Infinite One

He is risen, amen? Let’s do that. We’re going to do it three times, because that’s what they would do in the early church. They would make that statement three times, and it would be an echo. It would be a back and forth. It would be a declaration. And so what I would love for us to do — and we’ve already done it many times today, but let’s do it again — we’re going to do it three times, and I want us to fill this room with that victory chant. Can we do that? So respond after me. He is risen. He is risen. He is risen. Amen. Let that be settled in our hearts, amen?

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to John chapter 1. For those of you that have been here recently, you know that this is one of my favorite Scriptures. And man, I’m telling you, we’re going to go through the hit list today, because a lot of these are my favorites. So you can just bookmark them and be like, oh, this is a favorite. This is a favorite. We’re going to hit them all. I figure it’s Easter, why not, right? The greatest hits, they’re coming out.

Okay. So John chapter 1, and we’re going to start in verse 1 this morning. But we are celebrating Holy Week, and today is a culmination day. It’s this Sunday, right? And we here celebrated starting on Thursday. We had our Christian Seder, which was awesome, led by Pastor Larry. It was the Passover meal, and we experienced together really fixing our eyes on Jesus and how He fulfilled every part of the Passover meal. How many of you know Jesus is our Passover, right? Death has passed over us for all who are in Christ Jesus. And so He is our true Passover. And so we spent the night talking about that and reflecting on that, and really, with a worshipful heart, sharing in that meal together, just as the disciples would have experienced it with Jesus on the night of His betrayal.

Jesus was betrayed on that Thursday night, and on Friday He was tortured, He was beaten, He was improperly tried. It was a trial full of injustice. And He carried the cross, and He died on the cross. And we on Friday looked at the cross and took a deep look at what that cost actually was.

And then Saturday. Saturday is the longest day in history. I mean, it was at that time that the disciples thought everything that they had hoped for, everything that they had believed in, was gone. They had hoped that this Jesus, this man, this God-man, was the Messiah, that this was the Savior. But Saturday, they were in mourning. And the women were preparing the spices and the perfumes, and the disciples were behind locked doors, afraid for their own life, afraid that they would suffer the same fate. They were in hiding.

But then came Sunday. Somebody say amen. Then came Sunday morning, the morning that the ground shook, the morning that the stone that was in front of the tomb where Jesus was laid was rolled away. And the tomb was found empty — not because somebody took the body. It was because death could not hold Him. He had overcome the grave. The Lamb that was promised had died. He was buried. But Jesus rose again on that Sunday.

Before all the names

I don’t want to talk about just what happened on that day. I want to talk about who walked out of that grave today. I think it’s easy for us to just dwindle down the word of God to a story, but how many of you know it’s much more than a story? It is a story. It’s the ultimate love story, about how God gave everything, including Himself — which, how many of you know, that is everything, the most precious thing, the very blood of Jesus — so that we could be with Him.

It is a love story, but I want us to recognize who we’re talking about today. Because I believe that when we actually understand who Jesus is, when we really understand who made this sacrifice and what great lengths He went to for us, I believe that the statement He made about us today will break us. It will shake us to the core.

I’ve been holding on to this word for a couple of months now. I believe it was during a time of just being in the word — we like to read our Bibles every day, and we’re going through a reading plan together where we read through the Bible in a year — and as I was reading, I felt the Lord drop a statement into my heart that I knew was for us on this day. Amen? And so I’m very excited to share it with you.

We’ve been in a series called the Names of God. We’ve been going through the different names through this year, talking about His names and who He is and talking about the characteristics, because how many of you know that is a declaration of how He loves us and how He sees us, and really what is available to us in Him? Amen. And so we’ve been going through this series, and we’ve had our eyes opened to a deeper understanding of who He is.

But today I want to go back before all of those names. I want us to go back before we talked about Jireh, our provider; Tsidkenu, our righteousness; Yeshua, our Savior. I want to go back before Moses. I want to go back before Abraham. I want to go back before Genesis chapter 1, verse 1 this morning. Because before God was your provider, before He was your righteousness, before He was your salvation, how many of you know He was? He just was.

Revelation chapter 1, verse 8 — the Lord says this: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Notice, He is the Alpha and the Omega. What does that mean? He is the first letter and He is the last letter. He is the beginning and He is the end. But how many of you know He is not just the bookends? He’s everything in between. Every letter, every word, every story, every heartbeat that has ever beaten — everything. He holds it all together, every jot and tittle. He is all of it. He is the one who is, who was, and who is to come.

Hebrews 13:8 says this: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” In other words, there is no moment in history, past, present, or future, where He is not fully and completely and overwhelmingly there. This is who I want to look at this morning. And you’re like, man, that doesn’t sound like Easter. We should be talking about some other things. Oh, man, this has everything to do with Easter. This has everything to do with Easter. The title of the message and the name that we’re going to be talking about today is the Infinite One. Everybody say, “The Infinite One.” Say it again: “The Infinite One.” He is the Infinite One.

In the beginning was the Word

The apostle John — and we come to John chapter 1 this morning — when he sat down to write about Jesus... I saw a really funny reel this week about John. I don’t know if you guys have seen it. It’s out there. John is writing the gospel, and the other gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, they’re like, “Hey, what did you say about Peter when he cut off the guy’s ear? Are you calling him out, or are we just saying ‘someone’?” And they’re like, “Oh yeah, ‘someone.’” And John’s like, “Simon Peter cut off” — calling him out. It’s funnier than it sounds, okay? Maybe it’s just pastor humor, I don’t know. I was dying of laughter there, okay.

Here’s the apostle John. And I want us to notice before we start reading this that when John sat down to write about Jesus, he didn’t start with Bethlehem. He didn’t start with the manger. He didn’t start with an angel coming to Mary to deliver good news. He went further back than any human story has ever gone.

We come to John chapter 1, and let’s read this. Can we read this out loud together? If you have your Bibles, just read your translation; it’s okay. If you don’t have a Bible, you can follow along on screen. But let’s fill this place with the word of God this morning. Can we do that? All right. John chapter 1, starting in verse 1. Ready, go. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

We could sit in those three verses for the whole year. You’re like, “No way.” Yes, way. In the beginning was the Word. In other words, not “in the beginning the Word was created.” It’s not “in the beginning the Word came about.” It is: the Word already was. Before the beginning, He was already there. Amen?

It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This is not talking about a creation. This is not talking about an angel. We’re not talking about a prophet or even a really good teacher. We’re talking about God here. This is the same God that appeared to Moses in the burning bush. This is the same God that parted the Red Sea.

It says, “through Him” — everybody say, “Through Him.” This is so important. It says through Him all things were made. Everything that you can see, everything that you cannot see, He spoke it into existence. The very air that is in your lungs right now exists because of Him. Amen? It says without Him nothing was made that was made. No atom, no molecule, not one heartbeat in the history of the universe exists apart from Him.

In Him all things hold together

Now, I want to look at Colossians, and we’re going to build something here. Colossians chapter 1 — this is another favorite — starting at verse 15. This is Paul now writing, and he’s saying the same thing, but he’s going maybe even a little bit deeper here. Starting at verse 15, Paul writes, “The Son is the image of the invisible God.”

Paul is saying, “Listen, do you not realize that when we looked upon the face of Jesus, we were looking at the face of God?” He’s the exact image of God the Father. He is the exact representation. Jesus said, “When you see me, you see the Father. If you know me, you know the Father.”

Paul says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him” — everybody say, “In Him” — “all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones” — so we’re not even talking about natural physical things. We’re talking about powers, principalities. It says, “thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him” — and notice this — “and for Him.” Not only were they created by Him; they were created for Him. “He is before all things, and in Him” — and this is, oh, man — “in Him all things hold together.”

Meaning this: there are some people here who have foolishly said, “I don’t need God.” And there could be no statement further from the truth. Your next breath depends on Him. Your next step depends on Him. And it is only because of His mercy and His love and His grace that we have those things. And may we never take it for granted, because we’re never guaranteed anything. Amen? Scripture says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” We always think we have tomorrow, but sometimes tomorrow doesn’t come. Amen? And so today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to respond to His love, to respond to His mercy, to respond to His grace. Amen?

I want you to catch three phrases out of here. All things were created through Him. In other words, He is not a part of the creation; He is the source of creation. Everything that exists exists because He decided it should. All things were created for Him. So not only were things created by Him, but they were created for Him. How many of you know the universe is not an accident? I’m going to say it again. The universe is not an accident. It has a purpose, and the purpose is Him. The purpose is a person. It was created for Him.

Notice: in Him all things hold together. I love this, because He’s not a God who built the universe and then stepped back. He’s actively involved in everything. He’s the giver of life. He’s the one who sustains us, who holds it all together. He is actively, right now, this second, holding every atom in place. He’s the reason the earth stays in orbit. That is a wild fact in itself. If it was just what — a few inches, feet closer? I don’t know what the thing is. I’m not a scientist. We would burn up, right? He’s the reason your heart keeps beating. He’s the reason gravity works. He’s the reason the nucleus of the atom doesn’t fly apart when everything about physics says this should not be held together. It’s His word.

I want you to think about how powerful He is. He spoke the earth and all creation into existence with what? His word. And all things are held together by what? His word. His word, when He spoke it into existence, is so powerful it is to this day holding everything together. I mean, can we talk about power that we can’t even fathom? All things are held together by Him.

Someone is holding it all together, and this someone is the same one who walked out of the tomb on Sunday morning. Not a good teacher, not a philosopher, not a wise man. He’s all those things, but He’s so much more. He’s the Infinite One. He’s the uncreated. He’s the self-existent God who was before all things. He is the one who holds all things together by the word of His power. He is the Alpha. He is the Omega. He is the Infinite One.

Why would the Infinite One die?

Now, I want us to hold on to this this morning, because this is where Easter forces us to deal with something. I don’t think you can leave here and not make a decision. You are going to have to choose something or someone. Because this is where Easter says the Infinite One — the God who holds all the atoms together, who spoke galaxies into existence, who was before time and will be after — did something that makes absolutely no sense. He died.

The God who holds everything was arrested. He was beaten. He was betrayed and spit upon. And He let them drive nails through His hands — the same hands that shaped the mountains. The voice that called light into existence went into a silent tomb. Why? Why would an infinite God ever do this? I don’t know about you, but I kind of would be like, “I’m moving on. We’ll try again.”

Why would the Infinite One do this? Listen, He did not do this because He was lonely. How many of you know He existed within perfect love itself? God is fully complete. He didn’t need anything. He was in perfect unity, Father, Son, and Spirit. How many of you know He was never lonely? Say amen. He didn’t need worship. He didn’t need company. He is fully complete, lacking nothing. He is I AM.

So why did He do this? Why did He step out of eternity into time? Why did He put on flesh? Why the manger? Why did He have to get a job as a carpenter and learn a trade from scratch? That’s interesting. Why did He have to be tempted in the wilderness? Why did He have to endure pain and betrayal from those He loved more than any — not that He had favorites, but how many of you know those were His people? Why would the Infinite One allow Himself to be killed by the very creation He holds together?

And there’s only one reason: because the Infinite One says that you are of infinite worth. I need every person to hear that. We’ve got to know who we’re talking about. The Infinite One, when He looks at you, says, “You are of infinite worth to me.” That’s the whole thing. That’s the answer. That’s the reason. It’s the answer to every question that you could ever have.

Why did He come and make you righteous? Because He says you are worth making right. Why did He come and provide Himself as the Lamb? Because He said you are worth the sacrifice. Why does He come for you, knowing that it was all going to end on a cross? Everybody look at the cross. It is an offense to many. Why did He come knowing it would end on a cross? Because He says you’re worth saving.

Not with silver or gold

And how do we know this? How do we know that we’re not just talking positive talk? How do we know we’re not just trying to be encouraging or optimistic? The reason we know is because of the price He paid.

1 Peter 1:18 says this: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” In other words, you were not purchased with silver or gold. How many of you know silver and gold are perishable things? They tarnish. They fade. They lose value. We weren’t purchased with perishable things.

God looked at every form of currency that the world had to offer, and He said, “None of this is enough to actually represent what you are worth to me. I need you to know how much I love you. I need you to know how much I want to be with you.” And the only thing that was going to be worth that cost was Himself.

The cross is not just an act of love. How many of you know the cross was a valuation? He was making a statement of how much you are worth to Him, just how much you mean to Him. It was God looking at you and saying, “You’re worth all of it.” And what He paid was everything. All of Himself, without limit, without reservation — an infinite price for you. How many of you know you do not pay an infinite price for something that is worthless? You only purchase things for what they’re actually valued at, and He says you are worth all of it.

And here’s the thing. Your worth is not something that you built. Your worth actually isn’t even dependent on you. I want you to listen to Ephesians 2:10 — another favorite. It says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Notice the word handiwork. That is the Greek word poiema. It’s where we get the English word poem. It means you are a work of art.

That when God made you, when He created you, He said, “You are my masterpiece. You’re the best thing that I’ve done. You’re the best that I have. You’re everything to me.” In other words, how many of you know you are not mass-produced? You’re not an accident. You’re not a rough draft that God is still deciding whether He’s going to keep or get rid of. You are poiema. You are His masterwork. You are the masterwork of the Infinite One, created in Christ Jesus on purpose, with a purpose that He prepared in advance, before you even took your first breath.

So let’s break this down. The God who spoke the galaxies into existence — Scripture says He stretched out the heavens and placed the stars across the sky — He looked at you. Everybody say, “Me.” And He said, “You’re my best work.” It wasn’t after you cleaned up your life. Before you even did a single thing, He said, “You are my masterpiece.” And how many of you know masterpieces are worth protecting? They’re worth pursuing. They’re worth dying for.

Leaving the ninety-nine

Jesus proves this point when He tells the story in Luke chapter 15. It says Jesus told them this parable. It was an example. He says, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.” Everybody hold up and point and say, “One.” Suppose one of you has a hundred and you lose one. “Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

I need you to do the math with me here, because in my mind the math is not mathing. Because there is no good shepherd who knows their job that would actually leave ninety-nine sheep alone in the open country to go get the one. If you were smart, if you were a good shepherd, you would write the one off. You would cut your losses, and you would move on.

But how many of you know that is not God’s heart? We’re not talking about a rational shepherd. This is a story about God, and His math does not work like our math. In God’s heart and valuation, the one is worth the risk of everything. Not because the one sheep was so special, not because the sheep did anything, but because, listen, the sheep is just lost. That’s it. That’s the whole qualification. Lost, wandering, and alone.

And the shepherd says, “That one.” Everybody hold up the one again. That one. “I’m going back for the one. I’m going back for my masterpiece. I’m going back for the greatest thing that I’ve ever done. I can’t leave. I can’t let it go. I can’t just cut my losses. I’m leaving everything to get one back.”

And when He finds it, I want you to notice what the real Good Shepherd’s response is. He doesn’t beat the sheep. He doesn’t scold it and say, “Do you realize what you have cost me? Shame on you.” He puts the sheep on His shoulders. I’m sure that sheep was tired, scared, alone, frightened. He takes the sheep and puts it on His shoulders, and He carries it back. He does the work. And then what does He do? He throws a party. “Rejoice with me.”

Scripture says that when one sinner repents, all of heaven rejoices. Why would that be? Because they know the gravity of what that one person was actually saved from: an eternity. We can’t even get our mind around that. We think, “Oh, that’s just a really long time.” It’s forever and ever apart from Him. Which — how many of you know if He is not there, it is nothing but darkness, death, and destruction. Amen?

This is how the Infinite One values you: as one that He would leave anything for. That’s why when we say things like “Jesus loves you,” I pray that we never lose the weight of what that is. It’s more than a bumper sticker. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if that’s all it becomes, it’s lifeless. It’s more than a social media post. Nothing wrong with that — if you’re going to post something, post about Jesus. It’s everything.

And so here’s what Easter is. Easter is the Infinite One, the Alpha and the Omega, the one who was before all things, the one in whom all things are held together — it is Him who left glory, the glory of heaven, to come and find the one lost sheep. And the cost of the rescue was not silver. It was not gold. It wasn’t anything from the hand of His creation. It was the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect, the perfect one, the Infinite One, who says, “You are of infinite worth.”

Raised for our justification

That was Friday. That was Friday. And if the story ended there, how many of you know that alone would be the greatest love story ever told? The greatest story, full stop. But how many of you know the story does not end there? I said it doesn’t end there.

Romans 4:25 says this: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and” — can we say and? — “and was raised to life for our justification.” I want you to notice there’s two things here, two things in one verse. You cannot miss either one of them. He was delivered over to death. Why? For our sin. Why did our sin need to be paid for? Because the punishment of sin is death. Death is being apart from Him. He cannot know sin. He cannot entertain it. He cannot be around it. Not because He doesn’t love you; it’s because it’s not who He is.

He’s saying there’s a gap. And we welcome that gap. We choose that gap. We choose the distance, and we say, “God, where are You?” But we’re the ones that put the gap there. And He’s saying, “I’m coming. I came. I gave it all.” He died for us, for our sins. That’s Friday. The price was paid. The Lamb was slain. The Infinite One absorbing the full weight of every sin, past, present, future, into His body on the cross.

We talked about it on Friday. When the Roman soldiers were pulling out His beard and beating Him and spitting on Him — in the Old Testament law, God gave the priests instruction to lay their hands on the ram, on the sacrifice, and to transfer the sins of the people over to the animal, the sacrifice. When the Roman soldiers were beating Jesus, unknowingly, they were transferring the sins of humanity onto Jesus. He told the story from the very beginning. This is what He came to do.

But notice: He was raised to life for our justification. That’s Sunday. That’s today. Oh, that should put some smile on your face. That should put a little pep in your step. Because not only did He die and pay the price, but now He is raised to life for our justification.

What does that mean? It means that the resurrection isn’t just a miracle; it’s a verdict. I don’t know if you know what that means yet. The resurrection isn’t just a miracle. How many of you know someone who is dead and is raised to life — that’s amazing. That should turn some heads. That should make some news, right? That’s a big deal. But this was more than a miracle. This was a verdict for you. It was heaven’s stamp on the transaction that took place on the cross. It is God the Father looking at the price that His Son paid and saying, “Accepted. It’s done. It’s finished.”

There was no sacrifice, there was nothing that could actually purchase our salvation eternally. It was all temporary. It was all a shadow. But when Jesus, the perfect Lamb, the perfect sacrifice, died on the cross, heaven’s stamp was, “It is accepted.” And the resurrection is proof. Amen.

If Jesus had stayed in the tomb, we would have no way of knowing if the payment actually worked. We would be left wondering. We’d have this beautiful sacrifice and an open question. But how many of you know He didn’t stay in the tomb? I said He did not stay in the tomb. He walked out of the tomb. And when He walked out, your justification walked out with Him. Can we thank the Lord? Come on, praise the Lord.

I don’t always want to be a cheerleader, but I think we need to be a little bit more excited than that. Can we thank Jesus and the Father for the verdict that was won on Sunday? Come on, say amen.

His resurrection is proof that you’re not probably forgiven. You’re not under review. You’re not pending good behavior. You are already justified. “How can this be? Do you not realize the things that I’ve done? Do you not realize the things that I’ve said? Do you not realize the way that I act Monday through Saturday? Do you not realize what I did this weekend?” The Lord has already declared you righteous, as if you had never sinned. Because the Infinite One paid an infinite price, and the empty tomb is the receipt.

And so He was delivered for your sins. How many of you know that is love? He endured the cross for your sins. That is love. But He was raised for your justification, and that is proof. And listen, this is not just a couple guys writing the story. He was seen by all. He walked on this earth for 40 days, being seen by all. In fact, Scripture says that when He was raised to life, the dead in their tombs were raised to life. What is that? That’s the power of God. That’s our resurrection. That’s our hope: that if He was raised to life and I’m in Him, I will be raised to life.

So, death, where is your sting? Oh, we had a lot to be afraid of about death, because when it was done, you were done. But now, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. In other words, the cross says you’re worth it. The empty tomb says it is finished.

Come on, this is good. This is probably the most important message I could ever preach. You picked a good day to be here. And tell your friends about it. Because here’s the reality, and I want you to think about this. I’m going to give you a hypothetical. Let’s just say humanity didn’t sin and it was all just on one person. That’s not possible, but let’s just say. And there really was only one person that was destined to spend an eternity apart from Him. Would Jesus have come and died and done all of this for just one? And the answer is absolutely, overwhelmingly, yeah.

Which means this: you cannot hear what I’m saying and say that does not apply to me. It applies to everyone. Billions and billions. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” There’s no other way. And a lot of people have a hard time with that. “I want to know God my way. I want to walk with Him my way. I want to keep Him in my back pocket and put Him in a box and then pull Him out whenever it’s convenient.” That’s not how you treat a King.

He is the way. And how many of you are thankful He made a way? To all who would say yes to Him — Scripture says if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. That’s all it takes to say yes. “Lord, I receive what You’ve done. I receive the price that You paid. I don’t deserve it.” None of us do. Amen? Not one person who has ever stepped foot on this earth deserved it. You could never measure up to it. You don’t deserve it. We’re not talking about deserved. You deserve death. But He was the price that was paid.

Respond to His love

And so I’m going to invite us — can we just bow our heads and close our eyes? I’m going to invite the worship team to come up. I want us to stay focused on the Lord. Don’t get distracted. Don’t be checking your phone. He deserves our full attention, always. Fix your eyes on Jesus. With every head bowed and every eye closed, just begin to worship and thank Him. Thank Him for His love. Thank the Infinite One, who said, “You are of infinite worth. You are everything to me. You are my masterpiece. You are my poem. You are everything that I want.”

Let us not be puffed up or harden our hearts and say, “I’ll do it later,” or, “I’ll do it on my time.” Let us respond now and say, “Jesus, thank You for Your love. Thank You, Lord, that You are calling me back to You. Thank You for what You’ve done.”

Some of you are hearing this today, and you’re wondering, “How can this be?” You hear the words “You’re of infinite worth,” but something inside of you is fighting it. There’s a voice inside of you that says, “Yeah, but you don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t know what I’m carrying. You don’t know how many times I’ve walked away.” That voice is measuring your worth based on your performance. But God says, “I measure your worth by what I’m willing to pay, and I paid everything. Not because you’re so good. Not because you perform well. Not because you deserve it. Because I made you.”

Because before the foundation of the world, the Infinite One knew your name. He saw you. He chose you. He said, “You are my beloved. You’re the one that I want, and I’ll give everything to win you to myself.” Oh, what love. Oh, what love. He’s not confused about your value. He set the price, and the price was His own blood.

And so if you’re here today and you’re walking around believing that you’re not enough, I need you to hear this. The Shepherd left the ninety-nine for you. The blood that redeemed you was not silver or gold. It was the Infinite One Himself. And the tomb is empty to prove it wasn’t wasted. He’s been given the victory. He’s defeated the grave. You are justified. You are forgiven — to all who would believe in Him and confess that He is the Lord, that He is salvation, that He is the one that I need. He’s my every answer. There’s nothing that stands as a shadow to how great He is.

And so you need to know, if you are here today, you are not an accident. You’re not a mistake. You’re not too far gone. You’re chosen. You’re the one that He died for, the one that He rose for. Scripture says for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. What is that joy? It’s you. He did it all for you.

And so maybe you’re here today because someone invited you. Maybe you came because it’s your habit. Maybe you haven’t been to church in years, and you’re not even sure why you’re here. Can I tell you why you’re here? You’re here because the Shepherd is looking for you. And He hasn’t stopped, and He never will. He’s called your name. He’s called you again and again and again, and maybe you’ve been ignoring Him all this time. But you need to know that the same God who left heaven, who put on flesh, the same God who rode on a donkey and came into Jerusalem to His people, the same one who hung on a cross and walked out of a grave, is still pursuing you right now, in this room, this very morning, because you’re worth it to Him. And His is the only opinion that is forever.

Begin to thank the Lord. Talk to Him. Come on, church, let’s give thanks. Let this atmosphere be a symphony of praise and worship to the Lord. How can we hear such a story and not respond in worship? How can we not give thanks? How can we not be broken to the core? How can we not bleed in our own hearts and say, “He’s the one that I need”? How can we not fall to our knees and cry out to the Lord? How can we not respond in worship and say, “Only He satisfies. Only He is enough”?

This isn’t a show. It never was your performance. You can’t perform this. But out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So what are you speaking? Are you talking like everybody else? Are you speaking like the world, perverse things? How can your mouth worship the Lord and the next day curse Him? Worship the Lord. Call on Him while He is near. Fear His holy name. Not a fear of “I can’t be near Him.” No, it is a fear of reverence, saying, “He’s so holy. He’s so good. How can I ever be with Him?” And the answer is: put on the blood of Jesus. Receive the blood of Jesus. Confess the blood of Jesus today. Amen? Church, amen.

I’m not here for your enjoyment. You have to decide this. If every word of mine fades away, let this word be settled in your heart: He’s everything. He’s the answer. He’s the way. He is my salvation and my song, my declaration. That means when I leave this place, He’s still the song I sing. How could we ever go back? How could we ever settle for what the world has to offer, when we have been met with such amazing love? How can we settle for every counterfeit?

Oh, Lord, break us. Break us, Lord. Break every heart, Lord Jesus. Pour out Your Spirit in this place, Lord. Let it come in like a flood, Lord. Cover every heart and every mind, Lord Jesus. Soften us, Lord. Let our hearts be pure. Let it be good soil, Lord Jesus, where Your word is planted and it produces much fruit, Lord. Do what only You can do.

I don’t know about you, but I want to respond to the Lord. So what I’m going to invite us to do is stand. Let’s stand together, and with our heads bowed, still staying in this worship, in this gratitude before the Lord. I’m not trying to come heavy on you, but I need you to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying. You don’t need my words; you need His words. Only His word can save you. He is the Word.

And so if you are here and you’re saying, “I want to respond to His love. I want to give my life to Jesus. I want to choose Him. I want to receive what He paid for” — if that is you, with every head bowed, can you look at me? Just make eye contact with me and say, “I’m giving my life to Jesus today.” It’s done. It’s done. And Scripture says all of heaven rejoices when you make that decision.

I’m not trying to be emotional. You’ve got to know the cost. Oh, I’m convinced in my heart. Lord, let us all be convinced. Respond to the Lord. He’s what you need. You can’t save yourself. You can’t save yourself. You can’t save your family. Everyone must choose. And the best thing that we can do is to live this life loving Him. Because when you love Him and when you choose Him, He is glorified, and His glory will be on you. And when you come into your home, your family will see His glory on you, because you are His and you are with Him. And His presence goes before you and behind you.

If you want your family to know Him, be worshipers and lovers of Jesus. If you want your children to know Him, be worshipers and lovers of Jesus. If you want your spouse to know Him, be a worshiper and lover of Jesus. That message will speak louder than any message that can be preached from a platform. His work in you is the seal. We’ve got to get it. We’ve got to get it. Oh, what love the Father has lavished on us.

Let us respond. Come on, church, let’s lift our hands to the Lord. Lift your hands to the Lord. Lift your eyes to heaven. And let’s pray this prayer out loud after me. Let’s pray it in faith. Let’s fill this room with this declaration, this salvation prayer. All you’ve got to do is confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. Believe that what we’re about to say is your truth. There’s a lot of things that say they’re truth. They’re not. He is truth. His word is truth. His work in you — it is true.

Lift your hands to the Lord and just say: Father — come on, fill the room — Father, I’ve sinned against You, and I know that I’ve sinned. Forgive my sin. You promised me that if I would confess my sin, You are faithful and just to forgive my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Forgive me and cleanse me. Jesus — say, “Jesus.” Call on the name of Jesus.

Jesus, I declare You are the Son of the living God. You came to this earth. You lived a perfect life. You were beaten, mocked, spit upon, ridiculed, and judged for me. You were nailed to the cross to pay for my sin. You bled and died upon that tree. You were buried to take my death and destroy the grave. And You came out three days later, risen indeed. Risen indeed. Risen indeed. And You are alive.

Come on, church, rejoice. You are alive as the Son of God, who ascended to the right hand of the Father, and You are there today. And You will return as King of kings, as Lord of lords, to judge the living and the dead. And so today — and I want you to say this with all sincerity in your heart — say, “Lord Jesus, because of Your love for me, I give my life to You. I hand my life over. I’m no longer my own. I was bought at a price. Come into my heart. I repent of my sin. I reject the world. I reject its ways. And I give my heart and my allegiance to Jesus right now, in Jesus’ name. I am born again. I am a follower of Jesus forever and ever. Amen.”

Come on, let’s give the Lord praise. Give Him a shout. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Lord. Come on, keep thanking. Thank You, Jesus, for what You’ve done. Lord, You finished the work. You’ve overcome the grave. You’ve given us life, Lord. Thank You, Lord. He is risen. Hallelujah.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.