The Greatest Story Ever Told

Oh, crossing family. Happy Easter.

I love you. And would you do me a huge

favor? Turn to your neighbor and say he

is risen. Turn to your second favorite

neighbor and say I'm glad you're here.

I want to welcome those of you joining from our different

locations and those of you joining online and those of you

who are part of The Crossing inside.

If you are new to the Crossing, we are one church that meets in

11 physical locations all across the tri-state area.

We meet in jails and prisons all across this region and we gather

online all across the country. I tell you this because I want

you to know that you are not alone.

In fact, you are surrounded by some of the very best people on

planet Earth. In fact, many of them have been

through a very similar situation that you've been through, but

they've experienced the love of God and they've been absolutely

transformed by it. In fact, that's why our church

exists. We exist to help people just

like you find an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus

Christ. And because we believe that

God's way is the best way and means that every area of your

life, if it is turned over to Jesus Christ, gets better.

Now, if this is your first time or your first time in a long

time, or you are here every time, I want you to take

advantage of the QR code on the seat in front of you.

It is a great way for you to get connected to this church.

Make friends if you want. It's a way for you to join us in

making a difference in our communities.

Or it's a place for you to get some of your questions answered.

Or maybe for some of you to get some help and some hope in an

area of your life that could use a little help and could use a

little hope. And one of the ways that I

really want to encourage you to take advantage of is joining us

in taking the You Asked survey. We are going to be using this

survey to put together our sermons for the next 12 months,

and we would love a chance as a church to speak into the

specific areas where you have questions, doubts, frustrations,

and pain. For instance, next weekend we

are going to be talking about forgiveness here at The

Crossing. How many of you have ever done

something where you needed forgiveness?

Those of you who didn't raise your hand, you just lied in

church. I'm guessing you could use some

forgiveness now too. How many of you have ever found

yourself in a spot where something's happened to you and

someone's hurt you and you know deep down inside you need to

forgive? But it's really, really hard to

do. If you raise your hand to any of

the questions I just asked, you would be a great candidate to

come to church next weekend and hear what God has to say about

forgiveness now. The key to any great life is the

same keys to any great story. You need a character who wants

something great and is willing to overcome the obstacles to

achieve them. Any book that you've read, any

movie that you've enjoyed, follows those basic principles.

A character who wants something great, who's willing to overcome

the obstacles to achieve them. And if you are wanting to have a

life, a great life, that is a great story, you're going to

need all three. The good news is you have breath

in your lungs, you're alive, you're a character in God's big

play, so at least you're 1/3 of the way there.

The question becomes, do you want something great and are you

willing to overcome the obstacles to get there?

I think every single person deep down inside a husband and a

wife, they're looking at each other.

They want a great marriage, but sometimes he wants to go golfing

and she wants to go to Target. And you have to figure out, can

you overcome the obstacles to get there.

Every mother, every father desire a meaningful relationship

with their kids and then their kids turn 13.

My preaching yet? Someone just got saved at this

campus, right? And you're like, yeah, that's

that's why we're here. We've come to all the services.

We're hoping for an exorcism. Now.

Kurt Vonnegut, who's an American writer he had and humorist.

He had a 50 year career. He published 14 novels, 3 short

story collections, 5 plays and five non fiction works.

And he contends that when it comes to stories, it is the

shape of the curve that matters and not their origins.

The shape of the curve is what matters and not their origins,

he says. You can take any story and you

can plot that story on 2 axes. Here's what he basically says.

He says that in the story of your life, in the story of any

movie that you're going to enjoy, you have the you have the

GB axis. G stands for good and B stands

for You guys are smart people. In fact, that's the only kind of

people we attract here at the Crossing is the Super smart

ones. OK, so you have health and

wealth and good fortune up here and you have bad health and

poverty and sickness down there. And then he says there's another

axis and that is the BE axis. B stands for beginning and E

stands for man. You guys are some of the

smartest people we've had at church this weekend.

And he says you can take every story and you can plot it.

And the shape of the curve is what matters, not their origin.

So let me give you an example. One of the examples he gives is

the man in a hole. Now, it doesn't have to

necessarily be about a man, and it doesn't necessarily have to

be about a guy falling into a hole.

But you've probably seen this movie.

Let's start with an above average day, because why start

with the depressing person on Easter?

So you got a man going through a pretty good day.

He falls into a hole. And then about 10 minutes before

they roll the credits in the movie, what happens?

He gets out of it. You write that book, people will

publish it, people will buy it and they'll read it.

There's another one. This one's called Boy Meets

Girl. Now, it doesn't have to be about

a boy meeting a girl. It could be about a girl meeting

a boy. But here's what happens.

It starts. Let's say this one starts on a

just a regular ordinary Midwest day.

You have a boy and he meets somebody absolutely wonderful.

And then he loses her. Oh no.

And then about 15 minutes before the movie gets over, he finds

her again. This is the hallmark business

model right here. This is every movie you've ever

watched on that Channel. It starts off with a girl coming

back to town after being in the big city and she sees the guy

who's got his own pumpkin patch in it, his own logging little

company. And on the side he splits

firewood and they run into each other and they haven't seen each

other since high school. And he's still his hobby as he

likes to ride bulls. And she starts to have feelings

for him. And she goes to the the Friday

night rodeo and she sees him and he gets thrown from the bowl and

he lands and he he's sick and he's in the hospital and he

starts to go through the recovery.

And she's like she realizes how much feeling she has for him.

And the next thing you know, he starts to get better and he

decides he's got to go back to riding bulls.

And she's like, well, I can't love you and watch you die.

So I have to leave. And then they start playing the

music, and then the seasons start to change and he's out

chopping wood in his flannel. And his suspenders get a little

tight and he pops them off and he keeps just chopping the wood.

And she's looking through the window as the rain's coming down

and Sarah Mclaughlin's playing in the background.

And then he realizes that he loves her more than he loves the

bull. And so he goes to the barn and

he says, listen, I can't ride anymore.

I'm in love. And then she's actually coming

into the barn and she says, if you want to ride, I'll be ride

or die with you. And then they roll the credits.

You've watched this movie over and over and over again.

If you're watching the Hallmark movie, just stop 30 seconds in,

ask your husband, how does it end and save yourself the time.

Now I know what you're thinking, OK, that's just for those

movies. But what about, like, real

movies? OK, let me give you one.

See if you know it. Let's start way low.

How low? Let's start with a little girl.

Her mom died, her dad, he remarried an evil woman.

Something like this is my story with two evil daughters and

there's a ball at the prince's house.

Does she get to go? Oh no.

She has to help everybody else get ready.

Does she sink any lower? Of course not.

She's already experienced the maximum whack from life.

Her mom is dead. She lives with an evil

stepmother and two evil stepsisters.

But then all of a sudden, a fairy godmother shows up, gives

her shoes and stockings and transportation.

She goes to the ball, dances with the Prince.

And then what happens? Bong, bong, bong.

The horses turn to mice. The the carriage turns back into

a pumpkin. The clock strikes 12.

But does she think as low as she's was before?

Of course not. She's going to remember that

dance for the rest of her life. So she just kind of plots along

remembering the dance, and then all of a sudden, the Prince

shows up, the glass slipper fits, and Disney made millions.

And you're like, OK, OK, OK, OK what about, like, real movies?

All right, let's do Spider Man. You got Peter Parker.

Mom and dad are dead. And on top of all that, he's

getting bullied at school. Then he's going to like some

kind of science project and he gets bit by a spider.

Then all of a sudden he starts to realize he's got like this

tingly sense and Webster's shooting out of his wrists and

he can climb walls and he goes out and he's enjoying all this.

And then what happens? Oh no, Uncle Ben dies.

But right before he takes his last breath, he turns to Peter

Parker and he says with great power comes great.

Seven of you have seen it. You're going to love the Spider

Man series. It's really good.

It's kind of been a big hit lately.

So then he starts fighting crime and everything's going good.

And then the Green Goblin comes along and uses Aunt May and Mary

Jane tries to take him down but eventually defeats him.

And then they made nine more movies just like it.

You can plot any movie, Harry Potter, every Avenger movie.

In fact, you can even plot Tiger King.

Do you guys remember that one? Now, to be fair, Tiger King

happens exclusively in the bottom half of this graph, and

it looks like a heartbeat, OK? And in that show, you don't

really know what's up or what's down.

Like, there's the time where he has music videos.

He ran for president and he got attacked by a tiger.

I actually think that him getting attacked is part of the

peak now. I don't know.

I honestly don't know if Tiger King was any good or if it was

just a gift from God to get us through the early stages of

COVID-19. OK?

In fact, over the course of this weekend, I've had people texting

me, them, plotting the shows that they've been watching.

It's been pretty fun. Now you name the movie, you name

the book, you name the show, and it follows these principles.

But I have a question. What about the greatest story

that's ever been told? What about a story that's

actually real? What about the story of Jesus?

Does the shape of the curve matter in his story, too?

Let's find out. So we begin in a place that

nobody saw coming. We begin off the charts.

We begin in heaven, in eternity, before the creation of time or

earth, Colossians tells us in chapter one.

The Son. This is Jesus is the image of

the invisible God, the first born over all creation.

For in him all things were created, things in heaven and on

earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones or powers or

rulers or authorities. All things have been created

through him and for him. He is before all things, and in

him all things hold together. This is a devotional thought for

you. It means that you were created

by Jesus and you were created for Jesus.

And when your life is found in Christ, he holds it together.

And then, in A twist that people did not see coming, the Son of

God makes a descent. You know this John 316 says, For

God still loved the world that he gave his one and only Son to.

Whoever believes in him would not perish but have eternal

life. He begins by sending his Son to

earth. Now, does Jesus leave the glory

and splendor and majesty of eternity and heaven and arrive

here in glory and honor and splendor and majesty on earth?

Does he arrive in a palace where all of his needs are attended

to? Does he arrive in a supreme

location? Oh no, that's not at all what

happens. He starts off lower than anybody

thought that a God would begin. He comes all the way down here

to the bottom. The Bible records in Luke

Luke 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 while they were there. This is his parents, Joseph and

Mary. The time came for the baby.

That's Jesus to be born. And she gave birth to her first

born, a son. She wrapped him in clothes and

placed him in a Manger, a feed through because there was no

guest room available for them. God not only comes to earth in

Jesus, he comes to the lowest of lows on earth.

You think that's where it ends? Oh no, it gets worse.

There's political oppression and they're trying to kill him.

So him and his family have to flee, become refugees in Egypt,

but eventually they're able to return to his parents hometown.

The Bible says that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, in favour

with both God and with men. At the age of 30, he began his

public ministry. Here he preached the good news.

That's the gospel of a new Kingdom.

He went around and he demonstrated his power by

raising the dead and giving the blind back their sight and

healing the sick and the paralyzed.

But along the way, there were times when people were

frustrated by his teachings, would argue with his teachings,

become so angry at his teachings that they would try to kill him.

There are times when Jesus, his closest friends, would betray

him, would abandoned him. There are other times when Jesus

would go places and he had to experience doubt and he had to

run into people who had a lack of faith.

And then there are times where he would be with people and all

they wanted was his miracles. They didn't want his message.

That sounds a lot like us today. We want the power of God to show

up and give us what we want in this life.

But we don't want to surrender our lives to the author of life.

In fact, over the course of one week, the crowd was shouting as

Jesus rode a donkey down the hill into the city of Jerusalem.

They were screaming at the top of their lungs.

Hosanna. Hosanna.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna means save us. A crowd gathered, crying out to

Jesus. Save us, save us, save us.

And then five days later, the same people were shouting at the

top of their lungs. Crucify him.

Crucify him. And then the unthinkable

happens. Jesus is arrested, beaten,

flogged and put on a cross and the Son of God dies.

Hebrews chapter 5 says During the days of Jesus life on earth,

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and

tears to the one who could save him from death and he was heard

because of his reverent submission.

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered

and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation

for all who obey him. This is an exclusive claim of

Christ, that he is the source for salvation for those who obey

him, follow him, put their life in his hands.

You might be a critical thinker and you're asking yourself,

well, how did he get us salvation?

How did he purchase us this salvation?

Well, 2nd Corinthians 5 explains this to us, beginning in verse

14. For Christ's love compels us

because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore

all died. All this is from God, who

reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry

of reconciliation that God was reconciling the world to himself

in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we

might become the righteousness of God.

Hear me? Jesus did not just suffer, he

suffered more than anybody else in all of human history.

He didn't just die. He died in eternal death for you

and for me. He went to the depths that

nobody else has ever gone. He carried the weight and the

punishment for every sin, for every human, for all of human

history. God spooled up the sin and he

placed it on Jesus. And so Jesus carried a weight

and a pain and a punishment and a death and a suffering that

nobody else can understand. And then, and A twist of all

twists. Just when Satan thought he had

won, when no, everybody thought it was over, the earth started

shaking, The ground started rattling, the guards started

feigning, The angels started appearing.

The stone began a rolling. And when it was done rolling, it

showed that the tomb was empty and that Jesus was alive.

And then He spent 40 days with His disciples before He ascended

back into heaven, where He is right now at the right hand of

the Father, interceding on your behalf and preparing a place for

you and eternity. No wonder it's the greatest

story that's ever been told, because this story is real.

And the shape of this curve matters, because nobody has

started as high and nobody is gone as low, and nobody has come

back from the dead and saved Earth from her sins.

Saved you and I from our sins. This story has produced more

societal good than anything else in all of human history.

It formed the backdrop for art and education and justice and

hospitals and orphanages and clean drinking water and

adoption agencies and recovery programs.

Why? Because it's not just the

greatest story that's ever been told.

It's because when people come in contact with this story, it

becomes part of their story, too.

You might be here at one of our locations or watching online

today and somebody invited you to the Crossing.

The reason they invited you is because they want this to be

your story as well. You might be thinking, man, this

is great for the person who invited me, but I've gone way

too low and I have done way too much for God to ever love me,

for me to be able to start getting things right.

But hear me, your salvation. The good news of the gospel of

Jesus Christ is that your salvation is not based on what

you have done, but it is based on what Christ has done.

Remember what I mentioned in Second Corinthians chapter 5?

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we

might become the righteousness of God.

Take your deepest, darkest moment, your deepest, darkest

thought, the one that you've had that you can't let anybody know,

especially the one sitting next to you.

Because if they knew that those thoughts went through your head,

they wouldn't want to sit by you.

And I need you to know that God took that sin, that thought, and

he placed it on Jesus for you. And then God took the

righteousness, the perfection, the holiness, the purity that is

found in Jesus and he places it on you.

You might be sitting here going, yeah, I mean that's that sounds

pretty decent, but I don't think that God could love me because

of what I've done. Well, Ephesians chapter 3 would

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

tell you this. And I pray that you, being

rooted and established in love, may have power together with all

the Lord's holy people to grasp how wide and how long and how

high and how deep is the love of Christ.

The love of God is so wide that you can't get around it.

It is so long you can't outrun it.

It's so high you can't get over it, and it's so deep you can't

get under it. The darkest lie from Satan is

that God does not love you. And the 2nd darkest lie from

Satan is that you have to earn his love.

Romans chapter 5, verse 8 says, But God demonstrates his own

Romans 5:8

love for us in this that while we were still sinners, Christ

died for us. Which means when you were at

your worst possible moment, God was at his best on your behalf.

And we have a hard time figuring out how to respond to that kind

of love because all the love that we've ever experienced is

primarily transactional. Let me explain.

Husbands, come here for a second.

Have you ever emptied the dishwasher?

Raise your hand. Have you emptied it without

being asked? OK, let's say you said I.

You emptied it without being asked.

Did you have intentions? This is how I unload the load.

The dishwasher in my house. I cling stuff around, make sure

she can hear me over the murder show that's already been solved,

that she's watching. Then I punch in the keys real

loud. Oh, hey, babe, Just me loading

the dishwasher. OK, this is how bad I am.

I don't like to brag, but yesterday I was trying to be

helpful around the house, and so I went golfing.

And then when I came home, Jennifer and the boys were out

taking care of getting the golden dummy a haircut.

And we've been talking about cleaning the shower with this

sponge and, you know, Dawn dish soap and how we wanted to do

that. And I mean, I can just be

transparent with you guys. I help out around the house, OK?

I don't stop, don't, don't stand, sit, sit, sit.

So I got down on my hands and knees, I got a bucket of soap

and water and I got that sponge out and I just hand scrubbed our

bathroom. OK, it's no big deal.

I'm just a good guy. I did it counter clockwise, did

it counter clockwise. I was ready for Cobra Kai by the

time I was done. And then if I was like a really

good human being, I'd have rinsed out the sponge and I'd

have rinsed out the bucket and how to put it all back away in

the closet where we keep all the cleaning supplies.

But if I'd have done that, Jennifer might not have known

that I'd been on my hands and knees scrubbing our bathroom.

So I did what any good man of God would do.

I put it right in the middle of the counter, that she had just

cleaned all the supplies. So when she came home, the first

thing my wife said to me was, did you clean the shower?

And I went, yes, I did. And I cleaned the toilet.

OK, Just wanted you to know I'm a good man, OK?

That's how we kind of operate. We operate in a world of

transactions. But the transaction that you get

with Jesus is he takes all that is wrong and gone wrong and is

wrong and sinful and evil in US. And before we could even utter

his name, before we could even believe in him, before you could

ever have your first doubt about him, he sends his son on your

behalf to rescue you. Hear me?

Not at some point in time, you and I, your story is going to

come to an end. The Bible says that it is

appointed for man to die once and then face judgment.

And at the end of your life, there are only two directions.

And if you want to stand before a holy and righteous God on your

own account, on your own works, which the Bible describes as

filthy rags, your life will not be up and to the right.

But if you have accepted and received the finished work of

Christ on the cross over your life, God promises not only will

He create a place for you in heaven, Not only will He write

your name in the Lame's book of life, but he will give you a new

life and a new heart. You see, God doesn't just bang

out the dents in your quarter panel.

He gives you a new quarter panel.

He doesn't just fix the messed up stuff in your heart, He gives

you a new heart and a new spirit.

Hear me? It gets even better.

If you were to look at your life right now, you might be going

yeah, my life is actually doing pretty good.

That's great, but it's never going to go as high as it will

possibly go when Jesus Christ is in your life and guiding it and

directing it. There might be some of you right

now that you're going down and you can't seem to stop.

I just want you to know that everybody goes through downturns

in life. But when you find yourself

walking through the darkest valley, I want you to know that

he is with you. His rod and his staff will

comfort you. He will be present in the pain

with you. There might be some of you are

going, but Clayton, you don't understand how dark my life has

been. I just need you to know, no

matter what you've been, it's never darker than when the love

of our God has been gone through Christ Jesus.

Hear me. I don't have to worry about my

past. God's redeemed it.

I don't have to worry about my sins.

Jesus has forgiven it. I don't have to worry about my

present because he's in it. I don't have to worry about my

future because he holds it. And when I come to die, I can

fear no evil, for he is with me and he has rescued me from it.

What I want you to understand is that the very same power that

raised Jesus from the dead is available for you for daily

living today. What that means is if you're

sitting here today and you're going, I'm ready to be the

husband and father that my family desperately want me to

be. The power that raised Christ

from the dead is available for you today.

If you're here and you're going, I'm ready to be the wife and the

the mother that I, my family desperately needs me to be.

I want you to know the power of God is available for you today.

And if you are in an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus

Christ, you can go through any storm.

You can face any battle. You can overcome any temptation

because he is with you. You see, if Jesus rose from the

dead, anything is possible, which means forgiveness for your

sins is possible. Eternity in heaven with God is

possible. But you might be going.

That's just you, Clayton. You're the preacher.

Well then, don't take my word for it.

Take the word of the people in your rose.

Word for it crossing family. If making the decision to follow

Jesus is the single greatest decision that you have ever

made, can I get an uh huh? And if your biggest regret is

not doing it sooner, can I get an Oh yeah, maybe uh Huhs and

the oh Yeahs serve as a plea from God himself for you to turn

over the pen of your life to God and let God write the rest of

your story. I believe to the core of my

being that God's way is the best way and you won't regret it.

We're moving to a time of decision.

You have a choice. You can write the rest of your

story or you can let God. The problem is, you and I only

have the power to write stories that begin in life and end in

death. That's the only story you can

write. But God can write stories that

go from death to life. And your life, your spirit, is

just like this pen. There's only room for one person

to hold it. If I were to ask all of you guys

in here to get together with the person who brought you and write

a note to somebody, you'd end up in a fistfight because you can't

have two people holding the pen and try and write something.

And some of you right now you're trying to share the pen with

God. You want to write for a little

bit, and then when it falls apart, you want him to fix it

and then you want to write again.

But that's not how it's supposed to work.

You can write your story, but it ends in death.

Or you can turn your life over to him and he can write the rest

of the story. You might be going.

That would be great. But Clayton, I'm in a pretty

tough spot. I want you to know I hear you,

but I read my Bible. You know what I've noticed in

the Bible? When people are at their lowest,

when people are at their worst, when people are in the midst of

their darkest pain or their biggest frustration, and they

turn the pen of their life over to God, he begins to write a

story that they never thought possible.

Abraham and Isaac had fertility issues, and God came to them and

said, you're going to birth an entire nation of people.

He shows up at murderers and he gives them a new message.

He shows up with people in the midst of trials and gives them a

testimony. He shows up with people with

problems and gives them the platform.

I'm telling you wherever you are at, if you would just turn the

pin of your life over to him and let him write the rest of your

story, you would not regret it. There's some of you in here

today that you know deep down inside you, you need a

relationship with Jesus Christ. You used to have it and you

walked away from it, or maybe you've never had it.

And in just a few moments, the people in this room, some of

them are going to stand and sing and some of them are going to

come to the steps and pray, and you can do that.

I'd encourage you to join them in that.

But there's some of you that it's time for you to start

asking some of the questions that you have.

It's time for you to make a decision that's long overdue.

And I'm going to encourage you to walk right over underneath

that screen next to the Baptistry.

But there's going to be some people who'd love a chance to

answer some of your questions. Hear me?

I don't believe that following Jesus is something we just do

with our heart. I believe it's something we do

with our mind as well. And if you have questions, good,

ask them. If you have frustrations, good,

let them out. If there's things that don't

make sense, claim it. Name it.

At least reveal it. Because I'll tell you, God's

bigger than all of it. And if right now, in the back of

your mind, you're going, man, this sounds really good.

It's something I should do next week.

It's something I'll do after I get through the divorce.

It's something I'll after I get through the court proceedings.

It's something after I get moved into the new house.

It's something I'll do after I get my next job.

I'll I'll do it after I handle this addiction.

I'll do it after I get through this trial.

I just need you to know that all of those thoughts don't come

from God. If the voice in your head is

saying not now, that's not Jesus.

That is Satan trying to keep you from finding the love that

changes everything. That is Satan trying to keep the

story of your life, the pen of your life, out of the hands of

the author of life. And so what's going through your

mind is not now, not yet, maybe later.

That is Satan waging a war over your soul.

And I would encourage you, don't let him win.

Jesus says come to me, all of you who are weary and heavy

laden, and I will give you rest for your souls and a peace that

no one can take from you. If you're here today and you

need that kind of peace, don't put it off to the rest of you in

here. I don't encourage you maybe even

following Jesus for a while, but from time to time you've been

snatching your story back from him.

We got these pens that just say God's way is the best way.

And maybe as we get ready to go through the next series, you

need to just place this somewhere in your house or in

your car to remind you not to take the pen out of his hands,

but to keep it in his hands and see what story he can write.

Crossing family, There's people right now.

There is a spiritual war happening in their minds and I'm

encourage you. Would you get down on your knees

and join me in praying that God would win the war that today

Satan would be silenced and a new chapter in their life would

be written? Would you stand with me,

Heavenly Father? I'm asking you to do a mighty

work, not just in this room and not just online, but at all of

our different locations. God, that you would take ground

in the hearts and the lives and the futures of every person

gathered. God, that this would be a

turning point, a true time of decision, that many years from

now people can trace the change in their story to this moment.

God, I'm asking you to take ground that nobody else can take

to do things that nobody else can do.

So that way you receive all the glory and your name.

I pray. Amen.