WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:05.679 Welcome everybody joining in in person, YouTube, podcast, everybody wherever you're coming from. 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:07.040 Thanks for being here. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.240 We appreciate it. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:19.280 I also want everyone to know in person and online, and just a little reminder before we get started that without volunteers, we have absolutely nothing. 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.000 There would be no Sunday, no church, no nothing. 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:26.559 And I wanted to recognize one of those volunteers this morning. 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:29.280 Many of you know Jody Clark. 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:36.640 She leads our financial assistance ministry here on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she is always here. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:40.240 I mean, caring for people, just showing amazing care to our community. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:49.600 Many times I've come down our stairs, uh doing something, going to lunch or whatever, and I see her just talking with folks in our community, praying with folks in our community. 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:53.280 So, Church, could you please recognize Jody Clark and just give her a big hand? 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:55.280 Thank you so much for all you do, Jody. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:57.280 We appreciate you. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:05.200 And um, we're continuing a little series that you guys created called QA. 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:10.560 You sent in questions about faith, God, and life for about over a month, and we've been tackling those questions. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:16.879 The last two weeks, uh, we've been answering questions about marriage, and I couldn't be more glad that's over. 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:20.159 So um uh, but uh it actually was funny. 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:21.040 I I'm like you. 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:25.439 I've heard a lot of Christians say a lot of weird, whacked out stuff about marriage over the years. 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:34.239 So if you missed those, uh please go ahead to our YouTube channel or podcast or Santa Cruz.church, uh, which is our website there, and you can go check that out. 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:41.519 But this week is a uh pretty common question, I think, about faith that I think everybody wonders from time to time. 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:46.319 And you may hear it and think it's kind of rhetorical or kind of easy, but it's really not. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:53.840 Uh the the the question is simply this if I struggle with sin, am I still a Christian? 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:54.480 Right? 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:56.000 And so it's an interesting question. 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:59.439 I think a lot of people would hear that and go, well, yeah, of course you are, right? 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:02.560 Like, I mean, every Christian struggles with sin. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:03.359 We're not perfect. 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:04.079 We all have that. 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:07.040 And again, by Christian, I'm just making sure we're talking terms. 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:10.479 Christian, someone following Jesus, sin doing the wrong thing. 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:12.240 That's kind of the simplest definitions of that. 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:14.000 So I think we all struggle with it. 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:23.360 But behind that question is really this deeper question about doubts and I think in fears that we have about our own faith from time to time. 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:25.280 I think everybody's wondered at some point, right? 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:30.479 You ever had that moment in your life where you just thought, uh, am I still a Christian? 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:31.280 Boy, I don't know. 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:32.159 You know, kind of a thing. 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:40.719 Like, you know, can't they guys I feel like we all say, think, do things that sometimes are pretty disappointing to us, discouraging. 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:48.000 Um, maybe there's something in your life that you've just thought, I feel like I should not be struggling with this anymore. 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:51.280 And it's years and years later, and here I am, right? 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:58.159 And there's sometimes that thing where you just get so discouraged that you're not changing at the pace that you feel like you should be changing. 00:02:58.319 --> 00:02:59.759 You wonder, is this normal? 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:04.960 And it kind of makes you just wonder, like, maybe I didn't get it right, maybe I'm not doing this right. 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:09.199 We all had these doubts and fears that sometimes were just too messed up. 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:19.280 Um, that, you know, something uh maybe I need to start over, maybe I need to do it again, maybe I need to get baptized for like the 20th time and hope this one takes, right? 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:20.879 I think we've all had that happen. 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:24.560 Like I can tell you back when I did youth ministry, I was in Atlanta. 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:35.520 And uh sometimes we would end those youth services, we'd have this moment where we'd invite kids to like begin a relationship with Jesus by raising their hands, you know, kind of a thing. 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:40.879 And so, and this one kid who I just loved dearly, his name was Albert. 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:45.439 Um, Albert raised his hand every single week. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:58.879 And eventually we kind of got to the point where we're noticing Albert just hand first hand up, and we were like, okay, if you want to know Jesus for the very first time, look at Albert, make sure he understands. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:00.639 Then please raise your hand. 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:03.520 Albert raises his hand every single time. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:10.240 And I mean, Albert is going to accept Jesus for the hundredth time, and and this was what he was doing. 00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:19.120 Every camp, every event, Albert began a relationship with Jesus for the first time again, over and over and over again. 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:26.399 So finally we just noticed it, it kind of became a running joke on our staff that, like, well, at least Albert's hand will go up, so you know, you know, whatever. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:29.040 So no matter what you get up there and do, uh, kind of a thing. 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:35.360 And so finally I talked to Albert and I was like, Albert, buddy, um, you don't have to raise your hand every week. 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:40.160 And he's like, Well, well, I mess up sometimes and I need to start over. 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:43.360 And I was like, No, no, Albert, buddy, you don't you don't have to start over every time. 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:44.720 It's okay. 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:53.040 And then he said this, and I had hoped that nobody in our youth ministry had put this in him, but he just said, like, well, I just I want to make sure that I go to heaven when I die. 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:55.199 So every week, you know, I do that. 00:04:55.279 --> 00:05:05.839 And I was like, Albert, buddy, look, if anyone's going to heaven, it's you because you've checked in that hotel more times than anyone in this room combined, okay? 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:16.639 I mean, if you if you told me I want you to name someone who you believe is definitely a Christian, I would bet it all on you because you've set the Guinness World record for accepting Christ into your life. 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:18.399 Like, I mean, it's absolutely insane. 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:21.759 But Albert just had this thing of I mean, here's the truth. 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:23.439 God loved Albert. 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:25.920 God already forgiven Albert. 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:29.040 But every week, Albert struggled with that reality. 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:31.279 But yeah, I really messed up this week, though. 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:32.079 But yeah, I don't know. 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:36.560 I just want to be sure it's that it's that uncertainty and that I've really messed up and those kind of things that happen. 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:37.279 And I get it. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:48.160 Like let me tell you, I've had my moments like Albert where I felt like, gosh, you know, maybe something is so wrong with me that I just need to reboot and do this again, or maybe I maybe I don't know. 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:55.839 Maybe I just need to beg, beg God for forgiveness, even though I in my head I know I'm already forgiven, but maybe it wouldn't hurt, you know. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:10.399 And and there's so many people who have never tried faith at all because of the simple fact that they just believe God can't really love me, or maybe he's not really loving, or he couldn't really fully forgive me. 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:13.120 You don't really understand what I've done and what I've been through. 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:15.040 There's just no way, right? 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:31.839 And so many with faith have just been discouraged so much by struggles with like habitual or just recurring sin that it just makes you start to think and get in your head just a little bit sometimes that maybe I don't really know Jesus at all. 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:33.519 Maybe that's just it. 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:35.600 Maybe, maybe I just don't, I just didn't do this right. 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:36.399 I just didn't get it. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:38.000 I don't, I don't know what it is. 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:44.319 And every once in a while, sometimes you'll read a passage in the Bible that kind of freaks you out and kind of scares you on this front too. 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:51.519 Like a lot of people ask this question after they read this one verse in all of the scripture, this one that kind of freaks people out. 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:53.519 It's Hebrews 10, 26. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:07:04.319 And there the author said, Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we've received knowledge of the truth, there's no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. 00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:11.680 And that that kind of sounds scary because it sounds like it's saying that, you know, if you sin after knowing Jesus, and then now you're on your own. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:19.120 Like that if you prayed the prayer and did the thing, you know, and all that stuff, because this, you know, I don't know if you know this, but do you know it's not about praying the prayer? 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:21.120 I know. 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:27.120 I know it's it's really about following Jesus like every day, not just praying a one-time prayer when you were six. 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:40.000 Like, I know this is might be a revelation, but look, it it's that thing about uh if I mess up after I've done that, then then oh no, then I've messed up and there's there's it's all it's all been forgiven, and now I don't have anything left. 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:41.360 That's not what it's saying. 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:50.319 This is coming out of a chapter where the author's talking about how there's one sacrifice for all sin for all time, okay? 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:55.839 And so basically, what Jesus did on the cross is infinite. 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:00.879 And Jesus doesn't have to go back on the cross every time we mess up. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:01.519 Does that make sense? 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:06.720 Like it doesn't have He doesn't have to read, we He doesn't have to start over every single time because we messed up, right? 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:09.839 The whole thing is the sacrifice is good for all time. 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:20.319 And what the author's saying is if someone definitively just rejects God's love and forgiveness, there is no other love and forgiveness available anywhere else. 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:21.759 That's basically what it's saying. 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:24.319 There is no other sacrifice that works the same. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:25.360 There's nothing like that. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:26.959 There's no other love and forgiveness. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.759 It's one sacrifice made for all of us. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:32.080 It really is our only hope. 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:36.480 So if they mess up or whatever, that's what they the only thing they have to go back to. 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:38.159 So, or you may read this one. 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.559 This is one I've ran into sometimes, and I kind of feel bad. 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:47.519 2 Corinthians 5.17 says, This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:51.679 The old life is gone, a new life has begun. 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:56.320 And sometimes you'll read that and I think, man, I'm supposed to be a new person with a new life. 00:08:56.639 --> 00:08:58.960 It says the old life is gone. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:02.240 I saw it today. 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:03.919 It is not gone. 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:07.919 That old person, that whole life's still around. 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:08.879 Not gone. 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:10.399 Don't know what happened, right? 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:12.399 So do I even belong to Jesus? 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:16.879 If I've seen the old life and the old person still comes knocking at the door, is that did I do it right? 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:17.759 You know, that kind of thing. 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:21.519 There's a lot, and I want to learn, there's a lot about this in the Bible. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:24.559 It is a heavy theology stuff. 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:27.039 It is really hard to cover in one message. 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:39.840 I'm gonna do my best to answer this simply and kind of walk you through this, but I want to invite you, if this is an ongoing mental struggle for you in your life, that sometimes this doubt just keeps coming back in, I just want to give you these verses. 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:43.519 Romans 6 through 8 and Galatians 5. 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:54.320 I'm gonna kind of ping pong around in there for a little bit and show you a couple of things, but really the most of the discussion the Bible has about these kind of doubts really lives in those chapters. 00:09:54.480 --> 00:10:02.960 And maybe you just need to, if you want to dig deeper and really read the full thing, or maybe you just want to keep those as kind of reminders, do that and keep those. 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:06.159 But let's get this part right to start this off, okay? 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:09.440 Every Christian struggles with sin. 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:10.320 Yes. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:15.360 The apostle Paul, one of the writers of the Bible, said this in Romans 7. 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:20.000 I want to do the things that are good, but I do not do them. 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:25.840 I do not do the good things I want to do, but I do the bad things I do not want to do. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:29.759 Paul was really open about I struggle with sin. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:31.600 I am these are my struggles. 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:34.000 It feels like there's two of me sometimes. 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:38.480 There's part of me that wants to do good, and there's part of me that wants the wrong things. 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:40.000 We can all relate to this, right? 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:44.639 Even John, one of the disciples, they say the one Jesus loved the most, right? 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:49.200 The one that was closest to Jesus, John, he confirmed the struggle is normal. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:57.039 In 1 John 1, he said, if we claim we have no sin, we're only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:04.399 But if we confess our sins to him, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins is to cleanse us from all wickedness. 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:11.360 If we claim we've not sinned, we're calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:17.120 And John's just saying, look, saying that you don't have sin in your life is calling God a liar. 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:17.679 Right? 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:21.440 Because we, I mean, we all we need God's forgiveness all the time. 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:22.799 You know what's insane about us? 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:25.600 Sometimes we sin and we don't even know that we're sinning. 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:27.679 We do the wrong thing and have no idea. 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:31.279 We weren't even intentionally doing it, we weren't even consciously doing it. 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:33.679 I mean, that's how bad off we are sometimes. 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:41.120 The good news is when we do know it, we confess it to God, He's faithful to forgive us and make us new. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:46.720 But still, there's that, I think, nagging doubt in us a little bit of this. 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:50.080 Okay, Matt, that's awesome that I'm forgiven. 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:52.159 That's not my problem. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:55.759 It's that I feel like I'm supposed to be moving forward, though. 00:11:56.080 --> 00:12:04.159 That's awesome that I can be forgiven for sin, but my struggle with sin has made me feel like I'm not ever moving forward or getting better. 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:07.919 That's the problem, that's where the nagging doubts come in. 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:15.919 So the question is, Matt, are I supposed to be getting better over time, moving forward somewhat? 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:17.120 Yes. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:24.799 But it's a process, and theologians call it the progressive sanctification by the Holy Spirit. 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:28.720 And I'm gonna call it spiritual growth and just keep it simple, okay? 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:32.399 Because really what that is, is this, and I want to just describe this process. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:36.080 It's gonna take a second for to describe this, and I want to make sure everybody understands this. 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:48.960 God, through his spirit, which is his voice in us, leads us to gradual change over time. 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:56.000 Think of it this way: it's the process of getting better, but never being perfect. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:58.080 So he's growing you and getting it better, right? 00:12:58.159 --> 00:12:59.840 Like, think about having a garden, right? 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:02.000 You go, some of you are really good at this stuff. 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:02.960 You got the green thumb. 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:19.039 You go set up the garden, you go plant all the seeds, and over time you start to see some little sprouts and little growth, start to get a little encouraged, and then you start to see some vegetables, some fruit, some things starting to happen there, and you're excited about it because you look at it and go, okay, I see that this has gotten better. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:22.159 Like this was dirt, and now it's a garden. 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:27.039 But here's the thing that you have to think about you still have weeds, right? 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:30.720 Weeds go are coming at it all the time. 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:36.080 And you don't just weed it once, you don't go in there and pull them all and go, that's it, don't have to do that anymore. 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:37.840 No, they keep coming. 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:40.559 And if you don't pull them, they'll take over, right? 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:41.440 It's one of those things. 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:44.080 It's part of growing the garden is pulling the weeds. 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:49.279 Or let me put it to you this way: let's say uh you've renovated a home, okay? 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:53.279 You fully renovated, knew everything, it is ready to roll. 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:55.200 Well, you're not done. 00:13:55.679 --> 00:13:58.480 Because you know what's gonna happen in pretty pretty soon time? 00:13:58.559 --> 00:13:59.919 There's gonna be another repair. 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:04.879 Something breaks, something leaks, all this kind of stuff happens, different issues are gonna pop up. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:06.879 It's not something you do once. 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:11.519 Renovation is an ongoing process. 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:21.200 Weeds pop up, repairs pop up, growth, renovation of the soul is an ongoing process. 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:28.159 And over time, you can look back and say, I'm better than I was, okay? 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.039 Even if you're not exactly where you want to be. 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:32.799 Paul said that in Philippians. 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:37.279 I'm moving forward, I'm not where I want to be, but I'm better than where I was, right? 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:44.159 And here's the thing this process ends when you end, it keeps going until you're dead. 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:55.679 You are a new person with a new life, but sometimes that old person taps on the door, looks in the window like a weirdo, like it does that stuff. 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:59.200 Sometimes that old life kind of starts to creep back in. 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:00.720 Because why? 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:07.360 The weeds are gonna keep coming, the renovation isn't ongoing, there's leaks, there's things that happen. 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:12.000 See, uh, this process is kind of described like this in Galatians 5. 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:24.559 Paul says, So I say, let the Holy Spirit, God's voice in us, guide your lives, and then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:26.720 Sinful nature being the old you, right? 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:31.279 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the spirit wants. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:36.480 And the spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:40.159 And these two forces are constantly fighting each other. 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:44.240 So Paul's saying, yes, you are noticing a fight in you. 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:51.679 There is God's voice in you trying to lead you somewhere, and then there's the old you that's trying to lead you somewhere else, and they're in a fight. 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:57.200 And in case you're wondering what those two sides kind of look like, how do I know what's what? 00:15:57.279 --> 00:15:59.519 Paul kind of goes on and describes these two sides. 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:25.759 He says in uh Galatians 5 19, he says, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the old me, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, ambition, I mean selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:32.240 And let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living in that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:46.399 But the Holy Spirit, God's voice in you, produces this kind of fruit in our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:48.559 There's no law against these things. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:56.399 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 00:16:56.639 --> 00:17:03.279 Since we're living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:05.359 There's a lot, lot, lot, lot there. 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:07.200 But here's the bottom line of what's going on. 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:09.759 There's a battle between passions and desires. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:20.880 There's always desires in us to be self-centered, to want more of everything, to put you above everyone else around you and fight everyone around you, whatever, that kind of stuff. 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:24.640 And then there's God guiding you to a different life. 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:28.559 Love, joy, and peace and self-control. 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:35.359 So put it to you this way: there's the force of me first, and then there's the force of beyond me. 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:51.200 Things that I need in my life that I feel like I almost like don't know how to conjure up, and these things are kind of beyond me, and God's trying to lead you into those things, a different, joyful, peaceful life compared to our default mode that we were born with, which is self-centeredness. 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:52.799 So it's a war of desires. 00:17:53.039 --> 00:18:05.359 But I want you to catch this last part when he's talking about nailing and crucifying, it kind of gets a little religious language and a little weird because what he's talking about is basically this is that this is how the weed pulling looks like in your life. 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:10.000 And the good news is there's help with pulling the weeds. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:13.440 So let me look back at that verse that we just read, verse 24. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:23.279 It says, Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:36.559 Now I know some of you read that and you're thinking like me, well, okay, I love that those really bad passions and desires in me are nailed to the cross, but it doesn't seem like that because they are roaming around. 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:45.839 Like I still wrestle with them, I get it, they're on the cross with Jesus, they're dead and gone, but they are zombies that still roam around in my life. 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:46.880 They are around. 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:48.880 Like I see them, I understand it. 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:50.319 What does that mean? 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:56.559 And luckily, Paul in a later another book kind of he just kind of says this part in Galatians and moves on. 00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:58.240 In Romans, he kind of talks a little more about it. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:18:59.839 Here's what he said in Romans 6. 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:07.440 He says, We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ, so that sin might lose its power in our lives. 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:11.680 We are no longer slaves to sin. 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:16.240 For when we died with Christ, we were set free from the power of sin. 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:20.000 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:21.519 So, okay, I want to make sure you understand. 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:23.759 Like this is this is what it's talking about. 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:40.640 Our sins are no longer held against us, but you are still tempted to do them, but you don't have to because they have no power over you, they are not your master, you are free from them. 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:41.519 It is your choice. 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:44.400 Now, it's it's basically sin has no power. 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:45.759 This is the difference. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:50.079 This is what he's talking about that those things were nailed to the cross and dead and gone. 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:54.720 The power of sin is no longer over you in your life. 00:19:54.960 --> 00:20:01.599 Whether or not you do those sins or tempted to do those, that is your choice, but you are set free from that power. 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:03.599 Like I want you to imagine this. 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:07.359 Let's say you did something horrible and you went to prison. 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:10.880 I know what a heck of a start of an illustration story that is, right? 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:12.480 People are like, excuse me? 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:13.200 Yeah. 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:30.079 You did something horrible, you go to prison, and then you find out your prison sentence has been overturned and eliminated, and they open the prison cell doors, and now you're sitting in your cell wondering, should I stay in here or should I live free? 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:33.519 Because I don't know what it's like to really live free. 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:36.000 But I'm sitting in the cell. 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:38.799 It's the doors are open, the sentence is done. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:40.400 I don't have to be here. 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:45.680 But it's your choice whether or not to still act like a prisoner. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:57.680 But the Bible says you are not condemned to be one, regardless of what you do in that cell or whether or not you stay in that cell, you are no longer condemned by your sin. 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:05.839 Romans 8 says, There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:15.759 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving spirit, there it is again, has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:20.319 There's no condemnation for you because you belong to Jesus. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:27.440 I wanted you to understand, sin is no longer the issue between you and God, even though you really always think that it is. 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:28.400 It is not. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:30.240 You are not condemned by it. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:35.599 It's just up to you whether you want to still live condemned or not. 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:37.680 You're not condemned. 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:38.559 You're free. 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:40.960 It's up to you whether or not you want to live free. 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:49.680 And the good news is that God gives us the help because he knows for some of us we don't know what it's like to not live in the cell. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:53.839 We're afraid the second we leave the prison and get out on the road. 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:56.240 I don't even know what this is gonna be like for me. 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:57.200 I have no idea. 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.200 I've never felt this before. 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:06.079 And this is why God gives us the Spirit, the voice in us to guide you in free life. 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:08.960 And it's an ongoing process. 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:17.680 He says in Galatians 5 25, Since we're living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:26.400 What that means is this God is committed to show you where the weeds are and to help you pull the weeds and get better and live free. 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:28.880 But it's an ongoing process. 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:31.519 It's an ongoing process. 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:32.400 It keeps going. 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:40.960 Now I want to pause for a second because we've just read a ton of scripture and I just want to take a breather for a second and just ask you this question. 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:48.640 When I talk about following the lead of the Spirit and living free, what in the world pops into your head? 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:58.240 If someone said to you, follow the Holy Spirit, and said it in a weird voice like that, what's the thing you think about when you think about follow the Holy Spirit? 00:22:58.319 --> 00:22:59.440 What's the image that pops in your head? 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:01.279 I think a lot of things pop in our head. 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:10.960 A lot of people, like when you say, following the leading of the Spirit, we think mysterious and mystical. 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:25.359 I'm gonna have to take a few days off work, go climb a mountain, sit at the top in silence, and just wait on these whispers and these magical code words that I'll spend years discerning and understanding. 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:26.319 And okay. 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.759 For some of you, maybe you grew up in a more Pentecostal tradition. 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:40.960 So when you hear Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, like you're thinking, speaking in tongues, running and dancing in church, and for you, like, oh, it's an emotional experience. 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:42.880 Now, I want I want to be honest with you. 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:49.839 The truth is listening to the Holy Spirit, it can be a mystical experience, it can be an emotional experience. 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:54.960 But the trick is most of the time it's just an everyday, normal, practical experience. 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:58.319 It's this voice that just comes up and just says, Hey, don't do that. 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:02.240 Think about what they're going through before you say that. 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:03.039 Ooh. 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:05.200 You should call this person. 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:05.839 Huh? 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:07.759 Watch your words. 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:10.319 Hey, you should give this. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:13.519 You should help this person. 00:24:15.599 --> 00:24:18.000 Don't talk now, just listen to what they're saying. 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:19.519 You know, it's that stuff. 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:21.279 Like you hear it all the time. 00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:22.880 It's the everyday voice. 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:24.880 It just all of a sudden pops in and says this stuff. 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:29.039 The spirit's always speaking, and how we know it's the spirit is this. 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:31.519 Number one, it's something I wouldn't even think of doing. 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.240 And number two, most of the time it's stuff I don't want to do. 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:37.200 That's how you know. 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:40.640 I mean, you're literally like, I wouldn't, I don't why would I even think about that? 00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:41.359 I don't even understand. 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:42.880 Like, I mean, I get prompted sometimes. 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:46.240 I'll be just driving and I get prompted to text or call somebody. 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:49.359 I have not been thinking about them for years or days or months. 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:52.240 And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, hey, you need to call Brian. 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:52.960 Why? 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:53.680 What? 00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:55.039 What do you name up Brian? 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:56.319 Where'd Brian come from? 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:57.680 I don't want to call Brian. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:59.440 I don't even know it's a you need to call Brian. 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:04.880 Um maybe I'm just maybe lunch is kind of acting up, and maybe that's not the spirit. 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:05.759 Call Brian. 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:07.359 It's that thing, it happens, right? 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:11.440 I mean, this is the difference because people say, Well, isn't that your conscience speaking? 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:14.400 And we took psychology class and we're very excited about that. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:21.440 But here's the thing the conscience, yeah, it definitely more pings after you've done something usually. 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:26.160 But sometimes you have that intuition of this might be bad, this deal might not be good, you know, those things. 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:26.559 That's okay. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:28.160 And it kind of comes in before. 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:32.000 But often your conscience doesn't push you out of your comfort zone. 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:39.680 The spirit is always pushing you out of your comfort zone to do things that you pop, like honestly, that aren't it's not coming from you, and you know it. 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:50.400 You get this ping and it's pushing you toward a love or a patience or a joy or a peace, and you're just going, yeah, I that that is not something that originated with me. 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:54.480 I feel it, it's coming from beyond me because I would not be thinking about this. 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:56.640 This is not something I would even want to do, right? 00:25:56.799 --> 00:25:57.920 Like it really is that. 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.000 Like it's just this interesting thing. 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:05.279 So here's what to do when the spirit pings, when it calls, when it says that thing. 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:06.240 Don't say this. 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:08.640 Call that person, encourage this person, whatever it is. 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:09.680 Here's what do you do? 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:12.079 Do you just top back and go, maybe later, God? 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:13.200 No, what do you do? 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:15.119 Roman 8, Romans 8. 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:26.319 It says, Those who are dominated by the sinful nature of the old me think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:35.119 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death, but letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:36.960 You let it take control. 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:40.640 When it calls, you let it take control. 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:42.480 Let me tell you an example, right? 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:52.880 You sit there in line, you you're you're you're in there, you're in, you're in line to get coffee, you hear the person behind you, and they're checking and they're like, oh my gosh, I don't know if I have enough. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:56.559 You can hear them doing this thing of like, oh gosh, something going on. 00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:00.880 And you hear the spirit, hey, pay for their coffee. 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:03.920 And you're like, oh God, right? 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:11.039 Can't you just tell me to do something like, I don't know, win the lottery or something fun like that, and it's always like doing stuff like this. 00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:12.559 I I don't, I don't, this is weird. 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:16.720 I don't even know this person is like what if they're killed, like what if they're a serial killer? 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:17.759 Then then then what? 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:18.880 Then what, right? 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:21.519 No, you know, I I I I don't know. 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:26.400 I don't know, money's kind of tight this week, you know, tough economy, gas is ten dollars a gallon, whatever. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:27.039 I don't know. 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:33.519 You sit and talk yourself out of it by the time you get there, and the Holy Spirit's like, pay for their coffee, pay for their coffee. 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:39.519 And the thing is, it's weird, it's awkward, but it's that moment of like, okay, it's calling. 00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:42.720 I'm gonna let it take control. 00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:43.599 I'm just gonna do it. 00:27:43.839 --> 00:27:46.480 It's gonna be weird, right? 00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:48.480 And then you do it. 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:55.519 And and usually the time when you follow the Holy Spirit, usually you find out, oh, that was something that I was supposed to do, I just had no idea. 00:27:55.599 --> 00:28:00.559 And you kind of it doesn't feel as weird, but it's trying to get to that moment, right? 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:11.440 The last thing he says about this in Romans 8, he says, Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:14.319 For if you live by its dictate, you'll die. 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:20.480 But if through the power of the spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you'll live. 00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:24.880 For all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God. 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:28.480 So you've not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:35.839 Indeed, you received God's Spirit when He adopted you as His own children, and now we call Him Abba Father. 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:38.799 Couple of things I want to talk about here, just real quick. 00:28:39.119 --> 00:28:43.839 The Bible reminds you, you are under no obligation to follow sin at all. 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:49.440 Like you are no under his power, you are free, whether you know it or not. 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:54.559 Secondly, the more you follow the Spirit, the less you follow sin. 00:28:54.720 --> 00:29:00.319 It puts to literal death some of the things you were doing when you start doing these other things. 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:03.759 Third, just I like to point this out. 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:08.559 It says that the spirit does not make us fearful slaves. 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:16.960 And how you know you or someone around you has gotten tangled up in bad religion is you live like a fearful slave. 00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:21.680 You don't live like what it just told us, which is to me the most important part of this. 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:23.039 I want you to hear this. 00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:26.400 You are God's child. 00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:29.920 Now you may think, well, that's so sweet. 00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:33.279 I'm gonna put that on a card and send that to Aunt Betsy or whatever. 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:34.640 Like, that's not what I'm talking about. 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:35.759 You're God's child. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:36.960 This is really important. 00:29:37.680 --> 00:29:39.359 Do you know why this is important? 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:46.480 Number one, that spirit, that voice in you, that's the reminder that you've been adopted permanently. 00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:48.240 God's not throwing you away. 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:49.920 Yeah, it is good news, right? 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:52.400