When Sin Looks More Enjoyable Than God

so last last weekend Todd talked about having joy in trials and and when I think about that and you know how certain people come to your mind when you think okay who do I know that's been through all sorts of trials but still is maintained joy and the first name that comes to my mind is wow maybe not first probably second my first one would be Lisa's grandmother and the second one is this lady in our church Jean Paul free Jean some of you guys know she's been here from the start just has been through some unimaginable things in her life I'll just leave it at that I had the privilege though yesterday of doing her wedding and it was so cool cuz there's so much to say about it was right here in this room I only do like one wedding a year I mean one or two weddings a year just I just timewise but I just really needed to do this one it was so special because okay Jean has a daughter who is 28 but she is mentally disabled and so she has the mind of a six-year-old and she was the flower girl okay and and but this Jean who's always had been filled with so much joy I've seen her the last 18 months she's just been beaming because this guy that's come into her life and and she was telling me you know during the the counseling as we were getting ready for the the wedding she was saying how you know I looked at him and I'm like are you sure you sure me I mean look at me I'm old look at all my wrinkles and in she says and then he looks at me and goes no those are like dimples to me you know and just because you're beautiful and she you know she just goes I can't believe he just keeps telling me how beautiful beautiful I am and then then I'm like why are you sure I mean my daughter I mean you don't want to take all of this on this is difficult but here's here's the clincher okay so we're doing the ceremony and and everything is so beautiful so wonderful so perfect and then you know in the middle of the ceremony is surprised to everyone you know I announced that after the giving of the rings and vows everything else echo and Rick this morning also has bought a ring for April jeans daughter because he wants her to know that he is taking her as his very own and you guys she's standing down here in the moment I said this she screams runs up the stage crying I mean picture this a six year old and a 28 year old body just screaming how can god I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you as tears are coming down her just crying and screaming and everyone everyone's bawling and I confess I cried first time ever in a wedding I just lost it because it was like oh wait you know I mean just just her emotions just gonna be controls it's like she could not believe that he was making commitment to her and then you know and then he places his ring on her finger and all the whole place was just bawling and I just had to stop the whole ceremony and because I said do you guys understand what just took place here I said I don't think you will ever see a more clear picture of this book than what you just saw here the Bible says that God looks at us as his bride his bride I said so you see you understand like Rick is taking gene and genes going man are you sure you want me he's gone are you kidding you're beautiful I mean that's a picture of us right where we're looking at ourselves you know God do you understand what a mess I've made in my life do you understand all the things I've done and he's gonna know I want you the Bible uses those terms as my bride that's what the Bible teaches he wants us as his bride but not only that the Bible also use another analogy and it says that he's a father to the fatherless and how he adopts us as his children and you and I should be like April this morning going are you kidding me no way I love you I love you I love you I love you I can't believe you're adopting me you're taking me as your child man do you come here with that type of emotion with that type of joy with that type of all where you wake up in the morning of God I cannot believe this you love me I am your bride I'm your child you're adopting me you're placing the ring on my finger for better for worse we should be in awe I sure hope you don't come here this morning thank God look what I'm doing for you I'm showing up to church but this morning you're just in all gone God I cannot believe you would take me in I can't believe it I tell you that that wedding man I just lost it because I just I just thought there's no better picture because everyone's everyone so many people have this book all wrong right they think it's just a list of rules a bunch of dudes or don'ts you know they think it's religion you know religion is is somehow some system of works where you earn your way into God's graces and I'm just going all-out disgusting that has never been God understand this has always been about a relationship it's always been about love and so if you came here this morning seeking religion you came to the wrong building okay because this is not religion this is the most romantic love story you will ever read in your life it's about a creator who was so filled with love that he points to you and says I want you don't you understand I want to stick a ring on your finger and I want to take you as my bride I want to take you as my children I'm crazy about you and from the very start it's been about a love relationship with God God's greatest command is love me let's not do this do that his greatest command in this book is love me with all of your heart with all of your soul with all of your mind everything that's in you all the past need to direct it toward me and let's just be in love let's just be in love that's it that's it and don't turn it into anything else don't turn this into anything else if you have your Bibles turn to Jeremiah chapter 2 CC because and and we are going to get to James today but when I was studying James I just really felt like now you know what I need to give some background through the Book of Jeremiah okay because sometimes okay when I talk about this being a love affair between you and God sometimes we think well okay that's New Testament that's Jesus all lovey-dovey Old Testament is God being a god of Wrath and judgment and destruction you guys nothing can be further from the truth God's the same yesterday today forever it's always been this way it's always been about love in the Old Testament in Jeremiah it talks about God's love for Israel the nation of Israel the Jewish people the people he chose to be his bride see these analogies were in the Old Testament as well as in the new it's always been gone it's always been about love but I want you to hear from Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 1 the word of the Lord came to me go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem I remember the devotion of your youth how as a bride you loved me you followed me through the desert through a land not sown Israel was holy to the Lord the first fruits of his harvest all who devoured her were held guilty and disaster overtook them declares the Lord okay remember this is God speaking okay and sometimes we think of God is like this machine up there this you know with no feeling he just judges he just controls everything because listen to the words he uses God is speaking of this nation and he says I remember when you were young because I remember how devoted you were to me he says you were you were like a bride that just loved me and he goes you just followed me anywhere he just because you remember those days in those days when you're in love with me and you just would follow me anything for me and he goes and I did anything for you he goes anyone that tried to devour you he goes I destroyed them he's saying this nation remember that he goes I was your husband I was your protector anyone tried to hurt you man I would just throw plagues Adam I would destroy them I would kill them because we were in love and he's gone wasn't that awesome but then he says in verse five what fault did your fathers find in me that they strayed so far from me they followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves God goes so why'd you leave me why'd you leave me I I thought we had a thing going here you know I remember you used to follow me is to love me and not you would you would take care of my needs I would protect you and it was this great love relationship and he goes tell me what what did what did you find in me that was so bad that you would walk away from me and start following these other idols here's what happened there it isn't and that sound like so many of our lives where we were so connected with God God made things so wonderful and and then we run away towards something else something else entices us and gods left they're gone what did I do I thought things were great I thought I was everything to you and we're so in love and then you just left what did I do wrong what what fault did you find in me that you would go after these worthless idols and then in verse 11 he says has a nation ever changed its gods yet they're not gods at all but my people have exchanged their glory for worthless idols a love verse 12 says be appalled at this o heavens and shudder with great horror says the Lord my people have committed two sins they forsaken me the spring of living water and they dug their own Stern's broken cisterns that cannot hold water because why would you trade me because you're trading me he goes man I am like this spring I'm like this spring of living water you just picture this this flowing river of just water this constant water source and he goes you're leaving that because you're going wait I got a better idea let's get away from that spring of water and let's just dig our own Wells let's just dig these these vats or anyone even really Wells these these water supply systems will dig a big hole then we'll start filling it up with water by ourselves and gods going wait a second so you left me the spring of living water to go do your own thing because you thought maybe you could dig a hole big enough and then fill it up with water so this would be a better supply he goes and it's a broken sister and it doesn't even hold water it's just the ground just sucks it all up you know there's all these cracks and then you're left with nothing because you did this and then what that verse says you know where it says be appalled that this o heavens ain't no late like Matt was saying during worship how you know the Angels look down they see the glory of the Lord on this earth here is this picture of the heavens and all the angels observing what's going on the earth and come look at what those people are doing it's like the angels being appalled going what they're leaving God for that they're looking at God Almighty and looking down the earth seeing people turn their backs on God for what people who get tempted by something and they think well that'll bring me more pleasure that'll make me happier and God's going I I can't believe you're doing that the angels are a polygonal you're going to leave God for that and gods go what did I do wrong what did I not provide for you but and if you turn over to chapter 3 he says it perfectly chapter 3 verse 19 where God says I myself said how gladly I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land the most beautiful inheritance of any nation I thought you would call me father and not turn away from following me but like a woman unfaithful to her husband so you have been unfaithful to me o house of Israel declares the Lord God goes Nana I offered you inheritance which he does for us right he says look if you you come you be my children I've got an inheritance for you like you would not believe it's always been the same he said that Israel and the Bible says that God says I thought by hearing this that you would go that you would call me dad that you would call me father and I thought well because you've got everything taken care of that you would not turn away from me this is God speaking from his perspective because I thought if I just offered you this inheritance and gave you everything and took care of you and protected you and everything else and you've got this eternity set that you wouldn't leave me he goes but he says you're like a woman who's been unfaithful to her husband because that's what I view you like and he's just going man I I offered you everything I was your provider how's your lover I took a bear I took care of everything and then you chose to go somewhere else he says I would have given you everything you understand that I would have given you everything I was going to adopt you and give you this great inheritance assuming you would just be my children I would have given you at all but you walked away and I don't even know what I did wrong what did I do wrong why did you leave me it's similar in the New Testament when Jesus comes to Jerusalem towards the end of his life on earth and he just looks at the nation and he looks at Jerusalem and remember that in Matthew 23 he goes o Jerusalem Jerusalem all I wanted was the gather you under my wings like a hen gathers her chicks but you weren't willing you just kept running away because that's all I wanted from you as you understand this that's all God wants from us he just wants us to be in love with him he wants us to be like April just running up being amazed what you're taking me you're taking me I love you I love you I love you that's what he wants from us now you can turn to James chapter one you see the reason why I had to give you that is James chapter one verses 13 to 16 is a passage it has to do with temptation now typically when you hear a message on temptation and and I've given messages like this you know it's very easy for a message on temptation to be all about okay don't do that don't do that don't do that don't do that right and and yet the Bible isn't just about these do's and don'ts I want you to understand that what James is talking about is not just about don't choose your sin because just like in Jeremiah the people committed two sins one was they chose their sin but I think what really broke the heart of God was that they chose their sin over him and I want you to understand that the thrust of James in all of Scripture is not just that you do the things that god forbids the saddest part about it is that you chose those things over God that's what temptation is things that draw us away from him things that we choose over a love relationship with a perfect husband perfect father and we wander away being unfaithful and that's what the Bible speaks against so he warns against temptation it's not just about resisting it's about choosing him over your temptation James chapter one verses thirteen sixteen before I do that okay and do an illustration I've got a wallet here well it and Doug he's gone oh do you have a wallet on you you don't Heidi do you okay Heidi um in here something very valuable are you willing to trade all the cash in your wallet for what's inside this wallet every everything all the cash you are you are okay I mean this is this is for real this that I don't get you you don't have to give this money back to me and I don't have to give yours back this is is like a Deal or No Deal as this you're willing to do it are you okay with that Doug okay okay what do you got what yeah what do you got in here that's it point thank you all right mines is empty too okay I got a hundred I got a hundred and twenty bucks last service allayed I kept it and in here no because I need to make a point as a valuable point that was it that was always so valuable gosh I don't even want your coins okay but uh didn't work I'll get more next service I got to pick the right couple I should have probably had my did you have money in your wallet I thought about you yeah would you have made the trade five bucks five hundred you want to trade it huh you would have traded oh man oh man I could walk away with six 20 inches and building for 11:30 but uh no serious I kept her money as a hundred and twenty two dollars and because the whole point was that's that's the picture that's the picture of sin it's this temptation of okay I think there's something better in there and then you walk away with nothing you know it's just this whole idea of okay and you give all of this then at the end just like ah are you kidding me that you know and this woman had to walk away without her money and and if I told I told her if I give it back then it ruins the illustration so but it's it's but that's the picture of of temptation it's like you look at something and you think oh this is better that's what Israel did it's like okay I think if we do this we'll end up with more pleasure you know we found these idols we found these idols that allow us to indulge it was these other religions that allowed them to indulge in their sin and what the Bible explains is when you get to the end of it you're left with nothing you go what we traded that for nothing for an empty cistern that doesn't hold water that that was just such a dumb trade that was a just silly mistake we gave everything up that's what sin does and that's why actually James 1 we won't start at 13 that started 16 we'll work our way backwards 16 he says do not be deceived my dear brothers do not be fooled do not be tricked that that that wallet is empty that well you think you're going to dig that's going to bring so much pleasure it's not going to do it don't be fooled he says my dear bro my dear brothers the word actually might be love it brothers people that I love so much don't be fooled and as I was reading that verse I thought of you and I thought I thought ah like oh god what can I say is there really anything I can say this morning that will keep you from running after the things that you're tempted by because the truth is is some of you aren't going to be here next year you're not going to be following God next year some of you something's going to tempt you and it's going to lead you away from here some of you won't make it to the end of this year because you'll be tempted by something that'll pull you away from God and that breaks my heart so I'm going to add so stupid it's always empty it never there's never been a person in the history of this planet who has made the exchange and is thankful for it it never works but still people will get deceived because that temptation is real isn't it don't you just feel it every day whether just things around you it's like and it's not that you don't love God you love God right I mean you love God in your heart but everyone's why there's this reality of there's this real pull from inside of you towards something that God prohibits and you're feeling it's so bad you're going what is wrong with me I know I love God why do I feel this way there have been times I've been so tempted where I literally have said to God God I literally would love to die right now because I don't want to fail you I don't want to walk away from you but this temptation is so stinking real right now and I don't know if I can fight it for the rest of my life it's crazy I'm haven't you felt like that before we're gonna cut I don't want to go there but I feel this urge so what do we do and we know it's not going to fulfill we know we can't be happy outside of God but everything in us is pulling us that way what do we do well James starts by telling us what not to do in verse 13 he says when you're tempted no one should say God is tempting me for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone okay so the first thing he says is when you're tempted okay and that word for tempted is actually the exact same word that that Todd used last week in that passage for the word for trials okay that there's a difference though even though it's the same word based upon the usage when Todd spoke on trials last week it was in the objective sense of this word where you have things objects coming towards you trials coming towards you that word is used in the objective sense here in chapters in verse 13 he switches and now uses the word in a subjective sense where there are things you are the subject and you have things coming out of you understands that make sense like last week is about all these trials coming your way this week that same word is using a subjective sense of all these things and these desires are creeping out of you you are the source of the evil and in here he says he says so when when you're being tempted he says no one no one has the right to say God is tempting me you can't say that he says because God has nothing to do with evil he said God can't be tempted nor is he tempting when God is God is perfect the Bible says God is light and in him there is no darkness at all he's completely separate from sin so when sin comes in and temptation comes in don't blame it on God it has nothing to do with him but but we want to blame we got to blame someone right I mean that's the way it was from the beginning wasn't it blame what happened you remember Adam and Eve what happened when Adam sinned and God confronted him on it What did he say she made me do it she right those were his words that woman you gave me that those were his words she did everything was fine when I was by myself and then she comes over could you go to you here's Apple you know and uh and it's like a goes it's all her fault I was totally fine then she you know attempted me and so God looks at Eve and says well what do you have to say for yourself what does she say the devil made me do it it was that serpent a devil it's it's not my fault the devil made me do it and so all along it's this blame game and I thought I mean in my mind I thought that it was like a 21st century thing you know a 20th century thing where where people now are going what's God's fault he made me this way I thought that was something that we came up with you know in our generation well God made me this way so he can't blame me but you see that James confronts the same thing 2,000 years ago people are saying well it's God's fault and and James says hey when you are being tempted he goes let no one say no one should say it's actually the imperative it's a command there the verb is a command don't you dare say that it's God's fault because you have some reverence here and understand that God is completely separate from evil he's not tempted by it nor does he tempt anyone that has nothing to do with him so don't you dare say it's God's fault God made me that way but we we love to blame so who do we blame verse 14 but each one is tempted when by his own desire he is dragged away enticed by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed so whose fault is it he says it comes the literal words are it comes under his own personal longings the the source the source of the temptation is from within is you yourself your own personal longing that's what's coming out here it's not God doing something to you it's not God tempting you it's something inside of you that longs for these things that are outside of God he says oh when you're tempted don't you dare blame it on God simple rule whenever you are tempted it's your fault and yet all day long to hear people go but she made me so angry do you understand what she did I mean she's the one that seduced me it's it's her fault well you know God made me this way he's the one that gave me the desire so ultimately it's him we just keep blaming blaming I mean I've been going through such a hard time all these trials don't you get it and so I needed some sort of relief I mean I'm I'm prone to addiction it's it's in my genes I can't help that I'm prone to it and my accountability group they haven't called me in weeks it's their fault too and what do we want we want someone to come to us and go okay it's not your fault it's not your fault it's not your fault your fault it's not your fault right it's just you just want to hear that so badly and then you read the Bible once the Bible say your fault you got this evil inside of you and you're desiring and so don't blame anyone else it's your deal no one has the right no one has the right no matter what you've been through I mean if these people that James was writing to remember they're being dispersed everywhere the persecutions come they've seen family members die there they're out in the world and yet still James system look you still don't have the right to say even though you're going through a hard time even though you're tempted descent don't you dare put that on God that's coming out of you it's your desire you're being enticed you're being dragged away and enticed and I like this word for enticed because it was a hunting term or a fishing term it's the idea of a of a of a hook and obviously this isn't enticing so what do we do I brought some brought some worms gummy worms and it's this whole idea of of what you do to a fish because this word is the idea of drawing a fish away from its retreat and it's about dangling something okay this this is what Satan does to us all day just kind of come on come on just take it looks good doesn't it just take it he's doing everything to entice you out of this place he's doing everything to entice you out of your family he's trying to do everything to entice you come on just take it and you know when the hooks covered up come on you can't tell and it's the same thing we do it a fish kind of luring it out of its retreat come on just take it take it take it because you know the moment that fish takes and you know you got him and the fight is on right and it's the same idea and the thing is is every once in a while were wise enough to not take the bait and so what is Satan to give up no it's okay that didn't work that didn't work all right guess you're not going for worms today you know here's 100 bucks all right here we go come on come on come on I got this last service come on you just--just--just take it ahh and then suddenly it's like oh okay you know and it because it is it's like come on you guys don't have to be a church this morning you could be making some of this you're sitting here you lose money coming here you throw it in the plate you could follow me and actually get some of this and he just keeps switching and switching okay money is not going to do it for you let me try something else all day long this goes on for us right where Satan just goes okay who ripped it that's illegal huh okay but um it says this whole idea of man things are just being dangled dangle dinkles but the truth is is that's not even a correct reflection I don't think I mean to me it's like we're bombarded here in Southern California it's not even like one thing this is what I feel like living in Southern California this is what it feels like you know it's like you're just oh man all around it's like everywhere you turn it's like man something is tempting you let me feel like this so what do you do what are we supposed to do when we live in a land where it's like everywhere I turn it's like something's just grabbing for my attention trying to pull me away from God right it's just it's just crazy that's the world we live in and so what do we do we close our eyes you guys want to try to take the hell up we can run up in the mountains somewhere star own little commune and where there's just no temptation allowed you know is that the answer do we leave the world somehow and get away from what you can't temptation is going to be everywhere it's it surrounds us it's dangling in front of our face every second and so what do we do here's what we do yep for EM never have those times where you maybe you're driving and you've got to get to a location so fast and you're just you know you're just looking at the traffic you're looking at this road you're looking at red lights everything else and you're so focused and there could be a friend in the car next to you like waving there happen to you like you know when they tell you later dude I was doing everything I'm honking my horn you didn't even look and you on sorry I was just so focused I was just so looking at I didn't even notice you I'm so sorry that I blew you off the Bible says don't close your eyes a temptation don't just keep running from it the Bible says fix your eyes fix your eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith he says set your mind on things above not earthly things is the idea of a person being so focused on this love relationship where's guys going I love you I love you that you're not even noticing anything else you don't know what else is going on in the room you're just so focused on Jesus so in love and so thinking about eternal things that's the idea we can't run from temptation we can't just keep running our whole lives we have to run toward Jesus the author and perfecter we have to fix our eyes on him so that all these things are dangling in front of our face but we don't even notice it because we're so focused understand that is the key to resisting temptation it's running toward a love of God that's why the Bible says if you love God everything's gonna be fine if you love your neighbor as yourself you can't sin against them as long as you keep loving as long as you keep pursuing the things you're supposed to pursue that's when you don't see the other things because you're focused on the goal but every once in a while we see something dangling in front of our eyes right and we turn and the Bible says at that moment he goes after that desire verse 15 he goes then desire every once in while that desire it takes rather than repulse it because you have a choice when we all feel it but the moment you feel that temptation that's not the sin right there because we're going to see things that catch our eye but the choice then is ours do we encourage by staring longer or do we repulse and run and just focus our eyes on Jesus again see but if you take he says after desire has conceived and the word conceived as a picture of the egg taking the sperm this idea of this fertilization of took I chose to look longer I chose to desire it I started to want whatever that temptation was he says after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin see sin is the word there is for missing the mark and I used to think okay it's like aiming this arrow you know at the bull's eye and I just missed the bull's eye but the reality of what he's talking about here is it's not that you just missed the bull's eye it's like it's that you started aiming at something else you know you took your eyes off of the goal the target and you started looking at someone else that's why you missed the mark and he says that it becomes sin he goes in sin when it's full-grown it gives birth to death now understand this is you may not see it here but there's a graphic illustration in the Greek here it's a picture of of this this fertilization of an egg is is the conception and he says and then this the sin is born and when it says when it is full-grown is the picture of this baby developing within the womb and he but then when you give birth it's a stillborn baby it's like oh I've been with families that have gone through that and it's like oh I had all this hope if it was going to bring so much joy and some of you have gone through this so much joy and all this anticipation and then you get there and you're like oh all of that and this is what I'm left with a stillborn child and the pain and the grief he says that's what sin does but it looks so good I thought everything was developing and everything was good and then at the end it's like an empty wallet a broken cistern an empty well and I left that I laughed the spring of living water I left my love the one who loved me and provided and that inheritance I left all of that for this and that's why he says in verse 16 don't be deceived don't be deceived my beloved brethren he goes I love you so much God's going I love you so much don't take the bait you have these desires inside of you that will want to pull you away because you'll see something don't go for it because it ends in death and that word for death it means a separation you know we think of death a separation from our spirit from our body spiritually talks about a separation between you and God and eventually that sin leads to you to to an eternal separation where there's no longer a chance to ever get back together with God that's what sin will do as it develops and grows and grows and pretty soon you stand before God and you go whoa I gave you up I chose all of that junk over you and now I get an eternity away from you because I chose I chose those things over you and ends in this eternal sadness where you go I can't believe I left that for this and it's a literal hell and that's why James goes don't do it don't get pulled away some of you right now you're being sucked in by so many things and some of you this week man the bait was just out there and you're just you're nibbling at it you're just looking at it rather than swimming away you're just kind of off and some of you you just you just bit it hook line and sinker and you're being pulled away right now and you don't even want to be in this room right now because your heart somewhere else and I'm just telling you don't be fooled don't be deceived it's never going to work out for you it never has in the history of this planet and you won't be the first one don't turn your back on a father who loves you on a husband who's given everything and saying man this could all be yours there's one reason I want to leave you with hopefully you got from this morning there's one reason why you should walk away from whatever temptation you're facing right now it's just one reason God is better he is is so much better it's not even a comparison that's why the angels in heaven are appalled what you're going to leave him for her for that a little bit of money that it's gonna burn you could be dying this week and then it is over and you left God for that you're going to be eternally for that don't be deceived don't be fooled there's so much in this world to tempt you and I'm telling you guys don't take the bait swim away swim away right now just make a decision say god help me I need to swim away I've seen it man yeah I was attracted to it so my fault I'm out of there I want you I'm going to run up to these stairs let's go daddy daddy daddy daddy I love you I can't believe it I'm yours that's why I resist temptation I know he's better I'm not going to be fooled some of you today you we're going to have a time of a communion which i think is the best way to to end this I think the most appropriate where you're going to take a piece of bread right now and a cup of juice because it's a picture of Christ's love for you that bread represents Christ his body being broken for you the cup represents his blood being shed for you see the cross makes his purse this a relationship possible you see you screwed up no no no it was your fault you messed up you've done things that are offensive to God and it was all your fault okay you have to accept that at some point but God loved you so much and goes even though you're guilty I'll have my own son died on a cross and he'll pay he'll pay for your mess-up for your sin so then we can have a clean slate if you believe in him you can be freak you can be clean I can adopt you he goes and then all who received him to those who believed in his name he gave them the right to become children of God you can have that and that's what this bread and this cup represents the sacrifice of Jesus and as you take it think about what he did for you and just thank him thank him thank him but some of you if you don't believe that don't take of the bread don't take it a cup but maybe this morning you go you know what I want that relationship with God I've been putting him off I've been enticed by all these other things but now I want God and if that's you you can have him this morning despite anything you've done he's saying you can have me today I'm proposing to you right now and you've been saying no I don't I don't I don't I don't but this morning you can say I do and you can have your own marriage ceremony with God this morning I believe that's what baptism is I think it's a perfect picture of it because this whole idea of I was living by myself for myself and I'm dying to that old life and I'm coming out of the water saying you know what I'm uniting myself with Christ and I'm doing it publicly saying you know what I want God in my life I want this relationship with him and at some point as God's been courting you courting you courting you you finally go okay I do I want you and then publicly you make that confession through captives we've had several people do it this weekend already just been beautiful if you'd like to do that there'll be some pastors and counselors up here by the prayer room you can come up in during any time mat and the worship team and come back up and lead us in worship and the the ushers are going to pass the communion but during this time if you'd say you know what I want to get baptized today I want to begin this relationship with God today I'm no longer enticed by these other things I want God then come forward during this time and someone will pray with you you

Channel: pashakaramazov

Views: 1,352,390

Rating: 4.8823605 out of 5

Keywords: When, Sin, Looks, More, Enjoyable, Than, God, Francis, Chan, Hope, Truth, Light, Love, Jesus, Christ, Cornerstone, Gospel, Sermon, Faith

Id: iszVTWUGQQM

Length: 45min 21sec (2721 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 27 2006

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

Awesome. The way that Francis Chan can communicate God's love is amazing!

[u/jhairfield]

Thank you so much for posting this. I needed a message like this and this hit my heart heavy.