WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.799 Welcome to DeSoto Hills Baptist Church. 00:00:02.959 --> 00:00:07.200 Our Sunday morning services are weekly at 9 and 10 30 a.m. 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:11.439 You're listening to an audio recast of this past week's service. 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:12.960 We hope you enjoy. 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:14.240 God bless. 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:18.559 If you have your Bibles this morning, we're going to be back in Acts chapter 16. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:21.600 We're going to start reading in verse 11. 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:30.160 As we turn to our passage today, what we're going to find in this passage is the power of Jesus. 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:37.920 He saved both a wealthy religious lady and a poor possessed slave girl. 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:42.719 We're going to meet Lydia, who is a lady who is wealthy. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:44.880 She is religious. 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:55.280 And while those things can present obstacles to salvation, Jesus overcame those obstacles and she entered into a relationship with him. 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:56.880 He redeemed her. 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:04.480 So the challenge for us today then is really twofold. 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:11.120 First of all, the challenge is this we must believe in Jesus' power of redemption. 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:13.759 We must believe in him for redemption. 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:23.199 And then once we do that, the second part of this is then we must be proclaiming Jesus' power to save to those around us. 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:34.080 So as we dig in today and engage with this passage, the question that we want to seek to answer is this how do we see the power of Jesus at work? 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:39.520 Today in the lives of these women, how do we see the power of Jesus at work? 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:48.719 So this morning I'm going to invite you, if you are able, to stand with me as we give honor to the reading of God's word in Acts chapter 16, starting in verse 11. 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:51.360 We're going to read down through verse 18. 00:02:52.960 --> 00:03:10.159 Luke writes, God says, So setting sail from Troaz, we made a direct voyage to Samithras, and fought and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:12.719 We remained in this city some days. 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:22.800 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:31.280 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:36.240 The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:46.400 And after she was baptized and her household as well, she urged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:48.719 And she prevailed upon us. 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:59.039 And as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination, and brought her owners much gain by fortune telling. 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:08.159 She followed Paul and us, crying out, These men are sir, these men are servants of the Most High God who proclaimed to you the way of salvation. 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:10.960 And this she kept doing for many days. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:19.600 Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the Spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:23.759 And it came out that very hour. 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:25.519 Let's pray together. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:35.279 God, once again, we are honored to have this opportunity to together open your word and engage with you. 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:39.279 God, you have revealed yourself to us through the scriptures. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:45.199 And so we pray that today, as we seek you, we find you. 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:49.680 Help us to encounter you through your word. 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:53.120 Jesus, it's in your wonderful name that we pray. 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:54.079 Amen. 00:04:56.480 --> 00:05:05.839 As I was preparing and studying for this week, I kept thinking of things that are kind of one size fits all things. 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:24.480 One thing that I that particularly came back to my memory, I actually had to call my sister, and she was visiting some of my first cousins, and I called them to remind them because it was it was a diet plan that my mom and her sister, my aunt and uncle, uh got involved in when I was a teenager. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:26.160 I don't remember the name of it. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:28.720 As I'm talking about it, you may have done it. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:29.920 I'm not making fun of you. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:31.199 I'm making fun of my mama. 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:42.800 So uh so there was this diet plan that they got on, and and it was supposed to be one of those diets that if you held strictly to it, it would cure all of your ailments. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:51.680 Everything, it wasn't just a weight loss, it was gonna, it was gonna make your joints feel better, and it was gonna fix everything, all of it. 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:55.920 And I remember we had to wake up in the morning, and man, she tried to make us do it. 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:57.759 I did it for about two days. 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:04.959 Um, but you had to wake up and there was this green powder that you mixed with water, and you had to drink it every morning. 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:13.279 And then after that, what the the the kind of the base of the diet was you you drank a lot of fruit and vegetable juice. 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:16.800 A lot of it, but you but you it wasn't juice that you bought. 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:24.639 It was you we bought a juicer, and we juiced our own fruits and vegetables and and drank a lot of juice. 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:35.519 But the but the cornerstone vegetable, the cornerstone vegetable that you juiced and drank was carrots. 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:45.600 And you were supposed to drink so much carrot juice that people who were really into this diet turned a little shade of orange. 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:51.680 And it was supposed to cure everything. 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:57.519 Now listen, I it sure didn't cure me because I didn't stay on it very long. 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:07.040 And while I don't know that that diet would cure all the ailments that were out there, I don't know that there's anything that it that does. 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:08.720 One thing. 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:10.639 I do know this. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:14.639 There is one way to salvation. 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:19.199 There is one way to redemption, and his name is Jesus. 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:37.759 And it doesn't matter if you are are wealthy and affluent and religious, or if you're a poor slave girl, possessed by a demon, Jesus can redeem you. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:40.959 As we see in this passage today. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:44.319 So let's remember where we are, though, in this book of Acts. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:52.480 Where we see last week, if you you watched the online service, if you didn't, shame on you, but it's still up, you can go back and watch it. 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:54.079 Hey, just listen to it. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:57.199 I know I don't have a face to look at, so just listen to it. 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:08.720 But if you what happened last week in the passage that we were at is Paul and his missionary team, they were traveling and they received a call to go to Macedonia. 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:35.360 And so what we find happening in verse 11 today is them being very obedient, and that they they travel to Troaz, which is in Asia, and from Troaz they sail on the Aegean Sea to Samothrace, which is an island, and then they sail on up to Neapolis, which is a city in Macedonia, on European soil, and from Neapolis they walk on over to Philippi, which was a leading city, according to Luke. 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:39.679 It was a leading city in Macedonia. 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:43.200 Now, there were several reasons that it has become a leading city. 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:46.080 It has Philippi has a rich history. 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:52.720 It was it was it's named after Philip of Macedon, who was Alexander the Great's dad. 00:08:52.879 --> 00:09:08.320 It was named after him, and and they grew, and then Rome took over the city, and it became a place of military battles happened outside of Philippi or in Philippi, and so it became a and and and Rome won those battles. 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:14.240 And so what happened in Philippi is a lot of Roman veterans settled there in Philippi. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:18.399 Octavian made it a part of the Roman colony. 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:22.320 We see that it's a Roman colony in the year 31. 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:33.519 So you had a lot of Roman veterans who who lived in the city of Philippi, so it became a leading city, especially of Rome, because you had a lot of Roman patriots living there. 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:37.840 And so the Roman culture and the Roman influence was greatly there. 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:44.639 And so it was a great place for this missionary team to start their journey, to start their mission. 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:47.200 And that's ice. 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:49.440 Just a fun note for you. 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:51.360 So I hope you're not parked right there. 00:09:55.279 --> 00:10:00.960 But it became a great place for them to start this missionary journey. 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:08.080 And so now what is going to happen is we're looking to see how we see the power of Jesus in this passage. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:10.320 We're introduced to two ladies. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:13.519 First, we're introduced to this lady named Lydia. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:24.480 We know that Paul and Silas, we've seen, we've talked about how Paul had a habit of, or made it a habit of when he went into a new town, to go into the synagogue first. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:30.000 But most commentators believe that there wasn't a large Jewish community in Philippi. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:32.080 And here's a couple of reasons why. 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:42.159 One is there doesn't seem to be a synagogue because instead of going to the synagogue, they go down to a river where they supposed to be a place of prayer. 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:56.159 So this missionary team, they go out to the river to meet with these, to, to, to people who were Jewish or if not Jewish God worshipers like Lydia, we're going to get there in a minute, to meet with them to pray and talk about scripture. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.159 So there wasn't a large Jewish community. 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:01.200 One, because they met with these people out by the riverside. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:06.799 Two, is because it would seem that most of the people who met were women. 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:13.600 And so we can assume that it's not this huge Jewish community there because most of the people there were women. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:24.960 But Paul, keeping the habit of meeting with the in the synagogue first or meeting with the Jews first, he goes out and he meets with these people and with these ladies there by the riverside. 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:29.840 And as they meet and he begins to talk, we find Lydia. 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:44.000 He says in verse 14, one who heard us was a woman named Lydia. 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:47.360 One who heard us. 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:50.799 Now there's some things that he tells us about Lydia. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:59.840 She is from Thyatira, which, if you have read Revelation before, that is one of the seven churches that Paul addresses in the book of Revelation. 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:10.320 Tells us that she is a seller of purple goods, and because she is a seller of purple, and that which makes sense because Thyatira, it was a center of purple dye. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:18.960 Purple dye was made in Thyatira, so it would be easy for her to get stuff that had been dyed purple from her hometown and sell it in Philippi. 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:28.240 But another thing that we can probably know about Lydia is that she was wealthy because purple was an expensive thing. 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:32.240 Like if you had a purple fabric or things like that, it was a very expensive. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:41.120 It dealt with royalty, and so to buy it, you had to have money to buy, which means the people who are selling it made money. 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:42.000 So she is wealthy. 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:48.480 We also assume that she's pretty wealthy because she invites this missionary team to go and stay with her. 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:57.039 So we meet Lydia here, and she is already also a God worshiper. 00:12:57.440 --> 00:12:59.039 What does that mean? 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:02.879 We met a guy who was very similar to that back in Acts chapter 10. 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:04.720 A guy named Cornelius. 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:12.240 If you remember Cornelius in Acts chapter 10, Cornelius, he liked to, or he was a devout Gentile. 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:22.960 He was devout to the practices of Judaism and worshiping the God of the Jews, but he wasn't yet fully committed to being a Jew. 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:25.279 So he was a God worshiper. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:27.440 Same thing with Lydia. 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.000 She is a God worshiper. 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:37.519 She was devout in her worship practices and meeting with the river, meeting by the river with these women and praying. 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:43.279 She was devout in those ways, but she had not yet fully committed to the God of the Jews. 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:50.159 And so Paul comes and he is teaching, teaching about Jesus and who Jesus is. 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:55.120 And God, she heard, and then the key to this is this. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:02.320 The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said. 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:08.480 God opened her heart to pay attention to what was said. 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:15.600 And the opening of the heart there, she responded in faith and became a believer. 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:26.639 Not only did she was she baptized, but then she went back to her household and shared, and her household believed in Jesus and were baptized. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:37.440 And while we understand that that, listen, there can be obstacles, as I said earlier, to someone like Lydia coming to faith. 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:41.279 I mean, obstacles that aren't unfamiliar to us. 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:49.120 You have people say all the time, hey, man, Grant, I was at church when there's ice on the ground. 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:50.720 I get credit. 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:54.240 Grant, I have been a Sunday school teacher for years. 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:57.519 Grant, I haven't missed church in decades. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:01.360 Grant, everybody knows where I sit at church. 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:02.320 It's my seat. 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:04.159 Some of you are out of place today. 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:05.120 I see you. 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:10.960 And there's obstacles to being religious. 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:14.480 And there's obstacles to being wealthy. 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:18.720 Because we we don't have a lot of needs and we don't have things. 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:20.960 And so sometimes there are obstacles. 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:35.200 But but for Lydia, when God opened her heart, Christ had removed those obstacles, and she recognized that the only person who could redeem her and save her was Jesus. 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:37.360 And she believed. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:41.200 Then we come to the second lady. 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.440 The second lady we're introduced to in verse 16. 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:48.799 Now, I'm just gonna be honest for a second. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:52.639 I struggle because we're not giving her name. 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:56.399 And so I struggle just calling her poor little slave girl. 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:58.240 I struggle with that. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:00.080 So let's let's take a minute. 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:01.840 Let's let's give her a name, all right? 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:04.879 Let's call her, and you're gonna think I'm crazy when I say this name. 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:07.759 Let's call her Blandina. 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:10.000 And here's why you think that's a crazy name. 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:10.879 Here's why. 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:22.480 There was actually a Christian slave who was martyred, a young lady who was martyred at the end of the second century because of her Christian beliefs. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:27.279 So, in honor of her, let's let's call this young lady Blondina. 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:31.600 We don't know a whole lot about her other than this. 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:37.039 She was possessed with a spirit of divination. 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:40.240 Here's what that means. 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:42.720 She was a fortune teller. 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:48.559 And I know that when we hear that, often we think scam. 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:54.799 Because when we see fortune tellers today, most of the times it is people pulling scams. 00:16:55.440 --> 00:17:08.960 But in reality, this woman was actually possessed with a spirit that gave her the ability to see some into the future. 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:10.960 She was a fortune teller. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:13.440 And here's the sad part of this. 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:15.839 And we're going to talk more about this next week. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:28.000 If you come back next week, but there were men who were profiting off of her demon possession. 00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:34.960 Taking full advantage of her demon possession. 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:38.319 They're profiting off of her. 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:44.400 Needless to say, she had reached the lowest of lows. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:47.440 She was poor. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:58.799 She was not only enslaved to human beings, she was also enslaved to the spirit that was possessing her. 00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:08.640 She was following this missionary team around, spouting half-truths, calling out to them as they were going and speaking. 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.000 And here's what she said. 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:11.599 We find it in verse 17. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:19.680 She followed Paul and us, crying out, these men are servants of the most high God who proclaim to you the way of salvation. 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:21.920 And you may say, Grant, that's not a half-truth. 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:23.039 I agree. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:24.400 I agree. 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:26.400 He is the most high God. 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:28.640 Jesus is the way of salvation. 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:33.920 I agree, but understand what's behind this young lady's words. 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:44.240 The term most high God, God most high, we find that all throughout the Old Testament as reference to God because he is the most high God. 00:18:45.039 --> 00:19:00.400 But within Roman culture, within the Gentile culture, that was a phrase also used to talk about their little g gods, particularly Zeus. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:18.079 So as this woman, as they are proclaiming the actual real most high God, the only most high God, as this young lady is going and doing that, what she can be doing is sowing doubt into the minds of those Gentiles who are hearing her saying, you know what? 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:19.759 He's talking about Zeus. 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:21.839 He's talking about Zeus. 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:27.440 And then, as she proclaims he is the way of salvation. 00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:39.200 The term savior, redeemer, and the idea of salvation, redemption was very big in the Gentile society of the time. 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:47.599 Actually, the Caesar claimed to be their savior. 00:19:48.400 --> 00:20:01.680 So as she is going and saying, He is the he is the way of salvation, again, it could be confused very many of those Gentiles who are hearing this message of salvation, saying, Yeah, well, he's talking about Caesar. 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:14.559 So Paul finally, as she continues to do this day after day, becomes annoyed with her, and he looked at her and he says, In the name of Jesus, come out of her. 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:20.880 Now, be very careful in how we understand this him casting this demon out. 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:24.400 Paul has doesn't have the authority to do that. 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:27.279 Jesus does. 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:38.640 Remember how we've talked about the book of Acts is a continuation of the work of Jesus through the apostles and the church by the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:43.680 This is a continuation of the work of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit through Paul. 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:50.079 And he looks at this girl possessed with this demon and he says, Hey, demon, get out of here. 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:54.000 In the name of Jesus. 00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:56.799 That's where his power is from. 00:20:57.359 --> 00:20:59.680 That's where he gains it from. 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:07.119 And then we see right here what happened is at that very hour. 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:08.799 At that moment. 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:15.440 So what does this mean for us? 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:26.079 Understand that Grant Great, we we he saved a rich woman, he saved a poor woman, he saved a religious woman, he saved a woman possessed by a demon. 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.720 Like, where do we fit in into this mix? 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:30.480 Well, we fit here. 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:33.759 We are probably somewhere in between that. 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:36.799 So what do we do with this message? 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:38.960 Here's what we do. 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:43.519 First of all, we need to seek the Lord. 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:45.759 We need to seek Him. 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:48.400 We need to go after God. 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:52.799 This is a continuation of the work of Jesus. 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:59.839 It is the power of Jesus that has overcome the obstacles for salvation for both of these ladies. 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:06.559 And salvation and redemption only comes through Jesus. 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:08.400 It begins with him. 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:20.079 Just this past week, I was watching a video of Aleister Begg, and he was preaching, and I can't give you the exact quote, but but I'll try to get close. 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:29.759 In that Aleister Begg said, you know, when there's always this story of when you go to heaven and you get to heaven and somebody meets you there and says, Why should you get into heaven? 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:37.200 He's he's Aleister Begg said, if you begin with the term I first, there's a mistake. 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:40.400 It doesn't begin with I. 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:44.799 Look, we don't gain salvation because I first believed. 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:48.160 I don't find life because I first trusted. 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:55.839 We find salvation, we find redemption, we find life because Jesus saved us first. 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:00.880 And then I put my faith in him. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:04.559 We must seek God. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:15.039 Not seek how I can make my life better, not seek what I can do to improve my place, but to seek God first. 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:17.839 We must seek the Lord. 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:23.039 Secondly, we need to listen to God. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:27.359 Hear what it said about Lydia as they were gathered together. 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:34.799 One lady in particular, one who heard us, was a woman named Lydia. 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:36.640 One who heard. 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:44.720 And we know that Lydia, we can know here that Lydia didn't just hear the words and then go in one ear and out the other. 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:48.160 But what happened is she listened to those words. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:50.319 She took heart to those words. 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:53.440 She let those words infiltrate her life. 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:56.400 And she was moved by those words. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:59.039 She listened to the word of God. 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:01.759 She listened to the word of Scripture. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:03.359 And listen to me. 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:07.920 She listened to the gospel message of salvation. 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:10.400 Which for Lydia was this. 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:16.960 Lydia, you need Jesus. 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:20.799 I understand you are affluent. 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:22.079 It's great. 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:24.559 You need Jesus. 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:30.960 I understand that you meet every week and pray by this riverside with this group of women. 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:33.759 You need Jesus. 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:38.240 You can't do it on your own. 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:41.200 You need him. 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:46.480 She listened to those words. 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:50.319 And God opened her heart. 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:57.680 While we need to seek God and we need to listen to God, listen, we need to open our hearts. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:06.400 And I understand what I just said, and it seems paradoxical to say that God opened her heart. 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:13.920 And while I'm and and I know I just said salvation when we go to heaven, it's not I trust it, it's Jesus saved me. 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:16.319 I understand what I just said and all that. 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:27.680 But I also understand that in our salvation, while salvation begins and ends with Jesus, we hold a responsibility to respond to the call of God. 00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:36.559 And so while He opens our hearts, we need to open our heart in response to Him. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:41.039 Hear the message of salvation. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:48.160 Respond to the message of salvation by opening our hearts. 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:53.200 And we need to trust in the power of God. 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:06.960 This young lady was demon-possessed. 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:11.119 A demon was living within her. 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:26.480 And when Christ cast that demon out through the power of the Holy Spirit through Paul, when that happened, that was a miracle that we can't even begin to fathom. 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:31.599 But let me tell you a greater miracle than that. 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:35.039 We were dead. 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:43.200 What Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians is we were dead in our sins. 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:46.799 We were dead in our transgressions. 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:52.079 But God made us alive. 00:26:53.680 --> 00:27:01.759 The miracle of taking a dead person and making them alive is the greatest miracle that we will ever experience. 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:06.640 And it only happens through the power of Jesus. 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:09.200 And we need to trust him. 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:22.079 Listen, I can look out at this crowd and say, you know what? 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:25.359 I mean, you've got some dedication to you. 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:30.319 Now it may be dedication that you're just tired of being at the house and you're about to choke everybody. 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:32.079 I understand that too. 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:36.400 But you could have gone somewhere else. 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:39.200 So you're here. 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:42.720 And if you're not here and you're watching online, you know what? 00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:47.119 There's some dedication to sit in front of that TV and listen to me. 00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:51.279 So there is some dedication. 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:55.039 But hear me. 00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:07.279 If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, if Jesus has never saved you, your dedication is in vain. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:13.119 He is the only way to salvation. 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:20.400 Just like Lydia, just like Blandina, you need a savior. 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:23.680 I needed a savior. 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:27.039 I was imprisoned. 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:29.440 I was enslaved just like this young lady. 00:28:29.599 --> 00:28:33.599 I was enslaved to the bondage of sin and death. 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:44.000 And Jesus came and he walked upon this earth and he lived a perfect life and he died on the cross and he arose from the grave to free me of those chains. 00:28:44.160 --> 00:28:53.440 And when I have trusted in him because he saved me, when he saved me and I trust in him, listen, he frees us. 00:28:56.319 --> 00:28:58.160 You need a savior. 00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:00.960 And his name is Jesus. 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:12.720 And this morning, I don't care where you are in your life, if you're more like Lydia or more like Blandina, if you're anywhere in between, you need a Savior. 00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:17.519 And I pray that today you will walk with him. 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:26.240 But if you have, and again, I see you, I know a lot of you are. 00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:31.519 You're here, your willingness to be here and to watch is evidence of that. 00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:48.799 Then our challenge is this there is a world outside of these walls who needs a savior and needs to have an encounter with the Most High God. 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:57.599 And we are called to be witnesses to them about Him. 00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:00.079 I say it almost every week. 00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:02.799 But you will be my witness. 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:07.119 So when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be my witnesses. 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:11.119 We are called to be witnesses of the kingdom of God. 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:14.960 Because there are people who don't know him. 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:19.200 And there is no one beyond his redemption. 00:30:20.480 --> 00:30:24.960 We need to be witnesses of Jesus. 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:35.440 So this morning, as we enter into this time of invitation, if you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, we invite you to come. 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:39.119 We would love to share with you how you can do that. 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:52.640 If you have, maybe this morning you just need to come and dedicate yourself to being witness, to bearing witness about Jesus wherever you go. 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:54.720 We invite you to come. 00:30:55.519 --> 00:31:01.440 This morning, if you are looking for a church home, we invite you to come. 00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:03.279 I'll pray with you. 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:09.039 David will pray with you, and there will be counselors who can take you up and share with you how you can do any of those. 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:13.680 But as we stand in just a moment and sing, we invite you to come. 00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:17.119 Open your heart. 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:21.039 Trust in the power of Jesus. 00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:22.960 Let's pray together. 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:26.240 God, we love you. 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:32.160 We thank you for this moment, for this opportunity that we have. 00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:43.920 Even as we have encountered these two ladies, God, and have seen how you saved them. 00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:47.519 We cry out for you to save us. 00:31:50.079 --> 00:31:52.079 God, open our hearts. 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:55.119 Help us respond. 00:31:57.519 --> 00:31:58.799 And trust you. 00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:02.240 God, we love you. 00:32:03.279 --> 00:32:06.880 Work in our lives as only you can. 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:10.559 Jesus, it's in your name that we pray. 00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:11.759 Amen. 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:15.279 Thanks for listening to this week's sermon. 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:21.279 If you have any questions for our pastor, feel free to reach out at DeSotoHills.com.