Take The Way

And so, let me set the stage quickly. The Israelites have just been released from Egypt. A series of supernatural, miraculous plagues had been sent by God, and Pharaoh finally I'll go, this is enough, and they've just been released from slavery out into the desert. And that's where we pick up Chapter 14 right here. Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses, "Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pihayroth between Macdal and the sea." Camp there along the shore across from Balzefan. Then Pharaoh will think the Israelites are confused that they are trapped in the wilderness. And once again, I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. So the Israelites camped there as they were told. Hang on to that one for a minute, okay? They were doing just what they were supposed to do. When the word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. What have we done? Letting all these Israelites' slaves get away, they ask. So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. He took with him 600 of Egypt's best chariots along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander, the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel who had left with fist raised in defiance. And they did catch up with them, and let me just tell you that the Israelites were freaked out. Not only that, they were terrified. They're about to be slaughtered, all right? Their backs are to the sea. This enemy of immense power, way more powerful than them, is encroaching upon them. And they are certain that they're about to be killed, every single one of them. I think we would all be freaked out in that situation. But notice that in bold and text I had there. So the Israelites camped there as they were told. Have you ever been in a situation where you were doing just what you thought you were supposed to be doing?

And things still didn't seem to be going your way. Maybe you have. I know I have. I want to say this to you, being in God's will doesn't always mean a perfect feel. Sometimes, even when we are in God's perfect will, the road still gets bumpy. You know it's true. And I would actually say this, I would actually take it a step further. Anytime we are so bold and filled with faith enough to make a move towards God, to leave something behind, to try it his way, to do something new or leave something old behind, something to get closer to God, you can actually expect great opposition. Especially at the beginning, because the enemy doesn't like to let go of his strongholds without a fight. That sucker is not going down without swinging. If he's got you where he wants you and you're making a move towards God, he doesn't want to let you go. So when you're the weakest and the freshest and it's the newest, he's going to come at you with some stuff that might be more intense than you have ever felt before. We need to be ready for that. And then, and they said to Moses, why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn't we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, leave us alone, let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness. Are you kidding me? How fast? How fast did they forget? How fast did they forget? These miraculous plagues have happened. They've been set free. When they got set free, they're overwhelmed with joy. They're a little nervous. They don't know what's going on, but they have just seen God's hand on their life. They're out there, and then immediately when they come up against opposition, they immediately say that it would be better to be slaves and go back to what they know, then have to try to figure this out and trust God through this tough situation. If we're really honest, a lot of us do the same thing. It's easy to judge the Israelites when we know what happened next, but I know I've been there where they are.

Leaving behind what is familiar is always frightening. Leaving behind what is familiar is always frightening. Fear in our flesh is going to tell us it would be easier to just keep going as we are even to our own demise. we've been hanging out with, the thing that we've been doing, the thing God is trying to save us from or call us into something better, that's no longer there. What's life going to look like? What am I going to do next time I'm stressed out? What am I going to do next time I'm overwhelmed? Where am I going to run to for comfort? What new routine am I going to have to do? I mean, what is my life going to look like? We don't know. We are literally stepping into the unknown and trusting God when we make a move toward Him in any way. It's a frightening thing because everything is about to be different. But look what Moses said. Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving. Pick up your staff, raise your hand over the sea, divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots and his charioteers. When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord."

That he is the Lord and I want you to know that God can take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good. He really can, y'all. He really can. As a matter of fact, he specializes in it. He's done it for me. I know he's done it for many, many of you. I bet I've been placing myself in the Israelite shoes a lot, trying to anyways, while I was crafting this message and thinking, "What were they thinking? What would it have been like to actually be there?" I imagine that they might say, "That sounds great, God. Your glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops and his charioteers and they'll know that you are the Lord, but is this really the way that that has to happen? Do we really have to be chaste and hunted and almost convinced that we're all about to die and be out here in the desert with no way to go free? Is that what it has to take? Maybe for me, God didn't do these things to me that I'm going to share with you in a little bit. Most of it is my fault. Most of it was my stupid choices. There's a little bit more to it than that, but absolutely that is true, but I'm not so sure that he would have gotten my attention if I didn't go through what I went through. I don't know if he would have got my attention the way he got my attention if there was any other way other than him, but when he's all you've got left and he's the only shot you've got and then he pulls through for you, you will serve him and trust him and follow him in a different kind of way, in a different kind of way. In God's hands, our most hurtful, shameful, darkest, lowest, most embarrassing moments are our most powerful tools for helping others. It's true. And he works all things, all things, for the good of those that love him and are called

according to his purpose. Thank you, Lord. Then the angel of God who had been leading the people of Israel moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. The clouds settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps as darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night, but the Egyptians and the Israelites did not approach each other all night. Again, put yourself in their shoes. I'm imagining that I'm sitting there quivering in fear with my family and everybody else in my village and we're sitting there, the sea behind us, the Israelites in front of us, this crazy pillar of fire lighting up the night and we're going any minute now, man. We're going to rush us and sprudly slaughter us all. Any minute now, any minute, all night, nothing happens. They're probably wondering what's going on here, God, if you're going to do it, let's do it. If not, what's going on here, I'm confused, I'm terrified, and oftentimes, every time, happens in God's timing, and while we are waiting, He is worthy. while until that thing happens, at least on our perspective, our human perspective. But when that thing does happen, we go, thank you, God, that you didn't do what I wanted you to do, it would have been a disaster. Thank you for your wisdom and your timing in all things. If it was up to the Israelites, God would have immediately done what He said He would do. The best thing we can do while we're waiting is keep preparing, keep doing what God told us to do, keep our faith strong, keep being obedient, and check out what happens next. Then Moses raised his hand over the sea and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the sea bed into dry land so the people of Israel

walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground with walls of water on each side. Can you imagine that? May we never just get used to that? Oh, yeah, this very Moses is but the sea, you know, we've heard a million times. This is incredible, y'all. This is absolutely mind-blowing what is happening here. And when the Lord opened the path, the people of Israel walked. This is what happened. We will make a way but we have to take the way. We have to take the way. In other words, God did the miracle but they had to move. God didn't just open up the sea and then say, "Also, I'm just going to levitate you across the dry path and you're not going to have to do a thing." I imagine that they had elderly, that they had infants, that they had people with mobility issues, they had all kinds of gear that was heavy. They had to walk and trudge and go through the opening that the Lord had made. I'll never forget, I heard Pastor Mark say it this way a long time ago and I've used it hundreds of times since. He said, "You can't lean on a shovel and pray for a hole. You might have to dig." You know, God provided us with arms. He provided us with the shovel, with the knowledge and ability to do this thing. He's made a way for us. He's prepared everything. God is not a cosmic genie and we don't just pray for a hole. We might have to participate in the miracle. What happens next? The Egyptians, all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots and charioteers, chased them into the middle of the sea but just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud and he threw their forces into total confusion.

He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. Let's get out of here, away from these Israelites, the Egyptians shouted, "The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt when all the Israelites had reached the other side." The Lord said to Moses, "Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers." So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape but the Lord swept them into the sea and he does the very same things with our past and our pain. God buries our past. He covers our pain. When we trust in the finished work of the cross and repent of our sins, we are covered. We are covered. God looks down and sees not us but the blood of Jesus covering us. Thank God. When the psalmist wrote, he has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west. I think he was trying to make a point, y'all, like it's gone, gone gone, right? Now, that doesn't mean that everybody in our lives has forgotten or that we haven't made quite a little sticky situation for ourselves or that there might not be some consequences or that there may be a period of rebuilding ahead or whatever the case may be. But as far as God's concerned, and he's the only one that I'm really concerned about what he's concerned with, it's gone. And that should bring us peace and comfort because no matter what happens to us. If we have put our faith in the finished work of the cross, laid it at his feet and asked him to forgive us, he does, he does, it's amazing, it's amazing. Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers, the entire army a pharaoh, all the Egyptians who But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground as the water stood up like walls on both sides. This is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day.

And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the shore when the people of Israel saw the mighty power of the Lord. That the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians. They were filled with awe before Him. They put their faith in the Lord and in His servant Moses. I want to show us today that God's miracles always serve a greater purpose. He didn't just save them for the sake of saving them. He didn't just save them because He didn't want to watch them get slaughtered. He didn't just save them because He loved them and figured this would be a really cool thing to do. He saved them because through that miracle they were filled with awe and they put their faith in the Lord and He was brought glory through this. People were drawn to Him. He loves to help us but it's always to show His glories move our hearts towards serving Him and towards His perfect plan. Now most of us have heard this story hundreds and hundreds of times. Even people that don't really go to church or read the Bible know this one. But there's a reason for that. It's because it's absolutely awesome. It is awesome. I mean really it's super hero stuff. It's unimaginable. It's crazy that this actually happened. There's a whole bunch of nuggets packed into that. You could dissect it all day and do dozens of sermons on it but there's one thing that stands out to me from this story above all the rest just at a glancing blow and that's that God can do anything. He can do anything y'all absolutely anything. He doesn't always do what we think, how we think, when we think, thank goodness but make no mistake.

He can, he can and he does. For the Israelites that day he didn't just guide them. He wasn't just with them. He didn't just unlock a door that they had been trying to open that was just always locked for years. He literally made a way where there was no way. Hey boom. You think you're done? Watch this. Opened up a way. A new way. A way that they didn't even think that could exist. He opens up the sea. They walk right through it. He washes their enemy away and the remnant of their past as slaves. Right with them. It's all gone. Clean. They're on the other side. They're on the other shore. God has done something similar for me. Maybe he has for you too. Many of you know my backstory or maybe just the surface level idea that substance addiction was involved and that now I'm involved with the recovery ministry, recovery community. But maybe some of you have never heard this at all and I want to paint a little bit of a picture for you today, the best I can, okay? Addiction is a predatory beast. Like a lion whose mission is to steal, kill and destroy us. Much like depression, anxiety, fear and worry that we've been talking about all month. It is a tool of the enemy and it is an extremely powerful one.

Addiction affects us physically, mentally and spiritually. These are the elements that make up a whole person and addiction takes up residence and gets its hooks into all three. This is why addiction is so ridiculously strong, can take us to a place where we are unrecognizable as who we used to be or who God created us to be. And it is impossible for us to break free from this once it's fully taken root on our own. Now, no, I didn't say it was impossible. I said it was impossible on our own. That's a clear distinction and it's very, very true. The root of addiction is actually in the spiritual and like any weed, it must be pulled up from the root. This is why the solution to addiction is spiritual. Now, I really, one of the great calls on my life is to explain addiction to people. I do it almost weekly. I go into treatment centers and detoxes and rehabs and shelters and at the prisons as well the last couple years and I try to explain this. There's a physical part, there's a mental part, there's a spiritual part. It's all very interesting. I don't have time for all that today, but if this affects you personally, please come and see me because I want to make sure that you have everything you need in order to combat this thing and find victory over it. But what you need to know is there's a lot there. one of the lies that I always used to hear that confused me big time was that I just much not have reached my bottom yet. I used to hear that. So I'd come back into a facility or a group or and somebody there would go, "Well, I guess you just haven't reached your bottom yet.

"I guess you just haven't experienced enough pain "to put it down and do the new way. "I want you to know that there is no bottom "that fixes chronic addiction. "That's not how it works. "It ends in one of two ways, miracle or death. "That's it, miracle or death. "Not to mention what we put our families through "and the people in our lives that love us "and have been watching us for years, "completely helpless to help us. "If the love of my family could have fixed me, "it would have been done long before it was done. "I can promise you that. "But I want to dig into just a component "of the spiritual malady. "It's a deep bondage, it's an oppression. "We're fighting against forces way stronger than us "and we're losing. "There are several interesting aspects, "but I want to talk about one today "that doesn't get talked about a lot. "Idle worship. "Idle worship. "We all worship something. "We were designed to. "We all do. "The question is what? "Some of us are worshiping things. "We're not even aware that we're worshiping.

"We haven't even really realized it. "But let me tell you how I worship drugs and alcohol." Now, I didn't say I was of the drug and alcohol religion. I didn't get down and pray to my substances or anything weird like that. But I worshiped them for sure. Let me give you a little snapshot. I would jump out of a third-story window at 3 a.m. and ride a bike with flat tires, 45 minutes. One way in the rain to a house filled with people that might try to rob or kill me to get $20 worth of stuff. I never had any excuses. None. I was never too tired or stressed for the mission at hand. I had complete faith that those drugs would make me feel a certain way if I could just get them in me. Oh, I had faith. They told me where to spend my money, who to hang around, who to avoid, how to spend my time. They were the last thing I thought about before I passed out, and the first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes. I could be so intoxicated, I could hardly walk or talk, and if you tried to take my stuff from me, you would have to fight me. I didn't let what people thought about me stop me from my mission. I knew they thought I was a loser.

I didn't care. I didn't let the law deter me. Consequences were of no consequence. I was willing to completely degrade myself or put myself in danger in order to get what I wanted. I know this is tough to listen to. I'm getting vulnerable here. I sold everything I owned in my worship to drugs and alcohol. In the end, this is where it brought me. I was even searching the dark web to try to find a surgeon who would remove my non-vital organs or body parts in exchange for a payout. Luckily, I did not find that surgeon. That could make this even a more powerful illustration if I was missing a bunch of body parts or something. But luckily, I did not find that surgeon, but I was looking. I was ready. I hope I'm painting a clear picture. I completely lost all the parts of me that made me me. This was not a party. This was not laziness and fun. If you've ever seen Lord of the Rings, this was my precious. And I was Schmiegel. Schmiegel's a sick dude, man. He's down in a cave, you know? That was me, man. It was sad. It was dark.

It was extremely depressing. I was suicidal. I hated myself. I had tried everything that I thought I was supposed to try and nothing was working and I was convinced that death was right around the corner and that I was a completely hopeless case. My goal is to worship God on that level. I'm trying, y'all. Maybe you've seen the meme on social media or heard the saying, "Don't let a crackhead out hustle you." Good luck, brother. Good luck. I doubt you can do it. I doubt seriously that anybody in here can do it. Will power is not the problem. It just isn't enough. It's just not enough. As a matter of fact, I didn't even really have a drug problem. I thought I did. Everybody else thought I did. It sounded right. Oh, Zach, yeah, I used to be a sweet boy. He's got a little drug problem, you know? That sounds right, but actually I had a drug solution Quitting wasn't the issue. I quit hundreds of times. Hundreds. I was never able to stay quit.

I was no longer OK when you took the drugs out of my life because they had become my idol. And now I had nothing in their place. The only thing powerful enough to break chronic addiction is God himself. We know that faith without works is dead, but I didn't know what to do. We've talked about in recent sermons that most miracles require movement. God's not my genie. It is not enough just to believe that he exists and to ask him to help me. That's where I was stuck for years. I believe God exists. I really didn't. I really did. And I asked him to help me, but I was like the guy leaning on a shovel, praying for a hole. There was no participation on my part. And I didn't know how to participate. And that's sad to me. This is why one of the things that absolutely drives me is to help explain to people when we experience these little windows of opportunity, which is really God's grace, that there are some things we can do that can help set us free. The foundation of all these things is surrender and a decision to make Jesus not just the author of my salvation, but the Lord of my life. That's what it is.

What I'm saying is we don't beat addiction by trying harder. We get set free by pursuing the one who actually has the power to restore us. That's how it works. I never beat it. I never finally decided. I never amassed my willpower and said this time, I really, really, really, really, really, really want to do this. And then did it. That is not what happened. I could not. I could not, but he could. Well, when they dropped me off at Vista and Detox, I certainly had no clue what I was supposed to do. I felt completely hopeless. I had zero direction. I was talking to myself and ripping hairs out of my arms. I weighed about 70 pounds under weight. It was a sad and terrifying sight. It really was. It would probably make you cry to take a glimpse of me that day. You would maybe hardly recognize me. It just so happens. I felt like the Israelites, with their back to the ocean. I said, there is no way out. I'm done. I'm cooked. It's over. Nothing works.

But it happens that our weakness is the perfect place for God's strength to be displayed. He can make a way where there is no way. He can do it. And I want to show you all three things that have been shown to me that I believe can help us all. So don't check out on me if you're like, that's a crazy story, dude, but that's not me. I understand that. This is about learning to do things differently, learning to live in a way where God's power can sustain us, continuing to grow from wherever we currently are. So this is for everybody. This is for everybody, OK? Three things. First one, become a disciple and disciple someone else, a disciple making disciple. That's what that is. This is not optional. We should all be disciples of Jesus, but we need to have someone discipling us, someone with a perspective other than our own who can walk with us. For change to break, this needs to be centered around action. And I have a bunch of things here that I've listed out that if you find somebody that you can agree to have this kind of relationship with, these are a few things that you will see massive results from if you were to do them, if you were to actually do them. I don't have enough time to explain each one a bunch,

so it's going to be rapid fire. But here's a few things you could do in this discipleship relationship, OK? The first one, forgive everyone like Christ has forgiven us. Oh my gosh. Man, he's forgiven me of stuff that I'm not even going to talk about today. And I know that he wants me to forgive everyone. This is such a freeing exercise. The next one, list out our fears and find a way to increase your faith around them. It's a big deal, y'all. We just talked about fear the other week. It's a poison. Confess to a brother or sister what is plaguing us. This one terrifies people. And a lot of times, people will take something and hold it on them and hold it in their heart all the way to the grave. This is one of the most freeing things you can possibly do is get with somebody and say something out loud, somebody you trust. You don't have to tell the whole room. Just somebody. Try it. I promise you. It's a powerful thing. Make a plan to right your wrongs and make a mistake. Y'all, we are humans. We are going to hurt people.

Hopefully we can minimize the amount, but it's gonna happen. How do you right your wrongs when it happens? You gotta try. Learn how to pray and read the word. This is a big deal, and for people, especially who are new Christians, they're reading the Bible, they're completely overwhelmed. Get with somebody, get a reading plan, talk it over with each other, learn what to look for, learn who wrote the book, learn what was happening at the time. Different questions you can ask to learn about what you're reading, learn how to pray. Continue to take personal inventory and ask the Lord to search your heart for anything that isn't like him. This never stops. This never stops. It's a question that we should ask ourselves regularly, and we're gonna find something a lot of the time because we're sinners. That's just how it is. We daily repent. Make a plan for intentional growth. I would say this. If I am not intentionally moving towards the Lord on purpose, I'm drifting backwards. Because if I stop, I don't just stand still. My flesh and the world pulls me back this way.

I have to swim against that current to get closer to the Lord. So I need to be intentionally, purposefully, actionably moving towards the Lord or I'm going backwards and stay accountable. It's huge, man. We know this. We've done this through Brotherhood 10 and Man of Honor for years. Accountability is one of the most powerful things that we can bring into our lives. It's a beautiful thing when you have people that love you that can help hold you accountable. And lastly, disciple somebody else. And most people say, oh, no, man, not me. That's a big crazy word, a big scary Christian word. I'm not a theologian. I'm not a doctrine professor. You don't have to be, man. You just have to be a step ahead of the person you're trying to help. Just a step ahead. If you've done it, if someone's done this and showed you something, turn around and show the guy that got saved that day at church or last week at church or last month at church and show them what somebody showed you. Open up the word together. You don't have to be some guru with some big, impressive plan.

Seek God with somebody and help point them in the direction that somebody has helped to point you in and watch your life explode. Watch your life explode. Got a little verse for us. Therefore, go and make disciples. Don't get stuck in the I'm a disciple only forever. We also have to go and make disciples. Of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you and be sure of this. I am with you always, even to the end of the age. What a beautiful promise. Number two, be in community and get involved. This is not, I'm not talking about show me your five closest associations and I'll show you your future, that is true. And we talk about that a lot because it's such a big deal. I'm talking about a community where you are so plugged in that if you didn't show up, people would be asking where you were because they count on you. You're a part of it. You don't just casually attend. You give, you serve, you participate. You set up, you tear down, you pray with people. You are a part of helping that thing exist. You are tied into the community in a tight knit way. We will never simply, never experience what God has intended for us if we stay to ourselves

or in isolation or just show up and attend like it's an event that we could or could not be at depending on how we're feeling that day. It's more than that, y'all. It's about being part of the body, not just being a body part. You don't wanna be a foot sitting over in the corner, not attached to a leg. It's a bad place to be. I'm serious. You wanna be a part of the body, not just the body part. Look what all these believers did. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings. Devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings. That's obedience, that's the word, that's everything. And the fellowship. And to sharing in meals, including the Lord's Supper. And to prayer, doing a lot more than attending. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship, those who were being saved. What a beautiful thing. It's happening here. It is happening here. And we are in awe of it. And finally, number three, last one. Be courageous and share your testimony. There is power in it, y'all. There is power in it. The gospel is a pay it forward movement. It is built on the lives of the ones that came before us. We were just talking about this. People have died to get the message to us. For 2000 years, this message has been shared and shared and shared and shared. And it finally got shared with us. Imagine if nobody shared it with you. If nobody got it to you. I can't imagine when we share our testimony,

it helps not only the people we're hoping that it will, but it helps us. Every time I share my testimony, I remember where I was and I remember where I could be. And I remember what God has done for me. It helps me, y'all. I don't think if I hadn't been sharing my testimony and carrying this message for these past 17 years, I don't think I would still be here. I'm convinced of it. It's one of the most very powerful things that we can possibly do. Again, you don't have to be a public speaker. I'm talking about your co-workers, your friends, your small group members, because you're going to be in a small group, because you're in community, right? And I'm talking about people that come up to you that are struggling with something. And you have this little opportunity. What is my testimony? When you boil it down, it's God did this for me. And so I'm absolutely convinced that he can do it for you too. That's it. And I don't care what it is. We all got different stories. They're all powerful. They're all beautiful. Thank you. Give God some glory. He can help us, y'all. I want to tell you something that I know. They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by the power of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. This is my verse here that I'm trying to show us that the way that we fight the enemy, the way that we fight the predatory beast is by in the sharing of our testimony and by the blood of Jesus. That's what our testimony is, is that the blood of Jesus has covered me and made me right with God. And we share that. It gets more and more and more and more powerful. Listen, there's a story in Luke where there's this unclean woman, and she comes up to Jesus, and she's got her hair all over his feet. She's crying all over his feet, and then he's sitting with a Pharisee. And the dude is like, why are you letting her touch you like that, man? Do you know who she is? This is a disgusting, wretched woman. Why are you letting her do this? This is embarrassing, right? And Jesus tells this parable about two people who were forgiven a debt. One had a great debt, and he was forgiven. One had a smaller debt, and he was forgiven. He says, which one do you think would be more grateful? He says, I tell you, her sins, and they are many, and mine are many, have been forgiven. So she has shown me much love, but a person who is forgiven a little shows only a little love. Then Jesus said to the woman,

your sins are forgiven. Whenever I think about interacting with God around shame and guilt, I think about a story that happened with my dad. And many of you may know that my dad passed away into January this year. And I miss him so much. This is the first time that he's gotten to hear me preach this today. Yeah. I think he's having a watch party, maybe. I don't know. Anyways, when I was 16, I was a complete idiot. I still am, but I mean, really, really was. And I It was four wheel drive, it was a five speed, it was a tan Sahara edition, it had a black hard top. It was gorgeous, I loved it. And I was doing stupid things like I always did and I took it off-roading. And I mean, that's not stupid in and of itself, but I was getting a little crazy. And I ended up flipping it and tipping it and rolling it down like a 10, 15 foot embankment upside down into a swamp. It sunk to the bottom of the swamp. Luckily, it was maybe only six feet deep. We were banged and bruised up, but we were all right. And we rolled the windows down and swam out of the windows and crawled up this bank, this muddy bank. And I got to the top and I thought, oh, what have I done? This is bad. And the second thing I thought was my dad is going to kill me. That's what I thought, just being honest. I thought my dad's going to kill me. And then I had a second thought and I thought, maybe if I can clean this up and fix this up on my own, he won't be so mad at me. Maybe if I can take care of this, it'll make it a little bit more okay

when he finds out what happened. So I called my friend's dad and he came out and the Jeep was laid parallel to the bank. So first we had to get it perpendicular. Then we had to get it up on the wheels. Then we had to pull it up out of the swamp. It was actually pretty awesome. But when we got it out, we had destroyed it. We had mangled it. The hard top was ruined. The roll bars were completely bent. The thing was destroyed, right? So I call my dad and I say, hey, dad, I'm going to need you to come pick me up. I'll tell you a little bit more about it when you get here. And so he goes, all right, he comes and I show him the Jeep and he looks at it and he goes, did you know that when I was in Vietnam, I specialized in vehicle extraction? I said, no, no, no, I did not know that actually. That would have been really good to know, you know? That could have really come in handy here, actually. He goes, yeah, yeah, I could have been pretty useful. It might not look like this if you would have let me help you. You know, oh man. The second thing he said to me was, I wish you would have called your dad. He wasn't upset, y'all. He wished I would have called him and let him help me. And that's what our Heavenly Father does.

To think that we could hide from him is ridiculous. He knows everything. He says, run to me. I wanna help you. Don't try to fix it yourself and then bring it to me. Don't try to bring it to somebody else. I specialize in this. He wants us to run to him and bring him our problems and bring him our shame and bring him our guilt and say, will you help me, Father? And the answer is yes, he will. And we want you to know as a church, we don't just say this 'cause it sounds good on a t-shirt or whatever, no matter what you've done. And I hope you believe this now, even more. After me sharing just a tiny little bit, honestly, of my story, no matter what you've done, no matter what you're struggling with, you go, oh, you don't know, I don't care. I do know, actually, I probably do. No matter what you've been through, no matter what you've experienced, no matter what's happened to you, no matter what you've participated in, no matter what your mental state is or how you're feeling, we know God wants to help you and heal you and we want to also, we love you. We are glad that you are here

and we want you to know that God will make a way. You just have to take the way. You're not alone. You are not alone if you will just turn to Him and run to Him.