place where your kids and their earlier days begin to teethe that is a perfuse amount this is a good southern word a perfuse amount of slobber is protruding out of every orifice of their face and if you're like our family in the early days you had several kids at an early age and it's chaos and you can only run that washer and dryer so many times throughout the day and so you put on your little loved one a bib it's an apparatus that velcro is behind the neck or snaps or buttons but ultimately it's the bib that says we want to protect what's underneath but it's the bib that communicates the unspoken message I need you to do something for me bib mentality is not what God has called us to be about do you know that the apron is made of the same fabric same concept it's protecting the clothing underneath but what's the difference between a bib and an apron is it not its placement a bib around someone's neck says I need you to do something for me but if you drop that down 18 inches and it becomes an apron here's what we understand it's not about what you could do for me it's about what I could do for you and not just any apron but a Cracker Barrel apron with four stars on it because we serve well all may it be said of us that we've been with Jesus and how will they know that we've been with Jesus not only will speak about Jesus but also we will serve like Jesus you know what I love about your church all there's so many things the list is extensive you know what I love about your church your mindset is not what kids c.b.c do for me but instead it's what you could do for your church it's not what you it's not what you and I ultimately walk away with going you know what every all these facilities and all these ministries it's all for its service unto me it's no let me use my talents my gifts and abilities there in that local body of fellowship and I want to serve well what we do in here has to fill the streets out there how will they know we've been with Jesus in here servitude outside of here one last principle we're done not only do we notice their message was clear number two they were marked by the cross and last but not least they were motivated by conviction motivated by conviction and verse number 16 the Bible says what shall we do with these men verse 17 the answer but in order that it may spread no further amongst the people let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name now just for a commercial break the command was let's enforce upon them this decree don't you ever speak of Jesus ever again don't you impart doctrine don't you teach don't you spread his message let me ask look around did that really work we're here today because of faithful men and women that would say this my message is clear it's all about Jesus it's through servitude that the world got flipped upside down we're men and women said it's not about me it's all about him I want to serve you well and all of a sudden when the command and the decree came down notice what happens in verse 19 Peter and John answered them and said whether it's right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God you must judge which by the way let me just say this have you noticed that we live in a society that the buzzword is tolerance be tolerant but have you noticed that in the midst of a society that continues to announce a message of tolerance it seems as if those that are promoting and broadcasting a message of tolerance become immensely intolerant to those that say we're in relationship with Jesus have you noticed that but it's real easy for us to sit in this room and say white house needs to repent and I would say it this way oh listen to me you can't blame the dark for being dark now there's good godly men and women that are serving in the political arena but what I'm saying is this it's not the White House needs to repent it's the church house that needs to repent it's you and me looking in the mirror going you know what I can't help what everybody else is gonna do but as for me and my house we're gonna serve the Lord we're just gonna make it quite clear it's all about Jesus and I'm gonna serve the very best I can but the one thing we need more of and this is my prayer for my family and this is my prayer for you and my church family is that we would be motivated by conviction convictions not just ideas that you hold it's ideas that hold you so all a sudden when we begin to feel the squeeze the persecution those statements of your intolerant your narrow-minded your bigoted love always wins and instead of responding hatefulness well instead will respond with the goodness of what Christ has done for us and we'll be able to say this I cannot help but to speak about what I've seen and heard what would motivate us to come to that place to say my message is clear I'm marked by the cross and I'm motivated by conviction what would motivate us to live that kind of exponential faith reality is it not what we talked about last Sunday it's crazy love that in the midst of my broken pieces there's a god that's faithful there's a god that's forgiving now let me just illustrate this real quickly but I need all the men in the house would you raise your right hand all the men all you young men all you older men raise your hand for just a second and I need you to repeat after me I will tell the truth okay I don't know if you heard me this morning keep your hand raised filling the p90x burn in your shoulder for just a second repeat after me men I will tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God put your hands down men would you validate and also legitimize the fact that I'm not crazy in order to determine whether or not something is useable or legitimate we have a tendency to pick that item up and bring it right to our nose and smell it would you agree with me that their time that we do such ludicrous things such as validating its worthiness of being used based upon smell would you agree with me by applauding or saying Amen come on man don't leave me up here hanging it's that moment where we're going you know what I'd like to wear that shirt something you know exactly what I'm talking about you're going you know I I didn't pull it out of the drawer it's been laying on the floor for about four days you pick it up and you do this right here I can get another wear out of it right now and we'll we'll go take our body spray like we're some junior hot dude in a locker room just hitting it with a little axe body spray going it's good so I'm at this camp I show up like no cell phone signal Walmarts 45 minutes away I unpack my suitcase and I'm kind of evaluating the scene I forgotten my towel it really to be honest we I didn't know I needed a towel I just assumed there a bit of towel no towel now all of a sudden I begin to look around the cabin I come across a towel from the week before draped over the back of this kitchen chair now I don't know if this is gonna translate well but there's a distinct difference between the word stink and stank are you with me in order to validate legitimize whether or not this towel would be permissible to use I pick it up and I smell it as soon as I smelt that that is as I inhaled it punched me in the face that towel was so musty it could have done the stanky leg all by itself and I know for some of you you're gonna think less of me but I used it five days in a row thank you very much god bless you on my way out now listen I talk out loud to myself how many of you would just admit that you talk out loud to yourself what you'd raise your hand we all need counseling all of us how have you had just take it to another level and this is where I realize I'm socially awkward this is the moment where I not only talk out loud to myself but talk out loud to myself in the third person which means I'm using my own name back to myself how many of you would agree to that come to the altar I'll pray for you after the service amen so here's how this went down I'm on my way out I got my roller bag I'm thinking I want to get back into civilization I want to get back to running water and all the sudden there's this door that I pass by over and over and over again throughout the entire week now in your mind I need you to see that accordion door that flimsy temporary door you know the door I'm talking about it's the door that usually you would think would have a water heater behind it with a bucket of cleaning supplies on top of the water heater filled with creepy crawly things known as spiders but all of a sudden I don't know if it was the Holy Spirit or just bad camp food all of a sudden it was the moment that I literally say to myself Edie open the door and as I opened the door you know what I find towels not just one but five five freshly laundered white towels it was in that moment it's like and are you serious right now are you serious I have used this dry crusty towel all week long as I got home and processed that moment realizing I was scarred for the rest of my life I began to write down on my journal and I was just writing that down I write down things like that to happen I don't know why I just write them down and the Spirit of God just reminded me of lamentations chapter 3 my mercies are new every morning great is my faithfulness and I just want to bring this to a close what would cause a man like Simon Peter to go no I hear what you're saying to me but I'm not backing down I will not be silent I'm gonna serve well I got a conviction it's all about Jesus what will cause a man is it not the white fresh reality of the forgiveness of God in our life in the midst of our stains and our putrid living of sometimes sinful immorality is it not the moment where God you're faithful and it causes a man as some historians have said but Simon Peter was crucified on a cross and some would say and his dying breath turned my cross upside down some historians would say that Simon Peter watched his wife be crucified on a cross what would cause a man to never tap out ever again denying the name of Jesus is it not forgiveness that white fresh reality that God your mercies are new every morning and I've received it I've experienced it you said to me the first time I met you follow me and a lot of faults and failures in-between and you looked at me at the Sea of Galilee where you found me and my sin once more and you said it one more time follow me and we've never gotten over that and I wonder today if there's somebody in the house of God that needs to meet the god of this house that is you need to put be put into a place of a relationship not based on your performance but God's good pleasure to forgive you of all your sin past present and future so with heads bowed eyes closed for just a brief moment as we bring this message to a close there's some of you today that need to give your life to Jesus Christ you need to become a Christian you go ahead I believe in Jesus and I say to you James 2:19 the demons believe in Jesus so don't allow that to happen that is for you to become a Christian it's got to drop from your head to your heart which means you got to admit that you're not perfect all of sinned and you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sin and it's calling on his name for salvation and if that's your desire this day to become a Christian to become a Christ follower to make that decision to make Jesus Christ your Savior and if you're ready to make that decision I'm not here to talk you into something because if I could talk you into it someone else is gonna talk you out of it but if it's God through his words speaking to your heart for you to become a Christ follower and that's your desire we would invite you right now to call on the name of the Lord and this is how you do it now this prayer is not a magical formula I'm not a priest this is not a prayer of rededication this is a prayer of salvation for someone that would say I give you my life Jesus and if that's your desire today I'm gonna ask that you would pray these words to Jesus and mean it from the depth of your heart would you say this name Lord Jesus I admit that I'm not perfect and I believe you died for me and right now I'm asking you to save me I'm asking you to change me be my lord be my Savior with heads bowed eyes closed for just a brief moment not much longer if that's a decision that you just made if you prayed that prayer and meant it from the depth of your heart would you be bold and courageous enough to let us know about that don't be ashamed about Jesus he was not ashamed of you as he hung upon the cross of Calvary and if that's a decision that you just made would you raise your hand as tall as you can right now we have some Bible runners they're individuals with orange shirts on that when it gets you a Bible and Bible runners would you begin to stand and look and if your hand is raised right now would you hold it up real tall we're not trying to embarrass you we just want to make sure you get a Bible with some information about how to be plugged into this church and our Bible runners are looking around but they need to see your hand if your hand is raised right now a Bible should be coming to you quickly and promptly the Bible is not a book filled with crew Commandments the Bible is a book filled with sweet solutions it's a love letter from God and we would love for you to begin to just read it here what God has in store for you and most importantly that you would base your life upon it and there's information about this church about how you can be plugged in if you still have not received one of those Bibles and you gave your life to Jesus today would you just raise your hand right where you're seated anybody else anybody else we got some folks right here on the front row our Bible runners some of you young men and young ladies we just need you to start sprinting right now yes right here thank you ma'am I appreciate your patience that's some hustle right there I love that hustle I love that hustle that's how important this is anybody else you gave your life to Jesus everybody look right here you can't be a bomb runner at CBC and not be in shape we train them up they're sprinters they could be Olympic athletes and one day when they receive that gold medal they're going to say when'd you learn to run like that they're like hey listen I don't know if you understand this it's a big deal when somebody gives their life to Jesus so we sprint to them every time amen well church can we clap for those that gave their life to Jesus Christ today would that be all right yes Lord now I need everybody in the house of God to stand if you don't mind everybody the house of God stand I want to say this from the depth of my heart for those of you men in the room Lord willing I'll see you at mancation and mang but until we meet again you be faithful to what God's called you to do Church it's been my distinguished honor to be here I will always be captivated by the love that you have for Jesus till we meet again Jesus is worth it so here's the deal I'm gonna pray I'm gonna say amen and I need you to let me beat you out of this parking lot amen so Lord Jesus we love you we are so grateful for you thank you for what you've done to God be the glory in Jesus name and all God's people said amen

Channel: Community Bible Church

Views: 12,850

Rating: 4.9666667 out of 5

Keywords: CBC Online, Community Bible Church, Church Online, Online Ministry, Streaming Church, Internet Church, Ed Newton, All About Jesus

Id: QDyAi0ELQdQ

Length: 35min 3sec (2103 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 25 2015