Naked and Unashamed

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Pursuing Faith Podcast where we explore questions of faith, doubt and life.

[00:00:11] I am your host Dominic Done.

[00:00:15] Hey everyone, welcome to this episode of Pursuing Faith.

[00:00:23] I don't know if you can hear it, but outside it is absolutely pouring with rain right now.

[00:00:30] And I kind of like the sound of rain, especially when it's falling on a day when I had planned

[00:00:35] ongoing running outside.

[00:00:37] I guess it's like the universe's way of saying go ahead have some chocolate so I'm up here

[00:00:41] in my office with some chocolate and some coffee and just got back from the Bible conference

[00:00:49] in Sacramento.

[00:00:50] Wow, what an incredibly life giving time of teaching and ministry it was.

[00:00:56] Christine Kane, Mark Clark, Craig Hazen was there from Biola, and it was one of those weeks

[00:01:01] where I went away feeling simultaneously exhausted from speaking so much but also deeply,

[00:01:09] deeply refreshed and renewed.

[00:01:11] And just wanted to let you guys know that that content is available online and speaking

[00:01:16] of online on our website, Pursuing Faith dot org looking at my teaching calendar.

[00:01:21] I'll be in Santa Rosa this Sunday, February 4th at the end of the month, Bayside Blue Oaks,

[00:01:28] February 25th March 3rd.

[00:01:30] I'll be down in Orange County and again you can see where we're at get more info on our

[00:01:35] website.

[00:01:37] Today's episode we are going to jump back into the gospel of John and I want to talk about

[00:01:44] shame.

[00:01:45] See other day I was thinking about the difference between shame and regret.

[00:01:50] How shame is more dangerous, I think than regret?

[00:01:55] Regret says I've done wrong but shame says I am wrong.

[00:02:00] Shame sabotages the hope in your heart that believes you can do better.

[00:02:07] But here's the good news because of grace we don't have to live in shame anymore and

[00:02:13] in a world that continuously lies about our identity that loves to remind us of all

[00:02:20] we're not, not rich enough smart enough good looking enough famous enough God says you

[00:02:26] are mine and you always have been nothing changes that.

[00:02:32] You see you are not defined by the mistakes you've made but by the grace of God and that's

[00:02:40] what we're going to unpack today.

[00:02:41] So if you have a Bible nearby you may want to grab it John chapter 8.

[00:02:45] I hope this message encourages you and builds your faith today.

[00:02:51] Okay let's dive in beginning in verse 53 it says they all went home but Jesus went

[00:03:03] to the mount of olives and at dawn he appeared again in the temple courts where all the people

[00:03:09] gathered around him and he sat down to teach them and the teachers of the law and the

[00:03:14] Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.

[00:03:17] They made her stand before the group and they said to Jesus teacher this woman was caught

[00:03:21] in the act of adultery.

[00:03:23] In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women which by the way when the Bible talks

[00:03:27] about being stoned we're not talking about those little green signs you see all over

[00:03:31] Portland now.

[00:03:33] This is a completely different conversation so this woman should be stoned they said

[00:03:39] now what do you say verse 6 and they were using this question as a trap.

[00:03:44] Notice that in order to have a basis for accusing him but Jesus bent down and he started to write

[00:03:50] on the ground with his finger and when they kept on questioning him he straightened up

[00:03:55] and he said to them let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her

[00:04:02] again he stooped down and he wrote on the ground and at this those who heard began to go

[00:04:08] away one at a time until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there and Jesus

[00:04:15] straightened up and he asked her woman where are they has no one condemned you?

[00:04:21] No one sir she said then neither do I condemn you Jesus declared go now and leave your life

[00:04:28] of sin.

[00:04:30] This is actually one of my favorite stories in the gospel of John I think it's one of

[00:04:34] the most thought provoking certainly one of the most beautiful here's a painting by Rembrandt

[00:04:40] if you ever are in London I was there a few weeks ago you can go visit this at the national

[00:04:45] gallery it was painted in 1644 and I love Rembrandt in fact in my office at home I have one

[00:04:53] of Rembrandt's works the return of the protocol right on my office wall not the original

[00:04:59] I wish it was but I just I love just his aesthetic and his approach to art and especially

[00:05:07] kind of his signature use of light versus darkness and how he'll play on that to draw

[00:05:13] on different themes.

[00:05:15] Notice here a couple things not only his style of light and dark but Jesus is taller than

[00:05:20] everyone else and Rembrandt did that to really show Jesus moral position as it juxtaposed

[00:05:26] with the Pharisees and the religious system of the day but I think what's most striking

[00:05:31] about this scene as Rembrandt depicts it is that the woman who is caught in the act of adultery

[00:05:37] is dressed in white which in the ancient world for hundreds and hundreds of years and certainly

[00:05:42] when Jesus was ministering being dressed in white was a symbol of innocence or purity before

[00:05:50] the law and it's striking to me because first of all our text says that the woman was naked

[00:05:58] when she was brought to Jesus so that's striking but then secondly he depicts her as being

[00:06:04] innocent and holy and pure when the story says the exact opposite in fact if you want to

[00:06:11] look down in your Bibles in verse 4 it says that the woman was caught in the act of adultery

[00:06:19] and then they follow it up in verse 5 and they say in the law Moses commanded us to stone

[00:06:24] such women and for those of you who like to take notes or go deeper in this when you go to the

[00:06:28] Torah the Torah by the way is the first five books of the Old Testament when you go to the Torah

[00:06:33] in Leviticus 20 also Deuteronomy 22 you see that adultery was a capital offense God at this point

[00:06:41] in history was creating a culture that was supposed to be different and unique from all the other

[00:06:47] cultures of the world and at that point in history the Canaanites and others the surrounding nations

[00:06:53] when it came to their sexual morality they were asleep with whoever you want to sleep with

[00:06:59] whatever the cost it doesn't really matter and God at this point in history says I want to create a

[00:07:04] culture that's unique that's holy and that's set apart God takes adultery very very seriously

[00:07:11] and I know in 2019 this is something that many people have a hard time with like we like the ancient

[00:07:17] world we really don't have these moral boundaries as much anymore and yet God says no this is something

[00:07:23] that is absolutely vital for the health of families for the health of your children for the

[00:07:28] health of marriage and for for culture as a whole and so to commit adultery was a capital offense

[00:07:35] in ancient Israel but there are all kinds of guardrails and when you read those Old Testament

[00:07:40] passages the only way you could be convicted of adultery wasn't hearsay wasn't gossip it wasn't

[00:07:46] some random Twitter post or whatever the only way that you could be convicted is if you were caught

[00:07:52] in the act now it's for that reason that many Bible scholars think that this whole thing was

[00:08:00] actually a setup if you look first of all the woman she's brought before Jesus but where's the guy

[00:08:09] generally it takes two she's brought before him but there's no mention of the man being accused

[00:08:16] of adultery so that automatically raises some concern and then in verse six we see their real motive

[00:08:23] wasn't justice but actually to trap Jesus I mean you think about it hats off to them this was a brilliant

[00:08:29] trap because if Jesus said the woman should be stoned then they could say Jesus doesn't care

[00:08:37] about people Jesus is calloused Jesus always pretending to be the friend of sinners but look how he

[00:08:42] treats them if on the other hand Jesus said no she should go free she shouldn't be stoned for this

[00:08:48] crime then they would say look Jesus doesn't care about our tradition he doesn't care about our law

[00:08:55] and they then would have a very legal case against him to prosecute him I mean this is absolutely

[00:09:01] ingenious trap how does Jesus respond now this is get where it gets really really interesting if you

[00:09:06] look down at verse six it says but Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his

[00:09:14] finger so instead of playing their game instead of immediately responding he reaches down

[00:09:20] with his finger he just starts to draw he starts to to write now what's going on here what is

[00:09:28] Jesus doing on the ground now we don't know this is all conjecture speculation I've read different

[00:09:34] perspectives on this one guy he won historian I read he's like you know Jesus is stalling for time

[00:09:41] he doesn't really know how he's going to respond and so he's just kind of tick-tack toe doodling

[00:09:46] or whatever which by the way maybe guys saw this it was on the news this last week

[00:09:51] I read this fascinating article it was about the psychology professor Jackie Andrade from the

[00:09:56] University of Plymouth and she has devoted so interesting number of levels she's devoted a good chunk

[00:10:03] of her academic career to explore the science of doodling I guess this is a thing so if you're

[00:10:09] wondering what's the major in in the fall there's an option you're like don't I've already got that

[00:10:13] figured out I'm doodling right so she's devoted years of her life trying to understand doodlers

[00:10:21] and and what that does to the brain and this was fascinating to me what she discovered

[00:10:27] is that those who doodle whether it's during a class or lecture or church for that matter

[00:10:33] she she discovered that you actually remember 29% more information than those who don't that

[00:10:41] has really surprised me and according to this research she said instead of being a distraction

[00:10:46] actually helps subrain process information so for those of you who have a llama right now on your

[00:10:51] notes I'll just take that as a really good sign we're going in the right direction now that

[00:10:55] that was free that really doesn't have a whole lot to do with this I just found it interesting so

[00:11:00] one historians like okay Jesus he's drawing stuff he's doodling another historian and

[00:11:05] and this is where personally I tend to land they argue that what Jesus is doing is turning the tables

[00:11:14] that he is writing specific things against the woman's accusers now why do they think that

[00:11:23] it all has to do with this word right in the Greek language it's the word graphoo I mean here you

[00:11:28] say graphoo and it means to engrave or carve but here's a fascinating bit when you look at ancient

[00:11:36] Greek culture in certain Greek texts the word graphoo was a legal term and it was used to

[00:11:44] describe writing against someone or to make a case against one what if that's what's going on here

[00:11:53] that Jesus is actually turning it all around they came to accuse this woman but now Jesus begins to

[00:12:01] graphoo write against these men writing things that maybe would have been a little convicting or

[00:12:09] awkward for them to be there so he writes bill embezzlement of company funds Greg something about his

[00:12:19] last business trip right Stan unethical behavior and he just goes down the lists he starts writing

[00:12:27] these names now if that's what's going on here if this is in fact a legal thing it would explain

[00:12:33] why one by one they drop their rocks and they left all look at the time isn't it time for the game

[00:12:40] to start I gotta go see you guys because they suddenly realize I'm not innocent either they had made

[00:12:48] mistakes too and it says beginning with the oldest to the youngest why because the older you get

[00:12:54] the more messed up you realize you are that's a whole nother sermon right those of you over 35 you

[00:13:00] can say amen have you noticed that those who are quick to throw stones are usually those who have

[00:13:11] the most to hide have you found this that the people who seem to be so uptight and angry and

[00:13:19] judgmental and cynical those people who love to attack people on twitter you know what I'm talking

[00:13:26] about they often are the ones that actually struggle the most there's this brilliant line Shakespeare

[00:13:34] he got this in Macbeth the lady Doth protest too much me thinks in other words what you hate in

[00:13:44] someone else you generally hate because you see it in yourself so if you struggle with pride arrogant

[00:13:51] people are just going to drive you crazy if you struggle with anger or less you're gonna easily

[00:13:55] spot that in others because well it's a new if you're insecure insecure people are going to drive

[00:14:00] you crazy it bothers you because it's in you Jesus said why are you so obsessed with the spec

[00:14:09] in your brother's eye but you don't realize you've got a two by four that's sticking out of your own

[00:14:16] so speaking of protesting too much speaking of confessing stuff I as your pastor need to

[00:14:24] need to confess something actually it's over the last five years it's been an ongoing thing if you

[00:14:31] be in a part of west side you know exactly what I'm talking about over the last five years

[00:14:39] protesting too much I have been making fun of cat people you guys know what I'm talking about

[00:14:47] like I amen yeah you I've over the last five years I've I've pointed out how the Hebrew word for

[00:14:56] cat is where we get our English word for demon I've talked about the differences between cats and

[00:15:03] dogs and how a dog thinks while my owners love me they care for me they feed me they must be

[00:15:08] gods but a cat thinks while my owners love me feed me take care of me I must be a god no need to

[00:15:13] rehash all that I've read egon down that path you guys know what I'm talking about so over the last

[00:15:19] five years I really just share my heart on this subject and prayed for those of you who are caught

[00:15:24] up in that whole world and and then a month ago oh man this is this is going to take a dark turn

[00:15:36] really fast it was my daughter Amelia's birthday and she just she has this beautiful heart she loves

[00:15:47] her rescue animals and that's great it's a beautiful thing if they're dogs and long story short

[00:15:55] she really really wanted a cat and so this happened we have a I don't even want to look this is like

[00:16:08] Hebrew we got a cat we got a cat you're like don't you gotta be kidding me right um

[00:16:18] why are you plotting this is this is terrible now what I love is Amelia she she knew that I was an

[00:16:26] huge fan of cats that she knew it would be only the grace of god that such a thing could happen

[00:16:30] so she called her cat Gracie because it's by grace said that thing has been saved um okay take it

[00:16:40] down I can't handle it I can't handle it uh uh it's the cruel irony I think of god

[00:16:50] where have you found this with the one thing that that drives you crazy often drives you crazy

[00:16:55] because it's taken up residence in your own heart they're so quick to throw stones the lady

[00:17:02] doth protest too much me thinks I think that's what's going on here and Jesus says let anyone of

[00:17:09] you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone and one by one they're like ah gotta get out of

[00:17:15] here and whether they're writing against or Jesus is just doodling who knows I personally think Jesus

[00:17:21] is writing things about them they started to leave and it was just Jesus and the woman left standing

[00:17:28] there and look what look what happens next check out verse 10 Jesus asked so many says where are they

[00:17:33] has no one condemned you no one sir she said then neither do I condemn you let me hear you say neither

[00:17:42] do I condemn you go now and leave your life of sin neither do I condemn you the word condemn that Jesus

[00:17:56] uses and the original language is the word kreenu let me hear you say kreenu and it was a legal term

[00:18:04] it means to incriminate or judge or to shame and this really jumped off the page for me this last week

[00:18:11] shame because when you think about it for years that's all this woman knew right she shamed

[00:18:17] because of her past and the decisions she made that brought her up to this point she ashamed by a

[00:18:23] cruel religious system that wanted to stone her she shamed by a culture that wanted nothing to do

[00:18:29] with her she ashamed because she's standing there nakedly in front of a bunch of men and a hostile

[00:18:36] crowd and one of the most devastating things about shame is that shame is self-free enforcing right

[00:18:43] so you make a destructive decision you go down a destructive path and even if you don't get caught

[00:18:49] even if somehow you're able to keep it secret for now you know that you have violated your integrity

[00:18:56] you know no one else may know your wife may not know your roommates may not know but you know

[00:19:03] what does that do it creates this fissure this this crack in your soul between who you're pretending to be

[00:19:10] to everyone else the face you put on the mask you put on and who you know you actually are so there's

[00:19:18] this breaking of integrity the split and it's in that space it's in that crack that shame begins to

[00:19:29] flourish shame is deeper than guilt guilt says I've done bad shame says I am bad guilt has to do

[00:19:43] with action shame has to do with identity and when you're in the place of shame when when shame is

[00:19:53] flourishing in your soul when it's a story that you tell yourself the natural response is to hide

[00:20:00] the true you so you push others away you push God away in fact did you know this the very first

[00:20:06] mention of the word shame in the Bible is in the book of Genesis and God creates male and female

[00:20:13] it says they were naked and what unashamed but then they ate of the tree they got a cat sin entered

[00:20:20] the world and all of a sudden what happened that narrative changed they realized they were naked

[00:20:29] and they were what ashamed interesting so the first mention of shame in the Bible has to do with

[00:20:36] nakedness vulnerability brokenness sin and what was the response what was the result they pushed God

[00:20:46] away they hide from God God walks in the cool of the day Adam where are you and he's like I was

[00:20:52] ashamed I was naked so I hid myself they push one another away check this out Adam and Eve

[00:20:58] what what happens is there's a breaking in their relationship well the woman you gave me it's her fault

[00:21:04] no it's not my fault the devil made me do and they start arguing and and that relationship that

[00:21:09] was so beautiful and whole and holistic actually begins to fracture because that's what sin does

[00:21:16] whether it's adultery or some other sin it's going to fracture your heart it's going to fracture

[00:21:21] your relationship with God it's going to fracture your relationship with your spouse

[00:21:27] because shame pushes us away from others it always causes isolation intimacy is the risk that our

[00:21:36] shame will be exposed it's why some of you today you're afraid to let other people close

[00:21:42] it's why some of you you're not really willing to have those hard conversations

[00:21:48] it's why some of you there's walls up towards others even those who should be closer to you because

[00:21:53] it's shame and you push others away you put up the walls and then what happens the more isolated

[00:21:59] you get the only narrative you're hearing is one of failure you're not good enough you're not

[00:22:02] worthy enough you'll never be a better person Brunei Brown she's written on the subject of shame

[00:22:08] done a brilliant job and she said shame corrods the very part of us that believes that we are

[00:22:14] capable of change the Paul he spoke about this in Romans chapter 7 in Romans 7 he's sharing his

[00:22:24] own heart and says I don't understand what I do for what I want to do I do not do but what I hate

[00:22:30] I do I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out what a wretched man that I am if

[00:22:37] you've ever tried to lose weight you know what Paul is speaking about here right it's a voice of shame

[00:22:45] shame says I am a wretched man shame says I am a wretched woman I don't just do wretched things

[00:22:54] I am a wretched person now here's the question how do you break the cycle of shame because you read

[00:23:01] the end of Romans chapter 7 it's like man it's heartbreaking you relate to that you're like what's

[00:23:05] the answer Paul and Paul gives us the answer in the very next verse in Romans chapter 8 verse 1 he

[00:23:10] says there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus let's read that together on

[00:23:17] the count of three loud voice 1 2 3 there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus I

[00:23:25] think of the woman at the well or the woman here in John 8 and the woman at the well she's

[00:23:30] ashamed judged she's condemned by others by law by religion by herself but Jesus says to her I

[00:23:40] do not shame you I do not condemn you brothers and sisters 10 am gathering this is such a good news

[00:23:48] because no matter what's in your past and no matter what mistakes you have made no matter what

[00:23:53] things you've done that you're now ashamed of Jesus looks at you and says I do not shame you

[00:24:01] the enemy might culture might religion might even your own family may condemn you you may condemn

[00:24:09] yourself but there is one who does not and his name is Jesus I do not condemn you you're my son

[00:24:20] you're my daughter you're set free grace not shame has the last word now why is this true let's take

[00:24:27] it a step further well I think most of us theologically we know that's true but why is it true that

[00:24:33] there is now no condemnation is it isn't isn't because God doesn't care about our sin

[00:24:40] it is Jesus saying to this woman here in John 8 hey so what you committed adultery it's not

[00:24:46] that big a deal so why you messed up and messed around it's all good you be you live your truth

[00:24:55] is that what's going on no the reason Jesus says there is no condemnation isn't because sin

[00:25:03] doesn't come with a cost it's because Jesus paid that cost for us the reason he could say to this

[00:25:11] woman I do not shame you is because Jesus would be shamed for her not too long after John chapter 8

[00:25:23] let me get to John 18 in about 14 years it'll be great not too long from this time Jesus would

[00:25:29] be betrayed by his closest friends he would be stripped of his clothes he would be naked

[00:25:38] they beat him over and over they pressed a crown of thorns into his skull they lacerated his back

[00:25:47] they spat on him they mocked him they took his naked body and they pinned him to a Roman cross

[00:25:57] and Jesus as he's hanging on the cross which the Romans designed specifically to bring shame to

[00:26:06] the prisoner Jesus paid the price for her sin and for our sin so that we could be robed in holiness

[00:26:18] the book of Isaiah speaks about this one of the most beautiful passages in the Old Testament it says

[00:26:23] you will be called priests of the Lord instead of your shame you will receive a double portion my

[00:26:30] soul rejoices in God for he has done what clothe me with the garments of salvation and he has

[00:26:37] arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness God saw our nakedness he saw our sin he saw your past

[00:26:46] and instead of condemning you and judging you he robed you and he covered you with his grace I think

[00:26:53] that is why Rembrandt painted the woman dressed in white because she's naked standing before these men

[00:27:02] she's naked before a holy god she's naked full of shame because of what she has done but

[00:27:10] Rembrandt understood in the eyes of Jesus she is clothed in white and that is your position before God

[00:27:19] right now then the enemy may have been beaten some of us up this last week this last year shame shame shame

[00:27:26] can't believe you did that can't believe you went there can't believe you slept with that person can't

[00:27:30] believe you made that mistake can't believe and you're hearing that narrative and you're putting up

[00:27:35] walls and you're closing in on yourself and yet Jesus is speaking something entirely different there

[00:27:41] is now no condemnation I have clothed you in holiness I have clothed you in purity you are the

[00:27:50] righteousness of God in Jesus this woman shame evaporated in the presence of radical love

[00:27:58] but what does Jesus say next he says I don't condemn you but then he says go now and leave your

[00:28:06] life of sin on the count of three let's read that together one two three go now and leave your

[00:28:12] life of sin when Jesus says I do not condemn you he is not giving this woman a free pass he's not

[00:28:21] saying you know what get out of jail free card go have more affairs go sleep around with some more

[00:28:27] people no he's saying I have set you free not too sin I have set you free from sin there's a huge

[00:28:38] difference and many many Christians don't get this oh you guys do because you're the 10 a.m. but

[00:28:43] pray for the noon gathering many many Christians don't get it that they think Christianity is you

[00:28:50] show up on church on Sunday you put in your time you punch the religious carton and you can just

[00:28:54] live how you want to live because hey that is grace I had done a lot of travel recently and

[00:29:02] I think it was California it's all a blur now but I was at this airport and I had a conversation

[00:29:07] with this guy he didn't know who I was they're just kind of chatting and I'm like hey where are you

[00:29:11] going and it's like I'm going to the city and he and again he has no clue why I'm each a sort like

[00:29:17] sharing all the stuff he's gonna do that weekend he's like man it's gonna be so lit that's the

[00:29:21] word to use it's gonna be so lit and I'm gonna go I'm gonna go sleep around he said I'm going

[00:29:26] to these parties and we have a killer hangover and then he said on Sunday I'll probably go to church

[00:29:31] and ask for forgiveness and I can tell if he was serious he kind of seemed to be serious with that

[00:29:36] little throne throwing at the end and then he asked me he's like so what do you do it was so awkward

[00:29:44] after that how many people we know and my guess is some here today too that's honestly your posture

[00:29:56] you live how you want to live all week and you sleep around you look at pornography or caught up in

[00:30:02] some sin there's anger the way you treat your wife or your roommates or this gossip there's

[00:30:08] stuff in your life and and you're not really taking steps forward to allow Jesus to change you

[00:30:13] but then you show up on church on Sunday and you just say the token prayer and you're like oh it's

[00:30:17] all good and you feel spiritual because you're with spiritual people and it's kind of like spirituality via

[00:30:23] osmosis you think you're spiritual and then you walk out of here it's all good and it's really not

[00:30:29] detrick bondhofer he called this cheap grace he was a brilliant theologian this warped mindset that

[00:30:35] assumes that all God cares about is our moralistic gestures instead of our heart but Paul he said

[00:30:41] this in Romans 6 shall we go on sinning that grace may increase by no means we are those who have

[00:30:50] died to sin how can we live in it any longer Paul's like when you came to Jesus the old you died

[00:30:59] you don't see a whole lot of dead people out sinning right they're dead they're in the grave

[00:31:05] says the old you died how can you go back to your old lifestyle Jesus said you free from all that

[00:31:14] you're a new creation you're a new person grace isn't a justification to sin it's living out

[00:31:21] your identity as a child of God this is why Jesus said to the woman I don't condemn you and then he

[00:31:29] said go your way and sin no more check the sound this is huge this could be a whole other message

[00:31:33] but I'm going to wrap it up now the order matters religion says go your way and sin no more

[00:31:42] and then if you do that well you won't be condemned Jesus flips the script

[00:31:49] Jesus says I don't condemn you I've given you a new identity you're a new person

[00:31:57] you're my son you're my daughter you're the righteousness of God in Jesus you are robed in my

[00:32:02] holiness think Rembrandt this is who you are now and as a result of that go now and leave your life

[00:32:12] of sin in other words when you've really received grace when you see what Jesus has done for you on

[00:32:17] the cross John said we love him why because he first loved us so this isn't legalism this isn't

[00:32:25] religion saying do more do more do more this is acceptance this is identity this is saying

[00:32:32] Jesus you've changed me transform me the old me is dead the new me has been resurrected I don't

[00:32:38] want to do that stuff anymore I don't want to go back down that path anymore I don't want to have

[00:32:44] that affair anymore I don't want to look at that stuff online anymore I don't want to be that

[00:32:50] bitter cynical person anymore I don't want to be who I used to be because now I'm resurrected

[00:32:56] into a new man a new woman a new identity and all things have passed away and all things have been

[00:33:03] made new Gulf clap okay I think that's worth like that's worth applauding because that's the good news

[00:33:12] that's the good news Jesus has rescued us and for some of us the word that we need to hear today

[00:33:20] some of us is there is now no condemnation because you've been stuck in this cycle of shame and

[00:33:25] you've been listening to the voice of the enemy the voice of culture the voice of others even

[00:33:29] those close to you you're no good you'll never get better and that needs to be broken now because

[00:33:35] you need to accept that you're accepted that for some of us that's the word we need to hear

[00:33:40] for other others of us in here today it's the second part you need to hear go now and leave

[00:33:47] your life of sin man this was really pressed on my heart at our ADM gathering and for this gathering to

[00:33:55] there's some here and you've been stuck in the same pattern of sin over and over and over and over

[00:34:02] again it's got this grip on your life and the real reason that you're stuck there is because you

[00:34:08] haven't yet accepted your identity as a son of God you haven't yet received the truth that you are

[00:34:14] his daughter his prized possession that you are robed in his righteousness would you accept that

[00:34:22] and receive that see us Lewis he said the Christian does not think that God will love us because we are

[00:34:27] good but the God will make us good because he loves us I do not condemn you I don't shame you

[00:34:42] go now I'm setting you free leave your life of sin and step into the new life that Jesus has for you

[00:34:57] we hope you enjoyed this episode of the pursuing faith podcast if this ministry has encouraged you

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[00:35:10] that would help a ton in getting the word out also if you're in a partner with us or see what

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