By One Man's Obedience || At the Movies Pt.3 || Pastor Diego Mesa

Welcome to the Lesse podcast. Here at Lesse we seek the loss, teach

the found, and send the disciplists. We truly hope you're encouraged by this

week's message. So let's stand on our feet. We'll get into the message

today. But here's the opening verse that we're going to discuss today. It's

an amazing verse found in Romans A fifth chapter. Therefore, us, through

one man's offense, judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation. Even

so, through one man's righteous act, the free gift came to all,

resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's who's he talking about

the one man's this is Adam's transgression, the original man in the guard of

Eden, that's who the first man. For as by one man's disobedience Adams,

many were made sinners. So also by one man's obedience, who's this

this is Jesus. By one man's obedience, many will be made righteous.

You may be sit You may sit down. Father, Thank you for the

few moments that we could preach the gospel, the good news, and may

that resonate in the hearts of people today. In Jesus name, you know

you and I have a choice, and the choice is we're gonna identify with

Adam's sin, which produces condemnation and judgment and death, or we're gonna choose

Jesus, which brings life, forgiveness and righteousness. People say that's not fair,

especially when you talk to an atheist. Are you trying to tell me,

mister that I'm a sinner because of somebody that lived thousands of years ago

in a garden and because he sinned, I'm a sinner. That's not fair.

And I would look at them and say, you know what, You're

right, it's not fair. But you know what else isn't fair that you

have a choice to become righteous because of something someone else did that you don't

have to earn or deserve. So who are you going to identify with today?

Whose life path journey do you want to take road? Do you want

to follow Adam? Or do you want to say thank God for Jesus And

I have a choice to go to heaven and be forgiven to my sins and

be made righteous because He did that for me. Today at the movies,

we're going to be talking about a movie that came out earlier part of this

year called the Jesus Revolution. How many of you ever saw the Jesus Revolution?

A few of you, okay. It's a story of a man named

Chuck Smith. He's a middle age preacher and his congregation is reflected by the

fact that there's no growth. Everybody is gray haired in that church. Young

people are not coming to that church. He cannot effectively reach the generation of

people living in sin. He has not the message to communicate with them,

so much so that even his daughter is being affected and she doesn't want to

come to church, much like other children today are not coming to church.

They have no way to relate, and so he has a choice either to

stay the way he is or choose to follow this new direction that God is

putting on his heart to preach to lost people, to invite sinners to come

and to trust God for their transformation. Will I stay the same or am

I willing to change for Jesus? Am I willing to be comfortable the way

things are? Or do I believe that God wants better results for my life?

Wants the screens has to introduced. The movie Jesus Revolution is based on

a true story about revival that sparked in California in the early seventies. Oh

no, no, no, I gotta be more hype about Jesus Revolution.

Let's rewar in this play the theme music You want a revolution, all right

everyone? So. Jesus Revolution is based on a true story about revival that

sparked in California in the early seventies. A relatively unknown pastor at the time

named Chuck Smith who's played here by Kelsey Grammer. You know, Frazier Tass

salad and scrambled eggs. Tass salads and scrambled eggs. Well. He ran

a church that was falling off in popularity because they were unable to connect with

the younger, live free generation. Chuck is very skeptical about the hippies.

They were a really big thing at this moment in time. But his skepticism

begins to change when he meets a guy named Lonnie Frisbie, who had been

let's say, very deep into the drug culture. Ironically, on an acid

trip, he found Jesus and he became a charismatic hippie street preacher. He

and Chuck joined forces to start the successful movement. There is an entire generation

switching for God. What you're seeing is not something to explain something to be

experienced. This is a house of worship. We're making our congregation uncomfortable.

Maybe they should be uncomfortable. They don't belong here. This is your home

and I want you to tell all your friends about it. Chuck Smith Church

began welcoming in hippies, which included a young man named Greg Glory, over

the protests of some of his more conservative members. Now, together these three

men launched a movement that brought back the roots of Jesus's message and making it

accessible to this new generation of young and disaffected Baby boomers who are looking for

answers. You will find forgiveness and freedom. Now much of the story is

seen through the eyes of a young Greg, especially in the later half of

the movie, who was on a discipleship journey after being saved and radically impacted

by the Gospel. The beauty of this movement through the church growing people coming

to faith, baptisms, healing, and community strengthening. But we're also invited

into the tension of Greg's life. We see Greg's love interest Kathy, who

helps lead him to the Lord, and the lack of acceptance and approval of

their relationship from her parents. We see Greg's difficult home life and challenging relationship

with his present yet absent, alcoholic mother. We see Lonnie leaving for Florida

after disagreements with Chuck, and the list just keeps going on and on.

Now life is not perfect for Greg. The road is definitely not easy,

but as he continues to walk with Christ, we see his purpose being revealed

through one man's obedience. The Lord was able to use Chuck to spread the

word to millions. He was skeptical at first, but when he stepped out

of his comfort zone, look at the wonders that happened. And without Chuck

there would definitely be nor Greg. So if God could use Chuck, think

of how God could use you, if only you took that leap of faith

and stepped out of your comfort zone. I hope it's okay. They stay

here too, No, it's not. Overall, this movement gets us thinking,

wondering, asking those hard questions. Was that experience only for a time

long ago? Well, Jesus Revolution gives us a glimpse of what not only

happened in the late sixties and seventies, but what can be true for us

today. So everyone sit back, relax, and let's see what it takes

to make a revolution. We're gonna identify a little bit with Chuck Smith today

because you're Chuck, and you're in a comfortable place right now, and you're

in a familiar place right now, and you have to make a choice either

to go where God wants to take you that you may have never been before,

or to remain the same. For some, it'll be a challenge because

you'll say, I'm not a preacher, and you know what that I can't

identify. But in a few moments, I'll introduce you to someone who you

can identify with. The reality is, if you're in southern California, we're

all familiar with Calvary Chapel and you have heard of the name Chuck Smith before.

But the reality is is that in the sixties and seventies, when I

was a young person and getting to be a teenager, I was very very

And if you've been if you were in this area, you're well aware of

this. This was lived out before your eyes, this was on news.

You had a relative that maybe was living out there in Costa Mason experiencing that,

and so I was birthed out of that spiritually birthed out of that because

the latter part of it. In nineteen seventy eight, a seventeen year old

Mexican from Manta Balo got born again because of that movement that swept into Catholicism.

And we were getting born again young teenagers and spirit filled in the Catholic

Church. And they didn't know what to do with us because we were tired

of religion and ritualism and we rejected all that was not found in the Bible

but that man had taught. But yet they could not deny that our experience

was real. And I was a part of that. And then several years

ago, when Chuck was alive He's gone to Heaven now, I was on

a show called TBN with him and I had the privilege of walking with him

to the studio as we parked next to each other and listening to this eighty

year old man talk to me. He didn't know me from Adam, let's

just say, and was very pleasant toward me, and I enjoyed my short

time with him. Today, I want to talk a little bit about by

one man's obedience, you will affect many people, but by disobedience, you

also will affect many people. I love this quote by Everett Hale, and

it goes like this, I am only one, but still I am one.

I cannot do everything, but I could still do something. And because

I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I

can do. What is that something that only you can do? You know

what? Several hundred years ago there was a study by a strong Christian that

led a spiritual awakening here in America by the name of Jonathan Edwards. There

was also a known criminal in our nation. Everyone knew about, names Max

Jukes. They studied the heritage the ancestors of these two men, and watch

what it proved. Max Jukes was the criminal. From him and his family

line, three ten people died as pulpers, which means they lived in poverty

homelessness. Five hundred and fifty of them were criminals, seven of them were

murders. More than one hundred drunkards, and one hundred and ninety prostitutes came

from this man's loins. Jonathan Edwards was a Christian. From him came thirteen

college presidents, sixty five college professors, seventy five military officers, at eighty

public servants, sixty authors, sixty doctors, thirty judges, one hundred pastors,

one hundred lawyers, three United States senators, and one Vice president.

By one man your obedience, you will reproduce obedience. By my disobedience.

It will reproduce disobedience by one man or woman's obedience. It causes a domino

ripple effect. Here is the lie and the falsehood that you and I buy

into by our culture and by this world today. The falsehood says this,

what I do does not affect, does not bother or hurt anyone else.

So I have a right to be a pornographer. I have a right to

cheat. I have a right to be a drunkard. I have a right.

I have a right, and I ain't hurting nobody but me wrong.

Your children are watching you, your wives are watching you, your co workers

are watching you, your neighbors are watching you. You are a ripple effect,

and it needs to stop with me. It needs to stop with you

and change the course of what I'm reproducing and not buy into that falsehood.

I have a right look at somebody and tell something. You don't have a

right to nothing. I don't care if you're born in America, where it's

a diplomatic society. You're a heavenly citizen. You're not an American citizen alone.

You're a heavenly citizen. And this is not a democrat. Heaven is

not a democracy. It's a theocracy. He rules, he raised, He

doesn't ask you your opinion, He doesn't ask me my opinion. He doesn't

need your vote. He don't ask me me to vote. There ain't no

striking I protest. You either recognize it is an honor to be a servant

and a subject in his kingdom, in which there are benefits and blessings,

or you don't see it that way. You don't, You just don't see

it that way, so you know it causes this ripple reproductive effect, ripple

effect. Here's a great scripture that really drives it. It's found in Romans

A fourteen chapter and it says this, no one lives unto himself, and

no one dies unto himself. There it is, that's the Bible. Here's

another translation, which I think is really cool. It says, we are

not our own bosses. You're not the hefe You think you're the hef A.

You act like you're the hef a, but you ain't the hefe not

when you said Jesus is my lord, because lord means he fat, it

means boss. I need the boss's permission. I'm under the boss's authority.

I'm under the boss's control in every aspect of my life. We are not

our own bosses. To live or die and underlive and die is how you

behave what you choose, how you act, your actions, your lifestyle,

your decisions. It's you have to ask the boss man. Can I cush

you out? I have to ask the boss man? Can I throw you

the finger? I have to ask the boss man right now? Can I

just take all my money and go to Vegas and spending? I have to

ask the boss man right now? I feel a really horny Can I watch

this internet from I have to ask the boss See now you woke up?

Good morning? A second service man. I'm getting old and I don't think

I'm gonna have a baby because I can't find a man. So I'm just

gonna sleep around one night so I can have my baby. Did did the

boss man say that? Did you mean with the boss man? He said,

Man, you need a baby, go ahead and just shack up with

to nine. You've been living with this first and for thirty years. Not

marry you're shacking up. You have five kids, grand children. Did you

get permission to do? Oh? You passed it? You say, man,

you need to take another break. This is too hard. You can't

come back to this every week. Here's the reality. The reality is this

is that one man can affect many and also one person's disobedience. There was

a great movie called Hacksaw Ridge and it was about one man who was a

medic who saved seventy five of his fellows shoulder soldiers on this ridge called hack

Saw where the Japanese were dominating and forces and battalions could not overtake them until

this man stood up there and he saved seventy five of his fellow soldiers,

risking his life with no gun. And there's a famous line in it,

which ought to be our line every day we woke up. It goes like

this, Please Lord, help me get one more. Please Lord, help

me get one more. He dragged one out to safety, put him down

the net. Lord, Please Lord, help me get one more. Help

me to get one more. Help me say one more, my neighbor,

my co worker, my family, help me get Lord, one more.

Let's go to this teaching and I'm gonna show you a few scriptures, and

I want to introduce you to somebody that you can identify with through his obedience.

It says in Mark fifteen, and they compelled they passed buyer by the

name of Simon Syrene, who was coming from the country. Was coming from

the country the father of Alexander and rufus to carry his cross. So let's

stop there and break that down, because here's the plot that you're just reading.

Mark is now telling us the name of an individual, and his name

is Simon. Mark is telling you where he came from. He came from

Syrene. Syrene is in Africa. This is a dark skinned African. He

was walking by, passing by that just seemed coincident. During the crucifixion,

this happened. Then the Mark wants to go a little bit extra and he

wants to tell you that he was a father, and not only that,

he wants to tell you the name of his two sons. When the Holy

Spirit authors the Bible, he is not just saying, you know what,

the book needs to be really long, So what can we add, Oh,

yeah, he was a father, Let's say, what were the name

of his son's Rufus, And let's just throw it in there. It has

no relevance. Just throw Rufus and Alexander there, or does it? Let's

look at Luke's version of the story, or the next version. It says,

And as they led him away, that's Jesus. They laid hold of

a certain man, Simon of Syrene, who was coming from the country,

and on him they laid the cross. Who's cross, Jesus's cross, that

he might he might bear it after or for Jesus. Twenty years have now

passed, after the Resurrection. Now Romans, Paul is writing to the Roman

Church Roman Christians. And here is what Paul says in Romans. If you

read all the sixteen he starts naming people that were in the church. Then

he gets to this one line in thirteen he says, greet Rufus, Where

have I heard that name before? Who? Who's Rufus? Oh chosen in

the Lord? Which means he's a Christian, because all those people proceeding are

Christians, all those people afterwards are christ They're in the church. What says

and his mother, Wait a minute, when did missus Syrene get in the

picture? And his mother what says, dropped the mic. Slap someone right

now and mine, I just gave you a hit. Who wrote this letter?

Paul? Who is he calling his mama? He's saying Rufus is his

real mama, but she is my spiritual How many of you ever heard of

spiritual mothers in the church. This just didn't come with a denomination. Who

is Paul? He wrote two thirds in the New Testament. He brought of

the message of grace to the gentiles. Paul is a big boy, and

he says, I have a spiritual mother. And of all the Christian sisters

and women that I have met in my ministry, I have chosen one,

or God has chosen one for me. And is her name is Missus Simon

of Cyrene. I don't know if you realize how powerful that is. That's

just like you know what, I just need to marinate on what I just

read. So multiculturalism has always existed in the Christian Church. Paul was from

Middle East. Now he has a spiritual black mama. Yes he's a man

of authority, but he submits to your spiritual authority. This Spibo, there's

just so many beautiful principles here. There's something he admires about this woman.

How did all this happen all because of one man's obedience. Let me show

you what I mean. Watch this, Watch what the stage for a moment.

So this is Jesus right now. He's carrying his cross. Anytime now,

Jesus, you want to come walking out. He's carrying his cross on

his way to a place called Galgotha, or where we get the term calvary.

Jesus is dehydrated, hasn't eaten, he hasn't slept, he's sleep deprived.

He's bleedy, he's exhausted, he's been whipped and tormented. He drops

the cross. He can't go no further. He's walked down the Via della

Rossa from where he's been whipped, near Punk's pilot's house, all the way

up this little bit of a grade six hundred and fifty yards more than six

football fields. This man has carried a three hundred pound cross on his back.

Now, the Bible doesn't tell us how far he walked. The Bible

tells us that he could not go no further. So there's a crowd of

people that have been watching this randomly. The soldier grabs one person and pulls

him out. His name is Simon Syrene. Immediately Simon picks up Jesus's DNA

that's on this cross. His blood is now on him, Jesus is next

to him. The perspiration and the sweat begins to drip on this man.

And now he has the assignment, the job, the calling, the privilege

to walk this cross up the via dela Rossa to Galgutha and put it there.

Whether he, Jesus will be nailed to that cross, for all mankind

sin by one man's obedience, many will be made righteous by one seemingly act

of insignificance. Opportunity of intersecting the business of my life will alter Simon Syrene's

life. Let's break it down for a moment, because now you are Simon

Syrene. And what I recognize from this story is this, did the Roman

soldiers find Simon or did Jesus find Simon? Because it may look the way

in narrative like it was a coincidence, like it was accidental. But if

you believe that your steps are ordered by God, and there are certain things

that God has called ordained since you were in your mother's womb, and ask

you to do, then wait a minute. This isn't random that I meet

this person. Isn't random that I married this person. It isn't random that

Cindy SEUs Smith came into my life in February of eighty three. No other

woman could have put up with Diego. I applied to Bible School in eighty

two. Nobody gets denied to Bible School, but I got rejected. Why

because if I got accepted, I would have never intersected this woman in February

of eighty three, I would have been living in Oklahoma and she would have

been in West Covina. What doesn't make sense from your viewpoint makes absolute sense

from God's perspective. He knows what he's doing if did your have that?

So the next point about Simon Syrene is huge too, and that is did

the Roman soldiers make Simon carry Jesus's cross or did Jesus allow Simon to carry

it? To two different perspectives here, did Jesus really need the help?

Yeah? Probably because are based upon we said he really needed the help he

needed. He needed Simon to say, I can only carry it so far?

Would you carry it the rest of it for me? On this earth?

Will you carry it to your lost friends. Will you carry it to

your co workers? Will you carry it to your neighbors? A few things

I want to challenge us with today. But the thought is this, don't

tell me you're insignificant. Don't tell me what you can't do. Don't tell

me what your past looks like. Don't tell me that you cannot affect other

people. Because the story tells us we can, The movie tells us we

can, The script tells us we can. Here are three things that I

learned from this story from Simon Cyrene. And the reality is this is that

Jesus doesn't need you. Jesus doesn't need you to carry the work of the

cross, but he needs you to carry the weight of the cross. Can

I have some ooze right now? Come on, when you're watching a movie.

You're not quiet, you make some noise. You can't carry the work

of the Cross. You're not sinless. You're not the lamb that was slaying

before the foundations of this world. You can't die from mankind sin past,

present, and future. You can't be the savior theological words. You can't

be up to propitiation, justification, ransom, media term Messiah, can't Jesus

doesn't want you to do that work. But he does want you to carry

the weight of the cross. That weight was three hundred pounds. You need

to challenge yourself, when do I feel the weight of the cross in my

life. If you don't feel no weight, you really need to check up

whether you really are a Christ's follower, because that weight has weight to it,

and there's some difficulty in that, and there's some uneasiness in that,

and there's some inconvenience in that, and there's some death of myself in that.

That's the weight of the cross. And that's the problem with modern Christianity.

We have no weight that we're caring. Let me say it this way.

Here's what the Bible says in Matthew sixteen, in the words of Jesus,

Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone desires to come after me,

let him deny himself, take up that cross, his cross, and follow

me. He expects you to pick up that cross and take it to the

destination. He wants you to take it to that assigned place, wherever that

is that he wants you to. But you and I have to be willing

to take up the weight of the cross. The weight of the Cross comes

in three areas that you and I will live out every day, on our

jobs and in our homes and our families. You have to take up the

weight of love, because love has a weight, and it is heavy.

Sometimes, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking to me. As

you're polishing, you're halo on your head. People hurt me, they betray

me, they lie to you, they disappoint you, they talk about you,

they persecute you, they backstab you. And that's just in the morning

of your day. Then you move on the afternoon. It's easy to love

the lovable, But all these unlovable people that drive on the freeways and drive

too slow, drive too fast. Anybody know what I'm talking about? All

these incumpetent people on my job that I can't even find them on my job,

don't know what they do. It's all the elitches in my family.

I'm just I'm having fun. Don't get offended. I didn't call your name

out. I didn't do that. God Jesus asks us to carry the weight

of the Cross, which means you need to love people who don't deserve it,

who are totally of different persuasion than you, or whatever you don't relate

to first Corinthian says it this way. It says love and doors long?

There it is there, it is you want your definition of love? Love

and doors long? How much can you take? And is patient and kind?

Love is never envious, nor is the boil of what jealousy? Now

Here's I just wanted to highlight how many times it says this. Love is

not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. Love is not conceited,

arrogant, or inflated with pride. Love is not rude, unmannerly,

and does not act unbecoming late God's love in us. Love does not insist

on its own rights or its own ways. Love is not south seeking why

this is huge. Love is not touchy, fretful, or sentful. This

is what I say. Love is not moody. Love takes no account of

an evil done to It pays no attention to a suffered wrong. Will stop

there. That's the kind of love that how many of you know that love

hurts? That love has a weight. And I'm either gonna put that thing

on me and carry it to where Jesus wants me to carry it, or

I'm gonna throw that thing down and say I'm not carrying that weight. I'm

gonna cush you out, and I'm gonna hurt you really bad. You're getting

my face. I'm gonna slice and dice you. I'm gonna give you a

piece of my mind, and I'm not gonna forgive you. And I'm gonna

hold bitterness until the day you die, and after you die, I'm gonna

die with that bitterness. Could care less of Jesus forgiving me four hundred and

seventy times or ninety times, But I ain't forgiven you. You shouldn't have

betrayed me. You shouldn't molested me. You shouldn't have stolen my grandmama's inheritance.

You should It's a wait. Then there's a weight of service. God

expects us to give the weight of service through our time, our talent,

our treasures, volunteering, serving, assisting, helping, not watching, coming

to church and doing nothing. There's no weight in coming to church. There's

weight when I pick up that cross and I serve you. There's weight when

I humble myself and take care of your children and children's church, take care

of your car in the parking lot. Smile at you when you come in,

and the and the list can go on. Where's your service? There's

a way to that service. That's what he asks you to pick up the

service. It's amazing how in the church we sing all these beautiful songs like

that. Here's here's one of my favorite. A surrender all as a tear

comes down my face. Ah, surrender as the other tear comes down my

face. Oh to jeezus, shut up. You ain't surrendering nothing. Did

you? Did you financially give to day? No? Where are you volunteering

in this church? No? I surrender all. Come on, and the

last thing that we deal with is our witness to the Lord or a witness

for the Lord, which is really beautiful because after this one moment, which

is huge Jesus. Simon Syrene was not a disciple of Jesus that spent three

and a half years with him. I don't know how many minutes that was.

I don't know, but it's it's it's in minute form. It's not

an hour, years, decade. He had nothing to do with that.

One few minutes with Jesus altered the trajectory of his life. He left Jerusalem,

he went back to his African country. He led his wife to the

Lord, he led his two sons to the Lord, and he led as

many people in the city of Syrene to the Lord. Because on the day

of Pentecost, it'll list the seventeen or the languages and nations that are there,

and one of them is Syrene. Where did these believers waiting for the

day of Pentecosts come from? This man brought them he got I'm saved,

or he was there. There's something there that represents something he did. It's

a witness on my co workers, my friends, strangers, as God leads

me, as God directs me. The burden, the weight, the job

that God wants me to carry on that cross is witness for me. Tell

me what tell others what I've done for you, and tell them my story.

There's a great song by the late great Andrea Crouch, and it goes

like this. It says, tell them, tell them even though they don't

believe, tell them even though they don't receive, Tell them for me.

Please tell them. You gotta tell him or you're not carrying the weight of

the cross. Yeah, you're gonna get rejected. You're gonna because I get

that Jesus junk out of me. Don't ever do it again. That's a

weight. Carry the weight, pick it up. When I was a little

boy, I think it would be some form of abuse today if they did

it. But when I was in kindergarten in first grade, they used to

pin a note on me, and that note was ensuring that I would not

lose it but take it back to my mommy or daddy and they would take

that pin off of me and read the note. Anybody my age that remembers

the note, Yeah, they don't do note no more, because you'd sue

the teacher. You'd sue the school district because that was a polo shirt that

costs you twenty five dollars and you want reimbursement for it, and there was

a potential threat of getting poked, and so you sue. But that's what

we did. We'd walk home like this because we'd be threat the teacher threat.

Don't you touch that note. You make sure that it gets That's what

Jesus does when you get Savy pins a note to your shirt and says let

them let the world read it. Let the world read. But you rip

it off trying to be cool hip. I don't want people to know him

a Christian. The second thing we're almost done is as the second point is

this about Jesus and Simon of Cyrene. Jesus doesn't come just to touch you.

He comes to transform you. Jesus just didn't come to touch Simon.

He came to transform Simon. And in the church, we've got a lot

of people that have been touched by Jesus, but you're not transformed. This

is not a feeling. Christianity is not an emotion. It's a transformation of

change. And we should be able through the Holy Spirit, by the power

of the Holy Spirit, to see what you once were to how you've been

transformed. And if you look the same in your habits, your behaviors,

the people you hang around with, and your lifestyle from when he touched you,

then you really need to re examine whether you truly are a Christian or

christ follower or not because Jesus didn't come to touch you with a feeling.

Oh I feel so loved, I feel so welcome to you. He's so

tending. He came to transform you. And this belief, this belief in

him now produces a behavior. The old person is dead with all those bad

habits and lifestyles and addictions and hatred and bondages and reputation, and this new

person now shines at so much like Christ. It's a journey. It doesn't

happen overnight. It's you depending on the Holy Spirit, who's the teacher,

who's like your therapist, who will reveal to you. Shut your mouth right

now, you're acting crazy right now, don't be watching that, don't be

drinking that. You say, Oh man, I feel convicted, never felt

convicted before, and now you start feeling convicted, and now he starts delivering

you, and he starts changing you. It's gotta be more than a belief.

Guys. That's why our grandchildren don't come to church. That's why our

children don't come to church, as they've only seen a belief in you.

They don't see a behavior in you or in us. There's an amazing quote

that I'd like to quote about this point. It says this, it's not

good enough to have an impression with Christ if there's no expression. There has

to be an expression of this impression that He has made in my life.

If that is true, and that is real and sincere and I believe it

is, then express it let us absolutely see it in all areas of our

lives. My third point, in my last point, is this is that

when Jesus comes, and he will every day of our lives, when we

least expect it, Like you know, Simon of Cyrene, didn't expect that,

didn't think about that that that morning. That's the way Jesus comes to

you. Then you've got to realize that that's a Jesus opportunity right there,

and I can't oppose it. This is divine. This is absolutely divine.

How God set this thing up for Simon. It's absolutely divine. How God

sets you up to come to church today, hear this message today, or

wherever you are in life or goal in life. You and I have to

see that as Wait a minute, this isn't an accident, This isn't random,

this isn't coincidental. This is a God intersection taking place in my life

that will either reproduce righteousness after me, or will we reproduce death after me.

But the choice is mine. Will I accept the opportunity and accept it

with joy? Or will I oppose it and say leave the cross there,

thank you, but no, thank you, I ain't carrying it. One

of my grandsons is Matthias. That's pastor Adam and Ashley's son. I love

all, we love all our grandchildren, but Matthias is unique because Matthias the

first first, the moment you see him as he walked into a room.

He always walks in like this, like either he heard a joke before he

came in or somehow. But he doesn't come in like just average face or

so he comes in and then the smile gets bigger after that based on what

happens, and I just love it. He comes in, he comes in

the smile. So sometimes we may have a gift for him. Okay,

So it could be a like a funkal pop because he loves Spider Man.

Okay, well I'm speed so stupid right now. What's the Spider Man that

he likes? Cindy Miles Morales. So you give him anything with Miles Morales

and he will be your best friend. Okay, because he thinks he's Miles.

Okay, so so we'll give him that and then he goes the smile

like really big. Or it could be like this. Sometimes I'll have a

sticker and I'll go here's your sticker. He goes, huh, put it

on, Put it on, put it on. The guy's so crazy.

I could get pick up a rock and say, here's a rock. Here'll

go a rock. And when Jesus comes to you with the cross, you

need to go, and he just starts walking towards you. See attitude there,

You and I we need to get rid of all the excuses justification.

When those opportunities come to say, here's what we do as as Christian.

I'll pray about it. You liar, you ain't praying about nothing. There's

what we lie, you know what with a big sincere face because somebody's asking

us. I'll think about it. I remember, think about it. I'd

love to, but my wife, you know, my wis my wife.

I have to ask my wife. Come on, we have all kinds of

excuses. We have all kinds of and you just gotta let put those excuses

aside. I want to end with this story. Pastor John. You are

a Dallas Cowboy fan. Are there any other Dallas Cowboy fans in him?

How's your team? Should I ask you? Is this going to be the

year again? Or to ask ask Emmett to come out of retirement again.

But back in the day, there was a great quarterback that played for Dallas.

He was called Roger's Starback, okay, and he had a coach by

the name of Tom Landry. Roger's Starback was the Heisman Trophy winner of his

year. He came out of Navy. He was an All American. His

stats were better than any quarterback. The reality of this time and this era

was that the quarterback got to call his home plays. He called the shots.

But when you played for Tom Landry, you don't call the plays and

you don't call the shots because you're not the coach. You're not the HEFA.

And I don't care how bad you are, mister Roger's Starback and how

many trophies you've got in the big salary you got, I'm the A.

And so they clashed. They couldn't win games. There were no Super Bowls

under that leadership because Roger's Starback, even though he was gifted, talented and

great, he was arrogant. But when he submitted to the authority of Tom

Landry, then they started winning Super Bowls. And here is the quote that

Roger's Starback says about that whole episode. I had to face the issue of

obedience. Once I learned to obey the laws. Then we had harmony,

we had fulfillment, we had victory, and we ultimately had Super Bowls.

How many have ever seen a third base coach in baseball he going like this

with his hat. Is it because he's got an itch in his butt?

Is that why he's doing that? Is? What's he doing? What's he

doing to the guy at the plate? He's throwing him signals? So and

I want you to know Jesus is throwing signals all the time. How to

treat your wife, how to raise your kids, how to act. And

you're either gonna think you're Roger's starback and dismiss that, or say, I'm

gonna win some Super Bowls because my hef and my boss knows what he's talking

about and by one man's obedience. Father, I thank you Father today for

the message. I pray it resonates in the hearts of every single one of

us. Thank you for the story of Simon Syrene in the Bible. He

took the cross from Jesus and was forever altered and changed his wife, his

children, his city. And he's mentioned the Bible for just one moment an

intersection of time. His life was changed help us, help us to make

a difference wherever we go with the message that you have given us, with

the callings, the jobs, the responsibly reveal these things to your people,

God in Jesus name. Amen. In a few moments, we're going to

leave this church and we're gonna walk out of here together. But right now

I'm gonna ask that nobody moved, and we're gonna reverence the presence of God

because I want to talk to you a little bit today about the story that

we just read today, when we talked about when we talked about this cross.

Because the reality of this cross is that you either accept it or you

reject it. You either accept Jesus or you reject Jesus. There's no neutrality

with the Cross. Has nothing to do with you being a good person,

a great humanitarian, military veteran, nice to your mother, has nothing to

do with anything. It's Jesus. Do you accept him or do you reject

him? You are right now, as you hear me today, on the

property wherever you are, on the road of intersection now and the cross has

laid before you. The message is given to you. Now do you accept

it or do you reject it? But to be honest with you. I

have to tell you what it looks like to accept it or to reject it,

so you can make your decision. Should you accept Jesus Christ as your

Lord and savior, you are forgiven of all your sins. There's no human

being on this planet planet that can remember all the sins that they've done all

their life. But amazingly, when you accept Jesus, as far as the

east is the west, he'll no longer remember those sins. You are washed

and you will never be judged for those sins. Immediately you are made a

child of God. Immediately your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Immediately when you die, you will be ushered into Heaven. You will

experience such peace, enjoy and love and happiness and acceptance because you have accepted

Jesus Christ, all because of one moment of a decision. I accept your

love for me that died on the cross, and I'm a sinner and I

can't save myself. So I ask you to come into my heart. So

let's talk about the other side of the cross. The other side of the

cross is what happens to you when you reject him. I don't need you

I don't want you. I got my own theology, my own beliefs.

No difference me and you, and Buddha and you and ah Allah and you

and Addi Krishna, ain't no difference. I reject you. I don't believe

that you are the only means of salvation. I believe that I can earn

my way. I believe others can earn my way. Though I appreciate you

are a moral man, appreciate what you did if you did it, Appreciate

your healings that you gave. But I reject you. And by rejecting you,

I accept the consequences of my rejection. And if what you say is

true, I don't care that I'm going to hell. I don't care that

I'm gonna be damned. I don't care that I'm gonna be tormented. I

don't care that I'm gonna be separated from everyone that I've loved in this life,

not for a moment, for eternity. I reject you. I know

that's harsh, guys, but that's the truth of what you. Happens when

you accept and when you reject. So now I lay this in front of

you today, as Simon did. Do you pick it up or do you

walk away from it? When I count to three. If you say,

I'm ready to pick that thing up now, I'm willing to rededicate my life

to the Lord. I'm willing to accept Christ for the first time. Then

when I count to three, I want you to raise your hand for Jesus,

not for me, not for anyone, but for Jesus today because he

raised himself up on across as the least you can do one. I don't

care about who you are. Forget about reputation. That's what stops us so

much, our pride, our arrogance, our ego. Put it aside.

You need Jesus. One two, one, two three, Raise your hand

all across this auditorium, wherever you might be, all of you that are

raising your hand, and wants you to do one more thing. I want

you to make the walk now. I want you to come out of the

out of the chairs, come down the altar, and meet me in front

of this stage right now. For Jesus. You're gonna make the walk now.

If you're in the courtyard, make the walk into the sanctuary. If

you're in the mother's room, make the walk. If you're in the cafeteria.

Make the walk. It's a walk of love and acceptance. Is a

cross of forgiveness, healing, and deliverance. It's a cross that represents power

to change anyone, to deliver anybody, to heal anybody. A broken hearts,

a wayward lifestyle, filth, perversion, grotesqueness, disgustedness, it doesn't

matter. It's all paid for on the cross. Come. Come just as

you are, broken, empty, nothing to offer but you. I want

to challenge people as they're coming. But I want to challenge people they're walking

out of this sanctuary. There's nothing more, nothing more offensive than you walking

out when someone is getting saved. Right now, you're saying that these people

don't matter to Jesus, and they do because all of us in our seats

were once these people. How many of you know that I'm gonna thank you

for coming to this altar. I'm gonna lead you in a prayer today.

I just want you to know if it wasn't real, I wouldn't be trying

to sell it. I'm too old to try to sell something. And if

this walk of Jesus for forty four years hasn't made a heal of difference in

my life. I wouldn't be telling you. I just say you don't figure

it out on your own, man. But I know what I used to

be. And when Adam makes a little comment about my dad taking me to

a school and telling me all that my dad never did that to me,

but that Jesus in me taught me how to be a father when I had

no example necessarily of that. So don't tell me what you can't do.

We're gonna talk about what you can do now because of Jesus in your life,

and how you will change the domino effect of everybody after you. Just

say this with me, Dear Lord Jesus. You know who I am,

and you know everything I've done, and I can't say I'm sorry enough.

All I can ask you to do is forgive me today sept the Cross,

the message of the Cross and what Jesus did for me. Jesus, would

you come and live in my heart? And would you be my lord,

my savior and my boss from this moment forward. Jesus is the Lord of

my life, and I surrender my life to him. When I leave this

altar, the old me stays at this altar, and the new me in

Christ will now live and make a difference. I am set free by the

power of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus, devil, I am

no longer your property and you have no more control over my life. I

am set free. Jesus is the Lord of my life. Amen, come

on, let's give the Lord a clap offer. We really hope you enjoyed

the message, and if you said yes to Jesus, we just want to

say congratulations and give you a free devotional to help you walk out your faith.

Click the link in the description or head over to grow dot Faith to

download your devotional. Oh and be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with

your friends. Thanks for listening to ALSC podcasts and I hope you tune in again.