Pastor Tim Dilena - Relationship Goals | Walking with Someone Who Has Walked It Out Before

morning OSC put your hands together great to see you we welcome all those joining online in our live webcasts welcome to you around Acadiana US and around the world we're so happy to have everyone of you here as we're in our relationship series and what's so exciting is that we're gonna connect this with our small group launched today which is so important well Thursday night I spoke in a state that I have never spoken in before in the United States it was the first time I was ever there it was the state of South Carolina in fact on behalf of you LSU and all of the state of Louisiana because we were only 30 miles away from Clemson I thank them for beating Alabama in the national championship I just wanted you to know that so they were very happy that I did that let me tell you what I did I was speaking for in my opinion it's a friend who has probably one of the most cutting-edge Christian technology ministries really on the planet it is it is an amazing ministry called spread truth and it was their banquet that they do every other year that they are raising money to begin to bring the gospel let me tell you why how they do and what was their motivation it really started from the United Nations a report that the United Nations sent out and here's what the report said six of the seven billion people in the world have a cell phone and only 4.5 billion have a toilet and what they said was if 6 billion have a cell phone then we're gonna use that device to preach the gospel around the planet and that's exactly what they do they put together some of the most incredible apps and and even app designers some some people on their staff that literally is bringing the gospel around the world and in fact what they do is they have one app spread truth as one app that if ever whether you're on a college campus speaking to internationals or you're overseas I've got a couple trips this year one to Belgium that I know it speaks both French and Dutch and they said if you're ever in a conversation all you've got to do is hit the app hit the button and it gives them the gospel in their language it'd like it narrates about a three minutes story and they want you to start and they start from creation all the way to to heaven and it literally says we don't want to start in the middle at the cross we want to tell the entire story on what happens my favorite part of what they do one of the developers have done for spread truth is this they are wanting to get the gospel in some of the hardest areas where we're literally it is outlawed the Bible is outlawed and it's and it's illegal to be a Christian so they have a device they have an app that literally when phones come together then in less than a minute the entire Bible goes on the other person's phone and is my favorite part and then it gets encrypted that nobody in your family could see that there is a Bible on your phone that they can read the Bible in private and nobody know that the Bible is there it's an amazing place and what God is doing through spread truth is pretty incredible but one of the things that made me laugh was what happened to me on the way there on my plane ride there as we were going out it's happened to me as a parent and that was across the aisle from me I was watching a brand new mom with her first baby and I could just tell and you'll understand why with her very first baby that was crying the entire way there anybody ever been in that position before in fact if you haven't been let me just tell you I'll just help you babies never go to sleep on a plane only when it's landing and you're going really you couldn't sleep any other part of this plane ride except when you're landing so I was watching this mom trying to comfort this baby I saw the irritated looks on on everybody on the plane and then the thing that was making me laugh was how calm the mom was even just kind of even bopping around and just and I was going like man I remember what I've been in that position it's it is I mean it is nerve wracking but she had no problem and then I looked closer and she was wearing bose noise-canceling sound headphones hold on for an hour and a half she's like this the whole time everybody else needed the headphones not the mom and what's amazing all I thought was that's genius that's the way you fix this you listen to music we listen to your baby this is what you do for an hour-and-a-half well obviously that is not the right way to do it but here's what's crazy I wanted I wanted to help her because I've been there some of you have been there before with four kids we've done this and our kids have traveled on plane so much and this has gone on and on and because I have been there I wanted to help her so bad to go this is what we did in fact I'll never forget one of the roughest flights we've had is when Anna and Christian were very little babies and they were just horrible on the plane crying I'm sweating I'm going can't believe this and then the pilot we took pilot talk to us how many know when that happens you're it's not good at all so the pilot talked to us and this is what he said he goes he says I'm gonna help you too I said we'll take whatever I mean if we have to open up the emergency door whatever this means we'll do it ever this what the pilot said he goes is what I want you to do I want you to look to the left then I want you to look to the right and I want you to say these words I will never see these people again the rest of my life that is great advice and I wanted it's everything in me to talk to the lady who had the noise-canceling headphones on and say hey I can tell you how to do this you don't have to do this all by yourself I'd been there I'd been on this journey and that all of that began to remind me how important the verse is that I want to talk to you about because I think I've gotten stuck with in my little world on this one verse that I forgot what it's all about because there's a verse that I introduced to you last week in fact it wasn't part of the message it was really part of a it was really fighting words for me some of you know that that I told you last week when we start a service because of just sometimes that we all face those mind battles did it again today did it did it in South Carolina did it do it wherever I go I literally start quoting out loud as everybody's singing songs the verse is to protect my mind from just four craziest thoughts and one of those verses that I quoted to you last week is found in Philippians chapter 4 verse 8 let me just read it to you it said this finally brothers and sisters whatever is true this I say this every single Sunday every single service whatever is true whatever is noble whatever is right whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is admire bull if there's anything excellent or praiseworthy and Paul says this think on those things think about those things and I began to think about that verse but then all of a sudden I started to realize that almost I've secluded that verse and I forgot something that was so powerful to me that literally leads us into small group Sunday and talks about relationships because that verse was so important is that what makes even this verse even more powerful and begins to challenge all of us today it's really or follows after that verse and I've always missed that I've always stopped with think on these things think on these things and forgot what came next in fact I want to reread the verse to you and then tell you what comes next in verse 9 let me read it to you it says this it says finally brothers and sisters whatever is true whatever is noble whatever is right whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is admirable if there's anything excellent or praiseworthy doesn't want you to think on these things that here's verse 9 and he says this whatever you have learned received and heard from me or seen in me I want you to begin to put this into practice now at first you may be going like what so what's the big deal this is a huge thing what Paul be gonna do this this to me was incredible as I began to look at this because know what Paul was saying Paul was giving the principle of finding freedom in the context of relationships Paul was saying take off the headphones and stop doing verse eight by yourself and realize that somebody's living it out in verse nine he was telling them he said listen you sodden me you heard it in me you received it in me so do what I'm doing do it and he was connecting the verse before with his life in fact I want you to get it this way what he was saying was you have helped to do this because you have an example that has already done this that's what he was saying he was said I'm not telling you to do something I haven't walked through myself and I'll show you how Paul walked through it he goes what I'm telling you to think like this he says I'm not just giving you some Sunday morning sermon I'm telling you follow me get up close to me and understand what he was basically saying was Philippians 4:8 works because I've walked it out and Philip 4-9-8 is the principal nine is the principal that's lived out in person he was saying do not disconnect a Bible principle from a life that lives it out in this and this is so huge because if we're here now listen close because if you're thinking on small group Sundays right you're gonna have the opportunity to sign up an OSC groups calm you can go in the back you could sign up on your phone all those groups I mean I've heard of so many different groups that that that you have the opportunity to kind of connect to those verse nine people listen close if for you it's only a Sunday thing then that's kind of living with headphones on it's kind of saying I'll just do this and not and not giving attention to the cries that are going out to the cries of your marriage the cries of your parenting the cries of meeting you know men in your life the cries of needing a mentor the cries of needing guys to walk you then what you're doing is you're kind of like the lady on the plane with the Bose headphones on and going I just I'll get the principles on the screen and you move on and we're going verse nine is what begins to open up the door for you to have relationship and to see how this thing works out even in people's lives because what we want you to understand this is how important this is when you begin to realize what Paul was saying because Paul was addressing an issue to them what he was saying was how do you deal with the problem of crazy thoughts we'll get to that in a second he was dealing with the mind we talked about that last week a little bit and this is what he was saying he was saying how do you deal with it he says I want you to walk with somebody who has walked through it first before you someone that you can learn from receive from hear from and see it in do you see those words that are there those are all in verse nine he didn't simply go think on these things thinking on what's right on what's noble admire well then Paul goes down and goes walk with me and I'm gonna show you how it goes he says I want you to understand that you can begin to learn it receive it hear it and see it even in my life those are the three those are the four words the listening room again learned received heard and seen do you know why those who know what those words mean when Paul keeps saying twice in me in me in me you know what those are this is important he says these are words that are proximity words or yet he's doing this you have to be close in proximity to people to get those four things and he says this is this is where you have to be up close not not in an hour and 15 minute service or an hour and ten minutes service this is where you have to begin to now walk with people and we provide a venue for proximity which is called small groups this is and can we this pause for a second I want to help you with something if you're listening online or here today we small groups is not like some special thing we've come up with can I just help you with something you know what small groups actually means the body of Christ can we just understand that this is not like well we believe in small groups it's all about the body of Christ and all of us are learning to walk in this it's not just coming on Sunday but going I need someone to walk with through these things that's why it's that's the four step spiritual journey we're always asking you to take with us we want people to know God find freedom discover purpose and to make a difference we want people to know God that's on our Sunday services you know it's incredible just last Sunday our goal is this on Sunday services our goal is we want to see people that weren't going to heaven on their way to heaven and you know last week we had almost 70 hands go up for the very first time to be born again last week that's worth clapping for you know what our job is our job is to create parties in heaven because the Bible says all of heaven rejoices when somebody begins to come on when somebody becomes born-again all of heaven rejoices that's our job on Sundays it's not about you it's about getting people to heaven that's what our that's what our job is on every single Sunday then we want people to find freedom and we feel like but that's done in the context of relationships that's the verse 9 that's when you begin to take the headphones off and going I want to walk this out with somebody I don't want to do this all by myself and then it's discovering purpose and I'm so excited I get to teach step 2 today growth track right after this 12:45 we're gonna feed you this is a free lunch some of you going like I don't know about this growth track hey you got to eat today why don't you eat free food and just check it out I don't care if you come with the wrong motive you'll get stuck so come eat free food today and then you're going to make a difference which is the Dream Team it's only for its listen growth drugs only four weeks that's all it is you do it one time four weeks and that's why we want to challenge you to come but that finding freedom part is literally the difference between people that just want to hear principles in verse eight go to church on Sunday and verse nine and walk with people that's really the challenge that's why we want you to go to OSC groups calm that's why we want you to walk outside these doors when service is over and begin to see all the 225 groups that are available 225 groups just on this campus do we have five campuses new iberia Broussard Opelousas Midtown and Lafayette do you know this is a record-setting spring semester for us do you know out of all five of our campuses we have over 500 small groups for people to join and for people to get connected that really I'm just telling you it's everything you can imagine you can drink coffee and you can go bass fishing with people someone invited me I said no and so I wanted you just to know I said I'll do coffee but I'm not fishing I'll just tell you that right now and so but the amazing thing is it's everything something you're gonna fishing I'm in and do it there's eating groups I mean this and weight-loss group there's everything and the greatest thing is you're connecting with people see this is what's important and I think this is what makes it we're in we're in a series called relationship goals and last week this is what we talked about living a high-def life 4k life we talked about living living honestly with all the blemishes and everything up close and how we live it really is we talked we called it confession that if you're not real like David was in 1st Samuel 27 you end up going on a detour that you don't want to go on but here's here's what I really want to talk to you about today if I and our goal is not simply just to give you in this series a relationship goal for just one genre going these are all marriage messages or these are all parenting messages or these are all single people messages we want to just we want to give you principles that's going to help in all your relationships and one of those is this if I can give if I can sum this one up in this jot this down because this is what I'm gonna just kion what's the goal of this and it's in and it goes like this jot this down I want you to walk with someone who has already walked this out that's really what relationships in the body of Christ that's what small gooses walk with someone who's already walked this out who's got more journey than us get with people who have done it already and can guide you on how to how do I could be how can I be a better parent how can I be a better husband how can it be a better Christian how can I be a better cross fitter or cross stitcher whatever that may be or a better scrapbooker well I I whatever that is it doesn't matter but in the midst of all this we just want you to get with the right kind of people see verse 8 is not a standalone verse it's connected to a life and that's what we're always challenging don't do this in a verse and just some principle see it lived out in somebody's life and what's interesting because what Paul was going after because the context of it all is it goes with this question what exactly is it that Paul is teaching them to walk out if you take the thoughts of verse 8 and then he says you see it in me received it in me you heard it mean you and and he says I want you to practice these things because she saw it in my own life what was it that Paul was doing what what was it that Paul was going after that's so important well what Paul was going after is really the the whole verse and and that's what I want to do I want to I want to take the verse and start with verse 6 and read it T it kind of the whole context of really what Paul was actually saying because what Paul was actually saying was it was really dealing with the crazy thoughts that can come our mind so let me go back and you should be able to see this on the screen you let me just go back and start with verse 6 and you'll see what Paul was actually saying here's here's what it says verse verse 6 and it says don't worry about anything instead pray about everything tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers if you do this you'll experience God's peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand pause there for just a second us older folks me pastor Randy we know the King James Version pastor Paul Neil I'm sorry to call you O but you know us so we we know it as the King James Version we it's not just a piece which is far more than the human mind cannot then we call it from the KJV which is peace that passes what understanding that's that comes from King James version that's the Bible with the V's and the vows and that's that's important because he's talking about a supernatural peace his peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest did you trust in Christ Jesus and now brothers as I close this letter let me just say one more thing fix your thoughts on what's true the good the right think about the things that are pure and lovely and dwell on to find the good things in order think about these things so you can praise praise God for and be glad about keep putting it into practice all you've learned from me and saw and be doing and the God of peace will be with you because really what Paul was saying was this you're gonna be you're gonna get stuff come your way every single day your mind is gonna get cloudy and no not gonna know what to do in these situations and Paul goes I want to help you with the crazy thoughts that seem to come your way it's alliy brought one of those up with what's the whole thing of thinking I can't do small groups I mean I'm so busy I can't all these hurdles that seem to come your way and said I can't I can't I can't I'm this I'm very private I mean just listening to the video it's amazing what all these people got out of it when you think about the small groups and this is what's incredible that Paul goes walk with me on this because the basically Paul's small group was this if you have crazy mind if you're if you're crazy thinker join my small group walk with me I'm gonna teach you how to I'm gonna walk you through how to how to have a peace that passes understanding and that's what Paul does a peace that passes understanding that's what I can explain this as a story that I read for the first time this this week his name is Eric Barker era Barker was a missionary for 50 years 50 years in Portugal he was there with his family during one of the hardest times to be in Europe which was during literally the beginnings of World War two where Nazi Germany was going in and literally going from country to country within literally weeks and coming in and invading in fact while he was there the government said you need to get your family out as soon as possible because war could be pending here even in Portugal and and are and right next to Spain so what's what what what Eric Barker did was he took in listen close took his 8 chui children when Pastor Chris goes I've got five kids pray for me that's five eight kids and then then he says then you need to take your sister and her three kids the 13 thirteen people he says you need to get him out and Eric Barger did exactly that he put them all on the boat and set him back to the UK where they originated from and he says now follow you later let me close down ministry things as this country literally batters that battens down for war and and and all that may come with Hitler's regime I was reading the story and it says that as he put him on the boat the 13 most precious people in his life he was getting ready that Sunday to preach his sermon and a telegram came and he literally told the congregation after reading the telegram he said I've just received word that my entire family arrived home safely and the people just cheered they were ecstatic thank God and then he went on just to preach that Sunday but what they didn't know was that that they didn't have the full meaning of what when he said safely home didn't mean safely England because while they're on a boat ride back to England a u-boat from the Germans torpedoed them and there was not one survivor left not only did the 13 most precious people in his life all perished but everyone on that boat but something inside of him that day not only allowed him to preach but to have the wherewithal to go no they're not home in England they're in the home that they're supposed to be in their home in heaven think of that for just a moment where does that come from where does that peace I I can tell you this I wouldn't been able to go up there and preach to lose eight children and my wife I couldn't have got up there that's what's called a peace that passes understanding and what Paul was doing in his small group that he was saying listen to me learn from me receive from me watch it worked out in me walk with me on this he says I want to help you with three things I want you to jot these down so that that principals I see from verses 6 to 9 that ends to me with connecting in relationship that I think helps us with this in fact let me give you the three things and then you can kind of keep a space between them I think Paul was telling us three things that are really important one what he's saying I want you to do this for me worry is my prayer alarm that's this is this is important worry is a prayer alarm number two he says always remember I get to pick what I'll ponder I get to pick what I'll ponder and number three we talked about I want you to walk with someone who's already walked this out already this is literally put a small group for 12 weeks this is your 12 week course in Paul's small group of four every noon everybody who has got crazy thoughts that goes in their mind this is the group you want to sign up for crazy thoughts with the Apostle Paul sign up for this group and this is what they show up at Paul goes here's what we're gonna cover in the next in the next 12 weeks where is my prayer alarm I get to pick what I'll ponder and walk with someone who has already walked it out so let me just go through this with you for just a moment worry number one is my prayer alarm if you've ever read or if you do read your books now on an e-reader and on a Kindle Kindle sent this out last year and said we want to show you the most underlined and highlighted verses in all of our Kindles and eerie ders and they said these are books from Harry Potter to Pride and Prejudice to Hunger Games all the way to the Bible and they said this the number one the number one highlighted verse on Kindles around the world who read their Bible on the Kindle is not John 3:16 it's not Psalm 23 and it's not the Lord's Prayer you know what it is it's this don't worry about anything instead pray about everything tell God your needs don't forget to thank him for his answers if you do this you'll experience God's peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand his peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet as you rest and trust in Jesus Christ is the number one highlighted verse in the world on Kindle think about that why is that because we live in a world that's insane that's why this is not rocket science this is what's great and here's what I've learned Mark batter said a pastor from Washington DC said it this way think of worry as a prayer alarm every time it goes off you go to prayer every single time you're faced with all my supervisor wants to see me but he's going to call me am I going to lose my job my professor wants to see me I don't know if I'm going to be able to do this what if this client drops me what if we lose this contract all of a sudden Paul says I want you to use worry as a prayer alarm that every time something comes at you at that moment you begin to pray and say God I'm gonna give this over to you I want to pray about this we live in a society that is being overrun with worry listen to this for a second this just came out just last year anxiety disorders ready for this effect 40 million people in the United States that's 20% of the population fights anxiety and people with anxiety disorders go to the doctor three to five more times than the whole general population that they are trying to deal with the worry in them even before their own physical body that's why this worry thing is taking over America and can I just help you with something Glenn Turner said it best worrying is like a rocking chair it gives you something to do but it gets you nowhere let me just tell you that right now and that word anxious or worried whatever version you're using is interesting it means to be pulled apart in two different directions it means your mind is wanting to think the right thing but yet it's being drawn back into worry it's being drunk back into what may happen tomorrow and Paul says listen in this group he says I want you to understand what I've learned he says I want you to choose prayer over worry or I like what somebody said they said this if it's big enough to worry about it's big enough to pray about always remember that if it's big enough to worry about then it's big enough to pray about or if you want it even simpler the reformer from the 16th century Martin Luther said it like this pray and let God worry about it that's probably the best way to do it just say I'm just praying God it's on you now you're the one who has to deal with this you know what Paul was saying to them he says I know what this is like remember what we told you get with people that know what they're doing get with people that have some journey here and Paul said this probably the most honest letter that Paul has ever written a second Corinthians and in fact Paul says I was at that place that my mind was being pulled apart listen to what he says in 2nd Corinthians 1:8 listen to this church brothers and sisters you need to know about the severe trials we experienced what we were in western Turkey all of the hardships we pass through crushed us beyond our ability to endure and look at this we were so completely overwhelmed we were all both about to give up entirely leave it up there first a second do you know who's saying this this is not some new Christian this is the Apostle Paul didn't man this thing is so tough and I was out to just chuck it another guy just can't do this and some of us have been there I'm just going like I can't do this marriage anymore I can't do parenting anymore I can't do singleness anymore I can't do I can't do I can't do this this this this condition that I'm that I'm struggling I can't do an employment I can't do the can't do the oil industry and I don't know if I'm gonna have a job or not so I'll based upon gasps I don't even know if I could do this anymore Paul goes I was so overwhelmed I was about to entirely give up and you know if Paul realized that worry is gonna become my prayer alarm listen what he says a couple verses later he says as you label together with us through prayer he says we started to pray together he says because there are so many so many people interceding for us our deliverance will cause even more people to give thanks dad and I love this part what a gracious gift of mercy surrounds us because of your prayers do you know what he said man when I started to worry I got people praying for me when I started to let my mind find my mind going in crazy situations I started to realize worries not the answer I've got to pray it's like what Spurgeon said the 19th century preacher he said worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow only today it empties of it of a strength and that's why I always remember this is something I do every single night every evening I turned my worries over to God because he's gonna be up all night anyway so let God take care of all those things every single night so what I do is this worry if something comes in to worry me I'm worried about my kids I'm worried about him going off to college I'm worried about them this is their first day I'm worried about them what are they watching on their phone you know I don't know something when I start to worry I start to pray and that's my alarm number to jot this down I get to pick this is revelry this is this is both revelational and revolutionary to me I get to pick what I'll ponder this is huge this one remember what we said Philippians 4:8 Paul goes like this he says whatever's lovely only what true whatever's no but whatever is just whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever things are of good report there's any virtue if there's anything praiseworthy then pulse does this think on these things and you know it's crazy oscy when he's this think on these things sink on these things is a command I'm going Paul we're dealing with my mind and you're saying thank you like you're yelling at me what a bogus small group you have Paul what do you mean think on these things Paul goes listen to me I've walked this before you know get get this now about the Bible you can't command people to do things if they can't do them you can according to the scripture think on these kinds of things you can pick what you'll ponder I know that's a lot of peas and whenever there's peace spit usually comes out and the front row is going up go to the next point because there's a low point so so I'll back up whenever I use the letter P I'll back up so here we go Max Lucado said it best let me just let me read to you what he said he goes you didn't select your birthplace or your birthday you didn't choose your parents or your brothers and sisters you didn't even choose the weather determine the weather an amount of salt in the ocean there are many things in life in which you have no choice but the greatest activity of his life listen to this is well within your dominion I want you to see this on the screen I'll read it to you you can choose what you think about you can be the air traffic controller of your mental airport you occupy the control tower and you can direct the mental traffic of your world listen to this thought circle above coming and going if one of those lands you gave permission if it leaves it's because you directed it to leave you can select your thought pattern it turns out the most valuable weapon against anxiety weighs less than three pounds and sits between our ears and he says think about what you think about that's good seriously that's what he's saying to us think about what you think about Paul was saying this he says your a slave to your thoughts you can choose this if it's pure think about it if it's right think about it but the problem is it's so easy to get stuck with the wrong thoughts inside of us how many feel like I gotta get unstuck on some of the ways that I think I feel that way sometimes you want to get unstuck by things that happen to me and think this way and think this way and think this way hi my favorite I have to tell you this my favorite person who got stuck in their thinking and had to change it everything about a jeweler who owned his own jewelry store for over 10 years and he was making all these couples so happy they come in and they're looking over the glass thing and they're getting their engagement ring and this jeweler who's this happen to be single finally find this fiance and so in his story you got the best rings and they're gonna finally get married and while they were getting married they decided to memorize their vows for the Rings and and say it when they got before the pastor of the church what's crazy is he got something stuck in his mind he forgot that that sometimes you have to unstick what got stuck inside of your mind so when it came time to give the memorized vows he got nervous and it went back to the sought that's stuck and he thought he thought jeweller instead of husband and this is what he said when he put the ring on he said with this ring we guarantee a full refund if the customer is not completely satisfied how many no you don't say that at your wedding at that point you never say that at your wedding but he got stuck on that here's what I've learned in this Paul small group told me one two things so far it taught me this number one worry is a prayer alarm when I worried Paul says this don't worry about anything but pray about everything when where he comes it goes I got to pray about this number two I get to pick what I'm gonna ponder you're not you don't have to be stuck with those thoughts you can choose the right thoughts and finally it's what we said in the very beginning he just simply said this walk with somebody that's walked it out folks author of the message version of the Bible Eugene Peterson said it best no Christian is an only child when you get met when you become a Christian you get a family to walk with you listen me folks we're not perfect but he is we're all growing together and we all have issues but we're all heading in the same place which is heading towards healing and that's why we're always challenging folks that part of a finding freedom and healing is really what we're doing here with our small groups Paul was saying was this you're not an only child leverage experience of other people leverage it leverage it if someone knows how to pray and I want to hang out with you I'm gonna pray better if someone if someone begins to know how to be a great parent man I want to be part of that someone if the small group that you're part of knows how to drink coffee the best way get in that group I want to be in that group and if you have a group that just drinks coffee all day long sign me up here's what Paul was saying spend time with people who understands the complexities of even dealing with anxiety and have seen success ask them questions study their lives listen to their stories and learn from them when he says spend time with them what you're saying is the twelve weeks it's committing that that's verse nine the things which you've learned we see there's all proximity receive this is small groups this is OSC groups calm heard and saw in me these do you can't see it in Paul sitting in the congregation but you can when you sit in the context of a small group [Music] we all need people to get us through this we need people to see things that we can't see we need people to walk us to places we can't get you on our own [Music] Jimmy Jones or Jim Jones was a kid in Mississippi and in fact his parents at a young age separated and it was so traumatic that neither parent wanted Jim in their life so they sent Jim up to Michigan to live with his grandparents in Battle Creek Michigan so this elementary kid not only experienced the trauma of parents splitting then the trauma of parents not wanting him then the trauma is you're going from the south to the north and living with grandparents the story says that the trauma was so bad that Jimmy began to create a stutter came to him he couldn't even speak right he was so nervous and it was so so difficult for him that from elementary and junior high he was just mercilessly bullied because of the stutter that that that he that he developed because of all the trauma in his life one of the things that helped him that gave him kind of a refuge was he loved poetry and how many know if you stutter and love poetry and you're in junior high you better learn how to fight anybody to realize that you can't you can't have those and he not only loved poetry he would he would he would write poetry in junior high Jim got a a new teacher it was a it was a retired minister named Donald crouch came from Mennonite background and became the teacher of the junior high school and saw something in Jim Jim Jones that he said man I think I can help this kid because this is what he saw that he saw whenever Jim would begin to recite poetry off to the side the stuttering stop was almost like the rhythm helped him the rhythm of speaking the lines the rhythmic lines began to stop and so he began to encourage him to write to write to recite to write and recite and all the way through junior high and all the way into high school the stuttering broke because somebody believed in him somebody walked with him and said let me walk you through this I've been there let me walk you out of it so Donald Crouch was for Jim Jones what's crazy is that when Jim graduated he went into the army and served our country and then after he served our country the GI Bill paid for his education went to Southern University and there began to realize I mean I like to speak in fact not only do I like to speak I like to speak in front of people and something just happens to this transformation all the way back to junior high would Donald crouch and then all of a sudden he started to speak and act and it just it just took off for him and then he became sophisticated he decided that I want to be called Jim I want to be called James and not just change I want my middle name used I want to be Earl and that little boy was James Earl Jones if you don't know who that is that's let me let me let me give you my interpretation and it's Darth Vader that's the voice of Darth Vader that's James Earl Jones that if you have the the two greatest voices I would like it here all day long as Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones I can list those voices all day long if they were a pastor of a church I'd go to that church I'm just telling that right now I just say say whatever you want I love you James oh and so it'd be amazing to me here's what's crazy one of the James Earl Jones as he says one of my greatest achievements was was and they asked me to narrate the entire Bible I'd loved to have heard him narrate Philippians four six through nine and this is what he said when he wrote the dedication page on on the Bible that he narrated he said this this is to Donald Crouch listen to this not only did you introduce me to the author of this book but you resurrected a gift I didn't even know was deep inside of me someone walked him out walked him through and not only introduced him most importantly to the author of this book but resurrected something do you know there's stuff inside of you that can't get out by you sitting here they got to take the headphones off and join a small group there may be a James Earl Jones in there and I'll see every single one of your movies I promise Pastor Chris talking about Karate Kid the greatest sports movie ever unbelievable it's so dumb it's not true I'm telling you what it is it's Sandlot it's the greatest sports movie ever and it ends come on how many have ever seen Sandlot greatest sports movie ever understand you're killing me smalls it's the greatest but it ends with James Earl Jones as the fate as the famous as the famous Negro baseball player that didn't get his chance that was as great as Babe Ruth and he hear that voice again and to realize some guy named Donald Crouch walked him through stuttering walked him to introduction of of the author of this book called the Bible and called something out of him and he couldn't get in a group he needed to get really one-on-one with somebody walk with somebody that has walked through it before can I have to just say this as we close because it doesn't that only just doesn't get us like Paul said to our piece but kind of say this to you that's the way you get to heaven the way you get to heaven is you need somebody who's walked this path before that's what gets us there how do you get to heaven okay look at me for a second you don't want to listen to people that have not been there before you know you want to you know you want to trust other people that have already been there okay there is one person one person in human history ready for this lived in heaven came down to earth and went back to heaven that's the man I want to listen to to tell me the way to get to heaven let me just tell you that so when I figure out the directions if I'm not quoting what that man said don't listen to me let's listen to what he said because if someone just makes up Direction all you need to get baptized all you need to eat communion oh you need to be an OSC ER OSC er doesn't get you to heaven you got to be Protestant you got to be Catholic don't listen to me don't listen to any I'm telling you listen to the one that started in heaven came to earth and went back to heaven his name is Jesus that's who that is which means which means keep this in mind Christianity does not work without Christ if you take Christ out of Christianity all you got is e anity who wants fads I mean Christ I need a relationship with Jesus let me just say this heaven is too far it's too long and it's too hard to get there on my own strength that's why Jesus came he said I'm gonna get you there I'm gonna get you to heaven okay Jesus you live there you came here you went back how does that happen and there's what he said John 3:3 and we closed Jesus said I'm going to tell you how to get and see the kingdom of God I'm going to tell you how to see the kingdom of heaven you can't get there unless you're born again those are his words those are his directions wait a second you're saying I don't I don't have to be a good I'm just telling you those are his directions you have to be born again wait a second are you saying I don't have to stop what I'm doing I don't have to stop I'm just telling you what he said and I'm trust me if you're born again he'll deal with all the other stuff you don't get good to get to heaven there's nobody good enough to get to heaven none of us you can get baptized a million times you can drink gallons of wine for communion some of you a second bad illustration let's just go like okay when I saw some of you laughing like what Oh none of that gets you there there's only one thing that gets you there you have to be born again because perfect people don't go to heaven forgiving people go to heaven that's who goes I want you to close your eyes bow your heads and I want to just give you the directions Jesus says this you have to be born again how does that happen pastor Tim we sit we'll say it to you this way it's as simple as a B and C we say that because we want to make it as simple we don't want to take anything away from the directions of Jesus and Jesus said it like this he says if you want if you want to be born again throughout the Scriptures it reminds us we have to admit that we're a sinner you know what a sinner is is a sinner is anybody that thinks they can live life and get to heaven without Jesus being involved it's Christianity without Christ it's us going man I'm Pro Kanaan the inside I'm trying to do this independently I'm trying to do this all by myself every one of us has a condition inside of us called sin and we can't fix on our own how do we fix it that's the B part believing that Jesus can fix me from the inside out because he died for my sin he died for it it's not me getting a balance and going like I'm gonna do more good things to deal with the few bad things I did that's not the way it works there's religions that say that you outweigh the good and the bad and that determines if you're gonna re gonna spend eternity not with Jesus he says we are none of us stand a chance we need help we need we need him that's the B part believing that Jesus can get us there and C confessing him as Lord that means you're in charge now when you say Lord that means you're the boss and if you're here today and say pastor Tim man I've been trying to get to heaven on my own and I forgot it's too far it's too long and it's too hard to get there on my own I don't have the strength and have the energy I can't do it perfect you're the perfect candidate to say I want to be born again god I need your help I'm just telling you the person that you're listening to you right now realize that I can't get there all on my own I need Jesus Jesus can get me there I'm trusted in the directions of the one that lived there came to earth and then went back up there that's the one you want to listen to you and if you're here today and say pastor Tim man I've been trying to do this on my own I'm exhausted I feel like just when I gained some traction I fall backwards but man I want to I want to get this right and today I'm gonna listen to his directions I want to be born again how do I do that I'm gonna pray a simple prayer born again in prayer a prayer that deals with those ABC elements a prayer that says I need you in my life a simple prayer and if you're here today and say pastor Tim put me in that program you may be watching online on the webcast and going I want to be part of that if you're here today and you go pastor Tim when you pray that prayer I want to be part of it I won't make you stand I won't call you forward but it will ask you to do this if you're here right now because I want to see it if you're here right now and say put me in that born-again prayer wherever you're at every head bowed every eye closed put me in that prayer that's you without any hesitation hold up your hand right now so they put me in that prayer I want to make sure I see every hand that's up keep them up because I'm gonna count starting from your right is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 keep them up 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27:28 that's fantastic you 29 got you back there you can put your hands down 30 got you over there listen hey let's all say this out loud before we close say this with me out loud everyone here 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 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

Channel: Our Savior's Church Lafayette Campus

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Id: qP6TFuWKxcQ

Length: 47min 29sec (2849 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 10 2019