What Is Keeping You From Going All In? — Saturated Friday: Pastor Jonathan Pokluda

- I don't know, I mean, how am I gonna preach after that worship? I don't even, I mean, I just became a believer all over again right there. I mean, oh my goodness, Lord, thank you, thank you, thank you. I wasn't a believer in college. And so I grew up in church, lots of church, okay? I went to church every single Sunday, every Friday. I went to a church school for nine years. My parents went to separate churches, they were still married and I didn't even know that was weird until I left home. I would get out of my dad's church and I would go to my mom's church and then on Wednesdays, I would go to the Baptist church. So I was like, lots of church. And then when I went to college, I ran from God hard and fast as I could. They say drug sex and rock and roll. There's drug sex and hip-hop for me. And then when I somehow graduated from college, I moved to Dallas, I was everything wrong with Dallas, Texas in a person. I wanted to be a millionaire before I was 30. I was just chasing the dollars, all the things. And I graduated early from college, just went to a two-year technical college. And so when I would turn 21 years old, I was out of college and you better believe, not walking with Jesus, I wanted to party. And I wanted to party big.

Like, so I wanted to go where the big parties are. I wanted to go where the clubs are, the DJs were. I wanted to gamble. I wanted to do legally what I'd been doing illegally for a long time. And so I wanted to hear the ringing of the slot machine see the big casinos so you guys know where I went. Shreveport, Louisiana. (audience laughs) I couldn't afford Vegas. I couldn't afford Vegas, but I go to the boats. I go to the boats and they weren't kind to me. I mean, they beat me up, they took my money, and I got $5 left, okay? A $5, I was gonna say, token. I've been out of the casino too long. A $5 chip left. And you can go cash it out, right? You can go trade it in for a $5 bill, but you gotta wait in a line, you know, do the walk of shame. Or I'm like, oh, you, there's this game there where they drop a marble in a wheel and you can bet on red or black or a number, you know, it's a roulette wheel. No roulette, oh, you're in church, you go, no, what is, what is this roulette you speak of? I have no idea past her, please tell us. So there it is, and I take that $5 chip and I put it on red. And the lady drops that white marble

and it goes around the wheel and it lands on red. And so now it's $10 and she just slides it back to me and I just slide it back to her. And so I put $10 on red, she drops that marble on the wheel, it goes around and it lands on red. And so it's $20. And I'm like, this is the easiest money I've ever made. Why haven't we been playing this game all night, you know? And so I take the $20, I put it back on red and she drops the marble and it goes around the wheel and it lands on red again. Okay, $40. And now it feels like real money, you know? It's like I can buy a house, no a car, no a sandwich, you know, maybe. And I'm sitting there thinking about what I'm gonna do because as it got bigger, it got more difficult to push across the line and she says, you better not wait. She said, don't wait. And she was about to drop that marble. So I just, I pushed the $40 across the line, she dropped the marble and it went around the wheel and it landed on red. (audience laughs) It's 80 bucks. And she slid it back to me and it's like, I didn't even have anything to think about. I was like, it's 80 bucks, this is like 80 bucks, like I'm not gonna risk 80 bucks.

Like it had been so easy to do that over and over and over and over. And here it was $80 and I was like, I'm not, I can't risk $80. Like it had gravity, it was way more difficult to go all in. So I put it in my pocket and I went and cashed out. And when I think about that decision, I think about this idea of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior who is God, creator of the heavens and the earth, looking at you tonight saying, I want you to go all in. And I think sometimes we're like, I am in church on Sunday. (audience laughing) I am in my Bible most mornings." And he goes, "No, and this is why I don't want to bait and switch you, because we just have a few minutes together. And so before I'm finished, I want you to be confronted with the reality that Jesus Christ is calling you 100% all in to be saturated. Not just here, not just tomorrow, not just yesterday, but every single day of the rest of your life that you would just be odd for God, all in 100% all in with Jesus Christ. And you have to make the decision, because I can get up here and I can speak all passionate and I can get loud, my face can get red, and you still have to decide. Am I really in for that? It's going to cost you. It is going to be some changes. There's going to be some things you don't watch, some things you don't say, some friends you don't have, some places you don't go.

I think some of us this evening we've got one foot in the church and one foot in the world. And we got just enough Jesus that when we're in the world doing worldly things, we feel bad about it. And we got just enough world that when we're in the church and we're singing the songs and we raise our hands and we know the words and we memorize the verses, we're thinking about where am I going to eat after this? What am I going to do next weekend? Where am I going to go? Who am I going to be with? And you're losing both gains. And Jesus is saying, will you go with 100% with me? I'm going to look at a story. It's a historical event. Really happened. We're going to pull up a chair and eavesdrop on a conversation that Jesus actually had. And we got multiple eyewitnesses of this and it was documented in Mark chapter 10 in Matthew chapter 19 and where I'm going to be this evening in Luke chapter 18 if you want to turn there. And it's a man. It's not a parable. It's not a story told to illustrate a point. It's a historical event, a real conversation that Jesus had and with all of these documentations we know a lot about this conversation. We can learn a lot from it. And it's there in your Bible and you've probably read it before if you've been in church long but I don't want you to miss the point of what keeps us from going all in, being saturated with Jesus, specifically three things from this text that keep us from going all in with Jesus. But let me say this right here before I go any further. I left my house at 6 a.m. this morning.

I drove two hours and I waited an hour for a plane. I got on that plane for a few hours and I flew over here and said goodbye to my kids last night and left my wife because what God is, I mean, it's like, hey, we used to say less. I don't need to pray about it. What God is doing here is world-renowned. Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, should Jesus tear you? I hope he doesn't. I hope he comes back tonight. But if he doesn't, a hundred years from now, people are going to be reading in history books about what God is doing here, okay? I don't care if you're watching from Gainesville, Jessup, Lee University, you're one of the college gatherings right now somewhere because there's a bunch of them. I don't care if you're at one of the 16 campuses, about to be 17. I mean, churches are counting baptisms, like we baptized 10 people, which is amazing. Praise God. Others are counting them by the dozens. That's something like we're God's really moving, like by the dozen. Some people are counting them by the hundreds and somehow, for some reason, right now, you guys are baptizing by the thousands. But in the world. And I love that man. And I love his marriage. And I'm grateful for his children and just his leadership and his boldness for such a time as this. The world is so desperate right now for someone to stand on stage and say, "That ain't right. And so that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna go all in with Jesus. Amen. Amen. (audience applauds)

The story is the rich young ruler. Maybe what you know it by. It's a guy, we describe him with three adjectives. We don't know a lot about him specifically, except for if we take these three adjectives, he's rich. So he has enough money to do whatever he wants to do, when he wants to do it. He's got the yacht in Fort Lauderdale. This guy, he's young. What that means is he's fit. He's doing the crossfit, he's eating the kale, he's on the creatine, he's got it going on. And he's a ruler, which means he has autonomy. When he says jump, lots of people say how high do you want us to jump, sir? That's this guy, not a Pharisee, not a Sadducee. What you need to know is this is a follower of Yahweh. And everyone around him is saying, "Hey, that's the next elder candidate." Like this guy, this guy has it going on. He's memorized more Bible than we've forgotten. Everybody's looking at this guy, like he's the godliest guy they know. And this is where the conversation goes. A certain ruler asked him, Luke 18, verse 18. So a certain ruler asked him, good teacher. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Why do you call me good? Jesus answered, "No one is good except God alone." That's what you call my friends an interpretive challenge.

If you're reading your Bible on your own and you get to this sentence, you should be, wait a minute, why did Jesus answer that way? This is the evangelism layup. What do I got to do to get into heaven? Well, you want Romans road, you want bridge illustration, you know, you want good news bad news, you want four spiritual laws, 'cause I've been waiting my whole life for this, you know? What do you got to do to get into heaven? I'm gonna show Jesus, it seems like he should say, "Well, I'm gonna go to Jerusalem, be nailed to a cross, "put in a tomb, show up three days later." Why didn't he say that? He goes, "Why did you call me good?" The Greek word there is agathos. It doesn't mean person who teaches well. It means perfect person who teaches. But Jesus knows this is this guy's problem, that he's not acknowledging Jesus is God. He's saying, "Hey, I believe people can be perfect." Which is why Jesus answers his question like this. You know the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother. He says, "What do I gotta do to get to heaven?" Jesus says, obey the law. Second interpretive challenge, can you get to heaven by obeying the law?

We're all like, "No, you actually can." Before you charge the stage, let me ask you a second question, can you keep the law? See, this is where that guy should say, "Jesus, I tried, I deleted Snapchat." You know, I got rid of Instagram, I don't even have an iPhone, I got a brick phone, like I'm that guy, like you don't understand, like I've been getting tripped up, I've been tithing, I went from 10% to 20%, you know, like, but he should say, "I'm trying, but I can't." And so Jesus just answers his question, what must you do man who thinks you can be perfect to get to heaven? You obey the law perfectly. To which he should say, "I can't," but he says, "All these I have kept since I was a boy." Oh, no, swinging a miss. This is the guy that's like so frustrated with the next and they're like, "Oh, they're always on their phone." You know, these guys, and they're social media, and they watch these shows, and how are they dressing, like what in the world? You know, and he can't see the two by four in his eye. Like, he sees everybody else's sin, but he's like, "No, I'm pretty good. Like, the church is lucky to have me, I'm here. Like, when are they gonna ask me to teach?" Thinking too much of yourself will keep you

from going all in. Number one, thinking too much of yourself will keep you from going all in. How do I get to heaven, keep the commandments I have? You will wear yourself out, trying to be godly, trying to do right, and you will die, and you will go to hell because you missed the gospel. What do you bring to God? Need. You bring to God and need. I share the gospel by asking two questions. They're known as the Kennedy questions. D. James Kennedy came up with them. And so I was in the gym once and only once. And there's a guy there. And we'll call him Pablo because that's his name. And Pablo's that guy that's always in the gym. You know this guy. You go early, he's in the gym, you go late, he's in the gym. It's like Pablo lives in the gym. And Pablo, like he knows where the gym is. He's walking around like Pastor Joe. I mean, he's a big dude. You know what I'm saying? Like he can throw around the weights. And he's kind of a scary guy. He's got a bald head. Got all these tattoos in his head. And he sees me. He called me preacher boy. What's up, preacher boy. It's what he called me. I'm like, what's up, Pablo. And so we're talking. He's like, how's the church, preacher boy? I'm like, hey, Pablo, man, you have a faith. He's like, yeah, I believe in God. I say, hey, let me ask you two questions. Between one and ten, ten being certain, one being not so sure. If you died the day, how certain are you? You would go to heaven. So before I go further, I'm just going to ask you guys. So I don't, this is, this is the one part where I just need you to be really quiet. Holy moment, just you and God. Don't say anything. Just think. Just think. Keep it all right here in your head. Okay. I'm going to ask you again. Between one and ten, ten being certain, one being not so sure. If you died right now, how certain are you that you would go to heaven? And I want you to think of your number. Just hold it in your head and listen, saturate. Don't go point five on me. Okay. Round up or down. I know some of you. We're doing fractions in your head. Stop that. Just get a whole number. Get a whole number in your head. You guys have it. Don't say it out loud. You have your number. You have your number. You have your number. You guys have it? You have it. Okay. Let me do this for a second. Everybody

close their eyes. I'm going to watch your purse. I know not everybody's a believer. Close your eyes. Close your eyes. When I say your number, I just want you to raise your hand. Just put your hand high in the air for just a second until I see it. Okay. I'm going to start in the middle. So you got your number one to ten, ten, I'm certain, positive, one, probably wooden, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. All right. I'll start in the middle. If you're four, five, or six, just raise your hand. Okay. All over the room, four, five, and sixes. I see you here. Yep. Middle side up there. All the things. Yep. Okay. You can put them down. Okay. I'm going to go low. If you're a one, two, or three, raise your hand. Every section has a hand up. If, or zero, we'll say that to one, two, or three. Yep. I see you. Okay. Put it down. All right. If you're a seven, eight, or nine, raise your hand. Lots of sevens, eights, and nines. Lots of seven, eights, and nines. Okay. You can put it down. You can put it down. Okay. Open your eyes. Pablo, between one and ten, ten being certain, one being not so sure. If you died the day, how certain you would go to heaven, it was like he was waiting for someone to ask him this. He has it. He was like, "Oh, I'm a two." Okay. Why are you a two, Pablo? He goes, "Because I've done some things, preacher boy. I've done some things." Well, see, I'm a trained evangelist, right? Somebody goes, "I'm done some things. Oh, you're so bad." You know? I go apostle Paul, because the apostle Paul, he was a terrorist. He killed, he was there when Stephen was stoned to death. He was responsible for the death of women and children. He's a bad dude. So I'm like, "Hey, Pablo, let me ask you a question. How many people have you killed?" To which he goes. I was like, "Oh, you've done some things. Wow. Wow, but we're cool, right? You like me. You call me preacher boy. Like we're friends, you know? I don't mind it. I don't mind it. Call me what you want." You know? If you think your bad deeds can keep you out of heaven, then you think your good deeds can get you there. You understand? This is the super humbling part. This is where you've got to do some reflection, okay? Because how many of your sins did Jesus pay for? Well, and you sure not 90% of your sins, you nines? Or not 50% of your sins? He died for all of them, right? He died for all of them. And the second question is if you stood before God

and he said, why should I let you in? What would you say? And the number one answer, I get to that question, is, well, because I, because I was good and because I went to church and because I believed and because I tried hard and because I was born to a Christian family because I, because I, no, because you God paid my way in. That's it, that's all I have. Okay, if, if God paid your way in, are you getting in? And let's see the liar, like you should be like right now, we'll preach it, if, if I can know that I'm getting in, the Bible's gotta say that I can know, right? First John 513, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. That's what it says. The Bible actually says you could be a tin and you might be like, well, isn't that arrogant? Yeah, if it was up to you. But if he saved you in spite of you, all you're saying is I'm a 10 because God's not a liar. (congregation applauding) I'm a 10 because God keeps his promises. And right about now, and right about now, some of you are confronted with the reality of the gospel and you're like, wait a minute, I've been in church my whole life. Why did I say nine? Why did I say eight?

Why did I say seven? What was my goal because I doubt sometimes? Who doesn't doubt sometimes? But God! (congregation applauding) But God! And maybe you're like, man, I'm trying. See where this falls in the scriptures in Luke, that's why I read from Luke is important because it says right before this, they were bringing babies to Jesus and the disciples stopped them and said, "Now, you can't bring the baby." And Jesus is like, "Now, let the kids come. Let the children come to me." 'Cause unless you receive the kingdom of heaven like one of these, you won't enter it. You receive it like a gift. And so you're here, some of you, you're here. You're like, man, I've been trying. I'm doing all the things. Anybody feel that way like I've been trying? You're like, I've been trying, I've been trying. You're kind of nodding your head, come here, you've been trying? Come here, you're a big guy with that, yeah. You look fast, just stand right here. It's one of my favorite books. Stand firm, act like man. I want you to try to take this from me.

Okay, you gotta wait till I say go, man. (congregation laughing) And just be all up here like, "Ah!" Okay, you ready? I want you to try to take it from me. (congregation laughing) Try and take it from me. (congregation laughing) You can't try and take something being freely given you. (congregation cheering) Hey. (congregation applauding) Hey, you can take it or you can leave it. That's up to you. Hey, that's yours. I have it, it's a gift from Pastor. (congregation applauding) For it is by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourself. It's the gift of God. Not by work so that no one can boast. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. And if he gave you the gift, then you have the gift, you know? He's like, "No, take that." Like, he's like, "Here's a gift." That, "What did I do to get it?" I brought you all my need.

When Jesus heard this, verse 22, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me." And how he said this, because like, you know, I grew up, I had all this church baggage. Like God wanted to get me. And so when I would read this, it's like Jesus is trying to punk this guy. Like the guy walks up and he's like, "Hey, Rabbi, what do I got to do to get in heaven?" Jesus is there with the disciples. He's like, "Hey guys, I want you to watch this, okay? This guy over here, I want you to watch how I handle this. Okay, everybody, take some notes, John, okay? All right, oh, you want to go to heaven, huh? You got to follow all the commandments." And he's like, "No, I have, always." Guys, watch this, okay? This dude thinks he's good, okay? Watch this, oh, you have, huh? All right, won't you sell everything you have? Give it to the poor, and then follow me. Oh, you sad? (audience laughs) Like that's how I heard it, like, hey, he's sad. And like, that's how I heard it, like that's the conversation. That's not what's happening though,

because Mark adds this detail. Mark says Jesus looked at him and loved him and had compassion on him. He's like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, but listen, listen, listen. You gotta understand who you're talking to right now. Okay, like, don't come at me, like, oh, you, you, you know, you got all these things and you're gonna leave sad. When he heard this, he became very, the man became very sad because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. And those who heard this ask, listen, those who heard this ask, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, who then can be saved. Because it's hard to understand in 2026 in America. Remember, everybody there is like, this guy's goals. Like, this guy, he's the elder, he's the one. And Jesus is like, this guy's not getting in. And they're like, whoa, if he's not getting in, so that the whole camel needle thing, you probably heard some explanations, maybe along the way. Here's what he's saying. There's a giant animal bigger than a horse called a camel. There's a tiny little hole at the top of a pen, the eye of a needle.

It would be easier for that giant animal to get through that hole, that tiny little hole than for someone who is well resourced to enter the kingdom of God. Why would Jesus say this? Because the world is a magnet. And it tricks you into thinking that you've got to live for likes and followers and little pieces of paper with dead presidents on them. And you want to make your kingdom here and be like a God so that you have autonomy, so that you can do what you want, when you want, so that you can retire one day. Show me. Which, where do I go? Figure that out. You're gonna kick up your feet, and buy an RV. Wow, I hope you're going on lots of mission trips in it. Because your life ain't over, and God wants to use you. And there's an entire generation desperate for you to invest in them, and pour into them. And that's why Jesus said, what is impossible with man? It's possible with God. This guy's only hope is the one he's talking to. But thinking too much of the world will keep you from going all in. Number two, thinking too much of the world will keep you from going all in. It's a trap, 1 John 2, 15 says, do not love the world, but things of the world, if anyone loves the world,

love for the Father is not in them. For Mark says, what good is it for someone to gain the whole world? And yet forfeit their soul, right? You have a lot of stuff, and then you still die. They carry you in a room, right? Six men, they had to recruit. They were calling uncles and cousins and stuff, like, hey, we're trying to get you all at even height, you know, you carry them in the room. And they carry you in a room, and they sing some songs, and they say some kind things about you, mostly true. And then they go and get Italian food, and you get a rock with your name on it that nobody visits. No, like, once a year for a bit, they bring flowers. And then the weeds grow over. And some of you are like, not me, man. Who's your great, great grandfather? Not your grandfather, or your great grandfather, but your great, great grandfather. Like, come up here and tell me all about him, his favorite color, you know, all his hobbies, his interest, what he did for a living, his name. Can I tell you something? He was alive 50 years ago. You can do the math. Five, zero years ago, that man was walking this earth, and you don't even know his name and his family. That means 50 years after they go get Italian food, nobody's driving down the road saying,

oh, man, thank you so, so much. Great, great grandmother, great, great grandmother. No, man, forgotten. They'll be spending your money. They don't even know your name. What are you going to do with your life? What are you going to do with your life if you are holding on to something that's holding you back from going all in with Jesus? It's stupid. It's dumb. delete their number, burn the phone, move addresses, you know, whatever you've got to do. There's this video I watch on YouTube, and I'm not going to show it. You can watch it. You can watch on YouTube. It's called "How to Kill a Baboom." Nobody, there's no violence, it's just called that. I don't even really know why, but it's a real-- it's like a National Geographic video, "How to Kill a Baboom." And there's a guy that wants to catch a baboon, and I don't know why, but presumably to kill it, I don't know. He wants to catch this baboon, and so he's there in the jungle where baboons are, and he goes, there's a termite mound. You learn a lot from the YouTube. There's a termite mound. It's like concrete. I learned that from the YouTube.

And so he goes up to the termite mound, and he drills a hole in it. Baboon's in the tree just watching him. Super curious animals. The YouTube taught me. And so he's watching the man drill the hole in the termite mound, and he takes a little silver trinket like a jingle bell thing, and he takes a silver trinket. He puts it in the hole, and then he walks away, and the baboon saw him do it, and so he's all curious. He climbs down the tree, goes over to the termite mound. He can put his hand in to grab the little silver trinket, but he can't get his fist out. So he can put his hand in to grab it, but then he can't get his fist out. And so the guy, he's hiding behind the tree over here, and he just walks up, holding a rope. And the baboon starts going crazy, screeching and squealing and flipping. He's like going to rip his arm off. He's just going crazy, trying to break free. You're watching. And you're like, just let go. Just let go. But the guy walks up to him, puts a noose around his neck, and leads him off to captivity. And don't you know that's what Satan wants to do with you. Whatever you can't let go of, he's like, God on. She's mine. He's mine.

Hello. [LAUGHTER] I'm at Saturi. Where are you? [LAUGHTER] Get here. Get here. It's Peter said, verse 28. We left all we had to follow you. What is it? Is it porn? Is it nicotine, vape, THC, a relationship, love of money? You've been watching the market every day, 16 times a day. What is it? What is it that he's asking you to leave behind? We left all we had to follow you. Jesus says, truly I tell you, no one who has left home or a wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and in the age to come eternal life. That's a problematic verse because I'm not a prosperity teacher. So I'm not up here saying, man, if you just believe it, you'll be able to receive it. And if you just give, you're going to receive 10fold and just sow into this. But here's what I see in the text. We'll fail to receive 100 times as much in this age and in the age to come. That's what the Bible says.

So I would summarize that like this. Your Father in heaven, who loves you dearly, enjoys so much blessing your obedience. Like he loves when you walk in faithfulness. He's not trying to rip you off. He wants to set you free. And he loves and enjoys so much to bless obedience. And yes, like the stuff that you receive in this world, the joys and the sunsets and the laughter with family at Christmastime is just a commercial for what's coming. It's just a commercial, OK? The greatest joys that you will experience under the sun are the floor of the joys in the kingdom of heaven. And so I think number three, not thinking enough of the kingdom will keep us from going all in. Not thinking enough of the kingdom will keep us from going all in, because it's like, you know, I don't even know how you get through this world, not thinking every single day, that one minute very soon, I'm going to be in this place where there's no sickness, no sadness, no death, no disease, no heartbreak of any kind, no divorce, no cancer, forever and ever and ever, and not just playing a harp on a cloud, but enjoying the kingdom of God. Peter's like, we've left all we had. Jesus, like you haven't left anything. I've taken it, I've multiplied it, and I've set it in front of you. And he's like, would you listen to this? Would you learn from this guy?

Would you learn from this guy that I gave the invitation of a lifetime to? I was in the business world in Dallas. Going into ministry was not a part of the plan. I was a global account manager. We lived in a penthouse condo. I had the car, different watches for every day of the week. That's who my wife married. And then the Lord got my heart, and I'm like, hey, I'm gonna go work at the church. And she said, good, but I'm pregnant. And I said, we're gonna be really, really poor. And, are you up for that? And so I go to work at the church and I'm going on this mission trip to Africa. We're gonna go teach the government in Rwanda. And I'm going with a group of attorneys. And one of those attorneys go, hey, I'd love to stay over and go on this photo safari. Does anybody wanna go with me? And I'm thinking, like, I'd love to go with you, but I'm poor. And he goes, oh, and by the way, I'll pay for it. And I go, oh, and by the way, I'm in. (audience laughing) I'll carry your bags, whatever you need. You know, I'm your guy. And so we go on the trip. And like, nobody else raised their hand, which I thought was it, like, nobody was, I thought,

you know, he's like, I'll pay for it. I thought everybody'd be like, oh, let's all go. But it was just he and I. I didn't really know this guy very well. So I'm like, hey, where are we gonna sleep? Because I bet they'll have beds. And I was like, well, what are we gonna eat? He's like, I bet they'll have food. And I was like, well, where are we gonna sleep? Because I bet we'll sleep in a tent. And I was thinking, like, Aria, I pop up tent. And I go, I was just like, man, will I be able to shower? And he's like, yeah, I bet you they'll have showers. And I, like, I just didn't know. You know, I didn't know, y'all, I didn't know. I didn't know. We get on a plane. We land on a dirt runway in Africa, outside of Kenya. This dude picks us up in a Defender 110 and just we're driving through the African plane. And there's just like a bunch of giraffe over there, a bunch of elephant over there, a bunch of zebra over there on the horizon. It's the king of the jungle. Just flexing, you know. I'm like, where are we? No, nothing man made. No telephone pole, no light pole, no fence of any kind. We're just driving.

I'm like, where are we? We pull up to this thick canopy of trees. There's a gate there like Jurassic Park. It opens, you know, and we drive through and we're just winding through the trees all over us, you know, and then it opens up. It opens up and it was like four seasons and Rich Carlton had a baby in the middle of Africa. Like, I'm talking, I'm talking beautiful restaurants, you know, these amazing, huge tents that were all nice and there was this, there was this infinity pool. On the other side of the pool is just a bunch of giraffes and drinking out of the pool is a baboon. I'm like, I know how to catch you, bro. (audience laughs) I go to my room, like my tent. It's got a California king size bed. They keep it warm with hot water bottles. In the back is a slate shower and I'm snuggled up in that bed, you know, as the sun sets and I'm just like, why did no one raise their hand? (audience laughs) Why did no one raise their hand? They didn't know. And sometimes I think we lose sight. The kingdom of God is at hand. Like all that he has for you. You can't forget all that he has. Don't get that the worries of this world. Choke out what God has for you, what he wants to give you.

He has a space for you with him forever and ever and ever and some of you are like, "Oh, I'm not so sure he does. "I'm telling you he does." You're, it's Friday night, look around you. Where do you, oh, where are you? Like, well, I don't know, I doubt. I'm like, where are you right now? The Holy Spirit has chased you down, about to choke you out, man. (audience laughs) You're like this guy. Jesus is like, I mean, Jesus gave him the opportunity. Hey, come and be somebody that children, you know, thousands of years from now are gonna be named after. Like, will you come and be the 13th disciple? We'll put you up there with, you know, John and Matthew. And he's like, oh, I can't, I'm sorry, Jesus. I got a lot of things. I got some trinkets and treasures and some stuff and status, I'm sorry, I can't. He's talking to the guy with all the stuff. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to King Jesus. There's not a square inch over all of creation that Jesus doesn't hover over and cry out mine, right? And Jesus is like, follow me. It is like, I can't, I can't follow you. on Instagram, you know? (audience laughs)

He's like, what? What? He just missed out. And we don't even know this Joker's name. - 1,122. Today's not rich. He's no longer young. He's not ruling anything. He just missed out. In summary. God is calling you to saturate your life by relying fully, completely on the finished works of Jesus. You go all in with Him. Not you, but Him. He's calling you to saturate your life by letting go right now, tonight, by letting go of anything that's holding you back. He's calling you to go all in, be saturated, by understanding the benefit far outweighs the cost. I'm gonna say something that I wouldn't sure if I'm gonna say. I'm just gonna say this quickly, 'cause it's interesting to me. It might be interesting to you. Some people think we know who this guy is. I've researched this, but I want you to put this squarely in the opinion camp, okay? For you theologians, you wanna do the extra homework,

like this can go in the bonus round. But some believe it's Mark, the gospel writer Mark. And I am in that camp. And the reason being is for about 1,800 years of church history, that was almost commonly taught. And it fell off and there's no really great explanation for it. But Richard Warren Brand said this. He's the founder of the Voice of the Martyrs. He said, "The work of spreading the gospel, "especially where it is forbidden or hindered, "must be treated as an emergency. "The Greek word euthaeos, translated in Luke 14.5, "straightaway or immediately is the most characteristic word "of Mark's gospel. "It is found more often in Mark "than all of the other gospels combined. "The reason is as follows. "Tradition identifies Mark as the rich man, "to whom Jesus said that in order to be perfect, "he should sell everything he had and give it to the poor. "It seemed to him at the time too big of a price, "and he left the place with sadness. "Later he repented and fulfilled the commandment of the Lord, "but there remained remorse in his heart "for the time lost in disobedience. "Therefore he repeats continually in his gospel "the word euthaeos, or straightaway, or immediately. "More times in Mark's gospel than all the others combined. "Only in Mark's gospel does it add the detail "that Jesus looked at him and loved him.

"I believe Mark is writing himself into the story, "not just there but also here. "Only in Mark's gospel is there this strange streaker "when Jesus is arrested. "That's right, when Jesus is arrested, "there's a naked man. "There's a man wearing only a linen garment, "probably formally rich, "and all that he has left is a linen garment. "When they go to arrest Jesus, "they strip the linen garment, "and there he remains naked. "It is believed that that is Mark himself, "that he eventually obeyed. "He delayed his obedience. "But then he says to us, "'I don't want you to delay your obedience.'" And he sold everything he had, and there he is, following Jesus. The moment he's arrested and he's got nothing again. In the opinion camp, take it or leave it. But I'll end with this. Before I did a wedding, I'm a pastor and licensed. Before I did, I've done countless weddings now. Before I ever did a wedding, I did a funeral. A man in Dallas died. He had two sons remained in their 20s. I was the young adult's pastor. The lead pastor said, "Come with me and meet with these two young men."

I said, "Okay, we're driving through Dallas, "and we drive through the rich area of Dallas, "where the big houses are. "And then we get to the area of Dallas, "where the uber wealthy lives, "where all you see is the guard house." Ross Perot's house, and in this man's house. We pull up to the guard house. We drive through the gate. We're driving on this cobblestone pathway. It looks like we're in the arboretum. I mean, flowers and perfectly manicured lawn. We pull up to this huge house with these white pillars, huge steps going up to this giant mahogany door. Knocked on the door and these two young men come. And as we walked in, I just noticed all these amazing paintings. But around the paintings were yellow-posted notes all over the walls. Didn't really go with the motif, if you will. And we sat down with these two young men, eyes all bloodshot. They just lost their father. And it was stuffy. It was awkward. And we're trying to warm him up, trying to get some, you know, understand who he was so we could share about him at his celebration of life. And eventually the mood lightened up enough

to where I could say, "Hey, what's up with the post-it notes?" And one of them said, "Well, before Dad died." He became a believer later in his life. And, you know, he had terminal cancer. He was on hospice here in the home. He had a hospital bed in the back. And before he died, he just wanted to be surrounded with the word of God. He would have us right out verses and just stick him to the wall. Right out of verse, stick it to the wall. Right out of verse, stick it to the wall. I said, "Wow." Anything else? The other one goes, "Yeah, man, it's so crazy "because he wouldn't let anybody get near him "without hearing the gospel." I said, "Yeah, what do you mean?" He goes, "Man, I mean, every nurse, "every physician assistant, every doctor." He would hear the male man outside, "Bring him in. "Bring him in." I mean, the lawn guys, the lawn crew would show up. He's like, "Pull him in." They're like, "Dad, they're out there." You know, he's like, "Yeah, I don't care. "Bring him in. Bring him all in." I mean, there'd be 16 lawn guys just lining his hospital bed in the back

and he would just be walking them through Roman's road sharing the gospel with him. Like no one could get near this house without hearing the gospel. He's like, "Wow, anything else?" The other one goes, "Yeah, you know, "Dad had a lot of means." Yes, he didn't. And in his last days, he just wanted to give it all the way. And he would get so frustrated with the power of attorney and trust. And he's just like, "Give it all the way. "Like, give it to ministries. "Give it, make Jesus famous. "Give it away." And he would get so frustrated. He said, "Wow, anything else?" And they looked at each other and kind of smiled and they looked back at me and he goes right before he died. He sat straight up in his bed. We were standing there at the foot of his bed and he just stared straight through us and shouted, "Don't wait! "Don't wait like I did!" And he laid down and he breathed his last breath. And you better believe like a young impressionable pastor, like my life is forever changed. I'm just like, "Whoa, like what am I going to live for?" This is the moment of boldness.

This is the moment of courage. If earlier you were like, man, I was a nine. I was an eight. I was a seven. I was a three, two, or a one. Four, five, or a six. I want you to know the only thing that you can do is in hell is pay for your sins forever. And the only person who doesn't have to go to hell is the person whose sins have been paid for. Every sin will be paid for on the cross or in eternity. And God who's crazy about you, says, "You don't understand. "I want you to know I paid for your sins." The only business you have in hell is paying for your sins. And I don't want you there. So I already paid for your sins. If you are like, I'm a nine, an eight, a seven, a six, five, a four, three, a two, one. We don't even need to know what it was. I'm just asking, do you now? If you were one of those numbers, do you now? Wanna be a 10? And if that's you, I just want you to put your hand up right now. Okay. (audience applauds) It's a lot of people. And so here's what I'm asking you to do. I told you, courage, just stand up.

Just raise your hand, stand up. Where you're at? You won't be alone. I assure you. (audience applauds) (applause) - Stay standing. Stay standing, 'cause we're talking about going 100% in and I think it's so easy to go, you know, okay, I did it, you know, it's like, no, no, like, you're like, look at me, like I'm telling you right now, I wanna go 100% in. Now there's some of you that are sitting, right? And you're sitting because you're like, well, you never said 10. And here's what I would say to you, I hope you shared the gospel four times today. I hope you invited every barista, every checkout, you know, aisle, every neighbor you have, you know their names and you're just praying for them. Like, if you're a 10 and you're in the room and you know the gospel, you have to be sharing it. Like, did you know there were so many people around you that are like, yeah, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Like, can you even be sure? Like, is that even a thing? And then there's some of you that are sitting that are like, hey, I was a seven and I'm still a seven, or I was a six and now I'm an eight.

And I'm just pleading with you at any time you can stand up, but I want you to know that Jesus Christ paid for all of your sins and you've got no business in hell. Like he wants you to be with him forever. (audience applauding) I'm gonna pray, but if you wanna be so bold, you're welcome to come right here. Like, if you're standing and you just wanna come right here and let me pray over you, you can. If you wanna stay standing where you're at, but just stay standing or come up here and I'm gonna pray for you. And, you know, and we'll just, we'll just, I'll wait just for a second for you to get here. And we'll do this together and you stay standing if you're standing. (audience applauding) (gentle music) - I'm gonna pray the prayer of salvation is not magic. And the only wrong way to pray it is by not meaning it. It's not magic words or anything. It's just you talking to God. And some of you are like, but wait, I was saved. I mean, I'm just like, you know, and I'm not here to argue with you. If you were saved, you know you were saved, I get it. I'm not here to argue with you. That's great. We can pray this again, you know, again.

It's like, Lord, and if you're here in your believer, we can pray it in solidarity with all of our brothers and sisters. So I'll just say a line and you can repeat that line. And then I'll say another line, but what I want you to do is not be, you know, thinking about, oh, am I gonna say it right? I just want you talking to the Father, close your eyes and it's just you and God in the room, like no one else is there. You just have a moment with the creator of the heavens, the earth. (gentle music) So just repeat after me. Dear God in heaven, I know that I have sinned against you. I have gone my own way, but I believe you sent Jesus to die for my sins, and you raised Him from the dead. Would you give me that same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and help me to live for you? Saturated in you. Thank you so much for salvation. Thank you for the cross. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen, amen. 1122 Salvation has come to your house today. (congregation applauds)