Skip to content Goodbye Yesterday - Mehdi Chinouli Sep 7 · 43 min ...more
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Empowering multimedia ministry for bold Christian living: Weekend Messages, Deep End Podcast, Deep Dive Bible Study. Tim Hatch, Lead Pastor, Waters Church, 26 years of pastoral ministry, book author.
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0:00 You are listening to Waters Church podcast. Waters Church is a multisite, multigeneration community of faith on the East Coast of America. Now for a message from our pastor.0:13 How are we doing this morning, church? Amen. Amen. Amen. God bless you guys. Well, my name is Mary. I'm the location pastor of the South Coast. It is my privilege and my honor to be here with you guys this morning.0:25 And I just wanna start. We all can we can do something that's pretty biblical, right? I want I just want to give honor and, to pastor Tim and and and Cheryl and their leadership in this church. Can we just take a moment0:36 and give God the praise for what he's done through these amazing people? Amen. I wanna start by maybe 1 quick announcement. I'm I'm telling you, go to Waters U. If any0:48 of these classes interest you, every location's got a website. Go to waters u dot org. Pick your location and just browse around what we're offering through these classes. And the reason they're1:00 there is because there's a need. And the reason why it keeps getting bigger and bigger every year is because you guys, we've seen God God's truth and the impact that these classes had in your life.1:12 So if you don't do anything today, if you don't get anything from this message today, just go to waters u dot org and for last time, register for a class that's coming up this fall semester. Amen? Amen.1:24 Well, I wanna start right out the get right out the gate and, and say that, you know, some of us are about to walk into our tomorrow,1:36 but the sadder thing is that we're still dragging with us some of the chains and the hurts from yesterday. Whatever your yesterday was. We say we1:48 believe in freedom, but we keep getting stuck looking back at our past, looking back at our hurt, looking back at our shame, looking back at our2:00 fear, looking back at the hurt. So whether it's regret or shame or whatever it is, we wanna internalize this.2:12 If you believe what you believe about Jesus and his resurrection power that dwells inside you through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can't walk in resurrection power and2:24 still hold on to dead things. Yeah. Preach that word. Because if if that's true, if that's what your reality is, and I'm not I'm not here to make you feel bad. What I'm telling you what that means is that2:35 Jesus died so that you can be half free. So we don't wanna be half free. Amen? We're gonna lay it down to the Lord.2:47 There comes a time where we all must stop and look over our shoulder and say, you know, we're done with the past. We're gonna burn that ship. I'm getting that analogy2:59 from, 15 in 15 19, there was a man, a conquistador named, and I'm gonna use my brother's and sister's Spanish lingo, Hernan Cortez. Look it up.3:11 He he sailed from Spain, on the lookout for the new world. They're walking into the unknown. And, with 11 ships and few sailors and few soldiers,3:23 Here's what happened. He was when he got there, he got faced with the Aztec empire. He was outnumbered by roughly 7000 to 1. And everybody says, wow.3:36 But what he did next is what echoes through history until today. You know what he did? He asked the men to burn the ships. Burn3:48 the ships. Why? Because there was no retreat. There was no plan b. They're gonna go forward. They're in it to win it. Amen? And I'm telling you today to3:59 say, we can't step into our purpose while stay staying anchored to our past, held back with our past. It's time4:11 to burn the ships of guilt and shame and fear. And for us Americans, maybe even comfort. Because Jesus died so that you can be wholly4:23 free. Amen? So the question for you guys, I'm gonna poke some of you guys up. I'm gonna I'm gonna ask these questions. I'm gonna ask you to ask yourself these questions. Is there anything in your life that you need to4:34 say, you know what? I I don't wanna go back to that old way of doing things. I don't wanna go back to doing things, like I used to. I don't wanna go back to that behavior again.4:45 There's this epidemic that I feel like where many people are still living under the weight of their past failures and mistakes. And and we're held back4:57 from what Jesus is offering to us. And this is in Jesus' words. If you look at John 10 10, this is what Jesus says. He says, I the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. And I5:09 came that they may have life and have it abundantly. In some translations, have it say, having life to the fullest. So let me tell you a personal story. I mean, some of you know this and some of you5:20 don't. I I come from a Muslim background. I was born and raised in Morocco. I came here when I was 18, and I was still a Muslim practicing Muslim. And I came and had the opportunity5:32 and the freedom to compare. I've been faced with, you know, some Christians, and I'm looking at some verses, I'm looking at the bible, and I got offended because I'm a proud. I'm like, how dare you Christians say this5:43 about, you know, Jesus? Or how dare you Christians says this about me? And, so you can tell. I mean, leaving Islam is is no life thing. It's not a thing that we do once a week, and and and5:55 we it's your livelihood. It's your life. Everything involves around sayings of the prophet or sayings from the Quran. And professing Christ was 1 of the biggest decisions I've ever had to do. And the6:07 and the impact that it actually it happened, I wanted to tell you the story. Not not a lot of you know this, but has it happened on a very special day. And I'm gonna say the day and the first thought that's gonna go6:18 through your mind. I'm gonna tell you what the thought is. Let me tell you what it is. The day was December 32006. And some of you are saying, oh, like this guy just made a new res New Year resolution. He6:30 wanted to become Christian. No. No, my friends. That's not how it works. Muslims, just like Jewish people, they have a different calendar. And on that day in the Muslim calendar, look it up right6:42 now, December thirtieth, it was a Saturday, December thirtieth 2006, it was the biggest, the biggest Muslim holiday. It's the holiday where Muslims all around the world, they they they bring in a lamb and6:54 they sacrifice it to Allah. And I've already made arrangements. I'm already I I I've been I've been, comparing Islam and Christianity and I've been fed a lot of the truth all this time7:05 around. I've already, went with my friends, Moroccan friends not too far from here. There's a farm in Rhode Island. We picked out the lamb. We we all chipped in. We all knew we knew what's gonna happen. And then7:17 December thirtieth, my friend pulls over and he's honking. And he's like, you need to come. We gotta go. We're gonna be late. And that was the day. I said, I am no longer sacrificing anything7:28 to Allah ever again. I am done with the old way of life. I am now putting my faith in Christ. That was part of7:40 my journey where I crossed the line of no return, And I knew the implications of that. If I was honest between me and Allah, and I had any doubts later, and I was like, this Christianity thing, it's not gonna7:52 work out. Let me go back to being Islam. If I was honest to myself, I had to go and talk to an imam, equivalent of a pastor, and tell him what had happened. Tell him that I had doubts. Tell him that I I veered off of the8:04 straight path and I don't need to have this like ceremony and sit down and and they're to like tell me how good Islam is and all that. If I were honest, I would have done that. But I know that I crossed the line of no8:16 return. I know that I am a new creation now through Jesus Christ. I've burned a ship of going back to my old life. And maybe maybe some of you have a different type of ship. Maybe it's the guilt8:28 and shame. Maybe it's it's an old relationship, a previous marriage. Maybe some of you are feeling let down by somebody close to you. Maybe even like a family member8:40 or maybe even a church that you've attended in the past that you got hurt by that church. And today is our day to say, you know what? I'm gonna burn that ship so that8:52 I can take step forward with God. And my job today, church, is to tell you God is calling you forward. He is not interested in your past. He will use your past to redeem9:04 it and help you go forward. Amen? The Old Testament got a prophet, pretty famous 1. His name is Elijah. He was a legend. He was 1 of the most famous prophet9:16 in Israel. And now he was nearing the, the end of his ministry and his life. This is the good this is amazing because God shows up and tells Elijah,9:28 hey, I have chosen a successor for you. And his name is Elisha. And it sounds confusing. Right? But, they both have they9:40 both sound the same but they have different meanings. So in Hebrew, Elijah means Yahweh is God. And Elisha, the younger dude, his real name means God is9:52 my salvation. Actually, the root word of Elisha, you can act that's where the the name of Jesus actually comes from. They both have the same meaning. So what was maybe10:04 even more confusing for Elijah is that Elijah was a farmer. Like, this is not how it works. Like, it's not a normal, trajectory of career.10:15 Like, that's not how it works. You you go from a farmer to being the greatest prophet that Israel has ever known. That's not how it works. But the bible tells us a beautiful story that God does not look at titles, he10:27 look at the hearts of men. So God said to Elijah, listen man, I I I want you to pass the mantle of leadership to to to this guy. He's10:39 a farmer by the way, and I want you to do it in a rather unique way. So Elijah had a cloak, draped over his shoulders. It was a symbol of his ministry.10:51 And so while Elisha, the farmer, was doing what farmers do, plowing the field, Elijah walked up to him and basically took off the cloak off of his shoulder and placed it over11:03 Elisha. It was a symbol of saying, listen, man. I am passing the mental leadership onto you. So I'm gonna go to our very first truth freeing11:14 pillar that we're gonna discuss this this morning so that we are no longer shackled by our past. If you're following along the notes with us, point number 1 is break free from what11:26 held you. Jesus has the final word. We look at first Kings 19. I'm gonna pick up from verse 21. It says, he took the yoke of oxen. This is11:37 Elisha, the farmer. He took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their fresh with the yoke with the yolks of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they sat11:49 and ate. Then he rose and went after Elijah and assisted him. Elijah didn't burn a ship, but he burned a plow.12:03 In that moment, he was saying, I'm not going back to that life again. And that was the day that Elisha the farmer became Elisha the12:14 prophet. He was done with the past and he's ready to step into what God has in store for him. In his book, All In from, author Mark12:26 Patterson, he says this. He says, it doesn't matter whether you're trying to lose weight, write a book, get into grad school, or get it out of debt. The first step12:38 is always the longest and the hardest. He adds this. And you can't just take a step into your future. He says, you have to eliminate first the possibility of12:50 moving backwards into the past. My guess is that you're not you wanna stress on that going to burn a plow or you're not going to burn a ship.13:03 But what is it in your life you can ask this yourself this question, that you wanna get done with? You can say,13:15 I I I'm I'm done with that. I'm done behaving that way. I'm done doing life this way. I I I'm done. I'm ready for the new. So today's message, I couldn't13:27 find a better title and I should have told Mike Powell a week ago. I called it goodbye yesterday. And it's because we all have13:39 some regrets that we need need to bid goodbye to. That's it. It's yesterday's news. We all do that. We all have that. I I have some regrets. I13:51 do. I mean, just yesterday, instead of asking for help to remove 2 couches and a recliner couch from my living room and take it to the, recycling14:02 center, I did it all by myself. So few dent dents in the door frame, few scratches in the hardwood floor, and and 2 trips later, and the job was14:14 done. But I'm paying for it big time today. My back is sore, and I I I had a surgery a couple years ago, and I'm still, dealing with that. And my14:26 knee now is screaming at me right now. And 1 person who shall remain nameless was supposed to come and help, but I didn't wanna make them feel bad because I don't14:37 wanna text them. It was like, hey, listen. The recycling center is gonna close in half an hour. There's a whole recliner thing waiting for us. I don't wanna I don't wanna ruin their Saturday, so I just sucked it up and14:48 did it all by myself. On a serious note, I do have regrets. I got 4 kids and I regret not being present with the kids enough. They're growing so14:59 fast, man. They're growing so fast and, you know, my excuse is, you know, I I'm at work too much. And then when I'm home, I'm I'm I'm too distracted to be present. You know what I mean?15:12 I I regret trading what matters less for what matters more. Like I I I I feel like if I were to do it all over again, maybe just step back like like like go back 5 years earlier, I could15:24 do things better. But I know that that can't I it can't happen. So just by the grace of God, I'm asking for God to teach me through the season. And I'm being honest with the kids and sometimes I apologize and I ask for15:36 forgiveness. And some people will say, some of us sitting in these seats will say, you know what? I have no regrets. That that's what I mean, that's the that's the mantra of today.15:48 No regrets. You know what? All the bad things that have happened to me in the past now, it became a fuel for my life. A fuel for me to step into tomorrow.16:00 There is some truth to that sentiment. I I see it. But if you're honest with yourself, it actually masks the reality. It does. You can't do16:12 it. And I love how king David in his Psalm 38, he captures that reality much more clearer than the mantra of our day. This is what he says. He says, for my16:24 iniquities have gone over my head like a heavy burden. They are too heavy for me. Some of the16:35 heaviest moment in in ministry is when I hear folks say, I I if I could just turn back the clock, if I could go back and undo that choice and16:47 undo that night or undo that decision, if I can only do that, I would give anything to erase that decision, that night, that16:59 whatever thing that happened. Which actually leads me to our second 2, 3, and pillar. If you follow along the notes, is that regret is a lesson, not a life17:11 sentence. Like I said, I talk to people all the time and, you know, they regret sending that text or that email or saying that word, the d17:23 word. Folks say, I wish I have not gone to that party. I wish I have not gone too far in that relationship. I17:35 wish I have not gotten behind the wheel. And some of the some of the saddest moment is when people will try to do anything to go back and make a different decision17:47 in that moment. There was an article in Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal that said this, says that regret is the second most common17:59 emotion that human beings experience. Let let let's think about that for a second. Out of all the emotions that you can you can you can have or you can carry with18:10 you on a daily basis, study says that regret is the second most common 1. You know why? It's because the truth is none of us are18:22 immune to the pains of life. None of us are. Every 1 of us, you either hurt someone or you have been hurt by18:34 someone. And we can try to say, no regret. But let's be honest, it doesn't make the pain disappear.18:46 Does it? It doesn't. You can't trick your soul. Steve Jobs at age 56 years old got diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.18:59 And then he knew he was dying and so his daughter came to visit for a weekend essentially to say goodbye. And this is what this is what he this is this is what's been written. This is what he said19:11 to his daughter. I I I didn't spend enough time with you when you were little. And then he said, and now it's too late. Here's what I should have done, here's what I didn't19:23 do, and now it's too late. There is no way I can go back and reverse that. And he looked at his daughter with tears in his eyes and said, I owe you 1.19:36 And she said that all week long, that was the phrase that he kept repeating, I owe you 1. And here's a fact, it's on your note. You're not over your past if it's still impacting19:47 your present. In the gospel accounts, we we we read about 2 of Jesus' disciples. Okay? This is19:59 not just an outskirt, like, follower. This is the disciples. This is part of the 12. And they both made 2 big mistakes, and they both experienced a fair amount of regret.20:12 And they both happened in the same night. First, it started with Judas, 1 of Jesus' disciples. So he went to some religious leaders and he was ready to give give up20:23 Jesus for 30 pieces of silvers. And the scholars will say that was equivalent of a 1 year wage. And he said, okay, I'll lead the soldiers to where he's at.20:35 And Jesus was doing what he always does. You know, he was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying. And through the trees, he could see the glow of torches approaching, and that was Judas leading20:47 the soldiers right where Jesus is at. So Judas greets Jesus with a kiss, and that was the cue for the soldiers to take action.20:59 But Judas was not the only 1 of the disciples to experience some regret that night. Peter was having, a conversation with Jesus and adamantly said this to Jesus. He says,21:11 Jesus, I will never I'm never going to deny you. I am never going to betray you. I don't care if you get arrested. I don't care if you die. I'm gonna be there with you21:23 the whole entire way. And Jesus looked at him and he says, not only you're going to deny me once, not only you're going to deny me twice, you're21:35 going to deny me 3 times. And then in what must have been an odd moment, Jesus puts a cherry on top of the cake and says to Peter, he says, listen, man. On21:46 the third time you're going to deny me, you're going to hear a rooster crow. That was kinda odd. Why would he say that? So Jesus gets arrested. He's he's21:58 gone to the high priest to be questioned, and Peter is following behind from a safe distance. So he's out in this public courtyard warming himself up by a fire. And then22:10 1 lady goes like, hey, you're you know Jesus. You're 1 of his followers. And he says, I don't know what you're talking about. What? Jesus who? Like, that's I don't know him. And a little bit later,22:24 there was another guy that says, I'm pretty sure you're 1 of his disciples. I've seen you with him. And then Peter again says, I I don't know the man. I don't know. What are you talking about? And then we all know the22:35 story. And the third time, someone asked Peter, I I swear I've seen you with the guy. With you are with him. And Peter did it22:47 again. Denied Jesus for the third time. And I believe by the providence of God, just as the rooster crowed, Peter heard that,23:00 and Jesus was being led out of the high priest's court. And as the rooster crowed, they both locked eyes. Look at what it says in scripture. Luke23:11 22 verses 6 61 and 62. It says, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to23:23 him, before the rooster crows today, you will deny me 3 times. And he went out and wept bitterly. Imagine the weight of that moment23:36 when Jesus Jesus and Peter locked eyes on each other and the regret that Peter had to feel at that moment. He wasn't the only 1 because a little23:47 bit later in Matthew 27 verse 3, it says this, when Judas who was had betrayed him realized that Jesus has been condemned to die. So he was23:59 filled with what? Remorse. So he took the 30 pieces of silver back to the, leading priests and elders and he says, man, I have sinned, he24:11 declared, for I have betrayed an innocent man. And they're like, what do we care? That's your problem. So Judas felt bad,24:24 and he's tried to make it right by going back and giving back the 30, pieces of silver, but he couldn't. 2 men, 2 betrayals, and if24:36 you know the end of the story, we're looking at 2 completely and vastly different endings, aren't we? Judas took his own life because the remorse that filled24:47 him ultimately killed him. And Peter Peter wept bitterly. He repented. He wept. And those tears were not24:59 just tears that someone got caught. He was sad because he felt like he sinned against God. Look at what the bible25:11 says about about this types of sorrow in second Corinthians chapter 7. It says, godly sorrow brings what? That leads to what?25:23 Salvation and leaves no regret. But worldly sorrow brings death. Paul explains that the the difference between these 2 types of sorrows.25:35 On 1 hand, Judas, he allowed regret to crush him and it ended in destruction. On the second hand, we got Peter. He allowed regret to25:47 instruct him and it led him to become the rock on which Jesus built the church. Oh, it's getting quiet25:59 here. In other words, it is possible to live a life with no regret. It's when you have a a sense of godly sorrow that brings26:11 with it repentance. And I'm telling you, we Christians, we gotta do a good job at repenting well. We can't be putting up that facade that all26:22 things is hanky dory. It doesn't help. It doesn't help you. It doesn't help other people. It doesn't give people any attraction that what you're doing is actually legit. But the more we repent, the more we26:34 surrender, the more God can use us to bless others. So there's this worldly sorrow and there's this godly sorrow that may have tears.26:46 The godly sorrow the worldly sorrow. It might have tears, it might have emotions, it might seem like the person is really sorry, but it doesn't lead to repentance.26:58 The person might can seem that it it's it's been affected by that, but if you're able to look look into their soul, you would find that they're just sad that they got caught.27:11 They're sad about the consequences. They're sad that they just messed up their life and maybe somebody else's life. So there's a difference between regret and godly sorrow. And so if someone27:23 comes to you guys and is upset and is apologizing, you should be looking for 2 things. First, like, do they take responsibility27:34 or did they just like defer and blame others? And second thing is, is there true godly sorrow? What do I mean? Like, are they grieving because they have sinned against27:46 God, first of all? And they hurt someone, or is it just because they got caught? And the way you know the way you know, it's it's not emotions, it's not27:58 tears, it's actions. Repentance leads to actions. Amen? Repentance is when someone comes and says, I'm going to do whatever it takes28:10 to not go back to that behavior, not go back to that thing that I've done that ruined other people's lives. I'm not going back to that behavior. And the person28:22 is willing to do it, not not to get the girl back. He's willing to do it not just for 1 week, 1 month, not for 128:34 year. They're committed to do it for the rest of their life. That's transformation because you can't fake it that long. Godly sorrow does28:46 not trap you. Godly sorrow does not trap you. It transforms you and it leads you to repent well. Amen? And eventually have a life of no regret.28:59 And I do want you to grasp the next 2 points because I feel like I really truly believe that it's not gonna make you a better person this Sunday. It's going to transform you into the newness of Christ. So point number 329:10 is no sin is greater than God's boundless grace. Like how many of would would say, forever I am a drunkard.29:22 Forever I am the person who had a baby with my girlfriend and I've asked her to get rid of it. Forever I am the person that got arrested. Forever, I am the person29:34 who had the affair. I'm saying this because that that's what we hear from people. And if you feel that way, I want you to29:46 internalize this truth that no sin is greater than God's boundless grace. He is your healer, he is your29:58 redeemer, and he will transform you. Hebrews 12 15 talks about this. It says, see to it that no 1 fails to obtain the30:09 grace of God. That no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble. Like the author of Hebrews is is is not suggesting this, it's actually30:21 commanding this. See to it. Don't miss out on it. Don't miss out on what? On God's grace. Don't let God's grace be the 130:33 thing that you miss out on church. I tell my kids all the time, you're gonna miss out on things in life. Just be ready because life is not what? And they hate me when I say30:44 life is not fair. They look at me like, you're the worst dad. And I'm like, you're very welcome. So what a tragedy is to go through life and to come to church and call30:56 yourself a Christian but miss out on God's grace. Miss out on unmerited favor that God places on your on your on your life. So the question31:08 you should be asking me is, so how does a person misses out on God's grace? Well, thank you for asking that question. We miss out because first of31:20 all, we cover our sin instead of confessing it. And while we're covering our sin, we're trying to do enough good things so that31:32 God can see us and be like, well, you know, he did this good thing, so we're gonna just that one's gonna just go away for a second. And we think that somehow appeases God. I call that cheap31:44 grace. It does not appease God. It just actually tells God that you're your own God, that you can do whatever it is and then you can just do enough good things. And if you not be careful, actually, you're practicing31:55 Islam without knowing it. Because that's what Islam teaches. At the end of the day, on judgment day, God is going to look at the scale of your life, and if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you're32:07 gonna go to heaven. Congratulations. You're Muslim. So if we stop covering32:19 and we start confessing, you would experience the freedom that only Christ can offer to you. And you would know you would know32:30 you would know in the core beings of your life that your biggest sin is not too big for God to forgive. It's not too big for God's grace. You would know it.32:42 And here's the important truth that I want you to internalize as we close is that number 4 is our final truth freeing pillar, is that in Christ, your past is redeemed and your32:54 future is made new. The New York Times article says this, it talks about a Jesuit a Jesuit priest. He started an organization to basically help gang33:06 members remove tattoos. So it started with a man named father Boyle. And he so he knows a lot of young men in his church are dealing with this permanent thing, which is33:17 gang member tattoos. And what was happening is that people were losing their lives because of these tattoos because these tattoos identify them and gives33:29 them label that they belong to a certain gang. And he wanted to do something about it. He wanted to do something about that permanent reminder. And so 1 day, a doctor,33:42 he donated a laser removal machine and his time so they set up shop at 9 o'clock in the morning. And they began to remove tattoos for from these gang members.33:54 And they first started, they had a waiting list of 3000 people. Now why would 3000 people line up in a waiting list34:06 to have their tattoos removed? Because they want a new start. Because they wanted to remove all labels. So let me ask you, are there34:18 any labels in your life that have been placed on you that you would love to get rid of today? If you said amen, I would love to see you here at the end of the altar, we can pray for you. This is where freedom happens.34:30 It's not because you do good things. It's because you come along your brothers and sisters. You lock hand, and you tell them what it is, and they invite the holy spirit to come and free you from the shackles of your34:40 past. You may be carrying a label of you're not good enough. You're a mess up. You mess up all the time.34:52 Or you can just say, man, the label that been placed on me, I'm I'm an ex con, man. That that's how people know me. And we don't wanna be the church that does that. So what is the label that35:04 have been placed that you would love to get rid of? What what what is it that you want? Like, can we instead of believing in the labels that have been placed on us, can we35:16 believe in in Jesus' words and what he says about us? And maybe what he says about us will be the loudest noise that we hear between our ears?35:28 Look at second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17. It was my favorite verses in the bible. It says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new, what? Creation. The old has35:40 passed away. Behold, the new has come. It says if anyone is in Christ. It doesn't say you have to be perfect. It says you have to be in Christ.35:52 You have to have a relationship with Christ. So church, fresh start is possible. I'm gonna say it again, and then you're gonna say amen after36:04 that. Let's try it. 1, 2, 3. Fresh start is possible. Now you believe it. You can be a new creation. It happens by the work of Jesus36:16 Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit inside you. It does not happen with what you bring to the table. The only thing you can bring to the table is your surrender. In the old testament book of Joel, there's a lovely36:28 verse. It says, Joel 2 says, I will restore to you the years that the swarming locusts have eaten. And you read that and you're like swarming locusts? What are we talking about here? We don't have36:40 locusts in Florida. We don't have locusts in Massachusetts or Rhode Island. It was an agricultural society, so when locusts would eat the crop, it it was a problem. It was devastating. Here's36:52 why. Like I said, I grew up in Morocco. We used to have locust issues every once in a while. And the locust will come from down south from the Sahara, and they creep up to the north. And and37:04 the damage that happens because if you're a agricultural society, the locust doesn't just eat the crop. It actually destroys the seeds for the crops for next year. So you can see the37:16 impact economically. This is people's livelihood we're talking about, so it was devastating. And then this is what God says about this. He says, I will repay you37:27 for the years that the locusts have eaten. So my question to you as we close is that, have the locusts eaten anything in your life? And I'm not talking37:39 about little locusts. Right? I'm saying have you missed out on something? Whether you're a high school student, middle school student, college student, young adult, you've been established in your career and37:51 you're surrounded by people that do all kinds of sin. They seem happy. They have a lot of friends more than you, but they're they're they're they're living it. They're living the life.38:05 And you're the 1 who's obeying God and sitting there lonely and saying, God, what is going on? Where are you? Maybe you you you38:17 you struggle with the substance and you need something that maybe just take the edge off here and there. In the last couple years, it's been foggy.38:30 Wouldn't it be something if God could restore the years that the locusts have eaten in your life? Because I'm telling you, God is going to honor your obedience.38:43 So this author, Daniel Pink, the psychologist I talked about earlier from the Wall Street Journal, he says this about regret. He says, equally important, regress is val regret is valuable. It clarifies. It38:54 instructs. Done right, it doesn't need to drag us down. It can lift us up by making us human. Regret makes us better.39:06 This is laughable to me because I don't think you get it. This echoes a biblical truth. Like, regret doesn't have to be a life sentence. It could be a classroom, just a lesson. So and I love it39:18 that the psychologist's insights reminds us that regret is not the end of your story. It's only the beginning of transformation. When when your39:30 past is placed in God's hands, regret becomes redeemed. It points us right back to where? Grace.Show more
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Guest Message - Pastor Geyser Pastor Tim Hatch
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