On Good Turned Bad (Gen 3) | The Sandhurst Podcast

All right.

Welcome to the Sand Hurst Be On Sunday podcast, where Michaela's final words to us were Don't hit the table.

We got um the tripod or anything.

Did I just kick the picket out of the frame?

Did we already do it?

I literally kicked the Can we keep rolling?

We're gonna keep rolling.

Okay.

Okay.

This is nothing.

Nothing than a little uh shimmy can't fix.

All right.

Um dang.

Well, we're week two into the story of God.

Yep.

Genesis to Revelation in 14 weeks.

Before we jump in, though, um, am I right when I look at the calendar that you're gonna be abandoning me for the next two weeks?

Whoa, yes.

All right, tell me more.

Yeah, man.

So um uh our family lived in England for almost four years before we moved here and did some studies, and we are going back there to take a group through a Christian heritage tour of just key sites of Christian history.

Christian history was in, or Christianity got to England by about 200 AD, and so 1800 years of history.

We'll go to the British Museum, we'll see artifacts from Bible Times, uh, and then we'll be in in Cambridge talking to them about the Bible, Oxford doing the Lewis Tolkien tour.

We'll head up to Durham and see sort of the ancient castle and uh and uh cathedral where they filmed Thor.

Okay, yeah, and then uh then we'll head on to York.

York is really awesome because York Minster Cathedral, they have had we're gonna be in the 4 p.m.

Sunday.

Can I pause you real quick?

Yeah, just to make sure that everybody understands clearly.

You are not just participating in this tour, you are the author and leader of this international tour.

Okay, so I wrote it.

And I'm guiding it, yes.

Yes, you you are the guide.

Okay, just participating.

Okay, so I just want to like frame this like this like this you're the real deal with this stuff, man.

So keep going, keep going.

So, yeah, so we'll be in York and we'll go to Evensong in York, uh, Minster Cathedral, where there has been continual worship in this same spot for 1400 years, and so we'll get to join that.

And so that that always thrills my soul.

Then we'll go from York to Lindisfarne, which is the holy island.

They had this ancient monastery founded in 635, and that's where the Lindisfarne Gospels were done.

They're now in Trinity.

If you've seen the Lindisfarne Gospels, awesome.

But just to be there, where they first brought Christianity to Britain shores.

Then we'll go up around to Edinburgh, see the Scots Reformation, and you know, kind of finish with a Reformation tour of Edinburgh.

But just the whole thing to fuel your faith, give your faith ancient roots.

You know, I grew up evangelical church, love it, awesome.

But I was like, what happened?

You know, did it like beginning?

Yeah, exactly.

And so so I loved it for me, it just fuels my heart to see, okay, we have ancient roots.

You know, you don't have to be Orthodox, you don't have to be Catholic, you can you can be Protestant and have this is your family.

It's your church family that goes back millennia.

And and so that's the idea.

25 people, tours full, and super jazzed.

Dang.

So if this is this is about to be a bummer to people, but if somebody just heard this be like, what?

Adam does that?

How can I get on board?

Can I go next time?

And you would say, uh, you can go.

Uh this is my last run.

Ah, dang.

So uh, but uh hopefully GTI Tours.

GTI, okay, plug GTI.

They have incredible tours, not just to England and Scotland.

They do Germany Reformation, they also do Bible lands, and yes, they are still going to Israel.

You can go, and yes, it is safe.

So go gti tours.org and check them out.

I love it.

Yeah.

All right.

So um excited for you doing that.

And uh yeah, um we are, I think you've said this before, maybe somebody else said it, uh, a modern expression of an ancient faith.

Yeah.

And yes, Church at Sandhurst was founded in 1983, but the church that belongs to Jesus Christ uh was founded not in 1983, but uh about 1900 years before that.

That's right.

That's right.

Um and so um I'm I'm really pumped for you and gonna miss you.

I'm bringing on a guest for those two weeks that you're gone, though.

So uh and and I'm I'm gonna miss you, but I'm also excited about the guests.

I'm I invited Izzy Markle to come.

I'm gonna have a good time with him.

We we hang out a lot, just just like you and I.

We'll just sit on the porch and and hang and talk.

But it'll be, I think, a lot like just kind of sitting on the porch talking about God in the Bible, yeah, like Izzy and I have been doing since college because we went to CIU together.

Yes.

And uh just a lot of talks talking about God, talking about the Bible, talking about the story of God, talking about progress of redemption.

Actually, um I think he he threw away his Bible project, like his chart um recently, because I asked him for it, he couldn't find it.

But what he did for his Progress of Redemption chart, you know, the one that we're going through, is he drew it on the inside of a lampshade.

Oh man.

Backwards.

So when so when you turn the lampshade on, boom, you see the story of God come through.

So very Izzy kind of artistic beauty.

Um but he couldn't find it.

So but so he's gonna be with us uh the next two podcasts going through Story of God.

He has some input into uh a new one.

Yes, yeah.

So he he took um a chart that I had and made it better.

So that is that is Izzy is doing with updated graphics there.

Yeah.

And so that chart that you just held up, if you're watching on YouTube, show it again.

That's not just the chart that also has the Bible reading plan on it under it.

Yes.

It's on the homepage of the website.

There's also a bunch around the church.

But whatever date you see on it, that's the date that you you want to have all the passages that are under that date.

You want to have those passages read by that date.

On that date.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So when that date hits, you've read all the passages under that date.

Gotcha.

So this week um we're doing Genesis 15.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Genesis 15, 17, 26, 27, 37, 39, 45.

Yep.

So that's patriarchs.

Yep.

And that's the story of Joseph.

Yeah.

And uh so parents, this is a great way to bring your kids in on this.

Um we did with my girls uh the the first chapter with the life of Joseph, which is Genesis 37, right?

Genesis 37?

Yes, that's right.

Yeah, Genesis 37.

Um, we did that with them last night, and we're just gonna I want to at least get the the story of Joseph in the Bible reading, the 10 chapters um this week with them.

And that's the beautiful thing between now and the end of the year, which is what, three months away, right?

It's coming up and just 10 chapters a week.

Literally walk through the entire biblical story.

Let's do it.

Put it in your hand.

Let's do it.

Yeah, man.

Let's do it.

All right.

So if if you're not, I want to say this one more time while we're um if you're not doing if you're doing a Bible reading plan, great, keep on.

If you're not, do this with us.

Yes, jump on.

Jump on.

And uh don't just hear me and others talk about the story of God.

We we get to get a chance to see it first.

Yeah.

I mean, it's it's you know, it's great to hear people you know describe it, talk about it, teach on it, but just get face to face with it.

Just do it, get in there yourself.

Yep, yep.

And and let the questions brew.

And uh we haven't really highlighted on the podcast like the opportunity to send in questions that we can talk about beforehand.

Uh, but I do want to highlight that again to if if you're reading ahead of time, that that would give some space to go, okay, what uh what's going on here?

Why does this happen?

And like one one question that I want to answer this Sunday uh in response to the readings is is God chooses this guy named Abraham.

Well, Abram.

Name gets changed later, but he chooses Abram.

Why does God choose Abram?

Like, what was it about Abram that God was like, I want him?

What did God see something special?

Did God um was he like just kind of a man of faith before God?

Like, what was it about Abram?

And and I want to answer that question this Sunday.

What was it about Abram and then Isaac and then Jacob and all these others guys throughout scripture that God chooses them?

And I think that's a question that when you read when you read these chapters, like, why again?

Yeah.

Because like God calls him, and the next thing you know, it Abram is uh letting other people sleep with his wife to save his own skin.

Hmm.

Yeah.

Well, and on that note, yeah, um, if you read these chapters and you're not that familiar with them, you will be in shock what you find there.

Yeah, these are the heroes of the faith who are also so crazy, like the brokenness, the the the ups, the downs, the triumphs, the tragedies, the good, the evil.

I mean, it is crazy how it all weaves together.

And you're like, these are really are real people.

Yeah, the absolute dysfunction of it.

Yeah, so um join in on the readings.

All right, uh, let's talk about this uh this past one.

Uh so we had Genesis three through 11.

So Genesis one and two is the creation.

Yep.

The first chapter is kind of the telling of the whole thing, and then Genesis two zooms in on day six, the creation of man and how man's created different than everything else.

Very good, while everything else was good.

Yeah.

And um, and I appreciate the the language around what what is very good.

Very good is when God's nature is clearly seen, tangibly expressed.

This just really helped me.

Yeah.

And I want to do a better job of sharing some of those stories um in church on Sundays of like very good stories.

But and so, and in one way that I think I can feel the difference between good and very good is almost the difference between enjoying something beautiful and then sharing that joy, right?

So it's great to see a sunset, but it's better to see it with someone and share that.

And what you all of a sudden it becomes not just admiring beauty and creativity, but now you are it sharing an admiration for the artist.

See what God did.

Isn't that not amazing?

And you're sharing an admiration not just for a picture or for something you see, but for the artist who made it.

And I think that's part of what makes if you can feel the difference in that, you can feel the difference between good and very good.

Yeah, and and the the way to connect what you just said to what to the way of kind of simply defined very good is God's nature um clearly seen, tangibly expressed, is part of God's nature is joy, not just power.

Like in in creation, we get to see God's power and his creativity.

But um the the very good that you're talking about is when you get to see that and you just you you feel this sense of awe, this sense of wonder, and this sense of joy.

And then when you get to share that joy, that is that is in God's nature to not just have joy, but then to share joy.

And and and so that's part of his nature, clearly seen and tangibly expressed, is sharing joy.

That's what God does, and that's what makes it very good.

Very good.

Yeah.

Uh and and stories and examples are gonna help that more.

So I hope that to do a better job there.

Um, but for this week with Genesis 3 through 11, I want to talk through um just kind of what's happening big picture.

And um and then I would really like to press into the end and sort of what what I was saying was the ripple effects or kind of what comes downstream from someone who has been clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Um and and I want to talk about that more because the point of this podcast is to help our um faith go beyond Sunday.

Okay, so there's a lot of things that we could talk about from uh Genesis 3 through 11 that would be fun, interesting, stuff on the Nephilim, stuff on the flood.

Yeah, uh there's a lot of things that we could chase.

And and I'm not downplaying that at all.

In fact, I'm gonna go ahead and recommend um the Live Free podcast, uh Josh Howerton and Lake Point Church.

They have a great podcast where they answer tons of questions.

They think really biblically.

I think like any podcast, uh you anything that we listen to, we're always testing it.

Yeah.

Um, and that's just as true for you and I here.

But uh I think that's that's a great resource uh to be able to look into if you have a question about the Nephilim and these sons of God and what what does this all mean?

And um but that's not what we're doing because well we're trying to have focus on okay, how can we help our faith go beyond Sunday?

Right.

And um and that's gonna mean more than just uh interesting questions.

Yep.

All right.

Um so here's what we see in Genesis three through eleven.

Um we see uh the fall of man, we see Adam and Eve give into temptation.

We see them have kids, Cain and Abel.

We see Cain kill Abel, we see their kids have kids who have kids who have kids, to where uh Genesis six, we read Genesis six, eight.

Yeah.

I want to hear how yours says it.

So Genesis six, eight.

Where does it start?

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the sorry, verse seven.

Yeah, I was wondering about it.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh where are you going with this?

It's gonna be good.

Uh so the Lord said, I will wipe mankind whom I have created from the face of the earth, men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air, for I am grieved that I have made them.

Yep, and that's that is relevant, but not even the first that I was looking for.

It's verse six.

So I'll read verse six.

Um, and I'm interested to know if yours says it differently.

The Lord God was sorry that he made mankind.

Ah, man.

It's verse five.

Okay, yep, okay.

Wow.

Okay.

Yes.

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Very close.

Right.

That is that that's just a devastating um line in the Bible.

And you know, it's true in yours, it's true in mine, slightly different frame, but the same concept.

It's all these superlatives.

Uh, every inclination, only evil all the time.

Every, only, all.

So like there, that that's bad.

I mean, that is that's is there's a complete characterization of of just evil intent.

And that's where you you've got like there's not even a glimmer of hope.

Okay, like that's when you know that the time has come that that that it's full.

Yeah.

Have you seen the movie Noah with Russell Crowe?

Yes.

Okay.

Terrible movie.

Hurt my heart, yeah.

Don't go see it.

However, however.

Um I just can't help but laugh at some of the stuff in the movie.

Here's what I think the movie did well.

I think it did one thing well.

And portray evil.

Yeah.

I remember watching um like I think I think there's a real sense in in our humanity that we go, really?

Wipe out everyone?

It emotionally it just feels mean.

Um but when you take Genesis 6, 5, every intention of the heart, always evil all the time, or only evil all the time.

Yeah.

Um and then and the way that the way they depicted that, I was like, it it was like, oh, this is terrible.

Like like the the capacity for human evil is is deep and it is dark.

And I think if you if you go to um I I haven't been here, but I've heard um like the Holocaust Museum.

Yeah or go into some of these places where you see, okay, what is the extent of human depravity?

And what if that extent of human depravity is Genesis 6 verse 5?

Genesis 6:5

That that the Holocaust Museum and that kind of human depravity is that is every intent of the heart of the thought and the heart was only evil continually.

What if what if everywhere was that only and all the time?

Then you start to get a sense that like this is this is terrible.

And and for people who want um and crave justice, this is this is the the flood is God's uh justice and evil.

Yeah.

Uh you know, I think you could get a little bit of a sense of this in the modern world by talking to Paul and Robin Johnson because we have been I don't know what the word is lulled to sleep or whatever by the impact of the gospel on civilizing forces and law and order.

But if you go to a Stone Age tribe where or a series of a network of uh Stone Age tribes where there is no overriding law and order, everybody is just kind of it's all the law of the literally the law of the jungle that came from somewhere, which is basically kill or be killed, eat or be eaten.

And so everything is about what can I take from you?

Um, and you do that over multiple generations.

Uh it really it the if there's no overriding justice, no overriding power to restrain those elements, yeah, the entire the entire culture can drift into darkness with no where that it is literally uh uh the opposite, you know, a taking life rather than giving life is is the virtue.

And that's true, it is the virtue.

It's not just the reality, it's the virtue, and there's a difference.

And and at that point, uh there's there's really uh no going back until some outside force turns it around.

Yeah.

Yeah, exactly right.

And so we have fall of man and you know, disobedience Genesis three, we have Cain killing Abel, we have the flood, God starts over, um, but the problem isn't solved because uh the problem wasn't just um with creation generally, it was deeper than that, it was to the very heart.

And uh so God starts out starts over with Noah, and Noah doesn't make it far at all before he just starts doing the same sorts of thing.

We see him in a a version of a garden, it's called a vineyard, and um he gets drunk.

We see his own depravity and and his kids have kids who have kids who have kids to the point where the Tower of Babel happens.

You want to tell that story just to refresh us?

Yeah, and so you know, they God had said, you know, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, rule all the earth, right?

And they're like, you know, look, we're tired of this, we're going to we're gonna stop expanding, we're going to we're gonna build a city, we're gonna make a name for ourselves so that we are, you know, don't have to keep spreading out.

And so they decide that we are gonna stop, build the city, and honor ourselves rather than God.

Yep.

Yeah, it's it's a complete reversal of the purpose for which they were made.

The calling, yeah.

A complete reversal.

So what's going on in Genesis 3 through 11?

We see the effects of sin and just contaminating every fiber of what God created to be very good.

Yeah.

And and if if you're taking progress of redemption, at least the way I remember it, I should put that qualifier with everything.

It's like there's what was actually said, and there's what I remember being expected.

Um but they called uh Genesis one through eleven the prologue.

Yeah.

It's like you have the story, but this is the prologue, and this is kind of setting the scene.

And what gets said in the scene is Genesis one and two, it's the very good, and then Genesis three through eleven, you see the undoing of that, the reversal of that, the contamination of that.

And then from Genesis 12 on is God stepping in uh with this plan to bring redemption from what sin contaminated.

Yeah.

Um, so that that's the story.

I want to talk about a couple of things.

First, if you have any other thoughts on um just kind of the the effects of sin.

Um what I tried to draw out, what was compelling to me is just like how sin was causing conflict.

And I tried to see like, okay, where is the conflict here?

Okay, the conflict is in marriage here.

Oh, the conflict is now in the family here now.

The conflict is with myself here and shame.

The conflict is with God, the conflict is with my purpose.

Like, and that kind of helped me to see these aren't what's happening kind of behind what's happening, it's not just bad things, people doing bad things, it's people finding themselves constantly in conflict with every aspect of what God created to be very good.

Yeah.

Um, and what was behind these problems uh was uh uh sin in our hearts.

Just we are desperately wicked.

Yeah.

Um and so any any other thoughts on in terms of like the effects of sin, the problem of sin, the the wickedness of sin, any other thoughts?

Because what I wanted to talk about that, uh about after that is okay, what's the path off?

Well, first, um kind of uh how what difference does it make when Jesus steps into the scene to be the fulfillment of the shadow that we saw in Genesis 3?

Um, when we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

So what were the downstream effects of that?

And then how do how do we help our people get off the sin path that uh they hate so much?

Yeah, yeah.

But so any any thoughts on the effects of sin?

I think and what you're seeing there.

Yeah, absolutely.

It's you know, these chapters, it may sound remote to people, Cain and Abel and Babel and all this, but but people, these chapters literally explain the world we live in today.

You know what you're talking about.

Yeah.

Yes, that's a great way to say it.

You you talk about, you know, going beyond Sunday.

If you've ever wondered why you just feel broken in every way, why can't I get along with my wife, my boss, my kid, my God, myself, my world?

This is why.

Yes.

And and you know, the even even the the secular world has recognized, you know, the four great conflicts, right?

So man versus the gods, man versus man, uh, man versus nature, man versus himself.

All of that is right here.

It's they're just literally exegeting Genesis one through eleven or or three through eleven.

And and so uh all these reasons, and so it I you know, it's not we always feel like if I'm if I could just, if I could just, and it at the end of the day, it really we always say it goes back to the gospel, and what we mean is God healing our hearts and filling us with his power to live in his image, which he gave us in one and two, and we broke in three.

It really does go back to that.

And so I just want to remind us that when we're living beyond Sunday and we're trying to work through all these conflicts, um, we can't just troubleshoot them as things out here.

We s we have to go back to here because that's where it started.

Yes.

Yes.

Dude, I should I'm not gonna floating here, but I should have just like it should have just been handed the mic to you.

Because that that is exactly what was in my heart to communicate.

But I think I think he did it uh I don't need to make him comparison.

I think he did it really well.

What's the big point here?

Um Yeah.

The effects of sin.

Yeah.

And uh that's what we see in Genesis 3 through 11, but we don't just see the effects of sin, we see the pursuit of God, um, that God pursued them first with promise.

Genesis 3.15.

If you if you went if if you graduated CIU and didn't know the significance of Genesis 3.15, you have failed.

So we got Genesis 3.15 is God cursing Satan, saying that someone's gonna come from a seat of a woman and he is going to crush Satan's head, and Satan is gonna bruise his heel.

Um and so he pursues them with a promise a Satan crusher is gonna come.

Yeah.

All right.

God's gonna God's gonna fix this sin problem that has contaminated every fiber of the very good.

Yeah.

And note that um it's not, okay, Adam and Eve, your your sinners are gonna really figure it out.

That's not that was not the promise.

Yeah.

I will send a savior.

I will send.

Yep.

And and he will crush the the the source of the conflict.

Yes.

Yeah.

So he pursues them with promise and he pursues them with blood.

That's where um the the first physical death that we see in the Bible is in Genesis 3, where God makes for them garments made of skin.

Yeah.

So they had made for this is so great.

I mean, I think this is really one of those underrated spirits.

Yeah, yeah, go, because I didn't talk about this at all.

So so in any, you know, when Adam and Eve realized they're naked, they covered their shame with fig leaves, right?

And we all think that that's just so cute.

But actually, there's really um uh a deep theological significance that they're thinking, what can I just scrap up?

How can I fix this?

I'm gonna fix this and I'm gonna cover my own shame.

And God comes along and says, not enough.

And not just because it's leaves, um, you're gonna need a life will have to be taken.

A life, yeah.

A life because you're, you know, for your life.

And and there needs to be life that is shed because you have died, and somebody has to give you their life, their life for you to to to to to bring you, as it were, back from the dead.

And so he he kills an animal and gives them a skin covering, and that is symbolic of Christ, you know, coming and giving his life to bring us back from the dead.

And so your your your you know, your fig leaves, your works, your efforts, your your fix-its will never be enough.

It has to come from the outside, from God.

From God.

Oh.

Dang.

Bro, I feel like you're on a roll today.

Wait, we're it's good.

We're we're doing it.

I gotta get it all out for the next three weeks.

So um so, yes, the the promise was foreshadowing Jesus, the sacrifice, the the blood of the innocent covering the shame of the guilty, a foreshadow of Jesus.

Yeah, and so I wanna what what I tried to do on Sunday is go to Romans 5 and so and show how Jesus is a second Adam and a better Adam.

Yeah, and that uh we I mean what Romans 5 says is that through the one came death, the first Adam, and through the second came justification.

And that word justification means declared righteous.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um we are, as it were, clothed in his righteousness.

Now, that image of being clothed is not used in Romans 5, but it is used elsewhere.

So I want to read some of those verses.

Um actually, will you go to Galatians 3?

Yeah, I don't know what verse.

That's right.

But it's the words, it's right before the one where it's like there's neither slave nor free nor male nor female.

Yeah, that one.

Gotcha.

All right.

While you turn there, um Isaiah 61 says this is verse 10.

Uh talking about the the blessing of God in redemption.

Um man, there's so much good here.

Let me just read verse 10.

Yeah.

Um chapter?

I'm in Isaiah 61.

Okay.

But you're gonna do Galatians 3 in a second.

It says, I will rejoice greatly in the Lord.

My soul will exult in my God.

Why?

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, he has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.

I didn't read that on Sunday, because I was just already using too many words, but that was so much in my mind, like uh the Isaiah 61:10, he has clothed me with garments of salvation, he has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness.

Isaiah 61:10

This is what God has done for us in Christ, for all those who put their faith in him.

Yeah.

That that that's where the image of the the white shirt came from.

Will you read Galatians three?

Yeah.

So uh verse 26.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ.

Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ, have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Clothed yourselves with Christ.

That's pretty awesome.

And this isn't a day, I mean, in our day, you know, clothing gives a little bit of a tip to your sort of style, your, you know, class, your statement, whatever.

But in this day, it was especially true.

You know, kings and queens dressed very differently from uh servants, very differently from uh craftsmen, very differently from everyone.

And so to say that you are clothed with garlands, jewels, you know, robes of righteousness, and Christ, the Son of God Himself, it's like you are you you you're royally dressed, right?

You're you're you're you're sons and daughters of the king.

And that that uh is incredible for people who uh are not royal, you know, we who are sinners and and uh but have been declared, like you say, declared righteous, declared sons and daughters, adopted into the king and whole carfish gig.

The whole carfish gig.

Let me read one more verse that uh is just so strong on the righteousness of Christ attributed to us.

And then I want to look at okay, what are the downstream effects for those who that is true and for those who really get it?

That his righteousness has been attributed to my account.

Yeah.

All right, so we did Isaiah 61.

Uh you did Galatians 3.

Let me read Philippians 3.

But what whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

More than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish that I may gain Christ and may be found in him.

Okay, in Christ, that's that's carfish.

Not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.

And he says it again the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Um that's it.

We have the righteousness of Christ attributed to our account.

We are clothed in his righteousness.

And so if we can can if we can take that theology, internalize it, um, rest in the work of Jesus, then there's some downstream effects of this.

Okay.

And this is what I want to I want to flesh out a little bit more for us.

The three that I and I just want to flesh out some of the things that that I talked about on Sunday.

Uh the three downstream effects are one, I can come out of hiding.

And number two, I can get off the sin path.

And number three, I can pass on his righteousness.

Okay.

Um, let's let's take those one at a time.

I can come out of hiding.

God does not want my distance.

Now, uh I used the example of like when you're not dressed right, it kind of makes you want to um hide.

Yeah.

It makes you want to at best um just kind of be present but disappear.

Um you were actually at the dinner that I remember.

I I remember the the dinner, the the picture that I showed of like that was not an exaggeration, was it?

Of the way it was set up.

No, it wasn't.

It was incredibly it was beautiful.

Yeah.

Was it what you were expecting?

No.

It was a lot more.

I I I I also was caught off guard.

You you were late.

Yes.

Yes.

I was looking not quite as bad as the uh the little joke picture that is, but I was looking about like that.

Yeah.

Yeah, and you had a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a seemed to kind of get the mimim, and they they all came ready, and I remember we were kind of like we uh we just do us, don't we?

Oh man, yeah.

Um yeah, luckily Jay Weebs was there too.

And she she was on time and looked the part.

Yeah.

My wife was there too, and she and Heather was there.

So yeah, exactly.

Um anyway, when I got there, I was like, dang, like, shoot.

Yep.

I I I should probably I'm I'm embarrassing somebody right now, maybe myself.

Um, definitely my wife.

Um there's something about when you're not dressed right, that there's something inside us that goes, get out, get out, get out, get out.

And when I understand that I am not who I'm supposed to be, that I've got this sin problem, this can and I'm contaminated um by sin that from God I want to hide.

And and I want to hide from people too, because I want people to think something about I want to appear a certain way to people that I know isn't actually true of me, but I want them to believe it's true of me.

And so I'm gonna present myself in a certain way and I'm gonna hide the parts of me that I don't want you to see.

Okay.

And but that's just kind of the natural, the normal desire.

But if I'm in Christ and I'm clothed in his righteousness, then I'm dr I am dressed in like you said, in royalty.

I can come before God in full confidence so that he is not disappointed.

Why?

Because I'm clothed in his righteousness.

So when communion goes around, I don't need to distance myself from God because God doesn't want anything to do with me.

I don't I don't need to, when we're singing, I don't need to just kind of disengage because you know, I don't want to sing this again.

That would just kind of be insincere.

Now I'm clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and so I don't need to hide.

God doesn't want my distance.

I can approach him in confidence and joy.

Like like the the the son running to the father in in Luke 15, the prodigal son.

Yeah.

And, you know, to point out what we've already said, these are garments provided by God himself.

So when you wake up in the morning on Monday morning and you remember this sermon that, okay, Will said that God receives me, he clothes me in his righteousness.

Let's just translate that into act into real into real language.

What that means is God has given you and sees you spiritually as he gives you, like in Genesis 1, when he comes to Adam and Eve and He clothes them in the skin and he clothes us in Christ.

You are already ready to enter the presence of God because he has given you the right, uh, the right clothes for the occasion to meet with him.

He's given you the right clothes for the occasion to meet with him.

And so for you to say, no, I'm not ready yet, you are saying that God's gift to you is not enough.

Yeah.

And just say yes.

Just say yes.

Just say yes, God, and show up to the table uh because he has already provided that what you need to come meet with him in in Christ, and it is new every morning.

Yeah.

It's a new, his mercies are new every morning, it's renewed to you every day.

And it it is humans, like our mercy runs out, like mine can bottom out pretty easy.

Um, God says not.

I mean, imagine having infinite mercy, and that's that that's who God is inviting us back to the table with him every day.

Not when he's like, not when you're ready.

God is ready and he's provided.

So just come on.

Yeah.

You know what verse it made me think of?

Again, I had so many things I wanted to on Sunday, but it made me think of um in Revelation 3 with the church at Laodicea, when Jesus is speaking to the church and he's saying, Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

Yeah.

God's not playing hide and seek, hiding in a corner, seeing if you'll find him.

God to his people is going, Hey, I've dressed you right.

I'm just here to meet.

Come on.

That's that's gonna be something there.

Sorry, that that knocking was intentional.

Yeah.

It should not be cut out.

But um, you know, uh it take it for what it's worth.

Um, Mother Teresa wrote a poem called I Thirst, and it's based on Jesus' comment from the cross.

And she takes the stance that when he says, I thirst, now some of you just just stay with me here, uh, and you may disagree, but that she takes it to mean I thirst for for you, my bride.

I thirst for fellowship with you.

And I'm willing to give up myself in hopes to be satisfied with you.

And you think, well, that's blasphemous because as the deer pants for streams of water, some of us soul pants for you, oh God, we should thirst for God.

And but could I remind us that we are made in God's image and we don't love God, we love him back.

And so when we thirst for God, I think it's a reflection of his hunger to be with us, to know us, for us.

And if you if you're a parent, you know exactly what this feels like to want to your children to want to be with you.

And that so that God has uh is longing for us to come to him and he provides every ability for us to do that.

And so please don't let whatever's in the way, whatever lies that the enemy brings to your mind about how you're not ready for that, it's literally saying God has not been able to make me ready for this, which we all know is not true.

When I when I try to distance myself from God, I'm saying God has not made me fit for this occasion.

That's right.

It is, it truly is a it's a lie and it's a slap in the face.

It's it's a mockery of the true gospel.

See, that's just really this that's really I think powerful.

Um had one other thought on that.

Did you wanna uh did you want to hit the take, like see take?

We're gonna get to that next.

Um but in terms of come out of hiding, uh Oh yeah.

Okay, with everything you just said in terms of like God wants us, and I would be be inclined to not think that's that's what was on Jesus' mind when he said that I thirst on the cross.

However, I still think everything that you just said is true.

Yeah.

And uh I think that's a good thought to bring with us in our Bible reading.

That was we're going through the chart, we're not just trying to kind of like, you know, get on board and do the thing everybody's doing.

We're trying to see is this is it true that this is God's heart revealed?

But God, show it to me.

You know, let like let me get to know you and what you're like and what you love.

Like let me not just receive information, but let me be transformed here as I get to know you more.

So I think it's a great thought to bring into um to our Bible reading.

Yep.

Um in terms of coming out of hiding, would we would both encourage people to to not try to distance ourselves from God and to not also uh hide from other people.

Okay.

So you're over life groups and you're over core groups.

You're over the things, the environments that we're trying to help facilitate where people don't need to hide.

Yeah.

Okay.

Now there's a certain level of um kind of what is appropriate to be able to share in a life group where you got, you know, mixed company, but in a core group, um, give us some vision for what you would hope would happen in a core group for people to um to not have to hide.

Like there's an environment at Sandhurst where you where you can and ought to take the thing that you would love to hide and and bring it to light.

Tell us a little bit about what your vision for that is and maybe maybe speak to the person who's who's got something that they they probably think would be helpful to share, like because they got something that they prefer to hide.

They know it'd probably be helpful to share, but they've got a million reasons why not to, because of how it would be such a surprise to the group and such a disappointment to the group, and nobody would ever think that they would struggle with that.

Yeah.

What would you say to that person um to help them come out of hiding?

While you think that keeping things in the dark is keeping you free, it is the opposite.

It is keeping you in bondage.

And I can prove this to you because there has been some time in your life when you came clean, whatever it was.

You told the boss, you chopped down the cherry tree, whatever it was, you came clean and you experienced freedom in that time.

You you understood to to bring it to the light, you are now free from its power.

And that is still true.

So um, can we just start with the intellectual acknowledgement that bad things thrive in the dark, good things happen in the light, and that to the high road is in the light.

And so let's get on the high road.

The low road is in the dark.

And so uh live in the light, live in live in freedom.

And that's by the way, uh the the high road, the free road is also where the joy is.

The low road, the hiding road, is where the bondage is and the the anxiety, the fear, the worry, the all the yuck that comes with it, all the opposites of the fruit of the spirit.

And so that's the first thing that we all believe and know it's true.

But it's still hard, even though we know it's right and good and gonna be helpful in healing.

Uh, you know, even you know, when your arms hurt and the doctor says, show it to me, you're like, uh-uh.

You know, you don't want them to touch it, but they have to to move forward with healing.

And so that's the first thing.

Second thing is get in a group where, you know, in our group, you know, it would, it's it's hard for us, you know, you've had a different experience, I think, but it's hard for me to feel like I can share really openly with six, seven, eight guys.

Uh, and so we subdivide our group into threes and fours so that we we have a group where we gather and then we separate out into the smaller groups to really get down to the nitty-gritty.

And then we have a time where we're able to say, hey guys, um I'm uh I've got uh a struggle this week and this is it.

And keep me accountable.

And we keep in touch really in those in those subcategory groups.

I think, yeah, that this is really good.

And I think you made a good case that by our own experience, it was the times that we brought this into light that we actually felt the the freedom that I have been released from this bondage.

Um, I think a lot of us can resonate with that and go, yep, you're you're right.

Um the the worst thing maybe maybe I won't use like worst.

Here's here's some terrible things that could happen in our core groups.

Number one, they become merely Bible studies.

Yes.

Okay.

You and I both love the Bible, and I'm not saying we shouldn't study the Bible, but if if our core groups become merely book studies, then we've really missed the mark.

The the core groups are our opportunity to be able to bring to light things that we prefer to hide so that we can actually um uh loose the chains that that that grips so tightly in the dark.

Yes.

Um so that would be it would be a real bummer if our core groups got reduced to book studies.

It would be a real bummer if then a group that decided to move in the direction of accountability um resulted in people airbrushing or lying.

Yeah.

And and I think what we tend to think is, oh, if if I do it again, then I'll share.

Or I don't want to share what actually happened, but I'll give kind of like a version of what happened, or what I not what happened, what I did, and uh I'll kind of soften it a little bit and it won't seem as bad, but it'll still kind of feel like a confession.

And um man, if if in our core groups we mostly just get comfortable lying, we're in a bad way.

Yeah.

And so don't do that.

Please don't do that.

Please don't do that.

And one way that I try to lean into that is okay, guys, look, when you meet with God on that day, all will be revealed.

So every week that we meet here is your opportunity to come clean and to practice the bad stuff, to you know, to get the yuck on the table that we can deal with it, so that that day will be a day of joy and rejoicing.

You can hide it all your life, and you can have the yuck then if you want with God.

But this is your opportunity right now, every week with us, to work through it when the stakes are low as opposed to waiting to meet with God and then the stakes are high.

Do it now, get it out there now and practice confession, real transparency.

And break the addiction that we have to our own good public image.

Break that addiction.

And if you think you're not addicted to it, try try this week confessing something real, not like, oh, I ovate or I slept in or, you know, something that would um be embarrassing to you if you had to tell God in front of the saints in heaven.

Say it now.

Get it out there now and get get your brothers on your team to fight with you and for you uh now.

Yes, yes, and amen.

I do want to um maybe maybe there's a pushback.

I'm not really sure.

Um I don't want to give the this idea that when we stand before God in heaven, that God's gonna shame us and kind of pull out our search history and be like, Moses, Elijah, everybody in heaven.

Let's let's Adam's up.

Okay, don't want to give that image.

Yeah, for sure.

Well, that uh because that that will not happen.

Okay.

We will stand before God and we will be judged as saints, and we will be judged for reward, not for wrath.

Right.

Um and so I don't want I don't want to give a false uh expectation that that's that that we're gonna be shamed before God.

Yeah, uh we will give an account.

That is true.

And and everything that you said about why being why confessing is um is good is so true.

Yeah.

Um good word.

The I wanna I wanna I don't want to spend too much time here, but I do think this is so important for us.

Okay.

It would be terrible if it just became a mirror Bible study.

It would be terrible if we grew comfortable lying, or maybe if we just lied, we don't have to get comfortable as if we just did it.

Yeah.

Um it would it would be a bummer also if in response to people uh risking their being honest, if what happened then is kind of crickets in the room because nobody knows how to respond.

And and I've been in groups where it was kind of like, How'd you do this week?

Oh, messed up.

How'd you do this week?

Oh, messed up.

Everybody messed up, like, oh, okay, well, let's uh let's pray and try again next week.

And that's not terrible, but it's not very helpful either.

And so I'd love to be able to um speak to our our core group leaders or or just our people who what do you do when somebody says something and man, there was honesty and uh it like like you you you feel terrible for them uh with them because of the sin, but you're so refreshed by like, man, we we just had honesty here.

Wow.

Yeah.

Um yeah.

What do you do in that in that in that moment?

I'm gonna I'm gonna give you an acronym and it'll give you part of the way down the road.

Okay.

The acronym is talk, T-A-L-K.

The first thing you do is you thank them.

Man, thank you for saying that.

And this doesn't have to be like for long conversation.

Thank you for saying that.

Acknowledge, A.

That must have been really hard to share that.

Listen.

Is there anything else you want to say about that in this safe space while we're we're still talking?

Because sometimes they'll just kind of test the water to see if it's okay.

Thank you for saying that.

That must have been really hard.

Thank, acknowledge, listen.

Is there anything else you'd like to say about that that would help us understand you better and stand in your corner better?

And and then uh the K is Neil and just pray.

Hey, um, how can we pray for you about that?

That's the that's the initial response.

Thank, acknowledge, listen, pray, Neil.

After that, which is a pretty, pretty brief, after that, then if you want to really help the brother, you can ask him, how can we help you?

What triggers this for you?

How can we keep you accountable to defeat it?

And and just, you know, and and now you're kind of go from listening mode to coach, you know, sort of mutual coaching mode.

Hey, um, what environments does this happen?

It happens at night at nine o'clock when I'm, you know, I'm finally exhausted and I'm kind of getting mad at my wife and I'm hungry, whatever.

Okay, how can we avoid that?

You know, and just troubleshoot with the guy as a third party.

All right, let's let's set a goal that by that next week, no more nine o'clock fights with your wife or whatever it is.

And uh, and then come back and we'll talk about it again next week.

And again, I would go back through it.

Thank you for saying it.

That must have been really hard acknowledge, listen, and let's pray again and wrap that up.

Okay.

Thank, acknowledge, listen, kneel.

I like that.

I think that that is is a good, helpful, like let's let's get the ball rolling here.

Yeah.

I want to I want to add to that and say what is implicit in there, but but I want to like make more explicit is it's it's not just kind of a um accountability to our actions.

There's an opportunity to be able to speak the gospel to it.

And so I w I want to let my coaching be or yeah, my coaching here be in the form of the story that I shared, but I want to share it again because I just think it was helpful.

This isn't always gonna be appropriate for it, you know, if you're sitting in a panera panera bread or something, but um with with my friend this past week when we were talking and brought some of the sin to light to be able to start with going, okay, um, thank you.

Okay.

I could not agree more.

Thank you.

Of all the hard things that people are gonna do in their life, um, being honest about things about their sin is going to be one of the most courageous things any of us do.

Okay, so thank thanking them um and acknowledging.

Uh at some point, being able to bring the gospel to bear on it is where is where is what I want to really help us do.

And here was the the boxes really helped me here.

So if you don't, if you don't know the boxes, you're gonna have to listen to the sermon from like just find the one that has boxes on the stage because it's really important uh to understanding this.

But we just said, okay, let's just state the problem um and and what we what you did with awkward specificity.

Now, this was just me and him, it wasn't like a bunch of guys, but but to be able to say, um there's a difference between saying, you know, we you know, I kind of slipped up, and then saying exactly what you did.

Um and then say, so so problem stated with specificity, and then the scope of the gospel.

What does the gospel say about who Jesus is and what he's done for you?

And then once we've once we've just said some of these statements, and there was a lot of silence here when we did this.

There was more silence than there was talking, um, because I didn't want to be just the pre the preaching one, I wanted to be more guiding, guiding.

And so my questions were questions.

What does the gospel say about who Jesus is and who you are because of him?

Yeah, and there's a lot of silence, and but then someone it would be um Jesus has forgiven me.

I am forgiven.

It'd be, and then 20 seconds of silence, and that's okay.

Um in these moments, people aren't looking for um uh for sermons.

Yeah, it's not just an intellectual problem that they need to understand something.

Things are sinking into their hearts, things are yes, let let the things sink.

Um so we started with the problem, then we said the gospel, and then as we said the gospel things, we went back to the problem and we just said, it, and because that's true, this is not who I am.

Okay, that's not who I am.

We'd say who who Jesus is, what he's done, and because of that, pointing out the problem, this is not who I am.

Yeah.

Then we went back to the gospel and we said, Because God's spirit lives in me, he has strengthened me for, and then we went to actions.

And and keeping the gospel at the center of it all is what I would love to be able to coach our core groups to do that is distinctly different than something that that non-Christians would do who just want to be better versions of themselves.

Because even if if you just stick purely to talk in terms of thank, acknowledge, listen, yeah.

Well, I guess they wouldn't do kneel, so they would do tall, not talk.

Right.

Um but but that that kneel part, that's that's what I really want to focus in with that neil part.

What are we doing in that neil part?

Relating to the gospel, speak to what Jesus has done and who I am, and then be able to say, that's not who I am.

Um that is a way to do it that I've I thought was really helpful.

And um, but man, if you if you're if you're a core group leader, Adam is your man for coaching.

If you're going, man, I could use some I could use some help here.

Yeah.

Um, come, let's do it.

Talk to Adam.

That's right.

I'll buy you a coffee.

Yeah.

And uh let's uh let's talk.

All right.

Uh all of that is under the come out of hiding.

If we're dressed in the righteousness of Christ, then we can come out of hiding, of uh hiding from God, hiding from people, and experience uh the freedom that comes with confession.

And can I say that just I feel like in our culture in our day that without calling it that, hiding is the rule.

And by that, I mean I knew a friend who was a cultural churchgoer, I don't think a believer.

And uh I remembered asking him, you know, just kind of like very, you know, busy, active, which is great, wonderful, but like always on the go, always, you know, this, that, and the other.

And you know, I was trying to encourage Bible reading, Bible time, quiet time, solitude, silence, even listening to God, listening for God, bringing the gospel, you know, letting the gospel sink into your soul.

And he was like, No, no, no way.

And I can't do that.

I was like, why not?

He's like, Because basically the noise in my life keeps me from feeling the hurt.

And I think that's how most people operate.

The noise in their lives keeps them from feeling the hurt.

So if they begin to get reflective, jump on Instagram or whatever it is, you know, what just kind of medicate to block it out.

And um, that is such uh an unfortunate uh, I'm not saying that that that you know that all forms of of media or entertainment are evil, but um, if we turn to them instead of to the gospel for either, you know, to to to anesthetize the pain that we feel from the separation from God, we are turning to the broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

And it's it's just a tra it's a tragedy.

So I would just encourage us to let go of those things and to enter a real process of openness and transparency with God and let it, especially in those small moments with other believers, brothers and sisters who are in your corner and can walk you through uh bringing God and the gospel into those moments and then working from a place of healing rather than just uh uh fixing.

Yeah, yeah.

Come out of hiding.

We're dressed in the righteousness of Christ.

Um, second one, and we're gonna have to blaze through these last two.

But the first is if I'm dressed in the righteousness of Christ, I can come out of hiding.

The second is I'm gonna get off the sin path, and the third is pass on his righteousness.

In terms of getting off the sin path, let's let's um remember the path, okay?

From Genesis 3 to Joshua 4 to 1 Samuel, what is it?

Uh 2 Samuel 7.

No, that's no, that's not the second Samuel 11.

Who you think?

Uh David Abathsheba.

First Samuel 21, isn't it?

Or second.

Yes, 2 Samuel 11.

Thank you.

David Abathsheba.

The the pattern is is almost identical through them all.

See, want, take, hide, and then blame.

See, want, take, hide, blame.

Yeah.

And and that is the path.

The the satanic tactics behind the path are attack God's word, deny God's word, twist his nature, and make sin look sweet.

That's the those are the tactics behind the path.

Um and and they're very relatable.

Um, when I was just trying to internalize it a little bit and go, okay, what are the thoughts that I tend to think that and I was when I wrote them out, the thoughts that I think, and when I'm on the sin path, and then when I kind of like distance myself from God, I was literally like, I just I just twisted God's or I just denied God's word and twisted his nature.

I literally just took a page right out of Satan's script and um want to get off the path.

So um what would you say, Adam, to someone who's going, I'd love to get off the path.

I would love to not keep giving into this sin.

I would love to be like Joseph, who we're reading about this week, who when he had the opportunity to take and then to hide, um he didn't.

What would you say?

Like let's help our people out here.

Faith be on Sunday.

Yeah.

Um well in in just speak for myself, you know, in my own life, what you know motivates me and strengthens me in those moments is to know that there's no such thing as private sin, that that the that life is public to God and really to the universe, to to the angelic realm.

And um there's no victimless sin.

Um, you know, and and and and I'm harming myself or others always.

And so to remember that if there's a if there's a fork in the road and there's life down the hard road, and there's uh death down the easy road, um, you know, to to to to choose life is not just a private act.

It it is it is public to God and to the angelic realm and eventually to eternity.

And so that uh that it my the I'm gonna choose what's right, not because it's I have to get off of like what's gonna practically work.

You got to get away and and think what is right and good, what is serving my life and remember that I love your image of sin as candy coated poison.

Yeah, it looks like a big old juicy, but it's got a it's got a hook in there and it and it will take your life.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So everything that you just said there is you're you're calling out what you know is true.

And if you take any of these stories, whether it's Adam and Eve or Achan, and if just to remind us of the story of Achan, it's uh when they when Israel takes Jericho, we'll be here in three weeks.

Israel takes Jericho, and there were some items that they were banned they weren't supposed to take, and Achan takes some gold and he buries it under his tent, and he so he takes some of these items under the band and he gets caught, not by a person, but he gets caught by God.

And because of that, um he and his whole family is get stoned and God commands it.

Okay.

And so you just think if if Eve could be at the table right here, and Aiken could be at the table there, and David could be at the table there with David and Bathsheba, what would you what what would they say?

What would they say?

And I think I think they would say probably something like, Man, you just really, if I can implore you to just put a label on your sin and just label it rightly, and here's what we can label it death.

This is death.

This is this is death.

This this will steal, this will kill your joy, this will kill your your intimacy with God.

This is this will harden your heart.

This is this is going to make you a cold person.

Let's label it death.

And and what we see from Jesus to Joseph, just here's part of the reading assignment.

Pay attention to what Joseph does.

Yeah, we'll leave it here.

Um, pay attention to what Joseph does in Genesis, I think it's 40, maybe it's 39.

Pay attention to what Joseph does in temptation and compare that to what Jesus does in temptation when when he's tempted by Satan in Matthew 4.

And just compare those two and see how they're different from Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 and Achan in Joshua 4 and David in 2 Samuel 11.

What is what is different there?

And um, and maybe let that be part of part of your study for getting off the sin path.

Yeah.

Really, really let that sink.

Yeah, and I've I've, you know, I think they have a type of of for smokers who want to quit, they have a type of cigarette that when you smoke it, it makes you sick, makes you feel nauseous.

And um, and uh while that sounds terrible, like it, it's like it would be even better if like in if they had this like send cigarette that you can it would like make you give you the flu for a week or something.

You know, like you could see like it was really nice for three minutes, but then it gave you the flu for a week.

It's like it's really death.

It may, it may be sweet on your lips, but it's you know, as Proverbs says, gravel in your stomach.

And so it's uh just keep in mind what's really happening and don't don't get uh caught up in in in in just satisfying the flesh right now.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um that's that's right.

And I think also to go back to what you said about um the gospel, to remember who am I?

Yes, who am I?

This is not who I am.

This is not what this is not what my father would do.

This is not what I would, then this is not what we do.

You know, there are certain times I say, look, Richardsons do this, you know, this is you're not every family, you're our family.

And I feel like we are Christians.

Christians do this because we are the family of God and we want to live in his image.

And we actually are happiest, by the way, when we do that.

Our no to whatever the sin is is also no to the death that comes with it, and and yes to the life that comes with with abstinence.

Yeah.

And so when and and then when you fail, just distance yourself from God for long enough, and you'll feel and and then at time will heal it, and then you'll be good.

No.

No, no, no, then then we repent and and we throw it by way of reminder, gospel truths.

That's right.

Okay.

We we in our failure, we go back to Jesus and He delights because He's made us fit to meet with Him.

And so if you're listening to this right now and you're feeling like you're kind of on the edge of some tempting thing, call a brother.

Tell them, go to their house, you know, find some encouragement, some fellowship, some change the channel there.

You know, don't just sit there and try to white knuckle it and face it.

Uh, you know, tr start with your own heart, start with the reminders and the promises of scripture.

And if if you feel yourself slipping, then uh then absolutely um uh reach out and and find fellowship because God gave us more than he gave us the word, he gave us his spirit, but he also gave us his people to help us on that path.

Amen.

So if we've been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we come out of hiding, we get off the sin path, and then third, pass on his righteousness.

I told the story of the eagerness I had to be able to forgive the person in the way that I had received the forgiveness for for when I lied to uh Jim Shorter, and he said, You're forgiven, and we never need to speak of it again.

Okay.

Freely I received, and so freely I gave.

Um, I want to close with this exhortation to freely give.

Um, what is what is evangelism and what is our what are we trying to do with our one?

We're just trying to take the the righteousness that we've received freely and say, hey, this is available to you too.

And so I want to give a plug for baptism.

Okay, not that baptism saves us, or not that the waters and the baptismal is what makes us righteous.

Um, but this is one of the great opportunities we have to pass on his righteousness.

That the way we do baptism, what I mean by that is the way we do baptism is we give people a chance to share their testimony, to share the experience they had where they placed faith in Jesus, they understood the gospel and traded their filthy garments for the righteousness of Christ through faith in Jesus.

Yeah.

Okay.

That also happens to be the hardest part of baptism at Sandhurst.

You're like, man, not only do I need to be in front of everybody and kind of get dunked underwater, which can be a little bit undignifying.

You know, it's like uh How's this gonna go?

Yeah, yeah.

Am I gonna come up weird?

Yeah, you know, uh there is some of that, but now you're making it harder, and I gotta share my story.

No, this is this is one of the great opportunities we have to be able to be able to pass on the story of his righteousness attributed to our account.

This is one of the great things about it.

And then we do it strategically on our um on our outreach Sunday called Fallback Sunday.

So I'm about to lay it on thick here for the people who have made it probably an over an hour into the podcast and are um and have not been baptized yet, have been born again.

You better turn it off now because uh if you've been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, then pass on that story and do it in testimony and in baptism on Fallback Sunday.

Go on the website, register, and because I like I'm excited to be able to teach from the Word of God, but it's more likely or what will help bring that to life is hearing that story in your real life.

Yeah.

And so uh please, if you're in Christ man, let's pass on the story of his righteousness uh Fallback Sunday, and let's let's get some people um let's let's share share the stories.

My guess is that what if you're listening, whatever your favorite movie is, it has words in it.

It's got dialogue.

I mean, imagine watching it with the sound off the whole time.

You know, and I mean be cast away.

I mean, yeah, exactly.

You know, you I mean you can can you kind of follow, you can see what's happening, but the words give it power.

And uh that's you know, the to to combine the action of seeing, you know, you the the baptism with you going under the waters of judgment and being raised to new life in Christ, combined with the words of your story, is just very powerful.

It is powerful.

And so um invite your one, invite your neighbor, invite your friend, and we got some barbecue, an easy invite.

And um, let's let the gospel, which is powerful and in and is good news and has uh br and bring so much joy, let us bring as many people as we can all over Florence in on that.

So um, you want to pray for us?

Sure, let's pray.

Father, we thank you for this uh this passage, this section of scripture from Genesis 3 to 11.

And as we see that sin begins to invade and ruin every element and aspect of life, and everything that was very good, uh, that where your your nature was clearly seen and tangibly expressed is now tainted.

And and and we now are broken in our relationship with you, each other, even ourselves.

And I pray God that you would help us to come out of hiding.

Uh, when we are tempted to uh see, want, take, and hide, that we would come out, we would walk away from that, that we would uh confess to one another and find healing and new power in honesty, in integrity, in freedom, and walk the light, the high road.

Lord, help us at Sanders to be a church where we um confess to one another and encourage one another and spur each other on to love and to good deeds and really get down into the real nitty-gritty, not just uh superficial things, not just broad strokes, but actual, real daily stuff and help us to come to you, to know you, and to may your gospel speak to and transform uh our hearts that we would live in your image and then apply that to the problems uh with actions in front of us.

May it be, Lord, by the power of your spirit and for the praise of your glory, and may we all help each other do the same in Jesus' name.

Amen.

James, send us, help us, let's go.

Amen.

All right, let's go.