1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,200 Thank you for listening to Riverbend Church's podcast. 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,560 To find out more about this message or Riverbend Church, 3 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:14,920 connect with us online at Riverbend Church dot live. 4 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:24,280 We've been walking through a series called God's Mercy in My 5 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,360 Mess. It's through the book of Jonah 6 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,760 and the the the main truth or what we call the big idea of 7 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,840 this series is kind of embedded in the title of the series, 8 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:36,520 right? But if you're new to the series 9 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,120 or even if you're not new to the series, I want to get you to jot 10 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:40,760 this down. If you're taking notes with us, 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:41,960 it's on the back of your bulletin. 12 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,680 Or if you're using the app, the the River been app, the notes 13 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,360 are there too, but it's just the overall reminder. 14 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,720 Hey, listen, God's mercy is greater than my mess. 15 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:53,600 God's mercy is greater than my mess. 16 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,680 And one of the things we keep coming back to is that promise 17 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,280 that truth comes with no fine print, no exception clause. 18 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:02,560 It doesn't matter who you've been, where you've been, what 19 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,440 you struggled with, what you may still be struggling with. 20 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,760 It doesn't matter the, the severity or the longevity or the 21 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:13,560 complexity of your mess, God's mercy is still greater than that 22 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:15,720 mess. And I think that we would all 23 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,680 agree online or in the room that we're no stranger to messes, 24 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:21,240 right? Like we've all had our fair 25 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,120 shares of, of finding ourselves in a mess or, or, or being in a 26 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:29,240 mess from somebody, somebody else's making or making our own 27 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:32,560 mess, right? I want to tell you a quick story 28 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,840 about a huge, huge mistake. I'm not saying that I'm a smart 29 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:43,320 man now, but I hopefully make less stupid mistakes as I get 30 00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:46,080 older. Julie and I, we started dating 31 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,000 in in college our first year, freshman year of college. 32 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:54,640 Now, all through high school, I dated this this, this this one 33 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,040 particular girl. And we thought that we could 34 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,160 just still be friends. This one girl that I dated, 35 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:04,160 Spoiler alert, that's not how it works. 36 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:09,039 All right, keep that in mind. So one day I'm, I'm talking to 37 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:12,320 this girl that I used to date through high school and I I'm 38 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,280 telling her about Julie and I'm telling her about how incredible 39 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:19,440 Julie is and how much I like Julie and, and this girl she, 40 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,960 she has this idea. She goes, hey, why don't I would 41 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,200 love to meet her. So why don't like you and her 42 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,320 and, and and me and my friend like we all go on a double date 43 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,040 together at Six Flags and I thought, man, that's a great 44 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:34,040 idea and we'll have a lot of fun together. 45 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,320 Spoiler alert, It was not a great idea. 46 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:40,720 And we did not have really a lot of fun because what I didn't 47 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:45,120 realize is the four of us are driving from Gwinnett County 48 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:49,080 down to Six Flags. And what a joy that conversation 49 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:51,560 was. But then all throughout the day 50 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:55,960 at Six Flags, this girl that her and I used to date, she decided 51 00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:00,040 to play this game called Ben. Remember when dot, dot, dot. 52 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:02,880 Yeah, you know where this is going? 53 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,000 Spoiler alert again. I've already said I was stupid. 54 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,040 All right. So anyway, after the day, like 55 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:15,600 we go home, I'm driving Julie home and it hits me like the 56 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:22,000 weight of all of my stupidity hits me in an instant to where I 57 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,960 unintentionally and, and accidentally, man, I was stupid. 58 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:31,280 And, and that that was that was even like cruel and insensitive. 59 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:36,320 And I thought for sure, man, she is going to dump me. 60 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:40,480 Julie's going to dump me. Well, I don't know if if God the 61 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,120 Holy Spirit really spoke to her and said, listen, you were 62 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,120 justified in dumping this idiot, but please don't. 63 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,400 But she didn't dump me. I'm so thankful for that. 64 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:53,000 Now here's the thing. You may laugh, but you if you 65 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,280 think through some of the stupid things that you've done that 66 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,080 like you look back on and cringe, you probably don't want 67 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,240 to share it from a stage either. But you do have my permission. 68 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,000 If you're married or you're dating in here, you can look at 69 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:05,920 your husband or your wife or your boyfriend or your 70 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,480 girlfriend and you can look at them and say, wow, I have done 71 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,320 some stupid stuff in my life that I have felt really bad 72 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,200 about, but I haven't done anything that dumb. 73 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,120 I thought, I thought that it was over. 74 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,160 I thought that it was completely over and isn't it true that a 75 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,800 lot of times on the backside of our really bad decisions on the 76 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,520 backside of our really bad choices, that we we can believe 77 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,320 a lie about God. It's actually a very commonly 78 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,320 believed lie. If you're taking notes with us, 79 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,720 I want to show you, Oh, by the way, flash that picture back up. 80 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,440 This is this is AI. That is not me. 81 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,600 That guy looks a lot happier than I was. 82 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:54,120 All right, we can go to the next one. 83 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,840 Here's the lie that we believe if you're taking notes with us. 84 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:00,720 My past choices, fears, and resistance to God. 85 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:03,680 They've condemned me to live a lesser than life. 86 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,000 You ever thought that? That your past choices, your 87 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:13,600 past decisions, your past resistance to God, the results 88 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:18,640 of those have condemned you to live a lesser than life. 89 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:21,800 And one of the things that I want to show you this morning 90 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:27,280 going back into the book of Jonah together, is that is a lie 91 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,760 that is so easy for us to believe, but there's a truth 92 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,800 that God wants us to see this morning. 93 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,360 If you have a Bible with you, I want to ask that you join me in 94 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,520 Jonah chapter 3. Jonah chapter 3. 95 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,480 Actually, we're going to be picking it up, the last verse in 96 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:44,920 Jonah chapter 2. While you're making your way 97 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,360 there, let me kind of give you an overview of where we've been. 98 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,200 There's a man by the name of Jonah who was a prophet or a 99 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,360 chosen spokesman for God. So God would give His word to 100 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:56,480 Jonah. Jonah would then spread that 101 00:05:56,480 --> 00:06:00,160 word to the people what God's instructions would be. 102 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:04,880 God called this prophet to leave his hometown in Israel to travel 103 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,720 to modern day Mosul, Iraq, which was the capital city of the 104 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:10,440 Assyrian Empire. Nineveh. 105 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:14,320 And these were some bad, bad, evil people in Nineveh. 106 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,240 Jonah essentially said Nope, not going to go. 107 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:22,320 So instead of going 500 miles east to Nineveh, he hopped a 108 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:24,960 ship. He booked a cruise down in down 109 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:29,920 in the seaport of Joppa and he tried to sell 2500 miles West to 110 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,520 Tarshish, which is modern day Spain. 111 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:38,960 God of course, got his attention and brought a huge, huge storm 112 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,640 on the sea to where the sailors of that boat ended up tossing 113 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:45,360 Jonah overboard. Jonah was then swallowed by a 114 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,800 great fish, lived in that fish, the belly of that fish for three 115 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,640 days, three nights. That's where we went last week 116 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,200 and we talked about the overall grace of rock bottom. 117 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,880 So after Jonah chapter 2, Jonah chapter 2 ends with such a 118 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:05,160 great, such a great verse down in verse 10. 119 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,480 This is what it says and the Lord spoke to the fish and it 120 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,320 vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. 121 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,760 Not sure if you have that underlined or highlight in your 122 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,400 Bible, but so appetizing to start our morning with right 123 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,240 vomited Jonah out on dry land. Then the word of the Lord came 124 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:24,640 to Jonah the second time saying arise, go to Nineveh, that great 125 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,160 city and call out against it the message that I tell you. 126 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:29,920 So Jonah rose and went to Nineveh according to the word of 127 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,760 the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly 128 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,360 great city, 3 days journey in breath. 129 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:38,280 And that's where we're going to leave off this morning. 130 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:41,880 Next week we're going to pick it up of where Jonah goes further 131 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,320 into the city and his message to the people of Nineveh. 132 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,720 But here's the thing, if you're new to the series or you're new 133 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,520 to the whole narrative or the events or life of Jonah, that's 134 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,200 what you need to know. This was the second time that 135 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:58,600 God called Jonah. This is the second time that God 136 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,000 called Jonah. For example, if you look in your 137 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,560 Bible and Jonah chapter one, verse 2, it says arise, go to 138 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:07,320 Nineveh. This was God speaking to Jonah. 139 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,360 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and call out against it for 140 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:11,640 their evil has come up before me. 141 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:13,880 That's Jonah chapter one, verse 2. 142 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,520 Jonah chapter 3, verse 2. The second call was this. 143 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,360 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and call out against it. 144 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:25,320 The message that I, I tell you almost identical almost. 145 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,480 And we'll get to the we'll get to the nuanced difference there 146 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,040 in just a moment. But here's what I need you to 147 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:36,240 understand is Jonah, just like he faced a choice, whether it be 148 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,320 obedient to God or to be disobedient to God. 149 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,039 The first time that God called him, he faced the same choice. 150 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:45,720 He faced the same choice the second time. 151 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,000 You see, the first time that God called Jonah, Jonah said, Nope, 152 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,360 not going to do it. I'm going to book a cruise down 153 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:55,000 to Tarshish, over to Tarshish. And then God got his attention 154 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,720 in the belly of a whale being swallowed and living in the 155 00:08:57,720 --> 00:08:59,920 belly of a whale for three days, three nights. 156 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,840 And then after Jonah's on the beach after being vomited up by 157 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:07,760 this fish, he still gets a second choice or a second 158 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:09,760 chance. God invites him into a second 159 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,160 chance. God invites him into a calling 160 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:16,600 that looks almost identical, essentially identical to the 161 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,080 first calling. But I need you to understand 162 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:24,000 that here we are in 2026 going, well, of course Jonah would go 163 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:25,960 into Nineveh like that's a no brainer. 164 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:31,280 But I need you to understand is Jonah experienced 3 enemies to 165 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:33,520 God's invitation to a second chance. 166 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:37,160 The same three enemies that you and I face when it comes to us 167 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,760 embracing the second chances that God extends to us. 168 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,480 If you take your notes with us, here's the first of the three, 169 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,160 three enemies of second chances. It's pride. 170 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,080 It's pride. Now if you'll do me a favour, 171 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,520 think of pride almost like a coin. 172 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,920 On one side of that coin is is arrogance. 173 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:58,640 On the other side of that coin is insecurity. 174 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,040 Pride being the coin, pride is really being thinking way too 175 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:08,080 much of ourselves. Pride is that part of us that, 176 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,480 that that is all about us, right? 177 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:17,640 So pride is, is that voice that basically tries to excuse away 178 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:23,520 the, the, the past choices and fears and resistance that, that, 179 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:27,640 that we have mounted against God over our journey, over our time. 180 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:32,640 So, so pride would, would, would try to convince us that, hey, 181 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:37,400 those past choices that you made, those past sinful choices 182 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:39,040 that you made, they, they weren't really that big of a 183 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,360 deal. You just you, you just did what 184 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:44,000 everybody else does. It is downplaying it. 185 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,520 Pride will try to convince you, hey, that that past resistance 186 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:53,480 or, or those past fears, it wasn't that wasn't really a fear 187 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,320 of God. That wasn't really a fear of 188 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,200 stepping out into what God has for you. 189 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:02,720 It was just something that like it was just kind of cloudy. 190 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,040 It was just kind of murky. It's not that big of a deal for 191 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,040 that past resistance to God. Hey, that wasn't full on 192 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:11,760 resistance against God, That that was just more of a 193 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:16,480 misunderstanding. You see, pride will always keep 194 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:21,000 us from trying to it will keep us from even the notion of 195 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,600 needing a second chance. That's the that's the side of 196 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:28,280 pride that is arrogance. The side of pride that is, that 197 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:33,920 is insecurity. Is this like is this notion I'm 198 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:38,880 no good, I'm not worthy of this? Like God can never use me. 199 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,400 I'm not, I'm not good enough at all. 200 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:49,600 Listen, pride, pride will always lie to you. 201 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,400 Pride has a way. Have you ever noticed that our 202 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:59,120 personal pride always has a way of downplaying our struggles and 203 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:03,240 our failures while exaggerating our victories and our strengths? 204 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:08,320 Listen, pride will lie to you every single time, but here's my 205 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:11,480 here's my challenge to you. If you're struggling with pride 206 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:13,840 this morning, if you're hearing that whisper of pride this 207 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,040 morning going, hey, listen, you don't really need a second 208 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,560 chance from God. You're you're good. 209 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:21,960 Like especially compared to the person sitting next to you. 210 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:26,760 They're a really bad person. Not you don't Amen that I get 211 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:30,680 really awkward. You don't need a second chance. 212 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:33,760 But let me ask you a question. If just for a moment. 213 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:37,360 Could you consider the possibility that over the course 214 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,920 of life you've made some mistakes and some missteps and 215 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,080 that you do need a second chance that God is extending? 216 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:49,800 Could you tune out that voice of pride for just a moment, maybe 217 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:52,720 to consider that God is extending to you and inviting 218 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:57,160 you into a second chance? And there in that second chance, 219 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,640 you will find God's mercy and His grace. 220 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,000 You will find God's purpose and significance for you. 221 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,440 You're not going to find judgement. 222 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,320 You're not going to find condemnation, but you've got to 223 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,560 tune out that voice of pride. The first enemy to US stepping 224 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:16,040 into the second chances that God offers us is pride. 225 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:20,960 Second enemy, and this is a really powerful one, is shame is 226 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:25,560 shame. Shame is that overwhelming 227 00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:33,720 feeling of guilt and heaviness and weightiness in almost tags 228 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:39,000 and titles that we wear based off of past actions or in 229 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,160 actions. And I would say that shame 230 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:45,720 probably comes in two, two prominent forms, and both of 231 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:50,240 these forms are equally debilitating and destructive for 232 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:52,360 us. The first form that shame takes 233 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:55,960 on are the tags and titles that other people give us. 234 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,360 You may be coming in here this morning or join us online this 235 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,040 morning. And A tag and title that 236 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,120 somebody has given you based off of your past choices or fears or 237 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,680 resistance to God is, hey, you're just an addict. 238 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:13,920 You've had your chance. You just all what? 239 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:18,320 You always mess everything up. You're disqualified. 240 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:25,560 There's no hope for you. That is the first form of shame. 241 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:29,200 The second form of shame is the tags and titles and the labels 242 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:33,680 that we place on ourselves is how we talk to ourselves, is how 243 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:36,320 we address ourselves. It is how we look at ourselves. 244 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:42,200 It's saying things and thinking things about us like I'm just a 245 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:47,640 screw up. I'm hopeless, I'm unlovable. 246 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:52,880 God's done with me. That that's that. 247 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:58,600 That's shame. Can I tell you this if mentally, 248 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:03,040 if you were kind of living in the in the neighborhood of other 249 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:07,080 people's opinions about you, what somebody may have said 250 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:11,000 about you, the tags are the labels of shame that God, that 251 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:12,200 that those people have placed on you. 252 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:13,760 God hasn't placed those labels on you. 253 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,120 You see, as a matter of fact, God has. 254 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:24,120 God has called you a son or daughter of the most high. 255 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:27,720 God has called you fearfully and wonderfully made. 256 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:29,880 God has called you his masterpiece. 257 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,560 Or if you live in the gated community of of maybe the tags 258 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:37,280 and the titles and the labels that that you place on yourself. 259 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,520 And this kind of goes back to that, to that second side of the 260 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:45,360 coin of pride of insecurity. Can I tell you this? 261 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:50,560 Like what you may be referring to yourself as God's never 262 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:55,080 referred to you that way. Can I tell you this? 263 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:59,360 Let me kind of set you free. Your worst mistakes, my worst 264 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:01,320 mistakes. They don't get to name you. 265 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:07,680 They don't get to name us. We are named by our Creator, by 266 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:12,240 our author. But as long as we keep living up 267 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,520 underneath the tags and the titles and the labels that other 268 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,000 people have placed on us, or maybe the tags and the titles 269 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,160 and labels that we've placed on ourselves, we will always settle 270 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:23,480 for far less than what God invites us into. 271 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,120 That's why shame is such a such a crucial and such a 272 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:31,680 debilitating enemy to the second chances that God extends to us. 273 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:35,160 But then there's a third enemy that he extends to or that that 274 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:37,640 comes against that extension. And that's the enemy of fear. 275 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:42,040 It's the enemy of fear. It's the enemy of God. 276 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:46,720 I'm fearful. I'm fearful of what other people 277 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:48,960 may think. I'm fearful of what other people 278 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,240 may say. I'm fearful that I don't have 279 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:53,760 what it takes. I'm fearful of failure. 280 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,800 I'm fearful of just falling on my face. 281 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,240 I'm fearful if I walk in obedience to you, God, I'm 282 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,400 fearful of everything that is going to cost me. 283 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:05,920 What you're going to call me to walk away from and what you're 284 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:08,160 going to call me to pick up and carry on. 285 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:11,760 It is fear. And here's what I would tell 286 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,520 you. Fear is always like pride and 287 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:16,440 shame. Fear is always a liar. 288 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:20,000 Not to RIP off the Zach Williams song, but it's true. 289 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:25,040 Fear is always a liar. Have you ever noticed that fear 290 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:31,280 will always, always point your attention to and cast the vision 291 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,480 of worst case scenarios? Have you always noticed that 292 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,640 fear always can cast a vision for all the many things that 293 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:42,360 could go wrong? Fear will never cast a vision to 294 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:45,400 all the things of how your life could be different. 295 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:49,840 It's really interesting. Fear promises. 296 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:55,120 It fears this notion that promises to protect us from us. 297 00:17:55,800 --> 00:18:00,040 But what fear actually does is fear prevents us from stepping 298 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:03,600 into all that God is inviting us to step into. 299 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:07,920 Fear will keep us away from second chances. 300 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:12,280 And you see this playing out in the life of Jonah all the time, 301 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:15,840 all throughout the four chapters of the book of Jonah. 302 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:20,200 You see, Jonah could have easily thought, you know what? 303 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,160 I'm going to stick to my guns. I'm going to stick to my guns. 304 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:25,480 I said, I'm not going to Nineveh. 305 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,840 I'm not going to go to Nineveh. I'm going to be true to myself. 306 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,680 And in essence, he could have allowed, he could have allowed 307 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:37,880 pride to win the day. Jonah could have allowed shame 308 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,160 to win the day by saying, man, I blew it. 309 00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:44,320 Not I not only blew it, but I like blew it big time. 310 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,160 Like what kind of prophet of God am I that I ran away from the 311 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:52,440 call of God and I actually put in danger the life of an entire 312 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:56,720 ship's crew and I I can't be used by God. 313 00:18:57,160 --> 00:18:59,920 What kind of prophet am I? And in so doing, he would allow 314 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:04,320 shame to win the day or he could have allowed fear to win the day 315 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:08,520 going God. I don't know what to say to 316 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:12,800 these people in Nineveh. God, you're, you're aware that 317 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:16,440 these people kill other people just by the way they look. 318 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:18,880 What do you think they're going to do to somebody that actually 319 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,760 calls them out and tells them that God's going to destroy 320 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,440 them? And he could have allowed fear 321 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,120 to win the day. He could have allowed fear to 322 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:30,640 win the day, but thank God he didn't. 323 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,760 Thank God he, he didn't. You see, the lie that we often 324 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:42,440 believe is our past choices, our past fears, our past resistance 325 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,120 to God condemns us to live a lesser than life. 326 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:48,600 But I want to show you the truth that God wants to show us this 327 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:49,520 morning. Here it is. 328 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,120 Here's the truth. God is not finished with me. 329 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:55,400 He not only wants me to live life to the fullest, but He also 330 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:57,560 desires to use my story for His glory. 331 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,840 God is not finished with me. Listen, we could spend all day 332 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,880 unpacking that statement. We won't, but we could. 333 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:08,520 We could spend all day unpacking that statement. 334 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:10,240 Listen, God's not finished with you. 335 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,120 He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it until 336 00:20:14,120 --> 00:20:16,920 the day of Christ Jesus. God does not abandon His 337 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:18,840 children. God's not finished with you. 338 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,200 God desires. He not only wants you to live, 339 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:23,480 He wants you to live life to the fullest. 340 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,120 That promise still stands on the other side of our mistakes and 341 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:29,840 missteps and sins. Check this out. 342 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:32,800 He desires to use my story for His glory. 343 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:37,960 Even the broken and the messy parts can be repurposed by God. 344 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:43,240 So here's the question for us. What do we need to do to drop 345 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:46,720 the lie and embrace that truth? I think it's going to involve at 346 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:51,720 least three heart to mind shifts within us, taking notes with us. 347 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,080 Here it is. I must decide that God's grace 348 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:58,360 is greater than my pride, my shame, and my fear. 349 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:05,720 I must decide that God's grace is greater than my pride, my 350 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:12,520 shame, and my fear. Can I get you to do an exercise 351 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:16,520 with me? Let's kind of take it out of the 352 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:18,880 realm and we'll we'll jump back into Jonah, but let's put it 353 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:22,040 kind of in the personal realm this morning. 354 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:27,280 Can I ask you to think, just take a moment and think about a 355 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:30,680 question. Here's the question I want you 356 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,000 to think about. What is the reason? 357 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,200 What is the reason or how have I convinced myself? 358 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,440 In what ways have I taught myself, convinced myself into 359 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:44,200 believing is the main reason God won't use me? 360 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:54,680 What is the main, what is the main reason that you give that 361 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:56,240 you think that God won't use you? 362 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,360 Just take a moment. There's a big blank. 363 00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:02,560 I don't know how big of a blank that you need on your on your 364 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:04,840 note sheet. I know for me, I need a pretty 365 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:07,560 big blank. For some of you, it's just 366 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,920 jotting down a word, jotting down a phrase. 367 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:14,680 Maybe it's jotting down a date. Maybe there's some brokenness in 368 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:16,720 your past. Maybe there's some really bad, 369 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,400 like mess ups, maybe made some really bad decisions or choices 370 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:24,480 and you've convinced yourself that because of those past 371 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:28,360 choices, decisions, fears, and resistance to God, that God will 372 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:32,600 not use you anymore. What is that? 373 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:35,720 What have you convinced yourself? 374 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,160 Now check this out. Whatever you write in that blank 375 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:41,160 or whatever, by the way, we're not going to ask that you turn 376 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:42,360 them in. We're not going to ask that you 377 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:45,440 show the person next to you or get up on the microphone and go, 378 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:47,600 hey, this is where I've convinced myself that God won't 379 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,520 use me. However, here's where I'll tell 380 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:51,680 you. Let's go back to that last 381 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,320 slide, Chris. My guess is, is whatever you 382 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:58,800 wrote down is going to fall into one of three of these buckets, 383 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:04,480 pride, shame, and fear. You see, whatever you wrote 384 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:07,320 down, whatever you've convinced yourself is the main reason that 385 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:12,760 God won't use you. It is probably out of pride, It 386 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,240 is probably out of shame, or it's probably out of fear. 387 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,160 It is going to fall into one of those 3 broad categories, one of 388 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:26,680 those 3 buckets and we're to crossroads here in order to 389 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:30,920 reject the line, embrace the truth, in order for us to take 390 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,120 advantage of and step into the second chances that God wants to 391 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:38,040 offer us this morning and moving forward, I must decide that 392 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,320 God's grace is greater than my pride, my shame, and my fear. 393 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,280 Let me kind of break it down to brass tacks. 394 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,280 Either here's the here's the fork in the road. 395 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:55,160 Either my pride, my shame, and my fear is more truthful, is 396 00:23:55,160 --> 00:24:02,960 more honest, and desires more good for me than God, or God is 397 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:08,160 more truthful, more honest, and desires more good for me than my 398 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:14,720 pride, my shame, and my fear. We, we're the ones that make 399 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:17,520 that decision. We're the ones that make that 400 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:18,840 decision. Here's where I'll tell you. 401 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,720 If you and I decide to continue living in pride, shame, and 402 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:27,040 fear, nothing changes outside of the fact that we just find 403 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:30,280 ourselves as being more prideful, more shame filled, and 404 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:35,320 more fearful. However, God's grace tells us, 405 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,840 hey, listen, I'm not finished with you. 406 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,920 Despite your previous choices, despite your previous fears of, 407 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:45,200 despite your resistance towards me, I'm not finished with you. 408 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,440 I still desire good for you. I still desire that you live 409 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:52,680 life to the fullest. And I still desire, I still 410 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,000 desire to use your story for my glory. 411 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,200 But we have to make that decision. 412 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,680 I have to let go of my pride because here's what I would tell 413 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,880 you. My guess is our pride. 414 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:06,200 Whatever you look down and whatever you may have filled in 415 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,160 that blank or you thought about filling in that blank, your 416 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,480 pride is pretty, pretty much putting together a pretty good 417 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,280 case. Your, your shame is putting 418 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,720 together a pretty compelling argument, your fears putting 419 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:22,600 together a pretty rational reasoning of why God's finished 420 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,720 with you. And you and I, we have to make 421 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,880 the decision. Listen, is God's grace greater 422 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,040 than my pride, my shame, and my fear? 423 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,000 Or is my pride, my shame and my fears that greater than God? 424 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:35,840 And here's why I tell you every day of the week and twice on 425 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,200 Sunday, our pride and our shame and our guilt cannot hold a 426 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:43,760 candle to God's grace, but He will never force that grace on 427 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:45,640 us. Second thing that we need to 428 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:47,560 understand if we're going to reject the law and embrace the 429 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:51,680 truth. Second chances are not do overs. 430 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:56,280 Second chances are not do overs. This right here is probably the 431 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:02,560 most misunderstood factor or element when it talks. 432 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:05,560 When we talk about God extending to us second chances. 433 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:11,680 Second chances are not do overs. Remember how we looked at the 2 434 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,040 calls of God on Jonah? The first one is Jonah 1/2, the 435 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,240 2nd and Jonah 32. I want to show you kind of that 436 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:21,840 nuanced difference here. The first one, arise, go to 437 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:23,960 Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it for their 438 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:24,920 evils. Come up before me. 439 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,160 That was the first call. The second is arise, go to 440 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:29,920 Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it. 441 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:34,960 The message that I tell you Here's the most significant and 442 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,040 essential difference between the call of God on Jonah. 443 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,480 Check this out. You can underline it on your 444 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:42,520 note sheet. The message that I tell you, 445 00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:47,400 here's my question to you. How in the world would Jonah 446 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:50,680 know what to say to the people of Nineveh? 447 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:55,200 He had to wait on God to give him the words, which would 448 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,400 require what? Complete dependence on God. 449 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:02,640 God, here I am. It's not about my ability, it's 450 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,760 about my availability. Speak to me so that you can 451 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,160 speak through me. It's a full dependence on God. 452 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:12,680 Let me ask you a question. Where do you think Jonah learned 453 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:15,640 that complete dependence on God? That's right. 454 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:20,320 And the belly of a fish. You see, when Jonah hit rock 455 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:24,600 bottom and he started to realize that all the things that he had 456 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,400 no control over, God never lost control over. 457 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,200 That's when he fully surrendered over to God. 458 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,600 And here's where I'll tell you, church in the room online. 459 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,760 It's when you and I, when we hit rock bottom, when we start to 460 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,640 realize all the things that we don't have control over. 461 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,840 He never lost control over man. That begins to change us. 462 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,760 God begins to change us in very profound ways. 463 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:53,200 You see, it was impossible. It was impossible for Jonah to 464 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:55,680 get a do over. We typically think of the second 465 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:59,520 chances of God as some type of do over to where he magically 466 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:03,000 rewinds the clock and just reinserts us back into those 467 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,680 same situations. But here's the thing that we 468 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,040 miss. That's an impossibility because 469 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,920 Jonah was not the same person that he was back in Jonah One, 470 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,520 He'd been changed by God in a profound way. 471 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:18,200 And when we begin to surrender our lives to God and we've 472 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:21,280 become fully dependent upon God, he begins to change us in 473 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:25,320 profound ways. Here's how that fleshes out you 474 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:32,400 may, you may never or you will never be able to go back in time 475 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:38,760 and to to relive that stage of your marriage. 476 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,680 But but by the grace of God and all the cause of the grace of 477 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:48,280 God, you can move forward as a changed, as a transformed man or 478 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,560 a woman. You and I, we will never get a 479 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:55,120 second chance to go back and to relive that stage of our 480 00:28:55,120 --> 00:29:00,720 children's lives. However, by the grace of God and 481 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:05,640 all the cause of the grace of God, we can live with love and 482 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:12,040 and kindness as they changed mom or dad, we will never get the 483 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,600 opportunity to go back into time and to take back those harmful 484 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:17,920 words or or those hurtful actions. 485 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,360 But by the grace of God, all because of the grace of God, we 486 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:27,400 can walk forward in sympathy and empathy and kindness and love as 487 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:29,480 a transformed and as a changed friend. 488 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,120 You see, second chances are not do overs. 489 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:37,320 Second chances aren't do overs. And this is what we'll land 490 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,520 things this morning. The third thing that you and I, 491 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,480 we need to understand if we're going to drop the line and brace 492 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,360 the truth, my story isn't about perfection. 493 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:50,520 It's really about redemption. Let's unpack those two words. 494 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:53,520 I think perfection, we all kind of understand that, making no 495 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:55,240 mistakes. And I think that we would all 496 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:57,640 agree, we've all blown that one right. 497 00:29:57,640 --> 00:30:00,280 And if you're on the fence on whether or not you've blown 498 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:05,080 perfection, trust me, you have. We all get that right. 499 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:09,560 Redemption, however. Redemption, however, is God 500 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:14,160 using my brokenness to display His healing. 501 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:19,040 That's redemption. God taking my pain and my 502 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:22,680 mistakes and repurposing it and pointing other people to Him 503 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,080 about what He's doing in and through me. 504 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:31,520 My story isn't about perfection. It's really all about 505 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:39,360 redemption. I don't think at all. 506 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:43,480 When we read this, it's very easy for us to assume, to 507 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:47,000 falsely assume this is a crutch. Hey, my story isn't about 508 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:48,360 perfection, It's about redemption. 509 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:52,800 This is never a crutch for us to lean on, to no longer be 510 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,040 intentional about pursuing personal holiness. 511 00:30:55,600 --> 00:31:00,560 This is, however, it's a key that unlocks the prison cell 512 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:06,400 from what? From shame, from pride, and from 513 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:09,760 fear. My story isn't about perfection, 514 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,240 it's about redemption. Let me ask you a question. 515 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:14,920 This may seem like a no brainer question, but it's some of the a 516 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:16,040 lot of times we don't think about. 517 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:20,080 We know reading the book of Jonah, Jonah was a deeply, 518 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:24,480 deeply flawed man, right? And if if that hasn't, if that 519 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:27,240 hasn't resonated yet, hang with us over the next couple weeks. 520 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:29,720 This is going to become more evident because he's still a 521 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,280 deeply flawed man. Here's a question for you. 522 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:39,360 How do we know about all of Jonah's flaws, about all the 523 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:43,520 ways that Jonah ran from God and you know, some of the some of 524 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:46,600 the conversations he had with God, How do we know about all of 525 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,080 this? It's from Jonah. 526 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:53,800 It's from Jonah himself. You see, Jonah didn't omit his 527 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:55,520 flaws. He didn't sugarcoat his 528 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:58,960 failings. Jonah basically said, hey, 529 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:04,440 here's what an idiot I was, yet God's grace was greater and if 530 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:07,200 God can use me, then he can use you. 531 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:13,360 And in so doing, he did not rob God of his glory. 532 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:17,160 Here's what I would tell you. This is not about oversharing. 533 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:20,160 It's not about making it weird or awkward for the people around 534 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:26,000 us, but a lot of times, because we heed the voices of shame or 535 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:34,040 pride or fear, we do not tell others our stories of what God 536 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:37,040 has done for us and done in and through us. 537 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,320 And in so doing, we rob God of His glory. 538 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:43,960 Our story is not about perfection. 539 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:46,320 Our story is not about us at all. 540 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:50,920 Our story is really about Him and He wants to use my life in 541 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:54,280 your life, in our lives to point people to him, the people that 542 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:59,520 are around us, to him with the same notion that with Jonah, if 543 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:02,320 he can do this in and through me, man, he can do this in and 544 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,800 through you. He is the God of second chances. 545 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:10,360 Do not allow your pride or your shame or your fear to keep you 546 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:14,040 from or to talk you out of embracing the second chance that 547 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:17,600 he's offering you. So here's where we want to end 548 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:22,360 this morning. 2 main questions. Number one, have you fully 549 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:25,960 surrendered your life to Jesus? Have you fully surrendered your 550 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:29,440 life to Jesus? This past week I had the honor 551 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:34,120 and privilege of preaching the funeral service of a of a dear, 552 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:39,160 dear lady in our in our church. She passed away at the age of 76 553 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:42,800 and one of the things is just very obvious about her life was 554 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:45,640 you could not tell her story without telling the story of 555 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:48,920 Jesus in her. You see, here's a distinct 556 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:53,280 difference about this lady. This lady did not just add Jesus 557 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:55,600 to her life. Sprinkle in a little like Bible 558 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,960 dust on her life. This lady made Jesus her life. 559 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:02,840 So here's my question to you. Have you fully surrendered your 560 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:06,320 life to Jesus Like these three that that followed Jesus in 561 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:09,280 believers baptism? All three of them, different 562 00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:11,480 backgrounds. All three of them essentially 563 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,360 have the same story. There was a point in time in my 564 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:17,360 life to where I realized I could not do life on my own. 565 00:34:17,639 --> 00:34:21,600 I made all the mistakes, I tried to fix myself and none of it 566 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:24,440 ever worked. And then I turned to Jesus and I 567 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,000 embraced His. I embraced his grace and His 568 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:31,199 mercy and I found out that God's grace was always greater than 569 00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:33,840 any of my messes. So here's the question for you. 570 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:37,719 Has there been a point in time, a specific point in time, to 571 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:41,840 where you have said yes? I have asked Jesus to forgive me 572 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,760 of my sins and I've asked Him to take control of my life and 573 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,120 committed to following Him for the rest of my life. 574 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:53,560 That is a yes or no question. If it is yes, praise God. 575 00:34:53,719 --> 00:34:56,960 If it is a no, then I have great news for you. 576 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:58,880 You're going to have an opportunity to leave here 577 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:01,360 changed. If it is a man, I hope so. 578 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:05,880 Or maybe here's where I would tell you, man, that chance is 579 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:08,920 not worth taking at all. This morning could be the 580 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:13,000 morning that you nail that down. But second question is this. 581 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:16,400 How are you allowing pride, shame, or fear to rob God of His 582 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:20,440 glory? What parts of your story has He 583 00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:23,400 redeemed? What parts of your journey would 584 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,600 you have never have rather not walked through? 585 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,240 But He walked through with you, and He's brought you out on the 586 00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:33,520 other side that He can use your story for His glory. 587 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:37,920 Is there something in your life right now that you're holding on 588 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:40,760 to? Are you allowing your pride, 589 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:45,960 your shame, your fear to have a stronghold and have a grip on 590 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:48,120 your life? And maybe this morning, the most 591 00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:50,760 freeing thing that you can do, and we're about to open up the 592 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,720 altar for you to come down and pray and just have a moment of 593 00:35:53,720 --> 00:35:58,760 release is to say, hey, God, I want to let go of my pride, my 594 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:02,360 shame, and my guilt. Use my story for however you can 595 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:05,560 get glory. It's never about your ability. 596 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:07,200 It's always about your availability. 597 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:09,280 And that's exactly how it looks like. 598 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:10,960 So here's what we're going to do. 599 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,840 I'm going to pray over us. We're going to have some pastors 600 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:16,680 down here at the front if you would like to come pray with us 601 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:19,360 or talk to us. Maybe you're someone that that 602 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:21,520 first question, you're really struggling with that first 603 00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:22,960 question. We would love to talk with you 604 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:25,120 and pray with you. Maybe you're one of the many 605 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:28,440 this morning that you need to let go of some pride, some shame 606 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:31,800 and some fear in your life and say, Hey God, whatever it looks 607 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:35,640 like, use my story for your glory and to walk back fully 608 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:39,360 released and fully ready for God to use you however He sees fit 609 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:43,840 to use your story for his glory. Pray with me, God, we love you 610 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:46,240 and God, we thank you for your word. 611 00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:51,120 God. It is such not just a challenge 612 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:55,760 to us God, it is a mirror to us God. 613 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:58,480 The more that we look into the life of Jonah, God, the more 614 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:04,240 that we see deep down within ourselves, God, the the choices 615 00:37:04,240 --> 00:37:05,640 and the decisions that Jonah faced. 616 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:08,280 God, every single one of us here this morning, we face the same 617 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:12,600 decisions and choices. We can either give in to the 618 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:17,480 voices of pride or shame and fear, or we can consider your 619 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:20,840 grace, your voice to be greater than all of those other voices. 620 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:23,160 God, would you help us to understand that? 621 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:28,880 God, your grace and your invitation to second chances to 622 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:32,560 us this morning. God, your voice is greater than 623 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:36,200 anything that we may ever hear. God is greater than any force 624 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:40,400 that we may ever encounter. God, I pray that if there's a 625 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:44,400 man or a woman or a student in here with us this morning or 626 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:49,840 with us online that knows that he or she has not ever fully 627 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:53,440 surrendered their life to you. God, they're looking at the at 628 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:59,160 the life and at the examples of, of Tia of dawn of Christie. 629 00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:04,000 God, they know that they need to take that step of obedience 630 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,560 through baptism or they know that they need to fully 631 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,240 surrender their lives to you. God, I pray that this morning, 632 00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:13,040 God, that you would break down any walls of hesitation in their 633 00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:14,960 lives. Thank God that they would come 634 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:16,480 forward. They would come talk to a pastor 635 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:18,880 and God that they would leave forever changed and transformed. 636 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:23,960 God, for those who have surrendered their lives to you. 637 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:30,880 God, would you help us to lay down our pride and our shame and 638 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:35,240 our fear? God, that we would consider 639 00:38:35,240 --> 00:38:40,080 being used by you. God, understanding that our 640 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,960 story is not about perfection, our story is about redemption. 641 00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:45,840 God that you want to use our story for your glory. 642 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:48,640 God, would you help us to understand that it has nothing 643 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:51,880 to do with our abilities or our talents, has everything to do 644 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:55,000 with our availability. And God, we make ourselves 645 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:59,440 available to you by saying, God, I lay down my pride. 646 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,160 I lay down my shame. I lay down my fear. 647 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:06,080 Use my story in however ways in which it'll bring you the most 648 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:08,800 glory. God, I pray that you would move 649 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:11,160 among us this morning. God, I pray that you would grant 650 00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:14,200 freedom this morning. God, I pray that you would bring 651 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:16,160 change and transformation in and through us. 652 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:18,120 This morning is in Jesus name that we pray. 653 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:23,480 Amen. Thank you for listening to the 654 00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:26,480 Riverbend Church Podcast. Learn more about who we are as a 655 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:29,200 church and how to connect, you can head over to our website, 656 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:30,800 Riverbendchurch Life.