Sermon

Discovering Your True Identity in Christ

Crossing Church with Clayton Hentzel

Open publisher episode ↗

Publisher transcript

Transcript

View source ↗
  1. Well, good morning, Crossing. Church, how are you doing?

  2. So good to see you, is it? Good to be in the House of the.

  3. Lord, is it good to be with the people of the Lord?

  4. We live in a crazy world, don't we?

  5. Can I get an Amen? For that, and this is one of the

  6. least crazy places there is. In the world.

  7. It's just like a base and freeze tag.

  8. You know when everybody. 'S chasing you and trying to get

  9. you. Here's a place that God has set

  10. aside where we can. Take off the masks that we can.

  11. Be ourselves that that God can do.

  12. This wonderful work in us that we could never.

  13. Do for ourselves. Alone and I'm just so thankful

  14. for that and thankful to be with you and welcome all of our.

  15. Campuses that are joining with us and we with you today all

  16. over this region both. Inside and online as.

  17. Well, so thankful. For each and every one of you.

  18. So when I ask. You a question that you might

  19. answer in a lot of different ways.

  20. It was a. Question that.

  21. Was posed to us. In music in the 1970s.

  22. So like, I'm a 70s vintage guy when it comes to.

  23. Music And here's a question Who are you?

  24. You know The Who put out an album.

  25. Called the title track. Who are you?

  26. Everybody knows how. What happens after that?

  27. What does it sound like? Yeah, everybody OK.

  28. Yeah, I just wanted to know that there's still people my age

  29. around. Yeah, OK.

  30. Appreciate that SO. I'm asking you that question.

  31. How would you? Answer that question would your

  32. occupation. Provide the answer.

  33. Your teacher, your construction. Worker your restaurant.

  34. Server is that what? Defines who you are.

  35. Maybe you wouldn't use that. Maybe you would use?

  36. Like a relationship to answer the question, does a

  37. relationship? Define you you might say who

  38. you're married to, who your children are, what your parents

  39. names are. I've noticed that sometimes in

  40. my life I'm really not Jerry, I'm Allison's husband.

  41. I'm my. Kids, Dad.

  42. You know, we often define ourselves.

  43. That way by our. Relationships or maybe by our

  44. occupations. But is that really who we are?

  45. And if if you were to look at yourself like it's a total

  46. package, is what? Defines you today the same thing

  47. that defines. You five years ago, or maybe 10

  48. years ago. Think about the Holy Spirit.

  49. I mean some of. You are are.

  50. On the. Newer side of your faith, right?

  51. And you might say something like this if you would have known.

  52. Me a year ago. If you would have known.

  53. Me two years ago you would have known a.

  54. Completely different person than you would know.

  55. Today, because my identity has completely changed.

  56. Since I came into an intimate personal.

  57. Relationship with Jesus Christ. You know that's what God is in

  58. the business. Of.

  59. Doing he changes our identity and it doesn't really happen.

  60. Until we come into this like what I would call a crisis.

  61. Of identity. And then we ask God the

  62. question, Who am I? And then he starts.

  63. Filling in the answer, he starts showing us the answer.

  64. Now we're in a in a new. Series.

  65. It's called Decisions. In the desert, walking with God,

  66. in trial and in triumph. And it's.

  67. Really. About the life.

  68. And the. Experience of Moses and the

  69. Children of Israel. Now, Moses.

  70. Is a person. Who has had extreme conflicts in

  71. understanding his identity and it happened.

  72. Through the various stages of his life.

  73. And then those conflicts in his life would redefine or affect.

  74. His walk with God. And I have to.

  75. Tell you that I personally relate.

  76. To the narrative of Moses on a lot of.

  77. Levels Let me, let me. Flesh that out for you.

  78. I don't want to indulge myself too much, but.

  79. It really will help you to. Understand where I'm coming from

  80. talking about him, many of my friends and colleagues that are

  81. in the same season of life as me as as we're kind of journeying

  82. through ministry like particular ministry and the.

  83. Word that describes this is being.

  84. Thrown around quite a lot. Especially with those of us.

  85. Who are on the tail end of the baby boomer generation in

  86. ministry and navigating that along with local.

  87. Leaders in churches in the word that's used is the word.

  88. Transitioning and for many that walk in my.

  89. Shoes it. Strikes fear into the heart.

  90. That it all of. All that is unknown and all that

  91. is. Unpredictable.

  92. That lies before us. One of my friends, Tim.

  93. Harlow, who just. Transitioned out of a ministry

  94. in Orland Park, IL Chicago area church.

  95. Just about our size. 7-8 thousand people on a weekend.

  96. Live. Was doing a podcast and he.

  97. Was giving his thoughts about this quote UN quote.

  98. Transitioning from the church and.

  99. That he had LED. With his family for over 30.

  100. Years. And as he was sharing his

  101. thoughts about. It he said this, he said that

  102. for years he looked through the lens.

  103. Of being the senior minister of that church.

  104. But now he was coming to grips. With simply being a child of

  105. God, that little phrase that he said.

  106. There it hit me like a freight train.

  107. I remember as soon. As I.

  108. Her finished listening to that. I texted him and I said.

  109. You just. Really messed with me and then I

  110. called him and we had a conversation about it.

  111. And we both have places that like the.

  112. Ozarks and and we we met up and and we had dinner together.

  113. The four of us had dinner. Together, and we talked.

  114. About it even more because it it really, really digs down.

  115. Into this reality because there's something.

  116. Beneath this methodology of transitioning a deeper question

  117. that puts its roots down into my identity, particularly my

  118. identity in Jesus Christ. Let me explain that my.

  119. Story is a pretty. Common story, I think.

  120. I don't think. It's very rare.

  121. Strange, like my testimony is a pretty common testimony.

  122. I was brought up in a Christian home to be a Christian.

  123. And the. Description of my spiritual

  124. walk. I think honestly as I moved into

  125. my teenage years would be a nominal.

  126. Like I was, I was a. Christian when it fit.

  127. I was a Christian. When you know, when it was

  128. comfortable, When I was less comfortable, maybe I was kind of

  129. pushing out on boundaries, but when I.

  130. Experienced God's call. On my life and that happened

  131. when I was 20 years. Old I let go of that secular.

  132. Path that I was on and I dedicated myself to following

  133. Jesus Christ in full time ministry and I have to tell.

  134. You that the space. Between that call and doing

  135. ministry was two weeks long. I was getting ready for my third

  136. year at Indiana. University as a business major.

  137. God. Called me in a.

  138. Ministry. Two weeks ago, I was I was

  139. driving to a Bible. College 10 hours away that I've

  140. never. Been to before.

  141. No one I knew and everything changed it all.

  142. Changed just that quick. My life.

  143. Was reshaped. Completely reshaped.

  144. Around that decision, it affected who I married.

  145. How we chose to raise our children where we lived.

  146. How we used our time, the friends.

  147. That we had. How much income we made, it

  148. affected literally everything, Allison and I.

  149. Discovered that our gifts were suited to both.

  150. Serve and to lead in ministry and it felt like a.

  151. Perfect fit for us. So from that time until today

  152. that. Is how I understood.

  153. My identity in Christ, are you following me?

  154. It came from leading and growing to church, loving and

  155. ministering to her. People forsaking.

  156. The things of this. World.

  157. Filling up the Kingdom of. As God's lost.

  158. Children were finding their way home and Alice and I have done

  159. that. For about 45.

  160. Years and then this word transition became real.

  161. For us. Now Alice and I approached.

  162. This like we've approached try to approach.

  163. Everything in ministry with a method that honors God, inspires

  164. and protects. People and we trusted that God

  165. had always provided a plan for our lives and would continue to

  166. provide that. Direction.

  167. The elements of transition in our context.

  168. They actually worked out very good, which by the way is very

  169. rare. In ministry.

  170. We had a great successor, an incredible successor.

  171. In Clayton Hensel. Can I get an Amen for that?

  172. I remember when I announced it 2 1/2.

  173. Years ago it was. On Thanksgiving weekend and.

  174. Every service. He got a standing ovation.

  175. Wow. And he's done an incredible job.

  176. The leadership of the church, the eldership, and by the way.

  177. Something that many of us may not know, but I do know is that

  178. we have an extremely rare eldership in our church.

  179. Those leaders are. Some of the most.

  180. Selfish God. Honoring men I've ever met or

  181. known in my life and God honors this church on account of their

  182. walk and they unified around him.

  183. The congregation felt and continues to feel comfortable.

  184. All the church metrics, even coming out of COVID were up and

  185. to the right. The church went out of their way

  186. to honor us and me and my family.

  187. And it was. Just perfect.

  188. However, God worked to peel. Back layers in my heart, in our

  189. hearts. To help us.

  190. Discover something more profound that was.

  191. Communicated through the words. Of my friend when he said he was

  192. just trying to be a child of God.

  193. Those words. Haunted me and it forced me to

  194. ask myself if I really knew what it meant.

  195. That's what I told Tim. I go.

  196. I don't know if I really knows what know what it means.

  197. To be a child of God. Who am I when, as Matt Redmond

  198. wrote in the song, the. Heart of worship.

  199. When the music fades and all is stripped away and I simply come

  200. wanting just to bring something that's of.

  201. Worth. That will bless your heart.

  202. What is a child of God? Now, if you would have, if you

  203. would have come up to me and said.

  204. Jerry, are you a child of God? What do you think I would have

  205. said? Well, of course I am.

  206. Of course I'm a. Child of God, what are you?

  207. What are you talking? About but I had.

  208. Defined it internally through all the things I was doing in

  209. serving and leading the church. I understood it in what I

  210. considered were the most effective use of my.

  211. Gifts. But what happens when all the

  212. titles? Are transferred.

  213. What happens when the gift? Set is looking for a place to be

  214. plugged. In, how can I be a?

  215. Child of God. Without all of the things that

  216. I've used. To define.

  217. Me as one. You know what?

  218. I think. I think some of.

  219. You are. Asking the same question in your

  220. context of. Life.

  221. What happens when all those things that I find comfortable

  222. identifying myself as, that kind of connects?

  223. To the idea of a child of God. It it, it, it goes away, what

  224. happens? Then my.

  225. Wife and I began exploring it together and.

  226. Just those 3 little words, child of God.

  227. Became deeply profound to me because it defines who I am.

  228. What am I in that phrase? I'm a child.

  229. Right. Who is my?

  230. What? What is my spiritual

  231. relationship in that phrase? Well, I'm his child.

  232. I'm not just a child of God, I'm his child.

  233. That's who God is. To me, that's the nature.

  234. Of our relationship now let me tell you.

  235. What that teaches me, and I'm going to get to Moses.

  236. Hang on. Because we're talking about his

  237. birth. OK, so.

  238. This is this will connect. First of all, when I say child

  239. of God, it leaves. Absolutely no space for me to be

  240. proud of myself. Or to.

  241. Feel like I've earned or deserve anything.

  242. Is there any space for a little? Child an infant.

  243. Child to be proud. Of him or herself.

  244. Or to feel like they have. Earned anything what God does

  245. when he defines me as a. Child is telling.

  246. Me what my level of expectation is?

  247. The expectation is what? It's low.

  248. Some of you are like well. I'd like to think that I'm more

  249. mature than that. Not me.

  250. I love the idea that the expert expectations are low.

  251. When it comes to an almighty perfect God, can I get an Amen

  252. for? That I love that I mean, God

  253. looks at me and he's. Kind of bless your.

  254. Heart. Pat me on the head, right?

  255. I'm like. I'll take that.

  256. I will take. That secondly, it means that I

  257. have been undeservedly blessed by having the universe.

  258. 'S best father. There isn't a better father than

  259. God. Almighty.

  260. A perfect father, Perfect. In all his ways and when I think

  261. about First Corinthians 13. A passage of scripture that we

  262. often. Use in weddings, right?

  263. If I. Speak in the tongues of men and

  264. angels and have not love. I'm a resounding God, right?

  265. And then it goes. Into these like definitions

  266. about. Love.

  267. Love is patient. Love is kind.

  268. It doesn't. Seek itself, right It keeps.

  269. No record of wrongs. There's all these beautiful

  270. things. It also defines God.

  271. To me, because God is the. Perfect embodiment of.

  272. Love, right? So when God looks at me, when

  273. God. Looks at you.

  274. He's you can. Realize that God with.

  275. You is patient. God with you is.

  276. Kind God with you does not seek his own.

  277. Selfish desires God with you that keeps no record of.

  278. Wrongs it, hopes all things, believes all things.

  279. Right. It never fails.

  280. It never God. Never fails.

  281. He believes the best in you. This is your upper story with.

  282. God and that nature, the nature. Of our relationship was birthed

  283. through the blood of Christ, so this is where it.

  284. Begins. This is the bedrock.

  285. Of my identity. Listen to me.

  286. This is the bedrock. Of your identity.

  287. If you're a believer, simply a child of God, whatever God

  288. chooses. To put on top.

  289. Of that, whatever gifts. Talents.

  290. Abilities that he blesses you with with that whatever

  291. opportunities, relationships. He invites you into all of those

  292. things. Or just icing on the cake.

  293. To who you actually are, I think all of us together need to have

  294. a collective sigh of relief. So now let me talk about Moses.

  295. The story of Moses is in the book of Exodus, starts in Exodus

  296. 2. But if we're talking about the.

  297. Birth of Moses. A better scripture to.

  298. Begin would be in Hebrews 11 and the 20.

  299. Third verse because it fleshes out.

  300. Some of the nuances of his. Life and it, really.

  301. Isn't talking so much about Moses as is talking about his

  302. parents. Their names were Amram and

  303. Jochebed. This is what it.

  304. Says by faith Moses parents hid him for three months after he

  305. was born. Because they saw he.

  306. Was no ordinary child, and they were not.

  307. Afraid of the. King's edict.

  308. I'll get into this later, but the.

  309. King's edict was that. There was too much Hebrew

  310. overpopulation in Egypt, and of course they.

  311. Were utilizing the Hebrews had for years as.

  312. Slaves and. They decided to kill.

  313. All the male children that were being born and Moses was one of

  314. those children that was born in or so it was an infanticide is

  315. what it was in order. To stop the.

  316. Overpopulation of these Hebrews. But if you take that verse

  317. apart, this is what I see. He's only three months.

  318. Old So what? Has Moses shown you about

  319. himself? Like.

  320. I'm three months. I'm three months old.

  321. You know nothing. What he what?

  322. You know. His parents saw that he was.

  323. No ordinary child. Now that sounds a.

  324. Little arrogant or prideful? Unless you're a parent.

  325. Because that's the way all parents are, right?

  326. Oh, they've. Been a lot of nice looking

  327. babies. But.

  328. This one mine. Come on now.

  329. Or that's my grandson, that's my granddaughter, that's my child.

  330. Now that is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.

  331. Isn't that the way it is? When it comes to our own

  332. children. So why shouldn't it be that way

  333. when it comes to how God? Feels about his children.

  334. And you if you've come into an intimate personal.

  335. Relationship with Jesus Christ are. 1.

  336. Of his children. Means a.

  337. Lot to be a child of God. Moses really wasn't an ordinary

  338. child because. God had established a.

  339. Plan for his life and that plan for Moses life would be.

  340. That he would deliver the people of Israel out of their.

  341. Bondage. Of.

  342. Over 400 years and there was no one, including Moses parents who

  343. could have known that. Only God would have known that

  344. when God created Moses in the womb of his mother, he placed in

  345. him. All of the raw material that was

  346. needed to be exactly what. God intended for him to be.

  347. God had a. Chosen identity for Moses.

  348. And a specific. Plan for his life.

  349. But it was up. To Moses to come into a

  350. relationship with. God so that God could release

  351. the potential of his life. Into the world.

  352. Why is that important? Because.

  353. God has a plan. For your life and we don't get.

  354. To punt. And say, well, yeah, God.

  355. Has a general plan for the. Life of.

  356. All of us in humanity. What the Bible teaches us that

  357. is that God has a specific. Plan for your life.

  358. I mean, it's obvious. From example that God.

  359. Had a. Specific plan for Moses's.

  360. Life, but when God created you. In your mother's womb, listen to

  361. me. He put all the raw material

  362. there. Is.

  363. Needed for you to accomplish what He has prepared for you.

  364. It's already there. It was there the before you were

  365. born. How do I know that Ephesians

  366. 210? The Apostle Paul teaches me this

  367. for. We are His workmanship, created

  368. in Christ. Jesus to do good works, listen

  369. Which? God prepared in advance.

  370. For us to do that's specific. That means that God has a

  371. specific. Plan for your.

  372. Life and David the. King and the Prophet.

  373. Knew this as well. In Psalm 139, when he said this

  374. about himself. He said all of the days.

  375. Ordained for me. Were written in your book

  376. before. One of them came to be.

  377. God knows His plan for you, and He wants you to experience those

  378. plans. That's his upper story.

  379. Plan but. There is a big.

  380. Problem. And the big problem is you me.

  381. Why? Well, because I have my own.

  382. I've got my own plans. I've got my own.

  383. Hopes I I. Have my own dreams.

  384. I want things on my own terms. Guess who else?

  385. Was like that, that little baby. Moses, Moses.

  386. Life can be broken. Down into. 340 year periods.

  387. First 40 years. Is from his birth until the time

  388. he killed an Egyptian, he murdered an Egyptian.

  389. The 2nd 40 years is marked. From that time that.

  390. He murdered the Egyptian. And ran away in the Midian.

  391. Until he was. On his knees at the burning.

  392. Bush. He was 80.

  393. When that happened and the third component of his.

  394. Life. Was when he went from the

  395. burning Bush. To Egypt and told.

  396. Pharaoh, let my. People go the plagues.

  397. And then leading the nation of. Israel out of.

  398. Bondage into freedom. Until he died.

  399. At 120 now, our journey begins with him in Exodus.

  400. Two, I've already told you that Pharaoh was.

  401. Killing all the male. Hebrew babies because he feared

  402. Hebrew population. Moses should have been killed in

  403. that experience, that thing that happened, and he.

  404. Escaped death because his. Mother and his father.

  405. And you? Recall this from Hebrews 11 did

  406. not fear the King's. Edict.

  407. They had courage. Knew that he was no ordinary

  408. child and she made a. Tar covered basket out of reeds

  409. placed her precious. Moses in it and sent him down

  410. the Nile River. Moms.

  411. Who would do that? I mean, I, I understand that you

  412. know you're in a time of. Crisis.

  413. But how hard would it be to actually place your baby?

  414. In a basket. Nile rivers, not a small river.

  415. I mean, Jochebed was. Obviously a woman of.

  416. Incredible faith in God to believe that God.

  417. Would be able to manage that. Pharaoh's daughter.

  418. Found him as she was bathing in the Nile and called him Moses.

  419. That's where he got his name because it means to be drawn out

  420. of the water. See Moses Life.

  421. Was being shaped already by God's.

  422. Plan and he grew up in the. Palace of the King of Egypt, God

  423. provided. Moses listen with his own mother

  424. to nurse him, raise him and teach him as a youngster and yet

  425. when he became of age, knowing that his lineage.

  426. Was Hebrew. He became zealous for that

  427. heritage in his first. 40 years Moses was trying to establish

  428. his own. Identity and by the way, that.

  429. Experiment crashed and burned, and that's what ended.

  430. The 1st 40 years. Of his 120 year life.

  431. Even though God. Had a plan.

  432. For his life, he was really. More interested in his own plan

  433. and we see the same tendencies in.

  434. Ourselves, that Moses did we try to establish.

  435. Our own identity in my. Case I was.

  436. Following my own plan when God called me into ministry.

  437. In fact, as Allison and I were reflecting on this.

  438. A couple of weeks ago, he had already called.

  439. Me into many things. And you know what?

  440. God has already called. You into many things.

  441. God called me to be a. Son.

  442. He when he gave. Me, a mother and a father.

  443. He called me to be a. Son, how was I?

  444. Doing in that calling. And I was actually.

  445. Asking Allison that question, what kind of a dad, what kind of

  446. a son was I to my mom and dad, both of my my mother and father

  447. I've gone to. Glory, but just evaluating.

  448. That was IA good son. Was I there for them when they

  449. when they were in need? How did I do?

  450. As a son. He also called me as a brother.

  451. I was the last of six kids. I had four sisters.

  452. And a brother and. So how did I do?

  453. With my siblings the. The people that I, I grew up

  454. with, you know, the Bible says that.

  455. A person who doesn't provide for his family especially.

  456. His immediate family is. Worse than an unbeliever?

  457. It's a calling. I was called to be a son.

  458. I was called to be a brother from the day I was born.

  459. Then he called. Me to be a.

  460. Husband when I chose to marry my wife.

  461. Then he called. Me as a father, when we had.

  462. Children. I was all of.

  463. Those things. Those were all.

  464. Callings being a husband and a. Father happened under the.

  465. Umbrella of my ministerial. Calling but I I was.

  466. Learning that that. Calling was wider than just what

  467. I was. Doing for a living?

  468. Do you understand? What I was doing in ministry.

  469. See one thing I learned about ministry over all?

  470. Those 45 years. Is that sometimes the God-given

  471. relationships can go on a back burner.

  472. Because there is. All these ministry needs

  473. transition took some things out of our hands.

  474. But there was still plenty there.

  475. When God called. Moses to deliver Israel.

  476. He was already a. Son he was.

  477. Already a brother, he was already a husband and he was

  478. already a father at the calling that.

  479. Happened at the burning Bush when he was 80.

  480. Moses has given all. These excuses to God, he's like.

  481. I mean, he has been whittled down.

  482. We're going to go into. This next week, but.

  483. He was. He had been whittled down.

  484. Because all his pride. And all of his arrogance and all

  485. the things that. That that he was using to.

  486. Shape his own identity. Had been stripped away and he's

  487. given God all these. Excuses like I'm.

  488. Slow of speech. Slow of tongue, he, I mean he

  489. finally, you know. When he says that to God, you

  490. know what God? Says back to him when he says

  491. I'm slow of. Speech, God says.

  492. Who made your mouth? I mean, he literally says that

  493. to him. Like I know what I put inside

  494. you. I know the raw material that's

  495. in there. You have everything you need

  496. right now. But he didn't think so.

  497. And then he says this at the burning Bush.

  498. He says to Moses. What is that?

  499. In your hand. Do you know what that was?

  500. It was a shepherd's staff. Because for the last 40 years

  501. Moses has been a shepherd, right?

  502. What is that? In your hand.

  503. What's a shepherd's staff? OK.

  504. Throw it down on onto the sand. So Moses.

  505. Throws Shepherd's staff. Down onto the sand and what

  506. happens? It becomes a snake.

  507. Then God tells him to pick the. Snake up by the tail.

  508. Anybody see a red flag? There, you don't.

  509. Ever. Pick a snake up by the tail.

  510. It's the opposite of what you're supposed to do.

  511. And yet God told him so when he picks it up by the.

  512. Tape because you know you want to get right behind the head,

  513. right? He picks it up by the.

  514. Tail becomes the staff again. You know God.

  515. Does a lot with that staff, that staff.

  516. In Moses his hand. Touches the red the.

  517. The Nile River and what happens? Everything turns to blood,

  518. right? God has that staff.

  519. In Moses his hand. And he stretches it out.

  520. Over the Red Sea and what does it do One of my.

  521. Wife's favorite? Songs ever is an old old hymn

  522. called Little as Much, and the words are little as much.

  523. If God is in it, labor not. For wealth or.

  524. Fame. There's a crown and you can win

  525. it if you go in Jesus name. It was just a.

  526. Stick in this man's hand. But it's not just a stick.

  527. If God placed. It there in your hand so I want

  528. to give you 3. Ways that you can.

  529. Kind of live this out. Things that I'm learning right

  530. now that. You can use to live this out.

  531. OK. What I'd like for you to do is

  532. I'd like for you to ask. Yourself.

  533. The question that God asks Moses what is that in my hand?

  534. What are the things that God. I mean, there's a lot of.

  535. Things right now that. You're regretting you're.

  536. Thinking about, man, I had this opportunity.

  537. I had that opportunity. I was in this relationship and

  538. I've blown all this stuff, made all this mess up.

  539. You're no different than Moses. He had messed everything up too,

  540. right? But Moses is.

  541. Asked by God. What is that in your hand?

  542. I'm asking you what is in your hand right now?

  543. Whatever God has placed in. Your hand right now.

  544. You should do your very best to honor God through it.

  545. These are things that God. Has not released you.

  546. From you need to. Be the best steward of what you

  547. have before you start asking God to.

  548. Fill your hand with new things. See, a lot of us, we kind of.

  549. Tend to want to neglect those. Things and say, well God, I need

  550. you to. Call me to something cooler.

  551. Call me to something. Sexier and God.

  552. Is going hold on, What is that in your hand?

  553. Be faithful in the little things, he says, and then I will

  554. give you. Greater things.

  555. Number one. Number two.

  556. Look where God is working. And go and join him there.

  557. I don't know what. It is about us.

  558. As human beings, it. Seems like we're always still.

  559. Trying to earn something from God.

  560. We're still trying to deserve something from God.

  561. Because we keep forgetting that we're a child of God.

  562. And that's the. Bedrock of our identity.

  563. What we have to do is look where God is working.

  564. And go and join him there. If you're if you want to.

  565. If you want to put something on X.

  566. This is it ready. Proximity to God is more

  567. important than productivity for God.

  568. Proximity to God is more important than productivity for

  569. God. And I guarantee you if you're in

  570. proximity. To.

  571. God, he'll make you. Productive, but it is.

  572. About being with him. 1st. And the other things will happen

  573. because. At the basis of who you are.

  574. That he intended and he designed you.

  575. To be you're a child of God. And finally understand that the.

  576. Same God who has. Been.

  577. Faithful will be faithful. He will continue.

  578. To call you to new. Things even if.

  579. You have to set aside old. Ones.

  580. Look. Up look to him because he knows

  581. what is. Best.

  582. For you, we're moving to a time of decision.

  583. Let me ask. You a question.

  584. Is the best thing that you could do right now.

  585. To get your life. Straightened out, I bet some of

  586. you. Just reacted to that.

  587. By going well of. Course the best thing that I.

  588. Could do right now is to get my life straightened out.

  589. If that's what you. Think you completely missed

  590. everything I just preached. Because the best.

  591. Thing that could happen to you right now.

  592. Is that you would draw closer to your heavenly Father through

  593. Jesus Christ because proximity is.

  594. More important than? Productivity.

  595. He'll take care of the productivity because he knows

  596. the. Plan.

  597. You may not even have a clue of what God's plan is.

  598. You may not have. A clue of how God.

  599. Intended to implement your. Gifts.

  600. Into your life. Integrate them into your life

  601. and into the world around. You may not have any idea of

  602. that, and you're never going to know that as long as you're

  603. trying to write your own. Story So if you're trying to

  604. take control of your life and say.

  605. I'm going to get. All this fixed and if I get all

  606. this fixed. Well then maybe I'll be a.

  607. Usable tool. In the hand of God.

  608. You've got it A. 180° wrong. What you.

  609. Do what I do is we come to God. The same way that Matt Redman

  610. said it in that song, when the music fades and all is stripped

  611. away and I simply come longing just to bring something that's

  612. of. Worth that'll bless your the

  613. heart of worship. Is to understand yourself as a.

  614. Child of God to exhale. And relax into the.

  615. Reality of that? And then just look for him, and

  616. when you see him, run to him. Some of you here.

  617. Have never come in to an intimate.

  618. Personal relationship with Jesus.

  619. Christ, you're still trying to impress God or impress the

  620. people around you or impress yourself, and there needs to

  621. come a time. And hopefully it won't take 40

  622. years like it did. For Moses.

  623. Because it took him 40 years to figure that out and just say I.

  624. Surrender maybe? Some of you today will go over

  625. by that baptistery. There'll be somebody over there.

  626. And say I. Just I.

  627. Just want to submit. Myself to the Lord I.

  628. Just want to draw near to the Lord, you know, Maybe somebody.

  629. Today will be. Baptized in that water.

  630. You talk about. Proximity.

  631. When you go down in that water, do you know what you're doing?

  632. You're uniting with his son. Jesus Christ, in his death his.

  633. Burial and his resurrection. That's what the Apostle Paul

  634. said in. Romans chapter 6 that as you go

    Romans 6 chapter mention

  635. down in that water, you're dying with Christ.

  636. You're being buried with Christ. You're being raised to.

  637. Walk in newness of life. You know what that is for a non

  638. believer, for a non Christian in this room or online.

  639. It is the closest you will ever. Get in proximity to Jesus

  640. because you're you not. It's like a time machine.

  641. It's like you're going back 2. 1000.

  642. Years to the very moment. That he paid your price and set

  643. you free. For some of us.

  644. Who are already believers that proximity.

  645. Is going to happen a little bit later in the service.

  646. When we take communion, we remember the body and the.

  647. Blood of the Lord who paid our price.

  648. So we have an opportunity to remember him and to join with

  649. him. That's proximity.

  650. That's where he's at. If you've never made that

  651. decision, go over there and talk to someone and pray with some

  652. share with someone. God will do something amazing

  653. that you could never have done. And then there's many of.

  654. Us here today. We are believers in Christ like.

  655. I would have told you if you would ask me, are you a child of

  656. God? I would say, yeah, I'm a child

  657. of God. But I'm sometimes burdened with

  658. a head full of bad wiring. I still think I.

  659. I have to earn it. I still think that I have to.

  660. Be worthy in some way. I I still think that.

  661. Even though God might pay 70% of the.

  662. Bill, I still need to pay. 30% of it, you know what I mean, and

  663. I just need to come to him and recognize what he's telling me.

  664. This is who you are, Jerry, just who you are, brother and sister.

  665. Lay it down. Would you?

  666. Stand with me. These steps are open.

  667. For you to come forward, get down on.

  668. Your knees. And tell.

  669. The Lord I. Present myself to you.

  670. As nothing. More.

  671. Or nothing less. Than a child of God pray with me

  672. heavenly. Father in.

  673. Jesus name please take these next.

  674. Moments. I know your Holy Spirit is here.

  675. I know your angels are protecting.

  676. The space and I, I just pray in this place of peace.

  677. That is overseen by the Prince of Peace, that your peace would

  678. rule in our hearts. As we set aside.

  679. The turmoil as we set aside, the confusion as we.

  680. Set aside the. Complexity of all the things

  681. that we. Think are so important and

  682. simply be. Who you have?

  683. Called us to be your children. In Jesus.

  684. Name. Amen.