Crossing family. If you're excited, be a church
and you're thankful for Jesus, let me hear.
Yep. Yep.
Man. I love him.
Tell you what, why do we live here?
And I mean, this weather has just been such a blessing,
hasn't it? Just so thankful.
It's hard to. Well, I won't say that because
I'll probably feel bad about it later.
Anyhow, it's been cold. God bless, you all for
surviving. You guys are survivors.
Okay, what I want to do, And welcome all of you joining from
all of our different locations. Those of you online inside
thankful that we get the opportunity to partner together.
And what we're going to do is we've been doing the same thing
for the last couple of weeks, I'm ask you all to stand
wherever you guys are joining from you guys.
Stand up, we're going to pray for you in just a second and
today we're going to pray over a very specific group of people.
This might be one where it's tough for you to raise your
hands. So don't you don't have to raise
your hand yet. Okay, what I want to do today is
I want to pray for those who have either experienced a little
bit of failure, are in the midst of a little bit of failure.
If you're a Green Bay fan, this will be really easy for you
guys. You'll know exactly what I'm
talking about. Oh, I was rooting for you.
But boy, did we mess that game up?
Okay, but all of us, we go through these periods and times
in our lives where we just feel a little bit like we're failing.
Perhaps it's in your marriage perhaps it's in your parenting,
maybe it's in your finances maybe it's in some of your other
relationships. Ships and maybe you aren't the
person who's experiencing failure right now but you know,
somebody who is in the throes of failure, okay?
Before we jump into that, I want to give you three verses to kind
of give you some context around failure, and then we're going to
pray for you guys. The first one is Romans 3:23 for
everyone, has sinned. Everybody's failed, God has a
perfect standard. Every single one of us have
failed and come in below God's perfect standard.
Every person has Add however God's grace covers our failures.
Proverbs 24 verse 16 says for though, our though, the
righteous fall seven times. They rise again, some of you
were going 7, seems a little conservative Clayton.
I wish I had only failed seven times.
I wish that the, I wish that that first said 9:00.
And if you're a person like me, you're like, I wish that verse
said, 9999 for 2022. Okay.
And right now, you might be In the bottom of one of your
failures but the righteous will rise.
Again those who cling to the Lord and hope in the Lord will
not stay there forever. They will rise again.
Don't count yourself out. Don't count your situation as
final because God has the power to help you rise and the power
to help you rebuild. Listen to what the psalmist is
Claire's are declares in Psalm chapter 40.
I've waited patiently for the Lord, and he heard me.
And he turned to me, he Lifted Me Out of the slimy, pit out of
the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm
place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth.
A hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the lord
and put their trust in him. And there might be some of you
right now that you are standing on the rock that he's placed you
on. But there might be others of
you, that, you still feel like you're in the pit and you've
lost the ability to sing a new song.
And I just want to pray for people that find themselves in
that situation. Now I know it might be tough for
you to raise your hand and say yeah I'm either in the throes of
things. Not going the way I want them to
go or I know people that are in the throes of things.
Not going the way that they want them to but we want to pray for
you nonetheless. So it all of our locations.
If you're going. Yeah, I'm either.
That spot or I know somebody who's in that spot.
Would you put your hand up and we as a church as want to pray
for you? I see a cut bunch of hands.
God bless you for that if you're a Christian and you call this
church home would you love on them real quick and come around
them and pray for them if you're going?
Yeah I don't want someone close to me because the covid we get
that go ahead and put your hand down.
Will pray for you anyway, from a distance.
But if I want people to know that they're loved in this place
that we care about them, we're thankful for them, okay?
But you guys pray with me. Got a weird thankful that you
can redeem any and every situation that nothing is over
as long as you're in it, and God, I pray that people that are
in the midst of the heartache and the pain and the suffering
of failure. The god that you would bring you
in your truth that you would bring in your strength and that
you would surround them with God, the community.
We love you so much. You know, I pray, amen.
Would you guys? Go ahead and grab a seat and
while you're doing that, I'm going to jump into the message.
We're in a sermon series called there has to be a place week.
One, there has to be a place for everyone and it's going to take
every one of us to make that happen.
And we took a look at this spiritual spectrum.
And we realized that as a church, we have a spiritual
obligation to everybody on this Continuum to those who are far
from Jesus. And to those who've been
following Jesus for A long time and then we recognize that as a
church, we have a spiritual obligation to this entire region
and whatever. God, grows it to be.
And we want to make it the hardest place on planet Earth to
get to Hell from that many years from now.
Our kids and our grandkids and our great grandkids, grandkids
will go. I was fortunate enough to be
born in an area that had a church like this.
And that we would be a church like that.
That helps people find that relationship with Jesus.
And then we talked about sometimes there has to be a
place that gives people time. And I have never had a sermon
quoted back at me so many times. I wish I hadn't have preached
it. I'll be honest with you.
I've heard like six people go. Well, Clayton it just takes
time. I'm like yeah.
Well Okay, I don't need to hear that anymore.
Okay, just but it is. We all how many of you guys have
been realizing the truth of that sometimes it just takes time.
Yeah. Me too.
Maybe that sermon was for me. Okay.
And sometimes, as Christians, we can get frustrated because it
takes more time than we want for people to grow in their
relationship with Jesus. But we decided as a church that
we are going to be a place that gives and loves and serves and
cares, and prays for people to give them all the time that they
need, because Jesus was patient with us.
We are going to be patient with them and last week, we talked
about there has to be a place for Water Walkers.
A place for people to take their big Steps of Faith and that we,
as a church, want to be there and root and celebrate for them
as they take those Steps of Faith.
But we acknowledge this truth that you can't cheer people on
from the boat that we have to take our step of faith.
And then is, as God is sustaining us in our faith walk,
that were able to turn around and Inspire other people to
take. There's today, Day.
This is the title of my sermon. There has to be a place that
tells people. It's not over.
Would you turn your neighbor and say It's Not Over?
If your marriage was in a tough spot, that was an interesting
thing to turn to your spouse and say you're welcome.
God bless. When I asked you guys, if you've
been through things that are you failed.
Just so you know, I've failed a ton.
Okay, let me just take you through at least some of them.
I'm not taking you through all of them because I don't know how
much we love each other yet, but I'm just going to give you the
ones that I'm comfortable with. I failed it.
Starting at a knife making business.
I bought a kiln and a And all on an anvil and all the stuff and
by a show of fingers, how many knives did I make?
Yeah, judging by the hands. You guys got it.
Perfect. Yeah.
Zero I made zero knives. I did.
I did recover my, the cost on all the stuff I purchased.
But, yeah, I was like, yeah, I think this will be awesome.
It'll be a fun little hobby for me that because I went deep into
a YouTube Trail on making knives and I was like, I think, I think
this is me and I never even turned the Kiln on, I never did.
I just like yeah. Okay.
We'll get rid of it. I tried to launch a YouTube
cooking channel that inspired husband's to be more helpful
around the house and do devotions with their kids than
I'm. Yep.
That didn't do that. Tried my hand at designing
clothing. And I've had a couple of
horrible t-shirts, made on behalf of Jesus, and the
crossing Holly was there for one of them.
When I was in college Ministry at our Macomb location, I was
getting ready to teach a sermon series on sex to a bunch of
college kids. And I was like, you know what,
I'll do, I'll make a shirt that kind of highlights what I'm
going to be talking about for each of the weeks.
And because I grew up with a little bit of Clint Eastwood and
there's good bad and ugly kid. You not let me describe the
shirt to you and you'll understand why I shouldn't do
this on this side. It said the word X SE X in white
letters. Nope, in red letters and then it
said good, bad and ugly. And I thought it was a black
shirt and I thought that people would just love that but then I
realized that no people don't want to walk around a college
campus with the shirt that says sex good, bad and ugly on it.
And so you know those we lost money on those.
Okay? We all did, God bless you for
being? Yeah, if you bought the ZIP code
shirt, that was another one of my dumb ideas and I apologize
for that one. I failed at journaling.
I've missed 75% of my New Year's resolutions.
I fail still, I'm a failure at folding towels.
Is the right way. For those of you who know, you
know, God bless you. I I have failed multiple times
at running a bead of caulk around the shower and I have
holes in two different showers to prove that because after I
tried to do it, and didn't work out, something came over me and
then I well, I punched a hole in both of the showers, and now
there is pink duct tape where I shower.
So, this morning when I got ready, I look at pink duct tape
from the last time I tried. Do any kind of that.
And so I'm the guy who has to call people over Be like yeah,
can you do the thing that everybody else can do?
Because my wife is like, yeah, we can't afford to replace, you
know, Clayton sighs fist holes everywhere.
And so like, that's another thing I failed at there are lots
of other ways that I've failed, but you get the idea.
I am acquainted with failure and some of you are like me, and you
think that failure is a great teacher.
How many of you across all of our locations will go?
Oh yeah. Failures are great teacher.
Oh, yeah, 100%. And you'd be right.
A quick look on your favorite internet.
Search engine will. Show you that some of the most
successful people on earth have also failed in extravagant ways
that you learn from your mistakes and they'll talk about
failing forward. How many of you guys have ever
heard that catchy phrase? You got to learn how to fail
forward, man. I love that kind of stuff.
And in fact to be I can get a little nervous if I'm hanging
out with somebody who's never failed.
Because more than likely, they've never tried anything of
significance. They've never, I would much
rather be around a group of people who at least dare to try
to do something then, never dare at all.
Right? And you guys are going, okay.
I get this. Well, the problem is, there is a
big difference from experiencing failure.
And feeling like one. And sometimes people experience
a failure. And then they allow that
experience to become their identity.
And then they feel like a failure.
And nothing is more devastating than when that happens to us
spiritually. That we feel like we have failed
or we are a failure when it comes to our faith.
It might be people who had a marriage blow up or suffer from
a deep depression or got caught up in a sin and more than
likely, there's some people at all of our locations.
I need you to listen to this message because there are people
that need to hear this message that won't hear this message
because they're not here anymore.
Because spiritually, they failed.
They blew up and they may not hear the message that I'm about
to give you. And I'm asking you to listen to
this message because you may have to preach it.
You may have to sit across the table from somebody and tell
them it's not over. That.
What I need you to be able to tell them is that this is a
church for them. This is a church for people who
have messed up. This is a church for people who
have failed, this is a church for people who are struggling
this church. It has to have a theme that
says, it's not over. What I've noticed is that Satan
loves to pounce on people when they slip up and they fail and
they make mistakes and then Satan, he does even more with
those because he comes along side of them and goes.
Well, you were trying to follow God but I guess you didn't hear
him or you. Can't hear him or maybe he just
doesn't care about you and he tries to get them to believe
that they not only can they not hear God but that they're not
even loved by God. And eventually these people,
they may be stopped showing up at church all together.
Maybe you watch them lead or serve or do ministry and
spectacular ways or they used to sit next to you in life group or
they used to sit next to you at church.
But then some event happened in their life and then Satan used
it to disconnect them from the church all together.
Other. And what Satan does is he tries
to whisper to them. Well, you can't come back
because it'll be awkward, you can't go back because you won't
be, welcome. You can't go back, it'll be
weird. That's one of the dangerous
things about how Satan Works through our failures is because
he will try to isolate us in our failure.
And what I've noticed and maybe you guys noticed this too, I've
never seen anybody grow spiritually in the absence of
community. but like the biggest Steps of Faith that I've taken
in the people around me have taken have been because there's
been a support system around them, to help them go through
the highs and lows of life, but if Satan can get you isolated in
an event, In a failure. And he can keep you from
Community. You may never live the life that
you were designed to live. That's why our online can be a
bit of a blessing and a curse and online.
I hope you're hearing this from a pastor who really loves you
and cares for you online, can be an incredible thing when you're
sick or you're traveling or you're homebound, however, it
can be used by some of you to kind of stay up to speed with
the church. But keep you disconnected from
the community of the church. I don't want you to be careful
because Satan can convince you that being online is good
enough, but realizing that you're not going to grow the way
God designed you to grow in the absence of a Spirit-filled
community. And that is not just a church
service, but that's other people being around you.
Now, before I get into the meat of the sermon, there might be
some of you right now. They're going man.
I'm glad Clayton's preaching this because I know a lot of
people who are bad, And there's always people.
It doesn't matter what I preach that they hear something
completely different. So, let me just, at least
acknowledge a couple of things here on the front end that I
don't want us to have a prideful Spirit as we listen to this
message. So, I'm just going to give you
three little warnings. First Corinthians chapter 10.
So if you think you're standing firm, be careful that you don't
fall. Because Satan attacks is all
you're actually going to see that in the story.
I'm going to tell you later on in this message.
Look what it says in Proverbs 16.
You guys know this one probably goes Before Destruction, a
haughty spirit before a fall. Paul warns us that this can
happen. He says, this to the Galatians
as his heart breaks for them. This is what he says.
He goes, you are running a good race who cut in on you to keep
you from obeying, the truth. What kind of persuasion are that
kind of persuasion does not come from, the one who calls you a
little yeast. Works through the whole batch of
dough, Satan can take just a little bit of failure, just a
little bit of time off just a little bit of time away and he
can cut you off from running. What would have been a
spectacular race? He can whisper just a few lies
and use it to slow you down and then eventually take you out of
the race completely. The story, I want to tell you
starts on the very night that Jesus was betrayed, he is just
finished eating with his disciples.
He is talking to them about what is going to be happening to them
and he tells his disciples, his twelve closest friends.
You are all going to Desert me and this is what they have to
say about this Peter declared you, remember Peter?
Even if all fall away I will not remember.
I just said, Pride goes before a fall for those, the two people
that have you are Listen. God bless you.
Okay. Truly I tell you, Jesus answered
today. Yes, tonight, before the rooster
crows twice, you yourself will disown me three times.
But Peter insisted in fatica lie, even if I have to die with
you, I will never disown you and all the others said the same.
Then Jesus Is In The Garden of Gethsemane and he is arrested
and Peter pulls out his sword and he takes a big swing and he
cuts off the high priests servant's ear.
The servants name was malchus. So Jesus is being arrested,
Peter pulls out, his sword cuts off an ear, there's an ear
laying on the ground. Check out how cool your Jesus
is, he turns to Peter goes, nope, this is not how we are
handling it. And then he reaches down any
touches mouth kisses ear and he heals it in the middle of him,
getting ready to go and die. He is paying attention to the
Lost ear of a servant of the high priest who's causing
everything to happen. Can you imagine being one of the
guards, that's carrying Jesus, or that's arresting him?
Let me put you in yourself as shoes.
Oh, my God. What we want to get?
We need more of these guys. This guy would be fantastic.
My wife's needs been killing her.
We got to keep him around. Can you imagine seeing that kind
of raw power and here, just completely fixed?
And that's the dude you've got to like walk Because he's been
arrested, then look what happens.
Now, when we get ready to read this, you're gonna we're gonna
be reading in the Book of John and John never gives away his
name, but we know that it's John and him and Peter kind of have
this thing going back and forth. As the like, who's the coolest
you guys will see this in the scriptures.
Just let you know that like Jesus's disciples were real
people just like you and me, have you guys ever had like a
little bit of one? I'm one-upsmanship with
somebody. Okay, you're going to love this.
All right. Look what happens.
Simon Peter follow? Jesus as did another of the
disciples that's John that other disciple was acquainted with the
high priest. So he knows people.
So he was allowed to enter the high priests Courtyard with
Jesus. Simon or okay.
We'll keep going in the text. Peter had to stay outside the
gate. Okay, yeah, that other disciple,
he happens to know some people, he he was in allowed into the
courtyard but Peterson's he knows nobody, he had to stay
outside the gate. Oh, hold on a second, then the
disciple, who knew the high priest.
Let me just mention who I know again.
Spoke to the woman watching at the gate and she let Peter in.
Go ahead, Peter, I know people you can go ahead and come on in
Okay, let's keep going in the text.
The woman asked Peter, you're not one of that man's disciples
are you. How many of you guys have ever
been asked a question like that that's impossible to answer?
You're not going to date her. Are you right?
You're not going to marry him. Are you you're not going to eat
that entire gallon of ice cream? During this Chiefs football
game? This afternoon, are you?
Well, I was And some Doritos to be honest with you babe.
Okay, let's not get all judgey cash, you're not one of.
That means disciples. Are you Peter?
Check this out. The dude who said I will never
disown you, I will die for you. Even if everybody else leaves, I
won't leave gets asked one question by a small girl.
He's like no, you said, I'm not look what happens.
That's one because it was called the household servants in the
guards had made a charcoal fire. This is one word in the Greek
but we tease it out here in the English charcoal fire, just put
this in the back of your head, we're going to come back to it.
This is this verse or this word only shows up twice in all of
scripture. This is the first time it shows
up They stood around it warming themselves and Peter stood with
them warming himself. Let's keep going.
Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming
himself. That ask him again.
You're not one of his disciples are you?
He denied it saying no, I'm not that's two, let's keep going in
the text. But one of the household slaves
of the high priest, a relative of the man, whose ear Peter had
cut off asked, didn't I see you out there in the Olive Grove
with Jesus, I to slow down there because on Thursday night, I
said, Olive Garden. Real hungry, I guess, okay, it's
important that I eat before church, right?
She's sitting there like, man, I feel, I feel like I've seen you
before. I, I never forget a face,
especially the face of a dude who cut my cousin's ear off.
I remember all of those people. There's only been one.
It's your face. I've seen you before.
I know who you are. This isn't like months ago.
This was like hours ago, like, 30 minutes ago.
Didn't I see you like with a little bloody so case.
Your sword is there blood on it? Okay, let's keep going the text
again, Peter denied it and immediately a rooster crowed.
A couple years back, I had the opportunity to be in Israel and
I got to be on the Sea of Galilee and because of the time
change, my sleep schedule is all backed out.
And I was out walking along the banks of the Sea of Galilee
really early in the morning and I was kind of, you know, just
having some chill time and I remember hearing a rooster crow.
And I immediately thought of all the times that I had denied
Jesus failed, Jesus, Let Jesus down.
Maybe you can think of some of the times that you've done it
too. Some have suggested that Peter
never heard the crow of a rooster for the rest of his life
without shedding a tear. Peter is hitting rock, bottom.
Peter is overwhelmed by the what I call used to be.
Have you ever experienced a little bit of used to be?
a husband and wife were getting ready one day and he had just
hopped out of the shower and he was in the bathroom and he was
booked himself in the mirror and he's like, babe.
I just, I'm looking at myself and I'm just Old and fat and
wrinkly and out of shape, I just need you to say.
Just I just need an encouraging word to help me get through this
upcoming day. And his wife said, well, your
eyesight's darn near perfect. How many of you married a woman
like that? God bless you.
Used to be. You used to be skinny, you used
to be athletic. You used to be smart, you used
to like, being around people. Yeah, used to be. well, Peters,
dealing with an awful lot of used to be People might have
looked at Peter and said, didn't you used to be the one who was
the first person to say? You are the Christ, the son of
the Living. God, didn't you used to be the
one who walked on water? Didn't you used to be the one
who helped with the feeding of the 5,000?
Didn't you used to be the one who was on the Mount of
transfiguration with Jesus? Didn't you used to be the one
who was gonna fight to the death for Jesus?
Didn't you used to be the one who said even?
If everybody else denies you, I never will you used to be Maybe
some of you at all of our locations, there's a little bit
of used to be in you. You used to be on staff.
For you used to lead or you used to be in Ministry.
Used to build the kingdom. You used to be in the baptistry.
You used to teach the kids. You used to disciple, the saved.
You used to reach the lost, you used to be on the team you used
to be. I've been putting this
continuing him up on stage for every single week.
I want to say something, I need you to hear me say this.
God loves. Absolutely everybody on this
continuum. He loves the plus 5s, and the
minus 5S. Equally.
Equally there's a part of us. Some of us who are going man.
If I could just become a plus 3 in my faith then he would really
love me. No.
No parents. That's like having a teenager
and a baby and go on man. As soon as this kid starts
driving, I'm really going to love it.
Do you love it? Fully in the moment that it's in
Jesus, no matter where you are, this isn't better or worse than
this is, just where you're at, in your faith and he loves you
equally. But what Satan will get you to
do is to go, will you used to be a five?
But now you're a three and you used to be a three.
And now you're a .5 and you used to be, you know what, you
shouldn't even be a And he pulls you away.
He pulls you out of faith and he pulls you out of community.
And then he gets you in isolation and then he never lets
go. And maybe you've thought it.
Maybe you've felt it. Maybe you've even uttered it.
That you used to be. And now, you can't because you
failed. I'm not going to leave you in
this moment for too long because this is just one of the million
reasons why I love Jesus. And I think it's one of the
million reasons why you will love Jesus.
To look what happens. Look, what Jesus does.
John 21:1 later. Jesus appeared again, to the
disciples beside the Sea of Galilee now, here's why I'm
telling you, this is because Jesus was killed in Jerusalem,
and Galilee is 70 miles away. Now, you're 70 miles isn't that
far? Well, that's because you're
hopping in your car and driving 70 miles an hour.
This was a multi-day, walk. Out of his way.
Jesus goes on a 70 mile hike and look what our Jesus Does.
This is how it happened. Simon, Peter said I'm going
fishing will come to. They all said, so they went out
in a boat but they caught nothing all night.
Does anybody from week to remember anything?
The Peter and his friends had been fishing all night and they
had caught nothing in Luke Chapter 5.
Let's keep reading in the text at dawn.
Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see
who he was, so he called out fellows.
Have you caught any fish? No, they replied sound familiar.
Okay, let's keep going. Then he said throw your net on
the right hand side of the boat. Okay let's just stop for a
second. Put yourself in the boat.
Hey crazy man on the shore. I'm guessing the fish haven't
been this far away all night. Oh, we've been fishing on the
wrong side of the boat, okay? What like fish are just
naturally gradual like going. Oh yeah.
We swim on the right side of the boats because they'll never
know. Right.
Imagine you getting this kind of advice after fishing all night.
All the other side. Oh thanks.
We never even thought of that. Okay.
So they did better than me and they couldn't haul in the net.
Because there are so many fish in it.
Does it sound familiar to anybody?
Remember, when Jesus called Peter to be his disciple, it was
after a night of catching no fish, and then they caught so
much fish that they couldn't haul.
It. All in the, let's keep going.
Then the disciple, then, the disciple Jesus loved said to
Peter, it is the Lord. When Simon Peter heard that it
was the Lord, he put on his tunic for, he had stripped for
work. He jumped into the water and
headed to shore, the others. With the boat and pulled the
loaded net to the shore. For there were only about 100
yards from Shore when they got there.
They found breakfast waiting for them.
Fish cooking over a charcoal fire.
Does this sound familiar to anybody?
And some bread. There are only two times in all
of scripture that a charcoal fire shows up one is where Peter
denied Jesus. And the second one is where
Jesus restored. Peter one was a fire of denial
and the other one was a fire of Grace.
Look what happens. When they had finished eating,
Jesus said to Simon Peter count, the questions that Jesus asked.
Simon Peter Simon, son of John. Do you love me more than these?
Yes, Lord. He said, you know that, I love
you. Jesus said feed my Lambs again
Jesus said, Simon son of John. Do you love me?
That's two. He answered.
Yes. Lord you know that I love you.
Jesus said take care of my sheep.
The third time, he said to him, Simon, son of John.
Do you love me and Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him
a third time. Do you love me?
He said, Lord, you know, all things.
You know that I love you. Jesus said feed my sheep very
truly. I tell you, when you were
younger, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted.
But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands.
Someone will dress you and lead you, where you do not want to
go. Jesus said this to indicate the
kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.
Peter went on to be crucified upside down, someone dressed him
and let him where he didn't want to go a place to die, and they
stretched out his hands. And they crucified Peter, And
then he said to Peter, follow me.
This is this is why I love Jesus.
So stinkin much and why you should love him too.
After Peter failed. He thought he could no longer be
used to be a fisher of men anymore.
He thought all I can do is fish and he goes back to fishing.
And Jesus shows up and recreates the day that he called him into
Ministry, but he doesn't just recreate the day that he called
him in a Ministry. He recreates the day that Peter
thought he could no longer do ministry.
And every time he asks, Peter do you love me?
He gives him a mission and feed my sheep, take care of my Lambs.
Peter's thinking, I can't do ministry anymore.
I can't be used anymore. I'm a used to be and Jesus is
going. I've got a mission for you.
There were three questions that led to denial.
And there were three questions that led to Restoration.
Peter, never visited those Nets again, he got done with that.
Charcoal fire with Jesus, and he went on to preach the very first
sermon and 3,000 people were baptized that day.
He went on to heal people. He went on to to do in Deal
hardship for the gospel, suffer imprisonment, and he was never
ashamed of Jesus or the gospel ever.
Again, he went on to proclaim, the good news of Jesus Christ to
the Gentiles, which is a really big deal because most of us
unless you're a Jew, are Gentiles.
Peter's failure. Wasn't the end of his testimony.
It was the introduction to his testimony and his failure just
showed how awesome and how extravagant God's love actually
is and what I came to tell you today.
Is there has to be a place. That tells people it's not over
that they can still be used that they can still be redeemed.
That they God can restore you and repurpose you.
That it is not over. Our Jesus go 70 miles out of his
way to make breakfast over a charcoal fire for a dude who
betrayed him. Abandon him denied, he even knew
him. Jesus goes 70 miles out of his
way to tell Peter. It's Not Over.
And I want us to be a church that tells people the exact same
thing. There are people in your life
and maybe you are in this spot right now that you think is
over, you think it's done. You think there's not a bright
future and we need to be the people that rally around them
and say, no, it's not as long as Jesus is in it.
It's not over there has to be a place that tells people, it's
not over and I say that. This is here.
I say that place is with us and I say it's now.
Would you join me in that mission or move into a time of
decision? There are some of you in here
right now and you're going man, Clayton, that's a great message.
But I don't think you were talking about me and what I'm
here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.
That every single person that I'm talking to you, whether you
will admit it or not you are a spiritual failure.
I gave that away at the very beginning of the message.
That's what Romans 3:23 tells us every single one of us have
failed spiritually. Nobody in here is perfect.
If you were perfect. Jesus wouldn't have sent his,
Our God wouldn't have sent his son Jesus, he would have sent
you. He sent Jesus for the express
purpose that we are failures. We have failed spiritually, but
your failure doesn't have to be final that the biggest mistake
you can make is being in front of a perfect, Jesus.
He's ready to cover for all of your mistakes and all of your
inadequacies, and all of your sins, and cover it with his
Precious Blood and reject it and go.
Yeah, I'm just too messed up. The more messed up, you think
you are the more you need Jesus. The foot is the, if you grew up
in church, some of you've heard this before, but the ground is
level at the foot of the cross, because all of us have sinned.
And while you might see, my sins is better or worse than your
sins. The bottom line is all sin needs
to be atoned for and it was all atoned for by him.
And if you're in here today, and you've never started an intimate
personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can, you can start
it today. There's no reason to put it off,
and if you have questions about what that is or what that looks
like, there's going to be somebody over by the Baptist.
Who would love to talk to you about what that is and what that
looks like and begin answering some of the questions that
you're wrestling with. For the rest of you in here.
You have a relationship with Jesus.
You've been following for a while, but maybe you feel like
you've never lived up to your spiritual potential, Maybe
you're carrying the weight of like your Earthly father and you
know you were supposed to be this and you never ended up
being that and you kind of feel like that's how God looks at
you. And I want you to hear me say
this, it's not over. It's Not Over.
You might be going. But Clayton I've blown up my
Ministry or I blown up my marriage or I blown up my
relationship with my kids. I've blown it up and I just want
you to hear me say this. It's not over. because I have
seen situations that looked final that it looked like that
situation was down for the count.
I have seen situations where people would have said, all hope
is lost Then in a moment. In a Flash.
Somehow they allowed Jesus in to the situation and he started
taking ground little by little moment by moment day after day.
And now they will look back and this is the testimony that they
would share to you. That the best thing that ever
happened to me, was the darkest moment of my life.
I've been in marriage counseling and they would say, I know this
sounds crazy, but one of the best things that ever happened
to us, was that Affair and listen.
That is the worst way to describe your marriage.
That the best thing that ever happened was the affair, but
they're not focusing on the affair.
They're focusing on what God did and what appeared to be an
unredeemable situation. And if I could beg those of you
in this room or those of you online to do anything today, it
would be that to get God right in the Little of the situation
whether it is your success or your failure to go, God would
you be right in the middle of it?
Third thing, I'm asking this is the biggest ask.
There are some of you in here that, you know, people that used
to serve with you. They used to sit next to you at
church, they used to be in your life group.
They used to do life with you and they're gone.
And I need you to know that Satan might be using their
isolation to drive them further from God.
And I am asking you this week not just to come up to the steps
and pray for them before you leave.
I'm asking you to call him up. Take him out for lunch by him, a
meal and look across the table from them.
And say it's not over. God could use God could use
those three words. To resurrect a situation.
And we've got to be people. We've got to be a place that has
those conversations of Jesus goes, 70 miles out of his way.
On foot, we can buy a nice meal and give some people.
Hope. I hope that's the kind of church
we are. Would you stand with me?
God, right now I am Personally. So hopeful.
I'm believing that you are going to use these next couple of
moments to bring about significant change, not just for
the people in this room or the people that are watching online,
but you're going to bring about significant change in the people
that we are going to take this message to God, I don't want
this message and I don't want this theme to die at the doors.
Got I want to make it. I want it to make it to the
edges of our reach. Does it there people that are
just hurting right now and they need hope they're people who
think that the it's done and got that need to know that you're
not done. So, God uses us.
And that might be one of your most special.
Aspects of Grace is that you do you use us?
Unworthy messed up, broken people, you use us.
To be a part of your great mission.
It's got we we thank you for that because we don't deserve
it. And I pray that as we get down
on our knees, that we would experience you and draw closer
to you and be encouraged and equipped by you for what lies
ahead in your name, I pray. Amen.