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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Shawn Lathrom

Now is the Time

Father in heaven, Lord, we thank you for being here.

We want to personally invite you now into our hearts, into this building.

God, I pray that I will be laid aside and you and your Son lifted up.

I still vividly recall the terror that struck me and threw me into an uncontrollable shaking a few years back.

It was a Sunday morning about 730 and I was headed to work.

Now this was in Wichita, Kansas and there's not a whole lot of traffic out there on a Sunday morning.

But as I drove down the road, I was thinking, as I often do when I drive, and as I looked off to the right at the on-ramp, I noticed a big tractor trailer, big semi, hauling a John Deere tractor, coming up the on-ramp to get onto the interstate.

So I signaled to get over into the left lane so he could get on.

And then I noticed A navy blue Chevy pickup truck come up right on his tail.

You can tell he definitely wanted around this truck.

And I'm sure that many of you have experienced this kind of situation, especially living here in Southern California.

And So I'm watching him and sure enough this guy decides to jump all the way over to the fast lane So he doesn't have to get stuck behind this truck Now the problem was that he and the truck were going about 25 miles an hour compared to my 75 80 Do the math It was close enough and severe enough that I had 2 options, either slam on my brakes and I still would have hit him, or try to swerve around him and somehow maneuver between the 2 because he was a little behind the tractor trailer.

I chose the latter option and from that moment on, the story is quite blurry, I swerved over and because of the speed I was going, I began fishtailing and somehow I made it in between the truck and the semi.

And for about 3 quarters of a mile I went in circles into the median, backwards, forward, sideways.

I remember at 1 time looking out my side window I was sideways on the interstate and this semi was driving right towards me about 15 feet away.

I mean, I can tell you that There's no time in a situation like that.

There's no time to spend time with God, if you haven't done so already that morning.

Well, by the grace of God, I went flying off the interstate backwards, and the only damage that happened to the car, I hit a mile marker, and they have those little steel pegs, and it knocked a hole in my bumper, the back bumper of my car.

And there was some grass inside between the wheel and the tires.

At 1 point I remember going up on 2 wheels.

I came to a stop and looked over to my left.

My car had stalled and I see this truck fly by.

And I'm trying to gather myself and I look over and I see this semi pull up.

And I'll never forget the look on that old farmer's face.

His mouth, his jaw was dropped, His mouth was open more than I thought was humanly possible.

I wonder if maybe he saw an angel over my car, holding it down.

I tried to start my car and it was flooded.

And right away when I came to a stop, I realized, I mean, it was quiet.

I lifted my foot to try to push the clutch in and my leg was just shaking.

My rock and roll music had been blasting in the background.

You just don't want to listen to that kind of music in a time like that.

About 15 seconds later I started my car up.

And I drove off, I decided to take the back roads instead of the interstate to work.

And I can tell you that that was probably the most solemn drive that I've ever had.

And as I was thinking about all of this, thinking about the convictions that God had been placing on my heart in the previous days and weeks.

The words came to my mind, almost audibly, not audibly, but God impressed upon my heart.

He did it in the Bible, he can still do it.

God impressed upon my heart, Sean, now is the time.

And friends, I can tell you that that morning on my way to work, 17 years old, I made myself right with God.

And I gave my heart to Him and I made a decision to follow Him with my whole life and heart.

And I want to tell you this morning that now is the time.

Please turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 20.

Second Corinthians 520, And it says, you're going to notice we're going to go right into chapter 6, and I'll kind of explain that in a little bit.

Now, then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us.

We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We then as workers together with him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

For he says, in an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.

Now we're going to break this down into 3 points.

And the first point that we find here is God is saying, Paul is saying on Christ's behalf, Now is the time to be reconciled to God.

It said, now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us.

Christ's behalf, God is pleading through us, we're ambassadors for God.

Now, the context of these verses here, if you were to read before, is the very well-known verse, if anyone be in Christ, he's a new creature, right?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation.

Verse 19 says that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus Christ.

He had been speaking of the reconciliation that God had already provided at the cross.

And in verse 20, He turns to the church and He says, Now you have to do your part.

Now, as I said, the chapter break really should have been, it could have been 2 verses earlier, probably should have been 2 verses later because those next 2 verses really just follow the thought of what was being said there.

But it doesn't matter, those numbers are just there, right?

So now who is this command originating with?

I mentioned it briefly, the verse said it a few times.

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Now is the Time

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