Bible
Series: The Journey Home
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 25th March 2017
Passage: Psalm 1:1-6
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 I remember the night that I became a Christian very vividly.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:11 Even now, it's one of the nights that I look to as potentially one of the most overwhelming and significant nights in my life.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 As a 14-year-old boy, I cried that night.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 14-year-old boys aren't supposed to cry, but I did.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 In fact, I wept that night.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:32 I was absolutely levelled and humbled by this incredible, unconditional love that God would show me in sending Jesus.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:40 I remember that even as a 14-year-old, I was pretty aware of the parts of my life that weren't particularly love-worthy.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:52 And even though I had great parents who loved me incredibly, there was clearly something special, something more about this love that God had for me.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 And so I was overwhelmed with gratitude.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:04 And at the same time, having for the first time understood how amazing God's love was, I was convicted and I was committed that from that point on,
00:01:04 --> 00:01:11 I was going to serve God in every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every year that he gave me.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 I was going to be all in.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:18 And I remember it happened on a camp in January of 1996.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:26 I came home from that camp still buzzing, still on fire for Jesus, still enthusiastic to a fault.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 I was ready to change the world.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 I was ready to be completely different.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:35 I was ready to leave my old life and my old sinful habits behind.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 And then I was on that same camp 12 months later.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:56 And I had a moment of just incredible guilt as I realised that all of that resolve and conviction that I had had,
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 had just kind of worn off over the year.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:11 In fact, if I'm honest, by mid-February of that year, I was basically back where I'd started, back into the usual rhythms of life.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:18 And so this new me that I had resolved to be seemed like an embarrassing overstatement.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 I remember standing, I was in the same place.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:28 It was the same point on camp where they were inviting other people to become Christians, other people to respond to God's love.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 And I remember suddenly realising I hadn't arrived.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 I wasn't this person that I thought that I was supposed to be.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:47 Now I knew and I believed that God loved me more than my weakness and failure and my sad attempts at following him couldn't undo that.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:59 But I also just felt pretty embarrassed that there was almost nothing in my life that said something had changed,
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 that said now I belong to Jesus.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:07 And so the preacher is standing at the front of the room, 12 months later giving a similar message,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 talking about Jesus, inviting people to become Christians.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:15 And I'm sitting there thinking, something needs to change.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:20 I'm not where I'm supposed to be, but I can't do that because I've already done that.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 I've already done the becoming a Christian thing.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 So what am I supposed to do with my guilt?
00:03:27 --> 00:03:33 Maybe you've heard Christian testimonies, stories of stuff, of how people became Christians,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:37 and they go something like, before I was a Christian, I was a jerk.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 Then I met Jesus, and now I'm amazing.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 That wasn't my story.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 Before I was a Christian, I was a jerk.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 Then I met Jesus, and 12 months later, I was still a jerk.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 And some of you might think that I'm still a jerk nearly 20 years later.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 It wasn't my story.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 And so I was sitting there with this guilt, conscious that something wasn't right,
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 but not sure what I was supposed to do with that.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 I figured I only had two options.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 I couldn't admit that I hadn't gone anywhere and start again.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 That was too embarrassing.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 I couldn't admit that.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:16 So I figured my best hopes was either to play down how bad I still was and kind of act like
00:04:16 --> 00:04:23 I was doing better than I really was, or I could just try harder from now on and just
00:04:23 --> 00:04:29 have such a good year in year number two that kind of makes up for how bad I was in year number one.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:37 I felt this pressure that if I was going to follow Jesus, I had to meet some kind of standard.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 I didn't want to be another one of those Christian hypocrites.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:48 I figured I figured I needed to be as good, at least as good as the other Christians around me,
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 who all looked like they were doing much better than me.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:56 And if I'm honest, what I actually thought I had to do was be like Jesus.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 I even had the wristband to remind me of it every day.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 WWJD, what would Jesus do?
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 Nothing like what I was doing.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 I felt a pressure to be perfect.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:15 And that's a pressure that a lot of Christians feel.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:20 That could even be a pressure that you're feeling right now as you attempt to follow Jesus,
00:05:20 --> 00:05:24 or as you figure out whether or not you want to follow Jesus, or you're allowed to follow Jesus,
00:05:24 --> 00:05:25 or it fits for you.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 It could be the intimidation of feeling like, can I meet up to this standard?
00:05:29 --> 00:05:34 I mean, Christians never say you have to be perfect because that would sound ridiculous.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 It does sound ridiculous.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:41 But think about the way that you respond to moral failure.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 When you come across sin in someone else,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:52 do you ever find yourself wondering whether or not they're really a Christian?
00:05:55 --> 00:06:00 Do you find yourself looking around the room and kind of measuring who the better Christians are
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 based on their level of goodness or morality?
00:06:02 --> 00:06:06 Or what about in your own life?
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 When you discover something, some sin in your life,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 are you tempted to justify it, play it down as it's not such a big issue,
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 kind of pretend like it's not there?
00:06:18 --> 00:06:24 Or maybe you feel the pressure to somehow up your game, try harder, make it up to God?
00:06:24 --> 00:06:30 Does it get compounded by this fear that other people might find out?
00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 Find out what you're really like?
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 Find out that you're not as great as you've been pretending to be?
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 Not as holy as you've been pretending to be?
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 And so then you just do everything you can to cover it up.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:45 Keep it a secret.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:48 Try harder at church.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 Put on a bigger show of godliness.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:51 And the pressure just builds.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 So where you're saying you're here and you're slowly doing this,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:59 and so it gets harder and harder to live up to a standard that you're getting further and further away from,
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 and the pressure is building, and you're feeling more guilt,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 and you're driven to serve more or read your Bible more or give more,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 but inside you're just feeling horrible.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 Somewhere along the line,
00:07:12 --> 00:07:16 we started to believe the lie that if we're going to follow Jesus,
00:07:17 --> 00:07:17 we have to be perfect.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 Or at very least, we've got to be better than most people.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 Better than the people out there.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:29 We started kind of expecting ourselves and other people
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 to have arrived as Christians.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 To be like Jesus.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 We read verses like the one that Deb read in 1 John 5.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 Have a look at it.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:38 It says,
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 This is the message we've heard from him and declare to you.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 God is light.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 In him there is no darkness at all.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 If we claim to have fellowship with him,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 and yet walk in the darkness,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 we lie and do not live out the truth.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 And so we look at a verse like that,
00:07:54 --> 00:07:54 and we go,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:55 God's light,
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 and we can't have any darkness,
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 so basically the only answer is we've got to be perfect.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 That's not what it's saying.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 I mean, if you go just down to the next verse,
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 verse 7,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 it says,
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 If we walk in the light as he is in the light,
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 we have fellowship with one another,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 and the blood of Jesus,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:12 his son,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 purifies us from all sin.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 So walking in the light,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 whatever it means,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 doesn't mean being perfect,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 because you still need to be purified by the blood of Jesus
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 when you're in the light.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 So it's not saying that,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 but somehow we've grabbed verses like this
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 and put a pressure on ourselves
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 and on other people
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 that if you're going to wear the Christian badge,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 you've got to be up here.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 You've got to be better.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 You've got to be putting on a show.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 And I want to start this series
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 by saying really clearly
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 that that is a poisonous lie.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 That is absolute rubbish.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 If there is any part of that sentiment
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 that sounds familiar for you,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 that resonates with you,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 if you feel even a little bit
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 like there is a standard you have to meet
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 for God to love you,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 for you to be valid as a Christian,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 you need to really listen today
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 and through this series.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 Jesus wants you to understand what he means
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 when he says,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 my yoke is easy,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 my burden is light.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 Following Jesus is a journey.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 It's about becoming something.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 It's about being slowly transformed.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 Christians are not finished products.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:32 They haven't arrived yet.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 They're on a journey.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 Billy Graham,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 the famous evangelist,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 his wife Ruth,
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 when she died,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 had these words put on her tombstone.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 End of construction.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 Thank you for your patience.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 Jesus describes following him
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 like being on a narrow road,
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 a road that leads to life,
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 but being on the road
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 is not the same as being
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 at the end of the road.
00:09:59 --> 00:09:59 Being on a journey
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 is not the same as being
00:10:00 --> 00:10:01 at the destination
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 that you're trying to get to.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 Anyone who has ever been
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 on a road trip with kids,
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 some of you guys in this room
00:10:07 --> 00:10:07 are still closer to being
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 the kids on that road trip,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 know the haunting chorus of,
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 are we there yet?
00:10:12 --> 00:10:12 Are we there yet?
00:10:13 --> 00:10:13 Are we there yet?
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 And after answering no
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 for the thousandth time,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:17 as a parent,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 you start to try and get creative
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 about how you might answer this.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 And so you come up with,
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 well, we're on the way.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 We're there.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 Or we're almost there.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 Or, you know,
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 the euphemism,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 which is actually close to a lie,
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 it's not about the destination,
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 it's about the journey.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 That's rubbish.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 A journey is about the destination.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 That's why it's a journey.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:37 It's about getting somewhere.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 Kids are pretty astute
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 and they quickly work out
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 that no matter how you spin it,
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 being on the journey
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 is not the same
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 as being at the destination.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 The point of the journey
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 is to get to the place
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 that you want to get to
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 and they know
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 that you can use
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 fancy, clever words
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 and profound,
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 seeming statements,
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 but it's still not the same thing.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 We are on a journey
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 and so we shouldn't expect
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 our life to be
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 as if we're already
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 at the destination,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:08 we're already finished.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 If you're a Christian,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 you haven't arrived yet.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 You are between two points.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 Jesus says
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 he will carry on the work
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 till the destination,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 till completion,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 but that will happen
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 at the end of the journey.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 The completion will be heaven.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 The two points
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 that define being a Christian
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 are the cross.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 The first time
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 you understand
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 and encounter the fact
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 that Jesus died
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 so that you could be forgiven
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 and you hand your sin over,
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 that's the beginning
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 of the journey
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 and the end of the journey
00:11:43 --> 00:11:43 is heaven.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:45 It's home.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 It's when finally
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 you're with God,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 you're with him forever
00:11:49 --> 00:11:49 and in heaven
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 you will be perfect.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 You will be sinless.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 It will be amazing.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 You will be just like Jesus
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 but that is not a standard
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 that he expects
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 of anyone before then.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 That is not a bar
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 that he is holding you to.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:09 And as long as we keep
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 expecting it of ourselves
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 and each other,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 all we're doing
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 is adding pressure
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 and burdens
00:12:15 --> 00:12:15 in our lives
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 and in the lives
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 of other people
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 that just don't belong there.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 In fact,
00:12:21 --> 00:12:21 for some people
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 who are trying to decide
00:12:23 --> 00:12:23 whether or not
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 they should follow Jesus,
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 it's this pressure,
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 it's this standard
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 that we add
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 that deters them,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 that turns them away.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 Jesus sounds great
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 but I can't realistically
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 live up to that perfection
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 that the rest of you guys
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 are apparently living up to.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 When we hold ourselves
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 and others to this standard,
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 for some Christians
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 that's enough to crush them
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 and make them give up
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 because we've made
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 following Jesus
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 harder than it's supposed to be.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 In fact,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 we've put an impossible task
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 in there
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 and so we're surprised
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 when they feel so guilty
00:12:55 --> 00:12:55 that they decided
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 just be easier to jump out
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 and not have any standard
00:12:58 --> 00:12:58 to live by.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:02 Being a Christian
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 means being unfinished.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 That means
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 that every person
00:13:08 --> 00:13:08 in this room
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 who is following Jesus
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 is unfinished.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 That is not perfect.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 No one's got it all together.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 Every one of us
00:13:18 --> 00:13:18 is failing.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 Every one of us
00:13:21 --> 00:13:21 is struggling
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 to obey and love God
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 the way he deserves.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 The issue is not
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 if we will fail.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 It's what we do
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 when we fail.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 That's the important thing.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 Have a look at verse 8.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 If we claim
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 to be without sin
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 we deceive ourselves
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 and the truth
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 is not in us.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 See,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:44 none of us,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:44 again,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 is claiming to be sinless.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:46 I haven't heard
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 any of you say
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 and I probably will challenge you
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 if you do,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 I'm sinless.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:51 I'm perfect.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 We don't say that explicitly
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 but if we're not
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 recognizing
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 or acknowledging
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 or confessing
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 specific things
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 regularly,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 we're more or less
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 doing the same thing.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 If we're not saying
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 here's something I've done
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 that I need forgiveness for,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 we're more or less saying
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 I don't have anything
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 that I need to say
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 and ask forgiveness for.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 We're kind of
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 claiming perfection
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 and if you talk
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 a big game like that,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 if you walk around
00:14:20 --> 00:14:20 with this persona
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 of I've got this
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 all sorted,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 I'm nailing it
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 at following Jesus,
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 people will expect you
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 to back it up.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 So if you're not
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 confessing sin,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 it's a reasonable assumption
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 for the people around you
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 to make
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 that either you don't
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 have any
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 or at least you don't
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 think you have any.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 And either way,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 that's a recipe
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 for pressure
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 on you
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 because you've said
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 here's where I'm traveling.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 I'm nailing it.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 I'm perfect.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 And so people will be watching.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 And so if you make a mistake,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 it's even harder
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 for you to admit it now
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 because you've been saying,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 no, no, I'm up here.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 I don't make mistakes.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 I'm doing it right.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 It's a recipe for pressure,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 for insecurity
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 and ultimately
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 for hypocrisy.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 And so you've got to
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 ask yourself the question,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 why do you do that?
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 Why do we do that?
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 Why do we try and act
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 like we're doing better
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 than we actually are?
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 Especially as Christians.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:18 Christians,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 who is it that
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 we're trying to impress?
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 The other failures
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 who are sitting around us?
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 We know we do it.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 It's why the world
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 calls us hypocrites.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 Because we claim
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 we're here
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 and in reality
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 we're nowhere near it.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 We know it's true
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 because often people
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 come into church
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 who don't fit
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 our moral code,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 maybe who have
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 the self-awareness
00:15:49 --> 00:15:49 to realise
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 that it's an impossible one
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 and so they feel
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 like they don't belong here.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 But why do we do it?
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 Why do we hold ourselves
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 so rigidly
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 to an impossible standard?
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 Because it's not a pressure
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 that God places on you.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 The Bible never says it.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 Jesus never says,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 I'll save you,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 I'll die for you,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 I'll forgive you,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 I'll love you
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 if you just
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 meet this level
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 of goodness.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 He doesn't even say,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 look,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 I'll love you
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 even though you don't
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 deserve it
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 but from now on
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 I'll only let you
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 stay around
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 if you start being
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 a certain amount
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 of goodness.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 See,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 the power
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 of sin,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 the power of failure
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 is fear.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 It's fear
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 of the judgment
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 that might come
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 if people knew
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 what we were really like.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 It's fear
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 of what we might lose.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 Fear of what people
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 might think of us.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 And it's a fear
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 that Satan loves
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 to grab hold of.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 Satan's sometimes
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 known as the
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 great accuser
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 because when we fail
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 he will push the button
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 of insecurity
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 that we already feel
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 sometimes
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 with God.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 He'll remind us
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 of something
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 that's actually true
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 that we don't
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 deserve to be
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 loved by God.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 And then while
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 we're conscious
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 that we don't
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 deserve it
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 and he's reminded us
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 that we're failing
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 he'll just kind of
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 put the pressure on
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 and go,
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 you may as well
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 give up.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 You're not anywhere
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 near the standard
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 anyway.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 Or he'll go,
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 you better keep
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 trying harder
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 because if you
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 stay down there
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 maybe God
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 won't actually
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 love you.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 So many
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 Christians,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 people who are
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 trying to follow
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 Jesus,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 live with that
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 pressure when they
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 fail.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 with that
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 fear,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 how would God
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 respond if he
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 really knew
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 what I was like?
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 How would the
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 people around me
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 treat me if they
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 really knew that I
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 wasn't as holy
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 as I pretend to be?
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 On the outside
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 their commitment
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 levels might be
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 increasing.
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 They're trying
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 harder and harder
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 because they're so
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 scared and inside
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 they're just
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 petrified that at
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 any moment God's
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 going to stop
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 loving them.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 But that's
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 not how God
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 responds to
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 failure.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 That's not what
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 he's like.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 Look at verse
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 9.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 If we confess
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 our sins,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 he is faithful
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 and just
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 and will
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 forgive us
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 our sins
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 and purify us
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 from all
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 unrighteousness.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 Jesus responds
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 to your moments
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 of sin and
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 shame and
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 failure
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 with a gentle
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 invitation to
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 come back.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:37 Jesus calls
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 you to
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 confess to
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 him and
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 says I
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 will forgive
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 you.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 Not I
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 might forgive
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 you, not
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 depending on
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 how many bad
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 things you've
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 done leading
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 up to this,
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 whether or not
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 this is a
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 track record,
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 whether or not
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 we've been
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 over this
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 before.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 He says I'm
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 faithful, I'm
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 just and I
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 will forgive
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 you and
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 cleanse you.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:03 So often
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 we let our
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 failure become
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 a moment of
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 insecurity and
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 fear when it
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 comes to
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 following Jesus
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 but we
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 actually don't
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 have to.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 It doesn't
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 have to be
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 that.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 In his grace
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 God has made
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 your weakness,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 your imperfection,
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 your low
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 moments an
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 opportunity to
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 deepen your
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 security in
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 him, to
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 grow your
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 confidence in
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 just how much
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 he loves you.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 One of the
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 things that I
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 love to do
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 with my two
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 boys is
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 building with
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 blocks.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 We have
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 like three
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 different kinds
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 of blocks and
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 we make all
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 sorts of
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 towers and
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 hotels and
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 tunnels and
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 whatever else.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 Sometimes they
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 ruin my
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 excellent
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 creations but
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 I'm growing in
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 my grace to
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 forgive them
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 because they're
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 little.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 But something
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 I've noticed
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 in particular
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 in my eldest
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 son Bailey is
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 this fierce
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 independence.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 He has a
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 deep desire to
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 be able to do
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 whatever it is
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 that he's trying
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 to do on his
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 own.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 He doesn't
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 want me to
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 get involved
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 and so he'll
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 be sitting
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 there and
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 he'll be
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 struggling to
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 get this
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 tower to
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 balance or
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 to get these
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 two pieces to
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 connect properly
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 and I'll offer
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 would you like
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 me to help?
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 He will
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 quickly let me
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 know that he
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 doesn't need my
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 help and then
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 I'll watch as he
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 continues to
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 struggle, still
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 unable to get
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 this thing to
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 balance or these
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 blocks to
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 connect.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 I'll watch for
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 as long as I
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 can physically
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 restrain myself
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 for and then
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 I'll feel the
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 need to offer
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 again and so
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 I'll be like
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 are you sure
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 you don't want
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 daddy to help?
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 Daddy can help
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 you with that,
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 I can do that.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 He'll reject my
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 offer a little
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 bit more
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 aggressively second
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 time around and
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 he's getting
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41 increasingly agitated
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 and frustrated
00:20:42 --> 00:20:46 but the struggle
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 here is that
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 what he's trying
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 to do, his
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 desire there is
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 actually good.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 he wants to
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 be capable,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 he wants to
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 broaden his
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 skills, he
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 doesn't want to
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 always have to
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 ask for help
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 but that good
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 desire becomes
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 toxic when he
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 lets it stand
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 between him and
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 the one thing
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 that can actually
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 solve his
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 problem and in
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 this situation
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 that's me
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 sitting there
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 desperately wanting
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 to get involved
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 and fix the
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 issue.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:17 in the same
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 way we have
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 this right
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 desire to
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 please God
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 when we're
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 following him.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 We have this
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 good desire to
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 live up to a
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 standard that
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 honors him, we
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 have this correct
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 response of shame
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 and guilt when we
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 do the wrong
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 thing but those
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 responses and
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 those desires
00:21:35 --> 00:21:37 become toxic when
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 they drive us away
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 from the one thing
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 that can actually
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 help us in our
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 failure.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 The only way that
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 you will ever
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 deal with sin in
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 your life is
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 through the death
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 of Jesus in your
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 place.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 No amount of
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 trying harder and
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 he's saying every
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 time you fail just
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 come back to me.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 You don't have to
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 do it by yourself.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 Have a look at
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 chapter 2 verse 1
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 it says my dear
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 children I write
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 this to you so
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 that you will not
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 sin that's the end
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 game but if anybody
00:22:07 --> 00:22:09 does sin we have
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 an advocate with
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 the father Jesus
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 Christ the righteous
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 one.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 he is the
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 atoning sacrifice
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 for our sins and
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 not only for ours but
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 also for the sins of
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 the whole world.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 The only thing that
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 can deal with your
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 sins is the death of
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 Jesus and it is
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 enough to deal with
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 every sin you have
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 done could possibly
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 ever do and not just
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 you but the sins of
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 the whole world.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 This is written to
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 people who are
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 already following
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 Jesus.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 It says my dear
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 children those who
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 have already started
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 the journey who have
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 discovered the cross
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 who have asked for
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 forgiveness at some
00:22:43 --> 00:22:46 point and it's
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 saying don't leave
00:22:47 --> 00:22:50 confession behind.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 Don't leave
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 confession at the
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 beginning of the
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 journey and try and
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 do the rest of it
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 out of kind of good
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 intentions and hard
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 work.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 Every time you sin
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 there is still grace
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 on offer.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:09 no matter how big or
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 how bad there is
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 forgiveness offered
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 freely and the only
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 thing that could stand
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 between you and that
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 offer of grace and
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 forgiveness is your own
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 pride.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 Is your own attempts to
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 try and self-justify.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 Is your insistence to
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 hold on to your mistakes
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 and try and make up for
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 them.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 Whether it's playing down
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 your sin as if it
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 doesn't matter or whether
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 it's trying to make up
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 for it.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 So long as you
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 somehow believe that
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 God needs you to be good
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 enough for him to love
00:23:41 --> 00:23:44 you, you will always be
00:23:44 --> 00:23:47 crushed by the standard
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 that you are trying to
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 reach and you will never
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 live up to.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 If you're following
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 Jesus, God knows what
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 you're like.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 The Bible says that while
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 we were still sinners,
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 Christ died for us.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 Before we had a chance
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 to try and impress him,
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 Christ had already
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 decided to die for us.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 Before the creation of
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 the world, God chose to
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 send his son so that we
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 could be forgiven.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 God knows who you are.
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 He knows your deepest,
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 darkest secrets better
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 than you do.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 And he's decided to love
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 you anyway.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:26 When you fail, grace is
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 on offer.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 And again, this isn't an
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 if you fail issue.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32 This is a when you fail.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36 When you fail, God
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 offers grace and he
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 offers forgiveness.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 And this matters more
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 than just trying to
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 relieve the discomfort
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 that goes with being
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 guilty.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 This is more than just
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 trying to take the
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 pressure off so that you
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 don't have to worry
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 about the fact that
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 you've done something
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 shameful and embarrassing.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 It's not just about
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 escaping guilt.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:57 coming back to God
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 and confessing sin
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 is a chance to
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 encounter God's grace
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 again and again.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 And that is essential
00:25:04 --> 00:25:07 if you are going to do
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 this journey home well.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:11 It is so important
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 that we confess sin
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 because it is an
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 assurance-building
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 activity.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 I'll say that again.
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 Confessing sin is an
00:25:18 --> 00:25:20 assurance-building
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 activity.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 Confessing sin is scary
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 because you're airing
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 your dirty laundry.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 And so often we don't
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 want to do it.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 And it comes from that
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 place of fear.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 Will God still love me?
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 But he's actually
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 designed confessing sin
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 to be a chance for you
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 to be more secure
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 on the other side of it.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 I mean, think about
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 what you did when you
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 first became a Christian.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:45 Now, you confessed sin.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 It might have been
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 vague.
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 It might have been
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 kind of generic and
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 not particularly well
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 expressed.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 But on some level,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 when you became a
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 Christian, you said,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 God, I don't deserve
00:25:55 --> 00:25:57 it, but I want you
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 to forgive me.
00:25:58 --> 00:26:00 I want you in my life.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 And he said yes.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 And he did forgive you.
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 And he did wash you.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 And he did purify you.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 And every step since
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 then, if you're following
00:26:07 --> 00:26:09 Jesus, has been a
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 response to the love
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 that you experienced
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 in that first moment.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 Every step has been
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 fueled because you
00:26:16 --> 00:26:18 tasted God's grace
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 there and it was
00:26:18 --> 00:26:20 enough to drive you
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 forward.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:23 regular confession
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 draws you back
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 to that first
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 experience.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 Engages you again
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 in how incredible
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 it was
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 to be loved
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 and forgiven
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 for the very first
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 time.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 See, it's
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 kind of like a
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 long-distance
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 relationship.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 If you don't
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 speak to or see
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 the person that
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 you're in love with,
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 it's inevitable
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 that over a period
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 of time,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 the power that
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 that love has
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 to drive your
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 actions and
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 your emotions
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 is going to
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 slowly decrease.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 Now, it might
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 still be sufficient
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 that you remain
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 faithful and
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 committed to that
00:26:57 --> 00:26:59 person, but it's
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 never going to have
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 the same force
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 or energy or
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 power as is
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 possible if the
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 distance is removed
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 and you get to see
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 and enjoy that
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 person face-to-face,
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 day in, day out.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 Now, in the same
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 way, that first
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 experience of God's
00:27:13 --> 00:27:15 grace, when you
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 said, I'm in, I want
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 to follow you and
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 you learnt that you
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 were loved unconditionally
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 and irreversibly,
00:27:20 --> 00:27:22 that's enough to get
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 you home to heaven.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 I want to say that
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 really clearly.
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 If you've taken step
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 one, God promises
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 he'll make sure you
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 take all the steps
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 until you get to
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 heaven.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 But God doesn't
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 want you to just
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 kind of survive life
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 and then collapse
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 over the finish line
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 and think, oh,
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 thank God that's
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 over.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 That's not his
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 desire for you.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 He wants your life
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 to be amazing.
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 He wants you to
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 gain momentum in
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 your Christian walk.
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 He wants every day
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 to be a day where
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 you are more confident
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 in how much God
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 loves you, more
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 fearless to stand
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 up in a world that
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 thinks maybe you're
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 crazy for following
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 him because you
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 know he loves you,
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 you know nothing's
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 going to change and
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 you are getting more
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 and more excited for
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 how good heaven's
00:28:05 --> 00:28:07 going to be when
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 you get that love
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 with nothing in the
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 way, with no
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 restraints.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 And for that to be
00:28:12 --> 00:28:14 your reality, you
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 need to keep tasting
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 grace.
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 You need to keep
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 growing your appetite
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 for grace and
00:28:19 --> 00:28:22 confession, regular
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 confession of sin is
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 God's gift to you
00:28:24 --> 00:28:27 for you to taste and
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 experience his grace.
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 It's a tool he's
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 given you.
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 If you feel insecure,
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 if you feel unsure
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 about whether or not
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 you're going to spend
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 eternity in heaven,
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 confession is a tool
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 that God has given
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 you to help you grow
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 in your confidence,
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 in your certainty.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:46 It's an invitation to
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 come back again and
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 again and again and
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 find him faithful.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:55 You need to dish up
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 your dirty laundry.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 You need to lay out the
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 things that you are
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 embarrassed about, the
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 most shameful sins in
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 your life to him in
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 confession and you know
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 what you'll discover?
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 According to this verse,
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 that he's faithful, he's
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 just and he'll forgive
00:29:11 --> 00:29:14 you again and again
00:29:14 --> 00:29:18 and again and again
00:29:18 --> 00:29:21 and again and again.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 It doesn't run out.
00:29:25 --> 00:29:27 He is faithful and just
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 and he will continually
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 forgive you and purify
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 you.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 And as you find him
00:29:31 --> 00:29:33 forgiving you, your
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 confidence will grow for
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 next time.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 Because I remember that
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 when I dumped that
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 thing, he forgave me and
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 he still loved me and so
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 I'm confident he's going
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 to do this one.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 And then suddenly you've
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 got this track record.
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 God just keeps coming
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 through and keeps loving
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48 me and so you get more
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 confident and more
00:29:49 --> 00:29:51 excited even to
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 acknowledge that you
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 have stuffed up, to
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 acknowledge that you
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 need his help because
00:29:54 --> 00:29:56 you are so confident that
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 his love is more
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 powerful than your pride
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 or your lust or your
00:30:00 --> 00:30:02 greed or your laziness or
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 your selfishness.
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 confess.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:08 Every time you confess,
00:30:08 --> 00:30:10 it's like reliving in
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 mini version what it was
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 like to become a
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 Christian for the very
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 first time.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 It's like tasting that
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 incredible love of God
00:30:19 --> 00:30:21 again for the very first
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 time.
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 That first time joy over
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 and over again, driving
00:30:24 --> 00:30:26 you to love God and serve
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 him and confess to him
00:30:28 --> 00:30:31 absolutely secure in God's
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 reliable and effective
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 love.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 But for that to happen,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 you've got to confess
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 sin.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 Regularly.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 Specifically.
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 Jesus says he who's
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 forgiven much loves
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 much.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 He who's forgiven little
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 loves little.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 And so if you're not
00:30:50 --> 00:30:52 asking for forgiveness,
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 if you're not regularly
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 recognizing that you
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 need it, acknowledging
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 things that you've done
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 that are wrong and
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 handing them over and
00:30:58 --> 00:31:01 being forgiven, then his
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 love is going to seem
00:31:02 --> 00:31:04 kind of small, kind of
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 distant, maybe inadequate
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 in your life.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 You might find yourself
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 like I did a year into
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 following Jesus.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 Sure, I was a Christian
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 but I wasn't going
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 anywhere.
00:31:16 --> 00:31:18 So often, if you find
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 yourself with a lack of
00:31:19 --> 00:31:21 energy for God, a lack of
00:31:21 --> 00:31:23 enthusiasm, a lack of
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 drive, you can trace it
00:31:24 --> 00:31:26 back to only ever having
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 an entree-sized encounter
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 with God's grace.
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 grace.
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 Just grabbing that bit at
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 the beginning and
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 thinking that should hold
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 me for the rest of the
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 day.
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 God is inviting you to a
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 grace buffet.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 He's inviting you to
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 feast on grace.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 All you can eat grace.
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 Just keep coming back
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 every time you fail and
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 he will keep loving you
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 and forgiving you and
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 getting you more excited
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 for heaven when you will
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 not have to do it anymore
00:31:50 --> 00:31:52 because his grace will
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 have finished his work and
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 removed all those bits
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 that you're embarrassed
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 about, all the things
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 that bring you shame.
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 If you want to be
00:31:58 --> 00:32:00 someone who runs the
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 path God has for you,
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 who thrives, who
00:32:03 --> 00:32:05 flourishes on this
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 journey between the
00:32:06 --> 00:32:08 cross and heaven, if
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 you want to be somebody
00:32:09 --> 00:32:12 who is certain, certain
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 in the hope of heaven,
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 fearless in the face of
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16 opposition, you've got
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 to be somebody who
00:32:18 --> 00:32:21 walks in the light, who
00:32:21 --> 00:32:25 walks honestly, who
00:32:25 --> 00:32:27 regularly and specifically
00:32:27 --> 00:32:30 confesses to God and
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 finds him faithful and
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 just to forgive.
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 We as a church here at
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 St. Paul's have a core
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 value.
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 It's something that
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 likes to define the
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 culture of who we are.
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 A core value called
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 humble authenticity.
00:32:44 --> 00:32:46 That's where this hits us
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 as a group.
00:32:47 --> 00:32:50 We want to be a
00:32:50 --> 00:32:52 community that doesn't
00:32:52 --> 00:32:55 fake how we're going, but
00:32:55 --> 00:32:57 is honest with one
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 another.
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 Because when you're
00:32:59 --> 00:33:01 honest, that gives me
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 permission to be honest.
00:33:04 --> 00:33:06 When I'm honest, you don't
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 have to live up to my
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 standard because my
00:33:07 --> 00:33:09 standard's not particularly
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 high or impressive.
00:33:10 --> 00:33:12 What you see in me is an
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 amazing God who forgives
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 even people like Sam.
00:33:14 --> 00:33:16 And you think, actually, I
00:33:16 --> 00:33:18 belong here too.
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 We want to be a
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 community that is so
00:33:21 --> 00:33:23 humble and so honest
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 about what we're doing
00:33:23 --> 00:33:25 that people don't turn up
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 and think, wow, what a
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 moral and good group of
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 people.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 They think, wow, their
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 God must be amazing if he
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 can love them.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:36 And also, maybe that
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 means he would love me
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 too.
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 Maybe that means the
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 people who walk in here
00:33:42 --> 00:33:45 fresh out of prison, the
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 people who walk in here
00:33:46 --> 00:33:48 fresh out of having an
00:33:48 --> 00:33:50 affair, fresh out of
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 supporting a drug
00:33:51 --> 00:33:53 habit, fresh out of all
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 the sort of things that
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 maybe make us blush and
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 embarrassed and are not in
00:33:56 --> 00:33:58 our world, our version of
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 what we think good and bad
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 is.
00:34:00 --> 00:34:03 If we would be honest, if
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 we were regularly putting
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 up a hand and going, I
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 need God's grace as much
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 today as I did the first
00:34:07 --> 00:34:10 day I started, maybe those
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 people would get to
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 discover the grace that
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 we've found.
00:34:15 --> 00:34:17 We regularly confess here
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 at church.
00:34:18 --> 00:34:20 We say prayers together on
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 the screen, we sing songs of
00:34:21 --> 00:34:23 confession, but there is the
00:34:23 --> 00:34:25 potential when we do that to
00:34:25 --> 00:34:28 just kind of dodge it, not
00:34:28 --> 00:34:30 engage it, say the words,
00:34:30 --> 00:34:32 oh yeah, God, I haven't been
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 good enough, I haven't done
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 the stuff I'm supposed to,
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 yada, yada, yada, without
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 actually going, no, no, no,
00:34:36 --> 00:34:39 what's going on in your own
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 life, specifically.
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 If you want to taste grace,
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 you've got to be honest.
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 If you just say, hey God, I'm
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 generally not good enough, that
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 doesn't sting really, because
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 everyone's not good enough.
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 But if you say, hey God, I've
00:34:51 --> 00:34:54 been struggling with lustful
00:34:54 --> 00:34:56 thoughts, that feels
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 embarrassing, that feels
00:34:57 --> 00:34:59 shameful, that's something you
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 need grace for.
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 If you say, hey God, I've been
00:35:02 --> 00:35:06 really selfish with my money
00:35:06 --> 00:35:09 at the moment, that's maybe a
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 bit embarrassing.
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 If you say, hey God, I've been
00:35:10 --> 00:35:12 talking about some of these
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 people who I'm sitting with in
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 a way that doesn't honour them
00:35:14 --> 00:35:17 or you, that's embarrassing.
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 That's not something you want
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 everyone to know, that's
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20 something you need grace for.
00:35:23 --> 00:35:25 Confession needs to be regular,
00:35:26 --> 00:35:30 specific, honest, and because of
00:35:30 --> 00:35:33 Jesus, it can be confident and
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 even joyful.
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 And so I'm going to finish up
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 right now and the band's going
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 to come up and they're going to
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 play some songs and then they're
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 going to lead us, but just as
00:35:41 --> 00:35:44 they begin, I want to encourage
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 you, in fact more than
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 encourage you, I want to push
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 you, I want to say take this
00:35:47 --> 00:35:49 opportunity right now.
00:35:50 --> 00:35:52 If your life has been surviving
00:35:52 --> 00:35:55 on the entree of grace, it's
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 time to come to the buffet.
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 It's time to be specific.
00:36:00 --> 00:36:03 As they play and as we sing and as
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 we reflect, I want to challenge
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 you, you don't have to say it to
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 anyone else, although I would say
00:36:06 --> 00:36:09 there is some real gifting that
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 God has given to us in brothers
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 and sisters who walk with us.
00:36:12 --> 00:36:14 But for right now, maybe for step
00:36:14 --> 00:36:16 one, just confess to God.
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 Just one thing.
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 If you're sitting there and you
00:36:20 --> 00:36:22 can't think what that would be,
00:36:22 --> 00:36:24 maybe that's your starting point.
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 Maybe you've gotten so good at
00:36:26 --> 00:36:28 playing down sin in your life that
00:36:28 --> 00:36:29 you can't even recognise the
00:36:29 --> 00:36:29 things.
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 Remember, you're unfinished.
00:36:30 --> 00:36:32 There's stuff you need to confess.
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 And so maybe step one is to say,
00:36:34 --> 00:36:36 God, open my eyes to recognise
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 that I'm not there yet.
00:36:39 --> 00:36:41 Give me the grace to see the
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 things that I need grace for so
00:36:42 --> 00:36:44 that I can get more of your grace.
00:36:45 --> 00:36:47 Take this opportunity.
00:36:49 --> 00:36:51 Take the gift God has given you
00:36:51 --> 00:36:54 and find that again,
00:36:54 --> 00:36:56 He's faithful.
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 He's just.
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 And He will forgive.