1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,400 Last weekend was a special weekend here at the crossing. 2 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:08,080 And to those of you who served, and when I say served, if you 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,480 are a greeter and tech and worship and kids ministry, 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,000 parking lot, coffee bar, new gear booth, section leaders, you 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:15,680 know who you are If you served. You know who you are. 6 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:19,240 If you parked far away, if you give financially support, the 7 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:21,600 ministry of the Crossing. If you are a person who was 8 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,200 inviting people. To those of you who are part of 9 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,880 the 3:00 PM prayer club, I just got a quick update for you. 10 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:33,680 God did it. We had 15,000 191 people on site 11 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,600 or inside at one of our locations and thousands more 12 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,800 John joined online. Our goal is to make this region 13 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,920 the hardest place on planet earth to get the help from and 14 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:46,440 we are taking ground and it is such a joy to do ministry 15 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,920 alongside each and every single one of you is we try to help 16 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,760 other people find what we found in an intimate personal 17 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,440 relationship with Jesus Christ. I also want to update those of 18 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,440 you who have been praying for our Weaver location. 19 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,400 They had 410 people on Easter weekend. 20 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,840 We are so proud of you guys and the team that God has assembled 21 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:08,880 up there and can't wait to see what God does next. 22 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:13,280 And in addition to all of that, we are celebrating 39 baptisms 23 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:18,520 from this past weekend, which brings us to 420 for the year. 24 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,880 God is up to something, and that means it is not a time for us to 25 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,960 let off the gas. Keep praying, keep inviting, and 26 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:27,760 let's find out what happens when we have a can't stop, won't stop 27 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,640 attitude for the Kingdom of God. I want to welcome all of our 28 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,600 different locations, those of you here at 48th St. all of our 29 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,120 different locations across this region, those of you watching 30 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,560 online, and those of you who are a part of the crossing inside. 31 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:46,280 Last week we started a sermon series called Unexpected, and we 32 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,840 began the series with a story about Zacchaeus and how Jesus 33 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:54,840 dealt with a person that other people would have called the 34 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,440 worst of the worst, sinners like you and me. 35 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,040 And we learned that Jesus came to seek and save those who are 36 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,560 lost. Well, today we're going to jump 37 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:12,120 all the way to the other end of the social religious spectrum 38 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,840 and see how Jesus interacts with somebody that everybody would 39 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,520 have said is the best of the best. 40 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:27,840 John chapter 3, verse one. Now there was a Pharisee, a man 41 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:34,280 named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 42 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,680 Quick background, Nicodemus is a Pharisee. 43 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:44,160 He is 1 of the 71 most powerful men in the nation of Israel by 44 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:48,440 being a part of the Sanhedrin. When you think of him, I want 45 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:54,200 you to think of him as part Supreme Court Justice, part US 46 00:02:54,200 --> 00:03:00,040 senator, and part Bishop. He had dedicated himself to the 47 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,680 word of God. He was a respected teacher. 48 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,760 He was somebody that everybody looked up to. 49 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,080 Little Jewish moms would talk to their little Jewish boys and say 50 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:17,360 one day, I hope you end up like Nick John, chapter 3, verse two. 51 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:23,240 He came to Jesus at night and said, Rabbi, we know that you 52 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:28,200 are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can perform the 53 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:33,240 signs that you are doing if God were not with him. 54 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,880 Lots have been said and speculated about the fact that 55 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,640 Nicodemus shows up to talk to Jesus at night. 56 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,560 It could have been that Nicodemus, because he was a very 57 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,360 important person, had a very busy schedule and this was the 58 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,360 only time that worked. And it makes perfect sense that 59 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,160 he could have been sent by the other members of the ruling 60 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,240 council to investigate this Jesus be who was doing all kinds 61 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:56,560 of things. And so he was simply just 62 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,280 waiting for the right time for his calendar and Jesus calendar 63 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,480 to collide. But others have wondered, and 64 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:06,640 I'm in agreement with them, that perhaps the fact that this took 65 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,680 place at night was on purpose. It was deliberate. 66 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,680 He didn't want to be seen. He didn't want to admit that 67 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,959 there was something special and different about Jesus that was 68 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:21,360 stirring in his soul. Part of the reason why I feel 69 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,480 this way is when you read the Gospel of John and you read 70 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,840 first, second, and third John, all written by the same guy. 71 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,400 He goes out of his way all throughout those books and 72 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,320 letters that he writes to highlight the contrast between 73 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,440 light and darkness. Light has come into the world, 74 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,240 but darkness has not has not understood it. 75 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,280 We are to be children of the light and we are to put away the 76 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:48,560 deeds that are done in darkness. And Nicodemus shows up at night. 77 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:52,320 Maybe part of the reason he was coming at night is he had way 78 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:56,240 too much to lose by being associated with the one who was 79 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,600 turning the religious world upside down. 80 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:05,280 John chapter 3 verse 3. Jesus replied very truly. 81 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:11,120 I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are 82 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:16,560 born again. Now Jesus answers a question 83 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:23,240 that Nicodemus is not asking. Nicodemus shows up and Jesus 84 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:27,320 almost cuts him off and goes in a completely different 85 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:29,800 direction. Now there is way more going on 86 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,440 here but you have to back up to see it. 87 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,720 Quick reminder, when you are reading your Bible, when it's 88 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:42,280 like John chapter 3 verse 3, the chapter 3 and the verse three 89 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,720 are not inspired, they're not from God. 90 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,160 They're just simply a tool to make sure that you and I are 91 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,200 looking at the exact same verse in a relatively efficient period 92 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:53,360 of time. So if you were to write a letter 93 00:05:53,360 --> 00:06:00,240 to your wife, you wouldn't go baby chapter 3 verse one, like 94 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:02,240 you just write it and it just be one big letter. 95 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:04,840 And that's what these were. So if you want to see what's 96 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:07,600 happening, sometimes when you're reading this and you get chapter 97 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,640 headings and you get verses, it can kind of interrupt a train of 98 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:12,600 thought. So if you were to peel all of it 99 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,320 off and you're to back up just a little bit, it sets the stage a 100 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:20,800 little bit differently. John chapter 2, verse 23. 101 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:26,280 Now while Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover festival, many 102 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:29,480 people saw the signs that Jesus was performing and believed in 103 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,480 Jesus name. But Jesus would not entrust 104 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,040 himself to them, for he knew all about people. 105 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:40,800 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what 106 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:47,600 was in each man. Now there was a man, a Pharisee 107 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,800 named Nicodemus. There's a, You guys have 108 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,280 probably done this, you're at a different place and you're on, 109 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:58,000 you're travelling and you decide that you're hungry and you're 110 00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:59,560 going to go get something to eat. 111 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:02,080 And what do we do? We look at the reviews. 112 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:04,960 We kind of have an idea of the type of restaurant we want to go 113 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:06,760 to. We see how expensive it is. 114 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,520 And then we kind of look at the reviews and we allow the reviews 115 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,880 to tell us whether or not we are going to trust that restaurant 116 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:18,720 with our digestive tract, right? Like, you know what, this place 117 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,040 has got some sketchy reviews, but we're in the mood for sushi, 118 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:24,760 so let's pick the one that's closest to the hotel. 119 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:28,240 We're not wanting an away game, so you're looking in there. 120 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,000 Well, if it's your hometown restaurants, you know, all the 121 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,960 restaurants you go to and all the ones that you avoid, you 122 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:39,320 don't need a review because you know what to expect. 123 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,120 Jesus doesn't need any reviews from anybody. 124 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:46,840 He knows exactly what's going on in a person's heart. 125 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,160 He knows exactly what's going through their mind. 126 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:54,240 He doesn't need anybody to tell him anything about anyone, 127 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,480 because He knows absolutely everything there is to know 128 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:00,440 about absolutely every single person. 129 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:04,640 Jesus did not entrust Himself to them because He knew what was in 130 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,360 a man. Now, there was a man named 131 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,280 Nicodemus. Jesus knows exactly what's going 132 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,400 on in Nicodemus's heart, exactly what's going on in Nicodemus's 133 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,240 mind. Nothing is off limits. 134 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,400 That's kind of comforting about Jesus and scary. 135 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:25,720 If you've ever done something and you were doing the right 136 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,920 thing, but everybody took it wrong, you kind of like the fact 137 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:30,920 that Jesus knows you were trying to do the good thing. 138 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,559 You just screwed it up. You like that He knows your 139 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:35,320 heart. You like that He knows that your 140 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:37,840 intentions were good and your intentions were pure. 141 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,159 It's comforting to know in those times that Jesus knows what's 142 00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:45,120 going on in our heart and what's going on in our mind at the same 143 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,880 time. Sometimes you did the good 144 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:50,640 thing, but you did it for bad reasons. 145 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,560 You can fool other people, but you can't fool God. 146 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:58,360 He knows exactly what's going through your heart, exactly 147 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,080 what's going through your mind. He knows how dark it can 148 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:05,320 actually be. Nicodemus shows up. 149 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:11,680 Now there was a man and he shows up and he acknowledges that 150 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:16,160 Jesus is a great teacher. And today there are people all 151 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,400 over the globe who will acknowledge that Jesus was 152 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,320 indeed a historical person in the 1st century and that his 153 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:24,400 teachings were indeed spectacular. 154 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:27,600 Something special about him, something different about this 155 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:29,960 man named Jesus. And they'll say, you know what? 156 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,320 Those teachings were good. And we could even put these into 157 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:33,400 our life. They're powerful. 158 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,560 They're worth following. And Jesus was a great teacher. 159 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:38,480 But Jesus did not show up to teach. 160 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,040 He did not show up to further our educational pursuits. 161 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:48,200 Jesus came to save and he looks at Nicodemus and he says you 162 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:53,680 will not see the Kingdom of God unless you are born again. 163 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,360 This would have hit Nicodemus like a ton of bricks. 164 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:01,960 He was one of the most respected religious people of his day. 165 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:06,280 Very few people knew the scriptures like Nicodemus knew 166 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,600 the scriptures. Very few lived a more devoted 167 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:13,040 life than Nicodemus lived. However, it is not knowledge 168 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,200 that saves, nor is it religious adherence. 169 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:22,200 He tells Nicodemus that he must be born again, that he must be 170 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:26,760 born from above, that he must have a spiritual birth. 171 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:30,080 And Nicodemus took it like a donkey learning French. 172 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,560 He I don't want to demonstrate that because I don't know how 173 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:35,400 that would go, but you get the idea. 174 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:39,440 It's not computing, so Jesus unpacks it like this. 175 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:41,320 John chapter 3 verses 4 through 5. 176 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,800 This is Nicodemus talking. How can someone be born when 177 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,000 they are old? Nicodemus asked. 178 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:53,240 Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's 179 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:58,480 womb to be born. Jesus answered very truly. 180 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:04,320 I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are 181 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:13,000 born of water and the Spirit. No one has ever gone into heaven 182 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,520 except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. 183 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:20,840 That's Jesus. Just as Moses lifted up the 184 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:24,880 snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up 185 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:32,000 that everyone who say this next word believes may have eternal 186 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:36,880 life in Him. Lots have been said about being 187 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:42,160 born of water and of the Spirit. I will just tell you that 188 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:49,120 baptism in the water accompanies the Spirit Jesus. 189 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,720 When he was baptized in the water, the Holy Spirit descended 190 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:57,000 upon him like a dove. In Acts chapter 2, verse 38, the 191 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,760 very first gospel message, it says that we are to be baptized 192 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:04,920 and then we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 193 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:09,720 Just like you needed a physical birth to arrive on earth, you 194 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:14,680 need a spiritual birth to be in the spiritual Kingdom of God. 195 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,680 Then he takes Nicodemus all the way back to the Old Testament 196 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:23,520 and he mentions the snake lifted on a pole. 197 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:26,280 He goes all the way back to the Israelites and those of you who 198 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,920 remember decisions in the desert that we were doing last year, 199 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:31,800 you guys might remember this, but quick recap, the Israelites 200 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:35,480 are in slavery in Egypt. God sends Moses and 10 plagues 201 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,040 to deliver the people from slavery from the Egyptians and 202 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,200 they leave Egypt and they're going through the desert. 203 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,720 They come to the Red Sea. God parched the Red Sea, they 204 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,480 walk through on dry ground. When they're thirsty, He gives 205 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:48,360 them water to drink in the middle of the desert when 206 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:50,800 there's no food, He gives them food every single day in the 207 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:52,840 desert. And when they need a place to 208 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,040 go, he gives them the pillar of cloud by day, in the pillar of 209 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:58,520 fire by night to guide them. And then they get all the way to 210 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:01,440 the edge of the promised land. And God says go into the 211 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,680 promised land. But because there are people in 212 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:06,680 the promised land that the Israelites were afraid of, they 213 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:09,720 had more fear about man than they had faith in God. 214 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,000 And so God said, I'm going to punish you because a good father 215 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,160 punishes his children. And he says, listen, if you 216 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:16,000 don't have faith to trust me to go in here. 217 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:18,120 If you don't believe that I'll take care of you there. 218 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,400 Even though I've taken you through all these other areas, 219 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:22,600 you're going to wander in the desert for 40 years. 220 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:25,000 So now the people are going back into the to the desert and 221 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,640 they're wandering around and like most kids, they get mad at 222 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,560 their parent for the discipline that they're experiencing. 223 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:32,480 And so they start popping off at the mouth to God. 224 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,280 And they're going, it would have been better if you hadn't even 225 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,800 rescued us if you'd never delivered us, if you'd have just 226 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,000 left us back there. So God said, all right, I'm 227 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,120 going to punish you again. I know this is going to be tough 228 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:42,440 to hear. Just track with me. 229 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,080 So God sends poisonous snakes out to bite the people and they 230 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:48,520 begin to die. And then all of a sudden, when 231 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:50,800 the people start experiencing the poisonous snakes, they all 232 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,600 of a sudden become believers in God again because they go, hey, 233 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,600 God, we believe in you and would you stop this? 234 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:58,960 So now they believe that God can actually take care of the 235 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:00,960 snakes, even though they didn't believe that God would take care 236 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,120 of them in the promised land. And so God says, OK, take a 237 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,520 snake, make it out of bronze and put it on a staff and hoist it 238 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:09,560 high. Put it on a pole, hoist it high. 239 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:14,640 And if you get bit, all you have to do is look at the snake in 240 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,280 faith and you will be healed. So when little Johnny got bit by 241 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:20,200 the snake, he would go, Oh my goodness, I'm dying. 242 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:22,840 And then little Johnny would look up and he'd see the snake 243 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,960 and in faith he'd believe that if he saw the bronze snake 244 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:32,200 lifted on the pole, that he would be healed, that he would 245 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:35,080 be saved. And today, if you were to go to, 246 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:37,480 you know, at least they used to do this. 247 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:39,600 If you were to go to the doctor's office or you would go 248 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:41,960 to the veterinary's office, most times they'd have a little 249 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:43,640 embroidered thing back when embroidery was cool. 250 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:45,440 And if you're an embroidery person, I'm not trying to hate 251 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:47,400 on you because I'm sure that that's like a whole like 252 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:49,000 quilters. You guys have your own little 253 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:54,080 hierarchy. You'll see a snake on a staff 254 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:57,360 that when you see, when you go to a place that has the snake on 255 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:58,800 a staff, it's where you get better. 256 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:03,400 It's where you get healed. God was teaching the people of 257 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:08,520 Israel about faith, about believing that God is who He 258 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:10,640 says He is and will do what He says He will do. 259 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,520 Nicodemus or Jesus is looking at Nicodemus and he's talking to 260 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:18,320 him about faith. Jesus is saying the Kingdom of 261 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,080 God that you care about. I've been there. 262 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,120 I'm from there. And you know, the Old Testament, 263 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:26,480 which it wasn't technically the Old Testament at that point in 264 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:27,520 time. It was just the Testament 265 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:29,400 because the New Testament hadn't been written yet. 266 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:31,760 So he's like the Scriptures that you're really smart in. 267 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:34,760 Guess what, You're an expert in all these areas. 268 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:37,320 You know, the snake on the pole in the desert. 269 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:39,400 Yeah. Watch when those people looked 270 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:40,640 at the snake and they were healed. 271 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:47,880 I'm going to be lifted up and everybody who looks on me in 272 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:54,680 faith, who believes in me, will be saved. 273 00:15:56,240 --> 00:16:01,440 Nicodemus's mind had to have been racing because Nicodemus 274 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:05,800 had the right upbringing. He had the right job, the right 275 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:10,120 disciplines, the right pedigree, the right relationships, the 276 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,120 right approval of man, the right behaviors. 277 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:20,720 Nicodemus had every reason to have faith in himself and his 278 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:24,600 good works. But it doesn't matter how good 279 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:28,720 you are, you are not good enough. 280 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:37,360 After all this talk about faith, do you know what happens next? 281 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:43,480 In this night time conversation with Nicodemus, do you know what 282 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:48,120 comes right after the verses we just talked about about faith 283 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,640 and belief? For those of you who are smart, 284 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,680 do you know what comes right after John 315? 285 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:06,599 John 316 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and 286 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:11,839 only Son, that whoever in him shall not perish, but have 287 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,720 eternal life. For God did not send His Son 288 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,839 into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world 289 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:25,440 through him, whoever in him is not condemned, but whoever does 290 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:30,800 not, stands condemned already, because they have not believed 291 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,600 in the name of God's one and only Son. 292 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:41,040 Watch this for God so loved the world or for God loved the world 293 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:46,280 in this way. Wives, there might be times 294 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:48,720 where you're going, you know what, how do I just love my 295 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:51,120 husband better? Like I'm going to love my 296 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:56,400 husband in this way and you, you might go, you know what I'm 297 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:57,920 going to do? I'm going to go out there and 298 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,880 I'm going to organize and just straighten up his garage. 299 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:10,880 He'll love that. I, I want you to know, don't you 300 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:14,120 just stay inside, stay out of there. 301 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:17,720 You can't be helpful out there. You can broom, you can take a 302 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:20,280 broom, you can sweep. Don't touch anything. 303 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:24,960 We have a system. Husbands, there may have been 304 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:27,560 times where you've said, you know what, I'm going to love my 305 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:33,800 wife in this way and you've went looking for where the dishwasher 306 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:35,680 is in the house. You've heard about it. 307 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:39,840 You don't know exactly where it is, but you've heard that you 308 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:42,560 have one, you might have two, you're not completely sure. 309 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,360 And you're supposed to load it. And so you've got all the 310 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:50,480 clothes. OK, you're get. 311 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,680 Listen, you're trying to help out. 312 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,240 You grab a vacuum, you plug it in. 313 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:56,680 You start moving around. Sometimes you don't plug it in, 314 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:58,720 you just move it around. When she comes in the house, 315 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,960 she'll love that. Just seeing you with that 316 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:04,640 vacuum, she loves it. You love your wife in this way. 317 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:09,120 How did God love us? In what way did God love us that 318 00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:12,480 he sent his one and only son? You've heard me talk about this 319 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:13,840 before. I think Rick Warren's the one 320 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,360 who said it first. You can give without loving, but 321 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:23,240 you can't love without giving. Some of you you're like, I love 322 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,160 America, but during tax season people aren't as American as 323 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,040 they used to be. Like we need a break before July 324 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:31,280 14th. I mean not July 14th. 325 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:31,760 What? No, no. 326 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,720 I was thinking July, June 14th, that's Flag Day and July 4th 327 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,520 which is Independence Day. But after on tax day, nobody's 328 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:41,000 really a big fan of America. Like, I can give, I just don't 329 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:45,960 love it as much right now. A dad who doesn't provide for 330 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:47,760 his kids, doesn't love his kids all that well. 331 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:49,960 You can. You can give without loving, but 332 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,280 you cannot love without giving. And what does God give? 333 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:55,720 Not some podunk, rinky dink knockoff gift. 334 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,200 He gives us his one and only son. 335 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:03,600 I remember Zane was young and we I was in Macomb and I had the 336 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,240 garage door up and he was kind of playing and I remember 337 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,280 looking at him and being overwhelmed by how much I loved 338 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:10,680 him. And then something flipped 339 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:14,040 inside of me. I realized for the first time 340 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:18,720 how much my dad loved me. Like my dad had told me he loved 341 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,080 me his whole life. But it was when I was looking at 342 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:24,960 my son through a father's eyes that I realized how my own 343 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:28,120 father looked at me. And I called my dad and I said, 344 00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:31,560 I get it. I finally understand how much 345 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:35,480 you love me because I'm looking at my son and I realized how 346 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:40,800 much I love him. That's why Paul, he goes out of 347 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:43,160 his way. It's like he is screaming in 348 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,600 Ephesians like people sometimes say you can. 349 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,960 I mean, you can believe a lot of things about God, but don't you 350 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:54,640 ever, ever for a second believe that God doesn't love you? 351 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,080 Look what it says in Ephesians chapter 3. 352 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:02,000 This is Paul. He goes and I pray that you 353 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:07,000 being rooted and established in love may have power. 354 00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:11,040 So you need some kind of supernatural strength to do what 355 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:15,400 together with all the people to grasp, to lay hold of, to 356 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,320 understand. You need a superpower or 357 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:23,200 supernatural power to understand, to understand what 358 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:27,080 this is. What He says, to grasp how wide 359 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:34,760 and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. 360 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,640 Don't ever doubt how much God loved you through Jesus. 361 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:43,240 And who does he give this gift to? 362 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:51,160 He gives it to a sinful world, one that has rebelled against 363 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:57,440 him, rejected him, disobeyed him, a world that has been his 364 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:01,120 enemy. And who is this gift for? 365 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:09,320 Whoever do you guys know? Whoever, if you're here today, 366 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,520 whoever is rich and whoever is poor, whoever's a winner and 367 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,720 whoever is a loser, Whoever is married, whoever is divorced, 368 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:21,440 whoever is single, whoever's a newlywed and whoever's widowed. 369 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,280 It's for whoever's sick and whoever is healthy. 370 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,040 It's whoever is young and whoever is old. 371 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,720 It's for whoever has a white collar and whoever has a blue 372 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,920 collar job. It's for the whoever's. 373 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,360 It's for whoever is addicted and whoever's in recovery. 374 00:22:34,360 --> 00:22:37,160 It's whoever is a Satan. I, you know, I wrote stripper. 375 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:39,960 So whoever's a stripper, if you're here, God bless you. 376 00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:42,320 We don't mind the glitter. We're just glad you're here. 377 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,480 Whoever's a stripper, whoever's abused and whoever's the abuser. 378 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,080 It's whoever you love and whoever you hate. 379 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,000 It's whoever are your friends and whoever are your enemies. 380 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,120 Raise your hand if you're a whoever, that's who it's for 381 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,640 Whoever. But what do they get? 382 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,840 They get eternal life. What a gift. 383 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:05,280 We just lose sight of this so often. 384 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:09,000 We get so used to it. People can be saved. 385 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:14,440 They don't have to perish. They can have a redeemed life in 386 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:18,120 the present and a resurrected life for all of eternity. 387 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:25,200 And for those who do not accept this gift, this world, with all 388 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:31,640 of its pain and suffering and disappointment for them, becomes 389 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:37,480 as good as it gets. And when this life is over, it 390 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:45,000 only gets worse. However, those who do accept 391 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:49,800 this gift, this temporary earthly tent gets filled with 392 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:53,280 the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, so that even 393 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:55,200 though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 394 00:23:55,360 --> 00:24:00,560 we will fear no evil, for He is with us no matter what we face. 395 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:04,760 We're able to claim the promises in Romans 831 and 837 in first 396 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:08,880 John 4/4 that we are more than conquerors through God, and if 397 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:12,040 God is for us, who can be against us, and greater that is 398 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,160 in US than He that is in the world. 399 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,520 Can I get an Amen for that? And more than that, when this 400 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,480 life is over, we get to be resurrected, reunited with the 401 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,880 Creator, the pursuer and great lover of our souls, and share in 402 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:29,480 the new heaven and the new earth in His holy presence. 403 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:32,320 Amen. That is all available. 404 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:45,480 However, there is a limitation to whoever believes who in faith 405 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:51,320 take hold of the gift of God that is in Jesus Christ. 406 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:59,320 Hear me Nicodemus thought he was a Christian. 407 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:07,360 He thought he was in. Why? 408 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:14,400 Well, because of what he had done, he thought he had access 409 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:18,640 to the Kingdom of God because of his efforts instead of because 410 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:25,880 of Jesus. He looked at salvation and he 411 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:28,640 figured he was already in the in crowd. 412 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:33,240 But hear me, you and I are not Christians because of what we 413 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:35,600 have done. We are Christians because of 414 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:37,920 what Jesus has done on our behalf. 415 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:42,400 When Jesus was lifted up on the cross like the snake on a pole 416 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:48,280 in the desert, the penalty of our sins was upon him and on in 417 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:53,560 faith we look upon him and we are healed, we are saved. 418 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:56,920 There's a lot of jokes about showing up at the pearly gates. 419 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:00,720 And so when you die and you stand in front of the pearly 420 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:05,880 gates and there's, you know, 2 angels there with their 6 packs 421 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:11,520 look very similar to me, and they ask you this question, why 422 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,680 should we let you in? I'm going to give you an English 423 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:18,400 lesson. Don't use first person pronouns. 424 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,200 Use third person pronouns, first person pronouns. 425 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:25,360 Why should we let you in? I'm glad you asked. 426 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:28,720 I've been a Christian my whole life. 427 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:33,680 I, I went to the crossing. I stayed awake during most of 428 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:36,280 Clayton's sermons. I didn't laugh at the things 429 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:37,680 that he said that he shouldn't have said. 430 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:43,680 I, I went on mission trips as long as there was a beach. 431 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:48,120 And if there was a mission trip that wasn't on a beach, I gave 432 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:50,720 people money to go on that mission trip. 433 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,720 Clayton didn't have to explain to me why there were chapter and 434 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:57,480 verses in the Bible. I already knew that. 435 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,680 I even, and I don't want to bring this up, but I've 436 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:04,760 memorized a couple of those verses and I was a pretty good 437 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,320 person and I gave from time to time. 438 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:11,120 And you may have seen me, I served in the kids ministry and 439 00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:15,080 I parked pretty far away And when we were, when it was at 440 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,760 worship time, I don't want to bring this one up, but I mean, 441 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:20,720 I'm going to just that way you kind of know who you're talking 442 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:22,880 to. When the rest of my row was 443 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,560 worshipping, most of the time my hand was a little bit higher 444 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:33,880 than everybody else's in my row. You want to avoid first person 445 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,200 pronouns at all costs when you're at the pearly gates 446 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,080 because if you are using first person pronouns, if you were 447 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,720 talking about all the things that you have done, you are not 448 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:51,680 getting in. Those are the wrong answers. 449 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:55,880 When you are standing there and you, they go, why should we let 450 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:59,800 you in? You will say because He did it, 451 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:04,120 because he made a way, because He made it happen. 452 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:09,520 Let me show you how Isaiah 53 explains your and my salvation. 453 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,760 Look what it says. He grew up before him like a 454 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,920 tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. 455 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:21,360 He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in 456 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:25,000 his appearance that we should desire Him. 457 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,440 He was despised and rejected by mankind. 458 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:34,640 A man of suffering and familiar with pain, like one from whom 459 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:40,880 people hide their faces. He was despised, and we held him 460 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:46,320 in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain, bore 461 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:49,880 our suffering. Yet we considered him punished 462 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:54,400 by God and stricken by him and afflicted. 463 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:59,880 But he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed 464 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:03,240 for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us 465 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:09,720 peace was on him, and by His wounds we are healed. 466 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:12,200 We all, like sheep, have gone astray. 467 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:14,400 Each of us has turned to our our own way. 468 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:20,720 The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 469 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:26,800 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open his mouth. 470 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:32,120 He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before 471 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:38,320 it's sheer is silent, so He did not open his mouth. 472 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:44,000 By oppression and judgement he was taken away. 473 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:47,320 Yet who of his generation protested? 474 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:52,760 For he was cut off from the land of the living. 475 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:58,320 For the transgression of my people he was punished. 476 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:03,760 He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich. 477 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:08,480 In his death will circle back, Though he had done no violence, 478 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:16,360 nor was any deceit in his mouth, yet it was the Lord's will to 479 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:23,320 crush him and cause him to suffer. 480 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:26,720 And through the Lord makes his lie, or though the Lord makes 481 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:30,560 his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and 482 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:33,520 prolong his days. And the will of the Lord will 483 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:39,880 prosper in his hand. But after he has suffered, he 484 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:44,160 will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledge. 485 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:51,440 My righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear 486 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:57,560 their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a 487 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:01,840 portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the 488 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:11,520 strong, because He poured out his life unto death, and was 489 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:18,840 numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and 490 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:23,360 made intercession for the transgressors. 491 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:35,200 He, he, He is how you and I have access to the Kingdom of God. 492 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:38,520 He is the reason salvation is possible. 493 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:41,760 He is the one who did it on our behalf. 494 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:49,280 By his stripes, we are healed. Now you're going by Clayton. 495 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:51,200 What about all the stuff we're supposed to do? 496 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:56,600 The things that you and I do are a response to our salvation, not 497 00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:00,920 in order to earn our salvation. If you, if your life has been 498 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:04,680 transformed and saved and made new and right and fiddled the 499 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:08,120 Holy Spirit, how can you not be about his good work? 500 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,160 And a person that has had all of this happen to them, that does 501 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:14,680 not go about doing the things that God has called them to do, 502 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:18,360 might not have had this thing happen to them because it is the 503 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:21,880 natural response to a saved and redeemed life. 504 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,960 But hear me. The things that we do for God, 505 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,400 they are not for our salvation. They are because of our 506 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,720 salvation. The things we do are the fruit 507 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,680 of our salvation, not the root of our salvation. 508 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:40,840 Nicodemus shows up again in an unexpected place. 509 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:47,240 He shows up with a fellow man, a rich man by the name of Joseph 510 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:52,400 of Arimathea, on Good Friday. And they go to the authorities 511 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:54,680 and they make an unexpected request. 512 00:32:55,320 --> 00:33:03,400 Can we have the body of Jesus? And they take his body and they 513 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:07,240 wrap it in linen, and they cover it with pounds of spices, and 514 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:11,960 they lay Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea's grave. 515 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:17,960 And I wonder, as Nicodemus was carrying Jesus's body, I wonder 516 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:19,880 if he got to take him off the cross. 517 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:23,640 I wonder if he was remembering that conversation they had late 518 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:31,120 one night when Jesus said, if I be lifted up, I wonder if 519 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:37,320 Nicodemus believed and in faith was saved. 520 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:42,200 And that is the exact same question that I want to ask you. 521 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:48,720 Will you believe that Jesus is who he says he is and will allow 522 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:51,000 you? Or will you allow Him to do what 523 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:56,200 only He can do, which is bring salvation into your life today. 524 00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:59,840 And the only way you can have it is through faith. 525 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:01,920 We're moving to a time of decision. 526 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:08,239 To those of you in here that do not have an intimate personal 527 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:10,840 relationship with Jesus Christ, I've got really, really good 528 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:12,600 news for you. You can have it today. 529 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,199 God will make up his dwelling in your heart and in your life. 530 00:34:16,199 --> 00:34:21,480 You can be saved. If you are a whoever today, you 531 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:26,239 can become a child of God. So you might be going. 532 00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:29,239 You know, I like all this stuff that we're learning here at the 533 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:30,719 Crossing. It's really, really good. 534 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:32,360 And I really love the teachings of Jesus. 535 00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:36,080 And maybe you have a little bit of Nicodemus in you, like you 536 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:39,600 just like him as a teacher, but Jesus. 537 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:41,800 And listen, Jesus was one of the best teachers, the best. 538 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:44,760 But Jesus didn't come to just teach. 539 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:48,920 He came to save and he came to rule. 540 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:53,040 Jesus is not something you just add to your life. 541 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,800 Do you remember? I don't know if they still do 542 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,320 this. When I went to school, they had 543 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:03,960 those, those plates, cafeteria plates at school lunches, and 544 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:06,040 they had all those different sections in there, right? 545 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,960 Like they had a section. They had a section for the 546 00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:11,000 regular dessert, and then they had a section for the other 547 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,600 dessert. Then they had a section for the 548 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:15,320 friend who was sitting next to his dessert. 549 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:17,360 They had all those. And then the square pizza. 550 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:19,800 Like they had all those, yeah, you guys ate where I ate. 551 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:21,920 And you're like, I think I know where his problem is. 552 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:28,880 There isn't in your life like one container, one spot where 553 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:33,040 Jesus goes. We get this twisted because you, 554 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:35,200 you know, you hear about a marriage that's falling apart 555 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:37,680 and you're like, man, it'd be awesome if I could let Jesus 556 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:39,120 into my marriage. Super true. 557 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:41,160 Jesus in your marriage is a great thing. 558 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:43,840 Some of you may know somebody who's been going through some 559 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:46,280 parenting stuff and you heard that they allowed Jesus into 560 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:48,520 their parenting and like it did some pretty cool stuff. 561 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:51,400 Completely true. Completely true. 562 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:53,880 There's people who have been navigating, you know, mental 563 00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:56,280 health issues and they're they let Jesus into some of those 564 00:35:56,280 --> 00:35:58,360 areas of their life and it got better and they're like, man, 565 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:00,680 this is awesome. Jesus is, but I need you to hear 566 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:04,680 me say this. Jesus is for all of you. 567 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:11,400 Jesus will enter through any part, but he wants the whole 568 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,160 thing. Like if you were drowning right 569 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:18,680 now and I was like a fat Hasselhoff coming to rescue you, 570 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:24,160 OK, On my own, on my own flotation device, OK. 571 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:29,160 And I come up to you and you're like, Clayton, save my pinky. 572 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:33,960 Just keep, keep that pinky out of the water, man. 573 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:38,320 No, you want all of you to be saved. 574 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:43,520 You want every part of you to be rescued and redeemed. 575 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:46,840 You want every part of you to be safe and secure. 576 00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:50,240 You want all of you to be rescued. 577 00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:56,080 And what happens, this weird thing is we know that things are 578 00:36:56,080 --> 00:37:01,200 not right and we try to turn our lives over one bit at a time, 579 00:37:02,240 --> 00:37:04,400 like we're in this long negotiation. 580 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:06,360 All right? God, I trusted you with my 581 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,480 marriage and I trusted you with the 1st 15 minutes of my day. 582 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:12,320 And I trusted you this And every area that you've turned over to 583 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:19,160 him is better. Not not necessarily easy the 584 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:22,960 better and all the areas that you keep for yourself, you suck 585 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:25,760 in. You are getting an F in the 586 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:30,000 areas where you are in control and Jesus is getting an A+. 587 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:34,000 But it's not until things go from like AD plus to an F minus 588 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:35,920 do they do F minuses. You wouldn't know you were a 589 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:38,960 good student. You're like, I'm going to keep a 590 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,160 hold of this. And it's like things have to 591 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:45,680 completely fall apart before we turn it over to him. 592 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:54,680 Jesus came to save all of you and to be in charge, to rule, to 593 00:37:54,680 --> 00:38:02,520 be the King of all of you. So today, if you were here and 594 00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:04,960 you have never started an intimate, personal relationship 595 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:07,800 with Jesus Christ, hear me. This is the good news. 596 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:12,520 He wants all of you. And the reason why maybe you've 597 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:15,480 been giving him bits and pieces is because that's all you know 598 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:19,400 is that the people who love you only get to love you in bits and 599 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:22,400 pieces because if they knew all of it, they wouldn't want 600 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:27,080 anything to do with you. But Jesus, who knows every 601 00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:29,840 thought that ever passes through your head and every feeling you 602 00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:33,640 have in your heart says, I want it all. 603 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:38,120 So just a few moments when the people around you stand and sing 604 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,360 and some of them come to the steps and pray, I want to 605 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:43,680 encourage you to walk right over there underneath that screen 606 00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:46,600 next to that baptistery and talk to somebody. 607 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:52,280 My experience, people have a desire to turn their life over 608 00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:55,560 to Jesus. But in between them having that 609 00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:59,160 desire and them doing it, there are questions that need asked 610 00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:02,240 and it costs you nothing to ask that question. 611 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,200 If you don't want to do it over there, bring it or bring it up 612 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:07,480 to the person who brought you or a person that you saw here. 613 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:11,960 But don't put it off any longer. To those of you have a 614 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:15,480 relationship with Jesus Christ. I just want to remind you, you 615 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:17,600 are not saved because of what you have done, but because of 616 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:20,160 what Jesus Christ has done for you on our behalf. 617 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:24,400 But Paul shouts in Ephesians chapter 2, watch this for it is 618 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:29,200 by grace, something you did not earn that you have been saved 619 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:32,040 through. Check this out faith. 620 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:36,360 We access our salvation through faith and this is not from 621 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:40,160 yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by 622 00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:47,880 works so that no one can boast, for we are God's handiwork 623 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:53,400 created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in 624 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:57,200 advance for us to do. What he's saying is, is when you 625 00:39:57,200 --> 00:39:59,920 come into faith, you and I come through the exact same door. 626 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:04,280 Belief. And now that we are in Him, He 627 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:06,880 has something in store for us to do. 628 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:11,360 Since God is always moving, always reaching, always changing 629 00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:14,360 people, we must be people who are always moving. 630 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:17,040 Like the Israelites, we just follow the cloud. 631 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:24,640 Wherever He leads, we follow. There are no spectators on God's 632 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:31,600 team, only participants. And maybe it's time for us to 633 00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:34,000 fully participate in the mission that God has given us. 634 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:36,840 Would you stand with me, Heavenly Father? 635 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:40,640 I'm asking you to do something that only you can do today, God. 636 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:42,720 Would you change hearts and change lives? 637 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:46,480 God, I know there's some people who are thinking there's no way 638 00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:48,680 that they could ever turn their life over to you, that there's 639 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:50,840 no way that you would ever want them. 640 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:53,200 But God, I pray that you would win the war in their mind and in 641 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:57,160 their heart today. God, that you'd reveal to us 642 00:40:57,160 --> 00:40:59,160 what it is that you want us to do, and that you'd give us the 643 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:00,680 strength and the courage to do it. 644 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:04,000 But this wouldn't just be another weekend, another day on 645 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:05,560 the calendar. But God, that every single 646 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:09,760 person would draw closer to you. And your name, I pray. 647 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:10,800 Amen.