WEBVTT

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 Let me add my good morning.

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 As has been mentioned a couple of times already, today we are beginning a new series.

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 And I thought before we begin, it is worth just stopping to acknowledge a lot of people

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 have been working to get us ready for this series.

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 And two people that I particularly wanted to just thank, even though they're not in

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 this room, is Matt Giglin, who has done a stack of the graphic work for this series,

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 which you'll see in the Bible studies and here on the platform on the screen.

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 And also Romeo Sanuri, who is part of our 1115 congregation, who helped make these happen.

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 So we are blessed to have people with considerable gifts and also with generous hearts who like

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 to use those gifts to bless us.

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 It is our prayer that this series will feed and encourage you, will challenge you, will

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 draw you closer to God, will spur you on.

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 And that has been the heart behind every bit of work, whether it's a picture, a word on

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 a page, people standing at the door, songs that have been chosen by our teams.

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 And so how about before we begin, we just come before God and ask him to do that work in us.

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 Father God, we thank you for this incredible opportunity together as your people.

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 We thank you for the reminder as we work through Leviticus that what we are doing now is meeting

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 with you together.

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 Father, what we do when your word is open is encounter your presence.

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 And so we ask that the result of this morning and every week that we gather in this series

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 would not be a good service or some more information, but it would be that we are changed,

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 that we are transformed, that we are better equipped to live the lives that you have given

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 us through the death and resurrection of your son.

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 And so please draw us close to you this morning.

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 Give us an incredibly vivid view of you and your glory that we might be better equipped

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 to live the lives that you have given us.

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 Amen.

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 I remember the night I became a Christian.

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 It was quite possibly, even to this point, the most overwhelming night of my life.

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 I was 14 years old.

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 I was on a camp and I cried.

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 Well, 14-year-old boys aren't supposed to cry, especially when there are girls around

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 who they're trying to impress, but I did.

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 I wept.

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 I was absolutely leveled by this incredible, unconditional love that God would offer to

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 even someone like me.

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 Even as a 14-year-old, I had a reasonable awareness of the parts of me that were fairly

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 unlovable.

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 There was probably more bits that I wasn't aware of, but there was enough there for me to

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 know that loving me took effort.

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 And so to hear about this incredible love just blew me away.

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 Even though I had parents that loved me well, I had good friends in my life, it was clear

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 to me that night that there was something special about the way that God loved me.

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 There was something more about that love.

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 And I was just overwhelmed.

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 I was just filled with gratitude and I was convicted.

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 And at that moment, I was absolutely committed to live every second of every minute of every

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 day of every week of every year that God would give me in service of him.

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 I knew that this was a life-defining moment.

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 It happened on a camp in January of 1996.

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 I remember where it was.

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 It was at Illaroo Farm.

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 I don't know if that campsite even still exists.

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 And I came home from camp still absolutely on fire for God.

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 Just so excited to be a Christian, ready to change the world, ready to be totally different,

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 ready to leave behind what I used to be like and the reputation that I had and all those

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 sorts of things, ready to be different and leave sinful habits behind.

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 12 months later, I went on the same camp as a 15-year-old.

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 And I remember at the same point in the camp where they were giving people the opportunity

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 to start following Jesus, explaining what he had done and how much he loved them,

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 I had this moment of deep and intense guilt.

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 Because standing there, I suddenly realised that that resolve, that commitment, that conviction

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 that I had had only 12 months earlier, had almost entirely worn off.

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 In fact, if I'm honest, probably by mid-February of that year, it was gone.

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 I was back into the usual rhythms of life and the new me that I was aspiring to seemed like

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 a kind of embarrassing overstatement.

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 I hadn't arrived as this new person that I was supposed to be if I was going to follow Jesus.

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 Now, I knew and I firmly believed that God's love for me wasn't going to be undone by my sad

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 and maybe even pathetic attempts at following him and living for him.

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 But I also knew that there wasn't much in my life that said,

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 hey, Sam is different now to what he was 12 months ago.

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 There wasn't much evidence to say, hey, Sam's a Christian, whereas he wasn't before.

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 And so now the preacher's standing at the front of the room,

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 inviting people to put their trust in Jesus, to become Christians,

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 and I'm sitting there thinking, well, something clearly needs to change,

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 but I can't do that because I've already done that.

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 I did the becoming a Christian thing.

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 I did the going down the front, praying the prayer, putting your hand up,

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 whatever you want to call it.

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 So what was I supposed to do with this incredible guilt and correct perception

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 that not a whole lot had changed?

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 I mean, I don't know about you, but if you've been around church for long,

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 you've heard enough testimonies or stories of Jesus

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 that go something like, before I met Jesus, I was a jerk.

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 I met Jesus and now look at me.

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 That wasn't my story.

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 Before I met Jesus, I was a jerk.

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 Then I met Jesus and 12 months later, I was still a jerk.

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 In fact, let's be honest, there's some of you who think that I'm still a jerk now.

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 But seriously, in that moment, I was feeling this obvious awareness

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 that I wasn't anywhere near where I was supposed to be.

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 I couldn't do that first step.

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 I'd already done that.

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 So what do I do now?

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 And so I figured, as somebody who had said I'd become a Christian,

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 had been hovering at church and youth group for 12 months,

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 everyone around me assumed that I was going great.

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 I had two options.

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 Rather than admit how kind of pathetic my attempts at following Jesus were,

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 I could play it down, not just to them, but to me as well,

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 and go, maybe it's not so bad.

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 Maybe I am moving forward more than I think.

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 Or I could try a lot harder and make up for the fact

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 that I'd wasted this first 12 months.

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 I figured they were my two options.

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 I knew there was a standard that, or at least I felt this pressure

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 that I had to live up to some sort of standard,

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 I didn't want to be another Christian hypocrite.

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 I wanted God to still love me.

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 I wanted to be as good as all these other Christians around me seemed to be.

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 And really, if I'm honest, I think what I expected was

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 that I was supposed to be like Jesus.

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 I even had a WWJD band to remind me I was supposed to be like Jesus.

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 And maybe that's a pressure that you feel, trying to follow Jesus right now.

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 Maybe you're not having that moment like me on camp,

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 but with a little bit of a push, a little bit of self-reflection,

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 you feel a discomfort of, I'm supposed to be here,

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 and in reality I'm somewhere down here.

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 Christians never explicitly say,

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 hey, you've got to be perfect.

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 We wouldn't use that word,

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 but think about the way that you respond to moral failure.

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 When you come across it in other people,

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 do you find yourself wondering whether or not they're really Christian?

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 Do you find yourself measuring who the best Christians are

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 based on their level of goodness or their level of morality?

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 Or what about in your own life?

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 When you become aware of sin in your life,

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 are you tempted to justify it as not so bad?

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 Because let's be honest, it's uncomfortable to carry guilt.

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 It's uncomfortable.

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 Or maybe when you find sin in your own life,

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 you feel that increased pressure to somehow make up for it.

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 Somehow pray more, serve more, give more, attend more.

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 Does it all just get compounded by this fear

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 that people might find out about this sin?

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 Somehow the secret might get out.

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 Find out what?

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 That you're not as good as you're trying to pretend that you are?

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 Find out that you're not as perfect as Jesus?

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 Wouldn't that be a shock?

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 And so you're trapped in a cycle of doing everything you can to cover it up,

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 to keep your failure a secret,

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 to not let anyone else know that you make mistakes.

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 And every time you do that, you increase the pressure on yourself

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 to hold up this standard of godliness.

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 You increase the pressure to maintain this show,

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 this pretense.

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 And maybe it adds guilt that just drives you.

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 And so you're serving a lot.

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 You're ticking all the obvious boxes of following Jesus,

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 but deep down you are feeling this incredible pressure.

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 You are driven by this ridiculous weight.

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 Because somewhere along the line,

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 you and I and most of us started to believe the lie

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 that as a Christian, you had to be perfect.

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 Or at very least, you had to be better than most people.

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 Better than the people who aren't at church.

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 We started expecting ourselves to have kind of arrived as Christians.

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 And maybe it's from a verse like verse 5 in 1 John 1.

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 We open the Bible and it says,

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 This is the message we've heard from Him and declare to you.

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 God is light.

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 In Him there is no darkness at all.

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 And if we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness,

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 we lie and do not live out the truth.

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 And so we start to panic.

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 We think, well, I want to live in fellowship with God.

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 I want to be a Christian.

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 And so I can't acknowledge darkness.

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 I can't acknowledge failure.

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 Because then, apparently, I'm a liar and I have no fellowship.

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 And so we feel this pressure.

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 But you've got to understand, that's not what this verse is saying.

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 That's not what any other verse that might sound even vaguely like that is saying.

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 Because the next verse says,

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 If we walk in the light as He is in the light,

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 we have fellowship with one another,

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 and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

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 So we're already walking in the light and yet we still need purification.

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 So it's not telling us we need to be perfect.

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 But somewhere along the line,

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 our own fear and insecurity has meant that is a lie we have begun to believe.

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 And I want to begin this series by saying that if there is any part of that sentiment that resonates with you,

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 if there is even a hint of this that you think,

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 yeah, that sounds right.

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 I need to be better than the people around me.

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 I need to be good enough for God.

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 You need to hear that that is a lie.

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 You need to really listen today and throughout this series because Jesus wants to show you what He means when He says,

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 My yoke is easy.

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 My burden is light.

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 following Jesus is a journey.

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 It's about becoming something.

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 It's about being slowly and progressively transformed.

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 If you're a Christian, if you're following Jesus, you are not a finished product.

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 I can say that with absolute confidence.

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 You are on a journey and you have not yet arrived.

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 You are not at the destination.

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 You are not done.

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 Margaret Graham, who is the wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, has on her tombstone,

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 end of construction.

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 Thank you for your patience.

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 Jesus says following Him is like being on a narrow road.

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 It's a road that leads to life.

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 It's a road that ends in the perfect life, in the perfection that maybe we desire.

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 But being on the road is not the same as being at the end of the road.

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 Anyone who has kids and has been on a road trip with those kids knows that there is an obvious

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 and important distinction between being on a journey and arriving at your destination.

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 You've sat in the car and heard the haunting chorus of,

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 Are we there yet?

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 Are we there yet?

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 Are we there yet?

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 And after answering no for the thousandth time, maybe you chose to get a bit creative.

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 We're on the way.

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 We're almost there.

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 Or maybe, you know, the doozy, which I believe is untrue.

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 But anyway, it's not about the destination.

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 It's about the journey.

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 Your kids will quickly teach you that that's not true.

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 The whole point of a journey is to get somewhere.

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 You know, the journey might increase your joy on the journey if you do fun things,

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 but you are on a journey to get to somewhere.

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 And kids are pretty astute.

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 They will work out that no matter how you spin it, being on the way, being on the journey,

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 and actually arriving at your destination is not the same thing.

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 The joy of the journey, the point of the journey is only served when you arrive.

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 And so if you're a Christian, you haven't arrived yet.

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 You need to hear this.

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 Jesus says he will carry his work on.

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 He will make sure you arrive eventually.

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 But that arrival, that completion will be at the end of the journey.

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 That will be heaven.

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 That will be when we finally get home.

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 The Christian life is a journey between two points.

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 It's the point that I just talked about when I was 14,

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 when you discover that on the cross, Jesus died so that you could be forgiven.

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 And you receive the new life, that the journey begins there.

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 And the other point is heaven, when finally one day you'll be face to face with God,

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 every bit of sin and sickness and evil and everything that is bad in you and in the world is totally removed.

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 But right now as a Christian, you live between those two points.

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 Following Jesus is a journey.

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 And so this series is about how do we live on that journey?

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 What does it look like to not just wander aimlessly, but actually to flourish, to thrive on this journey?

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 What does it look like to maintain momentum, to keep going, to find joy, to grow in your delight in God on this journey?

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 What does it look like to not just shut your eyes, block your ears and hope that eventually one day you'll be home?

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 What does it look like to love Jesus and enjoy him more and more every step of the way?

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 In heaven, we will be perfect, sinless, just like Jesus.

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 But until then, that's not a standard that Jesus expects of you.

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 That's not the measure he's holding up next to your life.

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 And as long as we keep expecting that of ourselves and each other,

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 we're making it more difficult for one another to do this journey.

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 In fact, for some people who are checking out Jesus,

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 some people who are trying to decide whether or not this whole Christian thing is worth it,

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 this expectation, this unwritten law that we have about being good enough,

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 is enough to turn them away.

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 Because, again, they correctly understand, hey, I can't do that.

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 And for some Christians, it's this unwritten standard,

00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:46.259
 this pressure,

00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:50.560
 that makes following Jesus far harder than it's supposed to be.

00:16:52.259 --> 00:16:55.180
 Being a Christian means being unfinished,

00:16:55.740 --> 00:17:00.420
 which means every person in this room who is following Jesus is unfinished.

00:17:00.419 --> 00:17:05.779
 Every person in this room who is following Jesus right now has sin.

00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:07.980
 Whether or not anyone else knows, you know.

00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:10.559
 You have sin in your life.

00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:13.000
 Maybe sin you've been wrestling with,

00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:14.680
 maybe sin you've grown comfortable with,

00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.200
 but you have sin in your life.

00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:23.920
 The issue is not if you fail as a Christian,

00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:27.680
 but what you do when you fail as a Christian.

00:17:28.940 --> 00:17:31.039
 Have a look at verse 8 with me in 1 John 1.

00:17:32.180 --> 00:17:34.100
 If we claim to be without sin,

00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:37.180
 we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:41.680
 Now, none of us is actually walking around saying,

00:17:41.840 --> 00:17:42.539
 hey, I'm perfect.

00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:44.180
 Well, at least I haven't heard that.

00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:49.660
 But what we do by not actually specifically acknowledging

00:17:49.660 --> 00:17:51.660
 our areas of failure or weakness

00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:54.860
 is essentially imply that we're perfect.

00:17:56.100 --> 00:17:59.640
 We essentially give off the sense that there's nothing wrong.

00:18:01.080 --> 00:18:05.920
 And what we're doing by not regularly recognizing and acknowledging sin

00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:10.860
 is, in brackets, claiming perfection.

00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:14.599
 Making God out to be a liar, according to this verse.

00:18:14.879 --> 00:18:16.519
 Or walking in the darkness.

00:18:18.219 --> 00:18:19.179
 Putting on a show.

00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:21.379
 Not showing what's really going on in our life.

00:18:21.699 --> 00:18:24.000
 And if you talk a big game like that as a Christian,

00:18:24.119 --> 00:18:26.799
 if you walk around acting like you've got it all together,

00:18:26.919 --> 00:18:28.899
 then people will expect you to have it all together.

00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:32.880
 If you're not confessing sin,

00:18:32.940 --> 00:18:35.960
 it's a fair assumption that you either don't have any,

00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:38.019
 or at least you don't think you do.

00:18:39.660 --> 00:18:41.259
 And that's a recipe for pressure.

00:18:42.060 --> 00:18:43.640
 For you and the people around you.

00:18:44.080 --> 00:18:46.360
 That's a recipe for insecurity for you.

00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.740
 Because what happens if you suddenly do become aware of your failure

00:18:49.740 --> 00:18:52.420
 after you've been pretending that you're perfect?

00:18:52.420 --> 00:18:56.500
 And ultimately, it's a recipe for hypocrisy.

00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:01.539
 That's why the world looks at the church and thinks,

00:19:01.700 --> 00:19:02.720
 why would I want to be one of them?

00:19:04.620 --> 00:19:06.460
 They say this and they do this.

00:19:08.539 --> 00:19:10.519
 And so I just want to ask the question,

00:19:10.600 --> 00:19:11.860
 I want you to ask yourself the question,

00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:13.160
 why do we do that?

00:19:15.360 --> 00:19:18.039
 Why do we try and act like we're better than we really are?

00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:20.940
 What is it that we think we gain?

00:19:21.700 --> 00:19:24.620
 Who is it that we're trying to impress with our apparent perfection?

00:19:26.620 --> 00:19:28.180
 I mean, we know that we do it.

00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:30.680
 That's where we get our hypocrite tag.

00:19:31.660 --> 00:19:35.100
 We know that we do it because so often people who aren't like us,

00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:38.299
 who aren't as moral as us,

00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:40.980
 who don't have the same background or upbringing as us,

00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:43.140
 feel incredibly uncomfortable in our churches.

00:19:46.620 --> 00:19:47.779
 So why do we do it?

00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:52.639
 Why do we hold ourselves and the people around us

00:19:52.639 --> 00:19:54.579
 to a standard that is clearly impossible?

00:19:58.299 --> 00:20:00.839
 Because it's not a pressure the Bible ever puts on you.

00:20:01.660 --> 00:20:03.599
 It's not a pressure Jesus ever puts on you.

00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:06.740
 Jesus never says, hey, you're saved by grace,

00:20:07.539 --> 00:20:10.599
 but you stay in depending on how good you are,

00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:13.519
 depending on how much progress you've made.

00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:22.680
 See, the power of failure and sin over us is the fear that goes with us.

00:20:23.879 --> 00:20:26.639
 The power of it is the fear that we have

00:20:26.639 --> 00:20:29.720
 that somehow we might lose God's love for us.

00:20:30.500 --> 00:20:33.180
 It's a fear that Satan loves to grab hold of.

00:20:34.139 --> 00:20:36.720
 Satan is sometimes called the great accuser.

00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.559
 And what he does in those moments of failure

00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:43.059
 is he presses the button that we already have

00:20:43.059 --> 00:20:44.779
 of being insecure before God.

00:20:44.940 --> 00:20:47.120
 He reminds us of something that's actually true.

00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:50.420
 We don't deserve to be loved by God.

00:20:51.339 --> 00:20:54.460
 But he does it in a place where suddenly we're feeling

00:20:54.460 --> 00:20:55.779
 that pressure more acutely.

00:20:56.539 --> 00:20:59.660
 And he will just keep reminding us how bad we are.

00:20:59.660 --> 00:21:04.420
 putting the pressure on us to either improve,

00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:07.259
 be better, or give up.

00:21:09.300 --> 00:21:12.880
 So many well-intended Christians live with this pressure

00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:14.300
 when they fail.

00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:17.920
 They try harder and harder to be better.

00:21:18.920 --> 00:21:21.800
 They serve more and more to cover up the guilt

00:21:21.800 --> 00:21:22.980
 for their moral failure.

00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:31.019
 But inside, they're just wracked with guilt and petrified

00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:34.779
 that God is going to stop loving them,

00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:38.519
 that people are going to find out what they're really like.

00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:42.519
 But you've got to understand,

00:21:43.940 --> 00:21:47.140
 Jesus doesn't respond to failure like that.

00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:49.759
 I mean, in verse 9 it says,

00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:51.680
 If we confess our sins,

00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:53.559
 he's faithful and just

00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:55.240
 and will forgive us our sins

00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:57.519
 and purify us from all unrighteousness.

00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:01.740
 Jesus responds to your shame and guilt and sin and failure

00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:06.420
 with the gentle invitation to come back to him.

00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:11.160
 With the gracious offer of unconditional forgiveness

00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:13.500
 and cleansing and purification.

00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:16.099
 When he looks at your sin,

00:22:16.160 --> 00:22:16.839
 his response is,

00:22:17.960 --> 00:22:19.000
 Confess it to me.

00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:23.019
 Hand it over and find that I respond

00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:25.119
 the same way I did the first time you did this.

00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:28.539
 With forgiveness and love.

00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:32.779
 This verse doesn't say he might forgive us.

00:22:33.660 --> 00:22:34.660
 He doesn't say he'll,

00:22:34.879 --> 00:22:35.420
 when you come,

00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:37.359
 weigh up how many bad things you've done before,

00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:38.680
 what your track record is.

00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:39.980
 It says he is faithful.

00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:41.359
 He is just.

00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:42.819
 He will forgive you.

00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:45.160
 He will purify you.

00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:49.400
 So often,

00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:52.519
 our failure leads to insecurity and fear

00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:53.759
 when it comes to following Jesus,

00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:55.120
 but it actually doesn't have to.

00:22:56.580 --> 00:22:58.300
 Failure is going to be part of the journey,

00:22:58.640 --> 00:22:59.800
 but God in his grace

00:22:59.800 --> 00:23:02.279
 has actually transformed your failure

00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:03.360
 into an opportunity

00:23:03.360 --> 00:23:06.220
 for you to get deeper security in him.

00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:10.420
 God actually sees your failure

00:23:10.420 --> 00:23:11.860
 and thinks this is an opportunity

00:23:11.860 --> 00:23:13.720
 for you to be even more certain

00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:14.559
 that I love you.

00:23:17.140 --> 00:23:18.839
 One of the things that I love to do

00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:20.059
 with both my boys

00:23:20.059 --> 00:23:21.720
 is building with blocks.

00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:23.839
 Sometimes they ruin

00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:24.579
 my excellent creations,

00:23:25.579 --> 00:23:27.079
 but I overlook that

00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:27.700
 because they're little.

00:23:29.059 --> 00:23:30.319
 But something I've noticed,

00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:31.620
 particularly in my eldest son,

00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:31.960
 Bailey,

00:23:31.960 --> 00:23:34.480
 is this fierce independence

00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:35.600
 when it comes to building.

00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:37.200
 It's also,

00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:37.620
 you know,

00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:38.700
 that's kind of a euphemism

00:23:38.700 --> 00:23:39.539
 for he doesn't like sharing,

00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:42.079
 but he also likes to do things by himself.

00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:43.779
 And so sometimes he'll be struggling

00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:45.640
 to get the next piece on his tower

00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:47.059
 or to attach this

00:23:47.059 --> 00:23:48.660
 ridiculously inappropriate piece

00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:50.120
 off the side of this house

00:23:50.120 --> 00:23:51.140
 or zoo that he's built.

00:23:51.620 --> 00:23:52.600
 And I'm sitting there

00:23:52.600 --> 00:23:54.079
 kind of trying to be patient.

00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:55.660
 Do you want daddy's help?

00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:56.740
 He says, no.

00:23:57.860 --> 00:23:58.220
 Okay?

00:23:58.880 --> 00:23:59.720
 I'll keep watching

00:23:59.720 --> 00:24:00.740
 while he fumbles about

00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:01.620
 for a little bit longer.

00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:02.779
 You know,

00:24:02.840 --> 00:24:04.100
 the internal wrestle in me

00:24:04.100 --> 00:24:04.960
 just wanting to fix it

00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:05.700
 and make it work.

00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:06.519
 But I sit

00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:07.460
 and I patiently wait

00:24:07.460 --> 00:24:08.880
 and eventually

00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:09.840
 I get to the point

00:24:09.840 --> 00:24:10.340
 I think, okay,

00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:11.220
 I'll offer again.

00:24:11.319 --> 00:24:12.660
 He's starting to get agitated

00:24:12.660 --> 00:24:13.279
 and frustrated.

00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:13.579
 You know,

00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:14.620
 pieces are about to be thrown.

00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:15.660
 There's about to be a tantrum.

00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:16.400
 And I say,

00:24:16.900 --> 00:24:18.220
 would you like daddy

00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:19.440
 to help you do that piece?

00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:20.860
 He shuts me down

00:24:20.860 --> 00:24:21.640
 a little more aggressively

00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:22.660
 the second time around.

00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:25.380
 And the struggle is

00:24:25.380 --> 00:24:26.279
 that in that moment

00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:28.059
 his desire is actually good.

00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:30.700
 He wants to grow

00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:31.680
 in his capability.

00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:33.380
 He wants to get better

00:24:33.380 --> 00:24:33.860
 at this thing.

00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:34.680
 He's frustrated

00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:35.559
 that his skills

00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:36.480
 are not moving forward,

00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:37.740
 that he can't actually

00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:38.819
 get this piece to fit

00:24:38.819 --> 00:24:40.079
 the way that he wants it to.

00:24:40.940 --> 00:24:42.539
 But that good desire

00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:45.059
 becomes toxic

00:24:45.059 --> 00:24:45.980
 when it stands

00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:46.799
 between him

00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:47.779
 and the one thing

00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:48.440
 that can actually

00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:49.240
 solve his problem.

00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:51.200
 In this case,

00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:51.980
 namely me.

00:24:52.860 --> 00:24:53.640
 Sitting there

00:24:53.640 --> 00:24:54.440
 offering to help.

00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:57.000
 that good desire

00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:57.799
 to be capable

00:24:57.799 --> 00:24:58.620
 is toxic

00:24:58.620 --> 00:25:00.380
 because in that desire

00:25:00.380 --> 00:25:02.500
 he rejects help.

00:25:03.600 --> 00:25:04.500
 And in the same way,

00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:05.620
 our good desire

00:25:05.620 --> 00:25:06.559
 to please God,

00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:08.180
 the rightness

00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:09.240
 of wanting to live

00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:10.039
 increasingly

00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:11.299
 holy lives,

00:25:11.840 --> 00:25:13.279
 of wanting to increasingly

00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:14.259
 be more and more

00:25:14.259 --> 00:25:14.820
 like Jesus,

00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:15.960
 that's a good desire,

00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:17.799
 the rightness

00:25:17.799 --> 00:25:18.420
 of responding

00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:19.039
 to failure

00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:19.559
 with shame

00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:20.000
 and guilt

00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:22.380
 becomes toxic

00:25:22.380 --> 00:25:24.380
 when it drives you

00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:25.200
 away from the one

00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:26.180
 thing that can help you

00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:28.160
 become more like Jesus.

00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:29.579
 The one thing

00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:30.319
 that can help you

00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:31.120
 deal with shame

00:25:31.120 --> 00:25:31.519
 and guilt.

00:25:31.860 --> 00:25:32.539
 The only way

00:25:32.539 --> 00:25:33.240
 you can deal

00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:33.779
 with sin

00:25:33.779 --> 00:25:34.259
 and failure

00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:34.779
 in your life

00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:35.440
 is through Jesus,

00:25:36.100 --> 00:25:36.900
 through his death

00:25:36.900 --> 00:25:37.480
 in your place

00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:38.259
 and he's saying

00:25:38.259 --> 00:25:39.759
 every time you fail,

00:25:40.100 --> 00:25:41.100
 not just once,

00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:42.039
 once upon a time,

00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:43.400
 every time you fail,

00:25:43.740 --> 00:25:44.720
 come back to Jesus.

00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:47.039
 I mean,

00:25:47.100 --> 00:25:47.600
 did you catch

00:25:47.600 --> 00:25:48.519
 this kind of

00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:49.960
 strange little sentence

00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:50.360
 at the beginning

00:25:50.360 --> 00:25:51.079
 of chapter 2?

00:25:51.860 --> 00:25:52.140
 It says,

00:25:52.600 --> 00:25:53.640
 my dear children,

00:25:53.860 --> 00:25:54.819
 I write this to you

00:25:54.819 --> 00:25:56.079
 so that you will not sin.

00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:58.140
 But if anybody

00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:59.279
 does sin,

00:26:00.299 --> 00:26:01.299
 we have an advocate

00:26:01.299 --> 00:26:02.140
 with the Father,

00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:03.120
 Jesus Christ,

00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:03.960
 the righteous one.

00:26:04.380 --> 00:26:06.240
 He is the atoning

00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.980
 sacrifice for our sins,

00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:09.120
 not only for ours

00:26:09.120 --> 00:26:10.319
 but also for the sins

00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:11.460
 of the whole world.

00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:13.799
 Jesus is the only thing

00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:14.900
 that deals with sin.

00:26:14.900 --> 00:26:15.980
 He is sufficient

00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:16.600
 to deal with

00:26:16.600 --> 00:26:17.340
 all of your sin

00:26:17.340 --> 00:26:18.400
 and not just your sin

00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:18.980
 but the sins

00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:19.940
 of the whole world

00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:21.200
 and this is written

00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:22.519
 to Christians.

00:26:24.100 --> 00:26:24.720
 It's written

00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:25.920
 to dear children,

00:26:26.120 --> 00:26:26.860
 to those who have

00:26:26.860 --> 00:26:27.820
 begun the journey,

00:26:28.120 --> 00:26:29.360
 to those who at some point

00:26:29.360 --> 00:26:30.240
 decided to start

00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:31.000
 following Jesus

00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:32.360
 and here we're being told,

00:26:32.820 --> 00:26:33.660
 don't leave

00:26:33.660 --> 00:26:35.400
 confession behind.

00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:39.400
 Don't leave

00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:40.200
 acknowledging that

00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:40.759
 you're inadequate

00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:41.880
 just to the beginning

00:26:41.880 --> 00:26:42.700
 of the journey.

00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:44.000
 this is a regular

00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:45.440
 part of the journey

00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:46.420
 following Jesus.

00:26:47.299 --> 00:26:48.319
 Putting your hand up

00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:48.600
 saying,

00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:48.920
 God,

00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:50.420
 I still need your grace

00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:52.059
 just as much as I did

00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:52.640
 when I began.

00:26:53.799 --> 00:26:55.000
 Every time you sin,

00:26:56.100 --> 00:26:57.200
 there is still grace,

00:26:57.840 --> 00:26:58.880
 there is still forgiveness

00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:00.120
 and it's offered freely.

00:27:01.500 --> 00:27:02.500
 The only thing

00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:03.059
 that can stand

00:27:03.059 --> 00:27:03.680
 between you

00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:04.600
 and that forgiveness

00:27:04.600 --> 00:27:05.759
 is your own pride,

00:27:06.840 --> 00:27:07.640
 your attempts

00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:08.920
 to self-justify

00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:09.539
 your actions,

00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:10.779
 your attempts

00:27:10.779 --> 00:27:11.940
 to impress people

00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:12.559
 and God,

00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:14.960
 whether it's

00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:16.180
 from playing down sin

00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:17.339
 or trying to make up

00:27:17.339 --> 00:27:17.819
 for it,

00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:20.539
 so long as you think

00:27:20.539 --> 00:27:21.740
 that somehow

00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:22.680
 God needs you

00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:23.700
 to be good enough

00:27:23.700 --> 00:27:25.619
 for Him to love you,

00:27:26.759 --> 00:27:28.160
 you will spend

00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:29.119
 your whole life

00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:29.980
 crushed

00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:31.500
 by a standard

00:27:31.500 --> 00:27:32.480
 that you will never

00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:33.879
 live up to.

00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:37.420
 So long as there is

00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:39.000
 even a skerrick

00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:40.660
 of belief in your mind

00:27:40.660 --> 00:27:41.759
 that God's love

00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:42.440
 is dependent

00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:43.880
 on how good you are,

00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:46.339
 you will spend

00:27:46.339 --> 00:27:47.839
 your life trapped

00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:49.640
 in a cycle

00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:50.259
 of guilt,

00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:51.779
 failure,

00:27:52.299 --> 00:27:52.759
 denial,

00:27:53.299 --> 00:27:53.920
 pretense,

00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:55.319
 judgment of others

00:27:55.319 --> 00:27:57.640
 and ultimately

00:27:57.640 --> 00:27:58.339
 the fear

00:27:58.339 --> 00:27:59.420
 that one day

00:27:59.420 --> 00:28:00.480
 God and everyone else

00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:01.099
 will find out

00:28:01.099 --> 00:28:02.019
 what you're really like

00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:04.220
 and treat you

00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:04.980
 the way you deserve.

00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:10.039
 God knows

00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:10.799
 what you're like.

00:28:12.900 --> 00:28:13.640
 The Bible

00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:14.380
 said that Christ

00:28:14.380 --> 00:28:14.960
 died for us

00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:15.359
 when we were

00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:16.359
 still sinners.

00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:19.279
 Christ died

00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:19.579
 for us

00:28:19.579 --> 00:28:20.380
 fully aware

00:28:20.380 --> 00:28:20.819
 of everything

00:28:20.819 --> 00:28:21.359
 you had ever

00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:22.000
 done up to that

00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:22.339
 point,

00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:24.519
 fully aware

00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:24.900
 of everything

00:28:24.900 --> 00:28:25.500
 you were going

00:28:25.500 --> 00:28:25.839
 to do

00:28:25.839 --> 00:28:26.440
 from that point

00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:26.880
 forward,

00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:28.680
 more aware

00:28:28.680 --> 00:28:29.420
 of your deepest,

00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:30.359
 darkest secrets

00:28:30.359 --> 00:28:31.079
 than you are.

00:28:32.359 --> 00:28:33.059
 He already

00:28:33.059 --> 00:28:33.640
 knows

00:28:33.640 --> 00:28:33.740
 grace.

00:28:35.600 --> 00:28:36.520
 And when you

00:28:36.520 --> 00:28:37.060
 fail,

00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:39.220
 grace is on

00:28:39.220 --> 00:28:39.500
 offer.

00:28:40.860 --> 00:28:41.380
 Again,

00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:42.040
 this isn't an

00:28:42.040 --> 00:28:42.780
 if you fail

00:28:42.780 --> 00:28:43.100
 issue,

00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:43.600
 this is a

00:28:43.600 --> 00:28:44.300
 when you fail.

00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:46.480
 When you fail,

00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:47.740
 God offers

00:28:47.740 --> 00:28:48.560
 grace.

00:28:49.340 --> 00:28:49.759
 He offers

00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:50.340
 forgiveness.

00:28:52.220 --> 00:28:53.180
 And this matters

00:28:53.180 --> 00:28:53.940
 more than just

00:28:53.940 --> 00:28:54.880
 in the instantaneous

00:28:54.880 --> 00:28:55.800
 sense of not

00:28:55.800 --> 00:28:56.560
 feeling bad,

00:28:57.440 --> 00:28:57.780
 of kind of

00:28:57.780 --> 00:28:58.520
 escaping that

00:28:58.520 --> 00:28:59.640
 discomfort of

00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:00.840
 shame.

00:29:00.839 --> 00:29:04.779
 encountering

00:29:04.779 --> 00:29:05.459
 God's grace

00:29:05.459 --> 00:29:06.159
 like this

00:29:06.159 --> 00:29:07.039
 again and

00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:07.500
 again is

00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:09.279
 essential to

00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:10.139
 journeying well

00:29:10.139 --> 00:29:11.500
 as a Christian.

00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:12.740
 Essential to

00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:13.279
 this journey

00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:13.839
 between what

00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:14.559
 Jesus has done

00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:15.059
 on the cross

00:29:15.059 --> 00:29:15.419
 and what he

00:29:15.419 --> 00:29:15.879
 has prepared

00:29:15.879 --> 00:29:16.379
 for us in

00:29:16.379 --> 00:29:16.619
 heaven.

00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:18.839
 Confessing sin

00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:19.859
 is an assurance

00:29:19.859 --> 00:29:21.179
 building activity.

00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:22.500
 It's a gift

00:29:22.500 --> 00:29:23.299
 that God has

00:29:23.299 --> 00:29:23.959
 given us.

00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:25.099
 It is a tool

00:29:25.099 --> 00:29:25.699
 that God has

00:29:25.699 --> 00:29:26.539
 given us so

00:29:26.539 --> 00:29:27.019
 that we don't

00:29:27.019 --> 00:29:27.879
 just fall over

00:29:27.879 --> 00:29:28.539
 the finish line

00:29:28.539 --> 00:29:29.000
 one day and

00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:29.220
 think,

00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:29.740
 thank God

00:29:29.740 --> 00:29:30.220
 that journey

00:29:30.220 --> 00:29:30.679
 is over.

00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:33.019
 But so that

00:29:33.019 --> 00:29:33.619
 we hit the

00:29:33.619 --> 00:29:34.159
 finish line

00:29:34.159 --> 00:29:34.779
 with momentum.

00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:36.779
 So that each

00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:37.319
 day we get

00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:38.000
 more and more

00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:38.679
 excited for

00:29:38.679 --> 00:29:39.279
 what the future

00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:39.859
 is because

00:29:39.859 --> 00:29:40.839
 we're tasting

00:29:40.839 --> 00:29:41.480
 that future

00:29:41.480 --> 00:29:42.500
 in the momentary

00:29:42.500 --> 00:29:43.119
 grace that we

00:29:43.119 --> 00:29:43.919
 get every time

00:29:43.919 --> 00:29:44.419
 we come to

00:29:44.419 --> 00:29:44.779
 God without

00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:45.659
 failure and

00:29:45.659 --> 00:29:46.059
 hear the

00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:46.379
 words,

00:29:46.659 --> 00:29:46.899
 you are

00:29:46.899 --> 00:29:47.240
 forgiven.

00:29:49.019 --> 00:29:49.459
 Completely,

00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:50.740
 irreversibly,

00:29:50.919 --> 00:29:51.619
 unconditionally

00:29:51.619 --> 00:29:52.159
 forgiven.

00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:53.799
 I mean,

00:29:53.879 --> 00:29:54.599
 think about

00:29:54.599 --> 00:29:55.359
 what you did

00:29:55.359 --> 00:29:55.859
 when you first

00:29:55.859 --> 00:29:56.359
 became a

00:29:56.359 --> 00:29:56.639
 Christian.

00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:00.119
 You confessed

00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:01.239
 now,

00:30:01.299 --> 00:30:01.679
 it might have

00:30:01.679 --> 00:30:02.319
 been clumsy,

00:30:02.819 --> 00:30:03.319
 it might have

00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:04.059
 been vague,

00:30:04.159 --> 00:30:04.559
 it might have

00:30:04.559 --> 00:30:05.279
 been general,

00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:07.599
 but on some

00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:07.959
 level,

00:30:08.239 --> 00:30:08.959
 when you became

00:30:08.959 --> 00:30:09.419
 a Christian,

00:30:09.539 --> 00:30:09.899
 you said,

00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:10.259
 God,

00:30:10.479 --> 00:30:11.519
 I know I

00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:12.099
 don't deserve

00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:12.500
 this,

00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:13.359
 I know I

00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:13.959
 don't deserve

00:30:13.959 --> 00:30:14.519
 to be loved

00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:14.939
 by you,

00:30:15.079 --> 00:30:16.359
 but please

00:30:16.359 --> 00:30:16.919
 forgive me.

00:30:17.739 --> 00:30:18.319
 And he

00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:18.619
 did.

00:30:20.719 --> 00:30:21.339
 In that

00:30:21.339 --> 00:30:21.619
 moment,

00:30:21.719 --> 00:30:22.239
 he did.

00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:23.000
 And every

00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:23.739
 step since

00:30:23.739 --> 00:30:23.959
 then,

00:30:24.019 --> 00:30:24.459
 if you're still

00:30:24.459 --> 00:30:25.039
 going as a

00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:25.399
 Christian,

00:30:25.739 --> 00:30:26.219
 has been a

00:30:26.219 --> 00:30:27.079
 response to

00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:27.980
 that moment

00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:28.799
 of tasting

00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:29.859
 and experiencing

00:30:29.859 --> 00:30:30.460
 God's

00:30:30.460 --> 00:30:31.339
 incredible love,

00:30:32.199 --> 00:30:32.980
 of having

00:30:32.980 --> 00:30:33.460
 the weight

00:30:33.460 --> 00:30:33.939
 lifted.

00:30:35.960 --> 00:30:36.859
 But what

00:30:36.859 --> 00:30:37.539
 regular

00:30:37.539 --> 00:30:38.639
 confession of

00:30:38.639 --> 00:30:39.579
 sin does

00:30:39.579 --> 00:30:41.059
 is draw you

00:30:41.059 --> 00:30:42.079
 back to

00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:43.079
 that experience.

00:30:45.159 --> 00:30:45.980
 Draws you

00:30:45.980 --> 00:30:46.699
 back to the

00:30:46.699 --> 00:30:47.460
 power of

00:30:47.460 --> 00:30:48.299
 that experience.

00:30:49.740 --> 00:30:50.599
 It's kind

00:30:50.599 --> 00:30:51.039
 of like a

00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:51.579
 long distance

00:30:51.579 --> 00:30:52.240
 relationship.

00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:53.899
 I don't know

00:30:53.899 --> 00:30:54.240
 if you've ever

00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:55.000
 had a relationship

00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:55.680
 with somebody

00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:56.960
 across oceans

00:30:56.960 --> 00:30:57.559
 or states

00:30:57.559 --> 00:30:57.920
 or whatever

00:30:57.920 --> 00:30:58.519
 it might be.

00:30:58.799 --> 00:30:59.500
 If you don't

00:30:59.500 --> 00:31:00.259
 speak to or

00:31:00.259 --> 00:31:01.000
 see the person

00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:01.759
 that you love

00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:02.779
 regularly,

00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:04.500
 it's inevitable

00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:05.240
 that over a

00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:05.980
 period of time,

00:31:06.299 --> 00:31:07.000
 the power of

00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:07.680
 that love to

00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:08.359
 drive your

00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:09.140
 actions and

00:31:09.140 --> 00:31:10.420
 emotions is

00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:10.660
 going to

00:31:10.660 --> 00:31:11.680
 slowly decrease.

00:31:13.019 --> 00:31:13.279
 Now,

00:31:13.319 --> 00:31:13.960
 it might still

00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:14.640
 be sufficient

00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:15.319
 to keep you

00:31:15.319 --> 00:31:15.759
 faithful,

00:31:16.720 --> 00:31:17.279
 to keep you

00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:17.759
 committed to

00:31:17.759 --> 00:31:18.259
 that person,

00:31:18.259 --> 00:31:18.759
 but it's not

00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:19.140
 going to have

00:31:19.140 --> 00:31:19.700
 the same

00:31:19.700 --> 00:31:20.799
 drive as if

00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:21.660
 you are face

00:31:21.660 --> 00:31:22.160
 to face

00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:22.880
 enjoying that

00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:23.380
 person's

00:31:23.380 --> 00:31:24.259
 company regularly.

00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:26.420
 It's not

00:31:26.420 --> 00:31:26.680
 going to have

00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:27.059
 the same

00:31:27.059 --> 00:31:27.799
 impact on

00:31:27.799 --> 00:31:28.539
 you as if

00:31:28.539 --> 00:31:28.900
 you were

00:31:28.900 --> 00:31:30.079
 actually in

00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:30.779
 their company,

00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:32.299
 delighting in

00:31:32.299 --> 00:31:32.819
 all the things

00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:33.359
 that drew you

00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:33.859
 to them in

00:31:33.859 --> 00:31:34.279
 the first

00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:34.740
 place.

00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:37.220
 It's not

00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:37.500
 going to have

00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:37.920
 the same

00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:38.440
 drive that's

00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:39.039
 possible when

00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:39.700
 distance is

00:31:39.700 --> 00:31:41.079
 removed and

00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:41.480
 you get to

00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:42.019
 enjoy that

00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:42.680
 person day

00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:43.259
 in and day

00:31:43.259 --> 00:31:43.519
 out.

00:31:45.019 --> 00:31:45.200
 Now,

00:31:45.319 --> 00:31:46.019
 in the same

00:31:46.019 --> 00:31:46.420
 way,

00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:47.759
 your first

00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:48.799
 time experience

00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:49.299
 of God's

00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:50.000
 grace when

00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:50.579
 you became a

00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:50.839
 Christian,

00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:51.539
 if you are

00:31:51.539 --> 00:31:51.740
 one,

00:31:52.940 --> 00:31:53.740
 is ultimately

00:31:53.740 --> 00:31:54.599
 powerful enough

00:31:54.599 --> 00:31:55.059
 to get you

00:31:55.059 --> 00:31:55.419
 to the end

00:31:55.419 --> 00:31:55.639
 of this

00:31:55.639 --> 00:31:55.919
 journey.

00:31:56.299 --> 00:31:56.539
 I want to

00:31:56.539 --> 00:31:56.759
 make that

00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:57.379
 really clear.

00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:00.000
 That grace

00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:00.419
 that God

00:32:00.419 --> 00:32:00.839
 showed you

00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:01.279
 in forgiving

00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:01.719
 you once

00:32:01.719 --> 00:32:02.219
 is enough

00:32:02.219 --> 00:32:02.659
 to get you

00:32:02.659 --> 00:32:03.019
 to the end.

00:32:03.099 --> 00:32:03.679
 God promises

00:32:03.679 --> 00:32:04.059
 he's not

00:32:04.059 --> 00:32:04.419
 going to let

00:32:04.419 --> 00:32:04.779
 you go

00:32:04.779 --> 00:32:05.199
 if you've

00:32:05.199 --> 00:32:05.779
 taken step

00:32:05.779 --> 00:32:06.519
 one and

00:32:06.519 --> 00:32:06.740
 said,

00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:07.079
 I want to

00:32:07.079 --> 00:32:07.519
 be forgiven.

00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:08.439
 God has

00:32:08.439 --> 00:32:08.659
 you and

00:32:08.659 --> 00:32:08.859
 he will

00:32:08.859 --> 00:32:09.279
 make sure

00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:09.599
 you get

00:32:09.599 --> 00:32:09.859
 to the

00:32:09.859 --> 00:32:10.119
 end.

00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:11.099
 But God's

00:32:11.099 --> 00:32:11.519
 desire,

00:32:11.699 --> 00:32:11.919
 again,

00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:12.559
 is not that

00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:13.139
 you collapse

00:32:13.139 --> 00:32:13.539
 over the

00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:14.119
 finish line.

00:32:15.439 --> 00:32:16.079
 God's desire

00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:16.539
 is not that

00:32:16.539 --> 00:32:16.879
 you bang

00:32:16.879 --> 00:32:17.219
 your head

00:32:17.219 --> 00:32:17.619
 against the

00:32:17.619 --> 00:32:17.919
 wall and

00:32:17.919 --> 00:32:18.439
 following him

00:32:18.439 --> 00:32:18.919
 throughout your

00:32:18.919 --> 00:32:19.740
 life and

00:32:19.740 --> 00:32:20.139
 then one

00:32:20.139 --> 00:32:20.639
 day think,

00:32:20.759 --> 00:32:21.079
 again,

00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:25.439
 full life,

00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:26.379
 a joyful

00:32:26.379 --> 00:32:26.719
 life,

00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:27.219
 a secure

00:32:27.219 --> 00:32:27.519
 life.

00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:27.859
 He wants

00:32:27.859 --> 00:32:28.379
 your momentum

00:32:28.379 --> 00:32:29.079
 to build

00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:29.559
 in following

00:32:29.559 --> 00:32:29.819
 him.

00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:30.359
 He wants

00:32:30.359 --> 00:32:30.639
 you to be

00:32:30.639 --> 00:32:31.299
 more confident

00:32:31.299 --> 00:32:31.879
 of his love

00:32:31.879 --> 00:32:32.319
 for you at

00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:32.699
 the end of

00:32:32.699 --> 00:32:33.019
 your life

00:32:33.019 --> 00:32:33.339
 than you

00:32:33.339 --> 00:32:34.079
 were day

00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:34.480
 one when

00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:34.759
 you hadn't

00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:35.079
 even had

00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:35.459
 the chance

00:32:35.459 --> 00:32:35.980
 to disappoint

00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:36.359
 him yet.

00:32:38.719 --> 00:32:39.439
 He wants

00:32:39.439 --> 00:32:39.719
 you to

00:32:39.719 --> 00:32:40.119
 grow.

00:32:40.439 --> 00:32:40.719
 He wants

00:32:40.719 --> 00:32:40.939
 you to

00:32:40.939 --> 00:32:41.759
 keep tasting

00:32:41.759 --> 00:32:42.819
 grace and

00:32:42.819 --> 00:32:44.259
 confession is

00:32:44.259 --> 00:32:45.219
 a gift that

00:32:45.219 --> 00:32:45.919
 he has given

00:32:45.919 --> 00:32:47.279
 us for us

00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:47.759
 to taste

00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:48.219
 grace.

00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:50.339
 It's an

00:32:50.339 --> 00:32:51.139
 opportunity he

00:32:51.139 --> 00:32:51.480
 has given

00:32:51.480 --> 00:32:52.359
 us that we

00:32:52.359 --> 00:32:52.919
 might taste

00:32:52.919 --> 00:32:53.539
 and experience

00:32:53.539 --> 00:32:54.299
 his incredible

00:32:54.299 --> 00:32:55.019
 love.

00:32:55.419 --> 00:32:55.839
 It is a

00:32:55.839 --> 00:32:56.319
 chance to

00:32:56.319 --> 00:32:56.899
 air our

00:32:56.899 --> 00:32:57.579
 dirty laundry,

00:32:57.740 --> 00:32:58.099
 to show

00:32:58.099 --> 00:32:58.879
 him the

00:32:58.879 --> 00:32:59.460
 deepest,

00:32:59.779 --> 00:33:00.539
 darkest parts

00:33:00.539 --> 00:33:00.740
 of us,

00:33:00.779 --> 00:33:01.059
 the things

00:33:01.059 --> 00:33:01.579
 we're most

00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:02.299
 ashamed about

00:33:02.299 --> 00:33:03.180
 and find

00:33:03.180 --> 00:33:03.879
 that again

00:33:03.879 --> 00:33:05.099
 he says,

00:33:05.559 --> 00:33:06.099
 I love you

00:33:06.099 --> 00:33:06.419
 and I

00:33:06.419 --> 00:33:06.919
 forgive you.

00:33:07.539 --> 00:33:08.220
 And again

00:33:08.220 --> 00:33:08.879
 he says,

00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:09.519
 I love you

00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:09.819
 and I

00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:10.319
 forgive you.

00:33:10.440 --> 00:33:10.980
 And again

00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:11.680
 he says,

00:33:11.759 --> 00:33:12.379
 I love you

00:33:12.379 --> 00:33:12.919
 and I

00:33:12.919 --> 00:33:13.500
 forgive you.

00:33:13.639 --> 00:33:14.099
 And as you

00:33:14.099 --> 00:33:14.659
 do it once,

00:33:14.740 --> 00:33:15.119
 you suddenly

00:33:15.119 --> 00:33:15.460
 think,

00:33:15.559 --> 00:33:15.759
 wow,

00:33:15.839 --> 00:33:16.220
 he even

00:33:16.220 --> 00:33:16.839
 forgave that.

00:33:16.940 --> 00:33:17.139
 And so

00:33:17.139 --> 00:33:17.500
 the next

00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:17.879
 time you're

00:33:17.879 --> 00:33:18.519
 more confident

00:33:18.519 --> 00:33:19.059
 and you do

00:33:19.059 --> 00:33:19.480
 it again

00:33:19.480 --> 00:33:19.919
 and you think,

00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:20.279
 wow,

00:33:20.339 --> 00:33:20.879
 he loved that.

00:33:21.019 --> 00:33:21.539
 And he gets

00:33:21.539 --> 00:33:22.119
 this track

00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:22.980
 record for you

00:33:22.980 --> 00:33:23.380
 that's not

00:33:23.380 --> 00:33:23.940
 just theory

00:33:23.940 --> 00:33:24.380
 you've heard

00:33:24.380 --> 00:33:24.700
 about,

00:33:24.860 --> 00:33:25.299
 but it's

00:33:25.299 --> 00:33:25.740
 love that

00:33:25.740 --> 00:33:26.059
 you've

00:33:26.059 --> 00:33:26.940
 experienced.

00:33:28.779 --> 00:33:29.440
 And so

00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:30.019
 more and

00:33:30.019 --> 00:33:30.599
 more we

00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:31.420
 need to be

00:33:31.420 --> 00:33:32.880
 people who

00:33:32.880 --> 00:33:34.319
 confess sin

00:33:34.319 --> 00:33:35.099
 to God.

00:33:35.099 --> 00:33:38.059
 and as we

00:33:38.059 --> 00:33:38.419
 do it,

00:33:38.500 --> 00:33:39.099
 who discover

00:33:39.099 --> 00:33:39.419
 that his

00:33:39.419 --> 00:33:39.819
 love is

00:33:39.819 --> 00:33:40.439
 more powerful

00:33:40.439 --> 00:33:41.639
 than our

00:33:41.639 --> 00:33:42.079
 pride,

00:33:43.419 --> 00:33:44.199
 our lust,

00:33:45.179 --> 00:33:45.899
 our greed,

00:33:46.719 --> 00:33:47.719
 our selfishness,

00:33:48.159 --> 00:33:49.019
 our laziness.

00:33:51.579 --> 00:33:52.240
 And every

00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:52.759
 time you do

00:33:52.759 --> 00:33:52.959
 it,

00:33:53.779 --> 00:33:54.419
 it'll be like

00:33:54.419 --> 00:33:55.259
 reliving a

00:33:55.259 --> 00:33:55.899
 mini version

00:33:55.899 --> 00:33:57.539
 of that first

00:33:57.539 --> 00:33:58.199
 moment that you

00:33:58.199 --> 00:33:59.019
 tasted grace.

00:34:00.219 --> 00:34:01.299
 That first

00:34:01.299 --> 00:34:01.879
 moment,

00:34:01.980 --> 00:34:02.959
 initial joy

00:34:02.959 --> 00:34:03.599
 of discovering

00:34:03.599 --> 00:34:04.139
 that God

00:34:04.140 --> 00:34:04.720
 loves you

00:34:04.720 --> 00:34:05.460
 more than

00:34:05.460 --> 00:34:05.740
 you can

00:34:05.740 --> 00:34:06.460
 possibly

00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:06.960
 comprehend

00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:08.200
 and that

00:34:08.200 --> 00:34:08.500
 he will

00:34:08.500 --> 00:34:09.220
 always love

00:34:09.220 --> 00:34:09.440
 you.

00:34:10.200 --> 00:34:11.019
 Every time

00:34:11.019 --> 00:34:11.559
 we stop

00:34:11.559 --> 00:34:12.119
 to confess

00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:12.680
 sin,

00:34:13.380 --> 00:34:14.260
 we get the

00:34:14.260 --> 00:34:14.760
 chance to

00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:15.460
 experience that

00:34:15.460 --> 00:34:16.380
 joy afresh.

00:34:18.599 --> 00:34:19.300
 And so

00:34:19.300 --> 00:34:19.900
 we need to

00:34:19.900 --> 00:34:20.360
 be people

00:34:20.360 --> 00:34:21.480
 who confess.

00:34:23.740 --> 00:34:24.579
 We need

00:34:24.579 --> 00:34:25.200
 to be people

00:34:25.200 --> 00:34:25.980
 who are honest

00:34:25.980 --> 00:34:26.720
 about how

00:34:26.720 --> 00:34:27.039
 we're going,

00:34:27.140 --> 00:34:27.780
 who walk in

00:34:27.780 --> 00:34:28.099
 the light,

00:34:28.140 --> 00:34:28.519
 that's what it

00:34:28.519 --> 00:34:28.900
 means,

00:34:29.539 --> 00:34:31.099
 who show

00:34:31.099 --> 00:34:31.660
 what's really

00:34:31.660 --> 00:34:32.360
 going on because

00:34:32.360 --> 00:34:32.680
 we're not

00:34:32.680 --> 00:34:33.599
 trusting in

00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:34.119
 our ability

00:34:34.119 --> 00:34:34.779
 to fake

00:34:34.779 --> 00:34:35.360
 meeting a

00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:35.679
 standard.

00:34:35.819 --> 00:34:36.299
 We're trusting

00:34:36.299 --> 00:34:37.000
 in God's

00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:37.960
 love for us

00:34:37.960 --> 00:34:38.239
 that is

00:34:38.239 --> 00:34:38.759
 stronger than

00:34:38.759 --> 00:34:39.319
 our failure.

00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:42.339
 And so if

00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.639
 you're not

00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:43.639
 regularly asking

00:34:43.639 --> 00:34:44.259
 for forgiveness

00:34:44.259 --> 00:34:44.940
 from God,

00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:45.739
 and I don't

00:34:45.739 --> 00:34:46.400
 mean generally

00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:46.860
 like, hey

00:34:46.860 --> 00:34:47.259
 God, I

00:34:47.259 --> 00:34:47.559
 haven't done

00:34:47.559 --> 00:34:47.940
 very well

00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:48.259
 this week,

00:34:48.299 --> 00:34:48.480
 I mean

00:34:48.480 --> 00:34:49.099
 specifically.

00:34:50.679 --> 00:34:51.219
 Like, hey

00:34:51.219 --> 00:34:51.539
 God, I

00:34:51.539 --> 00:34:52.119
 thought this

00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:52.619
 about that

00:34:52.619 --> 00:34:53.199
 person this

00:34:53.199 --> 00:34:53.619
 week and I

00:34:53.619 --> 00:34:53.860
 know that

00:34:53.860 --> 00:34:54.119
 doesn't

00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:54.480
 honour you.

00:34:56.000 --> 00:34:56.400
 Like, hey

00:34:56.400 --> 00:34:56.679
 God, I

00:34:56.679 --> 00:34:57.259
 lied about

00:34:57.259 --> 00:34:57.619
 this in

00:34:57.619 --> 00:34:58.059
 this way

00:34:58.059 --> 00:34:58.500
 because I

00:34:58.500 --> 00:34:58.779
 was more

00:34:58.779 --> 00:34:59.199
 worried about

00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:00.639
 my reputation

00:35:00.639 --> 00:35:01.219
 than yours

00:35:01.219 --> 00:35:01.599
 and I know

00:35:01.599 --> 00:35:01.900
 it's not

00:35:01.900 --> 00:35:02.199
 okay.

00:35:02.199 --> 00:35:04.239
 specific

00:35:04.239 --> 00:35:04.799
 confession.

00:35:04.919 --> 00:35:05.139
 If you're

00:35:05.139 --> 00:35:05.559
 not doing

00:35:05.559 --> 00:35:07.199
 it, then

00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:07.779
 God's love

00:35:07.779 --> 00:35:08.199
 will seem

00:35:08.199 --> 00:35:09.399
 small, distant

00:35:09.399 --> 00:35:10.059
 and inadequate.

00:35:12.339 --> 00:35:13.059
 You'll find

00:35:13.059 --> 00:35:13.819
 yourself like I

00:35:13.819 --> 00:35:14.239
 did a year

00:35:14.239 --> 00:35:14.619
 into my

00:35:14.619 --> 00:35:15.119
 journey of

00:35:15.119 --> 00:35:15.819
 following Jesus,

00:35:16.299 --> 00:35:17.319
 not really

00:35:17.319 --> 00:35:18.019
 going anywhere.

00:35:18.019 --> 00:35:18.079
 prayer.

00:35:21.699 --> 00:35:23.239
 So often, any

00:35:23.239 --> 00:35:24.059
 lack of energy

00:35:24.059 --> 00:35:24.780
 or enthusiasm

00:35:24.780 --> 00:35:25.599
 that Christians

00:35:25.599 --> 00:35:26.639
 have can be

00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:27.440
 traced back to

00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:28.579
 an entree-sized

00:35:28.579 --> 00:35:29.420
 encounter with

00:35:29.420 --> 00:35:30.119
 God's grace.

00:35:32.619 --> 00:35:33.159
 Expecting

00:35:33.159 --> 00:35:33.699
 yourself to

00:35:33.699 --> 00:35:34.219
 survive the

00:35:34.219 --> 00:35:34.719
 whole meal

00:35:34.719 --> 00:35:35.340
 after just

00:35:35.340 --> 00:35:37.239
 snacking when

00:35:37.239 --> 00:35:37.619
 God has

00:35:37.619 --> 00:35:38.099
 offered you a

00:35:38.099 --> 00:35:38.380
 buffet.

00:35:39.380 --> 00:35:40.300
 All-you-can-eat

00:35:40.300 --> 00:35:42.320
 grace for all

00:35:42.320 --> 00:35:42.900
 of your life,

00:35:43.460 --> 00:35:44.420
 for every sin,

00:35:44.539 --> 00:35:44.920
 for every

00:35:44.920 --> 00:35:45.400
 failure.

00:35:45.400 --> 00:35:45.480
 prayer.

00:35:47.320 --> 00:35:47.900
 If you're

00:35:47.900 --> 00:35:48.740
 feeling flat,

00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:50.019
 if you're not

00:35:50.019 --> 00:35:51.000
 feeling enthusiastic

00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:51.780
 for God, if

00:35:51.780 --> 00:35:52.019
 you're not

00:35:52.019 --> 00:35:52.599
 driven to

00:35:52.599 --> 00:35:53.019
 love Him,

00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:53.840
 maybe if

00:35:53.840 --> 00:35:54.420
 those words

00:35:54.420 --> 00:35:54.740
 that I

00:35:54.740 --> 00:35:55.139
 talked about

00:35:55.139 --> 00:35:55.300
 at the

00:35:55.300 --> 00:35:55.720
 beginning where

00:35:55.720 --> 00:35:56.139
 I was just

00:35:56.139 --> 00:35:57.019
 busting to

00:35:57.019 --> 00:35:57.619
 follow Jesus

00:35:57.619 --> 00:35:58.000
 with every

00:35:58.000 --> 00:35:58.300
 minute,

00:35:58.539 --> 00:35:59.280
 sound familiar

00:35:59.280 --> 00:36:00.320
 but from

00:36:00.320 --> 00:36:00.940
 the past,

00:36:01.940 --> 00:36:03.380
 you're not

00:36:03.380 --> 00:36:03.579
 going to be

00:36:03.579 --> 00:36:03.980
 able to fix

00:36:03.980 --> 00:36:04.320
 that by

00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:04.980
 trying harder.

00:36:07.059 --> 00:36:07.639
 You're only

00:36:07.639 --> 00:36:08.119
 going to fix

00:36:08.119 --> 00:36:08.880
 that by

00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:09.639
 feasting on

00:36:09.639 --> 00:36:10.039
 grace,

00:36:10.039 --> 00:36:14.699
 by airing

00:36:14.699 --> 00:36:15.380
 your dirty

00:36:15.380 --> 00:36:16.699
 laundry and

00:36:16.699 --> 00:36:17.159
 discovering

00:36:17.159 --> 00:36:19.119
 again that

00:36:19.119 --> 00:36:19.539
 God loves

00:36:19.539 --> 00:36:20.000
 you anyway,

00:36:21.000 --> 00:36:21.980
 probably more

00:36:21.980 --> 00:36:22.480
 than you even

00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:22.940
 realize.

00:36:24.679 --> 00:36:25.519
 We regularly

00:36:25.519 --> 00:36:26.360
 confess here at

00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:26.900
 church at St.

00:36:26.940 --> 00:36:27.199
 Paul's.

00:36:27.239 --> 00:36:27.920
 We pray prayers

00:36:27.920 --> 00:36:28.699
 together to do

00:36:28.699 --> 00:36:28.880
 it.

00:36:29.639 --> 00:36:30.659
 We sing songs of

00:36:30.659 --> 00:36:31.380
 confession but

00:36:31.380 --> 00:36:31.880
 there's always the

00:36:31.880 --> 00:36:32.719
 potential in those

00:36:32.719 --> 00:36:33.320
 that we can say

00:36:33.320 --> 00:36:33.820
 the words,

00:36:33.960 --> 00:36:34.800
 let it go past.

00:36:34.800 --> 00:36:37.920
 So I want to

00:36:37.920 --> 00:36:38.519
 push you right

00:36:38.519 --> 00:36:38.780
 now.

00:36:40.380 --> 00:36:41.160
 I'm basically

00:36:41.160 --> 00:36:42.060
 finishing here.

00:36:43.580 --> 00:36:44.539
 I want to push

00:36:44.539 --> 00:36:45.360
 you to take

00:36:45.360 --> 00:36:46.420
 this grace

00:36:46.420 --> 00:36:47.039
 opportunity.

00:36:48.980 --> 00:36:49.720
 This isn't just

00:36:49.720 --> 00:36:50.260
 a right now

00:36:50.260 --> 00:36:50.860
 thing, this is

00:36:50.860 --> 00:36:51.600
 about every step

00:36:51.600 --> 00:36:52.080
 of the journey.

00:36:52.180 --> 00:36:52.640
 What we're doing

00:36:52.640 --> 00:36:53.360
 in this series is

00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:53.900
 trying to hand

00:36:53.900 --> 00:36:54.740
 you the tools

00:36:54.740 --> 00:36:55.539
 that we believe

00:36:55.539 --> 00:36:56.320
 God has given

00:36:56.320 --> 00:36:57.360
 us so that the

00:36:57.360 --> 00:36:57.980
 journey towards

00:36:57.980 --> 00:36:58.600
 home is one

00:36:58.600 --> 00:36:59.080
 where you get

00:36:59.080 --> 00:37:00.000
 more and more

00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:01.039
 momentum, more

00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:01.700
 and more excitement,

00:37:01.920 --> 00:37:02.340
 more and more

00:37:02.340 --> 00:37:03.440
 confident and so I

00:37:03.440 --> 00:37:04.019
 want to push you

00:37:04.019 --> 00:37:04.640
 as we finish

00:37:04.639 --> 00:37:06.779
 today to take

00:37:06.779 --> 00:37:07.460
 the opportunity

00:37:07.460 --> 00:37:09.519
 to confess sin

00:37:09.519 --> 00:37:10.119
 to God.

00:37:11.039 --> 00:37:12.239
 Specific sin.

00:37:13.319 --> 00:37:14.019
 If you're sitting

00:37:14.019 --> 00:37:14.400
 there and you

00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:15.159
 can't think of

00:37:15.159 --> 00:37:17.779
 anything, two

00:37:17.779 --> 00:37:18.299
 things you need

00:37:18.299 --> 00:37:18.679
 to know.

00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:19.940
 You definitely

00:37:19.940 --> 00:37:20.879
 have something to

00:37:20.879 --> 00:37:21.539
 confess because

00:37:21.539 --> 00:37:22.259
 we're all unfinished

00:37:22.259 --> 00:37:25.099
 and you've gotten

00:37:25.099 --> 00:37:27.159
 really good at

00:37:27.159 --> 00:37:27.759
 denying it.

00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:29.799
 Ask God to

00:37:29.799 --> 00:37:30.420
 un-teach you

00:37:30.420 --> 00:37:30.639
 that.

00:37:31.619 --> 00:37:32.219
 Ask God to

00:37:32.219 --> 00:37:32.839
 show you what

00:37:32.839 --> 00:37:33.359
 it is that's

00:37:33.359 --> 00:37:33.699
 unfinished.

00:37:33.699 --> 00:37:34.639
 If that's

00:37:34.639 --> 00:37:35.259
 your thing

00:37:35.259 --> 00:37:35.639
 you need to

00:37:35.639 --> 00:37:36.359
 confess, start

00:37:36.359 --> 00:37:36.699
 there.

00:37:38.139 --> 00:37:38.719
 Confess that

00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:39.699
 God, I've been

00:37:39.699 --> 00:37:40.679
 practicing this

00:37:40.679 --> 00:37:41.859
 faking for so

00:37:41.859 --> 00:37:42.379
 long that I

00:37:42.379 --> 00:37:43.139
 don't even know

00:37:43.139 --> 00:37:43.980
 the areas that

00:37:43.980 --> 00:37:44.480
 aren't good enough

00:37:44.480 --> 00:37:44.859
 anymore.

00:37:45.379 --> 00:37:46.219
 But right now,

00:37:46.299 --> 00:37:46.679
 take the

00:37:46.679 --> 00:37:47.859
 opportunity and

00:37:47.859 --> 00:37:48.779
 confess for

00:37:48.779 --> 00:37:49.219
 yourself.

00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:51.099
 We're going to

00:37:51.099 --> 00:37:51.939
 sing to confess

00:37:51.939 --> 00:37:52.579
 together in a

00:37:52.579 --> 00:37:53.219
 moment but before

00:37:53.219 --> 00:37:53.779
 we get there, I

00:37:53.779 --> 00:37:54.299
 want you right

00:37:54.299 --> 00:37:55.279
 now to go

00:37:55.279 --> 00:37:55.639
 through the

00:37:55.639 --> 00:37:56.179
 process.

00:37:57.779 --> 00:37:58.500
 Stand before

00:37:58.500 --> 00:38:00.380
 God, admit

00:38:00.380 --> 00:38:01.139
 who you are

00:38:01.139 --> 00:38:03.340
 and find that

00:38:03.340 --> 00:38:04.119
 his response

00:38:04.119 --> 00:38:05.659
 is the same

00:38:05.659 --> 00:38:06.039
 as it will

00:38:06.039 --> 00:38:06.639
 always be.

00:38:07.659 --> 00:38:08.639
 I love you.

00:38:09.440 --> 00:38:10.519
 I forgive you.

00:38:10.519 --> 00:38:11.079
 So.

00:38:11.139 --> 00:38:11.920
 forth, hope you

00:38:11.920 --> 00:38:13.280
 help us.

00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:25.360
 Habitat

00:38:25.360 --> 00:38:26.500
 enough mehr

00:38:26.500 --> 00:38:27.360
 you