Pastor Tim Dilena - Anchored | Losing It But Not Losing Him

good morning OSCE good to see every single one of you here today what a joy we also welcome those watching online around Acadiana around the country and around the world so glad to have every one of you here especially since we're starting message number one in our series called anchored well there's a room that many people have go to and I've even been there with my with my kids called the escape room here in Lafayette but there's another room that is now starting to take traction across the country and it's called the rage room that literally for $20 you get 45 minutes they give you a bat you can have a golf club you can have a pipe and what they do is you get to hit things for 45 minutes they literally will say they put in computers they put in printers they put in office stuff and you can just bang it up for 45 you can't allow to even bring your own stuff from your job in there and go ahead and start to hit note now let's just be careful especially those from on staff at this church so I just wanted you to know that today is that thing about that 45 minutes $20 and here's what they say they said it's a it's a form of stress relief or even stress management and when you think about it we're living in a society that is full of rage they have all names for everything they've it's gone from road rage and even have other names they call it parking rage and air rage on airplanes even a fishing rage they have jogger rage biker rage trucker rage checkout line rage and the new one that I just found out is called pew rage which means if someone is sitting in your seat at church that people have gone off on them not here we nobody would ever say that's where I sit but that's that's what they say is starting to take over all over and what makes anger both elusive and dangerous is how sudden it shows up it shows up in it suddenly and it begins that in powerfully and ohm and really irrationally in fact jot this down just for a moment when you're dealing with anger anger manages everything badly always remember that when when anger is your emotion that you choose for a situation man it begins to manage all of the variables very badly in fact some person said it like this it said anger is never without a reason but seldom with a good reason and that's why you always have to understand that's the deceptiveness of anger it does give you a reason but not a good enough reason for that to be your choice of emotion for that situation or I love what somebody exists and this is important jot this down if they said this when you choose that anger makes you smaller while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond where you were so when you're choosing anger in a situation can I just tell you it literally lessens you it makes you smaller for the way that you're supposed to deal with that situation and that becomes the challenge for us that's why I love this brand new series called anchor because it's it's a word that we associate in our culture here with a boat it's what we do with a vessel anything on the water we think of the word anchor in fact an anchor make sure that outside variables like winds and waves is not in control of something valuable like a vessel or a boat or let me just put it to you this way because I was I was thinking through this word anchor and here's what I want you to understand an anchor is an immovable object making a movable object just like itself literally it takes it takes that boat that can be swept by winds and waves and literally makes it just like itself says if I'm not going anywhere then you're not going anywhere if I'm stuck down here you're not going anywhere beyond this and that's why let me just tell you something when god is your anchor we find ourselves connected to someone in move Abul he's not going anywhere and neither are we that's what makes this so exciting today in fact jot this down your movement you ready your movement is based on his movement and if he's not going anywhere neither are you always remember that that's what makes this so powerful I love that they put on the screen for the opening video even that passage from Hebrews chapter six which reminds you where the anchor is listen to what it says in the passion translation this word that we get the word anchor from and for this series originates from it says in Hebrews chapter 6 we have this certain hope like a strong unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself I love that our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat which sits in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold where Jesus our 4runner has gone in before us and he is there now and forever that literally holds us connected to heaven when we begin to understand how important that is it makes this it makes this a life that says I may be I may find myself trying to be trying to find myself even drifting with certain things but the anchor holds us in place if he's a moveable if he's in heaven then I'm going to heaven that's why some there are certain moments like like anger that will try to bring us to drifting and always remember this jot this down because I'm going to come back to this you may lose it but you won't lose him when your anchor to him let me say that one more time you sometimes you may lose it but you won't lose him because we're anchored to him because that's what sometimes ain't that's what anger does I was reading the story when I study sometimes I will put on and I love classical music when I'm when I'm studying and so one of the great Italian composer's Toscanini what was known for his serious bouts with rage and anger if anybody in in the in the orchestra missed either a note was flat or missed their their moment to come in and there are moments he would just slam things down and they were telling the story that he reached over on on the music stand took his his very expensive watch and slammed it on the ground literally thousands of dollars lost in a fit of rage well the next day the orchestra gave him a box with when he opened it up there are two watches in it one they replaced the new watch I mean there although the destroyed watch with a brand new watch and then they gave him this old junky watch and it says and arrived on it for rehearsals only and so I thought that is a great thing but here's what I realize think about this I realize this rage rooms and extra watches don't fix something that's on the inside let me say that one more time you can have rage rooms and beat up on laptops and you can have extra watches but that doesn't fix what's on the inside in fact every study that has done an anger and rage you know what they tell you that the more you express it the more it increases don't miss that let me say that again so when you're sitting there taking it out on a laptop in the rage room for 20 bucks it's not fixing it it just increases it it and here's what's important that know what that tells me get this down we don't need an outlet to release it we need a drain to get rid of it and that's what we're doing we're looking for releases but really we need a drain to do this I I grew up with a phrase that I heard all the time around the dinner table with my father whenever we were getting getting a little bit on the edge with my father as this Brooklyn Italian new york city cop would use this phrase all the time the bag is getting full and what would that meant was you're pushing the envelope here and I I wish when the bag got full I wish my father knew about like timeouts and let's talk this through or even go to your room I wish he knew some of the how many know what I'm talking about here so we had we had levels there was the wooden spoon was level number one and then level number two was the belt I don't know if anybody knows about that and we had a third level was called the wiffle ball bat and that's that's when I only hit that level once and that was it that's all it was some of you go did it damage you only one part of me it damaged so let me just tell you that right now because when the bag got full what happened was it spilled over it just it just he lost that that time let me ask you a question here ever ever ever have you ever lost it before I mean face read is going all over the place I mean words coming out of your mouth that if anyone would have saw you they wouldn't go like oh you go to OSC or maybe they would go you go SC I mean like you're going like where does that come from where did that take anybody here ever lose it before just you go ahead you can okay although there's too many I mean sometimes you think when someone loses it like that you would think - you're so I may be that's like a new Christian does that a new Christian um can I just tell you Christians can lose it right um older Christians can lose it how about super Christians how about how about I tell you a story today how a super Christian lost it I'm gonna show you something in the Bible where the person you would think least would lose it lost it his name as the Apostle Paul I came across this as I was reading through the book of Acts and little I got to just pause a couple moments on these scriptures to show you what's about to happen Paul is standing in Chains before the Sanhedrin and he's defending himself and literally loses it as you're reading through the book of actually going what Paul the Apostle Paul the greater possible weight TSC it let me read the T it's an axe chapter 23 and talk about losing it but always remember he may have lost it but he never loses him and let me let me read it t it says acts 23 verse 1 uh I got to set this up because it doesn't sound like much at first gazing intently at the council Sanhedrin Paul began brothers I I have always lived before God and all good conscious think about that for just a moment because the reason why I have to pause here because sometimes we read the Bible and we forget the tones that are being said because there is there is a note of both sarcasm and the emphasis here that sometime is missed on this because of what happens next it's not Paul just going like I've always lived before God in all good conscience what he was doing was he was really nailing them going like I've had a good conscience I don't know about y'all I don't know about you guys having a good conscience all I can say is I have a good conscience obviously you don't so you're going like how do you know that look at the next verse instantly and an eye is the high priest commanded those close to Paul slap him on the mouth soon you're going like what is the Apostle Paul do now because you have to think yourself I'm going like do you go all Jesus on him and just go here's my other cheek hit my other side of my mouth go ahead and because I'm just a godly man and I write Romans and Ephesians you ready for this so they slap him on the other side of the mouth after his sarcasm watch this now this is okay remember Romans Paul Ephesians Paul the Apostle Paul and this is what he says pulse it to him God shall slap you your whitewash Pigpen how many would go our boy just lost I mean think about this he goes God slap you your whitewash Pigpen what kind of judging you to break the law yourself ordering me be struck like that how many know you're gonna like I don't know if I want to read Romans anymore if this is I mean think about this he loses it Paul the Apostle loses it after a slap on the mouth first sarcasm gets him a slap the slap brings him to anger and then these unknown people standing by look at Paul going tim is that the way verse 4 you talked to God's high priest and and Paul he gave verse 5 is Paul slumped over I didn't realize he was the high priest brothers he says for the Crypt scriptures say never speak evil of any of your rulers and then the next verse if there was a verse 5 and a half ago oops that's what that would say this is crazy the Apostle Paul loses it and it doesn't sound bad but when Paul says you whitewash Pigpen some call it whitewashed Sepulcher what Paul was actually saying was you paint the wall on the outside but inside you stink that's the Apostle Paul who's giving us all these great scriptures about being saved by grace and here he is blowing up losing it in front of the Sanhedrin always remember this get this down the intense situation did not create anger the intense situation revealed the anger when you find yourself and seeing something come out of you here's what you have to remember it doesn't create it it just revealed it's already there this isn't something to go like those people you just bring out the worst I mean it's already in you you'd they were used just to show what was deep inside of you how do you know that pastor Tim I I didn't make that up that's what just Jesus says listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 15 18 he says but what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart that's what he says he said it's from the heart we vomit up really gross word evil arguments murders adulteries fornications thefts lies and according to Paul cursings or if I'm sorry I'm down south cuttings and here's that's what's just crazy so we have to say that would happen - Paul was already inside of him it wasn't created by the Sanhedrin or the council there was something going on that got revealed which which I love because I think CS Lewis literally begins to make this pop and come alive when he said it like this in me or Christianity listen to how Lewis describes us he says surely what a man does when he has taken off his guard is the best evidence of what sort of man he is surely what pops out I like this part before the man has a chance or a time to put on a disguise that's the truth about that man listen to the rest of it he says if there's rats in your cellar you most likely to see them if you go in real quickly or suddenly but the suddenness didn't create the rats it only prevented them from hiding that's in the same way listen to this the suddenness of provocation acts 23 does that make me an ill-tempered or angry man it all only shows that I was an ill-tempered angry man already in fact he says the rats are always there in the cellar apparently the rats of resentment and vindictiveness are always there in the cellar of my soul think of that for just a moment nobody was saying when you flick on the lights and you don't have a chance see we it's when they show up it's kind of like when you don't have any margin to kind of go whoa I'm a Christian here then then we kind of go like okay I can prepare myself on how to respond to this but when something comes out suddenly that's who we really are is what Lois was telling us and what Jesus was telling us he think created it was already something that was inside of our heart so something was deep inside of Paul's heart that this situation literally brought it out of maybe an in Paul entering into this moment if I could just give you a little bit of background that's Acts 23 but Paul has just gone through a really tough week in fact let me just tell you what Paul just went through I mean starting in acts 21 this has been a difficult week in acts 21 27 he was beaten by a mob 21 23 he was thrown into chains in 22 he was demanded by a group of zealous Jews to have him put to death and then having little sleep little food little physical care he stands weary and bruised before the highest Jewish court called the Sanhedrin and there he is and loses it and always keep in mind he loses it and I'm gonna explain this in a second but he doesn't lose him doesn't lose him how do you know that pastor Tim because what happens next is really what I wanna talk to you about anchored because if there's ever an anchor that I've ever seen it's what comes next what do you mean pastor Tim okay let me set it up for you because this is really huge Paul speaking to the Sanhedrin is like you showing up after being I mean just a partier a bully at to your 20 year high school graduation and now you're a born-again christian going I'm changed that's that's how and then all of a sudden the waiter doesn't bring the food in time and you go cursing the waiter and you're going like uh I kind of blew it I mean and then all of a sudden you kind of lose it at that moment all your old friends you're about to tell them I've got to change life and you lose it at your highschool reunion that's what just basically happened here how do you know that pastor Tim Paul served on this Sanhedrin for twenty years he knew these people this is his moment it was as if God opened up a door and go here you ago now this is your this is your reunion you have a chance to tell them and I this in my mind because we see the story three times in the book of Acts Paul every time he stands before people you know what Paul does he goes all ax9 on them this is what he says to people he goes I was on my road to Damascus I saw the shining light I fell off fell to the ground Jesus appeared to me and now I was killing Christians now I'm not and oh my goodness my life has been changed at this point he doesn't even get to his story because after he's sarcastic after he gets slapped after he gets angry they throw him right into prison can you imagine the Apostle Paul in prison that night and what's going through his mind what's going through his mind is this great apostle I'm the great failures what I am this is my moment God opens up this door for me to tell these guys I served with the most religious people in all of Jerusalem God puts me I get the microphone and what I do is I go all sarcastic on them then I get slapped and then I start cursing them because really whitewashed Sep liquor or whitewash Pigpen it's kind of its kind of a profanity of the first century and now he just after all that how can you tell the I'm a born-again Christian in house story how can you tell I just met Jesus I could see the religious people going yeah you met Jesus after what you just said here think about what just happened and here's the Apostle Paul stuck in a prison cell with nothing left but his own crazy thoughts that are going on and the mark of a man's hand right read on his face thinking I just blew it what do you do at that point something interesting always happens when people were in jail him the new tested them in the book of Acts especially God always sent an angel God always sent an angel always sent help to encourage the folks look at me for a second no angel showed up that night and I could see the Apostle Paul going I don't deserve an angel I mean Peter's in prison angel comes John in prison an angel comes an angel comes all the time even Paul experienced that later on but no angel because Paul didn't deserve an angel let me rephrase it Paul didn't need an angel look at me folks Paul needed a friend and do you know who shows up that night look at verse 11 that night the master appeared to Paul it's gonna be all right what everything's gonna turn out for the best you've been a good witness for me here in Jerusalem now you're gonna be a witness in Rome are you serious this is Jesus showing up going I could see Gabriel on his way go no no I got this one that's my boy he lost it but he's not gonna lose me he blew it but he's that he needs to know he's he has an anchor to heaven that one this fit of rage is not all of a sudden he has to get born again again but you always remember you may lose it but you don't lose him and Jesus himself comes and stands in fact it says in one version on the night immediately following the Lord stood at his side how amazing is that that God goes I'll stand with you tonight no angel on this one I want you to know how close I am know what that's call folks that's called an anchor an anchor of God going regardless of you blowing it I want you to know that I'm still here and here's what's crazy no one gave me hope upon this is because so many times I find myself in that very situation that I think we forget that if God is my anchor my actions my dumb actions want me to drift away but God goes you have to understand something I love you too much I have too much invested in you that's why one of my favorite verses is 2nd Timothy 2:13 get this down if we are unfaithful he remains faithful because he cannot deny himself how amazing is that God says you know what God was saying your bad actions doesn't make me a bad god you messing up doesn't make me mess up you can be unfaithful God goes I'll always be faithful to you I'll always be there for you even when you're in in before the group of people you're supposed to be witnessing to and calling them whitewash pigpens he says I'll still be there now here's what's crazy pastor Tim are you speaking about anger well it doesn't just go for anger it goes with any flesh pattern this could be jealousy this could be depression this literally could be lust it could be moodiness it could be whatever that literally throws you into a spin and you lose it I have to stay true to the scripture because anger is what I'm giving today in acts 23 but I'm not just giving a man who lost it I'm given also an anchor that he's still connected to heaven and I'm just telling you any one of us could I lost that I lost it a couple weeks ago kids the last day of two days a school it was in breakfast in the morning and and I know for some of you getting kids off the school is such an easy task for all of you in this place your kids come down with Bibles and and just with just ready to go and shofars and blowing horns and so my you know we're coming down and getting ready to go a couple of days left and one of my one of my children did something and I and I lost it I was I think I wanted to say whitewashed Pigpen but I did it and so I said I don't know I was like over toast or over like you know I mean I mean your children eating whatever you push before them and and and so if you make them lunch they never complain and so I just I just need to learn from you so so I just I lost it nice and I just Big Ben and when they're going to school it was as if the Lord just said you need to call them and apologize you need to you need to tell them I over corrected the situation called for correction but it didn't it didn't call from me losing it for toast what he'd like you out of your mind toast and I had a call up it was one of the moments that I was happy my daughter did have a phone and on the way to school I just said hey I need to apologize to you I said I I didn't handle that right please forgive me and I just I just messed up on that any one of us the Apostle Paul any one of us can lose lose it and it's so important that we understand what to do when we face those kind of things and in fact let me drop these quick four things I told these from David Jeremiah because they're really cool they rhymed I don't know how to rhyme he rhymed these and I said let me this these are real quick and then I just want to give you one giant point that I think that that would be here's here's what he says about anger and I think this is good to have in our pockets when we think about it number one he says this how do you deal with it he goes number one don't nurse your anger you with that mean what he's saying is this how many of you have fantasized of those speeches while you're laying in bed at night going wait till eyes meet them and I point and they're gonna fall at my feet and kiss my feet what I mean we fantasize those things we we work it over in our mind what we're gonna say to that supervisor and we go over okay I want to help you with this stop it it doesn't do anything it doesn't help anything it doesn't it doesn't fix anything don't nursed it don't let it don't let the speech go over in your mind number two I think this is important don't rehearse your anger either people love to tell their hurt story to anyone that will listen and we rehearse it over and over again I'm gonna help you with how to not rehearse your anger and that's this vent to God and not people vent to God and not people stop venting to people it doesn't fix it and it doesn't fix you it's just what it's what they even the studies say psychologists say you can it you rage rooms and second watches don't fix you that's why my favorite word for prayer in the Bible in the Book of Psalms is David call it complaining it's one of my favorite words for prayer listen to this Psalm 142 this is just one of them I spill out my complaints before him and spell out my troubles in detail vented to God you know why because God knows this right story while you tell everybody else you give them your side but God goes I know them I know you and I know what the truth is but God goes vent to me let me be the one that that you begin to unleash it upon not not our spouse is not not our co-workers it also leads me to the third one not only do be not nurse it and rehearse it but this is really important job this one down don't converse about your anger what do you mean by that pastor Tim I want to say something to you that sometimes I've got to watch in my own life I think sarcasm I think sarcasm is a disguise for anger I think what it is I've watched it not only in me but I've seen it in people that sometimes people will speak with a smirk and a smile about a co-worker a boss and what it is it's kind of a disguise it kind of gets them right to the edge and I have to tell you really be careful about that I found that in my own life sarcasm can actually do that it's almost this this I live on the edge as I start making fun of certain things going like you know they're a whitewashed Pigpen they stink my mind I'm going but they really do that's what happens we think sometimes that the laugh is makes it that we can say it but really at times it's us conversing about our anger so we're not nursing we're not rehearsing we're not conversing about our anger let me give you a fourth one and we're not dispersing our anger either what do you mean by that pastor Tim this is really the infection part let me just say this to you let's let's stop making people hate the people that we hate and no one has ever done anything to them do you ever do that do you ever come home and like we're we're we're dispersing our anger or infecting someone going our boss did this and then all of a sudden everybody in your family hates the boss and they've even met the boss because what we've done is they're going like and then when we see them at the staff picnic we're going like haha that's the man and he's not even good anything we're gonna like throw the ball at him you know for dodgeball hit him in the head and so we have to understand that that's so easily can happen we can begin to nurse it listen we can begin to rehearse it we can converse with our anger and sometimes comes out of sarcasm and even disperse our anger and what I love that David Jeremiah says we need to reverse it and this is where I want to help you because I kept thinking about this I want us to reverse our anger so I kept praying about this going like god how does this happen how do we know that we can lose it but not lose him how do we how do we make this fight and this is what I want you to jot down as we get ready to close this is this is really important chop this down when stuff comes out of me take notice and start the right fight let me say that again when stuff comes out of me which has been in there take notice but here's the part I want to emphasize start the right fight and it's not with the people it's with the junk that's inside of me that person is not my enemy so when Sally stands up here and goes hey we've got you know small group trade Hall they were asking for small growth on all their asses hold on that what why are you getting angry with us because we're announcing growth track because you notice it every single week you do maybe God trying to get something in you maybe God's going go to grow track that's why you don't like it small group leader training which happens right after this service go to small group leader training six weeks you have to lead a small group that's it you have a chance to help people and what they're doing it's just that simple you have that opportunity served AHA here they go again me before you start hating on the wrong people always remember this jot this down I'm responsible for my responses not others responses hey if those guys on the Sanhedrin want to mess up it doesn't mean I get to mess up pastor tim is this is this I mean how do you how do you realize the fight that's going on how do you do it this okay let me help you because it because it happened to me I kind of lost it a little bit yesterday I'm gonna tell you now I want you to listen close the worst parking lot in all of Lafayette worst Albertsons she's the worst in the entire city what were they thinking when they line that thing because you come off of college saloon and you're drunk and then you got all these lines parking lines and instead of going straight through you got to go make a right you got to go a long ambassador can come down by Wendy's and and probably why didn't you go straight through to poke ego and Pizza Hut why do because then you have to cross they'll be going like oh I just cross over the line that's what I'm talking about and so people so we're going crossing over the lines I'm going like no one even parked fair just make a lane just make so I just go I'm gonna I'm gonna obey the law so I I went up came all the way down no one's in the parking lot there's like eight cars so I'm coming down I'm gonna and then some pickup truck comes with it I know nobody from OSC was coming whipping down and coming up and we're all look and I go oh and at that point I have to tell you I said something stellen yeah and I knew I had a preach today and and and I don't know if I said it out loud I had no I had nobody with me nobody was in the car Cindy wasn't there none of the children in the car and I literally I just go idiot it was lost I mean it's like just go you idiot and all of a sudden I heard this voice you're not alone [Music] sometimes it's hard being Irish especially with these drivers in Albertson at that point I just meant I just God's going really over over a parking lot you're using idiots in a parking lot it's it's it's God reminding me because there are moments I want to go hey can I just help you I want that that stick on the side of your steering wheel it's an amazing device like if you push it up a blinker goes on to tell people that you're turning to the left is what happens and when you push it down it lets people know that you're turning to the rest of you going like is that sarcasm ah yeah it's sarcasm it is Jesus forgive me right now it's really close to the line of anger cuz I want to go what just turn the signal on I know you know you're turning right but the 10 cars behind you don't know there oh wait I'm losing it right now that's what's happening at that point you know what I realized and I got angry at that guy I'm called him a name in Albertsons I kept thinking to myself how do you fight those moments that anger and rage how happy how do you fight Albertsons how do you fight sanhedrin fights how do you fight the toast stuff how do you find all those things because we all at times are gonna lose it we're gonna blow it get me kind of I want you to follow with me because I think and I think as I start to pray about this I would wanna help you real quickly and we close anger is that I just kept praying about angers a form of immediate revenge that's what it is anger is a form of immediate revenge it's it's us choosing to retaliate now instead of trusting God to set it right on his time it's us choosing to retaliate now instead of it and let me tell how we can retaliate we go tell you we can retaliate with with this manipulative silence or you said that how you doing today fine and you're receiving it you know what that is it's retaliation it's called revenge it's it's you saying Eike it's this is what you're doing because here's what the Bible says listen to me close the Bible says vengeance belongs to God not to you which means when you retaliate look at me folks this is really going to be awful it's you going I got this God I'll take care of this one that's what you're doing so so my parents did this to me I got it God don't worry about it you don't have to change them I'll change them what I'm fine yeah and Olson we try to come up with these things get this down anger is impatient and wants retribution now it wants the other person to feel your wrath it says I got this one God let so what do we do then what do we do in someone when someone's crossing the lines at Albertsons what do we do when sanhedrin slaps us what do we do at this point and then Paul and Peter throws out at Jesus moment to help us and this is what he says in the first Peter 2:23 when he Jesus was verbally abused he didn't return it with an insult you say that to me that I'll say it back to you when he suffered didn't threaten retaliation but this apart Jesus entrusted himself into the hands of God who judges righteously and can I throw something else on there and timely God goes turn it over to me let me take care of this in fact another version says it like this they called him every name in the book and he said nothing back he suffered in silence content to let God set things right always remember God can take care of the situation better than you can anger doesn't fix it if anger manages situations really poorly and really badly so in those moments we go God I turn it over to you god I turn that pickup truck driver over to your judgment don't send them to hell but let them know how hot it is that's not what you pray that sounds like sarcasm yeah having a little problem today publicly right now let me close with this shot this last thing then when you do blow it God doesn't distance himself God gets closer always remember that this is what makes the anchor so amazing when you do blow it with the passion Tim did you say when or if I said when how many go oh I'm a wind person I'm not an adverse and when we do blow it God doesn't go like ah Shh gotta get born again again is that doing that but you better wait till Sunday when pastor Tim does that born-again thing because you just really messed up this is God going man when you mess up this is God not distancing himself this has got to getting closer to us how would you say I mean think about this always remember this losing it doesn't mean you're losing him this is what some important that's why this verse is an anchor to me that night the master appeared to Paul it's going to be all right everything is going to turn out for the best you've been a good witness for me here in Jerusalem now you're gonna be a good witness for me in Rome what why didn't he just go like that I mean if I'm God and I'm writing verse 11 I've been going like ah seriously it start off with that word seriously I show up I strike you with the blind your eyes I'm gonna give you most of the New Testament to write and you're gonna and you're gonna do this this was your moment way to go Paul and have a picture of me going way to go Paul that's what I would call them a loser this is your moment these are the sanhedrin who else is gonna get that opportunity you blew it everything's gonna be all right what kind of God is this hey I got a future for you going to Rome why didn't he just remove that that that from the flight plan and go I gotta send somebody I gotta send somebody he's not going to get ticked off at people I got to send somebody better to Rome than you because Paul is anchored do you know what kind of God we serve David says this in Psalm 130 listen to these words in Psalm 130 health God the bottom has fallen out of my life hear my cry for help listen hard open your ears and listen to my cries for mercy here it is get this now folks if you kept records on my wrongdoings who stands a chance as it turns out forgiveness is your habit and that's why we worship you how awesome you know what folks so here's where we end Sally couldn't have taught us any better about communion this is what we learned today about communion no it's a cup and that bread represented when a world went chaotic against God we don't want God we don't need God instead of God going fine you're on your own you know what God did he drew even closer how close he drew so close he left heaven took on the form of a man came down walked among us died on the cross for us resurrected how much does God love you enough to keep hounding you and finding you so when you blow it and you feel like you've messed up with God and you're running it's not God going yet run as far as you want the further you run the further I am away nothing could be further from the truth because the more you run God runs right along with you go and you're not going anywhere I'm right there with you you may be sitting here today and say I blew it I lost it I messed up I don't know where God is I can tell you where he is he's standing next to you that's where God is today [Applause] and today I want you to respond to him because what religion does what makes religion so exhausting religion says I'm working hard to impress God so he likes me enough to ask me to stay in his home in heaven forever did you get what I just said let me tell what religion is I'm working so hard will you like me enough God do you like me enough I'm not doing bad things and not losing I'm not calling people whitewashed pigpens do you like me God I'm being nice pastor Tim's not nice and Albertson's I'm nice and Albertson's so here I am God do you like me and we want to impress God so much that he likes us enough to ask us to live in his home in heaven forever nothing could be further from the truth because if you're sitting here today we're all going to lose it and we meet that we need the person our life that God is most impressed with and that's his son Jesus Christ God is impressed with one person Jesus I need him in my life we all need him in our life that's our anchor would you bow your head with me please and close your eyes as with him how do I get that anchor how do I know even when I lose it I never lose him how do I know he stands next to me Jesus says that the anchor is laid in heaven the moment John 3:3 a man or a woman is born again Jesus said that I'm telling you the truth no one can see the kingdom of God the kingdom of heaven unless they're born again what Jesus was saying he was really giving us the most important question any of us could ever ask have you been born again because when that happens an anchor is put into heaven and you all of a sudden now you become an immovable object there is some slack on the line you're gonna lose it but just because that slack on the line is there it doesn't mean you break the line that is an unbreakable anchor we read that in Hebrews chapter 6 and if you're here today I want you to be anchored in heaven I want you to know today that I am connected even on those difficult moments those tough days those acts 23 days I have an anchor for my soul and that starts by being born again what does that word born-again mean what Jesus was saying was this just as you have a first birth you need a second birth just as you have a birthdate you need a second birth date what is that I was born physically but Jesus says you have to be born spiritually how does that happen pastor Tim will say this all the time it's as simple as ABC each one of those letters corresponds to a where - a I admit I'm a sinner I have a sin issue inside of me that can't be fixed with a promise I won't do it again a program can you get this out of me there's a rage that's trying to get in through a rage room or a second watch I can't fix it with a promise a program a priest or a pastor there's not a denomination or a religion that can fix that how do I get a fix pastors and that's the be part believing that God loved me enough that he sent his own son to die on the cross for me Jesus died in my place it's believing that God you sent your son to die for me if I could fix myself then why would Jesus have to go through that pain to die for me there has to be a correlation between the cross and my sin not the cross and you working hard that's religion God doesn't want a religion God wants a relationship religion asks for one day a week relationship says I want to walk with you every day that week and see confessing him as Lord saying you're in charge of my life now if you're here today with every head bowed and every eye closed you may be watching online you can respond right online on that live Facebook page but if you're here today if you're here right now with every head bowed and every eye closed I'll be looking around and you go pastor Tim I want to start that journey with God I want to know today that even in my own frailty in my own inconsistencies even when I do lose it I never lose him and today I want to challenge you to take a journey with God today sins are forgiven you have an anchor in heaven and you know that if God isn't movable and God is in heaven I'm going where that anchor is and today I want to invite you just start that journey how does that happen pastor if I'm just gonna pray simple born-again prayer and if you're here today and say I want to be include in that prayer I won't make you stand I'm not even make you walk forward but if you're here today or listening today and you're saying when you pray that prayer pastor Tim would you involve I want to be in that prayer I want to know today I can be born again today I could start that journey I don't have to be perfect but I will be forgiven today if they get everything together this is God going I love you to the condition that you're in and I love you so much I won't keep you in that condition and if you're here today and say pastor Tim would you put me in that prayer I want to start that journey with God I'm not inviting you to OSC or religion or denomination I'm inviting you to have a relationship with Jesus himself to be born again and with every head bowed and every eye closed if you're here today and say I want to be included in that prayer I'm gonna ask you to do one thing without any hesitation if you go please include me in that prayer with every head bowed would you do me a favor and say put me in that prayer would you hold up your hand right now just hold it up high because I want to make sure I count every hand I'm gonna see every hand there's 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 keep them up 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 that's fantastic you could put your hands down what a joy can we all pray this together come on as we close say these words out loud with me at all of us today 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 and everybody said amen come on can you put your hands together

Channel: Our Savior's Church Lafayette Campus

Views: 1,216

Rating: 4.8461537 out of 5

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Id: sOgb-AKiTh8

Length: 47min 57sec (2877 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 21 2019