We will be there whichever one we're on next and that's at five o'clock and looking forward to that and we'll be back at six o'clock tonight and Lord willing I've been aiming to be in Matthew 24 for quite some time and So we'll see if we make it there tonight Mark Mark chapter number two. I brought this up before recently and it's come up again for some reason, it just seemed to fit here, but many of us in the room remember September 11, 2001. How many in here were not alive in 2001? Anybody? Well, I know Camara, Scotty, Micah, you were on the planet, right? Yeah, you're an old guy now, I forgot about that. Do you remember September 11th? How many don't remember it? I mean, never mind. That might be a bad question. But some are like, well, I was old enough, but I still don't remember it. But September 11, 2001, by 1028 AM, both towers, North and South Tower, had fallen to the ground. And if you'll remember that, I mean, it's etched in my mind. It's etched in your mind, no doubt. The world stood still. New Yorkers stood in complete shock. and the dust and the smoke were just billowing into the air for days. But what was fascinating was by 7.15 p.m. that night, Congress, both houses of Congress, Democrat and Republican, had gathered on the steps of the Capitol. How many remember that? And what did they do? This is what was really kind of a little bit head scratching. It was at the time it was like, oh, this is wonderful. But if you remember, they had gathered together. They're trying to console the nation and look united and instead of divided and all of these things. But just shortly after that, they have gathered together. They broke out into a song and they broke out into that that hymn. God bless America. God bless America. Isn't that fascinating that they would go to that song? Oh no, in 2001 the government was still funding Planned Parenthood. In 2001, abortion was still legal, right? On a federal sense, Roe v. Wade, on the federal way. 2001, I mean, the government was involved in all sorts of wickedness, and yet they had, when the tragedy struck, and they knew nothing else to do, they had to gall to get out on the steps of the Capitol and sing God Bless America, right? Remember that? Yeah. The churches were full, weren't they? I remember that. There was a certain church there, more of a famous church there in New York City, the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and the pastor had said that people just started showing up on the steps of the church and filling the church house. They had nothing else to do. There's another church there, more of another famous church there in New York City that normally ran about 2,300 on a Sunday, 2,800 on a Sunday. It just ballooned the very next Sunday to 5,300 in a 10 minute. If you remember, churches were somewhat full across the country. Why? Tragedy? Oh yeah, it was tragedy. Absolutely. We didn't know what was going on. We didn't know what was coming next. We didn't know if there was people in the nation that were, you know, were plants and it was just getting ready, everything was getting ready to go crazy. We had no idea what was coming. We didn't know if there was something else coming next. There was a lot of uncertainty. It was a great tragedy. But there's something else a little more universal that was going on that day. And as the towers collapsed, watch, so did people's lives. Almost 3,000 people never made it out of that rubble and out of those two towers and some other areas and some of the other plane crashes in Pennsylvania and in the Pentagon. And watch this, when the dust settled, proverbially, when the dust settled, the only constant left for people to run to was God. When everything was gone, when there was no certainty of tomorrow, people were just trying to do anything they could to get to God. And watch this, what tragedies and trials, while they don't create the solution, right? What they do is this, they do reveal the solution that was always there. And the solution that was always there, that the Twin Towers revealed, which was always there and always will be there, was the person of Jesus Christ. That is exactly what happened. Amen? You remember these days. I mean, goodnight. Some people were living very, very close. We're in the Twin Towers not too many days before that. I had a friend of mine that worked on the floor of the stock market. He was a trader, and he was going up back when the old white coats and on the floor and everything. and he was going up into the elevators in the World Trade Center and people running everywhere. I mean, he explained the whole day to me and how numbing it really was. And they came away from there. Listen, people came away with the uncertainty in their life. They came away looking for God. And here in Mark chapter 1, Jesus has started His ministry. He's been baptized by John. The one who had the authority to baptize. He'd gone from the temptation of the wilderness. He went back to Capernaum and he went into the synagogue at Capernaum. And he's teaching there in the synagogue in Mark chapter 1. A demon possessed man was there. And Jesus cast them out. He cast them out. The people there are absolutely stunned. If you're in chapter 2, you can look up just a couple verses in verse 35 and 30, I'm sorry, 23 and 25 to 25 of Mark chapter 1. And look what they said here, verse 23, and then There was in the synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, saying, Let us alone. What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. Oh, yeah, the devils believe and tremble. Amen. They know who God is. Absolutely. Verse 25. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace and come out of them. Right. Jesus said, Zip it. It's not time yet for you to say this. Get out of here. Get out of him." And the people that just, they stood there stunned and they couldn't believe that somebody had the ability and the power and the authority to do this. They couldn't believe that a demon as he spoke out, no doubt there was a devil in this man speaking out and recognized and knew who Jesus was. His creator is who he was, amen? He was the creator of that demon and he knew it and Jesus said, zip it and get out of him and he did. People went, whoa, who is this guy? So obviously his fame, the Bible says, began to spread abroad. Nobody had seen anything like this before. And then we find Jesus. He's in Peter and Andrew's house in Mark 2. Peter's mother-in-law is sick. I had somebody point out a deep theological truth about this. You know, the Catholics believe Peter is the first pope, and of course, they believe in celibacy for the popes and the priests. And here's Peter, the first pope, who got the rawest deal of all. He got a mother-in-law and no wife. Boy, isn't that a bad thing? Yeah. Yeah. Some of you don't want to say a word. His mother-in-law is sick and Jesus heals her and more people begin to show up at the house and begin to fill the house. And then again, here we have another devil who says he knows who Jesus is. And again, Jesus tells him, he's getting him cast out and all of these things are going on at Peter's house. And then Jesus goes from Peter's house and the healing's there and the work there at Peter and Andrew's house. And he goes out and now he's going to all of the synagogues throughout all of Galilee. and he's preaching in all of the synagogues, and he's healing, and he's casting out demons and devils, and now, now we come to a place here that he's even, now he's going to heal a leper. Not with a D, not a leopard, a leper. A leper, a guy with leprosy. and he heals them and he tells them, hey don't tell anybody, but go to the priest and do what Moses had commanded you to do. There's two fascinating things here that Jesus had told them to do. Number one, he said, well I didn't come to end the law, I came to fulfill it, right? And at this time, right, he tells this Jew to go back to the priest and present himself. It's going to do two things. Number one, he'll go through the process of being acknowledged that, yes, you had leprosy. The priest will say, yes, it's gone. You're going to sacrifice and offer these two things and watch. Then you can go home. He couldn't, listen, these lepers, they didn't live at home, friend. They were away from their families. They were separate from their families. They had to stay away from people because of the contagioncy of the leprosy. But if he wouldn't have presented himself to the leper, the better than the greater addition to the healing is, hey, now I get to go home to my family. But it did a second thing also. This priest had to acknowledge that he had leprosy and that now he was healed and the question had to come, how did this happen? Peter's house, the guy Jesus is over there just healing everybody, just healing this guy and healing this guy and healing Peter's mother-in-law. Yeah, can't get out of that one, can you? It's a wonderful thing and he heals this guy. He says, don't tell anybody now, don't tell anybody, but go back and do these things. And you know what he does? You know the text, you've read it before, right? He goes and he tells everybody, right? How can you not do that, right? Can I tell you something? Hey, it is really hard to keep quiet when Jesus shows up in your life. Absolutely is. There are people, I'm telling you, they never tell anybody about Jesus Christ. They never have any excitement about the things of God in their life. They have no appetite for the word of God. They have no appetite to show up at the house of God. I've just got to wonder if God has ever done anything in your life in the first place. I don't know about you, remember the lepers? They came on to the angel, had killed 185,000 Assyrians and there's all this food out there, there's a famine in the land and the two lepers are looking, they're like, yeah, we got food, right? And they went down there and they thought, boy, this isn't good. We got to go tell somebody. Amen. You just got to tell somebody, amen. This leper went out and he just had to tell somebody. I'm telling you, I don't think you really understand at times. It's so quiet in here this morning. I don't think you really understand sometimes what you have been saved from and what you have been saved to. I don't know if you really can comprehend that you will never ever, ever see the fires of hell if you are in Christ Jesus this morning. Behold, all things are passed away. All things are become new. That old man that you were is not who you are anymore. Absolutely not. Hey, you're going to get a new body someday. You're going to be, listen, you will forever be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hey, your problems, you have the great problem solver who is not only a part of your life and in your life, But here you are, you're a part of His family, you're a child of God, Jesus is your elder brother, you're indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. Hey, that's something to tell somebody in a sin-sick world. That's what this leper did, amen? Okay, we awake? Yeah, alright. So what was he so excited about? Well hey, the leper had learned that Jesus was the only source of healing and deliverance they had ever known. Why else were they shocked? Not like this was going on every week at the synagogue. Not like they had healing services every week. Benny Hinn wasn't alive, I know that. They weren't doing all this. And God does heal. Don't swing that pendulum the other way. God does heal. Amen. But you know, they have learned, this leper and the people of Galilee, they have learned that Jesus was the only source of healing and deliverance they have ever known. And when I begin to think about it, it sounds strikingly similar to the 103rd Psalm. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. The psalmist went on to say, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Oh, God has benefits. Amen. What are they? Who forgiveth all thine iniquities. Amen. Think about that. Think about everything you've ever done. Think about everything you've ever thought. Think about everything that you've never been caught doing that you have done. Think about what has been in your mind. And we know this, we say bless the Lord because He forgives all of that iniquities. Do you know when you came into Christ Jesus and you got saved that day, if you're here today and you're saved, that day that you got saved, you became justified, you got the same record as the Lord Jesus Christ, and every sin, past, present and future, has been wiped away by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your account is clean. Beyond that, it is the account of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's good news, amen? It absolutely is. Bless the Lord, O my soul, who forgets not all his benefits, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfyeth thy mouth with good things. Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from above, and sent down from the Father of lights, where there is no variableness, neither shadow of a turning. Everything good comes from God. Everything that is good is from a good God. And so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles." Boy, it sounds like the Lord Jesus, doesn't it? Yeah, absolutely it is. Sounds like God has shown up on the scene, doesn't it? Well, He did. He has. What did Jesus do when He showed up on the scene? Well, He broke their tradition. He got rid of that, didn't He? He busted in on their religion and all of the man-made stuff they devised of their selves. He broke in on their power. They really didn't like that. They had control over the masses. They had control over the people of Israel. And this guy shows up healing. just a guy healing, right? Messes it all up. Yeah. He broke in on their preaching. You know what they said, right? Never a man speak like this man. Never a man speak like this. This was the healer. This was the deliverer. This was the miracle worker. It was Jesus Christ and Him alone. He was a healer. Amen. But you know, he got done preaching and he's through all the synagogues of of the area of Galilee. And now he's back in Capernaum at Peter's house again. Actually, you're right in this vicinity somewhere over here. I can't remember exactly where. That is looking north on the Sea of Galilee. That white blob at the top is Mount Hermon. And Capernaum is on this northern shore over here. And he's gone back there. He's been throughout the synagogues. He's gone back And when he came back to Peter and Andrew's house, the Bible says his fame had spread abroad. And now in Mark chapter 2 and verse 1, Jim has read this for us. Jesus is in the house. Jesus is in the house and people started showing up to see Jesus. Can I remind you, they didn't show up to see the Pharisees, they already knew what they could do and couldn't do. They weren't coming to see the Pharisees, they didn't come to see Peter, he was just a fisherman. Hey, think about this, this wasn't even at the synagogue. I mean the synagogue and the temple was a central point of all of their religious learning and studying and growth and all of these things. And listen, this wasn't even at the synagogue. Jesus was just in Peter and Andrew's house. And it's a great reminder for us today that God can work anywhere He wants to. Amen, Acts 17, 24, God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. While Solomon was at the dedication of the temple, he prayed, and this is what he said in his prayer, but God, but will God indeed dwell on earth? Behold, the heaven of heavens, I'm sorry, the heaven and heaven of heavens, that's a big way, can't contain thee, how much less this house that I have builded thee. Solomon acknowledged this house was built for God, but he's far greater than that. He's the eternal God. He is beyond all that we can imagine. And the God who spoke the worlds into existence before there was anything works wherever he wishes. And it was here that he was working that night in this little home on that northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The house was filled, the Bible says they're all the way to the door. They're just packed in there. How many remember the bygone eras when churches were packed? How many remember the days when people couldn't know, and it wasn't because a certain concert was going on, it wasn't because of some special this or special that, it wasn't because they were dropping money out of airplanes and helicopters or anything like that. No, people were hungry for the Word of God. My grandfather would tell me south of Aurora that a little church house is still there on 39 Highway, the old Cumberland Presbyterian Church. And he said the circuit riding preacher would show up. This would have been the late 30s, early 40s. He said, oh, they'd have meetings every night. They'd go on for two weeks or so. We'd be there at 11 o'clock every night, get up and go to work the next morning, come back, after work, go back to the house of God, listen to more preaching, night after night, up to two weeks at times. You've heard them, you've read about the days of how it used to be, and here it is. I mean, we can only imagine sometimes what that'd even be like today. Oh, we long for that, don't we? Amen. I hope you do. But this house was full. It was packed full. And there was four guys, well five really, that came to the event and had a little bit of a dilemma. Now I don't know how you picture it in your mind. I have my own weird way of picturing things, right? And I don't think it's too weird but the house is full of people. Jesus is in there teaching And here come up these four guys and each got the corner of this whatever it was that they made a stretcher out of and their paralytic friend is laying in there. And they walk up to the house and I don't know, maybe they're looking in the door, maybe they're trying to see, you know, they're like me, they're about 6'1", and they're trying to see where everything is, right? I'm sure they're my height. You know, they were little back then, right? And they're looking through and they got a problem. They got their paralyzed friend that they're trying to get to Jesus. But there's obstacles in the way. There are obstacles in the way for them to get there. But you know what I love about these men? They didn't care about the obstacles. No matter what, they were going to get to Jesus. Why? Because He's the only healer there is. He's the only deliverer there is. Hey, when the dust settles from the tragedy, you realize over and over again, the same person is still there, who was there all along, which was Jesus Christ. And there they are, they're coming to Him, and they're just trying to figure out, how can I get in there? They didn't care if they interrupted the service, right? They didn't care. They had devised a plan, And they figured out, here's how we're going to do this. We're going to take off the tiles of the roof and we're going to lower them down that way. Yeah. So I don't know what it looked like. Jesus is teaching and people with rapt attention are listening to Jesus. And then things start falling on their head. People start looking up maybe around Jesus. You hear the noise, you know, I don't know what it looked like. They're taking the tiles off the roof, right? And obviously the city of Nixa didn't pass the code on that. It shouldn't be possible. and they took the roof tiles off, and before you know it, this bed is lowering down. This is awesome. I love ingenuity. It's lowering down, and they figured out where Jesus was, obviously, and it's like they lowered it down right in front of Him. You know what I can't help to think? I can't help to think that Jesus smiled. I can't help to think that Jesus maybe chuckled a little bit. Why? He knew their faith. God loves our faith. Yeah. And he looked at him. I don't know what the guy was doing. If I was the paralytic, I'd be like, hey, awkward. Everybody's quiet. I mean, I don't know. The Bible says he saw their faith. Can I remind you? This goes exactly in line with what James says. He says, show me your faith by, you know, tell me you have faith and I'll show you my faith by my works. No, it's not work salvation. He said, I'll prove it to you. I'm saying in Hebrews chapter 11, by faith, Abraham, by faith, Noah, by faith, Sarah, by faith, Gideon, by faith. It goes all the way down through there. And after every one of those eventual individuals that it said by faith, it tells you after that what they did by faith. They believe God, right? So they did. Jesus saw their faith. No, they didn't. I already said they didn't care if they interrupted the message. Yeah, they weren't satisfied to wait for another time. Listen, they needed Jesus now, and they determined that nothing was gonna get in the way of them getting to Jesus. I've seen services like this. I've seen services where, I mean, the service doesn't hardly end, and people are coming to an altar. Hey, my wife and I were just in a church in South Arkansas, and the special music lady was at the piano singing, and it was just a beautiful song, Directly, here comes this guy down to the altar out of nowhere. I'm like, oh, there he goes. Before you know it, people are going to the altar. Oh, it's a powerful song. The message of the song, the conviction of the song. The pastor got up, alright, just crying. He said, hey, if you got to do business with God, you better do business with God right now. Hadn't even got to the preaching. I've seen it. I've been in services. You've been in services where God has spoken to you. It is so evident that He has spoken to you and you're waiting for the preacher to shut up so you can get and deal with God and fix something that you need to take care of. I've been there. Absolutely. Hey, listen, they're going to get to Jesus. They're not waiting for the end of the service. Why? Because He was the healer. and his four friends weren't going to get their friend to the healer. Watch, their friends brought their friend to Jesus. Four friends brought their friend to Jesus. Notice how Jesus responds. I'm getting really close to being done. Can you believe it? Nope. Look what he says. Son, I realize Jesus was only about 30 years old at the time. Son, but He is the Ancient of Days and their Creator. Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. No healing? Wait a minute, they brought Him there to be healed. Thy sins be forgiven thee. There's something different about this man's faith. And watch this time, Jesus started with His spiritual needs. Can I remind you this morning, it is better to end up in heaven whole than in hell whole. Hey listen, it is better to end up in heaven missing some body parts and not as whole as you wish you would be and not as healthy as you would be. It is much better to end up in heaven that way and get a new body than going to hell with all of your health and all of your body with you and end up in hell for the rest of eternity. I'm so thankful that Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God showed us this here, how important it was to Jesus and this man of faith that he dealt first with his spiritual need. He said, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Oh no, he's not going to leave them there. It's going to get better. But before we get there, you know what the Pharisees are doing? Oh, they're getting a little tweaked. They don't like this. Look at verse 7. Chapter 2 verse 7. Why doth this man speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only? Bingo. They missed it. They didn't understand. Hey, this guy is healing anybody he wants to heal. No, it's not just, he's not parsing out just certain ones to heal, right? He's healing whoever comes to him. He is casting out devils from whoever has them. He is forgiving people, right? He knows what people are thinking? Look at verse 8. And immediately when Jesus perceived in the Spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, He said unto them, now they hadn't said anything audibly. He turns to them, how do you think you would have received this? Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Gulp. He heals. He casts out devils. He knows my thoughts? Come on, it's not hard to put it together. What did Jesus say? You do not know the scriptures with the power of God. This was their issue, wasn't it? They still didn't know the word of God. They didn't know the scriptures. They didn't understand why the Messiah was coming, what he was coming for. No man can forgive sins but God. Hey, they weren't wrong. They weren't wrong at all, and they weren't right either, right? The one forgiving sins wasn't a mere man, amen? The one forgiving sins was the very Son of God, the second person of the Godhead. But watch this, Jesus is going to validate His blasphemous words. Look at verse 8. And immediately when Jesus perceived in His Spirit I can't see this. "...that they so reasoned within themselves. He said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts, whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?" What's easier? To say your sins be forgiven thee or to take up your bed and walk? Well, I mean, talk's cheap. You can just say words. Nobody knows if his sin's forgiven him, right? Who knows that? I don't know if your sin's forgiven. You don't know if my sins are forgiven. It's kind of hard. I mean, there's evidences, right, but hard to tell. But look what Jesus says. But that ye may know that the Son of Man, Daniel 7, that is a title of the Messiah. He wasn't just saying, I'm just the Son of Man, like just another son of mankind. but that you may know that the Son of Man hath power, has authority on earth to forgive sins. I'm going to show you my authority to forgive sins. Yeah, it's one thing talks cheap, but try to pull this one off. I say unto thee, arise, take up thy bed and go on thy way into the house. And immediately he arose. I love that. Immediately he arose. Jesus vindicated himself by healing. I like that. So immediately the guy obeys. He had the ability to obey. Well, he already believed before he showed up, right? The belief still came before the ability to get, before the healing and the obedience and the ability to obey. God healed him so he could get up and do what he told him to do. And he took his bed and he took his stuff and he walked home. I like that. Maybe he met the leper on the way. Going home? Yeah, going home. Me too. Well, how are you going home? Oh, Jesus. Oh, me too. No, this is the only way anybody gets to go home, is with Jesus. Hey, do you think God would really allow some guy to go out there and mouth off about forgiving sins and then heal him if they were just some blaspheming charlatan? Do you think God would really allow that? Does any man, does any human being have creative power, right, to order a human body to return to its original condition? Think about that. The Bible goes on to say, and God was glorified. The attributes of God were put on display by the working of Jesus. He said, and look what they said, we've never seen it on this fashion. I mean, hey, we're the chosen of God. We're the apple of His eye. We've been given the responsibility of the oracles of God. I mean, we have been given the responsibility to usher in the Messiah and we've never seen it like this before. This is crazy. Jesus is the healer and Jesus is forgiver. I like that. You know, as the towers collapsed that morning, so too did people's lives. And when the dust settled, I said it earlier and I'll say it again, there was only one constant that the people ran to, the only one that they could go to, and it was God. Right? The tragedy didn't create the answer, right? The tragedy turned the spotlight on the one who had been there the whole time. that they had left, that they had forgotten, that they got so self-absorbed in their own life and their own expectations of life and their own desires of life and climbing the corporate ladder and making this and making that and creating this and doing this. Well, I tell you what, in just a second their whole world was gone and they're clamoring for God. Time and time again, you know what we find? We find like these men found here with Jesus that brought their friend to Jesus. We find that it isn't that Jesus is the last choice after everything falls apart, but he has been and always will be the only choice. No, not just for this life only, but especially for the life to come. Amen? He's the only choice. He's the only one. He is healer. He is forgiver. He is Jesus. Peter said, to whom shall we go? Jesus said, will you go away also? He said, well, where are we going to go? Thou hast the words of life. That woman that had the issue of blood for 18 years, she just did all she could do good to get through that crowd. She said, if I could just touch the hem of his garment, I'd be made whole in Eden. She was. They were just trying to get to Jesus. The guy at the parallette, they're just trying to get him to Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Himself said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me. Hey, which answers our own question for our own day. Do you know what America needs today? It needs Jesus Christ. That's what it needs. Hey, America needs Christians who will start bringing people to Jesus again. It needs friends who will go get their friends and bring them to a person, Jesus Christ. Now listen, we don't need another government program. We don't need psychology. We don't need our gender dysphoria placated. The answer isn't money. The answer isn't police officers. The answer isn't sensitivity training. It's not more metal detectors. It is not more gun laws. The answer is Jesus Christ. Listen, I listen to the radio. I listen to the news. I get frustrated. Every time some tragedy happens in our nation and all of the wizards of smart and all of the talking heads, they get together and they're like, what are we going to do? and I'm yelling at the radio, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, preach Jesus Christ. He's the answer. He's the only answer. Amen? Hey, listen, you're not gonna fix the problem with college Republican debates on your campus. You're not gonna fix the problem with Turning Point USA, as good as things they may do. You're not gonna fix the problem with Ben Shapiro or Jordan Peterson. You're not gonna fix the problem with the Republican, with the House and the Senate and the presidency all being Republican or whatever you think is your utopia to fix the world. And listen, only Jesus Christ can fix America and it can only be done one heart at a time. But you know what it's going to take? It's going to take friends bringing their friends to Jesus and not anything else. That's what it's going to take. Christian, can I remind you? Somebody brought you to Jesus. Oh no, I just showed up. God uses people. Well, I grew up in a Christian home. Well, then He used your parents to show you the way. He used people to bring you to Jesus. We believe He's the only way, amen? Well then who are you bringing to Jesus? No, if you really believe that, if I really believe that, if I really believe that He is the only answer, who are you bringing? What are you letting sit in the way of getting that individual to Jesus Christ? Well, I know this. It's not that the church is too full. I know that. That's not the issue. Well, I just can't get him in the back door. It's so full. We'll open a window. How's that? Who are you bringing? You believe he's the answer. You believe he's it. Maybe you brought somebody today. Maybe somebody online is listening today. And you've never trusted Jesus Christ. You've never been born again. You have never been saved. You have never come to God by yourself alone, between you and Him alone. And in whatever the words were said, I'm wrong, you're right. I believe Jesus. And I know that is exactly what I need, the finished work of Jesus. And I'm coming. No, I say it over again. The Old Testament, they brought their little lamb to the priest. And why? Because they believed what God said. God said, bring. They believed it. They believe that blood. They believed it. So what did they do? They brought it. Faith and action. We don't do that today. We bring Jesus. Maybe there's never been a day when you've brought Jesus to the Father and said, I believe this, I believe your sacrifice. The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, I believe Him and I'm bringing Him to you. Why? Because I'm a sinner, I'm separated from you and I need to be reconciled back to you and my sin needs to be taken care of and I believe that only Jesus can take care of my sin. Maybe that's you today, you've never been saved. That's a Bible word, you've never been saved. You've tried everything. You've tried relationships, didn't work. Tried money, not working. Tried religion, not working. Can I tell you nothing fills the void? You know why? Because the void, as somebody said, is God-shaped and only God fits in it. Have you ever done a puzzle and lost the last piece? Can I tell you somewhere in the universe, That piece that is exactly the shape of the one that's missing is somewhere. It may be in that factory in China that made it. It may be on the floor of some warehouse somewhere. It might be in your kid's room. It might have already been eaten by an animal. But that thing was somewhere. And the only thing that'll fit in that missing space is that puzzle piece that fits that shape exactly. And that's Jesus Christ in your life. Here's the good thing we know about Jesus. We know where He is. He's not lost. He's at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. His Holy Spirit is drawing you to Himself. He's drawing you to the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus is that puzzle piece in your life you've been trying to figure out. What's missing? It's Him. It is a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. And if you would believe, and you would come to Jesus today, He'll change your life here and now, and He'll change your eternal destiny as well. How many believe that? Amen? Listen, we have the answer. We have the answer. And there's only one answer, and it's Jesus. And I'll tell you, the only thing that'll help is if we, as friends, grab our friends and just continue, just continue to bring them to Jesus. Well, they don't want to come now. We'll just keep praying, keep drawing. Keep praying and keep drawing. Could you imagine the house on fire and you went up to the house and your friend's in there and you say, hey, you got to get out. Oh, I'm not ready. Okay. No, friend, you wouldn't do it. You know what the problem with some people are? They just really don't believe the book. They don't really believe it. They're just not so sure that hell's real. They're not so sure what God says is true. Just keep drawing. Keep drawing. How long should I keep drawing? Well, it will last as long as God lasts. If He's still drawing, which He is, will you keep drawing? Listen, we need an uprising. We need an uprising of believers to go out and get their friends and bring them to Jesus and let nothing get in between. What are you doing? What are you doing? Father, thank you for such a clear, clear reminder today that there is one answer. And it's the person, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has those of us who are children of God, we have a monumental task ahead of us. But it really is just real simple, isn't it? We just need to have a heart for those that you've placed in our life, for those that are our neighbor, those that are our friends, to do everything possible to disregard the obstacles in the way, to disregard the roof in the way, to tear things away that are in the way, to get involved, to do whatever's possible to get those friends of ours under the sound of the gospel in front of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, would you reignite that heart in us to do exactly what the Lord Jesus did, to seek and to save that which was lost? We have the only hope and the only answer. And we're thankful for that. But Lord, would you help us to be like these four friends with our friends? Well, thank you for what you do today. There could be somebody here today that's never been born again. Would you draw them today in Jesus name? Amen. Why don't we stand this morning? The piano is going to play. We're going to have a time of invitation. Maybe the Lord has spoken to you today about something specifically. Would you respond and obey to him today? Maybe God has put something upon your heart. You need to be more active in getting your friends to Jesus. You need to start asking for some better ways to get people to Jesus Christ. He is the answer. Maybe God has spoken to you that way, and you need to do more. Would you come today and let the Lord know the invitation is open, the altars are open, people are praying, you come to Christ. But while heads are bowed and eyes are closed, I want to ask a question. How many can raise their hand and they know that they know that they know that they know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, they remember the day that they approached God between them and them alone, and they approached God because they knew they needed to be saved, And they wanted the Lord Jesus, and they remember the day, you remember the day that you got saved. How many can raise your hand and say, I remember that day. I remember that day. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I can't see all the hands. Maybe there's one in here today that couldn't raise your hand. And you know this, if you were to die today, you know you would not be in heaven. You know in the depths of your soul, if you died today, you'd be in hell. Can I admonish you this morning while the instrument's playing, would you come this morning? We have people trained in the Bible. They can take you into a private room, a lady with a lady, a man with a man, and take you and show you how you can know for sure that your sins are forgiven and that you'll be reconciled back to your Creator. You have a relationship with the living God. You can come, even now you can come. Somebody will show you. How many are here this morning, you're saved, you've raised your hand, you've given testimony, you have been born again, you're a child of God. How many can raise your hand and say, I have a friend that needs to come to Jesus? Anybody? Anybody have a friend that needs to come to Jesus? You can raise your hand, yes. What are you doing to reach him? I'm not saying that you're not reaching him, I'm not saying that. All I'm asking is what are you doing? What are you doing? See, well there's been so many obstacles. Would you ask the Lord how to be creative against those obstacles and get around them so you can get them to Jesus? Yeah. If we really believe the world needs Jesus alone, may God help us to live our lives in such a way that we believe in and then act upon it. Amen. We're going to be closed here in a word of prayer in just a moment. Thank you everybody for being here this morning. What a good day. Beautiful day out.