Grace is Looking for You

0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. 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Download the uns stap and use the 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:20.840 code I heeart fifty at sign up to receive a 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.400 fifty dollars bonus when you fund your account. That's code 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.400 iHeart fifty when you sign up at unest dot co 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.319 for a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.120 UNEs dot co. 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:33.440 Hi, this is Joel on Wednesdays, we bring you the 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:48.600 best of I hope you enjoy the podcast. Oh God 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:52.040 bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes. 0:01:52.040 --> 0:01:54.640 And if you're ever in our area, please stop buy 0:01:54.680 --> 0:01:56.640 and be a part of one of our services. I 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:59.080 promise you we'll make you feel right at home. But 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:01.120 thanks so much for two it in and thank you 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:04.080 again for coming out. I like to start with something funny, 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:06.360 and I heard about this man. He was in a 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:09.600 dark restaurant. He said that the lady's sitting next to him. 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:12.720 Would you like to hear a blonde joke? She said, Well, 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:16.480 before you tell me you should know. I'm blonde, six 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:20.320 foot tall and a professional bodybuilder, and the lady next 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:24.000 to me is blonde, six foot two and a professional wrestler. 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:27.720 And the lady next to her is blonde, six foot 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.720 five and the kickboxing champion of the world. 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:32.080 Now do you still want to tell me? 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:34.880 He thought about it a moment, said no, not if 0:02:34.880 --> 0:02:39.720 I'm gonna have to explain it three times. Help me, Jesus, 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:44.320 give me a ride home today. This is my Bible. 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:47.040 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:49.400 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:52.040 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:55.960 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.799 heart is receptive. I will never be the same in Jesus. 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:01.560 Now, God bless you. 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:05.680 I want to talk to you today about how Grace 0:03:05.960 --> 0:03:10.080 is looking for you. So often we think that God 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:13.639 is only interested in the quote good people, the people 0:03:13.639 --> 0:03:16.400 that have it all together, people that never make. 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:18.520 Mistakes, never give into temptation. 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:22.200 If your performance is good enough, then you can expect 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:26.400 God's goodness. But if you ever get off course, if 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:30.720 you ever fail, you ever have doubts, God says, too bad. 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:33.720 It's your fault. If you don't want me, I'll leave 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:35.240 you alone. I won't bother you. 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:39.840 The truth is, it's just the opposite. When you blow it, 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:42.840 God doesn't turn away from you. He turns to you. 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:47.240 His grace comes looking for you. When you have doubts. 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:49.640 God doesn't say what's wrong with you? You need to 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:50.400 have more faith. 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:54.280 No God will even pass over people with faith and 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:55.760 come to you the one. 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:56.400 That has doubts. 0:03:57.280 --> 0:04:00.240 Jesus told a parable about a shepherd that had one 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:04.600 hundred sheep, but one of them went astray. The shepherd 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:08.280 left the ninety nine and went looking for the one. 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:12.120 What was that? Grace came looking. But we tend to 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:14.160 write people off and think God. 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:17.040 Wouldn't have anything to do with them, Joel, they make 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:19.719 fun of me for coming to church. She's living the 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:23.040 wrong kind of life. He's out there on drugs. Now, 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.799 do you realize that over half of the New Testament 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:29.880 was written by a man that at one time hated believers. 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:33.680 Saul was the main enemy of the church. He was 0:04:33.720 --> 0:04:37.440 having believers put in prison. But one day, while he 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:41.720 was traveling to Damascus on his way to persecute more believers, 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:45.200 a bright light shine down from heaven knocked him flat 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:48.800 on his back. A voice boomed out, Saul, why do 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:53.560 you keep persecuting me? Long story short, Saul became the 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:57.480 apostle Paul and wrote more of the New Testament than 0:04:57.520 --> 0:04:58.239 anyone else. 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:01.679 What happened came looking for Saul. 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:07.360 Don't ever write anybody off your family members. Your friends 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:10.520 may be making poor choices in the natural. You think 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.760 they're never going to fulfill their destiny. They're never going 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:16.960 to do what's right. Now, you have to remember Grace 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:20.520 is looking for them. You may write them off, but 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:23.760 God doesn't write them off. God knows how to get 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:28.880 their attention. If God can change Saul, the greatest enemy 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:32.160 of the church and turn him into the greatest asset 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:35.320 of the church, God can touch your loved one. God 0:05:35.360 --> 0:05:38.239 can turn your son around. God can change your daughter. 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:42.440 This same man, Paul wrote in the Book of Romans 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:47.080 about the grace that God freely gives us. If anyone 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:51.200 understood grace, it would be Paul. One translation of the 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:56.960 word freely that he specifically used is promiscuous, meaning that 0:05:57.040 --> 0:06:01.880 God's grace will go to anybody. If someone is promiscuous, 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:06.000 they're loose, they're unrestrained. They'll be with anyone, doesn't matter. 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:09.760 That's the way God's grace is. You can be high 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:13.120 on drugs and Grace is looking for you. You can 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:14.880 be working in the wrong kind of place. 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:16.840 Grace is looking for you. 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:20.240 You can be cheating people, dishonest, no integrity, and God 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:23.760 will leave the ninety nine and come after you. You 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:27.920 can be discouraged, depressed, about to give up on life. 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:32.000 The good news is, right now, Grace is looking for you. 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:34.880 You may have made mistakes, You're not where you want 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:38.760 to be in life. You could easily sit on the sidelines, 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:42.600 let the accusing voices convince you that you're all washed up. 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.920 Nothing good is in your future. No, right now, Grace 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:49.279 is coming to you. God is saying, I'm not mad 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:52.800 at you. I'm madly in love with you. I'm not 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:56.960 holding anything against you. I'm not keeping a record of 0:06:57.000 --> 0:07:01.280 your mistakes. I'm not even interested in your past. I'm 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:05.080 interested in your future. Friends, it doesn't matter to God 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:07.880 where you've been. It matters to God. 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:08.479 Where you're going. 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:12.679 That's why he's coming after you. That's why he won't 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:16.840 leave you alone. His grace will never give up. He 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:19.880 loves you too much to let you miss your destiny. 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:23.440 You can turn away again and again and again. But 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:26.560 you know what, Grace will keep coming wherever you go. 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:30.480 Grace will keep looking. You can't outrun the grace of God. 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:33.600 You can't do too much wrong to keep it away. 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:37.400 You can't turn away too many times. God's grace will 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:40.960 keep coming, saying I've got something better. I've got forgiveness, 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:43.400 I've got mercy, I've got restoration, I've. 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:44.160 Got a new beginning. 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.960 And if you will shake off the guilt the condemnation, 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:51.880 start making choices that honor God. God will do for 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:55.480 you what he did for Paul. He'll bless you in 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:58.920 spite of your mistakes. He'll make something great out of 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:03.480 your life, in spite of your past. God never gives 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:07.720 up on you. Don't give up on yourself. Receive the grace. 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:10.920 Believe that there's something amazing in your future. 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:12.680 John Chapter four. 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:17.480 Jesus was about to leave Judea and travel home to Galilee, 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:22.800 but he said to his disciples, I must go through Samaria. Well, 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:27.280 Samario wasn't necessarily the shortest route. Not only that, in 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:30.760 those days, the Samaritans weren't friendly with the Jewish people. 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:33.720 His disciples said Jesus, that's the long way. 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:35.520 We'll go a better route. 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:39.800 Plus we might have some problems with the Samaritans. Jesus said, no, 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:43.520 I have to go this way. I have an assignment. 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:47.520 There's somebody I need to meet. They got to Samaria. 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:50.320 They were tired and hungry, and. 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:51.480 Jesus sat down by a well. 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:54.600 He asked his disciples to go into town and get 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:58.480 some food. In a little while, this Samaritan woman came 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:00.439 out to draw water from the well. 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:04.520 She had been married five times, been through a lot 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:06.360 of heartache and pain in life. 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:11.400 She wasn't a respected woman, wasn't considered a good woman, 0:09:11.720 --> 0:09:14.880 a moral woman. She was looked down on and seeing 0:09:15.000 --> 0:09:18.000 a second class, no doubt, when some of the people 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:21.560 in town saw her, they would snicker, there's that lady, 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:23.000 been married five times. 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:24.040 Stay away from her. 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:28.240 Yet, the whole reason Jesus said I must go through 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:32.400 Samaria was to meet this woman. Jesus struck up a 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:33.680 conversation with her. 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:35.600 Told her all about her life. 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:41.080 Then he revealed himself as the Messiah to her. When 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:44.480 the disciples came back from buying food and saw Jesus 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:48.640 talking to this woman, the scripture says they were amazed 0:09:48.920 --> 0:09:52.960 and bewildered. Not only was Jesus talking to a woman 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:59.760 not only a Samaritan, but of all people, this lady, everybody. 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:03.840 She had a bad reputation. She came from the wrong 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:07.960 side of the tracks. She was making poor choices. But 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:10.360 this is what Grace is all about. 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:12.160 It's promiscuous. 0:10:12.480 --> 0:10:14.600 It doesn't just come to the people that you might 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:18.719 think the quote good people, the fine, upstanding people. Know 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:22.079 it goes to people like this lady that have made mistakes, 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:26.240 people that have gone through heartache and pain. People that think, Joel, 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:27.800 it's too late, I've blown it. 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.880 I don't deserve it. This is what Grace is all about. 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:35.240 That day was a turning point in her life. Well, Joel, 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:37.720 my coworkers, they don't even believe in God. 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:38.880 That's all right. 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:43.160 Grace is looking for them. Well, Joel, he's out selling drugs. 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:45.839 God doesn't have anything to do with him, Sure he does. 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:49.880 Grace is looking for him. Well, she's working in the clubs. 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:52.360 That's okay. Grace can go into a club. 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:57.840 God's grace knows no boundaries, has no limitations. 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:01.480 Well, I don't worship like me, Joel. 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:04.880 They come from a different faith that doesn't stop God. 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:08.960 Grace is looking for them. Our titles don't set a 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:11.200 boundary for the creator of the universe. 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:16.000 Well, they're Muslim, their Buddhists, their Hindu. That doesn't stop God. 0:11:16.080 --> 0:11:19.479 Our God is all powerful. Our religious names. 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:22.920 Our different affiliations, I can't stop the creator of the universe. 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:29.000 This woman was a Samaritan. They came from a different faith, 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:33.320 Yet she was the first one that God revealed himself 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:37.960 to as the Messiah. Not to the Jewish leaders, not 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:42.200 to the rabbis in the synagogue in today's language, not 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:45.800 to the Pope, not to the minister on television, but 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:48.440 to the girl working in the clubs, to the young 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:52.280 man that's never been to church. The longer I live, 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:55.800 the more I realize God will save who he wants 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:56.240 to save. 0:11:56.880 --> 0:11:59.720 God will have mercy on who he wants to have. 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:04.600 His grace is looking for people that don't have the 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:08.160 best reputation, for people that have blown it and failed, 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:10.960 for people that have made a mess. 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:15.439 It can penetrate any situation. Are you writing. 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:18.600 Someone off thinking that they're too far out there they're 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:22.120 never going to change, or are you writing yourself off 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:26.520 thinking you've made too many mistakes You've missed too many opportunities. 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:28.439 Now you have to sit on the sidelines. 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:31.240 No grace is coming to you. 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:34.160 No mistake you've made is too much for the mercy 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:38.840 of God. Nothing you've done has canceled your destiny. You 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:41.920 can still become who God's created you to be. 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:42.960 Now. 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:45.840 Quit listening to those lies telling you that you've seen 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.320 your best days and you had your chance. 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:52.440 No, God is the god of another chance. He will 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:54.000 never give up on you. 0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:59.599 His call on your life is irrevocable. His grace is 0:12:59.640 --> 0:13:02.040 going to be keep coming to you. You may ignore 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:05.400 it today, but it'll be there tomorrow and the next week, 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:09.200 and next month, even next year. This is what Jonah 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:11.640 did in the scripture. God told him to go to 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:14.080 the city of Nineveh, but he didn't want to go there. 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.960 He went the other direction. He ended up being thrown 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:19.960 overboard into the middle. 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:20.319 Of the ocean. 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:23.720 He should have drowned. It should have been the end. 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:26.839 But grace showed up in the form of a well. 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:31.240 This big fish swallowed him three days later, spit him 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:32.600 out on the dry ground. 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:33.960 What am I saying? 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:38.720 You can't outrun God's grace. Wherever you go, Grace is 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:39.800 going to come looking for you. 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:44.800 Moses. When he was a young man, he murdered a man. 0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:48.840 He had to flee for his life, spent years on 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:51.679 the back side of the desert. Looked like he had 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:55.959 missed his destiny. But forty years later Grace came looking 0:13:56.000 --> 0:14:00.520 for him. God said, Moses, I have not forgotten about 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:03.719 my calling on your life. You may have delayed it, 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:06.400 but you didn't cancel it. You're still going to fulfill 0:14:06.520 --> 0:14:09.599 what I put you here to do. And like Moses, 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:13.199 you may have made choices that have delayed your destiny, 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:17.440 but God is saying you have not canceled your destiny. 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:21.280 You can still fulfill your purpose. You can still accomplish 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.400 your dreams. You need to get ready. God is going 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:28.280 to bring opportunities back across your path that you missed 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:31.520 out on. You're going to still become who God's created 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:34.920 you to be. A pastor friend of mine stopped by 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:37.440 a small convenience store one evening to. 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:38.360 Pick up some milk. 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:41.320 There was a young man in line behind him that 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:46.200 was buying cigarettes and alcohol. He looked very distraught. You 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:49.360 could tell that he was on drugs. This pastor knew 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:51.960 he was supposed to reach out to him, talk to him, 0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:54.440 pray for him, encourage him, and he was going to 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:57.280 do it after they both had paid outside the store, 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.760 But when the clerk turned his back, the young man 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:03.640 ran out the store, jumped in his car, and sped 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:07.880 off stole those items. The pastor's family was out in 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:11.280 the car waiting. They saw all this take place. They said, Dad, 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:15.160 he went that way in a blue car. This pastor 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:17.960 felt so compelled that he had to find that man. 0:15:18.640 --> 0:15:21.200 They got in the car and started driving through the 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:23.120 community looking for that blue car. 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:27.040 What was that grace? Looking for that young man tracking 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:27.560 him down. 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:32.000 The scripture says God came to seek and to save 0:15:32.320 --> 0:15:36.280 those that are lost. Sikh means to go after to 0:15:36.320 --> 0:15:40.320 pursue to track down. About twenty minutes later, one of 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:43.200 the kids said, Dad, there it is. They spotted the 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:45.520 blue car at another grocery store. 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:47.160 The pastor went in. 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:51.080 The young man had another basket of alcohol and cigarettes. 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:54.240 He was going to steal them again. When he saw 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:57.960 the pastor, he nearly passed out. The pastor said, young man, 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:00.479 God's hand is on your line. 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:02.920 This is not the way you're supposed to be living. 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:06.880 You're better than this, so I's got real big. He said, 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:07.480 who are you? 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:10.160 He said, I'm a pastor here in town. 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:13.720 God sent me to track you down to let you 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:17.480 know you have a destiny to fulfill. He begin to 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:21.760 tremble and tears came down his cheeks. He said, I'm 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:26.080 a heroin addict. I've gone to rehab again and again 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:29.680 and again, but I just can't quit. The pastor said, 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:33.240 tonight is your night. If you're willing to walk away, 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:36.680 the power of those addictions are going to be broken. 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:40.360 He put the cigarettes back, put the alcohol away, and 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:42.040 that night was his new beginning. 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:43.160 That was his turning point. 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:48.960 Today he's totally free, living a clean, sober life. The 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:54.400 scripture says God so loved the world. It doesn't say 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:58.720 God so loved the good people. God so loved people 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:02.920 that have it all together. No, God loves people with addictions. 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:06.879 God loves people that have gotten off course. God loves 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:11.800 people that have made mistakes. His grace is unrestrained. In fact, 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:16.120 Paul said, where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:20.000 You would think the further you got away from God, 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:22.280 the less interested he would be. 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:24.679 But it's just the opposite. 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:28.200 God leaves the ninety nine and comes searching for you. 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:31.880 When you go the wrong way, like Jonah, God's going 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:34.919 to descend a well. When you get off course, like 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:38.240 this young man with addictions, God's going to have somebody. 0:17:37.800 --> 0:17:38.720 Come track you down. 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:41.879 When you make a mess of your life, like the 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:44.879 lady at the well, God's going to say, I must 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:47.919 go through Samaria, I must let you know I have 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:51.399 a new beginning. I read a story about an older 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:54.520 gentleman that was on his death bed. He was in 0:17:54.560 --> 0:17:58.359 a small hospital all alone in the foothills of the 0:17:58.400 --> 0:18:02.600 Sierra Mountains in Californi. It was close to midnight, and 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:05.280 just as he was about to pass one of the 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:10.360 nurses called her minister, Father O'Malley, and asked if he would. 0:18:10.200 --> 0:18:11.320 Come and pray for the man. 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:15.320 There was a big storm taking place outside when rain 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:18.600 streets were flooded. He said he'd get there as quickly 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:21.080 as he could. What should have been a thirty minute 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:24.679 drive took him over two hours. Father O'Malley showed up 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:28.000 at the hospital three o'clock in the morning. The nurse said, 0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:31.600 we don't know much about this man. He has no family, 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:33.080 no friends come. 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:33.520 To see him. 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:36.280 He's been in and out of the hospital the last 0:18:36.280 --> 0:18:39.400 two years, but he won't open up to anyone. It's 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:43.320 not friendly at all. Father O'Malley went in and said, hello, sir, 0:18:43.840 --> 0:18:46.359 I was passing by tonight and I thought i'd stop 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:49.800 in and see how you're doing. The man said, very gruffly, 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:52.960 you weren't passing by. It's three o'clock in the morning. 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:56.639 You know I'm about to die. Father O'Malley prayed for 0:18:56.720 --> 0:18:59.320 him for a few minutes, and he said, is there 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:02.439 anything you'd like to talk about, anything you need to 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:03.000 make right. 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:06.040 The men wouldn't say a word, so. 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:09.320 Father O'Malley started talking about the big storm outside, about 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:13.119 the football season, on and on. Eventually the man opened 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:18.000 up joined in the conversation. About three hours later, close 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:21.920 to daybreak, he said, Father O'Malley, there is one thing 0:19:22.040 --> 0:19:25.520 I have to get off my chest. I've never told anyone, 0:19:25.880 --> 0:19:27.160 and it's haunted. 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:28.480 Me my whole life. 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.960 He told how he had worked as a switchman at 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:33.880 the railroad his whole career. 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:37.400 One night thirty one years earlier. 0:19:37.400 --> 0:19:41.560 Two days before Christmas, he and the crew were drinking heavily. 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:44.560 There was a big storm outside that night as well 0:19:44.600 --> 0:19:48.560 a lot of wind, hardly any visibility. They needed somebody 0:19:48.600 --> 0:19:51.399 to go out and make the switch for the overnight 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:54.879 freight train. He was drunk, so he volunteered to do it. 0:19:55.520 --> 0:19:59.480 He accidentally hit the wrong button, and that freight train 0:19:59.680 --> 0:20:03.800 slam into a passenger car, killing a young couple and 0:20:03.840 --> 0:20:07.919 their two daughters. He said, nobody has ever known what 0:20:08.119 --> 0:20:11.280 really happened that night. I've lived with the guilt and 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:14.360 the shame. I haven't ever been big enough to even 0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:17.239 admit to the family that it was my fault and 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:19.520 to tell them how sorry I really am. 0:20:20.359 --> 0:20:22.040 There was a long, long pause. 0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:27.080 Father O'Malley eventually gently took the man's hand, said, sir, 0:20:27.560 --> 0:20:31.720 the people in that car were my parents and my sisters. 0:20:32.080 --> 0:20:34.879 And if I can forgive you, you can be certain 0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:41.640 God forgives you as well. What is that Grace came 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:43.000 looking for him. 0:20:43.400 --> 0:20:44.840 That's how good God is. 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:49.120 Even when we run away, God runs to us, even 0:20:49.200 --> 0:20:52.040 when we don't measure up. God says, that's okay, I 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:53.120 forgive you anyway. 0:20:54.040 --> 0:20:56.639 Well, Joel, he doesn't deserve it. 0:20:56.640 --> 0:20:59.400 It was his fault. He brought the trouble on himself. 0:20:59.720 --> 0:21:03.119 That's what grace is all about. You can't earn it. 0:21:03.640 --> 0:21:06.800 You don't have to be good enough. It's a free gift. 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:09.520 All you have to do is receive it. 0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:14.600 Don't go your whole lifetime like this man, living guilty, condemned, 0:21:14.960 --> 0:21:18.199 beating yourself up for past mistakes, thinking that you have 0:21:18.280 --> 0:21:21.440 to pay God back by giving up your peace, your joy, 0:21:21.520 --> 0:21:24.960 your happiness. Listen, the price has already been paid two 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:29.080 thousand years ago. It's not our goodness, it's God's goodness. 0:21:29.240 --> 0:21:30.639 God has made us worthy. 0:21:32.040 --> 0:21:34.919 But we think now God's never gonna help me. I 0:21:35.040 --> 0:21:38.520 brought this trouble on myself, but think of it as 0:21:38.520 --> 0:21:42.480 a father. Imagine our son, Jonathan, maybe five years old. 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:45.399 I hear hear him screaming, daddy, come help me in 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:48.719 a look outside, and he's hanging from a tree branch, 0:21:49.240 --> 0:21:51.720 kind of high in the air, holding on for dear life. 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:54.640 If he falls, he's going to get hurt. I wouldn't say, 0:21:54.680 --> 0:21:57.360 hang on, Jonathan. Let me think about how good you've 0:21:57.359 --> 0:22:02.280 been lately. And has Jonathan been cleaning his room? Has 0:22:02.320 --> 0:22:05.200 he been treating his sister right dead? Hurry, come help 0:22:05.240 --> 0:22:07.520 me just second, Jonathan, I got to check your report card. 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:10.320 That wouldn't even enter into my mind. 0:22:10.440 --> 0:22:13.840 That's my son, I'm gonna do anything I can to 0:22:13.960 --> 0:22:14.879 help him. 0:22:16.720 --> 0:22:19.560 That's the way our heavenly Father is. 0:22:20.520 --> 0:22:23.960 Even when you make the mistake, even when you bring 0:22:24.040 --> 0:22:27.960 the trouble on yourself, God is so merciful, he says, 0:22:28.160 --> 0:22:29.520 I'll still help you to get out. 0:22:30.359 --> 0:22:32.919 That's why it's called amazing grace. 0:22:33.520 --> 0:22:35.600 You don't deserve it, you didn't earn it. 0:22:35.600 --> 0:22:37.200 It's just the goodness of God. 0:22:38.480 --> 0:22:41.480 One time in the scripture, Jesus was traveling through a 0:22:41.520 --> 0:22:44.720 town and there was a man named Zacheus, the chief 0:22:44.880 --> 0:22:47.960 of the tax collectors. He wanted to see Jesus, but 0:22:48.040 --> 0:22:50.960 he was a small man. The streets were packed so 0:22:51.160 --> 0:22:53.480 crowded he decided to climb. 0:22:53.280 --> 0:22:55.520 Up into a tree to get a better view. 0:22:56.080 --> 0:22:59.359 As Jesus came passing by, out of the hundreds and 0:22:59.480 --> 0:23:03.200 hundreds of people screaming, waving, trying to get his attention, 0:23:03.640 --> 0:23:05.480 Jesus stopped, looked up. 0:23:05.440 --> 0:23:09.000 In the tree and said, Zachias, come down. I want 0:23:09.040 --> 0:23:11.760 to go to your house and have dinner. They had 0:23:11.800 --> 0:23:14.520 never met before, but Jesus knew his name. 0:23:15.520 --> 0:23:19.800 The religious leaders, the Pharisees, they got very upset. They 0:23:19.840 --> 0:23:24.440 couldn't understand why Jesus would want to associate with Zachias, 0:23:24.600 --> 0:23:29.359 a tax collector. They were known for being dishonest, cheating people, 0:23:29.520 --> 0:23:33.240 taking advantage of them. They had a bad reputation, and 0:23:33.320 --> 0:23:36.720 they thought if Jesus were for real, he would know 0:23:37.359 --> 0:23:40.440 he was going to dinner with the wrong kind of person. 0:23:40.960 --> 0:23:44.359 The scripture says they were displeased that he was the 0:23:44.480 --> 0:23:49.040 guest of a notorious sinner. Isn't it interesting, out of 0:23:49.119 --> 0:23:52.520 all the people there that day, Jesus went home with 0:23:52.640 --> 0:23:56.439 the most notorious sinner. This didn't line up with the 0:23:56.440 --> 0:24:02.439 Pharisees theology. They thought that Jesus would rebuke Zachius, or 0:24:02.480 --> 0:24:05.520 at least ignore him, but certainly. 0:24:05.359 --> 0:24:08.720 Not go home with him. But this is where grace 0:24:08.880 --> 0:24:09.600 shows off. 0:24:10.160 --> 0:24:13.280 Grace comes to the least likely to those that don't 0:24:13.320 --> 0:24:16.560 deserve it, to those that have made a mess. Religion 0:24:16.600 --> 0:24:20.000 says stay away, man, you're bad. God says, I'm coming 0:24:20.040 --> 0:24:21.560 to see you. I'm gonna make you better. 0:24:22.760 --> 0:24:27.160 Jesus didn't preach to Zachius. He didn't beraate him, say 0:24:27.160 --> 0:24:29.960 you lousy sinner, that kis what do you mean? Cheating people? 0:24:29.960 --> 0:24:33.000 You ought to be ashamed of yourself. He simply loved him. 0:24:33.280 --> 0:24:37.360 He showed him mercy, he became his friend, and zach Keius, 0:24:37.400 --> 0:24:40.240 of his own free will said, from this day forward, 0:24:40.400 --> 0:24:42.800 I'm gonna give half my income to the poor, and 0:24:42.880 --> 0:24:45.080 if I've harmed or cheated anybody. 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:45.800 I'm gonna make things right. 0:24:46.680 --> 0:24:50.600 He changed his ways not because he was shamed into it, 0:24:51.040 --> 0:24:52.840 but because he was loved into it. 0:24:53.600 --> 0:24:57.240 The scripture says, it's the goodness of God that leads 0:24:57.280 --> 0:24:57.960 to repentance. 0:24:58.359 --> 0:25:01.960 For some people, all they've heard about is how mad God. 0:25:01.800 --> 0:25:04.520 Is at them, how they need to do better, how 0:25:04.600 --> 0:25:05.720 they don't measure up. 0:25:06.359 --> 0:25:09.359 But when you really understand the grace of God, the 0:25:09.359 --> 0:25:12.080 fact that God is for you, and even if you 0:25:12.080 --> 0:25:16.199 are a most notorious sinner, God is not holding that 0:25:16.320 --> 0:25:19.760 against you. If Jesus were here on earth today, he 0:25:19.800 --> 0:25:22.520 would say, I want to come over and hang out. 0:25:22.359 --> 0:25:25.880 With you today. Grace is looking for you, and if 0:25:25.880 --> 0:25:26.880 you'll receive it. 0:25:27.320 --> 0:25:30.879 Quit beating yourself up, living guilty and condemned, then you'll 0:25:30.920 --> 0:25:34.919 have the power to break strongholds and anything that's holding 0:25:34.960 --> 0:25:38.480 you back. When Jesus spoke to the woman that was 0:25:38.520 --> 0:25:42.080 caught in adultery, all the men wanted to stone her, 0:25:42.160 --> 0:25:45.639 but Jesus said, you that are without sin, cast the 0:25:45.680 --> 0:25:46.760 first stone, and. 0:25:46.560 --> 0:25:47.720 Everybody walked away. 0:25:48.560 --> 0:25:52.000 Jesus said to the lady, neither do I condemn you. 0:25:52.600 --> 0:25:54.240 Now go and sin no more. 0:25:55.080 --> 0:25:58.560 He didn't say, go and sin no more than I 0:25:58.600 --> 0:25:59.359 won't condemn you. 0:26:00.080 --> 0:26:00.359 Lady. 0:26:00.359 --> 0:26:03.280 Get your act together, start making better choices. Then I'll 0:26:03.280 --> 0:26:05.440 forgive you. No, he said, I. 0:26:05.359 --> 0:26:07.919 Don't condemn you. Now go and change your ways. 0:26:08.480 --> 0:26:13.119 See, the principle is if people feel condemned, they feel berated, 0:26:13.480 --> 0:26:16.240 told that they don't measure up, then they don't change. 0:26:16.520 --> 0:26:20.359 They live guilty, feeling bad about themselves, weighted down by life. 0:26:20.880 --> 0:26:23.600 But when you know you're not condemned, you. 0:26:23.640 --> 0:26:27.159 Know God's not holding your mistakes against you. When you 0:26:27.240 --> 0:26:30.160 realize God is saying, I want to come to your house. 0:26:30.640 --> 0:26:32.960 I want to be your friend. Other people may have 0:26:33.040 --> 0:26:34.680 written you off, but I don't. 0:26:34.520 --> 0:26:35.240 Write you off. 0:26:35.680 --> 0:26:38.160 I know what you have to offer, I know how 0:26:38.200 --> 0:26:41.600 amazing you are. That's when you'll have the power to 0:26:41.680 --> 0:26:45.240 really change. You may have made mistakes, you're not where 0:26:45.280 --> 0:26:48.480 you want to be. Those accusing voices, they'll remind you 0:26:48.520 --> 0:26:51.240 of all your shortcomings, everything that you've done wrong. 0:26:51.960 --> 0:26:54.480 But by faith, you've got to hear. 0:26:54.359 --> 0:26:58.280 God saying to you. I don't condemn you. I'm not 0:26:58.440 --> 0:27:01.959 holding anything against you. I'm not keeping a record of 0:27:02.000 --> 0:27:06.760 your mistakes. Friends, Grace is coming to you today. I'm 0:27:06.800 --> 0:27:10.600 asking will you receive it? Will you shake off the 0:27:10.640 --> 0:27:14.400 guilt and condemnation. Will you put your shoulders back, hold 0:27:14.440 --> 0:27:18.760 your head up high. Nothing you've done has canceled your destiny. 0:27:19.640 --> 0:27:22.400 Some of you are kind of down on yourself, focused 0:27:22.440 --> 0:27:25.399 on all the ways that you don't measure up. Just 0:27:25.480 --> 0:27:29.400 like Jesus said, I must go through Samaria to meet 0:27:29.440 --> 0:27:32.800 that woman that's been beaten down by life, God is 0:27:32.840 --> 0:27:36.400 saying I must get to you and let you know 0:27:36.960 --> 0:27:40.720 my mercy is bigger than any mistake. I'm not interested 0:27:40.760 --> 0:27:44.119 in your past. I'm interested in your future. I must 0:27:44.200 --> 0:27:45.480 let you know that you. 0:27:45.440 --> 0:27:49.199 Are forgiven, you are redeemed. It's not the end. I 0:27:49.240 --> 0:27:51.920 have a new beginning. Your best days are still out 0:27:51.960 --> 0:27:53.160 in front of you. Now. 0:27:53.200 --> 0:27:56.600 You may not deserve this, You may be the least likely. 0:27:57.280 --> 0:27:59.040 That's what grace is all about. 0:27:59.440 --> 0:28:03.560 It's from miscue us. It's unrestrained. It goes to anyone. 0:28:03.720 --> 0:28:06.840 And if you'll receive this grace, God will do for 0:28:06.960 --> 0:28:08.440 you what he did for Paul. 0:28:08.880 --> 0:28:12.040 He will bless you in spite of your mistakes. 0:28:12.240 --> 0:28:15.080 He will still make something great out of your life, 0:28:15.200 --> 0:28:18.480 in spite of your past. Like Jonah, even when you 0:28:18.520 --> 0:28:20.919 bring the trouble on yourself, God will be there to 0:28:20.960 --> 0:28:24.120 help you get out, Like with a young man with addictions. 0:28:24.480 --> 0:28:27.440 God is going to track down your loved ones. He's 0:28:27.480 --> 0:28:30.200 going to search out your relatives that are off course, 0:28:30.480 --> 0:28:34.000 set them free, cause them to fulfill their destinies. I 0:28:34.080 --> 0:28:36.920 believe and declare grace is coming our way. 0:28:37.200 --> 0:28:39.480 If you receive it. Can you say amen today? 0:28:40.440 --> 0:28:43.120 But we never like to close our broadcast without giving 0:28:43.160 --> 0:28:46.000 you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:46.240 --> 0:28:50.640 Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll 0:28:50.640 --> 0:28:55.520 repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make 0:28:55.600 --> 0:28:56.800 you my Lord and savior. 0:28:58.000 --> 0:29:00.640 Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, believe you got 0:29:00.720 --> 0:29:04.000 born again. Get in a good Bible based chart. Keep 0:29:04.040 --> 0:29:04.960 God first place. 0:29:05.240 --> 0:29:07.600 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:08.600 --> 0:29:12.040 Thank you for listening to the joel Osteine podcast. Help 0:29:12.120 --> 0:29:14.840 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:14.960 --> 0:29:18.840 all over the world. Visit joeloastin dot com, slash give 0:29:18.920 --> 0:29:20.600 hope to give a gift today. 0:29:21.880 --> 0:29:24.320 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:29:24.440 --> 0:29:27.200 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:29:27.240 --> 0:29:30.320 podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. 0:29:30.520 --> 0:29:33.400 We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. 0:29:33.600 --> 0:29:34.680 We'll see you next time. 0:29:40.680 --> 0:29:45.280 Nice buns, soft, fluffy and ultralow net carbs discover hero 0:29:45.440 --> 0:29:49.920 Bread the delicious ultralow net carbbread with incredible taste and texture. 0:29:50.280 --> 0:29:53.040 Hero Bread has zero grams of sugar and is under 0:29:53.080 --> 0:29:55.840 one hundred calories per serving, plus high in fiber and 0:29:55.960 --> 0:29:58.920 up to ten grams of protein per serving. 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