Pastor Tim Dilena - Love Is | Since God Is Love

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] good morning OSE put your hands together message number two love is so we're gonna give you some definitions definitions are important and in fact this may be a new definition as we jump into the series and see how God defines love because definitions begin to give us direction and viewpoints and really begin to help and guide us in the way we're gonna live life and so I want to give you for just a second maybe just to prepare you for a new definition of love that's coming up here I want to give you maybe some definitions that you didn't know it existed so some new definitions for words you may already know but didn't know what they actually meant so the word calories these are names of tiny little creatures that live in your closet and so your clothes a little bit tighter every single night how many have those creatures in your house and they work in your closet I just want to help you just so you understand the real definition we know this one in our home this one's really true for my children's study the act of texting eating and watching YouTube with an open textbook nearby that's where it what my kids see as studying this is for you for a latte an Italian for you paid too much for that coffee this is one of my favorite Louisiana you will love this one vegetarian a Latin phrase from centuries ago its original meaning is a really really bad hunter and so I thought that was really great tomorrow the best time to do everything you had planned to do today parents know this one what is the definition for feet a device used for finding Legos in the dark this one I love I don't know what makes me laugh Christmas the only time of the year one you can sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of socks I like that one and then the one I really like is the way they define love giving someone the last piece of case cake no matter if you wanted it or not it's not a bad definition and so I want to begin to create something for us because of these definitions on our love is the word love is really the most important word in our language and it's the most overused word and really it's hard to define I kept think asking myself define love define love find a sentence finest sentence find a sentence define it I couldn't come up with anything because it's so it's used so much in so many different ways I love my family I love my wife I love my truck I love my dog I love your hair I love your dress I love my pasture whoo I love I love my church I love all those things and it just seems that the the the it goes from bottom to top and to find a definition for it can really be confusing talk about confusing of saying I love you I love you I love you I love you here's a letter from a woman that dis this man just weeks before their engagement dear Jimmy no words could ever express the great unhappiness I felt since breaking our engagement police say you'll take me back no one could ever take your place in my heart so please forgive me here it is I love you I love you I love you I love you yours forever marine PS congratulations on winning the lottery so what happened how it happens is is people sometimes begin to miss communicate or miss define really what love is and so really I want to do that today and I want to do it from a god standpoint of what he sees it at now remember definitions give direction and guide us and if our definition of this is wrong I'm gonna tell you there's a lot that can go wrong for us if we miss define this word love it's gonna affect our relationship with children a relationship with our spouse and this is gonna be really important today and most importantly even our relationship with God that begins to become skewed and kind of messed up and so when you think of this word love this is what we need to do the series is called love is now let me just say this to you this is gonna sound a little redundant is is a defining word and that's important to understand it's it's a it brings it breaks it things down to simplicity is is a defining word and it also is is a present word it's not was this is what we have right now and what's presented before us and no bigger definition or bigger phrase than first John 4:8 think of these words God is love that's big and talk about simple God is love that when you're thinking of love that's the probably the best starting place for any one of us because it's its it speaks of his nature and character and always keep this in mind this is important God doesn't love us because we are good God loves us because He is good that's so important and because he is love that's why he loves us not because if anything you've done I want to just get that off the table immediately is that he loves every one of you in this place regardless of your background what you did what happened what you said God loves you because God is love and because that's just his nature and character and our inconsistencies can't even change that so if we start there God is love but that still is big so how do we how do we take that and inject that into our relationships our marriages our relations with our children with each other whether it's a dating relationship and engagement or a marriage how do you inject that in I mean how do you how do you go like I've got to do this because God is love and I'm cooking you dinner because God is love I mean it doesn't seem to fit so what I love what the Bible does it doesn't disappoint it breaks it down even further and you can put if there's any person you can put in here next to love in what I'm about to give you is God Himself if God is love then you can begin to put him in here but the Bible breaks it down even simpler for us and the definition for it no better place can be found not in Shakespeare not in Dante but it's found right in the Word of God itself Paul says this way first Corinthians 13 remember is is the defining word is as a present word and here's what it says love is patient love is kind love is not jealous love does not brag love is not arrogant love does not act unbecomingly love does not seek its own love is not provoked love does not take into account wrong suffered I like one version says love doesn't keep records of wrongdoing love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth love bears all things love believes all things love hopes all things love endures all things love verse eight says never fails but if there are gifts of prophecy they'll be done away with if there's tongues they will cease when de knowledge will be done away with for we know in part we prophesy in part but when the perfect comes the partial will be done away and then Paul ends it with this important verse when I was a child I used to speak like a child think like a child reason like a child when I became a man I did away with childish things I liked that he ended with that because this is important this is what I need you to do for just a moment because it really shook me that last part was almost like Paul shook me for his moment he says I need you to think correctly here you know what he was saying at the end but he says when I was a child I used to think like a child act like a child look look at me for a second let me tell you what he's doing he was saying put away your high school jacket put away your sorority stuff and your fraternity stuff and let's think like a man here that's what he was saying he says this is not net flix love this is not this is not this is not something in the movies this is this is the real deal that's what Paul was doing he was if what Paul was doing forgive me for being a little in your grill here but Paul was Paul was saying this act like a man act like an adult and let's think of this the right way this is this if he says read the list because this is what he was saying was this is big-boy definition now this is this is the big when you read that list he doesn't put in there butterflies he doesn't put in there intimacy he doesn't put in there emotion he doesn't put in there who I have all goose pimples he doesn't put any of that stuff in there what he says is this is not high school stuff this is the real deal this is not puppy there's no puppies involved with this or ponies he says this is big-boy stuff and that's what he's asked us to do this is where he really challenges us because what is present here is so much that's why one of my favorite mid-century authors was a man named Thomas a Kempis and he said this whoever loves much does much and that's what he was saying here because if it's really he says you're gonna see these 14 things present instead of just saying I love you I love you I love you I love you what he was saying was basically this get this down he says what love does is it does something first before it feels something you do something before you feel so love acts before it feels it's a decision before because I don't feel I don't know if I feel like hey listen when it comes whether it's a small group whether it's water baptism some of you are watching the water baptism going I should do it I just don't feel like well that's not what love does love goes I act feelings feelings follow but many times what we do is we put feelings first and say if I feel it then I do it that's okay listen that's high school letter jacket love okay I just want to be really clear about that and what Paul is saying take that off let's put let's understand big-boy definitions here he says this is what it is we act we make a decision before it becomes emotional let me say that again because that is really good because what he is saying is love is a decision before it becomes an emotion everybody got that so let's see what he says and we'll only deal with about three of them today I mean there's a whole list of twelve or fourteen however if you want to group some some of them together so pastor Chris and I'm we're gonna kind of tag-team and bring you through this so let me do my best to take care of three and I'm gonna group some of them in the third one here for just a few moments because you could be here and go man I don't know if I feel like getting water baptized today because I know I'm supposed to do it but I've got to get my hair wet I've got hey listen you can sign up right after service well I don't know if I feel like I didn't ask if you felt like it I just said to make a decision just to do it once you get up there and you're gonna go wow I feel something but you make the decision first make sense okay here we go number one let's remember this these are decisions before it becomes emotions number one Paul says and I love you started that he starts here love is patient that's the first thing he starts with now I want to I want to challenge you and I there was a book I read last year that helped me to understand he added some stuff when I gonna look at some of these words that help me a pastor from Atlanta named Andy Stanley wrote a book called the new first love sex and dating powerful and he takes a little bit of this and I borrowed these these next couple sentences from him which i think is so so important I looked at love is patient in a brand-new way let me read to you what he wrote patience is the decision to move at someone else's pace rather than pressure him or her to match yours that's good listen to this patience is choosing to do less than you are capable for the sake of keeping in step with somebody else wow that's pretty cool because what he was saying was what love does love is patient means I'll slow my pace instead of telling you to hurry up everybody got that that's because because out we're so used to that we think that we've got to begin to speed up everybody else that the pace at which a person makes a decision the pace of we got to hurry up make a decision for our career with the pace of we need to get married the pace of we need to be intimate the pace of all and all of a sudden what love says is wait a second we slow down and we we prefer the other person it's it's the pace and I got convicted of this it's the pace of even preferring others when we said we loved somebody I want to tell you where I got challenged when I was looking at this was the pace of a conversation not let me just say something beaten from New York we did we just you just going like okay let's go exert and this is what we do nothing nothing challenges love is patient more than I slow talking person for me because I feel like I want to help them finish their sentences faster so we can finish not not because I don't love yous because I want you to keep up with me instead of me so that make sense so let's say you're talking going how you doing pastor I've got pastor Tim I'm doing fine and how are you doing and so let's just go over here and all of a sudden I'm trying to get and I'm so happy happy to see me and so I'm happy to see you and so we're ready and God goes love is patient let defer to their pace and instead of this instead of me asking you to speed up love says I'll slow down a little bit and it's important for me because this is just because my natural instinct is to get other people to go with my pace nothing can be further than what love is love defers to the pace of other people loved never says if you love me you'll step it up love and says because I love you I'll begin to gear down to make sure that we walk in step on these things that make sense this is so important for us to understand in every relationship with our spouse well if you love me we should we should be making a decision we should be buying a home we should be going over here and all of a sudden you want to go wait a second I feel like there's pause and you would better serve the relationship to pause and slow down than to yell at the other person to speed up and this is so important and can I add something to this here it is if or since god is love can I just tell you God is patience he is the most patient person that you will ever know since God is love God is patient listen to what 2nd Peter says about God the Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness but he is patient towards you and towards me not wishing for any to perish but that all come to repentance the patience of God means I am patient because I want your life changed that's how patient God is with us in fact I like the way the message says it let me read it to you this way God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness he is restraining himself on account of you holding back the end because he doesn't want anyone lost listen to this he's giving everyone space and time to change that's good think how important is God goes I'm patient because I want to give you space I want to give you time to change boy and and and we're going like look what these people have done these people have said this about you and and this is what our this is what our government has done what the courts have voted and all all junk that may be happening and we're going God do something God goes that's not my nature my nature is I'll slow to your pace so I can get you change life we want stuff to change quick God goes you don't understand pay because we want we want things to act right now one of the most notorious atheists over the last couple centuries was a man named Robert Ingersoll who taught in some of our great great universities here and one of the things that he used to do in his philosophy class was he used to just literally bombard all the students that were god-fearing students and believed in God he it was it was his deal it was his thing to do and it was kind of his moment just to kind of show how ridiculous it would be to believe in God almost a little bit what you saw in the movie a couple a couple years ago God's not dead that there was kind of taking that step Robert Ingersoll would lead that way and then at the end of the class he would bring out his stop it not a stop watch his pocket watch and begin to say I'm gonna give God five minutes if God exists and he doesn't he disagrees with everything I say I'll give him five minutes to annihilate me and we'll wait there in class going let's see if he annihilates me because if God exists he'll annihilate me when five minutes was up he'd slammed the watch shut he says he didn't do anything he didn't defend himself therefore God doesn't exist well they asked one of the local preachers that lived in town they told him the antics of the Atheist Robert Ingersoll and they said what do you think about what he has done and I love his response he says and did the gentleman think he could exhaust the patience of the eternal God in five minutes I don't think he can God has been absolutely patient with us regardless of sometimes our stupidity or our ignorance I'm gonna ask you a question what do you think was going on in the minds of Hawaiians for 38 minutes last month when they thought that a nuclear missile attack was coming to their state for some of these I don't know the emergency Hawaiian emergency response team sent out text to every cell phone in Hawaii and said we are under nuclear attack you have 38 minutes to find shelter this is not a test you need to begin to take cover 38 minutes and is because one of the employees hit the wrong thing in the drop-down menu and sent it to every cellphone to every person in the state of Hawaii and said 38 minutes till a nuclear attacker and all this is going on during the North Korea stuff and everything else what do you think was happening in 38 minutes people apologized to going like is there an OSC campus over here and so everybody was thinking to themselves what are you doing people getting right with God people apologizing maybe people confessing maybe people coming clean and can you imagine in 38 minutes are up going like oh I shouldn't have said that and they're thinking to yourself 38 minutes and you think life could be over as we know it 38 minutes and it could have been doomsday for you 38 minutes and everything could have been different for what was happening let me ask you this what would you would have done in those 38 minutes and the here's here's the issue will you do what's right without a nuclear warning would what what hold you back from doing the things that maybe you're supposed to do do you need a nuclear warning to maybe do the things that really matter and if anything matters is this is that God is love and God is patient and God is waiting for us to respond to him not because we have a disaster but we respond to him because God is worthy just like you saying worthy to be responded to because of who he is God is love that's the way he is today but then Paul says this and this is the one I was thinking really through now this is important not only is love patient but he says love is kind that's the second thing he says in fact let me let me give you help of what this is because when I think of this word kindness I'm kind of thinking of this soft thing like you know like kind of shucks don't you know don't call me pastor or call me Timmy you know I just I'm just kind of think that's what kindness is your voice kind of goes down and you know and he's so kind IIIi think I have a new appreciation of this word kind and and I want you to get this because this is really huge I to be kind is really to leverage one strength on behalf of another let me let me explain to you this way kindness win-win we're kind look at the screen we put our strengths abilities and resources on loan to someone who lacks them this is big I want you to live when we're kind it means that what I have I give to you I don't use it to manipulate manipulate you I give it to you I resource you or let me say it to you this way when you're kind you put you put you at someone's disposal kindness is a decision it's the decision to do for others whether they cannot in that moment do for themselves kindness is loves response to someone else's weakness this is big this is not like Oh shucks he's such a kind person this is I've got a strength and I see you don't have it let me give it to you right now let me help you with that that's what kindness is remember get get out get out of your mind the Netflix thought get out of your mind hallmark movies I know some of you looks like 50 of them during Christmas get all of that out of your mind and let's begin to make sure once again take off the letterman jacket put away your high school trophies and let's put on let's let's think like like like adults here that's what Paul said put away childish thoughts let's think of this the right way kindness says I've got resources you don't have and I want to help you with it because you have a choice when somebody is weak listen to me spouses listen to me husbands listen to me relationships whether you're dating engaged what because you haven't you have a choice when somebody when somebody has lack and don't I mean I'm talking about in anything whether it's lack of a self-esteem lack of maybe maybe of confidence and and courage and they're dealing with fear lack it couldn't because we always think of finances it could be fine that whatever that is when someone is lack and you have the resources which means I've got the words to encourage their low self-esteem I've got I've got what it takes to help them do you have more courage I haven't you have a choice is what a cut this is what happens with kind of you have a choice to either manipulate them or resource them that is real good because that's what we that's so that's what we what we do is people will take your weakness and manipulate your weakness that's not kindness and that's not love because what love does is looks at you and goes you're helpless I've got the resource now that's what we do in every no relation or do you stand back as a husband going I write the checks I make the money this is my bank that's not kindness and if it's not kindness listen to me that's not love that's when when you begin to real and you know your wife or spouse has maybe maybe they're dealing with some fear because of what they've come and all of a sudden this is gonna get me in trouble I don't care so here's what happens so the mail comes in hey that's my letter don't open that up let ladies look at me for a second open it up pastor Tim say just say pastor Tim told me to open it up and then go see pastor Randy see what happens is is that what we do is see what you do you manipulated and said their fear and insecurity that's my mail that's not kindness and if it's not kindness that's not love open that letter up open it up how dare you say it's mine you don't that's not what love is love says I've got some and if this will make you feel better check my phone check my text message when you sit there and go that's that's that's mine you don't have to worry about worry about it when they say don't worry about it my wife has every every security passcode she can go into any account she wants to go into one because there's two reasons one love or let me just say this truth is never afraid of examination and number two I'm afraid of her [Applause] if or since God is love is no one kinder than God there's no one kinder my goodness talk about talk about leveraging strength and resourcing us look at me let me tell you one thing that I that I do well let me let me let me show you how it goes let me show you how it goes Psalm 1 103 I love this verse just as parents are kind to their children the Lord is kind to all those who worship Him because he knows we're made of dust instead of taking a posture of going like I'm in charge here I'm the man God goes I know where you come from I need to be kind to you he gives us he gives us his strength let me tell you let me tell you how important this is let me let me skip listen to Roman's 2 4 out of the message did you think that because he's such a nice God he lets you off the hook better think that one through from the beginning listen to this God is kind but he's not soft in kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life change that's what he does you know what he was saying my kindness makes you move my kindness pulls you towards me what I do is I don't I don't I don't manipulate you my kindness wants to bring you I move first God moves first in those relationships kindness makes us move towards him because he's a kind God I thought about this and whenever I was talking to somebody recently and I said whenever I'm speaking I'm always thinking how can i illustrate that how can I make that plain or how can I make that clearer but I'm gonna tell you I racked my mind I went through everything of every file every thought and I'm just telling you there is no greater story there is no greater illustration of of this point than God sending his own son there really isn't I can't think of anything better to make this clear than this verse look at this verse Romans chapter 5 verse 6 listen to these words beyond the screen let's put it up when we were utterly helpless with no way of escape Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners who had no use for him is what we thought that is nothing but the kindness of God himself that's all that is let me close with this and we're done here it is so love is patient love is kind and then all of a sudden once again these are these are new definitions for us so if love is patient that means I defer to your pace that's what God does for us he begins to defer at our slow thinking slow moving and we have not come fast enough to God God doesn't go I'm angry with you says I'm gonna defer I'm gonna get you to me I'm gonna do whatever I can then love is kind I resource you I take I take your weaknesses and instead of manipulating that I begin a resource that when you were uh turley helpless I sent you a savior because she couldn't save yourself and then all of a sudden he ends with really a almost like a negative he says love is love is love is not and he says these words love does not envy love does not boast or love is not proud first Corinthians 13:4 does not envy it does not boast and it is not proud I want to group these together because I think Paul groups them together and Paul groups them beast three together because they're really expressions of insecurity they really are when you see boasting when you see the arrogancy when you see these things happening boasting pride Envy they're really expressions of insecurity it finds its way in sarcasm it finds its way into relationships into criticism it here's what I've learned about about this love doesn't boast that's not proud it's not envious it I started to realize where it comes up if it comes up in me it comes up in this my lack of celebration with people's successes let me explain I got a phone call just before I came out for the eight o'clock service literally at 7:45 probably one of the best hammond b-3 organists that i know we we've been in ministry together in Detroit for almost 30 years we've known each from the day I came to Detroit to the day I left we have worked together both on that from churches we have preached and he's played in projects on the streets and in crack codes that we've done all this together and his precious wife who worked with us and sang with us and testified just died moments before 8 o'clock service my aged 54 years old died of died of colon cancer and I was just listening to a husband just just weeping weeping on the phone just before I came out my friend dr. Artie Kendal told me something two weeks ago he says Tim he says you want to know what a best definition of a real friend is he says you're not gonna hear this anywhere else I'm going to tell you right now let me tell you the real definition of a true friend the Bible says in Romans 12:15 that mourn with those or be sad with those who are sad and I was that today I was sad to lose my friend Donna Montgomery after decades of ministry together I was sad to lose her I was sad for my friend Jerry who we have done so much together but this is what he said he said it is easy to be sad with those or sad it's very difficult to rejoice when other people are successful that's a real friend that when you succeed okay because here's our here's when you know that there's envy or boasting or arrogance in us is when your children your spouse or your friend is telling a success story and then you want to one-up it and tell your success story you can't keep your mouth shut and let the spotlight that man I was I was I was driving down here and I met this I met this movie actor I saw this this pro player in the airport and let me tell you about what I who I saw in the airport shut up who really cares let the spotlight just go on then what do you have to tell man I I was being this test I was taking at school I didn't even know any of the answers and I just prayed and got him let me tell you what happened on my test let me take shot up let them tell their story rejoice with them love doesn't boast and I find that man I was fishing and I caught this dream let me tell you what I caught let me just tell you this fish that I caught that's good that's good but and what we do is we wait for them to tell their story so we can tell our better story sure something going like this theory stinks okay because this is true this is what true love is this is not net flix love this is us taking off our leather jackets and not boasting and lettin rejoicing with other people's successes is that it does that does that hit home for some of us like it did for me that that's that's the hard part because boasting I've seen it in my life and it gets me in trouble with God if or since God is love let me tell you what God doesn't boast God is not envious and God is not proud and if there's anybody that could boast or be proud it should be God and he is not that he is not that let me let me close let me tell you a story I and made me think about this on Friday I was talking to one of my dearest friends in all the world and I'm done let me tell you this story so and this is how dumb it is to boast on my part this is the this is the dumb boasting so Christian my son this is some years ago Christian was playing Little League baseball we're in Detroit a in Little League baseball I didn't like the coaches so I said I'm gonna coach I'm gonna do this because I was a pretty good baseball player in high school and so I'm I'm out there and I'm I'm teaching these kids and we're at the plate and so I'm teach everything from legs and hips and I'm doing everything with them and all of a sudden one of the dads comes over says hey can I can I help you I said I got this I said I played high school baseball I was pretty good and so just stand against the fence and when I need you because I'm I was very good in high school I just want you to know that so just way if I need you I'll I said I'll tell you what when I'm done imparting my amazing wisdom to these children I'll send I'll send them over to you and maybe you could do something for them so I'm teaching all these kids are probably 10 years old I don't think there was like this great stuff well Edward I'm going through all this stuff and I sent him a few token kids and says teach them your limited knowledge and we won so we're walking out my son and his son become friends and and I was just we and I was even talking to the guy we're just walking out and all of a sudden the kid goes kid goes my dad played 12 years for the San Francisco Giants and for the Cincinnati Reds and so he wasn't even caught for them I know what this so I find out I find not from him from his kid I find I find out so he was a two-sport all-american at Stanford he was when John Elway left to go to go he was starting quarterback and starting catcher for Stanford to sport all-american drafted by the Yankees and drafted so he goes plays baseball plays for the San Francisco Giants hits some major homeruns in some of their postseason play and I told him to stand against the fence because I hit 400 in high school and have like a trophy and a leather jacket and I couldn't even look at him I'm going like I'm thinking ah you are so dumb and so as I'm walking through here's this here's here's an all-american I'm going stand against the fence I played high school ball I know what I'm doing here and what's crazy is he never said once what he did never said once I'm this I'm that let me just say something it's exactly what God does God stands against the fence waiting for us while we're boasting I started my own company I mean I've I got me I made this company I got this I bought this I got my degree in this and God's just going like man I wish they would just ask me because I made a universe and I like said stuff and planets were created and I give people breath and like I create babies and and like people like there was just dust and I just spoke and meet babies and and it's just like then sent my son to die for you oh and resurrected and so all this stuff and what did you do oh you went to LSU okay and so [Music] I was a tiger I was a region Cajun here's a thought take off your dumb leather jacket call them off the fence because that's the one you want on your team that's the one you want you in your job for you my goodness I own a private jet or I own who cares make a planet then boast I got a degree I got a practice and I got my own company I've got this good tie let me help you on some other stuff because here's the deal that doesn't get him off the fence what gets him off the fence is a relationship that says you are who you are I need you part of my life it takes off our 400 our leather jacket our 400 average that we hit in high school again stinky high school players and we go that's the one I want telling me what to do that's the one I want defining to me what love is that's the one I need part of my life that's the one I'm challenging you today to get part of your life Patrick Tim how do I call him off the fence duh I was I come to church that's your own stats pastor Tim I I was water baptized that's good but those are your own stats you keep getting you keep having your leather jacket on that's not what he wants that doesn't get him off what you're saying is I've been water baptized you want to come and work with me no no it's take off your letter take off your labels I'm Catholic I'm Protestant I'm Baptist I'm pinnacle take that off and say I need you in my life and it's not gonna be because what I've done or what label I wear it's because of who you are you are not just a two-sport all-american you are God and you deserve my life that's what that is I want you to bow your head because I want to pray this is this is us taking off literally the the the accomplishments I couldn't nothing could be dumber than me going I hit 400 I got this I have this nothing could be dumber than that when I have the person that can literally help the entire team the person that can help my life is waiting for me to acknowledge him that's what God wants from us he is so patient he is so kind if or since God is love God is patient since God is love God is kind since God is love he doesn't boast but he's waiting for you to recognize him as he's standing there going I wish they would just ask me I wish they would invite me he is not arrogant he is not boastful and he will not make his way into your life unless you invite him in but he is so patient and today could be the day that you invite him off the fence because when it comes down to definitions you have to define what what is what is that relationship look like I come to church I'm gonna do the water baptism thing or I got confirmed or I was I was christened there was a all those are good things but that's the wrong definition jesus said it this way you want to get God off the fence you have to be born again that's Jesus's definition that's what gets him off the fence it's a relationship work I'm a good person those are your trophies those are your trophies get rid of the trophies remember God is patient God is kind God will not boast but he's gonna ask you that's why we worship you know why we worship God because he won't boast himself yes that's the boast form that's how humble he is so I'm gonna ask you today did you are you ready for that be ready for God to come off the fence are you ready for him to come off the fence be part of your life Jesus calls that being born again no man shall enter the kingdom of heaven unless they're born again that's huge that's a definition you just got no man can enter heaven no man can get to heaven no man or woman can get to heaven unless they're born again jesus said that okay pastor Tim how does that happen simply like this it's as simple as ABC a I admit I'm a sinner there's sin in my life that I can't get rid of on a by a promise a program a priest or a pastor B believe that Jesus can change me from the inside out that's why God sent him to die in my place for my sin and C confessing him as Lord of my life you're the boss you're the one in charge okay pastor Tim how does that start this is how it starts I'm gonna pray a prayer that gets got off the fence it's a born-again prayer it invites God to be part of our life it's us it's us putting the trophy's down and getting God into an everyday relationship it's the new definition for us so if you're here today and you go pastor Tim when you pray that born-again prayer I want to be part of it I won't make you stand I'm not gonna fake you out and make you comfort that's you today and you go he's been on the fence but I need him in my life I need to be born again I want to start my journey today if that's you and you go pastor Tim when you pray that final prayer today I want to be including that I want to start that journey today with God I need him off the fence and part of my life I've been boasting of my trophies but today I stopped and now I boast about what he's done for me if you say today I want to be part of that prayer without any hesitation would you just raise your hand and say include me in that prayer holding a pie I'm gonna make sure I see every hand that goes up there's 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 there t14 keep them up honestly 15 16 17 that's fantastic you can put your hands down that's fantastic I want us to all pray this together before we close can we can we just say these words together say this 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've faced hell from me so I wouldn't have to go you rose from the dead give me 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 can we put our hands together and fade God for those [Applause]

Channel: Our Savior's Church Lafayette Campus

Views: 2,671

Rating: 4.9215684 out of 5

Keywords: Our, Saviors, Church, Christianity, Tim, Dilena

Id: jodPcNzBPNA

Length: 43min 27sec (2607 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 11 2018