1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,880 Well, good morning, everyone. For those of you who don't know 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:09,320 me, my name is Vance Furtado. I'm a elder here at the church, 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:15,760 which sort of means, I guess I'm an old guy, OK, But also I'm a 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,600 teaching volunteer, teaching pastor here at the church as 5 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,560 well. So we have been doing this 6 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,520 series on losing different things, things that we would 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:31,760 really like to get rid of. So this morning we're going to 8 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:37,120 go to John chapter 14, and our topic is called Losing our 9 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:38,400 Fears. All right. 10 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:42,960 And for time's sake, we do not have time to look at everything 11 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:45,720 in John 14. So I would really encourage 12 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,400 everyone to read John 14, read the whole Gospel of John. 13 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:56,280 It's a beautiful gospel. Now, let me tell you about ATV 14 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:57,760 show. That kind of ties into our 15 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,800 topic. There's ATV show, and Pastor 16 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,319 Dave told me, I guess they brought this show back. 17 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,600 It's called Fear Factor. All right. 18 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,880 Now, for those of you who are not familiar with the show, 19 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:20,480 imagine a man who was really scared of spiders. 20 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,840 So this show would be the kind of show that would take someone 21 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:30,520 like that, put him in a clear plexiglass cage so we could see. 22 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,880 Then they open the top of the cage that he can't reach, and 23 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,680 they dump in a couple of boxes of spiders. 24 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:45,480 And then we watch or imagine a woman who happens to be afraid 25 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,280 of heights, which is one of my fears. 26 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:53,680 So they blindfold her, tie a safety rope onto her belt, lead 27 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,680 her out to the edge of a Cliff, tell her to take off the 28 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:01,680 blindfold. What a stupid idea for a show. 29 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:08,400 Seriously. You know, one of my biggest 30 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:15,240 fears, honestly, is losing control in a situation like 31 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:22,160 missing a connecting flight, being stranded in an unknown 32 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:28,280 airport in a foreign country on the other side of the world. 33 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:36,280 This happened to me, OK? And I'll tell you, my fear and 34 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:44,080 anxiety shot through the roof. Have you ever felt that kind of 35 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:51,000 numbing, consuming anxiety? A deep fear or terror that feeds 36 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:58,160 upon your darkest thoughts? The good news is this though, we 37 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:04,960 do not have to live that way. You see, the idea we're looking 38 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:10,040 at this morning is this. Jesus frees us from our fears, 39 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,240 whether our fear is about a family member or a close friend, 40 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:21,560 our need for a job, overcoming paying off debts, overcoming an 41 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,640 addiction, finding that right person to spend our life with, 42 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:30,480 finding that future job or career, the anxiety of a health 43 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:35,240 crisis. Whatever our fear is, Jesus can 44 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:42,480 give us freedom. So let's start reading some 45 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:47,520 verses in John chapter 14. OK, beginning at verse one. 46 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,600 Here we go. Let not your hearts be troubled. 47 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,160 believe in God. By the way, it's Jesus that's 48 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,560 speaking. believe in God, believe also in me. 49 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,120 In my Father's house are many rooms. 50 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,960 If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a 51 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,360 place for you? And if I go to prepare a place 52 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:14,600 for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I 53 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:19,519 am, you may be also. And you know the way to where 54 00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:23,480 I'm going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we 55 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,840 don't know where you're going. How can we know the way? 56 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:34,120 Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. 57 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:39,000 No one comes to the Father except through me. 58 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:45,200 Let's jump down to verse 15. If you love me, you will keep my 59 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,040 commandments, and I will ask the Father, and He will give you 60 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,360 another helper to be with you forever. 61 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:56,560 Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because 62 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,760 it neither sees Him nor knows Him. 63 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,560 You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 64 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:08,560 Verse 25. These things I have spoken to 65 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,880 you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, 66 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,800 whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all 67 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,280 things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said 68 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:25,600 to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace 69 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:30,000 I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give 70 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,640 to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, 71 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:40,760 neither let them be afraid. OK, we're going to be looking at 72 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,680 two ways Jesus frees us from fear. 73 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:52,040 First way, Jesus frees us from fear when we make 2 choices. 74 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,240 That's in verse one and then also in verse 27. 75 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:04,360 Secondly, Jesus frees us from fear when we believe for facts. 76 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:08,120 Now I say believe, but actually it's more than that because this 77 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,040 is not information. This is basically information we 78 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:16,560 have to act upon all right when we believe 4 facts. 79 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:21,400 So let's talk first of all about how Jesus frees us from fear. 80 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,280 When we make 2 choices, our first choice is actually there 81 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:30,520 in verse one, Jesus says believe in God, believe also in me. 82 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:35,000 Another way to translate that you believe in God, believe in 83 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:41,920 me too. You know, sometimes we can 84 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:44,680 believe some really strange things. 85 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:53,880 Like when I was a kid, a little guy I never wanted to sleep in 86 00:06:53,880 --> 00:07:01,000 bed with dangling my arm off the side of the bed or my leg off 87 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,240 the side of the bed. There might be a monster there. 88 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,240 You know what? I'm now 65 years old. 89 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,880 I still do not like to have my leg or arm dangling over the 90 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:21,960 side of the bed. Jesus is not talking about 91 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,280 childhood fear. Instead, he's referring to 92 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:32,240 believing and trusting in the Almighty God Himself and 93 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:38,120 trusting in Jesus himself, the perfect God, man who lived among 94 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:44,880 us and who died for us. Now, earlier in this Gospel, 95 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:49,960 back in Chapter 11, we're told there how Jesus's good friend 96 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:56,680 Lazarus died, and Jesus arrived at the home of Mary and Martha, 97 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,560 the sisters of Lazarus, about four days after he died. 98 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:05,000 And everybody's upset, including Jesus. 99 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:11,520 But as Jesus is standing outside Lazarus's tomb, he's talking to 100 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,760 Martha, Lazarus's sister, and he says this. 101 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:18,720 I am the resurrection and the life. 102 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:26,040 Whoever believes in me, though they die, yet shall they live, 103 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:30,640 And whoever believes in me shall never die. 104 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:36,919 Do you believe this? That's the question. 105 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:44,039 Because if we're going to overcome fear, we have to 106 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:48,240 believe in Jesus. That is put up or shut up time. 107 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,560 Martha was summoned to declare. Was she willing to believe and 108 00:08:53,560 --> 00:09:00,400 trust Jesus, especially when her fear said there is no hope for 109 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:06,720 her brother and Jesus raised her brother Lazarus from the dead? 110 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:13,320 You see, we can say, yeah, I believe, yeah, I trust. 111 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:20,480 But honestly, it's a crisis that reveals just how much we're 112 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:29,000 truly trusting God or not. You know, few years back, Linda 113 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,920 and I, my wife, we were back in North Carolina and we were 114 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:35,920 staying with our daughter and with her husband. 115 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,040 Now Cat, real name is Kathleen, but we call her Cat. 116 00:09:40,560 --> 00:09:47,920 She was very, very pregnant. And once, you know, a day before 117 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:50,680 their anniversary, she goes into labor. 118 00:09:52,560 --> 00:10:00,200 Now her husband Weston is there, Linda is there, her worry wart 119 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:07,960 anxious, driven father is there. Every time my daughter would 120 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:16,640 moan or groan, I was having conniption fits and finally this 121 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:20,560 all happened at their house. Finally, my daughter sent me to 122 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:24,320 bed. She said, Dad, you're making me 123 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:29,400 nervous. So I went upstairs to their 124 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,480 guest room and I finally started to do something right. 125 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:37,560 I started praying. I was praying for my daughter. 126 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:40,160 I was praying for myself. I was praying for the rest of 127 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:42,760 us. And I kept praying. 128 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:46,080 I had to choose to trust God. I had to keep up. 129 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:48,640 You know what? I fell asleep. 130 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,480 And the next morning I was in the house all by myself. 131 00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:57,880 I get this phone call. Beverly has shown up her 132 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:00,000 granddaughter. Boy, that was a piece of cake. 133 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:09,600 But seriously, bottom line is this. 134 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:16,600 We have to either trust God or be trapped by our fears. 135 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:23,560 We cannot do both. Second choice, first choice was 136 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:29,560 to believe in God, trust God. Second choice, choose not to be 137 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:32,920 troubled. You know, this is so important 138 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:35,600 that Jesus actually says this twice. 139 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:41,760 He says it in verse one where He tells his disciples, let not 140 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:45,800 your hearts be troubled. And then he says it again at 141 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:49,720 verse 27, the last verse that we read, Let not your hearts be 142 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:53,280 troubled kind of bookends the whole passage. 143 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:58,560 And the deal is, is that Jesus? The way he's saying this is it's 144 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:03,400 an ongoing command, all right. It's not a one time deal. 145 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:08,000 He's telling them and he's telling us every time you start 146 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:12,440 to lapse into fear, into trouble, let not your hearts be 147 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:16,760 troubled. Stop it now. 148 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:25,080 Now the question is, why were their hearts so troubled? 149 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:31,800 Well, if we go back to chapter 13, there's three reasons why 150 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:34,240 they're troubled, why they're freaking out. 151 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:41,440 First reason, Jesus tells them back in John 13, One of you will 152 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:46,280 betray me. Now we know that it's Judas. 153 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:54,520 Judas Iscariot, they don't know that, but somebody in that room 154 00:12:55,440 --> 00:13:02,200 is going to turn traitor. Secondly, Jesus tells us them 155 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:08,520 he's leaving them and he's tells them you can't follow me now. 156 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:14,680 They have followed Jesus for three years at this point and 157 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:24,640 now he's going away. 3rd Peter, the leader of the 12 told Jesus 158 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:29,360 at the end of that chapter that even if everybody else turned 159 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:33,200 away, he would not. And Jesus told him, Peter, you 160 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:39,960 are going to fail me miserably. Before this night is out, you 161 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:44,640 will deny 3 times that you even know me. 162 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:54,560 The disciples were stuck. They were stewing in their 163 00:13:54,560 --> 00:14:00,480 troubled hearts, and I wasn't doing them one bit of good. 164 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:08,920 They needed to make and keep making another choice. 165 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:14,680 It's it's like this guys in the Old Testament Israel too, a lot 166 00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:17,840 of times kept making the wrong choice, not trusting God, but in 167 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,000 choose instead chose to be troubled. 168 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:25,640 So it says this in Isaiah for the Lord God the Holy one of 169 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:30,960 Israel has said you will be delivered by returning and 170 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,080 resting. Your strength will be your 171 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:38,520 confidence, but you were not willing. 172 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:47,880 That's really sad. The Lord wanted to help His 173 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:54,040 people, but they kept making the wrong choice. 174 00:14:54,960 --> 00:15:01,360 They kept turning away from Him. See, choosing to trust or 175 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:05,120 believe Jesus and not letting our hearts be troubled. 176 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,280 It's really not 2 separate things. 177 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:10,080 It's basically two sides of the same coin. 178 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,360 They really go together. The issue is this. 179 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:20,000 Will we make the right choice and experience the freedom only 180 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:25,040 trusting Jesus can provide, or will we choose our fears? 181 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,120 Take a look at this picture on the screens behind me. 182 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,400 This is taken from a movie called The Court Jester. 183 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:39,680 Now, these two Knights are just about ready to fight each other 184 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:43,000 to the death. And the littler knight, All 185 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,800 right, you notice he's reaching down and he's picking up a cup. 186 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:49,360 Now, the littler knight, his name is Hubert. 187 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:53,200 He's about ready to poison himself. 188 00:15:55,400 --> 00:16:03,360 He knows one of these cups of wine is poisoned and he even 189 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:08,200 learned a little poem to help him to remember which cup to 190 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:13,000 pick and which one not to pick. He was told the pellet with the 191 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,160 poisons in the vessel with the pestle. 192 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:17,920 The flagon with the dragon has the brood. 193 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:22,280 That is true. The poor guy still picks up the 194 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:31,520 wrong cup. Likewise, Jesus is telling his 195 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:37,120 disciples and us to stop letting our hearts be troubled. 196 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:42,640 Instead trust His Father and himself. 197 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:52,120 Don't pick up the poison cup. I can't tell you how many times 198 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:59,520 I have picked up that cup knowing it doesn't do a bit of 199 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:01,160 good. As a matter of fact, it's going 200 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:06,920 to harm me. Instead, I have to trust God. 201 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:15,119 So how exactly do we keep our hearts from being overwhelmed 202 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:20,680 when trouble comes? That phone call or text in the 203 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:25,720 middle of the night being told we lost our job? 204 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:32,320 A sudden health crisis? You see, trouble is like an 205 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,480 enrolling tide. There's nothing we can do to 206 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:37,440 stop it. It's going to come. 207 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:43,240 So what do we do? The answer is this. 208 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:53,560 We need to focus on Jesus first. Let me show you what that 209 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:57,960 actually looks like. All right, go with me over to 210 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:03,880 Matthew, first book of the New Testament, Matthew chapter 14, 211 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:09,440 Matthew chapter 14. I'm going to start reading at 212 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:13,680 verse 22. All right, Matthew 14, verse 22, 213 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:21,240 immediately He, that's Jesus made his made the disciples get 214 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:25,840 into the boat and go before him to the other side while he 215 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:29,560 dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the 216 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,200 crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. 217 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,240 And when evening came, he was there alone. 218 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:45,120 But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten 219 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:48,080 by the waves, for the wind was against them. 220 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:52,480 And in the 4th watch, that's between 3:00 in the morning and 221 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:58,880 six in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking 222 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:02,120 on the sea. But when the disciples saw him 223 00:19:02,120 --> 00:19:06,800 walking on the sea, they were terrified and said it is a 224 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,600 ghost. And they cried out in fear. 225 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,400 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart, it is 226 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:20,200 I do not be afraid. And Peter answered him, Lord, if 227 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:24,640 it is you, command me to come to you on the water. 228 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:29,760 He said, come. So Peter got out of the boat and 229 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:33,120 walked on the water and came to Jesus. 230 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:38,800 But when he saw the wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink. 231 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:44,880 He cried out, Lord, save me. Jesus immediately reached out 232 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:50,400 his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, O you of little 233 00:19:50,400 --> 00:20:00,960 faith, why did you doubt? It didn't matter how big those 234 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:06,400 waves were. It didn't matter how fierce the 235 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,000 wind was. It didn't matter how terrified 236 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:17,560 the other disciples were. As long as Peter kept his focus 237 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:26,680 on Jesus, he was fine. Likewise, when he took his eyes 238 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:32,680 off of Jesus, started looking at the wind, looking at the massive 239 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:36,440 waves, he began to sink. But we need to notice this. 240 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:44,480 He was still fine because Jesus immediately took hold of his 241 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:52,840 hand. He was totally safe being 242 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:58,440 focused on Jesus. What are we focusing on? 243 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:06,760 Jesus the Almighty Son of God or our troubles and fear that keeps 244 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:13,520 yapping at us like one of those little rat dogs you know you 245 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:20,920 just go away. He is more than enough to handle 246 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:25,720 any fear or whatever it is that we are struggling with. 247 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:30,640 We have to trust and keep our focus on Him. 248 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,720 Now, something else that really have helps us out as well when 249 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:40,960 it comes to losing our fears is remembering some very important 250 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,880 information, and that is these 4 facts that I'm going to briefly 251 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:48,520 touch on now. All right, so fact #1 going back 252 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,440 to John chapter 14, fact number one is this. 253 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:56,880 We lose our fears when we remember and believe. 254 00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:00,680 First of all, we have a permanent place. 255 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:06,280 Jesus describes it in verses 2 to 4, where he said in my 256 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:10,320 father's house are many rooms. Now I know the King James says 257 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:12,880 mansions. Sorry, guys, it's rooms. 258 00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:19,760 OK, The word there rooms, Monet. It only shows up twice in the 259 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,480 Greek New Testament, both times right in this chapter. 260 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,120 All right. And Jesus's point is simply 261 00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:27,720 this. There is plenty of room for 262 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:33,960 everybody, all right? And it's going to be nice. 263 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:38,720 It's going to be real nice. You want to find out what your 264 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,880 permanent home is going to be like, go read the last two 265 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:46,920 chapters of the last book of the Bible, Revelation, chapters 21 266 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:48,760 and 22. It's pretty awesome. 267 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,960 OK. Fanciest house I've probably 268 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,040 ever been in would be Hearst Castle. 269 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,760 Over there on San Simeon, I guess. 270 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,280 Yeah. No, it's over there. 271 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:09,840 OK, Let me tell you, Hearst Castle would be like a tar paper 272 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,760 shack compared to our Father's house. 273 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:17,960 And you know what? The invitation is out. 274 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:23,760 He is coming for us, He says. So specifically, He is coming 275 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:28,720 for us, for every child of God to take us home to be with him 276 00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:33,000 forever. Second fact, we have a perfect 277 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:38,360 path and that's Jesus. Did you notice what Jesus said 278 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:40,560 at the Universe 4? And you know the way to where 279 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:45,520 I'm going? And Thomas bless Thomas the 280 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:51,560 honest, struggling disciple. Thomas is so confused, he blurts 281 00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:56,120 out, Lord, we don't know where you're going, how can we know 282 00:23:56,120 --> 00:24:02,360 the way? See what Jesus was telling him 283 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,920 that he's going away. They know the way it made 284 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:12,240 absolutely no sense. You know when the Lord tells us 285 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:16,880 something and we can't figure it out doesn't seem to make a whole 286 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,160 lot of sense. That's especially the time we 287 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:25,120 need to trust him. We need to do what he wants us 288 00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:30,600 to do. So couple weeks ago our small 289 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:35,600 group, we went on a tour after church at the Bakersfield 290 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,240 Pregnancy Center over on 18th St. and one of the people that 291 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:42,640 took us on that tour was Aaron Rodgers, long time friend of 292 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:46,680 Linda, myself. And Aaron was describing for us 293 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,680 something they do called the Teacup Talk. 294 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:53,440 They actually have tea cups available and they will bring 295 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,160 out these cups with certain clients that come in. 296 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:00,440 And the whole point of the talk was to demonstrate to the client 297 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:06,600 just how precious they are in the sight of God, made in God's 298 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:10,920 image. So Aaron was talking with this 299 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:17,640 client and boy, she was tough. She was like old shoe leather 300 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:23,880 and this lady's laying out her story and Aaron's listening and 301 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:28,200 talking to her in her office and clears a bell as they were 302 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,440 interacting back and forth. Aaron hears this little voice in 303 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:37,960 her hair head teacup. And she thinks I am not doing 304 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:41,680 the teacup thing with this lady. She might, you know, you know, 305 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:46,600 you never know. So she ignores it and they talk, 306 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,280 and they're at her interacting some more. 307 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:52,360 And then a second time she hears teacup. 308 00:25:55,320 --> 00:26:03,720 Keeps talking. Third time teacup she goes. 309 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,680 She gets the cup, she brings it into her office, closes the 310 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:13,800 door, explains how precious this woman is in the sight of God, 311 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,960 and the lady breaks down sobbing. 312 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:24,200 Didn't make any sense to Aaron, but she did what God wanted her 313 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:28,120 to do. Thomas, what he's hearing from 314 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:31,800 Jesus is not making any sense. So he asks a question. 315 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:34,640 Where are you going? We don't know the way. 316 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,240 You know what? Jesus does not mind at all when 317 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,920 we ask him questions. Just need to understand 318 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:46,760 sometimes the answer he's going to give you may not be the 319 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:52,200 answer you want, or he might choose not to answer us at all 320 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:54,160 at that time, but may answer us later. 321 00:26:54,600 --> 00:27:02,160 He's God, we're not. But this time, verse 6, Jesus 322 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,080 gives him and us a direct answer. 323 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,640 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 324 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:14,440 No one comes to the Father except through me. 325 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:19,000 One writer expressed it this way, what Jesus was saying. 326 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:22,720 No one else has seen God or made him known. 327 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:27,000 No one else speaks and embodies the truth as he does. 328 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,360 No one else shares the very life of God. 329 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:35,600 No one else can claim to know God while rejecting Jesus, his 330 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:40,200 Son. Jesus is not just the way to 331 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,720 God, He is the path that shows us. 332 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:48,360 He shows us how we are supposed to live for God, how we can 333 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:52,440 please and honor God. He gives us direction. 334 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:58,720 He's our guide. All of us at some time have 335 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,800 probably used GPS, you know, try to find something. 336 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:05,160 And GPS is wonderful as long as it works. 337 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:12,720 The thing about Jesus though is the Lord Jesus Christ gives us 338 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:19,400 absolute perfect directions and a way to come into the very 339 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:28,520 presence of the Father himself. He makes no mistakes. 3rd fact 340 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:33,160 we need to be aware of we have a permanent partner. 341 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:40,080 Jesus describes him as another helper, another meaning, simply 342 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:44,560 another of the same kind. Just like the Father, just like 343 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,240 the Son, so also God. The Holy Spirit is likewise 344 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:57,400 fully and totally God Jesus. In the new excuse me, in the 345 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:02,280 English standard translation, it says that Jesus called the Holy 346 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:06,720 Spirit the Helper. In the Christian standard 347 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:11,680 translation, he's our counselor. In the new living translation, 348 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:15,760 he's our advocate. So which is true? 349 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:20,760 All of them. There is no one single English 350 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:24,680 word for the word Jesus is using Paraclete. 351 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:29,960 It means one who comes alongside, one who was closest, 352 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:36,600 closer to us than anyone else, one who was with us, constantly 353 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:42,360 guiding, directing. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our 354 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:44,920 teacher. He guides us into a deeper 355 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:51,520 knowledge of God's truth, a never ending, deeper, truthful 356 00:29:51,520 --> 00:30:01,320 knowledge of God Himself. You know, smartphones are pretty 357 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:03,720 nice. One of the nice things about 358 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,640 smartphones is that you can, we can take them out of our pocket 359 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:09,360 and we want to know something. And so we just talk into the 360 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:11,920 thing, OK, We even have a name for it, right? 361 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:15,320 Googling. Well, The thing is, is when we 362 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,760 get that information, sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not 363 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:21,880 good. Sometimes, frankly, it's wrong. 364 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:27,800 That's not how it is with the Holy Spirit. 365 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:34,960 The Holy Spirit, He's our helper, counselor, advocate. 366 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:42,280 As we walk with him, we are in a transforming relationship of 367 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:46,560 friendship in which we become more like Jesus. 368 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:51,800 The other thing about Jesus tells us about the Holy Spirit 369 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:56,600 is He's our permanent resident. Once we come to know Jesus as 370 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:00,960 our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes in and he never 371 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:05,320 leaves. He'll be with us through all 372 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:09,800 eternity. The 4th fact In some ways guys, 373 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,320 verse 27 is perhaps the most important. 374 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:24,760 We can have perfect peace. People are constantly looking 375 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:31,040 for peace, rest, a sense of calm in the midst of turmoil. 376 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,840 But the peace out there, it's transitory, it's elusive. 377 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:43,880 It's a mirage that just keeps disappearing because quite 378 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:48,400 frankly, out there in the world, there is no permanent peace. 379 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:54,080 That's why we're told, but the wicked are like the tossing sea. 380 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,840 It cannot be quiet. It's waters toss up mire and 381 00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:03,440 dirt. There is no peace, says my God. 382 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:11,200 For the wicked Jesus, peace is totally different, He says. 383 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:16,520 It's not like the world's peace. Jesus peace is the kind of peace 384 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:22,120 that allowed him to sleep blissfully on the cushion of a 385 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:26,960 boat in the middle of Lake Galilee as there was a terrible 386 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:31,760 storm raging and his disciples were freaking out and there's 387 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:38,480 Jesus fast asleep. Jesus peace is the kind of peace 388 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:44,240 that later this same night as he was talking to his disciples in 389 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:50,440 this chapter, later this same night, he will be betrayed, he 390 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:57,320 will be arrested, he will be falsely accused, he will be 391 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:09,640 tortured, crucified. He will also experience what was 392 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:14,280 undoubtedly the most difficult thing the Son of God ever 393 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:19,360 experienced, and that is as the sins of the entire world were 394 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:27,400 placed upon him, the sinless sacrifice his Father for the one 395 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:32,720 and only time God the Father had to turn away from him because 396 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:39,760 God cannot look upon sin. And for that moment, Jesus was 397 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:45,800 completely alone. He cried out, My God, my God, 398 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:55,760 why have you forsaken me? The sacrifices was accepted, the 399 00:33:55,760 --> 00:34:00,000 payment was made. And then Jesus, after he had 400 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:06,640 done everything he needed to do, he says it is finished. 401 00:34:09,199 --> 00:34:12,880 And then we're told, as his peace returned, he committed his 402 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:16,199 Spirit to his Father, and he chose to die. 403 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:27,719 Even in the midst of terrible things, Jesus still had peace. 404 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:39,000 So how can we experience Jesus's peace, especially when our fears 405 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:43,360 seem to be so overwhelming? We have to do three things. 406 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:52,159 First, we keep our focus on Jesus, not our fears, just as 407 00:34:52,159 --> 00:34:56,719 Jesus kept his focus upon fulfilling His Father's will. 408 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:01,440 Many of us, I'm sure, have driven over the Grapevine when 409 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:04,880 there has been a strong wind blowing over that pass. 410 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:10,480 And it can be a little crazy because you could feel the wind 411 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:14,640 pushing against your vehicle, trying to push you off the road. 412 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:18,400 So you plant both hands on the wheel and you hold on. 413 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:24,200 That's exactly what we're talking in this first point. 414 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:32,400 We have to keep our focus on Jesus, not our fears, just as 415 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:36,680 Jesus's focus was upon doing what his Father sent him to do. 416 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:45,040 Secondly, we keep passionately seeking God in prayer no matter 417 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:48,600 what. I'll let you read that verse 418 00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:54,360 reference there, Philippians 4-6 and seven, but it's telling us 419 00:35:55,320 --> 00:36:00,160 take everything without exception, everything to God in 420 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:04,560 prayer. You ever played whack a mole? 421 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:10,720 Now, for those of you who are maybe not so sophisticated, 422 00:36:10,720 --> 00:36:13,600 whack a mole is simply, you know, you're standing in front 423 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:15,160 of this board. It's got all these holes in 424 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:20,480 there, and you have a mallet, all right, And something pops up 425 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:22,400 out of the hole. You know, some little Gopher 426 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:24,520 thing pops up out of the hole, and what are you supposed to do? 427 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:28,320 All right, you're trying to whack the mole. 428 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:33,040 So you whack the mole, and then little critter pops up out 429 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:34,000 another hole. What do you do? 430 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:37,600 You whack the mole. That's the idea. 431 00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:44,480 We keep taking every fear, every thought, every anxiety. 432 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:51,880 We keep taking it to God and we keep whacking no matter what. 433 00:36:53,600 --> 00:37:00,440 And then we're told that if we'll do that, the peace of God 434 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:04,560 will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. 435 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:09,480 The third thing we have to do, we have to seek out the 436 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:14,080 strength, help and love of others in our community. 437 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:21,320 I am so thankful for the guys I can hang with every week in my 438 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:23,920 mentor group, for my small group. 439 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:29,400 I'm thankful for years, Pastor Mark and I have hung out and now 440 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,680 he's heading off somewhere. I don't like it. 441 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:35,160 I might let the air out of the tires of his truck. 442 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:44,520 No, I won't. The point is, though, is that we 443 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:48,000 need help. We need help from our brothers 444 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:51,640 and sisters in Christ. We're not meant to face our 445 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:55,880 fears alone, guys. We need that community people to 446 00:37:55,880 --> 00:37:59,560 come alongside us, to love us, to encourage us, to support us. 447 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:02,480 That's what we're supposed to do. 448 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:12,800 All right, Our main idea again, Jesus frees us from our fears. 449 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:19,320 Now, maybe you're someone that came to church this morning and 450 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:24,040 you're not sure about the things that I've been telling you 451 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:26,640 about. Maybe you're somebody who would 452 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:29,240 say, no, I'm not really a Christian, but I, I just wanted 453 00:38:29,240 --> 00:38:31,560 to check this out. I wanted to find out what was 454 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:34,240 going on here. Well, first of all, let me tell 455 00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:37,520 you, I'm glad you're here. We're glad you're here. 456 00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:41,280 But I need to also tell you this. 457 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:49,120 The freedom from fear that Jesus offers, the peace he provides, 458 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:57,560 You have not experienced it because you don't know him, but 459 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:08,120 you absolutely can see. Receiving Jesus alone is when we 460 00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:15,640 make a decision to allow Jesus into our heart and life to be 461 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:20,640 make him our Savior and Lord, to ask Him to cleanse us of the 462 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:24,400 sins that prevent us from having a relationship with God. 463 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:30,200 It's the new beginning. The Bible says that when someone 464 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:34,000 does this, they are a new creation in Christ. 465 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:37,800 All that old stuff is gone. The new has come. 466 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:48,680 So if you would like to have that relationship with Jesus, in 467 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:51,760 just a moment, I'm going to lead us in a prayer. 468 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:55,560 And if that's where you're at, you want to know Jesus, I would 469 00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:59,200 invite you to pray this with me. Can I ask everybody to go ahead? 470 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:02,880 Bow your heads. close your eyes. So there's no distraction. 471 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:09,680 If you want to know Jesus, either pray out loud or in your 472 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:17,840 heart with me, Jesus. I want a relationship with you. 473 00:40:19,720 --> 00:40:25,920 I want to know you as my Savior, as my Lord. 474 00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:37,040 I ask you, Jesus, to take away my sin, to give me a new life. 475 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:45,000 Thank you Jesus for your love. Thank you Jesus, for your 476 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:51,240 salvation. Now, if you prayed that prayer, 477 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,480 would you just be willing to raise your hands so I could see 478 00:40:55,480 --> 00:41:00,240 you? You may put your hands down. 479 00:41:00,240 --> 00:41:08,760 Thank you in Jesus name, Amen. Can I ask everybody to go ahead 480 00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:19,880 and stand please if you prayed with me just now and ask Jesus 481 00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:24,600 to enter your heart and life. Welcome to the family. 482 00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:32,160 You just made the best decision you're ever going to make. 483 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:36,800 In a little while, our service is going to be finished. 484 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:41,360 But before our service finishes, I would strongly encourage you. 485 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:45,960 We have over here a table over here, another table that says 486 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:47,840 behind it. I raised my hand. 487 00:41:48,320 --> 00:41:50,560 Please go back there. We'll have people there. 488 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:55,560 We'd love to help you. We have things a gift for you. 489 00:41:55,560 --> 00:42:01,120 We would love to help you in your new walk with our Savior 490 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:08,240 and Lord Jesus. Now Christians, we have all 491 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:15,840 struggled with fear. The question for us is this, are 492 00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:23,080 we willing to come to Jesus and passionately seek Him for the 493 00:42:23,080 --> 00:42:26,800 strength and healing that only He can provide? 494 00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:35,080 If that's your desire to seek Him out, to be set free from 495 00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:38,600 fear and anxieties and to keep seeking them out as those fear 496 00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:41,960 and anxieties come back, why don't we? 497 00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:50,200 You let us help you, help us help you, maybe by praying 498 00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:55,800 together with you right now, maybe by opening up and sharing 499 00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:58,040 with other Christian brothers and sisters. 500 00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:01,640 No one has to do this battle alone. 501 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:05,520 We have a great Lord, but we also have brothers and sisters 502 00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:08,080 in Christ. I'm going to invite the prayer 503 00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:13,800 team to come forward now. If you would like prayer for 504 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:18,880 help or if you want prayer for something else, you come 505 00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:21,360 forward. We want to pray with you. 506 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:27,920 We want to encourage you. We want to see you grow in your 507 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:30,160 trust and in your walk with Jesus.