Dharius Daniels - We Need to Talk

Let’s go together to the Book of Genesis, chapter 3, beginning at verse number 8. I am going to read a few verses of scripture from the English Standard Version of the Bible, and it reads like this: «And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you? '» Yes, sir! I want to stop the reading of scripture and talk from this subject during our time together: «We Need to Talk.» Clap your hands if you’re ready for God’s word, everybody! We need to talk, family. As we ease into this introduction today, I am reminded of an experience I had at Kilmichael Elementary School in Kilmichael, Mississippi, in the second grade in Miss Austin’s class. I was sitting at my desk, digging in the scene with the student leaning, whoop whoop! Then I got tapped on the shoulder by my friend, Ernest Curtis—we called him «Little Bit.» I looked back and said, «What’s up?» He gave me a note. I asked, «Who is this from?» He pointed to a little shorty in the back. I said, «Okay.» I opened the note, and what I got was something similar to this. Yes, sir! It’s the commentary in the crowd that gives me. Somebody said, «I’ve had many of those!» All right! Now, some would see this communication as childish; I see this communication as clear. I argue that even though this happened in many of our childhoods, it is something we should have brought into adulthood. This is not cloudy communication; this is not passive-aggressiveness; this is not suggestive; this is not innuendo; this is not up for interpretation. There is no ambiguity; there is no dubiousness; there is no greatness; it says what it means, and it means what it says. «I like you. Do you like me?» And I’m giving you two options! I didn’t put a «Pray about it» box; I didn’t put a «Think about it» box, because you don’t have to pray about it! Come on now, you don’t have to pray about something you can look at and decide: do you like me or not? I argue that although Jesus may not have meant this in practice, we can apply this in principle—that there are some things that are done the King’s way that cannot happen until we enter into them like a little child. That’s good! That’s so good! There are some things that we leave in childhood that we should have brought into adulthood—your faith, your imagination, your innocence, your optimism, and your belief in your ability to do anything you put your mind to and become anyone that you believe God has called and created you to be. You didn’t see your location as a limitation; you didn’t see what other people didn’t do as an indication of what you could do. You knew then, even when you didn’t have the language, that you had the conviction of the principle of exception—that what happens with them does not dictate or determine what happens with me. Just because they didn’t make it out doesn’t mean I can’t make it out, and just because they didn’t do it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. There are some things in childhood that we should have brought to adulthood. Good! And I’m arguing that this kind of clear communication is something that is often left in childhood and should be brought to adulthood—because when it’s brought to adulthood, it can shift a relationship. Somebody say «shift»! What’s a shift, Pastor? It’s a change in position or location. So anyone who wants a great relationship has to experience shifts in relationships. Because if a person is in a relationship that does not undergo a series of relational shifts, they will look up one day and discover, «We had a great relationship, but we no longer have a great relationship.» So we will live in the present off the momentum of memories we created in the past, because we had something we no longer have—because we didn’t make shifts. Relationships have to shift because the people we’re in relationship with shift. Let me go to this side and try that. That made sense to me, I don’t know about you! Our relationships have to shift because the people we are in relationship with shift! Am I making sense? Tim Keller, God rest his soul, says this: «Anyone in a long-term relationship will wake up one day and roll over to a stranger, because life changes people in ways they can’t predict.» Did you hear what I said? So it means that I’ve got to learn how to love and how to lead and how to serve and how to relate to a different version of the same person. A different version of the same person can often feel like a completely different person, and if I don’t shift, I’ll be in a relationship with the old person who has become a new person. So I’ll be giving them what they used to need. Is anybody going to help this preacher preach this today? Somebody say «shift!» Come on, say it again: «shift!» Now here’s the good news, family: God is a God of shifts! But I want you to understand this—I want you to understand that there are some things that God shifts! Listen to me! There are some things we can look at in our lives, and if we’re honest and objective, we can point at…