I Am (Part 3)

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Today we're gonna finish a series called I Am three part series that we've been in. Next week we're gonna start an eight part series called Surviving youg Family.

And we're studying the life of Joseph. So if you've ever dealt with sibling rivalry, be here. If you've ever dealt with jealousy in your family, be here. If you've dealt with family estrangement, be here. If you've ever taken a wrong path in life, trying to blame your family for what they did to you, be here.

If you've ever been placed in a position where you could get even with a family member who hurt you, be here. Whether you got even with him or not, this is a series for you. And it's truly the story and the life of Joseph. And I hope it encourages you as we dive into that in the weeks ahead. But today we're finishing with where Travis kicked us off two weeks ago with Jesus, I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

A passage on the exclusivity of Christ. Today we're talking about the life. Jesus is life. And as I look around at our world today, and even in this church, there's some young parents in here trying to do their best and they're sending the kids off to school. And this would be a good week for you to learn from those of us who were raised in the 80s.

If you were raised with 80s parenting, would you raise your hand? Okay. Yeah, we heard some things, didn't we? And our parents always loved to teach us about life no matter what was happening. Maybe you've heard some of these expressions and nobody said life would be easy.

That was your parents encouragement after a bad day at school. You'd get in the car after something bad happened and your dad might say, if that's the worst thing that happens to you in life, you'll be all right. That was mom and dad encouraging you. You've heard life isn't fair. You got your whole life ahead of you.

That's a lesson you'll remember for the rest of your life. And then this one. Your parents love to tell you about money all the time. Life doesn't owe you anything. You don't get a free ride in life.

Nothing in life is free. And this I know of every single one of us here today on campus, online, is we want to make the most out of life. We Want to live full lives knowing that some of you are here in survival mode. Like life is about getting up each day and just making it through the day. I pray if that's you or if you're wanting to make the most out of life.

You learn today what true life is, what real life is, and where you find true meaning and purpose in life. Cause you hear people say it all the time, I want to get the most out of life. Seize the day. Carpe diem, yolo. You only live once.

I'm here for a short time. I'm going to go all. In country music, we have our songs. Live like you are dying. Make the most out of this season that you're in.

Farmers would say make hay while the, while the sun shines. Iowa boy over there. Life is hard, it's unpredictable, it's short. And I want to make the most of this life that God has given me. So how do we do that?

John 14:6. We've been studying this for three weeks. It really is Jesus speaking to the exclusivity of Christ, of who he is. I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

And I wanna just Share with you 4 truths about Jesus being life today and explain it so that we can find that purpose and meaning in life. Cause guess what? Jesus doesn't wanna be a part of your life. He wants to be your whole life. He doesn't want part time Christians.

He wants you not just to, hey, I give him this little piece. He doesn't wanna be a piece of the pie, he wants the whole pie. He doesn't want just a part of your week, he wants your whole week. So today we'll start number one. Jesus is the creator and sustainer of life.

You understand? The very breath you take right now is given to you by Almighty God. He sustains you. So you're going to go to work tomorrow. You couldn't work without that breath that he's placed in your lungs.

So he sustained you. He didn't just create it and then step aside. No, he holds all things together. And as you get to Colossians, Paul is going to talk to the church as Gnosticism is creeping its way in the Colossian, people worshiped angels. And when Gnosticism was creeping into the church, Gnosticism taught that angels created the earth and Christ was part of that.

Paul's gonna come in and explain that the hierarchy of angels, guess what? Created by Jesus, it was creeping into the church. And he's gonna explain that Jesus is supreme. He's the supreme authority and has oversight. And here's what we read in verses 16 and 17.

For in him all things were created things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. And here's what he's really driving home to the Colossian Church. In all the conversation about angels, this is the hierarchy of angels. He listed thrones and powers, rulers, authorities. All things have been created through him and, and for Him.

In other words, you find your purpose in life through Jesus, not created things. Colossians 1:17 says, he is before all things and in him all things hold together. In him we live and move and have our being. He created us and he sustains us. And here's where we're going today to get the most out of this life.

Make Christ your life. Not a part time thing, not a category of your life, not a slice of the pie, not something you do a little bit on Sunday and then you go live however you want and live for yourself. No, we are created by him and for Him. So are you looking for meaning in life? I've not met anybody that said no.

No, I have no desire. No. We all wanna know what is my purpose, why am I here? And I'm here to tell you, you won't find it in hobbies, entertainment, food, wine, jobs, careers or houses. Solomon chased after all of it in Ecclesiastes 2.

We read and he gets to the end and realizes, meaningless, meaningless again. Nothing wrong with hobbies. There's nothing wrong with the house that you live in. But when you seek it as your ultimate purpose in life, it becomes a problem. When that becomes your pursuit, it is a problem.

You can enjoy all those things I just shared, but they are not for the primary purpose of your life. Never make them your life's pursuit. So many of us have been raised to chase the American dream, Get the perfect job, make a lot of money, buy the dream house, have a fully funded 401k. And all those people said, yeah, it was real quiet at 8:15 as well on that one. Well, you want a fully funded 401k so you can keep up the lifestyle that you had while you were working.

You can keep that up in retirement. Your living, for it will never fill you. Why? Because it's never meant to be the source of your life. It's never meant to be what fills you.

It will never ultimately satisfy you. You were created to be filled by God and to live out his purposes in your life. I never want the things I enjoy in life. And I enjoy A lot. Go on the lake today.

Enjoy the creation. Enjoy Table Rock Lake. Enjoy that new boat you just got. I just spoke to somebody who's new to the Ozark and bought a boat right before this gathering. And he said, they tell me the best days of boat owner is the day you buy it and the day you sell it.

And I said, don't listen to those people. I just sold my boat after like 12 years, and I'm sad. So I love the boat, but guess what? It's not my purpose in life. Go enjoy it, but don't make it your pursuit, because living for it will never fill you.

I want to be filled by God and enjoy the rest as overflow, not as source. This is key. Romans 1:25. What's Paul say to him? You exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.

And this is what we get wrong all the time. We take things that we can enjoy and we turn them into idols. We start worshiping them and pursuing them and seeking purpose and meaning from them. Rather than them being the overflow, we turn them into the source. But Jesus is the one to be forever praised.

I've been spending time. I'm 52 years old, and so I've been really looking to people older than me. And I'm talking much older, like 60 years old. But no, I'm looking to leaders and dads and husbands who are older than me and where they are in this season of life. And I'm just like, how are they living their lives and how are they pursuing?

And one guy, for the last few years, he's been a dear friend to me, one of my greatest encouragers, super kind. His name's Bob Merritt, the pastor of Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota. They have campuses all over the state. He retired at 62 years old after 28 years at Eaglebrook. He retired two weeks before the pandemic.

You couldn't have planned a more perfect retirement date than two weeks before the pandemic. And he didn't have to deal with any of the nonsense the rest of us had to deal with. And by nonsense, I mean people. But you know what I mean. It was just a crazy time.

And he turned it over to Jason Strand and retired. And his board told him, hey, you've done it. You've run the race, man. Go golf and travel. And for one year.

Bob shares. If you want to look up any of his messages. I love all of his messages. He just did a message on meaning and purpose. And I've listened to it three times because he said for one year he slept after the mantle of leadership was taken off of him from the responsibility he carried all those years he slept, he golfed, and he traveled.

And guess what? At the end of the year, he did not find great meaning in life. And what he says, and I hear it all the time in Branson, people retire to Branson. You should retire from your job. That's great.

And I hear it all the time. People come here and they go, man, I got a boat. I've got the perfect slip. It came with a lift. I didn't even have to pay for the lift.

Like, they're all excited. And I go, come and see me in 6 to 12 months. Go enjoy it and keep it even after that. Six to 12 months. But you're not gonna be ultimately fulfilled every day.

And I know there are guys right now going, mmm, I've been testing your theory. I'm on year four.

But I want you between you and the Lord today, you know, that's something to be enjoyed, but it's not something to fill you. You know, ultimately, it doesn't fill. Ultimately, it's not your source. And Bob got back into it. And what's cool is Bob's almost 70 years old.

I believe he's in the most influential season of his life. Cause guys like me are listening to him. Guys like me want to go to the. What scripture calls in Ecclesiastes 12, the blossoming almond trees. People with gray hair.

Chuck back there. Look at Chuck. That's a blossoming almond tree right there. Bob has lost his leaves. He doesn't have any hair.

And Chuck, you retired after a career. And guess what Chuck would tell you. Just the hobbies and all that great stuff, fun times. It's not your ultimate purpose in life. And it'll never bring true satisfaction.

Why? Because Christ is our life. He created us. He sustained us for Him. And to live for him means you see everything about your everyday life.

Everything from the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to sleep at night, every. As an opportunity to serve the Lord. So he is the creator and sustainer of life. Retire from your job, but do not find your purpose and meaning in the gold or the silver. You're socking away from those commercials.

Don't find it in the fully funded 401k. Don't find it in the house. I was recently. Many people in our church have purchased homes in 2020 and 2021. I mean, they were in another state.

They bought A home that they didn't even walk through. They paid cash for it. No contingencies, no inspections. Those were the days. Weren't those the days right there?

And they're here and they'll tell you, looking around like, it's a nice place. I'm grateful to the Lord for it. And that's the key to receive everything with thanksgiving, to know who provided it for you. And they're sitting there going at the end of their life now, going, this is great, but this is not it. This is not what's meant to ultimately fulfill number two, Jesus life.

Jesus gives new life. I love the story in John, chapter three of Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night. Here's why that's important. There's a lot of nuance in this text, but when it says he came to Jesus at night, the reason for that is he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the 70 member ruling class. And they really had two responsibilities, obviously, the religious practices.

But under the Romans, they were also in charge of making sure that the Jews kept in order. So they really had two primary responsibilities. And we read in John chapter three, now, there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus, who was a member of this Jewish ruling class, the Sanhedrin. He came to Jesus at night. And most scholars believe the reason for that, obviously, is the timidity being seen by another member of the Sanhedrin, but also the people that would know him.

And he's got questions for Jesus, so he comes at night. Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform the signs you were doing if God were not with him. And Jesus gives this statement, Jesus replies, very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. Now, when Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again, he wasn't saying a man must enter his mother's womb for a second time to be reborn. It's impossible.

He was telling Nicodemus that man is spiritually dead. The Bible's estimation of you before Christ is that you're of your father, the devil and a child of darkness. You're spiritually dead and you have to be born again and again. By born again, it's not. Jesus isn't here to improve your life or to make things a little bit better.

He's here to give brand new life from above. When Jesus saves you, he doesn't make you a better version of yourself. He makes you a brand new you. He didn't come to Improve your life. He came to make you a new creation.

This is what Paul teaches in 2nd Corinthians 5:17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. And today I ask you the question, are you born again?

Well, Ted, I prayed a sinner's prayer. I remember walking an aisle at vbs. I remember a real fantastic night at church camp one time, and I prayed this prayer. But my question for you is, were you born again? Because if you went home and nothing changed about your life, you have to ask the question this morning, Am I truly born again?

Am I a follower of Jesus? Have I been born from above? I told you, I've been following. I've shared with you the Ben Sasse story. Shared with you a lot of people in their retirement years, but one.

I've shared with you a lot about Timothy Keller and the messages I read. When a servant of the Lord passes away, I love to look back on their life and what were they talking about and what were they doing in the months leading up to their death? Cause I think about that, like, what will your last phone call be? What will your last text be? And you've heard me say it before here a bunch.

Don't wait for that moment. Say it now, Share it now. With pastors when someone passes away, I go back and I'm like, what message did God place on their heart months or the year before they died? What was the main thing that they were sharing? And one such pastor that I've always honored and respected as Vodie Bauckham Voddie went to be with the Lord last September at the age of 56 after a medical emergency.

I've always loved his passion and his clarity for the gospel. You never heard Vode preach and at the end go, I wonder what he meant. You knew exactly what he meant. He didn't pull punches in this video. And you can.

I'm gonna actually give you an assignment tonight. I want you to go home and look this up. And everybody's been asking me, how do you spell it? V, O, D, D, I, E, B, A, U, C, H A M. Vode Bachem. And there's a four minute clip, that's about three and a half minutes of him ending a sermon.

And I'm going to read what he shared, but I want you to watch it because this is a man and I don't know if this is his last message, but it's definitely at the end of his life and the message at the end of his life was the same as the message of his whole life. But I want you to watch it. Because as this three and a half minutes build, the passion builds. He's a very sweaty guy, sweat pouring down. But then you'll see the tears coming down his face as he talks about faith being realized and life in Christ.

And here's what I love about it. We hear it all the time in the church. I'll never. Until the Lord returns, I'll hear it. There's this problem in the world.

There's this problem in our nation. The church needs to do this. The church needs to do that. The church needs to say this. The church needs to say this.

And here is what Voddie says, and he couldn't be more clear. He says, when people say our problem is this or our problem is that, we say, no, no, no, no, no. Our problem is God created the world and God created man. And he put man in the garden to keep the garden. And he gave the man a command and he held that man to perfect obedience to that command.

And he promised him life if he kept it and death if he didn't. And he didn't keep it, he ate it. Because of that one man, sin entered the world and death from sin. And everyone born from that man, you and me, we inherited that man's sin nature. And because of that sin nature, sins proceed from it.

And our world is broken because of that sin. And we stand guilty before a holy and righteous God. And we know that he's holy and we know that he's righteous and we crave justice. But the problem is, if God gives us justice, we all die.

And so that God, in His goodness and in his mercy, sent forth his Son, Jesus, who was born of a virgin. And yes, the virgin birth matters. Why? Because if he's born of ordinary generation, he's born in sin. But because he's not born of ordinary generation, he's not born in sin.

He's clean of sin. His record is clean. And he keeps his record clean. And he obeys God's law. And because he's fully God and fully man, he obeys the law of God on our behalf in his act of obedience.

And then in his passive obedience, God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us all. We, like sheep, have gone astray and each has turned to his own way. But God laid upon him the iniquity of of us all. And Christ died for sin once and for all. The just, for the unjust.

And God imputes our sinfulness to him and nails our sinfulness to the cross. And Christ dies and raises again on the third day for our justification. And there's another imputation. The righteousness of Christ is actually imputed to us so that God can be both just and justifier of the one who places faith in Jesus Christ, so that all who come to Christ may enter in. So that all who place faith in Christ might but not only saved, but sanctified because he's the firstborn of many brethren, we're justified and we're adopted into the family of God.

And we're sanctified. And I love this next line. And his children will begin to bear the family resemblance. And we're further sanctified throughout this life by the very same gospel that saves us until one day when it's all done, we're not just saved from the penalty of sin, we're not just saved from the power of sin, but we're saved from the very presence of sin. That is the gospel message.

That's the gospel we preach. He says, that's the gospel we need. And that's the gospel. That's more than enough. So when you next time are scrolling through and you hear some ying a ling online.

Here we go. Me belittling. I apologize, I need to. But you hear somebody saying, the problem is this in the church. No, no, this is our problem.

Sin Jesus is the solution. And that is the message the church must herald until the Lord returns. It's the message we keep preaching until the Lord returns. And church, let us not get sidetracked. I love one pastor's coming out with a book called Not My Circus, and he's saying we're just living in this world where everybody wants to bring you into their drama.

We know what the problem with the world is. It's called sin. We can keep addressing it, but if we stop sharing, the solution, and the solution is Jesus is life. Period. That is our message, and we will not be distracted from that message.

So my question for you is, do you cherish the death and resurrection of Jesus? Do you get up thinking about the death and resurrection of Jesus not just for your salvation, but for your daily life, what it looks like? Cause that's the next one. Jesus gives abundant life. You might hear, jesus gives abundant life and think, well, now he's here to make me healthy, wealthy and wise.

Jesus said in John 10:10, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the flesh full.

Paul knew good times and bad times. He knew what it was to be well fed. He knew what it was to be starving. And you know what he said? I've learned to be content.

Why? Because my contentment isn't in what I'm eating. My contentment is in Christ. Period. John Piper says this Christ is not glorious so that we get wealthy or healthy.

Christ is glorious so that in our sickness and poverty, we are satisfied in Him. Many of you have come to this church in sickness and in poverty, in brokenness. Marriage is falling apart, families falling apart. You were looking for answers. You didn't know where to turn.

You show up and think like, if I just show up, if I give my life to Jesus, all of this is gonna go away. No. You find that Jesus is life ultimately, period. And that even after coming to Christ, you're gonna deal with circumstances, you're gonna deal with consequences of past decisions. Yes.

Does God heal people? Absolutely. Heals them. This side of heaven or on that side.

But you realize wherever you are today, whatever you're going through today, whether wealthy or hungry, Jesus is your source. Fanny Crosby was blinded as a child after a doctor's mistake. She refused to live with resentment. She trusted God's work in her life and did not dwell on her circumstances. Many of you know that name.

She wrote many of the great hymns of our faith, such as Blessed Assurance, which is one of my favorite hymns, and To God Be the Glory. She also wrote the hymn Keep Me near the Cross as a reminder not to abandon the cross of Jesus when life gets hard. No, just the opposite. You run to it. Run to the cross when gripped by fear, hurt, or frustration.

So let me just give you a few things I just jotted down this week for those who need to return to the cross. And we all can admit when our faith drifts. We all can admit when there's times we're walking away because life got hard or challenging and we don't think we were getting all the answers. Here's how you keep near the cross. If you feel like you've drifted from the cross, I want you to wake up tomorrow and commit the whole day to the Lord.

Before your feet hit the floor, say, lord, this is your day. You know what that's going to do for your day? You're no longer going to see distractions or interruptions. You're going to see opportunities and be like, well, Lord, who did you bring across my path today? If my life is all yours, there's people I need to minister to.

Find your identity in Christ, not your job. This is Why? A lot of us, when we leave our job, that we're known for, that we have influence for that people call us for. When you leave the job and the phone calls stop and no one's calling you by that title anymore, you can start to feel empty. Well, for those of you who aren't far from retirement, we have people all across this community.

You've served this community in so many different ways. And you've talked to friends who've retired as teachers, as superintendents in law enforcement, first responders, community leaders. Like, why, when I retired, the phone call stopped. I guess I couldn't do anything for anybody anymore. Now is the time for you to start to find your identity in Christ and not what you do.

He is your identity. He gives you the very breath in your lungs to go to work. So now start that money you're earning. Start to look at your spending as a steward, as a manager, not as an owner. He owns it all.

Thank the Lord before every meal for the food he provided you. He gave you the ability to work and to provide for your family. Enjoy your marriage. No longer see your spouse. Don't see your children anymore as the source or solution to your problems.

I hope many of you get in the car today and look at your children and look at your spouse. Try to do this in a loving way and just say, you're fired. You are no longer my source. My mood does not hinge on how you behave right now, because Jesus is my source. Not.

And finally, number four, Jesus gives eternal life. John 11, 25 and 26. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though they die. And whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

Do you believe this? Do you believe this? John 6:40. For my father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life. And I will raise them up at the last day.

I got news a couple of weeks ago that a friend, Paula McLeod, and I know she's watching right now or will tune in later to the message. A member of our church, and she would split her time when her husband was living back and forth between here and California, and she's in California now full time, but still loves you, loves this church. And I heard she had cancer and was really struggling, losing a lot of weight. And so I called her. I don't know if you've done this.

You pick up the phone, you're gonna call somebody for the purpose of ministering to them and they turn the whole thing around on you. Do you know anybody like that? Do you know anybody that walks that close with the Lord? The whole call became her ministering to me. She said, and I had heard she had lost a lot of weight.

And I thought it was the treatments. And it was. And she said, ted, I had to stop doing the treatments. The treatments were gonna kill me long before it got the cancer. I just had to stop them altogether.

And we talked about life. And she was torn like Paul was torn. She goes, I know to stay here, there's still ministry to be done to family, but I long to be with the Lord. That's a tension every believer should have. And at the end of the call, she goes, well, I'm gonna let you go, but let me pray for you.

I'm like, you don't know how this thing works at all.

And Paula ended the phone call by praying for me. And that's somebody who understands that Jesus is life. That's somebody that really gets it, that understands the short time they have here upon this earth is not meant for the pursuits that most of us are running after. That's someone who. And she's done well in life.

She's a great leader, and God's truly blessed her. She's ready to be with the Lord. She doesn't know when that time's coming. But until then, guess what she's going to do? Live her life for Jesus.

People, places and things are not your source of life. I hope you take that with you this week. Your boss is not your source of life. That should bring incredible comfort to you. Teachers, the parents are not your source of life.

The students are not your source of life. Your parents aren't your source. Your children aren't your source. Your spouse is not your source. These are all great things, though.

Go visit places, travel. Just don't make it the source. Don't make it the end all, be all. Don't make it the goal. Own nice stuff, have your collections.

There's nothing wrong with that. But when it becomes the source, it's a big problem. And you will live life empty, completely empty. Jesus is life, and he doesn't want part of it. He wants your whole life.

Colossians 3. For you died and your life is now hidden. I love that word, hidden. There. You're hidden with Christ in God.

That means you're concealed and safe in Him. And when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. For those of you today, there's two things I just want you to do. The prayer team will be down front, here and outside. If you want to know what does it mean to be born again?

What does it mean to repent of my sins, confess that Jesus is Lord and to believe in my heart that he's been raised from the dead, meet with someone from the prayer team that you would be saved, that you would share that decision with them today. For those of you who've made that decision, we've got about 30 people signed up so far. I'm going to put this QR code up here on the screen. Labor Day is baptism Sunday here and we're looking forward to another great day. And if you would like to sign up, we're going to lead this up.

As you walk out, you can schedule, scan it. It'll be on the outside TVs as well. But make this, make this a day of decision for you. Whatever you are pursuing, you're firing that as the source of life. And you're pursuing Jesus, the true and only source of life.

Would you pray with me?

Father, we are grateful for the life that we have in Jesus. And I just, I do pray for this church to continue to be a light in the Ozarks. Use our church in this community, southwest Missouri, northwest Arkansas, to reach people with the way, the truth and the life which is Jesus. For the one who's never placed faith in Jesus, I pray that today is the day of their salvation. For the family member, the friend that is in turmoil today, in survival mode today, because they're looking to people, places and things as the source, that today they would fire all of them as the source of and look to Jesus as the true and only source.

And we pray all of this in the authority of the name of Jesus. And everyone agreed and said, hey,