When Faith Becomes Ritual: The Danger of Missing the Gospel’s Foundation

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
and then COVID and then all the things and then I kind of was okay with doing church at home uh watching it online and sitting in bed and we didn't have to leave and you know breakfast was long and slow and it was great um Lindsay actually likes people uh and convinced me that it was good to come to the church

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
We came to Peninsula mostly because of the youth and the children's program we had friends that were here and they just could not say enough amazing things about the program so we decided to check it out and after a few weeks we both realized this was it this was our home that we had been missing for so long

[00:00:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
and at the time we didn't have a youth group kid but we knew we were going to and so we wanted to make sure that we were you know kind of setting them up to be in this amazing youth group that we heard lots about from friends and neighbors so we got plugged in pretty quickly to kind of everything you were doing preschool and elementary and we were ready with the youth and i was working with the youth and teaching adult sunday school we felt more like this is a home church than we had in a really long time
[00:01:07] and as the kids are involved in all ages of ministries here it's just been really good to make connections with people some of us more than others and that's okay but it feels like this is the church that we call home

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
I think for our kids, the Awanis program, the youth group, the children's ministry has been huge.
[00:01:30] They've come home learning Bible verses.
[00:01:32] Just having adults pouring into them that aren't us, sometimes that they listen to better than us, has been really, really awesome.
[00:01:39] And knowing that they're all grounded in Christ and follow the same values that we have is awesome.
[00:01:45] And I think
[00:01:46] Having Daniel preaching straight from the Word every week, you know, just what the Bible says, what Scripture says, without watering it down, without, you know, trying to conform to culture of today's society, I think has been such a nice thing.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
I think for me, I get to teach with the youth group.
[00:02:04] This year I have the 10th grade boys over teach Sunday morning connect group, and that forces me to be in the text.
[00:02:11] And so I feel like I grow more because I have to be able to share it to somebody else.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Obviously we're considering expanding and that's super exciting and as somebody that has worked both in preschool and children's ministry and youth and have been displaced from the video venue I'm super excited about the expanded space that we're going to have.
[00:02:32] We had I think Katrina said over 50 kindergarteners move up from preschool to elementary school and it has been
[00:02:39] Awesome and chaotic, to say the least, trying to fit us all into different spaces.
[00:02:46] So I'm really excited about going back to having dedicated ministry space for the different things.
[00:02:52] But I just love the church's heart for not only reaching our community and our church, but their heart for supporting other churches, for planting new churches, for sending missionaries and that.

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
The church is saturated and that's good.
[00:03:09] The building's being used seven days a week and all the spaces are being used.
[00:03:13] Looking for this big new space to be able to all be in together again, you know, kind of all as a corporate worship, but also the ministries and events that happen during the week in the evenings or the preschool and just being able to give more space to more people.
[00:03:27] But just the more we get to be a beacon in the community, the better.
[00:03:31] And I think this new venue is going to be just another kind of bright light in Mooresville.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
We're the author who said we love our church.

[00:06:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Well, good morning.
[00:06:43] So glad to see you here today as we get ready to worship.
[00:06:46] We're going into Acts chapter 19 today.
[00:06:48] We're going to be talking about walking in the Spirit and why sometimes we miss the mark on walking in the Spirit.
[00:06:55] Excited about where the message is taking us today.
[00:06:57] I hope you are as well.
[00:06:58] Before we do that, though, we're actually going to join together in worshiping through song.
[00:07:02] And I pray that that hits you in a way that sets your heart in tune for worship.
[00:07:07] The words that we'll hear from God's word in Acts chapter 19 today.
[00:07:11] But so glad you're here.
[00:07:12] And if I don't get a chance to say it to you today or this week, Happy Thanksgiving.
[00:07:18] It is that season.
[00:07:19] No, you're supposed to say Happy Thanksgiving back.
[00:07:22] I thought, oh no, the sermon's going to be long and drawn out.
[00:07:25] I've already put them to sleep and I'm just saying good morning.
[00:07:29] So glad that you're here today.
[00:07:30] Before we get started in worshiping and song, let's all stand together in prayer as we are greeted by the Spirit because we know that the worship that we do is for Him and by Him.
[00:07:41] Pray together now.
[00:07:42] Father, we thank you so much for your love that greets us, that walks with us.
[00:07:46] You're a God that never sleeps and never slumbers.
[00:07:48] And when we wake up in the morning and walk out the door, we're walking with you.
[00:07:53] So help us to know that.
[00:07:55] Encourage us in that.
[00:07:55] And now as we begin to sing, help us to know that we're singing in you and for you.
[00:08:00] Be glorified for what you hear coming from our hearts today.
[00:08:04] First in Jesus' name we pray.
[00:08:06] Amen.

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
I was lost but he brought me in all his love for me, all his love for me.
[00:08:41] I am set free, though it's free indeed I'm a child of God, yes I am And at last He has ransomed me with His grace
[00:09:06] I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me
[00:09:42] and the Child of God, Messiah.
[00:10:09] I am chosen, not forsaken.
[00:10:10] I am who You say I am.
[00:10:10] Who are for me, not against me.
[00:10:11] I am who You say I am.
[00:10:11] I am chosen, not forsaken.
[00:10:21] Let us pray.
[00:10:51] I'm a child of God, yes I am In my Father's house there's a place for me I'm a child of God, yes I am
[00:11:28] I am chosen, not forsaken I am who you say I am You are for me, not against me
[00:11:49] I am who you say I am I am chosen, not forsaken I am who you say I am You are for me, not against me I am who you say I am I am chosen, not forsaken
[00:12:19] Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy
[00:13:19] of God, the Son of God.
[00:13:54] The voice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary He declares His work is finished He has spoken His hope to me Though the sun had ceased its shining
[00:14:16] Though the water of healing's lost Christ has tried and over-evened It was finished upon
[00:15:33] Once I prayed upon it, fear once had a hold on me, but the Son who died to save us rose and we would be free indeed.
[00:15:59] God the Son who died to save us Rose that we would be free indeed Yes He rose that we would be free indeed Free from every plan of darkness Free to live in peace
[00:16:30] The death is dead and Christ is risen It was finished upon that cross Onward to eternal glory To my Savior and my God I rejoice in Jesus' victory
[00:16:56] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:17:04] Amen.

[00:17:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Let's sing out.

[00:17:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Let's sing to Jesus.

[00:17:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
All my world's for sure
[00:17:54] I've got nothing new How could I express All my gratitude I could sing these songs As I often do But every word will stay
[00:18:23] So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again Cause all that I have is a Hallelujah, Hallelujah And I know it's not much, I'm nothing else fit for a king
[00:18:52] Except for a heart singing Hallelujah Hallelujah I've got one response I've got just one move With my arms stretched wide
[00:19:29] Praise you again and again All that I have is a Hallelujah Hallelujah And I know it's not much I've nothing else fit for a king
[00:19:52] All right church, come on.
[00:20:13] So come on my soul Oh don't you get shy on me Lift up your soul Cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs Get up and praise the Lord Come on my soul Oh don't you get shy on me Lift up your soul

[00:20:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
You've got an eye inside of those lungs Get up and praise the Lord Come on my soul Oh don't you get shy when you lift up your soul You've got an eye inside of those lungs Get up and praise the Lord
[00:21:27] All that I have is Hallelujah, Hallelujah And I know it's not much, I've nothing else to call

[00:22:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Father, we just praise you this morning.
[00:22:27] We give you our praise, our hallelujahs, and we thank you, God, for this day, for letting us be here together.
[00:22:32] In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:22:34] You may be seated.

[00:23:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Well, good morning.
[00:23:19] Thank you for singing out.
[00:23:20] What an amazing worship time.
[00:23:23] Thank you, worship team, for leading us in the way you do as you worship here on stage, and we join with you in that, worshiping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
[00:23:32] And yes, I do have a lamp sitting here, and we'll talk about that in just a moment.
[00:23:38] I had a thief one time steal all my lamps, and somebody said, didn't that make you angry?
[00:23:41] And I said, well, actually, I was delighted.
[00:23:45] But...
[00:23:47] Before we get started, I want to recommend a book for you.
[00:23:53] You may have some questions after we talk today through the text.
[00:23:56] And this book I would recommend to you.
[00:23:58] This book is actually written about another book.
[00:24:00] This book is written about a book that was written back in 1650 by an old English pastor named John Owen who wrote in old English style.
[00:24:12] So this book actually puts it in today's English style.
[00:24:15] And the title of it is Friendship with God.
[00:24:17] We have a couple of copies on hand here at the Resource Center if you're interested in that.
[00:24:22] Just wanted to recommend you that because I know that today when we talk you're probably going to have a few more questions about walking in the Spirit.
[00:24:29] And so I want to recommend that for you.
[00:24:32] And then my email is always available.
[00:24:35] My door is always open if you want to talk more about what we talk about today.
[00:24:38] So I'm excited of where we're going.
[00:24:40] Today we're talking about walking in the Spirit and why so many miss the mark.
[00:24:46] And so I want us to kind of lean into it a little bit in Acts 19 verses 1 through 22.
[00:24:50] It's a big chunk that we're going to talk about.
[00:24:53] And I'm going to hit kind of the four things that happen in this account.
[00:24:58] We're going to hit those and talk through those and how it relates to what we're talking about today.
[00:25:04] But have you ever wondered why many Christians today feel spiritually stuck?
[00:25:11] They claim Christianity, but you can just see it in their life.
[00:25:16] Maybe you even sense it.
[00:25:17] You just feel spiritually stuck.
[00:25:20] Many people, they read their Bibles, they attend church, they do the right things, they want to change, they want to grow, they want to be faithful.
[00:25:30] And yet, inside they feel powerless, exhausted, dry, and frustrated.
[00:25:40] You hear it in their conversations.
[00:25:42] They say things like this, I've tried everything.
[00:25:46] Something still feels off.
[00:25:50] Why don't I feel close to God?
[00:25:53] Why can't I get victory over this?
[00:25:57] We know we hear this in other people, but I would say that from time to time in my own life, I have said those things.
[00:26:05] You may be saying those things right now in your walk with the Lord too, wondering what's going on.
[00:26:10] And here's the truth we rarely say out loud.
[00:26:14] You cannot live the Christian life without the Spirit of Christ.
[00:26:20] And many people are trying to.
[00:26:25] We have here a floor lamp.
[00:26:28] It looks like a floor lamp.
[00:26:30] It stands like a floor lamp.
[00:26:31] It has a lamp shade.
[00:26:33] It has a bulb.
[00:26:37] Would you call this a lamp?
[00:26:39] I would call this a lamp.
[00:26:48] If people were being honest with themselves, many would say what the men in Acts 19 said.
[00:26:55] We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
[00:26:59] Maybe not in words, but in experience.
[00:27:05] Acts 19 is a mirror for us today.
[00:27:08] It reveals why so many sincere believers feel spiritually frustrated.
[00:27:16] And so I hope today's message will impact you not only today, but you will carry it with you.
[00:27:22] Because this is a truth that I struggle with in people's lives when they come to me with problems.
[00:27:27] And when I want to talk about the spiritual matters, they want to talk about the problem.
[00:27:33] And I want to point people and say, we'll get to the problem, but first let's talk about where you are with the Lord.
[00:27:41] Are you walking in the Spirit?
[00:27:43] And listen, we're not talking about getting more of the Spirit.
[00:27:48] When you ask Christ in your heart and you commit your life to Christ, the full Spirit is given to you.
[00:27:54] So this is not about us getting more Spirit, it's about the Spirit getting more of us.
[00:28:01] So that's where we're going today in Acts 19 verses 1 through 22.
[00:28:09] Join in with me and read silently as I read out loud.
[00:28:12] And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus.
[00:28:19] There he found some disciples and he said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
[00:28:26] And they said,
[00:28:28] No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
[00:28:31] If you look back at the original text, you see the way the words are lined up that there is a frustration in them.
[00:28:38] They're like, what?
[00:28:39] We didn't even know there was a Holy Spirit.
[00:28:44] And he said, into what then were you baptized?
[00:28:49] They said, into John's baptism.
[00:28:51] Remember John the Baptist?
[00:28:52] His reach went a lot further than I had ever expected.
[00:28:57] His disciples were spreading the word of repentance and Paul said John baptized with the baptism of repentance telling the people to believe in the one who came who was to come after him that is Jesus that's a powerful phrase right there underline that is Jesus and then underline it again and then circle it and put a line to it with a big star
[00:29:25] This is the key right here.
[00:29:29] So let's pause here for just a moment before we read down through the rest of the text.
[00:29:32] Paul says something incredibly important.
[00:29:34] John's ministry was good, but it was not enough.
[00:29:38] John's ministry was God-ordained.
[00:29:41] It was powerful, it was awakening, and it was prophetic.
[00:29:46] But it was preparation, not transformation.
[00:29:52] John could call people to repentance but he could not bring anyone into regeneration.
[00:30:01] John could clean the outside but he could not change the inside.
[00:30:05] John could point toward Jesus but he could not unite anyone to Jesus.
[00:30:12] And this is exactly where many Christians still live today.
[00:30:15] Paul says John offered a baptism of repentance, a desire to start fresh, a turn from sin, to get life together.
[00:30:24] But repentance alone cannot save.
[00:30:27] Repentance prepares.
[00:30:29] Jesus saves.
[00:30:33] Repentance turns you from sin.
[00:30:35] Jesus fills you with His Spirit.
[00:30:38] Are you walking in the Spirit?
[00:30:40] Are you aware that you are walking in the Spirit?
[00:30:45] Repentance opens the door and Jesus walks through it.
[00:30:51] Paul continues telling people to believe in the one who was to come after him.
[00:30:56] John wasn't calling people to moral reform or self-improvement, religious duty, or a try-harder lifestyle.
[00:31:06] He was calling them to anticipation.
[00:31:10] Expectation, turning away from sin in order to turn toward someone.
[00:31:16] Then Paul finishes with the most important phrase, that is Jesus.
[00:31:21] And this is the missing piece.
[00:31:24] That is the answer to their spiritual frustration.
[00:31:28] These 12 men had repentance, they had sincerity, they had conviction,
[00:31:35] They had the spiritual background, but they did not have Jesus.
[00:31:40] They did not have the Spirit.
[00:31:42] They had been awakened, but they had not been reborn.
[00:31:47] They were moral, but they had not been transformed.
[00:31:52] And this is where many claiming to follow Christ today quietly live.
[00:32:01] People who try harder.
[00:32:04] People who feel bad about sin, making promises, pursuing fresh starts, but never step into the life Jesus actually gives.
[00:32:16] And the result is exhaustion, frustration, dryness, powerlessness.
[00:32:22] Because repentance without Jesus leads to exhaustion.
[00:32:25] Repentance with Jesus leads to transformation in the Spirit.
[00:32:31] You might put it this way.
[00:32:33] John was the preview, Jesus is the movie.
[00:32:39] John prepared the way and Jesus is the way.
[00:32:46] Our life does not change until our repentance leads us to Jesus and Jesus fills us with the Spirit.
[00:32:55] Have you stopped short?
[00:32:58] Have you stopped short of what it means to follow Christ?
[00:33:03] So here's what Luke is showing us.
[00:33:05] These men weren't rebellious.
[00:33:06] They weren't cold.
[00:33:08] They weren't running from God.
[00:33:10] They were sincere but incomplete.
[00:33:13] They were religious but not regenerated.
[00:33:16] They were repentant but not filled.
[00:33:19] And they were awakened but not alive.
[00:33:21] They had turned from sin but not to Jesus.
[00:33:27] And they had the beginnings of faith but not the fullness of the Spirit.
[00:33:32] So many claiming Christianity feel spiritually stuck because they're living in repentance without renewal, conviction without transformation, activity without power and proximity to truth without surrender to Christ.
[00:33:51] This is why Paul asked them, and he's asking us the most important diagnostic question that we can ask ourselves about walking with the Lord.
[00:34:00] Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
[00:34:06] Here's what he's not asking.
[00:34:08] He's not asking, did you grow up in church?
[00:34:13] Did you pray a prayer once?
[00:34:16] Did you get emotional at camp?
[00:34:20] Did you turn over a new moral leaf?
[00:34:23] But he's asking, are you walking in the Spirit?
[00:34:29] So let's continue.
[00:34:32] He tells them, it's Jesus.
[00:34:36] And here's what they say, on hearing this,
[00:34:39] They were baptized in the name of the Lord, and when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
[00:34:48] Let me just say a couple things that's going on there.
[00:34:51] Paul laying his hands on them was not a magic touch.
[00:34:54] It was a physical thing that he did to show a change.
[00:34:57] We're going to talk about that at the end of the message.
[00:34:59] And then the prophesying and the speaking in tongues seem to happen every time the gospel was received and the Spirit showed up in new areas.
[00:35:11] You read it throughout the text.
[00:35:13] So I would anticipate that there's a chance that that even happens today.
[00:35:16] An unreached people group.
[00:35:18] Here's the gospel.
[00:35:19] They give their life for Christ.
[00:35:21] They're filled with the Spirit.
[00:35:22] There's going to be change.
[00:35:25] There's just going to be change.
[00:35:27] You don't receive Christ in the fullness of the Spirit and continue like you were.
[00:35:33] You're reborn.
[00:35:34] You're new.
[00:35:34] There's something different going on.
[00:35:35] Verse 7, There were about twelve men in all, and he entered the synagogue, and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
[00:35:45] But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief,
[00:35:49] Speaking evil of the way.
[00:35:53] Now what he's talking about there is obviously the gospel of Christ, but when Luke's saying the way, he's taking us on a journey saying that there is repentance, there's realizing who Jesus is, there's receiving Jesus and being filled with the Spirit.
[00:36:06] That's the way.
[00:36:07] That's what he's talking about.
[00:36:08] They were speaking evil of the way before the congregation.
[00:36:12] He withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
[00:36:18] This continued for two years so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
[00:36:26] That's an amen moment right there because we're impacted today because of this.
[00:36:31] And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul.
[00:36:34] If you want to kind of understand this section underlying at the beginning of that verse, and God was doing.
[00:36:41] That's key to understand what's happening here.
[00:36:44] So that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
[00:36:54] What's happening there?
[00:36:56] Well, you're living in an area that believed in sorcery, you're living in an area that believed in witchcraft,
[00:37:01] You're living in an area that believed in incantations and so God was showing through the simple things that it wasn't the item but there's something behind that item that was driving it.
[00:37:16] And so God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had
[00:37:22] The phrase there literally means God was working not the ordinary kinds of powers through the hands of Paul.
[00:37:33] That's literally how you translate that.
[00:37:36] And Luke is intentional to show us that it's not ritual magic, it's a new method of healing.
[00:37:42] But God's mercy displayed through the simple means.
[00:37:46] The handkerchiefs didn't heal, by the way.
[00:37:50] God did.
[00:37:52] But he chose to show that the Spirit works through surrendered vessels, not the sacred objects.
[00:37:58] What touched Paul carried healing only because Paul himself was touched by God.
[00:38:07] Can I just interject something here?
[00:38:09] This same Spirit that Paul had is the same Spirit that we get.
[00:38:17] Look at verse 13.
[00:38:18] Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to evoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.
[00:38:32] Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this, but the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize.
[00:38:46] But who are you?
[00:38:51] Could you imagine?
[00:38:53] And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
[00:39:03] And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
[00:39:13] Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging
[00:39:18] The Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
[00:39:37] Now after these events, Paul resolved in the spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.
[00:39:49] And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Orestes, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
[00:39:59] What an incredible read, but I want to pull back a little bit.
[00:40:04] and look at what's happening here.
[00:40:06] Acts 19 isn't just telling us what happened, it's inviting us to examine what's happening for us today.
[00:40:13] There are several connections to this passage that we just read.
[00:40:16] The book of Acts wasn't necessarily written to be a teaching on doctrine, but there are things that happen here that cause us to question some doctrinal things.
[00:40:26] So Luke places four moments side by side in Acts 19.
[00:40:31] Number one,
[00:40:32] The twelve disciples who needed the Spirit.
[00:40:36] The extraordinary miracles God worked through Paul.
[00:40:41] The sons of Sceva who tried to use Jesus' name without knowing Him.
[00:40:48] The new believers who were so transformed that they burned their books of magic.
[00:40:55] Luke does this to show the contrast between empty religion
[00:41:00] and Spirit-filled faith.
[00:41:03] Sincere people can have real gaps in their understanding.
[00:41:08] Superstitious people can try to manipulate spiritual power, but Spirit-filled disciples live in the fullness of Christ and display real change and real power.
[00:41:22] This is the challenge before us today to look at.
[00:41:26] John's baptism prepared people for repentance, but only Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection and the gift of the Spirit bring transformation.
[00:41:36] Have you been transformed today?
[00:41:37] Are you living a new life?
[00:41:40] Luke wants us to see that Christianity is not about knowing the right things or performing the right rituals.
[00:41:47] It is about being filled with the right Spirit, the Spirit of the living Christ.
[00:41:53] And this begs us to examine ourselves.
[00:41:55] We need to take a look at where we are.
[00:41:57] It challenged me as I was reading through this, and I saw the four accounts, and I saw that there was a difference between those who were filled with the Spirit and those who weren't.
[00:42:07] And then I started thinking about us today, who claim Christianity but walk around with an Eeyore attitude, an Eeyore mentality of, well, I guess God will bless me one day.
[00:42:20] Did that sound like Eeyore?
[00:42:23] It was close, wasn't it?
[00:42:25] Not that I'm a Winnie the Pooh fan or anything, but I just thought I'd try that.
[00:42:29] So what I want to do is I want to walk through several questions we can ask ourselves to see where we stand with Christ.
[00:42:39] Number one, have I actually received the Spirit?
[00:42:46] Have I actually received the Spirit?
[00:42:50] Look again at verse 2.
[00:42:51] We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
[00:42:56] These were religious men, moral men, spiritual men, but they did not have the Spirit.
[00:43:02] Listen, you can have spiritual memories, you can have a church background, you can have years of attendance, you can have moral intentions and not have the Spirit of Christ.
[00:43:14] This explains why so many feel spiritually numb and powerless today.
[00:43:19] Because godly spiritual life without the Spirit of Christ is impossible.
[00:43:29] This is not throwing down a hard word.
[00:43:32] This is clarity.
[00:43:35] You have felt powerless in your walk with Christ because you've understood what repentance is, but you didn't know about this component of inviting Christ into your life, the living Savior, to fill you with the Spirit.
[00:43:51] Are you living religious or are you living relationship?
[00:43:55] That's the difference.
[00:43:56] Number two, am I trying to live for God in my own strength?
[00:44:02] When we
[00:44:05] Went through the book of Mark not too long ago.
[00:44:08] We came to an account in which the disciples tried to cast out a demon.
[00:44:12] I don't know if you remember this.
[00:44:13] It's in Mark chapter 9.
[00:44:14] They tried to cast out a demon and they failed.
[00:44:19] And then they wanted to ask Jesus about it.
[00:44:20] So this is where we look at what it says in Mark 9 verse 28.
[00:44:24] And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, why could we not cast it out?
[00:44:30] And he said to them, this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.
[00:44:36] What is he saying there?
[00:44:37] What's the meaning there?
[00:44:38] He's saying you acted without dependence on me.
[00:44:45] You tried on your own strength.
[00:44:49] You assumed ability without abiding.
[00:44:53] You forgot your power comes from My Spirit, not you.
[00:44:59] Many Christians today try harder, grind more, perform better, push more, but they never actually surrender.
[00:45:10] Do you know the first step of being a disciple of Christ is surrendering?
[00:45:15] Surrendering who you are.
[00:45:17] Surrendering your life.
[00:45:18] Surrendering your all.
[00:45:19] 100% saying, I am yours.
[00:45:25] Surrender.
[00:45:25] You can't do it on your own.
[00:45:27] You cannot accomplish spirit work in flesh power.
[00:45:39] Number three.
[00:45:41] Does my authority come from belonging?
[00:45:46] There's another account of many of Jesus' disciples who went out and they were able to cast out demons and they got excited about it.
[00:45:54] In fact, it's in Luke chapter 10 and this is what it says.
[00:45:59] The 72 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.
[00:46:04] And Jesus immediately redirected them.
[00:46:09] He redirected them in this way.
[00:46:10] This is what he said in Luke 10, 20.
[00:46:12] Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
[00:46:20] Why is he throwing that curveball?
[00:46:22] Why is he throwing that twist?
[00:46:23] It's because he's saying your authority actually is coming from the identity that you have in me.
[00:46:32] Not your performance, not your gifting, not your charisma, not your knowledge, but because you belong to Jesus.
[00:46:41] This is why the Twelve in Acts 19 had no power.
[00:46:44] They had not yet believed in Jesus.
[00:46:48] They did not have the Spirit.
[00:46:51] Does my authority come from my belonging?
[00:46:58] Purchased, bought, surrendered.
[00:47:02] to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
[00:47:06] Number four, am I using Jesus' name without submitting to Jesus' Lordship?
[00:47:14] Now we come to this sobering part of the account for us in Acts 19, verses 13 through 17, where we see the sons of Sceva.
[00:47:24] They attempt to cast out a demon by saying, I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.
[00:47:32] They tried to use a name that they did not obey.
[00:47:40] They were borrowing authority.
[00:47:42] They were borrowing faith.
[00:47:44] They were borrowing vocabulary.
[00:47:46] And the demon responds with this terrifying clarity, Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?
[00:47:55] That is the sound that we get back of a Christian life without the Spirit.
[00:48:00] That is the sound of a name we speak but a Lord we do not surrender to.
[00:48:05] The demons do not fear a fake Christianity that does not live.
[00:48:12] They do not fear our use of a name we do not honor.
[00:48:18] They do not fear a Spirit we do not walk in.
[00:48:22] And this is a warning.
[00:48:25] But it's also an invitation.
[00:48:29] No more borrowed spirituality.
[00:48:32] No more living off of someone else's spiritual walk.
[00:48:36] So don't borrow the spirituality.
[00:48:38] Don't lean on your parents.
[00:48:39] Don't lean on a spouse.
[00:48:42] Don't lean on family.
[00:48:43] No more borrowed spirituality.
[00:48:46] No more second hand faith.
[00:48:48] No more using Jesus' name without surrendering to Jesus' Lordship in your life.
[00:48:57] Number five, am I grieving or quenching the Spirit?
[00:49:04] Acts 19 verses 18 through 19, you see that believers begin confessing their sins.
[00:49:11] They burn their idols.
[00:49:13] They surrender what held them captive.
[00:49:17] This right here, even though it doesn't use the word, this is revival.
[00:49:22] This is people coming before the Lord.
[00:49:23] It's an awakening.
[00:49:24] It's the Spirit at work in their hearts.
[00:49:29] Some Christians feel spiritually stuck not because God is absent, but because they refuse to surrender something that grieves Him.
[00:49:40] Listen, you cannot cling to what kills you and then blame God that you feel dead.
[00:49:54] The Spirit feels what we surrender.
[00:49:58] Not what we hide.
[00:50:04] So here's what we ask.
[00:50:06] Where am I in this story?
[00:50:12] Let's take the mirror and lift it to our own faces for just a moment.
[00:50:20] The 12 men, sincere but empty.
[00:50:28] The disciples in Mark 9, willing but prayerless.
[00:50:36] The disciples in Luke 10, effective because they belonged.
[00:50:44] Or the sons of Sceva, active but unauthorized.
[00:50:52] Where are you?
[00:50:54] Where is the Spirit calling you to surrender today?
[00:50:58] Where is He calling you to trust?
[00:51:00] Where is He calling you to finally walk in Him, not around Him?
[00:51:04] This moment in Acts 19 ends beautifully.
[00:51:09] They believe the Gospel, they receive the Spirit, and they step into fullness.
[00:51:19] This can happen today for you.
[00:51:23] I assess there's going to be three responses.
[00:51:27] To this particular topic today.
[00:51:32] One, some just need to be saved.
[00:51:38] You have never given your life to Christ.
[00:51:42] You're here because you are nodding nice towards someone that encouraged you to be here.
[00:51:50] But is it possible that God used to get you here today for the first time, you feel it right here?
[00:51:57] That emptiness suddenly has just become real to you.
[00:52:03] And suddenly all of the excuses that you've used to put off giving your life to Christ is starting to pale.
[00:52:10] It's starting to seem a little bit less than.
[00:52:13] And you're thinking, you know what?
[00:52:14] I never have given my life to Christ.
[00:52:17] You've had religion, but not regeneration.
[00:52:19] You've had repentance, but not Jesus.
[00:52:21] You've had conviction, but never been filled or changed with the Spirit.
[00:52:26] And today is the day of salvation, is what the Bible says.
[00:52:29] You realize it?
[00:52:30] Respond.
[00:52:34] Believe in Jesus and receive the Spirit.
[00:52:39] Are you someone today that just needs to be saved?
[00:52:47] Second type of thought process that can come out of this is some need to repent.
[00:52:54] There is something you know that's in your life that's grieving the Spirit.
[00:52:59] A sin, a habit, a secret, a compromise, or a bitterness, just to name a few.
[00:53:08] You need to lay it down.
[00:53:11] You need to burn it like in Acts 19.
[00:53:14] You need to give Jesus the thing that is killing your joy.
[00:53:19] And then the third type of people in here are some need to surrender.
[00:53:30] You've been living the Christian life in your own strength.
[00:53:34] You've been prayerless, dependent on yourself.
[00:53:42] Kudos for you.
[00:53:43] You're strong.
[00:53:45] You're brave, but without Christ you're missing it.
[00:53:50] Carrying burdens not meant for your own shoulders.
[00:53:54] And today, you need to say to the Holy Spirit, Fill me again, lead me, empower me, strengthen me.
[00:54:01] And here's why.
[00:54:03] Because the Spirit-filled life is not achieved, it's received.
[00:54:12] Listen, from the very beginning,
[00:54:16] God's desire has never been to distant Himself from followers.
[00:54:25] He doesn't want us to be religious observers.
[00:54:29] His heart has always been for relationships.
[00:54:35] He created us to know Him, to walk with Him, to live in His presence.
[00:54:42] Even when sin separated us, God pursued us.
[00:54:47] Through the cross of Jesus Christ, He removed every barrier between us and Himself.
[00:54:52] Not so we could carry a set of rules or a set of guidelines for us or a set of beliefs, but so we could be filled with the Spirit and live a life full of who He is.
[00:55:06] God does not want you operating on borrowed faith or spiritual effort.
[00:55:14] He wants you to experience His presence.
[00:55:17] His voice, His power, His love, and His leading in a personal relationship.
[00:55:27] The gospel is not merely the story of you being forgiven.
[00:55:32] It's the story of God making His home in us through the Spirit so that we can walk in Him every day.
[00:55:44] God is not asking
[00:55:47] For our performance, He is inviting us into His presence.
[00:56:18] Let's pray.
[00:56:35] Father, you want us to shine for you.
[00:56:41] There is no way on this earth we can do it without you.
[00:56:49] Jesus, there are people that understand things about the faith and following you, but have never surrendered their life to you, never given wholeheartedly to you, never chose to walk with you.
[00:57:03] It may be fear.
[00:57:04] It may be confusion.
[00:57:05] It may be pride.
[00:57:07] I don't know what it is.
[00:57:08] I love the fact that you can meet each soul in this room and in the video venue or listening online.
[00:57:14] You can meet each soul where they are because you know exactly what their struggle is.
[00:57:27] Father, we're supposed to be a different people walking in this world with a biblical worldview, not because we're great or because we've figured something out, but because we're filled with your Spirit through your Son, Jesus.
[00:57:40] We don't claim it enough.
[00:57:43] We get in its way.
[00:57:47] We forget that we're walking in your power and your authority.
[00:57:53] But then again, some have never experienced it because they've never given their life to you.
[00:58:05] So here's my ask, God.
[00:58:10] My ask is that you meet each person in this room right now.
[00:58:16] That your spirit comes face to face with each of us.
[00:58:20] and you clearly show us where we are with you and in so doing give us the next steps because I know you love us right where we are and because of that love you refuse to leave us there help us to be responsive help us to take it serious
[00:58:51] and help us from this day forward to walk in and with you.
[00:58:57] In Jesus' name we pray.
[00:59:00] Amen.
[00:59:02] Here's what I'm going to do.
[00:59:04] We don't do it often, but today I'm actually going to open the altar.
[00:59:10] We will claim the front of this room and the front of the video venue as an altar for those who need to do business with God today.
[00:59:23] But let me encourage you in this.
[00:59:24] If you've never given your life to Christ, I want you to do more than just come down and kneel.
[00:59:29] There will be pastors at the front of both rooms, and I want you to come to a pastor and you say, I need Christ today.
[00:59:38] So that that pastor can hear you pray the prayer of asking Jesus into your life.
[00:59:45] Why do we do that?
[00:59:46] Well, it's significant.
[00:59:47] It's a physical thing that we do that makes it more real to us.
[00:59:51] That's why Paul lays his hands on people to say we're laying hands.
[00:59:55] It's a physical thing that brings us into the spiritual thought process.
[01:00:02] If you need to surrender,
[01:00:04] If you need to confess things to the Lord, you need to burn things at the altar, today's the day to do that and you need to do it right down here on your knees.
[01:00:12] If you need to give your life to Christ, today's the day to do that and you come forward and you find me or Pastor Mark that'll be right over here and you say, I need Jesus.
[01:00:28] This little light of ours
[01:00:32] will not shine if we're not plugged in.
[01:00:38] So as we sing together, if God tells you to move, you move.
[01:00:44] Let's all stand.

[01:01:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.
[01:01:18] He's been my fourth man in the fire time after time.
[01:01:28] Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
[01:01:38] And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough And I trust in God, my Savior, the One
[01:01:56] Who will never fail He will never fail I trust in God my Savior
[01:02:22] He will never fail And perfect submission And all is at rest I know the author of tomorrow Has ordered my steps
[01:02:50] So this is my story and this is my song I'm praising my risen King and Savior all the day long And I trust in God, my Savior, the one
[01:03:24] He will never fail and I trust in God my Savior the one who will never fail He will never fail
[01:03:56] I trust you Perfect submission All is at rest
[01:04:21] I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps So this is my story And this is my song I'm praising my risen King and Savior all the day long
[01:04:51] And I trust in God, my Savior, the one Who will never fail He will never fail And I trust in God, my Savior, the one
[01:05:29] I will trust you God
[01:06:30] I trust in God my Savior the one who will never fail he will never fail trust I trust in God my Savior the one who will never
[01:07:05] What an incredible time of worship.

[01:07:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Amen?
[01:07:19] Praise the Lord.
[01:07:20] Praise the Lord.
[01:07:21] Just wanted to remind everyone that this evening, beginning at 5 o'clock, we're going to have our annual Thanksgiving parade.
[01:07:33] You're leading, right?
[01:07:34] Yeah, okay.
[01:07:36] Thanksgiving meal, now that I've got your attention, okay, we just do ask that you come and you just bring your family, but we also, too, want to make one more special ask, and that's that you bring a dessert.
[01:07:47] And in that dessert, you want to make sure that it's chocolate, okay?
[01:07:50] That's just a personal request.
[01:07:53] But all seriousness, do bring a dessert and make sure that it is in a container that we can just throw away whenever everything is over tonight.
[01:08:00] Kind of making everything to clean up as far as that's concerned, making that easy.
[01:08:03] But if it needs cutting, make sure you cut them in big pieces.
[01:08:07] That's another ask, okay?
[01:08:10] Now that I've totally botched that announcement, I'm pretty sure you're not going to forget it.
[01:08:14] But as always, we want to close our service quoting God's Word as we walk out this door.
[01:08:19] So follow along with me, say this along with me in Galatians chapter 5 beginning in verse number 25.
[01:08:25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
[01:08:32] We are sent.

[01:29:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
And we wanted to talk about our time at Peninsula.
[01:29:51] So we've been coming here for about five years.
[01:29:56] I remember it as we came just pre-COVID and then COVID and then all the things and then I kind of was okay with doing church at home and watching it online and sitting in bed and we didn't have to leave and you know breakfast was long and slow and it was great.
[01:30:14] Lindsay actually likes people and convinced me that it was good to come to the church.

[01:30:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
We came to Peninsula mostly because of the youth and the children's program.
[01:30:26] We had friends that were here and they just could not say enough amazing things about the program.
[01:30:31] So we decided to check it out and after a few weeks we both realized this was it.
[01:30:35] This was our home that we had been missing for so long.

[01:30:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
and at the time we didn't have a youth group kid but we knew we were going to and so we wanted to make sure that we were you know kind of setting them up to be in this amazing youth group that we heard lots about from friends and neighbors so we got plugged in pretty quickly to kind of everything you were doing preschool and elementary and we were ready with the youth and i was working with the youth and teaching adult sunday school we felt more like this is a home church than we had in a really long time
[01:31:07] and as the kids are involved in all ages of ministries here it's just been really good to make connections with people some of us more than others and that's okay but it feels like this is the church that we call home

[01:31:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
I think for our kids, the Awanis program, the youth group, the children's ministry has been huge.
[01:31:30] They've come home learning Bible verses, just having adults pouring into them that aren't us, sometimes that they listen to better than us.
[01:31:37] It has been really, really awesome, and knowing that they're all grounded in Christ and follow the same values that we have is awesome.
[01:31:45] And I think
[01:31:46] Having Daniel preaching straight from the Word every week, you know, just what the Bible says, what Scripture says, without watering it down, without, you know, trying to conform to culture of today's society, I think has been such a nice thing.

[01:32:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
I think for me, I get to teach with the youth group.
[01:32:04] This year I have the 10th grade boys, or teach a Sunday morning connect group, and that forces me to be in the text.
[01:32:11] And so I feel like I grow more because I have to be able to share it to somebody else.

[01:32:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Obviously we're considering expanding and that's super exciting and as somebody that has worked both in preschool and children's ministry and youth and have been displaced from the video venue I'm super excited about the expanded space that we're going to have.
[01:32:32] We had I think Katrina said over 50 kindergarteners move up from preschool to elementary school and it has been
[01:32:39] Awesome and chaotic, to say the least, trying to fit us all into different spaces.
[01:32:46] So I'm really excited about going back to having dedicated ministry space for the different things.
[01:32:52] But I just love the church's heart for not only reaching our community and our church, but their heart for supporting other churches, for planting new churches, for sending missionaries, and that.

[01:33:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
The church is saturated and that's good.
[01:33:09] The building's being used seven days a week and all the spaces are being used.
[01:33:13] Looking for this big new space to be able to all be in together again, kind of all as a corporate worship, but also the ministries and events that happen during the week in the evenings or the preschool and just being able to give more space to more people.
[01:33:27] But just the more we get to be a beacon in the community, the better.
[01:33:31] And I think this new venue is going to be just another kind of bright light in Mooresville.

[01:33:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
We're the Auburners and we love our church.