WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.839 Good morning. Are we on? Yeah. Great. I hope you've survived the heat at the moment, not melting. 00:00:15.179 --> 00:00:24.760 If you're new, my name is Chris. I help oversee community groups here in Watermark. If you're old, I'm still Chris. 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:33.760 But it's great to see you this morning. We've been going through this series of judges, and if you've been here for any of the series, 00:00:33.900 --> 00:00:41.280 you may be very pleased that we're kind of in the last one today, because it's not the greatest summer reading, really. 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:47.200 Some of the passages are pretty dark. Some of the passages are pretty long. 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:52.040 And you may be thinking, whew, okay, let's hope we can get through this. 00:00:53.000 --> 00:01:00.479 But I think it's good for us to actually look at this kind of part of the Bible, because we live in a culture which is a soundbite culture. 00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:11.980 The hardest work that we do is in reading tweets, and we struggle to really wrestle with things, because we want everything instant. 00:01:11.980 --> 00:01:20.520 And yet, if you listen to anyone from Malcolm Gladwell to Tim Keller, you will know that actually, if you want to do anything worthwhile in life, 00:01:20.579 --> 00:01:22.520 it's got to be, you've got to put in effort. 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:32.000 And so, if you want to get into God and His Word, we also have to put in effort in this process. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:38.200 You know, the bodybuilder who feels the burn is the one who can lift the weight. 00:01:38.659 --> 00:01:44.659 You know, we're the ones who, we don't just want to have kind of child-friendly, pureed Bible, 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:51.500 but we want to have, allow God to speak through His Word so that we chew on it. 00:01:51.500 --> 00:02:01.319 And even in the harder passages, He really does begin to change us and make us more, a richer, deeper, not fluffy, not superficial people. 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:03.200 And that's why we're looking judges. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:10.300 So, I don't know, as we think about this, do you ever feel like you just kind of mess up? 00:02:11.099 --> 00:02:14.240 Not just once, but again and again and again. 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:17.580 And sometimes, maybe you go back to God, and you say, God, forgive me. 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:22.319 And no sooner have you said, God, forgive me, then you're doing exactly the same thing that you did before. 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:24.759 Am I the only one who ever does that? 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:30.120 Because that is actually what the book of Judges is really all about. 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:40.120 But, if we can just look at the slide, we've kind of looked at a little picture diagram that kind of summarizes both the gospel and this series in Judges. 00:02:40.200 --> 00:02:42.259 We've seen how God is the King. 00:02:42.819 --> 00:02:43.719 That's the first picture. 00:02:43.939 --> 00:02:49.060 The King, and we are made in His image to be like Him, to be reflecting Him in love. 00:02:49.659 --> 00:02:54.879 And yet we, as His people, turned away from God and turned to idols. 00:02:55.420 --> 00:03:00.040 Idols of sex, idols of ambition, idols of power, all kinds of things like that. 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:03.460 And the result was, we come under God's judgment. 00:03:04.259 --> 00:03:05.240 That's the third picture. 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:12.140 But the book of Judges is all about how God sends judges to save the people. 00:03:12.280 --> 00:03:14.659 But the judges are inadequate saviors. 00:03:15.200 --> 00:03:19.680 And they're pointing forward to a saviour who's going to come, who's going to die. 00:03:19.980 --> 00:03:22.860 And that is Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate saviour. 00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:33.200 And we saw last week how He comes to save us from the shame of the idolatry, of the things we put before Him. 00:03:33.500 --> 00:03:38.280 And to release us, to expose us to what we're like, but so that He can heal us. 00:03:38.440 --> 00:03:39.520 So that He can change us. 00:03:39.580 --> 00:03:41.180 So that He can renew us. 00:03:41.180 --> 00:03:48.740 And today we're going to look at how we respond to this message, which is really the last picture. 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:52.360 How do we respond to our sin being exposed? 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:56.400 How do we respond in this issue? 00:03:57.140 --> 00:03:58.860 And so we're going to look at these two responses. 00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:04.200 We can respond with religion or we can respond with repentance. 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:06.100 Religion or repentance. 00:04:06.099 --> 00:04:11.859 So we're going to, if you've got the passage, we're going to kind of skim through it quickly. 00:04:12.019 --> 00:04:19.819 And today I want to look through this, how this passage shows you what outward religiosity, what religion looks like. 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:24.740 Because this story is about religious people doing religious things. 00:04:25.100 --> 00:04:26.959 You see, they're right in verse 2. 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:30.439 It says they're the people of God and they gather to God. 00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:32.659 You know, there's all these religious things. 00:04:32.659 --> 00:04:33.620 They're praying. 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:34.740 They're weeping. 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:35.699 They're fasting. 00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:36.879 They're confessing. 00:04:37.099 --> 00:04:38.459 They're sacrificing offerings. 00:04:38.620 --> 00:04:40.339 It seems to be very religious. 00:04:42.159 --> 00:04:49.579 But like all their religion and all non-gospel religion, their religion is actually self-focused. 00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:52.300 So let's look at the story. 00:04:53.319 --> 00:05:02.099 If you were here last week, you saw the terrible story of how this Levite religious priest was surrounded by a group of men who wanted to rape him. 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:06.420 But instead, what he does to save himself, he throws out his concubine. 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:07.500 She suffers. 00:05:07.760 --> 00:05:08.480 She dies. 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:09.400 He escapes. 00:05:10.220 --> 00:05:12.500 And from this, the Levite is indignant. 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:14.360 He's furious at what has happened. 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:21.740 And he calls all of Israel to come and fight against the Benjamites, the tribe of Israel, who had done this terrible thing. 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:26.960 The thing was, he was not angry at what had happened to the concubine. 00:05:26.960 --> 00:05:30.560 He was angry because of the way he had been treated. 00:05:31.900 --> 00:05:32.740 You look in verse 4. 00:05:32.840 --> 00:05:33.180 It says, 00:05:33.180 --> 00:05:47.060 It's all about him. 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:49.560 And he is Israel's priest. 00:05:49.699 --> 00:05:52.939 So the attack, he says, is against all of Israel's religion. 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:54.160 And it's true. 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:56.720 Justice needs to be served in this situation. 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:00.820 But he's more concerned about himself. 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:06.340 You see, he's got 20-20 vision when it looks like, when he can see everybody else's sin. 00:06:06.580 --> 00:06:12.420 But when it comes to his own fault in the process, he can't, he's blind to it. 00:06:12.460 --> 00:06:13.260 He can't see it. 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:17.760 Because he was the one who threw out his concubine to save himself. 00:06:17.940 --> 00:06:21.000 He was the one who dehumanized this wife. 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:22.920 But he just can't see it. 00:06:23.520 --> 00:06:25.800 All he can see is the other people's sin. 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:31.540 Because outwardly religious people are self-righteous. 00:06:32.259 --> 00:06:33.980 They can't see their own sin. 00:06:35.960 --> 00:06:37.540 The story continues. 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:38.660 The people hear the story. 00:06:38.780 --> 00:06:39.379 They're enraged. 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:44.319 They decide, independently of God, to try and fix the Benjamites once and for all. 00:06:45.259 --> 00:06:48.699 They say, here's what we will do to Gibeah. 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:50.300 Gibeah is in Benjamin. 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:52.240 We will go up against it. 00:06:52.379 --> 00:06:55.199 We will take 10 men of 100. 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:56.139 We will do it. 00:06:56.219 --> 00:06:56.839 We will do it. 00:06:56.920 --> 00:06:57.639 We will do it. 00:06:58.439 --> 00:06:59.399 Do they consult God? 00:06:59.500 --> 00:06:59.579 No. 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:06.039 They're going to fix the issue because we know how to deal with problems like this. 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:10.800 Because you see, outwardly religious people are self-reliant people. 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:15.659 They know how to fix the mess of the problems around them. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:18.459 And they rely on themselves to implement it. 00:07:18.459 --> 00:07:20.959 What happens next? 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:26.879 The Israelites go up to the Benjamites to get them to hand over the people who committed this crime. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:29.079 The Benjamites, they're proud people. 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:30.180 They're having none of it. 00:07:30.419 --> 00:07:32.539 And so war positions are drawn up. 00:07:32.719 --> 00:07:34.180 Israelites versus the Benjamites. 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:35.060 They're ready to attack. 00:07:35.179 --> 00:07:38.579 And then suddenly Israel remembers, oh, we're religious. 00:07:38.579 --> 00:07:41.300 So we need to go and pray to God. 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:48.180 The thing is, when they go and pray to God, they don't ask God, shall we go up and fight or not? 00:07:48.479 --> 00:07:49.779 They've already decided that. 00:07:50.159 --> 00:07:51.539 They've decided their plans. 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:53.879 They just want God to give them some of the details. 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:54.419 Okay? 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:57.120 Which tribe should we go up first? 00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:04.819 And God knows that they're treating him like a genie in a bottle just to get their own desires. 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:07.100 And he says, okay, I'll give you your plans. 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:09.280 You go ahead and do what you want to do. 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:11.240 Judah go first. 00:08:12.620 --> 00:08:14.420 And the problem is, they go into battle. 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:15.759 The battle doesn't go as planned. 00:08:16.139 --> 00:08:17.340 They're completely destroyed. 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:18.980 But these are tough guys. 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:19.740 They regroup. 00:08:19.939 --> 00:08:21.800 They come back to the battle lines. 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:25.980 And before they even ask God anything, they're ready to fight again. 00:08:25.980 --> 00:08:28.240 And then suddenly, they remember God. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:30.600 And they remember it didn't go well before. 00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:34.100 So they go up to God again and say, shall we go up and fight? 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:39.680 But here, it's a bit like if you go and buy a ticket to the Elton John concert. 00:08:40.860 --> 00:08:46.639 And on the day of the concert, you then turn to your wife and say, is it okay if I go to the concert tonight? 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:48.680 You know, it's a done deal. 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:50.659 There's no negotiations going on here. 00:08:50.820 --> 00:08:51.960 This is what they're doing. 00:08:53.580 --> 00:08:53.940 Okay? 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:57.980 And God again gives them over and says, okay, you want to do what you want to do? 00:08:58.120 --> 00:08:58.280 Okay. 00:08:58.780 --> 00:08:59.500 Go ahead. 00:08:59.880 --> 00:09:00.780 Go ahead and fight. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:03.540 But you will face the consequences of it. 00:09:04.760 --> 00:09:05.740 Again, they're defeated. 00:09:06.140 --> 00:09:08.800 This time, their confidence is shot. 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.220 They can't believe everything's gone wrong. 00:09:11.320 --> 00:09:11.980 They've failed. 00:09:12.280 --> 00:09:14.360 The plans have collapsed. 00:09:14.920 --> 00:09:17.260 Maybe now we should turn to God. 00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:20.039 Maybe now we should pray. 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:21.039 We should fast. 00:09:21.139 --> 00:09:21.980 We get on our knees. 00:09:22.100 --> 00:09:24.299 We say, God, help us. 00:09:24.379 --> 00:09:25.939 We're sorry for what we've done. 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:29.080 They seem to have kind of got the message. 00:09:29.580 --> 00:09:34.460 Because finally they say, God, shall we go up or shall we stop? 00:09:34.460 --> 00:09:40.139 God now has a kind of look in in the say of what's going on. 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:48.000 Because you see, outwardly religious people turn to God only when they can't control their own circumstances. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.159 They can manage the rest of the time. 00:09:51.620 --> 00:09:54.419 But it's amazing how your prayer life improves. 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:56.960 When you just have an interview. 00:09:57.820 --> 00:10:00.000 Or when your health is failing. 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:03.100 When the job cuts are coming and you can't control everything. 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:06.899 Suddenly we become incredibly religious and passionate about God. 00:10:09.580 --> 00:10:11.720 That's what religious people do. 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:19.800 But God uses their openness to say, okay, I am going to bring justice on the Benjamites for what they've done. 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:21.360 For their hard heartedness. 00:10:21.820 --> 00:10:23.740 Go up and I will give you victory. 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:28.200 And so the Israelites are like, okay, they've got God's okay. 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:29.320 They go into battle. 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:32.519 They demolish the tribe of Benjamin in battle. 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:35.220 And after winning it, they don't stop there. 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:38.300 They go beyond what God says. 00:10:38.299 --> 00:10:44.959 And they then go and enter all the villages and basically commit genocide of all the civilians as well. 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:48.919 Men, women, animals, children, the lot. 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:54.500 All that's left of this tribe is 600 soldiers. 00:10:55.479 --> 00:10:58.139 God had not told them to do this at all. 00:10:59.379 --> 00:11:00.539 The fighting stops. 00:11:01.439 --> 00:11:02.639 The dust settles down. 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:11.679 And suddenly the Israelites realize, we've just nearly wiped out a whole section of our family. 00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:13.840 Wow. 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:17.019 Only 600 guys left. 00:11:17.379 --> 00:11:17.919 No women. 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:19.899 This tribe is not going to continue. 00:11:21.100 --> 00:11:27.700 And to make it worse, we, when we were angry, we promised we're not going to give any of our daughters to these Benjamites at all. 00:11:27.700 --> 00:11:31.680 And we can't break a promise because our word is our honor. 00:11:34.600 --> 00:11:35.540 And they're sorry. 00:11:36.400 --> 00:11:38.420 Oh, they're remorseful. 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:39.879 The tribe's going to die out. 00:11:39.940 --> 00:11:40.700 What have we done? 00:11:41.560 --> 00:11:46.640 And so they run back to God and they fast and they pray and they say, oh, we're sorry. 00:11:47.460 --> 00:11:49.580 God, can you make up for what has happened? 00:11:49.580 --> 00:11:59.840 And they try and offer all these sacrifices, just trying to get God to kind of remedy the situation, to get them out of trouble, trying to make up for what has happened. 00:12:00.900 --> 00:12:04.940 Because, you see, religious people are sorry for the consequences of their sin. 00:12:05.740 --> 00:12:08.040 They're not sorry for the sin itself. 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:16.559 You know, one modern commentator on this passage says, don't tell me you're sorry because you're not. 00:12:16.959 --> 00:12:19.360 Maybe when I know you're only sorry you got caught. 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:21.299 Actually, that was Rihanna. 00:12:21.959 --> 00:12:26.279 But they're sorry that it turned out badly. 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:28.599 They're sorry they messed up. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:30.879 But they're not sorry they turned against God. 00:12:32.219 --> 00:12:34.079 And God doesn't answer them. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:37.360 And so what do they do as self-reliant people? 00:12:37.520 --> 00:12:42.740 They concoct their own plan to get women for these Benjamites so the tribe can continue. 00:12:43.060 --> 00:12:48.400 Basically what they do, in short, they annihilate one innocent village which didn't turn up to fight. 00:12:48.660 --> 00:12:50.560 They take and steal all the single women. 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:51.900 There's 400 of them. 00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:52.900 We need 200 more. 00:12:53.980 --> 00:12:55.400 Okay, what do we do next? 00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:58.160 Then they come up with a great loophole. 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:04.879 They think, okay, we promised we can't give our daughters to the Benjamites. 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:09.480 But maybe they can be kidnapped. 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:12.600 And then we won't have broken our promise. 00:13:13.539 --> 00:13:22.759 So they get the Benjamites to go and grab the women from the local music festival. 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:27.419 And I mean, it's just messed up. 00:13:28.860 --> 00:13:32.659 And they grab 200 women. 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:34.939 They're happy because they've got wives. 00:13:35.419 --> 00:13:38.299 The Israelites are happy because they didn't break their promise. 00:13:38.740 --> 00:13:39.559 Everyone's fine. 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:41.659 They all go back to their places. 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:43.039 End of story. 00:13:43.319 --> 00:13:44.600 Isn't it a wonderful story? 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:49.460 They'd found some gray areas. 00:13:50.460 --> 00:13:51.819 A loophole to get around it. 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:56.319 But you see, religious people see sin as something to get around. 00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:58.799 A loophole you can find. 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:00.279 It's a gray area, we say. 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:01.899 Just a white lie. 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:03.460 Not that serious. 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:05.899 That's what religious people say. 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:14.340 But the crazy thing about this story is the whole incident started with the rape and murder of one concubine. 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:20.240 And it's led to the rape and murder of hundreds of people. 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:22.220 Hundreds of women. 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:23.399 And men. 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:34.059 And their righteous indignation at the sin of the Benjamites led them to being religious hypocrites of the most obnoxious kind. 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:38.080 And they justified it by saying, well, God has allowed us to do it. 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:45.700 You see, outwardly religious people are self-righteous, self-reliant, self-directed. 00:14:45.780 --> 00:14:47.920 They only turn to God when it suits them. 00:14:47.920 --> 00:14:51.920 They're only sorry for the consequences of their sin when things turn out badly. 00:14:52.160 --> 00:14:54.440 And they see sin as something to shortcut. 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:55.920 That's religion. 00:14:57.920 --> 00:15:01.280 And you look at them and you say, wow, what a bunch of hypocrites you are. 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:02.560 Look at what you're doing. 00:15:04.060 --> 00:15:06.520 They're so sincere, though, in all their religious rituals. 00:15:06.880 --> 00:15:09.240 Do you see how sincere they are at curing injustice? 00:15:09.420 --> 00:15:12.600 Do you see how sincere they are at keeping their word? 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:18.279 But in fact, they're just using God to justify what they want to do. 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:23.440 And the passage ends with this damning indictment. 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:26.880 It says, in Israel, there was no king. 00:15:27.160 --> 00:15:29.820 Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. 00:15:30.500 --> 00:15:35.240 At the bottom of it all, even though they looked very religious, was themselves. 00:15:36.400 --> 00:15:38.660 They were at the center of it. 00:15:40.040 --> 00:15:42.240 At the bottom of religion is me. 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:44.600 And it's hypocrisy. 00:15:47.300 --> 00:15:51.940 No one in Hong Kong would ever think about the church like that, would they? 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:57.600 No one would ever think about you or me like that, would they? 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:06.280 You know, in history, crusades slaughtered thousands of people. 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:09.140 Priests have molested young children. 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:12.920 Christians have stood strong on certain moral issues. 00:16:12.920 --> 00:16:17.380 But when they get to the office, they're critical, greedy, judgmental. 00:16:18.020 --> 00:16:22.980 And the world looks at Christianity and says, if that's what Christianity is, then I don't want it. 00:16:23.800 --> 00:16:25.140 Because that's hypocrisy. 00:16:27.820 --> 00:16:34.700 But if you're not a Christ follower today, here today, let me tell you, God is not interested in making you religious. 00:16:35.400 --> 00:16:37.960 He's not interested in making you religious. 00:16:39.560 --> 00:16:40.440 How do I know? 00:16:40.560 --> 00:16:45.100 Amos chapter 5, God says to the people of Israel this, and I mean, this is strong. 00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:46.740 He says, I hate. 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:47.920 Okay? 00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:50.560 I despise your religious festivals. 00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:53.620 I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 00:16:53.860 --> 00:16:58.600 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them. 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:00.980 Take away from me the noise of your songs. 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:03.580 To the melody of your harps, I will not listen. 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:09.440 He says, I'm not interested in your church services, in your singing, in your serving, in your giving. 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:10.680 I'm not interested. 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:12.200 It means nothing to me. 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:14.900 And you're thinking, whoa, okay. 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:17.279 Like, are we meant to kind of stop all of this? 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:19.360 Was it a waste of time coming here today? 00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:21.480 And God is saying, no, no, no, no, no. 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:23.339 You've missed what I'm saying. 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:29.759 Because the heart of it is, you don't buy me off with your money or your religious practices, 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:33.839 but then refuse to let me be the king of your life. 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:36.160 That's not the way it works. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:39.940 Because I want your heart before I want your activity. 00:17:43.460 --> 00:17:45.200 Psalm 51 says this. 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.940 You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it. 00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:52.299 You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 00:17:52.880 --> 00:18:02.779 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, or God, you will not despise. 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:05.220 That's what he's looking for. 00:18:05.860 --> 00:18:06.799 Your heart. 00:18:09.220 --> 00:18:15.860 Are you a religious Christian coming to church, serving, doing other things because you know it's what you should do, 00:18:15.859 --> 00:18:19.679 or because you want, your heart wants to meet with God. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:26.339 And you know, I stand before you, having sat through many sermons, read many books, 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:32.579 and this passage convicts me because I know that I am the biggest religious hypocrite of the lot. 00:18:32.579 --> 00:18:38.919 And the book of Judges says to someone like me, to someone like us, it says, 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:45.279 you and I need spiritual revival in our hearts. 00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:49.119 And do you know how you get revival in your heart? 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:53.420 Well, every single spiritual revival throughout the whole of history, any place, any time, 00:18:53.500 --> 00:18:56.819 there's always been one thing which has been right at the center of it. 00:18:56.859 --> 00:18:58.139 It's an old-fashioned word. 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:00.279 It's the word repentance. 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:03.139 Repentance. 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:08.400 When Jesus came, he proclaimed, 00:19:09.259 --> 00:19:10.440 the kingdom of God is near. 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:14.020 Repent and believe the good news of the gospel. 00:19:15.300 --> 00:19:20.220 He's saying the way that you respond to God is by repentance and faith. 00:19:20.620 --> 00:19:21.500 It always is. 00:19:21.780 --> 00:19:24.820 Every day, whatever thing, that's what God is looking for. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:26.120 That's what he's after. 00:19:26.340 --> 00:19:27.340 Repentance, faith. 00:19:27.840 --> 00:19:28.280 That's it. 00:19:28.360 --> 00:19:29.620 That's the summary of the Christian life. 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:30.540 Repentance, faith. 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:37.579 Martin Luther even said the entire life of Christians is repentance. 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:38.659 The entire life. 00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:41.019 That's what Christianity is about, repentance, faith. 00:19:42.539 --> 00:19:43.139 But think about it. 00:19:43.139 --> 00:19:43.940 What is repentance? 00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:47.079 Literally, it means a change of mind. 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:49.319 A change of mind. 00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:56.740 It's like, you know in those movies where you see one lover kind of is leaving the other 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:59.460 because they've got a greater dream that they want to go to. 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:00.500 There's something better. 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:01.640 And they abandon one. 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:03.480 And they're walking off into the sunset. 00:20:03.620 --> 00:20:04.559 They're getting on the plane. 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:08.660 And then suddenly, as they're getting on the steps, they have a change of mind. 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:11.200 They come to their senses. 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:12.380 They turn around. 00:20:12.620 --> 00:20:15.559 They run back through the airport, knocking everybody out of the way. 00:20:15.740 --> 00:20:16.960 They're looking for their lover. 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:19.860 They run towards them, tears streaming down their eyes. 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:21.660 And they run straight towards them and say, 00:20:21.740 --> 00:20:23.720 I can't believe how I've been treating you. 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:24.519 Forgive me. 00:20:24.600 --> 00:20:25.299 They embrace. 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:25.940 They come back. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:27.400 I want to make you number one. 00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:28.640 And that is repentance. 00:20:32.800 --> 00:20:34.300 Jesus said it's shorter than that. 00:20:34.540 --> 00:20:36.019 But that is repentance. 00:20:39.320 --> 00:20:41.320 And it's turning from sin. 00:20:41.860 --> 00:20:43.000 But not just that. 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:45.220 It's turning to God. 00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:48.480 Turning from sin, turning to God. 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:50.259 So how do we do it? 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:51.220 How do you repent? 00:20:52.540 --> 00:20:55.000 There's four things I just want to kind of just work through. 00:20:55.080 --> 00:20:56.519 How do we repent in these things? 00:20:56.519 --> 00:20:57.119 First thing. 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:01.460 True repentance sees sin and owns it. 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:04.480 Sees sin and owns it. 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:14.740 The reason there's no repentance amongst the Israelites is they don't think they've got a problem. 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:17.279 They've minimized their sin. 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:18.759 They've justified it. 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:19.500 Their actions. 00:21:19.619 --> 00:21:20.759 They think they're okay. 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:23.259 They don't even know what they should repent for. 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:25.420 They're blind. 00:21:26.700 --> 00:21:31.700 But as a New York professor called Jonathan Haid, he's not a Christian, but he says, 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:40.980 every person has an inner lawyer who is hired to defend you from any hint of guilt. 00:21:40.980 --> 00:21:47.400 And he says, to prove it, just think of your response when somebody comes to you and says, 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:48.620 can you not? 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:50.599 Think about this. 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:54.360 In our house, we have a rule that the dishwashing brush, 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:57.940 when you finish washing the dishes, goes back on the side of the sink. 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:06.120 My wife comes back, sees it lying in the sink, and says, can you not leave it in the sink? 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:07.980 What is my response? 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:10.380 Do I admit guilt and confess? 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:11.000 No. 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:14.079 I say, yeah, but I haven't finished yet. 00:22:17.660 --> 00:22:19.259 I just went to the bathroom. 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:21.740 I'm coming back to do it. 00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:26.799 Now, my inner lawyer is doing an amazing job. 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:28.400 Everything that I paid him to do. 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:34.720 Because, now, I had gone to the bathroom 25 minutes previously. 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:41.460 I had forgotten, conveniently, to tell that actually for the last hour I'd been surfing on the internet 00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:43.220 and completely forgotten about the brush. 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:44.940 But that's okay. 00:22:45.600 --> 00:22:48.060 Because I can't own my sin. 00:22:48.340 --> 00:22:51.000 My lawyer has to find loopholes to get around it. 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:55.080 Because if I admit it, then I'm guilty as charged. 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:58.799 And just think, that's such a small, stupid incident. 00:22:58.919 --> 00:23:02.419 But think, how many times every single day do you do that? 00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:06.639 With small things, big things, all of the way. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:10.000 Listen, everybody has a great lawyer. 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:11.919 You don't need to hire another one. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:12.859 You've got the best. 00:23:14.359 --> 00:23:18.319 But just think, how many times we justify ourselves. 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:20.419 How many arguments would be avoided? 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:26.080 How many marriages would still be together if we fired our inner lawyers? 00:23:28.120 --> 00:23:32.300 Because they help us to prosecute everybody else's faults, but they blind us to our own. 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:36.580 We're like the Levite. 00:23:37.060 --> 00:23:37.940 We're like the Israelites. 00:23:38.800 --> 00:23:39.720 Couldn't see their sin. 00:23:39.820 --> 00:23:43.900 But repentance sees your sin and owns it. 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:46.140 It names sin as sin. 00:23:46.420 --> 00:23:47.420 It says, that's me. 00:23:47.560 --> 00:23:48.200 I did it. 00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:49.460 I didn't exaggerate. 00:23:49.460 --> 00:23:50.059 I lied. 00:23:50.660 --> 00:23:54.079 It said, I have no excuses here. 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:55.860 I am guilty as charged. 00:23:56.220 --> 00:24:00.360 I have nothing in my hands to rely on except God's mercy. 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:02.660 That's what repentance says. 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:04.680 We see sin. 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:05.319 We own it. 00:24:05.620 --> 00:24:09.740 True repentance, secondly, sees sin as an issue of the heart. 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:13.079 That psalm I quoted earlier, Psalm 51. 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:14.539 It was written by King David. 00:24:14.539 --> 00:24:19.659 After he'd committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband. 00:24:20.379 --> 00:24:21.180 Pretty bad. 00:24:22.359 --> 00:24:24.779 And he says this, I know my transgressions. 00:24:24.779 --> 00:24:26.099 It's in the back of your bulletin, I think. 00:24:26.659 --> 00:24:30.559 I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. 00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:34.940 Against you, God, you only have I sinned. 00:24:34.940 --> 00:24:40.039 And you look at what David did to Bathsheba and to her husband and you think, no, no, no, no, no. 00:24:40.059 --> 00:24:41.100 You seem to have got that wrong. 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:42.320 You didn't just sin against God. 00:24:42.360 --> 00:24:43.539 You sinned against them as well. 00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:48.299 But David is saying, no, I sinned only against God. 00:24:48.900 --> 00:24:50.279 And you're thinking, that's weird. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:51.500 What does that mean? 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:59.200 Jesus says, Luke 6, a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit. 00:24:59.819 --> 00:25:02.720 Nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:06.980 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good. 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:10.460 The evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil. 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:15.740 You see, the fruit of David's life, that fruit of adultery and murder, 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:18.579 flowed out of a heart problem between him and God. 00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:22.379 If I can just show the diagram. 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:29.619 Paul Tripp has a diagram, a helpful diagram, to show us how this works in our lives. 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:35.740 In our lives, we face various heat, circumstances which come and pressure us 00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:39.460 and bring out kind of reactions from us. 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:42.599 You know, the kid forgot his books for the third time. 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:45.419 Your colleague didn't thank you for the help, thank God. 00:25:45.419 --> 00:25:47.960 That's the heat, those circumstances of life. 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:50.940 They produce reactions from us. 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:53.160 The reactions are the fruit of our lives. 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:55.240 They can be thorns or bad fruit. 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:56.620 They can be good fruit. 00:25:56.619 --> 00:26:08.919 And when I see blossoming forth from my mouth, from my thoughts, impatience, anger, fear, worry, 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:13.659 all of those things, they are the fruit that I see. 00:26:14.099 --> 00:26:15.639 But that's not the heart of the problem. 00:26:15.639 --> 00:26:20.119 The heart of the problem is the root in my life. 00:26:20.459 --> 00:26:21.719 What do I mean by that? 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:26.039 Well, just think about your fruit this week. 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:29.360 Have you got any thorns, any bad fruit this week? 00:26:31.100 --> 00:26:34.860 We used to have an apple tree in our garden in the UK. 00:26:35.700 --> 00:26:38.700 The problem was the apples were an apology for apples. 00:26:38.700 --> 00:26:44.380 We got about six, and they tasted like vinegar, and they looked like prunes. 00:26:44.840 --> 00:26:47.600 I mean, they were so bad. 00:26:48.600 --> 00:26:53.420 But imagine if one day my mother came to me and said, 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:54.799 Hey, listen, that tree is so bad. 00:26:54.860 --> 00:26:55.580 Can you sort it out? 00:26:55.740 --> 00:26:56.819 The fruit is terrible. 00:26:56.819 --> 00:27:05.059 And so she looks out of the window, and she sees that I'm out there with this big basket of apples from the supermarket, 00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:07.119 with a ladder and a staple gun. 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:12.720 And there I am, climbing up the tree, stapling these apples to the tree. 00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:17.339 From a distance, people would think, 00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:19.339 What a beautiful apple tree. 00:27:20.359 --> 00:27:21.819 What would my mom think? 00:27:23.220 --> 00:27:25.419 She'd think I'd completely lost the plot. 00:27:25.420 --> 00:27:31.759 Because she knows that if an apple tree is not producing beautiful fruit, 00:27:31.940 --> 00:27:33.380 the problem isn't the fruit. 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:35.320 The problem is actually in the tree. 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:37.039 The problem is in the roots. 00:27:37.360 --> 00:27:39.279 The problem is right at the bottom. 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:44.060 And in our lives, when we produce bad fruit, 00:27:44.500 --> 00:27:46.060 the issue isn't the fruit. 00:27:46.180 --> 00:27:47.980 The issue is there is a heart problem. 00:27:47.980 --> 00:27:52.420 There is a root which is out of kilter, out of sync with what it should be. 00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:55.320 I am loving something more than I'm loving God. 00:27:55.420 --> 00:27:57.220 It's what the Bible calls an idol. 00:27:57.220 --> 00:28:04.000 And often I think the bad fruit in my life, all I've got to do is kind of work a little bit harder, 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:07.700 staple a few more apples to the tree, hold my breath, count to ten, 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:10.420 so that I can not let the fruit come out. 00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:14.500 But my problem is not a fruit problem, it's a root problem. 00:28:15.180 --> 00:28:16.319 It's a heart problem. 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:17.740 Look in the Israelites. 00:28:18.140 --> 00:28:19.100 What's their problem? 00:28:19.099 --> 00:28:25.000 Their problem is that they wanted to be the king of their own kingdom. 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:28.459 They did what was right in their own eyes. 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:29.899 Was God their king? 00:28:30.339 --> 00:28:30.500 No. 00:28:31.619 --> 00:28:33.279 The root was themselves. 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:35.459 They were at the bottom. 00:28:35.460 --> 00:28:41.539 And if I do not see that at the heart of my problems, the heart of my sin, 00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:44.700 is the problem of my heart, 00:28:45.160 --> 00:28:48.120 then everything else I'll do will be temporary fixes, 00:28:48.500 --> 00:28:50.600 and I'll fall back into that cycle of sin. 00:28:50.599 --> 00:28:54.899 Now, sometimes, I don't know about you, 00:28:55.019 --> 00:28:58.259 but when I see my bad fruit, I can respond in two ways. 00:28:58.299 --> 00:29:00.859 I can either get my inner lawyer kind of justifying myself, 00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:03.579 or I do actually sometimes feel sorry. 00:29:04.939 --> 00:29:08.139 The other day, I had a disagreement with a friend, 00:29:08.199 --> 00:29:09.619 and I said some harsh words to him. 00:29:10.099 --> 00:29:13.059 And I came away from it, and I felt really bad. 00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:16.799 I said, God, forgive me, because I was harsh in this situation. 00:29:19.219 --> 00:29:20.019 I prayed. 00:29:20.599 --> 00:29:23.879 I said, God, okay, I'm not going to be so harsh next time. 00:29:25.459 --> 00:29:26.659 And that sounds great, doesn't it? 00:29:26.859 --> 00:29:29.319 I mean, that sounds really good, really religious and noble. 00:29:29.699 --> 00:29:30.819 But I thought about it for a minute, 00:29:31.399 --> 00:29:32.299 and I thought about it. 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:35.019 Why am I so sorry? 00:29:37.459 --> 00:29:39.839 And I realized I felt so sorry 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:46.459 because the other person might think that I was a bad, harsh person. 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:50.439 I was sorry because I felt I had let myself down. 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:52.299 I'd failed my own standard. 00:29:52.419 --> 00:29:54.859 I wasn't the good Christian that I thought I was, 00:29:54.919 --> 00:29:56.500 and I felt bad about myself 00:29:56.500 --> 00:29:59.159 because I should be better than that. 00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:00.559 I was sorry. 00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:03.219 I beat myself up for a while. 00:30:03.339 --> 00:30:06.759 I thought maybe God would punish me in some kind of way 00:30:06.759 --> 00:30:08.939 because I've been a bad boy, 00:30:09.179 --> 00:30:10.259 you know, that kind of thing. 00:30:10.259 --> 00:30:13.900 Did I repent? 00:30:16.420 --> 00:30:16.779 No. 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:19.839 Self-pity is not repentance. 00:30:21.480 --> 00:30:23.339 My harshness wasn't the problem. 00:30:24.039 --> 00:30:27.299 The problem was the root of my heart. 00:30:27.400 --> 00:30:29.079 We'd actually wanted to be in control. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:30.440 I wanted to win the argument. 00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:33.920 I wanted to be the one who was the crowned king in that moment. 00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:35.220 I wanted to be the one, 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:37.060 and I would crush anybody else. 00:30:37.560 --> 00:30:41.259 I'd be harsh with them just so that my rule could dominate 00:30:41.259 --> 00:30:47.080 because my root, I wanted to be the king. 00:30:47.939 --> 00:30:50.539 And I was sorry because my rule actually didn't look quite so good 00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:51.319 as I thought it did. 00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:54.099 And so next time, I'd try and make my rule look a little bit better. 00:30:55.099 --> 00:30:57.339 But I was at the center still. 00:30:57.339 --> 00:31:02.699 And so many of us time and again ask God to forgive us for our sins 00:31:02.699 --> 00:31:05.240 because we either want to avoid punishment 00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:07.500 or we just feel sorry and we feel bad 00:31:07.500 --> 00:31:10.059 and we're like an adulterer caught in an act, 00:31:10.139 --> 00:31:11.039 but we say sorry. 00:31:11.659 --> 00:31:14.179 As repentance guru Taylor Swift says, 00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:17.439 band-aids don't fix bullet holes. 00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:20.539 You say sorry just for show. 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:23.419 You can say sorry all you like, 00:31:24.099 --> 00:31:26.480 but you can still be at the center of your world. 00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:28.759 You can say sorry all you like, 00:31:28.839 --> 00:31:30.700 but still be at the center of your world. 00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:34.720 Because at the root of all selfishness 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:36.799 that I try and justify daily 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:39.539 is a heart that says to God, 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:40.720 get out. 00:31:41.620 --> 00:31:42.740 I've got a better lover. 00:31:43.279 --> 00:31:44.160 I want to rule. 00:31:45.059 --> 00:31:46.140 I want to be king. 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:50.200 And when I sin, I don't just break some kind of rule. 00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:51.640 I break a relationship. 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:54.779 You know, sin isn't eating like, 00:31:54.779 --> 00:31:57.539 it's like going and eating the ice cream from the freezer 00:31:57.539 --> 00:31:59.160 that your mom told you not to do, 00:31:59.259 --> 00:32:00.200 like, you know, a bit naughty, 00:32:00.379 --> 00:32:01.279 but, you know, okay. 00:32:02.920 --> 00:32:05.740 Sin is willfully taking your grandmother 00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:07.839 who has cared for you all your life, 00:32:08.259 --> 00:32:09.599 kicking her down the stairs, 00:32:10.019 --> 00:32:11.319 trampling on her head at the bottom, 00:32:11.700 --> 00:32:12.519 spitting at her, 00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:13.740 and now declaring, 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:14.980 I'm in charge. 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:17.460 Sin is a coup d'etat. 00:32:18.059 --> 00:32:20.359 Sin is cheating on your heavenly husband. 00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:20.959 Sin is a fool. 00:32:20.959 --> 00:32:21.199 Sin is a fool. 00:32:21.199 --> 00:32:21.619 Sin is a fool. 00:32:21.619 --> 00:32:22.119 Sin is a fool. 00:32:22.119 --> 00:32:23.779 Being sorry is not repentance 00:32:23.779 --> 00:32:25.639 until you look into the eyes 00:32:25.639 --> 00:32:27.359 of the one who loves you, 00:32:27.419 --> 00:32:28.740 but the one you have betrayed, 00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:31.319 and you hate what you've done 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:35.199 because you hate your sin for the sin, 00:32:35.319 --> 00:32:36.479 not for the consequences, 00:32:37.099 --> 00:32:39.839 and you surrender your right to be charged, 00:32:39.919 --> 00:32:40.500 and you say, 00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:43.639 you are the king. 00:32:45.159 --> 00:32:46.159 Against you, 00:32:46.719 --> 00:32:48.519 you only have I sinned. 00:32:48.519 --> 00:32:52.339 John Owen, 00:32:52.619 --> 00:32:54.160 17th century Puritan guy, 00:32:54.259 --> 00:32:54.759 said this, 00:32:55.200 --> 00:32:56.480 and this is intense. 00:32:56.660 --> 00:32:56.960 He says, 00:32:57.639 --> 00:32:59.539 you need to tell yourself this. 00:33:00.539 --> 00:33:01.339 What have I done? 00:33:02.099 --> 00:33:03.000 What love, 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:03.920 what mercy, 00:33:04.180 --> 00:33:04.859 what blood, 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:05.740 what grace 00:33:05.740 --> 00:33:06.859 have I despised 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:07.660 and trampled on? 00:33:08.299 --> 00:33:09.940 Have I defiled the heart 00:33:09.940 --> 00:33:11.680 that Christ died to wash? 00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:13.420 What can I say 00:33:13.420 --> 00:33:14.500 to the dear Lord Jesus? 00:33:15.019 --> 00:33:17.139 Do I account communion with him 00:33:17.140 --> 00:33:18.600 of so little value 00:33:18.600 --> 00:33:21.060 that for this vile lust's sake 00:33:21.060 --> 00:33:22.780 I have scarce left him 00:33:22.780 --> 00:33:24.100 any room in my heart? 00:33:27.720 --> 00:33:28.520 That's heavy. 00:33:29.540 --> 00:33:30.680 That's intense. 00:33:31.820 --> 00:33:32.540 And you know, 00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:33.200 you may be thinking, 00:33:33.360 --> 00:33:33.460 wow, 00:33:33.520 --> 00:33:34.240 this is the summertime. 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:35.340 We're not supposed to be having 00:33:35.340 --> 00:33:37.080 kind of quite such intense sermons. 00:33:37.079 --> 00:33:40.259 And in our culture, 00:33:40.639 --> 00:33:41.740 this kind of attitude, 00:33:42.019 --> 00:33:43.279 it sounds quite depressing. 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:44.399 We think, 00:33:44.519 --> 00:33:44.759 oh, 00:33:44.879 --> 00:33:45.799 all that self-pity, 00:33:45.919 --> 00:33:47.319 all that beating yourself up. 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.799 But you know, 00:33:48.879 --> 00:33:49.779 if you see 00:33:49.779 --> 00:33:52.639 real adultery, 00:33:53.099 --> 00:33:53.740 you would say 00:33:53.740 --> 00:33:54.740 that kind of response 00:33:54.740 --> 00:33:55.939 is totally appropriate 00:33:55.939 --> 00:33:56.839 to what you've done. 00:33:57.720 --> 00:33:58.919 But we just don't see 00:33:58.919 --> 00:34:00.139 our relationship with God 00:34:00.139 --> 00:34:01.559 in that same way. 00:34:01.559 --> 00:34:05.839 Jesus says, 00:34:06.480 --> 00:34:07.099 blessed, 00:34:08.099 --> 00:34:08.820 and that word blessed 00:34:08.820 --> 00:34:09.639 means happy, 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:10.579 fulfilled, 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:12.119 are those who mourn. 00:34:13.340 --> 00:34:13.759 And you think, 00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:14.199 crazy. 00:34:15.519 --> 00:34:15.960 But he says, 00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:18.259 they shall be comforted. 00:34:19.900 --> 00:34:21.460 Because here's the third point, 00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:22.179 true repentance 00:34:22.179 --> 00:34:23.179 leads to rejoicing. 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:25.179 Because if you stay 00:34:25.179 --> 00:34:26.000 at that low point, 00:34:26.059 --> 00:34:26.219 listen, 00:34:26.299 --> 00:34:27.099 you're going to be depressed. 00:34:27.719 --> 00:34:28.000 I mean, 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:29.079 that's not the place 00:34:29.079 --> 00:34:29.820 where you've got to end it. 00:34:29.820 --> 00:34:30.380 Okay? 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:33.559 Because you've got to believe 00:34:33.559 --> 00:34:34.700 the gospel as well. 00:34:34.780 --> 00:34:34.960 He says, 00:34:35.059 --> 00:34:35.920 repent and believe. 00:34:36.660 --> 00:34:38.160 Spiritual revival flows 00:34:38.160 --> 00:34:39.559 from seeing your sin, 00:34:40.720 --> 00:34:42.480 but when you see it, 00:34:42.539 --> 00:34:43.400 the cross becomes 00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:44.620 more real in your life. 00:34:45.080 --> 00:34:46.640 One preacher said it like this, 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:48.980 until Jesus will not be loved, 00:34:49.080 --> 00:34:50.500 until sin be loathed. 00:34:51.120 --> 00:34:52.360 Jesus will not be loved, 00:34:52.440 --> 00:34:53.360 until sin be loathed. 00:34:53.420 --> 00:34:53.600 You know, 00:34:53.760 --> 00:34:54.640 if you're not hungry, 00:34:55.240 --> 00:34:55.539 going to, 00:34:55.620 --> 00:34:57.080 having a buffet at the Mandarin 00:34:57.080 --> 00:34:58.240 is not so appealing. 00:34:58.640 --> 00:34:59.720 If you're not hot, 00:34:59.820 --> 00:35:01.300 having air conditioning 00:35:01.300 --> 00:35:01.980 is annoying. 00:35:02.780 --> 00:35:03.519 If you don't know 00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:04.700 the depth of your sin, 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:06.880 the cross of Jesus Christ 00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:08.500 is just interesting news, 00:35:08.780 --> 00:35:10.300 but not that important, 00:35:10.940 --> 00:35:11.920 not that exciting. 00:35:13.280 --> 00:35:15.019 But one sinful woman, 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:18.059 she was either a prostitute 00:35:18.059 --> 00:35:19.620 or a serial adulteress, 00:35:19.700 --> 00:35:20.360 came to Jesus 00:35:20.360 --> 00:35:22.539 into a religious man's home. 00:35:22.980 --> 00:35:24.480 She ran to Jesus crying, 00:35:24.920 --> 00:35:26.720 washed his feet with her tears. 00:35:26.719 --> 00:35:29.099 She knew she didn't deserve anything. 00:35:29.659 --> 00:35:30.779 She knew her past. 00:35:31.039 --> 00:35:32.679 She stopped trying to justify it. 00:35:32.959 --> 00:35:33.879 She ran to him 00:35:33.879 --> 00:35:34.839 because she knew 00:35:34.839 --> 00:35:36.919 that if she ran straight to him 00:35:36.919 --> 00:35:38.000 and clung to him, 00:35:38.239 --> 00:35:40.699 he would accept her. 00:35:40.699 --> 00:35:45.079 all she could rely on 00:35:45.079 --> 00:35:45.859 was his mercy 00:35:45.859 --> 00:35:47.239 and she knew 00:35:47.239 --> 00:35:48.599 that he was merciful. 00:35:52.179 --> 00:35:53.419 The religious people 00:35:53.419 --> 00:35:54.980 looked down at her. 00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:56.079 They scoffed at her. 00:35:56.159 --> 00:35:56.939 They looked down at Jesus. 00:35:57.099 --> 00:35:57.259 They said, 00:35:57.379 --> 00:35:58.579 how can you accept 00:35:58.579 --> 00:36:00.659 somebody like this? 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:02.379 Because often, 00:36:02.539 --> 00:36:03.639 we like religious people. 00:36:05.639 --> 00:36:06.819 Jesus knew exactly 00:36:06.819 --> 00:36:07.759 what kind of a woman 00:36:07.759 --> 00:36:08.500 she was. 00:36:08.500 --> 00:36:09.800 She knew the heartbreak 00:36:09.800 --> 00:36:10.840 that she had caused 00:36:10.840 --> 00:36:11.840 throughout her life. 00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:15.000 But the religious leader 00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:15.599 didn't know 00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:16.599 what kind of a person 00:36:16.599 --> 00:36:17.480 Jesus was. 00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:21.179 Because religious people 00:36:21.179 --> 00:36:21.860 don't know 00:36:21.860 --> 00:36:22.639 the depth 00:36:22.639 --> 00:36:23.920 of the grace 00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:24.980 of the forgiveness 00:36:24.980 --> 00:36:26.260 of the mercy of God. 00:36:27.239 --> 00:36:28.239 It doesn't excite them. 00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:29.880 It doesn't thrill you. 00:36:31.199 --> 00:36:32.659 But Jesus came to die 00:36:32.659 --> 00:36:33.860 for people like that woman, 00:36:34.260 --> 00:36:34.960 like you, 00:36:35.260 --> 00:36:35.980 like me, 00:36:36.320 --> 00:36:37.500 religious hypocrites 00:36:37.500 --> 00:36:38.440 in so many ways. 00:36:38.559 --> 00:36:39.119 Messed up, 00:36:39.260 --> 00:36:39.980 broken people. 00:36:40.119 --> 00:36:40.679 He came, 00:36:41.019 --> 00:36:41.820 he was abandoned 00:36:41.820 --> 00:36:42.840 by his father 00:36:42.840 --> 00:36:43.539 on the cross 00:36:43.539 --> 00:36:45.099 for us who had abandoned him 00:36:45.099 --> 00:36:46.539 so that we might be 00:36:46.539 --> 00:36:47.239 welcomed back, 00:36:47.380 --> 00:36:47.960 brought back 00:36:47.960 --> 00:36:49.019 into his presence 00:36:49.019 --> 00:36:50.099 so that we might know 00:36:50.099 --> 00:36:51.440 complete freedom, 00:36:51.800 --> 00:36:52.079 joy, 00:36:52.380 --> 00:36:53.400 forgiveness in him. 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:54.260 You know, 00:36:54.280 --> 00:36:55.159 like the prodigal son 00:36:55.159 --> 00:36:56.360 who comes back 00:36:56.360 --> 00:36:57.699 and the father 00:36:57.699 --> 00:36:59.219 runs out to him. 00:37:00.480 --> 00:37:02.159 There's no probation period. 00:37:02.480 --> 00:37:02.800 There's no, 00:37:03.159 --> 00:37:03.260 well, 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:04.920 if you do it better 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:05.679 next time, 00:37:06.760 --> 00:37:07.079 forgiven. 00:37:07.920 --> 00:37:09.260 He throws a party. 00:37:10.539 --> 00:37:11.599 That's what God 00:37:11.599 --> 00:37:12.900 wants for us. 00:37:13.340 --> 00:37:14.360 Your sin is erased. 00:37:14.619 --> 00:37:15.079 You're free. 00:37:15.159 --> 00:37:16.300 You don't have to beat yourself up 00:37:16.300 --> 00:37:17.199 about your mistakes 00:37:17.199 --> 00:37:18.320 because you're forgiven. 00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:19.559 Free. 00:37:20.440 --> 00:37:21.619 Jesus is amazing. 00:37:23.679 --> 00:37:24.579 That's the gospel. 00:37:25.159 --> 00:37:26.139 Repent and believe. 00:37:27.159 --> 00:37:28.079 One pastor said, 00:37:28.280 --> 00:37:29.639 for every one look at sin, 00:37:30.019 --> 00:37:31.960 take ten looks at Christ 00:37:31.960 --> 00:37:34.239 because that is beautiful. 00:37:34.960 --> 00:37:35.679 That is beautiful. 00:37:36.199 --> 00:37:37.239 Think of his death 00:37:37.239 --> 00:37:39.059 and you will rejoice 00:37:39.059 --> 00:37:39.859 when you know 00:37:39.859 --> 00:37:41.119 how amazing it is for you. 00:37:45.119 --> 00:37:45.859 Final thing. 00:37:46.440 --> 00:37:46.619 We said, 00:37:46.739 --> 00:37:47.359 own your sin. 00:37:48.139 --> 00:37:48.500 We said, 00:37:48.579 --> 00:37:49.279 sin is your heart. 00:37:50.879 --> 00:37:51.699 We said sin, 00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:52.879 so repentance 00:37:52.879 --> 00:37:53.599 is your heart. 00:37:54.659 --> 00:37:55.099 Repentance 00:37:55.099 --> 00:37:56.179 leads to rejoicing. 00:37:56.799 --> 00:37:57.299 Last thing. 00:37:58.460 --> 00:37:58.899 Repentance 00:37:58.899 --> 00:38:00.179 turns from sin. 00:38:00.639 --> 00:38:00.779 You know, 00:38:00.780 --> 00:38:01.320 have you seen 00:38:01.320 --> 00:38:02.760 somebody who's in love? 00:38:03.760 --> 00:38:04.840 It does incredible things 00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:05.280 to people. 00:38:06.220 --> 00:38:06.460 You know, 00:38:06.540 --> 00:38:07.540 you see a guy 00:38:07.540 --> 00:38:08.660 who could barely open 00:38:08.660 --> 00:38:09.380 a cup noodle 00:38:09.380 --> 00:38:11.760 suddenly be cooking 00:38:11.760 --> 00:38:12.880 three course meals 00:38:12.880 --> 00:38:14.280 for his girlfriend. 00:38:14.960 --> 00:38:15.600 You see someone 00:38:15.600 --> 00:38:16.900 who the greatest exercise 00:38:16.900 --> 00:38:17.580 that he'd ever did 00:38:17.580 --> 00:38:19.080 was lifting the remote control, 00:38:19.580 --> 00:38:20.640 going and working out 00:38:20.640 --> 00:38:22.060 at the gym every day. 00:38:22.460 --> 00:38:24.120 Love does something amazing. 00:38:24.119 --> 00:38:26.199 And Jesus said 00:38:26.199 --> 00:38:26.940 something like this 00:38:26.940 --> 00:38:28.739 to the religious man 00:38:28.739 --> 00:38:29.079 and the woman. 00:38:29.179 --> 00:38:29.579 He said, 00:38:30.139 --> 00:38:31.259 he who has been forgiven 00:38:31.259 --> 00:38:33.679 little loves little. 00:38:34.239 --> 00:38:35.599 But he who has been forgiven 00:38:35.599 --> 00:38:38.900 much loves much. 00:38:38.900 --> 00:38:40.059 See, 00:38:40.160 --> 00:38:41.519 repentance leads to rejoicing 00:38:41.519 --> 00:38:42.900 which leads you to action 00:38:42.900 --> 00:38:44.300 and love. 00:38:45.160 --> 00:38:46.220 It requires effort 00:38:46.220 --> 00:38:48.180 because love requires effort. 00:38:48.680 --> 00:38:49.760 It requires surrender 00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:50.519 of your rule. 00:38:51.019 --> 00:38:53.440 It requires dogged determination 00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:55.519 to keep fighting yourself 00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:57.200 because you love Jesus more. 00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:00.160 And every time you get knocked down, 00:39:00.260 --> 00:39:02.139 every time we fall down, 00:39:02.660 --> 00:39:04.380 we just run straight back to Jesus. 00:39:05.599 --> 00:39:06.660 It's a battle, 00:39:07.039 --> 00:39:08.539 but we keep fighting. 00:39:08.900 --> 00:39:11.280 John Owen again said, 00:39:11.400 --> 00:39:12.340 be killing sin 00:39:12.340 --> 00:39:14.300 or it will be killing you. 00:39:15.579 --> 00:39:16.559 Be killing sin 00:39:16.559 --> 00:39:17.500 or it will be killing you. 00:39:18.639 --> 00:39:19.460 Your determination 00:39:19.460 --> 00:39:21.320 to kill the sin in your life, 00:39:21.420 --> 00:39:23.300 that self-rule in your life, 00:39:23.360 --> 00:39:24.380 doesn't come out of religion, 00:39:24.539 --> 00:39:25.480 doesn't come out of fear, 00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:26.420 it comes out of love 00:39:26.420 --> 00:39:27.960 because you know 00:39:27.960 --> 00:39:28.840 that you're accepted 00:39:28.840 --> 00:39:30.760 and he's not going to reject you. 00:39:32.579 --> 00:39:34.440 Sin is a fire in your flat. 00:39:35.619 --> 00:39:37.220 If your fire alarm goes off 00:39:37.220 --> 00:39:37.700 and you say, 00:39:37.800 --> 00:39:38.860 oh, it's just a fire drill, 00:39:39.340 --> 00:39:40.280 you're going to be cinders 00:39:40.280 --> 00:39:41.400 very soon. 00:39:43.400 --> 00:39:44.420 And you may just even 00:39:44.420 --> 00:39:45.440 keep fueling the fire. 00:39:46.460 --> 00:39:48.099 But if you know there's a fire, 00:39:48.400 --> 00:39:49.460 you're going to take action 00:39:49.460 --> 00:39:50.539 to try and put it out. 00:39:52.260 --> 00:39:53.340 I don't know what the fire 00:39:53.340 --> 00:39:54.619 in your life is right now. 00:39:55.119 --> 00:39:56.420 I know what it is in my life. 00:39:58.160 --> 00:39:59.220 I don't know what repentance 00:39:59.220 --> 00:40:00.000 means for you. 00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:01.980 It may mean 00:40:01.980 --> 00:40:03.940 the people you've been avoiding 00:40:03.940 --> 00:40:04.519 for months, 00:40:04.599 --> 00:40:05.440 you actually need to go 00:40:05.440 --> 00:40:05.940 and confront 00:40:05.940 --> 00:40:08.119 and talk to them. 00:40:08.460 --> 00:40:09.360 It may mean 00:40:09.360 --> 00:40:10.539 you need to apologize 00:40:10.539 --> 00:40:12.300 to your spouse, 00:40:12.420 --> 00:40:12.960 to your kids, 00:40:13.059 --> 00:40:13.740 to your colleagues. 00:40:15.500 --> 00:40:16.579 It needs action. 00:40:17.539 --> 00:40:18.500 But it's not action 00:40:18.500 --> 00:40:19.480 fueled out of fear, 00:40:19.599 --> 00:40:20.860 it's action fueled out of love. 00:40:22.420 --> 00:40:23.240 And if that thought 00:40:23.240 --> 00:40:24.220 scares you stiff, 00:40:24.280 --> 00:40:25.260 that I don't want to change, 00:40:25.320 --> 00:40:26.159 I don't want to do this 00:40:26.159 --> 00:40:27.139 because I'm scared of it, 00:40:27.320 --> 00:40:28.280 where you look at Jesus 00:40:28.280 --> 00:40:29.300 and you see what he's done 00:40:29.300 --> 00:40:30.500 for you and you say, 00:40:30.740 --> 00:40:32.920 God, I need you. 00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:35.060 I want to be like you. 00:40:36.560 --> 00:40:37.640 Today's the day to repent. 00:40:38.700 --> 00:40:40.100 We need others to help us 00:40:40.100 --> 00:40:41.780 put the fires out in our lives. 00:40:42.940 --> 00:40:43.960 If you're a Christian, 00:40:44.220 --> 00:40:45.100 if you're not a Christian, 00:40:45.900 --> 00:40:46.920 your biggest problem 00:40:46.920 --> 00:40:47.640 isn't your rent. 00:40:48.200 --> 00:40:49.039 Your biggest problem 00:40:49.039 --> 00:40:49.840 isn't your boss. 00:40:50.300 --> 00:40:51.039 Your biggest problem 00:40:51.039 --> 00:40:52.820 is you and me. 00:40:55.080 --> 00:40:57.400 Your heart needs fixing. 00:40:59.300 --> 00:41:00.640 And so God calls us to repent. 00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:02.940 Turn back to the one 00:41:02.940 --> 00:41:03.980 who has loved you 00:41:03.980 --> 00:41:05.680 more than you could ever 00:41:05.680 --> 00:41:06.900 imagine he does. 00:41:09.300 --> 00:41:10.160 Own your sin. 00:41:11.100 --> 00:41:12.420 Name it, hate it, 00:41:12.640 --> 00:41:13.300 weep over it, 00:41:13.420 --> 00:41:14.840 run to the mercy of God. 00:41:15.120 --> 00:41:16.320 Don't be religious. 00:41:17.320 --> 00:41:18.760 Don't be stapling apples 00:41:18.760 --> 00:41:19.539 on your life, 00:41:19.660 --> 00:41:20.280 just trying to be 00:41:20.280 --> 00:41:21.539 a bit better of a person. 00:41:22.600 --> 00:41:24.000 He wants you to turn to him 00:41:24.000 --> 00:41:25.440 and to know 00:41:25.440 --> 00:41:27.539 that spiritual revival 00:41:27.539 --> 00:41:28.760 as you see him. 00:41:29.300 --> 00:41:29.960 Let's pray. 00:41:39.440 --> 00:41:40.560 Again, just take a minute 00:41:40.560 --> 00:41:41.260 just to think, 00:41:41.940 --> 00:41:43.539 what is that fire 00:41:43.539 --> 00:41:44.620 in my life at the moment? 00:41:46.980 --> 00:41:47.800 What is the thing 00:41:47.800 --> 00:41:49.240 that I've played around with? 00:41:50.260 --> 00:41:52.120 I've been just comfortable 00:41:52.120 --> 00:41:54.000 allowing it to burn away. 00:41:54.000 --> 00:41:58.760 Am I just religious? 00:42:03.659 --> 00:42:04.880 God calls you now. 00:42:06.139 --> 00:42:06.800 Run to him. 00:42:07.340 --> 00:42:07.860 Confess. 00:42:08.900 --> 00:42:09.380 Turn. 00:42:10.179 --> 00:42:10.679 Repent. 00:42:11.460 --> 00:42:12.820 And enjoy him. 00:42:12.820 --> 00:42:31.059 Father, I just pray 00:42:31.059 --> 00:42:32.140 that each one of us, 00:42:32.920 --> 00:42:34.620 you'd show us right now 00:42:34.620 --> 00:42:35.940 how you want us to change, 00:42:35.940 --> 00:42:38.400 but it's not our own effort 00:42:38.400 --> 00:42:39.099 that can do it. 00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:40.639 We just need to run to you. 00:42:43.119 --> 00:42:43.840 Show us. 00:42:44.539 --> 00:42:45.440 Help us to be real 00:42:45.440 --> 00:42:46.700 but to know 00:42:46.700 --> 00:42:47.619 that your freedom 00:42:47.619 --> 00:42:48.480 is amazing 00:42:48.480 --> 00:42:52.179 and you want to revive us 00:42:52.179 --> 00:42:54.800 not to be hypocrites 00:42:54.800 --> 00:42:55.679 but to be those 00:42:55.679 --> 00:42:56.440 who just know 00:42:56.440 --> 00:42:57.940 how amazing Jesus is. 00:42:57.940 --> 00:43:01.900 don't let us walk out of here 00:43:01.900 --> 00:43:04.860 without dealing with those issues. 00:43:06.720 --> 00:43:07.400 In your name. 00:43:08.280 --> 00:43:08.500 Amen.