Text Box: You’ve no doubt heard some tongue twisters like “Sally sells seashells at the seashore,” or “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers...”  But do you know the three words most people have difficulty saying?  “I was wrong.”  What a great difficulty we have in admitting our guilt.  We defend ourselves.  We cite reasons and the whys and wherefores to defend our actions or words.  A politician says something that causes a political storm then says, I didn’t mean it.  I don’t speak that way.  Yet he spoke those very words.  The most hardened of criminals, sitting on death row, will claim his innocence.  Either he didn’t do it, or because of circumstances beyond his control he was forced into whatever crime he did.  But surely, it was not his fault.  It is so hard to say “I was wrong.”           To admit our own sin is so difficult.  When Jeremiah confronts the people with their sins, and the consequences if they don’t turn from their sins, what’s the response?  Sackcloth and ashes?  No.  They figure Jeremiah is the bad one.  There’s nothing wrong with what they’re doing.  Jeremiah is wrong, they say, for saying such things.  We’re not wrong.  We haven’t done anything wrong.  You shouldn’t talk that way, Jeremiah.  It was a lot stronger than that.  They said, “you shall surely die,” Jeremiah. (8)  “This man is worthy to die because he has prophesied against this city.” (11)  Some people will go to a great extent to cover over their sins.            Even when God pleads with the people of Jerusalem directly, there are very few who admit their guilt.  Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, stoning the prophets and killing those who were sent to you, how often I would have gathered you together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you weren’t willing.” (Luke 13:34)  God wanted to draw them close to him, but they refused.  They would not admit they had done anything wrong.  They wouldn’t change their ways.            We like to think of ourselves as good.  We like to think that we are good, and upright, and motivated by only good motives.  We don’t like to hear that we have done wrong.  But how important it is to change course when you’re headed for destruction.  In Philippians Paul writes “for many walk as I’ve told you before, and now I say with tears, they’re enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end is destruction, their stomach is their god, they glory in their shame.” (18, 19)  How did they get to that point?  Not purposely.  These are people who evidently slid from faith.  Not intentionally.  But they headed toward destruction, and wouldn’t change course.            It is so important to change course when you’re heading for destruction.  A pastor was selling his horse. The pastor explained to the buyer that the horse only responded to biblical commands. To make the horse go the command was "Praise the Lord", the command to make the horse stop was "Hallelujah". The man then handed the money to the pastor and climbed on the horse. "Praise the Lord", called the horse’s new owner. The horse responded by moving in a light trot. "Praise the Lord", said the man. The horse then picked up the pace. Amazed by this, the man then said one more time, "Praise the Lord". The horse then proceeded to run in full gallop. The man suddenly noticed that his new steed was fast approaching a cliff. "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah", shouted the man. The horse then responded by sliding to a stop just inches from the edge of the cliff. Relieved the man looked down over the edge. He sighed, "Praise the Lord!"           How important it is for us to change course when we’re heading for disaster.  As difficult as it is, it’s so important for us to admit our guilt, to turn from our sins to God.  It’s not just about stopping.  It’s about turning.  It’s about changing.  But what do you do once you’ve already gotten yourself into a terrible mess?  Picture someone who wants to do some off road driving.  You know that there are vehicles built for such driving.  They have special tires, often sit up higher to be over the mud, they have roll cages, and other things.  But this guy who wants to drive around in the mud, does it with just a regular car, not suited for such driving.  Predictably, it doesn’t take very long before the car is stuck in the mud.  He didn’t intend to get stuck, but that’s what happened.            We are enticed to sin.  The mud looks good to us.  That seems so ridiculous, but Satan is the deceiver from the beginning.  He’s good at tempting us.  We don’t want to get stuck.  But somehow we do.  We aren’t going in the paths that God has shown to us.  Now when you get stuck how are you ever going to get out?  When the guy got his car stuck in the mud, there was no way he could drive it out.  He had to call for help.  He needed a tow truck.  When we get stuck in the mud of sin, there’s no way we can drive out, either.  We need to call God’s wrecker service.  God sends Jesus right out, who pulls us out of our predicament.  But notice, we have to recognize we’re stuck first.  We have to admit our guilt, before we call to God for help, for forgiveness.  God pulls us out of the mud.  He forgives our sins.  He removes the guilt.  He washes off all the mud, and we’re clean again.  Isn’t that great?           But do you know what people do?  The mud looks like a lot of fun.  There are other people driving in the mud, and it looks like they’re having a great time.  I don’t notice anyone getting stuck.  I’ll be a little more careful this time.  I’ll just drive carefully in the mud.  And just after having been towed out of the muck, we go back in.  And we get stuck again!  (That’s a dead-end way to go: their end is destruction, their stomach is their god, and they glory in their shame.)  (19)           St. Paul urges us not to do that.  “Be co-immitators of me, brothers and keep an eye on those who follow this example.” (17)  Don’t think about earthly things.  Don’t let the attraction of the mud lure you.  “We are citizens of heaven.  We eagerly wait for our Savior Lord Jesus Christ to come from there” to take us home. (20)           Head home to the party.  Don’t drive into the mud.  Head to the airport.  Wait for Jesus to arrive to bring us home to the party.  “He’ll change our lowly bodies so that they’ll be like his body of glory.” (21)  The choice should be obvious.  Who would choose mud, when you could have the everlasting party, and a body of glory like Jesus has?  Yet strangely, the mud looks good to us in our delusion.  St. Paul’s advice is “my dear ones, stand firm.” (4:1) That is, hold on to your faith, admit your guilt so that Jesus will pull you out of the mud, and follow Paul’s example of living close to God, so that you don’t drive over the cliff to destruction.   

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