1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:05,520 Oh, crossing family, it is good to be with you. 2 00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:08,720 If you're like me and you're in agreement that there ain't 3 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:12,120 nobody like Jesus, can I get a Hallelujah? 4 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,480 Oh, it's good to be with you. I want to welcome you joining 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:18,240 from all of our different locations, those of you watching 6 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:21,800 online and inside. I also want to welcome those of 7 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:25,040 you who are joining us for the first time or the first time in 8 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,120 a long time. You're going to get encouraged 9 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,960 at the end of the service to go back to the New here booth. 10 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,759 But I also want to encourage you to take advantage of the QR code 11 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,200 on the seat in front of you. People who get connected grow in 12 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,080 their walk with the Lord, people who don't, don't. 13 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,120 And I want to encourage you to get connected and take steps 14 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,920 that will help transform not just your life, but the lives of 15 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,320 the people around you. I also want to tell you that 16 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:51,040 next weekend is Father's Day weekend. 17 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,120 We're going to be celebrating all the fathers and it will be 18 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:58,600 an incredible weekend for you to invite a friend or a family 19 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,680 member, whether they are a father or not. 20 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,800 And I really believe I have a message that will bless you and 21 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:06,400 encourage you. So if you're looking for a great 22 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,760 weekend because we've been doing politics and you're like, I 23 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:11,520 haven't been inviting for a while because I didn't, I didn't 24 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,680 know what you're going to say. Next weekend would be a great 25 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:16,880 weekend for you to bring a friend. 26 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:22,240 Finally, we are in our 4th week of our sermon series on faith 27 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:28,680 and politics called Don't Take the Baked and I was thinking of 28 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:33,400 this sermon the moment we decided to do this series. 29 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,720 So I'm going to come at you hard in the paint, but I think we're 30 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:40,360 going to survive. At the end I titled this message 31 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:46,160 there's another King and his name is Jesus. 32 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,040 So in case you guys are taking notes, there is another king and 33 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:54,440 his name is Jesus. You actually find this in Acts 34 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,120 chapter 17. If you were here at the very 35 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:01,160 beginning of the sermon series, I mentioned this a little bit. 36 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:05,240 The reason why we did this series is because the people 37 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:11,200 around you over the from now until November and for some of 38 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,840 them all the way till January and for some of them until the 39 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:20,200 return of Christ, they are going to lose their mind over politics 40 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,840 and elections. And I had no idea during the 41 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,440 middle of this series that Donald Trump would get indicted 42 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:30,520 for hush money to a porn star. And so I need you to know that 43 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,760 this was planned way in advance. We didn't like, hey, we're going 44 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:35,880 to this is going on. This is that's not how we roll. 45 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:42,040 I will say this, what I'm hoping for our church, what I'm hoping 46 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:46,280 for Christians, is that as we go through this next election 47 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:52,480 cycle, we would look and act and behave differently than the 48 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,920 people around us. And that the difference that 49 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:59,400 they see in US would point them to Christ. 50 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,480 That they would see you not losing your mind, that they 51 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,440 would see you not losing your peace. 52 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:12,400 That they would see you having a firm foundation that can walk 53 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,120 through any storm. And they would go, how can you 54 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,480 be so calm? How can you have so much hope? 55 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,920 How can you have so much peace and that you'd be able to tell 56 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:27,680 them that's because there's another king and his name is 57 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,080 Jesus. Acts chapter 17 verse one. 58 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:35,600 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia. 59 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:38,520 I don't know really how you say those their cities don't exist 60 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:40,600 anymore. They came to I know this one 61 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,880 Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 62 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:49,600 The they here is Paul and Silas. Paul eventually went on to write 63 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,720 2 letters to this church in Thessalonica that you can find 64 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,680 in your Bible, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. 65 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,680 Paul has travelled all the way from Jerusalem to Greece with 66 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,640 the message of the gospel. This is back when there's no 67 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,640 cars, there's no bikes, it's donkeys, camels, walking in 68 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,960 boats. He has travelled this far from 69 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,560 Israel all the way to Greece with the message of the gospel. 70 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:19,480 This should at least pull on our heartstrings a little bit 71 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,280 because we have a hard time going across the street, talking 72 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:24,880 across the counter or across the workbench. 73 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:29,240 Verse two. And Paul and Silas went in, as 74 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,080 was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with 75 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,200 them from the scriptures. So on Sabbath, which was 76 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,680 Saturday, which was a holy day for the Jews, they would go into 77 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,240 the synagogue. The synagogue was a place where 78 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:46,560 the Jews would gather for worship and for teaching, 79 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,480 similar to what you guys are doing by showing up for church. 80 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:51,880 And he would show up and he would talk to them. 81 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:54,960 What did he do? Well, he would explain and 82 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,520 proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to 83 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:05,360 rise from the dead and saying this Jesus, whom I proclaim to 84 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:11,200 you is the Christ. Here's the message that Paul is 85 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,680 preaching to the Jews. Other people are overhearing it, 86 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,240 but here's the message. He's, he's telling them in the 87 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:22,680 synagogue. He's saying the Messiah Jesus is 88 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:25,520 the one you've been waiting for. They've been waiting for a 89 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,200 Messiah to free them, to save them from the Roman oppressors. 90 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,400 They were waiting for an earthly king. 91 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,880 And he's saying, listen, he's not an earthly king. 92 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,640 He's the King of kings. He's the one who has come to 93 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,880 fulfill all the prophecies that you have read about in your 94 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:47,440 scriptures, the Old Testament. And Paul spends 3 weeks telling 95 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,480 them Jesus is the one you've been looking for. 96 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,000 That is the message that we have to a broken and hurting world. 97 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:58,960 You're looking for purpose. Jesus is the one you've been 98 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:01,080 looking for. You're looking for peace. 99 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,320 Peace has a name. His name is Jesus. 100 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,240 He's the one that you have been looking for. 101 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,520 He saw their felt need and he showed them that Jesus is the 102 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,440 answer to that felt need. Verse verse four. 103 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:20,240 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as 104 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:24,680 did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the 105 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:29,160 leading women. People heard the message that 106 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:33,680 Paul was proclaiming that Jesus is the one, and many believed. 107 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:37,120 What was really surprising is not only were some Jews 108 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:41,480 converted, but some Greeks, people who were not Jews, and 109 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:45,040 also some women. In other words, this message of 110 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:49,040 Jesus was making its way into all of the cracks in the 111 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,320 culture. Verse five. 112 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:56,880 But the Jews were jealous and taking some wicked men from the 113 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:59,360 rabble. This is a fancy word. 114 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,840 It really means the marketplace. The way we would use it today is 115 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:06,080 from the mall. Well, malls are kind of dead now 116 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:12,720 too, but you get the idea. They formed a mob, set the city 117 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:17,360 in an uproar and attacked the House of Jason, seeking to bring 118 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,960 them out to the crowd. So Jason was a Christian and he 119 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:22,840 had been hosting them at his house. 120 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,280 So they show up at his place and they attacked it and they 121 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,520 brought him and the other Jesus followers out. 122 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,640 This is what they said verse 6. And when they could not find 123 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:36,160 them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the 124 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:42,080 city authorities shouting, These men who have turned the world 125 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:48,240 upside down have come here also. And Jason was has received them. 126 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,800 And they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying 127 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:56,280 that there is another king, Jesus. 128 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,120 Look at the accusation. The accusation, and we're going 129 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,280 to unpack a little bit more of this later, is that they are 130 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,600 charged not with just saying that there is another king, but 131 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,600 that there is another king. And this king has a name and the 132 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,920 name is Jesus. Then verses 8:00 and 9:00. 133 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:16,920 And the people of the city authorities were disturbed when 134 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,640 they heard these things and when they had taken money as 135 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:21,880 security. In other words, they posted bail 136 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:23,800 for Jason and his friends. Some of you guys know that 137 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,360 you've posted bail for somebody. You chose not to post bail for 138 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:28,960 somebody. Yeah, you've been there. 139 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,040 OK. From them, from and the rest, 140 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,440 They let them go. Let's keep going. 141 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:40,080 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to 142 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,559 Berea. And when they arrived, guess 143 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:45,640 what they did? They went into another Jewish 144 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:48,080 synagogue. Paul is a repeat offender. 145 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,400 He just got in trouble in Thessalonica for going into the 146 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:53,760 synagogue and telling people about Jesus. 147 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:57,320 He moves 45 miles away in the middle of the night because the 148 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,560 last town was trying to was in an uproar and where they're 149 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:02,120 trying to do all kind of violent acts. 150 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,280 So he goes 45 miles away, he shows up, he's a repeat 151 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:07,120 offender. He goes right back into the 152 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:10,160 synagogue and he immediately starts telling people about 153 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:14,360 Jesus. Now, these Jews were more noble 154 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,080 than those in Thessalonica. They received the Word with all 155 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:21,200 eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these 156 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,720 things were so. These people were more noble 157 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,960 than the people involved in the revolt against the gospel. 158 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:31,960 So what made them more noble was one, they were receiving the 159 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:36,040 Word with eagerness, and they were examining the Scriptures to 160 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:39,040 make sure that what was being preached was true. 161 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:40,960 Two things I want you to notice here. 162 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:42,840 I'm just teaching. I'm going to preach here in a 163 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:46,800 little bit. There is something about having 164 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,800 an eagerness for the word of the Lord. 165 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,200 There is something transformative that happens when 166 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:59,000 you deeply desire time in the Scriptures. 167 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:02,040 How many of you today, you don't have to raise your hands, want a 168 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:05,240 word from the Lord? Or do you just want confirmation 169 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:09,680 that you're right? How many of us want a word from 170 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:13,680 the Lord or we just want to baptize our political beliefs? 171 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:18,240 How many of us want a word from the Lord or we just want to 172 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:21,760 check a box? The second thing is, is beyond 173 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:25,280 the eagerness that they had to for the word of God. 174 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:29,400 The second thing they did is they examined the scriptures. 175 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,880 What scriptures? They were examining the Old 176 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:35,400 Testament. You guys have probably started a 177 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,480 one year Bible reading plan. Most of them always start you in 178 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:40,040 the Old Testament which is a bad idea. 179 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,520 Find one that starts you in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. 180 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,760 Go through the New Testament but don't gloss over the Old 181 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,400 Testament. This is what they were examining 182 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:53,320 to see if what was written about the Christ was actually true. 183 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,200 There's an old saying that says this. 184 00:10:55,520 --> 00:11:00,960 The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New 185 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,040 Testament is the Old Testament revealed. 186 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,680 When you read the New Testament it is going to talk to you about 187 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:11,120 a loving God sending his Son Jesus to die on a cross to pay 188 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,680 for our sins. If you read the Old Testament 189 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,360 it's going to tell you that a loving God is going to send his 190 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:19,320 Son to die on on behalf of our sins. 191 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,000 The other thing I'll tell you is a quote I heard a long time ago 192 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:23,960 and that this it's this. You've heard me say this. 193 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:28,160 A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a life that 194 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:32,240 isn't. If you have any expectation to 195 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:37,120 storm proof your life, if you have any expectation to offer 196 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,240 your very best to your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your 197 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:45,400 wife, your family, your kids, you need to be a rooted person 198 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,360 who doesn't just stand on the Word of God, but actually 199 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,880 applies the Word of God to your life. 200 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:56,800 Let's see what happens next. Many of them therefore believed 201 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:03,800 with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 202 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:09,000 Yet again, Paul goes out to the synagogue and more people find 203 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,120 Jesus. If you're looking for a path 204 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,600 forward in your life, there's a math problem that gets laid out 205 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:18,360 in Acts chapter 17. Regularly telling people about 206 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:22,760 Jesus because you learned about Jesus because you were spending 207 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:26,560 time in God's Word learning about Jesus opens the door for 208 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:30,880 more people to find Jesus. If you would like to think that 209 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:35,280 your political beliefs are biblical, your strategy is not 210 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,000 to make more Republicans. Your strategy is not to make 211 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,560 more Democrats. Your strategy is to make more 212 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:42,600 people into the likeness of Christ. 213 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,000 That should be your first and foremost priority. 214 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,920 So if you don't know enough about the Scriptures to help a 215 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:53,240 person come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, you might be 216 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,880 doing it wrong. So before you post on social 217 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,160 media who the next president should be, find somebody who 218 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,640 will help you understand how to articulate the good news of the 219 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:05,080 gospel. Because the first question when 220 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,920 you die is not who did you vote for in the political arena. 221 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,200 The first question is, what did you do with my son Jesus? 222 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:15,560 And if we are going to be Jesus people, if we are going to be 223 00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:18,040 people who are going to make this region the hardest region 224 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:22,200 on planet earth to get to hell from, we must become prolific at 225 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,000 being able to explain the beauty of the cross. 226 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:27,640 Remember the math that we did at the very beginning of the series 227 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:31,200 where I told you to take your age, subtract 18, divide by 4, 228 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,320 and that's how many presidents you have voted for. 229 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:36,600 If the number you get at the end of that is bigger than the 230 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:39,440 number of people you've baptized, we are guilty of being 231 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,440 better Americans than we are of being Christians. 232 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,960 Verse 13. But when the Jews from 233 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:50,040 Thessalonica remember the town that hated them, learned that 234 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:54,960 the Word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea, 45 miles away, 235 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:59,920 they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 236 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:05,600 How many of you have ever hated so somebody so much that you 237 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:10,120 traveled 45 miles to tell them? How many of you have ran a 238 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,880 marathon? OK, point it yourself. 239 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,400 That's who you hate, right? At least you half hate that much 240 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,760 at 3 miles an hour. They walked 15 hours to tell 241 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:25,720 people, hey, don't lean in to the scriptures, don't lean in to 242 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,160 God. But the bottom line is you and I 243 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:32,960 should not be surprised that when the Kingdom of God is being 244 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,200 proclaimed that it will face opposition. 245 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,440 It has always faced opposition. Don't be surprised when 246 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:43,200 following God's plan puts you at odds with the world or with 247 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,000 popular opinion. We are not trying to please 248 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,440 them. We are not trying to please the 249 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,200 world. We are not trying to be friends 250 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:53,240 with the world. We are trying to save the world. 251 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,640 We are trying to please our Heavenly Father. 252 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,720 We are trying to please the one who died on the cross for our 253 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:00,960 sins. That might put me out of touch, 254 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,560 out of step with culture, but I'm not concerned on being the 255 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,440 on the right side of history. I'm concerned on being the right 256 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:10,960 side of eternity. And we should be too. 257 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:14,880 What is so compelling about this story to me is that the church 258 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,040 in Thessalonica was only three weeks old. 259 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:20,440 There was not a major problem. There was not a bunch of social 260 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,520 unrest. There was not a bunch of riots 261 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,640 as people were coming to Christ. So the accusation that these 262 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:30,640 people were turning the world upside down was not based on 263 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:32,560 something that was happening in the town. 264 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:36,080 It was happening because they were getting reports from all 265 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,640 over the Roman Empire that anywhere that Paul went with the 266 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:43,120 gospel of Jesus Christ, lives were being transformed. 267 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,040 Their reputation had traveled by word of mouth. 268 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:50,720 What was their reputation? We turned the world upside down 269 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:55,040 because we have another king and his name is Jesus. 270 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,600 No wonder when Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, in 271 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:00,400 Second Corinthians, he says this. 272 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:06,080 We, this is you and I, are therefore Christ's ambassadors. 273 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,680 This is government talk as though God were making his 274 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:15,160 appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's 275 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:19,400 behalf, be reconciled to God. What? 276 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,560 Being reconciled to God means being made right because of our 277 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:25,240 sin. We are not right with God. 278 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:29,240 It has separated us from Him and he's saying they're imploring 279 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:33,400 people on behalf of God come to faith in Christ Jesus. 280 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,320 Why? Because that is how you get 281 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,040 reconciliation. Verse 21. 282 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,000 How did God bring about this? God made him. 283 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:45,680 This is Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him, 284 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:49,400 that's Jesus, we might become the righteousness of God. 285 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,480 What Jesus did on the cross is he took our sin. 286 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,520 So God treated Jesus like we deserve so he could treat us 287 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:59,240 like Jesus deserved. That's a pretty powerful 288 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:01,120 message. That's the message we're 289 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:04,560 supposed to proclaim as Christ's ambassadors. 290 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:08,560 If God could tell anybody that you know about anything, he 291 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:13,280 would not say vote for Trump. If he could tell anybody that 292 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:17,400 you know one thing, he would not say vote for Biden. 293 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:19,680 These words would come out of his mouth. 294 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:25,040 My Son has died on the cross on your behalf, so you and I can be 295 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,600 in a right relationship today. You can have purpose, peace 296 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,960 today, and you can have the hope of heaven for eternity. 297 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:33,800 That is what he would utter to you. 298 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,080 If a political party was the answer to the world's problems, 299 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,440 Jesus would have started one. If the government was the 300 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,520 solution to our world's problems, Jesus would have been 301 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:48,120 crowned and earthly king. But it is Kingdom soil that you 302 00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:50,040 and I stand on first and foremost. 303 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,800 It is not American soil first. It is Kingdom soil. 304 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:56,440 It first and foremost belongs to him. 305 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,200 He created it, He bled for it, and he died for it. 306 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,800 And he redeems it. And Colossians tells us he holds 307 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:07,760 it all together. You and I are embassies, 308 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:12,160 churches are embassies stationed all over the world in every 309 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:17,240 economic status, in every shade of skin color to proclaim the 310 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:21,560 Kingdom of God is at hand, that there is another King and his 311 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:25,320 name is Jesus. And as ambassadors of King 312 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:28,960 Jesus, the only deals that you and I can make are the deals 313 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:30,840 that he has authorized us to make. 314 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,080 And the deals that we have been authorized to make is you can be 315 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,640 forgiven, you can be set free, you can have peace, and you can 316 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,520 have purpose. And everything that we do, our 317 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:46,480 presence, our conduct, are offered in service to King Jesus 318 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:52,040 and to the King Jesus's Kingdom. And when you and I do this, it 319 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:57,440 will turn the world upside down. That means that as Christians, 320 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,720 we oppose abortion, and then we will support adoption and foster 321 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:03,560 care. That means as Christians, we 322 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,160 care for the poor, we empathize with the addicted, and we fight 323 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,880 against racism in every single one of its forms. 324 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,240 We are on the side of justice. We are on the side of love. 325 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:15,920 We are on the side of truth. We are on the side of 326 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:18,200 compassion. And where the Bible speaks, we 327 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,520 proclaim it loudly. And where the Spirit leads, we 328 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:23,760 follow immediately. Why? 329 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:29,040 Because there's another king, and his name is Jesus. 330 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:32,160 And you might be thinking to yourself, and This is why I 331 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:35,320 showed up today. But this following God's plan 332 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:40,320 really work well. Let me show you, Joseph was sold 333 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:44,120 into slavery by his brothers, sent off to a foreign country 334 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:47,600 and put in a foreign jail. After he had served, after he'd 335 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,760 been enslaved, he served. And while he was serving, he got 336 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,720 promoted to head of the whole House of the man who was in 337 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,920 charge of the King's guard. He was falsely accused, put in 338 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,120 prison. When he was in prison, he was 339 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:01,960 just obedient to what God told him to do, and he ended up 340 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:04,600 interpreting dreams for the people in prison. 341 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,200 And then the warden put him in charge of all the other 342 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:11,240 prisoners in the room. In the jail and eventually he 343 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:15,040 was asked to go and interpret a vision for the king and he spoke 344 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,000 truth to power and he told him that a famine was coming. 345 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,600 And eventually he was placed in charge of overseeing the 346 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,840 salvation of not just the people of Egypt, but the people 347 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:26,680 surrounding by creating provision. 348 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,680 He just followed God's plan, even though it took him from 349 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,080 slavery into jail and eventually into the palace. 350 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:36,600 Esther had lost her mother and father, was raised by her cousin 351 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,040 Mordecai. She was forced into a harem, 352 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:42,640 sexually exploited by a Persian king by the name of Xerxes. 353 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,720 Eventually, though, she was made queen, and she used her power 354 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:50,640 not to save herself, but to save her people from extinction. 355 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:54,360 Don't doubt what God can do with a simple act of obedience. 356 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,720 I'll keep going. Daniel was taken into captivity 357 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:00,480 to Babylon. The king ordered him to eat the 358 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,600 Babylonian food. He said, would you give me a 359 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,840 little bit of time to eat the diet that my heavenly Father has 360 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:07,440 prescribed? He made a deal. 361 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,440 The guy said, I'll do it. And Daniel, God to the test, and 362 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,680 God showed up in the testing, and his body and the people 363 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,240 around him were so much healthier than everybody else 364 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:17,760 that they were allowed to continue to follow their 365 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,360 religious practices in a Pagan King's palace. 366 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,560 Then when the king wanted the people to bow down and worship 367 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,280 him in the desert to a statue of gold 90 feet tall, they said, 368 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,160 we'll keep eating our food, but we're not going to bow down to 369 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:32,800 you. And Shadrach, Meshach and 370 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,400 Abednego said, play the music as loud as you want. 371 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:37,320 Issue a decree as often as you want. 372 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:39,920 Everybody else might bow down, but we will not. 373 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:43,080 They said, if you don't bow down, we'll put you in a fiery 374 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:44,800 pit. And they said, well, then turn 375 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:48,720 up the heat because our God is able to save, but even if he 376 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:53,160 doesn't, I won't bow down. They stood, looked kings and 377 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:55,760 presidents in the eye and said we will not move. 378 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,320 We will keep trusting God. And they were put in the fire. 379 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:01,840 The beauty is, is when they went into the fire, somebody else 380 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:04,800 showed up. Some of you want God to show up 381 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:08,560 without you having to sacrifice, without you having to suffer. 382 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,800 But if you want God to be right next to you in the midst of the 383 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,080 pain, in the midst of the political mess, actually do 384 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:17,320 something that requires his presence. 385 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:19,840 And posting doesn't require his presence. 386 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:25,240 It requires your stupidity. We awake. 387 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,080 However, their prayers were answered. 388 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:40,320 Then another king came and made it illegal to pray to any other 389 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:45,320 God, and Daniel resisted. Three times a day. 390 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,160 He went to his window and he prayed facing Jerusalem. 391 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,520 I wonder how many of you, if it was made illegal for you to pray 392 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,080 three times a day, would be guilty. 393 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:06,000 So we kept praying, and he was thrown into the lion's den 394 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:09,320 because of it. However, the God of his prayer 395 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:13,560 life was the exact same God who showed up in the pit with lions, 396 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:16,720 and he survived. And King Darius was so moved 397 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,400 that he told the people of his Kingdom to show reverence. 398 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:24,680 To who? To whoever is the God that 399 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,960 Daniel serves, I wonder if people were issued a decree 400 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:34,160 today to follow the God that you serve, would it be you, or would 401 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,960 it be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? 402 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:38,920 This is the decree that Darius issued. 403 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,840 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and the people of 404 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:44,800 every language and all the earth. 405 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:50,040 May you prosper greatly. I issue a decree that in every 406 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:55,040 part of my Kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of 407 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:59,480 Daniel, for he is the living God and he endures forever. 408 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,240 His Kingdom will not be destroyed. 409 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:08,080 His dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves. 410 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:13,040 He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. 411 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:17,880 He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions. 412 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:23,000 John the Apostle was exiled to the island of Patmos because he 413 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,080 would not bow to the emperor. And you know what he did when he 414 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:28,480 was there? He wrote Revelation, which gives 415 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:31,560 us a picture of our soon coming king. 416 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:35,000 Jewish religious leaders tried to snuff out Christianity, but 417 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,920 they ended up spreading it. In fact, one of the greatest 418 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,560 persecutors of the early church ended up being transformed by it 419 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,280 and became a leader of it. When Rome tried to kill it, they 420 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,040 were overcome by it in the year 57 AD. 421 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:52,120 The church in Rome was small. Paul writes to them in the book 422 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:54,160 of Romans, which you can read in your Bible. 423 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:58,400 In the 16th 9th chapter Paul references 5 house churches. 424 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,400 If there were five house churches with 30 people in each 425 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:05,080 of those churches, that would have meant that in 57 AD there 426 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:09,720 were 150 Christians in Rome and they were ruled by the very 427 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:12,160 emperors that killed Paul and Peter. 428 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:16,880 However, eventually the church won. 300 years later, the impact 429 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,560 of the Christian Church was so wide that the entire Roman 430 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:24,880 Empire was impacted by it. In fact, Theodicius issued the 431 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,480 Edict of Thessalonica, which made Christianity the official 432 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,280 religion of Rome. Caesar tried to kill 433 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,080 Christianity and he was not successful. 434 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:37,880 Today, Jesus is on his throne, the churches worldwide, and 435 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:45,040 Caesar selling $8 pizzas. The Church has survived every 436 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,080 government, every form of hate, and every form of persecution. 437 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:51,440 The church has survived wars, crusades, trials, dictators, 438 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,480 communists, oligarchies, monarchies, and democracy. 439 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:56,680 Why? Because we have another king, 440 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,960 and his name is Jesus. And because of that, we are not 441 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:03,600 shaken by bad leaders, swayed by doomsday predictions, afraid of 442 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,360 persecution, humiliation, or canceled culture. 443 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,520 Nor are we defeated by injustice. 444 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,720 We are not fearful of political power because the Bible clearly 445 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:14,840 states that the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead 446 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:17,480 lives inside of us. And who gives us this power? 447 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:21,360 Our king does because we have another king and his name is 448 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:22,920 Jesus. We do not need another 449 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,400 representative, senator, governor, or president to grant 450 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,560 us our deepest desires because we have a spiritual inheritance 451 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:33,440 that was purchased, a heavenly citizenship that was sealed by 452 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:36,480 the blood of this King. And this king has a name, and 453 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:38,760 his name is Jesus. Live in fear. 454 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:41,080 How could we? The Bible clearly states that 455 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:45,040 God has not given us the spirit of fear or timidity but of power 456 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:48,000 and love and self-discipline. Will we win? 457 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:49,720 Of course we will. Why? 458 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:51,840 Because our king said so. Where? 459 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,520 In Matthew chapter 16 where he says the gates of hell will not 460 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:57,760 prevail against the church. Why? 461 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:01,360 Because we have another king, and his name is Jesus. 462 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:06,880 Even if one day this nation lies in rubble and another flag flies 463 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:10,200 in the place of Old Glory, the church will be alive and strong 464 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:11,520 and indestructible. Why? 465 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:15,240 Because there's another king, and his name is Jesus. 466 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,000 Doctor Shadrach Meshach Lockridge asked this powerful 467 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,760 question. Do you know my king? 468 00:27:21,360 --> 00:27:23,040 And then he goes on to describe him. 469 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:24,840 Can I borrow you for a couple minutes? 470 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,600 This is what Doctor Shadrach Meshach Lockridge says. 471 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:31,080 He says my king was born king. The Bible says he's a seven way 472 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:32,520 king. King of the Jews, that's a 473 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,560 racial king, King of Israel, that's a national king, King of 474 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,200 righteousness, king of ages, king of heaven, king of glory, 475 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,400 king of kings and Lord of Lords. Now that's my king. 476 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,200 Well, I wonder if you know him. Do you know him? 477 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:46,840 Don't try to mislead me. Do you know my king? 478 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,520 David said the heavens declare the glory of God and the 479 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,920 firmament shows his handiwork. My king is the only one whom 480 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:55,560 there is no means of measure which can define his limitless 481 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:57,800 love. No far sing telescope can bring 482 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:00,720 into visibility the coastline of his shoreless supplies. 483 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:04,160 No barrier can hinder him from pouring out his blessing. 484 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:08,160 He's enduringly strong, entirely sincere, eternally steadfast, 485 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:11,760 immortally graceful, imperially powerful, and he's impartially 486 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:13,440 merciful. That's my king. 487 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,000 He's God's son. He's the sinner's savior. 488 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:17,920 He's the centerpiece of civilization. 489 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:21,160 He stands alone in himself. He is awesome, unique, 490 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:24,920 unparalleled and unprecedented. He's the miracle of the age. 491 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,640 He's the superlative of everything good that you or I 492 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,880 may ever choose to call him. He's the only one able to supply 493 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,680 all of our needs simultaneously. Let me show you. 494 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:35,360 He supplies strength for the weak. 495 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:37,520 He's available for the tempted and the tribe. 496 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,880 He sympathizes and he saves. He for guards and he guides. 497 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,840 He heals the sick, cleanses the leper, forgives the Sinner, just 498 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,720 charges the debtor, delivers the captive defence, the feeble. 499 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,640 And when he gets done with that, he blesses the young, serves the 500 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,480 unfortunate, regards the age towards the diligent, and 501 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,200 beautifies the meek. I got a question. 502 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:56,440 Crossing church. Do you know my king well? 503 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:57,960 My king is the king of knowledge. 504 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:00,960 He's the wellspring of wisdom. He's the doorway of deliverance. 505 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:03,200 He's the pathway of peace. He's the roadway of 506 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,120 righteousness. He's the highway of holiness, 507 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,160 and he's the gateway of glory. He's the master of the mighty, 508 00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:09,760 He's the captain of the conquerors. 509 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,960 He's the head of the heroes, and he's the leader of legislators. 510 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:14,960 He's the overcomer of overcomers. 511 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:17,480 He's the governor of governors. He's the Prince of Princess. 512 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:20,080 He's the king of kings, and he's the Lord of Lords. 513 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,440 That's my King. His office is manifold and his 514 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,080 promise is sure. His light is matchless and his 515 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,840 goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting and his 516 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:31,960 love never changes. His word is enough, and his 517 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:34,840 grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. 518 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:37,440 His yoke is easy, His burden is light. 519 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:49,210 I wish I could describe him to you, but he's indescribable. 520 00:29:49,730 --> 00:29:53,640 He's incomprehensible, invincible, irresistible. 521 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,120 I'm trying to tell you that the heaven, the heavens cannot 522 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:58,360 contain him, let alone man. Explain him. 523 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:00,840 You can't get him out of your mind, and you can't get him off 524 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:02,720 your hands. You can't outlive him, and you 525 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,720 can't live without him. You see, the Pharisees couldn't 526 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,640 stain him, but they found out. They couldn't stop him. 527 00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:09,080 Pilate couldn't find fault in him. 528 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,600 The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree on him. 529 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:14,160 Herod couldn't kill him. Death couldn't handle him in the 530 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,480 grave, couldn't hold him. That's my king, you see, He's 531 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:19,160 always been and he always will be. 532 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:22,160 He had no predecessor and he will have no successor. 533 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:24,280 There was nobody before him and there's going to be nobody 534 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,000 coming after him. You can't impeach him, and he's 535 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,800 not going to resign. That is my king. 536 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:36,920 We have another king and his name is Jesus. 537 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:46,670 We're moving to a time of decision, and if you are here 538 00:30:46,670 --> 00:30:49,800 today and you have not started an intimate personal 539 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:53,640 relationship with Jesus Christ, you have the wrong king. 540 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:59,960 I've seen people try to make themselves the king, but I've 541 00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:03,440 never seen it work out. I've seen people put other 542 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:05,880 places, other people in the king spot. 543 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:08,440 They've tried to put their spouse there, but their spouse 544 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:12,360 couldn't handle the pressure. They've put their kids there, 545 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:15,800 but the kids weren't qualified. They've put their boss there, 546 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,240 their career there, they've put money there, and all of them 547 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:20,840 have taken them down a horrible Rd. 548 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:27,080 You see, you were made by this King, and you will only be 549 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:30,400 everything that God created you to be if He is the King of your 550 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:35,320 life. And if you're here today and you 551 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:38,160 haven't started an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus 552 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:45,520 Christ, you are in perilous waters, not just in this life, 553 00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:52,080 but in the life that is to come. And the heartbeat of this 554 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:56,560 church, the prayer of this church is that you would find 555 00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:02,400 King Jesus and that you would let him reign in your life today 556 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:06,720 and for every day after it. And the testimony of thousands 557 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:10,640 of people who call the crossing home and billions of Christians 558 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:15,360 worldwide is that it was the best decision that they ever 559 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:17,680 made. And their biggest regret is that 560 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:24,040 they didn't do it sooner. I mentioned Second Corinthians 561 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:28,960 chapter 5, verse 21. But he who had no sin became sin 562 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:32,240 for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 563 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:34,800 Let me unpack that for you a little bit. 564 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:36,520 And this is good if you're a Christian. 565 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:38,440 This is our message. This is it. 566 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:40,920 What as ambassadors we are called to declare. 567 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:43,480 But to those of you who don't have a relationship with Jesus 568 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,960 Christ, I want you to understand why this church gets so excited 569 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,920 about Jesus. If you were to take all the 570 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:53,560 qualities of God and you were to list them off, we could go 571 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:55,880 around this room with a microphone and we could come up 572 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:58,600 with quality after quality after quality after quality, And if I 573 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:02,000 said let's just reduce it, and we did it and we reduced it and 574 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:04,360 we did it and we reduced it, we just kept reducing it, you'd be 575 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:07,760 kind of left with three preeminent qualities of God. 576 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:11,680 You would have His Holiness, you would have His love, and you 577 00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:18,000 would have His goodness. God's holiness means that he is 578 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,640 separate, altogether different. He's perfect in every way. 579 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:27,200 And when you and I sin, what that creates is that creates 580 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:31,320 distance between US and God. We rack up for ourselves a 581 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,280 heavenly debt that somebody has to pay. 582 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:42,160 And God and His Holiness, He can't be in the presence of sin. 583 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:44,880 If he could, he wouldn't be holy. 584 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,680 You can almost hear the heartbreak of God in Genesis 585 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:52,480 after Adam and Eve ate from the tree and disobeyed God because 586 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:55,360 he used to walk with them in the cool of the day. 587 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:59,280 Before sin entered the world, there was perfect communion with 588 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:04,840 God. So God is holy, but God is also 589 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:08,239 loving. And His love desperately desires 590 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:12,000 to be in relationship with us, to save us from the very thing 591 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:16,000 that has alienated us from Him, to give us the life that He 592 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,560 desperately desires for us to have. 593 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:21,760 And so His love wants to be in relationship. 594 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:27,400 But if God decided to be loving and to lean all the way into His 595 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:29,639 love, he would no longer be holy. 596 00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:36,760 And if God were to just give completely into His Holiness, he 597 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:41,280 would not be loving, which is why God is not just holy and 598 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,159 he's not just loving, He's also good. 599 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:51,199 And So what he did is he sent Jesus in his goodness to die on 600 00:34:51,199 --> 00:34:54,600 the cross on my behalf and on your behalf. 601 00:34:55,960 --> 00:35:01,040 And so Jesus takes the payment that you and I deserve, but not 602 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:04,800 just you and I, for every human, for all of human history. 603 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:08,680 And it was laid on the person of Jesus. 604 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:16,040 If you want to know how holy God is, look at the beaten body of 605 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:21,120 Jesus, look at the blood stained cross and you will see how holy 606 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:25,400 God is. If you want to know how loving 607 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:31,760 God is, look at the cross, look at a beaten Jesus and a blood 608 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:35,760 stained cross and you will see just how loving God is. 609 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:41,200 And if you want to know how good he is, you look at the cross. 610 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:44,800 Because in the cross he satisfies His Holiness and he 611 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:50,600 satisfies his love because he made him Jesus, who knew no sin 612 00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:59,680 to be sin for us, so that in him, Jesus, you and I might 613 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:06,560 become the righteousness of God. What God did in the cross is he 614 00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:14,320 treated Jesus like you and I deserved so that you and I could 615 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:19,880 be treated like Jesus deserves. That is not just a message for 616 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:23,760 us. That is a message for the world. 617 00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:29,360 And when we believe it, own it, claim it, live in it, and share 618 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:33,120 it, we will turn this world upside down. 619 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:36,200 And there's some of you in here today that this is not your 620 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:38,840 story, but it could be. And in just a few moments, I'm 621 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:40,720 going to encourage you. All the people around you stand 622 00:36:40,720 --> 00:36:42,720 and singing. Some of them come to the steps 623 00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:44,840 and pray about whatever's going on in their life. 624 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,240 I'm going to encourage you to take a step right over there 625 00:36:48,240 --> 00:36:51,080 underneath that screen next to the baptistry, and there'll be 626 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:54,040 people there who'd love to talk to you, answer some of the 627 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:57,120 questions you have. After everything he's done, how 628 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:00,880 could you not at least ask a couple questions to the rest of 629 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:04,520 you in the room, to those of you who are Christians, we must do 630 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,920 better. People are getting their view of 631 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:14,160 Jesus by the way you and I conduct ourselves in person and 632 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:18,080 online. And if we are indeed ambassadors 633 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:22,640 of God's Kingdom, what are we telling them about God's 634 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:26,480 Kingdom? I hope it's that we have another 635 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:29,520 king and his name is Jesus. Would you stand with me, 636 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:34,240 Heavenly Father, do a work in this church right now, not just 637 00:37:34,240 --> 00:37:36,040 here, but at all of our different locations. 638 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:40,040 Not just at our locations, but to those who are gathered around 639 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:43,360 devices, to those who are behind bars. 640 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,640 God, take ground in each of our lives. 641 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:50,280 Take the ground that only you can take in ways that only you 642 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:52,280 can take it. And your name I pray. 643 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:53,000 Amen.