Crossing family. I just got to tell you.
I am in a present state of just gratitude.
I am just incredibly grateful for things that kind of just
seem to be going really stinking.
Well, in a lot of different places.
I mean, here's just one of them, this is low-hanging fruit.
I'm on the last hole on my belt. I put this bad boy, on and I'm
gonna have to make a hole if I get any smaller.
Yeah, and I just want you guys to know, I haven't done anything
to Warrant that kind of favor from the Lord, he just he has
Mercy on those, he has Mercy on. Okay.
Second thing, dear friends of mine are getting an opportunity
to baptize their daughter today and I'm Excel I'm celebrating
that that's going to be happening.
I got a text message from a girl who's a part of our church who I
went to high school with and her son is going to get baptized
today. And I get to coach his baseball
team. Team to me a great day.
Here's another one. Me and my wife are matching
today. and the reason why this is so special is you fall into
one of two categories, you're the people who you love matching
And the people who hate it and we go like Disney World.
There's the couples that have all the matching Disney shirts.
Like, I'm with Mickey, I'm with many and my wife hates that,
like, she's a vomit City with people who match and you guys
also know she picks out my clothes, which means she picked
out my clothes and then she totally forgot what she had
picked out for me. And then she basically put on
the exact same thing, and she came to church.
I said we match and she almost went home.
She almost And make it to first service.
And so, I had a few hundred people take pictures.
So we all have a record of it. If you are joining from all of
our different locations online inside, I am so glad that you
are with us. And I believe that what we're
going to talk about today could have lasting impact.
And so, I'm so thankful that you took time out of your schedules
to participate in what God is doing here at the Crossing
today. I want to kind of recap this
sermon series that we've been in called better.
How to win at home. We believe that everyone wants
to win at home because home is where we experience some of our
greatest joys. It's also where we can
experience some of our deepest pain.
If I were to ask you what is one of your favorite memories?
I'm guessing it involves people that are from your home and if I
were to tell you, if you were to tell me some of your deepest
pain, I'm guessing it has something to do with people that
at one point in time lived under the same roof as you.
And that if we can figure out a way to allow God into that part
of our Lives, something significant, something good
could happen and we began this whole sermon series.
Talking about a core belief that here at the Crossing we have.
But basically all Christians share and that is God, can
redeem and restore anything and everything and that includes you
and your family. And we talked about can Suki and
that the broken pieces of Our Lives.
Can be put back together that are cracks are not hidden but
they are redeemed with golden significance.
And then we talked about in order to give your life and your
family, and your kids, the best chance of success, you're going
to need a strong foundation. And there are a lot of things
that you can build your life around, but when the storms
come, you're going to need something that you can depend
on, you're going to need something that's sturdy, you're
going to need something that's immovable.
And here at the Crossing, we believe that that Foundation is
Jesus Christ, and there is nothing better to build your
life around. And then we discussed how we
were wired around our emotions, and how we are wired around our
gender than that. That's true for you and your
friends and your kids and we had some of you take tests to figure
out your love languages and then we talked about God's design for
us is to do life in circles. And that each of us have an
opportunity to put people into the Board Room of our lives.
And we need to be careful who we allow into the boardroom.
Our lives. And we also talked about how
each of us have an opportunity to be a board member in the
lives of our kids, and how we behave and handle our board
seat. Will determine our influence
over the Long Haul. And then, we talked about one of
the most valuable tools that God gives us in the raising.
And the development of our kids is time and we also recognize
that technology may be robbing us of the very thing.
We need to make the biggest difference because technology
steals our time and then Jerry and Andre talked about synaptic
pruning. And how the decisions that we
are making today are creating Pathways for our children's
future. I've told you guys this a bunch
about the prayer that I do with my boys on the way to school.
And for those of you who are brand new to the crossing, maybe
haven't heard it. Let me give you a little Tip,
when I'm driving my boys to school every single day, I
reached behind into the backseat that we hold hands for a little
bit and I just pray a very simple prayer.
God. Help my boys to have to grow up
to love you with all their heart mind, soul, and strength, and
help him to embrace embrace, the Great Commission and Make
Disciples of all Nations, and help them to find a wife who
will love you and love them. Well, like that's the prayer on
the way to school, And it was during that sermon that Jerry
and Andre were preaching about synaptic pruning and the
pathways that get created. When we're young that I
remembered that. My dad used to pray with me all
the time on the way to school. I didn't realize that God had my
dad through, God's help had created a pathway.
That was benefiting my kids. And I started go okay.
What other Pathways and what Pathways can I create for my
kids then Jerry and John talked about balance?
Well today, what I want to do is I want to wrap up this entire
sermon series. And I've called this sermon
generational impact, as I was getting ready to write this
sermon, I was looking at some statistics, and I came across
this one, and I was devastated, and no doubt about it.
When you guys hear it, you're probably going.
Feel the same way. The research is in nearly three
out of every five young Christians. 59% are going to
disconnect permanently or for an extended period of time from
their faith and the church after age 15 Grandparents.
Over half of your grandkids are going to walk away from the
faith. Parents.
Over half of your kids. If you're listening to my voice
at one of our different locations and you are over the
age of 15, you're in junior, high high school in that area.
Over half of the people that you sit next to at church are going
to walk away from God. You hear a statistic like that
and it. It's heavy.
I mean, I've got two kids like we should have just had one.
Like what do we what do we like, who?
Who is? How do you handle this?
And what I want to do is I want to propose.
We got three options as a church of how we respond to a statistic
like that. We have three choices.
The first one is, we can throw in the towel.
We can just stop, we can quit, we can go, hey, you know, we get
it, some people accept Jesus and some people, don't some people
follow Jesus for a while and then some people quit, I mean,
it's Paul who wrote who cut in on you, you are running such a
good race. Maybe we should just acknowledge
that. People run for Jesus for a while
and then eventually they just get sidetracked.
After all Clayton, wasn't it? Jesus, who said wide is the road
that leads to destruction and narrow is the road that leads to
eternal life. Why are you trying to fight
against it? We can say, we tried, we had a
good run and we can just send all of our 02:18 money to
missionaries and repurpose our 02:18 staff and help them all
hang out with adults. We could do that because fifty
nine percent. It's not that good.
That's option. One, option two is we can just
keep doing what we're doing. No need to change anything.
No need to adjust. No need to get uncomfortable.
It was a good sermon series. We had a good time working
through this. It was nice while it lasted but
let's just keep things the same. Keep 02:18 the same which means
let's change. Let's hardship, less pain, less
sacrifice. We just came out of a pandemic.
We came out of a contentious election like we just need to
heal right now, the last thing we need to do is try to take a
whole bunch of new ground. Let's just all collectively.
Get our breath back. I mean after all we've got a
pretty good system and Rhythm here at the church and we've
been getting pretty good at what we do.
We could do that one. and I, I think.
That there's probably quite a few of you.
Who were going option, three. Better be better.
Then options 1 and 2 that you're a little bit like me that you're
going after. All the goodness of God, that's
been poured out on my life. After all the sacrifice that
Jesus has done on my behalf, in light of everything that I know
about having an intimate personal relationship with Jesus
Christ. I can't stand option one, and I
refuse option to. So, whatever option.
Is I'm in, I don't even need to hear it because you're going, I
can't look at Jesus. I can't look at a blood-stained
cross and go. Yeah, I'm just going to phone it
in. I'm just going to quit.
He deserves something more. And the people I love deserves
something more. And so here's what I would say,
is option 3, we could pivot. As a church towards generational
impact where we could decide that we are going to be a place
that has generational impact and expects a generational return.
But in order to have generational impact, we can't
just say it. We actually are going to have to
do at least three things if we're going to be that kind of
church, the kind of church that attacks a 59% statistic a church
that says not here. Not while we're around.
There are three things that I believe at the bare minimum that
we're going to need to have generational impact.
The first one is consistency, if you've been in this sermon
series, you've done a bunch of challenges.
You've been you went on a date night thing.
You read your Bible challenge. You took the love language test.
You did the technology thing. You did an awful lot of stuff
last night. I was at a Texas Roadhouse and
while I was eating a guy kind of pops up over the side, he's
like, hey Clayton. I'm on my Crossing date night.
I'm like awesome man. And I'm like, what question are
you on? He goes for, like, you got a
tough road ahead. Okay, eat the steak now.
Okay? Like you.
I'm going. Yeah, that's awesome.
But hear me? If you did all those things, you
saw the benefits. However, if we want to be a
church that has generational impact than this sermon series,
cannot be a Mountaintop experience.
The disciplined disciplines, we learn during the sermon series,
have to become our new normal. We continually get invested in
God's word. We continually Spend Time dating
our spouse. We spend time choosing our kids,
over our devices, you have to make that part of who you are
consistency. I was talking to Ray need
Richard campus Pastor from Hannibal about this and he said
talk about Noah's Ark. How many of you at all of our
locations? You've heard of Noah's Ark?
Just want to make sure I got home crowd, okay?
I'm thinking about taking a huge crew of you to actually go, see
a replica at some point. So, pay attention to Email, but
God came to Noah and said, no, I want you to build an ark which
is a big boat, like, how big super big.
It was 100. Our it was one point, five
football, fields long, 50 feet high.
Like you can't assemble Ikea furniture and he's building
that, okay, now it was supposed to be.
Yeah, one point five football fields long, 50 feet high.
It was supposed to be made a gopher wood in a supposed to be
lined with pitch. And it took him between 55 and
75 years to build and I haven't done anything that long in my
life, okay? I don't even breathe that long.
And here is Noah it. Took him between 20,000 days and
27,000 days. Everybody say 20,000.
Twenty thousand days of cutting down, gopher trees.
Say 20,000. Twenty thousand days of turning
those trees into boards. Give it to me one more time.
Days of hammering them into place.
Give me a one more time days of lining it with pitch.
It took consistency to save his family.
And it's going to take consistency.
To save yours, it's going to take consistency if you want to
have generational, impact, consistency, and prayer,
consistency. And spending time in your word,
consistency, in dating and loving your spouse consistency
in neglecting your phone and engaging with your kids, but
when the storm came Noah and his family were ready.
And when the storm comes, you'll be ready to 40 days of
protection. Were purchased with 20,000 days
of consistency. Galatians 6:9 says this.
Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time.
We will reap a harvest. If we do not give up, this is
like every pastors life verse Because you are just pouring out
hoping and praying that one day. It'll pan out.
Listen to me do not become weary in doing good.
Some of you right now you're going to back.
I'm gonna I'm gonna be consistent and like next week
like I don't know if I can do this.
That's seven days. What was Noah like on day, one
thousand. They 5,000.
Is it ever going to rain? Am I ever going to run out of
trees? Is this thing ever going to be
big enough? Is this thing even gonna float?
Twenty thousand days do not become weary in doing good for
at the proper time, we will reap a harvest.
If we do, not give up Crossing family.
Do not become weary in doing good things.
Because the payoff. Is worth it.
If we want to have generational impact, we're going to have to
be consistent. The second thing is we're going
to have to be engaged. It's going to require engagement
out of each and every single one of us, we cannot simply sit on
the sidelines and watch this happen or expect other people to
participate. We must lead out and engage.
There are some of you maybe right now, at all of our
different locations, maybe even watching online that are
sensing, that God may be calling you to participate beyond your
own home. That you don't want to just help
your family but you want to serve alongside God's family and
his Redemptive work, there might be some of you that are saying,
you know what, I'm ready to be a coach and just investing kids in
the community. I've been amazed at the doors
that God's been opening for Jennifer and I we moved to town,
you know, for pastors, it's really easy for us to get
surrounded by church folk and forget what it's like to, you
know, Reach people who don't know Jesus.
And so we signed up to be coaches and I coach baseball
last year and then I coach basketball this winter and we're
coach. Baseball again today are and my
basketball team is horrible a full disclosure.
I mean, we well, it's bad. Like half my team didn't know
the difference between a sack of potatoes and a basketball game
and it was like, like on a regular basis.
I'd have to say we're on defense now.
Okay, stop shooting it. There's okay, it was, it was
horrible. But the crazy thing is, is when
you walk in the game, how many times you gotta pray with
somebody? And I got to give somebody a hug
and I got to talk to somebody or somebody would invite me over to
talk to their friend to invite them to church.
Church. Like just in those little
moments that simple Act of obedience had profound impact
recently, the schools had a donut day with parents for
breakfast. They know how to get Dad's to
show up because they were there in full force and I mean, I went
through the line on my, I just need to bring this up.
I have two kids here. And I'm willing to adopt, okay,
like how many donuts do I get by get one per kid?
Anyhow, while I'm there. Some of the kids that have been
on other teams like came up and I got an opportunity to give him
a hug and and high five and pray for them.
Like you have no idea what God could do in your life with just
one small Act of obedience, one small engagement, one
opportunity where you put yourself out there and allow
yourself to be used by God to be a part of shaping and molding
and Caring for and loving the Next Generation.
I would love across all of our different locations.
If the communities were going, you know what these Crossing
people just show up and they're coaching all the sports because
Crossing dads and Crossing moms. Love kids and love families.
There might be some of you who are going you know what?
I'm ready to serve alongside of our this gen team and I want to
be a part of our this gen team whose difference makers are
serving kids at church every single weekend and you're
saying, you know what, I'm ready to be a spiritual father or
grandfather or mother or grandmother and and so you know
what, I'll be a part of it, I'll be a consistent face on a
weekend that someone can come in and learn and be loved and have
at least an hour of reprieve from the chaos that surrounds
their life. Maybe you would be that There
might be some of you that are going man, you're low on time
and you're low on energy but you know, your amply supplied and
you're going, you know what, I don't want finances to be a hint
of a hindrance to any kid who's wanting to go to camp.
And you're the kind of person who go up and find one of our
staff members and say hey how much is this week of camp and
you're going, you know what, I'll sponsor, one kid or five
kids are 10 kids. I'll just make it happen because
I don't want anybody to not be able to go.
I've been praying that there'd be a hundred people that would
join our next. Game over the next couple weeks
here at our church that would say, you know, our this gen
team. Who'd say, you know what, I'm
in, I want to serve right along side of you.
Maybe you're the person who's going, you know what?
I'm ready to lead a life group and I'm going to invest in moms
and dads and marriages to give them a stronger foundation, so
that they can create a stronger foundation for the kids.
This is what happens if we all leverage our gifts together.
This is what it says in Romans chapter 12, for just as each one
of you has one body with many members and these members do not
have all the same function. So, in Christ, we though many
form one body and each member belongs to all the others.
For we have different gifts. According to the grace given to
each of us, if your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in
accordance with your faith. If it is serving, then serve if
it is teaching, then teach if it is to encourage then, give
encouragement if it is, giving, then give generously.
If it is to lead, then do it diligently.
If it is to show Mercy than do it, cheerfully in order to have
generational impact you. And I need to take the gifts
that God has given us and I don't have every gift.
You don't have every gift, but if you take the gift that you
have, and I take the gift that I have and we give them back to
Jesus. He's able to create a clear
picture of himself to a watching world when you take your gift.
And I take my gift and we turn our gift back over to Jesus for
his glory, were able to more accurately, be the hands and
feet of Jesus to people who need it.
The most But it only happens when we engage the third thing,
we're going to have to be consistent.
We're going to have to be engaged.
The third thing is, we're going to have to sacrifice.
You've heard me talk about our core values and this core value
kind of resonates with all of us like the high end.
But on the low end we struggle. Let me show you downward.
We will gladly give up the things we love for a future
generation. We love even more. but I think
if we could reword it, most of us would say we will
begrudgingly. Give up the things we love for a
future generation wear. Right?
Because this is what sacrifice requires will gladly give it up
because we love them even more than the things that we have.
In the things that we cherish. It might mean that you have to
give up a sermon series that you like for a generation, you love
even more. It might mean you have to give
up hearing a particular Communicator Because You Love a
certain generation even more. It might mean you have to give
up some of your time. It might mean that, you know,
your parking lot won't be as nice as you want it to.
I have travelled around to a lot of different places and I've
kind of noticed that churches that have the best parking lots
or sometimes the churches that have the least amount of kids.
Because you can only spend your money in so many places, and if
you dump it all in the parking lot, there's just not that much
left. So, you know, You know, tires,
don't go to heaven. People do so, you know, now you
know, why our parking lots, aren't that great.
Okay. You might have to give up a Hot
Weekend in the summer to go and be at camp and invest in this
generation. You might have to give up an
hour of sleep on a Sunday or a home-cooked meal on a Thursday,
because you're going to show up and serve.
However, we are choosing to give up the things.
We love for a future generation. We love even more.
And Jesus never comes into people's lives without somebody
sacrificing just how it works. Jesus came to Earth through Mary
and Joseph, you know what? They had to give up that he give
up their home and the reputation Jesus came into people's lives
because the disciples carried the message, they had to give up
their jobs, their home, their livelihood, their dreams and
their comfort. God, had to give up his son, and
Jesus had to give up his life. Jesus is our Supreme example.
Look what he says in Mark chapter 10, for even the son of
man did not come to be served. The son of man is Jesus, did not
come to be served. Served but to serve and to give
his life as a ransom for many. He had to sacrifice.
If we want to be a church that has generational impact, we have
to be consistent. We're going to be engaged.
We're gonna have to sacrifice. The kind of wrap this up and put
it in context. There's been something that's
kind of been bugging me for a while and it was just, it was
kind of personal and then it kind of became organizational.
And so, I kind of put my thoughts down and I've shared it
over a couple weeks with the campus pastors.
And then this past Tuesday, I had all of our staff come in for
an all staff. And while they're there, I kind
of shared this with them. And I want to kind of share it
with you because hopefully, it'll help it'll help you have
some terminology to talk about what we're wrestling through as
a church or at, Is what I'm wrestling through.
These are Clayton six stages of ownership.
Okay, in any environment in your life, you're going to go through
these six stages. Okay?
So your boss comes to you and says hey we're going to start
doing this. You're going to walk all the way
through these when your wife comes home and says I want to
get a cat. Okay, you're going to walk.
This is universal. Okay?
And so this will happens, you hear you process it, you
understand it, you agree with it, you implement it, and then
you own it, and everything in your life is kind of following
somewhere on this Continuum. So this sermon the sermon
series, you hear it and then you process it.
Right, let me give you a couple examples.
Um, Working out. Okay.
You go to your doctor? And they say, hey man, you got a
little chunky. Now, you've heard it.
Okay, I never liked you anyway, man.
And you're ugly, you know, I can lose weight, but that's, that's
staying right. So you're, you know, you decide
you come home and you're processing it and you're talking
to your wife. I don't even like that guy, you
know? I mean he who she's like, well I
mean you want to you want to be around to roll around with the
grandkids and you know, you've always wanted to have washboard
abs. This is all hypothetical Right?
And then you're kind of like I do I do want to, you know, when
we have grandkids, I want to be the cool grandpa, I want to be
limber, you know. I don't want to hurt myself,
putting my shoes on. I get it, I gotta change the
way. I mean, you know what?
I think the doctor was right little died in a little
exercise, probably go a long way.
I was driving around a guy for a job interview that he did an
exercise plan called 75 hard, had a drink, a whole bunch of
water. Read a book, do two workouts a
day and then he just quit. And he lost like 30 pounds and
then he was, you know, starting to get back.
He says my problem is that I don't know how to lose weight.
I know exactly how to lose weight.
The problem. Is doing it.
So many of us. Agree with it.
But don't ever implement it. Let me give you another one.
Let me give you a fun one. I did the sermon on technology.
I have never in my life received more positive feedback.
From a sermon. Oh yeah.
Clayton. Oh after church that was so
good. Well you when you were saying
it, my ears were just being massaged by the Holy Spirit, I
heard it. Aah.
And I was sitting there processing that and I was like
my kids and my grandkids are always on their phone and I was
like, that's not good but your sermon was I processed it and I
Exactly what you're getting at that, if we keep this up, it's
going to cause all kinds of problems. and I agree with you,
wholeheartedly and that night. Right?
Yeah, yeah. They'll look at your screen
time. Don't come at me, right?
How many things in our lives? Stop at agreements.
We never get around to implementation.
The difference between these two things right here.
I think that's Implement. Yeah.
I mean, you know, the Bible says the difference between these two
wisdom and foolishness Jesus is the one who says, don't just
simply be hearers of the word, but be doers of the word, he who
hears the word, these words of mine and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock.
But the foolish man heard it. Processed it.
Understood it agreed with it and built his house on the sand.
And the rains came. And beat against that house and
it fell because it had no Foundation.
How many of us Have heard invest in your family.
Take invest in your spouse. All yeah.
My marriage is actually probably going to be better if we spent
time with each other and you go up.
Yeah I do actually every time I've ever made this investment
things have got better. I wholeheartedly agree that we
should I think I'm going to watch the game today.
Here's what I need, if we want to be a generational church, we
have got to at the very least, move past agreement.
We have to at least take a step in the area of implementation
and you could implement it for a variety of reasons.
There might be two, maybe even three of you who would go?
Yeah, I'll do it. Because Clayton and Jerry said,
so you just like, yeah, we love them.
Trust them. We're on board, all three of us.
There might be others of you who are going, you know what?
I love Jesus and light of everything that he's done.
On my behalf, I'll do it because, you know, Jesus
deserves it and you might do it because your wife is just
nagging at you. You might comply because your
kids just keep begging, you moment of transparency.
I honestly thought the technology thing was not that
big of a deal in my home. But when I started using the
phrase, no technology night, my boy is latched onto it and on a
regular basis when I pick them up, my boys will say, can
tonight be a no technology night.
Hear that? Could you implement it?
For whatever reason would you just start living out these
principles from this sermon series better because I believe
that you and this world will be better for it.
But what I'm really hoping for is not people who implement it
out of obligation. I'm looking for God to raise up
a church. A people that look like you and
me who own it and you might we go on Clayton.
What do you mean by own it? A person who owns it, like a man
who owns it a man who's at one of our locations are watching
online right now, A person who owns it, a man who owns it would
say, I recognize that, I'm a man of God, I'm a father
grandfather, Uncle son, and brother.
And I have been put into the lives of my family and friends
and neighbors to be a force for good.
A woman at one of our locations are watching online.
Who owns it would say. I'm a woman of God, I'm a mother
grandmother, aunt daughter sister.
And I have gifts and abilities that have been placed inside of
me for his purpose and for his glory, a person who says, I'm
going to own, it would say I recognize that there are those
who do not have a strong family, tree to support them and I
gladly, give of my time and my talents and my resources so that
other people can be cared for. For loved and pointed to Jesus.
I'm praying and hoping that there are people all across this
region who are saying I'm ready to own it.
And the person who owns it would say, I acknowledge that the
minds of the young children in my life are being shaped and
molded. And so I choose to engage in the
process to help them develop lifelong patterns, that lead to
Godliness, family, success, and spiritual flourishing.
A person who owns it would say. I choose God.
Oversleeping. In I choose my family over my
device, I prioritize worship and I direct my gaze towards
Heavenly promises. I do not take my spouse for
granted, and I choose to invest in our relationship, a person
who owns it would say, I'm going to spend time in God's word, so
that I'm put fully filled up. So, that way when God wants to
pour me out, anytime he wants to, I am amply supplied, a
person who owns it would say, I face the challenges of today,
with the confidence that God has all the wisdom that I need.
I am a generational change agent, a person who owns it
would say, the generational sins that have been passed on to me
will not flow through me. They stopped with me.
They stop here, they stop. Now, a person who owns it says,
the generational sins will not touch my children, they will not
visit my grandchildren, a person who owns it says, my family is
better and they're getting better.
Better because I am taking spiritual responsibility.
A person who owns it says, I recognize that the church is
only going to get 17 days with my kid from the time that
they're in kindergarten till the time that they graduate.
So, I recognize that I am the pastor of my home.
I am the pastor of my workplace. I am the pastor of my friends,
and my neighborhood, and my block.
I am a spiritual influencer that wherever I go, the Goes with me
and the spirit has power. I'm a person who owns it.
My example will have an impact and my investment will reap a
return. I'm a person who brings about
generational impact and I'm wondering.
If there's anybody at any of our locations who want to join me in
that mission, we're moving to a time of decision.
There are some of you in here right now.
Who's you been coming here for a long time.
And you're trying to think through your relationship with
Jesus Christ and you've never really started one.
You seen lots of other people start one.
But for some reason, it's never been you.
And I get it. You have questions, you have
doubts. and you've, if you were to kind of go through those six
stages, You've heard about it. You've heard about Jesus, you've
processed it and you're like, yeah, I need Jesus.
You understand it? You like, you kind of know
what's supposed to happen because you've seen everybody
else around. You do it.
You even agree that your life would be better if you had a
relationship with Jesus, but for some reason or another, you
still think you got to fix you first.
And that is one of the most deceptive lies that Satan has
ever spread. I had friends visiting from out
of town and he's getting ready to be a senior pastor in a
church in Ohio, and we're on the phone and we're they were trying
to place an offer on a house. And you're placing the offer and
then, you know, you have to get the home inspection.
Right? And if you're incompetent like
you're praying to God, that you get a great home inspector who
finds all the things that need fixed. if some of you you
thought about selling your house because the markets been looking
great, And you're going, we got to get all this stuff fixed
first. Otherwise, nobody will buy it.
But when it comes to Jesus, he's an as is buyer, you want to know
why? He's not worried about the punch
list of all the things that need to get fixed in your house
because Jesus was a Oh, he was a carpenter.
His hands are used to fixing things.
His mind is attuned to see the problems and knows exactly how
to fix it, and has all the tools in his tool belt, to do the job
that needs done. He's an as is buyer and so
you're going around trying to hammer in trim with a fork.
Glory soon as I get this fixed in Jesus can buy it.
But I need you to hear me say this.
If you could fix you, he wouldn't have come.
If you could fix you, you wouldn't have needed a savior.
If he could fix you, he wouldn't have died on the cross.
He came to take you as is, and then when he puts his hands on
your life, on your spiritual house, man, he You know what?
God can do and he gets ahold of somebody.
I don't have to tell you, you've heard plenty of Stories.
The question is, when are you going to let him put his hands
on on you? I know in the back of your mind
it's just it's common courtesy. You just want to fix it up
before you turn it over. But that's not how it works with
Jesus, because he has plans that you can't comprehend that he
wants to do in your life. And the things you're trying to
do are the things that he's probably going to have to undo
and do, right? You're trying to lay, you know,
Hardwoods over the top of your carpet is like, that ain't stop
please. You can't do this.
If there's anybody in here. For while you've just been going
I feel like I'm supposed to but I just not yet because I just
haven't figured. Would you be willing to just
talk to somebody today, just a few moments, there's any people
over there by the bachelor that would love an opportunity to
talk with you about what it means to start that relationship
with Jesus, the voice in your head, that's telling you to put
it off. Is not his I don't know whose it
is but it's not his. Because his says, come come now.
To the rest of you in the room who don't have a relationship
with Jesus yet or already have a relationship with Jesus, forgive
me. Here's what I asked you to do.
I'm going to ask all of you and you're going Clayton meet.
Yeah. If you've got black socks on,
white socks on brown socks, on green socks on no socks on You,
some of you are checking okay? You I want you to spend some
time during these, next two songs.
Whether you come up here to the steps and get down on your
knees, whether you'd you get on your knees where you're at.
Maybe you go over by the batching.
You put your hands in the water. Wherever you need to do it at.
Here's what I'm asking you to do.
If we're going to be a church that wants to have generational
impact, we're going to pray for it.
We have to beg God to help us with it.
And so, would you just pray over your kids by name?
Would you pray over your grandkids by name?
Would you pray over the kids that are in your class who, you
know, are going through at hard? Would you pray for them by name?
Would you pray for the people you want to?
Like to Easter by name. Would you pray over the people
that you work with that? You can't wait until they
finally find an intimate personal relationship with
Jesus. Would you pray for them by name?
And then when you get done praying for the people in your
life by name? Would you pray that God would
reveal to you? What he wants you to do?
To own it. I wonder what God could do with
the church like that. I'd sure like to find out I
think you do too. Would you stand with me?
Heavenly father, I'm asking you to use this moment right now.
To connect with every person in the room whether they're a long
way from you or they've been following you.
Their whole life got I'm begging that this moment right here,
would begin generational change That the only way that we could
describe what is starting to happen across our campuses, is
that you are moving and that we are responding.
The god, that we would have the courage to step out In faith.
To become a church, that's going to have generational impact.
Your name I pray. Amen.