00:00:36.020 Good morning. Welcome everyone to Freedom Church.
00:00:39.680 Excited to see all of you and nowhere else I'd rather be than right here on a
00:00:43.480 Sunday morning. Today, if you didn't know, is kids'
00:00:47.060 move-up day.
00:00:48.340 Woo.
00:00:48.750 Not a whole lot happening out here with the kids, but all in the back, the kids are
00:00:52.400 celebrating moving from one classroom to the next classroom.
00:00:55.820 They're celebrating moving out of the nursery to the preschool, and the preschool
00:00:59.620 to the grade school, and even grade school moving to the youth ministry.
00:01:03.380 So they're going to have a party back there.
00:01:04.940 So if your kids are a little extra sugared up,
00:01:08.340 just expect it. But no, we have 100% fruit juice, some Pirate Booty
00:01:12.420 popcorn. I was told that some of the leaders yesterday, I'm like, "We got Pirate
00:01:15.660 Booty popcorn because all the kids like to say 'booty.'" And they're like, "Just
00:01:18.720 the kids?"
00:01:20.560 But we can have fun out here today as well.
00:01:22.880 It's not just for the kids to have fun. We're all going to have some fun.
00:01:26.000 But I used to hear parents talk about their kids moving out of high school,
00:01:30.360 moving out of the house, going off to college, and crying.
00:01:33.390 And I was like, "What's wrong with you? You should be excited.
00:01:36.500 You should be throwing a party." Then my son, Judah, moved
00:01:40.460 out of the nursery one year, and he went to the next classroom over, and I was
00:01:44.260 like, "Oh, I felt that." He just
00:01:47.460 went from one classroom to a next classroom.
00:01:49.380 I was like, "Oh, that's what parents feel." All the parents out there, you've
00:01:53.240 experienced that at some point, right?
00:01:55.180 Maybe the brand new ones, you're like, "Oh, I have to look forward to that?" But we
00:01:58.740 feel this feeling. It's not sadness, it's not negative, it's just something inside
00:02:02.620 of us, that emotion that's, wow, our kids are growing up. They're moving on.
00:02:06.640 Maybe they're moving out. They're getting married, having kids of their own.
00:02:09.940 All these things that our kids and the next generation go through.
00:02:13.940 And as much as we celebrate that, I understand there's a tension for us as we are
00:02:17.880 the older ones looking at the younger ones.
00:02:19.800 We have a tension to help guide them, and we don't want to hold them back,
00:02:23.980 but we want to send them out in the best way we possibly can.
00:02:28.000 And one of the best things we can do for our kids is to share the good news with
00:02:31.780 them, to make sure they know the good news.
00:02:34.670 And this series we're in is all about sharing the good news, and today, it's
00:02:38.720 really focusing on sharing the good news with the next generation.
00:02:42.520 Now, if you're here and you don't have kids or you never had kids, this
00:02:46.440 message still applies to you because it's about sharing the good news with the next
00:02:50.100 generation, not just younger people or kids, but all of
00:02:53.980 us have a responsibility, and we're going to talk about that a little bit more
00:02:57.080 today. But I want to stop and ask you, you don't need to shout it out, but think
00:03:00.780 about who is somebody that shared Jesus with you?
00:03:04.760 Maybe for the very first time. First person you remember sharing Jesus
00:03:08.720 with you, or reading the Bible to you, or praying with you.
00:03:12.900 You all think of somebody? Hopefully, a lot of somebodies.
00:03:16.320 Hopefully, your parents or somebody in your life.
00:03:18.400 For me, there were two different pastors, one in grade school, one in middle
00:03:22.280 school. I went there for free snacks in middle school.
00:03:25.480 I grew up one of six kids. My mom was like, "You go wherever there's free food." So
00:03:29.420 we would go to the youth group
00:03:32.200 after school because we had free food there.
00:03:34.600 But that man, Tom Newcomb, would care for me.
00:03:37.860 He left such an impression on me as a man of God.
00:03:41.140 Get to middle school, I started going to youth group. Guess what?
00:03:44.020 Because of a cute girl. I'll admit it.
00:03:46.240 I was going for the wrong reasons, but guess what?
00:03:48.460 I impacted Pastor Jim, who shared with me and just took me alongside.
00:03:52.100 He gave me my very first Bible. I didn't know what to do with it, but he gave it to
00:03:55.780 me. And at the time, I was in there going for all the wrong
00:03:59.040 reasons, but God was working something through these people,
00:04:02.920 until Renee eventually invited me to a church service where I gave my life to
00:04:06.620 Jesus, where I began — moved out of a dead life and into a
00:04:10.620 life that could be life-giving to others as well.
00:04:13.740 And so many people in my life, I see when I look back, they were instrumental.
00:04:17.800 God used them not to get me from negative 100 to
00:04:22.140 0, or 0 to 100, but they were steps along the way, just
00:04:26.020 moving me along, getting me a little bit closer to God, just
00:04:29.620 modeling it for me as well, not just telling me about it, but living it out
00:04:33.940 themselves. And this next generation, the generation that we have right now, the
00:04:37.740 generation that's growing up, they need people to point them to Jesus.
00:04:42.570 They need people to not just talk about Jesus, or not just talk about Jesus
00:04:46.500 on Sunday, but to live like Jesus Monday through
00:04:50.120 Saturday as well. And there's a verse in the Bible
, and we're going to start
00:04:54.080 here, and then I'm going to give you a couple different passages throughout the
00:04:57.180 Bible. But Judges 2:10 I believe is one of the
00:05:01.220 saddest verses in the Bible because of some reasons here.
00:05:04.780 I'll give you a little context. So up to this point, Moses, he was
00:05:08.720 leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. They were in bondage.
00:05:11.680 They were in slavery. God did amazing miracles with the plagues and
00:05:15.660 showing his power and being a God of all the gods.
00:05:19.300 He was over all the little G gods and all the idols that they worshiped.
00:05:23.300 Then he led them to the promised land, so 40 years in the wilderness.
00:05:27.160 Joshua takes over. He's a good leader, takes them into the promised land.
00:05:31.280 And then when Joshua died, he was the successor for Moses.
00:05:35.240 This verse says, "After that generation died, another generation
00:05:39.220 grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember
00:05:43.240 the mighty things he had done for Israel." Now, think about this.
00:05:46.920 They witnessed the most amazing miracles that you could
00:05:50.380 imagine, these plagues and God delivering his people
00:05:54.120 through the Red Sea with walls of water on both sides.
00:05:57.200 They walked through the sea on dry ground, and then they didn't tell the next
00:06:00.780 generation?
00:06:02.700 And that's exactly what happened.
00:06:04.020 This generation grew up who didn't know the things that God had done.
00:06:07.280 They didn't know the works that He'd done, and they didn't know Him
00:06:10.880 personally themselves. How does this happen?
00:06:13.540 Well, I believe it's either we assume that somebody else is going to do it,
00:06:17.880 or we assume that everybody knows about God because we live in America, where they
00:06:21.580 have internet, they have the Bible, or they have YouTube.
00:06:24.240 And we assume everyone knows the Bible or everyone knows
00:06:27.880 Jesus when the reality is they don't.
00:06:31.480 And you can inherit a lot of things.
00:06:33.320 You can inherit a Bible, a physical Bible. You can inherit a building.
00:06:37.300 You can inherit church traditions.
00:06:39.700 But what you can't inherit is your salvation.
00:06:42.590 Your parents' faith, your grandparents' faith is not something that
00:06:46.400 can save you. You have to receive Jesus for
00:06:50.180 yourself. You have to receive, and you cannot
00:06:53.880 inherit a personal relationship with God through your parents or through
00:06:58.480 somebody else. We must encounter Jesus for ourselves.
00:07:02.880 So real quick show of hands, how many of you have a family recipe?
00:07:06.380 You can think of a fam— Maybe you don't have it on top of your head.
00:07:08.540 You got some family recipes? All right.
00:07:10.500 I'll give you my email, and you can send those my way.
00:07:12.930 Now, but family, I love cooking. I used to be a chef.
00:07:15.560 I still like cooking, don't do it nearly as much.
00:07:17.460 But family recipe is so good because it's passed down.
00:07:21.140 You know the good ones, they look like this. They got a lot of stuff.
00:07:24.740 They've been passed down generation to generation.
00:07:27.300 You're like, "Is that a quarter cup? A half a cup? I don't know.
00:07:29.560 Just throw extra butter and extra sugar.
00:07:31.580 It's always going to taste better."
00:07:33.620 But family recipes, often what happens, they stop getting
00:07:37.320 passed down, and you can lose a recipe that's been passed
00:07:40.880 down for many generations. Well, why is that?
00:07:43.580 If somebody doesn't write it down or somebody doesn't pass it on, the
00:07:47.280 recipe, it doesn't lose its value.
00:07:49.740 It's not that the recipe's not good.
00:07:51.700 It just doesn't get passed on to the next generation to continue keeping it
00:07:55.660 going. The gospel, infinitely more valuable than
00:07:59.680 a family recipe, infinitely more good than a family recipe,
00:08:03.860 is something that, unless it's passed on, it will stop with the
00:08:07.860 person who just receives it and doesn't pay it forward.
00:08:11.140 So what God has entrusted to us, we
00:08:14.960 must intentionally pass on. I put that word intentionally on
00:08:18.760 purpose because many times we think, "They're going to catch it.
00:08:22.630 Our kids are going to catch it, or the next generation's going to catch it." And
00:08:25.540 we're seeing in culture right now, they're not catching it.
00:08:28.180 We need to intentionally pass it on.
00:08:30.120 We need to be very purposeful in what God has entrusted to
00:08:34.060 us, salvation, joy, peace, hope, a joy of
00:08:37.980 getting to be a part of a community of believers.
00:08:40.100 What we've been entrusted with, we must intentionally pass
00:08:43.980 on to the next generation. God writes it out this way in Deuteronomy.
00:08:47.940 The book of Deuteronomy, it means second law, the word Deuteronomy,
00:08:51.860 because it's not a second law, it's the second time it was given to the people.
00:08:56.220 The first time God gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai, he writes it
00:09:00.200 all down. He reads it to the people, and Deuteronomy's a very important book,
00:09:04.420 especially in Jewish time, but for us as well.
00:09:07.550 And I'm going to read through the first couple verses just to set this up.
00:09:10.680 It says, "These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the
00:09:14.680 Lord your God commanded me to teach you.
00:09:17.460 You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy.
00:09:21.360 And you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord
00:09:25.300 your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees
00:09:29.260 and commands, you will enjoy a long life.
00:09:32.420 Listen closely and be careful to obey.
00:09:35.140 Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the
00:09:38.840 land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your
00:09:42.860 ancestors, promised you." Now God lays out, He gives this instruction to
00:09:46.760 Moses to tell all the people. He
says, "Listen, obey these commands."
00:09:50.820 Multiple times, He emphasizes obedience.
00:09:54.140 He goes, "Listen closely. Obey my commands.
00:09:56.840 Obey what I'm telling you." If you follow these rules, what's the
00:10:00.580 result? You'll live a long, healthy life.
00:10:02.840 You'll live a life flowing in the land of flowing with milk and honey.
00:10:07.460 God's rules, God's commands, God's decrees are not to
00:10:11.480 restrict us, but to protect us. Because
00:10:15.220 God knows what's best for us, and we usually don't know what's best
00:10:19.160 for us. Anybody else have kids out there? I see you.
00:10:22.520 Our kids, they say,
00:10:24.290 "Dad, Mom, I want to eat a pound of candy." And you're like, "No, you can't do
00:10:27.960 that." And they say, "You must hate me." Right?
00:10:30.170 And it's like, you don't hate your kid because you actually love them because you
00:10:33.480 want to protect them from hurting themselves.
00:10:36.600 Very similar, we do the same, that God needs to have restrictions.
00:10:39.900 He needs to have rules and commands that if we obey Him,
00:10:43.880 it's actually what's best for our lives.
00:10:46.520 We'll actually have a better quality of life.
00:10:49.220 We'll have a better life when we follow and obey God's commands.
00:10:53.160 He's not trying to control us, but if you have a problem with control, here's
00:10:57.140 your hint. You probably should let go of your control of your life and trust
00:11:01.080 God to control your life. He has your best
00:11:04.680 interest in mind. And then we get to verse four.
00:11:07.400 Now verse four starts what is known in Jewish culture as the
00:11:10.980 Shema. Shema is Hebrew for listen.
00:11:14.220 So the first words we have in English, "Listen, O Israel." In Hebrew, it's
00:11:18.040 Shema. And they would read this prayer.
00:11:20.420 They'd read this over and over again.
00:11:22.400 It's actually one of the most important declarations within the Torah,
00:11:26.200 within the Old Testament first five books.
00:11:28.800 And the Jewish people would read this, and it's very high importance, and it still
00:11:32.120 applies to us today. He says, "Listen, O Israel.
00:11:35.140 The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
00:11:38.200 You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your
00:11:42.120 soul, and all your strength." Notice he doesn't say He's one of the
00:11:45.900 gods. He could be one of many gods. He's like, He is the one Lord
00:11:49.760 alone. And not just to love God with a little bit of our heart or a
00:11:53.720 little bit of our calendar, but to love Him with all your heart, all your soul, and
00:11:57.640 all your strength. And you must commit yourselves
00:12:00.900 wholeheartedly. Again, 100%
00:12:04.380 "Wholeheartedly commit yourself to these commands that I am giving
00:12:08.280 you today." Verse seven, he says, "Repeat them
00:12:11.800 again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at
00:12:15.540 home, and when you're on the road, when you're going to bed, when you're getting
00:12:19.260 up." Basically saying, talk about them all of the time, right?
00:12:23.280 Whether you're laying down, standing up, coming or going, driving or sitting or
00:12:27.020 sleeping or awake, he's like, tell them to your children again and again.
00:12:30.940 Repeat them all the time. Then verse eight, he says, "Tie them to your
00:12:34.860 hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.
00:12:38.680 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
00:12:42.760 Now, this is the Shema prayer. This is something they repeat over and over, they
00:12:46.300 teach their kids. But then many Orthodox Jews and people
00:12:50.160 even today still follow this literally.
00:12:53.720 They put these little scrolls of Bible passages in a
00:12:57.620 thing called a mezuzah. And this mezuzah, maybe you've seen these on houses.
00:13:01.320 They're very common in Squirrel Hill and different parts around Pittsburgh.
00:13:05.049 Maybe you have one on your house, and you didn't even know why it was there, you
00:13:07.360 ripped it off. But this thing,
00:13:10.180 the object itself isn't super
00:13:13.840 special. What it is, it's a physical reminder to think
00:13:17.680 about God. Every time they come in or out of their house, many people, they
00:13:21.480 kiss it, they touch it. They want to consistently and physically remind
00:13:25.010 themselves of God's word. So in many Jewish homes, pretty much
00:13:28.820 any Jewish home should have a mezuzah, at least on the front door.
00:13:32.020 Sometimes they have them on every doorframe on the inside of their house
00:13:36.000 as well. What Moses is telling the people, and what I believe
00:13:39.780 applies to us, is we're not just supposed to know about God,
00:13:44.300 we're supposed to teach our children about God as well.
00:13:46.940 We're supposed to teach the next generation about them as well.
00:13:50.440 That faith and talking about God has to go beyond
00:13:54.560 Sunday morning at church.
00:13:56.440 It has to be more than just a Sunday morning thing or maybe a quick time before
00:14:00.400 dinner, we say a little prayer. Talking about God should be a daily
00:14:04.440 thing we do all of the time. Well, what's this thing that you
00:14:08.240 mentioned tying them to your head and tying them to your hands?
00:14:11.780 What does that mean? Well, literally, Jewish people do this.
00:14:15.020 There are these things called tefillin or phylacteries.
00:14:17.800 They're little boxes that would put— Again, somebody would scribe really small
00:14:21.820 on pieces of paper, put them inside these boxes, and then they would
00:14:25.580 tie them to their heads. They still do this today in some parts of the— And I've
00:14:29.340 seen them in Squirrel Hill, especially, walking down the street.
00:14:31.820 They tie these to their head, they wrap them around their arm, where the box is
00:14:35.340 really close to their heart because they want to keep the scripture, God's word,
00:14:39.300 close to their heart and close to their mind.
00:14:41.580 That at all times, everywhere they go, they're thinking about God.
00:14:44.700 Now, they don't do this 24/7, but certain days, certain holidays, maybe
00:14:48.820 once a week, they would do this to remind themselves of
00:14:52.500 God's law, of God's word. In order for them to teach the next generation,
00:14:56.900 they have to know it themselves. So they're reminding themselves over and
00:15:00.880 over and over again. However, Jesus
00:15:04.300 actually condemns the religious leaders at the time, a
00:15:08.220 lot of the Pharisees and the scribes, because they took this to be something that
00:15:12.040 was good and godly, and they made it about themselves.
00:15:15.860 What they would do is they would have, basically, competitions.
00:15:18.440 They'd try to have bigger boxes on their heads. I imagine what it could look like.
00:15:22.460 They were like, "I got a bigger box than you, and my straps
00:15:26.320 are tighter than yours or longer than yours." And they have these-- And Jesus calls
00:15:29.880 them out. Matthew 23:5, Jesus is actually talking about them,
00:15:33.820 condemning them, says, "They do all their deeds to be seen by
00:15:37.480 others.
00:15:38.920 For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long."
00:15:43.100 They were doing something good in
00:15:46.660 obeying God's word. They were going about it in the wrong way.
00:15:50.480 They were trying to put on this showy display of, look at how much
00:15:54.320 I know. Look at how religious I am, how pious I am,
00:15:58.380 and they would parade around with this stuff that was intended for
00:16:02.440 good, and they used it to take glory for themselves.
00:16:06.380 You know what the next generation doesn't need?
00:16:08.940 Is a showy display, a bunch of performance and perfection, because the
00:16:12.960 reality is none of us are perfect. The next generation needs real.
00:16:17.180 They need authentic. I just talked to somebody this week, talking about coming to
00:16:20.660 church, and they're like, "I don't have a suit." I'm like, "You don't need a suit.
00:16:23.060 Guess what? I preach in a T-shirt sometimes, and jeans." We're real
00:16:26.820 people. We're just real. We're not putting ourselves up above.
00:16:30.000 We're not better than. Unfortunately, so many people, probably most of you in this
00:16:33.680 room, you've experienced Christians who think they're better than everyone, and
00:16:36.720 they parade it around with judgment.
00:16:38.790 These are the people Jesus is chastising, saying, "Don't do that." Do
00:16:42.680 the good things, but make sure you have the right heart with that as well.
00:16:47.000 This generation needs to see people who pray when stressful
00:16:50.740 times come. They need to see us worship when difficult
00:16:54.100 situations are going on. They need to see us trusting God with our finances,
00:16:58.360 not holding on and living for here and now.
00:17:00.590 They need to see people who are forgiving, serving, reading the word
00:17:04.620 of God. And for every single parent,
00:17:07.820 you know what the best advice I've ever been given?
00:17:09.820 Best parenting advice is think about my kids and think
00:17:13.720 about the people I want them to become, and then become that person.
00:17:18.500 So men, your kids, women, your kids,
00:17:22.740 whoever you want your kids to become, become that person.
00:17:26.760 If you want your children to be kind and generous and loving and
00:17:30.800 patient and joyful and full of life, well, guess what?
00:17:34.300 You have to become that person because they're going to model you more
00:17:38.200 than do what you say.
00:17:40.480 Right? Our kids become like us. No matter what we tell
00:17:44.440 them, they're going to become like us in how we act, how we
00:17:48.200 speak, how we treat people, how we treat God, and is God
00:17:52.200 the highest priority, or is he just one of the many things that we do in life?
00:17:56.020 Our kids are going to become just like us, and the
00:17:59.700 greatest discipleship tool that you have in your home isn't a
00:18:03.660 curriculum, it's your life
00:18:07.044 How you live your life is going to be the greatest way to disciple your kids.
00:18:11.544 So you don't need this special textbook or some curriculum.
00:18:15.644 What you need is to live your life fully devoted to Jesus Christ.
00:18:19.714 That's the best thing you could possibly do for your family.
00:18:23.004 So how do we keep the faith going? Well, I want to give you a little illustration
00:18:26.724 to make this hopefully more memorable for you.
00:18:32.584 Grunting for effect.
00:18:35.744 This is a chain.
00:18:38.164 Now, this chain is something that we think about the Jewish
00:18:42.024 people, okay? The Jewish people, they started following
00:18:45.684 God thousands and thousands of years ago.
00:18:49.244 And along the way, the chain just kept going.
00:18:53.624 Each step of the way, the Jewish people, all the way up to all the
00:18:57.224 prophets, the judges, it led up to Jesus coming, and Jesus
00:19:01.004 establishes the church. Then we have the early Christians, the first
00:19:04.584 apostles, the disciples of Jesus.
00:19:07.304 Then we have the first followers, and this chain continues to go
00:19:12.244 all along the way, and we are a part of this very chain.
00:19:16.244 We're a part of this. And if you look at a chain, you see the links are
00:19:19.944 connected to one another.
00:19:22.244 If you're a link by yourself, you're not a chain. Right?
00:19:25.484 You're the missing link. You're something that's not going to be able to do much.
00:19:29.204 You're not strong enough. The strength of the chain is in being connected
00:19:33.104 to itself. We, as somebody shared Jesus with us,
00:19:36.904 somebody prayed for us, somebody invited us to church, we're a
00:19:40.604 part of that chain, and the only way for the chain to
00:19:43.444 continue is for us to make sure we do the same thing that's
00:19:47.364 been done for us. We pray for people.
00:19:49.984 We
00:19:50.964 invite people to come to church. We share Jesus with people.
00:19:54.684 That every single one of us as Christians, if you're a follower of Jesus Christ,
00:19:58.684 you've put your faith and trust in Jesus for forgiveness,
00:20:02.944 you know that you're going to spend eternity in heaven because Jesus
00:20:06.964 made a way for you, not because of your good works.
00:20:09.024 If you're really a follower of Jesus, then you have the
00:20:12.204 responsibility to share the good news.
00:20:15.704 It's not just for the pastors, it's not just for the missionaries or the
00:20:18.724 evangelists, it's for every single one of us to
00:20:22.304 share right where God has placed you.
00:20:25.464 Jesus said it this way, his Great Commission.
00:20:27.624 He's already risen from the dead. He's about to ascend to heaven.
00:20:31.224 The last thing he gives to his followers is known as the Great
00:20:34.924 Commission in Matthew 28.
00:20:37.364 He said, "I have been given all authority in heaven and
00:20:41.284 on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the
00:20:45.244 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the
00:20:49.124 Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I
00:20:53.104 have given you. And be sure of this, I am with you always,
00:20:57.104 even to the end of the age."
00:21:01.264 He gives this instruction to his followers that I believe very much is
00:21:05.284 applicable to us today. To go and make disciples
00:21:09.344 of all people, to go baptizing people, to celebrate people,
00:21:13.404 to help pray with people, to teach them these commands,
00:21:17.484 teach all these new disciples to obey the commands I have given
00:21:21.104 you. Do you know where your mission field is?
00:21:24.184 It's wherever God has placed you. It's your family, it's your
00:21:27.964 workplace, it's your school. If you're going back to school this
00:21:31.784 month, that's your mission field.
00:21:33.784 The people closest to you are your first mission field.
00:21:38.164 Some of us, we need reminding, our spouses are our first mission field.
00:21:42.124 Right? That you cannot neglect your spouse and go do all these other things,
00:21:46.004 but you must have, God's placed you right where you are, and God wants to
00:21:50.244 use you in the mission field he's placed you in.
00:21:52.724 I'm going to actually share more about this verse and this passage next
00:21:56.664 week, because next week, we're celebrating people taking their next step to be
00:22:00.584 water baptized. Again, one of the commands, Jesus said, "Go and
00:22:04.064 baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." We set up
00:22:07.604 a baptismal right in the middle of this room, and we're going to dunk people in it,
00:22:11.504 fully submerging under the water, and it's a big celebration.
00:22:14.964 We love when people take their next step to be water baptized.
00:22:18.284 Several people have already signed up.
00:22:19.984 You're going to hear more a little bit from Jared of how you can sign up.
00:22:23.264 But here's the one I'm going to ask you.
00:22:24.524 If you've never been fully submerged baptized as your
00:22:28.064 personal declaration of faith. Now, maybe you were baptized as an infant or a
00:22:32.104 child. That's your parents' faith or your grandparents' faith.
00:22:35.964 Baptism should be a declaration of your personal
00:22:39.284 decision to trust Jesus and to follow him.
00:22:42.084 Say, "I belong to Jesus now. He's the Lord of my life, and I want to let
00:22:45.904 other people know about that," unashamed of the good news of Jesus Christ.
00:22:49.624 So if you've never been baptized or, man, it's been a really long time and
00:22:53.444 you've committed your life to Jesus, get signed up and we'll
00:22:57.224 help you know exactly how to prepare.
00:22:58.964 But next Sunday, you don't want to miss being here.
00:23:01.664 You don't want to miss getting that opportunity to be baptized next Sunday, and
00:23:05.024 it's always such a joy to see people take that step.
00:23:08.964 So what is discipleship? We talk about disciple Jesus and make
00:23:12.544 disciples and teach these new disciples.
00:23:14.724 There's so many definitions of discipleship.
00:23:17.704 One of them I picked for today is discipleship is an
00:23:21.304 invitation into imitation for the
00:23:24.924 purpose of transformation. So discipleship
00:23:28.764 has to go beyond just hanging out with people.
00:23:32.104 That's called friends. That's called fellowship.
00:23:33.853 That's called just spending time together.
00:23:35.604 But an invitation, this is what Jesus did.
00:23:37.964 He invited guys to follow him, to
00:23:41.584 imitate him, to then become transformed, to
00:23:45.524 become more like him. Now that's Jesus, so what do we do?
00:23:48.964 Well, Paul said this. He said, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." Now
00:23:52.944 that's a bold thing to pray, but guess what? Paul wasn't perfect.
00:23:56.924 As great as he was, he still wasn't perfect.
00:24:00.524 And he didn't say, "Imitate me," like go be a single guy who gets
00:24:04.344 beaten, whipped, scourged, thrown in prison, shipwrecked, bit by scorpions, and all
00:24:08.244 the other. That wasn't the formula he was saying.
00:24:11.224 He was saying, "Imitate Christ in me." So I can say
00:24:15.156 to people and you can say to people, "Hey, I'm inviting you to
00:24:19.116 imitate Christ in me for the purpose of
00:24:22.556 transformation. Not to become more like me, but to become more
00:24:26.456 like Jesus." Every single one of us should desire to be
00:24:30.396 transformed to look and live our lives more like Jesus.
00:24:34.516 That's universal for every single one of us.
00:24:36.916 It doesn't matter where you are in your walk or if you're beginning that
00:24:40.056 relationship with God right now, you should desire to follow Jesus
00:24:44.276 and to obey what he commands. Again, this emphasis on
00:24:47.596 obedience
00:24:49.156 can be taken a little too far or it can be something that can be really good.
00:24:52.576 It's all in how you look at it. Jesus said it this way in John chapter 14,
00:24:56.496 verse 15. He said, "If you love me, obey my commandments."
00:25:00.436 Now,
00:25:01.536 I've heard many different teachings on this and different thoughts on this, but I
00:25:05.896 land on when you read this short verse, you can read it
00:25:10.336 one of two primary ways. It's like, "If you really love me, then you'll
00:25:14.316 do what I say." It's kind of a harsh tone and unfortunately, many of us have a
00:25:18.296 harsh perspective of God. Or he says, "If you love me,
00:25:22.336 if you just fall in love with me, if you'd realize I want what's best for you
00:25:25.516 because I already show my love to you, then you'll do what I say.
00:25:29.556 You'll obey because that's what's best for you." It's kind of a different
00:25:33.356 perspective on how do you see God? Is he a
00:25:36.676 taskmaster trying to control, restrict, and no fun?
00:25:40.196 Obey, obey, obey? Or is it, hey, God has already demonstrated his
00:25:44.176 love for you. God loves you so much it doesn't matter what you do for the rest of
00:25:47.976 your life, God still has shown his love by sending his son Jesus to die
00:25:52.016 for you. Now because he has shown his love, because he loves you
00:25:56.076 already, now we should want to obey.
00:25:59.376 We obey out of a place of love, never trying to obey
00:26:03.356 to earn God's love.
00:26:05.516 Now I'm saying this because I know some of you in this room you grew up
00:26:09.196 where your parents loved you more, showed you love only if you
00:26:12.856 obeyed. Or you got this twisted perspective of, and it's not your
00:26:16.856 fault I think it's the way you were raised and taught, that you would only be loved
00:26:20.596 if you did what was good or what was right according to your parents.
00:26:24.566 And that's the wrong perspective to have with God.
00:26:27.336 God loves you regardless of what you do or don't do.
00:26:31.416 And parents, I put this in here because I felt like it's a good perspective for
00:26:35.376 any parent who feels like you're failing right now or maybe you have grown-up kids
00:26:38.736 who are not walking with God and you feel like you failed in some way.
00:26:42.036 I want you to think about God for a moment. God is perfect. Amen?
00:26:46.076 God is good. Can we all agree on that? God is good.
00:26:49.016 He's a perfect father.
00:26:51.616 But guess what? His kids disobeyed.
00:26:55.916 Adam and Eve, his first kids in the perfect paradise of Eden,
00:27:00.156 perfect father, perfect circumstances, they still
00:27:03.496 disobeyed. We, every single one of us, have a
00:27:06.996 perfect heavenly Father and the reality is we have really good
00:27:10.596 circumstances living in the country.
00:27:11.956 As bad as our country is, we have way better circumstances than most
00:27:15.696 people around the planet, and yet we still disobey.
00:27:19.696 We still fall short. So when your kids disobey, it doesn't mean just let
00:27:23.666 them go about it, but hopefully you don't internalize it,
00:27:27.226 "You're a failure, you're not good enough, you're a bad parent." Every kid's going
00:27:31.216 to disobey at some level, some point, some way.
00:27:34.076 You just got to keep doing the right thing that you know and getting other help,
00:27:37.816 being connected in that chain to other people to help you along to be
00:27:41.736 the best parent you can be for your kids.
00:27:44.596 So Psalm 102, last verse, and then we'll have a couple more mentions here.
00:27:48.956 Psalm 102. This psalm was written from a place of
00:27:52.856 pain. It was a bad season and this person, the psalmist who wrote
00:27:56.696 this, said, "Let this be recorded for future generations, so
00:28:00.676 that a people not yet born will praise the Lord."
00:28:04.736 And what he's talking about in this psalm is how things are so bad and so painful,
00:28:08.656 yet God is still good. God looks down from heaven.
00:28:11.676 He still restores. He redeems. He saves.
00:28:14.925 Now he's bragging about God, but this perspective is he wants to
00:28:18.696 write these things down for future generations, for
00:28:22.256 generations that aren't even born yet, so that the result will be
00:28:26.236 they praise the Lord. Now contrast that with what we saw
00:28:30.096 in Judges 2:10. There's a whole generation that didn't even know God.
00:28:34.316 Here's Psalm 102, the psalmist's saying, "We got to write these things down.
00:28:37.316 We got to tell the next generation so that future generations will know
00:28:41.056 God and praise him and know what he has done." What this
00:28:44.796 psalmist is talking about is a generational faith.
00:28:48.836 It's a faith that goes beyond just the here and now.
00:28:52.016 I would put it this way, it's the difference between legend and
00:28:55.276 legacy. Legend is something you do, right?
00:28:58.576 There's athletes, there's world records, there's a lot of things that
00:29:02.136 people want to be legendary. They want to be known for what they did.
00:29:06.176 Legacy is where you leave something that extends beyond your
00:29:09.956 life. True biblical legacy is not about what you do,
00:29:14.376 but about what you set in motion and leave behind so that the next
00:29:18.056 generation, the next generation, the next generation can point in
00:29:21.476 praise to God himself.
00:29:24.996 So being less focused and emphasizing what we
00:29:28.636 do and more about what we can do to leave behind a legacy for
00:29:32.556 those behind us. So consider this.
00:29:35.676 The gospel started with a teenage girl named Mary.
00:29:39.476 You realize that? Jesus came to a virgin named Mary.
00:29:42.516 She was a teenager. The first disciples of Jesus were
00:29:46.176 teenagers. They were young men barely old enough that he called
00:29:50.336 teenagers to follow him. God is mentioned many times throughout the Bible as the
00:29:54.076 God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He's a generational God.
00:29:58.336 King David had Samuel helping him along.
00:30:00.716 Elisha had Elijah the prophet helping him along. Timothy had Paul.
00:30:05.065 That all these people, what they're representing is a chain
00:30:09.056 where somebody came before them, came along and connected with them, locked
00:30:13.096 arms with them and walked beside them so that then they could lock arms with the
00:30:16.976 next person and the next
person and the next person.
00:30:20.136 The question is what are we going to do about it in our generation?
00:30:24.506 There's a quote, it's a secular quote, it's not a scripture verse, but it talks
00:30:27.886 about what we plant. It says, "Society is best, society
00:30:31.706 grows great, when old men plant trees
00:30:35.666 whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
00:30:40.826 Think about that. When old men, when people have a little more wisdom on their
00:30:44.686 hair, or some of you, you colored it, but it's there, it's just you can't
00:30:48.666 see it as well.
00:30:51.346 Some don't have it at all, that's okay too.
00:30:54.806 The point of the matter is when older people, wisdom,
00:30:58.426 experience, life, when you start planting trees,
00:31:02.606 planting seeds in young people in the next generation, knowing
00:31:06.566 you'll never get to see the fruit of that,
00:31:09.466 that's legacy. That's when not just society grows, when the
00:31:13.386 kingdom of God begins to grow exponentially.
00:31:16.526 When all of us decide to say, "You know what?
00:31:19.146 I'm not going to do this to get something.
00:31:21.386 I'm going to plant something here that I may never see the fruit of.
00:31:24.766 I'm going to pray prayers that I'll never see the answers to, because my prayers
00:31:28.246 are more generational than just for what I need right here and now." Or
00:31:32.126 maybe it's investing in people, investing in a young person,
00:31:35.926 encouraging young adults, being a spiritual parent to someone who
00:31:39.686 never had that. To really focus on building for
00:31:43.046 generations, not just for us, but what's going to
00:31:46.786 come after us.
00:31:48.916 I have an opportunity I want to share with you.
00:31:51.206 Our kids ministry here at Freedom Kids is
00:31:54.586 expanding, it's growing. We have a lot of babies being born, a lot more families
00:31:58.486 coming, and we've decided that we need to hire somebody to be
00:32:02.006 intentionally focused in spending committed time to children's
00:32:05.846 ministry. So there's a link here, there's a QR code.
00:32:10.106 We're looking to hire somebody, and what I don't want is somebody who just says, "I
00:32:14.006 want to make a paycheck. I could use some extra money." If that's you, please do
00:32:17.566 not apply. What we're looking for is the right person who has a passion and heart
00:32:21.546 for children's ministry to help the ministry grow.
00:32:24.586 They should be very administrative, because there's a lot of communications,
00:32:28.386 there's tracking of background checks and clearances, parent
00:32:32.086 communications, curriculum, scheduling, recruiting and
00:32:36.046 training volunteers. There's a lot of areas that this position needs to
00:32:39.626 do on a part-time basis, so you need to be available
00:32:43.466 Monday through
00:32:45.306 Friday. There's times we're going to have meetings and staff.
00:32:48.046 So what we're doing is, though, we have such a great team of people.
00:32:51.786 Some of the leaders that we have, they're just not available.
00:32:53.986 They don't have the capacity to take on this role, but we believe it's so
00:32:57.726 important. We're going to put money and effort to hiring the right person so
00:33:01.746 that we can continue to grow and have a healthy, thriving kids ministry.
00:33:05.646 So if you're sitting here right now, and you're like, "Maybe I could do that.
00:33:08.306 I feel called to that. I love kids. I would love to help the kids ministry," I'm
00:33:12.126 asking you to scan that. It'll take you to an application that you can apply.
00:33:15.746 You can also go on our website. The very bottom of the homepage, there's a spot
00:33:19.346 that says Job Opportunities. So if there's somebody you know, you pray, feel like
00:33:23.326 God says, "Maybe this person would do this," send them our way to apply and
00:33:27.346 I'll be in touch with anybody who applies.
00:33:29.386 But we want to start with people who already love Freedom Church, call Freedom
00:33:32.946 Church home. Maybe that's for you today.
00:33:34.886 But I believe that one of the best ways you can make an impact in
00:33:38.846 the next generation, very practically, is to sign up for kids ministry as
00:33:42.746 well. To sign up and be involved in the kids ministry.
00:33:46.586 Even if you're like, "I've never worked with kids.
00:33:49.106 I don't know how to deal with kids." We will teach you, we will train you.
00:33:52.706 There's areas of child check-in that maybe you don't have to work with the kids as
00:33:55.766 much, or you can be a helper, you can serve in nursery.
00:33:58.606 There's a lot of ways that you can help the kids ministry team.
00:34:02.566 Now, if you're like, "I hate kids," don't sign up.
00:34:05.226 Make coffee, do something else. But the reality is, if you
00:34:10.086 love kids and you understand the importance of the next generation, we're asking
00:34:13.647 you to sign up to be involved in kids ministry. You can come see me.
00:34:17.506 It's not a bother to come tell me, "Hey, I love to serve with kids." I want
00:34:21.446 to talk to you, want to help you out with that.
00:34:24.226 So,
00:34:25.366 I want to come back to where we started.
00:34:27.426 Who's that person that told you about Jesus? Who's that person that invited you?
00:34:31.566 Who's that person that prayed with you?
00:34:32.846 Who's that person that gave you your very first Bible? Who's that person?
00:34:36.796 And then realizing even if somebody didn't do that and you found God
00:34:41.345 or found church on your own,
00:34:43.386 don't be the person that stops the chain of faith.
00:34:46.687 Don't let it stop with you, but think about how you can help the next person,
00:34:50.786 how you can reach the next person, sharing the good news with them.
00:34:54.446 There's a generation coming behind us that are watching, they're
00:34:58.086 listening, they're seeking. I don't know if you know this, it's not on the screen,
00:35:01.406 I just saw it this morning. Annual Bible sales are up almost
00:35:05.106 42% in the last five years. Religion Bible
00:35:08.826 apps are up 79.5% over the last five
00:35:12.626 years. Christian music on Spotify downloads are up
00:35:16.426 50% over the last five years. This generation that we live
00:35:20.366 in right now, this generation is looking for truth.
00:35:23.846 They're looking for Jesus. They just need someone to come alongside them and point
00:35:27.836 them in the right direction. They need someone to come alongside them and tell them
00:35:30.626 what YouTube videos they shouldn't be watching, which ones they should be watching.
00:35:33.486 Right? They need to love them. We need to love them into the kingdom of God.
00:35:37.766 We need to get them on the right path, and we have no idea, I don't believe we have
00:35:40.906 any idea the impact that we can have through some of the people
00:35:44.946 we're going to shoulder to shoulder with. We're going to link arms.
00:35:47.086 Some of these kids right now in high school, I believe they're going to be the next
00:35:49.786 pastors. They're going to be the next missionaries.
00:35:51.626 They're going to be the next people leading thousands of people to Jesus.
00:35:54.966 They're already starting to do it in schools.
00:35:57.286 I don't know if you know this or not, but dozens of kids in Franklin Regional right
00:36:00.126 now are already gathering together to worship, to read their Bibles.
00:36:03.476 There's people in our church speaking to them and loving on them and praying for
00:36:07.246 them. That's happening right now.
00:36:09.486 There's a revival happening, and I want more of us to get to be
00:36:12.706 involved and a part of what God is doing.
00:36:15.566 This isn't a Freedom Church program.
00:36:17.426 This is a God thing that he's reaching the next generation.
00:36:20.426 That we're going to take Franklin Regional School spiritually for the kingdom of
00:36:24.386 God. That's my prayer, that's my belief.
00:36:26.858 And as we look today, and look at this week and next week, as kids go back to
00:36:30.438 school, we must do our part to pray for them, to look for
00:36:34.458 opportunities, to invest and see how can we bless, how can we
00:36:38.458 partner with, how can we be a part of the chain that's going to reach this
00:36:42.298 next generation? So if you would, please stand to your feet because I want us
00:36:46.318 to pray together.
00:36:50.318 I want us to pray, and I'm going to lead us in prayer, but I invite you to join
00:36:53.578 with me. Those watching online as well, join with me in prayer.
00:36:56.338 We're going to pray as kids are going back to school, as teachers are going back
00:37:00.298 to school, as parents are getting all these final things ready.
00:37:03.718 We need prayer in our schools. We need Jesus in our schools and in this next
00:37:07.518 generation. So would you join me as I lead us?
00:37:10.178 Heavenly Father, I thank you, God, for what you're doing in the young people.
00:37:13.418 God, I thank you for those dozens of kids who are worshiping you and gathering
00:37:16.678 together, being strengthened in you, Lord.
00:37:20.158 God, I pray that we would be a church that follows Psalm 102, God, that we would
00:37:24.118 tell the next generation about you.
00:37:26.108 That, God, we would not let another generation grow up who doesn't know you
00:37:30.177 and doesn't know about what you've done.
00:37:32.418 God, I pray that for the safety and protection of our schools, God, safety
00:37:36.418 over the teachers, the nurses, the staff, the faculty, and God, in every
00:37:40.318 single child. God, I pray you'd prevent any attack of the enemy,
00:37:44.358 whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, from afflicting those
00:37:48.298 kids. God, I pray there would be safety in our schools.
00:37:52.158 God, and I pray that they would be a safe place for the Christians.
00:37:54.828 God, I pray specifically for all those Christian students, God, that they would be
00:37:58.398 bold and confident in you. God, to declare that
00:38:02.138 Jesus Christ is Lord of their life, that there is a God and
00:38:06.038 his name is Jesus. God, I pray those students would lead their
00:38:09.758 friends to know you. God, they'd pray for their friends in school, as kids are
00:38:13.778 sharing struggles or troubles at home.
00:38:15.678 God, that Christian kids would lay hands on their friends and pray for them.
00:38:19.338 God, that they would model Jesus to every single person they
00:38:23.018 encounter. God, that the students would lead their teachers to you.
00:38:26.298 God, that you would reach this school, you'd reach the staff, you'd reach the
00:38:29.978 kids, for your glory and your kingdom.
00:38:32.968 And God, I pray for you to show us, every single one of us here in this
00:38:37.018 room and listening to my voice, God, that you'd show us, what can we do?
00:38:40.958 How can we live according to what you called us to do?
00:38:44.718 God, how can we help this next generation? Maybe it's signing up for kids ministry.
00:38:48.758 Maybe it's going the next step, to find our next step, to be involved in supporting
00:38:52.678 the work that you are doing through us.
00:38:54.978 God, maybe it's just coming around a young person, putting our arm around them,
00:38:58.658 partnering with a young parent to love on them, to support them, to provide a
00:39:02.658 meal for them. God, give us our next step, and God, I ask that you'd give us the
00:39:06.478 grace to step into it. That we would not shrink back, but we'd
00:39:10.518 step out in faith, trusting you. And God, I pray that this
00:39:14.318 next generation, there would be a revival that breaks out, that your
00:39:18.078 kingdom would drastically overwhelm the kingdom of darkness.
00:39:21.998 And God, we pray that Franklin Regional, while we pray for all the schools, but God,
00:39:25.098 I pray Franklin Regional will become a Christian school because there are so many
00:39:28.458 kids, so many teachers, so many staff giving their life to you,
00:39:32.478 that that would become a Christian school.
00:39:34.598 In Jesus' mighty name I pray, amen. Amen.
00:39:37.838 Can we give a great big hand clap and a shout for kids and the next
00:39:41.178 generation?
00:39:43.278 Amen. Thank you, guys, so much. You can be seated.
00:39:45.638 Jared has a few announcements for you, and then we'll be wrapping up.
>> Jared
00:39:49.538 Amen. Thank you so much, Pastor Eric, for a great word, and just a great
00:39:53.558 commission call for us as a church, really just to pour into the next generation.
00:39:56.878 So grateful for your leadership in that regard.
00:39:59.418 And I just want to welcome you guys.
00:40:01.398 I feel like I saw some newer faces, maybe people I didn't get to meet yet this
00:40:05.158 morning. We just want to say, if you're new here with us, we're so glad that you
00:40:08.098 chose to spend part of your Sunday with us here at Freedom Church.
00:40:10.898 You're more than welcome to come back. We want you to come back.
00:40:13.718 We would love to get to know you, learn more about your story, and really just to
00:40:17.658 be able to keep in touch with you. And there's one simple way that we're able to do
00:40:21.098 this here. If you'd be so kind to take out your cellphone, if you scan the tap
00:40:25.018 card on the seat back in front of you or that QR code on the screen, filling out
00:40:29.018 very generic information so that we can keep in touch.
00:40:32.228 We want to be able to continue to let you know all the great things that God is
00:40:35.898 doing in and through our church, how you can be a part.
00:40:38.478 And on your way out the door today, let the people in the back know, because there
00:40:41.998 are some gifts there on the table, some bags.
00:40:44.218 We want to be able to give one to you just as our way of saying thank you.
00:40:47.918 And some great reminders in that bag there as well for you throughout the
00:40:51.918 week.
00:40:53.138 As Pastor Eric had mentioned, we have water baptisms coming up next Sunday.
00:40:57.358 And when you were talking about water baptisms, Pastor Eric, I was really just
00:41:00.618 thinking of my time back in my school days.
00:41:03.628 And what I was reminded of is that every single day, right around lunchtime, we
00:41:06.898 would stand up and we would give the Pledge of Allegiance. So we would stand up.
00:41:10.398 How many of you guys remember the Pledge of Allegiance?
00:41:11.658 We're not too far removed from school, right?
00:41:13.658 So every single day, we would get up and we would pledge allegiance to the
00:41:16.698 United States of America. And really, the vision that I got is that when we
00:41:20.698 get water baptized, when we openly declare that Jesus is our
00:41:24.598 personal Lord and Savior, we are pledging our allegiance to the kingdom of
00:41:28.598 God and putting a kick into the kingdom of darkness saying, "Take that."
00:41:32.858 And so this is a great, awesome opportunity for you to pledge your allegiance to
00:41:36.838 Jesus, to his kingdom, letting us all celebrate with you that you have
00:41:40.658 made the decision to follow him, that he is your personal Lord and Savior.
00:41:44.078 If you've never been water baptized, or maybe you were as an infant but
00:41:47.958 wanted to do it for your own personal decision, please scan that QR code,
00:41:51.898 get signed up, or feel free to see myself or Pastor Eric to talk more about it.
00:41:55.838 We would love to help you take this great next step in your relationship
00:41:59.738 with God. Last but certainly not least, we have a wonderful event coming up for
00:42:03.758 the ladies at the church with a breakfast coming on Saturday, September
00:42:07.598 12th at 9:00 a.m. here at the church.
00:42:09.818 A great opportunity to break bread, to enjoy some good food and good company
00:42:13.958 for the ladies here at our church. I know the last time was a great big hit.
00:42:18.178 Also hearing a great word from Rachel on the significance and the beauty of
00:42:22.098 being rooted in Christ. You're not going to want to miss out on this opportunity.
00:42:25.918 Scan the QR code and get signed up there on the screen just so that we know how
00:42:29.698 much food to prepare in advance for you ladies coming on Saturday,
00:42:33.518 September 12th, 9:00 a.m. here at the church.
00:42:36.598 If you guys could please stand to your feet, I'm going to pray, and then you'll be
00:42:39.718 dismissed.
00:42:42.698 Heavenly Father, thank you so much, Lord, that you call us on this chain
00:42:46.818 link, Lord God, that's been enduring for generation to generation for
00:42:50.778 thousands of years. Lord, that you call us individually and collectively to be a
00:42:54.698 part of the chain, Lord God. And Lord, we thank you that what
00:42:58.678 we get to be a part of, God, is going to echo generation to generation into
00:43:02.658 eternity, Lord God. And we thank you that you see us, you know us, you care
00:43:06.598 for us. You invite us to be a part of that chain no matter where we've been,
00:43:10.498 what we've gone through, what we've done, Jesus, that you offer us that
00:43:13.838 opportunity to be united with you and your family, a part of
00:43:17.858 this great chain of history, Lord.
00:43:19.748 And we ask to help us to see opportunities this week to share of the good
00:43:23.618 news with those around us and with the next generation.
00:43:26.838 It's in your precious name we pray, amen and amen. You're dismissed.
00:43:30.058 Have an awesome week, everybody.