1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,480 Oh my goodness, crossing family, I am so glad that you are here 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,840 today. Today we are going to answer one 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,200 of the top 20 questions that I get as a pastor. 4 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,400 It is probably a question that you have wondered yourself or 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:19,760 perhaps have been asked. And I know that anytime someone 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:21,840 tries to answer a big theological question, there are 7 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,480 going to be some of you who'll be frustrated because I did not 8 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,880 say a particular thing that you thought that I should have 9 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:28,520 included. And I want you to know I don't 10 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:32,600 have an e-mail address anymore. Just joking. 11 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:34,880 I want to welcome those of you joining at all of our different 12 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,840 locations, those of you watching online, those of you are part of 13 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,600 the crossing inside. I am celebrating the first 14 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:43,640 baptism since our Weaver campus launched. 15 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:45,680 I hope you guys cheered a little bit louder for that. 16 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:51,480 I cannot wait to see 1000 more. I also want to welcome those of 17 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:53,040 you who are here for the first time. 18 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,920 You're new here or maybe it's your first time in a long time. 19 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,480 And I want to encourage you before you leave today to swing 20 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,360 by the new here booth in all of our different lobbies. 21 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:07,600 Now in two weeks, two weeks from this weekend, on Super Bowl 22 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,160 weekend, both Thursday and on Sunday, we are going to be 23 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:17,000 having a very special service. We are partnering with a 24 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,640 ministry called Riding High Ministries and during each of 25 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:25,240 our services we will be breaking a wild horse. 26 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,360 In fact, I can't even tell you how. 27 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:30,840 I'll tell you more next week about how over the moon I am 28 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,080 about this. We will be sending an e-mail out 29 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,440 to you this week with more details. 30 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,640 So if you have put us in your spam account, I would ask you to 31 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,680 remove us so that way you could have the best information 32 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:43,920 possible. I have to go over, if we're 33 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:46,440 going to pull this thing off, four important details. 34 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:53,080 Detail number one, there is not a better weekend for you to make 35 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,120 an invite of somebody that you love that is far from God. 36 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,480 I would absolutely love to pack this church out. 37 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:04,320 In fact, I've set my alarm for 9:50 in the morning and I've set 38 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:09,639 my alarm for 9:50 in the evening to pray for 9500 people to be in 39 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:11,360 attendance that weekend at our church. 40 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:15,280 I believe that strongly that whoever you bring will have a 41 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:19,400 powerful encounter with God. In my opinion, it will be the 42 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,520 most memorable service in the history of the crossing. 43 00:02:22,920 --> 00:02:26,680 And if there's somebody that you love deeply, this is the time to 44 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:32,440 make the risk and make the ask #2 because I'm praying for so 45 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,040 many people and not that God owes me, you know, a huge favor 46 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:36,480 because I'm praying. And I, if you want to set your 47 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,680 alarm for 9:50 in the morning and 9:50 at night or for one of 48 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,880 the two and for 3:00 for a Weaver campus, we're, you know, 49 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:44,600 eventually we're just going to have all the times filled up. 50 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,000 We're going to be people who pray continually. 51 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:47,160 And I think that would be fantastic. 52 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,440 But because we're praying for 9500 people to attend at all of 53 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,680 our different locations, those of you who are Jesus followers, 54 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,320 I'm asking you to do 2 things which most of you are horrible 55 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:01,440 at. I'm asking you to show up early 56 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:11,000 and park far away because I do not want there to be a huge 57 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,160 crowd for people who are coming here for the first time, making 58 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:16,680 it difficult for them to come in and find a seat. 59 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:18,800 In fact, at some of our locations, you will not be 60 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:20,760 sitting in your normal seat because we're going to be 61 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,760 hopefully packing people in. When I show up for church, I 62 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,320 pick the furthest parking spot. So that way anybody who is 63 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,560 coming here for the first time never has a longer walk than I 64 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,000 have. And I'm asking you to partner 65 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:37,200 with me on that on that weekend at all of our locations #3 if 66 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,520 possible, would you consider prioritizing our Thursday 67 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:45,440 services for those of you who have a Thursday service or being 68 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:51,800 willing to sit in overflow if your campus ends up having it #4 69 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:53,720 this is for all the other locations. 70 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,000 This is not for you at 48th St. You're going to have your own 71 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:58,600 problems, and we'll deal with those later. 72 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,160 I know there will be some of you at one of our different 73 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:03,000 locations. Who's going? 74 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,320 I want to be in the room. I want to smell the horse. 75 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:12,680 I want it to pee on me. And I need you to know 48th St. 76 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,640 cannot accommodate people from other locations. 77 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,920 If we're going to have 9500 people at all of our locations, 78 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:24,440 that means that 48th St. will potentially have 4000 to 4500 in 79 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,520 three services because we're only having three services 80 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,480 because there's not a fourth wild horse. 81 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,480 OK. I have watched what he does on 82 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:39,240 video and I can promise you it will be impactful absolutely 83 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,240 everywhere. To add to that, we are adding 84 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,920 additional cameras and additional technology to make 85 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,520 that service as immersive as possible wherever you are 86 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:53,160 watching from. So if you attend a different 87 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:59,240 location and you show up at 48th St., you will be making it 88 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:04,480 harder for the people at 48th St. to bring their friends who 89 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:06,760 they've been praying for to come to church. 90 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,960 This is one of the ways that we love God and be a good loving 91 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:16,000 neighbor. Everybody. 92 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,640 OK, you might be wondering, why would we be doing all of this? 93 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,120 This sounds crazy. You better stink and believe it. 94 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,480 And I'll tell you why. Because it is our mission as a 95 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:29,520 church to help people find an intimate, personal relationship 96 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,240 with Jesus Christ. And our crazy goal is to make 97 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,800 this region where we do life and ministry, the hardest place on 98 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,560 planet earth to get to hell from. 99 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:41,920 We see the impact that Satan and sin are having in our region, in 100 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:46,040 our counties, in our cities, in our workplace, in our schools, 101 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,800 in our friends, in our families. And we are compelled to do 102 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,960 something about it. And we believe there has to be a 103 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:57,920 place for people to connect and discover the love of God that is 104 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:02,240 found in Jesus Christ. However, we cannot create the 105 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,520 place that we want to create unless we createspace in our 106 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,360 lives to become the people that God created us to become. 107 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,080 That is why we have been talking about making space in our lives 108 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,960 for spending time in the Word of God, creating space in our lives 109 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,400 to spend time in prayer, and creating space in our lives to 110 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,240 use our gifts and abilities to serve the mission of God. 111 00:06:24,280 --> 00:06:27,480 And if you've missed any of these sermons in the series, you 112 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:31,520 can find them at all kinds of places if you go to at One 113 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,320 Crossing, wherever you consume your stuff. 114 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,560 I recently got an e-mail of a church not too far from here 115 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:42,040 that the high school Sunday school teacher said that they 116 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,000 watch the services here at the crossing and then they discuss 117 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,120 them with their students. And they said, is there any 118 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:49,480 chance that we could ever come on a particular weekend and just 119 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:51,800 hang out in person? And I want you to know those 120 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,160 high school kids who are gathered at some church that I 121 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,200 don't know the name of. I cannot wait to meet you guys 122 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,880 and cheer you on as you try to live out your faith in your high 123 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,440 school. Now, one of the top 20 questions 124 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:09,600 that I get is what does it mean to be a Christian? 125 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:12,800 If somewhere to ask you what does it mean to be a Christian, 126 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:14,520 how would you answer that question? 127 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:18,600 Well, I believe that there is an answer to that question that we 128 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,040 can all discover and learn from. Now, let's start with the 129 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,560 spiritual spectrum. We've been talking a lot about 130 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,520 the spiritual spectrum. If you were to give yourself a 131 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,840 number for like your level of Christianity, what number would 132 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,480 you give if you were a - 5 you're going I don't even 133 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,600 believe in God and a - 2. I'm starting to believe, but I 134 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,280 got a lot of questions and maybe a person who would say I'm a 0 135 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:42,480 is like I am ready to start an intimate personal relationship 136 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:44,960 with him. And maybe a + 2 is I'm starting 137 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:49,280 to develop a a pattern of faith and obedience that are maybe a + 138 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,120 5 is my life is defined by faith and obedience. 139 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:58,520 What number would you pick? Now hear me, I am not as 140 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,040 concerned with the number that just popped in your head as I am 141 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:06,840 with this year being a year where you move from left to 142 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:11,440 right on the spiritual spectrum. There are a lot of things that 143 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,640 can't have been said and could be said about what it means to 144 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:21,560 be a Christian, but I believe that Second Corinthians chapter 145 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:27,280 5 we find a great explanation of what it means to be a Christian 146 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:29,480 at all of our locations. Turn to your neighbor and say 147 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:34,000 Second Corinthians chapter 5. Great job. 148 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,440 Next time somebody says what does it mean to be a Christian, 149 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,360 you are going to turn to your other neighbor and say Second 150 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:46,680 Corinthians chapter 5. I believe that Second 151 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:51,480 Corinthians chapter 5 should be on the Mount Rushmore of Bible 152 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:56,000 chapters, right up there with Romans chapter 8, right up there 153 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:00,480 with Psalm 23, Second Corinthians chapter 5. 154 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,440 In fact, it is such a good chapter that that is going to 155 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:09,280 form about 50% of all the words that I'm going to speak from 156 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,960 here on for the rest of the message it that chapter is that 157 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,560 good. Let me show you what Second 158 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:20,680 Corinthians chapter 5. I'm getting it in your head says 159 00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:23,400 about being a Christian verse one. 160 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:28,320 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we 161 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:32,080 have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven not 162 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:36,960 built by human hands. To be a Christian is to 163 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:40,240 recognize that this life is not all that there is. 164 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:44,800 It is also to recognize that as Christians we have an eternal 165 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,200 house in heaven that was built by God. 166 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:53,240 Tents are temporary, houses are forever. 167 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,680 Remember in the Decisions in the Desert sermon series, God made a 168 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:00,960 temporary place for them to worship him. 169 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,560 It was called the Tabernacle. It was a tent, but the 170 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:09,480 Tabernacle gave way to a permanent structure, the temple. 171 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:13,080 When Jesus came to earth in John chapter one verse 4, it 172 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:17,920 describes Jesus as coming to earth to tent with us. 173 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:24,080 Jesus was physically on on earth for a temporary period of time 174 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:29,440 before he ascended into heaven. Now, you know, I had a lot of 175 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:31,880 people come up to me after Thanksgiving this year and say, 176 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:33,680 Clayton, you didn't talk to us about your Thanksgiving 177 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:36,200 extravaganza. And I said, well, just wait. 178 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:41,040 And I'm not going to go into all the details, but my family, it's 179 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,160 growing and there's lots of people and lots of people come 180 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:46,880 over. And so somebody in our family 181 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:51,000 recognize that in order to cook all of the food and take care of 182 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:55,920 everybody's needs, that somebody needed to sacrifice that. 183 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,640 Somebody needed to take one for the team and they needed to move 184 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,480 out of the house and into a tent. 185 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,040 So that way everybody else could have a bed and everybody else 186 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:07,040 could stay warm. And I don't want to make a big 187 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:08,840 deal about who it was, but I know him. 188 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:12,040 I know him really well. And so the first year I said, 189 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,440 mom and dad, could you just put a tent up outside? 190 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:16,840 And I don't know if you guys know where we live, but 191 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:20,480 Thanksgiving's not warm. And so my dad and his incredible 192 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,600 generosity, this is the tent that he found and gave me this 193 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,920 tent. Jesus used this tent when he 194 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:30,000 came to earth and we put a wood stove in there. 195 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,400 The door didn't close, so the wind came through in the middle 196 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,040 of the night. I didn't have a single warm 197 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:36,560 night, not one night of, of warm sleep. 198 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:38,080 And that's where I, I, that's where I stayed in. 199 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:40,200 It's, you know, it wasn't great, but it worked. 200 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:42,320 And so while everybody else in my family was, you know, 201 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:46,400 sleeping in a nice warm house, a permanent structure, here was I 202 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,720 suffering for them in a humble servant, servant manner. 203 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,880 I don't I don't want to make a big deal about how awesome I 204 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,840 was, but I just want you to know that somebody was out in the 205 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,840 tent. Well, my dad, in his greatness, 206 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,040 said, I kind of said, hey, it would be kind of nice if we had 207 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:05,440 a better tent. So this year my dad ordered this 208 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:09,560 tent, and this tent took six months to get to my parents 209 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:12,440 house and they had it set up for me when I showed up for 210 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,000 Thanksgiving this year. Let me show you how we trick 211 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,760 this thing out. Oh yeah, it's a house basically. 212 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:20,200 OK, I got a video here. This is Shug. 213 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:22,120 That's my son sleeping out there with me. 214 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:23,520 Everybody wants to be in Clayton's tent. 215 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:25,520 Now that there's doors, there's heat. 216 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,160 I got the savage Cologne out there. 217 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:29,840 It was bougie. And some of you, you're married 218 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:33,400 to somebody who's seen, like, pictures of people glamping and 219 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:35,320 like, Oh my goodness, that'll be so fun for us to go. 220 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:37,120 And they call them yurts. But you know what? 221 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,200 Nobody's ever said I want to live there. 222 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,400 Nobody's ever bragged about how awesome their tent life is. 223 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,280 Hey, you should come over to my house, see my new tent. 224 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:48,560 Nobody does that. You wouldn't know why because 225 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,320 everybody knows that tents are temporary and houses are 226 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:54,360 forever. This is how Christians are to 227 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:58,520 view the life that they have, that this life is the temporary 228 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:00,440 tent. And when you are bragging about 229 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,640 how cool your life is on earth, you're trying to say cool tent, 230 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,920 bro. When everybody else, Christians 231 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,760 are going, this is just where we're here temporarily. 232 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,760 I have an eternal house that is being built for me. 233 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:15,320 This is not all there is. There is something greater, 234 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:19,760 something grander on the horizon, a better structure, a 235 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:23,360 better reality, an eternal one. Second Corinthians chapter 5, 236 00:13:23,560 --> 00:13:29,040 verses 2 through 4. Meanwhile we groan, longing to 237 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:32,840 be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when 238 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,080 we are clothed we will not be found naked. 239 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:39,720 For while we are in this tent, this life, we groan and are 240 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:42,560 burdened because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be 241 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:45,960 clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what 242 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:49,520 is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 243 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:53,600 While we wait for this new reality, you and I are forced to 244 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:59,120 live in this 1 and in the waiting we are burdened. 245 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,280 We experience pain on every side. 246 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,240 We have emotional pain and relational pain. 247 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,800 We have marital burdens and parenting burdens and burdens 248 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,760 that arise from singleness and burdens that arise from divorce. 249 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:14,960 And we have pain from anxiety and burdens from stress. 250 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:18,520 We see so clearly, as I mentioned earlier, the effect 251 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:22,560 that sin is having on our lives and in the lives of the people 252 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,280 we love. We're frustrated by it. 253 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:30,040 We are crushed by the pain. We long for the new heaven, 254 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,200 Christians long for the new reality. 255 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:36,920 We long for the eternal 1 the permanent one. 256 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:41,960 To be a Christian is to long for what is to come and at the same 257 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,360 time to be discontent with what is. 258 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,600 That's what it means to be a Christian, to have your eye on a 259 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,440 future glory while you live in a present grown. 260 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,000 Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 5. 261 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:02,720 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, 262 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:10,880 who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to 263 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:14,320 come. Christians recognize that this 264 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:19,040 future redemption was never our idea, nor was this future 265 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:23,280 reality our doing. It was God who has made us 266 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:28,240 eternal beings, longing for an eternal destiny with Him. 267 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:33,080 His plan that He has stretches from eternity to eternity. 268 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:38,120 In the eternity past, God was already making a way for you and 269 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:43,160 I in Christ Jesus, and in eternity future, all that He has 270 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,840 in store for us will be poured out on top of us. 271 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:50,280 That is why it says in Philippians chapter one verse 6 272 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:57,480 being confident of this that he who began a good work in you 273 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:02,800 will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 274 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,240 That when God began saving you. He's not going to take his hand 275 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,680 off of you until you have experienced everything that he 276 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:14,160 has in store for you. So while we are waiting, He 277 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:20,240 gives us something to keep our hopes and our eyes up. 278 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:28,240 He gives us the Holy Spirit as a down payment, as a deposit, as a 279 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:32,080 ticket, as a confirmation e-mail. 280 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,280 How many of you you have gone to some kind of show, some kind of 281 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:40,760 game, and you got a ticket? Did you get the ticket at the 282 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:42,920 game or did you get the ticket in advance? 283 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:46,920 While you had not seen the game, you knew that there was a place 284 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,600 reserved for you because you had the ticket. 285 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,720 While I have not seen heaven, while I have not been face to 286 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:57,880 face with God, when He gave me His Holy Spirit, He gave me a a 287 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,480 ticket saying what is coming is indeed coming. 288 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:06,800 How many of you have placed an order on Amazon and you got the 289 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:12,160 confirmation e-mail? The confirmation e-mail is not 290 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,400 the thing. It is the promise that The thing 291 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,599 is on its way. You get the confirmation e-mail. 292 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:22,760 If you're like me, you go and you look at your e-mail. 293 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:24,119 You're like, I got the confirmation e-mail. 294 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:26,319 And then you know what I do? I go to the front door. 295 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:30,480 I'm an impatient person. When it's not there, I go, OK, I 296 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:31,840 go back. I pull up the e-mail. 297 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,680 I pull up the tracking data, refresh, refresh, refresh, 298 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,280 refresh. It is on its way. 299 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:42,800 The confirmation e-mail is not the thing, but the tracking data 300 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:48,120 that is associated with it is a sign that it is on its way. 301 00:17:48,360 --> 00:17:52,120 When Christians receive the Holy Spirit in their life, it is 302 00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:58,680 saying heaven is not here yet, but heaven is on its way. 303 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,720 Hear me, when you come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, 304 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:07,640 the Holy Spirit is a deposit, a down payment, the ticket, the 305 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,800 confirmation e-mail that says don't lose heart. 306 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:14,720 In this present reality, the eternal 1 is still to come. 307 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:16,960 That's what it means to be a Christian. 308 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:19,400 Let's keep going versus 6 through 8. 309 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,920 Therefore, we are always confident because we have the 310 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:26,240 Holy Spirit, because we have the down payment, because we have 311 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:30,080 the confirmation e-mail. We are always confident and know 312 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:33,040 that as long as we are at home in the body, we are away from 313 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:37,880 the Lord, for we live by faith and not by sight. 314 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,280 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the 315 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:46,680 body and at home with the Lord. Christians are always confident 316 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:50,880 because we know that God's plans are eternal, unchanging, 317 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:55,480 trustworthy, and reliable. No matter what we encounter, no 318 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,360 matter what pressure we face, we know that God's plan is steady 319 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,680 and God's plan marches on. How do we know this? 320 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,560 Because we have the deposit of what is to come. 321 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:09,480 And Christians live by faith and not by sight. 322 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,960 Oh, we would rather see Him now. We would rather be with him now. 323 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:18,000 But Christians submit our preferences to God's plan. 324 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:22,280 Our preferences get submitted to God's plan. 325 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,200 While I would prefer to be with him now, God's plan is for me to 326 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,000 point to people, to him in the waiting. 327 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:34,160 The work He has for you and I to do remains unfinished. 328 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:36,680 So what do you and I do in this meantime? 329 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,040 Second Corinthians? I'm getting that book in your 330 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:40,320 head or that chapter in your head. 331 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:45,840 Chapter 9. So we make it our goal to please 332 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:51,960 Him whether we are at home in the body, or away from it. 333 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:58,560 Christians have this goal. We want to please God. 334 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,360 It remains the same whether we are in heaven with Him or we are 335 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:06,480 here on earth. Our goal is to please Him. 336 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,520 All we want to do is to please Him. 337 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:13,400 Regardless of where we are, regardless of what we're going 338 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,520 through, whatever we have to endure, all we want to do is 339 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:20,600 please our king. You can have lots of goals. 340 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,640 You can have lots of desires, you can have lots of ambitions, 341 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:30,640 but if you are a Christian, all of them are a distant second to 342 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:35,680 pleasing God. That is why we read our word and 343 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:38,920 do what it says. This is why we pray for wisdom 344 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,680 and strength and guidance. This is why Christians use their 345 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,720 gifts and service to His Kingdom, because we are consumed 346 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:51,400 with the desire to please Him. And guess what pleases God? 347 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:56,560 Faith and obedience. Verse 10. 348 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:59,400 And we haven't even got to the good part of the text, for we 349 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,000 must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ so that 350 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,400 each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while 351 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:07,480 in the body, whether good or bad. 352 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:12,200 I mentioned this last week. On that day the truth about our 353 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:16,720 lives, our character, our deeds will be made clear to everyone. 354 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:22,160 We will discover the real verdict on our lives, the real 355 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:26,800 verdict on our ministry, our motives, our service. 356 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:31,000 All hypocrisy will be stripped away. 357 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,680 All temporary matters with no eternal significance will 358 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:41,320 vanish. The only thing that will be left 359 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,720 and be rewarded as eternally valuable will be in front of us. 360 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:49,760 Only the things that we did that matter in eternity will be the 361 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:53,320 things that we are rewarded for. Hebrews chapter 4. 362 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,960 Verse 13 says nothing in all of creation is hidden from God's 363 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,840 sight. Everything will be uncovered and 364 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:05,400 laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account 365 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,240 as we please Him. With our lives that are lived by 366 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,760 faith, we will do things to please Him and God will see 367 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,480 absolutely everything and reward us accordingly. 368 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:20,880 Verse 11. Since then we know what it is to 369 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:24,880 fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. 370 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,320 What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is plain to your 371 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:33,560 conscience. If we are out of our mind, as 372 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:40,840 some say, it is for God. If we are in our right mind, it 373 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:45,120 is for you. It is out of this reverence and 374 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:51,200 awe for our great and majestic God that we point and urge 375 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:55,160 others to do the same. And there are going to be times 376 00:22:55,360 --> 00:23:00,080 when you living for God is going to look crazy to other people. 377 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,760 But when you are being crazy in their eyes, you might be doing 378 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,480 the very thing that God is calling you to do. 379 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:10,000 People might look at you and go you're crazy. 380 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:13,800 You're doing what? You're starting your day, how 381 00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:17,920 your calendar looks like, what your spending and your giving 382 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,440 look like, that you're out of your mind. 383 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:25,160 Yeah, we might be from your perspective, but in Heavenly in 384 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,680 Heaven's perspective, we're doing the very thing that God 385 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,960 has called us to do. Everything we are doing is for 386 00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:33,720 Him. In a world that is all about me, 387 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,120 it is going to seem out of your mind to have people living for 388 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:38,880 somebody that they have not seen. 389 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,840 If, however, someone sees what you're doing and it causes them 390 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:47,400 to chase after God, if what you're doing causes somebody 391 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:51,200 else to see the wisdom of a life surrendered to Him, if in the 392 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,840 way you live your life, people begin to notice that God's way 393 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:57,760 is indeed the best way, then they are drawn to it for their 394 00:23:57,760 --> 00:23:59,560 own good. It is for you. 395 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,640 Why are you and I doing all of this? 396 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:05,400 Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 14. 397 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:12,120 For Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that 398 00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:19,000 one died for all and therefore all died. 399 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:26,360 We, if you are Christians, are compelled and controlled by 400 00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:29,960 Christ's love. It has consumed us. 401 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,720 It has taken over us. The love of God has 402 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:38,080 fundamentally changed our motives and our behaviors. 403 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,400 If you are having a hard time living a life of faith and 404 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,720 obedience, it is because you are struggling coming to grips with 405 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,800 the love that God has for you on your behalf in Jesus. 406 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:52,400 But don't you dare lose hope because at the very end of this 407 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:54,760 chapter, if you're going, man, I'm trying to live a life of 408 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,160 faith and obedience, and I haven't been moved by God's love 409 00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:59,600 like you're talking about. By the end of this chapter, I 410 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:03,760 believe you will see the love of God in a brand new way. 411 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,080 You will see things completely different. 412 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:09,400 You will see that Christ's love was demonstrated in his life, in 413 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,520 his death, and in his resurrection. 414 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:15,600 You see, He died on behalf of us in all of our sin, in all of our 415 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,840 shame, in all of our guilt. He died knowing all the things 416 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:21,800 that we have done and all the things that we were we're going 417 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,000 to do. To be a Christian is to accept 418 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:30,440 that God's love was demonstrated on our behalf in Jesus Christ. 419 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,240 So what is the appropriate response to this? 420 00:25:33,360 --> 00:25:35,440 How do you and I behave? What did he do? 421 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:37,960 And what is the response that you and I are supposed to have 422 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:42,520 based on what he did? 2nd Corinthians 515 He died for 423 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:46,280 all that. Those who live should no longer 424 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:52,400 live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised 425 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,160 again. Because Jesus died for you and 426 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:57,360 me, we can no longer live for ourselves. 427 00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:01,440 How could we? We must live for Him now. 428 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,720 We must make His last words our first priority. 429 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:07,600 To be a Christian is to live for Jesus. 430 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:12,120 Instead of living for ourselves. We remove our I wants from the 431 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:16,680 equation and we live our life under what does he want and call 432 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:19,200 us to do and hear me it's worth it. 433 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:21,520 Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 16. 434 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:26,400 So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. 435 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:32,800 The once we regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer we 436 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:36,200 no longer see the people around us from a worldly vantage point 437 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,800 because of God's love. It is fundamentally changed the 438 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,440 way we see people. We no longer see people through 439 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:44,200 the lens of rich and poor. We're done with worldly 440 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,520 standards. We don't evaluate people based 441 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,400 on success or failure, deserving or undeserving. 442 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:51,320 We don't see them as friend or enemy. 443 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:56,600 We see them as loved by God and lost without Him. 444 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:02,320 Think about an enemy. The reason that person remains 445 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:06,720 an enemy is because you have a hard time seeing them as loved 446 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:16,320 by God and lost without Him. Now we get to my top five. 447 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:17,920 This is going to be a tattoo verse one day. 448 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,480 You've heard me preach this 2nd Corinthians 517. 449 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:25,840 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has 450 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:31,120 come, the old is gone. The new is here. 451 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,240 When you come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, 452 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,200 the old is gone, the new is here. 453 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:40,840 When you see somebody who is coming into Christ and the old 454 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,800 self frustrated you, bothered you, the old is gone, the new is 455 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,360 come, the old is gone. The shame is gone, the guilt is 456 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:51,400 gone, the sin is gone, the wickedness is gone. 457 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:53,600 Why? Because righteousness is here, 458 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:58,040 mercy is here, grace is here, love is here. 459 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:05,240 Hear me, you are not made better in Christ, you are made new. 460 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:12,920 And this promise is for anyone who will receive it. 461 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:20,680 Our old life is crucified with Christ, that what we live is our 462 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:27,200 new life in Him. It is not just our sins that are 463 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:31,400 gone. Our old desires, our old 464 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:38,120 passions, our old plans, our old ambitions, our old directions 465 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:42,640 are all gone and made new in Him. 466 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:46,640 Second Corinthians chapter 5, verses 18 through 19. 467 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:53,280 All of this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through 468 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:58,880 Christ and gave us what US what US? 469 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:04,800 The ministry of reconciliation that God was reconciling the 470 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:14,400 world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against 471 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:17,760 them, and he has committed to us. 472 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:23,040 What to us? What's the message of 473 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:27,200 reconciliation? All of this reconciliation, this 474 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:32,280 saving, this new in him, old is gone, came from him. 475 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,200 We didn't come up with it. God here's a plan to save the 476 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:38,760 world. We didn't pay for it. 477 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:44,960 God hears what I can contribute. We were the offender and he 478 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:50,720 moved on our behalf to ransom and save us. 479 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:54,960 And once he had the plan, he paid for it in full. 480 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:57,800 And hear me, He's the one who paid the bill. 481 00:29:58,080 --> 00:29:59,800 He's the one who picked up the tab. 482 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:05,840 He's the one who made the way. But hear me, you and I don't 483 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:13,360 just get to receive it. We get to be part of it. 484 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:20,200 God is not just dusting us off and saying you're going to be 485 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:27,440 better now. He's going to make you new and 486 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:32,880 then allow you to be part of other people being made new. 487 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:39,760 He's not just saving you, He's putting you on His team to be 488 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:44,720 part of other people finding what you have found in Him. 489 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:49,160 This is why we are such big fans of Jesus, because it is through 490 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,920 Jesus that our sins are not just not counted against us, but He 491 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:57,600 has placed in us a message that people can be saved from hell 492 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,800 and their sins through the reconciliation that God provided 493 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:04,200 by Jesus. Second Corinthians chapter 5, 494 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:07,480 verse 20. We are therefore Christ's 495 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:13,000 ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through us. 496 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:20,440 We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 497 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:25,520 You and I in our newness have a new job, a new occupation. 498 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:31,280 We're ambassadors now. Ambassadors are both a messenger 499 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:39,440 and a representative of the one who sent them, the United States 500 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:40,800 ambassadors. If you guys gave a bunch of 501 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:43,480 money to a president, you could maybe one day become an 502 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:45,440 ambassador, right? That's what happens in the 503 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,920 political world. And what you end up doing as AUS 504 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:55,000 ambassador is you live in a foreign land and when you speak, 505 00:31:55,560 --> 00:32:00,120 you speak with the authority of the United States government and 506 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:04,880 you are a representative of the United States government in that 507 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:10,120 place. We are therefore Christ's 508 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:17,080 ambassadors, which means we live in a foreign land, aliens and 509 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:22,440 strangers in this world because this is tent city and we have an 510 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:26,000 eternal home in glory. This world is not my home. 511 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:30,880 This world is not all there is. I am from another place and I am 512 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:36,560 here with divine authority to represent Him to people who are 513 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:42,120 lost with a divine message that they can be saved and made right 514 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:45,440 in Jesus. Look at what He has done to you. 515 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:49,480 He has picked you up. He has purified you from all 516 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,360 unrighteousness. He has made you brand new in 517 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:56,800 Him, and He has given you a new identity and a new occupation 518 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,720 and a new message. And the very thing that washes 519 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:03,200 over you, you get to be a part of distributing to the world 520 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:05,840 around you. And what is our message? 521 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,160 Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21. 522 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:29,680 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we 523 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:34,360 might become the righteousness of God. 524 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:38,640 You're sitting across the coffee table. 525 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:43,120 You're in the living room, you're at the restaurant, you're 526 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:47,600 next to the person at work. Tell me about Jesus. 527 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:57,120 God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that in him we 528 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:00,800 could become the righteousness of God. 529 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:09,840 God took all of the sin that I have ever committed, all the 530 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:14,080 horrible things that I have done, the things that bring me, 531 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:18,320 the guilt and the isolation and the pain and the regret. 532 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:25,520 He took all of it. And He didn't just do it for me. 533 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:32,360 He did it for you and for you and for you. 534 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:40,760 And once He had taken it all up, He had to put it somewhere, and 535 00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:46,920 so he put it on Jesus. And then he took all of the 536 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:54,639 perfection, all of the righteousness of Jesus, took it, 537 00:34:57,920 --> 00:35:05,120 and he put it on me, and he put it on you and you and you. 538 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:14,600 And then God had to deal with the sin, and so he treated Jesus 539 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:18,160 like you and I deserved to be treated. 540 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:24,560 When you look at the cross, you see what we deserve and what God 541 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:31,000 thinks of our sin. And because he treated Jesus 542 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:39,720 like we deserved, He is able to treat you and I, like Jesus, 543 00:35:40,240 --> 00:35:44,720 deserved. This is what it means to be a 544 00:35:44,720 --> 00:35:49,400 Christian, to receive what God has done on your behalf in 545 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:54,040 Jesus, and to make it your mission to help others find what 546 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:58,080 we have found in Him. And to live a life about 547 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:02,320 anything else would be nothing but a waste. 548 00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:04,760 We're moving to a time of decision. 549 00:36:12,720 --> 00:36:15,760 If you are here today or you are watching online and you don't 550 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:18,560 have an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, 551 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:20,640 I've got really good news for you. 552 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:26,080 You can be made new and it could happen today. 553 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:31,760 And I keep talking to people in our church, and I know that 554 00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:33,680 there are questions that you need to ask. 555 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:35,400 There are things that are in your mind. 556 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:38,720 And I just keep saying the same thing over and over again, 557 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:41,840 hoping that one of these days the Spirit will breakthrough to 558 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:45,120 you. Start asking those questions. 559 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,840 Very few times do people not know what they're supposed to 560 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:52,520 do. They're just not willing to do 561 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:56,080 it. The many of you, you know where 562 00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:58,320 you are on the spiritual spectrum and you know whether or 563 00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:00,160 not your life has been made right in Christ. 564 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,360 And if you're hearing my voice right now and you know that 565 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:06,960 you're not there, I would just tell you, be reconciled to God, 566 00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:11,520 be made new in him. And it's just a few moments. 567 00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:14,240 The people around you are going to stand and sing and people are 568 00:37:14,240 --> 00:37:15,520 going to come to the steps and pray. 569 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:18,360 And I would encourage you to walk right over there underneath 570 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,480 that screen next to the baptistry and talk to somebody 571 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:26,800 about what it means for you to become a Christian, to be 572 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:30,400 reconciled to God, to those of you who already have an 573 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:32,640 intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 574 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:43,640 How dare we have all we have in Christ and keep it to ourselves. 575 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:50,160 And so would you, would you spend a little bit of time 576 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:52,720 thanking God for everything that he has done in Jesus? 577 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:58,920 And would you also spend some time praying that God would put 578 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:05,800 a burden on your life for you to be an ambassador who shares the 579 00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:10,040 message and represents him to a world that is lost without him? 580 00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:15,280 Would you stand with me? Oh, we don't deserve it, 581 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:19,360 Heavenly Father. We don't deserve your love. 582 00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:21,720 We don't deserve your mercy. We don't deserve your grace. 583 00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:25,920 We don't even deserve to be able to talk to you, to pray to you, 584 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:28,200 to approach you, to ask things of you. 585 00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:32,680 But in your goodness, you have made a way for all of it. 586 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:39,840 Stir our hearts and our affections for you and your 587 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:46,200 Kingdom cause. Rewire the parts of us that are 588 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:55,720 broken and disconnected. Reprioritize our life so that 589 00:38:55,720 --> 00:38:59,920 way it matters the most that we're good stewards of what you 590 00:38:59,920 --> 00:39:02,520 have done on our behalf. And your name I pray. 591 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:03,480 Amen.