← Mariners Church Weekend Messages
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- [00:04]
Podcast Host
Welcome to Mariners Church Weekend Message Podcast. Inspiring people to follow Jesus and fearlessly change the world. Discover your purpose and get connected by visiting MarinersChurch.org or click the link in the show notes.
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Guest from Hindu Background
Why don't you guys go ahead and introduce yourselves. I grew up in the Hindu faith. We prayed to many gods. There is a God for, you know, love, a God for death. So I've learned hundreds of different gods, but again, never felt that I had a relationship with any of these gods.
- [00:46]
Guest from Jewish Background
Yeah, came from a strong Jewish community. Faith was central to our family life. We went to synagogue. I was bar mitzvahed, but my cultural experience and historical experience didn't end up with a spiritual end that I could rely on. And I was just lost.
- [01:04]
Guest from Muslim Background
I was born and I was raised in a Muslim family as it was a tradition I follow. And I read many books about Islam. I said that let me find my purpose and joy in materials. But at the end, it wasn't fulfilling. I was like, hopeless, and I was broken and devastated and I couldn't find any reason for my life.
- [01:28]
Guest from Jewish Background
I came to know Jesus at a crossroads in my life. I was faced with cancer. A friend of mine brought me into Mariners, and that started my journey of faith. And I accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord, my Lord and savior.
- [01:42]
Guest from Hindu Background
In my 20s, my now husband started taking me to church and I would leave crying, sobbing after every message because I felt like the Holy Spirit was working inside me. My faith was tested in 2019. My eldest son was hit by a car and we did almost lose him. But I do remember falling to my knees and praying to Jesus in the middle of an er. He heard our prayers. He really did. He saved my son. I look back and I think that is the miracle of God.
- [02:18]
Guest from Muslim Background
I remember one night I told God that, please show yourself to me. And he said, search for the light. With that dream, I believe that Jesus knocked the door of my heart and I opened up and I hugged him and I never let go. It's like the best love, the best joy that you can ever have.
- [02:37]
Guest from Hindu Background
There's no doubt that you guys are here to encourage those that might be curious about this person, Jesus. How would you encourage them?
- [02:44]
Guest from Muslim Background
They could be the best judge for themselves which one is true. And they can put it on the scale and see which one is heavy, which one is right. And this is a very good thing because we have everyone from different religion, different faith. They came here around the table, and we're talking about the true Savior, which is Jesus Christ.
- [03:03]
Guest from Hindu Background
Amen.
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Congregation/Church Member
Yeah, Amen.
- [03:07]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
It's Beautiful, Beautiful. So thankful for God's pursuit. I'm thankful for God's pursuit of you. And I know that this weekend that God is finding new sons and daughters for himself. I'm really glad that you're with us. If we haven't met, my name is Eric. I'm the senior pastor here. I want to spend a moment praying for those who've been impacted by the fires in la. I want you to know how your church is responding immediately through our partner, Convoy of Hope. We were on the ground and we also have identified in the last several days some several churches in impacted areas that we are gonna partner with. And we've actually already had supplies brought to them this morning. We had a team of people bringing supplies this morning in large box trucks. Because of your generosity, we've been able to do those things. And so I'm so thankful for you. With our food pantry and our clothing closet, our thrift store, we're already equipped to meet needs. And we're going to continue to meet needs for those who've been impacted by the fires in LA county, because we are not only a church in Southern California, we want to be a church for Southern California. And I want to. Yes, and I want to spend some time praying for those who have been impacted. In this room right now, there are those of you who are close with people who have lost everything. There are people in this room who are close with people who have been evacuated and who it feels like their whole life is up in turmoil and in chaos. And we believe that our God is close to the brokenhearted. That's what the scripture teaches us. But we also want to pray for people that we love, that God would intervene and bring peace and joy and hope. And so will you join me in praying now? God, our hearts are overwhelmed. We're saddened by the devastation that we're seeing not far from here at all. And people's lives that are deeply impacted, people we know, people we love. And Lord, we ask that you would overwhelm people in this moment with your peace that transcends all understanding in an attitude of prayer. I'm going to ask you church family to start calling out names of people that you know who have been impacted. And when you're seated next to someone who calls out a name, I want you to start praying for that person. Not aloud, but just silently, but let's call out the names. And Lord, as you hear these names, you know these people. And we're going to pray for these people. So just begin to call out Names of people that you know who've been impacted. Lord Jesus, you're hearing these names. I heard the name Jonathan. I pray for Jonathan right now. Lord, would you overwhelm him even as we're praying now with your peace and your joy? Would you teach him or remind him that you are close to the brokenhearted in the middle of this chaos and this pain? I ask you to be close to him and near to him now for all of these names that have been prayed to you and brought before you, Lord God, you know each one. You know the number of hairs on their head. You care deeply for each one. You know everything about each person. I'm asking youg, Lord, Father, to meet the needs according to youo riches and glory. You are the God of all comfort, the Father of all compassion. Will youl pour out yout compassion on these names that we've called out to youo, that we've lifted up to youo, you, Lord Jesus, it's in your name I pray.
- [06:53]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen. Amen.
- [06:55]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Thank you, Mariners Church, for being the kind of church that you are. We're going to continue to find ways to love all the cities in Southern California and the people in those cities. One more thing I want to mention before I jump into our message today. When you came in, you were handed this little pamphlet, this little guide. Some of you have asked you. You are new to our church. Perhaps you came at Christmas or in the last several months and you've asked a great question we, which is how can I get plugged in? How can I get connected? The reason it's a great question is we don't want you just to attend church. We want you to be in community. We believe that's what God wants for you as well. And the best place for you to start is rooted. It's a 10 week journey. You'll be placed with a group of people, similar stage of life to you, and we will match you with that group and you'll do this Bible study together for 10 weeks. It's how you're gonna learn what our church is all about. It will also help you connect to God and to your purpose. So we Rooted is the place for you to begin. You can sign up on the patio. We have a big group station on the patio this weekend. But also, if you're looking at this guide here, we have other courses and groups that are starting as well. And I encourage you to get plugged in. Okay. We're in week two of a teaching series called on the Table. We're putting big Questions that people ask about the Christian faith on the table, and we're not shying away from them at all. This week's question is super important, not only for this life, but for everlasting life. And it is. Aren't all religions essentially the same? People often say that. In fact, not several months ago, the Pope was speaking at a conference in Singapore. A lot of world religious leaders were there, and he made this statement, which caused many Catholics and Protestants alike to be confused and upset by what he said, because it violates what they thought we believed, which is that Jesus is the only way. Because the Pope said this at a conference. He said, there's only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths to God. We are all sons and daughters of God. So essentially it was articulating in this statement anyway, that it's all essentially the same, just different paths to God. The Pope was articulating what many Americans, in fact the majority of Americans, believe. According to BARN research, more than half of all Americans agree with the statement, many religions can lead to eternal life. There's no one true religion. Aren't all religions the same? When the question is asked, likely someone has told you this illustration. It's kind of like this. There's a mountain, God's at top of the mountain, and there's just different ways up the mountain. Some take the Muslim way, some take the Christian way, some the Jewish way, some the Hindu way, some the Buddhist way, and some who don't even have a religion, they're just trying to be a better person. They take the do good way. But eventually we all get to the same place. That's what people often say. And it can sound humble and inclusive. It can sound humble, as if to say, hey, listen, I don't have all the answers. And inclusive. Like, doesn't everybody want everyone to make it up the path? But imagine you're at the conference where the Pope was speaking. Do you really view that statement as humble and inclusive? If you're the Buddhist who's at the conference and you hear the Pope say there's one God. Well, the Buddhist does not believe there's a God at top of a mountain. The Buddhist would disagree with the statement. The Buddhist does not believe there's a God at the top of the mountain. The Hindu believes there's millions of gods at the top of the mountain. Not one, but millions. The Muslim would agree with part of the Pope's statement. The Muslim would say, yes, there is One God at the top of the mountain, but that God is not a father. The Pope said that the one God at the top of the mountain were all sons and daughters. Because for the Muslim, there's 99 names for Allah in the Quran and not one of them is father. And so the thinking people at the conference when that statement was made would not say, that is a well researched statement. They would view that as a misinformation, informed one. They would not also view that as a humble statement, but really a prideful statement, essentially that you know my religion better than I do and you some kind of way sit above all of them and are able to pull all of them and make them the same. It would not be viewed as a humble statement. Aren't all religions the same? It's really that statement only made about religions. No one makes that kind of statement calling things that are different the same same about anything else. No one says that about economic viewpoints, you know, socialism and capitalism. I know they look different, but they're really the same. No one says that or about governmental structures. No one says, you know, monarchy and democracy. I know on the outside they look different, but in the end they're really the same. They're not the same. No one says it about sports teams that we root for earlier or late. Last year, I got to go with K to the Dodgers game when they clinched the trip to the World Series. It was awesome. We were celebrating and we were surrounded by rabid Dodgers fans. And if in that moment we had yelled, yeah, come on, let's go Giants. Woo. Yeah. Nobody around us would have thought, oh, that is so sweet. They're rooting for the same team as usual. Deep down, I know it sounds different, but it's really the same. No, these fans were deeply rabid Dodger fans. They would have booed us or had us removed. This statement is only ever said about religion. And so really, all of the world religious leaders, they wouldn't agree with the statement there's not one mountain. If you really wanted to keep this illustration, this metaphor, you would have to say there's lots of different mountains because there's different things at the top of the mountain and different ways to get to the top of the mountain. So let me introduce you real quickly to the world's view of mountains. So we'll start with Buddhism. When I was pastoring in Miami, there was a guy in our church who came to me one day and said, man, I need some help. I got a friend at work and he's been asking all Kinds of questions. He's been studying Buddhism and he's got some questions. I said, wait a second, what'd you say he's studying? I said, do you mean Buddhism? He's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what I mean. Okay, good. Because that's two different things. That's two completely different things. Buddhism, that's week four of on the table. That's week four. But this is week two. This is week two. Buddhism. All right, so the top of the ladder, or the top. I don't have mountains that have ladders. The top of the ladder is Buddhism, is Nirvana. You've heard the phrase nirvana. It means to basically no longer existing because existence is filled with suffering. We're living that right now in Southern California. There's suffering in existence. And so the top of the ladder in the Buddhist faith is not God. There is no God. It's separation from suffering. And also, nirvana means that you no longer have unfulfilled desires. Srinivana. No more suffering, no more unfulfilled desires. But to get to the top, it is called an Eightfold path. In Buddhism. It's right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. And before you think, oh, sweet, I can pull all of that off and get to the top, realize that in the Buddhist faith, it takes more than one life to get to the top. You have to do this through multiple lives. That's why there's reincarnation. To work your way all the way to the top of the ladder. Hindu faith, very similar in that they believe in reincarnation, but different in that at the top of the ladder is actually millions of gods who will give you instruction and you can pray to, and they'll help you go up the ladder. But. And there's a fourfold path in Hinduism, and it's a really challenging path. The first, the bottom rung is moral duty, and that's being a moral, dutiful person in your caste, in your lot in life. And if you do it well this time, you get reincarnated, perhaps to a higher caste next time. But if you're currently in the outcast of society, which I've met many people in India who are the next rung in the ladder sounds very daunting. It is prosperity and success. So imagine being a Hindu in India who's an outcast, who has no idea how you're going to eat tomorrow, that you got to work your way up to prosperity. And that's just the second rung. And then there's pleasure within your caste. And then there's liberation, which is liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. And you're one with the universe. That's the Hindu faith. And then there's Islam. Many of us have friends who are Muslim. And there's five pillars for every good Muslim. Five pillars of Islam. The first, the ground you have to have faith in Allah and in Muhammad is prophetic. And then there's things that all Muslims must do. Pray five times a day, give a percentage of your income, fast during Ramadan, make pilgrimage to Mecca. You have to pull all of these things to get to the top of the ladder. When you get to the top of the ladder is earning everlasting life. Allah is actually not in everlasting life. He transcends everlasting life. But you, if you climb the ladder successfully, can get to everlasting life. At our Thursday night young adult service, we had some friends from the Middle east who were here.
- [16:07]
Congregation/Church Member
And.
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Eric (Senior Pastor)
And I asked them, I said, hey, did I properly represent Islam? I want to be sure I'm articulating the way you would articulate Islam. And they said, yes, but you made it sound too easy. It's nonstop climbing, it's constant climbing, and you never know if you've made it to the top. In Judaism, there's different strands. Many of us have friends who are practicing Jewish, the Jewish faith, and there's different strands within Judaism. But at the top is living in a right covenant relationship with God. But to do so, you got to keep his commandments. You have to observe the Sabbath, keep kosher, celebrate the festivals to work your way up the ladder. Now, some of you come from these different traditions. I love it. In fact, you saw the video earlier. In our church, every week we have people who come from different backgrounds who are exploring the Christian faith. And my goal in the last couple moments was to accurately represent your faith, was to accurately articulate and with respect your tradition. To not hold up your tradition as a straw man and tear it apart, but to say no, this is what your tradition holds. But I also, as a preacher of the Christian faith, I want to show you the difference between all of these traditions and what Jesus offers us. I want to show you the difference and let you intellectually wrestle. But most of us in here, some of us come from these different backgrounds. But most of us, this is your default. This is your ladder. In America, the ladder that is most common is thinking you can do enough good things to climb your way to God. We could call this ladder the moralism ladder, or the religious ladder, and it's the default. And the reason it's the default ladder is because in life, everything is this way for you. If you want to be successful in your career, you have to climb the ladder. If you want to be successful relationally, you got to do these things. And so it makes sense that you would think for you to get to God, you've got to climb. And so there's things that you, that people. This is the default. This is how you would be thinking that I need to be a good person, I need to attend church, be a kind neighbor, be at least be better than most people. If I'm better than most, most people, then I'm in good shape. Turn over a New Leaf in 20, 25. Give the charity, do good, and so on. And some of you, you're exhausted because you've been on this ladder. And if you live this way, here's what you find. The ladder just gets taller and taller. The list just gets longer and longer, and you never get the true deep joy and satisfaction. Now, the Christian, some have thought this is Christianity. Some of you actually thought this is Christianity.
- [18:45]
Congregation/Church Member
Christianity.
- [18:46]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
This is not the Christian faith. This is religion. This is not what Jesus came to offer you. This is not what Jesus wants for you. Jesus is distinct from all of these. Now, clearly all of these are different. It's why there's not one mountain, but different mountains. And because the thing on top of the mountain is different. But there's one commonality for all of these. It's always climbing, it's always striving. It's always on you to work your way to the top, on you to make yourself right with whatever is at the top of the ladder. The Christian faith is very distinct. Let me show you what the Christian faith teaches. I'm gonna give you just one verse from the scripture today. This was actually a statement by some of Jesus early disciples. And they were speaking, these early disciples were speaking to a group like us, of religious people, more or less, who were trying to be good people. I mean, these are great neighbors, great bosses, great employees. These are great people. But they thought by their goodness they could qualify themselves before God. And here's the message of the Christian faith that's so different. Verse 12 of Acts, chapter 5. There is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved. This is God's word. Now let me show you what they're teaching here. First, they're showing us that Jesus is unique. Notice the phrase there's no one else. And there's no other name. There's no other name like Jesus. His name actually means salvation.
- [20:30]
Congregation/Church Member
And.
- [20:30]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
And there's no one else like Jesus. He is unique. Jesus is unique in his birth, his life, his death and his resurrection. First, Jesus is unique in his birth. Every other world religious leader doesn't claim, as Jesus claims, that he's God who enters this world. He's born of a virgin. He enters this world sinless and lives completely sinless. He's not a prophet who comes here to show you the way to God. He's God himself who comes here to bring you to God. So he's unique in his birth, he's unique in his life. Jesus says he doesn't become perfect by all of his morals. No. He enters this world as the perfect one. His life is perfect. He lives perfectly. Never a wrong action or reaction. Fully perfect throughout his entire life as he walks this earth. Unique birth, unique life, unique death. Unlike other religious leaders, he doesn't die as a martyr. He doesn't die in solitude, giving some final instructions. No, he dies a death where he willingly lays down his life to sacrifice himself for the sin and the shame of those of us who believe in him. So this is what as Christians believe, that on the cross as Jesus died, something supernatural happened. For those of us who believe in him, he made a trade. In exchange, he absorbed in his flesh all of our sin and our shame, and in exchange gave us all of his perfect righteousness. Remember, Jesus has a unique birth, a unique life. He lived perfectly. So he has perfect righteousness to give. And the reason that those of us who are Christians are going to have everlasting life is because we're perfect. But not perfect in ourselves. None of us are perfect in ourselves. We're perfect not because we've made ourselves perfect, but because as Jesus died for us and we placed our faith in him, he gave us his perfect righteousness. Therefore, God the Father looks at the sons and daughters of God as if they are perfect. Because he sees as he looks at the sons and daughters of God, the perfect righteousness of Jesus covering their lives. That's what Jesus did on the cross for us. It's amazing. And he took away all of our sin and shame and absorbed it in himself. And then there is the unique resurrection from the dead. Jesus rising from the dead and living forever in everlasting life, seated at the right hand of the throne of the Father right now. Now this is the game changer. Because if Jesus didn't rise from the dead, all of this is a waste and you're wasting your time at church today. But if Jesus did rise from the dead, then all of this is really meaningful. And everything Jesus said you should consider if he rose from the dead. Game changer. Did Jesus rise from the dead? Eric, I'm intellectually wrestling with this. I know you'll say that the scripture teaches Jesus rises from the dead, and the scripture does. But can you articulate for me that Jesus rose from the dead without articulating from the Scripture? I can. Historically, here's what we know. The religious leaders in Jesus day, the way they would shut down the movement of the Christian faith. All they had to do was say, guys, you're crazy, he's dead. Look, his body is right here. That's all they had to do to shut down the movement. It's the reason they guarded the tomb. All they had to do to shut this thing down was show his body is right here. He's dead. And they could not produce a body because on the third day, Jesus walked out of the tomb. And he is alive. He's alive.
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Congregation/Church Member
And.
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Eric (Senior Pastor)
Even if you don't believe that the scripture is God's word, if you just looked at this as a historical document, here's what historians will tell us. These documents, these early letters were within a couple of years after Jesus was crucified. And the Apostle Paul is writing that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers. Many are who, many are who are alive today. Essentially, the Apostle Paul was saying, guys, you can go talk to more than 500 eyewitnesses who saw Jesus. So we have no body. There's no but body. He's gone. He's out of the grave. Eyewitnesses. And then you have these early disciples that they all died horrific deaths insisting that Jesus is alive. And the only way they had to not die a brutal death was to say, we made it up. We made it up. And not one of them recanted. Blaise Pascal, the famous mathematician, he says, I believe those witnesses who get their throats cut. And every one of them did. I believe Jesus is alive not only because I believe it intellectually, but because I placed my faith in Jesus my senior year in high school. And he has changed, changed me and he still changes me. I haven't changed myself. I don't have the power to change myself. But Jesus the risen savior has resurrected me and given me a brand new life. Confucius and every world religious leader who gives you a pathway, they died or will one day die. Buddha was cremated Muhammad was buried, but Jesus is the living. The living, the living, the risen. Dang it. It was gonna sound so good. He was the risen savior who conquered the grave and is alive today. He's alive, baby. He living. So Jesus is unique, but his offer is also unique. Notice what he says. There's no other name by which you must be. This makes Jesus his approach towards you distinct from every other world religion. Every other world religion says, climb a ladder. Jesus does not stand at the top of the ladder and ask you to ascend. He descends to the valley of the shadow of death to give you everlasting life. The symbol of the Christian faith is therefore not a ladder, but the symbol of the Christian faith is a cross. Because Jesus placed himself where we would never want to place ourselves. He descended to the lowest point, the lowest point of humiliation as he was crucified to absorb in his flesh all of our sin and our shame. He came here to rescue us. Now, for you to become a Christian is really hard because. Because you have to admit you need to be rescued. See, every other world religion, and even this religion, which is very common in America, religious moralism says you can be successful. You can climb. But to be a Christian, you have to admit you can't climb a ladder. You have to admit you need to be saved. The key word in every other religion is success. The key word in Christianity is salvation. And you have to admit that you need salvation, that you can't climb a ladder, which makes sense. We can't climb a ladder. We haven't even kept our New Year's resolutions this year. We're like 15 days in. We can't climb our own ladders. How are we gonna climb a ladder to get to God? We can't even keep our own commitments. We need to be rescued. And Jesus, his name means savior. Rescuer. John, stop. Said it this way. Christianity is a rescue religion. It declares that God has taken the initiative in Jesus Christ to rescue us from our sins. It's the main theme of the Bible. A rescue religion. When you are drowning, when someone's drowning and they need to be rescued, you don't want someone on the side of the shore saying, here's how you swim. Swim harder. Jesus did not arrive in this world to stand on the side of the shore and yell instructions in. He's not on top of the ladder yelling instructions at you, nor did he merely throw a life preserver into the water. He jumped into the depth of your sin and your shame, the mirror of your own personal destruction to grab you and to rescue you. Jesus is your savior, if you will believe in him and trust in Him. He's the savior. He's the savior. Now, I've had friends ask me, and this is a fair question. Okay, I'm tracking Eric. But I come to your church sometimes and I hear you say some of the same things that other religions say. For example, I've heard you challenge people to have pure thoughts, to think right thoughts. Isn't that what Buddhists teach? To have right thoughts? Last week you talked. You challenged men to live as men, to have moral authority in their life as men, and to be men of integrity. Isn't that what moral duty? Like a Hindu? Eric, I saw you in December. You asked people to give like Muslims give. Just now we prayed for people in Southern California. Muslims pray. Don't you do some of the same things that in the Jewish faith? Obeying God's commands. You teach the Bible and you invite people to obey God's commands. Don't you teach some of the same things that all of these world religions teach? Isn't it all the same? Don't you teach the same thing? Fair question. Some of the actions are the same. The motivations beneath the surface are very different. In the Christian faith, we aren't teaching do these things so God will love you. We're reminding ourselves, because we gather under a cross, not under a ladder, that Jesus has already done it all for us. And we now live for him because he's forgiven us and because we love him. Because he loved us first. We live for him because he's changed us. We don't live for him hoping he will change us. See, religion says, obey God, so He accepts you. Christianity says, obey God because He's already accepted.
- [30:16]
Congregation/Church Member
You.
- [30:18]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
See, religion like Buddha's dying words. Buddha's dying words were strive without ceasing. Strive. Come on, you can do it. It may take you the next life or even seven lives from now, but you can make it up the ladder. Strive without ceasing. The dying words of Buddha, the dying words of Jesus, very different. It is finished because. Because he came here to do all of the work for us. Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. I don't want a ladder to climb. I want a cross to cling to. Give me Jesus. He's different. He's unique. Several years ago, I was in Jerusalem with some of you, some from our church. And when you're in Jerusalem, you would not think these are. All of these world religions are the same. Jerusalem is religious center for multiple religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity. But no one there is thinking, these are all really the same. You would not find a devout Muslim, a devout Jew and a devout Christian and have them agree that this is the same because they're very different approaches. In Jerusalem, you get to the Wailing Wall. In the Wailing Wall, there are devout Jews who are going and they are praying and they. And they are praying. Fervent prayers, passionate prayers, sincere. You can tell these are sincere people. They don't believe that Jesus is God who walked out of the tomb. They believe that they're going to some kind of way climb their way to a right covenant relationship with God. Not far. I mean, five minute of a walk, you get to one of the most holy sites in Islam, the Dome of the Rock. The Dome of the Rock. There's an inscription there. Our tour guide, who is not a Christian, he's a practicing Jew, he says, hey, I want to read this to you, a translation of this because it wasn't written in English, I'm going to read you a translation. And this is the Muslim faith knocking you in a slight towards Christians. Here's the statement on the Dome of the Rock. God is only one God. Far is it removed from his transcendent majesty that he should have son. My heart just sank because I'm thinking, I'm your son, God, I'm your son. I'm your son. And the only reason I'm your son is because God the Son entered this world. And five more minutes from here is where you placed yourself on a cross to make me your son. And right over there is where you walk out of the tomb. I'm your son. Because God the Son came here to rescue me. So I prayed, God, how is it? How are you so patient? You are so patient. How are you so kind and patient to tolerate this clear mocking of you in the very place you came to die for people. I didn't hear him audibly, but I sensed him whisper to me, eric, I was mocked here 2000 years ago and I died for my mockers. And I'm mocked here now. And I still love my mockers and don't feel sorry for me because I don't live on the Temple Mount and I don't live in the Dome of the Rock. I live with within every single person who's placed their faith and trust in me. That's where I now live. It's where he lives. And it's what us Christians believe that God the Father sent God the Son who died on the cross. We believe in him. God, the Spirit moves into Our lives. Here's what you must do to be rescued. Romans 10, 9, 6. If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. You might be saved if you climb fast enough to the top. Let's read this together. If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you. You will be saved. Will be. Today is the day of salvation. For some of you. Some of you, this is going to be the beginning of you intellectually wrestling with the Christian faith. So honored you're with us. For some of you, you have been understanding the gospel, the good news that Jesus came here to rescue you. And I want to invite you today to do what that verse says, to confess with your mouth. Believe in Jesus and receive his forgiveness. Be rescued by him and become His Son and His daughter. I'm going to ask us to be as still as we can, because this moment, there is no more sacred moment than this moment right here, when people are going to be invited to place their faith in Jesus and receive his forgiveness. The verse we read says for you to confess and believe. If you are ready to stop climbing, some of you, this is your default. It's my default. You have lived a life where you want peace and joy and you think you have to climb to get it, or you want to get to God and you think it's on you being a good person. You will never be able to climb the ladder, and nor is Jesus asking you to. He came all the way here and placed himself on the cross. But you must believe in him and confess that you are placing your faith in Him. So if you are ready to place your faith in Jesus, I'm gonna ask us one at a time to stand and confess. I believe. And when you do that, we believe that that's the moment where God showers you with his mercy and his grace. He moves into your life. You would say, why would I do that in front of a bunch of people? When Jesus died on the cross, scholars estimate a million people in Jerusalem that day, and he never invited someone to follow him secretly. It was always public. Because when Jesus enters your life, he changes everything about you. So if you are ready to receive his forgiveness and become His, I'm gonna give us a couple of moments. One at a time. You stand and confess. I believe. I believe.
- [36:50]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen. Amen.
- [36:52]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Beautiful.
- [36:52]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen. Amen. Amen.
- [36:58]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Awesome.
- [37:03]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen.
- [37:03]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Beautiful. Beautiful. Let's hold our applause so we can hear everybody. Awesome. Awesome.
- [37:10]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen. Amen.
- [37:12]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Awesome. Beautiful. Yes.
- [37:17]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen. Amen.
- [37:21]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Yes.
- [37:24]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen.
- [37:25]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Beautiful. Yes. Yes.
- [37:31]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen. Amen.
- [37:40]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Yes, sir. Yes. Yes. Awesome.
- [37:47]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen. Amen. Amen.
- [37:59]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Awesome.
- [38:02]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen. Amen. Amen.
- [38:13]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Beautiful.
- [38:28]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen.
- [38:33]
Eric (Senior Pastor)
Thank you, Jesus, for your salvation. Thank you for your grace. Celebrate with those who have confessed faith in Jesus. So proud of you. It's the most important moment in your life. The most important. And I want to be sure that you are prayed over. Like a prayer of blessing over you. We also have a Bible. We want to give you that. Now you're. You're like, I already have one. Yeah, but you don't have one. After you stood and confessed faith in Jesus, this is a marker moment for you. When you're born physically, people gather around you. You were just born again spiritually. We want to gather around you and pray over you. So I'm going to ask the shepherding elders of our church, their wives to come forward, and they're going to stand down front in a moment. We're going to sing for you. Who stood and said I believe. You already did the hardest thing. I mean, you stood in front of a group of people and confessed faith in Jesus, But I want you to be prayed over. So right when we sing, I'm gonna ask you to come forward, one of these amazing people will pray over you. You just look for the one you like the best. No, I'm joking. They're all awesome. They're all awesome. I'm joking. I'm joking. That shouldn't have said that. They're all awesome. If you're with someone who stood up and said, I believe. You come with them. You come with them and then you receive prayer together. It's gonna be beautiful. So right when we start to sing, you who stood and said I believe. I invite you to come forward and receive prayer. Let's worship our savior Jesus together. All right.
- [40:08]
Shepherding Elder
Extend your hands, please, and let me pray a prayer of blessing over you as we go. Jesus, I pray you'd bless your sons and daughters this week, that you would remind them that you are gentle and approachable and that you love them. Cause your face to shine on them. I pray they will experience your mercy and your joy this new week. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- [40:31]
Congregation/Church Member
Amen.
- [40:31]
Shepherding Elder
Go in peace. Have a great week.
- [40:38]
Podcast Host
Thanks for tuning in to the Mariners Weekend Message podcast to support the ministry of Mariners Church. You can click the link in the show notes or download the Mariners app at your favorite app store. If you've been navigating God's wisdom with us through this year's annual Read and would like to hear personal reflections from pastors in your community. Check out the Gospel Every Day podcast. Imagine feeding your heart, mind and soul with the kind of practical wisdom that will change your life. If you haven't picked up the annual read yet, visit MarinersChurch.org or download the Mariners app for more information on where to find it.