TRANSCRIPTION | Sunday, July 18, 2021 | GREATER Series | Hope Helpers

 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I want to share this verse with you, Ephesians 1:18. It says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling. And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards those who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.” This is really a potent passage. I spent a lot of time reflecting and meditating on this text this week. And I just, I was moved deeply in my heart, as I reflected back up on it'll be 21 years ago, this coming September that 3trees had its first ever worship service. It was on a Sunday morning, in a little storefront facility. We had just a handful of people. There was only six people in the founding group of people who were just praying and believing the Lord. And the first song we ever sang was Open The Eyes of My Heart. Anybody remember that old song? It's modern in some ways, but it's old in others. Open The Eyes of My Heart. I just thought, Paul, 2000 years ago was saying, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know the hope of his calling and what is the measurable greatness of his power. I pray the day that the Lord opens the eyes of your heart, that there is an enlightenment that comes toward the greatness of his power that is available through the hope of his calling and through the wealth of his glorious riches. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Would you pray with me this morning? Father, I ask you to help me to preach, help me to teach, help me to share your Word. Lord, let there be an anointing that is rich and real. Give me a special grace, God, to push back hell, to plunder it indeed, that God heaven would be further populated. And I pray God, that your Holy Spirit would provoke every single one of us to our next step in you, whatever that might be in Jesus’ name, and the church said, amen. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

You know, Mandy and I, we love railroads. We've not had a chance together or as a family to go and do a lot of scenic rides. But when we get the chance, it's something that we seize. And I'm kind of fascinated by railroads. And even as a kid, I loved to have the little train stations and set them up and play. You ever just look at something and you wonder, like, how did they decide on that? Like, how did they decide that a railroad was going to look the way that it does and that it was going to be the dimensions that it happens to be. If you are to look at a railroad, the standard gauge, or the distance between the rails,are 4’ and 8-½”. 4’ and 8-½”, that's the distance between the rails. Now, does that not sound like a little bit of an odd number? I could get five feet, I can understand six feet, four feet, why would it be four feet, eight and a half inches? Well, when you investigate that, what you learn is that the reason that the American railroad is that dimension between the rails is because they got counsel from British engineers. And in Britain, the way that the railroads were laid out where they were four feet, eight and a half inches. Okay, well, why were the British railroads laid out that way? Because the tramways that existed before the railroads were four feet, eight and a half inches. Well, why were the tramways laid out that way, because the people who built the first trams were people who had expertise in working on wagons, and their gauges were set to match the distance between the wheels on the wagon, which was four feet eight and a half inches. Well, why did the wagon wind up with the wheels that distance apart? Because the first wagons were built to match the ruts that were already in the road? Well, how did the ruts get in the road? Is anybody following me this morning? I feel like we're in a rut or something. The reason the ruts were in the road at four feet eight and a half inches is because those ruts had been made dating back hundreds, if not 1000s of years by Roman chariots that were built to the dimension of the backside of two horses. So the next time you sit down on a railroad, and you take a ride in a train car, now you know why you are that distance from the other side. It would seem to me that maybe at some point, as they were moving through the progression of that someone should have given some consideration to at least the possibility of change.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

You know, I believe that there is at least one thing in our lives that all of us would like to change. I believe if we could have a one on one sit down, we could just enjoy some coffee together, we could start talking. And if you got to the place where you really felt like you could come clean, there's probably at least one thing that you really would like to change about yourself. But maybe you've just kind of settled into well, that's just kind of the way it's always been, and that part of you is directly connected to some kind of a spiritual rut that you're in. When you start to think about change, you begin to even evaluate change itself. Like why is it that people are willing to change or not willing to change? What I've learned, and I'm sure you've noticed it, too, is that people change because they want to. And when people want to change, it's usually because they've learned something that motivates, like a desire for change. Maybe they've got new relationships in their lives, that are kind of opening them up to new truth, or new revelation, or new possibilities. And they start wanting that same level of success. And they start to realize, wait a second, man, I'm settling for too little in my life. This reality about change, where maybe you've decided at some point in your life, man, I want to change because you realize I am settling for too little in my life. Maybe it came as the result of an inspiring relationship. Maybe it came through pursuing continued learning, maybe it came because you realize, man, I want to change. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert 

But there's also another reason that people change. People don't just change because they want to, sometimes people change because they have to. You ever been in a place in your life where you had to change? I have found that some people change when they see the light, and other people change when they feel the heat. People who change when they feel the heat are people who change because they're finally at a place where they're like, okay, I have to change. Usually it's motivated by some kind of pain that has come into the person's life. In fact, pain is probably the most frequent fuel for change. Because the best response to pain is change, so that you don't hurt any longer. If you put your hand on a hot stove, that pain will quickly change the location of your hand. Maybe you've come into a place in your life where that you've had some kind of an illness. And with that illness, there was pain that came with it, and you realized, okay, if I don't change, I am going to continue to experience the consequences of this illness. Maybe a doctor explained to you, you're going to need to begin to exercise, you're going to need to change your diet. I've went through seasons like that in my own life, where I was like, okay. I realized, if I don't want this pain anymore, I'm going to have to change. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

But there's also another reason that people change, not just because they want to, or because they have to, but sometimes people change when they are finally able to. And what that means is that they've developed in such a way that they are now enabled to change. Maybe sometimes a person kind of reached that point where they're wrestling with an addiction, and they're like, okay, I want to change, and then there was enough pain that came as a result of that addiction, that it's like, okay, it's no longer I want to, like I have to change. I can't spend my weekends like this anymore, like I have to change. And yet they were kind of in that mentality, they kind of maybe kept struggling. And so they then realized, okay, I'm going to have to become able to change. And maybe there was the pursuit of a recovery program, and maybe that gave some enabling ability. Maybe there were mentoring relationships. Maybe even in your business, like you, you reached a place where it's like, okay, I don't want to just want to change my business, like I have to change in my business. And with that, you're like, okay, I'm gonna have to be able to change. And you sought business consultants, and they came in, and they gave you ideas. I talked to a guy just the other day, whose business absolutely exploded, because he got to that point where he realized, okay, I have to change. He spoke with a business consultant, and the thing absolutely exploded because he got knowledge that then enabled him to change. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

So there's going to be different things that we can bring into our life, whether it's mentoring relationships, or recovery programs, or maybe even counseling or business consultants, or educational paths that can help enable us to change. But I want you to understand something, God has something for your life that is beyond just simple behavior modification. God wants to bring you to a place where that you begin to experience the truth of stuff like old things pass away and everything becomes new again. And the only way that you can ever really get to that place is that you have to be willing to embrace Holy Spirit empowerment. I wonder if anybody has ever heard the passage “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” So, we may need different things in our lives that become like an agreement to us or a help to us but in all of your getting help, don't you ever forget to throw your hands in the air and welcome the power of the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus Christ into your life. And so I want you to think with me for just a second, like is there any area in your life where that you're right now saying I want to change? Has it already progressed for you? Like are you at a place where you're saying like okay, I have to change. Are you at a place where you're saying okay, I want to have to but man I just need to be able to change?

Here's a question; take all of those other three out of it for a second. Is there any place in your life where that God is dealing with you about change? That maybe even during the worship experience this morning, there was something that was rolling over in your heart, and you're like, okay, I hear you Lord, I know you want to talk to me about that part of my life you want to bring some change. Maybe there's been a weekly occurrence for you where there's just some stuff that's kind of repetitive, and it's a hurt, or it's a habit or, it's a hang up and you just know okay wait, God's dealing with me, like this is a place where that he wants to bring some change.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I want you to understand something. We can talk about wanting to change, we can talk about the fact that we may have to change, we can talk about this, becoming equipped to be able to change, but you need to understand this, God requires change. He requires it, and Roman chariot ruts will never be an excuse. In fact, when you are serving God, A.W. Tozer said it best you're either in rut, rot, revival. So, think about it. God requires change. Did you know God, like clearly communicates that when it comes to the subject of salvation. I mean, just do a quick run through of the New Testament for a second, and here's some of the things that are associated with salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:7, we already referenced it a minute ago, “Old things pass away, everything becomes new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17, “that you become a new creature in Christ Jesus.” John chapter three, verse seven, before we get to the really good one, verse 16, about believe and you won't perish because you'll have everlasting life, he says, this “Marvel not that you must be born again.” Ephesians chapter two verses one through seven; it's an incredible passage of text. In fact, I plan to maybe read a large portion of it to you this morning. I don't think I'm going to do that now. But I want you to know this, it talks about the fact that you were once dead in your trespasses, but through grace, you have been made alive in Jesus Christ. And as a result of that, you have been seated in heavenly places, and the stuff that was over you is now under you because of what Jesus has done in your life. Romans chapter 12, verse number two, incredibly potent passage of text. Every single one of us should memorize it and speak it over our life, “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, in Christ Jesus.” It's talking about change. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

So, we've spent like two or three weeks talking about this concept of make something happen. So, whether it's in the comments, if you're in church online, or you're in this room, I want you just to let somebody know “make something happen.” Like I got to teach you how to preach, like you got to say it with unction. Like there's gonna be some conviction behind it. Like, because I know you are wanting to say it to somebody in this room. Maybe you need to get up, just go tell them for a second. Maybe somebody needs to send a text. Make something happen. Why can we talk like that? Why can we believe like that? Why can we celebrate an idea like that because of 1 John 4:4, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” You do not have to settle for the way it's always been. You do not have to settle for the generational curse, that is on your life and your family. You do not have to settle for the rut and the unexplainable things that have just always been the way they've always been. It doesn't have to be it is what it is you can decide, it is what I make it, because of the power of Jesus Christ that is on the inside of me. Make something happen! It's not by your might. It's not by your power. It is by His Spirit, and His spirit, His power, is accessible by His name. It is a name that when you don't even know what to pray, all you got to do is utter Jesus off your lips. And suddenly, demons have to flee, knees have to bow, tongues have to confess, like there is a power in God. I don't really, I don't really know what's come over me lately, but I'm telling you over the last four to five weeks, there is something in me that is sick and tired of being sick and tired. Like there's just something rolling over inside my spirit of looking at people who settle for weak, watered down, anemic spiritual lives, and let the devil beat down the front door and dare to come in the back door, instead of them standing up and realizing wait a second, I know I'm gonna suffer sometimes, I know I'm gonna go through pain sometimes, I know there's gonna be challenges sometimes, but greater is He that is in me than he that’s in the world. Like, you need to get that down in your gut. It doesn't mean that your shingles are never gonna blow off, or that your gutters are never gonna leak, or that you're never gonna blow a tire, or that you're never gonna spill coffee, like stuffs gonna go wrong. You might even get a bad doctor's report, but I do... I do want you to know this greater is He that is in you. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Because even if the enemy takes your life, you still win. The worst thing the enemy can do is send you to heaven. That's why Paul said he's in prison, he's shipwrecked, he's beaten, and he finally just says if I die or I live, it's gain. Here's the way I would say that. We used to sing it in the church I grew up in. If I go or I say I'm a wimp... Greater is He that is in you than he is in the world. Would you just look at somebody and tell them, put it in the comment section please, like all caps “make something happen.” Some of you are thinking he's too rowdy for me. And that's why you'll never make anything happen. That was too rough. I'm sorry. I probably made something happen, I didn't mean to make happen there. It's okay. It was a referee yesterday, it's you today. Somebody pray. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

God loves doers. James chapter one, verse 22, says this, “But be ye doers of the Word,” and not just hearers only. Big revelation, you have the authority of God to do something with his Word. Like when he tells you, by his stripes, you are healed. He's telling you, you got some authority with his Word to do something. When he tells you old things can pass away and everything can become new again, he's telling you, you got some authority with his word to do something. That when he tells you that the anointing of God destroys every yoke, you got some authority with his word to do something. When he tells you no weapon formed against you shall prosper you got... when he tells you the gates of hell shall not prevail against you, when he tells you the weapons of your warfare are not carnal through man’s hand, but they’re mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. When he tells you that helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, loins girded with truth, am I making sense to anybody? Like he's telling you, you got some authority with the Word to make something happen. He’s just looking for somebody that will believe. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And so what I've discovered is that when you start talking about change, there's more, but there's at least three attitudes that I believe become stumbling blocks to change. Here's one of them; tomorrow, sounds like a better time to start.” Isn't it amazing like how we always want to wait till tomorrow. God spoke to the Hebrew people in Joshua chapter three. And he told them, tomorrow, I'm going to do something to get ready today. Today. Paul told his audience, he said today is the day of your salvation. So, if you've got the stumbling block of okay, tomorrow sounds like a better time to start. Then I would say to you that the stepping stone for that is that you need to develop a sense of urgency. Urgency is defined as valuing the importance of swift action. One of the things I pray for in my life is that I would have a sense of urgency. I want to nurture a sense of urgency. I want to drag off thoughts of passivity that paralyze destiny, a sense of urgency. Here's why. Revelation 22:12 Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming quickly.” Here's the thing about God: a day is as 1000 years and 1000 years is as a day. God speaks from eternity, while our minds can only comprehend time. But at the end of it all, life is like a vapor. It all happens so quickly. How many people have you met that have reached what we would consider to be an old age in life, and yet they're saying, like, it just seems like just yesterday that my kids were babies, but yet they're living in tomorrow, and they can't comprehend how quickly it passed from yesterday. And so like at some point in our lives, I think there has to be like this willingness to surrender to a sense of urgency, I believe another stumbling block to change is the attitude, I've already tried and failed. I've already tried and failed. Now, what I'm about to say to you, is going to sound like a contradiction, but we're going somewhere. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

So one of the things you're going to have to do if you're going to step into change is you're going to have to welcome a sense of urgency. But the second thing you're going to have to do is you're going to have to practice patience. Because the reason that a lot of people try and fail is because they don't have the patience to see God's timing in the change. Here's what the Bible says in Proverbs 16:32, “Better to be patient than to be powerful.” The patient is worth even more than the power. So here's the thing. And I actually learned this from John Maxwell, I think it's a great lesson, he says “patients must be given the opportunity to co-exist with urgency.” Here's what we mean. It's a quote from Ralph Marston, he says, “success requires both urgency and patience. Be urgent, and make every effort. but be patient about seeing the results.” So when you're instituting the effort, there's got to be an urgency with that effort of like, we cannot play games with this, we have got to get this thing done. Like we need to be urgent in our work. But at the same time, we don't always get the results as quickly as we would like to see them. I mean, as one preacher said, it, we are a microwave generation that is serving a crock-pot God. And so we want to snap our fingers, go through the drive thru and have it in 30 seconds or less. If we don't get it, we will pull off we're not waiting. And so what happens is, then we bring that ideology into our spiritual experience and we stop being urgent about making the effort because we're not patient about getting the results. And thereby we abort the change because after all, we've already tried and failed. But what I've learned is that without patience, the fruit of your urgency will never have any virtue. Because only patience works virtue. And there are a lot of people that appear to have fruit that if you examine it, it is rotten to the core. Why? because they have zeal, but they don't have any integrity. And it's all about trying to get there the quick way, it's all about trying to get there the fast way. They'll cheat, they'll lie, they'll steal, because they have the urgency, but they don't have the patience. So what happens is their grit takes them where their character can't keep them. So what has to happen to us is, yes, be urgent, but at the same time, welcome the fruit of God's presence with patience. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I would talk to you about Jacob and Esau if I had the time. I would tell you about the fact that I believe there's no doubt God wanted to use Jacob. But Jacob got in a hurry. He became a deceiver, he became a liar, he became a cheater. And everything he got was by circumventing a process and ultimately he had to wind up with a limp in his life before he can learn how to walk straight. Don't make God teach you with a limp in order to get you to walk straight. Let me give you a third stumbling block to change an attitude that is a stumbling block to change is “I can never make a difference.” I would do something for the community, but I really can't make any difference. Well, you know, I would try to do something for my family, but I really can't make any difference. Like you know that those people that I was kind of moved in my heart for I would, I mean, well I would give to the church, but you know what I would give, I really can't make any difference. So it’s this attitude that's like a stumbling block to change. And I just need to let you know this, John, Chapter 14, verse number 12, “Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. So whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so the Father may be glorified in the Son.” If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. Would somebody just say “greater.” Like, Jesus is saying, the only condition for experiencing greater works in your life than even what he did, what he experienced, is that you simply believe. He goes as far as to say, if you look at a mountain and you speak to it, and you don't doubt it in your heart, that mountain itself can be picked up and moved. It takes us back to where we began with the words of Paul who says in Ephesians 1:19, “And what is the measurable greatness of his power towards us who believe.” The immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe. It means you can get any measuring tape you want, and you will never be able to measure out how great God is. In fact, Paul eventually says he is exceedingly great. He just keeps getting bigger and he keeps becoming greater. You know what that means for me and you, it means our problem just keeps getting smaller and smaller. And so at the end of the day, we should never settle for this stumbling block of “well I can't make a difference.” 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I love what Paul talked about right before he says this  immeasurable greatness. I want to show it to you, it's verse number 18 of Ephesians 1, he said, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened that they would be open so that you may know what is the hope of his calling. What is the wealth of his glorious inheritance.” I read recently about people who help hope. And it spoke to me and I found myself praying, like, I want to be a hope helper. Like I want to, I want to be somebody that helps people with their hope, because hope is defined as expectation and desire for something to happen. Are ya’ll still with me? So what I've been talking about for three weeks, make something happen. And yet what is hope, the expectation for something to happen. And the reason some of us haven't made it happen is because we are hopeless towards change. And the hopelessness paralyzes us, and it brings a stagnancy to our relationship with God, because after all, the very substance of faith is hope, and expectation that something can happen. And so I wonder if there are those of you that God wants to not only have your hope, helped, the hope of his calling, to understand there's these immeasurable greatness that's available to you through faith. That's what Paul said, like he said, I want you to see the hope that's available, the hope of his calling. Like he's calling you to something incredible. It's there, hope, hope for it, that something's going to happen towards the calling that's on your life. And when it happens, it's going to be immeasurable. Like it's going to be such great power, you can't even wrap your mind around it. That's what Paul's saying. He's trying to help their hope. And some of you need your hope helped. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Expectancy is the breeding ground of miracles. So when you get that atmosphere of expectancy about your life, it becomes a breeding ground for the miraculous to happen in your life. Because you don't just settle for well, it is what it is. There's something new that turns over and says wait till my God gets involved. You wait till faith kicks in. You wait till people start praying, you wait till two or three come into agreement in his name. You wait, you wait and see what my God's gonna do. And so they're gonna play some music. I'm gonna tell you one final story. 

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I've heard the story of this man. He was going for an evening walk on the beach. And as he kind of starts to walk down the beach, he just notices that there are starfish everywhere. It's just fascinating. I mean, there are 1000s of starfish. And as he's walking, he proceeds his path and he looks out and there's a little boy. The little boy is going and he picks up a starfish and throws it back in the ocean. He picks up another starfish, and he throws it in the ocean. And this little boy, he’s doing it every step he takes, a starfish, he throws it back. starfish does. When the man intersects with him, he looks at the little boy, and he says kid tell me something. Like why are you doing this? There are 1000s of starfish. Like what difference is it going to make? And the little boy picks up another starfish, and he throws it back. And he looked up at the man, and he said, it made a difference for that one. Don't you ever let your vision to win the world, overlook the person that is standing right in front of you. And if you could do anything, do this one thing. Stop trying to do everything and do for one, what you wish you could do for everyone. And watch as your life begins to make a difference in your family. And as your life begins to make a difference in your community, and in your church. Because you're just simply saying, God out of all the things I know you want to change, change me a God, let me get past my flesh, let me get past myself. And God, if my assignment is to just make a difference for this one today. What happens when we look at all the change that is needed whether it's in ourself or for somebody else, it can become so overwhelming and it's too much. How could I ever make a difference? You can make a difference because the greatest that has ever lived, God Himself, is in you. And he says there's greater work to be done. Stop putting off the changes that need to take place. Surrender to his work in your life, his transformative power in your life, his equipping, his empowering.