REWIND
The podcast "REWIND" features a collection of past sermons from Organic Church. Each episode takes listeners on a journey through the teachings and messages delivered during previous worship services. The content is a retrospective look at the spiritual guidance and insights shared by Pastor Michael and visiting guests!
Listeners can expect to revisit powerful sermons, meaningful scriptures, and impactful messages that have been shared in the past. The podcast aims to provide a convenient and accessible way for the church community and new audiences to engage with the timeless wisdom and spiritual teachings presented during earlier sermons.
Whether it's a reflection on a particular theme, a series of teachings, or a selection of sermons covering various topics, "REWIND" offers an opportunity for individuals to deepen their understanding of the faith and find inspiration in the timeless messages.
The podcast may also include commentary or reflections on the historical context of each sermon and how it continues to resonate with the present-day congregation.
REWIND
Identity Crisis (April 20, 2025)
When Jesus hung on that cross, your old self was crucified with Him. This powerful Easter message explores the profound identity crisis many of us face as we struggle between living for the world and embracing who we truly are in Christ.
Starting with the story of Lazarus, we discover how Jesus views death and resurrection differently than we do – not as an ending, but as a transition to new life. The world constantly defines us by what we wear, how much we earn, our accomplishments, and even our social media presence. But when Christ died on the cross and the temple curtain tore from top to bottom, everything changed. No longer are we separated from God's presence; no longer do we need intermediaries to approach Him.
Galatians 2:20 reveals the heart of our new identity: "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." When you accept Christ, all your old labels are completely peeled away – no sticky residue remains. You are made whole, complete, and new in Him. This isn't a cosmetic fix but a spiritual rebirth.
The challenge comes in truly living from this identity. We can't simultaneously identify with Christ and live for the world. One will shape us, and one will define us. Sin keeps us trapped in our old identity patterns, gossiping, judging, holding unforgiveness. But in Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin – we are God's masterpiece, created with intention and purpose.
Are you experiencing an identity crisis today? Let it be resolved in the One who gave you life on the cross. With His resurrection, you have a home in heaven and a Savior who intercedes for you daily. It's time to stop living from the world's definitions and embrace your true identity in Christ.
start taking off. You know, I pivoted on worship this morning. I told you we added that extra song at the beginning and then I changed the song at the end, kind of at the last minute. And I'm glad that I did because for those of you who are keeping count and there are some we're going to talk about Lazarus for just a minute this morning. Okay, because everybody that knows me knows that I love the story of Lazarus. It is my favorite story in all of the Bible. I specifically love the passage of Scripture, the shortest passage of Scripture. I like it because it's the shortest, it's easy to memorize, right? Jesus wept. It's pretty easy to do.
Speaker 1:I love that passage of Scripture because I feel like we see Jesus in the flesh for just a second. He is frustrated because the disciples don't understand what he is saying to them, even though he is talking to them just about as plainly as he may be able to speak to them. Amen, lazarus is not dead, he is only asleep. Amen, he is only asleep Now. Jesus waited to go to Lazarus. When he gets there, they go to roll away the tomb and they say but Lord, he's been in there for four days. Surely he will stink. Listen, some of us alive and we stink. Right, I'm not just talking in the flesh, I'm talking in the spirit. We stink, amen and they rolled the stone away. Spirit, we stink, amen and they rolled the stone away. And Jesus shouts Lazarus, come out. And out walks Lazarus and all of the people surrounding him were in amazement that Lazarus was alive. But didn't Jesus tell you that Lazarus was going to be alive, that he wasn't dead, that he was only asleep? It is hard to comprehend the idea of death and resurrection, but I want to tell you the truth today and I want to tell you that even in death, we have the ultimate salvation. Should the Lord tarry, every person in this room will taste of death in the physical realm. Our bodies will die, but our spirit will live on. Amen, and I'm thankful for that. But I want to just speak specifically in that passage of scripture about the song, when the song was saying that it's no longer me that matters, it is Christ that lives in me. Amen.
Speaker 1:My message today is about identity crisis Any of us in an identity crisis right now. We all think we know who we are, but we're never really sure we know who we are. Amen, so we're going to open our Bibles. We're going to start in Luke 23. Luke 23. We're going to start in verse 44, chapter 23, verse 44. And we're going to talk about the cross and the resurrection for a minute. And I know that's a Good Friday message, okay, but we can't get to resurrection without Good Friday, right? And we weren't in the building together here for Good Friday, so I got to give you my Good Friday message, all right, so you're getting two messages in one today and I'm only charging you for one. Matter of fact, go ahead and fire up the prayer music. We're going to take a second offering for the second message. I'm just kidding. You only get one or the other today. No, luke 23, 44.
Speaker 1:It says by this time it was about noon and darkness fell across the whole land. Until three o'clock the light from the sun was gone and suddenly the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands. And with those words he breathed his last. That's dark, right, literal darkness, right, darkness covered the earth. Jesus shouts I entrust my spirit into your hands. It is finished. And now does anybody many of you do but the veil in the temple. The curtain in the temple is thick, it's heavy. This isn't like a curtain that you're going to see hanging over your window. What'd they say? Like four inches thick, something like that.
Speaker 1:That veil ripped from top to bottom in the moment that he released his spirit. Why did that curtain tear from top to bottom the minute that he released his spirit? Because there was no holy of holies any longer. There was nobody. Nobody was separated from the spirit of Jesus Christ at that point. Because what, the, what, the, what, the, the, the the priests would do is they were the only ones allowed to go behind the curtain and to enter into the holy place where God was at. But when Jesus took sin upon himself and went to the cross to die for our sins I like to say your sins, but I've got some too, so I'm going to say ours, okay, is that fair? And he died for our sins. That curtain was ripped because there was no holy of holies. We were all welcome in the presence of God. Amen, we were all welcome in the presence of God.
Speaker 1:Now we're going to back up for just a minute, and I don't have this scripture up there because I'm pivoting as my team is so used to. I want to talk about the two thieves that hung on the cross next to him for just a quick second. We're going to skim over it. I'm not going to give you all of the scripture, we're going to talk just nuts and bolts, okay, when Jesus went to the cross, there were two thieves hung on either. A thief hung on either side of him and the one thief.
Speaker 1:He chose to believe what the world said about Jesus and he mocked him. And he said to him if you really are the son of God, then take yourself off the cross and take us with you. And the man on the other side. He said how stupid are you that we are being crucified for the crimes that we committed? This is just for us. But this man is blameless and has done nothing. And then he turns and says to Jesus remember me when you enter into your kingdom. And what does Jesus say to him? Today you will be with me in paradise.
Speaker 1:See, there's an identity crisis, right, living for the world and living for Jesus. Living for the world is easy because what do you do? You mock and you make fun of. Living for Jesus requires belief that Jesus is who he says he is and will do what he says he is going to do. That is hard to wrap your head around.
Speaker 1:You know we talk about the death of Jesus, the death of Lazarus. Lazarus was one of Jesus's best friends and when Lazarus died, everybody thought Jesus would be upset, but he knew what was coming. Jesus knew that Lazarus wasn't really dead and that he would come back to life. He didn't mourn the way that the flesh would mourn, right, and we want to blame God for all of the bad things that happen in our lives. It's his fault, not mine. It's his fault. If he was so good, why would he let this happen? Because we choose to live out of the will of God, amen.
Speaker 1:We live in a world where identity is constantly changing. Right? People are defined by what they wear, how much they earn, what their job title is, their political opinions, their social media followers, and it is easy to get caught up in that whirlwind of labels. Right? It is Vicki Hickey. How many followers you got on Instagram? She goes. It's the what? I was watching your TikTok channel the other day. She goes. I don't even know what TikTok is.
Speaker 1:Some of us get wrapped up in that and the idea of what other people think about us. I'm going to tell you what I think about myself. I think that I am not worthy of the salvation that I have today. Amen, because I know that I am a sinner and I know that I fall short of the glory of God. The problem is, is that God looks at me and he says you are a blood-bought child of mine and that you have grace and mercy? It is far harder for us to forgive ourselves than it is for Jesus to forgive us. Amen, it is far harder. Okay, we are gonna skip that one. There was a bet this morning on whether or not I'd hit all these scriptures. I am going to just out of order.
Speaker 1:But for those of us who are in Christ, the Bible offers us a clear, unshakable identity, not one that's based on performance, not one that's based on social media followers. Not one that's based on performance. Not one that's based on social media followers. Not one that's based on popularity or possessions, but on the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Amen, all right, we're going to go to Colossians 3.3 real quick.
Speaker 1:I got a lot to get through Colossians 3.3, for you died to this life and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. For you have died to this life and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. The world constantly tells us that we need to be somebody. Amen. Because if you're not somebody, you're nobody. And wouldn't it be a shame if we died nobodies? I am happy to be a nobody to all of you. I am happy to die, go into a grave.
Speaker 1:I don't care what you do with me, as long as I know that I am somebody in the kingdom of God, as long as my name is written in the book of life, I don't care what the rest of the world thinks about me. Now, I say that out loud. And then some of you guys get your feelings hurt by me. And here I am calling you, trying to figure out why your feelings are hurt. Right, there is a part of me that desires fellowship with each of you, right. But I believe that the iron sharpens iron and that if we are not in one accord, that's a small car. I don't think we can all fit in it.
Speaker 1:But if we are not all some of you, some of you if we're not all in one accord, how are we ever going to inherit the kingdom of heaven? Because here's the idea If I am going to, I know everybody's waiting for me to take a drink. Let me just do it. If I intend to inherit the kingdom of heaven, I have to surround myself with like-minded believers, because if I want to make it, I have to know that I am safe in my surroundings, because I can't be surrounded by sin. Otherwise I'm going to live a sinful life Amen. And when I choose to live a sinful life, I live outside of the will of God and I risk hell. I risk a permanent death, that my spirit will spend eternity in hell, which is not what I want for myself or what I want for any of the people sitting. Some of you don't even know me, you're lucky. Who said amen? It's just rude. I'm taking my coat off. I'm ready to fight now. I know that when we buy into what Christ has called us to be and to the identity that Christ wants us to be, we will have everlasting life. But we have to seek fellowship with like-minded believers. Amen.
Speaker 1:All right, we're on Colossians 3.3, right, because I still got some notes here. Okay, jesus does not tell us to be somebody. He tells us to be his right. He doesn't need us to be somebody in the kingdom. He needs us to simply be his, to be his disciple, to be his follower, to be his mouthpiece in the wilderness.
Speaker 1:Right, Every one of us should be sitting here like John the Baptist, and when we walk into the world, we should be saying prepare ye the way of the Lord. Amen, because if we don't tell the world about who Jesus is and what he does, how will the world ever know how good God really is, how good God really is? No, we're not excited about who God really is. Listen, I don't care if you guys are excited. I'm excited, I'm excited. I'll tell everybody about Jesus, right? I love to get to spread the gospel to people who would not normally listen and I take credit for what I get to do, but not because of who I am, but because of what God is doing through me. Amen, because I have committed my life to being the mouthpiece for Jesus Christ. I've committed myself to being like John the Baptist and saying prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Speaker 1:Now, prepare ye the way of the Lord sometimes sounds like hey, I love you and I see that you're doing that thing and you probably shouldn't be doing that thing. Right, because some people won't ever know unless you tell them. Now am I going to tell them and yell and shout and scream? Well, I talk like that? So, probably, but it's not intentional to demean or to demoralize. The purpose of my conversation is to be sure that they are saved and that Jesus Christ can reign in their life. Amen, all right.
Speaker 1:Second Corinthians, 5.17. Now the question is always do I get these right when I put them in my notes as first and second right? We always have this battle. You choking that baby, who is it? Oh, agnes, they choking you. She goes.
Speaker 1:What this means? That anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone and a new life has begun. How many of us sitting in this room know Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior? You have a new life in Jesus. There is a new outlook on life because of what you believe and who Jesus Christ is and what he's done for you. Hallelujah, thank you, jesus, hallelujah, hallelujah. I don't have to worry about the world because I know that I have life. I belong to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, I am the heir to a kingdom right and I believe that when I get to heaven, my pile of riches is going to be bigger than yours, right? Holly and I are going to fight. We don't know whose crown is going to be. I'm kidding. When you get to heaven, you are going to have all of the things that you deserve. Holly and I were talking about this. Can you believe that there are people who do great deeds on earth and they collect all of these riches and they want to be lifted up in the media and they want to be told how wonderful they are? They will not inherit a single thing in the kingdom of heaven. Everything that you build up here, everything that you collect riches for here on earth, will be exempt when you get to heaven. Right, I don't care whether there's taxes on my income right now. I don't want taxes on my blessings in heaven. Amen, I wanna get to heaven and know that everything that I have done for the kingdom is being stored up there and all of those rewards will be poured out for me. Now, that's not to say that if you die today and you're just now accepting Jesus Christ, that you won't get there and have a glorious mansion on the other side. Amen, I promise you that God is a good God. But I'm telling you that when I got saved, I didn't just get saved for myself. I thought so at first. Right, when I got saved, I was like Jesus, I am yours, right, do something good in me. And then he starts moving in my life and pretty soon I got all you people. I'm like that's not what I asked for, jesus I asked for. I want to inherit the king. But here we are. Can I promise you something that each and every one of you have people just like you sorry about it, but people just like you in your life that you are supposed to be telling the gospel to. You're supposed to be preaching the truth, because when they get to heaven, they need to know who Jesus is and they need to know that Jesus is righteous. Okay, we're not done yet, we're staying there. Jesus is righteous Okay, we're not done, yet we're staying there. Oh, it's gone. Can we have that back, pretty please? Yes, no, maybe there it is. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone. A new life has begun when you came to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone. A new life has begun when you came to Christ, or when you come to Christ maybe it's not today all of your old labels are peeled away.
Speaker 1:I was talking to Tina Bober this morning and she got a gift for somebody and she tried to put it in one of those big plastic eggs. You know what I'm talking about. She said she could not get the sticky off of that egg. You know, have you ever peeled a sticker off and it's still sticky to the touch? All the goo gone in the world can't get it off of there. Can I promise you that when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, there wasn't any sticky. All of that was peeled off and you were made whole, complete and new in him.
Speaker 1:All of those old days, listen, we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Many of us are sitting here today with a past. Thank you, jesus. Right, because I am not the only one. I'm thankful for that today, but I know that when I came to Christ, all of those things that people would say about me were not me anymore. They weren't me. You could call me all the names. Listen, you can call me a lot of names. There are only a couple that'll turn into fighting words with me? Only a couple. You can call me just about anything and I'm like you know what. It doesn't bother me, because the person you think you're talking to is not the person that God sees right. That is not the person that God sees right. That is not the person that God sees. The things that you know about me from my past are just that. They are behind me. Christ is in front of me. Failure is replaced with forgiveness, the lost become found and the sinner becomes a son or a daughter.
Speaker 1:This is not just a cosmetic fix. You go get a nose job today. Your spirit's still ugly. Right, your nose might look better, but your spirit is still ugly if you have not accepted Jesus Christ. So I'm telling you that when you choose Christ, this is a spiritual rebirth. You are new in the spirit. Right, that means you are still going to look a certain way, you may still act a certain way for a short time, but the grace of God will walk you through that. Amen. The grace of God will walk you through that sin, all right.
Speaker 1:Galatians 2.20. Told you I'd get to it. My tech team's like all switched out back there. Now All I see is a shiny head now, sorry, dan. Galatians 2.20. He says now I'm leaving.
Speaker 1:My old self has been crucified with Christ. This is my favorite scripture for today. So if you glean nothing else from today, glean this passage Galatians 2.20,. Write it down, put it in your notes, take a picture, something it says my old self has been crucified with Christ. My old self hung on the cross with Jesus Christ. Amen. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Hallelujah, thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. I hung on that cross with Jesus.
Speaker 1:When Jesus went to that cross, he wasn't just thinking of the disciples, he wasn't just thinking of the Roman soldiers who were crucifying him. He was thinking of each and every one of us. The word of God tells us that he knew us before we were formed in our mother's womb, that he knew us before. Listen, he's got a lot of names rolling around up there, right? Listen, I can't remember most of your names. I hardly remember my own name, but he remembers each and every one of you so well that he knows how many hairs are on the top of your head. That's easier for him to count with some than others. Dale's not in here, can't pick Jamie. Where's Jamie at? Oh, you still got some fuzz up there, man. You got to count that too. That counts as something, doesn't it? But he knows us so well that he counts the hair on the top of our head.
Speaker 1:I hung on the cross with Jesus Christ. I didn't know that when I was born, right? Were you born knowing that you hung on the cross? No, how did you learn that you were hung on the cross? Somebody had to tell you. Did you know? The world doesn't know that there is a majority there may be people sitting in the building who's listening to me going. This guy is an absolute nut job. That is true. But the gospel is true as well. I promise you that Jesus, that God, that the Holy Spirit, they all knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb and they wanted nothing but goodness. All of your days Will you suffer Absolutely. And I promise you, when you choose to walk with Jesus, life will get harder, because when you're walking with the earth, when you're walking in the flesh, the devil's already got you. He doesn't want you right. You're an easy target. He doesn't need to come after you. But when you choose Jesus, listen.
Speaker 1:We went through Financial Peace University with a big group of people and it's so funny. I'll tell this about Dawn, because I don't think she'll care and she's not here, so she can't stop me. Dawn had saved all of the money that we were trying to save and then all of a sudden she gets hit with a tax bill that she has to pay. Now do you think that that's the enemy, trying to take away what God was doing in her life? Now here's the best part she did what was right. She straightened out those taxes, she got everybody all squared away and paid, and that money just kept coming back. That money just kept coming back. Now, god's blessings are not always financial. I want to be clear. But she was a good steward with little, so he gave her much. I promise you today that if you will be a good steward with little, god will continue to give you much, amen. Okay, that was Galatians 2.20.
Speaker 1:We are going to go to Romans 6.6. Romans 6.6. 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. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. Now we need to talk about sin for a second. You guys? Okay with that?
Speaker 1:Sin comes in a lot of different forms, and a lot of times when we talk about sin, people are like, oh well, mine's not that bad, right, like I might say a cuss word every now and again. It's not that bad, it's not nearly as bad as being this, that or the other. Amen, you see, like I only show my sin to people that I love and trust. Right, right, I'm not hanging out in the bar every weekend, I'm not getting drunk, I'm not getting high, I'm so, listen, my sin isn't nearly as bad as some of the other sins of the world. Right? How many of us believe that today? Good, because let me tell you something your sin is the same as the sin sitting next to you. In the eyes of God, sin is sin. There is no difference. Okay, I am no longer a slave to that sin. That means that my choice to sin is willing disobedience in the name of Jesus. What am I doing? Why am I living this way if I know that my sins died on the cross and that I am no longer a slave to them. Why am I choosing to live in sin? I'm choosing to live in sin because I want to live for the world, because it is easier to live for the world.
Speaker 1:It is easier to look at Vicki Hickey and tell her that her gray sweater is ugly. Because it is easier to live for the world. It is easier to look at Vicky Hickey and tell her that her gray sweater is ugly. She can't wear a pink one anymore. I think she burned it in the fireplace the other day. I'm kidding. Your sweater is beautiful. I know she had to wear a black sweater to Good Friday so nobody would pick on her for it. I'm kidding, your sweater is beautiful. I only did it because I knew it would get a good laugh at everybody who knows that I pick on you about your sweater. Now, actually, jenny picks on you about your sweater. I just told you she did I, just I, I, I. I'm not trying to gossip. I'm not trying to gossip, just saying it was Jenny.
Speaker 1:What was I talking about before that? Somebody get me back on track. Sin, sin, thank you, yeah, so yeah, gossip, that's a big one. Listen, we got a whole podcast topic coming up about gossip because I'm going to tell you something. That's the one. Right, if we were to hang our hat on one that probably each and every one of us do, that's the one.
Speaker 1:And Pastor Holly and I we've been praying through and talking through holy gossip. You ever heard of holy gossip? That's when you call somebody and say, hey, I need you to pray with me about such and such, because they such and such and such and such. Right, listen, I need you to pray with me about Vicky Hickey's wardrobe because her sweaters are ugly. Right? When we do that, we are still gossiping. Right?
Speaker 1:It is still gossip, listen, if it doesn't glorify the person you're about to say it about, if it doesn't glorify the person you're about to say it about, if it doesn't glorify God and if you're going to regret it, don't say it, because what good is it doing the kingdom of God, if all you're doing is tearing down his people? Right? If all you're choosing to do is tear down his people, what glory is in the kingdom for that? What is your reward? There is no reward. There is no reward.
Speaker 1:All right, we are no longer slaves to sin. When we try to identify or find identity in the world. It leads us to slavery in sin, amen. So when we go into the world and we look for fellowship in the world, we end up drunkards. We end up drug addicts. Right, we end up gossiping about people. Listen, you were on the cross with Jesus Christ. What a holy place to be. Can you live in sin knowing that you were on the cross with him? Jesus offers freedom, and when you identify with him, you don't just get forgiveness but you get liberty, amen.
Speaker 1:We are so focused on freedom in the flesh today, but let me tell you that we need freedom in the spirit, because when I have freedom in the spirit, freedom in the flesh is so much easier to have to hold on to, to wrap my arms around, to understand Amen, because I don't worry about what the world thinks about the freedom that I have and I'm willing to say I'm standing up for what is right, not just what I want. Hallelujah. How many of us can do that today? Not many, let me tell you, because we are selfish human beings. The flesh is selfish, the flesh wants what the flesh wants. But let me tell you I want what the Spirit wants today. I want what the Spirit wants If the Spirit wants me to come to the altar and rededicate my life. That's where I'm going to be today. That's because I want to work in tandem with what Jesus Christ is requiring of me today, because when I can do that, then I can tell everybody else how easy it is to do.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen, all right, what was that? Was that Romans 6.6? Okay, great. Ephesians 2.10. You want to let your phone preach Marcus? You want to let your phone preach Marcus? Ephesians 2 10.
Speaker 1:It says for we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. For we are God's masterpiece. You are God's masterpiece, regardless of how you feel about yourself. Amen.
Speaker 1:You're hard on yourself. You're feeling tired today. You're feeling overwhelmed. You're feeling just like you haven't accomplished enough. Listen, I men, we're all like this. We start a project at home and we never finish it. Just show of hands real quick, men. How many of you have a project started at home that is not done yet? Okay, so pretty much everybody's hand is up at this point. Now here's my big question Whose is the longest? Anybody had a project for more than a month that's not done yet. Chris is raising Dan's. Okay, how about two months? Oh, geez, yeah, how about two years? We got anything. Okay, we're just going to stop now because I feel like I'm going to get some guys in trouble. That was not my goal, gentlemen. So here's what I'm learning. We bought a house.
Speaker 1:My wife decided she wanted the electric in the basement split, so the back storage half, and I meandered through and I was like, yeah, if we just cut in here, we run the back, we can do this, it's not a big deal. So then I roughed in a bunch of electric and that hangs for two weeks. And then I'm like, well, put the junction box in. That hangs for another week and I'm like, eventually I'll get to it. Squeaky wheel, right, it eventually gets the oil. My wife's like I'd really like for that electric to be done. When she says I would really like, for I mean today is the day, right. So I decided that I was going to tackle that project and when I was done, my fingers hurt, right, because you're twisting all those wires and you're stripping all those wires. I got a nice big gash in my hand to prove that I am careless with a box cutter. And you know, I realized that while I was doing that, that that project was not something that would have gotten done quickly without a little bit of pushing right.
Speaker 1:And sometimes we need people to push us to get to the beauty that God has called us to be right. If I am God's masterpiece, sometimes I need people to tell me what that looks like. Sometimes I need somebody to tell me that's ugly. You're being ugly right now. You ever been ugly? I don't mean physically, marcus, stop shaking your head. I mean spiritually. I wouldn't do that to anybody but you, because somebody would have been offended by that. Marcus is like here, I am here, I am Lord. Oh boy, oh boy. Sometimes we need to know that we are being spiritually ugly, amen.
Speaker 1:And when we say things that are hurtful or that are deceptive, deception is a big one. Right, like I only give you half of the story and so you think that you know. And then the game of telephone begins and then pretty soon everybody's talking about Vicky, hickey, sweater, deception, deception makes us ugly in the spirit. Deception. All of our sin makes us ugly in the spirit. And sometimes we need somebody who is strong in the Lord. And I'm gonna tell you if you aren't strong in the Lord and you come at me with trying to sharpen me. I'm gonna tell you listen, you need to clean up your own backyard, right? You need to know that you are in a place to give advice strong, good, healthy advice, amen. And we don't do it hurtfully, we don't. Oh man, tanya, I don't, I really. No, you got to stop doing that. It's a hey.
Speaker 1:I feel led to share with you a passage of scripture that I hope speaks into your life, and when you do that, people have to mull it over for a little bit, right, they have to sit on it for a second and really think about what is God telling me in that passage of scripture? And sometimes they get it and sometimes they don't. Sometimes we have to be a little more forward, but let me tell you that it is your pastor's job to do that, because it has to be done with grace and mercy, amen. Okay, you are a masterpiece that is designed with intention. You are a masterpiece that is designed with intention, created anew and with purpose. Can I tell you that if you don't know your purpose in the kingdom today, we need to pray with you, because I promise you that every person has a purpose inside of the kingdom.
Speaker 1:I don't mean, oh, I should be in the nursery or working in children's ministry, although I'll take you. I don't mean that I, I should be in the nursery or working in children's ministry, although I'll take you. I don't mean that I'm supposed to be a pastor. I'm supposed to be preaching from the pulpit. What I'm talking about is God. What is it that you would have me do? Can I sweep the floors? Can I mow the grass? Can I clean out the gutter? God, what can I do? Where would you have me serve today? And sometimes he's going to tell you you are right where you need to be Sitting in your seat, being taught and being raised up, because sometimes we think that we're mature in Christ. Amen, any of us think that we're mature in Christ.
Speaker 1:And then you come on a Sunday morning and you're sitting there and you're like, oh crap, I don't got it together. Sometimes I wake up and my feet hit the floor and I'm like Lord, I don't know why you've ever called me, I don't. What are you doing, lord? And then he'll have me open my Bible. Or we'll be driving to work and listening to my Bible in the car and all of a sudden, there's this revelation oh, that's it, that's it. And then, when I realize it, I'm stronger in it, right, and when I'm stronger in my anointing and what God has called me to do, I can operate more fully. But I have to understand that I am a masterpiece that he has created. I have to be willing to accept that and not be hard on myself, because my body will always be hard on itself. Amen, I'm too tired to get up and do that today.
Speaker 1:Can you believe so-and-so, didn't X? Can you believe I don't? Why are these people this way? Why, lord, why have you sent me to such a place? Right, every time I think those thoughts, I have to stop and realize that my gifting is exactly where he is putting me, that when I'm talking, to listen, I am the very direct guy, right? Some people don't like that, some people embrace that.
Speaker 1:But sometimes people will come to me and they'll say something and I'm like well, that's stupid, you shouldn't be doing X, we should be doing X instead. And let me back it up with a passage of scripture. And when I do that, they're like whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. So you're telling me that God would have me, whatever? Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you and when they hear it they might get offended and they walk away for a little while. They might get offended and they walk away for a little while, Even mad at me. Been there, done that and a lot of times. Maybe months later you get a phone call. Pastor Michael, thank you for being so honest with me, because had you not been honest with me, I would have never X.
Speaker 1:I'm going to tell you a story. I had a person who attended our church a long, long time ago, many moons ago, in a far off place. They attended our church and they were making bad decisions in their marriage and when they were making those decisions and I caught wind of it, I said hey, we need to have a conversation about this, let's talk about what's happening in your life. They didn't know that. I knew all of the details, all of the nitty gritty, and I started to expose some of it to them and they immediately became defensive of what was happening. That never happened and I said well, it did happen and I know it happened because I saw it Right and I'm telling you that God would not have that in your marriage Right, because God did not join you together so that you could then be separate and listen. I said that they left my office mad. I mean mad. They ended up stopping coming here. They stopped coming to the church. They're so mad at me About six months later maybe not quite six months, but it was a while, it was a little while.
Speaker 1:Six months later maybe not quite six months, but it was a while, it was a little while my dad calls me and he says hey, there's a really weird phone stuck in my door. He's like it's just a phone and it's stuck in my door. And so I go to his house and I'm like well, let's see if we can turn it on, let's call some people, let's figure out who it belongs to. I power the phone up and right on the top it says Pastor Michael, I had sent this person a text within 48 hours of that phone being dropped off at my dad's house. I knew exactly who it was as soon as I saw the text message, because I knew who I had sent the text message to. Couldn't read the text, but I saw the time and the date. I immediately pick up my phone and I call them. Did you lose a phone? They said yes.
Speaker 1:I explained to them how it ended up in my possession? Bizarre, but God needed reconciliation in that moment. Can you believe that that God would go through all of those things so that reconciliation could happen in my life? Now I wasn't hurt by it, I wasn't wounded, I was okay with what had happened because I knew that I was operating inside of the will of God. But that person in the moment did not know that and they needed closure. And we got it that day and we walked away from it that day and he never spoke to him since we got what we needed. God brought us through that situation so that we could see it fulfilled.
Speaker 1:God is good in all things, amen. Even in the things that are rough and they hurt and they don't feel good. God is good, amen. And I promise you that in all things he is going to see it through to the end. If you choose not to see it through to the end, I promise you somebody else will. He will use somebody else to get to the end of that situation. But you have a talent that he is calling you to use in that moment. Amen, all right. You cannot live for the world and identify with Christ at the same time Amen.
Speaker 1:Some people say you can't be a complete jerk and still worship God at the same time. Amen. I don't believe that. I think that you can do both of those things, but I think that they are not counterintuitive. I think you are working against yourself. My flesh cannot be hateful and my spirit be clean. Amen. I need my spirit and my flesh to both be clean. I need to be willing to walk in the spirit and live and love God so that I can do the same thing in the flesh for the rest of the world, amen.
Speaker 1:And when I look at somebody I've never met and I think that person just looks mean Anybody ever met somebody like that? You look at them, tina. Somebody just said Tina. I didn't say that. Somebody else said it, it was Jenny. It was Jenny. It was Jenny, it's hey. I would just say Jenny starts a lot of trouble in this place.
Speaker 1:That's all I'm saying. That's all I'm saying. I ain't gossiping, I'm just saying oh goodness gracious, you cannot live for the world and identify with Christ at the same time. One will shape you and one will define you right. If you choose to live in the world. It is going to shape your view of the world. If you choose to live for Christ, it will define your lifestyle. Amen. Today I want to be defined in Christ. My question is who are you today? Let the crisis of your identity be found in the one who has given you life on the cross, because with his resurrection, you have a home in heaven. You have a God, you have a Savior sitting at the right hand of the throne, interceding for you every single day.
Speaker 1:Forgive them, father, for they know not what they do. Forgive them, father, for they know not what they do. Every time you do something that is outside of the will of God. Forgive them, father. He has to say that a lot for me. I'm pretty sure he just has it on recording the will of God. Forgive them, father. He has to say that a lot for me. I'm pretty sure he just has it on recording. It's just on a loop. Forgive him, father. Forgive him, father, and you know what.
Speaker 1:I cannot abuse that grace any longer. I cannot live knowing that if I continue to abuse the grace of God, that there is a possibility that when I lay my head down and I take my last breath, that I have not repented of those sins, that I may not inherit eternal life or make it into the kingdom of heaven, because I have chosen to be hard-hearted and to hold on to unforgiveness. Thank you, jesus for revelation, knowledge, amen. Let's just jump back to the thieves on the cross for just a second. And let's just jump back to the thieves on the cross for just a second and let's just.
Speaker 1:I want to center in on the thief who was not a believer. He chose to look at Jesus as a liar, as a liar, as a cheat. There are people today who may look at you that way, but you're not hanging on that cross, you're hanging in the middle. You have everlasting life through Jesus Christ Amen. You have everlasting life through Jesus Christ. Amen. You have everlasting life through Christ Jesus, who took on the sins of the world so that you could inherit the kingdom of him. That whosoever should believe in him. Today I'm a whosoever and I'm hoping that everybody standing in here sitting in here'm a whosoever, and I'm hoping that everybody standing in here sitting in here is a whosoever Amen. Now, I haven't done this in a long time, but I want to do this with you guys today. Can we all just stand real quick. Please Can you turn on prayer music for me, thank you.
Speaker 1:We're standing in here today. It's Easter Sunday. We're standing in here today. It's easter sunday and I always say this anytime uh, I'm gonna. There is no better day for salvation than today. Amen. Yesterday was great, but maybe you missed it. Tomorrow would be fine, but maybe you won't make it. Today is a day for salvation, amen.
Speaker 1:So what I want to do is uh, if you've never accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, I want to. Just, we're going to say a real quick prayer together. This does not make you saved. This is a first step. Amen. This is confessing your sins and asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Okay, maybe you're standing in here somebody who's been saved their entire life. You were saved out of the womb and you've been walking through life a warrior for Jesus Christ, but you realize that you've got something going on that you need to give back to God. We're just going to bow our heads and we're going to say this together, and then what I'd like to do is I'd like to have Pastor Roger and Pastor Holly come forward with me.
Speaker 1:If you've said this for the first time today, or you just need somebody to pray with you through what salvation looks like. Come and see us. We want to celebrate with you if you've accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, but we also want to be able to share with you who God really is Amen. So let's just bow our heads and let's just say together Father, forgive me of my sins. I thank you, lord, for delivering me. Thank you, jesus, for dying on the cross for my sins.
Speaker 1:Father, I stand here today believing that there are people in your house who are giving their life to you right now, in your house, who are giving their life to you right now. Oh, father, I just thank you and I praise you for the growth of your kingdom. Father, this is not for us. This isn't some mark that we put in a box to say we brought somebody else to Jesus. Father, this is for the kingdom of God. This is for the salvation of the souls who are standing in this place today. Lord, I thank you. I thank you for the salvation that rests in this house. As I'm standing here with my eyes closed, lord, I just picture your son hanging on the cross, broken, bleeding, and pouring out his love for each and every one of us.
Speaker 1:Lord, there is no person in this building or in this world that is too far gone for you to bring home. It doesn't matter how far they've run, lord, it doesn't matter the pig pens they've laid in, father, when they come home, you celebrate. You kill the fatted calf, you wrap them in the finest of linens, and Lord come home, you celebrate. You kill the fatted calf, you wrap them in the finest of linens, and, lord, you celebrate the return of the prodigal. And today we are celebrating with you, lord. I thank you for the blessings in this house. Lord, I pray that you continue to pour out your Holy Spirit upon this place, lead us, guide us and direct us as we move from this place. Today, lord, I thank you and I give you all of the honor and glory in the mighty name of Jesus, and the church says Amen.