Wilderness Wanderings

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:16-18)

Today, we return to Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit. His disciples were in deep distress because he kept talking about leaving them. Understand, these were young men who had committed their lives to him. They had left everything to follow him, if he left, they literally had nothing. They were quite distraught with Jesus' talk of leaving. We get a glimpse of that after his crucifixion.

Last week we reflected on the Spirit as paraclete. Jesus now indicates that he understands just how devastating his leaving will feel to his disciples. He says, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18). There is deep theology in these verses, so deep that these verses caused the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church to go their separate ways about 1000 years ago. But there is also deep comfort for the Christian, both then and now.

Jesus is our King and Lord. A people need their king. That is the way things are. But heaven can seem such a long way away. When we ask, "where it is?" and "what is it?" we get rather vague answers. But this is where our text comes with such wonderful news, "I will come to you". Jesus has just promised to ask the Father to send another advocate, paraclete. This is the Holy Spirit.

But notice the word, 'another'. This means someone just like. The Holy Spirit is nothing less than the life-breath of the exalted Jesus, our Lord and King. This Spirit makes the victory of Jesus available for us: saved, sanctified, and sent. As much as Jesus led, taught, and comforted his disciples, the Spirit will do the same for us.

The Paraclete remains with us forever. He "abides" in us continuously as He makes His home with us. So much so, that Paul would later write, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (1 Corinthians 3:19). The words used here are intensely personal and relational.

Jesus has even more to say, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (23). Father, Son and Holy Spirit come to abide, encourage, empower, and witness through us. No wonder we will never be orphans.

The Spirit connects us intimately with Jesus. He says, "you are in me, and I am in you" (20). Jesus speaks here of an intimacy which is without precedent or parallel. Even 'the disciple whom Jesus loved', leaning on his breast at the supper, could not make such a claim. The key to it is expressed in these terms, "because I live, you also will live" (19). The Spirit will fill us with the life of Jesus, sending us forth to do the ministry that Jesus did.

Heaven may seem far away, but the Spirit is right here, dwelling within us. There is no need to feel as if our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. They do not need to go that far. Jesus is right with us. The Spirit connects his heart with ours. He hears us.

And while the Spirit dwells in each of us personally, He also abides with us corporately. He is the One who gathers us and makes us one. Jesus called his disciples, "little children". They would become the body in whom He dwells through the Paraclete. Even when we cannot see each other face to face, we are still one body, for the Spirit fills us and makes us one.

Jesus is our King. Revelation opens with Jesus walking among his congregations. He is with us. Do not fear.

"Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm." (Proverbs 1:5, 7, 33)

Before I head into some disciplines which have more of an outward focus, I want to pause for a day to look at what it means to have a teachable spirit. Teachability is also a spiritual discipline.

In a speech a couple of decades ago, preacher and speaker John VanderStelt stated six dangers he saw for Dordt College. The first was "that we allow the beautiful to become trite by developing a posture of having arrived, getting lost in a deadening routine, or resorting to merely mouthing some shibboleths." In short, we should not ever stop learning, growing or discovering more about our God, our world and ourselves.

There is a saying that "knowledge is power," but there is a danger in becoming skilled in acquiring knowledge but becoming no wiser for it. Information doesn't cause us to change and learning something new doesn't mean that we are teachable. It is always possible to use acquired knowledge to simply reinforce our own opinions, beliefs, and biases.

Jesus often says in the Gospels, "the one who has ears, let him hear." He calls those to Him who are willing to admit how much they don't know. Thus too why He is often found condemning the Pharisees and teachers of the Law who refused to change their ways. This is true in our spiritual lives, in our workplaces, in our families. We can all fall into the trap of putting on the outward appearance of "knowing it all" or of "being right" even when there are several options to be considered. There is a lesson in this too.

Hopefully getting a sunburn would teach you to apply sunscreen next time you go into the sun. If you don't, your learning in that situation has been in vain and you will again be burnt and in pain. Being teachable doesn't mean that you won't make mistakes though. It's possible that you will one day forget to apply sunscreen and get sunburned. Being teachable means that when mistakes happen that you are willing to learn from them. Both your own and the mistakes of others.

Being teachable means listening more than speaking. Do you compose what you're going to say next when in conversation with someone or do you actively listen to the one speaking to you? Do you need to have your thought or opinion heard, or are you able to hold back and let others have their say as well? Do you ask honest questions or are you stuck in your own way?

Having a teachable spirit also means saying "I don't understand all the mysteries of the Gospel and that's okay." The Bible is filled with paradoxes of faith. Here are three:

"My yoke is easy." (Matthew 11:30) and "How difficult the road that leads to life." (Matthew 7:14)

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works." (Matthew 5:16) and "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them." (Matthew 6:1)

"He will be named…Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9"6) and "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth." (Matthew 10:34)

Are you willing to ask questions and open yourself to being a learner that doesn't understand all there is to know?

Learning comes not only from those in authority over us or an expert in the field but allowing our learning to take place even from unexpected people and in unexpected places. A child, or even an infant can teach us immeasurable truths from Scripture. There are many references to a nursing child throughout Scripture. Their dependence and eyes are on no one but their mother, the same sort of relationship that God asks from us. A cocoon on a tree branch—a reminder of the new life we have in Christ. A friend's painful experience may teach us empathy and compassion. The Holy Spirit is our constant teacher through all people and in all situations. Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear what He is showing us?

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth" (John 14:16-17).

As Jesus prepared to leave his disciples, he spoke at length about the Holy Spirit. In our text he names the Holy Spirit 'our advocate'. The Greek word is Paraclete, which is also translated as "Comforter" or "Counselor".

In the ancient world, a Paraclete was someone summoned to give assistance in a court of law. That may sound like a lawyer in our context, but this was before lawyers were a thing. The word includes the ideas of comforting, encouraging, even urging certain actions. Clearly, a Paraclete was more than a lawyer, and the terms was used in more than legal situations.

To understand how the Holy Spirit is our 'Paraclete', let us consider several biblical examples.

As Christians, we encounter situations in which words fail us. We know we ought to pray but have no idea how to articulate our thoughts and emotions into cohesive sentences. In such situations, the Spirit becomes our Paraclete. Paul put it like this, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27). That is a lot!

Jesus made this promise regarding the Holy spirit, "Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit" (Mark 13:11). This reminds me of Moses who complained that he was a lousy public speaker. God sent Aaron to speak for him. Likewise, Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit who will give us the words we need. God's words to Joshua are apt here, "Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

In the book of Acts, we read about the church persecuted. The first wave ends with the conversion of Saul. Towards the end of the story, we read this, "Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers" (Acts 9:31).

These are just a few illustrations of how the Holy Spirit acts as our Paraclete. There appear to be two facets to this work of the Spirit. On the one hand, he is a tender source of solace when we are wounded, defeated, and the grief-stricken. On the other, the Spirit comes to us when we need strength. He empowers us with courage and boldness. As Comforter, He both consoles and emboldens that in Christ we may be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

Sometimes it seems as if the Spirit is reduced to some minor role in the drama of redemption. But Jesus will have none of that. Jesus says that he will send another advocate. Jesus himself is the first Paraclete (1 John 2:1). The Spirit is coming in his stead, not as some second-rate lawyer. He comes from the Father, sent by the Son. He comes with all the power and resources and creativity of God.

An old song says, "He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today! You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart" (I Serve a Risen Savior). This is all true, but it misses the vital role of the Holy Spirit in teaching and assuring us of these things. As Paul says, "When we cry, 'Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16-17).

God's encouragement to Joshua is worked out in our lives through the Holy Spirit. Living in us, the Spirit enables us to be 'strong and courageous; not to be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with us wherever we go' (Joshua 1:9).

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Romans 8:22-27 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN

1. Do you think it was difficult for the centurion to approach Jesus? Why or why not?

2. How does Jesus' response to the centurion reveal his love for the outcast?

3. How is the faith of the centurion revealed? Why do you think the centurion had such strong faith when the Jews could not see who Jesus really was?

4. In what ways do you perceive those who are marginalized, disinherited, different from you? Are you judgemental of others who are different from you?

5. Where do you see suffering in our city, in our church, in the world? What can you do to show the love of Jesus in these place(s)?

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)

Much of Jesus' teachings and at least a third of his parables are about forgiveness. Over and over again he modeled what it looked like to bless those who curse you and forgive those who don't deserve forgiveness. One of the central pleas of the Lord's prayer focuses on confession and forgiveness, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." To forgive is to condemn a wrong yet keep hatred and retaliation far from our heart and lips.

Forgiveness is about joining Christ in His mercy, love, and compassion for others and for ourselves. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). "Forgive our sins as we also have forgiven those who sin against us" (Matthew 6:12). That's not an easy thing to do. Especially in today's society.

Abuse, neglect, betrayal, injustice, prejudice and more, and more. How can we possibly be expected to forgive when the stakes can be so high? First off, forgiveness started with God, not us. So, we need God to guide us into the act of forgiveness. It is not something that we can do on our own. True forgiveness is more that an ideal to attain to. It is a costly and often heart wrenching process by which we see the wrong, we place the blame on the wrong and condemn it. Yet, forgiveness separates the wrongdoers from their wrong by refusing to label them as "hopeless" or "repugnant."

I recently spoke with someone who was a close friend of a murder victim. This person has forgiven the offenders, has been involved with prison ministry in the years since and has a desire to visit the offenders in prison personally. What can cause a person who has endured such pain and trauma to forgive so deeply?

Only through the power of the Holy Spirit is forgiveness such as this possible. Christ took on all our sins at the cross so that we would understand what love truly is. The scars on His hands and feet are proof of that love. Scars that heal us and give us a fresh start, wherever we are at. Love, in all it's strength and tender-heartedness, in all its hope and pain – love forgives. And forgiveness sets us free.

It's a sobering thing to stand before God and pray "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." In praying these words we turn our gaze inward to our own heart and see the wrongs that lay within. This is a prayer for us to be formed into the image of Christ who willingly chose the way of love on the cross.

Forgiveness frees the heart of the one offering forgiveness. It holds the memories yet finds the peace of God within those memories through the power of the Holy Spirit which inhabits every Christian. The Forgiver is alive and active inside of you and inside of me. But it's usually not an easy road. It is a process.

When the wrong is large enough or strong enough and is found deep within our heart, it may be that we need to offer our forgiveness up to God for the wrong again and again before we feel something start to break. It may take a week, or a month, or a year. But don't give up. Allow the Spirit of God that is inside of you to keep working through the hurt, through the wrong to heal your heart. Only by the grace of God is this possible. Through the forgiving love of Christ we are made whole.

Christ Jesus set us free so that the blessing given to Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Christ. He did it so that we might receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. The promised Spirit comes by believing in Christ (Galatians 3:14).

Our text is the conclusion to the story that began in Genesis 12. Abram is called by God and given this promise, "I will make you into a great nation. And I will bless you. I will make your name great. You will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you. I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. All nations on earth will be blessed because of you" (Genesis 12:2-3).

The following chapters deal with one question, 'Does Abram believe God?' Not, 'Does Abram believe in God?' He does believe in God; he has heard him speak. The issue is, does Abram believe what God is saying? Is God good for the promises he has made?

This is faith then and now. Do we believe what God is saying?

In Galatians 3, Paul is calling us to this kind of faith. But in between Genesis 12 and Galatians 3 we have the entire story of the people of Israel, God's holy nation. Faith was part of their life. But so was keeping the law that God gave through Moses. If you did not keep the law, you were cursed. You were stoned to death, after which your body was hung on a tree. This symbolized that you had been cursed by God because of your sins. This was life in Israel.

But now non-Israelites were joining the church. The question became: do these non-descendants of Abram need to keep the law of Moses? Paul's answer is emphatic, 'No way'. Abram pleased God by faith not by keeping the law. Paul argues that there are two ways to please God: 1) we keep the law, all of it or 2) we believe in Jesus Christ. If we choose the first option, we must keep the law perfectly. The whole thing, all the time.

It is easy to recognize that attempting to be saved by works (keeping the law) will lead to profound anxiety and insecurity, because we can never be sure that we are living up to standards sufficiently. This makes us over-sensitive to criticism, envious and intimidated by others who outshine us. It makes us nervous and timid (because we are unsure of where we stand) or else swaggering and boastful (because we are trying to convince ourselves of where we stand).

No one can live up to God's standard. But if we do not, we are cursed and deserve to be stoned and hung on a tree. This is one of those difficult biblical teachings that does not go over very well in our age. We are not supposed to think of ourselves negatively, it will lead to low self-esteem. Yet, this is essential Christianity.

If we can accept our condemned position before God, is there any hope for us? That is where the second choice comes in. Paul makes the case that Jesus stands in our place. He received the curse we earned (13) so that we might receive the blessing He earned (14). Our sins and curse are given to Him: His righteousness and blessing and Spirit are given to us.

Jesus "became" a sinner for us, and we have "become" righteous. His taking the curse means that God regards him a sinner; likewise, our receiving the blessing means that God regards as if we are perfectly righteous and flawless. Salvation means much more than forgiveness. We do not simply have our slate wiped clean; we also become perfect in God's sight. And we stay perfect in God's sight. No need for negative thinking here.

The Christian life is about having our hearts melted and molded by knowing and trusting Christ crucified. We never move on from the gospel—we never can, and never need to. Faith is laying hold of Jesus Christ personally. Christ is the Bread of life; faith feeds upon Him. Christ was lifted up on the cross; faith gazes at Him there.

The gift of the Spirit is the fulfilment to Abraham that through Him God will the Gentiles. The Spirit is the distinguishing mark of the believer in Jesus. In these verses, the promised blessing includes justification (being put into right favour with God – God says he is pleased with us), eternal life (being received into fellowship with God – a fellowship that cannot be broken by our sin) and 'the gift of the Spirit' (being regenerated and indwelt by Him). This is the priceless triune 'blessing' of the Christian believer.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-12)

Submission is not a popular topic these days. It smells of weakness, dependence on another and relinquishing of our own sense of power and control. To a society bent on the importance of titles, roles and independence, those who submit to another are seen to have lost the fight, showed that they are not strong enough and are left looking like a dog that has just been scolded with its head down and tail between its legs. Some biblical passages are often wrongly interpreted in the same way. In true biblical submission however, giving up control, and putting our dependence on God is a sign of strength and that the Holy Spirit is working in our lives. Godly submission is rooted in God's good and loving intentions for each one of us. This passage from Philippians is a wonderful picture of what biblical submission looks like.

Biblical submission begins with the Trinity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all mutually honor and yield to one another. Christ, in submission to the Father didn't make Himself less than the Father, but rather His submission was a way for Him to give glory to the Father. God doesn't force us to submit – that is called oppression. Submission is rather a willingness for the grace and love of God and His ways to shape our choices, relationships, and work. "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30). As I talked Monday about confession, submission is there too. In order to open ourselves to confession before God and others, we need to be willing to submit ourselves to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit that calls us into holy and right living. I suppose that's one reason why confession is often so difficult to do.

Scripture tells us to "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Eph 5:21). Our relationships are to be a reflection of the relationship in the Trinity because we are made in His image. Every person in the body of Christ contributes. Every person serves. Every person has an important part to play that no one else can. Submission may mean giving or may mean receiving. It may mean taking a back seat, or it may mean standing in the spotlight. It may mean staying and it may mean going. Submission in every case is about loving others, loving God and giving of ourselves. It is about humbling ourselves before others and before God not as an act of weakness of mind or character, but as an act of obedience to the ways and the will of God in our lives.

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." (Romans 12:3-5)

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Colossians 3:12,14)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

God has a plan, and it is always right. He knows the best way for His people to live. Submission is trusting that God's instructions concerning how we are to live are good for us. He tells us to forgive, to serve, to love even those we deem least "lovable." These instructions were not given with an iron fist, but to set us free to be who we were meant to be in Christ.

Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. He is the Holy Spirit. By his power we call God Abba. Abba means Father (Galatians 4:6).

As noted last week, the Holy Spirit was already present at Creation, actively involved in God's activity to put the cosmos together. The creation account encourages us to be awestruck by the simplicity and ease with which God causes the university to come into being. The endless debates regarding exactly how and how long it all took have obscured this invitation to be amazed by our God. For Christians, observing the universe propels us to witness his intricate creativity and vast power.

When we Christians reflect on the Holy Spirit, I think we do well to begin here, with his creative work. The Belgic confession tells us that God makes himself known to us through two means: creation and the scriptures. Regarding creation the confession says, "we know God, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: God's eternal power and divinity" (Article 2).

Throughout the long centuries of the church, Christians were encouraged to pay close attention to the natural world. It gives us insight into spiritual realities because God is displayed in it. But somewhere along the line, the spiritual and physical became separated. We no longer trusted our eyes and ears and noses and fingers and tongues to teach us anything about God. Spiritually became a thing of the mind. Its time to go back. God gave us two hands, with one we hold the Bible, with the other God's creation. Together, these two books will teach us about our God.

As many of you know, I love gardening. Helena and I bought a small corner lot, up here on the mountain. We are growing trees, flowers, shrubs, and vegies. They have much to teach us. But there are also various plants that grow uninvited. We call them weeds. We pull them up, we hoe them down. We torture them as much as possible, but they do not seem to mind. They keep coming back.

These weeds teach me much about sin. Its like those weeds, extremely difficult to get rid of. In the spiritual realm, we may be tempted to think that we are the gardeners who need to get rid of the weeds. But that would be wrong. God is the gardener. We are the garden, and much more than His garden. We are his children. Each one of us. And each one of us has been granted the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit we call God, Abba, father.

To call God, father, is one of the astonishing realities of the New Testament. We do not find much of that in the Old. But Jesus showed up calling God Father. And John makes the case that through Jesus' work of redemption, we call God Father as well (John 1:13). For many reasons, we tend to forget that God is our Father, the best Father ever. The Holy Spirit is there to remind us, and to work out in us all the other benefits of Christ's redemption: to pull out the weeds and cause the fruit of God to grow in us.

As we all know, this is no easy task and not easily accomplished. Sin has a tenacious grip on us and is roots have dug deep in our souls. The fruit of God tends to be rather tender and easily uprooted. How often are we not in places where it feels like we are starting over? If it were up to us, we would give up. But the Spirit is there, hauling us back onto our feet, encouraging and nurturing us to keep going. This is the same Spirit who was present at creation. He now works in each one of us, cultivating the things of God and pruning away the things of darkness. That is the good news of the gospel.

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

When was the last time you prayed a prayer such as this? David, the writer of Psalm 139 knew that he was surely sinful from birth (Psalm 51:5). Each of us has a beautiful "true self" inside of us which is God's gift to us. But often instead of displaying our God given identity, we hide our true selves behind a masquerade of defense, mistrust, and reactive behaviours toward others and toward God.

We want to hold ourselves up as people with good morals who put on a good appearance that all is well and that we are good. We don't want to admit that something may be wrong with us. But this appearance of goodness on our part can be a defense. A way of covering up our sin leaving us thinking that we have nothing to confess.

But in truth, we all sin. Sin is anything that breaks relationships. The ten commandments are each one about relationship either with God or with others. They were given in order that the Israelites would not sin. But sin is inevitable in our lives. We all do it. And so, self-examination and confession are important disciplines.

True repentance means opening ourselves and all the wrong in our lives up to God. It means not only praying a general prayer that God would forgive our sins but asking Him to reveal specific sins to us so that we can name them and allow His Holy Spirit to work in us and redeem us in those areas of our lives.

Confession is good for our soul, but it can be a difficult thing. It involves entering that place where we look beneath our appearances and good morals and see what is hindering the light of Christ from being fully revealed in us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).

To see who the Lord is brings us to confession. When Isaiah caught sight of the glory of God he cried, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isa. 6:5). Our sinfulness becomes evident when we look at it in light of the holiness of God. In the presence of God we give up appearing good and fixing ourselves, opening ourselves to Jesus and asking His forgiveness.

At our church we have a time of confession during our worship services, where we ask God's forgiveness for specific sins in our lives. Often our pastors pair this with a children's message. Confession is important for all members of the Church. Asking select family members or close friends to help you see your blind spots can also be a way for God to reveal where He is not first in our lives. You can ask about ways that you display love, what it's like to be around you, whether you are self-focused in conversation or show interest in others. Asking these sorts of questions and others like this to trusted people in your life can be another guide into a time of confession.

One important point I want to make in all of this is that just as we are not to put our focus mainly on our own goodness, it is also not healthy or right to turn our focus mainly on our sin. Christ died so that we could have freedom from sin. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1). He became sin for us so that we would not be condemned. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Every time we confess how we have missed the mark of God's love and truth we open ourselves up to the healing and mending work of the cross. Through confession we live into the truth of being God's new creation. The old is gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

God knows all about us. He formed us in the womb and knew us fully and completely before our parents knew we even were. All our ways are known by Him. Our thoughts, attitudes of our heart, our habits, inclinations, and quirky tendencies that make us exactly who we are. We cannot hide anything from God. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me" (Psalm 51:10-12).

This week, spend time reflecting on Psalm 139, or Psalm 51. Ask God where you've missed the mark, confess those places, ask for His Holy Spirit to guide you into godly living and live into the new life that we have freely been given in Christ.

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Romans 8:22-27 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN

1. What did the expert discover about 'inheriting eternal life'?

2. How high is the standard Jesus holds out?

3. The question 'who is my neighbour' got changed to ….?

4. What two sins are highlighted in the story?

5. If Jesus is the Samaritan, who is the beaten person?