The Love Of The Father

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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:34.680 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:37.440 We enjoy spending this time with you and I hope 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:38.400 you'll leave inspired. 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.560 Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.960 We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:49.720 Enjoy our son Jonathan today. 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.920 Hey, it's so to be here. Thank you for. 0:02:02.960 --> 0:02:07.160 Coming out or watching online and spending your weekend with us. 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:11.600 I am so humbled and excited to get to share 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:11.960 with you. 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:18.320 Let me start off by wishing all the dads a 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:19.639 happy Father's Day. 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:22.359 Thank you for everything that you do. 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:25.800 We love and appreciate you, and we are so glad 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:29.440 to celebrate you this weekend. I've been blessed with an 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:33.919 amazing father, so this year, I'm giving him the best 0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:37.200 gift I could think of by getting up here and 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:42.560 giving him the week off. I've spent the last few 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:46.480 days watching him enjoy a mini vacation while I do 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:51.240 his job. I'm not complaining, but he always made it 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:54.480 look easy. It turns out this is a lot more 0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:59.400 work than I expected. So I thought what better way 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:03.160 to prepare for my first time speaking on a weekend 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:06.480 then to go back and listen to his first message. 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:09.440 He's come a long way, but but how did he 0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:12.280 get started? But my dad called me Monday night and 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:13.640 he said, Joe, are you sitting down? 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:16.360 And I thought, oh, no, there's gonna be bad news. 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:18.240 And I thought maybe it's got his health or something. 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:20.680 He said, but I'm gonna ask you something. Don't pass out. 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:22.200 When I asked him, I thought, okay, what is it? 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:24.800 And he said, will you preach for me Sunday morning? 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:27.080 And I thought, boy, that was bad news. 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:30.280 And I said, but I thought about the advantages of 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:31.320 being my first time one. 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:34.760 If I'm really bad and you don't enjoy it, when. 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:36.320 You walk out of here, you can say you know 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:37.840 that boy has nowhere to go but up. 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:43.960 After seeing that, I realized I don't have a country 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:50.520 accent and I don't have a mullet, So in some 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:52.920 ways I think I'm already off to a better start. 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:57.040 I guess there's nowhere to go. 0:03:57.120 --> 0:04:01.760 But uh, today, Hedy, I want to talk about the 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:06.160 love of the Father. There are many different ways we 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:09.760 can know God. We can know him as an all 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:13.320 powerful creator who made the universe and sits on a 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:17.640 throne surrounded by angels. We can know him as this 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:21.320 omnipotent being who part sees and brings the. 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:22.880 Dead to life. 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:25.000 We can know him as a man with a big 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:27.720 white beard who sits on a cloud and sounds like 0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:33.360 Morgan Freeman. Different people have different ideas of who God is. 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:35.360 Some people see. 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:39.240 Him as this distant, cosmic being that couldn't possibly be 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:43.440 concerned with their lives. Some see him as a holy, 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:48.240 unapproachable figure to be feared and reverenced. Others think he's 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:51.599 just waiting for them to make a mistake. They know 0:04:51.720 --> 0:04:54.799 God as someone with a long list of everything they've 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:55.440 done wrong. 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.600 But with Jesus came a new way to know God. 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:03.680 Through him, we didn't just receive a savior, We were 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:08.360 given a father. When the disciples ask Jesus how they 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:12.400 should pray, the very first words he used were our 0:05:12.600 --> 0:05:17.160 father in Heaven. Of all the ways he could have 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:20.800 told us to relate to God, Jesus said, he's our 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:26.760 father first. That's the best understanding we could have of God. 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:30.599 One of a loving father, someone that's proud of us, 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:34.960 someone that cares, someone that cheers us on and lifts 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:38.440 us when we fall. When we know this, we begin 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:42.200 to realize God's not distant, he's not unapproachable. 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:46.280 He's not mad at us. He is madly in love 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:46.880 with us. 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:53.400 Jesus, the Son of God, could have only referred to 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:57.080 him as his father, but when he spoke to people, 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:02.320 Jesus would say, your father. It was important to him 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:06.280 that we see God this way. Each time he said this, 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:11.360 Jesus was reminding us of the way God feels about us, 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:15.039 that he's not just the creator of the universe, but 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:17.280 he's your heavenly father. 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:21.359 He's your biggest far. He loves to spend time with you. 0:06:21.880 --> 0:06:25.680 He gets excited to talk to you. He always has 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:30.520 your best interest at heart. Your father is a constant 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:34.760 source of strength and protection. He's there to encourage you 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:37.880 when you're down and push you forward when you feel 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.960 like giving up. If he cares for the birds of 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:45.440 the air, how much more must he care for you. 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:50.039 Maybe you grew up without a father, or he was 0:06:50.120 --> 0:06:53.279 harsh in dealing with his own struggles. You may have 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:55.919 gotten used to him not being there for you, or 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:59.320 never being able to measure up. But we can't let 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:03.919 who are earthly father wasn't to distort the truth of who. 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:05.560 Our heavenly Father is. 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:09.920 He may have been difficult to please, but know that 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:13.120 God has always been pleased with you. He may have 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:16.240 been quick to find fault, but know that God is 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:20.280 filled with mercy. He may have been absent, but remember 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:22.120 God has promised. 0:07:21.760 --> 0:07:23.680 To be with you always. 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:27.960 But some people never see God as proud of them. 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:33.080 They're too busy criticizing themselves. They think they're not smart enough, 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:37.080 they don't look the right way, they don't have enough talent. 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:42.160 They've decided if they don't like themselves, then God couldn't either. 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:46.880 They know he loves them, but he couldn't actually like them. 0:07:47.080 --> 0:07:50.000 They're not as funny as their friends. They're not as 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:53.239 gifted as their siblings. They don't have a great career 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:56.360 like their neighbor does. He would never want to show 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:57.160 them off. 0:07:57.920 --> 0:07:59.440 Don't be like them. 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:04.320 Heavenly Father is the one who breathed life into you. 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:08.320 You've been fearfully and wonderfully made. He's the one who 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:14.720 gave you your smile, your personality, your gifts, your uniqueness. Everything 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:19.200 about you has been carefully designed into what he calls 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:25.640 a masterpiece. When God looks at you, he sees a masterpiece. 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:30.560 He's amazed. He is so proud. He can't help but 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:33.840 show you off. This is what he said in scripture. 0:08:34.720 --> 0:08:38.760 Have you seen my servant Job? There is no one 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:42.640 like him in all the earth. That's how God feels 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:46.400 about you. He calls all the angels around and says, 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:50.840 come here, come here. Have you seen my son Brian. 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:54.120 There is no one like him. He's amazing. 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:58.840 Oh and have you seen my daughter Joy? She's the best. 0:08:59.160 --> 0:09:00.680 I'm soud of her. 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:04.600 And the angels say, yes, God, we've seen them. 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:06.280 You do this every day. 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:11.680 But God says, I know, I just can't help it. 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:16.400 They're my children. That's the love of our heavenly Father. 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:21.720 When he looks at you, he smiles. He likes your height, 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:25.719 your ability, your ideas. He's the one who gave them 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:29.560 to you. Now, don't you dare let what other people 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:34.800 have said or your own negative opinion tear down God's masterpiece. 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:39.480 No father wants to see their child living defeated and 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:42.920 discouraged about who they are. If you were supposed to 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:46.280 be any different, your heavenly Father would have made you 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:51.000 that way. He doesn't make mistakes, he doesn't leave things out. 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:56.439 Let go of comparison, Let go of overly critical attitudes. 0:09:56.880 --> 0:09:59.120 Know that God is proud of you. 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:02.400 And if he he not only loves us, but he 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:06.320 likes us, then we have permission to like who we 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:09.959 are too. One of the first times I spoke here 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.800 at church, I looked down at the front row and 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:16.480 I saw not one, but both of my parents holding 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:18.240 up their phones recording video. 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:22.360 I thought, you guys are the pastors. 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:26.600 If anyone can get a higher quality version of this. 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:28.719 Message, it's YouTube. 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:32.600 You don't have to record it on your phone. And 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:37.000 on top of that, why are you both recording You're 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:39.960 sitting right next to each other. Can't one of you 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:41.160 just send it to the other. 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:43.839 It didn't matter. 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:47.040 My parents sat on the front row for all three 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:52.840 services and recorded them on their phones. Yes they're the pastors, 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:57.600 but they're parents first. And I know they recorded all 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:01.080 those services because they were proud of me. And in 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:07.320 the same way, God is proud of you. I imagine he's 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:11.240 sitting on the front row of heaven with his phone 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:16.520 pointed in your direction. He's cheering you on. He's celebrating 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:20.280 every step that you take. He wants to remember every 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:24.000 little triumph in your life. You're so important to him, 0:11:24.000 --> 0:11:25.800 he doesn't want to miss a moment. 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:29.400 Yes, he's God, but he's your father first. 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:32.160 He could have a whole camera crew of angels on 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:35.240 the scene, but he just can't help but do it himself. 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:38.640 He's been looking forward to the day you were born. 0:11:39.200 --> 0:11:42.000 He couldn't wait to see you take your first steps. 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:46.120 He was so proud when you graduated college, and he 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:50.040 is so excited about the things he has planned. 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:50.640 For your future. 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:55.560 Psalm one O three says, as parents feel for their children, 0:11:56.120 --> 0:12:00.560 so God feels for those who fear him. What's image 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.040 of God? Do you see him as your heavenly father? 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.400 Can you picture him on the front row with his 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:12.400 phone pointed toward you. He's not replaying your mistakes. He 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:16.360 doesn't hold on to those. His camera role is filled 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:19.600 with love for you. When we have the right image 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:24.400 of God, it gives us boldness. We can walk in confidence. 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:29.160 It allows us to pursue our dreams and even overcome challenges. 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:33.640 If the creator of the universe is for us, there 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:38.839 is nothing that could stand against us. I've heard some 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:41.960 people ask my dad to pray for them because they 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:45.720 think he's closer to God than they are. They think 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:49.839 maybe if a pastor prays, then God will listen. He's 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:52.920 always happy to pray with them. But my dad reminds them, 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:54.760 you don't need to go through a. 0:12:54.720 --> 0:12:57.240 Third party to talk to your heavenly Father. 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:01.440 You're as much a child of God as anyone else. 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:05.360 You don't need a pastor, a priest, or a saint 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:08.640 to connect your call. When he sees it's you on 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:11.880 the line, God picks up right away. He won't put 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:15.680 you on hold, it doesn't go to voicemail. As his 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:20.160 son or daughter, you have priority access to your father. 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:25.840 But some people don't want to bother God. They see 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:29.280 prayer as a last resort. They think God's got bigger 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:33.719 things to deal with than me. Understand this, You are 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:39.520 God's biggest deal. You're his prized possession. There's no detail 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.720 in your life that's too small to concern him. He 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:46.440 numbered the hairs on your head. He ordered your days, 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.319 whether you like it or not. The Bible says he 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:53.080 watches you when you sleep. No nuance of your life 0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:55.280 is too small to concern him. 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.600 He wants to be involved. You're saying. 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:02.440 God cares about what I make on this test. 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:03.400 He does. 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:08.760 He cares that my car needs repairs, he does. He 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:10.480 cares if I get a good night's sleep. 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:11.880 He does. 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:16.520 If it's important to you, it's important to God. He 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:20.080 wants you to bring these things to him. When you call, 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:24.440 he answers. When your name comes across his phone, so 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:27.640 to speak, he smiles. He says, I'll be right there 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:31.120 to help. The Bible tells us to acknowledge God in 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:35.560 all our ways, not just before we eat, but in everything. 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:40.720 He made the universe, and he made the atom. There's 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:44.360 no detail too small to concern him. We don't have 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:48.440 to pray in the King James version like Shakespeare authored it. 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:50.360 You can if you want to. 0:14:50.840 --> 0:14:54.280 But Jesus said, this is your father you're dealing with. 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:59.600 When I talk to my dad, I don't say greetings, 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:07.200 thy pastor of Lakewood Church. I request an audience with thee. No, 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:10.000 he would think that was odd. When I talk to 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:13.200 my dad, I just talked to him In the same way. 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:16.840 Prayer is just talking to God. He wants to hear 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:20.960 the details. He wants to be involved in your life. 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:26.120 You can ask questions, you can express concerns. You can 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:28.560 tell him what you're grateful for or what you need 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:31.960 help with. When you go to your father, he'll give 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:36.200 you wisdom, he'll give you good ideas. He'll give you direction. 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:39.520 You don't have to have it all together. You don't 0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:43.120 have to pray a perfect prayer. Like Jesus said, this 0:15:43.200 --> 0:15:46.440 is your father you're talking to. He already knows what 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:49.080 you need. He just wants to hear from you. 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:52.040 There are times we feel like we have. 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:54.800 To convince God to love us. We have to win 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:58.280 him to our side. We think maybe if I come 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:01.720 to church enough, if I do more good deeds, then 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:04.880 I'll get some credit with him. The biggest lie that 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:08.760 some of us believe is not the God's angry with us. 0:16:09.280 --> 0:16:10.479 It's that he's indifferent. 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:15.160 Thoughts will tell us if we perform better, then we'll 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:19.360 get his approval, then he'll show us favor. But when 0:16:19.440 --> 0:16:23.280 Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the moment he 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:26.600 came out of the water, a voice boomed out of 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:30.360 the heavens and said, this is my beloved son, and 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:35.880 whom I am well pleased. What's interesting is, up to 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:41.120 this point, Jesus hadn't performed a single miracle. He hadn't 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:46.080 opened any blind eyes, healed any lepers, raised Lazarus. 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:48.680 From the dead. He hadn't even turned water to wine. 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:52.920 Yet his father said he's my son, and I'm a 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:59.000 proud dad. Jesus didn't win God's approval based on his performance. 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:03.440 Was pleased with him because of who he was, not 0:17:03.480 --> 0:17:06.800 what he had done. We tell ourselves if I could 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:10.520 be more disciplined, if I was more generous, if I 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:14.639 only made better choices, then God would be proud. No, 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:18.840 the truth is God is well pleased with you just 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:19.720 as you are. 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:22.639 You're his beloved son or daughter. 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:26.080 There is nothing you could do to make him love 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:26.840 you anymore. 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:30.320 He might not agree with all your behavior, but he 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:34.360 is pleased with who you are. He's already approved you, 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:36.000 He's already. 0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:39.439 Called you his masterpiece. Why don't you accept right now 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:42.680 that God loves you and he's for you based on 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:47.160 who he is, not your performance. But thoughts may say 0:17:48.119 --> 0:17:49.080 God can't. 0:17:48.800 --> 0:17:50.920 Love you like he loves Jesus. 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:54.879 He never made any mistakes. You're not like him. You 0:17:55.040 --> 0:17:59.400 know what you've done. Don't listen to those voices. If 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:02.199 there's nothing you could do to make God love you 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:05.720 anymore than the good news is there's nothing you could 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:09.040 do to make him love you any less. When your 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:15.919 father looks at you, he sees Jesus. He sees someone redeemed, forgiven, 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:20.880 transformed by the power of the Cross. He doesn't see mistakes, 0:18:21.160 --> 0:18:25.320 and he doesn't see failure. Jesus said, just as the 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:29.560 Father is pleased with me, so have I loved you. 0:18:30.440 --> 0:18:34.520 Are we living for God's approval or are we living 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:38.800 from it? Are we striving to earn his love? Or 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:41.440 do we recognize we've been given more than we could 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:45.199 ever deserve. When I was about nine years old, I 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:48.600 had this video game that I loved. I was having 0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:52.080 the time of my life playing it until one day 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:55.600 my mom heard from another mom who heard from another 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:58.679 mom that this game was too dark for me to 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:03.080 be playing, and I wasn't allowed to anymore. I was devastated, 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:07.639 so of course I did what any sanctified, church going 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:11.159 nine year old would do, and I hit it in 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:14.120 the most secret place that I could think of, the 0:19:14.160 --> 0:19:18.879 attic behind the hot water heater. Pretty sneaky, or so 0:19:19.000 --> 0:19:21.679 I thought. A few weeks later, I was in the 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:25.359 car with my parents and out of the blue, my 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:28.160 mom asks, did you hide that game? 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:29.200 I told you not to play. 0:19:30.240 --> 0:19:32.520 I panicked and said the first words that came to 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:33.080 my mind. 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:37.600 No, why, she. 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:41.359 Said, because there was a problem with the hot water heater, 0:19:42.200 --> 0:19:45.400 and it just so happens your game was behind it. 0:19:46.480 --> 0:19:51.600 My entire life flashed before my eyes. That was the 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:55.199 most secret place my nine year old brain could think of, 0:19:55.680 --> 0:19:57.080 and it had been found. 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:01.200 I thought, this is the end. I've been caught. I'm 0:20:01.240 --> 0:20:02.119 going to prison. 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:07.159 But right before I could get in trouble, my dad 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:08.200 spoke up and. 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:24.119 Said, Victoria, Victoria. 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:25.679 I told you he hid the game because if his 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:27.720 friends found it, and asked to play it. 0:20:28.040 --> 0:20:34.800 He didn't want to have to tell them, though. I 0:20:34.840 --> 0:20:38.480 don't know if my dad actually believed. 0:20:38.040 --> 0:20:41.760 That or if he was just trying to bail me out, 0:20:42.400 --> 0:20:44.760 But in that moment, all I did was nod my 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:49.320 head in agreement. I had never been so grateful for 0:20:49.359 --> 0:20:52.800 a second chance. I thought, I've seen the last of 0:20:52.840 --> 0:20:56.120 this PlayStation. I will never have fun again. 0:20:56.840 --> 0:20:57.840 But my dad. 0:20:57.720 --> 0:21:02.240 Spoke up and took my side despite what I had done. 0:21:02.320 --> 0:21:05.119 I'm sure he knew why I had hidden the game, 0:21:05.520 --> 0:21:07.240 but he chose to see the best. 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:10.919 He didn't bate me for my wrongs. He showed me 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:11.680 what was right. 0:21:12.520 --> 0:21:16.240 And that's just a funny story, but it can be 0:21:16.440 --> 0:21:22.240 a reminder of how merciful our heavenly father is. He 0:21:22.400 --> 0:21:27.040 takes our side, he bails us out. He doesn't give 0:21:27.119 --> 0:21:30.840 us what we deserve. When our mistakes became too much 0:21:30.880 --> 0:21:32.720 to bear, he said, put the. 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:37.480 Blame on me. I'll take your sin, I'll take your failure. 0:21:38.040 --> 0:21:41.879 I'll take the stuff you're not proud of. As for you, 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:44.400 you can move on, you can be free. 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:46.800 You don't have to keep bringing this back up. 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:48.159 I've forgotten it. 0:21:48.840 --> 0:21:52.399 But sometimes we live like we're trying to pay God 0:21:52.480 --> 0:21:55.880 back for what we've done wrong. We try to show 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:59.879 him that we're really sorry by being defeated and discouraged 0:22:00.320 --> 0:22:03.879 about something that could have happened years ago. We've asked 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:07.280 for forgiveness a thousand times, but we just don't feel worthy. 0:22:08.200 --> 0:22:11.680 That's not the Father's heart. He spoke up. 0:22:11.760 --> 0:22:15.360 On our behalf. He took the penalty so that we 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:18.720 didn't have to. We don't have to live beaten down 0:22:18.800 --> 0:22:22.560 and discouraged after he went to such great links to 0:22:22.760 --> 0:22:23.720 lift us up. 0:22:24.320 --> 0:22:28.359 The price has been paid. The first time. 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:33.600 You ask for forgiveness, his mercy comes rushing in. 0:22:34.880 --> 0:22:37.160 Now we have to receive it and move forward. 0:22:37.880 --> 0:22:40.520 The reason some people get stuck in a cycle of 0:22:40.600 --> 0:22:44.680 guilt and condemnation is because they only know God. 0:22:44.400 --> 0:22:46.639 As God, not as their father. 0:22:47.480 --> 0:22:51.040 They think they need to stop this and change that 0:22:51.480 --> 0:22:55.040 and fix themselves before they could ever get right with God. 0:22:55.720 --> 0:22:57.480 But the Bible tells us. 0:22:57.440 --> 0:23:00.960 To come boldly to the throne of God race to 0:23:01.040 --> 0:23:05.560 obtain mercy and find help even in our time of need. 0:23:06.440 --> 0:23:07.760 We won't go boldly. 0:23:07.440 --> 0:23:09.760 To the throne if we think the one sitting on 0:23:09.840 --> 0:23:12.760 it is waiting to punish us for our sin. But 0:23:12.840 --> 0:23:16.600 when we know God as our father. We can enter 0:23:16.680 --> 0:23:20.159 with our head held high, knowing he is rich in 0:23:20.320 --> 0:23:24.760 mercy and ready to help. It doesn't say come boldly 0:23:24.840 --> 0:23:28.359 to the throne if you haven't made any mistakes this week, 0:23:29.160 --> 0:23:32.320 or come after you get your issues figured out. No, 0:23:32.520 --> 0:23:35.840 God wants us to come boldly to him even. 0:23:35.680 --> 0:23:36.639 When we've messed up. 0:23:37.400 --> 0:23:40.800 Even on our worst day, we can go to our father. 0:23:41.680 --> 0:23:44.280 But most of the time, instead of running to God, 0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:49.080 we run from him. We think he'll be angry or disappointed. 0:23:50.040 --> 0:23:53.560 Thoughts will tell us you can't go to God, you'd 0:23:53.600 --> 0:23:56.919 be a hypocrite. After all, you knew it was wrong, 0:23:56.960 --> 0:23:59.520 and you did it anyway. God's not going to help 0:23:59.560 --> 0:24:03.400 you out now you got yourself in this mess. Those 0:24:03.440 --> 0:24:06.879 accusing voices will try to draw us further and further 0:24:07.000 --> 0:24:11.760 from the truth that at the heart of God is mercy. 0:24:12.640 --> 0:24:15.760 Imagine a father teaching his son to climb a tree. 0:24:16.240 --> 0:24:18.520 He warns him not to climb it when he's not around, 0:24:18.800 --> 0:24:21.880 because he doesn't want him to get hurt. Then one 0:24:21.960 --> 0:24:25.760 day he hears his son shouting for help from outside. 0:24:25.840 --> 0:24:28.800 He rushes out and sees him hanging from the top branch. 0:24:28.840 --> 0:24:32.320 For dear life, he says, Dad, please help, I'm slipping. 0:24:33.280 --> 0:24:36.639 This father would not scold his son for climbing the 0:24:36.720 --> 0:24:39.679 tree on his own. He wouldn't ask to see his 0:24:39.840 --> 0:24:43.480 report card or if he took the trash out last week. No, 0:24:43.680 --> 0:24:47.080 this father would do whatever it took to get his 0:24:47.240 --> 0:24:48.680 son down safely. 0:24:49.400 --> 0:24:54.199 God is a good father. He's not gonna leave you hanging. 0:24:55.080 --> 0:24:59.000 You may have made the mess, brought the trouble on yourself, 0:24:59.480 --> 0:25:02.879 but moment you call out to him, your heavenly father 0:25:03.240 --> 0:25:08.440 is there to help. He'll climb any tree, scale any wall, 0:25:08.720 --> 0:25:10.680 bring down any barrier to be. 0:25:10.760 --> 0:25:13.159 At your side. You're his child. 0:25:13.760 --> 0:25:16.840 There's nothing he wouldn't do for you. When we were 0:25:16.880 --> 0:25:21.520 at our worst, He loved us. That's the father's heart. 0:25:22.240 --> 0:25:27.520 Instead of running from God, let's run to him. In 0:25:27.600 --> 0:25:32.240 Luke fifteen, Jesus tells the story of a son who 0:25:32.320 --> 0:25:35.680 came to his father and said, I want my inheritance, 0:25:36.280 --> 0:25:39.440 and I want it right now. He packed his bags, 0:25:40.000 --> 0:25:42.840 moved to some wild city and had a crazy few weeks. 0:25:43.520 --> 0:25:48.000 He spent all his money on people and parties and 0:25:48.040 --> 0:25:50.880 things he thought would last a lot longer than they did. 0:25:51.800 --> 0:25:54.560 And then a famine hit and all of a sudden, 0:25:54.560 --> 0:25:58.439 these new friends seemed to disappear, so we got a 0:25:58.560 --> 0:26:03.560 job out in the fields feeding pigs. This son found 0:26:03.640 --> 0:26:06.880 himself hungry and alone in some foreign country. 0:26:07.800 --> 0:26:10.760 He thought, at least my father's. 0:26:10.320 --> 0:26:13.720 Farm hands have better lives than this. Maybe if I 0:26:13.840 --> 0:26:16.919 go to him and tell him I've been reckless and 0:26:16.960 --> 0:26:19.880 I don't deserve to be called your son, then he'll 0:26:19.920 --> 0:26:23.439 take me back as a hired hand. So we gathered 0:26:23.480 --> 0:26:28.000 what little he had and began his journey home, all 0:26:28.080 --> 0:26:32.560 the while practicing this speech he had prepared, I've been 0:26:32.640 --> 0:26:35.560 reckless and I don't deserve to be called your son. 0:26:36.840 --> 0:26:41.200 How many times have we disqualified ourselves as a son 0:26:41.320 --> 0:26:44.800 or daughter, as if it was something we earned in. 0:26:44.800 --> 0:26:45.560 The first place. 0:26:46.600 --> 0:26:49.880 How many times have we written speeches trying to convince 0:26:49.960 --> 0:26:54.240 God to take us back. That's not how biology works, 0:26:55.080 --> 0:26:59.280 That's not how God designed it. A son is still 0:26:59.320 --> 0:27:03.840 a son, no matter how he feels. A daughter is 0:27:03.880 --> 0:27:07.399 still a daughter, no matter where she finds herself. 0:27:08.320 --> 0:27:09.280 It's in the blood. 0:27:10.280 --> 0:27:14.959 No matter how reckless we've been, we can't undo the 0:27:15.160 --> 0:27:20.080 power of the blood. This young man hadn't even made 0:27:20.119 --> 0:27:23.800 it home yet, the Bible says, when he was still 0:27:24.400 --> 0:27:25.719 a long way off. 0:27:26.560 --> 0:27:29.040 His father saw him. 0:27:28.640 --> 0:27:34.000 And with his heart pounding, he ran and embraced him. 0:27:34.320 --> 0:27:35.760 That's the good news. 0:27:36.359 --> 0:27:40.760 Even when we're a long way off, even when we 0:27:40.840 --> 0:27:45.159 don't have it altogether, even when we're still broken and 0:27:45.280 --> 0:27:51.280 messed up, our father comes running. He runs through any 0:27:51.400 --> 0:27:57.160 mistake or failure, He runs through any disappointment or unfair situation, 0:27:57.680 --> 0:28:00.680 He runs through any hurt or pain, and. 0:28:00.760 --> 0:28:03.240 Embraces us as a father. 0:28:04.440 --> 0:28:07.800 To the people Jesus was talking to, this wouldn't have 0:28:07.840 --> 0:28:12.000 been a casual gesture. A respected man at the time 0:28:12.480 --> 0:28:16.440 would have never ran. If he were to run, he 0:28:16.480 --> 0:28:19.520 would have had to tie up his tunic and expose 0:28:19.600 --> 0:28:24.440 his legs. In that culture, this would have been humiliating. 0:28:25.320 --> 0:28:29.119 It would have been seen as shameful and inappropriate. But 0:28:29.280 --> 0:28:34.520 Jesus tells us the Father did not walk. He didn't 0:28:34.880 --> 0:28:39.840 wait until he got closer. Jesus said, the father ran. 0:28:40.920 --> 0:28:44.200 It's the only time in the Bible we see a 0:28:44.240 --> 0:28:48.600 picture of God running, and he's running to someone who 0:28:48.640 --> 0:28:52.440 had blown it. He's running to someone who had messed up. 0:28:53.120 --> 0:28:57.320 He was running to his son and doing this, he 0:28:57.440 --> 0:29:01.880 was saying, I'll take your shame, I'll take your guilt. 0:29:02.600 --> 0:29:07.880 I don't care what's appropriate. My son is home, my 0:29:08.120 --> 0:29:14.120 daughter is back. When we take one step toward God, 0:29:14.840 --> 0:29:20.000 we'll find he's already running toward us. It doesn't matter 0:29:20.480 --> 0:29:21.400 how far. 0:29:21.160 --> 0:29:24.440 Off we feel. His arms are open wide. 0:29:25.880 --> 0:29:29.640 But even after all of this, the son still tried 0:29:29.680 --> 0:29:30.640 to give his speech. 0:29:31.600 --> 0:29:32.640 He said, but I've. 0:29:32.400 --> 0:29:35.640 Been reckless and I don't deserve to be called your 0:29:35.640 --> 0:29:41.400 son ever again. And I love what Verse twenty two says. 0:29:41.720 --> 0:29:47.000 But the father wasn't listening. He didn't have time for regrets. 0:29:47.760 --> 0:29:50.720 He didn't want to dwell on the past. He was 0:29:50.800 --> 0:29:54.920 too busy putting a party together. He was already celebrated 0:29:55.520 --> 0:30:01.040 for once his son was lost, but now he's found. 0:30:02.040 --> 0:30:06.160 That's the love of our heavenly Father, and that's how 0:30:06.200 --> 0:30:08.240 he feels about you. 0:30:09.680 --> 0:30:13.400 Receive his love, enter his embrace. 0:30:14.320 --> 0:30:17.440 Know that God is proud of you and you matter 0:30:17.880 --> 0:30:19.560 so much to him. 0:30:20.080 --> 0:30:23.520 Thank you for listening to the joel Ostine podcast. Help 0:30:23.600 --> 0:30:26.360 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:30:26.440 --> 0:30:30.320 all over the world. Visit jolustein dot com slash give 0:30:30.440 --> 0:30:32.120 Hope to give a gift today. 0:30:33.400 --> 0:30:36.320 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:30:36.320 --> 0:30:39.680 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:30:39.760 --> 0:30:41.800 keep you inspired all through the week. 0:30:42.040 --> 0:30:42.960 We're praying for you. 0:30:43.160 --> 0:30:44.880 I know God's best is still ahead. 0:30:45.120 --> 0:30:46.160 We'll see you next time. 0:30:54.680 --> 0:30:57.240 More than ever before, people are turning to the church 0:30:57.240 --> 0:31:01.240 for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, has largely been ill 0:31:01.240 --> 0:31:04.680 equipped to help. That is until now. Join nearly fifty 0:31:04.720 --> 0:31:07.480 thousand people just like you who've enrolled in the Mental 0:31:07.480 --> 0:31:10.600 Health Coach training program and become equipped to help for 0:31:10.720 --> 0:31:13.640 limited time. Apply for a full tuition scholarship and only 0:31:13.680 --> 0:31:15.920 pay a one time tech fee of fifty four dollars 0:31:16.080 --> 0:31:20.040 if accepted. 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