What Do I Do When My Story Feels Stuck? | Acts 9:32-43 | James Savage

We're so glad y'all are with us today. My name is Paul, if we haven't met yet. I'm one of the worship leaders here. I just wanna invite you guys to stand as we get ready to sing together. Listen, we believe that church for us is more than a building. It's a place of community, it's a place to belong, and it's a place for us to gather around the presence of God. Seek Him, push into His presence. So that's what we're here for today. Whether you're in the room, you're watching online, or joining us from God Behind Bars, we're just really grateful that y'all are here. And we wanna just focus on Him, and what He's doing in our lives. So today we're gonna sing some songs that encourage our faith, that build us up, but also just a few minutes. We're gonna take communion together. It's gonna be a beautiful time. If you don't already have communion elements, they're right back there by the doors, you can pick them up and just bring them on in with you. So let's sing together, just turn our hearts to Jesus. Let's worship Him. Let's sing, come on. (gentle guitar music) ♪ This is a house of worship ♪

♪ This is a place of praise ♪ ♪ Where every team of triumphs ♪ ♪ Where we proclaim your name ♪ ♪ This is a house of heat ♪ ♪ Our hearts are full of faith ♪ ♪ You have our full attention ♪ ♪ You have the final say ♪ ♪ Just come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ ♪ We pray everything to the feet of Jesus ♪ ♪ Everything in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ ♪ We believe, we believe ♪ ♪ This resurrection power ♪ ♪ Your blood will steal our veins ♪ ♪ Your kingdom trials soul ♪ ♪ He left the coldest grave ♪ ♪ Come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ ♪ We pray everything to the feet of Jesus ♪ ♪ Everything in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ ♪ We say, come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ ♪ We pray everything to the feet of Jesus ♪ ♪ Everything in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪

♪ I still believe your moving ♪ ♪ I still believe your speaking ♪ ♪ God, I believe your working ♪ ♪ All things for good ♪ ♪ Everybody believe that fixed minds on Jesus ♪ ♪ God, I receive your vision ♪ ♪ God, I believe your working ♪ ♪ All things for good ♪ ♪ I still believe your moving ♪ ♪ I still believe your speaking ♪ ♪ God, I believe your work ♪ ♪ All things for good ♪ ♪ I fixed minds on heaven ♪ ♪ God, I receive your vision ♪ ♪ God, I believe your work ♪ ♪ All things for good ♪ ♪ Come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Come alive ♪ We say everything to the feet of Jesus, everything! In the name of Jesus, this is a house of miracles! We say, come alive! In the name of Jesus, come alive! In the name of Jesus, this is a house of miracles! We bring everything to the feet of Jesus, everything! In the name of Jesus, this is a house of miracles! We believe, we believe, we believe, we believe it! Yeah, everything is possible! In the name of Jesus, this is a house of miracles! And I am an instrument of exaltation, and I was born to lift your name above only. You hear the melody of all creation, but there's a song of praise that only I can bring. The West is worth you, the West is worth you.

There is no one only in Jesus, the West is worth you. The West is worth you, there is no one only in Jesus. And you are the Internet, God of the Ages. And yet you chose to make my heart look well and please. You hear my brokenness, show me your glory. So I have songs of things not even angels sing. The West is worth you, the West is worth you. There is no one only in Jesus, the West is worth you, the West is worth you. There is no one only in Jesus, the West is worth you. The West is worth you, there is no one only in Jesus, the West is worth you. The West is worth you, there is no one only in Jesus. The West is worth you, the West is worth you, the West is worth you. The West is worth you, the West is worth you, the West is worth you. The West is worth you, the West is worth you, the West is worth you. ♪ God and lords before the world ♪ ♪ See that on the throne above ♪ ♪ Holy, holy night ♪ ♪ Just warm your tears ♪ ♪ But you prove to us ♪ ♪ My father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ can live it up ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one, there is no one ♪ ♪ Only in Jesus who has its worth it ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪

♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ - I wanna welcome you to Cross Point. So glad you came to praise the perfect God in anything's possible kind of God. And I had some words prepared that I wanted to share, but I really feel like I wanna go in a different direction for somebody in this place today. I think there's somebody here who is aware that you can't be enough for everybody else, that there's somebody in this place that you've tried to make it up to this point, being who everybody needed you to be or wanted you to be or fitting all of the demands of all of the people. And it's overwhelming, and you've come into this place tired. I've got really good news for you. It's through surrender. There is a perfect God who wants to tell you who you are and who wants to fight on your behalf, who wants to protect you, who wants to cover you, who you can rest in him, you can come home to him. And so maybe it's been a minute since you've felt rest in your heart. Not being able to portray rest, but actually felt rest in your soul and in your heart.

Well, Jesus, our Lord, he knew that we were prone to wonder and to strive. And so he gave us this sacrament of communion. I wanna invite you to get your communion elements in your hand. And if you did not receive these on your way in and you're a follower of Jesus and you wanna partake with us, I wanna ask that you would raise a hand in the room. We have a guest experience team that would love to bring these for you. Just keep that hand lifted. Our team is making the way around right now. We've got a gentleman up here towards the front and the center. Just keep that hand lifted. Thank you. While we pass these elements out, I'll tell you Jesus, he knew that we would tend to forget that every good and perfect gift comes from him. That we can experience a life by grace through faith and live a life of surrender and freedom and peace and love and joy, the things that come from him that this is my fruit. This is the fruit of life with me. This is the fruit of surrender. I believe that maybe today would be a moment for some of us to be reminded of that. I wanna share from Scripture today how Jesus painted the picture of communion that we get to partake in today. From 1 Corinthians chapter 11, starting in verse 23, it says, "For I receive from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was here, And when he had given things, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and the blood of the Lord. Verse 28, let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. And so I want to invite you into a moment where maybe you can steal your heart before the Lord, and maybe it helps you to close your eyes and just have a still moment with him. First, I want to ask you to look backward and to make an altar of the things that would remind you that God is faithful, that if you're in Christ, there was a moment where you received salvation from God by grace through faith. That's good news. Maybe it's that you woke up today. Just let him remind you of how good he's been to you. Secondly, I want you to look inward to do what the Bible says to examine your own heart. And we would approach this grace in a worthy manner. As if there'd be any unconfessed sin, anything you would need to confess to him. He already knows, but just take a moment to be honest with him. And finally, I want to invite you to look ahead in your heart

to be reminded that this is a symbol. This is a reminder that Jesus came down from heaven to dwell among us, Emmanuel, God with us, to lay his life down, to be the perfect sacrifice, to make it possible for you to be made right with God. So he laid his life down, he picked his life up, ascended to go prepare a place for you. And the Bible says he's coming back. So we have a living hope. Your hope is alive. Your hope has a name. His name is Jesus. So be reminded of the good news today. So Father, we pray collectively that you would be high and lifted up in our hearts as we remember you in this way today. In Jesus' name we pray, amen, amen. I want to invite you to open the first layer of your cub and get the way for the represents of the bread. Jesus said while he was at the table with his disciples on the night that he was betrayed, he said this bread represents my body, which was broken for you. And as often as you eat or drink, do it and remember it so to be, receive the bread together. [MUSIC PLAYING] Open the cup. That's what grace sounds like. Jesus took the cup for us, the juice. He said this represents my blood, which was poured out for you, and as often as you eat or drink, remember me, strength to cup together.

Father, I just want to say thank you for making a way for us to be together right now. And I pray as we go back into this song, singing a song, that says, who else is worthy? Say, "Jesus, you are the only one that's worthy." Now, you would be magnified today in our worship. I pray collectively you would build our faith as we sing and as we praise our God. And then I pray individually that we would find a voice to sing today to a God that loves us, the one that knows us the best and loves us the most. Thank you for making a way for us to know you. So now we respond in worship. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen, let's sing together. ♪ ♪ ♪ Then I'm of God anointed one ♪ ♪ Buzz of these indents ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ Rise your soul and share it as blood ♪ ♪ Prove to us the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, be lifted ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ Lamb of God anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne above ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ Rise your soul and share it as blood ♪ ♪ Prove to us the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, be lifted up ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪

♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one ♪ ♪ Only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one ♪ ♪ Only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one ♪ ♪ Only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ Who else is worthy? There is no one only you Jesus, there is no one only you Jesus, there is no one only you Jesus. Who else is worthy? There was no way until you made me want grace upon grace, hallelujah. Even though I don't deserve it, you did it. Even though I couldn't earn it, you give it, you sing with us. And who am I that you keep me on your mind? God, I'm just grateful for you. God, I'm just grateful for you. And all my life, you've been right here by my side. God, I'm just grateful for you. God, I'm just grateful for you. Sing, hold me, hold it. There's only the one I give you for it, for all that you've done. Even though I don't deserve it, you did it. Even though I couldn't earn it, you give it. Sing, hold me. Who am I that you keep me on your mind? God, I'm just grateful for you. God, I'm just grateful for you. And all my life, you've been right here by my side. God, I'm just grateful for you. God, I'm just grateful for you. Who am I that you keep me on your mind? God, I'm just grateful for you In all my life You've been right here by my side God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you If God has been good in your life Can I see your shell with hands? Let's give Him gratitude today Thank You Lord, thank You Jesus, come on

We sing this down, come on, lift our heads Sing "I'm lifting both of my hands" You give me chance after chance, after chance Sing "I'm lifting both of my hands" You give me chance after chance, after chance Sing "I'm lifting both of my hands" You give me chance after chance, after chance Sing "I'm lifting both of my hands" You give me chance after chance, after chance Sing "I'm lifting both of my hands" You give me chance after chance, after chance In all my life You've been right here by my side God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you In all my life You've been right here by my side God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you All my life You've been right here by my side God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm here to testify God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you In all my life You've been right here by my side God, I'm just grateful for you All my life You've been right here by my side God, I'm just grateful for you All my life You've been right here by my side God, I'm just grateful for you All my life You've been right here by my side

God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you

God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you God, I'm just grateful for you Everybody needs a little Jesus. I thought it was not funny as they ever heard. I love jam. One of those special things that sits on my desk is this predator's hockey puck. I got this back in 2019. I had been at a church as an associate pastor in Georgia.

And there was a guy named Chad there who gave this to me. Chad started going to that church just a couple of weeks before I did. He was green in his faith, figuring out how to follow Jesus. And Chad is a real dude. I mean, Chad had some wild stories. He would say some wild things. I never wondered what Chad was thinking. He'd just say-- and it was awesome. It was awesome to see God develop a relationship with him in the couple of years that I was at that church. It was super cool. And on the last Sunday at that church before moving up to be the campus pastor at Dixon, as we're all doing the goodbyes and all that kind of stuff, Chad walked up to me. And he handed me this predator's hockey puck. Now, I'm not like a big hockey guy, but I was like, cool, thanks. I mean, I noticed that that was the preds logo. And I was like, that's-- I mean, that's the Nashville hockey team, right? And he goes, yeah, yeah. And I said, what's the story behind this? He goes, well, that's the real deal. This is not something off of Amazon. This is like a hockey puck that they would put on the ice at Bridgestone. I said, that's cool, man. How'd you get ahold of this?

He goes, well, I stole it. I was like, oh, hold on, it gets better. And I said, why? And he said, well, I was drunk. I was like, cool. He told me he was in media, and he had press credentials. And he uses press credentials to sneak into Bridgestone and got kind of a tour around the guts of the building. And he said, there was just a big stack of them on a table, and when he walked by, he just put it in his pocket. I said, since you're going to Nashville, I want you to have this. And I was like, OK. And if anyone's a part of the Fred organization, don't worry about it, OK? But this has sat on my desk for seven years. And every time I see it, I think about Chad. And I smile. And it's not because of the part of the story that I just told you. I mean, maybe that's-- it's not only because of the part of the story that I just told you. There's another half of the story when it comes to why this is one of the most special things in my home. And I smile every time I look at it. I'll tell you the other half of the story. But in a couple minutes, I just want you to be thinking about what are the items that are in your home that tell a story?

And here's an interesting question. What are the items that sit on someone else's desk, on someone else's mantle, that tell one of your stories? And maybe here's the biggest version of that question. One day, you and I will be gone from this earth. And maybe for a lucky, an item will sit on a desk or on a mantle. And that item will tell the entirety of your life story. What will that item be? What story will it tell? And if you could choose today what the item would be and the story that it would tell, what would you choose? And here's an interesting question. Is the story that your life is writing right now, preparing for that item and the story that's going to be told? And listen, if you're here today and you're like, no. I mean, the story that my life is writing is not the one that I want to have remembered. Maybe even if you said, maybe the story that I wrote last night is not the story that I want to have told in my life. I just want to give you some encouragement and let you know that you're in a good place. You made a good decision to come to church today. I want to make sure that you know that the God that we just got done singing to is a God of redemption who redeems even the most broken stories. Because Jesus walked out of a tomb. The story that you might have written this weekend does not have to determine the story that God writes

in your heart today. You made a good decision by coming to church because I want you to see that God can still write the next chapter of your life. And I believe that he can do things in you and through you that you don't even know how to pray for you yet. We're gonna catch back up with Peter who we've been studying Peter through the book of Acts. We saw Peter last year in the gospel of Mark. And we're gonna watch God do amazing things through Peter in these two stories that we're gonna look at today. And for us, it might be like, cool, God's using Peter. But if you knew Peter five years before the passage that we're gonna read the day, you would say Peter is an unlikely candidate to have God do such amazing things through him. 'Cause five years before the passage that we're gonna read, Peter was not a dude who was going to church. Was not a guy who was trying to be a pastor. He was just a blue collar worker running a fishing business with his brother Andrew when Jesus approached him and said, "Follow me." And Peter took Jesus up on that invitation. And Peter followed Jesus, but if you go back through the gospel of Mark or Matthew or Luke or John, what you'll see is Peter was pretty bad at following Jesus. He messed up a ton, like I feel bad for the dude. This is the most read book or collection of books

in the history of existence. And there's a lot of ink dedicated to Jesus going, "Peter, you've got it wrong." Peter, don't do it that way. It's documented here. that every time he falls, every time he stumbles, every time he gets something wrong, he gets back up and continues to follow Jesus. And because of that, years later, the unlikely candidate of Peter has God moving through him in ways that would have been unfathomable at the beginning of his story. But he allowed Jesus to continue to write the next chapter of his story. And I believe the same can be true about you. And you can say whatever happened yesterday, your life will change when you allow Jesus to write the next chapter. And I want you to see that in Peter. Are you ready to catch up with Peter's story? We got him, mm-hmm, over here. So we're gonna do it, all right. So we're gonna be in Acts, chapter nine. The last time that we saw Peter was Acts, chapter six. You might remember this, that in Jerusalem, the word had gotten out, that Jesus was alive, that God is real, and the church started to grow by leaps and bounds. Thousands of people were coming to faith in Christ,

and it was growing so quickly that Peter and all the other disciples had to start delegating and figuring out how they were gonna care for all of the people who were now becoming followers of Jesus. That's the last time that we saw Peter in Acts. Since then, religious and political leaders started persecuting the church, putting Christians in prison and even executing them. And persecution's a terrible thing, but the silver lining of the story is that it led those Christians in Jerusalem to scatter outside of Jerusalem into areas like Judea and Samaria. I've got this map up here just to give a frame of reference for some of the places that we're gonna talk about. They scattered outside of Jerusalem, Judea is way down at the bottom of Samaria is closer to the top. They start going to places like Lyda and Japah and Caesarea. You'll see these towns come up in the next couple of chapters. And here's the crazy thing, although they're going to flee persecution, they're bringing with them the story of Jesus, and they're going to these towns and they're saying, "Guys, God is real." And he's not far off, he's here. He sees the world in its brokenness and its sin, and he hasn't run away from it and said he's run towards it. And he came to earth in the person

that is Jesus, lived a perfect life, died on a cross resurrected from the dead. And when we put our faith in him, we are now righteous before a holy God and we can spend eternity in heaven and have an abundant life here on earth. People are scattering in these areas, sharing this good news, and then little churches start popping up in all of these little towns as people hear the gospel for the very first time. So Peter decides that he wants to go see some of these churches. He starts visiting these areas that are hearing the gospel for the first time, and it's on these visits that we get these two stories that are absolutely amazing. The God takes the unlikely candidate of Peter and does amazing works through him. When we read these stories, I want you to pay attention to two things. One, they are fantastic stories. And also, if you've been around the gospels before, if you've heard of Jesus before, they might sound strangely familiar. So let's hear a little bit of a story of Peter in Acts chapter nine, picking up in verse 32. Luke, the author of Acts says, as Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord's people who lived in Lida. It's about 30 miles outside of Jerusalem. There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.

I don't know. I can't imagine what it's like to be Aeneas. That's a hard story to live. But keep reading, 'cause Aeneas's story is not over. Aeneas Peter said to him, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up, roll up your mat, and immediately Aeneas got up. And all those who lived in Lida and share and saw him and turn into the Lord. That is a wild story. That Peter just says it, and it happens. But the story is not over, so we gotta keep reading. In Japa, which is about 12 miles outside of Lida, in Japa there was a disciple named Tabitha, in Greek her name is Dorkus. She was always doing good and helping the poor. That's a really interesting note. Do you know why? Tabitha is a widow, which means that Tabitha is the poor. 2,000 years ago, if you're a widow, you have no money and no agency. And the story of Tabitha's life summed up in a sentence is that she should have been the one receiving care, yet the story of her life was that she was the one that was giving care. She was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time, she became sick and died. Her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lida was near Japa, so when the disciples heard

that Peter was in Lida, they sent two men, to him and urged him, "Please come at once." There's a lot of wild things happening in these stories. There's some healings going on. The next four words I find to be absolutely amazing. The next four words are Peter went with them. Hold on. Come help." And Peter just goes, "If two men come to me and say, 'Hey, a woman in the next town died. Come help.' You know what I'm thinking? What am I going to do about that?" But Peter just says, "Great. Start moving." And if I'm Peter and I'm heading towards Japa, the question that's going to keep rolling my back in the back of my mind over and over and over again is, "What am I going to do when I get there? What am I going to do?" If you've ever had a moment where you've got to go take care of something, you've got to go help someone on the side of the road, maybe someone's injured and you're on your way there and you're thinking, "I've got to figure something out because what am I going to do?" This happened to Lindsey and I a couple of weeks ago, we had a friend, she's fine. She fell on a walk, not too far from our home. Ended up being okay, but she called us and she said, "Hey, I've fallen and busted up my knee. Can you come help?" It's like, "All right. Let's go."

And on the way there, I'm thinking to myself, "Man, I don't know what I'm going to do. I didn't bring my suture kit. I mean, I don't have a suture kit. I'm not a doctor. What am I going to do when I get there?" She had that big fine, but I was really like, "I guess I'll just help you to the doctor." I know some of you have experienced that and also I know that some of you are here and it's not that you're on your way wondering what is it that I'm going to do. It's life has come to you and all week long you've been asking, "Now, what am I going to do?" I know some of you are here and you've been asking that question all week long because your marriage is falling apart. You think, "What am I going to do?" Your child started using again. You think, "What am I going to do?" You relapsed. What am I going to do? I know some of you are so glad that you have tomorrow off, but you know on Tuesday you've got to have a hard conversation with one of your employees that you should have had six weeks ago and you're thinking, "What am I going to do?" Or you've got hard conversations to have in your family. You've got hard decisions to make in your business or at school. And the question that keeps coming up over and over and over again is, "What am I going to do?" And listen, I think it's fair because what you're facing is big. But I think it's so interesting that there's nothing in this text that says that Peter had that attitude. He's on his way to Japa and it doesn't seem like at all. He's asking, "What am I going to do?" If anything, it seems like he's asking, "What is Jesus going to do?"

And he just goes. So maybe this is another sermon for another day, but I just didn't want to skip past this too quickly. If you've been this week asking yourself, "Man, what am I going to do?" But if in the next seven days you took that anxious sentence and you just turned it into a prayer. And in every time that the sentence comes up, "What am I going to do?" You replace it with, "Jesus, what are you going to do?" Because I trust that you are there and then you get to walk into the thing that you are facing with the confidence of knowing that Jesus is there to and he's going to be the one that leads me through this, to exchange what am I going to do with what is Jesus going to do. It seems to be the case that that's what Peter had in his heart. Peter went with them and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. And all the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes, the other clothing that Dorris made while she was still with him. This is their moment when they take an object. It's not just an object. It tells the story of someone's entire life. And to my understanding, Peter had never met Tabitha at this point. So here the widows are, they are saying, "Peter, you don't understand, man, this isn't just a robe. It's not just fabric. This is not just fiber. This is her life." She was a widow herself. People should have been caring for her and regardless of people caring for her or not, she was the one caring for others. Peter, you don't understand, man. This is not just a robe.

This is who she was. You and I have been in these moments when we walk into funeral homes or we walk into our own home when it's our friend and it's our family member and we try to say it's not just the item. This is the story of someone's life. And I can imagine the widows with tears streaming down their faces desperately trying to get Peter to understand this is who Dorris was. It must have been an overwhelming moment because Peter sent them all out of the room. And then he got down on his knees and he prayed. And turning toward the dead woman he said, "Tabitha, get up." And she opened her eyes and seeing Peter, she sat up. This is a wild moment. It must have been a wild moment for Peter. Imagine if you're Tabitha going, "Who's that guy?" But as powerful as this moment is, I don't want you to miss what's written next. The description of Peter's kindness and his gentleness in this moment says that he took her by the hand and he helped her to her feet. And then he called for the believers, especially the widows. This became known over all of Japa. Many people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Japa for some time with a tainer named Simon. These are fantastic stories from an unlikely source. But not only are they fantastic, if you're familiar with the gospels, if you're familiar with the gospel of Mark, these stories sound suspiciously familiar to somebody else. This is not a true question, just shout it out. Who does Peter sound like in these stories? Okay, you had the right answer.

Now, shout it out as if you know you have the right answer. Who does Peter sound like in these stories? Jesus, so what's happening here? It's not just it's kind of like some stories that we heard. It's almost a word-for-word reproduction of what had already taken place, specifically in the gospel of Mark. So let's recap. Peter rolls up into a town, sees someone who's paralyzed. And then, do you remember what he said? He said these words, "And Nias, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat." It's nearly identical to Mark chapter two. When Peter and the disciples witness Jesus roll into a town, see a man who's paralyzed, and what does Jesus say to that man? Jesus says, "I tell you, get up, take up your mat, and go home." It's nearly the same story. I mean, what does Peter do next? He goes to Japa because two men say, Tabitha has died, come help. And then Peter, when he gets to Japa, finds a group of people who are overwhelmed with grief. He asks all of them to leave, and then he takes Tabitha by the hand, and he says, "Tabitha, get up." And then he presents her to the people who had previously been grieving. That's almost identical to the story

that you're gonna find in Mark chapter five. When a couple of guys come up to Jesus in view of the disciples, and they say, "Tiberius' daughter is sick in dying." Jesus, followed by James, and John, and Peter, follow these men to Tiberius. Jairus', I was like, "That's not right." Next time y'all just call me out. That's not his says. Jairus' daughter, followed to Jairus' daughter's house. By that point, Jairus' daughter had died, and Jesus and the disciples meet a group of people who were overwhelmed with grief. You know what Jesus does? He asks all of them to leave. But he keeps James, and John, and Peter. And he goes to Jairus' daughter, and he says, "Little girl, I say to you, get up." He leads her by the hand, and presents her to the people who were previously grieving. It's nearly the exact same story. So what's going on here? Is Luke, the author of Acts, such a lazy writer that he's just plagiarizing Mark and exchanging Peter's name for Jesus, is Peter such a phony that he's just walking around pretending like he's Jesus? Sometimes a good way to ask these questions is to ask, "What of the original readers of this text have said?" 2,000 years ago, people were reading the book

of Acts for the first time. Would they have been at all surprised at Peter's actions, about how similar Peter is acting to Jesus? Maybe they're surprised at a resurrection. That's a big deal. But would they have been surprised at Peter's similarities to Jesus? Absolutely not. Anyone in the ancient world who understood the relationship between rabbi and disciple would say, "Of course, this is the inevitable outcome of a disciple who follows in the footsteps of his rabbi." Because remember, before Peter ever knew Jesus as Lord and Savior, he knew Jesus as a rabbi, who approached Peter and his brother Andrew on that fishing boat when Jesus said, "Follow me as my disciples." You see, in the ancient world, a rabbi was a well-educated scholar, much like today. And a rabbi would look for young students to follow him and disciple them for up to 15 years. And it wasn't just a metaphor. They would physically follow in the shadow of the rabbi for all of those years. Think of a group of residents following around a doctor, but it's not just while they're at work. It's all the time. And those disciples would learn everything possible about that rabbi. They would learn about how the rabbi thought,

how the rabbi read scripture, how the rabbi interpreted scripture, how the rabbi applied scripture, how the rabbi helped the poor and cared for the community, how the rabbi ate, how the rabbi prayed, how the rabbi slept, how the rabbi rested. They would learn everything about that rabbi, including they would begin to take on the mannerisms of the rabbi and speak like the rabbi and use the figures of speech as the rabbi. They would literally walk like the rabbi difference between the rabbi and the disciple. So nobody would be surprised that Peter is doing literally the exact same things that Jesus did because a disciple who follows in the footsteps of Jesus inevitably begins to look like Jesus. Peter's not becoming Jesus. But Peter had followed Jesus for three years and stumbled his way through it, but followed Jesus for three years. And for the next two years after Jesus' ascension into heaven, Peter continued to follow Jesus as Jesus led him through the Holy Spirit. And the same Holy Spirit that healed the people in Mark is the same Holy Spirit working through Peter in the book of Acts. And Peter looks like Jesus because the disciple who follows in the footsteps of Jesus inevitably looks like Jesus. Which brings up an interesting question for you and me. For those of us who claim Christianity, who says I'm a Christian, for those of us here who say I'm a disciple of Jesus, does the story of our lives reflect Jesus? Do you and I look more like Jesus today than on the day that we were baptized? Do we look more like Jesus today than a year ago? I guess the most honest way, the quickest way to get to an honest answer with that question is what if I ask the people in your life? If I ask your kids or your spouse, your friends, your co-workers, your classmates, the neighbors that you like and the neighbors that you don't like. If I said, hey, tell me a little bit about them. Your story would start with your name. How soon would it take for them, how long would it take for them to get to Jesus' name? And I'm not here to cast judgment or to throw shade. This is tough. I think it's tough in our culture because I think in our western church culture, we are enamored by the idea that Jesus is our Savior, which he is. We're enamored by the idea that God himself, because of the blood that

was poured out on the cross, would save us from our sin with a free gift of salvation. We're enamored by the idea that our belief in our salvation is in the name of Jesus. And then we also struggle to follow Jesus as Lord. Because this might be your story. You found out that salvation is a free gift that is offered to you. And you said, Jesus, would you cleanse me of my sins? And he did. And you got baptized. And then you said, I want to start following Jesus now. So you opened up his word and that you realize, man, in order to follow Jesus, it means that I need to have a hard conversation with my boyfriend or girlfriend. Because the story that we are writing is not a story of a couple who is following Jesus. And I don't know if I'm ready to take that step. So I'm just going to turn the page. But then we keep reading and then we realize, man, in order for me to follow Jesus, I think I need to reconsider the way that I've been treating my body, the way that I've been treating other people, the way that I speak of and speak to people who believe things that are completely different than me. And I don't know if I'm ready for that. So I'm just going to turn the page. And then we realize, man, if I'm really going to follow Jesus, it means that I need to reconsider what I do with my time, what I do with my gifts, what I do with my money, what I do with my free time. And I don't know if I'm ready to do that. So I'm just going to turn the page. And although we might not say it with our mouths, we can build a faith. Our faith can tell a story that says, I believe in Jesus for my salvation. I just don't trust him with my life. And if that's the story of your faith, what will inevitably happen is that you'll start saying sentences like, yeah, I used to go to church, but I don't know, we just kind of fell away. You'll inevitably say, man, I used to pray a lot, but I just kind of felt like it stopped working. You'll inevitably say, man, I worked so hard to get this sin and these strongholds, these broken pieces out of my life, but you know, had one bad week and I fell back right into him. Because the story of your faith is a faith that is fully in conflict with itself. And it might just be the case that it's because we accepted Jesus' invitation to believe in him, but we did not accept Jesus' invitation to follow him. But Peter got to this moment where his life looks like Jesus because even when he stumbled, he got back up and said, Jesus, what are you going to do? I don't know, but I'm going to follow you. And I believe that Jesus is ready to write the next chapter of your life. Here's the thing, that chapter won't be written unless you take the things that you believe and put them into action by following Jesus. And I think you know this. I think the reason why you're here is because you know this, that Jesus has led you to the edge of the river that is the story

that he wants to write in your life. He has led you to the water's edge and you know as well as I do. He didn't lead you here so that you could just peer into it and look. He led you here so that you would jump in with both feet and be swept away by a life of grace. It's not necessarily an easier life, but a beautiful life as a disciple of Jesus. But you and I also both know that knowing That is a decision that you have to make for yourself. And I know it's costly, like the reality is that discipleship is costly, salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you something and the thing that it will cost you is your life. When Jesus went to Peter and Andrew on that boat and he said, "Follow me." Do you know what Peter and Andrew had to do in order to follow Jesus? They had to drop their fishing nets, step out of the life that they were writing for themselves in order to step into the life that Jesus was writing for them. But Peter never gets to this moment where the Holy Spirit is doing miraculous things through him and lest Peter not only believes in Jesus, it only happens if Peter also follows Jesus. And man, this is what I want for you. With everything in me, this is what I want for you. Can I take off the pastor hat for a minute, take off the preacher hat? And can I just tell you what I think? Okay, I'm gonna say it anyway. (audience laughing) I want you to follow Jesus because there is a chapter of your life

that you will never experience until you live the things that you say that you believe. I want you to be a disciple who day by day looks more like Jesus. In the most basic, straightforward way to do that, if you wanna know my opinion, I want you to be in a small group and serve at a team at cross point. And I know some of you are thinking, of course you'd say that, you're a pastor there, you work there, you just want more volunteers. Of course, I want more volunteers. We're a growing church that's led by volunteers, but if you know me well, you've heard this before, I really don't like that phrase, we need more volunteers. I've said it, you've said it, we've all said it. But I don't want you to serve on a team at cross point because we need some more warm bodies in a room. I want you to serve on a team at cross point because there is a part of your faith that will never make sense until you put it into action. Here's what I want for you. I want you on a Sunday morning to open the door for someone who has anxiety in their eyes and in their shoulders because they have not been to a church for a long time or never been to a church. And everything in them is saying, get back in the car and leave with this is a bad idea. But I want them to see your eyes and your smile

and to hear your voice saying, hey, welcome to cross point. And I want you to watch how their eyes and their shoulders start to relax as they start to think maybe it's true that everyone is welcome here. And I can bring my questions, then I can bring my baggage. I want you to see what the Holy Spirit does in the lobby every Sunday, but you won't see it if you're not serving on a guest experience team. I want you to see in the kids hall, I want you to look into the eyes of a child who is starting to realize, wait, the stories of Jesus aren't just the fairy tales that I hear in every other corner of my life, but these are true stories. And you know that these are the true stories that are going to guide them through their entire life. I want you to see what Jesus does in the eyes of that child, but you won't see it if you're not serving on a kids team. I want you to experience the beautiful awkwardness of the neighbor that you like and the neighbor that you don't like walking into your living room because you're hosting a small group. And you look at both of them and you say, I don't have all the answers, but we're going to read some Bible and pray for each other.

And I want you to watch how your living room becomes holy ground. But it won't happen if you don't lead a small group. And I want you to see if the Holy Spirit isn't reserved just for people who are really good at playing all these instruments and singing really loud. But God has created you and put a spirit in you to create environments where people can connect with each other and with Jesus. I want you to see what the Holy Spirit does in the production booth at Tuesday night at college and Wednesday night at students and on Sunday mornings. I want you to see what worship looks like from the back of the room, but you won't see it if you don't sign up to be on a production team. Oh, friends, I so desperately want you to know and to see that the revival that we have been praying for for years is literally happening every Wednesday night at cross point students and every Sunday morning it's happening in that room. Right now what we have been praying for is taking place in the next generation, but you won't see it if you don't show for students and with everything in me. I want you to hear the most beautiful testimonies in the world that are spoken by inmates at the Deborah Johnson Rehabilitation Center. I want you to hear what God is doing in a prison,

but you won't hear those testimonies if you don't say, hey, how do I serve with God behind bars? I want you to not only know the blessing of believing in Jesus, I want you to know the blessing of following Jesus, but it's going to require that you take a step because you can't follow anything while standing still. And dads, kind of speak to dads for a minute, I'll throw moms in on this too. We can model this for our children. We can model for our children the difference between going to church and believing in Jesus and following Jesus, but we have to be honest with each other, there is an expiration date. We don't like to think about it, but there is a day coming when we are no longer here for our children. At best, we are a shadow in their memories, and we are an object on their desk or on their mantle. But what a gift it would be. For decades from now, when your kids are old and gray, thin skin, and someone comes into their home, and they see an object on their desk or they see an object on their mantle. And they say, "Hey, what's that?" And imagine the gift it would be if your son or your daughter said, "Oh, let me tell you about my dad. Let me tell you about my mom." And he wasn't a perfect man to say one thing. He followed Jesus, and then he invited me to come along so I would know what it meant to follow Jesus, too.

I don't know what story you wrote this weekend or last week or last month, but the story that was written yesterday does not have to determine the story that starts today. And the decisions that we make today determine that story that's going to be told tomorrow. So can I go one level deeper in just making this really practical? If this is the first time you've ever come to Crosspoint, I hope before you leave, you do go to the Info Center. There's a team of people that want to shake your hand, look in the eye, tell you welcome to Crosspoint, and help you allow Jesus to write the next chapter of your story. So I hope that you do, and I hope next Sunday you come back here. If you've come to Crosspoint more than three times and you're not in a group and you're not serving on a team, then I hope that you go to the lobby and go to the Info Center or go to the group station out in the lobby and just say this sentence, "Can you help me get started?" and allow Jesus to begin writing the next chapter of your life. If you're watching online or listening online for any other reason than being sick or out of town, would you come to church next Sunday? We have a seat waiting for you. And listen if you tell yourself, "Crosspoints too big, it's too loud, and the rooms are too dark, fair." Then will you at least type into the chat, "Help me find a church," because I believe so much of what God is doing in the churches in Middle Tennessee that I guarantee we can help you find a church that fits the season of life that you're in. But would you and I today decide that we're not going to be people who believe in Jesus and not follow Him, but we're going to believe Jesus so much that we're going to say, "Jesus, I follow you into the future," because I trust what I can't yet see. And if any part of you feels anxious, I can't do that, I can't talk to someone after the service, I can't join a group, I can't go serve somewhere, because what am I going to do? What am I going to do when I get there? What am I going to say? I get that that's a fair anxiety.

I'm just saying, maybe this week you turn that anxious question into a hopeful prayer. You say, "Jesus, what are you going to do when I show up? Jesus, what are you going to do when I put myself in a position to live out the things that I say that I believe?" And then like Peter, go, "Alright, Jesus, what are you going to do? Let's go." And if we do that, even if you feel like an unlikely candidate, you can watch how as you follow Jesus, and as you stumble and as you get back up and as you trip on your own toes, as you follow Jesus day by day, you begin to look more like Jesus. You don't become Jesus, you look more like Him. And if you choose to follow Jesus, you know what will happen? He will show you the miracle. I promise you, He will show you the miracle. I can't guarantee that you're going to heal someone who's paralyzed or raise someone from the dead. If you do, email me, [email protected]. I want to hear that story, but I can guarantee you that you will see the greater miracle. Because the greater miracle is not those healings. Remember, anytime you see a physical healing in Scripture or in your personal life, a physical healing is always pointing to a greater work that God is doing. And I'm sure Anais and Tabitha were grateful for the miracle that they received, but there was a greater miracle at play. And we read it. In verse 35, all those who lived in Lida and Sharon saw Peter and turned to the Lord. This became known all over Japa and many people believed, not in Peter, in the Lord. Anais and Tabitha got old and died one day, but the people who witnessed their story turned to the Lord and are also now in heaven. Because Jesus allowed Peter to write the next chapter of his story, it impacted the story of those around him. When you allow Jesus to write the next chapter of your story, it will impact the story of

those around you. And maybe one day that story is going to be told by an object sitting on a desk. So we'll finish where we started. If you remember, ciao. that I worked at this church in Georgia. I asked him how he got it, and he said, "I stole it." I asked him why, and he said, "I was drunk." I don't remember looking at Chad going, "Buddy, I'm still your pastor for like 10 more hours. "Why are you telling me this?" And then he got a really sincere look on his face, and while I was holding it, he pointed to this, and he said, "James, because that's who I was, "and that's not who I am anymore." As you go off to Nashville, I want you to remember that. And this has saddled my desk for seven years, and every time I see this puck, I think of Chad, and every time I think of Chad, I think of Jesus. How Jesus took an unlikely candidate, and because Chad continued to follow Jesus, made him more and more like him. I called, there's a bonus to the story, I called Chad this week for two reasons. One, I wanted to get his permission to say all that. But I also just wanted to check in. I hope he's doing well. I hate for him to be in a bad spot, and this not be the right story to tell right now. And can I tell you, it was my favorite conversation I've had in all of 2026.

The day before I called him, I found out that he had been recently been going through something really difficult. So I also just wanted to check in to see how he was doing. So we connected on the phone, and the first question I asked was like, "Man, I know you're going through some tough things. "How are you doing?" And he said, "Man, I'm doing great. "I've got so much peace. "I thought I was going to wake up this morning "and be really upset, be really mad. "But I got so much peace, because I know that God's got me, "and he's going to leave me to wherever I need to be." I was like, "Man, that's so good to hear." I started asking him about how life has been, and he starts telling me about the church, and about serving, and I was like, "Oh, so you're still going to that same church, "and are you serving in that church?" He goes, "Oh yeah, you won't believe it, man." They made me the vice president of the Council of Ministries. And I'm looking at a dude who was like, "I stole this, and now I'm watching a man "who is a follower of Jesus." And the beautiful thing is, seven years ago, when I had that conversation, I had watched Chad allow Jesus to write his next chapter, and for seven years, he did it again, and again, and again, and again.

And he may have looked at himself 10 years ago and saying, "I'm not that guy." But Jesus looked at him and said, "No, you're one of my boys." And I've got a chapter. And the reason why Peter was able to do what he did, the reason why Chad is living the life that he's living, is not only because they believed in Jesus, but they followed Jesus. In a moment, we're gonna pray, and we're gonna spend just a couple minutes singing, and my encouragement is instead of rushing out to the parking lot, you use this time to say, "Jesus, will you make clear for me "the step that you want me to take "so that you can write the next chapter of my life?" And then would you have the courage to step into it? And maybe, maybe, one day an object will sit on someone's desk or on someone's mantle. And that object will trigger a story that begins with your name and ends with Jesus. It begins when today we say, "I'm ready to take that step, be a follower of Jesus, "and let Jesus write the next chapter." Let me pray for you, and then we'll continue to worship. Jesus, thank you for Peter. God, thank you for my buddy, Chad. And God, thank you that you are still in the business of redeeming every story. (gentle music)

Jesus, I pray that your spirit would fill this room like water into a glass. And we would not be able to help but to take a step into the life that you're calling us into, the story that you're ready to write on our hearts. Jesus, I pray specifically for the unlikely candidates in this room. God, would you give them a testimony that says, "Oh, yeah, that's who I was. "That's not who I am." May their story end with your name, the name of Jesus, and the name of you, pray. Amen. (gentle music) ♪ So come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ ♪ We bring everything to the feet of Jesus ♪ ♪ Everything in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ ♪ So come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ ♪ We bring everything to the feet of Jesus ♪ ♪ Everything in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ This is a house of miracles ♪ God, I believe your word, all things for good And I've expressed something, God, I've received your vision God, I believe your word, all things for good I still believe your word, I still believe you'll speak

God, I believe your word, all things for good I think sighs on hand, God, I receive your vision God, I believe your word, all things for good Come alive in the name of Jesus, come alive in the name of Jesus This is the house of miracles We bring everything to the feet of Jesus, everything in the name of Jesus This is the house of miracles You come alive in the name of Jesus, come alive in the name of Jesus This is the house of miracles We bring everything to the feet of Jesus, everything in the name of Jesus This is the house of miracles (upbeat music) [BLANK_AUDIO]