Beyond Sunday: Forgiveness Makes a Way
Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.
God is a God who forgives, offering us a way to redemption on this journey. We are invited to be active participants in the reconciling work God is doing in us and through us on this journey. Will we come and receive this forgiveness?
Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.
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00:00:01 [Music] okay hey guys welcome to Beyond Sunday we get to be in the same room today we're doing a prayer practice prayer practice later today get that out and so we get to record this in the same room so these aren't very often but we enjoy this time so a Shay how you doing good all right hey check out this video before we dive in heat heat [Music] [Music] all right so this week we are in this guided journey trusting the leader and in this one where was our main text or what was the big idea before we get
00:01:28 to the main text yeah we were talking about God being a God of forgiving and and how he makes a way for redemption through forgiveness yeah and so really we can see that through the whole story of scripture the whole arc of it from Genesis all the way to Revelation and how God is making a way for forgiveness to take place in in different ways through covenants and in the gospels through Jesus and then obviously Revelation and the coming again but what was some of our I don't know was there a main text you had
00:01:58 because we we here at C3 were kind of all over the place but was there a main text we were all over as well we use three I guess we use three main texts so Psalm we've been tracking this through the Psalms right so Psalm 32 but we also used Luke 15 and 2 Corinthians 5 which I think you Yes use as well so we started in in Psalm 32 and and that middle section there verse 5 then I acknowledge my sin to you and it did not cover up my iniquity i said "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord
00:02:31 and you forgave the guilt of my sin." Was really the crux of that that psalm and sort of the invitation of what God is in inviting the psalmist to what inviting us to right yeah and we kind of ended with that we started with Luke 15 and the prodigal story our our service was a little different because it was a family service for us this time so the kids everybody stayed in and so we just decided to like do things totally different and it was cool because we I I told everyone like "Okay I'm going
00:03:04 to teach this like I'm teaching kids church." so instead of bringing the kids into main service we're going to bring everybody else into kids church so that was fun because I got to use my children's pastor family pastors gifting so we had Legos all Legos and so we watched like a short story or a short video about the prodigal the cool thing is that I just put up posters one said God one said us and I was like "Okay you guys are actually going to help me figure out what we learn about
00:03:30 God and what we learn about ourselves in this story." and that was super cool to watch the congregation get involved and so I was running back writing things on the posters and listening to them call out and recognize like okay if we're the sons in this story there's two sons and which which son are we and which way do we need to ask for forgiveness or what's that look like and what's our posture like but then to hear them adults and kids calling out like what do we learn about the father in this story and things like
00:03:58 compassion and he was watching and he ran and his arms were open that that was a super cool thing just to hear them like okay help me draw this out of the text and yeah from that story that is we as we're learning about trusting this guide that's that's what we're seeing we're seeing a father who you know he's waiting he's he's waiting at the window watching for us and the second we're turning back he's like come on yeah but also too in that story in those parables the thread of celebration and
00:04:29 joy right the first parable of the lost sheep the next one to follow that the lost coin and in each one of those it ends with this there is celebration in heaven the angels are rejoicing with those who are repenting and coming back and and then really the the the fuller story in the lost son and the son coming back to the father and what that that interaction with the father and the son but the joy and the celebration the feast that's prepared and like the the father even even says like
00:05:00 rejoicing of the return of of of our son of my son so that piece of was where I was pulling out even on Sunday of the the celebration the joy the rejoicing that is taking place with being reconciled back into relationship with God into right relationship where once we were far far off or we were lost and we come back into relationship to God through Jesus that there is there is rejoicing yeah there is celebration and I don't want to miss I don't want to miss that and move on to just the I mean God is a
00:05:38 forgiving God when that takes place when we're right relationship there is such joy such celebration such rejoicing that takes place in heaven does it take place here right in my heart and my soul does it take place around me are we overjoyed and filled with joy when when those come come back or those say yes to Jesus to following him yeah well and I was thinking about that in the context of like when I've forgiven people or like it's easiest to think of with my kids right so they make the
00:06:07 wrong choice they're they're repentant and they apologize and typically it's like I mean I'm glad right so we're like "Yes thank you thanks for recognizing that you're forgiven we'll move on." But I'm not usually like "Let me make you the best meal you've ever had and buy you a new coat and give you like that that idea of that kind of celebration." we don't do but there is like this hey you recognized and you made a different choice you turned around you you you know whatever yeah and that is what we see in Psalm
00:06:43 32 because all joy is all throughout that so yeah like that thread and I I do I just think it's different even in myself when I've had to repent or ask for forgiveness I'm not usually like yay I had to do this but that's what David that's how David talks about it like right there is such celebration joy rejoicing so this doesn't typically happen when I when I preach but there is an image that came into my mind while I'm preaching and I didn't already plan for it but there is a picture that exists of me on
00:07:18 top of Mount Adams we were doing a hiking trip backpacking trip and at the beginning of this trip we were asked to pick up a rock and and we were going to put it in our pack and then go up to we were we were hiking to the smit of Mount Adams and we're to carry it with us and then at the smit we would leave it there and that rock represented just some weight or something we were carrying with us something that was weighing us down with the idea that we get to the smit we lay it down put it
00:07:48 at the smit at Mount Adams there's a cross of rocks or rocks that are in the shape of a cross that's up there already it's been added to for you know generations probably right so we we're we're selecting a rock and people are picking up like in your hand it could fit right or or like like smalish rock because they know they have to carry it they got to put it in their pack and this is like a few days hiking in up and then and then up and I pick up you were like you said a must for a day
00:08:28 i pick up an idiot right i'm 18 i pick up this db rock that's like this big hey 10 pounds yeah and in fact it doesn't fit in my pack should I carry it i had to I had these these small bags that you could like stuff different stuff in and then when you pull out of your pack you're only pulling out this one bag so you're having to unpack everything i had to get everything out of that i probably had I don't know like warm clothes or extra socks in that in that pouch pull everything out of that
00:08:58 put it in my bag and then put the rock in this pouch and then hang it on the outside of my bag and I had an a external frame and so I hung it on the the end piece that's up here and then every time I'd like trip on a route it hit smack me in the side of the face you didn't feel like I I don't know actually I can picture all of this this full on like I don't know what I was thinking like pennants I've just got yeah no like I'm young i'm strong no because it was like this represents like there's
00:09:32 something that you're carrying or it's heavy and yeah it must have been something big i don't know i'm just db this thing's smacking me all the way up the mountain as we're climbing up Mount Adams and then you know we get up there and we let it go or we put it down in the in the cross up there and on the way down I was like I'm so glad this thing's not smacking me in the face anymore but I I have a picture up on the top before I put it I put it down and I I had it had hit me it had gashed my face i was
00:10:08 bleeding and I didn't realize it till I'm up there and I was like what is going on so then I just took this and I wiped it on my on the rock the stone this boulder while everyone's taking river rocks they're like there you go that's sweet it's a skipping rock and I had put this on the rock and then laid it down but I had a picture it's the size of my head and it's next to me with obviously the view of the of the range behind me but like yeah that is what I had carried up there and so as I'm preaching
00:10:43 on Sunday that's the visual that came to mind like there are there are are things in times in which I personally am like carrying something with me that God's not asking me to or I have attached it to myself that God's like "Yeah that's not a weight I've asked you to carry I'm not asking you to work for this i'm asking you to receive it will you receive the forgiveness I'm offering through my son i'm not asking you to climb up a mountain and and and go through something hard carrying this
00:11:12 weight." That's not what I'm inviting you to but as a 18-year-old and as I'm preaching yesterday that's the visual that came to mind like "No I I have wiped this away." Yeah it no longer exists it's like we we we went back to to the Joshua story as they cross the Jordan and go into the promised land before they go to the city of Jericho and and you know march around it and and take victory there it's like "No I'm going to wipe away what you have." So you're not carrying into the promised land Egypt you're not carrying
00:11:45 in slavery you're not carrying in all the all the baggage that you've brought in here i'm going to wipe it away and so part of that was this the circcision you're going to carry this promise this covenant with you but in here you're going to you're going to look different you're going to be mine in this space i'm going to I'm going to I'm going to roll away what you have carried with you from Egypt and that was the visual that came to mind even yesterday like yeah I'm not asking you to to to carry it up i'm asking you to
00:12:12 do the hard work i'm asking you to receive it let me roll it away all you have to do is set it down you set it down let me roll it away and it will it will be gone from his memory it'll be gone from existence yet there are still things I maybe hold on to that I shouldn't or God's not asking me to or even to be reminded of so that was the visual in my head as I'm preaching that I don't I didn't have even prepare for that's even today of yeah as I look back and think yeah there was that there was
00:12:44 that moment God I I took something on he didn't ask me to it was heavier than it should have been and and I learned a lesson and it's still with me and it's still look it's still you know just just a few years later few years past 18 you know that people can see this isn't just audio they can see you thank you thanks for reminding me you're welcome But in that vein or or similarly because the illustration that we used for for Psalm 32 especially in that verse 5 that talks about so so the New Living Version says finally I
00:13:20 confessed all my sins to you and stop trying to hide my guilt i said to myself I will confess my rebellion to the Lord and you forgave me all my guilt is gone so at the very start of service before we started anything I had all the kids come up and I had like a bucket of Legos and I was like "Pick a Lego out just one Lego." Like "All right." So some of them are like picking a big thing and you know whatever and I was like "Great now put it in your shoe." And they're like "What?" I was like "Take your foot out." Because some of
00:13:44 them were just trying to tuck it inside take your foot out put it in your shoe and put your shoe on so then they're limping and I was like "Just leave it we'll come back to it but just keep it in your shoe today." So they're limping back so all through worship all through the whole thing they've got this Lego in their shoe and if you've stepped on a Lego that's terrible right well spikes through the heel right well so I don't know like Harley's was like as big as his shoe kase picked a little tiny
00:14:07 like lightsaber thing so he left out but then later on as we were in Psalm 32 I was like "Okay kids come back up here." And it's great because our kids are super dramatic so they're literally like limping to the stairs dragging dragging his leg with him practically i'm like "Oh my gosh." And I was like "Hey is that very comfortable?" no absolutely not and then Kase and this is such a like if you do a lot of illustrations you know that sometimes they just don't work and then sometimes they work better than you could imagine
00:14:38 right this was one of those so thank thank you Lord for that but I was like okay like how how's it felt all morning and some of them are like it's awful it hurts like I can't even stand case goes I got used to it and I was like and in that moment I even said out loud I go "Oh God is talking to me right now through this kid." Because the the idea of that illustration like what what is the sin the guilt the thing that we're carrying around that is making us walk with a limp right god's like your
00:15:05 rock you're God's like you could put it down anytime you could put it down anytime you could take the Lego out of your shoe and we're like trying to hold on to it we think it's hidden in our shoe whatever that idea and so the the illustration I was going with was like "Hey once you take this Lego out it's like ah like it feels so good and and God's forgiven." But Kase's comment of like "I got used to mine." I was like "There are things in my life." there's big sins that I'm walking with a
00:15:31 limp that's very obvious like God take this from me i need forgiveness but there are things that I'm like kind of got used to that one it's actually okay i've just tucked that one away yeah and man in real time in that moment I was like "Oh this is this is not comfortable." Especially not like right here God but yeah I was like there sometimes those are harder because I'm like that's not that uncomfortable like I'm pretty used to it and then I was like okay guys take it out of your shoe
00:15:57 i'm like doesn't that feel better and Noel goes it does feel better but I can still feel it a little bit and again I was like yes I didn't plan for that but man sometimes you do like it does leave a mark but and I was like it leaves a mark for us but God's like you're you're good i I don't look at you that way anymore i don't see you that way anymore and that idea of of even in the psalm here of like you forgave me and all my guilt is gone yeah and like new and and we get to live in that identity new
00:16:23 creation right which is new identity which takes us to second Corinthians second Corinthians 5 where Paul is reminding us that this reconciled opportunity or act that Christ is is inviting us into we get to live as a new creation new identity and and it's like with even like it doesn't feel that it doesn't hurt that bad i got used to it like deferred treatment you got some issue going on you're like I'll be fine i'll just Yeah I'll deal with it when it gets worse or if I have to if
00:16:54 I have to deal deal with it long enough then maybe I'll I'll do something about it well and there's something too about like if I'm if we're being really honest there's something about like okay these are the big sins that that again I don't know make me walk with a limp is the easiest way for me to like describe that but the big ones that were like I know this is wrong i know I need to root this out other people can see this in me whatever but those little things that like I can get by i think I'm doing pretty good
00:17:23 maybe they're out of sight out of mind even for me but certainly other people aren't seeing them and I just like Yeah in that moment I was like "Oh oh those ones are actually harder." Yeah yeah but and and God's the same god's like I see it the same god's the same invitation same yes i I come to me confess and I will forgive you i will wipe it clean because then it's a it's a heart it's a heart posture when we come confessing repentant hble Lord forgive me of my sins god is the same in in his response and who he is
00:18:03 and I think that's what and we'll get it well I suppose we'll we'll wrap into this but like that's where I'm landing like God is the same in in in his response a forgiving God of who he is and his nature and character and it's and that's been my reminder is like will you just receive right like I've been asking you to work harder right to get forgiveness I just inviting you to receive like the son coming back to the father like I don't deserve to be in your household if I'm a slave here at
00:18:34 least I have some meals I'm not eating with the pigs right and the father wraps his arms around like God the Father wrapping his arms around us yeah like come right back into the full back into the family yeah and I think like even in that I just imagine I imagine that son like yeah I you know I've sinned he I sinned against heaven and earth I think is what he says and he's like you I don't deserve I don't deserve this and I imagine the the dad is like just just I've got a party ready i've been waiting
00:19:07 and that idea of like and then and then not only that but like you're back in you're back into your place your position in this household in this home and I think that's 2 Corinthians 5 for me is that idea of like the old life is gone the new you have this new life and in that you get to be my ambassador you get to be you get to partner with me in reconciliation the things you've done the sin you've committed they don't disqualify you like it's not like okay you're forgiven but now you're a half
00:19:37 like you only get this much god's like "Welcome back." Yeah here we are here's what we're doing yeah fully fully fully restored fully reconciled yeah and like the I've got a party and there's work waiting for you right and a testimony that Well that I mean the work is like can we live this reconciled life well the work of like I guess partnership the work of like hey here I am i I've been putting the world back together help me yeah Yeah your your life testifies to the work I'm doing so
00:20:06 live that right that's the sort of invitation for me is be ambassadors where I'm in the spaces I'm going I'm living a reconciled life and and calling attention to it i've been redeemed reconciled back in relation because of Christ Jesus yeah and so my life I want to testify i want my life to testify to that yeah well and there's it was at the the end of 32 I think Yeah so 328 the Lord says "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life i will advise you and watch over you." and
00:20:38 that idea of like when we when we seek forgiveness and understand this this God who is like "Yeah I'm making a way for redemption." Then it's like you and I guess that's what I mean there's not this like half like "Okay I forgive you but you you're over there." He's like "Now I speak to you i guide you whatever." And that was the this idea we had built a like a tower out of Legos and I had the kids come up and just like "Okay destroy this tower." And then I was like "Now put it back together." And they were like and I
00:21:07 was like "Here that idea of God God makes his kingdom." And then essentially we're like "Your kingdom's great but we're going to try to make our own right that's the this beginning of of our story unfortunately we spend the rest of forever trying to make our own kingdom or figure out." And God's like "I'm building this back up i I am putting this world back together will you help me and also here's the booklet that tells you how to build this tower like here's how you do it and that idea of like I'm called to reconcile but like
00:21:36 you're saying this is not some like I have to figure it out on my own god's like just show up and and represent the way that the way that I am in this world the way that you've seen me and he says verse 10 unfailing love surrounds those who trust in the Lord and that also struck me while I was preaching yesterday it was like unfailing love is not for those who haven't sinned it's not for those who have like faultless records or even or even like those who have already repented and actively like
00:22:07 sought forgiveness like unfailing love for those who trust the Lord and I was like man I I told them yesterday I was like even in this moment God is showing me some things I need to work on and so I can't stand here blameless but I can stand here trusting God which means unfailing love yeah and then and then the psalmist at the end of 32 ends it this way rejoice in the Lord and be glad you're you you righteous seeing all who you are upright in heart yeah and that's part of this like this is what
00:22:35 God does he he allows us to stand before him it's it's the work of Christ that allows us even to be in the throne room of heaven and and and commune and be in the presence of God and that's the invitation it gives us like Yeah we just post our how we're how we're turning posturing oursel coming to closer to God and God's running out there meeting us right that's good so good so as we wrap this one up what's the what's the kairos what's God saying and how is he inviting you to respond yeah so that's
00:23:05 that's what I I already shared that idea of like okay where where are the things that you've gotten used to where's the sin that you're like yeah I kind of got used to that and and then that ties into that what I just said about trust this idea God's like "Will you trust me with those things that you've gotten used to and trust that my love does not fail?" yeah so I'm taking some Legos with my shoes over here yeah the flat ones or the lightsabers i know it's in there but just push it to the side a little bit it's
00:23:37 Yeah how about you I I think mine's also what what I shared but the there's this it's it's innate in me like that servant's heart just working to to serve and and but I've skewed it in ways where I I thought that it was going to be needed for something God was going to offer like working toward for forgiveness working for God's love right I mean it's it's can be han nature but it's innate in me where it's like there is there is something to be done i'm a doer right but also a servant's heart so
00:24:13 the the idea of like okay I'm doing this for you God he's like I didn't ask you to and there is there is conviction there for me of like it's not that I can't do that but if my if my focus or my intention if my heart posture is one to I do this so I can receive or I can gain access it's like you've already got it and I just I want to give it so abundantly and so graciously extravagantly i just I I want to throw a piece for you not because you've done anything but because you're mine yeah that resonates because
00:24:55 essentially what you're talking about is is it's almost like he's like you you misunderstood who I am you you don't you don't understand me i I don't actually work that way and I was listening to a podcast on the way down about fasting and the guy was talking about exactly that and part of the the benefit I think is the word he used one of the benefits of fasting is that it helps us reorient and remind ourselves like who like what is the nature and character of God that I've mismanaged and decided I need to perform
00:25:24 for or whatever where God's like you thought you had to come back and offer yourself as a servant in my household i've got a party a feast waiting for you yes yes so that's my my kairos and living into that reality and truth of who God is and who I am because of him yeah so that's not a like I'm still learning it's probably an ongoing but yeah it's not a one-off like "Hey I've arrived." But here's the beautiful thing god's like waiting at the window for every time you get a little more
00:25:55 understanding yeah and it's a beautiful well thanks for joining with us guys and we hope and pray and trust that you're having these conversations beyond Sunday and what you're hearing from God and putting it into practice so have a great week [Music]
