Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Thanks, guys. Good morning, Christ Church.
[00:00:04] So good to be with you. I've been waiting for these fall mornings. Anybody else?
[00:00:09] Beautiful out there.
[00:00:11] And it's so good to see you here today.
[00:00:14] If we have not had the chance to meet yet, my name's Chet. If you're a guest with us and love to meet you, shake your hand, but so glad you're here. And we are in a series in the book of Matthew.
[00:00:26] And so we've been walking through the Gospel of Matthew, which has the life and the teachings and the events of Jesus. And we started it just recently.
[00:00:35] We'll probably be in it for the next 10 or 20 years.
[00:00:39] Just kidding. But it will be a little bit.
[00:00:41] We're going to walk through it slowly, but today we're going to continue that. But before we do, would you pray with me, Father? Thank you, Lord, that you are a God who meets us where we're at.
[00:00:54] Father. Father, as we are broken and sinful and Lord, messed up, Lord, you invite us to still come to you and to be changed by your forgiveness and your grace and your goodness. And I pray, Lord, we could experience that.
[00:01:13] I pray, Lord, we could see the safety of your presence because of your sacrifice and love for us.
[00:01:21] And Lord, I pray that you would just bless us today as we look at your word. I pray it would move us in the ways that you want and hope for us. And we ask all this in the great name of Jesus. Amen.
[00:01:34] Well, my two girls, they go to this really cool school in Bay Village. It's called Acton Academy. And Emmy and Abby, they're seven and five and they just. It's a really cool school and we really like it and really appreciate the people who lead it. And they do all these great events. And one of the things they just had recently was they had this guy named Jeff Strucker come to speak to all the kids.
[00:02:02] Now when I saw this event happening, I was like, I recognize this guy's name. And I was like, I think I read his book one time.
[00:02:10] And I did. And this guy was an Army Ranger who was in the battle of Mogadishu.
[00:02:18] And so if you've ever seen the movie Black Hawk down, he's actually in that movie. Someone plays him, but he was right in the middle of that and, you know, went through all the horrors and difficulties and craziness of that and made it out. And then he ended up becoming an army chaplain. So I was like, this guy is coming to the girls school.
[00:02:41] That's awesome.
[00:02:43] I hope that they really appreciate that, which they didn't, by the way, they didn't even go in to listen to him.
[00:02:51] But I did bring Teddy in there. Teddy, he just turned three. My youngest son, he turned three on Friday, which is cool. Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
[00:03:03] I worked very hard to see him grow. No, but he was in there. He was really only concerned with applesauce and drawing Spider Man. I was like, you're listening to a war right now. But it didn't get into his three year old heart.
[00:03:19] But I was, you know, I was just like. So I was like, that's such a cool and amazing thing.
[00:03:24] And he, you know, shared his experiences. But he's talking to elementary kids, so he has to, you know, present that in a certain way. But one of the things that he said is, he said, I'm gonna tell you about the scariest day in my life and I'm gonna tell you about a decision that I had to make.
[00:03:42] And he went to kind of tell the kids about being in Mogadishu and the Black Hawk down incident and how him and other group of men, they had kind of got out of the heart of the battle. But then he said, we had a decision to make. We had to decide, are we gonna go back out and try to save these other men that are trapped and in a bad spot?
[00:04:07] And he said the reason, for one of the many reasons this was such a difficult thing to think about is because he said, I was certain that we were going to die, that if we went back out, it was so bad, there was so few against so many, that it was likely that this was gonna be not only my life, but the guys that are looking to me and trusting me to do this. And so then he asked all these elementary kids, he said, what would you have done? What would you do? Would you go back out? Even if it meant likely you might not make it, but you're going out to save your brothers and sisters, or would you not? He says it's a really tough deal. And he asked the kids, and you know, I love. It was hilarious to hear kids in this, you know, like, okay, that's all cool, but how many kids do you have? He's like, ask questions like that. Like, yeah, okay, Mogadisho, interesting. But what's your kids names?
[00:05:05] It was just such a funny contrast in the room. But he asked that question, everybody thought about it and they gave their answers. But I was sitting there and I was thinking about it too, and I was like, boy, in the comfort of this room, I would like to say I would Go out. Amen.
[00:05:19] And the reality of that, I don't know if I could really answer that honestly, but I think, would it be safe to say that all of us would want to be the type of people that would go out, even if it meant sacrifice? Is that safe to say that?
[00:05:38] I don't know if we could be that in the moment, but is it true to say that we would all want to be that in the moment? Is that fair?
[00:05:48] And I think when you think about a question like that, like, that's. I want to be that type of person. I believe that's knowable and that's good, and. And we celebrate those types of stories for a reason.
[00:06:02] And when I was thinking about that, it remind me of something that Jesus said. Jesus said, I came to seek and to save the lost.
[00:06:14] Jesus, when he walked this earth and he was doing his ministry, he said, I came to seek and to save the lost. I am on a rescue mission.
[00:06:27] And as I was thinking about that, it reminded me that I believe every church like us has the opportunity to say, am I going to live and risk on that mission too? Am I gonna be the type of person that would go back out? See, I think we could be a type of church that gets very comfortable with where we're at and gets very comfortable with what we do. Or we could be a type of church that says, God, send us, because we know there are people that need you and we want to be used by you.
[00:07:06] And I know that could be risky and that could be challenging. That could require doing hard things. But, man, we believe it's worth it. And as I think about the season that we're in, in our church, and. And it's a season of sacrifice.
[00:07:20] Working hard, what we're doing requires all kinds of sacrifice. I want to be the type of church that says, man, God, we will go back out. Send us, because we don't want to just get through this life. You want us to use our life and church. I believe that every time we step up to that and answer that God is glorified. You with me on this. And Christ is honored and we become more of the church that God wants us to be. Now, today I wanna talk to you about Matthew chapter three, and we're gonna look at the ministry of John the Baptist. I'm skipping Matthew chapter two today because it's the Christmas story and we're gonna come back to that on Christmas. Is that all right? So you're gonna, you know, so if you're like, it's killing me what happened in Matthew chapter two? You gotta wait till December 24th. I'm not gonna tell you. I'm not gonna give you any hints, but there might be a manger involved. There might be wise men, I don't know. But we are gonna jump to chapter three today and chapter three. This is so powerful. But here is a simple way, I think, to understand the heart and soul of Matthew Chapter three. And it's just simply this. There are two really powerful words in this world.
[00:08:45] Two words that can change the world.
[00:08:49] The world around you. It can change your world.
[00:08:53] And I believe it actually leads us into the power of God's kingdom. But here's the problem.
[00:09:02] The times where you most need to utter these two words, it'll probably be really hard for you. And here's what they are.
[00:09:10] I'm sorry.
[00:09:14] Why are you laughing at that?
[00:09:17] And I'm. Is a contraction here, you know, I'm sorry. Two words. I'm sorry.
[00:09:23] Those words have the power to change our lives, Church.
[00:09:29] And to keep changing our lives. And I'm gonna show this to you from Matthew 3. So let me read it to you. Matthew 3, starting at verse 1. It says this. In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Here's what he said. Verse 2.
[00:09:46] Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
[00:09:55] Then he said, amen, final song. And everyone left.
[00:09:59] Don't you wish my sermons were that short?
[00:10:03] For this is he who has spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, when he said, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight.
[00:10:16] Now, John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist.
[00:10:25] Interesting wardrobe style.
[00:10:29] Probably got that from Abercrombie. I don't know. Is that place still around? Yeah, okay.
[00:10:35] It was when I was in school. Anyway.
[00:10:38] Leather belt around his waist. His food, get this. Was locusts and wild honey.
[00:10:45] I like honey. I've never had a locust.
[00:10:48] Then Jerusalem, all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him. They were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.
[00:10:59] But when he saw many of the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, we have Abraham for our Father. For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree that does not therefore bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire.
[00:11:31] I baptize you with water for repentance. But he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand. His he will clear his threshing fort, gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
[00:11:51] So a lot going on in these verses, but let's walk through this.
[00:11:55] So Matthew is preparing us for the ministry of Jesus.
[00:12:02] In Matthew's Gospel, we've learned about where Jesus came from, we've learned about what his purpose is. His purpose is to come and to save us from our sins. And now Matthew is showing us what went before Jesus and kind of what needs to go before us today. And it's John the Baptist and it's this message that he has. Now here's the first thing I just want you to see today is that notice it says that John came and John came preaching and he preached this message, Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. And he went on to talk to him more. But the first thing that I think is helpful to see is that God advances his kingdom through preaching.
[00:12:53] That God uses what I'm doing today and what John the Baptist did and what others done to advance his purposes in the world.
[00:13:02] In fact, the apostle Paul says it this way. He says through the foolishness of preaching, he chose to save those who believe that there's kind of a contradiction because human beings preach like me. And if you've been around here, you've heard me say stupid stuff, right? And you're like, probably want to get that one back, but it's too late. Already came out, you know, and there is this reality that we're human and we're broken, but yet. But God wants to use people like us to bring his message into this world. And it's a very important thing. In fact, when I look back at my life, I can honestly say it is the preaching of other people that has changed my life, that God has used.
[00:13:56] I wandered into the church as a 14 year old kid that was completely lost and I heard someone preach and God used that to bring me to himself. All of a sudden the lights turned on in my mind and my heart, I'm like, oh my gosh, God is real, he loves me. Christ died for me. And it became a turning point in my life, and it was through preaching.
[00:14:20] And I can look at many other instances in my life where God used just the right message at the right time to hear it in the right way to put me on the path that he wants for me. God uses it. And the reason I want to point that out is because every generation needs new preachers called by God.
[00:14:46] Every generation. John the Baptist.
[00:14:49] God had been working this plan, and he was God's man for that hour, but every hour needs it. And one of the things that I'm so passionate about as our church is helping to equip the next generation for the work that God has for them. You may not know this, but as a church, recently, we started a seminary partnership with a seminary in Cleveland called Emmaus. And we are able to offer seminary education to people in our church.
[00:15:23] And the point of that is to help just equip people for the work that God has.
[00:15:29] And here's just what I want to point out. As a church, we've got to celebrate and encourage and help people on that path. Here's what I mean.
[00:15:43] I've been in rooms sometimes with parents and kids, and their kid was like, feeling this sense of calling to ministry.
[00:15:51] And I've been at times in rooms where parents were like, all right, you know, you can always do ministry, but the path you're on is way better financially.
[00:16:04] And I hear it, and I'm like, you're right, that is true.
[00:16:09] But that's not always the most important thing. You with me?
[00:16:15] And I just wanna. I wanna be a church that says, look, yes, I want people to fulfill their academic, their athletic, their financial potential. But more than anything, I want people to fulfill their spiritual potential.
[00:16:30] You with me? Because God uses people that are called and willing to step into that purpose that they have. You with me on this. And John the Baptist was one of those people. Now, John the Baptist, he was an interesting guy, But Matthew says that he was fulfilling this role that was talked about 700 years before Jesus. And that's where this quotation from Isaiah comes. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. Make his path straight. Now, that was From Isaiah, Isaiah 43, which was written 700 years before Matthew wrote this. But Matthew is saying, hey, what Isaiah talked about is happening right now. That's John the Baptist. John is the voice crying out in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. John is the one preparing the way of the Lord. He is that preparatory figure in all this. Now, here's what's just kind of cool about this.
[00:17:42] And this is one of the ways the New Testament wants to show us again and again that Jesus is not just a great teacher, though he was.
[00:17:54] He's not just a prophet, though he was.
[00:17:58] He's not just a religious martyr, though he was that. But he is God who has come in the flesh for his people.
[00:18:11] That is the almighty God that has stepped into time in history to meet his people. See, that's what that quote is. And so many times, the New Testament, it will show us this in these different ways where it will give divine honors, divine acts and divine attributes to the person of Jesus. Divine honors, acts and attributes. In other words, if you're walking around a school and you hear someone say, hey, Principal, so and so in your mind you're like, principal. That title. They must be in charge, right?
[00:18:49] If you're at some place of work and you're like, okay, here's the president, you're like, oh, they must be the boss because they carry that title. Here's what Matthew is doing. He's saying John is preparing the way of Yahweh.
[00:19:07] This is the ancient Hebrew word, the covenant name of God.
[00:19:12] And he's saying that John is preparing the way of God.
[00:19:18] But who is he talking about here? Whose way is he preparing? It's Jesus.
[00:19:24] Jesus is Yahweh, essentially, is what Matthew is showing us from this. He is God who has come for us. And so John says, I am the voice making people ready to hear and experience their God who has come for them. Now, here's what I love about John the Baptist. This was an unusual guy.
[00:19:51] Sometimes you think, like, God can only use a certain type of person.
[00:19:55] And I love how the Bible shatters those expectations sometimes. Maybe like, you're sitting in church and you're like, ah, I could see how God can be at work in this person's life or that person's life, but not my life. Well, here's the good news. You read the story of John the Baptist, you're like, God can use anyone.
[00:20:15] This dude's got camel hair outfit about, like. If you saw his LinkedIn profile, like, that's my pastor there. Like, I'm scared.
[00:20:27] I don't know what to do. You know, he's. And then Matthew makes. He really wants us to, like, enter into the unusualness of John. And he says, oh, and by the way, his diet was not keto.
[00:20:43] It was locusts and wild honey.
[00:20:46] It reminds me, years ago, there was this book. It was called the Daniel Plan, and it was loosely Based out of the book of Daniel. And it said in the book of Daniel, they eat vegetables and water.
[00:20:58] And they're like, hey, here's a good biblical diet. Eat vegetables and water, you can lose weight. Like, amen. But who wants to torture themselves that way? You with me?
[00:21:08] The funny thing about the Daniel plan is in the Book of Daniel, they actually gain weight, which is why I don't eat vegetables or drink water.
[00:21:17] You know, just straight beef.
[00:21:22] But anyway, I'm just.
[00:21:24] But I have been working on a book. It's called the John the Baptist Diet Plan.
[00:21:29] And this one will make you lose weight because you eat a plate of crickets, you'll be sick for a week, and you'll lose weight.
[00:21:36] And you can put some honey on it, too.
[00:21:39] That's my.
[00:21:41] Sorry, I had to have a little fun with that one.
[00:21:45] But John the Baptist. The point is, this guy's eccentric. He's unusual. He doesn't. He doesn't fit into the picture of the day. But yet he is God's man.
[00:21:58] He is the one that Isaiah prophesied about 700 years.
[00:22:03] And just here's my point. You don't know how God might want to use your life.
[00:22:11] Don't start limiting him in your mind because of who you are or who you are not. You with me.
[00:22:19] God's got. He's got his whole plan at a different scale worked out. But then here's John's message, and that's really what I want us to think about today.
[00:22:29] He says, repent for the kingdom of God. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
[00:22:37] And so here's what this whole section is about. How do you prepare to experience the presence of God? How do you prepare to experience the ministry of Jesus? And it's all wrapped up in that word repent.
[00:22:56] Now, what does repent mean? That's a word that we typically only use in church. But in its most simple sense, repent means. I'm sorry, that's what it means. It literally means a change of mind.
[00:23:12] It means you thought. You're like, I thought this was a good idea, but now I realize it was a bad idea. You ever have those moments in life, like, boy, that made sense at the time. You're like, how did that ever make sense to me?
[00:23:25] What was I thinking? That's a sense of repentance.
[00:23:28] You're looking. But it's not just, I'm changing my mind, but I also grieve that, because maybe that way I was thinking it was. It was hurtful to people or it pulled me away From God. It was the wrong direction. And then repentance also is that it's deep enough that it begins to make me think about my life differently.
[00:23:55] See, you can say you're sorry and not actually mean it, right?
[00:24:00] My son Teddy, he hit his sister in the face yesterday.
[00:24:05] I was like, teddy, you can't do that. I said, say you're sorry.
[00:24:10] Sorry.
[00:24:12] Like, no, say you're sorry. I did.
[00:24:16] Well, I'm sorry, son. It just didn't seem very authentic to me. I'd like you to at least like, you know, fake it a little bit more. You're not even trying right now.
[00:24:27] We all know that experience, but you can do that as a grown up too.
[00:24:33] But what repentance is, it's authentic. It's like, no, no, I really do, man. God has opened my eyes. I see it different now and it grieves me that I didn't.
[00:24:46] And I want to take different steps from there.
[00:24:53] Get this. Jesus says, if you are willing to have a heart that can be confronted and changed by God, then you're ready to experience his power in your life.
[00:25:10] Now think about this. Any healthy relationship has to have a lot of repentance within it.
[00:25:18] You can't have a relationship with a human being that is healthy without real repentance happening.
[00:25:27] In fact, that's oftentimes what gets marriages stuck is we won't own our stuff and apologize. Amen.
[00:25:35] Now, my wife Allie is.
[00:25:39] She is truly a 10 times better Christian than I will ever be. Like, way just way Godlier, better person.
[00:25:48] Which, by the way, if you're a single guy, you should try to marry someone way above you. That's what winning looks like. Amen, brothers.
[00:25:57] And guys are like, yeah, see, that's not insulting to a guy. Like, saying like, dude, your wife's way better than you. They're like, I know, let's go. Like guys, they're encouraged by that.
[00:26:08] And by the way, brothers, that's true for those of you in this room.
[00:26:13] But Alice. And so when we, when we have our fights and when we have our ugly moments and when we have just all the stuff that happens in marriage and in life, most of the time it's me.
[00:26:32] And those of you who know Allie and I, you're like, okay, if I had to guess, who's probably the problem child in this marriage, is it Chad or Ellie?
[00:26:41] You. You're gonna say Ally for sure. I mean, of course.
[00:26:46] So here's what I find again and again that happens is something happens.
[00:26:51] I'm a jerk. Somehow, some way Whatever. And then leave the conversation or leave the moment. And then I'll begin to feel this sense of God's spirit saying, chet, apologize.
[00:27:08] You're an idiot. I don't know if it. That might be me or. I don't know, sometimes it is certainly due. But I'll often feel this sense of, dude, you gotta apologize.
[00:27:19] Like, look, no matter what, you were out of line here. You with me? Or you shouldn't have said it.
[00:27:25] And I'm a broken man. And I hear that voice and I feel that prompt. I'm like, nope, nope, I'm good.
[00:27:35] Let me just wait this out.
[00:27:38] Aren't you glad you're not as messed up as I am today?
[00:27:41] I know you would never, never do such. And then it's. But then, like, the. I just feel, you know, you just can't escape that. You're like, the Lord's like, no, dude, come on.
[00:27:51] Come on.
[00:27:52] This is what being a man is about. You step up and you apologize and you own it.
[00:27:59] And then you can move on. And then when God finally helps me to get to those moments, it opens up the door for healthy things. You with me, Church?
[00:28:10] But it's always that sense of, will I actually enter into repentance?
[00:28:16] You with me, will I own a sense? And here's what I believe. That is always the doorway to transformation.
[00:28:28] I could say, God, man, I'm sorry. I could say it to other people. But most importantly, when I can say it to God and mean it like, lord, I'm sorry.
[00:28:39] I'm living my life this way, doing my own thing, and you have no place for saying it, Lord, I'm sorry. I'm nurturing this habit in my life that I know is dishonoring to you, and I'm going forward with it. God, I'm sorry. And I want to be different. See, Church, when that is happening in our hearts and in our lives, that is what opens the door for the power of God. See, John says, if you want to get ready for the ministry of Jesus is to have a heart that can be challenged and shaped and humbled, changed by him. And that's a heart of repentance. You with me?
[00:29:21] Because Jesus came to save those who are lost.
[00:29:29] And repentance is saying, that's me.
[00:29:32] I'm lost.
[00:29:34] I'm drowning out here. Now, maybe I jumped into the deep end, but either way, I'm still drowning. And I need you to do for me what I can't do for myself. You with me, church. And that's the message of repentance. Now, if you're listening to this and you're like, wow, Chet, I'm glad you're talking about this stuff because the person I came with really needs to hear this.
[00:30:01] Or you're like, oh, gosh, this is good. I hope it's on Facegram and I can send it to somebody.
[00:30:10] Yeah.
[00:30:13] But here's the deal. This is not for anybody else.
[00:30:18] This is for you and me, church.
[00:30:21] Cause here's the deal. If you read the rest of this, The Pharisees and Sadducees came while John was preaching this. And who are these people? These are the religious people of the day. They're two of maybe four to six prominent religious groups in first century Judea. They don't get along, they don't see eye to eye, but the one thing they can agree on is that they don't like Jesus and they're not crazy about John the Baptist and they're kind of looking, checking them out.
[00:30:52] And they're both hyper religious and devoted and would have been seen that way. And yet John says, you brood of vipers.
[00:31:04] Which is not a compliment.
[00:31:06] Who told you to flee from the wrath that is to come?
[00:31:10] Now, what is he saying? Here's what he's saying.
[00:31:14] If you don't think you need repentance, you are more spiritually lost than you know.
[00:31:23] The most spiritually mature people will be the ones who. Who are the quickest to say, I'm sorry.
[00:31:33] You get me. And in fact, Martin Luther, this great reformer, he says, all of the Christian life is repentance.
[00:31:42] And what did he mean by that? I think he simply meant by that is that the more I grow, the more I realize I need to grow, the more God is at work in my life, the more I realize I need him to be at work in my life.
[00:32:00] The more that I walk with God, honestly, the more I realize, how could I ever think I could do any of it without him? You with me?
[00:32:09] And so therefore, as I grow, repentance is what grows within me. And the problem with the religious leaders of Jesus Day is they thought everyone else was a problem and everyone else needed to change.
[00:32:32] But John, and then Jesus will pick this up. He'll say, no, no, no. You are the problem and you need to change.
[00:32:39] And they couldn't hear it, and they wouldn't hear it, and they rejected Christ for it. And John warns him. He says, listen, I don't care how religious you are.
[00:32:52] I don't care how much you come to church.
[00:32:55] I don't care how much of the Bible you Know or don't know. I care. Is your heart tender before God?
[00:33:05] Are you willing to humble yourself before him and say, God, be merciful to me, a sinner?
[00:33:13] See, if our spiritual devotion ever makes us look down on others or ever gives us a sense of moral superiority, then church. We need to check ourselves because we are in a dangerous spot.
[00:33:30] You with me?
[00:33:31] If you're like, you know, these other people, they could get their act together. Their problem.
[00:33:38] If we nurture that attitude and that heart in our lives, then we are missing the very kingdom of God is meant to be at work in us. You with me on this? And so John says, listen, I'm the one preparing the way, but there is one that is coming that can only truly change your heart.
[00:34:03] Now, here's what I just want to invite us to do today.
[00:34:07] As we close today and as we go into a time of worship and reflection and communion, I just want us to open our hearts and say, lord, would you search my heart this morning?
[00:34:21] Now, I'll tell you, that's kind of a dangerous prayer to say because it's a prayer that can lead us and challenge us into repentance.
[00:34:31] But I think it's so good and needed for us. Get this.
[00:34:36] Christ doesn't forgive us because of how great we repent. His forgiveness is there for you, and repentance leads us deeper into his love.
[00:34:52] And so today, as we close and as we sing, I just want us to say, lord, search my heart.
[00:34:59] Are there things that I need to turn towards you on?
[00:35:04] Are there people in my life that I need to issue an apology to?
[00:35:09] Are there people in my home? I need to say, you know what, I'm sorry I've not been the man I need or want to be.
[00:35:16] And let's just take a moment and invite God's spirit to work in our hearts. Let's pray, Father.
[00:35:24] I thank you, Lord, that we can come to this time knowing that in the goodness of Christ, you don't cast us out, you don't turn us away.
[00:35:41] But, Father, you forgive us, you cleanse us.
[00:35:45] If anyone confesses their sins, you're faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
[00:35:55] Father, I pray your spirit would just be at work in us this morning.
[00:36:00] And, Lord, where we need to turn to you and turn from other things. Help us to do that.
[00:36:08] Or maybe, Lord, there's a hurt relationship in our life. And the thing that is going to change it is an apology. Help us to be quick to give it.
[00:36:19] Help us have the courage to do it.
[00:36:22] And may Christ be glorified in it all. And may our hearts be prepared for what you want to do in us. And through this, we ask this in Jesus name, amen.
