Guilty & Ashamed // Judah Smith

hey guys it's Judah I am so excited to announce version 2.0 for the church Oh map has arrived it is here it's a much more personalized experience it's gonna cater to ensuring that you're connecting with people face to face relationships and there is daily guided prayers Chelse and i are gonna be your guide a li guiding you through prayers that I think will deepen your relationship with God and help you in your overall experience here on earth hey I'm really excited to share the story of Jesus with you you're gonna find out real quick we're the queer community that believes that Jesus is the answer we believe that he's God we believe that he's the only one that can forgive us for our err are wronged in our sin and so we're here to focus on him the good sermon has little to do with its eloquent delivery it has much more to do with its content and its content should always leave the listener to thinking more about God than themselves and so our goal tonight is to leave here thinking more about the majesty the beauty the extraordinary nature and character of Jesus and less about ourselves and so we're gonna take time to consider some things in our lives but I hope by the time we're done and the band comes back and we sing a few songs that you leave just going wow God is so big God is so good god is so gracious and God is so in love with me we are committed here at the Saban theatre and every place we gather as a community to good news not average news not bad news not biased news but good news like biased is come on Judah but we are committed to news that is really good and that news is that there's a God who loves you and he's made every single provision possible to ensure that you can be forgiven forever and have a right relationship with him so we're gonna focus on that I'm not gonna start preaching yet but here's here's my title or kind of where I want us to focus in on and lean in on title of my message tonight is is why so many are living with guilt why so many are living guilty or why so many people live with shame why is shame and guilt such a considerable aspect and portion of our social experience we'll talk about that tonight and give you one and I believe that is true and but by saying that I do want to say that I have an agenda tonight and that is in in the next 40 minutes or less I'm actually expecting that guilt would go down and that shame would diminish in your life in the next 40 minutes for real like I it really is where I'm at I'm believing you're gonna leave this auditorium with less shame and guilt by the Providence of God maybe no shame and guilt how about that that'd be pretty awesome so let's talk about why so many people live guilty we're gonna go to one of the most formidable considerable portions of scripture in John chapter 21 John chapter 21 and verse 19 if you have a Bible great that's awesome if you don't no worries we've got it up on the screen for your viewing enjoyment John chapter 20 and verse 19 it says on the evening of the first day or the evening of that day that day being Resurrection day the first day of the week the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews Jesus came it's insinuated here he walks through the walls and stood among them and said relax peace be with you when he said this he showed them his hands the piercing in his hands he showed them the piercing and his side then the disciples were glad that they saw the Lord now again this is our attempt in the English language to pick up on the nuance of the Greek here and the Greek is so laden with meaning when it says they were glad that is not probably the best translation in 2019 like most people are glad when their popcorns done in the microwave like this is this is more than glad okay these people are beside themselves they're beside themselves at the reality that Jesus just beat the crucifixion he just beat death and he is alive amongst them in the room verse 21 Jesus said to them again peace be with you as the father sent me so I'm sending you and when he had said this he he breathed on them which is unusual moment and will try to describe what that means and he said receive the Holy Spirit and now we have one of the most challenging and hard to understand statements that Jesus we'll ever make and of course it's a very important statement because it is one of the first statements the resurrected Christ utters to his disciples and here's what he says he says if you forgive the sins of any comma they're forgiven them semicolon love how I love my punctuation yeah I don't know why I do that to be honest I've often been like why do I say comma and something I call I don't know if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld read that again if you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld now before we go any further I want to say something about understanding scripture now there is a thing called eisegesis I'm not I don't want to get you complicated with or I'll caught up on some complicated theological language but eisegesis is this it is the kind of treatment of Scripture in which you go to a verse like this and you make conclusions without consulting other portions of scripture now a first glance John 20:23 tells us that you if you forgive sins they're gonna be forgiven if you don't they won't now this scripture would lead you to believe that anyone who is a follower of Jesus you have the power to determine who gets him and who's out but of course there's nowhere else in the teachings of Jesus or the New Testament where that is supported so we know though it is cloak language what Jesus is not saying is that priests pastors leaders like myself you know you we line up down the middle aisle and I decide yet you're in you're out no you're it like we we know because that no we're in the ways of Jesus or the teachings of Paul or Peter or John is that supported so then this verse must mean something more than what it's telling us in terms of face value and so I want to talk about John 20:23 maybe one of the most important scriptures for us to remember and it might shed some light on why so many of us are living guilty and ironically I'm not just talking about people that don't know Jesus I'm talking about a lot of Jesus followers who are still living in guilt and shame there's some of you here tonight and I am so excited to announce to you because of Jesus because of what he has done for you the guilt and the shame that you are allowing to play a considerable role in your human experience is an impostor it is a liar it is smoke and mirrors and we're gonna eradicate it before this night is over somebody just act like you in charge and say Amen all right all right all right all right will you pray with me Jesus we ask now that you'd help us gain understanding and insight and wisdom to know what all of this means and most importantly to see you we thank you so much for your reality in your presence and I know and we know collectively that what we don't need tonight is concepts and ideas what we need is an understanding of you the personification of everything we need in this life we love you we want to know you in a real and genuine way help the Seahawks to heal up on hour by week God thank you so much as that kick went through so close but thank you Jesus and all God's people said amen literally the kick went in by like that much I don't know if you saw it on Monday night but it's hand to God oh man speaking of the NFL you might find this to be a surprise but I I grew up wanting to play in the NFL and and of course if the NFL didn't work out I wanted to play in the NBA but one thing I knew for sure is I wanted to be a professional athlete right and this is a young boy and you know a lot of young people in this country grow up wanting to be a professional athlete but I felt like I really was supposed to now keep in mind I grew up in Portland Oregon till I was 13 so I grew up a Portland Trail Blazer fan we didn't for real are you from Portland what do we have a Portland section now what is the what are you guys a whole group can can you use words or huh you know it's like Judah come on man don't insult people keep Portland weird so you're a group from Portland are you like a church group no I thought I heard a no hahahaha I heard no yeah one guy's like I'm not a part of that church anymore that's amazing man poor go Blazers yeah I'm gonna count the cost of mention in Portland anymore I'll say that right now I'm kidding I love you guys Portland is so cool can I just say growing up there gelsin I will tell you it was not cool when we were growing up there in the 80s but now Portland is cool so huge congrats so group a blazer fan you don't have to cheer and we didn't have a football team so we cheer for the Seahawks right the Seattle was just a Seattle okay all right I love you guys so much honestly yeah we're just gonna let's just get it out there Minneapolis Nashville Dallas Fort Worth you know like worst night ever Tampa Bay why aren't you from Tampa Bay tri-cities you're from the tri-cities in Washington that's amazing Elijah is amazing oh man Portland Maine but um so the point is grew up a Seahawks fan you guys are so distracting earliest memories I have of Christmas is my dad getting me us the Seahawks pads right in the helmet and the gear and I was cheering for a guy that quarterback was Dave Craig and Steve Largent was the wide receiver and I thought to myself someday I am gonna play in the NFL well as I developed it seemed that my body was more tailor-made for the NBA and then as I developed further it became evident I had the body of a public speaker but I remember when I had the opportunity to start working a little bit with the Seattle Seahawks and just be the chaplain and do some chapels form and just kind of be available to pray with some of the guys I'm not bragging whatever um I'll never forget the first practice I attended to watch God's team our team D team and immediately I was stunned at the agility the brilliance the overall just just speed and and and and and coordination and and did I mention speed and muscular stuff and I'm just mesmerized and then you fast forward to an actual game and and they invite me to stand there with the team and I am watching every single hit is like the worst car wreck I've ever experienced I'm watching these men the fastest most elite athletes in the world who are throwing their bodies at each other and it occurs to me I did not know I did not know at 8 years old when I received that Seahawks Jersey and shoulder pads and helmet under the Christmas tree I had no idea that Oh little little Judah it's never going to be an option for you to play in the NFL you get close enough but of course we have armchair quarterbacks all over the country this isn't like my dig at armchair quarterbacks or maybe it is you know we sit in our lazy boys like I can't believe you didn't make that tackle oh come on hit somebody and and and the truth is if you were on the field if I was on the field hitting someone in the NFL like would look like this for me be like oh go right ahead enjoy yourself in the end zone God loves you you know like but you don't know you watch it on TV or you sit in the stands and you just don't realize how insane is that now why do I bring that up because I want to give an oversimplified response just out the gate for this sermon and that is why we've asked the question really why do people why do so many people live with guilt why do so many people live with shame those who follow Jesus and those who doc do not why is shame and guilt such an enormous part of our everyday life and my simplify my over simplified answer is this because we don't know it's like the little eight-year-old Judah who gets his football gear and thinks I'm gonna be an NFL player and then you grow up and you realize I had no idea what the NFL really was I'd like to suggest including me that one of the reasons shame and guilt is still such a part of our lives is because we don't know our eyes need to be open to what Jesus has actually accomplished for human beings everywhere so I'd like to suggest in the next thirty minutes that we're going to know that our eyes are going to be open much like standing close to NFL football players only to realize it was never in the cards right now I know my eyes were open I don't know if there's enough money in the world for me to play one set of downs in the NFL because that literally would be the end of me I'd be like babe take care of our children of oh is love do you like it once your eyes are all and to see something you can't unsee it and I'm actually I have aspirations desires hopes dreams tonight that we could actually experience that together we'll take you to the night that everyone's eyes were opened I want to take you to the night Christianity began for those that don't know Christianity did not begin with Adam and Eve Christianity did not begin in the Torah the Old Testament the Old Covenant following Jesus began on the night of the resurrection that's when it all began well what we may not understand this side of ancient history is that for three days Christianity was a joke for three days everything we seem to celebrate here tonight was over Jesus had died like any other man Jesus had died like any other criminal he was crucified and if anybody knew anything about crucifixion nobody comes back from crucifixion everybody dies at a crucifixion and I want to remind you up in times we talk about the crucifixion and you should know thousands of people were crucified in Jesus day thousands of people so his crucifixion is not what makes it unique it's what happened three days later he hangs on the cross he who knew no sin became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God he is taken down after six hours on the cross by the way he didn't he gave up his spirit so he wasn't murdered he finished the work on the cross then he gave up his spirit they took out his body they put him in a rich man's tomb and there they guarded the tomb and of course Rome guards the tomb because they're afraid that some of his followers would come and push the rock away and steal his body and make up a story that he beat death it's a guarded tomb and for three days his most devout followers forget all of his words and conclude all is lost everything is over and this proves that all of his teachings were nothing rhetoric it's not real it's over it's over it's over it's so over it's so done that the leaders of the movement right the the captains of the movement are so scared are so terrified they have locked themselves in a room hoping that the Jews won't find them and crucify them next that's how bleak Christianity looked for three days and of course it was never called Christianity in those days it was just called up following Jesus but it was over and they're sitting in that room lord only knows what they were saying man I thought we had the right guy thought he was the one was a good ride yeah but it was fake yeah that's true a couple ladies are like we saw him all right all right relax sit down we did nobody believed him that's how bad it was you got I witness accounts from two Mary's and the guy's like now not true okay all right they're just sitting there and all is lost and suddenly Jesus walks in the room I mean they go from distraught terrified fearful worried humiliated shameful embarrassed too and Jesus goes all right everybody relax it is me and they're like huh right and they're worried that they're seeing a ghost so to prove he's not a ghost what does he do he's like look at my hands look at him he shows everybody's hands see him they're like yeah you're not a ghost no that sets that's I came back from that he's like remember when they pierced my side god you can look at it you imagine you're like that oh yeah he's like it's me I want you to know it's me I know I just walked through a wall but my body's real which is a whole nother Mindbender okay but but it's it's me and this is where everything changes but our history starts in little rooms it's crazy it starts in little rooms scared little rooms terrified little rooms and he's like okay I'm gonna send you the same way the father sent me and they're like oh man now first of all this is an early call by Jesus if you ask me Jesus 15 seconds ago these guys were locked in a room hoping they wouldn't die for something they thought was fake and now you're like you're gonna go represent me right by the way if Jesus sends these guys he can send anybody okay I'd say that he says he says I'm gonna I'm gonna send you so let me let me just make make an important observation following Jesus is not a sitting thing it's a sending thing okay so it's it's so Christianity was never supposed to be something that that that cut that that what the consistency of it was never supposed to be I'm gonna sit here and listen to a speaker and then I'm gonna sing a song and then I'm just gonna go live my life it's a it's a sending thing it's it's a working walking moving with Jesus it's this adventure of Jesus going nope we're gonna go here not what I could do that we're gonna do the change of plans we're gonna go over here we're gonna do right so it'sit's this is the nature this is this is the first conversation with the resurrected Jesus he says I'm sending you I'm gonna be moving you I'm gonna be directing you I'm gonna be leading you I'm gonna be guiding you you're gonna change your mind about things you might change towns you might change occupations because I'm gonna be moving you I'm gonna be moving you they're people in here you're afraid to be moved that is all a part of following Jesus he's just gonna move you he's just gonna move you and if I know anything about God the moment you're like this is it I'm done God's like okay right I'm a key I'm gonna I'm gonna keep moving you and so so so life is like one big transition God's just like oh we're gonna do this now and then we're gonna do this and we're gonna do this and that's part of the adventure and it requires trust in Jesus he goes on verse 22 he says when he said this he he breathed on them okay now this is important for you to understand the whole Bible narrative in the creation account because this is a moment that Jesus is declaring something that is very significant for us to understand this has a big component in connection to why people are still guilty when Jesus breeds on humanity on human beings you got to go right back to Genesis 2:7 this is what he's doing look at Genesis 2:7 this is the first time God breathed on bones and skin and God man of God from the dust God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature okay so that's the beginning Jesus is breathing on his fearful little followers and his breath is an indication it's a demonstration it's a demonstration that this is a new beginning there was a beginning the beginning is the breath of God now there's another breath this is a new beginning what this what this is ushering and what this is declaring his breath is a it's a loud breath it's a significant breath it's a small room with big implications when he breathes on his disciples Jesus the same this is the beginning of a new era this is a new beginning this is a new chapter this is a new way of relating to God this is a new way to be human this is a new way to go through this life this is a new way to hold different values and functions and wait this is this is a new it's gonna be defined by things by love and forgiveness and mercy and grace it won't be defined by performance and rules and status and and it's a it's a new he breeds on his disciples that is that is this is a climactic moment in Scripture you have to understand that and it beckons all the way back to the beginning of time Jesus is saying this is a new beginning this is a new beginning this is a new beginning now why is that important because it's important for us to understand Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament we call it the Old Testament we came up with that term it wasn't given by God Jesus called it the law and the prophets you can call the Jewish scripture or the Hebrew Bible Jesus fulfilled all the rules and regulations numbering over 600 that no man could keep because no man could keep it no man could be right with God on their own and so no man was right what was right with God we were always at a distance we were always in fear with God we had no deep intimate relationship with God and so the law and the prophets were fulfilled by Jesus so the the first breath of God assured in an era the second breath of Jesus uh sure Zin a new era and that era is not determined by your performance it's determined by the performance of Jesus which has fulfilled the law and the prophets so his breath is saying you get to live differently now you're gonna live differently now now he says new day new beginning now they're starting to pick up on this as you would to you sit in a room for three days terrified thing and it's all over and then the man you saw died died a horrific death six hours of brutality and then suffocated in his own blood and then he's standing in your room okay this is not a sermon I want to remind you Christianity did not begin like this Jesus did not go sit down in rows now turn to Genesis chapter 4 and verse 7 are you taking notes guys because she and he was not did not start with a sermon it did not start with a song set it was not in a church building it started with an event and the event was the appearance of the dead Christ who is now alive it starts with his hands and his side and his breath and in there he says I'm gonna move you around and they're like okay even know what this means and then he says now I'm sending you he breathed on him and he says here's here's your message here's what I want you to tell people now what's interesting to me is by all accounts we know that everybody in the room is not a public speaker we know that there's some people in the room who are not public speakers at all but everyone in the room is told to have a message everyone in the room is told to speak everyone in the room is told to share the news to share what you've seen he says if you forgive sins they are forgiven if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld now here's when it comes to Bible study what's so important for us to understand is oftentimes there are many English translations who help us to plumb the depth of the original language Greek Aramaic and Hebrew the Hebrew Bible and there's some Aramaic in the New Testament and predominantly Greek in the New Testament because there is obviously a language barrier we have to have multiple translations to plumb the depth of all of its meaning the ESV here does its best attempt at translation now there's a new translation called the passion translation no translation is perfect it's the original language that's perfect so the English translations do their best to translate it but I want to read this in the passion translation because in this particular verse the treatment of this verse I think is one of the most accurate translations we currently have not think you're going to be surprised here's what Jesus says in John 20:23 here is the first statement the resurrected Christ makes the resurrected Jesus makes about what our message is supposed to be here's his first mention of what the content of our news should be that we share and I quote I send you to preach the forgiveness of sins and people's sins will be forgiven but if you don't proclaim proclaim the forgiveness of their sins they will remain guilty so you mean to tell me this is called the power first mentioned the first mentioned messaging or news that we are told to share by the resurrected Jesus we are to preach what the forgiveness of sins and if you will the forgiver the God of heaven and earth will do what only he can do and he will divinely persuade people to receive his free gift of forgiveness but if we do not proclaim the forgiveness of sins it does not say explain it says proclaim proclaim people remain guilty so here's an impasse we find ourselves in in our culture in 2019 I'm going to be honest enough to tell you that proclaiming the pure message of the forgiveness of sins is not exactly the most popular thing right now in Christendom one of the reasons for that is because it does not make a lot of sense to the Western eyes cause-and-effect mindset what we prefer if I could be honest with you what we prefer and I prefer too often times is do this you'll get this do this you'll get this do this you'll get this do good get good do good get good do good get good do good get good accept the Jesus bring it on his disciples and change everything now to do bad get good now it's keep doing bad keep getting good now it's do bad forever forgiven forever now we don't like that because your body cannot take pride in that all right we still proliferate a message in Christian communities and it goes something like this brother if you won't be blessed if you want to be blessed you gotta walk in his ways brother that's principles you need to now us and our family and our children what we have determined to do is as far as our house is concerned we're going to serve the Lord and we have appropriated the scriptures and because of that God has chosen to bless our home now we don't mean to do this but by saying these things we propagate a mentality that Jesus has completed finished and he's brought in a whole new era and he says I want you to tell everyone they're forgiven and I will persuade them because I'm God to receive all you have to do is receive all you have to do is accept it that's our message the resurrected Christ said and if you don't people will remain guilty and here's the reality we got people who are still cannot ascertain accept and it's difficult and I know why it's hard that Jesus has not just forgiven you for what you've asked forgiveness for but he's forgiven you for everything you'll ever do in his life you are forgiven and so we remain guilty guilt does a number on a lot of things in our body shame we know scientifically wreaks havoc on your nervous system it actually creates complications in your body shame is one of the most detrimental things to the human system guilt shame secrecy privacy you know how many people here tonight statistically we know this you have a secret that is eating you alive and what it feeds what it feeds you what it disseminates in your body is this agent called shame and guilt and it keeps telling you I know who you are this is who you are you're a liar you're a cheat you're a fake you're a fraud so yeah enjoy your church service you fake you fraud something like June I wasn't having those thoughts I am now sorry I over played that one a little bit you know but we remain guilty are we gonna be the kind of community that proclaims forgiveness here's the problem with forgiveness it's a leveler and it removes our elitism it takes it from us like a savage it's like we can't no one's elite anymore and we don't like that I don't like that pastors don't like that preachers don't like that we want to be we want to have an elite connection with God that you need but this message just says come one come all now I want to take you to another hard scripture to understand because by all accounts all the scholars and theologians I read now promise we're gonna land the plane right here it's gonna get it's gonna get even more interesting I'm gonna take you John 20 by all accounts that I've read is connected to another mysterious scripture in Matthew 16 I'm gonna take you there and then we'll land this plane ok Matthew 16 another really important moment in Jesus life of ministry Jesus came into the district of accessorie Philippi he asked his disciples who do people say the Son of Man is some say John the Baptist others say Elijah others Jeremiah one of the prophets and he says okay okay okay okay who do you guys say that I am and I love Peter Peter steps up he's like opportunity to take the mic and have the camera on me he's like you are the Christ the Son of the Living God and Jesus is like hey he says you are blessed simon barjona listen now for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you you didn't get this by a mathematical equation or deduction God revealed this to you you know what the Bible says the Bible says if you believe in your heart and declare out of your mouth you'll be saved believe in believe where I'm listen we're not here tonight for everything to make sense there's a lot of mystery to this but I'm gonna tell you right now that same thing that happened to simon barjona can happen to you where God can reveal to your heart not necessarily your head he can go pass your head and reveal to your soul and reveal to your heart and show show you in your Knauer that there is a God and I Bank on that every time we get together it's like Lord don't don't just persuade people like like like divinely reveal your self not just using logic we're not here just to use logic this is a supernatural phenomenon ladies and gentlemen we are here tonight under the auspices under the premise that there once was a man who was fully God who moved into the neighborhood who put on skin and bone he knew no sin became sin died in a rich man's tomb and three days later rose again and showed his hands and his side to his disciples and since then millions and billions of people have been following him and there are people by the tens of thousands as we speak who are accepting his reality then deciding to follow him like so it it's wild right like this isn't like oh that makes perfect sense not really he says flesh to flesh and blood has not revealed to you but my father who is in heaven and I'll tell you you're Peter you're Peter you're Peter I tell you you're rock you're rock and on this rock Peter and rock sound exactly the same almost in the Greek and on this rock I'll build my church and the gates of not prevail against it okay now we got the mention of the church so Jesus says everything you're saying is gonna have everything do with my church I'm going to build this called out community this group of people I'm gonna put them together all over the world and in one of the characteristics is the gates of Hell will not prevail against it the gates of Hell will not prevail against it that is a reference to the resurrection of Jesus he's saying that one of the hallmarks of the church is gonna be resurrection the gates of Hell will not prevail that is a mention of Jesus Jesus is saying I'm going to die and the gates of Hell will not prevail the gates will not swallow me up I will defeat death hell and the grave so that is a literally a prophetic mention of Jesus himself saying I'm gonna build a church on what you just said Peter and what you said is I am the Living Christ I am the son of the Living God I'm gonna beat death that's gonna be the characteristic of my church and then he says going on in verse 19 I believe it is he says and I'm gonna give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven okay anytime you see I promise we're getting somewhere anytime you see keys that is a reference to Authority he says so I'm gonna give you authority of the kingdom of heaven here's another wonky verse bear with me whenever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven now some of you you know what I'm talking about you grew up in church long enough to know this verse was used we would go downtown we'd go to City Hall we'd go to the main centers and we'd say in the name of Jesus we bind every foul spirit in this city and we bring it down and we loose look at you and I'm not it's all good we're doing our best I'm just saying that's not what that verse is about and all our aunts and uncles and I was there man we walked around city halls and stuff we're like in bind in the name of Jesus I don't know what we bind there but we don't and then you hope you don't see none of your friends in school but that's the truth you seem like oh hey man what's up were you in that jet was that a Jericho circle hahaha anyways the walls come down but if you only do the things I did but it's not what that verse means but we try we try okay once again the passion translation in a very recent translation has a very good treatment of this verse I listen to it again passion translation I'm gonna give you the keys of heavens Kingdom realm again I'm gonna give you authority of heavens Kingdom realm and here's the proper order to forbid on earth that which is already forbidden in heaven and to release on earth that which is released in heaven now that's the right order remember Jesus was asked to teach his disciples how to pray do you remember what he said he said when you pray pray our Father who is in heaven hallow would be your name listen to the order he says your kingdom come on earth as it already is in heaven so that's consistent with other scriptures so that's the order the order is Jesus says now I'm gonna build this community it's gonna be built on that Jesus is the Son of the Living God that he beat crucifixion he beat death and he is the resurrection and one of the characteristics of the church is I'm gonna give you authority you're gonna use that authority to release on earth what is already released in heaven listen now and to forbid on earth what is already forbidden in heaven this is the point I've been waiting to get to for my last 7 minutes and 9 seconds so here's a question what is forbidden in heaven and what has been released in heaven because that's what we're supposed to open our big mouths and do down here with what's forbidden in heaven we tell you what's forbidden in heaven access by performance you stroll up to them pearly gates we've all heard the jokes and be they yo Pete because apparently Pete man's the gate that's nowhere really in Scripture but y'all peal him in he's alright why I've been good man I've been real good how good man gave everything away held doors open for old people and young people pay my taxes you don't gain access in heaven by your performance it's forbidden it's there's only one access code to heaven I'm not trying to be cheesy but I mean and his name is Jesus yeah it don't it actually no disrespect it doesn't really matter what you did heavens heavens got no interest in what good or bad you want in Jesus oh yeah yeah you know what's crazy the hinges of the doors of heaven turn not based on our performance and yet the hinges of the church and its doors turn differently having to let people in the church won't because our access code down here is still what it used to be before Jesus breathed on humanity we still believe whoa whoa whoa what's up man you good you trying to come to church yeah man I'm oh oh yeah man well hey yeah you can't be yeah you won't it's not you got a you because hey man let's meet up this week I kind of explain some things to you huh me like I mean you gotta kind understand how the church works right so you can't be like doing you know what you've been doing so we forbid what heaven doesn't forbid but having does forbid access by performance you know what else having forbids shame and guilt shame and guilt how can shame and guilt exist in a place that's solely based on the performance of Jesus ain't nobody got time for guilt everybody's like I'm an Jesus and there is no room so guilt and shame are forbidden you know what else is forbidden heaven fear it's forbidden in heaven sin not allowed in heaven these things have been forbidden now what's been released in heaven just to give you a little idea a little glimpse into what's been released in heaven you're like way Jude I thought it's always been always will be yeah but we do understand that when like Jesus came to earth and Bethlehem let's go to Christmas real quick just in the Thanksgiving season okay you you you you remember the dismember the Shepherd's they're out in the field do you remember that the the choir the Angels do you remember how pumped these people are these these spirits are I should say remember they show up in the field they're like glory to God glory to God in the highest peace goodwill right and then Shepherds like ah you know me like that these angels I've been waiting to sing this song forever literally you know the angels are like it's happening oh it's happening and why was his birth important because of his death in his resurrection so what was released in heaven the finish work of Jesus now all mankind who will ever live it is living and shall live and no matter what they will do they can be made right with God through the finished work of Jesus his death burial and resurrection that's been released in heaven the Bible says it's such a big deal we're gonna have these wedding feasts I went to a wedding what's not rehearsal what's the one at the end wedding reception thank you I keep thinking the Bible says we're gonna have just big receptions in eternity food yeah congrats wine and with just why cuz this happened it's released we're healed were restored were righteous you know what's been released in heaven righteousness peace enjoy you know it's amazing that little room what does Jesus say the first time he gets there he's like peace and what happens next it says they had joy they were like all right calm down calm down calm down I got I gotta send you you got you got places to go before this is all over because his life's a vapor and you're gonna be gone before you know it we're just been together forever it's gonna be amazing keep your up keep your mind on that okay because it's gonna get hard down here but we're gonna be together soon it's gonna be amazing when EV all these receptions okay and then he says I just want you to tell everybody they're forgiven I want to tell everybody they're forgiven I want you to release on earth what has been released in heaven and I want you to forbid on earth what's forbidden in heaven are we willing to forbid a life based on our performance are we willing to be the kind of community that says no bro that's not how it works let's get some good peer pressure now you are not who you are based on what you do have done the good the bad the ugly don't matter listen you are who you are by the grace of God you are righteous you are forgiven you don't have to stay guilty you hear me you don't you don't have to stay guilty I mean read to you one more time John 20:23 in the passion translation I'm I'm coming to a close the last 37 seconds of my sermon so I send you Church home to preach the forgiveness of sins and if you will got so good sins will be forgiven if you don't proclaim the forgiveness of sins if you proclaim other things people not knowing will remain guilty and they don't have to it'll have to be guilty anymore we got to tell people in the streets you don't have to be dominated by guilt and shame and pain that's rank wreaking havoc on your nervous system and your brain and your body and your soul no Jesus became condemnation he became the shame he was hung there naked and exposed he took all of the pain and all of the guilt and all of the same and all the condemnation so that we could be right so that we could be free and forgiving free and forgiving so I got 23 more years of pastoring this community it'll be 22 so I'm and it's going fast it'd be over before you know it and I'll move to Palm Springs you come find me anytime you want some of you think I'm joking it's gonna get to like year 4 you're gonna be like he's serious yeah but but if you don't mind I'd like us for the next 20-30 years to preach primarily almost exclusively this what's more important than telling people hey you're forgiven I am what do you mean it's done what's done all the bad all the air all the wrong it's over you're forgiven how just accept Jesus how do I know he's God he'll show you that he's the real deal when will it happen could happen now could happen real soon you want to pray just ask God to show you that he is real okay okay like we we we we out there we out there like used-car salesmen telling people trying to convince people let God be God Church let's just proclaim it's finished it's done you're forgiven just receive and accept then if you have your doubts so do i but if you believe in your heart that's your head your heart right tell me we got it we got to tell people good news we're gonna tell people the news it is so good and um yeah I just feel so moved tonight this is why we're passionate about the future of church home that we cannot keep a community defined by just buildings and speeches and in a band this is the first 300 years of the church big buildings were not even a part of it people were just moving people were sharing people were and and you know what they weren't sharing they they weren't really sharing the the the the the Old Testament they were sharing the resurrection they weren't trying to explain the Noah's Ark they were like yeah oh you have problems with Noah's Ark cool so do I so as Jesus rose from the dead that's what this is built on not whether or not he could get two animals of each kind in a boat and that's fine but I'm telling you what this is built on is that there I witness accounts numbering in the hundreds and thousands who said I saw him I saw the piercings in his hands I saw the piercing in his side I saw him I saw him I saw him I saw and that's would happen before there was ever a New Testament before there was ever the Bible that we called it there was word of mouth there was I witness there was an event they had seen him and they went door to door and they started sharing it and so so forgive me if I don't crave if I'm just craving that we experience that in 2019 that we don't just domesticate this thing and leave this to an event into a gathering but we recognize that what we come from is a long line of eyewitnesses who said I saw him I heard him my uncle my aunt and we pass it down and we say he beat death he's alive and the message is simple you yes you are forgiven and once you're forgiven you're forgiving forever you can be right with God come one come all because it ain't even based on your performance if that's not good news I don't know what is and now we know and once you know once you know you think about the I promise I'm done I'm done the bands probably should be coming out right about now but that night in that little room that little lock room those disciples were never the same were they what they saw what they saw what they heard changed everything and that's what I crave for all of us this this guilt thing that just seems to be just dominating us including myself Houghton how active it is in my life oh it's useless it's hopeless I'm such a train wreck I can't believe I did it again I can't get each other and all of this that if I could be in that room and see him and hear him say now go I choose you I sure I love you you go tell everybody they're forgiven really yeah I can do that I don't understand you know all of the Bible but I can do that and not so that's that's what I think is gonna happen in our church I just think we're gonna keep telling people this news and I'm at a something about this news it's got a revolutionary characteristic in it it's in its DNA it spreads it spreads like wildfire it is almost irresistible we have grown accustomed to a message that constantly seems to not be effective I'm telling you if we can get back to some purity of just telling people what is almost so good it's hard to believe I brought you forgiven what do you say to me you're forgiven how you know Jesus we talking about he already paid it just accept it you're good you're forgive him forever you're right with God you'll be with him it'll be amazing and that's why that's why I said as I said there's gonna be people in heaven who never went to church cuz nobody would let him but Heaven's gonna be like come on and we're gonna be like wow Jesus you need to hear the background of that guy before you let him and either we did we did some work he you know you know I mean what what if what if our doors were as open as heaven you know man that what if our hearts were as open as heaven what if we released in our life what was already released in heaven people can be right with God and experience peace and joy that goes beyond their circumstances and their performance because of what Jesus has done man man oh man oh man can I pray Jesus thank you so much for I don't know God it's so hard to start to think about what to thank you for first I don't know anybody ever who would do what you did god I'm asking somehow that the same sense of reality that um our our forefathers experienced in that little locked room I'm praying that we'd experience it in this room then we'd have a sense of how alive you really are powerful you are you beat death and you came back to tell us it's done everyone that forgiveness has been paid for God let that sink in sinking more than any shame and guilt and condemnation has ever synced into our system let righteousness and forgiveness seep into the pores of our soul and our brain in our body may it bring life to our body praying for those who literally have had ailments in their body that is even connected to shame and guilt and hopelessness I pray you would lift that in the name of Jesus be lifted off their brain in their body and that literally their joints and ligaments and organs and annan system we begin to work at an optimal level shame and guilt is lifted because of Jesus there is now therefore no guilt no shame for those who are in Jesus Christ and we declare that today we declare that today just with your eyes closed if you're here and you say Judah I'd like to receive the forgiveness that you speak of you say all are forgiven I want to receive that free gift again you cannot earn it you cannot deserve it it has already been earned it has already been deserved it is by the person of Jesus and you if you receive Jesus and His free gift of forgiveness you will be forgiven forever and you will spend eternity with the one who made you and designed you and created you you will go home someday if that's you and you want that on the count of three I'm gonna ask you to lift up your hand put it right back down I truly believe when you respond on the outside to what's happening on the inside it just makes it more real that's why I ask people to raise their hand you know who that you know who you are 1 2 3 at that you just shoot up your hand all over I receive I receive somebody God let forgiveness flow through the streets like a flood but word of mouth spread like a wildfire ignite our brains and our bodies and our souls to open up our mouths and share the news that is so good yes God going to touch this community and touch us Lord and our being and our soul in such a way that we just want to tell everybody it's okay it's okay it's okay it's okay you're forgiven you're forgiven thank you Jesus God thank you that forgiveness flows freely here thank you Lord whom you forgive is forgiven in deed I don't always do this and we're gonna sing here in a moment but if you're here and you say to that I love Jesus I love God but man oh man guilt and shame have been lying to me for so long condemnation has been talking to me for so long I'm so tired I'm so exhausted by it I need to reprieve I need to be delivered I'm actually going to believe before we dismiss and walk out of the Saban theater you are gonna be lighter your soul is gonna be a buoyant your brain is gonna have some freedom and you are not gonna be dominated by the air of your own performance you're gonna be caught up with what Jesus has done for you if you said you know I need that I need that I need that would you shoot your hand up all over the auto arms I need that I need that I need that because God you see these hands and you see these lives and you know our history you know our ways you know our past you know our present you know our future you know what we've done but I thank you Lord you have separated us from our sins as far as the East is from the West you have taken our sins and you have thrown them Lord in the depth of the ocean to be remembered no more I thank you we are who we are by the grace of God we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus we are forgiven we are covered we are hidden in Christ we are protected we're a new creation we got a new beginning we're a new human we got a new life god we thank you for the transformative power of who we are in Jesus and I thank you who you set free is free indeed and free all the way so I pray as we sing and we declare your praises God I pray Lord all shame and all guilt and all condemnation be lifted off of our lives in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus whoa hey buddy you guys see it's the subscribe button if you press on it you subscribe to our YouTube channel then you get to watch it and we get to have fun and we get to be friends I love you

Channel: Churchome

Views: 26,837

Rating: 4.9245281 out of 5

Keywords: Churchome, Judah, Judah smith, church, message, anxiety, depression, how to, elevation, Steven, Hillsong, oceans, sermon, the city church, church home, Chelsea smith, bobby Houston, td jakes, pastor, pastor preaching, carl lentz, Jesus, conference, guest speaker, sermon jam, worship, Justin Bieber, la Hillsong, Selena, preaching, Judah message, performance

Id: 0oDPF5SO1Kk

Length: 57min 55sec (3475 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 20 2019