Do you have a cause bigger than you?

Steve Brown:
Hey, do you have a cause bigger than you? Let’s talk about it, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
Being adopted into the family of God is not about doing more or trying harder. It’s about being welcomed by God because of His radical grace, free from the penalties of sin and never alone in your suffering, that grace is what Key Life is all about.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. Hope you guys had a great week-end and I hope your pastor’s sermon was as good as my pastor’s sermon. By the way, I heard something recently. I was listening to a talk show, and somebody was asked, What do you do about the craziness in our country? And it is crazy. Things are up that used to be down, and down that used to be up. Definitions have changed. People are saying things they would never have said before. There is no embarrassment, no conviction. Things that were considered evil are now considered good. Doesn’t that drive you nuts? Well, at any rate, and by the way, I’m doing a seminar at the Cove toward the end of the summer on how to deal with the crazy world. I wouldn’t have to do this seminar if people would listen to me. The most important thing you can do about the craziness in the world is to be a part of the church and support it. That’s it? Yeah, it really is. It’s the place where you take a stand. It’s the place where you take a stand with others. It’s a place where you take a stand that the world can see. And so, if you’re listening to this and you’re substituting this or something on the internet or some broadcast somewhere for being a part of a church, stop it. Join the church, stand with it, and support it. That’s the most important, it may not be the most important, but it’s close, the most important thing you can do. And I’m saying all of that because I generally say I hope your pastor’s sermon was as good as my pastor’s sermon. And for you to know that, you have to be there. Hey, if you’re just joining us, we’re studying the Book of Acts, and we’re up to the 21st chapter of the Book of Acts. Before we turn to that, let’s go before the throne. Father, we come into your presence, and we come with joy because we have been invited. We’re not just servants, we live in the big house. You are our Father, and you called us from the foundation of the earth to yourself. Remind us, Father, of who we are. Remind us of your love. Remind us of home. Father, you know everybody who’s listening to this broadcast, and you know the hard places and the soft places, the tears and the laughter, and you are God, Sovereign, Creator, Ruler and Sustainer of all of that, and sufficient for every need. Please remind us of that, too. And Father, as always, as we study your Word on this broadcast, we pray for the one who teaches, that you would forgive him his sins, because they are many. We would see Jesus and him only. And we pray in Jesus name, Amen. We’re looking at Acts 21:1 through 16. Let me read a portion. I’ve read that entire thing to you, but let me read starting at the 7th verse.

When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemus, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. On the morrow we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. And he had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. While we were staying for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, took Paul’s girdle and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we heard this, we and the people there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I’m ready not only to be in prison but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” and when he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “The will of the Lord be done.”

Now, there’s something that is in that text that is not specifically mentioned, and it’s this, that the Apostle Paul, as he looked to Jerusalem, was not happy about it. He was afraid, and you can find that throughout his letters. There was fear. that got to him deeply, but he still went to Jerusalem knowing that he might die. And so, what we’ve been talking about last week and most of this week we’re going to talk about is what do you do when you’ve got to do something that is absolutely scary, but you know you’ve got to do it. There’s a great quote from Basil King. Let me read some of it to you.

When I say that during most of my life, I have been the prey of fear, I take it I am expressing the case of most people. I cannot remember a time when dread of one kind or another was not in the air. In childhood, it was the fear of going to bed. Later, it was the fear of school. Still later, it was the experience of waking in the morning with a feeling of dismay at the amount of work that had to be done before night. In some form or another, fear dogs every one of us.

And you say, well, it doesn’t me, I’ve got courage. No, you don’t. You can’t have courage unless you have fear. If you don’t have any fear, and I think you’re living in denial, if you don’t have any fear, then you can’t have any courage because courage is only manifested in the face of fear. So, if you’re afraid, and I am on several occasions, I struggle with it just like Basil King. I struggle with fear. I used to, I used to be very afraid of getting on an airplane. I, the head of the old Pan Am Airlines, the large airline that eventually went down, was a member of my church, and he took me through the training of the pilots at Pan Am. I even flew the, I even flew the simulator and he said, don’t you feel better? And I said, no, I feel worse. There, I never knew so much could go wrong with an airplane. And he laughed and said, well, you’ve got to get on it anyway. And I did. Every other day I was getting on an airplane going somewhere and scared to death. And somebody said to me, you’re ordained, you shouldn’t be afraid, you’re a Christian. And I tell those people, when you see me getting on an airplane, you’re looking at more courage than you’ve ever encountered in your life because if there’s no fear, there’s no courage. And every time I got on the airplane, I said, Jesus, I wouldn’t do this for anybody but you. And I got on the airplane. And that was courage what do you do when you’re afraid? How do you deal with it? Well, first, we have seen last week that you notice that when Paul was afraid, he sought out Christian fellowship. He knew that in the fear, he wanted somebody to walk with him. And then we saw that he went to the source of a sovereign God who was in charge of everything. In other words, the Apostle Paul was a man of prayer, Acts 21:5. Now, I don’t have much time to talk about it today, but we will tomorrow. There’s a third thing that the Apostle Paul did, and that is when he was afraid, he found himself committed to a cause bigger than himself. Is there something in your life that is bigger than you? The watchword of our culture, our woke culture, is whatever. Sometimes it’s being committed to a cause that is worthless. Sometimes it’s silly. And that’s one of the reasons that there is so much fear in our culture, so much depression, so much pain. It’s because we commit to the wrong cause, and that cause is not bigger than you are. And so, we end up being self righteous and shallow and afraid. But if you can find a cause, and I have some good suggestions I’ll give you tomorrow. If you can find a cause bigger than yourself, it will deal with your fear in an amazing way. Oh, I’ll say it anyway. It’s Jesus. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve Brown. So great to dive back into this, our months long exploration of the Book of Acts. Today we got into chapter 21: verses 1 through 16. And of course, we’ll continue unpacking that Scripture in the days to come. Hope you will join us for that. Well, in our talk radio show, Steve Brown Etc. we always speak with interesting and insightful folks week after week, but every now and then there’s a guest that you just wish you could actually hang out with for a whole day. That was the case with author and filmmaker Jared Brock. In his new book, A God Named Josh, he explores the surprising implications of a Savior who is both wholly God and wholly human. It was an entertaining and delightful conversation that we’d love you to hear for yourself, for free. So, call us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that CD. Or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact for our mailing addresses. Just ask for your free copy of the CD featuring Jared Brock. And finally, if you value the work of Key Life, would you support that work through your giving? You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or just pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950 to give safely and securely. That’s Key Life, one word, two words. It doesn’t matter. Just text that to 28950, then follow the instructions. And as always, if you can’t give, please do pray for us. Actually, pray for us even if you do give. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.