If you have your Bibles, if you join me in the book of Philippians chapter number 3, Philippians 3, and we're going to do what we do here at Lighthouse is we're people of the book, right? We believe in the Word of God, and we're going to read verse 1 down to verse number 10, Philippians 3. The Bible says, Finally, my brethren rejoiced in the Lord to write the same things to you.
To me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. And then he gives them some warnings to beware of some false teachers, beware of dogs and evil workers, of the concision. He said, We worship for we are the circumcision of which worship God, and the Spirit rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Because there are a lot of people in that day who thought they would get to heaven because of their works, because of what they had accomplished. He says, We don't do that. Verse 4 though, I might also have confidence in the flesh.
If anybody thinks that he has a way that he could trust in the flesh, he said, I could trust more. And he goes into his past life of being a Jew. He says, I was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin.
The Hebrews is touching circumcision, or he says, touching the law. He said, I was blamed with concerning zeal for executing the church, touching righteousness which is in the law, blameless. And in verse 7 he says, But what things were gained to me, those I count of loss for Christ.
Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is to the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. If you would read verse 10 with me, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings be made conformable unto his death. Father, we thank you for your word today. We pray as we dive into this passage, God, that you would be glorified. I do pray that if anyone today doesn't know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, that today would be the day of salvation. We ask this in Jesus' name and all God's people said. Amen. You may be seated today. This morning we're going to be looking at the purpose of White House Baptist Church, which is to know Christ and to make him known. People honk like that when I mow sometimes out here, so if I'm mowing, don't do that because you scare me.
You get right up on the edge. Hey, there's Preacher, you know, thank you for that. There you are. Before we get into Philippians 3, I'm going to take a moment to do what Psalm 105 verse 1 and 2 says. David writes, Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people, sing unto him, sing songs unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
I just want to take a moment to talk about the wondrous works of God. My family and I did not grow up in Xenia, Ohio. I grew up in Wilmington, Ohio. My wife is a native of Xenia here. We both met at Clinton Massey in the 90s. My kids will sometimes say, Man, Dad, you were born in the 1900s.
Thanks, guys. I grew up in a lot of different charismatic churches through the years and when we got into high school we began to attend a Bible preaching church that really got us grounded in the Word of God. It was there that my brother and I began to feel called to ministry.
Nobody in our family was in the ministry. We grew up with families that were involved in farming or in construction work and so that was native to us and so God stirred in our hearts to be preachers of the gospel and I didn't fully understand what that meant but I decided to go away to Bible College in Missouri and my brother, he was being trained at a church in Wilmington and in 2003 he felt called to start a church in Chillicothe, Ohio and I graduated Bible College about that time so I went to help him start a church and we launched the White House Baptist Church of Chillicothe about 22, 23 years ago with eight people just like we started this church in Xenia and we saw the hand of God move mightily there. We were there for five and a half years and that church grew up to five, six hundred people over those years and God just began to pour out his blessing. Then in 2008 God began to move my heart and my wife's heart to start a church over in this area. We were praying about Beaver Creek or Xenia and God continued to confirm it to be in this city of Xenia. We began to make some specific prayer requests, one of those that was that God would send the family with us and God stirred in Eric and Ashley Woodward's heart to come and help us start the church here. Eric was a atheist when I met him and talked to him for about a year and a half and he became a Christian and he's now a missionary in Honduras and his girlfriend at the time was in agnostic and so it was me and my wife and two young daughters and a converted atheist in agnostic and one other young college student that launched this church back in 2009. We began praying for a place to meet at about six months before we moved to Xenia. I'd never really been to Xenia to be quite honest the only thing I knew about Xenia was when our bus from Clint Massey and sports would drive through Xenia I'm like man they got a basketball court on top of their prison man like what in the world these guys are tough in Xenia man and don't want to play those guys. But God moved in our hearts to come here and and we were driving around the town and we came to this old building and it's the only place that we felt God moving us to stop we got out it was a winter time and a bunch of Christmas trees were out front at the time they were selling for the Boy Scouts I think and we prayed that if God you want us to start a church here if this is a place you would want us to meet that it would be a lighthouse in this community for the gospel of Jesus Christ. In early 2009 we came here and prayed that and then we began to meet in the I actually called the owner of the Don Super Value at that time a guy named Don Moret and I said good news is we want to rent your facility actually we'd like to buy it he said well that's great I said that's a good news the bad news is we're a church we have no people and no money right now but I said God is going to build this church if you just work with us and he said you have more faith than I do young man but I had that conversation with him and so the Holiday Inn here in town which is downtown used to be the Holiday Inn then it became the Ramada and then it became shut down and so but they they let us meet in their their conference room for a while and the manager at the hotel said young man four different churches trying to start churches here in this this location and all four of them failed I was like thank you ma'am I appreciate your encouragement really inspired me and the funny thing is within about six weeks they were asking us to move if they go somewhere else because we had too many people coming to their facility there and and so we began to pray about another location God opened up the doors for us to move out to the fairgrounds and we went out there for one year and we thank God for that opportunity raise your hand if you went to this church during the fairgrounds time so raise your hand if you did not go to the fairgrounds okay yeah see your kids weren't going into an animal barn back then right and so if you went to the fairgrounds or we met in the dining hall the kids were in some cleaned up area in the animal facility so but but God began to move in 2010 we chartered about six months old as a church in January with 101 members became an independent church then in June of 2010 just about one year after we moved to the city God opened up the door for us to buy this old grocery store at the time it was only a grocery store had four acres and we were able to purchase that for six hundred fifty thousand dollars and if you know anything about churches and financing there's it's just an impossibility you can't buy anything thanks won't look at you for about five years until you're about five years old and so God opened up that door being able to work with the owner to to just work through him to have those finances lent to us and so at the time we were we were just out of space we're over at the fairgrounds we couldn't meet at the fairgrounds we actually had two services at the fairgrounds outside because we had nowhere to meet we had a hundred some people with us and to purchase the facility we had to raise thirty two thousand dollars as the baby church man and God moved in those young hearts and they gave money and we were able to put the down payment to be able to secure this facility and I can tell you this there were people back then that you maybe don't know that made sacrifices and their fruits are still abounding today those seeds that they invested into this work and I thank God for that and then in May of 2012 after we had moved into this facility we renovated the carpet store which was on the far side and on this side is the grocery store side so we renovated the carpet store built a sanctuary that could seat about 300 people we've gone to two services there and then in 2014 we renovated the grocery store side and which is our current sanctuary 550 seat sanctuary and and it's just been awesome to see God continue to bless back in 2012 we began to see the need to expand because in the future we knew that four acres just wasn't going to be able to contain what we believe God was going to do we needed some more room for parking in the future and so forth so this strip of land right here goes all the way down to where the new butterflies is back against that field and then all the way back to the other side there was an extra ten acres basically and the property was going for about a hundred thousand an acre and God opened up the door for us to purchase it and so ten acres that'd be over a million dollars plus this old farmhouse own that but God allowed us to purchase that property for $265,000 and just absolute miracle of God that's a God thing right there and most of you probably don't know this but when we moved to the city I met with the city manager and was asking what's the growing in the town I wanted to go where the people were but there were plans Kroger marketplace had plans to build a Kroger marketplace across the street there's 32 acres and the coals the whole thing was mapped out to be this massive development but what happened was in 2007 and 2008 the big economic crash stopped all that just in time for us to come to Xenia to purchase land at the bottom dollar that you could buy it for and now there's like you know getting ready to put in another 44 million dollar facility across the street and so God is just so good to us and allowing us to be here and have such a wonderful opportunity and these last 15 years have been all to the glory of God we have seen incredible works going on and it's not about buildings it's not about land it's about people it's about souls and over these 15 years we've seen 15,000 first-time visitors come to lighthouse that's a thousand people every year coming to this church we've seen over 6,000 people 6166 people who've made the profession of trusting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior we've seen over 200 funerals that we've been able to minister into people's lives and minister to thousands of people through those funerals we have seen 973 people follow the Lord and believers baptism trusting in Christ and being baptized seen a church grow from 8 to over 700 people a thriving kids ministry this last summer we had a record-setting number of kids come to Vacation Bible School thriving a wanna ministry a thriving teen ministries school Bible studies we have small groups in our adult ministries are 242 groups which meet on Sunday nights hit over 36 small groups meeting weekly reengage ministry we've just seen God pour out his blessing this past June we burned our mortgages as the Lord allowed us to pay off the facility here in five years from having a million dollar loan and so the church is now debt-free praise the Lord for his goodness a man currently we support over 60 missionaries lighthouse is not simply impacting senior with the gospel but God is also allowing us to have a global impact currently we support over 60 missionaries all around the world last year we were able to give a hundred and eighty five thousand dollars to expand the gospel of Jesus Christ all around the world through men like our friend Brian Barry's just one of our 60 missionaries in 2017 we sent our own missionary our first church plan out Eric and Ashley Woodworth went to Honduras and they have a thriving city he's preaching the gospel a converted atheist is preaching the gospel this morning in Honduras in another language when I first met him I said do you believe in Jesus do you believe in God he says I don't even believe there is a God that exists he would make his mom cry for going to church and I said if there is a God I said he's going to change your life are you do you have enough courage to even ask some questions to see if you're wrong or not he said if Jesus is real and heavens really said I'd be a fool not to know and so he began to allow me to talk to him and after a year and a half of talking to him God got a hold of his heart and he went from being all out to all men and today it's just another validation of the reality of the God of heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ who saved an atheist turned him into a preacher we thank God for his work in his life but not only is God allowing us to impact people around the world but also we have people represented here from over 30 different cities that are just inside of our membership role raise your hand if you do not live in the city of Xenia raise your hand right look at that isn't that amazing that's the impact of being in this strategic location we live right off of a highway one to two minutes you can get to the lighthouse and we're able to now reach multiple people from all over 30 different cities we have multiple radio stations that this gospel goes out some of you anybody listen to me preaching this morning it on your way into the service probably on 93 7 but that that goes out and we have other radio stations God's allowed the gospel to go out and we praise God for that over the next five years we've already planned to start two new churches two men on our staff right now currently feel called to start churches great teachers praying about launching the church up in Huber Heights next fall one of our other young men he's praying about launching the church a couple years after that in miami-sburg ohio the gospel is going to continue to penetrate and continue to go out as we train guys for the ministry the bible says make known his deeds among the people talk ye of all his wondrous works it is such an incredible blessing today to brag on the Lord Jesus Christ amen and there are three core pillars that I just want to say that lighthouse has been really built upon one is that we would do all things for the glory of God everything we say you do we want to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ in the one who began lighthouse was the Lord the one who built this church is God the one who sustains it's the Lord I proclaim with Paul in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 20 and to him that is able to do exceeding abundant above all that we ask or think according to the working of his mighty power it is God that builds the church 2nd Corinthians 3 verse 5 and 6 is not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything is of ourself our sufficiency is of God who has made us able ministers if there's anything that God accomplishes through us it's only because he's allowed us to do that by his grace you won't find my name or any elders or leaders or other pastors of this church's names on the side of the church building you won't see our names plastered on the building walls or on our sign this church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ it's not my church or yours it's the Lord's amen and so LBC must always remember who sits on the throne around here whose name is to be bragged on and who gets all the credit let us leave here today talking much about Jesus Christ boasting of what God has done and the purpose that we exist is to glorify God and all we do 1st Corinthians 10 31 says whether therefore you eat or drink or whatever you do do it all to the glory of God and so one of the pillars that we've built on is to glorify God supremely the second is to love people sincerely when Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment he says to love God and then to love others as yourself he says this is the commandment I give any that you would love one another as I have loved you love is the heartbeat and strength of a church and a church that loves much does much love is a top-shelf issue with God from the old to the New Testament love is what Jesus called the greatest commandment he calls it the royal wall that James chapter 2 verse 8 at lighthouse we love you no matter what your social status is what your skills are and what your skin color is doesn't matter to us if you are a white collar a blue collar or a no-collar worker I was teasing some of the godly older Saints today who cannot stand wearing t-shirts to church and I said to people like Sue Fry how dare you wear a t-shirt to church she's like you where's your t-shirt just teasing I'm just teasing great so we don't it's great wear a t-shirt that's great what's your dress code at lighthouse just cover thy nakedness right we love you whether you have a clean past or a broken past this is a church that's filled with a loving gracious spirit and I praise God for the love that God has poured out in this church and through this body whether that's going to visit someone in the hospital and I'll find out that three or four people have already beat me to that person other people who've written letters to them when we do funerals we feed a hundred people people here who have no problem to put together the food and volunteer the food and bring that in and greet and serve at those funeral dinners others who have been when they get home from surgeries or have a baby people in our church are bringing them meals and and caring for them and ministering to them people who pay for kids in our church churches to go to church camp or to pay for their Awana materials and and help them out this last year one of our one one dear man in our church had passed away an elderly man and I got over there within an hour and there was already another widow at that home comforting that precious wife who lost her husband that morning that's the kind of thing that's going on all the time behind the scenes here at this church those who work with teens work with kids those who are caring for those little nursery somebody's wiping those kids high knees this morning right we praise God for those that are ministering to others that are not their own kids and caring for them each week of mentoring the discipleship the love that's being poured out is just an amazing thing people call lighthouse a family and it's because it is and if you don't have a church family I would encourage you to make lighthouse come and be part of this church family it's also a place where you can plug into ministries to get involved to learn about the lives of other people to minister into other people's lives ministry is not just going to church and sitting in the service it's about pouring your life into other people and then the third pillar that our church is really built on is to carry out the Great Commission with pastor Jesus said in Matthew 28 19 go ye therefore and teach all nations it also could be translated as make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost and we are here we exist because of Matthew 28 I came to Xenia because of Matthew 28 it's not the great suggestion it's a great Commission this is a formal order from our Lord Jesus Christ to bring the gospel to the world and we pray that God will continue to allow this ministry to expand it's amazing what God's done over these last last 15 years but what is he going to do in the next 5 10 and 15 years right do you realize that this morning you're sitting in the future sanctuary of this church we've already got plans set up in place to build a 1200 seat sanctuary which is basically what you have spread out right now that would connect to the current facility with the large hallway there and expanded parking lot and God has just begun what he's going to do in this city I want to take a moment to dive into the passage that we have this morning because in it contains the very purpose of our existence why does lighthouse exist what is the reason that we're here the reason that lighthouse exists is to know Christ and to make him known we want to know Christ and to make him known and why is knowing Christ of such value hold your place in Philippians 3 you can turn over to John 17 in John 17 verse number one it says this these words thank Jesus he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said father the hour has come glorify thy son that thy son may also glorify thee as thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him this is the sovereignty of God that the father has given the son those who would be saved and he said in verse 3 this is eternal life what is eternal life he says that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent it's amazing to me how people long to expand their life I mean we pill ourselves cream ourselves massage ourselves we have little aches and pains we run to the doctor we start doing everything we can we have wellness visits nutritional supplements when our bodies begin to shut down at the ages come on to our life when physical life begins to fade people run to the doctor they run to the hospital they run to medication they run to chemo radiation dialysis transplants we fight tooth and nail to extend this vapor length life and I thank God for the medical advances that we have we have so many people in our church that work in the medical field and we're so thankful for that and you need to seek help when you do have those situations but oh that people would have the same desire not to just extend their temporary physical vapor length life but that they would realize there is an eternal reality to their existence Jesus said in John 6 to the people who were coming to him for physical bread he says don't work for the bread that perishes but for that which gives you eternal life in John 17 Jesus said this is eternal life and he said it is to know the father it is to know God and he says and it is to know Jesus Christ whom you have sinned Jesus said here there is only one true God he says is to know you father the true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sinned and so how does someone know the father how do you know that that's like an abstract reality how would you know God the Bible tells us that we know God through his son Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh 1st John 4 14 says this we have seen and testify that the father sent the son to be the savior of the world 1st John 5 11 says this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life and this life is in his son he that had the son had life he that had not the Son of God does not have life so how do you have eternal life it's by knowing God it's by knowing him in a relationship not just intellectually but in a relationship 1st John 2 23 says if you were to deny the son you would deny the father also Jesus Christ is the source of eternal life in John 10 28 Jesus said I give unto them eternal life they shall never perish neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hands in first John 5 20 the Bible says we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his son Jesus Christ this is the true God in eternal life Jesus Christ is the true God in eternal life is what first John 5 20 tells us at the day before Jesus Christ died he told his disciples in John 14 6 he said I am the way the truth and the life and he says no one will come to the father but through me listen to what Jesus said to the people who rejected him he said you will not come to me that you may have eternal life and what happens today if you will not come to Jesus and trust him as your Lord and Savior John 8 24 the Bible says therefore Jesus said I told you that you will die in your sins for if you do not believe that I am he he said you will die in your sins Jesus declared in his prayer that eternal life is to know God it is to know Jesus Christ so I ask you today do you know him do you know him not just information not just intellectual information but do you know him in a relationship this is of such value that when Paul came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior in Philippians 3 he goes through his credentials in Philippians chapter 3 verse 1 through 6 he says everything as a religious Jew that I achieved in the first 30 some years of his life everything that he achieved he said I calculated it all and he says I counted it as worth nothing he said in Philippians chapter 3 verse 7 what things were gained to me everything that I thought I achieved he said I counted loss for Christ and then he says and the word gain here is an accounting term it means he added up all his religious accomplishments and he said it is worth nothing that means everything he ever did as a Jew to serve God all the laws that he followed that he talks about in verse 1 through 6 and Philippians 3 he said I calculated all of it and it was it came up to equally nothing compared to Christ he said I count all these things but loss for Christ and then Bruce 80 says doubtless I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but the Greek word is scuba it's like refuse or waste it was like trash you throw away you said everything that I ever gained in my life spiritually speaking it was worth nothing I would trade everything in my life just to have Christ he is the pearl of great price that when you find him you would be willing to give up everything to have him that's the value of knowing Jesus Christ he is worth everything in your life and if you could give up everything for him it's the greatest deal that you could ever have in your life the world has nothing to offer you compared to Jesus Paul said it it was all meaningless compared to what I have in him Jeremiah 9 23 listen to what God says thus saith the Lord let the wise man not glory in his wisdom neither let the mighty man glory in his mind let not the rich man glory in his riches listen what God says but let him that glory of glory in this what do I glory in God he says that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness and judgment and righteousness for in these things do I delight God says do you want to have something to rejoice about rejoice that you know me rejoice that you understand who I am that you have a relationship with me and again what does it mean to know Christ the word knowledge here is from the Greek word gnosis no gnosis it's not just information knowledge it's experiential knowledge it's a relationship it's it goes from your head to your heart it's not just I can recite stuff it's that I have received that truth it is to believe it in your heart that it would transform your life Paul continues this theme of knowing Christ in Philippians chapter 3 notice what he says in verse number 10 he says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable under his death the one driving desire and the life of Paul was to know Christ he wanted to live for Christ he wanted to suffer for Christ he wanted to die for Christ he said for me to live in the die is gain because I go to be with him do you realize today that all surpassing value of knowing Jesus do you think Walmart has something more to offer you than what the Word of God has do you think Lowe's or Harbor Freight and sometimes you can get good deals right or butterbees down there which can make some pretty good chicken praise God for local chicken places do right I mean that's a good neighbor for us but praise God there is nothing do you realize the greatest friend to the city of senior or churches like this that preach the truth there is nothing you could give seeing you better than the truth of Jesus Christ and the gospel that he's given us through his word and today have you received that Christian what does your pursuit of God say about your desire of God Jesus said in Matthew 5 6 blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled you know what the world leaves you the world will leave you broken hopeless filled with anxiety you ever watch the news and you feel worse than before you watched it right you look at the world and man it can fill you with stress and heartache and pain and suffering and all the things Jesus says in Matthew 11 28 he says come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden he said I'll give you rest he said take my yoke upon you and learn of me from meek and lowly of heart and you'll find rest for your souls where do you go to find rest for your souls where you go to find peace in your internal life Jesus has come to me he invites you the Creator it spoke the world into existence and made you in his own if he says come unto me I made you for myself and just like Augustine said he has made us for himself and our hearts will be restless till they find their rest in him today if you don't know him we invite you to come to know Jesus Christ to repent of your sins it's not just an intellectual thing it's something that you surrender your life to that Jesus would be the Lord of your life now the question I ask is this how do you know Jesus how do you come to know him like like where do you go to find him did you wait for a dream do you wait for a vision do you wait for some YouTube video that comes out what like like how do you find that the Bible tells us exactly where to find the truth about God John 539 Jesus said search the scriptures for it is they that testify of me if you want to know God if you don't want to know Christ search the scriptures the way Paul revealed Jesus was through the scriptures in acts 1828 it says that he or Paul mightily convinced the Jews testifying unto them and showing them by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ ever been to a church where they stand up and talk a lot but they never get into the Word of God it's like will you say something that matters right you didn't come here today to hear opinions you can get a thousand different opinions just go pull up Instagram right we want to hear from God we want to know what God says what does the Bible say we need something that transcends the earthly realm of mankind we all have opinions but there is one truth one divine standard that we can live by something that tells us the answers to life's questions where we came from why am I here where am I going I was reading the god delusion the other day by Richard Dawkins and and you say why would you do that because I like to read about what these guys think sometimes and he's and he talks about that before the Big Bang nothing existed nothing existed so you're telling me as a biologist before the Big Bang there was nothing because you know Albert Einstein used to believe in what's known as a static state theory that that the universe was eternal that material was eternal but then in the 1920s with the discovery of Hubble telescope we've learned that the space is expanding so there cannot be an infinite recession of that or it comes to nothing so there has to be a definite starting point and so through Hubble telescope and through scientific means we have learned that there was a definite beginning to matter to in the law of entropy also elevates that reality right because if you entropy tells us everything's wearing down like the Sun is burning matter right now eight to ten million pounds of matter every second and you can't just burn forever it had to start somewhere it'll burn itself out it would have been burned out by now if it was as old as scientists say it was but what happens is the question is well then where did it come from where did where did all this matter come from in these these 20 billion light year wide universe where did all this come from you're gonna tell me it came from nothing and that's rational does that make sense to anyone else and so for me it's that there has to be something that is greater than the creation if you see design there needs to be a designer if you have power there has to be a source of that power if there is information there has to be some brilliant mind that's behind that information deoxy the DNA molecule where did the information encoded in your cells come from and so we know that there is a garden and friends today if you don't know him you need to know him he gives you answers of where you came from why you exist where you're going how much more value and dignity does it give to mankind when you know you're created in the image of God you know that the United States is the only country in the world that believes that its freedoms do not come from the government but rather they come from God we have these inalienable rights because they're not given to us by Washington they're given to us by Almighty God amen life liberty and the pursuit of happiness don't come from the White House they come from God's house and we praise God for that and that came because our founding fathers built upon a Judeo-Christian foundation from the Word of God Jay Adams said all that a nation would build on the Word of God what a utopia that would be Abraham Lincoln said how can you govern a people without God in the Ten Commandments and so today if you don't know Christ I could tell you it's what made America great it's what will change lives and it's what will save our souls so the greatest importance in our life is to know Christ there's nothing more valuable there's nothing more important in your life Colossians 1 10 says this that you would walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing him being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God Colossians 1 10 says we will please him as we grow in the knowledge of God fully pleasing God and increasing in knowledge go hand in hand Hosea 6 6 God says I desired mercy and not sacrifice and the knowledge of God more than Holborn offerings are you increasing in the knowledge of God not simply a head knowledge but in relationship with them true transformation of your heart how do you know Christ you must know him in salvation you must know him through the Word of God that's how he's revealed himself you need to get plugged into classes you need to get plugged into life groups you need to get plugged into 242 groups if your marriage is struggling we have a reengage ministry that's launching up we've done it three times now and it's good it's for couples marriages and you can get you can look at the bullets of today you can sign up through the QR code it'll get you grounded on the Word of God what God designed for your marriage incredible what God's done in marriages through that ministry 242 small groups on Sunday nights you need to get plugged into that if you're not plugged in you need to do that next Sunday we're starting all of our new life groups up you need to get plugged into those life groups you need to learn about God and the only way you can ever grow in Christ is to know him more so our goal is the church is to know Christ to help people know him then secondly as I wrap up today is to make him known we exist not only to know Christ but to make him known if you came to my house and and we eat almost anything there's always there's always has to be one sauce that's available on the table anybody a sauce guy raise your hand if like you're a sauce guy right so there's one sauce that I like I have to have that if we don't have it I get stressed a lot of things in life don't stress me out very little thing one thing you stress me out when we're out of this sauce sweet Thai chili sweet Thai chili you buy with me some of you you were saying some of you right we've got right when you have tasted and seen the sweet Thai chili is good blessed is the man that eats that right I mean it's good on almost anything I don't everything except ice cream and I just haven't tried that yet but I can tell you people come over and they I'm like hey why don't you try some of the sweet Thai chili it's gonna enhance your chicken it's gonna make your chicken that I eat steak hey why don't you put a little bit of sweet Thai chili on the side there dip your steak in it I'll tell you just make your life better you eat fries put that sweet Thai chili on that fry it'll just make everything I I saw it I don't sell it but I verbally do because when you find something that's really good you want to share it y'all with me and if we want to share a sauce that's good how much more should we share the Savior that's good and when you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good blessed is the man that knows him you long for other people to know him and I can tell you this if you're not wanting other people to know him that you've not tasted and seen how good he is you're drinking from the world's faucet CS Lewis said we're like ignorant children too easily satisfied we get satisfied with lesser pleasures from the world when the great pleasure of God is offered to us through Christ he said he said we're like silly kids playing in the streets in the mud and we can't even comprehend what a day at the beach in paradise would be like God offers us eternal glory with him the Bible says in his presence is fullness of joy sometimes people say wolf I get saved I've got to give up this and this and this if that's your idea of Christianity then you're first of all not a believer and you have a skewed reality of what true reality is and what salvation is I didn't give up anything to come to Christ I gained everything I gave up rags to get riches I gave up death to have life I gave up brokenness to have holes you don't know Jesus Christ today I'm telling you he has things for you that nothing that the world has to offer there is there is an emptiness inside of man that can only be filled by the Lord Jesus Christ I've done it personally about 175 funerals in this city I'm around death all the time I can tell you people can live pretty boldly without God when you get to the end of your life even Richard Dawkins himself seems to be more intimidated to put down the idea of God these days I can tell you the the reality of the enclosing death upon mankind people boast themselves of tomorrow but they don't know what a day is going to bring if you don't know the Lord today you need to know him the purpose of this church is to know Christ and when you've known him to make him known we we have named our church lighthouse Baptist Church and the reason you asked yourself what is a lighthouse do the lighthouse does two things number one it warns people of danger and number two it guides them in the direction they should go in and out of a harbor if it's a shipping vessel and God has set us literally if you were to ask the question what would be the most strategic location in Xenia and in this area to plant a church could you literally think of a better place than where we are I mean I literally don't know of any other place where we could go to be a better location to be a lighthouse Jesus said let your light so shine before men you're you know nobody nobody sets a hill lights a candle and puts it puts it under a bushel you don't hide that you let it shine and the Bible says if our light is hidden from people Satan will blind their mind and if our gospels hit its head to them that are lost the only way the world's going to know about Jesus Christ is if Christians bring that light to them he's not going to send angels in the sky is not going to write his name inside of waffles he's going to use Christians to be a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ today friend do you know Jesus Christ is your Savior if you do you should be spreading him to other people in your life you should be praying every week that God would allow your life to be a light in this world we're gonna wrap up here but I'm gonna close out by asking you this if you stood before God and he said why should I let you into heaven what would you say if you were to stand before God today and he said why should I let you into heaven what would you say to him say well I've been a good person I've treated people good I've been kind to my neighbors I've done these I'm glad you are you sound like a good neighbor that I would want to have but I can tell you it's a friend there's nothing you can do to make yourself acceptable to God I'm not going to heaven because I preach I'm not going to heaven because I serve people I'm not going to heaven for any ministry I've ever done Paul said I've added up everything that he ever did in his life he says it was worth nothing the only way you and I can come to heaven is by a relationship with Jesus Christ the Bible says you must know him you must come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and what does that first of all you have to realize that you're lost the Bible says we've all sinned sin is breaking God's laws just like going 55 and a 35 kind of like Tim Dave probably does down through here if you go over you break a law going against the law but breaking God's laws called sin some of God's laws are like the Ten Commandments once commands us do not lie in your whole life he ever told a lie raise your hand if you ever told a lie before okay preaching to a bunch of liars this morning right you're like your hands up there to preacher I know raise your hand if you've ever taken God's name in a way that did not give him honor took his name in vain okay that's called blasphemy very serious we've got God says if you take my name in vain I will not hold you guiltless one of the commands just to love God with all of our heart soul mind and strength to put him first and if your whole life have you ever put something in front of God raise your hand if you've ever broken that and so so this morning if you and I just sin three times a day what I just said those three sins in one year that's over a thousand sins not up your life if you live 70 years that's over 70,000 sins if you stood before God do you think you would be innocent or guilty of breaking God's law the Bible says in Romans 3 19 all the world will be found guilty before God now if we're found guilty the question is what's going to happen well the Bible tells us exactly what's going to happen in Revelation 21 verse 8 the Bible says in the last judgment all the fearful the unbelieving the abominable murderers foremongers sorcerers idolaters and then it says this and all liars will have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second day the Bible says even old liars would be separated from God in a real place called the lake of fire or hell that's bad news friends that's like going to a doctor he says you got stage four cancer and you know what's true about stage four cancer you can eat right exercise be a good person but you can't fix yourself and if we can't fix our physical illness why would we think we can fix our spiritual and so the Bible says when man was without any hope God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life and so God sent Jesus Christ to be the payment to sacrifice his own life on the cross that he might bring us to God to pay the debt that we owed he died in your place he died in my place Jesus says I lay my life down that I may take it up again he became the payment for our sin and today to be saved the Bible says you must first of all believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you must put all your faith in him if there were two chairs up here on the stage one said Jesus Christ and his death and burial and resurrection the other said your name and all your good works which one would you rest your soul in that you believe would get you to heaven which one would do you believe would get you there the Bible says it's not share of your good works it's the chair of Jesus Christ it's believing in him trusting him secondly the Bible says you must repent of your sins repentance doesn't mean perfection but it means you're willing to turn from your sin and turn to Jesus Christ to confess him as your Lord and Savior that you would you repentance means a change of mind that would result in a change of action it means you go from this direction to this direction so you believe in him you turn away from your sin and turn to Christ and lastly the Bible says this the Bible says Jesus said it this way if you confess me before many said I'll confess you before my father said but if you deny me before many said I'll deny you before my father my question to you today is if you confess Jesus is your Lord and Savior sometimes people say well it's just between me and God it's a private thing my faith is private well not according to Jesus you ever read that Bible Jesus said you keep me private he says although I won't confess you before the father if you deny me before men there is no such thing as closet Christianity you may be closet about your being a Republican or Democrat I don't that don't matter to me but I can tell you one thing you need to be public about is your relationship with Jesus Christ if Jesus Christ died on the cross openly you think he wants us to hide our faith in him listen today if you don't know Jesus Christ I want you to know God loves you today you're literally sitting here because God in his sovereign decree has ordained that you would be here he wants you to know this truth somebody loved you enough to invite you today you can confess him as your Lord and Savior the Bible said it this way whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved the day Jesus Christ died there was two men that died next to him two thieves they were basically thugs back then thieves didn't like rob your stuff behind your back they would beat you up and take your stuff and so these guys were being crucified next to Jesus one of them were mocking Jesus and then the other man said why are you mocking him seeing we're in the same condition he said but this man has done nothing wrong and then that thugs dying next to Jesus said Lord remember me in your kingdom remember what Jesus said he said friend today you will be with me in paradise that man publicly confessed Jesus Lord remember me in your kingdom he's the only man who spoke up for Jesus that day everybody else is mocking Christ laughing at Jesus everybody's ashamed of Jesus but there's a thief that wasn't ashamed of Jesus and he called out to Jesus and Jesus literally pulls himself up on the nails and tells that man today you're gonna be with me in paradise I want you to know friend today God hears you and if you call out to him just like that thief did you could be saved
