But we all know, a lot of people die before that.

And we all know, a lot of churches die
before they make it to where we are,
but that doesn’t mean
we are as free as we think we are.
There is a different kind of debt
that we have not yet paid

There is—there is a crack

in the foundation of this church,
and I’m not talking about the building.

I’m talking about something like Isaiah talks about,

Isaiah 30, verses 12 and 13:

(The verses appear on the screen.)

“Because you have rejected this Word”—

“this Word,” that’s God’s word he’s talking about—

“and relied on oppression

and depended on deceit,
this sin will become for you
like a high wall,
cracked
and bulging,
whose collapse comes suddenly

in an instant.”

There is a crack,
and if we don’t fix that crack,

it doesn’t matter how solid this building is,

we

will

crumble,

and we will

fall in on ourselves.

So today we’re going to talk a little about that crack,
and we’re going to talk about what we have to do
to save ourselves from collapse

(Title appears on the screen: “Part 2: A Powerful Urge”)

Twenty-two years ago, I was a young man on an airplane flight from L.A. to Florida. I’m sitting in my seat, and I see a woman pass me by. I see this woman, and I think to myself: Lord, that is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

And the Lord said: that’s right.

And I said to myself:

Paul,

that is the most beautiful woman you have
ever seen. And my self said to its self: well
you better do something about it.

And I looked back down the length of the plane and I saw her sitting on the aisle. She was far away, at the other end of the airplane. Had to lean to see her, could barely catch her eye. I took out a little scrap of paper, and took out a pen. And I wrote down,

“I have a powerful urge to communicate with you,
but I find the distance between us insurmountable.”

I folded the paper, gave the note to the stewardess. I said, “You see that woman in the pink pantsuit. Will you give this to her.” And the stewardess said yes. And I waited. I watched and I waited and I saw,

I saw her lean,

into the aisle.

And she looked at me,
and she said:

(He waves.)

and I said:

(He waves.)

And that’s all we needed to say, that was it, so easy, so easy you might call it

grace.

“I have a powerful urge to communicate with you, but I find the distance between us insurmountable.”

(Pause.)

(Another title appears on the screen: “Part 3: The Fires of Hell”)

so now —

I was —
oh about

two weeks ago, I was

at a conference for pastors of churches like this church,