The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 1 - Singleness and Dating

Episode Date: September 17, 2023

Dating has changed, but the truth of God hasn't.

How are we? Please. Please sit down. Joby needs to learn a lesson that you don't make fun of the guy and then give the guy a microphone after you make fun of him. So he needs some fashion tips. That's all I'm going to say. He's still wearing a V-neck. It's not 1997.

Anyway, it's great to be here. Man, I love being with you guys. When I get to come here, it feels like family. It really does. And I don't say that lightly. I have the fortune of being able to preach it a few different churches around the United States. And every time I come here, I look forward because I love your staff. Come on, you guys have an amazing staff here at Church of 1122.

I love your pastor, like he said, is one of my best friends. We've been doing ministry together for almost 20 years. Also, your pastor and myself, we just started our doctorates together. So in a couple of years, it's going to be doctors Jobi and Turner, Appalachian medicine. Like, that's what it, like, could be. But, like, and I just want to start out by saying, I've been in doctoral classes all week. Your pastor was not there. And he's like, I need you to get me all the stuff I need.

I'm like, this is not how this friendship is going to go. You're going to do the work. He's like, I'm not going to make everybody call me doctor. I said, cool, I'm making everybody call me doctor. children, my wife, everybody. My wife and my daughter are actually here with me. So, but man, I really am excited to be here with you guys. And I'm really excited to be able to kick off this series, looking at this series for me and my house.

And the fact that I get to teach on singleness and dating. How many in here, just by a show of hands, you are single right now. Raise them high. Everybody look around. Y'all just scoping and hoping right now, aren't you? Yeah. Locking eyes. Yeah, girl.

Look what the Lord has done. Like, you know, how many of you in here are dating? Some of you are like, I guess. What are we? Have we defined us? Like, we don't know. So I'm really excited about teaching this. Now, here's what's funny about me teaching on singleness and dating.

Last week, my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. Last week, I actually brought a picture from our wedding album. Look at that stud, y'all. God, look at that hair. Some of you never, y'all didn't even think I had a chin for years. My wife and I make the joke that she has aged like a fine wine and I have aged like a jug of milk. Do you know what I mean? Like, that's where we're at in life.

And so I show that to you, and I talk about being married for 20 years, because obviously, dating has changed in the past 20 years. There are websites now. There are super weird apps that are out there. My buddy actually just reminded me one of your pastors, Pastor Justin Todd, actually just reminded me that when I was pastoring in Orlando, we had a girl that would come to our church, and she would invite guys through Tinder to come to church. So they thought they were going on a date, and she was like,

psych, you're going to church. I don't really advise you do that. That is creepy and weird. But things have changed. There are apps, there are websites, there's onlyfarmers.com, there's tons of things out there that are super bizarre in the dating world.

It's different. And let me just be honest, I do not envy you. I like being married. My wife really likes being married to me. I don't envy it. But even though things have changed, there are some things that have remained true regardless. So here's what I want to help us do this evening.

I want to teach you how to pursue someone properly. I want to teach you the right godly way to pursue somebody. Now let me say this. the end goal of life is not to find a spouse. The end goal of life is to be more like Jesus. So there are some of you in here, and they talked about it in the video, the Apostle Paul talks about it, there are some of you in here that you have been given the gift in the grace of singleness. And you are able to do what not a lot of other people are able to do, which is to remain single.

So why is that a gift? because Paul talks about that if you are able to remain single, you are actually probably able to be a little bit more effective for the Lord because your attention is not split. So as I talk about being single, dating, please understand that there are some of you in here. That God has, and you may not even want it, that God has given you a grace,

a grace to remain single for his glory and for the kingdom. and that's not always easy. But I just want you to understand that I'm not going to stand up here and talk about singleness and dating and I am not think that there are some of you in here that don't have that grace. Now the reality is, is the majority of us do not have that grace on our lives. Like we just saw, there's a bunch of people scoping and hoping this Thursday evening in here, right? And they are praying and they're at church, yes for Jesus, but they're also hoping. You know what I mean?

Like, I want to see Jesus. but if he would also throw a cherry on top, that would be awesome. So how do we talk about the right way to pursue? Well, to do that, we are going to look at the Song of Solomon. Okay. If you have not read the Song of Solomon, it is the OG Daniel Steele. It will make you blush. It will make you uncomfortable.

So here is my warning to parents. This is a PG-13 message. There are some things that I have planned to say that I know are inappropriate. There are some things that have come out of my mouth that are not planned that are also equally as inappropriate. So all I'm saying is if you have a child and you don't want to have a long, awkward car ride home explaining things, you can take them to children's ministry or just earmuff them. You know what I mean? In that moment.

So what we're going to do is look at the Song of Solomon. So if you actually have your Bible, you can turn with me to the Song of Solomon. chapter two. Now the song of Solomon was written in 965 BC and that is a thousand years before Christ. Now when you study the song of Solomon, there are two different ways that you can read it. The first one is theologians say that it is really just an allegory between a allegory of God's love for Israel or Christ's love for the church. The other way that you can read it is you can read it just as a love story between a man and a woman who passionately love each other. We are going to read it as a love story between a man and a woman that passionately love each other.

We're not going to read it as an allegory. And what we're going to do is we're going to pull some things from this that we can apply and how should we pursue in our singleness in our dating. And if you are looking at how do you pursue in your singleness in dating, you have to understand that there are always different seasons in singleness and dating. There's many different seasons. But I would say that there are two main seasons. The first season, if you're taking notes, is this.

The first season is a season of preparation. Listen to what it says here. Song of Solomon 2, 11 through 12. See, the winter is past. I kind of want to read this like Barry White the entire time. but I feel like that would make all of us very uncomfortable, especially my daughter. Yeah, girl, see, the winter is past. I have so many jokes right now going through my head at very rapid pace, and if I say them,

I know I will never be invited back. The winter is past. The rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on earth. The season of singing has come. The cooing of doves is heard in our land. What are they talking about right here? What Solomon is saying is like, listen, spring has come, winter has gone.

So what does winter represent in this moment? Winter represents a season of preparation. Winter is the season where the roots grow deep. Winter is the season where everything is prepared for the growth that will happen in the spring. Some of you hear me, you are in a winter season right now. you are in a season of preparation. You are in a season of God doing some things inside of you before he brings that person to you. And listen, I know that a lot of us in here, you want, not me, I'm married, I love you very much.

You guys, you want to be in the spring season. You want God to bring you that person. You want God to bring you the person that you've been hoping for, the person you've been praying for, the person that you've been hoping and scoping for, the person that you've been hoping and scoping for, you are hoping for the spring season. But listen to me, God loves you enough to put you in a winter season. Because God knows if he brought you the person that you really desire and you weren't ready for that person, you would freak them out and you would run them off. So it is actually a grace that God gives us to allow us a season of preparation before he brings the person to us.

that he would have for us. A blessing too early is not a blessing at all, but a curse. And sometimes we're going, God, why aren't you showing up? God, where are you? God, I've been praying for this man. I've been praying for this woman. God, I've been looking. And God goes, yeah, I know, but I need to do some things inside of you before I bring

that person to you. So let me ask you, Church of 1122, if you are single or dating in here, for some of you, even that you're married, you shouldn't start being single and dating again. But what is God trying to do in you right now? For those of you that are in that preparation season, what is it? What is that thing that God is saying, I need you to work on this before I bring you Mr. or Mrs. Wright? Because there's always a season of preparation.

There's always a season of God doing things inside of us. Some of you, listen to me, you need to deepen your relationship with the Lord. Here's what some of you are hoping, that you are going to find the right person, that God's going to bring them along, and they're going to give you the identity and the love that you have been desperately searching for. Can I please explain to you something

that your spouse, whoever God brings you, they will never be able to fulfill every need that you have because they were not made to do that. The one that was made to do that was God. And so many times, so many times, when you hear people say this, well, we just fell out of love. No, you didn't.

You actually put pressure on someone to be something for you that they have no ability to be because they did not make you in the first place. So how can somebody that didn't make you in the first place give you your identity or your purpose? Some of you need to deepen your relationship with the Lord. Some of you need counseling. I don't say that jokingly. Some of y'all are crazy. I have a therapist. I see him every other week.

He still cannot fix me. We all are aware. But some of you listen to me, and I don't, you've been through trauma. You've been through hurts. You've been through pain. And what you're thinking is if I can just find the right person, I won't feel that anyway. Listen to me, the right person doesn't make the pain of the past go away. And sometimes you have to walk through something in a season of healing to prepare you for the future of what God has for you.

So what is it? What is the season of preparation that God may have you in right now? God has a season of preparation for absolutely every single one of us. Let me just say this. It doesn't have a lot to do with the preparation thing, but some of you are looking for your spouse in the wrong places. Some of you are trying to find the person that will complete you and make you feel so loved.

But you're at Freebird at the beach trying not to get stabbed. Some of you, I like to say it this way, some of you are shopping for Gucci at Kmart. And you're going, I just can't seem to find the right person. I can't find any Gucci at Kmart. You're looking in the wrong place. That's why I love, honestly, I know I make fun of all the single people in here, scoping and hoping, but I love that. There's a ton of different places that you could be looking for other people, but you're at church on Thursday night. And I believe that God will eventually reward that.

So there is a season, there's a season of preparation. The second thing is this. There is a season of infatuation. This is the moment that God brings you that person. And finally, all those boys to men songs make sense. Right? You're just like, oh, I finally get it. I know what Taylor is singing about now.

She's singing about breakups because she's crazy. Okay, that's my bent on Taylor Swift. Anyway, God be with her. There is a season of infatuation. Now, what we're about to read, this is the Shunamite woman saying this about Solomon. Gentlemen, also a great pickup line to use. Find a lady at the church and walk up to her and go, hey girl, I want you to be my shunamite woman.

But you say, like, look her dead in the eyes. You know what I mean? Really sell it to her. But I want you to listen to what she says about him in this moment. This is ridiculous, by the way. Listen, my beloved, look. I sort of read this like, look, here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills.

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. some of your old bucks, look, there he stands, listen in this, look, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. Now, I am not a theological, theologian or a Bible scholar, and I know that I'm shocking to many of you in here at this moment. What he's doing right now, seems like he's playing peek-a-boo with her. Seems like he's behind like the lattice, and he's like, Hey, girl. Hey. What's up, baby squirrel?

What'd you do it? Like, that seems to be what is happening in this moment. And here's the thing. She loves it. Give it 20 years of marriage, right, sweetheart? Play peek-a-beam with you. Like, get out of here. Weirdo.

She goes on. My beloved spoke and said to me, arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. These two are infatuation. with one another. There is a season in every relationship of infatuation. It is not all bad. It is not an all bad thing, but it is dangerous. And the reason that it is dangerous is because most of the time, infatuation is just emotions.

And I don't know if you've learned this, but emotions change over time. and if you have built or are building an entire relationship solely on infatuation, at some point those emotions are going to change. The perfect example of this. How many people in here by show of hands, you were actually married to the first person you ever dated? Anybody? Like two of you, praise God for you all. Everybody else is a bunch of heathens in here.

Good night. I was just running them through, you know what I mean? Like, but you remember like, this is a very inappropriate message. Thank God, Joby's not here. He's probably studying. But like, for real, like, you remember that first, like, serious relationship you had? And you're like, man, I am, I love you. I will be with you forever. We will never part away. And you were, man, you were like, every time I look at you, I see our unborn children in your eyes. And you just, you just, you just. think that you will be with that person forever. And emotionally, you are attached to that person. And then something happens and y'all break up.

And then like 10 years later, you see her at Walmart. And she's got like underwear, attire, and a half-eaten fried chicken in the basket. And you're like, thank you, Lord, that my emotions change. You ever run into your exes? And you're like, Jesus, thank you. Unanswered prayers, Garth. Like, you don't know what I mean? Like, so, like, the problem.

The problem is if infatuation is what you build your relationship off of, it will not last. It won't stay there. Because infatuation, most of the time is just emotional. And I know that when we are in the infatuation stage, guys, you think that it does not get any better than that. You don't think it does. I mean, some of you right now, you're dating someone, you were infatuated with them right now in this con-you're just sitting there pet in their arm as I talk. He's talking about me, girl.

And we think it doesn't get better. It gets better. But before it gets better, it has to get real. And by real, I mean, there has to be a depth to it. You know what a depth? It looks like growing in Christ together. It looks like walking through the good times and the bad times together. Like my wife and I have been through a lot in life.

I've put my wife through a lot in life. We've been through a lot. And we, I cannot imagine ever, ever, wanting to or having to get to know someone at the depths that I know that woman. And I have no desire to. And so it, I tell, maybe this is too much. I don't care if the high, The hottest woman in the world hit on me.

I don't care if the woman that is, Giselle walks up and she's like, are you Josh Turner? I've heard about you. I'm like, yes, Jezelle, I am. She doesn't stand a chance. Because I don't want, I'm not, it's not about infatuation. It's about a depth. It's about something deeper. And so many people are looking for cheap substitutes of a deep relationship.

and we settled for infatuation for the temporary feeling of it. That's why we see so many, I mean, good Lord, just read the tabloids of every actor and couple that gets together and it's like, we've decided to amic, I can't say that word, I'm not going to be a doctor, go our ways. Just sounded like I rewound myself a little bit right there. Like, what happens is their entire relationship is based off of infatuation. Guys, what you want is something deep. You want something real.

You want something that is more than just a feeling or an emotion. Because I'll just be honest, sometimes those feelings and emotions are not always there. And you need something to ground a dating relationship that is healthy. Now, I know that there are some of you in here right now that you are in the infatuation stage. You are in it. You're like two weeks into this relationship and you are like, God sent you to me from heaven. Like, you're in that place.

Let me give you three things to limit if you were in your infatuation stage. If you're in your infatuation stage, three things to limit. The first thing is this, time. Limit your time with one another. Please do not be the man or the woman that every time you get into a relationship, you disappear from every other friendship or relationship you have. Limit one person like that. you. That's someone that's like, I haven't seen my friend in three years. I don't even know if they're still alive.

Limit your time. Limit the time that you will spend with that person. Limit the talk. And when I say talk, limit what you will say to that person. Don't go on every first date and say everything. Don't tell them everything. Limit what you will say to that person. I'll never forget, I had an assistant. And she was a young girl, pretty girl. And she would come in my office sometimes. She goes, Josh, she goes, Josh, I cannot get past the first date with all these guys

that have been going on on dates with. Like, they're church guys, they're good guys, but I can't get past the first date. And usually I don't ever talk about relationships with women, but I said, well, tell me, like, what are your first dates like? She goes, well, we just sit down at dinner. This is what she says to me. This is true. And I just tell them how much I cannot wait to be a wife.

I tell them how much I love children and how much I can't wait to have a family. And I love being in love. And I go, oh, so you're just terrifying them. I go, don't say all that. I kind of keep some secrets, girl. Like, you know what I mean? Limit your talk. The third thing is this.

Limit your touch. PG-13. earmuffs. Once you cross a line, it is very hard to not cross that line again. Limit your time, your talk,

and your touch. So there's two seasons. Season of preparation, season of infatuation. But in every season, I want to give you two things. No matter what season that you were in, I want to give you

two things to do. The first one is this. Pursue intimacy. No matter what season you are in, I want you to pursue intimacy. The problem when I say intimacy, what most people think is romance. Like I said intimacy, some of you thought candles, chocolates, fine wine, bear skin rug. That's what you thought. That's just what I think. Roar, girl. Sorry. Oh my gosh. I feel like sometimes when I preach up here, I can see some of y'all's faces,

and some of your faces say to me, you're an idiot. That's what I feel like sometimes. Just people like this? I do not like that, gentlemen. The problem when I say intimacy is legitimately, the majority of us think romance. Intimacy is not romance. intimacy is transparency.

If you want to be intimate with someone, what that means is that you have got to let down your barriers. You have got to be honest. You have not, you have got to not keep secrets. You have got to talk and be in communication. You have to have transparency. Intimacy actually equals transparency. However, romance is a byproduct.

of transparency. So if you want to get to the romance place in the right setting, your intimacy is not about romancing somebody. Your intimacy is about being transparent with somebody. The byproduct of that transparency will be romance. There is nobody on this earth that knows me like my wife. I can honestly tell you I legitimately have zero secrets from her. And the reason is because romance and intimacy do not grow where there is secrecy.

Some of you in here, it's awfully quiet right now. You have secrets from your spouse. Stop it. Talk it out. I'm actually dealing with a situation right now selling Pastor Chris and Pastor Justin backstage. I'm actually dealing with a situation right now with a friend of mine who was a pastor that kept a bunch of secrets from his wife. She just found out in this past week we had to have him.

resign from his church and I'm praying and trying to get him into a mental health place and I'm hoping that their marriage makes it and it all comes from secrecy. You need to pursue intimacy. Listen to what it says right here. Song of Solomon 214. My dove in the clefts of the rock in the hiding places on the mountain side. Show me your face. Let me hear your voice for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely. What is he doing? He is inviting her out to have a conversation. He is trying to bring her out to him so that they can talk, so that they can be intimate, so that there can be transparency, so that they can grow together. If you want to have intimacy, there has to be transparency in your relationships and you're dating, all of that sort of stuff.

You ever wonder why when you start dating somebody you feel so close to that person? Like you just like, you feel so tight. You're like, you finish my sentences and that sort of stupid stuff that we do. You know why? Because you talk nonstop to each other. You remember when you were dating, you lay down at night and you be talking to each other late on the phone and you do this? I'm not hanging up. You hang up.

I'm not going to hang up. You hang up. I'm not going to hang up first. You hang up first. Some of you have fallen asleep with phones on your faces. Because you talk all the time. Then what happens? Life happens.

Kids come. Ruin everything. I'm just playing, sweetie. But life happens. Kids come. Careers happen. School happens. Soccer, baseball.

The wife's got to drive the kid here. The husband's got to go here. be where he's got to be. And so what ends up happening sometimes in relationships is we end up becoming like just two ships passing in the night not really having any sort of communication with each other because the intimacy is broken down because we quit talking to one another. Some of you in your dating relationships, you need to start building intimacy now the appropriate ways in learning how to have conversations and communicate with one another. So life happens and intimacy begins to break down because everybody gets busy and things start happening. Listen, if you're not

intentional about the intimacy in your relationships, it will not naturally progress in a healthy way. Left unattended, it will get quieter. The other issue is, and why intimacy goes down, is men and women, we just communicate differently. We're wired differently. Men, we are a give me the headlines. Right? Like, I want, I don't think this person is married over here. But we are, we are give me the headlines, right? You ever watch two dudes talk? How's your day? I don't know.

Boss, jerk, no like, work good. Oh, cool, I got it, I know what you're saying. Just give me the headlines, man. Women, y'all talk with 73,000 pages worth of notes. My wife can talk to me sometimes, and I can just find myself in the middle of the conversation. Like, I'm somewhere else. That's not her fault.

I mean, kind of, but it's not really her fault. It's we're just wired differently. Both of them are good and bad. The problem is, is we have to pursue intimacy. Guys, it's hard. Can I say this for everybody in here in this? I know this. I'm not supposed to do the marriage part.

if you're married, date your wife, go on a date with her, sit down and talk with her. My wife and I just went to Mexico for four days for our 20th anniversary. It's the first time we've been alone together in nine years overnight more than one day. Do you know what I love the most? Well, I can't tell you what I love the most. But the second thing that I love the most, I'm really sorry about that joke. That was not playing at all. I just kind of came out.

The second thing I love the most. was we just got to talk. We got to have communication. We got to share things. We got to talk about things that were happening. And man, that was one of the most beautiful things about it. Please, if you are in here, whether you are single or dating, whether you're married, please pursue intimacy. Amen?

The third thing is this. Protect your purity. so you're going to pursue intimacy and you're going to protect purity you remember that time i was talking about the pg13 part this is that part i want you to listen to what the man says he says this in song of solomon 215 catch for us the foxes the little foxes that ruined the vineyards our vineyards that are in bloom He ain't talking about grapes. The vineyards are their bodies. And their bodies, they abloom in.

And what the man is saying to the woman is let us catch the little things that destroy our vineyards. Let us catch the little things that could destroy our bodies. If you were in a dating relationship in here, There are two things that you can do with your body in a relationship. You can use it to honor God or you can sin together. Those are the two things. And I don't say that like it's easy. Honestly, like I could not imagine being single in this day and age.

But can I just encourage you to protect your purity, to fight for it? I actually want to give you five tips to protect your purity. And I'm going to give these to you like I would talk to my own 20-year-old son. you can imagine how this is going to go. The first thing is this. Set your standards up front. If you get in a dating relationship, set your standards up front. Have a conversation about the importance of your relationship with Christ and the importance of your purity.

Now, I'm not telling you to sit down on the first date and be like, I just want you to know, I'm not putting out. You know what I mean? Like, I'm not, don't do that. Don't do that because I'm not. person is going to be like, check please. Like, do you know what I mean? Like, it's going to be weird. But set your standards. Talk about the things that are important to you as it pertains to purity in your relationship with Christ. The second thing is this. Don't put yourself in compromising places. If you were dating someone and they call you at 11 o'clock at night and say, hey, would you

like to come over and cuddle and watch a movie? You know where cuddling and watching movies leads to at 11 p.m. at night, babies. That's where it leads. Don't put yourself in the position to get yourself in trouble. Some of you are in a dating relationship with each other and y'all can't be together after high noon. You know what I'm saying? Like the sun hits its peak, y'all got to be like, we're out. Don't put yourself in the places. Don't put yourself in a place of personal weakness expecting God's strength. And so many times we do it. I'm strong enough. God's got this. No, we just put ourselves in dumb positions expecting God to come through when God actually gave you the common sense in the first place not to put yourself in that position.

Third thing is this. Keep four feet on the floor. Keep four feet on the floor. Once you go horizontal, hard to come back from that one. You know what I mean? I'll just leave that one there. Number four. Keep everything.

Button, zipped, latched, clasped, clasped, ducts. taped, stapled, glued, whatever you have to do. Just keep everything on. The fifth thing is this. Keep your tongue in your own mouth as long as you can. Now, I'm not saying that it's a sin to kiss, but it's hard to stop a train when it picks up steam. So I want you to see something. So the man says, let us catch the little foxes that could ruin our vineyards. okay I want you to listen how do I say this

I want you to listen to the reward he gets from the female because he protected her purity as well song of Solomon 2 16 through 17 my beloved is mine and I am his he browses among the lilies until the day breaks and the shadows flee she's not talking about lilies

she ain't writing a poem about wildflowers. He's browsing the lilies. Some of y'all are very uncomfortable right now. You're like, I brought my mom to church. He's browsing among the lilies until daybreak. So in the words of Lionel Richie, all night long, all night, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills. If you want a relationship like everybody else has, do what everybody else does. If you want

something different, do something different. If you're tired of looking at your friends, if you're tired of looking at other people and you see all of these different things all the time falling apart and you see all relationships fall apart and if you want something different, don't do everything else that the world does. Do it different. Live differently. Live differently. pursue intimacy. And remember, I'm not talking about romance. I'm talking about transparency. Protect purity. And listen, I know that as I was writing this, that there are some of you in here that you have already crossed lines. And listen, my wife and I had our son before we were married. I mean, you saw that guy earlier. I mean, she couldn't resist. She didn't stand a chance.

It's not true at all. So I will never, I don't ever want anyone to ever feel bad because of the mistakes you've made in your past. Some of you are in a dating relationship right now. Some of you are single right now. And you have crossed lines. And you're saying, so now what? Okay, what do I do now? Thank God for the grace of Jesus Christ.

Thank God, listen, thank God that he can make all things new. Listen, you haven't honored God in your relationship in the past? Guess what? You can honor him in the future. You've made some mistakes. Thank God that there is an altar where you can come and repent and say, Lord, forgive me, forgive us. We have screwed up.

And God, we want to honor you with our relationship. So, God, from this point forward, would you give us the strength to be the man and the woman that you called us to be so that we can honor you with our lives? I'm not saying it's going to be easy. I'm not going to say saying it's going to be perfect, but thank God for the grace of Jesus. And can I also just say this? Please, hear me.

There are so many friends that I have that are not in the church world, they're trying to get in the church world, and they're living with their significant other and not married, sleeping together. And I always hear things like this. Well, I just want God to bless our relationship. He's not going to

because you are living and doing things in sin. If you are in here and you're living together, you're sleeping together and you're not married, please hear me, God is not going to bless that. It doesn't matter how many prayers you pray. God will not, he's not going to bless a sinful action. The beautiful thing is, is that you can change it in a moment.

You can come into the presence of God. God, we've screwed up. We've messed up. God, thank you that when I confessed with my mouth and I believed in my heart that Jesus Christ was the only son of God who was crucified, dead, buried, and resurrected from me, that all my sins are separated from me as far away as the east is from the west. And thank you, God, that I am now the righteousness of Christ before that. God, please help me to be the man or the woman that you were calling me to be, to live in purity

so that I can make your name famous. You can change it. Your past doesn't have to be your future. And listen, there's some of you in here. We talk about a season of preparation. Part of the preparation for you for that right person is to get yourself right with Christ. So many times, guys, so many people look for their spouse or their significant other to give them identity and purpose. And they do not have the ability to do that because they did not make you.

And what you need is you need your father in heaven to speak to you who you are so that when he brings you the right person, that right person is the icing on the cake. And you're not putting a burden on them that they were never meant to carry. So I'm going to do two altars. I'm going to get a little real. Not that we haven't been tonight. There's some of you as couples. And this won't be everybody. So don't be like seeing people come to the altar and be like, it's them, them.

them, them, they're doing it, living together, doing it, living together. Like, don't do that. Is it hard to play kind of wholly behind me sometimes? Yeah, it's weird. I apologize. He wanted to play Kenny Loggins, and I told him, no, he can't do that. But I want to do two altars. Maybe three, I don't know. Some of you in here, you're single, and you're praying for the right one.

I wanted to open the altars, and here's what I want you to ask God if you come to the altar. God, in this season of preparation, what would you have me be doing? God, as I wait, what would you have me do in my own self to prepare myself for the person that you have for me? If you're in here and you're dating, maybe you've crossed lines, maybe you haven't. And what you want is God's blessing upon your relationship. Come to the altar. ask God to give you the strength to help you stay pure and to pursue intimacy.

And the third one is this. Some of you, like I love coming to church and laughing. I think church should be the place that we have the most fun and laugh the most. But man, some of you, what you need more than anything is you need Jesus. You've made mistakes in your past. You've messed up. Some of you maybe have never, ever had a relationship with Jesus Christ. You will never find anybody to fulfill you the way that Jesus does.

Ever. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to ask you to close your eyes and bow your heads with me in this moment. If you're in here and you would say, Josh, I just know I need to respond. I'm either single. I need to know what God wants me to do in preparation. We've made some mistakes. Maybe we haven't made some, but we want God's blessing on our relationship. If that's you, I'm going to count to three.

I want you to raise a hand. One, two, three, raise them. There's quite a few hands. You guys can put those down. Now maybe you're in here and you would say, Josh, the first thing I need to do, for the first time ever, I need to commit my life to Jesus. I need to make Jesus the Lord of my life. I need to confess with my mouth. I need to believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God. He was crucified, that he was dead, that he was buried, and he was resurrected for me. And when I confess and believe that in that moment, Jesus becomes my savior, my sins are separated from me as far away as the east is from the west, and I am now the righteousness

of Christ. I am saved. I am now in relationship with the Father, and now I have the ability to come into the presence of God with all my sins and all my mistakes. ask for forgiveness and God saves me and redeems me. If you're in here and you need to, for the first time ever, commit your life to Jesus Christ, I'm going to count to three. I'm going to ask you to raise your hand. One, two, three. Raise me. Amen. God, we thank you that you are a good God. God, we thank you that we can come into your house and laugh and have a

good time and learn your word, Lord, and that your Holy Spirit moves on our hearts. Thank you, God, for every man and woman that you spoke to in here this evening. God, thank you for the people that you saved today, Lord. 1122, I'm going to say a prayer. I just want everyone to repeat this after me. And let's say it like we mean it. Say, Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of all my sins. right now I confess with my mouth

and I believe in my heart that you are the son of God that you were crucified dead, buried, and resurrected for me. Save me Jesus and be the Lord of my life. Amen.

Come on church, can we put our hands together for everybody that responded? Hey, the team is going to lead us in a song, why don't we go ahead and stand to our feet? The team is going to lead us, and I want to encourage you, listen, if you raised your hand for anything, even if you didn't raise your hand and you want to come to this altar and get alone with God, I want to encourage you as the team leads us to come and be in the presence of the Lord. Amen. Love you guys.