1 John

1 John chapter 2 starting at verse 28. And now their children continue in him so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. See what great love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of god. And that is what we are.

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends. Now we are children of god, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is.

All who have this hope in him purify themselves just as he is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law. In fact, sin is lawlessness, but you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins and in him is no sin. No 1 who lives in him keeps on sinning. No 1 who continues sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear children do not let anyone lead you astray. The 1 who does what is right is righteous just as he is righteous. The 1 who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the son of god appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No 1 who is born of god will continue to sin because god's seed remains in them.

They cannot go on sinning because they have been born of god. This is how we know who the children of god are and who the children of the devil are. Anyone who does not do what is right is not god's child nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. Good morning. My name is Pete Woodcock.

I'm the pastor of the church, and if you're visiting, it's it's really, really great. To have you have you with us. We're in this series in 1 John, and it's quite a challenging, but wonderful, wonderful book, and that's what we're looking at. But just before we get into that chapter, I know Chris has already said that Cornerstone is on the move. We are on the move.

Take these leaflets. You can let everybody know now. We have written to the school here and, we had a delightful email back from the headmistress and it it was it was a love a lovely email saying, you know, thanks for everything, and my god bless us. And but, can you tweet this or Facebook this or let anybody know that we're on the move because there's bound to be people turning up on the first of December and following and we won't be here. So please please do that.

And then, we've we've heard about Innis and we're gonna carry on praying for them, please, today as Inisko's Inn and Marsha as well. And then the Baptisms tonight. It really is very, very exciting as Anne prayed. Because, you know, sometimes we see people that have come not from Christian backgrounds and they're converted and they're wonderful stories, but this is just a wonderful story. All 3 of them gone through Sunday school, gone through youth work, and, contagious, and, and all of them have come to know the lord.

So it's fantastic So please come come tonight. Let's pray. Father help us now as we look into this word, this challenging passage, that we may hear what you say. Please write it in our in our ears, in our hearts, in our actions. For Jesus sake, amen.

Now it's it's pretty obvious to all of us here that, when you see a baby lamb, you know what it is. And you see a little piglet, you know what it is. And you know there's a difference and, maybe if you're very, very far away and they're very, very young lamb and a very, very young piglet, you're unsure. But as you get closer, you see the outline. And you know what a piglet is, and you know what a lamb is, and you know they're very, very different.

The lamb will grow up to be a Brilliant. See, you're you're more intelligent than you thought. And a a piglet will grow up to be a pig. Brilliant. You've got the idea.

They have different DNA. They have different habits. They have different likes and different dislikes. They eat different food. And by their nature, they they are very, very different.

A lamb is a small sheep and a piglet is a small pig. It's all obvious. But also not only do they have this nature their nature, their DNA is informed and reinforced and lived out, as they learn to be a a lamb. And grow up into a sheep. And as they learn to be a pig and grow up into a pig, there is nature and there is nurture and they actually do go together those things.

They're not opposites or opposed. They go together. If a piglet does something wrong, big parent mummy pig or big parent daddy pig will snort and grunt and push the pig and basically say, We don't do that. We're pigs. This is how we live.

And if a sheep, a little lamb, is doing something wrong. The sheep basically says, we don't do that. We're not pigs. We're you're gonna grow up to be a lamb. That's that's how it works.

Nature and nurture all producing a mature pig, nature and nurture all producing a a mature sheep. If a pig falls in the mud, it loves it. Hey. This is cool. Yeah.

So by nature, by nurture, because it's seen daddy pig do that, it loves it. If a lamb falls in the mud, It bleeds. It doesn't like it. It doesn't wanna be there. It's in the wrong place.

By nature, by nurture, it feels not at home. Now why am I telling you all of this? Because you need to know. That's the lesson for today. God bless you.

Yeah. Now why do you need to know this? Because John wants to show us what an authentic child of god looks like. Because there are liars as we were seeing last week, and it's significant. They're liars that have come from the church.

They're liars, they're false teachers, and they're teaching error about what a child of god is like and what a child of god does. People that are teaching the opposite to the historic apostolic teaching. In other words, the teaching of the lord Jesus Christ passed on to his apostles passed on to us. They're teaching something different. They're replacing the plain truths of the lord Jesus Christ.

They are Antichrists. We saw that last week. If you weren't here, you can listen to that. They're teachers that are doing this separation You can have knowledge of god, they say. You can have an experience of god spiritual experiences, they say.

You can even, and they'll use the words love Jesus, but it's got nothing to do with how you live your life. We've seen this already, but they they're teaching that a person is like in 2 stories or 2 floors of a house. You have the upper story, the spiritual story where we can experience god and we know god and we love god and then there's the the bottom floor, our lives, the physical, and those 2 don't have to meet together. It's the inner person that counts. If you love Jesus, it counts.

It doesn't matter what you do with your body. It doesn't matter what you do with your life. As long as you love Jesus in your heart, the inner person, and John says, this is Antichrist. This is anti Christian. It's not novel ideas that they're coming out with.

It's a wholly different beast a wholly different animal from authentic Christianity. That's what he's saying. If you have the DNA, of the child of god, then you will begin to look like a child of god, act like what you are. Live out what you are. And the very nature of god will Be nurtured and encouraged as you grow into what you are.

They'll be changing, they'll be maturing, and that hurts growth hurts. But if you are a lamb, you will be a sheep. And if you are a piglet, you will be a pig. And if you have the DNA of god, you will act like that. You'll be a child of god.

The lamb might stupidly follow the piglet into the mud, but that's not home. It will bleed because its DNA says this is not my nature. I don't like it. It may fall in, but it won't like it. The pig, on the other hand, the piglet, sees the mud and bursts into song, mud, mud, glorious mud.

Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood. Do you know this song? Follow me follow down to the hollow. There we will wallow in glorious mud. See, that's been taken over from hippopotamuses to the pig world.

That's their song. And John is giving a stark and shocking difference. There is a difference between a lamb and a piglet, and they will grow up differently and he says it in stark language. There is a shocking difference between an authentic Christian and a false Christian. He says the DNA, the nature comes from 2 different fathers.

You are either a child of god with this new DNA, or you're a child of the devil. Just have a look at how he does it. He shows us the 2 natures. Let me whiz through the passage very quickly showing you the child of god. Just quickly, look, verse 28, dear children.

Verse 28, they continue in him. That's in Jesus. First 29 of chapter 2. They are born of him and do right. Chapter 3 verse 1, they have god as father, and they they're called children of god.

Chapter 3 verse 2, they are called children of god, and they 1 day will be like Jesus. Chapter 3 verse 3, they put their hope in Jesus and purify themselves. Chapter 3 verse 5, Christ has taken away their sin chapter 3 verse 6, they stop sinning. Chapter 3 verse 8, Jesus has destroyed the devil's work in them. Chapter 3 verse 9, they are born of god and don't continue to sin.

You see? That's a child of god. Wiz through the passage again, see the child of the devil. Chapter 3 verse 4, they are lawless. Chapter 3 verse 6, They have not seen him that's Jesus or known him chapter 3 verse 7.

They lead people astray chapter 3 verse 8. They do what is sinful chapter 3 verse 8 again. They are of the devil and they continue to sin. There are 2 natures. And then his summary verse in verse 10.

This is how we know who the children of god are. And who the children of the devil are. This is how you know. Anyone who does not do what is right is not god's child nor is anyone who does not love their brothers and sisters. It's very easy.

What is their DNA? What is it they do? Now we've been seeing that in John, he gives these number of tests to see who is authentic here. Who is the authentic Christian? And you have a moral test, which this 1 is, and you have a social test.

In other words, we love our brothers and sisters, as he says at the end, and there's a doctrinal test. It's what you believe about Jesus. So there are these 3 things now, what he's dealing here is the moral test. Are you a child of god? So let's have a look.

This is my second point, children of god. Children of god, past, present, and future. Now that's how Paul probably would have written it if he was writing this. He would have gone sort of linear like that past present and future. This is John.

And he does past, present, and future, but he goes present, future past. That's why we're beginning to love John, isn't it? He's very different. So let's have a look at it. The present.

We're looking at what a child children of god are. The present. What you are now and you are part of the family of god, he says. You have been brought into the family of god into the family of love look at chapter 3 verse 1, see what great love the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of god and that is what we are. The present, that is what we are.

Children of god. Now the language that John uses here is 1 of total astonishment. He's absolutely blown away. See what great love. It's the same term that is used when the disciples are in the boat Jesus and Jesus is in the back of the boat asleep if you know that story and the great storm comes up and they wake Jesus up and he stands up and with 1 word he says be still 1 word in the in the original and the and it is still.

And the and the and the disciples go, what kind of man is this? What kind? That's what John is saying here. What kind of love is this? Wow.

This is mind blowing. This is extraordinary. I've never seen anything like this. Don't ever get used to this. This is altogether different from any other love.

It's extraordinary. It's never been seen before. And we are born of this extraordinary, amazing love. Christian, you are born of god's love. God is your father.

You are his children. By nature, you're born into the family with god as your father. It's extraordinary. It's an extraordinary love. If you're trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus, you are a child of god, and he lavishes.

I love that word. It's a Bible word, generous, lavish. Whenever I hear that word, I I always I'm always reminded of when I was invited down into Cardiff by a family I've never met before. They're an Iranian family, and they were really kind because, their son, had been a a meeting that I was speaking at and and he got converted and that and they wanted to thank me. And I went there.

I was quite hungry. And, there was probably about 6 of us around the table and there was this lavish thinking all the time. It was like, weird. And then the chickens came. And their There were 6 of us, and there were at least 6 chickens.

On the table, I thought, well, this is good. And then the mother said, oh, thank you. Thank you. And I was sort of embarrassing, and she cut a quarter of the chicken off and put a quarter of a chicken on my plate and then looked again and gave gave me the rest of the half of the chicken. And then looked again and put the whole chicken on my plate.

And I think she would have given me another 1. And you thought this is ridiculous. You know, I I can't I can't even I'm gonna be I'm just can't lavish. God lavish is us. See what great love the father has lavished on us.

God is our father and we're his precious children and he lavishes his love on us. It's a feast of love. So chapter 2 29, if you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. See what great love the father has lavished on us. That we should call be called children of god, and that is what we are.

We are now children of god DNA of God now. But there's a future. That is what we are now, but there's a future what we will be then in the future. Look at, verse, second half of verse 1. The reason the world does not know us is that he did not know him, dear friends.

Now we are children of god. And what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is, All who have this hope in him purify themselves just as he is pure. There's a future side to us, As there is with any animal, a lamb turns into a sheep, a piglet, into a pig.

We're children of god now, but we're not completely visible yet. We're children of god now, but there's there's a few to be revealed when we're mature, when we're adults. There's it's coming. We are now children but in the future we're gonna be like his son, Jesus. Let me just show you this.

Here's a picture. Babies. We've had hand well, we have had loads and loads of them in the past year and a half. And can you tell them apart when they're all babies? They all look exactly the same.

It's hard to even remember their names. So many babies. It's hard to tell them apart. They they all look the same to me. There's slightly different hair there, but so what?

But that is what they are now but you know they're going to grow into something else to be like their parents. See if you can guess this. These are famous people. Next slide, please. Who do you think this is a famous person?

Who do you think that little baby is going to grow up into? Anybody? Gordon Ramsey. Yeah. Or or Tim.

Yeah. In other words, that little baby Gordon Ramsey looks as grumpy as he really is, but That little baby Gordon Ramsey had all the DNA and all the potential for that. Who's this then? Anybody know? Look at the eyes.

Okay? Gandalf. That little baby, that little baby was growing up to be Gandalf. All the DNA's there. He is that, but not yet.

It's not yet been revealed. That's what this passage is saying. And here's the last 1. This is pretty obvious, actually. I actually can't believe this 1.

I think this is fixed. Danny Deviso, let's have a look. Gosh. Anyway, there you go. When Christ appears, we'll see ourselves exactly as the DNA says that we will be.

That's what he's saying. The genes in the baby are all there. All growing up when Christ appears, we appear fully mature in him our life and our destiny are wrapped up in him. The staggering future of you child of god is that you will be like the son of god. He is going we're gonna see, says John.

His glorious Christ, the glorious sun, and will we transform to be like him? Paul writes in the book of Philipp chapter 3, Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a savior from there, the lord Jesus Christ, who by power that enables him to bring everything under his control will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. We have a future. The DNA of god leads us to be like Christ, and there's a past as well. There's a past.

The present, You have the DNA now, the future. This is what you're going to be made into. The present, how will we actually made Oh, sorry, the past. How were we made like this? Well, look at verses 4 and 5 and then the second half of verse 8.

Versus 4 and 5. Everyone who sins breaks the law, in fact sin is lawless But you know that he appeared, that's Jesus, so that he might take away our sins, and in him, is no sin. And then look at verse 8, the second half, the reason the son of god appeared was to destroy the devil's work. You're going back to the past now. To bring anyone including you and me into the family of god, a major battle had to take place.

Major sin needed to be dealt with, and the devil's work needed to be destroyed. See, let's get this in our head. Sin is not some little matter of personal mistakes. Sin is not just personal regrets. It's not something that we say like it's naughty, but it's nice.

We're not to treat sin like that. We can't say, well, it doesn't really matter what I do. I'm not gonna put my time and energy into changing. It doesn't it I'm not gonna be nurtured. I'm not going to be pushed and grow into the DNA that I want.

I'm just gonna slob around. Sin says John is lawlessness. And if you're acting lawlessly, then you're saying the lawmaker is totally irrelevant. Sin is an attack and an affront on god, none other than god. You're snubbing god in the most horrific ways.

You're defiling god. You're saying what he thinks is wise, what his god, glorious words are stink and you thum your nose at your creator, it's lawlessness. It degrades, and it humiliates not only you, it does do that, but we're so self centered. We always think of sin hurt harming us, but it not only humiliates you. It dishonors the glory of god because it says god, I don't trust you.

God, I don't believe your word is right. God, I think I am better. Sin is lawlessness. Look at verse 4. Everyone who sins breaks the law.

In fact, sin is lawlessness. It's not only breaking the law. It is breaking the law of god, but it's actually lawlessness. It's outside the law. It's literally having no law.

It's above the law. I'm god in other words. Sin refuses to submit the mind and the heart and the head to the authority of god. Sin is anti god. It's replacing ourselves above the law We're the 1 who defines ourself.

I define what is right and wrong. I define, you know, myself. I make up my rules. Sin is anti god. It's anti Christ.

It's the work of the anti Christ. The devil himself. So verse 5, you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins and in him is no sin. And verse 8, the second half, the reason the son of god appeared. Was to destroy the devil's word.

The very reason of Jesus. The whole Christian message is it's Jesus to the rescue and a serious rescue for you lawless 1 are sinking in your mud and rejoicing in your sin but he's come to break the devil's work that pulls you down to the pit of hell itself. This is major work of Christ, crying out on the cross. My god, I'm abandoned. To take your place so you won't be abandoned.

The very wrath of god against all the laws we've broken poured upon the sinless 1 who never did any wrong or never said anything wrong in our place. It's a battle, my friend. It's a battle. Against the devil. Look at verse 8 again.

He who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. It is a battle. That Jesus has come to win. So we have a past. We have a future.

We have a now. Do you understand that? A child of god has the DNA of god, born of god, and therefore sin is a serious thing in the child of god. We have the DNA of god. God is our father.

We have a future We're growing up to be perfect like the sun, and we've seen what Christ has done in the past for us. Now here's my third point. So if that is you, live what you are in the present. Live it out. If that is you, live what you will be in the future.

Live it out. If that is you, live in awe and wonder of what Christ did for you in the past, live what you are now. Come on, says John. The fact that we are children of god means that we should display family likeness. Look at verse 29 of chapter 2.

If you know that he is righteous, You know that everyone who does what his right has been born of him. Behave like your spiritual father then. Behave right him, like father like son, they say, isn't it? We've just seen it in these children, these famous people. They grow up to be like they're, you know, what they are.

In the ancient world, you know, the sun they they normally did what the father did. We don't do that anymore, but we normally did. If the father was a baker, the son would be a baker. If you're a child of god, it's not just status. It is, but it's not just status.

If you're a child of god, you have his DNA, and he is righteous. And opposed to sin. So look at verse 6 to 9. Read these words, my friend. No 1 who lives in him keeps on sinning.

No 1 who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children do not let anyone lead you astray. No 1 who does what is right. Sorry. The 1 who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

The 1 who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the son of god appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No 1 who is born of god will continue to sin. Because god's seed remains in them. They cannot go on sinning because they have been born of god.

Did you hear those words? They're meant to make a sit up. Now remember, John has defined sin as lawlessness. The children of god, therefore, cannot sin. You cannot be lawless.

You cannot be under god and lawless at the same time. It's impossible. You may break the law. Absolutely. You may break the law and you need forgiveness but you cannot be lawless because you're born of god.

Because you're in the family of god. You're a child of the 1. You're a child of the god of the law. Christians cannot be lawless. If you're lawless, you're of the devil.

We're told in the Bible many times that god writes his law in our hearts you see it's part of our DNA. So we we don't do lawlessness. John says. When we sin, we feel it's so unnatural because we don't do lawlessness. When we sin, we feel the horror of it because we feel the law that we've broken, we feel that we're turning from the wonderful father that we're letting the family down and our father down.

We feel that. We're not the pig. In the mud, with a lamb in the mud. Our very DNA cries out You've broken his law, his beautiful, precious law. We bleat Treuary.

But the pig says, this is right, how to live in the mud. You see the difference? You can't treat sin as if it doesn't matter. You're not lawless. Look at verse 6, the first part of verse 6.

Where where it what he's talking about there is a settled character of sin continuing in sin, practicing sin. It's a settled characteristic. It's something that you're settled in like the pig in the mud. And not like the sheep that the lamb in the mud. And verse 9, it's the same word.

It's a settled habit, that continued word. It's it's like the pig in the mud. This is my habitat but the lamb in the mud can't stand it because we're not lawless because the lord tells us we're wrong. And verse 9, again, the second half of verse 9 is this settled habit of desires but we're born in him. So now there's this war that goes on.

So we don't say Oh, this is how I was made and that's why I live like this. As soon as you say that, applying to sin, you're saying, well then you're not born of god because born of god people may have battles in their lives but they don't just belittle it in saying this is what I am. What you are is a child of god if you are. So it hurts when you sin. You don't settle down and say, this is how I was made.

You know that sin is totally unacceptable. You know that sin is inexcusable and incompatible with who you are. Verse 9, no 1 who is born of god will continue to sin because god's seed remains in them. They cannot go on sinning because they've been born of god. Now remember, because this is quite disturbing stuff, isn't it?

That John is speaking like a parent Remember, he keeps saying dear children. If you listen to parents and all his babies, you listen to them. Parents are always saying to children when they're when they're doing bad things. They say things like this. We don't do that.

So what parents say. They're playing with the food and chucking food. We don't throw food around. Now if the child was a stroppy little so and so, they'd say, we do because I've just done it. But you're missing the whole point.

That is not what we do in this household. We don't do that. And that is what John is saying. Remember he speaks in black and white. He's saying that with sin.

If you've been born of god, we don't do sin. He's saying. Do you see that? It's simple as that. Sinning is not done.

And if you're a stupid, stroppy person, you can say, Yes, it is because I'm a child of god and I'm doing it. It's to miss the point. We don't do that. That's not in our DNA. That's not how I brought you up.

That's not how I nurtured you. We don't do that. He's saying, And when you do do it, although we don't, then you bleed like a lamb in the mud and not wallow like the pig and say it's my nature, look, I'm alright. You bleed like the lamb. Do you see that?

When we sin, we turn back to chapter 1 and verse 9 Have a look at chapter 1 and verse 9. When we sin, he says in verse 9, if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Look at chapter 2 verse 1. My dear children, I write this so that you will not sin. We don't do that.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous 1. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins You see? There's always always this this bleating out when you sin, like the lamb, bleating out I confess my sin. Jesus died for this sin. Both chapter 1 and chapter 3 are true of our experience as Christians.

There's a tension going on. There's a fight going on. No excuse to sin, but when you sin, you bleed. You bleed. Secondly, live what you will be then.

That's live what you are, but live what you will be then. Look at verse 3 of chapter 3. All who have this hope in him purify themselves just as he is pure. And what is the hope that 1 day you'll be the proper lamb? 1 day you'll be like, Jesus, that's the hope.

And he's coming, and you will be like him. That's our hope. So you nurture yourself and you grow up and you trip up and you fall in into the into the mud and you bleed out, and you remind yourself of what he's done for you again, and you're growing like him. Look at verse 2, dear friends, now we are children of god. And what we will be has not yet been made known, but we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is all who have this hope in him purify themselves just as he is pure.

This is going to be the biggest culture shock when Christ returns. A new land, a new world. It's amazing. So get ready. When you go on holiday, you find out about, is it hot?

What clothes do I need to wear? Is it cold? Do I need to take do I need to take some sun cream? Do they have clean water there? What injections do I need to go there?

You're preparing yourself? Well, here's the big culture shock that Christ is returning and he will bring a new world with him. And you're going. So get ready. If you get ready for a holiday, get ready for eternity.

Verse 28 of chapter 2 and now dear children continue in him so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming work for the smile of your savior. And then live in the light of Christ's work all that Christ has done on the cross for you, all the battle with to with the destruction of the of of evil and sin and the devil, then you don't play around with sin. Live in the light of the work of Christ. Now let me just apply this. Let me ask you, what is the direction of your life?

What are you going to be? When Christ comes and you're fully mature, When you face the judgment and Christ brings you in as you are, So you're gonna be ashamed of you? What's your direction? Do you yearn to be righteous like Christ? You won't start excusing your life by saying that's just what I am.

If you say that, it may well be you're a child of the devil, and that is just what you are. What's the direction of your life? What are you growing into? What will you be in eternity? Like the son or like your father, the devil.

So here's a number of things to do. 1 continue in him remain. Remain is the word. I'm not this is this is no this is no subtle political thing here. I'm not saying remain remain.

But vote remain. Here because that doesn't matter, but this does remain in Christ as he says in verse 28. Continue is the word we've got remains better, remain in the vine, growing up in him, remain in him. Take time to make sure you're remaining in him. Dean and Tom and myself were at a conference the FIAAC conference this week, and we had a fantastic preacher.

Sometimes you go to conferences and they just warm your heart, but he warmed our hearts, and he challenged our hearts. And he was dealing with the whole thing of sin. You say, look, know yourself find out the sins that you're battling with and bring them before the lord remain in him Don't let any sin cut you away from him. Take Galatians to 5. Look at the fruit of the spirit.

See the works of the flesh, the sinful nature. Read through them slowly. Do it this week. Perhaps 1 or 2 a day. Is that your big battle?

And ask god to help you deal with it, remain in him. Work through your weaknesses Work through the mud that you quite like wallowing in. See who you are. Remain in that DNA. See what Christ has done for you.

See what you will be. Remain. Secondly, I understand that some of us have besetting sins, and I don't think John is out to break a bruised reed as the Bible says or snuff out a smoldering flack. And some of you, you keep falling in the mud, don't you? Some of you are really stuck in the mud.

You don't like it, but you just don't know how to get out of it. You've tried various things and programs, and you're in the mud. But your feet are stuck and the mud is hardening. And you avoid looking at Christ because you feel so guilty. Well, he's the 1 you should go to because listen, listen, He's the good shepherd.

He's the good shepherd that laid his life down for you. He comes to your muddy, sinful life he'll pull you out. Have you asking that? Look in his face He's come to destroy the work of the devil in you, ask him to do that. Don't turn from him, turn to him.

If you don't like being in the mud, come to him. As a bruised re in other words, you're you're sort of broken, but you're not dead. Smoldering, you're just a puff. You're nearly gone out. You come to him and the lord loves to come as a good shepherd and take you out of the mud.

Will you let him do that? Will you ask him? What is the besetting sin that's keeping you there? Know that you have a DNA. You don't have to live like that.

We don't do that. Know that you have a savior that's destroyed the works of the evil 1. Know that you have a glorious future get out of the mud. He'll help you. 1 of my fay and as Christians, we are this is what the church is.

1 of my favorite characters in in, pilgrims progress I don't know whether it was on the the new film is when Christian is in the slough of this bond, the muddy slough. My my 1 of my favorite characters in all of literature is 1 called help. I love help. There is Christian falling in the mud in the slough of despond and help comes along and he's so bright. Hello?

I'm help. I've come to help you. Do you want help? Because that's what I am and he puts his hand out and helps and that's what we are as a church. That's how a church runs.

We love our brothers and sisters. It's a sign of being having the DNA of the son of god. We love we help. We we're not there to condemn. We don't shout out.

Filthy mud Oh, look at that, nasty smelly toenails. Got mud under the toenails. Have you? I didn't haven't done that for years. We're there to help and wash and clean and bring people to the lord Jesus Christ and show them the great shepherd.

If you've got besetting sins, my friend, don't stay there. It's not what you are and it's not what you will be. And the power of god can help you. So thirdly, look to the father. He lavishes his love on us.

He wants you clean and beautiful and pure. Look to the savior. He died for those sins. Look to the Holy Spirit we saw last week, the anointing that he gives us to be the children of god. See him coming again and live for him.

We don't do those things. But when we do, we bleed And the good shepherd threw his other sheep come to the rescue. Let's pray. We're gonna take the lord's table. It's a wonderful gracious table he invites us to, the lord's supper.

It's a wonderful thing. It's a symbol. If you're the lords, however muddy you are, Take it and remember. Chris will lead us in that in just a moment, but ask the lord now. See what he done for you.

His body broken, like the bread is broken and his blood shed like the juice that we have and you eat of him and you drink of him. It's a symbol of coming to Christ and having his DNA. Say sorry and say help Father god, you know everyone in this room, you know where we are. We pray please that you would help us to Cry to you, the great shepherd, to see what you've done for us and to live in the light of that forgive us for belittling sin, help us to see what it is, works of the devil. Father, as we take the bread and the wine, help us to see what you've done for us.

We're children of god because of Christ. We pray these things in Jesus' name, our,