What Must I Do?

The New International Version Chapter 9

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest

Acts 9:2

2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Acts 9:3

3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

Acts 9:4

4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Acts 9:5

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

Acts 9:6

6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The New International Version Chapter 9

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest

Acts 9:2

2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Acts 9:3

3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

Acts 9:4

4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Acts 9:5

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

Acts 9:6

6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The New International Version Chapter 9

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest

Acts 9:2

2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Acts 9:3

3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

Acts 9:4

4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Acts 9:5

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

Acts 9:6

6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Sermon Text: Acts 16:25-30

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”” , NIV Sermon Title: What Must I Do? Prayer:

Introduction:

I can remember a very critical point in my life. I was about 28 years old, the father of two boys one two years old and the other three years old. To a normal person that would have been great.

But if you knew my story, the pain and the challenges and the obstacles had to face. My life was far from being normal

But the truth of the matter is I had two little kids, who had not asked to come into this world, who needed at least one of the parents to step up and be a parent. This was going to be the biggest challenge because of my past history. I had one question for God at this time in my life.

What Must I Do?

First the state of California had just released into my custody my two sons after a two-year battle in court. I was only given an 10% to 30% percent chance that I would be able to pull this off by the people who supposed to love me, had already counted me out.

My question to God was how in the world will I make this work Lord?

These boys haven’t even started preschool yet,

I have such a long way to go Jesus, how will this ever work?

Today some of you are asking the question

What Must I Do?

We start off by looking at the life of Saul, He thought like most of us he had it together, he even thought he was doing what God wanted him to do by trying to destroy His children

How many of us think at times?

We are pleasing God?

It takes me back to a verse in reads:

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

We have to make sure that at the end of the day, or I should say at the end of our life. We will not hear Jesus say to us Depart from me, I never knew you, are even worse you never knew me,

Today I have a question have you truly had your

· Damascus Road experience?

· Have you truly met Jesus?

· Have you truly accepted Him as your Lord and Savior?

When we look at our scripture reading, we find a man named Saul, full of hatred, but thinking he is doing the will of God, with rage burning inside of him to destroy the children of God.

How are you doing in this area? Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ the way you should?

Now we as God’s people have a few things that keep us from a true relationship with God

I want to point out a few things about the life of Saul, after he met Jesus his life Changed forever. No man can meet Jesus and stay the same.

When we truly have an encounter with God, people everything Changes forever!

The same man who started off trying to kill Christians was now ready to die for them.

Jesus told Ananias in I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.

We have the idea that God just want to grant all of our wishes, we to have suffer for His name sake.

29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

We should realize it’s not about us

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

News Flash- God has a job for the church, after Paul’s Damascus Road experience? His whole life changed, after Jesus saved us our whole life should be changing to glorify God.

We have come to believe Jesus died for us to be comfortable in this world, but our job is this

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation[1]

From here on out it should be about your ministry, to reconcile, to bring people back to God.

Remember what Jesus said in

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

It’s time for the church to deny itself, take up the cross and truly follow Christ.

Let’s look at the life of Paul after Damascus Road

3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.