Break Me

Well, it is great to have you all here for part two of our series Dangerous Prayers. If you were with us last week, actually, I said at the beginning of the message that I believe for many of you, one of the three prayers that we're praying will have a significant impact.

Last week, we talked about search me God, search my heart. I already had some of you say, how powerful that was. Next week we're going to ask God to send us. Here I am God. Anywhere, anytime, I'm available to you. Send me. It is my favorite now, of the three, next week. Today though is going to be the most difficult. If there is one that is by far the most dangerous of all three, it is the prayer we're going to talk about this week. I want to warn you and just tell you upfront, some of you will not like this prayer. Many of you will refuse to pray it. I'm simply not going to pray this prayer. I'll tell you upfront, it's not a common prayer. It doesn't feel good. This prayer is not consistent with the, “God will always make your life better,” version of Christianity. This prayer though, it does have the potential to open your heart up to the work of God in such a way that it can forever change your life. The prayer that I'm going to ask you to consider praying is the prayer Break Me. Break Me, God. Break Me.

I was at camp this week and have been many times and one of the things kids say and trully we all say. “We want to be closer to God. We all want the junk out of our lives. We all want to be conformed to the image of Christ, but we really don't feel safe praying the prayer Break Me. We don't really want to pray that.” I understand that. It is a very dangerous prayer to say, “God, break me.”

You remember some of the old wrestlers. I mean the old school wwf. Hulk hogan, Jimmy Heart, Lex Luger, Hacksaw Jim Dugan. Those guys. Man and when they would get in front of the camera for their interview before the match. One of the things they would do is take both hand and do them like this. To symbolize I am going to break you. It was not a good a things for someone to tell you that. Right. It was intimidation.

We say this in many times in Christian walk that you have to be broken. But no one wants to be broken because inevitably that means pain.

I have been in the places of broken. I have had bones broken. I have been emotionally broken, and I believe I am in the process of spiritually broken right now. This is an extremely Dangerous prayer, God break me. It is very hard to imagine the blessings and the intimacy with God on the other side of the pain that I would one day experience. I want to ask you to consider praying a very dangerous prayer. Not all of you will. You don't have to. This isn’t like you have to pray this, but to consider giving God permission to do a deep work in your life, God, break me. To study this today, what we're going to do is we’re going to look at two different stories in the Bible which is really cool as they're both side by side. They're in the very same chapter in the book of Mark. There's one story immediately followed by another story.

The first story deals with a prostitute. Have you every tried to put yourself in the position of some of the poeple in scripture. I mean expecially this woman here. Because nobody in the first century wanted to be a prostitute. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t believe people this century actually want that either. One like, “Hey, hopefully by the time I'm twenty-one, I'll be in the top 10% of prostitutes in the community.” Nobody wanted to do this. In fact, if you were a prostitute, it’s only because life dealt you cards that you felt had no other way to play except for this desperate plea, because they were hated, despised, they were full of shame. Who knows what would have led this woman to this. Maybe she was a single mom and had no other way of paying for the bills. Maybe she had been abused by men, knew nothing else. Whatever it was, she was hated by every woman and used by many men, full of shame. One day, she met a man that treated her differently. Maybe for the first time from a male, she was shown honor, she was shown respect, he treated her with dignity, and he loved her appropriately. It so transformed this woman that she wanted to worship Him in the most sacrificial way that she could imagine. Her extravagant act of worship completely confused everyone else in this story.

Mark 14:3 NKJV

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.

Mark 14:3 NKJV

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.

Mark chapter 14 verse 3

We know this woman to be the same sinful woman in Luke’s gospel. Now, first thing I want you to pay attention to is whose home was Jesus sent? He was in the home of Simon. But Simon had an issue. In fact his issue labeled him. It classified him. He was Simon the leper. Everyone else ran from lepers. Jesus would befriend them and heal them. That’s who He was. So you have a Rabbi, a leper, a prostitute. Sounds like the beginning of a truly inappropriate joke. But they are all in this house along with the disciples and she comes in with very expensive perfume.

Now, before we move on, let’s talk about this perfume. This perfume was extremely valuable, we find out later in the Gospels that it was valued at a year’s worth of wages. Just imagine what you make in a year and then spending it on one thing. Your wife would kill you. Some of you, your husband may. Why was it so valuable? It’s valuable because it was incredibly rare. Not only did ordinary women not wear perfume because they could not afford it. But this particular perfume was even more rare. So, who wore perfume? Basically, it was like the calling card. You wore perfume to attract the male species to let them know you were available. So truly for her, it was like an airgun to a roofer or a wrench to a mechanic. It was a business expense that she would have to purchase. The more expensive it was or the better smelling, the more business she would attract because in order to afford that, she must be good. That’s all I will say about that.

She's got this incredibly expensive perfume and in the next part of the verse what does she do with the perfume. She broke it open. She did what? She broke it. And then what does she do? She poured. She did what? Let’s say it both together. She broke and then she poured.

Mark 14:4 NKJV

But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted?

Matthew 14:4 NKJV

Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

Now I can hear both sides of this. Men in the room especially me. I can see this hapening in slow mo and me diving at her to stop. Becuase i know how much that cost. Some of yall would have done the same thing. I have heard other pastors make fun of them in the scripture. Talk about their lack of faith or their materialism. Man please. Let your wife get a hold of the grill that cost 1,000 and some of you freak out that she messed up the whole thing. I know.But when they told her in the next verse. YOu could have used that to feed the poor.

“She did what with the jar?” Let's all say aloud. She broke the jar. Everybody say it again. What does she do? She broke the jar and then what does she do? She poured the perfume on Jesus' head. She broke and pour. She broke and pour. Say it with me. What did she do? She broke and she poured. Now, some people, as we read on the story, freaked out. Don’t do that. Stop. You imagine it in slow motion. I'm diving on it. It’s so valuable. I've heard preachers make fun of that and say, “These lack of faith, people,” they're, “Stop,” this world if you will. Listen to me. If I had been there, I would be saying the same exact thing. Woman, don't do that. I would have done that. I would say, “It’s too valuable. Give him a drop. Give him two. Sell the rest. We’ll split it up. We’ll feed the poor.”

This act of worship was more extravagant than you can imagine. Essentially, she was saying, “I'm giving you my whole life. I'm giving you the most valuable possession I have. This represents my past and this represents my future. In other words, I'm leaving my past life behind. I'm giving my future source of income and my life savings away. Jesus, you have loved me so that I will break open the most valuable possession that I have, what represents my livelihood, I will break it and I will pour it, all of it, pour it out in one selfless extravagant moment of worship.” Broken and pour it. Broken and pour it. That’s the first story. This is exactly the sacrifice of Elisha when he tore up the yoke and sacrificed the bulls. I have nothing else to go back to. I am not having a plan b. It is Peter when he jumped out of the boat leaving the fish. I am done. Peter is even asked are you leaving me too. Peter says where else am I going to go. There is nothing or no one else that can give me what you give me Lord. You have to understand what this woman is saying. Look at in contrast with ananias and sapphire. They are selling their home and say God can have it all but just in case you don’t come through, we will put some away for a rainy day. This is what she was saying.

The second story is right after the first story in the same book of the Bible. In this story, Jesus is having His last meal. He’s gathered together with His closest friends. He knows what is coming that He's going to give His life on the cross. This is how Mark tells the story.

Mark 14:22–25 NKJV

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Mark 14:22–24 NKJV

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.

Mark 14:22–24 NKJV

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.

Now what does he say about his body? It is what? Then what does he say about his blood? It is shed or poured out. He was Broken and poured.

Now what does he say about his body? It is what? Then what does he say about his blood? It is shed or poured out. He was Broken and poured.

Luke reports on the same story. Luke was at the table. Mark was there. Luke was there. The rest of the disciples were there. Luke wrote about it and he told the story in almost the same way but he added and picked up on something that Mark didn't point out in Mark’s writing. This is what Luke said about it. In

Luke 22:19 NKJV

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Luke 22:19 NKJV

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

, he said basically the same thing, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and did what? There it is again. He broke it, gave it to them saying, “This is my body given for you.” Then, what did He say? He said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Do this in remembrance of me. Do this in remembrance of me. Well, what is this? Most of us would agree that as followers of Jesus, we gather together and we take the Lord's Supper. We take bread and we take wine or we take juice and we do this in remembrance of Him. We celebrate the death and the resurrection of Jesus by doing this. Do this in remembrance of me.

he said basically the same thing, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and did what? There it is again. He broke it, gave it to them saying, “This is my body given for you.” Then, what did He say? He said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Do this in remembrance of me. Do this in remembrance of me. Well, what is this? Most of us would agree that as followers of Jesus, we gather together and we take the Lord's Supper. We take bread and we take wine or we take juice and we do this in remembrance of Him. We celebrate the death and the resurrection of Jesus by doing this. Do this in remembrance of me.

he said basically the same thing, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and did what? There it is again. He broke it, gave it to them saying, “This is my body given for you.” Then, what did He say? He said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Do this in remembrance of me. Do this in remembrance of me. Well, what is this? Most of us would agree that as followers of Jesus, we gather together and we take the Lord's Supper. We take bread and we take wine or we take juice and we do this in remembrance of Him. We celebrate the death and the resurrection of Jesus by doing this. Do this in remembrance of me.

Everyone agrees that when he says this, it is in reference to remembering the sacrifice. But there are some including myself think the “this” he spoke of doing goes deeper than that. I think the only way that we can properly remember him is by living a life as he did. Broken and poured out. It is more than just a sunday morning ceremony. It is a lifestyle in which you do what he did because you want to honor who he was and become who he is.

When the Gospel says to do this, what if perhaps, Jesus was saying, “Don't just do an act to remember but may you also be broken and poured out in such a way.” Even as Paul said, “I'm poured out like a drink offering, giving everything that I have for God's glory.” Broken and poured. God will break you.

Jay and his wife were our best friends. You’ve all had someone like that. I hope that when you do something together, they're the couple that we wanted to do stuff with. Jay made a mistake, a significant mistake when he was at First Methodist. He had to go to another city to bring some healing. Well, we started LifeChurch and Jay and his wife said, “We'd like to come and help you build the church.” We said, “We would love for you to.” He said, “Can I be on staff?” I said, “Well, I'd love for you to one day but I want to see you in my contacts for a year to see how you're healing after what had happened.” That seemed reasonable and fair. I don't know what it was, six or nine months went by and things were going well. Then, I found out

Some of you know my story and I have shared it a few times. But I don’t know if I have ever shared this part of it.

When my wife was dying of leukemia. One Sunday morning I was teaching the youth, and it just became apparent that I was not going to be able to make it through. I was talking and then I could see they knew the pain in my heart. They could see through everything that I was trying to fake to the realness of what was going on in me. I was angry with God. I was hurting. I was trying not to be those things. However, I couldn’t. In talking with them, I made a statement that I knew at the time I made it was wrong and was made out of pain and emotion. But I told them that if God didn’t heal my wife, I wouldn’t be youth pastor any more. I couldn’t. How can I teach a message that I would no longer believe. I couldn’t believe or teach healing because I din’t see it happening. I broke at that moment.

They didn’t respond really in a way that I thought they would. They responded though in the way that I needed. They gathered around me to pray for me and hug me and cry with me. They loved on me. That moment we became more than just youth group and youth pastor. We became family. We became something church. We were broken together. Listen to this right here.

You may highly impress people with your strengths, but we deeply connect through our brokenness.

Have you ever thought about tears? Why do they come out of the eyes. I mean isn’t it weird to have water running from your eyes. It seems so to me. I mean the nose runs but it works. Then the way everything is curved the tears run right beside your nose down your cheek. Everyone can see it because everyone looks at your face when they are talking with you. They see your pain because it is in the tears and maybe that was designed to be so for a reason. Maybe God in all of his infinite wisdom knew that we would need people to cry with us. So it made it evident to people around us.

Sometimes, when somebody saw good at things, yes, you don’t even like him, right? To be honest, I hate her. Why? She’s so perfect, walks around, never has a problem. Then you find out she has a problem, like, “Oh, I like her. She sucks too. She’s insecure too. I like her.” We impress people with our strengths but we connect to our brokenness. Dr. Henry Cloud is a friend of mine. We teach leadership together sometimes. He’s a brilliant author. He's a consultant, a leadership genius and psychologist. He writes some amazing books. I listened to one recently and he said, “I'm really convinced that God made the tear ducts in the eyes for a reason.” It was funny and it is funny. Think about it. Tears could have come out at anywhere. It’s funny. The eyes, think about it. The nose makes total sense. The nose runs anyway you like. You know that makes sense. Ears makes sense.

You could get creative and it could be like, “I think you're crying.” I'm not crying. Forgive me for that but that just felt right at the moment. It's funny when you think it comes out the eyes. I can't prove this but I just think that perhaps God designed the tears to come out of your eyes because you were designed by God to have someone looking you in the eye when you're hurting and feeling their love. I like that. Maybe, maybe God, in His infinite wisdom, allowed us to cry because someone else should be connecting with us eye to eye when we are breaking.

There have been multiple times that i have cried. On two of those occassions my dad was there to hold me. Both of them had to do with my wife. The night she passed and the day we buried her. That night I can remember so well. She passed in our bed. I remember calling my dad first. Saying she had passed and he and my step mom came rushing over. I saw him coming up the driveway. By that time there were others there and I rushed out the door because I needed my dad. He just hugged me, let me snot all over him it was ugly wailing. I didn’t care. The second time at he funeral. Everyone was gone. I stayed until the last bit of dirt was over her. Then my dad walked away and asked if I was ok. I said yes. He started to walk to the car and I just lost it again. He came running back. He said I walked away for a second and then you lost it. He just held me. Let me cry. Then it was over. You will be broken.

He said this is the worst thing and I knew it. I feel it because I'm trying to hold him up as best as I can. I can't do anything but I'm trying to be there for him. He’s like, “It's the worst thing ever.” He’s trying and he said, “And I've never been closer to God in my whole life.” Interesting to me is John just started serving at his campus and just started life group all since this happened. Never been closer to God, he’s crying. He said, “Never been closer to my wife in my whole life.” He’s crying. He says, “People could do anything to me right now. It wouldn't hurt me because I just have so much love in my heart. I just have so much love in my heart.” He’s crying and I'm crying. The next day, we’re trying to lift weights again and we’re both crying. The next day, if I start getting flabby, it’s all because John is a crybaby. I'm working out at home today because I got to stay in shape. John calls and he was crying and I'm crying. He's never been closer to God and we've been through everything with each other for twenty-two years. We've never been closer as friends, because you impress people with strengths but you connect through brokenness.

But to pray for it to happen. God break me. I don't want to pray that because it might just happen. But everything God needed to show me was on the other side of that broken moment. Just to make you feel better, being broken is not only just one moment but it's an ongoing breaking as God breaks you of your own sinfulness and continues to teach you to depend on Him. I had no idea at the time but I'll say it and believe it and stand by it with all of my heart today that

Life's greatest breakings often lead to God's greatest blessings.

I want to say it again and you don't need to clap. I just want it to just sink in, that life’s greatest breakings often lead to God's greatest blessings.

What I'm going to say now is my own theory. When I look at the people in the Bible, this proves to be true. Peter, who said, “Jesus, I'll never deny you,” denied Him three times. On the third time, Jesus is looking at Peter as Peter is denying Him. Peter broke. Peter also, after forgiven by Jesus, after the resurrection, was chosen by God to be the guest speaker on the day of Pentecost. That was a pretty big gig. Three thousand people born in the family of God. Those whom God uses the greatest are often those who've been broke in the deepest because God never ever waste a hurt. He never ever waste a hurt.

There's somebody right now, you don’t want to be broken, you don’t want to be or you never want to pray this, that's okay. You don’t have to pray this to be a follower of Jesus. There's some of you though, you could preach a sermon better than me right now because you're in the middle of it. There is right now in my familly, poeple that are breaking. My wife is one of them. I am watching her break. I am watching my father-in-law break right now. There really isn’t more of a breaking point than seeing someone you thought to be unbeatable, be beaten. I know the christian talk behind it. I am just being real. When you see someone that you thought would be there for life and are slipping away right in front of you and there is nothhing you can do to help them. YOu know you keep waiting for that moment in the movies where the hand comes down to grab you right before your last finger slips off. There is n’t one. Truth be told There's some of you either right now or at some point, you're going to get to the place where you are breaking and everything is crumbling around you and you may be tempted to fight to keep it together. What I say to you is just go ahead and fall on the rock and break. Just break. Just break like I'm broke and say, “I need God and I need His people and I need more of those people and I need you and I want to be there for you and I need His Holy Spirit and I don't care what anybody thinks. I just need you, God.” When you get to that moment and you will, life guarantees it, run to God. Don’t run from Him. Throw yourself on him. Break open to him. Cry scream, hllar, thrash around, snot all over him. He can handle it I promise. There is not emoition to which God didnt create and knows is coming.

Understand this. This is not advanced Christianity. Honestly, it’s Christianity 101. This isn’t for like monks and missionaries and women who only wear skirts and wear their hair in buns. It's not. This is like, “I'm coming to Jesus. Break my body. Break my sin. Break me of me that I could serve you, Jesus, with all of my life. I surrender it completely to you.” The Gospel is an invitation to come and die. Die to yourself so that Jesus can live through you. You see, when the sinful woman broke open the jar, she poured it all, symbolizing, “I'm giving you my whole life.” Broken and poured. When Jesus’ body was broken, it was broken for you and it was broken for me. His blood was poured out that our sins might be forgiven. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” I can't prove it but I believe it, that this doesn't just refer to a ritual, that this refers to let our lives be broken and poured out that we can serve Jesus with all of our hearts.

Our mission at this church is to heal hurts and to grow in maturity. I believe with all my heart that it represents the heart of God. The reality is many of us are, what I would call, not fully devoted followers of Jesus but partially devoted followers of Jesus. We do it when it's convenient for us. If you find yourself at any point being partially devoted to Jesus, let me encourage you to consider playing a very dangerous prayer. God, break me so I could be fully dependent on You. Whatever it takes, God, I want to know You intimately and serve You faithfully because I trust You, God. Do whatever it takes. Break me that I could know You.

Let me explain something. I said it last week. God is not safe. God doesn’t play it safe. Neither did Jesus. Let me explain this story to you right here, I heard it from Pastor Jeremy this week at camp.

We know the story. But I want to shed a little light on it just like the Holy Spirit did for me. Jesus is there with his disciples. He gets word that Lazarus is sick. Mary and Martha who for all intents and purposes loved Jesus and he loved them. Their relationship wasn’t just a shallow like. But it was deeply devoted love. There was a time when Mary sat at his feet and just soaked up every word he spoke. to the dismay of her sister because work wasn’t getting done.

So they wanted Jesus to show up to heal their brother. He delayed. For whatever reason he delayed. Then he one day says it is time to go into jerusalem because lazarus needs me. The disciples say this. But Jeuss the last time we went there, it was dangerous. They tried to kill you. We cannot go back there. But Jesus said no we have to go.

Here is the point. He waited until Mary and Martha were completely broken before he went and he didn’t shy away from their brokenness nor the hostility. See so often we think we need to get our affairs in order to put on a front for Jessu. I have to clean this mess up. No Jesus doesn’t want to wait for you to do that. Jesus is just waiting for you to say JEsus I need you. then he comes right to where you are. Enemies and all. Mess and all. Do you think it was safe for Jessu to go into that fiery furnace with the three Hebrew Children. DO you think it was safe for him to walk through the town telling all the pharisees they were hypocrites. DO you think He waited until David knew he could defeat the giant. Was it safe when the liion took the lamb? DIdn’t he get right into the mess of Daniels life in the lions den. Didn’t he get right into the most broken moment of the lady with the issue of blood? I mean he could have taken any number of paths that day but he was led close enough to her that she could touch him. You think that God is sitting back waiting for you to get right. No!!! He is waiting for you to get broke. Once you are broken so that you know He is all that you have to hold onto, then He shows up and right in the middle of your mess he says daughter, I am here. Son I am here. He gets right down in the midst of your enemies and makes a table. To say eat. Why would he do that. Because he knows the journey is hard but he wants to show you that you have nothing to fear. Yes it hurts to be broken. No it isn’t fun. He is the provider. He wants you to know that. NOt your family members. Not your dad, your mom, not your pastor. But He is it. And he wants you to get ot the point to which you know that beyond a shoadow of a doubt becuase you have ntohing else.

Start Music (Love like an Ocean)

I am saying to you that you are allowed in fact encouraged to be broken over the rock. He isn’t hiding from your situation. He wants to hear from you. You are there in all of the rubble of your broken down life. Surrounded by your enemies. He isn’t screaming at you from afar to say clean that up before I come over there. He is running to you saying that i am coming. He is sitting beside you saying I am here. He is in the middle of the enemies camp telling you to come and he has you in his hand. Come fall at the altar. At his feet. Come on the altar is open.

Father, we ask that in the next few moments, You would do a significant work in the hearts of many people. I thank You, God,that even right now, your Holy Spirit is doing a deep work in their hearts. We choose to trust You. All of us. Let me just say it this way. I'm not afraid to push you and I will push you as I hope you'll push me. At this point today though, I'm going to give you a little breathing room. I'm going to give you a little bit of room to breathe. Whether you are here in person or watching this online, there are those of you, you're like crazy all in. You trust God enough to pray an incredibly dangerous prayer. God, break me. Whatever it takes, break me. If that's you, more power to you. Go full on, all in, but I don’t want today 90% of you to walk away and just say, “Well, that one wasn't for me.” That's unacceptable for me. I always want a higher percentage than that hearing from God and applying it to the lives. What I’ll do is I'll give you an introductory version to that prayer.

It goes like this. Last week, if you were here, you're praying search my heart, O God. Show me that there's any offensive way in me. Whatever God showed you that’s offensive to Him, that’s displeasing, that shouldn't be there, just make that your broken prayer. Break me of that, God, whatever it is. Break me of my pride. Break me of my anger. Break me of my self-sufficiency. Break me of my lust. Break me of my impatience. Whatever it is, let's just start there. When God breaks you of that, what you're going to see is on the other side of brokenness are the blessings of God. Life's greatest breakings often lead to God's greatest blessings so have the courage to start wherever you want to start and say, “God, brake me of this because I trust You are a good God. If I need breaking, then there is a blessing I have not yet experienced so God, I trust You with this.” At whatever level you want to start, start. If you want to go all in and have no qualification, break me wide open, God. I trust you whatever it is. If you will pray this week as we prayed search me God last week, if you’ll pray every single day, some prayer this week, let’s pray some dangerous prayers because we have an amazing God that we can always trust.

Father, thank You for people that really want to trust You. God, I know this is a difficult one but I pray that we see answers to these prayers. I pray, God, that we see specific answers in these small specific things we ask. Break us of this, whatever it is, God. Ultimately, God, I hope we’ll recognize that we, without Christ, are already broken.

Whenever life starts coming apart and we experience difficulties, God, I pray that we would all have the faith and the courage just to break wide open and said, God, I totally and completely need you and I need your people. We need each other so God, break us. Break us to the point where we know we have nothing else to hold on but You. Then, we’ll recognize that all along, You are all that we really needed in the first place. God, do a work. You're working in our church. We trust You, God. We Trust You.

As you keep praying today, nobody looking around. This is so amazing to me. Jesus sat around with his best friends and He lifted up bread. He said, “This is my body broken for you,” and with only a matter of hours, that's exactly what's going to happen. Jesus' body was broken. He held up a cup and in it was wine. He said, “This is my blood spilled out for you, poured out for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” Jesus shed His blood that we could live. Here's the amazing thing and I hope you recognize this. Without Christ, you're broken already. You are broken already. I am broken without Christ. We are broken people. Look at your life. You make sinful decisions. Why? Because we're broken people.

Listen. We can't heal ourselves. We can never get better on our own. That's why Jesus is the Great Physician. He is the Son of God. He was born without sin. He was perfect in every way. He went to the cross. His body was broken. He shed his blood. He died and rose again. Why? So whosoever, and that includes you, who calls on His name would be saved, forgiven, and transformed. Honestly, that is why many of you are here. You are, you recognize you are broken and you need His healing and you need His forgiveness. Today, you call on Him. When you do, He will forgive every sin that you've ever committed and you will be brand new.

That's why you're here today and you know it. You say, “Yes, I need His grace. Yes, I need His forgiveness. I surrender my life to Jesus.” As you're praying, lift your hands high right now and say, “Yes, I give my life completely to Him.”