The horrible nightmare Leah is living is the same nightmare the rest of the family is living. Notice that Rachel cannot have kids, which is all she really wants, and yet her older sister is popping out sons one after the other. Jacob cannot have his perfect family with Rachel, but the wife he despises keeps on having kids he doesn’t want. Jacob will go one to favor the son he will eventually have with Rachel, so much so, that all of Leah’s children will hate this boy….whose name is Joseph….who was so spoiled he had a coat of many colors. But that’s another story. Leah cannot get her husband to love her because the love she desperately wants is given to her sister who has always overshadowed her. Each one of these hot messes is trying to worship something other than God, to satisfy the magnetic pull of the hearts for something deeper and greater and more meaningful than what they currently have…and every time they place the weight of their life and their soul on each other…they crush each other…and each one of them is bitterly disillusioned as a result.

Forgiving literally means: ’let it go, to cast it away, to release.’ But what are we letting go? We’re letting go of our right to be judge, jury, and executioner of the person who has wronged us and we’re giving the right to judge back to God. Why? Because since our identity is in Christ, since we’re seeking humility, then that means we’ve allowed Jesus to be our judge, jury, and executioner. And how has Jesus judged me? Guilty. And then Jesus, my true Judge, steps off the bench and dies the death I deserve to die. He pays the price for my mistakes. Then Jesus grants to me the freedom and acceptance He earned. His house, his honor, his resources, his last name, his inheritance…they’re all mine. You’ll only be able to forgive another person when you receive Jesus’ forgiveness for you. You are more broken than you want to admit…and Jesus forgives you. You’re a liar and cheat like Jacob…and Jesus still loves you. Forgiving another person forces us to first receive forgiveness from God…then we’ll have forgiveness to give away.

We’re going to look at their deep flaws, the deeper love of God for them, how the Gospel changes them, and then I’m going to teach you the simple practices—what we the ancient church called spiritual disciplines—for how to live as a beloved child of God rather than as a hot mess. This is why this sermon series is called Hope Beyond our Brokenness. If you join a Life Group, each week you’ll be able to go deeper with the message you’ve heard on Sunday and then apply what you’ve learned in a transformational way.

We’re going to look at their deep flaws, the deeper love of God for them, how the Gospel changes them, and then I’m going to teach you the simple practices—what we the ancient church called spiritual disciplines—for how to live as a beloved child of God rather than as a hot mess. This is why this sermon series is called Hope Beyond our Brokenness. If you join a Life Group, each week you’ll be able to go deeper with the message you’ve heard on Sunday and then apply what you’ve learned in a transformational way.