Chapter 16, look in verse 19, I'm all in this. I wrote in my Bible, I got notes in here that said he's talking about me. Me, me, me. He's talking about me here. He's got me in it. He know my name ain't there, but I'm in it. Look what verse 19 says, what God's gonna do. Jeremiah says, oh Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction. The nations, or the Gentiles, who are they? That's us. The Gentiles, the nations, shall what? Come to you. Good passage to write down beside that would be John 6. John 6. Jesus said all that are taught by my Father will come to me and those that come to me I will not cast out. The Gentile shall come to you. Now we know who that you is. That you was a mystery but we know the you is Jesus. They will come from the ends of the earth Now he's getting way over here to us in Briggs Chapel, Porterville, Mississippi. From the ends of the earth and say, now watch this, this is what happens when God turns the light on for a man. Surely our fathers have inherited what? Lies, worthlessness, what's the King James say? Vanities, emptiness is the idea. And what? Vain, unprofitable things. See, this is what the illumination of the light does. These Gentiles, when they come to Jesus, they're going to realize, they're going to see that, hey, in previous generations, all they gave us was lies, vanities, empty things, worthless things. Verse 20, will a man make gods for himself, which are what? no gods they're going to realize see this is what the gentiles the nations will realize all these foreign things that we once thought were real when they come to Jesus when they see Jesus they're going to realize that thing was empty worthless and of no value and had no light in it whatsoever and all of a sudden their whole life's been rocked and interrupted by by Jesus himself and watch verse 21 Therefore behold, God says, I will this once cause them to know, that is the Gentiles. I will cause them to know my hand and my might and they shall know my name is the Lord. Man, that's the interruption of the Lord Jesus Christ right there. It's still happening today. Give you a couple of passages to put down beside that and you'll see what I'm talking about. First Thessalonians chapter number one. 1 Thessalonians 1. And if you really want to get bold, just say, He's talking about me right there. John chapter 10. Remember when Jesus said, A foe that must come and I got another foe and the foes will be one, the two will be one. You got the Jew and the Gentile. He said, I give my life for these two foes that are going to become one. He's talking about us there. Acts 13, 48 is another passage to put down there. That's when Paul was preaching, remember the Gentiles? The Jews rejected him and the Gentiles said, won't you come back and tell us everything you said? And it said, as many as were appointed unto eternal life believed. They put their faith in. Why? They're being what? Taught by God. Who's gonna cause them to know? What's verse 21 say? Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, to know. They're gonna know me. And it's only gonna be for a space of time. That's that, this once, doing this time frame. See, up to this point, the only people in the world that knew of what God was and who and how God worked was the Jew. And that went on for 4,000 years, Brother Shannon. 4,000 years, they was the only people on the planet who had the revelation of God to tell the world what God had done. Nobody else had that. And they failed in it. And the whole time God was planning to bring what? His son, the Messiah in the fullness of time. And then he raised up his people and then he sent his people out to the world to go tell the whole world of what he has done. And Jesus said, no man can come to me unless he's first heard or learned and been taught by my father. Well, right here is telling us that's how that happens. How do they know who Jesus is? That He is God? Because the Father done something. He's gonna cause them to know. God done a work in them. And this is this work of saving grace. But see, God's gonna revert back. At some point in time, at the end of the time of the Gentiles, what's God gonna do? He's gonna shift back to the Jew. So it's for a space of time and we're in it right now. that this is talking about. For a space of time, God's gonna make those in the world of the Gentile world, see the Jews are still rejecting Jesus. But God's letting people like us know who Jesus is. And the only way they know is we gotta go preach the gospel to them. They'll never know if they don't have a preacher, right? So we go preach the gospel, but let's read that one more time and look at those words. Know in the words calls. Therefore behold, see it, I will this once cause them to know. I will cause them to know my hand and my might and they shall know my name is Jesus. the Lord, and to God be the glory. Amen? Remember 2 Corinthians chapter 4? About when God says that the enemy has kept the people of the world in darkness and blindness, there's a veil over them. But just like God said in the beginning, let there be light, and there was what? Light. You know what God does over the Gentiles? He says let there be light, and when you see light in His light, you see Him in Jesus Christ. And you can't help but then say, Everything my daddy taught me was lies, worthless, empty of knowing who you were. But you made yourself known to me. That's salvation. Let's run to the New Testament real quick. Look in that 1 Thessalonians, watch this. First Thessalonians, first Thessalonians. And we can stack them up in here tonight on the references that go along with this. He's the potter, right? And the potter can do what he wants with. Is that mentioned in the New Testament? Yes, in the book of Romans, chapter number nine. Romans chapter nine. But look in verse number nine, 1 Thessalonians 1.9. For they, that would be the rest, the people in the Gentile world around where they were in Thessalonica, for they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, how you what? Turned to who? from worthless empty idols to what? Serve the living and to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, specifically Jesus Christ, who delivers us from the wrath to come. How did they do that? Who taught them? God made himself known, brother Shannon. He made himself known in Jesus. And what did they do? They turn to Him. When they turn to Him, what do they think about their idols? That it was based on what? Lies, emptiness, worthlessness, it had no profit or value to it, and they put all their trust in who? The Lord Jesus Christ. And then they begin to serve and to wait for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ from there. That's why Paul says, and look in verse number three, Verse three, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love, your patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse four, knowing, beloved brethren, your what? Your selection, your election by God. How do we know that? Because our gospel did not come to you just in a word. It came to you with what? power and much assurance. God was in it and God made Himself known in it and you received the Word not as the Word of men but you received it as what? A Word from God. That's exactly what Jeremiah in that little bitty section just in the middle of God's judgment on His people who wouldn't listen to Him, God says I do have some people that are going to hear me. And they're gonna hear me because I'm gonna cause them to know who I am. And when I do, these people are gonna abandon what they've been taught all their life and they're gonna do what? They're gonna give themselves to me and they're gonna find, that's called the sheep. Look in 1 Peter. 1 Peter 1, 1 Peter 1, watch this. Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm. Look in verse number 17, and if you call on the Father who without partiality, this is 1 Peter 1, 17, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay in this world in reverence of the Lord, verse 18, knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless, what? your aimless conversation or conduct the way you was living that you received by tradition from who? Your father. Oh man, you see that? Isn't that what Jeremiah said? Our fathers taught us what? Lies, vanities, worthless and empty things because that's all they knew. They were of a Gentile world that didn't know any difference. But God, you made yourself known to us and we realize we've been redeemed from those aimless or worthless things. And notice what redeemed us. Verse 19, but with the precious blood of who? As a lamb without blemish and without spot. Verse 20, he indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last times for you, who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope is in what? Not in worthlessness, not in lies, not in aimlessness, but you put your faith in Jesus and the reason you did is because God made Himself known to you. And He did that in Christ Jesus. So John 6, 45, y'all don't mind looking at that one, huh? Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, look at verse 44. Not a single soul can come to Jesus, to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day. Verse 45, it is written in the prophets and they shall all, that is who come, they shall all be taught by God. Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father does what? Oh man, did y'all just read that in Jeremiah 16, 19-21? God says, I'm going to cause them to know. And when I cause them to know my mighty hand and my work in my Son, when I cause that to happen, they are going to abandon that aimless living and they're going to throw everything they have upon my Son. And I ain't losing there one of them, amen? Boy, what a difference grace makes in our everyday life. Do we need Jesus? Man, does this world need him? How would they know they need him unless we go make him known? I want to tell you, it's in the gospel God makes himself known. And everybody that hears and learns and been taught by God is gonna see, is going to see Jesus as God. And when they do, they're gonna put their faith in Him. and everything in their life's gonna shift from there, amen? That's that blessed interruption of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jeremiah just gives us a little bitty couple verse nugget of it in the midst of all this stuff. God says these fools won't believe, but I guarantee you, I know I got some folks out there that's gonna believe. And I'm gonna show them who I am, amen? I've noticed, As I've studied the Scriptures through the years, it just keeps radiating within me. And as we was reading in the last couple of days, also as we was reading in Luke's Gospel, I couldn't help but notice that there's a pattern that we find that happens when God gets involved. And for anybody to be delivered and saved, number one, God's got to be involved. He's got to be involved in the person that is being used, the proclamation of what's being said. It's not the act of preaching that saves men. It's the content of the message of the gospel that rescues. You know, through the foolishness of preaching men shall be, men are saved. It's the preaching is an act of proclaiming a message, but it's the message of that reconciliation in Christ Jesus that actually does the redeeming, but it's the presence and the power of God upon that just like how these men had the ability to communicate with all these different 15 different nations that are mentioned from different areas could all hear in their own dialect each man speaking in his own language. That was a supernatural work of God. That was the power that took place at Pentecost. And what we find here is that this pattern that we see when God is involved and that men are delivered There's a couple things that takes place. Number one, that how the Word of God is revealed to people. It's revealed with power. It's revealed with the presence of God's Spirit upon it. And we see that. Peter was what? When he preached that day, he was what? Full of the Spirit. And what he proclaimed was had the power of God upon it. Because it was rooted in God's message, it was rooted in everything in it was about Jesus. and he was telling them that what you have witnessed today was God pouring out His Spirit upon His temple, upon His people, and you have witnessed that evidence of it, but this is what God said He would do, this is what God has done, and what God has done has been done in Christ Jesus. This is what He, the one that you rejected, the one that you pushed away, This is Him. He's the one who's done this. He's the one who poured out His Spirit upon us. And the Word always comes with much assurance and power. We find that with Zacchaeus. Remember when Zacchaeus wanted to find out who Jesus was? So he heard Jesus was coming, obviously, we believe Zacchaeus heard testimony about Jesus. He wouldn't have been looking for Jesus had he not heard about Jesus, had he not been provoked and compelled to search for. He had heard and he had heard enough witness that stirred in him that God was in this, that the man tried to get to a place where he couldn't see Him, he couldn't see Him, so Zacchaeus did what? He got up in a tree. Nothing was going to hinder him from seeing Jesus. He wasn't going to use an excuse, well there's too many people out here today. He didn't use an excuse, I'm too short, I can't get involved, I'm just going to go on home. No, something supernatural was going on within Zacchaeus' life And that man was going to encounter Jesus that day. And there was not one person, there was not one thing, there was not one devil, there was not one enemy that was going to get in his way of seeing and hearing the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a divine work of God. That man climbed up in a sycamore tree with figs in it and he positioned himself so when he came by he was going to lay eyes on this one that he had heard about. This is a divine work of God. The same thing happens with people in life when God is at work. Like Jesus said in John 6, No man can come to me unless the Father first draws him." Zacchaeus was drawn by the Father to Jesus. And every living soul, Jesus said, hey those that He's given me will come to me. Zacchaeus was given to Jesus, given to Jesus by the Father. He was coming and Jesus told His disciples, what is mine that the Father has given to me, the Spirit will give to you. He told them that. What is mine, the Holy Spirit's gonna give to you, meaning the body of Christ. So that which is God's, that which is Jesus, the Spirit's gonna give to it. We just wanna be faithful and do what he's called us to do. God's gonna do the drawing. God's gonna do the delivering. God's gonna do the discipling. We just wanna be in position to proclaim what he's given us, amen? And let him do the work. Well, it's also found, look if you would, Let me just read this, verse number 36, Acts chapter 2 verse 36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly God has made this Jesus whom you crucified. What has He made Him? Both what? Lord and Messiah, anointed one, Christ. Now when they heard this they were what? pricked in their heart. They were, some translations say, cut to the heart. What are some of the other translations that y'all may use? What do they say? This is verse number 37. Cut. Chapter 237. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart. Cut to the quick, pricked to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we want? This is a divine work of God. These men's hearts were cut. They were penetrated. Very similar. Remember, we're going to read about it in Acts when Paul was preaching on the river bank and Lydia, God opened Lydia's heart to hear the things Paul was preaching. When Peter preached to Cornelius, his heart was cut, it was opened. This is a divine act of God. The Word came with spirit power and penetrated a heart. Very simple, remember the sower, the seed, and the soils. You have the soils, the four types of soils. Some soils, seed falls by the wayside. Some falls among the thorny ground. Some falls among the shallow ground, among the cares, the weeds, and all that. And some falls upon, the Scripture says, in Luke's Gospel, a noble heart, a good and noble heart. Well, we know up front, the Bible is pretty clear about the condition of the heart of man without God. And what is it? It's fallen. It's corrupt. It's polluted. It's desperately wicked. So a good and noble heart is a heart that something has happened to that heart. Something's been changed about that heart. That's that supernatural work of God that does a work in a man's heart that that heart goes from being shallow, from being thorny, from being among the wayside on the hard ground to a good and noble heart that the seed of the revelation of God can fall in that heart and find soil and moisture to root and grow and produce a harvest. This is the work of God. It's a pattern that we see. It's a pattern. And we see it here. Go if you would and look in, go to 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians. Let's look at this. We see this with Zacchaeus. We see this on the day of Pentecost, we're gonna see it throughout the book of Acts. Anytime men responded divinely to the message of the gospel, we see this work of God happening. 1 Thessalonians chapter number one. This pattern's here, Paul brings it out. Verse number 2, 1 Thessalonians 1-2 says, We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your works of faith, your labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of our God and Father. Knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only." It didn't come in just words. It didn't come in just a language. It didn't come in just letters. It came in what? Verse 5. It came also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were, were among you, and you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit. with joy of the Holy Spirit. See, the Spirit was at work. The Spirit revealed the Word, and the Word was received in the Spirit. So 1 Thessalonians 1, 5 tells us, For our good news, the same good news Peter preached, the same way Peter preached at Pentecost, did not come to you in mere words, but it came in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much assurance. That is just saying God came with much affirmation upon that word. And your hearts were pricked. Your hearts were cut. Your hearts became fertile for good seed to fall on it. Look in chapter number two. Look in chapter number two in verse number 13. 1st Thessalonians 1st Thessalonians 2 13 says for this reason we also thank God without season without ceasing Because when you receive what? The Word of God, which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the Word of men, but as it is in truth. The Word of God, which also effectively works in you who what? Believe. Notice that. Something happened. These men just didn't hear men speaking. Something supernatural took place where when they heard that revelation that day because it came in power in the Holy Spirit, because God was on it, they didn't hear it just as men. They heard it as if the voice of God spoke to them. That God had a message. They received it as a word from God, not a word from men. That's a supernatural thing. Why? Because the Bible says the natural man can't receive that. The natural man can't. Something's got to happen in a person for them to welcome that kind of Word. We'll go back to the book of... Hold your spot in Thessalonians because we're going to come back for a moment. But look in the book of Thessalonians... I mean, excuse me, Acts chapter 2 again and watch this. This is the pattern that I'm talking about. It begins with how the Word was revealed. How the Word was received. Thessalonica, Paul said they received it as the breath of God. That God spoke to them. Same thing happens with everybody that gets saved. Anybody that gets born again, God showed up in it. Men knew God showed up in it. They heard from God. They know it. This ain't something a man told me. God told me my condition. He told me who Jesus is and what He's doing. Amen. God spoke life and light into me. Notice what verse number 40 says. Verse 40 of chapter number 2 of the book of Acts. And with many other words, Peter testified and he exhorted them saying, Be delivered from this perverse generation. Notice verse 41. Then those who what? Oh man, see this is the pattern. gladly received His Word, were baptized. And in that day about 3,000 souls were added to them. They gladly, that means that they welcomed the Word with no restrictions. They opened their life to this message. THAT'S A SUPER NATURAL WORK OF GOD. THAT'S A PATTERN. YOU KNOW WHAT JESUS TOLD ZACCHEUS? HEY ZACCHEUS, COME DOWN THAT TREE. I MUST WHAT? Let's go look at it and see. Come on. Let's go look at it. Y'all got to look at it with me. Hold your spot there in Acts. Hold your spot in Thessalonians. If you got another finger, go to Luke. Amen? Luke 19. Let's go look at it. This is a pattern. Y'all don't want to miss this. You're going to see it throughout Acts. You're going to see it throughout life. You're going to see it as God uses you as a witness for Him. These things are going to be evident Verse number five, and by the way, y'all are all right, I'm just, I want you to look at this though. Verse five, and when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and he saw old Zacchaeus, who wasn't going to be denied that day. God was at work. He said, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house. Zacchaeus made haste and came down and what did he do? Say it again. Say it one more time. He did what? What do we see in Acts? They received the Word glad-heartedly without any restrictions. They welcomed it in. What we see in Thessalonians, they received it not as a Word from man but they received it with joy that God spoke to them. Amen? Why? Because this is a pattern that we see with God every single time that He does a work in somebody's life. When His presence shows up in power in the Holy Spirit, and He cuts the heart, they open themselves up and say, take it. Take whatever your word has for me. Here I am. And they receive it with glad-heartedness. They receive it gladly, joyfully. And that's what Zacchaeus did. He came down and received him joyfully and then everybody began to complain and then Zacchaeus automatically says, Hey Lord, look, look, look, I'm going to give up half of my stuff and if I've taken anything, I'm going to restore it fourfold. What happened to Zacchaeus? God drew him God spoke to him. He knew God was speaking to him. He received him, even though he was an old sinner, even though he was a reprobate, even what he was doing, God was in it because God was doing something with him. And man, he couldn't help but accept what Jesus had just said and invited him. He's taking him back to his house. There ain't no telling what he was going to see when he got there. Are you with me? He ain't had time to go home and clean it all up yet. But his heart says, I'm going to clean everything in my life up to get in line with what you just did in my heart. Why? Because the pattern is this, when God reveals the word to us and we receive it as from God, The Word is redeeming. The Word is redemptive. It redeems. People turn to the Living Word. They turn their trust, their life to Him. And when they do that, they turn away from other things. That's the pattern. That's what we see in Acts. They turned away from their entire way of living to submit themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to sit down at their tables and break bread with them so that they can learn more about this Jesus, to go make Him known. And with glad heartedness, they shared everything they had with everybody that was there so that they could know this Jesus who they just received, who just changed their life so that they can go live and make Him known. That's redemptive. That's what happened to Zacchaeus. That's what happened at the Day of Pentecost. That's what's going to happen with Cornelius. That's what's going to happen with Lydia. That's what happened at Thessalonica. Go look back at Thessalonians again and you'll see what I'm talking about. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Here it is, verse 6. And you became what? You became followers. What happened at Pentecost? They followed who? Of course, they followed Jesus. But to follow Jesus, they followed those that had handled Jesus. Those that had seen Jesus. Those that walked with Jesus. the body of Christ, which was the church of the living God for which Jesus was living in now as his temple upon this earth, the people of God, you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in spite of the trouble and the affliction you in, you received it with what? Good. You're not going to get away from it. You can't. joy of the Holy Spirit so that you became an example to everyone living in your region and beyond who believe. It says, For from you that word sounded forth not only in your region But and also in every place your faith toward God has gone out so that we don't even have to say anything. God changed your patterns of life. He changed your position in life. He began to change everything about you. Why? You begin to follow Him. Amen. Look what verse number 9 says. For everybody tells us, they declare concerning us what manner of entry we had with you when we came to you, how you what? Turned to who? You turned to God. And when you turn to God, that meant you turn from something else. Remember, God never delivers us from something without delivering us to something. He delivers us to Jesus to follow Him. You turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to what? Oh man, and to wait for His Son from heaven whom He raised from the dead, specifically Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. That's redemption. That's the redeeming work of salvation. That's what happened at Pentecost. That's what happened at Thessalonica. That's what happened with Zacchaeus. And that is what has happened to every single person that's ever been born again. They heard from God, welcomed his message, and they turned to serve the living and true God. Can't get away from it. It's a beautiful picture. A pattern that we're going to find throughout the revelation and the work of God's Spirit in His people throughout the book of Acts. Now what did the witnesses of God need? They needed God's power on them. They needed the Spirit on them. Amen? They needed the Spirit in them. The Spirit needed to speak That's what Peter's doing when he stands up to speak. The Spirit is speaking through Peter. And God's going to transform lives. They're going to hear a message from God. They're going to receive it from Him. And that message is going to be redemptive. They're going to turn to Him and they're going to serve Him. And that means they're going to turn from other things. Does that mean that they're not going to slip and fall and do other silly stuff and the flesh is going to be a problem for them? Of course the flesh is still going to be an issue for them. But the pattern is that they're turning themselves over. They're giving themselves unto the God. That's why they submit themselves to the apostles in their teaching, in their doctrine. They wanted to know Him. Amen? They wanted to know Him. They wanted to know Him so that they can walk with Him. And that's what we see. And that's the essence of the Spirit's work, Jesus' work, in the book of Acts, in the body of Christ, and as now they are His representation on the earth going to proclaim His message no different than He dealt with Zacchaeus. Now they're dealing with the multitudes that way of proclaiming this Word and the people are going to hear it. As He said, He's going to be a light to the Gentiles. He's going to be a revelation to the Gentiles. Remember the Jews eventually keep pushing away and every time Paul would go somewhere eventually we're going to see Paul went to the Jews first and when they rejected him what did he do? And he said, Gentiles are going to hear it. And when they hear it, they're going to welcome it as the Word of God. And God's going to do a work in them. And they're going to become dangerously strong for the truth upon the earth because of how they deal with this Jesus. And remember, especially in chapter 2 with Pentecost, it's not going to ever be repeated just like Passover wouldn't, like crucifixion or the resurrection. But being filled with the Spirit is something that we see repetitively again and again and again and again throughout the book of Acts and throughout the people of God. Why? Because we always need to be filled and filled again and again to do the work of the witness of God for God's glory. Amen? So that God would make His message known, affirm His messengers, people would receive it, and God would rescue people and turn them to Himself. So just neat things to look for as you journey in life. You're looking for that in your walk. When you're witnessing the people on the streets, you're looking, you want to be filled full of God. Proclaiming God's message. You're looking how they welcome the word. And then you're looking for evidence of how they're turning to God and turning from themselves. And it's not about what they've been doing. It's not about their transgressions. It's about how they've dealt with Jesus. How they dealt with Jesus. For the convictor, the Spirit, will convince them of their unbelief that they have not trusted Jesus with their life. Jesus took care of their sins. Took care, at the cross, took care of what the problem with the sins and what they'd been doing. The problem is they hadn't believed Him. You see, for salvation, you gotta believe Him, amen. Yeah, trust Him. He's the prophet from whom God sent and that we're to hear. So it's important for us to see that when they turn to Jesus, the evidence of that's gonna follow and you'll be able to recognize it and see it and give glory to God, amen? That's what we've been called to do. We are His witnesses, amen? Amen. Father, we thank you tonight. We bless you. We praise you. Thank you for the day. Thank you for the privilege of being yours, getting to tell this story again and again, and to retell it, to repackage it, to rearrange it with different times and different seasons and different people, but always bringing it back to you and what you've done, the life you lived, the righteousness that you grant to us based on your grace, your mercies toward us because you loved us and you laid your life down for us. Help us go tell the story, preaching it and teaching it and living it. We do ask that you would continue to affirm your witnesses so that your witnesses would just continue to point people to you. Help us, oh Lord, in Jesus' name, amen. Love y'all. Y'all have a good night.