The 20 Dollar Bill
But I want to tell you as I close why this story is so important to many of you right now. In order to do that, I need to have a volunteer that has a $20 bill that I can use. I promise you I will give it back. Someone with a $20 bill right now to jump up. Come on, sir.
What's your name? Tim? Jeff. Okay, Jeff. Thank you.
You can go ahead. I'll bring it back to you. I'm Italian, but I… Maybe. Anyway, this is a nice, crisp, clean $20 bill.
Now, it's not mine, obviously, but let's pretend for a moment that it is. And I just happen to have way too many of these, and I do not need this one. If I had a bunch of these, I could give them out freely. I don't need them. How many of you would say, sure, I'd take one?
Raise your hand if you take one. About half of you. The rest of you are very wealthy, apparently. Okay, so now you would take it if I were giving them away, right? Now, watch this.
Now, look at that. It's not so pretty anymore. It's kind of a little wrinkly and kind of crumpled up a little bit, a little broken kind of. Is there anybody that would still take it? Really?
Oh, okay, wait a minute. I'm not getting this. Let me… Let's do this. Let me put it down on the ground and kind of squish it into the ground, you know, and kind of like get it dirty and filthy and cracked and broken.
Now it's really pathetic looking. Anybody still want it? Really? Let me make sure I understand what you're telling me. You're telling me that no matter how wrinkled, how broken, how messed up, how dirty, how pathetic, how smelly this worthless piece of plastic may be, and make no mistake about it, gentlemen, this is nothing more than a worthless piece of plastic.
The only value it has is the value you and I place upon it. And you're telling me no matter its condition, it has value to you? Come on, guys, are you getting this? Are you? And how dare you think that no matter how broken, how messed up, all the garbage of your life, as you look at it flashing before you, whether it's porn or drugs or alcohol or affairs, no matter what it is, how cracked, how filthy, how pathetic, your life may look to you that your heavenly Father could possibly see you in that light.
He is crazy about you. You are the most beautiful, beautiful creature in his eyes. So the next time you want to throw a pity party for where you are, gentlemen, you remember the $20 bill. Okay? And no, you cannot have this one.
But you can. Come on up here. I'll tell you what I'm going to do for you. I'm not going to give you this one. I'm going to give you this brand new $20 bill as a representation of what Jesus Christ has come to do for you in smoothing out all the wrinkles and all the bad stuff.
Do you have an American one? He just asked me if I had an American one. Yeah, that's, when you come from America here, that's really not so funny, actually. Anyway, but let me just say this, and I want to pray for you guys. The takeaways typically that people have, and the reason why promise keepers want me to share that story, there are two things that are going through your mind right now.
Many of you are stuck on the idea and asking the question, which God am I seeking? A God that I want or the God who is? That's where a lot of you are. You're wondering, have I accepted Jesus as my savior or am I allowing him to be Lord of my life? Others of you are maybe remembering the looking into the eyes of your wife because perhaps with a crowd this size, there's a lot of relationship issues that are at stake as well.
But I want to say this to you before I pray and turn it back over. Later tonight, as we close, Daz is going to come and issue a real challenge for all of us. My prayer is that you will allow this time now to let the Holy Spirit really soften your heart and sensitize you. Because when Daz comes, many of you are going to sense God's presence in this place, and your heart is going to be wanting to thump out of your chest. That's okay.
That's a good thing. Guys, don't let this weekend just become another event. Get serious about your walk and your surrender to the only one that can turn your life around. Amen.