Do y'all know we've changed the name of our church multiple times in the last several years. Like when I first came to this church, it was a first assembly of God Raleigh. Then we changed it to Raleigh First Assembly. Then we named it RFA Church. And then we named it Cross Assembly.
And since I plan on keeping the current name for one more month, Uh I I want to remind you of something a couple years ago when we changed the name of our church. I told y'all, once a year, I was going to remind you of why we changed the name of our church to Cross Assembly. I'm going to do that this week.
Next week, Pastor Chris will be preaching here. Pastor Joe will be preaching at the North Campus. I'll go back to 1 Peter to start reading 1 Peter chapter 2. Darling, I hope they're gone. Look, this is the craziest thing that's ever happened to us before.
We're supposed to be leading a group on the footsteps of Paul. Part of that team that we're going to leave tomorrow, we have to go to some islands in the Mediterranean to visit some biblical sites, so we had to take a cruise. Our cruise ship is stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.
Something about a war or something going on, I don't know. And then we got news last night. that Lufonza Our plane, they're on strike. They've canceled all the flights. You know, Lufonza is a German airline.
And if World War II taught us anything. You can't trust the Germans. I'm joking. Junk. I'm joking.
I'm going to get a nasty email from Mr. Klinghoffer this week or something.
So, you know, we plan on being gone next week. We'll see what happens. Meads Ranch, Kansas is what they call the geodetic center of the United States. In fact, you can go to Meads Ranch, Kansas today, and there's a small disk right there in the middle of that ranch that says this is the geodetic center of the United States.
Now that might not mean a lot to you. But in the days before the GPS That was a reference point that marked everything in the United States. If you wanted to build a dam, You would do it in reference point to Meads Ranch, Kansas. If you wanted to build a house or build a building. That was the reference point.
If you wanted to launch a missile. from America. It was all done In relation to the center, the geodetic center of the United States, Meads Ranch. Kansas. Because the government knew If the center's not right, Nothing's right.
I want you to understand, we call ourselves cross assembly because the geodetic center of the Christian life is the cross of Jesus Christ. The geodetic center of Paul's life was the cross of Jesus Christ. Here's what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1 through 2. And I, brethren, when I came to you, Did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom. Declaring to you the testimony of God.
And look what he says. For I determined not to know anything among you except. Jesus Christ? And him crucified. The cross was the geodetic center of Paul's life.
Galatians chapter 6, verse 14. But God forbid that I should boast except. In the cross. of our Lord. Jesus Christ.
Augustine said the cross of Jesus Christ was the pulpit from which God proclaimed his love for the whole world. Isn't that great? The cross of Jesus Christ was the pulpit from which God preached his sermon to the world. I love you. It all goes back to the cross of Jesus Christ.
Look at me. The pivotal event of human history Upon which human history revolves, it's not the second coming of Jesus.
Okay, the pivotal event of human history is not Christmas. Christmas sets up the pivotal event of human history, but the pivotal event of human history took place 2,000 years ago. It's when Jesus Christ died on the cross. That is the event around which human history revolves. That is what cross-assembly revolves around.
Jesus Christ Him crucified, buried. And raised from the dead. Everything we do must center around the cross of Jesus. Let me give you some examples. I'm going to throw a lot at you.
I'm going to talk fast. I want you to listen fast. Everything we do as a church centers around the cross of Jesus. Look at this. Worship?
It's centered around the cross of Jesus Christ. Hey, y'all do know there's a big worship service going on today in heaven. Do you realize that? Could you imagine millions of people? The Bible says it's loud.
There are voices. There's a worship service going on in heaven right now. You don't know what that worship service is like? Book of Revelation, chapter 5, gives us just a quick glimpse into the worship in heaven. And here's what it says: Revelation 5:9.
And they sang a new song, saying, You were slain. That's the cross. And have redeemed us to God by your Blood. That's the cross. Out of every tongue and tribe and nation and people.
Verse 12, John says, I heard millions of people singing, Worthy is the Lamb that was. Slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Even now, 2,000 years later, you know what they're singing about in heaven? The cross of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ crucified on that cross. The cross is the center of worship in heaven.
I worship here. It's centered around the cross. I love you, but I gotta correct you. Y'all remember a couple years- y'all know who Joel Osteen is? I'm not going to criticize him.
Just relax. I'm not going to criticize him. Joe Ocean, a few years ago, his wife, Victoria, got in some trouble. And this is what happens in interviews.
Sometimes you'll say things you don't really mean the way it says, but she said, quote, You don't go to church. To worship on Sunday for God. You go to church to worship, you do it for you, not for God. That's wrong.
Now, she probably, if she had to do it over again, she would have said it differently. But she says, when you go to church, You don't worship God, you do it for you. And everybody got mad at her. Here's the ironic thing. She's just saying what all of y'all think.
When I come to church, I want this song sung. It's too dark. Uh, it's too loud. I don't like it when you speak in Spanish. When y'all worship in Spanish, I don't like it.
That's okay. We're not singing to you. Jesus understands Spanish. He understands English. Jesus is the center of worship.
And I'm going to give you a little secret here. When you're in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, you can worship whether it's a hundred-voice choir or a little old lady banging on the piano. It doesn't matter. You just want to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, worship in heaven right now is centered around Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain, the crucified Jesus Christ.
And did you know That the Mormons, the Mormons are not Orthodox Christians, okay? The Mormons refused to have a cross. Add their church. I talked to a Mormon one time, and they said, Why would you have an instrument of death? An ugly, rugged, instrument of death At your church.
And I share this story. The story years ago of a little girl who had a mom I have the ugliest hands in the world. She was always embarrassed of her mama's ugly hands. She's like, Mama, I want to see those things. When friends would come over, she said, Mama, could you put some gloves on?
Your hands are just so ugly. And one day she asked her mama. She says, Mom, I've been meaning to ask you, why are your hands so ugly? And the mom said, well. When you were a little toddler, I had a bad pot of boiling water on the stove, and as a toddler you came and you pulled it.
And as that was coming down, I pushed you out of the way, and I caught that scalding water with my own hands, and it scarred my hands for life. After that day, that young girl was never embarrassed of her mama's hands, the most beautiful hands in the world. Why would you celebrate an old, dirty, rugged cross, an instrument of torture? Because it was at the cross where God, through his son, pushed me out of the way, and the son caught the wrath of God in my place. Worship is centered around the cross.
Number two, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit. Is centered around the cross. We're a Pentecostal church. I want you to listen to me.
There's this misperception about Pentecostal churches. People say Pentecostal churches are centered around the Holy Spirit. No, we're not. We're still centered around Jesus. Pentecostal churches that are centered just on the Holy Spirit get real weird real fast.
Jesus says when the Spirit comes, He's going to point people to me. And we see this in Luke 24. Jesus says to his followers, this is after Jesus has been resurrected, he's about to ascend to the Father. He said to them, Thus it is written. And thus it was necessary.
For the Christ to suffer. Where did that happen? At the cross, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the promise of my father.
Anyone know who that is?
So, Holy Spirit, we see this fulfilled a few days later. I send the promise of my Father upon you, but wait, tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Look at verse 46. Jesus Christ suffered, the Messiah suffered at the cross. Verse 47, wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit so that he can energize you, empower you to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ around the world.
The Holy Spirit was not given to you to have a goosebump come on the back of your neck and your hair stand up and be part of the secret club where we have a secret handshake and a secret, whatever. That's not the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit. Here's just an act one eight. Um You receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
And you're going to tell the whole world Jesus Christ died for your sins at the cross and came back to life. You're going to be my witnesses. Are y'all with me on this thing? The center of this church, the reason I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, it's not to give you goosebumps. It's, I just believe Christ has given us this beautiful gift of the person of the Holy Spirit to empower us to share Jesus around the world.
I want you to listen to me. I'll have people come from other denominations, particularly Baptists, and they'll ask me this question.
Well, Chad, what do you believe about this thing? Being slain in the spirit. You know what I'm talking about?
Somebody will pray for somebody and they'll follow out in the spirit. Chad, you know, are you for... People being slain in the spirit. Like I'm not against it. I'm not for it.
It is what it is, whatever. Here's my question. But once you've been slain in the Spirit, when you get up off the ground, are you changed? Are you different? Are you the same person that went down?
Are you a different person that's come up, filled and energized with the power of the Holy Spirit? All right, look at this. Racial reconciliation. is centered around the cross. See We're still trying to but six years after George Floyd and Black Lives Matter and all that stuff.
We're still trying to figure out how to fix the race problem in America. Do you know how many questions we have that have already been answered in the Word of God? Here's what the Bible says when it comes to the race issue: Ephesians chapter 2, verse 14. For Christ himself. has brought peace to us.
He united. Jew. Gentile, black, white. Asian, Latino, he united into one People, when in his own body of the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. Did you see what he just said right there?
One new people. Sir, your primary identity is not African American. Ma'am, your primary identity is not white, Asian, Latino. There's a new race of people. That new race is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what you're part of. He made peace. Between Jews, Gentiles, blacks, white. by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. together as one body.
Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. Do you see the man is saying right there? Jesus, the crop, which just says right there. Verse 16, the answer to racism is the cross. Verse 14, at the cross he broke down the wall of hostility.
Verse 16, at the cross he brought reconciliation to people. It happened at the cross. The cross is the answer to racism. For several ways. Look, I have three.
I'm going to give you four. Four ways the cross is the answer to racism. I've just given you one. Number one, at the cross, Jesus created a whole new race called Christian. Number two.
I call it triangulation. If Jesus is here, And my African-American brother is here. And I am here. The closer we get to Jesus, what happens? Closer we get to each other.
If Jesus is here and an Asian Christian is here and a Latino Christian is here, the more they pursue Jesus, the closer they get to each other. Another way that the cross destroys racism is this: racism is grounded in superiority. When I'm a racist, I think I'm better than somebody else. When I get saved, I realize I ain't any better. I'm not any worse.
We're all messed up people. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. The cross destroys this whole superiority thing. And also The cross destroys racism through forgiveness. If he forgave me Of my sin and my depravity.
I now have to forgive others for the way they have hurt me. It mistreated me. The cross is the answer. to racism. The cross is also the center of destroying fear and anxiety.
I'm gonna say it again. We're living in the most anxious society in the history of mankind. And honestly, even secular sociologists are saying we've never seen anxiety at this level before. Everybody's scared.
Well, here's what Hebrews says. It's very interesting. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14 and 15 says this: For only as a human being. Could he die?
Okay, where'd he die? At the cross. And only by dying could he break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in this way. Only in what way?
Only by dying at the cross, verse 14, could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We'll do this right now. The ultimate fear is death. If you can overcome the ultimate fear. Everything else is small potatoes.
In fact, there's a great book. I think every Christian ought to have this book. It's the book called Immortal by Dr. Clay Jones from Biola University. Have y'all read that book before?
We used to have it out here in the lobby. Dr. Jones Talks to sociologists and he talks to social scientists, and it's becoming very clear. That the fear of death drives much of what we do as a culture. We don't even realize it.
It's subconscious. Listen to this. Many secular social scientists and psychologists now argue that the fear of death drives all of culture, all of it. Many psychoses and depressions and schizophrenias are rooted in the fear of death. Ernest Becker, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who wrote the book The Denial of Death, said that the fear of death is the mainspring of human activity.
See, everybody's wondering, why did fear go through the roof? During COVID, you can trace a lot of this epidemic of fear back to COVID. Did you know that? I'm not trying to rehash all this again, but why did COVID? Create fear and anxiety in our culture.
Are you kidding me? When the media says we're all going to die, we're afraid we're all going to die. When a disease that has a 0.0 something mortality rate is treated like it is the end of our civilization, don't come back and wonder why we're all afraid of everything.
Now I'm not trying to be cavalier. But I want you to listen to me from what that Hebrews passage just said is this. When I realized that man Died on the cross. was buried came back to life I now belong to him, and he says to me, What happened to me is what's going to happen to you. You're going to die and be buried, and I'm going to bring you back to life.
And the moment you close your eyes in this world, you open your eyes in the next world. The last breath you draw here is the first breath you draw there. Don't worry, I got it taken care of. I'm no longer afraid of anything.
Now I mean that. I'm not trying to be mean. We take enough people to Israel and mission trips and Greece and Turkey. I'm not, okay, so this is not gonna be good advertisement, but people always there's a war going on. I'm not trying to be mean.
What if we die?
Okay. You born again? Yeah. You die, you go to heaven to be with Jesus. I don't understand.
What's the problem here, okay? Once you get over the fear of death, All the other fears are taken care of. All goes back to the cross of Jesus Christ. Holy Living. Goes back to the cross.
We're big, unholy, godly living. That even goes back to the cross. Romans 6, Paul connects the cross. With holy living. Verse 6, we know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ.
So that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died With Christ. We were set free from the power of sin. Verse 10: When he died, he died once to break the power of sin.
Do you see what he's saying? He said, when you get saved, something mystical happens. Verse 7. When you get saved, you're so identified with Christ. Listen to me.
That when he died 2,000 years ago He old you died with him. That's how close you are to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, people say, Well, I need to crucify my flesh. You don't need to crucify your flesh. Your flesh was crucified at the cross 2,000 years ago.
The very first step to overcoming sin and living a pure life is to say, I'm a dead man, and dead men don't sin. I was crucified with Jesus 2,000 years ago. Sin has no power over me because I'm dead to myself and alive to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me give you another one. Um Y'all still with me?
Have I lost you yet? All right, let's go back through all this stuff.
So the cross is the center. of worship. The cross is the center of the work of the Holy Spirit. The cross is the center of racial reconciliation. The cross is the center of overcoming fear.
The cross is the center of holy living. I got a lot of more for you, Mr. T, Rocky 3. Got a lot of more for you. Let me give you one of the.
Healing goes back to the cross of Jesus Christ.
Now, this is a very controversial Pentecostal charismatic doctrine, and it shouldn't be. There is a Pentecostal charismatic doctrine that says this. There is healing. in the atonement. Y'all know what that means?
It means when the human race fell in the Garden of Eden, Part of what happened is we brought the curse of sickness into this world. And when Jesus Christ died on the cross, watch this, he began to reverse that curse of sickness. Does that mean everybody gets healed who are praying for? No. But it does mean at the cross.
The curse was reversed. And people are healed today. Because of what was done at the cross 2,000 years ago. He said, Jenny, where is that in the Bible? Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 53 gives a prophetic picture of the world. of the beating, torture, execution of Jesus Christ. And it says in Isaiah 53, 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace. was on him. And by his stripes, by that beating, by that whipping, by that scourging, we are. Healed.
Okay, so stop. Chad, he's just talking about spiritual healing. He ain't talking about physical healing. By the wounding the death, The beating of Jesus Christ. We are healed.
But it's spiritual healing. It's not physical healing. I'm gonna tell you a man who will contradict that. You ever heard a guy named Matthew before? Matthew was a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He wrote the first book of the New Testament. And in Matthew 8, 17, here's what happened. Matthew sees all these people. that Jesus is physically healing. And as Matthew sees all these blind people getting their sight back, all these lame people beginning to walk again, all these people who have cancer getting healed, Matthew says.
This was to fulfill Isaiah 53. By his stripes we are healed. Matthew did not spiritualize it. Matthew says, no, these people are literally, physically healed because of what's going to happen at the cross. Um while I'm at it.
It's kind of gotten back to me that some of y'all, when you tell your friends I'm now part of Cross Assembly. They'll be like, ah, it's one of the Pentecostal churches. I actually heard this this week. There Doctrinally wrong. Why?
Well, because they believe In the continuing supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Those gifts ended. in the first century. The supernatural gifts are not for today. One statement: give me chapter and verse.
Where's that in the Bible? Just one verse. I'm begging you, just give me, there's not a verse in the Bible that says the miraculous gifts ceased in the first century. Quite the contrary. Ephesians 4 says God gives gifts to the body of Christ until the church is mature and complete and totally unified.
Is the church mature? No. Is it complete? No. Is it totally unified?
No. Therefore, the gifts are still for today. By the stripes of Jesus Christ, we are healed. And then let me give you a couple more. Number seven.
Are we at number seven? Yeah, number seven. All right, freedom. From guilt? In condemnation.
Even that goes back to the cross of Jesus Christ. Romans 8.1.
So now There's no condemnation. For those who belong to Christ Jesus. If you're a born-again believer, God does not condemn you. Holy Spirit may convict you, but God doesn't condemn you. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Why, Paul, verse 3. Because God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have, and in that body, God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Verse 1. There's no condemnation for those of us who are in Jesus Christ.
Why?
Verse 3, because of the cross of Jesus Christ. All my filth. Or myself. All my wickedness. All that guilt that would keep me up at night was placed on the Son of God 2,000 years ago.
That guilt was nailed to the cross. God now looks at me as his own child. Listen to me. God treated his son like a sinner, so he could treat sinners like his son. That's what happened to the cross of Jesus Christ.
There's how much condemnation? None. Adrian Rogers. Tells this great story of a man. Going down the road, this old farmer back in the old farming days.
This old man's got a big old bag of corn, old nasty bag of corn. He's carrying it down the road, it's breaking his back. And a farmer in an old wagon buggy comes up beside him, tells the horse, whoa. Calls down to the guy and says, Man, do you need a ride? He's like, yeah, I need to go over there.
He said, man, hop up in the wagon.
So the old farmer gets into the wagon. and he's still holding on to the corn. And as that wagon starts to go down the road, the farmer that's given them a ride. Says to the guy, hey, you do know you can put that corn down, don't you? The old farmer said, No, sir.
You've been so kind to give me a ride. I'll not ask you to carry my cargo as well. And you laugh, but we do the same thing. Jesus Christ has given us a free ride to heaven, and we're still holding on to our load, our guilt. And Jesus says, you don't have to carry that anymore.
The same Jesus that's going to get you to your destination is also one that carries your guilt and your sin and your shame. You can put it down because of the cross of Jesus Christ. Let me give you one more. Actually, let me tell you this. It's kind of interesting.
This is what I love about studying the Word of God. I find new stuff all the time. Y'all know what the Talmud is? The Talmud. It is not Christian writings.
It is Jewish writings from the time of Jesus and beyond, these Jewish rabbis. Uh and they're they have it divided into uh Tractates or chapters. One of the tractates is called the Yoma Tractate. Very interesting. In the Yoma Tractate of the Talmud, Good looking back in time.
And Jewish rabbis said, You know, we used to sacrifice animals on the Day of Atonement. For sin. year after year after year. They said 40 years before the temple fell. Every time we'd offer sacrifice, for sin on the day of atonement.
God would reject our sacrifice. We don't know why. Why, 40 years before the temple fell, did God begin to reject sacrifices on the Day of Atonement?
Well, if the temple fell in 70 AD, you know what took place about 40 years before the fall of the temple? The death of the Lord Jesus Christ. After that, God says, no, no, no, there's only one lamb that will take away the sin of the world. There's only one sacrifice that I'll accept. That was the sacrifice of my Son, Jesus Christ.
Number eight. Overcoming Satan. Demons Even that It goes back to the cross of Jesus Christ. I gotta ask you again, do you believe in the reality of Satan and demons? You believe that book, you gotta believe in the reality.
And some of y'all are so afraid of Satan and demons. I'm going to tell you something. I'm going to give you a little secret that Satan doesn't want you to know. The demons are more afraid of you. If you're a born-again believer, Than you are of them.
They're really not afraid of you. They're afraid of the Jesus. That lives in you. Because here's what Colossians chapter 2, verse 14 says: He, Jesus, canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers.
Who's that? That's demons. He disarmed the demons and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Do you see that right there?
Jesus. Hey, Jesus won the battle 2,000 years ago. We've just been in a 2,000-year cleanup operation. That's all this is. Revelation 12, 11 says, We overcome Satan by the Blood of the Lamb.
Where's the blood shed? At the cross. So why why are you afraid? No, I'm serious. Why are you afraid of demons?
and principalities and all that stuff. Satan is stronger than me. He is. But he ain't stronger than the Jesus who lives in me. And some of y'all are so afraid Satan is going to get you.
Can I tell you how Satan can get you? To get you Satan would have to ascend into heaven. Beat up the cherubim and seraphim. Take down Michael and Gabriel. Walk up to the throne of God.
Pray open the hand of God and pull you out of the hand of God. And brother, it ain't going to happen. Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus Christ overcame him at the cross. And you need to listen to me.
Because my gut tells me In the last days, again. Satan's defeated the cross. I get that. But he's now like a cornered animal. He's starting to lash out.
Do you know he knows Bible prophecy better than y'all know Bible prophecy? He can read the sign of the thing. He knows his end is near. It's going to get worse. In fact, in Luke 21, 11.
Let me get weird on you for just a second. Luke 21:11, Jesus is talking about the last days. And Jesus says, in the final days, how many of y'all believe we might be living in the final days? He said there will be. Phobotron in the skies.
Fobitron. It's a very interesting Greek word. It's a very rare Greek word. Phobitron means Monsters. Terrifying entities.
Jesus says, I'm just warning you right now, in the last days. The human race begins seeing terrifying entities, monsters in disguise. And I don't know. Maybe that's part of the whole UFO alien phenomenon that we're starting to see in America. I don't know.
I do know this: it's going to get scary in the last days, and you be bold and strong and confident, not in who you are, but in whose you are. He dismantled the enemies at the cross. Here's what I'm trying to say. We are sent. Why are we called crosses simply?
Because we are centered around the cross of Jesus Christ. Billy Graham told a great story years ago. Billy Graham said there's this little boy one night in London, England. On his way home, he got lost. Didn't know where he was.
It's foggy. It's dark. It's rainy. And he finally is just exhausted. He just sits down and starts crying.
And as he's crying, the police officer walks up and says, son, what's wrong? He said, I'm lost. I can't find my home. What's your address? He couldn't remember his address.
Hey, so what landmark do you live by? You know a street name? No. Do you know a shot? No.
Do you know a fire station? No. And he starts pointing out different. Landmarks in London. What about Parliament?
I don't know. What about Big Ben? I don't know. What about St. Paul's Cathedral, the cathedral with a big cross on the top, and a boy's face lit up?
And he said to the officer, That's it. The building with the cross. Take me to the cross and I can find my way back home. And for the last 20-something years I've been here at Cross Assembly, that's been my message. Can we just take men and women to the cross?
If we can get them to the cross, they can find their way back to the heart of the Father. They can find their way back home. It happened. Several years ago. Pastor Danny was in the office and he sees this old tough gruff 18 wheel truck driver under the cross, just shaking, just shaking.
You you know when um When we moved from our other location to here, we had a great, just a great church growth consultant. I agreed with everything he said, except for one thing. He said, Channel, when you move to this new location, don't put a cross up. That's religious. People don't like crosses.
Don't put a cross up.
So what did I do? I put up three 30-foot crosses. And his old truck driver is underneath the cross, just sobbing.
So Danny goes out and he says, Sir, can I help you? The man said, So, Pastor, I grew up in the mountains. He said, as a little boy, there's a field beside my house with three crosses. He said, I've been living. in terrible sin.
He said, my life is so messed up. And today, as I was driving down the interstate, I saw your church with the three crosses, and it reminded me of where I grew up.
So he said, I pulled under. Those crosses. Got out of the truck. Called my boss and said, Boss, I'm sorry. I gotta stop.
Boss said, What's going on? He said, I explained to him, My life is a mess. He said, I'm underneath these crosses. He said, What's the name of the church? He told him.
Boss looked up and said, Looks like a pretty legitimate church. Take as much time as you need. And there under the crosses, Danny led that man to Jesus Christ. Because if we can bring people back to the cross, we can point them back home. It's all about the cross of Jesus Christ.
Which is why, church, we do communion today. If you're not a believer, if you're not a born-again believer, just. Don't do that. Just watch us do this. This is for people who belong to Jesus.
Why don't you stand on me right now? Jesus said, I don't want you to... Ever. Ever forget what I did for you at the cross. Take out that piece of bread.
I've been multiple times. to that spot in Israel. Where the man's body was just shredded. God put all my sin and my wicked on Jesus. He took the beating I should have taken.
He took the hill. that was coming to me. He took it upon himself. Jesus said, don't ever forget that. This is my body which is broken for you.
Some of y'all are saying, if you're a born-again believer, God must be so disgusted with me. Every time he looks at me, he must just be disgusted because of the sin I committed in the past. No? That's not true. Because you're now covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.
And when God sees you, he doesn't see the sin. He sees the blood. And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from how much unrighteousness? all unrighteousness. And Jesus said, take and drink.
For this is my blood. which is poured out for you. You know what? In 1 Corinthians 11, 26, the Bible says this. As often as we do this, We proclaim Jesus' death.
Here's what it says. Until he comes back. Which tells me Communion is not just a time to look back. It's time to look to the future. Church, I know you're tired and I know you're weary, but it ain't always going to be like this.
Jesus is coming back. Can I just ask you? How many of y'all are homesick and ready for Jesus to come home? Anybody? Am I the only person that's just ready for him to come back?
And that's why, call me sis if you want. First service, when they started singing this song, I just cried like a baby. And I don't know why. But I guess it was that. It was just homesickness.
I'm ready to see Jesus again. I'm ready to go home. As often as you eat and drink, you proclaim Jesus' death until that day when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. Let's sing this to the Lord right now. How we long for you, Jesus.
Sometimes I fall. To my knees and pray. Come, Jesus, come. Let today be the day.
Sometimes I feel. Like I Going to pray, but I'm holding on. To a hope that won't fade. Oh, come, Jesus. Jesus come.
We've been waiting so long for the day. We turn to healing. And riding Every rock within. I know coming toward the surround because deep down I know this world is in home. Oh come, Jesus, come.
Oh, there'll be And they'll Be no change when Jesus comes. Let today. Be the change, let it be. You come for the weak and the strong just are the same in all. Will believe in the power.
Of his name, oh come, Jesus, come. We've been waiting so long. Oh, yes, we have. For the day you return to heal every hurt and ride every wrong. Lord, we need you right now.
Come and turn this around, turn it around. Cause deep down I know that this world is in foam. Oh, come, Jesus, come. Come, Jesus, come, and one day he'll come and we'll stand face to face. Coming late.
Little down because it might be. today Oh, the time is right. There's no need to wait because you're passing. Will be watched. My real.
Burst of grace. Come, Jesus come forever. For the day, for the day we turn to heal every hurt and write every call. We need him right now. Come and turn this around.
Turn it around. Cause deep down I know that this world is in home. Oh, come, Jesus come. Come, Jesus come. Come, Jesus come.
Come, Jesus come. Can I teach you a prayer right now? It's one of the oldest prayers of the church. It's actually a one-word prayer. And prayer is maranatha.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. We're ready to go home. Amen. Good. There's a healing anointing in this room right now.
We proclaim the cross of Jesus. We've taken communion. I believe there's healing in communion. I'm going to get into that right now. There's a healing anointing in this room.
Before you leave today, if you need a touch from the Lord, you need to be healed, mind, body, soul, spirit. Can we have the prayer team come down here? They're going to be right down here. It's just a beautiful, sweet anointing in this place now. If you need healing.
Y'all believe what I just said, that there's healing in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ? Let's access that today. Make sure you go see Calvin and Sarah and Jude out there in the lobby. The rest of you. Raise your hands.
And receive this old Hebrew blessing from the mouth of God Himself, where God said in Joshua 1: Hazak Vehmatz. Out that rope the order hit. He emecha. I don't know. Elejeja.
Behold a shot telephone. Which is Hebrew 4, be bold. Be strong. Y'all don't be afraid. You don't be terrified of anything.
Why?
Because the Lord your God is going to be with you everywhere you go. In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen and amen. God bless you, beloved. Go change your world for Jesus Christ.
