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Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Here you'll find practical, relevant, biblical information.

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The Bible will be broken down verse by verse so that you get the full context of the scripture to better grow in your relationship with Jesus.

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So welcome to everybody in the sanctuary. Welcome to everybody watching us or listening online.

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It's great to have you all with us. There was a Sunday school teacher.

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She wanted to make sure she had driven the point home on her lesson.

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So to make sure that she had done so, she asked her students,

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can anyone tell me what you have to do before you get forgiveness?

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So they'll silence and then a little hand goes up in the back of the class.

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Yes, Johnny says one word, sin.

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He's absolutely right. Hit the nail right on the head, right?

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Because in order for anybody to be forgiven, they have to sin.

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It's something that we've all done, right?

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We've all we've all sinned. We've all fallen short.

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That's a big part of the gospel right there, isn't it?

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Now, you know, last week, we talked a little bit about choosing your heart, right?

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And we do. It's a choice. We all have to choose.

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It's a decision we all get to make.

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And by becoming a Christian, by being a believer, contrary to what a lot of people say, it's not a cure-all pill, right?

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It's not all roses. It's not a golden highway cruising through easy street.

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If anything, it actually makes life harder because we have the word.

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We know what's to come. We know what's expected.

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And I'm going to keep working a little bit on that theme as we go forward this week on choosing your heart.

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You know, it's it's easy for us to to fall short, for things to go wrong, for us to point the finger, blame someone else.

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You know, I think we're all familiar with the old term. The devil made me do it.

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Right. But did he really? No.

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It was our choice. It was our choice to do what we did, to say what we said, to act the way we acted.

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As Pastor Mike was saying earlier, sometimes we're our own worst enemy, right?

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And as hard as it is to do, sometimes we have to step back.

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We have to reevaluate things and we have to take accountability for what we've done.

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It's not always hard. We get so focused on what other people have done, we don't think about what we've done.

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Accountability is a hard thing. Looking for forgiveness is a hard thing.

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We build up these walls in our hearts. Right.

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That's what the Bible refers to as hardening your heart.

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It's the thing that causes division and pulls us away from the Lord.

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And it's a hard pill to swallow.

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In fact, letting go of grudges, anger, and bitterness is one of the hardest things that we have to do as a believer.

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Just in the human state, even for someone who's not a believer, it's hard. It's really hard.

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But we have to. The word tells us we're to forgive.

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Even non-believers know, hey, forgiveness is needed. Right.

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So let's go ahead. Let's open up our Bibles, Bible apps, whatever it is that you're using to our first scripture of the day.

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We're going to be looking at Ephesians chapter four, verses 31 through 32.

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So that's Ephesians four, 31 and 32.

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And the word says,

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Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, which means loud quarreling, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one another,

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tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

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Jesus, he taught on forgiveness pretty thoroughly in the Gospels, too, didn't he?

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It's a big theme.

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You think about it, even when he was asked how we should pray, you think of the Lord's Prayer.

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What's it say in there, right?

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That we forgive others as we're forgiven.

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Right.

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Sometimes it says forgive us our debtors. Right.

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It's the same thing, though. It's all about forgiveness.

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You know, a while back, there was a about a year or two ago, there was a meme that was being shared.

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Some of you might have seen it.

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It made the rounds and it said, When I get disrespected, I get disrespectful.

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And every time this meme would pop up, there would be a whole bunch of likes, a whole lot of shares, right?

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Little hearts on there and comments that fed into it.

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It just really added to this poison that was out there.

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You know, all these little comments, it's cheering it on.

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I thought to myself when I saw this, every time I say, Isn't this what's wrong with the world?

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Right. People, they feel entitled to be disrespectful.

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That it's okay to lash out at others, to treat people poorly.

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Right.

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You know, people today, there is a lot of entitlement, a lot of disrespect to the point of arrogance.

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Right.

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You know, people, they'll beat their own chest until it's bruised.

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And they won't even realize, Oh, it's this guy.

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Right.

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They talk about things, you got to give respect to get respect.

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Okay, that sounds nice, right.

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But then do they give the respect?

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They want to be the first one to be respected before they give anything else.

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You see what's wrong with this picture?

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Where's the love?

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Where's the light? Where's the hope?

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Where's God?

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What's worse is it's coming from professed Christians very often.

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Right.

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It's like, you know what's wrong with your lifestyle? You're going to go to hell.

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There's no tenderness.

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There's no gentleness.

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We fall into that sin ourselves.

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We stray.

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You see things like this.

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I mean, it's just one me and one example of how many thousands.

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And people give into it and they add fuel to that fire before long.

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I mean, it's roaring and you have a room full of idiots cheering each other on.

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Right.

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Probably not the nicest way to put it, but it really is.

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It's like, wow, this is this is moronic.

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Are you guys listening to what you're saying?

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Are you even looking at it?

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Right.

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I'm sure many of us in this room have fallen victim for that trap ourselves.

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Right.

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You know, this isn't the way we're supposed to act as believers.

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In fact, when we don't forgive and we're unwilling to forgive and we start feeding into all this,

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we're actually separating ourselves.

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We're falling into the steps of the world.

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We're doing what the enemy wants us to do and not what Jesus wants us to do.

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We're letting our hearts harden.

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When we do this, it's because we're actually falling away from our relationship with Jesus.

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Because if we were in a good relationship and we were looking at the things that we're supposed to,

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we were praying about the things that we're supposed to, and we were applying these lessons

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and what the Holy Spirit has told us to our lives, we would act a whole lot different.

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We would treat people a whole lot different.

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We would say things a whole lot different.

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We would act in love and kindness and tenderness.

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I mean, it doesn't mean that everyone's going to like everything that you're going to say.

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They're not.

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Because you know what?

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The truth could hurt, right?

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We've heard this.

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The truth can be painful because when you hear it and you're convicted, it's like, oh, it hurts.

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I need to change something.

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People don't like hearing that.

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But that's the way it is.

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That's why the Holy Spirit's there working.

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They're still cool.

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Whatever that was.

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Might have been our speaker.

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I don't know.

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What was it?

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Ah, OK.

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That's all right.

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But either way, we need to understand forgiveness is part of God's mercy for us, part of Jesus' mercy for us.

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Which brings me to our next point.

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It's been commanded.

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It's been commanded in more than one place in the Bible.

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We'll turn to Matthew chapter 5.

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So Matthew chapter 5, verses 21 through 26.

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So Matthew 5, 21 through 26.

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I'm not going to go through it all.

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I just have that part up here.

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Well, we'll go through it here in a second before we get there, though, as you're turning.

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Right before it in verses 17 through 20, it actually talks about Jesus didn't come to abolish the law.

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He wasn't coming to get rid of it.

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Right.

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In fact, the Old Testament, there were three specific areas of law that that needed to be followed.

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There's ceremonial, which had to do with how Israel was to worship the Lord.

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Right.

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And on top of that, we know they didn't know it pointed the way to Jesus, as we now know.

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After his after the coming of Christ, his death, his resurrection, we're no longer bound by these.

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So that was that was the first part.

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That part's gone.

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However, the second two areas are still there, the civil and the moral.

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And these have to do with our daily living and our obedience to God.

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Right.

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Following what he set forth for us, what he's told us we need to do.

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And how we treat each other.

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You know, these laws were they were made to help people not just come to God, but to love him, to come into relationship with him and each other.

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People read the Bible and they just think, oh, it's all about me and God.

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And it's so much more than that.

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It actually leads up to the Great Commission, which we'll go into at a later time.

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Now, Jesus made it clear that he wasn't here to abolish the law and to get rid of it.

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But rather, we needed to study it to see what it says and how we need to apply it to our lives.

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You know, easier said than done sometimes, isn't it?

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Now, someone really gets on your skin, really ticks you off.

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Man.

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You know, people want to jump to things like eye for an eye, even though it's not quite what it means.

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Right.

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They want to twist things to justify their own vengeance or, you know, their their own little their own little bloodlust.

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You know, however, loving and God, we the more we love him, the closer our relationship is with them, the better we get to know him and his character.

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The easier it is for us to love others.

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To get to know others, to open ourselves up to this, to lower those boundaries that we've set up those walls and those barriers and to recognize our own sin.

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And to realize, hey, you know what?

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I need to forgive these guys because they're doing the same things I've done.

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I'm no better than them.

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So why should I hold them to a higher standard?

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You know, that's not about nitpicking things, blowing them out of proportion.

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However, when we feel wronged, we respond pretty quickly in a negative way, don't we?

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Blood pressure gets boiling, maybe maybe your face turns a little red, get a little warm around the neck.

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Some words start coming out of your mouth that really shouldn't punch a wall or something.

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Right.

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Throw something across the room.

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It's not the way we're supposed to act, though.

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Instead, if we're actually to listen to what we've been told, we turn the other cheek, right?

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We respond in that kindness and love, it hurts, but you know what?

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Maybe I've caused offense, too.

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Usually it's a two way street, isn't it?

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It's not just a one way.

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As much as we want to say it's all coming from over here, we usually have something that we've thrown into that pot ourselves.

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So what we need to do is we need to actually step back instead of looking for retribution and vengeance.

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I need to right this wrong.

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No, we don't.

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Need to pray, right?

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We need to act in kindness.

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We need to stop looking at things as, oh, this has happened.

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I've been embarrassed in front of all these people.

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I need the approval of all these people.

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No, you don't.

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You absolutely don't.

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The approval you need is for him.

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Without his approval, none of the other people's approval that you're looking for is going to matter.

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In the end, his approval is the only approval that truly matters.

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So what?

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You get a little embarrassed.

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Learn a lesson.

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Work on your character.

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Stop focusing on what the world says is important.

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All these menial things that are supposedly going to fill this void in your life and make you happy, right?

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This nonsense that says you're entitled.

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You're entitled to nothing.

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It's one of the things I hate when it comes to the VA, people start talking about disability ratings and all that, right?

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So yes, if you have a disability, yes, you should get it rated.

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And the doctors and the people who are there, they should be honest instead of looking at it like, oh, this guy's lying and trying to prove that you're lying.

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Right?

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There's an issue there.

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I'm not saying there isn't.

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I fought this battle myself for many years.

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And I'm sure most of the veterans in here that are registered have fought that same battle themselves and have worked with other people who have.

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But we need to change our mindset from this, well, I served, so I'm entitled to all of this.

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Because we're not.

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That wasn't in the contract we signed.

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That was not in the oath that we took saying, oh, I'm going to go and do this and you're going to give me all this.

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No.

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You go back and you look at any contract going all the way back, you actually pay attention to the oath that we took.

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It's like any other job.

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They'll take care of you while you're there.

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But afterwards, you know what?

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Maybe we'll see what we can do to take care of the injury that happened.

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But beyond that, you need to go out and you need to work.

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You are not entitled to sit back and just let things come to you.

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You still need to be an active member of society.

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Which is very much how the Lord has built us.

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We think of Jesus.

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They asked him, why do you work so much?

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I do as the Father's done, right?

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Six days a week, observe the Sabbath.

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But instead we think, oh, I need this, I need that, I'm entitled to all this, I need the easy street.

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It's not right.

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We need to start looking to be God-centered and not self-centered.

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Selfless and not selfish.

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And we need to look to God to help guide us, especially when we're angry or hurt, to help guide our words and our actions.

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It's a hard choice.

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But choose your heart.

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Choose your heart.

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We fall into sin by not forgiving and we push ourselves away from Christ in the process.

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And now we're going to go ahead and we're going to go into verses 21 through 26.

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I hope everyone's already there.

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Jesus said, you have heard that it was said to those of old, meaning those of ancient times, you shall not murder.

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And whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.

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But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

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And whoever says to his brother, raqqa, which is an Arabic term of contempt, it means empty headed, right?

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Whoever says to his brother, raqqa, shall be in danger of the council.

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But whoever says, you fool, shall be in danger of hellfire.

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Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

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leave your gift there before the altar and go your way.

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First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift.

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Agree with your adversary quickly while you are on the way with him.

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Unless your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer and you be thrown into prison.

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Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

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When we refuse to forgive, it's coming from hurt and anger.

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It's coming from the things that the enemy feeds off of.

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Anger is a sin, just like murder.

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That's what it's telling us here.

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That's exactly what Jesus is comparing it to.

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The problem that people had at this time and people still have is they look at Exodus 20, 13 where it says,

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shall not murder, and they want to apply it literally, right?

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They look at it as though, hey, this person has not gone out.

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They haven't physically committed the act of murder.

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So they're okay.

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Let them go. They're fine.

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They'll get over it, right?

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But what Jesus is saying is no, that's not the case.

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Because when you take all this, you take all this hate, this discontent, this venom,

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and you just let it build up in your heart and you start thinking about it.

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You start thinking ill of your brother, your sister, your neighbor.

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And at that point, you are just as guilty of murder as the guy who physically committed it.

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Because you think about it, what happens?

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Politics, great example right now, we're in election season, right?

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There's a politician, maybe they're on the other side of the side that you're voting for.

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You don't like what they have to say or what they stand for.

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You're like, man, somebody should take that guy out and shoot him.

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Why haven't they hung this guy yet?

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They need to bring back public executions for treason

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and put him back out on the White House lawn.

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They say certain ugly things like this.

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Just an example.

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Or we see something on the news, like, oh, look at that scumbag.

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I hope he gets the treatment in jail.

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Bubba's going to enjoy him.

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I mean, we're supposed to think so.

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And we let it build up and that hate takes over.

286
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And it is. It's hate. It's not love.

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There's no love in there. It's all malice.

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While people would say it's just words, there's no harm, no foul.

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There is.

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Because it's in here.

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And it takes over spiritually.

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It pulls us away from the Lord.

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We fall into sin.

294
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We're angry at their sin and we ourselves sin in return.

295
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So not only are they needing a need of forgiveness from somebody,

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but now you are as well.

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You, me, all of us.

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The reason why anger is such a terrible sin

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is because it pulls us away from one of the greatest commandments.

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When Jesus was asked, what's the greatest commandments, right?

301
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Or greatest commandment?

302
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:44,000
There's two. First one, love God, all your heart, right?

303
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The second one is like it. Love your neighbor.

304
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If you're acting in hate, discontent, are you acting in love?

305
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:56,000
Are you loving your neighbor? No.

306
00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:00,000
When you're going out and it's like, you know what, I don't like this guy,

307
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:04,000
but we have this going on and I have to give this to him.

308
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,000
Yeah, you're going to go over and you're going to give it to him.

309
00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,000
But are you doing it with a grateful heart?

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00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,000
Are you doing it because you want to or because you have to?

311
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,000
It becomes very legalistic at this point.

312
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,000
You're doing it because you have to, not because you want to.

313
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,000
So you're just kind of, you know, it's like,

314
00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,000
I have these announcements here, right?

315
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,000
And I come over and I got my buddy Robert here, right?

316
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,000
I'm like, hey, how you doing?

317
00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:27,000
I'm giving this to him because I want him to have it.

318
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,000
I'm happy, right?

319
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,000
But then I take the same thing. I'm going to take this debt back now.

320
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Okay, fine.

321
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,000
And then I got Albert over here.

322
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I'm going to tell him that's offended me.

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There you go.

324
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,000
Right?

325
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,000
It's how we act.

326
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,000
It's how we treat people.

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Literally.

328
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We start treating them poorly.

329
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,000
And we break one of the greatest commandments out there

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00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,000
because if we love somebody, we're not going to treat them like that.

331
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,000
Even though we have something going on inside that we need to deal with,

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00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,000
we're not going to treat them like that.

333
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,000
We're going to treat them like that.

334
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,000
It's not the way we're supposed to show love.

335
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:13,000
It's not the way we're supposed to act.

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Remember, love is an action.

337
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,000
It's not just an empty hollow word.

338
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,000
I know I say it all the time and I will continue to say it all the time.

339
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:21,000
Right?

340
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:28,000
I will die on that hill because the Bible tells us so.

341
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:29,000
We let it run wild in our hearts.

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00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:30,000
We lose control.

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00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:35,000
We run further and further into sin and further and further away from Jesus.

344
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Let's go ahead now and turn over to 1 John chapter 4.

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So 1 John chapter 4.

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00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,000
We're going to specifically be looking at verses 20 and 21.

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I'll give you all a second to get there.

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A little bit different.

349
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:51,000
I don't have my Bible up here.

350
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:52,000
I have it all on my tablet.

351
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,000
I was doing that on purpose because I bookmark everything on my book

352
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,000
or my Bible and I'm already there and everybody's turning over.

353
00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,000
I'm kind of forcing myself to give you all a little time to get there

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00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,000
and I'm not just running wild on you.

355
00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:08,000
So 1 John chapter 4, verses 20 and 21.

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The word puts it like this.

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00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:16,000
If someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar.

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For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen,

359
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:25,000
how can he love God whom he has not seen?

360
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:30,000
And this commandment we have from him that he who loves God must also,

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00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:34,000
excuse me, must love his brother also.

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00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:44,000
As a believer, you are all that many people are ever going to know of God.

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You are all that people are ever going to see of Jesus.

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00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:55,000
You are all that anybody is going to hear of his word as a nonbeliever

365
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:59,000
because people don't care what a book says when they don't know it

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and they don't understand it.

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00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:07,000
What they care about is you and your character as a follower of Christ.

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00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:14,000
Are you living a lifestyle that promotes what you preach?

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Because they need to see Jesus at work in you.

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00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,000
The way we act, the way we talk, the way we treat each other.

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00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:24,000
I know I'm beating the dead horse here, but it's that important.

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It's like when a teacher repeats something in class, it's probably important.

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That's why it's here.

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00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:34,000
All this stuff, how we treat each other, it is a reflection of our relationship with Christ.

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Where we stand with God.

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00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,000
And the world's always on the lookout.

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00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,000
They have us in this fishbowl, right?

378
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,000
They're watching to see what we're going to do next.

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00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:53,000
If we're going to live up to that bar that they expect us to be at

380
00:25:53,000 --> 00:26:01,000
or if we're going to be all the way down here with the rest of the world.

381
00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,000
Are we going to act godly or worldly?

382
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:11,000
Choose your heart, right?

383
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:16,000
The world's always on that lookout for what's easiest, what's most popular.

384
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,000
And then they give into that rage and that hate when someone doesn't agree with them

385
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,000
or someone doesn't like them.

386
00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,000
It's the fact someone doesn't like them, they don't even know them.

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00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:29,000
They feel it differently and people get hurt, right?

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00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:30,000
They really do.

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00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:35,000
They get hurt by it.

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00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:38,000
And so they miss what's most important.

391
00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:39,000
A lot of believers, the same thing.

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00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:44,000
Somebody does something that they don't like and they get hurt.

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00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:48,000
They miss Jesus in the process.

394
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:57,000
And like them, when we get blinded by our own rage, we also don't see Jesus.

395
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We just see that red line.

396
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,000
Or in some cases white, right?

397
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,000
But definitely not the light.

398
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:13,000
You know, it's funny because when kids act out, like, oh, they don't know any better.

399
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:14,000
They're still growing.

400
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:15,000
It's okay.

401
00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:16,000
They're dealing with something.

402
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,000
They just don't know how to vocalize it yet, right?

403
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:24,000
So we're quick to forgive a kid.

404
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:30,000
But when it comes to an adult, especially someone that we don't know, we don't know their background,

405
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:38,000
we don't know their upbringing, whether or not they're even a believer or not, we go the opposite direction.

406
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:39,000
It's like that, right?

407
00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:40,000
Blink of an eye.

408
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:41,000
Oh, they're an adult.

409
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,000
They're old enough.

410
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:46,000
They should know better.

411
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,000
And we become very vengeful.

412
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,000
Like, look at this scumbag.

413
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:51,000
No.

414
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:52,000
Uh-uh.

415
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:53,000
That's not acceptable.

416
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:58,000
Nope.

417
00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:01,000
We need to exercise some self-control and grow up.

418
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,000
We shouldn't be acting like that.

419
00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,000
What's wrong with this guy?

420
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:15,000
We don't stop to think that adults, much like children, act the same way when they're hurt.

421
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:20,000
Hurt people hurt people.

422
00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:21,000
Hurt people hurt people.

423
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:22,000
It's that simple.

424
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:24,000
I'm going to share a story with you.

425
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:29,000
Back in 1979, police arrested a 23-year-old man, his name is Rusty.

426
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,000
He's out in West Virginia, Rusty Wellborn.

427
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:39,000
It was one of the most brutal slangs that the state had ever seen.

428
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:46,000
Rusty was tried for murder, convicted, received the death penalty.

429
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:51,000
At this time, he was locked up.

430
00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:55,000
Bob McAllister came along.

431
00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:59,000
He was deputy chief of staff to South Carolina's governor.

432
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:03,000
He had become acquainted with Rusty while he was on death row.

433
00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:08,000
Bob still knew in his walk with Christ.

434
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:13,000
He had come to Christ and became a believer about a year prior.

435
00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:19,000
And getting to know, you know, seeing Rusty here, caged up on death row,

436
00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,000
he felt the Lord put it on his heart.

437
00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:24,000
I need to go and minister to this guy.

438
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:27,000
I need to go and talk to this guy.

439
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,000
That's pretty tough, isn't it?

440
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,000
Because when we come across somebody who's murdered somebody, they're guilty,

441
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,000
even before the trial's over.

442
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,000
Even as believers, right, no, lock him up or throw away the cage,

443
00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:43,000
give him the needle, give him the gas chamber, whatever, right?

444
00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:47,000
But here he is already on death row.

445
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:51,000
And here's Bob, and he hears God, and he feels that weight on his heart.

446
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,000
I need to go minister to this guy.

447
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:54,000
So he does just that.

448
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,000
He goes in, and he sees Rusty.

449
00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:05,000
Rusty's sitting in his cell, huddled up in a corner, his blank stare in his eyes,

450
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,000
just kind of giving up, right?

451
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,000
The cell's just kind of in disarray.

452
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:11,000
He's not picking anything up.

453
00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:12,000
He's not really dealing with his trash.

454
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,000
He's just letting it fall where it is.

455
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,000
Roaches are crawling all over it.

456
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,000
They're crawling on him, and he's not batting an eye.

457
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,000
He's just like, I'm going to die anyway.

458
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:22,000
What's it matter?

459
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,000
So Bob goes in, tries to talk to him.

460
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:26,000
He doesn't respond.

461
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:33,000
So he prays with him, tells him a little bit about the gospel, leaves, comes back,

462
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:39,000
does it again day after day after day, shares the gospel, prays.

463
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,000
Share the gospel, pray.

464
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:47,000
One day he shows up.

465
00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,000
Things have changed.

466
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:55,000
Rusty actually has life in his eyes again.

467
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:59,000
He's cleaned up, even in his little prison attire.

468
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:00,000
He's cleaned up his cell.

469
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,000
He's made his bed.

470
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,000
He's taken care of all the trash.

471
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,000
Everything is in order.

472
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,000
Whoa!

473
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:13,000
And now he and Bob start talking.

474
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:17,000
Rusty has been listening the whole time.

475
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,000
He's been observant.

476
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:28,000
And now he's hearing of Christ and his love and what he's done for us, and he wants to know more.

477
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:36,000
So he and Bob become very close friends over the course of about five years.

478
00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:42,000
So much so that Bob sees him as basically like a surrogate son, and he sees Bob as a surrogate father.

479
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:46,000
He even calls him Pap, like Pappy, right?

480
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:47,000
A nice little nickname.

481
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,000
Out here it's more, you're more prone to hear Pop.

482
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:53,000
Back there, Pap.

483
00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:54,000
So he hears more.

484
00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:55,000
He grows more.

485
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:56,000
Bob comes to learn.

486
00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,000
Rusty grew up in a pretty rust state.

487
00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:05,000
He was abused growing up with all of his brothers and sisters.

488
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,000
He struggled in school.

489
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:13,000
In fact, just going to school was a chore not only for him but for the school staff.

490
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,000
He only had two pairs of pants and two shirts, which he wore all the time.

491
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,000
It's very embarrassing for him.

492
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:22,000
So it would be for a lot of people, right?

493
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:28,000
In and out of the system, if he wasn't getting thrown out of the house, he was running away.

494
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:34,000
All the way up until the day that led him to this, when he acted out, committed one of the most heinous acts that state had ever seen.

495
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:46,000
Now, in the process of this, hearing about the Lord and his forgiveness and his love, his heart softens.

496
00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:53,000
He starts feeling really guilty, really sad about what he's done.

497
00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:58,000
Not only to this victim, but to the family.

498
00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,000
To the family.

499
00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:05,000
That one little piece that we tend to forget about after the news has gone away.

500
00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:13,000
What just so happened during this time, the brother of the woman he killed had also come to Christ.

501
00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:19,000
While God was working on Rusty's heart, he was also working on the family, especially his brother.

502
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:24,000
And the brother of the victim felt it on his heart, I need to forgive.

503
00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:31,000
So he wrote him a letter, I forgive you.

504
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:34,000
Later on, he actually comes to the jail.

505
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:42,000
And they embrace as brothers in Christ and hug each other and wept together.

506
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:50,000
Rusty knowing he can't take back what he did, but he's found forgiveness from the people that are still there that he hurt.

507
00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:55,000
There's some redemption to be had there.

508
00:33:55,000 --> 00:34:00,000
Of course, time goes on.

509
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,000
Bob keeps coming to visit him.

510
00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:11,000
And it gets down just a few days before he's supposed to be, or before his execution.

511
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:16,000
Bob comes in, spends time with him.

512
00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:20,000
And Rusty just says, hey, I love you.

513
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:23,000
Could you just read the Bible for me today?

514
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,000
Let's not just talk, just read the Bible for me.

515
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:31,000
So Bob stayed there and he read that Bible to him for about an hour.

516
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:37,000
After about an hour, Rusty kind of stopped moving, his eyes were closed.

517
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,000
Bob figured, okay, he's asleep.

518
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:40,000
That's good.

519
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:41,000
That's our time, right?

520
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:49,000
So he takes his blanket, he covers him up, basically tucks him in and kisses him on his forehead.

521
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:53,000
He leaves for the last interaction together.

522
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:58,000
Because right after, not too long after that, he's taken to be executed.

523
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:05,000
The woman who was helping to prepare Rusty before he got executed talked about his last moments.

524
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:11,000
How she was preparing him to meet the father.

525
00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:23,000
Rusty made a comment, said, what a shame that a man's got to wait till his last night alive to be kissed and talked in for the very first time.

526
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:28,000
A life of pain and turmoil.

527
00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:32,000
And you think of how people cheated him, talked about him.

528
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:37,000
Yet we wonder why people turn out the way they do.

529
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:49,000
But now here he is at the end of his life, thankfully now a believer, knowing he's been forgiven by the family, actually being able to embrace them as a brother in Christ.

530
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,000
A surrogate father he never had.

531
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:56,000
And love.

532
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:58,000
He now knows what love is.

533
00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:03,000
Which for us is no different than how Jesus loves us.

534
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,000
Because we've sinned, we've all messed up.

535
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,000
Right?

536
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:12,000
And what are we looking at as a nonbeliever if we don't ask for forgiveness?

537
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,000
If we don't forgive others?

538
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:20,000
Bible tells us the wages of sin is death.

539
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:28,000
Sad indeed, someone has to wait to get to their final few breaths before they know what love and forgiveness truly is.

540
00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:37,000
Yet we want to throw a fit because somebody messed up our at the drive through.

541
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:38,000
Brings me to our third point.

542
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:41,000
We all want to be forgiven.

543
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,000
Every single one of us.

544
00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:46,000
We all want to be forgiven.

545
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:53,000
Turn with me now to Luke chapter 6 verses 27 and 28.

546
00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:56,000
So Luke 6.

547
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:57,000
So I said 27, 28.

548
00:36:57,000 --> 00:37:03,000
Luke chapter 6, 27 through 31.

549
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:04,000
Oh no, the board's right, 27, 28.

550
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:07,000
Sorry, I didn't update my notes here.

551
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,000
So Luke 6, 27, 28.

552
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:14,000
Jesus says, But I say to you who hear, love your enemies.

553
00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:17,000
Do good to those who hate you.

554
00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:18,000
Bless those who curse you.

555
00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:24,000
And pray for those who spitefully use you.

556
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,000
See, loving someone who's offended us is hard.

557
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:28,000
It's not easy.

558
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,000
It doesn't come natural.

559
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,000
Not even a little bit.

560
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,000
The hate is what comes naturally.

561
00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:41,000
But love, man, that's hard.

562
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:46,000
Even a family member messes up.

563
00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,000
Quick to anger.

564
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,000
I know I've upset my wife a few times.

565
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:52,000
She's ready to throw a pat at me and hide the body.

566
00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:57,000
Right?

567
00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:59,000
I know there's been times I've upset my mom enough.

568
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:04,000
She's like, man, should have put you up for adoption.

569
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:05,000
Right?

570
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,000
We've all done these things.

571
00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:12,000
So forgiving someone, loving someone, it doesn't come natural.

572
00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:16,000
We don't just fall in love with people when they hurt us.

573
00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:20,000
Or when they hurt something inside of us, an ideal maybe.

574
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:21,000
Right?

575
00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:23,000
Like we see people do things on the news and it just angers us.

576
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,000
Ah!

577
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,000
Right?

578
00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:28,000
But it's a mindset.

579
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:32,000
It's an action that we have to take on our part in our own heart.

580
00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:42,000
You see, to love your enemy is to take the anger and the pain and set it to the side.

581
00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:46,000
Set it to the side.

582
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:54,000
And instead of acting on this and the malice that we have,

583
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:59,000
we think about how we should act as a believer, how God would have us act,

584
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:02,000
how God tells us to act.

585
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:09,000
And we act in that way that brings honor and glory and points to him.

586
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,000
We take, basically, we take ourself out of the equation.

587
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:12,000
Right?

588
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,000
People like to say more Jesus and less me.

589
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,000
That's the best place to do it.

590
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:21,000
It's like, mmm, because me wants to hit this guy in the face.

591
00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:28,000
Jesus tells me to wash his feet.

592
00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:32,000
You know, empathy, grace, mercy.

593
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:35,000
We might not know why somebody is acting the way that they're acting,

594
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:41,000
doing the things that they're doing, saying the things that they're saying.

595
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,000
We don't need to.

596
00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,000
And it helps us, right?

597
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:49,000
But there is nothing in forgiving somebody or loving somebody that says,

598
00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,000
you have to know what's going on there.

599
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:55,000
We don't have to agree with it.

600
00:39:55,000 --> 00:40:00,000
Instead, we should pray for them.

601
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,000
Who in here has ever thought, hey, I need to pray for my enemy.

602
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:07,000
I need to pray for the guy who's offended me.

603
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:10,000
We don't usually.

604
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:14,000
Lock him up, throw away the key, put him in a hole.

605
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:15,000
We need to pray.

606
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,000
We need to pray for the Lord to soften their heart,

607
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:22,000
to show them the errors of their way,

608
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,000
and to pray for their healing.

609
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:29,000
Their healing.

610
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,000
They're acting the way they are because they're hurt.

611
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,000
Hurt people hurt people.

612
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:37,000
They need to heal.

613
00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:41,000
When people are hurt, they don't even necessarily realize that they're hurting others

614
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:46,000
and that they're acting out in a shameful way, in a hurtful way.

615
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:53,000
Or they've been indoctrinated to think that it's okay for them to do this by the world.

616
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,000
Because that's what the enemy wants.

617
00:40:55,000 --> 00:41:00,000
So it could very well be that they're lashing out because they feel safe to do it around you,

618
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:04,000
because you are a safe place for them.

619
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,000
They're not going to say that.

620
00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:10,000
But when we know somebody really well,

621
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:12,000
or you're getting to know someone really well, you know what?

622
00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:14,000
They know that they're in a place of love.

623
00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:16,000
They know they're in a place of forgiveness.

624
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:20,000
And they don't know how to get these things out, so they act it out.

625
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,000
They act it out.

626
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:26,000
Look at veterans at PTSD.

627
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:30,000
First responders, right?

628
00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,000
Not just them, teenagers.

629
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:40,000
They're geared to go this way, but not this way.

630
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:44,000
So they lash out.

631
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,000
You know, sometimes people are just having a bad day.

632
00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:50,000
They're having a bad day and the Lord's put you in their way

633
00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:54,000
so that they can unload that burden.

634
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:57,000
Not that it's not going to be painful for you.

635
00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:59,000
It might be painful for you, absolutely.

636
00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:02,000
It might be confusing.

637
00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:03,000
It's definitely been times my kid's been upset.

638
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,000
I'm like, dude, what's going on?

639
00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:07,000
Right?

640
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,000
It happens.

641
00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:14,000
But he's put you there because you can take that hit and rebound from it

642
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:20,000
and continue to show them love and mercy and forgiveness.

643
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:22,000
It's like a surgeon.

644
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:26,000
You have to remember, the father is the ultimate physician.

645
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:32,000
Sometimes physicians need to allow for some hurt to happen in order for full healing to happen,

646
00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:35,000
like manipulating a broken bone or a torn muscle.

647
00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:40,000
You have to cut into things, surgery, right?

648
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:46,000
We forgive people to show Christ to others.

649
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,000
To show Christ to others, to show his light.

650
00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:56,000
Not long before she died, 1988, Margenita Lasky, she was a novelist and a journalist,

651
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,000
and she was quoted as saying,

652
00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:06,000
What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness. I have nobody to forgive me.

653
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:09,000
What a lonely statement.

654
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:15,000
A lonely, painful, hurtful statement.

655
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:20,000
She was an atheist, unfortunately.

656
00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:22,000
We need to forgive others to show the love of Christ,

657
00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:31,000
and we need to forgive because even on the cross, Christ forgave us.

658
00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:35,000
Luke 23, verses 33 and 34.

659
00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:41,000
So Luke 23, verses 33 and 34, the word says,

660
00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:45,000
And when they had come to the place called Calvary there, they crucified him.

661
00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:51,000
And the criminals, one on the right hand and one on the left,

662
00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:54,000
then Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

663
00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:59,000
Even on the cross, Christ forgave all.

664
00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:10,000
He was mocked, tortured, embarrassed, and dying a slow, horrible death.

665
00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:12,000
He forgave.

666
00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:14,000
He prays for everyone.

667
00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:20,000
Forgiveness of the Jews, the Gentile, the Jewish leaders, the Romans,

668
00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:24,000
everyone present and everyone for all time, you and me,

669
00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:30,000
because it's our sin that put him on that tree.

670
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:34,000
And he forgave.

671
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:38,000
He offered us the forgiveness that everyone seeks.

672
00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:42,000
I'm almost done here, guys. One more story.

673
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:45,000
It's a Spanish story. It's gone around for quite some time. You might have heard this.

674
00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:47,000
There's a father and there's a son who became estranged.

675
00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:51,000
The son ran away. Father searched for months high and low,

676
00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:56,000
everywhere he could think of to try to find his son to no avail.

677
00:44:56,000 --> 00:45:00,000
One day in a last-ditch effort, he went to the newspaper there in Madrid,

678
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:05,000
and he took out an ad, and it said, Dear Paco,

679
00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:09,000
meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday.

680
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:14,000
All is forgiven. I love you. Your father.

681
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:20,000
Saturday turns around and 800 Pacos showed up.

682
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:25,000
We all need forgiveness. Sounds like a bad episode of Mari, doesn't it?

683
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:29,000
It's like, you are not the father. You are not the father. You're the father.

684
00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,000
Right?

685
00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:38,000
Christ didn't go to the cross for us to continue to build up balls and to tear each other down.

686
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:41,000
He did it to bring unity to the world, to bring down those divides,

687
00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:48,000
for us to recognize our sin, to forgive others, just as we look to be forgiven ourselves.

688
00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:51,000
We need to put all that anger and that hurt aside.

689
00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:58,000
We need to forgive that boss, that coworker, that parent, that sibling.

690
00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:04,000
And in many cases, you need to forgive yourself.

691
00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:09,000
You need to forgive yourself.

692
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,000
You're allowed to forgive yourself.

693
00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:16,000
Jesus forgave you.

694
00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:21,000
Jesus, who was crucified, forgives you.

695
00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:24,000
So you are allowed to forgive yourself.

696
00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:31,000
Because as much as you love God, as much as you need to love others, you need to love yourself.

697
00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:36,000
And forgiveness is love. Plain and simple.

698
00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:42,000
Forgiveness is a gift that's offered for all, and it was paid in Christ's blood.

699
00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:48,000
It's letting go of that hate, letting go of that pain, so that you can move forward.

700
00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:51,000
It doesn't matter if the other person changes or not.

701
00:46:51,000 --> 00:47:01,000
It's on you to be the other person, to be the godly person, and to move on.

702
00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:03,000
Don't let your anger pull you from Jesus.

703
00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:09,000
Let his love sustain you and work in you for others to see his light.

704
00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:11,000
Let it shine.

705
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:15,000
And with that said, let us pray.

706
00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:20,000
Lord, we thank you for the example and the sacrifice you made for us in Jesus.

707
00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:23,000
We thank you for your forgiveness.

708
00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:30,000
We are reminded of your call to love one another and to forgive,

709
00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:33,000
just as you love us and just as you've forgiven us.

710
00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:44,000
And these many reminders of your character and love that guide us in our daily interactions.

711
00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:49,000
We ask that you bless us all as we depart and go our many ways,

712
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:52,000
that your love shines through us for others to see,

713
00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:57,000
that your light is able to shine in those dark, deep recesses where people are in hurt,

714
00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:02,000
where people are in pain, so that they could come to know you and know what true love is

715
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and know what your forgiveness is before they get to their last breaths like Rusty.

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We ask that you work in us, that we forgive ourselves,

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that we're not as quick to anger and we're faster to love.

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And we thank you for being there with us always and guiding our steps.

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And all of these people said, Amen and Amen.

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Thank you all for joining us here today at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton.

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Please like, subscribe and share our podcast on any platform it is that you tune into us on.

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If you do have any questions, any prayer requests, or would like to know more about our ministry,

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you can find us on our website at BeTheLightSanctuary.org or on Facebook at BeTheLightSanctuary.

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You can also find how to contact us there, whether it's direct message or email.

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We look forward to hearing from you all. God bless.