Out of the Depths
Drawing from Psalm 130, Pastor Johnathan opens with a vivid picture of climbing a massive sand dune in Namibia — every step sinking, every footfall threatening to pull him down — as a metaphor for how the enemy works in our lives. Just as C.S. Lewis wrote that "human history is the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy," we keep stepping toward things that promise happiness while the sand rises around us. Pastor Johnathan reminds us that the greatest attacks often come just before a breakthrough, pointing to Psalm 71:20, which says, "You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth."
Pastor Johnathan then walks through two of Satan's primary strategies against us: confusion and accusation. Referencing 2 Corinthians 4:4, he explains that Satan has "blinded the minds of those who don't believe," bringing spiritual ignorance into our marriages, our understanding of authority, and even our identities. As the accuser, Satan bottles up our past sins and holds them up as a mirror, trying to convince us that our failures define us. But Pastor Johnathan reminds us that the moment the enemy accuses, Jesus stands as our intercessor — and his blood has already covered it.
The sermon closes with a powerful call to true repentance rather than mere remorse. Remorse keeps us in the depths, but godly sorrow leads us to turn from sin and run to Adonai with our whole hearts. As 1 John 1:9 promises, "If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." The promise has come in Jesus Christ, and because of his unfailing love and full redemption, we no longer have to wear our sin, agree with the accuser, or live in the depths. We are set apart, and today is the day to step into that new identity.