Close Encounters Of A Third Kind

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF A THIRD KIND

By: Pastor Ken Jarman

OPEN DOOR OUTREACH MINISTRIES, NEW BERN, NC 28560

Sunday May 18, 2008

ACTS 9:1 –9

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

And asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

So he trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”

And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Let us pray.

I want to talk to you today about close encounters.

I’m not talking about a close encounter with a nice looking man or a beautiful woman.

I’m not talking about a close encounter with some outer space alien.

I’m not talking about a close encounter with a car accident.

What I am talking about is a close encounter with Jesus Christ.

I want to talk to you about three types of close encounters with Jesus.

But, my main focus will be on a close encounter of the third kind.

Let’s take a look first at a close encounter of the first kind.

A close encounter of the first kind is when you come close to having an encounter.

Let me demonstrate, you’re driving down the road at your normal speed of 55 mph. All of a sudden you see a deer run out in front of you. You swerve to miss the deer end up running off onto the shoulder of the road, almost hit a mail box, swerve back onto the road just as another car is coming in the opposite direction. You just do miss the other car and finally get you car back straight onto the road. After you get your nerves calmed back down, you realize you’ve just had a close encounter of the first kind. You just came close to hitting each one of these things, but instead you missed them and never touched a one of them.

A close encounter of the first kind with Jesus could happen this way.

You are talking with a born again Christian, he tells you about Jesus. He tells you how Jesus was crucified on the cross, bore our sins, shed His blood and died for us. And that God raised Him up on the third day to be the First Born of the resurrection to eternal life. And how we can be saved and obtain eternal life through Him.

You listen with interest but you can’t quite get yourself to accept it.

Or you’re ridding down the road and tune in your radio and happen to run across a Christian Radio Station where a great preacher is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You listen with interest but you can’t quite get yourself to accept it.

Or you happen to go to church with someone. You hear a great choir sing beautiful hymns and choruses. You hear a message that the preacher is preaching and it seems to touch your heart. You feel this tug on your heart.

You listen with interest but you can’t quite get yourself to accept it.

You are given a Bible (maybe it was a wedding gift, or a birthday gift, or just a gift someone gives you) you read a book or two and find that it is a very interesting book and it has a lot to say about Jesus and the cross. You read about his arrest and trial. You read how he died for our sins. You read about the resurrection. You read about Him being the way, the truth and the life.

You read with interest but you can’t quite get yourself to accept it.

These are four illustrations of a close encounter of the first kind with Jesus.

You have heard the born again Christian tell you of Christ.

You have heard of Him on the Christian Radio Station.

You have heard the preacher in the church preach about Him.