Something like we're praying that God would bring 660 worshipers here between our two services. And that number will happen if you'll invite some friends and family. And we say, God, we want to fill up every seat to hear the Gospel. And there's going to be a message preached next week called what Difference does the Resurrection Make? It's perfect for people in the church outside, so be ready.

But over 15 years ago, we invented something called the Tin Man Offering. Tin Man, Tin T I n those in need. And if you remember the wizard of Oz movie, the Tin man was trying to find his what? And so we said, hey, let's do our Benevolence Fund on Easter Sunday. Let's call it the Tin Man.

Let's find our heart as a church for people that are in need. And let's do it on the biggest Sunday of the year. Because even people who don't know the Lord sometimes have a heart to help others that really need it. And so, hey, it's going to be an awesome offering next week, but I want to challenge our church family. Increase your amount just a little bit more than you did last year.

Give God a little bit more faith, give a little bit more concern for people that really look up and they've got nowhere to turn. And the Lord will lift them out of that miry pit through the ministry of our church. I know Angie and I, we're going to try to find 50, 75 more dollars just for this offering that's over and above what we normally give. And we set a goal for $20,000 just for the Tin man offering. We've never had that much given on one Sunday for the 10 man before.

But I think the Lord might do it next week. So begin to pray as your family. God, what do I have? What are you bringing to me? What do the people in need need from us?

Gonna be a great Easter Sunday. Don't come empty handed. Bring some friends, bring some ones, and bring an expectant heart. Yes. It's gonna be awesome.

Alright, as I end the who Is yous One Series, normally I would say at this time in the sermon, turn in your Bible to this text or that text. But today I decided to do something a little different. And I'm just going to give a simple Gospel presentation during this sermon. And so I'm going to be all over the Scripture. So I don't have a real text for you to turn to, except maybe John chapter one, verse 12.

So if you want to turn to John chapter one, I'll highlight that verse at the end. But as you're looking for that, I want to ask the congregation a question. May I have your undivided attention for some very important moments here? And can we pause together? Can we just take a breath and seek to silence the noise?

Because we live in a very loud world. And I'm not talking about traffic honking, jackhammer thumping, background noise that we're used to. I'm talking our world is spiritually loud. The world shouts opinions at us as if they're the truth. The world pedals philosophies to us as if they're parade candy, and it offers spiritual half truths wrapped in shiny white lies.

And so occasionally the church, we should hit the pause button, and we need to come back to something gloriously simple and exceedingly profound. So what's gloriously simple and exceedingly profound? It's the pure gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because I believe that it's the gospel that's the hope of the world on every continent. And the local church is the steward of the gospel, the steward of that hope.

And so, with all those thoughts in mind, let me ask you something very personal and something very eternal. What if you think you're right with God, but you're not?

Wouldn't you want to know before it's too late?

You know, the apostles didn't assume that they were all okay. And I know that because at least two of them urged the church to take spiritual inventory. Peter said it this way. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. Paul followed up in Second Corinthians.

Examine yourselves as to whether you're in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless, indeed, you're disqualified? So, Pastor, why?

Why such gravity today? Why such urgency? Because there are three enemies working against you who don't want you to know God. And the first enemy is your culture. And your culture declares this to you.

Good people go to heaven, and then your own flesh reassures you that you're one of the good ones. And then you have Satan who hisses, all right, fine. Be spiritual all you want. Just don't meet the real Jesus.

I think A.W. tozer nailed it when he wrote, what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. And if that's true, then we need to get the truth right. And let's ask the biggest question. How can I become a child of God?

That's the title of my sermon today. How can I become a child of God? Well, for me to answer that question, I have to start with the bad news. Is that okay with you? It's going to get very uncomfortable in here for the next few minutes.

I have to start with the bad news, because the good news won't hit your heart until the bad news hits you in the gut. In America, you have the opportunity to hear only half the Gospel, only the good parts of it, and so you're not confronted with your own sin and your own condition before God. And so you're not ready to receive the good news. I have to start with the bad.

But for me to tell you what the bad news is in our religious culture, I have to first tell you what the bad news is not. The bad news is not I'm Only Human. That was a cool song in the 80s, by the way. The bad news is not. Well, nobody's perfect.

It doesn't do a thing to your conscience to say that out loud. It doesn't bother you at all. The bad news is not. Well, I'm doing my best. I'm trying really hard.

No, that's not the bad news. Here's what the Bible teaches. The bad news is, number one, God is holy and just. Why is that bad news? That's bad news for unrepentant sinners because they're not contending with themselves.

They're not contending with their neighbors. They are in a contest with a holy and just God. And so Psalm 84, Psalm 89, 14. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. And this holy and just God is not playing games with you.

He's not grading on a curve. He's not comparing you with the worst human you've ever heard of. In fact, God will judge the world by his own standard, which happens to be perfect holiness. I get this from a very versatile verse in Acts, chapter 17. When the apostle Paul declared this to the Athenians in Greece.

He says that God has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he's appointed. God sets the righteous standards. Now, the rabbis tell us that there are 613 instructions, 613 commands in the Pentateuch, the law of Moses. And that's too many to outline and exegete on any Sunday sermon or really any series. But thankfully, God has taken all 613 of those, and he's condensed them into a top 10.

They even made a movie about it called the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments represent the righteous standard by which God will judge sinners. So you can find out about the condition of your heart if you'll just use the 10 commandment as a grid. It's a test. It's a pop quiz in church.

You ready to take it? You see, God's standard isn't better than average. It's his holy law. So have you ever told a lie? If you have, that doesn't make you a human.

It doesn't make you a sinner. It makes you a liar before God. Call it what it is. Have you ever stolen anything, irrespective of its size or value? That doesn't make you desperate.

It makes you a thief before God. Have you ever dishonored your parents? Or did you always a thousand percent obey them with the right heart immediately? If not, rebellious son, rebellious daughter? Have you ever taken the Lord's name in vain?

Have you ever connected the name of God to a promise that he hasn't spoken? Or have you ever used his name as a cuss were showing your frustration? Blasphemer.

Have you ever looked at a person of the opposite sex that you're not married to and imagined what physical intimacy with them would be like? Have you ever looked with lust? You know what Jesus says, adulterer in your heart?

Do one more. Have you ever thought, well, God won't send me to hell. God won't judge me because he's love. If you've ever had that thought, you've made for yourself an idol. You've created a God to suit your own sins who does not exist.

That's six of the Ten Commandments. The other four have their barrels pointed toward you. And you've broken all of those, too. This is the standard by which God judges sinners on an appointed day by the man he's appointed, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Now let me ask you this question.

What condition would you expect a soul to be in who regularly breaks God's laws?

The Apostle Paul described that person this way in Romans 1. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. Foolish hearts darkened. You know what that verse does? It indicts humanity for willfully rejecting the God that they knew was there.

That's not ignorance, friends. It's rebellion. That's not A slip up. It's mutiny against majesty. That isn't some spiritual misdemeanor.

It is cosmic treason.

Did you know that Apart from Jesus Christ, you're a lawbreaker? First John 3:4. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness. And sin is lawlessness. What's lawlessness?

You live in it every day. If you live in metro Memphis, if you live where we are now, the culture around us is disintegrating and descending into madness. The elected officials in the big city near us no longer care. Their corruption. You can see it every day on the news.

And now you can commit violent crimes five miles from here and get out on your own recognizance with cashless bail. There is no accountability for wrongdoing. You live in lawlessness, but until you put yourself in it and don't judge it as if you're an outsider, you're not ready for the gospel.

Did you know that? Apart from Jesus Christ, you're the target of God's righteous anger. Psalm 7:11. God's a just judge and he's angry with the wicked every day. I'll bet you do not have that verse memorized.

That may be the first time you've ever seen it. But you do have this other verse memorized from first John. God is love. You hear about the love of God so much, you're out of balance. You don't understand his justice and his holiness.

Angry with the wicked every day. A guy ran to me in the foyer in the second service after the first service, and he said, pastor, what was that verse about God hating everybody? And I said, I didn't share a verse with you about God hating everybody. But he said, no, you want the one where he's mad. I said, oh, Psalm 7:11.

He's a just judge, so he's angry with the wicked every day. See, you think you can watch the news and get mad at all the wrongdoing. You see, don't ever think that you are more offended by that stuff than God is. He's perfect in holiness. Apart from Jesus Christ.

That anger is targeting you. Apart from Christ, you're alienated from God. Psalm 59, 2. But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he will not hear alienated. One day Jesus told a guy who came up to him with what seemed to be a broken heart.

You know what Jesus said to him? He goes, you're not far from the kingdom. Don't put yourself closer to God than you are.

You'll Be deceiving yourself apart from Jesus Christ, you're born into the wrong spiritual family. In John, chapter 8, Jesus looked at the religious leaders and said, you guys are of your father, the devil. Your father and my father aren't the same. And the apostle Paul said it this way in Ephesians 2, 3. We all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath.

You can be a child of wrath, or you can be a child of God. But you weren't born a child of God. You have to be born again a child of God. You were born with the wrong father. Remember I told you that the good news won't make sense and you won't even want it until you hear the bad news.

Remember when I told you that the air was going to get sucked out of this room if I told you the bad news? It's exactly what you need the most.

Here's the worst part of all the bad news. For humans, you're powerless to fix it. Apart from Jesus Christ. Romans 5, 6. But when we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Make no mistake about it, Jesus did not come to die for decent people. If he did, he would still be looking for them. Christ died for the ungodly.

So what's the bottom line, Pastor on the bad news? It's this. You and I deserve God's judgment, full stop.

Let me say something to you, sir. You are not morally neutral. You weren't born with the opportunity to go either way you wanted. Let me say to you, ma'am, you are not mostly good. You're not just on the wrong path and need a little nudge the other way.

You haven't just lost your way. You, according to the scriptures, are dead in sin. And dead people don't walk themselves out of their graves.

In fact, here's what you can trade with your sin. You get to trade your sins for death. Romans 6, 23. For the wages, the price, the payment, the compensation for sin is death. So the gospel is to be declared to dead men and women.

And then the Spirit of God, by the goodness of God, raises those dead men and women a new life and gives them the new birth, and they're born again. And so if this is the last sermon you ever hear, and if it's the last sermon that I ever preach, we're good. You've heard what you needed to hear. You're able to make the right decision. And I preached what I was supposed to preach.

There is no better message than the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The bad news. The bad news is so bad I want you to squirm a little bit. You want to know why? Because the enemy is such a skillful thief. It won't take you 45 minutes after this sermon to default back to your old life if you do nothing with what you've heard.

So a little uncomfortableness, a little offense of the gospel is really a grace to you. I want you to sit with it for a while enough to where your heart says, please tell me the good news, Pastor.

I'll be glad to do that. Here's the good news. But like earlier, before I tell you the good news, I have to clarify what the good news isn't. I have to help some of you unlearn.

The good news is not God loves everyone and so we're all fine. God's more loving than the best grandmother you have, than the most attentive mom you've ever seen. And God is far more loving than you. But that doesn't mean everybody goes scot free.

God's love is targeted. It's special and it is redeeming. And when the love of God hits your heart, it'll be over for you, Jack. You're coming to Jesus. You'll surrender when you meet his love.

Now, not only is the good news not God loves everyone, so we're all fine. The good news is also not all religions lead to God. All you have to be is sincere. Well, that is a tasty lie that works on so many. Look, the nicest Muslim that you know is not going to heaven without Jesus and without renouncing Islam.

The kindest Mormon that you know not going to heaven without the real eternal son of God, Jesus and not their counterfeit version. Doesn't matter how nice they are. The most committed, devout Roman Catholic that you know doesn't go to heaven without the real Jesus and not the one who needs help from his mom.

The kindest atheist that you live next to who brings you brownies and does nice things for you. None of that is enough to bridge the gap and get that person right with God. You must have the risen Lord Jesus as your Lord and savior to be right with God.

Unlearn this and by all means unlearn this last one in my list. It's the most diabolical. It's this lie that says we are all God's children. No, we're all God's creations. We're all God's ideas.

We're all Targets of the grace of God. And the potential is there for you to become a child of God. But God doesn't have any grandchildren. And if you want to be one of God's child's children, you must be born again. You know who said that?

Not some Baptist preacher. Not some Pentecostal evangelist. Who said that was the master evangelist, the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ. John 3:3.

Do not marvel that I say to you, you must be born again. Pastor, are you just trying to get us saved and born again today? You betcha. Absolutely, unapologetically, if that's all you get, you get everything.

So unlearn what the good news is not. Because the gospel is way better than all of that. The good news is that he was wounded for our transgressions. Isaiah 53. 5.

Jesus subbed into your game of life when you were royally messing it all up. And he played the perfect game that you couldn't play. He's your substitute. He bore your sins. It's called substitutionary atonement, and I thank God for it every day.

Jesus absorbed the wrath of God in your place.

He propitiated it. It's a Bible word. It's an old word. It's an old English word translated from a cool Greek word that means that. Remember that righteous anger that targets the wicked every day.

Jesus, death on the cross for all who receive him, appeases that hot anger. The Son cools off the hot wrath of his Father because He took it all on him at the cross. First John 4:10. In this is Love that he loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Friends, Christ didn't just make a way.

He is the way. And he went the distance. He finished the race that you couldn't run, and he rose from the dead. This is good news. It's good news that at least there was somebody who could defeat the power of death.

There was somebody who could conquer the grave. And the Lord Jesus is the only one who ever could. He went the distance. This isn't a myth. It's a declaration.

When Jesus walked out of the tomb, it means that everything he said is true.

You can try as hard as you want to. You'll be way back in the line. They've been trying it for two millennia to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And what they keep running into is eyewitness testimony. They keep running into an historical record that says he's alive.

They keep running into people dying, giving up their lives, saying, I saw him. He's Alive, he walked out of that grave. And let me tell you something. We're going to celebrate it next week on Sunday, on Easter Sunday. But in my quiet time, in my devotion to God, I celebrate the resurrection of Jesus every single day.

It is our hope.

And it's. You know what I want to just say to you that if you're kicking the tires of Christianity, kick them as hard as you can. I mean, scrutinize us, scrutinize this message, question it from every angle. Google as much as you can, put it in AI, it doesn't matter. It is very unlikely that someone thought up last week the question that will bring Christianity crashing down, because they've been trying it over and over and over and they keep failing because Jesus is alive.

And I'm banking everything on it. When I ask you to give money to help Africans hear the Gospel, it's because I believe Jesus rose from the dead.

That kind of makes me weird.

I'm okay with weird as long as weird means saved. I didn't share with you the last part of Acts chapter 1731 earlier. Let me do it now. He's appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man he's appointed. And he has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead.

We are resurrection people.

Do you realize that the resurrection of Jesus is your receipt, that your debt's been paid?

So, Pastor, if all that's true, what kind of God is he? Well, another part of the good news is that God is rich in mercy. He has enough mercy to cover all of the multiplied myriad number of sins in your life and in the person sitting to your left and in the person sitting to your right. And everybody who will ever sit in those chairs and everyone who's ever lived, let me tell you, you are not a good enough sinner. Where God goes, I'm sorry, ran out of mercy for you.

No, he's rich in it, and he can't stop talking about it. Psalm 86:5. For you, Lord, are good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call on you. How good is God? He is sitting on go ready to forgive your sins.

He can't wait for you to repent and believe. He is on pins and needles going, maybe today, maybe today the gospel breaks through your hardened heart. And maybe today you cry out to him and he goes, finally, yes, I'll give you eternal life. You can be my child. He is rich in mercy.

And the Apostle Paul said it in Ephesians 2, 4. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, what kind of God is he? Better than you ever imagined.

I got to settle down a little bit.

We're invited by Jesus to come to him.

There is no reluctance in the Son of God for you to become a Christian. He's not going. Well, if they come, I guess I'll save them. I didn't want that one. No.

He says, if any of you is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. I was thinking about that text this week, Don, that if anyone you is thirsty, let him come to me and drink and begin to think. What that implies is that not everybody's thirsty. Not everybody wants God, not everybody wants a new life. Coming to Christ, believing, getting involved in the church, being baptized, it's just.

It feels like for some, the un thirsty ones, that's just too much. Boy, you'll regret that in the caverns of hell.

You need to be thirsty today. In fact, if all you hear from this sermon is the thirsty, come to Jesus, and I'm not thirsty, then come to one of our prayer partners at the end of the service after we adjourn and say, would you just pray that God makes me thirsty for Jesus? Why don't you just dare Jesus to not answer that prayer and see what happens? He invites you to come, but he doesn't just invite you to come. Jesus has commanded you to receive him.

It'll be the last rule of his that you break if you don't. Now let me illustrate it this way by the parachute illustration. I want you to imagine with me like your life is an airplane. You're on a flight and the destination is judgment in a devil's hell. And this plane will crash.

There's nothing you can do to stop it. And you've got one hope. If you're in a plane and you know it's going to crash, you're looking for the parachute. You wouldn't jump without it. You wouldn't crawl up in a fetal position in your very uncomfortable airline seat and just hope that the crash is not too bad and that parachute is the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you put the parachute on in the middle of your flight and you can't sit all the way back and it's pushing on you and you got two hours left and you're like, this is. Do you think you're going to feel more comfortable? No. And if Jesus is your parachute and you put him on, is he going to fix all the problems in your life? There's no guarantee.

But what he does promise is he will save your soul. He's your parachute. You're on a doomed flight. He's your only hope in escaping the wrath to come. It's why the apostle Paul wrote In Romans, chapter 13, verse 14, put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I'm just asking you today, have you put him on?

Here's that John 1:12 verse I told you about. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God. Who gets that right? To those who believe in his name. See, a faithful Gospel preacher will tell you how to get the right to become one of God's children.

And I'm telling you today, it's receiving Jesus and believing on his name.

And I'm telling you that you're running out of time. So Pastor, what must I do to be saved? You know, people came to Jesus and asked him that question, why don't we let the Scriptures answer it for us? What must I do to be saved? Well, Paul told the Roman Philippian jailer in Acts chapter 16, verse 31, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved.

And I'm not talking about believe that there was a Jesus. I'm talking about the most exclusive, the most desperate, the most all encompassing belief you can have for anyone. That right now, if your belief is not in Jesus, it's in yourself. You transfer it from you, you put it on Jesus and you go, I am now a 100% bonafide Jesus freak. I'm going Jesus way.

If he's the wrong way, then that is my doom. But I'm going with Jesus. I'm believing on Jesus.

I don't care who laughs, I don't care who ridicules, I don't care who tries to stop me. I'm putting it all on Jesus.

Peter said to the Pentecost crowd at that big sermon in Acts chapter two. When he looked out there and thousands of men and women are crying after he just told them, you killed the author of life. You murdered Jesus. It's your fault. Instead of picking up stones to throw at him in their anger, you know what they said?

They said, what shall we do? You know what Peter said? Acts 2:38. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Have you ever done that?

And then last on this list to the rich young ruler who said, jesus, what must I do to inherit eternal life? He said, fire yourself, sell everything you have and follow me.

So here's what the Right response to the gospel is not. It's not, I got baptized as a baby. If you did that, I give your parents the most partial of partial credit because they thought you needed something positive with Jesus. But when you were a baby, you didn't have any agency. You didn't have the ability to understand the gospel.

You had no opportunity to have sorrow over your own sin. You didn't have the opportunity to believe in Jesus as an act of your own will. It didn't count. And there's not a verse in the Bible where any baby's ever baptized. I'm not saying that because I'm angry.

I'm saying that to you because if you're holding onto that, you're on the doomed flood and you don't have your parachute yet. That's the wrong response. Another wrong response is, I go to a church. Going to a church. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a sporting event makes you an athlete.

It is not where you go, it's who you know. Also. The right response is not, I prayed a prayer once. We trust in a person and not a prayer. Calling on the name of the Lord certainly involves prayer, but the prayer that you prayed should change the life that you live.

When you prayed that prayer, what happened afterwards? Did you get made new? Were you transformed? Or did you just go through a religious jumping through a hoop and you left that prayer behind and you live life your own way and the Bible says there's a way that seems right to a man, and in the end it leads to death. What did that prayer do for you?

Well, Pastor, what is the right Response? It's Acts 20:21. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Everybody say repentance and faith. You got to have them both.

You got to have repentance. Which means at some point I must realize I am as corrupt as the Bible says I am. Let me give you a list of the men that happened to Isaiah. Saw the Lord in his temple in Isaiah chapter six. And he said, woe is me, I am undone.

I am a man of unclean lips. When Job wrestled with God and the truth about God and he caught a glimpse of God, all of his self righteousness faded. And he said, I abhor myself and I repent in dust and ashes. When the apostle Peter saw the Lord Jesus give him that miraculous catch of fish, he said, depart from me, Lord. I am a sinful man.

And when the apostle Paul considered the corruption in his own heart, he said, o Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? How many examples do the Scriptures have to give us of what it looks like to repent? To say, God, I'm not worthy of you. I throw myself on the mercy of your court. Repentance and faith.

Romans 10:9. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. When do we confess with our mouth? At our baptisms? That's when you put the jersey on.

That's when you let the world know that you changed teams. That's when you confess your faith officially for the first time and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Can't get away from that resurrection, can you? Now, finally, today, may I say to you, don't admire Jesus from a distance. Don't think of him in affectionate terms.

Run to him like he's your only hope, because that is what he is. Follow him in a local church that preaches this gospel and treasures this word. Get you a gospel preacher. And if I'm not good enough, find another one. Do not settle for TED talks and life coaching from the pulpit.

Tell that preacher, feed me the word of God or do something else for a living.

The devil beat you to that hand clap. Thank you, though. But listen to me. You meet Jesus and your affections change. You begin to love what he loves and you hate what he hates.

And you will not neglect his church. You'll cherish it because the church is the bride of Christ and Jesus loves his church. Imagine coming to me and telling me how much you like me. But we can't have a relationship because you don't like Angie. The first thing I'm going to say to you is you haven't met her and you're stupid.

But we're a package deal. Yes, Jesus handcuffed himself to his bride, the church. And some of you think I'm walking with God. But I'm not a member anywhere. I'm not submissive to any elders or pastors.

Nobody watches my life. I don't serve anywhere. I don't give. I go to church once or twice a month when the weather's enough so that I'm not at the golf course or at the lake or wherever I am. You think you're all right with God.

That is the deception of Satan. And it's working.

Jesus says, you want me, you get my bride, too. It's a package thing. And the gospel is not good advice. It's Good news. So here's the big Are you a child of God or are you just assuming that you are?

Because this is not about religion. It's about a rescue. And the Bible says today is the day of salvation. So don't wait for the plane to go down before you reach for the parachute. It'll be too late.

And when you do, though, when you do believe, you'll go from being a child of wrath to a child of God. So let me review this very quickly. Now what? Believe, Repent, Be baptized. Put on the jersey, Follow Jesus.

Do you have that resume? Do you possess it? Because if you do, others know it. It's not a secret deal you've made with God. There are no secret agent Christians.

There's no folks that are walking with God. Nobody else knows. There it is. It's the only way I know to say it. Now let me ask you.

Let me ask you to believe today.

I don't care if you have a baptism in your past. What did this teaching from the Word do to your soul? I don't care how old you may be and how humiliated you may feel. That's just the voice of the enemy. Silence it.

Jesus cries out to you to get rid of your pride. Humble yourself before God and come to him and do what he says. Do all of those require faith? And he gives you that.

So if you're ready to believe in Jesus, here's what I want you to do today. I want you to tell me that. I want you to mark on your welcome card, I'm ready to trust Jesus. Or maybe you're like, pastor, I know him, but it's his preaching of the gospel. I'm coming back to him today.

I want to rediscover my faith in Jesus. Or some of you say, look, I've met him recently. I've met him in this church. It's all been brand new. It makes sense to me now.

And now I need to put on the jersey and join the team. I need to be baptized. Mark that. I'm ready to be baptized. If God spoke to you in the preaching of the Word today, let me know about it right here.

I'll call you personally if you mark any one of those things. As long as you give me your number. Let's bow for prayer. Nobody looking around, just me. Raise your hand if you say, pastor, I heard the call of God on my life today, believing in Jesus, even if it's not for the very first time.

For the official time, I'm raising my hand and say, jesus came and got me today. Anybody else, raise your hand up high. I have believed in Jesus in this moment. Yes, sister. Anybody else?

I have believed and repented. I belong to Jesus because of what I heard today. If that's you, mark your card, I'm going to pray for you right now. Lord, there's about three or four hands that were raised and God, I pray. I pray you won't let the enemy steal the seed that was planted in their hearts.

Before lunch is over, God, I pray they'll be absolutely broken and brand new. Jesus saves souls for your glory. Amen. Now, look, I went over my time, but we still have a baptism. Can you be a little bit more patient for some grace?

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Who Is Your One?

HOW CAN I BECOME A CHILD OF GOD?

various texts

Intro: Church—can I have your attention for a moment? Really—can we pause together, take a breath, and silence the noise?

Because we live in a world that’s loud. Not just traffic-honking, jackhammer loud. Spiritually loud. The world shouts opinions as if they’re truth. The world peddles philosophies like candy. It offers spiritual half-truths wrapped in shiny white lies.

 

So, occasionally, the Church—we—need to hit the pause button. We need to come back to something gloriously simple, and exceedingly profound: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Let me ask you something: If your eternal destiny truly depends on whether you’ve believed and responded to the Gospel—don’t you think it’s worth re-examining? Is it possible to be deceived about your spiritual status?

 

The apostles didn’t assume they were safe. They urged the church to take spiritual inventory:

 

2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure…”

 

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”

 

Why such urgency? Because there are three enemies who don’t want you to know God:

• Culture, which flatters you: “Good people go to heaven.”
• Your flesh, which reassures: “You’re one of the good ones.”
• Satan, who hisses: “Fine, be spiritual—just don’t meet the real Jesus.”

 

Theologian A.W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

 

So, let’s get the truth right. Let’s ask the biggest question: How can I become a child of God?

 

THE BAD NEWS Let’s start here, because the good news won’t make sense until the bad news hits you in the gut.

 

The bad news is not:

• “I’m only human.”
• “Nobody’s perfect.”
• “We all make mistakes.”
• “I’m doing my best.”

 

No—here’s what the Bible teaches:

 

God is holy and just.

 

Psalm 89:14 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne…”

 

He’s not grading on a curve. He’s not comparing you to the worst human you’ve ever heard of. God will judge the world by His own standard.

 

Acts 17:31 “…He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed…”

 

God’s standard isn’t “better than average”—it’s His holy Law:

• Ever told a lie? You’re a liar before God.
• Ever stolen? You’re a thief.
• Ever taken His name in vain? You’re a blasphemer.
• Disobeyed your parents? You’re a rebellious son/daughter.
• Looked with lust? You’re an adulterer in your heart.
• Thought “God won’t judge me because He is love”? You’ve made an idol of your own imagination.

Rom 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

 

This verse indicts humanity for willfully rejecting the God they knew. That’s not ignorance—it’s rebellion. It’s not a slip-up—it’s a mutiny against Majesty. This isn’t some spiritual misdemeanor—it’s cosmic treason.

 

Apart from Christ, you are:

 

Spiritually lawless

 

1 John 3:4 “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”

 

the target of God’s righteous anger

 

Psalm 7:11 “God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”

 

alienated from God

 

Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated you from your God…”

 

a child of wrath

 

Eph 2:3 …we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath…

 

powerless to fix it

 

Rom 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

 

You and I deserve God’s judgment. Full stop.

 

Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

 

You are not morally neutral. You are not “mostly good.” You are not just “on the wrong path.” You haven’t “just lost your way.”

 

You are dead in sin. And dead people don’t walk themselves out of the grave.

 

THE GOOD NEWS

 

The good news is not:

• “God loves everyone, so we’re all fine.”
• “All religions lead to God.”
• “Love wins.”

 

No—the Gospel is better than any of that.

 

Isaiah 53:5 “He was wounded for our transgressions…”

 

Jesus absorbed the wrath of God in your place.

 

1 John 4:10 “In this is love… that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

 

And God didn’t just make a way—He went the distance.

 

Jesus rose from the dead.

 

That’s not a myth; it’s a declaration. The resurrection means everything He said is true.

 

Acts 17:30–31 “…He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness…He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

 

God is rich in mercy.

 

Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

 

Eph 2:4 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…”

 

We are invited by Jesus to come to Him.

 

John 7:37 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink…”

 

We are commanded by Jesus to receive Him.

 

THE PARACHUTE ILLUSTRATION

Imagine life is like an airplane—you're on a flight, and the destination is judgment. The plane will crash. You’ve got one hope: the parachute. You wouldn’t jump without it, and you wouldn’t just sit there hoping the crash isn’t too bad. That parachute is Jesus Christ. Will the parachute make your flight more comfortable? No. Will He make your life more comfortable? No guarantee. But He will save your soul. He’s your parachute and you’re on a doomed flight. He is your only hope in escaping the wrath to come.

 

Rom 13:14 “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ…”

 

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name

 

SO WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

 

Let the Bible answer:

 

Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…”

 

Acts 2:38 “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”

 

Mark 10:21 “Go, sell everything… then come, follow Me.”

 

So, the right response is not:

• “I got baptized as a baby.”
• “I go to church.”
• “I prayed a prayer once.”
• “I’m conservative and vote pro-life.”

 

The real response?

 

Acts 20:21 “…repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

Rom 10:9 “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

 

NOW WHAT?

•  
•  
• Be baptized.
• Follow Jesus.

 

Believe the Gospel. Don’t just admire it—receive it. Live it. Cling to Christ like He’s your only hope—because He is.

 

Follow Him in a local church that preaches this Gospel and believes the Bible is the Word of God.

 

Your affections will change—you’ll begin to love what He loves and hate what He hates.

 

You won’t neglect His Church—you’ll treasure it. Because the Church is the Bride of Christ, and He loves His Bride.

 

The Gospel is not good advice. It’s good news.

 

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Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.

We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.

At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.

Great Commission Church is a non-denominational Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Byhalia.

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