← ArchiveSunday, January 27, 2019 — Reboot SundayDateJanuary 27, 2019Speaker—TextJohnPassages in this sermonMatthew 1014:15John 2121:15James 1:2727:53John 3:1628:13Matthew 2534:45TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00Well, it takes a brave church to turn their pulpit over to a comedian on Sunday morning, so I commend you for that. And I hope you enjoyed working here. I hope it was a good time for you and that the men's meetings don't last too long into the afternoon today. I think I lost this here. I am from Indianapolis, and I'm not sure why. It's cold up there, very cold, and I know you guys have had some cool weather down here too, but the fact is I actually spent most of my adult life here in the South. I lived in North Carolina, Florida. I was in ministry down there for many years, met my wife there, and then started my traveling0:29career in Nashville, lived right up here in Spring Hill, Tennessee. But a few years ago, we ended up, God led us to Indianapolis, and my wife just told me, she said, you know, you took me from Florida to Tennessee, Tennessee to Indiana. If God calls you to Canada, you're going by yourself. I said, fair enough. But truthfully, it was really quite an adjustment for us because surprisingly, what we didn't know when we moved to Indianapolis is Indianapolis is not nearly as tropical as Tampa.0:55We don't have very many palm trees up there in Indianapolis, and I don't even think we have a beach. And so it's been an adjustment. And I have to admit, for the first six or seven years, I kind of had a bad attitude about it. I'd be out there shoveling the driveway, that white powdery stuff blowing in my face at 13 below. And all I could remember was the white powdery sand of the west coast of Florida. And so a few years ago, about two years ago, I said, you know what, enough's enough. I sat the shovel down by the garage.1:24I went in the house and made myself a nice warm cup of cocoa. And as I sat down by the Christmas tree there and looked out the window into the Indiana grayness as the snow was falling on the ice-covered streets, I made a decision. I said, you know what, this is my home, and I'm very blessed and fortunate. My children were born here, I need to stop complaining and have a better attitude. And so right there by the Christmas tree, I decided to write a Christmas song. And my idea was, wouldn't it be great if my children would learn this song, and maybe their1:51children and even their children down through the generations, to help remind them where their family tree first took place, but also what Indiana Christmases and winters are really all about. And so in light of some of the cooler weather here, you know, it's end of January, so Christmas is right around the corner again. I thought maybe I could teach you guys this song, and maybe you would make it part of your Christmas tradition. If you're ever up north, or if you ever have cold weather here, you can make this part of2:18your tradition as well. But this is called the Indiana Christmas Song, and I hope you enjoy. It goes like this. Oh, the weather outside is frightful. Did I mention that the weather outside is frightful?2:41Did I mention that the weather outside is frightful? Oh, the weather outside is frightful. And that weather outside is frightful. And the weather outside is frightful.3:11And the weather outside is frightful. Come on, you know the words. Oh, the weather outside is frightful. Give yourselves a hand. Great job. Ladies in the back going, you have ruined that song.3:42So it is hard for me to believe, but January the 17th of 2004, wow, 15 years ago, I, for the very first time, became a dad. You believe that? Yeah, the authorities finally granted me permission to have kids, and my wife said we should hurry up before they revoke the license, and so she wanted a little girl, and you know, she grew up with brothers and never had a sister, so she wanted a little girl, and so did I.4:10Something about dads and their daughters. We would have taken either one, obviously, but on the very first try, God blessed us with a little girl that we named Brooklyn, like the city of New York. Then in the summer of 2005, we had our second child, another little girl, that we named Katie after a family friend. Then, just like clockwork, summer of 2007, we had our third child, another girl, and we4:34named the third one Adrian, like in the old Rocky movies. And now with three girls in my household that are 15 and under, I am in the midst of my 20-year stay on, Planet Estrogen. It is a wonderful place. I love being a dad to daughters. We thought we were done, but God had other plans. Summer of 2009, we had our fourth annual baby.5:01And this time, we had a little boy. And we named him Jude, like the New Testament book or the Beatles song, for whichever way you look at it, it's the only two places I've ever heard that name. I am blessed. And I think to probably look around this room today, most of us could say that we are. I love being a dad. As a comedian, I don't really do serious songs. But there's one song that I have played in every church that I've stepped foot in since the5:30day I first laid eyes on my daughter, Brooklyn. This song is about dads and daughters, and it's about parents and kids, but it's also about the only thing that could be more important, which is how and where we spend our eternity. This song is called Forever, and it goes like this.6:07You should have seen her Dressed like her mother Heels and beads Down to her knees Click, now I have it This Kodak moment I've got to get copies, baby Now I know of This secret love6:36That only goes daddy To daughter And try as I will I can't make time stand still I'd trade rich for poor If she could be for Forever Who gives this woman7:03To marry this man Her mother and I I thought I would die The reception begins But it hasn't set in I just gave my girl I just gave my girl Away Her bedroom is bare7:33It doesn't seem fair I've traded my child For some pictures I'd give my girl I'd give my whole world For that little girl To dance through my door I wish she were four Forever8:00Forever Forever When flowers have died Around my graveside You'll know that I've gone To the Father My daughter My daughter Will be Soon there with me8:29But we'll be transformed To children of four And we will be transformed And we will be transformed Forever Forever.9:21I like to watch moms on that song.9:51I like that better than his Christmas song. I did. Is it good to be in God's house this morning?10:21Yes, we know wherever two or more gathered, he's in our midst. And we have reason for great joy this morning. But when we crack open the word of God, in the first 10 seconds of looking at the pages, we read words of encouragement. Words that say things like, God demonstrated his love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And that is reason this morning for great joy. It's my pleasure to be here this morning. And I so appreciate the opportunity to share this message with you guys today.10:48How many people have heard the expression, pay it forward? Have you ever heard of this? It was an initiative. They made a movie about it, actually. But it really was something that took place. There was a junior high class that was challenged by their social studies teacher on a Friday afternoon. He said, your homework this weekend is to come up with an idea that would serve the world and make it a better place. So, as you can imagine, on Monday morning, students began showing up, rolling out blueprints for robots,11:15and setting up environmental presentations and things. But one young man walked to the front of the class with nothing in his hands. He picked up a piece of chalk, and he wrote on the blackboard the word, me, and he circled it. He told his classmates, this is me. Then he took that chalk, and he drew three lines to three smaller circles above himself. And he said, these are three people that I am going to serve.11:43And the only thing that I'm going to ask in return is that each one of them, in turn, pay it forward by serving three others themselves. Now, when you think about this, as simple as the idea is, it really is quite brilliant. Now, for the sake of numbers and my inability to do difficult math, let's say that there are 400 people in this building right now. 400. Let's just say 400. If every single one of us went out into our communities tomorrow, our workplaces, our schools, and served three people in need,12:09immediately 1,200 lives would be changed because we served. Now, if those 1,200 folks paid it forward one time, well, now you've got a community college. You've got 3,600 lives that will never be the same because someone stopped and took the time to care enough to serve someone else. And if you do the math on this, by about the seventh or eighth time that the kindness gets paid forward and the group begins to grow,12:36literally millions of lives begin to change when we do what we were called to do in Scripture anyway, and that's to simply serve. I'm in a different church every Sunday morning, and too often it's the same. This morning this did not happen. And I can just say that from spending some time with your pastor and your staff this morning, you guys are in really good hands. This is a very loving, welcoming church. You can tell that as soon as you walk in here, and I appreciate that.13:05But too often I'll walk into a church on Sunday morning, and I'll usually get there a little bit early. And one of the longstanding congregants, one of the elder statesmen, one of the sacred cows of the church will approach me. And too often they'll say something that sounds eerily similar. Tony, our church wasn't really growing none. We weren't reaching out to anybody, serving nobody. We weren't telling anybody about Jesus. So we fired our preacher. He's gone. He weren't no good.13:34And the whole time I hear them telling me these stories, all I can think is, brother, if you're not serving anybody, if you're not loving on the lost, if you're not telling anybody about Jesus, I don't know. Maybe you ought to run yourself off, not the guy down front. See, it's up to every single one of us as individuals to advance the message of Christ, not just by the things that we say, but by the way that we live our lives, the way that we love and we serve on those who so desperately need it.13:54We were called to serve. You know, when you think about it, Jesus himself really started the Pay It Forward initiative 2,000 years ago. In Matthew 10, verse 8, we read where Jesus has assembled a team of guys. He gets these 12 guys together, and I know Alabama's football country, and this is the end of football season.14:22I kind of picture this a little bit like a football scene. Jesus is out in the field, and he calls out to his guys. He says, my 12, my dream team, I need you guys to bring it in. We're going to huddle up, and I'm going to explain to you our strategy, our game plan. So I need everybody to cut. Peter, put the fish down and come on. I'm trying to do something over here. Get in here. Matthew, come on in. We're going to huddle up. Get our hands in here. Everybody get in. Do we have everybody? Seven, eight. Where's Thomas? Oh, there you are.14:51Good. All right, we've got everyone. I want you to listen very carefully. This is our game plan, our strategy. I'm going to tell you what we're going to do. You guys listening? Okay. I want you guys to go. And you've got to picture the disciples with their hand in the huddle going, go where?15:16Wait, time out, Jesus. I don't think you understand. I left my family. I quit my job. I left everything behind me to follow you on this grand mission. And now you're just telling me to go? And Jesus says, yeah, pretty much. See, I want you to go and serve others. I want you to lay hands on lepers. I want you to tell people with the grace that God has shown you, fellas, freely every one of you has received.15:45Freely you ought to give. So go and serve someone and do something. Go. And Jesus modeled that game plan all the way to the cross of Calvary for every single one of us. We were called to serve. Not to simply sit, but to serve. Years ago in Southern California, there was a young man who grew up there in the 1970s.16:15And he had one dream, this young man. He wanted to do one thing more than anything else in his life. This young man wanted to become a pilot. He wanted to fly airplanes. And growing up in Southern California, this would have been a good idea, you know, for him to become a pilot. A lot of young boys aspire to this. But this particular young man was born with horrendous eyesight.16:46You know, you've heard the expression, blind in one eye, can't see out of the other. Well, he was almost legally blind in his left eye. And so as he tried, as he grew up and he started putting out applications to the Air Force Academy, his application was promptly denied. And as a young man of 18, 19, 21 years old, he started going around locally trying to just get a local license so he could dust crops or do something in a plane. But everywhere he went, everybody said the same thing to him.17:15Dude, you're blind as a bat. Ain't nobody fixing to put you in a cockpit of a plane, son. Frustrated by this, he paced back and forth at work. He worked at a warehouse in Los Angeles for a film company. And in the back, as he's trying to realize his dream, he spots in the very back corner of the warehouse some weather balloons. And a teeny tiny halfway burned out light bulb went off over his head. And he said to himself, I have me a fine idea.17:45He gathered up the weather balloons, took them home, tied the weather balloons to a lawn chair, tied the lawn chair to his Jeep. He went in the house, got a couple of sandwiches and sodas and a handgun. He went back out and got into the chair. And with the help of all people, his girlfriend, they began to cut the ropes. And a few seconds later, that young man took off. He was actually flying.18:15This is a true story. You can Google this story and just Google the lunatic in a lawn chair and you'll find this guy. Larry Walters was his name. Larry began to fly. But as evidenced by the first half of the story, Larry was not the smartest guy on earth. See, he had miscalculated his own weight versus the number and strength of the balloons. And in less than 10 minutes' time, Larry was 3,000 feet in the air and rising in the middle of the corridor where planes come in and out of the airport at Long Beach.18:44He was first spotted by a pilot. Could you imagine being on that plane? You're flying into California with your friend looking out the window going, hey, the Pacific Ocean is beautiful. Down there is the Staples Center. We should go to a Lakers game. And there's a guy in a lawn chair. Larry was just sitting there eating a sandwich. He was later quoted in the paper after this whole ordeal was over saying,19:10it was getting kind of dark, so I thought I should come down. He starts shooting balloons. And Larry went down about as fast as he had gone up. Luckily for him, I say luckily, he crashed into some power lines right before he hit the ground. True story. Suspended him and prevented him from hurting himself, maybe even losing his life. He was fine. Didn't have one scratch on him. Knocked down 40 blocks of electricity in L.A. that day.19:39But he was okay. And every news crew in town descended on the scene. They wanted to interview this guy and get the story of the lunatic in a lawn chair. And as they pieced together his story, one reporter broke in and said, Larry, you know what? I understand what you're telling us. I hear this against all odds Hollywood story you've given us. But Larry, I have to ask you. Really? I mean, really, a lawn chair and balloons and a gun? Why would you do something so crazy? And Larry's response, very profoundly, was given like this.20:09And I quote, I figured I can't just sit there. That's all I have to say about that. That was his entire rationale behind pulling this crazy stunt. Well, I can't just sit there. And as crazy as it would be to see one of you guys this afternoon floating over Birmingham down here in a lawn chair with a bunch of balloons attached to you, let me challenge every person in this room, every individual in here, myself included,20:37what would happen if every single one of us adopted that same mentality as a Christ follower and as a Christian? I can't just sit here. I can't. Man, this corner of the U.S. would be flipped upside down for Jesus. That's what would happen. We were called to serve. If you have ever said the words, yes, Jesus, I believe you are the Christ, the Son of the living God, and I accept you as my personal Savior, you have accepted the role of serving.21:07You've accepted the role of ministry in that regard. We were called to serve. There's this great story in the Gospel of John, chapter 21. Many of you have heard this story. Some of you have heard this story hundreds of times. But Jesus is talking with his friend Peter in the Gospel of John, chapter 21. And they're having this conversation when at some point towards the end, Jesus says three words to Peter that ultimately changes the rest of Peter's life.21:33Now, don't ask young kids about that. I asked a bunch of first-grade boys about a year ago, what were three of the last words Jesus said to his friend Peter? It's one little boy goes, eat your spinach? I'm like, no. Those must have been the last words Jesus said to Popeye. But Jesus and Peter are having this conversation. Now, they've been together three and a half years. They've done ministry together.22:03They've undoubtedly built campfires, gone fishing, ate together. They did ministry together. Peter and Jesus walked on the water together. Peter saw Jesus die. But a short time after that, Peter saw a stone rolled away in an empty tomb. And here in John 21, he is sitting face-to-face with the Jesus who had beaten death, who had beaten crucifixion. And they're having a conversation. When at some point, Jesus kind of does a 180, changes the subject and looks at Peter and says,22:29Peter, do you love me? I can imagine Peter's response being taken back by this question seemingly out of nowhere. Well, yes, I love you, Jesus. Yeah, but Peter, do you love me? Lord, you just asked me that question like 10 seconds ago. Come on, Lord, you know that I love you. I love you very much.22:59Then the word of God tells us that Jesus asked Peter a third time. Peter, do you truly love me more than these? Jesus knew Peter's, Peter knew Jesus' style. They'd been together that much time. He knew Jesus was getting at something. Might have even been hurt by this line of reasoning like, where are we going with this? Lord, you know all things. Surely you must know that I love you. You've asked me three times.23:29I've told you three times that I love you. And just imagine Jesus looking at Peter and saying, Peter, you know what? If I ask you a hundred times, you'll say it a hundred times. Saying it and living it's two different things. And the word of God tells us that Jesus said to Peter, Peter, if you love me, feed my sheep. Feed my sheep, Peter.24:01You say that you love me. You're here in fellowship. You're singing the songs. This is great. But man, if you love me, feed my sheep. I was born in August 1968. That's right. I'm 75 years old. And the moment I was born, I was placed immediately into an orphanage in Western Maryland. My birth mother couldn't take care of me.24:31She knew it. The family didn't jump in and help her. So that's how I started my life. As an uncared for orphan. While that was taking place, a 17-year-old girl, a teenager, wrote her husband-to-be a letter. See, they had just gotten engaged, but a week later, he got drafted into the U.S. Army and went off to serve in Vietnam. She wrote him a letter and she said, I don't know where you are right now, but wherever you are, I pray you're safe.25:02I pray this war will end. I've been praying for all of you guys. I pray that all of you guys will come home. But every day when I've been praying, God has laid on my heart this calling, this desire to be a mom. I really think that's why he put me on this earth, is to be a mommy. And when I pray, I don't think God wants me to wait until you get back, we get married and have kids. I think God wants me to be a mom right now.25:31That GI got that letter and he read it and he said, Say what? But then he prayed about it and he wrote her back. He said, you go find a child who has nothing. Who has no one. We'll take him and we'll raise him together as our own.26:03So she started looking. During the process, he got back. They got married. And about a week after that, they walked into the room where I was being kept. Walk right up to my crib. They picked me. Truth be told, my mom told me years later, we went in there to find a little girl. I said, mom, you missed it by a long shot. She said, well, I heard your voice.26:35You were playing and laughing in that crib. Imagine that, right? She said, all I could think when I saw you was, I don't know the first thing about this child. He's not my blood. I don't even know his name. But I know this little boy needs a mommy. So she picked me up out of that crib. And along with her 21-year-old husband, they took me home. And for the next 18 years, all right, for the next 40 years, anytime I needed anything, I always had it.27:05A roof over my head, clothes on my back, shoes on my feet. I got to play baseball and go to school, you know. I was taken to church even when I didn't want to go. I was that kid, you know, in my teen years. That's the first time I ever heard anything about Jesus or God or any of that.27:32It was my mom taking me to church on Sunday. There's not one single day that goes by in my life that I don't thank God for what she decided to do for me. Do you guys know what James 1.27 says? Don't worry, no one else does either. James 1.27 is one of those verses we never talk about in church.28:03I don't understand it. Listen to this verse, and you might think the same thing. This should be like John 3.16 or anything else that we can just rattle off. James 1.27 says this. And look it up. Religion that God accepts as pure is to look after orphans. And widows in their distress. And don't be polluted by the world. That's what it says.28:33Acceptable religion to God. And some translations say acceptable worship to God. It's to look after those in need. I love that verse. It's a few years ago. My heart was captured by the voice of a child. Her name was Maria. A friend of mine called me up and said, You want to go on a missions trip to El Salvador? I said, Yeah. Went home and Googled El Salvador. I could have been going to Japan. I didn't know what I was doing.29:03Got on a plane and flew down to this little country just south of Mexico. Not that far from the U.S. when you think about it. I got off that plane and I figured out something quick. We're fortunate we live here. We really are. We're fortunate to be in America. This place isn't perfect. We all know that. But if you step outside of the country for five or ten minutes like I've done many times now, I think you gain a whole new appreciation for how fortunate we are. And I don't say that because we have these beautiful buildings29:32or because we have SUVs out in the parking lot or houses or bank accounts. That stuff doesn't make us blessed. Our resources don't make us blessed. Our resources make us responsible. Our blessing is Jesus Christ, what he did on that cross, what he does for us today and into eternity. He is and always will be our blessing. But still, I say we're fortunate we're here. I wasn't in San Salvador more than an hour when for the first time in my life,29:59I got to witness child starvation. And I'm not talking about one kid. It was everywhere. Our trip leader said, I want to go by this place in the city where they bring kids in like this. Children who are starving, orphans, children in need. Of course, my ears perked right up. We got there. We were greeted by one of the ladies that was serving there. She said, it is so wonderful that you have come here today. Just yesterday, we had two children sponsored into our program by someone in America.30:29So we think it would be fitting for your church to take supplies to their home. We drove down through mile after mile of these little corrugated metal shanties. Ten by ten spaces, six, seven people living in there. Eventually, we pulled up to this open field.30:58And all I could see out in the field was a big stack of raw cinder blocks sitting out there. Drove halfway across the field. They turned off the Jeep. And that's when I realized a stack of blocks, that's their home. They put a piece of tin on top of it. And they had a plastic shower curtain on the front. That was their front door. I pulled that curtain. And when I stepped inside, the first thing I saw, they said there was two kids there. There wasn't. There's four.31:29There's four. The two that had been sponsored. They were heading into the city. They were going to the school. Never been before. They were so excited. The other two waited behind. And one was this little girl, Maria. She's sitting on a dirt floor. I remember there was ants all over the place. But she's sitting there. These big old brown eyes. Just a beautiful, beautiful kid. When I stepped in with my box of supplies, our eyes happened to meet. When she saw I had supplies and my buddy had clean water and the next guy had a sack of rice on his shoulder, she looked up at me and those little brown eyes doubled in size.31:57Smile went from ear to ear. And she just kept looking at me. She stood up. Her little hand started shaking. It was like she was getting so excited. She didn't know what to do. But she wouldn't take her eyes off me. She was fixated on me. Might have been the glare. And I'm thinking about it. And then she started talking. And you know when a child gets excited, right? She's talking and talking in like 100 words a minute. I don't speak Spanish.32:27So I had to get the translator. I said, honey, hold on. Hold on. I said, ma'am, could you come here? Ever since we got here, this little girl has been talking to me. And she's so excited. But I don't know what she's saying. The interpreter listened for a minute. And she looked at me. And she said, this child just said to you. Somebody in America loves my brother and sister. And one day someone's going to love me too.33:01I remember looking at her. And all I could think to say was, I know what it is to have a need. That's how I got here too. But I also know what happens when we pour love into the life of a person who has none. I'm only standing up here today because someone just like you, some of you are about the age of what my mom and dad would be right now, cared enough to take me in, make some sacrifices, tell me I was loved, and tell me about Christ.33:20I went back to her. I said, well, I love you right now. She didn't understand a word. She just... I'll never forget her face over a hug.33:50Church, we're not saved. Church, we're not saved by what we do. Without the grace of God and blood of Jesus Christ, we would have nothing. We would be lost. The grace of God and the blood of Jesus Christ gives us the hope that one day we'd be adopted into his family. In our sin, we're all orphans in this world.34:18He cared enough to take it upon himself to part with his only child, his only son, to die for my sin, to die for your sin, and the sin of the world. If that doesn't make us blessed, I don't know what does.34:45But I find it interesting that Jesus says in Matthew 25, one day every one of us will leave this place. We'll have our last day on this earth. And on that day of judgment, that great getting up morning, Jesus said, we will all hear the voice of God. Now, God can say whatever he wants to you now. He's God. He could test you theologically, ask you about your church attendance. But Jesus said, every single one of us will hear these words.35:15What did you do for the least of my brothers? Because I'll tell you, whatever you did for them, that's what you did for me. What will we say, church? I think about that all the time. What will I say? I want you to meet somebody.35:48If you've ever been to a Christian concert or a music festival, there's always some guy that gets up there. We're going to pass around child packets. This is a child packet. I don't like that. Man, I've got to tell you, I really don't like that. You know why I don't like it? Because I've been there and I've seen it and this is real. This isn't a packet or a piece of paper. This is Denise. She's a real little girl. She's a human being.36:18Lives in Mexico, about seven years old. I have to say this. I wasn't a mistake. I wasn't. Neither is she. Today, I want to offer you a great opportunity. I know it's great. I talked to pastor before church today and he said, a lot of you folks, sponsor children in Zambia.36:42It's so awesome. If every adult in America helped out one child on this planet, child poverty would not exist on this globe. That is a fact. Just in the United States. Everyone had one. Well, this morning, I've got a table right out there. As you go out, you're going to have to go right out there and go this way. There's a table out there with about 30 or 40 of these kids on there.37:11They're real kids. This is not a picture indicative of some child or anything like that. This is a specific human being. Children International has been helping children for almost 80 years and they even sponsor kids right here in America. I've spoken for Compassion International, World Vision. There are so many great organizations out there that truly are doing what they're supposed to be. Children International, 90% goes to the direct benefit of your specific child. 90%.37:4190%. And that's not them or me saying it. That's Charity Navigator saying it. I don't work for these guys. I don't work for Compassion or World Vision, but I will wave their flags so I'm not here anymore because I've been there and I've seen this and it is real. Our family sponsors five. So today, go out to that table and you can, those of you that are interested in making a tangible kingdom difference for Christ in this way, I would ask you to just come to the table. Pick one out.38:11Now, I'll warn you, they're all going to look at you. I'm just going to give you that warning right now. They're all going to look at you. You can pick out a child or two or ten, whatever you want to do. And then you sponsor the child. What does that mean? Well, it's a bill. You'd be sending Denise here about a dollar each day, just over a dollar each day. And I have to give you the perspective on this. This is a small Coke at McDonald's. Small Coke. Well, I guess it's any size of McDonald's, right? They can give you that 126-ounce styrofoam keg. You can drink on for four weeks for 99 cents somehow.38:39But soft drink, life of a child. Well, what good is a dollar going to do? For Denise, it would mean she'd have full medical coverage. I wish I could give full medical for my kids for a dollar each day. Three meals a day, clean water, which is life and death for these children. Some of them in Zambia, Central, South America, Asia. Clean water every day of their life. This child will also get an equivalent of a 12th grade education of what we have here in America. But best of all, you could write your own.39:08If you take Denise today, you can write her letters back and forth. You can even go visit this child. But you can write her and say, Denise, you matter to God. He's got a plan for your life, one to prosper you, not to harm you, one to give you a hope and a future. That's what his word says. So today, stop by the table and make a difference with Children International and sponsor a child. I was at a church about a year ago. This lady down front, for some reason, just felt the need to say, I get my drinks from Starbucks. I said, well, you could help out 10 of these kids then.39:39It is perspective. And finally, I want to say this to you. This is one way. Sponsoring a child is one way to serve the kingdom. One way. There are opportunities all around you. Pastor, are there opportunities at this church to serve? Yes, there are two left. Two opportunities. I'm kidding. There's unlimited opportunities. He's like, what are you doing? Unlimited opportunity in the ministries of this church. Please take the time to stop and see where you can get plugged in.40:09Those of you that are Sunday school teachers, let me tell you, the first doctrinal teaching I ever got was from a 77-year-old lady named Mrs. Palmer. She changed my life. Those of you that are greeters out there, some people need just that hug or that handshake in the morning. It makes all the difference. Find a place in this church that you can serve. And past that, go into your own neighborhoods, your own communities.40:36You know the people in your neighborhood that need your help, that need somebody's help. It's what we were put here for, the sake of others. We're called to serve. And today, if you have never made Jesus Christ Lord of your life, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Today, you can come to him. Make him Lord of your life. Turn everything over to him and experience a joy that 1 Peter says is inexpressible and glorious because you know you're receiving the goal of your faith, salvation for your souls.41:04You don't have to leave this place today without the hope that only Jesus gives. And this is the life he calls you to, one of loving and serving others. I want to, again, thank you. I'm going to pray for you guys. And I want to thank you because these kids, it's not a commercial to me. All right, God started writing my story 50 years ago for a purpose.41:32So as long as I'm on this earth, I will go to war for these kids. God gives me 99 years, 100 years on this earth. Pastor, I'm going to come back here in the year 2067, stand right here and say, I want to talk to you. I don't even remember. But then I'll fight for these kids because they can't fight for themselves. I want to pray for you, so if you would, let's go to God in prayer today.42:00I want to pray for you, so if you would, let's go to God in prayer today.More sermons on John →
