WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:02.839 Yeah, let's get right into the lesson. 00:00:03.059 --> 00:00:07.240 We're in the third part of the Overcoming Me series. 00:00:07.879 --> 00:00:14.380 This is a little bit about where we've been, and then we're going to look forward to some of the stuff. 00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:15.980 We're going to make sense of a lot of it. 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:25.519 We said in the first lesson that God has no problem declaring us free from sin before we learn to live free from sin. 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:31.379 And we see that because Jesus says, if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed. 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:39.240 And yet, there's stuff that you wrestle with, that you've wrestled with, from the time you learned what sin was. 00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:40.380 There's stuff you wrestle with. 00:00:40.380 --> 00:00:44.659 I shared about me looking down on people and just feeling like I'm better. 00:00:44.700 --> 00:00:56.859 And my mom, when I was seven years old, a little bit even before seven, she wrote me journal articles or little journal entries just saying, you struggle to look down on the classmates of yours that cannot read. 00:00:57.780 --> 00:01:05.019 Fast forward, I've been a Christian most of my life at this point, and I still struggle with that. 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:11.060 When we said God has no problem, that was the first lesson. 00:01:11.540 --> 00:01:15.280 The second lesson, we looked at this. 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:16.560 I'll get you Sunday. 00:01:16.700 --> 00:01:17.019 That's fine. 00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:17.859 I'll send the slides. 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:21.700 The second lesson, we said, well, what is he doing then? 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:28.120 Well, we have the picture of the man who is bound to his sin, who cannot say no to sin. 00:01:28.180 --> 00:01:29.760 And that is the man that's black. 00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:35.840 And then at some point, this silhouette gets broken. 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:45.120 And this is the conversion point, when you go from not being able to say no to sin, and we are filled with darkness, to then having the opportunity. 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:46.079 I can say no to sin. 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:47.280 I get converted. 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:50.200 I get washed in the waters of baptism. 00:01:50.620 --> 00:01:58.340 And I'd love to be able to come out like the fully redeemed man who has no sin, who is full of all of this color. 00:01:58.540 --> 00:02:00.439 And yet, that's not. 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:12.939 There's this process then, from the point when we go from lost to saved, and we're able to say no to sin, we are continuing to be changed, to be more in the likeness of the fourth one. 00:02:12.979 --> 00:02:17.259 When we get to heaven, we are going to have this glorious body, and we look forward to that. 00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:17.599 Amen. 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:31.659 Until that time, we're in the middle of the second and the third, and we're trying to open up then opportunities for the Spirit to work in our lives. 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:34.919 We're learning to feed the Holy Spirit. 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:41.840 That is what, as we try to say no to sin, as we work to say no to sin, it's not going to be on our own power. 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:49.900 It is going to be us learning to feed the Holy Spirit and these fruits of the Spirit until they fill to overflowing. 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:50.280 Amen. 00:02:50.860 --> 00:02:56.139 That also means there's never going to be a point when, when is the Spirit of love going to be overflowing in your life? 00:02:56.259 --> 00:02:58.900 Well, not until you get to heaven. 00:02:59.699 --> 00:03:02.360 You're going to see there's, when is it going to be enough? 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:03.240 I've loved enough. 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:04.300 Well, not until you get to heaven. 00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:05.240 When are you going to have enough peace? 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:06.520 Certainly work with me. 00:03:06.539 --> 00:03:07.300 Not until you get to heaven. 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:10.280 When are you going to be this goodness that's just deep inside of you? 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:12.000 Well, not until we get to heaven. 00:03:12.099 --> 00:03:19.039 And so from until that day comes, we're working, opening up opportunities for the Spirit to work in our lives. 00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:19.280 Amen. 00:03:19.819 --> 00:03:24.580 We're going to be, we're going to be in Romans 8 eventually. 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:34.240 But I want to take a few minutes as we, as we look at the Holy Spirit, I want to take a few minutes to, to talk about who He is. 00:03:34.699 --> 00:03:45.300 And depending on your faith background, you probably brought in some preconceived notions to who the Holy Spirit is, what the Holy Spirit is, is done. 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:46.879 And how do you identify it? 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:53.860 I have to believe that this is probably in the Christian world, the most misunderstood entity of the Godhead. 00:03:54.020 --> 00:03:58.680 Like the Father, the Son, the Spirit, it's the most misunderstood is the Holy Spirit. 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:06.259 I'm going to do a very incomplete overview and it's going to be, it's going to, there's going to be broad strokes and you're going to say, well, that's not, that doesn't fully fit. 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:10.419 I'm going to do as good of a job as I can in a short period of time. 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:15.300 And then we're going to get in to, with this understanding, what can we do with this understanding? 00:04:17.778 --> 00:04:33.459 It's, there's, there's deep, in my, in my spiritual journey, this has been the area since coming to Kalamazoo, where I've certainly grown in my understanding the most of the God, of the Father, the Son, the Spirit, certainly I've grown the most in my understanding of the Holy Spirit in the last five years. 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:46.339 This is an area of deep confusion in my background, perhaps even disdain as I, as I looked at how it was portrayed in different faith backgrounds. 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:51.139 You know, in practice, I grew up, this is in practice, and we'll talk about it. 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:52.379 Maybe you grew up the same way. 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:53.639 Sit with it before you say, no, I didn't. 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:54.139 Sit with it. 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:58.300 I grew up that the Godhead was the Father, the Son, and the Holy Bible. 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:23.379 That the work of the Holy Spirit, it, it was understood, so it, as it was taught to me on Sundays, or even, even as we sat down, it was taught to me that the Holy Spirit's not limited to His work in the creation of the Holy Scriptures, but the practical work of the Spirit was, at least what it seemed to be, was limited to how, what it says in the Bible. 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:26.300 I think this was done sincerely. 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:29.300 I think it was done with the motive of helping people. 00:05:29.720 --> 00:05:39.360 It was done because Scripture is, we understand Scripture is mysterious in some ways, but there's, you can, you can, there's a handle on a lot of the, on a lot of Scripture as well. 00:05:39.740 --> 00:05:50.360 I think it was done to provide clarity on a topic where there was, and there is, just this lack of understanding in, in this mass view of Christendom. 00:05:51.660 --> 00:05:59.240 But I also think it intended to put a box on something that could never be kept in a box, that can never be kept in a box. 00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:02.240 You guys, you guys know this Scripture. 00:06:02.379 --> 00:06:03.860 This is Jesus talking. 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:10.259 He's talking to Nicodemus, who comes to him at night, and he, at the end of him saying, like, you gotta be born again. 00:06:10.339 --> 00:06:11.680 He's like, what do you mean be born again? 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:13.939 I can't go, I can't go into my mother's womb again. 00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:16.399 He's like, no, no, no, you gotta be born of water and the Spirit. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:20.279 He says, flesh gives birth to flesh, the Spirit gives birth to Spirit. 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:21.779 Don't be surprised by it. 00:06:21.819 --> 00:06:22.920 Like, you're Israel's teacher. 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:24.019 How do you not know this? 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:26.879 And then he explains, the wind blows wherever it pleases. 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:28.399 You hear its sound. 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:31.579 You can't tell where it comes from or where it's going. 00:06:32.180 --> 00:06:35.060 So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. 00:06:36.620 --> 00:06:42.600 That's mysterious, and if we're going to embrace it, that's a little bit scary for us too. 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:48.879 That if we are going to be born of the Spirit, we make great plans. 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:52.040 We just, we don't know exactly where we're going to be led. 00:06:52.079 --> 00:07:02.800 If we're going to be a church who embraces the work of the Holy Spirit in our individual lives, but certainly our collective lives, we have to, we, let's make plans. 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:05.519 Like, let's make, I've been telling, how's 2025 going? 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:07.639 I'm like, man, I believe we're going to have a great 2025. 00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:10.540 I think, man, this church is going to continue to grow. 00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:16.600 I think there's going to be many people who go from lost to saved because of the people in this church. 00:07:16.660 --> 00:07:17.079 Help them. 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:18.339 I really believe that. 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:21.120 We, and how are we going to do that? 00:07:21.139 --> 00:07:22.100 Well, we have some good plans. 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:29.060 I just feel like, we make plans, and then I got to be okay with when the Spirit says, no, that's, that's, I have a better plan. 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:32.620 I just don't want to fight against the Holy Spirit as he's moving in Kalamazoo. 00:07:32.740 --> 00:07:32.839 Amen? 00:07:34.259 --> 00:07:41.800 So it should be, it should be a little bit scary for us when Jesus says, wherever the Spirit goes, that's where the Spirit goes, and you got to be okay with it. 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:45.259 And you're like, okay, but like, what's tomorrow going to look like then? 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:47.120 You know, what is, what is it, what does that mean for me? 00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:51.500 And I think he's saying just, well, trust God today and we'll see tomorrow, you know? 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:56.420 These are just a little bit, and this, I'll send this through thread. 00:07:56.939 --> 00:08:06.540 These are just a few of the titles of the Holy Spirit in Scripture and specifically in the, in the New Testament. 00:08:06.660 --> 00:08:09.339 But we need to be okay with two truths. 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:29.199 One is that not everything we see on social media, not every faith background or every, every faith heritage, like the stuff, like people falling over, people doing miraculous healings, or people prophesying, like people speaking in discernible tongues, like not all of that. 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:37.139 We need to be okay saying not all of that of the Holy Spirit, but also there's not a box on what the Holy Spirit is able to do. 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:50.379 Like the, the frame is God is not going to go against what his Scriptures say, but after that, it's pretty wide open, because the Scriptures say some amazing things, and there's a lot of room. 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:54.460 It's this Holy Spirit, he is the author of Scripture. 00:08:55.720 --> 00:09:02.360 He's a comforter, he's a counselor, he's like, he's our advocate, is even what Jesus says. 00:09:02.460 --> 00:09:06.059 He's the convictor of sin and the convictor of righteousness. 00:09:07.340 --> 00:09:11.299 He is, for the Christian, he is our deposit. 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:16.320 Like if you have the Holy Spirit, this is, trust it, if you have the Holy Spirit, you, you cannot go to hell. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:17.200 You know what I'm saying? 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:19.559 Like that, that's an amazing, like, trust that. 00:09:20.940 --> 00:09:27.200 He's our guide when we don't know where to go, and, and a great guide is going to say, this is where you're going eventually. 00:09:27.779 --> 00:09:28.740 How do we get there? 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:29.960 Well, just follow me right now. 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:30.620 You know what I'm saying? 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:32.539 That's what, that's how I see the Holy Spirit moving. 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:37.659 He is the indweller for those who are, who are true followers of his. 00:09:37.820 --> 00:09:44.639 He is our intercessor, is what the Bible says, when we are like praying, and we don't know what to say, and there's so much going on. 00:09:44.659 --> 00:09:49.620 It says that in some way, the Holy Spirit goes ahead of you. 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:57.860 And it's like, you know, Jaron, actually, he's saying this, like, he doesn't have those words, but I'm, he's going to talk to the Father in a way, hey, help him with this. 00:09:57.899 --> 00:10:00.159 He doesn't know it, but this is what he means. 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:04.120 He's the revealer of truth. 00:10:04.220 --> 00:10:07.059 It's like, trust it, that he's going to reveal truth. 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:10.419 He's the Spirit of God, Spirit of life. 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:11.460 He's our teacher. 00:10:12.259 --> 00:10:13.639 He is our witness. 00:10:14.179 --> 00:10:20.039 All of these are, are who the Holy Spirit is, and that's a really incomplete list. 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:20.740 You know what I'm saying? 00:10:21.559 --> 00:10:27.120 This should, again, this should give us some, some great inspiration as we're like, how do we, how do we lean in? 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:27.740 What does that mean? 00:10:27.980 --> 00:10:28.779 What does that mean for us? 00:10:28.820 --> 00:10:37.360 Well, I want to paint how big the Holy Spirit is, so that as we finish this lesson, you feel like I've got that coursing through my veins, if I am a follower of Jesus Christ. 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:45.279 Uh, these words, um, in Hebrew, I'm going to butcher it, and then I might ask you to butcher it as well, so that we butcher it together. 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:46.059 It's ruach. 00:10:46.500 --> 00:10:47.419 Can you guys say that? 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:50.460 So now, now, now, if they're like, oh, you said it wrong. 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:53.960 Well, my whole church said it wrong, so that's, you know, I'm, I'm part of my church. 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:57.240 Uh, and then pneuma is, is the Greek as well. 00:10:57.299 --> 00:11:00.340 This is what, uh, these words mean Spirit. 00:11:00.460 --> 00:11:10.440 They're like the, the breath, like this is the, the energy or the power, uh, that, that comes out of, uh, in, in Hebrew, in the Old Testament, ruach is the, the, the word. 00:11:10.919 --> 00:11:13.019 In the New Testament, pneuma is, is the word. 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:23.519 And so that's relevant because it says in Psalm 33, six, by the word of the Lord, the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath, by the, by the ruach of his mouth. 00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:32.960 And so this is, it's saying the Holy Spirit, it breathed everything into existence from nothing to something. 00:11:33.659 --> 00:11:40.720 Uh, certainly, uh, one of the, one of maybe the, I don't know, the, the, the greatest miracle is nothing into something. 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:43.500 And the Bible says, God breathed and it happened. 00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:45.500 God spoke and it happened. 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:50.960 That Holy Spirit that created all of this, that made all of this. 00:11:50.980 --> 00:12:14.840 And you can go through if you, uh, again, I'll, I'll throw some stuff on thread just to understand the, the majesty that we can live where we live, that it's like, it seems to be like there's, it's, you know, there's, there's no other way, if not, uh, by, by divine, uh, intervention or by divine desire, there's no other way that we could be here and be able to live and be able to breathe and all of that stuff. 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:17.159 Everything has to fit perfectly. 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:18.220 And it does. 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:25.539 That Holy Spirit goes from creating everything, being in everything. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:36.399 It goes from that to the, what Jesus says, he says to his disciples, he said, I'm leaving you guys, but someone better than me, that's more able to help you is going to come. 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.159 And that's the Holy Spirit in our lives. 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:47.379 And so this, uh, you know, this spirit goes from creating, uh, creating the world to creating change in people's hearts. 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:58.620 Uh, this is a rhetorical, like, which is more difficult than like to create change in someone's heart, to change someone's broken and hard heart, or to create the world. 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:02.399 And I think a humble response is we can't do either. 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:04.139 So we don't really know what's more difficult. 00:13:04.299 --> 00:13:04.860 You know what I'm saying? 00:13:06.379 --> 00:13:11.019 But understand this, the Holy Spirit, he is changing people's hearts every day. 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:17.720 He is at work moving in people's lives to give up sin, to turn away from sin. 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:21.179 And he does it, uh, for some, he does it right now. 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:26.519 Like there's, there's people who I've talked to and I've sat with who were like, I've struggled. 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:28.860 I struggled with drinking for years and years and years. 00:13:28.940 --> 00:13:31.340 There's a, there's a woman who she's like, you know what? 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:35.980 Even on, when I got baptized, she said, I was, I was hung over. 00:13:36.460 --> 00:13:40.700 Um, and I was like, well, do you struggle with like, and she's like, yeah, I used to struggle all the time. 00:13:40.860 --> 00:13:43.820 Even through my Bible studies, I knew that Jesus was Lord. 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:45.259 And then I got baptized. 00:13:45.379 --> 00:13:47.200 She said, I've never struggled with it since. 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:48.960 And you're like, that's amazing. 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:49.779 You know what I'm saying? 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:54.720 But it's not more amazing than the man or woman who says I've struggled with drinking. 00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:55.799 I've struggled with lying. 00:13:55.879 --> 00:14:01.620 I've struggled with greed for years and years and years, but I don't struggle with that anymore. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:05.960 And when you ask them, they don't say oftentimes, that was just a sudden moment. 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:13.639 Sometimes it is other times they say, you know, it's gradual over time, a great amount of accountability, a lot of prayer. 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:17.039 God is moving and it's still right at my doorstep. 00:14:17.259 --> 00:14:18.580 But I continue to say no. 00:14:18.659 --> 00:14:19.879 And that is amazing as well. 00:14:19.940 --> 00:14:20.179 Amen. 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:23.299 Uh, we're talking, we're in Romans five, Romans eight. 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:24.519 Now you guys can get there. 00:14:24.539 --> 00:14:29.240 Uh, finally understand that the Holy spirit is changing people's lives every day. 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:33.980 Uh, I want to be a part of it and you want to be a part of it and it's open for all of us. 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:35.100 Uh, we're, we're here. 00:14:35.139 --> 00:14:38.799 This is, this is probably too difficult for you to follow along. 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:42.080 Uh, but you can go to Romans eight or you can just listen in. 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:49.340 It says those of us are those who live according to the flesh, have their minds set on what the flesh desires. 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:55.279 But those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:59.940 The mind governed by the flesh is death. 00:15:00.460 --> 00:15:05.039 But the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace. 00:15:05.659 --> 00:15:07.740 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God. 00:15:07.820 --> 00:15:11.919 It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:16.019 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:19.700 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh, but in the realm of the spirit. 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:26.720 If indeed the spirit of God lives in you, and if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 00:15:27.080 --> 00:15:36.419 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the spirit gives life because of righteousness. 00:15:37.899 --> 00:15:49.700 And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his spirit who lives in you. 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:56.000 Therefore, we have an obligation, but it's not to the flesh to live according to it. 00:15:56.460 --> 00:15:58.539 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. 00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:06.000 But if by the spirit you put to death the midst deeds of the body, you will live. 00:16:08.549 --> 00:16:14.289 We read that and we're struggling with sin and yet there's hope. 00:16:14.909 --> 00:16:16.210 There's a great hope. 00:16:16.269 --> 00:16:28.990 And there's a great hope in the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead that understand now that if you are in Christ, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the one that is coursing through your veins. 00:16:30.169 --> 00:16:33.529 And so can you say no to sin today by yourself? 00:16:33.649 --> 00:16:35.409 No, but the spirit says absolutely. 00:16:36.090 --> 00:16:38.509 By yourself, we are powerless to it. 00:16:38.529 --> 00:16:39.169 That's what it says. 00:16:39.210 --> 00:16:46.990 It says that you can't please, like if you're away from God, you can't please the spirit that you can't please God. 00:16:47.129 --> 00:16:50.029 If you don't have the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit's living in you. 00:16:50.389 --> 00:16:51.230 You can please God. 00:16:51.330 --> 00:16:52.269 You can say no to sin. 00:16:52.509 --> 00:16:54.549 You can be an overcomer. 00:16:56.230 --> 00:17:00.470 These are a few, just a few as we try to separate, look at the scripture. 00:17:01.169 --> 00:17:02.710 This is all of the negative. 00:17:02.789 --> 00:17:06.490 Sometimes we use like the dark and the light and we can do that here as well. 00:17:06.890 --> 00:17:09.828 If you are living in the flesh, you got your mind on what the flesh desires. 00:17:09.970 --> 00:17:10.868 It brings death. 00:17:10.930 --> 00:17:11.990 It's hostile to God. 00:17:12.150 --> 00:17:16.130 It doesn't submit to God's power, principles, and impulses. 00:17:16.250 --> 00:17:17.868 It says it's not even able to. 00:17:18.269 --> 00:17:19.630 It cannot please God. 00:17:21.650 --> 00:17:22.910 Let's be real. 00:17:23.009 --> 00:17:24.230 Let's not paint our sin. 00:17:24.289 --> 00:17:26.690 When we say flesh, it's like our earthly nature. 00:17:26.990 --> 00:17:30.089 Let's not paint it to be like, ah, I struggled with it today. 00:17:30.190 --> 00:17:43.230 It's helpful to view it like this stuff, when I'm greedy, when I'm lustful, when I'm arrogant, when I joke, when I do these things, it's not like, oh, oh, shucks. 00:17:43.309 --> 00:17:47.430 Like, no, we got to sit with it, that this is, this, this cannot please God. 00:17:47.529 --> 00:17:51.150 This is me being hostile to God as I engage in these things. 00:17:52.769 --> 00:17:58.089 And then on the other hand, though, living in the Spirit is our minds are set on what the Spirit desires. 00:17:58.230 --> 00:18:00.349 It gives life and it gives peace. 00:18:00.869 --> 00:18:06.769 It gives life because of righteousness and it gives life through Jesus because of the Spirit. 00:18:07.009 --> 00:18:28.009 And so again, when you do good stuff, when you're, when you're loving, when you are selfless, don't say that, you know, I get frustrated in my heart of hearts when people share, and again, maybe this is a rant, but just hear me, when people get up and share and they're, they're sharing about their benevolence, oh, I gave this, and oh, we created it, and I just had it in my heart. 00:18:28.130 --> 00:18:35.690 I just wanted to do, and it's all about them, and they're sharing how God, like, God is doing something amazing, but they're bringing it all, oh, why do you serve? 00:18:35.769 --> 00:18:36.549 Why do you love people? 00:18:36.670 --> 00:18:39.869 Oh, it's because, you know, I just like to do that. 00:18:40.289 --> 00:18:43.230 Oh, it's, you know, it's someone's giving something to me. 00:18:43.490 --> 00:18:47.950 No, no, no, no, it's, this is because Jesus is living inside of you is why you can do that. 00:18:48.349 --> 00:18:58.730 Like, there's, understand, I, again, maybe I'm overstating it, or maybe I'm like beating a dead horse, but there's nothing good inside of me outside of Jesus living in me. 00:18:58.849 --> 00:18:59.410 You know what I'm saying? 00:18:59.730 --> 00:19:01.009 I really believe that. 00:19:01.109 --> 00:19:04.390 Like, if somebody says, hey, you're kind, certainly that's not me. 00:19:04.950 --> 00:19:10.769 If somebody says you do this, oh, you did great, like, even this, even now, like, we've, there's been feedback, like, oh, great lesson. 00:19:10.809 --> 00:19:11.369 I'm like, you know what? 00:19:12.190 --> 00:19:15.029 That's, that has to be Jesus working inside of me. 00:19:15.130 --> 00:19:16.130 I really believe it. 00:19:17.690 --> 00:19:20.309 There's nothing good when someone, why, why are you so giving? 00:19:20.430 --> 00:19:21.069 Why are you so loving? 00:19:21.109 --> 00:19:26.190 It's, it's not because you're a good person, because by, by ourselves, we just can't please God by ourselves. 00:19:26.190 --> 00:19:30.069 It's because of Jesus working in your life and working through you. 00:19:30.730 --> 00:19:34.630 So, so when someone tells you this week, oh, wow, that I needed to hear that. 00:19:34.809 --> 00:19:35.849 Oh, wow, great. 00:19:35.970 --> 00:19:37.750 Oh, man, thank you so much. 00:19:38.230 --> 00:19:41.170 When someone who's not in Christ, don't, oh, you're welcome. 00:19:41.450 --> 00:19:41.849 That's okay. 00:19:41.950 --> 00:19:42.210 Fine. 00:19:42.309 --> 00:19:48.710 Say that, but then give them a reason why, like, you're, you are giving life and peace because of the spirit that lives inside of you. 00:19:48.829 --> 00:19:49.289 You know what I'm saying? 00:19:49.329 --> 00:19:53.569 You are, you are giving life because Jesus rose from the dead. 00:19:53.970 --> 00:19:54.849 That's what you're doing. 00:19:54.970 --> 00:19:55.150 Amen. 00:19:55.589 --> 00:19:56.589 So don't sell yourself short. 00:19:56.690 --> 00:19:58.009 Don't give yourself too much credit either. 00:19:59.430 --> 00:20:11.690 It says in verse five, this, this word then that we're going to focus on, those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires, but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. 00:20:11.769 --> 00:20:16.809 And so we, we wonder then, like, how are we going to live in the flesh? 00:20:16.849 --> 00:20:17.950 Like what determines that? 00:20:18.069 --> 00:20:19.950 It's, it's where, it's where our mind is. 00:20:20.630 --> 00:20:28.630 It's, it's where your mind is, where your mind is bent, where, where you are, are pressing some of this, some of this view. 00:20:28.670 --> 00:20:31.109 And we're going to, we'll unpack it in just a moment. 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:35.720 You, you wonder, man, I want to change. 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:37.039 I want to be, I want to be different. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:37.960 It's not just actions. 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:40.319 It's, this is what the, the Bible is saying. 00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:44.400 If you have your mindset on what the spirit desires, you're going to do spirit led things. 00:20:45.259 --> 00:21:03.160 If you have your mindset on selfishness, if you have your mindset on what you want to do, if you have your mindset on laziness, if you have your mindset on, uh, on, on status, if you have your mindset on, uh, on comfortability, all of those things are, are what the flesh desires. 00:21:03.380 --> 00:21:05.220 And so you're going to do fleshly things. 00:21:06.339 --> 00:21:10.279 If you have your mindset on what the spirit desires, you're going to do spirit led things. 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:16.619 And so the, the idea or the question is where, where's your mind? 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:19.960 Like, where are you bent, uh, on a day-to-day basis? 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:24.079 Like we want to be, I want to do the right thing, but where does your mind bend? 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:28.099 Like where, where are you leaning on a day-to-day basis? 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:32.779 Uh, it says, if you live according to flesh, you'll die. 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:43.140 But if by the spirit you put to death, the misdeeds you will live, like there's no way to put away the misdeeds if not for the Holy spirit working in your life, you know what I'm saying? 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:47.799 Like, like make that very, there's no hope if not for the Holy spirit working in your life. 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:51.220 Uh, and so you think about what does that mean then? 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:57.779 Like when one of the gauges that I use for myself that I think it's a helpful gauge is what do you think about at night? 00:21:57.779 --> 00:22:02.640 And what do you think about in the morning right before you go to bed at night? 00:22:03.079 --> 00:22:04.940 Uh, good night, honey. 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:07.000 Or maybe, maybe you don't say good night, honey. 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:11.099 Maybe you just, you just close your eyes, whatever you say, a little prayer, but where's your mind? 00:22:12.299 --> 00:22:17.900 If your mind is, is set on spirit things, uh, that is great. 00:22:17.900 --> 00:22:22.660 But often our minds wander like, what am I going to do tomorrow? 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:23.839 I'm worried about tomorrow. 00:22:24.420 --> 00:22:25.480 What about my family? 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:28.579 I have, I have a, someone's sick or there's this issue. 00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:31.019 Uh, what am I going to do in the long run? 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:32.059 Like, what am I doing here? 00:22:32.099 --> 00:22:33.740 Like this was a, this is a wasted day. 00:22:33.900 --> 00:22:35.980 You know, we have this, this apathy that we can fall into. 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:39.759 Perhaps there's, perhaps there's no thought. 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:42.319 Like, this is just the laziness of like, I did a bunch. 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:42.720 I'm done. 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:43.220 I'm done. 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:43.880 I'm turning off. 00:22:45.079 --> 00:22:49.759 Uh, maybe when you wake up, boom, I woke up, I'm running. 00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:50.500 I gotta go. 00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:51.140 It's one thing. 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:51.539 Another thing. 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:51.920 Another thing. 00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:52.220 Another thing. 00:22:52.220 --> 00:22:53.619 I don't, I don't have time to think about anything. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:57.240 I'm, from zero to a hundred real quick. 00:22:57.980 --> 00:23:04.839 Uh, I want to, I want to ask though, like when, when you go to bed at night, where's your mind bent? 00:23:04.900 --> 00:23:10.019 Like if your mind is bent on spirit things, that's a good sign that you're, you're doing well. 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:14.500 If your mind is spent, or when, then when you wake up, like where, where are you leaning? 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:16.240 Like, is it just next thing, next thing? 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:18.359 Or are you sitting with the Holy Spirit? 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:29.680 This is, this is the battle that I want to, I want to welcome you to engage in this week. 00:23:29.720 --> 00:23:32.519 And we'll talk about a challenge in a moment. 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:39.549 Um, we're working to become people who love what God loves. 00:23:39.609 --> 00:23:44.769 You know, if you love what God loves life, like this stuff is going to be easy for you. 00:23:44.789 --> 00:23:46.990 It's not like, it feels daunting, even as I'm preaching it. 00:23:47.049 --> 00:23:49.690 If I love what God loves, this is like, yeah, of course. 00:23:49.730 --> 00:23:57.309 You know, I, I, I don't think, uh, of course not, but I don't think in the morning, perhaps like after, I mean, Jesus, it's time on earth. 00:23:57.430 --> 00:23:58.309 Like he's walking with God. 00:23:58.430 --> 00:24:03.309 I don't think at night when he went to bed, I think he's like, man, this is the Holy Spirit. 00:24:03.470 --> 00:24:05.509 Like I'm listening to the spirit. 00:24:05.670 --> 00:24:07.829 Like I want to, I can't wait to wake up to help somebody. 00:24:07.910 --> 00:24:09.470 I can't wait to wake up to walk with my father. 00:24:09.529 --> 00:24:10.509 Like I don't got energy now. 00:24:10.829 --> 00:24:12.450 When I wake up, I'm walking with my father. 00:24:12.529 --> 00:24:13.150 I cannot wait. 00:24:13.309 --> 00:24:13.710 You know what I'm saying? 00:24:13.710 --> 00:24:18.509 When he woke up, I don't think it's, where am I going to get food for today? 00:24:18.630 --> 00:24:24.309 Maybe sometimes, maybe sometimes like there was a fleeting thought of like, how much longer am I going to do this? 00:24:24.769 --> 00:24:25.690 Uh, how much longer? 00:24:25.890 --> 00:24:28.390 God, you know, but then he's like, no, let me, I'm walking with my father. 00:24:28.470 --> 00:24:33.029 Like I, I had a thought and I'm walking with my father and this is now it all makes sense. 00:24:33.089 --> 00:24:37.049 You know, I, all of this, I don't think it was much of a struggle to do these things. 00:24:37.230 --> 00:24:39.029 Uh, but for you and I, yeah, it's a struggle. 00:24:39.589 --> 00:24:47.970 Um, I want you to do something that, uh, that is, it's different than anything we've done probably here. 00:24:48.069 --> 00:24:54.849 I want you to, uh, and just, just work with me, buy into the goofiness, buy into the little bit of weirdness. 00:24:55.029 --> 00:25:06.930 Uh, if you can, I want you to take out, uh, if it's take out something that you can write with, um, or take out, uh, if you're, if you're like, I don't have one of those, just take out your phone, uh, you write, write, write down some, some stuff here. 00:25:07.150 --> 00:25:11.230 Um, we're going to, we're going to say three prayers. 00:25:11.890 --> 00:25:14.150 Um, I'm going to go through the first one. 00:25:14.289 --> 00:25:15.690 I want you to pray it. 00:25:15.769 --> 00:25:16.849 We're going to take a moment. 00:25:17.869 --> 00:25:21.630 You're going to breathe and you're going to see what the Holy spirit is saying to you. 00:25:22.250 --> 00:25:24.109 And then we're going to come back together for a moment. 00:25:24.250 --> 00:25:28.170 I'm going to say another prayer, see what the Holy spirit is going to say to you. 00:25:28.509 --> 00:25:31.410 Uh, and then we're going to say, uh, a final prayer. 00:25:31.910 --> 00:25:35.210 Um, and this is all going to be individual prayers that you pray. 00:25:35.309 --> 00:25:39.849 You're not going to like, don't, you know, this is not like there's no right or wrong answer. 00:25:40.069 --> 00:25:42.390 Don't, you don't have to share your notes with somebody. 00:25:43.089 --> 00:25:44.230 Uh, even your spouse. 00:25:44.349 --> 00:25:47.029 I'm like that, you know, honey, what did you write? 00:25:47.109 --> 00:25:49.109 No, like that, that perhaps that's another time. 00:25:49.349 --> 00:25:51.490 Um, this is you and this is God. 00:25:51.529 --> 00:25:52.990 And I want it to be that. 00:25:53.069 --> 00:25:53.369 Okay. 00:25:56.480 --> 00:26:00.059 And so I want you to this first prayer. 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:08.039 I want you to pray, Holy spirit, what is in me that grieves you? 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:13.220 Holy spirit, what is in me that grieves you? 00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:16.599 Let's take a moment and pray that right now. 00:26:21.980 --> 00:27:08.309 And when you get your answer, just write it, write it down, finish up, uh, finish up writing. 00:27:08.450 --> 00:27:14.890 And then I want you to pray again with this thing that you have written down. 00:27:15.109 --> 00:27:20.750 Holy spirit, what do you want me to do about the thing in me that grieves you? 00:27:22.190 --> 00:27:30.210 Holy spirit, what do you want me to do about the thing that I wrote down inside of me that grieves you and write down, write down what he says. 00:27:30.609 --> 00:27:31.269 It doesn't have to be long. 00:27:31.329 --> 00:27:32.049 It can be a couple of words. 00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:21.299 And then the, the, the last thing is, uh, to ask again, Holy spirit, then this is your prayer. 00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:25.940 Holy spirit, whatever that thing is, the Holy spirit empower me to do it. 00:28:29.950 --> 00:28:31.750 And you don't have to write anything down for this one. 00:28:47.329 --> 00:28:47.769 Amen. 00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:10.039 Before, uh, before we close, I want to leave us with a, uh, a group challenge, especially as we battle through and like, what do we do? 00:29:10.099 --> 00:29:12.180 How do we lean in to the Holy spirit? 00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:16.000 I want us to fight at night and in the morning. 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:27.640 And this is going to be a battle that, uh, I believe in the coming years in, in our lives, it's going to be one that that's, that's one probably every day. 00:29:27.880 --> 00:29:29.619 I really believe, I believe it's possible. 00:29:29.700 --> 00:29:37.539 And I want you to, but every, every night this week, before you go to bed, spend five minutes and think about spiritual things. 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:38.539 Well, what spiritual things? 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:42.500 And just God, this is your prayer that you're quiet with God. 00:29:42.599 --> 00:29:45.839 God, I want to think about spiritual things. 00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:47.599 Like, I want to think about your goodness. 00:29:47.779 --> 00:29:49.779 Maybe it's, maybe, maybe you're reading just Psalms. 00:29:49.839 --> 00:29:51.279 You're not reading others. 00:29:51.279 --> 00:29:54.680 I'm just, I'm reading through your goodness or I'm reading through your peace. 00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:58.059 God, it's, it's a prayer, but then it's you listening. 00:29:58.500 --> 00:29:58.839 Yeah. 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:06.299 And then when you wake up, spend five minutes thinking of spiritual things, God, I'm hungry. 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:07.940 God, I'm tired. 00:30:08.140 --> 00:30:10.299 I need coffee, God, but no, no, no. 00:30:10.299 --> 00:30:12.259 God, I want my sustenance from you. 00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:16.599 Like, let me understand what sustenance from you will look like today, God. 00:30:20.259 --> 00:30:22.099 These things are not overnight things. 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:25.160 I, I, I, I hope, I believe you do. 00:30:25.259 --> 00:30:32.180 I hope you see, and we can really embrace that it's not on our, we have no power to overcome sin by ourselves. 00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:45.000 And so we're working as a group to lean into the Spirit's work as He helps us to overcome sin and understand the Holy Spirit is changing people's hearts every single day. 00:30:45.339 --> 00:30:52.319 Let us be, even in this next week, let us be some of the people that we can say the Holy Spirit has changed my heart this week. 00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:52.539 Amen. 00:30:53.299 --> 00:30:53.579 Awesome. 00:30:53.720 --> 00:30:54.559 You guys are dismissed. 00:30:55.059 --> 00:30:56.880 Please, parents, please pick up your children. 00:30:57.299 --> 00:30:58.200 Have a great Sunday.