Pastor Tim Dilena - Looking for the Arrow | Looking For Joy In A Very Difficult Place

so great to see every single one of you I'm your visiting pastor I've never been here before it seems like oh my goodness we were so ready to get home I'm telling you you are the nicest people on the planet I'm just gonna tell you that right now so great to see every single one of you and we're so happy to be here as we're starting a brand new series in fact the spirit the series started from literally someone pointing out to me something that I saw not just every day but my goodness I've seen it for years and for decades and it was a white truck that kept going by I've seen the same letters all the time and somebody pointed out in the logo of this truck you've seen this logo look at the screen how many have seen that before how many knew there was an arrow in between the E and the X okay this is good okay this is an honest group all the other ones rely or it's like half the church is going oh we saw that you're like me I've looked at it the arrow right there is part of it in fact we're going to show you different logos every single week though FedEx says finding the arrow looking for the arrow and you're gonna see a whole bunch of different things that literally has always been there but we just never noticed them in fact it's what I would say there are things that we see every single day but never quite see it completely and what we're wanting to do is we want to begin through this series taking the Word of God and we're wanting some of those colors to fade because what I when I see a FedEx truck now I don't even see the are the the orange and the purple all I see is that white that white arrow that comes out and literally when we begin to have something pointed out to us it's amazing how the others the other colors which were primary now start to become background and this is what we're trying to get ahold of is to see the things that have always been there Hilary Harris and his crazy story literally has has started made me think of this of looking for the arrow because it was Hilary Harris who was adopted into an amazing family and this family loved her care for her as a little baby as an infant that she really didn't know anything about her real her real parents or if there were even siblings and the 19 years later after being adopted Hillary was pregnant herself and what was crazy was is that it was the first time they were asking the doctor said we just need a medical history so we're gonna ask you to open up your your passed papers just to see what your families we want to know if there's existing conditions and there was just certain things they wanted to know from Hillary's past before they were beginning to make that the hospital that she would give delivery and so Hillary for the very first time 19 years later went into her past and what was crazy was she found out that her mom and dad mom was alive dad passed away and then she found out she had to she had two daughters and one of the daughters name was Donna and was from Greenwood that lived it was it was in one of the cities of the state and then all of a sudden the husband goes wow this is amazing and goes wait a second the lady that lives next door to us is Donna and she's from Greenwood and they realize all these years she's lived next to her sister that she hasn't seen for 19 years has been right next to her the entire time you want to go okay that's a little bit more intense than an arrow but sometimes you have to open up your eyes because really many of those things can be right and right there but we never get a chance to see it and literally if I can define to what looking for the arrow is get this down looking for the arrow is about seeing things that have always been there but we just didn't focus on the right places it's literally us beginning to realize looking for the arrows seeing things that have always been there but we have not begin to focus on the right places really what we're trying to train you to do is we want you to be better lookers we want you to become a better look err in seeing things around you and that's why the fed that FedEx logo once you see with your eyes everything starts to adjust and we're gonna find some arrows maybe some neighbors and that were sisters but more importantly we're gonna find some life-changing principles in unexpected places in fact let me tell you some of the things we're gonna be looking for that I think is so important one next week I want to talk to you about finding hope when we have really made a bad decision I want how many of you made some bad decisions in your life would you raise your hand and how many know that those bad decisions can go on for weeks months and even years the repercussions of that I want to walk you through I think I found an arrow in the Old Testament that may help you and give you some hope on making a bad decision from the life of Joshua we're also going to talk about finding God when things are so painful because there's nothing that can blind God and who he is more than looking into pains eyes then when you see pain whether that pain is described as cancer whether that pain is described as divorce or abuse I'm telling you it's so hard to see God in the midst of all that I'm talking with someone now who's having a real hard time seeing God in the painful situation I'm also want to talk to you in the weeks that come about finding love when people are so difficult how many know that it's easy to love lovable people it's really difficult to love some people that you really think are very difficult to be around and today I want to talk about finding joy when stuff is really hard looking for joy in a spot that I found and was a challenge to me and I really want to walk you through this today and I want you to take go with me to the book of James that small 5 chapter book and I think I found an arrow in James called joy in a really unlikely place called difficulty it James is a unique book let me tell you a few things about James for just a few moments here for those that don't realize this is that after Jesus was born Mary and Joseph had other children do you know James lived with Jesus in the same house for thirty years would that be horrible or what so you go in horrible can you imagine being that's your brother why can't you act like your brother why can't you he never argues he always does what we tell him you why can't you be perfect like Jesus I would just add by that time I would have crucified Jesus way before the crucifixion would have taken place I'm just telling you so so he lives so James is the is the son of Mary and Joseph lives with Jesus for thirty years let me give you another interesting thing James doesn't become a Christian a follower of Jesus until after the resurrection that made sense to me because you're so ticked at Jesus for all the years he lived in his house you didn't even give become a Christian until thirty years later he doesn't become a Christian until the resurrection of Jesus in fact John seven says that his siblings weren't weren't followers and James according to first Corinthians fifteen when Jesus rose from the dead he begins to tell he says they all all at least five hundred witnesses and James it was like it was this like this specific pointing out like get James because he's gonna see told you so and so James was in there then I'll tell you what was it was interesting because the leader really the pastor and leader of the first church in Jerusalem starting with being in the upper room all the way through Acts chapter 12 where he's finally martyred James was the leading Galatians to talks about James being there was the leading figure a man who wasn't even a Christian with Jesus living in your house all of his sudden becomes the leader of the Jerusalem church but here's my favorite thing about that little book James and not only is it considered the oldest book which would mean it would be the first one that was ever written in the New Testament the first one that was ever given and written down as a letter for the New Testament but here's what's crazy the book of James has a hundred and eight verses and this is what's amazing 50 for them that's one half one half of those verses are commands or imperatives like he doesn't even like there is no entrance ramp like hey I just want to suggest something he just goes right for you be happy shape up don't gosh I mean like he is like this is not like who we're gonna be training for your small group leaders like if we met James as a small group leader we are small groups would be really small huh if that's because James would be yelling at everybody is what it is so that's why we need you to sign up so James doesn't become we don't need any James and then we need nice people James fifty-four times and the book of Jane starts off with the first verse going like hey we're writing to those Jews are under persecution all right let's start off with this and runs right into the imperatives or the commands and stunts james basically starts yelling at everybody by verse two either he has one verse and then just goes right to it in fact let me let me read it to you because we read it so King James ish but really James goes after the juggler right in the very beginning let me read it to you James 1 starting with verse 2 consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various try that word consider he literally is is the imperative he goes consider it or you need to understand you could be joyful aleck I'll show you in another version verse 3 knowing there's another imperative goes right to the commands knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance verse 4 and let endurance have it's perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing now that's the traditional way the Living Bible says it like this dear brothers and sisters is your life full of difficulties and temptations here's the command then be happy now I always pause they're going like wow James lighten up this is why we don't ask you to lead a small group because all of a sudden you have life full of difficulties and temptation and then he's yelling at everybody be happy and then he starts this reasoning verse 3 for when the way is rough win your way or our way is rough your patience has a chance to grow and then he says in verse 4 let it grow don't this this really convicted me don't try to squirm out of your problems how many can bear witness with that one don't try to scream out of your problems for when your patience is finally in full bloom then you'll be ready for anything strong in character full and complete isn't those good isn't that good that's from pretty intense stuff so James doesn't there is no there is no like opening line like James the beloved I love you my dear brothers and Jesus says he just goes like be happy when it's difficult you're gonna like really come on James what James was doing was really helped me to see an arrow that that that everybody's looking for everybody is looking for this how to be happy in fact I just found out that the most popular class in its 316 year history at one of the most famous Ivy League schools Yale University at Yale has just happened over this last year and it's psych 157 psych 157 is called how to live a happy life and literally half of the student body signed up for it at the beginning of the semester they said in 316 years of having some of the most famous lecturers and professors at Yale nothing has been more exciting and and for people trying to find happiness and James in James chapter 1 starts off and says I want to show you that even happiness can be available even in the hardest season of your life he says I want to show you in fact what he was doing was I want he says I'm gonna I want you to find this arrow I want you to see embedded listen LSE embedded in your difficult season is an arrow that looks like these words je o Y and that's what he was trying to tell us so while you're focused in on the purple and the orange of the difficulty James goes refocus because if you look a little closer joy can be in the midst of that and in fact I want to help you as I was reading through this to find the arrow and that in fact that finding the arrow in four words in fact what I want you to do is I want you to write down these four words just for single words and then leave a little space in between it so if you're putting on your phone if you're writing if you know if you're writing with a pen and paper or chiseling it whatever you're doing what I want you to do is I want you to go ahead and just leave a little bit of space on for words that I just kind of pulled right out of the text as we're gonna unpack this just for the next few moments so here are the four words that I believe get me to joy get me to to unfocus on the purple and orange but get me to the joy to see it in there hear the four words shot them down and then we'll deal with them the first one is consider consider that's verse two can sitter the second word is knowing that's in verse three third word and this is the big one and it's little but it's really big is let in fact I had somebody come to me and says thank you because that was the one I wanted to skip because I'm going like I don't want to do this one is because I don't I don't know if it really makes sense but all of a sudden going to make a whole wave second this is huge probably the biggest one is number three let and the fourth one is asked so let me give them to you again number one is consider verse two number number two is knowing number three is let number four is ask you'll see them come back on the screen the in a moment okay so let's jump into this unpack this and find those three letters Jo I put in trials and tribulations okay number one is in verse to consider it all joy first imperative first command and the beginning of the arrow that we're gonna see so keep this in mind because this is real talk from James and this is what he says troubles are not electives but are a part of the core curriculum of every person's life just keep that in mind this is not an elective you can't go like yeah I'm into good times and not bad times Jesus okay that that doesn't work in fact you will never hear me Pastor Chris you'll never hear pastor Randy come up here and go come to Jesus and you won't have any more problems how many know that is not true when you go come to Jesus and you'll never experience problems ever again in fact that's why James says whenever you face and not if you face trials and tribulations let me say that again James says whenever you face them not if you're gonna face them because we're all gonna face it now when James says here's what's important consider it all joy he was saying I'm asking you to think in a brand-new way now I have a this giant commentary that really it's it looks intimidating but it really isn't it's written by this guy literally from Greece who takes and breaks down the book of James okay not that this names gonna mean anything but his name is Spiros zodia DS he's Greek is a Greek writing about the Greek in in James and his insight was so valuable to me this is what he said the word consider chop this down the word consider literally means to think forward that's what it means it's he's saying don't get stuck in the now and the present I want you to think future in what you're faced with and what you're going through this is huge because he was saying I want you to realize the end of where you're going has a purpose that or let me put it to you this way that you are to think beyond this crazy moment that there is something good on the other side okay let this is because you know what pain does you know what trials you know what difficulty does it keeps us stuck when you are going through a tough time you're not thinking about tomorrow you're thinking I'm stuck right now and this is what James are saying saying I need to kind of pull you out of this and tell you to think forward and what James was doing is something that he does that no other New Testament book does you know what James does James quotes the Sermon on the Mount more than any other book of the New Testament he takes those words from Matthew five six and seven and this is what James does he says I learnt basically saying I learned this from Jesus let me read you what Jesus said listen to these words Matthew 5:11 God blesses you when people mock you persecute you lie about you say evil things against you sounds like social media because you are my followers look what Jesus says be happy about it little James desk ish be very glad and then he says this for great reward here's future thinking for thinking awaits you in heaven he just says when you're faced with junky don't get stuck on they said this and they did this and they James goes and Jesus think ahead look what Peter says Peter 1 six be glad there is a wonderful joy look at this ahead even though you must endure many trials for a little while right now you know what I've learned from Peter James and James get this this is huge heaven is not a location heaven is a motivation for me right now that really is what it is because you know the only time we think about heaven is when there's a casket in front of us and James says you got to think forward that when you're going through a difficulty don't wait for a funeral to think about heaven but you better start thinking about heaven right now because that's your motivation when you're going through a difficult time what James says is it motivates me now heaven is my future thought heaven is my future thought when I'm in a present struggle or like the Apostle Paul says I love this in the message he says that's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the good and the coming good times that are waiting for everybody in this place how exciting is that James says think forward okay now he goes let me tell you why you could do it and it's in number to jot this down it's the knowing in verse 3 warn weir's be has put together an amazing set of books called the B series and it's and it's like be mature be complete be holy all on the new testament fabulous and this is what he says this is this is big he says our values determine our evaluations this is important our values of what we value what we put value on determines how we evaluate things and then he goes on to say this if we value comfort more than character trials upset us he says if we value the material and physical he says more than the spiritual will not be able to count it all joy and then he says if we only live for the present and forget the future then trials will make us bitter but not better that's deep because what are you saying you're you determine you evaluation of what you're faced with and this is he's about to give us really the why of what we go through because this is what he was saying when you're tested it is producing something inside of you that that's what it is this is the why when you're tested it's producing testing produces listen to what the verse says James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance so OS see listen how important this is this is the why we can think forward with with joy because your trials are giving us something that your trials aren't taking from you your trials are producing in you that's what that's what's pretty amazing about this he says when you're going through something like oh man this is pulling I don't want to see trials aren't taking they're putting inside of you oh pastor Tim what are they putting and this is the this is a pretty big word we don't talk about he says what its gonna put in you and folks get ready he says I'm gonna put inside of you when you go through difficult times endurance that's what he says endurance pastor Tim Watts endurance well he takes a word from literally from science and it says it's used' it's a word that is used of the ability of a plant to live under hard and unfavorable conditions it means that this plant can be that the weather could be pounding it and everything around it and whether it's the Sun hitting it or whatever it says this plant has staying power and it's not just hanging in but even has the ability to blossom when all the odds are against it that's what makes this so exciting he says you know what I'm doing inside of you I'm putting something there that when everything inside of you wants to quit I'm putting something inside and saying you're gonna stay there because I'm gonna give you the power not just that you're gonna go through it but something is gonna happen inside of you that's why when it's hard when you're going through something hard it doesn't mean it's useless something is being produced and you you know what's amazing let me put it to you this way because something is happening with you and something happens to me when we go through difficult times and we think what a waste this just took something from me and then put something in me it's amazing how a month with a month goes by and how much news happens and we forget certain things how many remember those 14 soccer kids in Thailand stuck in the cave you guys remember that let me tell you about the who the hero of that story was that they don't talk about 14-year old Abdul Sam was the hero 14 years old passed and when I read this it was incredible because no one talks about this passage him wisely the hero at 8 years old in my and Marv was the community that Abdul Sam lived in the whole area was filled with drug trafficking and filled with sex trafficking and the parents were living in such poverty that they had this little boy who was one rescued in the cave one of those 14 kids rescued in the cave and they took that little boy as an infant and put him at the at the door of a church and said we can't raise him anymore we don't have the finances he'll get caught up in drugs he'll get caught up in the sex trafficking we don't want him anymore and left him at the doorstep of a Baptist Church with these American missionaries left him there do you know what happened to this little boy in the next six to seven years that family put the gospel in him taught him English he is the worship leader there's a there's a there's a YouTube video of him leading worship at the church right there in Thailand at Thailand First Baptist Church and here's what's amazing you know why God used the testing to produce something pastor Tim what did it produce in him they said that kid was the result of how they got out of the cave because when the British Navy SEALs found the kids and swam in there he was the only one that was able to speak English and guide all those divers on he says we're okay this is where we are we can get through he was the one that was communicating with the divers and every one of those kids to get them out and when everyone thought like man your family jacked you up they left you at a doorstep he didn't even realize nobody realized that he was getting prepared to be the rescuer about six or years later so you know what happens is we forget while we're getting stuck on what people have done to us we forget it's supposed to produce something inside of us and you know what it produced a nob dual Sam he had a relationship with Jesus and thank God he could speak English because he rescued all those kids by being the interpreter right in that place so don't get stuck just go God what are you producing and that's what he says I want you to think forward because what you're going through is producing something for our faith to be strong our faith has to be tested and testing doesn't mean that God is against us but testing means that God is for us and for maturing us that's what he's trying to do that's what he's trying to accomplish that's what he's doing in all of us that's here he's saying I want you to think forward number two I want you to know that something is happening in you let me give you number three now this is the hard one now let's take this word let number three let in verse 4 let now this is the hard part this is the one not only did I want to skip but this is the one that I was just going like man I just don't know if I can explain this right until I started to get convicted because here's what I've learned chop this down the problems you and I face will either defeat you or develop you depending on how you respond to them the the problems that we face either develop us or they will begin to defeat us depending on how we respond to them ok so I want to say it too it's a different way here's what I've learned now OSC listen really close just because someone is old doesn't mean someone's mature okay you can be you listen you can get AARP in the mail and still be a baby I'm just telling you that right now you can get the senior discount and go to the and and and get the SPECIAL at the restaurant and I don't care you can be as old as you want to have great I've seen many older people that should be wearing diapers I'm just telling you because here's here's what's amazing because just because you experience something doesn't mean you've matured just because you went through something doesn't mean that all of a sudden you are a better person because of that and here's what I want here here's what's so important because trials get this now trials don't guarantee maturity you have to what here it is let the work happen inside of you it you have to I have seen I have seen people go through almost the exact same thing and one come out different than the other one come out mature and one come out with just an experience but no maturity they're hardened something has gone on and I watch other people Excel and begin to see some incredible things happen that's what James says listen to James one four endure until your testing is over then then then you will be mature and complete and you won't need anything see the word let tells me that you and I have the power here's the hard part to abort the mission before the work is done which it goes like this you ready for this obviously it goes like this everything in me wants out of this marriage everything in me wants out of this house everything in me wants out of this church or out of this god thing or out of this state or I'm getting out of this and has even people here that said I want out of life that some people are just sitting here and have gone through something so horrific that they're looking for an escape hatch they're looking for a way out and they're so close listen to me I beg you you're listening online maybe maybe someone sent you the link and you're listening to this listen you may be so close to God doing something don't give up don't give up it was in it was in Napoleon's Hill's book on finances that he quoted that he talked about the story of of are you Harvey the this what this gold prospector who when he heard about the San Francisco gold mines and the and the West Coast sold everything God investors went all the way to the west coast and for months and months and months dug dug dug dug because he knew that he was gonna find a vein of gold he knew that he was going to be rich and dug and dug and finally put the tools down went back paid off all of his investments that I couldn't find anything someone came right after him and what happened was are you Harvey stopped three feet away from the largest vein of gold in in in all the West Coast gold history three feet away from something amazing happening and some of you could be three days away three three three weeks away and I'm telling you don't give up don't leave this thing because just let God work his perfect work inside of you because the worst thing you can do listen to me oh I see the worst thing you can do is waste the trial don't waste the trial because when you waste the trial you know what that means that something happened to you but nothing happened in you when you waste the trial something happens to you but didn't happen in you and that's what we just don't want so James go so you want to find an arrow you want to find an arrow in your difficulties you want to find joy and difficulty James says this one I want you to think forward I want you to think a different way when you're going through it how do I do that pastor Tim he says I want you to think with joy why because secondly he says you're gonna know it's gonna produce something you're not gonna come out of this thing as the same person Emily talked about that when she was singing that song she says isn't it amazing just before we sang what a beautiful name it was Emily's words that simply said this isn't it amazing that you can come into this place one way and leave a different way that's literally what he sang goes if you if you can think that way not even just during a church service but think that way even doing a trial you can go in one way and come out of brand-new way and thirdly he says but you got to let it happen you got to just say I'd be not looking for the escape hatch and let me close with this and then we're gonna be done the fourth thing he says is when you don't even know what to do and this is this is where I think God helped me on this verse because this is a verse I've quoted so much I want to say out of context but I forgot all the crazy verses around it and it's that final verse number four ask in verse five because here's what I've always said before if any of you lack wisdom let a mascot will give to every man generously and liberally without reproach but you know what that is it's interesting that verse is connected to verses two three and four what James was saying was Jesus saying was if you can consider it all joy knowing that this thing is producing inside you and you're willing to let it happen when you don't know what to do just ask God for wisdom and he'll give you he'll tell you what to do when you don't know what to do okay so let me for all of our scholars here let me help you with just one kind of ancient language thing because this this is huge this is worth talking about this is what James says he talked about this issue of Prayer because asking God is really just another words it's just the phrase for prayer here's what's crazy don't miss this in the Old Testament written in Hebrew the New Testament is written in Greek so here's what I want you to realize there are nine Hebrew words you can see this on the screen nine Hebrew words and five groupers that's that's 14 words that are translated pray but the Holy Spirit bypasses all of them and chooses the most common word for ask do you know what he was saying to them you can get wisdom as simple as you are asking for chips and guacamole in a restaurant it's as simple as going up I need a refill on my sweet tea it wasn't this like Oh God I mean James goes no no when you're in a difficult time you don't need to go through all those gyrations and all those gymnastics you need to come up with something a little bit so it goes like this wisdom suite it's it's him saying you don't have to go through a whole bunch of all you've got to do his ass but you're asking a waiter four for four can we have more chips can can can we have some more ice in my water can I get can I get lemon for that one James goes it's that simple and some of you are wondering what do i do what do I do God goes just ask I'll give you wisdom in your hardest situation to get you through this is what he says listen to these words my brothers and sisters be very happy when you are tested in different ways you know that such testing of your faith produces endurance endurance until your testing is over then you'll be mature and complete and you won't need nothing and then he says this in verse 5 and if you need wisdom to know what you should do just ask God like you're asking for chips and sweetie and he's going to give it to you how amazing is God he's just incredible we let me close with this because but I think about this and I'm going through this these things the four ways to find arrows in crazy time the four ways to find joy in crazy times I kept thinking through all these things that I'm going man I feel like in every one of these so he says first consider think forward thinking further than my situation reminded that heaven is not a location but heaven is a motivation number two knowing getting out is no longer my pursuit or stuff I'm sorry go back to the other one knowing stuff is not just happening to me but something is happening in me then three I'm sorry three is let getting out is no longer my pursuit but getting through this situation and can I just give you one of my favorite Old Testament verses I don't want to leave this verse because it's so good it's Isaiah 43 and I want you to key in on three of these words he says but now the Lord who created you O Israel don't be afraid I've ranch I called you by names as your mine so basically God goes I have a commitment to you now listen to these words when you go what does it say through deep waters in great trouble I'll be with you when you go where through rivers of difficulty you will not drown and then he says when you walk where walk through he says the fire of oppression you will not be burned up the flames will not consume you for I'm the Lord your God your Savior the Holy One of Israel what he says is this that you're you're not just gonna experience bad stuff you're gonna get through all the stuff that comes on and we face in our lives so he says and then he says wisdom he says just ask wisdom is as close as a simple ask wisdom is as close as just asking for chips and guac he says I'm willing to give you the wisdom that you need all you have to do is just to ask so here's what's here's what's amazing when I think about that so we were so happy to get home but probably the highlight of our vacation was sobering for us but it was the highlight of our vacation was was doing a college visit with our kids with Christian and Anna we had a chance to go visit a universal Christian as a senior and as a junior so Christian we know like there's just the thought of going like oh man we're gonna be losing one and then another you're going to be losing two we're gonna we're cutting our family in half in like two years so Christian wants to go into engineering and so this is our commitment Tim he says we're gonna I said we're gonna make three visits three college visits one we're gonna go to the best engineering school in Louisiana so we go like okay I'm not telling you we're number two we're gonna go to the best best engineering school in the country we're going to pick one of the top three and go to it and so we're gonna take a trip there and we want you to see the top engineering school want you to see the top one Louisiana and then we said we want you to see the top top Christian school in the United States and we went to Liberty University the largest Christian school in the world I'm telling you it is unbelievable it's we've never seen anything like with a christ focus they have Chapel three days a week ten thousand students show up every single week and I mean in in the arena worshiping I mean it's just incredible place I mean I'm an easy sell on everything so before we even did the visit they showed like this three-minute video which I was crying in the videos guys this is our school Lewbert I was like I mean seriously you can tell me anything if you show me a video that hasn't then it has any emotion to it I'm in I'm just gonna like we'll sign just here you can have the other two kids and sign anything at that point I was as we were doing this this amazing Christ focused university we have friends that both graduated and somewhat some of their kids are looking at probably considered the hardest school in America to get into which is Stanford University because because even I was thinking about Stanford because Liberty has a billion dollars worth of buildings on their campus they have a billion dollars in endowment which is Stanford and Harvard money and what's crazy is this he said I was I was reading what some of my friends are doing do you know what here's Stanford numbers let me give you the Stanford numbers Stanford is this 42,000 students try to get into Stanford every single year and they only take 2,000 students 42,000 and here's what they said here's what they said is the average of the numbers of the students that come in one their average SAT is a 15 60 out of 1600 or a 30 everyone has at least a 35 on their AC t out of 36 and then this is the craziest one every one of them their average GPA of every incoming freshman is four point one eight okay 4.0 is like the best four point one eight means like you're superhuman I'm going like so you have to be like perfect to go to Stanford University are you kidding me and then you on top of that pay $60,000 a year just to go to Stanford University here's what I've realized thank God that he's not Stanford University that's what I thought about can you imagine God going like no no you got to get this right you want to Annika if if god only took perfect people then then then we're inviting you to be part of a club can I just place them we're all messed up in here especially the front row [Music] we're all messed up that's why do you know who go to heaven not perfect people forgiving people go to heaven God is about Stanford and when you try to get to heaven by doing things you're trying to make God like you and he doesn't like you he loves you because what we do is this how do you get to heaven well I was baptized then you then you're trying to make yourself good you're trying to make God like you how do you get to Evan I come to church I'm trying to be a good per you know what you're doing you're setting God up to be Stanford and if I get baptized if I go to church and if I become a good person you're trying to meet the criteria to get in and you're making God Stanford and he goes you're not Stanford because I know you well enough that you're all messed up and he says you don't need to be perfect you just need to be forgiven that's the beginning of a relationship with God and so many people may god out to be Stanford and nothing could be further from the truth because when I look at these things let you know consider it all joy let that I'm going like I'm none of those things I've been at this for 35 years I don't do any of that when difficult times come and going like I hate everybody that's what I do in difficult times you got I'm going I'm not thinking about joy I can tell you that right now and it's active God's not going like ooh out of the club he goes I know you're messed up that's why you you don't need to be perfect you just need to be forgiven and today today I'm inviting and be part of a club I'm inviting you into a relationship with a God that loves you in the condition that you're in stop making him Stanford when he is the loving God that loved you so much he died on the cross for you that's who God is so if you're sitting here today I want to invite you to start that journey with God because that's stuff with joy in difficult times it seems so far out of reach but I can tell you the first place to start is just starting with God by just coming to him going man I need a relationship with you I'm not perfect I do need to be forgiven how does that happen pastor Tim Jesus says it this way the road of forgiveness first we were reminded stop trying to get God to like you I'm doing better I stopped this I go to church listen that's not where forgiveness comes forgiveness doesn't come for perfect people forgiveness comes to honest people and the honesty starts like this to be forgiven is as simple as ABC a I admit I'm a sinner I admit there's that there is inside of me as selfishness that I need to get rid of number two it's believing that Jesus loves me even despite my imperfections and see confessing him as Lord a I admit B I believe C I confess him as Lord Jesus reminds us that every person who has a first birth needs a second birth to go to heaven I want you to understand here today because if your may God out to be Stanford and someone's to ask you are you going to heaven is which they I think so I hope so but if you start with born-again you can say I know so I'm going to heaven today I want you to bow your head with me please nobody looking around and I want to invite you to not be perfect but I want to invite you to be forgiven I want to pray a born-again prayer because Jesus uses those words in John chapter 3 that no man shall see the kingdom of heaven unless they're first born again that heaven is not for perfect people it's for forgiven people okay pastor Tim I want to be forgiven of my sin I've made got out to be Stanford well today is a new day today's I want to pray that born-again prayer with you and if you're here today and say pastor Tim I want to start that journey I've been trying to get into heaven on the Stanford model but today I realized there's a gospel model the gospel model just as come as you are and he three changes us from the inside out if you're here today and say pastor Tim I want to start on that journey you may be listening on a podcast you may be watching live on our webcast or you may be here live today I'm gonna pray a born-again prayer and if you're here with every head bowed and every eye closed you said I want to be included in that prayer I want to be part of that born-again prayer if that's you I'm not gonna make you stand and not even gonna make you come forward but I am gonna ask you to do this if you say put me in that prayer without wasting any time you said include me that I want you to hold up your hand as high as you can because I want to make sure I see every hand that's up hold on my pie because I'm gonna start from my left your right I want to make sure I see every hand there's one there's two three four five six seven eight nine 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 for 25 26 27 28 you can put your hands down that's fantastic can we put our hands together and thank God for them hey can all of us join with them everybody pray this together say these words with me 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 from 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 come on say this with me 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 we put our hands together

Channel: Our Savior's Church Lafayette Campus

Views: 5,196

Rating: 4.9166665 out of 5

Keywords: Our Saviors Church, Pastor Tim Dilena, Tim Dilena, looking for the arrow

Id: 3EnhiPpHHyk

Length: 45min 49sec (2749 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 19 2018