Elders Part 2

Well if you missed last week. We begin to look at this term Elder and actually my wife and told me I had no idea how you were going to speak for 30 let alone about 45 minutes on that and I said, well, I got about another 30 minutes or so on this great and wonderful geology that's packed here in the scripture and I got super creative last week was on elders this week as elders part 2. So there you go. You know where my mind's been and what I want to do this morning is I want to read this do a brief recap and then finish out kind of what we were talking about from last week. And so it says in 1st Peter 5:1, so I exhort the elders among you as a fellow Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you exercising over thighs sides not under compulsion. So willingly as God would have you not for shameful game, but he's really not domineering over those in your charge of being examples to the flock and when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading Crown of Glory likewise you who are younger be subject to the elders clothe yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So if you miss last week, we opened up and we begin to talk about some of the vocabulary behind this idea of who and Elder is you have to go back last week. I don't have time to unpack all of that. Once again. We also looked at the hoo-hoo elders and we looked at calling and character in that section. Then we got briefly into the what they actually do and we look at this idea that the shepherd and under this term of Shepherd and we see that they protect they lead the guide and they feed Now briefly I just want to talk about why why we protect and what that actually means you have the words of Jesus who says look out for false teachers will rise up amongst you after I am gone you have Paul in the book of Acts as well as in several other of his Epistles warning of false teachers Peter warns of false teachers in 2nd Peter Jude that short little book their letter. We have warns of false teachers John warns of false teachers. You think there's a theme there in Scripture. I think false teachers might be maybe a little bit dangerous.

For those who were listening and receiving from them Paul refers to them as wolves. What do we learn last week and my dog story? We shoot the Wolves right now. And if you weren't here, don't worry. I'll write the 99% who are packing today won't take you out. I promise today. Welcome to Redmond if you're new here, so we don't have a flannel a tire on today, but we'll get that back up here soon. So we have the wolves and when we protect because they bring destruction through lies or false narratives and often through their own selfish desire. And they're not always blatant, but they're very subtle that some of the best lies are the ones that are 98% true. Correct the best way to lies to almost blatantly tell the truth in such a way that nobody would actually believe it was true the best ways to deal with there you go for all you Liars out there. Shepherd's the call to protect wind II John John says watch yourselves and abide in the teachings of Christ that again Paul is constantly instruct Timothy to teach right doctor threw out first and second Timothy and so's we look at what an elder does there's an aspect in which they are ruling and in ruling they are same direction and vision and guiding and leading our local church on where we're going into the future. Is also this aspect of intervening in which there can be dissension and I can be problems that can be issues and we're sitting down with people and we're trying to help see reconciliation as were ministers of reconciliation. All of us are partaking in that Ministry, but sometimes we need help in those areas because we can't get over ourselves or see what we're wrong. And so that others are able to step in and in that they are teaching through that exercising Authority in a selfless way. They are caring and no doubt that makes up a good portion of what any Elder should be doing any good from this morning. We hear from the writers of scripture. There is a strong sense of one of the major roles and other does in protecting The Guiding it. Is that idea of feeding the Sheep. I just want to take a moment to talk about this idea of leading guide. We dabbled in it last week. And so I want you to maybe expound on it a little bit more. Psychologist have a term. It's called mental Maps. You've ever heard of mental Maps. No, okay. Alright, here's how this works. If this is not your first time at redeemers you use your mental map to get here. That means you weren't looking for street names. You weren't looking for landmarks. You didn't need the signs on your way in to point you in how to get here. You knew right where to go because you've done it before you've been LED here before. In fact that you've been here pretty regularly and you showed up and somebody knew cuz you were people typically get here a little earlier than you cuz they come on time or right? Yeah, yeah. All right, and they sit in your seat and your mental map goes what are you doing? That is my seat. How dare you sit where I always sit or what are mental Maps when they get messed with we get frustrated we get upset not a regular here. I had to get online you got on Google Maps and you had to figure out how am I going to get to this place? You needed something to lead. You needed something to guide you now mental maps are not just for Direction. We are constantly being told and our lives. How do we get the good life? I mean, I think since kindergarten and first grade I've been writing papers on I couldn't write back then that you dictating papers to my parents. What do you want to be when you grow up because that's going to determine the good life for you. Are you going to achieve that and so this is being poured into us on how to get the good life ever being told that success and that's what makes you you Answer the question is is what happens if our mental maps of Life are wrong? What happens if your mental Maps? Getting to a place or wrong this last week my wife buys all kinds of old junk. It's just what she does. All right. So if you ever needed junk, it's in our shop. I won't even know it's missing and she said there's this lady and she lives in bed and you need to go down there and I am going to purchase this bed for Benjamin. And so I want you to go buy this bed and this lady gives me her address and she tells me the numbers and tells me the color of the apartments while they're there gray. And so I drive and there's two sets of apartments right by each other right above the river was she explained in so I make my way and I see some numbers on the two separate Apartments there two different complex and I see the gray one. I go great. I'd knock on the door and nobody answers at 8:30 in the morning. My cousin that you sent me down here in the snow. I knock on the door again. Nobody answers and I text just that I knock on the door again and this gal opens the door in a towel and I go what are you doing? You should not open the door here. Is there a but I'm supposed to buy a bed, but I don't want to come in and she knows you got the wrong house and I text my wife, you know, all cap not only is at the wrong house, but she wasn't here and I'm out in the cold, you know, I didn't go that hard. And so so I look and I go that Apartments gray, but the numbers match that apartment. I look at it, and I'm thinking I'm down here. So I might as well make my way around to the other apartments and I knock on the door and sure enough this sweet old lady opens the door and we pay her and get the bed. I'll tell you what I was frustrated and embarrassed because I was at the wrong door. She going to have the wrong mental maps for our life. It's much like we have the wrong mental maps and directions we get frustrated and what happens if people are saying today here is the way to achieve happiness. Here's the way to achieve success and contentment. Here's a way to receive all that you ever wanted through popularity possessions vacations career children education. None of those things are inherently evil or wrong. It's a really good septum lie to say that they are going to be the things that they film satisfy. You aren't isn't it. Our society will look at those in the prize those it's that the best way to tell a lie is to be mostly accurate way to tell the truth in such a blatant way that everybody goes to have to be lying, but it's It's what we do is if we save these these are the things that will make your life filled and what does it do? It leads to exhaustion. Here's what we need. We need an authority a guide to lead us. Now. The ultimate guide is Jesus Christ is we don't have him sent as the one that were looking to and we don't have leaders leading us to who Jesus is who can lead us to treat deconstruct society and say well that's not satisfy me. That's not fulfilling me that's broken and we don't have anything to actually fill it and replace it. We're going to become incredibly frustrated and let you a most definitely broken down beat up exhausted state. You walk around and you say hey how you doing in the vast majority of people are going to say I'm exhausted but that narrative does not fit the gospel Narrative of Jesus who says coming to me all you who are heavy laden and burdened and I will give you rest. A Jeep rest a piece of Shalom even in the midst of Chaos. I trust me for children a church. That's 5 years old. It's growing. I understand being tired and I'm talking about that deep Soul tiredness, the weariness of the world can put on you heaps tried and tried and are unfulfilled and not satisfied and has led to frustration cuz he look at Jesus and what he did in that day. He didn't just deconstruct the religious rulers and leaders and their systems, but then he would say things like but I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father, but by me we had a guy like Paul and Paul says this beautiful lineup lives in Philippians. Follow me as I follow Christ. Just let me point you to Jesus. That's my rule. That's my role as an apostle. That's my role as an elder. That's my role as a leader in this church to point us to Jesus. Mental maps are so important years ago. I had the opportunity to spend some time in the Barrios of Cabo San Lucas and what happened? There was really the gentrification of that City where you had the wealthy in to move into the main drag and all of the locals getting pushed out farther and farther to the hills are being paid Pennies on the dollar for their land and I was talking to this man is he skiing and he owns two restaurants in that area. He brought us down there to see what kind of work we could help with in these bar is and I loved being in Mexico with Ian because not only was he fluent in Spanish. He owned restaurants and he knew the lay of the land that he would tell me what to eat what not to eat. I'm not getting ready to drink some water and he slaps there's ice in there you will die or don't do it. Okay, and so we're in these like broken down hard neighborhoods, and I remember I just had this craving Something sweet and good and I wanted to buy this like Popsicle or something of that nature and he goes you can do that, but it's been sitting in that ice chest. And if you eat that you will pay for it the day if you eat of that, you will surely feel like you're dying. Okay, we'll take some scripture and twist a little bit. And and so I look at that Mom likes you legalistic. Jerk. I can do what I want. It's my body. I know better I can handle it. You don't know my stomach or I can go yet. He has been living here for quite some time. He knows the Barrios the streets the places to eat and not eat at probably pretty good advice to not eat of this Popsicle in a cast on it. Thankfully. She that's how most people handle this world. They believe this lie that says I can do what I want and I can go about my life how I want and it's going to lead to happiness. It's going to lead to four. Filmage can we look at this a few weeks back when we say we're going to go around God to get what we think is really going to satisfy us. Just like they did there in the garden here in the New Testament Along Comes This Rabbi, but he's no ordinary Rabbi. He is Jesus of Nazareth the very Son of God fully man. Fully God and it begins to teach a shares and he directs people's lives. His word is true. There's a problem. all the teaching in the world

not going to be able to live under it. We tried that humankind tried. It mankind tried it and the old testament's established law and said walk in my statutes walking my way, but we couldn't fully carry it out. We don't act like him. We don't respond like him. We don't always do what we ought to do. And so what does Jesus do he's not just a teacher and he's not just this Rabbi. He's not just saying here are the steps to life. But he saying I am the life he steps in he dies in a place he resurrects and he calls us to believe in him to check this out. Believe in him doesn't mean know we pass on his cheese. It frees us to walk his teachings. This is where we got a really bad distinction. If you had a lot of Christian books in the last couple of decades has been a pendulum that's just said, all right just have this easy prayer this belief and that's good and let me tell you something. You have to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, but everything that comes after that is not some way to maintain and make sure that you're in his good graces. You've entered Covenant with God and it's a one-sided eventually his Covenant with you. He's declared you as holy as righteous as a child, but what he has done as he's changed our desires for him. Internet Movie for free PS4 saying we want to follow after you and that's why he says they're in that Great Commission Make Disciples of all Nations. Teaching them to do what believe all the things I said. He says no to observe Halo bad commanded. It's really important. The most essential and best thing I can do as an elder. Listen, I want to be involved in your lives on a sit in the mess with you. I want to come pray over you because it's part of what we do, but it's equip the Saints we get it over and over again, and he returned to Ephesians chapter 4.

Look at this little bit last week when to pick up in first 12 verse 11, he gave the apostles the prophets the Evangelist the Shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of fullness of Christ. So we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the ways and carried by every wind of Doctrine by human cunning by craftiness in deceitful schemes log that one away because we're going to see deceit in the devil when we get to the devil in a few weeks or so. I'm hanging in here for a while rather speaking the truth in love where did grow up in every way to him who is the head into Christ from the whole body joint and held together by every joint with which of these equipped when each part is working properly to make the body to grow Santa builds itself up and love teaching is the means that we are using to accomplish this work and Acts chapter 20. Let me just read you another set of scripture verses 20 through 24.

Liberty chords Paul saying how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you in public and from house to house testifying. So we got teaching and testifying and not shrinking back from saying that's a lot of verbal information that Paul is doing and relating it to his work as this Apostle as a pastor testify about the Jews to Greeks of the repentance towards God and of our faith and our Lord Jesus Christ. He says look, I am lifting up Jesus. I'm talking about Jesus Arnie for Jesus. You need to repent and turn from your waist. You need to walk in him. Says and now behold I'm going to Jerusalem constrained by the spirit not knowing what will happen to me except the Holy Spirit testifies to meet every city that imprisonment and reflection those things they await me. Important is Paul is laying this out saying to preach and teach the name of Jesus out of the ends of the Earth is what I'm called to do and for us up against here in Redmond, and it goes out from this church on a Sunday in against to infiltrate our neighbors in our neighborhood from there. We hope to see the gospel continue to expand and to continue to grow with us. I was just thinking about the church that my brother and I came from and how many people that church sent out from just in America as well as overseas in the fruits of planting preaching teaching and watering. There's been many set forth and you see the church expanding it's the same kind of hope and vision that I have is the word begins to move on our hearts. We feel conviction and we hear this idea that it brings joy and hope as we're taught. the call Shirley gospel Romans 10 says How will they hear if you do not go? How beautiful are the feet that are shod with the gospel? I try to think about that often. People need to hear the gospel and it's something that we want to do every single week here but also as a part of our daily lives and that comes through actually speaking we believe is the word of God is preached. The Kingdom of Light is moving on to the kingdom of darkness. I really want this to get into our heads because of the kind of language that Paul used in the New Testament. He understood this Kingdom that is Jesus's light and he understands that likes to take over the the darkness that round that Satan dwells in any blind the nation's he blind people we preach truth. We preached life into people's lives that is like entering in Breaking fork and we are participant in that and it's a great High Calling at all this all to fit something that God in. This church has established a team of Elders to continue to encourage Us in to preach to teach to equip the Saints. sharing the gospel to the eyes the blind now see God has chosen the language words to convey his message hearts are so powerful friends. Words can make or break you. We've all had very hard words it even untruthful things spoken over us that crushed us. We've also been lifted up by other people's words. It's the words that God spoke creation into existence and us through words that God has chosen to convey the message message of the Gospel.

That just simply saying here's the way to live your life has good morals. Just good values. That's not what we're doing here. We're saying here is Jesus Christ and he begins to change and work in you. In 2nd, Timothy 3 14 through 17 reteach. Spiritual formation. Let me share this first with you so I can Timothy 3, but as for you continue on what you learned in a firmly believed the way from whom you learned it and how far from childhood you've been acquainted with the sacred writings, but you're able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ. Jesus. All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching for reproof for correction in for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete equipped for every good work. Spiritual transformation spiritual formation, excuse me in our lives that growth will begin to bring transformation in the city around us. I want to see Redmond changed a do I know many other pastors as well? No one can be satisfied driving around and seeing the heart and the broken the stories that ktvz puts out in the bulletin puts out. And we see at world around us that is extremely broken and hurting and one of the things we can do is we can try to crazy kind of initiative and raise funds and helping a people which is a good thing. You got many missions and Ministries that are doing that but let me share something with you as we are transformed by the word of God as that begins to move on our heart. It should cause us to go forth and go out and Deke agents of Christ or ambassadors not having just to sign up for some initiative to do good. But it's simply who God has now made us to be She's were transformed by the word of God as we're met face-to-face with our sin. And we see how desperately we need Redemption as it gets within us and moves honest. I should cause us to want to take that message to other people as well. Let me see change begin to happen in the city around us. Spiritual formation you been saved and they're growing in Christ brings transformation to the relationships that are broken allows us to get our eyes off ourselves biggest problems to love and care for the people around us. spiritual transformation Coming to Christ and being formed and molded in the image of Christ. It changes how you see yourself. It changes how you see God brings change to how you view work. How you view poverty? How you do your neighborhood if you're married and changes how you should do your spouse give children how you view your children. It changes how you see and use money that changes how you do sexuality. When the gospel gets in us, but God has come to us and we see him for who he is. It begins to radically work in and through our lives. When did he taught this and reminded about this? constantly

I was written several times in his letters and I'm not ashamed to continue to put this message before you cuz we need to hear it often and be reminded often. Luke chapter 3 verse 24 chapter see me Luke chapter 24 verse 27 we teach so we understand the story of God. Near call there's two men on the road to Emmaus and Christ have just been crucified and resurrected unbeknownst to them possibly because they're locking their man comes alongside of them and begins to share everything in the scriptures pertaining to himself. It is Jesus himself and he's giving them the narrative the story of God. One of the deepest does primitive human needs is that of narrative. We're all mini makers trying to make sense of whatever the heck just happened in our lives with some tragedy with some big good thing some bad thing and we're looking back and trying to attach some sense of meaning to a why did it happen. So we tell ourselves a story. I'm here because of You should down a dinner. How did you meet? How did you get here? You're asking them about possibly where they moved from or how they were brought up or if they are married and say how did you two meet and we put a story to that to make sense of where we are today? Your narrative what you speak to yourself causes us to see how we understand the world around us and listen an improper narrative will lead to improper ways of thinking and believing about the world around, you know, Britain flashes light up here. three big questions in life Who is God that's that's the ology everybody is asking themselves this question of who is God and how they answer that is actually going to impact the next one. Who are we as humans corporately or who am I so we got anthropology and identity anthropology the study of man trying to make sense of who I man is here what man is doing then? Finally, what is the good life dealing with this idea of morality that was interesting is morality is based upon anthropology, which is actually based upon theology. If there's a Creator then there is a design and there's a design there's intent for all of you if there's intent there is morality if there is morality there is accountability. Nobody likes that last one hot but if there is no Creator, this is secularism. There is no Creator. There is no design. There is no intent just survival of the fittest. There is no morality Who You Are She's me who are you to say there is right or wrong. That means there's no accountability who you to say we should do and not do with our money with our sexuality with Arlo. See this is what's going on in secularism today. There is no God and secularism is an entire Society trying to live under that umbrella. To say there's no God and it's a disaster. So how do we answer that? If there's no God, who am I? I'm not a creature. I'm not created. I'm not made in the image of God. I'm an accident which means my identity is whatever I want to make it.

It's over. I want to be that's why I'm always trying to define or find myself myself.

Who am I then it leads to you can be whatever you want to be. You can do whatever you want to do. Just trust your gut. Does that go for most of us when we learn a few weeks back? The heart is deceitfully wicked and puff all faiths. Just trust your gut. Just trust your heart. Are you kidding me? That also means I'm someone who lives for the good life and I hold this definition for the good life. You reject who God is and you're saying I am whoever I want to be then we're living the idea for the good life. It's freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want don't put limits on my sexuality. Don't tell me how I ought to live in society. Let me be whoever and however I want to be because that is the ultimate way to be free. That is the way to the good life The Good Life Is wealth by any means necessary. The good life is the way to express myself sexually. Anyway that I please don't you dare tell me I'm wrong. It's been how I want you sex how I want trample over who I need to in order to get happiness and pleasure which are two different things. Does a broken narrative Morgan explain in just a minute? I want us to make sense though as we teach the word of God With Us myself or another Elder preaching teaching and it's another pasture that comes in and shares. I want to set the right narrative before us.

So important to understand who we are in God it changes how we view worksheet how we view life and how we view who we are we have the right narrative. If you know that your discontentment will never be satisfied for getting more stuff. You understand that more sexual encounters not make you more sexually satisfied. Do you understand it just my deconstruction everything around you will actually not fill you up a by trusting in Christ and changing your heart rebuilding you in the way of Jesus. You can begin to deal with many of these nagging problems that plague us the biblical narrative deals with our deepest longings for Hope restoration. Peace, Joy this deep call out in our heart that says I know I made for something more. What is it in the biblical narrative receive creation fall Redemption restoration of all things. The Narrative is this you are a creature created in the image of God. Therefore as a human being that means you have value every single one of you has value not to be too political but I can't keep my mouth shut on it every single baby in that world has a value every single elderly person who we would want to neglect and shut up and home have value, right? We need to understand that you know why we can say that because we have a God was created us if there is no God who gives a rip who these people are who cares if they're born or unborn other old and can't participate in society. That's what this pleases down to because the good life is avoiding those situations going to mess with my life. The child's going to ruin how I live out the rest of my days ago that I have to go visit them in the home. Play The Good Life of being free from all of that stuff that holds me down. It goes as far as today Millennials and other people following an older than us thinking Millennials work gets in the way of the good life. Now. I don't want to do that participate when God himself is called even worked good. She does narrative is your created it explains what went wrong why there is pain and suffering death and destruction and why your heart longs for something more in the secular narrative. Do you know what went wrong you accidentally got pregnant? That's what went wrong you had bad parents. You have a bad boss. You're bad friendships. You're broke. That's the problem and so in the secular narrative, what it would save in is here is what wrong in the secular narrative Redemption get a better job. Get free from the relationships that are hurting not trying to reconcile them. In the second a narrative it is whatever is best for you. Go on that trip and avoid all problems spend your money on you over the Christian biblical narrative for the Plan of Redemption that brings us about to Salvation that God intervenes that God changes that God works in us and it explained in the midst of our present struggle. There's this Cosmic Warfare that is going on around us and we see that Jesus he brings Victory and then gives us restoration of All Things by Future Hope the future Hub of the secular narrative is more Do you know that it's really just wet like apple portrays and I'm a Apple fan big time, but they say, you know, nothing about 3 months ago. It's already outdated. This new thing is going to satisfy you technology is a little bit better the new relationships going to be better at the person you're moving on. She was going to be better. You can get more it'll be better. That's the future help with the second a narrative. Your friend Sabina secularism, but they how exhausted and tired. They are we have a future. Hope Peter writes about it that's stored up for us. So important we teach me to come right back around to that. We teach the words of the holy spirit is opportunity to move on our hearts as the Holy Spirit illuminates the scriptures to us. Nelder teaching the word. Why do we do this weekend and week out. The word of God brings conviction to encourage me about rejoicing and hope in our lives. 6th amendment quickly through these cuz that's something I want to end with. I am not the only one that is participating in this but we equip the body you prepared to handle all the of the body. pastor in the pastor's a group of Elders are not as gifted that the combination of this whole church put together. That's why it's important to find a church in the joint it whatever that looks like. To be a part of it because we need you because the reality is I'm not a very good entrepreneur. I can barely say the word.

highly gifted motivational Craig groeschel kind of speaker You got creative and contemplative. You got people who are counselors and problem solvers and there are people who are far more gifted than myself in those areas. And God has given me a gift and placed me in this role in order to exercise. And it will not shy away from that calling by any means and I understand that God has put me in that room. But we have in the church created this job description for a church and a group of Elders and it said you guys need to fulfill all this while we just kind of run around and do whatever and that is not what's happening here. You are called and held accountable in this body to serve and build each other up to be engaged in one another's lives. That's why we equip the Saints. That's why we preach the word. That's why we teach so you can actually be involved with one another because I can't sit by everybody's bedside. Tried I can't handle every home call. I want to. But I would much rather have a church that is equipped to do that. I love that. I'm a handful counselors that I can call on right now and say can you handle these situations? Cuz they're far beyond my skill and expertise. I love that. I have a handful of guys I can call and say can you disciple these people because they need anger asking for it. We want to continue to see that atmosphere in this church built up. What we do as Elders is not this dictatorship, but it's an overseeing and which were participating participating in as well. We're trying to put the puzzle pieces together. So this body is growing and things of Christ not just numerically but in death

This is what we do. How is this possible? I talked to Tim after church last weekend goes well. Thanks for sharing what you shared that because wow without Jesus. You're right. This is impossible Eldersburg humans. We've all been hurt by elders and Pastors in church leadership having me but needs to be out place of Grace. Understanding you need to know that your leaders here the man who came up here to just pray and lay hands on James. We are one hundred percent for you and are not conspiring against you in any way possible. I promise we want to see you bro, and we want to see God work and we want to see God move in your life. But we've all made mistakes haven't always handled things the best way and in those places it actually allows for the what we believe forgiveness reconciliation Mercy Grace to be played out even in our own church, and it's not something that we receive from Jesus and something we're doing with one another very important you understand this. I've been hurt or wrong. I apologize. It's not our intention is to do those things. We want to see you grow call could be crushing till I consider the words of Peter as we finish out here this morning. Peter says in verse 1 exhort the elders among you as a fellow Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. There's a hope for every Elder and for every person in this room this morning about Peter story. Is there hanging out with Jesus and his disciples? And they're all kind of man up seeing who's going to stand by Jesus assigned Peter said they might all leave you but I would never leave you Jesus. I would never deny you or turn my back on you. What happened? Jesus says before the cock crows 3 x 3 x Pete and Pete brought to this Garden of Gethsemane with small group of the disciples. And Jesus says stay awake asleep. He says Watch and Pray so that you do not enter into the temptation.

my goodness He's always noticed that moment as the temptation of Jesus, which is this huge massive theology in their right, but he's telling Peter pray be on guard. Watch out. Just warned you you're going to deny me stay awake and pray. What happens?

Did the guards come Jesus says I am they fall over I get back up. The only time anybody Falls over in the name of Jesus in the Bible guy. So just so you know and I will get back up. I am back over to get back up and then they come at Jesus and Peter finds like a high priest's servant is like a practiced and he takes out a suorin Los off the kids here and you're thinking he Jesus just knock them all over with his words. You didn't even go after the high for East went off to the servant boy man. If you like it going after Benjamin and five years my son. He's 6 years old. Sales, and he goes on to deny Jesus three times.

IP I'm pretty bummed out. drapes hot ass it's not every person in this room. We failed Indian blunt just the Nile of Christ movie by not doing what he does with his and failed as followers of Jesus. We chosen ourselves and what we think is the good life outside of what he has for us. If we allowed for those moments to Define us and tell us who we are. No doubt you're out and there's no hope but Peter the story of failure and restoration everybody's heart in here. Is our sin and I would say that was pretty blatant brutal ugly gross in Peter just to deny even to the servant girl who is scared of in that moment they could weigh. So heavily upon him could be causing to wonder does Jesus still love me. And what happens does Peter go seek out Jesus?

What does Jesus do it seeks out Peter and then engages him in conversation. He says do you love me feed my Lambs? Do you love me feed my sheep. Do you love me feed my sheep. And now you see Peter saying look I didn't get kicked out for my failure. And for my sin a Jesus pursued me and I'm a partaker of the glory that is going to be revealed that is restoration this massive failure and he's going to be a part of the glory that is revealed think of your own life.

Things I can take to make you feel stuck unloved unwanted. Did he come your focus and your excuses for why God would or wouldn't want you for why this church would or wouldn't want you, but I want to push back on that so desperately hard because Jesus is pursuing you today, even in the midst of whatever is your greatest failure and he saying I love you and the good news of the Gospel radically reshapes us from guilty and full of shame to righteous. That is the dealing with our guilt part and children of God shame because identity now her identity is a new child. Your rejection of Christ your sin your denial of God your efforts to go outside of him to get what you want. That is not who you are. There is the hope of the Gospel that Jesus changes works and lives in us with Prime.

God wouldn't rentable. The story to end on the hope that we have because of what you have done and you pursued us and you loved us and sought us out. But right now I pray for our leaders and Elders in this church. But you would strengthen us encourage us allows deaf ears to hear and eyes to see what is going on to best care for this body. Be selfless to be motivated by you and by love and to lead this church. Well, I pray for the body. Those are being Shepherd in this place. So they would be growing and feeling equipped and able to engage one another in the work of the Saints and the ministry and they wouldn't feel that just being a part of this church is a Sunday event, but it is a lifelong thing. They've joined and they're serving and caring and building lifelong relationships and that we are committed to working through difficult and hard things. Your presence would have died in here and we see your mercy and Grace and how you restore that we also see how you're faithful to rebuke and challenge are faulty thinking. A2a work in this church. Thank you for your love and your kindness in the name of Jesus?