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We're almost home. 
Aren't you glad that you can 

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sing that with absolute 
confidence that nothing can 

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change your eternal destination?
That's the hope that we have. 

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That's the power of the gospel. 
And we believe here that even 

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Satan himself cannot take away 
your salvation. 

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But as much as that is the 
truth, we have to also 

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acknowledge that He is intent on
stealing the blessings that you 

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are called to enjoy in that 
salvation. 

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He is viciously ambitious to do 
that, to rob us of all that God 

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has purchased for us in Christ 
beyond just our heavenly home. 

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But the things that He wants us 
to enjoy and know and live in 

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today, Satan is after. 
And I want to remind you of that

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because he does this in both 
obvious and subtle ways. 

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And today I want to focus on his
most, most subtle methods, 

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particularly one. 
And it's often more destructive 

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than people imagine. 
The enemy of your soul and mine 

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is dedicated, takes great 
pleasure in making sure that 

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God's children live with regret,
to live with regret. 

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And by regret I mean this 
persistent sorrow, 

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disappointment, guilt that you 
might know because of past 

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failures or mistakes. 
And before I I try to bring to 

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your attention how this 
crippling remorse ties to the 

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enemy and how our flesh is 
integrated with that, I want to 

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also tell you that there is a 
redemptive aspect to remorse. 

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It's called godly grief and the 
Bible tells us that it is meant 

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to lead us to reconciliation 
with God if responded to 

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accordingly. 
So meet me in the book of Second

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Corinthians Chapter 7 and let's 
look at verse 10 briefly. 

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Second Corinthians Chapter 7, 
verse 10 Paul writes for Godly 

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grief produces a repentance that
leads to salvation without 

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regret, whereas worldly grief 
produces death. 

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It's straightforward, isn't it? 
The regret of any shortcomings 

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or deliberate disobedience is 
meant to produce repentance, a 

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repentance that. 
Leads to salvation. 

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That's what that pain concerning
your sin is is designed to you 

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have a choice with what to do 
with it. 

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But God's desire is that it 
would draw you to his forgiving 

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arms. 
And one of the wonderful things 

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about this verse is that we are 
told a beautiful thing about 

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what this repentance leads to. 
So yes, this grief, regret, call

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it what you will, should lead to
repentance. 

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And then once you arrive at that
repentance, Paul promises by the

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Spirit. 
That it would not provide any 

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regret afterwards. 
Do you see that last part says 

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here. 
A repentance that leads to 

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salvation without regret. 
Here's what it means by that. 

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Primarily that when you turn 
from your sin, turn your face to

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the Lord, call upon His 
compassion, receive his 

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forgiveness, be saved, you'll 
not think twice about that 

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decision. 
You will never second guess 

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giving your life to Jesus 
Christ. 

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That's what he is saying here. 
And how could you if you've 

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truly tasted the joy and peace 
that Christ offers? 

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Which makes me also believe that
Paul has another meaning with 

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this this phrase here of a 
salvation without regret. 

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That when a person receives this
gift of salvation, then they are

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called to dwell, live, be free 
from any regret, any sorrow, a 

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salvation without regret. 
I'm redeemed, I'm delivered, I'm

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new. 
And so there is a sense here in 

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which, you know, A rush of 
freedom, not just in that 

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decision, yes, I'm say, but also
who I am now, how I'm 

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identified, how I'm seen by God.
And all of us in here can 

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testify to that freedom, 
especially when you were first 

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born again. 
But why is it that for so many, 

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that feeling doesn't last? 
That awareness, that rock? 

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Solid confidence begins to wane,
and let me give you one of the 

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main reasons. 
Because the accuser seeks to rob

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you of that gift. 
He is so driven to make the 

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children of God miserable with 
regret. 

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Is it any wonder why in 
Revelation 12/10 he is 

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identified as the accuser of our
brothers? 

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And he stands before God day and
night, and he accuses us before 

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God. 
And don't limit to his ambition 

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in that he also accuses you 
directly. 

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He violates your conscience, He 
attacks you, He whispers the 

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lies. 
That is the essence of spiritual

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warfare. 
And it impacts us in ways that 

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people overlook because this 
kind of regret, this sense of 

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condemnation is able to choke 
you to such a degree that it 

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hinders your spiritual progress 
and it stifles with your 

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relationship with God. 
And I want to give you a brief 

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example of that from the book of
First John. 

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In chapter 3. 
We're going to different 

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scriptures. 
Today. 

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There isn't 1 main text, but 
many texts. 

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So you have to hold your Bible 
tightly. 

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And 1st John 319 Look what the 
apostle John says now. 

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He's speaking to believers, he 
says in First John 319. 

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By this we shall know that we 
are of the truth and reassure 

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our heart before Him, for 
whenever our heart condemns us, 

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God is greater than our heart, 
and He knows everything. 

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Beloved, if our heart does not 
condemn us, we have confidence 

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before God, and whatever we ask,
we receive from Him, because we 

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keep His commandments and do 
what pleases Him. 

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Two main observations that I 
want to make from this passage. 

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Observations concerning the 
possibilities of the condition 

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of your heart as a Christian. 
Number one, we are informed that

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it's possible for Christians to 
feel condemned. 

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What does he say here in verse 
20? 

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For whenever our heart condemns 
us. 

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So it's possible that at any 
time, not just in the beginning 

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of your walk, not as you are 
trying to come to terms with 

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what the gospel does for you, at
any point, even 1020 decades 

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after you've confessed Christ, 
condemnation can visit your 

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heart. 
Which is why he says here in 

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verse 19 that our hearts need to
be what? 

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Reassured, reassured. 
And don't you love how John says

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we? 
He doesn't say you, He includes 

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himself. 
We need to be. 

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If you struggle with that 
temptation, if if you're not 

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stable in your security, what is
required of you is to reassure 

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your heart. 
But it's also possible, and this

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is what we should all strive 
for, for you to live 

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condemnation free. 
And that you would never ever 

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doubt God's goodness and His 
favor towards you. 

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That you would never fear that 
at any point He would disown 

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you. 
Seeing where do you get that 

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from? 
Look at verse 21, beloved, if 

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our heart does not condemn us, 
if our heart does not condemn 

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us, we have confidence before 
God. 

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So what does that tell me again,
it tells me that it is possible 

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for me to have absolute, total, 
unshakable confidence before God

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in my relationship with God. 
Aim for that. 

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That's your goal in mind. 
That's where the Lord wants us 

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to be. 
But for so many, it's not that 

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they settle for a shaky 
foundation. 

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They just think it's almost 
normal for them to live doubting

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their acceptance before God. 
That that's possible, but it's 

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not God's desire. 
And. 

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Here's one of the most striking 
things about this passage that 

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you have here, John, 
transitioning from the 

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discussion about your security 
in God and your prayer life. 

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Don't you see it in verse 22? 
Notice what He says and whatever

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we ask, we receive from Him 
because we keep His commandments

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and do what pleases Him. 
That seems out of place. 

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You're going from talking about 
your confidence before God to 

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now talking about the strength 
of your prayer life. 

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What's the relationship? 
Well, if you really meditate on 

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it, it actually makes total 
sense. 

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The former affects the latter. 
In other words, what motivation 

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would I have to come before God 
and pray if I am unsure that He 

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is not holding my sin against me
and even if a person tries and 

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really pushes. 
Themselves, to pray in that kind

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of a mindset. 
It's not really the way you're 

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supposed to pray. 
At least you find yourself 

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there. 
You find yourself living in that

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reality and even praying with 
that state of mind, trying to 

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feel less guilty altogether. 
So I'm praying because I'm, I 

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want to try to earn more points.
I want to try to convince myself

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and maybe even convince God that
I'm worthy of his acceptance. 

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And what, what you'll end up 
finding about yourself if you're

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praying, maybe you recognize 
this, if you really reflect on 

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it, your prayers are really just
asking God for forgiveness all 

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the time. 
Forgive me, Lord, forgive me, 

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Lord, please, Lord, forgive me, 
please. 

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It's you're almost 
subconsciously. 

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The more I ask for him, the more
I bother him with it, the more 

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he'll reluctantly say, OK, fine,
here's forgiveness. 

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And you never move beyond that. 
You never know what it's like to

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enjoy His presence. 
You never know what it's like to

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feel the freedom to ask Him of 
anything, to communicate with 

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him. 
All your desires, all your 

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concerns, you're just stuck in 
that place, trying to persuade 

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God of him just even receiving 
you initially. 

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So I want you to see how 
constant regret, guilt, the 

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pricking of shame drains you. 
It's like a parasite that sucks 

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the spiritual vitality out of 
you. 

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And this is just in regard to 
our prayers. 

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It has impact on so many other 
things and that's why I want to 

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speak about it today. 
This is really my prayer, that 

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every person leaving this place 
with no relief, that you would 

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know, this anchoring hope that 
would remain, that you would 

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have confidence before God. 
And so that's why I want to 

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speak to you about three types 
of regret that Christians can 

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overcome. 
And I say 3 because Satan is 

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much more clever. 
And this, this flesh is much 

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more deceptive than we initially
thought. 

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And so the first kind of regret 
I want to address is to be free 

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from the regret of the sins of 
the past, even if such sins were

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committed as Christians. 
The second kind of regret I want

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to talk about is the regret of 
questionable choices. 

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What do I mean by that? 
Choices that you made initially 

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thinking that they were in the 
will of God, but after some 

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unfolding, after some more truth
was brought to the matter, now 

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you're doubting. 
Was that really God's will? 

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And it haunts you to this day. 
And the last kind of regret I 

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want to address. 
Is the regrets of missed 

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opportunities, those who are 
discouraged over what they feel 

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to be paths that they have 
bypassed ignored, leaving you 

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constantly wondering what if, 
what if? 

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So let's deal with the obvious 
one, our past sins. 

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And I'm assuming as I bring this
point to you, that the sins that

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we've committed in our former 
lives, the sins that we've even 

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committed as born again 
believers are repented of. 

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You have relinquished them. 
You have turned to the Lord and 

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you've asked for forgiveness. 
But there is still a possibility

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that even if you've done what 
the Lord has asked of you 

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concerning those past sins, that
you Can't Sing confidently about

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you being a child of God and God
loving you and wanting the best 

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for you and wanting to lead you 
and and writing a story for your

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life for His glory. 
You being drained of energy, 

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it's this sorrow that sucks the 
life out of you because as you 

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lay there in bed, you're you're 
visited by those sins or there 

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might be even people in your 
life that you've even sinned 

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again against. 
Just the sight of them causing 

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you to feel. 
There's no way that God smiles 

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over my life after what I've 
done. 

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This dark cloud of doubt that's 
over your head all the time, 

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wrestling even with the fear of 
judgement. 

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If that is you today, I want to 
let you know you have one main 

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goal in this life. 
You have one main goal, knowing 

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deliverance from that, and it is
to be reacquainted with the 

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fullness of God's forgiveness. 
You know it, I know you know it.

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You can quote, you've probably 
even counseled other people with

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it, and you're not even 
convinced of it yourself. 

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That's totally possible. 
But my aim today is to just give

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you a sample of what can happen.
Really. 

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I'm asking that the Lord would, 
in His power make these truths 

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come alive in you. 
To get an idea what facing the 

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truth of the fullness of God's 
heart in His mercy should do to 

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you, what it can do to you, what
it offers you. 

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Here's the thing with us humans 
when it comes to this idea of 

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forgiveness. 
If you're honest, I know you 

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love the Lord. 
But if you're honest, 

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forgiveness more than anything 
else feels like a duty because 

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of this flesh, right? 
And so it's more like, I have to

227
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do this. 
And yes, it's a command and 

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00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:31,200
we're happy. 
It's a command, or else we would

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try to justify our lack of 
forgiveness and our bitterness. 

230
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But I'm talking about the way it
feels. 

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00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,280
It feels like this is what I'm 
just supposed to do. 

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God is not like us in this area 
even because to the Lord, it's 

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00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:51,080
not just this obligation, it's 
not this reluctant 

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00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:53,800
responsibility. 
You ready for this? 

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00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:56,480
God actually delights in 
forgiveness. 

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00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:00,320
It's not a duty to God. 
For you. 

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00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:07,120
It feels like a duty to God. 
He actually finds genuine joy in

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extending it. 
Really. 

239
00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:14,240
Yes, really. 
He actually, he know there's 

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00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:20,280
this eruption of happiness in 
God's heart when he invites 

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00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,040
people to receive his 
forgiveness and when they accept

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00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:27,320
it by faith. 
We can go to hundreds of 

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00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:28,920
scriptures that can testify to 
that. 

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00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:33,000
Let me bring you as a starting 
point to Lamentations in 

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chapter. 
Three, let's go there together 

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00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:49,760
and verse 33, Lamentations 333, 
the prophet Jeremiah says 

247
00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:54,720
something astounding about the 
heart of God, for he does not 

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afflict from his heart or grieve
the children of men. 

249
00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,560
You know what the prophet is 
doing by the Spirit. 

250
00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,120
He's revealing how the default 
of God's heart is not one of 

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00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,680
judgement and wrath. 
We think the opposite. 

252
00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:12,480
We think that we're unable to 
shake it off. 

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00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:15,560
Some of us, the Lord's impulses 
to discipline. 

254
00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:21,880
It's to punish, while 
forgiveness and extending grace 

255
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:29,640
is a grudging chore to him. 
And yet the prophet Micah tells 

256
00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,480
us something in the context of 
pardoning iniquity and 

257
00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:39,320
overlooking our trespass if we 
repent, that he delights in 

258
00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,880
steadfast love. 
Micah says that he delights in 

259
00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:46,400
steadfast love. 
That's where his delight is. 

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00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,320
That's his disposition. 
Here's another way to grasp. 

261
00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:51,880
I was thinking about this, 
thinking what's what's the 

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00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:56,920
easiest way to perhaps draw us 
into experiencing this truth? 

263
00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:59,480
I want you, even for a moment 
now to think about something 

264
00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:02,280
that you know automatically, 
automatically will flood your 

265
00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:06,680
heart with some kind of joy that
can transport you into elation 

266
00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,760
that can actually bring you. 
Out of a time where you're 

267
00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:14,640
really in the slumps, it could 
be the company company of a 

268
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:16,680
beloved friend. 
It can be the sense of 

269
00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:20,079
gratification you know after 
accomplishing a certain task or 

270
00:17:20,079 --> 00:17:23,560
any strange subjective 
experience that very few people 

271
00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:26,640
can understand. 
Just imagine something that 

272
00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:29,720
actually unlocks a sense of joy 
in your heart. 

273
00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:36,320
Now take this in God, forgiving 
a Sinner, does that for him, but

274
00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:39,000
with a joy that is infinitely 
more intense. 

275
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:45,240
Than you can even fathom that's 
how God feels when he what when 

276
00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:50,560
he extends mercy and especially 
when it is believed on by faith 

277
00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:53,480
so he doesn't afflict from his 
heart. 

278
00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,640
And what makes this more 
precious and limitations is that

279
00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,360
Jeremiah is giving this. 
Truth in the context of him 

280
00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:03,320
having to forcefully remind 
himself of it. 

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00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,160
Look at verse 21. 
Look at chapter 3, verse 21. 

282
00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:11,760
But this I call to mind. 
And therefore I have hope. 

283
00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:14,640
And then down in verse 33, one 
of the things that he calls to 

284
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:16,640
mind is that he does not afflict
from his heart. 

285
00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,520
You know what that tells me? 
And it should tell you the same,

286
00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:24,720
that we often lose sight of the 
fact that God's heart is like 

287
00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,240
this. 
We are prone to believe the 

288
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:32,040
opposite. 
And Lamentations is not the only

289
00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:35,520
book that defines the Lord's 
tender temperament toward those.

290
00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:42,120
Who are in sin? 
So go to Hosea in Chapter 11, 

291
00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:46,880
please. 
I hope I prepared you in advance

292
00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:48,720
that we're going to be bouncing 
to different places in the 

293
00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:52,360
Bible. 
Hosea 11, verse 8. 

294
00:19:01,220 --> 00:19:03,100
This is when Israel was steeped 
in sin. 

295
00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:07,420
And the prophet says as he 
speaks on behalf of the Lord, 

296
00:19:07,420 --> 00:19:08,940
how can I give you a boy for 
him? 

297
00:19:09,620 --> 00:19:11,900
How can I hand you over, O 
Israel? 

298
00:19:12,540 --> 00:19:17,040
How can I make you like Adma? 
How can I treat you like Zeboim?

299
00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:23,360
My heart recoils within me. 
My compassion grows warm and 

300
00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:26,840
tender. 
This is perhaps one of the most 

301
00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:31,640
explicit passages that unveil 
the raw emotion that God feels. 

302
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,240
God feels. 
He's not robotic. 

303
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,520
He's not mechanical. 
He has emotions. 

304
00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:41,840
And you see it so plain here. 
And he makes reference to a 

305
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,160
couple of places that we're 
probably not familiar with. 

306
00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:47,120
We know Efrain, we know Israel, 
but what what's and where is 

307
00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:49,480
Admah? 
And what's and where's Zeboim? 

308
00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:52,840
Well, if you go to Genesis 14, 
don't turn there, don't turn 

309
00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:54,680
there. 
But if you were to go there in 

310
00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,600
chapter 14, verse 2, you would 
learn that these two areas are 

311
00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,760
neighboring cities to the 
infamous Sodom and Gomorrah. 

312
00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,960
And these two regions were also 
destroyed alongside them because

313
00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:08,160
they shared in the same sins as 
them. 

314
00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,760
And at this point in Israel's 
history, they were imitating, 

315
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,240
they were mirroring the sins of 
Sodom, Gomorrah, and the region 

316
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:20,240
all together. 
Now, you and I know what he did 

317
00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:23,440
to Sodom and Gomorrah in his 
perfect righteousness. 

318
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:27,880
And as we come to this passage, 
we would expect that what's 

319
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:29,640
going to grow warmer, if 
anything is going to grow 

320
00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:35,680
warmer, is his anger and his 
desire to execute his wrath. 

321
00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,200
And though we do not overlook 
God's justice, what's being 

322
00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,400
emphasized here is that what's 
growing warmer and more tender 

323
00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:49,040
is his compassion, confirming 
what we read in limitations that

324
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:56,240
it is not His heart to afflict. 
And so how do you understand 

325
00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:58,200
this passage if you were to 
translate in simple English? 

326
00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:05,640
I don't want to judge. 
I much rather extend forgiveness

327
00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:10,240
and to make you whole when you 
repent and receive my 

328
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,560
forgiveness. 
That's what he desires. 

329
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,320
His heart recoils within him. 
It's it's stirring the deepest 

330
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,640
parts of who he is. 
Not that he's uncertain, not 

331
00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:20,960
that he's wrestling with his 
will. 

332
00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,800
That's not the case. 
But we're we're we're granted 

333
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,400
human like understanding and 
language to try to relate to 

334
00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,960
what God is like. 
And here we see that what's 

335
00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:34,200
actually becoming more ferocious
and what's stirring him more 

336
00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,480
than anything else is compassion
for what a people who are broken

337
00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:39,720
for this and know are people who
are stubborn in their sin. 

338
00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:46,080
This is God's heart and he longs
for them to know it. 

339
00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:49,000
I think this is almost too good 
to be. 

340
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:53,240
True, and I'm here to tell you 
it's true. 

341
00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:58,800
This is what he wants and this 
is really difficult for many of 

342
00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:01,920
us to believe. 
So in the very next verse verse,

343
00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:06,360
as though Hosea anticipates us 
to be hesitant to actually grasp

344
00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:08,360
this, look at what he says in 
verse 9. 

345
00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:11,320
I will not execute my burning 
anger. 

346
00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:16,640
I will not again destroy 
Ephraim, for I am God and not a 

347
00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:22,360
man, the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath. 

348
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:27,200
Now, when you hear the title 
Holy One, what do you often 

349
00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:31,320
associate that with? 
His purity, His justice once 

350
00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:36,000
again, which is true. 
But in this instance, the Holy 

351
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,520
Spirit wants you to link the 
holiness of God, the 

352
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,320
transcendence of God, the 
otherworldliness of God, with 

353
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,640
His willingness to withhold 
judgment and actually receive 

354
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:54,480
those who deserve His wrath. 
In other words, by communicating

355
00:22:54,480 --> 00:23:00,280
this, he's saying I being holy 
and not like you in terms of how

356
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:03,560
I am willing to forgive. 
I'm not like man, I'm God. 

357
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:08,200
I'm God. 
And I want to show you how I'm 

358
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:09,800
so much different for you from 
you. 

359
00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:13,400
I want to forgive this people 
here, not judge them. 

360
00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:21,400
So he is so different from us 
also in the strength and 

361
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:28,520
availability of his compassion. 
And this is, again, astounding. 

362
00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:33,600
It should cause us to worship, 
yes, but it gets better because 

363
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:37,040
this is just the surface of 
God's willingness to forgive. 

364
00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,400
What happens once He does? 
What happens when the heart of 

365
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,560
faith connects with this 
willingness to forgive? 

366
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:45,640
And that's where it gets even 
better. 

367
00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:49,480
So I quoted Micah briefly, but I
want you to turn there now, and 

368
00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:51,600
I want you to notice something. 
Notice that I'm pointing you to 

369
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,000
the prophets. 
Did you notice this trend? 

370
00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,960
Those are the same. 
Books that provide the greatest,

371
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,440
most scathing declarations of 
judgement. 

372
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,080
But if you read the Prophets 
carefully, you'll note that at 

373
00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:08,840
the end of each one of their 
books, there is a message of 

374
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,680
hope. 
Read it, you'll never Unsee it. 

375
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:16,520
No, no matter how scathing, you 
always end on a note of hope, 

376
00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:20,160
and it's no different with Micah
in Chapter 7, verse 19. 

377
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:31,320
Micah 719. 
He will again have compassion on

378
00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,560
us. 
He will tread our iniquities 

379
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:36,440
under foot. 
That's how the ESV renders it. 

380
00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:41,320
You will cast all our sins into 
the depths of the sea. 

381
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:46,120
Let's break this down slowly. 
For Micah to say he will again 

382
00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:49,240
have compassion on us is a 
reminder that his reception of 

383
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:50,680
the repentant is readily 
available. 

384
00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:52,480
He'll, he'll do it. 
He'll do it. 

385
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:54,440
Again and again and again and 
again. 

386
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:59,560
He is always willing to receive 
the repentant again and again. 

387
00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:01,960
It's not short lived. 
It is long-suffering. 

388
00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:05,680
And when that compassion is 
called upon and humble 

389
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:09,120
penitence, Micah tells us 
something that the Lord will do 

390
00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:13,240
with your record of sin. 
The ESV says that He will tread 

391
00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,200
our iniquities under foot. 
So let's follow that imagery. 

392
00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:19,480
A person realizes they've 
sinned, they confess their sin, 

393
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:26,080
and the Lord takes your sin. 
He places it on the ground and 

394
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,840
with his mighty feet. 
The earth is his footstool by 

395
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:32,360
the way. 
He treads on it until that 

396
00:25:32,360 --> 00:25:36,800
record of sin becomes fine 
powder, unrecognizable, 

397
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:42,320
destroyed, disintegrated. 
And if that wasn't enough, what 

398
00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,800
does Micah say he does? 
He bundles up. 

399
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,400
All of that, every fragment of 
your record of sin. 

400
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,920
And with his mighty arm he 
throws it into the depths of the

401
00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:54,400
sea. 
Why does he do that? 

402
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:57,760
So it can be out of sight and so
that it can be out of reach. 

403
00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:04,240
That's why he does that. 
You say, well maybe with some 

404
00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:09,720
sins, but not my sin. 
We convince ourselves like this,

405
00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:12,320
do we not? 
OK, well, look what he says. 

406
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:18,400
You will cast what? 
Some of our sins all name it. 

407
00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,680
He's willing to tread it, and 
he's willing to bundle it, and 

408
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,520
he's willing to cannon it into 
the depths of the sea. 

409
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:28,200
There's not one sin that you can
name that he is not willing to 

410
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:33,160
do this for any sin. 
All are sin. 

411
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,720
No matter how dark, no matter 
how much it's permeated your 

412
00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:39,480
record, your history, He is 
willing to tread it. 

413
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:41,720
He is willing to put it beneath 
his feet. 

414
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:43,520
And if he puts it beneath his 
feet, what does that mean? 

415
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:45,400
Just to begin with? 
It means that it's out of out of

416
00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:46,840
his sight. 
He's not studying it. 

417
00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:48,360
He's not contemplating. 
It's there. 

418
00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:52,160
It's, it's, it's beneath him. 
And then he doesn't even keep it

419
00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:53,520
there. 
He plunges into the depths of 

420
00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:59,560
the ocean now. 
Micah's words here should remind

421
00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,560
us of a lyric in a song of the 
Bible. 

422
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:05,600
It's not in the Psalms. 
It's actually one of the first 

423
00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:08,320
songs of the Bible altogether in
redemptive history, the Song of 

424
00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:12,240
Moses when the people were just 
delivered from the Red Sea, and 

425
00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:16,640
the tyranny of Pharaoh in Egypt.
Let me quote this to you from 

426
00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:22,080
Exodus 15, verse 4. 
Pharaoh's Chariots and his host 

427
00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:29,960
he cast into the sea, and his 
chosen officers were sunk in the

428
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:35,080
Red Sea, cast into the sea. 
Can I ask you a question? 

429
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,960
Was Pharaoh's army a threat 
after they were cast into the 

430
00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:39,600
sea? 
No, you know why? 

431
00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:44,400
They were non existent? 
They were totally and absolutely

432
00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:46,680
eliminated. 
They can no longer harass the 

433
00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:48,440
people of God. 
They can no longer threaten the 

434
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,880
people of God because they were 
destroyed by God. 

435
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,920
It's no different. 
With your record of sin now, how

436
00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:59,040
ridiculous would it be for you 
being an Israelite in that day, 

437
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,560
being a part of that awesome 
testimony, that generation that 

438
00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:05,920
was rescued from slavery? 
How weird would it be that 

439
00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:10,640
coming through that Red Sea and 
God bearing your enemies for you

440
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:14,240
to look out and to see 
Israelites sitting on the shore 

441
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:18,280
and quivering while looking at 
the ocean, wondering is this 

442
00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,120
really it? 
Is this? 

443
00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:24,560
Is this it? 
You can't see? 

444
00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:28,400
A chariot you can't see. 
Pharaoh's uniform, they're at 

445
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:31,520
the bottom of the ocean. 
So how weird would it be for you

446
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:33,560
to look at somebody or to be 
that person to think? 

447
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:37,080
I don't know. 
It's done. 

448
00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,400
They're destroyed. 
Move on. 

449
00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:45,120
And here's the problem. 
Many Christians choose to sit on

450
00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:48,840
the shore of their memories, 
staring out into the ocean of 

451
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:52,080
the past and regretfully 
ruminating over forgiving sins 

452
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:56,040
that God intended for you to 
forget about. 

453
00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,400
So if your sins have been cast 
into the depths of the sea, you 

454
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,160
know what you should do. 
Imitate the Israelites in Exodus

455
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:09,400
15. 
Sing with relief and rejoicing, 

456
00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:13,280
and March on. 
It's done. 

457
00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:17,760
And that happens every single 
time you repent. 

458
00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:24,080
It was AW Tozer who said that 
the regret of a sinful past can 

459
00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:29,080
only dissipate when we recognize
that in Christ that past doesn't

460
00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:33,920
exist. 
You're remembering something 

461
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,720
that the Lord forgot about. 
Not that he's not omniscient, 

462
00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:38,200
but he chooses not to dwell in 
it. 

463
00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:41,240
He chooses not to use it against
you, Isaiah tells him. 

464
00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,720
But he takes our sins, and he 
casts it behind his back. 

465
00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:46,000
It's not before him, so it's 
behind his back. 

466
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:48,200
It's beneath his feet. 
It's in the depth of the ocean, 

467
00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,040
and it's tormenting you day and 
night. 

468
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,800
How can that be? 
You have to be reacquainted with

469
00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:56,120
the fullness of God's 
forgiveness. 

470
00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:00,960
I can assure you that the more 
you saturate your mind with this

471
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:04,880
truth, the less you'll be 
convinced that God is dangling 

472
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:09,160
your sin over your head, that 
you can at any moment expect Him

473
00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,000
to strike you with judgement in 
this life. 

474
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:13,680
And more than that, this false 
notion that He's going to 

475
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:17,640
surprise you at the end of your 
life with eternal denial because

476
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:22,160
of the severity of your sin. 
If you have repented of it, you 

477
00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:26,440
forget it. 
And if you continue to struggle 

478
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:29,520
with that feeling of guilt, 
because I, I, I know, let's be 

479
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:30,880
real. 
Let's be real, right? 

480
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:35,600
Some of you know these things, 
but you're still going to 

481
00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:38,760
wrestle with that feeling. 
So let me offer some advice, 

482
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,480
some advice that I thought was 
beneficial. 

483
00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:46,680
You must, as you pursue this 
familiarity with the fullness of

484
00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:49,360
God's forgiveness, right? 
Because it's not instantaneous. 

485
00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:52,520
It's not like you read a page 
and then everything just 

486
00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:55,160
disappears. 
No, it takes time, the renewal 

487
00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,840
of your mind. 
So as you work with that 

488
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:00,920
process, and you might still be 
visited by those feelings of 

489
00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,040
regret, guilt, shame, whatever 
the case may be, fear. 

490
00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,600
Learn to discern the difference 
between guilt as a feeling and 

491
00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:11,720
guilt as a fact. 
Big difference. 

492
00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:17,080
Big difference. 
What I feel doesn't determine my

493
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,760
fate. 
Tell yourself that as you're 

494
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,120
trying to memorize and as you're
trying to connect, as you're 

495
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,680
trying to build the case of what
God is like and what he is like 

496
00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:27,160
for you and towards you. 
And you still might be wrestling

497
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:29,360
and still might be clutching at 
your soul and you're thinking, 

498
00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:34,960
Tell yourself this feeling of 
guilt doesn't confirm my status 

499
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:39,120
before God. 
And you know that from a human 

500
00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,200
to human level that somebody 
might have forgiven you, but you

501
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:43,640
still wrestle with what you've 
done to somebody, right? 

502
00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:46,560
But it doesn't determine your 
relationship with that person, 

503
00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:48,120
especially if they've forgiven 
you. 

504
00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:52,720
So this, these emotions, these 
things that don't align with the

505
00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:57,360
truth, I will manage it by 
reminding myself that what God 

506
00:31:57,360 --> 00:31:59,720
says, and that's my first John 3
is all about if my heart 

507
00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:03,480
condemns me. 
God is greater than my heart and

508
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:07,160
He knows everything. 
Regret over sinful past. 

509
00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:12,080
Let's talk about regret and 
overcoming the regret of 

510
00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:16,200
questionable choices #2 I'm 
talking about the range of 

511
00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,640
decisions that we believe were 
in God's will. 

512
00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:24,680
But as unfavorable experiences 
follow, or as more light was 

513
00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:30,560
shed on the matter, you begin to
feel the suffocating 

514
00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:34,560
realization. 
Maybe I missed it. 

515
00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:38,280
Maybe this was not God's will 
all along. 

516
00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:43,840
I arrived at the wrong 
conclusion and this is how this 

517
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:46,440
works. 
The more costly or permanent a 

518
00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:51,200
decision is, the greater the 
sense of regret becomes. 

519
00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:55,200
We don't feel so guilty or 
regretful about things that you 

520
00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:59,240
can reverse overnight. 
And so this can happen with 

521
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:04,480
money and time spent for an 
education that you realize is 

522
00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:08,440
not beneficial. 
This can look like you moving 

523
00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,160
and having to leave behind so 
many things because of a 

524
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:13,600
promising opportunity, even a 
ministerial 1. 

525
00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,120
And you realize that this was 
not what I expected. 

526
00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:21,600
It can look like any opportunity
you thought was going to be for 

527
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:26,520
your good, even God's will, and 
it disappointed you. 

528
00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:33,120
This even happens when people 
get married and wonder if they 

529
00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:37,520
made the right choice. 
Did I really marry the right 

530
00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:42,160
person? 
If that's you, please hear this,

531
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:49,040
please. 
If you sought God, if you sought

532
00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:54,040
godly counsel, if you aligned 
your thinking and your planning 

533
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:58,280
according to God's word, no 
matter what the outcome of that 

534
00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:02,080
decision was, you working with 
the light that God has given you

535
00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:06,600
in the moment, in that season 
should relieve you in that you 

536
00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:08,280
have no reason. 
No, you don't even have a 

537
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,239
second, a right for a moment to 
live in regret. 

538
00:34:13,639 --> 00:34:15,760
Do you know why? 
Because I think that you've done

539
00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:17,960
all that. 
And to still be tormented by the

540
00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:21,360
possibility of missing the will 
of your heavenly Father actually

541
00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:24,639
goes against everything Jesus 
taught about the character of 

542
00:34:24,639 --> 00:34:28,880
our heavenly Father. 
So let me remind you a verse in 

543
00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:30,920
Luke 1111. 
Here we are in the New Testament

544
00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:36,600
and look what Jesus said about 
the Father by making a contrast.

545
00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:43,719
And Luke 1111 what father among 
you? 

546
00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:47,080
If his son asks for a fish, will
instead of a fish, give him a 

547
00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:50,199
serpent? 
Or if he asks for an egg, we'll 

548
00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:53,880
give him a scorpion? 
Never forget this. 

549
00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:55,880
Jesus never wastes his words and
his teaching. 

550
00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:58,680
Everything that he says is 
intentional and is meant to be 

551
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:04,160
studied and carefully regarded. 
Let's just ask 2 simple 

552
00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:07,640
questions. 
What does a fish? 

553
00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,600
And. 
An egg have in common. 

554
00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:12,920
It's not some deep mystical 
thing, by the way. 

555
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:14,680
Very simple. 
They're nutritious. 

556
00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:18,320
They're good for you, right? 
You may not like fish, but it's 

557
00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:19,800
good for you. 
May not like eggs. 

558
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,960
Good for you. 
OK, what do scorpions and 

559
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:25,560
serpents have in common? 
Not good for you. 

560
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:28,560
Dangerous for you. 
I know some people that have 

561
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:30,040
them as pets. 
God bless you. 

562
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:36,840
Generally, they're harmful. 
They can hurt you. 

563
00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:41,080
So a crisis conveying that is, 
if a child asks for something 

564
00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:44,960
profitable and beneficial, no 
good father would give him 

565
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:49,360
something harmful instead. 
So let's connect this with this 

566
00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:51,640
truth. 
If I'm a child of God who 

567
00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:53,840
earnestly seeks for the will of 
God. 

568
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:58,960
In any matter, I have no reason 
to fear that He will lead me 

569
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:03,120
down a path that is perilous, 
wasteful, or injuries because 

570
00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:06,640
that's not who he is. 
That's not that's not his heart.

571
00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,520
And I can't express you. 
I can't even put into words the 

572
00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:14,280
glorious rest that that this is 
provided in every area of my 

573
00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:17,720
life, especially if after 
choosing something or deciding 

574
00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:20,320
something or moving forward in a
certain direction, it brought 

575
00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:24,280
about pushback or or unfavorable
experiences. 

576
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:29,400
This truth that I'm presenting 
to you should make you 

577
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:33,840
absolutely unshakable because 
here, here's how it looks like. 

578
00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:37,360
Lord, I know. 
I know that I've surrendered my 

579
00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:40,240
life to you and I know that I've
brought this matter before you. 

580
00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,320
And Lord, you know that I, I 
wanted the best. 

581
00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:46,040
I wanted your will. 
And I've sought it from godly 

582
00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:47,880
leaders. 
I've sought it from godly family

583
00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,720
members and friends. 
And though I cannot make sense 

584
00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:54,440
of what's transpiring here 
because I know that I've laid it

585
00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,920
at your feet, because I've put 
you always before me, I'm going 

586
00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,440
to trust you in this. 
I don't get it, but I'm going to

587
00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:01,640
trust you in this. 
And the relief in part comes 

588
00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:04,880
from you giving it to him before
anything even started. 

589
00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:08,320
That's why it's so important to 
be prayerful. 

590
00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:10,720
That's why it's so important to 
it's not just so that you can 

591
00:37:10,720 --> 00:37:13,000
get what you hope to get. 
It's so that when things don't 

592
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:14,880
look like what you expected, you
can be at rest. 

593
00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:15,360
Amen. 
That's right. 

594
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,800
So be relieved, no matter what 
it looks like, no matter. 

595
00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:23,680
I don't know how this happened. 
I didn't expect this, but did 

596
00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,600
you see God about it? 
I did, absolutely, no question. 

597
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:29,400
Then be at rest and don't live 
in regret. 

598
00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:33,360
I'm sure it gets a lot more 
complicated than that in many 

599
00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:36,560
scenarios, but that's just a 
general commentary and hopefully

600
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:39,120
it brings some kind of help. 
But I know that there might be 

601
00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:41,480
some people excluded, or at 
least feeling excluded. 

602
00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:45,320
You know why? 
Because the source of your 

603
00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:47,760
regret is not I prayed about it,
but doesn't make sense is I 

604
00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:49,200
didn't even pray about it to 
begin with. 

605
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:53,000
I'll be honest with you, 
preacher, I didn't see God at 

606
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:56,520
all. 
I was thinking carnality. 

607
00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:58,760
I was thinking in the flesh. 
I was thinking my will, not 

608
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:01,800
God's will. 
I moved ahead. 

609
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:05,880
Is there still hope? 
For me, would it amaze you if I 

610
00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:10,920
say, yes, there is hope for you?
I, I want to let you know that 

611
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,000
there is an example in the 
scripture of a man of God, not 

612
00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:18,520
just a man, a man of God who in 
a moment's time made a very 

613
00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:24,280
serious, permanent, lasting 
choice without seeking God about

614
00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:27,480
him. 
And the story goes to show that 

615
00:38:27,720 --> 00:38:31,560
even though he moved ahead, he 
realizes wrong. 

616
00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:34,200
He chose to still seek God after
the fact. 

617
00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,320
And God did something wonderful 
with this man's story. 

618
00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:39,920
Turn with me to Joshua Chapter 
9. 

619
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:43,560
I want to talk to you about what
is known as the Gibeonite 

620
00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:47,400
deception. 
Joshua was the leader of the 

621
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:51,120
nation of Israel, and he was 
called to lead a generation into

622
00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:54,400
the Promised land and as the 
vessel of God's judgement to 

623
00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,640
destroy all the inhabitants of 
the land of Canaan. 

624
00:38:57,440 --> 00:38:58,920
Why? 
Because century after century 

625
00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:02,240
after century, this people group
ignored God, hated God, despised

626
00:39:02,240 --> 00:39:03,840
God, and grew worse and worse in
their sin. 

627
00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:06,960
And so the Lord said, that's it,
they must be destroyed. 

628
00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:09,520
I'm using this nation as an 
instrument to bring about that 

629
00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:11,280
judgement. 
So the mandate was clear. 

630
00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:14,800
Everyone who lives in this land 
who is outside of covenant with 

631
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:18,680
God must be judged accordingly. 
Now, this group called the 

632
00:39:18,720 --> 00:39:21,200
Gibeonites learned about it. 
They learn about what the God of

633
00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:23,120
Israel has done. 
They learn about the early 

634
00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:25,960
conquest of this nation. 
And so they were fearful. 

635
00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:27,440
And so they came up with a 
cunning plan. 

636
00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:29,600
And here was the plan. 
We're going to pretend as we 

637
00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:31,760
introduce ourselves to Joshua 
and his people. 

638
00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:36,840
That we are from a distant land.
And they put on this whole show 

639
00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:38,520
really. 
They brought like old looking 

640
00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:41,000
food and they dressed like they 
were worn and they traveled for 

641
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,600
so long. 
And they came persuasively 

642
00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:47,040
telling Joshua, hey, we heard 
about your God and and we love 

643
00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:49,280
what we see. 
And we're not from here, by the 

644
00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,280
way, We'd love to make a peace 
treaty with you, Joshua. 

645
00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:53,840
And the leaders were, at first, 
a little suspicious. 

646
00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:56,400
But they gave in. 
They eventually gave in, 

647
00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:59,000
especially when they interacted 
with the physical, the material 

648
00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:02,280
that what was on the surface. 
And we're given this commentary 

649
00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:08,400
in Joshua Chapter 9, verse 14. 
So the men took some of their 

650
00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:14,200
provisions but did not ask 
counsel from the Lord. 

651
00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:18,360
So why is that there to tell you
that what's about to transpire 

652
00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:24,040
is due to this mishap, due to 
this failure, They did not ask 

653
00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:25,400
counsel from the Lord. 
It's not because they weren't 

654
00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:27,760
smart enough. 
It wasn't because no one main 

655
00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:32,200
reason they didn't stop and say 
Lord is this is this of you. 

656
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:34,000
Lord, should we move forward 
with this? 

657
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,920
Lord, is there something that 
I'm not seeing that you see that

658
00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:38,280
you want me to be aware of? 
They didn't do that. 

659
00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:42,720
They trusted in themselves. 
They trusted in their senses. 

660
00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:46,880
Verse 15 And Joshua made peace 
with them and made a covenant 

661
00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:49,960
with them to let them live. 
And the leaders of the 

662
00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:54,480
congregation swore to them. 
You learn later on this chapter 

663
00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:56,160
that they swore in the name of 
the Lord. 

664
00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:57,480
It was just say, hey, we can be 
friends. 

665
00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:00,040
It was we're invoking the name 
of God in this covenant. 

666
00:41:00,640 --> 00:41:03,320
That's serious. 
I know it's not serious today. 

667
00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:06,360
People throw around, people make
vows and doesn't mean anything. 

668
00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:10,440
No, no, no, no, back then you 
rather die than break your word,

669
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:12,960
especially if you invoke God's 
name. 

670
00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:15,760
But look what happens in verse 
16. 

671
00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,240
At the end of three days after 
they had made a covenant with 

672
00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:22,880
them, they heard that they were 
their neighbors. 

673
00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:25,440
And that they. 
Lived among them. 

674
00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:32,720
And so there was a problem. 
The people of Israel were upset 

675
00:41:32,720 --> 00:41:35,360
with their leaders. 
The leaders were upset with the 

676
00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:37,800
Gibeonites. 
So they confronted them. 

677
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:40,120
Now, let me pause here before I 
move on. 

678
00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:42,560
This is why this is so 
significant. 

679
00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:49,320
Number one, this covenant that 
was made was built on deception.

680
00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:55,120
It was built on a lie. 
This was not a good start. 

681
00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:58,200
The Gibeonites pretended to be 
something they were not, and the

682
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,720
Israelites only learn about who 
they truly were after they made 

683
00:42:00,720 --> 00:42:03,920
an unbreakable treaty. 
Can you imagine? 

684
00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:07,320
This is not an item that you 
bought, that you have to go in 

685
00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:13,080
return in 30 days. 
This is permanent, and we're 

686
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:16,640
dealing with God's grand 
narrative plan for the people 

687
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:20,680
and for the Messiah. 
This is a major blunder. 

688
00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:26,760
So this relationship was built 
upon a fraudulent foundation. 

689
00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:31,280
Secondly, it was a covenant that
was established that was not 

690
00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:35,440
sanctioned by God. 
God didn't approve of this. 

691
00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:38,960
What was supposed to happen to 
the Gibeonites is what was 

692
00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:40,720
supposed to happen to what 
happened to Jericho and what 

693
00:42:40,720 --> 00:42:42,720
happened to AI and everybody 
else. 

694
00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:44,480
They were supposed to be 
annihilated. 

695
00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:48,160
Instead, they became partners 
with them. 

696
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:54,240
And I want to just say this. 
What happened with the 

697
00:42:54,240 --> 00:42:57,160
Gibbianites in Israel is how 
some marriages have been 

698
00:42:57,160 --> 00:43:01,200
formulated. 
God's will was not sought. 

699
00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:05,160
You were just in love. 
Supposedly you were just 

700
00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:07,800
infatuated. 
You were just after the 

701
00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:10,720
physical, you were just after 
the security. 

702
00:43:10,720 --> 00:43:12,240
You were just after the 
companionship. 

703
00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:17,200
But you never sought God's will.
You didn't pray and ask. 

704
00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:19,440
In fact, you were probably 
scared to because you thought 

705
00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:21,840
he's going to say no. 
So I'm going to get ahead of 

706
00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:25,920
him. 
And like this covenant, one or 

707
00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:28,680
both parties relied on self in 
assessing the legitimacy of the 

708
00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:31,360
other. 
You trusted in your senses, your

709
00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:34,360
ideas, your ability to maybe 
redeem that person. 

710
00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:37,080
You're not the Savior, God's the
Savior. 

711
00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:41,080
Husbands and wives make terrible
saviors. 

712
00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:46,520
Only Jesus can save. 
And like this covenant in Joshua

713
00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:49,400
Chapter 9, one or both parties 
have made heart shattering 

714
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:51,280
discoveries only after they got 
married. 

715
00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:55,520
Who are you? 
Or maybe you've said this. 

716
00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:00,960
You're not the person I married,
right? 

717
00:44:00,960 --> 00:44:05,840
In heated moments, maybe you've 
told yourself that when you left

718
00:44:05,840 --> 00:44:07,520
the house on your way to work. 
Like what? 

719
00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:13,120
What is this? 
And really, in summary, the 

720
00:44:13,120 --> 00:44:15,320
relationship wasn't blessed by 
God to begin with. 

721
00:44:15,320 --> 00:44:19,600
And I'm referring to marriage 
because I can't think of 

722
00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:22,720
anything more permanent in terms
of covenant decisions in this 

723
00:44:22,720 --> 00:44:24,560
life. 
So I'm not picking on married 

724
00:44:24,560 --> 00:44:27,080
people here. 
It can be in anything. 

725
00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:28,640
But what can be more lasting 
than this? 

726
00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:30,920
At least it should be lasting. 
So coming back to this. 

727
00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:33,760
Story you would imagine that the
way forward for Israel's to do 

728
00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:36,680
what? 
This is done. 

729
00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:40,200
I don't care if it's been 3 
days, I'm not waiting a day 

730
00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:42,080
longer. 
You lied to me. 

731
00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:44,440
You are not who you say you 
were. 

732
00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:46,600
So this is over. 
But you know what? 

733
00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:50,640
You discover that Israel 
understood the power of an oath,

734
00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:54,400
and they understood that if they
were to break this covenant, 

735
00:44:54,400 --> 00:44:58,720
they would incur God's wrath. 
Oh, so they much rather stay in 

736
00:44:58,720 --> 00:45:01,840
this covenant and knowing that 
they would bring honor to the 

737
00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:06,800
Lord. 
In doing so, and that's what 

738
00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:10,040
they chose to do. 
And I think even in this 

739
00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:12,800
historical account you have a 
universal principle for God's 

740
00:45:12,800 --> 00:45:14,600
people. 
This is this is it. 

741
00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,920
This is the crescendo of this 
point, that even though you may 

742
00:45:17,920 --> 00:45:21,640
have not initially sought the 
will of God, God's guidance in 

743
00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:24,800
any decision, you can still 
choose to move forward with the 

744
00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:28,560
desire to honor him. 
That from this moment on, I will

745
00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:31,240
honor the Lord. 
I will do my best to seek his 

746
00:45:31,240 --> 00:45:33,600
pleasure and his delight and His
will. 

747
00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:37,480
And if you choose to do that, 
especially with irreversible 

748
00:45:37,480 --> 00:45:40,720
commitments, God will do amazing
things. 

749
00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:45,280
The possibilities are endless. 
And that's exactly what Joshua 

750
00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:48,200
does. 
Israel chose to move forward and

751
00:45:48,240 --> 00:45:51,040
amazing thing is, you quickly 
see that the Lord does not 

752
00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:53,880
abandon Israel. 
He actually works with them. 

753
00:45:55,960 --> 00:46:01,160
In fact, he continues to write 
their story, though this is a 

754
00:46:01,160 --> 00:46:06,520
major mistake, a significant. 
One God doesn't miss a beat. 

755
00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:10,240
He sees the heart of these 
people and he and he continues 

756
00:46:10,240 --> 00:46:11,840
to walk with them. 
He continues to provide for 

757
00:46:11,840 --> 00:46:13,160
them. 
He continues to guide them. 

758
00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:15,840
And I want to show you one 
instance where this is really 

759
00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:18,840
beyond what we would think. 
Look at Joshua 10 very next 

760
00:46:18,840 --> 00:46:19,920
chapter. 
We don't have to wait 2 

761
00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:23,000
chapters. 
The very next chapter what 

762
00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:25,880
happens the neighboring nations 
find out that Gibeon. 

763
00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:28,920
Made a peace treaty with Israel.
They were infuriated. 

764
00:46:29,720 --> 00:46:32,480
You betrayed our people for this
people that's invading us. 

765
00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:35,720
And so there is a coalition that
was created and now they come to

766
00:46:35,720 --> 00:46:38,040
fight against Gibeon. 
Gibeon cries out to Israel, 

767
00:46:38,040 --> 00:46:42,240
saying we're on the same team. 
You got to help us and because 

768
00:46:42,240 --> 00:46:45,320
of the covenant. 
They help them. 

769
00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:49,680
A war breaks out. 
The leaders of Israel, Joshua in

770
00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:52,600
particular, makes an incredible 
prayer request that the sun 

771
00:46:52,600 --> 00:46:56,920
would stand still, so they can 
have light, so that they can 

772
00:46:56,920 --> 00:47:00,200
fight. 
And here's how this account 

773
00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:06,000
concludes in Joshua 10/14. 
There has been no day like it 

774
00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:10,800
before or since when the Lord 
heeded the voice of a man, for 

775
00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:15,760
the Lord fought for Israel. 
There's been no day like this. 

776
00:47:17,160 --> 00:47:22,120
This is a unprecedented miracle.
And it happened in the context 

777
00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:26,640
of one nation. 
God's people defending a people 

778
00:47:26,880 --> 00:47:28,640
that they shouldn't have made a 
covenant with to begin with. 

779
00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:34,920
That's God's mercy. 
You know what God could have 

780
00:47:34,920 --> 00:47:37,040
done? 
Oh, whoa, whoa, look, You got 

781
00:47:37,040 --> 00:47:39,200
yourself in trouble now, huh? 
You brought in the Gibeonites, 

782
00:47:39,200 --> 00:47:40,400
and other people want to fight 
Gibeon? 

783
00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:42,040
Well, since you made a covenant 
with them, good luck. 

784
00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:44,920
Let's see how you fend for 
yourself when you don't seek me.

785
00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:48,120
Go for it. 
That's how some of us think. 

786
00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:52,480
You look back saying I don't 
know how I got myself here. 

787
00:47:54,840 --> 00:47:58,000
I know I didn't seek God's will.
And now you think that you're 

788
00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:01,920
just living out a lesser version
of God's will for you if there's

789
00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:06,080
anything really left. 
And what I see here is that God 

790
00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:11,600
came through in an amazing way 
in a very unlikely covenant. 

791
00:48:12,800 --> 00:48:17,200
He can rewrite your story. 
Even if you didn't ask for his 

792
00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:20,160
authorship in that decision, 
He's still willing to, in your 

793
00:48:20,240 --> 00:48:24,200
humble acknowledgement and 
confession, to bring back his 

794
00:48:24,200 --> 00:48:27,200
authorship into your life and to
write the story for testimonies 

795
00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:28,520
that you never thought would be 
possible. 

796
00:48:29,760 --> 00:48:33,240
Regret about questionable 
choices. 

797
00:48:34,480 --> 00:48:36,640
Let's come to the final one, 
overcoming the regret of missed 

798
00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:40,960
opportunities. 
The nature of this regret, it's 

799
00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:45,400
not so much about a wrong or 
lesser decision or choice, but 

800
00:48:45,400 --> 00:48:49,560
about not acting at all. 
And so it's a remorse that 

801
00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:53,360
involves feelings of 
disappointment, sadness over 

802
00:48:53,360 --> 00:48:57,440
things that could have been, 
you've missed it, experiences 

803
00:48:57,440 --> 00:48:59,840
that could have been had, 
potential paths that were not 

804
00:48:59,840 --> 00:49:04,480
taken, and the most familiar to 
believers. 

805
00:49:04,720 --> 00:49:07,880
Who felt like. 
They've missed opportunities as 

806
00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:10,840
when they are later in life 
awakened to what it means to 

807
00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:13,480
follow Christ, to really be sold
out to the Lord, and they 

808
00:49:13,480 --> 00:49:16,320
reminisce on what they've done 
with their earlier years, 

809
00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:18,040
walking with Christ and felt 
like they wasted it. 

810
00:49:18,040 --> 00:49:20,680
They were caught up in 
carnality, distracted by 

811
00:49:20,680 --> 00:49:24,280
worldliness, living not a spirit
filled life. 

812
00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:28,320
And so there's some people who 
look back thinking, I wasted 

813
00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:30,520
those years. 
I, I wasted what could have 

814
00:49:30,520 --> 00:49:32,240
been, what could I have been 
today? 

815
00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:34,760
What would I look like now? 
What, what could my ministry 

816
00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:38,880
have been like if I just from 
the start honored him, if I had 

817
00:49:38,880 --> 00:49:42,760
not been so foolish. 
There are some people who 

818
00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:45,040
constantly live in regret to the
point where it keeps them in the

819
00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:47,920
same place. 
And I want to offer you a verse 

820
00:49:47,920 --> 00:49:50,640
that will, I think, perfectly 
summarize the entire message. 

821
00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:52,040
And this is where we are ending 
today. 

822
00:49:52,560 --> 00:49:55,840
Paul's words in the book of 
Philippians, chapter 3 and 

823
00:49:55,840 --> 00:50:01,960
beginning of verse 13. 
Brothers, I do not consider that

824
00:50:01,960 --> 00:50:06,720
I've made it my own. 
But one thing I do, forgetting 

825
00:50:07,320 --> 00:50:12,120
what lies behind and straining 
forward to what lies ahead. 

826
00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:17,880
Here's the great apostle 
highlighting a crucial element 

827
00:50:18,600 --> 00:50:22,440
to knowing great, significant 
spiritual progress. 

828
00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:25,880
Do you know what it is? 
Don't dwell on the past. 

829
00:50:26,880 --> 00:50:29,760
This one thing I do like. 
He made it an ambition, a 

830
00:50:29,760 --> 00:50:35,360
priority and his sanctification.
I regularly, consistently decide

831
00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:42,240
not to dwell on yesterday and 
usually this is quoted to 

832
00:50:42,240 --> 00:50:45,120
comfort those who are haunted by
failure. 

833
00:50:46,120 --> 00:50:50,160
But what makes this even more 
amazing is that Paul mainly is 

834
00:50:50,160 --> 00:50:54,800
talking about his past success. 
I do not consider that I've made

835
00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:56,440
it my own. 
What what's that? 

836
00:50:56,440 --> 00:50:57,800
What's your, what's the goal 
you're talking? 

837
00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:00,360
What's the object that you're 
saying that you you don't fully 

838
00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:04,480
possess? 
And he brings it up in verse 10.

839
00:51:04,480 --> 00:51:08,480
I believe that I may know Him 
and the power of his 

840
00:51:08,480 --> 00:51:11,680
resurrection. 
And may share his sufferings, 

841
00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:15,160
becoming like him in his death. 
That by any means possible. 

842
00:51:15,160 --> 00:51:16,920
I maintain the resurrection from
the dead. 

843
00:51:17,240 --> 00:51:20,600
Not that I've already obtained 
this or am already perfect, but 

844
00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:23,920
I press on to make it my own 
because Christ Jesus has made me

845
00:51:23,920 --> 00:51:25,640
his own. 
So it's as though he unfolds it.

846
00:51:25,920 --> 00:51:28,120
Earlier and he expects you to 
know what he's talking about in 

847
00:51:28,120 --> 00:51:30,520
verse 13. 
So the IT the thing that he 

848
00:51:30,520 --> 00:51:35,120
says, I haven't made this fully 
mine, but I know that if I dwell

849
00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:38,480
in the past, I won't arrive 
here, that it is two things 

850
00:51:38,520 --> 00:51:42,840
knowing Jesus Christ fully. 
And becoming like Jesus 

851
00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:45,880
completely. 
Look at verse 10 again, that I 

852
00:51:45,880 --> 00:51:49,960
may know him and the powers of 
his resurrection, and then he 

853
00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:52,880
says later on in the same verse 
becoming like him in his death, 

854
00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:56,080
and it goes on in verse 12, not 
that I've already obtained this.

855
00:51:56,080 --> 00:51:58,280
What's this? 
This knowing him and becoming 

856
00:51:58,280 --> 00:52:03,040
like him. 
Not that I have already made in 

857
00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:06,120
my own verse 13, but there's one
thing I do forgetting what lies 

858
00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:07,960
behind and straightening forth 
to what lies ahead. 

859
00:52:09,760 --> 00:52:14,760
Paul understood that both 
discontentment and contentment 

860
00:52:14,760 --> 00:52:20,680
with your past can keep you from
knowing greater testimonies, 

861
00:52:21,040 --> 00:52:27,960
greater experiences, greater 
feats in the faith, and so he. 

862
00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:30,600
Said I'm not going to let 
discontentment what I failed to 

863
00:52:30,600 --> 00:52:32,920
do, and I'm not going to let 
contentment what I did 

864
00:52:32,920 --> 00:52:35,280
accomplish. 
All my credentials, all the 

865
00:52:35,280 --> 00:52:38,520
revelations I received, all the 
people that I impacted, none of 

866
00:52:38,520 --> 00:52:41,800
that also will keep me from 
running ahead. 

867
00:52:44,120 --> 00:52:46,840
I asked you to imagine looking 
at an Israelite after the Red 

868
00:52:46,840 --> 00:52:50,160
Sea incident and how crazy it 
would be to see him there 

869
00:52:50,680 --> 00:52:53,240
quivering or maybe in a fetal 
position, looking out to the 

870
00:52:53,240 --> 00:52:55,280
ocean, wondering how are they 
going to come back for me? 

871
00:52:55,800 --> 00:52:59,840
OK, now imagine this. 
Imagine a runner in a race and 

872
00:52:59,840 --> 00:53:03,560
you're in the stands and 
everybody's running in their own

873
00:53:03,560 --> 00:53:06,240
respective lanes and they're 
ahead, They're focused, and 

874
00:53:06,240 --> 00:53:08,400
there's one guy, maybe a guy 
that you know, and as they're 

875
00:53:08,400 --> 00:53:10,200
running, they have their head 
behind them, looking behind. 

876
00:53:10,880 --> 00:53:12,840
The whole time you're thinking, 
what are you doing? 

877
00:53:15,240 --> 00:53:17,880
Or you're driving and you're not
looking through the windshield, 

878
00:53:17,880 --> 00:53:19,400
you're looking in the rearview 
mirror the whole time. 

879
00:53:19,880 --> 00:53:22,520
What's the same for both of us? 
What's the same possibility for 

880
00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:24,120
the runner who's running like 
this and the person who's 

881
00:53:24,120 --> 00:53:25,800
driving like this? 
It's dangerous. 

882
00:53:27,120 --> 00:53:29,120
It's not the way you drive. 
That's not the way you run. 

883
00:53:29,120 --> 00:53:30,640
If you want to actually know 
success. 

884
00:53:30,800 --> 00:53:33,120
And here's what Paul is saying. 
I don't look back. 

885
00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:37,080
Not that he forgets, but he 
doesn't dwell. 

886
00:53:37,720 --> 00:53:39,120
It isn't allowed to have a grip 
on him. 

887
00:53:39,800 --> 00:53:44,440
He shoes it away when it tries 
to sit there, whether that be 

888
00:53:44,440 --> 00:53:48,040
discontentment or contentment. 
Here's what's so amazing. 

889
00:53:48,040 --> 00:53:51,800
If his man was willing to do 
this with his achievements, how 

890
00:53:51,800 --> 00:53:55,120
much more she and I be willing 
to do it with our failures, with

891
00:53:55,120 --> 00:54:00,200
our missed opportunities. 
Paul said there's so much more 

892
00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:02,000
ahead. 
I'm not going to dwell on what I

893
00:54:02,000 --> 00:54:05,920
did or didn't do before. 
I'm just focused on today and I 

894
00:54:05,920 --> 00:54:08,000
focus on tomorrow. 
And I trust in the goodness of 

895
00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:11,040
God enough to believe that He 
has something for me today and 

896
00:54:11,040 --> 00:54:12,480
He has something for me 
tomorrow. 

897
00:54:12,920 --> 00:54:15,320
And so I'm going to take 
advantage of it by His grace. 

898
00:54:15,680 --> 00:54:17,960
And with whatever time I have 
left, I will give it to Him, 

899
00:54:17,960 --> 00:54:19,960
believing that He can make much 
of it. 

900
00:54:21,680 --> 00:54:24,400
So don't give a moment, a 
moment's time of regret, even 

901
00:54:24,400 --> 00:54:25,920
with missed opportunities. 
You know why? 

902
00:54:26,200 --> 00:54:29,880
Because God has so much for you 
now and so much for you ahead 

903
00:54:30,800 --> 00:54:33,600
and you need that energy that 
you're wasting thinking about 

904
00:54:33,600 --> 00:54:36,360
yesterday for what he has for 
you today and tomorrow. 

905
00:54:36,360 --> 00:54:41,040
Oh, I can keep going, but I 
think I'm content here. 

906
00:54:42,360 --> 00:54:46,320
Hopefully you are as well. 
Life, Lo, we thank you for this 

907
00:54:46,320 --> 00:54:53,200
time. 
We, we worship you, Lord, these 

908
00:54:53,200 --> 00:54:56,320
truths were showcased, the 
references were made, but only 

909
00:54:56,320 --> 00:55:00,400
the reality of the experience of
them can can you make real in 

910
00:55:00,400 --> 00:55:02,000
our lives. 
So we ask that you would do 

911
00:55:02,000 --> 00:55:02,960
that. 
Lord, with all our 

912
00:55:02,960 --> 00:55:05,040
imperfections, all our 
neediness, Lord, all our 

913
00:55:05,040 --> 00:55:08,240
forgetfulness, we pray that in 
this moment we would receive 

914
00:55:08,240 --> 00:55:10,760
something from you that would 
change us as we've been praying 

915
00:55:10,760 --> 00:55:13,680
throughout the service changes. 
So Lord, receive our worship and

916
00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:18,680
our thanks for you are the God 
of second chances and more than 

917
00:55:18,680 --> 00:55:21,240
second chances. 
And for this we give you glory 

918
00:55:21,360 --> 00:55:23,920
in Jesus name, Amen. 
The praising we come, let's 

919
00:55:23,920 --> 00:55:26,560
stand, let's worship the Lord 
and honor him. 

920
00:55:31,120 --> 00:55:34,960
I went back and forth wondering 
if I should add this little 

921
00:55:34,960 --> 00:55:37,120
excerpt in the in the sermon, 
but I thought it'd be better 

922
00:55:37,120 --> 00:55:40,560
maybe to conclude with it. 
I love the story of Joseph and 

923
00:55:41,120 --> 00:55:44,520
one of the reasons for that is 
because he points to Jesus in so

924
00:55:44,520 --> 00:55:47,040
many ways in so many scenes. 
It's Christ. 

925
00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:50,640
It's so obvious and I argue that
you even see him in the final 

926
00:55:50,640 --> 00:55:53,880
chapter of the book of Genesis. 
Jacob dies. 

927
00:55:53,880 --> 00:55:57,480
His father and the brothers who 
remained with Joseph in Egypt. 

928
00:55:57,480 --> 00:55:59,840
Listen to this. 
In Genesis 50, verse 15, when 

929
00:55:59,840 --> 00:56:03,240
Joseph's brothers saw that their
father was dead, they said it 

930
00:56:03,240 --> 00:56:07,280
may be that Joseph will hate us 
and pay us back for all the evil

931
00:56:07,360 --> 00:56:09,800
that we did to him. 
You know what's so amazing about

932
00:56:09,800 --> 00:56:11,640
that? 
Joseph already forgave them, 

933
00:56:12,560 --> 00:56:16,600
didn't he? 
He wept on their necks, He 

934
00:56:16,600 --> 00:56:18,440
embraced them, He took care of 
them. 

935
00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:21,680
After all the goodness that he 
had shown, the brothers still 

936
00:56:21,680 --> 00:56:24,080
doubted in the fullness of his 
forgiveness. 

937
00:56:25,040 --> 00:56:28,760
That's you and me. 
With Jesus, at least some of us,

938
00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:33,920
it's always a temptation, second
guessing and that Christ 

939
00:56:33,920 --> 00:56:36,800
actually forgave us. 
So what happens? 

940
00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:38,720
They come up with this strange 
plan. 

941
00:56:39,160 --> 00:56:43,000
They lie. 
When you live in fear, it makes 

942
00:56:43,000 --> 00:56:45,680
you do crazy things. 
When you doubt the goodness of 

943
00:56:45,680 --> 00:56:47,720
God, it makes you do crazy 
things sometimes. 

944
00:56:48,280 --> 00:56:50,920
Notice what happens in verse 16.
So they sent a message to Joseph

945
00:56:50,920 --> 00:56:53,120
saying your father gave this 
command before he died. 

946
00:56:53,440 --> 00:56:55,760
Say to Joseph, please forgive 
the transgression of your 

947
00:56:55,760 --> 00:56:57,800
brothers and their sin because 
they did evil to you. 

948
00:56:57,800 --> 00:57:01,080
But that's not true. 
There's no such thing of Jacob 

949
00:57:01,080 --> 00:57:03,280
asking the brothers to do that 
or giving them kind of, you 

950
00:57:03,280 --> 00:57:07,360
know, this assistance. 
And so they say, now please 

951
00:57:07,360 --> 00:57:09,560
forgive the transgression of the
servants of the God of your 

952
00:57:09,560 --> 00:57:12,800
father. 
Here's how Joseph reacted. 

953
00:57:12,800 --> 00:57:19,040
Joseph wept when they spoke then
they didn't please Joseph to see

954
00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:22,080
that they were still guilty. 
It broke his heart. 

955
00:57:23,280 --> 00:57:25,160
You know, some people actually 
think that they're actually 

956
00:57:25,160 --> 00:57:28,960
pleasing God by mourning over 
their past sin over and over 

957
00:57:28,960 --> 00:57:31,360
again. 
And some people remain in that 

958
00:57:31,360 --> 00:57:33,040
place under the guise of 
spirituality. 

959
00:57:33,040 --> 00:57:35,680
Like, yeah, I'm a wretched 
Sinner, and I want God to know 

960
00:57:35,680 --> 00:57:38,840
I'm a wretched, filthy Sinner. 
Yes, we all are in our nature. 

961
00:57:40,680 --> 00:57:44,960
But he forgave you. 
Now you're a St. in Christ, and 

962
00:57:44,960 --> 00:57:49,960
so here you have Joseph. 
Weeping, he's not pleased with 

963
00:57:49,960 --> 00:57:54,760
this verse 18 his brothers also 
came and fell down before him 

964
00:57:54,760 --> 00:57:55,960
and said, behold, we are your 
servants. 

965
00:57:55,960 --> 00:57:57,920
But Joseph said to them, do not 
fear. 

966
00:57:59,280 --> 00:58:01,560
And this is him obviously in his
humanity speaking for I many the

967
00:58:01,560 --> 00:58:04,360
place of God As for you meant 
evil against me, but God meant 

968
00:58:04,360 --> 00:58:06,720
it for good to bring it about 
that many people should be kept 

969
00:58:06,720 --> 00:58:10,920
alive as they are today. 
I focus on those first 3 words. 

970
00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:18,960
Do not fear, you're forgiven. 
If Joseph and his humanity and 

971
00:58:18,960 --> 00:58:22,080
fallenness was willing to extend
that forgiveness and reassure 

972
00:58:22,240 --> 00:58:25,800
his brothers who did what, who 
did what, who wanted to kill 

973
00:58:25,800 --> 00:58:29,600
him, who sold him into slavery, 
how much more the greater Joseph

974
00:58:30,760 --> 00:58:32,640
who looks at you and me. 
If we've asked him for 

975
00:58:32,640 --> 00:58:36,520
forgiveness initially and he 
says do not fear it's, it's 

976
00:58:36,520 --> 00:58:41,600
done, it's over, move on now and
enjoy me and enjoy the blessings

977
00:58:41,600 --> 00:58:43,960
I have in the same way Joseph 
blessed and preserved and 

978
00:58:44,200 --> 00:58:47,680
prospered his brothers leave 
here lighter. 

979
00:58:47,680 --> 00:58:50,960
I pray leave here with a song in
your mouth. 

980
00:58:50,960 --> 00:58:55,040
I pray leave here at rest in 
Jesus. 

981
00:58:55,240 --> 00:58:57,920
That's my prayer where we thank 
you for this time. 

982
00:59:00,200 --> 00:59:03,920
We trust that you'll use this 
message for your glory, and we 

983
00:59:03,920 --> 00:59:05,880
pray that we will never be the 
same. 

984
00:59:06,920 --> 00:59:10,120
We love you in moments of doubt,
moments in our heart condemns 

985
00:59:10,120 --> 00:59:12,480
US. 
Help us discern between feeling 

986
00:59:12,480 --> 00:59:15,360
and fact and help us remember in
the goodness of who you are, the

987
00:59:15,360 --> 00:59:17,320
fullness of your heart, the 
depth of your mercy. 

988
00:59:18,160 --> 00:59:20,160
And even if we fumble and 
stumble in this life as 

989
00:59:20,160 --> 00:59:22,680
believers, as your children, 
help us know that you can redeem

990
00:59:22,680 --> 00:59:24,920
questionable choices and even 
miss opportunities. 

991
00:59:25,560 --> 00:59:30,120
You are beyond good words. 
Can't express what you mean to 

992
00:59:30,120 --> 00:59:31,960
us? 
Help us love you the way you 

993
00:59:31,960 --> 00:59:35,400
deserve. 
In Jesus name we pray, Amen and 

994
00:59:35,400 --> 00:59:35,760
Amen.