You Can't Save Yourself

It's going to be an amazing time as we jump into the Word of God today. I hope you're ready, because I'm ready. I believe the room is ready. I believe the Holy Spirit is ready. Are you ready to receive the Word of God today? Last week, we kicked off a series called Foundations of Faith. And last week, we took a look at the topic of testimony where we talked about what it looks like to remember. Look at your neighbor. Tell them, remember. We talked about the faithfulness of God. We talked about remembering the moments when God showed up, remembering the moments when God answered a prayer, remembering the moments when it looked like it was over, but God. Say, "But God." We serve a God who is on time and who is faithful, Journey Church. We looked at those moments in our lives when God changed us. Last week, we looked at what it meant to remember, but today, say, "But today." But today, we're going to look at what it looks like to receive. Look at your other neighbor, tell them, "Are you ready to receive?" We're going to remember, but each one of us has a decision that we have to make to receive. It's one thing to know the story of God. It's another thing to orient your life around the person of Jesus. There is a difference between knowing about God and making His story your story. Today, I want to look at one of the most important topics in the Christian faith. You know, today, I'm going to teach a little bit, I'm going to preach a little bit, I'm going to coach you up a little bit, but more than anything, I'm going to get out of the way so that the Holy Spirit of God can speak to His church today. I'm going to do my part. Y'all know God's going to do His part, but are you going to do your part? Because that's what it means to come together as the body of Christ.

We do our part, God does His part, and the Holy Spirit moves. I'm ready for God to move today. I believe at the end of today, dozens and dozens and dozens of men and women are going to make a life-changing decision to put their faith in Jesus Christ. To profess Him as Savior and Lord, I've been praying the last several days that today, church goers would become Christ followers, and I want you to make room for the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Today, we're going to look at the topic of salvation. A salvation is one of these church words that's used all the time. I'm saved or you save, we should be saved. Let's get saved. I once was lost, but now I got saved and I'm found saved salvation. Now here's the truth for you today, title of my message. You can't save yourself. You can't save yourself. I know some of you tried. I know that I've tried, but you can't save yourself. Save. What does that actually mean? What are we being saved from? What are we being saved for? What is salvation? How does it actually happen, and perhaps most importantly, this question, how do I know if I'm saved? How do I know? How do I know if I'm saved, Pastor Phil? Now imagine you could sit across from Jesus and have a one-on-one. What would you ask Him? Imagine that you could ask Him anything about your future, anything about your past, anything about your marriage.

I got some things I'd ask Him about my kids, all the parents in the room, about the disasters that happen around the world. I'd ask Him about that thing in 2020 that we don't talk about so much anymore. I got some questions, and I got some questions for Jesus. What a bad things happen to good people. What a good things happen to bad people. the platypus? I mean, I got some questions for my creator. But throughout the Bible, there's one question that people Old Testament to New Testament repeatedly asked Jesus and his followers repeatedly they asked him this, what must I do to be saved? What must I do to be saved? See, you can have a great career and still not be saved. Did you know that? You can have a great marriage, a beautiful family and still not be saved. You can have a lot of money in the bank. You can have a lot of followers on social media and not be saved. The most important question is not how good can my life become? The most important question is what must I do to be saved? So today we're going to answer that question. Point number one, write this down. You should know that everyone needs to be saved. Tall people need to be saved. Short people need to be saved. Brown's fans need to be saved. Y'all Buckeyes fans, we need to be saved. Texas fans better be saved in the name of Jesus because I'm coming for you. I mean, good people need to be saved. Bad people need to be saved. Religious people need to be saved. Non-religious people need to be saved. Intelligent people need to be saved. People that are still learning need to be saved. Mature people need to be saved. Immature people need to be saved. We all, everyone needs to be saved. Jesus didn't come just to save good people. He didn't come just to save people that professed that he alone was the way he came to save everyone so that they would say he alone is the way, the truth, and the life. He came. Jesus came. God sent Jesus for you, for me. God created us to know him, to walk with him, and to live in relationship with him. But there's a problem. Sin entered the world and sin separates you and me from a holy God. Now, I know some of you that are saved have already checked out of the message because you thought I'm not going to have to get saved because I already am saved. Well, listen, the Foundations of Faith series has two primary parts. Number one, we're teaching these principles from the word of God, like testimony, like salvation, next week, water baptism, because we're trying to teach those that don't yet know what these things

mean. And there are lots of people that come to the journey church that don't have a clear or right understanding about what the Bible actually says because they've never been taught it or they were taught bad teaching. Second group of people, you are saved, but you need to be equipped, say equipped. You need to be equipped to be pastors and shepherds and leaders and ministers of the gospel. It is not the job of Pastor Phil to get your family saved. God puts you in that family. He puts you in that workplace. We're trying to educate you and teach you the truth of God's Word so that you can re-teach it. We want to give you, we're equipping you to make disciples. We are making disciples who make disciples. So even if you're already saved, how dare you check out? Because who knows what the Word of God, what the Lord might speak to you today to help you with someone that you know who's far from God. Anybody buy a show of hands at our campuses, you can think of right now the name of somebody who does not have a relationship with Jesus. What if something God speaks through me to you and this message will help you in that relationship? Listen, I know you're praying for them. Please keep doing that. But could you just like have a conversation with them? Hey, I'm Abba Brain for you that you get saved. That's weird. If they don't know what that means, that's weird. How about you like, hey, can I tell you what God did for me? I mean, you can't argue with it. Testimony. This is what God did for me. I once was, but God. And now I, I once was, but God. And now I am changed. and the word of our testimony is how we overcome the lie of the enemy. Amen. So here's the problem. Sin enters the world and the truth is we can't fix ourselves. We can't save ourselves. We can't work our way out of sin. You can't give enough money to prove that you're righteous enough to God. You can't serve enough. So some of y'all need to serve more just saying, but you can't serve enough kids ministry. We need you. We literally can't provide adequate kids ministry consistently. If some of y'all don't step up and help us out, could you please? We want to be able to provide not just babysitting, but kids ministry. Miss Jamie, Miss Kerry, Miss Tracy, Miss Stephanie at Twinsburg. Thank you in advance, but you're not serving to be saved. You serve because you're saved. The Son of Man did not come to be served. Teach me the word. Let me hear that good worship song. The Son of Man came to serve. See, you can't give enough, serve enough, pray enough, read your Bible enough. You can't do enough to be saved because sermon title, you can't save yourself. Now, let me give you a picture. Let's imagine we're at the Grand Canyon. Ever been to the Grand Canyon? Some of us, man, the Grand Canyon is beautiful. Let's imagine

that you're standing on one side of the Grand Canyon and someone says to you, all right, everybody, we need to jump to the other side. One guy, he's like, got this. He's a Texas fan. He's like, I got this. He jumps three feet and falls. He's okay though, but he falls and rolls down the hill. Another guy, he's a Boston Celtics fan. He jumps 10 feet. He gets a little bit farther, but he doesn't make it across the divide. Another guy, he's a, he's a Buckeye's fan. My man jumps 30 feet. I mean, 30, like he jumps 10 times further than that Texas fan, but he still doesn't make it. I don't even know how you could jump 30 feet. Does anybody make it? No, why? Because the gap's too big. See, that's what I'm trying to tell you in this message. The gap between God's holiness and our sin is too wide, too big. We can't close that gap in and of ourselves. The gap is too great. See, that's the problem with sin. Some people, they look at their sin and they're like, well, I'm not that bad. I mean, compared to what? I mean, maybe you are better than your neighbor or your co-worker or your brother. I mean, maybe you're, maybe you're a little better or whatever that means than the person sitting next to you. Careful. You're married to him, perhaps. Don't help him. But see, the standard is not your neighbor. The standard is the holiness of God. That's a good place to say amen. The standard is the holiness of God. Romans chapter three, verse 23 says that all have sinned and false short. So here's the first truth I want you to remember. You don't need a little help. You need a Savior. See, look at the Scripture. All have sinned and false short of the glory of God. And all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. And the crazy thing is, is like, we think we just need a little bit of help. I think I just need a little bit of help. But salvation is not about a little bit of help. The truth is you need a Savior. You and I need somebody that will pay the price for our sins. Thanks be to God. His name is Jesus. The gospel isn't try harder, be better, do more, clean yourself up. No, the Bible, the gospel message is you can't save yourself, but God can. God did. Will you receive it? I believe under the sound of my voice, there are dozens and dozens of people who need to receive the free gift of salvation by faith because of God's grace, not by works that any man should boast, but because of what Jesus has done. So I think somebody needs to hear this today. You've been trying to fix yourself for years. You're trying to make a better version of yourself. I mean, perhaps maybe you're trying to outrun your past. Maybe you're trying to be ignorant of your current present reality because it's so hard

that was part of my story. I thought that I had to prove my worth in order to earn God's love. See, because I was raised to believe in this culture that we live in, you were raised to believe this too. Work hard, get a return. See, we have a culture here in the West where we have an input, like it's a microwave, there's an instant output, but the process of becoming more like Jesus is not about me proving my worth. It's called sanctification, write that word down. Sanctification. S-A-N-C-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N. It's a big church word. It basically means I'm trying to become a little bit more like Jesus, a little bit more holy every single day. It's a process. Sanctification is a process. The good news today is you don't have to save yourself because God has already made a way. Ask yourself this question right now. I'm going to put it on the screen. Have I recognized my need for Jesus or am I still trying to save myself? Stay with that for a second. I'm not going to rush through it. Just sit with that. Maybe close your eyes for a second. Have you recognized your need for Jesus? Or are you still trying to do enough? Be enough. I hate to burst your bubble. But me and you will never be able to do enough or be enough to be worthy of God's love. But the good news of the gospel is we don't have to prove ourselves worthy while we were still sinners. Christ Jesus died for us. I mean my kids, Caleb and Gracie, they don't gotta earn my love. I love them because they're my kids. Even when, especially when they mess up, I'm like come here. Let's talk about it. Now you need to apologize. You can't do that anymore. Imagine if my daughter came to me and she did something wrong. And she said I'm sorry. And she kind of smiled on the inside, thought who got let off the hook. I can go do it again. I just got to say sorry. And daddy will forgive me. I could just do whatever I could keep doing whatever I want because my dad will keep forgiving me. The truth is God will. He will keep forgiving you. But that's not actually confession and repentance. That's religious legalism. Paul writes about that in Romans. You should go read it on your own time. See what we're talking about today is repentance, turning from the way you used to live, turning from your sin. And that's what leads me to point number two. Point number two is this. Jesus came to rescue us. He came to rescue us. That's why he came. Yes, he came to teach and preach and heal. But God sent Jesus to rescue you. That should affect you. The weight of that. Listen, if you're saved and you've forgotten the weight, the significance of the fact that the Son of God was sent to the earth to die for your sins. Can I remind you right now? I love you all.

I would not give my son Caleb in exchange for any of you. But that's what God did. His one and only son. See, you probably know John chapter three verse 16. It's a famous verse in the Bible. You may have heard it thousands of times, but I want you to listen to it again. John 3 16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Verse 17, "For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." I love the first part of that. It says, "God so loved the world." And that's where salvation begins. Not with our goodness, not with our performance. Listen to me, I know you maybe you grew up in a tradition of faith and you were taught or led to believe that if you just came to church regularly, if you just completed all the sacraments, if you just if you just were a good kind person, that God would save you, there's a lot of really good, kind, generous people that will go to hell. Because being good and kind and generous does not save you. A relationship with Jesus saves you. That is why! Ask the man on the cross next to Jesus. Ask the man, the thief on the cross. A bad man at the last minute of his life. What did Jesus say to him? "Surely you will be with me in paradise." A bad man gets a ticket to heaven. That means that being good doesn't guarantee you a ticket to heaven and being bad doesn't guarantee you a ticket to hell. You know what determines where you spend eternity? You. Your choice. Oh, I want you to feel the weight of a journey church because where the Lord is leading our church is going to require some people that aren't just church goers,

but some men and women of God who are saved by the blood of Jesus, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who believe in the authority of Scripture, who are led to pray, to fast, to take a step of faith, to do what only God can do. We don't need more church goers. We need people on fire for Jesus, amen? Jesus was sent to the earth because God saw humanity was separated from him. And instead of saying what sometimes you or I say to our kids, y'all better figure it out. You ever say that to your kids when they're fighting? I don't know what I said that yesterday. I don't know what all this is. Y'all better figure that out. I'm such a loving father. And the Holy Spirit convicted me because God didn't say to me, "Phil, you better figure it out." He said, "I see you need help." I was like practicing my message when that thing happened and I said, "You need to figure it out." And so I wrote this note in there because I wanted to tell you, "You don't got to figure it out." I checked myself and I went to Caleb and Gracie and I was like, "Hey, come here. Can I help you? What's up? What's going on? Seems like you can't figure this out. Come on, listen to me. Maybe your dad can help you. I feel like the Lord wants to say to you today,

"Will you let me help you? Will you receive my help?" Sarah, will you receive my help? Michael, will you receive my help? Sherry, will you receive my help? Christopher, will you receive my help? Listen to me, Jesus came to rescue us. Mark chapter 10, verse 45 says, "Even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus wasn't just a good teacher and he wasn't just a good moral example. He didn't come to simply start a religion. We at Journey Church are not asking you to join a religion. We're asking you to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ and to go further than that, to become a disciple. That means a follower, to orient, to reorient your schedule, your time, your budget, your life, around the Word of God. There's a lot of people saved that aren't living out their faith as a disciple. See, Jesus says, it's harsh words. Sometimes this message doesn't feel encouraging, but the Word of God, sometimes it's convicting, right? Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into eternity." You can't fake it. Imagine, imagine, listen, some of y'all, I got friends, they went to school every day, but they went for a few extra years because they didn't graduate on time because showing up doesn't mean that you're doing the thing. We can show up, please don't just show up in your quiet time to check it off a list, encounter God. It's that I want us, Journey Church, to encounter God.

Come on, look at your neighbor, tell him, let's encounter God. Let's encounter God. See, the cross is all about Jesus coming to rescue us. The cross wasn't an accident. Maybe you were taught that the cross was Jesus losing. Maybe you think the last words of Jesus on the cross were, "I am finished." He didn't say, "I." creation Yeah, he actually pushed himself up on the cross because he was hanging with nails and they weren't just like You know little picture hanging nails There are seven to ten inch spikes Through his wrists and his ankle bone maybe through his heel And he's hanging on this cross. I mean it wasn't just a couple of thorns from a rose bush It was a helmet of thorns that they pushed on to his head three to seven inches these thorns That would probably break through the skin bone and maybe even the skull I Don't want us to just pass by the brutality of the crucifixion and forget that it's it's a free gift to us But it costs Jesus everything Jesus didn't say I am finished. He said it is finished. He said no man takes my life from me But I freely give it I Mean listen four out of ten people that got crucified Jesus wasn't the only one that got crucified There was two guys beside him. There's a lot of people that got crucified and this time in history but Four out ten people didn't even make it to the cross because the flogging and the whipping and the brutality by the Roman soldiers Was so brutal. They didn't even make it to the cross I mean Jesus carried a beam on his back that was 75 to 125 pounds after he was whipped hundreds of times And his skin and his flesh was pulled off of his back. Why did he do that because he loves you? Because he came to rescue you He didn't just come to make you a good person

He didn't die for you. Just so you'd come to church every week He came so that you would reorient your life around the gospel. See the cross was the plan Salvation isn't about what you can do for God. It's about what God has already done for you. Amen Oh, I just described to you a little bit Of what God did for you what Jesus God wrapped in the flesh the second person of the Trinity what God did for you Salvation isn't about what you can do for God. It's about what God has done for you And there's this man in scripture named Nicodemus if you have your Bible. Let's go to John chapter 3 Maybe you're wondering is he gonna get to the Word of God. Uh-huh. I've been giving it to you all morning Hope you were listening But here's John chapter 3 verse 1 to 9. There was a Pharisee a Man named Nicodemus Who was a member of the Jewish ruling council? He came to Jesus at night and he said a rabbi We know that you are a teacher who has come from God for no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him and Jesus replied very truly I tell you no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus asks mr. literal man Surely they cannot enter a second time Into their mother's womb to be born and Jesus answered him very truly. I tell you no one Can enter the kingdom of God Unless right in your Bible underlying it Circle it highlight it unless no one can come unless Here's the prerequisite to the promise most scriptures have a promise, but there's a prerequisite Unless what unless they are born of water and the spirit Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at me saying You must be born again. He doesn't say you should be you can be. I hope you will be heads is a good idea

It's not a suggestion. It's a command You go to hell unless you're born again I'm not trying to scare you, but I'm not a good pastor if I hide the truth from you what it would as hell It's an eternal separation from the goodness of God that we sang about in song three today. I Don't want that and I'm not trying to scare you or manipulate you I just know that through the foolishness appreciating people get saved and Jesus kept it real with Nicodemus Nicodemus was a very educated religious leader He was a Pharisee. He's one of the leaders of the Pharisee and Jesus like you shouldn't be surprised You won't go hell unless you're born again. All right, you must be born again The wind blows wherever it pleases you hear it sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going So it is with everyone born of the spirit. I love verse nine. How can this be? What you talking about Willis Because he was listening with his ears in his head, not with his heart. Some of y'all have so much head knowledge about salvation, let your heart be awakened. Right now, Holy Spirit of God, wake up their hearts, wake up their spirits. You breathe the Ruach breath of God into us upon our birth and our creation. And God, I pray your spirit, the Ruach breath of God, right now speak to our hearts through the rest of this message. Speak to our spirits, not just our heads, not just our ears. Speak to our hearts, speak to our spirits. It might not make sense in here, but there's something happening in here right now. God, that's you. It must be you. I can't explain it. I mean, just like Kayla told us, Jesus has to be Lord. After everything I've gone through, it doesn't make sense. I can't explain it. I got lots of questions. But God, speak to our hearts. And Jesus essentially says, Nicodemus, bro, you're not enough.

You need a new life. That's why 2 Corinthians 5 17, Paul says, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. Come on, tell your neighbor, new creation, new, create a little bit louder, new creation. I'm a new creation. That means your past doesn't get the final word. And that means your mistakes don't get the final word. That means your addiction that you're still wrestling with doesn't get the final word. You don't got to stop being addicted to that thing to get saved today. You could be looking at porn last night, get saved today. You could be drinking, smoking. God knows what pills you might be taking because you're addicted and you can get saved. You don't got to stop the bad thing before you do the thing of receiving salvation. You got it all backwards. You just got to receive salvation and then God will clean it all up for you. You're not meant to clean up yourself. The Holy Spirit's going to clean you up. You get saved and then it's not first so that I, come on, are you with me? It's not first I have to so that I can get saved today is the day of salvation. Come on, today is the, oh, come on, you dirty devil. You've taken up too much space too long. You spirit a shame, I bind you and I cast you out. You spirit a guilt, get your hands off of God's people right now. You accuser of the brethren, you're a liar. You only do for Hebrews 412 to you right now, you spirit of darkness. Hebrews 412 says that the word of God is sharper than any double-edged sword. I cut you, get your hands, you demonic spirit off the people of the journey church. Let our spirit man and woman, let our, let our hearts come alive to receive the word of God. Who am I preaching to today? My past doesn't have to defy me anymore.

My addictions that I'm still working through. My anger issues that I still don't got to grip on. Sanctification, sanctification, see, here's what I want to tell you. Maybe you think you've gone too far from God. You haven't. Maybe you think you've messed up too much. You haven't. Maybe you think God couldn't forgive what you've done because it's so bad. Yo, my man Paul was on a mission to murder Christians and God used him. My man David was disobedient, didn't go to war, went for a walk, wandered, found a woman that was married to another man, brought him into his home, had relations with her, cheated on his own wife, then had the woman's husband murder. God used him as that he's a man after God's own heart. The lineage of Jesus came through that man, not through that woman, but through that man, David. Come to the forge, man. I'll tell you more about David and what it looks like to be resilient. See salvation isn't based on the greatness of your sin, it's based on the greatness of your Savior. Amen? Amen. So do you trust Jesus or are you trusting your own goodness? All my life you have been faithful. All my life you've been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of Phil. You laugh, but some of you that's how you've lived your life, that's what you were taught. I'm so sorry you received that teaching that if you were just good enough, God would love you enough that you'd prove that you're worth it. Maybe I'm the only one, but can I tell you you're worth it just as you are? You're good enough right now today.

Because why? about gifts is that you don't earn them, you receive them. Are you ready to receive? See Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and 9, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and 9 says this, "It is by grace that you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast." I read it to you earlier, I'm giving you the reference now. See the difference between a paycheck and a gift, a paycheck is something that you have to earn and a gift is something that you have to receive. You know if I work 40 hours, my paycheck isn't a gift. My paycheck is something that I earned, right? You earn it. Somebody walks up to me and is like, "Hey Phil, I bought this gift for you." I was like, "That's nice. I like that. That's a nice gift. That's so kind of you. You'd have to do that." Appreciate it. Until or unless I receive that gift, it's not mine. It's theirs. How rude would it be if I didn't receive that gift that Simon brought to me? Hey Phil, I bought you this gift. Thanks, man. Love it. Great wrapping. I need a must have done that. Looks great. It's beautiful. It's for me? No, no, no. You keep it. I don't deserve that. No, but I don't. Trust me. Trust me. The week I've had, I don't deserve anything. You give it to somebody else. Somebody that's better. Come on. You with me? Somebody that's a little bit more worthy. Somebody that's a little bit more deserving. And we do this, don't we? We do this to the gift of salvation. Salvation's a gift. Why does God send good people to hell? He doesn't. They send themselves there because they don't receive the gift. I got some really good people that are in my family and they're like family. They're really good people, but he's just looking at the gift. Oh man, I wish I could just shove it into their chest and open it up and say, take the gift of salvation, my man. It's such a good gift. But that's not how it works. The way God designed it is that you, I don't know who I'm talking to, but there's a you. I don't know who you is, but there's a you that needs to receive the gift of salvation. You don't earn a gift. You receive it. You receive it. How do you receive the gift of salvation? The Bible gives us two important words, faith and repentance. Faith is saying, God, I trust you. Repentance is repentance is saying, God, I turn my life towards you. I turn from my sin and I choose to follow you. Faith says, Jesus, I don't just believe that you exist. I trust you with my life. See repentance means to turn the other direction, turning away from sin so that you can turn towards Jesus, turning toward Jesus so that you can

turn away from your sin. See how that works? When you turn toward Jesus, the things that used to satisfy your appetite, the things you looked at, the things you desired, those sinful, lustful things that you see and want all the time, those desires change when you turn toward Jesus. You don't have to stop doing the bad thing so that you can start doing the follow Jesus thing. You got the order backwards. Let me just teach you. You start by following Jesus and it's crazy. It's crazy. Raise your hand if you could testify. When I started following Jesus, the things I used to desire, I don't desire anymore. It's not just my opinion. It's the word of God and there's a testimony of people in your room right now. Raise your hand again. Look around. These people will testify that the things you used to do and desire, you don't do and desire as much and then eventually, hopefully, ever because you've changed your desire. I now desire Jesus. I desire time and His presence. I want you to I want you to just look at this screen as I here's the gospel in five lines. I've said a lot. I want you to take a picture of this. I want you to write it on a post-it or an index card. When you have that loved one that you're believing and you don't know what to say to him, you don't know how to explain the gospel and the Romans wrote and you don't got 35 minutes to preach like I just did. You can remember that everybody needs saved and Jesus came to rescue us and salvation's a gift 'cause you can't save yourself, right? But here, I'm just gonna help you. Listen, God loves you. Your sin separates you from God. Jesus died for your sin and he rose again. And you can't save yourself. Jesus is my savior.

So could you, once you take that picture, could you close your eyes and bow your heads? Romans chapter 10 verse nine says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart that got raised him from the dead, you will be saved. First, you have to believe. Then you have to repent and then you have to receive so that you can follow. Maybe you're here today at church or you're watching online. And you're thinking these three words, I need Jesus. I need change, I need hope, I need peace, I need joy, I need freedom, I need hope. Come on, make a personal, tell them. I need, put your thing in the light in the blank there. I need deliverance, I need purpose. I don't care what you put in the blank line. If you put Jesus, everything else will be taken care of. If you don't have Jesus in that blank line, today's the day of salvation. Salvation isn't something you have to earn, it's a gift that you receive and that gift is available to you. I'm reaching it out to you today. God is saying, here it is my son, here it is my daughter. You've been coming to church. You've been looking at the gift. Today, I want you to receive the gift of salvation. Eyes closed, heads bowed. If you've already received the gift, I need your help. Come on, we're a praying church.

Would you out loud, start praying, something like this. Lord, whoever in this room is far from you and has not received the gift of salvation, would you right now Holy Spirit tug on their heart? Because I'm gonna get up out of their chair and come forward to the front platform, give them the courage to do it. It's just a symbolic way of saying, I'm leaving behind the way I used to live and I'm turning toward Jesus. Come on, keep praying. Come on, we need, I open your mouth and speak in prayer. Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, speak to our hearts. Speak to our spirits. I can't save myself. On the count of three, the campus pastors are on the platform at their location or they're making their way there. I'm here at Avon. On the count of three, if you're ready to open the gift of salvation, to receive the gift, you didn't earn it, you could never earn it. You don't deserve it, neither do I, but at the gift of salvation is available to you. On the count of three, I want you to boldly and courageously lift your hand and say, I'm ready to begin a relationship with Jesus. One, two, three, lift your hand. Lift your hand, say, that's me, that's me. I see your hand.

If you're thinking, I don't wanna raise my hand 'cause I don't know what's gonna happen next and I'll be the only one, it's okay. You can trust me. Lift your hand at Fairview Park. Lift your hand at Twinsburg online. Just type a message to the chat. I wanna get saved. If your hand is raised and I see a couple hands here in the room at Avon, I'm gonna ask us if we can go old school. I'm gonna ask us to stand to our feet. Our prayer team's gonna come and I'm gonna ask those that raise their hands. Sir, could you come down front? I think there's a lady in the middle of the room here at Avon 'cause you come down for us, stand to our feet. Let's clap our hands. Come on, thank you Jesus. You can't save yourself. You can't save yourself. Come on, at every campus, come forward. You can't save yourself. (upbeat music) [BLANK_AUDIO]