FREE.CHURCH - FREE CHURCH OAK PARK
FREE.CHURCH - FREE CHURCH OAK PARK
What in the World? // Pastor Chuck Colegrove // November 3rd, 2024
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Well, what's up? Free Church man, you look great, you sounded great and what a powerful time. Thank you, worship team, for just an incredible experience and just leading us in God's presence. And well, welcome to Big Ask. I'm so glad you're here. If you're a guest, thank you for joining us. We're so thankful you're here. And before I preach, I just want to highlight one of the elements that was in today's news. It is our very first Next Level Leadership Luncheon. It takes place this coming Friday. If there's any way for you to flex your schedule and join us for lunch, there's a small registration fee, but that just helps cover the lunch and cover our guests and our speakers. But we have a powerful lineup Noah Massey, who served as the vice president of US operations for delivery at UPS. Jeremy Foster, who works through the John Maxwell Foundation, and a couple of other leadership interests. He started his own consulting business. He's an incredible leader. And then Pastor Chris Carmona, our dear friend right here in Chicago, who entrepreneured an incredible little software situation that we don't refer to software very much, but you know her as Renee and that's written by our friend, designed by our friend, and so he's going to be here speaking about creativity, entrepreneurship. It's going to be an incredible luncheon. Visit freechurch, forward, slash next level. Sign up today. We want you to be there. Flex your Friday schedule. It's going to be an incredible experience. I pray you'll join us. Amen, church. Well, listen, I'm ready to preach God's word. Are you ready to receive it today?
Speaker 1:The year was 2021 and I had ventured into this arena of. Remember that little thing called COVID in 2020? Remember that that little friend, that little experience? Well, I made it all through 2020 without getting that little virus. But in the beginning of 21, I went to a conference. It was entitled Make Room and I came home with COVID. So I declared that was probably Make Room for COVID. And but while I was sick, I got to, you know, I was tired of watching TV and so I started like, well, I'm gonna clean out my computer and started going through stuff to clean out and I came across this little link that I had saved for puppies. Anybody do that in 2020? Like, get a dog. Some of you got kids, like some of you had so much time on your hands Takes two.
Speaker 1:But so I ventured in this world and I always wanted a bird dog, a German haired, short pointer, and I found this little one that was ready and, um, what? German short haired pointer? Yeah, that's, that's what it is, sorry, german short haired pointer Got excited about the story for a minute. So, german short-haired pointer, and she was so cute, and we went and picked her up in Michigan and for the next six months of my life it was pure chaos. And but I had hunted bird hunted before, and so I thought, man, I want to get her trained to chase birds and point. And so I made an appointment to go down to this farm that trained dogs and I took her with me and we got down there.
Speaker 1:She was so excited and she failed all of the first tests, like they told her like place, and then they walked away and she chased after him. He's like well, she can't, we can't teach her how to hunt dogs unless she learns how to place. I was like, oh, okay, well, we'll figure that out. So then he took her out in the field and he did this little test with her and he had a little bird that he showed her and no birds were harmed in this story and so he took the bird and he introduced the bird to our dog, which we call her Lady. And he was like all right, lady. And so she smelled it. And then he was like all right, lady. And so she smelled it. And then he was like all right, chuck, take the dog away, and then I'm gonna hide the bird in this nestle of grass and then we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1:And I was like I was. I mean, I was so excited, I was like this could be so much fun, so I walk her away. He's like, all right, let her go. And so she runs around and she runs past and all of a sudden she got a scent of that bird and she stopped and like turned and just sat right there like pointing at this bird. Never, I'd never seen her do it before, just frozen, and she watched it for a little bit and then she decided to nestle her nose on it and when she did, that bird woke up and flew away. And for the next 10 seconds of my life I was thinking, oh no, because that dog chased that bird with this new fury and passion that I had never experienced before. And how crazy she was in our backyard and running around the park Like this was an all new level, and I realized I had just awakened in her what she was purposed for and our life has never been the same.
Speaker 1:That thing will chase my god. She will, if you ever see her, and she gets in front of a bird or a squirrel or a rabbit, she goes absolutely. She doesn't care for people too much, but she loves those little four-legged things and little birds with wings, and uh, but it's the year I learned, when you really discover your purpose, it releases you into a whole new arena. Why don't you just turn to your neighbor and just say what on earth? And um, to the one you've been ignoring all service, I don't know, maybe they haven't sung as well as you but just bump them and just say, man, this place is great. Well, we've already said it Today's one of our favorite days of the year. It's Big Ask Sunday. It's Big Ask Sunday and for all of you that are guests, I just want to say thank you for saying yes, as our church family has gotten their big ask out there and invited you to come and join us, and it really is our prayer that you feel right at home and that you'll come back again. And I think we like to say this about Free Church there is no place like this place, near this place. So this must be the place, and if you don't have a church family, or maybe you've been searching around for a church man, we think you found the place. Search is over. Kick the tires, let your kids run up and down the aisles a little bit and come back and be a part of what's happening in this house, because I can promise you it's very, very special.
Speaker 1:In my 30 plus years of doing ministry, I've been asked this question in a variety of forms over all of these years and whenever I'm speaking to somebody and they're trying to determine what it is they're supposed to do with their life. I was a youth pastor for a number of years and helping students, and then I led an executive team of pastors and led a church, and now here at Free Church, I've heard this question over and over again and it frames in different ways once you verbalize it. It might be in the frame of like is there more to this life than what I'm living right now? Is there more to this life than what I'm living right now? Is there more to this life? It might frame in the way like what really should I be doing with my life? Does my life matter and maybe it's framed in this way of what on earth am I here for? I mean, it's gotta be more than just purely existing and this race of running back and forth.
Speaker 1:And how many enjoyed us giving you that extra hour this morning. How man. I woke up and looked at my watch. I was like man. It's so early, what am I doing? I realized what fell back. I'm like man. I was up early. I was ready to go. A bunch of you were early to church. I love it. We're going to turn it back next week.
Speaker 1:But, to be sure, this question at Big Ask is a question maybe you've asked yourself. I know I asked it when I was young. I know others around here have asked it because I've helped them answer it. But maybe you've asked this question what on earth am I here for? But maybe you've asked this question what on earth am I here for? And when that question is made public and you really decide to search for the deep meaning of life, there are a few things you could do. I mean you could search yourself. You could like look inward and say, well, I'm gonna look inside and see what I'm made for, but I'm gonna promise you you're not gonna find the right answer because you didn't make you. So if you wanna know what on earth you're here for, you don't just look to self or you don't look to popular culture, you don't look to TikTok or to Instagram or Facebook. You actually have there's this place that you need to look.
Speaker 1:If I had an invention that was here and you've never seen it before, and I placed it in front of you, you might say, well, what is that for? And I would tell you well, there's two ways for you to find out what that invention would be. For Number one, you could talk to the creator and ask him what that is all about, or you could read through the owner's manual. So in our life that we live here, it's the same thing we can talk to our creator, our heavenly father, or we can read the owner's manual. Thank God, we have access to an owner's manual for our life. It's called the word of God, it's the Bible and it's the authority of our life, and so I want to answer this question for you in a few moments that I have left, and I think you're in the right place. If you're asking the question, you're in the right place. Hey, tell your neighbor. You're in the right place.
Speaker 1:Let's read the scripture Ephesians 1, verse 11,. It says this it is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Well, thank you for being here. I just answered the question. It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living. Part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. So, long before we got to know the Lord, the Lord knew us and had a plan and a purpose for our life and began living and preparing out this overall purpose. He's working out in everything and everyone. Colossians 1.16 says this for everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels. Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. So it's just the word of God for our life that says, when we're struggling or looking for purpose in our life, we have one place we can go the creator and the owner's manual, god, our father, and the word of God. So are you ready to discover what your purpose is today. Here we go.
Speaker 1:Number one God planned you for his pleasure. God planned you for his pleasure. You want to know what is so incredible. God made you to love you. God didn't need you, god didn't need your help, god didn't need anything from you. He made you to love you and he wants you to love him back. Look at Revelation, verse four. It says this for you, for you, god created all things. Things and they exist because you. God created what you pleased. God created you for his pleasure. Look at Psalms 149, verse four. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people and he will beautify the humble with salvation. He takes pleasure in his people.
Speaker 1:You know what's amazing when I read these scriptures and I think about this. Like God took so much care and so much time to plan you, to create all of this around us. Think about this God established this universe, he established this galaxy, and then he established this planet. He turned it on the perfect axis so that it would rotate around the sun at the perfect time, and all of that so that you could be here in this moment. And then he made everything around us for you. God made you for his pleasure. Ephesians 1.4,. Long before he had laid down the foundations. He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.
Speaker 1:You know what's amazing it was when I was thinking about today's worship, as we're worshiping together and I don't know, maybe it's your first time in an experience like this, which I mean I will tell you like it's kind of out front, like we're not gonna hold back, will tell you like it's kind of out front, like we're not going to hold back, it's just like it's going to be in your face a little bit. But there were moments I don't know about you, but that tears just were flowing down my cheek and maybe you're like what is going on? Like what is this emotion? Why am I crying? What is happening? I mean, it's beautiful, the songs are beautiful, the music's beautiful, the house, the vibe in the house is beautiful. But why are these tears? It's because there's it's the expression.
Speaker 1:There's something happening where God is making himself known to you and I want you to know that God made you for his pleasure, god made you to love you and he wants you to love him back.
Speaker 1:So when we, there's a passage of scripture in the book of Hosea, which is a really beautiful story of love. But this is what God says through the prophet Hosea. To the prophet Hosea, he says listen, I don't want your sacrifices, I want your love. I don't want your offerings, I want you to know me. That really is the very first purpose that we're created for. The very first purpose we're created for is this to know and to love God. Oh, by the way, that's called worship. Worship isn't just singing a song with the accompaniment of a band and worship leaders. Worship is our life, and God wants us to know him and to love him. That's the first purpose that we were created for. The second purpose is this God formed you for his family. God formed you for his family. God made you and brought you into a family so that he could bring you into his family, had to get you to the family here first so that he could bring you into his family, that spiritual family. Look at the passage of scripture in Ephesians 1 and 5.
Speaker 1:God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. It's what he wanted to do and it gave him great pleasure. You know, I was thinking about this. My wife and I. We've been blessed. We've been to the hospital three times and those three trips to the hospital resulted in four boys. It's just our kind of math One plus one plus one equals four. One plus one plus one equals four. But what's amazing is so we went to the hospital and in 1999, it was Ethan. But you know what? Ethan wasn't really a part of our family until we brought him home from the hospital. Elliot was born on a Sunday, just like me, and you know what? He wasn't a part of our family till we brought him home from the hospital. The twins were born on a Friday and they weren't a part of our family till we brought them home from the hospital.
Speaker 1:God brought you into a family, but you know what? It's the parent's choice to bring the family home. God's adopting you into his family, but he gives you a choice if you're going to be a part of it. Here's the thing your spiritual family will outlast your physical family. There's going to be death, there'll be divorce, there'll be things on this earth, but your spiritual family will last forever. Look at this 1 Timothy 3.15 says this. Then, even if I'm delayed, you'll know that. You'll know how to live in the family of God. Look at this the family is the church. Everybody say the family is the church. Family is the church. The family is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth. The family is the church. Why, living God, the support and foundation of the truth, the family is the church. Why do we want you to be here? Because this is a family. This is just not just a gathering on Sunday. It's just not. There's just not. It's not a club, it's a family. It's a family.
Speaker 1:When I was a kid growing up in church, I was born on Sunday in church the next Sunday. I didn't miss a Sunday growing up in church. I was born on Sunday in church the next Sunday. I didn't miss a Sunday growing up. It doesn't make me better than anybody else, it was just my upbringing, my experience as a pastor's kid and in my church we called every single person in that brother and sister. Anybody older than me had to be a brother or a sister. Now that sounds kind of crazy, but I kind of missed that day. It was such a family. So your church family is gonna last. Your church family is gonna be with you. The church is that support and foundation. And if you're building anything without support and without a foundation, it's not gonna last and that's why you need church. It's not because it's perfect, because the Lord knows we're not perfect, but neither are you. But guess what? There is a foundation and there is support where we can build strong, healthy lives together as a family and move the kingdom forward, amen.
Speaker 1:So your first purpose is to know God and to love God. Your second purpose is learn to love others. It's fellowship. Remember in the scripture when Jesus says if you needed to know the commandments of the New Testament, I could write all the commandments of the Old Testament into these two in the New Testament. The first one God said love the Lord, god, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. That's the first purpose. See how it happens. The first purpose know God and love God and mind and strength. That's the first purpose. See how it happens. The first purpose know God and love God. And he says and the second is equally as important love your neighbor as yourself.
Speaker 1:Being a part of the family is learning how to love others, others that don't look like you, don't act like you, don't talk like you, don't vote like you like you, don't talk like you, don't vote like you. Doesn't? Our world need some love, some family love, in this season, the next three days, we need to learn how to love one another, for the next three days at least, to get through this. And I'm not telling you who to vote for, but I'm telling you you need to vote and you need to vote as close to God's word as you can, as you read it, as you interpret it for your life. But you have a responsibility to vote. But in this room, I know there are people that will vote one way or vote the other way, and and you know what, that's okay Because we're a family and, at the end of the day, this is what we agree on.
Speaker 1:Our first purpose is to love the Lord, god with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Speaker 1:Our second purpose is to love others.
Speaker 1:It's called fellowship. So if that's the first two, let's keep going. You ready to keep going. You like it. The third one is this God created you to become Christ-like. So God planned you for his pleasure, he formed you for his family and he created you to become Christ-like.
Speaker 1:Romans 8, 29 says this. For from the very beginning, god decided that those who came to those who came to him, and all along he knew he who would. So God knew you would be here today. It's not a surprise to him. It's not a shock to him. You should become like his son man.
Speaker 1:That's the first lie from the garden. The first lie from the garden, the the serpent told eve if you, if you'll do this, you'll, you'll basically be god. You'll know the difference between right and wrong. You'll be god. That's a lie. It's not to be. Our pursuit is not to be god. Our pursuit is to be godly. And we need to become more like christ as we live in this world.
Speaker 1:Ephesians 2.5,. In your lives, you must think and act like Jesus Christ. We won't be Jesus, but we can be like Jesus. We can love like Jesus. We can serve like Jesus. He said I didn't come to be served, I came to serve. We can extend our hand out to those who are less fortunate, like Jesus did. We can stand for truth the way Jesus did. We can become more like Jesus as we follow him every single day.
Speaker 1:And you might say well, pc, how do I do that? How do I become more like Jesus? And the reality is there's a setup. God planned it this way and he gives you the secret ingredient to make you more like Jesus Through the power of the Holy Spirit. He gives you the fruit of the Spirit Love, peace, joy, goodness, kindness, patience, self-control Like Jesus, patience, self-control. Like Jesus. He gives you the fruit of the Spirit as a seed. So when he gives you the fruit of the Spirit as a seed, are you the most patient person right away? No, he's gonna put some tests in front of you, put you in some traffic, make you park around Oak Park.
Speaker 1:Patience that's my prayer as I drive through Oak Park. Sometimes is my prayers for the people who are behind me that are in such a hurry that don't like it. When I stop at a stop sign, it's a stop sign. I have to stop. Thank you, amen. Stop at a stop sign. You don't have to honk at me. I know it's not a red light, but I'm gonna stop. Sorry, sorry, but you think, if you're gonna grow the gift of love in your life, the fruit of love, that he's just gonna put you around you, all the people that you really love. No, he's gonna put difficult people in your life, like you think if, if you're praying for peace and there's the seed of peace in your life, but you think there won't be any storms. No, but listen. You have the advantage because God made you to become Christ-like, meaning you have within you the ability to love like Jesus, have peace like Jesus, have joy like Jesus.
Speaker 1:I found it in my notes, ephesians 4.15. I don't think it's in your notes because I found this yesterday in my reading, but Ephesians 4.15, rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in everything, in every way, into him, who is the head, into Christ. We're to grow up. You know what the problem is with us? Sometimes we grow old but we never grow up.
Speaker 1:I told a bunch of pastors this week. I said sometimes I feel like, as men, we're at our age and I'm just gonna tell you my age because I'm not ashamed of my age. I said sometimes I feel like I'm 54, I, and I'm just going to tell you my age because I'm not ashamed of my age. I said sometimes I feel like I'm 54. I feel like I'm 64, but I'm acting like I'm 34. Which you can spin that however you want, but the reality is there ain't nothing worse than somebody who should be mature acting like a child, worse than somebody who should be mature, acting like a child, and we're called to grow up in Christ, become more Christ-like. So at this point, if you're just getting to know Jesus, listen, there are steps. It's baby steps, it's baby steps. We don't think it's not going to be perfect, it's not going to be easy, but your life will be changed.
Speaker 1:And then there's some of you that have been around a long time. Grow up. I'm tired of you growing old. Grow up, grow up. Think about babies Babies are I'm gonna end here, by the way, so you can come up and play. Think about babies.
Speaker 1:Babies are man. The reality is they're cute, but they're selfish. Man, when our guys were little and I mean babies you can train up a child in a way they should go, but when they're babies they are selfish. I, I didn't teach them their first word, but their first words were mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine. So with the twins, like we had two boys, we had all the stuff, we had everything we needed for those boys High chair. And then here's the old one the other boys used. No, we had to get rid of the old one and get two. What am I saying? They were so selfish. There was like everything, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine. Fight over toys, like, expect you to feed them all the time, fill their diaper and do nothing about it.
Speaker 1:Babies, you know, it's funny to laugh about it, but think about, doesn't that sound like our world right now, a culture that's all about me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me. Oh, I didn't like that. Oh, I didn't like that. Oh, I didn't like that. You said that wrong. You said that wrong. You sang that wrong. You didn't sing this. You didn't say that Cancel. Grow up. Life's not a man. Think about this.
Speaker 1:God made you to love you and to be loved. He wants you to love him back. God made you to love others, to exist in a space like this, different, different backgrounds, different upbringings, one God. And then he made you to grow up. He made you to grow up. So your third purpose is this we're to grow up spiritually. We're to grow up spiritually. Grow up spiritually. I'm gonna give you the last two just, and then you can come back. We'll preach it again.
Speaker 1:The last two is this so he planned you for his pleasure, he made you for his family, he created you to become Christ-like. And the fourth one is he shaped you for service. He shaped you for service. God gave you spiritual gifts. He gave you a heart, he gave you abilities. He gave you passion and he gave you abilities. He gave you passion and he gave you experiences that all shaped the way of who you are in this moment, for what he's called you to do, and he's called you to do great works, good works.
Speaker 1:You have a call on your life that is greater than you can imagine, and it's to be salt and light, it's to be an example. You have a call on your life that is greater than you can imagine, and it's to be salt and light. It's to be an example, it's to be an empowerment to somebody that hasn't heard yet. It's to lead somebody Lead your family well, lead your community well, lead on your job well. He made you, he shaped you for service. That purpose is that we're to serve God as we serve others. The only way we really serve God is by serving others.
Speaker 1:And then the fifth one is this God made you for a mission, a mission, something bigger than your own life. You've been in this space and you're like what on earth am I here for You're not just made for one purpose, you're actually made for five. You're made for worship to know God and love him. You're made for fellowship to serve God and love Him. You're made for fellowship to serve others and love others. You're made for discipleship to grow up spiritually. You're made for ministry to serve others as you serve God.
Speaker 1:And you're made for evangelism to go tell the good news. Right there, right there. And you'll be like that little short hair pointer who saw that bird fly away and got a glimpse of what she was really made for and it turned on a whole new fire, whole new passion, whole new level of energy, whole. Come run with me sometimes and watch her. It's just crazy. We'll be at the dog park and the bird will go across the park and she'll just as low as she can to the ground, as fast as she can, for as long as she can, because she figured out what she's made for and that's what I want for you. Can you receive that word today?