Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] It's august.
[00:00:10] We are draining out the last drops of summer. I know school starts soon, but you can tell by my shirt we are still on summer vacation. We're gonna hang on as long as we can.
[00:00:21] So did anybody get a chance to travel this summer?
[00:00:26] Even if you went from the kitchen to the couch to watch fireworks on TV on 4th of July, we'll count that.
[00:00:33] If you came from Van or Ben Wheeler or Mineola this morning, you left your county. Let's travel.
[00:00:40] Did anybody leave Texas this summer?
[00:00:43] Did anybody leave the country this summer?
[00:00:47] Does anybody think leaving Texas is leaving the country?
[00:00:52] So did. So. It's summer. It's casual. We can talk. I want to hear. Did anybody go to an exotic location this summer?
[00:01:00] Hawaii. Two rows. Hawaii. Right.
[00:01:03] Where else?
[00:01:05] Where'd you guys go? Turks and Caicos. Turks and Caicos. Nice.
[00:01:09] Where else? Where else do we go?
[00:01:11] New Jersey. That is exotic.
[00:01:15] Anywhere else? Any exotic locations?
[00:01:17] Honduras. Honduras. Nice.
[00:01:21] Brazil. We have Brazil.
[00:01:24] Okay. Got one coming up. I like that.
[00:01:27] Alaska.
[00:01:29] Africa.
[00:01:30] All right, great. So we got some world travelers here. Well, I took my wife Christy, to an exotic location.
[00:01:38] We went to paradise.
[00:01:42] Can you believe it?
[00:01:44] Do you believe it?
[00:01:47] Paradise is a real place.
[00:01:49] It's about 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
[00:01:54] And it is much hotter than I thought paradise would be.
[00:01:59] But I recently had the incredible honor of officiating the wedding of one of our sweet young Dover couples. Got to marry them recently in Paradise, Texas. Very recently.
[00:02:13] About 16 hours ago.
[00:02:15] But last summer, they asked me to officiate their wedding. And they said, it's going to be in paradise.
[00:02:21] And so my mind, I thought of Jesus. Words to the criminal on the cross next to him, today, I will be with you in paradise.
[00:02:29] So when Jesus said that, his emphasis was not on a place, it was. It was on his presence, right? He said, you will be with me.
[00:02:39] It was his presence that would create paradise. So what we're going to see today is paradise is not found in a place.
[00:02:45] It's not held in a thing. But it is entered through Jesus.
[00:02:51] So before we move on, I got a brag on myself. I waited a year to make a joke.
[00:02:58] We got in the car Friday to go to the wedding, and I said, christy, today you will be with me in paradise.
[00:03:07] It was a better reaction than she had. That was, we should pray. Let's pray. God, thank you for your word. Thank you for your invitation into your presence that it is open to every person here.
[00:03:23] So may we receive it.
[00:03:25] I pray for those who don't know Jesus that you would Irresistibly draw them to yourself today.
[00:03:32] And for those of us who do that, we would be encouraged to live deeper in your presence.
[00:03:40] Spirit, would you preach a better sermon than I will In Jesus name? Amen.
[00:03:45] So when Jesus was on the cross, two criminals were with him. One on his left, one on his right.
[00:03:51] In Luke 23:39, one of the criminals hanging beside him scrap scoffed, so you're the Messiah, are you?
[00:03:59] Well, prove it by saving yourself and us too, while you're at it.
[00:04:05] But the other criminal protested, don't you fear God even when you've been sentenced to die?
[00:04:11] We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong.
[00:04:17] And then he said, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
[00:04:21] And Jesus replied, I assure you today you will be with me in paradise.
[00:04:29] So this criminal probably hoped that he would say that and Jesus would go, yeah, no problem. Let me get down off this cross. I'll get you down, spare your suffering and we'll go watch the ball game.
[00:04:41] But that's not what happened, right? Jesus saw the criminal's faith and he said, you will be with me.
[00:04:49] He said, I'm leaving this place, but you can be in my presence.
[00:04:53] So he saw that paradise is not found in a place.
[00:04:57] Paradise is the presence of God.
[00:05:01] This is how the whole Bible begins. If we go back to the beginning of the Bible, we see the first woman, first man, even Adam in paradise in God's presence.
[00:05:12] And it was good. It was all good. It was literally all good in the hood, right? They had everything they needed, God provided for them, and his presence made it paradise. And they lived in total freedom, like naked and unashamed kind of freedom, a freedom we don't know.
[00:05:33] But they chose their desires over what God provided.
[00:05:39] And they broke the perfect creation.
[00:05:42] They saw what they wanted, they chose it and they took it.
[00:05:47] And it's not so different for us today, is it?
[00:05:50] We see what we want, we choose it, we take it every day.
[00:05:56] We say, you know, I know this is gossip, but I'm going to say it anyway because it makes me feel better about myself and it's kind of fun.
[00:06:05] Or we say, you know, I know fudging these numbers a little bit is not honest, but it's better for the bottom line. Maybe my boss will see it, maybe I'll get that promotion.
[00:06:15] Or, you know, I know what I'm doing hurts me. It hurts the people I love. I should stop.
[00:06:21] But I can stop anytime. So what's one more time going to hurt?
[00:06:26] So when the first man and woman broke that perfect creation. Do you know what they did?
[00:06:31] They hid from the Lord God.
[00:06:35] Paradise wasn't about the place, right? It was about the presence of God. So when they broke that perfect creation, they hid from God, and paradise was lost.
[00:06:46] But how did this happen?
[00:06:49] It all started when the first woman thought that paradise was held in a thing, right? God had told her in the first man. He said, hey, this world, it's yours.
[00:07:01] Everything you need is here. I've given you everything.
[00:07:06] It'll strengthen you. It'll make you strong and healthy. And I gave it to you because I love you. Enjoy it. Everything is yours. The world is yours.
[00:07:15] Except there's one tree that's not good for you, so you're going to want to stay away from that. He's a good father, so he goes, ooh, don't eat from that. That's not good for you. But everything else in the world is yours.
[00:07:28] But the enemy deceived her.
[00:07:30] In Genesis 3, the woman was convinced.
[00:07:33] She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.
[00:07:40] So she took some of the fruit and ate it.
[00:07:43] Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too.
[00:07:49] And at that moment, their eyes were opened and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness.
[00:07:54] So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
[00:07:58] And again they hid from God.
[00:08:02] She thought that paradise was something to hold, right? The forbidden fruit. She wanted what it offered. What it offered. So she took it.
[00:08:11] She held the fruit, they ate it in. The perfect paradise was broken.
[00:08:17] What she learned is that paradise is not held in a thing.
[00:08:21] Paradise is the presence of God.
[00:08:25] And it's not any different today, right? We are told that paradise is held in those plane tickets to the exotic location in the perfect vacation, right? Paradise is experienced through perfectly behaved kids, through unlimited screen time, through a fit body, through a more robust bank account.
[00:08:48] Advertisers use paradise to sell products, right?
[00:08:53] They know what they're doing.
[00:08:55] Just think about it.
[00:08:57] A commercial for cholesterol medicine.
[00:09:01] It doesn't show improved blood work from the medicine, right? It doesn't.
[00:09:07] It holds up the paradise that this medicine offers.
[00:09:13] And we take the bait.
[00:09:15] I watch these commercials and I think, man, if I took that cholesterol medicine, I would be as happy as that guy.
[00:09:23] He's dancing with his wife.
[00:09:25] He's driving a convertible.
[00:09:28] He's leading a parade.
[00:09:33] Who doesn't want to lead a parade?
[00:09:36] They learned a choreographed dance.
[00:09:42] That's the life I want doesn't that look like paradise?
[00:09:49] But there's a reason only two countries in the world allow advertising for pharmaceuticals.
[00:09:57] It's because paradise is not found in a pill.
[00:10:00] Paradise is not held in a thing.
[00:10:02] Paradise is the presence of God.
[00:10:07] So if that's true, if we're not just going to stumble into paradise in this world, if we're not going to hold it in our hands, how do we enter paradise?
[00:10:17] Jesus answered on the cross. He said, today you will be with me.
[00:10:22] Paradise is not found in a place.
[00:10:25] It's not held in a thing. It is entered through Jesus.
[00:10:31] So before Jesus went to the cross, before he began this journey, he told his followers, he said, I am leaving this place and I'm going to prepare a place for you. And he said, when everything is ready, I'll come and get you so that you always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I'm going.
[00:10:52] No, we don't know. Lord Thomas said, we have no idea where you're going. So how can we even know the way?
[00:10:59] Jesus told him, I am the way.
[00:11:06] If you put paradise in Google Maps, in about three hours, you'll be in a place that is okay for an afternoon.
[00:11:20] If you want the true paradise, where there is no more death or sorrow or crying or pain forever.
[00:11:28] The only way to get there is Jesus.
[00:11:32] He is the only way.
[00:11:36] Has anybody else tried the shortcut to paradise?
[00:11:41] I have.
[00:11:42] I've looked for it in a place on stage, at the closing of the bar, in the cool crowd.
[00:11:52] I've tried to hold it in a thing in reputation or money or health. And it all just left me tired or hungover or feeling inadequate.
[00:12:04] Because paradise is just out of reach, right?
[00:12:08] We just can't quite get there. I am currently on cholesterol meds and I don't have a convertible.
[00:12:17] I'm pretty convinced if I started a parade, none of you would follow me.
[00:12:21] There'd be no dance.
[00:12:25] Paradise is sold to us, but it never lives up to the hype.
[00:12:30] Because the true eternal soul fulfilling paradise is only entered through Jesus.
[00:12:38] Despite all the promises this world makes, it can never keep them.
[00:12:45] So Christy and I went to the wedding this weekend because we were invited.
[00:12:50] When we got married 18 years ago, we invited as many people as we could, but it was impossible to invite everyone but Jesus. Invitation on the cross proves something.
[00:13:02] Everyone is welcome with him in paradise.
[00:13:07] If a criminal in his final hour was welcome, you are welcome.
[00:13:16] And wedding invitations have some stipulations, right?
[00:13:19] Seemingly more and more.
[00:13:23] No shorts, no tuxedo T shirts.
[00:13:29] Even if you are a really cool guy who likes to party.
[00:13:33] But God's invitation to paradise is wide open.
[00:13:37] God so loved the world, he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
[00:13:49] So if you are part of the world, and if you are a whoever you are invited into paradise, the question is, how do we get there?
[00:14:01] We look at three ways. First, we get to paradise.
[00:14:05] Well, how do we.
[00:14:07] Man, I blew a joke. It's a good one too. Let's rewind. The question is, how do we get there?
[00:14:15] We took i20.
[00:14:18] How do we get to the paradise that is God's presence? Way number one. By way of God's love.
[00:14:25] God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us through God's love.
[00:14:33] You know, at a wedding, the bride and groom swear that they'll love one another for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health.
[00:14:46] And we include worse, poor and sick.
[00:14:50] Because better rich and healthy are easy, right?
[00:14:56] I have yet to watch a bride walk down the aisle in sweatpants, holding her arrest record, eating a bag of Cheetos.
[00:15:05] Because we present the best version of ourself. Because that version is easier to love and desire, right?
[00:15:13] But in his upside down fashion, God loves us. At our lowest, most embarrassing, most broken moment, he loves us.
[00:15:25] So we enter paradise through God's love. Also by God's grace.
[00:15:30] God saved you by his grace. When you believe and you can't take credit for it.
[00:15:35] It's a gift from God. It's salvation is not a reward for the good things we've done. Paradise is given to us.
[00:15:44] We can't earn it. It's based on what Jesus already did for us. So all we can do is like a true gift, receive it with profound things.
[00:15:55] So do you see a theme here?
[00:15:58] Paradise is offered and given to us. We can't earn it.
[00:16:02] So like the criminal on the cross, we have to repent.
[00:16:08] We get to paradise through God's love, His grace, and by repenting, right? That criminal said, man, I deserve this.
[00:16:15] But Jesus, he did nothing wrong.
[00:16:20] That's what we do when we repent. We say, God, God, my way is not working. Your way is the right way. To repent is to agree with God.
[00:16:30] It's to say, yes, God, you are God, I am not. We turn away. Repent means turn away. We turn away from the paradise we've been trying to build and we enter his.
[00:16:45] And those two criminals on the crosses, they were equals. The Only thing we're told about them is they were both criminals.
[00:16:53] The difference in them was their response to Jesus. One of them scoffed. He scoffed at the Savior, denied him.
[00:17:02] The other one acknowledged his need and asked Jesus to save him.
[00:17:07] Through his faith in Jesus, that guilty criminal became an innocent member of God's kingdom.
[00:17:16] And Jesus invitation is to everyone. He came to save the world.
[00:17:22] So will you receive his invitation?
[00:17:25] Will you repent and turn away from your striving, from your working, and receive his love and his grace because it is offered to you today freely?
[00:17:36] If you have accepted that invitation, are you pursuing God's presence and the everyday, ordinary rhythms of life?
[00:17:46] Is it his peace that passes your understanding? Is he your calm when life hits the fan?
[00:17:54] When you find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death, Are you comforted because you know Jesus promises to be there with you?
[00:18:02] Do you read His Word? Do you talk to Him?
[00:18:06] If you trust that you're saved, do you believe that God loves you because paradise is coming.
[00:18:17] It is on its way. It will be fulfilled when Jesus returns for his people and we are in his presence. But it's also offered to us today.
[00:18:26] Here's how the Bible says God is bending down to hear your prayers.
[00:18:33] Jesus wrestled with the same temptations you struggle with. The Holy Spirit has made a home in your heart.
[00:18:41] So because of that, you can lift your eyes up above the things of this world and know that the paradise of God's presence is possible even today.
[00:18:51] So I want to end with one final question.
[00:18:54] Where do you live?
[00:18:57] I don't mean Paradise, Texas or Hell, Michigan. Those are both real places.
[00:19:03] The deeper question is what thoughts live in your mind? Like what do you really believe?
[00:19:11] Do you believe God's grace is for you?
[00:19:17] Do you struggle to accept God's love because of some shame that you carry?
[00:19:25] I read from this book last week and I'm going to read from it again today. It is called Forgiven and set a Bible study for women seeking healing after abortion.
[00:19:35] I'm going to stop there and say, if abortion is part of your story, this church loves you.
[00:19:42] You are loved and there is healing and hope and full redemption for you. And this Bible study walks through God's character and how that's possible. But I'm going to read from it because this book does such a beautiful job of showing the difference between guilt and shame. It says, guilt says I did a bad thing.
[00:20:01] Shame says I am a bad person.
[00:20:07] Guilt is the criminal on the cross. Who says, jesus, I messed up and I need you.
[00:20:14] Shame is the criminal who says, I'm beyond help and you couldn't do it anyway.
[00:20:20] Guilt turns away from the mistakes we've made. It turns to Jesus.
[00:20:27] It accepts God's love and grace and it enters paradise.
[00:20:32] So if you live in shame and you believe the lie that you are a bad person beyond redemption. Jesus has an invitation for you today.
[00:20:42] He says, I stand at the door and knock.
[00:20:45] If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal together and friends.
[00:20:54] So do not let shame keep you isolated and suffering, because Jesus invites you out of that shame into the freedom of his presence, where you are completely known and deeply loved and you don't have to hide.
[00:21:12] Total freedom, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.
[00:21:23] Because paradise is not found in a place. It is not held in a thing. It is entered through Jesus and his presence is close.
[00:21:33] He's knocking on the door.
[00:21:36] So won't you let him in and enjoy paradise?
[00:21:41] Let's pray. God, thank you for your love, for your invitation into what you have already done, the gift that you offer, the paradise of your presence.
[00:21:59] Would you help us to accept your invitation?
[00:22:03] Whether it is the first time for salvation, or if it is coming back home to you, or if it is just acknowledging we need to seek you in the everyday, in the ordinary.
[00:22:16] Thank you that your offer is open.
[00:22:19] May we receive it in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:22:24] So now we get to celebrate a young lady who has found the paradise of God's presence. So, Georgia, if you'd come up, Mark Cox, one of our elders is going to come help me with towels.
[00:22:39] You guys are in the splash zone, but you're family, so it's okay.
[00:22:44] So as I said before, I want to clarify this moment. There's no miracle that's happening in this moment, but this represents the miracle that has already happened in her heart, right? It is a picture of her being buried with Jesus in the the waters of death and then being raised to walk in the newness of life.
[00:23:06] And like I said before, it is evidence of a miracle. So if you need a miracle, they are still happening.
[00:23:14] Next, if you are family or friends of Georgia or the Kuykendalls, would you stand?
[00:23:22] That means if you have done a Bible study with one of them, if you have been in re engage with them, if you have sat at a potluck with them, more of you should be standing. If you think they're the best family in the church, you should stand.
[00:23:37] So, Georgia, come here. Come up, come up. Just Come up here.
[00:23:43] I want you to see this.
[00:23:46] You are not alone.
[00:23:49] There are going to be times in her life where she's going to think she's alone.
[00:23:55] There are going to be times in her life where God is silent.
[00:23:58] I'm a dad. There are times that I'm silent because there are things my kids need to learn or they need to be quiet and listen.
[00:24:07] So you are not alone.
[00:24:10] Okay? Okay. You guys can sit.
[00:24:13] So one more thing.
[00:24:15] We know that heaven is celebrating this morning over her.
[00:24:18] We get to join in that celebration.
[00:24:21] So in those times when she feels like God is silent, my prayer is that when the enemy is shouting lies at her, what she would hear is the heavens being torn open this morning and the shouts of glory to God ringing out your yells, your applauds, your whistling.
[00:24:43] What I'm saying is, when she comes out of this water, these walls should be shaking.
[00:24:48] She should remember in those quiet moments. My baptism was so beautiful, but they ruined it by being so loud.
[00:24:56] Right? This should ring out in her memory because this is a celebration. We are watching Death to life.
[00:25:06] So when she comes out of the water, we're going to celebrate. Okay.
[00:25:12] Okay. I'm going to take this microphone off.
[00:25:15] Mike's near water.
[00:25:18] One more thing.
[00:25:19] So, Georgia, so beautifully shared with Christy and me, her story, the journey of coming to know Jesus and really, like, coming to learn. You can come to him honestly, right?
[00:25:34] You can come and say, here's who I am.
[00:25:37] And he says, oh, I know I made you, and I love you.
[00:25:43] And there's total forgiveness and total love. And she expressed that so beautifully to us. So you can get in the water now. So now you get to declare it to our whole church.
[00:26:33] Sam, we praise you that the hope we have in Jesus is not in the water. It is not in the tomb. It is alive, and its very presence is with us.
[00:27:15] We praise you, God, and Jesus. The Bible says that the church is your bride.
[00:27:23] And our church family celebrated a wedding last night and a baptism this morning. So I just got to tell you, your bride is beautiful.
[00:27:31] Thank you. That we get to be part of it.
[00:27:34] We praise you in your good name.
[00:27:37] Amen.
[00:27:38] So, church, I'd like to bless you before you go, if you would open your hands. This just symbolizes that we are open to receiving what God has for us and what he's going to launch us out into this week.
[00:27:51] May the Lord bless you and protect you.
[00:27:58] May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
[00:28:05] May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.
[00:28:11] Amen.
