Crossing family. I love you.
So stinking much this past week. It was a part-time job
responding to all of you who are reaching out and saying hey how
can we help this person that you read their letter from last
week? He's a part of the Missouri.
Correctional system. How do we get this thing dialed
in so they can get baptized. I want you to hear me say this
so I don't get any more emails. But I love the fact that this is
how you guys were wired. We've been working on it, we are
working on it and hopefully one of these days we'll be able to
make that happen. Ian, we're navigating stuff with
parole officers and all that stuff to be able to make it a
reality but there was a whole bunch of you and I just kind of
love that that's the heartbeat of our church which is basically
like I'm on my way. Can you tell me where they're
at? And we're just tap the brakes.
We're going to get it figured out and I can't wait to be able
to celebrate that moment with you before we jump all the way
into the message. I want to spend a little bit of
time in prayer. I want to pray over two things.
First thing is there are two churches today.
One is 242 Church up in. Michigan, the other one is
Mountain View. Christian Church in Maryland.
They're both starting the sermon series Weeds in my garden, and I
know the kind of hope and help with that could bring in their
congregation. I'm excited about them, totally
praying for them. I also want to spend a little
bit of time, praying, for all of you who there is somebody in
your life that you love that you care about.
That is means a lot to you. That doesn't have a relationship
with Jesus Christ yet. You might be one of our
locations sitting by yourself because your spouse doesn't
come. You might be parents, who have
fond memories of walking into church, holding hands with your
kids, but when your kids moved out of the house, it seems like
they moved away from their faith.
You might be in a spot where you have brothers and sisters, or
neighbors, friends, co-workers, and you see their life,
spiraling out of control and you know, that the thing they need
the most is an intimate personal relationship.
Ship with Jesus Christ. And at times you feel like
you're losing hope. You feel like you're running out
of prayers, and it seems like, you know, maybe one day, but
right now, it feels like a relationship with Jesus.
Christ is a long way off. And I just want to.
I don't normally do this, but The Message Bible by Eugene
Peterson. He just kind of took and made it
a little bit more conversational.
He has a great way of articulating.
Second, Peter 3:9. This is how he says it.
Don't overlook the obvious here, friends with God, one day is as
good as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day, God
isn't late with his promise, as some measure lateness, he is
restraining himself on account of you.
Holding back the end because he doesn't want anyone lost.
He is giving everyone space and time to change.
Here's what I want you to know, God is with you.
In the waiting, he is with you in the hoping and he is with you
in a desire for your friends and your family members to come into
an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Let me pray with you. God right now I just want to
pray over Tony and Ben as they lead their churches, in this
weeds in my garden sermon series.
I pray that as people reach out to their friends and family
members and invite them to a sermon series on Mental Health.
That is, they walk into the doors that church that there are
all kinds of difference makers, ready to love on them and care
for them and offer them the help and hope they need.
Gotta pray that you would give the people in that church that
courage to be honest about what they're wrestling with.
And that you give the leaders and staff an opportunity and
wisdom to speak into those moments.
And that this sermon series would not just grow their
church, but it also brings Bring people into the church.
He thought that all was lost. I also just want to ask you God,
to be with us as we try to be a light in a dark place to the
people that we love the most God, remind us consistently that
you love them more than we do that.
You care about them more than we do that.
You want them in a relationship with you more than we do.
God, give us the wisdom to know. When to say something and how to
say something. Give us the boldness to speak
your name. Clearly, give us the courage to
step into difficult situations and give us an unwavering hope
as we try to be patient your name.
I pray. Amen.
I want to welcome those of you joining online, and inside, and
those of you at our various locations, today's message is
really simple. There has to be a place that
believes leaves that Jesus still changes people.
There has to be a place that believes that Jesus still
changes people. If we're going to make this
region, the hardest place on planet Earth to get to help from
this is something that you and I have to believe to the very core
of our being. I'm in an interesting season
right now, because my boys have come to the conclusion that I'm
not the strongest man in the world.
They've been on this journey for a while.
Fortunately God made me 66 285 pounds and so I've been able to
go longer than those of you who are only 5 foot tall, right?
I had a lot more credibility for a longer period of time but
there's two guys who go to our church and Sam & Max their
brothers. And my boys are like, yeah, they
can, they could take you and I said, you're 100% right.
They'd snap me like a toothpick and that's really kind of how
they normally operate. The question is, can you take
him and I just need you to know if my boys have You on the way
home, they've asked the question.
Could you take him and most of you've lost?
That's just kind of how that's that's what matters to them is.
If my dad gets in a fight with you, no matter how old you are
ma'am, is my dad gonna win. They just gotta know.
And I'll be honest with you, I knew the day was coming, but it
hurts me a little bit that my boys don't think that I could
take everybody and God as our heavenly father, I wonder I just
Wonder if it messes with his heart a little bit.
When we begin to doubt and his ability to change a person's
life. And maybe over time, we have
lost a little bit of that belief when we talk about the spiritual
spectrum, that every single person is on this spiritual
Spectrum. On one end, you have people who
are hostile to the faith and then maybe you have those who
have questions about it or people who are open to Faith,
but they're not committed yet. And then you have those who are
just beginning their relationship with Jesus.
And you have those who are taking their very first steps
and our understanding is getting developed as we move further.
To the right and injures, you know, this, Jesus loves.
Absolutely everybody on this spiritual Spectrum.
I don't want you thinking that because you're a +2, he loves
you more than a - to Newton and in the know, Jesus loves.
Absolutely everybody on this graph because hear me your value
is intrinsic to you. It was breathed into you.
It was put in you before you took your first breath because
you were made by God and that's what gives you value.
You don't all of a sudden have value when you find a
relationship with Jesus. Everybody that means if Jesus
Lives everybody on this graph then you and I have to love.
Absolutely everybody on this graph.
However, art movement to the right, which is God's desire.
Is not guaranteed. Am I right?
If you were to track your Spiritual Development over time,
I'm willing to wager, you've had moments where you've moved this
way and then you've had moments where you took a couple steps
back. Part of that's because we have a
spiritual enemy who is trying to always distract us and trap us
and pull us back. And put us in situations of
extreme hurt and unanswered, questions and painful
experiences, and we can get hung up on them and sometimes they
can cause us to stall out or to fall back.
Question. Where would you put the people
that you are trying to reach? On this spiritual Spectrum.
What number would you give them? What number would you give your
friend? Your neighbor.
Your family member. If we are going to make this the
hardest place on planet Earth to get to help from We have our
work cut out for us. And recent reports show that
those who profess faith in Jesus.
But their commitment to him is diminishing Americans, who claim
to attend, church regularly has dropped from 49 percent in 2009,
to 20% in 2022. The number of Americans people
like you and me who read their Bible.
Regularly has dropped from 50% to 25% in the last 12 years.
And there's all kinds of other factors and indicators that show
that we are really in a free fall.
It's only getting worse. Here's why this matters to me
and why it should matter to you not only are there more and more
people that need to be reached with the good news of Jesus
Christ, it appears that there's less and less of us who are
actually doing the reaching. So, there's a bigger need than
ever and there's less people reaching than ever.
Something is happening where people are getting distracted
and pulled away. Now, you need to hear me say
this. I believe that right now at this
point in human history, there is not a better time to be alive
and not a better time to be on mission for the advancement of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that we are uniquely
equipped. That Jesus spirit is still alive
in an active. I still believe that Jesus can
change people. He can change plus 2's + + 3 is
just so, you know, Jesus doesn't just Want to change the minus
one to the -2? Is he wants to do?
Oh, work. Wherever you might put yourself
on this graph. I still believe that there is a
difference that you and I can make that Jesus is spirit.
It's just as good today, as it was when it was released in the
book of Acts that I still believe no matter how messed you
up, you may have been or no matter how messed up, you are,
that Jesus can still change people and I need to make sure
that that's goes all the way deep down in the core and the
soul, and the hearts of this church, and I'm going to show it
to you, everybody say. Chapter 7, chapter 7 is what's
happening. The the church is growing and a
problem arises and the apostles like, look we're busy.
We got to preach the word of God.
We can't neglect these duties. So if this problems are going to
get sorted, we need a group of people to sort it.
And so, they picked a group of people to navigate the problem.
And one of the people that pick was A guy by the name of Steven
and Steven was a good dude and he started preaching in someone
some opportunities arose and the A Jewish people got frustrated
about him talking about how the Jewish people had killed Jesus
and he was going. Well, Jesus is the Christ, the
son of the Living. God well, they pulled him in
front and of the, of the of the system.
And they started yelling and screaming at him and he started
preaching back. And then this is what happened
that this they covered their ears yelling at the top of their
voices. They rushed at him dragged him
out of the city and began to Stone him.
Now in the Bible stoning, somebody is when you take him
outside and you throw rocks at them until they die, By being
stoned in the, in the Bible is completely different than being
stoned as you guys perceive it, okay.
Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a
young man named Saul. So so first time he shows up,
he's holding everybody's coat, so they can get a better throw
at trying to kill somebody. Where would you put him on the
spiritual Spectrum? That's how he gets introduced,
right? Let's keep going everybody say,
chapter 8, chapter right on that day, a great persecution brought
out broke out against the church in Jerusalem and all except the
apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Godly men, buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
But Saul began to destroy the church going from house to
house. He dragged both men and women
and put them in prison. Okay.
Where did you have him now? Where did you put him?
He starts off holding the coats in chapter 7 of people who are
trying to kill a follower of Jesus.
Now, at the beginning of chapter 8, he is going house-to-house,
dragging men and women and putting them in jail for their
faith in Jesus Christ. Where would you put him on the
spiritual Spectrum? Everybody said chapter 9 chapter
9, meanwhile saw was still breathing out murderous threats
against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and
asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that
if he found any there who belong to the way, that's what
Christians were originally described as the way because
Jesus is the way the truth and the life.
These people were going their followers of the way of Jesus.
They live the way that Jesus would want them to live.
He's saying, I've been doing this in Jerusalem, but I want to
take this on the road. I want to do to her, I want to
go to Damascus and put men. And women in jail there that he
might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
So he's going to I've done it in Jerusalem.
Now I want to go to Damascus, I want to do what I've been doing
in Jerusalem and Damascus and then I really don't trust the
penal system, the prisons for the men and women in Damascus.
So I'm going to take them back to Jerusalem to put them in
jail, where I can make sure that they truly suffer.
This is how he shows up in chapter 9 at this point on the
spiritual Spectrum. Where would you put in some of
you right now be going Clayton? I'll be honest with you, I need
a couple more numbers on the left hand side of your graph
because I gave my mother-in-law - 5, and I don't necessarily
want to put her in the same camp as we just put salt.
And I'm also not willing to move my mother-in-law to a minus 4,
she deserves the -5. So I need someplace to put salt.
Where would you put him on the spiritual Spectrum?
It's not good, right? I highly doubt any of us know
somebody who is as bad as Saul. I don't know, anybody I can't
think is somebody with a lower number than him.
But look out. Look at what happens in Acts.
Chapter 9 verses 3 & 6 as he. This is Saul near Damascus on
his journal. He suddenly Journey suddenly a
light from Heaven flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and Heard a Voice say to him, Saul Saul,
why do you persecute me? It's interesting question, who
are you? Lord.
Oh, looks like Saul's. Moving to the right, Saul asked?
I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
He replied now get up and go into the City and you will be
told what you must do. Three things to note here.
Did you see him? Here's the first one.
Jesus Takes ownership of the suffering of his people.
Remember what I told you on Christmas Eve services and what
I told you last week Emmanuel God With Us, God is with you, in
the suffering, he is with you in the pain.
He is in the pain of his people. Second thing, jesus takes it.
Personally, how his people are treated Why do you persecute me?
I'm Jesus whom you are persecuting Souls like hold on a
second. I was just take picking on men
and women. Jesus is like none of them.
And when you were picking on them you were picking on me.
Let that be a reminder this year as you treat people as you
interact with people as you talk to people and how you talk about
people, Jesus Takes the way because people are treated
personally, not only is he with you, in the pain, he is with the
people that you are causing saying pain.
How you work, how you treat your boss, how you shine as a light,
or don't shine as a light, as you get revenge for the
Grievances and the challenges that you face hear me.
Jesus is not just with you, he is with them too.
Thirty. Did you notice?
That Jesus is making a move on behalf of a - 5?
We tend to think that if you do enough, right things, if you do
enough, good stuff that God will move on your behalf.
If I get religious enough or spiritual enough or right
enough, Jesus start showing up once you level up to a plus 3,
But here's here's Jesus, moving on behalf of a - 5.
But isn't that how it was with you that he moved on your behalf
before you ever moved towards him?
Didn't he show up in the busted up places of your life before
you ever showed up for him? That Jesus looks down.
He sees a minus 5 and goes. Yeah, I could do something.
I could do something. Even with him.
Look what happens. In chapter, 9, verses 10 and 11
in Damascus. There was a disciple named
ananias. Disciple means a follower of
Jesus The Lord called to him in a vision ananias.
Yes. Lord, he answered The Lord told
him go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a
man from Tarsus named Saul for, he is praying, looks like Saul
is on a trajectory, doesn't it? I mean he was a minus 5 but now
he's praying. People can change.
Lord ananias answered. I've heard many reports about
this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in
Jerusalem and he has come here with authority from the chief
priests to arrest. All who call on your name.
I wonder what ananias is. Thought was about what his
conversation with God would have been like when God start
answering his prayers. I bet he wasn't expecting this
conversation. I'm guessing if God were to
answer your prayers, it would be something like this.
And the lottery numbers, you're going to write down for the
Powerball. R.
Hey, there's a job coming up and it's got great benefits and
great. Retirement and great vacation
time you're going to want to go to this house and talk to this
person on this day and you are going to get the job.
You've always wanted Right. Here's ananias Waiting.
For God to answers prayers, and God starts speaking to him, and
this is what he says. I want you to go to To a house
on Straight Street to meet a guy named Saul and then Judas Army.
Now then ananias is kind of like Hey listen God, you know, he's a
minus 5, right? I mean, I know you've been, I
know you've been pretty busy. You may not remember what this
guy is like. He's going house-to-house
putting people in prison, not just the men.
God, the women, to be honest with you, I've been hiding out
and if I go to Judas is house on State Street.
I might go to jail, too. And I know it's crazy.
Your prayer inbox is incredibly Fallen.
You've been navigating, you know keeping the world in balance in
the the solar system and all that you might have missed it
but this guy's not on our team. And gods like yet.
He's not on our team yet. You see you just know Saul from
chapter 7 and you just know solve from chapter 8 and you
just know saw from the beginning.
At 9:10, I'm still writing chapter 9.
I'm still moving on his behalf Acts chapter 9, verse 15 and 16,
but the Lord said to ananias, Go.
This man is My Chosen instrument to Proclaim my name to the
Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel, I will
show him how much he must suffer for my name.
Ananias is looking and it's and he sees a minus five.
And God sees a chosen instrument.
Ananias is looking at Saul and he sees a persecutor of the
church and God is saying I see a future preacher for the church.
Look what happened. 1718 then ananias went to the house and
entered it placing his hands on Saul.
He said, brother Saul, we're going to circle back to that.
The Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you were
coming here. Has sent me so that you may see
again and be filled with the Holy Spirit immediately
something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see
again and he got up and he was baptized a couple things to note
here. What was it about ananias has
walk with the Lord that made God know that he could trust
ananias. to go to Judas is house on Straight Street, to talk to
Minus 5, What was it about the spirit of ananias that made God?
Go, yep, he'll go and carry out my mission.
He'll talk to the person that everybody else has written off.
What was it about the spirit of ananias?
I don't know what it is. I'm just praying for that.
Spirit in our church. I'm praying for that.
Spirit in me and I'm praying that spirit in us.
If we are going to make this region, the hardest place on
planet Earth to get to Hell from it, is going to require a bunch
of us filled with the spirit of ananias that God would look down
and say yep I can trust you to go to somebody that nobody else
would go to. I've got an in trust that you
will have the spirit of ananias and you would talk to the person
that everybody else has written off.
That you would be a group of people that I would be a part of
a group of people that would say there is nobody too far.
Gone to the love of God. The Redemptive work of God that
believes deep down inside that God can change anybody that
Jesus still changes lives. We need the spirit just so we're
clear. We need it here in Quincy at
48th Street and at 9:29 but we also need some people with the
spirit of ananias in Macomb and in Kirksville we need some
people with the spirit of ananias in Pike County and in
Hannibal we need it in Lima in Mount Sterling we need it in
Monmouth in Jacksonville and Keokuk.
We need people who don't write off the people that Jesus is
trying to reach. There needs to be a group of
people. There has to be a place where
people believe that Jesus still changes people.
Here's the second thing that you notice ananias shows up to the
house on Straight Street and he calls Saul brother.
When I was doing my study that caught me off guard.
I was like this. Can't be what I think it is.
And so I went all the way down into the Greek and I was like,
are we sure that there's not something weird going on here?
But no, the word. That the ananias uses when he
addresses Saul is brother. What do you think brother means?
It means exactly what you think. It means.
It means brother. It's the same word when they're
talking about the familial relationships of James and John,
and Peter, and Andrew, it's the same word that when they asked
him when they're talking to Jesus.
And Jesus says, my brothers and sisters, are those who do the
word of the Lord, who keep my Commandments.
Those are my brothers and sisters.
Think about the compassion of ananias showing up at a guy
who's probably been putting the people that ananias loves in
jail, both the men and the women and he walks into the room.
And he says, brother Saul Here's what he's saying.
The very same blood that covers me.
Apparently is about to cover you.
And if the blood of Jesus covers me and the blood of Jesus is
going to cover you, that makes us family that makes you my
brother in Christ. And can you imagine being Saul
and hearing that? He has to wonder what's this guy
doing at the house? He has to have heard about what
I've been doing. He knows I've hurt people that
he cares about, maybe he's going to show up and get his pound of
Flesh. He's gonna reclaim his right.
He's gonna punish me for what I've done.
And Saul is waiting there and all of a sudden ananias comes
in. I wonder what it was like when
ananias said brother Saul. And just like that.
A guy, he was a minus 5 in chapter 7.
In a minus 5 in chapter 8 and a minus five.
At the beginning of chapter 9 gets baptized So is at least a
zero? Look what happens, verses 19
through 27, we're still in chapter 9 Saul spent several
days with the disciples in Damascus and at once he began to
preach in the synagogue's that Jesus is the son of God.
So now he is preaching and the Very place he used to show up to
take people and put them in prison.
All those, who heard him were astonished and asked, isn't
this? The minus 5, Isn't this the guy
who was Raising havoc in Jerusalem?
Among those who call on his name and hasn't he come here to take
them as prisoners to the chief priest.
Yes, all grew more and more powerful and baffled.
The Jews living in Damascus, by proving that Jesus is the
Messiah. The very people who had
authorized him to put Christians in jail is now proving to them,
that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living, God, and that
he's alive after many days of Gone by.
There was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him.
Yep. The very people that had gone
that Saul had gone to ought to get authorization.
To put all the Christians in jail are now, having to take the
one that they commissioned and come up with a conspiracy to try
and kill him because they're having to deal with the fact
that Jesus can change - fives but Saul learn to their plan and
day and night. They kept close watch on the
city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by
night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the
wall. When he came to Jerusalem he
tried to join the disciples but they were all afraid of him.
Not believing that he really was a disciple to go.
Look man, that's a great idea. This SEAL Team Six stuff, we're
on to it, we've got a traitor. Here's what he did.
He couldn't find enough people. So now he's pretending to be a
Jesus follower so he can show up and preach at our church service
and then he's going to get everybody's name.
Get her addresses. He needs to come to our house.
He's going to take To jail, both men and women.
The church people like me fool me once.
No, but look what happens. But Barnabas took him and
brought him to the apostles and he told them house all on his
journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him
and how in Damascus. He had preached fearlessly in
the name of Jesus. Where would you put salt on the
spiritual graphic now? Where would you put him?
I mean wasn't it just a few moments ago we had him out of -5
wasn't it? Just a few moments ago that he
got baptized and we moved him into the positives.
And now he is preaching the gospel everywhere even though it
might cost him his life. In chapter 7, he was a minus 5
in chapter 8. He was a minus 5, and at the
beginning of chapter 9, he's a minus 5 but now you can't stop
noticing God's working in his life.
God's changing him. I got to be honest with you.
The chapter 7 of my life. And the chapter 8 of my life and
the beginning of chapter, 9 of my life were pretty rough.
I'm guessing they were for you, too.
If we were to pass the mic around at all of our different
locations in your to talk about what the Lord delivered you
from. I think some of us would be
amazed at what he delivered you from.
I'm sure you probably caught a couple people looking at you
funny going. That can't be so and so is it?
Because they remember you from chapter 7, when you're in,
junior high. And they remember you from
chapter 8, when you're in high school or college, or the bars,
or whatever it was that you used to do and I'm not throwing
judgement, I'm just saying, you know, you you you you're aware.
There's people from my high school who go to our church.
Boo. I'll be honest with you, I know
me, I wouldn't go to my church because of what I did in high
school. You just don't know.
But I remember what it was like in the early parts of chapter 9
in my life. Do you remember what it was like
in the early chapters of nine in your life and then all of a
sudden and just like 30 verses God got ahold of your life and
absolutely changed. It turned it around, Breathe new
life into it. Gave it purpose and meaning and
significance. You see God was still writing my
story and he's still riding yours.
That's why as a church, we need to be in people's Corners as
they make their moves to the right as they move.
From minus 5 is 2. Minus 4.
Sin. Minus 4 is 2.
Minus 3 and plus 1 is 2 plus 2 s.
And plus 2 is 2 plus 3. As we have to be in their
corner. You're going to see and hear a
lot of in your corner. It's that the bottom of my
emails. It's apart of some of the
initiatives that we've been doing here as a church.
Because as a church, we have to be a place that is in people's
Corners as they take their step of faith.
We have to be just like Barnabas and ananias were in the corner
of Solace. He was on his spiritual journey.
We have to be willing to come alongside of them and celebrate
them, and Coach them and resource them.
And we'll listen, we can't fight their spiritual battles, but we
can definitely be in their corner while they fight them.
because, Just because you're a -5 today, doesn't mean that God
can't move in a miraculous met way tomorrow.
But no matter where you are on the spiritual Spectrum, we have
to believe that Jesus can change you and that he is moving on
your behalf. But if the spiritual Spectrum,
again, for just a second, when you look at that, spiritual
Spectrum in the - fives all the way to the plus 5S.
Do we still have it in there? Can you go?
There we go. I want to be clear.
Some of you might be going, but Clayton, where would you put
yourself on this spiritual graphic?
I'm going to be real careful about how I ever answer what's
over here because well some of you kind of like this because
your judgey you kind of like picking where you're going to
put people. And if you're going like, hey,
I'm at Clayton. I'm a +5 like, I'd like, I'd
like you to know that, too. I'm going to tell you about it.
After service. I'll send you an email about how
I'm a plus 5. Here's what I want you to know.
The people who I would put here are not people who show up for
church every so often give you know someone ever.
So often read their Bible and watch Fox News.
Like this is not, this is not my version of a +5 Christian.
The people who I would put in the plus 4s and 5s categories,
are people who are deeply invested in people coming to a
relationship with Jesus. And so if you can't draw a line
from where you're at spiritually to you helping personally,
someone Navigate their spiritual journey.
You might not be as far to the right as you would like to
think. Second thing I'll tell you
because I love you are we still good because I love you.
What makes us a + 4 +? A + 5 is a rock-solid belief
that Jesus can change people and you still cling to it that you
still believe deep down inside that the same spirit that
changed Saul can change your friend, can change your neighbor
can change your family, people who still believe that Jesus is
moving and alive and active and trying to bring people unto
himself and are joining him in the If we are going to make this
the hardest place on planet Earth to get to help from, it's
going to require some people who look an awful lot like you and
me to believe deep down inside that Jesus still changes people.
There has to be a place and I say tear, and I say it's with us
and I say it's now we're moving to a time of decision.
Saw ends up having such a radical transformation, he
changes his name to Paul. You may have heard a lot about
him in the Bible because there's a lot about in the Bible.
About a guy by the name of the Apostle Paul.
In fact, this -5 ends up getting the privilege and Opportunity by
God to be a part of writing the books of your Bible and you
might be going. Maybe God gave him a page.
No. Okay, well maybe God gave him a
book. Well, books, check this out.
This guy who is a minus 5 that everybody else would have
written off. He wrote the book of Romans
first, and second Corinthians, Galatians Ephesians Philippians
Colossians first and second Thessalonians.
First and second Timothy Titus Philemon and depending on where
you land on the spiritual Spectrum.
Well, not really on the spiritual Spectrum on whether or
not he wrote Hebrews. Here's what that means.
Most of the New Testament was written by this guy.
Here's what this means. Almost every single week at our
church, we talked about. We use scripture and almost
every single week, one of the scriptures that we use was, is
that a one of those books? Which means that every single we
God uses a minus 5 to build your faith.
Crazy. You're going by me nor any of
his versus good. Oh yeah.
Listen, keep in the context but I just told you about Saul.
It just changes how you here. And when he writes, Romans 8:31
if God is for us, who can be against us?
The guy who was a persecutor, who became a preacher who had to
find a hole in the wall and get lowered in a basket.
It's when he says, if God's for you who can be against you, It's
this one Romans 5:8, one of my top 10 favorite ones, but God
demonstrates his own love for us in this while we were still
sinners Christ died for us. It's different when you know,
he's the one who wrote it. Because he's going I was a -5
and God moved on my behalf. When you get to Philippians 4:19
and you hear him say and the same God who has taken care of
me, will supply, all of your glorious riches which have been
given to us in Christ Jesus when you find yourself in second,
Corinthians, like my favorite verse in the Bible, second
Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone.
The new has come it. Hits different When you know,
that he was the one who wrote it, he's saying, look, the old
me is gone, the minus 5 In Me Is Dead.
I've been made new in him. This the gospel message, Paul's
going. That's me, that's what he did in
me. The, you wouldn't believe when
you read the New Testament, that he let me write it. cuz if you
didn't know me, when I was in chapter 7 or chapter 8 or the
beginning of chapter 9, you wouldn't have believed that God
would allow me to write the book that comes right after it.
Now I'm going to, I'm going to take you all the way through,
this chunk of scripture that he leaves in second Corinthians
5:17 because it has something. For those of you who are saved
in those of you who don't have a relationship with Jesus yet.
So, come here, Verse 18, all of this.
He is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not
counting people's sins against them and he has committed to us
the message. Of reconciliation.
We Christians are. Therefore Christ's ambassadors.
As though, Christ were making his appeal through us, we
implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God.
Check out how he did. This, God made him who had no
sin to be sin for us. So that in him.
Jesus, we might become the righteousness of God.
Here's what Paul saying. I've been made Neil, how did the
the old going away and the new coming into my life?
How did that happen? He said, well, God made him
Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin for us.
So, here's what happened in my life, and here's what happened
in your life, and if you don't have a relationship with Jesus,
here's what could happen for you.
God took all of Clayton's sin. All of it all the sins that I've
committed in my past and all the sins that still are ahead of me.
He took all of it. And he took it off of my life
off of my shoulders, and he laid it on Jesus, on the cross.
Jesus, who knew? No sin who had never sent became
my sin on the cross. And in doing.
So God was able to take the Perfection of Jesus.
And pull it off of his shoulders.
And put it on mine. So, through the cross, I get
treated like Jesus, as if I'd never sinned.
And Jesus got treated like me, And carried myself.
Jesus Got My Punishment. So I could have Jesus reward.
And God did all of that on my behalf before I ever moved in
his Direction. God did all of that.
Before I ever gave a dollar to the church, or to advance the
mission. He did it before I ever showed
up for church, he did it before I ever read my first Bible,
first, before I ever memorized one, before I ever became a
preacher before I ever started to serve.
He did all of that. Before I took my first breath.
Hey, you didn't just do that for me.
He did it for you. It is a free gift.
It is a Grace that he has poured out on your life.
Everything else we do is a response to that we're going.
If he did that in my life I'm going to give my life to him.
It's a response to not an earning of.
So if you're here today and you're thinking I would love a
relationship with Jesus, I just got to get my act together.
I need you to know you stand 0% chance of getting your act
together. You just do ENT.
Because you can't save you only Jesus can and you have it is
already been done. It's time for you to take.
Hold of it. And so, if you're here today and
you've never start a relationship with Jesus Christ
and few moments, when the people around you staying and some of
them come to the steps. I'm going to encourage you to go
over to the baptistry. And there's gonna be somebody
there. He wants to talk with you about
what that relationship looks like to the rest of you.
The Christians in the room, come here for just a second.
This is what's been done on our behalf and because of that God
has given you and me the ministry of reconciliation.
So here's our masculine. Who are the people in your life?
That, you know, need a relationship with Jesus.
And you might be going, man, this is so good because I can't
wait for somebody else to talk to my friends about Jesus.
He gave us you and me the ministry of reconciliation.
Maybe you'd come up and you just pray for them.
Maybe you'd pray for God to give you some words or create some
opportunities for you to point them.
Maybe you just need him to just rekindle inside of you a desire
that deep down inside, he can change people, that Jesus still
changes people. Because maybe you've started to
think, well, God moves in everybody else's life, but he's
probably never going to move in. There's Just stand with me.
God, we're coming to you because we either believe or we want to
believe that your spirit is still moving that.
Your word is still active. That it's not over that you're
not done but you are still writing our story.
And God, we're coming to you, asking you to increase our
faith, increase our boldness. God to the brothers and sisters
that are in this room that don't have a relationship with you
yet. That haven't trusted you yet.
Got thanks so much for bringing him here.
Help us to love them and lead them.
Well and God give them the courage to at least start asking
the questions that have been rolling around in their head.
Got solidifying us that there is nobody too far gone.
That there's no sin and no sinner that you can't save and
your name. I pray.
Amen. Got solidifying us that there is
nobody too far gone. That there's no sin and no
sinner that you can't save and your name.
I pray. Amen.