Confession
Series: The Journey Home
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 18th March 2017
Passage: 1 John 1:5-2:2
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 Let me add my good morning.
00:00:01 --> 00:00:06 As has been mentioned a couple of times already, today we are beginning a new series.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:11 And I thought before we begin, it is worth just stopping to acknowledge a lot of people
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 have been working to get us ready for this series.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18 And two people that I particularly wanted to just thank, even though they're not in
00:00:18 --> 00:00:23 this room, is Matt Giglin, who has done a stack of the graphic work for this series,
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 which you'll see in the Bible studies and here on the platform on the screen.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:33 And also Romeo Sanuri, who is part of our 1115 congregation, who helped make these happen.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:39 So we are blessed to have people with considerable gifts and also with generous hearts who like
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 to use those gifts to bless us.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:47 It is our prayer that this series will feed and encourage you, will challenge you, will
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 draw you closer to God, will spur you on.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:55 And that has been the heart behind every bit of work, whether it's a picture, a word on
00:00:55 --> 00:00:59 a page, people standing at the door, songs that have been chosen by our teams.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 And so how about before we begin, we just come before God and ask him to do that work in us.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:11 Father God, we thank you for this incredible opportunity together as your people.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 We thank you for the reminder as we work through Leviticus that what we are doing now is meeting
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 with you together.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 Father, what we do when your word is open is encounter your presence.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:27 And so we ask that the result of this morning and every week that we gather in this series
00:01:27 --> 00:01:32 would not be a good service or some more information, but it would be that we are changed,
00:01:32 --> 00:01:37 that we are transformed, that we are better equipped to live the lives that you have given
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 us through the death and resurrection of your son.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 And so please draw us close to you this morning.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:49 Give us an incredibly vivid view of you and your glory that we might be better equipped
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 to live the lives that you have given us.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:53 Amen.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 I remember the night I became a Christian.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:02 It was quite possibly, even to this point, the most overwhelming night of my life.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 I was 14 years old.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 I was on a camp and I cried.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:13 Well, 14-year-old boys aren't supposed to cry, especially when there are girls around
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 who they're trying to impress, but I did.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:17 I wept.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:25 I was absolutely leveled by this incredible, unconditional love that God would offer to
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 even someone like me.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:32 Even as a 14-year-old, I had a reasonable awareness of the parts of me that were fairly
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 unlovable.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 There was probably more bits that I wasn't aware of, but there was enough there for me to
00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 know that loving me took effort.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 And so to hear about this incredible love just blew me away.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:49 Even though I had parents that loved me well, I had good friends in my life, it was clear
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 to me that night that there was something special about the way that God loved me.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 There was something more about that love.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 And I was just overwhelmed.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:03 I was just filled with gratitude and I was convicted.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:10 And at that moment, I was absolutely committed to live every second of every minute of every
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 day of every week of every year that God would give me in service of him.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 I knew that this was a life-defining moment.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 It happened on a camp in January of 1996.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:23 I remember where it was.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 It was at Illaroo Farm.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 I don't know if that campsite even still exists.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:31 And I came home from camp still absolutely on fire for God.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:38 Just so excited to be a Christian, ready to change the world, ready to be totally different,
00:03:38 --> 00:03:42 ready to leave behind what I used to be like and the reputation that I had and all those
00:03:42 --> 00:03:46 sorts of things, ready to be different and leave sinful habits behind.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:53 12 months later, I went on the same camp as a 15-year-old.
00:03:54 --> 00:04:00 And I remember at the same point in the camp where they were giving people the opportunity
00:04:00 --> 00:04:04 to start following Jesus, explaining what he had done and how much he loved them,
00:04:04 --> 00:04:08 I had this moment of deep and intense guilt.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:17 Because standing there, I suddenly realised that that resolve, that commitment, that conviction
00:04:17 --> 00:04:22 that I had had only 12 months earlier, had almost entirely worn off.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:33 In fact, if I'm honest, probably by mid-February of that year, it was gone.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:40 I was back into the usual rhythms of life and the new me that I was aspiring to seemed like
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 a kind of embarrassing overstatement.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:49 I hadn't arrived as this new person that I was supposed to be if I was going to follow Jesus.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:57 Now, I knew and I firmly believed that God's love for me wasn't going to be undone by my sad
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 and maybe even pathetic attempts at following him and living for him.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:05 But I also knew that there wasn't much in my life that said,
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 hey, Sam is different now to what he was 12 months ago.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:13 There wasn't much evidence to say, hey, Sam's a Christian, whereas he wasn't before.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 And so now the preacher's standing at the front of the room,
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 inviting people to put their trust in Jesus, to become Christians,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 and I'm sitting there thinking, well, something clearly needs to change,
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 but I can't do that because I've already done that.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 I did the becoming a Christian thing.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 I did the going down the front, praying the prayer, putting your hand up,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:34 whatever you want to call it.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:41 So what was I supposed to do with this incredible guilt and correct perception
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 that not a whole lot had changed?
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 I mean, I don't know about you, but if you've been around church for long,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 you've heard enough testimonies or stories of Jesus
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 that go something like, before I met Jesus, I was a jerk.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 I met Jesus and now look at me.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:01 That wasn't my story.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 Before I met Jesus, I was a jerk.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 Then I met Jesus and 12 months later, I was still a jerk.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 In fact, let's be honest, there's some of you who think that I'm still a jerk now.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:17 But seriously, in that moment, I was feeling this obvious awareness
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 that I wasn't anywhere near where I was supposed to be.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 I couldn't do that first step.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:23 I'd already done that.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 So what do I do now?
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 And so I figured, as somebody who had said I'd become a Christian,
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 had been hovering at church and youth group for 12 months,
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 everyone around me assumed that I was going great.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 I had two options.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:41 Rather than admit how kind of pathetic my attempts at following Jesus were,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 I could play it down, not just to them, but to me as well,
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 and go, maybe it's not so bad.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 Maybe I am moving forward more than I think.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:55 Or I could try a lot harder and make up for the fact
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 that I'd wasted this first 12 months.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 I figured they were my two options.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 I knew there was a standard that, or at least I felt this pressure
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 that I had to live up to some sort of standard,
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 I didn't want to be another Christian hypocrite.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:10 I wanted God to still love me.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 I wanted to be as good as all these other Christians around me seemed to be.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 And really, if I'm honest, I think what I expected was
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 that I was supposed to be like Jesus.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:26 I even had a WWJD band to remind me I was supposed to be like Jesus.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:35 And maybe that's a pressure that you feel, trying to follow Jesus right now.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 Maybe you're not having that moment like me on camp,
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 but with a little bit of a push, a little bit of self-reflection,
00:07:43 --> 00:07:47 you feel a discomfort of, I'm supposed to be here,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 and in reality I'm somewhere down here.
00:07:49 --> 00:07:55 Christians never explicitly say,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 hey, you've got to be perfect.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:58 We wouldn't use that word,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:03 but think about the way that you respond to moral failure.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 When you come across it in other people,
00:08:08 --> 00:08:12 do you find yourself wondering whether or not they're really Christian?
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 Do you find yourself measuring who the best Christians are
00:08:18 --> 00:08:22 based on their level of goodness or their level of morality?
00:08:22 --> 00:08:26 Or what about in your own life?
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 When you become aware of sin in your life,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 are you tempted to justify it as not so bad?
00:08:32 --> 00:08:36 Because let's be honest, it's uncomfortable to carry guilt.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:37 It's uncomfortable.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 Or maybe when you find sin in your own life,
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 you feel that increased pressure to somehow make up for it.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:51 Somehow pray more, serve more, give more, attend more.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:57 Does it all just get compounded by this fear
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 that people might find out about this sin?
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 Somehow the secret might get out.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:08 Find out what?
00:09:10 --> 00:09:14 That you're not as good as you're trying to pretend that you are?
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 Find out that you're not as perfect as Jesus?
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 Wouldn't that be a shock?
00:09:22 --> 00:09:29 And so you're trapped in a cycle of doing everything you can to cover it up,
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 to keep your failure a secret,
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 to not let anyone else know that you make mistakes.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:39 And every time you do that, you increase the pressure on yourself
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 to hold up this standard of godliness.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 You increase the pressure to maintain this show,
00:09:46 --> 00:09:46 this pretense.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:51 And maybe it adds guilt that just drives you.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 And so you're serving a lot.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 You're ticking all the obvious boxes of following Jesus,
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 but deep down you are feeling this incredible pressure.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 You are driven by this ridiculous weight.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 Because somewhere along the line,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 you and I and most of us started to believe the lie
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 that as a Christian, you had to be perfect.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:18 Or at very least, you had to be better than most people.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 Better than the people who aren't at church.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:27 We started expecting ourselves to have kind of arrived as Christians.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:32 And maybe it's from a verse like verse 5 in 1 John 1.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 We open the Bible and it says,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 This is the message we've heard from Him and declare to you.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 God is light.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 In Him there is no darkness at all.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:46 And if we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness,
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 we lie and do not live out the truth.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 And so we start to panic.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 We think, well, I want to live in fellowship with God.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 I want to be a Christian.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 And so I can't acknowledge darkness.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 I can't acknowledge failure.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 Because then, apparently, I'm a liar and I have no fellowship.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 And so we feel this pressure.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 But you've got to understand, that's not what this verse is saying.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:12 That's not what any other verse that might sound even vaguely like that is saying.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 Because the next verse says,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 If we walk in the light as He is in the light,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 we have fellowship with one another,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:25 and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 So we're already walking in the light and yet we still need purification.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 So it's not telling us we need to be perfect.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 But somewhere along the line,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:36 our own fear and insecurity has meant that is a lie we have begun to believe.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:43 And I want to begin this series by saying that if there is any part of that sentiment that resonates with you,
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 if there is even a hint of this that you think,
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 yeah, that sounds right.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 I need to be better than the people around me.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 I need to be good enough for God.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:58 You need to hear that that is a lie.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:05 You need to really listen today and throughout this series because Jesus wants to show you what He means when He says,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 My yoke is easy.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 My burden is light.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:14 following Jesus is a journey.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 It's about becoming something.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:23 It's about being slowly and progressively transformed.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:27 If you're a Christian, if you're following Jesus, you are not a finished product.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 I can say that with absolute confidence.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 You are on a journey and you have not yet arrived.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 You are not at the destination.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 You are not done.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:44 Margaret Graham, who is the wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, has on her tombstone,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 end of construction.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 Thank you for your patience.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:55 Jesus says following Him is like being on a narrow road.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 It's a road that leads to life.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:04 It's a road that ends in the perfect life, in the perfection that maybe we desire.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:08 But being on the road is not the same as being at the end of the road.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:13 Anyone who has kids and has been on a road trip with those kids knows that there is an obvious
00:13:13 --> 00:13:18 and important distinction between being on a journey and arriving at your destination.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 You've sat in the car and heard the haunting chorus of,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 Are we there yet?
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 Are we there yet?
00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 Are we there yet?
00:13:25 --> 00:13:30 And after answering no for the thousandth time, maybe you chose to get a bit creative.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 We're on the way.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 We're almost there.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:38 Or maybe, you know, the doozy, which I believe is untrue.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 But anyway, it's not about the destination.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 It's about the journey.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 Your kids will quickly teach you that that's not true.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 The whole point of a journey is to get somewhere.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:50 You know, the journey might increase your joy on the journey if you do fun things,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 but you are on a journey to get to somewhere.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 And kids are pretty astute.
00:13:55 --> 00:14:01 They will work out that no matter how you spin it, being on the way, being on the journey,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 and actually arriving at your destination is not the same thing.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:12 The joy of the journey, the point of the journey is only served when you arrive.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:18 And so if you're a Christian, you haven't arrived yet.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 You need to hear this.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 Jesus says he will carry his work on.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 He will make sure you arrive eventually.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:34 But that arrival, that completion will be at the end of the journey.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 That will be heaven.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 That will be when we finally get home.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 The Christian life is a journey between two points.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 It's the point that I just talked about when I was 14,
00:14:44 --> 00:14:48 when you discover that on the cross, Jesus died so that you could be forgiven.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 And you receive the new life, that the journey begins there.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:57 And the other point is heaven, when finally one day you'll be face to face with God,
00:14:57 --> 00:15:03 every bit of sin and sickness and evil and everything that is bad in you and in the world is totally removed.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 But right now as a Christian, you live between those two points.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 Following Jesus is a journey.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:16 And so this series is about how do we live on that journey?
00:15:16 --> 00:15:23 What does it look like to not just wander aimlessly, but actually to flourish, to thrive on this journey?
00:15:24 --> 00:15:32 What does it look like to maintain momentum, to keep going, to find joy, to grow in your delight in God on this journey?
00:15:33 --> 00:15:38 What does it look like to not just shut your eyes, block your ears and hope that eventually one day you'll be home?
00:15:40 --> 00:15:45 What does it look like to love Jesus and enjoy him more and more every step of the way?
00:15:46 --> 00:15:53 In heaven, we will be perfect, sinless, just like Jesus.
00:15:55 --> 00:16:00 But until then, that's not a standard that Jesus expects of you.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:05 That's not the measure he's holding up next to your life.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 And as long as we keep expecting that of ourselves and each other,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:14 we're making it more difficult for one another to do this journey.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:19 In fact, for some people who are checking out Jesus,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:23 some people who are trying to decide whether or not this whole Christian thing is worth it,
00:16:24 --> 00:16:30 this expectation, this unwritten law that we have about being good enough,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 is enough to turn them away.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 Because, again, they correctly understand, hey, I can't do that.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:44 And for some Christians, it's this unwritten standard,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 this pressure,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 that makes following Jesus far harder than it's supposed to be.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:55 Being a Christian means being unfinished,
00:16:55 --> 00:17:00 which means every person in this room who is following Jesus is unfinished.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:05 Every person in this room who is following Jesus right now has sin.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 Whether or not anyone else knows, you know.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 You have sin in your life.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 Maybe sin you've been wrestling with,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 maybe sin you've grown comfortable with,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 but you have sin in your life.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:23 The issue is not if you fail as a Christian,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:27 but what you do when you fail as a Christian.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 Have a look at verse 8 with me in 1 John 1.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 If we claim to be without sin,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:37 we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 Now, none of us is actually walking around saying,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 hey, I'm perfect.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 Well, at least I haven't heard that.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:49 But what we do by not actually specifically acknowledging
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 our areas of failure or weakness
00:17:51 --> 00:17:54 is essentially imply that we're perfect.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 We essentially give off the sense that there's nothing wrong.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:05 And what we're doing by not regularly recognizing and acknowledging sin
00:18:05 --> 00:18:10 is, in brackets, claiming perfection.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:14 Making God out to be a liar, according to this verse.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 Or walking in the darkness.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 Putting on a show.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 Not showing what's really going on in our life.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:24 And if you talk a big game like that as a Christian,
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 if you walk around acting like you've got it all together,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 then people will expect you to have it all together.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:32 If you're not confessing sin,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 it's a fair assumption that you either don't have any,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 or at least you don't think you do.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 And that's a recipe for pressure.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 For you and the people around you.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 That's a recipe for insecurity for you.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:49 Because what happens if you suddenly do become aware of your failure
00:18:49 --> 00:18:52 after you've been pretending that you're perfect?
00:18:52 --> 00:18:56 And ultimately, it's a recipe for hypocrisy.
00:18:58 --> 00:19:01 That's why the world looks at the church and thinks,
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 why would I want to be one of them?
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 They say this and they do this.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 And so I just want to ask the question,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 I want you to ask yourself the question,
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 why do we do that?
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 Why do we try and act like we're better than we really are?
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 What is it that we think we gain?
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 Who is it that we're trying to impress with our apparent perfection?
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 I mean, we know that we do it.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 That's where we get our hypocrite tag.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:35 We know that we do it because so often people who aren't like us,
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 who aren't as moral as us,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 who don't have the same background or upbringing as us,
00:19:40 --> 00:19:43 feel incredibly uncomfortable in our churches.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 So why do we do it?
00:19:47 --> 00:19:52 Why do we hold ourselves and the people around us
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 to a standard that is clearly impossible?
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 Because it's not a pressure the Bible ever puts on you.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 It's not a pressure Jesus ever puts on you.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:06 Jesus never says, hey, you're saved by grace,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:10 but you stay in depending on how good you are,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 depending on how much progress you've made.
00:20:13 --> 00:20:22 See, the power of failure and sin over us is the fear that goes with us.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:26 The power of it is the fear that we have
00:20:26 --> 00:20:29 that somehow we might lose God's love for us.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:33 It's a fear that Satan loves to grab hold of.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 Satan is sometimes called the great accuser.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:39 And what he does in those moments of failure
00:20:39 --> 00:20:43 is he presses the button that we already have
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 of being insecure before God.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:47 He reminds us of something that's actually true.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 We don't deserve to be loved by God.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:54 But he does it in a place where suddenly we're feeling
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 that pressure more acutely.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 And he will just keep reminding us how bad we are.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:04 putting the pressure on us to either improve,
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 be better, or give up.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:12 So many well-intended Christians live with this pressure
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 when they fail.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:17 They try harder and harder to be better.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:21 They serve more and more to cover up the guilt
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 for their moral failure.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:31 But inside, they're just wracked with guilt and petrified
00:21:31 --> 00:21:34 that God is going to stop loving them,
00:21:35 --> 00:21:38 that people are going to find out what they're really like.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 But you've got to understand,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:47 Jesus doesn't respond to failure like that.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 I mean, in verse 9 it says,
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 If we confess our sins,
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 he's faithful and just
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 and will forgive us our sins
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 and purify us from all unrighteousness.
00:21:57 --> 00:22:01 Jesus responds to your shame and guilt and sin and failure
00:22:01 --> 00:22:06 with the gentle invitation to come back to him.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:11 With the gracious offer of unconditional forgiveness
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 and cleansing and purification.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 When he looks at your sin,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 his response is,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 Confess it to me.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:23 Hand it over and find that I respond
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 the same way I did the first time you did this.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 With forgiveness and love.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 This verse doesn't say he might forgive us.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 He doesn't say he'll,
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 when you come,
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 weigh up how many bad things you've done before,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 what your track record is.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 It says he is faithful.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 He is just.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 He will forgive you.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 He will purify you.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:49 So often,
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 our failure leads to insecurity and fear
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 when it comes to following Jesus,
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 but it actually doesn't have to.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 Failure is going to be part of the journey,
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 but God in his grace
00:22:59 --> 00:23:02 has actually transformed your failure
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 into an opportunity
00:23:03 --> 00:23:06 for you to get deeper security in him.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:10 God actually sees your failure
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 and thinks this is an opportunity
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 for you to be even more certain
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 that I love you.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 One of the things that I love to do
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 with both my boys
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 is building with blocks.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 Sometimes they ruin
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 my excellent creations,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 but I overlook that
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 because they're little.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 But something I've noticed,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 particularly in my eldest son,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 Bailey,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 is this fierce independence
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 when it comes to building.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 It's also,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 you know,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 that's kind of a euphemism
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 for he doesn't like sharing,
00:23:39 --> 00:23:42 but he also likes to do things by himself.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 And so sometimes he'll be struggling
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 to get the next piece on his tower
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 or to attach this
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 ridiculously inappropriate piece
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50 off the side of this house
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 or zoo that he's built.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 And I'm sitting there
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 kind of trying to be patient.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 Do you want daddy's help?
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 He says, no.
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 Okay?
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 I'll keep watching
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 while he fumbles about
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 for a little bit longer.
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 You know,
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 the internal wrestle in me
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 just wanting to fix it
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 and make it work.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 But I sit
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 and I patiently wait
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 and eventually
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 I get to the point
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 I think, okay,
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 I'll offer again.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 He's starting to get agitated
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 and frustrated.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 You know,
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 pieces are about to be thrown.
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 There's about to be a tantrum.
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 And I say,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 would you like daddy
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 to help you do that piece?
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 He shuts me down
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 a little more aggressively
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 the second time around.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 And the struggle is
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 that in that moment
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 his desire is actually good.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 He wants to grow
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 in his capability.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 He wants to get better
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 at this thing.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 He's frustrated
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 that his skills
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 are not moving forward,
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 that he can't actually
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 get this piece to fit
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 the way that he wants it to.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 But that good desire
00:24:42 --> 00:24:45 becomes toxic
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 when it stands
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 between him
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 and the one thing
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 that can actually
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 solve his problem.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 In this case,
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 namely me.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 Sitting there
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 offering to help.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:57 that good desire
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 to be capable
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 is toxic
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 because in that desire
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02 he rejects help.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 And in the same way,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 our good desire
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 to please God,
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 the rightness
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 of wanting to live
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 increasingly
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 holy lives,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 of wanting to increasingly
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 be more and more
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 like Jesus,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 that's a good desire,
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 the rightness
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 of responding
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 to failure
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 with shame
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 and guilt
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 becomes toxic
00:25:22 --> 00:25:24 when it drives you
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 away from the one
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 thing that can help you
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 become more like Jesus.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 The one thing
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 that can help you
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 deal with shame
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 and guilt.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 The only way
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 you can deal
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 with sin
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 and failure
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 in your life
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 is through Jesus,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 through his death
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 in your place
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 and he's saying
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 every time you fail,
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 not just once,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 once upon a time,
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 every time you fail,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 come back to Jesus.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 I mean,
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 did you catch
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 this kind of
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 strange little sentence
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 at the beginning
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 of chapter 2?
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 It says,
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 my dear children,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 I write this to you
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 so that you will not sin.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 But if anybody
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 does sin,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 we have an advocate
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 with the Father,
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 Jesus Christ,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 the righteous one.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:06 He is the atoning
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 sacrifice for our sins,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 not only for ours
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 but also for the sins
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 of the whole world.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 Jesus is the only thing
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 that deals with sin.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 He is sufficient
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 to deal with
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 all of your sin
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 and not just your sin
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 but the sins
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 of the whole world
00:26:19 --> 00:26:21 and this is written
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 to Christians.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 It's written
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 to dear children,
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 to those who have
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 begun the journey,
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 to those who at some point
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 decided to start
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 following Jesus
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 and here we're being told,
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 don't leave
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 confession behind.
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 Don't leave
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 acknowledging that
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 you're inadequate
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 just to the beginning
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 of the journey.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 this is a regular
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 part of the journey
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 following Jesus.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 Putting your hand up
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 saying,
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 God,
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 I still need your grace
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 just as much as I did
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 when I began.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55 Every time you sin,
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 there is still grace,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 there is still forgiveness
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00 and it's offered freely.
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 The only thing
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 that can stand
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 between you
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 and that forgiveness
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 is your own pride,
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 your attempts
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 to self-justify
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 your actions,
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 your attempts
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 to impress people
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 and God,
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 whether it's
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 from playing down sin
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 or trying to make up
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 for it,
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 so long as you think
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 that somehow
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 God needs you
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 to be good enough
00:27:23 --> 00:27:25 for Him to love you,
00:27:26 --> 00:27:28 you will spend
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 your whole life
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 crushed
00:27:29 --> 00:27:31 by a standard
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 that you will never
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 live up to.
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 So long as there is
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 even a skerrick
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 of belief in your mind
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 that God's love
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 is dependent
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 on how good you are,
00:27:44 --> 00:27:46 you will spend
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 your life trapped
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 in a cycle
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 of guilt,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 failure,
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 denial,
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 pretense,
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 judgment of others
00:27:55 --> 00:27:57 and ultimately
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 the fear
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 that one day
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 God and everyone else
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 will find out
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 what you're really like
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 and treat you
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 the way you deserve.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 God knows
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 what you're like.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 The Bible
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 said that Christ
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 died for us
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 when we were
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 still sinners.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 Christ died
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 for us
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 fully aware
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 of everything
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 you had ever
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 done up to that
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 point,
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 fully aware
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 of everything
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 you were going
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 to do
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 from that point
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 forward,
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 more aware
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 of your deepest,
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 darkest secrets
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 than you are.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 He already
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 knows
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 grace.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 And when you
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 fail,
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 grace is on
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 offer.
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 Again,
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 this isn't an
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 if you fail
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 issue,
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 this is a
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 when you fail.
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 When you fail,
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 God offers
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 grace.
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 He offers
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 forgiveness.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 And this matters
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 more than just
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 in the instantaneous
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 sense of not
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 feeling bad,
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 of kind of
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 escaping that
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 discomfort of
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 shame.
00:29:00 --> 00:29:04 encountering
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 God's grace
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 like this
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 again and
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 again is
00:29:07 --> 00:29:09 essential to
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 journeying well
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 as a Christian.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 Essential to
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 this journey
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 between what
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 Jesus has done
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 on the cross
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 and what he
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 has prepared
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 for us in
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 heaven.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 Confessing sin
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 is an assurance
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 building activity.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 It's a gift
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 that God has
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 given us.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 It is a tool
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 that God has
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 given us so
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 that we don't
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 just fall over
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 the finish line
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 one day and
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 think,
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 thank God
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 that journey
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 is over.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:33 But so that
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 we hit the
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 finish line
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 with momentum.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 So that each
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 day we get
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 more and more
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 excited for
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 what the future
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 is because
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 we're tasting
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 that future
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 in the momentary
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 grace that we
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 get every time
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 we come to
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 God without
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 failure and
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 hear the
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 words,
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 you are
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 forgiven.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 Completely,
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 irreversibly,
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 unconditionally
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 forgiven.
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 I mean,
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 think about
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 what you did
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 when you first
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 became a
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 Christian.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 You confessed
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 now,
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 it might have
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 been clumsy,
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 it might have
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 been vague,
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 it might have
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 been general,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 but on some
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 level,
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 when you became
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 a Christian,
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 you said,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 God,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 I know I
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 don't deserve
00:30:12 --> 00:30:12 this,
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 I know I
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 don't deserve
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 to be loved
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 by you,
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 but please
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 forgive me.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 And he
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 did.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 In that
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 moment,
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 he did.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 And every
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 step since
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 then,
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 if you're still
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 going as a
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 Christian,
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 has been a
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 response to
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 that moment
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 of tasting
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 and experiencing
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 God's
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 incredible love,
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 of having
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 the weight
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 lifted.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 But what
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 regular
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 confession of
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 sin does
00:30:39 --> 00:30:41 is draw you
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 back to
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 that experience.
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 Draws you
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 back to the
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 power of
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 that experience.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 It's kind
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 of like a
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 long distance
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 relationship.
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 I don't know
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 if you've ever
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 had a relationship
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 with somebody
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 across oceans
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 or states
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 or whatever
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 it might be.
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 If you don't
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 speak to or
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 see the person
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 that you love
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 regularly,
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 it's inevitable
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 that over a
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 period of time,
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 the power of
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 that love to
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 drive your
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 actions and
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 emotions is
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 going to
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 slowly decrease.
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 Now,
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 it might still
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 be sufficient
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 to keep you
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 faithful,
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 to keep you
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 committed to
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 that person,
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 but it's not
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 going to have
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 the same
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 drive as if
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 you are face
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 to face
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 enjoying that
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 person's
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 company regularly.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 It's not
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 going to have
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 the same
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 impact on
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 you as if
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 you were
00:31:28 --> 00:31:30 actually in
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 their company,
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 delighting in
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 all the things
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 that drew you
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 to them in
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 the first
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 place.
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 It's not
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 going to have
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 the same
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 drive that's
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 possible when
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 distance is
00:31:39 --> 00:31:41 removed and
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 you get to
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 enjoy that
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 person day
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 in and day
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 out.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 Now,
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 in the same
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 way,
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 your first
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 time experience
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 of God's
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 grace when
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 you became a
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 Christian,
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 if you are
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 one,
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 is ultimately
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 powerful enough
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 to get you
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 to the end
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 of this
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 journey.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 I want to
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 make that
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 really clear.
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 That grace
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 that God
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 showed you
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 in forgiving
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 you once
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 is enough
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 to get you
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 to the end.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 God promises
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 he's not
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 going to let
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 you go
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 if you've
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 taken step
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 one and
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 said,
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 I want to
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 be forgiven.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 God has
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 you and
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 he will
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 make sure
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 you get
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 to the
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 end.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 But God's
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 desire,
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 again,
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 is not that
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 you collapse
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 over the
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 finish line.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 God's desire
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 is not that
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 you bang
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 your head
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 against the
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 wall and
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 following him
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 throughout your
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 life and
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 then one
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 day think,
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 again,
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 full life,
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 a joyful
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 life,
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 a secure
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 life.
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 He wants
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 your momentum
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 to build
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 in following
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 him.
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 He wants
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 you to be
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 more confident
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 of his love
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 for you at
00:32:32 --> 00:32:32 the end of
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 your life
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 than you
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 were day
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 one when
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 you hadn't
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 even had
00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 the chance
00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 to disappoint
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 him yet.
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 He wants
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 you to
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 grow.
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 He wants
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 you to
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 keep tasting
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 grace and
00:32:42 --> 00:32:44 confession is
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 a gift that
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 he has given
00:32:45 --> 00:32:47 us for us
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 to taste
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 grace.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 It's an
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 opportunity he
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 has given
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 us that we
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 might taste
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 and experience
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 his incredible
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 love.
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 It is a
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 chance to
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 air our
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 dirty laundry,
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 to show
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 him the
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 deepest,
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 darkest parts
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 of us,
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 the things
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 we're most
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 ashamed about
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 and find
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 that again
00:33:03 --> 00:33:05 he says,
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 I love you
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 and I
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 forgive you.
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 And again
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 he says,
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 I love you
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 and I
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 forgive you.
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 And again
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 he says,
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 I love you
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 and I
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 forgive you.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 And as you
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 do it once,
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 you suddenly
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 think,
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 wow,
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 he even
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 forgave that.
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 And so
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 the next
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 time you're
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 more confident
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 and you do
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 it again
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 and you think,
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 wow,
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 he loved that.
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 And he gets
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 this track
00:33:22 --> 00:33:22 record for you
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 that's not
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 just theory
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 you've heard
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 about,
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 but it's
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 love that
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 you've
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 experienced.
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 And so
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 more and
00:33:30 --> 00:33:30 more we
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 need to be
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 people who
00:33:32 --> 00:33:34 confess sin
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 to God.
00:33:35 --> 00:33:38 and as we
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 do it,
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 who discover
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 that his
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 love is
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 more powerful
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 than our
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 pride,
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 our lust,
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 our greed,
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 our selfishness,
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 our laziness.
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 And every
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 time you do
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 it,
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 it'll be like
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 reliving a
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 mini version
00:33:55 --> 00:33:57 of that first
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 moment that you
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 tasted grace.
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 That first
00:34:01 --> 00:34:01 moment,
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 initial joy
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 of discovering
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 that God
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 loves you
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 more than
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 you can
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 possibly
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 comprehend
00:34:06 --> 00:34:08 and that
00:34:08 --> 00:34:08 he will
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 always love
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 you.
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 Every time
00:34:11 --> 00:34:11 we stop
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 to confess
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 sin,
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 we get the
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 chance to
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 experience that
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 joy afresh.
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 And so
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 we need to
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 be people
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 who confess.
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 We need
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 to be people
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 who are honest
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 about how
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 we're going,
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 who walk in
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 the light,
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 that's what it
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 means,
00:34:29 --> 00:34:31 who show
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 what's really
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 going on because
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 we're not
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 trusting in
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 our ability
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34 to fake
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 meeting a
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 standard.
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 We're trusting
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 in God's
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 love for us
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 that is
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 stronger than
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 our failure.
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 And so if
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 you're not
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 regularly asking
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 for forgiveness
00:34:44 --> 00:34:44 from God,
00:34:45 --> 00:34:45 and I don't
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 mean generally
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 like, hey
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 God, I
00:34:47 --> 00:34:47 haven't done
00:34:47 --> 00:34:47 very well
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 this week,
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 I mean
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 specifically.
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 Like, hey
00:34:51 --> 00:34:51 God, I
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 thought this
00:34:52 --> 00:34:52 about that
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 person this
00:34:53 --> 00:34:53 week and I
00:34:53 --> 00:34:53 know that
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 doesn't
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 honour you.
00:34:56 --> 00:34:56 Like, hey
00:34:56 --> 00:34:56 God, I
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 lied about
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 this in
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 this way
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 because I
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 was more
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 worried about
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 my reputation
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 than yours
00:35:01 --> 00:35:01 and I know
00:35:01 --> 00:35:01 it's not
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 okay.
00:35:02 --> 00:35:04 specific
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 confession.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 If you're
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 not doing
00:35:05 --> 00:35:07 it, then
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 God's love
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 will seem
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 small, distant
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 and inadequate.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 You'll find
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 yourself like I
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 did a year
00:35:14 --> 00:35:14 into my
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 journey of
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 following Jesus,
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 not really
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 going anywhere.
00:35:18 --> 00:35:18 prayer.
00:35:21 --> 00:35:23 So often, any
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 lack of energy
00:35:24 --> 00:35:24 or enthusiasm
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 that Christians
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 have can be
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 traced back to
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 an entree-sized
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 encounter with
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 God's grace.
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 Expecting
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 yourself to
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 survive the
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 whole meal
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 after just
00:35:35 --> 00:35:37 snacking when
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 God has
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 offered you a
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 buffet.
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 All-you-can-eat
00:35:40 --> 00:35:42 grace for all
00:35:42 --> 00:35:42 of your life,
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 for every sin,
00:35:44 --> 00:35:44 for every
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 failure.
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 prayer.
00:35:47 --> 00:35:47 If you're
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 feeling flat,
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 if you're not
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 feeling enthusiastic
00:35:51 --> 00:35:51 for God, if
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 you're not
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 driven to
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 love Him,
00:35:53 --> 00:35:53 maybe if
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 those words
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 that I
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 talked about
00:35:55 --> 00:35:55 at the
00:35:55 --> 00:35:55 beginning where
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 I was just
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 busting to
00:35:57 --> 00:35:57 follow Jesus
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 with every
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 minute,
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 sound familiar
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 but from
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 the past,
00:36:01 --> 00:36:03 you're not
00:36:03 --> 00:36:03 going to be
00:36:03 --> 00:36:03 able to fix
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 that by
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 trying harder.
00:36:07 --> 00:36:07 You're only
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 going to fix
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08 that by
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 feasting on
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 grace,
00:36:10 --> 00:36:14 by airing
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 your dirty
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 laundry and
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 discovering
00:36:17 --> 00:36:19 again that
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 God loves
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 you anyway,
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 probably more
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 than you even
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 realize.
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 We regularly
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 confess here at
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 church at St.
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 Paul's.
00:36:27 --> 00:36:27 We pray prayers
00:36:27 --> 00:36:28 together to do
00:36:28 --> 00:36:28 it.
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 We sing songs of
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 confession but
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 there's always the
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 potential in those
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 that we can say
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 the words,
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 let it go past.
00:36:34 --> 00:36:37 So I want to
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 push you right
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 now.
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 I'm basically
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 finishing here.
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 I want to push
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 you to take
00:36:45 --> 00:36:46 this grace
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 opportunity.
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 This isn't just
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 a right now
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 thing, this is
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 about every step
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 of the journey.
00:36:52 --> 00:36:52 What we're doing
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 in this series is
00:36:53 --> 00:36:53 trying to hand
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 you the tools
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 that we believe
00:36:55 --> 00:36:56 God has given
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 us so that the
00:36:57 --> 00:36:57 journey towards
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 home is one
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 where you get
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 more and more
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 momentum, more
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 and more excitement,
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 more and more
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 confident and so I
00:37:03 --> 00:37:04 want to push you
00:37:04 --> 00:37:04 as we finish
00:37:04 --> 00:37:06 today to take
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 the opportunity
00:37:07 --> 00:37:09 to confess sin
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 to God.
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 Specific sin.
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14 If you're sitting
00:37:14 --> 00:37:14 there and you
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 can't think of
00:37:15 --> 00:37:17 anything, two
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 things you need
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 to know.
00:37:19 --> 00:37:19 You definitely
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 have something to
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 confess because
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 we're all unfinished
00:37:22 --> 00:37:25 and you've gotten
00:37:25 --> 00:37:27 really good at
00:37:27 --> 00:37:27 denying it.
00:37:29 --> 00:37:29 Ask God to
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 un-teach you
00:37:30 --> 00:37:30 that.
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 Ask God to
00:37:32 --> 00:37:32 show you what
00:37:32 --> 00:37:33 it is that's
00:37:33 --> 00:37:33 unfinished.
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 If that's
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 your thing
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 you need to
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 confess, start
00:37:36 --> 00:37:36 there.
00:37:38 --> 00:37:38 Confess that
00:37:38 --> 00:37:39 God, I've been
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 practicing this
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 faking for so
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 long that I
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 don't even know
00:37:43 --> 00:37:43 the areas that
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 aren't good enough
00:37:44 --> 00:37:44 anymore.
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 But right now,
00:37:46 --> 00:37:46 take the
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 opportunity and
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 confess for
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 yourself.
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 We're going to
00:37:51 --> 00:37:51 sing to confess
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 together in a
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 moment but before
00:37:53 --> 00:37:53 we get there, I
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 want you right
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 now to go
00:37:55 --> 00:37:55 through the
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 process.
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 Stand before
00:37:58 --> 00:38:00 God, admit
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 who you are
00:38:01 --> 00:38:03 and find that
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 his response
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 is the same
00:38:05 --> 00:38:06 as it will
00:38:06 --> 00:38:06 always be.
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 I love you.
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 I forgive you.
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 So.
00:38:11 --> 00:38:11 forth, hope you
00:38:11 --> 00:38:13 help us.
00:38:13 --> 00:38:25 Habitat
00:38:25 --> 00:38:26 enough mehr
00:38:26 --> 00:38:27 you