Live Free with Josh Howerton - Peter’s Heart Transformation // Acts 10:9-16

Episode Date: November 25, 2024

Have you ever felt challenged to step out of your comfort zone to love others? Today, we follow Peter as God begins a deep work in his heart, challenging him to break down the walls of prejudice he’s carried his entire life. Through a vision, God shows Peter that His love extends far beyond cultural and religious boundaries. Though hesitant, Peter starts to understand that following Jesus means embracing all people, even those he’d once excluded. This story encourages us to examine our own hearts, praying for God to reveal any hidden biases that keep us from truly loving others.   For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive  

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, what is up? Hope you all had a great weekend. My name is Bro, and this is the Daily Driver. We spend a few minutes diving into God's Word Monday through Friday, and we have been going through the fifth book of the New Testament called the Book of Acts, and today we hit chapter 9. It's the story of a guy who we met a few episodes back. His name is Saul, and he is a passionate and treacherous guy. He is so steeped in religion that he really doesn't know God. And you know what? That can happen to anyone. Saul is a religious rulekeeper, but he's also bigoted, prideful, angry, and extremely dangerous.

He is determined to eradicate this new thing called the Church of Jesus Christ, because he hates all things Jesus. That is, until he meets him. So Saul is hunting down anybody who wants to belong to what's referred to as the way. he has been directed by the religious leaders to do whatever he has to do to put an end to this. But God has other plans. Saul is taking his tour of terror on the road, and he's headed to a place called Damascus when a bright light from heaven blinds him, like knocks him off his horse.

And he and all those who are with him, they hear a voice from heaven asking, Saul, they saw, why are you persecuting me? And Saul comes back with, Who are you? and the voice says, I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Then he tells him to get up and go to the city

and to await further instructions. Let me just read verse 7 through 9. The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone's voice, but Saul no one. Saul picked himself up off the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.

There he remained blind for three days. and did not eat or drink. He was blinded by the light of the resurrected Jesus, and now he's got a bunch of time to think about what had just happened to him. You know, I love that old, old gospel song, I saw the light. It says, I wondered so aimless, my heart filled with sin. I wouldn't let my dear Savior in. Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night, praise the Lord.

I saw the light. Just like a blind man, I wandered alone, worries and fears I claimed for my own. Then like the blind man that God gave back his sight, praise the Lord. I saw the light. I saw the light. I saw the light. No more in darkness, no more in night. Now I'm so happy, no sorrow in sight. Praise the Lord. I saw the light. That's Saul's story. That's my story. And I'm guessing many of years as well. Well, there's this guy living in Damascus named Ananias. And Jesus speaks to him in a vision saying, I want you to go over to Straight Street.

I'm sending you a pen. The owner of the house is named Judas. When you get there, ask for a man named Saul. You may have heard of him. He's from Tarsus. I uniquely told him that you were going to be coming, so he'll be expecting you. He knows you're coming as my representative

to lay hands on him and restore his sight. Well, Ananias comes back with, you're kidding, right? Really? I know all about Saul. I've heard all kinds of people tell terrible stories. of what this guy's done. He is ruthless, and he is on mission. He's been authorized to throw anyone in jail who believes in Jesus. And then the Lord says back, I know all that. You need to go.

I have chosen Saul to take my message of salvation to the Gentiles and to kings and to his own people, and I'm going to tell him straight up how much he will suffer for my name as he does it. So you need to go find him. So Anonias agrees, and he goes and he finds Saul. Now remember, Saul is still blind from his experience with the light of the world, so Anonias lays his hands on him and calls him Brother Saul, and tells him that Jesus, the one you met out on the road, he has sent me to you. I'm here so you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately Saul regains his sight, and he gets up and he's baptized into Christ. And gang, that begins.

One of the most amazing journeys of faith the world has ever seen. this former hit man for the mob, known as the Sanhedron, begins to preach boldly about Jesus, telling everyone that Jesus is the Messiah, that Jesus is the Son of God. And as he began to spread the message the guys he used to work for, they now want to kill him. And that threat would follow him for the rest of his life.

Now, we're going to spend a good chunk of time following him around as we go through the rest of the book of Acts. But let me just stop right now and say this. Jesus can save anybody Jesus can change anybody I mean you can run from God but he will pursue you with his relentless love

you cannot outrun his grace he can and will redeem recycle restore all the rebellion all the misdirected passions no one is hopeless Jesus can save anybody he can change anybody and he can use

anybody And I pray that you would encounter him, that you would see the light, so to speak, and surrender to his love and his leadership. I mean, Saul's story gives me so much hope. And I pray it does you too. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Have a great day. I'll see you back here tomorrow.

Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend. services on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information about all the digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint. compt.ch slash daily drive. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out.