¤
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>> On this wintry
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Sabbath morning, I invite you
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to stand and join with us
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in singing our opening hymn,
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"Come, Christians,
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Join to Sing."
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¤
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>> Our Scripture reading
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this morning is found
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in Psalms 103:8-10.
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I'll be reading from
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the New International Version.
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"The Lord is compassionate
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and gracious, slow to anger,
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abounding in love.
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He will not always accuse --
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He does not always accuse,
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nor will He harbor His anger
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forever.
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He does not threat us
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as our sins deserve or repay us
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according to our iniquities.
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For as high as the heavens
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are above the earth,
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so great is his love
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for those who fear Him.
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As far as the east is from
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the west, so far has He removed
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our transgressions from us."
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Amen.
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¤
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¤
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>> I wanted to say a very
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special thank-you to all of you
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that have been so supportive
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over this last week
00:17:20.90\00:17:22.30
with the passing of my mother
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on Monday evening.
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The cards, the flowers,
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the food, all of the posts
00:17:27.64\00:17:30.68
on social media,
00:17:30.78\00:17:31.55
the messages to me
00:17:31.65\00:17:33.18
and my wife and my family.
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Thank you, thank you.
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It is deeply appreciated.
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I want to welcome you
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to the beginning
00:17:43.32\00:17:44.73
of a new series entitled
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"God Has Great Plans
00:17:48.23\00:17:49.53
For Your Past."
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And what better way to start
00:17:51.33\00:17:52.73
than a story from my past?
00:17:52.83\00:17:57.54
When I was in second grade --
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yea, verily, in the last
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millennium --
00:18:01.08\00:18:03.95
fire was just coming into vogue,
00:18:04.05\00:18:07.25
stone had recently been
00:18:07.35\00:18:08.52
invented, and I was a student at
00:18:08.62\00:18:11.32
Shelton Valley Adventist School.
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Now, I believe the school
00:18:13.32\00:18:14.16
is still going.
00:18:14.26\00:18:15.12
It was a small two-room school.
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In the second grade,
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I was in one of the two rooms
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that the school had there.
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1 through 4 --
00:18:21.33\00:18:22.63
those grades were in one room.
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5 through 8 were in the next.
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There's about 30 students
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in the school total.
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And Miss Sullivan
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was our teacher.
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Now, Miss Sullivan was exciting.
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She was right out of school,
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and we all thought she was
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beautiful and smart
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and all of this and we all
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wanted to please Miss Sullivan.
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In fact, Miss Sullivan
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could do no wrong...
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until that day came.
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We had just come in from --
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I believe it was recess,
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and Miss Sullivan said
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these words.
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"Students, please take out a
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piece of paper and a pencil.
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It is time
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for your spelling test."
00:19:02.47\00:19:07.18
Oh, no. Fear gripped
00:19:07.28\00:19:09.94
my second-grade heart,
00:19:10.05\00:19:10.98
because I had completely
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forgotten that there was going
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to be a spelling test today.
00:19:13.88\00:19:15.78
And now Miss Sullivan's just
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announced it is seconds away,
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and I am absolutely terrified
00:19:18.39\00:19:20.09
that I am, for the first time
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in my long academic career,
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going to fail an exam.
00:19:23.36\00:19:26.46
Now, I realize that there's not
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many second graders that have
00:19:27.56\00:19:28.33
this level of stridency
00:19:28.43\00:19:29.66
with their academic career,
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but I did, for whatever reason.
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I was -- Oh,
00:19:31.83\00:19:33.90
this panic gripped my soul.
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And I thought to myself,
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"What am I going to do?"
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Now, there's really only two
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choices, right?
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One, you can muddle through it
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and do your best and quite
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possibly fail miserably,
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or, two, I could...cheat.
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Uh-huh.
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Now, the story obviously takes
00:19:58.46\00:19:59.89
a little bit of time to tell,
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but this is all happening, back
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then, quite quickly, right?
00:20:02.23\00:20:03.63
Students are pulling out
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their papers and their pencils.
00:20:04.83\00:20:06.80
Those of you that are
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younger, you know what a paper
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and pencil is, right?
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Have you seen those?
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Thin, white sheets?
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Eh, ask your parents
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when you get home, okay?
00:20:13.58\00:20:14.74
So, they're all taking these
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out, and I'm thinking, "Okay,
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what am I going to do?"
00:20:16.78\00:20:17.38
So, I pull out
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my spelling book real quick.
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I flip over my desk.
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We had these flip-top desks.
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And I pull out my spelling book
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and I looked real quick.
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If I remember right,
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there was 10 words that we were
00:20:24.29\00:20:25.42
supposed to know for this test.
00:20:25.52\00:20:27.09
And I -- There's like at least
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half of them that I did not
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know.
00:20:29.59\00:20:31.16
And very quickly, I look for
00:20:31.26\00:20:33.13
where Miss Sullivan was.
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When Miss Sullivan wasn't
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looking, I took my pencil,
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and in like size-4 font,
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I wrote the words
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on my name tag, little name tag
00:20:41.30\00:20:42.87
they put on your desk
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so you know where to go
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after recess, right?
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You know?
00:20:45.64\00:20:46.41
And I wrote it down there,
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these words that I didn't know.
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Put the book back in the desk.
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Miss Sullivan didn't see.
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She begins the test.
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I begin to work my way
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through this test.
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And, yes, when the words
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came that I didn't know,
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I would look at Miss Sullivan.
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Was she looking my way? No.
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Okay. And then I would look
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surreptitiously at my name tag
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and I would write down the word.
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I was so glad
00:21:13.77\00:21:16.71
that Miss Sullivan didn't know
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what I was doing.
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How do they know?
00:21:23.35\00:21:25.85
How do teachers know
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when you are cheating?
00:21:26.95\00:21:28.78
Yeah, she completely
00:21:28.88\00:21:30.39
caught me by surprise.
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I had written yet another word
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from my cheat sheet
00:21:32.89\00:21:33.79
there on my desk.
00:21:33.89\00:21:34.69
Miss Sullivan came.
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She said,
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"Shane, put your pencil down."
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And she reached down and she
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took my uncompleted test.
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Oh! Aah! Mm!
00:21:44.93\00:21:48.30
Not only had
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I just failed the test,
00:21:49.30\00:21:50.34
I had failed the test in front
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of everyone else in that room.
00:21:51.81\00:21:54.14
Oh, I was absolutely mortified.
00:21:54.24\00:21:58.75
The test finished.
00:21:58.85\00:21:59.81
She collected all the other
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ones.
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She asked for me to stay
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after class.
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To be honest, I don't know
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that she actually ever said
00:22:05.45\00:22:06.59
anything to me.
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She could tell that I was fairly
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self-punishing at that point.
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It was terrible. I was crying.
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My mother happened to be
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volunteering as a school nurse
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at that time.
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She was a public-health nurse
00:22:19.20\00:22:19.97
and she would take time --
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she would volunteer
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at the school.
00:22:21.07\00:22:22.14
And Miss Sullivan went and found
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my mother and said, "You might
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want to go talk to Shane.
00:22:24.74\00:22:25.57
He seems to be having
00:22:25.67\00:22:26.41
a hard time right now."
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And so my mother came in, and
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she couldn't find me at first,
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because I had hidden under a
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table that was off on the side.
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And I had my knees tucked up
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and I was sobbing under there.
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And my mom -- she got underneath
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the table and she came
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and she put her arm around me.
00:22:38.15\00:22:39.29
"Tell me what happened."
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"Oh, I cheated on the test
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and I failed."
00:22:41.39\00:22:45.06
It was awful.
00:22:45.16\00:22:50.03
Two things from that experience.
00:22:50.13\00:22:53.87
Number one, don't cheat.
00:22:53.97\00:22:58.61
I never cheated again.
00:22:58.71\00:23:01.28
Grade school, high school,
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college, master's, doctorate,
00:23:02.61\00:23:03.91
never.
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I learned my lesson.
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All it took was that experience
00:23:06.08\00:23:07.55
with Miss Sullivan.
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I was done with cheating.
00:23:08.42\00:23:09.38
I hope you are, too.
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If you haven't, start today.
00:23:10.52\00:23:14.39
Number two, I would have given
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all the money in the world
00:23:18.46\00:23:21.86
if I just could have erased
00:23:21.96\00:23:24.97
my guilt.
00:23:25.07\00:23:27.34
I felt terrible.
00:23:27.44\00:23:29.47
I'd made the wrong decision.
00:23:29.57\00:23:30.74
And I wanted to erase not
00:23:30.84\00:23:31.81
just those words
00:23:31.91\00:23:32.91
that were on my desk,
00:23:33.01\00:23:34.64
I wanted to erase
00:23:34.74\00:23:35.74
the whole episode.
00:23:35.84\00:23:37.31
I wanted the guilt to go away.
00:23:37.41\00:23:40.98
If only I could find an eraser
00:23:41.08\00:23:43.92
to do it with.
00:23:44.02\00:23:45.75
Have you ever done anything
00:23:51.03\00:23:52.26
that you regretted doing?
00:23:52.36\00:23:57.07
Have you ever sinned against
00:23:57.17\00:23:58.17
someone else?
00:23:58.27\00:24:01.17
Silly question, huh? Hmm?
00:24:01.27\00:24:03.44
You know, sometimes, we can look
00:24:03.54\00:24:05.21
back and maybe we can,
00:24:05.31\00:24:07.01
you know, put some sort of
00:24:07.11\00:24:08.24
a quaint patina on something.
00:24:08.34\00:24:09.61
"Oh, that was so cute, you know,
00:24:09.71\00:24:10.81
when that happened or whatnot."
00:24:10.91\00:24:13.28
But the fact of the matter is,
00:24:13.38\00:24:14.25
if you live long enough and you
00:24:14.35\00:24:15.28
continue down life's path,
00:24:15.38\00:24:17.12
there will come a time when you
00:24:17.22\00:24:19.59
do things that are serious.
00:24:19.69\00:24:21.39
Something happens.
00:24:21.49\00:24:22.82
Something goes wrong.
00:24:22.92\00:24:23.76
You make a bad decision,
00:24:23.86\00:24:25.69
perhaps a stupid one, that leads
00:24:25.79\00:24:28.86
to great pain not just for you,
00:24:28.96\00:24:31.20
but for other people.
00:24:31.30\00:24:34.50
And so difficult can those
00:24:34.60\00:24:37.67
situations be that they will
00:24:37.77\00:24:41.48
cast a shadow into the future.
00:24:41.58\00:24:46.08
And you may be listening to me
00:24:46.18\00:24:46.92
right now,
00:24:47.02\00:24:49.22
and something that happened
00:24:49.32\00:24:51.05
days, weeks, months, years,
00:24:51.15\00:24:52.65
maybe even decades ago is
00:24:52.75\00:24:54.82
still -- as you are sitting here
00:24:54.92\00:24:56.12
now listening to me,
00:24:56.22\00:24:57.23
is still casting a shadow
00:24:57.33\00:24:59.19
over today in your life.
00:24:59.29\00:25:05.63
What do you do with that?
00:25:05.73\00:25:08.94
What do you do when the guilt
00:25:09.04\00:25:10.47
of the past is still
00:25:10.57\00:25:12.41
overshadowing the present?
00:25:12.51\00:25:17.15
Well, if you've experienced that
00:25:17.25\00:25:19.41
or if you're experiencing that
00:25:19.51\00:25:20.55
now, I have good news for you,
00:25:20.65\00:25:24.02
because God has great plans
00:25:24.12\00:25:26.96
for your past.
00:25:27.06\00:25:29.36
If you have a Bible,
00:25:29.46\00:25:29.96
take a look, please,
00:25:30.06\00:25:30.96
at the book of John 18:15.
00:25:31.06\00:25:34.66
John Chapter 18,
00:25:34.76\00:25:35.80
beginning with Verse 15.
00:25:35.90\00:25:36.50
It's on page 729
00:25:36.60\00:25:38.40
in most of your red pew Bibles.
00:25:38.50\00:25:40.04
Page 729.
00:25:40.14\00:25:42.00
John Chapter 18, beginning with
00:25:42.10\00:25:43.17
Verse 15.
00:25:43.27\00:25:45.94
Let me just set the stage here
00:25:46.04\00:25:46.91
for the story
00:25:47.01\00:25:47.71
that we're going to join.
00:25:47.81\00:25:49.11
The scene is this.
00:25:49.21\00:25:50.15
Jesus has been
00:25:50.25\00:25:51.28
with his disciples for about
00:25:51.38\00:25:52.65
three and a half years.
00:25:52.75\00:25:53.58
His disciples have been with Him
00:25:53.68\00:25:54.88
through thick and thin.
00:25:54.98\00:25:56.72
They have been
00:25:56.82\00:25:57.32
through persecution
00:25:57.42\00:25:58.39
from the scribes and Pharisees.
00:25:58.49\00:25:59.75
They have seen tremendous
00:25:59.85\00:26:00.79
miracles.
00:26:00.89\00:26:01.46
They've heard
00:26:01.56\00:26:02.32
Jesus' great sermons.
00:26:02.42\00:26:03.69
All these incredible things
00:26:03.79\00:26:05.09
packed into three
00:26:05.19\00:26:05.79
and a half years.
00:26:05.89\00:26:07.03
And now the cross
00:26:07.13\00:26:08.10
is getting close.
00:26:08.20\00:26:09.30
Jesus has been in the Garden
00:26:09.40\00:26:10.37
of Gethsemane.
00:26:10.47\00:26:11.17
The sins of the world
00:26:11.27\00:26:12.17
have been laid on Him.
00:26:12.27\00:26:13.23
He's sweating drops of blood.
00:26:13.34\00:26:15.07
He pleads with His disciples
00:26:15.17\00:26:16.14
to watch and pray.
00:26:16.24\00:26:16.97
They cannot do it.
00:26:17.07\00:26:17.74
They fall asleep.
00:26:17.84\00:26:19.07
The Roman guards come,
00:26:19.17\00:26:20.44
Judas at the front.
00:26:20.54\00:26:21.91
Jesus is arrested.
00:26:22.01\00:26:24.01
Peter pulls out his sword
00:26:24.11\00:26:25.28
and whacks off Malchus' ear.
00:26:25.38\00:26:26.85
And Jesus says, "No, don't do
00:26:26.95\00:26:27.98
it.
00:26:28.08\00:26:28.65
Put your sword away."
00:26:28.75\00:26:29.32
And he puts
00:26:29.42\00:26:30.05
the ear back onto Malchus.
00:26:30.15\00:26:31.75
He heals him.
00:26:31.85\00:26:33.12
And then the disciples flee.
00:26:33.22\00:26:38.23
And we don't know how long
00:26:38.33\00:26:39.06
they were gone.
00:26:39.16\00:26:40.73
But after, I don't know,
00:26:40.83\00:26:41.63
maybe a few minutes,
00:26:41.73\00:26:42.83
it would appear, at least
00:26:42.93\00:26:44.43
a couple of them decide
00:26:44.53\00:26:46.43
to circle back, and they want
00:26:46.53\00:26:48.70
to go to where Jesus is.
00:26:48.80\00:26:50.17
Jesus has been taken
00:26:50.27\00:26:51.81
to the house of Caiaphas,
00:26:51.91\00:26:53.11
the high priest,
00:26:53.21\00:26:53.91
for questioning.
00:26:54.01\00:26:55.88
And that's where we join
00:26:55.98\00:26:56.48
the story.
00:26:56.58\00:26:57.45
Verse 15 of John 18.
00:26:57.55\00:27:02.12
"Simon Peter and another
00:27:02.22\00:27:03.28
disciple were following Jesus.
00:27:03.39\00:27:05.09
Because this disciple
00:27:05.19\00:27:06.25
was known to the high priest,
00:27:06.35\00:27:07.59
he went with Jesus into
00:27:07.69\00:27:09.46
the high priest's courtyard,
00:27:09.56\00:27:11.33
but Peter had to wait outside
00:27:11.43\00:27:12.36
at the door.
00:27:12.46\00:27:13.90
The other disciple,
00:27:14.00\00:27:14.56
who was known
00:27:14.63\00:27:15.33
to the high priest, came back,
00:27:15.43\00:27:16.70
spoke to the girl on duty there,
00:27:16.80\00:27:18.17
and brought Peter in.
00:27:18.27\00:27:21.44
'You are not one of this man's
00:27:21.54\00:27:23.44
disciples, are you?',
00:27:23.54\00:27:26.04
the girl at the door
00:27:26.14\00:27:26.68
asked Peter.
00:27:26.78\00:27:28.64
He replied, 'I am not.'
00:27:28.74\00:27:32.61
It was cold.
00:27:32.71\00:27:37.22
And the servants and officials
00:27:37.32\00:27:38.19
stood around a fire
00:27:38.29\00:27:39.45
they had made to keep warm.
00:27:39.55\00:27:41.59
Peter also was standing with
00:27:41.69\00:27:42.86
them, warming himself."
00:27:42.96\00:27:44.26
Skip down to Verse 25, please.
00:27:44.36\00:27:46.76
"As Simon Peter
00:27:46.86\00:27:47.56
stood warming himself,
00:27:47.66\00:27:48.70
he was asked, 'You are not one
00:27:48.80\00:27:50.63
of his disciples, are you?'
00:27:50.73\00:27:53.74
He denied it, saying, 'I am
00:27:53.84\00:27:54.97
not.'
00:27:55.07\00:27:57.27
One of the high priest's
00:27:57.37\00:27:58.14
servants, a relative of the man
00:27:58.24\00:27:59.37
whose ear Peter had cut off,
00:27:59.47\00:28:00.68
challenged him.
00:28:00.78\00:28:01.81
'Didn't I see you with Him
00:28:01.91\00:28:03.04
in the olive grove?'
00:28:03.14\00:28:05.21
Again, Peter denied it,
00:28:05.31\00:28:07.85
and at that moment, a rooster
00:28:07.95\00:28:09.95
began to crow."
00:28:10.05\00:28:14.36
And apparently, the architecture
00:28:14.46\00:28:16.49
of this house and the courtyard,
00:28:16.59\00:28:18.03
the way that it was laid out,
00:28:18.13\00:28:19.13
made it possible for
00:28:19.23\00:28:21.93
the proceedings of Jesus' trial,
00:28:22.03\00:28:25.80
as it were, to be seen by those
00:28:25.90\00:28:28.64
that were in the courtyard.
00:28:28.74\00:28:30.14
And we know this because of
00:28:30.24\00:28:32.14
how Luke finishes out the story.
00:28:32.24\00:28:33.58
Let me put it up here for you.
00:28:33.68\00:28:34.41
Luke 22:60-62.
00:28:34.51\00:28:37.05
"Just as Peter was speaking,
00:28:37.15\00:28:38.28
the rooster crowed.
00:28:38.38\00:28:39.31
The Lord --"
00:28:39.41\00:28:40.35
meaning Jesus -- "turned
00:28:40.45\00:28:42.45
and looked straight at Peter.
00:28:42.55\00:28:45.32
Then Peter remembered the word
00:28:45.42\00:28:46.65
the Lord had spoken to him:
00:28:46.76\00:28:48.16
'Before the rooster crows today,
00:28:48.26\00:28:50.16
you will disown me three times.'
00:28:50.26\00:28:53.46
And he went outside
00:28:53.56\00:28:55.26
and wept bitterly.
00:28:55.36\00:28:57.57
You know, this must be one of
00:29:01.44\00:29:06.11
the most blatant, in-your-face,
00:29:06.21\00:29:09.61
crystal-clear examples
00:29:09.71\00:29:11.11
of denying Christ
00:29:11.21\00:29:12.91
in all of Scripture.
00:29:13.01\00:29:15.72
I mean, talk about something
00:29:15.82\00:29:17.35
in someone's past
00:29:17.45\00:29:18.89
that they wish they could erase.
00:29:18.99\00:29:20.86
Surely, this qualifies.
00:29:20.96\00:29:22.86
I mean, this was not just
00:29:22.96\00:29:23.79
a denial in principle, right?
00:29:23.89\00:29:25.03
I mean, your God --
00:29:25.13\00:29:26.19
There's many stories
00:29:26.29\00:29:27.03
where people deny God
00:29:27.13\00:29:28.43
in principle, you know,
00:29:28.53\00:29:29.40
a thousand different ways.
00:29:29.50\00:29:30.30
But this was not just in
00:29:30.40\00:29:31.63
principle, but in practice.
00:29:31.73\00:29:33.00
"I deny that I know this man."
00:29:33.10\00:29:36.54
And it wasn't just a -- It
00:29:36.64\00:29:37.81
wasn't just a denial.
00:29:37.91\00:29:39.04
It was a public denial.
00:29:39.14\00:29:40.74
And it wasn't
00:29:40.84\00:29:41.38
just a public denial,
00:29:41.48\00:29:42.31
but it was a public denial
00:29:42.41\00:29:43.48
in front of unbelievers.
00:29:43.58\00:29:45.55
And it was also one
00:29:45.65\00:29:47.12
that had been predicted
00:29:47.22\00:29:48.35
just hours earlier.
00:29:48.45\00:29:50.15
I mean, talk about being warned
00:29:50.25\00:29:51.09
in advance, right?
00:29:51.19\00:29:54.19
And, yet, in spite of these
00:29:54.29\00:29:55.46
words from Jesus to Peter -- You
00:29:55.56\00:29:56.86
know, Peter had said, "I'll go
00:29:56.96\00:29:57.53
with you.
00:29:57.63\00:29:58.39
Wherever you go, I'll be there.
00:29:58.49\00:29:59.69
I'll be on your side, Jesus."
00:29:59.79\00:30:01.43
And Jesus says,
00:30:01.53\00:30:02.86
"No, before the rooster crows,
00:30:02.96\00:30:04.07
you'll deny me three times."
00:30:04.17\00:30:05.70
And that is exactly
00:30:05.80\00:30:07.30
what happened.
00:30:07.40\00:30:10.81
And can you imagine?
00:30:10.91\00:30:14.84
Can you imagine what it must
00:30:14.94\00:30:16.08
have been like to hear
00:30:16.18\00:30:17.48
that rooster crow
00:30:17.58\00:30:20.15
and to look up and see
00:30:20.25\00:30:23.95
Jesus, with sadness on His face,
00:30:24.05\00:30:29.96
looking back at you?
00:30:30.06\00:30:34.23
I think I'd probably go outside
00:30:34.36\00:30:37.23
and find it to be cold
00:30:37.33\00:30:39.40
and dark and bitter, as well.
00:30:39.50\00:30:41.30
What does Peter do with this?
00:30:46.31\00:30:48.34
I mean, again, if ever there was
00:30:48.44\00:30:50.55
a situation that you would want
00:30:50.65\00:30:51.81
to erase, you know, this is it.
00:30:51.91\00:30:53.25
What does Peter do?
00:30:53.35\00:30:56.72
Now, here is where I wish
00:30:56.82\00:30:58.09
we had a little more detail
00:30:58.19\00:30:59.42
from the Bible, but let's see
00:30:59.52\00:31:00.79
what we can gather here.
00:31:00.89\00:31:02.26
The next thing we know
00:31:02.36\00:31:03.46
about Peter is not until
00:31:03.56\00:31:05.06
Chapter 20 of the Book of John,
00:31:05.16\00:31:06.16
where Peter
00:31:06.26\00:31:06.96
runs to the empty tomb.
00:31:07.03\00:31:08.10
And he and John are in this
00:31:08.20\00:31:09.26
footrace to the empty tomb.
00:31:09.36\00:31:10.30
It's Sunday morning.
00:31:10.40\00:31:11.40
Mary has come back,
00:31:11.50\00:31:12.37
said he's not there.
00:31:12.47\00:31:13.13
They rush to the tomb.
00:31:13.23\00:31:13.80
They find,
00:31:13.90\00:31:14.54
indeed, that it is empty.
00:31:14.64\00:31:16.64
The next thing we know is that
00:31:16.74\00:31:18.57
Jesus appears to His disciples
00:31:18.67\00:31:20.08
as they're still
00:31:20.18\00:31:21.18
kind of holed up in Jerusalem.
00:31:21.28\00:31:22.58
They're still hiding from the
00:31:22.68\00:31:23.51
authorities for fear of them.
00:31:23.61\00:31:25.15
Jesus shows up, and it says
00:31:25.25\00:31:26.55
that the disciples are overjoyed
00:31:26.65\00:31:28.62
to see Jesus.
00:31:28.72\00:31:29.52
We could imagine
00:31:29.62\00:31:30.69
maybe that included Peter.
00:31:30.79\00:31:31.75
We don't know.
00:31:31.85\00:31:32.75
There's no record
00:31:32.85\00:31:33.86
of Jesus and Peter
00:31:33.96\00:31:35.26
talking on this occasion.
00:31:35.36\00:31:37.93
And then Jesus appears to the
00:31:38.03\00:31:39.06
disciples again a week later.
00:31:39.16\00:31:40.50
And, again, there's no record
00:31:40.60\00:31:42.06
of a conversation
00:31:42.16\00:31:43.10
between Peter and Jesus.
00:31:43.20\00:31:44.40
But notice this.
00:31:44.50\00:31:45.60
In spite
00:31:45.70\00:31:46.84
of the lack of explicit evidence
00:31:46.94\00:31:49.74
of Peter and Jesus interacting,
00:31:49.84\00:31:51.64
we do know at least one thing
00:31:51.74\00:31:53.24
about what Peter did
00:31:53.34\00:31:54.21
during this time,
00:31:54.31\00:31:56.04
and it is a first point
00:31:56.14\00:31:59.25
about God's plans for your past.
00:31:59.35\00:32:03.35
Point number 1 -- when your past
00:32:03.45\00:32:05.45
is overshadowing your present,
00:32:05.55\00:32:08.06
confess and repent.
00:32:08.16\00:32:12.13
Confess and repent.
00:32:12.23\00:32:16.56
Now, again, it's true that we do
00:32:16.67\00:32:17.90
not have the recorded words
00:32:18.00\00:32:19.33
of Peter's confession,
00:32:19.43\00:32:20.34
nor do we know exactly
00:32:20.44\00:32:21.37
when they were said.
00:32:21.47\00:32:22.64
Maybe he confessed and
00:32:22.74\00:32:24.14
repented immediately afterwards
00:32:24.24\00:32:25.37
outside of that courtyard.
00:32:25.47\00:32:26.61
Maybe it was during one of
00:32:26.71\00:32:27.64
the times that Christ appeared
00:32:27.74\00:32:28.64
to the disciples.
00:32:28.74\00:32:30.45
Whatever the case,
00:32:30.55\00:32:31.38
we do know for a fact
00:32:31.48\00:32:33.75
that he took this
00:32:33.85\00:32:35.12
indispensable step
00:32:35.22\00:32:36.85
of confessing and repenting.
00:32:36.95\00:32:38.25
You say, "Well, how do you
00:32:38.35\00:32:38.82
know?"
00:32:38.92\00:32:40.66
Because in just a moment,
00:32:40.76\00:32:42.72
we are going to read another
00:32:42.82\00:32:44.09
story of Peter,
00:32:44.19\00:32:46.39
and in that story of Peter,
00:32:46.49\00:32:47.93
Jesus is going to ask Peter
00:32:48.00\00:32:49.50
to do something that he never
00:32:49.60\00:32:51.13
would have asked him to do,
00:32:51.23\00:32:52.73
except that Peter
00:32:52.83\00:32:55.14
had already confessed
00:32:55.24\00:32:56.64
and repented of his sin.
00:32:56.74\00:32:59.91
It is, indeed, a very important
00:33:00.08\00:33:02.21
first step to disarming
00:33:02.31\00:33:03.71
the power of a sinful past.
00:33:03.81\00:33:05.38
Now, some people are tempted
00:33:05.48\00:33:08.22
to think that we don't need
00:33:08.32\00:33:09.05
to spend much time
00:33:09.15\00:33:10.35
on this idea of confession
00:33:10.45\00:33:12.05
and repentance, because they say
00:33:12.15\00:33:13.15
it's a fairly obvious one.
00:33:13.25\00:33:15.42
And I would agree it's obvious.
00:33:15.52\00:33:16.96
In fact, you don't have to be
00:33:17.06\00:33:18.36
a Christian
00:33:18.46\00:33:19.96
to have this be obvious to you.
00:33:20.06\00:33:23.00
I mean, most people understand
00:33:23.10\00:33:24.90
that this is just something
00:33:25.00\00:33:25.93
that needs to be done
00:33:26.03\00:33:27.00
if you do wrong.
00:33:27.10\00:33:28.24
If you have messed up, fess up.
00:33:28.34\00:33:30.87
If you did wrong, resolve
00:33:30.97\00:33:32.47
not to do that wrong again.
00:33:32.57\00:33:34.11
Kind of common sense, right?
00:33:34.21\00:33:34.94
It's obvious.
00:33:35.04\00:33:37.08
So let me just ask you,
00:33:37.18\00:33:38.28
have you done the obvious?
00:33:38.38\00:33:42.95
If you are sitting here
00:33:43.05\00:33:44.09
right now and you sense
00:33:44.19\00:33:45.32
that your past sins
00:33:45.42\00:33:46.45
are casting a shadow,
00:33:46.55\00:33:47.86
they're holding you back,
00:33:47.96\00:33:49.06
have you confessed and repented?
00:33:49.16\00:33:54.46
Now, as far as the mechanics
00:33:54.56\00:33:57.87
of confession and repentance
00:33:57.97\00:33:58.77
are concerned,
00:33:58.87\00:34:00.07
this is not a difficult thing.
00:34:00.17\00:34:02.00
This is not complicated.
00:34:02.10\00:34:04.07
If you sinned against God,
00:34:04.17\00:34:05.41
confess it to God.
00:34:05.51\00:34:07.04
If you sinned against someone
00:34:07.14\00:34:08.11
else, confess it to them.
00:34:08.21\00:34:09.84
If you sinned privately,
00:34:09.94\00:34:10.95
confess it privately.
00:34:11.05\00:34:12.08
If you sinned publicly,
00:34:12.18\00:34:13.01
confess it publicly.
00:34:13.11\00:34:14.38
And with your confession,
00:34:14.48\00:34:15.55
resolve also not to repeat
00:34:15.65\00:34:17.42
the harm that you did.
00:34:17.52\00:34:20.72
But that said, after doing this
00:34:20.82\00:34:23.56
for almost three decades now,
00:34:23.66\00:34:24.89
I have discovered that when you
00:34:24.99\00:34:26.13
talk about confession and sin,
00:34:26.23\00:34:28.13
there's at least three things
00:34:28.23\00:34:29.40
that everybody needs
00:34:29.50\00:34:30.30
to understand
00:34:30.40\00:34:31.73
about those practices.
00:34:31.83\00:34:33.00
I'm going to put some stuff up
00:34:33.10\00:34:33.90
here on the screen.
00:34:34.00\00:34:34.80
First of all, if your sin
00:34:34.90\00:34:37.67
was against someone else
00:34:37.77\00:34:39.71
and it was particularly severe
00:34:39.81\00:34:41.61
or if your sin was a public one,
00:34:41.71\00:34:44.15
please get good counsel first
00:34:44.25\00:34:49.48
before you make your confession.
00:34:49.58\00:34:54.02
Get good counsel first
00:34:54.12\00:34:55.46
before you make your confession.
00:34:55.56\00:34:57.19
Talk to a trusted Christian
00:34:57.29\00:34:58.76
friend of long experience
00:34:58.86\00:35:00.26
or to a Christian counselor
00:35:00.36\00:35:01.83
before you make your confession.
00:35:01.93\00:35:03.10
Now, how come?
00:35:03.20\00:35:03.83
Why would
00:35:03.93\00:35:04.73
I say this is good practice?
00:35:04.83\00:35:05.53
Because often
00:35:05.63\00:35:07.34
in these kinds of situations,
00:35:07.44\00:35:09.30
we are so emotionally involved
00:35:09.40\00:35:11.61
in what happened that it's very
00:35:11.71\00:35:13.41
difficult to see it objectively.
00:35:13.51\00:35:16.95
And talking to someone
00:35:17.05\00:35:18.21
of long experience with Christ
00:35:18.31\00:35:19.95
before you take action steps
00:35:20.05\00:35:21.72
can help you to do things
00:35:21.82\00:35:22.92
in the right way
00:35:23.02\00:35:23.92
and at the right time.
00:35:24.02\00:35:25.35
Now, let me just give you an
00:35:25.45\00:35:26.62
example
00:35:26.72\00:35:27.99
within the last 20 years,
00:35:28.09\00:35:29.32
within 10,000 miles of here.
00:35:29.42\00:35:31.36
A man came to me and told me
00:35:31.46\00:35:33.46
that he had committed what I'm
00:35:33.56\00:35:35.13
going to call a financial sin
00:35:35.23\00:35:36.77
at his place of work, okay?
00:35:36.87\00:35:39.20
And he said that
00:35:39.30\00:35:40.77
his plan was is that
00:35:40.87\00:35:42.14
he was going to go to his work
00:35:42.24\00:35:43.81
without any prior warning.
00:35:43.91\00:35:45.44
He was going to call a meeting
00:35:45.54\00:35:46.51
of everybody on his floor.
00:35:46.61\00:35:47.84
It was quite a few employees
00:35:47.94\00:35:48.71
and his boss.
00:35:48.81\00:35:50.48
And there, he was going to
00:35:50.58\00:35:51.38
announce what had happened,
00:35:51.48\00:35:52.28
what he had done.
00:35:52.38\00:35:55.62
And I said, "Well, tell me the
00:35:55.72\00:35:57.19
details of what happened.
00:35:57.29\00:35:58.19
You know, I'm not an expert
00:35:58.29\00:35:59.09
in your line of work,
00:35:59.19\00:36:00.09
but, you know, help me out here
00:36:00.19\00:36:01.29
a little bit to understand."
00:36:01.39\00:36:02.52
And as he told me the story,
00:36:02.62\00:36:04.09
it seemed to me that there was
00:36:04.19\00:36:05.29
a pretty high possibility
00:36:05.39\00:36:07.46
that not only were the rest
00:36:07.56\00:36:08.46
of his co-workers
00:36:08.56\00:36:09.53
not harmed by this, but that
00:36:09.63\00:36:10.87
they didn't even know about it.
00:36:10.97\00:36:12.73
And I said, "I'll tell you what.
00:36:12.83\00:36:14.14
Why don't you, indeed, confess,
00:36:14.24\00:36:18.01
but go to your boss first.
00:36:18.11\00:36:20.08
Just the two of you.
00:36:20.18\00:36:22.21
Okay, now, he's going to hit the
00:36:22.31\00:36:23.68
ceiling.
00:36:23.78\00:36:24.25
He's going to be upset.
00:36:25.08\00:36:26.41
But after the dust is settled a
00:36:26.51\00:36:27.92
little bit in that conversation,
00:36:28.02\00:36:29.08
then ask him if there are
00:36:29.18\00:36:30.65
other people that need to be
00:36:30.75\00:36:31.45
part of this conversation,
00:36:31.55\00:36:32.75
okay?"
00:36:32.85\00:36:34.66
He said, "Okay."
00:36:34.76\00:36:35.82
So, he went to his boss
00:36:35.92\00:36:37.53
and he confessed
00:36:37.63\00:36:38.73
what he had been doing.
00:36:38.83\00:36:40.00
And, indeed, the boss
00:36:40.10\00:36:40.76
hit the roof.
00:36:40.86\00:36:41.63
He was pretty upset about it.
00:36:41.73\00:36:43.03
And then, after the dust had
00:36:43.13\00:36:44.33
settled, the man asked his boss,
00:36:44.43\00:36:46.00
"Well, you know, should I be
00:36:46.10\00:36:47.30
talking to other people here?
00:36:47.40\00:36:48.54
You know, are other people
00:36:48.64\00:36:49.27
engaged?"
00:36:49.37\00:36:50.74
And long story short,
00:36:50.84\00:36:52.44
not only were the rest of
00:36:52.54\00:36:53.94
the office workers not harmed,
00:36:54.04\00:36:55.44
they, indeed, had absolutely
00:36:55.54\00:36:56.95
no idea about it.
00:36:57.05\00:36:59.48
And if this man who was
00:36:59.58\00:37:01.72
wanting to come clean and to
00:37:01.82\00:37:03.72
make this thing right, if he had
00:37:03.82\00:37:04.99
gone and just announced this
00:37:05.09\00:37:05.92
to the office,
00:37:06.02\00:37:07.52
there could well have been
00:37:07.62\00:37:08.72
collateral damage to people
00:37:08.82\00:37:10.29
who were not even involved
00:37:10.39\00:37:11.39
in his sin.
00:37:11.49\00:37:12.36
You know, announcing stuff like
00:37:12.46\00:37:13.83
that, sometimes, people run with
00:37:13.93\00:37:15.00
stuff without
00:37:15.10\00:37:15.96
fully understanding things.
00:37:16.06\00:37:17.03
Maybe it could have generated
00:37:17.13\00:37:18.17
some bad PR for the company
00:37:18.27\00:37:19.50
that wasn't justified.
00:37:19.60\00:37:21.17
You see, as it turns out,
00:37:21.27\00:37:22.07
the man had, indeed, messed up,
00:37:22.17\00:37:24.07
but it was rectifiable and there
00:37:24.17\00:37:25.84
was -- In fact, in the end,
00:37:25.94\00:37:27.41
kind of miraculously, the man
00:37:27.51\00:37:28.64
was not even fired, okay?
00:37:28.74\00:37:31.41
But had he gone
00:37:31.51\00:37:32.78
and followed his initial plan,
00:37:32.88\00:37:34.05
it could have been disastrous
00:37:34.15\00:37:35.18
for other people
00:37:35.28\00:37:36.05
who had no part in that.
00:37:36.15\00:37:39.12
So when it comes to confession
00:37:39.22\00:37:40.22
and repentance,
00:37:40.32\00:37:41.39
do, indeed, follow God's plan
00:37:41.49\00:37:43.43
in dealing with your past
00:37:43.53\00:37:44.96
and be wise in doing so.
00:37:45.06\00:37:50.20
Second point regarding
00:37:50.30\00:37:52.00
confession and repentance
00:37:52.10\00:37:52.73
is this.
00:37:52.83\00:37:54.07
Repentance is a gift, so ask for
00:37:54.17\00:37:55.30
it.
00:37:55.40\00:37:57.77
You know how it is
00:37:57.87\00:37:58.61
when you commit a sin, right?
00:37:58.71\00:37:59.81
You are dying
00:37:59.91\00:38:01.01
to confess it and repent.
00:38:01.11\00:38:02.21
You're just loving
00:38:02.31\00:38:02.98
the opportunity.
00:38:03.08\00:38:03.81
"Today is the day that I..."
00:38:03.91\00:38:08.08
If that's your attitude, we
00:38:08.18\00:38:09.42
should probably talk afterwards.
00:38:09.52\00:38:10.45
There's some things we should
00:38:10.55\00:38:11.29
work through with you, right?
00:38:11.39\00:38:12.69
Most of the time when it comes
00:38:12.79\00:38:14.86
to confessing to somebody,
00:38:14.96\00:38:17.33
you know, to repentance,
00:38:17.43\00:38:18.13
general repentance,
00:38:18.23\00:38:20.90
we're not real anxious to do it.
00:38:20.96\00:38:23.83
You know, maybe it's shame,
00:38:23.93\00:38:25.77
maybe it's stubbornness,
00:38:25.87\00:38:28.57
or maybe we're convinced
00:38:28.67\00:38:30.27
that God won't have us back.
00:38:30.37\00:38:33.01
In times like that,
00:38:33.11\00:38:34.91
we must remember that even
00:38:35.01\00:38:37.51
repentance is a gift from God.
00:38:37.61\00:38:41.35
In fact, not coincidentally,
00:38:41.45\00:38:43.05
it was Peter himself
00:38:43.15\00:38:44.35
who later proclaimed
00:38:44.45\00:38:45.55
this in Acts 5:31.
00:38:45.65\00:38:47.26
He did it
00:38:47.36\00:38:47.89
Notice this. Acts 5:31.
00:38:48.92\00:38:50.63
"God has exalted Christ to his
00:38:50.73\00:38:53.19
own right hand as Prince and
00:38:53.29\00:38:54.46
Savior that he might..."
00:38:54.56\00:38:55.83
What's the next two words?
00:38:55.93\00:38:57.43
"Give repentance
00:38:57.53\00:38:59.10
and forgiveness of sins."
00:38:59.20\00:39:01.97
In other words,
00:39:02.07\00:39:02.74
this is a full-package deal.
00:39:02.84\00:39:04.17
We serve a full-service God.
00:39:04.27\00:39:06.91
He knows that sin has made it --
00:39:07.01\00:39:08.41
that our natural inclination
00:39:08.51\00:39:09.78
is not to make this thing right,
00:39:09.88\00:39:11.48
to not go back, to not confess.
00:39:11.58\00:39:13.18
And so He gives us this gift.
00:39:13.28\00:39:15.22
So if you are not wanting
00:39:15.32\00:39:17.09
to confess and repent,
00:39:17.19\00:39:19.79
then I would suggest that
00:39:19.89\00:39:20.72
you begin with what's sometimes
00:39:20.82\00:39:21.86
called the impossible prayer.
00:39:21.96\00:39:24.26
The impossible prayer is this,
00:39:24.36\00:39:25.46
and it can be used not just
00:39:25.56\00:39:26.33
for this, but for most anything.
00:39:26.43\00:39:27.23
The impossible prayer
00:39:27.36\00:39:27.83
goes like this.
00:39:27.93\00:39:29.40
God, you know that I do not want
00:39:29.50\00:39:31.73
to do
00:39:31.83\00:39:33.74
what you are asking me to do.
00:39:33.84\00:39:36.50
But I am willing
00:39:36.60\00:39:39.11
to be made willing.
00:39:39.21\00:39:43.08
I am willing to be made willing.
00:39:43.18\00:39:47.55
And then ask for repentance.
00:39:47.65\00:39:49.38
Ask for that change of heart.
00:39:49.48\00:39:52.12
And the sincere request
00:39:52.22\00:39:53.79
asking for repentance --
00:39:53.89\00:39:55.82
it will be granted.
00:39:55.92\00:39:56.83
It will come.
00:39:56.93\00:39:58.29
And when God implants
00:39:58.39\00:39:59.59
that desire in your heart,
00:39:59.69\00:40:00.93
whatever your sin was,
00:40:01.00\00:40:02.80
get to it, be specific,
00:40:02.90\00:40:04.73
confess it, don't bob
00:40:04.83\00:40:06.27
or weave or mince words,
00:40:06.37\00:40:07.50
don't evade your guilt,
00:40:07.60\00:40:08.50
claim it, own it,
00:40:08.60\00:40:09.60
confess it, be brief.
00:40:09.70\00:40:11.54
This is your path to freedom.
00:40:11.64\00:40:16.48
A third point
00:40:16.58\00:40:17.31
to remember regarding confession
00:40:17.41\00:40:18.61
and repentance is this.
00:40:18.71\00:40:20.48
When we confess and repent,
00:40:20.58\00:40:22.32
God forgives.
00:40:22.42\00:40:22.98
>> Amen!
00:40:23.08\00:40:23.69
>> [ Chuckles ]
00:40:23.79\00:40:24.49
First service
00:40:24.59\00:40:25.39
was a little sluggish.
00:40:25.49\00:40:26.49
It's cold outside.
00:40:26.59\00:40:27.59
They struggled to get that
00:40:27.69\00:40:29.02
"amen" out of their mouths, but
00:40:29.12\00:40:30.06
I know they meant it in their
00:40:30.16\00:40:30.69
hearts.
00:40:30.79\00:40:31.03
So, let me
00:40:31.13\00:40:31.83
just say this one more time.
00:40:31.93\00:40:32.96
When we confess and repent,
00:40:33.06\00:40:33.96
God forgives.
00:40:34.03\00:40:35.16
>> Amen!
00:40:35.26\00:40:36.16
>> Amen! This is the foundation
00:40:36.26\00:40:37.67
here of the Gospel, is it not?
00:40:37.77\00:40:39.20
I mean, what a launching point.
00:40:39.30\00:40:40.37
God gives this to us freely and
00:40:40.47\00:40:41.40
together.
00:40:41.50\00:40:42.34
Just to remind us here,
00:40:42.44\00:40:43.67
you know, 1 John 1:9 --
00:40:43.77\00:40:45.14
would you say this with me,
00:40:45.24\00:40:45.74
please?
00:40:45.84\00:40:46.21
And all God's people said...
00:40:58.79\00:40:59.79
>> Amen!
00:40:59.89\00:41:00.52
>> Amen. Amen.
00:41:00.62\00:41:03.12
You know, Ellen White, she talks
00:41:03.22\00:41:04.36
a great deal about this.
00:41:04.46\00:41:05.53
And I thought she described this
00:41:05.63\00:41:07.03
in a great way.
00:41:07.13\00:41:07.86
"Steps to Christ,"
00:41:07.96\00:41:08.80
pages 36 and 37.
00:41:08.90\00:41:10.97
She says, "You cannot atone
00:41:11.07\00:41:12.30
for your past sins.
00:41:12.40\00:41:13.84
You cannot change your heart
00:41:13.94\00:41:15.17
and make yourself holy.
00:41:15.27\00:41:17.11
But God promises to do all this
00:41:17.21\00:41:20.21
for you through Christ.
00:41:20.31\00:41:22.41
You believe --"
00:41:22.51\00:41:23.21
And this is her emphasis
00:41:23.31\00:41:24.25
that's in here, not mine.
00:41:24.35\00:41:25.25
You believe that promise.
00:41:25.35\00:41:26.95
You confess your sins
00:41:27.05\00:41:28.45
and give yourself to God.
00:41:28.55\00:41:30.02
You will to serve Him.
00:41:30.12\00:41:32.32
Just as surely as you do this,
00:41:32.42\00:41:33.96
God will fulfill
00:41:34.06\00:41:34.99
His word to you.
00:41:35.09\00:41:36.26
If you believe the promise --
00:41:36.36\00:41:37.69
believe that you are forgiven
00:41:37.79\00:41:38.89
and cleansed -- God supplies
00:41:38.99\00:41:40.90
the fact; you are made whole,
00:41:40.96\00:41:42.66
just as Christ
00:41:42.76\00:41:43.70
gave the paralytic power
00:41:43.80\00:41:45.03
to walk when the man believed
00:41:45.13\00:41:46.20
that he was healed.
00:41:46.30\00:41:47.60
It is so if you believe it."
00:41:47.70\00:41:51.54
Wow! And notice she's not
00:41:51.64\00:41:53.94
on a scale here.
00:41:54.04\00:41:55.11
It's not like, you know,
00:41:55.21\00:41:55.94
"The Faith Scale 1 to 10.
00:41:56.04\00:41:57.45
If you can just muster
00:41:57.55\00:41:58.55
a 6 on the Faith Scale,
00:41:58.65\00:42:00.18
then God will forgive you."
00:42:00.28\00:42:01.42
No, no, no, no. Just trust Him.
00:42:01.52\00:42:03.18
Believe in His promise.
00:42:03.28\00:42:04.62
He will do it.
00:42:04.72\00:42:07.09
In fact, she finishes with this.
00:42:07.19\00:42:08.96
"Do not wait to feel
00:42:09.06\00:42:11.36
that you are made whole,
00:42:11.46\00:42:13.26
but say, 'I believe it;
00:42:13.36\00:42:15.43
it is so, not because I feel it,
00:42:15.53\00:42:18.67
but because God has promised.'"
00:42:18.77\00:42:22.07
I tell you what -- 30 years
00:42:22.17\00:42:23.37
almost of doing this now,
00:42:23.47\00:42:24.41
and to me, this is probably
00:42:24.51\00:42:25.81
the biggest way --
00:42:25.91\00:42:27.14
certainly one of the biggest,
00:42:27.24\00:42:27.94
if not the biggest ways
00:42:28.04\00:42:28.91
that people error.
00:42:29.01\00:42:31.01
When they have --
00:42:31.11\00:42:32.41
when there's sin in their past,
00:42:32.51\00:42:34.12
big, small, whatever,
00:42:34.22\00:42:35.58
and they think that they
00:42:35.68\00:42:36.95
confessed and they went through
00:42:37.05\00:42:38.02
and they prayed,
00:42:38.12\00:42:39.02
but they don't feel it.
00:42:39.12\00:42:41.19
There was no lightning bolts,
00:42:41.29\00:42:42.39
you know, the sky didn't part,
00:42:42.49\00:42:43.86
and birds didn't begin to sing.
00:42:43.96\00:42:45.19
You know, all of this stuff.
00:42:45.29\00:42:46.16
"Well, I guess I'm not
00:42:46.26\00:42:46.80
forgiven."
00:42:46.90\00:42:48.13
No, no, no, no, no, no.
00:42:48.23\00:42:49.26
A thousand times no.
00:42:49.36\00:42:51.03
Jesus has promised
00:42:51.13\00:42:54.17
if we confess our sin,
00:42:54.27\00:42:56.04
He is faithful and just,
00:42:56.14\00:42:57.27
and He will forgive our sin
00:42:57.37\00:42:59.37
and cleanse us from all
00:42:59.47\00:43:00.48
unrighteousness.
00:43:00.58\00:43:02.51
God is a fact, not a feeling.
00:43:02.61\00:43:06.75
Forgiveness is a fact,
00:43:06.85\00:43:08.62
not a feeling.
00:43:08.72\00:43:11.29
When you confess your sin
00:43:11.39\00:43:12.39
and you repent, absolutely,
00:43:12.49\00:43:14.06
God forgives.
00:43:14.16\00:43:16.22
He's not looking for ways
00:43:16.32\00:43:17.26
to keep you out of the kingdom.
00:43:17.36\00:43:18.16
He's looking
00:43:18.26\00:43:18.89
for ways to bring you in.
00:43:18.99\00:43:20.36
And this is where it all begins.
00:43:20.46\00:43:21.96
Praise the Lord
00:43:22.06\00:43:22.70
that His promises are true
00:43:22.80\00:43:24.17
and can be trusted.
00:43:24.27\00:43:28.57
Now, as good as all of this is,
00:43:28.67\00:43:30.87
there are more blessings yet
00:43:30.97\00:43:31.67
to come, and we need
00:43:31.77\00:43:33.27
to get back into the story
00:43:33.38\00:43:34.18
with Peter here to see
00:43:34.28\00:43:35.44
what's going to happen next.
00:43:35.54\00:43:37.15
After an unspecified period
00:43:37.25\00:43:38.55
of time, Peter and some
00:43:38.65\00:43:40.05
of the other disciples head out
00:43:40.15\00:43:41.85
to the Sea of Galilee to fish.
00:43:41.95\00:43:45.19
Now, remember here,
00:43:45.29\00:43:46.29
there's been a couple of times
00:43:46.39\00:43:47.52
where they've seen Jesus.
00:43:47.62\00:43:48.52
They went to the empty tomb
00:43:48.62\00:43:49.29
a couple of times, seen Him,
00:43:49.39\00:43:50.66
and now they're
00:43:50.76\00:43:51.29
kind of in limbo.
00:43:51.39\00:43:52.49
You know,
00:43:52.59\00:43:53.16
marching orders here.
00:43:54.20\00:43:55.80
Jesus is not with them.
00:43:55.90\00:43:57.33
He's doing other things.
00:43:57.43\00:43:58.83
And, so, there's expenses.
00:43:58.93\00:44:00.37
Things need to be paid for.
00:44:00.47\00:44:01.80
Peter says, "Hey, let's go fish.
00:44:01.90\00:44:02.80
We know how to do that.
00:44:02.90\00:44:03.71
And then we'll buy clothes and
00:44:03.81\00:44:04.51
food, et cetera."
00:44:04.61\00:44:05.54
So they go to the north end
00:44:05.64\00:44:06.98
of the Sea of Galilee
00:44:07.08\00:44:08.01
to go fishing.
00:44:08.11\00:44:09.24
And I tell you what.
00:44:09.34\00:44:10.25
What a trip down
00:44:10.35\00:44:12.68
memory lane for the kingdom
00:44:12.78\00:44:14.52
this must have been.
00:44:14.62\00:44:16.95
I've been to that part
00:44:17.05\00:44:18.09
of Galilee, and,
00:44:18.19\00:44:20.09
I mean, it's just packed
00:44:20.19\00:44:20.96
with what Jesus did.
00:44:21.06\00:44:22.76
And for the disciples, Peter
00:44:22.86\00:44:23.93
and the others that were there,
00:44:24.03\00:44:24.89
this must have just been
00:44:24.99\00:44:25.83
amazing to see.
00:44:25.93\00:44:26.59
For instance, that very
00:44:26.70\00:44:27.96
shoreline was the place
00:44:28.06\00:44:29.43
where Jesus called them out of
00:44:29.53\00:44:30.80
their boats into his ministry.
00:44:30.90\00:44:33.10
The town of Capernaum
00:44:33.20\00:44:34.27
was probably just a stone's
00:44:34.37\00:44:35.20
throw away.
00:44:35.30\00:44:35.90
that northern shore of Galilee,
00:44:36.97\00:44:38.71
where Jesus had performed,
00:44:38.81\00:44:40.18
you know, these great miracles
00:44:40.28\00:44:41.34
and preached these marvelous
00:44:41.44\00:44:42.14
sermons.
00:44:42.24\00:44:43.81
The hill where the feeding
00:44:43.91\00:44:45.48
of the 5,000 took place --
00:44:45.58\00:44:47.02
it was probably just over
00:44:47.12\00:44:48.48
the rise where they could
00:44:48.58\00:44:49.35
see there on the shore
00:44:49.45\00:44:50.75
of the Sea of Galilee.
00:44:50.85\00:44:51.95
And, of course,
00:44:52.05\00:44:52.95
this is the very body of water
00:44:53.05\00:44:55.86
where Jesus and Peter
00:44:55.96\00:44:57.83
for a little bit
00:44:57.93\00:44:59.13
walked on the water on that
00:44:59.23\00:45:02.16
night of the great storm.
00:45:02.26\00:45:04.13
I mean, what a place.
00:45:04.23\00:45:08.10
And, yet, all could not have
00:45:08.20\00:45:12.77
been well in the heart of Peter,
00:45:12.87\00:45:17.71
because even though Peter had
00:45:17.81\00:45:18.91
confessed and repented
00:45:19.01\00:45:20.48
and been forgiven by God --
00:45:20.58\00:45:21.68
praise the Lord --
00:45:21.78\00:45:23.12
Peter still knew that that
00:45:23.22\00:45:26.35
was not all he was created for.
00:45:26.45\00:45:30.53
In fact, let this sink in.
00:45:30.63\00:45:32.39
Peter, at this time, does not
00:45:32.49\00:45:34.00
know his status with regard
00:45:34.10\00:45:35.76
to -- key word here -- ministry
00:45:35.86\00:45:37.27
for Jesus.
00:45:37.37\00:45:39.17
Jesus has forgiven him,
00:45:39.27\00:45:40.70
but can Jesus still use him?
00:45:40.80\00:45:44.04
Can Peter ever work
00:45:44.14\00:45:46.07
with Jesus again?
00:45:46.17\00:45:47.41
Is he damaged goods?
00:45:47.51\00:45:50.65
Was his denial of Christ proof
00:45:50.75\00:45:53.58
that the Lord has no use for him
00:45:53.68\00:45:56.22
any longer?
00:45:56.32\00:45:57.59
And just to bring it down here
00:46:01.46\00:46:02.46
to the present,
00:46:02.56\00:46:05.36
have you felt that way before?
00:46:05.46\00:46:08.73
Maybe you're experienced
00:46:08.83\00:46:10.43
in spiritual things
00:46:10.53\00:46:11.60
and you believe in forgiveness
00:46:11.70\00:46:13.40
and you've confessed,
00:46:13.50\00:46:15.50
you've repented,
00:46:15.60\00:46:17.11
you've been forgiven,
00:46:17.21\00:46:19.64
but now you kind of wonder,
00:46:19.74\00:46:21.78
where does that leave you?
00:46:21.88\00:46:24.01
Are you going to be kept
00:46:24.11\00:46:24.75
at arm's length,
00:46:24.85\00:46:27.42
forever just outside
00:46:27.52\00:46:28.75
the inner circle?
00:46:28.85\00:46:31.12
What is Jesus
00:46:31.22\00:46:33.82
going to do with you?
00:46:33.92\00:46:38.06
Let's find out.
00:46:38.16\00:46:40.23
John 21:4.
00:46:40.33\00:46:43.37
Page 732 in your red Bible.
00:46:43.47\00:46:46.27
Page 732, John Chapter 21,
00:46:46.37\00:46:48.57
beginning with Verse 4.
00:46:48.67\00:46:50.64
The disciples
00:46:50.74\00:46:51.41
have, indeed, gone fishing.
00:46:51.51\00:46:52.57
They have gone fishing
00:46:52.67\00:46:53.84
all night, but they have
00:46:53.94\00:46:54.88
not caught a single fish.
00:46:54.98\00:46:57.11
The sun is beginning to come up
00:46:57.21\00:46:58.25
over the horizon.
00:46:58.35\00:46:59.88
Verse 4.
00:47:00.05\00:47:01.25
"Early in the morning,
00:47:01.35\00:47:03.02
Jesus stood on the shore.
00:47:03.12\00:47:06.82
But the disciples did not
00:47:06.92\00:47:08.06
realize that it was Jesus.
00:47:08.16\00:47:10.29
He called out to them, 'Friends,
00:47:10.39\00:47:12.96
haven't you any fish?'
00:47:13.06\00:47:15.63
'No,' they answered.
00:47:15.73\00:47:18.23
He said, 'Throw your net
00:47:18.33\00:47:19.67
on the right side of the boat,
00:47:19.77\00:47:20.94
and you will find some.'
00:47:21.04\00:47:23.97
When they did, they were unable
00:47:24.07\00:47:25.64
to haul the net in
00:47:25.74\00:47:26.98
because of the large
00:47:27.08\00:47:28.41
number of fish.
00:47:28.51\00:47:30.68
Then the disciple
00:47:30.78\00:47:31.65
whom Jesus loved said to Peter,
00:47:31.75\00:47:33.05
'It is the Lord.'
00:47:33.15\00:47:34.92
As soon as Simon Peter
00:47:35.02\00:47:36.05
heard him say, 'It is the Lord,'
00:47:36.15\00:47:36.99
he wrapped
00:47:37.09\00:47:37.65
his outer garment around him,
00:47:37.75\00:47:38.99
for he had taken it off,
00:47:39.09\00:47:40.49
and he jumped into the water."
00:47:40.59\00:47:47.20
A second point about God's plan
00:47:47.30\00:47:49.86
for your past is this.
00:47:49.96\00:47:52.07
When your past
00:47:52.17\00:47:53.37
is dragging you down,
00:47:53.47\00:47:56.57
swim towards Jesus.
00:47:56.67\00:47:59.64
When your past is dragging
00:47:59.74\00:48:01.11
you down, swim toward Jesus.
00:48:01.21\00:48:03.75
You know, whatever the negative
00:48:03.85\00:48:05.08
feelings were that Peter
00:48:05.18\00:48:06.61
was experiencing at that moment,
00:48:06.72\00:48:08.05
he now does precisely the right
00:48:08.15\00:48:09.75
thing and he ignores them,
00:48:09.85\00:48:12.22
for someone greater than
00:48:12.32\00:48:13.92
his feelings is now present.
00:48:14.02\00:48:16.16
Peter knows who it is who is
00:48:16.26\00:48:17.53
standing there on the shore.
00:48:17.63\00:48:18.79
It is Jesus.
00:48:18.89\00:48:20.20
And because it is Jesus,
00:48:20.30\00:48:22.06
that is where he is going
00:48:22.16\00:48:23.40
to go no matter what,
00:48:23.50\00:48:24.93
and so should you.
00:48:25.03\00:48:27.40
Because when
00:48:27.50\00:48:28.40
your past is dragging you down,
00:48:28.50\00:48:29.87
swim towards Jesus.
00:48:29.97\00:48:32.17
When your past is dragging
00:48:32.27\00:48:33.24
you down, pray to Jesus.
00:48:33.34\00:48:35.88
Even and especially when you
00:48:35.98\00:48:37.38
don't feel like praying to Him,
00:48:37.48\00:48:39.38
dive into those spiritually
00:48:39.48\00:48:40.78
murky waters and do it.
00:48:40.88\00:48:42.92
Open your Bible
00:48:43.02\00:48:44.69
and read it even when you don't
00:48:44.79\00:48:46.29
feel like reading it.
00:48:46.39\00:48:47.76
When your past
00:48:47.86\00:48:48.66
is dragging you down,
00:48:48.76\00:48:49.79
spend time with other
00:48:49.89\00:48:51.16
caring Christians, a small group
00:48:51.26\00:48:52.99
or a Sabbath school class,
00:48:53.09\00:48:54.20
even and especially when
00:48:54.30\00:48:55.66
you don't feel like doing so,
00:48:55.76\00:48:59.40
because when we do these things,
00:48:59.50\00:49:02.14
when we swim toward Jesus,
00:49:02.24\00:49:04.24
sooner or later, something
00:49:04.34\00:49:06.31
like this is going to happen.
00:49:06.41\00:49:09.38
Verse 9.
00:49:09.48\00:49:13.55
"When they landed,
00:49:13.65\00:49:15.32
they saw a fire of burning coals
00:49:15.42\00:49:18.02
there with fish on it
00:49:18.12\00:49:19.45
and some bread.
00:49:19.55\00:49:21.39
Jesus said to them,
00:49:21.49\00:49:23.02
'Bring some of the fish
00:49:23.12\00:49:24.33
you have just caught.'
00:49:24.43\00:49:26.90
Simon Peter climbed aboard
00:49:27.00\00:49:28.10
and dragged the net ashore.
00:49:28.20\00:49:29.16
It was full of large fish, 153,
00:49:29.26\00:49:31.90
but even with so many,
00:49:32.00\00:49:32.93
the net was not torn.
00:49:33.03\00:49:34.97
Jesus said to them,
00:49:35.07\00:49:36.54
'Come and have breakfast.'
00:49:36.64\00:49:40.54
None of the disciples
00:49:40.64\00:49:41.81
dared ask him, 'Who are you?'
00:49:41.91\00:49:44.21
They knew it was the Lord.
00:49:44.31\00:49:47.35
Jesus came, took the bread,
00:49:47.45\00:49:50.22
and gave it to them
00:49:50.32\00:49:51.99
and did the same with the fish."
00:49:52.09\00:49:56.76
A third thing to know about
00:49:56.86\00:49:57.83
God's plans for your past is
00:49:57.93\00:50:00.56
that if you swim toward Jesus,
00:50:00.66\00:50:02.40
He will feed you.
00:50:02.50\00:50:05.83
It is going to happen
00:50:05.93\00:50:07.24
sooner or later.
00:50:07.34\00:50:08.30
If you swim toward Jesus,
00:50:08.40\00:50:09.64
He will feed you.
00:50:09.74\00:50:11.31
In other words, the healing and
00:50:11.41\00:50:12.87
restoration process will begin.
00:50:12.97\00:50:15.38
It's going to happen sooner
00:50:15.48\00:50:16.21
or later.
00:50:16.31\00:50:17.15
The dryness will stop.
00:50:17.25\00:50:18.51
The gap will be bridged.
00:50:18.61\00:50:20.85
Now, we don't know exactly
00:50:20.95\00:50:22.48
what Peter was expecting
00:50:22.58\00:50:23.52
when he arrived on the shore
00:50:23.62\00:50:25.05
after his swim,
00:50:25.15\00:50:26.22
but we do know what he received.
00:50:26.32\00:50:28.36
He received food, sustenance.
00:50:28.46\00:50:31.06
He received energy
00:50:31.16\00:50:32.09
for the task ahead,
00:50:32.19\00:50:33.66
fuel for looking forward,
00:50:33.76\00:50:35.13
not backward.
00:50:35.23\00:50:38.07
You see, all sin harms us.
00:50:38.17\00:50:39.67
It may harm other people, too,
00:50:39.77\00:50:40.80
of course, but it inevitably
00:50:40.90\00:50:42.17
always harms us.
00:50:42.27\00:50:44.34
Forgiveness is, therefore,
00:50:44.44\00:50:45.47
not an end, but a beginning,
00:50:45.57\00:50:47.31
the beginning of the healing
00:50:47.41\00:50:48.84
that needs to take place.
00:50:48.94\00:50:51.01
And if we keep swimming towards
00:50:51.11\00:50:52.68
Jesus, we will find that
00:50:52.78\00:50:54.38
what looked like a mile
00:50:54.48\00:50:55.82
from shore is less.
00:50:55.92\00:50:58.95
What looked impossible
00:50:59.05\00:51:00.56
ends in a good meal
00:51:00.66\00:51:01.99
served by Jesus himself.
00:51:02.09\00:51:04.43
If we keep swimming,
00:51:04.53\00:51:05.76
the Word of God will once again
00:51:05.86\00:51:07.60
bear fruit in our lives.
00:51:07.66\00:51:08.86
Prayer will once again
00:51:08.96\00:51:09.73
seem alive.
00:51:09.83\00:51:10.67
Fellowship with others
00:51:10.77\00:51:11.83
will be reborn.
00:51:11.93\00:51:13.60
This will happen
00:51:13.70\00:51:14.90
if we keep swimming, for God
00:51:15.00\00:51:17.51
Himself is the one who has said,
00:51:17.61\00:51:19.67
"You will seek me
00:51:19.77\00:51:20.78
and you will find me
00:51:20.88\00:51:22.71
when you seek me
00:51:22.81\00:51:23.95
with all your heart."
00:51:24.05\00:51:28.58
And, yet, there is still more,
00:51:28.68\00:51:31.39
for even once
00:51:31.49\00:51:32.29
Peter has been fed,
00:51:32.39\00:51:33.96
Jesus has something
00:51:34.06\00:51:35.62
to say to him.
00:51:35.72\00:51:38.33
And this happens to be what is
00:51:38.43\00:51:39.53
surely one of the most beautiful
00:51:39.63\00:51:40.70
and encouraging passages
00:51:40.80\00:51:42.26
in all of the Bible.
00:51:42.36\00:51:45.80
Verse 15, please.
00:51:45.90\00:51:49.07
"When they had finished eating,
00:51:49.17\00:51:51.07
Jesus said to Simon Peter,
00:51:51.17\00:51:53.34
'Simon, son of John,
00:51:53.44\00:51:56.21
do you truly love me
00:51:56.31\00:51:57.25
more than these?'"
00:51:57.35\00:51:58.78
And probably sweeping with His
00:51:58.88\00:52:00.38
hand, looking at the other
00:52:00.48\00:52:01.02
disciples.
00:52:01.12\00:52:03.35
"'Yes, Lord,' he said.
00:52:03.45\00:52:05.82
'You know that I love you.'
00:52:05.92\00:52:08.62
Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'
00:52:08.72\00:52:12.36
Again, Jesus said,
00:52:12.46\00:52:13.63
'Simon, son of John,
00:52:13.73\00:52:15.23
do you truly love me?'
00:52:15.33\00:52:17.90
He answered, 'Yes, Lord,
00:52:18.00\00:52:20.50
you know that I love you.'
00:52:20.60\00:52:23.04
Jesus said, 'Take
00:52:23.14\00:52:24.74
care of my sheep.'
00:52:24.84\00:52:27.34
The third time, He said to him,
00:52:27.44\00:52:29.31
'Simon, son of John,
00:52:29.41\00:52:31.25
do you love me?'
00:52:31.35\00:52:34.78
Peter was hurt because Jesus
00:52:34.88\00:52:36.22
asked him the third time,
00:52:36.32\00:52:37.09
'Do you love me?'
00:52:37.19\00:52:38.02
He said, 'Lord,
00:52:38.12\00:52:40.02
you know all things.
00:52:40.12\00:52:42.22
You know that I love you.'
00:52:42.32\00:52:45.29
Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep.
00:52:45.39\00:52:48.73
I tell you the truth.
00:52:48.83\00:52:49.53
When you were younger,
00:52:49.63\00:52:50.23
you dressed yourself
00:52:50.33\00:52:51.30
and went where you wanted.
00:52:51.40\00:52:53.07
But when you are old,
00:52:53.17\00:52:54.07
you will stretch out your hands,
00:52:54.17\00:52:55.20
and someone else will dress you
00:52:55.30\00:52:56.37
and lead you where you do not
00:52:56.47\00:52:57.07
want to go.'
00:52:57.17\00:52:58.81
Jesus said this to indicate
00:52:58.91\00:53:00.11
the kind of death by which
00:53:00.21\00:53:01.08
Peter would glorify God.
00:53:01.18\00:53:03.58
Then he said to him,
00:53:03.68\00:53:07.05
'Follow me.'"
00:53:07.15\00:53:09.05
A fourth part of God's plans
00:53:13.49\00:53:15.69
for your past is simply this.
00:53:15.79\00:53:20.26
God will call you back
00:53:20.36\00:53:25.00
into His service.
00:53:25.10\00:53:27.74
He will do it.
00:53:27.84\00:53:30.11
You know, we could go into
00:53:30.21\00:53:31.74
the very interesting linguistic
00:53:31.84\00:53:33.54
qualities of this passage.
00:53:33.64\00:53:34.84
There's some subtleties
00:53:34.94\00:53:35.88
in the Greek and the different
00:53:35.98\00:53:37.08
words for "Do you love me?"
00:53:37.18\00:53:38.05
and Peter's responses,
00:53:38.15\00:53:38.88
et cetera.
00:53:38.98\00:53:39.88
We could go into all of that.
00:53:39.98\00:53:40.65
It's very good.
00:53:40.75\00:53:41.42
But suffice it to say,
00:53:41.52\00:53:42.45
the overarching message here
00:53:42.55\00:53:44.05
is crystal-clear.
00:53:44.15\00:53:47.06
Jesus is reinstating Peter.
00:53:47.16\00:53:49.66
What else
00:53:49.76\00:53:50.29
And he does it three times.
00:53:51.56\00:53:53.16
No coincidence that Peter denied
00:53:53.26\00:53:56.30
Jesus three times.
00:53:56.40\00:53:58.53
The spirit of prophecy tells us
00:53:58.63\00:53:59.90
that Peter
00:54:00.07\00:54:01.24
and the other disciples,
00:54:01.34\00:54:02.47
to that point, considered
00:54:02.57\00:54:04.31
Peter to be beyond restoration.
00:54:04.41\00:54:08.68
They knew what he had done
00:54:08.78\00:54:10.35
in that courtyard when Jesus
00:54:10.45\00:54:11.71
was on trial.
00:54:11.81\00:54:12.61
In Jesus' hour,
00:54:12.71\00:54:13.78
arguably, of greatest need,
00:54:13.88\00:54:15.45
Peter had publicly denied
00:54:15.55\00:54:17.39
his Lord,
00:54:17.49\00:54:19.12
and the other disciples
00:54:19.22\00:54:20.26
and Peter were thinking
00:54:20.36\00:54:22.06
that Peter was done.
00:54:22.16\00:54:25.66
And here, Jesus says, three
00:54:25.76\00:54:27.10
times, "Feed my sheep.
00:54:27.20\00:54:30.93
Take care of my lambs.
00:54:31.03\00:54:33.00
Peter, I need you.
00:54:33.10\00:54:34.84
I still need you.
00:54:34.94\00:54:36.47
Come on back.
00:54:36.57\00:54:37.37
Let's do ministry
00:54:37.47\00:54:38.37
together again."
00:54:38.47\00:54:41.28
You see, forgiveness really
00:54:41.38\00:54:42.44
is just the beginning.
00:54:42.54\00:54:43.71
It is an opening of the door,
00:54:43.81\00:54:45.21
yes, to being healed,
00:54:45.31\00:54:46.48
and that healing ultimately
00:54:46.58\00:54:47.85
means being reinstated
00:54:47.95\00:54:49.58
with Christ and to once again
00:54:49.68\00:54:50.65
be a soldier
00:54:50.75\00:54:51.72
in the army of the Lord.
00:54:51.82\00:54:53.62
Now, it is true Jesus
00:54:53.72\00:54:55.19
may not call you back
00:54:55.29\00:54:56.42
to the same service
00:54:56.52\00:54:57.76
that you were doing before.
00:54:57.86\00:54:59.03
He did with Peter, but it may
00:54:59.13\00:54:59.93
not be the same for you.
00:55:00.10\00:55:01.46
There may be circumstances
00:55:01.56\00:55:02.50
that prevent that.
00:55:02.60\00:55:03.80
But that you are called back
00:55:03.90\00:55:05.53
into His service
00:55:05.63\00:55:06.87
in some profoundly
00:55:06.97\00:55:08.34
meaningful way is certain.
00:55:08.44\00:55:11.47
It is God's will for you.
00:55:11.57\00:55:13.14
He will make
00:55:13.24\00:55:13.88
just the right choice.
00:55:13.98\00:55:15.14
He will choose just the right
00:55:15.24\00:55:16.54
ministry or ministries for you,
00:55:16.64\00:55:17.98
and at the right time,
00:55:18.08\00:55:19.05
He will place you where you are
00:55:19.15\00:55:20.32
most suited and most needed,
00:55:20.42\00:55:23.22
and you will be back
00:55:23.32\00:55:24.19
by His side,
00:55:24.29\00:55:25.55
working together with Him again.
00:55:25.65\00:55:28.72
So, if you are listening to
00:55:33.23\00:55:34.56
these words right now
00:55:34.66\00:55:37.30
and your past is casting
00:55:37.40\00:55:39.43
a shadow over your present,
00:55:39.53\00:55:42.30
I just got to ask you,
00:55:42.40\00:55:44.14
what are you waiting for?
00:55:44.24\00:55:47.38
What are you waiting for?
00:55:47.48\00:55:49.64
God has plans for you.
00:55:49.74\00:55:52.35
If you don't have it yet,
00:55:52.45\00:55:53.82
ask for repentance.
00:55:53.92\00:55:55.58
Ask for repentance.
00:55:55.68\00:55:56.52
Pray that impossible prayer.
00:55:56.62\00:55:57.82
God will give it to you.
00:55:57.92\00:55:58.95
Confess your sin. Repent of it.
00:55:59.05\00:56:00.62
Christ is longing to forgive.
00:56:00.72\00:56:02.42
And then dive into that water.
00:56:02.52\00:56:03.89
Head towards the shore,
00:56:03.99\00:56:04.99
where Jesus has prepared
00:56:05.09\00:56:06.13
a nourishing meal for you.
00:56:06.23\00:56:07.83
He will feed and heal your soul.
00:56:07.93\00:56:09.76
And, yes, He is longing to call
00:56:09.86\00:56:11.53
you into his service once again,
00:56:11.63\00:56:13.74
cleansed, clear, and free.
00:56:13.84\00:56:16.47
You don't have to be suffocated
00:56:16.57\00:56:18.87
by the shadows of your past,
00:56:18.97\00:56:21.58
whether it's for cheating
00:56:21.68\00:56:22.34
on a spelling test
00:56:22.44\00:56:24.35
or for anything else,
00:56:24.45\00:56:26.55
for the blood of Jesus
00:56:26.65\00:56:28.12
is the divine eraser,
00:56:28.22\00:56:31.75
erasing our guilt,
00:56:31.85\00:56:33.25
removing it from us,
00:56:33.36\00:56:34.69
and opening the door to healing,
00:56:34.79\00:56:36.42
to health, and to ministry
00:56:36.52\00:56:37.73
again.
00:56:37.83\00:56:38.63
Praise the Lord
00:56:38.73\00:56:40.40
that God has such great plans
00:56:40.50\00:56:42.96
for our past.
00:56:43.06\00:56:44.57
>> Amen!
00:56:44.67\00:56:46.53
[ Applause ]
00:56:46.63\00:56:48.17
>> Hi, I'm Shane Anderson,
00:56:55.04\00:56:56.04
lead pastor at
00:56:56.14\00:56:57.01
Pioneer Memorial Church.
00:56:57.11\00:56:59.11
It's no news flash to say
00:56:59.21\00:57:00.45
that social media
00:57:00.55\00:57:01.62
has become an integral part
00:57:01.72\00:57:02.75
of our daily lives.
00:57:02.85\00:57:04.39
And here at Pioneer, we want
00:57:04.49\00:57:06.19
to use it to enrich our lives.
00:57:06.29\00:57:09.12
I invite you to connect with us
00:57:09.22\00:57:10.19
online by visiting the links
00:57:10.29\00:57:11.79
that are shown on the screen.
00:57:11.89\00:57:13.63
We are constantly sharing
00:57:13.73\00:57:14.93
inspiring content
00:57:15.03\00:57:16.90
that we believe can make a real
00:57:17.00\00:57:18.43
and positive difference
00:57:18.53\00:57:19.60
in your life.
00:57:19.70\00:57:21.37
So if you haven't already,
00:57:21.47\00:57:22.77
I encourage you to follow
00:57:22.87\00:57:23.67
and subscribe
00:57:23.77\00:57:24.71
to our social-media platforms.
00:57:24.81\00:57:26.81
Not only will you stay up
00:57:26.91\00:57:27.58
to date
00:57:27.68\00:57:28.31
but you will also be able to
00:57:30.01\00:57:31.25
engage with an online community
00:57:31.35\00:57:33.01
that shares a common belief,
00:57:33.11\00:57:34.58
experience,
00:57:34.68\00:57:35.82
and care for your well-being.
00:57:35.92\00:57:38.19
And by sharing our content,
00:57:38.29\00:57:40.52
you can help us reach even more
00:57:40.62\00:57:41.82
people with our message of hope
00:57:41.92\00:57:43.49
and love in Jesus.
00:57:43.59\00:57:45.46
Join us by creating a positive
00:57:45.56\00:57:46.83
impact online and making
00:57:46.93\00:57:48.70
a difference in the world.
00:57:48.80\00:57:51.13
Thank you, and we look forward
00:57:51.23\00:57:52.70
to connecting with you online.
00:57:52.80\00:57:54.34
¤
00:58:00.51\00:58:02.21