God’s Story Changes Everything
Bryan Jones
September 22, 2024
A. Introduction
So, this is where we are investing our budget so we can see more stories like this…
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.
Revelation 12:11a (NLT)
This verse in Revelation is a unique verse… it talks about a dragon and chaos and darkness, but when you boil it down, what this verse is really saying is how we overcome Satan and darkness…
The way we do this is first by God’s story, and second is our story.
I became a Christian at a church camp years ago… I wasn’t looking for God. I wasn’t interested in God. I went to this camp because of a really spiritual reason; a girl invited me. In fact, at the camp, I took a dare to wear something called an abtronic… it’s supposed to shock your muscles and give you a six-pack and ripped ab muscles… and if you are wondering if it works, I am living proof it doesn’t J. But I was at this camp, and the pastor began to talk about Jesus, and it was like my heart for the first time was coming alive… The best part is the preacher would preach, and when he paused, you would hear this… buzz… buzz from the abtronic, but I was so stirred I didn’t even remember I had it on… I went up to the preacher after his message to give my life to Jesus, and when we were talking, he asked, What’s that noise? I said, Don’t worry about that… tell me more about this Jesus… God had completely hijacked my heart…
And I just want to say thank you to Brookwood. Because of your giving to the ministry plan, stories like this happen…
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Ever since then, I have had this personal belief that the story of Jesus is just too good to keep to ourselves…
We believe God’s story changes our story.
B. God’s Story Changes Everything
- It changes your PAST.
(1 Peter 1:18-19)
Notice it says the blood of the Lamb—Jesus is called the Lamb of God, who takes away all our sins. See, if I do something wrong to you, I can’t just undo it… you either have to absorb the loss or retaliate. When it comes to sin, God could give us what we deserve, but instead, He gave Jesus what we deserve.
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not paid mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)
There was a powerful story of a man who committed a terrible sin when he was younger, and he had this satanic guilt that just kept eating away at him, so he decided to become a priest and try to redeem his past. So, he started serving for 10 years, then 20, then 30, but he still had this guilt. There was the movement of God that broke out in a Parrish church down the road from him, and there was a nun there who had this miraculous prayer life. So, he scheduled an appointment, and he said, If you are someone who meets with God and hears from Him, what sin did I commit years ago? She said, Do you really want to know? And he said yes… So, she went to meet with God, and she came back, and she said, I heard from God… and He said He doesn’t remember the sin you’ve committed, and you are deeply loved… and he just broke down… he had been trying to pay back what God had already paid for.
- It also affects your PRESENT.
Because of the blood of Jesus, you are a new creation… but to be new means you aren’t what you once were … do you know who you are… what the Bible says about you… not one day… at this present moment…
- His great Possession
- Child of God
- Craftmanship created with a purpose
- Friend of God
- Temple of the living God
- Co heir
- Co laborer
- Witness
- Mighty warrior
- Chosen
- Light in darkness
- Healed by his stripes
- City on a hill
- More than a conqueror
- Set free from sin
- Eternally safe
- Powerful and unshakable
- Free from condemnation
- Holy in the sight of God
These are just a few of them. It would take me all day to do… this is who you are in Jesus.
- This changes your FUTURE.
When this verse was written, the Roman Empire was at its peak. Do you know the Roman Empire was flourishing? Augustus Caesar, the previous emperor, was considered a god. Rome had these huge cities, a huge army, and an empire behind him.
Do you know what wasn’t a huge movement? The church… If Jesus was a stock… no one… no one would have bet on Him…
You know, I called a couple of people in our church about some retirement stuff, and I was asking them about mutual funds and stock… This one guy starts doing all these data and figures with percentages… and I said to him, This stock doesn’t look good this year… and he said to me, You can’t look at it for one year alone… Look at its origin. Look at its lifespan… That’s how you can gage…
If Jesus was a stock… no one… no one would have bet on Him… yet fast forward 300 years after this letter, the Roman Empire is crumbing and literally bowing its knees to the One name that is above every other name… The name of Jesus.
… Don’t judge the movement of Jesus by our moment in history… He has a 2,000-year, I repeat, a 2,000-year history of transformation and longevity. The Kingdom of God is unshaken and hindered by our cultural moment.
And, not only that, your future is eternally secure in Jesus… think about what arguably the most famous verse in the Bible says…
“For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 (NLT)
And here’s the final thing I want you to know: your story is worth sharing…
Your testimony is worth sharing because of how amazing your Savior is, not how amazing your story is. You and I are not the chief character…
He’s the hero of the story. Check this out!
I just want to thank you again for your generosity. It blesses so many people… I’m so grateful for this church.