WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:00.959 All right, Amen. 00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:01.520 Amen. 00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:06.400 Hey, would you uh turn in your Bibles uh to Colossians chapter three? 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:08.640 Uh we're gonna be in Colossians today. 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:12.560 We've actually, just to give you a bit of a heads up, we've got uh uh three more weeks. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:22.960 The next three weeks are gonna be uh finishing out the book of Colossians, and I'm gonna be starting a brand new series with you uh through the Psalms, and we're gonna not go through all 150 of them, um, but we're gonna tackle a few. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.480 We've got uh four of them coming uh right after that. 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:30.960 Uh so excited to uh have a little bit of a streak uh preaching uh to you. 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:32.079 I love doing that. 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:36.079 Um so make sure that you get your Bibles open now, though, to uh to the book of Colossians. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:42.960 We're gonna be in uh verses one to seventeen, kind of a big chunk uh to go through uh here today. 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:52.719 But hey, as you're getting turned to all of that, uh I want to give you uh a little bit of insight into the dynamic of our marriage a little bit. 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:54.079 Okay, you ready for this? 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:57.600 Everyone's like immediately everyone turns to look at Ange. 00:00:57.759 --> 00:00:59.600 Don't worry, I got permission for this, okay? 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:02.960 No one's being thrown under the bus uh or anything like that. 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:09.599 Um, I just wanted to talk about how um the way that Angie and I approach days off together. 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:12.079 Like, say my day off is typically Friday. 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:19.519 Uh the way that we approach days off together, though, uh are quite different, okay, and that's what I wanted to uh bring you in a little bit on. 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:23.200 Okay, for me, I love it when I have a day off to uh relax. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:34.079 I love to be able to kind of kick my feet up and maybe sleep in a little bit and play with the kids and just kind of take my time, take it easy, maybe have a nap. 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.359 You know, that's how for me um I recharge. 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:41.040 Okay, that's for me um how I like to unwind. 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:43.200 Now for Ange, a little bit different. 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:45.680 Uh she likes to go do stuff. 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:46.079 Right? 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:57.280 She likes to go do things, she loves being um productive and hey, let's let's get out there, let's go, let's go hike with the kids, let's go do something together and and make memories. 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.439 Okay, now as you can imagine, we have never clashed over this at all. 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:02.079 Okay? 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:03.840 Never clashed. 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:12.879 No, well, we have found that uh where we tend to get into disagreements uh about all of this is when we don't have a game plan. 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:19.439 Okay, when we don't have a game plan about our days off, is when it tends to um get a little bit dicey, maybe. 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:27.840 And uh we find, for example, that uh if we wake up and it's the day of the day off, and one of us is like, hey, so what are we doing today? 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:31.199 Okay, we we pretty much know that we're headed for trouble on some level. 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:33.120 Because naturally, what's gonna happen? 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:35.759 What I want to do is gonna rise to the surface, right? 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:42.560 What I want to do, and then what she wants to do, that's gonna rise to the surface, and uh and that's where we can have uh disagreements. 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:53.520 Now, what we have found works best for us is if like the day before or sometime in the week before uh we have a little bit of a pow-wow, we put our heads together and we talk through, hey, what's our game plan? 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:53.919 Right? 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:57.759 Like, what are we what are we gonna do on our day off? 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:04.159 And so that the expectations are clear, and so that we have some time to um figure it all out. 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:10.560 And when we do that, uh we always have a great day off that uh that both of us uh loves and enjoys. 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:15.039 Um, what we've figured out is that having a game plan is crucial. 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:15.520 Right? 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:17.199 It's absolutely crucial. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:28.960 Now, something that I've found for a lot of uh Christ followers is that uh they don't really have much of a game plan when it comes to their spiritual growth. 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:31.280 Okay, where would you be at with that? 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:35.280 Do you have a game plan when it comes to growing in Jesus Christ? 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:37.360 Do you realize that God expects you to grow? 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:40.080 Do you believe that he wants to change you bit by bit? 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:49.439 He wants to work in you, he wants to transform your heart, he wants to transform uh the desires that you have, the way that you live, he wants to do a lot. 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:53.759 Now, we of course know that he plays a huge role in that, doesn't he? 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:58.639 Through his Holy Spirit, he does the work that we could never do, which is transform our hearts. 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:02.479 And he actually will give us, the Bible says, he will give us new desires. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:03.840 Give us desires for him. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:07.680 He'll make us passionate about the things that he is fired up about. 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:09.520 So he plays a huge role. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:12.240 Uh, but you better believe that we play a huge role as well. 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:13.360 Uh, we really do. 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:24.639 And so this morning we're gonna be taking a look at what all of that is and assessing, you know, what is my game plan uh for growth and and am I putting all of that into action? 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:29.040 Okay, so if you're in Colossians three, we're gonna read the passage here and uh go through this. 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:30.319 So join me, verse one. 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:38.240 It says, If then, this is Paul writing, if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:42.160 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:45.759 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:50.480 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:59.839 Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is which is idolatry. 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:02.720 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:08.480 In these you too once walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away. 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:12.639 Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:22.879 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices, and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:32.480 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave free, but Christ is all and in all. 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:49.199 Verse twelve put on, then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, you also must forgive. 00:05:49.439 --> 00:06:02.240 And above all, and above all these, put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony, and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:21.279 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thanks, a thankfulness in your hearts to God, and whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:32.240 God, we come before you right now, uh recognizing this well-known passage, Lord, that talks and really lays out your expectations for what the Christian life looks like, Lord. 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:33.120 And how do we grow? 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:33.839 How do we change? 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:35.600 How are we transformed? 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:42.720 God, we know that we have a role to play in all of this, but Lord, we we recognize our frailty, Lord. 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:44.639 We recognize that we are weak. 00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:49.040 We recognize that that we don't have it all together and we do fail, Lord. 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:50.879 But we thank you that you are God. 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:58.240 We thank you that you are strong, that by your spirit we can we can put these things into practice and seek transformation and change and growth. 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:00.079 Lord, I pray that we would be excited about that, Lord. 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:07.360 I pray that we would come away today refreshed and encouraged and inspired and ready to just go follow you and do all of these things, Lord. 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:18.319 Lord, for anybody who is caught in sin and stuck in all of that, Lord, would you bring conviction, Lord, and the joy that comes when we confess our sin and commit again to following you anew, Lord? 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:19.360 Would you do this, please? 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:21.759 Have mercy, grow our church, Lord. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:24.079 Change us, make us more like Jesus. 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:26.240 We pray all of it in Christ's name. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:27.040 Amen. 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:28.240 Amen. 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:30.639 So, what's my game plan for growth? 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:32.399 Okay, what's my game plan for growth? 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:35.279 That's the question that we're uh gonna be asking today. 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:37.759 That's the question you need to be asking. 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:39.360 Uh so what am I doing? 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:46.399 What am I doing to ensure that my spiritual growth is moving in the right direction? 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:49.040 Okay, do you have a plan? 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:50.240 Do you have a plan? 00:07:50.319 --> 00:08:07.040 Or or are you just kind of like, no, I don't really have a plan, and I'm just kind of doing whatever, and and maybe you've been way way too passive about all of this, and I'm just kind of hoping that it all comes together by osmosis, and somehow I just kind of grow and am made more like Christ, and you know, He does it all, and I just kind of sit here and I'm a recipient. 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:07.920 No, right? 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:09.439 We we've got to act too. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:16.399 Uh again, we have a part to play here, and uh, here's the first thing here as we think about my game plan for growth. 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:17.600 Uh, what do I need to do? 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:20.800 Well, I must completely renovate my mindset. 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:23.680 I've got to completely renovate my mindset. 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:28.160 Uh take a look at the first verse here as we go through this and kind of pull it all apart. 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:41.360 It says, if then you have been raised with Christ, or in other words, or because you're now a follower of Jesus Christ, Paul's saying, he says, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:47.039 And then he says, set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:53.279 And so Paul's saying here that if you are a Christian, okay, you have given your life to Jesus Christ. 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:56.879 You've had your sins forgiven, and he is now your Savior. 00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:07.600 Your entire focus, your entire approach for the rest of your life, all of it, is now to be directed towards things above. 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:24.159 Things above, meaning, okay, that all of that, our focus, our attentions, our thoughts, our attitudes, our desires, our actions, all of it should be pointed towards the spiritual values that characterize Jesus Christ. 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:30.399 In other words, okay, the types of things that God is against, we're against. 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.840 Okay, the types of things that he is for, we're for. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:37.759 What he's passionate about, uh, we're passionate about. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:39.360 You might be like, well, why? 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:41.360 Why do we have to be on the same page with the Lord? 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:44.639 Well, he says right here, verse 3, he says, For you have died. 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:48.399 Okay, for you have died, and your life is uh is hidden with Christ in God. 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:54.000 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:10:02.000 Okay, so the reason that we focus on Jesus Christ, the reason why we focus on things above, as the text says, Paul reminds us here, is because of the gospel. 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:03.519 It's because of the gospel. 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:04.320 Do you remember that? 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:08.960 Do you think back on the gospel constantly and remembering what the Lord uh has done for you? 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:10.799 He reminds us, he says, You've died. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:11.279 Right? 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:11.840 You've died. 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:14.159 And what do we what have we died to? 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:16.240 Well, we've died to sin. 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:18.559 Which means I'm putting that all to bed. 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:19.600 I'm burying that. 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:21.200 I'm no longer going after that. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:23.759 That's no longer the focus of my life. 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:35.919 I've I've died to that, I've I've died to myself and the way that I want to live my life and my own pride and my own selfishness, the old way of living, all of it, dead to it. 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:37.039 That's what he says. 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:40.639 He also says, Your life is hidden with Christ. 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:41.679 I love that. 00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:43.679 It's meaning that we have eternal security. 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:46.080 True Christ followers have eternal security. 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:47.120 We're hidden with him. 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:55.120 He protects us, he's holding us in here, which means that we have all of our meaning, all of our hope is now found in him. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:58.559 Everything that we need is in Jesus Christ. 00:10:58.799 --> 00:10:59.679 Do you realize that? 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:02.639 Our hearts, our minds, we need reminding of that always. 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:08.960 That we would not look to other things to bring us completion and fulfillment as people. 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.399 That's really the central theme of the entire book of Colossians. 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:20.399 Remember, he's constantly reminding them of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, how he is God, how he is everything, what he has done, he's rescued us. 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:22.159 The whole thing is about the gospel. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:24.240 The entire thing is. 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:31.759 And he reminds us again here that Christ will appear again and bring us to glory with him. 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:36.879 He's like, we're headed for heaven. 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:38.960 That's our eternal home. 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:54.000 So time to formulate a game plan now that gets our attention away from the temporal, away from kind of the earthly and the worldly things, and onto the eternal, onto where we're headed. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:54.559 Right? 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:57.440 And we need the constant reminder of this. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:11:59.200 Because here's the deal. 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:14.159 When we have our our perspective and our our focus on the right place, on the right things, heaven, heavenly things, it gives us the proper perspective and approach about all of this here on earth. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:17.200 It helps us to be able to handle that properly. 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:28.080 Now, what you'll notice here through the text is that the proper approach, the proper um attack, if you will, all begins in the mind. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:28.559 Right? 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:29.759 It all begins in the mind. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:31.519 He says, set your minds. 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:34.240 Set your minds on things that are above. 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:45.039 Okay, if my mind, if my game plan is set on things that are uh that if it's not set on things that are above, okay, I will not grow. 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.600 I cannot grow spiritually. 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:50.320 We have to get our heads in that spot. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:13:03.840 And I think what often happens is that that Christians, and maybe maybe you'll understand this for yourself, I know I understand it from myself, sometimes we often try and kind of behave properly, don't we? 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:16.960 And it's kind of a it's kind of an outward thing, or or maybe it's kind of a surfacey thing, and we do it on the outside, and we sort of play that game where we don't let people in on what's really going on, and we don't even really want to face it ourselves. 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:22.480 But on the outside, we come to church, we put on the smile, and we put on our best clothes, and all of that. 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:30.799 But on the inside, we're kind of waging this war of desire, and it's it's in our mind, and it's it's in our heart. 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:42.559 And what we notice is that in our thinking, again in our mind, we find that that all of it is trying to drag us sometimes in the opposite direction from what Christ wants. 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:42.960 Right? 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:44.879 Do you notice this about yourself? 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:53.919 You know, on one hand, you're like, I kind of want to do this, but on, but on the other hand, I I really actually want to do this other thing over here. 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:55.919 It's live for myself. 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:57.679 You notice that? 00:13:58.879 --> 00:13:59.919 Everyone has this battle. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:00.960 Everyone struggles with this. 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:03.519 Paul talks about it in Romans chapter 7. 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:12.399 Phenomenal passage of the wrestling match that goes on between wanting to follow the flesh and wanting to follow the spirit and all of that. 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:29.919 And if you recognize that that you're in that battle, and maybe today you you you would admit that you're kind of on the losing end of it, maybe lately, and that you're not really in the best place, it really should be a signal to you that you're in need of a complete remodeling, uh renovation of your mindset. 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.360 Okay, so think about like home rentals, for example. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:36.399 Okay, what do you do when you renovate your house? 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:36.960 Right? 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:39.039 You strip that baby down, don't you? 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:51.200 You like you like you rip down the walls, you tear it down to the studs, you you knock down and re-engineer walls and completely change the structure and and what it looks like inside so that it's better. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:51.600 Right? 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:53.519 That's what we do with our homes. 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:58.320 Well, it's the the exact same thing that we need to do with our thinking. 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:00.799 We need to do that with our thinking. 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:05.279 And so ask yourself the question you know, how's my growth going? 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:07.679 How am I doing with that lately? 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:17.519 You know, do I have this sense that I am growing, that I'm being transformed in kind of this bit by bit, likely step-by-step kind of a thing. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:26.879 I mean, maybe you're in the position right now where the growth is rapid and it's happening like crazy, and every day, every single week, it's like something new you're learning about the Lord. 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:28.960 Well, I would just say that's amazing, that's awesome. 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:30.960 And I love it when God gives us seasons like that. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:33.440 It's it's tough, but it's also incredible. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:38.720 But I would say overall, the transformation that happens over the span of a lifetime is slow. 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:44.960 It does happen kind of step by step, but hopefully it's slowly but surely. 00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:46.639 Are you noticing that? 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:50.320 Or would you say that you're you're stalled out? 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:53.039 You're kind of at the side of the road and you're not really moving. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:56.240 Maybe you're you would say that you're stuck in a rut spiritually. 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:59.600 You know, are you just kind of going through the motions? 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:00.320 Right? 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:05.039 And every day is just kind of this, like this blah, bland existence with the Lord. 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:08.159 There's no joy, there's no passion involved in any of that. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:15.919 Okay, or or worse, maybe you would admit here that you're actually going in the wrong direction. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:39.840 You know, and I've been pursuing uh the wrong things entirely, and they're they're halting my growth, and they're they're moving me in in the wrong direction, and and and I'm totally, I've lost the joy, and all I'm bringing in are pain and problems, and and there are um consequences that that I'm experiencing on all of this, and and my family and loved ones and people that I know they're experiencing it as well. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:44.320 Okay, and if that's you, it's a good thing to admit that. 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:45.440 Okay, it's a good thing. 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:48.799 Don't don't be scared, don't be, don't be shy of admitting that. 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:51.679 Don't just kind of push it deep down and hope that it goes away. 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:52.240 It won't. 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:53.759 It will just get worse. 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:59.919 But if that is you, are you willing to completely renovate your mindset? 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:02.000 Are you willing to do that? 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:07.359 And if you want to get to a better place, you have to start there. 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.720 If you want to develop a game plan, that's gotta be step one. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:15.599 Paul says, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:17.359 Not on earthly things. 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:20.880 Okay, notice how he doesn't leave room for like partial commitment here. 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:26.319 He's not like, hey, kind of set your hearts on things above or your minds on things above. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:29.039 Or seek some of the things that are above. 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:30.559 No, he's not saying that. 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:31.759 He's challenging us. 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:33.119 He's like, be all in. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:35.359 Come on, Christ was all in for us. 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:36.960 That's what he's calling us to be now. 00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:39.839 All in for him, all our chips forward. 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:43.680 Not one foot in, one foot out, straddling the fence. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:49.519 Okay, or I'm not gonna set my mind on things above just on Sundays when people are watching. 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:50.319 Nope. 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:52.000 Complete renovation. 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:53.279 That's what I'm going for. 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:55.920 All my eggs in the things above basket. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:58.400 Okay, and holding nothing back. 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:01.359 Now you might be wondering, well, how do we do this? 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:15.599 You know, I've I've read this passage before, I've read lots of passages before, and I'm wondering, how do I get out of this place that I'm in, this cycle of uh of kind of deadness and numbness that my heart is experiencing? 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:18.079 Okay, how do I renovate my mindset? 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:25.440 Well, I've got seven things, you can write these down if you like, and these are by no means every single thing that you should do, um, but seven key ones. 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:28.960 Okay, the first one is how do I completely renovate my mindset? 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:32.400 First one is carve out some time to deal with this. 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:34.880 Carve out some time to deal with this. 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:46.240 Now I remember um years and years ago now, I was before we were married, I was uh living at home in in Mississauga, and I remember uh going through some stuff with the Lord and being like, man, I I just I gotta take some time. 00:18:46.559 --> 00:19:02.799 Remember like taking the day off work, and I drove up to Barrie, and I just like drove around and walked around, just spending some time praying, and I had my Bible with me and just seeking the Lord and making sure I was getting some things right, and and not rushing through, not glancing over, but but giving it a good hard look. 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:04.799 I would encourage you, do something like that. 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:06.559 Maybe you need to take a day off work. 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:19.920 Maybe it's a weekend, or for you it's like get somebody to watch the kids and go and spend an afternoon, spend a couple of hours, just get rid of the phone, get rid of the computer, the distractions, and just get right with him. 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:23.039 Carve out some time and deal with this. 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:27.680 What I'm getting at is like a 30-second prayer probably won't cut it. 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:32.880 It's not to say that God can't forgive you in 30 seconds, he absolutely can in less time than that. 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:39.279 But I think sometimes we kind of have these moments in messages like this where they're like, oh yeah, Lord, I really need to change some things. 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.000 Let's do this. 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:41.279 And then, like, that's it. 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:41.839 Right? 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:43.759 Or it's like at communion time. 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:45.359 Oh yeah, I've got a month's worth of sin. 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:46.559 I've got to confess right now. 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:48.160 I'm gonna completely change my life. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:51.839 And it's like the same exact thing at the end every single month through communion. 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:53.680 Okay, it probably doesn't cut it. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:59.039 We've got to take some time to properly think through what are the mistakes I'm making, what are the errors in my thinking? 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:05.839 How do I replace these things with truth and so that I can come up with a good plan, I can renovate my mind. 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:07.440 It all starts with the mind. 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:11.119 Here's the second one remind yourself of the gospel. 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:13.599 Remind yourself of the gospel. 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:19.039 Okay, that is the thing that will properly recalibrate your heart and your mind. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:22.480 Because what so often happens when we feel convicted? 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:27.440 When we when we realize that, hey, you know what, I'm really not living my life the way that I should. 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:31.920 We tend to make some decisions to follow the Lord, but what's driving it? 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:33.119 Guilt. 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:34.000 Right? 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:34.880 Shame. 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:40.240 So many of us have grown up in these kinds of churches where it's like, you're you're an idiot unless you're doing this. 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:40.480 Right? 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:44.400 You're like, well, I guess I am, and I better, you know, we make decisions based on that position. 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:44.960 Right? 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:51.279 If you feel guilty, that's an okay first thing, but that should not be the thing that drives you every step of the way. 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:58.240 The Lord has no intention of guilt being the thing that drives you to drives you to him and fuels you through a relationship with him. 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:00.319 It's the truth of the gospel. 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:04.720 The fact that God loves you despite your brokenness, despite your fallenness. 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:09.440 He loves you passionately, he's willing to forgive you, he's willing to work with you. 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:11.680 That's why we remind ourselves of the gospel. 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:14.000 Spend some time in, I would say, like the book of Romans. 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:19.599 Book of Romans unpacks everything that Jesus has done through the cross, goes into great detail of it. 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:32.640 Sometimes we have kind of a very simplistic understanding of the gospel, and there's so much depth and so much richness in all of that that maybe we don't think about, that maybe we don't allow to capture our hearts. 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:34.720 Okay, remind yourself of the gospel. 00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:37.359 That's a second one, third one, get real. 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:38.400 Okay, get real. 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:43.200 I already hinted at this, but the idea here is just be brutally honest with yourself. 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:45.519 Brutally honest with yourself. 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:48.640 If you're not getting it, admit it. 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:53.200 If you've been messing up and you've been doing it for a long time, admit it. 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:54.480 Admit it to yourself. 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:55.920 Admit it to the Lord. 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:57.039 Get real. 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:01.599 Okay, honestly, if you're not being real, it's Sign that pride is ruling your life. 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:02.720 Do you really want to be there? 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:05.119 Do you really want pride to get the upper hand? 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:06.559 Admit it. 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:08.319 Pray for humility. 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:12.400 Pray that your heart would be would be softened in all of that. 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:16.319 Here's one thing that I would say though, it's just a bit of a caution. 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:18.559 You don't need to be harsh with yourself. 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:19.839 You don't need to be harsh. 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:21.279 This tends to be my go-to. 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:27.599 And I'm the guy up there like flogging myself in the back about how I'm the most, like the biggest wretch on earth ever. 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:28.640 Like always. 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:30.480 Is that any good? 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:32.079 Does that really help us? 00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:34.720 Like I'm being harder on myself than Jesus is. 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:35.200 Right? 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:37.119 And sometimes some of us get that way. 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:39.279 And we're and we're we're hard. 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:40.079 We're hard. 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:42.799 No, we need to be honest, but not harsh. 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:46.640 And for you, maybe it's it's admitting that you don't even care. 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:49.119 I know that I should care, Lord, but I don't. 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:50.240 I don't want to follow you. 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:51.680 I want to follow my own way. 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:53.119 I love my sin. 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:54.960 I love the pleasure that I get from that. 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:57.359 I love the admit it. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:58.240 Admit that. 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:00.640 Ask Him to, again, to soften you. 00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:02.799 The Lord can handle your honesty. 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:04.240 We see that through the Psalms. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:06.640 The psalmist often pray it's just honesty. 00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:09.599 And the anger, the frustration, all of that comes out. 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:11.039 The Lord can deal with it. 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:12.160 Get real. 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:13.440 Fourth one. 00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:14.960 Confess your sin. 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:16.559 Confess your sin to God. 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:23.680 I think sometimes we can admit our sin and kind of realize, yeah, like I don't have it all together, but do we actually apologize to the Lord for what we've done? 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:26.319 Do we do that or do we do we just kind of breeze over it? 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:27.920 The Bible talks about repentance. 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:32.160 Repentance is a turning away from sin, but it's not just an action. 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:34.079 Pastor Paul talked about this a couple of months ago. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:34.559 I love it. 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:36.240 It's a change of mind. 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:38.319 It's a change of mind. 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:41.680 We need to confess our sin to the Lord. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:43.119 We need to apologize. 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:53.039 1 John 1:9 says, if you confess your sin, he is faithful and just to forgive your sin and purify you from some unrighteousness. 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:55.359 No, from all unrighteousness, right? 00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:57.359 He will forgive you. 00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:59.119 He will forgive you. 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:01.200 So confess the sin of God. 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:01.920 That's the fourth one. 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:02.960 Fifth one. 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:04.559 Tell someone. 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:06.000 Okay, tell somebody. 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:07.519 This is a hard one for people. 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:13.440 Okay, but fewer things weaken the power of sin over your life, like true accountability. 00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:14.640 True accountability. 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:28.400 If you are unwilling to tell somebody, maybe it's your spouse, maybe it's somebody that you trust, somebody who is mature in Christ, if you're unwilling to tell somebody and to open up and be like, hey, listen, these are my weaknesses, right? 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:29.759 These are my faults. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.079 If you're unwilling, it's again, it's a sign of deep-rooted pride. 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:36.000 Deep-rooted pride. 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:42.240 And I've noticed that if there's sin in my life that I can't get the upper hand on, usually it's because I haven't told anybody. 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:43.920 I haven't brought somebody in on it. 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:46.000 I haven't exposed the light to it. 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:50.079 Sin shrivels up and dives when you start to tell people about it. 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:51.200 Now you gotta be careful about that. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:52.480 You don't just tell anybody. 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:54.960 You gotta be wise about it for sure. 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:57.200 But confess it to somebody. 00:24:57.359 --> 00:24:58.720 Get true accountability. 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:01.039 It's one of the greatest things I love about our small group. 00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:02.960 Where we get together and we talk through. 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:04.880 I get to talk through with the guys got where I'm at. 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:07.839 Here's where I'm struggling, here's where the victories are. 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:16.400 And we have like a like a text group that we do, and all through the week we're just like, hey guys, I'm struggling with this, or here's a verse, or you know, here's something that's been really encouraging me. 00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:17.519 I want to encourage you as well. 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:18.640 So I love it. 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:19.279 It's awesome. 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:24.240 If I didn't have great accountability in my life, I would have blown out of ministry years ago. 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:25.519 I need it. 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:27.920 Tell somebody. 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:31.359 Sixth one get people to pray for you. 00:25:31.599 --> 00:25:33.440 Get people to pray for you. 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:35.279 Okay, I love this. 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:36.799 And this is James 5, 16. 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:40.240 He says the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:41.920 That's what the NIV says. 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:43.200 Get people to pray. 00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:47.200 Again, this kind of goes back to accountability a little bit, but I've got these guys that are praying for me. 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:48.319 I know my wife's praying for me. 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:50.960 I know that I have uh people around me praying. 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:53.039 And if I didn't, I'd be toast. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:55.279 Am I any different than you? 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:55.920 No. 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:57.599 We need prayer. 00:25:58.079 --> 00:25:58.880 We need prayer. 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:00.319 Get people to pray. 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:02.799