WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:05.759 Hi, it's Pastor Jonathan, and thanks for downloading the FBC El Dorado Sermon Podcast. 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:11.039 In today's sermon, it's week two of our current series, Impact El Dorado. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:22.399 Today we're gonna look at First Thessalonians chapter one, verses two and three, as we consider what are some habits that allow us to impact our community. 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:25.199 American history. 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:34.240 Few people have impacted our country on the same scale as Benjamin Franklin. 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:40.560 Franklin was an architect of the Declaration of Independence. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:44.079 And he was also a signer of the U.S. 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:45.439 Constitution. 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:56.320 Franklin also was the man who developed the postal routes up and down the eastern seaboard that allowed mail to uh flow so efficiently. 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:06.640 Benjamin Franklin, he was also instrumental in George Washington uh becoming the first president of the United States. 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:13.519 Those are just a few of the ways that Benjamin Franklin impacted American life. 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:22.159 But aren't you curious how one man can make such an enormous impact? 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:30.719 Maybe it's your assumption that Ben Franklin uh was born into a family filled with privilege. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:40.079 To make this level of impact, do you have to be someone, when you're born into the world, do you think, uh, who gets a head start on everybody else? 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:46.239 Certainly, that Franklin family, they must have been wealthy and well connected. 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:49.120 Nope, not at all. 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:58.000 Ben Franklin's dad was a soap maker and a candle maker, while his mom was a homemaker. 00:01:58.239 --> 00:01:59.680 They had 15 kids. 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:06.079 I I don't know what else she could have done except stayed home to care for 15 children. 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:10.159 If not privilege, then what about education? 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:18.719 To make that level of impact, surely he had to have graduated from the greatest schools and learned from the brightest minds. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:21.840 Van Franklin did, in fact, love school. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:30.800 He was an excellent student, but he only received three years of formal education. 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:41.680 He quit school at the age of 10 to go work in that shop alongside of his dad, making candles and bars of soap. 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:45.759 Remember, there were 15 children back at home. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:50.240 There was always another mouth that had to be fed. 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:59.520 So if it wasn't privilege and it wasn't education, then how did Benjamin Franklin make such an impact? 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:03.199 You're saying my mic isn't on. 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:05.120 I don't believe that. 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:09.120 How did it magically get turned off when I remember turning it on? 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:11.759 That is crazy. 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:13.919 Like there has to be a ghost in here. 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:16.800 I know the Holy Ghost is here, right? 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:19.919 But I'm thinking it has to be something else. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:21.599 Thanks, guys. 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:23.120 Y'all are the best. 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:33.280 So if it wasn't privilege or education, then how did this man make such an impact in American history? 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:45.759 Biographers point to a number of attributes and traits, but one of the ones they over and over focus on to talk about Ben Franklin and the impact he made on our country is this. 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:51.360 Ben Franklin was a creature of habit. 00:03:52.879 --> 00:04:00.479 Franklin, for his entire adult life, woke up at the exact same time every single day. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:02.159 Every single day. 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:28.720 At five o'clock, his work for the day was done. 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:33.920 Now, some of us have daily habits that mirror those of Benjamin Franklin. 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:36.959 Others of us, not so much. 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:40.720 We don't get up that early every single day. 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:46.720 We don't have time to take a two-hour lunch, and we never stop working at 5 o'clock. 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:52.079 But that doesn't mean that you're not a creature of habit. 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:55.600 All of us are creatures of habit. 00:04:56.079 --> 00:05:04.560 A study conducted at Duke University determined that 40% of a person's actions and behaviors on any given day are habits. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:14.720 This means that your life is essentially the sum of every habit that you perform, whether that habit is good or bad. 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:21.920 Your life is the sum of every small decision and action that you make on a daily basis. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:30.399 No matter if those habits are good or bad, ultimately, listen, they form you into the person you are becoming. 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:36.079 Those habits, whether good or bad, they reveal the things that you truly believe. 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:45.120 They uh reveal and portray your personality to the world, and they tell us the impact that you will make. 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:56.480 It's knowing this that all of us believe it is better to exercise 30 minutes a day than to smoke three packs a day. 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:07.839 Knowing this, like it is why all of us think, you know, it's better if I eat four servings of vegetables every single day than have four servings of spudnuts every single day, right? 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:10.399 It's potato flour, it doesn't count. 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:12.319 Not a vegetable. 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:25.040 It's better in the morning that the first voice you listen for is the voice of God and not the voice on cable news or the voices on social media. 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:34.079 You are a creature of habit, and those good habits, they have a positive impact on your life. 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:43.439 But what about some good habits that will have a positive impact, not just on your life, but on this world? 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:50.160 What about some positive habits that will impact El Dorado? 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:55.199 Today we're continuing that series that we began last week. 00:06:55.439 --> 00:07:08.720 That series which is focusing on God's design for the local church, and we summarize God's design for the local church with this statement that God established the church to impact the world. 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:18.079 And the impact of this church, 200 West Main, this church, it begins in El Dorado. 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:27.439 And in preparation for this series, I was meditating on a couple verses found in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:38.240 And I've been asking God if what was true of that first century church can be true of this 21st century church. 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:45.519 Listen to what Paul says about the church in Thessalonica. 00:07:45.920 --> 00:08:02.240 He says, You have become an example to all the believers in Greece throughout both Macedonia and Achai, and now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achai. 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:08.000 For wherever we go, we find people telling us about your faith in God. 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:13.120 We don't need to tell them about it. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:19.600 I want to help you kind of grasp the power of that statement with a series of maps. 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:22.800 So let's go to the next slide, if we can. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:34.159 So the area points to the city of Thessalonica, and the circle that's around it, that's the region of Macedonia. 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:38.720 Thessalonica was the capital city of the region of Macedonia. 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:46.159 It was located on a major thoroughfare in that important region of the Roman Empire. 00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:58.399 So Paul's point is this this city, it is an important city, but listen, the church in Thessalonica, it's a minority group, it's a small gathering. 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.759 They are not people who have power. 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:06.399 Yet Paul says this he says, your reputation precedes you. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:14.320 People in this entire region know who you are because you've made an impact. 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:17.039 So here's the analogy. 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:43.360 It would be as if First Baptist Church in El Dorado, a church that is not the majority of our community or of our county, it would be as if that church, this church, was known throughout the state of Arkansas, and our reputation always preceded us for the good deeds and the good lives that we lived according to the name of Jesus Christ. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:46.240 That is an impact, isn't it? 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:50.799 That shows like you're making a difference in the world. 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:55.840 But that wasn't the limit to the impact of the church at Thessalonica. 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:57.360 Let's go to the next slide. 00:09:57.519 --> 00:10:06.399 Paul says that your reach is all the way down to this region called Achai, this region uh due south of Macedonia. 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:22.960 So, so the analogy is this like, not only do people in Arkansas know about First Baptist Church of El Dorado, but people from northern Louisiana to the Gulf Coast have heard about the good deeds and the good lives of the people of First Baptist Church of El Dorado. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:26.480 That's what happened to the church at Thessalonica. 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:31.519 Like, it's not a big gathering of people, but they're making quite the impact. 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:37.279 Like it is reverberating in their region and to the region south of them. 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:40.399 And you're thinking, man, I can't imagine that. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:45.360 And then Paul goes on to say, this part really stands out. 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:54.320 Your church is ringing out to people everywhere, to people beyond Macedonia and Achai. 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.039 So let's go to the next slide. 00:10:58.159 --> 00:11:00.960 And so I think this is Paul's point. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:04.879 Like Paul has connections all over the ancient world. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:11.360 And Paul's like, I'm gonna tell them about this church I planted in Thessalonica. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:14.080 It's gonna be a message of encouragement to them. 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:16.480 It's gonna be a message that challenges them. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:19.360 And he's like, they already know about you. 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:23.120 They're hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from you. 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:28.480 They are separated by mountains, they're separated by seas, they're separated from you. 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:34.480 But the news of your impact, it has already reached them. 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:39.919 We don't have to tell anyone about you. 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:41.440 They already know. 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:45.600 That's the goal we want to work towards. 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:49.120 But we never reach a goal. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:55.759 You never reach a goal in life unless you have the right habits in place. 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:03.279 You see, we are not only creatures of habit, this is a church of habits. 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:12.639 And one of the gifts of the last 12 plus months is we've all had an opportunity, especially me, to evaluate the habits of our church. 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:18.000 What are the daily activities, what are the daily decisions we make as a gathering of believers? 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:22.559 And part of the things God has confirmed for me is that we have some really good habits. 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:24.960 We have some habits that are indispensable. 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:33.519 Habits like it is good for God's people to gather in a location for worship and for learning and for fellowship. 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:35.440 Those are good habits. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:37.679 Never leave those habits behind. 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:40.720 You never go beyond those habits. 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:48.639 Those habits, they make a positive impact on your life and the life of this church. 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:57.600 But God's also reminded me we need some positive habits, some better habits that allow us to impact El Dorado. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:03.279 Habits that lead us to look outside of these walls. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:10.559 And these are the habits that determine and shape the sort of church that we will become. 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:20.639 The habits that reveal what we truly believe, the habits that will decide the impact of our church. 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:23.360 And that's today's big idea. 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:27.360 Our habits decide our impact. 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:39.440 The habits of our church, whether healthy or unhealthy, will determine the level to which we impact our community. 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:59.039 Now, since we are desiring and praying towards having that same level of impact as the church at Thessalonica, I think we should let them this morning teach us a thing or two about some healthy habits that let us impact the world around us. 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:03.679 So listen to what Paul says earlier in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:05.360 This is verses 2 and 3. 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:11.919 He says, We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:29.519 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:38.159 As part of his second missionary journey, Paul and Silas they travel to Thessalonica. 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:48.480 After they spend about a month in the city sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a group of Jews and a group of Gentiles place their faith in Jesus. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:54.879 And a church is planted within that city, but trouble is brewing. 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:58.080 All because Paul declared that what? 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:10.799 Jesus is alive, all because Paul declared that Jesus is Lord, all because Paul declared that Jesus is the Messiah, a persecution broke out against that church. 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:14.240 And really specifically against Paul and Silas. 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:18.559 So Paul and Silas, they're forced to flee the city. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:24.320 And it was painful for Paul to leave behind that group of new believers. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:26.320 He didn't want to leave them behind. 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:30.320 He had just seen so many of them put their faith in Jesus Christ. 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:32.000 And you know what? 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:39.840 When someone is born, right, and it's even true when they're born again, you see the potential that God has placed in their life. 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:54.879 And I think Paul, it pains him to leave that church because he sees the potential that's still a little bit untapped in their lives, and he believes that because of that potential, this church can make an impact in its city. 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:59.440 And he can never get those people off of his mind. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:02.960 So maybe six months, up to 12 months pass. 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:06.159 He's left the city, but they're still on his mind. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:07.679 And Paul sends Timothy back. 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:16.639 They've heard some reports about what's going on in the church, but he sends Timothy back to confirm: is what we're hearing actually the truth? 00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:22.080 Timothy, he returns to Paul and he's like, Yeah, 100%. 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:27.039 Like what we are hearing is so true. 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:32.799 They are being faithful to Jesus and they are impacting their city. 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:36.639 They're not just surviving, they are thriving. 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:42.559 And when Paul hears that message, joy overwhelms him. 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:49.360 He is thankful, thankful, thankful, thankful to God for the church at Thessalonica. 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:53.759 He is thankful for what God has done in their life in the past. 00:16:53.919 --> 00:17:04.720 He is thankful that so many of them, that they put their faith in Jesus Christ, that they were dead in their sins and trespasses, but because of Jesus, they are now alive. 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:12.960 And he is thankful because God not only did a past work in the midst of that church, he is doing a present work. 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:18.640 He is working through that church to impact that city. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:24.319 Even in the face of persecution, this church is still getting persecuted. 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:27.759 This church is still being attacked on all sides. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:34.799 The church at Thessalonica never forgot God's design for the local church. 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:47.599 God from the very beginning established the church at Thessalonica to impact Thessalonica, to make a difference in that city. 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:49.920 Now think about that. 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:52.400 Just wrap your mind around that. 00:17:54.160 --> 00:18:02.480 A church that is maybe one year old is making an impact on their city. 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:14.000 A church, listen, a church that has no privilege or position in the world is making an impact on their city. 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:17.759 Because they're facing persecution. 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:20.319 So there's no position and no privilege. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:23.440 Or think about this. 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:30.400 Like, it's a church that's at most a year old, and like they don't know all the answers. 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:34.960 They haven't been following Jesus for decades or even years, really. 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:37.920 Like, they are all new believers. 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:40.000 They all have more to learn. 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:47.200 They haven't had the best Christian education, but they never forgot God's design. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:52.079 They didn't have education, they didn't have privilege. 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:57.599 But what they had were really healthy habits. 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:04.000 Our habits decide our impact. 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:10.720 And the three habits of this church, they're listed for us in verse three. 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:13.920 And the first habit is faithful work. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:15.839 Faithful work. 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:24.480 Faithful work, it includes all the actions that flow out of a person's faith in Jesus Christ. 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:31.680 So faithful work entails all of our relationships out in the world. 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:37.359 Every action and reaction, every behavior, every word that is spoken. 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:44.640 And here's how this habit of faithful works impacts the world. 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:52.640 This habit completely alters the way we treat and speak to people. 00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:00.640 Imagine the impact we could have on this community. 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:28.880 If all of us took seriously this habit, if we practice it on a daily basis to be people of faithful work, that no matter if God took us to work on that day, or Walmart on that day, or the dry cleaners on that day, or the ball fields on that day, we were committed to being the sort of people who were kind and gentle and loving and compassionate to every person that we met. 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:31.680 Remember what I said last week. 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:34.240 Impact is more than an event. 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:38.400 Impact is a habit of our life. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:51.440 Impact occurs when you and I are so in love with Jesus that no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in, we see people through the eyes of Jesus Christ. 00:20:52.799 --> 00:21:06.400 What if our first reaction to someone is not calling them out, criticizing them, but instead to demonstrate and show them compassion for the situation they are in? 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:11.920 What if we just loved people like Jesus loved them? 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:17.519 Now, for some of us, I think that habit seems a little inconsequential. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:21.279 Like, can that really impact the world? 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:31.119 If I just commit myself to being kind and compassionate and loving on a daily basis, to be gentle with my words on a daily basis? 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:35.279 If that's you, I got a question for you. 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:45.039 Do you think that the compassion, gentleness, kindness, and love of Jesus made an impact on people? 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:58.480 Do you think that the kindness of Jesus had an impact on the woman at the well? 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:12.079 Do you think the reason, one of the reasons the woman was willing to hear Jesus say, I can give you living water, is because he treated her unlike anybody else in the world had treated her. 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:16.480 He honored her as someone created in the image of God. 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:19.599 He honored her dignity beside that well. 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:28.559 Or do you think the Jesus, the compassion of Jesus had an impact on Zacchaeus? 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:37.759 That when Jesus walked into the home of Zacchaeus, he didn't just begin pointing out all the faults and flaws of Zacchaeus and like, hey, you did this and that. 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:40.160 No, he just showed him compassion in that moment. 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:42.319 He was his friend in that moment. 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:48.559 You think the gentleness of Jesus had an impact on Mary Magdalene? 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:54.240 Someone who no one else wanted to have anything to do with? 00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:17.200 I think too often we we discount and we neglect and underestimate the impact we can have on our community if we just simply commit ourselves to the habit of faithful work and treat people the way Jesus treated people. 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:23.359 Now the second habit is this it's loving deeds. 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:29.039 The second habit, similar to the first, but more strongly stated. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:35.119 That word deed, it designates a hard and a strenuous labor. 00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:41.279 It's something that occurs when you are confronted with a difficult situation. 00:23:42.720 --> 00:24:02.880 And the habit of a loving deed says, no matter the difficulty I am facing at this moment, in this hour, I am going to make a personal commitment of time and energy in order to benefit someone else for the good of someone else. 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:14.400 Now, for Christ followers who are teachers and police officers and social workers, this habit is part of your daily job. 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:28.559 In the name of Jesus, this this name's the teacher who uh spends time after school working with the child, help helping them learn to read because mom and dad they don't care if their child learns how to read. 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:35.279 Like a commitment of time and energy towards a difficult situation. 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:45.440 For the police officer in the name of Jesus, they they walk into a violent situation, and in the name of Jesus, they de-escalate the situation. 00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:54.640 Or the social worker who spends the night in her office with the child who just got removed from their home. 00:24:57.680 --> 00:25:10.640 But for others of us, it's those habit of loving deeds that often makes us just want to ignore the world and insulate ourselves from the world. 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:18.880 But that was never, hear that again, that was never Jesus' mode of operation. 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:23.039 So it can't be his church's mode of operation. 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:34.160 When Jesus faced a hard and difficult situation, he gave up his time and energy for the benefit of other people. 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:45.519 I'm reminded of the story in the Gospels when Jesus meets this man who is possessed by this giant army of demons. 00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:51.359 The people of the village, you know what they have done to that man? 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:56.400 They've put him in chains and they chained him up and they left him in the cemetery. 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:07.680 Part of that was for their own safety, but part of it was because they wanted that guy out of sight and out of mind, and they wanted to insulate themselves from that problem. 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:18.400 But Jesus, he walks into that cemetery and he chooses to impact the man. 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:27.519 He casts out every last one of those demons into a herd of pigs, and that herd of pigs falls off a side of the cliff. 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:29.440 You know what happens in that man's life? 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:34.480 He is freed now from those demons, and then he goes to anybody who will listen to him. 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:42.240 He is shouting at the top of his lungs all the great things that Jesus had done for him. 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:46.240 Jesus had made an impact on his life. 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:52.799 And now Jesus calls his church to share that same habit. 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:57.839 To be people who on a daily basis practice loving deeds. 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:14.960 To be people of enduring hope. 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:32.720 As the pandemic loosens in our community, you know, in other parts of the world it's continuing to surge, but just because our restrictions are beginning to be lifted, it doesn't mean that there's not still some hopelessness in our world. 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:37.519 People have lost jobs, they've lost income, they've lost loved ones. 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:45.920 And in the face of those circumstances, listen, in the face of those circumstances, people of enduring hope, do you know what we don't say? 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:48.480 We don't say the sky is falling. 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:51.039 We say the king is coming. 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:54.480 Enduring hope. 00:27:54.559 --> 00:28:02.079 It's not some kind of glib optimism that everything, if you just shift your perspective on the world, there'll be no pain in the world. 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:05.279 Like you just need an attitude adjustment. 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:07.680 Everything's okay and rosy. 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:11.440 That's not enduring hope. 00:28:12.160 --> 00:28:16.960 Enduring hope actually has its eyes wide open to the pain of the world. 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:21.680 Enduring hope is fully aware of the pains of this world. 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:28.000 But enduring hope says this that one day the pains of this world will come to an end. 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:30.079 Because Jesus bore the pain. 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:31.920 Jesus bore the sin. 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:36.000 And when he came out of the grave, what came with him? 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:37.279 Hope. 00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:44.079 And now it's the job of the church to be people who shed hope in the world. 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:50.559 Like hope is the contagion the world needs to catch. 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:58.960 Because hope is the only way that we can see through pain and cling to promises. 00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:04.000 The promise that there's a God who reigns in heaven. 00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:09.279 The promise that this God who is in heaven, he loves his creation. 00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:14.640 And he sent his son to redeem and restore that creation. 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:21.519 And that one day Jesus will come again and make all things new. 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:31.599 So the child who goes to bed hungry at night, that child needs the church to practice enduring hope. 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:41.519 And the addict who's just looking for his next fix, he needs the church to practice the habit of enduring hope. 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:50.400 The victim of abuse, she too needs the church to practice the habit of enduring hope. 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:53.519 Not to act like the pain's not there. 00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:59.680 Not to lessen the pain, but to say we can see through the pain. 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:02.079 We can cling to some promises. 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:14.000 That there is a day coming when hope will fill the earth, when there will be no more tears or death or disease or violence. 00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:22.480 But until that day comes, the church will practice the habit of enduring hope. 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:28.960 Benjamin Franklin had one more habit that he practiced every single morning. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:32.240 He started every morning by asking himself this question. 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:37.680 He asked himself the question, what good shall I do this day? 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:42.640 What good shall I do this day? 00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:49.920 Church family, maybe that's the question you and I should have asked ourselves on a daily basis. 00:30:50.160 --> 00:30:52.400 Maybe that should be one of our habits. 00:30:53.519 --> 00:31:03.680 That each morning we would commit ourselves to the good habits of faithful work, of loving deeds, and enduring hope. 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:06.400 For those are the three habits. 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:14.480 Listen, those are the three habits that will determine our impact in El Dorado. 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:17.200 Let's pray. 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:25.680 As we close our eyes and bow our heads before our Father. 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:34.400 Researchers say that when you want to pick up a new habit, it's best to focus on one at a time. 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:36.640 And so that's what I want you to do right now. 00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:40.319 I want you to focus on one of the habits we talked about today. 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:45.680 Faithful works, loving deeds, enduring hope. 00:31:46.799 --> 00:31:49.119 Take that habit and focus on it. 00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:55.359 Offer God a prayer of dedication. 00:31:57.200 --> 00:32:00.480 Or you say, God, I want to master this habit. 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:11.119 Request that the Holy Spirit be your trainer, your coach, and your strength. 00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:26.240 And now let's pray for our church. 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:39.440 Ask the Lord to instill in our church these three good habits so we can make a maximum impact in our world. 00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:56.079 Would you even boldly ask that God would help us and strengthen us so that we can make an impact on the level of the church at Thessalonica? 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:04.960 Not for our name, but for the name of Jesus to be known. 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:17.680 Almighty God and everlasting Father. 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:21.440 Thank you for worshiping with us. 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:24.240 Starting a new habit. 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:26.480 It's never easy. 00:33:27.599 --> 00:33:29.920 Often in life, we start and we stop. 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:34.319 So we need your strength. 00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:42.079 We need your strength to be a church that practices these three habits. 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:50.400 Because we want to impact our community on a monumental, miraculous level through the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:33:53.519 --> 00:34:00.400 Let us be a people who every day offer faithful work. 00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:06.160 That we see people and treat people as Jesus saw people and treated them. 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:13.760 May we commit to offering loving deeds. 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:21.599 Let us make an investment of time and energy in the most difficult of situations. 00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:34.400 And Lord, we pray your strength over the teachers of our church as they walk into those situations every day. 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:39.280 Those who work in the field of social work and law enforcement, God. 00:34:41.039 --> 00:34:50.159 May they not grow weary in doing good, offering this holy habit on a daily basis. 00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:57.360 God, may we just be people of enduring hope. 00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:09.039 People who are aware of the pain of the world but can see through it are never overwhelmed by it. 00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:14.880 Because what the world needs now is the hope of Jesus Christ. 00:35:15.199 --> 00:35:21.280 We want to over and over and over point our community to Jesus. 00:35:22.480 --> 00:35:25.360 In Christ's name, we pray. 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:26.400 Amen.