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We are one church. 
We love God, love people, love 

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His mission, and love His 
church. 

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Welcome to the One Church 
podcast. 

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Today I get a free topic and an 
opportunity to speak to you 

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about something that I sense God
wants to speak to us all about 

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today. 
And whilst Easter has been and 

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gone, the story is for always 
right. 

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So we're going to go back a 
little bit in the Easter story 

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and look at the life of Judas, 
which I know might seem a 

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strange topic given the choice 
of anything in the whole Bible I

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could have chosen from, but go 
with me if you don't know. 

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Judas was one of Jesus 
disciples, one of his followers,

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one of his friends, but he was 
most famously known as the 

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disciple that betrayed Jesus. 
And often people know him as the

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one that stole from the offering
bag as well. 

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But he was the one that handed 
him over to the chief priests, 

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to the Roman authorities to be 
killed. 

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So you might be thinking, what 
on earth can you draw from 

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Judas's life to inspire me in 
mind today? 

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Or maybe you're thinking surely 
there are better role models 

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that you could have gone for 
today. 

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Yes, there definitely are better
role models I could have chosen 

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today, but I think we can also 
learn from his life and from his

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mistakes and begin to understand
the heart of God that is 1 of 

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unconditional love and 
forgiveness. 

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Matthew 26 and 27 is where a lot
of this story kind of plays out 

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and you can go away and read 
that a bit more for yourself. 

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And I'll kind of go through it 
briefly to save us a bit of time

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today, But Matthew 26 is a big 
chapter. 

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A lot happens. 
So it begins with Jesus telling 

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his disciples that he was going 
to be handed over to be 

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crucified. 
It goes on with the story of 

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Jesus being anointed by the 
woman with the expensive 

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perfume. 
And then we read about Judas 

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agreeing to betray Jesus with 
the chief priests for 30 pieces 

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of silver. 
And then we get to the Last 

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Supper, which also includes 
Jesus predicting Peter's denial,

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which we'll get to in a little 
bit as well. 

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We then see the Garden of 
Gethsemane, which I watched on 

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the Chosen this week. 
And so powerful, so moving to 

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watch that visually as well. 
We then see Jesus is arrested. 

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He's questioned by the high 
priest, and then he's disowned 

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by Peter. 
That is 1 chapter of Scripture 

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of 66 books, many, many 
chapters. 1 chapter holds all of

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that for us. 
We won't go through all of it, 

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but firstly I'm going to read 
from Matthew 26. 

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This is the Last Supper after 
Judas has agreed to betray him, 

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but before he's actually done 
it. 

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So the disciples did as Jesus 
had directed them and prepared 

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the Passover. 
When evening came, Jesus was 

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reclining at the table with the 
12, and while they were eating 

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he said, Truly, I tell you, one 
of you will betray me. 

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They were very sad and began to 
say to him, one after the other,

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Surely you don't mean me, Lord 
Jesus replied, The one who has 

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dipped his hand into the bowl 
with me will betray me. 

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The Son of Man will go, just as 
it is written about him. 

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But woe to that man who betrays 
the Son of Man. 

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It would be better for him if he
had not been born. 

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Then Judas the one who would 
betray him said surely you don't

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mean me Rabbi? 
Which if we just pause for a 

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second that is a crazy level of 
personal denial when 9 verses 

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prior he has agreed to betray 
Jesus. 

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Crazy to think that he would 
still say surely you don't mean 

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me. 
Jesus answered, You have said So

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while they were eating, Jesus 
took bread and when he'd given 

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thanks he broke it and gave it 
to his disciples, saying, take 

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and eat, this is my body. 
Then he took a cup and when he 

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had given thanks he gave it to 
them, saying, drink from it all 

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of you. 
This is my blood of the covenant

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which is poured out for many for
the forgiveness of sins. 

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I tell you I will not drink from
this fruit of the vine from now 

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on until that day when I drink 
it new with you in my Father's 

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Kingdom. 
Now the first thing I want to 

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ask is today our first point is 
what's under the surface. 

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You know, the disciples didn't 
suspect Judas. 

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He was just one of them at this 
point. 

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And in John's gospel, it's 
literally recorded as you read 

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this that they stared at each 
other at a loss to know which of

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them he meant. 
They're all looking to their own

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motives, you know, their own 
hearts, their own lives. 

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Do I have it in me to betray the
one that I love? 

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Surely it's not me, Lord. 
They didn't sit there and have 

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this elephant in the room moment
where they all knew it was 

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Judas, but nobody wanted to say 
his name. 

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They didn't suspect him any more
than they suspected themselves. 

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But if you think for a moment 
about Judas's actions versus 

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what must have been going on 
internally, that inner narrative

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of his, he was with everybody 
else. 

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They were travelling together, 
they were teaching, they were 

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seeing Jesus perform miracles. 
They were doing all the good 

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disciple things. 
And yet, below the surface for 

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Judas was something in him that 
was just one step away from 

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betrayal. 
We don't know what his motive 

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was. 
Maybe it could have been 

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disappointment. 
Perhaps Jesus wasn't the kind of

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Messiah that he expected for him
to be. 

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Maybe it was greed, although I 
feel that 30 pieces of silver 

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was surely not enough to have 
done it for the money. 

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That was just as much as they 
would have deemed a slave was 

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worth. 
Was he offended by being rebuked

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for scoffing at the woman who 
poured the perfume on Jesus's 

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feet? 
Whatever it was, the inner 

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narrative had been steering his 
heart, and eventually his 

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actions followed. 
Whatever is steering your heart 

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will eventually lead to action. 
Whether that's a positive thing 

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or a negative thing. 
If something is in your heart, 

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it will lead to action. 
So what's under your surface? 

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Last weekend, while I was out at
our Easter production 

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rehearsals, Josh and the kids 
were at home and I came home to 

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freshly baked mini egg blondes. 
On the surface. 

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These blondes, they looked good.
Many mini eggs broken. 

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They're bubbling over, you know,
all gooey and lovely. 

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If you've ever put mini eggs in 
the microwave, you'll know. 

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Exceptional, anyway. 
But under the surface was far 

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from the gooey, delicious, sweet
treat that we had all hoped for.

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As much as they tried their 
best, they had not quite been 

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successful. 
The substance didn't live up to 

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what the surface layer promised.
But in your faith, have you got 

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a really believable, realistic 
mask on? 

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Are you such a believable 
Christian that you go through 

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the motions of faith that people
wouldn't even notice any red 

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flags if you were one step away 
from betraying Jesus? 

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If your relationship with Jesus 
is primarily A performative 

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thing where you come to church 
to tick a box, maybe you're 

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somebody that comes late and you
leave early so that you can say 

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that you've been and it ticks a 
box, but it doesn't cost you 

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anything and it probably doesn't
even enter your week outside of 

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a Sunday. 
You know, if your relationship 

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with Jesus is not an honest and 
open kind of relationship, what 

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is the point? 
What is the point? 

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If you've got doubts or 
disappointments or offences with

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God that you are wrestling with,
it's time to take them to Him. 

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Let the inner narrative become 
heard, either by Him or by 

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somebody you trust that's going 
to pray with you. 

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Because when these thoughts stay
internalised, they gain control 

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over our actions. 
But as soon as we verbalise 

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things, the grip can loosen. 
So what is under the surface for

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you? 
It's time to take those honest 

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thoughts and feelings to the One
that gave you your mind and your

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emotions in the 1st place. 
He can bring everything into 

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alignment. 
So what's under the surface? 

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Secondly, forgiveness is for 
all. 

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Jesus and Judas have just had 
this interaction where Jesus 

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basically says, I know it's 
going to be you, Judas. 

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And then in the next breath he 
speaks of his body broken for 

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him and his blood poured out for
the forgiveness of sins. 

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It says while they were eating, 
Jesus took bread and when he had

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given thanks, he broke it and 
gave it to his disciples, 

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saying, take and eat, this is my
body. 

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Then he took a cup and when he 
had given thanks, he gave it to 

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them, saying, drink from it all 
of you, this is my blood of the 

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covenant which is poured out for
the forgiveness of sins. 

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Jesus knew it was Judas that 
would betray him, and yet he 

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said drink from it. 
All of you, for this is my blood

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poured out. 
The cup was for all. 

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The blood of Jesus covers all. 
Even before he had acted, Judas 

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was offered forgiveness. 
And if there's any part of your 

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life, any part of you that 
wonders whether Jesus could 

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possibly consider forgiving you 
for your mistakes and for your 

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mess, the truth is, His 
forgiveness extends to all of 

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us, and all we have to do is 
accept His forgiveness. 

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Maybe it's a day by day, maybe 
even hour by hour, or minute by 

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minute. 1 John says that when we
confess our sins, He's faithful 

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and just to forgive us from all 
unrighteousness. 

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He offered forgiveness to the 
very person that set him up to 

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be killed, even though he'd 
never done anything to deserve 

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it. 
We have all wronged God. 

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We've all fallen short of his 
perfect standards, and yet He 

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forgives us all. 
So we've asked what's under the 

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surface. 
We've considered that 

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forgiveness is for all. 
And thirdly, we're going to 

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shake off shame. 
The third thing that we can 

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learn from Judas's life is the 
power that guilt and shame can 

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have over us. 
So we're going to move into 

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Matthew 27. 
It's Jesus has just been 

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arrested and questioned before 
the Sanhedrin. 

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And then it says from verse 3, 
when Judas, who had betrayed 

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him, realised that Jesus had 
been condemned to die, he was 

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filled with remorse. 
So he took the 30 pieces of 

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silver back to the leading 
priests and the elders. 

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I have sinned, he declared, For 
I have betrayed an innocent man.

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What do we care? 
They retorted. 

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That's your problem. 
Then Judas threw the silver 

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coins down in the temple and 
went out and hanged himself. 

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And I just want to say, in this 
moment, we're not going to be 

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talking in detail about him 
taking his own life today. 

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But if that's a topic that's 
difficult even for you to hear 

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just through reading the 
scripture for whatever reason, 

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then you can reach out to 
somebody today. 

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But the word remorse means deep 
regret or guilt for wrongdoing. 

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Maybe it went further than he 
expected, or maybe Judas just 

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hadn't thought through the full 
consequences of what would 

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happen should he betray, but he 
was so ashamed that he couldn't 

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see another way out. 
Shame is a painful emotion 

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caused by consciousness of 
guilt, shortcomings, or 

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impropriety. 
Something painful, something 

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that our actions have then 
caused. 

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An internal sense of guilt. 
All of us have fallen short, but

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what we choose to do with our 
shortcomings decides how we move

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forward. 
Judas had walked with Jesus. 

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He knew Jesus's character was 
one of complete love and 

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forgiveness, and yet somehow, 
having seen that reality, he 

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couldn't see that for himself. 
That could possibly been an 

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option for him. 
He'd seen the way that Jesus had

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interacted with the people that 
society spat on, and yet he 

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allowed shame, that feeling that
came as a result of his 

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shortcomings, to dictate the 
path ahead of him. 

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Shame tries to trap us. 
I don't know what it is in your 

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life that you feel ashamed of, 
but I know that it isn't in the 

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will of God for you to be stuck 
in that place. 

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Maybe you carry shame about 
something that you've done or 

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continue to do that you know 
doesn't honour God. 

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Maybe it's choices that you've 
made that you know are not God's

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best, or a way that you've lived
that doesn't represent Jesus 

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well to those around you. 
Many years ago, Pastor Susan was

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sitting with a lady from a 
different city who was wanting 

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to be free. 
And all of a sudden she began to

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weep as she shared the shame 
that she'd carried of a 

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relationship that she'd been in 
that had led to a pregnancy and 

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then to an abortion. 
No one ever knew, and the guilt 

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and the shame that she carried 
had completely crippled her. 

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And Pastor Susan was able to 
lead her to the cross where she 

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confessed her sin and she found 
grace and peace. 

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And that Lady was transformed in
that moment. 

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She went on to marry somebody 
and have children and continues 

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to have a blessed and full life 
where shame can hold you back, 

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forgiveness and grace can set 
you free. 

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And that's something that can be
experienced by all of us in the 

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room today. 
Conviction, though, is a gift 

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from the Lord. 
You know, when you do something 

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and you just get that like nudge
from the Holy Spirit, perhaps I 

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wasn't right to do that. 
You know, that's healthy. 

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That's a positive thing. 
We can act on that conviction, 

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but shame condemns us to feel 
that there's no way out. 

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Guilt and shame are not feelings
that we're called to carry. 

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We're to acknowledge the 
conviction, those nudges from 

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the Holy Spirit, and we're to 
ask for forgiveness and then 

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make changes to align with his 
ways. 

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And just as an aside, Judas goes
to the leading priests and to 

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the elders, and their response 
was less than compassionate, not

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the kind of response that you 
would hope to receive from 

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leaders. 
And so if you've ever felt in 

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church, whether this one or 
another, like your problems are 

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your own, go and deal with them 
alone, then I'm truly sorry. 

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And I can speak for our church 
when I say that if you have that

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moment of conviction from the 
Holy Spirit when you know that 

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there's something in your life 
that isn't quite right, we want 

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to walk with you through those 
moments of remorse. 

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And we want to help you back to 
a place of communion with God 

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and communion with his people. 
You have to receive the 

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conviction. 
You have to take the steps and 

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do the work, but you don't have 
to do it alone. 

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If you've ever felt that you've 
done something that you see as 

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so bad that you couldn't 
possibly share it with somebody 

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in the church, and please know 
that our response would be so 

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different than the response we 
read here, we would not be 

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saying what do we care? 
That's your problem. 

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Don't be cut off from community 
for fear of the church's 

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response. 
If Seamus gripped you and 

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trapped you into feeling like 
you can't come back, it's time 

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to shake it off. 
That is not your burden to 

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carry. 
You might need help with that, 

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maybe some accountability, a 
friend or somebody to walk back 

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with you. 
But you can start the journey 

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away from shame and into 
forgiveness and freedom. 

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Today, conviction can call us 
back where shame would cut us 

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off again. 
We've asked what's under the 

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surface. 
We've acknowledged that 

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forgiveness is for all. 
We're challenged to shake off 

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shame and fourthly, you make our
choice. 

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Matthew 26 shows us 2 disciples 
at their lowest point. 

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Firstly, Judas betraying Jesus 
by handing him over to be tried 

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and eventually killed. 
Let me read this for you from 

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verse 47. 
While he was still speaking, 

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Judas, one of the 12 arrived. 
With him was a large crowd armed

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with swords and clubs sent from 
the chief priests and the elders

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of the people. 
Now the betrayer had arranged a 

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signal with them. 
The one I kiss is the man. 

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Arrest him. 
Going at once to Jesus, Judas 

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says. 
Greetings, Rabbi. 

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I'll just to pause for a second 
here and say that Judas was the 

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only disciple who didn't confess
Jesus as Lord. 

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He only ever referred to him as 
rabbi, and I wonder whether 

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that's perhaps because money was
the Lord of his life. 

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And maybe there's something in 
the fact that unless Jesus is 

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our Lord, our response to 
failing is to look to ourselves 

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or to lesser things that we've 
made our Lord in order to 

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restore us. 
And those things can never bring

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restoration. 
Money was never going to restore

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Judas. 
Is he your Lord? 

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Greetings, Rabbi. 
And he kissed him. 

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Jesus replied, do what you came 
for friend. 

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Then the men stepped forward, 
seized Jesus and arrested him. 

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And then we read about Peter. 
He denies 3 times that he even 

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knows Jesus. 
Earlier that very same day he 

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said that he'd sooner die than 
to deny Jesus or disown that he 

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knows him. 
And there he is 3 times denying 

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that he knows him. 
Now Peter was sitting out in the

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courtyard and a servant girl 
came to him. 

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You also were with Jesus of 
Galilee, she said. 

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But he denied it before them 
all. 

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I don't know what you're talking
about, He said. 

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Then he went out to the gateway 
where another servant girl 

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sought him and said to the 
people there, This fellow was 

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with Jesus of Nazareth. 
He denied it again with an oath.

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I don't know the man. 
After a little while, those 

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standing there went to Peter and
said, surely you are one of 

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them. 
Your accent gives you away. 

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Then he began to call down 
curses, and he swore to them. 

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I don't know the man. 
Immediately the rooster crowed. 

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Then Peter remembered the word 
Jesus had spoken before. 

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The rooster crows. 
You will disown me three times. 

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And he went outside and wept 
bitterly. 2 of Jesus's followers

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and his friends make monumental 
mistakes. 

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They completely abandoned all 
sense of loyalty and friendship 

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to the one that they've begin to
understand is not just a good 

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rabbi, but maybe, actually 
possibly, he could be the 

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Messiah they've completely 
turned their backs on, the one 

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that they'd walked with, that 
they'd seen heal people and 

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00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:44,160
restore people and love people 
that society hated. 

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00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:49,000
And yet each one of them is 
offered forgiveness, and each 

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one of them is offered the 
chance to walk the road of 

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restoration. 
And each one makes a choice. 

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Judas chooses to count himself 
out of ever being used by Jesus 

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00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:03,800
again. 
He draws a line in the sand when

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he takes his own life. 
And he says, I'm too broken, I'm

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too dirty, I'm too messy. 
Jesus couldn't possibly use me. 

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I'm beyond repair. 
He chooses that path before 

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Jesus has even been crucified. 
Let alone raised back to life. 

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But Peter, he has to sit with 
his mistake for days, so long 

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before that moment of 
restoration comes. 

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And in fact, the disciples, they
were actually so slow to catch 

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on to the fact that he was going
to be raised alive that maybe he

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00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:36,200
didn't even consider that 
redemption and restoration with 

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00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:41,280
Jesus was a possibility for him.
But when he was presented with 

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the opportunity, he chooses to 
seek restoration. 

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He chooses to find freedom to be
filled with the Holy Spirit, to 

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be sent out with purpose and 
authority. 

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And he is used by Jesus for the 
rest of his days. 

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He is the one who took the 
gospel message to the non Jewish

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people. 
He is what started what 

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00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,600
eventually would allow you and I
to come to know Jesus. 

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Jesus said to Simon Peter, 
Simon, son of John, do you love 

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me? 
Yes, Lord, There you go. 

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00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:22,280
Lord, He knew he was his Lord. 
Yes, Lord, He said, you know 

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that I love you. 
Jesus said, feed my lambs again.

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00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:28,400
Jesus said, Simon, son of John, 
do you love me? 

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He answered, yes, Lord, you know
that I love you. 

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00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:35,600
Jesus said, take care of my 
sheep. 

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The third time he said to him, 
Simon, son of John, do you love 

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00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,600
me? 
Peter was hurt because Jesus 

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00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:44,880
asked him the third time, do you
love me? 

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00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:49,840
He said, Lord you know all 
things, you know that I love 

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you. 
Jesus said, feed my sheep. 

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00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:56,120
And then it goes on to say, and 
then he said to him, follow me. 

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Peter was broken, but he didn't 
allow his mistake to count him 

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00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:10,200
out from being used by Jesus. 
He did the work, He took the 

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00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,360
steps. 
He forgave himself enough to see

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00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:15,520
that he was more than his 
mistake. 

360
00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,920
You are more than your mistake. 
Your mistake does not have to 

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00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:23,600
define or limit your future and 
your calling from God. 

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00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:28,320
If you're willing to do the deep
work of restoration, the call of

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00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,920
God is irrevocable. 
But we all sin. 

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00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:34,440
We all fall short. 
We all mess up in ways that we 

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00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:38,800
never imagined or intended on. 
And yet we all get to choose 

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00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:42,400
between a road of redemption or 
a path of pain. 

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00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:46,600
But you're not beyond 
redemption. 

368
00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,520
You're not unusable. 
No one is. 

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00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,520
But we have to accept the hard 
Rd home. 

370
00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:58,800
We acknowledge that we've messed
up and maybe that we need help 

371
00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:03,320
being healed up and forgiving 
ourselves, and there will 

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00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:08,000
undoubtedly be pain in that 
process, but it's worth it. 

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Jesus is worth it. 
He thinks you're worth it. 

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00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:18,560
He gave everything as he hung on
the cross that you would know 

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00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:26,000
redemption and restoration. 
And I implore you today, take 

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00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,920
the road of restoration. 
Allow God to make you new, to 

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00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,880
give you beauty for ashes, to 
give you joy Instead of 

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00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:39,040
mourning. 
Take the road of redemption. 

379
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:48,440
And so as we respond, we look 
back over Judas's life, we ask 

380
00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:51,920
what's under the surface? 
What is it that you need to get 

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00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:56,160
real before God with what is 
under the surface for you? 

382
00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:01,320
How can you stop that in a 
hidden narrative, steering your 

383
00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:04,360
heart and eventually leading to 
action? 

384
00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:10,640
What's under the surface? 
Can you accept today that 

385
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:15,600
forgiveness is for all? 
Complete forgiveness can be 

386
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:21,880
found at the cross of Jesus. 
For all that you have done, for 

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all that you will do, is covered
by the blood. 

388
00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:32,720
Can you shake off shame today? 
Is it cutting you off where 

389
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,720
conviction wants to call you 
home? 

390
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:39,880
Shake off shame and then make 
your choice. 

391
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:46,040
In our mistakes, in our sin, in 
our denial or our betrayal of 

392
00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:49,000
Jesus, there is always a road 
back. 

393
00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:53,040
You don't need to count yourself
out as being too broken to be 

394
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:57,480
used again the Lord. 
Bless you. 

395
00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,200
And keep you. 
The Lord make His face shine 

396
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:04,400
upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn his face towards 

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00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:06,120
you and give you peace.