Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - No More Fake News | Think Ahead | Part 4

Episode Date: March 10, 2024

Do you ever get frustrated trying to find out what's actually true? How do you know what to believe? In this message, we're learning how to seek truth with confidence. Find ways to replace lies with God’s truth: https://finds.life.church/words/Our decisions determine the direction of our lives. But when we're tired, stressed, or overwhelmed, what do those decisions really look like? Let's learn to Think Ahead so we follow God’s purposes no matter what.NEXT STEPSHave you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what’s next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to the next steps in your walk with Christ: https://www.life.church/nextABOUT LIFE.CHURCHWherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://live.life.churchFind locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/appFIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/life.churchInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/life.churchTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifechurchYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LCNowCONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIGYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/craiggroeschelFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/craiggroeschelInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschelTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@craiggroeschel#lifechurch #craiggroeschel #thinkahead Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I want to take a moment to just introduce myself. My name is Sam. I get to be one of your pastors. And I want to say thank you to Pastor Craig, because today I get the privilege of sharing God's Word with our church family. And I also want to take a moment in highlight and thank some very special people. If you just take a moment to realize that this message will touch every single country in the world. And we've got people from all over that are joining us at Live Church online. And so I just want to say thank you in seven different languages. Because I think it's okay to do that. So, shi, be thanked, thank you, thank you, thank you. Obrigato, graces, and tak.

Seven different languages, very. So, I want to start up with just something a little bit fun. I found a few headlines online that I want you to participate with me. So everyone at our life church locations, I need you to participate as well. Those of you online, I need your help to determine whether these headlines are true or false. Okay? Y'all ready? Okay, so let's take a look at the first one.

Disney buys the exclusive rights to the Bible and plans multiple sequels. How many of you are like, that's true. I believe it. We got a couple. How about false? You're like, nah, can't be. All right. Let's look at this next one. An Italian province DNA test dog poo to penalize lazy owners. How many say true? True? How many say, that's gross. That's gross. All right, one more. Last month. here. Tim Tebow blows up the internet by wearing John 316 under his eyes. How many of you're like,

yes, I was there. I remember. So here's my question to you. What is truth? What is truth? So I need you to right now, just kind of settle in because we're about to go on a ride. Okay. So just bump your elbow, your neighbor and tell them, tell the truth. Now tell your other neighbor, you tell the truth. Now, look to the person behind you and say, you can't handle the truth. Gotcha, that one. You know, we live in a world where there is a lot of fake news. If you spend enough time on TikTok, you'll realize that the life hacks don't usually actually work.

We live in a generation that declares that my truth is the only truth. And it's harder. It's becoming more difficult to discern what is actually true. Now, when it comes to truth, you need to remember. Truth, it doesn't always make sense. It doesn't always feel good, but it always brings freedom. Real truth sets people free. The world is full of fake news, but God's word is full of good news.

And we're going to look at his word today. Come on. While we may not understand fully everything in this life, we can pre-decide to all. always seek truth. 1 Corinthians 1312 says it this way. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror. But then we will see everything with perfect clarity. So, if you're tired of the lies, if you're ready to seek truth, I need you to shout at me. Say, tell the truth. Come on, those of you online, you can put it in the comment section. Tell the truth. And the title of my message today is, no more. fake news.

Y'all ready? Let's go. So, we're in a series called Think Ahead. It's based on Pastor Craig's new book. In fact, earlier I said thank you in seven different languages. If you didn't know, Pastor Craig's book has been translated into those seven different languages. What I love about that is that this book, these principles, they're not principles just

for one type of person. Anyone can apply them. When you start to pre-decide the decisions that will honor God, when you think ahead, you will begin to live the life and the purpose that God has for you. And so I want to start off because I want to bring back Tim Tebow real quick. So if you don't know this story, it's pretty fascinating. So in 2009, he played in the college national championship game. And he wore under his eyes John 316.

Now, this was pretty controversial in the moment. But that day, 90 million people Google search John 316. That's not even the craziest part. So here's what happens. three years later to the date. He's playing in another playoff game, this time in the professional league, and they win the game. And after the game, his publicist comes up to him and says,

Tim, do you realize what just happened? And Tim's like, yeah, we won the playoff game. We're moving forward. He said, no, no, no. Tim, today, you threw for 316 yards. You average 31.6 yards per pass. And running the ball, you average 3.16 yards. rushing. I'm not making this up. You can go and verify the statistics on ESPN's website. It's a

crazy thing, okay? This is a powerful verse. So let's start there. Let's take a look at John 316. And many of us know this verse. So I think it'd be great if we all read it out loud together. So come on, read it with me. Say, for God so love the world that he gave is one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This is the most famous, one of the most well-known, most quoted verses in the world. A question to you is, who was it said to? Because you read it and it sounds like it's being said to the world. It was actually said to one man and his name is Nicodemus.

And we're going to look at Nicodemus, okay? He was not one of the most famous. He's not one of the most well-known Bible characters. Some of you, you may have not even heard about him until today. Nicodemus has mentioned three times in the book of John. He's mentioned. And now, we don't know for sure all the locations of where these things took place. But some scholars believe that the first time he shows up, it's in a garden.

The next time, it's in a temple. And then finally, it's at the cross, at the crucifixion of Jesus. And I believe that when you look at his life, when you see and study what we do know about him, you'll see that he was committed. You could say that he pre-decided to seek truth at all cost. Now, the first time he meets Jesus, it's at this garden. And he sees him. He sees Jesus preaching and sharing the scriptures and teaching and doing miracles.

And Nicodemus is committed to finding truth. He doesn't just want it. He needs it. So let's look at John chapter 3, verse one. It says there was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. Now, let's stop here real quick, because this is important for you to recognize. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He was a studier of scripture. He knew the law. But he was also part of a smaller segment of group called the Sanhedron. And these were the rulers over the Israelites. In fact, this group started back in

Exodus, and they were known as men of truth. After dark, one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. Rabbi, he said, we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you. Now, you got to understand, this is scandalous for him to do this. Why did he go to Jesus at dark? We're not quite sure, but you can kind of make the point that he maybe was afraid of being seen with Jesus.

The Pharisees didn't love Jesus. They hated him, and so he was taking a risk. And you also know, like, if you're going to do something scandalous, you wait till he gets dark, right? So he goes to Jesus at dark. And then he asks him, he tells him, we know that you're with God. You know, we know that you are from God. And Jesus replied, I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. What do you mean? exclaimed Nicodemus. How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again? Jesus replied, I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God,

without being born of water and spirit. Nicodemus comes and asks Jesus about his identity. And Jesus doesn't answer. He tells him, you've got to be born again. You may have heard that phrase before. You've got to be born of the spirit. And Nicodemus is confused. In fact, in verse 9, he actually goes and says again,

he says, how are these things possible? He's got all this knowledge, but he's missing the spirit. spiritual part. And then we get down to verse 16 after Jesus had shown him some more spiritual truths, we see verse 16 where it says, for God so loved the world that he gave us one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. See, Jesus addresses the question behind the questions. The question Nicodemus was really asking that he was eager to know is how can I be saved? How can I enter the kingdom of God? And remember, the difference between knowing the truth and believing in truth has eternal implications. There's a difference,

a difference between just knowing the truth and believing in truth. So seeking, finding, and embracing truth impacts your eternity. But let's be honest, it also impacts your life right now. right here on earth, you can say that eternity starts now. So it's imperative that we pre-decide to seek truth at all cost. That first meeting, Nicodemus gets on a journey to find truth. Together, we're going to look at three truths that Nicodemus had to wrestle with. We're going to look at these scriptures. And if you want to live a life of purpose, of meaning and of freedom, you've got to seek truth. It's so important to pre-decide. I will seek truth at all cost. And today, we're going to focus on these three truths that you must discover. So check it out. The first one is identity.

Your identity matters, okay? And here's the question you need to ask yourself, who are you becoming? Who are you becoming? When you think about your life, not just who you are right now, but who is it that you're becoming? Do you like who you're becoming? Because what you believe determines who you are and who you will become. What you believe currently will determine your identity. Nicodemus, again, tells Jesus, we know you're from God. We know you're teaching from God. God is with you.

So he's wanting to confirm, are you really who you say you are? Are you really the Messiah? And Jesus flips it on him. Jesus looks at him and tells him, no, no, no, listen, you must be born again. Nicodemus had to wrestle with his own identity because up to this point, his identity was based on knowledge, on the ability to judge, and the ability to tell what's true.

His identity was based on what people thought of him, tradition and culture, but Jesus calls him to more. And there are some of you here today. You are looking at your life and Jesus is going to call you to more. So, tell the truth. When you look in the mirror, what do you see? When you stand there and look and you identify your life, you look at your life, what do you see? It's funny how men look at the mirror, because for men, if we kind of look sideways,

especially dad bods, we're like, oh man, got to cut down on them dad donuts, right? But all we got to do, all men got to do is do this. there I am. Do you like what you see? There's some of us in here that when you look at yourself, you not only like what you see, but you worship what you see. There's pride, there's arrogance.

You puff yourself up because of your status, because of how much you've accomplished. You even look at others and think, I'm not like those people. You've got to humble yourself. Pride comes before the fall. But most of us, I believe, when we look in the mirror, we see things like shame or guilt.

We don't like what we see. Be honest, tell the truth. In my 20s, I went through a season where I had really a crisis of my own identity. I was trapped in secret sin, and specifically in lust and porn. I mean, I hated my life. It was horrible.

I would sin over and over and feel trapped by it. And I wanted to let it go, but it wouldn't let go of me. And even though I hated it, I felt chained to it. If you missed week two of this message series and you're battling with porn or lust, you need to go back and watch that message. Pastor Craig delivered an incredible message on how to flee from porn. and it's such a great, great tool. And what he describes in there, that was my life.

I hated who I saw. I hated myself. And I had to face myself. Every time I would sin, I'd look in the mirror and I hated what I saw. I'd look at myself. And I'd yell at myself, but I wouldn't yell with volume,

but I would yell from the depths of my soul. I would say things to myself, I hate you. You're so disgusting. You're such a hypocrite. How could you do this again? If people knew what you were doing, they would leave you. God will never use you. You say these things long enough. You start to believe them. You start to become them. And here's the thing. At one point, I finally confessed it. I brought it to light. I exposed my sin. I told a pastor. pastor about what I was going through. And I found accountability and I found freedom. But every time

I looked in the mirror, I still saw that old sinful man. You need to know if you want to change what you see, you got to change what you say. Hey, look at me. You're not your mistake. Your past does not define you. You're a child of God. You've been for given. You've been redeemed. God will take your past and who'll use it for his purpose. Your family loves you. You are loved by God. Be the warrior that God created you to be. Listen, if you want to change what you see, you've got to change what you say. Your identity needs to be based on truth. And I'm not talking about your truth. I'm not talking about my truth. I need you to understand. I'm not talking about manifestations or declarations or power statements, because the truth is you can write

down a thousand times, I am a millionaire. You can look to the eastern sun and declare everything I touch turns to success. I could go to a still pond, look at the reflector, and declare, I am six foot one. It ain't going to happen. And here's what I tell you. Those things, maybe, they might actually come to pass. Not the six foot one. I'm going to be. five, six for the rest of my life, right? They may even happen, but you got to know this. Any declaration not based on the truth of God's word will still leave you empty. It'll leave you empty. And if you need some help, because I know I needed some help, you need some help putting together some declarations over your life that are based on biblical truth. Our team put together some

incredible resources for you. And you can scan, there's going to be a QR code on the screen. You can that QR code. This is based on a message that Pastor Craig preached called words to live by. And these are declarations that are made, statements that are created based on the truth of God's word. If you want to change what you see, you got to change what you say. Do not live any longer under the false identity, under the fake news of who you used to be, live in the truth of God and what he says about you. So I'm just going to call it like it is. Some of y'all look in the mirror and you think you're a loser. Guess what?

Fake news. In Christ, you are more than a conqueror. You might look in the mirror and think you're unlovable. Look, fake news. Because why? Because God, nothing can separate you from the love of God. You might think God can never use someone like me. Guess what?

Fake news. Because he takes the foolish things of the world and he confounds the wise. You might be sitting here today and thinking, could never use me. You'll never defeat this addiction. Guess what? Fake news with Christ. All things are possible. You just need to hear it. You need to know the truth. When the devil shouts his lies, you shout back fake news. When the world shuts you out, you dig right in and you declare fake news. When the haters try to just take you down, you get yourself back up and you declare no more fake news. You got to know the truth about who you are. You got to know the truth about

who Jesus says you are. It's important to discover the truth of your identity. And then, then you've got to discover the truth about your community. Where are you belonging? Who are your friends? What are the groups that you are in? The second time we see Nicodemism, he does something crazy. Remember, he's part of the Jewish rulers. And what's happening is they're plotting Jesus' arrest. In John chapter 7, we see that Jesus had been teaching in the temple and the religious leaders were planning to arrest him and to kill him.

Nicodemus does something crazy. He takes a stand. Look what it says in chapter 7, verse 50. Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. Sometimes you've got to speak up for the truth. And he says, is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing? They replied, are you from Galilee too? Search the scriptures and see for yourself.

No prophet ever comes from Galilee. Here's what happened. They were planning and plotting the arrest of Jesus. And Nicodemus just asks a question. He points them back to truth. In this moment, you can tell he's real. realizing these men are not seeking truth. They just want to arrest and kill Jesus. Sometimes you look up. You tell the truth about your community. You got the wrong people in your life. Tell the truth. Do you have the right people in your life? Or are you people negative and toxic? Always full of drama. Always doing too much. Or maybe they're not that bad. Maybe they're just like that emoji. Meh. You know? they're kind of like lukewarm or stagnant.

They're not bad people, but they're just complacent. There's no drive. There's no sharpening, ironing, sharpening iron. They're just kind of, they're holding you back. Tell the truth. Maybe you're like, well, Pastor Stapp, I'm in a life group. Hey, let's get real. You haven't met for six months.

And the last time you met, you don't even get real with each other. You just kind of hang out. Tell the truth about your community. Tell the truth about the groups that you're in, that Facebook group that spews hatred all the time. It's time to get out. That relationship that you know, Pastor Craig's been preaching it for three years, break up. And you're like, well, I'm going to give them some chance. There's potential there.

Break up. It's time. Maybe you need to tell the truth to your spouse about where you really are so that God can begin to restore you. You got to tell the truth. No more fake news about your community. Remember what your mom said. Remember, she said, show me your friends. I'll show you your future.

You are who you hang around with. Proverbs says it this way. Become wise by walking with the wise. Hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces. Tell the truth about your community. Get you some good people in your life that will encourage you and push you forward. that will be honest with you and tell you the truth. So you've got to tell the truth about your identity.

Tell the truth about your community. And then number three, you've got to tell the truth about your eternity. The question here is, what master are you serving? Because here's the truth. We're all serving someone. We're all following something or someone. We're all chasing after someone. Be honest.

Tell the truth. Who or what are you following? Are you chasing after money, fame, popularity? You see, what you chase after defines your master. Those are some bars right there. The third and final time we see Nicodemus, it's at the cross. Jesus has been beaten to a bloody pulp. A crown of thorns has been placed on his head. He's been whipped. He's been whipped. he's been spat on, humiliated, hung on a cross. And in one final breath, he gives up the spirit. And he dies. It's over.

Scripture tells us that there was a man who was known as Joseph of Arimathea. And Joseph asks for Jesus' body. This is important because at that point, the religious leaders were worried that Jesus' body would be stolen. So whoever took the body was a big, big deal. Joseph of Hermitia takes the body, gets permission to take the body, and is about to take it to the tomb. And look what happens, John 1939. It says, with him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about 75 pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. This was used to embalmed the body. Some versions actually say that it was closer to 100 pounds. He brings this with

him. Now, I don't know about you, but in that moment, that would have been the wrong time for him to declare himself as a Jesus follower. Jesus was dead. It's over. But what does Nicodemus do? He brings his wealth. 75 pounds of mer and aloe. The average amount for a normal funeral was about 5 pounds. He brought 75 pounds. You know what this means?

As I studied, some people believe that it was close to $250,000 and he brought his wealth. This amount was reserved for royalty. This would have been considered a king's burial. Scholars believe that this was the moment that Nicodemus publicly declared, Jesus is my king. Brings everything. He found truth. See, all his life, Nicodemus had pre-decided to seek truth at all cost. And it almost cost him everything. You look back and you think about it. He pre-decided to seek truth and he meets Jesus for the first time, tries to confirm, are you the Messiah? And then he's just confused. He's like Jesus tells him all these things about being born of the spirit. He doesn't get it so he wrestles with his identity.

Then he stands up in front of his peers in front of the people that he grew up with that were following scripture and he declares, hey, he stands up for Jesus so he wrestles with his community. And then finally he gets to this place where he has to wrestle with. his eternity. He pre-decided to seek truth at all cost, and he cost him a lot. Perhaps all he has, but he found truth. And he realized that truth was never a place to arrive. It wasn't a thing to possess, but it was a person to believe in. Truth is a person, and his name is Jesus. This isn't in the Bible, but I can envision as Nicodemus' first. brought everything. I can envision him saying something like, for God so loved me that he gave his only son. And because I believe in him, I will not perish, but have eternal life.

The world thought, the devil believed we won. Jesus is dead. Guess what? Fake news. because three days later, the tomb was empty. There was nobody in the grave. Jesus was alive, and to the date, that is still the truth. And John 832 says this, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Let's pray together. God, thank you for your truth. Thank you for your son, Jesus.

Thank you for freedom, Father God, that comes through your son. As we pray at all of our life church locations and those of you online, today is a day that I believe many of you are going to take a stand to say, I am committed to seeking truth. Maybe it's around your identity and you need to just let go of the old thoughts that you had about yourself. You need to start declaring new things in your life, in your new identity in Christ, or perhaps you need to get some new people around you that will encourage you and push you forward. Whatever the case may be, today's the day to say, I want to pre-decide to seek truth at all cost.

If you're here today and you say, I want to seek truth. I want to say a special prayer for you. Would you just raise your hand at all of our locations? Hands going up all over this place. God, I pray right now as we take a step towards you, Lord, to commit, to pre-decide, to seek truth. Would you show us the truth? God, would we be able to find our identity in you, to find the right community? Father God, show us your truth and we trust that your truth will set us free.

As we continue in an attitude of prayer, no one looking around. There are those of you here today that you find yourself relating to Nicodemus. You came here looking to see if it was true. Looking to see if Jesus is who he said he is. Maybe you're here today and you grown up in church and you know about God. You know scriptures. You know the Bible. You try to do good things to be on God's good side.

Or maybe you walked in here today and this is the first time you stepped foot in the church and you're kind of surprised that the walls didn't crumble down on you because you feel so far from God. Whatever the case is, today is a day where you can actually be born again. Be born of the spirit. talking about joining a religion. Please don't join a religion, but I'm talking about being born in the spirit of surrendering your life to Jesus and entering into a relationship with him. Here's what I want you to know. Just like Nicodemus came to Jesus, Jesus met him where he was, and today Jesus is here, meeting you right where you are. And I believe that there are those of you who need to make one decision to step towards Jesus, to receive forgiveness of your sins.

Here's what you need to remember Jesus is the son of God. He lived a sinless life and died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. And scripture says that anyone, this includes you, anyone that calls on the name of Jesus, would be saved. Today is a day for many of you to take that step to say, I need to give my life to Christ. I need to surrender. When you turn away from your sins and you turn towards Christ, he forgives you, he gives you a new life. You are born again, born of the spirit. and for many of you, that's why you're here.

So I'm going to count to three. And when I get to three of you say, yes, I need to be born again. I need to be born of the Spirit. I need to surrender my life to Jesus. When I get to three, I want you to shoot your hand up in the air. One, God loves you. He's here for you, ready to forgive you and give you a new life. Two, don't wait for tomorrow.

Tomorrow's not promised to anyone. Today is your day of salvation. Three, come on, shoot your hand up right now and look up at me. I see you right back there. God bless you. God loves you. Welcome to the family of God. Up at the top, ladies, God is with you, forgiving you and making you new.

I got you right back there. Others of you that say yes, I'll see you right there. God bless you, welcome to the family of God. No more guilt, no more shame. Those of you online, just type it in the comments. Say, I'm giving my life to Jesus, church family. Everyone pray together, pray out loud, and listen, when we finish praying. We're going to go crazy celebrating because today people are coming into the family of God,

and that's worth celebrating big. Come on, pray out loud, repeat after me. Say, Heavenly Father, I give you my life. I surrender my heart. Today I declare Jesus as my Lord and my Savior. By His grace, I'm forgiven. By his truth, I'm set free. No more guilt, no more shame.

My life belongs to you. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Come on, church, can you get a little loud? and celebrate. Come on!