The Journey News: 2011

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Not a Fan

not a fan. Whether Jesus was speaking to large crowds or small group, He made sure everyone was clear on what it meant to follow Him. As pastors, we are called to do the same. Jesus is NOT looking for fans...He's looking for followers.

Followers who understand that...
There is no forgiveness without repentance.
There is no salvation without surrender.
There is no life without death.
There is no believing without following.

For the first time our sunday morning service will directly impact the wednesday night study. We are being purposeful in the fact that not only the adults but the youth will grasp this concept of not being just a fan, but that there is so much for us and that we are called to be followers of Christ.

So come and join us Sunday mornings at 10:00 am as we explore what the bible says about being a true follower of Christ and then come back on Wednesday nights at 7:00 pm as we take it a little deeper and really strive after being a follower of God.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Rise of the Absalom Spirit

Main Passage: 2 Samuel 15

Introduction

Spiritual power ARE at work

In America
In the Church
In our own life

Absalom--History

Genealogy
Murder
Revolt--2 Sam 15:1-6
Death

Characteristics of an Absalom Spirit

Origin in the House of the King
Entitlement Mentality
False promises with an agenda
Rebellion
Division
Death

The Answer--The Love of the King

The Love of THE King would have given Absalom anything...
The Love THE King will restore our nation...
The Love of THE King will revive the church...

Conclusions--

Do you see any of the spirit of Absalom at work in your life?
Do you sense the power of that spirit influencing your view on life right now?
Are you controlled by a sense of entitlement?
Ask God to change your heart!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Financial Faker

Key Verse:

One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be

poor, yet has great wealth. Proverbs 13:7

I am cool because I have…

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Xbox, cable, car, clothes—can’t pay cc/afford 2 eat

· Play now… pay later…

· Great Depression never did

o Baby boomers adopted this

Under 30 cashed in retirement. 70% have 0 cash reserve.

Where are you going on your honeymoon?

· Exotic locations and charged it and start off on debt.

o Start off the marriage in bondage

· Paid for Honeymoon without debt

o Planned for

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The Lie:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served

created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised.

Rom 1:25

· Money is the #1 competitor for our hearts!

· "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matt 6:24

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MONEY AND THINGS PROMISE

1) HAPPINESS

Money and things doesn’t buy happiness

· We believe this intellectually

· But not emotional

Make your life a little better

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2) SIGNIFICANCE

Drive up in a new car… clunker, Right jeans, school, neighborhood

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3) SECURITY

Trade health for more, Time w/kids for more. How much more? Little

God can provide! Happiness, Significance, Security

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We have a spiritual problem… not a financial problem.

· Mask… Anxiety, Worry, Tension, Fear, Guilt

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DROP THE MASK AND EXPOSE THE TRUTH

• WE TRUST MONEY FOR HAPPINESS BECAUSE WE

DON’T KNOW WHAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST.

• WE TRUST MONEY TO MAKE US SIGNIFICANT

BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW WHO WE ARE IN

CHRIST.

• WE BELIEVE MONEY WILL MAKE US SECURE

BECAUSE WE TRUST IN MONEY AND NOT IN

CHRIST.

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Defenses: My parents didn’t teach me, My job didn’t pay me enough,

Economy’s bad, Spouse spent too much, Can’t help that kids’ needed

braces, my car broke down. Not as bad as most… Nice things.

Actions reveal what we really believe!

Actions say we love and trust and worship things more than God!

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Behavior follows Belief

· When we put our belief in Christ

When we change what we believe—change how we behave.

TRUTH

• TRUE HAPPINESS, SIGNIFICANCE AND SECURITY

ARE FOUND IN CHRIST ALONE.

7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of

Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the

surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake

I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…

Phil 3:7-8

Dropping the mask and tell the truth…

Money and things will never fulfill me.

Say it over & over & over & over & over again until you believe it.

…A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

Luke 12:15

Repeat with me…

I am not what I have. I am not what I wear.

I am not where I live. I am not what I drive.

I am who God says I am.

16 Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.

17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf

with hatred. Prov 15:16-17

Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be

somebody and have no food. Prov 12:9

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and

godliness… 2 Peter 1:3

If a fish flops on the beach would it be happy?

If you give the fish a big wad of cast is he happy?

If you give a fish a big fish condo is he happy?

If you give a fish a carona beer and a play fish mag will he be happy?

Why is the fish not happy, because he was created for the ocean not the beach.

-Max Lucado (retold by C. G)

Overcome the seductive lie of what the world tell.

Get out of debt, get your life on track, give, and enjoy nice things.

Where's Waldo?

HIDING YOUR SIN

AFTER YOU SIN, YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES

CONCEAL YOUR SINS.

CONFESS YOUR SINS.

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army…But David remained in Jerusalem. ²One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her...Then she went back home. ⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." 2 Samuel 11:1-5

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

Luke 8:17

… you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23

For the story of Nathan confronting David, see 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Nathan Rebukes David

2 Samuel 12:1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

11 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die.”

WHAT ARE YOU COVERING UP?

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TWO TYPES OF CONFESSION

CONFESS TO GOD FOR FORGIVENESS.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

²Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin...¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12

CONFESS TO PEOPLE FOR HEALING.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed… James 5:16

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

Monday, October 17, 2011

Where's Waldo?

HIDING YOUR SIN

AFTER YOU SIN, YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES

CONCEAL YOUR SINS.

CONFESS YOUR SINS.

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

Luke 8:17

… you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23

For the story of Nathan confronting David, see 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Nathan Rebukes David

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die.”

WHAT ARE YOU COVERING UP?

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TWO TYPES OF CONFESSION

CONFESS TO GOD FOR FORGIVENESS.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12

CONFESS TO PEOPLE FOR HEALING.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed… James 5:16

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

Man in the Mirror

A Look at: SELF DECEPTION

· People who tell a lie so many times that we start to believe the lie is true

· How many of you are self-deceived

· How many of you know someone who is self-deceived

THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW, DON’T KNOW THEY DON’T KNOW.

TWO TRUTHS OF THE SELF DECEIVED

1) THE LONGER WE VIEW OURSELVES THROUGH A DISTORTED LENS THE MORE LIKELY WE ARE TO BELIEVE A DISTORTED TRUTH.

· David speaking about this: For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. 3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Psalm 36:2-3

· If we cannot detect our sin then we live in ways that destroy us and those around us. (gossip, rude, pride

2) OFTEN THE MORE CONVINCED YOU ARE YOU’RE RIGHT THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE WRONG.

· Great example: the Pharisees

o Thought they were all right and everyone else was wrong.

· Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." 34 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered," this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." 35 But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you…" Matthew 26:33-35

o Addictions and people reactions to this

o Please listen for yourself

THREE STEPS TO LIVE IN TRUTH

1) PRAY

Is there anything in me that is true that I don’t see as truth?

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

Challenge: Pray this for the next 7 days

2) LISTEN

He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. 32 He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. Proverbs 15:31-32

If more than one person who loves you is telling you that you have a problem with something you need to listen.

What is God or a loved one trying to tell you?

3) CHANGE

When God shows you!

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

Today is the day to take the mask off, no matter what you are dealing with (religious, cutting, addiction to cell phone, sexual sin, perfect marriage)

· A lot of times we are afraid to take the mask off because we are afraid of what the truth is.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:3

· Remove the lies and embrace the truth of Christ.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Journeymen October Update!

Hey guys,
We've have had a couple of good planning meetings so far and I'm excited about the things we have going on. Here's an update:

Month of October - Journeymen Food Drive
                            Bring non-perishable food items each Sunday this month
                            We will deliver them October 29th @ 10:00AM after our next meeting

October 8th - Courageous - Hollywood 10 Theaters - 1:30PM
                    We will be meeting as a group to watch the movie Courageous
                    Bring your friends, your dads, your sons, your brothers.....
                    See the link below.


http://www.courageousthemovie.com/

January 21st 2012 - Mens Workshop - 6-8PM - Word of Life Church
                             Speaker will be Joe Ehrmann - former defensive lineman for the Baltimore Colts
                             More on this later - Watch youtube video below

http://youtu.be/JefNqedPoTE

October 29th - Next meeting 9:00 at Perkins

As you can see we already have some cool things going on. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in joining us in any of these events. Also, bring someone to the next meeting for food and fellowship.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Hiding From God

*Link to listen to this message online at the bottom of this post*

The Very First Masquerade

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Gen 2:24

shame: buwsh (boosh); to be ashamed; to be disappointed, to be confused, to become dry.

Not ashamed. Not disappointed. Not confused. Not relationally dry. Absent of everything that separates.

· No sin… No shame… No games… No masks

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Serpent tempted… She gave some to her husband

· “Did God really say…”

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Gen 3:7

· I can’t bring the real me

· I am not good enough

· I am unworthy

· After what I have done I can’t let you see the real me

o This was the first instance of hypocrites

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Jesus was hardest on hypocrites

hypocrite: hupokrites (hoop-ok-ree-tace'); an actor playing a role, someone wearing a mask to misrepresent reality.

SATAN’S SHAME GAME

· You experience something deeply painful or sinful.

· You connect what happened with who you are.

· You believe the only way to be safe is to hide.

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8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Gen 3:8

· “Hid from God”

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9 But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." Gen 3:9-10

· “Where are You?”

· I was afraid because I was naked so I hid.

o I felt vulnerable

o I knew I was imperfect

o I did feel good enough

o If you knew what I done you wouldn’t love me

§ How could God love me

ú Afraid because I sinned

§ Pastor’s Mystique

ú People want to believe you are a normal regular person, but when you are they can’t handle it.

ú “Can’t believe a man of God did that!”

ú Have to guard

· You learn to fake it

· If you are struggling

· Have marriage issues

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WHERE ARE YOU WITH GOD?

(Lowest) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Highest)

High Rating

· Close, intimate. Word is a priority. Care about what he cares about. Heart breaks for the lost. Serving passionately in his church. Trusting him in your finances. Person of deep and committed prayer.

Low Rating

· Pretending. In church today. Ignored God all week.

· Call it what it is. You’re spiritually posing.

· That is just some sins I am going to live with

· Personal worship

o Who has time for that

Be Honest

· God already knows

· I haven’t spent time with God in a long time

· I am too busy (still believe) just life has gotten in the way.

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Drop the mask

· Talk about it with the person next to you.

· Why you are there

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“You cannot do what all God wants you to do wearing a stupid mask”- Craig G.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Gen 3:21

· Killed an innocent animal to cover their sin

· For us today: Only covering… clothed with Christ

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Listen Online: Click Here

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Heroes Chapter 5: Roadblock

“We all have a need for a hero in our lives”

Looking at the life of Peter

Early Look at Peter:

· Matthew 4:18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

o Peter was without a doubt willing to drop everything to follow Jesus. (verse 20)

o The fact that he was a fisherman shows that he was a hard worker and one who was committed.

· Jesus request was simple as was the reward for his request.

o “Come with me and you will change other people’s lives”

o This showed that Peter didn’t need much to go on, he just wanted to make a difference.

The Training of Peter

· He was with Jesus for the healings, the resurrections, the teachings, the miracles.

o He was part of making a differences.

§ Jesus held true to his promise?

ú Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

· One test: Who do you say I am

Matthew 16: ¹³When Jesus had come to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴They said, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

¹⁷Then Jesus said to him, “How blessed are you, Simon, son of John!For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven has. ¹⁸I tell you that you are Peter,and it is on this rockthat I will build my church, and the forces of hellwill not overpower it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibitedin heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permittedin heaven.”

²⁰Then he strictly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

o After this moment of God-Given “brilliance” I am sure Peter had thought that he had arrived.

o How many times in our life that we get one thing right and we think that we are all that?

o The problem was that he was still in training mode and had the zeal but not the understanding.

The Fall of Peter

· After all that Peter had witness and learned he still in a moment he lost his strength.

o For a fisherman (one of the toughest professions of his time) you didn’t admit defeat or have weak moments

§ If you had a weak moment on the water then that meant death. In this case he has a weak moment on land and it can a different type death.

Matthew 26:⁶⁹Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”

ú He was as close as he could be to Christ

ú One Question to consider, “Why was he not right next to Christ or fighting? Just earlier that night he was cutting people’s ears off

⁷⁰But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”

⁷¹And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

ú At this point he was trying to disassociate himself with Jesus

ú In life there are times that people know that we walk with Christ, but we try to disassociate our self from him, even amidst of their accusations of our involvement with Him.

⁷²But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

ú The ironic part is that with an oath Peter decided to follow Christ and now with an oath he denies Him.

⁷³And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.”

ú When we follow Christ from sometime and are close with Him, our live starts to look different and people take notice of that and it will give you away every time.

⁷⁴Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!”

ú At this point his “old man” came back out to play!

Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

ú As many of us do when we realized that we have let down the very one you believed in us the most.

· All of these events took place in a relatively very short amount of time, which sent Peter to his darkest time since making the decision to follow Christ.

o How many times do we make haste decisions and choice and when we stop to realize what we have done it is took late to take it back?

§ Most of the time the hardest person on you is you!

“I Will Make You A Fisher of Men”

· Now here is the hardest part!

o When we fall to our dark time what do we do?

§ You can choose to sit in the despair, darkness, the grief and let that define you.

§ We can go back to what we were doing

John 21:1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

· Or we can come broken to the one who can put us back together and let that define our Future.

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

· Here are two major traits of a hero

o #1 Peter: We can admit our mistake and go back to the one for forgiveness

o #2 Jesus: When someone wrongs us we are willing to forgive.

Final Point:

· Peter had to experience redemption to preach redemption.

o When we hit a spiritual roadblock we have to make the hero choice and go through it!