A (Messed Up) Family Christmas

Harvest podcasts between Pastor Greg Laurie are brought to you by harvest partners to receive Pastor Greg free online daily devotions or to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org lists are no Bibles know to Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 1, you can put a marker there will come back to that in a moment. Pastor Chuck Smith just had back surgery is been in chronic pain for some time in the surgery was successful. Now is in recovery went to see him in the hospital yesterday. He he wants to get back in the pulpit. As soon as possible. He said he wanted to preach on Christmas Eve.

Let's I don't know I'm guide to life will check if anyone can pull it off.

You could but let's pray that the Lord touches him in the recovery process.

Chuck is in his 80s now, so this is you know, challenging thing with the Lord is faithful and let's pray God gives them strength to get back in the pulpit and is perfect timing. All right, the title of my messages I messed up family Christmas. I just had to add that messed up part because what we think of Christmas are mine usually writes his right to gathering the family together. We've all seen the pictures in the postcards and in the TV shows and this is what it Christmas should look like, but none of us have families that even slightly resembled that our family is probably closer to The Simpsons that it is the cleavers and that if you're like me you probably have somewhat of a dustup family and a lot of times it Christmas week we gathered together with extended family that we haven't seen for a while and everybody has that obnoxious uncle that strange and in that twisted cousin and we all know that grandpa was getting crazier every year course. The depressing thing is when you're the grandpa and then maybe again your parents of divorce, and so you of all the dynamics that go with this.

Now you have to go and see mom and her new husband on Christmas day and then you have to also go and visit dad and his new girlfriend as well and then you have all these new cousins that are related to you through these new marriages that have taken place or maybe you yourself have been divorced recently and it's added to the sadness of the holiday time so the most wonderful time of the year is for many, the most difficult time of the year and the most stressful Dr. Ian Cook, director of the UCLA depression research program set of the Christmas season quote some people have unreasonable expectations.

The holidays have to be happy but if in-laws are sniping that you and about your food and lifestyle in your two-year-old is already broken his new toys and is wailing happiness can be a tall order."

Hired about one guy he was getting really stressed out about the holidays. He was given a string of Christmas lights in the one into the garage and dug them out of a box and they were in the big ball tangled up so badly.

It took him hours to straighten them out and he laid them out in strands across his driveway and then his daughter came home and accidentally drove over the he was so stressed he did what any normal person would do under such circumstances when the backyard with this 45 caliber pistol and started firing shots into the ground. He was arrested for reckless endangerment. So you definitely don't want to do that or how about this one wife you got upset with her husband, who opened his present before Christmas and so she stabbed him with a kitchen knife jingled to nosy Woody until I don't know phrasing that a try going near a mall or are people hi strong right now, wouldn't you want that coveted parking space. You know, and in the person carries their boxes to the car and they open the trunk and so you stop when you turn on your signal like this is mine, and then the line forms. Mind you, and some people he didn't call put things in the box in the trunk and then they close and go back to shots, the more you're like no that's a guy that's a guy with a 45 caliber gun you would do that you like it if you like. Once I get in the car by my look and leave only people I'm sorry not leaving you know or are given the currently don't get in your car when 20 people are waiting and just sit there for 10 minutes. You know I'm some people do this. I'm not going to save it, men or women women but I look I can appeal it when I'm in the car and went to get out of the space and give it to the next person.

But, of course. And when you do that just as you're probably not you remember you forgot one person right so you start over again. What can be a stressful time for many of us in and we are reminded of the dysfunction of our family system. How many of you have a perfect family race of your leading okay, good sir, you are in denial. Okay. Sorry to break this to you. How many of you have dysfunctional families measuring thank you very much.

Notice my hand is up as well listen I come from a dysfunctional family and I am the head of a dysfunctional family. All right, we all have a lot of this function, a lot of problems in our families, and some people are really interested in researching their family tree and sometimes you discover something you wish you would not know. A lot of times were hoping that were related to someone important, maybe a historical figure or we have royal blood in our family but sometimes we discover we have some pretty notorious characters in the family tree will unimagined this talk you know about one of the most messed up family trees of all time. I'm talking about prostitutes, sheets, adulterers, liars and even as a murderer, and of course I'm speaking of the family tree of Jesus Christ. That's been a look at together you think you have a messed up family will you read about the family tree of the Lord Jesus Christ and we have to remember that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and that includes genealogy and today were gonna read the genealogy of Jesus as given to us by Matthew and look at a few characters from the family tree of our Lord to show one simple thing.

God give second chances and also to point out that God can redeem the mess we make of our lives, the grace of God is on display in this genealogy that we will read now from Matthew chapter 1 verse one the following on this and I would encourage you to underline a few of these names so get out your canning your pencil verse one the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham be God. Isaac Isaac, the God of Jacob. Jacob be God. Judah and his brothers Judah begot Perez and Sarah bike team are underline the word or the name rather team are Perez be God has run head from begot RAM. Randy got a minute Deb amended Debbie got nation nation begot salmon salmon begot Boaz by Rahab. Underline the name Rahab Boaz begot Obed by Ruth underline the name root. Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king underline that name. David, the king begot Solomon biker within the wife of Uriah underline the wife of Uriah that specially but by the way Solomon begot rentable Rahab all begot up Elijah abide to begot Esau will instruct on diversity Ely begot Eliezer. Eliezer begot method method begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus was called Christ. Now there are some pretty surprising names in this lineup normally Jewish genealogies did not include women, for instance, in Luke's genealogy of Jesus. There are no females listed, but in Matthew's genealogy. There are five, and who are they team our Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and of course Mary know what's fascinating about these women in the most exclusive genealogy in human history. Well a number of them were immoral, which just reminds us that the whole message of Christmas is not about making good people better. It's about reaching out to people that have made a mess of their lives. That's why Jesus came to this earth to heal broken lives in a restore shattered hope his name will be called Emmanuelle God is with us, for he will save his people from their sins that we don't necessarily like to hear that we like to hear that Jesus came to make us happy, but the primary message of Christmas is God had to take drastic measures to reach us. Christmas is about God's solution percent. We like to think of the baby in the manger, but we cannot disconnect them from the man who went to the cross and died for the sin of the world. For indeed that is why he came Galatian sums it up like this when the time was just right, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, made under the law. But why, to redeem those that are under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons whereby we cry, Abba, father, the word redeem means to buy out of the slave market. It's a word that would be readily understood by people in that culture were slavery was still in practice, this is the idea of going down to a market where slaves are being sold there you are there. I have on the auction block in shades and people bid on you. So along comes Jesus Christ and says I'll pay the full price for this one here and you as a slave are sold in Jesus then redeems you, which means he gives you your freedom. That's in Christ has done for us in Jesus came to put broken lives back together and look for Jesus at the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind descendent liberty those that are pressed now in Matthew's genealogy.

He is pointing out that Jesus came of the root and the offspring of David was unimportant because Scripture clearly taught that when Messiah came, he would be ascended of King David and some people will note that there is a difference in the genealogy of Matthew and Luke in regards to Jesus some illegal point out, that's one of those apparent contradictions in the Bible but it's not a contradiction at all. It's really very easy to explain.

Matthew's genealogy is following Jesus through the line of Joseph Luke's genealogy is following the line of Jesus through marriage. Thus, you have two different genealogy, but let's just consider that it starts with David who was a key player in the Christmas story. Now, who was David, will David of course was the greatest king in the history of Israel is not the first king that was Saul, but Saul was filled with pride and arrogance and was rejected by the Lord and replaced by a little shepherd boy named David living in obscurity. I guess for David led Bethlehem and he was one of the many signs of his father Jesse Oz and that wasn't even his love this much of the as the others because when the prophet came to town looking for the next king because the Lord shown him he would come from the house of Jesse all of the sons of the father were paraded before the visiting men of God and the Lord said, this is not the one.

This is not the one.

This is not the one to finally send a last will you have any more kids. Well that's is yeah there's one other David is kind of weird hangs out around with in on the backyard singing songs to God you bring them in here to me now.

The prophet says to income is young David Downing with youthful energy. Sort of a reddish complexion and hair and the Lord says that's my man.

And so the prophet anoints him and that was the beginning, but of course the big moment in David's life was when he slew the giant Goliath in the Valley of the law. They couldn't find a single man in the Israeli army to face off with a 9'6" wall of muscle pain, Goliath, but David just looked him up and down and said I'll do it in the name of the Lord, you know that story how he took that sling and that smooth stone and he let it fly any kit that giant and that giant fell forward. I was telling the story to Mike grand out of the other day and I was showing her how Goliath fell. So I said you be David and she was throwing the stone we didn't use real stuff and I fell forward, crashed on the bed with all the pillows and she was the giant and I was David and and seeping out so we went through that a few times, but you know this was his greatest victory event. David's life could be summed up with two other names really spell it all out David and Goliath and David and that's right one is greatest victory. The other is worse, defeats when he took up with the wife of Uriah and slept with her and the child was conceived and he tried to cover it up unsuccessfully and try to get Uriah to be with his wife so we would think it was his own childhood been conceived in Uriah would not do it, and ultimately, David had Uriah sent into the heat of a battle and effectively had him murdered and David is in this line. Here's the amazing thing. Despite this sin, he makes it in to the most exclusive family tree in human history. The messianic line.

He's not just a part of it, but maybe the most important member of it for when the angel Gabriel comes to Mary in Luke 132, he says you will be called on the one that will be born will be called the son of the highest in the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David on you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, Christ walked this earth, he would say son of David by Marta Ms. son of David, he said, have mercy on me. They named David redeem despite his sin and shortcoming. Now we come to for fascinating women, all of them with a pretty sordid past number one team are makes it into the family tree of Jesus. Verse three.

Quite honestly, I'm surprised she got it. I'm not really quite sure why her story of deception and prostitution is told in Genesis 38. Far from being a godly woman, yet here she is in the messianic line the grace of God number two we have Rahab.

Now she was also guilty of prostitution. But unlike team are readmitted as a profession we know her as Rahab the harlot she was a hooker.

That's what she did for a living and she lived in the town of Jericho. You remember when Israel was referring to conquer that city. Are they sending spies a gutted time in Rahab to despise in her home because of that, when Jericho was defeated. Rahab was spared and she was not only spared which was part of the messianic line is the wife of Salmon, who became the mother of the godly Boaz was David's great-grandfather that we also have roots that is mentioned like team are in Rahab. She was a Gentile, she married one of the two sons of a woman named Naomi one of those boys was named sickly and then he died. Maybe that was the first clue don't marry a guy named sickly. But so instead of just leaving.

She said to her mother-in-law even though her husband was gone.

Wall, I want to stay with you and your people will be my people and your God will be my God wherever you go. I want to go as well and add to this the fact that ruthenium Moabitess, who were the Moabites, well, they were the product of the incestuous relationship of lot with his two unmarried daughter and the son produced by lots union with his oldest daughter was Moab was the father of the Moabites and that's where Ruth came from so you talk about this old godless situation that is redeem by the Lord and she ends up marrying Boaz brought into the royal line and she becomes the grandmother of Israel's great King David and that brings us back to Bathsheba again.

It's interesting to note, she is identified in verse six is the wife of Uriah, but we know who she is and we all know her story well get sheet to was included in the line so look is my point. No matter what your background is, or how you came into being.

God is a plan and a purpose.

Let me illustrate my family. The McDaniel plan on my mother side originally came from Scotland settled in Arkansas and then some of my family came to California about I was never planned.

I was born out of wedlock that quite frankly I was the result of a one night stand that my mom had with some sailor she met in Long Beach.

It's all there in my film law school, but this is my real story and I don't have this beautiful family tree to point to affect my family. It seems like the McDaniel's were either notorious sinners or notorious Christian, I will lot of alcoholics in our home allotted tragedy that in our home but rather in our family tree. I should say allotted tragedy in our family and great victories as well, but this is the background I came from and I don't know about the family tree for my father's line because I don't know my father, so you take someone like me not plan conceived out of wedlock.

Yet, God had a plan for my life and he chose me to be his child, and God is a plan for you know, in contrast, some of these less than godly people who what God's grace extended to them. We have Mary the mother of Jesus verse 16. Far from being promiscuous like some of the others. We cited Mary was virtuous and morally pure know she was not sinless. The Bible does not teach that. But she was a godly woman and compared to the other women that we have referred to a very godly woman and she was a peasant girl. She was in a princess. She was an unknown girl living in an unknown city in the middle of nowhere that Nazareth was it was no where's Bill Israel. It was one of those places you went to when you were on the way to another sort of like Barstow people generally go to Barstow as a destination where gratification Barstow this year probably not getting it jazz some Barstow and check out, in and out your understand that, but even more than being a place on the way to somewhere else. Nazareth was a city known for wickedness.

That is why later on we read it.

Being said, can any good thing come out of Nazareth.

Remember that statement.

Here is why that was said because it was known for godlessness wife because a lot of Roman soldiers were stationed there, and because of their lifestyle and the morality there would be children born out of wedlock and Nazareth. Okay so in the middle of all of this immorality cures.

Mary may be as young as 12 or 13 years old that is chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah, Ellis LaPorta, Luke one had to turn their little one. Let's remarry story briefly to conduct one more character in Matthew Luke one verse 26. Knowing the six month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.

The virgin's name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said Dora Joyce highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and when she saw him she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was a Mary was a woman of great humility. Sometimes we hear this translated by Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women in the idea of it is that great sort of emanated from Mary does Hail Mary praise you, Mary. That's not at all what was being said if I were to put this in the vernacular of today would be greetings Mary God is extended grace toward you, not phrase you Mary Grace emanates from you.

Mary though godless choose me go godly was not perfect.

She was still a sinner. She herself acknowledges this and what we call the Magnificat or the sound of Mary found in Luke, but she is been chosen now to be the mother of the Messiah. Now how did she react to such a revelation. We read she was troubled or agitated. She was not agitated at the visit of the angel, but rather at his words. Why would he say this to me Mary, I've got nothing to deserve this or to merit this time like 13 years old. Why would God choose me for such a task is not like she said what I been living the godly lifestyle of this corrupt life is about time someone notice me call my agent unmarried like shock. She's amazing what you can give me this great privilege to be used by God and later acknowledging her own shortcomings in her Magnificat. Her Solomon, Luke 146. He says my soul rejoices in God my Savior. I can talk all day about Mary and I preached many messages on her in the past and you hear a lot of Christmas sermons on Mary saw McInnes anymore about her right now but I want to talk about what I believe is the unsung hero of the Christmas story and I'm excluding Christ himself.

He's the ultimate hero is the star of the show if you will not want to talk about a man that is often overlooked in these front of her 16 in Matthew one, Joseph know he is identify as the husband of Mary and it's pointed out he was not the father of Jesus and that of course is an important thing to be reminded of Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus Christ, God caused our Lord to be supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. However, let's give Joseph the proxy desserts who was Joseph well with the godly man we never talk about them.

We don't have any songs about Joseph Joseph, did you know that we don't have that anymore. We set up the nativity physical world we would Joseph you know I'll put them on the shepherds. It's almost like you know he did his part now is out of the picture. But he wasn't out of the picture. Listen, just as surely as God chose Mary to be the mother of the Messiah.

He also chose Joseph not to be the earthly father of our Lord. That was God himself, but to be the stepfather or the father figure who was there with Jesus and he raised our Lord along with Mary and Jesus group like any other baby. He was a real baby you didn't come in that womb born and start talking hello, Mary, Joseph, how are you good to see you I am God in human form. However, I am a baby.

I could use some help getting out of this manger and gently they were no thanks you know Jesus though he was God in human form grew in knowledge and grew physically now it's he has these attributes of the chose to not exercise and because he humbled himself and joining us as a man so Joseph raised him. I'm sure he taught Jesus in the ways of carpentry.

Joseph was a blue-collar worker he got out of the construction site building a house with his body. He would shape a plow he would build a chair and I'm sure the Lord was up master craftsman as well.

As he worked under the direction of Joseph was an excellent father figure God said this is a man I've chosen to be the earthly father figure to raise Jesus Christ. My only begotten son, that significant soul is the right amount of Scripture.

Here's another couple things to consider.

Here's Mary and Joseph there a spouse. Now we don't have a parallel in our culture like that today we have engagement when a spouse was even more serious and engage in. It was almost like being married, with the exception that Mary, with the exception that you would not consummated the union yet.

So when you entered into the espousal. Which Mary and Joseph were in the only way you could break it was like going to a Rabbi and having an agreement drawn up almost as though you were getting a divorce so this was a very serious time in the relationship, and one day Mary just packs up and leaves town for three months. Joseph has no idea where she's gone with you gone to visit Elizabeth and then she shows up and says I Joseph have to tell you something. I'm pregnant now, how would that sound will you live in Nazareth and other girls get pregnant in Nazareth and obviously you've been unfaithful. No Joseph, I have not been faithful, I'm the mother of the Messiah and then even supernaturally gives you can see them. I will now you know we see it through stained-glass today. Think of it in the real world. How would sell Joseph react. I'm not buying that we love Mary and he did not want to humiliate her. He could've said you're going to be executed on the heavy stone publicly. The penalty for adultery did nothing of the sort he decided to put her away privately because he was a just and righteous man.

But then the angel of the Lord comes to him in Matthew 120, and while he was thinking about these things. The angel says Joseph, son of David to not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit and she will bring forth a son, and you will call his name Jesus and he will save his people from their sins know what Jessica said you know what God love you and Mary have this all sorted out okay. She's pregnant with the Messiah. That's fine, but I don't want to go through life being thought of as the guy who had the unfaithful wife because when I go down to the construction site and tell my buddies what is happened. No one's going to buy this and you know what throughout her life. Mary had a scarlet a on her shirt. She was thought of as an adulterous though she was up.

Sure woman and Jesus went through life being thought of as a boy he was conceived out of wedlock and Joseph went through life being thought of as the guy whose wife was unfaithful to sue.

I don't know that's true know it is true because on one occasion, at least, the Pharisees came to Jesus and said, well, at least we were born of fornication. We know who our father is is is Jesus insulting his mother can send you know what you guys are ticking me off fire now that Bennett, no heat, you know he endured this change and Joseph went through life facing this and and being the stepfather of Jesus. What a challenging task, but many men would've walked away many men do, but this man of God stood there and that's why he deserves a prominent place in this amazing story is the man who was chosen to be the stepfather of the Lord Jesus Christ to this whole story is about the grace of God on display.

We see it demonstrated the David team are Rahab and Ruth and Bathsheba.

And we see God plucking figures out of obscurity and using them in a glorious way like Joseph and Mary. So Jesus came from one of the most messed up family trees ever.

Thus he knows how to bring good out of bad and a how to put broken things back together again. So what are we learning closing from the genealogy of Jesus number one, we see the grace of God richly display we see God's grace richly display we look at the stories of these four women and men on the list you focus on the grace of God despite their shortcomings, God intervened and redeemed it.

And even when you've made mistakes in life when you made wrong decisions in life. When you send in life. God can still bring good out of that that mean you will not face repercussions of the wrong you did back to David. Though he made it into the messianic line.

He also based the consequences of his bad choices and you remember how many of the sins that David himself committed which included adultery and murder were repeated in the lives of his children, so there was a family there. Yet there was grace extended made you've made some wrong choices you need to come to the Lord and say God I failed would you redeem it. Redeem my life bring something good out of my life despite the wrong that I've done that. The family tree of Jesus shows us nothing else. It shows us God can do that also. We have this story. So we would focus on Jesus and not in his family.

A lot of times people have a problem relating to Jesus he seemed too good to be truly he's in stained-glass oratory looks down upon us with disapproval.

But that's not the Jesus of the Bible, the real flesh and blood. Jesus of the Bible, lived in the real world, though he was sinless. He loved sinners affect he was called the friend of sinners. He was tested and all points as we are yet without sin. The Bible says Hebrews 725. He is able once and forever to save everyone who comes to God through Kim. He lives forever to plead with God in their behalf. Jesus is walked in your shoes and then some.

Number three we have the story to know that we might have hope for the future and the future of our family. Most of us don't have any murderers or prostitutes on our family tree.

We probably have some adulterous liars and cheats. But Jesus can intervene, let me say this instead of making a mess out of your life, making some good decisions with your life what state is your family and right now that I'm singling you out for a moment. Are you being the spiritual leader in your family that God has called you to be to many Christian families today.

The men are not the spiritual leaders I mean they go along with the program.

They're not the ones that say, let let's open God's word. Let's pray in let's do this or not do that. Their passive God is called you to be a leader to your wife to love her. The Bible says, as Christ loves the church to your children you should be a representative of God to that I think you look to a model for them to follow. An example wives are not off the hook here because the Bible specifically tells you to submit to your husband and it also says that your love, your husband tend to think of the Bible commands wives to love their husbands, love your husband.

Scripture set an I ask you why one is the last time you told your husband.

You loved him you know you think he's all big and strong and has it all worked out just what encouragement he needs to be a firm he needs to know that you appreciate and notice all the things he does for you. You need to tell your husband you loved him and be the godly family. He has called you to be in and how are you doing as a parent are you setting an example for your children to follow that so tragically see the sins of the parents visited on the children and the bad behavior.

The parents practice being practiced by their children and then even by their grandchildren and godlessness be passed on.

That happened within the Lord can intervene and change things. I don't know if your screen from your kids right now and is you coming to this holiday season. That whole situation is exasperated because you're reminded of the fact that you're not communicating with your kids. Let your kids know you love them and even if they don't always do everything you want them to do. Let them know that you love them unconditionally in view of a prodigal son or daughter you know my son Christopher who is with the Lord now did not always walk with Christ. The way was raised in a Christian home and taught the word of God went to our own Christian school.

There was a time for a number of years a Christopher when this training never stop believing in God he never was even disrespectful toward his mother myself, but he just went his own way and he said to a friend of mine. One of the reasons that I came back again was because I knew that my parents love me unconditionally and he recommitted his life to the Lord and maybe you have a child it's gone astray.

Just let them know you love them and keep the door open and even uses Christmas is a time of possible for reconciliation in your home as you come to the end of one year in the winter, into the start of another. Maybe your marriage is unraveling. Right now you're not having a happy family.

Maybe some of you are pushing the limits and your engage in activities that can potentially undermine your marriage, don't do that live a godly life, strengthen that marriage. Keep it strong and healthy. If you're a single person remained sure morally until the day you find that right person. Mary and Joseph did it.

Even after Mary conceived Jesus until the day of his birth, they had no relations whatsoever. He was faithful to the Lord until that task was completed and we need to be faithful to the Lord. No matter where we are in life to listen if you minimus in your life. The good news is, Jesus came to clean up messes.

He came to entangle things he came to sort things out.

And if you will commit your life to him.

He will forgive you and transform you no matter what you've done up to this point, but you must come and see God help me, and he'll do it and as we close, not like to give you an opportunity to get right with the Lord to pray, to give you an opportunity to ask Christ to forgive you of your sin and come in your life and take control and transform you and maybe there are some of you were prodigal's today who've gone astray. I'm annoyed by Judah come back home again today to the Lord.

Let's bow our heads or a prayer father, thank you for your word and thank you for the hope that is found in the story that you can bring good despite the bad and you can sort out the messes we've made with our lives but we must come to you and admit are sent help those who do not yet know you to do that now we pray now I have about riser close were praying. How many of you would say today. Greg, I want to get right with God. I have made a mess of my life but I'm ready to see the Jesus I'm sorry and I wanted to come in the my heart and forgive me and I want to know that I will go to heaven when I die, if you want Jesus Christ to come of your life today if you want to be forgiven of your sin if you want a second chance in life. I want you to stand your feet right now and I'm a lead you in a prayer to stand your feet publish stand up wherever you are.

If you're watching this on the screen in our overflow room called the court you stand up as well wherever you are. Stand your feet right now number. They join a prayer. God bless you publish, you knew what else, stand up now a lead you in a prayer glass lowered still praying. Maybe there's some prodigal seer that have shown up at church today and you want to come back to the Lord, you stand up as well on the lead you in this prayer as well and he prodigal sons or daughters, stand your feet will pray together in the service.

Bless you stand up anybody else bless you, this final moment of forgiveness danced and now God bless you and the front of the balcony there. Bless you to one final moment stand now right publish now you that are standing pray this prayer out loud after me. This is where where you are asking God to forgive you of your sin again as I pray pray this out loud after me. Pray now if you would, Lord Jesus, I'm sorry for my sin. I'm sorry for the mess I've made of my line, but I come to you now I ask you to forgive me and come in the my heart and life. I choose to follow you from this date forward. Help me to live a godly life. Thank you for loving me and for giving me and accepting me in Jesus name I pray, amen publish you that just didn't pray