Christian Love That Defies Description — Francis Chan

Or some things that God did just last service and I'm like, oh no one else gets to experience some of this. But I thought okay. I just asked the video guys. Oh, can we show them a clip from the end of service.

Owning a Faith That Is Truly Personal

Because it was this one baptism that I did that I just want to show you because We talked about it was amazing how God orchestrated because we were talking about living out your faith. In such a way that it's real to your children and for your children to own their own faith.

Because you know you you can't make them believe you can't make them love jesus and then uh when we called for baptisms this this uh. This girl came up and I just want to show you this video because it's very meaningful to me.

Sabrina's Dedicated Faith and Spiritual Rebirth

This is sabrina and I want to introduce her because uh, she brought up this letter. That I wrote that was postmarked March 3rd 1996 1996 when we dedicated her as a baby and it says uh. And we put in an envelope that says don't open until january 5th 2008.

And it says about 12 years ago your parents stood with me. Before the church congregation you were just a baby in their arms. It was at that time that your parents publicly dedicated themselves to loving you and caring for you in a way that is pleasing to god.

The whole congregation prayed for your parents. That they'd be able to provide this type of love and care through the power of the holy spirit. We also prayed for you. We dedicated you to the lord and asked that he protect you draw you near to him and help you to live in a way That's honoring to him.

Now it's your 12th birthday. You reach an age when you can understand what it means to believe in jesus and to live for him. If you have not made a decision to believe in jesus as your savior and to follow him as your lord.

Then it's my prayer and that of your parents that you do so today. Then you can celebrate two birthdays at once. Your physical one as well as your spiritual rebirth. We pray that you make this decision for yourself.

Because we've made the same decision for ourselves and it's the most meaningful thing we've ever done. If you've trusted in jesus at this time as savior and lord. Then be sure to thank him for that gift of eternal life.

It's far more precious than any present you'll receive on your birthday. Also, thank your parents for their christian love and example. Let them know how grateful you are for all they've done for you a pastor privilege to dedicate you francis chan.

Isn't that crazy? And I thought there's no way that this is coincidence. That on the weekend we talk about this. That she walks up with this letter. About you know what? I'm 12. I read that letter. And that faith is my own.

I want to be in that first seat. I'm not living off the faith of my parents when they dedicated me as a baby. This is my own you know, she was born right around the same time as my daughter was and Crazy thing about this girl here.

Sabrina's Miraculous Survival

Is you talk about a miracle? Her mom, jamie. When she was pregnant with sabrina was told that the baby had died in her womb. And so they had the dnc. They had the dnc to remove sabrina because they were told the baby had died.

They were done with the dnc and the doctors say. You know, we didn't get all of the baby. And so let's check what happened. They look in her womb again. And the baby is alive. I had never heard of anything like that in my life.

And at that moment we knew okay god I've never heard of that. She had the dnc and They missed her. You were fast. A doctor said that she was dead. And her baby the baby's gone. It was a sad sad time. I remember walking with bruce and jamie through that and then for this miracle and now.

You're about to watch her get baptized. Yes, this is an awesome morning, this is an awesome service god is doing something and so it is just an absolute rush for me to baptize sabrina watson. A baby that was dedicated to the lord.

Who was here because god created her and wedded on her her on this earth. So she could sit on that first chair and do something in his name. And do you really love jesus? This is your own deal. You totally love him.

You're ready to follow him right on. And it's an absolute honor to privilege. Privilege to to baptize you today in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. It's not the coolest thing in the world man, it's just I just remember that time and I was talking to bruce and jamie her parents afterwards and i'm going you know I bet everyone in there thinks i'm lying about the dnc or because it's just too out of this world.

It's too Unbelievable, I mean, how do you miss a baby? How does that ever happen? How did you say, you know, check it over and over again? Yep. It's not beating. It's not beating this baby's dead. Let's remove this baby and you go and you remove it and you missed.

Or was the hand of god on this little girl. And saying I I mean just just baptizing her and talking with her parents afterwards. We just stood there going. Okay, what in the world is god up to with this girl's life?

Like why is sabrina on this planet like god has some major massive amazing Life planned out for her. So I don't know it was just such a cool time. So i'm glad we had the video we could share that with you because it was just one of those moments Where everyone walked out in all of god?

Because you can't praise her parents. You can't praise anyone that raised her. You can't praise her for really dodging the dnc thing, you know I was joking about that if anyone was curious, you know, it it's uh.

It's just you just walk away go god, you know what you're doing something in that girl's life. And her faith is real, you know I mean she is in love with jesus and it's not just something her parents taught her and did to her.

Or whatever else and so I don't know. It's just I love when god works that way when things just happen. You're not expecting them and Rather than let's do another church service another sermon. It's like god.

Joy and Peace in Walking With Jesus

Why don't you show up? And kind of blow us away. I want to um take you to passive scripture. Uh galatians chapter 4 in galatians chapter 4 verse 12, I I Paul says a really strange verse. Um He says this a very strange thing.

He says I plead with you brothers. Become like me. Have you ever said that to anyone? I'm begging you. Would you be more like me? Isn't that just a weird sentence, okay, i've said it a few times but you know, no i'm kidding.

It's just that who would say that become like me. It sounds so arrogant. It sounds like well, what are you talking about become more like you but you got to understand the heart behind the statement. What paul is saying here remember he's speaking to these galatians.

He's speaking to these people this church that that he he you know, he loved these people. He led them to the lord. They fell in love with jesus. But then these people came in these kind of cult members came in and said well, it's not about jesus.

It's about doing this doing doing this doing this you can earn your own righteousness all of this stuff. And these people are starting to fall away and and paul the reason why he writes this here. He's been giving them all these theological arguments of explaining to them Why these people are wrong and saying no this is the way you're supposed to this is what the bible says and he goes to.

The old testament explains moses explains abraham explains everything jesus did on the cross. But then here in galatians 4 verse 12, he kind of stops the theological arguments for a moment. He kind of stops.

Stops going to scripture just for a few verses. And he just shares his heart with the people. And when he says you guys I wish you would become like me his point was You guys I am so Happy I am so at peace.

I have so much joy. I have so much life. And it is so good to walk with jesus. It is so good to be secure. It's so good when man you just know I know Beyond a shadow of a doubt that god loves me as his kid.

I'm not down on this earth trying to strive and earn his love. It's just so good and I know one day i'm going to die and i'm going to inherit everything that is god's. I'm an heir of the kingdom. I'm so pumped up so fired up.

I love life so much and I wish you Could experience what i'm experiencing. That's what paul's saying. Haven't you wanted that for people before? Where you know those times when you're so close to god, you're just going.

I wish my friends could get this. I wish my family understood this it is so Good to walk with god. I found this life that i've never had before. And that's what paul's saying goes man, I wish you could be like me.

I wish you would quit all of this striving striving striving trying to earn god's love. And just accept it and understand it and enjoy it. I wish you could get rid of all that junk in your life. That's keeping you from god and just enjoy how much better he is.

And so he's just saying you know what aside from all these arguments and showing you scripture. Here's my heart. I wish you guys would get it. I wish you guys could just love jesus like I do because life is so Good with him.

And those are probably words you've said to people. You know or feelings you've expressed to people you love and they're not getting it. They're not getting it and it's killing you because you're going no god is so good.

Jesus is so good. And so paul's saying man, okay forget the arguments i'm begging you now. Just get what i've got. Enjoy this again because that's what they used to have. He says become like me for I became like you.

You've done me no wrong and he says as you know, it was because of an illness. That I first preached the gospel to you, even though my illness was a trial to you. You didn't treat me with contempt or scorn.

Instead you welcomed me as if I were an angel of god. As if I were christ himself. What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that if you could have done so you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? Okay, so paul here. He's not going to old testament. He's just sharing his heart now with the people. He goes man. Do you remember the way it used to be?

Remember how we had such a great relationship because you guys loved me. I loved you. We were so happy. We're in love with jesus and he goes what's going on now? He goes I come back to visit this place and i'm telling you again, you know I'm writing this letter and telling you the stuff that we all agreed on and now suddenly i'm your enemy.

Now you hate me. Just for telling you the truth he goes what happened we were such good friends man, when I read that I thought gosh, that's exactly the way I felt sometimes where People in this church that man we were so tight some of my best friends.

But then they decided to start going a different direction. And I look at them. I go dude, you can't do you can't just leave your wife. And suddenly they're they become my suddenly i'm their enemy. I'm going dude i've been telling you this for 10 years and we were so tight.

We were such good friends and now You're mad because i'm telling you the same thing i've been saying all along. I mean hasn't that happened to you? Where People you that's the hardest thing. It's the hardest thing about living down here On this earth is you know.

You have these people that you're so close to and you're walking with god together and suddenly they go a different direction. And you're going. No, don't go there. Don't go there and they're going you know, I don't want to hear it anymore.

And suddenly you become their enemy for telling the truth. That's what's going on with paul here. And paul just reminds him he goes remember how good it was he goes he goes man when I first met you guys.

He goes remember when I first met you guys I was like deathly sick. He goes man and and people speculate on what what was this disease that paul had because we we know that he had some disease with his eyes.

Um, he didn't have good vision. Some say it was from malaria possibly because he's in these swampy regions below galatia Pamphylia, and and there was a possibility that he left that region because it got so bad his sickness got so bad.

So the only reason why he ever visited galatia Was to get healed and to feel better and go into this higher region. But as he's there obviously paul never stops telling people about jesus and he begins to fall in love with these people.

And and he tells them he goes remember when I came he goes I came because I was sick. And he goes remember how good you guys were to me. He goes you guys didn't look at him. Look at me and go. Wow. Look at that guy.

He's falling apart, you know bummer. Here's a burden to take on he goes. No you guys treated me like an angel. He goes you treated me like I was an angel of god or something the way you cared for me. The way we loved each other and then he goes he goes and I can testify that some of you guys.

Some of you loved me so much. That you would have plucked your own eyes out and given them to me if you could have. And he's reminding them he goes remember how in love we were. You remember how he used to thank me for teaching the word of god.

And how I used to just be in love with you guys. He goes it hasn't changed on my part. I'm still telling you the same thing. I'm still loving you the same way, but now suddenly i'm your enemy. See, it would be it'd be very much like if I if I walked, you know.

And went somewhere else and was ministering overseas or something like that. And then I come back to simi valley and suddenly all of you hate me. And you're believing something else. It'd be like me coming back.

What happened? Remember the times we used to spend in this room. Remember how much fun we had in this room and we would worship and we would scream and we'd be cheering for god. Remember, you know watching the baptisms and remember all the miracles we saw in this room and experience.

Remember how good life was what's going on here? And and and I can testify man. I don't know most of you. But some of you I know pretty well and we've got this history and we've had years under our belt.

And I could say with paul that I I bet you that there I bet you there are people in this room. That you and I are so tight. That you literally if I were going to bind and you could you'd give me one maybe maybe one of them, right?

Right, you know, it wouldn't fit on my little eyes, but you know, but still you would uh. Like there's that that love relationship where you go. Oh, yeah francis man, you know, and and there's just this uh.

This bond that we've had over the years right and so that's what paul is going. He's just appealing and going you guys remember everything we experienced. Don't you remember that? What happened to you?

He goes you you lost your joy. Man, I remember when you were walking with god and how good things were. And then everything's gone now. And uh, he says in verse 17, he goes these people are zealous to win you over but for no good.

What they want is to alienate you from us. So that you may be zealous for them. It's fine to be zealous provided. The purpose is good and to be so always and not just when i'm with you. My dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth.

Until christ is formed in you. How I wish I could be with you now. And change my tone. Because i'm perplexed about you. And Paul's writing this letter because he's hearing these rumors and going man. You guys hate me now.

After all of that i'm i'm confused here he goes. He goes. I wish I could be there with you. I love you guys. But you're my enemy now because i'm completely confused. He goes. Things were so good. Because I thought you got it he goes, but obviously you didn't get it.

He goes because i'm feeling the pains of childbirth again. Because i'm like a woman in labor. Which I hear hurts. And and it's this idea of man. He goes man. I labored for you and I thought I thought wow, look at these people after all that labor.

They're born again. They have found jesus. He goes but i'm looking at you and he's saying christ was never formed in you. He goes I gave birth to something. That never was completed. Like I don't see christ in your life.

Yeah, maybe you're saying maybe you you made some profession or whatever, but i'm looking at your life and you don't look anything like jesus christ. In fact, you've gone Back the other way you've gone back to the way you used to be.

And he's saying now i'm feeling like I gotta start all over he's saying now I feel like i'm Dealing with the the childbirth thing all over again, and he says i'm perplexed by you. Here's the deal, you know what I want to do this weekend as I was reading this passage and All it is was paul was just laying out his heart for the people.

And I thought you know what i'd like to do that. Is let's put aside the theological arguments for a moment. And let me just share.