You Are Accepted | Clayton Hentzel

It is so good to be with each and every single one of you, I'm

coming off of a fantastic week for Hensel Nation, we got to do

a little mini getaway vacation for a couple of days and then

Jennifer and I got to be able to hang out with all of our staff

and some key part timers and difference makers from all

across our locations for a two-day all staff Retreat on the

heels of that. I had to go pick up my boys from

my parents house. And on the way home, you know,

they're debriefing it apparently to pass time.

My mom was telling stories to my kids about me growing up and my,

you guys know this, the I can eat some context.

First, my dad was a veterinarian.

He did large and small animal, he's very Hands-On.

Father, took me to hang out with him on a lot of his business and

all of a sudden in the car my boys start telling the story to

me of my first day at kindergarten And this is what my

mom decided to tell my boys. Which was you know like a

judgment on her part. When my mom picked me up from

school on my first day of kindergarten she goes how was it

today and I said I didn't know my one, two threes.

And I didn't know my ABCs. But they didn't know anything

about the uterus of a cow and so I'm, that's what my boys are,

like, just laughing. And I'm like, do I have to

explain uterus now like, I don't know, I don't know what we do

here now. Why am I telling you that story?

Well, I have no clue what your last week was.

Like, I don't know what kind of baggage, you're navigating, what

kind of hurt or harm your trying to work your way through.

Rue. I don't know any of that, but

what I do know, Is you picked a great place to be today.

That anytime you gather with the people, the Lord, in the house

of the Lord, expose yourself to the word of the Lord, by the

spirit of the Lord, you will be blessed.

If you are brand new to the crossing.

We are so glad that you're here. I hope that at some point in

time during the service, you'll either click on the QR code, or

maybe at the very end of the service.

You'll go and meet one of our campus Pastor staff members,

incredible difference makers and get connected at one of our

connecting. Using one of our lobbies and you

have no idea what God could do with just that one, small Act of

Faith. We are in week 3 of a sermon

series called weeds in my garden a series, about being honest,

about mental health and week. One, we learned that in order to

live out the second greatest commandment, we given to us, by

Jesus. We need to destigmatize issues

surrounding Mental Health. Right behind.

Love the Lord your God, with all your heart mind, soul, and

strength is the command to love your neighbor as yourself.

And when we fail to love people, well, it impacts our

relationship with God, our relationship with them.

Their relationship with others. And if we're Christians, it can

impact their relationship with God.

Now, it impacts their relation, are our relationship with God,

because we end up treating people poorly.

The very people poorly, that Jesus died to save and commanded

us to serve that impacts our relationship with them because

they're not going to feel comfortable, being honest with

us. And they'll push away.

They'll start just giving us roses.

So we don't see the weeds in their garden and as they pull

away from us, it will be harder for us to offer the help and the

help that they Desperately need the further, they pull away, the

less bright, our light will shine.

This creates even more isolation and can leave them destitute and

vulnerable. It can impact their relationship

with God. Because they will judge God by

our actions. It's not right, it's not fair.

But it's real if you and I are to be the very hands and feet of

Jesus, the expression of God to a hurting world and we handle

that glorious Mission poorly. It changes how they see?

God, this culminates in them having a hard time being in

relationship with others because if Christians can't be trusted

if God can't be trusted then who can And they Retreat further

into themselves as loneliness sets in the isolation leaves

them, vulnerable. And one of the areas where we

have Christians have struggled is being too narrow-minded when

it comes to mental health issues.

Now, when I say mental health issues, I'm trying to use broad

Strokes, okay? And one of my prayers during the

sermon series is that you guys would have grace-filled ears as

Jerry. And I talk through this stuff

because you know, some people could could Take an unflattering

approach to certain things we say or don't say.

And so, when I say mental health issues, I'm also including in

that strong and powerful emotions that are difficult to

navigate and control. So there might be some of you

who are dealing with depression but you wouldn't go on, you

know, I don't have mental health issues or some of you might be

dealing with strong and powerful feelings of sadness, but you

wouldn't necessarily see them. I'm just using broad Strokes

when I say mental health issues, I'm talking.

The broad broad strokes and mental health issues are

composed of four main categories or large buckets.

If you will, there is situational biological, our

clinical and spiritual situational, might be the loss

of a loved one or experiencing a season of high change in

high-stress. A subcategory to that might be

behavioral that you have a hard time.

Navigating are regulating how much time you spend on social

media Not making the time to invest in deep and meaningful

relationships. Biological is how you are

hard-wired, some of us have kidney issues.

Some of us, have insulin issues, some of us are allergic to bees

and some of us have chemical malfunctions and then clinical

issues are the things that need to be addressed professionally.

It could be areas that need to be examined sifted diagnosed

treated prescribed this could relate to situational trauma of

the past chemical malfunctions of the present.

But we We need an outside doctor to help us work our way through

it in the final bucket, is the spiritual bucket.

And this relates to issues of faith and sin, and how we, as

Christians navigate mental illnesses or as Christians,

trying to live with those navigating, mental illness, has

a narrow minded, approach is going to limit our ability.

To access the help, and the hope that people desperately need.

Now I want you to hear me carefully because I feel like I

didn't do as good of a job in week.

One setting this up. So let me say this.

Everything is spiritual Everything is spiritual.

There is not an area of your life that does not have

spiritual meaning, purpose, or Consequences.

However, not everything in your life is exclusively.

Spiritual that makes sense. Everything in your life is

spiritual, but not every area of your life is exclusively

spiritual and out of these buckets, there is this huge

filter and on the other side of that filter is how we feel.

How we operate and how we live, why does this matter will?

Last week, Jerry talked about how we have an enemy, a very

real enemy who opposes Us in all four of these buckets and then

he attacks the filter that determines how you and I are

going to ultimately behave. He attacks you spiritually by

getting you to ignore biblical truths or to believe things to

be true that are not biblical for instance.

You might be thinking that you're too messed up.

For God to love you or you might think that you have to get your

life together. First before God will accept

you. He attacks you in the

situational bucket by getting you trapped in sinful patterns

or pushing people around you to sin against you.

He gets you to think that perhaps Financial provision is

more. Important is the most important

thing you can give your kids when what they really need is

your presence and spiritual encouragement and engagement.

He can attack you biologically and clinically by getting you to

avoid, seeking help or counseling, or perhaps

convincing the people that you rely on.

To downplay your battle. Look what happens in John

John 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8, Jerry, mentioned this last week.

Jesus is talking to a bunch of religious leaders.

This is Jesus talk and he says, you are you belong to your

father, the devil and you want to carry out your father's

desires. He meaning, Satan was a murderer

from the beginning, not holding to the truth.

For, there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his

native Language for, he is a liar and the father of Lies.

Satan, every time he speaks is lying to us.

Every time he speaks, he is trying to pull you from the

truth. Jerry mentioned, Jim Putman.

Last week, Jim Putman describes Satan as the lawn mower.

There was a time when I had a push mower.

And if you guys have ever had to push more, the I had one and I

was like, I don't want to be that skinny.

And so, I got a riding lawn mower.

And, you know, how you have to, you have to pull start one of

those. And this is how Satan kind of

comes along side of us is Satan comes up and he starts pulling

the mower, and he'll say, he'll start saying you're worthless,

you're worthless, you're worthless.

And then what happens is? We take Over.

So it goes from and notice the difference, you're worthless,

you're worthless to. I'm worthless, I'm worthless and

then we start the mower and then it moves up, everything every

relationship, every financial decision in our life, it just

Mo's it all down. Satan just has to get you

started. Believing the lie and we will

mow down all the rest last week. Jerry talked about the very

first lie that Satan tells us. He tells us that we are

meaningless and that we are worthless because of the

battles. We Face the feelings.

We We feel that our value meaning and significance have

been reduced diminished or worse yet?

For some of us, we think it's been extinguished past tense.

The truth is though that God Made You, he made you in a

significant and personal way and he knows you this week.

I want to talk to you about another lie.

That Satan tells us It's that we are ruined.

This slide shows up in various forms, it could show up in the

biological bucket as you come to grips with the reality that you

were just put together differently and that your

struggles are going to ruin you. You'll never be able to be the

person that God created you to be.

You'll never be able to live out your purpose like other people.

Get to live out their purpose. It could show up in the clinical

bucket. As you deal with the weight of a

diagnosis, the life you were hoping to one day have suddenly

slips through your fingers. For others.

It shows up in permission slips. Satan gets you to make your

diagnosis bigger than your choices.

And sometimes bigger than your God, sometimes Satan will show

up in this way by getting you to take ownership of your

diagnosis. This is what I mean.

If I were to you know, when you're talking about certain

things, you're getting ready in the morning and you turned your

wife and Mike, have you seen my wallet?

Have you seen my shirt? If you seen my pants, you've

been there. What happens is this?

He's gets you to take ownership of your diagnosis.

My anxiety, my depression, my chemical malfunction.

My schizophrenia, the problem though, is when we start

attaching the word, my to it, we don't treat it with the same way

we treat our wall because you would never say that you are

your wallet. You would never say, I am my

pants. You wouldn't even introduced

yourself like that way to people.

Yeah, my name's Clayton and I'm my pants just win.

Do it. But you will hear people talk

about my anxiety, my depression and they will see that as their

identity, hear me. Your identity is not your

diagnosis. Those are two separate things,

you may have a diagnosis but your diagnosis does not have

you. Your value is not determined by

your diagnosis. Your worth is not determined by

your diagnosis. It could show up in the

situational bucket as coming to grips with the weight of your

actions. You've done something wrong for

so long, under the cover of Darkness, that now it's coming

into the light and people are going to look at you.

They will judge you, the mask is being removed and people are

going to finally see you for who you really are, and this is

Satan's playground. It's here that he removes all

light, all help. All hope he pushes in he doubles

down and he gets you to start thinking.

People would be better off if you're not here.

No one will ever allow you to get over this?

There is no coming back. For others.

It's the result of incredible pain and Damage Done To You by

others because others have a low view of you.

You eventually begin to have a low view of yourself.

You begin to believe the lie, no one could ever love me.

I deserve this life. I deserve to be treated this

way. Look at how much ground Satan

has taken. And I haven't even talked about

this, the spiritual bucket. But you could see the spiritual

implications and every single one of the illustrations I just

told you. He begins to tell you that God

couldn't love you, either. You are too far gone.

You are too messed up. Your situation is bigger than

God, your situation is too small to bother God.

And then some of you, you know, people who are in this category,

they start going as they're listening to Satan.

I've been going to church my whole life I've been following

God my whole life and this is how my life is turning out.

It must not work. It must not be real anyway.

That is the deconstruction movement that you sometimes see

happening on social media as people are deconstructing their

faith. And the hardest part of what

we're talking about here is the very part of our body that is

being attacked by Satan is the same part of our body that has

to make the decisions about how to move forward.

It's like Satan tries to grab a hold of the steering wheel, the

gas and the brake all at the same time.

Who cares about whether or not the doors in the wiper fluids

work? He's got control of the car.

So these are the lies that Satan is telling us what are the

truths and if you're here today and you need a little bit of

Hope and a little bit of help, this is critical to our path

forward as Jesus people. I want to give you five

spiritual truths to combat the lie that we are ruined.

First one God is not surprised by your struggles.

God is not up in heaven. Going what?

I did not see that happening. Holy Spirit.

You couldn't give me a heads up. He's not afraid of our

Brokenness. He's not allergic to your pain

or your misery. When Jesus came to Earth, he

came to help and to heal read through the gospels and you will

see over and over again. How much time Jesus Took to

minister to those who are dealing with pain from one of

the four buckets. I'll just give you four.

He treated a situational issue with the woman caught in

adultery. She was set up an oppressed by

other people and Stopped and took no and addressed it.

He also helped those who are dealing with mental challenges

with the demon-possessed, man. And after Jesus is done with

him, he's sitting there dressed, and the Bible says, in his right

mind, he stepped in the spiritual Waters, with the man,

on the mat, which I'm going to talk to you about in just a

second, and he dealt with biological issues with the woman

with the flow of blood. Look what happens in.

Luke chapter 4 verse 16. He this is Jesus went to

Luke 4:16

Nazareth where he had been brought up and on the Sabbath it

was there Saturday. Think of it as like church day

and he went into the synagogue think church.

So Jesus got up on technically. Saturday went to church as was

his custom. So if Jesus goes to church,

What's your excuse? Okay, he stood up to read and

the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him Old Testament.

Okay? Keep going unrolling it.

He found the place where it was written.

The spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to

Proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to Proclaim

freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind

to set, the oppressed free to proclaim the year of the Lord's

favor. Then he rolled up the scroll.

Gave it back to the attendant and sat down the eyes of

everyone in the church were fastened on him.

And he began by saying to them. Today, this scripture is

fulfilled in your hearing. Jesus goes to church.

He opens up the Old Testament. He reads it and goes, you know,

that thing that you've been waiting for that time.

You've been longing for The arrival upon the of the one who

would heal the broken and bind up the wounded.

It's fulfilled. I'm here.

This is why I came truth number two.

God is not surprised by our sin. From a spiritual perspective.

God knew that we were ruined. That's why he sent Jesus in the

first place. If you become The Crossing for

any period of time, you've heard us talk about this first before,

Romans 3:23 for all. Have sinned.

Romans 3:23

And fall short of the glory of God.

I mean from a spiritual perspective, every single one of

us are ruined. But the problem is, is we spend

all of our time comparing each other in non-spiritual ways.

So some of you, you know, you make more than others, some of

you have nicer houses than others, some of you go on better

vacations than others. Some of you have nicer clothes

than others, some of you, your clothes fit, better than others.

But listen, from a spiritual perspective, you're ruined.

Your clothes just might fit better.

You might have more spots for your cars to park in your

driveway but spiritually speaking, we are all destitute.

We're ruined. We were done in.

There was no hope, but God stepped into that very space.

He came to deal with our greatest need, which was sin.

Now, I'm going to show you a super cool passage of scripture.

If you've been a part of the crossing, you've heard this one

before. So Jesus was doing his ministry

and there was a group of friends that had a paralyzed friend, and

he had been laying on a map for his whole life and so four of

them picked up there. A wise man on a mat and they

were taking him to go see Jesus. And when they got to the house

where Jesus was there, couldn't get him because the place was

packed. And so their solution was, let's

just climb up on the roof and cut a hole in the roof and lower

him down. And right in front of Jesus.

And, you know, well, let's pick up the story when Jesus saw

their faith. So Jesus like looks up sees

foreheads poking through the roof.

He said to the paralyzed, man. Son, your sins are forgiven.

What did Jesus Jesus? He's paralyzed Jesus.

He can't walk. How did you?

Why did we make a hole in the roof?

If Jesus was going to forgive his sin?

We brought him here because he can't walk.

Right. Son, your sins are forgiven.

Now, some teachers of the law were sitting there thinking to

themselves. Why does this fellow talk like

that? He's blaspheming, who can

forgive sins, but God Alone, We'll keep going for a second

immediately. Jesus doing a spirit, that this

is what they're thinking. Oh, I mean, everybody thinks

they like to hang out with Jesus, but are you sure?

Because I mean, you've been at church and you know some of the

things you've been thinking already Jesus is not a safe

person, okay? Fellas.

You wouldn't take Jesus to the bar.

Okay? Yeah.

Like how many of you had and you'd say your number you'd be

like, no, no, you haven't, you've had four in the one that

you have isn't yours, right? Okay.

Why he says to them that was catchy you guys will appreciate

that later. If your Bible nerd, why are you

thinking these things? Which is easier to say to this

paralyzed. Man, your sins are forgiven or

to say get up and take your medicine.

And walk. But what I want you to know is

that the son of man has Authority on Earth to forgive

sins. So he said to the man I tell you

get up take your mat and go home.

Let's keep going, he got up took his mat and walked out in full

view of them. All this amazed everyone and

they praised God saying we have never seen anything like this.

A paralyzed man gets dropped in front of Jesus and Jesus heart

immediately goes to the sin. What's the point in having a man

who can walk walk straight to hell?

Jesus sees the paralyzed man and everybody else can just see the

physical, but Jesus sees the greatest need the spiritual and

he forgives his sins. And then when everybody's like,

well, hold on a second, nobody can forgive sins.

Jesus was like, oh, you want to know what kind of power I have?

We'll just so, you know, that his sins are forgiven.

I'm going to show you by tell him this man to get up and

walked in the man got up and walked.

Not only did he get physical healing that day?

He got spiritual healing that day.

This was Jesus mission to take care of our biggest need.

Look at Mark chapter 2, verse 17 later in the same chapter on

Mark 2:17

hearing this, Jesus said to them, it is not the healthy who

need a doctor, but the sick I have not come to call the

righteous but sinners. In other words, if you are here

today watching online part of the crossing inside, And you're

not righteous. You've got some spiritual bumps

and bruises. I want you to hear me.

Say this. Jesus came for you.

That's why he came and there is nothing too big for him.

He came on purpose to save you from this ruined State truth.

Number 3. Nothing is too small for God.

Satan would have you believe that God's only good for the big

things don't bother him. He's incredibly busy, just call

him and things get really out of hand and light of all the

problems in the world. And in light of all the

challenges that are happening at different continents, and all

the geopolitical issues, you really shouldn't bother Jesus

with the little things in your life.

You've heard me tell this story before.

I can't run a bead of caulk to save my life, can't do it.

I bought the little infomercial stuff where you put the little

spatula on your finger and I've done all the and I am horrible,

I start. And then what happens is after I

do it, I punch a hole in my shower and and I say that

because it's happened twice, two different homes and I fixed the

one that are at the Macomb house, but the one in our house

now is not fixed because Not ready to fix update my bathroom

yet. So there's just pink duct tape

in a cross pattern. That reminds me that Jesus paid

for that and When I took a shower today, I stared at a pink

cross that is covering a whole. And the reason why is is even

though I'm only trying to run that bead of caulk for like 24

inches, I think to myself, I cannot call in a favor.

I'm a man, I got this, this will not be a problem and then what

happens is, I started I get frustrated and then sometime

after that, there's a hole in the wall and then I go get the

duct tape. And then I've taken a very small

problem and I've turned it into an embarrassing problem.

And then I'll finally call somebody who's a professional

and I say, hey man, I need you to come over and do this and

then they're stupid. But shows up All right, man.

Should be good now, you just you okay.

I wouldn't have pink duct tape in if I would just call the

professional. So yeah, I know this is this is

going to seem like nothing but it's a lot to me.

We have this mentality. When it comes to Jesus, that our

problems have to be gigantic and significant, if only you would

call a professional, God, I know you have a lot going on, but

Well, look at this, Luke chapter, 12 are not five

sparrows. Sold for two, pennies yet, not

one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs on your

head. Are all numbered.

Don't be afraid. You are worth more than many

sparrows. When you pray, you are praying

to a God who knows? Just how much of you you left

behind the shower today. Ladies.

He knows he knows that there is a rat nest of your hair in the

drain and he can tell you just how much is there.

Some of you older fellows. You took a shower today and

nothing changed, okay? There's just use body washed

head to toe now. Okay?

And he knows and a God who keeps track of the hairs on your head

knows exactly what you're going through and means you can cry

out to him. God, I'm having a hard time

getting out of bed today and I need you to help me.

It's other small prayers. God I have a hard time being on

social media too much. Would you give me the strength

to just leave my phone face down a little bit longer today.

God, I don't have the energy to get up and do some of the things

that my family needs. But could you just give me a

little breath of fresh air for, for just 20 minutes?

You can go to God in the Small Things.

The problem is, we don't go to God with the small things and

the small things start. Piling up until they become big

things, which isn't a problem for God.

But it is a problem for us and all the people we love because

it makes the path back on Earth so much harder than it had to be

that's why we work so hard. Hard to get the love and ethics

of Jesus into our kids at a very young age, so they don't have to

start living for Jesus, after they have created so much - and

nurse shh here on Earth. Truth number for God, has the

power to restore that which is broken and ruined.

And he does this in one of two ways.

The first way that he does it is, sometimes he does it in the

here. And now for his purposes for his

glory, to demonstrate his healing power, I know people who

have been healed of issues of depression, anxiety, and

Suicidal Thoughts. Some of you may know people like

that too. And it is a beautiful and

wonderful thing to behold And when we do, we're like, oh my

goodness, isn't God. Good.

And sometimes God chooses to bring about the healing and

restoration upon his second coming, when he makes all things

new. And I know that some of you who

are listening to me right now went not cool man.

You're frustrated by that statement. because if you were

being honest, who wants one day, healing someday healing, I

think, every single one of us would choose, I want the now

healing, Jesus, if I have a choice between today, and

Someday I'm choosing today, but if I can be honest with you,

Someday healing is the one that I love the most.

It's the people who turn their struggle into a story.

It's the people who turn their tragedy into a testimony.

While other people may have a shallow understanding of the of

living in the strength of God. These people have a deep

understanding of dependence. That even in my worry, I will

trust even in my anxiety. I will choose to follow, even in

my depression, I will give him glory.

Even in my pain. I will still praise and God uses

these faithful stories to create faith and others than the

problem is, it never happens unless we are honest about not

being honest and never happens until we start telling the

people around us what were actually going through and we

keep the story to ourselves and we keep our struggles hidden and

everyone else around us thinks that they're the only one when

in reality they are surrounded by people who are in the same

boat my favorite story Free. I hope this ministers to your

heart. My favorite story of this, is

the Apostle. Paul, if you read in the book of

Acts, Paul was healing people. He had the ability to heal those

who were Afflicted. In fact his healing was so

fantastic that if he could tell he would take a handkerchief and

he would touch it and then they would take that handkerchief and

they would pass it through other places and anybody who touched

the handkerchief would be healed.

But you read in second Corinthians.

And Paul cries out about a thorn in the flesh.

He says and three times, I Cried unto the Lord.

God said, one day what? Come on, Jesus.

You mean I can heal other people I can be used to bring healing

and other people. Can I touch my own handkerchief?

How come the thing? I touch is good for everybody

else but it doesn't work on me. Jesus says one day.

And Paul didn't use that to stop declaring the faithfulness of

God. He continued to fulfill his

calling. He pushed through the pain that

he wasn't going to get the today.

Queuing even though God was going to use him to bring today

healing to others. if we're going to be a church, that's

being honest. About being honest. if we're

going to be a church that loves people for the weeds in their

Gardens, we're going to be a church.

That wants to offer a little bit of help and a little bit of

hope. We're going to have to cling to

those truths. We're moving to a time of

decision. Now, some of you, your teachers,

your getting ready to go back in the classroom and you're like

Clayton, you said five truths. And that was four and I took

notes. And now I've got this spot on my

page. And what am I going to do with

it? Fifth truth.

It's never too late. It is never too late to turn

things over to God. It is never too late to seek

him, no matter how bad the situation is, no matter how bad

the diagnosis is, no matter how much the pain is, no matter how

much the frustration is no matter how many small decisions,

bad decisions you've made that have turned into a big decision.

It is never too late to approach your heavenly father Sunday

night 10:30 at night. I'm working on the sermon and I

saw something. Now, those of you who've been

grown up in church, your whole life, you're going to like

Clayton. How did you not see this?

I mean, i-i've seen it. I knew it.

I just I just didn't put it together the way I did at 10:30

on on Sunday night and I could not wait for this moment with

you. In Matthew chapter, 27 verse 44,

you can go home and check this out.

This is what it says in the same way the rebels or criminals who

were crucified with him. Also heaped insults on him.

So you get this picture, there's Jesus in the middle being

crucified and one on his right. And one on his left are heaping

insults at him. That's Matthew chapter 27.

Matthew 27 · chapter mention

If you go to Mark chapter 15 verse 32, go home, check it out

Mark 15:32

this, what it says, those crucified with him also heaped

insults on him, Here's the picture one on his right.

One on his left are heaping insults on Jesus and some of

your going. Hold on a second Clayton.

There's a story inside of this. I know this story.

Yeah, the story, you know, is from Luke's gospel?

This is what it says. Starting in verse 39, in chapter

23, remember 39, one of the criminals who hung there hurled

insults at him, aren't you the Messiah, save yourself and us

but the other criminal rebuked him.

Don't you fear God? He said, since you are under the

same sentence, we are punished justly for.

We are getting what our Deeds deserve, but this man has done

nothing wrong. Wrong.

Then he said, Jesus. remember me, when you come into your

kingdom, And Jesus answered him. Truly, I tell you today.

You will be with me in Paradise. You see it?

It starts off with Jesus, in the Middle with a thief on his

rightness, thief on his left. And both of them are hurling

insults. And it ends.

With one of them going. I don't know.

Would you what? Caused the change?

How did he go from hurling insults at Jesus to defending

Jesus? And shooting his shot.

I said, remember verse 39, I want you to go back seven verses

in Luke's gospel. This is what he says in verse

32. Two other men.

Both criminals were let out to be with him to be executed when

they came to the place called the skull, They Crucified him

there along with the criminals, one on his right and the other

on his left. And then Jesus said father,

forgive them for, they don't know what they're doing.

Do you see it? A criminal's, hurling insults at

Jesus. And Jesus is hearing the insults

from the criminals. He's looking at the people who

shouted, crucify him, crucify him.

He's looking at the people who shouted Barabbas, he's looking

at the people who are nailing him, he's looking at the people

who mocked him and Jesus on the cross cries out to the father.

Father, forgive them for, they don't know what they're doing

and the criminal goes. Hold on a second here.

Do you think that forgiveness? Could be for me, too. and so, he

says, Jesus. Do you remember me?

And she says, says, today you will be with me.

Can you imagine this guy showed up in heaven?

Hey, what are you doing here? Don't you have the guy next to

Jesus? Yeah.

What you? The one throwing insults at him?

Yeah. Did you go to church regularly?

No. Never.

Did you ever take communion? Not once.

What are we talking about here? Did you serve in the ministry?

Nope. Did you clean up after yourself?

When you went to the bathroom at church?

Nope. Did you wash your hands out?

No, didn't do any of those things shook?

A lot of hands that nope, didn't do any of that.

Did you you didn't volunteer? Were you in a life group?

No. Did you fold your favorite

worship song? Don't have one?

What service did you go to? I don't go to a service.

Why are you here? because I asked the man on the

middle cross, He said, I could. He said his blood was shed for

me. I'm here because he said, I

could be That is the Heart of Jesus.

It's never too late. And there's some of you watching

online or in this room and you've never started an intimate

personal relationship with Jesus Christ, cling to this truth.

It is never too late, no matter how dark your circumstances, no

matter how messed up, things might be, Jesus is ready to take

you today. All of your sin.

All of your baggage, all of your mistakes.

You don't have to get everything, right?

You don't have to get off your cross, you just have to come to

him. And you can come to him because

he said so he accepts you in your ruined State no matter what

like Satan speaks at you or over you.

It does not Trump the truth and the power of Jesus that was

claimed for you during his death.

Burial and Resurrection you have access to him, you are accepted

and if God accepts you So does this church and if God accepts

you, so do I? You are not ruined.

You are accepted, and I hope I hope you will walk in that

acceptance. And so today, when people around

you, stand up to sing, if there's some of your going, you

know what I need to? I need to step into that except

in certain be somebody right over by the baptistry, who wants

an opportunity to talk with you and pray with you and maybe

answer some of the questions. You have to the rest of you in

the room. Maybe you're navigating.

Eating something in one of the four buckets or you're a person

who loves one of the people who's navigating something, the

four buckets. We have got to be a church that

loves people well and I'm going to encourage you to get down on

your knees and said God how can you use me?

How can you use me to speak truth into people's lives?

How can you use me to be honest with other people.

So they can hear about my struggle, and they can see how

you're working in my life. Because deep down inside, I

think, every single one of us wants to be a part of a church

where people can be honest, where people can find Hope and

healing. But that church doesn't happen

that church doesn't take place until you and I both take our

part in it. But you guys stand with me,

Heavenly Father, used this moment right now.

To bring serious change in every single heart and every single

life. God, remove the lies of Satan

Seer into our conscience, your truths.

God. I know that there's going to be

a battle right now with people thinking, all kinds of things in

their head, someone to make a move in some, not wanting to

someone to take steps closer to you and others are battling

whether or not they should. And gotta I know which voice is

yours. And so, do they We gotta pray

this prayer before I'm just asking that right now, you would

win the war in their mind. That we would recognize the

power of your truth and we would walk in it and that you would

silence, Satan silence, any voice that is, keeping them from

moving closer to you and your name, I pray.

Amen.