Signs of Life

Message Transcription

Well, we're launching into a new series this week called Signs. It's actually going to be a series that takes us all the way up into the Lenten season up to Easter Sunday. It's a series that we're going to look in the gospel of John and think some about what are those signs that John gives to us of this life that truly is life. These signs that point us to Jesus, who is not just another man, but who is the anointed messiah, the son of the living God who invites us to follow him by, as Matt reminded us, laying down our lives, sacrificially and living for a new way, a new purpose. So I invite you to join us this season. I know some of you are saying we'll call. It actually doesn't start for two more weeks. And so I just want you to know. I know, but I needed two more weeks of live this year. I don't know about you, but personally, I've needed more time. You know, Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry, took 40 days at the very beginning to pray and to fast to think about to be tempted by all the other things that might derail his ministry. And for 40 days, he gave himself fully to that. And so the church and the season of Lent mirrors that same time in the wilderness, where we try to prepare ourselves for the work that God is going to do in and through our lives.

But what I found in me lately is I need more than 40 days to prepare my heart and my mind for the work that God is going to do with us. These last several months have been some of the hardest in my life. I've faced work challenges in ministry, challenges, personal challenges. We've had family challenges. We've suffered, like many of you, grief and loss and pain and uncertainty. In fact, the reason I began this year with that series on anxiety was because I was facing anxiety and needed to be reminded of God's continued presence in our lives that his spirit of power is with us all the time. Any time I've been trying to start my day with that prayer, we practiced several times together. I can't, but he can. I think I'll let him. We practiced another prayer as well that that prayer Jesus died, so I don't have to fill in the blank anymore. Jesus died, so I don't have to pretend that I have it all together anymore. Jesus died, so I don't have to power up on people when I'm feeling threatened in my position and my influence. Jesus died, so I don't have to manage other people's impressions. They think better of me than I really am. Jesus died, so I don't have to over function in the relationships in my life, I can allow them to be them and me to be me.

As a preacher and church leader, one of the most disheartening things about the last couple of years has been this realization that the church is not as far along the path as we were hoping. Yes, collectively leaders around the world were. We're hoping it would be. In fact, sometimes the the ugly underbelly has been exposed of how too often our churches have been shaped more by political ideology than the gospel of Jesus have been shaped more by powering up and holding on to power, rather than laying our lives down and sacrificing ourselves for others. Of humbly recognizing ways in the world where we've we have not met the mark and owning it, knowing it's only going through that process of reconciliation that we actually grow and become all who God is called us to be. But you know, the truth is those aren't new struggles that we're seeing again in the church. Those have been around a long time. We're not the first ones to wrestle with these. They're not new. But again, I think one of the disheartening things for those of us, my colleagues, that I get the chance to to visit with is that we're not as far along as we were hoping. And what's been sad to me personally was to see in the last year, I've had six friends in ministry who have left ministry.

They've left serving in the church to go join a non-profit or or go try to earn a living in the secular world so that they could do ministry elsewhere because they felt like, well, I can't do much ministry in the church. I could do more outside the church. And that's a tough pill to swallow to breaking my heart. And it's discouraging, so what do we do? What do I do? Well, for me, when whenever I come to these points, these moments in my life, maybe you face them as well when you're not sure what to do, where to go. Well, maybe we should return back to why we're doing it in the first place that Simon Sinek calls it. What's your why that belief or value or cause that drives you, that motivates you to do what you do to become who you are? And that's when I'm finding myself in that position, I often come back to this passage that Ali read for us just a moment ago. John one. Because not only that remind me of of God's way of Jesus, why of John's why, but it reminds me of mine. It's all going to begin this series on signs at the beginning where John begins. So let me invite you if you have your Bible to open to John Chapter one, we're going to spend our time together there this morning, and I'm struck by the first couple of verses.

So much to say, so much packed in. I don't have near the time to unpack everything, so I just want to share a couple of thoughts as we head into this new series. John begins with these words, familiar words to many of us who have spent much time in church in the beginning. In the beginning was the word those words echo back to Genesis one, the creation story in the beginning where it all started. We remember that beautiful rhythm. And God said, and it was so and God saw that it was good that God speaks and something happens. John here too, reminds us of that same power in the beginning was the word. The word that was spoken by God, but that word wasn't just a spoken word, that word was with God. And Ali, was that God word with God, but that word was God. He was with God in the beginning from the start. The word has been with God is God is from God. The word has been bringing life through him. All things were made without him. Nothing was made that has been made in him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. You see, from the beginning, the word has been with God and the word is God.

And that word has been bringing life, in fact, John says not one thing came into being without the word. Paul would say it to the church in Colossi, like this for in him, in the word in Christ, all things were created, things in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him, and for him, he is before all things and in him, all things hold together. See, God's word doesn't just disappear into thin air after he utters it. No. And it is life it creates. And not only that, it takes on this new form notice in John's version early on, he says in him. In him, he was with God that now this word has taken on a form that before this time it hadn't. The word was with God. The word was God. And through the word creation came in him. John says, was life and that life, it's the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. The word is life, the word brings life and the life shines in the darkness. And no matter how great the darkness might grow, it never overcomes the light. And we know that, don't we? And we know that at least intuitively, I remember it almost every night because I'm lying in bed, remember I forgot to take my medicine.

Has that ever happened to anybody? Oh yeah. So I get up out of bed and I go through the living room into the kitchen and all the lights are off and I'm trying to be quiet and not wake up the kids. I'm trying to be quiet and not disturb my wife. He's trying to rest and there's no light on. Except for this clock light that belongs to the coffee maker that my wife just got this blue light. Now, during the day when the lights are on and the window shades are up and there's tons of light in the kitchen, you don't even notice it. You can hardly see it. In fact, my eyes are not good enough that if I'm standing on one side of the kitchen, I can't even tell what time it is. I have to walk over and look at it. But at night. When the shades are drawn. And the lights are off. And that clock light shines that small light. It lights up even the darkest space in the kitchen, so much so that I can make my way over and find a glass of water and grab my pills and take them and return back to the bed. Why? Because light lights never overcome by darkness. It's just true. John says that's the light that's at work in the word that the word has the power to create to create new life in us.

And I don't know about you, but that's a word I need to know and hear these days that the word and the world that created everything around you, everything that you see, that word still is bringing life. Again, John says without him. None of it would exist again, Paul would say it this way for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him. And through him to reconcile to himself all things weather things on Earth, there are things in heaven. By making peace through his blood shed on the cross. See, the word that was with God, the word that was God, the word that creates is still creating. A word that creates all the fullness of God, it brings life. Do you need life in any part of your world these days? Is there a relationship that you're facing or a work struggle or a school situation where where you could use a little new life? Jesus, word brings life. Invite you just to take a moment and think. Maybe say this prayer, God, where do I need life right now? Here's a situation or a circumstance or a person, a relationship where I need new life. You see, God will bring life, but part of that process is that life becomes light and it shines like that little clock light in my kitchen.

It shines light into the darkest spaces and sometimes friends. That's a painful, shiny. It's painful because we come face to face with what's really happening, what's really going on inside of us. But it's the kind of pain that actually leads to life, to change, to transformation. Gab, would you shine your light into our world into the dark places of our lives? Those places that are causing death. Death to a relationship or a work situation or a school circumstance. Death to our souls, to our integrity. To our witness to the world around us, God, would you shine your light? Here's another sign John points us to at the beginning. Because if we're not paying attention, we're going to miss it. Notice, he says in verse nine, the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that, which was his own, but his own did not receive him. I love how John here reminds us the light came into the world for everyone. The light is for everyone, there's not a soul you'll like eyes with this week that the light did not come to bring light and hope in life. But he says, if we're distracted, we're going to miss it. An early on, those who first saw it were distracted and they missed it.

And friends, do we not live in a distracted age? You know what, the average attention span is for an adult these days. I've already passed it. Right. Eight seconds on average, eight seconds, it takes you to lose interest. How much TV does the average American adult watch? That's not how you say that the adult, it's kind of a weird word. You know how much TV it average adult watches for hours? All right, so now you add that up over a person who lives on the average 65 years, they'll spend nine years of their life in front of a television. I'm pretty sure I'm about it seven and a half. How much time do we spend distracted on our phones, the average person? Three hours and 45 minutes, almost the same. Right, we're distracted, and Jesus says, John tells us, friends, if we're not paying attention, we're going to miss it, that life is going to come right into our world and it's going to walk right by and we're going to we're not even going to see it. Let's see if we're willing to pay our pay attention to to to train our focus on to watch for the signs of life in the world. Listen to what John says is the result of that, he says. Yet to all who did receive him, who paid attention, who put their phone down.

Some of you on your phones right now. He says to all who pay attention. Who did receive him? He gave the right to become children of God. And like me, I grew up in the church and I just I ate children, got married. Think about that for a moment. To those who pay attention, he gives the right to become God's child. Children born, not natural descent, not a human decision or a husband's will, but born of God, the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. And we've seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son who came from the father full of grace and truth. To those who aren't distracted, who look for the signs is given the gift of life. Life in God. It he'll shine that life just like a light into the darkness. I've been trying to look for some signs this week. In fact, during this series, I invite you to join me in looking for signs of life in the world. I came across one. It's somewhat of a familiar story in some ways, but it's also one that just reminds me of of life shining in the world. It's a story of this high school boys basketball team in Percy, Arkansas. And they've got a student manager who manages a team of special needs kid and he's getting ready to graduate. And and I came across this story. Check it out.

Tonight, a senior night, and it's the last regular season basketball game for our Lake Hamilton High School teams and for one senior, it's going to be extra special.

Andy has been in our program for five years with me for three years during practice. He runs the clock for us, so if I've got a drill, I tell him Andy put so and so minutes on the clock and start it, and he handles all that for me. He does all of our towels and water during the game and he takes pride in it. He works hard at it.

My favorite part to be the mentor manager is to enjoy being with the boys and the

Coaches here at Lake Hamilton. My gosh, it feels like family where he's really ahead had no problems. The team boys on the team have really taken care of him. He's come home and has had many stories of how well one teammate or another has stuck up for him. And it's been a really wonderful experience.

Well, they they think of Andy just like one of them. Any time we win a game and he's the first one leading the cheers in the locker room, and he's always been included in that and the kids love him. And when we came up, we're on the bus ride home just saying, You know what? Be neat. What if we could play Andy a little bit on senior night and let him dress out? And the kids heard me talking to Coach Johnson about it. And of course, they jumped on that at me. Like Coach, you got to do that. You got to do that. So we wanted to do something neat where we could video him getting his jersey. So his mom and dad could see that. And so I just told Jason, I said, just hit record when we start talking to the team. And so I just went through, you know, scouting report a little bit and started talking about who we're going to start since its senior night. And I had four guys and I said, Now hold on, but we're going to need five. But I said, Hold on, Andy, you're saying you're right. And he said, Yes, sir. He stood over there by me and I pulled the jersey out. I said, Well, how about you be the fifth guy? And he lit up from ear to ear.

But when he came home off the bus, he was he could see the smile coming from the driveway. He was so excited. We had gotten a heads up that that was going to happen. And he was he couldn't stop talking about it. He was pretty excited, fairly nervous, but so excited. Later that evening, we were sent the video and like any mom, you couldn't but not cry over it and send it to your family members and everyone calls crying. It's it's a pretty special thing.

It felt awesome when I found out I get the start tonight.

This is going to be pretty special for him. He's he's enjoyed being the manager. He's he loves to come home and say he's pumped the boys up in the locker room and he feels like he's one of them. But to be able to play alongside them is going to be a wonderful experience.

Ok, super cool story. All right. Amazing story. This coach and the students rallying around their friend Andy and saying, Hey, we need a fifth starter and we're going to make it. And so he does. But actually, this is not how I learned of this story. You see, this was presented to the school. This was just a story that was presented on their own little YouTube channel. But word spread. In fact, how I heard about the story is the next little part of this video. Check it out. Andy, from downtown, they keep watching it. Now, the best part. Notice who's jumping in the picture, right, it's not just Andy's team, right, because the other coach heard about the story and he said, we can have a part in this story too. And so he said, Hey, at the end, I don't know if you noticed one of his boys was dribbling the ball and his buddy comes up and says, Give it back to Andy. And so he gives it to him. And at the end, they're all jumping the entire team. Both squads are together cheering on Andy, right? This this sign of life. Like people recognizing this, it's so much bigger than this. And our game, this experience that we're living, it's so much bigger than this. Don't just think it's about a game to these boys. They will never forget that moment and neither will I. You see the signs of life that there's actually something happening in our world that's way bigger than we realize. And sometimes like me, when I get so laser focused on what's happening in my world, I forget about it.

I just get so focused on I want my life to be the way that I want it to be and I want to control and I want to manage and manipulate things to work out on my behalf. And I forget about. The other people in the world around me. Maybe that's. Been true for you. You see my prayer this Lenten season as we journey through it together is that we'll pay attention to the signs. We'll pay attention to the real signs, the signs of life happening all around us. You see, John's going to walk us through his gospel, and he's going to point to some specific signs that are going to say something to us about who Jesus is and why we can trust him and follow him and choose to to follow the signs that he gives to us. And so my my invitation to churches is to join us on that. In fact, I love how John in chapter one, he ends it with a couple of stories of those first disciples who started to follow Jesus. They didn't know him. They didn't understand everything there was to understand about him. So if you're here this morning and maybe it's your first time or your first time in a long time, or maybe you've gotten distracted for a while and you're not really sure who this Jesus character is, man, this series, it's for you because John's going to show us he's going to point to some signs that reveal who Jesus is. One of the first ones that I love is how John ends the gospel.

With the telling of those first couple of disciples who who start to follow as Jesus is getting ready to leave and go to Galilee. In a verse 36, we're told that when when John the Baptist, some of his disciples, two of them one of them's named Andrew, they're standing there with John the Baptist. And when Jesus passes by, John says, Look, the lamb of God. And when the two disciples heard him say this, they follow Jesus and turning around. Jesus saw them following, and he asked them, What do you want? They said, Rabbi, which means, teacher, where are you staying? You said, come and you will see. And then the next day, as Jesus is getting ready to leave for Galilee, he calls Philip another disciple, says, Come follow me. And so Philip goes and grabs his friend Nathaniel and Nathaniel has that famous line, as Philip says, Hey, we found the Messiah. It's a guy from Nazareth and Nathaniel goes Nazareth. Can anything good come from there? I love Philip's response. Come and see. Church, that's my invitation for us, this series and signs come and see. Can Jesus really help solve some of the problems in my life? Come and see. Can he make a difference in how I view myself and how I deal with the junk that the the baggage that I've carried with me for years? Come and see. Is Jesus really who he says he is? I mean, is there really a life that is truly life? Come and see. God, we invite you to to lead us this week. Into the Lenten season that we would come and see, like those first disciples, they didn't know where the road would lead.

They didn't have all the answers. In fact, they had way more questions than they had answers. But they were willing to come and see God, may we be willing to come and see. Father, would you point to us the signs of the world? The word that has been from the very beginning? The word that brings creation and life into very existence, would you bring life to us this week? What I pray for those marriages that need life, those families that need life. God, would you bring it? I pray for those work. Circumstances, challenges. I pray for the schools. How would you bring life? Lord, would you shine your light into our lives? Exposing the dark places, the places that need change and transformation, that need healing. And then, God, would you buy your word, bring that healing? Father, would you give us eyes to see and ears to hear the signs that are happening all around us, to see you at work in our world, that God when you pass by? That we would follow. That we would come and see. Lord, thank you for our church. Thank you for their amazing love for you and for the city and for our world. Yeah. Would you help transform our city, Lubbock? The guy, would you start with us? Would you help us to be your hands and your feet? Oh, God, thank you for being a guy that gives us science. Lord, we want to see him help us to see this week in Jesus name. Amen.