WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:01.280 Well, good morning. 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:02.000 Welcome. 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:03.120 Welcome to Freedom Church. 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:03.839 Happy to see you. 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:04.639 My name is Jason. 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:10.720 If I haven't had a chance to meet you, and I get the privilege of being pastor here, you picked a great weekend to be here. 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:13.039 We're starting a new series on the Holy Spirit. 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:16.480 I'd see I see a few uh new faces here in the room. 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:18.640 We are glad that you're here, especially for your first time. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:23.039 In fact, can we just put our hands together and just welcome everybody who's here for the first time with us this morning? 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:24.640 Awesome. 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:33.920 You know, it's difficult to have uh a healthy relationship with someone when you don't know who they are. 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:42.640 You know, if you if you believe your boss is your enemy, then every time they give you some instruction, you're gonna hear it as criticism. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:51.039 If you believe that your spouse is against you, then uh you're gonna see every conversation as a as a defense. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:59.439 If you believe that your dad is disappointed in you, then you're gonna hear even encouragement is gonna come across as pressure. 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:06.159 In fact, who you believe someone is changes how you receive what they do. 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:07.920 And we're talking about the Holy Spirit. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:14.000 We're gonna spend the next four weeks talking about the Holy Spirit, and this this applies to the person of the Holy Spirit. 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:18.799 If you for some of us, and we have a pretty diverse group of people who attend Freedom Church. 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:23.439 There's a lot of you that come from from very different church backgrounds. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:27.920 And so for some of you, you the fact that we're talking about the Holy Spirit, you're excited about this. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:30.239 You're like, finally, let's talk about the Holy Spirit. 00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:31.519 You know, you're you're all about this. 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:35.280 There's others of you, it's like the the Holy Spirit was like the third rail. 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:36.640 You didn't mention the Holy Spirit. 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:38.879 In fact, only weird people talk about the Holy Spirit. 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:42.400 You're like, is this the moment somebody starts running in a service? 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:43.599 It's like, that's not happening. 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:47.519 We're not doing the running, no running man thing here in in church. 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:52.719 But see, if you think the Holy Spirit is weird, then you're gonna keep your distance. 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:59.680 If you if you think the Holy Spirit is all about power, then you're just gonna look for opportunities to use him all the time. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:06.560 If you think the Holy Spirit is an emotional experience, then you'll run around chasing an emotional experience. 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:16.080 If you think the Holy Spirit is only for certain Christians, then you will inevitably find yourself going, He's just not for me. 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:28.960 And so before we talk about what the Holy Spirit does and how to have an active, thriving relationship with Jesus that's empowered by the Holy Spirit, before we talk about that, I think we we have to lay some groundwork about who is the Holy Spirit? 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:29.840 What does he do? 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:35.039 In fact, today, um, this is gonna be, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna teach to you today. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:41.840 In fact, it's gonna be a little bit more some like theological groundwork we're gonna lay for the person of the Holy Spirit. 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:46.080 And so I I would encourage you, if you're if you're not taking notes, to take some notes today. 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:53.759 And and and and um, if if you don't have our app, you can download our app and right at the top of our app, we have a message notes option on there. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:03:00.000 And so all the scripture and everything that we're gonna talk about is is on there, and you can actually take notes in there as well. 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:04.080 And so I'm gonna encourage you to to take um advantage of that. 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:10.240 But we're gonna we're gonna start this whole series with laying some like some groundwork to build on. 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:23.280 Because if we don't, if we don't build from the right place, if we if we if we build on on what the Holy Spirit does, but we don't actually have the right framework and the right groundwork for who the person of the Holy Spirit is, then this is gonna get sideways. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:25.520 It just it just will. 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:47.840 You know, I I think I think just for starters, because again, for a lot of us, we come from different backgrounds, and and I'm I'm amazed at times at some of the things people have said to me about who they believe the Holy Spirit is, or or how they believe that even prior to ever knowing Jesus or surrendering their life to Jesus, that they've had encounters with the Holy Spirit. 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:58.719 And it's always amazing to me some of the stories, but you need to know this: the Holy Spirit isn't some force that you wield, he's actually a person, he's a person that you receive. 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.840 The Holy Spirit's a person that you receive. 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:13.199 He's not he's not energy, he's not some life force, he's not the vibe you get, the jolt of electricity. 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:15.599 Sometimes I think we think he's like essential oils. 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:23.120 If you just give like two drops to your stressful day, your kids will obey you, your boss is gonna get saved, and it's just all gonna go well for you that day. 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:24.160 It's like you need the spirit. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:26.240 It's like, no, no, no, hold on a second. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:28.319 He's not a prescription, you know. 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:30.240 It's not like that's what, but that's what we think. 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:34.399 We get all these kind of odd ideas about who the Holy Spirit is. 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.360 God is is is is Trinitarian. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.240 Some Bible language for you here, some theology language. 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:44.639 He's Trinitarian, he's father, son, Holy Spirit. 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:46.959 You go, well, so are we polytheists? 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:48.160 Do we believe in no no no? 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:52.079 He's he's one God made up of three distinct persons. 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:56.399 And if your head just exploded, welcome to 2,000 years of church history. 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:58.000 Everybody's head has been exploding, okay? 00:04:58.079 --> 00:04:59.839 Nobody can like, how do I wrap this up? 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:00.879 I don't understand it. 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:02.560 I know lots of people are trying to write about it. 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:05.279 I know somebody in here, they're like, Oh, I have a great analogy, Pastor. 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:05.839 You have to hear it. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:07.839 It's like, I assure you, it falls short. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:09.040 I've heard them all, okay? 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:12.560 They don't all quite, they don't all none of them quite do it justice. 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:13.839 It's a hard concept. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:18.079 Should that that shouldn't surprise you that you struggle to fit God in your brain? 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:19.920 That shouldn't surprise you. 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:24.879 If you could fit him in your brain, that that should probably surprise you. 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:30.240 Three persons in one father, son, Holy Spirit. 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:37.120 Now, here's what I'm here's what I find with most people, and not just people who are Christians. 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:39.920 I I find this with which people in general. 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:44.959 Most of us desire the things that the Holy Spirit offers. 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:50.000 We desire the things that like what the Holy Spirit does, who he is. 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:52.959 We desire the things of the Holy Spirit, the person of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:54.480 Nobody wants to be lonely. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.800 We desire presence in our life. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:00.079 We desire gifts. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:02.319 I mean, who doesn't want to be empowered and gifted? 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:05.120 Who doesn't want to discover what their purpose is and actually like live into that? 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:11.040 I you don't even have to be a Christian to get excited about like figuring out what you're good at and created to do and wired to do. 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:14.480 We want that with the fruit of the spirit. 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.600 I mean, I've I've met very few people who are just like, you know what I would like to do? 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.720 I'd like to have control over my temper. 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:23.199 Yes, we we would like that. 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:26.879 I want more joy in my life, I want more patience in my life. 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:28.720 That's that's fruit of the spirit. 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:31.680 We uh you don't have to be a Christian to want those kinds of things. 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:33.519 The power of the Holy Spirit. 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:44.720 It's like how many of y'all you don't have to raise your hands, but uh it's like there's things in our lives, you're like, man, there's these habits I've been either trying to start or stop for years. 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:52.720 And it's like, man, I I it's like I I wish I had some like some power to like live differently. 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:55.519 These are all the things the Holy Spirit does. 00:06:55.680 --> 00:07:04.399 But see, this is this is where some misconceptions get in, because we think if this is what the Holy Spirit does, then my goodness, let's let's chase the Holy Spirit. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:05.519 Where is he? 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:08.079 How do I get a hold of the Holy Spirit? 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:09.360 This is John 16. 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:12.480 This is what Jesus says talking about the Holy Spirit. 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:15.920 He says, He, the Holy Spirit, will glorify me. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:24.720 That's Jesus, because it is from me that will he that he will receive what he will make known to you. 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:37.360 Which means this that what you desire, your encounter with the Holy Spirit, and what this Holy Spirit wants to give you actually begins with your pursuit of Jesus. 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:39.839 In fact, I hear this a lot. 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:43.199 It's like, oh, especially, especially the like advanced Christians. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:47.199 It's not that the new Christians never talk like this because they don't know yet to talk like this. 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:56.560 It's always the advanced Christians, the ones that have been around the block and they learn how to talk all the language, and they're like, I just want to know if this is the place where the Holy Spirit is active and working. 00:07:56.720 --> 00:08:02.639 And then we have our all of our little ways that we like figure that out, and it's like, and we were looking for the tingle. 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:10.720 It's like, you know, I'm in there, and I didn't know that the Holy Spirit was here, and then Cassidy hit that bridge in that second song, and it's just like, whoo, Holy Spirit is here. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.079 We come up with all these ways. 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:20.800 You hear you know how the Holy Spirit is present somewhere? 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:26.319 Because the gospel of Jesus Christ is being boldly proclaimed, and people are responding to it. 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:28.240 That's how you know the Holy Spirit's present. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:29.920 That that's it. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:37.360 He he he glorifies Jesus, and his aim is not to make you an eye weir. 00:08:37.840 --> 00:08:42.960 The aim of the Holy Spirit is not to make you impressive, he's not for the spiritually elite. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:47.120 His aim is to actually make Jesus real and beautiful to you. 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:50.639 That's what he wants to do, that's what he does. 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:57.039 And so here's what the question becomes it's it's not, okay, how do I how do I get more spiritual power? 00:08:57.519 --> 00:08:58.080 No, no, no. 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:04.799 The first question is, am I willing to receive the gift that God is offering me? 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:06.879 That's that's really what it comes down to. 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:08.799 This is Luke 11, verse 13. 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:21.519 It says, If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:24.159 This is going to be really critical for you to understand this. 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:25.440 You you need to get a hold of this. 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:26.720 The Holy Spirit is a gift. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:29.200 He's he's a gift. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.000 Everything he offers you is a gift. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:39.759 Um and not only is it a gift that God gives you, it's God's generous. 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:42.639 He he's not even interested in holding back from you. 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:46.240 He actually wants to give you the Holy Spirit to those who ask. 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:48.960 Like He's He's He doesn't, there's no caveat. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:52.080 He just says He can't, there's even an exclamation point at the end of that verse. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:56.000 It's just like He can't wait to give you this gift. 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:57.279 Here's the real truth, though. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:59.679 A lot of us struggle to receive gifts. 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:02.559 That's a real that's a real struggle for some of us. 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:04.879 We don't like the idea of receiving gifts. 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:09.600 We receive a gift, receiving a gift often feels like leverage over us. 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:20.559 So we just sort of like we're we're uncomfortable with the idea that somebody would give us something without us doing something. 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:22.080 That's tough. 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:33.039 Because I'm I'm telling you, when when you when you refuse to receive blessing, you invalidate the blessing that somebody's trying to give you. 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:36.960 I remember a few years ago, I took a guy out to lunch. 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:43.279 He was here in town, and uh and um we're sitting we're in line and he made some comment about like paying. 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:44.720 I said, Oh, hey, this is on me today. 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:46.559 You know, I just wanted to take you out to lunch today. 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:47.519 It's it's on me. 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:50.240 He's like, Oh, yeah, I can tell he's just super uncomfortable with the idea. 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:52.159 I was gonna buy him lunch and say, Oh, hold on, hold on. 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:54.000 I was like, No, don't just put your wallet away. 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:54.639 That's offensive. 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:56.320 Put your wallet away, you know, I'm paying, you know. 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:58.720 So anyway, whatever I had to say. 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:01.279 And so and so we're in line, ordering our sandwiches. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:04.320 We get to the line, and I'm I'm at the register and I'm paying. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:09.840 And I see him at the peripheral on my peripheral, and he's uh got his phone open and I can see it. 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:14.720 He's got a note in there, and it he's writing it down like to the dollar amount. 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:15.840 And I'm not the only one. 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:17.759 I could tell you like other things written in there. 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:20.639 That guy was he's keeping track of every cent. 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:23.360 And he even made the comment, he goes, I'm gonna get you next time. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:26.320 I was like, I was like, my brother, it's a sandwich. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:29.039 It was like 1089 or something. 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:29.600 I don't know. 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:31.679 It's just like it's a sandwich. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:41.279 I'm just telling you, when you when you are in when you refuse to receive blessing, you invalidate the blessing that somebody's trying to give you. 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:42.799 In fact, we love saying stuff like that. 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:46.240 Oh, I made everything I got, I earned it. 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:49.759 Everything I got in my life, I may, I made, I, I earned that. 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:55.440 We like that because we don't like and some of it is maybe it's the way we grew up, maybe there's some like stories there. 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:57.679 Maybe your dad just held everything over your head. 00:11:57.759 --> 00:11:58.960 I don't, I don't know. 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:00.399 But that's what it feels like. 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:04.080 It feels like it feels like leverage and making a mistake. 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:08.799 That's not just a you you can't let somebody buy your sandwich over a lunch problem. 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:10.960 That's that's a spiritual problem. 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:17.200 It that happens spiritually because it bleeds over into this idea that you have to also pay God back. 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:30.320 In fact, you'll struggle with the whole idea of grace, you'll struggle with the idea that God actually has something for you that you can't do anything to earn. 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:32.159 And that will that will bother you. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:40.720 In fact, it'll really bother you when you feel like you're winning and the other guy's not winning and not doing his part, and you feel like I've did everything, I earned everything I got. 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:42.080 What about this guy? 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:53.200 And see, you you it'll actually warp your idea of what blessing is because not only will you not be able to receive blessing, you'll refuse to even become a blessing to other people because after all, you earned everything you got. 00:12:54.639 --> 00:13:01.120 I'm just telling you, this is it's way bigger than you letting somebody buy your sandwich. 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:03.440 It's way bigger than that. 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:07.759 And underneath of it, a lot of times, is this like sense of like guilt and shame. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:09.840 I mean, nobody likes that feeling. 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:11.039 I mean, we don't like that feeling. 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:21.600 There's it's inside of us, which is like, man, if I maybe if I was enough, maybe I'd high if I had figured it out, maybe if I had got my life together, I wouldn't need somebody else as charity. 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:26.399 Maybe I could have, maybe I could have found a way to do it myself. 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.240 Look at John 15 though, look what Jesus says. 00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:31.360 He says, I'm the vine and you're the branches. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:36.639 And if you remain in me and I in you, then you'll bear much fruit. 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:39.440 But apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:46.399 Apart from me, you can you you can't you can't make yourself grow spiritually. 00:13:47.200 --> 00:14:04.000 I think we we think that we think that growing and becoming the person that we're called to be, and and it's just like like we're looking for five helpful steps so that I can leave here and I can and I can make my life better and make me better, and I can be the best version, best dad, best mom, best brother, sister, whatever. 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:07.360 Like so I can be the best person that I can be moving forward. 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:13.679 And Jesus is going, you you you can't actually do this apart from me. 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:17.360 I you know, for me, I don't I don't like to lose. 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:18.799 Anyone else can relate to this? 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:19.600 I don't like losing. 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:20.960 I like to win, okay? 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:24.799 In fact, I only play games that I'm pretty confident I can win at. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:26.799 You know, let's play some video games. 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:29.519 I don't play video games because I'm not good at video games. 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:31.600 I don't I want to win, right? 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:35.600 I want to know, and and by the way, I need to know that I'm winning, right? 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:38.799 So there needs to be some scoreboard involved. 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:40.000 Like, I need to know this. 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:43.600 So this whole thing where we don't keep score thing, that's stupid. 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:46.559 I'm just because we're keeping score. 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:48.240 You don't have to keep score. 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:49.360 That's that's fine. 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:50.639 I'll I'll keep score. 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:52.720 Like what somebody's gonna keep score. 00:14:52.879 --> 00:15:03.919 I want to know that what I'm that what I'm doing is is is working, and I want to know that we're taking ground, and I want to know that I'm that I'm that I need a winning formula because I don't want to waste my time. 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:04.559 Come on. 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:05.759 I don't want to waste my time. 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:06.399 All right. 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:15.840 This is where this there's a rub here because growing spiritually, that's hard. 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:22.399 Because you because you think you're because you'll think you're losing, and Jesus is like, oh, in my kingdom, you're now you're winning. 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:24.320 You're like, this, I don't understand the scoreboard. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:32.159 It's almost like it's upside down, it's like this it's going backwards, but you say I'm winning, and you're like, but I know here I'm winning, but out there, everyone's like, you're a loser. 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:33.840 No, but you feel that way. 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:35.360 That's what you feel like. 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:39.679 So you start coming up with your own scoreboard. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:41.679 So you gotta come up because you gotta find. 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:43.519 So some of us were like, you know what I'm gonna do? 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:46.240 I'm gonna live a I'm gonna live a super moral life. 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:55.039 That's gonna, that's gonna be how I know I know that I'm close to God because I have all these, like I just have a really high moral standard for my life. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:56.720 Nothing wrong with that, by the way. 00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:57.840 Holy living. 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:00.240 I've just got this deep commitment to to holy living. 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:01.360 Nothing wrong with that. 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:06.399 But your motive for that changes everything about that. 00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:13.200 I mean, Pharisees were were holy living, deeply committed, devout people. 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:16.320 Every one of us would have admired most of them. 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:21.120 It was the motive behind it that drove them. 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:25.919 That makes it so we come up with things like, you know, I'm gonna clean up my act, you know, I'm gonna cut out all vices. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:26.799 That's what I'm gonna do. 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:29.200 Well, I and then we make our own little standard. 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:31.440 Well, I haven't touched that in so many years. 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:32.559 That's that's great. 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:35.360 If that's what you need for your own personal growth, that's that's amazing. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:41.759 But to make that the new standard for what it looks like to be spiritually mature, hold on a second. 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:51.919 We're we're trying to find our own way to deal with a sense of guilt and shame that we have. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:52.720 Do you know what that is? 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:55.120 That's a roller coaster of emotions. 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:57.919 And you know you're on this roll. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:00.240 It's you talk about discouragement. 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:07.599 And you know you're on this roller coaster because when when you're doing good, you feel good. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:15.680 Yeah, you know, when you when you have your winning strategy, your winning formula, and you feel like, man, I'm I'm living into it, I'm doing great. 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:16.559 Life's good. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:17.680 You feel like you're winning. 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:21.920 I haven't skipped my Bible reading plan, it says 57 days in a row. 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:23.519 Let's go, somebody. 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:25.440 I'm winning, you know. 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:31.759 And thank God they got the like, hey, I missed my day, but they let me like push the button, you know, and so I can keep my count going. 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:38.640 Woo! So I don't have to feel guilty tomorrow because I did skip, but now I don't have to show anybody that I skipped, so now it says 58 days. 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:39.519 Thank you very much. 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:43.839 If you don't have the Bible up, you don't know what I'm talking about, but you'll get it and figure it out. 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:58.559 So, anyway, you come up with your stuff, and then you miss it, and then you're back to zero, or whatever else your your method looks like, and you're just on this roller coaster of discouragement because when it's good, when you're doing good, it's good. 00:17:58.720 --> 00:18:00.319 But when you're doing bad, it's bad. 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:04.079 And you feel like, what do I gotta do to get back to where I used to be? 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:06.559 Gotta get back, gotta get back. 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:09.680 In fact, you even find yourself saying stuff like, I can do better. 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:12.960 I just, I can do better. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:23.440 I remember when Bethany and I were first married, I was in the Navy, I was living in San Diego, and with deployments and then training, we had to move a couple times in a couple different departments. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:28.799 And so, and I remember, I remember we would it was like moving day, we'll roll around. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:32.000 Bethany would be like, So who's coming to help you move today? 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:35.519 And I was like, Nobody, it's just me, you know. 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:37.599 She's like, What do you wait? 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:38.960 We had like a big couch, you know? 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:43.759 We didn't have much, but we had a few things, and I was like, Oh, it's got two bars underneath of it, it's it's good to go. 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:44.559 So I would come over there. 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:46.400 I was a little bigger than I was than I am now. 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:53.279 And so I'd come like, I'm like, see, I got the couch all by myself, and I would just be like moving this, I've been moving all my furniture. 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:55.200 Now here's the real truth, okay? 00:18:55.359 --> 00:19:01.279 The reason I didn't I didn't invite somebody to ask somebody to come help me move is because I didn't want them to call me and invite me to help them move. 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:01.680 That's right. 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:03.119 That's the real truth. 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:06.400 I was like, see, if I don't ask them, then they're not gonna ask me. 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:08.720 See, this is a good, this is a good, it's a good trend. 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:19.200 And then my my back hurts, I tripped, I sprained my ankle, I broke some of the furniture, you know, there's all these other things, and I know I probably should have asked for an extra set of hands. 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:20.559 I should have. 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:22.480 But my pride wouldn't let me. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:24.880 It just it just wouldn't let me. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:27.759 See, that's I can do better. 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:30.640 I can I can get my life together. 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:32.720 I can I I know what it takes. 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:34.319 I'm gonna I'm gonna stop doing this. 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:35.759 I'm gonna, I'm, I'm just determined. 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:39.519 I'm gonna stop, I'm gonna start this, I'm gonna stop that, and then that's how I'm gonna know. 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:42.000 And we come up with all these things. 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:47.359 It's it's our pride that's often driving these things. 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:48.640 You need to know this. 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:51.359 The Holy Spirit makes us new. 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:52.640 This is a big thing. 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:56.400 The Holy Spirit makes us new. 00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:57.680 I'm gonna read. 00:19:57.920 --> 00:19:59.920 I did Romans chapter 8. 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:01.920 You can follow along on the screen behind me. 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:11.519 All these ways is that the Holy Spirit renews us, makes us, makes us new. 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:16.319 I want you to hear, I'm we're not gonna dive into all of them because we don't have time, but we're gonna we're gonna dive into a few of them. 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:19.200 And so I'm just gonna read, follow along on the screen behind me. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:33.759 He says, 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. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:37.519 So I know we I know we have a lot of people who are new to faith in our church. 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:40.160 You you need to understand how how this works. 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:49.599 You you're not just a just a material body, you're you're made up of a you have a spirit, you have a soul, you have personality, your mind, you have your flesh. 00:20:50.079 --> 00:21:00.400 And and the Bible talks a lot about when you are in Jesus that you're a new creation, that the old has passed away, the new has come, that you've been regenerated from the inside out. 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:02.559 And that's talking about your spirit. 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:05.279 Your spirit in you has been regenerated. 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:13.119 Now your mind hasn't been regenerated yet, which is why you still think about the same things you were thinking about BC in your life, right? 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:18.559 And and so, and so, and and you still want to do the things that you did BC, oftentimes. 00:21:18.640 --> 00:21:22.880 Like sometimes you're just like, because you've you've had a lifetime of habits that have been built up. 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:39.920 And so you're now you're in this like season of your life where you have to rewire like what's normal and what you what you're used to doing, and saying that body, soul, mind, you have to understand that you're you're a little bit more complex than maybe you originally thought that you were. 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:52.480 And so just because you want to do something doesn't mean that's actually who you are, just because you just because you are a temptation to do something doesn't mean that that's your identity like just because these are things doesn't mean that's not who you are, because you've been regenerated at a spirit level. 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:56.640 So you you need to know that if you're gonna understand the rest of what we're reading here. 00:21:56.720 --> 00:22:05.359 Verse six, he says, the mind governed by the The flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace. 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:08.160 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God. 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:11.039 It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:14.160 And those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:21.200 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh, but are in the realm of the spirits, talking about those of us who are in Jesus, following Jesus. 00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:22.799 He says, You're in the realm of the Spirit. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:29.519 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. 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:38.720 But if Christ is in you, even then, even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:49.599 And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raises Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies because of his spirit who lives in you. 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:52.720 Some of you followed that. 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:54.319 Others of you are like, what did you just read? 00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:55.680 That was a lot of like repeated words. 00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:56.079 I don't know. 00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:58.480 In the spirit, out of the spirit, flesh, death, life. 00:22:58.559 --> 00:22:59.359 I don't know what we're talking about. 00:22:59.440 --> 00:22:59.920 Let me help you out. 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:01.119 Okay, so here we go. 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:06.880 I'm gonna give you, I'm gonna give you some stuff, some ways that the Holy Spirit makes us new. 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:08.880 He makes us new. 00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:10.880 You know, we're obsessed with that. 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:12.720 New and better. 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:14.720 We're obsessed with things new and better. 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:17.200 I remember when I was a teenager, I I can't explain. 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:23.359 I don't know why, how why why this was my story, but it's like God got a hold of me at a really young age. 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:26.000 I was just I was passionate about the things of God at an early age. 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:34.880 And so I remember being a teenager and wanting, wanting, and you know, wanting to please God, follow Jesus, wanted like wanted a fresh encounter with the Lord. 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:42.079 I remember being a teenager, I lived in down in Oklahoma, kind of Bible Bell area, which meant that there was like a big church everywhere, and there was always an event. 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:50.799 There was listen, there was a revival everywhere, there was a prayer event everywhere, there was a move of God everywhere, like everyone was claiming like the Spirit of God was moving, you know. 00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:57.279 And so I remember as a teenager, like running around, like trying to figure out like where is the Holy Spirit moving this week? 00:23:57.440 --> 00:24:08.880 You know, just like trying to trying to run around town because I needed something new and better, because I had this idea, it's like somehow if I can get a hold of what's new and what's better, that's gonna change everything for my life. 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:11.839 It's almost like I thought like the Holy Spirit had a forwarding address. 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:13.680 I was like, I just don't know where his forwarding address is. 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:15.200 Did anybody know where he's at? 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:16.319 He seems to have left. 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:19.599 Maybe he didn't go anywhere, maybe he's exactly where he's placed you. 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:25.119 But see, I this was this is what it looked like to be young in my in my faith, chasing new and better. 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:30.480 Listen, all the new and better that you desire finds its fulfillment in the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:31.839 He wants to make you new. 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:33.440 Let me give you some examples. 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:35.680 We just read them, just in the first few verses here. 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:36.240 We just read them. 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:36.720 Here it is. 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:38.240 He gives you a new mind. 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:40.559 He gives you a new mind. 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:51.839 He says this those who those who live, it's the very first verse we read, verse five, those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires. 00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:58.240 But those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:04.720 Most of us are like locked in on what's right in front of us. 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:07.279 That's usually what gets most of our attention. 00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:17.200 We're pretty locked in on like what we want, what we fear, our own cravings, our own comforts, our own, like we want more control in our lives. 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:18.559 I mean, my goodness, what a terrible feel. 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:28.480 You feel like everybody else has control, and so you're just focused on that, your reputation, frustration, some of us are just surviving, you know, and we just get we just get fixed on this. 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:30.240 But the spirit changes that. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:36.480 The the spirit will actually change how you think about these things in your in your life. 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:40.960 So take your marriage, for example, he will change the way you think about your marriage. 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:47.200 In fact, this is this is one of the ways because the Holy Spirit, He He wants to do this, He wants to make this new in your life. 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:53.599 And so for some of you, you you you came to Jesus like post-marriage. 00:25:54.319 --> 00:26:05.759 And so if you still think the same way about marriage that you did B C that you do, you know, A D and B C and it looks the same, like you got the same perspective. 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:10.240 There's a good chance that the Holy Spirit wants to like change your perspective. 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:14.799 He wants to change your mind, he wants to change the way you think about these things. 00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:20.799 He'll change the way you think about your kids, he'll change the way you think about work and career and money. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:35.119 I and you got and listen, we we get this idea that somehow it that like it's shocking that God has a entirely different perspective about your work, about your career, and how you what you do with your money. 00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:42.160 God does not his if you think that God's idea is aligned with the world, we are reading the wrong book. 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:46.400 I'm just telling you, he has a totally different perspective on these things. 00:26:46.640 --> 00:27:00.240 And he wants to make the Holy Spirit wants to change the way you think about those things, about sin, about your future, about even your own, your your enemies, even pain that you're experiencing in your life. 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:11.359 Not listen, you don't you don't get like a new mind because some of you are like, man, I'm in Jesus, and I, you know, I've been following Jesus for a few years, or maybe a year or two now, and and you just go, man, I this resonates with you. 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:12.960 You're like, you know what, this is kind of true. 00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:18.319 I'm I'm realizing I don't I don't have the same opinions, I don't have the same values. 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:22.799 Like there's been a shift that's happened, and I don't really know when that happened. 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:26.160 Listen, it didn't happen because you just naturally became a positive person. 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:33.680 It happens because because the Holy Spirit is changing you. 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:38.160 He's he's actually setting your mind on the things of God. 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:39.279 So he gives you a new mind. 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:40.559 Here's another one he'll do for you. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:42.559 He wants to give you a new nature. 00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:44.079 Look at the next verse. 00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:49.359 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace. 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:50.880 Life and peace. 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:53.519 Death, life and peace. 00:27:54.160 --> 00:28:11.119 You know, the flesh, the the the flesh, when we talk about spirit, you're a soul, you're your body, you know, theologically, some would say you're not three-part beings, some people theologically, some would say you're a two-part being, you know, you're a spirit, and then kind of your flesh and your mind and your your soul, they think that's all one. 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:15.839