A. Welcome to Friend Day.
1. Every year when Friend Day arrives, I get really excited, because I know that Friend Day is often a day of new beginnings.
2. We have seen many people over the years who experience a new beginning with God on or because of Friend Day.
3. Maybe today is your day!
4. Maybe today is your day to feel drawn to explore who Jesus really is and what it means to become a follower of Jesus.
5. Everyone starts that journey from different places and with different backgrounds and experiences.
6. God is continuously working to draw people to Himself and we are privileged to be His helpers in coming alongside people as we together journey toward God.
B. Thankfully, people turn toward God every day and that turning toward God is what we call the conversion process.
1. Conversion happens to dogmatic atheists and determined agnostics.
2. Conversion happens to gifted physicians and brilliant scientists.
3. Conversion happens to popular coaches and superstar athletes.
4. Conversion happens to famous musicians and renowned artists.
5. Conversion happens to former criminals and everyday sinners.
6. One by one, these unique individuals get to the end of life’s rope and experience life’s emptiness and begin searching for life’s meaning.
7. That search often leads to Jesus, and when they discover the claims and hope of the good news of Jesus, many believe and turn their lives over to the Lord.
C. When well-known individuals convert to Christ, the public often responds with amazement and skepticism.
1. The question that always looms is: Has the person really converted and will it stick?
2. But what we must keep in mind is that there is a difference between conversion and maturity.
3. The late Alan Redpath, longtime preacher and author, put it best when he said: “The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.”
4. No person, no matter how bright, how sincere, or how submissive, comes to Christ and instantly becomes spiritually mature.
5. Becoming a mature Christian is a lifelong process that begins at the moment of salvation.
D. Sensational and surprising conversions are always so inspiring, let me share a few with you.
1. Let me begin with the story of Jim Vaus.
2. In the 1940s, Jim was a gangster who was deeply involved in all kinds of organized crime.
a. He eventually agreed to work with the Los Angeles Police Department to help search out members of the growing crime network.
b. After years of being under the constant stress of living a double life as an undercover informant, Vaus faced his own misery and emptiness.
3. Vaus decided to attend a Billy Graham tent crusade being held by the young evangelist in downtown Los Angeles.
a. Amidst a crowd of over six thousand people, Jim Vaus grasped for the first time the message of God’s grace and forgiveness.
b. According to an article printed in The Los Angeles Times, the notorious mobster rose to his feet and “walked the sawdust trail” to respond to the invitation.
c. Literally in the shadow of young Billy Graham, Vaus knelt there weeping in the dust as he declared his desire to surrender his life to Christ.
4. Who would have thought an infamous gangster like him would become a follower of Jesus?
E. Another amazing conversion story is the story of Chuck Colson.
1. In the political world of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Chuck Colson was known as President Nixon’s hatchet man.
a. Colson performed the behind-the-scenes dirty work for Richard Nixon, his boss and friend.
b. Someone once described Colson this way: “Chuck is the kind of guy who would run over his grandmother if necessary to get the job done.”
2. Chuck’s rapid ascent to political power and stature brought with it all kinds of pressures.
a. Add to that the pain of a failed marriage, and Colson found himself at a crisis point.
b. As the Watergate tangle intensified, Colson descended deep into despair and began to search for peace.
c. By late 1972, after Nixon had been reelected, Colson resigned as Special Counsel to the President and tried to retreat into private life.
3. In 1973, Colson visited a friend named Tom Phillips, who was a believer.
a. Phillips shared the good news of Jesus with Colson and read him this portion from C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
b. Later that night, Colson sat in his car in the dark and the iron grip on his emotions began to relax and he sobbed.
c. At that time, Colson decided to surrender his life to God and begin living as a believer.
4. In 1974, Colson served seven months in Maxwell Federal Prison in Alabama as the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges.
5. Colson’s mid-life conversion sparked a radical life change that led to the founding of his non-profit ministry Prison Fellowship and to a focus on Christian worldview teaching and training.
a. Colson became a public speaker and the author of more than 30 books about Christianity and societal Issues.
b. He was the founder and chairman of The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview and his daily radio commentary, BreakPoint, was heard on more than 1,400 outlets across the United States.
6. His story is just another amazing conversion of a notorious sinner.
D. Johnny Hart was the cartoonist and creator of the enormously successful B.C. and Wizard of Id comic strips.
1. For many years, he was angry with God after the death of his mother.
2. He resorted to drinking to cope with the loss, and also dabbled in the occult, using a Ouija board to try to contact his mother.
3. But God worked through Christian television to bring Johnny to Himself.
4. Johnny turned to the Lord and made peace with God and with himself.
5. Johnny then used his comic strips to proclaim the good news of Jesus and to point people toward faith in God.
E. Carrie Underwood is an enormously popular country singer who rose to fame after becoming the winner of American Idol season 4.
1. She grew up in a Christian home, and so her conversion to Christ is not as surprising and dramatic as some, but her consistent and positive witness for Christ in the midst of her fame is inspiring.
2. She and her husband, NHL player Mike Fisher, have a Christ-centered marriage, and are raising their son in a Christian home.
3. In addition to her philanthropy, she regularly talks of her faith in interviews and with her fans at her concerts, and she often sings about God – and who can forget her amazing rendition of “How Great Thou Art” on national TV in 2011.
4. Carrie Underwood has had to draw strength from her faith to face the challenges she has encountered, including a freak fall that led to a broken wrist, chipped tooth and 40 to 50 stitches in her face, and three miscarriages.
5. Underwood said she’s realized, “the best moments in my life are when I say, ‘Hey, I can’t control everything, and that’s OK. God is in control.’ ”
F. There are many other conversion stories I could mention, like the stories of rocker Alice Cooper, heavy weight boxer George Foreman, Olympic ice skater Scott Hamilton, and actors Kirk Cameron and Stephen Baldwin.
1. But I want to share one more contemporary story of a recent dramatic Christian conversion.
2. Rapper Kanye West is one of the biggest pop culture personalities of our time.
3. His critically-acclaimed and chart-topping music (140 million records sold), premium fashion line, controversial public persona, blunt political opinions and his marriage to Kim Kardashian West keep the Chicago hip-hop artist consistently in the news.
4. Prior to his conversion to Christianity, Kanye was always outspoken, to say the least, but up until then it was always about himself.
a. Speaking to his own greatness was a common theme throughout his music.
b. “I Am A God,” is literally the name of one of his songs — and he believed it fully.
5. But then something changed.
6. When Adam Tyson shared the gospel with West at their first meeting, West responded: “I’ve been radically saved. I believe that message and I want to get that message out to the world.”
7. West’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, told The View that her husband’s new album was instrumental in his becoming a Christian, “Kanye started this to really heal himself and it was a really personal thing, and it was just friends and family,” she said. “He has had an amazing evolution of being born again and being saved by Christ.”
8. West has reportedly announced that he will only make gospel music going forward.
9. His latest album, just released at the end of October, is titled “Jesus Is King,” and it debuted at No. 1 on the charts.
a. Every song on the album has appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100 it its first week.
b. The album follows a Christian theme, and West describes it as “an expression of the gospel.”
c. Here is how West explained the purpose behind Jesus Is King: “Music is my job. That’s why I’m putting out the album. Serving God in everything that I can do is my job. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m on the planet is to be in service and in fear, love, and service to God.”
10. Kayne West has launched what he calls “Sunday Service,” a Christian worship group, that travels from place to place and has a worship gathering.
11. Adam Tyson is the pastor who travels with West and speaks at the Sunday Service meetings.
a. Tyson says, “Kanye West’s new faith is genuine. West is living and walking with God. He’s in the Bible and he’s in prayer.”
12. Let me share one final quote from West in a recent interview: “Now that I’m in service to Christ, my job is to spread the Gospel to let people know what Jesus has done for me. You know, I’ve spread a lot of things. There was a time when I was letting you know what high fashion had done for me. I was letting you know what the Hennessey had done for me. I was letting you know all these things. But now I’m letting you know what Jesus has done for me. And in that, I’m no longer a slave. I’m a son now — a son of God. I’m free.”
13. We should pray for everyone who turns to Christ and attempts to live a Christian life, especially those in the spotlight – you know that Satan is going to try to bring them down.
G. With the time I have left for this sermon, I want to turn our attention to some of the conversion stories we see in the Bible.
1. Let’s look at the stories of a two people who came to faith and the change it brought in their lives.
H. Let’s start with the story of a man named Zacchaeus (his story is found in Luke 19).
1. Zacchaeus was a tax collector – that means he was both hugely wealthy and greatly disliked.
2. Tax collectors in Biblical times were liked about as much as modern I.R.S. agents.
a. One big difference was that tax collectors in Bible times could skim as much off the top of the taxes they collected for the government as they wanted.
b. So if the government wanted 5 percent, the tax collector may collect 10 percent, or 20, or whatever.
3. So Zacchaeus was rich, but he was despised and somewhat ostracized from much of society.
4. It appears that Zacchaeus was unfulfilled and was searching for meaning.
5. The day he heard that Jesus, the controversial rabbi and miracle worker, was coming to town, he decided to check out Jesus.
6. Being a short man, Zacchaeus decided to climb a tree to get a better look at Jesus, this indicates something about his interest or desperation.
7. When Jesus was passing by and saw Zacchaeus up the tree, He invited Himself to Zaachaeus’ house saying, “Zacchaeus come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
8. Jesus caught some flack from the regular folks in the crowd because He was going to the house of “a sinner,” as if none of them were sinners!
9. But Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house, and the Bible doesn’t tell us if Jesus did some teaching or some healings there.
10. The only things the Bible records about what happened at that day at Zacchaeus’ house is that Zacchaeus stood up and announced that he would give half of his possessions to the poor, and that if he had cheated anyone out of anything, he would pay it back four times the amount.
11. And the Bible records what Jesus said in response, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10)
12. What an amazing conversion! What an amazing turn around!
13. Zacchaeus’ selfish greed was replaced with compassionate generosity and integrity.
14. What a day of new beginning! Zacchaeus didn’t wake up that morning thinking today I am going to meet Jesus and He is going to change my life.
15. But that is exactly what happened to him, and it could happen to you.
I. Another story of conversion is told in John 4.
1. Jesus was traveling on foot with His apostles through Samaria, a region north of Jerusalem.
2. Samaria was populated by the Samarians, group of people who were at odds with the Jews.
3. It was noontime, and Jesus sat by a well outside of town while the apostles went into town to buy some food.
4. While Jesus was sitting at the well, a Samaritan woman came to draw water.
5. Noontime was not the normal time to draw water – most people, especially in hot arid climates, would draw water early or late in the day when the temperature was lower and the sun not as intense.
6. So, perhaps this woman came at noon, hoping to avoid the crowds, perhaps she was ostracized.
7. Jesus engaged her in conversation by asking for her to draw Him water to drink.
8. By doing so, Jesus was breaking all kinds of social rules and customs, but He cared more for this woman’s soul than societal convention.
9. After having a theological discussion with the woman, Jesus encouraged her to go get her husband and bring him to meet Jesus.
a. The woman said she had no husband, to which Jesus replied, “You are right when you say you have no husband. Truth is you have had 5 husbands, and the man you now live with is not your husband.”
b. The woman knew she was speaking to a prophet and declared such, but then tried to change the subject by bringing up everyone’s hope that the Messiah would come.
10. Shockingly, Jesus revealed to her and He was the Messiah everyone is waiting for.
11. Immediately the woman ran back to town and told everyone to come meet the man who told her everything she ever did, and that perhaps He is the Messiah.
12. Jesus ended up staying and teaching the people of that town for two days, and many of them became believers including that woman.
13. Her friends said to her, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves and we know that this man is the Savior of the world.” (Jn. 4:42).
14. Here was a woman and a village who experienced a day of new beginnings.
15. None of them woke up that morning thinking, “Today we are going to meet Jesus and He is going to change our lives.”
16. But that is exactly what happened to them, and the same can happen to you.
J. I wish I had time to talk about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, but I don’t.
1. Saul of Tarsus went from being a violent persecutor of Christians, to becoming the apostle Paul, one of the most important Christians of all time.
2. You and I are likely not notorious criminals like Zacchaeus, Jim Vaus, or Charles Colson.
a. We may not be violent persecutors like Saul, or immensely self-centered sinners like Kanye West or the Samaritan women.
b. Our lives may be morally clean – we may be the nicest people around – we may be people of integrity and honesty.
c. Although we may be living a life that is impressive to others, we are light years from being righteous before a perfect and holy God.
3. Until we have put our faith in Christ and surrendered our lives to Christ alone, we are as lost as Zacchaeus, the Samaritan women, or Saul of Tarsus.
4. If you haven’t yet surrendered your life to Christ, why do you keep running or resisting?
5. We must not wait until it is too late.
a. Satan whispers that we have lots of time, no need to do anything today, but who knows how much time we have!
b. Life can change in a minute.
c. On the negative side – life can change in a minute with a cancer diagnosis, or a heart attack, or a car accident, or the loss of a loved one.
d. On the positive side – life can change in a minute with a job offer, or the making of a new friend, or a decision to pursue a life of faith.
6. We would be honored and thrilled to help you declare your faith in Jesus and be baptized into Him, as the Bible teaches.
a. Jesus said, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16)
b. Jesus also said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk. 16:16)
c. Peter declared on the first day of the church, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
d. Three thousand people took Peter up on that offer that day, and it was an amazing day of new beginnings.
e. Today, you can do the same!
K. Over 65 years ago, Billy Graham was conducting another crusade in LA, and a man named Stuart Hamblen decided to give his life to Jesus.
1. Stuart was a cowboy actor and singer who worked with the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne.
2. After his conversion, Stuart attended a party and was approached by John Wayne who said, “What's this I hear — you got religion?”
3. Stuart answered, “It is no secret what God can do in a man's life.”
4. John Wayne then said in his characteristic draw, “Well that sounds like a song,” thereby planting the idea in the songwriter’s mind.
5. Stuart Hamblen did turn those words into a song called “It Is No Secret” and the song is still sung today. (Elvis did a great cover of that song)
6. The chorus includes these great words:
It is no secret what God can do
What He's done for others He’ll do for you
With arms wide open He’ll (pardon you)
It is no secret what God can do
L. I hope that each of us here today will know and believe what God can do in our lives.
1. It is no secret what God can do…what He did for all of the people we have talked about today, he’ll do for you!
2. God can take our lost, and our empty, and our troubled lives, and give us new sight, and a new power and a new purpose for living!
3. Maybe God is drawing you to Himself today.
4. Maybe today will be a new beginning for you.
5. Feel free to come talk with me during the invitation song, or come talk with me after the service.
6. It is no secret what God can do in a person’s life.
7. Let God give you a new beginning.
8. If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation.
9. Why not become a new creation today?
