Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME240113S
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00:14 >> On this wintry 00:15 Sabbath morning, I invite you 00:16 to stand and join with us 00:18 in singing our opening hymn, 00:19 "Come, Christians, 00:20 Join to Sing." 00:21 ♪ 07:43 >> Our Scripture reading 07:44 this morning is found 07:45 in Psalms 103:8-10. 07:49 I'll be reading from 07:49 the New International Version. 07:52 "The Lord is compassionate 07:54 and gracious, slow to anger, 07:57 abounding in love. 07:59 He will not always accuse -- 08:01 He does not always accuse, 08:03 nor will He harbor His anger 08:04 forever. 08:06 He does not threat us 08:08 as our sins deserve or repay us 08:10 according to our iniquities. 08:12 For as high as the heavens 08:14 are above the earth, 08:15 so great is his love 08:17 for those who fear Him. 08:19 As far as the east is from 08:20 the west, so far has He removed 08:24 our transgressions from us." 08:26 Amen. 08:29 ♪ 16:28 ♪ 17:16 >> I wanted to say a very 17:18 special thank-you to all of you 17:19 that have been so supportive 17:20 over this last week 17:22 with the passing of my mother 17:23 on Monday evening. 17:25 The cards, the flowers, 17:27 the food, all of the posts 17:30 on social media, 17:31 the messages to me 17:33 and my wife and my family. 17:35 Thank you, thank you. 17:37 It is deeply appreciated. 17:42 I want to welcome you 17:43 to the beginning 17:44 of a new series entitled 17:48 "God Has Great Plans 17:49 For Your Past." 17:51 And what better way to start 17:52 than a story from my past? 17:57 When I was in second grade -- 17:59 yea, verily, in the last 18:01 millennium -- 18:04 fire was just coming into vogue, 18:07 stone had recently been 18:08 invented, and I was a student at 18:11 Shelton Valley Adventist School. 18:13 Now, I believe the school 18:14 is still going. 18:15 It was a small two-room school. 18:16 In the second grade, 18:18 I was in one of the two rooms 18:20 that the school had there. 18:21 1 through 4 -- 18:22 those grades were in one room. 18:23 5 through 8 were in the next. 18:25 There's about 30 students 18:26 in the school total. 18:28 And Miss Sullivan 18:30 was our teacher. 18:32 Now, Miss Sullivan was exciting. 18:34 She was right out of school, 18:36 and we all thought she was 18:37 beautiful and smart 18:38 and all of this and we all 18:40 wanted to please Miss Sullivan. 18:42 In fact, Miss Sullivan 18:43 could do no wrong... 18:46 until that day came. 18:50 We had just come in from -- 18:52 I believe it was recess, 18:54 and Miss Sullivan said 18:55 these words. 18:56 "Students, please take out a 18:59 piece of paper and a pencil. 19:00 It is time 19:02 for your spelling test." 19:07 Oh, no. Fear gripped 19:10 my second-grade heart, 19:11 because I had completely 19:12 forgotten that there was going 19:13 to be a spelling test today. 19:15 And now Miss Sullivan's just 19:16 announced it is seconds away, 19:18 and I am absolutely terrified 19:20 that I am, for the first time 19:21 in my long academic career, 19:23 going to fail an exam. 19:26 Now, I realize that there's not 19:27 many second graders that have 19:28 this level of stridency 19:29 with their academic career, 19:30 but I did, for whatever reason. 19:31 I was -- Oh, 19:34 this panic gripped my soul. 19:36 And I thought to myself, 19:37 "What am I going to do?" 19:42 Now, there's really only two 19:43 choices, right? 19:44 One, you can muddle through it 19:46 and do your best and quite 19:47 possibly fail miserably, 19:49 or, two, I could...cheat. 19:56 Uh-huh. 19:58 Now, the story obviously takes 20:00 a little bit of time to tell, 20:00 but this is all happening, back 20:02 then, quite quickly, right? 20:03 Students are pulling out 20:04 their papers and their pencils. 20:06 Those of you that are 20:07 younger, you know what a paper 20:08 and pencil is, right? 20:09 Have you seen those? 20:11 Thin, white sheets? 20:12 Eh, ask your parents 20:13 when you get home, okay? 20:14 So, they're all taking these 20:15 out, and I'm thinking, "Okay, 20:16 what am I going to do?" 20:17 So, I pull out 20:18 my spelling book real quick. 20:19 I flip over my desk. 20:20 We had these flip-top desks. 20:21 And I pull out my spelling book 20:22 and I looked real quick. 20:23 If I remember right, 20:24 there was 10 words that we were 20:25 supposed to know for this test. 20:27 And I -- There's like at least 20:28 half of them that I did not 20:29 know. 20:31 And very quickly, I look for 20:33 where Miss Sullivan was. 20:34 When Miss Sullivan wasn't 20:36 looking, I took my pencil, 20:37 and in like size-4 font, 20:39 I wrote the words 20:41 on my name tag, little name tag 20:42 they put on your desk 20:43 so you know where to go 20:44 after recess, right? 20:45 You know? 20:46 And I wrote it down there, 20:47 these words that I didn't know. 20:50 Put the book back in the desk. 20:51 Miss Sullivan didn't see. 20:54 She begins the test. 20:57 I begin to work my way 20:58 through this test. 21:00 And, yes, when the words 21:01 came that I didn't know, 21:03 I would look at Miss Sullivan. 21:04 Was she looking my way? No. 21:05 Okay. And then I would look 21:06 surreptitiously at my name tag 21:09 and I would write down the word. 21:13 I was so glad 21:16 that Miss Sullivan didn't know 21:18 what I was doing. 21:23 How do they know? 21:25 How do teachers know 21:26 when you are cheating? 21:28 Yeah, she completely 21:30 caught me by surprise. 21:31 I had written yet another word 21:32 from my cheat sheet 21:33 there on my desk. 21:34 Miss Sullivan came. 21:36 She said, 21:37 "Shane, put your pencil down." 21:40 And she reached down and she 21:42 took my uncompleted test. 21:44 Oh! Aah! Mm! 21:48 Not only had 21:49 I just failed the test, 21:50 I had failed the test in front 21:51 of everyone else in that room. 21:54 Oh, I was absolutely mortified. 21:58 The test finished. 21:59 She collected all the other 22:00 ones. 22:01 She asked for me to stay 22:02 after class. 22:04 To be honest, I don't know 22:05 that she actually ever said 22:06 anything to me. 22:07 She could tell that I was fairly 22:11 self-punishing at that point. 22:13 It was terrible. I was crying. 22:14 My mother happened to be 22:16 volunteering as a school nurse 22:17 at that time. 22:19 She was a public-health nurse 22:20 and she would take time -- 22:20 she would volunteer 22:21 at the school. 22:22 And Miss Sullivan went and found 22:23 my mother and said, "You might 22:24 want to go talk to Shane. 22:25 He seems to be having 22:26 a hard time right now." 22:28 And so my mother came in, and 22:28 she couldn't find me at first, 22:29 because I had hidden under a 22:31 table that was off on the side. 22:33 And I had my knees tucked up 22:34 and I was sobbing under there. 22:35 And my mom -- she got underneath 22:37 the table and she came 22:38 and she put her arm around me. 22:39 "Tell me what happened." 22:40 "Oh, I cheated on the test 22:41 and I failed." 22:45 It was awful. 22:50 Two things from that experience. 22:53 Number one, don't cheat. 22:58 I never cheated again. 23:01 Grade school, high school, 23:02 college, master's, doctorate, 23:04 never. 23:04 I learned my lesson. 23:06 All it took was that experience 23:07 with Miss Sullivan. 23:08 I was done with cheating. 23:09 I hope you are, too. 23:10 If you haven't, start today. 23:14 Number two, I would have given 23:18 all the money in the world 23:21 if I just could have erased 23:25 my guilt. 23:27 I felt terrible. 23:29 I'd made the wrong decision. 23:30 And I wanted to erase not 23:31 just those words 23:33 that were on my desk, 23:34 I wanted to erase 23:35 the whole episode. 23:37 I wanted the guilt to go away. 23:41 If only I could find an eraser 23:44 to do it with. 23:51 Have you ever done anything 23:52 that you regretted doing? 23:57 Have you ever sinned against 23:58 someone else? 24:01 Silly question, huh? Hmm? 24:03 You know, sometimes, we can look 24:05 back and maybe we can, 24:07 you know, put some sort of 24:08 a quaint patina on something. 24:09 "Oh, that was so cute, you know, 24:10 when that happened or whatnot." 24:13 But the fact of the matter is, 24:14 if you live long enough and you 24:15 continue down life's path, 24:17 there will come a time when you 24:19 do things that are serious. 24:21 Something happens. 24:22 Something goes wrong. 24:23 You make a bad decision, 24:25 perhaps a stupid one, that leads 24:28 to great pain not just for you, 24:31 but for other people. 24:34 And so difficult can those 24:37 situations be that they will 24:41 cast a shadow into the future. 24:46 And you may be listening to me 24:47 right now, 24:49 and something that happened 24:51 days, weeks, months, years, 24:52 maybe even decades ago is 24:54 still -- as you are sitting here 24:56 now listening to me, 24:57 is still casting a shadow 24:59 over today in your life. 25:05 What do you do with that? 25:09 What do you do when the guilt 25:10 of the past is still 25:12 overshadowing the present? 25:17 Well, if you've experienced that 25:19 or if you're experiencing that 25:20 now, I have good news for you, 25:24 because God has great plans 25:27 for your past. 25:29 If you have a Bible, 25:30 take a look, please, 25:31 at the book of John 18:15. 25:34 John Chapter 18, 25:35 beginning with Verse 15. 25:36 It's on page 729 25:38 in most of your red pew Bibles. 25:40 Page 729. 25:42 John Chapter 18, beginning with 25:43 Verse 15. 25:46 Let me just set the stage here 25:47 for the story 25:47 that we're going to join. 25:49 The scene is this. 25:50 Jesus has been 25:51 with his disciples for about 25:52 three and a half years. 25:53 His disciples have been with Him 25:54 through thick and thin. 25:56 They have been 25:57 through persecution 25:58 from the scribes and Pharisees. 25:59 They have seen tremendous 26:00 miracles. 26:01 They've heard 26:02 Jesus' great sermons. 26:03 All these incredible things 26:05 packed into three 26:05 and a half years. 26:07 And now the cross 26:08 is getting close. 26:09 Jesus has been in the Garden 26:10 of Gethsemane. 26:11 The sins of the world 26:12 have been laid on Him. 26:13 He's sweating drops of blood. 26:15 He pleads with His disciples 26:16 to watch and pray. 26:17 They cannot do it. 26:17 They fall asleep. 26:19 The Roman guards come, 26:20 Judas at the front. 26:22 Jesus is arrested. 26:24 Peter pulls out his sword 26:25 and whacks off Malchus' ear. 26:26 And Jesus says, "No, don't do 26:28 it. 26:28 Put your sword away." 26:29 And he puts 26:30 the ear back onto Malchus. 26:31 He heals him. 26:33 And then the disciples flee. 26:38 And we don't know how long 26:39 they were gone. 26:40 But after, I don't know, 26:41 maybe a few minutes, 26:42 it would appear, at least 26:44 a couple of them decide 26:46 to circle back, and they want 26:48 to go to where Jesus is. 26:50 Jesus has been taken 26:51 to the house of Caiaphas, 26:53 the high priest, 26:54 for questioning. 26:55 And that's where we join 26:56 the story. 26:57 Verse 15 of John 18. 27:02 "Simon Peter and another 27:03 disciple were following Jesus. 27:05 Because this disciple 27:06 was known to the high priest, 27:07 he went with Jesus into 27:09 the high priest's courtyard, 27:11 but Peter had to wait outside 27:12 at the door. 27:14 The other disciple, 27:14 who was known 27:15 to the high priest, came back, 27:16 spoke to the girl on duty there, 27:18 and brought Peter in. 27:21 'You are not one of this man's 27:23 disciples, are you?', 27:26 the girl at the door 27:26 asked Peter. 27:28 He replied, 'I am not.' 27:32 It was cold. 27:37 And the servants and officials 27:38 stood around a fire 27:39 they had made to keep warm. 27:41 Peter also was standing with 27:42 them, warming himself." 27:44 Skip down to Verse 25, please. 27:46 "As Simon Peter 27:47 stood warming himself, 27:48 he was asked, 'You are not one 27:50 of his disciples, are you?' 27:53 He denied it, saying, 'I am 27:55 not.' 27:57 One of the high priest's 27:58 servants, a relative of the man 27:59 whose ear Peter had cut off, 28:00 challenged him. 28:01 'Didn't I see you with Him 28:03 in the olive grove?' 28:05 Again, Peter denied it, 28:07 and at that moment, a rooster 28:10 began to crow." 28:14 And apparently, the architecture 28:16 of this house and the courtyard, 28:18 the way that it was laid out, 28:19 made it possible for 28:22 the proceedings of Jesus' trial, 28:25 as it were, to be seen by those 28:28 that were in the courtyard. 28:30 And we know this because of 28:32 how Luke finishes out the story. 28:33 Let me put it up here for you. 28:34 Luke 22:60-62. 28:37 "Just as Peter was speaking, 28:38 the rooster crowed. 28:39 The Lord --" 28:40 meaning Jesus -- "turned 28:42 and looked straight at Peter. 28:45 Then Peter remembered the word 28:46 the Lord had spoken to him: 28:48 'Before the rooster crows today, 28:50 you will disown me three times.' 28:53 And he went outside 28:55 and wept bitterly. 29:01 You know, this must be one of 29:06 the most blatant, in-your-face, 29:09 crystal-clear examples 29:11 of denying Christ 29:13 in all of Scripture. 29:15 I mean, talk about something 29:17 in someone's past 29:18 that they wish they could erase. 29:20 Surely, this qualifies. 29:22 I mean, this was not just 29:23 a denial in principle, right? 29:25 I mean, your God -- 29:26 There's many stories 29:27 where people deny God 29:28 in principle, you know, 29:29 a thousand different ways. 29:30 But this was not just in 29:31 principle, but in practice. 29:33 "I deny that I know this man." 29:36 And it wasn't just a -- It 29:37 wasn't just a denial. 29:39 It was a public denial. 29:40 And it wasn't 29:41 just a public denial, 29:42 but it was a public denial 29:43 in front of unbelievers. 29:45 And it was also one 29:47 that had been predicted 29:48 just hours earlier. 29:50 I mean, talk about being warned 29:51 in advance, right? 29:54 And, yet, in spite of these 29:55 words from Jesus to Peter -- You 29:56 know, Peter had said, "I'll go 29:57 with you. 29:58 Wherever you go, I'll be there. 29:59 I'll be on your side, Jesus." 30:01 And Jesus says, 30:02 "No, before the rooster crows, 30:04 you'll deny me three times." 30:05 And that is exactly 30:07 what happened. 30:10 And can you imagine? 30:14 Can you imagine what it must 30:16 have been like to hear 30:17 that rooster crow 30:20 and to look up and see 30:24 Jesus, with sadness on His face, 30:30 looking back at you? 30:34 I think I'd probably go outside 30:37 and find it to be cold 30:39 and dark and bitter, as well. 30:46 What does Peter do with this? 30:48 I mean, again, if ever there was 30:50 a situation that you would want 30:51 to erase, you know, this is it. 30:53 What does Peter do? 30:56 Now, here is where I wish 30:58 we had a little more detail 30:59 from the Bible, but let's see 31:00 what we can gather here. 31:02 The next thing we know 31:03 about Peter is not until 31:05 Chapter 20 of the Book of John, 31:06 where Peter 31:07 runs to the empty tomb. 31:08 And he and John are in this 31:09 footrace to the empty tomb. 31:10 It's Sunday morning. 31:11 Mary has come back, 31:12 said he's not there. 31:13 They rush to the tomb. 31:13 They find, 31:14 indeed, that it is empty. 31:16 The next thing we know is that 31:18 Jesus appears to His disciples 31:20 as they're still 31:21 kind of holed up in Jerusalem. 31:22 They're still hiding from the 31:23 authorities for fear of them. 31:25 Jesus shows up, and it says 31:26 that the disciples are overjoyed 31:28 to see Jesus. 31:29 We could imagine 31:30 maybe that included Peter. 31:31 We don't know. 31:32 There's no record 31:33 of Jesus and Peter 31:35 talking on this occasion. 31:38 And then Jesus appears to the 31:39 disciples again a week later. 31:40 And, again, there's no record 31:42 of a conversation 31:43 between Peter and Jesus. 31:44 But notice this. 31:45 In spite 31:46 of the lack of explicit evidence 31:49 of Peter and Jesus interacting, 31:51 we do know at least one thing 31:53 about what Peter did 31:54 during this time, 31:56 and it is a first point 31:59 about God's plans for your past. 32:03 Point number 1 -- when your past 32:05 is overshadowing your present, 32:08 confess and repent. 32:12 Confess and repent. 32:16 Now, again, it's true that we do 32:18 not have the recorded words 32:19 of Peter's confession, 32:20 nor do we know exactly 32:21 when they were said. 32:22 Maybe he confessed and 32:24 repented immediately afterwards 32:25 outside of that courtyard. 32:26 Maybe it was during one of 32:27 the times that Christ appeared 32:28 to the disciples. 32:30 Whatever the case, 32:31 we do know for a fact 32:33 that he took this 32:35 indispensable step 32:36 of confessing and repenting. 32:38 You say, "Well, how do you 32:38 know?" 32:40 Because in just a moment, 32:42 we are going to read another 32:44 story of Peter, 32:46 and in that story of Peter, 32:48 Jesus is going to ask Peter 32:49 to do something that he never 32:51 would have asked him to do, 32:52 except that Peter 32:55 had already confessed 32:56 and repented of his sin. 33:00 It is, indeed, a very important 33:02 first step to disarming 33:03 the power of a sinful past. 33:05 Now, some people are tempted 33:08 to think that we don't need 33:09 to spend much time 33:10 on this idea of confession 33:12 and repentance, because they say 33:13 it's a fairly obvious one. 33:15 And I would agree it's obvious. 33:17 In fact, you don't have to be 33:18 a Christian 33:20 to have this be obvious to you. 33:23 I mean, most people understand 33:25 that this is just something 33:26 that needs to be done 33:27 if you do wrong. 33:28 If you have messed up, fess up. 33:30 If you did wrong, resolve 33:32 not to do that wrong again. 33:34 Kind of common sense, right? 33:35 It's obvious. 33:37 So let me just ask you, 33:38 have you done the obvious? 33:43 If you are sitting here 33:44 right now and you sense 33:45 that your past sins 33:46 are casting a shadow, 33:47 they're holding you back, 33:49 have you confessed and repented? 33:54 Now, as far as the mechanics 33:57 of confession and repentance 33:58 are concerned, 34:00 this is not a difficult thing. 34:02 This is not complicated. 34:04 If you sinned against God, 34:05 confess it to God. 34:07 If you sinned against someone 34:08 else, confess it to them. 34:09 If you sinned privately, 34:11 confess it privately. 34:12 If you sinned publicly, 34:13 confess it publicly. 34:14 And with your confession, 34:15 resolve also not to repeat 34:17 the harm that you did. 34:20 But that said, after doing this 34:23 for almost three decades now, 34:24 I have discovered that when you 34:26 talk about confession and sin, 34:28 there's at least three things 34:29 that everybody needs 34:30 to understand 34:31 about those practices. 34:33 I'm going to put some stuff up 34:34 here on the screen. 34:34 First of all, if your sin 34:37 was against someone else 34:39 and it was particularly severe 34:41 or if your sin was a public one, 34:44 please get good counsel first 34:49 before you make your confession. 34:54 Get good counsel first 34:55 before you make your confession. 34:57 Talk to a trusted Christian 34:58 friend of long experience 35:00 or to a Christian counselor 35:01 before you make your confession. 35:03 Now, how come? 35:03 Why would 35:04 I say this is good practice? 35:05 Because often 35:07 in these kinds of situations, 35:09 we are so emotionally involved 35:11 in what happened that it's very 35:13 difficult to see it objectively. 35:17 And talking to someone 35:18 of long experience with Christ 35:20 before you take action steps 35:21 can help you to do things 35:23 in the right way 35:24 and at the right time. 35:25 Now, let me just give you an 35:26 example 35:28 within the last 20 years, 35:29 within 10,000 miles of here. 35:31 A man came to me and told me 35:33 that he had committed what I'm 35:35 going to call a financial sin 35:36 at his place of work, okay? 35:39 And he said that 35:40 his plan was is that 35:42 he was going to go to his work 35:43 without any prior warning. 35:45 He was going to call a meeting 35:46 of everybody on his floor. 35:47 It was quite a few employees 35:48 and his boss. 35:50 And there, he was going to 35:51 announce what had happened, 35:52 what he had done. 35:55 And I said, "Well, tell me the 35:57 details of what happened. 35:58 You know, I'm not an expert 35:59 in your line of work, 36:00 but, you know, help me out here 36:01 a little bit to understand." 36:02 And as he told me the story, 36:04 it seemed to me that there was 36:05 a pretty high possibility 36:07 that not only were the rest 36:08 of his co-workers 36:09 not harmed by this, but that 36:10 they didn't even know about it. 36:12 And I said, "I'll tell you what. 36:14 Why don't you, indeed, confess, 36:18 but go to your boss first. 36:20 Just the two of you. 36:22 Okay, now, he's going to hit the 36:23 ceiling. 36:25 He's going to be upset. 36:26 But after the dust is settled a 36:28 little bit in that conversation, 36:29 then ask him if there are 36:30 other people that need to be 36:31 part of this conversation, 36:32 okay?" 36:34 He said, "Okay." 36:35 So, he went to his boss 36:37 and he confessed 36:38 what he had been doing. 36:40 And, indeed, the boss 36:40 hit the roof. 36:41 He was pretty upset about it. 36:43 And then, after the dust had 36:44 settled, the man asked his boss, 36:46 "Well, you know, should I be 36:47 talking to other people here? 36:48 You know, are other people 36:49 engaged?" 36:50 And long story short, 36:52 not only were the rest of 36:54 the office workers not harmed, 36:55 they, indeed, had absolutely 36:57 no idea about it. 36:59 And if this man who was 37:01 wanting to come clean and to 37:03 make this thing right, if he had 37:05 gone and just announced this 37:06 to the office, 37:07 there could well have been 37:08 collateral damage to people 37:10 who were not even involved 37:11 in his sin. 37:12 You know, announcing stuff like 37:13 that, sometimes, people run with 37:15 stuff without 37:16 fully understanding things. 37:17 Maybe it could have generated 37:18 some bad PR for the company 37:19 that wasn't justified. 37:21 You see, as it turns out, 37:22 the man had, indeed, messed up, 37:24 but it was rectifiable and there 37:25 was -- In fact, in the end, 37:27 kind of miraculously, the man 37:28 was not even fired, okay? 37:31 But had he gone 37:32 and followed his initial plan, 37:34 it could have been disastrous 37:35 for other people 37:36 who had no part in that. 37:39 So when it comes to confession 37:40 and repentance, 37:41 do, indeed, follow God's plan 37:43 in dealing with your past 37:45 and be wise in doing so. 37:50 Second point regarding 37:52 confession and repentance 37:52 is this. 37:54 Repentance is a gift, so ask for 37:55 it. 37:57 You know how it is 37:58 when you commit a sin, right? 37:59 You are dying 38:01 to confess it and repent. 38:02 You're just loving 38:03 the opportunity. 38:03 "Today is the day that I..." 38:08 If that's your attitude, we 38:09 should probably talk afterwards. 38:10 There's some things we should 38:11 work through with you, right? 38:12 Most of the time when it comes 38:14 to confessing to somebody, 38:17 you know, to repentance, 38:18 general repentance, 38:20 we're not real anxious to do it. 38:23 You know, maybe it's shame, 38:25 maybe it's stubbornness, 38:28 or maybe we're convinced 38:30 that God won't have us back. 38:33 In times like that, 38:35 we must remember that even 38:37 repentance is a gift from God. 38:41 In fact, not coincidentally, 38:43 it was Peter himself 38:44 who later proclaimed 38:45 this in Acts 5:31. 38:47 He did it 38:48 Notice this. Acts 5:31. 38:50 "God has exalted Christ to his 38:53 own right hand as Prince and 38:54 Savior that he might..." 38:55 What's the next two words? 38:57 "Give repentance 38:59 and forgiveness of sins." 39:02 In other words, 39:02 this is a full-package deal. 39:04 We serve a full-service God. 39:07 He knows that sin has made it -- 39:08 that our natural inclination 39:09 is not to make this thing right, 39:11 to not go back, to not confess. 39:13 And so He gives us this gift. 39:15 So if you are not wanting 39:17 to confess and repent, 39:19 then I would suggest that 39:20 you begin with what's sometimes 39:21 called the impossible prayer. 39:24 The impossible prayer is this, 39:25 and it can be used not just 39:26 for this, but for most anything. 39:27 The impossible prayer 39:27 goes like this. 39:29 God, you know that I do not want 39:31 to do 39:33 what you are asking me to do. 39:36 But I am willing 39:39 to be made willing. 39:43 I am willing to be made willing. 39:47 And then ask for repentance. 39:49 Ask for that change of heart. 39:52 And the sincere request 39:53 asking for repentance -- 39:55 it will be granted. 39:56 It will come. 39:58 And when God implants 39:59 that desire in your heart, 40:01 whatever your sin was, 40:02 get to it, be specific, 40:04 confess it, don't bob 40:06 or weave or mince words, 40:07 don't evade your guilt, 40:08 claim it, own it, 40:09 confess it, be brief. 40:11 This is your path to freedom. 40:16 A third point 40:17 to remember regarding confession 40:18 and repentance is this. 40:20 When we confess and repent, 40:22 God forgives. 40:23 >> Amen! 40:23 >> [ Chuckles ] 40:24 First service 40:25 was a little sluggish. 40:26 It's cold outside. 40:27 They struggled to get that 40:29 "amen" out of their mouths, but 40:30 I know they meant it in their 40:30 hearts. 40:31 So, let me 40:31 just say this one more time. 40:33 When we confess and repent, 40:34 God forgives. 40:35 >> Amen! 40:36 >> Amen! This is the foundation 40:37 here of the Gospel, is it not? 40:39 I mean, what a launching point. 40:40 God gives this to us freely and 40:41 together. 40:42 Just to remind us here, 40:43 you know, 1 John 1:9 -- 40:45 would you say this with me, 40:45 please? 40:58 And all God's people said... 40:59 >> Amen! 41:00 >> Amen. Amen. 41:03 You know, Ellen White, she talks 41:04 a great deal about this. 41:05 And I thought she described this 41:07 in a great way. 41:07 "Steps to Christ," 41:08 pages 36 and 37. 41:11 She says, "You cannot atone 41:12 for your past sins. 41:13 You cannot change your heart 41:15 and make yourself holy. 41:17 But God promises to do all this 41:20 for you through Christ. 41:22 You believe --" 41:23 And this is her emphasis 41:24 that's in here, not mine. 41:25 You believe that promise. 41:27 You confess your sins 41:28 and give yourself to God. 41:30 You will to serve Him. 41:32 Just as surely as you do this, 41:34 God will fulfill 41:35 His word to you. 41:36 If you believe the promise -- 41:37 believe that you are forgiven 41:38 and cleansed -- God supplies 41:40 the fact; you are made whole, 41:42 just as Christ 41:43 gave the paralytic power 41:45 to walk when the man believed 41:46 that he was healed. 41:47 It is so if you believe it." 41:51 Wow! And notice she's not 41:54 on a scale here. 41:55 It's not like, you know, 41:56 "The Faith Scale 1 to 10. 41:57 If you can just muster 41:58 a 6 on the Faith Scale, 42:00 then God will forgive you." 42:01 No, no, no, no. Just trust Him. 42:03 Believe in His promise. 42:04 He will do it. 42:07 In fact, she finishes with this. 42:09 "Do not wait to feel 42:11 that you are made whole, 42:13 but say, 'I believe it; 42:15 it is so, not because I feel it, 42:18 but because God has promised.'" 42:22 I tell you what -- 30 years 42:23 almost of doing this now, 42:24 and to me, this is probably 42:25 the biggest way -- 42:27 certainly one of the biggest, 42:28 if not the biggest ways 42:29 that people error. 42:31 When they have -- 42:32 when there's sin in their past, 42:34 big, small, whatever, 42:35 and they think that they 42:37 confessed and they went through 42:38 and they prayed, 42:39 but they don't feel it. 42:41 There was no lightning bolts, 42:42 you know, the sky didn't part, 42:43 and birds didn't begin to sing. 42:45 You know, all of this stuff. 42:46 "Well, I guess I'm not 42:46 forgiven." 42:48 No, no, no, no, no, no. 42:49 A thousand times no. 42:51 Jesus has promised 42:54 if we confess our sin, 42:56 He is faithful and just, 42:57 and He will forgive our sin 42:59 and cleanse us from all 43:00 unrighteousness. 43:02 God is a fact, not a feeling. 43:06 Forgiveness is a fact, 43:08 not a feeling. 43:11 When you confess your sin 43:12 and you repent, absolutely, 43:14 God forgives. 43:16 He's not looking for ways 43:17 to keep you out of the kingdom. 43:18 He's looking 43:18 for ways to bring you in. 43:20 And this is where it all begins. 43:22 Praise the Lord 43:22 that His promises are true 43:24 and can be trusted. 43:28 Now, as good as all of this is, 43:30 there are more blessings yet 43:31 to come, and we need 43:33 to get back into the story 43:34 with Peter here to see 43:35 what's going to happen next. 43:37 After an unspecified period 43:38 of time, Peter and some 43:40 of the other disciples head out 43:41 to the Sea of Galilee to fish. 43:45 Now, remember here, 43:46 there's been a couple of times 43:47 where they've seen Jesus. 43:48 They went to the empty tomb 43:49 a couple of times, seen Him, 43:50 and now they're 43:51 kind of in limbo. 43:52 You know, 43:54 marching orders here. 43:55 Jesus is not with them. 43:57 He's doing other things. 43:58 And, so, there's expenses. 44:00 Things need to be paid for. 44:01 Peter says, "Hey, let's go fish. 44:02 We know how to do that. 44:03 And then we'll buy clothes and 44:04 food, et cetera." 44:05 So they go to the north end 44:07 of the Sea of Galilee 44:08 to go fishing. 44:09 And I tell you what. 44:10 What a trip down 44:12 memory lane for the kingdom 44:14 this must have been. 44:17 I've been to that part 44:18 of Galilee, and, 44:20 I mean, it's just packed 44:21 with what Jesus did. 44:22 And for the disciples, Peter 44:24 and the others that were there, 44:24 this must have just been 44:25 amazing to see. 44:26 For instance, that very 44:28 shoreline was the place 44:29 where Jesus called them out of 44:30 their boats into his ministry. 44:33 The town of Capernaum 44:34 was probably just a stone's 44:35 throw away. 44:36 that northern shore of Galilee, 44:38 where Jesus had performed, 44:40 you know, these great miracles 44:41 and preached these marvelous 44:42 sermons. 44:43 The hill where the feeding 44:45 of the 5,000 took place -- 44:47 it was probably just over 44:48 the rise where they could 44:49 see there on the shore 44:50 of the Sea of Galilee. 44:52 And, of course, 44:53 this is the very body of water 44:55 where Jesus and Peter 44:57 for a little bit 44:59 walked on the water on that 45:02 night of the great storm. 45:04 I mean, what a place. 45:08 And, yet, all could not have 45:12 been well in the heart of Peter, 45:17 because even though Peter had 45:19 confessed and repented 45:20 and been forgiven by God -- 45:21 praise the Lord -- 45:23 Peter still knew that that 45:26 was not all he was created for. 45:30 In fact, let this sink in. 45:32 Peter, at this time, does not 45:34 know his status with regard 45:35 to -- key word here -- ministry 45:37 for Jesus. 45:39 Jesus has forgiven him, 45:40 but can Jesus still use him? 45:44 Can Peter ever work 45:46 with Jesus again? 45:47 Is he damaged goods? 45:50 Was his denial of Christ proof 45:53 that the Lord has no use for him 45:56 any longer? 46:01 And just to bring it down here 46:02 to the present, 46:05 have you felt that way before? 46:08 Maybe you're experienced 46:10 in spiritual things 46:11 and you believe in forgiveness 46:13 and you've confessed, 46:15 you've repented, 46:17 you've been forgiven, 46:19 but now you kind of wonder, 46:21 where does that leave you? 46:24 Are you going to be kept 46:24 at arm's length, 46:27 forever just outside 46:28 the inner circle? 46:31 What is Jesus 46:33 going to do with you? 46:38 Let's find out. 46:40 John 21:4. 46:43 Page 732 in your red Bible. 46:46 Page 732, John Chapter 21, 46:48 beginning with Verse 4. 46:50 The disciples 46:51 have, indeed, gone fishing. 46:52 They have gone fishing 46:53 all night, but they have 46:54 not caught a single fish. 46:57 The sun is beginning to come up 46:58 over the horizon. 47:00 Verse 4. 47:01 "Early in the morning, 47:03 Jesus stood on the shore. 47:06 But the disciples did not 47:08 realize that it was Jesus. 47:10 He called out to them, 'Friends, 47:13 haven't you any fish?' 47:15 'No,' they answered. 47:18 He said, 'Throw your net 47:19 on the right side of the boat, 47:21 and you will find some.' 47:24 When they did, they were unable 47:25 to haul the net in 47:27 because of the large 47:28 number of fish. 47:30 Then the disciple 47:31 whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 47:33 'It is the Lord.' 47:35 As soon as Simon Peter 47:36 heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' 47:37 he wrapped 47:37 his outer garment around him, 47:39 for he had taken it off, 47:40 and he jumped into the water." 47:47 A second point about God's plan 47:49 for your past is this. 47:52 When your past 47:53 is dragging you down, 47:56 swim towards Jesus. 47:59 When your past is dragging 48:01 you down, swim toward Jesus. 48:03 You know, whatever the negative 48:05 feelings were that Peter 48:06 was experiencing at that moment, 48:08 he now does precisely the right 48:09 thing and he ignores them, 48:12 for someone greater than 48:14 his feelings is now present. 48:16 Peter knows who it is who is 48:17 standing there on the shore. 48:18 It is Jesus. 48:20 And because it is Jesus, 48:22 that is where he is going 48:23 to go no matter what, 48:25 and so should you. 48:27 Because when 48:28 your past is dragging you down, 48:29 swim towards Jesus. 48:32 When your past is dragging 48:33 you down, pray to Jesus. 48:35 Even and especially when you 48:37 don't feel like praying to Him, 48:39 dive into those spiritually 48:40 murky waters and do it. 48:43 Open your Bible 48:44 and read it even when you don't 48:46 feel like reading it. 48:47 When your past 48:48 is dragging you down, 48:49 spend time with other 48:51 caring Christians, a small group 48:53 or a Sabbath school class, 48:54 even and especially when 48:55 you don't feel like doing so, 48:59 because when we do these things, 49:02 when we swim toward Jesus, 49:04 sooner or later, something 49:06 like this is going to happen. 49:09 Verse 9. 49:13 "When they landed, 49:15 they saw a fire of burning coals 49:18 there with fish on it 49:19 and some bread. 49:21 Jesus said to them, 49:23 'Bring some of the fish 49:24 you have just caught.' 49:27 Simon Peter climbed aboard 49:28 and dragged the net ashore. 49:29 It was full of large fish, 153, 49:32 but even with so many, 49:33 the net was not torn. 49:35 Jesus said to them, 49:36 'Come and have breakfast.' 49:40 None of the disciples 49:41 dared ask him, 'Who are you?' 49:44 They knew it was the Lord. 49:47 Jesus came, took the bread, 49:50 and gave it to them 49:52 and did the same with the fish." 49:56 A third thing to know about 49:57 God's plans for your past is 50:00 that if you swim toward Jesus, 50:02 He will feed you. 50:05 It is going to happen 50:07 sooner or later. 50:08 If you swim toward Jesus, 50:09 He will feed you. 50:11 In other words, the healing and 50:12 restoration process will begin. 50:15 It's going to happen sooner 50:16 or later. 50:17 The dryness will stop. 50:18 The gap will be bridged. 50:20 Now, we don't know exactly 50:22 what Peter was expecting 50:23 when he arrived on the shore 50:25 after his swim, 50:26 but we do know what he received. 50:28 He received food, sustenance. 50:31 He received energy 50:32 for the task ahead, 50:33 fuel for looking forward, 50:35 not backward. 50:38 You see, all sin harms us. 50:39 It may harm other people, too, 50:40 of course, but it inevitably 50:42 always harms us. 50:44 Forgiveness is, therefore, 50:45 not an end, but a beginning, 50:47 the beginning of the healing 50:48 that needs to take place. 50:51 And if we keep swimming towards 50:52 Jesus, we will find that 50:54 what looked like a mile 50:55 from shore is less. 50:59 What looked impossible 51:00 ends in a good meal 51:02 served by Jesus himself. 51:04 If we keep swimming, 51:05 the Word of God will once again 51:07 bear fruit in our lives. 51:08 Prayer will once again 51:09 seem alive. 51:10 Fellowship with others 51:11 will be reborn. 51:13 This will happen 51:15 if we keep swimming, for God 51:17 Himself is the one who has said, 51:19 "You will seek me 51:20 and you will find me 51:22 when you seek me 51:24 with all your heart." 51:28 And, yet, there is still more, 51:31 for even once 51:32 Peter has been fed, 51:34 Jesus has something 51:35 to say to him. 51:38 And this happens to be what is 51:39 surely one of the most beautiful 51:40 and encouraging passages 51:42 in all of the Bible. 51:45 Verse 15, please. 51:49 "When they had finished eating, 51:51 Jesus said to Simon Peter, 51:53 'Simon, son of John, 51:56 do you truly love me 51:57 more than these?'" 51:58 And probably sweeping with His 52:00 hand, looking at the other 52:01 disciples. 52:03 "'Yes, Lord,' he said. 52:05 'You know that I love you.' 52:08 Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.' 52:12 Again, Jesus said, 52:13 'Simon, son of John, 52:15 do you truly love me?' 52:18 He answered, 'Yes, Lord, 52:20 you know that I love you.' 52:23 Jesus said, 'Take 52:24 care of my sheep.' 52:27 The third time, He said to him, 52:29 'Simon, son of John, 52:31 do you love me?' 52:34 Peter was hurt because Jesus 52:36 asked him the third time, 52:37 'Do you love me?' 52:38 He said, 'Lord, 52:40 you know all things. 52:42 You know that I love you.' 52:45 Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep. 52:48 I tell you the truth. 52:49 When you were younger, 52:50 you dressed yourself 52:51 and went where you wanted. 52:53 But when you are old, 52:54 you will stretch out your hands, 52:55 and someone else will dress you 52:56 and lead you where you do not 52:57 want to go.' 52:58 Jesus said this to indicate 53:00 the kind of death by which 53:01 Peter would glorify God. 53:03 Then he said to him, 53:07 'Follow me.'" 53:13 A fourth part of God's plans 53:15 for your past is simply this. 53:20 God will call you back 53:25 into His service. 53:27 He will do it. 53:30 You know, we could go into 53:31 the very interesting linguistic 53:33 qualities of this passage. 53:34 There's some subtleties 53:35 in the Greek and the different 53:37 words for "Do you love me?" 53:38 and Peter's responses, 53:38 et cetera. 53:39 We could go into all of that. 53:40 It's very good. 53:41 But suffice it to say, 53:42 the overarching message here 53:44 is crystal-clear. 53:47 Jesus is reinstating Peter. 53:49 What else 53:51 And he does it three times. 53:53 No coincidence that Peter denied 53:56 Jesus three times. 53:58 The spirit of prophecy tells us 54:00 that Peter 54:01 and the other disciples, 54:02 to that point, considered 54:04 Peter to be beyond restoration. 54:08 They knew what he had done 54:10 in that courtyard when Jesus 54:11 was on trial. 54:12 In Jesus' hour, 54:13 arguably, of greatest need, 54:15 Peter had publicly denied 54:17 his Lord, 54:19 and the other disciples 54:20 and Peter were thinking 54:22 that Peter was done. 54:25 And here, Jesus says, three 54:27 times, "Feed my sheep. 54:31 Take care of my lambs. 54:33 Peter, I need you. 54:34 I still need you. 54:36 Come on back. 54:37 Let's do ministry 54:38 together again." 54:41 You see, forgiveness really 54:42 is just the beginning. 54:43 It is an opening of the door, 54:45 yes, to being healed, 54:46 and that healing ultimately 54:47 means being reinstated 54:49 with Christ and to once again 54:50 be a soldier 54:51 in the army of the Lord. 54:53 Now, it is true Jesus 54:55 may not call you back 54:56 to the same service 54:57 that you were doing before. 54:59 He did with Peter, but it may 55:00 not be the same for you. 55:01 There may be circumstances 55:02 that prevent that. 55:03 But that you are called back 55:05 into His service 55:06 in some profoundly 55:08 meaningful way is certain. 55:11 It is God's will for you. 55:13 He will make 55:13 just the right choice. 55:15 He will choose just the right 55:16 ministry or ministries for you, 55:18 and at the right time, 55:19 He will place you where you are 55:20 most suited and most needed, 55:23 and you will be back 55:24 by His side, 55:25 working together with Him again. 55:33 So, if you are listening to 55:34 these words right now 55:37 and your past is casting 55:39 a shadow over your present, 55:42 I just got to ask you, 55:44 what are you waiting for? 55:47 What are you waiting for? 55:49 God has plans for you. 55:52 If you don't have it yet, 55:53 ask for repentance. 55:55 Ask for repentance. 55:56 Pray that impossible prayer. 55:57 God will give it to you. 55:59 Confess your sin. Repent of it. 56:00 Christ is longing to forgive. 56:02 And then dive into that water. 56:03 Head towards the shore, 56:05 where Jesus has prepared 56:06 a nourishing meal for you. 56:07 He will feed and heal your soul. 56:09 And, yes, He is longing to call 56:11 you into his service once again, 56:13 cleansed, clear, and free. 56:16 You don't have to be suffocated 56:18 by the shadows of your past, 56:21 whether it's for cheating 56:22 on a spelling test 56:24 or for anything else, 56:26 for the blood of Jesus 56:28 is the divine eraser, 56:31 erasing our guilt, 56:33 removing it from us, 56:34 and opening the door to healing, 56:36 to health, and to ministry 56:37 again. 56:38 Praise the Lord 56:40 that God has such great plans 56:43 for our past. 56:44 >> Amen! 56:46 [ Applause ] 56:55 >> Hi, I'm Shane Anderson, 56:56 lead pastor at 56:57 Pioneer Memorial Church. 56:59 It's no news flash to say 57:00 that social media 57:01 has become an integral part 57:02 of our daily lives. 57:04 And here at Pioneer, we want 57:06 to use it to enrich our lives. 57:09 I invite you to connect with us 57:10 online by visiting the links 57:11 that are shown on the screen. 57:13 We are constantly sharing 57:15 inspiring content 57:17 that we believe can make a real 57:18 and positive difference 57:19 in your life. 57:21 So if you haven't already, 57:22 I encourage you to follow 57:23 and subscribe 57:24 to our social-media platforms. 57:26 Not only will you stay up 57:27 to date 57:30 but you will also be able to 57:31 engage with an online community 57:33 that shares a common belief, 57:34 experience, 57:35 and care for your well-being. 57:38 And by sharing our content, 57:40 you can help us reach even more 57:41 people with our message of hope 57:43 and love in Jesus. 57:45 Join us by creating a positive 57:46 impact online and making 57:48 a difference in the world. 57:51 Thank you, and we look forward 57:52 to connecting with you online. 58:00 ♪ |
Revised 2024-02-01