God's Pursuit: Salvation Through Grace and Surrender

**Bible Reading:**

1. John 20:24-29 (ESV)
2. Psalm 62:1 (ESV)
3. Psalm 49:7-8 (ESV)
4. Romans 10:13 (ESV)

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**Observation Questions:**

1. In John 20:24-29, what was Thomas's initial reaction to the news of Jesus' resurrection, and how did Jesus respond to his doubt?
2. How does the interaction between Jesus and Thomas in John 20:24-29 illustrate the relationship between doubt and faith?
3. Psalm 62:1 speaks of waiting silently for God's rescue. How does this posture of waiting compare to the actions of those who are seeking God quietly, as mentioned in the sermon summary?
4. According to Psalm 49:7-8, what is the limitation of self-rescue, and how does this relate to the metaphor of the Thai cave rescue?

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**Interpretation Questions:**

1. What does the encounter between Thomas and Jesus teach us about the nature of belief and the evidence required for faith?
2. How might Thomas's experience with doubt and his subsequent belief encourage someone who is wrestling with doubts about their faith?
3. Considering Psalm 62:1, what does it mean to wait for God's rescue, and how does this waiting reflect an understanding of our own limitations?
4. In light of Psalm 49:7-8, what implications does the inability to rescue oneself have for the concept of salvation through works?

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**Application Questions:**

1. Reflect on a time when you experienced doubt in your faith journey. How did you move from doubt to belief, and what role did seeking or waiting play in that process?
2. Identify a situation in your life where you feel trapped or in need of rescue. How can you practice waiting on God's salvation in this area, rather than trying to save yourself?
3. Choose one aspect of your life where you've attempted to earn approval or salvation through your efforts. What is one step you can take this week to instead trust in Jesus' work on the cross for your rescue?
4. Think of someone you know who is quietly seeking God or expressing curiosity about faith. How can you support them this week without overwhelming or pressuring them?
5. Consider the exclusivity of Christ as the way to God. What is one conversation you can have this week with someone who holds a different view, and how can you approach it with love and respect?

Day 1: Stirring of the Spirit in Silence
The journey toward God often begins in the quiet recesses of the heart, where the whispers of the Holy Spirit can be heard above the noise of everyday life. This gentle stirring is a sacred invitation to explore the depths of one's soul and to seek the truth that can only be found in a relationship with the Divine. It is in these moments of silent reflection that the longing for something more, something eternal, begins to take shape. The Spirit's work is often unseen by others, but it is in this hidden space that the groundwork for a life-changing encounter with God is laid. The internal transformation that occurs here is the foundation upon which a meaningful and authentic faith is built. [40:20]

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20 ESV)

Reflection: In what quiet moments have you sensed a stirring in your heart towards God, and how can you create more space in your life to listen and respond to these promptings?

Day 2: Embracing Doubt on the Faith Journey
Doubt is not the antithesis of faith; rather, it can be a catalyst for growth and a deeper understanding of the divine. Like the disciples who struggled to believe in the resurrection, individuals today may find themselves wrestling with questions and uncertainties. This process of questioning can lead to a more resilient and robust faith, as it encourages an earnest search for truth and a willingness to confront complex spiritual realities. Doubt should not be feared or suppressed but embraced as a part of the faith journey that can ultimately lead to a more profound and confident belief. [42:56]

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." (John 16:13 ESV)

Reflection: What doubts or questions about your faith are you currently wrestling with, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide you into a deeper understanding of these areas?

Day 3: Salvation as a Gift of Grace
Salvation is not a prize to be won through human effort but a gift to be received with humility and gratitude. The story of the Thai cave rescue serves as a powerful metaphor for the spiritual rescue that is beyond our own capabilities. Just as those boys were powerless to save themselves, so are we unable to earn our way to salvation. It is only through the sacrificial love of Jesus that we are saved. This understanding requires an admission of our limitations and a surrender to the grace that is freely offered to us. Salvation is not a transaction but a transformation, one that reshapes our very being and aligns us with the heart of God. [44:56]

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

Reflection: How can you shift your perspective from trying to earn God's favor to gratefully receiving His gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ?

Day 4: Christianity's Unique Claim of Divine Pursuit
Christianity stands apart from other major religions in its assertion that God actively seeks out humanity to offer a personal relationship and salvation by grace. This divine initiative is a profound expression of love and mercy, contrasting with the idea of attaining divine favor through human efforts. The uniqueness of Christianity lies in the personal nature of God, who reaches out to individuals, inviting them into a transformative relationship that is not based on merit but on grace. This relationship is the heart of the Christian faith, offering forgiveness, redemption, and the promise of eternal life. [53:28]

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10 ESV)

Reflection: How does the understanding that God is actively seeking a relationship with you change the way you approach your spiritual life and daily interactions with others?

Day 5: Liberation into Joyful Surrender
The Christian life is not about adhering to a set of restrictive rules but about embracing the freedom that comes with surrendering to Jesus. This surrender leads to a life filled with joy, peace, and purpose that far surpasses the fleeting pleasures of the world. It is a liberation into a new way of being, where the priorities of the kingdom of God take precedence over earthly desires. In this surrender, individuals find true fulfillment and discover the abundant life that Jesus promises to those who follow Him. The Christian life is an adventure of faith, marked by the transformative power of Jesus' love and the hope of eternity with Him. [54:49]

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13 ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

**Trailer Breaking News**

Right now, out of Thailand, rescue teams are working through the night to save 12 boys and their coach trapped inside a cave. The monsoon had come early; the conditions in the cave were impossible. There was a very strong feeling that the children couldn't still be alive.

"We need expert divers out here." The Thai Navy Seals put everything they had into it, but only this group of people who do it as a weekend hobby has those skills. I was thinking, "This has actually got our name all over it."

You couldn't see your hand in front of your face trying to wriggle through holes. I couldn't wade through, finding a bigger space, sliding through, and then repeating again and again.

"How many of you?"

"Thirteen."

Yeah, we looked into each other's faces thinking we may be the only ones that ever see them. Finding the boys was the easy part; they didn't have a clue how to get those kids up. We didn't think it was possible to dive the children out. We came up with the actual logistical plan. I told them, "That's a horrible idea." And then Rick said, "What if it's the only idea?"

We were brutally honest; we promised multiple fatalities. It's about controlling your emotions and your fear. Panic is death in the cave. My mind was on overdrive. "Oh my God, am I going to be good enough? If they die, it's going to tear me apart. If you don't die, everyone will die."

I told the guys, "This is a one-way trip. Once you start, you cannot stop. Believe, believe."

I love that. I mean, I just get nervous thinking about it, right? You couldn't see the hand in front of them. The documentary is unbelievable. Look, there were 5,000 volunteers from the United States, seals, Air Force, Thailand, different places. They spent millions and millions and millions of dollars to rescue these boys.

They had to swim 2.5 miles, not knowing where and how they were going to get there. It took two hours to swim that. That wasn't the big thing. Once they got there, they had to sedate the boys one by one and swim with them out, two hours out, regroup, and go back in to get the last one out.

It took four days for them to complete the task.

When I look at that story, to me, that's a picture of how Jesus came to rescue us. See, I know some of your stories. I know what you were like BC—before Christ. If somebody looked where you were in that cave trapped, they would have probably said, "No way. There's no way they'll ever change." You just don't understand.

But I'm so thankful today that God took the initiative and He came to rescue you, and He came to rescue me. If that's happened to you, give Him a hand clap and say, "Yay God!"

It's not an accident you're here today. God wanted you to hear this story—that He loves you so much that He's taken the initiative to find you. You don't find Him; He found you.

So where are you in this story? Where are you that needs to be rescued?

So how will I get Jesus to rescue me?

There are just a few points.

Number one, you have to recognize the need for rescue. You can't be rescued if you don't recognize that you need rescue. So be honest today. Where are you? Are you stuck, maybe in a relationship that's just damaging your life? Or maybe it's not bad things that are happening in your life. Maybe you're very successful. Maybe you're making lots of money. Maybe you've got more houses than you can live in at one time.

But you know, at nighttime, when you settle down and you think about your life, you think about eternity, you think about the purpose, and you say, "I don't know my life's purpose."

You see, you can be the most successful person, but if destiny is not beating in your heart, you'll always say, "There must be something more that I'm not experiencing."

Psalm 70:5 says, "But I've lost it; I'm wasted. God, quickly come to my side, quick to my rescue. God, don't lose a minute."

The next verse says, "God rescues the humble." God never rescues a prideful person. You know why? Because you don't give Him permission. You've got it all together. You would say things like, "I don't need rescue. I've got this. I'm going to pull up my bootstraps."

But you see, it still doesn't work, does it?

Imagine when those divers got to those boys and the coach. Those boys would say, "Hey, want to join us? No, no, no, we don't want to be rescued. You don't understand. We have no homework here. Our parents are not bossing us. I don't have a schedule. It's warm and cozy in here. We don't have anything to worry about."

No, those kids, when they saw those rescue divers after the days they'd been in there by themselves with no food, no water, and no light, don't tell me that they weren't glad to say, "I'm ready. I don't want to stay here any longer."

Where is it today that God has been speaking to you?

Here's what I know. I know this without a shadow of a doubt. A couple of days ago, I was thinking and praying about this teaching today, and the Lord spoke to me and said, "There are some people that are coming." He actually showed me a picture. I couldn't see your face clearly, but I knew that you were a man, and I knew there was a woman, and there were several others.

He said to me, "The Holy Spirit has been touching their heart, and for the last few weeks, they've been saying, 'You know what? I need to get my life on track.'"

And without anybody knowing it, you haven't told anybody. You've been reading a little Bible, sneaking around reading a little Bible. You've been watching some podcasts. You've even begun asking some other believers how their life changed.

Why? Because God is getting you ready for today. Today's the day.

But I know some of you came in; you've got the brakes on. You pulled the emergency brake. You've rolled up all the windows. You've locked all the doors. You're going to sit behind that and say, "No way. No way. I came today simply because of guilt. My friend has been asking me to come to church. They said if I'd come to church, they'd buy me lunch afterwards."

And so you're here today, and you have no thought at all about surrendering your heart to Jesus. It's all closed up. In fact, if I were to ask you why you've never made that decision, you'd simply say, "Well, because I've met Christians, and I don't want to be like them."

"Because, Terry, to be honest with you, I've got a lot of doubts about is Jesus the only way to heaven. I've got doubts about this whole thing of Easter."

Listen, if that's you, I won't ask you to raise your hand, but I can see it on some people's faces today. You've got doubts. Guess what? You're in good company.

I could take you to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and I could show you the closest followers of Jesus. He taught them over and over and over, "Guys, I came into this world to be the sacrificial lamb, to be able to make a way so people can get to God in heaven. They're going to crucify me, and they're going to put me in a tomb, but guys, on the third day, I will come out of the tomb."

But they never got it. They doubted. I mean, we expect a dead person to do what? Stay dead? There wasn't a one of the disciples at His tomb on Sunday morning looking at that stone and counting down, "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5," and believing that any moment now that stone is going to roll away and Jesus walks out.

But there wasn't a one of them. Not one.

So you see, God understands your doubts. I mean, when you try to figure everything out, sometimes you can't do that. But guess what? You're in good company.

So the first thing we have to do is recognize the need for rescue.

I'm going to ask my lovely wife, Anita, to come and help us with the second point. Would you give her a welcome as she comes? I love the dress.

Yeah, you know, that reminds me too—not one of them was there. Sometimes even as a believer, we might get off track a little bit too. Maybe you ask God today, "How are you doing? Where are you?"

But the second thing we have to do after we recognize the need for rescue is we have to, number two, admit, "I can't rescue myself."

Admit that. Yeah, you have to recognize you can't rescue yourself. Those boys knew that somebody had to come.

I was thinking about—I watched a different documentary, and I was just shocked. The whole time, they didn't try to get out. They didn't even try. "Well, let's try." I mean, they were in there for days, no food, no water, no light. They didn't even know what day it was.

Somebody had to come and rescue them, or they were going to die.

Psalm 62:1 says, "I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for Him to rescue me, for salvation comes from Him alone." And that is what we have to believe—salvation comes from Him alone.

You know, things in our life are not going to save us. The government's not going to save us. Our boss is not going to save us. We can't get a raise. We can't be promoted. None of that is going to take us to another level and save us.

The only thing that's going to save us, that's going to rescue us, the only person is Jesus.

Yeah, Jesus is going to rescue us. And you know, He knew that was His mission. He didn't want to do that, even though He knew that. That's why God sent Him to this earth—to take all of our sin upon Him, our past, our present, our future.

Can you imagine that moment that all of that was put on Jesus? But He said, "I'll do it. I'll do it for your salvation. I'll do it to buy your redemption into heaven. I'll pay for your sins so you can have eternity with God."

Psalm 49:7-8 says, "Really, there is no such thing as self-rescue. Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, the cost of rescue is beyond our means, and even then it doesn't guarantee life forever or insurance against the black hole."

I don't want to go in a black hole. Oh, I don't want that. I know you don't want to go in a black hole. But if you don't surrender your life to Jesus, you'll be in the black hole.

'Cause we only have one of two destinations for eternity. We're either going to be in heaven with God, or we're going to be in the black hole, separated from God forever.

There's no way those boys could pay for their rescue. You said millions—probably five. I don't even know how many millions—five plus millions of dollars. Thousands of people. The operation was huge. People from around the world were there. They couldn't pay for their rescue.

Can you imagine if when they got there, when the rescuers got there, they said, "Okay, who wants to get out?" And they all said, "We do." And they said, "Okay, you have to pay."

"Oh, 'cause it costs $5 million? Pay up?"

Yeah, no, they didn't say that. They were there to rescue them. They were there to help them get out of that situation.

And you cannot pay for your own salvation either.

Right? Sometimes we think, "Well, I'll do some good stuff, and I'll make marks in heaven. You know, God will keep a tally of all my good things."

No, all that is is filthy rags, the Bible tells us. We can't do good enough. The only thing that's going to help us, that's going to save us, is Jesus.

Jesus on the cross, He said, "I love you this much."

Yeah, yeah, that's how He was on the cross.

And because He loved us, He died for us.

So real quickly, I just want to share with you what happened in my life. Some of you have heard this before, but I was raised Catholic. I didn't know about that YouNow or fish thing. I might have tried that.

But anyway, I was 30 years old. My sister had shared Jesus with me, and I called her a Jesus freak and whatever. "Live your own life." And I went out, and I partied, and I did my thing. And I went to church on Saturday night so I could party all night, not wake up on Sunday with a hangover and have to go to church, because I would go to church to be a good Catholic.

I didn't have a relationship with Jesus.

So finally, I recognized that I needed to be rescued. And so then I tried to fix myself up. I said, "You know what? I'm going to get better. I'm not going to go out as much. I'm not going to drink."

I didn't tell my friends. I just would go out, and they'd say, "What's the matter? Are you sick?" I said, "No, I'm not sick."

And then I wouldn't tell them that, you know, I'm just trying to make my life better. No matter what I did, though, there was a black hole. There was an emptiness. Something was missing, and I didn't realize that it was Jesus.

But when I finally thought to myself, "When am I going to get good enough? When am I going to clean up myself enough? When can I go to God and say, 'Okay, I'm ready?'"

And then I heard Him whisper to me and say, "I'll take you right now, just the way you are. You're never going to do enough, but I'll take you the way you are, and then I'll teach you how to live a life that I've designed for you."

I remember driving home. I lived in Tallahassee. I drove home for five, six hours. I thought, "What in the world did I just do? I'm going to have a boring life. I'm not going to be able to do anything. I'm going to have no fun."

That was the devil trying to make me regret my decision. But I found a church right away. Every Sunday, the pastor had something to say directly. He didn't know, but he was speaking. God was speaking directly to my heart, and I realized that's what was missing in my life.

Things changed.

So you have to admit that you can't save yourself.

And then number three, you have to ask Jesus to rescue you.

Ask Jesus to rescue me. And that's what I did. I said, "God, I can't do this myself. I need you to rescue me."

And so I gave my life to Christ. I submitted my heart. I said, "Okay, I don't know what you got planned for me, but it's going to be amazing, because my best day without Jesus was horrible compared to my worst day with Jesus."

I'm telling you, Jesus will take you places you've not even dreamt of going and doing.

So I did that. I found a church. I started praying. I said, "God, I don't know what you got planned for me. I sure would like to get married."

And then, yes, I got saved at 30. And that right there, statistically, you know, the older you get, the percentage goes down.

I got saved at 30. By the time I was 31, I was praying all that year. I got a new car. I got a new townhouse. I got a new job. I prayed for a husband, and then Pastor Terry came into my life.

I said, "I want a tall man who's in the ministry."

Wow, wow. Yeah, I had other things too, and they all came true.

So we met and got married within six months. Six months. And that was 33 years ago.

I'm telling you, Jesus is the only way. No matter what other people say, there are not all roads lead to heaven. No, one way—Jesus is the way.

Psalm 91 says, "When they call on me, I will answer. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them."

He promises. He said, "I will." Not "maybe." He said, "I will."

Amen, amen.

Yes, yes, yes.

Jesus was so bold to say, "I'm the way, I'm the truth, and I'm the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

He didn't say, "I'm a way." He didn't say, "I'm the best." He said, "I am the only way that you can get to God."

We live in a very religious world full of religious pluralism, and in the midst of all that, Jesus makes an exclusive claim: "I am God."

That's what He said to Pilate. He said, "I am God." He said, "If you want to know what God is like, look at my life."

So in the midst of all of that, we've got to compare Christianity with other major religions. For instance, Buddhists believe there is no God, no type of final existence. A Buddhist goes through countless rebirths, and eventually, you hope to end that cycle.

Hindus believe in a God, but He's an impersonal God, and you can only approach Him through deities, statues, and idols.

If you take those two major religions, Buddhism and Hinduism, and restudy them, they offer no forgiveness of your past. They offer no supernatural help—just karma, right? You pull out in front of somebody, get ready; somebody's going to pull out in front of you, right?

How about Islam? Muslims worship a personal God called Allah. They don't have any secondary gods. Their standing with God of how good enough they get to heaven is based on their works.

Based on their works. "Well, I've got to do this. I've got to do that. I don't do this. I don't go there." Because they've got to be right.

Their standing is simply based on religious works.

How do we compare that with a new age group? Everybody in the world studying that new age—they don't believe there's any type of God. Your goal is to be one with the cosmos and the universe.

Every major religion except Christianity says you've got to work. You've got to please God. You've got to reach God. And they paint this picture of God making a list, checking if you've been naughty or nice.

But Romans 10:13 says, "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

He came searching for us. The divers told the children, "Believe, believe."

Boy, that's the key today—to believe.

See, some of you are saying, "But if I give my life to the Lord, like Anita said, then man, I can't do this. I can't do that. I can't drink. I can't do that."

We didn't say anything about that. It's not what you can't do, but what He changes in your life.

You don't get a life that has no fun. I'm telling you, I hang out with some of the most radical Christians that are in this church, and they have more fun than I've ever seen in my life.

Why? Because of that peace with Jesus.

So here's where I stand: If there is a God who claims to be the Son of God, and He says, "I am the only way to the Father," and then He predicts His death, He predicts His resurrection, He dies, and He rises again, as many as 500 people at one time saw Him after His resurrection.

No author in the first century ever tried to rebuff the resurrection. It was an accepted fact. Jesus fulfilled, catch this, over 300 Old Testament prophecies.

I tell you, when there's somebody like that, that's my King. I'm going with Him. How about you? I'm going to trust Him.

So here it is: recognize the need for rescue, admit I can't rescue myself, and ask Jesus to simply rescue me.

And then I put all my trust in Him. Those boys had to put their trust in the divers. They didn't just say, "Well, we'll swim on our own." No, they put their trust in the divers.

The disciples—let's go back to those guys. The disciples didn't learn to trust Jesus because of His teachings. It didn't answer all their questions, but because they saw Him raised from the dead.

I would ask you to consider doubting your doubts this morning.

It was June 18, 1815. It was the Battle of Waterloo, and the French, under the command of Napoleon, were taking over most of Europe. The only thing that stood in their way was a few allies hooked up with England—the British, the Dutch, and the Germans under the command of Wellington.

Wellington led the battle. You didn't have phones, and you didn't have TVs back then, so you had to get messages by signals.

There would be a boat that would come into the port, and someone would be standing up on top in London of one of the churches, and they'd watch the signals that came from the boat.

As the sound of the bell goes, London stops what they're doing to see what's happened with the battle. They look up, and they're holding up a sign: "W E L L I N G T O N D E F E A T E D."

And a fog settled, and everyone was saying, "But how could this be? That Napoleon's going to take over now? That can't be."

But you see, they prematurely quit reading, because when the fog lifted, it was "Wellington defeated the enemy."

And everyone began to clap and cheer.

On that day that Jesus was crucified, hardly looked like a king. Humiliated, He said, "It is finished," and He gave up the ghost. He died.

I believe at that time, all of heaven was weeping. "How could this be?" But all of hell was rejoicing. "We stopped Him! We got Him!"

And I believe the devil was doing something like this: "All right, all those people that I've trapped are going to stay trapped now. There's no rescue."

But you see, that cross wasn't the end of the story. The end of the story was after the fog lifted on the third day—Jesus rose.

So the sign wasn't "Jesus defeated." The sign would be "Jesus defeated the enemy."

Are you thankful for that today? Are you rejoicing in that today?

The fog kept them from seeing the truth.

"The Lord spoke to me and said there's some people that are coming... the Holy Spirit has been touching their heart... God is getting you ready for today. Today's the day." [40:20](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"I could take you to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and I could show you the closest followers of Jesus... they doubted... We expect a dead person to do what? Stay dead... they never got it, they doubted." [42:56](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"I remember driving home... I thought what in the world did I just do? I'm going to have a boring life... But I found a church right away... and I realized that's what was missing in my life. Things changed." [49:47](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Psalm 62:1 says I stand silently before the Lord waiting for him to rescue me for salvation comes from him alone... Salvation comes from him alone... the only person that's going to save us is Jesus." [44:56](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Psalm 49:7-8 says really there is no such thing as self-rescue... The cost of rescue is beyond our means... it doesn't guarantee life forever or insurance against the black hole." [45:36](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Every major religion except Christianity says you got to work, you got to please God, you got to reach God... But Romans 10:13 says anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." [54:13](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"I hang out with some of the most radical Christians that are in this church and they have more fun than I've ever seen in my life. Why? Because of that peace with Jesus." [54:49](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Those boys had to put their trust in the divers... the disciples didn't learn to trust Jesus because of his teachings... but because they saw him raised from the dead." [56:21](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



"Wellington defeated the enemy... when the fog lifted it was Wellington defeated the enemy and everyone began to clap and cheer... Jesus defeated the enemy. Are you thankful for that today?" [59:16](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)