Sunday Morning Worship Service

House of Miracles this morning why don't you lift your hands across this place and let's acknowledge his presence here in our lives this morning Lord we thank you for your spirit Lord you know every need that entered into this house this morning Lord you know the the Miracles that need to take place on this day Lord we send all these petitions up to heaven knowing that when we call on your name Jesus that you are eager to answer our prayers Lord collectively this morning we offer up our praise and our adoration to you Lord acknowledging that you are the miracle working God acknowledging that you are able to make a way when there is no way and Lord we believe that you can this morning and this is our prayer we thank you and we praise you would you put your hands together for that great name of Jesus that all powerful name and we believe in miracles here this morning keep that same Spirit as you make your way back to your seats and you can be seated across this house I welcome each and every one of you to Sunday morning worship service here at First Apostolic Church of Knoxville all of those in the house and all those tuning in online and those who might be catching Us by way of our television broadcast or on the radio we welcome you the same and if you're a first time visitor in the house we want you to know what an honor it is for us to worship alongside you as we lift up the King of Kings and the Lord of lords proclaiming his great power in our lives through the work he's done in our lives and we love each and every one of you I want to say special welcome this morning brother Tony Bells is back in the house let's give him a great big hand we love brother Tony he uh I guess it's been a year or so ago I I preached a message about being thankful uh for your job and that uh being thankful for the work that God has provided you with and maybe you ought to go into your workplace that next day and tell your boss how grateful for you are for the work and you know all those things just about gratitude and and joy and brother Tony called me that afternoon and he said uh Pastor I I did what you you said from the pull pit and I said well that's awesome brother Tony and I said remind me he said I called my boss uh and I said I just want you to know how thankful for I am for my job and brother Tony said his boss immediately told him to go get a drug test thought something was wrong and you did pass that right but uh no I love we love brother Tony and it's so awesome to have you here and thank you for the the joy you br bring to to all our Our Lives if you have your Bibles this morning if you would turn to the book of Acts chapter 9 and we're going to read verses 1 through n and you can just remain [Music] seated acts 9 verse1 it says and Saul yet breathing out threatenings and Slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord went unto the high priest and desired him letters to Damascus to the synagogues that if he found any of this way whether they were men or women he might bring them bound downto Jerusalem and as he journeyed he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined round about him a light down from heaven and he fell to the Earth and heard a voice saying unto him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me and he said who art thou Lord and the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest it's hard for thee to kick against the Pricks and trembling and astonished he said Lord what will thou have to do me to do and the Lord said unto him arise and go into the City and you shall be told what to do and the men which journeyed with him stood speechless hearing a voice but seeing no man and Saul arose from the earth and when his eyes were opened he indeed saw no man but they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus and he was there three days without sight and neither did eat or drink I want to preach to you for a few moments this morning on lifechanging moments life changing moments we've already prayed and I'm going to get right into it but life changing moments if we had to choose one event from our lives that have impacted us the most what would it be for some it would be the birth of their first child mothers and fathers will remember that moment Frozen in time holding the newborn for the first time is certainly life changing others and all of us can account for different memories in our life and unfortunately some of them are because of the tragic or sudden loss of a loved one and we can remember right where we were when we heard the news raising questions and these are defining moments for all of us and we've probably been in conversations when someone asked where were you when whatever the event was or when you heard the news many of us in the house of the certain age can remember 911 as we memorialize it each year we can remember whether we were in middle school or high school or working a job you remember right where you were when you heard that tragic news and some from a generation before me that are in the house you know where you were when you heard the devastating news of uh President Kennedy being a assassinated Time Magazine proclaimed that his death was the moment that changed America Sports offer us these Collective memorable moments I can remember my dad talking about him breaking the bed springs on his bed when Hank Aaron hit 715 becoming the Home Run King many of you can remember Josh dos throwing that hell Mary to Jawan Jennings just almost divinely coming out of the sky with that ball with those Georgia Defenders around him or chase McGrath kicking that game-winning field goal against the Crimson Tide where the ball just kind of stuck in motion just going barely over the gopost in the waning seconds and you think about those events and you can recall exactly where you were Vince Lombardi said I believe and this was the Hall of Fame coach for the Green Bay Packers he said I firmly believe that any man's finest Hour the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted in the field of battle Victorious and there's these key moments in our life that we work towards to a certain extent leading up to a moment as we celebrate it and talk about some graduates earlier these this Keystone event where you've sent several hours studying and going to class and all of the stress and all of the work leading up to you walking across that stage and receiving your diploma or maybe it's your wedding day when you can remember just the intricate details I remember the first time I saw my wife she flew in and we were going to go out a date and I remember her coming at McGee Tyson Airport her coming down the escalators and I just remember that moment oh so well these key moments in our life some prepared for some happen extemporaneously other key moments yet may be pointed to that are a coincidence that you can now point back to or as we mentioned earlier unexpected news events that can forever change our lives also imperative Maya Angelou said I have great respect for the past if you don't know where you've come from you don't know where you're going I have respect for the past she said but I'm a person of the moment I'm here and I do my best to be completely centered at that place I'm at then I go forward forward to the next place it's important to live in the moment because many of lives greatest moments take place in the routine of our every day it's important to cherish these moments as they can abruptly and unexpectedly come to a halt in a poem entitled the last time poem I read a portion of it to you from the moment you hold your baby in your arms you will never be the same you might long for the person you were before when you have freedom and time and nothing in particular to worry about you will know tiredness like you never knew it before and the days will run into days that seem exactly the same but don't forget there is a last time for everything there will be a time to come when you will feed your baby for the very last time they will fall asleep on you after a long day and it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child one day you will carry them on your hip and then set them down and never pick them up that same way again they will hold your hand across the road then never reach for it again they will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles and it will be the last night you ever wake to this one afternoon you'll sing Wills on the bus and do all of the actions then never sing that song to them again they will kiss you goodbye at the school gate the next day they will ask to walk alone you will read a final bedtime story and they will run to you with arms raised for the very last time and the thing is you won't even know it's the last time until there are no more times and even then it will take you a while to realize so while you're living in these times living in the opportunity to have these moments remember there are only so many of them and when they were gone you will yearn for just one more day of them if I could have just one more moment for one last time the song stes that these are the moments that you're grateful to God that you're alive this life and the moments that this life has to offer the gospel of James just says it's like a vapor it's here today and it's gone tomorrow and this all the more beckons us not to make monuments out of moments and life is too short to hold grudges and life is too short to hold unresolved disputes between my family or my brothers or my sisters let not the sun go down upon your wrath all of us could think back over our lives and there are a couple key core moments the moments in which you can retroactively see and point to exactly when your life changed Bishop preached a sermon series a few years ago that was entitled where were you at when he found you so I ask you to recall your testimony this morning and recall when you went down in that precious name of Jesus recall when he met you and you maybe you were at your lowest point in your life or maybe it was another instance where you knew without a shadow of a doubt you probably wouldn't have made it another day but God spoke to you and God found you right where you were at and you can point directly to that moment where God changed your life and in light of Eternity in the most important things of life that we've talked about this morning we can say with certainty that moment that forever changed our lives that moment that forever changed our destiny was when the Holy Ghost came into us and focused ing on that moment gives us the perspective and it gives us the hope that no matter what we face and no matter what uncertainty appears before us we know the Holy Ghost with us is our comfort going back to our key text Saul was used to dragging men and women off to prison in Jerusalem but when he asked the high priest for letters authorizing him to do the same in Damascus he did not know that his life would be instantly and radically and permanently changed before he reached the conclusion of his 135 mile trip he did not know that he was about to become one of those from which he had threatened to murder how is it that one's life can be changed in a moment there may be no no better known conversion story of the history of Christianity than that of Paul's but multiplied millions and perhaps billions more accurately depicted of people around this world have their own stories of drastic transformation to their encounters with Jesus Christ and so many beautiful testimonies exist here in the house this morning where as I reiterate from a few moments earlier you know that moment that Jesus met you for some like Paul it involved some Cosmic Interruption as they were going about their normal Pursuits of life and others can testify to hearing an audible voice calling their names still others were suddenly seized by the conviction that they were on the wrong path going in the wrong way and others can point to low dark places in their life where their may have feel isolated or it was in the loss of the loved one and just unexpectedly out of nowhere there was a hand of comfort that came on them and you know that it was God however it happens every testimony points toward Heaven every testimony points towards Jesus Christ that he is risen and he is still confronting people to this day he is still meeting people to this day and he is still calling people out in a moment not only with the rebuke but with the promise of New Life in him for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever shall believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life the story of Saul's conversion is found three times in the book of Acts the first recounts the events in Luke's words and the second account Paul explained his transformation to a Jerusalem mob and the third account rehearses Paul telling his story before King Agrippa Saul also known as Paul appears for the first time in Acts 7:58 as those involved in the stoning death of Steven laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul Paul spoke to the Jerusalem mob and he explained his previous commitments he said I am verily a man which am a Jew born in Tarsus Tarsus him being born there would have indic indicated that he had the full Roman citizenship in the city of Sicilia yet brought up in the city at the feet of gel which was a doctor of the law he had every resource available and afforded to an individual and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers he was a multi-generational Pharisee and was zealous toward God as ye all were this day and I persecuted this way the people that believed in this way about Jesus Christ unto death binding and delivering them into prisons both men and women he was determined to propitiate his religious Heritage and in order to do this he believed it was necessary to do everything possible to defeat this new upstart movement the followers of the way he said I barely thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth which thing I also did in Jerusalem and many of the Saints did I shut up in prison having received Authority from the chief priest and when they were put to death I gave my voice against them and I punished them of in every synagogue and compelled them to blasphemy and being exceedingly mad against them I I not just mad exceedingly mad against them I persecuted them unto strange cities I drove them out of the homes that they were in I drove them away from their family all because they beli D on the name of Jesus there was snow Stone left unturned I was driven mad not just mad exceedingly mad and I was going to make it my mission that anyone in opposition to me I was going to drive them out and persecute them and throw them in prison to let them know and to make an example out of them that nobody should believe on this Jesus of Nazareth what a great candidate for a first century conversion right Saul was probably the most unlikely candidate into the Christian faith and in Acts 7:58 we read about the first Christian Marty Stephen and Saul was there in attendance and the reason Saul allowed the witnesses to Steven stoning to lay their clothes at his feet is because he approved of Steven's death but as we go on and see his conversion we read that Paul saying Lord they they know I am prisoned and and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee and when the blood of thy martyr Steven was shed I was also standing by and consenting unto his death and kept the reignment of them that slew him him though he was a new man Paul carried some stuff with him Paul would never forget his life before that moment in Damascus now he was preaching the same message as the man that he allowed to be stoned but he carried some of this persecution with him this young arrogant man proficient in so many different languages all the rabinal training all of the legal training all of the citizenship that the world at that time had to offer every resource available to him at his fingertips resources outside of him in education and also within his family he had it all and now was pursuing what he thought was a high call by driving these new Believers out but now in a moment this young arrogant man would be forever changed and we view the Apostle Paul bigger than life sometimes and you know rightfully so but I also believe that he carried so much with him as he would go Minister across the world as his travels would take him into Athens Greece where he would go before the highest court in the land with the epicurian and the stoics and he would be able to communicate with them and give them a Bible study like no other person on this world could do saying there's not an unknown God there's a a God that you can know and at this one time this man who was probably arrogant and wanted to show off his intellect so much he now hit the stage at the birthplace of Western Civilization with a heavy heart knowing that he had blood on his hands but wanting to tell anybody he could no matter where they were at about this Jesus Christ and this would lead him all the way into one of the most powerful Empires ever to exist in Rome where he would do the same you think he cared about sitting in a prison you think he was cold being on a ship his heart was so much heavier because I imagine that one of the only things he could think about in his study and in his writings was that he was the responsible for the death of so many and now he had this calling and also this obligation to uphold this testimony of those he once persecuted a a humbled man though he was a new new man in a moment his life was forever changed as he journeyed to Damascus this city Northeast of Jerusalem about 60 Mi east of the Mediterranean Sea one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites known to archaeologist for King David Damascus was a place of military Victory the Pharisees saw a plan for the city to become a place of defeat for all of those who followed the son of David the Messiah Jesus Jesus Christ Saul had one thing on his mind as he began that six day trick he planned to continue his persecution of those who believed on Jesus and he carried documents from the high priest in Jerusalem authorizing him to do so these documents were addressed to synagogues in Damascus and according to first century Jewish historian Josephus thousands of Jews lived in Damascus Saul must have been on the sixth day of his journey when a bril brilant light Shone down from heaven shine round about him he was temporary Blinded By the Light but I submit he never had better Vision before than any time in his life which he later described as that was the moment that he saw Jesus and perhaps we could compare this new testament instance with the Old Testament story of Moses both of them in circumstances where they just had so recently washed the blood of men away from their hands the word of the Lord appeared to Moses in the flame of fire out of the burning bush and when Moses turned aside to see that the Bush was not consumed the Lord called to him and he said Moses Moses and he answered and said here am I when Saul fell to the Earth in the Heavenly light he heard a voice saying Saul Saul why Dost thou persecute of me the same Lord who called Moses name called the name Saul Moses became the deliverer of the Israelites and Saul was transformed into this chosen vessel to Bear the delivering name of Jesus as you continue to compare these two there's so so many commonalities Moses said unto God behold when I come unto the children of Israel what shall I say unto them the god of your fathers hath sent me unto you and they shall say to me what's his name what shall I say unto them and God said unto Moses tell them I am that I am tell them that I Am The Miracle Worker tell them I am capable of making a way when there is no way tell them I am capable of healing their body tell them I am capable of showing up in their darkest moments tell them I am more than exceedingly able to meet whatever need they have whenever they need it I am that I am and you shall tell the children of Israel the I am have sent unto you and if anyone asks you tell them the I am sent you and when Saul heard the voice voice of the Lord he asked who art thou Lord and the Lord said unto him I am Jesus whom thou persecutest that name Jesus when translated means Jehovah savior or Jehovah will save further translated it means he is the savior that's the reason Gabriel when he said to Joseph Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins and when Saul asked for the name of the Lord it was the same I am who said I am Jesus I came to offer you freedom I came to offer you Liberation I came to offer you mercy and Grace I know you're a murderer I know you have sin in your life I know you've done some incomprehensible things but I want you to know that I died for every single one of them and not just you Paul but for the Jews and to the Gentiles and for the uttermost parts and what we should do with this text this morning is the same thing Moses did and the same thing the Apostle Paul did Lord who are you how are you going to reveal yourself in this situation I need healing in my body I need comfort in my soul I need peace in my mind I need you to make a way when there is no way Lord who are you Lord who are you and he's going to show up this morning and he's going to say I am I am able to heal I am able to deliver I am able to meet your need Hallelujah the next question asked after that is what should I do Saul recognized at this moment that his zeal had been misguided he thought he was performing The Lord's service and seeking to eradicate the community of Believers but now he trembled with astonishment if the musicians would like to come at this time Saul's Damascus Road experience was that life changing life altering moment and God the same God the I Am The God Who revealed his name to Paul on the road to Damascus that same God is more than capable of meeting us in our lowest moments he's already forgiven sins far greater than those that you can commit and if you're in the house or you're tuning in online I want you to know that God has grace and mercy and he says it's new every single morning if you need to repent of something I want you to know that God is able to hear and meet you on this day no matter what you've done if you need healing in your body if you need provision in your life if you need answers to uncertain questions we serve a god who's ready to show up in today can be that moment right in your life we approach and say God who are you who are you how are you going to reveal yourself on this day often times when we think of defining moments we limit them to our own life but we've got to recall our mission is to strive to partake and being the defining moments in others lives jh osbor told me and Pastor Nate one time and if you know brother Osborne he kind of talks like this you know and uh he said uh you know Nate and Anthony what do you what do you think Stephen was thinking when he sees the Apostle Paul coming into heaven you know he probably like ah I remember you yeah you know he's you were the you were the coat rack while they were throwing rocks at my head you know um but think about that for a moment Stephen in heaven sees Paul what an impact he made on his life what would have happened if step would have negated on what he believed to save his life what happened with stepen would have rebuked what he believed in just to save his life in that moment but because of Steven's dedication because of his persecution in this life there was a seed that was planted there was a a prick right through the heart of Paul and as he would go on and be converted he would remember the testimony of this first Christian martyr stepen would have never known in this life the impact that the young man made while he was just living out what he believed but there was one looking on at the time who was consenting to his death but would forever be changed often times the most stressful situations often times the most hostile situations often times the most tragic of situations is the greatest Ministry moment for all of us to point towards the one who can offer us eternal life your response in these situations may be the defining moment in anothers and by human standards and human justification you might have every right in the world to react in a certain manner but what would it look like and that answer has already been answered across this what it looks like because truly heaven will only be able to account for the many individuals and souls that this church congregation has impacted throughout the years with all of the Ministries and only heaven will be able to account for those that are impacted by Believers in very difficult circumstances as you read read throughout the Bible you read about all the miracles of Jesus and how encouraging it is blind eyes opened dead being raised provision from just a small boy's lunch the supernatural taking place and had just build your faith but a story placed up there with those Miracles is something that the supernatural didn't necessarily take place a woman caught in the act of adultery comes before Jesus where they are trying to entrap him with his words and the law says Stone her but what say you blind eyes were not opened in this situation nobody was raised from the dead but the words in a hostile situation A soulless in the community a reasonable voice somebody aspiring for peace somebody aspiring for Grace somebody aspiring for Mercy somebody with a larger picture in mind than just the immediate punishment of an individual said he who is without sin cast the first stone and the woman's life was forever changed and saved in that moment because Jesus spoke those words as you stand with me this morning whatever circumstance you may face whatever situation that you're potentially B battling with in your life I invite you this morning to ask those two subsequent questions as Moses did and as the Apostle Paul did who are you Lord and what would you have me do life is but a vapor life is but of these moments and these moments are limited but we aspire to listen to God Abraham on more than one occasion built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord Desiring God's guidance to Desiring that intimate relationship and I believe this morning that God is ready to reveal and speak through his word speak through prayer and when we ask him Lord who are you I believe that he's going to reveal himself in your situation for your need for your provision and I I believe this morning I believe that he's moved by our infirmities and I come preaching hope peace and joy in the gospel I preach the power that is alive at the altar that you built to commune with your savior and I believe that today can be that moment for you with every head bowed and every eye closes we pray this morning Lord you see the needs of your people in this house Lord you see the Faithful Servants that are in this house as well the the many years serving you the the many hours of faithful service Lord you you see those who may have wrongdoing in their life that they want to turn to a different path Lord we believe that today can be that moment that A Change Is Made Lord you see those that need healing in their body Lord by by faith we came to your house this morning saying God who are are you knowing that you're able to heal and we believe that this can be the moment this can be the day that you do so we ask you in that name Jesus I open this alter up this morning to anyone who would like to commune with their savior to anyone who would like to ask that question of how are you going to reveal yourself to me Lord how are you going to show up this time I need you to make away when there is no way oh I I'm carrying some stuff and Lord I I need your your peace and I I need your comfort and I need your joy and I need your [Music] mercy open here it in this place hearts oned [Music] extended Mir are in this place chains are Broken Eyes Are Open Mir are in this place hearts are grace extended Mir are in this [Music] place a miracle can happen a mirle can happen a miracle can happen in this place a miracle can happen a miracle can happen A Mir can happen in this place a miracle can happen a miracle can happen a miracle can happen in this place a miracle can happen a miracle can happen mirle can happen in this place Jesus will happen when Jesus said will happen when Jesus said will Happ in this Jesus said what happen Jesus said what happen the Jesus said what happen in this [Music] place change our eyes are open Mir are in this place hearts are gra miracles in this place chains are Broken Eyes Are Open Mir are in this hearts are [Music] gra in this can we lift our hands and our hearts to Jesus thanking him for the word that reminds us of where we've come from where we're called hallelujah hallelujah thank you Lord for your word let's go from this place excited about what we've been called to do excited about where we've been called from anticipating what God is going to do for us I would remind you of all the announcements we pray first tonight for all the ladies women's prayer room 6:00 be here tonight 6:30 main Evangelistic service expecting God to do a special work remember all the announcements please if there's a guest if there's someone that you don't know would you welcome them again to First Apostolic Church in this dismissal Time Lord bless you we'll see you tonight for our main Evangelistic service