Pastor Tim Dilena - All In | I'm Serious About Being A Christian FIX

it's a big deal and it's gonna cost you everything the risk is great but the reward is even greater what happens when you look at your life your faith your marriage your finances and go all here [Music] [Applause] [Music] the series is called all-in it's not just knowing the right stuff it's doing the right stuff which is so important and all I thought about was you guys and the culture here let me ask you this how many have ever been duck hunting in your life would you just raise your hand oh my good ok put your hands that means you guys guns but let me just say this to you I always thought about was not you talk about being misguided with all in when I saw this I thought this is crazy this is called misguided for all of you in Louisiana stop killing ducks to make duck tape okay see that's called being misguided okay we want to make sure for going all in let me just something like what's wrong with that I'm just telling you they don't it's not called duck okay enough so let's we're all in this is a really important word today and I wonder what to share with you just for a few moments we're gonna get out early for a special reason today because if we're gonna be all in let's be all in for the right thing amen and that's what this is what I want to talk to you that really is if you're all in I want to talk about being serious about being a Christian always keep this in mind Christianity doesn't change your schedule Christianity changes your life Christianity doesn't change your schedule it changes your life it's not something that just goes oh now I got to give got two hours on Sunday or an hour on Sunday but it's I've got to give God every day is what he wants it's not adding Jesus to my my way of life it's really renouncing my way of life and saying Jesus what's your way of life that you want for me even if it costs me even if it costs me time or like serve ding that we're getting ready to sign up for it may cost you a Saturday oh I've got to get up up to Saturday it may cost you that to begin to serve to be an example this is so important and nothing hid that more than I was reading the story of a Texas pastor named Jim Dennison who is doing some missions work in Malaysia a place that was not friendly to Christians and when anybody was going to become a Christian and be water baptized it was a big deal and he said I never seen this before he says when I showed up at church and he said and I saw the water baptism tank like we have outside here today which we'll explain in a few moments he said I looked over and leeming next to their swimming pool that they were baptizing in was a set of old luggage next to it right before a young lady was being baptized the pastor pointed to the that when he asked about about the the luggage he the pastor pointed to a girl who is about to be baptized look at the screen on this and her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she would never go home again so she brought her luggage to the water baptism that's called being all in but she knew that when she made that decision that she couldn't go home I'm bringing my luggage to the water baptism see she was committed she was all-in always remember this Rick Warren was right when he said your commitments can develop you or destroy you but either way they will define you and whatever you commit to defines you and let me say this water baptism will define you today those who are being water baptized and those are going to be challenged to be water baptized will define you because I believe the definition here is it's the difference those who are water baptized stay with me now and I'll explain him it's really the definition between a serious and a casual Christian it is that definitive I believe I love what Max Lucado the Christian author said he said it like this he said water baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers the guys that are just kind of looking but the guys that are all in are the ones that signed the contract see as one person said it this way it takes 90 gallons of water to baptize a Christian only nine drops of water to keep him from coming to church on a Sunday and so this is important to remember if there's just a few drops oh my goodness we can't go to church but I'm telling you what people are signing up to do today is absolutely amazing and let me explain to you about water baptism today for just a few moments because water baptism jot this down doesn't mark an arrival but it's a beginning of your Christian walk it's not I've arrived but it is the beginning or if I can give it to another another way jot it down it's not it's a demonstration of devotion that's what it is it is a demonstrate of my devotion to Jesus but it's it's marks the beginning the Apostle Paul said this in Colossians a great verse he says it like this in Colossians 2:12 he says if it's an initiation or a beginning ritual you're after you've already been through it by submitting to water baptism listen what he says here going under the water was burial of your old self coming out of the water was a resurrection God raising you from the dead just as he did Jesus Christ he was giving us the beginning initiation of a sacrament what a great Sunday do you have two sacraments here to get a chance to celebrate communion and now water baptism so here's what I want to do in the next 15 minutes I want to give you four quick things I want you to jot down get ready to jot these down let me tell you what its gonna look like the first one is gonna be the longest that could be really long but the first one's gonna be the longest two three and four are gonna be short but number four is gonna be packed with a giant challenge for you so one little longer two three and four short I mean really short but number four is gonna be packed with a real big challenge for you so let me let me just give you a couple of really important ideas about water baptism number one write this down it's scriptural it's Jesus's idea it's not our idea oscy didn't come up with in the Protestants or the Catholics Jesus came up with this this is his idea in fact Jesus said it like this Jesus wanted us to know that it is a next step for those that are gonna follow him listen to Matthew 28 verse 19 read words by Jesus go therefore make disciples and then what I want you to do is baptize them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit now that's huge because here's the point I want you to get you ready for this water baptism is done after being born again okay so I want to jump into this just a little bit now this stay with me because this is important water baptism is done after the second birth not the first birth oh that's good past the gym water baptism is done after the second birth not after the first birth because people will ask me the question now we're just gonna we're gonna stay scriptural here okay we're gonna stay scriptural water baptism when you look at what Jesus just said here's what I want you to understand people will ask me um I was baptized as a baby does christening count Doyle here's here's what matters Jesus said there has to be belief in him then water baptism that's what he said so did some some even like who I knew we shouldn't have come this morning stay with me for just a second because I want you to make sure that we're looking at the right stuff here so let's let me let me show you this and let's just take some converts some new converts in the book of Acts ready for this acts 2:38 Peter said change your life turn to God and then be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ so your sins are forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit but he starts with is the change life then water baptism what he was saying was he didn't say water baptism changes your life it's Jesus that changes your life okay stay with me fill up talking to an Ethiopian in Acts chapter 8 you ready for this verse 36 as they wrote along they came to a small body of water and the eunuch said look water why can't I be baptized Philip answered if you believe with all your heart the eunuch replied I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God then he said stop the chariot they went down into the water and Philip baptized him he was baptized because of a second birth not a first birth let me give you one more act 16 verses 31 and 32 the Philippian jailer they replied believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved in your entire household then they told him and all of his household the good news from the Lord that same hour he washed their stripes and he and all of his family were baptized after believing in Jesus okay stay with me now there is not one single verse in the Bible that says you become a Christian when your body touches the water there's not a verse in the Bible that says when you hit the water boom you're born again that's not born again and this is what's so important for us to understand see if you were baptized as an unbeliever you may gain church membership or affiliate yourself with a group but it does not get you to heaven oh I know I know it's nine-thirty folks stay with me because I got some more stuff to make you angry just stay with me for just a second because people will try to do God to try to to try to make God love them by doing stuff for God and forgetting that it was God that did the stuff for us because he loved us one of my family's dearest friends said these words listen to what he said he said there's nothing you can do that will make God stop loving you because there was nothing you did that made God start loving you so if you're here today and go man I did this God doesn't love me anymore hold on there was nothing you did to make him start loving you in the first place so when you got baptized if you were christened as the baby that didn't mean that God goes now I really like them God loved you when you were all messed up God loves you before you were even born it's not what you do for him it's what he has done for us and this is what makes this so important that's why to come to Christianity to become a Christian here's what's important to become a Christian you're not coming to a place you're coming to a person to become a Christian does that mean you go inside of a church or inside of a baptismal tank you're coming to a person whose name is Jesus that's where Christianity starts that's why this is so important a person who loves you in the kindess is the person who loves you in the condition that you're in but loves you enough to not leave you in that same condition that's what he does for us I was reading this because this is so important in my Bible readings this week I read this in psalm 119 and it just challenged me listen to these words in someone 19 it says salvation is only jibber to the wicked because they've never looked it up in your dictionary look at those last that last phrase he said salvation doesn't mean anything to anybody unless or they'll mess it up unless they look up what salvation is in God's dictionary and I think we have to just pause for a second and say okay then God let me make sure that I know what your dictionary says about heaven because if touching water doesn't get me to heaven then what is your dictionary say what does God say in his dictionary jot this down because God's dictionary is God's word if you want to know what how God defines stuff look right in the Bible that's his dictionary so here's what Jesus so if you're asking me okay pastor Tim how do I get to heaven let's ask Jesus you ready for this John 3:3 look what it says John 3:3 jesus replied with all the earnestness I possess I tell you this unless you are one of those words born again you can never enter the kingdom of heaven my goodness that's what Jesus said that's the dictionary that's his dictionary this is what makes this so key pause for a moment and listen the very first message we preached in this series on all in was called the difference between hearing and listening and we said every single week you hear this same thing if you want to be born again it's as simple as ABC and we defined it we broke it down we made it so clear and if that is not clear for you you can always go back and listen on our website to hearing verses listening and we broke it down let me break it down for just a second for to you right now then pastor Tim how do I become born-again did I become born-again when I went to church did I become born-again when I got christened or baptized they become born-again my affiliate affiliated myself with Baptist Methodist Catholic Protestant here's what Jesus said born-again is a simple this is what I want you to see throughout the New Testament says born-again is as simple as a B C that means those are just starting points how does it start a all those words letters a B C represent a word a admit that I'm a sinner this means I've got a sin issue that has to be taken care of not only dealt with but forgiven it's not it's I've got a debt against God grant and Emily sang it to us this morning about a debt that we owed we just couldn't even pay that debt it's a sin issue inside of something's broken something went south in our heart that can't be fixed by promises or programs pastors or priests it has to be fixed by God himself it's a sin in nature that causes us to be selfish for for in our decisions we want to be in charge we want to be independent and there's something inside of us that has to be and the most and the and our biggest debt that we owe is God himself because we want to be independent of God we want to do things according to our dictionary and that God's dictionary be believing that God sent his son to die in our place where our sin-debt should have had death God goes I love them too much I don't want them to die I'll die in their place God sent his son from me God sent his son to die for me it's believing that Jesus took my sins upon him you know what it means it means that it would be ridiculous to think that I can fix myself if I could then that is the worst case of parental abuse ever in human history for God to send the son to go through that pain and we can fix ourselves can I just tell you something I can't fix me only God can fix me that's the only one that can a admit something's not right be believing God can put it right and see confessing him as Lord the word see the letters see some kind of makes us think of I've got to tell someone all my dark dirty secrets that's not what confess there means confess him as Lord Romans 10:9 and 10 means you're in charge of my life now you're the one who calls the shots you're the one that comes and changes in my life I believe you more than I even believe myself and I want you to stop just for a moment because I want to ask you a question is that in your dictionary do you believe that if do you believe what Jesus said his dictionary says this that no one can go to heaven unless they're born-again Bachelet Tim I was baptized pastor Tim I came to church today I've been going to church all my life I was born into a Christian family I always get afraid when I go to some are you a Christian I was I was born into a Christian family and go oh stop there because the word that according to that we have to believe in him we surrender our life and if you're here today I want to just ask you a question does your dictionary right line up with God's dictionary are you here today and you can say I am born again I know I'm going to heaven let's let's really get crazy today it's forth and it's 4th of July weekend let's get crazy because at the end of the service we always be gonna go bow your heads let's do it at point 1 are you allowed to do that in church don't you have to wait to the end of the message no we could do it right now you know you can know before you leave this place that no matter what happens I know I'm going to heaven today I want you to know that today pastor Tim how does that happen you ready for this I want you to bow your head right now everyone in this place right now if you're here in this place and say pastor Tim I got it I see what you're saying I have to be born again and go to heaven I've been relying upon my affiliation whether I've been Protestant or Catholic I've been relying upon whether I've been baptized or christened I've been relying upon what my parents did or even my good works I've been relying upon I'm a good person I've been relying upon I haven't hurt anybody I've even been relying upon pastor Tim that that I've given to charities but today I realized that's not what Jesus said his dictionary his salvation dictionary says I have to be born again how does that happen passions him I want to pray right now if you're here in this place if you're here today right now before we do anything else I want to make sure you're going to heaven you want to know if you're going to heaven if you're here to take that first step you don't have to be perfect you just have to be honest to say I'm a sinner I admit it and if you're here right now and say pastor Tim when you pray at that born-again prayer right now when you say those words I want to be included in that I'm not going to ask you to stand I may even ask you to come forward we have no music playing this is real business folks this is eternity heaven and hell are real places and people really go there but today we're gonna change your boarding pass and it's gonna say you're on your way to heaven today and if you're here and say pastor Tim when you pray that born-again prayer I want to be included what do you need me to do one thing without any hesitation if you say include me in that prayer I want you to hold your hand up right now that's it hold it up as high as you can I want to make sure I see every hand that's up I'm gonna start from my right keep them up there's 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 that's fantastic you can put your hands down right now come on let's all pray this together say dear Lord Jesus I believe you're the son of God I believe that on the cross you took my sin my shame and my guilt and you died for it you faced hell for me so I wouldn't have to go you rose from the dead to give me a place in heaven a purpose on earth and a relationship with your father today Lord Jesus I turn from my sin to be born again God is my father Jesus is my Savior the Holy Spirit is my helper and heaven is my home in Jesus name Amen come on can you put your hands together how exciting is that and we did it at point 1 all right two three and four quick here we go get ready now number two I want to talk to you about water baptism historically what it meant was you go public with your faith explain that pastor Tim one of my favorite stories was the dad was training his his young son to just tell him how important water baptism he was bringing him to a service just like this to say man this is what it means you're gonna get public with your faith when your body touches the water doesn't mean you're a born again you were born again because you surrendered your life to Jesus and I want you to get ready this is so important you're going public with your and Stevie his little four-year-old brother heard the whole thing and was so upset ran out of the room crying and they go why are you crying and he just goes I want to be I want to be advertised just like just like my brother is today he didn't know he got the words baptized and advertised mixed up but I want to tell you something he had it really the right way because water baptism is you get advertised because that's really what happened in the first century they would get baptized in a river in front of everybody friends family and enemies heaven in hell saw it everybody saw it and it was that moment when you were telling everybody I'm going public with my faith that's really what it was all about historically it was going public was telling the community I'm born again now I'm a follower of Jesus Christ but symbolically this is also important get this down symbolically I put you I want you to see this it's not about the rings and it's not about the water what do you mean pastor Tim let me tell you about symbols for just a second what makes what makes communion and water baptism so great is one man called them mini-dramas many plays using props God goes in order to remind you what we're doing it we got to use props bread and juice and water just to show you how important this is it's a reminder for us that's what it is there's like it's just mini props for a mini drama to show you a great thing that's about to happen see when you get married the thing that happens is basically this is is old vows used to go you take the ring you put on their finger and you say with this ring I thee read well here's the issue does does the ring make you married when it touch the skin now you I'm single what married single married single married I mean if then does this make me mad no it's a symbol I'm not walking around going like oh I love Cindy and I'm not going like how you doing okay that's not the way this thing works this is so important to understand this is a symbol of marriage it's not what my marriage is this is not Lord of the Rings you're not Frodo and there is no Sauron and you're not invisible I see you right now keep this in mind my wedding ring doesn't make me married but it shows people that I am married and when you get water baptized it doesn't make you a Christian but it shows people you are a Christian that's what water baptism really is and that's what makes us so important that for us to understand today I want to just pause for a second because I want to get this clear the air with this I was baptized water baptized twice I was baptized as a teenager when I really surrendered my heart to Jesus Christ and believe with all my heart I was baptized as a teen as a teenager young teen is just 13 years old but I got rebaptised again only because of the setting that I was in it's when we visited Israel I was baptized in the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized okay so let me just say this before you go Wow let me describe it for you it was disgusting I'm just telling you it was brown it was it was gross and things were swimming around and they charged you they make it this big money thing they charge and I'm going like I'm doing I said Sydney let's do it like this he goes mm-hmm I'm baptized Cindy would not get in the water I'm in there going Jesus please don't let me die going but if I do I'm gonna be with you and so here's here's what's crazy this is the part I want you to keep in mind that water was so gross it was so disgusting but it's not about the wear it's about what is happening so some of you may be going like oh that's a pool does that really count how dare you you should at least put a cross on the pool okay listen to me close it's not the wear but it's the what is happening to you that's what I want you to understand because some of us we look up here and going like that that counts but that doesn't count that counts but that's like rubber but that's at least cement okay it doesn't matter because it's not where you're doing it it's a matter of what you're doing and it's not because the water is mad can I just help you there's no magic water we didn't type it in from the Jordan River you wouldn't want us to pipe it in from the Jordan River that's Vermillion water which is just as bad as the Jordan River I just want you to know that right now so you better be born again before you go into that tank because at least you're gonna go to heaven so here's the part that I want you to understand today it's a symbol it's a symbol so whether we baptize you in that pond around a whole bunch of water moccasins or we baptize you in that clear water it doesn't matter as long as you take the step of obedience it's not the water that changes you Jesus has already changed you which leads me to this final thing as the band comes and we close and this is where we're done today this is really really cool because it's not only scriptural Jesus's idea but number two I want you to remember it is also historical it's going public we get advertised that's what we're doing number two number three and and keep in mind we chose to put it on that circle over there because if we really wanted to go avert to advertize you would put it on Johnston and then you have to sign a waiver like when the car hits me you know who do I sue no no you'll be with Jesus and so so thirdly third okay so here it is scriptural jesus's idea historical i get advertising going public then we the third thing was symbolic it's it's not the where but it's the what is happening to me it's the picture of going underneath the water coming out and finally practically this is important because practically speaking it's my next obedience step in my journey so let me start with the but the easy one can i go to heaven dry and unbaptized of course you can of course you can oh really talk to the thief on the cross thief on the cross who's not going wait take the nails out I got to get baptized I gotta get to always saying get in that pool he wasn't saying that Jesus says today you'll be with me in paradise dry and unbaptized because it's not water that changed you I changed you right here that's what Jesus did so it's not an issue here's the thing because water baptism is not a heaven and hell issue it's a challenge to take your next step in your relationship which is it's an obedience challenge that's what it is or let me put it to you this way jot this down you express love by obedience i express my love to God by a my obedience to God love is not just a feeling it's a controlling passion to do something for the one we love John 14:15 Jesus said it like this if you love me show it by doing what I've told you show it by doing what I've told you one of the probably one of the most important voices in the continent of Africa over the last quarter of a century one of the most important Christian and evangelical voices was a German preacher named Reinhardt Bonnke brish when he when he would hold a crusade there would be literally one to two hundred thousand people there God anointed him to do this he just recently stepped away from ministry from doing this for four probably four decades of ministering in the continent of Africa and hundreds of thousands of being born again healed filled with all these spirit an amazing work and Reinhard Bonnke look at the screen said these amazing words he says Jesus will lift you out of the deepest pit but he will not lift you out of your pew he will lift you out of your deepest pit but he will not take you out when you have to do something for God you're not he's not gonna levitate you and bring you up in the air and drop you in a tank you have to make a decision today that's that's really important and that's the challenge because if I had to give you a challenge today it's this there's nothing convenient about water baptism you got to go into a tent you got to put on water baptism clothes you're gonna get wet your hair which is you spent all this time doing is about to get all wet and all matted down and you're gonna come up makeup is gonna be all gone people are gonna say I don't want them to see me like this let me just tell you something water baptism is inconvenient it really is but I can't tell you one other thing coming from heaven to earth was inconvenient for for God's Son I think this is a dress rehearsal of our walk with Jesus what do you mean pastor Tim and you're gonna go outside you're gonna be water baptized you know it's gonna happen people are gonna cheer for you Christian music is gonna be playing how many know that doesn't happen on your job or on your campus when you obey God people aren't going like oh yeah Jesus I'm gonna know that doesn't happen at your job no one is singing and then you don't have Grant and Emily walking around going I have decided and you don't have them walking around with you playing the guitar there is no granting Emily nobody is there there is no music and nobody is cheering you on and God goes if you can't obey me with everybody cheering how you gonna gave me when nobody else is there so I want to challenge you with something because the challenge is this if you're gonna be water baptized and just a moment I'm gonna dismiss you and we have a number of you getting water baptized but I want to give you a second challenge there are people that are sitting here today that are born-again that have never been baptized and I want to tell you you can get water baptized today what I'm all dressed up I paid $50 for these shoes okay listen let me just tell you something we've got it everything you need out there we've got towels change of clothes place to change do you know we quadrupled our numbers in the first service from people going like I'm getting baptized today literally they go listen Jesus not picking me up out of this Pew I'm getting back you can get baptized right now no matter what you're wearing you go out there we'll we have it all set our workers are ready to go quadruple that my favorite story I just got a text Willie and I were were just high-fiving each other one of our gals works for works for the airlines at the airport she was sitting here Willie and I have known her we she loves Jesus and she just texted me this is what she said I left service walking to my car and Jesus spoke to me that I had to leave my car and go get water baptized she said she was dressed in her Airlines outfit she called the airline and said I'm gonna be a little late today she comes back you ready for this comes back she goes into the tent get you she said she came out and looked at her husband's getting baptized on the same day that she is she didn't even know he was doing it okay let's here's what Corey Tim Boone said Corey Tim moon Cicely she said don't bother to give God instructions just report for duty okay stop stop with the I've met this we're gonna we gotta go I must work out today at Red's okay call Reds I'm gonna be a little late just telling the whole the elliptical I'm gonna be a little bit late today because I'm gonna obey Jesus today and there are some of you that you can walk right out with all those that are getting water but in fact I want everybody to stand up and you want to know something if you need to be water baptized we quadruple the numbers in the last we can handle a hundred extra people if you want to give the word about it I'm gonna ask you to do this if you want to be baptized today you can walk right outside these doors right now in fact let's go ahead and cheer them on and some of them are walking outside that's what's exciting hey if you were born again today you can be warned about ties if you have never been baptized today look at them all go come on

Channel: Our Savior's Church Lafayette Campus

Views: 1,509

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Keywords: Our Savior's Church, Lafayette, Louisiana, All In, Tim Dilena

Id: bujk96fykzI

Length: 33min 1sec (1981 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 03 2018