And tonight’s a little different. I kind of didn’t know if we should just have a party or celebrate that we finally found somewhere to go. And God made the money work out for us to be able to afford the lease. And so it’s kind of exciting. It’s kind of scary. And a special thanks to Alyssa because Alyssa on the fly used all of her HR powers and whipped up a good lease for us with all the appropriate legal wording. And we got a good agreement with the landlord. And he was very excited that it worked out for him to have a church in his place. He’s never had a church in that space before.
So, yeah, it’s just kind of exciting, I think, tonight for us to be glad for a new season together. And I know we have a few folks out sick and different things. But I still wanted just to kind of praise the Lord here tonight for what he’s done for us. And trust that he will pay. And he will save the way ahead. This past Thursday and Friday, I was in Pikeville, Tennessee, which is beautiful. It’s an hour north of Chattanooga. And I was preaching at like a youth revival retreat Thursday and Friday. And I preached once on Thursday night and twice on Friday. And the theme was supposed to be biblical worldview, biblical worldview. So what I preached to them was. First, the end of the world, are you ready for it? Remember we talked about in the book of Revelation that the father has the scroll in his hand. And the day is going to come when he gives that scroll to Jesus. And Jesus is going to break the seals. And that scroll is the last chapter of human history and how everything is going to unfold. And so my question to them was, you’re young, you’re a teenager, but are you ready for the last chapter? Are you ready for that? Because you could spend your whole life, right, on a number of different things. Good pursuits. But are you seeking God? Are you ready for the day when Christ comes to judge? And then the next session, I’ll talk to them about navigating your way through the world. Navigating your way through the world. How do I how do I know if I’m going in the right direction that God wants me to go? Is there some kind of compass I could have? And so we talked about the importance of the Bible, that God has given us his word and God’s unique revelation. It tells us everything about who God is and who we are, what God expects from us. Right. And so God’s word is a clear and present compass for us to live by. And yes, it’s going to say some things that we don’t like. Right. We in our flesh, like I don’t want the Bible to tell me I’m not allowed to do that. I want the Bible to say this. Right. And so there’s always a pressure to say the Bible doesn’t say that or get the Bible to mean something different. And that’s what happens. It happens in different cultures. We always have to go back to what did God say, though? Right. What did God say? And how do I reshape my heart and mind to agree with God’s word, not get God’s word to agree with me? But the last thing I told I told these teenagers was. In life, in the Christian life, you’ll experience suffering and hardship. All right. Life is not a walk down a pleasant path through. You know, fields and in roads with, you know, 70 degree weather and everything’s great and nothing’s wrong. Life has hardships as a Christian. Life has hardships. And are you are you willing to trust that God, his character is reliable? Right. So do it. Can I trust that God’s plans, God’s character, even though God allows bad seasons in my life, it’s all working to a very good end for me not to trust God. But. The underlying point I wanted to make at the end for all of them is this, and it’s what I want to really just share with you tonight. If I don’t believe if you don’t believe really and truly, ultimately, that God loves you and God loves me perfectly, everything else is going to fall apart.
Because there’s going to come a day when the trials and the troubles that God brings along in my life, it’s going to be too much for me to put up with. If I don’t really believe God loves me, it’s going to be difficult to believe his character is good. And if I don’t really believe God loves me, it’s going to be hard to obey the Bible when I don’t want to or when other people say, hey, I don’t like what the Bible says. You’re going to willingly give it away. The whole thing’s really difficult, the Christian life, if there’s not the right motivation underneath of it all. And I really believe the right motivation, the only motivation for the Christian life is this. God has. He perfectly loved us in his son, Jesus. And that love, it is more good. It’s more satisfying. It’s it’s it’s it’s so much more than I can imagine. And however much I could think in this life that God loves me. God loves me so much more. And that’s what I’ll discover in the ages to come. And I want to kind of apply the same thing here for you. When I think about a new building and a new season. And we’ve got to do this and we’ve got to do that. And we’ve got so much to prepare. I kind of want to preach a sermon on sacrifice. You’ve got to sacrifice your time and energy for Jesus. And we’ve got to get in there and we’ve got to do this. And we’ve got to figure out what’s the best way to, you know, market ourselves and show the world where we are and let people know online. Or there’s a sermon on giving and keep faithfully giving the best of your finances because God will bless that and use that for his kingdom. Or there’s a sermon. We’re going to be preached on prayer and you can’t stop praying. Let’s pray and pray and pray and trust God. Or there’s a sermon on sharing Christ. God sent us out to go and proclaim his good news to the world. And so as we step into a new season, we’ve got to keep being evangelists. Or there’s a sermon on unity. If we’re not unified together in the truth and love of Jesus as a church, the whole thing will fall apart. So there’s so many things to be said for motivation. But all those things, all those individual really good things about the Christian life. They. They unravel if they’re not rooted in that baseline, wonderful truth. God has freely loved me because he just has simply freely loved me. I don’t deserve the love of God, but God perfectly loves me and his love is satisfying and his love is worth giving my whole life for. So I want to look at a passage with you here in the Gospel of John, chapter 17.
The Gospel of John, chapter 17, which is verses 24 to 26. And this is the end of Jesus’s ministry. So his ministry has been going on for three years. Jesus knows he’s getting ready to be crucified. And so he makes his last what’s what’s called the high priestly prayer. Jesus prays not just for what’s coming. He prays for mostly his disciples. He’s praying that all of his own people. Would be kept and do what they ought. And here’s what Jesus prays to the father in verse 24. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Oh, righteous father, even though the world does not know you. I know. I know you and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name and I will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. So Jesus starts with what is the most important doctrine, maybe in the Christian faith, and that’s the Trinity. We believe that Jesus is not. Just some good person. We believe that Jesus, because he said it, he was with the father in eternity past before the ages began. Christ was there. John says in the beginning of his gospel, he says that the word was with God. So Jesus is the logos. Jesus is the word. Jesus is the full expression of who the father is in bodily form. So even though Jesus was God with the father, he assumed a full and real humanity. And that’s amazing that Jesus would do that. Because God did not create the universe. God did not create the world. He didn’t create you and me because he was bored. He wasn’t just sitting around one day and he didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t do it because he was lonely. The scriptures are clear that the father and their son had perfect fellowship with one another. So that’s not why he made us. That’s not why he became man.
God made us because of his grace. He made us to bring him glory. The book of Genesis in the very beginning says that you and I as human beings, we have been made in the image of God. So far above animals and any other creature, you and I have been made in the image of God. We have the capacity to think and to reason and to have a relationship with God so that we can know who he is and enjoy him and love him and be loved. By him. So it’s a gift to be alive, to be a conscious human being with the capacity to know our creator and find satisfaction in him. But what happened in the garden? Though God did this. We read that Adam and Eve sinned. They broke it. Right? They broke it. Adam did the thing God said don’t do. What did God say? God said the day that you eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die. But what happened when Adam and Eve ate of the tree when they were tempted by Satan? They didn’t die. Did they? They lived another day and they lived another day and they lived another day. Why did they live another day? Because God chose to be merciful to them. God made a promise to them. You didn’t deserve to be made and you certainly don’t deserve to be redeemed from your sins. But I’m going to send a savior and the savior that I send, he will save you from yourselves.
So Jesus is so important for each of us because Jesus is not a part of just our religion and that’s our flavor. Remember, Jesus claimed to be the one. Way to the father. Jesus claimed to be the son of God. Jesus said, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No one comes to the father but by me. So God provided each of us one really, really, really, really good way out of death and out of judgment that we deserve. That we deserve. That we deserve. Chase mentioned it when he was praying earlier. But if you woke up this morning and you had breath in your lungs, you were not entitled to that. If any of us in our lifetime have done anything against the law of God, lying, cheating, stealing, impure thoughts in our minds. If you’ve ever been jealous for something someone else has, you’ve ever mistreated someone. Anything. We’ve done them, haven’t we? A lot of those things. They disqualify. Disqualify us from standing before God right. Yet, Paul says in the book of Romans, God shows his love for us in this. While we were still sinners, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Christ died for us. We deserve God to give his precious beloved son. Amen. No. But did Jesus willingly die on the cross for our sins? Yes. The prophet Isaiah says it was the will of the father to crush his son. Why would it be the will of the father to crush his son if the father loved his son? Because in crushing his son, his son was resurrected from the grave victorious over sin. Over sin. Over death, over Satan, and through Christ, a way is made for all of us who are sinful to find our way back to God so that Jesus can be the king of a new creation with pure and clean and holy people. Not because we are holy and clean and pure, but because Jesus, by what he did for us, has washed us and made us new.
That is where the love of God is expressed for each of us. It’s in the exact same place. Two pieces of wood nailed together with literally God hanging on a tree. There you see how much God loves not good people. Not good people, because there are not any, is there?
Isaiah says, none are righteous, no, not one. God loves us in that he offers each of us. A free gift of eternal salvation.
If we repent, turn from sin, surrender fully to Christ, believe in him to be our savior, to our Lord, give him our whole selves. The Bible says we will truly be called God’s people. We will be clean. We will be saved. We will be brand new. God’s spirit will live inside of us. It’s very simple when you think about it. You think, and a lot of religions are incredibly complicated. You know, if you talk to a Muslim, you get to know a Muslim really well. I’ve had Muslim friends, and if you talk to them, they’re very honest. If you can get them to be honest, they really don’t have any assurance that when they die, Allah is going to welcome them in. Because they don’t know if they’re doing it good enough. Am I being a faithful enough Muslim? They don’t know. How can you know if you’re a good enough Hindu? I mean, how do I know that? I might be, you know, I might come back around and be something I didn’t want to be because I wasn’t good enough the first time around. And I’m just trying and trying and trying. And I’ve told you how Norse mythology, like Viking theology is being popular again. And how do you know if you’re, if you were, you know, being, you know, a faithful Viking, you know, make the Valhalla. You’ve got to live this, this, this glorious life of, of, of dying in battle. Every, every world religion kind of has the same angle. It’s how much can you do? And hopefully you can do enough to please some deity and perform good enough. And then you could be saved. But Jesus is the total opposite of that, isn’t he? Jesus tells us, don’t try to save yourself. You can’t do it. Let me do it for you. Jesus lived a holy life. You and I can’t live. Jesus died as God’s sacrificial lamb. Jesus spilled his blood for us. Jesus was resurrected for us. Jesus gives it freely as a gift. That is divine. That is perfect love. And it requires nothing of us. But humility. And faith to say, God, I receive your. Son, Jesus.
So back around to my original question. What could possibly be the only authentic and enduring motivation for doing anything for God?
It’s just that one thing. God became a man to save us. God did what he did not have to do for sinners. God has made a way. Through the bloody cross of his son, Jesus. That you and I can be called sons of the living God. And be promised an eternal life in the heavenlies. Though we have not merited it on our own. And Christ has done it in our place.
So if you can get a hold, friend, of the love of God for you. So if you can get a hold of the love of God for you. You can turn your life upside down. When you realize life is not about you. It’s not about you doing what you want to do. And you climbing the ladder. You want to climb and seeing what you can make of it. It’s the complete opposite. God has created us to see how amazing and wonderful he is. And everything that we do is so that we can bring him glory. And we’re vessels of his mercy to be used as he will. And there is no greater joy. and there is no greater satisfaction than in God using us and showing us more and more of who He is.
So the cross of Christ, it gives freedom, friends. Freedom from fear of failing. Fear of having an identity of a failure. Fear of having messed up and sinned and now the gods are angry at me and I haven’t performed well enough and this and that. Jesus’ cross washes all that away and offers each of us perfect love and forgiveness by what He alone has done. And He requires nothing of us but the faith to say, Jesus, I receive it. Jesus, I receive it. So that’s my question for us tonight. My question for us tonight is
do we receive the love of Christ and we don’t live to earn God’s love but because God loves us, wow, what a motivation to live for Him. To know that life doesn’t stop here. It goes onward forevermore in the heavenlies. All joy and life and peace to come. That’s what matters. That’s what lasts.
I’m always reminded of the book of Ecclesiastes where he’s so aggravated because he says he’s climbed every mountain and he’s compiled all this stuff and he’s done all these successful things and he’s built his empire and his life and he’s tried out every pleasure he could and he found at the end of it all it’s frustrating because the best stuff that he has, he’s going to die someday and somebody else is going to get to enjoy it all. And whoever gets all of his stuff is probably not going to enjoy it and appreciate it as much as he did. So it’s a vicious cycle to have a view of your life that doesn’t go beyond the end of your nose.
Christ is calling us to something way bigger. Way bigger and it’s Him. It’s Him. And someday Christ will come back and He’ll make heaven and earth brand new. My dad went with me. We did that youth retreat and on our way home from Tennessee we were talking about that very thing. What’s it going to be like when Christ returns and makes earth brand new? Will there be an Alabama and a new heaven and a new earth? Will that still be here? What will it look like? How perfect, how wonderful will it be? Because we were looking at these, I guess it was the beginning of the Appalachian Mountains what we were seeing there kind of going out, you know, further east where, you know, Gatlinburg is and all that. And that was beautiful. Yet we live in a broken world. What’s it going to be like when Jesus makes all things brand new? I don’t know, but I want to be there to see it. And there’s nothing I have to do to earn my way in. Christ says repent and believe. That’s all Christ calls us to do. Just to surrender to Him, to depend on Him. And let me tell you, that’s good news not for just the new believer who’s not a Christian, and yet that’s good news for those of us who’ve been Christians for years and years and years. Because for years and years and years, we make all kinds of mistakes and errors and wander from the way, and we have all kinds of struggles and hardships and difficulties, yet we can always come back to this wonderful, simple truth.
God supremely, perfectly loves us. And because He loves us by His free grace, He is working all things together for our good. Amen. Amen. Life is not the end. The end is glory and everlasting life and love with Him and a new heaven and a new earth.
So let’s pray and trust God’s going to answer and work and let’s love the Word of God and live by it and let’s sacrifice our time and energy and money and let’s be unified and let’s share Christ not because we’re trying to get away from it, not because we’re trying to get God to love us, but because He already has.
God loves you because He loves you. And I want you to cherish that in your heart. Cherish that in your mind. God has loved sinners.
Let’s pray together.
Lord, we thank You for Your great grace.
Lord, it’s not really something we could explain. It’s not something that we could argue that we have earned. But Lord, Your Word tells us that You love us. And Father, You’ve shown that so plainly in the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son. Amen.
Father, I pray for every heart and mind here tonight that we would have
just a central and singular focus and that is on how much You love us and how past, present, and future, Lord, You are here and You are greater than every difficulty. You are greater than every sin. And Jesus, we are loved and we are kept and You are more powerful. And anything that we could face and all we need to do is trust You. Lord, would You help us to be amazed at that again? Would You help us to wonder at the grace of Jesus and His love for us again? Amen.