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Turning | Ruth 1

 

Overview

 

Life rarely unfolds the way we imagined it would. Childhood dreams often collide with unexpected loss, disappointment, broken relationships, illness, and grief. In this message, Liz walks through Ruth chapter 1, showing that every person eventually arrives at a crossroads where they must decide what direction they will take. Will they turn away from God? Return to Him while remaining bitter? Or fully turn toward Him in faith?

The opening chapter of Ruth is filled with tragedy, but it also introduces the first rays of hope. Liz reminds us that God is often working long before we can see it. Even in our deepest pain, He is preparing redemption. While suffering is real, it is never the end of the story for those who trust Him. Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the hope first hinted at in Ruth's journey.

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Introduction: When Life Doesn't Turn Out the Way We Planned

Liz begins by reflecting on the excitement of leaving home after high school and the dreams she carried into adulthood. Like many people, some dreams came true while many unfolded very differently than she expected.

She invites everyone to think about their own lives:

• What dreams did you have?
• Which ones became reality?
• Which ones never happened?
• Are there moments you wish you had made different decisions?

Those questions prepare us to enter Ruth chapter 1.

Naomi had what most people would consider the ideal life:

• Living in God's Promised Land
• A husband
• Two sons
• Security
• A future

Then famine came.

Instead of trusting God in the Promised Land, Naomi's family fled to Moab—a place associated with Israel's enemies. What began as a search for survival became a journey into devastating loss.

One by one Naomi lost:

• Her husband
• Both of her sons
• Her security
• Her future
• Her hope

Liz paints Naomi's grief vividly, helping listeners feel the crushing weight of losing nearly everything she loved.

She challenges listeners to consider how closely Naomi's story resembles many of our own lives. While our losses may look different, everyone eventually experiences broken dreams, unanswered prayers, painful relationships, sickness, discouragement, or grief that leaves us wondering where God is.

The central question of the chapter becomes:

When life falls apart, what direction will you turn?

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1. Godly Grief

Liz explains that Naomi and Orpah both experienced unimaginable pain, but neither initially responded by grieving with God.

Naomi returned to Bethlehem physically, but emotionally she remained trapped in bitterness. She even rejected her own name ("Naomi," meaning pleasant) and asked to be called "Mara," meaning bitter.

Rather than seeing grief as something to avoid, Liz teaches that grief itself is holy when it is brought before God.

God never asks His people to pretend they aren't hurting.

Instead, Scripture repeatedly shows God's people lamenting.

David filled the Psalms with tears.

Jesus Himself wept at Lazarus' tomb.

Our grief becomes holy when we allow it to draw us closer to the heart of God instead of further away.

Liz shares her own story of years of severe back pain while serving as missionaries in Hungary. Endless doctor visits and chronic suffering left her repeatedly asking, "Why, God?"

She explains that pain naturally tempts us toward bitterness because pain makes us forget two important truths:

• God sees us.
• God wants to sit with us in our suffering.

Bitterness grows when we refuse to mourn honestly before God.

Godly grief, however, allows us to mourn what God mourns—the brokenness of a fallen world and the separation sin has created.

Instead of accusing God, we are invited to cry with Him.

Instead of hiding our pain, we are invited to bring it before Him.

God does not reject grieving people.

He welcomes them.

Bible Verses

• Ruth 1:20–21
• Hebrews 4:15–16
• Psalms (David's laments)
• John 11 (Jesus weeping at Lazarus' tomb)

Key Quotes

"There is a holiness to weeping."

"When we weep, we join God in mourning things that are not the way they are supposed to be."

"Instead of bitterness, choose godly grief."

"Take your discouragement and disappointment to the Lord."

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2. Choose the God Choosing You

Liz contrasts the three women in Ruth 1.

• Orpah turns back.
• Naomi returns physically but remains bitter.
• Ruth turns fully toward God.

Ruth had every earthly reason to go back.

She was a Moabite.

She worshipped false gods.

She had no promise of security in Israel.

She had no guarantee of acceptance.

Yet she chose faith over familiarity.

Liz shares her testimony about attending a Christian camp after losing her grandmother. She remembers watching a pastor lovingly embrace two young girls, and something awakened inside her heart.

She realized she longed for a Father who delighted in her.

That moment helped her understand that God had been pursuing her all along.

In the same way, Ruth was not simply choosing God.

God had already been drawing Ruth toward Himself.

Liz encourages listeners to recognize this same truth.

God is not waiting reluctantly for us to come.

He is already pursuing us with love.

Every person eventually stands where Ruth stood:

Will we return to what is familiar but lifeless?

Or will we trust the God who is calling us into new life?

Faith often means stepping into an unknown future because we trust the One leading us.

Bible Verses

• Ruth 1:15–17

Key Quotes

"Ruth chose the God who was choosing her."

"She turned to the God who had turned toward her."

"There is a God choosing you—and you can choose Him too."

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3. Choose to Cling to the King Who Knows Your Pain

Ruth not only turned toward God.

She clung to Him.

Liz explains that Jesus understands suffering better than anyone.

He experienced:

• Rejection
• Loneliness
• Betrayal
• Physical pain
• Grief
• Abandonment

Because Jesus entered human suffering Himself, Christians never suffer alone.

Liz points to Isaiah 53, describing Jesus as the "Man of Sorrows."

She also shares the story of missionary Elisabeth Elliot, whose husband Jim Elliot was murdered while taking the Gospel to an unreached people group.

Rather than responding with hatred, Elisabeth eventually returned to those same people to tell them about Jesus.

Liz shares Elisabeth Elliot's powerful words:

"Out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and the love of God."

That is the invitation of the Gospel.

We are not invited to ignore pain.

We are invited to cling to the Savior who understands it completely.

Rather than carrying grief alone, we lean into Christ's presence.

We discover that He does not merely watch our suffering.

He enters it with us.

Bible Verses

• Isaiah 53

Key Quotes

"We are loved by the God who knows pain."

"When pain hurts too much to bear, turn to the cross."

"We don't mourn alone—but with One who understands."

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Conclusion: The Barley Harvest Was Beginning

Although Ruth chapter 1 begins in famine, death, and sorrow, it ends with an unexpected sentence:

Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem "as the barley harvest was beginning."

What looked like a simple travel detail becomes a powerful picture of hope.

While Naomi believed her life was over, God had already been preparing her future.

Months before she arrived:

• Fields had already been plowed.
• Seeds had already been planted.
• Rain had already fallen.
• Harvest was already growing.

God had been working long before Naomi could see it.

Liz reminds listeners that the story doesn't end with Ruth chapter 1.

Eventually:

• Ruth marries Boaz.
• Naomi's family line is restored.
• A child is born.
• That family line ultimately leads to Jesus Christ.

God used Naomi's pain to prepare the coming of the Savior.

Likewise, God uses Christ's suffering to bring salvation to the world.

The promise for believers is not that life will always end happily here on earth.

The promise is even greater.

Jesus is our ultimate hope.

One day He will bring us into the true Promised Land where there will be:

• No more sorrow
• No more pain
• No more death
• Life in abundance forever

Until then, we continue to turn toward Him, grieve with Him, and cling to the King who understands our pain.

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Discipleship Group Questions

1. Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth each responded differently to suffering. Which of their responses do you most identify with, and why?
2. Liz described the difference between bitterness and godly grief. What does it practically look like to grieve with God instead of becoming bitter?
3. Ruth chose to trust God even though she could not see what lay ahead. Where is God asking you to trust Him despite uncertainty?
4. Isaiah 53 reminds us that Jesus is "a man of suffering, familiar with pain." How does knowing that Jesus understands your pain change the way you approach Him during difficult seasons?
5. The chapter ends with the barley harvest beginning—a picture that God had already been preparing hope before Naomi could see it. Can you think of a time when you later recognized that God was working behind the scenes during one of your hardest seasons?

In this message, Coleton concludes the Lord's Prayer series by focusing on one of the most overlooked phrases Jesus ever taught us to pray:
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:13)

Many Christians are comfortable praying for daily needs, forgiveness, or God's will, but often neglect this final request. Yet Jesus intentionally ends His model prayer by teaching His followers to pray against spiritual evil. Coleton explains that this isn't reserved for unusually spiritual Christians or for a specific period of history—it is meant to become a normal part of every believer's prayer life.

Using Scripture, historical examples, and practical application, Coleton reminds us that while Christians should never seek out spiritual warfare, we are also never called to ignore it. Instead, Jesus gives us a weapon: prayer. Through prayer, we ask God to fight for us, protect us, and advance His kingdom against the kingdom of darkness.

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Jesus Teaches Us that Prayer is Spiritual Warfare

Coleton opens with a story from his father, who taught him never to start a fight—but if one became unavoidable, fight hard enough that the enemy would never forget it.
He uses that illustration to explain Jesus' teaching.
Jesus isn't telling Christians to obsess over demons or look for spiritual battles everywhere. Instead, He is preparing His followers for the reality that they already live in a spiritual war. Prayer is how believers fight.

The Lord's Prayer gradually teaches us how to approach God:
Our Father — Remember who you are talking to.
Hallowed be Your Name — Worship Him and remember His greatness.
Your Kingdom Come — Ask God to display His rule and goodness on earth.
Give Us Daily Bread — Trust Him to provide what you need.
Forgive Us Our Debts — Confess sin and receive His grace.
Deliver Us from the Evil One — Ask God to protect you and defeat the enemy.

Coleton points out that Jesus intentionally ends His model prayer here. That means fighting spiritual evil isn't an optional part of Christianity—it is part of ordinary Christian prayer.

Bible Passage

Matthew 6:9–13

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1. Jesus Knows This Is What Is Really Wrong with the World

Coleton explains that beneath every broken relationship, every injustice, every war, every addiction, every lie, and every act of rebellion lies a deeper spiritual problem.
Jesus did not primarily come to overthrow governments or fix political systems.
He came to destroy the works of Satan.
The greatest enemy of humanity isn't another nation, another political party, another religion, or another group of people. The deepest problem is sin and the spiritual kingdom of darkness that opposes God's purposes.

This explains why so much of Jesus' earthly ministry involved confronting demons, healing people oppressed by evil, and setting captives free.

Rather than teaching His followers to hate people, Jesus commanded them to:
Love their enemies.
Pray for those who persecute them.
Turn the other cheek.
But when it comes to Satan and spiritual evil, Jesus tells believers to fight.

Coleton spends time explaining Daniel 10, where Daniel prayed for understanding for twenty-one days. God immediately heard his prayer, yet an angel was delayed because of conflict with spiritual powers described as the "Prince of Persia."

This passage offers a glimpse behind the curtain of history. Events on earth often reflect a much greater conflict taking place in the unseen spiritual realm.

Paul teaches the same reality in Ephesians: our true struggle is never against flesh and blood.
That changes how Christians view the world.
Instead of seeing people as the enemy, we begin praying against the spiritual forces influencing hearts, cultures, governments, and communities.

Bible Passages

Matthew 6:13
1 John 3:8
Daniel 10
Ephesians 6:12

Quotes

"Spiritual beings are associated with nation-states... Michael fights for God's people, while the prince of Persia is a demonic power." — D.A. Carson
"Daniel was learning that the ultimate power struggle was fought out in a realm of which most people know nothing... the world crises we see are reflections of an older, more ruthless conflict." — Sinclair Ferguson

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2. Jesus Knows Every Believer Will Experience Spiritual Conflict

Coleton reminds us that no one escapes spiritual warfare.
Whether someone believes in Christ or not, the enemy is active.
For unbelievers, Satan blinds people from seeing the beauty of the gospel. This explains why many reject Christ despite God's incredible offer of mercy.
For believers, conversion does not end the battle.
In many ways, it begins a new one.
Peter warns Christians that the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Paul tells believers to put on the armor of God because spiritual conflict is inevitable.

Coleton carefully avoids extremes.
He reminds the church that not every hardship is caused by demons.
Not every sickness...
Not every temptation...
Not every mental illness...
Not every difficult circumstance...

The Bible teaches that sometimes our own sinful desires lead us into temptation. Other times physical problems simply require ordinary wisdom and medical care.

Still, Scripture clearly teaches that Satan actively seeks to:
tempt believers toward sin,
accuse them with guilt,
destroy marriages,
create division,
attack families,
discourage God's people,
oppose God's work,
and steal joy, peace, hope, and confidence in God.

Because Jesus knows His followers will encounter spiritual opposition, He teaches them to pray for God's protection regularly.

Bible Passages

2 Corinthians 4:4
1 Peter 5:8
Ephesians 6:10–13
Matthew 4
Mark 5
Matthew 9
Matthew 12
Luke 13
Matthew 15
Matthew 16
Mark 9
Acts 5
Luke 22
John 10:10

Quotes

"After a man is converted... Satan gathers all his forces... because he cannot bear to lose his subjects." — Charles Spurgeon

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3. Jesus Wants Us to Fight—and Prayer Is One of Our Greatest Weapons

Coleton emphasizes that prayer is much more than bringing requests to God.
Prayer is warfare.
Paul teaches that Christians do not fight with worldly weapons but with weapons empowered by God to destroy spiritual strongholds.

Coleton reminds us of the story where the disciples could not cast a demon out of a boy.
When they asked Jesus why they failed, Jesus answered that this kind only comes out through prayer.
Prayer is not powerless.
Prayer invites the power of God into spiritual battles that human strength can never win.

The Christian does not defeat darkness through cleverness, politics, anger, intimidation, or force.
We fight by depending upon:
the Holy Spirit,
God's Word,
faith,
and prayer.

Bible Passages

2 Corinthians 10:3–4
Matthew 17 (or Mark 9 parallel)

Quotes

"Christians can wage a successful campaign in the spiritual realm only when they abandon human resources and totally rely on spiritual weapons." — D.A. Carson
"We must all practice violence... he who prays is fighting against the devil." — Martin Luther
"While others fight, Christians pray." — Origen

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How Should Christians Respond?

After explaining why Jesus included this prayer, Coleton gives several practical responses.

Live with Awareness, Not Fear

Christians should recognize spiritual warfare without becoming frightened by it.
Jesus has already defeated Satan through His death and resurrection.
Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, and God's Spirit is infinitely greater than the enemy.
Every time demons encountered Jesus in the Gospels, they were terrified of Him—not the other way around.

Bible Passage

1 John 4:4

Pray for Discernment

Coleton warns against seeing demons behind every inconvenience.
The Bible teaches balance.
Sometimes problems are spiritual.
Sometimes they are physical.
Sometimes they arise from our own sinful desires.
Believers need wisdom to recognize the difference rather than becoming fearful or superstitious.

Bible Passages

James 1
1 Timothy 5:23

Know the Scriptures

When Jesus faced Satan's temptations in the wilderness, He answered every attack with Scripture.
God's Word is called the sword of the Spirit because truth defeats lies.
The better Christians know God's Word, the better prepared they are to resist temptation and deception.

Bible Passages

Matthew 4
Ephesians 6
James 4:7

Make This Prayer Part of Your Daily Life

Coleton challenges the church to actually pray the prayer Jesus taught.
Pray for:
your marriage,
your children,
your workplace,
your church,
your community,
your city,
your government,
and everyone God has entrusted to your care.
The power is not in our words.
The power is in the God to whom we pray.

Quote

"Satan dreads nothing but prayer... He laughs at our toil... but he trembles when we pray." — Samuel Chadwick

Persevere in the Battle

Coleton closes with an illustration from the final days of World War II.
After realizing Germany had lost, Hitler issued the Nero Decree, ordering the destruction of his own nation's infrastructure so the Allies could not benefit from it. Though defeated, he sought to cause as much destruction as possible before the end.
Coleton compares this to Satan.
The cross and resurrection settled the outcome.
Jesus has already won.
Satan knows his defeat is certain.
Until Christ returns, however, he seeks to steal, kill, destroy, and create as much devastation as possible.
That is why Christians must not become discouraged when they experience spiritual opposition.
Spiritual conflict is not necessarily evidence that you are outside God's will.
Often, it is evidence that God's kingdom is advancing through your life—and the enemy wants to stop it.
Jesus has already won the victory.
Now He invites His followers to participate in that victory through faithful, persistent prayer.

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Discipleship Group Questions

Why do you think Jesus chose to end the Lord's Prayer with, "Deliver us from the evil one"? What does that reveal about the Christian life?
How does understanding that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood" change the way we view difficult people, cultural conflicts, or personal hardships?
Coleton emphasized that not every difficulty is spiritual warfare, but some certainly is. How can Christians grow in discernment without becoming fearful or overly focused on the demonic?
Which of the practical responses challenged you the most: living without fear, praying for discernment, knowing Scripture, praying regularly against spiritual evil, or persevering? Why?
What specific people, places, or situations in your life need to become part of your regular prayer for God's protection and deliverance from the evil one?

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Culture of Gospel

Share this with someone in your life who doesn't know Jesus

Every one of us senses that something is deeply broken in the world—and often within ourselves. Jesus teaches that the answer isn't simply trying harder, but trusting the One who has already defeated the deepest source of evil and invites us to live in His victory, freedom, and peace.

Forgive Us Our Debts

Matthew 6:9–12

Culture of Gospel

Share this with someone in your life who doesn’t know Jesus.

Most people spend their lives trying to prove they're good enough or trying to hide the parts of themselves they're ashamed of. Jesus offers something radically different: a God who already knows your worst, still loves you completely, and invites you to stop pretending and simply come home.

Sermon Summary

In this message, Coleton continues through the Lord's Prayer by focusing on one of the most uncomfortable—and most freeing—requests Jesus teaches us to pray:

"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." (Matthew 6:12)

Many people assume confession is something spiritually immature Christians do. Once you've followed Jesus long enough, you shouldn't need to confess very often. Coleton challenges that assumption by showing that Jesus teaches the exact opposite.

The mark of spiritual maturity is not pretending you've stopped sinning. The mark of maturity is becoming increasingly honest about your sin because you've become increasingly confident in the Father's love.

Coleton begins with a simple story about a child being told to own up to a mistake. Owning our failures is difficult, but it is one of the clearest signs of maturity. The same is true spiritually. Jesus invites His followers into a regular rhythm of confession—not because God is angry with them, but because He wants them to experience His grace again and again.

Tyler Staton captures this beautifully:

"One of the biggest mistakes we've made in the modern church is to reimagine spiritual maturity as the need to confess less... A maturing community is a confessing community—not a church without sin, but a church without secrets."

Before explaining why confession matters, Coleton highlights three important observations from Jesus' prayer.

Three Things Jesus Wants Us to Notice About This Prayer

1. Confession is not the first thing Jesus tells us to pray.

Jesus does not begin the Lord's Prayer with confession.

He first teaches us to call God Father, to worship Him, seek His Kingdom, and ask Him for our daily needs.

That order matters.

God isn't waiting for us to clean ourselves up before He listens to us. He isn't withholding His love until we've confessed every failure.

Coleton illustrates this with his son Teddy. He would never refuse Teddy breakfast or a hug until Teddy apologized for everything he did wrong the day before. Healthy relationships don't work that way, and neither does God's relationship with His children.

Confession is something we practice within the security of being loved—not something we do to earn God's love.

2. Jesus assumes we will sin.

Jesus doesn't say:

"If you've sinned..."

He simply teaches us to pray:

"Forgive us our debts."

Jesus assumes every disciple will continue battling sin.

If we struggle to keep diets, New Year's resolutions, or promises to ourselves, how much more do we struggle to meet God's perfect holiness?

The prayer keeps us humble by reminding us that every believer continually depends upon God's grace.

3. This prayer comes with a warning label.

Perhaps the most sobering part of the prayer is this phrase:

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

Coleton describes this as the "fine print" of the prayer.

Every time we pray these words, we're asking God:

"Forgive me the same way I've forgiven others."

That should cause every Christian to examine their heart.

If we refuse to forgive those who have hurt us, we're asking God to respond to us with that same unwillingness.

Jesus is exposing whether His grace has truly transformed us. Grace received always becomes grace extended.

1. Jesus Wants Us to Confess So We Experience the Father's Love

Many people think confession is primarily about focusing on their failures.

Jesus says it's actually about experiencing God's kindness.

Coleton points to one of Jesus' greatest stories—the Prodigal Son.

The Father runs first.

Before the son ever finishes confessing...

The father runs.

He hugs him.

He kisses him.

The embrace comes before the confession.

Luke 15:20–24

"While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion... he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him..."

The son's confession lasts only a few words.

The father doesn't interrogate him.

He doesn't demand every detail.

He doesn't shame him.

Instead he interrupts him with celebration.

The robe.

The ring.

The feast.

The party.

The father's joy completely overshadows the son's failure.

Coleton explains that this is exactly how Jesus wants us to picture confession.

Confession isn't crawling toward an angry God.

It is stepping into the embrace of a Father who already loves His children.

He summarizes confession in three movements:

1. Step into the Father's affection.
2. Acknowledge your sin.
3. Receive the Father's joyful forgiveness and move forward.

The Father never brings the son's past back up. Even when the older brother tries to, the father defends him.

That is the heart of God.

Bible Passage

• Luke 15:20–24

2. Jesus Wants Us to Run Toward God Instead of Away From Him

Sin naturally produces hiding.

Adam and Eve sinned, and their first instinct was to hide.

We still do the same thing today.

We hide behind excuses.

We curate better versions of ourselves.

We pretend.

Jesus wants to completely reverse that instinct.

Instead of hiding from God, He wants us to run toward Him.

Coleton emphasizes that God is the safest person in the universe to bring your worst mistakes.

There is nothing you can confess that surprises Him.

Nothing that makes Him love you less.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes:

"You are a sinner, a great, desperate sinner; now come... to the God who loves you... He wants you as you are... You can hide nothing from God... with Him, you can dare to be a sinner."

That phrase becomes the heart of this section:

"Dare to be a sinner with God."

Instead of pretending, come honestly.

God promises mercy.

Bible Verse

1 John 1:9

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

3. Jesus Wants Confession to Break Sin's Power Over Our Lives

Hidden sin grows stronger.

Confessed sin begins to lose its grip.

Coleton turns to David's words after his own failure.

Psalm 32:3–5

David describes the physical and emotional weight of hidden sin.

His strength dried up.

His bones wasted away.

But everything changed once he confessed.

Coleton summarizes it simply:

Sin in our hands leads to death. Sin placed in God's hands is put to death.

Many believers spend years trying to conquer sin through sheer determination.

Jesus offers a different way.

Bring it into the light.

Ray Ortlund says:

"We don't overcome sin by heroic willpower, but by confessing them to death."

Tyler Staton compares confession to visiting a doctor.

Healing begins when we're honest enough to identify what's actually wrong.

Confession is not humiliation.

It's the pathway to healing.

Bible Passage

• Psalm 32:3–5

4. Jesus Teaches This Prayer Because Our Debt Cannot Be Paid Any Other Way

Jesus deliberately uses the language of debt.

Sin creates a debt we cannot repay.

Many people instinctively believe they can balance the scales.

If they simply become nicer...

Serve more...

Give more...

Work harder...

Surely God will overlook the bad.

Jesus completely rejects that way of thinking.

He doesn't teach us to pray:

"Help me work off my sins."

Instead He teaches us to ask for forgiveness because forgiveness is the only solution.

We cannot erase our own debt.

Only Jesus can.

Coleton reminds the church that admitting this requires humility.

Many people cannot admit they need mercy.

But everyone who does finds more grace than they ever imagined.

Pete Greig writes:

"There is more grace in God than there is sin in you... Pray 'forgive us our sins'... and He'll forgive you. Just like that."

This is the gospel.

Our debt isn't reduced.

It's erased.

5. Jesus Wants Us to Ask for Forgiveness Because God Loves Forgiving People

The final point may be the most beautiful.

God doesn't reluctantly forgive.

He delights to forgive.

Forgiveness isn't something we convince Him to do.

It is something He loves to do.

Coleton quotes Dane Ortlund, who reminds us that Christ finds joy when sinners come to Him for mercy.

Jesus endured the cross because He delighted in making sinful people clean.

Coleton uses a helpful illustration.

Imagine asking a bank to forgive every debt you owe.

It would seem impossible.

But imagine someone had already paid every dollar you owed.

Walking into the bank would suddenly become an act of confidence, not desperation.

That is exactly what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

Our confidence isn't in ourselves.

It's in the One who already paid our debt.

Ray Ortlund summarizes this beautifully:

"God welcomes people who keep coming back to Him for more and more and more mercy... He isn't tired, and He isn't tired of you."

Because Jesus has already paid the debt, believers can continually come before the Father with confidence, knowing forgiveness is always available.

How Can We Practice This Prayer?

Coleton closes by giving practical ways to make confession a regular rhythm of life.

1. Pray the Lord's Prayer exactly as Jesus taught it.

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal hidden sin.

One of the Holy Spirit's ministries is conviction—not condemnation.

Ask Him to lovingly reveal areas that need repentance, and respond with humble confession.

3. Pray Psalm 51 regularly.

Allow David's prayer of repentance to become your own.

4. Pray the tax collector's prayer.

"Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Jesus said this humble prayer resulted in the man going home justified before God.

5. Practice the Prayer of Examen.

Spend time each day reflecting on God's presence, reviewing your day, confessing sin, and receiving His grace before ending the day.

Final Challenge

Coleton closes by reminding the church that confession is not weakness.

It is evidence of confidence in the character of God.

Every time believers confess their sins, they discover once again that God is even kinder than they imagined.

Jesus teaches us to pray this prayer not because He wants us to dwell on our failures, but because He wants us to continually experience the riches of the Father's love, the freedom of forgiveness, and the transforming power of His grace.

The Christian life is not about hiding your sin better. It is about bringing your sin into the light where God's mercy is greater than your failures every single time.

Discipleship Group Questions

1. Which of the five reasons Jesus gives us for practicing confession impacted you the most, and why?
2. Coleton said that spiritual maturity is marked by more confession, not less. How does that challenge the way you normally think about spiritual growth?
3. Are you more likely to hide your failures from God or run toward Him with them? What keeps you from being completely honest with Him?
4. Jesus teaches us to pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Is there someone you need to forgive? How does remembering God's forgiveness toward you help you extend forgiveness to others?
5. Which of the five practical ways to practice confession (the Lord's Prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal sin, Psalm 51, the tax collector's prayer, or the Prayer of Examen) would be most helpful for you to begin practicing this week, and why?

 

Tim delivers a passionate message focused on John 13:34–35. He begins by introducing the biblical context of the passage, noting that it takes place within the "Upper Room Discourse," where Jesus delivers His farewell address to His closest followers right before finishing His earthly ministry in Jerusalem. Within this critical final charge, Jesus issues what He calls a "new command": “Love one another as I have loved you so you must love one another.”

Tim explains that the command to love is not historically "new" to the disciples, as they were deeply familiar with the Old Testament laws to love God and love their neighbors. What makes it revolutionary is the person giving the command—Jesus—and the fact that He places Himself at the very center as the ultimate definition and source of this love. Tim emphasizes that a person cannot truly understand or define biblical love unless they intimately know Jesus, warning against letting the secular world dictate the definition of love.

To show how biblical love departs from the world’s transactional version, Tim unpacks the profound terminology used across Scripture. In the Old Testament, the primary word is hesed—a complex, multi-dimensional concept combining loyalty, kindness, promise-keeping, and mercy. It represents a covenant commitment where God consistently leans His blessing toward humanity despite their unfaithfulness. In the New Testament, the Greek word is agape, which refers to a sacrificial, deliberate laying down of one's own conveniences for the sake of others. Merging these concepts, Tim defines biblical love as a holy, self-giving commitment that expresses itself in tangible actions to benefit others, remaining entirely independent of feelings or the recipient's behavior.

The challenge of this command becomes evident when looking at the intense diversity of the disciples Jesus gathered. The group included competing brothers, rough fishermen, a corrupt tax collector, a politically radical zealot, and women delivered from evil spirits. Tim notes that the modern church mirrors this exact same messy, diverse family dynamic. Believers are called to love people from vastly different backgrounds, including those whose political or social views might normally frustrate them, and even those who become outright enemies.

Ultimately, Tim declares that this supernatural, unconditional love is intended to be the primary distinguishing mark of a Christian. While human nature relies on transactional relationships—cutting people off when they are no longer beneficial—spirit-filled love sticks with people sacrificially, which acts as the ultimate verification to the world that someone truly belongs to Christ. Grounding the congregation in the reassuring truth that God’s anchor-like love never changes based on our performance, he challenges believers to look at the sacrifice of Christ and be daily compelled to extend that same sacrificial grace to the difficult people in their own lives.

Discussion Questions for Practical Application

1. Defining Love on God's Terms: Tim explicitly noted that we cannot let the world define love for us, defining biblical love instead as a commitment expressed in tangible actions independent of feelings. In what ways does the world's definition of love (e.g., based on emotional connection, compatibility, or transaction) creep into your own relationships? How can you consciously shift your mindset to view love as a deliberate agape commitment this week?

2. Loving the "Diverse Disciples" in Your Circle: The original disciples included people with massive political and social divides, much like the modern church family. Think of someone in your immediate faith community, workplace, or family whose behavior, opinions, or background genuinely test your patience. Based on Jesus' command, what is one practical, tangible action you can take to show them biblical love, regardless of how you feel?

3. The Trap of Transactional Relationships: Tim observed that it is natural human behavior to cut people off the moment they stop benefiting us or making us happy. Is there a relationship in your life right now that you have emotionally "cut off" or distanced yourself from because it became inconvenient or difficult? How does remembering Christ's unwavering hesed toward you alter your perspective on that person?

4. Living as a Visible Replica: According to John 13:35, supernatural love is supposed to be our defining mark that proves to the world we are disciples. If an outside observer looked strictly at how you treat a difficult spouse, a tough neighbor, or a demanding boss, would they see a distinct reflection of Jesus? What is one specific area where you need to pray for the Holy Spirit to implant the power to love sacrificially?

Greg begins by highlighting the historic and cultural context of Luke 3. The extensive list of political and religious leaders at the start of the chapter signifies a period of deep corruption and spiritual darkness. In contrast to the urban, powerful center of Jerusalem, God chooses to renew His activity in the desolate wilderness, speaking directly to John, the son of Zechariah. Greg notes that John’s entire life was a journey of learning to seek, listen to, and respond to God. He spent years practicing spiritual disciplines—such as prayer, fasting, solitude, and meditation—not to earn spiritual credentials, but to position himself on the "right channel" to hear from the Lord. John practiced a life rhythm of retreating to seek God and returning to the world to proclaim His word.

When John emerges from the desert, his message after 400 years of divine silence is clear: the Messiah is coming, so prepare your hearts through repentance and mark that readiness with baptism. Using Isaiah’s metaphor of flattening mountains and filling valleys, Greg explains that John was calling people to mend their lives rather than physical roads. This message brought a sweeping promise of ultimate deliverance from sin, death, and hell for all of humanity.

However, John's message is intentionally jarring to the self-righteous. He famously greets the religious elites as a "brood of vipers," confronting their pride. These leaders relied on their heritage as children of Abraham, but Greg emphasizes that lineage is useless to God if He does not have the heart. True repentance requires crossing a hard line from self-centered pride to humble confession, which manifests in distinct fruit: humility and love. When the convicted crowd asks, "What then shall we do?" John provides highly practical commands tailored to their daily lives: share clothes and food, collect only authorized taxes, and do not extort money. Greg notes that true repentance fundamentally transforms how we treat other people; generosity and contentment serve as an immediate heart test of whether we are abiding in Christ.

Finally, Greg looks at John's deep humility in response to speculation that he might be the Christ. John deflects all personal ambition, stating he is unworthy to even untie the Messiah's sandals. He contrasts his own external baptism of water with Jesus' superior, internal baptism of the Holy Spirit and purifying fire, and warns of Christ’s ultimate judgment separating the wheat from the chaff. Greg challenges the congregation to model their lives after John by acting like the moon—having no light of its own, but existing purely to reflect the glory of the Sun. Citing a story from Pastor E.V. Hill about a church member who constantly urged preachers to "Get Him up!", Greg concludes with a powerful reminder that our primary focus must be to lift up and exalt Jesus above ourselves in everything we do.

Discussion Questions for Practical Application

1. The Walkie-Talkie Principle: Greg compared classic spiritual practices (solitude, silence, prayer, fasting) to tuning a walkie-talkie to the right channel to hear God. Which of these practices do you find most difficult to implement in modern life, and what is one practical shift you can make this week to create space to listen to the Lord?

2. The "Inner Tax Collector": Reflecting on the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Greg stated that "getting in touch with your inner tax collector makes room for God's energy in your life." In what areas of your life are you tempted to "play the Pharisee" by comparing yourself to others or pretending you have it all together? How can practicing greater vulnerability change your relationships?

3. The Heart Test of Generosity: When the crowd asked John how to live out their repentance, his answers focused entirely on content wages, fair treatment of others, and sharing resources. If God were to look at your current financial habits and daily interactions with neighbors or coworkers, what kind of "fruit" would He find? What is one practical act of sacrificial generosity you can do this week?

4. "Get Him Up!": John the Baptist’s ultimate goal was to decrease so that Jesus could increase. In your daily environments (family, workplace, social circles), what does it look like to practically "get Jesus up" and reflect His light rather than building your own personal platform or brand?