to get us back to where we need to be with the Lord. You know, just like those regular seasons we go through, spring, summer, winter, fall, I found in my 24 years of being saved and 23 years of preaching that, I guess spiritually, that's the same way with this as well. You know, sometimes I'm as close as I need to be with the Lord. Sometimes I'm not quite there. And other times I'm like, Lord, can you even hear me? I'm just being transparent with you. And so the purpose of revival is to bring us back into fellowship with the Lord where we need to be. And I've been at this thing long enough. I also realize that Satan knows that as well. And so Satan has no doubt been working in your lives for the last several weeks, for the last several years, or months, or several days, trying to prevent you from being close to the Father. And he's going to do all that he can to distract you, to discourage you, to defeat you, and he doesn't care if it's revival week or not. and he's gonna do all that he can to put a wedge between you and God. So knowing that and the fact that we just need Jesus, it's all about him. I'm gonna preach tonight that I try to help us to see and to understand that we don't need to have a wedge between us and God. Sometimes those things come in our lives that distracts us. and gets our attention off of the Lord. And so my prayer is that this week we've gotten help through the messages and that tonight will just sort of be nothing new, being preached, maybe just a different voice. But nonetheless, I hope the message just drives home the importance of how much we need Jesus. So if you would, let's all stand tonight, if you would, in Matthew chapter number 27. Matthew chapter number 27. We're gonna read verses 24 down through verse number 32 and bring forth a thought here this evening. Matthew 27 and verse number 24. Where the Bible says, when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "'I am innocent of the blood of this just person. "'See ye to it.' "'Then answered all the people and said, "'His blood be on us and on our children.' "'Then released Heber Abbas unto them. "'And when he had scourged Jesus, "'he delivered him to be crucified. "'Then the soldiers of the governor "'took Jesus into the common hall "'and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers, "'and they stripped him. and mocked him, I'm sorry, they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had planted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and they read in his right hand. And they bowed his knee before him and mocked him saying, hail, king of the Jews. And they spit upon him. and took the reed and smoked him on the head. And after that, they mocked him. They took the robe off from him and put on him his own raiment on him and led him away to crucify him. And notice in verse 32, and as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear his cross. Father, we come to you, Lord, this side of eternity. We thank you, Lord, for your grace. We thank you for your goodness. We thank you, Lord, above all things, for looking beyond our faults and seeing our need. And Father, you know that we need you more than anything. Thank God for the cross. Thank God for going to the cross and dying in my place and in my stead. And all that you went through, dear God, to set mankind free, all that you went through to set me free, God, I wanna thank you. The words, dear God, not enough words, I can't show the gratitude in my heart, so Father, I just wanna thank you, that was all I know to say. Well, I appreciate this church, this ministry on the highway. I appreciate the souls that's been saved, the lives that's been changed, and God, the revival that you've set ablaze in the hearts of your people. Now, Father, I pray for the next little while, you'll drive back the distractions and all the demons and devils of hell. God's Satan may look upon, but please don't let him interfere, and should there be one here this evening, that's not saved by God's grace. died tonight, they know not for sure that heaven will be their home. I pray that before the night is over, God, that they find themselves believing in the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. Now for that one, dear God, that is saved. but for whatever reasons, dear God, they've gotten cold, they've gotten indifferent, and they've become calloused on the things of God. May God, you helped them tonight, confess that as sin, and God, help them to leave dear God being close to you once again. We'll trust you and thank you, we know how, and God's people said? Amen, you may be seated. My text verse was found there in verse 32 about a man named Simon of Cyrene, men of Africa if you would. Not a lot is said about this man and there is speculation as to where he ever became a believer or not. But we do know a few things about this man, and I'm not sure exactly if you're preaching to your pastor, but I believe he's probably similar to me. We try to give you an introduction, some thoughts to think about before we give you our main message. And so tonight, if you take a note, just a couple things I'm gonna draw our attention to, and then I'll give you the main message as we're looking this evening. I want us to notice a few things about this man, Simon. I believe that first of all, he's aware of the scourging. He was aware of the scourging. You say, Preacher, what is that? That was the whipping. That was the beating of our Lord. Now back in those days, the Romans were very known for their scourging and therefore their crucifixion and their ill treatment of what oftentimes people associated the cross with as criminals, and Jesus was no different. they beat him and they tore the flesh off of from him with the with the catanon tails that would whip the criminals or whip Jesus in this instance and flesh was torn in the shreds and no doubt Simon was there as they walked Jesus being publicly humiliated going to the place of Golgotha no doubt Simon saw the flesh that was torn from Jesus his body massive blood loss and all the nerves that being exposed in the tendons being exposed of our Savior and no doubt Simon was able to see the scourging and the flogging, the whipping, the beating of Jesus as they marched him through going to Golgotha. Not only was he aware of the scourging, but I thought about this, he was aware of the sarcasm. When everyone that came through, they all said, hey, oh, king of the Jews. Let me just remind you, my friend, that they did not believe that he was the king of the Jews. They were mocking him. They were making fun of him. They were poking fun, if you would, and trying to make a spectacle of the Lord, and so they seen not only the scourging and they seen the sarcasm, but then they noticed the suffering of the Savior. He seen how the soldiers had whipped him, stripped him of his clothes, crowned him with thorns, and how the scriptures teach us in the book of Psalms, I believe it is, that they plucked his beard. They smote our Savior there in the face. They mocked him. They falsely accused him. Here was a man, Jesus, the Son of God, who was misunderstood, mistreated, and misrepresented. Can you imagine being Jesus for a moment, not only experiencing the physical pain and agony of going to Golgotha, but imagine the emotional the mental pain and the spiritual aspect of it all. Of all that he went through and all that he suffered for me and for you. And yet we see here that Simon, he was aware of all these things. He was aware of the scourging. He was aware of the sarcasm. He was aware of the suffering and he was aware of the struggle. the struggle of Jesus bearing his own cross and the weight of it. No wonder Jesus staggered beneath the cross. He simply lacked the physical strength to carry it anymore. Hence, which leads us to the man Simon of Cyrene who was forced, if you would, to help carry the cross for Christ. This cross that Simon had to carry, This burden that Simon had to carry, in other words, this weight that Simon had to shoulder. This situation, if you will, in the life of Simon was unasked for. Nobody likes to be told to do something, amen? But here was a man that did not volunteer to carry the cross for Christ. He was being voluntold. That cross and being compelled to carry the cross that Jesus was bearing because Jesus couldn't carry it under his load, Simon was compelled by the Roman soldier to get involved in an area he did not want to get involved in. This was a task that he had to take a part of, that he did not want, he did not ask for it, he was told to get involved. I think about this burden, I think about this situation, I think about this, the weight that he had to shoulder was not only unasked for, but it was also unwanted. This cross in Simon's eyes, this cross coming there was associated with death. This cross that Jesus had to bear was associated with criminals. And now Simon was being identified, if you would, with Christ. He was being identified with this so-called criminal. He was being identified, if you will, with this man named Jesus. This cross was not only unasked for, but it was unwanted. This cross, in the eyes of Simon, was an inconvenience, if you would. Simon never intended on carrying that cross. Simon's life goal, if you would, was never to carry the cross of anyone. Simon was not interested in this man named Jesus. And Simon was not interested in bearing this cross. When I look at Simon, I think to myself, either this man wanted nothing to do with the cross, much less the man named Jesus. Brother Warren, as I begin to think about this cross and all that Simon went through to help out the Lord, and yes, he had to bear that cross, and yes, he had to bear the weight of that cross on his shoulders, and yes, this cross meant a situation in his life that was unasked for and it was unwanted, and I begin to think to myself, what does this cross symbolize in our lives? This cross symbolizes things in our lives that are also unasked for. the cross that Simon had to bear. Man alive, it was unasked for and it was unwanted, and yet I preach to folks every week of my life, they go through things themselves, they are handling things themselves that are unasked for, they're having to deal with situations that are undesired, they're having to go through things that are unwanted, and do they think to themselves, Lord, I did not ask for this, I did not sign up for this, I'm having to handle this, I'm having to go through that, I'm having to get involved in something for and that was unwonted, and Lord to be honest with you, I do not want this in my life. Why God, why? Why do I have to handle this? Why do I have to go through this? Why am I involved in this situation? God, in the world, God, it seems like I take one step forward and two steps back. You ever been there? God, it seems like I've got through one fire and I gotta put out another fire. God, it seems like everything's going fine for one week and the next thing you know, something else falls apart, and now I've gotta handle that, and I've gotta get involved there, and Lord, to be honest with you, I just wanna rest. I just wanna enjoy my Christian life. I just want to enjoy living for Jesus, but there's always something, always something I gotta face. See, some of you this evening, you're being weighed down by some things in your life that you didn't ask for. You're being weighed down mentally and emotionally by things that are undesired and things that are wanted. Perhaps some of you are being weighed down by the betrayal of a family member or a friend. Maybe some of you in here this evening say, Preacher, man, I brought my children up in church. I brought my children not just in a church, in the church, but I had a Christian home, and I had devotions with my children, and my children know the difference between right and wrong, but yet, Preacher, my children want nothing to do with God. My children want nothing to do with the church, and to be honest with you, they want nothing to do with Mom and Dad. That's a burden. That's a burden, that's a cross that some of you perhaps bear tonight that I know nothing about, but you do. There's some of you here this evening saying, you know what? Preacher, I'm going through things that I did not ask for as well. And I'm having to shoulder some physical pain. I'm having to shoulder some emotional pain. Preacher, I'm having to shoulder some spiritual pain. And I'm going through some things in my life. And Preacher, all I know to do is ask why. Why, Lord, do I hurt all the time? Why, Lord, am I going through this thing? Why in the world is there always turmoil? Why in the world is there emotional rollercoaster? Why in the world does my family have fallen apart? Why in the world do I have to accept this that I don't want to accept? Why am I being forced to get involved? Why am I being forced to accept something I don't want to accept? Why is it that my family has turned their back on me? Some of you this evening are no doubt probably having to shoulder some of the shame and regrets of days gone by, of decisions that you've made and perhaps some sin you've been involved in. Maybe some of you are going through some anger, you're dealing with some frustration, you're going through some life and you're having to face some disappointments and some burdens in your life and you think, you know what, if God doesn't do something, and if God doesn't do something quick, I'm about to throw in the towel. I'm about reached my limit, amen. Lord, I'm going under, and I can't seem to take it anymore. And God, my grandchildren have walked away, and my church has turned against me, and my pastor's let me down, my husband's let me down, my wife's let me down. Lord, I'm having to shoulder all these things. Some of you right now, you're probably having to shoulder the burden of a child, an adult child who is addicted to drugs. You think, dear God, I've done everything I've known to do. I have exhausted my bank account trying to help my son. I've done everything I've known to do to help my daughter, and yet they're still out there on the drugs, they're still out there on the streets, and it doesn't matter what I do, how many tears I cry, yet, Lord, they seem to be going farther and farther away. And that's a burden to some of you. That's a burden, that's a cross you're having to bear. That's the weight of a burden that you can't seem to handle on your own. Some of you here tonight are, I think one of the ladies have already had alluded to the fact perhaps maybe of a home or of a broken home or a mom or a dad that has walked away. and they think themselves, dear God, I'm having to shoulder this burden of a broken home. Dad's no longer around, Mom's no longer around, Dad doesn't want me to come to church, Mom doesn't want me to come to church, I have nobody that loves God, nobody to take me to church, nobody to teach me about the things of God, and Lord, I am in a pickle, I'm in a mess, and Lord, I've got to have some help. Some of you here tonight, you're going through some struggles maritally. You've been married for some length of time, and now you know you've got a husband that wants to walk away from you. You're going through things, and you're going through the motions, but yet you have a wife that's about ready to walk out the door, and that, my friend, is a cross. That is a struggle. Some of you perhaps tonight you're having to deal with some poor or declining health. Some of you this evening perhaps are having to care for a disabled child or a disabled adult child. Some of you tonight are about to go down to the divorce court. Some of you tonight are having to battle a disease. Some of you tonight have just lost a job. Some of you tonight are having to submit to something that you don't want to submit to. I don't know what it is that you're having to go through. I might not have mentioned it in my message tonight. Oh, but my friend, if I did, yet sitting on those pews, you can thank yourself, dear God, I am going through this situation in my life. I'm also having to bear a cross. I'm having to go through something I don't want to go through. I'm having to face a situation I don't know how to face and God if you don't help out, I'm about to break under the load. Now what is it tonight in your life? What is it tonight that you're here but you're on your last straw, you're at the rope sin so to say? Some of you are having to submit to something you don't want to submit to. Simon wasn't asked if he wanted to get involved, he was told to get involved. I much rather get involved when I want to do something rather than being told I have to do something. We find here that Simon had to deal with something that was unwanted, undesired, and unasked for. He had to submit to the call of the Roman soldiers. This cross was an inconvenience. This was a situation he had rather not have to deal with. Chances are you did not volunteer to go through what you're going through right now as well. Truth be told, you're having to deal with something that you really didn't sign up for. Truth be told, you're having to work through some areas in life that you're having to submit to God's will when really you don't really want to submit, but you're having to submit. Now what is it tonight that you're carrying? What kind of heavy load is upon your shoulders? What cross are you having to drag around that you don't want to, you didn't ask for, but you feel like you're stuck with a lifestyle, you're stuck financially, you're stuck with a family, you're stuck with a burden, you're stuck with something you can't change and you can't control, and you're stuck with it. What is it? You don't have to tell me. You know what it is, and that's a cross that's heavy to bear. If I had to preach a message tonight, it would be when His cross becomes your cross. You see, we're finishing up revival, and we all love to have it when we're shouting from the rooftop and hanging from the chandeliers and running around the church, but I found oftentimes an emotional experience isn't revival. Revival oftentimes happens when you come face to face between you and God. And tonight, my purpose is not to get you to shout, say amen, and run around the church. My goal is to have your heart being connected again with Christ, the very thing Satan is trying to use to destroy you, God wants to use to bring you back unto him tonight. So when his cross becomes your cross, you'll make it, amen? So what can we learn from the crosses that we have to bear? What can we learn from dealing with things that we really don't wanna deal with? What can we learn from bearing our cross or crosses? Three simple things and we'll close. We learn first of all about the Father's will. We learn about the Father's will. The cross that Jesus bore was the result of his Father's plan. The cross that Jesus bore, he did not ask for all of the pain and the pressure that was gonna come with that cross. He did not ask for all of the ill treatment. Here was a man that knew no sin, only did good forever for others, and yet, we find that this man was misrepresented, misunderstood, falsely accused, and yet, you know, even though he was 100% God, he was 100% man, he didn't want that. He didn't want to be turned, everyone's back turned against Him when all that He did was good. He didn't want to be betrayed at a time that He needed people the most. He did not want life to be so difficult and dreadful to work with people that talked about Him, falsely accused Him, and ultimately killed Him. But yet we know from the beginning of time that God already knew that His Son Jesus would have to go to the cross of Calvary and take up that cross, and He already knew that. Yet he still chose to take up that cross for you and for me. When I think about what can I learn about the cross of Christ, I begin to see that it was the Father's will before the foundation of the world ever began, amen? And Jesus knew that that was what God's plan was, was that cross. And because Jesus knew that was the will of the Father, he was able to take that cross and take it as far as he could, and not once, Tom, did he ever grant Not one time did he ever complain. Not one time did he ever cuss and kick the dirt and say to hell with everybody. No, my friend, I'm glad to know, thank God, that in spite of the cross, he accepted the Father's will and he did so with a good spirit and a good attitude. You know what'll help you more than anything is to understand there are some things in your life you cannot control. There'll be some things in life you cannot explain and some things you can do nothing about. Oh, but instead of getting angry, instead of getting mad, Instead of getting bitter, instead of getting all out of shape, accept the fact that God somehow or another, this must be the will of God. And when it's the will of God, you'll be able to accept whatever comes your way with a good spirit and with a good attitude. That's hard to do. That's hard to do. Having to care for someone long term, having to provide for someone, trying to go through things in life that you can't explain, trying to get involved in things that you really don't know what you're doing, and trying to be there for other people that could care less about you. And you think to yourself, I'm beating my head against the wall. Have you ever felt like you're doing something that nobody understood, that nobody appreciated, and is about to wear you out? I don't know what you're going through, my friend, but I know this, that my God knows exactly where you are. He's not up there in heaven, biting his nails, pulling out his hair, thinking, oh my God, what am I going to do now? I did not think about that ahead of time. I did not know they were going to be involved in that. I hate the fact that my child is down there going through all that. I should have thought about that earlier. No, my friend, I know that my heavenly Father knows exactly where you are, what you're going through, so instead of getting mad, upset, angry, bitter, griping, and complaining, do all things without murmurings and disputings, Philippians 2.14, take a step back, take a breather, and say, God, you know where I am, you know what I'm going through, and you know what I'm facing. And see, the whole purpose about all the crosses that we go through, I'm gonna get there in a minute, but it's to bring us back unto him. Because without him, you will buckle under the pressure and the load of your cross. So what can we understand about our crosses? You're going through something tonight that you don't wanna go through. But my friend, I promise you this, it hasn't caught the Lord off guard. He has allowed it for a purpose and for a reason in your life, though you don't outsee it now. You got to look at life, got to look at your crosses, got to look at your problems, got to look at things in life through the eyes of scripture, and God is either for you or he's against you. He's either there to help you or he's there to hurt you. Now how you look at life is between you and God, but I'm telling you, Christ is either for you or he is against you, and if he's for you, then nothing you're going through is by haphazard, it's for a reason. the crosses that we go through tonight. We have to understand when we bear our crosses, it's because of the Father's will. Yea, in all that we live, God in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, 2 Timothy 3.12. God the Father allowed his son Jesus to go through things so that he could identify with us. God the Father bore that cross, the weight of that cross, so that he could identify with our pain, our suffering, and with our load. Do you understand that what you're going through tonight may not be about you? It may be for someone else. The worst thing in your life may not even be about you. But the worst thing that you're going through in your life might be the best thing that happened to somebody else. Because they see the pain and the pressure and the struggle that you're facing. And my friend, you don't know it, but you've got a son that's out there watching dad. You've got a daughter that might be out of church, but watching mom. Hey, those grandchildren of yours, they're watching my mom, Papa, and they're watching every move that you make. Oh, my friend, they're wanting to see how you handle under the pressure and the problems of your load. Hey, listen, the very thing that you're going through, and the devil wants you to throw in the towel and quit giving in, Don't do that, my friend, because others are watching you to see what you're doing. God may be allowing you to go through what you're going through to benefit somebody else. So learn from it. Because the problem sometimes we face is all about me, me, me. I can't believe that God allowed me to go through this and I, I, I. My problem is, hey, it might not be about you at all. God may be allowing you to go through it to reach somebody else so that you can relate to others. So the crosses that we bear, we understand, that we learn that it's the Father's will. Our crosses can teach us not only about the Father's will, but our crosses can teach us that we are fragile, that we're fragile. You see, we have to understand that we're not gonna be able to carry our loads. We have to understand that sometimes the circumstances and pressures of life become too much and we begin to break. Do you realize that when God speaks to, when God's word talks about his children, he does not liken us to Clausdel horses. A horse is meant for strength. A horse is meant for power. But rather, if I'm remembering correctly, the book of Isaiah, and even Jesus teaches us, all we like sheep have gone astray. I grew up on a farm with cows and hogs and sheep, and I used to show sheep growing up. So I know a little bit about those animals. And sheep have flat teeth. They don't have canine teeth, so they cannot war off the enemy. A sheep is not a doll. They can't fight back their attacker, amen? A sheep is weak. A sheep was never designed to carry a heavy load. The truth is that sometimes because we are sheep and because we are not designed to carry a heavy load, there's going to be things that happen in your life that God is going to allow to come into your life for a reason. And that reason is to get you to understand that you can't fight off and war off Satan. And you can't accept the pressures of this world on your own. And because of that, God allows us to experience things in our life to break us down, amen? And the very thing that Satan wants to use to break us is the very thing that God wants to use to build us up, amen? But what we must understand about our crosses is that every one of our crosses are there to teach us that we are fragile and to teach us that we cannot go without the help of God, amen? Well, I'm so glad to know, thank God, when I begin to break up under the heavy load, I begin to understand how weak I am. Oh, but thank God how strong He is, amen. And when things come in my life that I cannot control, I cannot explain, I cannot handle, I just get to that place where I just give up. And by the way, I've heard people say before, well, God will never put no more on you than you can bear. I disagree, and I hope that if you've said that, I apologize. I disagree with that, because if that was the case, then why would you ever need Jesus? If that was the case, then we would not need the Lord. But sometimes God does allow us to go through those pressures, to carry those burdens, to deal with those situations, to carry those crosses, to allow us to be able to go through those things that Satan's trying to destroy us with, to understand that we cannot do it without God's help. God uses circumstances to shatter us so that he can strengthen us. Satan is trying to use people in your life pressures problems and persecutions to destroy you But my God is trying to use the very same things that Satan wants to destroy you. He's trying to rather build you up into the family of God So depending upon whatever whatever cross you're dealing with tonight, whatever situation whatever you're facing tonight Understand that it's God's will he hasn't been caught by surprise but God's got you going through this so that you understand that you're fragile. Not only the Father's will, but that you're fragile. You see, the Bible teaches this in Psalm 34, verse 18 and 19. The Lord is nigh unto them, that means near. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. And save us such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. But here's the problem that some of you are facing. Because you're having to go through a situation that is undesirable, unasked for, unwanted, you're having to go through things in life and the pressure is so much. If you're not careful, you will find yourself becoming bitter and not better. You'll find yourself becoming bitter on God because you don't understand. You don't have it mapped out. You can't comprehend. And you think, dear God, what else is going to come my way? What more family drama? What more church drama? What more financial woe? What more health concern? What more family situation? God, I don't know what in the world. God, I thought you were for me. But God, it seems like the closer I am to the cross, the fiercer the battle will be. Hey, my friend. If living in a state of revival was easy, then we wouldn't need a revival, amen. Hey, but every one of us, because we don't like sheep, we've gone astray. We all get away from the Lord, but we have to understand that we have to make sure that we're right with God, and in order to get there, we've gotta go through things in life so that God breaks us so that he can build us. But listen, my friend, please don't leave this revival tonight. Don't leave this church being angry at God. God has allowed it for a reason. It's easy to trust the Lord when there's a revival at church. It's easy to trust God when the marriage is going right. It's easy to trust the Lord when there's no financial hardships. It's easy to trust God when you've got good health. It's easy to trust God when there's no ripples in the water. But if you're not careful, you'll become weak in the faith and you'll begin to think that those problems you're facing in life is that God's against you. He's not against you, he's for you. He's allowing that happen in your life to build you to become more like him. If my Jesus suffered, please don't ever think that you're too better than not to suffer. If he had to carry a cross, you're gonna have to carry a cross. So what can we learn about our crosses? We learn it's the Father's will. Our crosses teach us that we're fragile. And then our crosses can teach us the importance of his fellowship. Philippians 3.10, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death. The whole purpose of revival is to bring us back into fellowship with the Lord. The whole purpose of revival is to get our heart and our mind and our attention and our focus directed back upon the Lord. That's the whole purpose. And God says, listen, He wants us to be able to know Him. Oh, we want the power of the resurrection. Oh, we want the glory. Oh, we want the fame. Oh, we want the and all we want, the glitter and the excitement about serving God, but nobody, my friend, wants to endure the suffering. Oh, but if you're gonna be a Christian, my friend, if you are going to be identified with Christ, then you are going to go through some sufferings, you're going to go through some persecutions, you're gonna be faced with some problems, there's gonna be some pain involved. Hey, when you identify yourself with Christ, hey, listen, my friend, you will also have to be able to go through some of those sufferings. But I'm so thankful to know, thank God, when I go through those times, amen. Oh, I'm so thankful to know that when I go through those pains and those midnight hours when I can't seem to wrap my mind around what in the world's going on, when I begin to wake up early in the morning or stay late up at night, when I'm at the church or I'm outside in the backyard and nobody knows where I'm at, and I'm just crying out to God and giving my heart to the Lord, saying, God, I can't help it, I don't know what to do. I'm fragile and I'm about to break myself. Oh, I'm glad to know, thank God, his spirit can come and give me strength like never before. I'm glad and thank God that greater is he that's in me than he that's in the world. If you're saved by the grace of God, then his spirit doesn't live in the buildings with steeples on top. His spirit dwells in you. And because he dwells in you, that my God helps us, he enables us, he equips us, he empowers us to keep us going on with a great attitude, amen. Boy, I'm so thankful to know that, hey, but listen, you would not experience that sweet fellowship with God if it weren't for the people, the problems, the pressures, and the persecutions you're going through. If it wasn't for the cross that you're having to bear, it would not drive you to your knees in prayer. It would not drive you to fast. It would not drive you to pray. It would not drive you to spend time with God. I don't know about you, but I'm just being transparent that I am closer to God in the valleys. that I ever am on a mountaintop. When things are going well in my life, or my prayer life might be good, hey, but it's not great. Hey, but brother, when things get jerked out, when the rug gets jerked out from under me, and I don't have the answer, and it seems like everything's about to fall apart, oh, then and there, the Holy Spirit of God can become real to me, and that's when I really begin to pray. And I love it, amen, when I'm down praying at the church, or praying in the backyard, or wherever it may be, and the tears are coming down, and I'm a broken man, don't have the answers or nothing. Oh, but then to thank God, the Spirit of God comes and wraps His arms around me, and tells me everything's gonna be all right, amen. Hey, you think to yourself, my marriage is going south, and my finance is going south, and I don't have the answers. But Christ has the answer. Because Christ is the answer. And so tonight, I wanna encourage you this evening to understand, my friend, that you've got a cross you're bearing. There's things you're going through that I don't know about, and I perhaps don't need to know about, but there's a God in heaven that knows about it. And the only thing you need to do is just come to him. Just come to Jesus. Just come to the Father. I'm not asking you to join this church. I don't know who members there are not. I'm not asking you to shake the preacher's hand. I'm not asking you to put money on the offering plate. I'm not asking you to do anything religiously. I'm just asking you to get your heart between you and God. And if by chance you're not saved tonight, then it's no wonder you're about to break up under the heavy load. Some of you look at other people and say, man, how in the world are they gonna make it? I couldn't do that if I were them. If you were saved, you could because the spirit of God that lives in them would also live in you. And maybe God's allowing you to go through some things for you to realize that, wait a minute, maybe I am missing something. My wife's got something, she's handling something. My wife's got something that I don't have. My husband has something that, maybe I need to think about this, he's got something. Them church members down there, they've got something that I'm missing. Because I know their problems, and yet they're not angry. I know their problems, and yet they're not bitter. I know their problems, and yet they still stay focused on God. How is that? I'll tell you how. They've accepted it as the Father's will. They understand they're fragile. Without God, they cannot do it. But they also understand that through these times, the fellowship of Christ can be so sweet. You see, I believe it's the book of Matthew 16, 24. If thou wilt come after the Lord, we must deny ourself, take up the cross, and follow him. See, Simon was identified with Christ, following the Lord, and when we follow Jesus in faith, when we follow him as our Savior, we'll also be talked about, ridiculed, mocked, and made fun of. Simon, no doubt, was identified with Christ. He didn't wanna be. Whatever you're going through tonight, my friend, you will be identified with Christ, and if Christ suffered, you'll suffer, but thank God you won't suffer alone. So tonight, as we close, God is trying to take whatever you're going through to make you, form you, mold you, make you to become more like Him. So instead of resisting what you're going through, instead of griping and complaining what you're facing, just give it all to God. Surrender to the Father. Just come to Him and say, God, I give it all to you, whatever it is, I give it to you by faith. I want you to be Lord over my life. If you're not saved tonight, I beg you to accept the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because he lives, you can live. Because he made it, you can make it. You gotta come to the Father tonight. She's gonna play this thing for this invitation, if that's okay. This altar is always open if you'd like to stand, if you wouldn't. Just mind the Lord this evening. She's gonna sing, mind the Lord as you come to the altar this evening, if you wouldn't. Just come to the Father, if you wouldn't. Bring your burden, bring your care, bring your cross, whatever it is to the Lord tonight. Lay it down. Just come to the Father by faith. He knows where you are tonight, church. He knows your condition. He knows what you're facing. I don't have a context for their kind of love. I don't understand, I can't comprehend, and I guess I'm afraid. When you run into the fight, I know that you'll chase. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Yes, Lord. Amen. Help Him, Lord. Yes, Lord. Right into His arms. Amen. Amen. Let Him pour you in. Give Him your cross. Yes. Amen. Yes. Let's play it softly. As Nora plays softly, I'll turn it over to the pastor in just a moment. Others are up here praying. Thank you for just minding God. Let me remind you before you leave out, 1 Peter 5, 10 and 11 says, But the God of all grace hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. Notice this. After that ye have suffered a while, make ye perfect, establish, strengthen, Settle you to him be glory and dominion forever and ever amen After you suffer a while after you carry your burden after you endure your cross God says the perfect the purpose of this is to make you perfect Establish you strengthen you and settle you So whatever you're going through tonight God has a reason behind it amen She continues to play here for just a moment. And just thinking back, he was talking about crosses. I remember, and I've shared this with y'all before, but I remember years ago, before we had Bryce and Brandon, a cross that we wore many years ago was, we couldn't have kids. And that was a struggle. And every day, when I got off work, I would drive home, and I'd pass right by Westside, my home church. And I'd unlock the door, and I'd walk in, and it'd be dark, nobody there but me, and I'd walk in, and looking at the pulpit, coming in through the front door, I always kneeled down on this side. Every day. For more than two years. Every day. I was sitting right there, praying that God would help us have kids. It just wasn't happening. And my heart was broken. You know what it's like when everybody around you has something you don't. Especially when you really want it. My wife was broken. For over two years, every single day I knelt beside the pulpit there at the altar and prayed. that God would give his kids, and it's never happened. And I did everything I could. We went to doctors, spent lots of money, and everybody said, there's nothing wrong. Nothing wrong with you, there's nothing wrong with her, we just can't explain it. And when you can't find an answer, When nobody has an answer, it's very difficult. So I found myself, after over two years of praying, I found myself changing my prayer to, God, if this is your will, then give me the strength to accept. And God had already called me to preach at that time. But I said, Lord, I'm not gonna turn back. I'm gonna follow you. I'm gonna do what you need me to do. You know what I want. I don't understand why I don't have it. But God, if this is your will for my life, then just give me the strength to be able to take it. And if you don't want it for me, I'll accept it. But just help me and help my wife. to be able to carry it. That was a big cross. Then the next thing you know, I got Bryce and Brenna. I'm just saying tonight that we've all got crosses. Some of them may be the same, some are different. And some I may understand and some I don't. But I do know this. I know they all hurt. And I know they're all heavy. And I'm thankful that the Lord Jesus said, come unto me, all you that labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And he did. And God answered my prayers. Not on my time, but on his time. And I remember thinking to myself, I said, you know, when Bryce and Brandon were born, I thought to myself, why did I have to go through over two years of laboring every day, praying for kids? Why did I have to do that? Well, there was a lot of training God needed for me to do. because I was gonna be a pastor one day, and God took me to school. God just has a way of bringing us all to school for different reasons. Not because He don't like you or love you, but because He can see what you need to be more than what you can see what you need to be for yourself. And God's plan was far greater than mine. Because had my kids been born earlier when I wanted them to be, they may not have met the people that they've met in their life. They may not have had the encouragement that they needed from other people that they needed in those moments. People that have been in their life, that have been a blessing to them, even all you folks here tonight. I may not even be here. Who knows? But I'm just thankful. that I can bring my crosses to the Lord and that I have a Savior tonight that's willing to help me to carry whatever burden that I got. I praise the Lord for that tonight. Good preaching, brother. Amen. Thank you. If I could, brother, if I could get you and your family to maybe to make your way towards the back. And as you leave here tonight, maybe seated here for a moment, and as you leave here tonight, make sure you shake their hand and just let them know how much of a blessing they've been to you.