From the transcript...

Well, it's because we believe that we were far from love and that heaven had turned his face. We believe that sin had slammed the door on grace and left us feeling displaced. Yeah. But could a father, son, and spirit whose bond no dark can sever create us in communion's flame, then cast us off forever? In other words, is God out of this love relationship, face-to-face-to-face, communion with himself, wants a big family, doesn't set it up in his son? He creates us. Is He going to create us to throw us off forever?

Not the Father, Son, and Spirit. Not the one I know. No, the one that we know hung on a cross and said, Father, forgive them. Yeah. Well, I keep going back to that idea that we want to make God in our image instead of realizing we're made in His image. Yep. Because this is how we do, that's how God's got to do. I'm going to run out of patience with you, so we think he's going to run out of patience. He don't run out of patience. I'm only going to be in relationship with you as long as you do like I think you ought to do. Act a certain way. Walk a certain way. Believe a certain way. If you don't, then we're not going to be friends. You're not going to be my child. Yeah.

Well, and then, okay, I have to admit, in this world system, you go to work and you've got to perform in order to get paid. But that's this world system. And then we want to take this world system, created by our fallen minds, and put it upon the kingdom of God and the way God is. That's right. That he's not going to provide or bless you if you don't do some mysterious something or other. Yeah. Yeah, that's lie. Yeah. Religion.

I like what it says here. The cross was not a bridge for God as if he went away. The cross revealed his great desire, love's greatest grand display. He was never separate. From us. If you go to hell, David said, I'm there. If you go into Hades, you're already there. How are you going to get away from God? The Lord told me that years ago. I mean, it's been over 23, 24 years ago when the Lord said, show me and help me understand. I can't get away from Him. I mean, really, where am I going to go?

From the transcript...

Oh, we’re finding our way through this wild life. His love shines brighter than the brightest light.

2 Corinthians 3:18—so you’re being changed into the same image. As we behold Jesus, He transforms us into what He is. We begin to awaken to the reality that we are joined to Him, one with Him, complete in Him. We’re in union—a life-giving union.

But we don’t really understand what that means until we see it in Him. And that’s when transformation begins. The word there is metamorphosis.

It really comes down to not only how you see, but what you see. Because how you see is like that veil—your perception. You can be veiled. And then, what are you actually looking at?

One thing I’ve noticed in my own life is how my perception of people has changed. That’s where the rubber meets the road—I look at people differently.

When Jesus was teaching about prayer, He gave what we call the model prayer—some call it the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father…” In it, He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” or some variation of that.

And when He finishes, that’s the only part of the prayer He comments on. He essentially says, “If you don’t forgive others, your Heavenly Father will not forgive you.”

Two things stand out to me there.

First, how you understand the nature of the Father will shape how you interpret what He just said. Because some people see the Father as a legalist—a judge saying, “Oh yeah…”

[Verse]

Winds howl through the narrow lane

But faith lights up the darkened plain

Mile by mile we bravely ride

With God’s goodness as our guide

[Chorus]

Oh we’re finding our way through this wild life

His love shines brighter than the brightest light

When we stumble and fall he holds our hand

Together we’ll find goodness in this land

[Verse 2]

The road may twist and rivers rise

But hope reflects in open skies

Each struggle paints a sacred hue

Life’s a canvas he’s painting

Too

[Chorus]

Oh we’re finding our way through this wild life

His love shines brighter than the brightest light

When we stumble and fall he holds our hand

Together we’ll find goodness in this land

[Bridge]

Through valleys deep through mountains tall

His voice calls soft above it all

No fear can linger no shadow stay

When his grace leads us day by day

[Chorus]

Oh we’re finding our way through this wild life

His love shines brighter than the brightest light

When we stumble and fall he holds our hand

Together we’ll find goodness in this land

Welcome to Finding Our Way

From the transcript...

But that doesn’t mean God’s not drawing and He’s not teaching. It’s, I don’t see it, I don’t perceive it, I’m not responding—I’m fighting against it, whether it’s consciously or subconsciously. And He’s just patient, waiting on us and working in us. Scripture says He tasted death for every man. Yeah. Okay, and He takes away the sins of the world. He’s the Savior of all men, especially those that believe.

Okay, so… for whom did Jesus die? Sins. Whose sins did God remove in Jesus? Are you asking me a question? Yeah—that you want me to answer? Whose sins did God remove in Jesus? Well, I think it’s the sins of the world. It wasn’t just Israel—that was all. Okay. So in Hebrews chapter 8—that’s my opinion—where He’s talking about, “I will remember their sins and iniquities no more,” right? Yeah. Okay, so is that the same people He’s talking about earlier in Hebrews chapter 8 where He says, “I’ll write my laws on their minds and put them in their hearts?”

From the transcript...

We didn’t even finish chapter five. He talks about, “Do not think I will accuse you to the Father.” That’s a good one. We don’t have to—we’re looking at everyone. Oh well, verse 43 and 45: “I have come to represent my Father, yet you refuse to embrace me in faith. If someone comes in their own name and with their own agenda, you readily accept it. Of course, you’re unable to believe in me, for you live to enjoy the praises of others and not the praises that come from the one true God. I will not accuse you before the Father. The one who will incriminate you is Moses, the very one you claim to obey, the one in whom you trust.”

Okay, so we know what he does with Moses’ law. Yeah—he nails it to the cross. He does. But if you want to keep living under it, you’re just going to keep condemning yourself. I don’t accuse you, but you won’t believe it. You won’t accept it. You’re insistent that this law of Moses is how it is. As long as you keep doing that, you’re condemning yourself under that system. I’m going to take that system out of the way—maybe you’ll believe. Yeah, that’s good.

Did you find the next verse? I think after—I think then we go to chapter 6 after that. Yeah. Okay, chapter 6, we’ve got the feeding of the 5,000, the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. And following that, he starts teaching. And I will point out, I believe at the end of the teaching, most of them walk away. Oh yeah, out of that. So we probably have some pretty heavy teaching going on in that. Jesus says, “Will you too? Will you also go away?”

From the transcript...

So you don't think when Jesus said have meat to eat you don't know if he found some musky dines on the side of the road like we just did. No, she was talking about the Father's will. It was the Father's will that I came down this road and ate those musky dimes on the side of the road, and they were good.

This next passage—oh, what's your next one? Ought to be really good. John 5:17. I think he healed somebody. Yeah, he healed a man at Bethesda, and out of that comes a conversation because they want to know why he's doing it, because he does it intentionally on the Sabbath, and they get bent out of shape about it. And Jesus answered his critics by saying, every day my Father is at work and I will be too. And that was his—why are you working on the Sabbath? He's like, well, my Father was working on the Sabbath. I'm just with Him.

John's also laying out the plot—why they killed Him—all the way back in verse 5. See, here it is again. Jesus is talking about His Father. He's going to talk about judgment. That's all. We finally get into, we finally get the revelation.

From the transcript...

We ended up turning into a restaurant. Somebody else turned in, I turned in behind them, and then somebody was backing out in their parking spot. So it hung us out—I was sitting sideways in traffic. They stopped for me.

Then I got to a four-way stop. The truck was straight across from me, but the intersection wasn’t a perfect square—it was kind of offset. The truck across from me started coming through. If he had his blinker on, I didn’t see it. I just thought he was going straight—he probably didn’t have one on.

So I went right, and he laid on his horn. I mean, he was about to T-bone me. He did hit me. He wasn’t too happy with my driving. He should’ve had his blinker on… well, if he did, I didn’t see it. I don’t know.

“That’s where I used to live, James.” “Really?” “We should stop and remodel that house. Take some pictures, add some commentary.”

We’re at an All-Star. I remember one time right here—Sally said something to me, and I reached back and slapped her. As soon as I did it, I thought, What have I done? From that day on…

And that’s how we often think God is—like He reacts to our mess the same way. “Oh yeah, I’m gonna get you.”

But the more I hear my Father’s heart… the more I hear His voice… I realize I can leave all that stuff out there.

Just sit down and rest in the relationship that Jesus has forged for us.

Not to mention—it all started before time, in Christ. It did. And time is just revealing it.

This unfolding plan of God that brings Him great delight… Yes, and much pleasure.

I do love that language in Ephesians 1—the unfolding plan.

It’s reconciliation. It’s a bringing back.