Kairos: You Are Not Alone

Introduction

My name is John Wayne McMann, I am a pastor and this talk is called “You Are Not Alone”

Powerful talk about choices. One of honesty and vulnerability that really sets the foundation for everything else. Hear me, choices is a talk that does not just set the tone for what you, the men in white, will here this weekend. Understanding our choices is the first step for all of us today and in this journey to then respond to God.

This morning I have the great blessing to proclaim for all of us that we are not alone. Not with conjecture or just motivational speech but with Scripture and the promises of God in Jesus Christ.

From the very beginning God decided it is not good for man to be alone. -

Genesis 2:18 NIV

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

This is the theme all throughout scripture.

Ecclesiastes, a book of wisdom, written in honest reflection about what this life is about.

Ecclesiastes 4:7–12 NIV

Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business! Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes

So what I am, what I have become and what I will become depend on my choices and decisions I make and the goals I set. But for us today....it matters who I surround myself with. It matters who surrounds me. Who I run with.

Community is important

Community is important.

No community

When I was in my early 20s I was a lost little puppy. Ok I was not alone though…I had “friends” you know what I am talking about. I was trying to find my way, chasing girls, going from party to party…this was before Jesus found me, ok. Worked in a restauraunt and my friends were my coworkers. We would go out every night. One of these nights I had way too much to drink and drove home. I convinced myself that I need to go home because I had work the next day.

I must have fallen asleep one the way home at a stoplight. Woke up with lights behind me. Pretty confused…did not remember leaving. Long story short, got a DWI and was headed to jail. To this day so thankful that I did not hurt anyone.

I was in jail for a couple of days while my parents figured out how to bail me out. Those couple of days in jail were hard for me because I had never messed up in this way. I was feeling pretty low and couldnt believe that I did something that could have hurt someone or worse.

The worst part though was that when I got out and had to begin dealing with the consequences…all my “friends” were no help. The only time they called was to party. I was so alone and desperate.

My own decisions got me to this place, but my crew only made it worse and were not there when it mattered.

The community show up

Fast forward. I am walking around in the restauraunt with an ankle bracelet on because I am on house arrest. Yeah those things suck. We had to wear shorts at this restauraunt....yeah, anyways you get it.

Guac live.

She asked me to come back to be with her at the church. At my lowest God sent His people to me.

Listen, today I want to tell you God has sent his people to you.

But the good news is bigger than that. God has promised from the beginning to be with us....

Old Testament

Still near the beginning of the bible. God’s people are in captivity. Slaves to the Egyptians and God intends to rescue them

Exodus

Exodus 3:15–17 NIV

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

He says, the God of the universe sees your plight. My name is yours to call me and I will be with you for generations. Even in this darkness you are in.

New Testament

It is hard to even begin to cover this truth found in the New Testament. Luke’s gospels is my favorite because of the theme of Jesus’ mission that is revealed. At the very beginning of his ministry. He walks into the temple…shows up to some church and when it was time for someone to read scripture, Jesus is chosen or maybe he volunteers. it is from the book of Isaiah.

Luke 4:18–21 NIV

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:

poor

prisoners

blind

the oppressed

The loneliest people, Jesus says my mission is to them.

How do I know this promise? How do I believe it?

Church

This is where the church comes in. Now listen, I dont know what your church experience has been like. I have experienced some up and downs of church. Forget that perception for this weekend and see what is around you as the church. God’s people coming around you at the critical moment to help the person that is ready to receive.

So how do i know this promise? Two ways:

The Holy Spirit:

Jesus says in that there is one coming, the advocate. The one who will give you the power to believe.

John 14:26–27 NIV

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

God’s Spirit that will tell you in your bones there is a new choice before you and this is one that means something more.

2. We do it by action

You have to take a step, you have to allow God in. To allow God to begin peeling back the layers of your heart that tell you things that are not true. That you are not good enough. That you cannot be loved. That you are too far gone. You have to allow God to take that away and we do that by taking a step in trust.

“The reason many of us do not ardently believe in the gospel is that we have never given it a rigorous testing, thrown our hard questions at it, faced it with our most prickly doubts. Subjected” ― Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society

Friends, we have never gone far enough down the road to know it was the road we are supposed to be on. Take that step.

That act of stepping out in trust is called FAITH

Finally, what the people you will get to know this week and so many others praying for you want to know that on that road you will find that God is with you every step of the way....that is GRACE

Let me close with a story. This is not just a preacher talk…this is something I desperately need to believe.

Last Saturday I made my way to the LeBlanc unit in Beaumont as I try to do as often as I can. Before LeBlanc, it was Clemens, before Clemens it was huntsville, before that it was a county jail. Last Saturday I brought my 2 year old with me. Only the second time he has gone. It is a weird feeling to bring your child through guards and barbed wire and to be searched. But it is important for us to go because the person we go to see is my little brother. He is serving at least 10 years. I still dont understand how he got there (and really how it was not me). Same parents, same neighborhood, same teachers, same sports, same everything. The line between pastor and man in white is razor thin. But every time I go to see him, it is the same message: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. God promised to be with you. Brother, Jesus came for you. Brother you are not alone. And today I want, we want, to say to all of you YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

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