Fools for the Kingdom

Fools for the Kingdom and hopefully this is part one and then we'll talk about part two next.

Fools for the Kingdom. Wayne, am I good to go?

Yeah. Okay.

So here's the thing guys, I know you've heard this story before but for the sake of the CDL,

I'll say it again, there's a man who walks up and down the streets of London and he wears an A board on himself.

And in the front of the A board, it says, whose fool are you?

So when people are walking towards him, they see this big sign saying, whose fool are you?

And then they laugh at him and as they, oh no, I gave it away.

The front says, the front says, I'm a fool for Jesus. And so they laugh at him.

And then they see the back and it says, whose fool are you?

And the point being, you are somebody's fool.

You're either Obama's fool or you're the Republican Party's fool.

You're either Fox News's fool or you're CNN's fool.

You're either the world's fool or someone's fool.

You're always at the bidding of someone.

You're always influenced by someone.

I think it's such a brilliant statement. I'm a fool for Jesus. Whose fool are you?

Whose fool are you? Because you're always somebody's fool.

So, feel free to come back anytime, guys.

So guys, to begin with, we've been talking about the kingdom for the last many weeks.

And I didn't want you to feel you can't go by when I'm preaching.

Man, with these three guys, you can go into any dark alley any day of the year and people will not touch you.

All we need is Darrow with them and that's it.

So, your king...

You look tiny in there, Prashant.

Sorry, getting back to this.

So guys, your king... We're talking about fools for the kingdom.

Your king is the all-powerful, ridiculously kind, glorious creator and heir to the universe.

That's who your king is. Your king is all-powerful.

I mean, the word power begins with Jesus. Nobody has power except him. Really.

When I see these guys rising up in different nations and exerting power, I think to myself,

Gosh, Father, I don't know how you can be so patient and kind when you can snap power like this, like I snap a twig.

I mean, when one of those big flies flies around in your room thinking he's all-powerful, what do you think?

That, listen, stop bothering me or I'll zap you in a second.

And the fly doesn't understand and so you zap the fly.

That's how power in human terms is with God. He's all-powerful, man. All-powerful.

And he's really kind. Super kind.

And he is the glorious creator of everything. This is who the king is.

The glorious creator of everything. And he's the heir of the universe.

Colossians 1.16 says that it is by him, through him and for him that all things were created.

By him, through him, for him, all things were created.

There's nothing that has been created that is not by him, for him, through him.

So he's got all power. He's the heir to the universe. This is who he is.

And yet, even though Jesus is all this, he was subjected to a public hanging.

This king that I just spoke to you about was subjected to a public hanging.

He was shamed, he was accursed, he was butchered and he was humiliated.

Just compute, man. We are just talking about this all-powerful, super kind, glorious creator who is the heir of the universe.

And then we say that this very king that we are talking about had to be subjected to a public hanging on a tree

where he was shamed, he was considered accursed, he was butchered and he was humiliated.

Like a common thief. Like a common thief.

I know you know that this was done so that your sins may be paid for and that the hostility between you and God would end.

I know you know that. But just to think that this was what was done to the king.

Hebrews chapter 2 verse 5 says it so succinctly and it's so sobering.

Hebrews 2:5

It says, How can we neglect so great a salvation?

It says, How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

That's what it says. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

That's what it says in Hebrews 2, 5.

And at the end of the day guys, as we begin to talk about fools for the kingdom,

one of the things we have to know without a shadow of a doubt is that Christianity is a religion of salvation or rescue.

Christianity is a religion.

Christianity is a religion. People like to say no it's not a religion, it's a personal relationship.

All that is true but it's still a religion.

Christianity is a religion of salvation or rescue.

If you don't want to use the word salvation when you talk about people, talk about the word rescue.

Christianity is a religion of salvation and rescue.

It's not enlightenment. Christianity is not about some mysterious esoteric spirituality.

It's not about self-improvement. It's not.

It is about salvation and rescue.

And we've got to get, sorry go ahead.

It is too. But sometimes we avoid the word religion but the world sees it as a religion.

So let's talk about it in terms of the world because we understand the personal relationship but they see it as a religion.

So approach it from that angle. Yes it is a religion but it's a religion of salvation.

It's not about mysterious spiritualism. It's not about self-improvement.

It's not about getting prosperous here on earth.

At the end of the day, not at the end of the day, first and foremost it is about rescue.

It's about rescue.

And so who are you? Rescuers.

Sent out on his behalf but we'll go there later.

Secondly, it is a great salvation.

It's not a small rescue. It is a great salvation.

It is a great salvation.

As in, this is a salvation or rescue that meets every need.

Guilt, it rescues from.

Shame, it rescues from.

Loss of identity that, and all this goes back to the Garden of Eden actually, loss of identity it rescues from.

Sin, it rescues from.

Sin's penalty, it rescues from.

Death, it rescues from.

Loneliness, it rescues from.

Sickness, it rescues from.

Keep calling it out guys.

Hopelessness, it rescues from.

Despair, it rescues from.

I mean, it is a great salvation.

Fear, it rescues from.

The fear of death, it rescues from.

An eternity cut off from God, it rescues from.

Danger, it rescues from.

We just sang a little while ago.

Lord, my shield.

What's the word?

What's the song?

Yeah, well it is shield.

But guys, at the end of the day, it's a great salvation.

So, why am I telling you this?

Because sometimes we forget the enormity of what we are being rescued from.

We quickly bring it down to heaven and hell.

While that's absolutely true, it is a great salvation.

It is rescue from all these things, man.

From guilt, from shame, from the loss of identity, from sin, from the penalty of sin, from death, from loneliness, from sickness, from hopelessness, from despair, from fear, from an eternity cut off from God, from danger.

And this list is not over yet.

A great salvation.

This is why Hebrews chapter 2 verse 5 puts it that way.

Hebrews 2:5

That how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

It must not be neglected, guys.

On one hand, it must not be neglected.

Because Jesus paid a super high price.

His life for mine.

Why?

Because He cares affectionately for me.

That's the crazy thing.

Why did He do it?

Because He cares affectionately for me.

That question that I asked during worship is really important.

If God is for you, and the question you have to ask is, why did He do it?

Because He cares affectionately for me.

Why did He do it?

Because He cares affectionately for me.

That's the crazy thing.

That question that I asked during worship is really important.

If God is for you, and the question you have to ask is, is He for you?

Because sometimes we doubt that, eh?

And we shouldn't.

God is for me.

Must not be neglected, guys.

Here's the thing.

Why does He want to exchange His life for mine?

One, because He cares for me affectionately.

Two, because now I get to know God as Father, as friend, as God.

And here's another thing that I was thinking of that, this is so true and yet I often don't call Him that, as comforter.

My God, I wouldn't know what to do if God wasn't around.

Who would?

I'm not talking about comfort as in, come Jacob, cry on my shoulder.

No, as in, Father I'm scared, comfort.

Father I don't know what to do, comfort.

Father I'm not feeling all that good, comfort.

Father I'm kind of feeling alone, comfort.

Father I messed up, comfort.

Father I really screwed up, comfort.

Father I sinned, comfort.

Man, He is such a comfort.

I wouldn't know what to do.

How did we manage without Him, man?

How did we manage without Him?

I'd suggest a very simple Greek word, badly.

We must not neglect.

Because we get to know God as God, as Father, as friend and as comforter.

We get to know Him that way, guys.

Just think, eh, we know the God of the universe as a Father.

How many know Him like that?

What a privilege.

As a friend.

Jesus said, you're not my servants anymore, you are my friends.

Because servants don't know their master's business,

but friends know what their friends are up to.

Friends lay down their lives for their friends.

And so He goes on and lays down His life.

And then He says, okay, if you're my friend, you will obey my commandments.

Father, friend, God and comforter.

That's who we know Him.

And we must not neglect the salvation.

And the other thing is, this salvation can be neglected.

How?

Why does the world neglect the salvation?

Two reasons, guys.

One, they are too blind to their own bankruptcy.

I've said this before.

Guys, when you go and tell people, when you become a fool for the kingdom

and go tell people about what we are just talking about,

there'll be two reasons why they usually reject you.

And reject what you're telling them.

One, because of the blindness that comes over them where they can't see their bankruptcy.

Till you are bankrupt, you will not apply for chapter 11.

You don't need a savior till you are, till you realize you're drowning.

That's the problem.

People are too blind to recognize their bankruptcy.

And how does the church get around it?

By telling them, Jesus is a friend.

No, no, no, no.

Jesus is first one who rescues.

You cannot avoid that.

Jesus being presented as a friend is,

may I suggest to you a counterfeit kingdom and a counterfeit gospel.

He has to be presented as rescuer.

He never presented himself as friend first.

He presented himself as a son of God who came down to save.

John 3.16, God so sent his son so that people would be saved.

The friend part comes and he is friendly, but that's not his.

He didn't come up to the earth and say, I was sent by my father so I could be your friend.

Yes, but after this, this cannot be avoided.

And I've avoided it many times in my life.

I've been called on it too.

This is where we need to be foolish because people don't recognize their bankruptcy.

So the first thing you may have to confront people with,

hey, till you recognize that you need to be saved from all this, including this,

you don't need a savior.

I think I've read this out to you before, but I'll read it out again.

Okay, here's what it says.

They received Jesus as a sin-forgiver because they like being guilt-free.

As a rescuer from hell because they love being pain-free.

As a healer because they love being disease-free.

As a protector because they love being safe.

As a prosperity-giver because they love being wealthy.

As creator because they like a personal universe.

As the Lord of history because they want purpose.

But very few receive him as supremely and personally valuable for who he is.

They don't receive him the way Paul did when he spoke of the surpassing worth

of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord.

They don't receive him as Jesus really is.

More glorious, more beautiful, more wonderful, more satisfying than everything else in the universe.

They don't prize him or treasure him or cherish him or delight in him like that.

And why? Because we sell a Jesus who meets your needs but does not rescue you from these things.

And that we have to change.

That's where you become fools.

So one of the reasons people will reject what you're saying is because of the blindness to their own bankruptcy.

And the second reason is a hardness that comes because of pride.

Because most people want to earn salvation and every religion will give you room for that except Christianity.

Every religion in the world will give you room to earn salvation.

Go to the Ganges and take a bath and your sins will be cleansed.

Go visit temples and attain nirvana through a nine-fold path.

Go visit Mecca and indulge in hajj and four other practices and God may forgive you.

Go wail at the wailing wall and hope that the Messiah will come back one day and Israel's sins will be forgiven.

Go practice spirituality and hopefully one day your Atma will become one with the Parmatma.

Every religion will give you some way to earn salvation.

The only religion that does not give you a choice in terms of earning your salvation is Christianity.

You cannot earn salvation.

It is given through the death, the butchery, the humiliation and the cursedness of one called Jesus Christ who is the heir of the entire universe.

Crazy man!

I know I've said this before but I remember taking a very educated UBC student who had come to the country new and I was his host for the first five days.

I shared with him about Jesus and on the last day as he's getting out of the car he says,

you know I really understood what you said but I cannot accept this.

I said why? He says because this is too easy I don't have to do anything.

I was stunned man.

He's a bright young man. He came here for a doctorate.

Understood everything.

Said I can't accept this because this is too easy.

I don't have to do anything.

That is nuts man.

That is sad nuts yeah.

Terribly.

It's pride guys.

Those are the two reasons why you'll be rejected guys.

So get used to it.

And yet there will be many who will respond.

Guys the world will keep demanding signs and wisdom and sophistication.

The world demands signs to authenticate you.

The world demands wisdom and sophistication to validate you.

I mean what is the world's favorite question?

What have you done for me lately?

Show me some sign that your God is true.

Give me some amazing wisdom of some philosophical reasoning to convince me that Jesus is who he says he is.

The world will look for signs and wisdom to validate you and really God has both.

But rather than give the world signs and wisdom that they demanded,

what did God come up with?

A crucified Messiah.

I mean you think God can't do signs.

He takes seven colors and puts them together and throws them up in the shape of a bow and becomes a rainbow

and he tells Noah, well now you have a sign.

He starts writing on the wall with an invisible hand and scares the hippie-jibbies out of that king.

He can do signs anytime he wants.

Wisdom? Man, look at how he's created stuff, man.

And yet when the world loves signs and demands wisdom and sophistication,

what does God come up with?

A crucified Messiah, an executed king, a humiliated God.

That's his best option.

Guys, get used to this because it's the only way he's going to save people.

And if I am reluctant about presenting this Christ as in Christ crucified,

if I am unconvinced about it as in there must be a better way to talk about it.

How about starting with a joke to just lighten the atmosphere and then tell them about Jesus?

Or how about, sometimes you're not unconvinced, you're uncomfortable telling people that your Savior died on a cross

and if you receive his death on a cross and the shed blood you will be saved.

Sounds so unreasonable and unsophisticated.

But know this, that if I am unconvinced about it, if I'm uncomfortable with it,

and if I'm reluctant about it, about proclaiming a crucified Christ when I'm faced with Jewish scholars and Greek philosophers,

which is a way of saying the world, then know this, that you are inadvertently propping up a counterfeit kingdom

and you're molding a golden calf for people.

Every time I present Christ without the cross, I'm molding a golden calf, an idol for people that will suit their particular fancy.

I cannot afford to do that and I'm presenting a counterfeit kingdom.

It is not the true kingdom because the true kingdom had a king who was executed for his citizens

and you cannot talk about the kingdom of God without talking about the king, the Messiah, the anointed prince who was executed.

Can't talk about it without that.

So which, inadvertently perhaps, because I'm reluctant, hesitant, uncomfortable, unconvinced about presenting Jesus crucified,

I'll go about it some other way, and in the process I'm propping up a counterfeit kingdom

and I'm molding a golden calf to represent my king, neither of which I can afford to do.

Any questions before we go on?

Or any disagreements or you want to add anything to what I'm saying?

Don't worry about DOC. If you have a question, ask Diana. I won't bring it up every time.

Yeah, so when you have the opportunity to, don't avoid it.

There will be times when I only have a minute and all I can tell them is Jesus loves you.

And that's great, that's because I had less than 10 seconds to do it.

But when I have 20 minutes and I still keep dancing around Jesus loves you and he wants to be your friend,

I know it's because I'm unconvinced, uncomfortable, scared of being rejected,

and because I'm a little reluctant about presenting that part of it.

I'm only talking about myself now, maybe you have other reasons.

No, but you do bring up Christ crucified without which there is no salvation.

It's just that we have been silenced by the world around us to dilute or to avoid this one thing that is crucial.

The only place we speak about it is, no, I'm being too extreme.

One of the places we speak about it is in church.

But outside we try to avoid it, we want to present it more sophisticated.

And the cross is not sophisticated at all.

An electric chair is not sophisticated.

The guy called Rob Hoskins, I won't frighten him, I usually do that to kids.

A guy called Rob Hoskins made this statement, he asks a question,

to which kingdom do you belong?

Answer that and you will have audacious faith.

To which kingdom do you belong?

Answer that and you will have audacious faith.

To which kingdom do you belong?

Answer that and you will have audacious faith.

When you are passionate about a hockey team or a nation or a sport, there's audacious

faith in the face of other Boston fans around you to wear a Canuck jersey and stand there.

I remember Tino. Remember Tino? Tino, I took him for a hockey game. The Canucks playing

the Boston Bruins. And Tino came in a Boston Bruin jersey. I mean, I wanted to kill him

and then I realized I'm a pastor, I can't do that. So I was hoping someone else in the

arena would do it. Because surrounded by Canuck fans, but he's wearing a Boston jersey and

every time they hit somebody he starts screaming and I'm thinking to myself, why did I bring

him? It was the first time that I really didn't like someone in the church. But thank God

the saving grace was the Canucks won. But then the question they throw back at you is,

how many rings do you have? How many rings do you have? Meaning we've never won a Stanley

Cup, right? But the point is this guys, that know the kingdom you belong to and you will

have audacious faith. Which kingdom do you belong to? I've been thinking about this for

the last one week saying, Aba, I've got to have audacious faith about everything that

your son, the king is. I've got to have audacious faith with regard to him. There can't be two

ways about it. Our mandate is clear guys, Luke 24 verses 46 to 48. Luke 24 verses 46

Luke 24:46–48 Luke 24:46–48

to 48. I'm reading from the message version and it says, you can see how it is written

that the Messiah suffers, he rises from the dead on the third day and then a total life

change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations starting

from here, from Jerusalem. Luke 24, 46 to 48. You can see how it is written that the

Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day and then a total life change through

the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all the nations. Crucifixion and then

we got to talk about his rising from the dead too, not a dead God. I don't want to ask this

question but if I went around asking, when was the last time we went through this with

a person, you'll be surprised at how it's been a while. It's been a while. I want to

return to that. A church that does not engage in the proclamation of the good news will

have limited traction against spiritual forces because that church's feet are not shod in

the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6 says that the armor of God includes the shoes of the

gospel of peace, meaning your feet should be clad or on your feet you should wear the

gospel that brings wholeness or shalom or peace to people. So a church that does not

engage in the proclamation of the good news of the gospel will not have much traction

against spiritual forces because their feet are not shod with the gospel of peace. Time

to get back to the road like Jesus in Matthew 9.35. Sorry, is it Matthew or Mark? It is

Matthew, Matthew 9.35. Matthew 9.35. It says in Jesus' wedlock, Jesus' wedding, Jesus'

wedding, and the wedding of the bride and groom. And it says, I want to go back to

the way Jesus did things, proclaiming the gospel. You may be doing it on an individual

level but we rarely have talked about it or attempted it as a people. So it's a good

thing. Here's the thing guys, God has decided, just think of this, God has decided that he

will bring people into relationship with him only through the foolish message of Christ

crucified. God has decided, and nothing is going to change this, God has decided that

he is only going to bring people into relationship with him through the foolish message of Christ

crucified. He has decided that. Nothing is going to change that. He has decided that

if anyone wants to come into relationship with me, it is only through the message of

Jesus Christ crucified. So if you want to bring anyone into relationship with God, you

cannot avoid the cross. Cannot avoid it. At some point it must be brought up. 1 Corinthians

1, 18-25. Listen to it from the message. 1 Corinthians 1, 18-25. If you can just listen

and then you can read from your version. The message that points to Christ on the cross

seems like sheer silliness to those hell bent on destruction. But for those on the way of

salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works. And most powerfully as

it turns out. It's written, I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head. I'll expose so called

experts as crackpots. So might as well abandon these sophisticated methods man. Go with the

simple truth of Christ crucified. Look at what it says next. So where can you find someone

truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed all

of it as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when

it came to knowing God. God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered

dumb. Preaching of all things to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation. While

Jews clamor for a miraculous demonstration of God and Greeks go in for philosophical

wisdom. We go right on proclaiming Christ the crucified. Jews treat it as an anti-miracle.

Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself, both

Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped into one. Human

wisdom is so tiny, so important next to the seeming absurdity of God, human strength can't

begin to compete with God's weakness. God has chosen that if you want to come into relationship

with me, you got to come through the foolish message of my son Jesus Christ being crucified.

You accept that and you enter into relationship with me. Any other way? That's Greek for?

This is exactly what unfolded in Numbers 21 verse 8 too. Remember there were snakes that

Numbers 21:8

were biting people in the desert. And what does God ask Moses to do? He tells Moses make

a bronze snake and set it up on a pole and as these snakes go around biting people, anyone

who is bitten can look upon that snake on the pole and he can be healed and he will

live. Looking at a bronze snake to get healed and to live? Guys, God used the thing of revulsion

to bring them into life. It's the same with Jesus. You want to live, you have to look

at the revolting butchered body of Jesus Christ on the cross and you will live. Any other

way? Ain't going to happen. A thing of revulsion becomes a pathway to life. Revulsion means

when you look at it, you are inside revolt, disgust. Anyone who was there that day that

actually saw Jesus on the cross, all they would see was a butchered piece of meat. Mel

Gibson could not do justice to it even though he tried. A thing of revulsion now becomes

a pathway to life. Why? Because the anger of God towards sin had to be met. Jesus becomes

the atonement, the one who covers me as he takes the brunt of my sin. No other way guys.

Why am I going down this route so that we from this day on never forget that this is

the only way and as foolish as it may sound to the world, it is the only way we will talk.

Yes, we will open up dialogue in different ways. I'll be a sign sometimes to point people

to God but I will not avoid this foolish path. This is a foolish message of Christ crucified

that will get people into a relationship with God. Only fools can take the risk of proclaiming

a message like this. Whose fool are you? Because we have a tendency to either serve up salvation

by adding to the cross or emptying it of its power. And so we sometimes silence. The world

silences us, the world causes us to dilute the message, it causes us to avoid it or sometimes

we accessorize the simple truth. Sometimes our feet are calloused guys. Isaiah says,

how lovely are the feet of them that bring? Good news. Because the good news includes

the cross, we cannot bring good news without the cross. And sometimes our feet are calloused

because there's been a problem in that area of bringing the good news. The good news without

the cross is impossible. The good news is enmity has ended and it has ended because

someone was punished. You cannot avoid that. First Corinthians 2, and so you're thinking,

oh shucks, this is going to be difficult now because I'm not very skilled at telling people

about all this. I stumble all over the place, don't know how to teach and preach and all

this stuff. How am I going to manage? Well, you're in great company. First Corinthians

1 Corinthians 2:2–5

2 verses 2 to 5, reading from the message again. And this is Paul. When I first came

to you, and then he says something more, and then he says, when I first came to you, I

was unsure of how to go about this. Next. And I felt totally inadequate. Okay? So he

was unsure, he felt totally inadequate. Next. I was scared to death. At least you're better

off. And here's how he puts it. I was scared to death if you want to know the truth. And

here's the next statement he makes. And so nothing I said could have impressed you. You're

talking about Paul. So he says in 1 Corinthians 2, 2 to 5, when I first came to you, I was

unsure, I was totally inadequate, I was scared to death, and nothing I said could have impressed

you. Surely you feel better now. And then he goes on to say, but the message came through

anyway. But the message came through anyway. God's spirit and God's power did it. And then

he says, your life of faith is a response to God's power, not some fancy mental or

emotional footwork by me or anyone else. This is what I liked about Billy Graham's way of

preaching the gospel. It was very straightforward. There was no, and as Christ suffered on the

cross, doesn't it touch your heart? No emotional footwork, no mental, nothing like that. It

was just a straight gospel. And he expected the spirit of God to work. And boy did the

spirit of God work. Brilliant how simplicity works, man. Guys,

here are some statements that I want to end with. When the power lies not in your person

or presentation, the spirit's power will be active. When the power lies not in your person

or presentation, then you know that the power of the spirit will be demonstrated. When

the power lies not in your presentation, neither in your person, then you know that the power

of the spirit will be demonstrated. When the message is Jesus crucified, when the message,

when the heart of the message is Jesus crucified, then you know that the power of the spirit

of God will be present. Brilliant man. God in his brilliant foolishness, which is greater

than any man's wisdom, decided that hey, you want to get saved? Here's the way to do it.

You can come into a relationship with me through recognizing the crucified, butchered, humiliated

Messiah. Foolishness, that's the way. When the heart of the message is Jesus crucified,

the spirit of God will manifest. Third statement. When you forsake sophistication and acceptance,

when you forsake sophistication and acceptance, God uses you to bring people into salvation.

When you forsake sophistication and acceptance, God uses you to bring people to a place of

rescue. When you forsake sophistication and acceptance, God uses you to bring people into

a place of rescue or salvation. You know, I've always struggled with this verse, I am

not ashamed of the gospel because it's always that oh, maybe I am, maybe I'm not, maybe

I am. It's a whole jungle book thingy. And so I read the message of Jesus, and I was

like, I read the message, Romans 1.17 in the message, and it puts, it keeps the whole

idea intact, but it puts a different spin on it. Here's how the message says, I am

not ashamed of the gospel. It says it this way, I am most proud to proclaim the extraordinary

message of God's powerful plan, Christ crucified, to rescue everyone who trusts him. I think

Paul didn't know about this negative thingy at times, so instead of saying I am not ashamed

of the gospel, which raises the question, are you really? Here's the other side of

it, I am proud to proclaim this extraordinary message of God, and in brackets I have put,

Jesus crucified, to rescue everyone who trusts him. Embrace that. I am proud to proclaim

this extraordinary message of God's powerful plan, Jesus crucified, to rescue everyone

who trusts. You know, it just so happened guys, and I didn't plan this, but it just

so happened that I found two pictures, I was given two pictures, both painted by people

in this church, and one of them was this. I thought, wow, I'm so proud of this. I'm

so proud of this. Christ crucified. Can you see it? I mean, it seems like a Van Gogh painting,

but it's actually done by Aerie, an 80 year old. Christ crucified, you can't avoid this.

Christ crucified. And so there's this painting, and then if you notice the last bit I said,

it says there that I'm most proud to proclaim the extraordinary message of God's powerful

plan, Jesus crucified, to rescue everyone who trusts him. And I was cleaning my drawer

and I came across this picture. And I don't know if you can see it clearly, but I'll leave

it here. It's a table that's set, and there's a plate for Isaac and Joseph and Jacob and

Abraham, and then there's a place for a son by faith, where you get rescued and you get

to sit at the banqueting table of God. One was done by an 80 year old, the other one

was done by a 28 year old, both at Acts 29. So this was done by Mariana, this was done

by Aerie. That kind of sums up what we're talking about. This is the only way to come

into this place, man. Christ crucified rescues you and seats you at the table. It's the only

way guys. Embrace it. This is being fools for the king, but again it comes back to Rob

Hoskins' question. Which kingdom do you belong to? Answer that and you will have audacious

faith. Beautifully. So here's how I want us to conclude. Guys, as you feel free, rise

up and tell us in three or four lines how you got saved. How did it happen? I'll tell

you how it happened with me so you know what format to follow. First time I heard it was

when a group from the US came in the days of flower power and Jesus power and all this

stuff and they sang songs and one of them came up to me at this crusade that they were

having and I went up. He came up to me and he asked me, have you received Jesus? I didn't

know what it meant, but I burst into tears because I knew I didn't know what it meant.

The next time it was a man who in Bihar, which is a province in India, called the graveyard

of missions because most missions don't survive there. A man came and told us as a family

about Jesus. Didn't know how to go about it. And then finally in 1988 it was three people

who came and kept telling me about Jesus and then one day it happened. That's how I came

because someone came and kept sowing, kept sowing, three, four different occasions people

kept in, kept sowing the same thing. Do you know Jesus? Do you know that Jesus died for

you? They didn't avoid the cross. They all talked about the cross. That's how I became

a Christian in 1988 or thereabouts where I finally said, okay, now I understand. Let's

take that step. What about you? If I can keep it to four or five sentences, surely you can.

What about you? Share your story. How did it happen? Go ahead.

I was five or six. I remember reading these stories and wanting what the characters and

the stories had of knowing God and being able to walk in God. I asked my parents about having

that same thing, about having Jesus. That was it at that young age.

Awesome. Anyone else? Wayne, you can switch the thing off.