April 20, 2025 • 46 mins
When Jesus hung on that cross, your old self was crucified with Him. This powerful Easter message explores the profound identity crisis many of us face as we struggle between living for the world and embracing who we truly are in Christ.
Starting with the story of Lazarus, we discover how Jesus views death and resurrection differently than we do – not as an ending, but as a transition to new life. The world constantly defines us by what we wear, how much we earn, our accomplishments, and even our social media presence. But when Christ died on the cross and the temple curtain tore from top to bottom, everything changed. No longer are we separated from God's presence; no longer do we need intermediaries to approach Him.
Galatians 2:20 reveals the heart of our new identity: "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." When you accept Christ, all your old labels are completely peeled away – no sticky residue remains. You are made whole, complete, and new in Him. This isn't a cosmetic fix but a spiritual rebirth.
The challenge comes in truly living from this identity. We can't simultaneously identify with Christ and live for the world. One will shape us, and one will define us. Sin keeps us trapped in our old identity patterns, gossiping, judging, holding unforgiveness. But in Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin – we are God's masterpiece, created with intention and purpose.
Are you experiencing an identity crisis today? Let it be resolved in the One who gave you life on the cross. With His resurrection, you have a home in heaven and a Savior who intercedes for you daily. It's time to stop living from the world's definitions and embrace your true identity in Christ.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
start taking off.
You know, I pivoted on worshipthis morning.
I told you we added that extrasong at the beginning and then I
changed the song at the end,kind of at the last minute.
And I'm glad that I did becausefor those of you who are
keeping count and there are somewe're going to talk about
Lazarus for just a minute thismorning.
Okay, because everybody thatknows me knows that I love the
(00:23):
story of Lazarus.
It is my favorite story in allof the Bible.
I specifically love the passageof Scripture, the shortest
passage of Scripture.
I like it because it's theshortest, it's easy to memorize,
right?
Jesus wept.
It's pretty easy to do.
I love that passage of Scripturebecause I feel like we see
Jesus in the flesh for just asecond.
He is frustrated because thedisciples don't understand what
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he is saying to them, eventhough he is talking to them
just about as plainly as he maybe able to speak to them.
Amen, lazarus is not dead, heis only asleep.
Amen, he is only asleep Now.
Jesus waited to go to Lazarus.
When he gets there, they go toroll away the tomb and they say
(01:10):
but Lord, he's been in there forfour days.
Surely he will stink.
Listen, some of us alive and westink.
Right, I'm not just talking inthe flesh, I'm talking in the
spirit.
We stink, amen and they rolledthe stone away.
Spirit, we stink, amen and theyrolled the stone away.
(01:30):
And Jesus shouts Lazarus, comeout.
And out walks Lazarus and allof the people surrounding him
were in amazement that Lazaruswas alive.
But didn't Jesus tell you thatLazarus was going to be alive,
that he wasn't dead, that he wasonly asleep?
It is hard to comprehend theidea of death and resurrection,
but I want to tell you the truthtoday and I want to tell you
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that even in death, we have theultimate salvation.
Should the Lord tarry, everyperson in this room will taste
of death in the physical realm.
Our bodies will die, but ourspirit will live on.
Amen, and I'm thankful for that.
But I want to just speakspecifically in that passage of
(02:12):
scripture about the song, whenthe song was saying that it's no
longer me that matters, it isChrist that lives in me.
Amen.
My message today is aboutidentity crisis Any of us in an
identity crisis right now.
We all think we know who we are, but we're never really sure we
know who we are.
Amen, so we're going to openour Bibles.
(02:33):
We're going to start in Luke 23.
Luke 23.
We're going to start in verse44, chapter 23, verse 44.
And we're going to talk aboutthe cross and the resurrection
for a minute.
And I know that's a Good Fridaymessage, okay, but we can't get
to resurrection without GoodFriday, right?
And we weren't in the buildingtogether here for Good Friday,
(02:56):
so I got to give you my GoodFriday message, all right, so
you're getting two messages inone today and I'm only charging
you for one.
Matter of fact, go ahead andfire up the prayer music.
We're going to take a secondoffering for the second message.
I'm just kidding.
You only get one or the othertoday.
No, luke 23, 44.
It says by this time it wasabout noon and darkness fell
(03:18):
across the whole land.
Until three o'clock the lightfrom the sun was gone and
suddenly the curtain in thesanctuary of the temple was torn
down the middle.
Then Jesus shouted Father, Ientrust my spirit into your
hands.
And with those words hebreathed his last.
That's dark, right, literaldarkness, right, darkness
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covered the earth.
Jesus shouts I entrust myspirit into your hands.
It is finished.
And now does anybody many ofyou do but the veil in the
temple.
The curtain in the temple isthick, it's heavy.
This isn't like a curtain thatyou're going to see hanging over
your window.
What'd they say?
Like four inches thick,something like that.
That veil ripped from top tobottom in the moment that he
(04:06):
released his spirit.
Why did that curtain tear fromtop to bottom the minute that he
released his spirit?
Because there was no holy ofholies any longer.
There was nobody.
Nobody was separated from thespirit of Jesus Christ at that
point.
Because what, the, what, the,what, the, the, the the priests
would do is they were the onlyones allowed to go behind the
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curtain and to enter into theholy place where God was at.
But when Jesus took sin uponhimself and went to the cross to
die for our sins I like to sayyour sins, but I've got some too
, so I'm going to say ours, okay, is that fair?
And he died for our sins.
That curtain was ripped becausethere was no holy of holies.
(04:46):
We were all welcome in thepresence of God.
Amen, we were all welcome inthe presence of God.
Now we're going to back up forjust a minute, and I don't have
this scripture up there becauseI'm pivoting as my team is so
used to.
I want to talk about the twothieves that hung on the cross
next to him for just a quicksecond.
We're going to skim over it.
I'm not going to give you allof the scripture, we're going to
(05:08):
talk just nuts and bolts, okay,when Jesus went to the cross,
there were two thieves hung oneither.
A thief hung on either side ofhim and the one thief.
He chose to believe what theworld said about Jesus and he
mocked him.
And he said to him if youreally are the son of God, then
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take yourself off the cross andtake us with you.
And the man on the other side.
He said how stupid are you thatwe are being crucified for the
crimes that we committed?
This is just for us.
But this man is blameless andhas done nothing.
And then he turns and says toJesus remember me when you enter
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into your kingdom.
And what does Jesus say to him?
Today you will be with me inparadise.
See, there's an identity crisis,right, living for the world and
living for Jesus.
Living for the world is easybecause what do you do?
You mock and you make fun of.
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Living for Jesus requiresbelief that Jesus is who he says
he is and will do what he sayshe is going to do.
That is hard to wrap your headaround.
You know we talk about the deathof Jesus, the death of Lazarus.
Lazarus was one of Jesus's bestfriends and when Lazarus died,
everybody thought Jesus would beupset, but he knew what was
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coming.
Jesus knew that Lazarus wasn'treally dead and that he would
come back to life.
He didn't mourn the way thatthe flesh would mourn, right,
and we want to blame God for allof the bad things that happen
in our lives.
It's his fault, not mine.
It's his fault.
If he was so good, why would helet this happen?
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Because we choose to live outof the will of God, amen.
We live in a world whereidentity is constantly changing.
Right?
People are defined by what theywear, how much they earn, what
their job title is, theirpolitical opinions, their social
media followers, and it is easyto get caught up in that
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whirlwind of labels.
Right?
It is Vicki Hickey.
How many followers you got onInstagram?
She goes.
It's the what?
I was watching your TikTokchannel the other day.
She goes.
I don't even know what TikTokis.
Some of us get wrapped up inthat and the idea of what other
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people think about us.
I'm going to tell you what Ithink about myself.
I think that I am not worthy ofthe salvation that I have today
.
Amen, because I know that I ama sinner and I know that I fall
short of the glory of God.
The problem is, is that Godlooks at me and he says you are
a blood-bought child of mine andthat you have grace and mercy?
It is far harder for us toforgive ourselves than it is for
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Jesus to forgive us.
Amen, it is far harder.
Okay, we are gonna skip thatone.
There was a bet this morning onwhether or not I'd hit all
these scriptures.
I am going to just out of order.
But for those of us who are inChrist, the Bible offers us a
clear, unshakable identity, notone that's based on performance,
(08:23):
not one that's based on socialmedia followers.
Not one that's based onperformance.
Not one that's based on socialmedia followers.
Not one that's based onpopularity or possessions, but
on the finished work of Jesus onthe cross.
Amen, all right, we're going togo to Colossians 3.3 real quick
.
I got a lot to get throughColossians 3.3, for you died to
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this life and your real life ishidden with Christ in God.
For you have died to this lifeand your real life is hidden
with Christ in God.
The world constantly tells usthat we need to be somebody.
(09:05):
Amen.
Because if you're not somebody,you're nobody.
And wouldn't it be a shame ifwe died nobodies?
I am happy to be a nobody toall of you.
I am happy to die, go into agrave.
I don't care what you do with me, as long as I know that I am
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somebody in the kingdom of God,as long as my name is written in
the book of life, I don't carewhat the rest of the world
thinks about me.
Now, I say that out loud.
And then some of you guys getyour feelings hurt by me.
And here I am calling you,trying to figure out why your
feelings are hurt.
Right, there is a part of methat desires fellowship with
each of you, right.
But I believe that the ironsharpens iron and that if we are
(09:51):
not in one accord, that's asmall car.
I don't think we can all fit init.
But if we are not all some ofyou, some of you if we're not
all in one accord, how are weever going to inherit the
kingdom of heaven?
Because here's the idea If I amgoing to, I know everybody's
waiting for me to take a drink.
Let me just do it.
(10:12):
If I intend to inherit thekingdom of heaven, I have to
surround myself with like-mindedbelievers, because if I want to
make it, I have to know that Iam safe in my surroundings,
because I can't be surrounded bysin.
Otherwise I'm going to live asinful life Amen.
(10:33):
And when I choose to live asinful life, I live outside of
the will of God and I risk hell.
I risk a permanent death, thatmy spirit will spend eternity in
hell, which is not what I wantfor myself or what I want for
any of the people sitting.
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Some of you don't even know me,you're lucky.
Who said amen?
It's just rude.
I'm taking my coat off.
I'm ready to fight now.
I know that when we buy intowhat Christ has called us to be
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and to the identity that Christwants us to be, we will have
everlasting life.
But we have to seek fellowshipwith like-minded believers.
Amen.
All right, we're on Colossians3.3, right, because I still got
some notes here.
Okay, jesus does not tell us tobe somebody.
He tells us to be his right.
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He doesn't need us to besomebody in the kingdom.
He needs us to simply be his,to be his disciple, to be his
follower, to be his mouthpiecein the wilderness.
Right, Every one of us should besitting here like John the
Baptist, and when we walk intothe world, we should be saying
prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Amen, because if we don't tellthe world about who Jesus is and
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what he does, how will theworld ever know how good God
really is, how good God reallyis?
No, we're not excited about whoGod really is.
Listen, I don't care if youguys are excited.
I'm excited, I'm excited.
I'll tell everybody about Jesus, right?
I love to get to spread thegospel to people who would not
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normally listen and I takecredit for what I get to do, but
not because of who I am, butbecause of what God is doing
through me.
Amen, because I have committedmy life to being the mouthpiece
for Jesus Christ.
I've committed myself to beinglike John the Baptist and saying
prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Now, prepare ye the way of theLord sometimes sounds like hey,
(12:38):
I love you and I see that you'redoing that thing and you
probably shouldn't be doing thatthing.
Right, because some peoplewon't ever know unless you tell
them.
Now am I going to tell them andyell and shout and scream?
Well, I talk like that?
So, probably, but it's notintentional to demean or to
demoralize.
The purpose of my conversationis to be sure that they are
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saved and that Jesus Christ canreign in their life.
Amen, all right.
Second Corinthians, 5.17.
Now the question is always do Iget these right when I put them
in my notes as first and secondright?
We always have this battle.
You choking that baby, who isit?
(13:22):
Oh, agnes, they choking you.
She goes.
What this means?
That anyone who belongs toChrist has become a new person.
The old life is gone and a newlife has begun.
How many of us sitting in thisroom know Jesus Christ is our
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Lord and Savior?
You have a new life in Jesus.
There is a new outlook on lifebecause of what you believe and
who Jesus Christ is and whathe's done for you.
Hallelujah, thank you, jesus,hallelujah, hallelujah.
I don't have to worry about theworld because I know that I
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have life.
I belong to the King of Kingsand the Lord of Lords, I am the
heir to a kingdom right and Ibelieve that when I get to
heaven, my pile of riches isgoing to be bigger than yours,
right?
Holly and I are going to fight.
We don't know whose crown isgoing to be.
I'm kidding.
When you get to heaven, you aregoing to have all of the things
(14:26):
that you deserve.
Holly and I were talking aboutthis.
Can you believe that there arepeople who do great deeds on
earth and they collect all ofthese riches and they want to be
lifted up in the media and theywant to be told how wonderful
they are?
They will not inherit a singlething in the kingdom of heaven.
Everything that you build uphere, everything that you
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collect riches for here on earth, will be exempt when you get to
heaven.
Right, I don't care whetherthere's taxes on my income right
now.
I don't want taxes on myblessings in heaven.
Amen, I wanna get to heaven andknow that everything that I
have done for the kingdom isbeing stored up there and all of
those rewards will be pouredout for me.
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Now, that's not to say that ifyou die today and you're just
now accepting Jesus Christ, thatyou won't get there and have a
glorious mansion on the otherside.
Amen, I promise you that God isa good God.
But I'm telling you that when Igot saved, I didn't just get
saved for myself.
I thought so at first.
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Right, when I got saved, I waslike Jesus, I am yours, right,
do something good in me.
And then he starts moving in mylife and pretty soon I got all
you people.
I'm like that's not what Iasked for, jesus I asked for.
I want to inherit the king.
But here we are.
Can I promise you somethingthat each and every one of you
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have people just like you sorryabout it, but people just like
you in your life that you aresupposed to be telling the
gospel to.
You're supposed to be preachingthe truth, because when they
get to heaven, they need to knowwho Jesus is and they need to
know that Jesus is righteous.
Okay, we're not done yet, we'restaying there.
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Jesus is righteous Okay, we'renot done, yet we're staying
there.
Oh, it's gone.
Can we have that back, prettyplease?
Yes, no, maybe there it is.
This means that anyone whobelongs to Christ has become a
new person.
The old life is gone.
A new life has begun when youcame to Christ has become a new
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person.
The old life is gone.
A new life has begun when youcame to Christ, or when you come
to Christ maybe it's not todayall of your old labels are
peeled away.
I was talking to Tina Bober thismorning and she got a gift for
somebody and she tried to put itin one of those big plastic
eggs.
You know what I'm talking about.
She said she could not get thesticky off of that egg.
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You know, have you ever peeleda sticker off and it's still
sticky to the touch?
All the goo gone in the worldcan't get it off of there.
Can I promise you that when youaccepted Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior, there wasn'tany sticky.
All of that was peeled off andyou were made whole, complete
and new in him.
All of those old days, listen,we've all sinned and fallen
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short of the glory of God.
Many of us are sitting heretoday with a past.
Thank you, jesus.
Right, because I am not theonly one.
I'm thankful for that today,but I know that when I came to
Christ, all of those things thatpeople would say about me were
not me anymore.
They weren't me.
You could call me all the names.
Listen, you can call me a lotof names.
There are only a couple that'llturn into fighting words with
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me?
Only a couple.
You can call me just aboutanything and I'm like you know
what.
It doesn't bother me, becausethe person you think you're
talking to is not the personthat God sees right.
That is not the person that Godsees right.
That is not the person that Godsees.
The things that you know aboutme from my past are just that.
They are behind me.
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Christ is in front of me.
Failure is replaced withforgiveness, the lost become
found and the sinner becomes ason or a daughter.
This is not just a cosmetic fix.
You go get a nose job today.
Your spirit's still ugly.
Right, your nose might lookbetter, but your spirit is still
(18:17):
ugly if you have not acceptedJesus Christ.
So I'm telling you that whenyou choose Christ, this is a
spiritual rebirth.
You are new in the spirit.
Right, that means you are stillgoing to look a certain way,
you may still act a certain wayfor a short time, but the grace
of God will walk you throughthat.
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Amen.
The grace of God will walk youthrough that sin, all right.
Galatians 2.20.
Told you I'd get to it.
My tech team's like allswitched out back there.
Now All I see is a shiny headnow, sorry, dan.
Galatians 2.20.
He says now I'm leaving.
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My old self has been crucifiedwith Christ.
This is my favorite scripturefor today.
So if you glean nothing elsefrom today, glean this passage
Galatians 2.20,.
Write it down, put it in yournotes, take a picture, something
it says my old self has beencrucified with Christ.
My old self hung on the crosswith Jesus Christ.
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Amen.
It is no longer I who live, butChrist who lives in me.
So I live in this earthly bodyby trusting in the Son of God
who loved me and gave himselffor me.
Hallelujah, thank you Jesus.
Thank you Jesus.
I hung on that cross with Jesus.
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When Jesus went to that cross,he wasn't just thinking of the
disciples, he wasn't justthinking of the Roman soldiers
who were crucifying him.
He was thinking of each andevery one of us.
The word of God tells us thathe knew us before we were formed
in our mother's womb, that heknew us before.
Listen, he's got a lot of namesrolling around up there, right?
Listen, I can't remember mostof your names.
(20:08):
I hardly remember my own name,but he remembers each and every
one of you so well that he knowshow many hairs are on the top
of your head.
That's easier for him to countwith some than others.
Dale's not in here, can't pickJamie.
Where's Jamie at?
Oh, you still got some fuzz upthere, man.
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You got to count that too.
That counts as something,doesn't it?
But he knows us so well that hecounts the hair on the top of
our head.
I hung on the cross with JesusChrist.
I didn't know that when I wasborn, right?
Were you born knowing that youhung on the cross?
No, how did you learn that youwere hung on the cross?
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Somebody had to tell you.
Did you know?
The world doesn't know thatthere is a majority there may be
people sitting in the buildingwho's listening to me going.
This guy is an absolute nut job.
That is true.
But the gospel is true as well.
I promise you that Jesus, thatGod, that the Holy Spirit, they
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all knew you before you wereformed in your mother's womb and
they wanted nothing butgoodness.
All of your days Will yousuffer Absolutely.
And I promise you, when youchoose to walk with Jesus, life
will get harder, because whenyou're walking with the earth,
when you're walking in the flesh, the devil's already got you.
He doesn't want you right.
You're an easy target.
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He doesn't need to come afteryou.
But when you choose Jesus,listen.
We went through Financial PeaceUniversity with a big group of
people and it's so funny.
I'll tell this about Dawn,because I don't think she'll
care and she's not here, so shecan't stop me.
Dawn had saved all of the moneythat we were trying to save and
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then all of a sudden she getshit with a tax bill that she has
to pay.
Now do you think that that'sthe enemy, trying to take away
what God was doing in her life?
Now here's the best part shedid what was right.
She straightened out thosetaxes, she got everybody all
squared away and paid, and thatmoney just kept coming back.
That money just kept comingback.
Now, god's blessings are notalways financial.
I want to be clear.
(22:12):
But she was a good steward withlittle, so he gave her much.
I promise you today that if youwill be a good steward with
little, god will continue togive you much, amen.
Okay, that was Galatians 2.20.
We are going to go to Romans 6.6.
Romans 6.6.
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We know that our old, sinfulselves were crucified with
Christ so that sin might loseits power in our lives.
We are no longer slaves to sin.
We are no longer slaves to sin.
We are no longer slaves to sin.
Now we need to talk about sinfor a second.
You guys?
Okay with that?
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Sin comes in a lot of differentforms, and a lot of times when
we talk about sin, people arelike, oh well, mine's not that
bad, right, like I might say acuss word every now and again.
It's not that bad, it's notnearly as bad as being this,
that or the other.
Amen, you see, like I only showmy sin to people that I love
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and trust.
Right, right, I'm not hangingout in the bar every weekend,
I'm not getting drunk, I'm notgetting high, I'm so, listen, my
sin isn't nearly as bad as someof the other sins of the world.
Right?
How many of us believe thattoday?
Good, because let me tell yousomething your sin is the same
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as the sin sitting next to you.
In the eyes of God, sin is sin.
There is no difference.
Okay, I am no longer a slave tothat sin.
That means that my choice tosin is willing disobedience in
the name of Jesus.
What am I doing?
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Why am I living this way if Iknow that my sins died on the
cross and that I am no longer aslave to them.
Why am I choosing to live insin?
I'm choosing to live in sinbecause I want to live for the
world, because it is easier tolive for the world.
It is easier to look at VickiHickey and tell her that her
gray sweater is ugly.
Because it is easier to livefor the world.
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It is easier to look at VickyHickey and tell her that her
gray sweater is ugly.
She can't wear a pink oneanymore.
I think she burned it in thefireplace the other day.
I'm kidding.
Your sweater is beautiful.
I know she had to wear a blacksweater to Good Friday so nobody
would pick on her for it.
I'm kidding, your sweater isbeautiful.
I only did it because I knew itwould get a good laugh at
everybody who knows that I pickon you about your sweater.
(24:50):
Now, actually, jenny picks onyou about your sweater.
I just told you she did I, justI, I, I.
I'm not trying to gossip.
I'm not trying to gossip, justsaying it was Jenny.
What was I talking about beforethat?
Somebody get me back on track.
Sin, sin, thank you, yeah, soyeah, gossip, that's a big one.
Listen, we got a whole podcasttopic coming up about gossip
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because I'm going to tell yousomething.
That's the one.
Right, if we were to hang ourhat on one that probably each
and every one of us do, that'sthe one.
And Pastor Holly and I we'vebeen praying through and talking
through holy gossip.
You ever heard of holy gossip?
That's when you call somebodyand say, hey, I need you to pray
with me about such and such,because they such and such and
such and such.
(25:32):
Right, listen, I need you topray with me about Vicky
Hickey's wardrobe because hersweaters are ugly.
Right?
When we do that, we are stillgossiping.
Right?
It is still gossip, listen, ifit doesn't glorify the person
you're about to say it about, ifit doesn't glorify the person
you're about to say it about, ifit doesn't glorify God and if
you're going to regret it, don'tsay it, because what good is it
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doing the kingdom of God, ifall you're doing is tearing down
his people?
Right?
If all you're choosing to do istear down his people, what
glory is in the kingdom for that?
What is your reward?
There is no reward.
There is no reward.
All right, we are no longerslaves to sin.
When we try to identify or findidentity in the world.
(26:19):
It leads us to slavery in sin,amen.
So when we go into the worldand we look for fellowship in
the world, we end up drunkards.
We end up drug addicts.
Right, we end up gossipingabout people.
Listen, you were on the crosswith Jesus Christ.
(26:47):
What a holy place to be.
Can you live in sin knowingthat you were on the cross with
him?
Jesus offers freedom, and whenyou identify with him, you don't
just get forgiveness but youget liberty, amen.
(27:11):
We are so focused on freedom inthe flesh today, but let me tell
you that we need freedom in thespirit, because when I have
freedom in the spirit, freedomin the flesh is so much easier
to have to hold on to, to wrapmy arms around, to understand
Amen, because I don't worryabout what the world thinks
about the freedom that I haveand I'm willing to say I'm
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standing up for what is right,not just what I want.
Hallelujah.
How many of us can do thattoday?
Not many, let me tell you,because we are selfish human
beings.
The flesh is selfish, the fleshwants what the flesh wants.
But let me tell you I want whatthe Spirit wants today.
I want what the Spirit wants Ifthe Spirit wants me to come to
(27:54):
the altar and rededicate my life.
That's where I'm going to betoday.
That's because I want to workin tandem with what Jesus Christ
is requiring of me today,because when I can do that, then
I can tell everybody else howeasy it is to do.
Amen, amen, all right, what wasthat?
Was that Romans 6.6?
Okay, great.
(28:15):
Ephesians 2.10.
You want to let your phonepreach Marcus?
You want to let your phonepreach Marcus?
Ephesians 2 10.
(28:35):
It says for we are God'smasterpiece.
He has created us anew inChrist Jesus, so we can do the
good things he planned for uslong ago.
For we are God's masterpiece.
You are God's masterpiece,regardless of how you feel about
yourself.
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Amen.
You're hard on yourself.
You're feeling tired today.
You're feeling overwhelmed.
You're feeling just like youhaven't accomplished enough.
Listen, I men, we're all likethis.
We start a project at home andwe never finish it.
Just show of hands real quick,men.
How many of you have a projectstarted at home that is not done
(29:17):
yet?
Okay, so pretty mucheverybody's hand is up at this
point.
Now here's my big questionWhose is the longest?
Anybody had a project for morethan a month that's not done yet
.
Chris is raising Dan's.
Okay, how about two months?
Oh, geez, yeah, how about twoyears?
We got anything.
Okay, we're just going to stopnow because I feel like I'm
(29:41):
going to get some guys introuble.
That was not my goal, gentlemen.
So here's what I'm learning.
We bought a house.
My wife decided she wanted theelectric in the basement split,
so the back storage half, and Imeandered through and I was like
, yeah, if we just cut in here,we run the back, we can do this,
it's not a big deal.
So then I roughed in a bunch ofelectric and that hangs for two
(30:03):
weeks.
And then I'm like, well, putthe junction box in.
That hangs for another week andI'm like, eventually I'll get
to it.
Squeaky wheel, right, iteventually gets the oil.
My wife's like I'd really likefor that electric to be done.
When she says I would reallylike, for I mean today is the
day, right.
So I decided that I was goingto tackle that project and when
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I was done, my fingers hurt,right, because you're twisting
all those wires and you'restripping all those wires.
I got a nice big gash in myhand to prove that I am careless
with a box cutter.
And you know, I realized thatwhile I was doing that, that
that project was not somethingthat would have gotten done
(30:45):
quickly without a little bit ofpushing right.
And sometimes we need people topush us to get to the beauty
that God has called us to beright.
If I am God's masterpiece,sometimes I need people to tell
me what that looks like.
Sometimes I need somebody totell me that's ugly.
(31:07):
You're being ugly right now.
You ever been ugly?
I don't mean physically, marcus, stop shaking your head.
I mean spiritually.
I wouldn't do that to anybodybut you, because somebody would
have been offended by that.
Marcus is like here, I am here,I am Lord.
Oh boy, oh boy.
(31:31):
Sometimes we need to know thatwe are being spiritually ugly,
amen.
And when we say things that arehurtful or that are deceptive,
deception is a big one.
Right, like I only give youhalf of the story and so you
think that you know.
And then the game of telephonebegins and then pretty soon
everybody's talking about Vicky,hickey, sweater, deception,
(31:52):
deception makes us ugly in thespirit.
Deception.
All of our sin makes us ugly inthe spirit.
And sometimes we need somebodywho is strong in the Lord.
And I'm gonna tell you if youaren't strong in the Lord and
you come at me with trying tosharpen me.
I'm gonna tell you listen, youneed to clean up your own
(32:13):
backyard, right?
You need to know that you arein a place to give advice strong
, good, healthy advice, amen.
And we don't do it hurtfully,we don't.
Oh man, tanya, I don't, Ireally.
No, you got to stop doing that.
It's a hey.
(32:33):
I feel led to share with you apassage of scripture that I hope
speaks into your life, and whenyou do that, people have to
mull it over for a little bit,right, they have to sit on it
for a second and really thinkabout what is God telling me in
that passage of scripture?
And sometimes they get it andsometimes they don't.
Sometimes we have to be alittle more forward, but let me
(32:57):
tell you that it is yourpastor's job to do that, because
it has to be done with graceand mercy, amen.
Okay, you are a masterpiecethat is designed with intention.
You are a masterpiece that isdesigned with intention, created
(33:17):
anew and with purpose.
Can I tell you that if youdon't know your purpose in the
kingdom today, we need to praywith you, because I promise you
that every person has a purposeinside of the kingdom.
I don't mean, oh, I should be inthe nursery or working in
children's ministry, althoughI'll take you.
I don't mean that I, I shouldbe in the nursery or working in
children's ministry, althoughI'll take you.
(33:38):
I don't mean that I'm supposedto be a pastor.
I'm supposed to be preachingfrom the pulpit.
What I'm talking about is God.
What is it that you would haveme do?
Can I sweep the floors?
Can I mow the grass?
Can I clean out the gutter?
God, what can I do?
Where would you have me servetoday?
And sometimes he's going totell you you are right where you
(33:59):
need to be Sitting in your seat, being taught and being raised
up, because sometimes we thinkthat we're mature in Christ.
Amen, any of us think thatwe're mature in Christ.
And then you come on a Sundaymorning and you're sitting there
and you're like, oh crap, Idon't got it together.
Sometimes I wake up and my feethit the floor and I'm like Lord
(34:21):
, I don't know why you've evercalled me, I don't.
What are you doing, lord?
And then he'll have me open myBible.
Or we'll be driving to work andlistening to my Bible in the
car and all of a sudden, there'sthis revelation oh, that's it,
that's it.
And then, when I realize it,I'm stronger in it, right, and
(34:41):
when I'm stronger in myanointing and what God has
called me to do, I can operatemore fully.
But I have to understand that Iam a masterpiece that he has
created.
I have to be willing to acceptthat and not be hard on myself,
because my body will always behard on itself.
Amen, I'm too tired to get upand do that today.
(35:03):
Can you believe so-and-so,didn't X?
Can you believe I don't?
Why are these people this way?
Why, lord, why have you sent meto such a place?
Right, every time I think thosethoughts, I have to stop and
realize that my gifting isexactly where he is putting me,
that when I'm talking, to listen, I am the very direct guy,
(35:26):
right?
Some people don't like that,some people embrace that.
But sometimes people will cometo me and they'll say something
and I'm like well, that's stupid, you shouldn't be doing X, we
should be doing X instead.
And let me back it up with apassage of scripture.
And when I do that, they'relike whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.
So you're telling me that Godwould have me, whatever?
Yes, that's exactly what I'mtelling you and when they hear
(35:50):
it they might get offended andthey walk away for a little
while.
They might get offended andthey walk away for a little
while, Even mad at me.
Been there, done that and a lotof times.
Maybe months later you get aphone call.
Pastor Michael, thank you forbeing so honest with me, because
had you not been honest with me, I would have never X.
I'm going to tell you a story.
I had a person who attended ourchurch a long, long time ago,
(36:14):
many moons ago, in a far offplace.
They attended our church andthey were making bad decisions
in their marriage and when theywere making those decisions and
I caught wind of it, I said hey,we need to have a conversation
about this, let's talk aboutwhat's happening in your life.
They didn't know that.
I knew all of the details, allof the nitty gritty, and I
(36:35):
started to expose some of it tothem and they immediately became
defensive of what was happening.
That never happened and I saidwell, it did happen and I know
it happened because I saw itRight and I'm telling you that
God would not have that in yourmarriage Right, because God did
not join you together so thatyou could then be separate and
(36:56):
listen.
I said that they left my officemad.
I mean mad.
They ended up stopping cominghere.
They stopped coming to thechurch.
They're so mad at me About sixmonths later maybe not quite six
months, but it was a while, itwas a little while.
Six months later maybe not quitesix months, but it was a while,
it was a little while my dadcalls me and he says hey,
(37:20):
there's a really weird phonestuck in my door.
He's like it's just a phone andit's stuck in my door.
And so I go to his house andI'm like well, let's see if we
can turn it on, let's call somepeople, let's figure out who it
belongs to.
I power the phone up and righton the top it says Pastor
Michael, I had sent this persona text within 48 hours of that
(37:40):
phone being dropped off at mydad's house.
I knew exactly who it was assoon as I saw the text message,
because I knew who I had sentthe text message to.
Couldn't read the text, but Isaw the time and the date.
I immediately pick up my phoneand I call them.
Did you lose a phone?
They said yes.
I explained to them how it endedup in my possession?
(38:02):
Bizarre, but God neededreconciliation in that moment.
Can you believe that that Godwould go through all of those
things so that reconciliationcould happen in my life?
Now I wasn't hurt by it, Iwasn't wounded, I was okay with
what had happened because I knewthat I was operating inside of
(38:22):
the will of God.
But that person in the momentdid not know that and they
needed closure.
And we got it that day and wewalked away from it that day and
he never spoke to him since wegot what we needed.
God brought us through thatsituation so that we could see
it fulfilled.
(38:42):
God is good in all things, amen.
Even in the things that arerough and they hurt and they
don't feel good.
God is good, amen.
And I promise you that in allthings he is going to see it
through to the end.
If you choose not to see itthrough to the end, I promise
you somebody else will.
He will use somebody else toget to the end of that situation
(39:05):
.
But you have a talent that heis calling you to use in that
moment.
Amen, all right.
You cannot live for the worldand identify with Christ at the
same time Amen.
Some people say you can't be acomplete jerk and still worship
God at the same time.
Amen.
I don't believe that.
I think that you can do both ofthose things, but I think that
(39:27):
they are not counterintuitive.
I think you are working againstyourself.
My flesh cannot be hateful andmy spirit be clean.
Amen.
I need my spirit and my fleshto both be clean.
I need to be willing to walk inthe spirit and live and love
God so that I can do the samething in the flesh for the rest
of the world, amen.
And when I look at somebody I'venever met and I think that
(39:49):
person just looks mean Anybodyever met somebody like that?
You look at them, tina.
Somebody just said Tina.
I didn't say that.
Somebody else said it, it wasJenny.
It was Jenny.
It was Jenny, it's hey.
I would just say Jenny starts alot of trouble in this place.
That's all I'm saying.
That's all I'm saying.
I ain't gossiping, I'm justsaying oh goodness gracious, you
(40:14):
cannot live for the world andidentify with Christ at the same
time.
One will shape you and one willdefine you right.
If you choose to live in theworld.
It is going to shape your viewof the world.
If you choose to live forChrist, it will define your
lifestyle.
Amen.
Today I want to be defined inChrist.
My question is who are youtoday?
(40:36):
Let the crisis of your identitybe found in the one who has
given you life on the cross,because with his resurrection,
you have a home in heaven.
You have a God, you have aSavior sitting at the right hand
(40:57):
of the throne, interceding foryou every single day.
Forgive them, father, for theyknow not what they do.
Forgive them, father, for theyknow not what they do.
Every time you do somethingthat is outside of the will of
God.
Forgive them, father.
He has to say that a lot for me.
I'm pretty sure he just has iton recording the will of God.
Forgive them, father.
He has to say that a lot for me.
I'm pretty sure he just has iton recording.
It's just on a loop.
(41:17):
Forgive him, father.
Forgive him, father, and youknow what.
I cannot abuse that grace anylonger.
I cannot live knowing that if Icontinue to abuse the grace of
God, that there is a possibilitythat when I lay my head down
and I take my last breath, thatI have not repented of those
sins, that I may not inheriteternal life or make it into the
(41:39):
kingdom of heaven, because Ihave chosen to be hard-hearted
and to hold on to unforgiveness.
Thank you, jesus for revelation, knowledge, amen.
Let's just jump back to thethieves on the cross for just a
second.
And let's just jump back to thethieves on the cross for just a
second and let's just.
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I want to center in on the thiefwho was not a believer.
He chose to look at Jesus as aliar, as a liar, as a cheat.
There are people today who maylook at you that way, but you're
(42:26):
not hanging on that cross,you're hanging in the middle.
You have everlasting lifethrough Jesus Christ Amen.
You have everlasting lifethrough Jesus Christ.
Amen.
You have everlasting lifethrough Christ Jesus, who took
on the sins of the world so thatyou could inherit the kingdom
(42:47):
of him.
That whosoever should believein him.
Today I'm a whosoever and I'mhoping that everybody standing
in here sitting in here'm awhosoever, and I'm hoping that
everybody standing in heresitting in here is a whosoever
Amen.
Now, I haven't done this in along time, but I want to do this
with you guys today.
Can we all just stand realquick.
Please Can you turn on prayermusic for me, thank you.
(43:13):
We're standing in here today.
It's Easter Sunday.
We're standing in here today.
It's easter sunday and I alwayssay this anytime uh, I'm gonna.
There is no better day forsalvation than today.
Amen.
Yesterday was great, but maybeyou missed it.
Tomorrow would be fine, butmaybe you won't make it.
Today is a day for salvation,amen.
So what I want to do is uh, ifyou've never accepted Christ as
(43:35):
your Lord and Savior, I want to.
Just, we're going to say a realquick prayer together.
This does not make you saved.
This is a first step.
Amen.
This is confessing your sinsand asking Jesus to be your Lord
and Savior.
Okay, maybe you're standing inhere somebody who's been saved
their entire life.
You were saved out of the womband you've been walking through
life a warrior for Jesus Christ,but you realize that you've got
(43:56):
something going on that youneed to give back to God.
We're just going to bow ourheads and we're going to say
this together, and then what I'dlike to do is I'd like to have
Pastor Roger and Pastor Hollycome forward with me.
If you've said this for thefirst time today, or you just
need somebody to pray with youthrough what salvation looks
like.
Come and see us.
(44:19):
We want to celebrate with youif you've accepted Jesus as your
Lord and Savior, but we alsowant to be able to share with
you who God really is Amen.
So let's just bow our heads andlet's just say together Father,
forgive me of my sins.
I thank you, lord, fordelivering me.
Thank you, jesus, for dying onthe cross for my sins.
(44:47):
Father, I stand here todaybelieving that there are people
in your house who are givingtheir life to you right now, in
your house, who are giving theirlife to you right now.
Oh, father, I just thank youand I praise you for the growth
of your kingdom.
Father, this is not for us.
This isn't some mark that weput in a box to say we brought
somebody else to Jesus.
Father, this is for the kingdomof God.
(45:08):
This is for the salvation ofthe souls who are standing in
this place today.
Lord, I thank you.
I thank you for the salvationthat rests in this house.
As I'm standing here with myeyes closed, lord, I just
picture your son hanging on thecross, broken, bleeding, and
(45:34):
pouring out his love for eachand every one of us.
Lord, there is no person in thisbuilding or in this world that
is too far gone for you to bringhome.
It doesn't matter how farthey've run, lord, it doesn't
matter the pig pens they've laidin, father, when they come home
, you celebrate.
You kill the fatted calf, youwrap them in the finest of
linens, and Lord come home, youcelebrate.
(45:56):
You kill the fatted calf, youwrap them in the finest of
linens, and, lord, you celebratethe return of the prodigal.
And today we are celebratingwith you, lord.
I thank you for the blessingsin this house.
Lord, I pray that you continueto pour out your Holy Spirit
upon this place, lead us, guideus and direct us as we move from
this place.
Today, lord, I thank you and Igive you all of the honor and
(46:20):
glory in the mighty name ofJesus, and the church says Amen.
start taking off.
You know, I pivoted on worshipthis morning.
I told you we added that extrasong at the beginning and then I
changed the song at the end,kind of at the last minute.
And I'm glad that I did becausefor those of you who are
keeping count and there are somewe're going to talk about
Lazarus for just a minute thismorning.
Okay, because everybody thatknows me knows that I love the
(00:23):
story of Lazarus.
It is my favorite story in allof the Bible.
I specifically love the passageof Scripture, the shortest
passage of Scripture.
I like it because it's theshortest, it's easy to memorize,
right?
Jesus wept.
It's pretty easy to do.
I love that passage of Scripturebecause I feel like we see
Jesus in the flesh for just asecond.
He is frustrated because thedisciples don't understand what
(00:47):
he is saying to them, eventhough he is talking to them
just about as plainly as he maybe able to speak to them.
Amen, lazarus is not dead, heis only asleep.
Amen, he is only asleep Now.
Jesus waited to go to Lazarus.
When he gets there, they go toroll away the tomb and they say
(01:10):
but Lord, he's been in there forfour days.
Surely he will stink.
Listen, some of us alive and westink.
Right, I'm not just talking inthe flesh, I'm talking in the
spirit.
We stink, amen and they rolledthe stone away.
Spirit, we stink, amen and theyrolled the stone away.
(01:30):
And Jesus shouts Lazarus, comeout.
And out walks Lazarus and allof the people surrounding him
were in amazement that Lazaruswas alive.
But didn't Jesus tell you thatLazarus was going to be alive,
that he wasn't dead, that he wasonly asleep?
It is hard to comprehend theidea of death and resurrection,
but I want to tell you the truthtoday and I want to tell you
(01:51):
that even in death, we have theultimate salvation.
Should the Lord tarry, everyperson in this room will taste
of death in the physical realm.
Our bodies will die, but ourspirit will live on.
Amen, and I'm thankful for that.
But I want to just speakspecifically in that passage of
(02:12):
scripture about the song, whenthe song was saying that it's no
longer me that matters, it isChrist that lives in me.
Amen.
My message today is aboutidentity crisis Any of us in an
identity crisis right now.
We all think we know who we are, but we're never really sure we
know who we are.
Amen, so we're going to openour Bibles.
(02:33):
We're going to start in Luke 23.
Luke 23.
We're going to start in verse44, chapter 23, verse 44.
And we're going to talk aboutthe cross and the resurrection
for a minute.
And I know that's a Good Fridaymessage, okay, but we can't get
to resurrection without GoodFriday, right?
And we weren't in the buildingtogether here for Good Friday,
(02:56):
so I got to give you my GoodFriday message, all right, so
you're getting two messages inone today and I'm only charging
you for one.
Matter of fact, go ahead andfire up the prayer music.
We're going to take a secondoffering for the second message.
I'm just kidding.
You only get one or the othertoday.
No, luke 23, 44.
It says by this time it wasabout noon and darkness fell
(03:18):
across the whole land.
Until three o'clock the lightfrom the sun was gone and
suddenly the curtain in thesanctuary of the temple was torn
down the middle.
Then Jesus shouted Father, Ientrust my spirit into your
hands.
And with those words hebreathed his last.
That's dark, right, literaldarkness, right, darkness
(03:42):
covered the earth.
Jesus shouts I entrust myspirit into your hands.
It is finished.
And now does anybody many ofyou do but the veil in the
temple.
The curtain in the temple isthick, it's heavy.
This isn't like a curtain thatyou're going to see hanging over
your window.
What'd they say?
Like four inches thick,something like that.
That veil ripped from top tobottom in the moment that he
(04:06):
released his spirit.
Why did that curtain tear fromtop to bottom the minute that he
released his spirit?
Because there was no holy ofholies any longer.
There was nobody.
Nobody was separated from thespirit of Jesus Christ at that
point.
Because what, the, what, the,what, the, the, the the priests
would do is they were the onlyones allowed to go behind the
(04:26):
curtain and to enter into theholy place where God was at.
But when Jesus took sin uponhimself and went to the cross to
die for our sins I like to sayyour sins, but I've got some too
, so I'm going to say ours, okay, is that fair?
And he died for our sins.
That curtain was ripped becausethere was no holy of holies.
(04:46):
We were all welcome in thepresence of God.
Amen, we were all welcome inthe presence of God.
Now we're going to back up forjust a minute, and I don't have
this scripture up there becauseI'm pivoting as my team is so
used to.
I want to talk about the twothieves that hung on the cross
next to him for just a quicksecond.
We're going to skim over it.
I'm not going to give you allof the scripture, we're going to
(05:08):
talk just nuts and bolts, okay,when Jesus went to the cross,
there were two thieves hung oneither.
A thief hung on either side ofhim and the one thief.
He chose to believe what theworld said about Jesus and he
mocked him.
And he said to him if youreally are the son of God, then
(05:30):
take yourself off the cross andtake us with you.
And the man on the other side.
He said how stupid are you thatwe are being crucified for the
crimes that we committed?
This is just for us.
But this man is blameless andhas done nothing.
And then he turns and says toJesus remember me when you enter
(05:54):
into your kingdom.
And what does Jesus say to him?
Today you will be with me inparadise.
See, there's an identity crisis,right, living for the world and
living for Jesus.
Living for the world is easybecause what do you do?
You mock and you make fun of.
(06:14):
Living for Jesus requiresbelief that Jesus is who he says
he is and will do what he sayshe is going to do.
That is hard to wrap your headaround.
You know we talk about the deathof Jesus, the death of Lazarus.
Lazarus was one of Jesus's bestfriends and when Lazarus died,
everybody thought Jesus would beupset, but he knew what was
(06:36):
coming.
Jesus knew that Lazarus wasn'treally dead and that he would
come back to life.
He didn't mourn the way thatthe flesh would mourn, right,
and we want to blame God for allof the bad things that happen
in our lives.
It's his fault, not mine.
It's his fault.
If he was so good, why would helet this happen?
(06:57):
Because we choose to live outof the will of God, amen.
We live in a world whereidentity is constantly changing.
Right?
People are defined by what theywear, how much they earn, what
their job title is, theirpolitical opinions, their social
media followers, and it is easyto get caught up in that
(07:18):
whirlwind of labels.
Right?
It is Vicki Hickey.
How many followers you got onInstagram?
She goes.
It's the what?
I was watching your TikTokchannel the other day.
She goes.
I don't even know what TikTokis.
Some of us get wrapped up inthat and the idea of what other
(07:39):
people think about us.
I'm going to tell you what Ithink about myself.
I think that I am not worthy ofthe salvation that I have today
.
Amen, because I know that I ama sinner and I know that I fall
short of the glory of God.
The problem is, is that Godlooks at me and he says you are
a blood-bought child of mine andthat you have grace and mercy?
It is far harder for us toforgive ourselves than it is for
(08:01):
Jesus to forgive us.
Amen, it is far harder.
Okay, we are gonna skip thatone.
There was a bet this morning onwhether or not I'd hit all
these scriptures.
I am going to just out of order.
But for those of us who are inChrist, the Bible offers us a
clear, unshakable identity, notone that's based on performance,
(08:23):
not one that's based on socialmedia followers.
Not one that's based onperformance.
Not one that's based on socialmedia followers.
Not one that's based onpopularity or possessions, but
on the finished work of Jesus onthe cross.
Amen, all right, we're going togo to Colossians 3.3 real quick
.
I got a lot to get throughColossians 3.3, for you died to
(08:45):
this life and your real life ishidden with Christ in God.
For you have died to this lifeand your real life is hidden
with Christ in God.
The world constantly tells usthat we need to be somebody.
(09:05):
Amen.
Because if you're not somebody,you're nobody.
And wouldn't it be a shame ifwe died nobodies?
I am happy to be a nobody toall of you.
I am happy to die, go into agrave.
I don't care what you do with me, as long as I know that I am
(09:27):
somebody in the kingdom of God,as long as my name is written in
the book of life, I don't carewhat the rest of the world
thinks about me.
Now, I say that out loud.
And then some of you guys getyour feelings hurt by me.
And here I am calling you,trying to figure out why your
feelings are hurt.
Right, there is a part of methat desires fellowship with
each of you, right.
But I believe that the ironsharpens iron and that if we are
(09:51):
not in one accord, that's asmall car.
I don't think we can all fit init.
But if we are not all some ofyou, some of you if we're not
all in one accord, how are weever going to inherit the
kingdom of heaven?
Because here's the idea If I amgoing to, I know everybody's
waiting for me to take a drink.
Let me just do it.
(10:12):
If I intend to inherit thekingdom of heaven, I have to
surround myself with like-mindedbelievers, because if I want to
make it, I have to know that Iam safe in my surroundings,
because I can't be surrounded bysin.
Otherwise I'm going to live asinful life Amen.
(10:33):
And when I choose to live asinful life, I live outside of
the will of God and I risk hell.
I risk a permanent death, thatmy spirit will spend eternity in
hell, which is not what I wantfor myself or what I want for
any of the people sitting.
(10:53):
Some of you don't even know me,you're lucky.
Who said amen?
It's just rude.
I'm taking my coat off.
I'm ready to fight now.
I know that when we buy intowhat Christ has called us to be
(11:14):
and to the identity that Christwants us to be, we will have
everlasting life.
But we have to seek fellowshipwith like-minded believers.
Amen.
All right, we're on Colossians3.3, right, because I still got
some notes here.
Okay, jesus does not tell us tobe somebody.
He tells us to be his right.
(11:34):
He doesn't need us to besomebody in the kingdom.
He needs us to simply be his,to be his disciple, to be his
follower, to be his mouthpiecein the wilderness.
Right, Every one of us should besitting here like John the
Baptist, and when we walk intothe world, we should be saying
prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Amen, because if we don't tellthe world about who Jesus is and
(11:57):
what he does, how will theworld ever know how good God
really is, how good God reallyis?
No, we're not excited about whoGod really is.
Listen, I don't care if youguys are excited.
I'm excited, I'm excited.
I'll tell everybody about Jesus, right?
I love to get to spread thegospel to people who would not
(12:18):
normally listen and I takecredit for what I get to do, but
not because of who I am, butbecause of what God is doing
through me.
Amen, because I have committedmy life to being the mouthpiece
for Jesus Christ.
I've committed myself to beinglike John the Baptist and saying
prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Now, prepare ye the way of theLord sometimes sounds like hey,
(12:38):
I love you and I see that you'redoing that thing and you
probably shouldn't be doing thatthing.
Right, because some peoplewon't ever know unless you tell
them.
Now am I going to tell them andyell and shout and scream?
Well, I talk like that?
So, probably, but it's notintentional to demean or to
demoralize.
The purpose of my conversationis to be sure that they are
(13:00):
saved and that Jesus Christ canreign in their life.
Amen, all right.
Second Corinthians, 5.17.
Now the question is always do Iget these right when I put them
in my notes as first and secondright?
We always have this battle.
You choking that baby, who isit?
(13:22):
Oh, agnes, they choking you.
She goes.
What this means?
That anyone who belongs toChrist has become a new person.
The old life is gone and a newlife has begun.
How many of us sitting in thisroom know Jesus Christ is our
(13:42):
Lord and Savior?
You have a new life in Jesus.
There is a new outlook on lifebecause of what you believe and
who Jesus Christ is and whathe's done for you.
Hallelujah, thank you, jesus,hallelujah, hallelujah.
I don't have to worry about theworld because I know that I
(14:03):
have life.
I belong to the King of Kingsand the Lord of Lords, I am the
heir to a kingdom right and Ibelieve that when I get to
heaven, my pile of riches isgoing to be bigger than yours,
right?
Holly and I are going to fight.
We don't know whose crown isgoing to be.
I'm kidding.
When you get to heaven, you aregoing to have all of the things
(14:26):
that you deserve.
Holly and I were talking aboutthis.
Can you believe that there arepeople who do great deeds on
earth and they collect all ofthese riches and they want to be
lifted up in the media and theywant to be told how wonderful
they are?
They will not inherit a singlething in the kingdom of heaven.
Everything that you build uphere, everything that you
(14:47):
collect riches for here on earth, will be exempt when you get to
heaven.
Right, I don't care whetherthere's taxes on my income right
now.
I don't want taxes on myblessings in heaven.
Amen, I wanna get to heaven andknow that everything that I
have done for the kingdom isbeing stored up there and all of
those rewards will be pouredout for me.
(15:07):
Now, that's not to say that ifyou die today and you're just
now accepting Jesus Christ, thatyou won't get there and have a
glorious mansion on the otherside.
Amen, I promise you that God isa good God.
But I'm telling you that when Igot saved, I didn't just get
saved for myself.
I thought so at first.
(15:27):
Right, when I got saved, I waslike Jesus, I am yours, right,
do something good in me.
And then he starts moving in mylife and pretty soon I got all
you people.
I'm like that's not what Iasked for, jesus I asked for.
I want to inherit the king.
But here we are.
Can I promise you somethingthat each and every one of you
(15:49):
have people just like you sorryabout it, but people just like
you in your life that you aresupposed to be telling the
gospel to.
You're supposed to be preachingthe truth, because when they
get to heaven, they need to knowwho Jesus is and they need to
know that Jesus is righteous.
Okay, we're not done yet, we'restaying there.
(16:09):
Jesus is righteous Okay, we'renot done, yet we're staying
there.
Oh, it's gone.
Can we have that back, prettyplease?
Yes, no, maybe there it is.
This means that anyone whobelongs to Christ has become a
new person.
The old life is gone.
A new life has begun when youcame to Christ has become a new
(16:29):
person.
The old life is gone.
A new life has begun when youcame to Christ, or when you come
to Christ maybe it's not todayall of your old labels are
peeled away.
I was talking to Tina Bober thismorning and she got a gift for
somebody and she tried to put itin one of those big plastic
eggs.
You know what I'm talking about.
She said she could not get thesticky off of that egg.
(16:51):
You know, have you ever peeleda sticker off and it's still
sticky to the touch?
All the goo gone in the worldcan't get it off of there.
Can I promise you that when youaccepted Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior, there wasn'tany sticky.
All of that was peeled off andyou were made whole, complete
and new in him.
All of those old days, listen,we've all sinned and fallen
(17:12):
short of the glory of God.
Many of us are sitting heretoday with a past.
Thank you, jesus.
Right, because I am not theonly one.
I'm thankful for that today,but I know that when I came to
Christ, all of those things thatpeople would say about me were
not me anymore.
They weren't me.
You could call me all the names.
Listen, you can call me a lotof names.
There are only a couple that'llturn into fighting words with
(17:34):
me?
Only a couple.
You can call me just aboutanything and I'm like you know
what.
It doesn't bother me, becausethe person you think you're
talking to is not the personthat God sees right.
That is not the person that Godsees right.
That is not the person that Godsees.
The things that you know aboutme from my past are just that.
They are behind me.
(17:54):
Christ is in front of me.
Failure is replaced withforgiveness, the lost become
found and the sinner becomes ason or a daughter.
This is not just a cosmetic fix.
You go get a nose job today.
Your spirit's still ugly.
Right, your nose might lookbetter, but your spirit is still
(18:17):
ugly if you have not acceptedJesus Christ.
So I'm telling you that whenyou choose Christ, this is a
spiritual rebirth.
You are new in the spirit.
Right, that means you are stillgoing to look a certain way,
you may still act a certain wayfor a short time, but the grace
of God will walk you throughthat.
(18:39):
Amen.
The grace of God will walk youthrough that sin, all right.
Galatians 2.20.
Told you I'd get to it.
My tech team's like allswitched out back there.
Now All I see is a shiny headnow, sorry, dan.
Galatians 2.20.
He says now I'm leaving.
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My old self has been crucifiedwith Christ.
This is my favorite scripturefor today.
So if you glean nothing elsefrom today, glean this passage
Galatians 2.20,.
Write it down, put it in yournotes, take a picture, something
it says my old self has beencrucified with Christ.
My old self hung on the crosswith Jesus Christ.
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Amen.
It is no longer I who live, butChrist who lives in me.
So I live in this earthly bodyby trusting in the Son of God
who loved me and gave himselffor me.
Hallelujah, thank you Jesus.
Thank you Jesus.
I hung on that cross with Jesus.
(19:46):
When Jesus went to that cross,he wasn't just thinking of the
disciples, he wasn't justthinking of the Roman soldiers
who were crucifying him.
He was thinking of each andevery one of us.
The word of God tells us thathe knew us before we were formed
in our mother's womb, that heknew us before.
Listen, he's got a lot of namesrolling around up there, right?
Listen, I can't remember mostof your names.
(20:08):
I hardly remember my own name,but he remembers each and every
one of you so well that he knowshow many hairs are on the top
of your head.
That's easier for him to countwith some than others.
Dale's not in here, can't pickJamie.
Where's Jamie at?
Oh, you still got some fuzz upthere, man.
(20:28):
You got to count that too.
That counts as something,doesn't it?
But he knows us so well that hecounts the hair on the top of
our head.
I hung on the cross with JesusChrist.
I didn't know that when I wasborn, right?
Were you born knowing that youhung on the cross?
No, how did you learn that youwere hung on the cross?
(20:49):
Somebody had to tell you.
Did you know?
The world doesn't know thatthere is a majority there may be
people sitting in the buildingwho's listening to me going.
This guy is an absolute nut job.
That is true.
But the gospel is true as well.
I promise you that Jesus, thatGod, that the Holy Spirit, they
(21:11):
all knew you before you wereformed in your mother's womb and
they wanted nothing butgoodness.
All of your days Will yousuffer Absolutely.
And I promise you, when youchoose to walk with Jesus, life
will get harder, because whenyou're walking with the earth,
when you're walking in the flesh, the devil's already got you.
He doesn't want you right.
You're an easy target.
(21:31):
He doesn't need to come afteryou.
But when you choose Jesus,listen.
We went through Financial PeaceUniversity with a big group of
people and it's so funny.
I'll tell this about Dawn,because I don't think she'll
care and she's not here, so shecan't stop me.
Dawn had saved all of the moneythat we were trying to save and
(21:52):
then all of a sudden she getshit with a tax bill that she has
to pay.
Now do you think that that'sthe enemy, trying to take away
what God was doing in her life?
Now here's the best part shedid what was right.
She straightened out thosetaxes, she got everybody all
squared away and paid, and thatmoney just kept coming back.
That money just kept comingback.
Now, god's blessings are notalways financial.
I want to be clear.
(22:12):
But she was a good steward withlittle, so he gave her much.
I promise you today that if youwill be a good steward with
little, god will continue togive you much, amen.
Okay, that was Galatians 2.20.
We are going to go to Romans 6.6.
Romans 6.6.
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We know that our old, sinfulselves were crucified with
Christ so that sin might loseits power in our lives.
We are no longer slaves to sin.
We are no longer slaves to sin.
We are no longer slaves to sin.
Now we need to talk about sinfor a second.
You guys?
Okay with that?
(22:58):
Sin comes in a lot of differentforms, and a lot of times when
we talk about sin, people arelike, oh well, mine's not that
bad, right, like I might say acuss word every now and again.
It's not that bad, it's notnearly as bad as being this,
that or the other.
Amen, you see, like I only showmy sin to people that I love
(23:23):
and trust.
Right, right, I'm not hangingout in the bar every weekend,
I'm not getting drunk, I'm notgetting high, I'm so, listen, my
sin isn't nearly as bad as someof the other sins of the world.
Right?
How many of us believe thattoday?
Good, because let me tell yousomething your sin is the same
(23:48):
as the sin sitting next to you.
In the eyes of God, sin is sin.
There is no difference.
Okay, I am no longer a slave tothat sin.
That means that my choice tosin is willing disobedience in
the name of Jesus.
What am I doing?
(24:08):
Why am I living this way if Iknow that my sins died on the
cross and that I am no longer aslave to them.
Why am I choosing to live insin?
I'm choosing to live in sinbecause I want to live for the
world, because it is easier tolive for the world.
It is easier to look at VickiHickey and tell her that her
gray sweater is ugly.
Because it is easier to livefor the world.
(24:29):
It is easier to look at VickyHickey and tell her that her
gray sweater is ugly.
She can't wear a pink oneanymore.
I think she burned it in thefireplace the other day.
I'm kidding.
Your sweater is beautiful.
I know she had to wear a blacksweater to Good Friday so nobody
would pick on her for it.
I'm kidding, your sweater isbeautiful.
I only did it because I knew itwould get a good laugh at
everybody who knows that I pickon you about your sweater.
(24:50):
Now, actually, jenny picks onyou about your sweater.
I just told you she did I, justI, I, I.
I'm not trying to gossip.
I'm not trying to gossip, justsaying it was Jenny.
What was I talking about beforethat?
Somebody get me back on track.
Sin, sin, thank you, yeah, soyeah, gossip, that's a big one.
Listen, we got a whole podcasttopic coming up about gossip
(25:11):
because I'm going to tell yousomething.
That's the one.
Right, if we were to hang ourhat on one that probably each
and every one of us do, that'sthe one.
And Pastor Holly and I we'vebeen praying through and talking
through holy gossip.
You ever heard of holy gossip?
That's when you call somebodyand say, hey, I need you to pray
with me about such and such,because they such and such and
such and such.
(25:32):
Right, listen, I need you topray with me about Vicky
Hickey's wardrobe because hersweaters are ugly.
Right?
When we do that, we are stillgossiping.
Right?
It is still gossip, listen, ifit doesn't glorify the person
you're about to say it about, ifit doesn't glorify the person
you're about to say it about, ifit doesn't glorify God and if
you're going to regret it, don'tsay it, because what good is it
(25:55):
doing the kingdom of God, ifall you're doing is tearing down
his people?
Right?
If all you're choosing to do istear down his people, what
glory is in the kingdom for that?
What is your reward?
There is no reward.
There is no reward.
All right, we are no longerslaves to sin.
When we try to identify or findidentity in the world.
(26:19):
It leads us to slavery in sin,amen.
So when we go into the worldand we look for fellowship in
the world, we end up drunkards.
We end up drug addicts.
Right, we end up gossipingabout people.
Listen, you were on the crosswith Jesus Christ.
(26:47):
What a holy place to be.
Can you live in sin knowingthat you were on the cross with
him?
Jesus offers freedom, and whenyou identify with him, you don't
just get forgiveness but youget liberty, amen.
(27:11):
We are so focused on freedom inthe flesh today, but let me tell
you that we need freedom in thespirit, because when I have
freedom in the spirit, freedomin the flesh is so much easier
to have to hold on to, to wrapmy arms around, to understand
Amen, because I don't worryabout what the world thinks
about the freedom that I haveand I'm willing to say I'm
(27:33):
standing up for what is right,not just what I want.
Hallelujah.
How many of us can do thattoday?
Not many, let me tell you,because we are selfish human
beings.
The flesh is selfish, the fleshwants what the flesh wants.
But let me tell you I want whatthe Spirit wants today.
I want what the Spirit wants Ifthe Spirit wants me to come to
(27:54):
the altar and rededicate my life.
That's where I'm going to betoday.
That's because I want to workin tandem with what Jesus Christ
is requiring of me today,because when I can do that, then
I can tell everybody else howeasy it is to do.
Amen, amen, all right, what wasthat?
Was that Romans 6.6?
Okay, great.
(28:15):
Ephesians 2.10.
You want to let your phonepreach Marcus?
You want to let your phonepreach Marcus?
Ephesians 2 10.
(28:35):
It says for we are God'smasterpiece.
He has created us anew inChrist Jesus, so we can do the
good things he planned for uslong ago.
For we are God's masterpiece.
You are God's masterpiece,regardless of how you feel about
yourself.
(28:55):
Amen.
You're hard on yourself.
You're feeling tired today.
You're feeling overwhelmed.
You're feeling just like youhaven't accomplished enough.
Listen, I men, we're all likethis.
We start a project at home andwe never finish it.
Just show of hands real quick,men.
How many of you have a projectstarted at home that is not done
(29:17):
yet?
Okay, so pretty mucheverybody's hand is up at this
point.
Now here's my big questionWhose is the longest?
Anybody had a project for morethan a month that's not done yet
.
Chris is raising Dan's.
Okay, how about two months?
Oh, geez, yeah, how about twoyears?
We got anything.
Okay, we're just going to stopnow because I feel like I'm
(29:41):
going to get some guys introuble.
That was not my goal, gentlemen.
So here's what I'm learning.
We bought a house.
My wife decided she wanted theelectric in the basement split,
so the back storage half, and Imeandered through and I was like
, yeah, if we just cut in here,we run the back, we can do this,
it's not a big deal.
So then I roughed in a bunch ofelectric and that hangs for two
(30:03):
weeks.
And then I'm like, well, putthe junction box in.
That hangs for another week andI'm like, eventually I'll get
to it.
Squeaky wheel, right, iteventually gets the oil.
My wife's like I'd really likefor that electric to be done.
When she says I would reallylike, for I mean today is the
day, right.
So I decided that I was goingto tackle that project and when
(30:24):
I was done, my fingers hurt,right, because you're twisting
all those wires and you'restripping all those wires.
I got a nice big gash in myhand to prove that I am careless
with a box cutter.
And you know, I realized thatwhile I was doing that, that
that project was not somethingthat would have gotten done
(30:45):
quickly without a little bit ofpushing right.
And sometimes we need people topush us to get to the beauty
that God has called us to beright.
If I am God's masterpiece,sometimes I need people to tell
me what that looks like.
Sometimes I need somebody totell me that's ugly.
(31:07):
You're being ugly right now.
You ever been ugly?
I don't mean physically, marcus, stop shaking your head.
I mean spiritually.
I wouldn't do that to anybodybut you, because somebody would
have been offended by that.
Marcus is like here, I am here,I am Lord.
Oh boy, oh boy.
(31:31):
Sometimes we need to know thatwe are being spiritually ugly,
amen.
And when we say things that arehurtful or that are deceptive,
deception is a big one.
Right, like I only give youhalf of the story and so you
think that you know.
And then the game of telephonebegins and then pretty soon
everybody's talking about Vicky,hickey, sweater, deception,
(31:52):
deception makes us ugly in thespirit.
Deception.
All of our sin makes us ugly inthe spirit.
And sometimes we need somebodywho is strong in the Lord.
And I'm gonna tell you if youaren't strong in the Lord and
you come at me with trying tosharpen me.
I'm gonna tell you listen, youneed to clean up your own
(32:13):
backyard, right?
You need to know that you arein a place to give advice strong
, good, healthy advice, amen.
And we don't do it hurtfully,we don't.
Oh man, tanya, I don't, Ireally.
No, you got to stop doing that.
It's a hey.
(32:33):
I feel led to share with you apassage of scripture that I hope
speaks into your life, and whenyou do that, people have to
mull it over for a little bit,right, they have to sit on it
for a second and really thinkabout what is God telling me in
that passage of scripture?
And sometimes they get it andsometimes they don't.
Sometimes we have to be alittle more forward, but let me
(32:57):
tell you that it is yourpastor's job to do that, because
it has to be done with graceand mercy, amen.
Okay, you are a masterpiecethat is designed with intention.
You are a masterpiece that isdesigned with intention, created
(33:17):
anew and with purpose.
Can I tell you that if youdon't know your purpose in the
kingdom today, we need to praywith you, because I promise you
that every person has a purposeinside of the kingdom.
I don't mean, oh, I should be inthe nursery or working in
children's ministry, althoughI'll take you.
I don't mean that I, I shouldbe in the nursery or working in
children's ministry, althoughI'll take you.
(33:38):
I don't mean that I'm supposedto be a pastor.
I'm supposed to be preachingfrom the pulpit.
What I'm talking about is God.
What is it that you would haveme do?
Can I sweep the floors?
Can I mow the grass?
Can I clean out the gutter?
God, what can I do?
Where would you have me servetoday?
And sometimes he's going totell you you are right where you
(33:59):
need to be Sitting in your seat, being taught and being raised
up, because sometimes we thinkthat we're mature in Christ.
Amen, any of us think thatwe're mature in Christ.
And then you come on a Sundaymorning and you're sitting there
and you're like, oh crap, Idon't got it together.
Sometimes I wake up and my feethit the floor and I'm like Lord
(34:21):
, I don't know why you've evercalled me, I don't.
What are you doing, lord?
And then he'll have me open myBible.
Or we'll be driving to work andlistening to my Bible in the
car and all of a sudden, there'sthis revelation oh, that's it,
that's it.
And then, when I realize it,I'm stronger in it, right, and
(34:41):
when I'm stronger in myanointing and what God has
called me to do, I can operatemore fully.
But I have to understand that Iam a masterpiece that he has
created.
I have to be willing to acceptthat and not be hard on myself,
because my body will always behard on itself.
Amen, I'm too tired to get upand do that today.
(35:03):
Can you believe so-and-so,didn't X?
Can you believe I don't?
Why are these people this way?
Why, lord, why have you sent meto such a place?
Right, every time I think thosethoughts, I have to stop and
realize that my gifting isexactly where he is putting me,
that when I'm talking, to listen, I am the very direct guy,
(35:26):
right?
Some people don't like that,some people embrace that.
But sometimes people will cometo me and they'll say something
and I'm like well, that's stupid, you shouldn't be doing X, we
should be doing X instead.
And let me back it up with apassage of scripture.
And when I do that, they'relike whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.
So you're telling me that Godwould have me, whatever?
Yes, that's exactly what I'mtelling you and when they hear
(35:50):
it they might get offended andthey walk away for a little
while.
They might get offended andthey walk away for a little
while, Even mad at me.
Been there, done that and a lotof times.
Maybe months later you get aphone call.
Pastor Michael, thank you forbeing so honest with me, because
had you not been honest with me, I would have never X.
I'm going to tell you a story.
I had a person who attended ourchurch a long, long time ago,
(36:14):
many moons ago, in a far offplace.
They attended our church andthey were making bad decisions
in their marriage and when theywere making those decisions and
I caught wind of it, I said hey,we need to have a conversation
about this, let's talk aboutwhat's happening in your life.
They didn't know that.
I knew all of the details, allof the nitty gritty, and I
(36:35):
started to expose some of it tothem and they immediately became
defensive of what was happening.
That never happened and I saidwell, it did happen and I know
it happened because I saw itRight and I'm telling you that
God would not have that in yourmarriage Right, because God did
not join you together so thatyou could then be separate and
(36:56):
listen.
I said that they left my officemad.
I mean mad.
They ended up stopping cominghere.
They stopped coming to thechurch.
They're so mad at me About sixmonths later maybe not quite six
months, but it was a while, itwas a little while.
Six months later maybe not quitesix months, but it was a while,
it was a little while my dadcalls me and he says hey,
(37:20):
there's a really weird phonestuck in my door.
He's like it's just a phone andit's stuck in my door.
And so I go to his house andI'm like well, let's see if we
can turn it on, let's call somepeople, let's figure out who it
belongs to.
I power the phone up and righton the top it says Pastor
Michael, I had sent this persona text within 48 hours of that
(37:40):
phone being dropped off at mydad's house.
I knew exactly who it was assoon as I saw the text message,
because I knew who I had sentthe text message to.
Couldn't read the text, but Isaw the time and the date.
I immediately pick up my phoneand I call them.
Did you lose a phone?
They said yes.
I explained to them how it endedup in my possession?
(38:02):
Bizarre, but God neededreconciliation in that moment.
Can you believe that that Godwould go through all of those
things so that reconciliationcould happen in my life?
Now I wasn't hurt by it, Iwasn't wounded, I was okay with
what had happened because I knewthat I was operating inside of
(38:22):
the will of God.
But that person in the momentdid not know that and they
needed closure.
And we got it that day and wewalked away from it that day and
he never spoke to him since wegot what we needed.
God brought us through thatsituation so that we could see
it fulfilled.
(38:42):
God is good in all things, amen.
Even in the things that arerough and they hurt and they
don't feel good.
God is good, amen.
And I promise you that in allthings he is going to see it
through to the end.
If you choose not to see itthrough to the end, I promise
you somebody else will.
He will use somebody else toget to the end of that situation
(39:05):
.
But you have a talent that heis calling you to use in that
moment.
Amen, all right.
You cannot live for the worldand identify with Christ at the
same time Amen.
Some people say you can't be acomplete jerk and still worship
God at the same time.
Amen.
I don't believe that.
I think that you can do both ofthose things, but I think that
(39:27):
they are not counterintuitive.
I think you are working againstyourself.
My flesh cannot be hateful andmy spirit be clean.
Amen.
I need my spirit and my fleshto both be clean.
I need to be willing to walk inthe spirit and live and love
God so that I can do the samething in the flesh for the rest
of the world, amen.
And when I look at somebody I'venever met and I think that
(39:49):
person just looks mean Anybodyever met somebody like that?
You look at them, tina.
Somebody just said Tina.
I didn't say that.
Somebody else said it, it wasJenny.
It was Jenny.
It was Jenny, it's hey.
I would just say Jenny starts alot of trouble in this place.
That's all I'm saying.
That's all I'm saying.
I ain't gossiping, I'm justsaying oh goodness gracious, you
(40:14):
cannot live for the world andidentify with Christ at the same
time.
One will shape you and one willdefine you right.
If you choose to live in theworld.
It is going to shape your viewof the world.
If you choose to live forChrist, it will define your
lifestyle.
Amen.
Today I want to be defined inChrist.
My question is who are youtoday?
(40:36):
Let the crisis of your identitybe found in the one who has
given you life on the cross,because with his resurrection,
you have a home in heaven.
You have a God, you have aSavior sitting at the right hand
(40:57):
of the throne, interceding foryou every single day.
Forgive them, father, for theyknow not what they do.
Forgive them, father, for theyknow not what they do.
Every time you do somethingthat is outside of the will of
God.
Forgive them, father.
He has to say that a lot for me.
I'm pretty sure he just has iton recording the will of God.
Forgive them, father.
He has to say that a lot for me.
I'm pretty sure he just has iton recording.
It's just on a loop.
(41:17):
Forgive him, father.
Forgive him, father, and youknow what.
I cannot abuse that grace anylonger.
I cannot live knowing that if Icontinue to abuse the grace of
God, that there is a possibilitythat when I lay my head down
and I take my last breath, thatI have not repented of those
sins, that I may not inheriteternal life or make it into the
(41:39):
kingdom of heaven, because Ihave chosen to be hard-hearted
and to hold on to unforgiveness.
Thank you, jesus for revelation, knowledge, amen.
Let's just jump back to thethieves on the cross for just a
second.
And let's just jump back to thethieves on the cross for just a
second and let's just.
(42:01):
I want to center in on the thiefwho was not a believer.
He chose to look at Jesus as aliar, as a liar, as a cheat.
There are people today who maylook at you that way, but you're
(42:26):
not hanging on that cross,you're hanging in the middle.
You have everlasting lifethrough Jesus Christ Amen.
You have everlasting lifethrough Jesus Christ.
Amen.
You have everlasting lifethrough Christ Jesus, who took
on the sins of the world so thatyou could inherit the kingdom
(42:47):
of him.
That whosoever should believein him.
Today I'm a whosoever and I'mhoping that everybody standing
in here sitting in here'm awhosoever, and I'm hoping that
everybody standing in heresitting in here is a whosoever
Amen.
Now, I haven't done this in along time, but I want to do this
with you guys today.
Can we all just stand realquick.
Please Can you turn on prayermusic for me, thank you.
(43:13):
We're standing in here today.
It's Easter Sunday.
We're standing in here today.
It's easter sunday and I alwayssay this anytime uh, I'm gonna.
There is no better day forsalvation than today.
Amen.
Yesterday was great, but maybeyou missed it.
Tomorrow would be fine, butmaybe you won't make it.
Today is a day for salvation,amen.
So what I want to do is uh, ifyou've never accepted Christ as
(43:35):
your Lord and Savior, I want to.
Just, we're going to say a realquick prayer together.
This does not make you saved.
This is a first step.
Amen.
This is confessing your sinsand asking Jesus to be your Lord
and Savior.
Okay, maybe you're standing inhere somebody who's been saved
their entire life.
You were saved out of the womband you've been walking through
life a warrior for Jesus Christ,but you realize that you've got
(43:56):
something going on that youneed to give back to God.
We're just going to bow ourheads and we're going to say
this together, and then what I'dlike to do is I'd like to have
Pastor Roger and Pastor Hollycome forward with me.
If you've said this for thefirst time today, or you just
need somebody to pray with youthrough what salvation looks
like.
Come and see us.
(44:19):
We want to celebrate with youif you've accepted Jesus as your
Lord and Savior, but we alsowant to be able to share with
you who God really is Amen.
So let's just bow our heads andlet's just say together Father,
forgive me of my sins.
I thank you, lord, fordelivering me.
Thank you, jesus, for dying onthe cross for my sins.
(44:47):
Father, I stand here todaybelieving that there are people
in your house who are givingtheir life to you right now, in
your house, who are giving theirlife to you right now.
Oh, father, I just thank youand I praise you for the growth
of your kingdom.
Father, this is not for us.
This isn't some mark that weput in a box to say we brought
somebody else to Jesus.
Father, this is for the kingdomof God.
(45:08):
This is for the salvation ofthe souls who are standing in
this place today.
Lord, I thank you.
I thank you for the salvationthat rests in this house.
As I'm standing here with myeyes closed, lord, I just
picture your son hanging on thecross, broken, bleeding, and
(45:34):
pouring out his love for eachand every one of us.
Lord, there is no person in thisbuilding or in this world that
is too far gone for you to bringhome.
It doesn't matter how farthey've run, lord, it doesn't
matter the pig pens they've laidin, father, when they come home
, you celebrate.
You kill the fatted calf, youwrap them in the finest of
linens, and Lord come home, youcelebrate.
(45:56):
You kill the fatted calf, youwrap them in the finest of
linens, and, lord, you celebratethe return of the prodigal.
And today we are celebratingwith you, lord.
I thank you for the blessingsin this house.
Lord, I pray that you continueto pour out your Holy Spirit
upon this place, lead us, guideus and direct us as we move from
this place.
Today, lord, I thank you and Igive you all of the honor and
(46:20):
glory in the mighty name ofJesus, and the church says Amen.
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