What Does Transformation in Christ Look Like? | Acts 3

Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? All right. Hey, I hope you've had a great weekend. If you are normally a 4:00 p.m. person and you're here today, welcome to the 11:15. You might be looking around thinking, "This is why I come to the 4:00 p.m." I get it. But you're an 11:15 person today, and that's a really good thing.

This weekend, we had over 1,000 middle and high school students on this campus in this room and over 200 leaders. I'm so encouraged by what God is doing among the next generation. Let me just encourage you. As the Lord brings the middle and high school students of our church to your mind, pray for the Spirit of God to continue to move and work in that generation.

I really am excited about where we're going in God's Word today. I want to give you a chance to invite God to speak to you. Look. We talked about this last week. By Wednesday, you might forget 95 percent of what I'm about to say. It doesn't have to be that way. You choose. One of the best things you can do right now is just to ask God to do a work in your life.

So, would you pray that? Just for yourself, say, "God, would you speak to me this morning?" Would you also pray for the people around you? Just ask God to speak to everyone in this room in a very clear and unmistakable way. Then, would you pray for me and ask God to speak through me to you?

Lord, you know I hate the thought of us going to all the effort to get here and to go through motions just to leave here unchanged. What a waste of a Sunday morning that would be. So, I am praying, Holy Spirit, would you come and move in our lives? Would you awaken us and lead and guide us into all truth so that Christ would be more glorified in our minds, in our hearts, and in our lives?

Would you do something now that ripples forth into the coming week? I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart would be acceptable in your sight. We give this time to you. We just offer it to you. I pray that this time in your Word would be worshipful, a fragrant aroma to you now. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.

Well, I love snow skiing. It's something I've done for the good majority of my life, so I've always loved it. As I was preparing for today, I thought back to the first time the Ateek family went skiing. I was probably 7 or 8 years old at the time, and my parents decided to put my brother and me in ski school, which was the right choice.

I'm fuzzy on some of the details because it was so long ago. I just know that at some point… Ski school hadn't started yet. I was just kind of in the area. Somehow, and in some way, I overheard an instructor sharing with someone how to stop on skis. They said, "You do the A shape. You make a pizza." Well, then I got placed in group A, which was the beginner group. You can't go anywhere below A. You start at A. It's the beginner group.

The instructor showed up to this group of 7- or 8-year-olds, and he asked the question, "Do any of you know how to stop?" I was like, "Yeah, I do. You make an A shape. You make the pizza." He was like, "Okay. We're going to graduate you to group B." He just moved me straight to group B. I was like, "I'm really good at this skiing thing. Clearly, I have got this thing down."

As I think back upon that experience, I think that instructor was asking the wrong question. The question he asked was, "Do you know how to stop on skis?" The question he should have been asking was, "Have you actually ever stopped on skis?" If he had asked that question, my answer would have emphatically been, "No, I have not. So, group A is the most appropriate group for me to be in. I am a beginner, and I need you to show me how to get from group A to group B. You don't just send me there, assuming I have it all figured out."

See, at least for me, at the age of 7 or 8, when it came to skiing, at that moment there was information but there was not application. When you're talking about snow skiing, that can be problematic at times, but in the end, it's not that big of a deal. But when you're talking about a relationship with Jesus Christ, for there to be right information but no right application…that can be devastating. It can actually have eternally significant consequences.

Even worse is when there is wrong information about yourself and Jesus that leads to a wrong application. That is devastating. So, let me tell you what I'm going to do this morning. I am taking all of us back to group A. We're all going together back to the basics. We are all going back to the beginner group, because I don't want to just show up and assume that everyone has the right information and the right application in their life. We're all going back to group A. We're all going back to the basics, because that is where Acts, chapter 3, takes us.

Some of y'all might hear that, and you're like, "Oh, great. So, you're basically telling me a message that I don't need, that I'm not going to benefit from, because I've been walking with Jesus for 20, 30, or 40 years." Well, let me just tell you this. If you've been walking with Jesus for decades, here are two things you can do this morning as we all go back to group A, including you.

The first thing you can do is you can actively pray throughout the entire service. You can join me in praying that if there is anyone in the room this morning who either has the right information but no application or the wrong information and the wrong application, you can pray that the Spirit of the living God would bring a supernatural clarity and that today would be the day of salvation for many people in this room.

The second thing you can do is just evaluate your own life. Has the right information led to the right application, and ultimately, is there transformation? Is there transformation in your life? Let me be abundantly clear what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about transformation that comes from your self-improvement, your self-discipline. I am talking about… Have you experienced the radical, supernatural transformation that can only come by the beautiful, powerful, miraculous name of Jesus Christ? That's what I'm talking about.

I want to encourage you to answer this question: What story does your life tell? Does your life tell the story that you have, in fact, been changed by Jesus? So, if you have a Bible, I want to invite you to turn with me to Acts, chapter 3. If you've been journeying with us through the book of Acts… The book of Acts tells the story of the explosion of the church.

In the first two chapters, we have been just looking at the crowds. If you remember, in Acts, chapter 2, Peter gives a message and 3,000 people trust in Christ. So, we've just been focusing on what the Spirit has been doing in crowds. Then you turn the page to Acts, chapter 3, and the story zeroes in on just one person. It goes from the crowds to one person.

I think it's very intentional, because as the church is exploding, as thousands of people are turning to Christ, it's as if Luke, the author, is like, "Okay. Let's just pause right here, and let's clarify. If you are truly a Christian…" To truly be a Christian is for the man's story in Acts, chapter 3, to be your story. It's for you to realize that the story of this one man is actually the story of everyone in humanity. The question is…Is his story your story in part or in full?

We're going to see the story of a lame man who is healed. His story is actually everyone's story in humanity. It's just a question of…Is his story your story in part or in full? So, here we go. If you're a note taker, let me just tell you how this is going to work. Acts, chapter 3, is set up a lot like Acts, chapter 2. There's a miracle, and then there's a message.

We're going to start by just observing the miracle, which means I'm not going to have any points for you for a little bit. It's okay. Don't stress out. We're going to get to the message, and when we get to the message, I am going to have points for you. So sit tight. It will be okay. So, here we go. Let's observe.

We're just going to observe the miracle. It's amazing. It's a great story. Acts 3:1-2: "Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple."

So, the story now focuses on one person. It's a lame man. And what do we find out about him? We find out that his body is broken. It has always been broken. It has never worked as it should. He has never walked in his 40 years of life. For him, his brokenness has defined him. His daily routine is to be carried, laid at the gate, and for him to beg. Why? Because he is helpless and hopeless. That's what we find out about this man. Verse 3:

"Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, 'Look at us.' And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, 'I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!'"

I want you to notice that this lame man isn't asking for healing. He's asking for money because he has accepted his broken reality. Yet Peter and John believed that everything could change. They believed he could be healed by the beautiful, powerful, miraculous name of Jesus Christ. Here's the result in verse 7: "And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God."

What I want you to see is that this lame man can take no credit for anything that has happened. It's Peter and John who took him by the hand. It's Peter and John who lifted him up. It was supernatural power that stabilized his feet and his ankles. It was Jesus Christ, the powerful name of Jesus, that healed him. But his response to healing was appropriate, because what do you see him doing?

This is a guy who was the same guy, yet in some ways he was a new guy. He's transformed. What do we see him doing? Did you notice the power verbs? He's leaping. He's standing. He's walking. He normally has sat outside the temple. Now he is entering the temple. He is leaping, and he is praising God. The man who had spent his life receiving is now giving praise. He is transformed.

Verse 9: "And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him." People see the change, and they're amazed by the change. So there we go. That's the miracle. Now we're about to move into the message. So, if you're one of those note takers, your time has almost come.

Here's what it says. Verse 11: "While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people…" This is it. Are you guys listening this morning? Okay. For the five of you who are listening this morning, nudge your neighbor and say, "Wake up." Here we go. This is so important for you to see.

Peter is about to show the crowd how the lame man's story is actually everyone's story, at least in part. What the crowd in the first century and the crowd here at Watermark Community Church have to discern is…Is the lame man's story your story in part or in full? The question you need to answer is…Does your life tell a story of the healing power of Jesus Christ or are you still sitting in brokenness?

So, what's going to happen is as we look at Peter's message, I'm going to ask you three questions. These three questions are meant to make sure you have the right information and that you've taken that right information and have the right application. Then we're going to move toward just answering the question…Is there transformation? So, that's what's about to happen. Here we go. Here's the message. Verse 12:

"And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: 'Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…" So he's talking to a Jewish audience. "…the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.'"

I want you to see two things here. First, I want you to see the identity of Jesus. How is Jesus Christ described? Secondly, how has the crowd responded to Jesus? How is Jesus identified? Jesus is identified as God's servant, which is actually a reference back to Isaiah 52 and 53, where Jesus is foreshadowed as a suffering servant. Jesus is referred to here as the Holy and Righteous One, which means he's the appointed one of God, and he's referred to as the Author of life, which means he is God himself.

Now, how has the crowd responded to him? Look at the verbs. They delivered him over, they denied him, they asked for a murderer to be released, and they killed him. What's Peter's point? Don't miss his point. His point to the crowd is "You, as Jews, think you belong to the people of God. Actually, you haven't been with God; you've been directly opposed to God. You've actually been at war with God, and you didn't even realize it. You took the Author of life, the Holy and Righteous One, God's servant, and you killed him. It's not possible to be any more opposed to God or at war with God."

Here's what Peter is basically saying. With the lame man standing there right next to him, he's basically saying, "This paralyzed man's legs didn't work, but your mind, your heart, and your soul don't work, because your thoughts, your desires, and your convictions actually led you to believe it would be a good thing to crucify God in the flesh." That is true brokenness. Here's the first question I want to invite you to answer. I just want to make sure we're all dealing with the right information.

1. Have you realized that you are broken? Have you come to a point in your life where you have realized that you are broken? The idea that we are broken is a very unpopular idea in our world today. Some people would say for me to stand up here and tell you that you're broken is spiritual abuse. It is very unpopular information in our world. I think about a post I saw back around Christmastime. This was a post made by someone who at one point had a very wide and well-known ministry but has since deconstructed.

Here's what he posted. He said, "Along with the many opinions, stories, and invitations you're surely hearing this Christmas, I hope you'll consider this one: You're not born bad, in need of redeeming. You don't need saving or a savior. You are beautiful and free precisely as you are. Do not be afraid or ashamed." Isn't that such a more enjoyable message? That is such more enjoyable information.

What about this? That message right there… I have talked to dads in Richardson, Texas, who have a conviction that they want to make sure their sons know, "Hey, you are inherently good." I'm like, "Your son must be very different than my boys." And I have great boys. I do not have inherently good boys. I have never had to teach them the word mine. They know it. It is hardwired in them.

What about this message? "Your imperfection is a beautiful thing. Embrace your imperfection. Embrace your limitations. Embrace your humanity, because there's beauty in it." That is such a more enjoyable message. What about this one? "Spirituality is important. We're all spiritual people. Just make the focus of your life making yourself and this world better." You hear that, and you're like, "That is really enjoyable information."

Let me just ask you, though, to evaluate, to take those messages, and then let me add a different message into your life. Let me just ask you to evaluate your own life. Do you ever consider good what God has called bad? Just think. Do you ever consider good what God has called bad? Looking out for your own interests above anyone else's, pride, exaggerating, lying or telling half-truths about who you are or what you've done or what you have to make yourself look better so that people will like you more.

Cheating, using people to your advantage to get ahead, greed, lust, pornography, sex outside of marriage, gossip about other people, bitterness, unforgiveness, outbursts of anger, and inappropriate speech. This is just to name a few. If you ever consider any of these things good when God has called them bad, you are opposed to God. You're at war with God, and to be at war with God is the definition of brokenness.

You might hear that list and be like, "No, no, no. I agree all of those things are bad." Okay. Let me just go one click farther. Listen to the words of Romans, chapter 3. It says, "…as it is written: 'None is righteous…'" That's saying no one in this room… No one on the planet is righteous. "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless…" Watch the wording here. It's very important. "…no one does good, not even one."

For you to call yourself good when God says you are unrighteous is to oppose God. It is actually to be at war with God, and that is the definition of brokenness. What about this? Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." For you to say that Jesus is a way to eternal life with God in heaven or for you to still believe that you can somehow earn God's favor apart from Jesus Christ is to oppose God. It is to be at war with God, and that is the definition of brokenness.

Here's what I'm trying to drive at. The idea of us being broken… I consider it the Tamiflu of the gospel. You didn't think I'd talk about Tamiflu when you came to church today. The reason I refer to our brokenness as the Tamiflu of the gospel is… Look. At some point, most recently in December, I have seen all three boys of mine gag trying to drink Tamiflu, because it tastes absolutely awful, but it is essential to healing when you have the flu.

I'm just telling you, coming to grips with our brokenness tastes awful, and it is absolutely essential to our healing. So, I'm just asking you… Do you have the right information? Here's the second question. Again, just making sure. We're in group A here. Back to the basics. Are you working with the right information?

2. Have you realized that only Jesus is powerful enough to heal your brokenness? Peter and John go on. Verse 16 says, "And his name-by faith in his name-has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all."

What's Peter's point? It's Jesus who healed the paralyzed man physically, and it's Jesus who can heal you spiritually. The paralyzed man's helplessness is our helplessness, but Jesus heals. That's why he goes on. Listen to verse 17. Let me just preface verse 17 and following like this. Tonight, many of you are going to watch the Super Bowl. I'm going to watch the Super Bowl. Many of you are going to watch it for the commercials.

Do you know how much a 30-second commercial costs tonight? It costs \$8 million for 30 seconds. Some are going to pay up to \$10 million for a little bit longer spot. That's how much the commercial is going to cost for these companies to tell you all of the benefits of their product. I'm telling you right now, this is an advertisement from heaven of all of the benefits available to you in the person of Jesus Christ, and it cost more than \$8 million.

It was extremely costly. It cost the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Not only that. God had to inspire, by his Spirit, human authors to write it down…40 different authors over a 1,500-year period on three different continents. It has been faithfully preserved through all of the years of history so that right here at Watermark Community Church in 2026, we could know the benefits that are available to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Let me just tell you, it would be crazy for you to leave here today and be like, "I guess I just need to try harder and do better, and as long as I live a good life, God and I are good." I'd be like, "What do you think just happened in there? Where were you?" This is so beautiful. Please don't miss it. I'm just asking you. Lock in. This is so good.

"And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago."

Do you want to know what the benefits of knowing Jesus Christ are? First, it says your sins will be blotted out. Do you know what that's a picture of? In the first century, parchment was expensive, and people would use acid-free ink to write on the parchment. So, if they were to take a wet rag and wipe it, all of that ink would be immediately washed away.

Peter and John are like, "Yeah. That's what Christ does for us." He takes all of the ways we have opposed God, all of the ways we've disagreed with God, all of the ways we've sinned against God, and he washes them all away. He blots them out completely. He wipes your slate clean. How is that possible? Because Jesus is God's servant.

Isaiah 53 tells us about that servant. This is what Jesus has done. Isaiah 53:5: "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." We are healed. How are our sins taken away? Because Jesus took them upon himself. His body was broken, his blood was shed, and the shedding of his blood washes us clean. That's the first benefit.

What's the second benefit? Verse 20: "…that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…" That word in the Greek that has been translated refreshing can mean rest, relief, respite. What does Jesus do? He makes us right with our Maker. You're not at war with God; you're at peace with God, and you get to be with God now and forever. There is never a day in your life ever again where you are alone, because the God of the universe is with you.

Then it goes on. What's the third benefit? "…and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago." It's saying Jesus is coming back. Jesus is going to make everything new. Because of Jesus, we can have confidence and hope that he's going to make everything right in this world. How is that possible? Because he's the Author of life, and he has the authority to guarantee life with God for everyone who knows him with God for forever.

There's a fourth benefit. If you look at the very last verse in the passage… There's this time when Peter and John go for a few verses just making the point that all of history has been pointing to Jesus. They say in verse 26, "God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness." The implication is that Jesus doesn't just turn us from wickedness; he turns us toward righteousness. Remember, Jesus is the Holy and Righteous One, so Jesus is able to take our sin and give us his righteousness.

Think about when you're sick, when I'm sick. We have a bunch of different options. You can go to the pharmacy and look at the cold and flu aisle, and you will have floor-to-ceiling options of all of these different companies, all of these different medicines that can deal with your nasal congestion and your sniffling and your sneezing and everything you have going on. You have options.

You might look at that and be like, "No. I don't trust that type of stuff. I don't want the toxins. I don't want that, so I'm going to go more homeopathic" or "I'm going to do the essential oils thing." Are essential oils still a thing? I haven't heard about them in a while. Are we still rubbing our feet and the back of our neck with stuff? Just wondering. Don't hit me up. I'm not looking to buy. I'm just asking if it's still a thing.

You have that option. You have the option to just power through the sickness. Like, you have options. That's fine when you have a cold, but when you have spiritual brokenness… A lot of people want to think it's like going to the pharmacy. You have all of the options you want. You're broken. You know what? You can just run to the working world. You can try to be as successful as possible, and you can just pad your life with accomplishments.

You know what? You can run to charity and just try to be as good of a person, as selfless of a person as possible. I just want to tell you only Jesus Christ can cleanse you of your failures, only Jesus Christ can make you right with your Maker, only Jesus Christ can secure your eternity with God, and only Jesus Christ can make you righteous.

So, I'm asking you… Do you have the right information, and has the right information led to the right application? What's the right application? It's to repent. It's to turn from your life without God. It's to turn from opposing God and turn and embrace Jesus Christ as your ultimate healer. Do you have the right application in your life?

I still have more to say, but I just want to pause right now. I want to believe every Sunday God brings people into this place where he plans "Today is the day of salvation." So, if you're here, and you feel like God is pounding on the door of your heart… Like, it's clear. The information is finally clear to you. You're understanding you're broken. You're understanding that only Jesus can heal your brokenness. If that's you, I want to give you an opportunity right now to invite Christ to be your healer.

I just want to invite you to pray these words. These aren't magic-rabbit-foot words. I'm just trying to give you words to articulate to God. I just want to invite you to pray right now and say, "Lord Jesus, I understand that I'm broken. I understand that I've been opposed to God. Jesus, I am asking you to be my healer. Would you forgive me of all my sins? Blot them out. Would you make me right with God? Would you guarantee my eternity with God, and would you make me righteous? In Jesus' name, amen."

If you consider yourself a Christian… You've been a Christian for a long time. Look. We've talked about the right information. We've talked about the right application. I just want to ask you… Is there transformation? Is there transformation in your life? The question I really want to ask you is this:

3. Does your life tell a story of healing in the powerful name of Jesus? Think about it. When the lame man was healed by Jesus, what was the result? Walking, leaping, and praising God. He was the same person, yet he was a new person. So much so that people ran to see him. So, I'm just asking you… What story does your life tell to your coworkers, to your neighbors, to your roommates, to your children?

What story does your life tell? Does it tell a story of healing that is only possible in the name of Jesus? Are people drawn to Jesus because of you or are they repelled by you? Does your life tell a story of healing in the powerful name of Jesus? I just want to ask you some questions within this question, just to put some teeth to it.

A. Do your thoughts, words, and actions agree with God? Just think about it. We talked about brokenness, being opposed to God, being at war with God. Now that Jesus Christ has brought healing into your life, do your thoughts, words, and actions agree with God? Do you call good what God calls good, and do you call bad what God calls bad?

Let me explain it this way. My wife Kat over the years has wanted to make sure that we are always prepared for any moment for us to be with friends and for there to be an impromptu newlywed game. She'll quiz me randomly at different times just to make sure we're synced up. For example, I was working on my notes last night. She had no clue I was thinking about this or going to illustrate this, and just randomly…

I'm sitting in a chair, she's lying in bed, and she just randomly asks, "Hey, what's my dream car?" Just out of the blue. I knew why she was asking. She wasn't asking because she just wanted to know if I knew. She was quizzing me in case we are ever in a situation where some friends are like, "Let's have a newlywed game" and the question gets asked, "What's Kat's dream car?"

I was like, "It's a Kia Telluride." She was like, "That's correct. It's no longer this car, it's that." So, because we were in the conversation, I asked a follow-up question to make sure we were synced up, because she has asked me this question before. I was like, "What's your favorite movie again? I want to make sure I know." I was like, "Is it You've Got Mail?" She was like, "No. It's Pride & Prejudice."

I was like, "I've never seen it. I will never see it, but that's good information." The reason Kat will quiz me from time to time is because there have been situations where there has been a newlywed game where Kat says her answer or I say my answer and Kat is like, "Oh, no." She's so competitive she can't stand the idea of us not being synced up.

I'm just telling you, the Christian life is one perpetual newlywed game with Jesus Christ. Like, you spending time in the Word every day, you submitting yourself to the leadership of the Holy Spirit… Do you know what you're doing all day, every day? You're just saying, "Jesus, I just want to make sure. Is this what's pleasing to you? Because I don't want my answer to be different than your answer.

What's your answer, Jesus? Your answer is to reconcile with them? Oh, my answer was 'No, I'm going to ghost them. I'm going to cut them out of my life. I'm going to fight to win the argument.' That's not your answer? Oh, what's your answer? Your answer is to not let any unwholesome word come out of my mouth, but only words that are encouraging? I thought my answer was 'No, it's fine to be a foul-mouth, because I don't want to be legalistic, and I don't feel convicted about telling those jokes or using that language.'"

Do your thoughts, words, and actions agree with God? Yesterday, Kat and I were in conflict, and do you know why that was? Because I wasn't agreeing with God. There were times yesterday that I was operating in the flesh, so my language was sharp toward Kat. Eventually, the Spirit just clocked me on the side of the head and was like, "Yeah, you're not agreeing with me." It was his kindness to sync me back up with him to where I was saying the same thing God was saying about what was pleasing to him, and that allowed Kat and me to reconcile. Where are you out of step?

B. Are you free from shame? Remember, Jesus has blotted out our sins. So, are you free from shame? The good news is that because Jesus blotted out your sins, you don't have to be defined by your past. I love belonging to a church family where people share freely and joyfully about how Jesus healed them from an affair or alcoholism or drugs or stealing from others financially or being addicted to pornography or previously being involved in witchcraft and on and on.

For me, personally, I was addicted to pornography for seven years. For me, personally, during my young adult years, I was living such a hypocritical life that I had to step out of ministry here at Watermark for a season as a young adult. Why do I share that with you? Because I don't have a story to hide; I have a story to tell. I'm not towing around anchors of shame. My past is trophies of God's grace. Is the same true for you?

Look. An unbelieving world needs to know that in Christ they don't have to be defined by their past. I remember talking to an unbeliever at the gym. I was like, "Yeah, man. There was a time in my life when I was addicted to pornography, but Jesus Christ changed my life." You saw this look on his face, like, "I thought we were just working out. Man, this is an interesting conversation." What I saw in his face was curiosity. He was like, "When did that happen?" and I was able to share more. People need to know Jesus can change their life; Jesus can free them from their past.

Are you still walking in shame? Even this morning, as I was walking in this room and praying about this specific point, I felt like God was like, "Oh, but you still carry shame from that thing in your past. It's time to let that go." It was just God's kindness to be like, "Yeah. Let's leave that here. Let's not carry it one step farther."

C. Are you forgiving? Forgiven people forgive people. Christ so thoroughly blotted your sins out that God doesn't hold even a hint of them against you. Do you know how radical it is in this world to keep forgiving one another in marriage when it just seems easier to give up? Or to be deeply wronged by a coworker or a friend or a family member and, in the end, to forgive them.

I love being part of a church where there are truly countless stories among you where there is deep hurt as well as deep forgiveness at the same time. Let me just say this. I have watched followers of Jesus Christ cut people out and harbor anger, bitterness, and resentment like it's their right to hold onto. I'm just telling you, that type of unforgiveness is incongruent with the gospel.

Now, here's the thing. Some of y'all might hear that and be like, "You don't know the trauma I've experienced." You're right. I would imagine that some of you have experienced such deep levels of trauma it's going to just take time before you're even able to forgive. But I'm just telling you, too many Christians refuse to forgive.

D. Are you peaceful because of his presence? Did you see what verse 20 said? "…that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…" This is the difference between us and unbelievers. Unbelievers believe it's all on their shoulders. We never have to go one day shouldering the weight of the world. We don't have to. That's how we are radically different. We have access to the living God. So, is your life marked by peace because of his presence?

Let me just tell you how my life this week wasn't marked by peace because of his presence. One day, I was sermon prepping, and I just got jammed up in my prep. Usually, I want to be a sailboat, sails up and just carried along by God. At some point in my prep, I picked up an oar and started trying to row against the wind. It was kind of like writer's block. I felt like I stared at a screen for a while, and I was like, "God, what do you want me to say? What's going on? Why don't you help me out here?"

I began to get more and more wound up. Anxiety grew in me. I was the opposite of peaceful inside. I went all day like that. My joy was stolen for a lot of the day. Then it got to the nighttime, and I finally said, "God, I believe you have more to give me for the message for Sunday, and I believe you will give it to me when you want me to have it."

When I said that, God was like, "Yeah, that's it. That's right. We could have done that at 10:00 a.m. We can do it right now at 9:00 p.m., but this day could have been different. You didn't have to carry all that on your own. I never asked you to grab an oar and start paddling." It was just God's kindness. In that moment, this weight lifted off me and was shed, because God was like, "Yes! Peace from my presence."

Some of y'all hear that, and you're like, "Dude, why don't you tell me a real problem in your life?" My point in telling you that is that is such a small situation, and I think God is like, "No, no, no. That's for the whole of your life…everything. It doesn't matter how big of a problem you can bring me. I am available to you, and the peace that comes from my presence can be yours if you want it to be." Two more questions, and then I'm done.

E. Are you suffering with hope? The text told us Christ is going to come back. He's going to restore all things. He's going to make things new. I think about my friend who has stage 4 cancer, and he's so full of joy when I see him. He makes me laugh. Like, audibly laugh. He's one of the most encouraging people I know. He's discipling people. He's leveraging his life for the sake of the gospel. Why? He's suffering with hope.

Look. I know there is real, deep pain in this room right now. Some of y'all are navigating complexities that I don't begin to know about. Here's what I want you to hear: It is okay to question. It's okay to have those dark nights of the soul. It's okay to go to God with frustration that things are the way they are. But let me encourage you to remember that a day is coming.

Let me remind you that we get to suffer with confidence. We get to suffer with confidence that this is the closest we will ever get to hell, and a day is coming where the days, weeks, months, or even years of pain we have experienced on this earth will seem so insignificant in light of the glory of eternity in the presence of our ultimate healer. Suffer with hope.

F. Are you enjoying God's affection? Christ has given us his righteousness. Do you know what that means? It means when God looks at you, the love he has for Christ he has for you. The delight he has for Christ he has for you. Do you ever enjoy that? I'm such an imperfect father, truly, but there's a delight I have in my kids just for who they are.

I think I've shared this before, but when my second son Andrew was born, he had only been out of the womb for minutes, and I just remember, through ugly crying, I was like, "I just love him so much." Had he done anything for me yet? No. It was just because of who he is. He was my child. Even not too long ago, I looked at one of my sons and was just so proud of who he was. I just felt such delight in him, yet there was this longing in me for him to experience some things from God that he wasn't currently experiencing.

Do you ever sense that that's God toward you? I think some of the greatest lies from Satan are "God loves you, but he doesn't like you. Just try harder, and then God will love you more, or he won't be so disappointed in you." I just wonder if God is like, "You have no clue. You're an earthly dad, and you think that delight you have for your son is amazing. You're just scratching the surface of the joy and the pleasure I have in calling you son or daughter." Does your life tell a story of healing that is only possible in Jesus Christ?

I just want to invite you to respond right now. Let's not be those people who by Wednesday have forgotten 95 percent. What's the right response? It's to repent. How do you need to respond? If there are areas of your life where you're not agreeing with God, confess that. If there are people you're not forgiving, ask God for the strength. Is there shame you're still carrying? Drop it now. Is there a lack of peace? Just enjoy his presence. If you're suffering, experience hope. Maybe you just need to sit and allow God's affection to finally hit you.

Here's what we're going to do. We're going to sing. We're going to respond in song. I want to invite you to respond in the way that's appropriate for you right now. If you just need to sit and pray, you should do that. If you need to stand and raise your hands, you should do that. If you want to get on your knees, you can do that as well. But respond to God. Don't just shift mentally, like, "Let's just get out of here and get to Costco." This is a moment. Respond to God.

Lord, I pray right now you would have your way in your people right here at Watermark. I pray that we would know the sweetness of knowing you, Jesus, and the healing power of your beautiful, wonderful, miraculous name. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.