1
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This last one is a sensitive one too.

2
00:00:16,875 --> 00:00:18,627
This is from "Anonymous."

3
00:00:18,627 --> 00:00:20,451
He didn't want to put his name.

4
00:00:20,451 --> 00:00:24,282
He says, "When I was not saved..."

5
00:00:24,282 --> 00:00:27,245
Now, folks, I'm dealing with this

6
00:00:27,245 --> 00:00:29,531
because this is a real issue.

7
00:00:29,531 --> 00:00:32,908
And I don't think only for this guy.

8
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And because I want to draw

9
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some broader principles that I think

10
00:00:38,255 --> 00:00:43,039
will help all of us.

11
00:00:43,039 --> 00:00:46,274
He says, "When I was not saved,

12
00:00:46,274 --> 00:00:51,474
I sexually abused two people in my family.

13
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One was my step-sister.

14
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The other was my cousin.

15
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I've now repented from 
living a life of sin.

16
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I've given my life to Jesus Christ.

17
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But even now as a Christian,

18
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what am I supposed to do?

19
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My step-sister and my cousin

20
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were very young when I did this to them.

21
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Now, we talk together.

22
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We even get together like all is well.

23
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But they're growing up.

24
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These things I've done

25
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will likely come back to their memory.

26
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What do I do?

27
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As a child, I was also sexually abused

28
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by two people in my family.

29
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What do I do?"

30
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I would say this.

31
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I would say this to anonymous.

32
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I would say this to all of you here.

33
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And in fact, I would say this

34
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and begin this counsel

35
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especially with people that are

36
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likely to watch on the Internet.

37
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People that are likely to be

38
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removed away from San Antonio 
that will hear this.

39
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I say this with regard to all 
the questions that come in.

40
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You know what the Bible tells us?

41
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Hebrews 10:24, "Let us consider

42
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how to stir up one another 
to love and good works,

43
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not neglecting to meet together 
as is the habit of some,

44
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but encouraging one another,

45
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and all the more as you 
see the day drawing near."

46
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That one coupled with Hebrews 13:17,

47
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"Obey your leaders and submit to them

48
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for they are keeping watch over your souls

49
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as those who will have 
to give an account."

50
00:02:37,814 --> 00:02:39,776
You know what I want to say to everybody

51
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that's writing in to 
these Ask Pastor Tim's?

52
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My first counsel to you:

53
00:02:47,027 --> 00:02:49,342
you've got to be in a church.

54
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You've got to be in a good church

55
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where you're constantly and regularly

56
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meeting together with other saints,

57
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where you're being 
encouraged by one another.

58
00:03:01,576 --> 00:03:03,701
You've got to be in a situation like that.

59
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You need to be in a situation

60
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where you're submitting yourself

61
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to leaders, to good godly men

62
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who are keeping watch over your souls;

63
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men who will have to 
give an account for you.

64
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That is my first line of counsel

65
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to any of these folks.

66
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You know, trying to counsel people

67
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by these questions that 
come in across email -

68
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sometimes these people live

69
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a thousand or two thousand miles away.

70
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It is very difficult to counsel people

71
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whose face I don't see

72
00:03:35,213 --> 00:03:40,004
and whose exact circumstances 
I don't know.

73
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The most important thing

74
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is these people need -

75
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and Mr. Anonymous here -

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in this kind of situation,

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he needs to get face-to-face

78
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with some good godly men in a church

79
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where he can sit down

80
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and he can talk through these things.

81
00:03:56,404 --> 00:03:59,755
Because obviously some of these things

82
00:03:59,755 --> 00:04:01,832
are just so sensitive,

83
00:04:01,832 --> 00:04:03,944
and so many details get left out

84
00:04:03,944 --> 00:04:06,558
that I don't know anything about.

85
00:04:06,558 --> 00:04:08,550
Giving the right counsel in these matters

86
00:04:08,550 --> 00:04:12,043
can just be very, very difficult.

87
00:04:12,043 --> 00:04:13,663
And so many of these things,

88
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they need to be bathed in prayer

89
00:04:15,962 --> 00:04:17,983
and discussed in detail,

90
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really, before any type of final counsel

91
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should be given.

92
00:04:23,265 --> 00:04:25,992
So I don't really want to give exact,

93
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specific details here,

94
00:04:27,832 --> 00:04:34,272
but I do want to throw some things out.

95
00:04:34,272 --> 00:04:36,482
And I want to do this in a broader sense.

96
00:04:36,482 --> 00:04:40,186
Not just concerning if we've

97
00:04:40,186 --> 00:04:46,092
sexually wronged somebody in the past.

98
00:04:46,092 --> 00:04:48,162
Let me throw out some principles here.

99
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One things is, folks,

100
00:04:49,875 --> 00:04:51,520
whether it's Mr. Anonymous

101
00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,111
and what he's done here,

102
00:04:54,111 --> 00:04:57,393
we cannot undo the past.

103
00:04:57,393 --> 00:05:01,024
And that's the first place I'd start with.

104
00:05:01,024 --> 00:05:03,665
We don't want to let 
the past drag us down.

105
00:05:03,665 --> 00:05:05,238
We don't want the past

106
00:05:05,238 --> 00:05:08,219
to be a hindrance to our 
running the race now.

107
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We don't want the past to basically be

108
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a reason to fall into despair

109
00:05:13,110 --> 00:05:14,314
and discouragement.

110
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We can't undo the past.

111
00:05:15,928 --> 00:05:17,808
And we've all got things in our past

112
00:05:17,808 --> 00:05:19,641
we wish we didn't have in our past.

113
00:05:19,641 --> 00:05:23,523
We've all done things 
we wish we hadn't done.

114
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The thing about the Christian

115
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is that all these things 
are under the blood.

116
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And so you know what?

117
00:05:33,529 --> 00:05:34,937
We can rejoice in the Lord

118
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no matter what we've done in the past.

119
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Our sins are under that blood.

120
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There is no condemnation 
if we're in Christ.

121
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God's never going to 
require these things of me.

122
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The third thing I'd say is this:

123
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That doesn't mean

124
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that there won't be consequences

125
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for what you've done in the past.

126
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Now, that doesn't mean that there

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always will be.

128
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Let me just tell you this:

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When I was lost, I was a big liar,

130
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and I was a big thief among other things.

131
00:06:18,983 --> 00:06:21,874
And I was a vandal as well.

132
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So, Eric, I'll have some sympathy on you

133
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for all the devastation you caused

134
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in your graffiti life.

135
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There was one Saturday.

136
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It's amazing God didn't kill me.

137
00:06:41,365 --> 00:06:44,931
I was with three other guys.

138
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We had two golf carts.

139
00:06:46,220 --> 00:06:49,515
We're out on a golf course 
up in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

140
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And a thunder storm moved in

141
00:06:51,350 --> 00:06:53,040
and they closed the golf course

142
00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,581
because the lightning was 
striking straight down.

143
00:06:56,581 --> 00:06:59,150
And we went into the bar

144
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and we drank a lot.

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00:07:03,939 --> 00:07:05,821
And we were plastered.

146
00:07:05,821 --> 00:07:08,425
And the lightning is 
striking straight down

147
00:07:08,425 --> 00:07:09,823
out there on the golf course,

148
00:07:09,823 --> 00:07:13,238
and we, like idiots - lost idiots -

149
00:07:13,238 --> 00:07:15,841
out there tempting God to kill us.

150
00:07:15,841 --> 00:07:17,671
We snuck back out there

151
00:07:17,671 --> 00:07:19,201
and we managed to do it

152
00:07:19,201 --> 00:07:21,084
so that the guy running the golf course

153
00:07:21,084 --> 00:07:22,265
didn't see us.

154
00:07:22,265 --> 00:07:24,883
Because when they closed the course down,

155
00:07:24,883 --> 00:07:27,174
we were all the way in the back.

156
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We managed to run out 
and jump on those carts

157
00:07:30,009 --> 00:07:31,925
and get to the back of the golf course

158
00:07:31,925 --> 00:07:35,532
without the course manager seeing us.

159
00:07:35,532 --> 00:07:37,527
We're back there golfing.

160
00:07:37,527 --> 00:07:38,900
We can barely stand.

161
00:07:38,900 --> 00:07:41,061
Lightning is shooting straight down.

162
00:07:41,061 --> 00:07:42,404
You talk about tempting God.

163
00:07:42,404 --> 00:07:44,854
Golf clubs in hand - metal.

164
00:07:44,854 --> 00:07:48,584
We're out there just drunk.

165
00:07:48,584 --> 00:07:51,271
We smashed these golf carts

166
00:07:51,271 --> 00:07:56,771
to where all the tires on 
all the golf carts were flat.

167
00:07:56,771 --> 00:07:58,109
We tore up greens.

168
00:07:58,109 --> 00:08:00,615
Do you know how much a 
green on a golf course cost?

169
00:08:00,615 --> 00:08:01,941
You don't want to know.

170
00:08:01,941 --> 00:08:04,676
Like over $10,000.

171
00:08:04,676 --> 00:08:09,701
We're smashing through the water stands.

172
00:08:09,701 --> 00:08:15,418
The lightning just "bang!" 
Smashing around.

173
00:08:15,418 --> 00:08:17,771
After God saved me, 
I was convicted about that.

174
00:08:17,771 --> 00:08:20,116
After that, it was all smashed up

175
00:08:20,116 --> 00:08:21,653
and they re-opened the course

176
00:08:21,653 --> 00:08:23,154
and the people are walking out.

177
00:08:23,154 --> 00:08:24,898
We hightailed it - dove in the truck

178
00:08:24,898 --> 00:08:27,808
and got out of there.

179
00:08:27,808 --> 00:08:30,022
Well, here God comes and saves me.

180
00:08:30,022 --> 00:08:31,702
I'm just thinking,

181
00:08:31,702 --> 00:08:35,601
oh, I've got to go back 
to that golf course.

182
00:08:35,601 --> 00:08:37,188
And I did.

183
00:08:37,188 --> 00:08:39,149
And I went out there,

184
00:08:39,149 --> 00:08:40,873
and I told them, look,

185
00:08:40,873 --> 00:08:43,656
you can file charges.

186
00:08:43,656 --> 00:08:48,069
I'll pay for it or I'll work it off.

187
00:08:48,069 --> 00:08:49,447
I left my name and number.

188
00:08:49,447 --> 00:08:51,401
The course manager wasn't in right then.

189
00:08:51,401 --> 00:08:53,156
I left it with the bartender there

190
00:08:53,156 --> 00:08:56,353
in the clubhouse.

191
00:08:56,353 --> 00:08:59,949
They never called.

192
00:08:59,949 --> 00:09:03,671
But then another dear 
brother that we know,

193
00:09:03,671 --> 00:09:08,020
he was pretty plastered one night.

194
00:09:08,020 --> 00:09:11,595
He owned a club up on 
the north side of this city.

195
00:09:11,595 --> 00:09:13,124
Two guys walked in one night

196
00:09:13,124 --> 00:09:16,477
and started creating problems.

197
00:09:16,477 --> 00:09:19,131
He pulled out a gun and 
shot one of the guys.

198
00:09:19,131 --> 00:09:23,584
He didn't kill him.

199
00:09:23,584 --> 00:09:28,255
Time goes by, God saves him.

200
00:09:28,255 --> 00:09:32,143
More time goes by - 3 1/2 years go by.

201
00:09:32,143 --> 00:09:35,315
The man's saved.

202
00:09:35,315 --> 00:09:38,405
Somebody identifies him

203
00:09:38,405 --> 00:09:42,201
and he has to go to 
prison for 3 1/2 years.

204
00:09:42,201 --> 00:09:44,571
Let me tell you, just because you're saved

205
00:09:44,571 --> 00:09:47,683
doesn't mean the consequences

206
00:09:47,683 --> 00:09:50,760
might not have to be paid.

207
00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,704
And sometimes those 
consequences can be bad.

208
00:09:53,704 --> 00:09:55,296
There is no condemnation -

209
00:09:55,296 --> 00:09:59,574
God may, in His mercy, even take away

210
00:09:59,574 --> 00:10:04,217
the consequences in this lifetime.

211
00:10:04,217 --> 00:10:08,570
But He might not.

212
00:10:08,570 --> 00:10:09,907
The first thing I would say,

213
00:10:09,907 --> 00:10:11,327
this guy asked the question

214
00:10:11,327 --> 00:10:13,257
about those who have sinned against us.

215
00:10:13,257 --> 00:10:17,741
Obviously, we can forgive them.

216
00:10:17,741 --> 00:10:22,205
Jesus Christ told a parable 
in Matthew 18, did He not?

217
00:10:22,205 --> 00:10:24,354
About the man who was forgiven.

218
00:10:24,354 --> 00:10:26,119
A man owed a tremendous amount,

219
00:10:26,119 --> 00:10:27,267
and he was forgiven.

220
00:10:27,267 --> 00:10:28,966
And then the man that was forgiven,

221
00:10:28,966 --> 00:10:32,458
the servant that was forgiven,

222
00:10:32,458 --> 00:10:35,697
came across another servant 
that owed him money

223
00:10:35,697 --> 00:10:39,701
and required that he pay it.

224
00:10:39,701 --> 00:10:43,503
When it was found out,

225
00:10:43,503 --> 00:10:46,565
the master of those 
servants wasn't real pleased.

226
00:10:46,565 --> 00:10:48,629
And you know, basically, that whole thing

227
00:10:48,629 --> 00:10:49,729
is a picture of us.

228
00:10:49,729 --> 00:10:51,854
How much has the Lord forgiven us of?

229
00:10:51,854 --> 00:10:53,830
Can't we forgive others?

230
00:10:53,830 --> 00:10:55,213
Mr. Anonymous says

231
00:10:55,213 --> 00:10:57,045
that he was sexually abused

232
00:10:57,045 --> 00:10:59,124
by people in his family.

233
00:10:59,124 --> 00:11:01,564
What should he do?
He should forgive them.

234
00:11:01,564 --> 00:11:03,702
I mean, hands down, we should forgive.

235
00:11:03,702 --> 00:11:06,776
All the crimes we've 
committed against God,

236
00:11:06,776 --> 00:11:09,220
(incomplete thought).

237
00:11:09,220 --> 00:11:10,769
Look, you know what it says.

238
00:11:10,769 --> 00:11:14,592
If you don't forgive others,
you will not be forgiven.

239
00:11:14,592 --> 00:11:17,076
Bottom line. Lay it down.

240
00:11:17,076 --> 00:11:20,509
There is no sin that's 
been committed against us

241
00:11:20,509 --> 00:11:22,926
that we have a right to harbor.

242
00:11:22,926 --> 00:11:25,855
God says put them all away.

243
00:11:25,855 --> 00:11:28,103
Look, you've been forgiven so much.

244
00:11:28,103 --> 00:11:29,830
Whatever somebody has done to you

245
00:11:29,830 --> 00:11:31,739
is small in comparison

246
00:11:31,739 --> 00:11:34,664
to all that full weight of sin
you've been forgiven of.

247
00:11:34,664 --> 00:11:37,735
So, as far as that goes,

248
00:11:37,735 --> 00:11:39,955
we just need to let those things go

249
00:11:39,955 --> 00:11:41,872
wherever we've been wronged.

250
00:11:41,872 --> 00:11:46,586
Now, when it comes to those we've wronged,

251
00:11:46,586 --> 00:11:47,930
let me just tell you.

252
00:11:47,930 --> 00:11:49,618
I want to say this to everybody.

253
00:11:49,618 --> 00:11:52,420
We already talked about repentance.

254
00:11:52,420 --> 00:11:55,533
Look, one of the things

255
00:11:55,533 --> 00:11:59,122
that you folks need to 
realize about repentance,

256
00:11:59,122 --> 00:12:03,625
repentance means turning from sin.

257
00:12:03,625 --> 00:12:04,515
And you know what?

258
00:12:04,515 --> 00:12:06,141
Some of those sins you turn from,

259
00:12:06,141 --> 00:12:08,519
you may have to make restitution for.

260
00:12:08,519 --> 00:12:10,275
You may have to fix.

261
00:12:10,275 --> 00:12:12,777
Let me just give you a little 
bit of Scripture here.

262
00:12:12,777 --> 00:12:15,644
Zacchaeus - guess what?

263
00:12:15,644 --> 00:12:17,858
Tax collector. Defrauded a lot of people.

264
00:12:17,858 --> 00:12:20,403
Got saved.

265
00:12:20,403 --> 00:12:22,732
What's the first thing he says?

266
00:12:22,732 --> 00:12:26,249
"He stood up and said,

267
00:12:26,249 --> 00:12:27,914
'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods

268
00:12:27,914 --> 00:12:29,869
I give to the poor, and if I've defrauded

269
00:12:29,869 --> 00:12:32,478
anyone of anything 
I restore it fourfold.'"

270
00:12:32,478 --> 00:12:33,505
Restitution.

271
00:12:33,505 --> 00:12:36,217
He says if I extorted from anybody,

272
00:12:36,217 --> 00:12:38,888
I'm going to give them four times as much.

273
00:12:38,888 --> 00:12:40,651
That's an indication of salvation.

274
00:12:40,651 --> 00:12:42,790
That's an indication of true repentance.

275
00:12:42,790 --> 00:12:45,324
You want to prove your repentance?

276
00:12:45,324 --> 00:12:47,831
If you've wronged people;
if you've stolen things,

277
00:12:47,831 --> 00:12:49,037
go back and pay for it.

278
00:12:49,037 --> 00:12:50,761
Go back and admit it and pay for it.

279
00:12:50,761 --> 00:12:52,512
If it's something that you've stolen

280
00:12:52,512 --> 00:12:54,016
that you can return the object

281
00:12:54,016 --> 00:12:55,788
and it's still in the same condition,

282
00:12:55,788 --> 00:12:58,831
return it.

283
00:12:58,831 --> 00:13:01,099
Ezekiel 33:15 says,

284
00:13:01,099 --> 00:13:02,968
"If the wicked restores the pledge,

285
00:13:02,968 --> 00:13:05,481
gives back what he's taken by robbery,

286
00:13:05,481 --> 00:13:07,722
walks in the statutes of life,

287
00:13:07,722 --> 00:13:08,850
not doing injustice,

288
00:13:08,850 --> 00:13:10,724
he shall surely live.

289
00:13:10,724 --> 00:13:11,832
He shall not die."

290
00:13:11,832 --> 00:13:15,570
There's a picture of true repentance.

291
00:13:15,570 --> 00:13:19,982
Let me tell you this.

292
00:13:19,982 --> 00:13:23,363
What should he do?

293
00:13:23,363 --> 00:13:25,478
What should you do?

294
00:13:25,478 --> 00:13:26,785
What about it?

295
00:13:26,785 --> 00:13:28,303
What does repentance look like?

296
00:13:28,303 --> 00:13:29,727
You know what it looks like?

297
00:13:29,727 --> 00:13:31,090
It looks like going back

298
00:13:31,090 --> 00:13:32,744
to the crimes that I've committed

299
00:13:32,744 --> 00:13:34,963
and the things that I've 
done in my past life

300
00:13:34,963 --> 00:13:36,451
and looking at those things,

301
00:13:36,451 --> 00:13:40,944
and making restitution 
where restitution is possible.

302
00:13:40,944 --> 00:13:44,030
Now restitution isn't always possible.

303
00:13:44,030 --> 00:13:45,412
There are some situations

304
00:13:45,412 --> 00:13:47,207
that it may not be possible.

305
00:13:47,207 --> 00:13:49,238
You may never be able to find the person

306
00:13:49,238 --> 00:13:50,454
you stole the thing from.

307
00:13:50,454 --> 00:13:54,092
You may not know where 
they are, where they live.

308
00:13:54,092 --> 00:13:55,546
The person you lied to,

309
00:13:55,546 --> 00:13:57,733
you can't go back and 
tell the truth to them

310
00:13:57,733 --> 00:13:59,866
about some major lie you told

311
00:13:59,866 --> 00:14:01,349
that sticks out in your mind,

312
00:14:01,349 --> 00:14:03,649
because maybe they've died already.

313
00:14:03,649 --> 00:14:04,992
There's a number of reasons

314
00:14:04,992 --> 00:14:06,870
why restitution can't be made,

315
00:14:06,870 --> 00:14:09,505
but where it can be made, 
it should be made.

316
00:14:09,505 --> 00:14:10,847
Now what should this guy do?

317
00:14:10,847 --> 00:14:12,687
I mean, what in the world do you do

318
00:14:12,687 --> 00:14:15,553
when it's some kind of sexual sin?

319
00:14:15,553 --> 00:14:20,059
Especially with little children?

320
00:14:20,059 --> 00:14:22,891
Well, I would say this,

321
00:14:22,891 --> 00:14:25,312
this is a thing that's not real clear cut.

322
00:14:25,312 --> 00:14:28,197
I don't know that I have exactly 
the answer for this guy,

323
00:14:28,197 --> 00:14:29,572
but I would say this.

324
00:14:29,572 --> 00:14:32,600
For one, you definitely want 
to be much in prayer.

325
00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:35,083
I guarantee you, when God saved me,

326
00:14:35,083 --> 00:14:37,910
oh brother, I had so many things I stole

327
00:14:37,910 --> 00:14:39,602
and so many lies I told.

328
00:14:39,602 --> 00:14:42,088
I went though all my possessions

329
00:14:42,088 --> 00:14:43,473
and piled them all together,

330
00:14:43,473 --> 00:14:45,349
and anything that would come to my mind

331
00:14:45,349 --> 00:14:46,979
that I stole or that I vandalized,

332
00:14:46,979 --> 00:14:48,226
I made a list.

333
00:14:48,226 --> 00:14:51,165
And I basically made a determination,

334
00:14:51,165 --> 00:14:54,952
I was going to take care of one a day.

335
00:14:54,952 --> 00:14:56,900
That I thought was reasonable,

336
00:14:56,900 --> 00:14:59,926
otherwise I felt I would 
be overwhelmed by it.

337
00:14:59,926 --> 00:15:01,910
And I had to go back and tell people

338
00:15:01,910 --> 00:15:09,479
some ridiculous embarrassing things.

339
00:15:09,479 --> 00:15:12,352
But you know, a lot of 
prayer went into that.

340
00:15:12,352 --> 00:15:16,649
Oh, I remember one 
landlord I went back to.

341
00:15:16,649 --> 00:15:19,238
It was the very first one on the list.

342
00:15:19,238 --> 00:15:21,259
I was just a brand new Christian,

343
00:15:21,259 --> 00:15:22,880
and I was just scared to death.

344
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:24,750
And I sat down the road in my car.

345
00:15:24,750 --> 00:15:27,971
It was a landlord that 
I moved my stuff out

346
00:15:27,971 --> 00:15:29,857
when he wasn't home and didn't pay

347
00:15:29,857 --> 00:15:32,049
the last month or two or three rent.

348
00:15:32,049 --> 00:15:34,346
I forget what it was.

349
00:15:34,346 --> 00:15:35,588
And I had the money now,

350
00:15:35,588 --> 00:15:36,907
and I was down the street.

351
00:15:36,907 --> 00:15:39,145
And I was just scared to death.

352
00:15:39,145 --> 00:15:42,840
And I was praying and praying and praying.

353
00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,246
And I went up there to the door,

354
00:15:45,246 --> 00:15:46,779
and you know, I almost thought

355
00:15:46,779 --> 00:15:49,281
that the guy would be 
dead because he was old.

356
00:15:49,281 --> 00:15:52,508
But he looked just the same.

357
00:15:52,508 --> 00:15:53,726
He came to the door

358
00:15:53,726 --> 00:15:55,546
and I said, "Sir, you know,

359
00:15:55,546 --> 00:15:58,005
I used to live in your 
house next door here,

360
00:15:58,005 --> 00:16:01,154
and I bailed on the rent."

361
00:16:01,154 --> 00:16:04,059
And I forget how much I 
actually had to give to him.

362
00:16:04,059 --> 00:16:08,096
I think I had three or 
four hundred dollars,

363
00:16:08,096 --> 00:16:12,736
probably like a stack 
of twenties in my hand.

364
00:16:12,736 --> 00:16:14,869
And he said, "Oh, don't worry about it."

365
00:16:14,869 --> 00:16:16,473
Then he looked down and he saw

366
00:16:16,473 --> 00:16:17,976
that wad of cash in my hand.

367
00:16:17,976 --> 00:16:24,077
He grabbed it.

368
00:16:24,077 --> 00:16:25,473
But you've got to pray.

369
00:16:25,473 --> 00:16:27,514
And you've got to acknowledge the Lord.

370
00:16:27,514 --> 00:16:29,707
You need help to do these things.

371
00:16:29,707 --> 00:16:31,415
And you know what the Lord says?

372
00:16:31,415 --> 00:16:33,746
If you acknowledge Him, 
He'll direct your path.

373
00:16:33,746 --> 00:16:34,967
You really need the Lord

374
00:16:34,967 --> 00:16:36,722
to direct your path in these things.

375
00:16:36,722 --> 00:16:38,353
And I'll tell you what,

376
00:16:38,353 --> 00:16:40,538
love has to dictate.

377
00:16:40,538 --> 00:16:44,640
There are certain things,

378
00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,443
love may dictate not to go back

379
00:16:47,443 --> 00:16:50,318
and reopen a wound.

380
00:16:50,318 --> 00:16:52,909
You've got to weigh these things out.

381
00:16:52,909 --> 00:16:54,524
I'll tell you what,

382
00:16:54,524 --> 00:16:56,390
and I would say this to Mr. Anonymous,

383
00:16:56,390 --> 00:16:58,753
you never want to make 
any of your decisions

384
00:16:58,753 --> 00:17:02,166
about restitution or 
correcting past sins

385
00:17:02,166 --> 00:17:05,657
based on self-preservation.

386
00:17:05,657 --> 00:17:07,366
You don't make decisions based on

387
00:17:07,366 --> 00:17:10,631
what's easy on you.

388
00:17:10,631 --> 00:17:12,766
You make decisions based on what's right

389
00:17:12,766 --> 00:17:16,156
and what love dictates.

390
00:17:16,156 --> 00:17:18,178
And you need to be honest.

391
00:17:18,178 --> 00:17:20,008
Because when you get in those things

392
00:17:20,008 --> 00:17:21,549
and you start confessing things

393
00:17:21,549 --> 00:17:23,018
and you get put on the spot,

394
00:17:23,018 --> 00:17:24,615
you need to be honest.

395
00:17:24,615 --> 00:17:27,811
It's time to confess just 
exactly the way it is.

396
00:17:27,811 --> 00:17:30,020
And I would say to Mr. Anonymous,

397
00:17:30,020 --> 00:17:31,593
because these are little children

398
00:17:31,593 --> 00:17:33,526
and these little children might likely

399
00:17:33,526 --> 00:17:37,480
grow up with this,

400
00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:39,393
my sense in this

401
00:17:39,393 --> 00:17:42,596
is that he has a responsibility 
to go to the father.

402
00:17:42,596 --> 00:17:44,600
Because those little kids might grow up

403
00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:45,940
messed up about this,

404
00:17:45,940 --> 00:17:48,682
and I'll tell you,

405
00:17:48,682 --> 00:17:50,810
if they were my children, 
I'd want to know.

406
00:17:50,810 --> 00:17:53,011
And I'll tell you why I'd want to know,

407
00:17:53,011 --> 00:17:55,225
because I would not want them

408
00:17:55,225 --> 00:17:58,981
to have to bear that alone.

409
00:17:58,981 --> 00:18:02,225
And because I might be able to help them

410
00:18:02,225 --> 00:18:04,480
if it's something that 
they're struggling with,

411
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:07,259
and a lot of kids, they grow up 
with these kinds of things

412
00:18:07,259 --> 00:18:08,952
and they never tell anybody.

413
00:18:08,952 --> 00:18:10,336
And oh, they remember.

414
00:18:10,336 --> 00:18:12,163
And when they get older, it comes out,

415
00:18:12,163 --> 00:18:15,688
and it leads to all sorts of problems.

416
00:18:15,688 --> 00:18:18,584
If I was the father, I would want to know.

417
00:18:18,584 --> 00:18:20,303
And you know what Scripture says,

418
00:18:20,303 --> 00:18:21,920
and I would say Mr. Anonymous,

419
00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:23,884
you need to think about this this way,

420
00:18:23,884 --> 00:18:25,683
the Scripture says that we need to

421
00:18:25,683 --> 00:18:28,409
do unto others what we 
would have them do unto us.

422
00:18:28,409 --> 00:18:31,390
And if these were your two daughters

423
00:18:31,390 --> 00:18:34,038
and somebody did this, 
would you want to know?

424
00:18:34,038 --> 00:18:36,360
And you need to be honest with yourself

425
00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:38,233
and you need to act based on that.

426
00:18:38,233 --> 00:18:40,438
And I can tell you, if 
they were my daughters,

427
00:18:40,438 --> 00:18:42,023
I would want to know.

428
00:18:42,023 --> 00:18:43,862
(incomplete thought)

429
00:18:43,862 --> 00:18:44,992
See, love dictates,

430
00:18:44,992 --> 00:18:46,222
and I think there's ways

431
00:18:46,222 --> 00:18:48,201
that those two little girls can be helped

432
00:18:48,201 --> 00:18:51,456
if the parents know.

433
00:18:51,456 --> 00:18:53,056
And that would be my take on it.

434
00:18:53,056 --> 00:18:54,435
That would be my counsel.

435
00:18:54,435 --> 00:18:56,544
But I lay this out to all of you.

436
00:18:56,544 --> 00:19:00,547
Look, if you're a professing Christian,

437
00:19:00,547 --> 00:19:04,215
one of the ways you make 
your repentance known,

438
00:19:04,215 --> 00:19:10,403
one of the ways that repentance is real,

439
00:19:10,403 --> 00:19:18,302
is if there needs to be restitution made,

440
00:19:18,302 --> 00:19:20,887
then by God's grace,

441
00:19:20,887 --> 00:19:22,911
seek to return the things stolen.

442
00:19:22,911 --> 00:19:24,782
Seek to settle matters.

443
00:19:24,782 --> 00:19:26,373
Seek to get things right.

444
00:19:26,373 --> 00:19:28,191
You've got some little thing in there

445
00:19:28,191 --> 00:19:30,545
that's been burning on your conscience

446
00:19:30,545 --> 00:19:31,937
for a long time,

447
00:19:31,937 --> 00:19:34,111
go back and take care of it.

448
00:19:34,111 --> 00:19:36,470
And these things are not easy.

449
00:19:36,470 --> 00:19:39,342
They're not.

450
00:19:39,342 --> 00:19:41,613
I stole stuff from some family members

451
00:19:41,613 --> 00:19:43,142
and I can remember going back

452
00:19:43,142 --> 00:19:45,614
to my grandparents.

453
00:19:45,614 --> 00:19:50,490
Oh, it was horrible.

454
00:19:50,490 --> 00:19:55,215
But the Lord helped.

455
00:19:55,215 --> 00:20:01,512
Well, that's my counsel there.

456
00:20:01,512 --> 00:20:03,995
God will help you.

457
00:20:03,995 --> 00:20:06,692
With God all things are possible.

458
00:20:06,692 --> 00:20:08,499
You might think, oh, I can't do that.

459
00:20:08,499 --> 00:20:09,675
Well, you can.

460
00:20:09,675 --> 00:20:12,705
You can't do it just 
like I couldn't do it.

461
00:20:12,705 --> 00:20:15,779
I got to the place where I was

462
00:20:15,779 --> 00:20:17,833
making restitution more than once,

463
00:20:17,833 --> 00:20:20,774
because I would forget.

464
00:20:20,774 --> 00:20:23,159
I actually worked at a place.

465
00:20:23,159 --> 00:20:26,703
I was convicted because 
I worked at a place

466
00:20:26,703 --> 00:20:28,190
and I called in sick one day

467
00:20:28,190 --> 00:20:30,019
because my roommate 
and I stayed home

468
00:20:30,019 --> 00:20:32,710
and we drank whiskey.

469
00:20:32,710 --> 00:20:34,106
And I called in sick.

470
00:20:34,106 --> 00:20:36,712
And I felt like, later 
after the Lord saved me,

471
00:20:36,712 --> 00:20:42,496
I felt like I really stole a day's wage.

472
00:20:42,496 --> 00:20:46,459
And so, I sent a check

473
00:20:46,459 --> 00:20:47,855
and I paid for it.

474
00:20:47,855 --> 00:20:50,183
I was already down here 
when I remembered that.

475
00:20:50,183 --> 00:20:52,172
So I sent a check up there.

476
00:20:52,172 --> 00:20:54,280
And then I forgot that I paid it.

477
00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:56,253
And it came to my mind again.

478
00:20:56,253 --> 00:20:59,490
And so I sent a check up there again.

479
00:20:59,490 --> 00:21:03,363
And the guy from the accounting department

480
00:21:03,363 --> 00:21:05,277
sent me back the check

481
00:21:05,277 --> 00:21:07,128
with a note in there,

482
00:21:07,128 --> 00:21:09,609
"stop sending us checks!"

483
00:21:09,609 --> 00:21:12,793
And see, every time I'd send it up there,

484
00:21:12,793 --> 00:21:14,968
of course I'd give the Gospel in there

485
00:21:14,968 --> 00:21:16,943
and how radically the Lord converted me

486
00:21:16,943 --> 00:21:18,674
and all this stuff.

487
00:21:18,674 --> 00:21:24,859
I think I irritated some people.

488
00:21:24,859 --> 00:21:29,591
It's embarrassing.

489
00:21:29,591 --> 00:21:31,838
I just told my son the other day,

490
00:21:31,838 --> 00:21:38,381
I said, "Joshua, if I would have known

491
00:21:38,381 --> 00:21:42,370
that I was going to have 
to go make restitution,

492
00:21:42,370 --> 00:21:47,575
and confess various lies

493
00:21:47,575 --> 00:21:50,730
when I committed those sins,

494
00:21:50,730 --> 00:21:53,542
I wouldn't have done them.

495
00:21:53,542 --> 00:21:54,924
It's embarrassing."

496
00:21:54,924 --> 00:21:56,658
Our sin is shameful.

497
00:21:56,658 --> 00:21:58,835
It really is.

498
00:21:58,835 --> 00:22:03,139
Mr. Anonymous, your sin is shameful.

499
00:22:03,139 --> 00:22:04,630
But if it's under the blood,

500
00:22:04,630 --> 00:22:05,666
then we need to walk

501
00:22:05,666 --> 00:22:09,120
and we need to do what's right.

502
00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:10,892
Well, that's it for tonight.

503
00:22:10,892 --> 00:22:12,615
Do you guys have any questions

504
00:22:12,615 --> 00:22:17,131
or any anything?

505
00:22:17,131 --> 00:22:18,243
Okay.

506
00:22:18,243 --> 00:22:20,372
Well, Lord willing, we have 
one more week of this.

507
00:22:20,372 --> 00:22:21,807
I don't know what it is.

508
00:22:21,807 --> 00:22:25,659
I only take them in the order they 
come and I don't even look ahead.

509
00:22:25,659 --> 00:22:28,709
So, I don't even know really 
what we're going to get.

510
00:22:28,709 --> 00:22:32,339
So, next week, same time.

511
00:22:32,339 --> 00:22:34,497
Another set of these.