Crossing family. I'm so glad that you guys
decided to show up and hang out at church with us this weekend.
You guys can go ahead and have a seat if you're still standing.
We're super thankful for each and every single one of you, I
want to welcome those of you joining at all of our different
locations. Those of you watching inside and
of course all of you watching online.
This Mother's Day weekend, we have a very special treat.
If you are part of uncommon last year, we brought in three great
communicators and one of those communicators is Tyler
Mackenzie. And I reached out to him and
asked him if he'd be willing to come and share with us this
weekend. For those of you who don't know
him, he is a young leader in a large Church.
Who's making a big impact inside of our movement?
He's the senior pastor of Northeast Christian Church,
which is in Kentucky. And it's either Louisville,
Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky or LaRue Kentucky and he is here to
hang out with us this weekend. So if you guys would, please put
your hands together and do a big Crossing welcome.
For my friend and our preacher this weekend.
Mr. Tyler McKenzie. Christian Smith.
Love it. Yes.
A good morning, good afternoon. Good evening Crossing fan
whenever you're watching this wherever you join us from.
I am so excited to be with you. I'll be in part two of a series.
You kicked off last week called surrounded and we're looking at
the group's people, that surrounded Jesus and how he
interacted with them. And I have been given the
esteemed Honor on this Mother's Day weekend of addressing the
topic of women. Because Clayton was going to
touch that. I'm just like, he told me he's
like, my wife's gonna be an audience and are trying to sleep
on a couch for the next few weeks.
So my wife's not in the audience, she's in Louisville.
She'll never hear this. So here we are.
Now I got to tell you, I have known Clayton for a year to now
and I have admired him from afar.
I honestly wish we lived closer, to be honest with you.
I think we'd be tighter. I think we'd be sharing more
leadership insights. Every time I talk to the guy on
the phone, I learned something new and more.
Importantly I get my passion tank filled up for the mission
of God. God and to take God's love to
the Lost honestly. And so, I would say that you're
lucky to have a leader like him here.
Jerry is a great leader, great leaders, see, great leaders.
And, and I mean, just to watch how this kind of transition is
happening, the two leaders here has been a blessing to me now.
Real quick intro on me. Clayton, has some of it again.
My name is Tyler. I'm from Louisville.
It's love. Just to just really
one-and-a-half syllables Louisville.
Kentucky, I've been there for 10 years but I was actually raised
in Winston-Salem North Carolina. Reason why we ended up when
saying North Carolina was because my dad's Ministry took
us there, which means, yes, I'm a preacher's kid, which means?
Yes, I out likely, or I likely out send most of you like 10 to
1 by the age of 18. Are there.
Any preachers kids about away in this room today?
Yeah, one. Okay, It's because the rest of
them are probably in a county Penitentiary or out, vandalizing
the cars in the parking lot. You know I'm saying because
that's how the preachers kids roll.
Now I want to introduce you to the best part of me.
This is my beautiful family will start on this end.
This is my lovely. Wife of this will be 11 years.
Now, Lindsay McKenzie. She is a worship pastor and she
has a heart of gold. She's my pastor as well, which a
lot of people don't realize with the pastor's wife, a man, she
pastors and ministers to me in profound ways and You know,
locate ladies in the room, I know what you're thinking, when
you see a girl like her. And you see a guy like me,
You're thinking, man, he must be rich.
And it's true. You know, that's why we get into
the ministry. It's for the money, right?
No wrong industry. This is our oldest Palmer.
He is seven years old. He's a baseball player.
This is our youngest Olsen. He's one years old.
He is the Cookie Monster can eat three cookies at once.
I've seen it and this is our middle.
My four-year-old daughter Larkin, Rose.
And that is where I would like to begin my message today on
women. Because until January 17th,
2018. I got, to be honest with you, as
a man of God, I had not thought very much about what it meant to
be a woman of God. I had not thought very much
about what it meant to raise a woman of God.
I had not thought very much about the obstacles that women
face, especially women of God in our world today.
But then January 7th. 2018 happened in everything changes.
Your perspective, changes when you become a parent, right?
Maybe you're a mother of a son, all of a sudden, you start
thinking about, boys, and men, just a bit differently.
Same thing happened to me as father of daughter.
Now, look, I know that everybody's kids above-average.
I get it, but my actually are so, When I started realizing how
incredibly gifted Larkin was, I started asking myself questions
that I've never thought of before, like, well, you know,
why is it that there's never been a female president the
United States? Because she could do it maybe
right? Now better than anyway.
So like I'm just like she could when I realized how incredibly
gifted she was, I I started praying for her husband.
If she marries, when she probably won't I'll probably be
her best guy forever. She ain't him.
She definitely date until 33 but I started praying for her
husband because Because I want a strong man to partner with her.
She's going to be a strong woman.
So men have this joke. Of your, her gas tell it before?
It's not a very good. In fact, it's kind of
ridiculous. When you think about, we have
this joke that we say to each other will be like bro you
really output, I'll kick your butt coverage.
Or man, you married out of your league right ever.
Heard, guys say that you ever said that to a friend before by
looks of the guys in the room right now.
It's true. But I don't know if you ever
thought about that before men, but that's actually not a
compliment to the woman Like, I don't want that for my Larkin.
I don't want her husband someday to out kick his punt coverage or
Mary out of his league. So that she has to marry down.
No, I want her to find a strong enough man, for the strong woman
that I know. She'll be in.
If, you know my wife, she going to take, after she going to be a
strong woman. When I met Lindsey in seminary,
she didn't need a man to give her a reason to exist.
She had God had to give her a reason to make room for me in
her schedule. And I did.
That's what I want for my little girl.
Thanks change. When you have a daughter.
Now, what I've discovered taken deep interest in how Jesus
thinks and talks and interacts with women is that he has a
compellingly beautiful vision for what authentic Womanhood
looks like. And that's what I want to share
with you today because this Vision stands in beautiful
resistance, that's intentional language in beautiful resistance
to the way that our culture falsely defines Womanhood today.
Let's start with our culture. It several years ago, I was
reading a study on societal pressures that both men and
women feel when it comes to being masculine or feminine.
Let's start with the men. These were the words that men
associated with being manly in the United States.
Today words like winning emotional withdrawal.
Defiance violence dominance the Playboy.
Persona self-reliance, the prioritization of work
leadership over women disdain for effeminacy and pursuit of
status, or in other. Urge men here, the messaging
every single day do not be perceived as weak.
And I think that can be incredibly damaging to a man.
Now, on the flip side, I think the societal pressures on women
are even worse. Here were the words that women
Associated be thin. Be pretty be nice, be quiet, be
domestic. Be a good wife and be an even
better mom. Or in other words, if I could
summarize them in three categories, look, sexy mother,
well, and never lead. The study went on to show that
from these three broad categories is where women
experience a tremendous amount of Shame most shame that they
carry with them. So let's just ask the
million-dollar question women and men in the room today.
Is this supposed to be the center of our identity, as
followers of Jesus? But can you go to the previous
3? Let me ask you what's missing
from this list, Jesus followers. Well, noticeably missing from
this list is anything that all did has to do with being a
follower of Jesus noticeably missing from this list, is the
idea that a woman could make the impact outside of the home?
I mean, God forbid, some little girl with the cure for cancer
ever comes across this list right here.
Noticeably missing from this list is well is is the idea that
women have anything to offer men other than sex in a clean house?
What's he know? One of our big problems today is
that there's no balanced voices in this conversation.
You got people kind of on the extreme, right?
That are like, we gotta keep women insubordination and
submission. Then you got people on the
extreme left of like we gotta beat them into submission,
right? And like, it's just where do we
find a balanced voice. I'm telling you.
When you look at how Jesus interacts with with women
throughout the scriptures, not just balanced, it's
Transcendent. He transcends, the like left
versus right right political Fray that everything gets pushed
into today and he gives us a beautiful Vision.
So, I want to cash that beautiful vision for you and I
want to do it by asking a few questions that I think apply
well to these three categories. Here's the first question.
How many kids must a woman have? To be a good follower of Jesus.
How many kids get one? 210.
Okay, you do know that Mary, by the way, Jesus mom had at least
six. There were four boys and it says
Jesus had sisters plural, so at least six.
And I'm just saying, if you want to be like the Blessed Mother,
Some of y'all need to like, double down.
Triple down. It's me.
And you just leave church right now and go home.
Anyways, I'm just let me, let me ask it.
Ask it to you in a little bit of a different way.
Next slide here, how many kids did Jesus and his wife have Now,
the answer to that ridiculous question is zero, Jesus was not
married, Jesus did not have any kids.
So while scripture presents Parenthood, as an absolutely
worthwhile and significant calling for anyone to give their
life to It, also says that there's more to life, there's
more to your identity. There's something more
fundamentally core to who you are than just being a mom or
just being a dad. Now, Jesus hits on this in in
Luke 11:20. Seven.
So it says that, as Jesus was speaking a woman in the crowd
called out. God, bless your mother.
To which Jesus like thank you. Appreciate that.
Love her. I'm preaching though the wound
from which you came. Okay, now you're talking about
my mom's womb little strange, the breasts that nursed you.
All right? Don't talk about my mama like
that. So, you know, saying but like if
you could imagine this is he's wild.
He's preaching this woman. Shouts out.
Now, it's important for you to understand, by the way, that
this is what societal Norms said.
And Jesus, sort of patriarchal culture.
This is what it said, made a good woman.
A good woman was based on their child bearing capacity.
Hopefully, it was mostly boys. And hopefully, it was boys that
turned out to honor their family and Community.
Well, and if that was what measured a woman, well then Mary
hit the jackpot. Like you got honor.
Roll student on the back of your car.
Imagine her bumper sticker Son of God, right?
Like, she's just she's doing well.
Now. What I love about Jesus here is
that he doesn't like he doesn't put this woman down and he
doesn't degrade the role of his mother or of motherhood but
rather he antes up. In what he says back to her.
And actually refocuses our wraps, the identity of a woman
around something, even more important than motherhood.
Luke chapter 11 verse 28. Jesus replied says, even more
blessed. Interesting, even more blessed
are all, who hear the word of God and put it into practice.
Hmm. By the way, the Greek word here
for blessed is makarios. It basically means honored by
God. So who does Jesus say?
God honors most. Not a woman, not a man.
Not a mother. Not a she bossy CEO.
It says God honors. Most, anyone who simply hears
God's word and puts it into practice, that's what central so
perhaps I could sum it up for you.
Like this next slide here motherhood can honor God or not
they can't a career can honor God or not but what matters most
to Jesus is if you are living God's word.
So if you're a mother in the room say you're a full-time mom.
And you consider that vocationally to be what God's
called you to in this season of your life.
I want you to hear me say right on Go for it.
The next generation will change the world.
The only question is, how and you hold the formative clay of
their hearts and their minds in the palms of your hand as a mom?
You know what I believe, I believe Revival in the nation,
it didn't start in the white house.
It is starting to Supreme Court, it doesn't start in the Capitol
Building. No Revival starts around dinner
tables, it starts in toy rooms, it starts on the drive to
school, and back home every day as you press.
In one small investment at a time into your kids, we have
been called by Jesus to love the lost and make disciples, love
the lost and make disciples, love the lost and make
disciples. When you have kids, the front
lines of that battle is in the bedroom.
On the halt, right? So go after it moms, go after
it, you know, there's a cultural I out there from sort of the
progressive way of thinking that says that if you give your life
occasionally to Motherhood, or if you take decades off of your
career, in order to raise kids, somehow you're a lesser woman
somehow, you're setting things back for women, somehow you're
like supporting the patriarchy or whatever it may be, right?
I would tell you that God would say the opposite, Parenthood can
honor him. Motherhood can honor him again
your Raising up the Next Generation.
Now, this is in part, by the way, while there's so much shame
around motherhood because Mom set the bar so high for
themselves, you don't want to make a steak, you know, MSU kids
up, but here's what we all learn.
About the time when we hit 25, our parents messed us up at
least, even if you had great well-adjusted parents, they
screw you up just a little bit, all right?
And so, as a parent, it's like the goal is just to screw must
be as little as possible, Right? Like just let him get out of my
house alive, right? So that's like, that's, that's
how that's how you end up. so, Put so much pressure on yourself
moms. Today, if you hear anything
here, this, okay, would you mess up confess?
Ask for forgiveness, repent, and John near to Jesus, and that
right there, alone will be one of the best examples you can set
for your children. All right.
Now, on the other hand, for those of you ladies in the room
who have since that or who have not since that calling to be a
mom, or have not been given that opportunity to be a mom, or
maybe you do both, you're like full-time mom, full-time, in the
workplace, let me read this passage to you again because you
need to hear it, Luke 11, 28, Jesus replied, even more blessed
are all, who hear the word of God and put it into practice.
So, you are not a lesser woman either.
There is another cultural. I kind of from the far right
into the spectrum that says that if you're not devoting your life
to like full-time motherhood, or if you're single, or if you
haven't had a kid or whatever it may be, you are a lesser woman.
You're a lesser human. That's a lie from the pit of
Hell. Jesus is Calling here is not
limited based on your age, your marital status or your child
bearing capacity. Because if God isn't calling you
to be a mother or a wife, that doesn't mean God isn't calling.
You just means he's calling you somewhere else.
Answer the call. Question number two, we've
handled motherhood. Let's talk about sexy.
This is almost Blasphemous to say, how sexy do you have to be
to be loved by Jesus? Okay, let's just pause for a
second time out on the sermon and let me, let me take you back
a few days ago. When I was writing this, the
power of this of the questions that I'm asking day is meant to
be in just how stupid and ridiculous.
They are. Okay, the answer should be
obvious. So time in how sexy do you have
to be. To be loved by Jesus.
What a surprise you if I were to tell you today that if you read
all four gospels this week, you would not find one, not one
comment from Jesus or the authors of the gospels on the
physical attractiveness of any of his followers male or female.
Not one. And you want to know why?
Because they didn't care. It didn't matter.
Next slide here. It's interesting.
The gospels presented. Jesus.
Who judges people from the inside out, not the outside in.
and I wonder if, if any of us could get a little better at
that, we live in an outside-in culture, don't we live in a
culture that judges people first based on the color of their skin
or based on the clothes that they wear.
Or based on their physical attractiveness but that was not
a priority for Jesus. You know what Jesus cared about
Jesus cared about heart not hot. We learn a thing or two from
that. Now that being said that is not
to say that biblical Womanhood, our manhood has nothing at all
to do with sex. A brief word on that.
Today I'm already talking about women.
It was just okay PG-13. If you have a young child in the
room, it would be a great time to get a cup of coffee.
Our, our culture has become sexualized and pornified today,
like nothing I've ever seen. We live in a society that is
basically removed all restraints on sex except for consent and we
did it thinking that it would free us.
The idea really started to pick up Traction in the 1960s when
what historians call the sexual Liberation movement or the
sexual Revolution was launched basically the idea behind the
sexual Revolution was that if we stop making such a big deal
about sex, it wouldn't be such a big deal.
So that's the Playbook. Our country's been running for
six decades now. Now we have the we have the
luxury of retrospect you all. Right.
So we can look back a generation later and you tell me how is it
gone? Look around our culture today.
Are we more or less healthy when it comes to sex?
Are women more or less free? When it comes to sex.
So I think I think an argument for health would be a very
difficult argument to make because what I see is I see a
lot of pain, see a lot of confusion, I see a lot of
suffering and I see a lot of that carried on the shoulders,
not of men, but of women and children in our society.
Still today thousands upon thousands of unborn children are
aborted, why? Because sex has been taken out
of its appropriate Bond boundaries today, there is an
invisible father epidemic around our country why the SEC has been
taken outside of its appropriate boundaries, there's a porn
epidemic and it's contributing to the objectification of women.
It's contributing to sex trafficking around the globe and
it's making men look at women. Like they are like some sort of
piece of meat. From a butcher shop.
Why? Because sex has been removed
from its appropriate boundaries Today, there's a movement of
women actually rising up saying that for years.
Now, this has not been working for us like powerful men have
been using sex as a bargaining chip against us, so we can have
upward social mobility and that's not right, that's not
okay. And they're right.
Why? Because sex has been removed
from its appropriate boundaries. Now call me old-fashioned.
That's fine but I believe God put boundaries on sex, I don't
know for a reason. Because it's powerful. when it's
inside of its boundaries, it gives life when it's outside of
its boundaries, you can bring death When it's inside of its
boundaries you can build a family when it's outside of its
fat boundaries, it can tear family down.
When it's inside boundaries it can be the backbone of
civilization and society when it's outside of its boundaries
it can be its Achilles heel. Basically I heard it said like
this one sex is like fire and it's appropriate context.
It can warm the home outside of it, it can burn the home down.
So you know what we need? We need a generation of women
who demand that sex be honored on God's terms within its
appropriate boundaries and then they hold men too.
I will not be objectified. I will not be pornified.
I will not be abused abandoned or thrown to the curve.
I will be honored because I'm created in God's image.
I have enormous dignity eternally undeniably because of
that and Jesus died for me and if Jesus loves me that much so
should you hey, you want to know what, will get a man's attention
failure. So set hard boundaries ladies
and if he walks over those kick his butt to the curb and he may
not come back. And that'll be sad, but at
least, you'll do the next woman a favor.
Oh you know what else we need? We need a generation of men who
say, Amen, we need a generation of men who reject passivity know
what passivity is in men when they refuse to tell other men
What the right thing is to do when they see wrong in their
life, I am sick and tired of hearing the excuse.
Well, that's just locker room, talk.
I'm sick of tired of hearing that, you know, will boys, will
be boys. I'm tired of hearing like the
celebrity say, I never knew. Yeah, you did.
You just have the courage to call it out.
So we need a generation of men who has that sort of Courage who
looks at their brother in Christ sometimes and says I see this in
you it's wrong and I'm not okay with it.
You know what we need we don't need a sexual Revolution that
Great sex, we need a sexual Revolution that respects it.
And the women. and the children and the men that it affects
third question. And the last one.
Got a question for you ladies. How many people must the woman?
Follow? In order to be a follower of
Jesus. the answer is 1, obviously, in order to be a
follower of Jesus, all you have to do is follow Jesus, and you
want to love about Jesus that he actually welcomes women into his
disciples to discipleship Circle.
Luke chapter 8, verses 1, through 3 says Jesus began a
tour of the nearby towns and Villages preaching in
announcing. The good news about the kingdom
of God, took his twelve disciples with him, along with
some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases among
them were Mary of magdala from whom.
He had cast out seven demons interesting.
There's Joanna wife of chuza herod's Business business
manager or Susanna and many others who were contributing
from their own resources. Wow, to support Jesus and his
disciples. Now, three things.
Real quick about this, passage one, we see a rabbi a Jewish
rabbi. In the first century with women
in his discipleship Circle. You need understand.
That would have been scandalous. They're traveling with him,
they're sleeping in the same camp.
Like that would have brought great Scandal on Jesus, but he
thought it was worth it. Second, can you go back to verse
2 previous? I'd here, I want you to see the
kind of woman, he brought along with him, Mary of magdala from
whom, he had cast out seven demons.
Now, I'm not even sure what that meant, like it's but I guess
it's not as bad as a demon's. But what does it mean to even
have seven demons in you? Not good.
Okay. And yet Jesus heals her heels
her and then fast forward to the resurrection and all of a sudden
she's takes center stage, she sees the Risen Jesus first, and
she goes and evangelizes, the disciples.
The go to the next slide here. Last thing I want you to notice
is that also in Jesus Circle, were Rich went to Rich with, I'm
just saying they're rich women, women who were bankrolling Jesus
ministry through their financial support.
Can we just take a moment real quick?
Let's pray for the for the rich women in the room.
God thank you. For rich women will you multiply
them in this church in Jesus name?
Amen. This is a circle.
I love this is circle. You know, one day, Jesus was
actually at Marion Martha's house.
And you remember the story Martha was busy with the Woman's
Work, Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus learning.
This is how the story plays out. Luke 10:39.
It says her sister, Martha Sister, Mary sat at the Lord's
feet listening to what he taught.
Now, when Martha saw this, she gets a little bit, ticked off
understandably, so she's doing work and Mary's not so verse, 40
says, Martha came to Jesus and she said, Lord, doesn't it seem
unfair to you that my sister just sits here.
Well, I do all the work tell her to come help me. but then Jesus
blows up her understanding of Womanhood right when he responds
like this 41, he says, but the Lord said to her, my dear
Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details,
there is only one thing worth being concerned about Mary has
discovered it. It will not be taken away from
her. Now many people today especially
in women's ministry. Contexts read this as a passage
about busyness. And certainly, we can take
application from it about our business because we live in a
culture of overload, but that is not primarily or fundamentally,
what this passage is about, this passage is about discipleship.
And the first verse it said, Mary sat at the Lord's feet.
That is a technical term for being the disciple of someone
and literally, Jesus looks at Martha in the eyes and he says,
that's where a woman belongs. At the feet of as a disciple of
Jesus. So as we bring this to close
today, I guess I would ask Every Woman listening and watching
this today. Are you Are you a disciple of
Jesus? Do you want to be?
What a beautiful vision of Womanhood, he gives for our
lives. Now it's really not that hard.
To become a disciple. All you have to do is reach for
Jesus. My favorite interaction between
Jesus, and the woman was Mark chapter 5 in Mark 5, Jesus is
going and he's healing people, he's preaching, he's on his
ministry to her and the crowds are getting really big, they're
pressing in on them. In fact, he's on the way to heal
the daughter of this man named gyrus and the crowds have gotten
like so big that there's kind of like pushing Jesus around and
this, there's this woman who's been bleeding for twelve years,
12 years. She spent all of her money.
On doctors, trying to find a cure for this.
She can't find one 12 years she's been bleeding, but she
just decides Jesus is in town today, and if I can touch him,
maybe he will. Heal me.
So she goes to the crowd, she's not supposed to be in a crowd,
she's unclean. She's been bleeding for years
according to Jewish law. She's supposed to be isolated,
but she goes into the crowd. She starts pushing her way
through the crowd. She just wants to touch the
cloak of Jesus, maybe it'll heal her and she reaches out and
touches him. And you remember what happens?
Immediately. She knows she's well
immediately. Now, when she touches her
though, Jesus stops, and he's in this crowd, he just stops.
And he's like, who touched me? And the disciples like Jesus.
Everybody touching you may like we mean who touched me.
So someone touched me. I felt power go out of me.
And this woman, I don't know if she's fearful or what, but she
hits her knees in front of, she confesses to him what she's
done. And you know how Jesus responds
to her. I love this.
Mark 5 verse 34. It says Jesus said to her
daughter, daughter, your faith has made you, well Go in peace.
Your suffering is over. Wouldn't you love to hear Jesus
say that to you today? I want to show you one more
picture of my daughter just because I got the microphone
today. All right.
And, and I want to see. Can you put the picture?
There she is. And I'll tell you what, if you
were to ask, any parent or grandparent in this room, they
could produce a picture of their daughter or their granddaughter
in a second. Because of the affection and
love, they feel for him. Jesus looks at this woman and
calls her daughter. Did you know that?
This is the only time in all four.
Gospel accounts check me on this that Jesus calls, anyone
daughter? This right here.
Why? Well, I believe there's
something going on here. That's more than just a physical
healing. There's a spiritual healing
happen. Here, there's the healing of a
social stigma and emotional burden that this woman has been
carrying around if levitical law was followed by her then because
of her bleeding again. She's unclean which means she
can't go to worship services at her church.
There was a viral model of uncleanness in Jewish circles so
she couldn't risk touching something that somebody else
would touch and making them unclean or making the priest.
Or whatever. As if she couldn't go to Temple,
she couldn't go to worship service and she couldn't sleep
in the same bed as her husband. She couldn't hug her children
without making them subsequently unclean.
This means that this woman for 12 years had been living a life
of isolation as a social Pariah wondering if she's beloved by
her community and family wondering if she's beloved by
God. And what I love about this
Encounter With Jesus is that when she reaches out and touches
him, he doesn't get unclean rather he versus the Mosaic law
and she gets clean and then he calls her daughter.
Daughter. To, which I think.
Boy, you're 30 years old. Who you think you are calling
her daughter? But exactly who does he think he
is calling her daughter. You know what I love about the
Christian story is that it answers one of the core
questions, core longings in all of our heart.
And that is this all of us. Ask it at some point.
Does anyone really want me? Does anyone really care?
Now, if there is no God, then the answer to that, question is
no. I just got to speak real with
you. We're here because of luck some,
random chance explosion produced us where decaying matter on
decaying matter and one day the world is going to implode or
explode into. Like I don't know a bajillion
different pieces and no one's going to remember anything
anyone ever did. So no, you don't matter, but if
the Christian story is true, then you need to know that.
The only reason you exist is because you matter If the
Christian story is right, then the, the only reason you exist
today is because God wanted you, because God wanted to, he didn't
need to create us. He existed in perfect Triune
Community. Father son, Holy Ghost.
Before for eternity past before us, he didn't need you.
He didn't need to know he wanted you.
He wanted to You do not exist by accident, you're not here by
accident. You're here because you are
beloved and desired by God. In fact, I believe that you're
here today, Listening to this message.
Because God wants you to hear that.
You are beloved by God. He wants you and for some of
you, he doesn't have you. So I would just remind you today
that Luke chapter 15 describes our heavenly father as a
prodigal father pacing on the front porch, waiting for the
Rebel Son, waiting for the rebel daughter to come home.
And when she does you know what the prodigal father does.
He doesn't wag his finger at her.
He doesn't condemn her. He doesn't say you should have
listened to me the first time though.
He runs to her and he had even asked for an apology.
He just runs to The Prodigal Son, Embraces him puts a ring on
her finger, a robe on his back and says, it's time to throw a
party. It's time to celebrate because
my son that was dead is now alive.
My daughter was lost is now found, And but before he can
throw the party, the son the daughter has to come home.
So today I'm inviting you. In fact, at the Crossing, we
expect response. I'm expecting you to respond to
the tug of the Holy Spirit. The love of God.
And your heart today. Right now, we're moving to a
time of decision.