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Howdy Mars Hill Church
and our extended family

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of Mars Hill Global;
I'm Pastor Sutton Turner,

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your executive pastor
here in Ethiopia.

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Some might ask,
"What is our extended family

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of Mars Hill Global?"

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Well, that's 250,000 people
that join us by podcast

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each and every week!

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I want to first encourage you
to be a part of a local church,

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wherever you are in the world,
be a part of a local church

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and give your tithe
to the local church.

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Secondly, I want
to encourage you to give,

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give over and beyond your tithe
to Mars Hill Global.

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We're planting churches
in Ethiopia, India,

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and the United States

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because we want to see
more people be saved by Jesus.

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We want to see
more people grow with Jesus

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and we want to see
more people on Jesus' mission.

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I pray that you
would consider being a part

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of the extended family
of Mars Hill Global.

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Go to marshillchurch.com/global
and sign up today.

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Jesus is doing
some incredible things

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and we would like you to be a part
of what Jesus is already doing.

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You will receive power!

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You will receive power!

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You will receive power!

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All right, who likes apples?
You like apples?

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All right, we're in Washington
today, at least I am.

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As part of our citizen
requirement is you have

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to like apples if you're
from Washington.

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I remember when I was a little
kid--you ever picked an apple

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when you were a kid?

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We had a red apple tree
near my house.

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I was a little kid.

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I thought, "Man, I
really want an apple."

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It was early in the season,
about this time of year almost,

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and there was an apple, but
it wasn't red, it was green.

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I thought, "Well, I thought
this was a red apple tree,"

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little kid.

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"Aww, it's OK, I'll pick it
and see what it tastes like."

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So I grab this little, green
apple, take it, bite it,

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how's it taste?

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Horrible!

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Horrible.

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Sour, tart, awful,
texture was wrong.

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You know why?

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It wasn't ready to be picked.

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It wasn't ripe.
It needed more time.

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It was in a process,
and eventually it

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would have ripened,
but it needed more time.

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It's interesting, when we come
to the teaching of the Bible,

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particularly the teaching
of the Lord Jesus Christ,

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he says that people becoming
Christians is like a harvest,

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and that people becoming
Christians, they're like fruit.

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And he uses a lot
of this language,

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and what we see in
the physical world is true

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in the spiritual world.

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We can't make something ripe.

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It's going to take time.

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We can't make someone
ripe for Jesus.

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It's going to take time.

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And so we have to lovingly,
patiently wait until someone

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is ripe, and then we pick them.

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We tell them about Jesus,
we love them, serve them,

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inform them, instruct them, and
then their heart's open to Jesus

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as he's been preparing them.

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And this is your story
if you're a Christian.

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This is what God is
doing in your life today

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if you're not a Christian.

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He's preparing you to be part of
the great harvest of Jesus

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and fruit on the tree
of his resurrection.

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And what we see today in
Acts 8:26-40--and if

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you've got a Bible, go there.

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We see what it's like to be
empowered by the Holy Spirit

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to evangelize.

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When we talk about evangelism,
we're talking about this

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as a Christian talks to
a non-Christian about Jesus.

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And you're going to see a guy
today who is in the process

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of becoming ripe for
the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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He is a man who is in process,
and then God is going to send

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another man for the harvest,
to pick the ripe fruit

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of this man's life
and to introduce him to Jesus.

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It's an awesome text.

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All the texts of
the Bible are awesome.

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This one's awesome!

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It's great because we get to
see a person become a Christian.

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I don't know what is
going on in your life.

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If you don't know
Jesus, you need Jesus.

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The most important thing,
more important than anything,

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more important than everything
is that you know Jesus.

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And today, we get to see
the God--yes, he loves crowds,

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and we've seen thousands saved
through the book of Acts.

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And today, the camera
hones in on one guy.

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You know why?

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God doesn't just love numbers,
he loves faces and he loves you.

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And he loves you.

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And he's got a plan
to seek you, and to serve you,

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and to save you.

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Not because you're great,
but because he's great.

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And we see this
great story today,

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and I want to start
with the first question.

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Who has God
put in front of you?

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Here's the story
in the book of Acts,

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beginning in
chapter 8, verse 26.

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"Now an angel of the Lord."

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You know it's going to be
awesome when an angel shows up.

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That's a great day.

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"Now an angel of the Lord
said to Philip,

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"'Rise, go toward the south
to the road that goes from

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"'Jerusalem to Gaza.'

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This is a desert place."

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Middle of nowhere.

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"And he rose and went."
He's obedient.

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"And there was
an Ethiopian, a eunuch,

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"a court official of Candace,
queen of the Ethiopians,

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"who was in charge
of all her treasure.

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"He had come to Jerusalem
to worship, was returning,

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seated in his chariot."

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Dude's loaded, right?

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He's rolling in
an SUV with rims.

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Loaded.

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"He had come to Jerusalem
to worship, was returning,

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"seated in his chariot, he was
reading the prophet Isaiah.

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"And the Spirit
said to Philip,

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'Go over and join
this chariot.'"

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Four characters,
people, here.

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We need to meet each one.

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First, the angel.

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The angel shows up,
and the angel speaks,

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and the angel says to Philip.

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And don't you wish
there were more details?

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The angel told Philip
to go and Philip went.

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You're like,
back up.

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Tell me about
the angel conversation.

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I want more details.

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Angels are in the Bible.

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Do you believe in angels?

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Here's what's amazing:

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Most people believe in angels,

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but they don't believe in
demons.

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Demons are fallen,
sinful, rebellious angels.

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God created angels.

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They're not equal to God.

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They don't share all
his divine attributes.

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They're not eternal.

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They have a beginning
point in history and time.

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They're made to be ministers
and messengers

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on behalf of the Lord.

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As ministers, they serve,
and as messengers, they speak.

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That's what angels do.

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Some angels became
rebellious, proud,

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self-righteous, independent.

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They rebelled against God.

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They were cast out of heaven.

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That includes now
Satan and demons.

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So, dear friend, be careful.

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Test the spirits.

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1 John says,
"Not every spirit is holy."

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Not every spirit comes from
the Lord being spiritual.

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It can actually
be very dangerous.

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In addition to the angels,
there are fallen angels.

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This is a holy, godly angel.

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He comes as a messenger
and as a minister.

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And some of you, you wonder,
"Have I ever met an angel?"

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Hebrews 13:1 says to continue
to practice hospitality,

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opening our homes and lives,
because in so doing,

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some of us will entertain
angels without even--

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here's the key--without
even knowing it.

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See, angels are spirit beings.

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They don't indwell or
inhabit a body as we do,

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but they can appear as a person
if that is the assignment that

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the Lord has given to them.

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And some of you have met angels
and you didn't even know it.

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Because their goal is not to
draw attention to themselves,

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that's what the demons do.

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Their goal is to let all of
the attention, and the focus,

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and the glory,
and the emphasis be on Jesus.

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See, they don't take a lot
of attention for themselves,

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so they tend to do their work
very quietly and very humbly,

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sometimes very privately.

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I'll give you
an example, a story.

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Grace's dad, Grandpa Gibb, he's
gone home to be with the Lord

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about a year ago.

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I got to preach his funeral.

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Godly guy, loved
Jesus, loved the Bible.

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He was a pastor
for 40-some years.

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And he was headed out,
in his latter years,

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on a mission trip to
some far away country,

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and he was going to go teach
pastors and help in this

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far away mission field.

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He was older, he was tired,
he was a little disoriented,

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as he told the story.

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He was in an international
airport trying to get

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his connecting flight.

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Somehow got turned
around, confused,

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didn't understand the signs.

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Ended up wrong terminal, wrong
part of the airport, far--right,

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you even been there?

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Your plane's over there,
you're over here.

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You're totally lost,
don't know where you are.

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And he realizes, "Man,
the clock is ticking,

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"I'm really close to my flight
and I'm going to miss my flight.

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"If I miss my flight,
I'll miss the conference.

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"I can't train the pastors, I
can't help the missionaries,

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the gospel can't go forward."

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So he stops.

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What's Grandpa Pastor Gibb
going to do?

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Pray, OK?

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"Jesus, help, amen."

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A little prayer, you know?

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Immediately, he opens his eyes.

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A guy walks up.

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He said nice guy,
very warm, welcoming.

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"Sir, you seem confused.

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"It seems like you need help.

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I'm wondering what I
can do to serve you."

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He's speaking and serving.

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He's a messenger
and a minister.

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"Well, I'm a pastor, I'm trying
to get on the mission field.

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"You know, and I
think I messed up.

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"I got on the wrong train,
or tram, or whatever it is,

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"and I'm in the wrong
part of the airport.

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"I don't know the language,
I can't figure out the signs,

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I'm going to miss my flight."

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The guy says, "You know what?

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No problem, I'll take
you there myself."

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How many people do
you know catching

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an international flight
connector

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have an hour to kill
and want to walk with

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a total stranger
around an airport?

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So, he said, "OK, fine.

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"Well, you love the Lord,
I love the Lord too.

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That's great you're
serving the Lord."

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They're talking about Jesus.

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This guy literally escorts
Grandpa Gibb right to the gate

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just in the nick of time.

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Grandpa Gibb goes to thank
him, poof, the guy disappears.

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OK, can that happen?

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Yes, and it's awesome!

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It doesn't happen
all the time.

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That's why we don't call
it Tuesday, but a miracle.

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But God can do that, amen?

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Grandpa Gibb makes his flight,
makes it to the mission field

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to love and serve
the Lord Jesus, yay!

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Our God is a supernatural God.

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Our God is a capable God.

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Our God is a living God.

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Our God is a miraculous God.

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00:11:37,375 --> 00:11:39,500
Our God is a creative God.

249
00:11:39,583 --> 00:11:41,667
He sends an angel
to Philip, tells Philip,

250
00:11:41,750 --> 00:11:43,417
"You've got to go somewhere.

251
00:11:43,500 --> 00:11:45,500
You've got something to do."

252
00:11:45,583 --> 00:11:49,542
That brings us to
the second person in the story,

253
00:11:49,667 --> 00:11:51,042
the Ethiopian eunuch.

254
00:11:51,167 --> 00:11:54,042
We don't know the guy's name,
but here's what we do know.

255
00:11:54,167 --> 00:11:57,042
Ethiopian, in that day it was
Sudan or Egypt today

256
00:11:57,167 --> 00:11:58,500
in that region.

257
00:11:58,500 --> 00:12:01,000
Eunuch, OK?

258
00:12:01,042 --> 00:12:05,500
Now, I've got to be
careful how I explain this,

259
00:12:05,542 --> 00:12:08,000
but how do you
become a eunuch?

260
00:12:08,042 --> 00:12:12,000
Men, how do you
become a eunuch?

261
00:12:12,083 --> 00:12:14,417
You're castrated.

262
00:12:14,500 --> 00:12:19,833
And this was part of his
employment contract, OK?

263
00:12:19,833 --> 00:12:24,000
You really got to
want the job, OK?

264
00:12:24,042 --> 00:12:26,667
You're reading the job
and you're like, "OK,

265
00:12:26,667 --> 00:12:30,875
"now the queen of Ethiopia,
she needs a CEO, CFO,

266
00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,333
"head of the treasury.

267
00:12:32,333 --> 00:12:34,833
"Are you good at money?
You know, can you count?

268
00:12:34,833 --> 00:12:36,167
Accounting."

269
00:12:36,250 --> 00:12:38,167
You're reading the fine
print and you're like,

270
00:12:38,250 --> 00:12:39,583
"Willing to be castrated."

271
00:12:39,667 --> 00:12:42,667
Wow, wow,
I'm going to apply.

272
00:12:42,750 --> 00:12:45,000
OK, you've got to
really--something in you

273
00:12:45,083 --> 00:12:47,500
has got to be like,
"I really want this job."

274
00:12:47,583 --> 00:12:50,167
Like, you need a job
if you're like,

275
00:12:50,208 --> 00:12:52,500
"OK, I'll check
the castration box."

276
00:12:52,500 --> 00:12:53,833
He does.

277
00:12:53,917 --> 00:12:56,042
Because the way it
would work in that day,

278
00:12:56,167 --> 00:12:58,542
you're working with the queen,
you're part of the court,

279
00:12:58,667 --> 00:13:00,000
you're part of the kingdom.

280
00:13:00,083 --> 00:13:02,000
Well, there's the queen,
and there's the princesses,

281
00:13:02,083 --> 00:13:04,708
and there's the harem, and if
you're a guy working in

282
00:13:04,833 --> 00:13:08,000
close proximity, you could find
yourself a little interested

283
00:13:08,083 --> 00:13:09,917
in certain ladies,
including the queen.

284
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,375
And the king thought, "I don't
want anybody getting involved

285
00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:16,500
with my lady or ladies," so
they came up with this idea,

286
00:13:16,542 --> 00:13:20,208
"I'll just castrate
all the men."

287
00:13:20,333 --> 00:13:23,833
And so to get the job,
you had to be castrated.

288
00:13:23,875 --> 00:13:26,708
So, here's this
Ethiopian eunuch.

289
00:13:26,833 --> 00:13:30,500
He is in
the middle of nowhere.

290
00:13:30,542 --> 00:13:33,667
He's from a godless nation.

291
00:13:33,750 --> 00:13:37,333
He works for
a godless, Pagan queen.

292
00:13:37,375 --> 00:13:39,208
He would have been
considered--in his culture,

293
00:13:39,333 --> 00:13:41,083
he would have been
highly esteemed,

294
00:13:41,167 --> 00:13:43,833
but among God's people he would
have been lowly considered.

295
00:13:43,875 --> 00:13:48,167
Because in Deuteronomy 23:1
it says that any guy who's

296
00:13:48,167 --> 00:13:51,667
castrated himself can't even
enter into the worship assembly

297
00:13:51,667 --> 00:13:53,000
of God's people.

298
00:13:53,083 --> 00:13:54,417
You know why?

299
00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:56,667
Because children are a blessing,
we're to be fruitful

300
00:13:56,667 --> 00:13:59,167
and multiply, and any guy
who does that to himself,

301
00:13:59,167 --> 00:14:02,167
he doesn't understand the will
of God and the ways of God,

302
00:14:02,250 --> 00:14:04,833
so he's not to be part
of the worship of God.

303
00:14:04,875 --> 00:14:09,667
So, this guy's
in a bad place.

304
00:14:09,667 --> 00:14:12,333
Here's what we do
find out, though:

305
00:14:12,375 --> 00:14:15,875
He's a green apple
turning red.

306
00:14:16,375 --> 00:14:19,708
OK, when I was a little kid,
I was the oldest of five kids.

307
00:14:19,792 --> 00:14:22,208
My dad, Joe, my mom, Deb--Joe
and Deb loaded up

308
00:14:22,292 --> 00:14:28,000
the old Griswold station
wagon that we owned,

309
00:14:28,042 --> 00:14:30,708
and we were going to make
the family road trip

310
00:14:30,792 --> 00:14:33,292
to Disneyland, OK?

311
00:14:33,333 --> 00:14:35,833
And it's about, from Seattle
to Disneyland,

312
00:14:35,917 --> 00:14:39,333
about roughly 1,000 miles.

313
00:14:39,375 --> 00:14:45,542
Now, imagine doing that
2,000 years ago in a chariot

314
00:14:45,625 --> 00:14:49,958
pulled by a horse over rough,
Roman terrain.

315
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,542
You got to really want
to get there, amen?

316
00:14:53,625 --> 00:14:55,625
So this guy's heart
is opening up.

317
00:14:55,667 --> 00:14:57,333
He's a green apple
turning red.

318
00:14:57,375 --> 00:14:59,458
He's like, "I've got to get to
Jerusalem so--"

319
00:14:59,500 --> 00:15:01,708
and it says,
"So he can worship God."

320
00:15:01,792 --> 00:15:03,417
Is he a believer?

321
00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:06,833
No, OK?

322
00:15:06,875 --> 00:15:11,875
If you're here and you're
not a Christian, this is you.

323
00:15:11,958 --> 00:15:16,500
You're here, you've
traveled a distance,

324
00:15:16,542 --> 00:15:19,417
you've inconvenienced yourself.

325
00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:21,917
You're here with God's people.

326
00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,167
We're here to worship him.

327
00:15:24,250 --> 00:15:25,583
We love you.

328
00:15:25,667 --> 00:15:29,583
We're so blessed and honored
that you would join us.

329
00:15:29,667 --> 00:15:35,292
And on the way, he's sitting
in his chariot and he's reading

330
00:15:35,333 --> 00:15:36,833
Isaiah--you'll see
it in a moment--

331
00:15:36,875 --> 00:15:39,833
chapter 53, verses 7-8.

332
00:15:39,875 --> 00:15:41,792
It would have been very
difficult to get

333
00:15:41,833 --> 00:15:43,792
a book of the Bible
in that day.

334
00:15:43,833 --> 00:15:46,500
The printing press was
nowhere near invented yet.

335
00:15:46,583 --> 00:15:48,500
He's not even Hebrew.

336
00:15:48,542 --> 00:15:50,708
He's not a Jewish guy.

337
00:15:50,792 --> 00:15:54,000
He didn't grow up with
the Bible, not in his country.

338
00:15:54,125 --> 00:15:57,167
So, he's making the 1,000 mile
journey to get to Jerusalem

339
00:15:57,292 --> 00:15:59,500
to worship God,
to meet God's people,

340
00:15:59,542 --> 00:16:03,083
and along the way he's
reading the Bible.

341
00:16:03,167 --> 00:16:05,792
All right, he's
a green apple turning red.

342
00:16:05,833 --> 00:16:07,167
God's working on him.

343
00:16:07,250 --> 00:16:10,292
God's preparing him for
the message of Jesus.

344
00:16:10,333 --> 00:16:15,292
Thirdly, there is
this guy named Philip.

345
00:16:15,333 --> 00:16:16,875
We met him in Acts 6.

346
00:16:16,958 --> 00:16:19,583
Godly guy, filled with
the Holy Spirit, loves Jesus,

347
00:16:19,667 --> 00:16:22,792
missionary, minister,
he's an evangelist.

348
00:16:22,833 --> 00:16:25,000
And an angel comes
to him and says,

349
00:16:25,042 --> 00:16:28,292
"I need you to go to
the middle of nowhere."

350
00:16:28,333 --> 00:16:32,042
They just had like a, boom,
Billy Graham revival, right?

351
00:16:32,125 --> 00:16:34,917
They just had an explosion, lots
of people become Christians,

352
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,833
and he tells Philip, "Leave."

353
00:16:36,875 --> 00:16:38,333
"Leave?

354
00:16:38,375 --> 00:16:42,417
We just--we just had
this massive revival."

355
00:16:42,500 --> 00:16:45,500
"Go to the middle of nowhere."

356
00:16:45,583 --> 00:16:47,333
You know why?

357
00:16:47,375 --> 00:16:50,792
There's one person
there that God loves.

358
00:16:52,375 --> 00:16:57,708
There's one person
there that God loves.

359
00:16:57,792 --> 00:17:00,167
Isn't that wonderful?

360
00:17:00,208 --> 00:17:03,250
That God loves one person enough
that he'd put together

361
00:17:03,333 --> 00:17:07,875
an entire plan to go get
that one person.

362
00:17:07,958 --> 00:17:10,458
And friends, if you're here
and you're not a Christian,

363
00:17:10,500 --> 00:17:15,500
you're one of those people that
Jesus loves so much that he has

364
00:17:15,542 --> 00:17:19,333
been pursuing and preparing you
because he wants you

365
00:17:19,417 --> 00:17:22,000
to become a Christian too.

366
00:17:22,042 --> 00:17:25,042
Well, here's what we
know about Philip.

367
00:17:25,125 --> 00:17:27,750
He's a godly guy and he
raises godly daughters.

368
00:17:27,833 --> 00:17:30,750
The last picture we have
of him in Acts 21:8-9,

369
00:17:30,833 --> 00:17:34,042
it says that he had four
daughters who were all single

370
00:17:34,125 --> 00:17:36,333
and could prophesy.

371
00:17:36,375 --> 00:17:39,333
That's quite a lineup.

372
00:17:39,375 --> 00:17:41,083
I can tell you why
they're single.

373
00:17:41,167 --> 00:17:44,500
It's hard to find a guy who can
marry a gal who can prophesy,

374
00:17:44,542 --> 00:17:46,125
right?

375
00:17:46,167 --> 00:17:48,833
Some of you guys, you
want to marry a godly gal,

376
00:17:48,875 --> 00:17:51,458
you've got to up
your game, right?

377
00:17:51,500 --> 00:17:54,958
So, he loves Jesus, he's
filled with the Holy Spirit,

378
00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,875
he raises four daughters who
love Jesus and are filled with

379
00:17:57,958 --> 00:18:01,167
the Holy Spirit, he does
ministry with his four daughters

380
00:18:01,208 --> 00:18:04,083
who all love Jesus and are
filled with the Holy Spirit.

381
00:18:04,167 --> 00:18:05,792
And it says,
"He obeyed the Lord."

382
00:18:05,833 --> 00:18:08,000
He didn't argue or
fight, "I'm a big guy.

383
00:18:08,042 --> 00:18:09,375
"I got picked.

384
00:18:09,458 --> 00:18:12,375
"I was part of--you know, back
in Acts 6, they picked me.

385
00:18:12,458 --> 00:18:13,875
"I'm one of the important guys.

386
00:18:13,958 --> 00:18:15,875
"Come on, I've got
big things to do.

387
00:18:15,958 --> 00:18:17,667
"I need to be in the city.

388
00:18:17,708 --> 00:18:19,833
"I need to be
in the center of power.

389
00:18:19,917 --> 00:18:21,583
People just got saved.
I'm very important."

390
00:18:21,667 --> 00:18:23,000
He's like, "Whatever, Lord.

391
00:18:23,042 --> 00:18:25,000
You got one guy
you love, I'll go."

392
00:18:25,042 --> 00:18:27,375
Are you willing to go for
one person, dear Christian?

393
00:18:27,458 --> 00:18:31,875
Are you willing to give yourself
and your time to one person?

394
00:18:31,958 --> 00:18:34,167
That may be what God
is asking of you.

395
00:18:34,250 --> 00:18:36,917
God doesn't ask us all
to be Billy Graham.

396
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,500
God sometimes asks us to
pursue, love one person,

397
00:18:41,542 --> 00:18:43,500
speak to them about Jesus.

398
00:18:43,583 --> 00:18:46,375
And that's what he does with
Philip, and Philip is willing.

399
00:18:46,458 --> 00:18:48,583
Two things I want you
to know about this.

400
00:18:48,667 --> 00:18:51,792
Number one, God uses
people to save people.

401
00:18:51,833 --> 00:18:56,000
OK, God saves people.

402
00:18:56,042 --> 00:18:59,125
If you want to boil Christianity
down, here's one way to do it.

403
00:18:59,167 --> 00:19:02,875
God saves sinners, right?

404
00:19:02,958 --> 00:19:04,583
God saves.

405
00:19:04,667 --> 00:19:07,000
We can speak about the Savior.

406
00:19:07,042 --> 00:19:09,958
We can serve on
behalf of the Savior.

407
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,667
So we can speak and serve,
but only God can save, amen?

408
00:19:13,750 --> 00:19:15,792
Everybody at Mars Hill say,
"Amen."

409
00:19:15,833 --> 00:19:17,875
One, two, three, amen.

410
00:19:17,958 --> 00:19:21,375
OK, we can speak, we can
serve, only God can save.

411
00:19:21,458 --> 00:19:23,000
We don't save anybody.

412
00:19:23,042 --> 00:19:25,667
Philip is not going to save
this guy, forgive his sin,

413
00:19:25,750 --> 00:19:28,375
give him access to the presence
of God for all eternity.

414
00:19:28,458 --> 00:19:32,000
That's not his responsibility.

415
00:19:32,042 --> 00:19:35,167
His responsibility is
to speak and to serve.

416
00:19:35,250 --> 00:19:39,667
God uses people to save people.

417
00:19:39,750 --> 00:19:41,583
Now, an angel was
sent to Philip.

418
00:19:41,667 --> 00:19:43,000
Here's what's curious:

419
00:19:43,042 --> 00:19:46,292
An angel wasn't sent to
the Ethiopian eunuch.

420
00:19:46,333 --> 00:19:48,208
God could have went
to the angel,

421
00:19:48,292 --> 00:19:51,292
"Angel, there's a guy in
a chariot reading Isaiah.

422
00:19:51,333 --> 00:19:52,708
Get him!"

423
00:19:52,792 --> 00:19:56,125
And the angel could have
obeyed that and gone there,

424
00:19:56,167 --> 00:19:58,375
and sat in the chariot
with the Ethiopian eunuch,

425
00:19:58,458 --> 00:20:01,667
and done a little Bible
study out of Isaiah 53,

426
00:20:01,750 --> 00:20:03,208
and closed the deal.

427
00:20:03,292 --> 00:20:04,833
God didn't work that way.

428
00:20:04,875 --> 00:20:06,333
Oftentimes, God
doesn't work that way.

429
00:20:06,375 --> 00:20:07,708
God sometimes sends an angel.

430
00:20:07,792 --> 00:20:10,333
There's lots of people in
closed Muslim countries that are

431
00:20:10,375 --> 00:20:12,375
getting saved because they're
having dreams about Jesus

432
00:20:12,458 --> 00:20:15,625
or an angel shows up because God
will jump over any obstacle

433
00:20:15,667 --> 00:20:17,208
that is set against the gospel

434
00:20:17,292 --> 00:20:19,417
to bring the good news
of Jesus to those

435
00:20:19,500 --> 00:20:20,833
who don't know him.

436
00:20:20,875 --> 00:20:24,333
But oftentimes, God
works through his people.

437
00:20:24,375 --> 00:20:29,167
So, the angel--so God
sends the angel to Philip,

438
00:20:29,250 --> 00:20:33,625
and then the angel sends
Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch.

439
00:20:33,667 --> 00:20:37,458
Now, some of you may have
heard we're a Reformed church.

440
00:20:37,500 --> 00:20:39,708
Don't Google it, don't
blow your head up.

441
00:20:39,792 --> 00:20:42,458
We love Jesus, read your
Bible, stay off the Internet.

442
00:20:42,500 --> 00:20:44,250
It's all shenanigans anyways.

443
00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:48,167
Nonetheless, nonetheless, what
we mean by reformed is this.

444
00:20:48,208 --> 00:20:51,042
Out of the historic Protestant
tradition, that God seeks,

445
00:20:51,125 --> 00:20:56,500
that God saves, and that God is
sovereign over the seeking

446
00:20:56,625 --> 00:20:58,792
and saving process.

447
00:20:58,833 --> 00:21:02,125
Now, what some will do is
they'll turn this into fatalism

448
00:21:02,167 --> 00:21:04,125
instead of faithfulness.

449
00:21:04,167 --> 00:21:06,833
And they'll say, "Well, if God's
going to save them anyways,

450
00:21:06,875 --> 00:21:08,208
"why should we speak?

451
00:21:08,292 --> 00:21:11,208
"Why should we plant a church?
Why should we send a missionary?

452
00:21:11,292 --> 00:21:12,708
"Why should we preach
the gospel?

453
00:21:12,792 --> 00:21:14,208
"Why should we make
an invitation?

454
00:21:14,292 --> 00:21:16,417
"Why should we pursue
them to talk about Jesus?

455
00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:18,625
If God's going to save
them, he'll save them."

456
00:21:18,667 --> 00:21:21,125
And God's in heaven going,
"I'm sovereign over the ends--

457
00:21:21,167 --> 00:21:24,000
who I will save--and the means--
who I will send."

458
00:21:24,083 --> 00:21:27,667
You are part of God's sovereign
plan for the salvation

459
00:21:27,750 --> 00:21:29,833
of someone else.

460
00:21:29,875 --> 00:21:31,583
You say, "Well, God
doesn't need me."

461
00:21:31,667 --> 00:21:36,667
Right, but he loves you so he
wants to involve you

462
00:21:36,708 --> 00:21:39,167
so you can share in his joy.

463
00:21:39,208 --> 00:21:41,917
There are things that I do
that I involved my kids,

464
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:46,667
and I don't need them to
help me with certain things.

465
00:21:46,708 --> 00:21:48,750
But I involve them
because I love them,

466
00:21:48,833 --> 00:21:52,333
and what brings me joy, I want
them to share in my joy

467
00:21:52,458 --> 00:21:54,333
by doing it with me.

468
00:21:54,458 --> 00:21:57,167
That's what every good father
does with a son or daughter

469
00:21:57,208 --> 00:21:58,833
that's beloved.

470
00:21:58,875 --> 00:22:01,375
If you're a Christian, you're
the beloved sons and daughters

471
00:22:01,458 --> 00:22:02,792
of God.

472
00:22:02,833 --> 00:22:05,792
God can save people without you,
but he's invited you and I

473
00:22:05,833 --> 00:22:07,292
to be part of his process.

474
00:22:07,333 --> 00:22:09,292
And we can speak,
and we can serve,

475
00:22:09,333 --> 00:22:12,500
and we can watch him save,
and then we share in his joy,

476
00:22:12,542 --> 00:22:15,500
and we learn a lot about our
Father as we see him

477
00:22:15,542 --> 00:22:16,875
saving sinners, amen?

478
00:22:16,958 --> 00:22:20,083
What this does, this frees us up
not to worry about the results

479
00:22:20,167 --> 00:22:22,625
and only worry about our
faithfulness to what God

480
00:22:22,667 --> 00:22:25,000
has called us to.

481
00:22:25,083 --> 00:22:31,292
And so, number one, God likes
to use his people to save

482
00:22:31,333 --> 00:22:34,333
other people by bringing
the message of the Savior.

483
00:22:34,375 --> 00:22:36,667
And number two, you don't always
have to earn

484
00:22:36,708 --> 00:22:38,333
the right to be heard.

485
00:22:38,417 --> 00:22:40,542
There's this weird myth,
"You can't talk to me.

486
00:22:40,625 --> 00:22:41,958
You don't even know me."

487
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,667
Sure I can, I yell at
people for a living, right?

488
00:22:44,708 --> 00:22:47,958
You can--there is
relational authority,

489
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,958
but sometimes there's
just spiritual authority.

490
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:54,958
Now, there are many case studies
in the Bible of evangelism

491
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:56,667
and how somebody
becomes a Christian.

492
00:22:56,708 --> 00:22:58,042
This is only one.

493
00:22:58,125 --> 00:23:00,333
There are other examples where
somebody's got a relationship,

494
00:23:00,375 --> 00:23:02,625
and they, you know,
build a friendship,

495
00:23:02,667 --> 00:23:05,083
and trust is earned over time,
and through the context

496
00:23:05,167 --> 00:23:07,583
of the relationship, you earn
the right to be heard.

497
00:23:07,667 --> 00:23:10,208
And whole books have been
written on this and I'm not

498
00:23:10,292 --> 00:23:14,417
against that, but here's Philip
and the Ethiopian eunuch, right?

499
00:23:14,500 --> 00:23:16,208
Philip walks up,
"What are you reading?"

500
00:23:16,292 --> 00:23:18,208
I'm going to show
you in a second.

501
00:23:18,292 --> 00:23:19,625
"Isaiah."

502
00:23:19,667 --> 00:23:21,125
"You need Jesus,
become a Christian."

503
00:23:21,167 --> 00:23:22,500
"OK."

504
00:23:22,583 --> 00:23:25,292
Boom, no coffee, no 17 months of
Tuesdays at Starbucks, no,

505
00:23:25,333 --> 00:23:26,792
"Hey, I hate to offend you,

506
00:23:26,833 --> 00:23:29,792
"and I know I need to earn
the right to be heard,

507
00:23:29,833 --> 00:23:32,292
"so I'm going to change
the tire on your truck

508
00:23:32,333 --> 00:23:33,667
"and help you move

509
00:23:33,750 --> 00:23:36,667
"because then I can talk
to you about Jesus in 15 years

510
00:23:36,708 --> 00:23:39,167
"after you feel like you've
got enough credit, you know,

511
00:23:39,208 --> 00:23:41,833
Christmas cards, that you can
trust me at the heart level."

512
00:23:41,917 --> 00:23:44,042
"You're going to hell.
It's going to be hot.

513
00:23:44,125 --> 00:23:46,250
We need to deal with
this right now, OK?"

514
00:23:46,333 --> 00:23:48,250
And you're going
to see in a moment,

515
00:23:48,333 --> 00:23:49,750
he baptizes him
and leaves, gone.

516
00:23:49,833 --> 00:23:51,792
It's like, this might
be like 15 minutes.

517
00:23:51,833 --> 00:23:53,292
This is quick.

518
00:23:53,333 --> 00:23:54,958
This is like,
"Duck, duck, duck, save!"

519
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,333
It's quick.

520
00:23:56,458 --> 00:23:58,708
And I need you
to see that.

521
00:23:58,792 --> 00:24:01,000
Sometimes you'll see somebody,
they don't know the Lord,

522
00:24:01,083 --> 00:24:02,500
they need to know the Lord.

523
00:24:02,583 --> 00:24:04,000
They don't know about the Lord,

524
00:24:04,083 --> 00:24:05,792
they need to know
about the Lord.

525
00:24:05,833 --> 00:24:07,792
And you go, "I don't
even know them.

526
00:24:07,833 --> 00:24:09,500
"I don't have
a relationship with them.

527
00:24:09,583 --> 00:24:11,208
How many years--"
No, just walk up.

528
00:24:11,292 --> 00:24:13,917
"Hey, I love you.
I don't have a lot of time.

529
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:15,417
"Hell's hot.
Forever's a long time.

530
00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:16,833
"You need Jesus.

531
00:24:16,875 --> 00:24:18,500
"Let me talk to you about him.

532
00:24:18,583 --> 00:24:20,292
My bus is coming.
In or out?"

533
00:24:20,333 --> 00:24:21,667
Right?

534
00:24:21,750 --> 00:24:26,000
Sometimes there has
to be a sense of urgency.

535
00:24:26,083 --> 00:24:29,333
OK, sometimes there just
has to be a sense of urgency,

536
00:24:29,375 --> 00:24:30,833
and here it is.

537
00:24:30,875 --> 00:24:35,042
And in God's kindness, the
heart of the Ethiopian eunuch,

538
00:24:35,125 --> 00:24:36,833
he's becoming a red apple.

539
00:24:36,875 --> 00:24:38,833
He's ready for that message.

540
00:24:38,917 --> 00:24:41,333
Well, the fourth person
is the Holy Spirit.

541
00:24:41,417 --> 00:24:43,542
It says that the Holy Spirit
spoke to Philip

542
00:24:43,625 --> 00:24:45,667
and the Holy Spirit's
overseeing the process.

543
00:24:45,708 --> 00:24:48,917
Jesus said early on, you know,
"You'll receive power when

544
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:50,458
"the Holy Spirit
comes upon you.

545
00:24:50,500 --> 00:24:52,958
You'll be my witnesses to
the ends of the earth."

546
00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,458
Here, the gospel's going out,
the good news about Jesus,

547
00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:56,833
to the Ethiopian eunuch.

548
00:24:56,875 --> 00:24:58,208
It's starting to be fulfilled.

549
00:24:58,292 --> 00:25:01,000
The good news of Jesus is
getting out to the nations

550
00:25:01,083 --> 00:25:03,000
of the earth through
the person, the presence,

551
00:25:03,083 --> 00:25:04,500
the power of the Holy Spirit.

552
00:25:04,583 --> 00:25:05,917
He's mentioned frequently.

553
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:07,333
Here he shows up again.

554
00:25:07,375 --> 00:25:08,708
Who is he?

555
00:25:08,792 --> 00:25:13,000
There's one God, three persons:
Father, Son, and Spirit.

556
00:25:13,083 --> 00:25:15,667
The Holy Spirit is
the third member of the Trinity.

557
00:25:15,750 --> 00:25:17,083
He's God.

558
00:25:17,167 --> 00:25:19,833
We saw this in Acts 5 just
a few chapters previously.

559
00:25:19,875 --> 00:25:22,500
Ananias and Sapphira are husband
and wife, part of the church.

560
00:25:22,542 --> 00:25:26,000
They make a pledge, "We're going
to sell a piece of real estate.

561
00:25:26,042 --> 00:25:28,167
"We're going to bring
the proceeds and give them

562
00:25:28,250 --> 00:25:30,167
to the church as part
of our tithe."

563
00:25:30,250 --> 00:25:32,375
They withhold a bit,
put it in their pockets,

564
00:25:32,458 --> 00:25:34,208
steal from the Lord
and the church.

565
00:25:34,292 --> 00:25:37,208
Before they die for doing this,
Peter looks at them and says,

566
00:25:37,292 --> 00:25:39,792
"Why have you lied
to the Holy Spirit?

567
00:25:39,833 --> 00:25:43,000
You've not lied to men,
but to God."

568
00:25:43,042 --> 00:25:46,708
The Holy Spirit is God, and the
Holy Spirit is not just a force,

569
00:25:46,792 --> 00:25:48,333
it's a person.

570
00:25:48,375 --> 00:25:50,833
He doesn't inhabit a physical
body, but he has feelings,

571
00:25:50,875 --> 00:25:53,500
and he has a will, and he
can communicate with us.

572
00:25:53,542 --> 00:25:54,875
He's God.

573
00:25:54,958 --> 00:25:57,875
He can be grieved, he can be
resisted, he can be quenched,

574
00:25:57,958 --> 00:25:59,292
the Bible says.

575
00:25:59,333 --> 00:26:01,333
He's God, and it's not
an impersonal force,

576
00:26:01,417 --> 00:26:03,083
it's a personal God.

577
00:26:03,167 --> 00:26:05,667
That's why Jesus, in John 14,
when he promised that

578
00:26:05,750 --> 00:26:07,167
the Holy Spirit would be sent,

579
00:26:07,250 --> 00:26:09,167
and here is a fulfillment
of Jesus' promise,

580
00:26:09,208 --> 00:26:10,833
"He will convict
you of sin.

581
00:26:10,917 --> 00:26:12,375
"He will lead you
into righteousness.

582
00:26:12,458 --> 00:26:14,583
He will remind you of
what I've taught you."

583
00:26:14,667 --> 00:26:16,833
He, he, he, not it, it, it.

584
00:26:16,917 --> 00:26:19,333
So, the Holy Spirit
is personal God,

585
00:26:19,417 --> 00:26:23,167
sent to bring the message of
Jesus to God's people and

586
00:26:23,250 --> 00:26:26,333
to bring the life of Jesus in
and through God's people.

587
00:26:26,417 --> 00:26:29,333
And here, the Holy Spirit shows
up, and here's what we read,

588
00:26:29,417 --> 00:26:31,875
that the Holy Spirit
said to Philip:

589
00:26:31,958 --> 00:26:33,833
"Go over and join his chariot."

590
00:26:33,917 --> 00:26:36,792
OK, the Holy Spirit tells him
to do something

591
00:26:36,833 --> 00:26:38,583
and he obeys that.

592
00:26:38,667 --> 00:26:42,000
I will say, in my walk with
the Lord, 99.9% of the time,

593
00:26:42,083 --> 00:26:44,708
when God the Holy Spirit says
something to me it's from

594
00:26:44,792 --> 00:26:48,417
the Scriptures that he has
inspired to be written.

595
00:26:48,500 --> 00:26:51,000
The highest authority
are the Scriptures

596
00:26:51,042 --> 00:26:53,958
that the Holy Spirit has
inspired to be written.

597
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:55,625
And occasionally,
the Holy Spirit

598
00:26:55,667 --> 00:26:57,708
will provide
additional revelation

599
00:26:57,792 --> 00:26:59,708
for the application
of what was already written.

600
00:26:59,792 --> 00:27:02,500
We know in the Bible that
God wants to save sinners,

601
00:27:02,542 --> 00:27:05,667
and we know that God likes to
use people to bring the message

602
00:27:05,750 --> 00:27:07,375
of salvation to
sinners, and so here,

603
00:27:07,458 --> 00:27:08,792
the Holy Spirit tells Philip,

604
00:27:08,833 --> 00:27:10,792
"Go talk to that guy
about Jesus."

605
00:27:10,833 --> 00:27:12,250
How does God do this?

606
00:27:12,333 --> 00:27:14,792
Sometimes the Holy Spirit
speaks to us internally,

607
00:27:14,833 --> 00:27:16,333
sometimes externally.

608
00:27:16,417 --> 00:27:18,375
Sometimes internally
it's a deep burden,

609
00:27:18,458 --> 00:27:22,458
it's a profound conviction,
it's a heartbreaking longing.

610
00:27:22,500 --> 00:27:25,375
Sometimes it is in
the form of a dream.

611
00:27:25,458 --> 00:27:27,250
Sometimes it is external.

612
00:27:27,333 --> 00:27:30,000
You get a vision,
you get a visitation.

613
00:27:30,042 --> 00:27:33,000
The Lord shows up or you
hear the voice of the Lord.

614
00:27:33,042 --> 00:27:36,000
And these are rare occurrences,
and they are to be tested by

615
00:27:36,042 --> 00:27:39,083
Scripture and leadership because
not every Spirit comes from

616
00:27:39,167 --> 00:27:41,500
the Lord, 1 John says.

617
00:27:41,542 --> 00:27:45,500
But there are occasions
where God speaks.

618
00:27:45,542 --> 00:27:48,125
I still remember when I was
19--and some of you

619
00:27:48,167 --> 00:27:49,500
know my story.

620
00:27:49,583 --> 00:27:52,708
I was praying and God spoke
to me and said to marry Grace,

621
00:27:52,792 --> 00:27:55,500
preach the Bible,
train men, and plant churches.

622
00:27:55,542 --> 00:27:57,458
That's what I've been
doing ever since.

623
00:27:57,500 --> 00:28:01,083
There are times that
the Lord tells us something,

624
00:28:01,167 --> 00:28:06,083
and here he is telling Philip
something, and Philip obeys him.

625
00:28:06,167 --> 00:28:08,375
We want you
to be filled by the Spirit.

626
00:28:08,458 --> 00:28:10,583
We want you to be
led by the Spirit.

627
00:28:10,667 --> 00:28:13,000
We want you to be in
relationship with the Spirit,

628
00:28:13,042 --> 00:28:15,542
and that requires a deep,
profound commitment

629
00:28:15,625 --> 00:28:17,083
to the Bible.

630
00:28:17,167 --> 00:28:22,292
And also, when he speaks to
you, you hear him and obey him,

631
00:28:22,333 --> 00:28:24,750
which is what Philip does.

632
00:28:24,833 --> 00:28:26,292
Here's my question:

633
00:28:26,333 --> 00:28:28,375
Who had God
put in front of you?

634
00:28:28,458 --> 00:28:31,167
So, God puts the Ethiopian
eunuch in the middle of nowhere

635
00:28:31,250 --> 00:28:32,583
in front of Philip.

636
00:28:32,667 --> 00:28:34,583
Who has God
put in front of you?

637
00:28:34,667 --> 00:28:36,500
Family, friend,
neighbor, coworker.

638
00:28:36,542 --> 00:28:38,417
Who is God already
preparing their heart,

639
00:28:38,500 --> 00:28:42,125
ripening their soul for
his evangelistic harvest?

640
00:28:42,167 --> 00:28:47,167
Who is in front of you that you
need to put your phone down

641
00:28:47,250 --> 00:28:52,708
so you can see them and initiate
a conversation with them?

642
00:28:52,792 --> 00:28:54,208
I had a situation like this.

643
00:28:54,292 --> 00:28:55,625
It was interesting.

644
00:28:55,667 --> 00:28:57,833
This week, I was sitting
at a coffee shop,

645
00:28:57,875 --> 00:29:00,083
actually going over parts of
this section of Scripture.

646
00:29:00,167 --> 00:29:01,792
And I look across
the coffee shop,

647
00:29:01,833 --> 00:29:06,750
and there's a young woman
crying, like late teens.

648
00:29:06,833 --> 00:29:09,250
And I didn't know why,
and she kept crying.

649
00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:11,500
She was emotionally distraught,
so I just walked up.

650
00:29:11,542 --> 00:29:13,667
She's in front of me.

651
00:29:13,708 --> 00:29:17,167
I said, "Hey, look,
I'm not a crazy old man.

652
00:29:17,250 --> 00:29:23,833
"Now, don't Google me.
Take my word for it, OK?

653
00:29:23,917 --> 00:29:27,500
"I'm a pastor.
I love Jesus.

654
00:29:27,542 --> 00:29:29,042
"And I'm a father,

655
00:29:29,125 --> 00:29:31,250
"and I have a daughter
who's around your age.

656
00:29:31,333 --> 00:29:33,500
"And I can see that
something is happening,

657
00:29:33,542 --> 00:29:36,292
"and I'm wondering if there's
anything I can do for you.

658
00:29:36,333 --> 00:29:39,208
I wonder if maybe God
put me here to help you."

659
00:29:39,292 --> 00:29:41,875
She opened right up.

660
00:29:41,958 --> 00:29:44,167
"Well, here's my story, and
here's where I'm struggling,

661
00:29:44,250 --> 00:29:45,583
and here's what's going on."

662
00:29:45,667 --> 00:29:47,000
"Are you a Christian?"

663
00:29:47,042 --> 00:29:48,375
"No, I'm not."

664
00:29:48,458 --> 00:29:49,875
"Do you have a church family?"

665
00:29:49,958 --> 00:29:51,292
"No I don't."

666
00:29:51,333 --> 00:29:52,667
We had a great conversation.

667
00:29:52,750 --> 00:29:55,667
I don't know what the Lord's
going to do with that, right,

668
00:29:55,750 --> 00:29:57,667
but there was a green apple
turning red.

669
00:29:57,750 --> 00:29:59,167
Not quite ready,
but turning red.

670
00:29:59,250 --> 00:30:00,708
Her heart was open.

671
00:30:00,792 --> 00:30:03,500
Who has God
put in front of you?

672
00:30:03,583 --> 00:30:07,625
Next question, what
can you teach them?

673
00:30:07,667 --> 00:30:09,000
"So Philip ran to him."

674
00:30:09,083 --> 00:30:10,583
Don't you love that?

675
00:30:10,667 --> 00:30:13,583
How many of you, God says,
"I need you to do this,"

676
00:30:13,667 --> 00:30:15,208
you're like,
[groaning]

677
00:30:15,292 --> 00:30:16,708
Here's Philip...

678
00:30:16,792 --> 00:30:20,000
I know I don't run fast, but I'm
trying to illustrate a point.

679
00:30:20,083 --> 00:30:22,500
Philip has
instantaneous obedience.

680
00:30:22,583 --> 00:30:25,292
He's really excited to
do what the Lord said.

681
00:30:25,333 --> 00:30:30,125
Do you think it's a little weird
to walk up to a total stranger

682
00:30:30,167 --> 00:30:32,792
who's of another
culture and race,

683
00:30:32,833 --> 00:30:37,042
another people and religion,
who's rich and powerful

684
00:30:37,125 --> 00:30:40,333
governmental official
and castrated?

685
00:30:40,417 --> 00:30:46,042
Any of this is an opportunity
for awkwardness, amen?

686
00:30:46,125 --> 00:30:49,333
Oftentimes, we don't
talk to non-Christians,

687
00:30:49,417 --> 00:30:50,958
those of us who are Christians,

688
00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:52,667
because we don't
want to feel awkward.

689
00:30:52,708 --> 00:30:54,042
You know what?

690
00:30:54,125 --> 00:30:56,542
It's better that we feel awkward
and they meet Jesus

691
00:30:56,625 --> 00:30:59,333
than we don't feel awkward
and they don't meet Jesus.

692
00:30:59,458 --> 00:31:03,125
I would trade awkwardness
for conversion every time.

693
00:31:03,167 --> 00:31:07,125
"So Philip ran to him and heard
him reading Isaiah the prophet."

694
00:31:07,167 --> 00:31:09,417
The guy's reading out loud.

695
00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:12,333
"He asked, 'Do you understand
what you are reading?'"

696
00:31:12,375 --> 00:31:14,417
Do you even know
what that is?

697
00:31:14,500 --> 00:31:18,917
"And he said, 'How can I,
unless someone guides me?'"

698
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:20,417
This is amazing.

699
00:31:20,500 --> 00:31:22,625
He's like, "I wish a Christian
would show up

700
00:31:22,667 --> 00:31:25,625
and explain this Bible."

701
00:31:25,667 --> 00:31:28,625
Do you know that there's people
like that all over the place?

702
00:31:28,667 --> 00:31:31,375
There's people like
that all over the place.

703
00:31:31,458 --> 00:31:34,125
"And he invited Philip to
come up and sit with him,"

704
00:31:34,167 --> 00:31:35,750
on the chariot.

705
00:31:35,833 --> 00:31:37,917
This is pretty awesome.

706
00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,042
"Hey, why don't you
climb up in my Escalade.

707
00:31:40,125 --> 00:31:41,667
"I'll turn the seat warmer on.

708
00:31:41,708 --> 00:31:43,333
We'll walk through Isaiah."

709
00:31:43,417 --> 00:31:44,833
"OK!"

710
00:31:44,917 --> 00:31:47,333
"He invited Philip to
come up and sit with him.

711
00:31:47,417 --> 00:31:50,333
Now the passage of the Scripture
that he was reading was this."

712
00:31:50,417 --> 00:31:53,125
Oh, it just so happened
to be he's in Isaiah 53:7-8,

713
00:31:53,167 --> 00:31:54,833
which if you're in
the Old Testament,

714
00:31:54,958 --> 00:31:56,292
it comes of the wick.

715
00:31:56,333 --> 00:31:57,792
Boom!
It's amazing.

716
00:31:57,833 --> 00:32:01,000
"Like a sheep he was led to
the slaughter and like a lamb

717
00:32:01,083 --> 00:32:03,708
"before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.

718
00:32:03,792 --> 00:32:05,625
"In his humiliation
justice was denied him.

719
00:32:05,667 --> 00:32:07,208
"Who can describe
his generation?

720
00:32:07,292 --> 00:32:09,417
For his life is taken
away from the earth."

721
00:32:09,500 --> 00:32:10,833
This is amazing.

722
00:32:10,875 --> 00:32:12,500
The guy's sitting there
reading the Bible.

723
00:32:12,583 --> 00:32:14,292
This is like you
walk into Starbucks,

724
00:32:14,333 --> 00:32:15,792
there's a guy with a Bible.

725
00:32:15,833 --> 00:32:17,292
You're like,
"What is that?"

726
00:32:17,333 --> 00:32:18,667
"It's a Bible."

727
00:32:18,750 --> 00:32:20,667
"Why are you reading it?"
"I don't know.

728
00:32:20,750 --> 00:32:22,667
All of a sudden I'm
interested in it."

729
00:32:22,750 --> 00:32:25,417
"Oh, green apple going red.
I know what's going on here.

730
00:32:25,500 --> 00:32:26,917
Do you know what it means?"

731
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:28,917
"No, I'm reading this
part in John 3:16.

732
00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:30,333
"'God so loved the world.'

733
00:32:30,375 --> 00:32:32,333
"I don't--Can't make
heads or tails of this.

734
00:32:32,375 --> 00:32:34,208
I wish somebody
would explain it."

735
00:32:34,292 --> 00:32:36,833
Right?
Right?

736
00:32:36,875 --> 00:32:38,500
That's what's going on here.

737
00:32:38,583 --> 00:32:41,167
Philip's like,
"I can do this."

738
00:32:41,208 --> 00:32:44,333
The whole section
of Isaiah 40-66

739
00:32:44,375 --> 00:32:46,250
is about the suffering servant
Jesus

740
00:32:46,333 --> 00:32:50,417
coming to serve us
by suffering, dying,

741
00:32:50,500 --> 00:32:52,333
and rising in our
place for our sins.

742
00:32:52,458 --> 00:32:55,333
The bull's-eye of it all is
the second half of Isaiah 53

743
00:32:55,458 --> 00:32:57,458
through the end of--second half
of Isaiah 52

744
00:32:57,500 --> 00:32:59,833
through the end of Isaiah 53.

745
00:32:59,875 --> 00:33:01,500
He would live without sin.

746
00:33:01,583 --> 00:33:03,000
We would put him to death.

747
00:33:03,083 --> 00:33:04,708
He would be buried
with the rich.

748
00:33:04,792 --> 00:33:06,125
He would rise from death.

749
00:33:06,167 --> 00:33:08,625
He would see the light
of life and be satisfied.

750
00:33:08,667 --> 00:33:10,125
He would atone for our sin.

751
00:33:10,167 --> 00:33:12,333
He would justify us
in the sight of God.

752
00:33:12,375 --> 00:33:14,333
He is our Savior
and victorious King,

753
00:33:14,375 --> 00:33:17,333
and he's really excited that
he gets to do this for us.

754
00:33:17,375 --> 00:33:18,708
He's reading this aloud.

755
00:33:18,792 --> 00:33:23,417
There are people like
this all over the place.

756
00:33:23,500 --> 00:33:26,125
God is preparing them
to hear about Jesus.

757
00:33:26,167 --> 00:33:27,583
They have questions.

758
00:33:27,667 --> 00:33:30,083
So, three things I want
you to learn from this,

759
00:33:30,167 --> 00:33:31,708
Christian and non-Christian.

760
00:33:31,792 --> 00:33:34,208
Number one, go to the person
that the Holy Spirit

761
00:33:34,292 --> 00:33:36,750
sends you to.

762
00:33:36,833 --> 00:33:43,000
Number two, give
them a Bible, OK?

763
00:33:43,083 --> 00:33:47,208
Let's just keep
the--this is a Bible.

764
00:33:47,292 --> 00:33:49,208
Give them one.

765
00:33:49,292 --> 00:33:51,292
If you're here,
and you're not a Christian,

766
00:33:51,333 --> 00:33:53,292
and you don't have
a Bible, take one.

767
00:33:53,333 --> 00:33:55,792
You'll get to the part
where it says not stealing,

768
00:33:55,833 --> 00:33:57,167
you can have it.

769
00:33:57,208 --> 00:33:58,542
You're not stealing.

770
00:33:58,625 --> 00:33:59,958
Take it with you, OK?

771
00:34:00,083 --> 00:34:01,500
Who gave you your first Bible?

772
00:34:01,583 --> 00:34:03,000
Who gave you a good Bible?

773
00:34:03,083 --> 00:34:05,208
When I was 19, Grace,
my now wife--

774
00:34:05,292 --> 00:34:06,625
something to think about guys.

775
00:34:06,667 --> 00:34:08,833
Gal buys you a Bible,
buy her a ring.

776
00:34:08,875 --> 00:34:11,125
Just throwing it
out there, OK?

777
00:34:11,167 --> 00:34:14,333
Grace bought me a really nice
Bible, and I was a green apple.

778
00:34:14,375 --> 00:34:16,083
"Man, I'm not
going to read that.

779
00:34:16,167 --> 00:34:18,708
"I think it's going to tell
me to stop doing stuff

780
00:34:18,792 --> 00:34:20,125
that I kind of like."

781
00:34:20,167 --> 00:34:23,125
Then I'm in college, I decide
I'm going to start reading it.

782
00:34:23,167 --> 00:34:24,875
OK, I start--OK,
green apple turning red.

783
00:34:24,958 --> 00:34:26,292
And then God saved me.

784
00:34:26,333 --> 00:34:28,000
I'm reading the Bible,
I got questions.

785
00:34:28,083 --> 00:34:30,417
I start meeting Christians like,
"Hey, could you answer this?

786
00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:31,833
Could you answer that?"

787
00:34:31,875 --> 00:34:34,833
One of the best gifts you
can give somebody is a Bible.

788
00:34:34,917 --> 00:34:36,250
Get them a good Bible.

789
00:34:36,333 --> 00:34:38,458
If you love them,
give them a good Bible.

790
00:34:38,500 --> 00:34:41,167
I don't want to be a Bible snob,
but my recommendation--

791
00:34:41,208 --> 00:34:42,542
this is what we do.

792
00:34:42,625 --> 00:34:43,958
We have stacks of Bibles.

793
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,167
We give them away all the time--
me, and the kids, and Grace.

794
00:34:47,208 --> 00:34:48,917
The ESV,
the English Standard Version,

795
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,125
which is what I preach
out of, Study Bible.

796
00:34:51,167 --> 00:34:52,833
It's packed,
lots of helpful tools.

797
00:34:52,958 --> 00:34:54,292
We give those away.

798
00:34:54,333 --> 00:34:55,958
We give those away
all the time.

799
00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,167
Who do you need
to buy a Bible for?

800
00:34:58,208 --> 00:35:00,208
Who are you like,
"They are so lost.

801
00:35:00,292 --> 00:35:01,625
"They drive me crazy.

802
00:35:01,667 --> 00:35:03,000
Those people are nuts."

803
00:35:03,083 --> 00:35:04,417
Buy them a Bible.

804
00:35:04,500 --> 00:35:05,917
They obviously need
one, all right?

805
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,125
I can still remember when I was
on CNN with Piers Morgan when

806
00:35:09,167 --> 00:35:11,875
he was still on the air, and he
would bring Christians

807
00:35:11,958 --> 00:35:14,375
on to argue with them about
what the Bible says.

808
00:35:14,458 --> 00:35:17,792
So, I showed up, I brought him
an ESV Study Bible, and I said,

809
00:35:17,833 --> 00:35:19,792
"Hey Piers, my name
is Mark," you know?

810
00:35:19,833 --> 00:35:21,167
"Here's a Bible."

811
00:35:21,250 --> 00:35:22,667
Here's what he said--
I'm paraphrasing.

812
00:35:22,750 --> 00:35:25,167
He said, "You know, I've
had a lot of Christians

813
00:35:25,250 --> 00:35:26,667
"on the show over the years.

814
00:35:26,750 --> 00:35:28,167
"We always argue
about the Bible.

815
00:35:28,250 --> 00:35:29,667
Nobody's ever
given me a Bible."

816
00:35:29,750 --> 00:35:33,125
We can argue with people about
the Bible and be very frustrated

817
00:35:33,167 --> 00:35:35,667
that they don't rightly
understand the Bible.

818
00:35:35,750 --> 00:35:39,000
Maybe it's because they
don't have a Bible.

819
00:35:39,083 --> 00:35:40,500
Don't overlook the obvious.

820
00:35:40,583 --> 00:35:43,500
Number one, go to the person
the Holy Spirit sends you to,

821
00:35:43,583 --> 00:35:44,917
give them a Bible.

822
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:47,125
I hope you give away
some Bibles this week.

823
00:35:47,167 --> 00:35:51,000
And number three, answer their
question by telling them

824
00:35:51,125 --> 00:35:52,958
about Jesus.

825
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:54,458
I love what he says, right?

826
00:35:54,500 --> 00:35:57,958
He says he's going to
tell them about Jesus.

827
00:35:58,000 --> 00:35:59,708
"Philip opened his
mouth," verse 35,

828
00:35:59,792 --> 00:36:02,292
"beginning with this Scripture
he told him the good news

829
00:36:02,333 --> 00:36:03,667
about Jesus."

830
00:36:03,750 --> 00:36:06,583
Mars Hill, we say
this all the time

831
00:36:06,667 --> 00:36:08,542
but it cannot be said
too much.

832
00:36:08,625 --> 00:36:11,583
This is the book that God wrote,
and it's all about Jesus

833
00:36:11,667 --> 00:36:13,458
from beginning to end.

834
00:36:13,500 --> 00:36:16,500
There are many stories,
but there's only one story.

835
00:36:16,542 --> 00:36:18,167
There's only one hero.

836
00:36:18,250 --> 00:36:20,750
This book is for you,
but it's not about you.

837
00:36:20,833 --> 00:36:22,667
It's about Jesus.

838
00:36:22,708 --> 00:36:25,875
And I need you to see that
everything in this book

839
00:36:25,958 --> 00:36:27,500
is about Jesus.

840
00:36:27,542 --> 00:36:30,500
And if you give this book
to anyone and then they have

841
00:36:30,542 --> 00:36:33,167
questions, the answer is always
somehow connected back to

842
00:36:33,250 --> 00:36:36,583
the good news of the person
and work of Jesus.

843
00:36:36,667 --> 00:36:38,708
And this--I don't
have time to do it,

844
00:36:38,792 --> 00:36:41,708
but I'm going to do it
anyways as fast as I can.

845
00:36:41,792 --> 00:36:43,125
This includes events.

846
00:36:43,167 --> 00:36:45,333
So when you see,
in the Old Testament, Passover,

847
00:36:45,375 --> 00:36:48,000
where God's people
sacrificed a lamb,

848
00:36:48,083 --> 00:36:50,958
and they cover the doorpost
of their home with blood

849
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,708
so that the wrath of God
would pass over them,

850
00:36:53,792 --> 00:36:55,833
that through the shedding
of blood their sins

851
00:36:55,875 --> 00:36:57,375
would be atoned for,

852
00:36:57,458 --> 00:37:00,792
that all points to Jesus,
our Passover Lamb who was slain.

853
00:37:00,833 --> 00:37:02,375
He died for our sin.

854
00:37:02,458 --> 00:37:05,167
His blood covers us
so the wrath of God

855
00:37:05,250 --> 00:37:07,292
would pass over us.

856
00:37:07,333 --> 00:37:09,458
When you see, in
the Old Testament, Yom Kippur,

857
00:37:09,500 --> 00:37:11,167
the Day of Atonement,
the high priest,

858
00:37:11,250 --> 00:37:12,792
as the mediator,

859
00:37:12,833 --> 00:37:14,542
comes between God
and the people,

860
00:37:14,625 --> 00:37:16,000
and he takes an animal,

861
00:37:16,042 --> 00:37:18,000
and he confesses
the sins of the people,

862
00:37:18,042 --> 00:37:21,042
and he slaughters the animal
as an atonement sacrifice

863
00:37:21,125 --> 00:37:24,250
as a substitute
for guilty sinners,

864
00:37:24,333 --> 00:37:28,083
that's us
and that's our Jesus.

865
00:37:28,167 --> 00:37:31,292
Jesus is our Day of Atonement.

866
00:37:31,333 --> 00:37:33,583
He is not only the High Priest,

867
00:37:33,667 --> 00:37:36,208
he is also
the substitute sacrifice.

868
00:37:36,292 --> 00:37:39,875
And because of him
alone, sin is atoned for.

869
00:37:39,958 --> 00:37:42,000
This includes titles.

870
00:37:42,083 --> 00:37:44,500
The whole section of
Isaiah 53 is that

871
00:37:44,583 --> 00:37:46,333
Jesus is a lamb.

872
00:37:46,375 --> 00:37:48,208
That's what he was reading.

873
00:37:48,292 --> 00:37:50,875
And then Jesus comes
humbly and meekly.

874
00:37:50,958 --> 00:37:53,333
He leaves glory for humility.

875
00:37:53,375 --> 00:37:55,667
He enters into human history.

876
00:37:55,792 --> 00:37:58,625
And as he makes his
way on the stage,

877
00:37:58,667 --> 00:38:01,583
John the Baptizer
sees him and declares,

878
00:38:01,667 --> 00:38:06,000
"Behold the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins

879
00:38:06,042 --> 00:38:08,000
of the world!"

880
00:38:08,042 --> 00:38:11,000
In addition to that title,
there is also another title

881
00:38:11,042 --> 00:38:15,292
in Isaiah 40-66,
of which he is reading,

882
00:38:15,333 --> 00:38:18,500
that Jesus is
the suffering Servant.

883
00:38:18,542 --> 00:38:22,542
And Jesus came to suffer,
he came to be without sin,

884
00:38:22,625 --> 00:38:24,500
to suffer at
the hands of sinners,

885
00:38:24,542 --> 00:38:27,375
to go to the cross and die
in the place of sinners,

886
00:38:27,458 --> 00:38:30,875
and in so doing, he is
the one who serves us

887
00:38:30,958 --> 00:38:33,667
through his suffering.

888
00:38:33,708 --> 00:38:36,292
It's not just that Jesus is
found in the events

889
00:38:36,333 --> 00:38:38,417
and the titles, but also
the prophesies.

890
00:38:38,500 --> 00:38:40,917
And dear friend, when
this book was written,

891
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,500
25% of it was
prophetic in nature,

892
00:38:44,542 --> 00:38:47,500
predicting the future because
the God who knows the future

893
00:38:47,542 --> 00:38:49,708
is sovereign over it.

894
00:38:49,792 --> 00:38:51,875
He knows everything
in intricate detail.

895
00:38:51,958 --> 00:38:53,625
There's nothing that
he does not know.

896
00:38:53,667 --> 00:38:57,958
There's nothing that is beyond
the reach of his sovereign rule.

897
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,333
And the prophecies
all point to Jesus,

898
00:39:00,417 --> 00:39:04,667
and no other religion has this
kind of prophetic insight.

899
00:39:04,750 --> 00:39:06,500
The Bible stands alone.

900
00:39:06,542 --> 00:39:09,167
It is unique in all its
authority because this is

901
00:39:09,208 --> 00:39:11,667
the book that
the Holy Spirit has written.

902
00:39:11,750 --> 00:39:15,167
A few of these include the fact
that 700 years before Jesus

903
00:39:15,208 --> 00:39:16,667
even walked on the earth,

904
00:39:16,750 --> 00:39:20,292
in Isaiah 7:14 it was
prophesied that he would be born

905
00:39:20,333 --> 00:39:23,875
of a virgin and he would
be Immanuel, God with us.

906
00:39:23,958 --> 00:39:27,167
In addition, 700 years before
Jesus walked the earth,

907
00:39:27,250 --> 00:39:30,000
Micah 5:2 declared that he
would come to the little town

908
00:39:30,042 --> 00:39:31,750
of Bethlehem.

909
00:39:31,833 --> 00:39:33,750
Five hundred years before Jesus
walked the earth

910
00:39:33,833 --> 00:39:35,917
in Zechariah 11:12-13,

911
00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,083
it was prophesied that
he would be betrayed by

912
00:39:38,167 --> 00:39:41,917
a close friend for no less than
30 pieces of silver.

913
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,208
A thousand years before Jesus
walked the earth

914
00:39:44,292 --> 00:39:46,208
and hundreds of years
before crucifixion

915
00:39:46,292 --> 00:39:48,000
was even invented,

916
00:39:48,042 --> 00:39:50,625
Psalm 22:16 declared that he
would be pierced through

917
00:39:50,667 --> 00:39:53,000
his hand and feet, nailed.

918
00:39:53,042 --> 00:39:57,333
The carpenter nailed
to a Roman cross.

919
00:39:57,375 --> 00:40:01,000
And in addition, we read in
Isaiah 6 that Isaiah

920
00:40:01,083 --> 00:40:04,208
was called into ministry by
the Lord Jesus.

921
00:40:04,292 --> 00:40:07,333
As he's reading
Isaiah in his chair,

922
00:40:07,375 --> 00:40:10,208
the Ethiopian eunuch is
hearing the words of Isaiah.

923
00:40:10,292 --> 00:40:15,208
And firstly, Isaiah heard
these words, "Go and preach."

924
00:40:15,292 --> 00:40:17,917
God revealed himself to Isaiah.

925
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,167
He says, "I saw the Lord,
high and exalted.

926
00:40:20,250 --> 00:40:22,833
"The train of his robe
filled the temple.

927
00:40:22,875 --> 00:40:24,333
"He was surrounded in glory.

928
00:40:24,375 --> 00:40:26,417
He was worshiped by angels."

929
00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:29,917
That's Isaiah 66--
chapter 6, rather.

930
00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:34,208
You go to John 12, it says, "And
he saw Jesus in all his glory."

931
00:40:34,292 --> 00:40:39,833
So even the God who is
commissioning Isaiah to write

932
00:40:39,875 --> 00:40:43,250
the book that the Ethiopian
eunuch is reading is

933
00:40:43,333 --> 00:40:46,333
Jesus Christ in all his glory.

934
00:40:46,375 --> 00:40:49,458
In addition, we see
Jesus in Christophanies.

935
00:40:49,500 --> 00:40:52,792
Before he enters into history
through the womb of Mary,

936
00:40:52,833 --> 00:40:55,042
he makes certain
cameo appearances.

937
00:40:55,125 --> 00:40:57,458
He walks with Abraham
in Genesis 18.

938
00:40:57,500 --> 00:41:00,375
He wrestles with
Jacob in Genesis 32.

939
00:41:00,458 --> 00:41:04,000
He speaks to Moses at
the burning bush in Exodus 3.

940
00:41:04,042 --> 00:41:08,083
In the days of Daniel, he enters
into the fiery furnace

941
00:41:08,167 --> 00:41:09,708
in Daniel 3.

942
00:41:09,792 --> 00:41:11,792
And again, he is the one.

943
00:41:11,833 --> 00:41:14,708
He is the one who calls
Isaiah into ministry.

944
00:41:14,792 --> 00:41:17,583
And he's reading Isaiah 53:7-8.

945
00:41:17,667 --> 00:41:21,875
In the next section, it talks
about after Jesus dies that he

946
00:41:21,958 --> 00:41:25,000
would be buried, that he would
be buried in a rich man's tomb,

947
00:41:25,083 --> 00:41:27,667
and that he would rise,
and after his suffering,

948
00:41:27,750 --> 00:41:30,167
he would see the light
of life and be satisfied,

949
00:41:30,250 --> 00:41:33,000
that he would atone for sin,
that he would make sinners

950
00:41:33,083 --> 00:41:36,833
friends, that he would
make enemies into family.

951
00:41:36,917 --> 00:41:39,958
And all of the Bible
is about Jesus.

952
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:41,750
The includes types.

953
00:41:41,833 --> 00:41:43,750
The first man in
the Bible is Adam,

954
00:41:43,833 --> 00:41:46,542
and we're all born with
a sin nature into Adam.

955
00:41:46,625 --> 00:41:48,708
And then Jesus is
called the last Adam,

956
00:41:48,792 --> 00:41:51,667
and we're born again with
a new nature through Jesus,

957
00:41:51,708 --> 00:41:53,333
the last Adam.

958
00:41:53,375 --> 00:41:55,000
The first Adam
sinned in a garden;

959
00:41:55,125 --> 00:41:58,458
the last Adam bled
for sin in a garden.

960
00:41:58,500 --> 00:42:01,333
The first Adam sinned at a tree,
and the last Adam

961
00:42:01,375 --> 00:42:03,917
atoned for our sin on a tree.

962
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,625
The first Adam was made
naked and unashamed,

963
00:42:06,667 --> 00:42:09,625
and the last Adam was
naked and bore our shame.

964
00:42:09,667 --> 00:42:11,583
The first Adam
brought us thorns;

965
00:42:11,667 --> 00:42:14,500
the last Adam wore
a crown of thorns.

966
00:42:14,583 --> 00:42:16,500
The first Adam brought
us condemnation,

967
00:42:16,583 --> 00:42:18,333
but it's through
the Lord Jesus Christ,

968
00:42:18,375 --> 00:42:23,417
the last Adam, that God alone
brings us salvation.

969
00:42:23,500 --> 00:42:27,083
When you see priests, it's about
Jesus, our great High Priest.

970
00:42:27,167 --> 00:42:30,500
When you see kings, it's about
Jesus, the King of kings.

971
00:42:30,583 --> 00:42:33,000
When you see prophets, it's
ultimately pointing to Jesus

972
00:42:33,083 --> 00:42:35,750
who is the very word of God.

973
00:42:35,833 --> 00:42:38,750
When you see shepherds,
it reminds us of Jesus,

974
00:42:38,833 --> 00:42:44,042
the good Shepherd who laid
down his life for his sheep.

975
00:42:44,125 --> 00:42:47,125
When you see judges, they point
to Jesus who is the Judge,

976
00:42:47,167 --> 00:42:49,958
alone the Judge
of the living and the dead.

977
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:51,958
And when you see the temple,

978
00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:54,458
the meeting place between God
and man on the earth,

979
00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:57,833
it all points to Jesus
who is God become a man

980
00:42:57,958 --> 00:43:01,917
and mediates between
us and our God.

981
00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:05,833
And friends, ultimately,
this includes like service.

982
00:43:05,875 --> 00:43:09,583
So when you see Abel, who was
godly, murdered by his brother,

983
00:43:09,667 --> 00:43:12,333
Jesus is the greater
Abel who was God,

984
00:43:12,375 --> 00:43:14,583
murdered by his brothers.

985
00:43:14,667 --> 00:43:18,208
When you see Isaac, willing to
carry his own wood on his back

986
00:43:18,292 --> 00:43:21,500
to lay down his life
to honor his father,

987
00:43:21,583 --> 00:43:25,917
he is pointing to Jesus who
carries the cross on his back

988
00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:29,875
and lays down his life at
the will of the Father.

989
00:43:29,958 --> 00:43:31,750
The whole Bible
is about Jesus.

990
00:43:31,833 --> 00:43:33,083
We believe in good advice.

991
00:43:33,167 --> 00:43:35,583
There are things you should
do to improve your life.

992
00:43:35,667 --> 00:43:37,000
We believe in good deeds.

993
00:43:37,042 --> 00:43:40,167
There are things that we want
to do to love and serve you.

994
00:43:40,250 --> 00:43:42,875
But make no mistake, this whole
book, from beginning to end,

995
00:43:42,958 --> 00:43:44,833
it's about the good news.

996
00:43:44,917 --> 00:43:48,833
It's about Jesus Christ,
who he is, what he has done.

997
00:43:48,917 --> 00:43:50,333
He is God become a man.

998
00:43:50,417 --> 00:43:52,500
He is the way,
the truth, and the life.

999
00:43:52,542 --> 00:43:54,958
There is no way
to the Father but through him.

1000
00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:59,000
There is no other name by
which we will be saved.

1001
00:43:59,042 --> 00:44:02,000
And from beginning to end,
the whole book, it's all,

1002
00:44:02,083 --> 00:44:06,333
always, only about Jesus,
amen?

1003
00:44:14,708 --> 00:44:18,042
This is the bedrock of
where we stand, Mars Hill.

1004
00:44:18,125 --> 00:44:20,750
The Bible is true--
it's all about Jesus.

1005
00:44:20,833 --> 00:44:23,167
When the book is open
and Jesus is proclaimed,

1006
00:44:23,208 --> 00:44:26,125
the Holy Spirit shows up because
that's the book he wrote

1007
00:44:26,167 --> 00:44:29,750
and that's the person
he loves to glorify.

1008
00:44:29,833 --> 00:44:31,417
And Philip does this.

1009
00:44:31,500 --> 00:44:33,458
Here they are sitting
in the chariot.

1010
00:44:33,500 --> 00:44:38,000
God goes to all these lengths
for one person's salvation.

1011
00:44:38,083 --> 00:44:40,000
He's reading Isaiah.

1012
00:44:40,083 --> 00:44:41,417
What's it about?

1013
00:44:41,500 --> 00:44:43,958
Jesus.

1014
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:46,833
My last question,
are you a Christian?

1015
00:44:46,875 --> 00:44:50,500
Acts 8:36-40,
they're going along the road,

1016
00:44:50,583 --> 00:44:52,375
they came to some water.

1017
00:44:52,458 --> 00:44:54,708
Middle of the desert,
God provides water.

1018
00:44:54,792 --> 00:44:57,833
You know why?
God provides.

1019
00:44:57,875 --> 00:45:00,875
And the eunuch said,
"See, here is water!

1020
00:45:00,958 --> 00:45:03,292
What prevents me
from being baptized?"

1021
00:45:03,333 --> 00:45:05,083
Sense of urgency.

1022
00:45:05,167 --> 00:45:07,458
I need to become
a Christian today.

1023
00:45:07,500 --> 00:45:10,333
You need to become
a Christian today.

1024
00:45:10,417 --> 00:45:12,833
Today!

1025
00:45:12,917 --> 00:45:15,292
Right, this is a divine
appointment between Philip

1026
00:45:15,333 --> 00:45:16,875
and the Ethiopian eunuch.

1027
00:45:16,958 --> 00:45:19,375
Today, let me tell you
this, why are you here?

1028
00:45:19,458 --> 00:45:21,875
Because this is a divine
appointment between me and you.

1029
00:45:21,958 --> 00:45:24,667
I'm in the position
of Philip sent by God.

1030
00:45:24,750 --> 00:45:26,667
You're in the position
of the Ethiopian eunuch,

1031
00:45:26,708 --> 00:45:30,375
brought here by God so I could
tell you that you need Jesus.

1032
00:45:30,458 --> 00:45:32,667
And as he responded
instantaneously,

1033
00:45:32,708 --> 00:45:34,750
I need you to respond
instantaneously.

1034
00:45:34,833 --> 00:45:37,458
And he's like,
"I need to get baptized."

1035
00:45:37,500 --> 00:45:39,750
This shows the death, burial,
resurrection of Jesus,

1036
00:45:39,833 --> 00:45:42,458
how the Christian goes public
to show externally what God

1037
00:45:42,500 --> 00:45:45,083
has done internally.

1038
00:45:45,167 --> 00:45:48,083
"And he commanded
the chariot to stop,

1039
00:45:48,167 --> 00:45:50,000
"and they both went
down into the water,

1040
00:45:50,083 --> 00:45:52,000
Philip and the eunuch,
and he baptized him."

1041
00:45:52,125 --> 00:45:53,500
They went down into the water.

1042
00:45:53,625 --> 00:45:55,125
This is immersion, right?

1043
00:45:55,167 --> 00:45:58,625
They dunk him, bring him up,
just like Jesus was baptized.

1044
00:45:58,667 --> 00:46:00,833
"And when they came
up out of the water,

1045
00:46:00,917 --> 00:46:02,833
the Spirit of the Lord
carried Philip away."

1046
00:46:02,917 --> 00:46:04,833
I don't know what
this looks like.

1047
00:46:04,917 --> 00:46:06,542
To me, it seems
kind of Trekkie.

1048
00:46:06,625 --> 00:46:08,583
I don't know what happened.

1049
00:46:08,667 --> 00:46:10,292
So you see
what I'm saying here?

1050
00:46:10,333 --> 00:46:12,167
How many of you
would be like,

1051
00:46:12,208 --> 00:46:14,167
"Man, Philip you should
stay with this guy.

1052
00:46:14,208 --> 00:46:16,292
You should disciple him.
You should walk with him."

1053
00:46:16,333 --> 00:46:17,667
No, you know why?

1054
00:46:17,750 --> 00:46:19,167
He has the Holy Spirit now.

1055
00:46:19,250 --> 00:46:21,167
Philip isn't going
to be with the guy,

1056
00:46:21,250 --> 00:46:24,375
but the Holy Spirit will be with
the guy and the Holy Spirit

1057
00:46:24,458 --> 00:46:26,167
can take care of the guy,
amen?

1058
00:46:26,208 --> 00:46:27,542
God doesn't need you.

1059
00:46:27,625 --> 00:46:29,458
God doesn't need me.

1060
00:46:29,500 --> 00:46:31,500
He'll use you
and he'll use me.

1061
00:46:31,542 --> 00:46:33,500
But ultimately, if somebody
belongs to Jesus

1062
00:46:33,542 --> 00:46:35,375
and the Holy Spirit is in them,

1063
00:46:35,458 --> 00:46:37,500
he will figure
out the details.

1064
00:46:37,542 --> 00:46:40,000
Rest assured in that.

1065
00:46:40,042 --> 00:46:42,958
"And the eunuch saw him no more,
and went on his way"--what?

1066
00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:44,500
"Rejoicing."

1067
00:46:44,583 --> 00:46:47,917
This is the mark of the work of
the Holy Spirit in the life

1068
00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:49,375
of the believer: rejoicing.

1069
00:46:49,458 --> 00:46:50,958
Hey, my sins are forgiven!

1070
00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:53,125
God loves me!
He has a plan for me!

1071
00:46:53,167 --> 00:46:54,625
I have entrance
into his kingdom!

1072
00:46:54,667 --> 00:46:56,000
Praise be to God!

1073
00:46:56,125 --> 00:46:57,458
Jesus died for me!

1074
00:46:57,500 --> 00:46:58,833
Jesus lives for me!

1075
00:46:58,875 --> 00:47:00,292
Jesus judges me!

1076
00:47:00,333 --> 00:47:01,667
I'll stand before him!

1077
00:47:01,750 --> 00:47:03,083
His righteousness is mine!

1078
00:47:03,167 --> 00:47:06,292
On the cross, he took my place
and put me in his place!

1079
00:47:06,333 --> 00:47:08,792
And some of you look
only at all of your

1080
00:47:08,833 --> 00:47:12,875
troubles and not your Savior,
and you lack rejoicing.

1081
00:47:12,958 --> 00:47:14,667
This guy's whole life
isn't better.

1082
00:47:14,750 --> 00:47:18,167
He's still castrated, still
got to go back to Ethiopia,

1083
00:47:18,250 --> 00:47:21,667
1,0000 mile road trip to work
for a godless queen far away

1084
00:47:21,750 --> 00:47:24,167
from the temple
and God's people.

1085
00:47:24,250 --> 00:47:25,792
If he wants to be depressed,

1086
00:47:25,833 --> 00:47:28,667
he can find a couple reasons
for that.

1087
00:47:28,708 --> 00:47:30,042
But instead, he's rejoicing.

1088
00:47:30,125 --> 00:47:32,042
Because I don't care
what your problem is,

1089
00:47:32,125 --> 00:47:34,250
the biggest problem
is not knowing Jesus.

1090
00:47:34,333 --> 00:47:36,250
And once your biggest
problem is dealt with,

1091
00:47:36,333 --> 00:47:38,500
your other problems
are still problems,

1092
00:47:38,542 --> 00:47:42,667
but they're problems
in perspective.

1093
00:47:42,750 --> 00:47:44,500
"But Philip found
himself at Azotus,

1094
00:47:44,583 --> 00:47:46,708
"and as he passed through
he preached the gospel

1095
00:47:46,792 --> 00:47:48,917
to all the towns until he
came to Caesarea."

1096
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:53,500
He's going to do this
again and again and again.

1097
00:47:53,625 --> 00:48:00,667
First question,
are you a Christian?

1098
00:48:02,542 --> 00:48:04,958
Not born into
a Christian family,

1099
00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:07,500
born again into
the family of God.

1100
00:48:07,542 --> 00:48:12,167
Not sprinkled as a baby,
but committed as an adult.

1101
00:48:12,250 --> 00:48:14,458
Not a decision that
your parents made,

1102
00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:17,167
but the Holy Spirit
compelled you to make.

1103
00:48:17,250 --> 00:48:18,792
Are you a Christian?

1104
00:48:18,833 --> 00:48:20,167
He was a moral guy.

1105
00:48:20,250 --> 00:48:21,583
He was reading his Bible.

1106
00:48:21,667 --> 00:48:23,042
He was going to worship.

1107
00:48:23,125 --> 00:48:24,542
He was religious.

1108
00:48:24,625 --> 00:48:27,042
It's not about religion,
it's not about spirituality,

1109
00:48:27,125 --> 00:48:28,458
it's not about morality.

1110
00:48:28,500 --> 00:48:29,833
It's about you and Jesus.

1111
00:48:29,917 --> 00:48:31,500
That's what it's all about.

1112
00:48:31,542 --> 00:48:33,375
Are you a Christian?

1113
00:48:33,458 --> 00:48:35,667
Do you believe in Jesus?
Do you love Jesus?

1114
00:48:35,708 --> 00:48:38,292
Do you belong to Jesus?
Have you submitted to Jesus?

1115
00:48:38,333 --> 00:48:41,167
Have you surrendered to Jesus?

1116
00:48:41,250 --> 00:48:44,333
If not,
have a sense of urgency.

1117
00:48:44,375 --> 00:48:49,125
This, make no mistake, friend,
is your divine appointment day.

1118
00:48:49,167 --> 00:48:51,833
God brought me,
God brought you,

1119
00:48:51,875 --> 00:48:54,500
the Spirit brought us
both together.

1120
00:48:54,625 --> 00:48:59,167
I can serve you, I can speak to
you, only Jesus can save you.

1121
00:48:59,292 --> 00:49:02,000
Would you trust in him?

1122
00:49:02,042 --> 00:49:03,792
Would you give your sin to him?

1123
00:49:03,833 --> 00:49:08,250
Would you walk out of here
with him as a Christian?

1124
00:49:08,333 --> 00:49:10,250
You can do that right now.

1125
00:49:10,333 --> 00:49:13,333
It's a decision of the heart,
and the mind, and the will.

1126
00:49:13,417 --> 00:49:19,083
God knows your thoughts
and he receives your soul.

1127
00:49:19,167 --> 00:49:21,458
Would you become
a Christian today?

1128
00:49:21,500 --> 00:49:23,167
Has God been working on you?

1129
00:49:23,250 --> 00:49:25,875
Has he been ripening
and preparing you?

1130
00:49:25,958 --> 00:49:27,667
Is today the day
of your harvest?

1131
00:49:27,750 --> 00:49:31,875
Are you part of the fruit of
the gospel of Jesus Christ?

1132
00:49:31,958 --> 00:49:35,000
I want you to become
a Christian today.

1133
00:49:35,042 --> 00:49:38,667
If today you hear his voice,
do not harden your heart,

1134
00:49:38,750 --> 00:49:43,000
open it and invite
the Holy Spirit to bring

1135
00:49:43,042 --> 00:49:45,500
the love of Jesus to you.

1136
00:49:45,542 --> 00:49:48,417
Secondly, have
you been baptized?

1137
00:49:48,500 --> 00:49:51,125
Baptism is where we
show the death, burial,

1138
00:49:51,167 --> 00:49:55,500
and resurrection of Jesus was
in our place for our sins,

1139
00:49:55,542 --> 00:49:58,208
that he's alive
and he's our Savior.

1140
00:49:58,292 --> 00:50:00,917
Some of you are going to become
Christians today and you

1141
00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:03,000
didn't know this was your
divine appointment day.

1142
00:50:03,083 --> 00:50:05,083
He didn't know that
that was his day.

1143
00:50:05,167 --> 00:50:07,917
But this is the day that
God has chosen for you.

1144
00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:11,208
You're not here by circumstance,
happenstance, or chance.

1145
00:50:11,292 --> 00:50:14,417
You're here by God's
sovereign providence.

1146
00:50:14,500 --> 00:50:16,917
And some of you are going
to be Christians today,

1147
00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:20,125
and you need to go ahead and
get baptized just as he did.

1148
00:50:20,167 --> 00:50:22,125
What is to prevent me
from being baptized?

1149
00:50:22,167 --> 00:50:24,208
The answer is
no one and nothing.

1150
00:50:24,292 --> 00:50:25,917
No one and nothing.

1151
00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:28,583
Once you're committed to Jesus,
you want to go public with

1152
00:50:28,667 --> 00:50:31,625
your faith and you want to be
consistent with your faith.

1153
00:50:31,667 --> 00:50:33,500
We don't know from
the Scriptures,

1154
00:50:33,583 --> 00:50:36,333
but we know from history that
this man, by all accounts,

1155
00:50:36,375 --> 00:50:38,125
stayed faithful to
the Lord Jesus,

1156
00:50:38,167 --> 00:50:39,792
the Ethiopian eunuch did.

1157
00:50:39,833 --> 00:50:42,500
Irenaeus, a 2nd century church
father says that he went on

1158
00:50:42,542 --> 00:50:44,833
to be an evangelist
back to Ethiopia,

1159
00:50:44,875 --> 00:50:48,000
leading people to Jesus
and baptizing them.

1160
00:50:48,083 --> 00:50:50,417
We don't know what
God has for you,

1161
00:50:50,500 --> 00:50:53,042
but I'm assuming it could be
something wonderful

1162
00:50:53,125 --> 00:50:54,833
if you're filled
with the Holy Spirit

1163
00:50:54,958 --> 00:50:56,500
and sent on mission
with Jesus.

1164
00:50:56,625 --> 00:50:58,708
And some of you have been
Christians for a while

1165
00:50:58,792 --> 00:51:00,417
and you've not been baptized.

1166
00:51:00,500 --> 00:51:02,917
You need to be baptized
in obedience to Jesus.

1167
00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:06,417
Baptism doesn't save you, but
it shows how Jesus saves you.

1168
00:51:06,500 --> 00:51:10,500
His death, burial, resurrection,
that's our salvation, amen?

1169
00:51:10,583 --> 00:51:13,708
And at Mars Hill, if people
get saved, we get excited!

1170
00:51:13,792 --> 00:51:16,125
When people get
baptized, we get excited,

1171
00:51:16,167 --> 00:51:18,833
because if the Ethiopia
eunuch is going to rejoice,

1172
00:51:18,875 --> 00:51:20,417
we need to rejoice.

1173
00:51:20,500 --> 00:51:22,917
And here's what the Bible
says, "When one sinner repents,

1174
00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:26,500
there is rejoicing in
the presence of the angels."

1175
00:51:26,583 --> 00:51:28,958
That's God rejoicing.

1176
00:51:29,583 --> 00:51:32,000
That's God rejoicing.

1177
00:51:32,042 --> 00:51:34,125
We want to share in God's joy.

1178
00:51:34,167 --> 00:51:36,917
We want you to
share in God's joy.

1179
00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:39,833
So, we're going to invite you
to give your life to Jesus.

1180
00:51:39,875 --> 00:51:43,500
And to do that, all you need
to do is just go to the foyer.

1181
00:51:43,583 --> 00:51:44,917
We love you.

1182
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:46,917
You got questions,
we want to answer them.

1183
00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:49,417
You got parts of the Bible
that you're struggling with,

1184
00:51:49,500 --> 00:51:50,958
we want to talk about that.

1185
00:51:51,000 --> 00:51:53,333
If you want to begin
a conversation about Jesus,

1186
00:51:53,458 --> 00:51:55,333
we welcome you to
the foyer right now

1187
00:51:55,458 --> 00:51:56,792
to have that conversation.

1188
00:51:56,833 --> 00:51:58,792
Don't waste any time.

1189
00:51:58,833 --> 00:52:01,333
For those of you who are
ready to become Christians,

1190
00:52:01,375 --> 00:52:02,708
go to the foyer.

1191
00:52:02,792 --> 00:52:05,708
We want to meet with you,
talk with you, pray for you,

1192
00:52:05,792 --> 00:52:08,917
care for you, give you a Bible,
help you, love you, serve you.

1193
00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:10,333
Some of you say,

1194
00:52:10,375 --> 00:52:12,833
"I didn't know I was going to
get baptized today.

1195
00:52:12,875 --> 00:52:14,500
I didn't bring
a change of clothes."

1196
00:52:14,583 --> 00:52:17,500
We knew, so we got towels, we
got shorts, we got T-shirts.

1197
00:52:17,583 --> 00:52:18,917
We're all ready to go.

1198
00:52:19,000 --> 00:52:21,417
We're ready to love, and
serve, and celebrate with you.

1199
00:52:21,500 --> 00:52:24,167
And if you're someone who
has not been baptized,

1200
00:52:24,250 --> 00:52:26,833
but you become a Christian today,
or you've been a Christian

1201
00:52:26,875 --> 00:52:28,500
for a while, join us
in the foyer.

1202
00:52:28,583 --> 00:52:31,208
We're going to interview you,
and then we're going to baptize

1203
00:52:31,292 --> 00:52:33,500
you, and we're going
to celebrate with you,

1204
00:52:33,542 --> 00:52:36,500
and we're going to leave here
rejoicing together, amen?

1205
00:52:36,542 --> 00:52:38,500
So, here's what
we're going to do.

1206
00:52:38,542 --> 00:52:41,875
We're going to open the doors
and you can go to the foyer if

1207
00:52:41,958 --> 00:52:44,333
you want to become a Christian,
got questions about Jesus,

1208
00:52:44,417 --> 00:52:45,833
and/or you want to get baptized.

1209
00:52:45,917 --> 00:52:47,833
We're going to collect
our tithes and offerings.

1210
00:52:47,917 --> 00:52:49,833
This is the end of
our fiscal year.

1211
00:52:49,917 --> 00:52:51,833
Our fiscal year goes
from July through June.

1212
00:52:51,958 --> 00:52:54,042
June is our last month
of the fiscal year.

1213
00:52:54,125 --> 00:52:55,542
I want you to be generous.

1214
00:52:55,625 --> 00:52:58,042
We want to finish it strong
and get set up

1215
00:52:58,125 --> 00:52:59,458
for a great next year.

1216
00:52:59,500 --> 00:53:01,292
As we collect our
tithes and offerings,

1217
00:53:01,333 --> 00:53:03,792
thank you to everyone who gives
generously so that

1218
00:53:03,833 --> 00:53:05,833
the message of Jesus
can go out.

1219
00:53:05,875 --> 00:53:08,833
And then we're going to see
an amazing vision video.

1220
00:53:08,875 --> 00:53:11,417
We're going to hear about
the testimony of God's work

1221
00:53:11,500 --> 00:53:12,833
at Mars Hill Church.

1222
00:53:12,875 --> 00:53:14,792
The book of Acts
is, in many regards,

1223
00:53:14,833 --> 00:53:17,292
a report of the Holy Spirit's
work through the church.

1224
00:53:17,333 --> 00:53:20,583
And this is to show you
the Holy Spirit's work through

1225
00:53:20,667 --> 00:53:24,333
our church, including the work
we support in India, Ethiopia,

1226
00:53:24,375 --> 00:53:26,875
and all of the 15
Mars Hill churches.

1227
00:53:26,958 --> 00:53:30,208
And I want you to leave
here today rejoicing.

1228
00:53:30,292 --> 00:53:33,500
And we'll also take Communion,
showing Jesus' broken body

1229
00:53:33,542 --> 00:53:35,625
and shed blood for our sins.

1230
00:53:35,667 --> 00:53:38,167
Baptism is about
Jesus' resurrection.

1231
00:53:38,250 --> 00:53:40,833
Communion is about
Jesus' crucifixion.

1232
00:53:40,875 --> 00:53:43,375
Giving is about
Jesus' generosity.

1233
00:53:43,458 --> 00:53:45,875
God so loved the world
he gave us his Son.

1234
00:53:45,958 --> 00:53:50,417
And mission is about more
people meeting Jesus, amen?

1235
00:53:50,500 --> 00:53:54,125
I want you to share in the joy
and see what he's been doing.

1236
00:54:03,167 --> 00:54:08,167
You know, I've still not
lost a sense of awe in what Jesus

1237
00:54:08,250 --> 00:54:10,500
is doing here.

1238
00:54:10,542 --> 00:54:15,167
God has been doing
a tremendous work.

1239
00:54:15,250 --> 00:54:18,667
For me, it's been so
encouraging to be at a church

1240
00:54:18,708 --> 00:54:21,583
where people love Jesus,
and people love the Bible,

1241
00:54:21,667 --> 00:54:24,917
and people love one another.

1242
00:54:34,167 --> 00:54:37,875
I feel like that Mars Hill
has an amazing opportunity to

1243
00:54:37,958 --> 00:54:42,167
fund evangelists to go preach
the gospel for people

1244
00:54:42,250 --> 00:54:45,167
to be saved by Jesus,
to grow in Jesus,

1245
00:54:45,250 --> 00:54:49,375
and then for them to be on
mission with Christ's mission.

1246
00:54:49,458 --> 00:54:51,833
Now, the Ethiopian eunuch is
an amazing story because it's

1247
00:54:51,875 --> 00:54:55,625
really--it's the first time in
the book of Acts that we see

1248
00:54:55,667 --> 00:54:59,875
the gospel going to
the ends of the earth.

1249
00:54:59,958 --> 00:55:02,167
When we find
the Ethiopian eunuch,

1250
00:55:02,250 --> 00:55:04,792
he really shows up in
verse 27, where it says,

1251
00:55:04,833 --> 00:55:07,792
"And he," that would be
Philip, "rose and went.

1252
00:55:07,833 --> 00:55:10,042
"And there was
an Ethiopian, a eunuch,

1253
00:55:10,125 --> 00:55:13,375
"a court official of Candace,
queen of the Ethiopians,

1254
00:55:13,458 --> 00:55:16,292
"who was in charge of
all of her treasure.

1255
00:55:16,333 --> 00:55:21,292
He had come to Jerusalem
to worship and was returning."

1256
00:55:21,333 --> 00:55:26,292
I just want to encourage you
today because Jesus is using us

1257
00:55:26,333 --> 00:55:32,458
and working through us to
reach the ends of the earth.

1258
00:55:32,500 --> 00:55:34,542
Praise God!
Praise God!

1259
00:55:34,625 --> 00:55:40,875
There is now enough
water, so praise God.

1260
00:55:40,958 --> 00:55:46,833
And thank Mars Hill churches
for water

1261
00:55:46,875 --> 00:55:49,875
and going here, supporting,

1262
00:55:49,958 --> 00:55:55,500
and praying for
evangelism to reach Ethiopia.

1263
00:55:55,625 --> 00:55:58,500
Right now, we have
43 planters that are here

1264
00:55:58,542 --> 00:56:01,792
in Ethiopia, going out
and preaching

1265
00:56:01,833 --> 00:56:03,500
the good news of Jesus Christ.

1266
00:56:03,542 --> 00:56:07,583
Last year, 843 people were
saved by Jesus Christ.

1267
00:56:07,667 --> 00:56:11,458
I think our responsibility,
according to the Bible,

1268
00:56:11,500 --> 00:56:16,667
according to the book of Acts,
is that we--our duty is not only

1269
00:56:16,750 --> 00:56:19,583
to preach in Jerusalem,
but to the outermost parts

1270
00:56:19,667 --> 00:56:21,292
of the world.

1271
00:56:21,333 --> 00:56:24,458
Whether we like it or not,
whether we know it or not,

1272
00:56:24,500 --> 00:56:26,792
that's what we are called to do.

1273
00:56:26,833 --> 00:56:28,667
The beginnings
of Mars Hill Church,

1274
00:56:28,708 --> 00:56:31,792
Pastor Mark
and the elders of Mars Hill,

1275
00:56:31,833 --> 00:56:34,500
started supporting Arjuna
and the church planting

1276
00:56:34,542 --> 00:56:36,000
here in India.

1277
00:56:36,042 --> 00:56:38,375
And since that time, Arjuna's
planted literally

1278
00:56:38,458 --> 00:56:41,292
thousands of churches in India.

1279
00:56:41,333 --> 00:56:45,917
Massive--the Lord has used
Arjuna in a massive way.

1280
00:56:46,000 --> 00:56:49,708
A person may not be
able to go to India,

1281
00:56:49,792 --> 00:56:52,958
but a person can support
a ministry in India

1282
00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:54,625
through different ways.

1283
00:56:54,667 --> 00:56:57,000
One is, of course,
through prayer, a lot,

1284
00:56:57,042 --> 00:56:59,500
as the needs are
brought together.

1285
00:56:59,542 --> 00:57:02,333
Number two
is financial support.

1286
00:57:02,417 --> 00:57:09,167
We praise the Lord for you all
for doing this great ministry

1287
00:57:09,208 --> 00:57:15,042
of our Lord which shows
a great love of our Lord

1288
00:57:15,125 --> 00:57:21,333
through the Mars Hill Church
people.

1289
00:57:42,458 --> 00:57:45,833
Yeah, I've been thinking of
praying a lot lately about what

1290
00:57:45,875 --> 00:57:48,667
is sort of the bedrock
of Mars Hill Church

1291
00:57:48,750 --> 00:57:50,708
and what will our future be.

1292
00:57:50,792 --> 00:57:52,667
And I think it's really
basically two things.

1293
00:57:52,792 --> 00:57:54,833
It's learning and loving,
opening the Bible to learn

1294
00:57:54,875 --> 00:57:57,333
about Jesus and opening our
lives to love like Jesus.

1295
00:57:57,375 --> 00:58:00,375
And I'd say, if those are
the two pedals on the bike,

1296
00:58:00,458 --> 00:58:02,375
we're going to keep
rolling down the road

1297
00:58:02,458 --> 00:58:03,792
if we're learning and loving.

1298
00:58:03,833 --> 00:58:06,292
I think everything else flows
out of those two things.

1299
00:58:06,333 --> 00:58:09,458
And so the future of Mars Hill
really is less about results,

1300
00:58:09,500 --> 00:58:11,875
and numbers, and achievements,
and it's more about being

1301
00:58:11,958 --> 00:58:14,167
faithful to those two things,
learning about Jesus

1302
00:58:14,250 --> 00:58:15,667
and loving like Jesus.

1303
00:58:15,750 --> 00:58:18,167
And I think if we do
that, some great things

1304
00:58:18,250 --> 00:58:19,583
are in store for us.

1305
00:58:19,667 --> 00:58:22,583
You know, at the end of
the day, the vision is simple.

1306
00:58:22,667 --> 00:58:24,000
It's all about Jesus.

1307
00:58:24,042 --> 00:58:26,083
When everything comes
crashing and tumbling down,

1308
00:58:26,167 --> 00:58:29,000
when the concrete crumbles,
we're left with Jesus.

1309
00:58:29,042 --> 00:58:32,250
And I hope that if
Mars Hill Church

1310
00:58:32,333 --> 00:58:34,583
leaves behind a legacy,

1311
00:58:34,667 --> 00:58:36,958
it's just that the kingdom is
continuing to advance

1312
00:58:37,000 --> 00:58:39,958
and that one day we're going to
see Jesus face to face,

1313
00:58:40,000 --> 00:58:43,792
and that's going to
be a glorious day.

1314
00:58:43,833 --> 00:58:46,417
Very grateful to be
a part of this family.

1315
00:58:46,500 --> 00:58:51,125
I mean, there's no--I mean, as
a lead pastor, as a staff guy,

1316
00:58:51,167 --> 00:58:53,875
you know, we could choose
to be at another place,

1317
00:58:53,958 --> 00:58:57,000
and there's no other place
I'd rather choose to be.

1318
00:58:57,042 --> 00:59:00,667
Like, this is where
the Great Commission is active.

1319
00:59:00,750 --> 00:59:03,083
Lost people are being saved,
people are being baptized,

1320
00:59:03,167 --> 00:59:06,500
and then people are being
discipled to be more like Jesus.

1321
00:59:06,542 --> 00:59:09,083
My hope is that the legacy of
Mars Hill Church

1322
00:59:09,167 --> 00:59:10,583
will simply be this.

1323
00:59:10,667 --> 00:59:14,792
Those people loved Jesus
and they were loved by Jesus

1324
00:59:14,833 --> 00:59:20,750
so incredibly that the love of
Christ just got everywhere.

1325
00:59:20,833 --> 00:59:24,500
And people who met them
knew Jesus is alive,

1326
00:59:24,542 --> 00:59:27,875
Jesus has saved sinners because
they're a sinner and they've

1327
00:59:27,958 --> 00:59:31,833
experienced salvation,
and I know what it's like

1328
00:59:31,917 --> 00:59:35,750
to experience the love of Christ
because that person has loved me

1329
00:59:35,833 --> 00:59:38,083
in the love they
received from Christ.

1330
00:59:38,167 --> 00:59:41,083
We are a family,
and you look at the family,

1331
00:59:41,167 --> 00:59:44,417
there's no perfect family, but
we all depend on each other,

1332
00:59:44,500 --> 00:59:47,625
depend on Jesus' grace so
we could continue to grow

1333
00:59:47,667 --> 00:59:50,500
in repentance for the glory of
Christ and the glory

1334
00:59:50,583 --> 00:59:52,000
of his church.

1335
00:59:52,042 --> 00:59:54,625
To come on a Sunday
and just watch, you know,

1336
00:59:54,667 --> 00:59:56,833
the enthusiasm of
the volunteers,

1337
00:59:56,875 --> 00:59:59,417
to watch the response,
you know, just in singing,

1338
00:59:59,500 --> 01:00:02,125
and to the sermon, and you
know, and response time,

1339
01:00:02,167 --> 01:00:04,875
just to watch people
interacting, praying together,

1340
01:00:04,958 --> 01:00:06,500
coming forward,
asking for prayer.

1341
01:00:06,583 --> 01:00:07,917
I mean, it really is.

1342
01:00:08,000 --> 01:00:09,667
It's just a work of God's grace.

1343
01:00:09,750 --> 01:00:14,500
I love watching people
meet Jesus because of, just,

1344
01:00:14,583 --> 01:00:17,500
the church's zealousness
for the gospel.

1345
01:00:17,583 --> 01:00:20,500
I mean, the people
of Mars Hill, I mean,

1346
01:00:20,583 --> 01:00:23,500
they are the reason that
we get to do what we do.

1347
01:00:23,583 --> 01:00:26,708
We are blessed to be able to
lead the people that are here.

1348
01:00:26,792 --> 01:00:29,917
And so, I mean, I want to thank
them for everything that they've

1349
01:00:30,000 --> 01:00:32,625
done, thank the people from all
the Mars Hill locations who've

1350
01:00:32,667 --> 01:00:34,125
given faithfully, who've
served faithfully,

1351
01:00:34,167 --> 01:00:36,333
who've loved Jesus with
everything that they have

1352
01:00:36,375 --> 01:00:38,000
in them because you know what?

1353
01:00:38,042 --> 01:00:40,500
Like, it makes our job
and it makes our life

1354
01:00:40,542 --> 01:00:41,875
just an absolute joy

1355
01:00:41,958 --> 01:00:45,042
to be able to be a part
of what God's doing here.

1356
01:00:45,125 --> 01:00:49,167
Thank you for giving, for
serving, for loving, for caring,

1357
01:00:49,208 --> 01:00:51,958
and for seeing that
the gospel would go forward.

1358
01:00:52,000 --> 01:00:54,542
What do you say to someone
who's part of your family

1359
01:00:54,625 --> 01:00:56,833
and you're like, "You love
me well, thank you."

1360
01:00:56,958 --> 01:01:00,125
There's really no words to say,
"Thank you for loving me well."

1361
01:01:00,167 --> 01:01:01,792
Our church is
just very generous.

1362
01:01:01,833 --> 01:01:03,167
They always have been.

1363
01:01:03,250 --> 01:01:05,583
It's been a great
blessing to see that.

1364
01:01:05,667 --> 01:01:07,583
You know, thanks
for being faithful.

1365
01:01:07,667 --> 01:01:09,000
Thanks for serving the Lord.

1366
01:01:09,042 --> 01:01:11,792
Thanks for looking to Jesus.

1367
01:01:11,833 --> 01:01:14,375
Honestly, I'm hesitant
to use the word "ideal,"

1368
01:01:14,458 --> 01:01:16,917
but I have felt very
loved, very welcomed,

1369
01:01:17,000 --> 01:01:19,333
very supported by the people,
by the members,

1370
01:01:19,375 --> 01:01:21,583
and by the leaders of
Mars Hill Shoreline.

1371
01:01:21,667 --> 01:01:23,333
Thank you for supporting us.

1372
01:01:23,375 --> 01:01:26,000
Ultimately, the support, whether
that's through giving or whether

1373
01:01:26,042 --> 01:01:29,125
that's through prayer, is
incredibly appreciated as we

1374
01:01:29,167 --> 01:01:34,125
really focus on the mission
of Jesus here in U-District.

1375
01:01:34,167 --> 01:01:36,333
Bible teaching and Bible
preaching is going to be

1376
01:01:36,375 --> 01:01:37,708
lifeblood of Mars Hill.

1377
01:01:37,792 --> 01:01:40,708
And then I think where we're
going to continue to grow is

1378
01:01:40,792 --> 01:01:42,208
in our ability to love people.

1379
01:01:42,292 --> 01:01:44,958
Learning about the Bible
and loving people is really

1380
01:01:45,000 --> 01:01:47,125
what the future
is going to be about,

1381
01:01:47,167 --> 01:01:50,333
and I'm excited to see
where it goes.

1382
01:01:50,375 --> 01:01:54,333
Yeah, the complexity of
Mars Hill is overwhelming,

1383
01:01:54,375 --> 01:01:57,000
and the number of people that
make it happen is

1384
01:01:57,125 --> 01:01:59,000
absolutely amazing.

1385
01:01:59,125 --> 01:02:03,000
I can't even honestly conceive
of the number of people

1386
01:02:03,042 --> 01:02:06,833
and the hours that they are
giving to make Mars Hill

1387
01:02:06,875 --> 01:02:10,125
continue to operate, exist, and
grow, and flourish as a church.

1388
01:02:10,167 --> 01:02:13,333
And so, man, deeply,
profoundly, incredibly,

1389
01:02:13,375 --> 01:02:17,333
sincerely grateful just for
the generosity of their time,

1390
01:02:17,375 --> 01:02:21,000
talent, and treasure to be
so kind as to give so much of

1391
01:02:21,042 --> 01:02:25,083
themselves to help so many.

1392
01:02:45,167 --> 01:02:47,000
Thank you, Mars Hill.

1393
01:02:47,083 --> 01:02:51,000
Thank you, Mars Hill Church.

1394
01:02:51,125 --> 01:02:52,792
Thank you,
Mars Hill Church.

1395
01:02:52,833 --> 01:02:54,833
Thank you, Mars Hill Church.

1396
01:02:58,458 --> 01:03:01,417
Each year, over 10 million
Mars Hill church sermons

1397
01:03:01,500 --> 01:03:04,500
are downloaded
worldwide for free.

1398
01:03:04,583 --> 01:03:07,125
This ministry is generously supported

1399
01:03:07,167 --> 01:03:09,750
by Mars Hill church members
and listeners like you.

1400
01:03:09,833 --> 01:03:13,333
If you'd like to support our efforts
to preach Jesus to the world,

1401
01:03:13,375 --> 01:03:16,333
Please consider making
a tax-deductible donation

1402
01:03:16,375 --> 01:03:19,208
by visiting marshill.com/give.