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Touching Lives with James Merritt

December 1, 2019

27:29

Touching Lives with James Merritt

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by the friends and partners of "Touching Lives."
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James Merritt: The God who brought you into this world,
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the God who created this world, the God who created the sun
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and the stars and the moon and the galaxies
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and the solar system and the entire universe,
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here's what this God said at the cross.
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You ready for this?
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He said, "I'd rather die for you than live without you."
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announcer: Teaching people everywhere who Jesus is and why
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they need him, this is "Touching Lives" with James Merritt.
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James Merritt: Some of the world's major religions have
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a visual symbol that illustrates the central feature of its
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beliefs, and when you see that symbol, you're actually looking
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at a visual commentary of what they believe at the heart of
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their very religious faith.
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For example, Buddhism is symbolized by the lotus flower.
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Now, I find it really interesting.
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I didn't know this, but the lotus flower has a life cycle
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unlike any other flower that we know of.
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It's actually rooted in mud, and every night the flower submerges
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into this murky river water.
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Somehow, overnight, by morning, it miraculously re-blooms
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without any mud on its petals whatsoever.
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So this wheel shaped lotus flower depicts the central
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belief of Buddhism which is, "We're all in this endless
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cycle, you're born, you live, you die, and then based on how
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you lived your life, you are reincarnated; you come back
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as something or you come back as someone else."
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Judaism is symbolized by the Star of David.
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And this symbol represents the fact that Jews believe that God
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made a covenant with David, that out of his lineage he would send
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a messiah who would not only be over the Jewish race,
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but he would actually rule over the entire universe.
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And then of course Islam is symbolized by the star
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and the crescent moon.
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That's symbol actually predates the religion.
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It was adopted in religious times because what it symbolizes
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is that there's a God that is totally sovereign
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and totally powerful and over everything.
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But without question, the most ubiquitous and the most
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universally recognized religious symbol all around the world
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is a simple cross.
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And there's a big difference in this symbol and every other
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symbol of every other religious faith,
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and this is the difference.
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The cross-- now listen carefully--
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the cross is not just a symbol of the Christian faith,
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it is the secret to the Christian life.
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The way you are a Christian, the way you become a Christian,
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the way you live as a Christian is all wrapped up in the cross,
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and having said that, I really believe the most misunderstood
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religious symbol of the world is the cross, and I'm going
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to tell you two reasons why.
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First of all, as you know, crosses are worn as pendants,
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they're worn as necklaces.
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I guarantee you there are people in this room right now.
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You came in, you wear a cross around your neck.
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And what's so fascinating is anybody and everybody
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wears a cross.
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Athletes wear crosses.
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Movie stars wear crosses.
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Celebrities wear crosses.
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Rockstars wear crosses.
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Politicians wear crosses.
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Somebodies, nobodies, everybodies, anybodies--
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and it doesn't matter.
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They could be a Christian or not a Christian.
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They can believe in God or not believe in God, go to church not
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go to church, believe the Bible, not believe the Bible, and yet
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they will wear a cross around their neck, because people
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tend to see the cross as kind of a symbol of goodwill.
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It's a symbol of acceptance.
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It's almost like they say, "You know what?
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It doesn't matter what I believe spiritually.
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It doesn't matter whether I have a religion or don't have one.
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The cross is just a really cool thing to wear."
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But the second reason why I know that many people
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don't understand it is because you really kind of can't find
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anybody that really says a whole lot against it.
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Nobody's gonna slam you, nobody's gonna criticize you,
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nobody's gonna knock you, nobody's gonna come up to you
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and get your face and go, "Why are you wearing
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that cross around your neck?"
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But you may say, "Well, why should they?"
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Look 'cause 2.000 years ago, you would have never dreamed
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about putting a cross on a necklace or a bracelet.
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You'd never worn it in public.
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You say, "Why?"
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Because 2.000 years ago the cross was considered obscene.
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It was actually despised.
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As matter of fact, to the Romans the cross was so despicable that
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Cicero, the Roman orator, wrote these words.
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He said, "Even the mere word cross must remain far--
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not only from the lips of the citizens of Rome,
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but also from their thoughts, their eyes, their ears."
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Cicero said don't even teach your kids to use that word.
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If they use the word cross, wash your mouth out with soap.
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We don't talk about that word in public.
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For the Jews, crucifixion was the same thing as hanging.
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In the Old Testament thought, if you died by hanging you were
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under the curse of God.
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To the Greeks, they were philosophers, they were kind
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of the intellectual elite, they thought the cross
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was foolishness.
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They thought the cross was just sheer stupidity.
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They thought it was nonsense.
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So, everybody and anybody that was anybody rejected the cross.
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Don't talk about it, don't point to it, don't think about it,
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but there was one exception, the early church.
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From it's beginning they said we don't see the cross
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the way you see the cross.
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We don't have the same attitude toward the cross
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that you have toward the cross.
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And there was a man by the name of Paul who more than anybody,
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really came to the fore and said, "Oh, let me tell you
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why we love the cross.
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Let me tell you why we glory in the cross.
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Let me tell you why all we want to talk about is the cross."
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If you're visiting for the first time, we've been in a series
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in the Book of Galatians.
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We're actually ending that series today.
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We've been calling it "Free at Last."
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And what this book is all about is very simple.
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Paul basically had been saying for sixth chapters, Jesus did
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not come to give us another religion, he came
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to free us from religion.
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He didn't come so we'd have more rituals to follow, more rules to
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follow, more this, more that.
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He came to free us from all of that, and the way he did it was
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by the cross, because the cross frees us not only from the
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burden of sin, it frees us from the bondage of religion.
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And so he comes to this last chapter, chapter 6 of Galatians,
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and he gives this jaw-dropping, breathtaking statement
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2.000 years ago that is just really hard to believe.
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Not today, no big deal, but back then it was unbelievable.
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'Cause let me go back and remind you just one more time,
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2.000 years ago people didn't take the cross,
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put it in the closet all the way in the back, shut the door,
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lock it and throw away the key.
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Paul comes along and says, "Oh, no, I want it front and center.
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I want to shine a spotlight on it.
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I want to put it on a pedestal.
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I want you to think about it every day.
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I want it to dominate your life.
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I want you to talk to your friends and neighbors about it.
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I wanna brag about nothing but the cross."
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Because here's what's amazing.
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If anybody had a reason and a right to brag about themselves,
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it was a guy named Paul, because take your pick.
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Greatest preacher in the world, check.
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Greatest missionary of the church, check.
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Greatest apologist in the world, check.
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Greatest theologian the world's ever seen, check.
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Greatest religious author of the New Testament, check.
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If anybody ever had a right to walk up to you and say,
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"Would you like my autograph?" it was Paul.
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And yet Paul makes this statement, looking at the cross
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that's just mind-boggling.
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Listen to what he said.
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"May I never boast."
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Now, this is rock star Paul, superstar Paul, Mount Rushmore
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Paul, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord
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Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me,
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and I to the world."
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Now, let me tell you why that's such an amazing statement.
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We should keep the cross front and center.
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We oughtta brag about nothing but the cross, but we should
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brag about the cross.
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There's a reason why I'm glad our church
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is called Cross Point.
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I want us to point to the cross.
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I want us to be people of the cross.
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You say, "How in the world?
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Why would Paul say that?"
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Well, he gives us three tremendous reasons in the simple
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little verse why we should forever put the cross front
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and center, and we should always brag about the cross.
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Number one: We should boast about the person who died
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on the cross.
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We ought to boast about the person who died on the cross.
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Now, Paul normally would have been the very first person that
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you would've expected to say, "Look, nobody ought to boast
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about an instrument that was used to kill people,
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hang people, asphyxiate people, torture people.
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Why the world you brag about something like that?
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I mean, who in their right mind would brag about a symbol
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of what is still today maybe the most horrific way
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you can execute a person."
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Well, here's why.
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This was no ordinary cross Paul was talking about.
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Listen to what he said.
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He said, "May I never boast except in the cross
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of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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There's the difference.
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Jesus is mentioned 45 times in 6 chapters in Galatians.
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One out of every three verses talks about Jesus.
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Listen, it wasn't the cross that captivated Paul, it was
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the person that died on the cross that dominated Paul.
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Here's what I want you to understand.
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It is not the cross that makes Jesus Christ so special,
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it is Jesus Christ that makes the cross so special.
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He said, "It is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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Paul said, "Look, I'm not proud of the cross, I'm proud
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of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ."
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And here's why.
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Every other religious symbol points to that religion.
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The lotus flower points to Buddhism.
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The Star of David points to Judaism.
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The star and crescent points to Islam.
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The cross does not point to a religion, it points
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to a redeemer.
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It doesn't point to a philosophy, it points to a
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person, and it doesn't point to a belief you hold in your head,
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it points to a Lord that you carry in your heart.
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30.000 Jews were crucified by the Roman Empire.
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Jesus was one of them.
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A crucified Jew just wasn't that big a deal, but there was
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a day when a man named Jesus was crucified.
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And on that day, he wasn't just another criminal dying
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on just another cross for just another crime.
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He didn't die for what he did, he died for what we did.
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And that's what makes the cross so completely,
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totally different.
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What makes this cross, the cross of Christ, like no other cross
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is who died on that cross.
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That's why Paul refers to it as,
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"The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ."
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He said, "You don't know who died on that cross?"
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First of all, he is the Lord of the universe.
00:11:36.110 --> 00:11:39.120
Number two: he is the savior of the World.
00:11:39.130 --> 00:11:42.080
Number three: he is the Jewish Messiah.
00:11:42.090 --> 00:11:44.140
He is the Lord. That is, he is God.
00:11:44.150 --> 00:11:46.200
He is Jesus.
00:11:46.210 --> 00:11:48.270
The word Jesus is from Joshua, means Jehovah is salvation.
00:11:48.280 --> 00:11:51.090
He is the Christ, he is the one promised Messiah.
00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:54.180
So what he's saying is on that day, the one that died on that
00:11:54.190 --> 00:11:58.130
cross was no less and no other than the Jewish Messiah, the
00:11:58.140 --> 00:12:02.250
Savior of the World, the Lord of the Universe.
00:12:02.260 --> 00:12:05.160
That's why out of 30.000 Jews that were crucified in history,
00:12:05.170 --> 00:12:09.200
the only one we can name is Jesus, 'cause he wasn't just a
00:12:09.210 --> 00:12:17.110
guy, and he wasn't a criminal, he wasn't just a man, he was one
00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:24.270
in three and three in one.
00:12:24.280 --> 00:12:27.090
"I am the Son of God.
00:12:27.100 --> 00:12:30.030
I am the Lord of the universe.
00:12:30.040 --> 00:12:32.120
I am the Jewish Messiah.
00:12:32.130 --> 00:12:34.250
I am the Savior of the World."
00:12:34.260 --> 00:12:37.110
See, every other Jew, 29.999 Jews died in their sin.
00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:44.150
Jesus died for our sin, and that's why Paul said, "When I
00:12:44.160 --> 00:12:48.270
brag, I wanna brag on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ."
00:12:48.280 --> 00:12:52.170
That's why every time you look at the cross, you ought to think
00:12:52.180 --> 00:12:55.200
about what God has done for you.
00:12:55.210 --> 00:12:58.010
That cross should always point to Jesus.
00:12:58.020 --> 00:13:00.150
You know, the first half of our mission statement,
00:13:00.160 --> 00:13:02.210
as you well know, is to point people to Jesus.
00:13:02.220 --> 00:13:05.040
And here's the point.
00:13:05.050 --> 00:13:06.290
When we point people to the cross, we're not pointing people
00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:10.010
to two pieces of wood where they used to nail Jewish prisoners to
00:13:10.020 --> 00:13:13.170
the cross, we're pointing people to the person who died
00:13:13.180 --> 00:13:16.160
on that cross for our sins.
00:13:16.170 --> 00:13:20.000
Paul said we ought to brag about the person who died
00:13:20.010 --> 00:13:26.070
on the cross.
00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:28.220
'Cause even that Roman centurion, when Jesus drew
00:13:28.230 --> 00:13:31.290
his last breath, even that Roman Centurion said, "Surely!
00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:37.260
This was the Son of God."
00:13:37.270 --> 00:13:40.180
What a brag about the person who died on the cross.
00:13:40.190 --> 00:13:44.290
Number two: We should boast about the purpose that was
00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:48.280
demonstrated in the cross.
00:13:48.290 --> 00:13:51.280
So, what was the purpose?
00:13:51.290 --> 00:13:54.240
Understand this, that was no accident,
00:13:54.250 --> 00:13:58.170
that was an appointment.
00:13:58.180 --> 00:14:00.140
As a matter of fact, one of the disciples named Peter
00:14:00.150 --> 00:14:02.270
who was nearby, both before and after the crucifixion,
00:14:02.280 --> 00:14:05.120
here's what he said.
00:14:05.130 --> 00:14:07.070
Talking about the crucifixion, he said,
00:14:07.080 --> 00:14:09.040
"This man was handed over to you."
00:14:09.050 --> 00:14:10.270
He was talking to the Pharisees.
00:14:10.280 --> 00:14:12.180
"This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan
00:14:12.190 --> 00:14:16.040
and foreknowledge."
00:14:16.050 --> 00:14:18.040
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, God had a plan,
00:14:18.050 --> 00:14:20.250
and God had a purpose.
00:14:20.260 --> 00:14:23.010
The God who brought you into this world.
00:14:23.020 --> 00:14:26.270
The God who created this world.
00:14:26.280 --> 00:14:29.160
The God who created the sun and the stars and the moon and the
00:14:29.170 --> 00:14:34.150
galaxies and the solar system and the entire universe,
00:14:34.160 --> 00:14:38.030
here's what this God said at the cross.
00:14:38.040 --> 00:14:39.290
You ready for this?
00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:41.240
He said, "I'd rather die for you than live without you.
00:14:41.250 --> 00:14:45.050
That's how much I love you."
00:14:45.060 --> 00:14:47.010
So, we ought to boast about the person who died on the cross.
00:14:47.020 --> 00:14:52.100
We ought to boast about the purpose that was demonstrated
00:14:52.110 --> 00:14:55.230
at the cross.
00:14:55.240 --> 00:14:57.170
God gave us love, and God shows us life.
00:14:57.180 --> 00:14:59.080
But there's one last thing, we ought to boast about the power
00:14:59.090 --> 00:15:02.060
that was delivered by the cross.
00:15:02.070 --> 00:15:04.150
Now this is something you don't hear very often,
00:15:04.160 --> 00:15:06.140
so I want you to hear, 'cause we leave this out.
00:15:06.150 --> 00:15:09.130
There's a power that comes.
00:15:09.140 --> 00:15:11.040
When you come to the cross, you don't just get salvation, you
00:15:11.050 --> 00:15:15.070
don't just get pie-in-the-sky, you don't just get
00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:17.110
a home in heaven.
00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:19.040
When you come to the cross and you accept the person who died
00:15:19.050 --> 00:15:21.040
on the cross, you get a power nobody else has.
00:15:21.050 --> 00:15:25.000
You get a streak nobody else has.
00:15:25.010 --> 00:15:26.240
When you trust the person who died on the cross and you accept
00:15:26.250 --> 00:15:29.140
that purpose, you get a power that no one else has,
00:15:29.150 --> 00:15:32.250
and let me tell you why.
00:15:32.260 --> 00:15:34.150
It's got a lot to do with the world that we live in,
00:15:34.160 --> 00:15:36.040
and I don't mean the physical world.
00:15:36.050 --> 00:15:37.230
I mean the moral world.
00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:39.180
I should say the immoral world.
00:15:39.190 --> 00:15:41.090
I'm talkin' about the world of sin and success and wickedness
00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:43.190
and wealth and greed and gold.
00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:45.220
Here's what Paul said, "You know why I brag on the cross?
00:15:45.230 --> 00:15:50.050
You know why I'm so proud of the cross?
00:15:50.060 --> 00:15:52.140
You know why my life is dominated by the cross?
00:15:52.150 --> 00:15:55.010
Do you know why I live in the shadow of the cross
00:15:55.020 --> 00:15:57.040
every single day?
00:15:57.050 --> 00:16:00.100
Because the cross gives me victory over the world
00:16:00.110 --> 00:16:03.280
that I live in."
00:16:03.290 --> 00:16:05.220
'Cause listen to what he said, watch this.
00:16:05.230 --> 00:16:07.160
We miss this part.
00:16:07.170 --> 00:16:09.030
Paul said, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord
00:16:09.040 --> 00:16:13.130
Jesus Christ," the person of the cross, the purpose of the cross.
00:16:13.140 --> 00:16:17.030
"Hey, he loves me, gives me life."
00:16:17.040 --> 00:16:18.290
But listen to this, "Through which--"
00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:20.250
and this is really interesting--
00:16:20.260 --> 00:16:22.240
"the world has been crucified to me."
00:16:22.250 --> 00:16:28.080
Now, what does that mean?
00:16:28.090 --> 00:16:30.090
What do you mean?
00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:31.260
I understand that Jesus died on the cross, but what do you mean
00:16:31.270 --> 00:16:34.060
when you say, The world has been crucified with me?
00:16:34.070 --> 00:16:36.250
Well, watch this, when Jesus died on the cross, God also made
00:16:36.260 --> 00:16:42.250
sure that the world was crucified on the cross.
00:16:42.260 --> 00:16:46.040
And I don't mean, again, the physical world.
00:16:46.050 --> 00:16:47.280
I mean the moral world, the ethical world,
00:16:47.290 --> 00:16:50.010
the philosophical world, the world that's an enemy
00:16:50.020 --> 00:16:52.080
of God, the world that's reject the authority
00:16:52.090 --> 00:16:54.080
of the Son of God, the world that turns his back
00:16:54.090 --> 00:16:56.100
on the word of God.
00:16:56.110 --> 00:16:58.020
I'm talking about the world of Hollywood's fame
00:16:58.030 --> 00:17:00.030
and Wall Street's money and Washington's power.
00:17:00.040 --> 00:17:02.120
He said, "That's all been crucified to
00:17:02.130 --> 00:17:05.050
a follower of Jesus.
00:17:05.060 --> 00:17:07.010
The world is dead to you."
00:17:07.020 --> 00:17:11.020
But then he goes on and adds this, "And I to the world."
00:17:11.030 --> 00:17:17.190
What?
00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.100
Oh yeah.
00:17:19.110 --> 00:17:20.250
When I gave my life to Jesus as a 9-year-old boy, I didn't
00:17:20.260 --> 00:17:22.150
realize all that happened to me, and I still don't realize all
00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:24.240
that happened, but I'll tell you one thing
00:17:24.250 --> 00:17:26.200
I realize now that happened.
00:17:26.210 --> 00:17:28.140
The moment I gave my life to Jesus, two things happened,
00:17:28.150 --> 00:17:31.070
two things died.
00:17:31.080 --> 00:17:32.280
The world died to me, and I died to the world.
00:17:32.290 --> 00:17:35.260
Now, let me tell you why that's such a big deal.
00:17:35.270 --> 00:17:39.180
The biggest difference between a follower of Jesus and a
00:17:39.190 --> 00:17:43.020
non-follower of Jesus is this: we all live in this world, but
00:17:43.030 --> 00:17:50.150
a follower of Jesus is dead to this world, and the world is
00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:54.250
dead to this follower of Jesus.
00:17:54.260 --> 00:17:57.070
See, we really do march to the beat of a different drum.
00:17:57.080 --> 00:17:59.240
We really do walk a different path.
00:17:59.250 --> 00:18:02.010
We really are citizens of another world, and that's why
00:18:02.020 --> 00:18:04.070
the cross is the one place you can go to and you can lay at
00:18:04.080 --> 00:18:08.180
it's feet all of your faults and all of your flaws
00:18:08.190 --> 00:18:11.010
and all of your failures.
00:18:11.020 --> 00:18:13.010
You can nail them there, you can leave them there, and you can
00:18:13.020 --> 00:18:15.080
find complete forgiveness and victory in this life.
00:18:15.090 --> 00:18:19.250
This cross can solve racism in a heartbeat if we get under it.
00:18:19.260 --> 00:18:26.200
It can solve our biggest problems.
00:18:26.210 --> 00:18:29.120
It's the one place you can go to and know
00:18:29.130 --> 00:18:31.130
I'll always be accepted.
00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:33.110
It's the one place you can go to and you can say I failed,
00:18:33.120 --> 00:18:36.050
and he'll say, "I know it, I forgive you, let's move on."
00:18:36.060 --> 00:18:38.150
It's the one place you can go to and know I'm always
00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:41.230
gonna find love and grace.
00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:43.180
So, because of the cross, we can overcome the flaws
00:18:43.190 --> 00:18:45.200
of this world.
00:18:45.210 --> 00:18:47.120
We can overcome the power of sin.
00:18:47.130 --> 00:18:49.050
We can escape the trap of temptation.
00:18:49.060 --> 00:18:50.250
We can even resist the devil himself.
00:18:50.260 --> 00:18:53.080
That's why the second half of our statement is not just to
00:18:53.090 --> 00:18:56.110
point people to Jesus, it's to inspire them to live
00:18:56.120 --> 00:18:59.050
the cross-shaped life.
00:18:59.060 --> 00:19:00.290
What is that?
00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:02.190
It's a life where you say to the world: You don't own me,
00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:04.290
you don't run me, you don't direct me.
00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:07.200
I have one God, and you're not it.
00:19:07.210 --> 00:19:12.020
I have died to you, you've died to me, so I don't need
00:19:12.030 --> 00:19:14.190
the world's applause.
00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:16.140
I don't need the world success.
00:19:16.150 --> 00:19:18.040
I don't need the world's fame.
00:19:18.050 --> 00:19:19.190
I don't need the world fortune.
00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:21.040
It doesn't matter to me what the Gallup Poll say.
00:19:21.050 --> 00:19:22.290
It doesn't matter to me what the Congress thinks.
00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:24.190
I'm here to do God's will.
00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:26.090
I'm here to do what's right, not do what is wrong,
00:19:26.100 --> 00:19:28.140
and live for his glory.
00:19:28.150 --> 00:19:30.110
And I'm telling you, when you do that, you are free
00:19:30.120 --> 00:19:33.010
at last, totally free.
00:19:33.020 --> 00:19:36.260
So, I want you to think about these three last questions,
00:19:36.270 --> 00:19:39.200
'cause I've tried to answer every one of them.
00:19:39.210 --> 00:19:42.080
Who died on that cross?
00:19:42.090 --> 00:19:43.250
When you get that straight, you won't see the cross
00:19:43.260 --> 00:19:46.060
the same way.
00:19:46.070 --> 00:19:47.280
Why did he die on that cross?
00:19:47.290 --> 00:19:49.150
When you understand that, you won't see the cross
00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:51.060
the same way.
00:19:51.070 --> 00:19:52.260
And what is the cross done and what does the cross do for me?
00:19:52.270 --> 00:19:55.010
When you understand that, you will not see the cross
00:19:55.020 --> 00:19:57.000
the same way.
00:19:57.010 --> 00:19:58.220
That's why we put the cross front and center.
00:19:58.230 --> 00:20:00.250
You'll understand there's something about the cross,
00:20:00.260 --> 00:20:03.170
it both kills life, and it gives life.
00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:07.050
What do you mean?
00:20:07.060 --> 00:20:08.270
Oh, it kills, it kills the joy of sin, it kills the thrill of
00:20:08.280 --> 00:20:14.270
temptation, it kills the pleasure of doing wrong,
00:20:14.280 --> 00:20:20.070
but what does it give you?
00:20:20.080 --> 00:20:22.120
The desire to be holy, the desire to be godly,
00:20:22.130 --> 00:20:27.020
the desire to be kind, the desire to be gracious,
00:20:27.030 --> 00:20:31.220
the desire to be righteous.
00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:34.090
So you know why I put the cross front and center?
00:20:34.100 --> 00:20:37.170
Because this cross is the dividing line between the world
00:20:37.180 --> 00:20:41.050
and every follower of Jesus.
00:20:41.060 --> 00:20:43.130
Because let me tell you something.
00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:45.140
You're on one side of the cross or the other.
00:20:45.150 --> 00:20:49.230
Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian wrote these words.
00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:53.040
It's heartbreaking.
00:20:53.050 --> 00:20:55.070
He said, "I could accept Jesus as a martyr, an embodiment
00:20:55.080 --> 00:20:58.290
of sacrifice and a divine teacher.
00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:01.280
His death on the cross was a great example to the world but
00:21:01.290 --> 00:21:05.180
that there was anything like a mysterious or miraculous
00:21:05.190 --> 00:21:08.290
virtue in it, my heart could not accept."
00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:16.170
He has now, I promise you.
00:21:16.180 --> 00:21:21.050
Too late, but he has now.
00:21:21.060 --> 00:21:24.250
Because the cross is front and center--listen--
00:21:24.260 --> 00:21:28.010
for everybody.
00:21:28.020 --> 00:21:30.130
For those who come to it, it is a fountain of eternal life.
00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:36.200
But for those who don't, it is the condemnation
00:21:36.210 --> 00:21:40.080
of eternal death.
00:21:40.090 --> 00:21:42.190
Let me just tell you this, and we're done.
00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:45.050
George H.W. Bush, not George W.,
00:21:45.060 --> 00:21:47.260
but the father.
00:21:47.270 --> 00:21:49.150
He's president of United States.
00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:51.100
He's going to have his first meeting with Vladimir Putin.
00:21:51.110 --> 00:21:54.090
So, he asked for materials to be brought into study up on Putin
00:21:54.100 --> 00:21:57.170
to kind of find out what kind of guy he's dealing with.
00:21:57.180 --> 00:22:00.060
One of the books they gave him, in that book there was this long
00:22:00.070 --> 00:22:02.280
interview that President Putin had given,
00:22:02.290 --> 00:22:05.080
and it was about his mother.
00:22:05.090 --> 00:22:07.230
Evidently, his mother was a devout believer, and she had
00:22:07.240 --> 00:22:12.070
actually gotten a Christian cross, she had it blessed
00:22:12.080 --> 00:22:15.070
in Jerusalem, and she had given it to Putin.
00:22:15.080 --> 00:22:18.250
So, when president Bush met with Putin, he brought this up,
00:22:18.260 --> 00:22:22.050
and this is the conversation that they had.
00:22:22.060 --> 00:22:24.080
This is Bush talking.
00:22:24.090 --> 00:22:25.290
"I said to him, 'I found that story very interesting.
00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:29.020
You see, President Putin, I think you judge a person
00:22:29.030 --> 00:22:31.130
on something other than just politics.
00:22:31.140 --> 00:22:33.180
I think it's important for me and for you to look for the
00:22:33.190 --> 00:22:35.160
depth of a person's soul and character.'
00:22:35.170 --> 00:22:38.010
Then I said I was touched by the fact
00:22:38.020 --> 00:22:40.070
that your mother gave you the cross."
00:22:40.080 --> 00:22:43.290
He was dumbfounded when Putin told him a story in return.
00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:48.180
When his mother gave him on that cross, he began
00:22:48.190 --> 00:22:50.210
to wear that cross.
00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:52.150
Took it everywhere he went.
00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:54.110
In a beautiful house, he was visiting with someone very
00:22:54.120 --> 00:22:56.260
important, and he happened to put the cross down
00:22:56.270 --> 00:22:59.160
on a table and he forgot it.
00:22:59.170 --> 00:23:01.190
Well, the house burned down.
00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:04.030
And Bush then recounts the conversation.
00:23:04.040 --> 00:23:06.240
He said, "Putin said to me, 'The thing I was most worried about
00:23:06.250 --> 00:23:09.260
was I lost my cross that my mother had given me.'
00:23:09.270 --> 00:23:13.120
He said about that time, a worker came up to me
00:23:13.130 --> 00:23:15.200
and I was going to tell the worker, 'Go find the cross.
00:23:15.210 --> 00:23:18.270
I lost my cross.'
00:23:18.280 --> 00:23:21.040
And about that time, the worker had walked up
00:23:21.050 --> 00:23:23.120
to me, put out his hand and opened it up,
00:23:23.130 --> 00:23:26.000
and he was holding that cross.'
00:23:26.010 --> 00:23:28.120
Putin said, 'It was as if something was meant
00:23:28.130 --> 00:23:31.130
for me to have that cross.'"
00:23:31.140 --> 00:23:33.160
At that moment, President Bush felt that Putin
00:23:33.170 --> 00:23:35.260
was basically saying there must be
00:23:35.270 --> 00:23:37.230
a higher power up there.
00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:39.220
And then to his credit, President Bush leaned forward,
00:23:39.230 --> 00:23:42.090
took him by the hand, looked him in the eye, and he said this,
00:23:42.100 --> 00:23:46.130
"President Putin, that's what it's all about.
00:23:46.140 --> 00:23:52.000
That's what life is all about.
00:23:52.010 --> 00:23:54.120
That's what you are all about.
00:23:54.130 --> 00:23:56.210
That's what the world is all about.
00:23:56.220 --> 00:23:58.220
It's all about the story of the Cross."
00:23:58.230 --> 00:24:02.240
And I want to tell you something,
00:24:02.250 --> 00:24:04.200
President Bush was so right.
00:24:04.210 --> 00:24:06.230
The cross is what it's all about.
00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:09.150
It should always be front and center, because the only hope
00:24:09.160 --> 00:24:14.040
for this world has been, is, and always will be at the foot
00:24:14.050 --> 00:24:20.000
of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:24:20.010 --> 00:24:23.260
male announcer: To watch an extended version of today's
00:24:23.270 --> 00:24:26.020
teaching message with Dr. James Merritt,
00:24:26.030 --> 00:24:28.090
go to TouchingLives.org.
00:24:28.100 --> 00:24:31.170
James Merritt: Another broadcast here's coming to a close,
00:24:34.040 --> 00:24:36.010
and I want to thank you for tuning in and especially
00:24:36.020 --> 00:24:38.060
for praying for me.
00:24:38.070 --> 00:24:39.290
If you've grown in your faith and been encouraged by this
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:42.070
ministry, I want to ask you to invest in the ministry.
00:24:42.080 --> 00:24:45.140
Not just give, invest.
00:24:45.150 --> 00:24:47.150
Because we're preaching the gospel around the world.
00:24:47.160 --> 00:24:49.230
Would you consider making a financial gift to help us remain
00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:52.130
on the air so we can impact the World for Jesus Christ
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as we head into 2020?
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Jesus said it's more blessed to give than it is to receive,
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and your gift of any amount is a tangible sign of your
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partnership in touching the lives of the lost and enriching
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the faith of the found.
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With your financial support, this broadcast will go forward
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and make a real difference in the lives of people
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who need Jesus.
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Donating is easy.
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Go to your website at TouchingLives.org.
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Give safely and securely right there, or call us.
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It's a free call, 1-800-413-1131.
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And listen, be sure to ask about becoming
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a recurring monthly donor.
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This is the easiest, most efficient way to donate because
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it allows the maximum amount of your gift to go directly into
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the ministry, and that way you know every month
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you're supporting the gospel going around the world.
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There is no better time than right now to support
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Touching Lives, because together we can advance the gospel
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around the world in 2020.
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[drum music playing]
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[drum music playing]
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[drum music playing]
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[drum music playing]
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James Merritt: You know, everyone associates the cross
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with Christianity, but not everyone truly understands
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what faith in Jesus means.
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Paul knew the impact of the cross, so he addressed the
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importance of it as he closed out his letter
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to this church in Galatia.
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Paul emphatically says he wants us to boast only in the cross
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of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Here's why he says this: If you will put the cross front
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and center in your life, it will build in you a desire to be
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holy, to be godly, and to be righteous.
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So as we close out this series, this is my prayer: Let's both
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keep the cross front and center in our lives.
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Until we meet again for the next episode of Touching Lives.
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announcer: Touching Lives, teaching people everywhere who
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Jesus is and why they need him.
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This program is sponsored by Touching Lives Ministries
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and is made possible by the grace of God
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and your faithful prayers and gifts.
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