Full transcript
0:00Happy Saturday .
0:01Happy Saturday . I'm
0:03passionate about the Sabbath , you know ?
0:08I was born into this Adventist context
0:10where we observe the Sabbath , and
0:12seeing my friend Lisica here today , who
0:14just got up . We've been friends for a
0:21week now , and she came here this
0:22morning . Angelina said , " Mom , will Lisa
0:28be there ? " I said , " She will be ,
0:32daughter , because I miss her . " Angelina
0:34, my daughter , has also known Lisa for
0:37a week . And then , thinking about what
0:42she asked me in the car , I started
0:44thinking about the exact meaning of the
0:45Sabbath . I learned , I don't know if you
0:51know this , I think our pastor knows ,
0:55the oldest word found , recorded , about
1:02what the Sabbath means , do you know
1:03what the original meaning of the word
1:05is ? A hurried return home . And when
1:18Angelina asked if Lisa would be here , I
1:20said , " Exactly that , the Sabbath is the
1:22reminder that we are returning to our
1:24home . The place where we meet , the
1:29place where our differences are
1:31welcomed . " Each one arrives here with
1:36their own story , but all rescued by God
1:38. This is the wonder of Saturday . The
1:42wonder of Saturday is being here today .
1:47And it's so good because we are with
1:49those we love . And to love , we often
1:54don't need to have known each other for
1:55so long . So I am very happy . This
2:01Saturday I have longtime friends , like
2:03my husband , right ? Almost 25 years
2:06already . Friends of lesser time , like
2:12Alexandra , her family , Carla with her
2:14family , Lisa , my friend of a week who
2:16sings , which is the most beautiful
2:18thing . But this place where we are , and
2:26us feeling like family , or us being
2:28here because someone invited us , has to
2:30do with an aspect that accompanies us .
2:36Do you know what our identity is ? And I
2:42want this morning , in the name of Jesus
2:44, that we talk about identity in a
2:46deeper way , because , like , oh , my
2:48identity is in Christ . We are going to
2:53understand today where our identity is ,
2:55because identity is something that is
2:57built within us , according to
2:58neuroscience , over the years . Contrary
3:03to popular belief , our identity can
3:05change throughout life . Isn't that true
3:09? Those who identified as atheists and
3:13now believe in God , those who were once
3:15committed bachelors and later married .
3:21Because identity is the set of values
3:23and characteristics with which I can
3:25identify , recognize who I am . And also ,
3:30when someone says my name , they can
3:32gather the characteristics that belong
3:34to me . But this identity changes . And
3:40this morning I want us to experience a
3:42paradox so that what needs to change ,
3:47we allow the Holy Spirit to do so . But
3:51what doesn't need to change can be
3:53strengthened in Christ Jesus this
3:54morning . Because that's why we're here .
4:01So we're going to begin our Bible
4:03reading with a story I really like , and
4:05it will be the start of our
4:06conversation this morning . The Gospel
4:13of John , chapter 10. We know the Gospel
4:20of John very well , especially chapter
4:2210 , because of verse 10 : " I have come
4:24that they may have life , and have it to
4:26the full . " But after we read that and
4:31go to verse 22 , a very interesting
4:37episode in the life of Jesus begins ,
4:38and it will be our backdrop for this
4:40morning . They opened the Gospel of John
4:48, chapter 10 , starting at verse 22. I'm
4:50going to pray again . Lord , we have been
4:56here since we entered talking about You
4:58, praising Your name , and we want to
4:59continue in Your presence and what You
5:01have for us this morning . If there is
5:09any doubt in our hearts about belonging
5:11, about love , about a special place ,
5:13may any doubt that still exists be
5:15dispelled this morning or may the
5:16process of dispelling it begin in Your
5:18name . Amen .
5:25Amen .
5:27Amen .
5:30It's so beautiful . The Bible says , " Let
5:32the little children come to me , " right ?
5:34Jesus says this , and He goes further .
5:36It causes a scandal that Jesus says , "
5:38Let the children come . " How so ? A
5:42master asking for children to be
5:44brought to Him , and He even said , " You
5:46must not become like little children ,
5:48nor will you enter the heavens . " Look ,
5:52all children are welcome . If you're
5:57next to a couple , a mother , whose child
5:58is making a noise , you'll look at her
6:00and say , " I understand because I've
6:02been through that embarrassment . " But
6:09it's not the most important thing that
6:11they're here , okay ? They were
6:15celebrating the Feast of Dedication ,
6:17called Anukah in Hebrew . What was the
6:19name of the feast ? Anukah . In Jerusalem
6:23. It was winter , and Jesus was walking
6:26in the temple , in Solomon's Portico ,
6:28and the Jews around him said , " How long
6:30will you keep us in suspense ? If you
6:33are the Messiah , tell us directly . "
6:38Jesus answered , " I already told you ,
6:40but you didn't believe me . Everything I
6:43did was authorized by my Father , and my
6:45actions speak louder than my words . "
6:49And Jesus continues , " Everything I did
6:52is in his authority . My sheep recognize
6:55my voice , and no one can steal them . "
6:58And when we go to verse 30 , it says : "
7:00Peace , the Father who entrusted the
7:02sheep to me is much greater than the
7:06destroyer , than the thief . No one can
7:08take them away . " And then comes the key
7:11verse for this morning . I and the
7:15Father are one heart and one mind . Once
7:20again , the Jews were about to stone him
7:22, but Jesus said to them : " I have done
7:24many good works on behalf of the Father
7:26. For which of them do you want to
7:29stone me ? " The Jews then answered : " We
7:35will not stone you for anything good
7:36you have done , but for the blasphemy of
7:38calling you God , saying that you are
7:40one with God . " Jesus reacted . I am only
7:47saying what the Scripture text says .
7:51And when we go to verse 38 , it says : "
7:57We only do the same things and we are
7:59also the same Father and Son . He is in
8:03me , I am in him . " The final verses , 39
8:09to 42. They tried to arrest him , but he
8:12managed to escape . He returned to the
8:16region of the Jordan , where John was
8:18baptizing , and stayed there . Many
8:22became his followers , saying , " John
8:24performed no miracles , but everything
8:26he said about this man is true . " So
8:31many believed in him . I have a very
8:38special relationship with John chapter
8:3910 , this portion of the Bible , because
8:41if someone here this morning , and if I
8:43could move from here — I believe I
8:45can't because of the broadcast — I
8:47would come down there . Those who are
8:53watching are all welcome . When we
8:59understand this biblical text , I can
9:07almost guarantee that what we think
9:08about ourselves and what others think
9:10about us changes . It changes . Here it
9:19says that Jesus was in Jerusalem at the
9:21Feast of Dedication . What season was it
9:25? Winter . Satan , he will always want to
9:30take advantage of the winters of our
9:32lives . Always . He is there when we get
9:35sick . He's there when that professional
9:39plan didn't materialize , when I
9:40couldn't get into the university course
9:42, which was my dream . Satan , he's
9:46trying to take advantage of the winters
9:48of our lives to tell us who we are not .
9:55Jesus was there , those Pharisees
9:56approached because , in truth , they
9:58perhaps wanted to make Jesus doubt who
10:00he was , as Satan had already done . When
10:07Jesus leaves his baptism and is taken
10:09to be tempted in the desert , Satan
10:11approaches him and says : " If you are
10:13the Son of God , throw yourself down
10:14from here , and the angels will come to
10:16your rescue . " Don't be deceived . Elite
10:25says in the book * The Desire of Ages *
10:27that Jesus was all dirty from the
10:29desert . Jesus was weak because of the
10:3540 days of fasting , dirty , tired ,
10:37hungry , weakened . And Satan appeared as
10:43an angel of light . And do you know what
10:47Satan's insinuation was in that first
10:49question ? Look , if you are the Son of
10:53God , why don't you throw yourself down
10:55from here ? Because in truth you must be
10:58the fallen angel , Satan . He wanted to
11:01take Jesus away , or even make the
11:06narrative go : " I am the angel of light
11:08and you are the fallen angel . " What
11:12lengths will Satan go to in trying to
11:14deceive someone ? If he has the capacity
11:18, the audacity , the boldness to
11:20approach Jesus himself and try to
11:21deceive him into believing that he fell
11:23from heaven , imagine what he does to me
11:25and to you . Because many of us think
11:32that what they say about us is true . It
11:36isn't . It isn't . People don't know half
11:41of our pain , do they ? They don't know
11:45half of our history , what we face every
11:47day . And they say : " If you are the
11:51Messiah , why don't you tell us openly ? "
11:54Jesus says : " I am with you all the time
11:56. My works are much greater than my
11:59words . That is identity . And Jesus says
12:03: " I and the Father are one . " " And the
12:07text says that they were about to stone
12:08him . And here is the great question
12:16that Jesus asks : ' For which of my good
12:18works do you want to kill me ? ' And they
12:24say , ' It's not for what you do , but
12:27for who you say you are . ' Don't be
12:31fooled . People aren't very concerned
12:35with what we do . They aren't very
12:39attentive to whether our work is good
12:41or bad . In fact , what bothers hell is
12:47who we are in Christ . Because here they
12:55are about to stone Jesus , and they
12:56themselves say , ' It's not for any of
12:58your good works , but for saying that
13:00you and the Father are one . ' And here
13:06our lives begin to resolve , because
13:08it's not what people say that defines
13:10who we are . And perhaps not always does
13:15non-acceptance , rejection , or slander
13:17come from what we do , but from who we
13:19are in God . And this needs to set us
13:25free . This needs to set us free because
13:33everyone is seeing us from their own
13:34perspective , but also being influenced
13:36by what they don't have . " And they
13:41search within us . Jesus then flees from
13:48them once again because Jesus says : " I
13:50and the Father are
13:52one . I and the Father are one . " And
13:57here I said once again , they tried to
13:58arrest him and he escaped . I went to
14:01look in the Bible at the other times
14:03they tried to kill Jesus . One of the
14:08times was there in Nazareth , when Jesus
14:10is in the temple , still at the
14:11beginning of his ministry , he gets up
14:13and begins to read the book of Isaiah ,
14:15the scroll of the book of Isaiah , which
14:17spoke about the Lamb of God who takes
14:19away the sin of the world . And he says :
14:24" Today this prophecy is fulfilled . He
14:28declares himself the Messiah there , and
14:30because of that they seize him , take
14:32him to the top of a mountain , and try
14:33to throw him off . Why ? Because he
14:36declared himself the Son of God .
14:40Another occasion is when Jesus performs
14:42that healing on the Sabbath . And the
14:45big question was never about keeping
14:46the Sabbath or not , but rather about
14:48how to keep the Sabbath . That was the
14:50question among the Jews . And Jesus said
14:54: " I have power to heal on the Sabbath .
14:56" And he says again : " Do you know why I
15:00heal on the Sabbath ? Because I and the
15:03Father are one . " " It's in John chapter
15:055. So , of course , we have many of our
15:10characteristics that need to be
15:12transformed . We are not perfect , but
15:16our identity is what has been most
15:18attacked out there . People hardly ever
15:24talk about me because they didn't like
15:25my hair or my clothes . They want to
15:29attack my identity , right ? To those who
15:34swear up and down on social media that
15:35I didn't even finish my psychology
15:37degree . No , because I found a Rosana
15:41Alves and she didn't even finish her
15:43degree . She's a fraud . Look at that ,
15:47identity . Then I said : ' Wow , someone
15:51once asked me : " Does that bother you ? "
15:53I said : " Not at all , firstly because
15:57the person will confuse me with
15:58whichever Rosana Alves they want . "
16:01People , my name José Pereira is the
16:03most common in Brazil . " If you type
16:11Rosana Alves , you'll find so many , but
16:13there's a Rosana Alves who didn't even
16:15finish her psychology degree , but
16:17there's also the head of pediatrics at
16:19the Paulista School of Medicine , who is
16:21internationally recognized , and who is
16:23also named Rosana Alves . Why didn't
16:28they confuse me with her ? They could
16:32have confused my resume with hers ,
16:33couldn't they ? We both went to the
16:35Paulista School of Medicine . So , don't
16:40hand over your joy , your happiness ,
16:42your identity to anyone , because it's
16:48something that was built in Christ
16:49Jesus and it's worth the blood of our
16:51God . People will define you according
16:55to their own repertoire , and that's how
16:57our identity is formed . Why ? According
17:06to neuroscience , our identity begins to
17:08form , you know how ? What is the
17:14substrate at the base of our identity ?
17:18Our memories . It's our memories . Of the
17:25memories we have , classifying them , we
17:27have working memory , the one that helps
17:29us with daily activities , remembering
17:31where the keys are , uh , what the church
17:33number is for those who used GPS to get
17:36here . That's our everyday memory . I'll
17:44just mention three . The other is
17:46semantic memory , the memory of meaning ,
17:48the one that makes us remember facts .
17:52Who here remembers where they were on
17:53September 11th ? Who ? All the old people
17:58raising their hands . I didn't see David
18:03raise his hands . Did David raise his ?
18:05That's right . Angelina was like ,
18:08looking for what she's talking about ,
18:09but we raised our hands , right ? I
18:14remember I was in the classroom ,
18:15teaching classes back then . Why ? That's
18:21our semantic memory . Facts mark this
18:24memory . I know where I lived in 2015
18:28because that was the year Angelina was
18:30born . But there is a memory , and it is
18:36this memory that helps form our
18:37identity . It's autobiographical memory .
18:45The definition already says what it is .
18:48It's the memory of who I am . And this
18:53memory , like all others , is not a clean
18:55, neutral record of the event or fact .
19:02We don't record facts , we record the
19:04interpretation we made of that
19:05situation . Isn't that right ? That's why
19:14when we see that two people went
19:16through the same situation — it could
19:18have been a flood , a plane that shook
19:20there , you were inside — people will
19:21have different interpretations , because
19:23these interpretations are based on what
19:25has shaped us , on what we have
19:27translated from our experiences . Our
19:35autobiographical memory begins to be
19:37formed in our home . Who is the one who
19:43took care of you ? What did they tell
19:49you about life when you fell , what was
19:51the interpretation ? Did a child fall ,
19:53or are you just clumsy ? All of this
19:56shapes who we are . And this
19:59interpretation of who we are is what
20:01will bring us the interpretation of the
20:03world . Angelina was about three years
20:07old , and she was always in a very good
20:09mood . We were in the car on our way to
20:14church , and Angelina , who was two years
20:16old at the time , said from her car seat
20:18: " Mommy , a long leg bit me . " Here you
20:24call them mosquitoes , right ? Look at
20:30that , you like that . I said : " Oh , honey
20:37, what a long leg , huh ? When the car
20:40stops , Mommy will take care of it . " She
20:43said : " Oh , Mommy , don't worry . You
20:46don't need to do anything to it ,
20:48because it was so cute . " That's how she
20:53interpreted a bite . So , the
20:56interpretations we have are related to
20:58what we have stored up . You know why ?
21:02Because that's how we interpret life ,
21:04and that's how we define who God is for
21:06us . Who is God for you ? Who is the God
21:12you were taught about ? Is it the God
21:14who welcomes ? Is it the God who accepts
21:16? Is it the God who transforms ? Is it
21:19the God who prepares ? Or is it the
21:21punitive God ? Because He hasn't changed
21:24? He is unique , but each person brings
21:27their own interpretation of who God is .
21:32So much so that when we go to the book
21:38of Matthew , verse 25 , we find , starting
21:46from verse 14 , but we only read the
21:49specific verses , we find the story of
21:53the three servants . Remember that ?
21:59Their master goes on a journey and
22:01leaves each one with money so they can
22:02trade , take care of that money until he
22:04returns . Remember , remember that ? And
22:11two of these servants take care of that
22:13money , they make the money multiply .
22:18But the third servant , mentioned in
22:20verses 24 and 25 , the others invested
22:23the money , the others made the money
22:25grow . But this one here , verse 24 of
22:32Matthew , chapter 25 , says : " The servant
22:35who had received 1000 coins declared :
22:37Master , I know that you have high
22:39standards and detest shoddy work , that
22:41you are extremely demanding and do not
22:44tolerate mistakes . I was afraid of
22:48disappointing you . Therefore , I kept
22:51your money in a very secure safe . " Here
22:56is your money , safe and sound , down to
22:58the last penny . And verse 26 says that
23:02his master then became furious . Why did
23:09that man hide money ? Because of his
23:14perception of his master , his boss . He
23:19says : " I know that the Lord does not
23:21tolerate mistakes , but this was not the
23:23view of the other servants who invested
23:24the money and made it grow . They even
23:28made the money grow at different rates
23:30and handed it over to their master . "
23:34But that one , he interprets the Lord
23:36differently and says : " The Lord doesn't
23:38tolerate mistakes . I was afraid and
23:40buried every penny . " And look , he
23:43received a small fortune for the time ,
23:461000 coins . He received almost 3 years '
23:50work to trade . And he hides it out of
23:54fear , not because of who his master was
23:56, but because of his interpretation of
23:58that Lord . Whoever doesn't know God
24:03buries themselves , doesn't believe ,
24:05projects a different image of who they
24:07are , fears God and doesn't worship Him ,
24:09projects this image of a God who
24:11doesn't accept mistakes . But then we go
24:21to another biblical story in Luke ,
24:23chapter 15. And it seems to be a story
24:25only of misfortune , of abandonment , but
24:37this story brings something that is
24:39essential for us to live well , for us
24:40to understand that even when we err , we
24:48have a reference point . It's the story
24:54you know , of the prodigal son , the one
24:56who takes his share , leaves , and spends
24:58everything he has , even wanting to eat
25:05the swill , the pigs ' food . He didn't
25:10even have that by right . One day , with
25:17his stomach rumbling and thinking about
25:21life , he remembered what is recorded in
25:26Luke , chapter 15 , verses 17 to 20. This
25:32made him realize what he was doing . He
25:37thought : " My father's servants have
25:39three meals a day , and I am here
25:41starving to death . I know what to do .
25:46I'll go back home and say to my father :
25:48' I have sinned against God and against
25:50you . I am no longer worthy to be
25:53considered your son . Being one of your
25:55servants is good enough . ' Decided , he
25:59got up and went home . Meanwhile , that
26:07servant in the parable said : " My master
26:09is a wicked man ; he demands every last
26:11penny . He doesn't tolerate mistakes . "
26:19Here we have the prodigal son
26:20remembering his father and saying : " I
26:22have a generous father , because even my
26:24father's servants have three meals a
26:26day . Other versions say there is plenty
26:30of bread . What makes the prodigal son
26:33return home was not hunger . He comes to
26:38his senses , it wasn't because he no
26:40longer had resources . What makes him
26:42return home was his autobiographical
26:44memory , because he remembers who his
26:48father is . His father is the father of
26:51generosity . And even if he doesn't want
26:55to receive me as a son , being his
26:57servant is already more than enough .
27:01Because he treats everyone with
27:02generosity . This is the God you love
27:06and need to transmit to people .
27:10Because this strengthens who we are . He
27:13comes to his senses and he remembers
27:15who God is . Who is God to you ?
27:18Because here we are actually talking
27:19about who God is . Who is God to you ?
27:24And before that young man , returning
27:25home , opens his mouth and offers
27:27himself to be a servant , the father
27:29covers him with his cloak and says : "
27:31Today is a day of celebration in this
27:33house because my son has returned . " The
27:36father never disappoints in his
27:37generosity , and that's why he returns .
27:46So , dear ones , if this morning I'm
27:47speaking to a father or mother who has
27:49suffered with a child , a child you may
27:51have once taught what they needed to
27:53remember about their own identity , who
27:55God is , but they forgot and left , it's
27:57autobiographical memory that will bring
27:59them back . Who are they ? Who are you
28:09representing Christ in their life ?
28:15Because that boy who squandered
28:17everything , he truly had no right to it
28:19. He had no right because he truly
28:23wanted another life . But while the
28:29servant in Matthew 25 sees hardness and
28:31fear in the Lord , the prodigal son sees
28:39provision and acceptance . The central
28:46question is often not just who God
28:48essentially is , but how we learn to see
28:55Him . I'll repeat it for you , because
29:06the real question isn't who God
29:07essentially is , but how we learn to see
29:09Him .
29:16How have you been seeing Christ ? Our
29:25autobiographical memory is what keeps
29:26the memories of our identity within us .
29:37But here's the beauty in the kingdom ,
29:39right at the end of our conversation . I
29:43know that often our family history ,
29:49whether you grew up with your father ,
29:51your mother , or some other family you
29:52belonged to , that core group that cared
29:54for you . Our family , our family history
30:03, does establish our starting point in
30:05life , the beginning of the construction
30:07of our identity , but through God's
30:09grace , it doesn't define our final
30:11destiny .
30:18And there's a beauty in identity .
30:22Personality is our traits , right ?
30:25Whether I'm more extroverted or not .
30:31And this is formed around the ages of
30:3412 , 18 , 20 , when the brain is reaching
30:36its final maturity , it crystallizes ,
30:44the personality crystallizes . That's
30:50why , for example , we talk about
30:52educational measures , right ,
30:53socio-educational measures for boys and
30:55girls before that age , so they aren't
30:57sent to a prison system because of a
30:59personality that hasn't yet
31:01crystallized . That's one of the reasons
31:05. But unlike personality , identity is
31:12something that can be changed . Amen .
31:16Amen . And this identity is where God
31:22wants to act in me and you . Amen .
31:25I don't know what you carry from your
31:27history . I don't know if you like all
31:31aspects of your identity , but I know of
31:33a God who , when we can no longer
31:43understand who we are , when our logical
31:45memory cannot lead us to understand why
31:46sometimes we act differently , why
31:48sometimes we have a sadness that seems
31:50like it won't leave us . Our God reaches
31:57these places because He is the God who
32:02says , " Look , I don't need to change
32:03your main characteristics . Your
32:07personality can remain the same . God
32:11doesn't change in us what doesn't need
32:13changing . " We find so many biblical
32:15stories where God changes people's
32:17names , right ? He changes Abraham to
32:20Abraham , Sarai to Sarah , but He doesn't
32:25change Zacchaeus ' name because
32:28Zacchaeus means pure . God wants to
32:31bring him back to the identity of his
32:33name . God doesn't change his name . From
32:35today on , you are not called Zacchaeus ,
32:37you are called Zechariah . God doesn't
32:41do that because his name is already
32:43pure , clean . God restores his own
32:47identity . But if today you are finding
32:54it difficult to discover who you are ,
32:56perhaps it's difficult to look at
32:57yourself and find so much value . And
33:05value has nothing to do with pride , it
33:07has to do with belonging . Value needs
33:12to be grounded in belonging . And it's
33:17not cheap belonging , it's not lip
33:19service . I belong to Jesus . How do
33:23people see you and Jesus ? They looked
33:26at Jesus and said , " If you are the
33:28Messiah , show us . " And Jesus said , " My
33:38works speak for themselves , but if you
33:40have any doubts , to conclude our last
33:43verses , we will return to John , chapter
33:4510. And we will read these verses again
33:47, verses 39 to 42. They still tried to
33:50arrest him , but he managed to escape .
34:00Where did he return ? To the Jordan
34:04River . And the text makes a point of
34:11saying the Jordan River , where John was
34:13baptizing and stayed . The text makes a
34:21point of mentioning this . I believe ,
34:23and you also believe , that nothing in
34:25the Bible is recorded by chance . And
34:29here it makes a point of saying that it
34:30was where John was baptizing , because
34:32Jesus himself was baptized in the
34:34Jordan River . When they try to tell
34:40Jesus that he is blaspheming and that
34:42he is not the Messiah , that he is not
34:44the Son of God , that he is not one with
34:46God , he returns to the Jordan River , to
34:48where one day , when he was baptized ,
34:50the heavens opened and he heard the
34:52Father himself saying : " You are my
34:54beloved Son , in whom I am well pleased .
34:59" Amen .
35:02So , the invitation for today is not for
35:10you to go back home and perhaps settle
35:11your relationship with your mother ,
35:13because you are the one who instilled
35:15those traumas . The invitation is for
35:24you to return to the Jordan River . It
35:30is to return to the place of eternal
35:32belonging .
35:36Because when they try to kill Jesus ,
35:38Satan tries to kill Jesus after the 40
35:40days of fasting . Jesus says : " Man shall
35:45not live by bread alone , but by every
35:47word that comes from the mouth of God .
35:50" And the term used here is * marea * , not
35:52the written word . * Marea * is the spoken
35:56word , the audible word that someone
35:58heard . And Jesus is saying this : " You
36:04can try to deceive me , you can try to
36:05put the idea in my head that I am one
36:07of the fallen angels , but I heard the
36:09Father saying that I am a beloved son .
36:15Man does not live on bread alone , but
36:17on every word that comes from the mouth
36:19of God , saying that I am a beloved son ,
36:21which brings him joy .
36:26And here , when he tries to kill Jesus
36:28again , he returns to the Jordan . So
36:31today the invitation is : return to the
36:33Jordan . Return to hear who you are in
36:37God . If you have any doubt , the Bible
36:40is full of it . Passages that say that
36:45with eternal love he loved me and with
36:47all generosity he drew me . I came that
36:52they may have life and have it
36:54abundantly . I am the way and the life .
37:00Whoever wants to come to the Father ,
37:01come to me . Woman , I do not condemn you
37:05. Go and sin no more . Amen .
37:09No one here stayed to mistreat you , to
37:11kill you . The woman with the issue of
37:14blood , who touched me ? The impure woman
37:17touches Jesus . And Jesus even calls her
37:21daughter , while the others They wanted
37:23to rebuke her . When that woman washes
37:31Jesus ' feet , being a former prostitute
37:33in Simeon's house . And Simeon thought :
37:40" Ah , if he were God , he wouldn't let
37:42this woman wash his feet . " And Jesus
37:48says : " Ah , Simeon , you who are greatly
37:51forgiven , but are still grateful , may
38:00your sins , your doubts , your traumas be
38:02the place to find the abundance , the
38:04generosity of God's love . Amen . Glory .
38:11Return to the Jordan ,
38:14to the place to which you belong . " And
38:20it's so beautiful that the text says
38:22that John the Baptist didn't perform
38:24any miracles , but the things he said
38:26about Jesus were enough . Many times we
38:37want to heal , we want to witness
38:38something so great , but in truth , the
38:40text says that because of what John the
38:42Baptist said about Jesus , many began to
38:45follow Jesus and believe in him .
38:54May Jesus bless me and you .
38:56Amen . If this week someone tries to
39:01make you doubt who you are , what your
39:07worth is , remember that you and the
39:11Father are one .
39:16I am in Him
39:18and He is in me . Amen .
39:24And dear ones , nothing can bring us
39:26down emotionally if we truly believe
39:28this .
39:35Because my worth is not in what people
39:37have done to me , it is not in my origin
39:39, but in my destiny , which is eternal
39:41destiny , which is this hurried return
39:43home to our Father . It is He who says
39:54that I am going to prepare a place for
39:56you , and when I return , I will take you
39:58to myself , so that where I am , you may
40:00be also . And the Bible says that Jesus
40:10promised his disciples that he would no
40:11longer partake in the supper until we
40:13were there with him . We have a God who
40:21has been waiting for over 2000 years to
40:27dine with us . And heaven will not be
40:31the same without you . I don't know if
40:35at this moment He is preparing your
40:36place at the table . I don't know if He
40:42is thinking about your favorite food .
40:44Look , you think you're going to get
40:46this dish and find some cheap salt . But
40:49when he tastes this dish , I see God
40:55preparing our table , which has room for
40:57all of us . There's room for Fernanda ,
41:01for Paulo , for Alexandra , for Davi , for
41:04Carla , for Zinzo , for everyone who is
41:06here . Whoever accepts to be in this
41:10place , I accept .
41:15And the place we will all return to
41:16this week will be our Jordan River ,
41:23to hear that we are beloved children ,
41:24who bring much joy to God's heart . May
41:29He bless me and you today and always .
41:32Amen . Amen . I'm already praying . Can
41:39you stand so we can pray ? Oh dear
41:59Father , our hearts are happy because we
42:01once again reaffirm our identity in the
42:03Lord . May this be the most audible
42:11voice we hear throughout our lives . May
42:18no other voice have sovereignty in our
42:20hearts , may our identity be a
42:21reflection of what the Lord thinks
42:23about us . Because we belong to the God
42:29of forgiveness , of abundance , of
42:30accepting us back . Because we don't
42:35want to be servants , the wicked servant
42:41who , with the vision he had of God ,
42:43hides himself in the ground . We want to
42:49be those who
42:50always return when it is necessary to
42:52return . Whenever we feel far away , or
43:01unworthy , or insufficient in the face
43:03of what the Lord is in us and for us ,
43:05may we return to the Jordan
43:12to hear once more that we are beloved
43:14children
43:17who bring much joy to His heart .
43:21Bless each one of us . This is what we
43:24ask and thank in the name of Jesus .
43:27Amen . Amen .