1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:05,040 What up, Crossing family? I am so glad you guys are here. 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,840 I want to welcome all of our different campuses, those of you 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:12,000 watching online and inside, and I want to wish a special welcome 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,760 to those of you who are here for the first time or the first time 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:19,320 in a long time. I really believe that today 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,400 could be a significant moment in your spiritual journey. 7 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:24,920 Before we jump all the way into that, though, I want to make you 8 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:29,000 aware of a couple of things. One, camp registration is open 9 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,920 and available today. Yeah, yeah. 10 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,320 So if you open up your app, go to the For You section, you'll 11 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,080 find all the details about that. I want to encourage you to sign 12 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,640 up early and safe. And coming alongside of that, we 13 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,760 try to make sure that we do everything we can to help every 14 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:45,560 kid who wants to go to camp be able to go to camp. 15 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,480 Our In Your Corner golf outing, which provides scholarship funds 16 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:51,560 for kids who are wanting to go to camp. 17 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,600 You can sign up for that in the app. 18 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,080 It is a wonderful time. Those 4G outings provide funding 19 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,560 for kids who want to attend but not might not be able to afford 20 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,520 it. And your participation will make 21 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:03,800 a difference. And for those of you who are 22 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,720 going, I love kids, I love Jesus, but I don't like golf. 23 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,760 You can just provide a camp scholarship and every single bit 24 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:13,920 helps and everything you give will go to making camp as 25 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,640 affordable for every single kid that wants to go. 26 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,720 Our goal is simple, if a kid wants to go to camp, we want to 27 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:21,880 make it happen. And for those of you who are 28 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:25,600 looking for a stretch goal, Jennifer and me, our goal this 29 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,160 year is to send one or pay for one kid to be able to go to 30 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,200 every single one of the camps. And we have 9 camps because our 31 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:34,640 church keeps growing, which is a good thing. 32 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:36,760 Which means that if you're wanting to try and send one kid 33 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,800 to every single camp, it would be $18190.00. 34 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:41,880 But you can give whatever you can and it will be great. 35 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,480 You can find more information about that in the app as well, 36 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,720 just go to the For You section. But in my years of ministry, 37 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,920 sitting across the table from hundreds of you, there is almost 38 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:58,360 always a question of faith before a step of obedience. 39 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,680 That is why I am so glad that you are here today, because 40 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:04,760 we've been talking about taking steps of faith. 41 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,240 And I want you to hear me say this. 42 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,440 God is not afraid of your questions, and neither are we. 43 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,760 In fact, I believe that God and His Word not only welcome every 44 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:18,000 question, but they have the answers to every major question 45 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,640 about life and about faith. Now, to give you some context, 46 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:26,960 every single one of our weekend services is going to be unique. 47 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,800 So we're not asking the same questions at every single 48 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:30,960 service. So if you're going, hey, 49 00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:33,960 question I had didn't get answered, feel free to catch up 50 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,720 on the online when we post that. But to help you take your next 51 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,840 step, we have partnered with Doctor Sean McDowell with us 52 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:44,880 this weekend. Doctor Sean McDowell has devoted 53 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,160 his career to help bring truth to the next generation. 54 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,600 As a college professor, as a high school teacher, and as a 55 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,720 prolific author. He has exceptional insights into 56 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,600 prevailing culture, and he imparts his observations to 57 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,800 fellow educators, pastors, parents, and to students. 58 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,280 He is currently an Associate Professor of Christian 59 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,920 Apologetics at Biola University, which is the largest and top 60 00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:13,760 ranked graduate program of its kind in the world. 61 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:16,240 As a part time high school teacher, Sean was awarded 62 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,680 Educator of the Year in his hometown. 63 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:21,880 He is a highly sought after speaker here and we were 64 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:23,920 incredibly grateful that he was willing to come and be with us. 65 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:27,200 He's spoken at various camps, churches, universities worldwide 66 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:31,000 and is a frequent guest on radio and television shows. 67 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,760 He's a best selling author and has written or Co written over 68 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:35,400 20 bucks. This guy doesn't sleep folks. 69 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,080 He has a Master's degree in Theology and Philosophy and APHD 70 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:40,840 in apologetics and worldview studies. 71 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,920 He is also the Co host of the Think Biblically podcast. 72 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,080 All he's done while he's been here is just sleep. 73 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,640 Most noteworthy, he is a dedicated husband and father. 74 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:51,160 He has been married to his high school. 75 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,720 Sweet Stephanie, since 2000, he lives in beautiful Southern 76 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,200 California, which is where we're going to be opening another one 77 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,120 of our campuses to get out of this place. 78 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,280 Crossing family, would you please put a great crossing? 79 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,000 Welcome together to have Sean McDowell comes on the stage. 80 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:09,680 God bless you man. Thanks my man. 81 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,520 So this is a cool moment for me. When I went to Bible college, I 82 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,560 felt like God had called me into ministry. 83 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:22,560 But I went to Bible college with a lot of questions, and there 84 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,560 was questions of faith that I was going to, I've got to get 85 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,480 this figured out because I want to make sure I get it right. 86 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:32,240 And I'm going to build not just my eternity on this, but my life 87 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,880 for however long God lets me breathe on this. 88 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:38,200 And so I signed up for classes that answered questions about 89 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:40,600 faith. And one of the very first books 90 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:43,160 that I got was a book called More Than a Carpenter. 91 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,440 And that book was written by his father and he's actually 92 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,280 rewritten it alongside of your dad. 93 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,480 So that's a little bit of my journey of faith. 94 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:53,880 So if you're a person who has questions, I want you to know I 95 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:55,840 had questions. I still have questions. 96 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:57,560 What's a little bit? Tell us a little bit about your 97 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,360 faith journey. Yeah, so grew up in a Christian 98 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:01,880 home, as you can imagine, with a father who's an apologist 99 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,320 defending the faith. In the mid 90s I went to college 100 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,600 and we had this new technology, maybe you've heard of it, called 101 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,520 the Internet. Yeah, well, I'm fishing around 102 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:16,160 at that point on learning what, like, blogs and websites are, 103 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,920 and I come along this site dedicated to debunking 104 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:22,840 Christianity. In fact, they took my dad's 105 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:26,680 books chapter by chapter, doctors, lawyers, historians 106 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:29,640 responding. I read this and my heart sank, 107 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:34,120 Clayton for the first time. I was like, whoa, I don't know 108 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,200 how to answer this. And so I went to my dad. 109 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,600 We're up in in the mountains of Breckenridge, Co, on vacation. 110 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,120 And I remember, look at my dad in the eyes. 111 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:44,800 I'm probably 19. I said, dad, I want to know it's 112 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:48,400 true, but I don't know that I'm convinced Christianity is true. 113 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,400 Now, if you're a Christian, how would you respond if one of your 114 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:53,280 kids or grandkids said that to you? 115 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:55,720 My dad looked at me. He goes, son, I think that's 116 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,840 great. And I said, did you hear 117 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:00,600 anything? I just said he goes, you can't 118 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,080 live on my faith. You've got to seek after truth. 119 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,680 And if you seek after truth, I'm confident you'll fall Jesus 120 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:11,080 because Jesus is the truth and I love you no matter what. 121 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,120 And so God can take our questions. 122 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:16,600 Jesus said love God with your heart and with your soul and 123 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,680 with your mind. God says to Isaiah, come, let us 124 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,240 reason together. And Christianity can take 125 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:25,040 questions because it's actually true. 126 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,080 Come on. So let's get into it right now. 127 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,920 There is a bunch of people who will say a whole bunch of things 128 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:34,640 about the origin of the universe, the existence of 129 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,000 mankind. And so I want to kind of frame 130 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:41,200 up the question this way. Is creation a product of God or 131 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,120 a result of random chance? And let's kind of look at it 132 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:47,520 through the lens of of intelligent design and the 133 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:51,240 complex creation alludes to, well, you know what alludes to. 134 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:53,040 Yeah. So this question matters because 135 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:55,520 the Bible starts with, in the beginning, God. 136 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:58,160 Created. Before we learn God is holy or 137 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,920 loving and just, the first thing we're told is that God is a 138 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:05,280 creator. This is a purposeful universe 139 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,800 and you are not an accident. Well, how do we know this is 140 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:10,800 true? Well, you can look at a rate, 141 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,120 you can look at the beginning of the universe pointing towards 142 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,480 the beginner. We can look at the fine tune of 143 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,760 the laws of physics. But let's narrow down into the 144 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:23,520 micro, into what was discovered in 1953, DNA. 145 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:26,040 Now, if you've you've seen pictures of DNA, it's like a 146 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:30,400 ladder that's kind of twisted and on the base of it are 147 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:34,120 letters that are a part of the genetic code. 148 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:39,000 Now let me put in context how incredible DNA is in the average 149 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:43,120 adult human body, which by the way, is me, not you. 150 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,200 Just for the record, I'm. I'm the, I'm the plus. 151 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:48,640 Size version. That was a compliment. 152 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:52,400 I always wanted to be 6/6. So the average general human 153 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:53,800 body. I'm 59150. 154 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:55,720 I'm probably about as average as you'll find. 155 00:07:56,160 --> 00:08:02,000 There's 30 trillion cells. Now the DNA each cell, if you 156 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,720 took it out, would be about 6 feet in length. 157 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,160 That means the DNA in the average adult human body would 158 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:16,200 go from here to the sun and back about 200 * 200 times. 159 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,120 Now, how much information? According to one estimate, the 160 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:27,200 DNA in one cell in your body has an equipment of 8000 books, 8000 161 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:29,640 books. Now, when this was discovered, 162 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:31,200 it raises an interesting question. 163 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,280 Where did this come from? What accounts for this 164 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:37,360 information? Now, whenever we see information 165 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:41,080 and trace it to its source, we find an information giver. 166 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:44,560 If your shirt has information, there's a maker of the shirt. 167 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:48,120 If you get a text and it's legible, it comes from a texter, 168 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:50,960 A blog from Blogger, a book from an author. 169 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,760 In fact, if we walk outside and in the clouds, that says drink 170 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:56,040 Coke and I'm from Southern California. 171 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,080 So I say, what is that? None of you would say, oh, that 172 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:03,400 happens here naturally when a storm is coming down from Iowa. 173 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:08,240 You wouldn't say that. We know that information traces 174 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,960 to a mind when we look inside DNA, and we see more 175 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:16,520 sophisticated information than the most complex things humans 176 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,240 can create. I don't have enough faith to 177 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:21,000 believe that happened by accident. 178 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:25,480 I think the best explanation is that points beyond itself to a 179 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:29,400 mind. So in some information points 180 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:33,400 towards an information giver. DNA, I would argue, is like a 181 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:38,280 fingerprint of the divine for those with eyes to see and ears 182 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:40,520 to hear. Man, that is so good because 183 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:45,040 what we get pushed a lot of times is random chance and we 184 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:49,120 get all, you know, time is God in the atheistic worldview. 185 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,360 And for us to realize that everything about you screams 186 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,840 because you said, oh, let's actually we got time punch into 187 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:56,480 this. You talked about it being a 188 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,880 language, and that means that there is a God who's 189 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:02,680 communicating. So there's a God who is 190 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:04,720 revealing himself to us. Next one. 191 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:11,080 OK, we'll do this one. Let's do it. 192 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:19,840 All right, Doctor Sean, I agree. God exists, but I'm not a big 193 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:24,960 fan of him because if he is all powerful and he can do all these 194 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:28,480 good things, why doesn't he stop all the suffering in the world? 195 00:10:29,560 --> 00:10:32,520 Friends, this is the big question. 196 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:35,320 It's a question atheists ask from the outside. 197 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:38,720 And if you're a follower of Jesus, you've asked this 198 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,400 question too. Habakkuk says, God, why do I see 199 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:48,560 violence and you don't stop it? So first thing I would say is if 200 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:53,960 you suffer, I am so sorry and my heart is broken for you. 201 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:57,680 A Christian response in Romans 12/15 says be happy with those 202 00:10:57,680 --> 00:11:00,680 who are happy, be sad with those who are sad. 203 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,480 If you're suffering, I mourn with you and I hurt with you. 204 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:10,720 Second, realize God is big enough for your pain and your 205 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,920 suffering and for you to express your emotions to him. 206 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:19,320 So Psalms, there's 150 chapters and they're Psalms. 207 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:24,640 One of the most common psalms is what we call a complaint Psalm. 208 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,800 People going to God like David saying, God, you've abandoned 209 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,720 me, God, where are you? God, what happened now? 210 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,480 The Psalms are rooted in hopefulness, but if you're 211 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,120 hurting or see somebody hurting, it's not sinful to take that 212 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:40,640 emotions to God. God can take it. 213 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:46,240 He's there to be our comforter. Third thing I would say is let 214 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:48,080 me share a story that might, might help. 215 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:53,760 In the 1800s, there was a priest by the name of Father Damien and 216 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:59,400 he went to be a priest to care for lepers on the island of 217 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:03,440 Molokai in the Hawaiian chain. He showed up and he would pray 218 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:07,320 for them, he would preach to them, he would counsel them. 219 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:12,920 He just loved them. After 12 years, something 220 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:17,120 radically changed. He stood in front of him and he 221 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,680 said 2 words that changed everything. 222 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,680 This priest stood in front of the leper colony, opened up his 223 00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:29,480 robe, showed the first signs of leprosy and said, we lepers, 224 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:34,120 Father Damien had become a leper. 225 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,960 No, Nesh, a few questions. Did they know that he cared for 226 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:43,320 them before he got leprosy? Of course, What changed on that 227 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:46,360 day? He was no longer an outsider. 228 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:53,360 He was somebody who stepped into their suffering, experienced it 229 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:58,560 first hand and literally laid down his life for them. 230 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:05,080 Next question, who is Jesus? More like Father Damien before 231 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:10,160 he got leprosy or after. And you know the answer, don't 232 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:14,040 you? In Christianity, God didn't just 233 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:16,440 send a prophet. He didn't just speak in 234 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:17,800 creation. And you're right, it's a 235 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,640 language. He didn't doesn't just speak in 236 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:24,120 dreams or send a holy book. As important and powerful as the 237 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:29,760 Bible is, it is only in Christianity that says God steps 238 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:34,320 into our suffering and experiences and knows it. 239 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:38,280 That's why Hebrews 2 and Hebrews 4 say we have a high priest who 240 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,840 understands. So if you're suffering because 241 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:46,040 your family's betrayed you, you can't say Jesus, you don't 242 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:48,440 understand. He's like, yeah, I was betrayed 243 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:51,040 by my family and one of my disciples. 244 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:55,080 If you're physically suffering, you can't say Jesus, you don't 245 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:57,320 understand. He's kind of like, you know, I 246 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:01,400 was crucified. I get it so many ways. 247 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,360 When we ask where is God in our suffering, the answer is it's 248 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:09,600 only in Christianity that says God is right there suffering 249 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:12,840 with us now. He doesn't leave us there. 250 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:17,160 God promises to redeem our suffering for good and to 251 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,600 conquer it one day. That's why one of the most 252 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:24,720 powerful teachings in the Bible is Jesus, who's God in human 253 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:26,840 flesh. He's God in human flesh. 254 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,880 John chapter 1 experiences the weight and suffering and 255 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:35,240 temptation that we do stands before Pilate and Pilates. 256 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:36,640 Like what am I going to do with you? 257 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,840 Because I have power over life and death, and Jesus says you 258 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:45,760 have no power over me. I lay down my life and I pick it 259 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,280 up again. That's where our hope comes 260 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:54,120 from, the resurrection of Jesus. Sin has already been defeated. 261 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:59,960 Our suffering is going to end and God is going to redeem it 262 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:03,800 for good. Knowing and believing that truth 263 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,280 doesn't mean we escape suffering, but it means God is 264 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:11,160 with us and gives us a hope amidst our suffering. 265 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:15,560 That is so good and I want to, I want you guys to like take that 266 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:19,000 all the way in because he's saying that God brings purpose 267 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:20,560 out of your pain. Amen. 268 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,120 So functionally, God does sometimes through a miraculous 269 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:26,280 intervention, bring suffering to an end. 270 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,720 Some of you have been around and you've experienced that every 271 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:31,640 time God brings purpose out of the pain. 272 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:34,280 And the perfect example of that is Jesus on the cross. 273 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:38,320 The other part is part of the reason why God allows suffering 274 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,960 in this world is because we're sinners who have free choice. 275 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,040 If you wanted to stop the suffering in your house, you'd 276 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:47,920 kick out all of the teenagers that live in your house, right? 277 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:51,360 But because you're a loving parent, you tolerate a certain 278 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:55,800 amount of suffering in your home because you love them and you 279 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,000 want to guide them out of the situation and the circumstances 280 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:03,200 that they're in. All right, let's do, let's do 281 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,440 this one. We live in a world of relative 282 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,280 truth. We live in a world of my truth. 283 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:16,440 We are against exclusivity, but Jesus makes an exclusive claim. 284 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:20,840 He says that the only way to the Father is through him. 285 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:25,760 Isn't that too exclusive for Jesus to say that he's the only 286 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:27,880 way to get to God, the only way to get to heaven? 287 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:32,080 OK so First off every belief system is exclusive. 288 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:37,760 If you claim that A is true, it means you think B through Z is 289 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:42,920 not true. Islam is exclusivistic, Judaism 290 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,880 is exclusivistic, Buddhism is exclusivistic. 291 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:47,040 You say, well what about Hinduism? 292 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:48,960 I was talking with the Hindu and he said, oh, I think 293 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,360 Christianity is true, your belief system is true. 294 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:55,640 I said, OK, wait a minute, you bring Christianity within 295 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,080 Hinduism and my beliefs fit within yours. 296 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:05,000 So you don't actually think Jesus is the eternal, only God, 297 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:09,079 the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and salvation is by faith alone. 298 00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:12,319 So really, Hinduism is exclusivistic. 299 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:16,240 Now, if I were to stand up here and say, yeah, Jesus is the only 300 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,920 way, take my word for it, you'd rightly be like, yeah, why 301 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:21,520 should I trust you? Sure, you got a little bit of 302 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:23,520 education, but we're talking about pretty important things 303 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:27,440 here. Who claimed to be the way, the 304 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:33,360 truth and the life and that no one gets the Father but by him 305 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:37,960 it's Jesus. So the question is, is this too 306 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,680 exclusivistic? Why should I listen to him? 307 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,760 One of the things that makes Jesus unique amongst religious 308 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,920 leaders is he didn't just say here's how you get to truth. 309 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,640 He didn't say here's how you experience salvation. 310 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:53,800 He didn't say here's how you find God. 311 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:58,880 He said I am the way, the truth and the life. 312 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:04,920 No one gets the Father but by me and then he backed it up. 313 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:13,480 He was the virgin born, miracle working, sinless risen Savior. 314 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:19,360 That guy has a right to claim every other religious leader is 315 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:23,800 still in the grave. Jesus is the only one who said 316 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:26,120 ahead of time. Again, we see this in John 2. 317 00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:29,800 We see it in John 10. I lay down my life and I take it 318 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,040 up again. We see in the beginning of Acts 319 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:34,640 that it was prophesied the Messiah would suffer. 320 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:40,600 Psalm 1610 tells us distinctly death does not have power over 321 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:45,960 His chosen one. Jesus claims to be God and He 322 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:50,720 backs it up in a way no other religious figure did. 323 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:53,760 I'm going with that guy. Come on. 324 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,680 Definitely going with that guy. Yeah, the the answer to that is 325 00:18:57,080 --> 00:18:59,960 Jesus is the only one who and then you start filling in the 326 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:01,720 blank. Why does Jesus make the 327 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,680 exclusive claim that he's the only one or only way to get to 328 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:06,520 the Father? It's because he's the only one 329 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,240 who can make those exclusive claims. 330 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:12,240 He's the only one who was before the foundations of the world. 331 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:14,840 He's the only one who spoke the universe into existence. 332 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,520 He's the only one who holds it all together, as it says in 333 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:19,400 Colossians. He's the only one who came and 334 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:21,280 lived a sinless life. He's the only one who died on 335 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:23,160 behalf of our sin. He's the only one who was 336 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:25,720 crucified and then three days later rose again like he's the 337 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:29,240 only one who, and when you're the only one who you get to make 338 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:32,400 the exclusive claims. I am the only one who is married 339 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:34,520 to Jennifer. That is an exclusive claim. 340 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,120 And I've got all the receipts to back it up. 341 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:43,760 Literally thousands upon thousands of receipts to back it 342 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:45,560 up. She doesn't send the bill to 343 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:49,200 anybody else. Now listen, that is not a 344 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,200 hurtful claim. That's a truthful claim. 345 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,480 When Jesus saying he's the only way, he is not making a hurtful 346 00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:59,080 claim. He's making a loving. 347 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:00,000 Claim. Amen. 348 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:03,440 Because if you want to get to God, He has made a way. 349 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,160 Now this ties into the next question. 350 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:10,280 By the way, really quickly, Christianity is not an exclusive 351 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:16,040 faith, it's an inclusive faith, meaning Jesus died for everyone 352 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:18,680 and invites everyone to repentance. 353 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,080 Buddhism mostly limited to China. 354 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:23,640 Hinduism mostly limited to India. 355 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,080 Islam mostly limited to the Middle East. 356 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:30,800 There are Christians following Jesus in every faith and 357 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:32,840 language and background in the world. 358 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:36,560 It truly is the most inclusive faith. 359 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,840 Come on now. So we're talking about faith. 360 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:45,480 OK, This is a a question that I remember wrestling with in my 361 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:49,200 early years of ministry. So graduated from college and 362 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:51,400 you're going to go Clayton. You must not have been doing as 363 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:52,920 good of a job in class as you should have. 364 00:20:54,120 --> 00:21:01,320 So I'm going to if God or why doesn't God make himself more 365 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,160 obvious? Because if this is where we're 366 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:06,080 putting ourselves in, which is a dangerous place. 367 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:11,840 So let's acknowledge it. If I was God, I would park, 368 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:15,640 disguise speaking this, you know, I'm God, pay attention to 369 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:17,800 me. And everybody would go, hey, I 370 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:19,920 think this is real. We probably ought to get this 371 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:21,840 figured out. Why doesn't God do that? 372 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,840 Totally fair question all of us at some point have been like God 373 00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:29,760 answer this prayer God make yourself more clear and then I 374 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:34,480 would believe I get it but Romans one tells us that God has 375 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:40,200 made himself sufficiently clear. We know this. 376 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:45,400 It's obvious because it's written into creation. 377 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:51,040 So God has made himself sufficiently known through 378 00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:55,160 creation, but we suppress it in unrighteousness for other 379 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:57,240 reasons. I think we also know God exists. 380 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,400 Romans 2 through conscience. There's a moral law. 381 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:04,360 We know there's right and wrong, and we know we've fallen short 382 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:05,960 of it. But that only makes sense. 383 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:09,200 There's a moral law if there's a moral law giver. 384 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,840 So I think God has made himself sufficiently clear. 385 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:16,120 Nonetheless, we say, why does God make himself more obvious? 386 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:20,760 Well, here's the trade off is that the more obvious God makes 387 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,160 us, the more he kind of squelches our freedom. 388 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:27,800 So we're kind of forced to believe in God rather than 389 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:31,960 choose to believe in him. Out of relationship, he'd say, 390 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,920 yeah, but God, if he just did more obvious miracles, people 391 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:39,800 would believe. And I'd say maybe, maybe let me 392 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:40,960 give you 2 examples from the Bible. 393 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:46,920 Only in the Gospel, John, do we have the raising of Lazarus from 394 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:51,880 the dead on the 4th day. By the way, there were people 395 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:56,040 watching this. Jesus shows up and they laugh at 396 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,280 him, saying you're going to rise him from the dead. 397 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:03,240 They raise him from the dead and everybody repents. 398 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,240 Actually, you know, that's exactly how the story didn't go. 399 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:10,480 They raised from that publicly. What do they want to do? 400 00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:15,040 They want to kill Lazarus and run Jesus out of town. 401 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:19,560 It wasn't a lack of evidence, it was something else. 402 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:21,520 How about the Old Testament you mentioned? 403 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:24,960 Like why doesn't God part the Red Sea he did or part some sea 404 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:29,240 he did for the Israelites? They saw all the 10 plagues and 405 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,560 the miracles manna from heaven. And then you go along in the 406 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,040 story, what do they do? They go up the mountain and they 407 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,280 start worshipping a golden calf when Moses goes up the mountain. 408 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:43,440 So more evidence doesn't necessarily mean people will 409 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:48,720 follow and worship God, which is what God wants from us. 410 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,320 I struggled with this as well. My God, why don't you make 411 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:55,840 yourself more obvious? And I remember, I remember an 412 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,640 atheist on this website, now that I think about it, in the 413 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:02,560 90s, he said, if God really exists, why wouldn't he write on 414 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:06,880 the moon Jesus lives or why wouldn't he write on the cell 415 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:11,080 made by Yahweh after we're after all all our toys say like made 416 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:15,440 in China. Clayton, I studied DNA and I 417 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,440 stopped. I thought, you know what he did 418 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:24,000 with DNA. It's as if God has signed every 419 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,560 cell with evidence of His presence. 420 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:32,240 I understand the cry for more evidence. 421 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:37,440 It's human nature to do this. But don't let us miss how God 422 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,480 has made himself known in our moral conscience, in creation, 423 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:47,680 in miracles, in change lives, in the Scripture, in the church for 424 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,880 those with eyes to see and ears to hear. 425 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:56,240 God might not be as obvious as we would like, but he has 426 00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:00,240 sufficiently made himself known. If you're there, I would say, 427 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:04,920 God, make yourself real to me. Reveal yourself. 428 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:10,120 Be willing to repent of sin, get into the scriptures and bring 429 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:12,880 your questions to God. God can take it. 430 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:15,880 That is so good and let me let me key in and put a couple more 431 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:17,360 things in your tool belt on this one. 432 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:24,680 One, we are saved by faith through grace. 433 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,760 So there is an element of us that has to believe. 434 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:31,640 I don't have to believe that Jennifer exists. 435 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,560 I can see her. I don't have to trust that she 436 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:37,480 exists. I can see her. 437 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:44,560 And God tells us that the way we please Him is by faith. 438 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:49,640 So there is an element of our walk with him that is sustained 439 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:53,280 and originates in the area of faith. 440 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:55,840 But watch this. God blesses that. 441 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,840 He looks at his followers who have seen him provide all kinds 442 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:02,680 of miracles. He says that you know you are 443 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:04,400 great. It's great that you guys 444 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:10,760 believe, but blessed are those who believe even though they 445 00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:14,880 don't see. And what are we told that we 446 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,000 will get enjoy when we get to heaven? 447 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:23,680 Our faith will disappear because we will have sight. 448 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:28,520 God has made Himself clear to people who are willing to look, 449 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,480 and He has made Himself available to those who are not 450 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,520 obstinate to belief in Him. But if you have a hardened 451 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:40,200 heart, it doesn't matter how many miracles you see, you still 452 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:42,680 won't believe. In fact, in almost every big 453 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:46,680 atheist Christian debate, there comes that moment where 454 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:51,160 oftentimes the the the Christian apologist will say, if God 455 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,200 parted the sea and opened the doors right now and he said all 456 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,080 this stuff to you, what would you think? 457 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,520 And he goes, well, then I would believe he goes, you sure you 458 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:00,880 wouldn't think you were having a hallucination? 459 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,640 Because that is actually the claim that they put on all the 460 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:06,360 people who did see Jesus who had rose from the dead. 461 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:09,400 So even if you buy into their argument, they won't give it 462 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:13,320 over because their hearts are hard, they're rebellious, 463 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,320 they're wicked against the things of God. 464 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:20,200 All right, let me let me do this. 465 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,320 And would you guys give Sean a big round of applause? 466 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:24,680 Thank you so much. Thank. 467 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:30,800 You Jesus was with his disciples ancestry of Philippi. 468 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,480 It was like the Lake of the Ozarks for the Middle East. 469 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:37,400 It was where you went away to kind of have a good time with 470 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,480 your close friends. Not in a sinful way. 471 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:41,560 I don't want to paint that in a bad way, but because I know you 472 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,120 guys go to the lake and you lose your Jesus. 473 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:48,320 But Jesus is with his disciples ancestry of Philippi and he 474 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,160 asked them in Matthew chapter 16 verse 14, who do you say that I 475 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:55,520 am? And their answer was, some say 476 00:27:55,520 --> 00:28:00,080 John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others 477 00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:05,920 Jeremiah or one of the prophets. A lot of people that you know, 478 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:11,200 they have a different view of Jesus than maybe you do, 479 00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:14,400 depending on where you're watching or where you're reading 480 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:15,720 or what you're scrolling through. 481 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:18,240 You'll say, you'll see some people say that Jesus was a 482 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:20,600 fictional character. Some will say that he was a 483 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:22,880 prophet. There'll be some who will say he 484 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:26,360 was a really good teacher. There'll be some who will say he 485 00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:29,600 was a charismatic leader. Others will say he was just a 486 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,040 mid, a misunderstood 1st century Jew. 487 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,760 And all of this is a bunch of hoopla about nothing. 488 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:37,600 But Jesus didn't end the conversation there. 489 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:42,880 The next verse, Matthew 16, verse 15, Jesus said, but what 490 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:47,920 about you? Who do you say I am? 491 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:53,560 The question today is not what do others believe about Jesus, 492 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:56,520 but what do you believe about Jesus? 493 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,840 When you stand before God, he's not going to give you a pop quiz 494 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:05,320 on what all of your friends and family and neighbors thought 495 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:07,760 about Jesus. He's going to say, what do you 496 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:12,320 believe about Jesus? Simon Peter raises his hand, 497 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:18,800 verse 16, and he answered, you are the Christ, the Son of the 498 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:22,520 living God. And Peter's answer was the right 499 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:25,280 one. He realized that Jesus was the 500 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:29,360 Christ, the anointed one, the promised Messiah, God in the 501 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:33,360 flesh, who was going to deliver people not just from the penalty 502 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:36,400 of their sin, but save them from their sins and bring them into a 503 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:38,840 right relationship with his heavenly Father. 504 00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:42,440 And you might be thinking right now, easy for Peter. 505 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:47,640 He was there. He saw all of this take place. 506 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:51,040 I want you to hear me say this. Yeah, I know. 507 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,760 And do you know what he did? He died taking his eyewitness 508 00:29:55,760 --> 00:30:02,200 testimony to the nation's. Hear me When we talk about 509 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,480 placing our faith in Jesus, I'm not discounting the fact that it 510 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,440 is a step of faith, but it is a reasoned faith. 511 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,600 When I say a reasoned faith, I'm saying there are reasons, 512 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:17,760 really, really good reasons to believe that Jesus is the 513 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:20,560 Christ. There are eyewitness accounts 514 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:24,560 not just of his life, but also of his death and resurrection. 515 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:29,200 In fact, Jesus appeared to over 500 people after his 516 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,760 resurrection. The biblical text, it can stand 517 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:35,640 up to critics and it can hold up to skeptics. 518 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:38,800 The evidence for the existence of God not only stands up to 519 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:42,520 scrutiny, but it delivers the very best and most reliable 520 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:45,080 answers. I believe the best answer for 521 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,160 the beginning of the universe is found in God. 522 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,520 The fine tuning of the universe, that answer is found in God. 523 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,160 How do we explain the laws of nature, the existence of 524 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:56,320 objective moral values? Those are all rooted and found 525 00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:00,000 in God. And that is before you count the 526 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:05,120 countless lives that have been transformed, changed, redeemed 527 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:10,360 and repurposed, of which I'm 1. And so are you. 528 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:14,360 And you might be saying, but I don't know everything. 529 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:18,320 Yeah, I get it. You don't know everything. 530 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,960 But you know enough. Hear me? 531 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:26,160 How many of you fellas here help me out? 532 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,280 You know everything there is to know about women. 533 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,200 Raise your hand. Yeah. 534 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:35,240 Someone, someone just got saved here at 48th St. 535 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:38,920 Yeah. Nobody knows everything there is 536 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:41,520 to know about what? But raise your hand if you want 537 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,720 one or you're glad you have one. If you didn't raise your hand 538 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:47,040 there, that was a You're going to be buying some expensive 539 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,520 stuff before the day's over. OK. 540 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:53,000 You got to stay awake. I got Jennifer here. 541 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:56,760 I still to this day do not know everything there is to know 542 00:31:56,760 --> 00:32:00,160 about her, but I knew enough about her to know that I wanted 543 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:01,800 to spend the rest of my life with her. 544 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:08,360 It makes sense to me that a God who created the world, set the 545 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:10,840 stars in place, wrote the laws of nature, moved the mountains 546 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,480 into place, is big enough to hold the waters of the ocean, 547 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:16,400 and the palm of His hands might be a little too big for me to 548 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:22,000 completely wrap my mind around. But I know enough to know that I 549 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,640 need Him. I know enough to know that I 550 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:28,680 want Him. And I know enough to know I 551 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,560 don't want to spend another day of my life without Him. 552 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,520 And if you're here today and you've never started that 553 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,680 relationship with Jesus Christ, it's time for you to think about 554 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:41,680 it. And if you're here today and 555 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:44,280 you're going, you know what? It's time for me to start living 556 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,640 my life in alignment with the faith that I actually profess. 557 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:50,600 I'm so glad you're here today. And that's why we're going into 558 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,320 this time of decision. And we're going to do, Yeah, 559 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:56,640 thank you guys. We're going to do something we 560 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:59,640 don't get to do all that often. And that is I'm getting to stay 561 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:02,520 live at all of our locations. And thank you so much for 562 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:05,200 staying connected with us. And let me just talk for just a 563 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:08,200 second to those of you gathering all across this region who have 564 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:11,320 never started an intimate personal relationship with Jesus 565 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,320 Christ. You see, God is not just great 566 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:18,520 and powerful and majestic and mighty, He is also good. 567 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:22,560 So good in fact, that He did not make us get right. 568 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:26,280 And then we could go to him and said He came down to make us 569 00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:30,840 right so we could be with Him. Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says 570 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:33,880 this, but God demonstrates His own love for us and this that 571 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:37,920 while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 572 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:40,520 In other words, salvation was His idea. 573 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:43,640 He did it before you drew your first breath, before you 574 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:47,200 committed your first sin, before you rejected His Son, abandoned 575 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,840 his purpose for you, and He still sent his Son to the cross 576 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:55,640 anyway to bring you back to Him. And in just a few moments, at 577 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:58,280 all of our locations, when the people stand and sing and people 578 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,800 come to the steps and pray. If you're here today and you've 579 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:04,120 never started an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus 580 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:07,960 Christ, your next move is to talk to somebody about that. 581 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:11,000 And at all of our locations next to the baptistry, there's going 582 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,639 to be a campus pastor or somebody who would love a chance 583 00:34:13,639 --> 00:34:15,480 to talk with you, and I hope you'll do it. 584 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:18,120 And to those of you who do have a relationship with Jesus 585 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:19,840 Christ, my prayer for you is simple. 586 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:25,000 May your faith in God inspire you to greater devotion, to 587 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,960 greater obedience and greater participation in the mission of 588 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,320 God. May it strengthen you in your 589 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:34,520 prayers and guide you through your darkest valleys. 590 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:40,320 Would you guys stand with me? Heavenly Father, you know 591 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:43,800 exactly what every single one of us needs to do in this moment 592 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:48,520 right now, and I'm asking that You would lead us, guide us, 593 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:52,199 direct us, and empower us to take the steps that we 594 00:34:52,199 --> 00:34:56,560 desperately need to take. In Your name, I pray. 595 00:34:57,520 --> 00:34:57,880 Amen.