07.07.2024 - Train Mentality?

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07.07.24 Cris Deaton-Transcribe
Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai.
We're the Deaton family to the country of Switzerland. It is so good to see you. I would normally introduce my family, but four of them have been kidnapped downstairs.
 
But I will introduce my wife again, Miss Ebany. We've been married 13 wonderful years, and the Lord has called us to the country of Switzerland. Now, if you don't know where Switzerland's at, it's in Europe.
 
It's south of Germany, north of Italy, east of France, and then west of Austria and Liechtenstein. It borders all them countries, and it's nestled right there in the Swiss Alps. You may have heard of it because of the Swiss Alps.
 
It's a tourist spot, destination. People love going there. It's known for its breathtaking views and its beauty and just all the things that come with that.
 
But God is way more concerned with the spiritual than He is the physical, is He not? We can look the part, and we can dress up, and we can look good, but honestly, it's what's on the inside that matters, is it not? Same thing applies in Switzerland. It's a beautiful country, and on the outside, it looks perfect, but on the inside, it is just spiritually dark. Now, the good news is Jesus Christ came for the world, not just America, not just Massachusetts.
 
He even came for the people in Connecticut. Did you know that? We drove through that state too, but no, I'm just joking. All that to say, we are super excited to be here.
 
All right, it's 11.30. We've got two hours. If you got your Bible, turn to Mark chapter number eight. That's where we'll begin this morning, kind of springboard into the message.
 
See what the Lord has for us, and we're going to begin in Mark chapter number eight. As you're turning there, I just want to say once again, church, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here. We do not take it for granted that you have allowed us to come and just share our heart.
 
You've taken great care of us. You're going to feed us later. That is the Baptist way.
 
Amen. When we meet, we eat. Ain't that our motto? I'm sure it is somewhere in there, but yeah, we just definitely appreciate everything you've done for us, church.
 
Mark chapter eight is where we'll be. We're going to skip down to verse number 14. Mark chapter eight, verse number 14.
 
Now the disciples had forgotten to take them bread. Neither had they in the ship, but then more than one loaf. And he charged them saying, take heed, beware the leaven of the Pharisees and leaven of Herod.
 
And they reasoned amongst themselves saying, it is because we have no bread. And when Jesus knew it, he said then to them, why reason ye? Because you have no bread. Perceive ye not yet, neither understand, have your heart yet hardened. Having eyes, see you not, having ears, hear you not, and do you not remember.
 
Let us pray. Dear heavenly father, we do love you. Lord, we thank you for the music today. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to be in your house. Lord, we thank you for meeting with us.
 
And Lord, we do pray that you'll just prick our hearts this morning for the message to come. Lord, we pray that the message prepared will just penetrate deep into our hearts. Lord, we will use it to draw closer to you.
 
Heavenly father, I do pray that you'll move me out of the way. And Lord, we pray that everything that's said and done, that you'll get the honor and the glory for it. Lord, we love you.
 
Lord, we do thank you. And it's in Jesus precious holy name, we do pray. Amen.
 
I want you to look real quick and focus on this question. And it's a question I'm going to ask you this morning. It says in verse number 18, having eyes, see you not, and having ears, hear you not.
 
And do you not remember? Church, let me ask you, do you remember something that brings you joy? Something, anything. I want you to think specifically of an event that brings you joy. I've got four kids.
 
All kids brought me joy when they were born. They're all different in their own ways, but they bring joy to our life as parents. I think of the day that me and Miss Ebany got married.
 
That was another joyful day for us. It was a good day. I remember it like it was yesterday.
 
We got married at a little church in Somerset, Kentucky, but it was just, it was a beautiful day. I remember that day. And when I reflect upon it, it brings me joy.
 
Is there a moment in your life that brings you joy when you think about it? Maybe the first time you came to a good church like this, probably brought you some joy. Maybe the first time you experienced Christian love and fellowship brought you some joy. But when you think about the times that bring you joy, did you think about the day you accepted Jesus Christ? Doesn't that bring you joy? Doesn't it just bring you a happiness, an eternal, everlasting joy when you think about that day? I remember that day like it was yesterday.
 
I was 17 years old. I didn't grow up in a Christian home. I didn't grow up in a Christian family.
 
Even to this day, my mom and dad is still unsaved. Pray for them. But I remember being invited to a church half this size.
 
I mean, it was a small country church. I was in high school. It was on the school bus, believe it or not.
 
I was around 15 years old, and this little blonde-headed girl invited me to Sunday school. That little girl is Miss Ebany. We got married just a few years later.
 
But she invited me. I remember, and it brings me joy. I remember when I was standing in the pew.
 
There was an invitation. It was in the back. I was a good Baptist.
 
I was sitting in the main back row. The pastor gave the invitation, and I remember knowing I was bound for hell. I was 17.
 
I had already joined the army. My mom signed the waiver for me to join at 17. I already knew that I was going to go off to war.
 
My recruiter made it very clear to me that I was going to go to war. There was no way around it. And then the preacher made it very clear to me that without Jesus Christ, I was going to go to hell, and there was no way around it.
 
And then I remember at 17 years old accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior, and my life was forever changed. I remember the joy it brought me. But let me ask you, church, do you remember? You see, I ask you that because if we're not careful, not that we forget, okay? Not that we forget, but sometimes it just gets clouded in the back of our memory.
 
I say that because we see it here in scripture. Let's go back to the verse here in Mark chapter 8. We're at a point in time here in Mark chapter 8, and verse number 14, it says, now that the disciples had forgotten to take a bread, neither had they any in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
 
And they reasoned amongst themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. They're saying, How are we going to eat? And 17, and when Jesus knew it, He saith unto them, Why reason ye? Why reason ye? Because ye have no bread. He's saying, Seriously, you think because you don't have bread that I can't do it? He says, Perceive ye not, neither understand, have your heart yet hardened.
 
Now, actually, by this point at hand, we see it in Mark chapter 6, verse 52, time's sake, we won't turn there, but we see that in Mark 6:52, their hearts were hardening. But in verse number 18, when we get to the question, he says, Having eyes, see ye not? Have you not seen the miracles that I've done? And then he says, Having ears, hear ye not? Do you not remember what you've heard? So he says, How do you not remember? When I break the five loaves among 5,000, how many basketful of fragments took ye up? And they say unto him, 12. You see, they doubted and Jesus gave them proof.
 
And then he says again, the words of Jesus, And when the seven among 4,000, how many basketful of fragments took ye up? And they said, 7. And he said unto them, How is it that you do not understand? You see, church, I'm afraid we're getting to the train mentality of Christianity. You say, what's the train mentality? Anybody live close to a train? Anybody? In Kentucky, where we lived, we lived 20 yards off the train tracks. To put that in perspective, that's like from here to the back wall.
 
It was as legally close as you could build a house to the train tracks. We didn't build it. It was built back in 1950.
 
But when we went to go look to buy a house, we only needed one, technically two things in a house. We needed a house that was cheap because we were poor. And then we needed a house that would fit four kids because we had a football team, right? So finding a big, cheap house is no easy task.
 
Would you agree? Absolutely. So when we found this house, it was five bedrooms, two baths on two acres, and it was less than $70,000. A miracle.
 
Our payment was like 450 bucks. Dirt cheap. We said, praise the Lord.
 
Our prayer has been answered. It was a blessing. But here's the kicker.
 
It was 20 yards off the train track. And it was an old house. So every time the train would come through, guess what? The whole house would shake.
 
It would rattle. You would feel the train. Now we understood why nobody wanted to buy the house.
 
We didn't care. We were just happy to be there. We were happy to finally have a home.
 
But we would have friends over to fellowship, and our friends would say, how do you stand the train? And we'd say, I don't know. We're just going to have to get used to it. And it just bothered us.
 
And we just didn't know how we were going to get used to it. But after about six months, guess what? The train would come through, the house would still shake, but it wasn't near as bad. Now here's the question.
 
Did the train get softer? No, right? It's still a big, heavy metal train. Did the tracks get further away? And the answer is no. They were still 20 yards from the house, but we got used to it.
 
So friends would come over, the house would shake. Our friends would say, how do you get used to this? And we'd say, I don't know, but actually it's not that bad anymore. And then after about six more months, the train would still come through.
 
There was a transfer station right down the road. So the train came through about 10 times a day. It wasn't just a once a day or once a week, it was 10 times a day.
 
Train would still come through. The whole house would shake. The termites would hold hands and pray that it didn't fall down.
 
I mean, that's how bad it was. And our friends would say, how do you stand that train? After about a year, you know what we said? What train? We got so used to it that we blocked it out subconsciously. That's where the disciples are with Jesus Christ and the miracles he's performed.
 
They got so used to Jesus performing miracle after miracle after miracle. We get to this point in scripture and they say, can he even do it? Let me prove it to you. Mark chapter one, a miracle Jesus performs.
 
He drives out the evil spirit. Also later on in the chapter, he heals Peter's mother-in-law. He also heals the sick.
 
Mark chapter two, the sick of the palsy. Mark chapter three, the withered hand. Mark chapter five, he calms the storm.
 
Mark chapter five and verses 20 on, he cast the demons into pigs. He also heals the woman with the blood issue. He feeds the 5,000.
 
He performs miracle after miracle after miracle. And they get to the point, they started to block it out. He says, how is it that you do not understand? You see friends, I'm concerned with churches today.
 
I'm concerned we're so used to hearing the truth of God proclaimed and we're so comfortable in our Christianity that we get to the point we're starting to have the train mentality. We're starting to block it out. We're starting not to believe scripture anymore.
 
We're starting to get to the point to where we don't take it serious. And Jesus says, do you not remember? You've seen the things that I've done and you've heard the things that I've done. We have the finalized book of the Bible and yet we don't understand.
 
I believe we've gotten off track to be honest with you. So how do we get back on track? That's the question. So let me ask you and I'm not setting you up for failure.
 
Let me ask you, has the word of God changed? And the answer is no. The word of God hasn't changed. Has the effectiveness of God's word changed? And the answer is no.
 
It's just as effective today as it was yesterday. It's just as effective yesterday as it's going to be in a hundred years. The effectiveness hasn't changed.
 
So what's changed? Do you know what's changed? We have. We've changed. We've changed.
 
We no longer believe what the book teaches. So how do we get back on track? That's what's important. Let's continue to read.
 
How do we get back on track? Let's continue on this chapter and then we'll turn to Luke and we'll wrap it all up. Skip down to verse number 31 for time's sake. And he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests and the scribes and be killed.
 
And after three days rise again, the death, burial and the resurrection. That's what he's teaching them. But wait a minute, verse 32.
 
And he spake the saying openly and Peter took him and began to rebuke him. Could you imagine rebuking Jesus Christ? Can you imagine taking Jesus and rebuking him? That's what Peter did. That's what the scripture tells us.
 
My friend, you may say that I'll never be in a position, I would never rebuke Jesus Christ. But when has God laid something on your heart and you began to reason with him? When has God told you to do something and you say, God, it's not a good time right now. God, I can't afford it.
 
God, I don't know how I'm going to do it. When's the last time you have reasoned with Jesus? My friend, it's the same thing. He rebuked him.
 
And verse 33 says, but when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter saying, get thee behind me, Satan, for thou savourest  not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. You see, he's telling them about the death, burial and the resurrection. Peter rebukes him.
 
And then he says, get thee behind me, Satan. Here's what we want to look at today. What do we do when we get off track? That's what's important.
 
How do we get back on track? We're going to look at this story that he's talking about. The death, burial and the resurrection. Turn to Luke 22.
 
That's where our main time will be spent here in Luke 22. We're going to look at the same story that he's referencing. We're just jumping ahead to this story.
 
But here's the thing I like about the Bible. You can compare scripture with scripture. That's what I love.
 
Luke 22, verse 21. But behold, the hand of him that betrayed me is on the table. And truly the Son of Man goeth as it was determined, but woe unto the man by whom he is betrayed.
 
And they began to inquire amongst themselves, which of them should do this thing. You see, when Jesus said that somebody is going to betray me, they did the right thing and they wanted to find out who is it, Jesus? Who is it that's going to betray you? That's what it says.
 
They inquired amongst themselves, but here's the kicker. Okay. And verse 24 says, and there also was a strife among them of which of them should be accounted the greatest.
 
You see, they started off with the right intention, but quickly they allowed pride to take over. Do you want to know how we're getting off track church? When we take the focus off of Jesus and we put it on ourself. That's what they did here.
 
They took the focus off finding this betrayal of Jesus and they put it on themselves. That's the indicator we know that if we're getting off track, who's your focus on? Are you focusing on Jesus or is our focus on something here to compare ourselves to? It says, and there were also a strife among them of which of them should be accounted the greatest. Skip down to verse number 31.
 
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. You see, he says, Simon, Simon, he's trying to get his attention. And then he said, Satan hath desired to have you.
 
My friend, if he desired to have Peter, I promise his desire is to have each and every one of us. When we think about Satan's desire to discourage us, to distract us, to derail us, to devour us, it's overwhelming at times. Satan's desires is to throw us off track.
 
I think about our survey trip. I'm going to tell you some funny stories. You can laugh at them.
 
If not, I'll laugh at myself. When we went on our survey trip, my wife had never flown on a plane before. I had flown on many shady army planes, so I wasn't worried.
 
Anybody ever not flown in here? Okay, yeah, a couple of us. So a couple of us have, a couple of us haven't. She'd never flown before.
 
So on the way to the airport, my pastor and his wife's taking us and we get a call from the airline says, hey, your flight has been delayed. It's like, oh man, our flight's been delayed. They're like, yep, it's been delayed.
 
I think it was like five or six hours. But I said, okay, well, we're going to have to call the rental car company in Switzerland to let them know that our flight has been delayed. So then I called the rental car company.
 
I said, hey, our flight's been delayed. Is that a problem? They said, oh, that's a big problem. I said, why is that a problem? They said, because we close at nine.
 
My flight landed at 9:30. I'm like, oh yeah, that is a big problem. I can't get the rental car.
 
I said, is there an after hours program or something we could do? She goes, yes, yes. Do you want to do the after hours program? I said, yeah, please. Why didn't you say that? Yeah, of course we do.
 
She goes, okay, that's where you sleep in the airport after hours to the next morning when we open. I said, that's not a real after hours program. She said, okay, we're back to big problem.
 
I said, oh man, there was nothing we could do. They were closed. Man, discouraging.
 
So then I called the hotel and I said, hey, the rental car company's closed. I can't get my rental car. You're a two hour drive away.
 
We can't make it there physically. I said, we're going to have to change our check-in by one day. They said, oh, big problem.
 
I said, why is that a big problem? They said, because you can't change your reservations 48 hours prior to check-in. You're already within the 48 hour window. I said, oh, you're kidding me.
 
They said, no. I said, what are we going to do? They said, you've got to pay for it. I'm like, oh, you're kidding.
 
They said, no, big problem. So I said, oh man. So I get off the phone.
 
I tell my pastor, we're just discouraged. This trip is already starting off discouraging. And my pastor says, well, listen, do you want to just get a hotel here? Do you want to go straight to the airport? I said, no, take me to the airport.
 
Now you got to remember, by going to the airport, that means we have to wait in the airport about seven and a half hours because our flight was delayed. But at this point, this thing's already unwinding. The last thing I want to do is throw another gear into it.
 
So I said, no, take us to the airport. So we go to the airport. We go through the baggage.
 
They scan all six of our bags. If anybody's ever been through the baggage, you know that's the headache because they want to know everything. So they scan our bags.
 
We get through the security part. On the other side of the airport, the safe zone, I'm talking to one of the employees. This employee says, hey, what takes you to Europe? And so what I meant to say was, we're tourists.
 
Do you know what came out of my mouth? I said, hey, we're terrorists. Do you know what you don't say in an airport? Bomb and terrorist. I meant to say we're tourists, but I was thinking, don't say terrorist.
 
I don't know why I was thinking that. It's just the way my brain works. But I said, we're terrorists.
 
Her eyes got this big. I said, no, no, no, no, we're not terrorists. Please don't call the cops.
 
And then I have to beg her for 15 minutes not to call the cops. Well, long story short, that's how I got my first felony. I'm just kidding.
 
I didn't get a felony. I'm just kidding. But anyways, all that to say, it just was unwinding.
 
We get on the airplane. When we get on the airplane, we fly across the big pond, the ocean. We get to England.
 
This is all within the first 24 hours, guys, mind you. We get to England. Now we got to get on another plane.
 
We get on this other plane, and the pilot gets on the intercom and goes, hey, we got a big problem. I don't want to hear any more big problems. He goes, one of the engines isn't working? If you've ever been on a plane, that's the last thing you want to hear, right? So he says, we're going to have an engineer look at it.
 
He has the engineer come. Engineer looks at it. Engineer says, oh, we got a big problem.
 
Hold on. It's not working. And I tell my wife, we're going to get delayed again.
 
Another delay. It's so discouraging. He goes, engineer said it's not working, but rest assured, this is the nicest, newest airplane we have.
 
We're going to go ahead and take off on one engine. Now, I don't know about you, okay, and I know you didn't come here for a math lesson, but if you're in the air and you got two engines, one of those engines go out. How many engines you got left? One.
 
If you take off with only one good engine and that one goes bad in the air, how many engines do you have left? Zero. You see the discouraging part here? The big problem? So we took off with only one engine working. I look at my wife.
 
I said, okay, this is it. We just start witnessing to the people around us and hope they accept Jesus Christ. I mean, it's as far as we make it.
 
And then we land in Switzerland and the next day, remember that rental car that I told you they wouldn't let me pick up? I go there the next day. Then they wouldn't give me the car. They said, we gave it away.
 
You didn't come yesterday. I said, I called you and told you that we weren't going to make it. She said, yeah, well, prove it.
 
They gave my car away. Then they kept the money. They wouldn't give it to me.
 
So then we had to rent another car and then we got robbed in Switzerland. And then time and time and time again, the plan wasn't going according to what we had hoped. You want to know why? Because Satan's desire is to discourage us.
 
His desire is to distract us, to derail us. His desire is to do anything he can to keep you from doing God's will. What's he distracting you with today? What's he discouraging you with today? What's he doing to keep you off track? What's the very next verse say? Verse number 32.
 
But I have prayed for thee. Isn't that so encouraging to know? Isn't that so encouraging to know that Jesus Christ prayed for Peter and he prays for me and you? Romans 8 tells us, you don't have to turn there. I'm going to turn there real quick.
 
Romans 8 tells us that Jesus sits at the [right] hand of the Father and that he's constantly petitioning on our behalf. And he says, I have prayed. Verse 34.
 
Who is he that condemneth? Is it Christ that died rather than has risen again? Who is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword or Satan? Are our plans not panning out? Our failures, our faults, our pride, our ever besetting sin? What shall separate us? And it says, nay, nothing shall separate us from the love of God. Isn't that so encouraging to know that Satan's desires will never outweigh Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father praying for me, for you, for Peter, for each and every one of us. He says, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not and when thou art converted, strengthen the brethren.
 
Here we go, church. Are you ready? Trial's coming. Trial's coming.
 
When it comes, it's going to do one of three things. It's going to either distract you and get us off track. It's going to derail us and get us way off course.
 
But every time, here's what it does. Are you ready? It's going to define us. If I asked the room, what is Peter defined for? Half would say his great faith.
 
He stepped out of the boat and walked on water to Jesus. His great faith. The other half would say this story right here, coming up where he denies the very son of God three times.
 
You see, Peter's trials defined him. Is your trial going to define you as somebody with great faith or is it going to define us as somebody with unbelief or little faith? Let me ask you, church. Here's what we have to do to get on track.
 
The Bible says in Acts 2, Peter tells us what to do to get back on track. Acts 2 says, therefore, let all the house of Israel know surely that God had made that same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now, when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent.
 
Church, that's all we have to do to get back on track is repent. Here in Acts 2, Peter's already made it right. He's already on fire for Jesus.
 
Peter says, I know what you have to do. I've been in your shoes. All you have to do is come back.
 
Repent, come back, and Jesus is there waiting. My friends, let me ask you, what do you have to do to get back on track? All you have to do is come back. Repent, make it right, and Jesus is there waiting.
 
What does Switzerland have to do? Being off track hundreds and hundreds of years, all they have to do is come back. That's it. Repent to a loving Father, and He's there waiting.
 
Let's pray, dear Heavenly Father, we love you. Lord, we thank you for the day you've given us. Lord, we thank you for your word.
 
Lord, we thank you [for] what it means. Lord, we thank you that it's unchanged. Lord, we thank you it's just as effective today as it has always been throughout history.
 
Lord, we thank you for the opportunity, Lord, to just draw closer to you through it. Lord, we do pray for the people of Switzerland. Lord, we thank you that, Heavenly Father, you've called us to take the true light to the darkest depths of the dark region.
 
Lord, we do pray that, Heavenly Father, you'll help us every step of the way. Lord, I pray for this good church. Lord, I pray for these people.
 
Lord, I pray for whatever trials they're dealing with, that, Heavenly Father, they will stay focused on you and stay on track. Lord, I pray that they never get the train mentality when it comes to the truth, so your word that's proclaimed throughout history, throughout the Bible. Lord, I pray that, Heavenly Father, they'll never get to the point where they're tired of hearing it.
 
Lord, where they subconsciously block it out. Lord, may we never get to that point. Lord, I do pray that, Heavenly Father, you'll continue to bless our deputation.
 
Lord, I pray that you'll continue to guide us and direct us, keep us safe as we serve you. Lord, it's in your precious name we pray, amen.
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