Don't Be That Guy: Coming to Your Own Conclusion About Jesus

We've been looking at the life of Jesus through the book of John. There are four books that record the life of Jesus in the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And John really wants the reader to know that you can have hope through the person Jesus Christ. That Jesus is more than a mere man. He's not a good teacher or even a prophet. That he actually is God. Amen. And in John 5, there's an account where Jesus heals a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Jesus told this man to get up, rise, walk, and take your bed. So, he picked up his mat. And one would think that's worthy of celebrating that the man was healed, but it happened to be a Sabbath day. It's the day of rest

commanded in the scriptures by God. Over the years, this day had become so holy that many religious people made so many rules of what you can and can't do on the Sabbath. And one of them was to carry your bedmat. So Jesus was not celebrated that day. He was criticized. And we're told in John 5:16, the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he had done this on the Sabbath, what they would call the Shabbat. Jesus response in chapter 5:1 17 Jesus answered them saying my father is working until now and I am working. This doesn't seem so controversial to us but Jesus breaks down the barriers and says

my father is God likening himself to the son of God. And this, we're told by John in chapter 5:18, was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him. Because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. This is why they killed Jesus. He made himself equal with God. Jesus had no problem proclaiming who he is. So he would go on to say in chapter 5 19, Jesus said to them, truly truly I say to you, the son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the father doing. For what the father

does that the son does likewise. Verse 21, for as the father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the son gives life to whom he will. Truly, truly, Jesus says in verse 24, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Hallelujah. Jesus says in the next verse, "Truly, truly I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here, when the dead will hear

the voice of the son of God, and those who hear will live." I don't know where you're at in your spiritual journey. We all come from different places. But if you feel spiritually dead today, I want you to know you can come alive in Jesus. Today, we're going to receive from God. And I want to just ask before you sit down. Would you ask in the secret place of your heart for God to speak to you today? I believe he loves you so much that if you'd be so willing to open your heart, God has a word for you today. You are not overlooked by God. He sees you and he loves you. So, I'm going to pray, but I'm just going to ask you to pray in the silence of your heart. Lord, speak to me. God, we thank you that your word is active and alive. I could do nothing to add value

to who you are or even to your word, but I can welcome your presence here today. That Lord, you would speak and have your will in your way. So I ask in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the son of God who came in the flesh, the one that died on the cross and defeated the grave, that you would send forth your spirit, that Holy Spirit, there would be some power and anointing in this place. That you would set our hearts on fire with your love. That no one would leave here the same, but we would be rearranged by who you are. That our reality would be yours. That we would expect revival in our lifetime because nothing is too hard for you. that we would expect healing and deliverance from demons, that central Oregon shall be saved, and it would start right here in our hearts in Jesus' name. If you're in agreement, would you just shout,

"Amen." Amen. Amen. You may take a seat, Jose. Thank you so much. Isn't there always greater anointing when we just have some keys behind this? Come on, somebody. [Applause] He is risen. Hey, he is alive. We could do a little better than that. He is risen. Hey. Hallelujah. The title of today's sermon, if you want to jot this down or even tattoo this on your own heart, the title of today's sermon is simply this. Don't be that guy. Don't be that guy. Now, let me just clarify regarding genders here. When I refer to guy, I'm just referring to persons. So, this is every single one of us here. When I say don't be that guy, I'm referring to all of us not to be that guy. Don't be that guy. Would you just say those words with me? Don't be that guy. Now, here's what

I mean by this. And and I have a a a deep conviction about this today. I believe you are so special that God has such a good plan for your life. He wants to do something uniquely in and through you. If I could just put it in simple terms, you have a purpose and a plan for your life. We can read the Bible and we can see characters in the Bible and we might even say, "I want to be more like this person in the Bible." But I want to declare today, don't be that guy. God has you alive right now for such a time as this. If he wanted you to be born in the days of the Bible, he would have had you born then. But you're born right now. You are alive right now for such a time as this. We can look around the world today and try to compare our lives together. And we we love to do that. People are constantly trying to conform to look like someone else, to act like someone else. But I just want to declare today, you could even say it with me.

Don't be that guy. Now, let me come back to the scriptures we looked at just a moment ago. In John chapter 5, Jesus made a really bold claim. In fact, it was so audacious, it would be what would get him killed that he claimed to be equal with God. John 5:1 17, "My father is working until now." He's talking about God. He's simply saying, God does not take days off. God doesn't care which day of the week it is for him to work. The Lord does not sleep. He does not slumber. And Jesus says, "My father is working." So God doesn't take days off. And then he goes ahead and refers to himself and says, "And I am and I am working." So just as God's always working, I'm always working. He's

my father. I'm the son. God has come in the flesh. John chapter 1 says he is fully God and fully man. Now Jesus would explain this when those who were upset, the Jewish people criticized him for for heresy. They you you cannot call yourself God. And so he explains in chapter 5 24, whoever hears my word, Jesus said, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. Jesus makes an incredible claim that if you would hear his word and believe that God sent his son, you will not just have some life, you will have eternal life.

Then he says in verse 25, the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live. Jesus says he has the power to make dead people alive. He has the power to give eternal life. Now we have here what's called the trilmma. CS Lewis made this famous in the book Mere Christianity. It's an argument that stands the test of time since the first century when the stone was rolled away. Do you believe that Jesus is risen or do you believe that his body was stolen and that that to this day he's still dead? It's called the trillemma for this reason. Jesus is either a lunatic, a liar, or lord.

He's either lunatic, liar, or lord. What we mean by that is he's a lunatic in that he actually believes what he's saying and he can't do it. So he either is saying these things and no one can actually bring dead people alive. No one can actually give eternal life. So, so knowingly he he he's he's saying these things, believing them, making him delusional or we could call him a lunatic or he's a liar. He knows that he can't do these things. He's saying these things. He's deceiving people and he's making such bold, audacious claims that he is God. He He gives eternal life and he could bring the dead to life. Or there's a third conclusion to this argument. He actually is Lord.

He is who he claims to be. And you have to come to the conclusion in your heart, who is Jesus? So many casually look at Christianity and they say, "Well, I'm a Christian." Yet their lives have no anointing or power or authority. They're not putting into practice the very things that Jesus said that we can do, that we can do the very things he did. In fact, he said, "You can do even greater things than these." And yet the world does not look like him when they call themselves Christians. So we act as if somehow Jesus is just some distant deity. But if he is alive, he's alive today and forever more. So I want to challenge you today in your heart. You've got to come to a conclusion. Who is Jesus? There is no in between. And so I look to you and your life and I want

to recognize that if Jesus is Lord and if we take him at his word, the Bible says there's an enemy of your soul. And the devil would love for you to come up with your own conclusion about who God is or who you are and to live a life missing the fulfillment of God's purpose and plan for you. And I want to say today with a strong conviction that what God did for CS Lewis in the days of old, he's done for me. And what God's done for me, he can do for you. Yes, CS Lewis was an atheist, a British author who was incredibly intelligent and defied that there was any God at all. But wouldn't you know it, while having beer with believers in Jesus, he came to the conclusion that Jesus is Lord Almighty,

that Jesus is the son of God, and it would reshape his life where he would rewrite his literature now for the purpose and glory of God. And I'm here to say don't be that guy. You're not CS Lewis. Nor do you have to be this guy. I might be a little and a little loud. And if you're joining us for the first time, if you hear me yelling, I'm not mad at you. I'm just really excited. And God wired me in such a way with some A and D and D de. So, uh, I'm just going to embrace who God made me to be. But don't be that guy and don't be that guy. I I want you to be who God created you to be because God saw it necessary for you to be born. Like the Bible says in

Psalm 133, here's how the poetic writer puts it regarding each of our human lives. He says, "For you," speaking to God, "formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb." When you truly understand that God made you and he does not make mistakes, you are not your mom's idea. You are not your dad's idea. And I don't care how you were born. Even if you were born through some type of science, I want you to know that you were God's idea. He does not make mistakes. You are not an evolutionary principle that you just came to be. Let me just tell you, you were made by God. And there is no one like you. None at all. You, my friend, are the best of the best. The very, very

best. When you understand that God made you, like the psalmist declares in Psalm 139:14, you can say, "I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well." This is not a prideful heart. It's a heart of humility, recognizing that God chose for me to be made in his image. Oh, the Bible tells us we have one God and three persons. He's a triune God, perfectly one. The Father, the Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. And in Genesis chapter 1, we read God said, "Let us make man in our image after our likeness." Which means

you are made in the image of God. You are made in the image of God. You are made in the image of God. Not in the image of a dog. Might be man's best friend, but you're not made in his image. not in the image of a frog or a cow or a bird or any other creature. You're made in the image of an eternal God, which means you have an eternal soul, which means that God made you so special there would be no one like you. Now, make no mistake about it today. There will always be someone smarter than you, better looking than you, more talented than you, stronger than you. But I will tell you, you do not need to compare your life to them. I

don't care what kind of person there is, a preacher, a president, or any person on that planet. They are not your God. If you look to man, they're going to let you down. For even the best of men are just men. But if you look to God, the one that created you, you will see that he made you exactly the way he wants. He did not make a mistake. You may not like your size. Come on, somebody. You may not like your upbringing or the family that you were born into. But I want you to know that God can only use you the way that he made you to be used. What's the power of one life? Let me tell you the power of one life. A nation can come out of one

life. He did it with Abraham. What's the power of one life? The power of one life can deliver a nation. He did it with Moses. What's the power of one life? It's the power to lead a nation. He did it with David. Oh, but you say, "Pastor, you don't know my life. I'm broken. I'm beat down. You don't know the things I've done, the things I've thought, the things I've said, the things that I've experienced in my life. Let me tell you, there's no one that's so far gone that can't be used by God. There's no one that sins so much that God cannot save you, redeem you, and use you for his glory. I would just say if you've had any hardships, I know the enemy's after you. And what the enemy intended for evil, God can use for good. Oh, my friends, if you would get into the Bible, it's not your story. It's God's

story. And he has used prostitutes. He has used drunks. He has used liars. He has used murderers. My friends, if he could do that with them, he could do it with you. But I want to tell you today that your life matters to God. And what matters to him is that you would surrender your all. That you would trust in God, not with some of your life, but with all of your heart. You have two options. You can control your life or God can control your life. There's no middle ground. And if you've ever thought there was, you've been deceived. Some of us today are looking for our purpose. But life isn't about you asking God to be used for your purpose. It's about you being used for God's purpose.

I'll say today, some of you have been trying to figure it out. You don't know much about God. You don't know much about the Bible. But if you wait until you have it figured out, it will be too late. Following and surrendering your life to Jesus is not about having it figured out. It's about faith. And I'll tell you, and I've experienced this, God will use the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. You don't have to have it figured out, but you do need faith. God wants you to believe him. Even when you can't see it, even when you can't feel it, you're still going to trust in him, and you're going to take Jesus at his word. This is who God is. He's given you his word so that you would trust in him. Now, I want to point your attention to the person, Jesus Christ. God loves you so much that he left his throne in heaven and came to this world. The light stepped into the

darkness. But what happened is the world did not see him for who he really is. He lived a perfect life. He never sinned. He loved the unlovable. He touched the untouchable. He shows us who God is. He willingly went to Jerusalem to give up his life. He knew what he was going to do. And when you look at the life of Jesus, how much he loves you, he was willing to be betrayed by his friends. He was willing to be arrested and keep his mouth silent. He was willing to be beaten. He was willing to be flogged so repeatedly that by his stripes you would be healed. He had his beard ripped out from his face. He was spit upon. He was

stripped naked. He was mocked. He had a crown of thorns thrust upon his head. And finally, he was crucified. He did this to show you the depth of his love. That you would no longer have to carry your sin. That you would find your identity in him. You would not have to wander in this life. You would not have to wonder, but you can turn to him and trust him. And I want to look at the life of Jesus today and say, how does that impact you? What are you going to do with the claims of Jesus when you look at Jesus? He was crucified on the cross, nails in his

hands, holding him up on the hill of Calvary. And he as he pled as he pleads his last breath, Jesus said in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do, and they cast lots to divide his garments." God in the flesh is pleading on the behalf of humanity. And what were they doing? They were concerned with clothes. They were casting lots. They were worried about the things of this world. May I say, let's learn from this story and say, don't be that guy.

Don't miss the savior on the cross for the things that are here on this world. Don't be that guy. Pilate had an opportunity to surrender his life to Jesus. He comes face to face with the son of God. He could find no fault in Jesus. Yet he still condemned him to the cross because of the fear of man. You want to know what will stop you from fulfilling your destiny? Fear. It's a spirit of the devil. But the Bible says that God did not give us a spirit of fear. He gave you a spirit of power and love and self-control. When you look at the life of Pilate, you have a choice today. Are you going to fear man? What could be? Are you going to fear man what they what they will do?

Or will you fear God? I want to look at Pilate and say, "Don't be that guy. Don't be that guy where you fear what could happen." I love how Paul writes the question in Galatians chapter 1 verse 10. He he proposes this. For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. You cannot do both. Herod, who was supposed to be leading the Jewish people, he had the opportunity to come face to face with the Messiah. Here he is face to face with a God that can do anything. And what did Herod want from Jesus? Miracles. And when Jesus did not give Herod what he demanded, Herod mocked Jesus.

He mocked him. I want to declare today, don't be that guy because we live in a world that has made a mockery of Jesus Christ. We live in a world that we make little of Jesus. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of all lords. Yet the devil has slipped into our society using our very language and our very entertainment, declaring the name of Jesus to be a curse word. We abuse the name of Jesus. We use the name of Jesus. The very name above all names. It's used frequently. You can't watch a movie today without someone flippantly using the name of Jesus. And I'm here to tell you, it's a commandment of God not to use the Lord's name in

vain. Don't be that guy that makes a mockery of Jesus. You've got to determine today, do I believe Jesus? Because the Bible says his name is the only name by which we can be saved. So you choose today. Are you going to mock him? Are you going to fear man? Are you going to look to the things of this world? Or we don't just look at the politicians. We don't just look at the religious figures. Look at those who were followers of Jesus. Peter said, "I'm willing to go to prison for you, Jesus. I'm willing to die for you, Jesus." But Jesus knows what's going to happen in our lives. And he warned Peter before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. And let it be known that just as Jesus said you could believe his

word, Peter denies him three times. If I could just encourage you today, don't be that guy. Jesus said, "Let your yes be yes and your no be no." You don't need to overpromise God with your life. You don't need to look at how good you can be. You just need to look to Jesus. And I'm so grateful for God's grace for Peter was able to turn it around because he trusted Jesus. But you're not Peter. You have to look at your life. When I look at Jesus on the cross, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us that Jesus was crucified with one thief on one side and another thief on the other. In fact, we read in the book of Matthew

27:44, those robbers who were crucified with Jesus, one on his left and one on his right, they also reviled Jesus in the same way. The scribes and the Pharisees were mocking Jesus. They were saying, "If you are the son of God, come off the cross." And so, they joined in this reviling. They they joined in this mocking Jesus for who he claimed to be. They in their pain did not turn to Jesus. They turned against him. They deserved death. They were sinners. They were reaping their consequences. And instead of being repentant and acknowledging their sin, they turned against the Savior. May I just say, don't be that guy. The Bible says, "He

who claims to be without sin is a liar." But one of those two thieves in the final moment before his heart stopped and he took his last breath as he was headed towards hell, he heard the sayings of Jesus. He heard the word of Jesus and what he decided to do was critical for he turned to Jesus hoping for some mercy. And Luke tells us in chapter 23:42, he said, "Jesus, that's the name above all names, the only name by which we can be saved." Remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, hallelujah, truly I say to you, today you'll be with me in paradise.

When he breathed his last breath, he did not die. He opened up his eyes and he got to experience the hope of heaven. I wonder what it was like when he saw the colors more vibrantly, the smells so much more wonderful. Oh, the sounds even sweeter. I wonder what it was like to know that I didn't deserve this, but I got it because of the free gift of grace. Now, I've preached about this thief so many times. I've preached that it's never too late with God. You can trust him and he will forgive you. You can believe in Jesus and you too can have the hope of heaven. But one thing I want to say to you today, you're not hanging on the cross. You do not breathe your last breath right now. Don't be that guy. What I'm trying to say is

don't wait until your last breath to believe in Jesus. Don't wait for another day or a better day. Don't wait until it's too too late. Let me just tell you today, you don't have to have a bedside conversion. You could start experiencing heaven now. Jesus taught us to pray, "Oh Lord, let your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Eternal life isn't just saved for someday. Today is the day of salvation. You're not made to wait to find that you need a savior." Don't be that guy. So many of us like to wrestle to try to determine what am I going to do with my life. Today is a great day to surrender your all to Jesus and see him for who he

really is. Oh, when I look to Jesus and all that he did for you because he loves you. What breaks my heart as I read this story. There were political leaders, religious leaders, his followers, and even his family. No one yelled from the top of their lungs, "Stop. Don't kill him. Take my life." No one. Jesus, God in the flesh, was hanging there all by himself. And so he declares with his breath in Mark 15:34, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken

me?" So I just ask you please don't just watch what's happening in this world. Don't wonder what's going to happen. Don't worry what could happen to you. Don't be that guy. Here's my point. We can read over and over in the scriptures about people. We can read about those who were walking on the road to Emmas on that Sunday morning with Jesus walking right beside them resurrected. You can read about Jesus asking them questions. What things are you talking about? For he is the king of questions. He knew what they were talking about. We can look at that life and say, "Don't be that guy. Don't have Jesus right next to you

and miss him after the resurrection." We saw his followers after the resurrection. Jesus repeated over and over that he would die and then he would defeat the grave. He would raise from the grave. And yet his followers were locked up, afraid of what could happen. Don't be that guy. We can see even the women that went to the tomb with the spices, they were expecting Jesus to still be dead. Yet the angel had to remind them, why do you look for the living among the dead? Don't be that guy. See, my my point today is you're held accountable to your life. It's really easy to criticize someone else's life. I I look around the world today and I go on social media and I drive around Central Oregon, I simply say there's a

lot of idiots in the world. But rarely do I look in the mirror and say, "What kind of idiot are you?" Your story is your story. And when you surrender your life to Jesus, it becomes God's story. And God is greater than anything you've been through, anything you're going through. And my friend, one day you are going to face a judge who's just, and you will be accountable for your life, and of all the questions God could ask you if he asks you, "Why should I let you into heaven? Why should I let you experience eternal life? Why should I let you enjoy the blessings of no more sorrow and no more sin? Why

should I let you in? There is only one answer that you should have on the tip of your tongue. Because you cannot say, I've been good enough to get into heaven. That's nowhere in the Bible. Jesus never said that. So, you've not taken him at his word if you think you're good enough to get there. He didn't say there are many ways to get to God and have the hope of heaven. The only way you can get into heaven is simply by professing with your lips Jesus. Yes, that's the secret word to get into heaven. Not that you've been good enough or went to the right church or you did the right things, but the cross of Jesus Christ has shown me the depth of love. I couldn't do it, but he did it for me. He who was sinless and perfect, he took my sin on the cross. He's the one that defeated sin. He's the one that defeated the devil, and he's the one that defeated death. That's how I'm getting into heaven.

Jesus knows, my friend, all that you've been through. And I want to say when you give your life to Jesus, you'll discover nothing is wasted with God. If someone has sinned against you or you've sinned so greatly you think you can't be forgiven, may I just say to this, my God is greater. And what Jesus did for you is to redeem your life. For he's a great redeemer. He's come to save you from your sins. But he's so much more than just a savior. He is Lord. And when what you think is a risk in your life, let me just tell you, with Jesus Christ, it becomes reality where you don't go back to your old life. Don't be that guy. Don't go back to who you used to be. Don't Don't go back into thinking that you have to be like someone else.

Paul says in Philippians 3:10, "Of all the things in this world, it's all garbage, but I just want to know him, Jesus, and the power of his resurrection and share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." If I can just pause right there here, here's what Paul's saying. This is so important that you see this. You can't have a resurrection without a death. And some of us try to avoid pain. Some of us even try to avoid death. when the reality is if you want the power of God, you got to start thinking greater. You got to start thinking beyond the simple pleasures of this world and start thinking more. Now, are you ever going to be like Paul, who at one point was known by his Hebrew named Saul, who persecuted Christians, put them in prison, even put them to death, and then when God gripped his heart, he went on to start churches that still exist today 2,000 years later, who went to political leaders to preach

Jesus. Are you going to be Paul? Maybe say it with me. Don't be that guy. But we can learn from him and say the promise of Jesus through his own very mouth before he ascended into heaven after revealing himself to more than 500 witnesses over 40 days. Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." This is what will change your life. Believing in Jesus, he gives you his very spirit, the Holy Spirit, and you receive it in power. This is new life in Jesus. And I know at church it always sounds great. On Easter it could just sound like an Easter message. But when you follow Jesus, you're going to find that from this point forward, I'm going to surrender my life. I'm not looking back to yesterday because I have the hope of tomorrow. Jesus said, "I'm not going to

worry about tomorrow. We don't know what's to come. You could die tomorrow. You know not your hour nor your day. But you do know this. You can have hope in Jesus. And I want to tell you out of Jesus own mouth. He said, "For God so loved the world," you could put your name in there. For God loved you so much. He gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Jesus would say moments before he went to the cross that he's going to prepare a place for you. It's paradise. He calls it a mansion. There are many rooms. There's enough room for you, my friend. And even his own followers were confused like, "Hey, can we get directions? could you give us the passcode? How do we get in? And Jesus said this, I am the way and the

truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. These are audacious claims. He either is the exclusive way to heaven or he's not. He either either is the Lord or he's not. And I know from my life that what my God did for me, he can do for you. And I know this that Jesus made you for more than you've experienced because you're still alive. So if you have any thoughts in your mind that are not good, I'm here to tell you they're not from God. It's time to not be conformed by the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In that same book that CS Lewis writes called Mere Christianity, where he refers to Jesus as either lunatic, liar, or lord, he made this statement. And I want you to

hear these words. If you read history, you will find that Christians who did the most for this present world were those who thought the most of the next. The apostles themselves who set foot on the conversion of the Roman Empire or the great men who built up the middle ages or the English evangelicals who abolished the slave trade. They all left their mark on earth precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think about the other world that they've become ineffective in this world. If you aim at heaven, you get earth thrown in. If you aim at the earth, you will get neither. Today, if you live your life

and you do not understand that God has a purpose and a plan and you're not made alive, your life is a tragedy. In a world full of so many beliefs, people are looking to the stars. They're looking for some hope in some place. Tarot cards, Ricky readers. They're looking for something in this world. Jesus has made a bold proclamation. He is the way and the truth and the life. He didn't force it. He didn't fake it. He simply modeled his life of salvation with love. He spoke the truth with clarity. He lived the truth with righteousness. He died the truth willingly. And he rose from the grave in truth victoriously. Not so that we would sit around and wonder what our purpose is, but to start loving like Jesus.

Don't go back to your old life. Don't live in the past. You're meant to live in victory. You are more than a conqueror. You are a child of God when you have believed in Jesus. And so I say today, do you need peace? He's the prince of peace. Are you wrestling with depression right now? He will deliver you from depression. Do you have hurt in your life? He's near to the brokenhearted. I will tell you, he is such a great God. He wants to be your God because you're made in his image. And in the seriousness of this moment, I need to ask you, have you believed in Jesus? We just sang because he lives, but it's no good just to sing it and not believe it.

That's just called karaoke. But if you actually believe it, it's called worship. And you don't need to be at church to worship. Your shower becomes a sanctuary. Your car, even your closet, everywhere you go, he goes. And listen, you don't have to be perfect with God. He is. So I want to ask you right now in the seriousness of this moment, have you believed in him? Because if you have believed in him, you will not care what anybody else thinks. You will surrender your life. You will humble your life. You'll continually come back to needing the power of God. Oh my friends, just because you came to church today, that's

not enough to get into heaven. You can't be born into the right family to get into heaven. You can't do the right things to get into heaven. It's whom you believe in. And today, I want to ask you, have you believed in Jesus? In this place, would you just close your eyes? I want to just ask you to focus on Jesus for just a moment. He's greater than I could preach to you. He's greater than you can imagine. And so, in this moment, like that thief that was on the cross, have you asked Jesus to remember you? Have you trusted in Jesus? In just a moment, I'm going to pray, but I want to know who I'm praying with today. If you want to believe in Jesus and receive the free gift of grace, forgiveness of your sins,

salvation, the hope of heaven, if today you want to receive the love of God in your life, there's no sin so great he won't forgive you. If that's you, with eyes closed between you and God, would you just raise your hand high saying, "That's it. I'm done doing it on my own. I want Jesus." Be bold. Raise it nice and high. Keep it up. I want to see who it is. Praise God. This is the day of salvation. Be bold right now. Praise God. Keep your hands up. We've got a booklet for you. I want to see who it is. And if you raise your hand, you could look up at me with everyone else having eyes closed. I want to celebrate with you. Yes. Praise God. He loves you. Anyone else? Don't wait. God brought you here to tell you he loves you. He made you. You've been wondering your purpose. Today's your day. Praise God.

There's someone whose heart is racing right now and you wonder what's going to happen if you raise your hand. Everything changes from this point forward. There is no easier decision than believing in Jesus. He says you got to be like a child to get the kingdom of heaven. Like a child, just believe. And if that's you today, just raise your hand. Say, "I'm I'm I'm done doing it on my own." Who else? You're never too old. You're never too young. It is never too late. But you do have to make this decision. It's real. God's not asking for some of your heart. He wants it all. Who's ready to surrender? Would you just raise your hand nice and high? I've seen several across the room. And there might be some watching online with their hands raised right now. God sees you. Is there anyone else? Listen, this is real. Life is temporary. We're just on a journey.

Don't get comfortable. This is not your home. We want to look to a heavenly home. Is there anyone else today? Praise God. My friend, I don't want to scare you or manipulate you, but God is a real judge. The Bible says he has fire in his eyes. He is righteous. And when you come before him, you cannot argue with him. You cannot make him in your image. Is there anyone else today that just wants to say, "I I want to make sure that I'm right with you, God." You can be righteous in his eyes right now. simply by believing in him. Anyone else? Lord, I thank you for those who were bold enough to raise their hands today. You've given me that same hope today so I can give nothing that I

haven't received. So Lord, we trust you today. And so in this place of prayer, I would just ask that you join me. Prayer is talking to God. It's listening to God. It's doing life with God. You don't need to have the right words or eloquent words, but today I'm going to ask that you join me in prayer for those who are believing for the first time and those who have already believed in Jesus. Can we just pray together? Lord Jesus, I believe in you. Forgive me of my sins. I receive your grace. I am forgiven. I have hope. I am now a child of God. Help me live like it. Fill me with your spirit. So I will live for you. I love you because you loved me. In Jesus name we pray today.