Totally Detoxed: How God Makes You Clean [Part 1]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. Dear sleep, I'm sorry I hated you when I was a young kid. Right now, I love you very much, and I cherish every moment with you. Isn't that funny? As little kids, we're like, we hate it. In the bedtime, oh no, now we're as adults, we're like, where's the bed? Thank you, yes, Jesus.

Jesus, forgive me some sleep. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Unlimited, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I'm going to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.

As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org. Or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Now, more on this later in the program, but right now, let's get started with today's teaching. Here is Alan Wright. Are you ready for some good news?

Yes! God can energize anyone in this exhausting season. He's the source of life. And no matter how tired you feel, there's energy, there's life in Jesus Christ and in His gospel. We are in a series on Acts. I called it Unlimited because really the book of Acts is about this amazing seed that started with a few disciples meeting in a few homes that we saw in the church. There was unlimited scope of influence that would soon take over the world and that the power of the gospel is unlimited through the people of God. And we last week learned about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who was a Pharisee, a most likely a rabbi and a persecutor, a hater of Christians who hated Jesus and wanted to stamp out this movement that was initially called The Way. He wanted to stamp out Christianity. And Saul of Tarsus, who we know better as the Apostle Paul, met Jesus in a shocking way. He was on his way to Damascus to persecute and imprison Christians there. And while on the way, the Shekinah glory of God came upon him and a brilliant light surrounded him. And the voice of Jesus spoke to him and said, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And in this experience, this mighty persecuting religious leader was blinded and for three days had no food and was led like a little child around Damascus. He had a papers in hand authorizing him to arrest people.

But now he's too weak and blind to arrest anybody. The mighty Saul of Tarsus is humbled. And soon by God's direction, a Christian named Ananias was authorized to lay hands on Saul. And when he did, something like scales fell off Saul's eyes and he was filled with the Holy Spirit and immediately began to preach the gospel.

We're picking up reading in Acts chapter nine at verse 20, Acts nine, verse 20. And immediately speaking of Saul of Tarsus, he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues saying he is the son of God and all who heard him were amazed and said, is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose to bring them bound before the chief priests? And Saul all the more increased in strength and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. He was so smart and he knew the scriptures so well that once he had the revelation of Jesus, he saw that the whole of the scriptures were about Jesus. And so from the scriptures and by signs and wonders he was proving to them that Jesus was the Messiah. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul.

They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples and they were all afraid of him for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he'd seen the Lord who spoke to him and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists, but they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. It is not for today, but I love that line. Sometime we need to talk about that and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the Church of Jesus Christ multiplied in all in reverence of the majesty of God.

And in the encouragement and comfort daily of the Holy Spirit, the church was growing like wildfire. Everybody seems to have this in common during pandemic. Everybody's tired. You know, we don't even ask each other, how you doing anymore? We just say, are you hanging in there? It feels like it's the wrong question to say, how you doing? What do you mean how I'm doing? I'm doing terrible. It's a pandemic. So we just say you hanging in there?

Are you making it through? And everybody says, yeah, yeah. But almost everybody says, you know, they're tired.

So there's some pretty cute things I've seen online. One young person tweeted this out and said, grandpa said, of my grandpa, he said, I served in World War II, the Korean War and built my own house. Me, I find I'm too tired to text people back. So you know, some contrast there, but even the old, old guys are feeling it too. One said, I'm retired. I was tired yesterday. I'm tired again today. So I'm retired.

That's what it means to be, you know, that was meant to be retired. And this was cute. Someone said, dear sleep. I'm sorry. I hated you when I was a young kid.

Right now. I love you very much. And I cherish every moment with you.

Isn't that funny? As little kids, we're like, we hate bedtime. Oh no. Now we're as adults.

We're like, where's the bed? Thank you. Yeah, it's Jesus. Jesus.

So give me some sleep. You know, one thing I haven't heard anybody say to me during pandemic is boy, this global pandemic really has me energized. People are stressed and isolated.

And as I hope to explain stress, which is a fear and isolation, being alone, loneliness are exhausting. And we pick up a story today in the life of Paul that has me fascinated with the fact that this leading Hebrew religious zealot was suddenly humbled, lost all of his energy for three days. He doesn't even eat. And then when he's filled with the Holy Spirit, he has more energy in the opposite direction than he had before going down the wrong path. But he had a sense of zeal and purpose in his life when he was nothing more than a legalist and a persecutor of Christians. So there is a counterfeit source of energy and a real source.

And I want to show you today the counterfeits. I want to show you what's real and want to look at the life of Saul of Tarsus, the apostle Paul, and just keep in mind this incredible transformation because all the things that he had that he used to count on for making himself feel alive, a Pharisee, a rabbi, a respected authority, had power over people to persecute them and even imprison them. All that's gone. And now what he has is he's being persecuted.

He has to be let down through a basket to escape with his life. That was the auspicious beginnings of the apostle Paul's ministry. Welcome to the ministries, Saul. And soon will be flogged, shipwrecked, beaten, and imprisoned. And he's got more energy with all of that. And he doesn't have any of the things that the world say will make you feel alive. Wow.

That's Alan Wright. And we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Would you love a better marriage? You don't need more good advice.

You need more good news. Marriages like people aren't changed by human effort or even by applying principles. Marriages are changed by the gospel of grace. In six video sessions, Pastor Alan and his wife Anne lead you and your spouse into a fresh encounter with the God of grace. You'll learn a simple grace-filled process that makes great communication easy. You'll discover the freedom of forgiveness and the power of celebration. You'll also learn how to pray for your spouse and how to bless one another with a faith-filled vision for the future.

To help you grow, when you order the video series, we'll also send you two copies of the accompanying study guide. Whether your marriage is going through some special challenges or your marriage is in a season of health, you'll find powerful, transformational truth in good news for your marriage. Make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries today and fill your marriage with the grace of God.

Call us at 877-544-4860 or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. Well, let's remember who we're talking about here. Saul of Tarsus was an erudite Hebrew, a Roman citizen and a student of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel. He was Gamaliel's prized student. Many people would say that Saul was one of the brightest, probably brightest students Gamaliel ever had, a chief persecutor of the Christians, a Pharisee, probably a widower and a rabbi. And when it comes to the things that the world looks at, and especially in his religious world of Judaism in his day, if you looked at the things that would make one seem qualified religiously, the thing that would make someone feel good about him or herself, the things that would make someone feel alive, in the natural, what Paul later said of all that was I had it all. In Philippians 3 verse 4, he said, though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also, if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. He's saying if anybody thinks that they had reason to feel good about themselves, to feel confident, to feel alive, to feel energized in just natural standing, he said I had more.

And he lists his Jewish credentials, circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law, a Pharisee, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law, blameless. As to zeal, a persecutor of the church. And the word zeal, zelos in Greek, it's not just like empty energy. It is energy that is connected to a sense of purpose. You might think of it as like great passion. So Saul of Tarsus felt purposeful and was energized by his hate of Christians and energized by his smug, prideful Phariseeism. And yet it was a pathway to death.

So let's just say this up front. Zeal can feel as if it is real, but be misdirected and derived from unhealthy sources. So I mainly listen to Christian music and I can be accused of being unaware of cultural things at times.

But I am relevant sometimes. And my kids have acquainted me with there is music other than Christian music. One of the bands that I'm actually interested in is called One Republic. And actually Ryan Tedder, the lead singer, is a Christian. A lot of people don't know that. He went to a Christian high school, went to Oral Roberts University.

And he's actually a strong believer. And he doesn't talk about it very much, but it shows up in some of their songs. And I want to show you one of One Republic's hit songs from some years ago. It reached number one in a number of nations. I know it was number two here for a period of time and was in top 10 for a long time. It's called Counting Stars.

I want to show you some of this lyric. Seek it out and ye shall find. See that clues you in right there.

That's Christian right there. We know already. He's still, hey, there's something here. Seek it out and you shall find old, but I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not that bold.

And I don't think the world is sold on just doing what we're told. Old, but I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not that bold. I think what he's saying, I mean, this is me sort of guessing, but there's an in-between place where it's like, okay, I've got some years, but I don't really have all the wisdom I know that I need. And I might be young enough that I still have the sense of vitality, but I'm not really that bold. And it's kind of the conflict of the soul we're in between.

And I don't think the world is sold on just doing what we're told that the world itself is confused and continues. Let's see the next line. I feel something so right doing the wrong thing, the refrain says. I feel something so wrong, but doing the right thing.

I could lie, I could lie, I could lie. And look at this line. Everything that kills me makes me feel alive. He is talking about the human temptation. He is talking about something that every human being has felt that there's some weird temptation.

Even non-Christians could identify this, that there's something that seems the right way that doesn't feel like life and something that's the wrong way that feels like life. I could lie about it and say it's not that way, but the truth he's saying is the conflict in my soul is everything that kills me makes me feel alive. Look at the next lyric. Lately, I've been losing sleep, so it's an anxious feeling dreaming about the things we could be. Baby, I've been praying hard, said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars.

Instead of being lost in the angst of the materialistic world, I'd like to have my heart set on bigger dreams. Go back to the next slide is the refrain again. I feel like something so right doing the wrong thing, something so wrong, but doing the right thing. Everything that kills me makes me feel alive.

You know what it reminds me of? Romans chapter 7, in which theologians debate was this before Paul was a Christian or is this him reflecting about the struggle that even Christians feel? We're not sure, but he says in Romans 7 verse 18, I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh, in my natural being. We're fallen creatures he's saying and we're bent towards sin. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. He's describing the confusion of the soul over the question, what leads to life? What energizes us? And I want to show you today, we can go down to diametrically opposed paths, both of which are counterfeit and lead to death.

And honestly, hell doesn't care which way you are most easily tempted, but this is the battle to tempt you in one of these directions and especially during an exhausting season like we're in. You know, I talk to people who by a set of different circumstances could be the same and yet end up their lives look so totally different. I was thinking of two guys this week, couldn't be more different the way they look, their lives look.

First guy, I'll call him Johnny. I met him years ago at an outreach day on a Saturday. We went down to one of the local shelters and spent the day there. We cooked up some food. We had clothes to give away.

We had free medical screening and we had a tent where we pray with people. And I went down for a portion of the Saturday and went in the prayer tent and a man came over. I called Johnny and pretty soon he opened up about his life. He's trying to get back on his feet and I realized he wanted to talk and I was all ears.

Here's what happened. He was an auto mechanic and he was a good mechanic and he had a good job and his father was distant and unaffirming and his father would Lord over him the fact that the father made more money than the son. Why a father wants to set up a competition with the son, I don't understand. I would be so delighted for my son to make more money than I do.

Take care of me in my old age, you know, but they got into this ridiculous competition. And so Johnny said, I started trying to make more money than my father. He didn't articulate it but he was like every son desperate for his dad to be proud of him. He actually took on a second job working after hours fixing cars and for a while was making more money than his dad. He said, but then my dad got a promotion and he was making more than me and he started holding that over my head all the time. And he said, I'd kind of reached my limit.

He said, I couldn't, I couldn't do any more. And one day the wrong kind of friend offered him an opportunity to get involved in something illegal and he started selling drugs to make money and oh yeah, he was making a good bit more money than his father, but soon he was arrested and imprisoned. He'd been out for about six months and was homeless and that was his story.

So a path of looking for significance that led him into the rebellion against authority, into illegal activity that took away what life he did have. Alan Wright, today's teaching, Totally Detoxed, How God Makes You Clean. We'll place a bookmark here for the conclusion of this teaching next time. Pastor Alan is back with us here in just a few moments with our parting good news thought for the day.

Stick around. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace filled vision for your life by signing up for Alan Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Alan Wright's daily blessing.

It's free and just a click away at pastoralan.org. Would you love a better marriage? You don't need more good advice.

You need more good news. Marriages like people aren't changed by human effort or even by applying principles. Marriages are changed by the gospel of grace. In six video sessions, Pastor Alan and his wife, Ann, lead you and your spouse into a fresh encounter with the God of grace. You'll learn a simple grace filled process that makes great communication easy. You'll discover the freedom of forgiveness and the power of celebration. You'll also learn how to pray for your spouse and how to bless one another with a faith filled vision for the future.

To help you grow, when you order the video series, we'll also send you two copies of the accompanying study guide. Whether your marriage is going through some special challenges or your marriage is in a season of health, you'll find powerful transformational truth in good news for your marriage. Make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries today and fill your marriage with the grace of God. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Back here with Pastor Alan in our series Unlimited in the Book of Acts, going through a lengthy series and we're almost to the end, but we'll place a bookmark here.

And what's our parting good news thought here, Pastor Alan? Well, I think that most Christians misunderstand holiness. We tend to think that holiness is about our behaviors. But holiness is not so much about your behavior as it is about your identity. So, God makes holy whatever is holy because holy means to be set apart unto God. So, if there's a vessel that was called a holy vessel it meant it was set apart to be used in the temple and only in the temple it is only supposed to be used for God. Well, when you begin to see, wait a minute, what makes me holy is not that I went out and I was able to somehow live a righteous life, but instead it is something that has happened for me and in me.

Then you start realizing that I could be understanding my life in the wrong way. That maybe instead of thinking of myself primarily as unclean, I need to start thinking of myself as having been cleansed by the Gospel, by the blood of Jesus. So, I'll leave this with the listeners. The voice that came to Peter, what God has made clean do not call common.

And we ought to say that of ourselves as well. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at PastorAlan.org or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.