Daniel Dilemma Part 4 10 22 2017 Sermon

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's so good to see all of you here today welcome to church and week number four of the series that we've called the Daniel dilemma we are in a series that we're concluding today based off of a book that I released this past Tuesday called the Daniel dilemma and that was based off of a series that we did back in 2013 I just honestly thought it would be just yet another series and we were doing a verse by verse study through the Book of Daniel with one goal in mind and that is all of us needing a little bit more direction of how do we navigate a culture that is rapidly in my opinion shifting away from God values and how do you stand firm like Daniel did in the Bible he he was taken captive into Babylon a completely pagan culture and he never never about he never gave in through his religious and spiritual beliefs but was so interesting to me is he didn't just stand firm but he also had influence into his culture at the same time and I think I think most people think you got to pick one or the other so either I'm gonna stand firm and probably no one will like me but least I'll be right you know and I'll stand firm or erroneously a lot of this generation believes that in order to love well you have to in the name of love change the Bible to fit the people you're trying to love in fact some even think they love people better than God loves people and nothing could be further from the truth God God doesn't have love God is love everybody I mean he he embodies it and the most loving thing God could say to us is hey turn from your sin let me change your life and so they they get it wrong too but without what I believe is that you can actually do both and the goal of the book was to try to help you kind of give you a playbook of how do you deal with culture how are we gonna stand firm and love well at the same time last week we talked about standing firm today we're going to conclude the series with loving well let me give you this verse it's probably one of my favorite love verses in the Bible because I like the language because it's so strong I mean there's a lot of Bible that happened up to this point in Galatians a lot of Bible and then the Bible comes vlog it says oh by the way I know I've told you a lot but the only thing that counts I mean anytime you see a phrase like that you might want to put the pause button and really consume that thought the only thing that counts is you having faith in God so you need to love God first have a faith but now that that faith is expressing itself through say the last word through co-state like you mean it through now that's not enough for you just to have faith and that was last week we do need to have a strong faith but the only thing that counts is you having that faith and now that faith has learned how to express itself in love and honestly come on listen let's be honest the church hasn't always gotten that right in fact a lot of times they in their in their dogmatic argumentative viewpoint they've hurt a lot of people and here the Bible says clearly that's that's not the goal and what I want us to learn how to do is it's really show people the love of God in fact here's a great quote we cannot antagonize and influence at the same time well what am i pass her buddy said it this way he said you'll never win your your enemies to Christ so don't have any and it's true that God has called us to have influence into our culture and we're not going to be able to do that if no one likes us right and so the here's the here's the question how do we kind of have this influence and this ability to love without changing the truths of Scripture well you definitely can and honestly if there's any one way better than Daniel it was Jesus and Jesus came along really and he never kind of got in anybody's face except for the religious folk and one of those verses where he got in the face of the religious folk he said hey it's been in your Bible a long time you guys have obviously ignored it but so a new command I give you which really was not new at all but he says hey guys you guys are focusing on the law you get you get the law exactly right and you're kind of a burden to people that's really what churches look like for many he says but a new command I give you hey love one another as I have loved you you need to love one another and watch this he said by this all men will know that you're my disciples if you and you probably know the rest of it what's in your notes there right but what would you think it would say if you didn't know the verse look you'll know you're a Christian if you got baptized or you'll know you're a disciple if you memorize the Bible or you know you're Christian if you give a lot or serve a lot and there are wonderful things to do but that's that's not the distinguishing feature of Christianity Jesus wanted let's look at my buddy he wanted the distinguishing feature of Christianity to be if you love one another love one another now any time I do a message like this I feel the okay okay whatever move on let's go let's go let's go yo cuz and I hear this and not not so much anymore but in the early days people would actually request hey pastor Chris loved all those principles and I love all this weight we're doing this to help people hey but bring bring me some deep teaching want some deep bring it deep and what they mean is confusing they want to leave here just a little confused and uh and I hope this doesn't come across arrogant or anything but I can do that like I know it may surprise you maybe not you don't see that but I can do that I have I have four years of formal training after my bachelor's degree in seminary and Bible colleges to to study and I have three semesters of the Greek New Testament I can read the Greek and I've took one semester of Hebrew and I know it fairly well like I can go deep but I do know this but the guy who's drowning doesn't want the Greek word for life raft he wants you to throw in one just you can explain it to me after I stop dying over here right and so and I think that's how people feel like I could Windell this church down to a few hundred deep people if I wanted to I really I really could do that but I don't want to do that I want to help us you won't you really won't deep though let me give you deep look love love your enemies yeah pray for those who persecute you bless the meanie next door to you right bless us with a that's the Chris Hodges paraphrase of yeah the Bible comes along and says yeah you want to know more you want deep but you're not doing the basic principle of the Bible that is I want you to bless those who persecute you I want you to I want you to really show the love of God to people and I love it's not in your notes but what a great verse let love be your greatest name I mean if you're gonna aim at something in this walk with God let's let love be that aim so today I want to help us with that I'm gonna do it in two ways I want the last part to be real practical but I'm gonna give you some principles based off of a teaching I heard probably more than 15 or 20 years ago from a dear friend Pastor Rick Warren he basically did a verse by verse of the most famous love text in the entire Bible if you've ever been a part of a wedding you have probably heard this read at that wedding first Corinthians 13 what a great just small chapter you can read it in a couple of minutes packed with beautiful truths if we look at it verse by verse we come to these conclusions that without love write this down all I say is ineffective so my words don't matter anymore if they're not coming out with love but I'm right yeah but no one likes hearing you talk right now yeah I'm right but right doesn't matter it's not about winning arguments it's about winning hearts no one addressed something here because I think we live in a very toxic opinionated vulgar critical culture and I tell you I'm calling them out I really am I have y'all just going to excuse me I'm getting on my soapbox here for a moment because the Bible says if I have the tongues of men and angels so you're the smartest most eloquent person on the planet but you do not have love to everybody who's listening to you you're just like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal and I say we live in a culture now that has glorified opinion and as a glorified comments I think social media feeds it the political world definitely feeds it I mean if I disagree with you I'm no longer disagree with you I hate you and you must die because I disagree what in the world has happened to our culture everybody and I'll tell you I'm calling our church let's let it start with us that we are not gonna let that junk come out of our minds now even if we disagree with those people cuz anybody with me the ugly that's true I saw it this week I'll tell you I was I was heartbroken this week my team let me know late on last Sunday night they said we had a tragedy and one of our families here in the church where a little three-year-old girl was was was killed in just an accident that happened and they said Pastor Chris I'm sure they would love a phone call from you and I got jumped on the phone immediately at my home and and and you know I had not met them to actually go to another campus and I got on the phone and we wept together and we prayed together we talked for five min more than 30 minutes and just I prayed with them and and then he said this he said Pastor Chris you know what the hardest part of this is and I was thinking you lost your daughter he goes he goes I hope we have a Facebook account and people it's only hours old people have already posted on our Facebook page that we are bad parents I thought what what you know just even if it were true and I know this situation it's not you still don't say it I'm just telling you Church I'm sorry I'm just gonna get up here for a while and I just it's got to stop I'm calling our leaders of our nation and our state and our world stop stop everybody we've got to stop the language that is coming out of our mouths stop it all but I'm right it doesn't matter we speak the truth in in love growing in every way more and more like Christ in fact Ephesians 4 right this first down you note-takers go read Ephesians 4:29 do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but only the talk that is helpful for building people up that it might benefit those who listen that's that everything that comes out of my mouth is either building somebody up or tearing them down and I think we ought to make a commitment here right here at church God helped me that everything to my wife my kids my office building my opposite political party to anybody I disagree with this nothing comes out of my mouth except what it's building it up them up not tearing them down can I hear a good amen I'm okay I'm jumping off my soapbox thank you very much I feel so much better thank you very much without love all I know is insignificant I don't care how much you know they say knowledge is doubling every three years I don't know if that's true or not but that's that's just wild so we're getting smarter and the world is worse off at the same time we have a lot of knowledge and better phones but a worse world and the Bible says if I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries like there is nothing you don't know and I have not loved I'm nothing write this one down without love all I believe is insufficient so it doesn't matter really even about what I believe in Jesus well congratulations the devil believes in him - that does that belief is not enough no we attach some behavior along with our belief and that's what that's what changes things Corinthians goes on to say if I have faith that can move a mountain but I have not love I'm nothing without love write this one down without love all I give is then complete now you guys are an amazingly generous Church you really are but the amount is not what matters it's the heart and the love for the people that we give to that matters everybody I mean if you're not careful giving can become a point of pride it could look look what I've done and how much I've done no no and I try so hard I probably probably should could do a better job at connecting the fact that you are incredibly generous that you're touching people's lives in ways I don't think you even know but your loving your loving people Corinthian says it this way if I give all our possess to the poor but have not love I'm nothing this morning I woke up early like I do on a Sunday morning and I spent some time with the Lord and I go straight to my notes and I always say you know you're the message that I've prepared for you this weekend is it's already it's already put together I just got to put in the oven now and I'm heating it up and I'm getting all fired up about it and praying and seeking the Lord and I'd done that I was getting ready to come to the church here and and I wanted to check some emails I only had two and one of those was from a pastor in California and this past week on your behalf there's we do so much of this that you don't even know about but this past week we we sent some money to two churches who have families that were affected by the Sonoma County wildfires that you probably have seen I mean just whole neighborhood's not not not not burned I mean to the ground burn nothing there in fact they told me the story of one old couple who went there houses on fire they couldn't get out they just jumped into a swimming pool and just came up for air every once a while keeping their faith face from getting scorched literally with fire all around and they survived they lived they lived to tell about it and we just felt like the people of Church the Highlands needed to be represented there so we found two churches and we said would you please go find people whose houses have burned to the ground and obviously this wouldn't be enough to rebuild all their homes but would you please say on behalf of the people of Church the Highlands that God loves you and so do we and he sent me a picture he said pastor Chris I want to let you know that we delivered every bit of what you guys gave and even he sent the pictures and every one of these families lost everything their homes were completely burned you can see in this one completely to the ground but you need to know in front of every single one of these people it's not a lot but it's a few but everyone them have heard these words on behalf of the people of Church the Highlands God loves you and so do we can we thank the Lord for that I mean that's that's what it's all about really brilliant without love write this one down all I accomplished is inadequate you know a lot of people value accomplishment but we're all going to be audited one day before God you do know that right we all get our chance to stand before the Lord and let's be clear your heaven and hell is not determined based on what you do only Jesus only Jesus only His grace gets you into heaven but there's gonna be a judgement after we get into heaven that will give you rewards and that's very clear that so there's two judgments there's the heaven and hell and there's only one thing that matters there I gave my heart to Jesus you can't you can't give enough you can't you can't even love others enough for that one just loving him but then he wants to reward you and there's a second judgment called the judgment seat of Christ and it did it doesn't determine your eternal destiny determines but that heaven is like really he's going to reward us very very clearly in Scripture and when we get there they here's another ought it's gonna go like when he gets to me he's the questions not gonna be okay tell me how many people were at the last service of church to the Highlands you know that my accomplishments by what people would consider as accomplishments that's not what the audits all about the audit would be how I treated people how I loved people how I did my best and you did your best to serve other people and that's why 1st Corinthians says if I give over my body to hardship that I might boast that's a fancy Bible to say I work very hard to accomplish a lot but I did not have love the audit says nothing fact let me just say it this way your life - love equals 0 my life this church didn't matter if we have a hundred thousand coming on a weekend - love equals nothing nothing and that's why this message is so important first of just God would you work in me would you do something inside of me that works your amazing love of my heart so that I can be a person who didn't just stand firm in my culture but also loved well in my culture a little thought and you might want to just put it to the test for this week to see if it works but I think there are a few passages of Scripture that you can read on a daily basis take you all 30 seconds to read it and if you started your day with those thoughts your day would go better and this message thought would go better and I want to submit to you that the next text that I have there in your notes like if you put a big circle around it and if you put this note sheet somewhere or read this in your Bible but look at the rest of the love chapter love is patient love is kind that's not envy it does not boast it's not proud it does not dishonor others I love that it is not self-seeking it's not easily angered it keeps no record of wrong a highlight of these two words love does love love isn't a daily action love love does not delight in evil but glove does rejoice in the truth it always protects always trusts always hopes always perseveres say the last three words aloud every campus love yeah it would never fail you and I wonder what it would look like if we just made the choice to to love well every day well I know what it would happen so what past Christmas how do you how do you do that are you ready for my answer for today like Daniel did see I think when you read the text of the story of The Book of Daniel one thing that you see is you see him very polite you've seen him standing strong but you seem respectful you've seen standing firm but being influential and helpful in almost every situation he was in he never budged in his convictions but people respected and loved him now I'm getting ready share with you my favorite leadership verse in the entire Bible it's like you Highlands college students at every location you know you're serving today hundreds of them everywhere you've heard me talk to you about this before I love this verse that that Daniel is that it pleased Darius to a point a hundred and twenty sat traps that would be like like city councilmen to rule throughout the kingdom with three administrators like mayor's over the all over this this nation one of whom was Daniel which is interesting by itself so he's bringing all these babylonian leaders for and said hey we got to include this hebrew boy cuz he's just like he's sharp and it says the sat traps were made accountable to them that the king might not suffer loss in other word they were there to help the kingdom grow and Daniel watched this it's my favorite leadership verse Daniel 63 he distinguished himself he decided I'm gonna go into my culture and I'm not gonna be like everybody else and he distinguished himself with exceptional qualities which always tell the students you don't have to be the best singer you don't have to be the best preacher you don't have to be the smartest what you do have to do is embrace some godly qualities that every one of us can embrace and it'll separate you from everybody else exceptional qualities that the King plan dude Daniel if you're gonna be that way forget these other guys I'm giving you the whole thing and he gave him the whole kingdom at this the other brothers were like what's up what is going on here I thought we were gonna get our share and they tried to find charges against Daniel where in his conduct how he behaved but they could not do so they were unable to do so they could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor an exigent notice he wasn't good-looking anything talked about his his degree on the wall or how many schools he went to or how much money he had or how well I like that because I don't have any of those things right no he was just he just was well behaved finally these men said well we will never find anything to say about this guy he just doesn't mess up they just he's just got a pure heart and I think that's something honestly that every one of us can do you cannot control your skillset I wish I could control my height I've been short my whole life everybody you know but it's we've delivered some things but I can make a choice whether I'm gonna love well tomorrow I can make a choice whether I have a good attitude tomorrow or not those aren't feelings those are choices gonna hear a good amen everybody and to give you a few things I know you can do tomorrow and that is that you can go into your culture and you can serve them serve them yeah you can just go into that world tomorrow and say I'm gonna figure out a way to serve the people around me I'm gonna find needs and I'm gonna try to figure out if I can fill those needs someone to serve people but I'm in charge time sir Chris even better dad's it's even better whenever you're the head but you serve it's even better boss when you're when you but you're the head but you but you just decide to serve and that's what Paul said watch this Paul said though I am free I'm the boss and I don't belong to anybody no I can tell me what to do I make myself a slave to everyone why Paul why so that I can win their hearts and that's what Jesus did you see him going into his culture and he knew he knew every sin they'd ever committed he knew what they were thinking when he walked up but he never comes out and says yep I see your thoughts right now and you're gonna burn in the lake of fire he didn't do that you know even if that was true he didn't say it no but Jesus did Jesus connected before he corrected and that's what I'm asking us to do just connect relationally just see Chris how do you do that ask questions tell me what's going on your life and you may not want me to but I'm a Christian I'll even I'll lift you up in prayer I just you know just just trying to connect with people Jesus did that my favorite connection story of Jesus is Zacchaeus I don't know the story it's found in Luke chapter 19 for you Baptist you know Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he come on badges where y'all huh he climbed up in that sycamore tree for the lower do you wanted to see come on come on Sunday school right here that yeah you younger feel like what in the world happened to my pastor right there I don't as a little song we used to sing in Sunday school with it Zacchaeus was a wee little man he was a short dude maybe that's why identify with this story he he couldn't see he couldn't see Jesus because of the crowds make lined up in a tree and when Jesus came by this thief this tax collector this person who had stolen from people he didn't say dude you're a thief I'm I know you trying to look at me but you just like dude you're a thief you know what he said he said he's a kiss I want to have lunch I'm headed to Carabas right now if you like the gum aid right here you would you like to come and I'm sure it stunned him and he got down from the tree and the boss said they went into Zacchaeus his house and then the next verses say he came out giving multiples of money away to every person he'd ever taken anything from now unfortunately we don't have the conversation at lunch oh I can't wait to ask Jesus what in the world did you tell him at lunch but obviously there was a major connection because Zack he has changed but he changed after after lunch hey let's have coffee why do you want to have coffee you're gonna invite me to your church no just just want to know how you're doing is there anything I can you know pray with you about I mean you know and just connect just connect that that's what that's what Daniel did that's what Jesus did here's the second thing it is and that is we can set an example for them now this gives some of your angst you think well that's the problem if they look at my life they're deviling gonna not want to be a Christian but that's my hope as a pastor I want to be very clear and that is I want you to come every Sunday and once you get involved in small groups and love for you to get on the grow track and I love you to start serving people in our dream teams I would love all that but here's what I know is gonna happen through that and that is your hearts gonna change if I gave the mic around right now let people testified that here's what they would say now I've been here and they would say the number of years and I came in like this and I'm not where I want to be but can I tell you I'm nowhere like what I used to be God is working inside of me and really I hope to the point where you go to office in the morning you're like hey cuz it's gonna be raining tomorrow I understand tomorrow when you show up at work and hey rainy days and Monday's ain't got me down why you bout to drive me crazy why I went to church yesterday it was phenomenal that preacher he can pretty obvious whatever you want to say you didn't have to last that hard all right now Jesus says you are the salt of the earth so you walk it you just show up and make things taste better by the way you can do that just go to the office tomorrow on that rainy Monday and bring some hot fresh Krispy Kreme Doughnuts amen everybody that just makes things better but if the salt loses its saltiness which auto-submit tea a lot of Christians are unsalted salt how can it be made salty again it's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men you're the light of the world don't just make things better make them brighter a city on a hill that cannot be hidden neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl instead they put it on its stand and gives light to everyone in the house in the same way don't be a private Christian let your light shine in front of men that they see how you live your life your good deeds in the vote man I want your God they'd want to glorify your Father in heaven let me say it my way the greatest influence we can have on our world is not what we say or what we believe it's how we live how we live how we live it doesn't have to be perfect it just needs to be better it doesn't have to be perfect it just needs to be just needs to be better so we served and that's something you can do tomorrow we can all serve we can we can all do the best we can to set an example for the people around us be salt and be light and here's the last one and that is I would encourage you when the opportunity gives it to you to share Christ with them you don't even have to share Church the Hyland's with them share Christ with them so Chris how do I do that well one of the coolest stories you guys remember a few weeks ago we we asked you guys hey we're gonna send some of your missions dollars to Houston in Florida to help with flood relief and help rebuild some churches that were flooded if you want to do any more there we've put up a website for about a week or so hey go up there and give by the way you guys gave seven hundred and thirty seven thousand dollars you did we didn't choose that you guys did can we give Jesus praise for that amazing three-quarters of a million dollars and every penny of that not a single penny stayed here every penny of that went to help a flood victim and to help rebuild churches and homes every every single penny of that but we were told by the pastors who are getting calls from every day saying thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you they said we've done altar calls in our services for months and years and have never seen their response to the gospel like we did in the boats where we were rescuing people but they went to their homes pulled them out of floodwaters and when they realized these weren't like city officials rescuing them like who are y'all we're just Christians we just love you we our homes are flooded too but we wanted to help you why are you doing this oh just to show you the love of God and right in the boats they said the hundreds of people gave their heart to Jesus in a rescue boat everybody you see you see what is that all about come on give God praise if you think that's pretty cool I think that's awesome I love it I love it say what's that all about that's the gospel everybody it's not hey you have the wrong belief system come buy into my belief system no we are the only people really on the planet seriously any religion you you you check it out it doesn't matter wherever there is hurting you can see the church there somewhere everybody we go in and build orphanages and dream centers that are in prisons and helping people and that's what the church is all about we share Christ with people here's how first Peter says it but in your hearts Revere Christ is Lord so go ahead and just fall in love with Jesus that's what that means and then what you do now you will be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you watch this very clear to give the reason for the hope that you have notice you never go after the person's belief you're just telling them what's happened to you you just talk about why you love Jesus so much but well even when you do that do it with gentleness and respect keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ are actually going to be ashamed that they talk bad about you yeah we go into there those places just to have the opportunity and that's why in every place where we you're compassionate we are compassionate in Jesus name I always tell our missions teams I said when you give when you're in when you're in a refugee camp in Syria or if you're greatly helping rescue a woman out of trafficking or wherever we are bringing the gospel we don't just bring help we bring help in Jesus name we always offer the opportunity to share Christ with them here's how Saint Francis of Assissi said preach the gospel and if necessary use words what a great quote what a great quote and he said well that's really what it's all about if you want to summarize loving well making a difference in culture this is how we do it in fact I want you to write this down I'll tell you one little illustration then we'll close but but but really I believe how I act is more important than what I say and say Kristen what I do about that we have to let God's work happen inside of us now I want you to write that down put it in your lap don't file it yet I want you to hear this because this is critical and we're gonna pray listen you ready for some of you like that's the problem that's the problem I can't act but like I act so Chris will do about that let me explain something to you got to catch this this is huge if you try really hard to act better you're not going to get very far but whenever you listen when you grab hold of the power and the love of God and realize it for yourself capacity to love others happens let me see it this way first John says we love because Christ first loved us that literally means that like Chris u.s. asked me to do a bunch of things I can't do right join the club but even when you receive the love of God I'm telling you I'm miracle takes place let me say it this way this message is not intended to be a self-help pump you up go do better kind of a message this message was to lead you to the only person who can change your life and when you experience his love capacitively capacity to love others will blow you away so my favorite verse in the whole Bible little trivia pcs favorite verse it's Romans 5:8 God I love the second word God demonstrated his love he didn't tell you he loves you he showed you he loves you how by sending Jesus to die on a cross for everything that you and I did there are a few people on this planet that love you as much as I do that's the fact I can say that with great confidence but I don't know if I love you enough to that one of my sons has to die in order for you and me to be in relationship so sorry if they disappoint you but Christ God demonstrates he demonstrates his love for you that while we were still sinning like we didn't he didn't even wait no no no you don't know ya don't know ya is anybody gonna receive me no no no while we were still sinners Christ died for us if you ever really grab hold of that truth capacity to love the world around you is so much easier so I want to pray for us I don't want to pump you up I want a miracle to take place right now close your eyes now your heads open your hands right there in your lap just put yourself in a posture of receiving Lord changed me God I'm asking you to change my heart I want to be more loving than I currently am for heaven's sakes God my my words my words need to reflect that I'm building people up not tearing them down God forgive me for not having a heart of love for the people around me like you do but God I can't do it on my own I need I need capacity and every time I pause Lord and just think about what you did for me it just makes it so much easier to love the people around me and so lord I pray come on join me in this prayer change me can you put love in my heart that I never dreamed could be there do a deep work inside of me I pray [Music]

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Keywords: Church of the Highlands, Pastor Chris Hodges, Daniel Dilemma

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Length: 34min 48sec (2088 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 23 2017