Man of the Our

Today on Richard Ellis Talks, you are not intended to make it by yourself. And why did Jesus call them to himself? That they would be with him. I don't spend my week trying to get away from people. I try to figure out ways to get to people. Welcome to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. Richard's going to take the next few minutes to share some words of hope and insight for you.

And in today's broken world, that's something everyone is desperate to hear. And speaking of that, we have some very exciting news to share with you about the program. We have a goal that's going to reach the world, and we're going to need your help. Richard will share more about it a little later, but you can check it out right now and get on board at richardellis.com. But right now, let's go ahead and get things off and running with today's talk. Here is Richard Ellis.

The title of today's message is Man of the Hour. Who is the man of the hour? If you take the straight-up definition, a man who's honored by a group, a man who is currently the most important or most admired. And obviously... Of all men who would be men of the hour, that would be Jesus. There is some propensity that we have too many times to isolate. We say, well, I want to be alone. But yet, where do we end up? Alone.

And sometimes that's because of our sin. It's because of our selfishness. We push people away by the things that we do, and we isolate, isolate, and the enemy is brilliant about this. We'll get into this a little bit later, but, you know, sheep, a flock of sheep. What's the point of that? Stay together. Sheep are supposed to be together. Christian people are supposed to be together and stay together. You say it's too messy. Let me tell you where it's really messy, out there by yourself.

And time after time, somebody shows up here at our gathering, wants to be a part of this church, and if you listen to their story, somewhere along the way, they got cut off, they got isolated, they ended up completely alone, involved in all kind of crazy behavior. and wonder why their life is such a wreck. Even the preamble to the United States Constitution starts with what word? We. We the people.

So you get some kind of idea that this is going to be about a country, not about just one person. Go to Genesis chapter 1, 28, and we will make our way from left to right. Genesis 1. verse 28, and if you have never seen this, some of you all know exactly what it is, some of you have never seen it, so that's the fun of reading things for the sake of those who are jumping in or maybe just getting started. Genesis 1, 20.

Six, actually. Let's go with 26. Then God said, and this is God speaking, and what does he say? Let us. So even within the Godhead, there is not a we, a me mentality. There's the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And people say, well, that doesn't make any sense. It's just monotheism. There's only one God and this Trinity thing, it's crazy. You know what? I'm going to make a simple suggestion. I just go with it. You shall understand it.

It'll all make sense when you get there. For now, if it's in the book, I would go with it. You say, well, but I don't, you know, I can't explain it. At some point, faith requires you to let go of what you can't explain and just be okay with. One God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, all equal, doing their thing.

And they say, let us, God says, let us, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion of the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle. over all the earth and over the creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So even when he says this, let us make man in our image, and then he says let them. Well, if you keep reading, what's he make? He makes Adam. Well, where was Eve? Eve was in Adam.

So he takes Eve out of Adam, doesn't create a whole new person from dust. He uses the man, takes a rib, and builds a woman. I think he did a better job the second time, but that's just my opinion. He had something to work with, but clearly that turned out really well. That's all I have to say about that. So immediately it's going to be a them. Look at Genesis 2, 18. So he makes Adam.

And pretty quick, he knows this is coming, obviously, but what does he say? It's not good for man to be alone. It's not good. Now, what's worse is that you can be with people. and still feel very alone. People say, well, I'm lonely. I'm going to find someone and get married. And they get married to the wrong person, and then they'll come back and say, I'm still lonely. I go, yeah, because that's not going to fix it.

My belief is, conviction is, until you have a relationship, a working relationship with God himself, a working relationship out of that with yourself, then you can have working relationships with other people. But if you try to fix your life, thinking if I get into relationship with other people, then I'll feel better about me, and if I feel better about me, I'll eventually make it to God. You've got to get him squared away first.

Now, he may use people in your life to get you there, but until that one is solid, the vertical one is solid, the internal and the horizontals are never going to work the way they're supposed to. Go to Matthew chapter 6.

And this is where we get to the man of the hour. Matthew chapter 6, New Testament. And let's jump in here at verse 5. Okay, so he's told him some things to do, things not to do. This whole section talks about when you give alms, when you pray, when you fast, not if on any of them, but when.

In verse 5, and when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room. And when you shut the door, pray to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. So this sounds like he's telling them to pray.

Not that you can't pray publicly or with other people, but he's saying find a place where you go secretly, where it's you and God, and you pray. So you would think that it would be me, my, I in that conversation. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them, for your father knows the things you have need of before you ask him.

In this manner, therefore, pray. So he says, don't pray like them, pray like this. And what is the man of the hour? Literally, he's the man of the hour, our father. The way, and if you've listened to me pray a long time, you will almost always hear me start in our Father. You say, why do you do that? Because that's what he said. I cannot pray and start with our.

and not realize I'm not alone. You say, but you're by yourself praying. It's just you and God. I can never be alone. As a believer, I am never alone. You could put me on Pluto, and I know there are people that pray that'll happen, but... You could put me on Pluto by myself. I will never be there alone because he indwells me. This body, wherever I go, he's with me. I will never be alone. And that's an extraordinary realization.

And you say, well, I'm a Christian and I still feel very alone. When's the last time you talked to him? You say, well, I was in trouble and I cried out for help. Like the Bible says, okay, good for you. And when's the last time you talked to him after that and said, hey, thanks for the help.

What are we doing today? What do you want me to do with my life? How are you doing today, God? I know you already know what I need, but I'm going to run this by you anyway so that I know I'm reminded and you know I need you and I know I need you. So we're going to talk through this. So our. He is the man of the hour, and we have to be people of the hour. You say, what difference does this make?

You start getting isolated. You start pulling away, even in your closet, thinking you're by yourself. You cannot be alone. Now, if you're not a Christian, you're in trouble. Doesn't mean God doesn't hear your prayers. But it's not the same. I cannot even begin to describe to you the difference in talking to a God who is everywhere but inside you, and then all of a sudden he moves inside your body, becomes your father. That's the second word, our father.

Now, at some point, you may have a bad experience with our. You also may have a bad experience with Father. That doesn't mean our Father doesn't work between you and God. You say, well, the thought of a father, he was a terrible person. Then get healed of that relationship, which your heavenly father is the only one who can heal that, and let him show you what a real dad is, a real Abba father is, a daddy is, how that can be.

and what that relationship looks like. You say, well, that'll take me a while to kind of get my head around that. That's okay. But the second you say the word our, and then you say the word father, you are not by yourself. When you say the word our father, you immediately have a family.

And what are those family members? They are brothers and sisters in Christ. That is tight. That is very close knit. You say, well, I'm not close with my brothers and sisters. Terrible experience. It doesn't mean you can't have a good one here. An orphan can find out what a family is like if the church is working and say, I've never been loved like this.

I didn't know my dad, but this God that you've introduced me to, I see now what that means. He disciplines me. He chastens me. He loves me. He encourages me. He helps me. He's my refuge and strength. He's all these things the Bible talks about. And people say, well, God's angry and he's trying to destroy people. If that were the case, why would he have sent his only son, Jesus, to fix it all? You can't come up with that. He loved the world so much that he sent Jesus.

And Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. So you say, well, God's not on our side. How could he be more on your side? So this prayer, our father in heaven, and he goes on from there. hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and look at this give us this day our daily bread you can't even pray for daily bread without including the family

If it was just give me this day my daily bread, then all of a sudden you're only thinking about you and your bread and what you need, what you're going to get. But what about the rest of your family on the planet? So out of a prayer like give us this day our daily bread, you go, wait a minute. That means it's not just me. If I've got my daily bread, what if I've got more than daily bread? Should I be distributing my excess somewhere else? Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts.

It's not just forgive me what I've done. God, be merciful on everybody else who's screwed up too as we forgive our debtors. So there is a corporate nature to this thing all of a sudden. Do not lead us into temptation. Look at this, us into temptation. But deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen. So it's our, us.

You're not by yourself. You say, well, I don't want to be with any people. Then you're going to have an impossible time being a part of a church anywhere. Because it's an us thing. It's an our thing. Matthew chapter... Matthew 26, and then let's jump in in verse 36. This is Jesus after the Lord's Supper, Passover they did, before he is arrested and crucified.

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, sit here while I go and pray over there. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then he said to them, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death.

stay here and watch with me this reveals his humanity he's down to 11 guys eight of them stay here takes three with them a little farther and then right beyond them you say well he went and was by himself but he's got his buddies close by He did not say, hey, I got to go die and everything, so I'll see you guys after the resurrection. Good luck. He takes them with him even in the last chance he has to have them right there with him. Goes a little ways, and look what happens.

When a little father fell on his face and prayed, saying, Oh, Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter, What could you not watch with me one hour? Now here's, he's the man of the hour. That's all I'm asking. One hour. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. And then this amazing statement, which you should underline if you're comfortable underlining stuff.

Jesus says to them, the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again, a second time he went and prayed, saying, oh, my father's cup, pass away from me. Unless I drink it, your will be done. He came back and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

So God understands. He said, you know what? Even if they fall asleep on me, he knew that would happen. I'd rather have them close by than not. I don't want to do this alone. Now let me, if you haven't figured out where I'm going yet, read you some more verses, but this is it. You are not intended to make it by yourself. You are probably not going to make it by yourself. And why did Jesus call them to himself? That they would be with him.

I don't spend my week trying to get away from people. I try to figure out ways to get to people. And if you've been coming here any amount of time or listening out there and ever visited, almost every person that goes out the door after the service, I say, hey, here's my number. Call me. I will buy you breakfast, lunch, or whatever you want to do. We can get together. I got a call the other day from a guy. Five years. Five years. And he was scared.

I'd be scared too, I guess, but he was scared. He thought, I'll be embarrassed. I'll be ashamed. But you know the tragedy of the five years is the screwing up for five years. It was unnecessary. Don't wait.

The enemy says, yeah, but you know what? If somebody knew who you were, what you've done, where you've been, all these problems you have, they wouldn't have anything to do with you. Right now, they really don't have anything to do with you because you won't let them have anything to do with you. What if they loved you?

What if they said, dude, forget your story, listen to mine. You go, holy cow, you're really screwed up. I need to get out of here. We all got story. I've done some stupid stuff and I've had some crazy stuff happen to me. But God has left me here for a reason. He's left you here for a reason. Not to just hunker down somewhere in your little bunker and wait for Jesus to come back. You've got no verses for that. Not a single one.

You have to be able to back your life up with scripture or it's not working or will never work. So when you're confronted with something that makes you nervous, say, okay, Lord, I'm nervous, but I need people. I need to be a man of the hour. You need to be a woman of the hour. You say, well, what if it just gets down, they don't like me? You know, if you've ever had an accident on the side of the road and you're going to die in a car and someone stops and comes to render aid.

I am yet to hear of someone saying, well, tell me where you're from. Tell me a little bit about yourself. You know what? I'm going to wait for the next person because I don't think you're really like me. You don't care who the person is. You need help. The old man God sent to help me was not the person I thought he'd send, but I was so desperate and had prayed so long, I took him because nobody else was offering me what he was offering me.

Nobody else that showed up saying, I'll help. So you say, well, I need somebody to show up. I'm going to say this very gently. I understand there are times when you're in a position, you need someone to show up. But sometimes you're in a position to show up. to those that are willing to show up. And you reach out. Some people are drowning, can't reach out. They need help. And we have to be sensitive to that. But sometimes some of this is on you. You're afraid. I get that.

But say, God, help me get over this fear and just reach out. You'd be amazed. You'd say, well, I reached out. Nobody grabbed me. Don't give up. What else we got? Go to John chapter 10. I don't have time to read this whole chapter 10, but... You say, well, the Bible uses these like animal agrarian examples that are from old timey days. I hate to tell you, but the old timey hadn't gone away. They're still sheep on the planet.

There are still people that tend sheep and read this and go, I know exactly what that's about. Just because you don't tend sheep doesn't mean there aren't sheep. So let's take a second to read this. John 10 verse 1. Most assuredly I say to you that he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them. And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which he spoke to them.

Now, we talked about this recently. At some point, you've got to know your shepherd's voice because what is getting us in trouble is we are following strangers who mean us harm. Now somebody will come back and say, well, you know, you're talking about we and people. I got my bruhs if I'm saying that right. Right? Did I say that right? Hey, bruh. Say it for me. Bruh. That's what I said. Just whatever.

Just because you're younger and more hip and got the shoes all that you know You know I got my my peeps I got you know we run together like yeah exactly and where are you running? And how is it working out for your little group? And are they causing you to be drawn more to God or farther away from him? Who are you running around with and how is that working out for you? If it's not, then say, God, something's got to change.

And this is fascinating. Well, I can't abandon my friends. Let me tell you how you find something out. Turn to Jesus and find out who abandons who. They want nothing to do with your sorry whatever you want to use in that blank because they're done. They don't want anything to do with Jesus. Well, they're my friends. If they're your friends, they're going to take you no matter who you're following. And all of a sudden, they're vamos. It's over.

You don't see anybody following the prodigal son home or to the pig pen before he came home. And even if they do stay around and want to help you, if they can't render aid in Jesus' name, it isn't going to get you very far. Okay, keep reading. Verse seven, then Jesus said to them again, most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All whoever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he'll be saved.

and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not like the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep. Contractor shepherds never care about sheep the way real shepherds who own the sheep care about the sheep. He is not a contract shepherd.

He owns you if you're in his family. But this one who does not own the sheep, a hireling, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and am known by my own. As the father knows me, even so I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And who's the one flock? Us. The corporate church in the world. And who's the one shepherd? Jesus.

Therefore, my father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down to myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from my father. If you want a good example of a shepherd laying down his life for sheep, go read the story of David as a little shepherd. Part of what made him a great king is that he had hammered some things out with sheep.

He cared about his sheep, therefore he could care about his people. You say, well, what about Bathsheba? You need to leave him alone. He paid for that. Felons don't like it when people throw stuff in their face when they get out of prison and stop throwing him under the bus.

He paid for Bathsheba. But he did everything else right in the eyes of the Lord except for in the matter, the scripture says, of Uriah the Hittite. Didn't he mention Bathsheba when he talks about it? I was doing a Bible study, a guy that's in this room. And the thing I love about new Christians is they see things that you never can see unless you're a new Christian. We're sitting in the Bible study.

And I read the story where Peter had denied Christ. Jesus dies, buried, raised to the dead. Peter says, I go fishing, goes out fishing. Jesus shows up on the shore. They come in, catch a bunch of fish, go read the story into the Gospels. there's an exchange where Jesus says to Peter, Peter, do you love me? And he says, Lord, you know I love you. He says, feed my sheep. Again, Peter, do you love me? Tend my lambs. Do you love me? Feed my sheep.

And this guy in the Bible study said this. Did Jesus have sheep that belonged to him that he knew he was going to heaven and needed someone to take care of? Like real sheep, a little flock of sheep that belonged to him personally. And so he's asking Peter, hey, making sure you love me, you got to take care of my sheep. That sounds way personal.

I don't want to abandon this little flock of sheep I have. As it turns out, it's bigger than even that. The sheep were not actual sheep, animals, the sheep, us. It's very fascinating to me that sometimes people care more about animals than people. They'll abandon people. They will never abandon an animal. You say, well, how could you abandon an animal? They're hopeless. They're hopeless.

Try using that same thinking on some people and you might help some more. You think, no, no, people are smart. No, we are stupid. We are dumb sheep. You go, wow, well, who's going to take care of them? When you have the heart of a shepherd or you understand the heart of a shepherd, then it drives you insane that someone's going to be not okay. You say, how would you risk 99 sheep and go after one? Because that's the deal.

Now this ties a little bit in with the last few messages and hearing the shepherd and responding. So here's how this works. Let's say this group in here, let's say most of us live in the Dallas area. So let's say there is a person or persons that live in the Dallas area that have moved here from who knows where. And somewhere else on the planet, there's a mama in a closet saying, our father, help my baby boy.

Help my little girl. Send help. They can't get to him. They've said all they know to say. And so dispatch in heaven said, okay, we got a request from over here about a person here. we're going to dispatch you. So you wake up and go, here we go, Lord, what's this day about? And all of a sudden you're paying attention and you meet someone and the Holy Spirit says, them. And you go, all right, here we go. That's why I'm on the planet.

You know, this is going to be great instead of, are you kidding me? I got so much to do today. I don't have time for this person. And then mama's prayers get delayed and he's got to dispatch someone else who will just simply obey and get in on the deal.

and realize that this isn't our equation. I have a friend in Waco who says, if your daughter comes down here to school, we will help. We'll adopt her. She can come stay at all these things. He said, wow, that's crazy. That's how it's supposed to work.

That's just life the way it's intended. Now, you may be on the other end of that spectrum, and you're sitting in this room, but some of you aren't sitting in this room. You're out there listening somewhere, and you say, you know what? I've been praying for five years, for 10 years. He sends me no one.

Ask yourself first, has he sent you someone you didn't like them? They didn't meet your qualifications. You're not desperate enough. And if they haven't shown up yet, don't stop praying. You read stories all the time about somebody lost its seed. hanging on a raft, a surfboard, finding miles off course. And they held on, why? Because they prayed somebody would come find them. Jesus knows where you are and he's got people. The question is whether his people will respond.

And when they do, extraordinary things happen. Hey, this is Richard Ellis coming to you from a football field about one foot from the goal line. And that's about how we feel at richardellis.com. We have some exciting stuff going on. Kind of blows my mind, actually. AI has changed the world, and it's changing our world where we can reach our world with the gospel, the good news of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. So how do you help?

We've got the team in place, the technology in place, the systems in place. It's not as easy as just feeding the message into a computer and it spits it out. It takes a lot of work, which means it takes a lot of funding to pull this off. That's where you come in.

We need you to step up if you haven't already and be a part of this team and help us get this thing over the goal line. So let us hear from you, richardellis.com, and we thank you in advance for your help. Love you and look forward to hearing from you.

Yes, this is truly an exciting time for us to be able to share the messages from Richard in other languages to accomplish our mission. And that's to take the planet with the gospel if you believe in this program and richard's unique ability to share the good news in a fresh relevant way this is your chance to join us in this mission Jump over to our website, richardellis.com, or call us at 855-6-RICHARD. We're ready. Are you? It's time.

richardellis.com or call 855-6RICHARD. We can all do this, but it's going to take all of us. Go to richardellis.com to support this incredible mission or call 855-6RICHARD. Until next time, thanks for listening. to Richard Ellis Talks.