Francis Chan's Final Message To America

I want to spend just a couple moments and like really pray like really pray like really connect with Almighty God because it's kinda like you know those of you have children how sometimes you'll tell your kids something and they'll nod their head and go no I get a dad and you're looking in their face and you go they don't get it right they're not gonna do it they but you can't convince them they don't get it at that time and and I feel like that could very easily happen right now where there's some passages of Scripture I'm going to take you to that you go no no I know that I know that but no I don't I don't know if you really know that I don't know if I know this and it's only by the grace of God you know how two people can hear the same message and the grace of God will fall on one person to where you change your entire life because of a passage and others you'll walk away getting it but and then you'll think you get it but you really don't and it's not going to change your life at all you'll rush to the parking lot go out to lunch and and things will just continue but I want to pray that the grace of God would fall on this place and to all those that are watching because I've had those moments where all I did was read a passage of Scripture hear a passage of Scripture and literally it changed everything and that's not because I'm more spiritual anything else that's just the grace of God fell upon me and I just want to pray that right now so let's let's come into his presence holy spirit' even now help us to understand what it means to come into the presence of Almighty God help us to understand what an honored is right now to speak to him holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come you're the great I am you are the giver of life god you literally determine whether or not we live through this message everything is in your hands you're a good god it's by your grace that we're here it's by your grace that we see your greatness and God I'm just begging Lord for your grace upon us right now that we read your words God and that we would truly take them as your words and trust your promises oh lord please have mercy on us all of us in your own special way as father God Lord speak to each of us as we need it right now encourage us discipline us you are our Father I pray right now that I don't do anything in the flesh but that this would be your spirit speaking through me to bring you glory you alone in Jesus name we pray amen and I grew up not far from here spend most of my early years here and God's been so good to me I I can't like with one final message try to describe how good my life has been how much God has taken me through I was born in San Francisco when my mother died while she was giving birth to me they were on my dad remarried and but then my stepmother when I was about seven or eight went off the Antioch bridge and died in a car accident and then dad remarried and then when I was around 12 and seventh grade my dad died of cancer we're living in Stockton and it was during that time that I really began to seek God you know burying your parents there's something that's pretty terrifying as a kid to watch and and it makes you think about life differently and during those years God was so good to me gave me a church family and people loved me and I I just I Marv like why why were you so good to me why have you been so good to me now married 52 years old of seven kids two grandkids and last year last year we celebrate our 25 year anniversary and my wife at dinner looks at me at dinner and she says honey do you can you think of anyone on the earth that is as blessed as we are she goes I think about it and I think God I know there has to be someone on the earth that is as happy as we are but she goes I just I've never met them I don't know anyone who has been this blessed do you first of all that's a great question to be asked on your 25 year anniversary from your wife right praise God but as she asked me that I said no I I feel the same way it's like I know like God doesn't I don't think he gives like preferential treatment or something but but our lives have been ridiculous it's like outrageous the way he answers prayer so specifically and takes us beyond like anything we ever even prayed for like it's beyond what we could ask or imagine like why I feel like we're the happiest people that we know and and that was last year and this this last year has been even better than the other 25 like God's taking us his other level where you just keep going weren't wearing tears often going on are you are you kidding me are you serious right now is this really happening to us I mean six months ago and then six months ago we were in Burma or Myanmar and and were in these slums and it was just my family and I my wife and I and our four younger kids and we're going from Hut to Hut and in one of the most disgusting you know physically places that we've been to and we have a translator with us and we're talking to people who have never heard a single word from this book and through a translator I'm looking these people in the eyes and they're thrilled to have us in their hut but many of them have never seen a foreigner you know and and and as we're explaining as I'm explaining them know someone made you I'm gonna look into a human beings eyes and go you weren't an accident you weren't just as random thing I don't know where you think you came from but there is this being who had a plan and he made you specifically and he made you to have a relationship with him to know him and to look them in the eyes ago I know him like I speak to him and he answers me and these things happen and to tell them that this God is our judge that we stand before one day but this judge his full of mercy is rich in mercy and he actually loves us and and I've come to tell you the most amazing news ever is that that God would have his only son come down and take the form of a man to show the world how much he loved his creation and to have him pay the price for their sin on the cross so that we could take his right standing with God and now he rose from the dead and and and how I no longer have to fear death or anything that comes my way and how he literally put his spirit in me and now I am one with him and I'm a member of his body and I'm sharing this message with people who've never heard a single sentence of this and they're just looking at me in the eyes and they're just hungry for it and from the reports of people that followed up later they're gonna know they were anxious to get baptized there they're following him walking with him they're hungry and and and I just remember when we got back on the plane after spending some time out there coming back to the US I just I looked at my wife I go what do we do like when we're gonna do Morrow what are we gonna do next week what do we do on a normal day that even compares to this I go mean every time my testimony or or those words came out of my mouth I just so happy like this is what I'm made for I go what what what what better thing could we do with our lives and I just said our goal what if we move and she just said let's do it and so Thursday we're taking the family and what's been amazing is that my older married kids my two son-in-law have fasted and prayed and said we're going to Asia with you and I'm like what again my wife were just we're going god this is impossible this this this doesn't happen I've never heard of anything like this this is too good too good a few weeks ago my wife and I we were back in in Burma and we're in a different area and and and speaking at an outreach like bigger than that I mean it's just thousands of people and to see what God was doing and I and I went home that night and echo I want to do this every day every day why can't I do this every day but then the next night we went to a village we just went into this village this was even better there was not a single Christian in this village from best we understand they've never heard one word of the gospel but this woman we befriended she she had built relationship with the village elder and and and they allowed us in and said that you know that we could share our story with them and to have a whole village you know in one place who've never heard and for me to just as the words we're coming out of my mouth I can't tell you how happy I was I can't tell you how you just go this is why I'm alive this is the whole point of my existence this is why I'm here to share this message and and my translator told me afterwards he goes he goes when we started driving into that village you as my heart was pounding he goes because I came here years ago and they chased me throwing rocks at me coming at me with knives and he tells me after you know and but you know he goes just understand it was he goes some of the things you've said scared me but we translated word-for-word going what are they gonna do and these people were believing and after the message we said hey is anyone sick does anyone need to be healed and let me just say let me preface this this is very new to me most of my Christian life I did not believe in supernatural healing I was taught it doesn't happen anymore but the more I studied this book the more I'm going that doesn't make sense it looks like it continues I don't see why it stops it seems like as we reach out in faith that God still wants to display his power so while I'm there I'm pretty but and I've believed this for a few years now but every time I pray nothing would happen but that night in that village I'm going God these people have believed one thing their whole lives and there there's some really elderly people sitting at my feet how am I supposed to convince them that this message that contradicts everything they've ever believed is true God you have to do something there's little children here I have no power I'm speaking through a translator you need to do something please visit show them one night of power like nothing they've ever seen in their lives begging God for this and believing believing scriptures scriptures that I memorized as a high school student came alive in me where I believed that Christ and I are one and I was walking around that village and going this is no different than if Jesus walked through this village because he says I can do whatever he did and I can do greater things than he did John 14:12 and I memorized that as a high school student I believe it right now I am Jesus right now he and I are one he abides in me I abide in him these are not just memory verses and there was a faith and that God granted to me and as people came forward I still remember the first old lady came over hunched over just an elderly lady telling me through the translator her back is in tremendous pain and laying hands on her and saying in the name of Jesus be healed and this woman gone what is this fire I feel on my back what is this burning and she's going all the pain is gone that's the power of God next person come on up here one at a time everyone you guys this is not normal to me this is the first time in my life 52 years I've never experienced this everyone I touched got healed it was a crazy thing I've always wanted to see this I've even gone to other places where I thought I would see it I never saw it you guys so this is not some guys earlier than this happened in here this was freaking me that the night before okay the night before there was a there was a little girl probably about ten years old and her little brother probably around seven deaf and mute since the day they were born we laid hands on that little girl she starts crying and smiling as she's hearing for the first time and then praying for her little brother and man and I'm I'm skeptic so I'm asking okay you sure you sure though they were deaf deaf deaf deaf right no because I don't know I know I want to believe and I don't want this to be an emotional thing you know and then it's like them we even sent a team to them the next day go find out if they are stiff this is really seriously and I want to know they really here and to see it happened understand this freaked me out it sure didn't have but it did just because I've never seen it so you had faith like it's theirs just when you don't see it and I saw it and I and then I got to partake in it that night and be a part of what I believe is supposed to happen in that night I'm telling my wife can I get a water from someone oh yeah I just thought I want to do this every day of my life this is so real so crazy good and oh yeah it's not open right okay oh good okay thank you um you know the piece I felt sharing the gospel to people who've never heard I want everyone of you to feel that and we get caught up in stuff out here we just do as many talks as my wife and I have had where my wife even just said honey we get talked out of things you know like nice church people talk us out of convictions that we know are in Scripture and somehow convinced us to play it safe even though we know contradicts which can we just not let people talk us out of our convictions anymore because we do we get caught up and you start believing that no it's my Christian duty to pretty you know have a nice Christian home and keep my kids safe and you know give them a good Christian education and just I don't know we we end up just to find the things we want to do and we we somehow can block out those those moments of of prompting and conviction and and feel justified and do it and it just happens and there's so much of me that just yeah I mean I don't want to stand up and go yeah here we go we're heading in and I'm fearless I'm terrified I was packing up my stuff yesterday I put all the things that I need in one suitcase all my clothes and I'm just looking at my kids looking at the house throwing things away thinking about and God we're doing this again where we're just going it's not easy everything is my flashes things are so good right now why are we leaving again why are we going on this the older you get the more you feel like you have something you should hold on to or protect us like no jesus said jesus said now do I believe this in Matthew 16:24 if anyone would come after me let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me for whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul or what shall a man give in return for his soul these are the words of Christ he goes if anyone wants to follow me he has to deny himself and he has to take up his cross meaning you suffer and die in any way I call you to and you follow me and he says if anyone tries to save save her protect his life here on earth he goes I promise this is a promise from God I promise you you will lose your life and he goes and I promise you if you lose your life for my sake you'll find it my wife and I talked about the blessing in our life the blessings that God has given us over these years was not because we always made the safe good decision that worked in our favor it was those times where we stepped out in faith and got all this is scary there we go oh my gosh I'm so glad we did this like this life came it followed faith and that's not to say that oh look at Francis he always lives by faith there's so many times I've chickened out my life is riddled with mistakes and failure you want to find dirt on me you'll find dirt on me if you want to see me say something wrong you can find it and write an article but I've said things that are wrong whatever the grace of God's been on my life and those few times when I get it right and I hear the voice of God and I'm scared to death but he gives me courage by His grace to do something I don't feel like doing those have been the most amazing blessings of my life and so in these verses you go man do I believe that if I try to save I will lose its promise and do I believe that if I lose it not just for any silly reason but for his sake that we'll find life I've got to believe this promise there's something about this piece I want you to have and so much of it as being on his mission because you know every day you know like this week you kind of you just live life and you don't feel like you're really on his mission you're not really thinking you look at what you say you believe in eternity and then you look at how you live your daily life and you're going it doesn't match up but when you're telling there's something about telling people who haven't heard there's something about that Great Commission and telling people making disciples of people who've never heard of Jesus I I got canned it's just very different it's very different than what I'm doing here I tell people it's kinda like you know in San Francisco cuz cuz I live out there everyone's a foodie you know like everyone's like tearing apart who has the best you know enchilada who has the best Chinese food as the best you know and and then everyone just is kind of snobby with their food and and I kind of got into that too I didn't argue as my wife like how could you call panda express Chinese food like that says that doesn't make any sense like that's not real you know and so we'll have these talks and this and that but about a year ago I was in Africa which I go often and but this time there was just a sea of people in this camp thousands of people and that that are just no home nothing to eat and I hear this scream like this screech like right when I drove up and you see this woman just yelling like it's terrifying when you hear scream like I'm the murder scream like this and as I walk over to see I see her son laying there lifeless on the ground but he's like a skeleton where you're going how could he have even survived this long that that does not look like it could ever walk that doesn't how it's like it's just skin and bone and she is going nuts and you just think man what if I got here yesterday what if I had figured out a way it worked harder just to get food to him and then you're seeing the seed of people and we're trying to calculate how much it would cost to feed each person and you know okay 12 cents are okay but there's this many times how many can we keep alive for how many days and you start calculating thinking these things it's hard to go back to San Francisco and be a foodie when you realize no people just want some food and I guess that's what I feel what happens in the church is we can become these spiritual foodies where we listen to another sermon go yeah I think I like the one from three weeks ago I think I like the one I listened to on Thursday no no no no it's Tuesday on this podcast we can have sermons going going going and we can sit and bash each other go this guy's better than this guy oh this guy's off don't list meanwhile there's people that don't even know they have a creator so it's very hard for me to be here and just oh let me give another sermon and be a little bit more creative so I can better than that last one or this guy are different in this way to people who can hear sermons all day long when I go they've never even heard the name the name Jesus Jesus they don't even know any one of you would be a theologian in some of these places and yet we'll sit here and critique criticize pick it's just hard once you see it to go let me just keep cooking some special food for the next crowd there's a verse that I cuz again I'm telling you it's by the grace of God that I have courage and my wife and I are planning on going to some sketchy places and and you just go what what do we believe do we believe this so we believe he's worth it and there's a verse again like I say I probably said I oh I get it I get it I didn't get it because now I'm wrestling going do I really believe this in acts 20 verse 24 Paul says I do not count my life of any value nor is precious to myself if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God Paul says in all truth I don't consider my life of any value you see me living breathing my life my wife my kids my platform everything else they'll value zero not of any value it's not precious to me the only thing that's precious to me is I've been given a mission to get this message of the gospel of grace and so for me to live is to preach that message and I would much rather die because I don't count my life on this earth of any value so to look at this verse and go God do I believe this because other people seem to value my life and they don't no no no we've got to keep you alive no your messages they're important they're this or that no we could have said that about the Apostle Paul we should have kept him alive another 30 years but no because I don't count my life of any of that all I'm here to do is speak this message and it's so easy to begin to value your life and a verse like this it just seems to make no sense because in the church in America we are obsessed with staying alive and it's just very normal just be careful be careful stay alive because I value your life and you should too and we can hear all the message - like oh but your kids they need you they need you to save your kid no my kids don't need me to stay up they don't need a dad to stay alive till they're through high school they need a dad who's willing to die for the gospel and if something like that were to happen you know I took man it's the grace of God in my life cuz I'm scared of that but maybe God will give me courage at that moment okay when I talk about God's blessing it's not just oh he has a nice little family they're gonna know his blessing is the courage he gives us and if if it were I don't want you two to go home he went over there and you know got this virus or whatever or got imprisoned or whatever and God failed him no that's actually the grace of God that gave me the courage and if he gives me courage to die in his name then forever I'm one of those that this scares me in the flesh but if I get there it's by the grace of God that he would give me this type of courage and I just say that because this is the safety and the Christian life that for me to live is Christ and to die is gain and everything's gonna be fine everything is fine in the end and the battle now is trying not to save my life when it's comfortable and it's good but trusting his word not counting my life of any value but believing that to lose your life that's when you find it oh god I pray that this message Lord by your grace by your grace we need your grace Lord to believe this not just say we believe it but have lives that prove that we believe it Oh God please father bless us with a deep belief in the words of Christ in Jesus name Amen you [Music]

Channel: Bayside Church

Views: 681,536

Rating: 4.8913589 out of 5

Keywords: Bayside Church, Bible, Hope, Francis Chan, God, Jesus, Calling

Id: ZmKqD2FlFds

Length: 32min 29sec (1949 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 23 2020