Sermon

Chasing Shades | Easter 2022 | Clayton Hentzel

Crossing Church with Clayton Hentzel

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  1. Come on, man. If you believe it in your

  2. celebrated Easter with me today, let me hear an Easter Roar all

  3. across all of our locations. Come on.

  4. Yeah, man. We serve a Victorious and

  5. resurrected Lord. I am so glad that you guys are

  6. here today. My desire is to bring a message

  7. today that will bring hope and Clarity into each and every

  8. single one of your Times I wrote this message, for those of you

  9. who have tried and tried to fill yourself up with all that.

  10. Life has to offer, only to find yourself, still running on

  11. empty. I wrote this message for those

  12. of you who ran after profits and pleasure and platforms, but have

  13. never been fully satisfied. I wrote this message.

  14. For those of you who've worked yourself to the Bone gone, from

  15. relationship to relationship to those of you who, no matter how

  16. much you get, It's never enough. I wrote it for those that hope

  17. that the next relationship would be the one, the last one.

  18. It's for those of you who thought that the last raise at

  19. work would be enough. I wrote this message for those

  20. of you who saved and saved and thought The next purchase would

  21. bring happiness. It's for those of you who

  22. believe you've tried God on, and it didn't seem to fit, just

  23. right. It's for those of you who are

  24. wondering, if this is it. If this is all there is, I wrote

  25. this message for those of you who are tired of running tired

  26. of waiting tired of the inescapable feeling that it

  27. might never get better. I wrote this message for those

  28. of you who would class pacify yourselves, as spiritually,

  29. confused religiously upset, biblically underwhelmed.

  30. I wrote this message for people who are tired of chasing Shades.

  31. I want to welcome those of you joining at 48th Street.

  32. To those of you joining in Macomb and 929 in Kirksville,

  33. Pike County, Hannibal Lima Mount Sterling Keokuk.

  34. Monmouth Jacksonville. I want to welcome our for

  35. crossing inside locations. Western Illinois.

  36. Correctional center, Pike County.

  37. Dale, the Adams County Jail in the vein Delia women's prison

  38. and the thousands of you joining online, I also want to welcome

  39. those of you who are joining us for the first time or are

  40. joining us for the first time in a long time.

  41. We are so glad that you are here and we are thankful that you

  42. took time out of your business. Busy schedules to spend a little

  43. bit of your day with us. We want you to know that there

  44. are campus pastors and staff and difference makers at all of our

  45. locations. Ins who love you and are for you

  46. because we serve a God who is for you.

  47. And for your family, the title of my message today is chasing

  48. shapes turned, your neighbor say, chasing Shades.

  49. Would you do that real quick? The problem with chasing Shades

  50. is it robs you of at least two things, it robs you of your

  51. Clarity and it steals your hope. That's exactly what Satan does.

  52. It's also what the world, does it robs.

  53. And it steals your hope and your Clarity.

  54. It gives you enough light to see but not enough light to

  55. understand. You can end up chasing Shades.

  56. Let me explain it to you. Your eyes are not deceiving you.

  57. I'm standing in front of you, a six foot six 300-pound man in a

  58. pink shirt and blue bottoms. Yeah, I'm like cotton candy,

  59. Clayton, that's what this is. This is bubblegum.

  60. And if you if you call the crossing home you know that my

  61. wife is the one who dresses. Me.

  62. What I'm supposed to go out in public places, but I had it set

  63. apart in my heart that this was the outfit.

  64. I was going to wear this weekend because I'm a sucker for a

  65. pastel, so what happens and but in the right light, I'm okay.

  66. Have you ever noticed that? Sometimes you chase shades, That

  67. you miss out on all the brilliant colors that life has

  68. to offer. You just get sucked into chasing

  69. Shades. Let me explain in a different

  70. way to all the all the ladies that are listening at all of our

  71. different locations, give me an H, okay.

  72. I just want to make sure there were girls here.

  73. Have you noticed that the guy you married?

  74. He went to Walmart or shopped online and he wanted some camo

  75. colored Crocs just to kind of have something nice to put in

  76. his feet in after a long hard day at work and he wanted the

  77. camel colored Crocs to go. This camo colored cargo pants

  78. that match his camo colored boat.

  79. And from time to time he goes out and buys new rods new reels

  80. and new lures. So he can go out and fish and

  81. hopefully catch more fish and then he was like, you know,

  82. sweetie, I feel like, maybe I shouldn't just fish.

  83. I feel like I should maybe Into hunting and so, you know, he may

  84. be, he's like, me deep down inside.

  85. He has a desire to have a Browning Satori lightning over

  86. under. He wants the matching set, the

  87. 12 gauge, and the 20 gauge and he justifies the purchase that

  88. one day, he'll give him off to his kids.

  89. And then he's like, you know what?

  90. I feel if I'm gonna do, honey, I probably need to get myself a

  91. four-wheeler because in case I do shoot one, I don't want to

  92. have to drag it up on myself and throw my back out and not be

  93. able to work and provide for you sweetie.

  94. So I feel like I do need the four-wheeler and the garage

  95. keeps getting more. And more full of things but he

  96. doesn't get any happier. He's made all the purchases.

  97. He's wanted, but it's not changed.

  98. In fact, he's still pretty stinking grumpy and your kind of

  99. glad he has all those things in your kind of, like, don't you

  100. want to go away for the weekend just with your friends or maybe

  101. by yourself take a week? If you need to write some of you

  102. guys are, like, hold on, a second Clayton.

  103. I thought we were friends, okay. I came here on Easter weekend

  104. and this is what you're gonna do to me.

  105. It's alright fellows. If you're with, if you're with

  106. me, give me a Who Okay, I got some I got a home team.

  107. Um, guys, maybe you can understand, maybe, you know,

  108. somebody, let's call them spouse and your life was doing actually

  109. pretty good for all of it. And one of the things you got

  110. really good at was sleeping. You go in.

  111. You lay down on your bed, you pull up the covers, put your

  112. head on the pillow, go to sleep, not a problem and you've been

  113. married to spouse for a while and you come home from work one

  114. day and you go into your bedroom and there are new pillows on

  115. your bed. Like, that's weird, but okay,

  116. and they're, they're different but, you know, their pillows.

  117. Well, after you finish, you know, cooking dinner and doing

  118. the dishes, like, you normally do you.

  119. Whoa, whoa, whoa, settle down. We don't know who I'm talking

  120. about. It might be somebody else's

  121. husband. I'm referring to sheesh, ladies,

  122. okay. And you get ready to go, lay

  123. down and go to bed and you. Pull up the covers and you lay

  124. your head on the pillows and spouse comes in and she goes.

  125. What are you doing? And you go.

  126. What do you mean? What am I doing?

  127. She was. What are you doing?

  128. I'm going to sleep. What are you doing with your

  129. head there? We're on the pillow.

  130. Oh, I had my head on the pillow because it's It's a pillow.

  131. She said, oh no those pillars are not for sleeping.

  132. Those are accent pillows there for decoration.

  133. And you think who are we decorating for?

  134. It's literally just us all the time in here.

  135. If your if your house is like my house as soon as you invite

  136. people over soon as they come in the front door, your wife pulls.

  137. The bedroom door and says do not let anybody go in there.

  138. So why whoo-wee? Okay.

  139. All right, but this psychic spouse that you are with, she

  140. trains. You you take the the accent

  141. pillows. Right off the bed and you put

  142. them on the floor, you're thrown down there and then in the

  143. morning you make the bed. You put them back every day.

  144. This is your life. She wonders why you want to go

  145. fishing? Okay and then just when she's

  146. got you trained you come home from work one day and you go to

  147. sit in your favorite chair or your favorite couch. and you

  148. notice, Thera pillows there, too.

  149. But you've been trained, you know exactly what to do.

  150. You pick up these pillows and you throw them on the ground?

  151. And she goes, what are you doing?

  152. You go on doing what you've trained me to do.

  153. She says no these are not accent pillows.

  154. These are throw pillows and they're called throw pillows

  155. because you don't get to throw these on the floor.

  156. And she keeps going to Target with her friends and buying more

  157. pillows and where you used to be able to set your drink on the

  158. end table and you used to have an armrest.

  159. Now, it's just you on a couch meant for six, sitting, by

  160. yourself in a whole bunch of pillows. and the think, That

  161. woman that you fell in love with.

  162. Gets up every day and goes to a job that she doesn't like with

  163. people. She doesn't like for a boss that

  164. she doesn't like to earn money to go out and buy pillows to

  165. destroy your marriage. Have you ever felt like you were

  166. chasing shades? Let me show to you spiritually.

  167. Jesus says this and John chapter 10 I am the gate whoever enters

    John 10 chapter mention

  168. through me, he will be saved. They will come in and go out and

  169. find pasture whoever's in a relationship with Jesus will

  170. have their needs met and everything will go well for

  171. them. But the thief comes Only to

  172. steal kill and destroy. Jesus says, I have come that

  173. they may have life and have it to the full.

  174. I am the Good Shepherd and the Good Shepherd.

  175. Lays down his life for the Sheep.

  176. The Hired Hand, Is that the shepherd and does not own the

  177. Sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming,

  178. he abandons the sheep and runs away, then the wolf attacks, the

  179. flock, and scatters it. I wonder if there's somebody

  180. joining from our different locations, who feels a little

  181. scattered The man runs away because he is a Hired Hand.

  182. And cares. Nothing for the Sheep.

  183. I am the Good Shepherd and I know my sheep and my sheep know

  184. me just as the father knows me. And I know the father and I lay

  185. down my life for the Sheep. That's Good Friday, that's Jesus

  186. on the cross. I have other sheep that are not

  187. of this sheep pen. I must bring them.

  188. Also, they too will. Listen to my voice and there

  189. shall be one flock and one Shepherd, the reason, my father

  190. loves me is that I lay down my life.

  191. That's the cross. Again only to take it up again.

  192. That is Easter Sunday. No one takes it from me, but I

  193. lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down

  194. and authority to take it up again.

  195. But the thief comes only to steal kill and destroy.

  196. Make no mistake about it. You have an enemy.

  197. He attacks your past, your present, your relationships,

  198. your identity, your future. There's some of you listening my

  199. voice right now and you've had people placed in your life who

  200. are to provide and protect and instead, they used you and

  201. abandoned you There's some of you here today, watching online

  202. or joining us from the crossing inside. and you're looking at

  203. the Christian Life and the promise of a fulfilled and

  204. Abundant Life in you're going, there's no way if you could pick

  205. a couple of words to describe the Christian Life, the two you

  206. would not pick for sure, would be full and abundant Is it

  207. possible that were simply chasing Shades that were not

  208. actually living the life that God intended for us to live the

  209. problem with Shades? The problem with the lack of

  210. clarity is that you don't know what to Chase.

  211. You've seen that, I am surrounded by Colour, but you

  212. can't see it anymore. It's there nothing's moved.

  213. Do you remember where the green one?

  214. Was the blue one. The red one.

  215. You could see it when you sought it made sense. but then, The

  216. harder you look you just feel like you're chasing Shades.

  217. This happens in all kinds of ways.

  218. The good gifts that God has given us the things that he has

  219. given us for our enjoyment and to glorify him, we can end up

  220. worshipping those things instead of The Giver of those good

  221. things, where you can find yourself, placing those things

  222. in the place of God, make no mistake about it, we were made

  223. to worship all of us will worship.

  224. One or something. Some of you, you may worship

  225. your job, some of you your money, some of you, your kids,

  226. some of you, your spouse others, your platform, but what happens

  227. when they don't fulfill you, What happens when you lose them?

  228. We see it happen all the time. We know this to be true, we

  229. watch it in the news and we see people who seem to have it all.

  230. All the money that you could ever want their famous across

  231. the globe, access to all the pleasure that the world has to

  232. offer. Yet their lives are shambles

  233. held together by drugs, rehabs and relapse has, how many of us

  234. have watched childhood stars in Hollywood Elites live spiral out

  235. of control or painfully cut short.

  236. That's why Easter is so special and so significant because Jesus

  237. death on the cross and three days later.

  238. Coming back to life, brings the light.

  239. We desperately need, we see things differently because of

  240. the light I believe we see at least three things differently

  241. because of the light of Jesus Christ.

  242. The first thing that I think we all see differently is we would

  243. see our situation differently, we would recognize that the

  244. things that God has given us. They are gifts from God, but

  245. they are not a replacement for God.

  246. Maybe the reason why you are not living life to the full.

  247. As you are, worshiping the gift, God gave you and not God

  248. himself. They should cause us to worship

  249. God, but he cannot be the object of our worship gifts are to be

  250. given, not stored. That's the path to an abundant

  251. life. That the things that God gives

  252. us are meant to be a benefit to others.

  253. Not just to benefit ourselves that let me show it to you.

  254. For instance, our money is not for Sumption but it is for

  255. giving and the stats on this are in the world, happiness report

  256. just came out and it says that the more generous you are the

  257. more happy you become. Which makes what Jesus said in

  258. Scripture. It is more blessed to give than

  259. to receive make a whole lot more sense that the power you and I

  260. have is not for us to control things but to help people

  261. there's a Chinese proverb that says, if you want happiness for

  262. an hour, take a nap. Some of your like praise God.

  263. Right there. That's my message.

  264. That was my Easter message. The K.

  265. So you're like I actually want, like that's can we just play the

  266. song and leave? As I want to go home and take a

  267. nap. And so, if you just woke up.

  268. Hi. My name is Clayton.

  269. I'm glad you're here. Okay, if you want happiness for

  270. an hour, take a nap if you want it for a day, go fishing.

  271. If you want it for a year inherit a fortune, if you want

  272. it for a lifetime help. Somebody That happiness comes

  273. the stats are in on this that the more you help other people,

  274. the more happy and fulfilled you become.

  275. You'll have a greater sense of purpose and well-being, that

  276. when you help other people, it releases endorphins

  277. psychologists call it, you getting a helpers, hi.

  278. Maybe the path to an Abundant Life is In Loving and serving

  279. other people instead of just serving and loving ourselves.

  280. We would realize that in our situation that our platform

  281. isn't up for personal elevation, but for lifting other people up

  282. and lifting other people out. If you to see your life through

  283. the lens of Jesus, through the light that he brings, we would

  284. stop chasing Shades. We would see things differently

  285. in our situation. We realize that our time is not

  286. running out. Our time is actually running up.

  287. So many of us are trying to get everything we can out of this

  288. life, as if this life is all there is.

  289. But when you come into an intimate, personal relationship

  290. with Jesus Christ, your clock doesn't run down.

  291. It begins running up that are death is not the end, it is not

  292. our destination, but is an invitation to Eternity with God

  293. himself. Look what it says in Romans 6:23

    Romans 6:23

  294. for the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal

  295. life in Christ. Jesus, our lord, all of us, have

  296. sinned, all of us will eventually die, but for those of

  297. us who are in an intimate personal relationship with Jesus

  298. Christ. When we die, we will be with him

  299. forever. We won't just see our situation

  300. differently, through the light of Jesus.

  301. We would see a god differently and I talked to a lot of people

  302. and I'm amazed at how How so many people see God differently

  303. than I do. Maybe you've had that same

  304. situation, you'll be talking to somebody and the god that

  305. they're talking about doesn't sound anything like the god

  306. that, you know, but it's only through the lens of Jesus,

  307. through the light of Jesus, that were able to stop chasing Shades

  308. and actually see God. The way he actually desires to

  309. be seen. For instance, if you through the

  310. light of Jesus, you would realize that God is not

  311. controlling but caring. He's not trying to limit you.

  312. He is trying to protect you as the creator of life, he knows

  313. best how to live that life. What will bring you ultimate

  314. happiness will bring you ultimate fulfillment.

  315. What will give you abundance? He knows what we'll do those

  316. things and he also knows what will steal them and robbed them.

  317. He knows what will destroy and he knows what will bring you

  318. life and life to the full. If you look at God, through the

  319. light of Jesus, you would see that.

  320. He's not angry, he's loving that, the wrath of God that you

  321. and I racked up. What is satisfied through Jesus?

  322. On the cross that he loves us. That's why it says in John 3:16,

    John 3:16

  323. you guys know this, when you've got it on a cup of coffee mugs

  324. at home, couple of you got a tattoo on a spring break when

  325. you were talking to other people, you got John 3:16

    John 3:16

  326. somewhere on your body. You guys all know this for God's

  327. soap, what's the next word? Yeah, the world that he gave his

  328. one and only son that whoever believes Believes in him, shall

  329. not perish but have eternal life.

  330. You would realize that God's not against you, but God is for you.

  331. P is for your good. He is for your family.

  332. He was for a full and Abundant Life.

  333. God is for you. I'll prove it to.

  334. You look what he says in Romans 8:31.

    Romans 8:31

  335. What then shall we say in response to these things?

  336. If God is for us, who can be against us?

  337. God is for you. That's why he sent his son to

  338. die for you. Through the lens of Jesus,

  339. through the light of Jesus. We would also realize that God

  340. is Not distant, but God is closed.

  341. I know sometimes people feel like because God is a cosmic

  342. God, he's so far away that, even if you screamed and shouted and

  343. waved Flags, he wouldn't even notice you.

  344. But all too often in scripture, the way to get God's attention

  345. is not screaming and shouting, its Whispering.

  346. Because he's that close. In fact, when he sent his son,

  347. Jesus to Earth, he said and call him Emmanuel, which means god

  348. with us. And when Jesus left Earth, he

  349. said I'm going to leave behind my Holy Spirit, which is God in

  350. us. You don't have to scream and

  351. shout. He is close.

  352. Close enough to whisper. Look what it says in Psalm 34

    Psalms 34:18

  353. Verse 18. The Lord is close to the

  354. Brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

  355. If there are some of you listening to me right now and

  356. you would classify yourself as crushed and spirit.

  357. I want you to know, maybe God has never been closer. we would

  358. see our situation differently, we would see God differently,

  359. but the last thing I want to tell you through the light of

  360. Jesus, I think we would see ourselves differently.

  361. It was a couple years back, my oldest son was just barely

  362. walking and we were it was a it was a warm day and we were

  363. outside and I was just looking at him and some of you you've

  364. been there were you are just overcome with emotion as you

  365. stare at your kid like your heart is completely full and you

  366. can't really articulate it and it was just one of those special

  367. moments and I immediately called my dad And when he picked up the

  368. phone, I said, Dad. I'm standing here looking at my

  369. son and I am overwhelmed by how much I love him and it's in this

  370. moment that I fully understand what you mean.

  371. When you say you love me. It was only until I could see

  372. myself to the eyes of a father. That I understood how much my

  373. father loved me. It was as I looked at Zane, I

  374. realized how my father looked at me.

  375. Some of you, you're getting ready in the morning and your

  376. spouse is in the bathroom. And you, maybe you're like me.

  377. And sometimes I'll write Post-it notes and sometimes I'll have a

  378. little rap poems, which they don't go over well, but I do

  379. them anyway. Sometimes I'll sing her song.

  380. And you know we got the mirror in the bathroom and I'll say

  381. things like oh my goodness. Whoo you are looking good today

  382. she's just will you quit And she'll put on a certain outfit

  383. and spec. How does this look?

  384. And I'll be like, whoo. I don't know if I'll even that.

  385. That you look way too good. No one's going to be able to

  386. work today, will you stop? Sometimes I'll just be a decent

  387. human being and I know you look beautiful.

  388. And she go. Yeah, right. because women are

  389. not complicated and Fellas. Have you ever have you ever

  390. wished that you could pull your eyes out of your head and shove

  391. them in her head? And then turn her head towards

  392. the mirror and go. Now look at you Look at you

  393. through my eyes. Because then she'd know,

  394. wouldn't she? She would know how she can take

  395. your breath away. She would know how radiant she

  396. looks to you. She would know because if just

  397. for a little bit she could see herself through your eyes.

  398. It would be a game-changer Your kids are getting frustrated at

  399. you, by the way, your parenting in the way you're coaching them

  400. in the way you're saying, yes to certain things and know that

  401. other things in your kids are like how could you do this to

  402. me? You don't even love me and you

  403. just wish you could book. Look at yourself.

  404. I am for you. I am good to you.

  405. I am trying to protect you and equip you and Empower you and

  406. help you say yes to good things and no too bad things.

  407. If you could just see yourself through my eyes but you tracking

  408. with me, if I could wish anything today, all across this

  409. region, it would be that you could see yourself Through The

  410. Eyes of Jesus. That's what I want for you.

  411. And whether we know each other or not, would you just let me be

  412. your pastor for just a few moments?

  413. But I want to tell you what, I think you would see what I know

  414. you would see if you could see yourself Through The Eyes Of

  415. Jesus. If you could see yourself to the

  416. eyes of Jesus, this is what you'd see that you are not an

  417. accident, your parents may not have planned you, but God did

  418. you are put together by God himself.

  419. You were knit together in your mother's womb, you were made in

  420. His image. You were made to Proclaim good

  421. news to the lonely. The sick, the hurting and the

  422. poor. You have Heavenly water for the

  423. Thirsty. You have Godly food for the

  424. hungry. You have freedom for the

  425. captives and Liberation for those in bondage, your life has

  426. purpose and value. You bring light into the

  427. darkness. You exchange Beauty for Ashes

  428. morning for dancing and despair. You bring joy.

  429. If you could see yourself Through The Eyes Of Jesus, you

  430. would realize that is that your past has been redeemed.

  431. Your sins have been forgiven, they have been covered by the

  432. blood of Jesus. They've been nailed to the

  433. cross. They've been cast, as far as

  434. from the East is from the west by his stripes.

  435. You've been healed, your sins are no longer your shame, but

  436. the introduction to the story of how God has made you knew

  437. therefore, you can claim what it says in second Corinthians 5:17.

    2 Corinthians 5:17

  438. Therefore, if anyone Point to an anyone, you can point to your

  439. neighbor, you can point to yourself.

  440. You could point to me and I could point to you, everybody

  441. say, anyone, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

  442. The old has gone and the new has come, if you could see yourself

  443. Through The Eyes Of Jesus, this is what you'd see that because

  444. of his spirit that he placed in you, when you got baptized that,

  445. you have everything you need for an abundant life.

  446. You can be loving even when it's difficult, you can.

  447. A joyful. Even in painful circumstances,

  448. you can have peace in the midst of uncertainty.

  449. You can be patient in a world that is rushed.

  450. You have the power to be kind and good and faithful, and

  451. gentle to the power at work in the holy spirit that is in your

  452. life. You have the ability of self

  453. control, the ability to say, no to the things that seek to

  454. destroy your relationships, your purpose, and your calling.

  455. If you can see yourself Through The Eyes of Jesus, you'd realize

  456. that you no longer have to live in fear because the Bible

  457. teaches that perfect love casts out fear but perfect love is not

  458. something you possess or something you know it is a

  459. person you know perfect love has a name and it is the matchless

  460. precious life-altering name of you know it helped me out all

  461. yes you do that that name the name that is above every name

  462. can be Own and can be trusted that, even though you walk

  463. through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil.

  464. Because he's with you you're not alone if you could see yourself

  465. Through The Eyes Of Jesus, you wouldn't be as worried or as

  466. anxious because you would have access to him.

  467. Jesus says come to me all of you who are weary and heavy laden

  468. and I will give you rest, you would know in your heart, the

  469. truth of the song you sang, when you were young.

  470. He's got the whole world. oh, you know, it That's who I'm

  471. talking about. If you could see yourself

  472. Through The Eyes Of Jesus, you would realize that you were the

  473. object of his affection that he lavishes.

  474. His love on you. And that even when you are weak,

  475. you are strong because he is your strength.

  476. If you could see yourself Through The Eyes Of Jesus, you

  477. realize that your future is bright and secured.

  478. You have a place in heaven. He is preparing a place for you.

  479. The reservation has been made, your name is on the list.

  480. This world is not your home. There is something better coming

  481. your way. So would you please stop chasing

  482. Shades and step into the abundance that God has to offer?

  483. I want you to think about that as we move into a time of

  484. decision, I want to talk to just three groups of people real

  485. quick. There's some of you in here that

  486. you've never started an intimate, personal relationship

  487. with Jesus Christ, for one reason, or another, it's just

  488. never been your turn. Never been your moment, and I

  489. get it. You've seen other people do it.

  490. You've had questions about what it would look like for you to do

  491. it, or maybe you're hearing all of this for the very first time

  492. and I just got to tell you where I'm at.

  493. But, when I think about an intimate personal relationship

  494. with Jesus Christ, and those of you who call The Crossing home,

  495. you've heard this before, and you're gonna have to back me up

  496. in just a second. But if you were to ask me about

  497. my relationship with Jesus Christ, I would just tell you

  498. two things one, it is the single greatest decision that I have

  499. ever made. And my biggest regret is that I

  500. didn't do it sooner and I know what you're tempted to think.

  501. Yeah, that's great, but Clayton, you know you're a professional

  502. Christian. You're paid to be here.

  503. This is part of your thing here me you don't have you don't have

  504. to trust me. In fact I wouldn't But I'm not

  505. the only testimony in this room. I'm not the only life that's

  506. been repurposed and redeemed in this room.

  507. I'm willing to wager that I'm not the only person in this room

  508. who would agree with those two statements?

  509. That it's the best decision they've ever made and their

  510. biggest regret is they didn't do it sooner.

  511. Let me prove it to you, if you would agree with those two

  512. statements, would you put your hand up?

  513. You are standing or sitting right now in a room full of

  514. testimonies. And it could be your testimony

  515. too. So there's some of your going

  516. but Clayton, I don't know enough.

  517. I hear you. I hear you.

  518. I get you don't know enough but that hasn't stopped you from

  519. making all kinds of decisions in your life.

  520. Some of you you put toothpaste in your in your, in your gas

  521. tank if there were instructions. You bought cars and You Don't

  522. Know Jack about cars, you do what I do, does it have cooled

  523. seats? Because I'm a big boy.

  524. It's all I need to know sir, right.

  525. Did you know everything about women before you got married?

  526. Probably. Not Did you know everything

  527. about your job before you took it?

  528. Did you know everything about your house, before you bought it

  529. with she had, but you bought it anyway.

  530. You just have to know enough. Well, you know, more along the

  531. way, you better believe it, but sometimes you just got to go, do

  532. I know enough and for me, I knew enough.

  533. I knew that I was not living the life.

  534. I was designed for, I knew it in my soul, I knew that there was

  535. something wrong that needed to be fixed.

  536. There was a hole that needed to be filled.

  537. I knew that whatever it was, it wasn't in me. and then someone

  538. told me about Jesus, that was all I needed.

  539. That he would take all the broken in me and he would put it

  540. back together that he would redeem and repurpose my life.

  541. I knew enough. And there might be some of you

  542. in here today that you're going you know what it's been a long

  543. enough and there might be some of you here today saying I know

  544. enough and just a few moments we're going to give you an

  545. opportunity can walk over by the baptistry you can talk to

  546. somebody here about how to start that relationship with Jesus

  547. right now. You're going.

  548. But I don't have clothes to get wet and change, just so, you

  549. know, we've already got all the stuff you need.

  550. So that would that that's not an excuse.

  551. And I can just tell you, there is no better way to celebrate

  552. Easter than to live it. Because that's what happens when

  553. you get baptized, you are buried and you die to yourself.

  554. And then you are brought back to life in the newness of Christ

  555. and that could be your story today.

  556. The second group of people I want to talk to are those of you

  557. who you have, you followed Jesus for a while at some point but

  558. you haven't been following him lately. if you're to be honest,

  559. you're kind of surprised that you're here, you know, you used

  560. to be super committed or super involved.

  561. You used to have a whole lot of used to about you and your faith

  562. but not a whole lot of present tense and I don't know what's

  563. driving that and maybe you don't either, but I just have one

  564. question for you. Why does God have you here

  565. today? Why did he put you in this

  566. place? To hear this message today?

  567. If not for the purpose of calling you to recommit

  568. re-engage Maybe God is wanting to use this moment in your life.

  569. To get you to stop chasing Shades in to chase after him

  570. again. In fact, she also encourage you

  571. at some point time. Maybe you need to talk to

  572. somebody. Maybe you want to come up here

  573. and just get down on your knees and praying to God, I just need

  574. to recommit to you. I need to re-engage, I need to

  575. reorient my life towards you. Third group of you, those of you

  576. call yourself, you know, Christians, totally sold out,

  577. love the Lord, things are going great.

  578. I just don't ever want to be a church, that takes the love of

  579. Jesus and his sacrifice for granted that because of what

  580. he's done for us. We should be the most excited.

  581. Most joyful, most amped people on planet Earth are smile,

  582. should be the hardest smile to wipe off our face because we

  583. just can't get over how good he is.

  584. And so would you at some point time with her you come up here

  585. and get down on your knees and just pray, a prayer of

  586. Thanksgiving over everything that God has saved you from over

  587. everything that he's redeemed, you from, or maybe as it says,

  588. you're staying in. You're lifting both hands up and

  589. your singing as loud as you can't letting God know you

  590. recognize and you are forever. Thankful forever grateful for

  591. his work on your behalf. I want to give you an

  592. opportunity to do that. What you guys stand with me?

  593. God used this moment right now. Here and all across this region.

  594. To bring about lasting change in every heart not just for the

  595. hearts that are have been running from you or have never

  596. known you. But God also bring it about in

  597. the hearts of people who've been following after you for a while.

  598. Got to remove the calluses, bring a fresh love and a fresh

  599. commitment out of each and every single one of us selfishly got I

  600. ask that for every person in this room that they would

  601. recognize that you're in here and that you're moving and the

  602. guy that they would trust you with the next step that they

  603. need to take and your name. I pray.

  604. Amen.