WEBVTT 00:00:01.919 --> 00:00:04.400 Welcome to the C3 Church podcast. 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:10.640 Our vision as a church is to practice the way of Jesus so that we experience the fame and deeds of God in our time. 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:12.320 My name is Colton Seekers. 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:13.759 And I'm Rami Seekers. 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:23.280 And over the next couple of episodes, we wanted to do a question and response for the people in our church community. 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:30.320 And so what we did is we asked our church to submit questions, and these are our responses to a handful of questions that we received. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:31.120 Love y'all. 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:32.640 Enjoy the podcast. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:43.439 Next question is sometimes I feel that in my faith there are times where there is no doubt of my belief in God. 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:46.719 And then I'll have a period of time where I cannot help but doubt. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:56.560 The doubt comes from how I can clearly see the repeated sin and shortcomings of my life, along with a belief that I shouldn't be struggling as much against those. 00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:58.560 How should I handle these feelings? 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:02.560 What are some practical ways to instill more discipline? 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.959 Um great question. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:21.280 To the person who wrote this, um I I think what you're describing is the uh what I would call the normal Christian life of like just battling sin. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:31.760 It's similar to what Paul says in Romans 7, where it's like, I don't do what I want to do, what I want to do, uh excuse me, I don't do what I want to do, and what I don't want to do, I do those things. 00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:39.200 And so um we're to comfort you, hopefully. 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:41.920 Where sin abounds, grace abounds. 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:47.280 Um Hebrew says that Jesus' blood speaks a better word. 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:54.400 Um Abel's blood, you know, shouted from the ground, uh condemnation for Cain who killed him. 00:01:54.719 --> 00:02:00.400 But Jesus' blood shouts for our freedom and our deliverance and our exoneration. 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:06.000 And so um struggling with sin, Jesus' blood is greater than your sin. 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:11.360 Um your actions aren't the thing that you will be judged for. 00:02:11.439 --> 00:02:14.479 You will be judged based on his actions on your behalf. 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:16.400 And so take comfort in that. 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:29.840 Um but as far as the doubts, um if you read Romans, you will I I I think you will wind up uh where you're at right now, just kind of wondering about some of these things and be like, wait, should I be struggling this way? 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:43.120 Um, but I do think there is a common struggle with people, uh, especially Christians who've been baptized 30 times, recommitted their life to Jesus 89 times, that kind of thing. 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:48.479 I don't know if you heard the last prayer, but I mean it this time. 00:02:48.960 --> 00:03:07.439 Um, there is a common struggle of uh resting or solidifying your salvation on how sanctified you are versus how justified you are. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:16.879 And so on the cross, Jesus has once and for all justified you and made you right and reconciled you to the Father. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:29.680 Um and also now that you are reconciled to the Father, he is going to seek to mold you and shape you into a people like himself. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:44.800 And so the best way that I can think about it is Israel was freed from slavery in Egypt when they obviously crossed the Red Sea, like they're done with Pharaoh, slavery, making bricks, doing the whole thing. 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:45.599 They're done with that. 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:47.520 They are freed from slavery. 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:54.080 Um, yet as they move along, they end up creating this golden calf. 00:03:54.240 --> 00:04:00.479 And it's like, why did you make the golden calf and say that this calf brought you out of Egypt? 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:15.840 And the golden calf is an Egyptian god, and so like uh it's it's cliche now because so many people have said it, but like there is God did a work to bring the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:22.319 Now his their journey through the wilderness, he has to get Egypt out of them. 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:29.680 Like he has to teach them how to get the culture of Egypt and the gods of Egypt out of them. 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:36.639 He crushed the gods of Egypt with all the plagues, and yet the gods of Egypt still have this hold and this grip on them. 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:44.560 And so the journey through the wilderness and into the promised land is supposed to be the space where he is leading them out of that to get Egypt out of them. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:46.160 And I think there's something similar to us. 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:52.959 Jesus on the cross has justified us, and now we are being sanctified. 00:04:53.279 --> 00:05:00.800 Uh, made uh justified means we've obviously been made right when when God sees us, he sees us as the righteousness of Christ. 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:05.360 Sanctification is being made pure or being made more like Jesus. 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:14.000 Um and so I think we can wind up in this space where it's like our salvation rests on our sanctification versus our justification. 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:18.240 Our salvation should rest on I have been saved by Jesus. 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:22.160 He has done a thing on the cross and justified me, he has made me right with the Father. 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:26.000 When the when God sees me, he sees the righteousness of Jesus. 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:29.920 I am covered, I am in Christ, I am justified. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.319 Uh forever, I am justified. 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:35.680 Also, I'm going to battle with sin. 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:40.319 And God is going to discipline me as a son or as a daughter, as one of his children. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:51.120 And he is going to shape me and form me and uh test me and try me in spaces to where I become more and more like him. 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:57.680 And so we have to be careful to make sure that we're not resting our salvation on our sanctification. 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:02.879 Because if you do that and you're like, I'm constantly struggling with sin, I'm constantly dealing with this thing. 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:16.000 If you base your salvation on how much you struggle with sin, you're basing it on your sanctification and the journey that you're walking through trying to overcome certain temptations and trials and sins in your life. 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:25.279 Versus Jesus died once and for all, one sacrifice for all time to cover those who believe in him by faith. 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:35.920 And so you are saved by his sacrifice for you, not your ability to stay away or um not sin. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:40.639 And so I think it's important to separate justification and sanctification. 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:54.720 There's a wonderful verse in Hebrews, I believe it's it's 10, 14, it says, For by the one sacrifice of Jesus, God has made us perfect forever. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:07:02.800 And then he says, He has made those perfect forever, those who are also being sanctified, those who are also being made holy. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:08.079 And so we have it's like this past tense and this kind of present ongoing tense. 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:11.680 We have been made perfect, those who are being made holy. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:18.480 And so we are justified forever, and we'll that will never change because justification can never change. 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:21.680 The verdict over your life will never change. 00:07:21.839 --> 00:07:37.519 And also, he is working in your life to sanctify you, to lead you closer and closer to look like Jesus, to have his thoughts, his mind, his ability to resist temptation, to have the fruit of the Spirit actually poured into your life and over those things. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:45.680 And so to me, uh you asked, uh, what are some practical ways to instill more discipline? 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:51.839 One of the ways is you need to know your salvation is not based on how much you struggle with sin. 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:54.720 Your salvation is based on what Jesus has done for you once and for all. 00:07:54.959 --> 00:08:00.959 If you can go back in time and undo the cross, then yes, your salvation is at risk. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:02.480 But you can't do that. 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:07.439 And so thankfully, it's not based on how well you're able to avoid sin. 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:09.360 And so there's no need to worry. 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:18.560 And so if you can set that in your heart, that you are being sanctified, and you will you will be in trial against sin and just struggle against that. 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:23.279 Um, and that by the Holy Spirit's power working in you, that you can say no to those things. 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:34.320 But you have to make sure that you don't base your salvation on your sanctification and make sure you rest it on what Jesus did and how he justified those who believe in him. 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:38.080 Um there are other things, but Rain, you got thoughts on this? 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:46.879 Um, nothing except I also am a big one for doubting my salvation, struggling with like, am I really saved? 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:47.919 Like I'm still sinning. 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:51.840 And so, question asker, you have all of my empathy. 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:55.039 Um, you and me both, you are not alone. 00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:59.360 I'm um I've prayed to get saved 5,000 times. 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:12.000 Um, and so I I think that for some of us, just for some believers, doubting your salvation, being sure of your salvation is just a harder part of the walk than it is for others. 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:14.720 That's just harder for me than it is for Colton. 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:17.120 Um, and so I'm in the boat with you. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:25.519 Um, one thing that I it's not a Bible verse, but one thing that really I've thought a lot about, I heard Tim Keller say it at the sermon one time. 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:38.720 He said, Imagine there's a big cliff, like a canyon, and a guy falls in, falls, falls in the canyon, and he's like plummeting below to his death. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:48.639 But out of the side of the canyon wall is a branch, like a like a like a stick, like a root is sticking, a tree root is sticking out of the side of the canyon wall. 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:54.159 And if the guy reaches out and grabs it, he won't die. 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:57.919 The branch, he will reach out, grab the branch, and the branch will save him. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:09.679 Well, number one, if he re if he grabs that branch, the integrity of the branch is what's going to save him. 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:10.960 Is the branch strong? 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.240 Is the branch trustworthy? 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:16.960 If the branch snaps, he he's dead. 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:24.639 But if the branch holds, he lives, and he lives based on the branch's integrity. 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:44.559 Um, but what he said that really always stuck with me is if the guy is falling and he's like, I'm gonna think this is gonna work, and like, I don't think this will work, I do not think the branch will hold, I don't know anything about branches, I don't know a lot of facts about like rainfall or how trees grow. 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:47.279 I don't know anything about this, and I don't think this will work. 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:49.600 I think I'm going fast enough that the branch is gonna snap. 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:53.919 He doesn't know anything about it, he doesn't really trust it. 00:10:54.480 --> 00:11:01.200 But if he reaches out and grabs it, doubles a mumble, it doesn't actually matter how much he trusts it. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:05.360 The amount that he trusts the branch doesn't save him. 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:17.200 If he reaches out and grabs it, he is saved because the branches he's saved by the branch's integrity, not his own like ability. 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:23.919 Yes, if one dude is fumbling and is like, this is gonna work, and another dude and a different dude is fumbling and is like, this is never gonna work. 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:26.720 But both of them grab the branch, both are saved. 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:26.960 Yeah. 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:28.799 Because the branch saves you. 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:34.080 Um and so I've I've thought a lot about that, like we're saved by the method quality of our faith. 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:36.480 Yeah, it's not the quality of the quality of our faith, isn't it? 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:45.360 Yeah, but the quality of the savior, and I think people said that um the dude who was sure the branch would save him, and the dude who was not sure the branch would save him. 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:46.639 Certainly, certainly it would snap. 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:53.519 Yeah, certain it would snap, did not think this would work, as long as they both reach out and grab that branch, both live. 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:57.919 Yeah, and so doubts and all, I don't really understand how it works. 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:02.159 I'm actually not sure this is gonna work, but I have no other. 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:05.919 I recognize this is my only chance, my only hope. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:08.240 I'm gonna reach out and grab Jesus. 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:14.799 His int you are saved by his integrity, not the quality of your of how sure you felt. 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:16.000 Yeah, that's good. 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:22.000 Um anyway, I heard Tim Keller say that, and I'm like, I am I'm gonna ride that pony all the way to heaven, pal. 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:26.320 This is neither here nor there, but there's one of our seminary professors, Dr. 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:27.120 Carson. 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:37.919 Someone had like dubstepped a uh sermon of his with like some really intense music, but he tells this story uh something very similar, and it is gold. 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:39.919 Um puts music behind it. 00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:41.519 Oh, it's and it's so good. 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:49.600 And Carson never, he's you know, he's Canadian, he's very chill, but he gets like loud in this, and it's so rich, it's so good. 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:50.799 I'll um that's cool. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:54.480 I'm gonna see if I can find a link to it or whatever, but I also know who posted this question. 00:12:54.559 --> 00:13:02.879 So if you ask me for this, I will give you this uh video that I have saved on my phone of one of my seminary professors losing his mind, and then somebody dubsteped the thing, which was really good. 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:04.320 But it's really encouraging. 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:09.360 Um, last thing is if you read first John, he says, like, hey, you can know. 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.000 Um, you can know about your salvation. 00:13:12.159 --> 00:13:22.000 This is not something Jesus did not go through all the suffering and do the cross and the all all the rest of it for us to constantly live in this state of questioning. 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:28.639 I realize my wife just said that that it is part of her journey of just seeking to trust the Lord in that. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:35.919 Um, but John seems to suggest, and not even seems, he says, like, you can know about your salvation. 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:39.759 You can know that you are, that you have received salvation from him. 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:46.879 And so, um, and actually, if you read first John, you would think that it there's no way you could know. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:48.080 Um, but he seems to be. 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:52.320 I wrote all this so that you could be sure. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:14:00.480 Well, you did a horrible job because if that was your goal, this was not a novel. 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:02.320 This made things much worse. 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:04.799 That's so good. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:06.320 But it's such a gift. 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:28.000 Like, I think I think there's um there are great commentaries to help understand that he is writing to uh kind of refute a heresy that is absolutely happening in the life of the church, and so there are things in there that people are saying that he's refuting that I think uh we take in our own context or we take out of context and we don't fully understand, but he is saying, like, hey, you can know. 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.480 And uh, and I think we're supposed to live with that assurance. 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:32.879 And so that would be one to be more disciplined. 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:41.279 Uh to finish up, as far as disciplines are to sum up, to sum up, to uh be more disciplined. 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:54.080 Um I really just think that Jesus has been very honest about these things and very clear about some of these things where he's like, pluck out the eye, chop off the hand, chop off the foot. 00:14:54.240 --> 00:15:06.080 Make it physically impossible when the temptations arise to sin in certain ways, make it physically impossible where even though everything in you wants to go and sin in these ways, you cannot do it. 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:11.600 And he's speaking figuratively, he's not saying literally chop off the hand, but he is saying make it physically impossible. 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:28.080 And so place, I don't know what this is, I mean, because it's different for every single person, but if there are people in your life that you can place in uh a role for you to make it physically impossible for you to do that, do whatever it takes. 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:40.879 Um, it's not going to make you more saved, but it will make you uh feel uh confident, you will you will not press into spaces that lead into death. 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:44.399 You will press into uh holiness rather than depravity. 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:58.720 And so to me, if there's if there are spaces where you can pluck out the eye, chop off the hand, chop off the foot, Jesus has said better for you to enter into eternity maimed um than to experience something far less and and far worse. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:13.919 And so um to me, I have taken that rainy nose to a a probably an annoying degree uh where um I mean she has codes on my phone and and different things. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:22.720 I'm like, she knows the things um that I battle and deal with, and so I'm like, I don't I'm gonna chop off the hand, pluck out the eye, uh, you know, all these different things. 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:35.360 And so um I gave that authority over to somebody else that I wanted to um I wanted to literally practice the way of Jesus to experience the life of Jesus for me, and so do that as much as you can. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:37.840 And then I would say confess your sin. 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:44.480 Um Ray Ortland says we do not overcome sin by willpower, we confess it to death. 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:56.720 Satan uh and the enemy thrives when we keep our sins secret and don't tell anyone because now it can be shameful and it can be guilt and he can use it against us, and it's something that nobody sees. 00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:58.720 But he dies in the in the light. 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:00.799 He thrives in the dark and he dies in the light. 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:02.240 And so bring those things into light. 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:04.160 Walk in the light as he is in the light. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:06.400 And so I would I would confess your sin. 00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:10.880 I mean, James says it, confess your sin one to another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:18.240 There is something available to us, and just confessing what Satan wants to keep secret, we bring into the light, and then Jesus heals what's in the light. 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:24.720 Um, and again, cliche stuff, but like Jesus cannot transform who you're pretending to be. 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:27.680 And I know tons of people have said that, but it's so true. 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:32.880 He cannot transform who you're actually not actually, it's not actually who you are, you're just pretending to be that person. 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:40.000 And so, but he can transform the true person who you're saying, like, here's who I actually am, here's what's actually going on in my life. 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:50.319 And so you need a space, um, friends, people, your spouse, your closest family, whoever you need somebody that you can speak those things to, and um do that. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:57.119 And so, those are the things that I would say make it physically impossible, confess it to death, put people in your life to help you with those things. 00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:58.799 Um, yeah, great question. 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:00.000 Thank you for asking.