Worship

Hosanna
Awesome Is The Lord Most High

Josh McDowell

Would it mattered if I lived or died?
Father was the town drunk..tough on the outside, hurt inside
Dad beat mom
Hid dad in the barn and moved the car
2 months before HS graduation, heard mom crying
Dad broke her heart
She wanted to die
After his graduation, she did
Oldest brother sued parents
Moved the new house
Large group protected the moving operation (in opposition to the parents)
The crowd was insulting the parents
It killed a part of him
Crawled into corn up to hisneck and prayed to die
Nobody looked for him for 3 hours
When the sun hit him, he was hit by reality and slammed the door on dad and God
He loves to talk politics
What kind of change is it?
Hitler, Castro got in on change
A group that loved and cared for each other
But they also cared/loved everybody else
The bigger the mouth, the bigger the vacuum
Used to think Christians were ugly…but she was hot
He wanted what they had
Arrogantly said, what changed your lives?
She said Jesus Christ
He came unglued about religion
She said the person, not religion
Challenged him as a pre-law student to intellectually analyze the claims of Jesus with the Bible
Stuffed his anger into his life…their challenge unleashed it all
Finally accepted the challenge…but with the goal of reproving it
That was the goal of his first book
Traveled the world, wound up in London, put his hands behind his head and said…it’s true
His conclusion (as an agnostic) – what he had wasn’t changed and it was true
God didn’t give up on him
If Jesus was the Son of God, what does that say about me?
Exodus 34:14 – no other God but the Lord for he is jealous
Passionate about His relationship with us…jealously guarding us
What would a relationship with God look like
God’s love –
1 it takes initiative
He approached us and gave His son
2 sacrificial
3 all-knowing
Psalm 139
Didn’t want to be hurt again
Couldn’t see the difference between earthly father and Heavenly Father
Scared of being hurt and rejected again
We project earthly father onto God
He loves me best and knows me most
Came back to the university and became a Christian
1 thanks for dying
He still would have died for just me
2 forgive me
faithful to forgive and cleanse us
things in the bible he didn’t like
3 place my trust in You
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian anymore than going to McDonald’s makes you a Big Mac
4 thank you
He came to Jesus and felt sick
Afraid of what his friends would say
Said to his dad, I love you
Blamed him for death of mother and sister
Wasn’t a happy family
That’s when he knew he was born again
The capcity to love those he hated
Switched to a Christian college (Wheaton), got in a big car wreck
Father thought he was dying
Dad was sober and crying
How can you love a father such as I?
Jesus
45 minutes later, dad wanted to convert
God if you’re God, and you can forgive me, please
Hasn’t touched alcohol except for one other time
Died 14 months later
100 men and women came to Christ because of the reformation of the town drunk…his daddy
He was sexually abused (6-13)
Wayne Bailey, hired as the family cook
Had to obey or get a thrashing
Tried to tell mom at 9, but she didn’t believe him
One of the greatest evils…when parents don’t protect their children
Finally at 13, he pinned Wayne against the wall and threatened him
Healthy attitudes
1 not going to be a victim
Waste of a life
It’s your choice
2 not damaged goods
Abuse leads to promiscuity
Finally went to the man who led him to Christ
He believed him and led him through a healing process
Finally said, Josh you need to forgive him
Did it on obedience, not on the feeling of doing right
Went to Wayne – what you did was evil, but I forgive you…Jesus died for me as much as for you
1/3 of people have been sexually abused or harrassed
Don’t go alone
Don’t go to a gossip
You don’t tell someone to pray for someone else…you were entrusted with a secret
Half the healing is in getting someone you trust to listen
The church is for healing
You never get over sex abuse
Every time someone comes up and touches his shoulder and starts rubbing – he’s instantly alert…that’s what Wayne did
Don’t question his integrity
He’ll come unglued
Goes back to his mother not believing him
No one spoke about it back then because nobody would have believed him
Family Devotion #2
365 parental truths to hand out
How do you build a relationship
Search For Certainty was hardest to write
Beyond Conviction was 2nd hardest
How to take a young person from belief to conviction
His son wrote a good book
With Dr. William Dempsky
Intelligent design

Awesome Is The Lord Most High (Reprise)