Pastor Chris Hodges - Open Your Eyes

since I'm at Gateway Church I want you to turn in your Bible to two passages of Scripture everybody come on When in Rome do like the Romans and alright alright here we go I want you to go to John chapter four we're going to begin in John chapter four and then we're going to end up in second Peter chapter one so get your get your Bibles your iPhone your iPad your eyelids whatever you got alright let's study God's Word aren't you grateful for God's Word today everybody I love studying the Bible one of my favorite things to do is I study the Bible is I love looking at the detail what's so fun about being a believer in being someone who feeds on God's Word every day I've been doing this for more than 35 years now serving Jesus and every time I read God's Word there's something fresh in it it's amazing and a lot of the great messages aren't in the actual clear points of Scripture some of the greatest messages in the Bible are in the details that many people breeze over I want to preach today on one of those details one that you would tend to look over in this beautiful story of this woman at the well most of you know the story how Jesus for whatever reason is separated from his disciples we don't know why they're running an errand we don't know why we just know that the disciples are off doing something and Jesus finds himself and a well I'm sure because he's thirsty but you know he's he knows there's this divine appointment getting ready to happen where this Samaritan woman comes to the well and Jesus strikes up a conversation which by the way would have shattered the two barriers that existed in those days that the there was definitely a gender barrier men did not speak to women they would have considered them much lower than them and of course Jesus shatters that barrier and making make it making sure all of us know that that he warmly welcomes them and and then there would have been a race barrier between the Jews and the Samaritan and he shatters the race barrier any ministers to this woman in fact he begins it with some questions about her personal life and says you know do you have a husband and actually she says no he says well that's right you actually have had five already and you're actually living with a guy that's not your husband and she says well sir I perceive us Val to be a prophet and she realizes that you know he's reading her mail now and of course he ministers to her and shares with her then you're drinking this water but I can give you living water where you'll never thirst again and it's a beautiful message and then the Bible says in verse 27 watch this just then the disciples returned from whatever it is what they were doing and they were surprised to find him talking with a woman for the reasons that I've already told you so they so I want you to picture the story in your mind they're walking up and Jesus is having this encounter with this lady at this well talking to her and the disciples walk up and I'm sure they're only even whispering like look look at their what's what's he doing and then John John and John is riding this way after it happens he's including these details because they're important and I wouldn't even believe that he's writing these details with some regret because John includes next in the text he says but no one asked and he mentions two questions that no one asked so why would he mention something that did not happen but it could only be because he was writing it now writing the story in same washer which he would have asked two things he says no one asks Lord is there anything I can get for you Lord what do you want which by the way let me just say to you if you're a disciple of Jesus I don't know about you but I would be saying that about every 10 minutes hey Jesus anything I can get you I just wanna know there's something I can get for you no because he's God I've been here today ministering in the services your staff has asked me that 47 times Pastor Chris can we get you anything you need some water you need a hose cough drop you need anything fast I mean and I'm not Jesus have y'all noticed that everybody all right yeah they would have just been common courtesy Lord has his or any thing we can get you and John John is saying boy I sure wish you would have no one asks Lord what do you want and watch this no one asks alright you are you talking to that lady now that would have been a great question because he's the rabbi he's the teacher you're the disciple so anytime your teacher is doing something you don't understand it begs you to say hey explain to us because you're obviously right in doing what you were doing so explain to us why you're doing that but John regrettably writes no one asks that no one asks why are you talking with a woman there's a reason why and that's that's actually the reason why is I want to preach to you today it says so while all these non things are not happening then leaving her water jar the woman went back to the town and said to the people so now this is happening in a matter of minutes Oh wouldn't be town like out of town it'll been town like around the corner town the village the place where she lived and when she got to her town just minutes later she said come see a man who told me everything I ever did could this be the Christ this guy just read my mail I think I found the Messiah and so that strikes an interest in the town obviously and it says and they the town came out of the town and made their way toward Jesus now want you to picture that so the disciples and Jesus are still at the well and Nan things are not happening that John regrets but these are not happening and so now a whole town not just what you picture that a town is walking toward the well while they're walking toward them it says meanwhile so while that's going on while the town is making their way toward him the disciples said they urged him hey Lord let's go get something to eat all right 13 I'll be over here thought that was funny that is a whole lot more funny than that I mean you got to see humor in your Bible everybody it's there okay so a town is coming out to meet Jesus you could almost imagine he is going I knew at work I knew if I ministered to her they'd come and then right as he's getting ready to walk toward the tail the disciples said hey let's go to Papa DOS but you know that he's a cinch it in lunch right it says rabbi let's eat something and so since they brought up food Jesus did what he often did it he spoke in metaphors and so he used the food analogy to say I have food to eat that you know nothing about in other words I'm not fired up about lunch right now I'd really love to go ahead and minister to the town that's coming out to greet me right now and and they missed the metaphor they're a big mess because then they say could someone have already brought him something to eat all right you're getting it it's really funny in it right did you re lunch I mean that now they're upset thank you I appreciate that you're getting and so if Jesus tries round number two using the same metaphor no no my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish the work I am so fired up about the town I'm excited about doing the reason why I came to this earth and then he says this using the food metaphor again says you keep saying for months more and then we'll harvest some food you keep saying for months more than the harvest you keep saying I don't know we'll do the town another day well let's do that meeting later you keep saying hey let's harvest another day let's go to lunch today you keep saying that and I tell you I want you to read the next three words aloud every campus come on I'll tell you open come on every voice here we go I tell you open open your eyes open your eyes I am convinced I'm convinced I could be wrong but I'm personally convinced that if Jesus could stand on this platform and speak to believers I think if he were talking to those who are still trying to figure it all out there would probably be a different message but if he was talking to his church I'm convinced he would say open your eyes I'm convinced he would say I wish you could see dallas-fort worth the way I see it I just wish you could see the world around you I wish you could see your neighbors the way I do I wish you could see your co-workers the way I do I think he would tell the church open your eyes you say Chris why it's because you can never reach what you cannot see you you cannot love which you cannot see and so a lot of us actually operate in well in a condition that I personally have last time I spoke here I was not wearing glasses these are new all right all these new to you kind of still new to me this whole glasses thing I had perfect eyesight for about 46 years I'm 51 now and for 46 years I could see a freckle own on that I mean I had perfect eyesight really and then all sudden I'm sitting at a football game with my sister and I can't she saw me squinting I can't see the number the names and numbers on the jerseys and she goes she goes hey put on my glasses and she handed me her glasses and then my whole world came in hi-def again like oh my goodness I had no idea and so I went to the eye doctor that week and I'd never been about eye doctor before in my life and by the way for you guys that have never been it's strange it's very strange one of the first things they do is blind you I mean they put stuff in your eyes and makes it we're here what you do I can't can't feel anything it's kind of strange and then there was even this moment where they were pushing stuff on my face and I didn't know what to expect and all sudden this puff of air blew in my eyeball I mean see you glasses people are laughing like yeah they do that and that's a glaucoma check like hello is that Gong coma check it's like a Warner brother next time I mean I got it no and so anyway and I know I had this whole far problem like I can't see that stuff like I could see I can see the the dust on my iPad perfect it's all that's perfect right I can't I can't see you and um so I know I know this condition and so when I get it you know he goes off and he comes back he said what we got it figured out so well great he said he says your nearsighted I said no no no I got four problems my problems with the first stuff seeing you glasses people are laughing because you already know it's backwards right like it's the only medical profession that names your condition for what you're good at it'd be like going to the doctor with a broken arm he says well your legs work I'm here - makes no sense and by the way I'm on a mission optometry people I'm on a mission to change it it's backwards you should talk about far stuff if that's your problem it anyway so I said no no I got I got I can see near he goes no no that's what we call it I said well that's backwards but thanks for the helping so anyway I'm I'm leaving now with my glasses enjoying the world in hi-def again and the Holy Spirit speaks to me you know I'm from south Louisiana I need cookies on the bottom shelf you know I'm talking about so this is how he talks to me and and the Lord just speaks to me and says she says you know this is your spiritual this is your spiritual condition as well like what do you mean Lord what do you mean well you're very good at the stuff that's all near you see clearly the nearer but I wish you could see the far uh you're you can always tell if you're spiritually nearsighted by what you pray for if the Lord doesn't mind you praying for your stuff he's interested in every detail of your life we know that in Scripture but really what he wants us to do is seek first the kingdom of God and he takes care of those things I wish you just pray for the far I wish you could see the bigger picture and the world around you there's some spiritual nearsightedness and by the way that is a spiritual condition if you go to your second text there 2nd Peter chapter 1 - beautiful text a lot in it I wish we had time to study the whole thing but it says he's given you two things he's first given you his divine power his power for everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness and then through his power he gave us his precious promises so he's given you power and he's given you promises his promises his word so that through his promises the Word of God you may participate in a divine nature think about that for a moment and escape the corruption of the world wouldn't that be great if we could do that caused by evil desires so since you have power and you have promises God expects you to grow because you have good stuff to do it with so for this very reason you need to start adding to yourself Christians you need to add your faith goodness goodness knowledge knowledge self-control self-control perseverance perseverance godliness godliness brotherly kindness brotherly kindness love so just basically that means grow for if you grow if you possess qualities because the power and promises in increasing measures watch what happens it reaches God's goal for your life and that is that you will not be ineffective and unproductive which let me point out God wants you both effective and productive he wants you effect FF effective at what like what it what me it wouldn't mean effective he always intended for your life to make a difference and he always intended for your life to be productive watch this in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but if anyone does not have them he is nearsighted so the actually the opposite of being an effective growing believer in a productive growing believer is one who just can't see past their own stuff and that's why I'm convinced that the Lord had an opportunity to look at his church he would say this is there's never been a better time to reach the world and now in fact I'm stirred up about this message it does it happens to me every year at Christmastime at the holiday season I mean we're you're six weeks away from your your Christmas production one of the best in the country by the way and your team has been working on it for months and months and months and by the way it's not just so you can have a little Christmas kumbaya moment with your family I mean they want you to this church cares about your needs but it's much bigger than that it's because this season affords us an opportunity to touch people who are hurting there's never a better time of the year to touch someone far from God someone unchurched or previously Church is probably the case in the Dallas Fort Worth area someone who's just decided that's not for me anymore someone who's hurting in fact I read a report that more people people are more touch with their pain during the holiday season than any other time of the year in fact one report said that more suicides will take place between Thanksgiving and Christmas than the previous 11 months combined they don't have more problems they're in touch with them more during this season what does that mean that means it's the best time for the church to be the church and it's not like you're not a church who doesn't love reaching people by the way I was talking to pastor Robert about this message he said man I really want you to bring this instead of happy to do it but but in the series before the one you're currently in just in that one series that you start your fall off with more than 1100 people gave their heart to Christ in that one series alone here at Gateway Church how about we thank God for that everybody and that pretty awesome yeah but you would need to know that there is in every one of us a gravitational pull not toward others but to self it's just there everybody and that's why I think it's important too for us to hear that that a lot of times when we're wanting lunch Jesus would want to say there's a whole town that we'd probably ought to focus on right now so one of my passions in life is to teach believers something that they're very uncomfortable with studies say that only 11% of Christians in America are comfortable with personal evangelism like even if you bring it up they just oh it just it just freaks me out that you're going there and one of my passions is to show how simple and how fun it actually is I personally teach this in our membership class at church the Holland's I personally lead our membership class and I teach this because it's the purpose of our church and I know it's the purpose of Gateway to by the way that we're not a church for church people we want church people to get a lot out of it but we don't exist just for the people that are here we exist for the people that are not here yet can I get a good Amen somebody yeah that's why and you need to get used to that because if you don't you'll start thinking about lunch instead of the town and that's pretty important for us to remember so I'll give our church four things they're so simple you'll love how simple they are just shot them down very quickly four things that that that you can do to be an effective productive opened eyes farsighted type of a Christian in the first is to accept the personal responsibility so in other words don't put it on your church and don't put it on other Christians listen carefully your God's plan your it God doesn't have a plan B your it everybody your his plan in fact I'll show it to you in scripture that it's our job to carry out the mission of Jesus what is that the son of man Luke 19:10 says came to seek and to save that which is lost so for it to live live out and carry out the mission of Jesus our job is to is to seek and to save those who are lost Matthew five says that you're to be light to this world a town built on a hill not hidden neither do people light a lamp or put it under a bowl instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house in the same way gateway let your light shine in front of the people of Dallas Fort Worth that they may see your good deeds and one day hopefully glorify your God in heaven mark 16:15 Jesus looks you in the eye and says go into all the world and preach the gospel everyone 14:23 said go into the countryside and urge anyone you can find to come into my house cuz hold my house full God likes it full x.18 says that he's baptize you in the holy spirit he you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you now so you can have Holy Ghost goosebumps but so that you can be a witness to Jerusalem Judea and Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth Romans 10:13 says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is going to be saved alright that sounds great but how can they call on the Lord to get saved if they don't believe and how can they believe unless they've heard and how can they hear unless someone tells them 1st Corinthians 9 22 I've become all things to all people that I might save some 2nd crin thien's 5 says that God reconciled the whole world themselves not counting people's sins against them that's great news but he committed to us that message too for us to go tell people hey you don't have to pay for your own sins did you know hell is not a place that God sends people hell is just a place that people pick get to pay for their own sins if they want to but they don't have to it's already been paid for that's he's entrusted to us the Bible says this message as though God we're making his appeal through us Jude one says snatch others from the fire and save them it Ezekiel 33 says but if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and warn people the sword comes and takes their life that person's life will be taken because there's sin but I will also hold the Watchmen accountable for their blood well there's my amens there but it's still true I mean that's not a refrigerator verse but it's true so what do we do we say you say okay well now I know this night I need it I need to do everything I can to reach the people around me how number two I develop a personal relationship with people this is so freeing to me to know that people don't really care what you know they don't want to get in a theological debate honestly most people don't have trouble with the Bible they don't care what you know they just want to know that you care and then once you love them then you do the third thing and that is look for an opportunity to share your personal story one of the best evangelism tips I could ever give you is it's not our job to tell the world what's wrong with them god never asked you to do that you know what he asked you to do tell your side of the story that's what a witness does a witness just tells their side of the story so our message isn't hey you better turn or burn you're going to hell that's what you're going to on the hell-like that's not our message in Alabama it's two syllables hail you're going to hail that's where you go like no that's that's not our message our message is can I tell the difference God's made in my life can I tell you how much better I'll sleep and I don't have it all together but my life's so much better now that I found God I mean really yeah and then finally we do the last thing and that is that we look for an opportunity to give a personal invitation and if you don't know how to invite someone to Christ know what you can do you can't invite them to church if I were you I'd start working on someone right now you don't have the best Christmas of your life play a small role in someone finding a relationship with Jesus promise you trust me please you will come back and you'll say that was the best I it was the best Christmas I ever had because I was there when they said every head bowed every eye closed and I had that unchurched far from God friend with me and I didn't bow my head I bowed my head but I kept one eye open I just did I look when they respond and tears are coming down their face you'll say you'll say I've discovered what the holiday really is all about and I've discovered what being a Christian is really all about say pastor why why this push I think we're in the best season ever to do it and I think there's gravitational pull to selfishness I think I have it I am very embarrassed this is not some kind of false humility how can be one of those selfish people you've ever met and I'm embarrassed to say that to you recently I was flying to Boston to speak for a friend's church there and I took the Birmingham to Cincinnati Cincinnati to Boston flight and only Cincinnati flight I get on first and I got a window seat I'm going to take a nap because I'm landing and speaking I'm think I'm gonna catch a little nap and if I'll go ahead and get a nap posture before whoever my partner is next to me they won't talk to me and that would be great they won't talk to me so I'm in that posture while the planes boarding thinking out there they're gonna leave me alone now this is good but I'm peaking to see who's coming on because I'm wondering if that's my person or not and then my prayer life improves oh god please not him in Jesus name Lord God praise lunch come on don't lie you've done it - don't lie to me don't look so holy out there I get my guy he took it he took his coat off and it hit me upside the head with it like and I'm in that posture I'm like oh you know this I can't believe this and so he plops down and pushes my arm off the armrest I already claimed my half you know we got that shared one and I had back seats he had fronts easy that's just the day away it works you know and I'm thinking but I can't wake up because then he's gonna talk to me so I just went cuz you gotta know I'm disgusted - I mean come on now we southerners if we don't act like that you obviously from Boston you know so here I'm gon I'm going through all this my my I know I'm em I'm embarrassed to tell you this and so so the plane takes off at the elbows diem in my ribs and so so what do you do for a living I'm thinking well I wasn't sleeping bro you know it's why I sit up and then and then pastors have to decide when you get asked that you got to decide you gonna law or not you really do right that moment yeah I had before said I'm in sales yeah yeah anyway but um um I say well I'm a pastor and he starts bawling crying now I'm not talking tears I'm talking to who-who the whole plane can hear it and I'm saying and I'm embarrassed to tell you this but I said I was thinking there goes a nap yeah counseling session all right what's wrong you know I was really disgusted that I was now having to counsel the rest of the way and I know confessions been good for the soul but bad for the reputation all right there you go um so it's so awesome all right what's the problem she names a Billy kazoo Billy like okay what's the problem I just buried my best friend he died of a heart attack at 55 years old he's tell me is Lily always loud oh hang on and I'm going through the files trying to find a verse you know and like I got one I said well the Bible says he knows no no no don't go there I said why not he's I'm Jewish I said what Jesus was a Jew he goes all right go ahead he did I promise you I am NOT making that up that is a true story God be my witness I promise you and so uh so I said well the Bible says in first Thessalonians that that people that don't know Jesus they grieve more because they don't have a hope we don't I says we don't grieve like the rest of men who have no hope so it hurts me but I get to see them again it's hurting you worse cuz you don't get to see them again and then he said well how do you get the hope I mean like teed it up for me yes so yes it's just right there in front of me and so like so from from Boston from Cincinnati to Boston I explained the gospel to him the plane landed and I'm thinking okay it was my job just to get him close I wasn't even thinking of closing the deal you know I was just I mean I got him on third base somebody else will bat him in later you know I so I was thinking and he's close he's in scoring position and so but um so I'm like all right man we're walking into Logan International Airport all right man was great talking to he goes no no you can't leave me until I get the hope I'm like well you're gonna have to confess Jesus as your Lord because I'm ready and he knew enough to grab my hands he'd to pray like I'm thinking all these peopIe they're hundreds of people going all right repeat after me I mean why here in the middle of this terminal Billy from Boston prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord right there was a it was a it was so cool anyway and when he finished he goes he goes oh you're right I had the hope I said I told you he goes man this is good stuff what uh-oh you and he grabbed his wallet like I'm like oh there's a verse that says it's free I can't charge you you know I get and he goes no he says I have to I have to give you something he's I'm very I'm a very wealthy toy store owner I own a chain of toy stores in Boston so we know I do have five kids I did I was thinking of it I didn't say it anyway I said no I see you're not buying my kids anything he said look look he's the honey boy shouts at four he said he said I was I was a groomsman and dennis eckersley the great hall of fame relief pitcher for the red so I was groomsman in his wedding can I send your four boys some hand-signed baseball cards I said sure and I handed my bit my card sure enough a few days later these four hand signed baseball cards that I have never given to my boys huh so there you go Steve kind of feels good to get that off my chest in church excellent so grace honey ending all right so anyway um so I filed three of them I really did and and my boys have never seen these but I have one on my desk through the states it's on my next to my computer I see it every day of my life to remind me that it's not about the nap let me say it this way the nap was good for me not napping was good for him and I just don't know about you but I need to be constantly reminded that while I'm really kind of thinking about what's good for me there's a world around me whose one conversation away from a change of eternity and that is why the church exists can I hear a good Amen everybody all right so but you bow your heads in prayer let's just bow your heads right there where you are and I want to pray for you I think Gateway you're entering in the greatest season ever and Lord as we produce this this great Christmas production and as we just do what we do as a church God let us never think it's really just all about us but about the people around us and god I pray that you'd speak to everybody in this room let me pray it this way Church just just receive this Lord let us see our neighbors our co-workers the students that we go to school with our employers our friends our family let us see in the way you do give us eyes God to see well we want to just hear your prayer today open your eyes there's a ripe harvest right around us with every head bowed every eye closed before I turn it over to the pastor's I'm gonna invite the campus pastors at every location to come to this stage and I never like to close the service without just inviting you to close your eyes right there and just ask you this simple question do you have the hope do you if you were to die this moment do you do you know that you'd spend eternity in heaven I'm not asking you to join this church I think that's a good thing to do I'm just saying who tear today is carrying your own sin and maybe you're here today maybe you're a Christian but you're far from God maybe you're backslidden maybe maybe you just know there's something there and you want to be free your one heartfelt prayer from your entire life changing and I'm not gonna have you stand up or come to the front I just want to pray for you before I go if you hear they say Pastor Chris I need that hope and I need to know Jesus or I need to know Jesus again cuz I'm far from God no one's looking around at every location if that's you see when you pray that closing prayer just count me in but you let's lift your hand so I can see it put it right back down thank you thank you thank you this all over the shrimp god bless you you else count me and how about up top just it just count me and when you pray that prayer count me in thank you sir god bless you today all over this room god bless you today it's awesome if you lifted your hands maybe pray something simple like this in Jesus thank you for dying for my sins you paid for what I was what I was supposed to pay for and today I receive it forgive me today I surrender my life to you come live inside of me and change and with all of my heart telling this now I'm gonna live for you be the Lord of my life today I give you my life and your name I pray I was nineteen years old when I gave my life to the Lord and everything changed I didn't have any desire to go back to that old life I wanted to walk with the Lord and learn more about him and some people helped me to learn the Bible and to learn how to pray and to learn about my new life in Christ and that's what we want to do for you I am so excited that you've given your life to the Lord he's forgiven all of your sins and you're on your way to heaven but we need to learn some things now about the Bible about prayer about some basics of the Christian life so that you can be victorious and live for the Lord like I know you want to so we've designed a class called fresh start and I want to encourage you to sign up for this class because we want to help you grow in your walk with the Lord now I love you and I'm so proud of you

Channel: gatewaychurchtv

Views: 30,679

Rating: 4.8340249 out of 5

Keywords: gatewaypeople, Gateway Church, Pastor Chris, Chris Hodges, Southlake, DFW, Texas, Lord, God, Jesus, Christ, Church, Pastor Robert, Robert Morris, Open Your Eyes

Id: MXNyPuoWPnE

Length: 31min 33sec (1893 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 05 2014