 Yesterday after the men's conference, we were in the back and Pastor Dave and I were talking and I shared with him what I wanted to share today and I went through it and he said, okay, that's okay, great, go ahead and do that. And then last night I was with some people and we were having prayer and I kind of felt the Lord say, hey, maybe you might want to tell him what I want to talk about, say neighbor, good idea. And so he put some things in my heart and I really hope that this message will encourage you. I pray that God will allow me to say it the way I want to say it or in the passion that you would feel God's incredible love for you. How many of you have ever questioned God's love for you? Like you thought that there's no way in the world he could love somebody like me. I don't know about you, but I know I've gone through that often and it happens way too often as far as I'm concerned at times. And, but you know, one of the disciples that hung out with Jesus, when he pinned himself in the Bible, his name is John, he said, the disciple that Jesus loved. And I would read that and I would go like, hmm, what is that all about? And here's what I think it's all about. I think John just had enough sense to let Jesus love him. It was like, okay, Jesus, if you want to love me and spite of me, knock yourself out. And all God needs for us to do is to cooperate with his love, that God finds us lovable, even though sometimes we act unloving. God loves us regardless of ourself. And he never turns his back on us. And so, John, at the end of his life, he's mesmerized still by God's love. And he writes this in the first John, the third chapter, the first verse, he says this. And one translation says this, behold, what manner of love is this that the Father has bestowed upon us that we can be called the children of God? At the end of his life, he's still blown away by God's love. The Phillips translation, and I love this translation because of the story book kind of setting that it presents, it says this. Consider the incredible love the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called the children of God. And that's not just what we're called, but that's what we are. Our heredity on the Godward side is not a mere figure of speech, which explains why the world will no more recognize us than it recognized Christ. Oh, dear children of mine, forgive the affection of an old man. Have you realized it? Here and now are we God's children. We don't know what we shall become in the future. We only know that if reality were to break through, we would reflect his likeness, for we would see him as he really is. And everyone who has a heart of hope like that keeps himself pure, or herself pure, for they know how pure Christ is. Wow. He's blown away by God's love. The love of the Father. Look at your neighbor. Say neighbor. Neighbor. Let's say it like we really mean it this time. Say neighbor. Neighbor. Who's your daddy? Neighbor. And I want us to think about that today. And I would hope that Jesus' daddy is your daddy. And you know, I love this verse and we know John 3.16, and it's quoted all the time, but here's what it says, for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. It doesn't just say God loved you. It says he so loved you. Like he took love to a whole nother level. I love you. If Jesus, if you wanted to paraphrase that, Jesus is, John is the one that wrote that, Jesus is the one that said it. And so he would say, my dad so loved you, that he gave you me. That if you put your faith and trust in me, you would not perish, but you would have everlasting life. God goes, I gave you something to prove my love. I gave you my son. When somebody gives you their son, that's radical, amen? So God took it to a whole nother level. None of us probably would be willing to sacrifice our children for someone else, but God says, I'm giving you my son. And I want us to think about that. You know, he came to his own, the Bible says, and his own did not receive him, but whoever did receive him, to them he gave the authority and the power to become the sons and daughters of God. Wow. His dad wants us to know him. And I think Jesus wants us to know his dad. Jesus gets this incredible introduction when he shows up on the earth in Matthew 3.17, it says, and suddenly, okay, so here comes Jesus. And like I said, when I read the Bible, it turns into a movie for me. Here comes Jesus and John the Baptist sees him. His cousin, hey, behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And then Jesus is baptized by John. And when he's baptized, the Holy Spirit comes upon him and then God the Father speaks from heaven. And he says these words. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. God the Father goes, that's my boy right there. And he's already pleased with them. He hasn't worked the miracle. He hasn't preached a sermon. He hasn't raised anyone from the dead. He hasn't turned water into wine. But his dad is pleased with him. And he announces him himself. And I just find that amazing. Jesus and the Father are one. Question, how many of you, when you were growing up, have ever had somebody say this to you? You know what, you act just like your father or you act just like your mama. How many people have ever had somebody say that to you? Raise your hand straight up in the air, please. Thank you very much. Okay, all right, all right. How many of you, now if your parents are here, don't raise your hand now, okay? But how many of you did not like that? Anybody in the house not like that? Okay, say neighbor. If you don't know who to act like, guess who you're gonna act like. Okay, but Jesus had this incredible relationship with his father, you know? He says, when you've seen me, you've seen the father. Wow, question, a vampire. If a vampire stands in front of a mirror, what does the vampire see? I can't hear you. Can't see anything, because they have no reflection in the mirror. God, who is a spirit, if God were to stand in front of a mirror, who would he see? Jesus. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Look at your neighbor, say neighbor. Dang. Okay, Philippians two, five, one example. It says that Jesus Christ be your example as to what your attitude should be. So Jesus, you watch how Jesus responds to that. He says, I say what the father says. I do what the father does. And he goes on to this, and then he wants to tell us a story about his dad. We talk about entering into a personal relationship with Jesus, and that we do. But I think Jesus wants us to have a special and intimate relationship with his dad. He wants you to see how his dad is. And so when I was looking at this as I began to watch over this, it really overwhelmed me. I was far more overwhelmed this morning. Matter of fact, I went blank while I was sitting there for a while. I was going like, Lord, am I going to be able to share this? I had an opportunity to speak at a church when I first began in the ministry. And there were a lot of people in this church that I used to do a lot of dirt with before I got saved. I know none of you all have ever done dirt, but I used to do dirt before I got saved. And I had the opportunity to go to this church and I was getting my stuff together. I was getting my hand grenades and my machine gun bullets. I was going to blow this place up. And I waited all week long before God gave me something to tell them. And I was like, come on, because I know what they're doing there. And the Lord spoke to me. He said, why don't you just try telling them how much I love them? For real? Look at your neighbor say neighbor. Hmm. And I spoke there that day and I gave them a message entitled that first verse, what kind of love is this? And I think God wants to remind us today of his incredible love for us. And then encourage us to live our lives responding to that love. How many of you have ever said, I love you to someone, raise your hands. Answer me out loud. What is the only thing you wanted to hear that person say back to you? I love you too. Everybody says the same thing. Do you think God is any different? God says to you, I love you. And it's easy to say I love you, but he wants us to live our lives like we love him. God didn't just say I love you, but he demonstrated his love. The Bible says for the love of God was demonstrated for you and I that while we were sinners, Jesus Christ died for us. Wow. And so when Jesus shows up and he begins to meet the world, the one thing, the amazing thing that he did was he hung out with people who were very much unlike him. And I always wondered, why did he hang out with so many people who are unlike him? And why did people who are unlike him wanna hang out with him? Say neighbor. Cause he loved them. And it went both ways. Like I could be around this man and he wasn't about blowing up sinners and putting them down. Yes, he wants people to repent from their sin, but he wanted to meet them right where they were. And the only people who disagreed with the way that he did things were the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, religious people. People who thought they knew what God was like and they did not have a clue. Say neighbor. I can't stand people like that. And it was people like that who couldn't stand Jesus. How many of you know somebody who's way too spiritual? Now don't look at him, but I'm just saying, how many of you know somebody like that? You know? Just a thought. So here's Jesus, he's out one day, you know? And here's what it says in Luke 15, one. It says, then all the tax collectors and sinners drew near him to hear him. They wanted to hear what he had to say. Why? Why did they wanna hear it? Because nobody ever spoke like this man the Bible says. That when he spoke his words had the ring of authority. I believe that when Jesus spoke to people, it was like he was reading their mail. How many of you have ever heard a sermon from someone and they touch one of your issues and it seemed like the speaker was looking right at you when that happened? Has anybody ever had that happen to him? And you, you're like, yeah, yeah, okay, okay. So I got a feeling, but there was something about the way maybe Jesus would do that. Maybe he would hit a point and he would look right at the person but all they would see is love and compassion in his eyes. I wanna say about it. So they all came to hear him and the Pharisees and the scribes complained to the religious folks. This man received sinners and he even eats with them. Now, in the King James version, it says this man, this man in treateth at the end of that word. He in treateth sinners and he even eateth with them. Those ETH words mean he was always doing it. He continually did that and they didn't like it. And here's the God of the universe in human form and they're questioning his ways. And you know why you might question his ways because his ways are not our ways. And his thoughts are not our thoughts and as high as the heavens are above the earth. That's how far his ways and thoughts are removed from ours. Look at your neighbor say neighbor, God don't do stuff the way you do it. And so he spoke this parable to them. So here he's surrounded by all, and I like the, you know, I call people like this knuckleheads, okay. And I wrote this book and one of the lines in the book, there's hope and a rope. It says there are only two kind of people in the world, knuckleheads and people who think they're not knuckleheads. Say neighbor, I think that brother just called you a knucklehead. How many of us can admit we are knuckleheads from time to time? Say neighbor, oh you know your hand ought to be up in the air. Okay. So he spoke this parable. I think here he's got these people who want to hear everything and then he's got these people who don't want to hear anything. And I think he's very frustrated with them. And I think maybe to a certain degree he's got like, and so here's what it says. So he spoke this parable to them. He said, what man of you having a hundred sheep if he loses one of them does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it. And when he has been found, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together all of his friends and neighbors saying to them, rejoice with me for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say to you, Jesus said, likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who need no repentance. And you know, the Bible says there is none that is righteous. No, not one that they've all gone astray. But when I read this, it turns into a movie for me. And I see a shepherd out and he comes to the flock and he begins to count and he realized one of them's gone. And how do you lose a sheep? A sheep, they're not exactly known to be the smartest animals in the world. Amen? As a matter of fact, they're known for their stupidity. And then we're called sheep, say neighbor. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. But how do sheep get lost? You know, they're out there, they're always eating. And the herd goes this way and this one sheep goes this way. And they may be off in the distance. Oh, it's the wolf. Say neighbor. That's pretty good for a boy from the Bronx. The wolf is on the prowl. But Jesus says, I'm the good shepherd. And the good shepherd lays his life down for the sheep. In other words, Jesus says, before you get one of mine, you're gonna have to get me. And that's exactly what happened at the cross. So that you and I would not have to be gotten. And he comes and he rescues the sheep. And he brings it back over the shoulder. And he calls his friends over and they have this incredible rejoicing. Now we know that no shepherd would ever leave 99 sheep by themselves because when he came back, those sheep would be scattered everywhere. I think about this. It just wants to show you that God's love for the lost. God loves lost things and he loves looking for lost things. And in our case, lost people. I think folks like you get it. I think the tax collectors in the centers got it. I think the Pharisees and the scribes were like, whatever. Okay, how about this? How about a woman who had a set of coins and she loses one of her coins? Wouldn't she search her house and look everywhere and sweep until she finds it? And then when she finds that coin, when she invite all of her friends over and have a celebration, I'm telling you now, there is rejoicing in the presence of God's holy angels when sinners repent. People who are going the wrong way turn and go the right way and find themselves found by God. Amen. How many of you have ever lost some money? How many of you look for the money in places there ain't no way in the world that money could be there, but you look there anyway? And then when you found the money, you were excited. But you didn't invite all your friends over. Say neighbor. Cause you're greedy. Okay. But really it's a special coin. It's a set of 10. It's a wedding gift. And the set is not complete unless all the coins are theirs. I think that's how God feels about heaven. For the Lord is not slack concerning his promises. Some people account slack, but he's patient towards us, willing that all would come to repentance and no one would perish. That's God's desire. Is that heaven would be sold out, that it would be filled with people and he comes looking for the lost. I think people like you get that. I get that to a certain degree. Religious people don't get it. And here's what I feel about the rest of the story. I think Jesus can't wait to tell this part of the parable. And what I can say, when I read it, when I hear the Bible, when I read it, it turns into a movie for me. And I think about this. And a parable is just a natural story with a spiritual meaning behind it. And he tells a story of a man that had two sons. And the younger son said to his father, Father, give me my share of the inheritance. And not many days later, he left. The father goes to the inheritance box and because there's two sons, the younger son would get one third, the older son would get two thirds because a greater responsibility would fall upon his shoulders. And not many days later, he leaves. And I wonder at times in this parable, how come he didn't leave right away? If we make this natural, if we make this real, how come he didn't leave right away? Maybe he wanted his father to beg him. Maybe he wanted to see if his father thought he was bluffing, you know, maybe he wanted something to happen. But this father had probably sown into his life, had trained him up in the way it should go, that when he was old, he would not depart from it. His father, maybe he was old enough to make a decision for himself. And his father would not twist his arm and make him stay. And so there comes a point where he leaves. And I think about him when he leaves. And maybe he went out and just brought some clothes. You know, maybe he went out and got himself some Air Jordan sandals. You know, maybe he got himself a Rolex sundial. Maybe he got himself a Gucci Yamaha. Or maybe he went out and he got himself a Tommy Hill figure tunic. Okay, and so now he's dressed in a pocket bulging. I'm out, boom, and he leaves. And he leaves walking tall. He leaves, can't nobody tell me nothing. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Anybody ever been there? Just four of us, praise the Lord. Okay, and so, you know, a lot of times we won't listen. How many of you have ever done something somebody told you not to do and you had to face the I told you so finger? How many of us don't like the I told you so finger? How about the I told you so finger when this comes with it? Yeah, I told you so. And I don't know what's worse, the I told you so finger or the neck that goes with it. But if we would listen, we could save ourselves a lot of grief. But this young man, he did what he wanted to do. And the Bible says that he went to a far country and he wasted his substance and riot is living. In other words, he did all he was grown enough to do. Couldn't nobody tell him nothing. And now pockets that were filled with 20s and 50s are now empty and they're filled with lint. And no one would do anything for him. And finally he goes to a farmer and the farmer says, you can go out and you could feed the pigs. And so he goes out to the pig pen and there is these pigs in squalor and the Bible says that he desired to eat what the pigs were eating. Sometimes it's got to get that bad. Sometimes you just have to hit rock bottom. And he wants to eat what they're eating. And I want to stop the story there. And if this were a real story, which I believe it reflects a real story, let's go back to the ranch. You know when I was a little boy they would have cowboy movies on and I know I'm dating myself here and they would segue from one scene to another scene. And you know, you'd be in town and then they would give you a thing and there would be a narrator in the background and he would come on. Meanwhile, back at the ranch. Okay, meanwhile, back at the ranch, what's going on? I think that there's a father who cries himself to sleep at night. I think that there's a father who lays his head on a pillow and thinks about his son and has a tear rolled out of his left eye across the bridge of his nose down into his right eye. I think there's a father who prays for his son. I think that there's a father who walks down the hallway and maybe walks into his son's room and he sees the bed that his son used to sleep in and now that bed is empty. I think there's a father maybe who wonders, why did his boy leave? Why do we ever leave? Why do we end up in places that we shouldn't be? The voices that began to woo this kid away from his father. The voices that began to entice him. The voices that made something over there look better than what he had over here. And there are many voices in our lives that try to pull us away, but there's only one voice that pulls us back and that's the voice of love. And sometimes seemingly those voices are louder than the voice of love, than the voice of wisdom, than the voice of reason. And we end up in the pig pen. There's a way that seems right to a person, but the Bible says the end of that way is the way of destruction. And now he has taken this road that looked good here, but over the horizon, it led to some things that were destroying his life. Meanwhile, back at the pig pen. The Bible says, and he came to his senses. Ezekiel 46.9 says, when the people come into the Lord's house on the feast day to worship, let those who come through the North gate leave through the South gate and those who come through the South gate leave through the North gate. Let no one leave through the gate in which they came. I think that's God's way of saying, when you come into my presence, go home a different way. Say, neighbor, whatever you do, don't go home the way you came. Okay, so he comes to his senses and now he's going home, but he's going home a little bit different than the way he left home. Because when he left home, he left with arrogance, he left with pride. I'm out, yeah. But now he comes home, kicking a rock, head bowed. If he were a puppy, his tail would be between his legs, kicking a rock up the road, I've sinned against heaven, I've sinned against you, I'm not even worthy to be your son. In the animal world, say, neighbor, don't act like you don't know what that's like. He's going home a different way. Because when he left, he left erect. And when he came back, he came back correct. And the Bible says the Lord gives grace to the humble, but he resists the proud. And the Bible says he comes home and then the father saw him from a long way out. The Bible says God knows those that are his. He looks a little different. He's walking with a little bit of a limp, but that's my boy right there. And he starts running at his son. And of course in Palestine, fathers never ran after kids, especially wayward ones, he runs to him. And I wonder what the kid is thinking as he sees the father coming. Can you imagine the doors burst open and here comes this father that I've dishonored. I've done all I was grown enough to do, took his money out and wasted it. And now he's running at me. You know, I always think about this story. I always thought about this with my mama being the victim of child abuse at her hands. Here's what that scene would look like. Mm-hmm, here you come now. You're gonna get yours. Yesterday I shared with the men, you know, they got this thing out here today called Time Out. Time Out in the Hood is the time it takes you to wake up after you got knocked out. I'm just saying. We ain't getting no time out of our house, okay. I'm telling you, if this was my mom, and the kid knows he's wrong, he knows he did wrong. And I wonder what he's thinking about the father. The one thing the kid did know in the pigment, he could go home, but he just didn't know how. And now his father's running at him. I think he braces himself. And the Bible says the father takes him into his arms and embraces him. And one translation says he smothered him with kisses. This is a boy that just came out of a pig pen. This is a boy that's stinking and he is nasty. The man that raised me, daddy. You know, Jesus when he talked about his father, they called him Abba. It's a very intimate term between a son and daddy. I just call him daddy. He was a World War I vet born April 1897. Listed as killed in action in World War I. And they found him in a French hospital a couple of months after the war. His mama never gave back the insurance money. I'm just saying. And he comes home and God drops him into my life. And he is God's saving grace in my life. And as far as I'm concerned, no other man on the face of this earth was greater than him other than Jesus Christ. And he loved me unconditionally. And when I gave my life to the Lord at 33, he gave his life to the Lord at 84. And he lived out the remainder of his days with us. And he had fallen and broken his hip and then he had kidney failure. And so one day he had to walk on a walker and he was very slow. And one day I came home early from work when I was still in the police department. And as I walked into the house, I smelled the smell. And the bathroom is nowhere near the front door of the house. And I said, what's going on in my head? And I walked in a little bit further and I looked to the right and left rather and daddy was standing in the bathroom. And what had happened, he had tried to make it to the bathroom on the walker and he couldn't make it. And he went to the bathroom on himself. And he had diarrhea. But he couldn't let go of the walker and take care of himself and change his clothes and clean himself. So I had to clean him. And I will never forget it. I'll never forget having to go between his legs. And I'll never forget the warmth on my hand of that diarrhea. But I will also never forget how horrible it smelled. It smelled so bad I almost threw up on my father. And I look over and there's a tear coming out of his eye. And I said, daddy, why are you crying? He says, because I don't want you to do this. And I said, would you do it for me? If you could, and he said, you know I would. I said, then be quiet and let me do this. And maybe you say, Bill, why do you tell us that story? Because God says in his word that your sin and my sin is a stench in his nostrils. It is nauseating to him. But if we confess our sin to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to clean us from all of our unrighteousness. Amen. Say neighbor, who's your daddy? I love the kid. Bill pays language. Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, chill, chill, chill, chill, chill. Got something to say. I've sinned against heaven, I've sinned against you. I am no longer worthy to be your son. I will go and live with the hired servants. The father does not use these words, but his behavior says these words. Shut up, boy. Hey, you, get the best robe. You, get the family ring. You, get the sandals. Hey, you, go kill the fatted calf. The one that we thought was dead, he's alive. The one that was lost has now been found and we are going to have a party. Look at your neighbors and neighbor. Who's your daddy? You know who I think is messed up right now? I think the servants are messed up. I think they're watching this and I think they're going like, I wish I had a daddy like that daddy. Say neighbor, they could have a daddy like that daddy. And I think about this and those things represent. You know, the Bible says he puts the new robe on him. Blessed is the man whose sins are covered. The family ring, family credit card, complete restoration, sandals, because when you didn't have shoes in those days you were a slave. Jesus says, I don't call you slaves anymore but sons in the fatted calf. You know what happens with the fatted calf? Blood's got to be shed. And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. And there was blood shed for you and I one day so our sins could be forgiven. And so Jesus gives this picture and I think the sinners and tax collectors got it. And then Jesus continues on with the story. And it says the older brother came in from the field and he heard the music and the dancing. They were getting it on up in the house. Amen. And he calls one of the servants. What's going on in the house? Your brother's back. And your father killed the fatted calf. And in essence his behavior is like, oh I know you tripping for real now. I know you didn't kill the fatted calf. And he got an attitude. He's got an attitude about the way his loving father treats a wayward kid. Because his heart was not in alignment with his father's heart. And a lot of times when you think you got it all together you can develop that attitude. You can develop an attitude of a Sadducee who says I thank God I'm not like other men. Every single one of us are one decision away from a scandal. Say neighbor, don't act like you don't know what that brother's talking about. I remember one time a woman in my church, a church I used to go to, she committed adultery. And they were friends of mine. And then her husband committed spite adultery. And because I'd not worked out my mama drama I was real hard on her. And I would look down at her. And one day during a church function, let's just say like the movie you all are gonna go see at five o'clock today. She comes over to me and takes a piece of paper and slides it into my hand. And when she walked away I read that piece of paper and it says I thank God you don't have a hell to put someone in. And then the Lord spoke to me. You really think you're all that don't you? You think that can't be you don't you? And then one day in my return from the pig pen I became far more gracious towards people who end up in a pig pen. Say neighbor, be careful, guard your heart, it could happen to you because we're called to have the attitude of Christ. A loving, caring, compassionate, forgiving attitude to be able to speak the truth in love that if you see your brother caught in the fault let you who were spiritual reproved them in a spirit of meekness lest you be likewise tempted. So he stays outside and the father comes out and meets him, what's wrong? I've been here all these years. I did every single thing you told me to do. And you never even gave me as much as a goat so I could have a party with my friends. And now this son of yours who wasted his substance with prostitutes. Say neighbor, ha he know, just a thought. You killed the fatted care for him and the father says everything I had is yours. All you had to do was ask. Oh yeah, by the way, this your brother? He was lost. We thought he was dead. He's alive and he's been found. Verse 32 says God's attitude and it was right to give him a party. What kind of God is this? What kind of God loves you and I this way? Look, your neighbor say neighbor, Jesus daddy, your daddy. Here's what I believe and I shared this this morning because that story ends there but the story doesn't end for you. There are people in your community. There are people in your church who've turned their backs and walked away from God. There are people in your family who don't know the God of the universe. There are people in your family that you know who needs the God who lives on the inside of you. And so you begin to live your life responding to God's love. You begin to go out and to share the love of Jesus with as many people as you can get your hands on because of all that God has done for you. What shall I render the Bible says to God for all of his mercy? Go and tell someone. You, the salt of the earth, you lights in a world of darkness. You cities that are set upon hills that cannot be hidden. You have what they need. You're not better than them. You're just better off than them. And you tell them about Jesus. Somebody on your job looks at you and you got that weird smile on your face and they know all hell is breaking loose in your life. And they ask you, what's going on with you guys? Just be prepared to give an answer for the hope that's in you. Christ in you, the hope of glory. But that's what God wants to do. He wants to reveal himself. He sends you out to catch men and women. Look at your neighbor say neighbor. You catch them. Let's say it like we mean it. Say neighbor. You catch them. God will clean them. It's not our job to clean them. It's our job to catch them. I'm gonna teach you to catch men. And Peter lives his life responding to God's incredible love for him. That's what God wants to do. He wants you to recognize how much he loves you, though you will never be able to fully recognize it. And I've asked God this because I cannot get over myself from time to time. And I said, Lord, how could you love me this way? What kind of love is this? I don't understand. And the Holy Spirit spoke to me one day and said, and you never will. Just receive it and go with it. Live your life responding to the incredible love. Demonstrate it for you that while you and I were sinners, Jesus Christ died for us. You can come to church and sit here and be in just as much of a pig pin as that young man was. I've done it by experience. I've stood in the pulpit and gone back to a pig pin, putting God's love on hold. But the Bible says no one can come to the Father unless the Spirit draws him. And here's what I believe. You see that brother, the older brother wouldn't go get his son. Say neighbor, don't be that person. God's in you now. You understand the love. You understand the grace. You understand the mercy. And you go out and you catch him. You know what brought this boy home? The Spirit of God. No one can come to the Father unless the Spirit draws them. And I believe that he could not get over himself. The Bible says the way of a transgressor is hard. It's hard because God's there. It's hard because God is sold out to you. It's hard because God says to you and I, even when you are not faithful, I am faithful still because I cannot deny myself. Say it with authority. Say neighbor, who's your daddy? Jesus' daddy is your daddy. And Jesus' daddy says, go. Do the things that he does. Say the things that he says. We don't need to beat the hell out of people. We need to love the hell out of people. And we need to shock this world. That's what God wants to do through your lives. Amen? Amen. Okay, here's what I'm gonna ask you to do. We're not gonna do an altar call. You know where you are. I would think you can't have this many people and somebody ain't struggling. That you don't have some stuff going on in your life. It's between you and God. I like altar calls at times, but I don't feel to do one today. But here's what I felt God put in my heart. God wants us all to go home a different way. If you've heard something that has touched your heart today, okay, here's what I want you. I know it's gonna sound kind of stupid. Everybody point at the door you came in. No, no, look at the door. Look at the door you came in. Point at that door, okay? Heads back this way. Now, if you've heard something, here's what I want you to do. Nobody needs to know but you and God. I want you to go out a different door. That's the beginning of going home a different way. And you don't go home and tell people about the new you. You go home and be the new you. You know, amen. Just start doing crazy stuff. Loving on people, caring for people, speaking into people's lives, encouraging one another, lifting up the broken hearted. Go home a different way. It starts with you. God's faithfulness to you. You become faithful to this world. As I said before, because they need the Jesus that lives inside of you. Jesus says, the works I do, you're gonna do greater works than these. Because I'm going back to be with dad. But dad will send the Holy Spirit. He will come and get inside of you. And he begins to live his life the way he wants to live it. And not the way we wanna live it. So look at your neighbor one more time. Say neighbor. Say it like you mean it, folks. Say neighbor. Whatever you do, go home a different way. God bless you.