Welcome to the Illuminate Church podcast.
We hope today's message is encouraging to you.
Welcome to Illuminate Church. We're glad you're here today,
especially if you're new, especially if today's your first
time or maybe you've been coming for a few weeks.
I just want to let you know our heart of Illuminate Church is
that you are welcome here. We are glad you're here.
We want to be an inclusive church and grow because you are
welcome here and people need to hear God's word.
We need a church family, and that's why we're here.
If we haven't met yet, my name is Kim Taff.
I'm one of the executive pastors at Illuminate Church.
And I'm really excited about the message today.
I'm glad you're here. We're in a series called The
Seven Habits of Jesus People, The Seven Habits of Jesus
People. And today we're talking about
habit #5 so we've covered for today's #5 we've got two more
weeks to go. And in this series, we're
talking about what it means to be peculiar people, to kill your
people. And when you hear peculiar
people, you might be thinking, is that a good thing?
Peculiar kind of sounds like it has a negative connotation, like
weird, weirdos. But peculiar literally just
means unusual or different, unusual or different.
And that could be a very good thing, especially when you look
at what normal is in our culture.
I found there are some peculiar laws in the state of Florida,
unusual laws that I didn't know about.
And I thought I should share them with you because I would
hate for something to happen, you to violate a law, and then
something legal happens and you're like, I didn't know that
that was a law. Nobody told me.
So I'm going to tell you these things.
These are laws today in the state of Florida.
Now, most of these are very old and outdated, but they're still
on the books, probably not enforced, but they're but
they're real. I found them be to be peculiar.
Do you want to hear what they are?
For example, did you know that in Sarasota, if you ever go
there, it is illegal to sing in public while wearing a swimsuit?
It's true. Don't try it in Sarasota.
See what happens You. I mean, another unusual law in
Florida is it is illegal for an unmarried woman to parachute on
a Sunday. The other six days a week, knock
yourselves out, but not on Sundays if you're not married
yet. I have no idea where that came
from. Another peculiar law in Florida
is it is illegal to tie an elephant to a parking meter.
I guess back in the day they had a big problem with that and
they've had to pass a law, one more peculiar law in Florida,
and this one made more sense, but it is illegal to fish while
driving. Now you know why they had to
make that law, right? Some guy was driving.
And I say guy intentional. I'm assuming it was a guy
driving past the lake, driving over a bridge something maybe
saw a fish jump, looked over. He's got his fishing pole there
and he says, I got an idea, picks up the fishing pole
driving with this elbow. You know that happened, right?
Or they wouldn't have passed the law.
Those are some peculiar laws in our state.
And I love Florida, I really do. The point is, peculiar people
are different or unusual. We stand out in a good way and
we should stand out. Romans 12/2 says do not be
conformed to this world. But I wonder sometimes, are
really Christians that different than the rest of the world?
The people around us who aren't Jesus followers yet should see
and hear a difference in US. Jesus said, if you are my
disciples, you are the light of the world, you are a light.
But how we live our lives determines if we are a bright
light or a dim light for Jesus. Are you a spotlight or a
candlelight for Jesus? And I think the challenge for
the church and for Christians, and I know this because I've
experienced this, is that many Christians are living, or I
should probably say most Christians, especially in
America, are living with one foot in for God and the other
foot in the world. We like what Jesus offers.
It's great, it's good news. But the truth is, especially in
America, we like what the world offers too.
We know following Jesus is best for the long term, but we're not
so sure it's best for us now in the short term, in this life.
I want abundant life, but I want the American dream too.
I want that too. And I believe Jesus is saying, I
believe he has said it to me clearly.
If you only knew, if you could only get a glimpse from my
perspective, if we could get a glimpse from his perspective,
how minor, how little, how unimportant that stuff is
compared to what God offers, There's no comparison.
Many Christians are in for following Jesus when it comes to
salvation. We're in for following Jesus
when it comes to needing healing or the hope that only comes from
God. But we're hesitant to go all in
because the truth is, we're afraid we might miss out on
something this world's offering us.
And we can end up not being different from everyone else,
not being peculiar people. We can end up being lukewarm
Christians, not hot or cold. And sadly, we might never
experience the abundant life, the purposeful and satisfying
life that Jesus makes possible for us now in this life.
And today's message is one of the habits, one of the seven
habits of Jesus people is serving, serving others.
And I know that this is where people probably are tempted to
check out. I've heard this before.
I know that already. I believe God has something new
for all of us today, even if you're already serving, even if
you've heard a message on serving before.
I honestly believe that. So I ask you to not tune out.
What we're going to talk about today is there are three parts
to serving others that makes us peculiar.
And it takes all three parts to be a peculiar person #1 Jesus
people know to serve others, Jesus people want to serve
others, and Jesus people serve others.
Those are three separate things and we'll talk about those
things today. What we're talking about is our
head, our heart and, and our hands.
So number one, I encourage you to take notes.
I always do. I take notes usually twice a
Sunday because I just, I just pay attention better.
I retain things better. And here's what happens if you
come to, say, 50 Sunday services per year and just get one
principle that applies to your life that you can apply to your
life at the end of that year. That's going to be some big
changes. But it's only if we choose to
listen and apply those things to our life.
If we, if we're what the Bible calls hearers only and go out
and don't apply anything to our lives, it really doesn't make a
difference. So I encourage you always to
take notes. But #1 Jesus people know to
serve others. That's why I say we already know
that. We know we should.
We know it's the Jesus thing to do, right?
Serve others. When we look at Jesus, he is
God, he is the King of kings, he is the Lord of Lords.
And he said in Matthew 2028 about himself, he said the Son
of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.
And I think to myself, if anyone deserves to be served, it's
Jesus. And he said that's not why I'm
here. I came to serve.
And it's like it just blows our brain.
Like how did why is that becoming more and more like
Jesus? Being peculiar people means
changing to think more of others and serving others and less
about ourselves. That's a big statement because
let me ask you a question, is that easy?
It's probably the hardest change that I'm still working on in
myself. It is for me.
It's not easy. I believe it's one of the
hardest changes to our nature that we can ever make.
Our flesh nature is selfish, self-centered.
Our natural desire is all about what we want.
But peculiar people do what it says in Philippians 2, which I'm
going to read to you, and it's not natural or easy.
It takes the Holy Spirit in us to change like this, but this is
what it says. These are Paul's instructions to
the church from Philippians 2, three through 5.
He told the church do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
conceit. Rather in humility, value others
above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of
you to the interests of others and your relationship with one
another. Have the same mindset as Christ
Jesus. He's saying think of others
higher than yourself, above yourself, above what you want
because that's what Jesus did. At Illuminate Church, our
mission and our purpose is to make disciples of Jesus.
And I think one of the challenges we face is most
people, myself probably included, if you go back a
while, but most people don't really know or understand what
the word disciple means. Jesus's last instructions to us
in Matthew 28 isn't to go tell the world about me, go make
believers in Jesus. His instructions were to go and
make disciples. So your purpose, your purpose,
your ultimate purpose in life isn't only to be a believer in
Jesus. Now, yes, that's the way to
salvation. That's how our sins are
forgiven. Salvation is a gift based on
nothing we do, based on what he did.
It's a gift that we just receive.
But the purpose of the rest of our lives after salvation, our
number one purpose. We have many purposes from
parenting and providing and all those things, but our number one
purpose is to be a disciple of Jesus and make other disciples
of Jesus. That's the purpose of all of us.
Now, maybe we haven't discovered that yet and that's kind of why
we're feeling or thinking God, what is my purpose?
Have you ever heard anything, someone, anyone ask that
question or feel that way? Is it just to make a living and
buy things and pay the bills and die someday?
Is that my purpose? No, our purpose is to be a
disciple in Jesus and to make disciples in Jesus.
Jesus told us that, but are we living that being?
What is the being a disciple of Jesus mean?
I'm not sure we really understand.
Disciple isn't a word we use much unless you're watching the
chosen right? They used the word disciple a
lot, but it's kind of like a churchy word, a Bible word, a
word people used a long time ago.
But that disciple is still a word we need to understand today
and use today. Maybe not in culture outside the
church, but definitely inside the church.
Because listen, what Jesus meant by follow me and be my disciple
has the same meaning today to us as it did when he asked Peter
and John and Matthew and the 12 to follow him and be his
disciples. When you have the opportunity to
be a disciple of Jesus, it's Jesus offering that invitation.
Come follow me, be my disciple. We have the opportunity to say
yes to that, that invitation, to that life.
Would God get mad if we don't? No, but he's saying, but this is
the most purposeful life you can live.
But do we really know what it means?
In Jesus's time, disciple was not an uncommon word.
Everyone knew what it meant. Jesus wasn't the only one who
had disciples. It wasn't uncommon.
Other Jewish rabbis, Rabbi means teacher, also had disciples.
But one of the big differences was the other rabbis chose their
disciples from the best of the best, the brightest of the
brightest, the smartest of the smartest.
They chose their disciples by who was the most qualified.
It would be like, it'd be like you going to an Ivy League
school, Yale or Harvard, and only narrowing down your pool of
potential disciples as who has their doctorate degree, who has
a four point O, who has the right pedigree, the right
background, the right family, all of that.
I'm picking from them. And I would be like, I don't
qualify. I can't qualify.
I grew up in Parkview trailer court.
That's not the right pedigree. I have a PHDA public high school
diploma, but I only have a bachelor's degree in college and
I don't have a four point O and I didn't go to an Ivy League
school. So I can't, I can't, I don't
qualify. But Jesus came along and didn't
choose the most educated. He chose the average and
ordinary people, at least four, if not potentially six or seven
of the 12 disciples were fishermen, blue collar,
ordinary, purple with no, the ordinary people with no theology
degree weren't highly educated, weren't the best of the best.
And I think he intentionally did that.
So you and I can't say I don't qualify.
I could never do that. It doesn't apply to me.
The truth is, we all qualify. But here's the key to being a
disciple. The disciples purpose.
If they said yes to the invitation to follow a rabbi, if
they said yes, it wasn't Their purpose wasn't just to learn
from a rabbi. It wasn't just to get educated.
It wasn't just for training. It wasn't just to follow the
rabbi. The disciples purpose was to
choose to and intentionally change and become like the
rabbi. That's a disciples purpose.
If they said yes, our education system doesn't work that way.
Our education system today is to get educated, knowledge,
information, learn. But it's not to become like the
teacher, right? That's why disciple is very,
very different. And when Jesus invited Peter and
said follow me and I will make you fishers of men, it was a
life altering opportunity for Peter.
And Peter knew that if he said yes, he would never be the same
again. His purpose would be to change
and become like the teacher, like Jesus.
And listen, it's the same for us today.
If you say, yes, I want to be a disciple of Jesus, you're saying
I'm choosing to change. I will follow him, listen to
him, learn from him, study him, and become more and more like
him and less and less like my old self.
You can't be a disciple of Jesus and stay the same as you were
before being a disciple of Jesus.
Choosing to be a disciple, not just a believer, not just a
church attender, A disciple. Being a disciple is the pathway
is the way that leads to abundant life.
Jesus said I have come that you might have life and have it
abundantly and we're like, I love that scripture.
Send me the abundance. Do you like the way Jesus made a
way? The way is by being his disciple
and making other disciples. Being a disciple of Jesus is the
best life we can possibly live, the most satisfying, the most
fulfilling life we can live. Now, notice I did not say the
easiest. I did not say the most
comfortable or the most common, but it is the most purposeful
life we can choose. And if you're wondering, is that
really true? I mean, that sounds good.
I like this church's mission statement.
We help people find abundant life in Jesus.
I mean, that sounds good, but number one, is that really
happening here? I can tell you, yes, it is.
There are people finding, discovering abundant life in
Jesus. But number 2, is that really
true? Do you have any proof?
Do you have any evidence? Let me tell you my story, and I
only tell you this to encourage you.
My testimony is from my mid 20s to about my mid 40s.
I'm 59 today. I know you thought I was in my
mid 40s No I'm 59. I'm proud of it.
But anyway, from my mid From age 27 to my mid 40s, I worked in
financial services, I worked in sales and I'm not both.
Please don't take this as boasting, but by age 35 I had a
higher annual income than I ever could have dreamt or imagined
when I married my wife 39 years ago.
We got married in college. We were 20 and 19.
We dated since high school and by age 35 we were living the
dream. I honestly, if you would have
asked me to write my goals graduating college, they
wouldn't have been that big. They did.
From a from a worldly
standpoint, we were living the American dream.
But when I had the opportunity to join a church staff, I
couldn't do both and I had to choose to stay in the path I was
on, which financially was very good.
Or go a new direction and give that up and walk away.
Was that an easy decision? But we chose.
I wrote, I chose. But we chose.
We prayed. We chose to do what we believe
God was telling us to do. And I stand here proudly to say
that today our household income is less than half what it was
when I left my financial services career.
But I have far more abundant life.
I would not trade my life today for any anything else.
I have more peace, more satisfaction, more purpose than
I ever did before. And I'm not saying you have to
go into full time ministry. I'm not saying you have to work
for a church. I'm just talking about the
decisions we make. I'm talking about the purpose of
our life. I know the world would judge me
and say financially that was pretty dumb.
That was why would anyone do that?
I know there's people I used to work with that knew me.
We won a lot of awards and incentive trips and plaques the
size of me and things like that. And it was, it was fun.
And they're like, why would he? I don't get it.
That's OK. I will testify because I've
experienced that money, success and recognition and any other
thing, those things aren't bad, but they don't bring abundant
life. Those things have nothing with
what it to do with what it means to have abundant life in Jesus
and at at Illuminate Church we teach you the pathway that leads
to abundant life. We want everyone in this room
living and experiencing abundant life.
How does that come by being a disciple of Jesus life.
Step one, life. Step 2, meeting God, discovering
our true identity, discovering freedom, getting rid of the
wounds and living in deception from the enemy, becoming more
like Jesus and then leading others to do the same.
That is the pathway we introduce that pathway in life, step one
and two, there is no other way other than being a disciple of
Jesus. That leads to a life where we
experience abundant love, abundant peace, and abundant
joy. And I think that's what we want
more than anything else. And with Jesus, it's not only
possible, it's His purpose and His plan for you, every one of
us. So knowing what Jesus would do
is the first step, and I would probably say even the easy step.
The second part is harder than the first.
Knowing is good, but changing our heart is harder.
Number 2 is Jesus. People want to serve others want
to. That is not normal.
That makes people who want to serve others very peculiar.
Jesus didn't just serve people because He should, or because
it's the right thing to do, or because it looked bad if He
didn't. He genuinely cared and had
compassion for people. And how He cared for people
determined what He did for people.
Give you a couple examples. Matthew 1414.
When He went ashore, He saw a great crowd.
He had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Matthew 1532 when Jesus called his disciples to him and said I
have compassion on the crowd. My heart hurts for them because
they've been with me for three days and have nothing to eat.
I am unwilling to send them away hungry.
So he fed the crowd. Jesus didn't just serve people
because it was the right thing to do, the Christian thing to
do. He had compassion for them and
that's what determined what he did.
If we just do the right thing because we should, because we're
Christians, but without the heart, without the caring,
that's called legalism. It's empty.
It's not fulfilling. Well, I go to this church.
I guess I should serve. I guess I should do something to
help people. I don't really want to.
I don't really care. That's not the heart of Jesus.
That's a spirit of religion. But the Old Testament, the law
and the Old Testament was all about what to do and what not to
do, The laws and rules, obeying the law and following the rules.
That was how people earned God's approval.
That's the old covenant God had with the people.
But Jesus came and paid the price for our sins, and he made
a new covenant. He is the way we earn God's
approval. But Jesus didn't get rid of
God's standards for right or wrong.
Jesus didn't just obey God's word because it was a rule or
law. He obeyed God because he loved
God and he wanted to do what he said.
And if we're going to become like Jesus, we have to do the
same thing. Grace doesn't mean we should no
longer obey the Bible or obey God.
Instead, we should do what the Bible says, but not because it's
a rule. We should obey God with the
right heart, a heart like Jesus, a heart of love and a heart of
gratitude. Here's an example, whether you,
I mean this is this is really interesting to me in the Old
Testament, in the Old Testament, the old, the old covenant, the
rules, the laws, right in the Old Testament, bringing a tithe
of your income, bringing 10% to God was not optional.
It was a law, it was a rule, it was a requirement.
Jesus comes along and says, yes, bring your tithe, but I don't
want you to bring it because it's a rule or because you have
to. Your heart should have so much
love and selflessness that you want to.
This is an example. This is what he said in Matthew
2323. He was talking to Jewish leaders
who were doing it, but not with the right heart.
They were following the rules, but not the caring part.
And this is what Jesus said to them.
He said, what sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law and
you Pharisees, hypocrites, For you are careful to tie these,
even the tiniest income on your herb garden, but you ignore the
more important aspects of the law, justice, mercy and faith.
You should tithe, yes, but don't do not neglect the more
important things. Don't just do it because you
have to. Don't do it because it's a rule.
Yes, bring your tithe, but not because we have to, but because
our heart is changed and because of the love and gratitude that's
in us. Being like Jesus, becoming like
Jesus is not just about not doing the wrong things.
It's about caring about the right things and wanting to do
the right things. And when we do that, that is a
peculiar person. The last one, number three, is
Jesus. People serve others.
They know they care and they do because let me ask you a
question, what good is it to know the right thing to do and
care about people? My heart hurts for people.
I know there's a need and then do nothing.
How does that help anyone? James 214 asked that question.
He said what good is it dear brothers and sisters, if you say
you have faith but don't show it by your actions to be Jesus.
People, one of our habits is we know what to do and what we care
about determines our actions. It's the fruit or the results of
what's in our heart and head. In the Bible, you've probably
heard the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10.
It says robbers attacked and robbed a man and left a badly
injured on the side of the road. And good news for him, a priest
walked by and kept on walking. But that but here, here's
another, a Levite came by. Oh, here he comes helps on the
way and he passed by the other side of the street.
Now, no doubt these two people probably knew the right thing to
do, but they chose to pass by. It says, but a Samaritan man
walked by an ordinary person on an ordinary day.
And it says in Luke 1032 to 33, it says, but a Samaritan, as he
traveled, came to where the man was, and when he saw him, he
took pity on him. He cared, He had compassion, and
then he went to him and bandaged his wounds.
He did much more than that. But you can read the rest of
Luke 10 if you want the rest of the story.
The point is the Samaritan man, the ordinary person on an
ordinary day, knew the right thing to do, had compassion and
did something about it. All three head, heart and hands.
That's what Jesus did, and that's what made him peculiar to
a world that passes by people in need every day.
And if you choose to be peculiar, if you choose to be a
disciple of Jesus, knowing what to do is just the start.
It's also caring for people like Jesus cared for people.
And then what we know and what we care about determines the
actions that we take. So what do we do from here?
We know we care, we do got it what do we do from here?
I said it earlier, we don't want to hear a message and apply
nothing to our lives because what's the purpose?
Check a box. We went to church on Sunday.
If the point of church is to change and grow and sharpen each
other, here are some action steps from today.
Two things. Number one, if Illuminate church
is your home church. So if you're visiting today, if
you're on vacation, if you're new to Illuminate church and
still checking it out, this might not apply to you.
That's OK. But if Illuminate church is your
home church, everyone should serve inside the church.
Underline, if you're taking notes, the word everyone first.
Peter 410 Now who wrote this guy named Peter?
OK, one of Jesus's best friends said, each of you, say each of
you, each of you, each of you should use whatever gift you
have received to what? To serve others as faithful
stewards of God's grace in various forms.
The Greek translation for each of you is each of you.
Here's why burnout from serving should never happen in the
church. If everyone serves somewhere, if
we all contribute, we reject the 8020.
Maybe you've heard this before. The 8020 rule 80% of the work
done by 20% of the people. We're not doing that.
It's unhealthy, it's unsustainable, and it's not
God's design for the church. A healthy church says all the
work of the church is done by all the people.
So serve somewhere, start somewhere.
We all have a role to play. And this message is not about
condemnation or feeling guilty. This is about encouragement.
This is not a message or I am at all trying to convince you that
you should serve. That is the Holy Spirit's job,
not mine. But I do want to encourage you
to join the team. Serve somewhere, don't put it
off. Don't think they don't need my
help. It looks like they got
everything covered. We want everyone.
Our goal is 100% of people who call Illuminate Church their
church are serving somewhere in the church.
Everyone should serve inside the church somewhere #2 if
Illuminate Church is your church, everyone should serve
outside the church. And I know some people say, wait
a minute, you just said we all should serve inside the church,
and now you're saying we all should serve outside the church.
And I would say you heard correctly.
It's great and important to serve those who come in our
doors. Everyone should serve at our
church. But it's also great and
important to reach people and serve people who might not ever
walk through our doors. Jesus didn't just praise God.
He didn't just sit in one place, wait for people to come to him.
He went from place to place to meet people where where they
were at. And if that's what he did,
that's what we should do too. We call everyone who serves at
Illuminate Church, inside the church and outside the church
the dream team here. That term before the dream team,
it's everyone who serves inside the church or outside the
church. Inside the church and outside
the church. We have dream team in the
church, dream team in the region, dream team in the world,
three parts, one team, the dream team.
So I encourage you to join the dream team.
Be part of the dream team. You will become more like Jesus
by being on the dream team. It's one of the pieces of being
a disciple and we make it very easy.
The easiest way, if you're not serving yet at Illuminate Church
yet, the easiest way to get started is just to go to the
next what's called Dream Team Introduction meeting.
We do it once a month. The next one is on Sunday,
August 17th at 9:00 AM over in the living room.
Just go. They'll explain the
opportunities. They tour the building, they
explain the options and help someone get started to serve it.
It can't get easier than that. It's like, I don't know what to
do. I don't know.
I don't know what opportunities there are.
Dream Team Intro go to that August 17th.
The best opportunity for serving outside the church Dream Team in
the region is coming up soon. It's called Shine Week.
So I encourage you to do both Dream Team Intro and register
for Shine Week Both. I know that's asking a lot, but
Jesus gave us a lot. Shine Week Shine Week is our
annual once a year outreach event outside the church doors.
Once a year. We all lean in all hands on deck
to take our light to the region. There's lots of opportunities to
to different days of the week that week, August 4th to the
9th. All you need to go right now is
just register. We do things like painting the
schools. There's a lot of different
things. One of the things we do is serve
lunch to teachers serve lunch. We provide, we provide lunch to
the teachers who are, you know, just to appreciate and love on
them. And you're like, does that
really make a difference that really showing Jesus's love?
Like what? What difference can that make?
Let me tell you a story. This is a true story, an actual
story from Shine Week. Two years ago, a teacher was
served lunch. I was happened to be there that
day. I remember that day was at
Island Village School in celebration and the teacher was
served lunch by Illuminate Church Dream Dream Team 2023
about two years ago. And that day she saw she came in
the room to be served lunch and Illuminate Church was serving
and smiling and for whatever reason that day we were like
cheering for the tea. Yay, thank you.
Like Tim was there you get it. But we were cheering for the
teachers as they were served. And that teacher that day that
she was being served thought these people are peculiar.
These people are different and I wonder, can I get what they've
got? And that person that day and her
family decided to start attending church, this church,
and they started discovering abundant life over the next
year. I talked with her last weekend
and she said our marriage has been healed.
It was broken, quote, quote, our children, our family and our
lives have been transformed. And it started by being served
lunch by a small group of peculiar people.
So register for Dream Team Intro and register for Shine Week
both. And you'll be putting into
action what we're talking about today.
As we close, I want to go back to the second point of the
message. I want to go back to the heart
part of the message. And here's what I've discovered
is that the more we grow and mature in Christ by being his
disciple, the more we want to do what he says, the more we want
to do what he did. But growing and maturing
spiritually doesn't happen by chance.
It doesn't happen just with time.
It's intentional. Physically, our bodies grow and
change with time. Watch a kid, they, they just get
bigger, right? Watch an adult, they just get
older. We change over time.
It just happens. But spiritually, it doesn't work
this way. So let me explain and I hope
this makes sense to everyone as we close today.
We all have a physical body and we have a spirit.
You have everyone here has two parts.
You have a body and you have a spirit.
Our physical body is what we see, but our spirit is the part
of us that lasts forever. This body does not last forever,
but our spirit does. Our spirit is eternal, and the
second we leave this life, this physical life, this body is the
second our new life begins, our eternal life.
And that eternal life will either be with God eternally in
heaven, or without God in a place called hell that God never
intended for man. So because we all have two
parts, you have two parts, a physical body and a spirit.
We all need to have two births, 2 birthdays.
Everyone has at least one birth, a physical birth.
You, if you are alive, you have a birthday, a physical birthday,
happy birthday, early or late. But some people, not everyone,
have a second birth, a spiritual birth.
And that happens on the day we choose to receive Jesus as our
Savior. It's called being born again.
It's the second birth, and it's a spiritual birth.
And that's how we are saved. That's how our sins are
forgiven. That's when our name is written
in the book of life. When we stand before God, we
don't have to wonder if our names in the book.
It's in the book, the second we receive Jesus as our Savior, not
because we're so good, but because of what he's done for
us. We just have to receive it.
Jesus was talking about this to a Jewish religious leader.
His name was Nicodemus is John chapter 3.
And Nicodemus was a smart guy. He was a Jewish leader and
teacher. He knew the Bible.
He probably had most of the Bible memorized.
He was a very smart man. But when he was talking with
Jesus about being born again, he was very confused.
He didn't get it. This is Jesus and Nicodemus
talking in John chapter 3, three through 6.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, He said very truly I tell you now when,
when Jesus says very truly, I tell you, do you think we should
listen to what he says next? Jesus said to Nicodemus, out of
love, very truly, I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God
unless they're born again. Nicodemus was confused.
He said how can someone be born when they're old?
I'm an old man, surely they cannot enter a second time into
their mother's womb to be born. I don't get it.
Jesus said very truly, I tell you again, no one can enter the
Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but spirit gives birth to Spirit.
Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can today.
We all need to be born again in the Spirit once in our physical
lives. That is how you can know and not
just hope that you will be in heaven with God for eternity.
The two most important days of our lives.
You think what? What are the most important days
of your lives? Some people say well my wedding
day or the birth of my first child.
I would say the two most important days of your lives are
the day you were born and the day you were born again.
My physical birthday is March 28th, 1966.
My spiritual birthday is September 15th, 1998.
I was 32 years old physically. I was born spiritually.
I grew up in a church believing that I had to be good enough or
or do good for God to allow me into heaven.
But what I didn't understand is no amount of doing good or being
good can make us right with God. We can't do it, but God gave us
good news. We needed a way to be made right
with God. God made a way and the way is
receiving Jesus as Savior. He is the way and when we were
asked him when we receive Him as Savior, that's when we are born
again. The work is already done on the
cross. The way has already been made
and all we need to do is receive it.
Not just believe in God, not just attend church.
I had been in church my whole life when I was 32.
I believed in God, but I had never asked Jesus to be my
savior. And that day my life changed.
I'm a different person today than I was the 1st 32 years of
my life. I was born that day.
That's how we become a Christian.
That's how we are born again. And I honestly don't know how I
can explain it any more clearly than that.
And that's the message the world around us needs to know because
it's the only way. So what I want to do today is if
you've never done that, if you're not sure you are born
again, if you've never asked Jesus to be your savior, if
you're not sure you have a second birth, a spiritual birth,
let's do it today. Let's make today the day.
Maybe you've been in church a long time.
Maybe you're brand new to church, but this might be what's
been missing in life that brings new life.
So ask as we close everyone in the room, just bow your heads
and close your eyes and repeat this prayer with me.
I ask you to say it like you mean it in your hearts and with
your words. Everyone say this out loud, say
Father God, I know that I am a Sinner and I need a savior.
I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
I believe God raised him from the dead.
So today I receive what Jesus did for me.
I received Jesus as my Savior. I received my spiritual birth,
and I confess that Jesus is Lord.
I asked Jesus right now to come into my heart and help me change
to be His disciple. I ask that all eyes are still
closed, all heads still bowed. But if you prayed that prayer
with me today, maybe for the first time, maybe you just want
to be sure that you have a spiritual birth.
If you prayed that prayer with me, today is your spiritual
birthday. You are born again.
You can know for a fact that you will spend eternity with God.
So if you prayed that prayer with me today, I'm just going to
ask you to be bold. I'm going to count to 3.
And I just got asked if you just raise your hand, let me know on
the count of three, if you prayed that prayer with me for
the first time, or just to be sure, put your hand up high.
On the count of 3123, just put your hands up high.
Proud, Be proud, be bold. All over the room.
There's hands, all eyes still closed for privacy.
Please leave your hand up for a second.
Just keep your hands up. There's hands all over the room.
What's going to happen is an usher's just going to bring you
a card. It has some instructions on it.
This is very private. We're not going to embarrass
you, but an usher's just going to bring you a card.
Can you keep your hands up, please, just for one more
second, if you didn't get a card yet, Ushers here, there any
other hands? Any other hands?
If we didn't get to you yet, there.
All right, Thank you. You can open your eyes.
I just want to thank God for those who are being saved today,
who are born today spiritually. And let's pray.
Let's close with the prayer. God, we celebrate what you're
doing, what you're doing at our church, and what you are going
to do in our lives. And we give you all the praise
and thanks and glory in Jesus name.
Thanks for joining us today. We hope God is speaking to your
heart through this message. If you'd like to connect with
us, you can text connect to 407-588-0115 or visit Illuminate
dot church. Have a great week.