God Loves Imperfect People

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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:33.360 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:36.400 Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:39.399 the ministry. If you enjoyed today's MESSI, why don't you 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:41.600 be a blessing and share it with a friend. We 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:45.119 appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. 0:01:49.720 --> 0:01:52.480 God bless you such a joy to come into your 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:55.640 homes and you're ever in our area. Please stop buying 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:58.160 be a part of one of our services. I promise 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:00.480 you'll will make you feel right at home. I say 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:04.000 it often. These are the finest people in all of Houston, Texas. 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:05.880 Right here at Lakewood. Come out and fee. 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:10.440 Thanks for tuning in. Thank you again for coming out today. 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:12.760 And I like to start with something funny. And I 0:02:12.800 --> 0:02:15.920 heard about this minister that died. And he was standing 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:18.840 in line at the Pearly gates. The man in front 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:21.960 of him was dressed in a loud T shirt, blue jeans, 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:22.919 and sunglasses. 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:25.120 Saint Peter said, sir, what's your name? 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:29.760 He said, Joe Cohen, I'm a taxicab driver, New York City. 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:33.960 Peter checked his list, handed him a gold staff and 0:02:34.040 --> 0:02:37.520 a silk robe, and said, welcome to Heaven. The minister 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:40.680 stepped up said my name is Reverend Joseph Snow. 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:43.400 I'm the pastor of Saint Mary's Cathedral. 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:47.000 Peter checked his list and handed him a wooden staff 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:48.679 and a cotton robe. 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:50.360 Hey, wait a minute, this is not fair. 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:53.560 The taxicab driver got a gold staff a silk robe. 0:02:53.560 --> 0:02:56.440 How could that be? Peter said, sir. Up here, we 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:57.520 work by results. 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:01.920 When you preached, people slept, but when he drove, people prayed. 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:06.560 Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it. 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:10.079 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:12.960 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.680 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:19.640 talked the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:03:19.720 --> 0:03:23.000 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:28.079 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:28.120 --> 0:03:32.360 to talk to you today about how God loves imperfect people. 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:35.760 Most of the time, we believe God loves us. 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:37.520 As long as we're making. 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:42.720 Good decisions, resisting temptation, treating people right. We know God 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:45.840 loves us. We know he's on our side. But the 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:49.440 problem with this kind of reasoning is we all make mistakes. 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:53.080 No matter how good of a person you are, there 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:57.320 will be times that you don't perform perfectly, times that 0:03:57.360 --> 0:04:01.000 you have doubts, times that you fail. You know you 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:02.560 should bite your tongue, but. 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:05.360 You told them off anyway. You said it'd be the 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:06.520 last time. 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:10.280 But you gave in to compromise once again. When we 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:13.920 don't perform perfectly, it's easy to think that God is 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:15.200 far from us. 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:16.320 I blew it. 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:19.200 God would never have anything to do with me. Have 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:22.000 people ask me all the time, Joel, will you pray 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:25.040 for me. I know God would never hear my prayers, 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:28.119 not with the life I've lived, the mistakes I've made. 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:33.719 I say this respectfully, but sometimes religion pushes people down. 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.800 It says if you turn your back on God, God 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:41.360 will turn his back on you. If you make poor choices, 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:43.240 don't expect God to bail you out. 0:04:43.480 --> 0:04:44.920 It was your own fault. 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:49.000 Now, the truth is, when you fall, God doesn't turn 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:49.719 away from you. 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:51.680 He comes running towards you. 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:54.680 When you blow it, God doesn't say too bad, you 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:58.520 had your chance. He comes after you with a greater passion. 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:02.360 I heard somebody he say, when you make a mistake, 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:06.320 God doesn't love you the same. He loves you a 0:05:06.360 --> 0:05:10.120 little bit more, so much so that he pursues you. 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:12.120 He'll turn up the intensity. 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:15.599 He won't leave you alone until he sees you restored 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:18.800 and back on the right course. In other words, God 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:21.280 will express his love in a greater way. 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:23.000 He'll send people. 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:27.440 Across your path to encourage you to help reignite your faith. 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:31.080 Or maybe out walking through the neighborhood you hear the 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:34.880 church bells ringing, You feel a warmness on the inside. 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:39.039 That's the mercy of God coming after you, saying you 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:42.320 may have blown it, but you're still my child. You 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:44.720 may have let me down, but I'm not gonna let 0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:47.919 you down. You may have lost faith in me, but 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:51.359 I haven't lost faith in you. Friends, we don't have 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:55.359 to have a perfect performance where we never have a doubt, 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:59.560 we never make a mistake, and certainly we should try 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:02.520 our best each day to honor God. But what I'm 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:06.040 saying is, don't beat yourself up if you don't perform 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:11.800 perfectly all the time. God loves imperfect. People think about 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:17.240 Peter before Jesus chose him to become a disciple. Jesus 0:06:17.360 --> 0:06:21.400 knew that Peter would deny him, but he chose him anyway. 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:26.039 God knows every mistake that we will ever make. All 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:28.960 of our days have been written in his book, from 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.839 the beginning to the end. God knows every time will fail, 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:36.520 every time we'll take the easy way out, every time 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:40.320 you'll lose your temper. The good news is God still 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:45.200 chose you. He still says that's my child, and He'll. 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:47.200 Still help you fulfill your destiny. 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:51.800 Why because God's love is not based on our performance, 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:53.920 It's based on our relationship. 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:55.279 We are his children. 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:59.480 When Jesus was about to be crucified. He said to Peter, 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:03.800 you will deny me three times before the rooster crows tonight. 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:08.719 Peter said, no, Jesus, I'm your most faithful disciple. I'll 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:11.560 stick with you through thick and thin to the very end. 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:16.000 They're arrested Jesus. Peter was watching it all take place 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:19.120 from a distance. A young lady came over and pointed 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:23.000 at Peter and said, he's one of his followers. I've 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:26.760 seen this man with Jesus. Peter said, no, ma'am, you've 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:27.360 got it wrong. 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:30.800 You're mistaken. I don't know the man. He denied him once. 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:32.680 It happened a second time. 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:36.720 The third time, the girl came over, even more emphatically, 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:40.280 said to the guards, I know he's one of his followers. 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:44.960 I'm certain that i've seen this man with Jesus. This time, 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:49.600 Peter got upset, started cursing, swearing, girl, what are you 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:53.040 talking about. You're making all this up. I've never seen 0:07:53.080 --> 0:07:54.640 the man right on. 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:56.400 Que the rooster crowed. 0:07:57.320 --> 0:08:01.120 Jesus looked over at Peter, their eyes a man. You 0:08:01.200 --> 0:08:05.760 can imagine how Peter must have felt when Jesus needed 0:08:05.840 --> 0:08:09.280 him the most, when he was at his lowest moment, 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:13.160 if he ever needed a friend to stick up for him. 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:15.720 It would have been right then. But Peter didn't do it. 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:19.200 The scripture says Peter went out. 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:19.880 And wept bitterly. 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:25.560 He felt ashamed, No doubt, he was beating himself up, thinking, Peter, 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:28.320 what is wrong with you? How could I be such 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:33.679 a coward. Not long after that, they crucified Jesus. Peter 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:36.960 never had a chance to make things right. He never 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:39.160 had the chance to say, Jesus, I'm sorry. 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:42.120 I blew it. I promise you I'll be there for 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:43.080 you next time. 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:47.439 He had to carry the guilt, the heaviness of betraying 0:08:47.480 --> 0:08:50.160 his friend, the Messiah, whom. 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:50.840 He dearly loved. 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:55.559 And we've all made mistakes, we've all failed, but none. 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:57.920 Of us have failed as big as Peter. 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:02.000 None of us have denied Christ when he needed us 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:03.400 the most, when he was. 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:04.640 About to be crucified. 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:08.480 You would think that Peter would have missed his destiny. 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:12.480 Surely God wouldn't have anything to do with him. No, 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:15.960 when you make a mistake, God doesn't turn away from you. 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:19.520 He turns to you. He doesn't love you less, he 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:23.720 loves you more. He comes after you. They crucified Jesus. 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:24.320 On Friday. 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:28.480 Sunday morning, Mary went to the tomb to check on 0:09:28.559 --> 0:09:32.319 his body. When she arrived, she noticed that the stone 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:36.000 was rolled away. She went in and the angel appeared, 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:37.760 said Mary, don't be afraid. 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:40.680 Jesus is not here. He has risen. 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:46.280 Now go tell his disciples and Peter that he is alive. 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:50.360 Out of all the people in the world God could 0:09:50.360 --> 0:09:54.240 have mentioned at this historic time, the only person he 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:59.320 specifically pointed out was Peter. God was saying, Peter, I 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:02.040 know you think I'm disappointed in you and I'll never 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:03.000 have anything. 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:03.319 To do with you. 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:06.760 But Peter, that's not who I am. I'm the God 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:10.880 of another chance. When you fall, I come running towards you. 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:15.160 When you turn your back on me, I don't turn 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:19.920 my back on you. On this resurrection Sunday, God is 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:22.680 saying to all the people that have fallen, the people 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:26.040 that have made mistakes, I'm not only alive, but I 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:29.319 still love you, I still believe in you. If you'll 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:33.319 let go of the guilt and move forward, I'll still. 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:34.880 Get you to where you're supposed to be. 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:40.160 Now you've got to do your part and receive God's mercy. 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:43.360 If Peter would have listened to the accusing voices and 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:45.520 gone around beating himself up. 0:10:45.920 --> 0:10:47.640 He would have gotten stuck where he was. 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:53.319 I can imagine when he heard Mary say, Peter, the 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:57.720 angel specifically said to tell you that Jesus is alive. 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:01.280 He said, Mary, did he really call my Yes, he. 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:02.240 Said, tell Peter. 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:07.360 Peter heard that something ignited on the inside. He shook 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:10.600 off the guilt, He shook off the self pity said, 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:13.079 I may have blown it in the past, but that 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:15.000 doesn't have to keep me from my future. 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:16.440 I'm still going. 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:20.720 To become what God's created me to be. Not long 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:24.560 after that, Peter went out and ministered, and three thousand 0:11:24.600 --> 0:11:27.840 people came to know the Lord, the most ever recorded 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:31.640 in the scripture. It would have never happened if Peter 0:11:31.760 --> 0:11:35.920 didn't understand this principle. God doesn't write us off when 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:40.520 we make mistakes. God doesn't cancel our destiny because we'd 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:44.160 taken a few detours. Some of you today you're kind 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:46.920 of down on yourself because you're not where you thought 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:50.439 you'd be in life. You've made some poor choices. Now 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:54.760 you're letting the guilt weigh you down. That heaviness is 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:59.120 keeping you from God's best. But just like God specifically 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:04.480 called Peter's name, he's calling your name today, saying tell John, 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:10.000 tell William, tell Ricardo, tell Shannon, tell Maria. I've forgiven them. 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:14.200 I'm not disappointed in them. I'm not withholding my blessing. 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:17.320 I still have an amazing future in front of them. 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:21.720 God is calling your name today. He's running towards you. 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:25.560 In the scripture, it talks about the God of Abraham, 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:28.600 the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. I 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:32.280 can understand how he's the God of Abraham. Abraham is 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:36.040 the father of our faith. I can understand how he's 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:40.440 the God of Isaac. Isaac was extremely obedient, even willing 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.800 to be sacrificed. But when it says he's the God 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:47.760 of Jacob, that doesn't make a lot of sense. Jacob 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:51.960 was a cheater. He went around deceiving people. He stole 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:56.440 his brother's birthright. Jacob was known for making poor choices. 0:12:56.920 --> 0:13:00.880 Yet God is called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:04.920 What was God saying, I'm not just the God of 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:08.280 perfect people. I'm not just the God of people that 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:11.560 never make a mistake. I'm the God of people that 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.640 have failed. I'm the God of people that have blown it. 0:13:15.040 --> 0:13:17.640 I'm the God of people that have had a rough past. 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:23.320 It's interesting. Later in Jacob's life he changed his ways, 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:27.319 he got his life straightened out. God changed his name 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:32.360 from Jacob to Israel. That was to signify his new beginning. 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:35.599 God could have been known as the God of Abraham, 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:37.200 Isaac and Israel. 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:39.320 That seems to make more sense. 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:43.320 That was his new name once he was restored and redeemed. 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:48.080 No God on purpose left it as the God of Abraham, 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:52.480 Isaac and Jacob to forever settle it that I'm not. 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:55.480 Just the God of perfect people. I'm the God of 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:56.760 imperfect people too. 0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:02.080 Now you may have made mistakes, but be encouraged. He's 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:05.480 the God of Jacob. He's still your God. You may 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:10.320 have lost your temper, struggle with an addiction, compromise your integrity, 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:11.640 don't beat yourself up. 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:14.520 He's the God of Jacob. He's your God too. 0:14:15.640 --> 0:14:17.520 In the Book of John, there was a lady that 0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:20.840 had been married five times. She was living with the 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:24.200 sixth man. You can imagine the heartache and pain that 0:14:24.240 --> 0:14:27.200 she had gone through. I'm sure she felt beaten down 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:32.480 by life, not really living, just existing. Jesus was about 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:36.120 to travel to another city and told his disciples, I 0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:40.920 must go through Samaria. They said, no, Jesus, that's the 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:41.720 long way. 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.880 There's a short cut. There's a much quicker route. They 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:45.360 tried to. 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:48.480 Talk him out of it. He said, no, you don't understand. 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:52.600 I must go through Samaria. There's a woman there that 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:56.160 feels condemned. She's about to give up on life. 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:57.240 I must go. 0:14:57.560 --> 0:15:01.200 Expressed by love, I've got an inc get her back 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:02.120 on the right course. 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:05.360 She was known as the woman at the well. 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:09.320 Do you know the first person that Jesus revealed himself 0:15:09.360 --> 0:15:13.240 to as the Messiah was not the religious leaders, was 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:16.520 not the priest and the rabbis in the synagogue. It 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:20.880 was this woman, a woman that had made mistakes, a 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:24.720 woman that was beaten down by life and imperfect person 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:28.920 that one encounter changed her life. But too many people 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:33.040 like her are sitting on the sidelines of life. They 0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:36.240 feel like they've blown it too many times, they've failed, 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:40.880 they haven't measured up. Now they're letting the accusing voices 0:15:41.000 --> 0:15:45.680 convince them that they're all washed up. God's disappointed in them. 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:48.960 You can't expect God's favor. Now, you've got to get 0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:52.680 this truth down into your spirit. You may have made mistakes. 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:56.040 God is not running from you. He's running to you. 0:15:56.440 --> 0:16:00.840 He doesn't love you less, He loves you more, expressing 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:02.840 his love to you today. 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:06.000 You wouldn't be hearing this if God wasn't reaching out 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:06.400 to you. 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:10.200 Now, get rid of the guilt, shake off the condemnation, 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.320 quit thinking about what could have been, what should have been, 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:15.040 and get back in the game. 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.080 You're not supposed to sit on the sidelines. Let me 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:18.480 tell you. 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:22.720 God is not disappointed in you. Nothing you've done is 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:25.480 a surprise to God. Now you've got to do your 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:30.520 part and start moving forward. You can still fulfill your destiny. 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:34.240 God's mercy is bigger than any mistake that you've made. 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:39.000 The scripture talks about how God searches the earth to 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:43.920 show himself strong in people whose hearts are turned perfect 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:47.680 toward him. It doesn't say that God's looking for a 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:48.840 perfect performance. 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:49.640 Now. 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:53.000 God is looking for people that have a heart that's 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:56.600 turned perfect toward him. That means if you get up 0:16:56.640 --> 0:17:00.640 each day with the desire to please God deep you 0:17:00.680 --> 0:17:04.800 really want to honor him, then like Peter, you will 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:08.280 have times that you fail. You wanted to resist, but 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:11.880 you gave in the good news is that does not. 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:13.800 Cancel your destiny. 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:17.639 Your performance may not be perfect, but because your heart 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:21.199 is perfect toward God, he still has something amazing in 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:24.920 your future. No matter what you've done. Don't go around 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:29.440 beating yourself up. You can't change the past. Learn from 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.960 your mistakes, but don't get stuck there. Keep moving forward. 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.840 Receive God's mercy. Be bold enough to say, God, I 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:39.760 blew it. I know I was wrong. I should have 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:43.480 done better. But God, I know you're not holding it 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:47.440 against me. I know you're not just the God of Abraham. 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.719 You're the God of Jacob too, the God of imperfect people. 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:54.240 When Thomas heard that Jesus had risen. 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:57.959 From the grave and people had seen him alive, everyone 0:17:58.160 --> 0:18:04.199 was so excited. Everyone that is, except Thomas. He was 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:08.000 more practical, more logical. He said, guys, if you want 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:11.680 to believe, that's fine, but not me. A man can't 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:14.640 be dead for three days and come back to life. 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:16.879 I'm not going to believe unless I see it with 0:18:16.920 --> 0:18:19.560 my own eyes. I want to see the nail prints 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:20.400 in his hands. 0:18:21.160 --> 0:18:21.440 Now. 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:24.760 Thomas had spent just as much time with Jesus as 0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:28.240 the other disciples, yet they were full of faith. They 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:32.040 were all believers. Thomas was full of doubt. He had 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:35.080 all these questions. One day they were in a room 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:38.760 together and Jesus came walking through the doors. 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:40.520 They nearly passed out. 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:45.199 What's interesting is Jesus didn't go over to Andrew and 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:47.840 say Andrew, I made it. He didn't walk over to 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:49.680 Matthew give him a big hug. 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:52.800 Jesus walked right to Thomas. 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:56.760 Bypassed all the people that had faith and went to 0:18:56.840 --> 0:18:58.840 the one person in the room. 0:18:58.800 --> 0:18:59.600 That had doubt. 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:03.840 He didn't chew him out, say Thomas, what's wrong with you? No, 0:19:04.000 --> 0:19:07.240 he said, Thomas, I know you don't believe. I know 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:11.640 you have doubts, you have questions. And Thomas, that's okay, 0:19:11.920 --> 0:19:16.120 I understand. That's why I came to you first. Now 0:19:16.200 --> 0:19:19.320 feel the nail prints in my hand, Feel the. 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:23.440 Scars in my side. Notice the pattern. 0:19:24.240 --> 0:19:27.800 When you have doubts like Thomas, when you blow it, 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:31.040 like Peter, when you fail, like the woman that was 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:34.720 married five times. We think God is so far away from. 0:19:34.680 --> 0:19:36.879 Us, it's just the opposite. 0:19:37.119 --> 0:19:40.439 God came to the people that had doubt before he 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:43.400 came to the people that had faith. See, we try 0:19:43.400 --> 0:19:45.880 to put God in this box and tell God who 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:48.240 to save and who to bless, and who to forgive 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:49.000 and who to heal. 0:19:49.440 --> 0:19:50.480 The longer I. 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:54.920 Live, the more I realize God's ways are not our ways. 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:58.800 God will save the most unlikely people. He will show 0:19:58.920 --> 0:20:03.399 mercy when we think they deserve judging it. Sometimes God 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:06.359 will bypass the people with faith to go to the 0:20:06.359 --> 0:20:11.000 one person that has doubt. It's because God never writes 0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:15.480 us off. God doesn't judge us the way people judge. 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:19.399 God understands when you make a mistake. He understands when 0:20:19.480 --> 0:20:23.680 you have doubt. It's interesting Thomas doubted this one time 0:20:24.160 --> 0:20:28.159 and he became known as doubting Thomas probably wasn't a 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:31.080 week or two of his life, yet people labeled him 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:35.119 a doubter. The good news is God doesn't judge you 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:39.439 by one mistake. We call him doubting Thomas. You know 0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:45.280 what God calls him believing Thomas, forgiven, Thomas, redeemed, Thomas restored, Thomas, 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:49.960 Amazing Thomas. What we don't hear much about is Thomas 0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:53.600 went on to touch all of India. He's credited as 0:20:53.640 --> 0:20:56.199 being the one that brought the good news to that 0:20:56.560 --> 0:20:57.160 entire nation. 0:20:57.960 --> 0:20:58.120 Now. 0:20:58.160 --> 0:21:01.040 You may have struggled with an addiction whole life, but 0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:05.520 know this, God is not judging you by that one setback. 0:21:06.119 --> 0:21:10.960 Get rid of that negative label. Maybe you've failed in business, 0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:14.040 bluer relationship, did something you're not proud of. 0:21:14.560 --> 0:21:16.959 Don't let that become your identity. 0:21:17.320 --> 0:21:22.680 Stop seeing yourself as doubting Thomas, addicted Thomas, undisciplined Thomas, 0:21:22.800 --> 0:21:23.760 failing Thomas. 0:21:23.880 --> 0:21:25.200 Now you've got to turn it around. 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:30.159 Start seeing yourself as blessed Thomas, free Thomas, redeemed, Thomas, 0:21:30.200 --> 0:21:36.280 successful Thomas. Too often we get our performance mixed up 0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:40.160 with our identity. In other words, you may have failed, 0:21:40.600 --> 0:21:41.960 but you are not a failure. 0:21:42.520 --> 0:21:45.399 That's what you did. That's not who you are. You 0:21:45.480 --> 0:21:47.480 are a child of the most high God. 0:21:47.760 --> 0:21:51.600 You've been handpicked by the creator of the universe. You 0:21:51.680 --> 0:21:54.880 may struggle with an addiction, but you are not an addict. 0:21:55.359 --> 0:21:58.280 That's what you did. That's not who you are. You 0:21:58.320 --> 0:22:01.080 are free, you are clean, you are restored. 0:22:01.600 --> 0:22:06.840 Now don't go around dwelling on your past mistakes. Quit 0:22:07.000 --> 0:22:11.359 replaying all the times that you've failed, the times you 0:22:11.440 --> 0:22:14.440 gave in the temptations, the time you blew the relationship, 0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:15.880 the time it didn't work out. 0:22:16.359 --> 0:22:18.880 All that's going to do is depress you. 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:21.760 Just like you have a remote control to change the 0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:25.320 channel on the television, you've got to change the channel. 0:22:25.080 --> 0:22:28.320 In your mind. You will not be free from guilt. 0:22:28.720 --> 0:22:32.960 You will not enjoy your life if you're constantly replaying 0:22:33.040 --> 0:22:35.920 the negative memories of your past. If you're going to 0:22:35.960 --> 0:22:40.000 replay anything, replay your victories, replay the times that you 0:22:40.119 --> 0:22:43.639 honored God, replayed the times that you helped someone else 0:22:43.680 --> 0:22:45.800 in need. That'll change your perspective. 0:22:46.440 --> 0:22:47.680 Some of you today, you. 0:22:47.640 --> 0:22:49.800 Would go to a new level if you would just 0:22:49.840 --> 0:22:50.679 get good. 0:22:50.720 --> 0:22:52.800 At changing the channel in your mind. 0:22:54.000 --> 0:22:57.080 A few years ago, a young lady named Rachel Smith 0:22:57.480 --> 0:23:01.199 won the Miss America Beauty pageant, Bright Young Girl and 0:23:01.240 --> 0:23:05.320 goes all over the world helping underprivileged children. Later that year, 0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:09.080 she competed in the Miss Universe pageant, and she walked 0:23:09.119 --> 0:23:13.600 out on stage during the evening gown competition, all by herself, 0:23:14.119 --> 0:23:18.119 with millions of people watching around the world live on television. 0:23:18.480 --> 0:23:22.560 She lost her footing and fell flat on her backside. 0:23:22.600 --> 0:23:24.520 She was so embarrassed she. 0:23:24.520 --> 0:23:26.560 Got up as quickly as she could and put a 0:23:26.600 --> 0:23:27.919 smile back on her face. 0:23:28.560 --> 0:23:30.480 The audience wasn't very forgiving. 0:23:30.960 --> 0:23:36.320 There were jeers and laughter and booze, very humiliating. In 0:23:36.359 --> 0:23:38.640 spite of the fall, she made it into the top 0:23:38.720 --> 0:23:42.680 five of the competition. Her next task was to answer 0:23:42.760 --> 0:23:47.160 a question randomly chosen by the judges. She walked back 0:23:47.200 --> 0:23:49.640 onto the stage where she had fallen just a few 0:23:49.680 --> 0:23:53.520 minutes earlier. A judge picked a question out of the hat. 0:23:53.840 --> 0:23:58.159 Her question was, if you could relive any moment of 0:23:58.200 --> 0:24:03.160 your life over again and do it differently, what moment 0:24:03.359 --> 0:24:06.960 would that be? Hear her most embarrassing moment was just 0:24:07.000 --> 0:24:09.840 twenty minutes earlier. How many of us would say, boy, 0:24:09.880 --> 0:24:12.440 I want to redo that. I want to relive that. No, 0:24:12.600 --> 0:24:16.320 without missing a beat, she said, if I could relive 0:24:16.440 --> 0:24:20.240 any moment of my life again, I would relive my 0:24:20.359 --> 0:24:25.560 trip to Africa working with the orphans, seeing their beautiful smiles, 0:24:25.880 --> 0:24:27.680 feeling their warm embraces. 0:24:28.200 --> 0:24:29.959 Instead of reliving. 0:24:29.440 --> 0:24:33.480 A moment of pain, a moment of embarrassment, she chose 0:24:33.520 --> 0:24:36.199 to relive a moment of joy, a moment where she 0:24:36.359 --> 0:24:38.679 was making a difference, where if she was proud of 0:24:38.720 --> 0:24:43.320 herself in life, We're all going to have times where 0:24:43.320 --> 0:24:48.480 we fall embarrassing moments, unfair situations. I can assure you 0:24:48.800 --> 0:24:51.560 they will come up on the movie screen of your mind. 0:24:51.400 --> 0:24:52.560 Again and again. 0:24:53.080 --> 0:24:55.560 You got to get good at changing the channel. Put 0:24:55.560 --> 0:24:58.719 on your accomplishments, put on your victories, put on the 0:24:58.760 --> 0:25:02.680 times where you're proud of yourself. Heard about this man 0:25:02.760 --> 0:25:05.520 that had a dream. And in this dream, he was 0:25:05.560 --> 0:25:08.720 in a large room kind of like a library, and 0:25:08.760 --> 0:25:12.000 there were file cabinets all around him, from the floor 0:25:12.040 --> 0:25:15.119 to the ceiling, hundreds and hundreds of files. He walked 0:25:15.119 --> 0:25:18.600 over and opened a drawer. They were full of index cards. 0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:21.520 He took one out and read it, and it had 0:25:21.560 --> 0:25:23.080 to do with his life. 0:25:23.280 --> 0:25:24.680 Something that he had done. 0:25:25.240 --> 0:25:29.879 He soon realized the whole room was about him. Every thought, 0:25:30.600 --> 0:25:34.760 every word he had spoken, every action, both good and bad, 0:25:35.040 --> 0:25:38.880 were recorded on these files. There was a whole section 0:25:39.359 --> 0:25:42.359 of everything that he had done wrong. The times that 0:25:42.600 --> 0:25:46.000 he lost his temper, the times he was unfaithful, the 0:25:46.040 --> 0:25:50.359 times that he cheated. His deepest, darkest secrets were all 0:25:50.400 --> 0:25:54.160 recorded in these files. His first thought was, I've got 0:25:54.240 --> 0:25:57.640 to destroy these cards. I can't let anybody see them. 0:25:57.760 --> 0:26:00.520 I'd be so embarrassed. He went over and tried to 0:26:00.560 --> 0:26:04.080 tear up the card, but it was impossible. They could 0:26:04.080 --> 0:26:07.639 not be destroyed. As he sat there thinking about his 0:26:07.760 --> 0:26:10.600 failures and all the times he had blown it, he 0:26:10.640 --> 0:26:14.520 felt so ashamed. Now about that time in the dream, 0:26:15.040 --> 0:26:18.119 Jesus walked into the room, and while he felt this 0:26:18.200 --> 0:26:22.399 incredible love, he also felt, that's the last person I 0:26:22.440 --> 0:26:23.480 want to see now. 0:26:23.520 --> 0:26:24.639 I'm really ashamed. 0:26:25.520 --> 0:26:28.560 Jesus walked right over to the files of everything that 0:26:28.600 --> 0:26:29.399 he had done wrong. 0:26:29.960 --> 0:26:31.359 He took a card out. 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:35.800 One by one, Jesus crossed the man's name off, and 0:26:35.960 --> 0:26:39.760 Jesus signed his own name, followed by the phrase paid 0:26:39.840 --> 0:26:43.520 in full. The time you lied crossed the man's name off. 0:26:43.720 --> 0:26:47.199 Jesus paid in full. The time you were unfaithful crossed 0:26:47.200 --> 0:26:47.800 his name off. 0:26:47.880 --> 0:26:51.960 Jesus paid in full. Before long, all of the cards 0:26:51.960 --> 0:26:52.800 had been signed. 0:26:53.480 --> 0:26:56.080 In the dream, this man said, Jesus, you don't have 0:26:56.160 --> 0:26:57.000 to do this. 0:26:57.000 --> 0:26:59.560 This is not even your room. These are not even 0:26:59.640 --> 0:27:00.480 your mistakes. 0:27:00.920 --> 0:27:04.680 Jesus just smiled and gently said, don't worry about that. 0:27:05.119 --> 0:27:09.800 The price has already been paid. It is finished. Friends. 0:27:11.720 --> 0:27:16.840 One message of the resurrection is your sins have already 0:27:16.880 --> 0:27:21.720 been forgiven. Because Jesus rose from the grave. Every mistake 0:27:21.800 --> 0:27:26.240 you've made and ever will make, already has that phrase 0:27:26.280 --> 0:27:29.159 written on the top of it, paid in full. The 0:27:29.240 --> 0:27:33.439 real question is will you receive God's mercy? Will you 0:27:33.520 --> 0:27:36.359 stop trying to pay a debt that's already been paid. 0:27:37.080 --> 0:27:40.240 You don't have to go around feeling guilty, feeling wrong 0:27:40.320 --> 0:27:44.359 on the inside, not excited about your future. God is 0:27:44.480 --> 0:27:48.440 running towards you today. He knew every mistake you'd ever make. 0:27:49.080 --> 0:27:52.400 He doesn't love you less, he loves you more. He's 0:27:52.440 --> 0:27:55.680 not just the God of Abraham, He's the God of Jacob. 0:27:56.119 --> 0:27:59.040 He's saying, you may have blown it, you may have failed, 0:27:59.400 --> 0:28:01.320 but I'm not disappointed in you. 0:28:01.720 --> 0:28:04.280 I still love you, I still believe in you. 0:28:04.640 --> 0:28:08.400 I still have an amazing future in front of you. 0:28:08.400 --> 0:28:11.760 Your performance may not have been perfect, but because your 0:28:11.800 --> 0:28:15.560 heart is perfect toward him, God's gonna show himself strong 0:28:15.680 --> 0:28:19.520 in your havef my challenge, shake off the guilt, receive 0:28:19.640 --> 0:28:23.280 God's mercy. I believe in declare today is a new day. 0:28:23.400 --> 0:28:26.640 You will rise higher, you will live freer, You will 0:28:26.680 --> 0:28:30.880 become everything God's created you to be in Jesus' name. 0:28:30.920 --> 0:28:35.120 If you receive it, can you say amen? We never 0:28:35.240 --> 0:28:38.400 like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity 0:28:38.560 --> 0:28:41.320 to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would you 0:28:41.320 --> 0:28:45.760 pray with me, just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of 0:28:45.800 --> 0:28:46.400 my sins. 0:28:47.800 --> 0:28:51.760 Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. 0:28:53.160 --> 0:28:55.360 Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you 0:28:55.440 --> 0:28:58.160 got born again. Get in a good Bible based church, 0:28:58.440 --> 0:29:01.320 keep God first place, going to take your places you've 0:29:01.320 --> 0:29:05.040 never dreamed of. Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:29:05.160 --> 0:29:07.960 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:29:07.960 --> 0:29:11.440 podcast to keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week. 0:29:11.640 --> 0:29:13.840 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:13.840 --> 0:29:15.360 with those all around the world. 0:29:15.680 --> 0:29:18.440 Visit Joelosting dot com or click the link in the 0:29:18.480 --> 0:29:20.640 description to partner with us today. 0:29:20.880 --> 0:29:23.320 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:23.440 --> 0:29:25.560 be sure to follow us on social media. 0:29:25.680 --> 0:29:28.959 We're praying for you. 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