Easter 2022

Amen. Amen. God is good. He is risen! Oh, come on. You can do better than that. He is risen! Praise the Lord. You can be seated. It is good to know that our Lord is alive and well and on the throne. That's what this Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, commonly called Easter, is all about. We are reminded on this great day that Christ was crucified, died for our sins, was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and was seen by witnesses, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. He is alive.

It is so good to know that we worship and praise a living God, a God who is over all of the things that trouble us. He is a God that we can turn to at any time, a God we can approach at His throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in our time of need. How many of you have had a time of need for mercy and grace this week? Absolutely.

Last night at 10 o'clock, we had some friends over for dinner. After they left, I knew I had to put a couple of things up on our church's website for the service this morning. I went into my office at home to do that, but when I accessed the website, it just kept spinning and spinning. I thought, okay, the server probably needs to be rebooted. So, I went to the system where we run all of our servers, and everything looked very different than it normally does. I noticed that our server wasn't there, our backup server wasn't there, and our backups weren't there. All of our file servers for our audio from the past 14 years were missing.

Apparently, the only conclusion I could draw was that some demonically influenced person hacked our system and completely destroyed our website. From about 10 o'clock last night until 2 in the morning, I was rebuilding what's called a LAMP server on a different system so that we would have a website for those who are watching online, because we are live streaming this morning. So, praise the Lord, it’s there.

This last Monday, I received a call about three weeks ago from a guy who said, "Hey, you know, a friend of ours, a mutual friend..."

Named Victor Marks, he gave me your phone number, and we're doing a documentary on spiritual warfare. He said that we should interview you for this documentary, and I said, sure, that sounds great. He sent me a few dates, and the date that worked well was this last Monday. We sat back here in the back of the sanctuary for about four hours recording all these things about spiritual warfare. Even while we were recording, I was thinking, this is never good. One of the things that pastors understand is that when they are talking on a topic or teaching on a subject, you can guarantee it's as if the enemy goes, "All right, let's see if that's really true."

So, we did that three to four-hour-long recording on spiritual warfare, and then, kind of the culmination of it, our website was hacked and completely destroyed. It is what it is. God is still good and on the throne, amen? He is alive and well, and we are blessed to worship Him.

Now, if you have never read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—I really hope that you will take the time to do so. I'm sure that there are more than a few of you here who have read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and maybe you've read through them multiple times. If you have, or if you do read through the four Gospels, you will, I believe, no doubt be drawn to one of the standout characters in the Gospels. Even when I say "standout character," some of you are already assuming whom I'm going to say.

Peter was one of Jesus's first followers, one of the first to come and follow after the Lord. When his brother, Andrew, came and found him after Andrew had met Jesus, he said to Peter, "Come, you need to see; we've found the one who is the Messiah." Peter came along with Andrew and met Jesus. A short time after that, Jesus came to where Peter was fishing—because he was a fisherman—and said, "I want you to come and follow me." Upon seeing God do a miraculous work through Christ, Peter followed Jesus. As he was in His presence, he said, "I'm not worthy to be in your presence," and bowed down before Him, calling Him his Lord and his God.

Peter was likely the oldest of Jesus's followers. We find in the Scriptures that he has a mother-in-law, so he was married, and he seems to be the only one of the apostles who was. He is certainly among the oldest of the apostles, if not the oldest.

Peter can be counted on in the Gospel narrative to always speak up and speak out. He is the one who always had something to add, always had something to say. Maybe you know somebody like that; maybe you are that person. It's like when someone is talking about something, and you've got to say something, always. Peter seems to be that guy. I find that I can kind of identify with Peter. He could be counted on to speak up and put words to what was probably on a lot of people's minds.

Many times when you're reading through the Gospels and Peter speaks up, you might think that John and Thomas were thinking the same thing, but they were like, "I'll just keep my mouth shut; Peter will say it." Peter is the one who would speak up, and because he often put words to what others were thinking, he is also the one who would often put his foot in his mouth. You see that throughout the Gospels—Peter just putting his foot in his mouth. He is the outspoken one.

It was Peter who spoke up when Jesus asked the question of His disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" They replied, "Well, some say you're a prophet, some say you're Elijah come back from the dead, some say this, some say that." In Matthew's Gospel, chapter 16, Jesus then asked, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." As soon as he did, Jesus looked at Peter, whose true name was Simon. Peter was the name that Jesus gave him, kind of like a nickname. Jesus said, "Simon, son of Jonah, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven has revealed this to you." You can imagine Peter probably stood a little bit taller at that moment when Jesus said that God the Father just spoke through him.

It was Peter who spoke out when Jesus asked His nearest disciples in the Gospel of John, chapter 6. Jesus was giving a teaching that was hard for people to grasp. He said some strange things from time to time. In John 6, He said, "You need to eat my flesh and drink my blood." People were taken aback, thinking, "I didn't sign up for cannibalism." As a result, many began to leave because they were having a hard time with what Jesus was teaching. Jesus then turned to His apostles, the twelve, and...

He says, "Will you guys leave as well?" It was Peter who spoke up and said, "Lord, where else will we go? Who else has the words of eternal life?" Also, in John chapter six, verse 69, it says, "Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God." There you go. It's like at least a double on that one. Where else will we go? Only You have the words of eternal life. We think that You're the Christ, the Son of God.

Peter is the outspoken one, the one you could trust to stand up and speak. As the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a place that Peter knew really well from his childhood, he had been living there. He was a fisherman by trade, and his family were fishermen. So he grew up there, and there he is on the Sea of Galilee. You kind of assume, as you read through the Gospels, that Peter is the lead guy when Jesus isn't there. You see that play out later on in the New Testament story as well.

They are out on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee when a great windstorm comes up to the point that they are pretty sure they are going to die. I imagine this; I have a tendency to visualize how these stories go in my mind. I can see Peter doing the Peter thing, telling people what to do, like, "Hold on to that line, get on that!" He is barking orders, thinking, "I've been in this situation before. I know how to handle this sea. I've lived on this sea."

Then the waves get bigger and bigger. There are certain ways the lay of the land around the Sea of Galilee allows windstorms to come through and start things going pretty good. It comes to the point where, in the middle of the night, they have been fighting this all night long, and they feel like they are going to die. Suddenly, they see something on the water that spooks all of them. They think they see a ghost. There was a fable among those people at that time that just before you die, you would see a ghost.

Now they see this premonition, if you will, walking on water, and they think it's a ghost. Jesus is the one walking on water. He speaks to them, "Calm down. It's me." Peter, the outspoken one, says, "Lord, if it's You, call me to come out on the water with You." Jesus replies, "All right, come." It was Peter who walked on water.

Of course, he did sink, but he did walk on water for a time. You can no doubt expect that for years to come among the disciples, there was a conversation going back and forth where Peter would use that trump card.

To time, I did walk on water, and I can imagine John would say, "Yeah, but you did think..." Yes, I did walk for a little bit on water. Peter was the one who walked on water to Jesus. He was also the one who had the tenacity to rebuke Jesus, his Lord, to His face.

We're told the story in Matthew chapter 16. Right after Jesus says to him, "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah; flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven has revealed this to you." Right after he is told that God just spoke through him, it says that Jesus began to prepare His disciples for His suffering and His death.

As He is telling His disciples, "Listen, we're going to Jerusalem, and I'm going to suffer at the hands of the chief priests and scribes, and they're going to put me to death," it says that Peter began to rebuke Him to His face, telling Him, "Not so, Lord! This will not happen to you." To which Jesus responds, also recorded in Matthew 16, "Get behind me, Satan! You're an offense to me because you're not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of man."

It is amazing that you could go from saying, "You're the Christ, the Son of the living God," and "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you; God the Father has spoken to you," to "Get behind me, Satan! You're an offense to me" in like four seconds.

Peter was the outspoken one among the twelve apostles, but he was also part of a smaller select group—three individuals: Peter, James, and John. They appear to be the standouts. Peter is the loudmouth, while James and John were called the Sons of Thunder. They were the ones who wanted to call down lightning or fire on a village because it did not receive Jesus very nicely.

I think Jesus probably kept them close because He wanted to keep an eye on them. It's like when I did junior high ministry for a little while; all the youth pastors know that the ones who are the most outspoken are the ones you need to keep right next to you. You have to keep your eye on them. Peter was one of those. This means that Peter was with Jesus at key times.

Where not too many other people were around, one significant event is recorded in Matthew chapter 17. Jesus and His disciples went up a mountaintop in the northern part of the nation of Israel. The scripture says that Jesus was transfigured before them, allowing them to see the fullness of His glory. As they witnessed this, they not only saw Jesus, but also Moses, who had been long dead, and Elijah, who had also passed away. There they were, communing with Jesus.

Peter, overwhelmed by the moment, exclaimed, "Lord, it's so good that we're here. Let us build three tabernacles and stay here, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was mid-sentence, the scriptures say they were overshadowed by a cloud, and a voice from heaven effectively told Peter to be quiet. The Father said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him." The message was clear: Peter, not now. This is a holy moment; don't interfere. Yet, it was Peter, the loudmouth, who spoke up.

Peter, along with James and John, was also present when Jesus raised a young girl from the dead. She was about twelve years old, and Peter, James, and John witnessed this miraculous event. Peter stands out as the outspoken character in the Gospels, and it's hard not to love him. Given Peter's prominent role in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, one would expect him to have a significant position during what we call the Passion Week.

The Passion Week began last Sunday with Palm Sunday and concludes on Resurrection Sunday. This entire period is known as the Passion Week, with "passion" meaning suffering. During this week, Jesus endures suffering, ultimately leading to His glorification through the resurrection. You would expect Peter to have some standout moments during this time.

In John's Gospel, we learn that prior to partaking of the Passover meal with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion, the disciples gathered together for a meal in an upper room in Jerusalem. Imagine the scene: they entered a dimly lit room, an upper room...

In Jerusalem, the room is ready to partake of the Passover. There are some thirteen reclining seats for Jesus and His twelve apostles. Among all the things in the room, there is near the door a basin, a pitcher with water, and a towel. The Jewish people of that day knew exactly what that was for. When you would come into a celebration like that, there would be someone who would wash your feet. You would walk around on dusty ground with sandals, and as a customary greeting or a way of bringing people into a celebration, one of the ritualistic washings would be the washing of the feet.

In the customary way of doing this, the lowest in the hierarchy, the lowest servant, ought to have been the one to wash the feet. However, as they finished up the meal, no one had washed anyone's feet. Why is that? It might be because none of the twelve, who always argued about who was the greatest, were ready to lower themselves or choose to humble themselves to wash people's feet. They were all thinking, "I ain't doing that." They looked at the water, thinking, "John better touch that thing," or "Thomas, he's the problem; he should be the one doing that."

In John chapter 13, we are told that at a certain point, Jesus rose from the meal. In verse four, it states that Jesus laid aside His outer garment, took the towel, and girded Himself. After that, He poured the water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet, wiping them with the towel that He was girded with. This was a major break from protocol. Everyone in that room knew who the leader, the master, the rabbi was—Jesus. They were all there because of Him; He was the one who called them.

You have all these other individuals present, like Levi, the tax collector, Judas, and Simon, the zealot. You would think that in that room, there should have been someone who would step up and say, "I should probably do this." But instead, it was Jesus who got up, laid aside His outer garment, put on a towel, and began to wash His disciples' feet. As He was doing this, it seems to me that Peter was the last one He came to. He approached Peter, and the scene unfolds from there.

With a tone of incredulity, like disbelief, Peter says, "Lord, are you washing my feet?" Jesus answers him in John chapter 13, verse 7, saying, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will after this." Peter responds in John chapter 13, verse 8, "You shall never wash my feet." It’s as if he believes he is passing a test, thinking that everyone else has failed. He insists, "You will never wash my feet."

Of course, Jesus replies, "If I don't wash your feet, you have no part with me." Peter then exclaims, "Oh, well, you wash my head and my hands and everything!" Jesus clarifies that it is just his feet that need cleansing in that situation. This exchange reveals Peter's nature and personality throughout these passages.

As I mentioned, you would expect Peter to be the standout, the outspoken one during the Passover. This is not limited to the foot-washing incident. At the same gathering, as they finish their meal and prepare to leave, Jesus tells his disciples, as recorded in Matthew 26, "All of you will be made to stumble because of me this night. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter." He warns that each of the twelve will stumble.

Peter has a response. In Matthew 26, verse 33, he answers, "Even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never stumble." Jesus replies, "Surely I say to you, before this night is over, before the rooster crows, you, Peter, will deny me three times." Peter insists, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you." All the disciples echo his bold words.

These are strong declarations from the standout disciple. Peter believes it is impossible for him to deny Jesus. After this bold proclamation, Jesus and his disciples leave the upper room. They cross through the old city of Jerusalem, heading east toward what we know as the Mount of Olives, likely to the town of Bethany, where Jesus often stayed when in Jerusalem. As they make their way, they pass the Temple Mount and go through a valley called the Kidron Valley. At the bottom of the Kidron Valley lies an olive grove known as the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus went there with his disciples late at night to pray. When they arrived, He said to His disciples, "I’m very troubled, and I need you to watch and pray with me." He took three of His disciples—Peter, James, and John—and led them a little further into a secluded part of the garden. He expressed His distress, saying, "I’m exceedingly sorrowful. Will you watch and pray with me?"

He then went a few feet away to pray. After about an hour, He returned and found them all asleep. He woke them up and said to Peter, "Couldn't you just pray with me for one hour?" Peter replied, "Oh, yes. Sorry, Lord. Oh, yeah. Let’s pray." Jesus went away to pray again but came back a second time to find them still asleep. He urged them once more, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." They assured Him, "Oh, yes, yes. We’ll pray."

Jesus went away a third time to pray and returned to find them still asleep. As He roused them from their slumber, He said, "Well, now the time has come, and now the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners." Just as He spoke these words, Judas arrived, leading a group of soldiers and some servants of the high priest. Judas approached Jesus and greeted Him with a kiss, which was the sign for the soldiers to arrest Him.

As they laid hands on Jesus, Peter reacted by pulling out a sword and cutting off the ear of the high priest's servant, named Malchus. It seems that Peter was wise enough not to start a fight with a Roman soldier, so he targeted the weakest-looking person instead. Jesus intervened, stopping the situation, and said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath. Shall I not drink the cup from which my Father has given me?"

In John 18:11, we see that Peter could not watch and pray, and in his attempt to save the day with a sword, he failed at that as well. Jesus's final words to Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane were a rebuke: "Put the sword away, Peter."

Standout in that situation? Jesus has now been arrested. If you have your Bibles open to Luke 22, let's follow Peter for just a moment.

In Luke 22, verse 54, it says, "Having arrested him, they led him and brought him to the high priest's house. But Peter followed at a distance." Now, when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. A certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and stared at him for a while. She said, "You also are one of the Nazarene's followers. You're one of them." But he said, "I am not the man."

Then, about an hour later, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also is with them, for he is a Galilean." After a little while, another saw him and said, "You also are one of them." Peter replied, "Man, I am not." After about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also is with them, for he is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you're saying." Another one of the Gospels says he swears that he does not know.

Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And get this: the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Their eyes met. The Lord turned and looked at Peter, and then Peter remembered the word, how the Lord had said, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

This, Jesus would be beaten, condemned, and then crucified. Peter failed. The outspoken, strong one, he failed at foot washing. He failed to pray. He failed to protect the Lord. He failed, and he forsook the Lord—not once, not twice, but three times. He boldly proclaimed, "I am not that person." Then he went out and wept bitterly after his eyes met Jesus's eyes. That word "bitterly" speaks of weeping with great agony, like weeping to the point of uncontrollable, ugly tears. You know that reference—ugly tears. He wept bitterly because he failed in every way.

Years ago, I read a research study on a diagnosable disorder referred to by psychologists as complicated grief. What is complicated grief? Well, it's actually one of the things that probably many of you fear. Complicated grief often comes after you've done or said something mean. You have an argument with someone, and tensions are high. Passions are inflamed in the heat of passion. You say something that you don't really mean, but you're angry. That person leaves, and the next thing you hear is a phone call.

"We're really sorry to inform you, but there's been an accident." Or, "We're terribly sorry, but do you know so-and-so?" "Yes, I know them." "There's been a heart attack." "Are they going to be okay?" "No, I'm very sorry. They're gone." Complicated grief often comes in that situation. For years, the word rang in her ears as she told her seven-year-old son, Aaron, "You don't need a life vest. You can swim." Those were the last words she said to him before he drowned, and the guilt that continued was overwhelming. We say something like, "I wish I would have..."

Never met you. We say something like, "You'll never amount to anything. You're the worst person I've ever known." Then the last thing you hear is the door closing as they go, and you never see that person again. That's one of the great fears that people have: complicated grief and unquenchable guilt. The thoughts go over and over in your mind. "He'd still be here if I hadn't." "She'd still be here if I had."

One of the most challenging situations often happens in cases of suicide. Sadly, there are more than a few here today who have been touched by the suicide of a loved one. It's very dreadful and horrible. I've been in those situations before, and you can't help but ask for weeks and years on end afterwards, "If I had only..." It's complicated grief. But there's not always an opportunity for the "if I would have only" because death sometimes comes suddenly and without warning.

Consider the outspoken standout named Simon Peter. I want to suggest to you that he was experiencing some pretty significant, complicated grief as he wept bitterly, recounting in his mind all those words he had said. "Even if every single one of these deny you, I would never deny you. I will die with you." And then, a few hours later, "Aren't you with him?" "I do not know that man." How dare you? All of that going over and over in his mind.

I don't think it's surprising that Peter was not at the cross. The Gospels make it clear he was not there. Peter was not at the tomb. We don't really see Peter after the crucifixion so much. He goes out and weeps bitterly. I would suggest that that first night for him was a sleepless night. I think he probably didn't eat very much on that Sabbath day as he thought about all of those things. His failure compounded and complicated his grief. Sometimes the standouts just want to disappear, and that's what he's trying to do. How many times do you think he played out that scenario in his mind over and over again? The sword, standing by the fire.

He asked me to do is watch and pray with him. I couldn't even do that. Playing all these things out, how could I deny him? And now I'll never see him again. I'll never be able to make it right. I think that the words of the psalmist apply to Peter over those couple of days. Psalm 6, verse 6 says, "I'm weary with my groanings. All night I make my bed to swim, drenching my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies." If only I could see him again. If only I could say to him one more time that I love him.

In Luke 24, verse 1, we read, "Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, certain other women with him came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. And then they went in and did not find the body of Jesus." As they were greatly perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. As they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen. Remember how he spoke to you when he was at Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'" And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. They ran and spoke these things.

Another account in Mark's Gospel of the same situation reads like this in chapter 16, verse 6: "The angel said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who is crucified. He is risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him, but go and tell his disciples and Peter.'" I love that. Go and tell his disciples and Peter. Why does the angel say that? Maybe because Peter is nowhere to be found, not with the disciples. The other disciples are gathered together, but Peter's gone. Peter has cut himself out of the group because he failed. "Go and tell the disciples and Peter that he's going before you into Galilee. There you will see him as he said to you."

Back to Luke 24.

Verse 9 states that they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. Their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb. Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves, and he departed, marveling to himself what had happened.

I love those words in Mark 16: "Go and tell his disciples and Peter." Those two words, "and Peter," remind us of one of the beautiful truths surrounding the resurrection, which has to do with forgiveness for failures. These words are beautiful for me and for you because, in this room, we are a bunch of failures. We fall short in so many ways, and yet Jesus calls and forgives failures.

I think of all the different things we could say about Easter. There are so many ways we could talk about this glorious truth of the resurrection. Ultimately, it comes down to the personal recognition that the cross, the tomb, and the resurrection tell us that Christ Jesus forgives failures. He forgives sinners. He came to do just that. That is the glorious good news of the resurrection.

There is so much more that it gives to us as well. Because He is risen, He has also promised to raise us to be with Him for eternity. In His presence, there will be fullness of joy; at His right hand, pleasures forevermore.

As we sit here today, I guarantee there are more than a few of you who have some failures in your minds—ways in which you have fallen short—and you still beat yourself up over those things. I want to encourage you this morning: Jesus Christ forgives failures. By saying "failures," I mean "sinners." He forgives sinners. He is alive and able to forgive, and He saves to the uttermost those who come to God by Him. That is the glorious good news of Easter. He has made the way open by the cross. We call it the way of Calvary. He has made the way open for you and me to boldly come before His throne.

Grace to obtain mercy and grace in our time of need. When we feel like a failure, when we feel like a wretch, when we feel like a sinner, when we feel like what we actually are, it's in that place that we are reminded that Jesus stands with open arms and says, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." That's good news.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Jesus, I thank you for that good news. You are good, and Lord, we rejoice in your goodness. You are gracious. We praise you for your grace and mercy because there is not a single one of us standing here today who deserves your goodness and your blessing. But because of your great love with which you loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, even when we were failures—outspoken, loudmouth failures—you called to us because you call and forgive failures.

So, God, I pray that you would remind every single heart here today of that truth. May those words get past all of the negative cognitions, all the negative things that say, "No, not possible, not me. I'm too bad. I'm horrible. I'm wicked. You don't understand how bad I really am." All that complicated grief over who we are—God, would you be able to bypass that with this word of truth? You love, call, and forgive sinful failures like us. Bypass all of that negative stuff in our hearts and minds and draw people to yourself to trust in you and to call out to you.

It may be that as we stand here today, you, like Peter, have some areas of complicated grief over your sin and your past failures in your mind and on your heart. I want you to know that Jesus has the ability and power to forgive those things. Not only does He have the ability and power to forgive, but He also has the desire to forgive. He does not want you to stand under the weight of that burden any longer. He says, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden."

Laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and meek. He wants to remove that burden from your life. That's what forgiveness does; it removes the burden.

So, as we're standing here in prayer, if you today are one who needs to receive the grace and forgiveness of Christ, you know that you've been carrying something that the Lord doesn't want you to carry any longer. Jesus wants to take that away. If you want to pray to ask for His forgiveness and for Him to remove that from you, just lift up your hand high so I can see it.

Anyone here today? God bless you. I see it there in the middle. Anyone else? Lift it way up high. All we're going to do is pray and talk to Jesus, who is waiting for us to come to Him with our burdens and our cares. He says, "Lift your cares upon me, for I care for you." Lift your hand up high if that's you. Say, "I need God's forgiveness and His grace." He is abundant in mercy. He forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. He is slow to anger and gracious and merciful.

If that's you today, I just want you to pray with me very simply, a prayer asking for God's grace and His forgiveness. Prayer is just simply talking to God, and we believe that He hears us and answers our prayers. So, if that's you, just pray along with me.

Dear Jesus, I need Your grace and forgiveness. I thank You that You died on the cross in my place, and I thank You that You are alive and on the throne. I thank You that You have the power and the authority to forgive me of my sin. I confess my sin to You, and I pray that You would forgive me and that You would cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Jesus, help me to walk in newness of life and to rejoice in the abundant life that You give. Help me to follow You by faith. In Jesus' name, Amen.