Running Toward Empty | Clayton Hentzel

Crossing family. It is so good to be with each

and every single one of you. I am so glad you here.

I've missed you. And I'm excited to be able to

spend some time with you today. And I don't know what brought

you in. I don't know the circumstances

surrounding you coming. Some of you are navigating,

probably a really rough time in your life right now.

You had a rough week, some of you because the things that are

happening to you relationally, some of you because of the

heartbreaking stuff you're seeing in the news and I just

want you to know you made. One of the best decisions that

you can make to surround yourself with the people of God

to spend time in the word of God and allow the spirit of God to

move in your life, which is the only hope that this broken world

is going to have is that people getting connected with God

through his Holy Spirit and his church and his word.

And so I'm just so glad so glad that you're here.

I have to do this as a little bit.

I just feel compelled to do it. When I was growing up.

I went to a really small church and they had a time in the

service where they did Request and you just raise your hand and

everybody heard your prayer requests and then made a list

and they prayed for it. And then they also did a thing

called this. Anybody in here, raise your hand

if you know what this stands for.

I just want to know the people who grew up in church.

Okay, this stands for praise the lord.

And there were these moments where we had the ptl's of the

service, where you got to say something good that's going on

in your life. And that was your praise, the

Lord moment and we acknowledge those like in the prayer time

and I have a PT l-- thing happening for me this weekend.

So I wanted, I wanted to walk a daughter down the aisle like

that was something I wanted. No, I wanted on my on my list of

things and my stepdaughter Kennedy has an incredible dad.

And so when she got married he got the honor and he should have

to walk her down the aisle. I got the distinct honor of

officiating the wedding, but when Jennifer and I were having

kids, the first two came out were boys and we just couldn't

risk a third because we're going to have to feed them.

And three hensel's is, you know, an Escalade payment when it

comes to a food bill. And so, you know, we had, we had

to stop for budgetary reasons. And so that was kind of like,

you know, well there goes that dream.

Well a girl named Lisa go. I've talked about before she

lived with us for a year. She reached out about four

months ago. And she said, hey, I'm getting

married up in Chicago, over Memorial Day weekend and vanilla

for it's one of my dear friends are Macomb campus.

Pastor is officiating the ceremony, but she asked me if I

get to walk her down the aisle and I said yes immediately and

then I hung up the phone. I went to my bedroom and I just

bawled, I just bawled because only God can just answer the

deepest desires of your heart and unexplained ways and just

one small Act of obedience from my wife, bringing Lisa into our

house, created the opportunity for me to do something that was

heavy on my heart. And so I just, I feel like I owe

it to God, to just declare his favor over my life and that God

answers prayers and he hears us and he knows What we want.

In fact, scripture commands. This look what it says.

In Psalm chapter 40. I'll Proclaim your saving acts

Psalms 40 · chapter mention

in the great assembly. So I felt like I should I do not

seal my lips. Lord, as you know, I do not hide

your righteousness. In my heart.

I speak of your faithfulness in your saving help.

I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great

assembly. He goes on, in first Chronicles,

to say this, what you and I are supposed to do declare his glory

among the nation's, His Marvelous Deeds among all

peoples. For great, is the Lord and most

worthy of Praise. He is to be feared above all

gods and I felt it would be wrong as your pastor to not just

acknowledge where God has been moving in my life.

And that is one of the ways that people who don't have a

relationship with Jesus, can find a relationship with Jesus

is when we declare how God is moving in our lives and how you

can have that intimate personal relationship with him.

So I had to get that out of the way, because I just felt like I

owed it to him. So, thank you for indulging.

Me in that. I want to welcome you from all

of our different. Since I'm so glad you're here.

And if you're brand new to the church, we're in a sermon series

called chasing Shades and Jerry did an incredible job last week

of introducing the The Book of Ecclesiastes.

And he talked about a merry-go-round and how we can

get on the Merry-Go-Round of life and you go round and round

and round, but you don't go anywhere it leaves.

You, right where it found, you only with less money in your

pocket and I could not stop what he was preaching of this GIF.

You guys have seen it. Okay.

Okay. All right, and listen tell me is

this not us? We've fallen off the ride, but

we're not letting go isn't that it?

We're still hanging on. We're in a bad relationship with

a boyfriend, or a girlfriend. We know it's over.

But we're still hanging on, we know it's not good.

Our jobs, our money, our stuff hasn't made us any more happy

anymore fulfilled. But there we are still hanging

on our marriage. Is in a rough patch.

We know that the trajectory were on isn't good.

But we still keep running the passive aggressive play.

We still keep doing the angry fit throwing play.

We're still Hanging on. I know, I just, I just want to

tell you let go. Okay.

Just let go stop. This.

Merry-Go-Round won't solve anything.

All you're going to get now is rug burn.

Okay. All right.

I was talking to Jerry about this on Monday that this sermon

series for me comes from a very pastoral place.

I see so much pain and Brokenness day in and day out.

I hear stories each week that are just gut-wrenching and some

of the worst pain that I experienced is what I call one

day pain. Everybody.

Say one day pain, you know, one day pain is somebody you love.

They're getting ready to walk down a road.

And you know that when they walk down that road one day, they're

going to experience an awful lot of pain.

We've all seen people on the one day Pain, Train that schedule

that business practice that belief system, that

relationship, that purchase that uncontrolled emotion is one day

going to cause them an awful lot of pain.

The list could go on and on and some of us we could provide

testimony. If we were to pass the mic

around at each of our locations and talk about the one-day pain,

that you've experienced in your life that you had.

All of these road signs. All of these people yelling turn

around, but you just kept going. In fact you increase the speed

instead of slowing down. And one day, it all came

crashing down. This sermon series is designed

to keep you from one day pain. It comes from a place with a of

added a sincere, desire to help you learn from the wisdom of God

and apply it in your life and education.

There is a model of learning called The Bark model and all of

you teachers, don't noose me over this.

Just I know I'm not a teacher and you're like, well, that one

was so good. Back went.

Okay, just track with me. Okay, you don't make sense.

Visual auditory reading and writing and can aesthetic.

And you guys, you guys are all smart.

You get all this visual. It's people who are better able

to retain information when it's displayed and presented on

graphs and charts and diagrams auditory.

Learners are people that it makes more sense to them when

they hear it when it's presented to them vocally.

When they hear it they begin to engage at a higher level reading

and writing is when they focus on the written word, text Heavy

resources. They're typically note takers

and then There's the kinesthetic Learners when they physically

engage, when they take an active role employing their senses

during the Hands-On approach seals in the information and

that's why. When we preach, we try to make

sure that we're hitting as many of those as possible.

The one we can't do is the kinesthetic one.

You have to do that one. When you leave, you have to

trust God. You have to get take a step of

faith and go. I'm going to apply what I

learned visually auditorily through reading and writing and

I'm going to put it into play in my life and watch the Of God, be

revealed through my actions can aesthetically, and we try to

employ all of these methods. However, there are some things

that can only be learned can aesthetically.

Like, I could all of us right now, you could learn how to

change a tire on any four of those.

Like, you could, you know, you could watch all a slideshow on

how to change a tire. You could go out for the most

part. I mean, I wouldn't drive it, but

most of you, you could put the tire on Right, you could, you

could hear someone talk you through it and some of your

like. Oh, yeah, not a problem.

Go out, spend it on your good to go.

Some of you, you could, you know, you pull out the

instruction manual and you Like how many newtons of torque

numbers like, when you can't turn it anymore?

That's when it's good. Right, but you can do all four

of those when it comes to changing a tire.

But when it comes to riding a bike, The only way to learn how

to ride a bike. It's can aesthetically.

It's actually getting on the bike.

Can you imagine someone saying have you ridden a bike before?

No, but I've read all the books about it.

You like? Okay.

It's a steep hill. Hold on.

All right. Yeah, you just can't you have to

well when it comes to life I want you as often as possible to

avoid having to learn experientially.

I want you to learn visually by watching the lives of other

Christians around you, or people who aren't following Jesus, and

seeing what happens. I want you to pay close

attention, and listen to the people around.

You proclaiming wisdom, and pointing you to the truth of

God's word and listening to people who have already

travelled down that road and can tell you what's right or what's

wrong, and how that's going to impact you.

That's how people can spot one day pain.

Because they've already been down that they had some day pain

and they're trying to prevent you from one day pain.

I want you to learn about life, through Reading and taking notes

of those who have gone before you.

And if you have to learn life lessons, experientially, I want

you to choose to engage experientially in areas where

other people around. You have experienced massive

success, or at least have an incredible safety net now.

Because experience is a profound teacher, it will teach but the

price tag is high. And I know that that's not life

is not that simple. Sometimes it's hard and you're

going to have to do backflips from time to time.

And I know that's tough. But when you have to find

yourself in a moment where you have to do a backflip, have a

safety net. True story.

I want to be able to do a standing back flip.

I've wanted to know how to do a standing back, flip since high

school and I practice and I have yet to fully succeed.

Okay. Now, you know why I'm still

standing here and not, you know, didn't have to get wheeled up

here. It's because I don't practice in

the front yard. Okay, I pick a place that has.

So I practiced when when you know campus pastors or kids want

to go to a trampoline park. I don't do the foam pit.

I don't do it on the trampoline because you know that bounces

back and you know, I don't that's a lot of weight on one

Little Neck. Okay, but listen, if you take me

to your backyard pool and you get on your diving board, I will

pull off a beautiful backflip with toes pointed.

Okay? Legit I just I'm not at a point

yet where I'm going to like, you know stand in your front yard

and jump up and grab my knees. Just not ready there.

So you can try the bigger things.

If you have a better safety, net Solomon is coming to you and

coming to me from both the past and the future to give you a

nun, the ability to learn without having to practice can

aesthetically. He's saying, I'm coming to you

from the past and the future. He's coming to you from the past

because he's Been there, done that and he knows the outcome,

but he's also coming to you from the future.

Because if you were to take every one of your wildest dreams

and Ambitions and multiply them by 10,000.

You still wouldn't be in the ballpark of the pleasure that he

experienced and he found all of them.

Halo. I want you to pay close

attention to him. I want you to learn from him.

I want you to lean into the blessing that God is trying to

give you because if you don't it will cost you what you treasure.

Most it will cost you time and relationships.

It will rob you of purpose and meaning we did the sermon survey

a while back, and this is what you said.

In our church. 53 percent of us are searching for purpose and

meaning. 60%, six out of ten of you need help handling stress.

40% of, you are dealing with burnout 40% for in 10 of us, are

dealing with an identity crisis in short.

We don't know who we are. We don't know why we are, and we

are stressing and burning ourselves out in the process.

That's why we're preaching about chasing sheets.

It's because I want you to take in Solomon's wisdom and apply it

in your life and experience the blessing, the chapter I'm about

to talk to you is about is all about the piece.

It is pleasure projects, possessions power profession,

and position. I'm not going to say that fast

because Papa please just preached this sermon.

Okay. Now you'll remember, it

Ecclesiastes chapter 2. I'm going to walk you through

Ecclesiastes 2 · chapter mention

the whole chapter. So if you brought your Bible,

use it, here we go. I said to myself, this is

Solomon. Come now.

I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good, but that

also Have to be everybody, help me out.

That's interesting. Laughter.

I said is madness and what does pleasure accomplish?

I tried cheering myself up with wine and embracing Folly, my

mind, still guiding me with wisdom.

I wanted to see what was good for people to do Under the

heavens during the few days of their lives, Solomon seeks, the

pleasure of substances, and he doesn't Find meaning and purpose

at the bottom of the bottle. He doesn't find Escape because

it's waiting for him when he sobers up.

That's why I'm so glad our church and many of our locations

has a region Ministry because it helps people overcome and

recapture. What drugs alcohol and pills

have taken. It helps them find Victory and

meaning in Christ. Jesus.

So solemn and tries pleasure in the bottle, doesn't find it

there. Then he tries laughter and he

doesn't find it there either. All the comedian's, all the

Netflix specials can can never permanently.

Replace the realities of this world.

You can laugh as much as you want.

You can try to find ways to keep yourself away from the pain and

sorrow and the misery, but eventually it's going to come it

too is meaningless. So then he goes on chapter 2,

verse 4, through 6. I undertook great projects.

I built houses for myself and planted Vineyards.

I made Gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees

in them. I made reservoirs to water grows

of flourishing trees. So he's tried pleasure.

He's tried. He's tried wine, didn't find it,

tried laughter, didn't find it. You know what?

I'll do, I'll just build great things and that is exactly what

he did. He built absolutely beautiful

things. He built the temple of God and

it took him seven years to build it.

Then he went to build his own house and it took him. 14 says

something about his relationship with God.

That the house of God was only worth half of the time that he

spent for his. When his own house, but you

know, some of you can relate, you're like man, I've been

waiting for my husband to put outlet covers on our house for

about 13 years. You're like, I get it.

I understand how it happens and I just want you to know this,

all those things that he built, you can still touch them to this

day in 2023. Our church is gonna be going to

Israel. You're going to get some

information about that and you're going to be able to

actually physically touch the foundation stones that he put in

place for the temple and you're going to be amazed at the wisdom

that it must have taken to figure out how to get those

things into. Place.

You can go there and 3,000 years later.

They're still there, but they don't have any meaning in them.

Have you ever met somebody? Raise your hand.

If you know somebody who's built a house, all those people are

the worst, aren't they? The probably like they're

convinced that everybody cares, right?

You met them. Look at these pictures.

And this is how we did our electrical stuff.

And I did this cool thing with the plumbing, and here's a cool

sound system. Like, oh man, so like, makes

sound and stuff. Cool, dude, right?

You've met those people. Yeah, and then then, after they

get done, Their house, they poured the have the wet concrete

and they all put their name in it and like 40 years later.

You can't even see what the name is.

Like, who's that? I don't know.

It's the idiot who didn't put a light in the pantry, right?

It's like what's the what's the deal with this dude?

Right? Look, I just our every time we

get money. It has to go somewhere.

So we've been saving up to do a remodel on our house and then

the roof leaked. Okay, and I put really cool

shingles on my house because I wanted a metal roof, but I was

pretty sure. My neighbors would get upset if

I put a regular metal roof. So I found the metal roof, that

makes it look like real shingles and I spent all of this money to

fix my roof and nobody comes nobody.

Nobody has come by my house and like, those shingles look,

awesome. No, they don't even know Irish.

Gold my roof. They don't even care.

I try to tell him. And, you know, see though, you

know what, you're not going to believe this that thing that you

can barely see right there, right there.

Look real carefully. You see that?

That's actually metal. They're not going up.

I'd like to accept Jesus. You're so tell me more

Copernicus, writing. They never not be.

There's like, okay, cool. Cool Flex, man, like well, I

didn't just do it there. I did it there too, but did the

whole roof? Frank.

You okay, cool, man, and I'm super pumped about the project

and nobody cares and whenever I sell that house.

There's going to be some guy going.

Yeah, some dude, put all this money in the middle on the roof

and his cabinets. Don't match.

What? Okay, it's good.

You've been there. Some of you, you're boiling your

life down to how good your yard looks or how nice your living

room, enhances conversations, and we went with the vaulted

ceiling. So that way when people come in,

you can hear the laughter reverberate through the drywall,

but you're a mean person. So, nobody ever comes over to

your house and these say, It's not there.

I'll look what he says, Ecclesiastes 24/7 through 8.

I bought male and female slaves, and had other slaves.

Who were born in my house. I owned more herds and flocks

than anyone in Jerusalem. Before me, I am as silver and

gold for myself, in the Treasure of kings and provinces.

I acquired male and female singers and a harem as well, the

Delights of a man's heart. Here he talks about power

possession and pleasure. He has employees for every task.

He has a gardener and a pool boy and a cup bear and a coffee

maker and a close picker router and a clothes iron.

ER, he has them all. And it's not there.

He has all the flocks and herds you could ever want one time,

when he dedicates the temple. He Slaughters, 22 thousand cows,

120 thousand sheep and goats. That's just what he sacrificed

to God. That's not what he had in his

possession. As for his sound system.

He has the original surround sound.

He has people that are like his walking soundtrack.

And he's like, do the Bruno. Okay, and they're like, we don't

talk about Bruce, don't know. And they're like, oh, that's

cool. Right.

That's all he has. He's living it up.

It's, you know, instead of Dolby.

It's Solomon surround sound, ask for money.

He was making 2.7 million a day. As for sex, 700 wives and 300

concubines. This is a man who has all the

money, all the toys, all the power and all the sex you could

ever want. And he comes to one conclusion

Church. Meaningless.

Look what it says. In Ecclesiastes verse 9.

I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me

and all of my and in all of this, my wisdom stayed with me.

I denied myself. Nothing my eyes desired.

I refused my heart. No pleasure.

My heart took Delight in all of my labor.

And this was the reward for all of my toil here.

We see position and power. He's the best, the greatest.

No One Compares them before, or Come after him.

He is the undisputable. Goat the greatest of all time.

No one could deny him. Absolute power.

He's out the Pinnacle. No one tells him.

No, nothing's Out Of Reach. Nothing costs too much. and he

says, It's meaningless. Jim Carrey.

Jim Carrey make this statement at a graduation ceremony where

he was the keynote speaker. I wish people could realize all

their dreams and wealth and fame so they could see that.

It is not where you are going to find your sense of completion.

Ecclesiastes 2 verse 11 yet. When I surveyed all that my

Ecclesiastes 2:11

hands had done and what had I had toiled to achieve?

Everything was meaningless a chasing after the wind.

Nothing was gained other, the sun, after all, this all the

pleasure, all the possessions, all the power, all the position,

all the projects. It's meaningless.

He's lived a selfish life, a life dedicated to himself, and

it did not satisfy. He drank deeply of all that the

world had to offer and yet he was still hungry and thirsty.

It never quenched. It never filled.

Verses 12 through 16. Then I turned my thoughts to

consider wisdom. And also Madness and Folly.

And what more can the king's successor do than what has

already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than

Folly just as light is better than Darkness.

The wise Have Eyes in their heads, while the fool walks

around in the darkness, but I came to realize that the same

fate, overtakes them both. Then I said to myself, the fate

of the fool Will overtake me. Also, what then do I gain by

being wise? I said to myself this too, is,

if I help me out meaningless for the wives, like, the full will

not be long remembered. The days have already come when

both have been. Gotten like the fool.

The wise too must die. Now he comes and realizes that

death, awaits us all. It comes for everyone, the wise

and the foolish. And if this life is all there,

is this life can't be it because he has searched the Heights and

depths of it and found it meaningless.

And he keeps going like, man. I'm glad we came here.

We needed to pick me up, Clayton, appreciate this 17

through 19. So I hated life because the work

that is done under the sun was Grievous to me.

All of it is meaningless a chasing after the wind.

I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun because

I must leave them to the one who comes after me and who knows,

whether that person will be wise or foolish.

Those of you who are older, who put a little bit of money,

aside. You're going man.

I worked my whole life for this and I'm going to turn it over to

the kid. He was wearing skinny jeans, and

I don't know. I just don't.

He realizes that eventually everything he has is going to

belong to someone else. He realizes, he can't take it

with him and those coming after him, they squander, what took

his entire life of toil to set aside.

Or they could take what was given to them, and they could

waste their entire lives. Trying to find meaning in it.

He's depressed. And he keeps going.

Yet, they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into

which I have poured, my effort and skill Under the Sun, this

too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair

over all my toilsome labor Under the Sun for a person may labor

with wisdom, knowledge and skill.

And then they must leave all by own to another who has not

toiled for it. This too is meaningless in a

great misfortune. What do people get for all the

toil and anxious striving with which they labor Under the Sun?

All their days? Their work is grief and pain

even at night. Their minds, do not rest.

This too is meaningless. He turns to your profession.

Because how did you get the big pile that you have that you're

going to leave to your kids? Oh, I remember how you got it.

You got it by giving all of your days and all of your life to a

job and you piled it high and you had your success but you you

got up early and you stayed up late but you neglected your

health and your marriage and you neglected your kids, you burnt

yourself out, you stretch yourself out, you run on empty,

you fill yourself up through the drive-thru window, only to find

yourself way down with grief and pain.

You can't even sleep because you've been striving for a

profession. Does not satisfy.

You hear people talk all the time about finding the job that

they want that? They were meant for doesn't

exist. You were meant for God.

That's what you were meant for. You remember that?

You may enjoy what you do. Cool.

Great. But if you're trying to find

your meaning in that, not their man, look.

What he says, something turns here A person can do nothing

better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own

toil this to, I see is from the hand of God for without him.

Who can eat or find enjoyment to the person who pleases him.

God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness.

But to The Sinner, he Gives the task of gathering and storing up

wealth to hand it. Over to the one who pleases God,

this too is meaningless a chasing after the wind here is

where he gives us the answer. It is when you take the things

of the lower story and you aim them at heaven, when you aim

them at the upper story, that is where you find your meaning and

purpose, it is when the things that God has given you here on

Earth are leveraged for eternity.

It's when you eat and drink with friends, to share the good news

of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's when you invite people

over, and you have something to drink to put a cheers together

for God and His favor over your life, his protection, and his

provision. It's when you take your position

and you leverage it to point people, to Jesus at work.

It's when you come become, the boss that prays for his

employees and hopes that one day, you get to join them in the

baptistry and baptize your employees.

Your job isn't to employees. Many people in possible and to

grow as big as possible, but you see yourself as a Bosco and I'm

so glad I get the opportunity to employ people and treat them

well, so that way I can point them to Jesus who made it all

possible. It's when you build your house

with the hope of entertaining, The Young and the orphan, The

Refuge, and the distraught and the questioning, and you go, we

have more rooms in our house than we have people on.

Wonder, if there's people who need a room and you start

bringing people in and loving them and showing them the ways

of Christ. It's when you were getting ready

for the summer. It's when you turn your camper

or your lake house into an opportunity to be a Ministry

Retreat or to invest in a young couple who are trying to figure

out how to navigate the challenges of marriage.

It's, when you take your possessions and you turn them

over and try and make them a gift to the kingdom of God, to

be leveraged to bring people into the kingdom of God.

It's when you decide to see your work as an opportunity to show

off how good God is when you want to be the very best

employee. So that way your boss is

scratching your head in. Why do you show up early?

Why do you stay late? And why do you work harder than

everybody else? And you, you look at your boss

and you go, it's because I'm not working for you.

Because the Bible tells me to do it all as if I was doing it

under God. When you become that kind of

person, that's where it finds. Meaning.

I'm doing this job to point people to Jesus.

Now, how do I wrap this all up? I'm huge.

I'm ginormous. I can't even.

For those of you to other locations.

It's hard. I'm just a big old dude.

And I cannot I cannot I cannot I cannot find clothes that fit me.

It is one of the most impossible things on planet Earth and it's

incredibly frustrating because I want to look nice when I go

places and all the clothes that I end up buying just are from p

and so my wife put me on Stitch fix and for the longest time, we

were able to get a whole bunch of outfits that kind of made me

look decent when I stand in front of you because I get

insecure. And the problem is they're

really good at finding me pants and sweaters.

And if you remember, last year, I preached through the summer in

sweaters and when you're my size, that's a lot of sweat.

Okay, I'm getting dehydrated. Can't get enough in my system.

And here's the thing. Everybody.

I meet says, oh, you should try this store.

No, man. It doesn't have it.

It just doesn't and you all use your try.

This one doesn't have it like seven years ago.

We went to Vegas and everybody's like, oh, we're going to go

shopping. Popping.

I bought a cigar and just sat outside because there's like,

nothing. I'm I talk to people on the

street about Jesus and watch The Magicians and, you know, tried

to sing a couple Tunes with the street guys, but there ain't

nothing in there. And people will convince me.

You've got to come in here. They'll have stuff in your size.

I walk in, go to, it takes me about two seconds noop.

And then they'll say this, as if I've never heard this before,

have you ever tried a big and tall store?

The thought, never crossed my mind here?

I am big and tall my whole life and I never even thought to

Google it. Not once.

Yeah, I've been to all of them. All of those stores are big, not

tall. I mean, I could put a couple

poles and a family of five could sleep in whatever shirt they

want to give me. That's it.

Okay, and it's like, incredibly frustrating because I want to

look nice. I don't want to look frumpy and

I get so tired of preaching and sweaters in the summer.

This past weekend. We went somewhere.

And guess what? Everybody on the, on the, on the

trip wanted to do. They wanted to shop?

Okay, so I'm like, alright, where am I sitting?

And they're like, would you just try this one store?

Would you just give it a shot? Lecture, so I walk in, I go all

along this, the left side. Jenny.

No. Jenny house.

All right. Well, we tried.

And then my wife said this, they have a big and tall section.

Okay, I heard that before. We go in there and I try on a

shirt. And holla at your boy, if it

didn't fit like a glove. As I'm demonstrating right now.

Okay. Yeah, praise the Lord.

Yeah. This shirt is so stinking comfy.

It's like made with Angel Souls. It is, you know, I'm telling

you, I'm on point right now. I go into the, I go into the

changing room and my wife just starts bringing me more and

more, and every one I put on. Unlike.

Yeah, I think we should. And the running a sale 25% off,

you know, that means every fourth shirts foot for free.

So I stack a bag and I walk out and I I'm like, all right.

I got I got four shirts. I feel I feel great.

I'm not going to sweat all summer.

And I'm standing up and I'm just like me.

And that was just fantastic. I just This is amazing.

My wife skills. Do you think we should go back

in there and get the rest of the shirts?

So, I went back in. And I go to the back and Felicia

bees there. There's to Felicia's Felicia be,

was there. You can be, hopefully she's

watching this weekend because she's coming to Women's

Conference. And so is the lady who the other

lady, who checked us out because I'm not going to tell you how

long that receipt while I was a kid.

You not. I bought every shirt they had.

Their that was my size. I had people, I had people

voting. I took the little folding table

that had the wheelie chair and I put all the shirts that were my

size and I was like, okay, let's do a quick vote.

Only the unanimous ones are getting into the pile and I

stacked it. I then I went to the front and

then I Clayton. Do you know, you could get an

extra 15% off? And I said, how do I do that?

Sign up for the text. Message thing is like, well, I

already paid only 25% off on these shirts.

The first time around, like, well, you have to return all

those. So I returned all of the shirts.

I had purchased for 25% and then I purchased all of them for 40%

off and I walked out with two bags, which listen to me in the

history of my life. I have never had two bags of

clothes that fit me. Why is this simple matter to

you? This is the closest thing that I

can tell you about what it is. Like when you finally experience

Jesus, I'ma tell you why. Track with me.

You have searched in place after place after place after place.

And everybody has told you that it's in pleasure and everybody's

told you it's in projects and everybody's told you that if you

finally get your house that you want, you'll finally be happy.

And everybody's told you that if you have the right kind of dog,

you'll be happy. And if you have the right kind

of house, you'll be happy. And if you have the right kind

of cars, you'll be happy. And then if you have more cars

in the cars that you can possibly drive, if you finally

have For cars, but you only have two drivers then you'll be

happy. And they've told you that if you

get different kind of carpet, you'll in your house.

You'll finally be happy. And they told you that, if you

repaint the walls, you'll finally be happy.

And if you make those friends and you belong to those clubs

and you have this kind of job and you make this kind of money,

and you have these kind of benefits, you've been told over

and over and over again. By people, if you just have

this, then you'll be happy. And one day someone says

something you like. Hey, man, have you ever heard

about Jesus? And you like man?

I've tried everything and I'm not going to find it there

either and they go all. But would you would you come in

for a little bit when you give Jesus just a chance and you find

yourself in an unassuming town, at one of our unassuming

campuses, and someone talks to you about a person named Jesus

and you try it. Jesus on a little bit in your

like, hold on a second. It fits.

And man, does it feel good? And they're like, well, there's

not just there's not just forgiveness.

There's mercy and you're like, oh my goodness, Mercy feels good

too. And you're like, oh hold on a

second. There's not just forgiveness and

mercy, there's Grace. The you like hold on a second.

There's not just mercy and forgiveness and Grace.

There's also love you like. Oh my goodness.

I can't believe I finally found it and you go up to the register

and you go to pay and you're like, well, it's actually

already been paid. And you're like, oh my goodness

in you and you walk out of the store and you're going, I can't

believe that all of this was in there.

I never would have guessed. And then somebody looks at you

and he says, do you think you should go back in?

And so you go, you go back in and you, you go to the place in

your hold on a second. There's, there's meaning and

their significance. And there's purpose, and there's

Mission. All of this is there.

And it's, it's for me and it fits and I can have it and you

go up to the register. Your like, I was in here earlier

and it was I know the price was, I couldn't believe it, but I

picked up some additional items and they're like, actually these

items are on sale, too. If you, and I could stop chasing

all the things that this world has to offer.

And finally chased Jesus. I am fully convinced that all

the question marks in your soul, will turn into exclamation

marks. We're moving to a time of

decision. For those of you in this room

and watching online. I'll be quick because I went

long and I apologize. I am ate up with the person and

work of Jesus Christ. And that is the mission of this

church is to help people find an intimate personal relationship

with Jesus Christ. And there's some of you in this

room or some of you watching online.

You have watched everybody else. Walk out of the store lit up and

excited about what they have found in Jesus.

And you just keep peeking through the window.

Go man, it'd be nice if I could and boy.

It looks like they're super happy, but I don't know if they

have my size. I'm telling you, man.

They have it. Jesus has the answer for all

shapes, and all sizes, and all colors, and all backgrounds and

all economic statuses. He has, what every single person

is looking, but you are never going to experience.

What Christ has to offer by looking at them.

It's only when you place your trust in him, when you receive

the work that he did for you on the cross.

And we here at the Crossing, the way you start to experience that

relationship with Jesus Christ, as when you recognize that God

is God, and you're not that you've sinned and you can't

figure it out on your own. You can't pay it back on your

own. There's a debt that you can't

handle and you recognize that when Jesus came, he lived a

perfect and sinless life on your behalf in the he died on the

cross on your behalf to Searches for, you, freedom, and

Redemption, and Eternity. That the lower story is not your

destiny, that there is something more coming later and you go,

you know what, I want that. And the way you receive that is

when you become obedient than the area of baptism and you

allow yourself to model what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

You allow yourself to be buried and brought back to life in the

Bible, says, in second Corinthians 5:17.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Anyone who is in Christ, is a new creation.

The old has gone. The new has come and some of

you. Have been watching everybody

else step into the newness and going.

Well. I'm not ready yet.

It's like you're wearing burlap and just going man.

I just wish this wasn't so scratchy and everybody around.

You is like will then take it off.

Like you are walking in your own pain, in your own misery for

your and it's your own choice. You could experience the healing

power of Jesus if you want it. And if there's some of you in

here today to have that question, you're in that spot.

There's any people over by the Baptist who love to just talk

with you. Just have the conversation for

the rest of you already have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

When are we going to become a brand ambassadors?

We're going look where I mean. Listen me there.

I'm going to get tons of emails this week, Molly's here.

She'll handle him. I'll tell you exactly where I

got them because they're fly. I'm going to be wearing one

every week. When you see me, I'm gonna be

like the most beautiful plus-size model the world has

ever seen. When you find it and it means

something to you, you can't help but become a brand ambassador.

And if there's if there's nothing in you that swelling up

and gratitude towards God, where you would talk about them, the

problems not with him. The problem is probably with us.

And we spend just a little bit of time on our knees.

Just saying, God, help me to get that passion back for me to get

that. Right.

Would you stand with me? God used this moment right here,

right now to do a transforming work in this church.

Got I know that all across this region campus pastors are

landing the plane right now and I pray that people at all of our

locations including this one would be willing to take a step

of faith. Maybe it's getting down on their

knees and praying or going over and talk to somebody about

baptism, but God were believing in asking and begging.

Being you to do a work in us, not in the people around us not

in our row, but in us us first your name, I pray.

Amen.