Message 1 - How to Win at the Game of Life (Why Am I Here? )

hey North Coast were so glad you're with us today my name is EJ and I work here on our worship team if you like today's sermon notes or just looking for more information you could check us out online at North Coast Church comm we're starting our new sermon series why am I here so grab your Bible as we dive into God's Word hope you enjoy what's the point of all of this [Applause] what is my purpose why am I here as an adult were you ever afraid of restaurants huh like like I was or let me at least give you a time period when you had small kids okay now you're with me did you avoid restaurants like the plague we had a period in our life and it changed we had one little girl I'm Sayla and we would take her and she would just be so cool and so quiet and sleep almost everywhere we went in fact Amy and I would be out to eat and at the end of the meal we'd go and get her out from under the table she's been in the little car seat thing and the waitress is like oh my gosh I didn't even know you had a child with you and we're like I know we're perfect we'd look across in restaurants and other families like three kids or four kids small kids and they're all watching videos or playing games and we're like what has happened to the American family why can't they talk to each other we're never gonna be like that oh and then Amy went ahead and had two more kids so now we've got a three-year-old two and a half year old in a zero year old I guess a few months old and I just told Amy we're not going to restaurants I'm embarrassed somebody's always screaming there's always yelling there's always fights going on and I'm like I'm embarrassed I want to go around and pay everyone's tab at every table I just want to go to every table like I'm sorry you were trying to have a nice night out and then we walked in I'm sorry you were trying to have a nice night out and I told Amy we're not going to restaurants and the kids are a little older like 20 25 when they choose to pick us up and pay we'll go to restaurant with them again but I was just our clan couldn't do it we couldn't haven't and I remember we had him in that age maybe like three and a half two and a half or two and and like a couple months old and Amy's like I want to go out for sushi and I'm like no through pregnancy she hadn't had sushi and now it's a few months she's like I want to go out for sushi and I'm like babe look I love you to death but don't ask me this choose anything you want war order from hooked on sushi we'll bring it home we'll set the table but we're not going out somewhere and she's like not one I want to go out and like we've been through this before don't test our marriage Chris look at how good the girls are and they love playing together and they'll just color and bears gonna sleep the whole time and I bought it and we go out we put the girls in a high chair bears fully awake and he's in this little car seat and they bring over this little I don't know a little wooden cradle thing that the car seats supposed to go into so we put the girls in the little in the little high chairs we tell them don't touch anything on the table we got to get your brother's situated and we're trying to get bear buckled in and make sure that if he rolls or moves it doesn't fall off anywhere and as we turn our back this phrase don't touch anything meant for the next two seconds until mom and dad both turn their back because as we're buckling in bear we hear this scream to beat all screams from right behind us and we quickly wheel around and there is our toddler eyes are watering nose is watering mouth is watering ears are watering and one look at her face we realized what had happened she decided to get dessert early so don't get ahead of me so when we turned our backs she immediately reached out and grabbed the big green ball of wasabi and quickly without being caught put it in her mouth and tried to chew and swallow it all in one which of course the body of a toddler goes no wasabi and now she doesn't know what to do cuz your head is imploding on her we're pouring water on her face we got napkin scraping out the tongue restaurant workers what's going on do you need anything do we need to call 9-1-1 and I'm like no we just tried to have a dinner we don't even order and I tell Amy get him to the car get the girls to the car I'm grabbing bear I leave a $20 tip for nothing nothing I just leave 20 dollars walk out I'm passing every table I'm sorry I'm sorry so this won't happen again I knew it this was a terrible idea we're getting the van and Amy's like I'm sorry I thought she ready to talk when we get home remember the next few years no going out bear got a little older about four or five years old girls now are like at seven and eight and we're like okay well let's try this again give them all electronics keep your head down watch something play something bear was the squirrely dude though he always wanted to do something with dad and so we would always go to a restaurant and turn over the little table mat that we had or whatever and and we draw two great big hills coming down to a little river and it's what little dudes do with dad say we play war I go you get to draw army men on your Hill I'm gonna draw army men on my Hill and he do a little stick figures and then you take turns okay dad this guy's gonna shoot this guy and your guys gone and I'm like all right well then I draw tank my tanks gonna blow up so he draws a triangle with a circle on top and I'm like what's that he's all that's a radiation and through radiation all your guys are melted so I draw little circles around all my guys and he's all what's that they have radiation suits on it didn't bother him at all I draw a triangle with the big gun on it and he's like what's that and I go to plasma ray your guys got disintegrated he put a little shield in front of all of his guys this this thing dad you know what it does it takes plasma rays and it deflects them back to your guys your guys got another month really since there were no rules there was never a winner whatever I made he had something to defense whatever he meant I had some once you were all gone he's like guys I had underneath the mountain and he would draw a circle of guys in the cave that would come out and oh my god the game still goes on I remember one dinner we're sitting there and he just wrote God on top of his mountain and I'm like what's that he's gone you know dad I got God nothing beats God you're a pastor you know that yeah I remember Amy looks and she's like the Chris you gotta admit that was pretty good and I'm looking at that map and then I realized you spelled it with a lower G I wrote capital G God on top of my Mountain he's old I already got God I go you got a lowercase G you got a lesser Idol God I have V God wasabi cried Amy's like why can't you let him win I go that's the point there's no winner to this game we've been playing this game for two years it's nonsense because there's no rules no rules and we come flying into this series it's gonna be a short little mini series you know we love going through books of the Bible here at North Coast I think we just spent 32 weeks in the book of Hebrews and we've got some book studies coming up but in between there this series why am I here how do you win it life my bet is if you all just took out your communication card and wrote give me how you win it life we're gonna come up with 12,000 different ideas or definitions of how you win a life it seems like we start doing this thing called life what are the rules we're the guidelines how do you know when the end is how do you know if you win or not and so we are going back to the instructions on how to play this game we are going back to the original playbook from the one who created life how do you win at life and today we are going to page three chapter three first third chapter in the Bible Genesis three easiest book to find open your Bible Genesis go to page three chapter three and we're gonna pick up at the very beginning why am I here what is the purpose of your work what is the purpose of your time what is the purpose of your talents what is the purpose of your gift what is the purpose of your relationships how do you get to the end of this and make sure wow I played this game well I had incredible significance well like any game that you get with your kids you have to open it up and you have to go to the instructions may I remind you it goes back the very beginning page 1 of the Bible and science are identical everything started from a specific point in time in origin especially since the advent of the Hubble telescope we see everything continues to move out there was a specific place and time from which all life originated there was a big bang an unexplainable explosion in the vacuum of vast nothingness that created the intricacies of life the solar system the planet Earth the speed on which we rotate the axis in which we hang around a giant ball of fire never to get closer never to get closer to burnout never to move further away in the freeze always at a constant rate of motion to provide life and gravity for us on this planet and it all came from one single point in place in time science agrees with that the bible agrees with that where they disagree slightly science can get us to the point in place but it cannot say exactly what the bang was page 1 of the Bible says that bang was a voice of God that spoke things into being there's a creator behind creation there's a designer behind the design there's an artist behind the artistry of life that we have there's an unmade maker you have a purpose there is purpose to this game of life page 1 page 2 God created us to experience love to live in perfect relationship with each other and with him love love dictated there had to be a choice so in in page 2 in the Bible I know you're in chapter 3 let me just read to you chapter 2 verse 8 now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east and Eden and there he put the man that he had formed and the Lord God made all kinds of trees to grow out of the ground trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food and in the middle of the garden where the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil and man was giving only one rule do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil why the greatest why probably in the entire world starts right there if God knew brokenness rejection hurt pain suffering cancer zees death that was gonna come from putting a tree in the garden from pudding choice why would God allow it why would a loving God allow the brokenness the hurt the pain the suffering in this world great question why because page two God wanted us to experience love and by definition love is a choice it's not a feeling or an emotion love is a choice so there had to be at least a choice for man to have freewill otherwise there's not a choice to love God there's not a choice to do wrong we're robotic we're created simply to serve to serve God and glorify God there's no choice to do otherwise and when I tell my kids they have to run to the door every day I come home they have to grab me and say daddy daddy we missed you daddy daddy glad you're home now at the age of 17 15 and 13 it's not spontaneous it's not choice so God allowed choice which means that there's a choice to love there's a choice to be unloving there's a choice to bring pain there's a choice to bring rejection there's a choice to hurt there's a choice to abuse it's a necessity for love to exist and on page three Adam and Eve both choose to eat of the fruits and let me read to you part of the curse and what happens part of the fall chapter 3:17 the game is drastically changed Genesis 3:17 the Atome said because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I can manage you you must not eat of it cursed is the ground because of you through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life it will produce thorns and thistles for you you will eat of the plants to the field by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taking for dust you are so now to dust you will return and Adam named his wife Eve which means life because she would become the mother of all living things and the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them and the Lord God said the man has now be like one of us us the plurality of God God the Father the Son the Holy Spirit God himself exists in relationship in love now man has become like one of us knowing good and evil he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life what he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever so Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken and after he drove the man out he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard away to the Tree of Life did you catch this did you catch this the first thing you want to do when you ask the question why am I here the first thing you'd want to do when you say hey how do I win at the game of life you got to know well what is the game how long are we playing for what is the end goal what is the object of this game of life did you catch this page 2 and page 3 of the Bible chapter 2 and chapter 3 in Genesis God said here's the problem with the fall you chose and you chose sin now you're broken you've got broken relationships with each other now I've got to kill an animal and cover you Adam and Eve both naked knew no guilt knew no shame in the page 2 by page 3 our relationships are broken we're filled with guilt we'll filled with shame God kills an animal first sacrifice and covers them to help cover their guilt and shame they have guilt and shame with God they're hiding from God in the garden he's all this is supposed to be a great relationship now we're hiding from God and we've got brokenness with each other and God says we've taken away the tree what what the tree of life otherwise you're going to continue to eat of that and you're gonna live forever here in this broken world in the midst of the curses great grace I don't want you to live forever in guilt and shame I don't want you to live forever and brokenness I don't want you to live forever hurt and pain I don't want you to live forever hiding from me he says I think from God I'm cutting you off from the Tree of Life did you get that did you understand then the original plan maybe not so I made it really clear in your note sheet knowing the rules of the game I want you to write this down we were never created to die we were never created to die we are made to live forever he goes look I made you from dust now you're gonna go back to being dust in other words you're gonna have an end date an expiration date here on earth that was not part of the plan this is part of the curse of page three I'm cutting you off from a tree of eternal life you're not gonna live forever and brokenness with me and with each other God loves us so much you look at the world you live in you want to live forever here oh no no no no no no no this is now gonna be a very temporary assignment this is gonna be the first space on your game of life it's gonna be called earth it's just where you put your peace right now but God's love and grace says I'm making this temporary otherwise you're gonna live forever without my relationship and your living brokenness with each other which which I immediately go to and go on what happened to the tree can we still find the tree the tree still growing somewhere are there angels standing in front of a tree somewhere from the very first book of the Bible second easiest thing to find the very last page in the Bible revelation 22 revelation 22 go to the very last book of the Bible the very last chapter in the Bible revelation 22 see we're going to cover the beginning of the instruction manual and the very end and I want to show you something unique to us nor their creation no other creature Jesus starts the book of Revelation in chapter 2 given this revelation to John the only disciple that will die of old age every other disciple will be massacred for their faith they will try to kill John according to church tradition and early tradition they'll boil him in a pot he will come out incredibly disfigured but he still has life and he still has voice and he still talks about the love of God so he's condemned to live the end of his life in exile and an island of patmos in the middle of the Mediterranean and John has given this incredible vision and he writes and at the beginning of the book of Revelation in chapter 2 he says Jesus speaks to the seven churches different categories of Christians if you will and he says this whoever has ears let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches to the one who is victorious I will give the right to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God well what he goes hey tell the churches whoever is faithful no beat in walks with me you will once again eat of the tree of life you'll have this eternal life very last chapter where you are right now Revelation chapter 22 says this then the angel showed me the river of water of life as clear as crystal flowing from this throne of God and of the lamb down the middle of the great street of the city and on each side of the river stood the circle highlight underline tree of life bearing twelve crops of fruit yielding its fruit every month and the leaves of the tree are for healing of all the nations no longer will there be any curse the throne of God and the Lamb of God will be in the city and his servants will serve Him they will see his face his name will be on their foreheads there will be no more night they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of a Sun for the Lord God will give them light and they will reign forever and ever last book of the Bible has a promise very last chapter Oh Christian may I remind you this world one day will cease to exist there will be a new heaven a new earth and let me tell you about this place there's crystal streams flowing from the throne of God and along it is this Tree of Life you are eternal it's leaves it's healing is for all nations for all people there's no longer a curse there'll be no rejection there'll be no brokenness there will be no sin there will be no guilt there will be no shame there will be no depression there will be no pills there'll be no anxiety there'll be no tumor there'll be no cancer it is paradise restored it is eternity restored because of choice and sin page 3 God said I'm taking away eternal life here and I'm putting it here for you you have this gift of eternal life now for a short time you're gonna contend with the brokenness of Earth but I love you too much to allow you to live here forever you may eat out 60 years 70 80 90 years 105 years congratulations he's up well that's all that's all because of God's love I will let you to taste of this earth and the brokenness see this is a game changer for all of us I want you to write it this way in your note sheet we are not bodies that have a soul we are eternal souls that for a short time have a body did you get that we are not bodies that have a soul we are eternal souls that for a very short time have a body that's not just semantics this original thought came from something I read from CS Lewis I don't have the exact quote i paraphrased it a little bit I used to think oh yeah you know we're human beings and we have a soul no no no I'm an eternal being her for a short time has a body this is simply my avatar this is what Chris climbs into every morning and this is what I wanted around the earth and this is what I've done with mine good luck with yours this egg is getting old and feeble and frail Oh for those of you in live Sunday morning you're like it's called live why are we watching the guy from a screen because last week I couldn't even show up I got through Saturday night service and I had some germs some bugs some whatever it is met between here and here I was a green play-doh factory I know that's disgusting we shouldn't talk about that in church was nasty I couldn't get gunk out of my system for eight days this little germ took me down for eight days I'm coughing and hacking and I can't breathe and the throat is killing me and I'm like what's wrong with me I'm living in this avatar a temporary body one day the heart will stop beating I'll take my last breath and I'm far from being done we were never created to die it's why death is so hard for us people we were never hardwired to deal with it human beings were never created to say goodbye for separation no matter how great the memorial service is it's great-great-grandma Lulu who lived to be 109 who had 22 kids 113 grandchildren they all know Jesus they're all missionaries she came to church seven days of the week she was a saint in her older years she didn't even walk she was like Yoda she just hovered still when she dies we cry like babies why we weren't made for death my Intel Inside chip doesn't process death well at all why we were created to live forever in God's grace he says man page three I'm not gonna allow you to do it on earth anymore I'm taking away the eternal life here on earth I'm gonna postpone it I'm gonna give you heaven there will be eternal life but it won't be here in brokenness and the muck and mire of life doesn't this change everything I'm gonna give you the way I think of it think of a football game seasons about to start NFL team on the field they get through their first drive one first down then they came up with the fourth and 17 they decide to punt now everyone looks to the coach what we doing he's like nah we only planned for the first drive what yeah the entire week of preparation was just for the first drive well that's ludicrous that's ludicrous at any level of sport that if you played football you know it's all about the fourth quarter every practice all of your preparation all of your agilities was all about fourth quarter coach was constantly harping about fourth quarter at the end of the first quarter you don't see teams walking around putting up a tube reminding themselves second quarter no one does that at the end of second quarter teams don't walk around one two three but at the end of the third quarter you've got a ton of teams from junior high all the way up that have been trained their tradition is you put up a four why that's what we've been practices for that's what we've been training for that's what our preparation is about it's all about this fourth quarter at the end of this quarter scoreboard at the end of this quarter there's no more time on the clock all of our training has been about going for quarters it's ridiculous to think any team would practice for one drive consider baseball team where the manager only puts all the skill and effort and planning the first half of the first inning our pitcher pitchers not good that day man pitchers walk four guys hit a guy pitchers giving up two dingers now bases are loaded still no outs you want to put somebody else in and we don't have I don't what I mean you don't have you don't what was as far as I've thought you haven't planned if things go wrong you haven't planned for nine innings why would I plan for nine innings because you're a street manager and you better know in a tight game you may have to go 10 11 12 innings use your position players wisely can you imagine the Indy 500 car comes flying into the pits visor comes up tires especially right side fuel p-kun well got tires fuel don't got any one of you don't got any knowing that we plans for 10 miles 10 it's called the 500 for a reason sorry that was the best 10 miles we have ran though my oranges get out of the car what of course not it is ludicrous you know like sports analogy some of you don't like sports um can you imagine meeting with your financial planner who sits down with you and simply says hey I've done all the calculations we've looked at everything I think you guys you don't have anything to worry about what do you mean nothing to worry about you guys are set I don't see you guys ever running out of cash are you serious how do we do that I don't know I've just looked at everything you have all of your earnings all your assets everything we got and you're great till next Thursday well what happens next Thursday well I don't know so what happens after next Thursday oh man I haven't thought that far you don't have a financial planner you have financial problems you don't look things out - next Thursday Oh people this is a game changer for Christians you don't plan till death because as Christians we know we will never you don't plan for death because as Christians we know we are never going to thanks even romona got that one we're good good love Ramona I can't show my face anymore out there but I love making fun of Ramona we're not gonna die you plan up until death you're as foolish as a manager that has a half inning a coach that only has the first drive an Indy 500 team that only put down ten miles of resources or a financial planner that is look till Thursday well what has happened to us we've forgotten the playbook I saw this first square on the game board and I thought that was the game and guy goes well that's only your little time here on life here's the game son I love the way James four says it James 4 verse 13 says now listen those of you who say today or tomorrow we're going to go to this city or that city spend a year there carry on business and make money why listen listen those of you who have decided we're gonna start a little meth lab in the garage we got a bunch of tinfoil we're gonna nice I was talking to look those of you that are into a bunch of addiction that's that's how he's talking about listen to me those of you that are abusive and you want to hurt that's not no listen all of you that are trying to be wise and planning your life better saying this year here's what we're doing and next year and here's what we're going this is the brown family right now the kids are not eating wasabi the wrong way they're eating them wasabi the right way right now and sushi is costing us when the five go out we're looking at college first kid what do you want to do MiraCosta yeah my blessing second kid what do you wanna do now I'm thinking about palomar ting and yes you have my blessing third kid what do you wanna do MIT we're gonna pray for you we're looking at finances we're looking at future we're looking at life in James those whoa whoa whoa Church I'm not talking about st. issues here listen those of you that say this year and next year here's the business we're doing here's how we're trying to make money why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow what is your life this series we're kicking off today can you answer that why am I here so instead here's how you ought to be planning if it is the Lord's will we're gonna live and do this and then we're gonna do that but as it is you boast and brag and all such boasting is evil anyone then who knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it since James says look there's no sin in planning there's incredible sin in planning this life absence of God's will he goes that's that is an incredible arrogance the greatest arrogance is planning your future without God's will in mind that's your greatest arrogance trying to plan for the next 30 40 50 years and you're not involving the eternal vision in God's will he goes do you understand how prideful how arrogant you are in front of a God claiming this life and the days you have and you have no idea what the next 24 hours even hold your life is a mist it's a vapor it's here today it's gone tomorrow instead you ought to really know God's will and plan with that in mind man I hope for the next 5 weeks you come you open up your life your heart all that you have to this series say so what is God's will what is my purpose what are we here for today I just want to kick off this understanding of how how short this time of our life is I love the way James says it he says your life is simply a mist it's a vapor Chris was born May 4th 1969 went to school got a little ninny died hmm I don't know if you can see it in the lights but there goes the mist in the vapor James says you know let me give you a picture of your life hears you were born with the school you met somebody's at all you smell kind of fruity I'll give you that you smell kind of melon bursty ish you had a little fragrance to your life but he goes it was a mist it was a vapor it was here it was gone and you're planning this without knowing God's will and how it fits into your life he goes oh please Christian tell me tell me you're not making plans for the first half of the inning tell me you've thought long before just this first drive you have here on earth please tell me in the light of eternity you haven't planned your life for the first 10 miles and you forgot your purpose you forgot your existence you are not bodies that have a soul we are eternal souls that for a very short time encompass his body he says knowing that that that's a game-changer you can write it down this way this short life is my only resume for the rest of my life so this short life is the only resume I have for the rest of my life I want you to turn you're in revelation we're going backwards to a book called Matthew Matthew chapter 6 you're gonna see the guys names they're all big Matthew Mark Luke and John all pretty big books psalms is in the middle of the Bible you've gone way too far back if you hit some so we're gonna go to the right Matthew Mark Luke and John Matthew chapter 6 starting at verse 19 I love the way Jesus puts this see growing up no one ever told me that Jesus wanted me to be filthy rich like pastor's didn't say that but I'm like what Jesus did and in fact he kind of talked about it quite often and I never got that I never got the game play in life Matthew 6:19 do not store up for yourselves treasures here on earth where moths and vermin destroy where thieves break in and steal but store for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and vermin do not destroy where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there your heart will be also you see your eyes the lamp of the body if your eyes are healthy your whole body will be full of light but if your eyes are unhealthy your whole body will be full of darkness if then the light within you is darkness and how great is that darkness see nobody can serve two masters either you'll hate the one and love the other or you'll be devoted to the one and despise the other you cannot serve both God and money I love this Jesus goes look knowing that the first space on the gameboard of life is here on earth but knowing that is just a mist a vapor in the timeline of your eternal being it's a very short stop on the gameboard I want you to use this wisely this is your resume for who you're gonna be and what you're gonna have for the rest of your life in fact I want you to be rich I want you to be filthy rich I want you to have so much wealth you have to store it up you have to like to have vaults of this stuff since then because you know that you're simply of this don't put all your stuff there look how fast it went and it's gone and once it's gone it's gone he goes I want you to store up stuff in heaven so much you can't even carry piles of it but-but-but put it in a place where time can't touch where we're rust can't destroy where Mars can't break in and eat oh hey garments we're thieves can't steal when the market can't turn we're a housing market can't crash he was man I want you to be wealthy I want you to see this small piece on the game board and live for eternity don't get duped by living here it's why one of his famous parables toward the end of Jesus's life people came and said what's the kingdom of God like and he goes oh it's like this it's like a man who was with his servants who went away to a distant country to be made King and in the meantime he gave each of his servants a sum of money and he said put this to work on my behalf and when I come back I want to see what you gained with it and that guy did go away he became King and he came back and he goes all right servants would you do with my stuff and the first one came and said hey I took it and I I multiplied it by three and the King goes well done good and faithful servant because of that I'm gonna put you in charge of three cities in my kingdom oh that's right three kingdoms next servant comes in he's all anxious what'd you do with what I gave you I multiply times five well done good and faithful servant because of that you're in charge of five cities next dude comes in he's stoked out of his gourd May 10 May 10 May 10 May 10th you're in charge of 10 cities next dude came in head was down what you do is what I gave you I got it all right here what you do with it every cent you gave me is right here I told you to put it to work on my behalf I want to see what you gained with it yeah but I knew you're a shrewd dude so I just buried it in the earth when you came back all right kind of dirty but it's all right here that guy gets his butt kicked out of the kingdom Jesus says this is this is what Heaven's gonna be like this idea that there's equality in heaven is ludicrous we got that from cartoons from Tom and Jerry on where they sit on the cloud with a harp nowhere in the Bible is heaven equal nowhere in the Bible is there a quality in heaven every single time Jesus oh the New Testament teaches on heaven it talks about risk and rewards it talks about storing up treasures it talks about different amounts it talks about ruling reigning sitting on Thrones wearing crowns all symbols in the first century of government of administration do you realize heaven is going to be huge it is going to be monstrous and we get to serve in that Kingdom and Jesus says let me tell you what it's like what you do here with the time I gave you what the treasures I gave you with the talents what you do here with your gifts your abilities your relationships that's gonna determine what you have and what you do forever there's no equality we don't have the same cloud in the same harp this life is my resume this life doesn't get me in it's not hard work that gets me into heaven the gospel accepting Christ's grace and grace alone gets me into heaven but now this life is my resume and Jesus says Chris I want you to go for it Chris that sounds like a lot of your Christian worked and is just selfishness trying to gain stuff in heaven yeah yeah that's my forever I'm trying to go and burn and whatever these 60 80 years I have maybe 49 50 to do whatever I can so there I'm set up I don't want to walk into heaven they're like you're in charge of the beach bathroom number six and I'm like wrong no I'm sure the beach bathroom in heaven is gonna be awesome but I want to have a greater domain I want to have service I want to have opportunity we were made to work we were not created to be lazy and sit around this idea that heaven is eternal laziness is preposterous it is work without page three without the sweat without the toil without the thorns without the heartache without the headache and I have this life to serve and show my worth to simply hear well done good and faithful here's what you get so so how do we do this winding it down as if I'm closing I got to race through this how to play with eternity in mind we need to make decisions based more on eternity than finances we have to make decisions based more on eternity than finances now now listen to me again we have to be financially wise and good stewards we are in making a lot of financial decisions right now in the brown family but eternity and who I am and what this life is about governs those decisions not finances you see as much as our God has given us a playbook we have an enemy that has given us another playbook that says no no get the most out of this what about your end of your life what about taking care of yourself what about you you got to make sure you're okay we have an enemy that wants us to live for this life and we've been duped we're following it from PlayBook John 10:10 says Satan is a thief he comes to steal kill and destroy he wants to rob us of God's plan he wants us to really think our planning are worth our value here is our net worth not our eternal worth and he wants us to plan this life with only this life in mind we've been duped by an enemy's playbook so when we make decisions we think big picture eternal here's our 50-year plan has to guide our 500 year plan has to guide our 50-year plan that's a better way of saying it our 500 year plan has to guide our 50-year plan there are two things in this life that are going with you there are only two things in this life that you touch you and I today that are eternal the Word of God and people that's it the Word of God is eternal it is timeless and people so my life and all that I do here better be wrapped up and governed under the authority of those two understandings what am I doing with God's will in the Word of God and how is this about people not just me that's my 500 year plan when Amy and I sit down and we make sure our financial planner she's an amazing woman and she's got a heart of gold in a heart of God so she gets why our financial plan will look different than our neighbors they don't have a 500-year plan we have one in place that governs our 50-year plan you see we can never confuse where true home enriches our never get confused where your true home and riches are we mix up the wrong addresses sometimes sometimes I really believe my house is in Rancho del Oro Estates there's like going 9,000 of us to live in there Angela I out of states because it sounds a little better it's a gated community it's beautiful you don't go through a gate to get into it there's just a gate that gets into my backyard so I tell all my family all I live in a gated community gate goes right where the trash bins are there's only four houses and they're all turned a little different but they're all the same house for several thousand homes a little tract house thing and I get confused that that is my house I get confused that my riches are on the corner of college and Oceanside Boulevard because that's where the Wells Fargo is that's not what my riches are and that's not my house those are both very temporary dwellings and investments that's that's my tent and that's my cash money for this weekend trip that I'm on this thing of life I know where my home is I know where my riches are and that's gonna be forever and I'm not about to run a 500-mile race with ten miles I'm not about to go into a fourth quarter game and only plan a first drive and a Christian that is planning to their death is one of the most arrogant prideful people who have taken this life is theirs and forget we are eternal beings and this life is simply a resume it is it is simply coming to an understanding that on the timeline of life that I was born May 4th 1969 you can do the math went to Amelia elementary school these are all my years in Texas this is West Texas graduated high school 1987 I've got four years I should have a black band around this rope we don't talk much about those four okay I'll give you five years well I took a little time off and I came out to the garden of eden' Southern California and I've never left these are the years that are wrapped up now with nothing but grace and mercy and forgiveness these are the years that that keep me walking with a limp understanding who I truly am and I have nothing that I've deserved or earned but by God's grace alone these years right now I get to be part of North Coast Church ridiculous ridiculous grace I don't know where this date is the first date on my tombstone is already etched in stone the next date is coming and this red is my life here on earth and yet from beginning first book of the Bible to end the creator of life screams out Chris what about here and what about here and you start doubling this life over and he goes Chris I want you to make sure that your 500 year plan what you are reaping right here you are investing right here oh don't blow this on this end of the rope how foolish you are oh you've sold yourself out of the game you've been duped by an enemy that told you the American Dream is making sure you get here with no worries no financial problems no issues at all now people listen again we plan financially I plan with retirement in mind but what is going to happen here always governs our decisions here not the opposite way around and he said Chris 500 year plan that's just the beginning you realize you will be here don't you and the only thing here that is here your resume how you serve God here depends what you're doing here and the people you met here you want to make sure with you here this is what this is about when you go down to Home Depot they don't have an eternal rope but this is my lifeline this is where I'm living this is the tree of life this is eternity and he goes Chris don't get duped thinking you were born you died at 83 and this is your life son you are eternal use this wisely in the weeks to come we're gonna start breaking down so what do I do here what is my purpose here what was I made to do here it means number two part of this is I I make decisions based more on holiness than happiness I make decisions based more on holiness than happiness people of this life is all there is I'm not surrendering a dang thing huh I'm going for whatever my desires whatever my bent whatever my urges whatever I feel I was born with I'm following everything I can in this life I'm getting the most out of this sucker this is all you have but knowing that this is our life that's why Jesus says look here's the call of Christianity because I'm giving you this deny yourself deny yourself your desires you want your urges deny yourself who you were made what you were made to do deny yourself pick up your cross and right here Chris started following Christ he said give me this and I will ensure you have this Chris deny yourself and let me promise you untold riches worth reigning ruling Chris you're you're more than happy to trust me with eternity Chris trust me with this it's the call of Christianity over and over again a call of crisis said anyone can follow me deny yourself walk with me let me show you how to live a life of significance and of worth over the next few weeks we're gonna make sure that God's kingdom gets priority in our time our time in other words my goals and what I'm doing and what I'm working for and my mindful weekly of this and who has he put in my life that needs to be with me ya hear her what am I doing with my time in the next few weeks were and looking God's kingdom gets priority in our talents how do I look at all the gifts that he's given me he's given me now this - and put it to work on my behalf and I have to be that guy now that says God it's not just about my kingdom but your king I'm financially wise with my kingdom I'm looking at my kingdom to the end of this life here on earth but God your kingdom overrides this here's what we're doing with your kingdom guy gets priority over my talents how does God's kingdom get priority in our treasures what are my rewards what am I playing for man I hope you come and join us I hope you come and open your mind in your heart simply going back to the instruction manual the designer the one who designed life the artist behind the artistry of life the unmade maker the creator behind creation saying I've given you a complex life here let me show you how to get the most out of it so you're not duped by the enemy see Satan doesn't want you to go around in your neighborhood claiming you're a Satan worshipper drinking blood at night walking the streets that's just that's stupid Satan's greatest plan is just to get you to play for this just play for this because he knows our coach has this PlayBook in mind and it scares the hell out of hell and if he can get you to play for this he will rest satisfied don't be duped by their own playbook now what a way to start a series this is my life live for that father may we be people that are mindful of who you are and what you have for us god I realize that today's tax just brought more questions so how do we do this how do we live what are we about and I pray in the weeks to come you give us wisdom from your word to answer that I pray in the weeks to come father you allow us to be open with who we are and what we have and you show us how to live a life and a life of significance for both this part of our game board and eternity to come may you continue to meet us here in your word by your spirit in Jesus name Amen amen we hope you're challenging encouraged by today's message as always before we close with a final word we would love to connect with you online if you have a question comment or prayer requests you can send them to info at North Coast Church comm we also want to thank you for your generous support if you'd like to give you can donate online or on our North Coast church app now here's a closing thought from the message today you know as you go I'm reminded of the Christmas Eve where we bought the big princess dollhouse that the girls could actually play inside or a couple years later the trampoline that Grandma and Grandpa got for us or the birthday the night before out in the garage with the bicycle in all of its parts or IKEA furniture at any time in our life those times where you sit down with something that someone is designed but I'm clueless of how it's going together and you have to grab the instructions and say okay start with one one a and you start assembling this thing because I know the times I've decided I know how this goes together and it made for bad Christmas mornings the more intricate the more diverse the more technologically whatever we get the more I open up a pamphlet and say okay how do we do this how do we work this people this series is designed so that we do not even attempt this without simply going back to the instruction manual of the one that created this and said let me tell you how to do it otherwise it's a war game with no rules and there's no winners and it doesn't make sense I hope over the next few weeks you come with who you are and your life we're not asking you to buy this we're not telling you you have to sign off and agree with it just be open to what this book says about you and I and this short time period of our life so that's somewhere [Music] here you come up to me and go hey dude I just want to say thanks a lot and I'm gonna give you the biggest goofiest grin high five and sad don't you show come check out the bathrooms I'm over it's gonna be a good day hope you come back next week and join us until then turn around and greet somebody that now has the instruction manual [Applause]

Channel: North Coast Church

Views: 7,590

Rating: 4.8446603 out of 5

Keywords: north coast church, larry osborne, pastor chris brown, north coast, churches near me, christian, bible study, jesus, god, bible, daily devotional

Id: vvLOHhIkCU0

Length: 54min 17sec (3257 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 26 2018