God and Me III

Well, good evening. I'm in that wonderful stage of life when I get to experience the imaginations and adventuresome hearts and energies of two little guys, five and three. Now Luke and Jack, they have real lives, you know, they go to school and kindergarten and preschool and they make their lunches and they go with mom to TJ Maxx and all that kind of stuff. They also have their sort of fantasy life. Luke, for Luke, it's things like he's into coins and sometimes he gets into collecting other kinds of, you know, gadgetry and sometimes it's reptiles and he tends to be a little more cerebral and Jack, it's all about, it's all about the superhero thing. Who knows what this is, huh? Battery's dying. Anyhow, you can get an idea. There. Yeah, so Jack just loves to go around and pummel Jay Paul with these when he gets a chance and he's not looking. These are his incredible Hulk gloves and that's what little boys do, you know, they just have adventures. They just like to, they dream of the unlimited powers and being able to do things and it hasn't changed any, Scott. You might want to use these to work out. I understand there's a Rocky special on all Sunday evening if you haven't seen that. Now, little girls, they have their whole dream list as well, don't they? I'm not quite as up to speed on that but I'm sure it's about, you know, being important in life and being loved and having long conversations. But it's important to us, isn't it? And we see it right from the earliest ages in the development of children. Dreams are what propel us to want to become something and that's what we want to look at today in the final installment in this series of God and Me because on your outline, and I would encourage you to take us out of your notes. I'm so delighted again. I want to add, if I haven't already, just my welcome to all the missionaries that are with us in this service and will be throughout the weekend. It's just such an honor. But it all starts with a dream. It all starts with a dream. When you're little, you dream of these sort of fantasy things but as you go along in life, dreams start to form in your heart about what you could become. And I've had so many conversations, countless conversations over the years with people who really believe that they saw themselves in one way or another becoming something that they weren't. Just yesterday I had a great conversation with a young adult who could see himself and actually dreamed one day of becoming a college professor. And he just saw the long distance between reality and the fulfillment of that dream. But here's the thing. Sometimes that dream starts out and it's your dream. Look what the dream of Saul was all about. It's right there in your outline. It'll be up in the screens as well. This was Saul before he became the Apostle Paul, but it's right out of Philippians, which is the book we've been sort of based in in these three weeks. Here's what it says. He says, If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, the Hebrew of Hebrews, in regard to the law of Pharisee, as for zeal, persecuting the church, as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. And he goes on. And he's basically, he's saying, I was the head of the class of fulfilling my dream. In fact, I had my eye on being the high priest. That was my dream. I want to say something. It's very important. I want to encourage you, as strong as I can, to pray even now that your dream would be cast against the backdrop of what you think God's destiny for your life is. Because ultimately, your dream and God's destiny, they need to align. If they don't, life will never have that fulfillment that you're searching for. And even more sad than that is that you'll never really fulfill the purpose for which God placed you here. How many of you know God didn't come to fulfill your dreams, but rather God brought you into his family in order to fulfill his purposes on this earth? We have to get that right. Far too many people are kind of like rubbing up against God, hoping that they'll get what they want from him, rather than saying, God, since you redeemed me, what is it that you want of me? And we need to see that that never changes, no matter where we are in life or how far along we have grown. So often as we look around and we see the little snippets of God's dream, sometimes we kind of take them into our own hands. The next person I reference there, I don't want you to turn to Genesis 37, but it's a wonderful little study. Look at those verses, maybe another time with your small group. See, God gave Joseph a dream that he would one day rule over his brothers and the people of Israel, and Joseph took it upon himself to tell them, and to take things under his own power. And how many know it was 13 years of imprisonment and abuse, being beaten, neglected, and the whole thing, because Joseph tried to do God's dreams in his own power. Contrast that with letter C, the dream of Mary, when the angel came and said, you're going to bear a child, and that child will be the Savior of all mankind. And Mary didn't jump up and say, oh great, well I'm just going to be the most important woman in all of history. Rather, she said this. I put this on your outline. It's such a precious verse. I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said. I know that's a wonderful response anytime God gives you a promise. Lord, may it be to me as you have said. And the angel left her. See, dreams, your response to them is critical. And the dream for your life, the dream for your future, the dream that maybe has started to get fashioned early, and some of you it's later in life. I'm pretty sure if Bill and Tolick were to come and talk about it, he had no dream of being a pastor 25 years ago. But Bill understood that dreams can be shaped at any time that somebody begins to say, Lord, not just what I want, but what you want. And it's very important that you continue to lean into your destiny and discover that. I do want to read just a portion of Isaiah for you, because I think this captures what God believes for each of us. He says this, but now this is what the Lord says, He who created you, He who formed you, fear not, I've redeemed you, I've summoned you by name, you're mine. And when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt for ransom, Cush and Sheba in your stead, since you are precious and are in my sight. And because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. And on and on the Lord goes and just says, I have this destiny and it's for you. And so lean into it and ask God to help you to fulfill it. Psalm 139 is a precious verse as well. The Lord says, and He says it's so powerful and clearly, it's a verse that I think is common and commonly quoted many times in the pro-life movement, but it has to me also a great significance when it comes to knowing that God cares about what's going on with my life. It says this, this is Psalm 139. It says, for you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. All the days ordained for me were written in your book. One of them came to be. So God has this amazing plan, this destiny for you. The question is, will you rise to it or will you, as many are prone to do, give up along the way? Because you know what, loved ones, sometimes there's some distance between seeing that dream and that destiny and having it fulfilled. And I don't, I guess I shouldn't say sometimes, all the time there's a gap. I had an experience a couple weeks ago that it's a, it's just a simple metaphor of this, but it's so true because it's what happens in so many of our lives. I had carved out about three and a half days to go down and be part of the Southeast Asian Prayer Center annual mission board meeting. I've been on that board for quite a number of years. Mark Geppert was one of our original mission pastors here at North Way 20 years ago. And so though it's a busy time of year, I made that a priority of my schedule. I went out to the airport, got on a 230 plane on a Monday and lifted off and we were 20, maybe 30 minutes up out, leaving Pittsburgh toward Dallas. And the pilot came on and said, and we could feel the plane just sort of leveling off and slowing down. And the pilot said, we've encountered a medical emergency and we're going to be returning back to Pittsburgh. And you know, everybody was calm. Nobody got all freaked out, but it just, I have to admit, I was a little freaked out when they turned around and all the people behind me had surgical masks on. And about the six rows behind me to the back and the person that was in distress was on the floor. I, well, you know, again, nobody panicked, but they started to say, well, it can't be a real good thing. The plane landed and you would have thought that they would have rushed this individual off the plane, but they didn't do that. They asked us to just orderly get off the plane and wait out there in the terminal. And so we did that and then they rolled in and as we landed, the EMTs were there and the lights and the fire trucks and all. I mean, no one knew. And they rolled this, and it was a younger man, a man in his 20s, it looked like to me, off the plane, who was unconscious. And, you know, for five and a half hours I sat in that terminal. They didn't allow us to leave and, of course, our bags were in the belly of the plane, so we couldn't really just leave them anyhow. And had I been able to get my bag and leave, I think I probably would have just said, you know what, this is a sign from God. I'm not supposed to go on this trip. Five and a half hours later, they got another plane, put all of our bags in that plane, because I guess they deemed the other one, you know, not worthy of flight or they just couldn't get it. They couldn't get it cleared by the federal authorities, whatever it was. And so I landed in Dallas, which is on my way to the conference in El Paso, Texas. I'd never been there. It's the last plane to El Paso. It sounds like a song. Left at 1015 Dallas time, I landed at 1045. So I'm thinking in my head, this is really going to be a painfully long night because I have no, you know, none of my stuff. It's all going to be forwarded on and the whole thing. I get off the plane and see, this is what happens. We always think how, you know, we think the worst scenario. Well, it turns out there had been the line of thunderstorms and all the planes out of Dallas were two hours late. So actually I was an hour and 45 minutes early for my flight. I left Dallas at 1230 a.m. and got into El Paso at, I think it was 2 a.m. because of the time, something like that. But see, along the way I had lots of time just to reflect and just to think as many as you have from time to time. You know, sometimes things just get hard. A five and a half hour trip total took 15 and a half hours. Now for some of you that's just, you know, a normal day. I understand that. For me, I don't travel that much. It was a hassle. And I still don't know, I might have anthrax or something going on from, they never did tell us what that guy had. But I mean it was, nobody ever came and said, this is what it was, don't worry about it. Creepy, right? I mean, come on, geez. So your dream. There's going to be obstacles. There's going to be things that are going to get in the way of that coming to pass. Sometimes it's just duration of time. Sometimes you want it to happen faster than it can and it just, it takes time. You say, God, you know, have you forgotten me? And we miss our dreams because we just say, you know what, I can't just, I can't wait any longer. Has that been true for any of you? Have any of you at some point said, you know, I felt like God wanted me to be involved in this way and it never happened and so I kind of gave up on it? Let me just draw your attention to something on the outline. The journey from your dream to your destiny is as important as the destination itself. And I would circle the word journey. The journey from your dream to your destiny can be a long road, but that journey is as important as the destination. Why? Because it's along the way there that your faith, which is more precious than gold, James 1 says, gets built. Here's three tests that you can sort of expect along the way from your dream, just being a sort of a shadowy thing, the fulfillment of God's destiny. Here's one. It's, well, I've already mentioned, it's giving up your own sort of version of it. Loved ones, it's not easy at times when we see ourselves, but I don't know a single person who hasn't really sold out to the Lord, who hasn't expected themselves. Like, you know, I mean, Paul wanted to be the head Pharisee and God took him down to the bottom and so on. Joseph wanted to be the ruler and he ended up going to prison. But you know what? I don't know how many musicians have told me their dream was to somehow make CDs and go to Nashville and become big-time and go on tour and change the world that way. I don't know how many people have told me that God's given them a gift of teaching and really, if I would just get out of the way, they would really get up here and do a good job. Or they've had a dream of being on TV or some national platform somewhere. How many people in business who really believed their dream was to succeed so they could give millions of dollars away, but they've been one failure after another. And how many moms have told me that they thought being a mom would be the greatest thing and their kids have just been driving them crazy and they're wondering, you know, was I, what was I thinking? Paul writes this and back in Philippians, look at this. This is in Philippians chapter 3. He says this about his dreams. He says, But whatever was to my prophet and all of my old dreams, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. And that's what I want you to hold on to. When you do finally start to slide into that dream that God has for you, all that you've been through is worth losing. Because you realize what God's prepared for you far surpasses what you could ever do on your own. But that requires number two, or letter B on your outline, forgetting what lies behind, forgetting what was behind you, or forgetting what others did to you. Loved ones, I have to pause and say, and this is with an awful lot of sadness, I believe that one of the greatest impediments to your dreams being fulfilled, to your destiny being realized in Christ, is that some of us allow the past just to hang on. And you know the word there, when it says forget, it's in the active sense of the Greek. In other words, it's an action that you take. You choose to cut the cord. And you know what some of us have done? I don't know how many of you remember the movie, and I'm blanking out on the title of the movie, but the picture, someone can help me with the title of the movie, but it's just climbing up the side of this cliff with this huge, what is it? The mission, that's right. I knew it was something like missionary. The mission. It has this huge netting full of weights, and shields, and swords, and so on. He's trying to climb up the side of that mountain, and just the baggage of all that, and he can't do it. And you see, it just takes a word sometimes. Something that someone did or said. It can take a broken promise. It can take disillusionment. And if we hold on to that, and we bring it up. And I have to tell you, sadly many people live with one eyeball kind of looking back over their shoulder. And that can be the greatest impediment to ever fulfilling your dream. I just want to say, again, I want to thank Pastor Scott Stevens for helping us as a church in these last couple of weeks to go through a process of saying, you know, let's begin to do what the other part of the verse says, which is to strain forward by making sure that everything that might be out there, that might hang us up, let's get it all out there. Let's put it all on the light. So if you're one of those people that has something that just, you know, you're having a hard time with. Hard time forgiving. A hard time forgetting about. You know, why wasn't I chosen? Why didn't I get the support I needed? Why didn't someone show up when they promised they would? Why was my heart broken by this individual? Let me just tell you, the only way to deal with it is to forget it. And when we end the service, whether it's in here or in the worship cafe, there's going to be elders and their wives down here. They'll pray with you. And today could be a day of real decisiveness when you say, I'm going to I'm going to choose to leave this like that powerful song we sang right at the cross. And let the blood of Jesus deal with all that I've been carrying around. And that way, let her see you'll be able to put God first. That's why Paul uses that imagery of straining forward. I forget what lies behind and I strained forward. You know, I looked that word up in the New Testament Greek and it is an athletic picture. And I've seen images of this, you know, and you have too if you watch the Olympics of when an athlete's trying to reach that finish line edge, you know, and usually it's one of those dashes. And every ounce, you know, of the 1% body fat kind of is like going like this to break that that plane and be the winner. Now, why would Paul do that? Why would he use that powerful physical image? Because, listen, it's very clear to me. God just has one desire and that's to be above all. He wants to be first in your life. Forgetting what lies behind, I strain forward for what lies ahead. I want God to be first. And we've been talking about this in a lot of different ways. That's why, interestingly, here's some practical things. That's why, how many of you, and don't put your hand up, but how many of you have your time alone with God early in the morning? See, if you do, it's a really good idea because that sort of sets the day off with God being first. Why? You're saying, Lord, bless the rest of my day. Because even though I have a busy day, it was said of Martin Luther, the more he had to do, the longer he prayed, and the more time he gave to God. Put God first. Last week we talked about the importance of God in our stuff. We talked about tithing. And we said that the very first check, the first monies that we ever should give out of our increase should go where? Hello? Not to the supermarket. No. Who? To God. Right. To God. Of course. Why? Well, number one, because they're His. That's why God said in Malachi 3, you're robbing me. It's my money. Now, let's be real honest here. How many of you would, you know, if you were really having a tough time, walk back there and just grab a handful of cash out of the offering baskets and walk out with it? Or stick your hand in one of the boxes in the back and walk? Probably none of you. Even if you're having a really hard time. Because it was given to God. And that, you know, the Lord used that same picture, and He said, you're robbing me when you don't give me my first. You know, the Bible never says, give God your tithe. You know that? It never uses that language. It always says, bring the tithe. Why? Because it already belongs to Him. It's the first 10%. So I want to encourage you, if this is a new discipline in your life, it makes it so much easier when you just, you know, forget, stop arguing about it, stop rationalizing, and say, Lord, here's your 10%. And thank you now that you've lifted the curse off the rest of it. And you're going to bless the other 90%, and you're going to have more than I need to meet all my needs. And how many know in this time that we're in, it's a good thing to be under God's blessing? Or have you had a really great day in your stock portfolio? I'm so glad that my primary investment officer is looking out for whatever I need, and whatever you need as well. Put Him first. Put Him first in your time, put Him first in your treasure, and put Him first in everything else that you do. You know what? The Bible has a lot to say, and we don't have time to get on a long digression here to talk about your firstborn things. I would say this. You just do a little study in Scripture about firstborn, and you'll see, God says, the firstborn is mine, the firstborn child, the firstborn animal. Everything is, and when you have a new idea, the first of something, dedicate it to the Lord, and He'll bless everything that flows out of it. Your first book, your first accomplishment, and that's, I mean, give it to God. He takes place. Why? Why? Why? Because you see, faith, it takes faith to put Him first. If God gets the last few minutes of your day, if God gets the last little bit of money you have, if God gets the last idea that rolls out, it doesn't take any faith. This is just what's left, and God wants to bless you and your dreams, fulfill your destiny by putting Him first. And then finally, turning our line over, our dream is best discovered in community. Let's read on here. Here's what Paul writes and finishes in Philippians 3 by saying this. He says all of us who are mature should take such a view of things and if some on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you, only let us live up to what we have already attained. Notice verse 17. This is Philippians 3 17. Join with others in following my example brothers and take note of those who live according to the pattern We gave you see There's great power and encouragement We all have our personal dreams and they're all Important to God and they matter to God that's what we've largely spoken about today but I want to close by talking about our corporate dream our corporate destiny because One thing I've discovered There's been lots of times when I just couldn't go on on my own And I needed the support of others and I needed their love and I needed their encouragement And you're the same as me and there's something that happens when we can we can pull together One thing I heard from our missionaries. We went up and Pastor Scott and I did earlier this week Scott Stephens. I we we Were just a little part of their retreat time And a number of the folks there said to us that it was so valuable to them and how how often they were told by other people and other mission agencies and mission gatherings and mission retreats and so on that that they didn't have the kind of family around them that they have here at North Way and They will tell you that they are successful To whatever degree they are because somehow They've drawn strength from the fact that they know they're loved and cared for not perfectly by any means, but they're not alone and These very difficult places that God sends them And you see the dream of our church is to do that Right here in Wexford and then in Pittsburgh and in our state our nation and ultimately our whole world And friends we're coming up in a very important time right here. And you know, I have to say It really touched my heart on the other day when we had the luncheon for the missionaries and they had a little tour of the new kids space and Several of them unbeknownst to each other Stopped by to me and said boy We're so excited to see what you've been able you've been able to do to make more room here for people That North Way and let me tell you they could sure use the money where they are Not one of them came out came up say, you know, you know, you guys didn't need that space you could you could you know rented trailers or with this or that, you know there wasn't an ounce of this sort of like How come you're spending money on you when you get busy? No because they understand the this as we at home here grow strong We'll have more and more and more And that's our goal That's why we're doing things like Trinity seminary So we can empower and equip people to be trained up to go out. That's why we're doing things Well, I can down a long list so that we can effectively once we've Finished this whole project. I mean we can reach our city our nation and our world for Jesus. That's what it's about But you know what it takes it takes a little sacrifice and watch it takes somebody who's gonna say Count on me count on me to to step up Count on me to help to to make this happen count on me to make a sacrifice Count on me to be the the first one to say hey, I'm in I'm part of that corporate dream You know if people just sit in the sidelines and they all just sort of hold tight to the vest nothing will happen I was reading the book and many of you probably either heard about it or or saw the the video special and on Television called the last lecture by Randy Palsch who was a CMU professor and I read his little book And he has a little story at the end of the book called. Well, it's it's about initiative and He said when penguins are out on the ice melts And it comes time for them to finally leave the ice melt and get on to the next location in the springtime He said they're never really sure If it's safe to jump off the ice melt down in the waters because it can be predator You Is to die out there and he said there's always the first penguin To slide off the ice down into the water and what Randy Palsch as a professor did is he would give to the student who was the one who was most proactive took the biggest risk Was the one who took the most initiative to make change he would give that person a little penguin He called it the first penguin award, and I just want to say I Hope this is a room. That's full of first penguins willing to take the risk that it's going to take for us to rise to our Destiny as a church willing to jump off the the safety of the ice melt and say, you know I don't know how it's all gonna happen Lord, but count me in even if nobody else goes I'm diving in Because it's that kind of risk-taking It's that kind of courage When all the circumstances look at point otherwise that sets you apart that God honors that causes dreams to become your destiny and brings glory to Jesus And friends, that's what we're here for. Amen Let's stand together. Let's bow our heads. Please prayer father in Jesus name. I thank you for the Great privilege it is to be in partnership with men and women who serve you around the world a great personal sacrifice I thank you Lord for the ways in which you have Enriched our lives through what you've done through them And father I thank you that As we have heard in song and even in the message Tonight that Lord you've provided a way That we can have relationship with you. It's not by religious works. It's not by trying to do good things It's not by keeping the law perfectly or even trying to But it's by coming to the cross of Jesus and friends. I I feel really constrained before we end this message today Some of you've been maybe visiting maybe you're here to support someone maybe you're just checking out church for the first time But as all this was going on, you know that there's something in your life. That isn't just hasn't connected yet with God And listen, I'm no different than you I'm just a sinner that Acknowledged that I needed a Savior and I just want to ask you this this evening Are you like me? Have you been trying your best but you know, it's not really good enough and you really want Jesus To make the difference in your life that I'm going to give you the opportunity To open your life to him and I'm not just saying to you know To work harder at it or to get I'm saying this to acknowledge that you cannot change on your own that you need What Jesus did to apply to your life and you're willing to say Lord, whatever it takes. I Receive that now If that's you, you know it. I don't want to talk you into it I just want to acknowledge it and so I'm gonna lead you in a prayer and if you desire to know Jesus in your heart And to know that your sins are forgiven and that you will spend eternity with God Pray this prayer with me Lord Jesus say to him Lord Jesus my dreams have not been what I've wanted them to be Please forgive my sin Please become my Savior and begin to fulfill my destiny In you I Receive you now in your name. I pray My heads are bowed. Please all around the room No one's looking around but if you pray, would you allow me this one moment of great privilege? I just want to agree with you that you made that decision Tonight and I won't embarrass you. I'm not gonna call you out of your chair ask you to come forward But where you're standing in just a moment I'll ask you to lift your head and when our eyes meet we're gonna enter into an agreement that tonight Was the night that you said I want to begin that relationship. I Give up religion I want a relationship with Jesus heads about if you prayed Put your hand up right now and slip it put your hand up and look this way and let me just see it I'll just wherever hand goes up. All right. Yeah, man. I see your hand. Thank you. Others just raise your hand I'll agree with you wherever you are. Thank you, ma'am. I see your hand Thank you for looking at me other others just wave because sometimes the lights are real bright down here in the front I see young man. Thank you. Very good young lady in the orange sweater. I agree with you. God bless you See, there's many of you. You just need that little encouragement anyone else. Don't be afraid God today is touching lives Anyone wave at me if you're looking at me and I just miss your eyes for some reason Anybody else just wave real high? Won't embarrass you. I Just sense there's one more person that I'm supposed to see and I haven't seen them yet Just wave at me if I've missed your hand. Where are you? One more person ma'am, thank you. I'm glad I waited god bless you in the back. I agree with you father in Jesus name We celebrate together life-changing grace and we pray for these several tonight that have opened their hearts to Christ And now may they know the anointing of the spirit and the presence of your spirit in their hearts Thank you for what you've done. We celebrate together In Jesus name church, let's just celebrate what God just did Hallelujah, you know.