Can I Still Come Home? // Triggered (Part 6) // Charles Metcalf

Summary

Transformation Church Podcast: "Can I Still Come Home?" // Triggered (Part 6) // Charles Metcalf

Episode Date: October 26, 2025
Teaching Pastor: Charles Metcalf

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Episode Overview

This episode of Transformation Church continues the "Triggered" series and is focused on the theme of "shame," particularly in the aftermath of personal failure—what the pastors playfully call 'crashing out.' Pastor Charles Metcalf, with support from Pastor Michael, unpacks the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15, emphasizing the difference between conviction and condemnation. The ultimate message: regardless of how far you've strayed, you can always come home, and God’s grace is always available—no matter your story or shame.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality of "Crashing Out" and Shame

• Pastor Charles addresses what happens after we’ve made mistakes ("crashing out"), and how shame quickly follows.
  • Quote (04:24): "Shame makes you feel small. It makes you feel insignificant. It makes you feel like you're not as legit as somebody else." — Pastor Michael
• Real-life stories are used to illustrate personal and generational tendencies to "crash out," particularly in family settings.
• Shame’s cycle: mistake → shame → isolation → identity crisis → hopelessness → helplessness → indifference.
• Reference to the Garden of Eden: shame leads us to run from God and hide (25:15–25:22).

2. The Two Roads Home: Conviction vs. Condemnation

• Conviction: The Holy Spirit's way of calling us to more—to become better versions of ourselves.
  • Conviction says, “There’s more to you than that mistake.”
  • Quote (14:52): “Conviction is the Holy Spirit saying, ‘There’s more for you than that.’”
• Condemnation: Fueled by shame. It tells us we are our mistake, making us feel irredeemably bad.
  • Quote (16:41): “Conviction says you made a mistake. Condemnation says you are a mistake.” — Pastor Jackie
• Both seem similar at first, but condemnation pushes us away from God, while conviction draws us closer.

3. The Prodigal Son as the Blueprint

• Luke 15: The Prodigal Son asks for his inheritance, squanders it, is faced with humiliation and loss, and then wonders, “Can I still come home?” (9:24–10:31)
• Pastor Charles notes that this story targets both those who identify as the younger, lost son and those who are like the older, rule-following brother (12:12–12:28).
  • Older brother syndrome: Wanting others to face judgment, but desiring grace for ourselves.

4. Grace vs. Works: The Heart of the Gospel

• God immediately forgives and forgets our sins. It's humans who prolong the sentence with self-imposed shame (19:04–20:29).
  • Quote (19:04): “We spend so much time doing something God is not doing.”
• It’s not our penance or good deeds that re-earn God’s love; it's freely given. Trying to win back God’s favor through works is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of grace (21:05–22:40).
  • Quote (23:35): “Don’t sell me on grace and then trick me and shame me into being a better person.”
• Overemphasis on works leads to resentment and misunderstanding of why grace exists.
  • Quote (22:40): “You want other people to get the judgment, and you want to get the grace.”

5. Practical Application: Three Steps to Come Home

• Acknowledge: Be honest about where you are ("in the pig pen").
• Admit: Recognize that you cannot fix yourself; you need God’s help.
• Accept: Embrace the reality of God’s grace, even (especially) when it feels undeserved (40:41–45:10).
  • Quote (45:10): “The most difficult thing for church people is believing that the gospel is true.”

6. The Father’s Response — Radical Grace

• The Father in the Prodigal Son story runs to welcome his lost son, shielding him from shame and immediate judgment (48:33–49:16).
  • Quote (48:33): “Before somebody gets to you, tries to tell you that you can’t come back here, let me put this ring on you, let me put this robe on you, let me tell you who you are.”
• God isn’t waiting for you to “clean up” or prove you’re worthy—He’s waiting to celebrate your return.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Shame makes you feel small... We're all familiar with it.” — Pastor Michael (04:24)
• “Conviction says you made a mistake. Condemnation says you are a mistake.” — Pastor Jackie (16:41)
• "Don't sell me on grace and then trick me and shame me into being a better person." — Pastor Jackie (23:35)
• “He doesn't ask you questions he knows the answer to, to trap you and make you feel bad.” — Pastor Michael (29:56)
• “Grace, get up. Repent. Done. That’s the whole process.” — Pastor Jackie (31:10)
• “You cheapen the gospel by staying over here [on the road of condemnation].” — Pastor Michael (38:24)
• “The most difficult thing for church people is believing that the gospel is true.” — Pastor Michael (45:10)
• "Before somebody gets to you... let me put this ring on you, let me put this robe on you, let me tell you who you are." — Pastor Jackie (48:33)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:32–01:23: Introduction of current series, context for “triggered” and “crash out”
• 03:53–04:40: Naming and defining “shame”
• 06:17–07:29: Storytelling of personal “crash out” moments
• 09:24–10:31: Introduction of Prodigal Son, its cultural context, and key question: “Can I still come home?”
• 13:24–14:52: The two roads home: conviction vs. condemnation
• 19:04–20:29: Emphasis on God’s quick forgiveness vs. our tendency to prolong shame
• 21:29–23:53: The danger of earning God’s favor, and how over-spiritualizing leads to condemnation
• 29:56–31:10: Parental comparison: God doesn’t shame us into repentance
• 31:10–32:20: Outlining the simplicity (and scandal) of grace
• 40:41–45:10: Three practical steps to return home: acknowledge, admit, accept
• 48:33–49:16: Father’s response in the Prodigal Son—grace in action
• 52:47-end: Prayer for release from shame and invitation to accept Christ

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Final Message & Call to Action

• Release Shame: Don’t let shame trap you in isolation or keep you from God’s love.
• Choose Grace: No matter how deeply you’ve crashed out, grace is available and sufficient.
• Come Home: God is waiting—not with condemnation—but with open arms, ready to restore, forgive, and celebrate you.

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For those seeking further support, listeners are encouraged to text “SAVE” to 828282 and connect with the church’s prayer team.

Transcript

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[Pastor Michael]

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[Pastor Michael]

Welcome to Transformation Church podcast where we represent God to the lost and found for transformation in Christ. We're so glad you're here. And wherever you're listening from, we believe God will transform your life through today's message.

[Pastor Jackie]

All righty week.

[Pastor Michael]

We've been in this series for a month. I had a corny joke. Jackie, this joke is for you. I think this is week, like six or seven of the series. I don't know. Yeah, that's all I had. This is why I don't preach to our youth ministry anymore, because I'm officially the old guy that does the corny jokes. And so I'm like, every time I go in there, I get super nervous. I like, ask Ty. I'm like, yo, what should I be saying? And he tries to explain to me what stuff means and what I should be saying. I'm like, you know what? I'm just gonna go with reading the Bible and yelling at the kids. That's all I know. Now, we've been in this series triggered.

[Pastor Jackie]

For a minute now, and I'm gonna be honest with you.

[Pastor Michael]

Although obviously work here, Pastor here, me and Pastor Michael talk about all the sermons. That's like, one of the main things that connected us. Early on in ministry, about eight and a half years ago, was talking about sermons, talking through sermons.

[Pastor Jackie]

And Even though probably 85% of the.

[Pastor Michael]

Time I'd be sitting out there knowing what's about to be said, I don't experience them as like, I know what's about to happen. I experience them as like, okay, what is God trying to say to me? What's going on? And so I'd be listening. And a couple of weeks ago, I was listening and we were talking about, you know, how do you avoid crashing out?

[Pastor Jackie]

How do you. What do you do once you figure out you, like, in the middle of a crash out.

[Pastor Michael]

Last week, Pastor Micah talked about getting corrected in the middle of the crash out.

[Pastor Jackie]

And I was listening to these sermons.

[Pastor Michael]

I was like, you know, this is good. This is really good. But what if you kind of already crashed out? You know what I'm saying?

[Pastor Jackie]

I was talking about like, yeah, don't be crashing out, man, that's terrible.

[Pastor Michael]

And I was like, yeah, definitely not. But, you know, let's say you did.

[Pastor Jackie]

What are you supposed to do if you've already crashed out? What are you supposed to do if you already said the thing you weren't supposed to say?

[Pastor Michael]

You did the thing you said you were never gonna do. I want to talk about that feeling today after you crash out. Now we're going to get very serious real quick. And I told the team, I was like, hey, short my time. We going to get out here before 12. It's going to be great. I'm just going to say it real clear. So because I got less time, I'm going to be more direct and just call us on some of our stuff. Because usually I would use a lot of humor and transitions and a lot of stuff to get you all ready, but we ain't got time for that. Come on. I love the craft of speaking. Like, I've studied this my whole life. I still study it to this day. I watch other people preach, I watch comedians. I do all this stuff. And it's all really just to get you ready to say what the Bible already says.

[Pastor Jackie]

And really, you were supposed to be.

[Pastor Michael]

Reading it this whole week. And this is technically supposed to be a reminder, but I know you ain't done that at all.

[Pastor Jackie]

And it's okay.

[Pastor Michael]

I'm not mad at you.

[Pastor Jackie]

Some of y' all be so impressed.

[Pastor Michael]

With what preachers say. And all they did is read the book to you.

[Pastor Jackie]

You're like, oh, my God.

[Pastor Michael]

That's how I know you don't read your Bible. Because I just, I like open up the verse and they be like, oh, that's so good.

[Pastor Jackie]

Technically you were supposed to be reading that.

[Pastor Michael]

But we don't have to talk about it.

[Pastor Jackie]

Today I'm gonna talk about one of.

[Pastor Michael]

The most powerful five letter words. I think that sadly keeps a lot of us from doing what we're supposed to do. And it's. You find it the most after you crash out this five letter word. Shame. Shame. See, even when you say the word, the whole room.

[Pastor Jackie]

Because that's what shame does.

[Pastor Michael]

Takes all the good out of anything.

[Pastor Jackie]

Shame makes you feel small.

[Pastor Michael]

It makes you feel insignificant. It makes you feel like you're not.

[Pastor Jackie]

As legit as somebody else.

[Pastor Michael]

Shame.

[Pastor Jackie]

This feeling that I know if you've been alive for any amount of time.

[Pastor Michael]

We're all familiar with.

[Pastor Jackie]

And specifically when it comes to being triggered or crashing out, I have found myself after a crash out. After I did something, after I said something, this feeling starts to creep up.

[Pastor Michael]

And it seems to overwhelm my. My thinking and my ideas. And this sermon had honestly started with a real life example. All my sermons really come out of my real life. And I was thinking about it, and really I was thinking, like, what is the area that, like, I'm still crashing out in? Come on. Cause we gotta be honest. Some of y' all don't be crashing out. You lying. Get outta here. We know you lying. I definitely still be crashing out. And one of them is specifically is with my kids. Come on.

[Pastor Jackie]

Somebody said, jesus, you about crashed out. Your kids ain't even in here. No, but it's.

[Pastor Michael]

And here.

[Pastor Jackie]

And in two ways. I will crash out at my kids and for my kids. You know what I'm saying? So it's both one of my crash outs. I actually, there's one crash out I.

[Pastor Michael]

Be specifically looking for. And that's how I know God ain't transformed me yet.

[Pastor Jackie]

But we were at.

[Pastor Michael]

It's so great. It didn't happen at my house. It happened at the kids at my house, mother in law's house. And we were there, and the kids were playing in the street.

[Pastor Jackie]

And you know, people be driving fast.

[Pastor Michael]

When kids are close. And that's the one thing. If you speed by while my kids are playing in the front yard, I will not know who Jesus is. I'd be like, I'm sorry. I don't even know who that meant.

[Pastor Jackie]

Like, so this man drives by all fast. I'm like, slow down. I walked out the front door. Cause I saw him. I walked out the front door.

[Pastor Michael]

I was like, if he drive fast, I'm gonna scream at him.

[Pastor Jackie]

And he sped by. Slow down. He slams on his brakes. Now, some of y', all, you ain't built like this. He slammed on the brakes, and I walked up to the car. I was like, yeah, what's up? I went like that. I was like, yeah, did you need something?

[Pastor Michael]

I didn't think.

[Pastor Jackie]

You slammed on the brakes all hard like you was about to do something. This is word for word. This is why I said in front.

[Pastor Michael]

Of my mother in law's house, my kids are right there.

[Pastor Jackie]

He's like, what'd you say? I said, slow down. Why? This is not even that serious. I said, it will be that serious if you hit one of my kids. I promise you. He was like. And I literally went. I did. I talked crazy to it. He just looked at me and drove.

[Pastor Michael]

By, and I just waved as he walked off. Turned around. Arlo sitting there on a scooter, like.

[Pastor Jackie]

I was like, dad just loves you a lot.

[Pastor Michael]

That's all that was, son.

[Pastor Jackie]

But I don't feel no type of way about that. I'll yell at anybody about my kids.

[Pastor Michael]

Really don't care.

[Pastor Jackie]

I'll never forget this.

[Pastor Michael]

Now I'm just telling stories. I promise I'll get to the servant. My dad. This is the greatest crash out of all time. I'm, like, Arlo's age, so I'm, like, six years old. I used to race bmx. We would travel and race bikes. And me and my cousin are playing in front of this guy. He had all these bikes. Like, these are crazy expensive bikes. They're lined up in front of his tent. It was a professional team. Now me and him are throwing this ball. It goes in between some of the bikes. I go to pick it up, and I hit one of the bikes, and it's like dominoes, like. And these are, like, thousands of dollars worth of bikes. They all fall over. Well, the guy walks up and kind of shoves me, like, hey, get out of my. And so I'm like, I terrified. I get on my bike. I pedal across the hole around the whole thing. Go find my dad.

[Pastor Jackie]

I was like, dad, this is what happened.

[Pastor Michael]

I'm crying. He was like, what happened? This will show y' all where my crash house come from. My dad, he gets on his bike, and we both, like. And I'm like, behind him, like, oh, something's about to go down. My dad gets off his bike.

[Pastor Jackie]

He's like, hey, you pushed my son.

[Pastor Michael]

And he's like, what?

[Pastor Jackie]

He's like, you push my son?

[Pastor Michael]

He's like, well, who's your son? And he turns out. And me, I'm just like. Like, step to the side.

[Pastor Jackie]

And he was like, well, he pushed off my bikes.

[Pastor Michael]

No lie. That's what my dad did.

[Pastor Jackie]

He said, oh, this bike? You mean this? It was these. Okay. My dad took that bike and slung it. And the guy was like, hey. He's like, did he hit this bike, too? Was this another bike that he hit? Okay, okay. Shoo.

[Pastor Michael]

He, one by one, threw all eight.

[Pastor Jackie]

Of this man's bikes. And that was the greatest moment of my dad's parenting saga. I got all the confidence, courage, and boldness I ever needed from watching my.

[Pastor Michael]

Daddy throw them bikes at one time. I was like, this Is incredible. Ain't nobody messing with my dad.

[Pastor Jackie]

Now as an adult, I'm like, probably.

[Pastor Michael]

Shouldn'T have done that. But, you know, I felt very safe as a kid.

[Pastor Jackie]

But usually after you come down off of the crash out, you kind of start thinking about it, like, ooh, I.

[Pastor Michael]

Don'T know if I should have done that. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

[Pastor Jackie]

Or I want to talk about this word shame.

[Pastor Michael]

Because I think it's so important. Because the truth is, after you experience a crash out, the goal is like, okay, how do I get back to, like, center level headedness? Like, how do I. Come on. Some of y' all have never gotten there. Yes. The goal is not to stay in the crash out. You want to come down to a normal place. And there's a story in the Bible that we get of a young man who crashes out. It's in Luke chapter number 15. Story is called the prodigal Son. You've heard this story. There's two sons. And you may not know this, but Jesus is actually telling the story to prove two points. He's proving to the people who relate to the prodigal son. And the story of the son is the son. He goes up to his dad, he's like, yo, dad, I want all my inheritance now. Now. Well, the only way he would get the inheritance is if the dad was dead. What he's pretty much saying is, hey, I wish you were dead. Go ahead, give me the money. Super disrespectful. But his dad's like, all right, cool, Here you go, here's your money.

[Pastor Jackie]

Bible tells us he goes out to.

[Pastor Michael]

A different country, goes out to Vegas. He just spends all his money, goes.

[Pastor Jackie]

Crazy, and he has no idea what he's doing. He spends his money. Then a famine hits the land. He ain't got no money.

[Pastor Michael]

Bible tells us his friends leave and he finds himself in a pig pen looking at the pig's food. Now, there's so much cultural nuance to this story because he's talking to an all Jewish crowd. Pigs are the most disgusting thing. So to be in the pigsty is disgusting to be looking at their folks because these are unclean animals in their tradition. So he shouldn't even be around these animals. So this is the most humiliating, discouraging situation he could ever find himself in. He starts to ask himself the question, can I still go home? What's going to happen if I try to go home? If I try to go talk to dad and tell him, hey, hey, I know I spent my money. I Know I messed up. I know I made a mistake. And it's important because we all find ourselves asking this question after a crash out, can I still come home?

[Pastor Jackie]

What I mean by that is, can I still step up? And maybe you crashed out with your spouse. Can I still step back up and.

[Pastor Michael]

Be the spouse I want to be?

[Pastor Jackie]

After you crash out with a co worker, you're like, man, can I still come back and be the leader I need to be? Can I still step up? And maybe you've crashed out and you did some things you didn't want to do, and now you're trying to live a life of purity or of soberness, and you're thinking, can I still come back and can I still do it? And Jesus, he tells his story because.

[Pastor Michael]

There'S a whole picture he's gonna paint of grace and how he works, but he's also telling the story because there's this secondary character in the story, and it's the older brother.

[Pastor Jackie]

And some of us were like, I.

[Pastor Michael]

Don'T relate to the prodigal son story well, that's because that's not the part of the story that's for you. The part of the story that's for you is the older brother.

[Pastor Jackie]

Because there's Jewish people in the crowd, but there's also the Pharisees in the crowd. Pharisees are people who are mad at bad people for getting the grace they got.

[Pastor Michael]

So you know when you see somebody and they thought they should not be saved, they're a bad person. You the older brother.

[Pastor Jackie]

The older brother in the story, he comes home, dad throws a party for him, and the older brother says, hey, yo, what you throwing a party for him for? I've been here doing the right thing. I didn't take none of your money. I did all this right stuff. And you go throw a party for them.

[Pastor Michael]

Come on.

[Pastor Jackie]

This is how some of y' all.

[Pastor Michael]

Feel looking over at people in church. Come here. Y' all won't say that.

[Pastor Jackie]

I told you I was gonna be serious today. Don't act all surprised now. That's good, Pastor.

[Pastor Michael]

And now say it. You're like, okay.

[Pastor Jackie]

But this story is really about how do you deal with the shame after a crash out? What do you do with that feeling? And here's what I have found. There are two roads back home after a crash out. And this is gonna be what I'm.

[Pastor Michael]

Gonna preach to you today.

[Pastor Jackie]

Two roads home after a crash out. They seem very similar. They're right next to each other. They seem like they leave the Same way, but they do not. If you have ever crashed out, you. You thinking about crashing out. Maybe you've got a crash out on your calendar right now.

[Pastor Michael]

You've already scheduled and penciled it in. Some of y' all schedule them. Come on now. Two roads back home, very similar, but very different. One road is the road of conviction, and one road is the road of condemnation. Conviction and condemnation. These are two words that I want to talk to you today. Two roads I want to talk to you about because they're right next to.

[Pastor Jackie]

Each other, and they seem very similar, but they take very different turns. Give you some definitions here. Conviction is the will of God and something God uses to help us grow.

[Pastor Michael]

And become better versions of ourselves.

[Pastor Jackie]

So you ever been sitting there? You've been. Maybe you walking down the street. I was telling my friend something. I was like, there are times I've been in the middle of a sermon about to say something, and the Holy.

[Pastor Michael]

Spirit be like, hey, bro, don't say that.

[Pastor Jackie]

You ever been looking at somebody and maybe you ain't really saying it out.

[Pastor Michael]

Loud, but you kind of judging them?

[Pastor Jackie]

And then all of a sudden, you.

[Pastor Michael]

Feel like, who you judging? Like, you hear that voice in your head. That's how the Holy Spirit sound to me sometimes.

[Pastor Jackie]

That's the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And what he's trying to say is, hey, that's not who I made you to be. That's not who you are. I have more for you. I have some, or maybe you some of y'. All. My mama was praying so much when I was a kid because I would.

[Pastor Michael]

Get close to doing bad stuff and start fearing terrible.

[Pastor Jackie]

Like, I would be. We would be going to somebody's house and be like, oh, the party's gonna be crazy. And I'd say the word party and.

[Pastor Michael]

Just my whole body would shrivel up, like.

[Pastor Jackie]

And I always used to hate that. Now I'm praying that same thing over my kids.

[Pastor Michael]

Like, you get close to something, it just don't feel right.

[Pastor Jackie]

That's conviction. It's the Holy Spirit. And what he's saying is, there's more.

[Pastor Michael]

For you than that.

[Pastor Jackie]

There's more to you than just lying down in someone's bed so you can.

[Pastor Michael]

Feel something for a second.

[Pastor Jackie]

There's more to you than that. There's more to you than giving up parts of yourself just so you can get a promotion. That's not who you are. There's more to you than lying about stuff that don't really matter. There's more to you than that. And it's the Holy Spirit's conviction trying to make us better.

[Pastor Michael]

But standing right next to that road is condemnation.

[Pastor Jackie]

And condemnation is different.

[Pastor Michael]

Because at first it feels like it's trying to make you better, feels like it's trying to keep you from doing the wrong thing. But condemnation's main fuel is shame. So condemnation where conviction says there's more in you.

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[Pastor Michael]

With the American Express Platinum card, you can access over $3,500 in annual value with benefits and eligible purchases across travel, entertainment and more. There's nothing like platinum. Learn [e-mail] Explore Platinum enrollment requirements, monthly and other limits in terms of condemnation, conviction says that. Condemnation says that's all there is in you is this mistake.

[Pastor Jackie]

Conviction says you made a mistake.

[Pastor Michael]

Condemnation says you are a mistake.

[Pastor Jackie]

Conviction says you're better than that. Condemnation says you're no better than that. And here's the thing. We have a lot of people who love Jesus. And you may not realize it, but you live on the road of condemnation. Here's how the road of condemnation says if you prayed more, that wouldn't have happened to you. That's condemnation, not conviction. Condemnation is you should be praying more. You should be reading your Bible more.

[Pastor Michael]

You should.

[Pastor Jackie]

You should be shouting more. Why aren't you doing that? It talks down to you. It makes you feel small. The only problem is with it.

[Pastor Michael]

Why we don't sense it out is because it'll have you trying to do.

[Pastor Jackie]

The right thing for a while. Here's what happens. This is so crazy to me, and this is why I try to be so specific with how I preach when I get up here. Because some of you, when you leave here in service, you don't feel conviction.

[Pastor Michael]

You feel condemned. You walk out of here with your head down and, and you feel like the list of things you have to do for God just got so much longer and there's no way you can do it.

[Pastor Jackie]

You know, some of you people, I know people who stopped going to church because they did not feel convicted to a bigger life. They feel condemned to a smaller life.

[Pastor Michael]

I can't do. I can't. I don't know the Bible like that, and I don't sing like that, and I don't go to the class. And I ain't got no money to give.

[Pastor Jackie]

I've never.

[Pastor Michael]

I guess I can't do it. I'll never be a parent like that. I'll definitely never know the word like.

[Pastor Jackie]

And we get all these things, and what you don't realize.

[Pastor Michael]

It'S condemnation. Here's the thing. Once you get on this road, they look similar for a while, but as you walk down them, as they continue to grow, it reaches a point where they make a distinct turn.

[Pastor Jackie]

And today I asked the team.

[Pastor Michael]

I'm gonna try to get y' all to read my terrible handwriting real quick, because I'm gonna show you the difference between what happens in these two. So when you make a mistake, big or small, there are two paths that happen here. And I want to show you something because it's important for you to see. Here's what I'm going to jump to the end of my sermon. What I'm trying to accomplish today is to shorten the amount of time you spend punishing yourself for what you did. This is the whole sermon right here. We spend so much time doing something God is not doing.

[Pastor Jackie]

God is not doing that. This is where it's important, where you.

[Pastor Michael]

Understand what you believe about God. I read that scripture at the beginning.

[Pastor Jackie]

God did not come into the world to point a accusing finger at you.

[Pastor Michael]

But this is what we think of God. We think after we crash out, God is standing there like this, why'd you do that? Why'd you say that? And what we do is, the Bible tells us that God is quick to forgive us.

[Pastor Jackie]

He is ready to forgive you the moment it happens. And the Bible says, he forgets our sins. He throws them as far as the east is, for it is done and over.

[Pastor Michael]

But here's what we think. That's too good of a deal. I should feel bad for longer. This is terrible theology, but it feels good when you work out your religion this way. If I do bad things, I should feel bad for a very, very long time. And that's how I prove to God that I'm really sorry for what I did, is how bad I feel.

[Pastor Jackie]

And you will read your Bible.

[Pastor Michael]

Feeling bad.

[Pastor Jackie]

Stop coming to church because you feel.

[Pastor Michael]

Bad about what you did.

[Pastor Jackie]

And all of that is condemnation. If you ever do wrong things and it takes you further away from God, you think I need to back up from God. We do this. It's like any other relationship. Come on, husbands. You ever made a mistake and then you just kind of scooting around the.

[Pastor Michael]

House like, okay, what can I Wash. What can I clean up? I need to hang a picture frame. What do I need to let her.

[Pastor Jackie]

Just chill in the room for a while. I'll just go clean the whole garage.

[Pastor Michael]

Just for.

[Pastor Jackie]

As a kid this happened. You tell mom and dad was mad or you got in trouble and what, you just sit in your room and you thought there was a period of time I need to punish myself so they can calm down? And then I'll come out and I'll be like, hey, can I help you with something?

[Pastor Michael]

Anything you need done. Mom want me to do some laundry, I clean my room. Here's what happens. Hey, God, I gave money today at church. Hey, God, I read my Bible.

[Pastor Jackie]

God, I've been praying a lot.

[Pastor Michael]

Hey, God, look what I did. Hey, God, I just want you to know I'm gonna do what you asked me to do. I'm not mad at you for saying those things. But if you're not careful, you will do that on this road. You're doing that because you feel so bad about what you did and you think God is sitting there waiting for you to earn his love back.

[Pastor Jackie]

If you are reading the Bible to prove to God how much you love him, he has not asked you to do that. If you are praying really loud so you can show God how much faith you have, he didn't ask you to do that. If you are in church today, here or online, trying not to feel bad about what you did.

[Pastor Michael]

It'S not biblical. See, now, this is where. When everybody gets tight, this is who you can tell loves religion and not grace. Y' all would have loved the Old Testament because you immediately got what you deserved.

[Pastor Jackie]

Oh, come on. Y' all love that. You do a bad thing, you die. Well, that's what happens. You do something wrong, bam. Smite the whole city. Don't do that. Don't do that. Oh, you think I'm playing?

[Pastor Michael]

Bam.

[Pastor Jackie]

Whole city on fire, y' all gone.

[Pastor Michael]

And everybody wants that for other people, but not themselves.

[Pastor Jackie]

You want other people to get the judgment, and you want to get the grace.

[Pastor Michael]

God, you see how many times they messed up? You see what they did?

[Pastor Jackie]

You see my cousin? You see them, God, you know, and.

[Pastor Michael]

What you don't realize is here's what I. A bold statement, I would say, is you're fighting the gospel.

[American Express Announcer]

Come on.

[Pastor Jackie]

This is why people don't come to church. Cause somehow we tell people you saved by grace, but you stay saved by works.

[Pastor Michael]

Y' all don't hear what I'm saying, bro?

[Pastor Jackie]

God said we preach the gospel. There's nothing you can do to earn it. He's just a free gift. You take, then you get saved over here, and then you step over here like. But if you don't come on Wednesday night, if you don't read your Bible, and if you don't give money, and if you don't lift your hands, you better be leery, because God is standing there ready to smite you. Which one do you want? You can't have both. And this is where the people come.

[Pastor Michael]

In with, well, if you teach grace too much. Be quiet. That is the dumbest thing in the world. Teach grace too much. That is dumb. You sound dumb when you say that. I was a little aggressive. I'm sorry.

[Pastor Jackie]

I'm about to crash out.

[Pastor Michael]

But.

[Pastor Jackie]

But hey, Jesus, flip some tables. So I do have crash out clearance.

[Pastor Michael]

On a couple of things.

[Pastor Jackie]

And I will crash out if you try to mess with the good news of Jesus, which is you are saved by grace, kept by grace, you go by grace, and it's always gonna be that way. Don't sell me on grace and then trick me and shame me into being a better person. Why are we trying to shame people into being better? Well, you shouldn't do that, you know? Cause God's gonna.

[Pastor Michael]

What now?

[Pastor Jackie]

I'm not talking about consequences, because some of y' all are like, but what if they do bad things? No, that's just life. Some of that is like, it's not even nothing to do with. We be loving this over spiritualized things. We be driving fast. Somebody pull us over. And it's like, God was really trying to talk to me.

[Pastor Michael]

Maybe, or you just drive fast.

[Pastor Jackie]

The police officer was doing his job. God speaks to you through that.

[Pastor Michael]

Cool.

[Pastor Jackie]

But that was just a consequence.

[Pastor Michael]

And that's all that was. But here's.

[Pastor Jackie]

Here's.

[Pastor Michael]

Here's what happens. Here's what happens. Here's what happens. Let me get back to my list. You make a mistake, you feel shame. And then shame. Now, this list is from personal experience. I could have. This was the easiest part of my sermon to write down what shame feels like. Because there is so much time in my life. Shame. Next thing that happens, you sit in isolation.

[Pastor Jackie]

Shame makes you isolate.

[Pastor Michael]

How do we know this? Because this is exactly what happened in the garden. They eat the fruit. Shame happens. They run away from God.

[Pastor Jackie]

And what happens in isolation is it starts to attack your identity. I'm trying to. I'm gonna make this list so some.

[Pastor Michael]

Of you can see where you are.

[Pastor Jackie]

You make a mistake, you feel shame. You feel so small about it that.

[Pastor Michael]

You think I shouldn't be around people right now.

[Pastor Jackie]

This is why when you sin, when.

[Pastor Michael]

You do something that violates something on.

[Pastor Jackie]

The inside, this is why you always.

[Pastor Michael]

Find yourself sometimes doing it alone.

[Pastor Jackie]

Because shame isolates you. And it isolates you because it wants to mess with your identity. It wants to tell you you are no better than that mistake you made. You'll never be better than that. And that is who you are. You are an addict. You will always be a liar. You will always be a crash out. You will always be. And it gets you alone. So that can isolate you, so it can take your identity. So then it takes this word, it makes you hopeless. And this is how you're sitting in a thing thinking, I'll never get past this. I'll never get past the anxiety, I'll never get past the feeling of fear because you have been stuck in shame. You feel bad for being afraid or you feel bad for making the mistake. And then it isolates you and it thinks, I shouldn't feel this way. Other people don't feel this way. There's no way other people in church feel the way I feel sitting here. And it starts to tell you, well, there must be something wrong with you. And you're the problem. And this is why people don't love you. This is why relationships are hard for you. So now you feel hopeless. And then what happens is you're helpless. And it does not matter who tells you anything because you already know who you are. This is how you have friends you're talking to and you try to tell them like, yeah, but that just won't.

[Pastor Michael]

Work because of this. And this won't work because of that.

[Pastor Jackie]

And you can get to some such a place in shame that it does not matter.

[Pastor Michael]

The sermon you hear, it does not matter the song you sing because you.

[Pastor Jackie]

Have been so attacked with shame, so isolated that you believe the mistake is who you are has made you hopeless, helpless.

[Pastor Michael]

Here's the scariest one I felt sometimes. And you feel indifferent. What does it matter? It don't even matter if I go to church. Can't help me. Why should I even try to be a godly man or woman? Because I've made so many mistakes, it's just a matter of time until I mess up again. What's the point of even trying to be sober if I know I'm going to do it again? And this, it leads you to depression. It all started with this one mistake, this word shame. If you feel any of these, I need you to know There's a better way. Jesus did not come to the earth to use those things to make you feel bad to trick you into becoming a better person. One of the biggest areas I continually am trying to go because it's the daily one that works out. All of the goofiness in me really is parenting. It really is. And one of the things I've learned about myself that is not like God is now, parents, we all be doing this. If somebody ever, like, oh, this is my key tactic. Yeah. Now you're gonna be responsible for what you do with this information. But you ever ask your kid a question that you know the answer to? Come on. This be happening to all my kids. Somebody will go in there and get a snack, and I'll see the pantry just ravaged. I usually already know who it is. I walk up to the said individual. Hey, did you take something out the pantry? No. Only one of my kids will just check me that directly. Did you take anything out of the pantry? Nope. You sure? Nothing. Nope. Nothing.

[Pastor Jackie]

You sure there's nothing you want to tell me? There's nothing you took out of there? Maybe something that has left residue all over your face you don't want to tell me? Nothing? You didn't take nothing.

[Pastor Michael]

And here's. Although we've probably all done that as parents, what you don't realize is you're tricking, then trying to trap them, ultimately to shame them.

[Pastor Jackie]

So that when I.

[Pastor Michael]

Catch you in the middle of this lie, you feel bad. And if you feel bad, you won't do it again. That's not how God works. He doesn't ask you questions he knows the answer to, to trap you and make you feel bad.

[Pastor Jackie]

He'll ask you questions he knows the answer to. But it's to show you who you really are. It's to show you there's more for you, there's a better option for you. There's a bigger life for you. And it is not to shame you into something. If we're going to talk about crashing.

[Pastor Michael]

Out, I want to talk about these two roads. Here's the other path. Make a mistake. There's this word, grace.

[Pastor Jackie]

Now, this word is dangerous because it's not a fair word. You can't add it up, and it makes sense to you, and it's beautiful when it happens to you. It's hard for it to happen to other people. But let me show you the whole list of grace.

[Pastor Michael]

Watch this.

[Pastor Jackie]

Grace, get up. Repent.

[Pastor Michael]

Oop, forgot how to spell repent. Done. That's the whole list?

[Pastor Jackie]

That's the whole process. Mistake.

[Pastor Michael]

Oh, it's all right. Don't worry about it. Get up. Repent means turn, done. That's it. Here's what I've learned. I've been preaching the Bible for 13 years now. Started when I was 11. That was a joke. But y' all were too spiritual to catch my joke or you thought I was dead serious. Sometimes I think Christians like to be impressed and confused. Because when you get the most ah. Is when people don't really understand or it's really complicated. Grace isn't complicated. This is why sometimes when you preach grace, people are like, oh, but there's gotta be more to it than that.

[Pastor Jackie]

You gotta do. You gotta, like, you gotta do more. It's gotta be like, yeah, but once. But once you get the grace, though, show me you different.

[Pastor Michael]

I hear you. Yes. And if you don't understand this part, if you don't check this part, if you don't, when you're standing back up to head home after your crash out, if you do not check every step, which road you are on, you will find yourself doing the right thing for all the wrong reasons. And this is how people. This is exactly how it happens. Watch this. You're on the road of condemnation. You don't realize it, but you start doing all these good things for God. And because you think these good things are adding up to him doing good things for you, you do all these good things. You keep going. You land up all the way over here. And this is how people end up.

[Pastor Jackie]

With tallies on all the stuff they did for God.

[Pastor Michael]

So now all the stuff he should do for them.

[Pastor Jackie]

Because I read my Bible when I didn't want to, I went to church when I didn't want to. I was a good person. I gave money. I did all the things you said to do. So you should therefore have healed that person. And if you don't heal that person, I'm out of here. Because I did the stuff. I did the things. And that means I should get something because I did this for you.

[Pastor Michael]

I was listening to the interview. It was one of the most heartbreaking interviews I've ever seen. There's a very famous person. Y' all all know his name, but I'm not gonna say.

[Pastor Jackie]

But he was in their interview, and.

[Pastor Michael]

They said, what happened to your relationship with God? He said, man, I prayed a lot of prayers. He didn't answer, so I didn't really mess with that. And you know what? I thought he was on this road. It's so easy. It's such an easy road home. Because it looks the same. It looks like we going the same way. You'd be in church 50 years, your whole life. And I know you on the road of condemnation.

[Pastor Jackie]

Now I know you serve at certain.

[Pastor Michael]

Outreaches not because you want to show the grace you've been given, but because you think if I don't help homeless people, I'm a bad person. All this road. And here's my question for you. How much time have you wasted punishing yourself, holding yourself to what God has forgotten about? He literally. The Bible. This is not a lie. This is not a metaphor. This is not like an ideal. There are sometimes. The Bible is metaphor. This is not that. It literally says he forgets them. The moment you say, I'm sorry, I don't want to be that person, he says, bet. Cool. All done. You don't know how grace works. This is why we don't like. Grace is like, holy Spirit will convict you and be like, yo, you owe me a million dollars. You're like, I can't pay. He's like, oh, don't worry about it. Jesus did you good. Go ahead. I know this is a super simple message, but if you do not understand this, if you do not under. Because this is why people stay away from God. Because they think I don't know if I can do all the stuff I'll need to do to get with him. That's not how the Bible works. There's no. This is why. Let me read you the scripture. It's so good.

[Pastor Jackie]

Heather, where'd my clock at?

[Pastor Michael]

Where the. Okay, three minutes. Okay, bet. We good? Listen to this. This is the first part of the. Of the story we read in Luke 15. This is the message version Luke 15, verse 1. By this time, a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religious scholars were not pleased. Not at all. They growled. He takes sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends. This is what the Bible says. They're grumbling, triggered this story. I'm triggered by the st. Some of the stuff people ain't triggered at.

[Pastor Jackie]

I'm triggered how church people can.

[Pastor Michael]

Look at people dying and searching for identity, doing all types of stuff to find it and sit there and judge them. It's triggering to me.

[Pastor Jackie]

It's triggering to me that we can sit up in church acting like we got ourself up in here, acting like it's how much we read the Bible.

[Pastor Michael]

That keeps us sane.

[Pastor Jackie]

Acting like it's all the good deeds and all the services we went to, all the worship songs, acting like we had anything to do with the grace that was extended to us. It is very triggering when you take a gift you were given and then wield it to shame and hope, hold it over people and act like you're better than people. It was given to you, it'll be given to them. And if you do not get that right, please.

[Pastor Michael]

Until you figure that out, please don't talk to anybody.

[Pastor Jackie]

I know this is bad, but I be feeling that way sometimes. I have friends that I'll be. This is honest truth and this is.

[Pastor Michael]

Not personal to anybody. But I have friends sometimes that I'll spend a long time inviting to church.

[Pastor Jackie]

Or we'll be going somewhere and I'll.

[Pastor Michael]

Be thinking, God, gosh, I hope they don't run into that person.

[Pastor Jackie]

And that person follows Jesus.

[Pastor Michael]

It's just they follow Jesus on the condemnation road and it sounds easy to sell to people. So I think, please do not get my friend on this road.

[Pastor Jackie]

Do not go talk to them. I know they got a word for you. I know they super up in heaven, but they have not realized that they have been shamed their whole life into doing things. And you don't need to be on that road. God loves you as you are. He won't leave you the same way as you are. But he does not expect you to fix yourself without Him. Then show up to the church, prove to them that you're good enough so now he can save you and you can keep proving to him that you are worth saving. It's not the Bible.

[Pastor Michael]

It's not why Jesus showed up. It's not why he died. And when you take grace and make it about works, you cheapen the gospel. You cheapen the gospel by staying over here. Now, here's what I'm not saying. I'm not saying you get saved and you just do whatever you want because God loves us and he'll save us anyways. That's not true, Paul. This is the exact same thing in the Bible. This happens. He's teaching. He's like, so what? Should we just keep on sinning? No, but this road right here, it will change you, but it invites you into a bigger life.

[Pastor Jackie]

You do stuff not because you're trying to prove to God, but because it.

[Pastor Michael]

Just doesn't sit right with you. There are certain things that just don't align with who you are anymore.

[Pastor Jackie]

There are certain things I do not because I'm so holy.

[Pastor Michael]

It's just I've been On this road so long, I would have to get.

[Pastor Jackie]

Off so bad to go over there.

[Pastor Michael]

And it's just. That's just a lot of work and energy.

[Pastor Jackie]

I like it over here.

[Pastor Michael]

Because if.

[Pastor Jackie]

You get on this road, you start.

[Pastor Michael]

Judging other people by this road. Tall tale sign. If you're really harsh with other people, I know you harsh on yourself. I'm gonna read this scripture one more time. Ooh, I got points to give y'. All. Dang. How much time? Oh, time is gone. Well, no points for y'. All. No practical application. I just hope y'. All. No, I'll give you these three points. I'll give you these three points real quick. How do you come home after a crash? Out. This is based off Luke 15. Three things. I'll give them all to you. First, acknowledge, admit, accept. If you're gonna come home after the crash out, you made a decision you don't wanna make. You did something you don't wanna do. First thing, you have to acknowledge that you in the pig pen. Here's some of my beef. I've said this to some of my friends as I be talking to them about Jesus and, like, yo, you should come check out church, blah, blah, blah. And they're like, I don't really need that. And sometimes my beef with them is like, bro, quit playing. You know, your life is trash.

[Pastor Jackie]

You call me having panic attacks every two days. And then you want to act like.

[Pastor Michael]

Yeah, but I'm getting it under control.

[Pastor Jackie]

No, you're not. You smoking until you are in the sky. But then I think, like, so you.

[Pastor Michael]

No, it's legal now. I'm not asking if it's legal.

[Pastor Jackie]

I'm asking if it's good for you.

[Pastor Michael]

And it makes you a bit more.

[Pastor Jackie]

Of who you want to be. So I ain't got no beef with it's legal or not. By the way, my standard for my life is if it's not legal or not. If that's your standard, I love you. But if your standard is, will I go to jail for it? There's a little bit more to life than running it off of, do I.

[Pastor Michael]

Go to jail or not?

[Pastor Jackie]

You can live there if you want. That's just a very small life. So I don't like, well, it's legal now, so, God, no, I'm not.

[Pastor Michael]

I'm not.

[Pastor Jackie]

And here's the thing. I'm not saying anything against it.

[Pastor Michael]

What I'm saying is, some people you won't be honest with where you really are. The truth is that relationship does not make you Feel.

[Pastor Jackie]

I know it looks awesome, but you.

[Pastor Michael]

Feel terrible on the inside.

[Pastor Jackie]

And I'm just asking you to be honest with you. You ain't got to tell me, just acknowledge.

[Pastor Michael]

Dang. I feel super ashamed of my past and God has forgiven me and has given me grace, but I carry with me everywhere I go. You gotta acknowledge it. The next thing you gotta do is you gotta admit you can't get yourself out of there. This might be the toughest one because we love to be like, alright, I know I'm in a bad spot, but God, watch this. I'm about to do 75 hard. I'm about to read the Bible in 90 days. This is literally me. I'm about to do Dave Ramsey for the 18th time. This is my exact. This is my exact regimen when I felt like I crashed out. Watch this. I'm about to set so many blocks on my phone, I couldn't even type the letter P into my phone without getting it flagged. Some of y' all don't get that you've never been addicted to pornography. But some people, you're like, I know exactly that play.

[Pastor Jackie]

I'm doing that play right now.

[Pastor Michael]

And here's the thing. The thing about condemnation is condemnation doesn't change you. Conviction changes you. This is the thing. Why this is an honest take on that some of y' all are addicted to pornography or just addicted to anything, and you just try to will yourself to doing it. You could lock your phone in a cage and throw it in the ocean, but your addicted self would find a way to do it because you haven't changed. It's not about locking your phone up. It's not about somebody calling you every time you about to do something you're.

[Pastor Jackie]

Not supposed to do.

[Pastor Michael]

It's not on other people to keep you. I understand. We love to blame people. You.

[Pastor Jackie]

You didn't call me, so I had to sleep with her.

[Pastor Michael]

No, that's your fault. That was dumb. Be blaming accountability partners in the past. Well, the pastor did. No. Get out of here. You should be reading this book for yourself, period. She said period. Yeah. Anyways, admit I cannot get myself out of this place. I do not have it in me to be the person I want to be in this area. I need help. One of the greatest prayers you could ever pray. God help me. I do not know how to do this. I do not know how to navigate this. I do not. And this is why you've got to be honest with the results of your life. Some of you, you want to be friends with People who their life is terrible. All my homies and sent youth. What's up? Look at me real quick. I know it's not Wednesday, but I'm gonna still talk to you. Some of the people you want to be friends with, their life is terrible, and they're lying to you the moment you get around them. I'm gonna say it like my granny would say it. You hang with nine broke friends, you're bound to be the 10th one. Just, you gotta admit. Last thing you gotta do, we gonna get out of here. You gotta accept this word grace. The most difficult thing for church people is believing that the gospel is true. Toughest thing. I'll bet money on it. Toughest thing for anybody.

[Pastor Jackie]

All.

[Pastor Michael]

Of the issues, I would literally bet this. Every issue you struggle with right now, every counseling thing, every marriage issue, every relational issue, every finance issue is all about do you believe? Is that true or not? Is it true that God died on the cross for a bunch of people who could do nothing to save themselves? And at the second you say, I'm sorry, he extends new grace to new mercy. You're a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come, and it's a brand new start whenever you want it. But what if I do something really bad? Oh, so there's levels of bad. It's another way we judge people. Because you think kind of lying on your taxes ain't as bad as that person who cheated on their wife. The standard for Jesus is perfect. So this isn't about good and bad. This is about perfect or not. In case nobody's told you, we all land in the not perfect category. So the grace is needed for everybody. Heard somebody illustrate this way. They said, if me and my wife. Me and my wife are standing up here, it's like, who can jump the highest? They'd be like, oh, I could definitely jump I higher than Abby. But if the goal was to jump to the moon, it's like, you know what? I really don't. In comparison of what the standard is, I don't jump that much higher than Abby. We like to use our sin to judge. Well, you know, this sin, it didn't really affect me that well, but no, no, no. The standard is perfect. Perfect. Not having one thought against anybody that is not willing, they're good. If you've ever done that, you're out. My prayer today is if you have been stuck in a cycle of shame, you've been stuck in carrying the weight of the decisions you've made in the past. Maybe you're here Today, and you're in church worshiping God out of shame. I'm going to pray a very simple prayer. And all I'm going to ask you is to give that shame to him. I'm going a little bit over time, but I have to express this to you because it's so important. The story in the Bible of Luke, chapter 15, the son is a long way off. The Bible says. And the Bible tells us that the father is sitting on the porch looking. And he's looking out there, and the son is practicing his speech of what am I going to say to dad? So I can just get in, okay? And it says, the father is standing there and he's looking. And the Bible tells us he takes off running at this time. It was disgraceful for a man of that stature to run. And here's the other thing you don't know. In Jewish tradition, if a young man left the city like that, there was this concept where all the Jewish men, if they saw that boy walk back into town, they had rights to go beat him up and say, you don't get to come back. So here's what the dad is doing. He's saying, before somebody gets to you.

[Pastor Jackie]

Tries to tell you that you can't come back here, let me get up here and put this ring on you. Let me put this robe on you. Let me tell you who you are. Because there will be some people when you are trying to come back home that will try to tell you you're too far gone and you've messed up too much. And by the law's standards, they're right. But, sweetheart, you are my child, and there's nothing you could ever do. So he runs out there, the son doesn't even get his speech. The scripture literally says you can go read it. It says the son finishes his speech, but it says the father wasn't even listening. He grabs a ring, he grabs a robe, and he throws a party.

[Pastor Michael]

If anybody has told you, hey, you better change your clothes before you come up in here. You better stop doing that before he won't let you come in here. It's not true. It's not true. He's standing there waiting, just saying, hey, just come home. But, Dad, I gotta let you know, don't just come home. But I'm a bad person. It's not just come home. If you're in here today, every head bowed, every eye closed, two prayers, maybe three, first prayer, you're home. But you feel like the older brother sometimes. You've done all the right things and bad things keep happening to you. And now you're kind of mad at either God or the people it's happening to. But you don't want to carry that weight, that shame, that burden. You feel frustrated. That's you in this room. I'm gonna ask you to raise your hand right now all over the room. Thank you for your honesty. Thank you. Thank you, God. I pray right now for my brothers and sisters that you would remove the shame and the judgment they have carried. Thank you. They would receive the gift of grace. Every head bowed, every eye closed. You put your hands back down. If you're in this room and you feel like the sun, preparing a speech, and you're sitting here thinking, okay, I gotta figure out a way to do these things so God will love me. And I gotta. And I. And you feel the weight of shame, of decisions you've made, of things you've done, of things you said. And you are crushing, crippled by it right now. You know who you are. You are carrying the weight of sin and shame and your mistakes. I want to tell you today you can make a decision that will change your life forever. It is a decision that does not make sense, that does not add up. But the Bible says in Isaiah that he will trade you your shame for honor. You will find it. You will not have to carry the weight of what you have done. And this is what happens when you give your life to Jesus. If you're in this room and maybe you have never made this decision, or maybe you're in this room and you realize you've been following Jesus but out of the wrong place, but you want to surrender to grace. You want to surrender to the fact that you have been saved by grace through faith, so that no one could boast that you are putting your faith, that you can't do it by yourself and you want Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. I'm going to count to the count of three. And on the count of three, I'm going to ask you to lift your hand boldly. Do not apologize. Don't think about anybody next to you. This is nothing to do with them. If you want to accept Jesus, you are tired of the shame you have carried for the things you have done, and you do not want to carry it. I'm going to count to three. You're going to raise your hand and you're going to raise it boldly. 1. He loves you. 2. Today is the day of salvation. 3. Right now, all over this room and online. Lift your hand all over this room. I got you over here. So many over you there. I got you, big dog. I see you. I see you. I'm so proud of you. I got you right here. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Come on. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.

[Pastor Jackie]

Oh, come on, y'.

[Pastor Michael]

All.

[Pastor Jackie]

20.

[Pastor Michael]

I got you, big dog. Everybody bow your heads and close your eyes. Dear God, everybody repeat after me. Say, dear God, I acknowledge I'm a sinner. I admit I cannot save myself. I accept the gospel that you lived, you died just for me. Change me, save me, make me new. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Can we celebrate everybody who just made that decision? Hey, listen, if you just made the decision to follow Jesus, we're so proud of you. Biggest decision you could ever make in your life. If you text the word save to 828282, it'll help you on this journey. I'm going to ask everybody to go ahead and stand up. We're about to get out of here, but team's going to sing and lead us in worship. If you need prayer for anything at all, if you need prayer for anything, maybe you've been carrying shame, you've been carrying weight. I'm gonna ask our prayer team to come up to the front and you can come down and receive prayer for anything. But I'm gonna pray for you as we head out of here. Lord God, we love you so much. God, I thank you that we are not under the shame of what we have done, Lord, from a crash out to a bad decision. God, I thank you that, Lord, your grace covers us and empowers us to live a different way. Empowers us, us to change the things that do not make us like you. I pray, Lord, this week that your grace and mercy would follow us. We thank you so much for us, in the name of Jesus, we pray. And everybody said amen. Amen. Amen.