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Are you guys ready to dive into God's Word today?

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Yes.

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Why don't you turn with me to Joshua chapter 7.

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And we're in a series of messages that we called Unstuck.

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And it really, as the Lord was really doing my heart even back in November, October of last year,

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I really just began to see that I think as a nation we're stuck.

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It just seems to be different days, same stuff, over and over, over again.

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And also going back to the pandemic, it's like we lost our freedom to live life.

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And I won't even, I'm not talking about politics, I'm not going to get into politics, it's an election year and I love everybody.

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Okay, but I'm just saying that it seems to me we started living in reaction to the world,

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and even in anticipation to problems, like a foreboding almost, like we expect everything to blow up,

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we expect there to be problems, and it's almost like we just started living in reaction to the world,

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instead of in response to the gospel.

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And the gospel is always moving forward.

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God is always taking territory.

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The Kingdom of God is always expanding.

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We see that from Genesis, through Revelation, through the Bible.

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And so God is a God of now, and God is moving forward, and God has a plan, and God has a purpose.

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And I want you to understand, because of what Jesus has done, and because our faith is in God,

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and not a political party, our faith is in God, and not an economy,

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then we need to understand God's bigger than the economy, God's bigger than Democrats, Republicans, donkeys, and elephants.

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God is bigger than everything, and if God says we can move forward, we can move forward.

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And if God has a plan for our life, we don't have to check that with the climate and the culture around us,

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but we can walk in victory and purpose because we're the called of God. Amen?

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And so to me, I just wanted to spend a few weeks talking about, hey, if you feel stuck, you don't have to be stuck.

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And even talk about some of the things that keep us stuck,

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but the overarching theme that I want you to understand is this is a year to move forward.

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Move forward in your relationships, in your marriage, in your business, in your occupation,

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in taking a promotion, whatever it is, but we can move forward because we serve God,

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and I love America, but we don't serve America. Amen?

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I love America, and that is something that's missing our country.

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We don't love our country nearly as much as we should, but I'm just saying we are also the called of God,

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and God says we can move forward. Amen?

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And so I want to talk about that today, and today we're going to be in Joshua chapter 7.

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So let me catch you up on Joshua chapter 7.

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Here's really fast what gets us here.

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Most people understand Moses led Israel out of Egypt.

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They cross the Red Sea. They go into the wilderness.

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God brings them to a land that was promised to Abraham 400 and something years prior,

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and they say, you know, basically they don't trust the Lord.

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They're giants in the land. We can't go into the land.

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And so because of their disobedience, they end up stuck in the wilderness for 40 years.

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And then finally Moses passes away. Joshua takes over.

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They come to the promised land again. They cross the Jordan.

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They go into the promised land, and they go to Jericho, and they actually defeat Jericho.

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If you remember, it's the story where they marched around the walls once per day for six days on the seventh day,

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seven times around.

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By the way, there are a lot of people that say, well, there's no evidence of the Exodus.

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There's no evidence of Jericho. There actually is archaeological evidence that actually confirms the biblical narrative.

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They found scarabs, which are signet rings from pharaohs that actually are that are dated to the 15th century B.C.

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So about the time 1406, 1410 is when Israel would have crossed into Canaan and defeated Jericho.

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And they have archaeological proof, pottery, all those things that confirm the biblical narrative.

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So if someone tells you it never happened, they probably got their theology from TikTok,

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and you get your theology from the Bible.

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So anyways, there's archaeological evidence of that.

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But remember, they defeat Jericho soundly.

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Chapter seven, though, they're going to go to a city called Ai.

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It's the easiest thing in the Bible to pronounce because it's literally A-I.

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It's just two letters, everybody.

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And so they go to Ai, and as we're going to read, they get a little salty.

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They get a little prideful.

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And they're like, oh, we don't have to send our whole army.

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We can just send 3,000 people, special forces.

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And they're going to defeat them.

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And they actually, Israel gets defeated.

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Thirty-six people die. We're going to read that.

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And then we're going to find out what happened because I think it's important for us to understand.

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Paul says the things that happened in the Old Testament, I was really greatly concerned, I guess, would be a great word.

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There was a great, I shouldn't use the word great.

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There was a well-known pastor, large following, who recently said we need to unhitch,

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the church needs to unhitch its wagons from the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament.

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And it's a heretical statement.

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I'm like, that sounds more like a demon than a pastor.

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But we need to understand Jesus didn't unhitch his wagons from the Old Testament.

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He quoted 27 of the 39 Old Testament books authoritatively as scripture.

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We called them scripture.

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So since Jesus believes in the Old Testament, I believe in the Old Testament.

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But Paul also tells us that a lot of the Old Testament is an example to us.

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And it gives us symbols and pictures and understanding of things that we still deal with

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and that have great effect and impact on our life.

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And so for that reason, God, we're in Joshua chapter 7.

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Would you stand with me as we read God's word?

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I'd love for us to stand in honor of the Word of God.

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And so I talk a long time and this breaks up the sitting.

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Alright, chapter 7, we'll read about 13 verses here.

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It says, But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things.

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Now I'll explain that in just a minute.

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For Achan, the son of Carmiah, the son of Zabdiah, the son of Zerah,

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of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things,

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and the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.

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And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Bethhavon, east of Bethel,

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and said to them, Go up and spy out the land.

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And the men went up and spied.

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And they returned to Joshua and said, We don't need all the people to go.

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Just two or three thousand men will go and attack Ai.

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Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.

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So about three thousand men went up from there, from the people.

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But they fled before the men of Ai,

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killed thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gates as far as Sheberim,

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and struck them at the descent.

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That means they beat them soundly, I think one version says.

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And the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

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In other words, they were fearful and discouraged.

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And then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face

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before the ark of the Lord until the evening.

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And the elders of Israel, and they put dust on their heads.

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And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God,

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why have you brought this people over from the Jordan at all?

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To give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us?

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Would that we have been content to dwell in the Jordan?

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O Lord, what can I say?

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When Israel has turned their backs before their enemies,

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that means they ran off because they were defeated.

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For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it

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and will surround us and cut off your name from the earth.

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In other words, they are going to destroy us all.

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And what would that do for your name?

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Or what would that do for your great name?

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Verse 10, the Lord said to Joshua, get up.

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Has anybody else ever had a pity party with the Lord?

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That's one party the Lord won't attend is your pity party.

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Like, get up.

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Because Joshua, listen real quick,

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Joshua is doing what I've been guilty of and sometimes we are all guilty.

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Let's just be honest.

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We call it prayer, but really it's a pity party.

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And what was the Lord's response?

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I love this.

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Get up.

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Why have you fallen on your face?

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Israel has sinned.

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They have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them

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and they have taken some of the devoted things and they have stolen and lied

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and put them among their own belongings.

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Therefore, the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies.

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They turn their backs before their enemies

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because they have become devoted for destruction.

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I will be with them no more unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

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And then verse 13, he goes on to tell them we are going to consecrate ourselves

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and we are going to deal with the problem.

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I want to talk for just a few moments.

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I called this message down but not done.

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Down but not done.

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Let's pray.

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Father, thank you so much for the word of God.

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Thank you for the Old Testament and the New Testament

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because it is all inspired of you.

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It comes from your breath, Lord.

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I just pray as we open it, Lord, since it is your breath,

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as Paul tells Timothy, Lord, breathe in us

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and help us to receive God the truth of it, the revelation of it,

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the power of it so that God, we could live the lives you've called and created us for.

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In Jesus' name.

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And everybody said, Amen.

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You may be seated.

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So let's talk about what's going on here because

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so they defeat Jericho and then they come to Ai

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and they are soundly defeated and Joshua falls on his face

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and he's crying out to the Lord and he's saying, God, what is wrong?

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Like, you called us, you promised us, you chose us.

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And I don't know if anybody's ever felt that way.

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Have you ever felt like, man, life's just not working?

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Like, I thought God promised me something and I feel farther away from it.

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I feel like God promised to do something, but I don't think he did it.

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God told me to do this and it didn't work out.

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Now, when we talk about those things, there could be a lot of factors involved.

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So let me say that there could be a lot of factors involved.

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But as we zoom in on this text, we find one of the things that keeps us stuck is sin.

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You see, because when they went into Jericho, God gave them instructions

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and the instructions were the gold and the silver of Jericho are to be brought

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basically to God's house, if you will.

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They're to be brought to the treasury of the Lord.

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Now you say, well, what does that matter?

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Why did God want all the gold and the silver of Jericho?

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Well, we've taught this before, but just a review that the first belongs to God.

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There's a principle that runs all the way through the Bible and it's the first.

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The first always had to be dedicated or consecrated to the Lord

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or the first had to be given to the Lord.

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And so Jericho is the first city in the promised land.

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It's the first victory.

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So God says, well, then the gold and the silver are mine because that's the first city.

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This is why we bring the tithe to God.

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The tithe is the first, 10%.

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That is the part that is holy that belongs to Him.

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And when we give that part, the blessing comes on everything else.

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So God is saying, hey, it's the first. It belongs to me.

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So the gold and silver of Jericho belong to me.

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But there was a man named Achan.

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And Achan got greedy and he took some of the gold and some of the silver

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and buried it in his tent, but he didn't tell anyone.

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And so then they go to battle Ai again, the Amorites,

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and they're going to go up to the city of Ai and they get soundly defeated.

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And then Joshua is laying on his face and he's saying, God, you've abandoned us.

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And God says, no, I didn't abandon you.

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You abandoned me.

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My dad years ago preached from this text.

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I'll never forget. I was a kid at the time, but most of you know,

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dad was a pastor for many years.

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But I'll never forget he preached on this text and the title he gave the message

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was, There's Sin in the Camp.

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And what the message was about, and I'm not going to exactly preach his message at all,

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but what the message was about, even though it was a great one,

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was the idea that sometimes when life isn't working,

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it's because we don't need to blame God.

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We don't need to have a pity party.

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We need to look and say, hey, have I been unfaithful to the Lord?

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Have I disobeyed? Is there sin in my life? Is there transgression?

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Is there something that I've done that would prohibit the blessing of God on my life?

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And ultimately that's where I want us to look today because what we see in this text

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and even in Israel's wanderings in the wilderness for 40 years,

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what we see very simply is this, and you can write this down, a very simple phrase,

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but sin keeps you stuck.

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Sin keeps you stuck. It keeps you from the promise of God.

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It keeps you from the provision of God.

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It keeps you from the blessing of God.

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It keeps you from the calling of God.

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It keeps you from the purpose of God.

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You know, I was thinking this week, a kind of a philosophical question,

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not that I'm really a philosophical guy,

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but I thought, and I wanted to ask you because I would like for us

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to consider it together, I guess, but the question is, does sin really matter?

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Does sin really matter?

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Because we live in a culture that I don't necessarily think they think sin really matters.

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And I'm talking about church culture. I'm not talking about people outside the church.

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Because today we know enough of the grace of God, and I love the grace of God,

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but we know enough about the grace of God to be very, very dangerous.

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Because we say, well, Jesus paid for my sin. Jesus paid for all sin.

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So I'm going to heaven. That's based on the grace of God and the goodness of God.

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So does it matter what I really do?

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And it almost feels like we've embraced some, some, maybe some,

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have embraced an attitude towards sin where it's not like a viper in diapers.

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We've kind of embraced an attitude towards sin where it's, I don't know, is it a big deal?

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I don't know, is it that big a deal?

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But we know there are some sins that matter, like murder, especially if you're the one that's murdered.

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That really matters.

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But what about some of the other sins?

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What about rage or anger or some of the things we say or some of the mean things we say,

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maybe some of the things we post?

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The gold rule of social media, you know,

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post unto others as you'd have them post unto you. Amen.

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But does sin really matter? Because Jesus paid it all, right?

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Jesus took care of it.

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And really the truth of the matter is what we're going to look at today,

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because I don't necessarily think I need to tell you that sin is bad.

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I think probably you're in church wearing the belt buckle of the Bible belt.

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I think most people know, yeah, you shouldn't sin.

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But we know that, but do we live that?

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Like, yeah, sin's bad, you know.

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We shouldn't do sin, right? Sin's not a good thing.

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But sin's fun.

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Sin is fun.

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I mean, if you don't think sin's fun, you're not doing it right.

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I say it this way, sin's fun until it's not, right?

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Sin's fun until it's not. Sin's fun until you're broken.

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Sin's fun until you're lonely.

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Sin's fun until your heart's broken or ripped in two.

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Sin's fun until there's damage, there's hurt.

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There's broken relationship. There's all those things.

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But sin is fun for a while.

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I guess what I'm saying is it would be nice if we just said sin bad, Jesus good.

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Let's all pray and go home.

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But I want to explore it a little bit more than that,

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because I want us to understand if sin really matters, why it matters,

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and why it matters maybe to God, but even today I really want to talk about why it matters,

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ultimately, even in your life.

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Now, when the Bible talks about sin,

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it can be a little confusing, because the Bible will talk about sin as a noun,

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as an adjective, and as a verb.

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Paul does this a lot in his writings.

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He uses the word hemarteneo from the Greek.

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It's the word where we get hermartar-eology, hermardiology.

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That's a fun word. That's the doctrine of sins, if that matters to you.

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Just like anthropology is the doctrine of man.

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Theology proper is the doctrine of God.

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If you like theological things.

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But the reason we get hermardiology is from the Greek, hermarteneo.

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And Paul uses it, Romans uses it more than anything,

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which Romans is an incredible exposition on the grace of God,

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but also the understanding of salvation and justification by faith

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and all those things is incredible.

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He uses the word for sin, hemarteneo, in Romans more than any other book,

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like some 48 times, but he uses it in different forms.

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He uses it as a noun, and then he uses it as an adjective,

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and then he uses it as a verb.

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A lot of times when we think of sin, we think of verb.

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Like sin is something you do.

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But Paul says sin is this thing.

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It's this thing that has come into the world.

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We're going to read this in just a minute.

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But it's also not just a thing, but it can be an adjective.

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In other words, he says Christ died for us sinners.

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Now he's kind of using it descriptively.

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And then also he says should we go on sinning,

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which is to say the activity of sin.

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So it can be a little confusing.

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Theologically, when we understand sin in the Bible,

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we kind of categorically put it this way,

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that sin, there's the presence of sin, the power of sin,

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and the penalty of sin.

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And ultimately what we understand is Christ, He died,

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number one, to free us from the penalty of sin.

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Ultimately, He will deliver us from the presence of sin

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after all the days here are complete and there's a new creation,

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we'll be free from the presence of sin.

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But here's where our lives are today.

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We are in this struggle with the power of sin.

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So if we've come to Christ, you need to understand,

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this is the great thing about grace.

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It's so powerful, but yet so amazing.

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Paul told the Thessalonians we have been delivered

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from the wrath that is to come.

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He's specifically talking about the penalty of sin.

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In other words, because Christ died on the cross,

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and I believe and trust in Him for salvation,

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He took the penalty for all sin, my sin, your sin, and the world's sin.

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So all sin in the world has been paid for.

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The difference is some people have trusted in Christ,

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the provision of Christ, and some people have yet to trust in Christ.

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But He paid for the penalty of sin,

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meaning I will never pay.

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God will not hold me to the penalty for my own sin

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because Jesus paid for my sin.

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So I'm free from the penalty of sin.

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I will not experience death and destruction and damnation

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and the things that come with not accepting Christ

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because Christ has paid for the penalty of my sin.

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Christ one day will deliver me from the presence of sin,

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but also Christ has delivered me from the power of sin.

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But this is where the struggle is and this is where we live.

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I can show you these three things in one verse.

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Romans 5-12, it says, Therefore just as sin, this is a noun,

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Therefore just as sin, that's the noun, came into the world.

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Well, he's not saying bad behavior came into the world.

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No, he's saying sin. He's talking about the presence of sin.

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So therefore just as sin came into the world through one man

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and death through sin, there is the power of sin.

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So first we have the presence of sin, sin came into the world,

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death through sin, the power of sin,

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death spread to all because all sin, the penalty of sin.

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So Paul, this is what he's talking about.

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So we have to understand that in our Christian life,

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what we deal with, and Paul talks about this a lot in Romans,

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but in his other eyes, Galatians, etc.,

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what we deal with is there is this power of sin.

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It was greatly at work in our bodies and then we came to accept Christ.

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Even though we've accepted Christ, sometimes we still struggle with sin.

347
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Anybody else struggle with sin sometimes?

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Okay, just me and four honest people.

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But for the rest of you holy people, we'll just explore it

350
00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:46,400
just in case you might fit categorically with us.

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But the point is that we deal with the power of sin,

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and when we're talking about the power of sin,

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this becomes the condition of sin, if you will,

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but it also becomes the practice of sin.

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In other words, the sins that we commit.

356
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And the question is, does sin really matter?

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I don't know. Well, let's answer that question together.

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And so I really just have two things.

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You can write these down. Very simple. Very elementary.

360
00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,400
But remember, I want us to move forward. I want you to move forward.

361
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And sin keeps us stuck. So let's talk about it.

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Number one, what are the consequences of sin?

363
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Sin has consequences. Write that down.

364
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Sin has consequences.

365
00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,400
I think it's important that we understand, listen to me,

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I think it's important we understand that Jesus has freed us

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from the penalty of sin,

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but He has not freed us from the consequence of sin.

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And I think a lot of times we don't understand that distinction,

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because we're like, well, I'm going to heaven, I'm not going to hell,

371
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I'm free from the penalty of sin.

372
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Yes, but you're not free from the consequences of sin.

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According to the Bible, and I'll use one that's kind of fun,

374
00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,400
but according to the Bible, gluttony would be a sin.

375
00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:03,400
Well, if I go home today and I eat 47 packages of Oreos,

376
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which, by the way, if you're going to eat Oreos,

377
00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,400
let me explain how this is done.

378
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,400
There's probably some rookies in here, probably some rookies,

379
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:13,400
and welcome to the big leagues, people.

380
00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:15,400
But anyways, if you take the Oreo,

381
00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,400
and it needs to be a double stuffed Oreo, first of all.

382
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:22,400
Thank you. Obviously, this is the people that are saved.

383
00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:25,400
And it needs to be a double stuffed Oreo,

384
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,400
but you get that Oreo and you get you some milk,

385
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:32,400
and you get a jar of peanut butter.

386
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:36,400
And let me just say, peanut butter Oreos, they're weird.

387
00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:38,400
This is better, okay, that's weird.

388
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:40,400
If you like peanut butter Oreos, that's fine.

389
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I mean, tomato, tomato.

390
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,400
But I don't like peanut butter Oreos,

391
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but I love peanut butter on my Oreos.

392
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So I'm just saying today, I don't know how, I'm very hungry now.

393
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But you get you some double stuffed Oreos,

394
00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,400
and you just dip them in the peanut butter

395
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and chase them with that cold milk.

396
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And you're going to hear baby angels.

397
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And you're going to think the coming of the Lord is not.

398
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Anyways, the point of it is that they're, you know,

399
00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:15,400
gluttony technically, according to the Bible, is a sin.

400
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:16,400
Gluttony is a sin.

401
00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,400
And here's the thing, now, if I go today

402
00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:21,400
and I eat 100 packages of Oreos

403
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:23,400
and a lot of peanut butter and all that,

404
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,400
well, yes, that's gluttony, and I'm not going to go to hell

405
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:28,400
because I overate today.

406
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:30,400
But I might gain some weight.

407
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,400
I might end up with a heart problem, right?

408
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,400
My body may not be healthy.

409
00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,400
Well, wait a second, Jesus freed me from the penalty of sin.

410
00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,400
Yes, but not the consequence of sin.

411
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,400
And we need to understand, because the biggest lie of the enemy,

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I think, is that the enemy tries to convince you

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that there's no real consequence for sin.

414
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:54,400
And he tries to convince you that it's okay.

415
00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,400
And then he'll say sin is localized.

416
00:23:57,400 --> 00:23:59,400
We're going to talk about this in just a minute.

417
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:02,400
Essentially, that your sin doesn't affect anyone else.

418
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And so it's okay if nobody knows.

419
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It's just kind of your thing.

420
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It's how you live.

421
00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,400
But to me, his greatest work is he's convinced so many people

422
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:12,400
there's no consequence.

423
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:14,400
Listen, if someone went today,

424
00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,400
a married person went today and had an affair,

425
00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,400
how many know that's sin? Very clear in the Bible.

426
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Well, we know that Jesus in his grace has covered that sin.

427
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:27,400
Jesus took the penalty for that affair to the cross.

428
00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:29,400
But he didn't take the consequence.

429
00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:31,400
That person still could lose their family.

430
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,400
They could lose their marriage. They could suffer.

431
00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,400
There's brokenness. There's pain.

432
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:37,400
There's all these things to work with. Why?

433
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,400
Because Jesus did free them from the penalty of sin.

434
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,400
But that doesn't mean we're free from the consequence of sin.

435
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,400
So sin has consequences.

436
00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,400
When you look at Joshua 7,

437
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,400
what you see, really, if you think about it,

438
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:55,400
you see spiritual consequences and collateral consequences

439
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:57,400
and personal consequences to sin.

440
00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:59,400
So let's talk about that.

441
00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,400
So in Joshua 7, the first thing that happens,

442
00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,400
God said, hey, I'm not with you.

443
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:05,400
I've got to take a step back. Why?

444
00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:07,400
Because you've been unfaithful, really,

445
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,400
is the word he uses there describing the sin.

446
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,400
You've been unfaithful to me.

447
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,400
It's a word we would use in terms of an adulterous situation.

448
00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,400
So God didn't say you've had bad behavior.

449
00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,400
He said, you haven't been faithful to me.

450
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:22,400
And so God takes a step back.

451
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:26,400
What we have to understand, number one, is sin separates us from God.

452
00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,400
Even if we're believers, right? Please hear me this.

453
00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:34,400
Even if we're believers, sin hurts our relationship to God.

454
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,400
Isaiah talks about this when he says,

455
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,400
your iniquities have separated you from God,

456
00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:41,400
and your prayers are now not heard.

457
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,400
Isaiah talks about it, but we also see it in other places,

458
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:46,400
in the Bible. John said it this way,

459
00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:48,400
if our heart, and I'm going to say it,

460
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,400
and then I'll say it a different way,

461
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:54,400
but the scripture says, if our heart does not condemn us,

462
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:56,400
we have confidence towards God.

463
00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,400
Well, what could we also say then?

464
00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:00,400
If my heart does condemn me,

465
00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:03,400
I do not have confidence towards God.

466
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:05,400
Do you see what we're talking about?

467
00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,400
And so sin hurts my relationship with God.

468
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,400
Sometimes when there's sin in our life,

469
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,400
and there's unrepented sin that we've kind of buried,

470
00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,400
in fact, we maybe can get so used to sin in our lives,

471
00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,400
we forget it's there because we've covered it up so much,

472
00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:20,400
and we've covered it up so much, and we've covered it up,

473
00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:23,400
and we've convinced ourselves it's not that big a deal,

474
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:25,400
and we've convinced ourselves everybody else is doing it,

475
00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,400
and we've convinced ourselves it's not really there,

476
00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:29,400
and sometimes we have, just like Achan,

477
00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,400
we have buried sin in our tent,

478
00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:35,400
and we've buried it so deep, sometimes we forget it's there,

479
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:37,400
but all of a sudden we realize,

480
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:39,400
my relationship with God isn't working.

481
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:41,400
I don't have passion for God.

482
00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,400
I'm not reading the Word of God.

483
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,400
I don't want to go to the house of God.

484
00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:47,400
I don't feel like my prayers ever get above the ceiling.

485
00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,400
Well, what has happened?

486
00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,400
Well, many times we're falling on our face,

487
00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:53,400
and we're saying, God, it seems like you're not here,

488
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,400
and God's like, I am here,

489
00:26:55,400 --> 00:27:00,400
but you've got something buried in your tent.

490
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:04,400
And that's really the problem.

491
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:06,400
And so we have to understand, listen,

492
00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:08,400
first of all, there's a spiritual impact to sin

493
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:10,400
that it does hurt our relationship with God.

494
00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:12,400
And listen to me, that's the most important relationship

495
00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,400
in your life, is the relationship you have with God.

496
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,400
And let me tell you something else.

497
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,400
Every relationship in your life benefits

498
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:21,400
from your relationship with God,

499
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,400
and every relationship in your life also suffers

500
00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:29,400
when you don't have a relationship with God.

501
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,400
It's the most important relationship.

502
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,400
And when there's sin in our life,

503
00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:35,400
it hurts our relationship with God.

504
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,400
So there's a spiritual impact.

505
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,400
There's a collateral impact.

506
00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:41,400
Think about AI.

507
00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,400
I mean, 36 people died, and his whole family ends up judged

508
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:51,400
just because he buried something in his tent.

509
00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:53,400
I think one of the big lives of the enemy,

510
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:56,400
listen, we all know it, your sin doesn't affect anyone else.

511
00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:58,400
Listen, I know it's a political year,

512
00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:00,400
so I'm not gonna get into politics,

513
00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,400
but can I tell you what's wrong with our nation?

514
00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:08,400
It's sin, sin, right?

515
00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:12,400
According to Proverbs, righteousness exalts a nation,

516
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:17,400
but sin is a reproach to any people, right?

517
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:19,400
So if you want to fix America,

518
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:24,400
the way to fix America is salvation, right?

519
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:30,400
Not donkeys and elephants, right?

520
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:32,400
But we have to understand, listen,

521
00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,400
listen to me very carefully,

522
00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:36,400
you need to understand your sin,

523
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:38,400
even if no one knows about it,

524
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:42,400
your sin is affecting more than you.

525
00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,400
That's the number one lie of the enemy,

526
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:47,400
is that sin doesn't affect anyone else,

527
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:49,400
because I've got it buried.

528
00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:51,400
I'm the only one that knows it's there.

529
00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:53,400
You're the only one that knows it's there,

530
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:55,400
but sin's affecting your whole family.

531
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,400
Sin's affecting the people you work with.

532
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,400
Sin's affecting your children.

533
00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,400
Maybe it will convince you it's not, but it always does.

534
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:05,400
It always does, and that's what we see here.

535
00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:07,400
There's a collateral impact of sin.

536
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:09,400
Sin opens the door to the enemy in my home,

537
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,400
sin opens the door to the enemy in my life,

538
00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,400
sin will open the door to the enemy with my family.

539
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:17,400
There's always, listen to me, let's just be honest,

540
00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,400
some people, and you understand this,

541
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:21,400
there are people in this room,

542
00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:26,400
you are still dealing with the pain caused by the sin of relatives

543
00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:30,400
that are removed from you one, two, and three generations.

544
00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:33,400
So don't tell me sin does not have a collateral impact,

545
00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,400
because we work with people all the time

546
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,400
who are trying to overcome generational iniquities and pain

547
00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:41,400
from sins and from transgressions

548
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:43,400
that they had nothing to do with,

549
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:46,400
but they've impacted their family.

550
00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,400
So there's a collateral impact of sin,

551
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:51,400
so there's a spiritual impact, there's a collateral impact,

552
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:54,400
but there's also the personal impact.

553
00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,400
Look at what Jesus says right here, John 8.34.

554
00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,400
Look what Jesus said.

555
00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:03,400
Jesus answered and said, truly I say to you,

556
00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:05,400
everyone, in fact it says truly, truly,

557
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:08,400
that's Jesus' way of saying, listen up,

558
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:12,400
about to pop off.

559
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:16,400
My daughter's having a heart attack right now,

560
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:20,400
because I used some trendy slang right there,

561
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,400
probably completely out of context, but anyways,

562
00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:27,400
John 8.34, y'all, Jesus answered and said,

563
00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:30,400
truly, truly, I say to you, look at this,

564
00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:35,400
everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

565
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,400
Now listen, I want you to understand,

566
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:42,400
we know sin is wrong, and in life,

567
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,400
there are, I call them, and I hate to,

568
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:48,400
this is my terminology, it's not theological,

569
00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:50,400
or you can't find it in the Bible,

570
00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,400
well I probably could, there are sins we commit

571
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:54,400
and I call them one off sins, they're one mistake

572
00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:56,400
and then we move on with our life, right?

573
00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:58,400
It's like, man, that was a mistake, I said that,

574
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:01,400
I repented, I apologized, and I just never did that again.

575
00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:04,400
It was sin, but then I moved on, right?

576
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,400
I did something wrong, but I didn't make that mistake again.

577
00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:09,400
Now those are still sins, we need to repent those,

578
00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:12,400
and those, until we repent, they do keep us in bondage,

579
00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:15,400
but Jesus is saying very, very, very clearly here,

580
00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:19,400
hey, if we continue in sin,

581
00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:22,400
we're going to go and become slaves to sin.

582
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:24,400
And this is what I need you to understand,

583
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:26,400
the personal impact of sin, the number one personal impact

584
00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:30,400
of sin is you become a slave to it.

585
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,400
You become a slave to it.

586
00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:34,400
Listen to me, you can write this down,

587
00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:44,400
all sin is aimed at making you a slave to it.

588
00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:48,400
All sin wants you to be, whether it's anger,

589
00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:54,400
lust, whatever it is, sin wants you to be a slave to it.

590
00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:56,400
And what Jesus says very clearly here, listen to me,

591
00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:00,400
Jesus says, hey, if you continue in sin,

592
00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:02,400
you become a slave to sin.

593
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:04,400
And that means now I'm in bondage.

594
00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:07,400
And listen, I don't know about, think about being in prison.

595
00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,400
How does prison impact a person?

596
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:13,400
Well, they really can't interact with their family in a normal way.

597
00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,400
They can't work their job, obviously, in a normal way.

598
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:18,400
They can't work a job at all.

599
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,400
It affects every part of your life once you become a slave to something.

600
00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,400
And what happens with sin is at first it sounds fun.

601
00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:26,400
Remember we said it's fun till it's not.

602
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,400
It's fun, it seems like it's a secret,

603
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,400
it seems like it's just hidden in my tent,

604
00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:35,400
until all of a sudden sin is now telling me how to do my relationships.

605
00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:39,400
And sin is telling me when I can go and when I can't go,

606
00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:41,400
and what I can do and what I can't do.

607
00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:43,400
And now sin is my master.

608
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:46,400
And this is what Jesus wants you to understand.

609
00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:48,400
Sin is trying to enslave you.

610
00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:51,400
That's the personal effect of sin.

611
00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:53,400
Here's the second personal effect of sin.

612
00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,400
Sin is deadly.

613
00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:57,400
Write that down.

614
00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:00,400
Sin creates bondage, but sin causes death.

615
00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:01,400
Right?

616
00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:02,400
Sin causes bondage.

617
00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,400
Jerome in 6, the wages of sin is?

618
00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:07,400
Everybody knows it.

619
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:10,400
Listen, when you sin, you need to understand sin's destructive.

620
00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:14,400
And when you sin, part of you dies.

621
00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,400
There's never a time that sin doesn't produce death.

622
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:20,400
Even though we're in Christ, well I'm in Christ, yes.

623
00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:21,400
Because the wages of sin is death,

624
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,400
but the free gift of God is eternal life.

625
00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:25,400
Absolutely, absolutely.

626
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:31,400
But the wages of sin is still death.

627
00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:34,400
Sin is good at paying.

628
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:35,400
Right?

629
00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:39,400
And when we sin, listen, parts of our life die when we sin.

630
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:43,400
Parts of our, in fact, let me give you some things that die here.

631
00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,400
Number one, it kills my identity.

632
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,400
It kills my identity.

633
00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:51,400
The Bible says that I'm supposed to, Romans 8, Paul says,

634
00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:55,400
that I'm supposed to be conformed to the image of God.

635
00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:57,400
Conformed to the image of God.

636
00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,400
So what is the Holy Spirit's work in my life?

637
00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:02,400
To make me look like Jesus.

638
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:03,400
Right?

639
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,400
So my identity, this is a great word for our culture,

640
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,400
your identity was never supposed to come from you.

641
00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:10,400
That's why our culture is so confused about identity,

642
00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:14,400
because they think identity is something that I determine.

643
00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:18,400
No, identity is something God determines.

644
00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,400
He said, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.

645
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:23,400
And so identity comes from God.

646
00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,400
And when my identity comes from me, it's fickle.

647
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:29,400
I have fickle decisions, I have our emotions, I have feelings,

648
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:33,400
I have desires, they change, they go up, they go down, they turn around.

649
00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:35,400
How many know that's the truth of all of us?

650
00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:38,400
So when I'm trying to find a baseline for who I am,

651
00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:40,400
and I think looking inside me is the way,

652
00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:41,400
it's the biggest lie of the enemy.

653
00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:43,400
Look inside, what are you going to find?

654
00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:44,400
You're going to find a hot mess.

655
00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:48,400
That's why I don't base my identity on the fickleness of my human nature.

656
00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:52,400
I base my identity on the constant who is God,

657
00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:56,400
who crafted me in His image and designed me according to His person,

658
00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:00,400
who created me and knew me before I was even in the womb,

659
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:03,400
and determined what my identity would be.

660
00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:04,400
It comes from Him.

661
00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,400
So that's why He says, look, here's the goal of the Christian life.

662
00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:09,400
Turn into the image of Jesus.

663
00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,400
Be conformed into the image of Jesus.

664
00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:14,400
Ephesians 4, grow up into all things into Christ.

665
00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:17,400
This is all Paul teaching, it's all throughout the New Testament.

666
00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:18,400
And here's what you have to understand.

667
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:19,400
Let me ask you a question.

668
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:21,400
Is there any sin in Jesus?

669
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:22,400
No.

670
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:26,400
Then I can't continue in sin and be who God created me to be.

671
00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:27,400
Amen.

672
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:30,400
And one of the reasons God will not wink or bless sin

673
00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:35,400
is God is not going to condone you becoming something different

674
00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:38,400
than who He created you to be.

675
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:42,400
And God is not going to bless sin because God is not going to enable you

676
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:46,400
to move away from Him, to stay distant from Him,

677
00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,400
or to be conformed to any other image besides His.

678
00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:54,400
So when we go down the road of sin, God, just like He did in Joshua chapter 7,

679
00:35:54,400 --> 00:36:00,400
God says, and that's not judgment, that's grace.

680
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:04,400
Because God says, hey, I'm not going to help you move away from me.

681
00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:09,400
I'm not going to help you turn into something I didn't create you to be.

682
00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:11,400
And so I'm going to step back.

683
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,400
Your enemies are going to win because had the enemies not won,

684
00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:19,400
it wouldn't have driven them back to God.

685
00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:25,400
And listen, sometimes God will let you suffer defeat

686
00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:30,400
because He knows it's the only way to get you to ultimate victory.

687
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:32,400
And we don't like to talk about that.

688
00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:34,400
We don't like to talk about that.

689
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:36,400
But it's all through the Bible.

690
00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:40,400
And there are times, just like in Joshua 7, where God's like,

691
00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:43,400
if they go out there and win, they're going to leave me behind.

692
00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:48,400
And if they go out there and win, sin is going to enslave them.

693
00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:50,400
So I'm going to take a step back.

694
00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:52,400
They're going to lose.

695
00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:56,400
But it's the loss that's going to drive them right back to me.

696
00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:59,400
And then when things are dealt with appropriately,

697
00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:01,400
they're going to have incredible victory.

698
00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:05,400
And so we have to understand, listen, when I sin, I go into bondage.

699
00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:08,400
And when I sin, it kills.

700
00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:10,400
And when it kills, it kills my identity.

701
00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:12,400
Here's another thing it kills.

702
00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:13,400
It kills my purpose.

703
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,400
Look what the writer of Hebrews writes, Hebrews 12 verse 1,

704
00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:19,400
he says, therefore we also, since we're surrounded by such a great cloud

705
00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:21,400
of witnesses, I don't know if you know this,

706
00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:25,400
heaven's got a cheering section, and they're rooting you on today.

707
00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:26,400
Right?

708
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:27,400
Think about that.

709
00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:29,400
Right now, heaven's got their, you know, there are people in heaven

710
00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:33,400
that have face paint on, and they got flags, right?

711
00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:36,400
Because they're at football games today, it makes sense, right?

712
00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:38,400
They're rah rah sis boom bah.

713
00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,400
They are ready for you to win, all right?

714
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,400
I don't know, it's encouraging to me.

715
00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:43,400
I'm not in it by myself.

716
00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:47,400
Look what Paul says, he says, let us lay aside every weight and sin

717
00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:51,400
that so easily ensnares us so we can run with the endurance,

718
00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:53,400
the race that he set before us.

719
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,400
Here's what Paul said, there's a race set before you by God.

720
00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:57,400
It's what you were created for.

721
00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:58,400
It's your purpose.

722
00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,400
You were created on purpose, for a purpose,

723
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:03,400
and God assigns that purpose to how much, it's how valuable you are.

724
00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:06,400
God has given you a purpose that's different than everybody else's purpose.

725
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:08,400
He's given you a race that's different,

726
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,400
which is why we don't compare ourselves to other people.

727
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:13,400
They're not running your race.

728
00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:16,400
They're not purposed the way that you're purposed.

729
00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:19,400
So don't get on Instagram and compare your life to someone else's.

730
00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:20,400
They're called for something else.

731
00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:23,400
Root and cheer them on and then live your life, amen?

732
00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:26,400
But the point is, he said, on this race you're running,

733
00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:31,400
there's some things that trip you up, and those things that trip you up are sin.

734
00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:33,400
And here's what he's saying, sin's going to kill your purpose.

735
00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:37,400
It's going to keep you from living the life that I've called you to.

736
00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:42,400
It's going to keep you from achieving and realizing the purpose and the destiny

737
00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:45,400
that I have for you even before you were born.

738
00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:47,400
Sin, we have to understand the power of sin.

739
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:50,400
And sin keeps us from the good things that God has in our lives.

740
00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:52,400
It keeps us from being conformed to his image,

741
00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,400
which is where we're going to find peace and joy and all those things.

742
00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:01,400
And it keeps us from his purpose, but even still it keeps us from his blessing.

743
00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:05,400
So sin is going to kill my identity and my purpose

744
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,400
and really the blessing of God in my life.

745
00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:08,400
It kills, sin kills.

746
00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:13,400
What you see, you think about Achan, they've just come into the Promised Land.

747
00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:14,400
Well, they're Israel.

748
00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:17,400
They were promised this promised land.

749
00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:19,400
I mean, this is what they've heard about for generations,

750
00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,400
400 and something years they've heard about the Promised Land.

751
00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:28,400
And they're finally there, the promise of God, the blessing of God.

752
00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,400
And Achan sins, and it costs he and his family

753
00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:35,400
from realizing the blessing of God and the promise of God.

754
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,400
It was the same thing ultimately that happened with his ancestors

755
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:40,400
who were stuck in the wilderness for 40 years

756
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:43,400
because the Bible, Hebrews 3 says,

757
00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:47,400
they didn't make it into the Promised Land because they disobeyed God.

758
00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:48,400
They sinned.

759
00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:51,400
And I want you to understand God has good things for you.

760
00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:53,400
God has blessings for you.

761
00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,400
God has grace for you.

762
00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:59,400
God loves you so much, and he does.

763
00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:01,400
I'm not saying life's never going to be hard.

764
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,400
I think we've all lived long enough to realize

765
00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:05,400
for the just and the unjust, it rains,

766
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:08,400
and for the just and the unjust, there are famines, right?

767
00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:09,400
Life's hard.

768
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:11,400
But I want you to understand God has good things for you,

769
00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:13,400
and he has blessings for you.

770
00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:18,400
But God can't bless sin.

771
00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:22,400
And so sin kills my identity and my purpose

772
00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:24,400
and the blessings of God in my life.

773
00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:25,400
But here's what I need you to understand.

774
00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:26,400
Write this down.

775
00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:28,400
It won't take us long, but write this down.

776
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:29,400
Everyone can overcome sin.

777
00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:30,400
You can overcome sin.

778
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,400
Everyone can overcome sin.

779
00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:35,400
Remember what we talked about, that God has,

780
00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:38,400
or Jesus has freed us from the penalty of sin.

781
00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:40,400
He will deliver us from the presence of sin.

782
00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:42,400
Right now, we're overcoming the power of sin.

783
00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:44,400
That's really salvation.

784
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:46,400
We've been saved from the penalty.

785
00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:48,400
We will be saved from the presence of sin.

786
00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:51,400
Currently, we are being saved from the power of sin.

787
00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,400
Romans 6, I could just read the chapter,

788
00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,400
but the whole chapter really is about the fact

789
00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:59,400
that because we die in Christ,

790
00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:02,400
we are free from the power of sin.

791
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:03,400
Here's what that means.

792
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:05,400
It means I now have a choice.

793
00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:08,400
With every temptation that befalls a man,

794
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:11,400
there is a way of escape according to Scripture.

795
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:12,400
So now I have a choice.

796
00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:14,400
Where I didn't have a choice before, I have a choice now.

797
00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:16,400
And so we can win over sin.

798
00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:18,400
You can win over sin.

799
00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:19,400
And you say, well, how do I win over sin?

800
00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:20,400
It's very simple.

801
00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:21,400
Write this down.

802
00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:24,400
Number one, you admit it.

803
00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:25,400
You admit it.

804
00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:26,400
How can you overcome sin?

805
00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:29,400
Well, number one is you just have to admit it.

806
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:31,400
Maybe the first person you have to admit it to is yourself.

807
00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:33,400
You have to say, you know what?

808
00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:36,400
There's something buried in my tent.

809
00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:38,400
Maybe you think no one else knows.

810
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:42,400
Maybe no one else but God actually knows, but you know.

811
00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:43,400
And you have to admit it.

812
00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:44,400
You have to say, you know what?

813
00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:45,400
I have a problem.

814
00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:47,400
There's a sin here that I can't get past.

815
00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:49,400
There's a sin here that I keep falling into.

816
00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:53,400
There's a category of sin that I spend a lot of time in.

817
00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:58,400
I need to admit that to myself and say, hey, this is the problem.

818
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:02,400
When the church, we stopped defining sin as sin, and we started calling it problems

819
00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:05,400
or challenges or struggles.

820
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:09,400
And I do think sin is a challenge and sin is a struggle and sin is a problem,

821
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:10,400
but sin is still sin.

822
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,400
It's also sin, right?

823
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:16,400
And so I need to admit that, hey, there's sin.

824
00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:17,400
I've got a problem.

825
00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:18,400
Second thing is admit it.

826
00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:19,400
Here's the second thing.

827
00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:20,400
Believe it.

828
00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,400
And when I say believe it, there are two things I think you need to understand

829
00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:24,400
and you need to believe.

830
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:28,400
Number one, you need to believe there is actually no condemnation

831
00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:30,400
for those who are in Christ.

832
00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:32,400
You need to believe that you are not condemned.

833
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:34,400
Jesus was condemned for your sin.

834
00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:37,400
You are not condemned for your sin.

835
00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:38,400
God doesn't condemn your sin.

836
00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:41,400
He also doesn't condone it, but he doesn't condemn it.

837
00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:44,400
But you need to understand because until condemnation is removed,

838
00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:47,400
it's really hard to move forward.

839
00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:53,400
And so think about Jesus when the woman caught in adultery comes to Jesus.

840
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:55,400
You know, that's the one where he writes in the dirt

841
00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:59,400
and then everybody leaves and it's just he and this lady.

842
00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:01,400
And he says, hey, where are your accusers?

843
00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:02,400
And she said, I don't know.

844
00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:03,400
They all left.

845
00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:08,400
And he said, neither do I condemn you.

846
00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:11,400
Now go and sin no more.

847
00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:16,400
So the message here is we have to understand there's no condemnation.

848
00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:20,400
That is what empowers us really to walk out of sin.

849
00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:24,400
The problem with our church, not our church, but I think by and large the church,

850
00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:29,400
one thing that I think has cost credibility is we typically preach it the other way.

851
00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:36,400
When you stop sinning, we'll stop condemning you.

852
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:41,400
But to be free from sin, you have to believe that you're not condemned.

853
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:43,400
And then you can go and sin no more.

854
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:44,400
So admit it and then believe it.

855
00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:49,400
Believe you're not condemned and also believe that Jesus really paid for you to be free from sin.

856
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:54,400
First Peter 2, 24 says, he himself bore our sins on the cross

857
00:43:54,400 --> 00:43:56,400
so that we can be free from sin.

858
00:43:56,400 --> 00:44:01,400
So I need to understand Jesus paid so I can be free from sin.

859
00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:05,400
Jesus paid so I can get out of sin, so I can get out of the trap of sin.

860
00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:07,400
Jesus paid so I don't have to be stuck in sin.

861
00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:10,400
So I admit it and then I believe there's no condemnation.

862
00:44:10,400 --> 00:44:12,400
And Jesus really paid for the power.

863
00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:14,400
He has broken the power of sin.

864
00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:18,400
That's why Paul talks about you are no longer under the power of sin in Romans 6.

865
00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:22,400
He says you're no longer not under the power of sin because of what Jesus has done.

866
00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:23,400
So believe it, admit it.

867
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:27,400
And then here's the seed, confess it.

868
00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:28,400
Confess it.

869
00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:30,400
That's what John says.

870
00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:33,400
If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin

871
00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:35,400
and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

872
00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:37,400
So I have to admit I have sin.

873
00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:41,400
I have to believe there's no condemnation which will free me up to actually deal with it.

874
00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:44,400
I have to believe that Jesus paid for the power of sin.

875
00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:47,400
And then I have to confess, okay Jesus, I've got sin.

876
00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:50,400
You already knew it, but now I'm coming to grips with it.

877
00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:52,400
Now I want to deal with it.

878
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:57,400
Now that works in a lot of cases when there are one-off sins and those type of things.

879
00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:01,400
But what about if you're in here today and you're like, pastor, you don't understand.

880
00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:03,400
I am a slave to sin.

881
00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:04,400
I have tried.

882
00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:06,400
It's the same sin over and over and over again.

883
00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:12,400
Whether it's anger, whether it's lust, pornography, some other sexual sin, whatever it is.

884
00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:14,400
Habitual lying, it could be anything.

885
00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:17,400
And you're like, pastor, I've talked to God and I'm stuck.

886
00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:19,400
Well, this is where you need the L.

887
00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:21,400
So admit it, believe it, confess it.

888
00:45:21,400 --> 00:45:23,400
This comes down to the live it.

889
00:45:23,400 --> 00:45:25,400
This is why you need a church, right?

890
00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:29,400
It's why you need a church because the church helps you live the gospel and live it out.

891
00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:30,400
Let me explain what I mean.

892
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:33,400
John says, walk in the light as he is in the light.

893
00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:35,400
So he's talking about the Christian light.

894
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:37,400
Well, what does he mean exactly?

895
00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:40,400
Well, see, sin thrives in darkness.

896
00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:46,400
Hidden in the tent, buried under the ground.

897
00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:50,400
Like if you want sin to grow, bury it in the dark.

898
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:53,400
It's like a mold or a fungus.

899
00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:55,400
Right?

900
00:45:55,400 --> 00:46:00,400
You get those conditions right, dark and damp and nasty, and you're going to grow stuff.

901
00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:02,400
That's kind of how sin is.

902
00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:06,400
But if you want to deal with it, you turn the light on it.

903
00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:09,400
That's why Jesus talking to Nicodemus in John chapter 3, he said,

904
00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:11,400
hey, those that want to do good come to the light,

905
00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:16,400
but those that want to do evil, they go to the darkness.

906
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:17,400
Well, what's he saying?

907
00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:21,400
Well, John goes on to say, in 1 John, he talks about walk as children of light,

908
00:46:21,400 --> 00:46:23,400
walk in the light.

909
00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:24,400
So what's he saying?

910
00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:26,400
Well, I've got to shine some light on it.

911
00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:30,400
In other words, this is where I need the church and I need the body of Christ.

912
00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:32,400
I'm stuck in sin.

913
00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:35,400
Jesus has freed me from sin, but I'm still stuck in sin.

914
00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:39,400
I have a sin that is repetitive, subdued.

915
00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:41,400
Maybe it is pornography or alcoholism.

916
00:46:41,400 --> 00:46:45,400
Maybe we define it as an addiction, but it could be something else.

917
00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:47,400
It could be anger, rage, whatever.

918
00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:49,400
But I'm stuck there and I can't get out of that.

919
00:46:49,400 --> 00:46:50,400
Well, what do I do?

920
00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:52,400
Well, this is what James says.

921
00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:54,400
James says it this way.

922
00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:58,400
James 5, 16 says, confess your trespass one to another

923
00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:01,400
and pray for one another that you may be healed.

924
00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:05,400
It's interesting he used the word healed here because, okay,

925
00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:08,400
this is probably worth your trip, what I'm about to tell you.

926
00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:18,400
Habitual sin is always tied to brokenness.

927
00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:23,400
Habitual sin is almost every time tied to brokenness,

928
00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:26,400
meaning there was a trauma, there was some brokenness,

929
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:31,400
there was an injury, and the enemy comes in to that brokenness

930
00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:36,400
and he offers you typically a medication that makes you feel better.

931
00:47:36,400 --> 00:47:40,400
I've talked with men who couldn't get out of rage and anger

932
00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:46,400
only to find out they were abused and the only way they felt like to be safe

933
00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:49,400
was to try to make themselves bigger through anger

934
00:47:49,400 --> 00:47:52,400
than the situation they found themselves in.

935
00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:58,400
So any times they were triggered or felt that hit them or felt scared,

936
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:04,400
they just got mad and just went psycho-billy-ninja on everybody.

937
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:07,400
And it really, what I realized is, yes, you're in bondage,

938
00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:09,400
but it's because there was brokenness.

939
00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:15,400
So in other words, getting out of bondage now starts with receiving healing.

940
00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:17,400
That's why you have to understand there's no condemnation.

941
00:48:17,400 --> 00:48:19,400
God is not condemning you.

942
00:48:19,400 --> 00:48:21,400
We are not condemning you.

943
00:48:21,400 --> 00:48:25,400
You are not condemned, and you have to understand that

944
00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:27,400
because if you don't know that you're not condemned,

945
00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:30,400
it would be hard to ever actually shine light on it

946
00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:33,400
and say, hey, this is something I'm stuck in.

947
00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:36,400
And I want you to understand you can be free, you can be free,

948
00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:38,400
but this is why God gives us the church.

949
00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:42,400
This is why God gives us life group leaders and pastors and staff and friends

950
00:48:42,400 --> 00:48:45,400
and all those meaningful people, safe people in our lives,

951
00:48:45,400 --> 00:48:48,400
because when I'm stuck in sin and I've done everything I can do

952
00:48:48,400 --> 00:48:51,400
and I can't get out of sin, sometimes, listen to me,

953
00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:56,400
sometimes sin is about deliverance, and sometimes overcoming sin is about deliverance,

954
00:48:56,400 --> 00:48:59,400
and sometimes overcoming sin is about discipleship,

955
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:04,400
and sometimes overcoming sin is about both.

956
00:49:04,400 --> 00:49:10,400
Meaning that sometimes I need a grace of healing and restoration in my heart,

957
00:49:10,400 --> 00:49:14,400
but I also need people around me, I also need teaching, I also need prayer.

958
00:49:14,400 --> 00:49:17,400
So it's deliverance or maybe it's discipleship, and sometimes it's both.

959
00:49:17,400 --> 00:49:21,400
But here's what I want you to understand, you can be free from sin,

960
00:49:21,400 --> 00:49:26,400
but if you have habitual sin that doesn't go away, typically it's a freedom issue

961
00:49:26,400 --> 00:49:30,400
because you are in bondage, and the question is, well, how did we get in bondage?

962
00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:34,400
And a lot of times it goes back to a pain, a trauma, a hurt, or some brokenness.

963
00:49:34,400 --> 00:49:39,400
And until we open that up and invite other people in, safe people, right,

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who aren't going to go post about it or tell anybody your business,

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we invite safe people in, we can't be healed,

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and until we're healed, we can't be whole, and until we're whole, we can't be free.

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Are you with me?

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So God has provided, and one of the ways He's provided is His grace and power to overcome sin,

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and another way He's provided is the power of His body, the church, to help us,

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just like James says, when I'm stuck, I can confess my sin one to another

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and pray for one another, and I can be healed.

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You hear what I'm saying? I want you to understand, you may be down, but you're not done.

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And this is a year unlike any other that, even though I think this year is going to be chaotic in so many ways,

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I can see, I just see the triumph of the believers in the church

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and even Christian business leaders and all those things, I just think the provision, grace of God,

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I just think there's victory this year, even in the midst of the chaos

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and even in the midst of everything else that's going on, and I don't want you to be stuck.

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You may be down, but you're not done. You can get up.

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And I hear the Lord saying to someone just like Joshua, who's been crying out to the Lord,

980
00:50:48,400 --> 00:50:50,400
and God's like, this is your year to get up.

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And maybe that means inviting someone else in to your struggle, but listen, we're here to help you. Amen?

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You're down, but you're not done. Amen?

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Come on, can you give Jesus praise today?

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00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:04,400
Hey, Pastor Marty here from Pathway Church.

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I just want to say thank you for joining us,

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00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:11,400
and I want to encourage you to get connected and stay connected.

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And there's several ways you can do that.

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Number one, you can download the Pathway app.

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We are all the time offering resources and information on that app for you.

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You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:26,400
And if you do, make sure you click the bell so that you never miss any life giving

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00:51:26,400 --> 00:51:29,400
and life changing content as we add it to the channel.

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And then also make sure you follow us on social media, on Instagram, on Facebook.

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Look, our hope and heart for you is that you walk in the purpose for which God made

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and created and redeemed you for.

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We love to connect people to purpose.

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We thank you for giving us this opportunity.

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And if you're ever at Longview or you are at Longview,

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I'd love to invite you to join us in person each weekend.

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Listen, I pray God's best for your life.

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I believe if you follow Jesus, your best is ahead.