1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:18,400 Hey, good morning everyone. 2 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:19,400 How we doing today? 3 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:20,400 Doing good. 4 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:21,400 Excellent. 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:22,400 Good to hear. 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:24,280 Hopefully you had a great Thanksgiving. 7 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:29,000 As you can see, we had a full house at our place for Thanksgiving. 8 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:33,720 All the kids were home, we had a great time together just celebrating and being together 9 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,280 because that's the most important thing of Thanksgiving. 10 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,780 And hopefully you did as well. 11 00:00:38,780 --> 00:00:39,920 Thank you for joining us from home. 12 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:41,800 Our live stream is back up. 13 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,120 If you're joining us from there, thank you for welcoming us into your space. 14 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,800 And I also want to shout out to our friends at HHC. 15 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:48,960 We love you. 16 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,480 We can't wait to come and hang out with you on Wednesday. 17 00:00:52,480 --> 00:00:55,280 God bless you guys for joining us. 18 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:56,280 So it's crazy. 19 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:05,200 I know it is, but it's December 1st and the Christmas season is upon us. 20 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,520 Every year, it just shows up. 21 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,400 It invades our lives. 22 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,360 Decorations begin to appear slightly everywhere we go. 23 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:15,360 A church at Walmart. 24 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,520 Maybe some of you have already gone out and purchased the tree. 25 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,640 That's a little early for me, but that's okay. 26 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:22,640 The music changes. 27 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,160 Christmas movies begin to be watched. 28 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,020 Everything that is Christmas begins to happen. 29 00:01:29,020 --> 00:01:34,840 And they tell us it's the most wonderful time of the year. 30 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,800 Now those of us who are followers of Jesus have good reason to believe that it's true. 31 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:44,680 But if we're honest, many people come to a place that the Christmas season, Thanksgiving 32 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:49,260 through the New Year's is not the most wonderful time of the year. 33 00:01:49,260 --> 00:01:54,640 Even for those of you who enjoy Christmas, Christmas has a unique way of showing up in 34 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:55,900 our lives. 35 00:01:55,900 --> 00:02:01,080 It has a way of doing something that is very unique because it forces us to think about 36 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:02,700 our relationships. 37 00:02:02,700 --> 00:02:09,040 It forces us to think about our wealth, our worldview, and how we view faith in a relationship 38 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:10,080 with God. 39 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:15,840 It forces us to contemplate where we are in our lives in so many ways. 40 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:22,320 Christmas is unique because this season functions as a magnifying glass to our lives. 41 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,160 We look inward and we begin to see all the good and bad things. 42 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:31,280 They are put on blast, if you will, as we travel or receive family and friends into 43 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:32,720 our homes. 44 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:39,160 It highlights who is in our lives and who is no longer at the seats around the table 45 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,240 because their life is always changing. 46 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:43,920 People have passed on. 47 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:45,200 Relationships have changed. 48 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,800 And Christmas highlights these truths. 49 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:52,640 And listen, because of that, if you do have a loved one that's passed on and you're missing 50 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:58,720 them, we have a memorial tree in the back left right corner of our auditorium. 51 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:02,480 You're welcome to bring in any ornament and decorate it yourself. 52 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:04,180 We encourage you. 53 00:03:04,180 --> 00:03:11,300 Decorate it with loved ones as a memory to remember them and who they are in your life. 54 00:03:11,300 --> 00:03:16,840 Christmas also has a way of pointing out where we are in our lives, both in the successes 55 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:22,280 that we had and the failures that we experienced throughout the year, the resources that we 56 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:28,320 have had or don't have, the hope that we have or don't have, the joy that we have or we 57 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:29,320 don't have. 58 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:31,880 It's a magnifying glass to our lives. 59 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:37,560 And some of us, we will put that magnifying glass on our heart and we will celebrate where 60 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:43,360 we are, while for others of us, we will not understand or like where we are. 61 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:48,200 And when we think about our lives, they are broken into three components and they are 62 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:52,560 made up of the past, the present and the future. 63 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:56,960 And when we put a magnifying glass to our lives, we begin to think about our past, our 64 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:05,560 present and our future, where we've been, where we are currently and where we are going. 65 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:10,080 And depending on how you're wired, the past, the present and the future, they develop different 66 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,240 levels of anxiety within you. 67 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:20,380 But the past, present and future have a way, as we contemplate on them, of haunting us. 68 00:04:20,380 --> 00:04:26,000 For some of us, when we pause and are quiet with all the decorations and the glitter, 69 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,080 we look at the past and we remember that pain and it still haunts us. 70 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:35,580 While other of us, we look at the present, at our current family state, at our current 71 00:04:35,580 --> 00:04:41,380 financial state, the current state of our spirit or our marriage and that haunts us. 72 00:04:41,380 --> 00:04:46,720 For some of us, we think about tomorrow or five years from now into the future and it 73 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:51,040 haunts us almost like a ghost. 74 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:56,840 And then the spirit of Christmas, the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, where three ghosts 75 00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:02,360 visit old Ebenezer Scrooge, we thought this will be a great theme for our community of 76 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:04,040 faith. 77 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,600 This season, let's put ourselves in Scrooge's shoes. 78 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:12,620 How do the ghosts of Christmas past impact us? 79 00:05:12,620 --> 00:05:18,280 What can the ghost that is present and how it haunts us do for us? 80 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:22,520 And what can the ghost of Christmas future do to us? 81 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:27,560 Now I believe that this reflection on our past, present and future is important. 82 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:31,960 Self-reflection in fact is vital for those in a relationship with Jesus because life 83 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:38,660 is too short and your calling is too big to let the ghosts have power. 84 00:05:38,660 --> 00:05:40,180 Life is too short. 85 00:05:40,180 --> 00:05:42,920 The Bible tells us life is a vapor. 86 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:44,320 It's here today and gone tomorrow. 87 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:45,640 It's a mist. 88 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:46,920 We don't get that long. 89 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:51,360 I mean, when we think about it, we move from the excitement of Santa in our elementary 90 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:57,460 years to college graduation to working a career to retirement and then we die. 91 00:05:57,460 --> 00:05:59,560 It just happens. 92 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,060 Life is too short. 93 00:06:01,060 --> 00:06:05,520 And if you're in a relationship with Jesus, what God wants to do in your life is too big, 94 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,880 too great, too abundant, too powerful for you to be trapped in the fear of the past, 95 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,640 the present or the future. 96 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:20,520 God did not call us into an, oh, humbug boring life, a life where we don't make a difference. 97 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:26,680 He calls us into a life of abundance, a life of power, a life of fruit. 98 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:33,280 And for the next three weeks, we're going to be discussing these different ghosts in our December series, ghosts of Christmas. 99 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:36,080 And I want to open with prayer this morning as we get started. 100 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:37,080 Holy Spirit come. 101 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:43,920 God, you are so evident in this place today as we launch this Christmas season. 102 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:48,200 I just pray that the spirit of reflection falls on us, God, that as we look inward, 103 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:54,840 as we discuss this past ghost, that we all become better people, that we all grow closer 104 00:06:54,840 --> 00:07:00,360 to you and we are challenged to live in abundance in Jesus' name. 105 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:01,360 Amen. 106 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:04,280 So with that prayer, it leads us to our first thought this morning. 107 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:08,160 See, our past hinders our present. 108 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:10,380 Our past hinders our present. 109 00:07:10,380 --> 00:07:11,380 And how do we know that? 110 00:07:11,380 --> 00:07:15,800 Well, I just want to begin with a simple story and I want you to put yourself into that story. 111 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:20,520 You were at work, you're doing your job or maybe you're at school, having a long boring 112 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,280 day and your attitude is kind of off. 113 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,240 It's one of those days you're just trying to get through it. 114 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,160 There is no life in your spirit. 115 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,400 You're short and abrupt with your coworkers and your friends. 116 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,820 There's no real joy or passion. 117 00:07:34,820 --> 00:07:39,440 You get the job done, you get the work completed, but there's no excitement or enthusiasm. 118 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,960 Lunch, in fact, is boring and bland. 119 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,480 But you make it through the day sluggishly. 120 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,800 When you get home, you walk in the door, you greet everyone, but truth is you kind of just 121 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,480 want to sit on the couch and chill. 122 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,320 Sure enough, after dinner, you find yourself drifting off in the Netflix or scrolling on 123 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,480 your phone and you just get through it. 124 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:04,960 Now you're not necessarily mean to your family or friends, but you're definitely passive, 125 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:06,640 aggressive, and easily agitated. 126 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:08,640 You're just kind of there. 127 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:11,200 You're present, but not fully engaged. 128 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,880 Then you're tired, so you quickly go to bed. 129 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:16,720 But sure enough, you can't sleep. 130 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,600 You try to, you put on the sleep sounds, but you can't. 131 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,840 You're tossing back and forth wondering, why can't I sleep? 132 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:28,160 But as you ask that question, you quickly begin to reflect on your day. 133 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,680 You realize how negative you were at work and school. 134 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:36,220 While at home, I really didn't want to eat or have conversations with my family. 135 00:08:36,220 --> 00:08:38,080 The music I was listening to was irritating. 136 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:45,840 The book was not enjoyable, and that Hallmark Christmas movie just made me angry. 137 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:51,080 Why did I have such a bad day? 138 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,680 Then you quickly remember the conversation that turned negative in the morning with your 139 00:08:54,680 --> 00:09:01,540 spouse or coworker or friend that left you feeling defeated and questioning your character. 140 00:09:01,540 --> 00:09:07,840 And from that moment on, that incident followed you for the rest of the day. 141 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,520 See things like that happen in life all the time. 142 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:17,600 What happened back then follows us to right now and then into the future. 143 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:23,160 What should be forgotten about and ignored, moved past, becomes an anchor in our lives 144 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,480 showing up in a lot of different ways. 145 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:30,720 See, sometimes at the past, it's a decision that was made at work that didn't go our way, 146 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,520 leaving us upset for the rest of the day. 147 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:40,680 Sometimes, let's be honest, it's Starbucks or Chick-fil-A that got our order wrong. 148 00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:43,200 Sometimes it's when our favorite team loses. 149 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,120 Sometimes the election didn't go the way we wanted it to. 150 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:50,240 Sometimes we look back and realize I picked the wrong college, I dated the wrong people, 151 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:56,080 my kids are leaving me down, I spent all that money, and whatever it is that is back there 152 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:59,440 in the past has followed us to today. 153 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:04,640 And let's be honest, we all have them because it hinders us. 154 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:08,360 We're not able to fully function and live in abundance. 155 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,280 The awfulness of our upbringing, the job we did or didn't get, the marriage that fell 156 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:18,840 apart, whatever it is, it literally becomes an anchor and leaves us feeling stuck in the 157 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:19,840 present. 158 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:25,120 Now, we try to get through life, but with this weight, this object, it constantly is 159 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:27,840 slowing us down and dragging us down. 160 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:33,660 And friends, if we can't move past our past, it's going to impact our present and our future 161 00:10:33,660 --> 00:10:40,040 because our future is just all the additions of our presence. 162 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:45,600 And that's why we read in Isaiah 43, 18, but the Lord says, do not cling to events of the 163 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:50,600 past or dwell on what happened long ago. 164 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:55,320 So this morning, I want to focus on how we move past our past, how we move past those 165 00:10:55,320 --> 00:11:02,800 awful painful experiences in the past that was either done to you or done by you, the 166 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:12,040 past of our sin, of our choices, of our mistakes, or the past of someone else's sin, the past 167 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:17,440 of pain and the heartache that either you created based on what you've done or what 168 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:19,160 someone has done to you. 169 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:23,300 And you've become stuck in that season. 170 00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:27,880 Or I would go as far as to say you've become a slave and you find yourself in bondage because 171 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:28,880 of the past. 172 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,420 I want to say it again. 173 00:11:32,420 --> 00:11:39,040 Life is too short and your calling is too great to be stuck with that ghost from the 174 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:40,040 past. 175 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:44,300 But even after making that statement, here's the reality with human nature. 176 00:11:44,300 --> 00:11:50,520 We make a habit of remembering what we should forget and forgetting what we should remember. 177 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:51,880 That's our human nature. 178 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:52,880 That's our sinful nature. 179 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:54,720 Our mind gets all twisted. 180 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:56,240 We focus on the wrong things. 181 00:11:56,240 --> 00:12:02,160 We have poor focus and that ghost just haunts us because we don't know how to fight back. 182 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,960 Today I want to help us fight back. 183 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:10,520 I want to share with you how to begin focusing on the kingdom of God, on the call, on the 184 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:16,960 promises we should be remembering, that we should stand on. 185 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:18,920 Because all of us have a past. 186 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,320 It doesn't matter if you're in a relationship with Jesus or not. 187 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:27,080 And listen, I am in no way minimizing what has happened to you or what has been done 188 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:28,320 to you. 189 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,120 I want to maximize what God has done. 190 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:37,240 I am not going to minimize anything in your life because it's real, it happened, and it's 191 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:38,240 painful. 192 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,800 But listen, God is greater. 193 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,720 And this morning I want us all to lean in and realize this pain, this heartache from 194 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,440 the past, it's a faith problem. 195 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:56,500 It's a belief in God deep within us that God is real and he is greater than a past. 196 00:12:56,500 --> 00:13:00,440 And to discover this truth, we're going to the book of Ephesians where we find Paul writing 197 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:05,720 a letter to the church in Ephesus about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. 198 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,560 And this is what we read in Ephesians 4 verses 17 to 20. 199 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:16,400 With the Lord's authority, I say this, live no longer as the Gentiles, now some translations 200 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,240 use the word heathen do, for they are hopelessly confused. 201 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:22,660 Their minds are full of darkness. 202 00:13:22,660 --> 00:13:26,620 They wonder far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened 203 00:13:26,620 --> 00:13:28,240 their hearts against him. 204 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:30,260 They have no sense of shame. 205 00:13:30,260 --> 00:13:34,560 They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. 206 00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:38,800 But notice what Paul says about those in relationship with Jesus. 207 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:42,540 But that isn't what you learned about Christ. 208 00:13:42,540 --> 00:13:49,120 And Paul is saying, if you're in a relationship with Jesus, don't live as these people are 209 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:50,600 living. 210 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:54,200 Don't think as these people think. 211 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:55,820 Be different. 212 00:13:55,820 --> 00:13:58,160 You shouldn't be negative all the time. 213 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,720 You shouldn't be second guessing yourself all the time. 214 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,700 You shouldn't be desiring those lustful things that the world provides. 215 00:14:04,700 --> 00:14:07,520 He says, be different. 216 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:12,120 And if you're here this morning and consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus, ask yourself 217 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:13,560 this question. 218 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:19,160 Are you different than the people living in the world around you? 219 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:25,280 Are you different than those people that just live for themselves and no one else and just 220 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:27,740 step on others? 221 00:14:27,740 --> 00:14:31,240 And this can include people that go to church. 222 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:35,800 Paul is saying, HCV, you're called to be different. 223 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:40,600 And as you sit there, some of you are thinking, okay, I get that, but how? 224 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,920 Well, that leads us to our next thought. 225 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:47,820 See, Jesus moves us past our past. 226 00:14:47,820 --> 00:14:50,640 And let's continue in Ephesians 4, 21 and 24. 227 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:52,680 And I'm going to break it up a little bit as we read. 228 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:54,440 Please follow along with the scripture. 229 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:59,280 That you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him. 230 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:05,120 So Paul, he's writing to us and he says, friends, it's not about us. 231 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:06,920 It's not about what we do. 232 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:08,580 It's all about Jesus. 233 00:15:08,580 --> 00:15:12,120 The power to get past our past is not us. 234 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:13,160 It's Jesus. 235 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:16,840 The hope to get past our past is not us. 236 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:18,800 It's Jesus. 237 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:23,920 Paul is saying, you used to live a certain way and then Jesus showed up in your life. 238 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:28,720 And now you shouldn't live that way anymore because Jesus is in the room. 239 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:32,280 Jesus is here with us this morning. 240 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:37,120 So let's act and live like Jesus is here because he is. 241 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:39,240 He's all around us. 242 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:41,280 And since Jesus is here, let's continue. 243 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:46,520 Paul says, throw off your old sinful nature, your former way of life, which is corrupted 244 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,040 by lust and deception. 245 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,860 Because of Jesus, we are different. 246 00:15:51,860 --> 00:15:53,320 We throw off the past. 247 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:54,600 We throw off deception. 248 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:55,880 We throw off the lies. 249 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:57,480 We throw off the sin. 250 00:15:57,480 --> 00:15:59,840 We throw off the confusion. 251 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:01,280 Continuing. 252 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:07,080 Instead, let the spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 253 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:13,160 Put on your new nature created to be like God, truly righteous and holy. 254 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:17,240 See the new you is created to be like God. 255 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:19,880 I mean, think about that for a second. 256 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:24,440 We are changed and transformed by the work of Jesus on the cross, his death, burial and 257 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:25,440 resurrection. 258 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:30,960 And now Paul says we have true righteousness and holiness in our lives. 259 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,340 In other words, we are different. 260 00:16:33,340 --> 00:16:35,200 We are not like we were. 261 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:41,000 So therefore, since we are different, we should see differently, think differently, live differently. 262 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,080 Jesus has come to town, not Santa. 263 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:48,000 And when he showed up, everything changed. 264 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:53,840 See the important part of moving past our past is believing what is true about being 265 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:54,840 new. 266 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:59,200 See church, we have to believe what is true about being new. 267 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:00,480 And what do I mean by that? 268 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:07,020 Second Corinthians 517, this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. 269 00:17:07,020 --> 00:17:08,280 The old life is gone. 270 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:09,520 The new life has begun. 271 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,880 The old life is, everyone say it? 272 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:12,880 Gone. 273 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,720 The old life is gone. 274 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:20,720 So therefore, the answer to releasing our past is rehearsing the newness that we are 275 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:22,000 in Jesus. 276 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:29,880 The answer to releasing our past is rehearsing, practicing the newness that we are in Jesus. 277 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:34,760 And when we're in a relationship with Jesus, we are called to be more like him, to be changed, 278 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:36,460 to be transformed. 279 00:17:36,460 --> 00:17:44,540 And this is a process of moving from unbelief to belief, from unbelief to belief. 280 00:17:44,540 --> 00:17:49,520 And this is true in our spiritual life, in our marriages, in our parenting, with our 281 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:57,900 finances, with our character, that we're constantly moving from unbelief to belief. 282 00:17:57,900 --> 00:18:02,640 And for those of us stuck in the past, we have a faith problem. 283 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:04,020 And here's the reality. 284 00:18:04,020 --> 00:18:08,080 We can't have a works problem because Jesus has already done the work. 285 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:09,840 It's not about what we do. 286 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:11,200 Jesus did the work. 287 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,360 We have a belief problem. 288 00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:16,240 We don't believe what is true about being new. 289 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:19,240 We don't believe what the Bible says about the new you. 290 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:24,880 And if we're going to move past our past, we have to ask the question, what does God 291 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,520 say about it? 292 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:29,440 And here's the reality. 293 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:34,640 Whatever God says trumps anything that we say about ourselves. 294 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:39,920 We have to believe what is true about being new. 295 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:45,600 And if we're going to get past our past, we have to realize that sometimes the filter 296 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:51,480 we use on our past is our former life, not our new life. 297 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,840 But you don't live that way anymore because Jesus came to town. 298 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:59,040 And what I want to do is just look at three simple truths this morning that will deal 299 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:01,680 with our past once and for all. 300 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:07,700 I believe that if you fully embrace and begin to believe and walk out these simple truths, 301 00:19:07,700 --> 00:19:09,400 you will be changed. 302 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:13,640 Not because of anything we do or have done, but because Jesus is awesome. 303 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:15,360 That's it. 304 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:18,220 Because we don't have to do anything. 305 00:19:18,220 --> 00:19:23,520 God has the power to do something inside of us that moves us past our past if we believe 306 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:25,000 what is true about being new. 307 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,240 In our first truth this morning, you have to believe you are forgiven. 308 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:31,640 You have to believe you are forgiven. 309 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:36,840 Ephesians 4, 21 to 22, Paul writes, since you have heard about Jesus and have learned 310 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:43,360 the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature. 311 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:45,280 Jesus paid the price. 312 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,320 And when we are in a relationship with Jesus, we are fully forgiven. 313 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:50,320 We are fully forgiven. 314 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,440 And some of you don't believe that. 315 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:54,600 Here's the reality. 316 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:58,360 Some of you, when I say you're fully forgiven, immediately you make this statement in your 317 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:02,040 mind, not me. 318 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:03,840 Not me. 319 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:09,840 Not that thing, not that choice, not that action to which I say, that's a lie. 320 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:12,340 You are forgiven in Jesus. 321 00:20:12,340 --> 00:20:16,840 You have to believe what is true about being new. 322 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:18,900 Ephesians chapter 1, verses 6 through 7. 323 00:20:18,900 --> 00:20:24,280 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear 324 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:25,280 son. 325 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:31,100 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased, everyone say purchased, our freedom 326 00:20:31,100 --> 00:20:34,760 with the blood of his son and forgave our sins. 327 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:40,360 So I want you to imagine, just put yourself into this story. 328 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:42,560 It's the Christmas season. 329 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:50,280 And next week, someone surprises you with a brand new 72 inch flat panel HD smart TV. 330 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:54,560 And they show up at your front door and just hand it to you, fully paid for. 331 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:55,560 It's yours. 332 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:58,240 And they even hand you the gift receipt. 333 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:03,080 You grab that TV quickly because it's game day, get it out of the box, hang it on the 334 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:09,680 wall, plug it in and you sit down to watch the big game like you're sitting in that stadium. 335 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,420 It's that nice of a TV. 336 00:21:12,420 --> 00:21:14,200 You go to bed, fall asleep. 337 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:18,960 And the next morning you wake up, you remember, oh, that TV. 338 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,520 You quickly run to it, turn it on again to make sure you weren't dreaming. 339 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:25,040 And sure enough, it works. 340 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:30,360 Then for some odd reason, you grab your receipt, jump in your car and drive to Best Buy so 341 00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:32,400 you can pay for it. 342 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:36,620 When you arrive at the store, you go up to the counter, you hand the cashier the receipt 343 00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:39,480 saying you want to pay for the TV. 344 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:43,840 The cashier then looks back at you and says, what TV? 345 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:49,240 You respond, the TV that was given to me last night, to which they respond, you have a receipt, 346 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:50,240 right? 347 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:51,240 Yeah. 348 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,000 Then why are you trying to pay for it? 349 00:21:54,000 --> 00:22:00,620 Why are you trying to pay for what someone has already paid for? 350 00:22:00,620 --> 00:22:06,400 Why are you trying to pay saying, oh God, I'll clean myself up today. 351 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,360 Oh God, I promise I won't do it tomorrow. 352 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:11,920 Oh God, I'm not religious enough. 353 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:14,840 Oh God, I got to figure out a way to make it right. 354 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:17,200 Oh yeah, I will eventually forgive myself. 355 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:21,400 God, I promise to change in 2025. 356 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:27,000 Listen, we won't ever solve the problem of our past sin. 357 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,960 Great news, we are fully forgiven in Jesus. 358 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,520 It's paid for. 359 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:34,800 And I know you made that choice. 360 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:39,240 I know you may have hurt people and the pain was great, but Jesus is greater. 361 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:40,920 You are forgiven. 362 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:41,920 You stole it. 363 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:42,920 You smoked it. 364 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:43,920 You slept with it. 365 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:46,120 You've cheated and lied. 366 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:47,880 So have I. 367 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:49,640 Jesus knows all about it. 368 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:51,240 And guess what? 369 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:53,600 We are fully forgiven. 370 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:54,600 How forgiven are we? 371 00:22:54,600 --> 00:23:01,680 Psalm 103 verse 12 says, he has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west. 372 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:05,660 Jesus died on the cross for us and our sins and they're gone. 373 00:23:05,660 --> 00:23:08,560 And that is why Paul tells us, what's he tell us to do? 374 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:12,000 Throw off that old way of thinking. 375 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:17,720 But for some of you, you're stuck in the past because you don't believe you are forgiven. 376 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:21,900 To which, if that's you this morning, that's a lie. 377 00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:24,220 The grace is that good. 378 00:23:24,220 --> 00:23:26,600 The resurrection is that real. 379 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:31,720 And if we're going to move past our past, we have to first believe we are forgiven. 380 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:41,120 Past, present, and future sins will be forgiven, which leads us to our next truth. 381 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:44,640 We have to believe we are discerning. 382 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,400 Believe you are discerning. 383 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:52,120 See, for some of you, your past struggles is not what you've done, it's what was done 384 00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:53,840 to you. 385 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:57,620 The people that said they loved you but hurt you. 386 00:23:57,620 --> 00:24:00,800 The people that said they were for you but took advantage of you. 387 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:04,760 The people that were supposed to be protecting you violated you. 388 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,720 Now I understand it, I get it, it's painful. 389 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:08,940 It's awful. 390 00:24:08,940 --> 00:24:10,280 It shouldn't have happened to you. 391 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,480 It's sin, it's wrong. 392 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,480 But through Jesus, you don't have to stay back there. 393 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:18,720 In Jesus, we are discerning. 394 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:20,280 And some of you are thinking, all right, Chris, what's that mean? 395 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:21,740 It means that we're smart. 396 00:24:21,740 --> 00:24:23,040 We have a new vision. 397 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,400 We have a new life, a new passion. 398 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:32,120 Ephesians 4.23 tells us instead, let the spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 399 00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:38,080 See, when we embrace Jesus and walk with him, we have to learn to think differently. 400 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:39,880 We have to see differently. 401 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,160 We have to process differently. 402 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,720 We have to see life spiritually. 403 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:46,920 First Corinthians 2. 404 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:52,120 Verses 13 to 15 says, when we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from 405 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:53,760 human wisdom. 406 00:24:53,760 --> 00:25:00,080 Instead, we speak words given to us by the spirit, using the spirit's words to explain 407 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:01,740 spiritual truths. 408 00:25:01,740 --> 00:25:06,200 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's spirit. 409 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:10,180 It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it. 410 00:25:10,180 --> 00:25:15,160 For only those who are spiritual can understand what the spirit means. 411 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:19,040 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things. 412 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:25,320 See that our spirits need to come to life to receive the Holy Spirit and then walk in 413 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,120 unison with him. 414 00:25:28,120 --> 00:25:30,600 We see, we think differently. 415 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:34,720 Now in honor of Sunday morning matinee, I'm not ready to let it go yet. 416 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:39,680 I want to show you a short clip from the movie National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage. 417 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:43,520 Now in this movie, if you know anything about it, Nicolas Cage plays a historian who has 418 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:50,960 to steal the Declaration of Independence to find a treasure that was supposedly left for 419 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,320 the people of the United States when the country started. 420 00:25:54,320 --> 00:26:00,760 And I want you to notice as you're watching the spectacles or the glasses that are used. 421 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:06,120 If you're watching from home, there will be no sound, but you can read the subtitles. 422 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:07,120 Let's watch. 423 00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:08,120 Wow. 424 00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:18,220 See, the key to the treasure was on the map, but they needed the glasses to see the clue. 425 00:26:18,220 --> 00:26:24,000 And when we're following Jesus, we're given these new glasses and these new glasses come 426 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,960 in the form of the Holy Spirit. 427 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:31,480 And friends, we need to wear those glasses every single day. 428 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,800 When we're wearing the spirit, when we're walking with the spirit, suddenly we begin 429 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:39,680 to notice what is true and what is not true. 430 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:44,040 But when we don't put on our glasses, when we aren't walking in the spirit, sometimes 431 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:48,680 we forget that God is good all the time. 432 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:52,360 Even when that bad thing happened to us, God was there with us. 433 00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:56,240 He didn't want it to happen, but because of sin, it did. 434 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:59,640 And now he wants to walk us through it. 435 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:05,400 See, when we're wearing our glasses, we understand the difference between guilt and shame. 436 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,440 Guilt isn't necessarily a bad thing. 437 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:14,960 It's the conviction of the Holy Spirit reminding us when we're about to make a bad decision. 438 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,540 Shame is not the same as guilt. 439 00:27:17,540 --> 00:27:18,560 It comes from the devil. 440 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:19,560 It's condemnation. 441 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:25,320 It tells us we are bad, that it's not true that we are forgiven, that it's not true that 442 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,640 we are new, that it's not true we are righteous in Jesus. 443 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:34,360 And sometimes when we're not wearing our glasses, when we're not walking in the spirit, we interpret 444 00:27:34,360 --> 00:27:42,400 guilt as shame, as condemnation, rather than God chasing after us, telling us to stop. 445 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:45,120 Don't make that decision. 446 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:50,920 When we're wearing our glasses, we can fight off the lies of the enemy and others that 447 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:52,600 attack us. 448 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:56,360 Lies like, God could never forgive me. 449 00:27:56,360 --> 00:28:01,920 Lies like, I know God loves people, but he doesn't love people like me. 450 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:08,240 Lies like, God could never use someone that has done what I've done. 451 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:09,640 Here's the reality. 452 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:13,640 We know their lies because we can go right to God and ask him. 453 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:15,580 He already knows what we've done. 454 00:28:15,580 --> 00:28:17,000 He knows what we'll do. 455 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:24,120 I mean, he invites us in James 1, 5, if you need wisdom, ask your generous God and he 456 00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:25,560 will give it to you. 457 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:27,540 He will not rebuke you for asking. 458 00:28:27,540 --> 00:28:29,320 He's not going to pour condemnation on you. 459 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:33,280 He's going to say, oh, okay, let me help you. 460 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:36,920 We have to change the way we think. 461 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:38,800 We have to believe truth. 462 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:43,680 And when those lies, those thoughts, they show up, right? 463 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,860 When they appear, when they become part of our mindset, what do we need to do, church? 464 00:28:47,860 --> 00:28:51,280 We need to go karate kid on those beasts. 465 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,880 You need to kick them to the curb. 466 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:56,800 Kick them to the curb. 467 00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:59,560 Which leads us to our next truth. 468 00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:03,240 We have to believe we are resourced. 469 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:05,800 Believe you are resourced. 470 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:10,800 In Jesus, when we're in relationship with him, we are called to become more like him. 471 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:16,160 That's why Paul again says in Ephesians 4, 24, put on your new nature. 472 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:17,360 Created to be what? 473 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:21,440 Like God, truly righteous and holy. 474 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:25,320 You know, if you're not feeling truly righteous and holy, then you need the Holy Spirit to 475 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,280 invade your life. 476 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:30,320 Bill Johns who attends HGV is a partner with us. 477 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:31,320 He leads True North. 478 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:33,840 It's a professional grant writer. 479 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:35,640 That's one of his many talents. 480 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:41,920 He writes grants that help people get the resources or funds to fulfill the project 481 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:44,760 or mission they're pursuing. 482 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:54,200 Now in Jesus, we have not a professional grant writer, but a powerful grant writer because 483 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:58,200 we've been resourced to fulfill our life's mission. 484 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,080 We've been empowered with the Holy Spirit. 485 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:02,640 Look at Galatians 2, 20. 486 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:05,880 My old self has been crucified with Christ. 487 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,440 It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. 488 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:14,480 So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself 489 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:15,640 for me. 490 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:21,480 And since we have God, the Holy Spirit, living inside of us, we can be assured in Philippians 491 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,920 6, I am certain. 492 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:29,800 Notice what I am certain that God who began the good work within you will continue his 493 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:34,200 work until the finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus returns. 494 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:41,480 God has resourced us to get to the end, to get to the end of the race and win, to cross 495 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:46,800 the finish line into God's kingdom and bringing many along with us. 496 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:48,640 And how do I know that? 497 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:55,240 Because when we believed in Jesus and started to follow him, God literally deposited himself 498 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,840 inside of us in the form of the Holy Spirit. 499 00:30:57,840 --> 00:30:59,160 He says, oh, you now believe in my son? 500 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:00,160 Here you go. 501 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,160 Here I am. 502 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:07,900 And whatever power we think we have as a person is nowhere close to the power of God living 503 00:31:07,900 --> 00:31:09,480 inside of us. 504 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:11,120 We have the Holy Spirit. 505 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:17,120 So when you say to me, Chris, I can't change, I'm going to say, what are you talking about? 506 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:19,500 The Holy Spirit lives in you. 507 00:31:19,500 --> 00:31:24,320 Get past your past because the power of God is living inside of you to transform you and 508 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:26,560 make you new. 509 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:30,760 And not only did he give us his Holy Spirit, he gave us the Bible, which was written by 510 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:31,940 the Holy Spirit. 511 00:31:31,940 --> 00:31:35,600 Not only does he give us the Bible and the Holy Spirit, he gives us the church. 512 00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:38,240 High five your neighbor, please. 513 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:39,920 That was really weak. 514 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:43,680 My gosh, guys, pretend like you love somebody. 515 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:45,720 My gosh. 516 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,480 That's the church. 517 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:51,640 Right? 518 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:58,120 And see, when we gather together, we encourage one another to keep moving forward. 519 00:31:58,120 --> 00:31:59,480 Right? 520 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:01,880 God is saying, I am with you. 521 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:04,840 I'm resourcing you with spiritual gifts. 522 00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:09,400 First Corinthians 12, seven, a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each 523 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:10,400 other. 524 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:17,040 I mean, God gives us the resources to complete the task, to walk in the calling of changing 525 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:19,600 other people that he's called us to do. 526 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:24,920 And not only that, but he fills us with a love, a love that is not human love. 527 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:28,920 It comes from God and empowers us to love others. 528 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:30,320 Let's be honest. 529 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,720 People are annoying. 530 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,880 I said it. 531 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:43,040 But we don't have to love them in our own strength. 532 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,040 John 15, 12, this is my commandment. 533 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:50,480 Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 534 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:52,400 Right? 535 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:53,880 God's done so much for us. 536 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:55,740 Of course we love others. 537 00:32:55,740 --> 00:32:57,640 How do I get past my past? 538 00:32:57,640 --> 00:33:02,800 First, I have to believe whatever I did is forgiven. 539 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:04,160 Right? 540 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:09,800 Second, whatever I'm doing, I need to filter it through the truth and discernment of the 541 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:11,760 Holy Spirit. 542 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:17,800 And third, I have to realize I'm resourced by the Holy Spirit to continue to change and 543 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:22,600 to be a different person tomorrow and the day after. 544 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:24,460 And here's the reality. 545 00:33:24,460 --> 00:33:28,080 Those that have been forgiven much can forgive much. 546 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:33,360 It's realizing that we have been forgiven of all of our sins, therefore we need to daily 547 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:35,240 forgive others. 548 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:37,320 We are no longer living in the past. 549 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,400 We are no longer stuck in the past. 550 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:44,920 We throw it off and embrace the new that Jesus promises us. 551 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:51,840 Life in Jesus is the hope of moving past the past. 552 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:56,980 That is what we need to believe each and every day. 553 00:33:56,980 --> 00:34:01,880 And listen, if you're here this morning and you're not a follower of Jesus, you won't 554 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:04,960 be able to move past your past without him. 555 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:11,440 He is the key, which leads us to our simple action step I want to challenge you with this 556 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:13,080 week. 557 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,040 Identify and replace. 558 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:24,160 I want to challenge you this week to identify a lie, a sin, a past experience, something 559 00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:29,920 you did to someone else that's holding you stuck in the present, not enabling you to 560 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:33,600 move forward, and then I want you to replace it with what? 561 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:35,520 With God's truth. 562 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,160 Second Corinthians 10. 563 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:44,280 The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons, but God's powerful weapons, 564 00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:46,880 which we use to destroy strongholds. 565 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:48,480 We destroy false arguments. 566 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:53,240 We pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God. 567 00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:58,340 We take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. 568 00:34:58,340 --> 00:35:03,960 You identify an area of your life this week that's your homework. 569 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:07,600 You want to get past your past, identify it. 570 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:11,800 Where you're still living in that old sinful nature. 571 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:14,360 Identify where you believe in that lie. 572 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:17,620 And then you replace it with the truth that you are new. 573 00:35:17,620 --> 00:35:21,680 And then you tell someone about it. 574 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:25,560 You hold yourself accountable that you will no longer believe the lie. 575 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:27,800 You will walk in truth. 576 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:31,400 You will become a new person. 577 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:36,100 Now a few years ago there was a tool created called Carfax. 578 00:35:36,100 --> 00:35:40,200 And now if you're going to buy a used car, everyone uses it. 579 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:44,460 Because it gives us the power to know everything about a car that we're about to purchase. 580 00:35:44,460 --> 00:35:47,760 We can find out anything that happened to any car. 581 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:51,240 Maybe it was in an accident, had a transmission replaced, maybe it needed a new engine or 582 00:35:51,240 --> 00:35:53,080 a head gasket. 583 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:59,880 Usually we use these reports to help us avoid purchasing a car that has a bad past. 584 00:35:59,880 --> 00:36:01,020 Because guess what? 585 00:36:01,020 --> 00:36:09,840 If we buy a car with a bad past, it becomes our problem in the present. 586 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:13,960 Jesus has the Carfax on us. 587 00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:16,240 He knows all of it. 588 00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:21,480 He knows about that relationship that was lost. 589 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:26,040 He knows how broken you are because of your parents. 590 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:28,480 He knows about your first marriage. 591 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:32,360 He knows what you do on your computer when no one else is watching. 592 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:36,280 He knows that choice you made to lie. 593 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:40,520 He knows every single fact about us. 594 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:44,960 Yet he still went to the cross and died for us. 595 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:46,060 And guess what? 596 00:36:46,060 --> 00:36:48,520 He would do it again. 597 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:53,000 He knows the truth when he buys us, when he purchases us. 598 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:54,440 And he makes us one of his own. 599 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:58,040 He invites us into his family and he says, you are my son. 600 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:01,240 You are my daughter of God. 601 00:37:01,240 --> 00:37:02,640 He doesn't keep us where we are. 602 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:06,200 He changes us and he redeems our past for what? 603 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:12,040 His glory to become a part of our story that we then share with others. 604 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:17,640 Our story of freedom and health and wholeness and passion and excitement and joy. 605 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:22,680 It comes from him so that others are drawn to us because we're different. 606 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:23,840 We're set apart. 607 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:25,440 We're full of the Spirit. 608 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:28,640 And they say, yes, I want that. 609 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:34,440 Will you stand with me this morning? 610 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:45,280 So listen, as I was praying for our community of faith this week, as I was praying over 611 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:49,320 this talk, I get it, it's a little different. 612 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:52,240 It's not the birth in the manger. 613 00:37:52,240 --> 00:37:58,880 It's not cows and donkeys and hay and poop. 614 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,520 This is real. 615 00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:04,000 This is real. 616 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:05,960 But this is truth. 617 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:12,920 And I felt like God has led us in this direction because self-reflection is key. 618 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:19,040 If we want to be different, if we want to go into the new year, passionate about Jesus, 619 00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:23,840 living with abundance and desiring to see others change and transform, we've got to 620 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:24,840 self-reflect. 621 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:29,520 So as I was praying about how to close this gathering, I felt like the Holy Spirit whispered 622 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:34,960 to me that everybody into this place was going to bring something from their past here. 623 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:36,680 Because we all have it. 624 00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:37,920 We've all walked in it. 625 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:41,880 But here's the difference. 626 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:48,480 Many of you, you hear about me talking about being filled with the Spirit, but you've never 627 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:50,520 been. 628 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:53,320 You've never been filled with the Spirit. 629 00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:57,160 I may have prayed for the whole church, for the Spirit to come. 630 00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:02,600 Maybe you've got tingly hands or goosebumps or you felt warm and you felt the embrace, 631 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:06,600 but you don't know what it means to be filled with the Spirit. 632 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:11,120 And that's the reason you're trapped in the past. 633 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:15,200 That's the reason you're carrying bondage. 634 00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:19,520 Because the Holy Spirit hasn't filled you to the point where you just move on and move 635 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:22,320 on and move on because that's what the Spirit does. 636 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:24,400 We're new. 637 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:30,520 So if you need that this morning, listen, I'm going to be real raw and honest. 638 00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:34,980 If you're struggling with something in your past, you can't move forward, you can't get 639 00:39:34,980 --> 00:39:36,880 over it, get up here. 640 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:39,600 I want to pray for you to be filled with the Spirit. 641 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:46,400 Or if you just want to be filled with the Spirit, let's go. 642 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,120 Come Holy Spirit, let's go. 643 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,000 Yeah, you've got to want it, guys. 644 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:52,080 That reality. 645 00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:55,680 You're not going to move forward, you're not going to get past your past if you're not 646 00:39:55,680 --> 00:40:00,260 willing to be filled with the Spirit, to walk in the Spirit in the fullness that He has 647 00:40:00,260 --> 00:40:02,160 for you. 648 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:07,360 Come on. 649 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:09,520 There's many more. 650 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:12,060 But be willing to be obedient. 651 00:40:12,060 --> 00:40:13,060 Come Holy Spirit. 652 00:40:13,060 --> 00:40:20,400 All right, now, if you're willing, I need people with hands on their shoulders. 653 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:24,720 So if you're good, if you're looking at your life, you're like, yeah, I'm good. 654 00:40:24,720 --> 00:40:25,800 I'm full of the Spirit. 655 00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:26,800 Get up here and pray. 656 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:27,800 Come on. 657 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:29,240 Let's go step out, church. 658 00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:30,240 Come on. 659 00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:31,800 If you're full of Spirit, let's go. 660 00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:33,320 I need people to pray for these people. 661 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:34,320 I'm going to pray. 662 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:35,320 You don't even have to pray. 663 00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:37,840 I just need you to put your hand on them and grieve. 664 00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:41,640 I'm going to do the praying. 665 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:42,640 Just move chairs. 666 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:43,920 I don't care. 667 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:44,920 Move chairs. 668 00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:45,920 It's okay. 669 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:46,920 They reset up. 670 00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:47,920 Rudy will get them. 671 00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:48,920 Move the chairs. 672 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:49,920 Let's go. 673 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:54,600 All right, if you're in the aisles, someone get in the aisles there and agree with them. 674 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:55,600 Put your hand on their shoulder. 675 00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:58,120 All right, here we go. 676 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,040 All right, let's all say it. 677 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:02,040 Holy Spirit. 678 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:03,040 Come. 679 00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:06,040 Fall in this place, God. 680 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:07,040 Yes. 681 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:12,240 I just pray, God, you release your Spirit into each and every person that came forth 682 00:41:12,240 --> 00:41:14,320 and want more from you, God. 683 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:18,960 That they are changed, they are transformed, they are healed, they are set free in Jesus' 684 00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:19,960 name. 685 00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:24,440 That, God, they don't look back, they look forward, they focus on the prize, and they 686 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:30,200 walk in the power of your Spirit in Jesus' name. 687 00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:34,120 That that sin that has trapped them, that has imprisoned them, that they carry with 688 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:40,420 them, it's broken in Jesus' name, and as they walk in this freedom, God, there's a new spirit 689 00:41:40,420 --> 00:41:45,440 of life and abundance and joy and passion, God. 690 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:52,760 That lives are changed, that people are set free in Jesus' name. 691 00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:55,040 That we will no longer go back there. 692 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,320 That we will no longer live there. 693 00:41:57,320 --> 00:42:03,320 That your Spirit will empower each and every person that came forward and those in the 694 00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:07,840 seats changes, God. 695 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:13,760 Make yourself evident to us in Jesus' name in church we say together. 696 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:14,760 Amen. 697 00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:15,760 Amen. 698 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:16,760 Amen. 699 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:17,760 God bless you guys. 700 00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:27,000 Now listen, as they're going back to their seats, you know that as a community of faith, 701 00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:32,000 you know as a community of faith we pray a simple prayer every single Sunday because 702 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:37,880 I believe people come into this place either far from God or desire to be in a relationship 703 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,080 with Him or want to come back to Him. 704 00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:47,880 So we all pray this simple prayer together, and if this is you, just pray it with us because 705 00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:51,600 I want you to experience the fullness of God this morning. 706 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:52,600 So let's pray. 707 00:42:52,600 --> 00:43:00,640 Jesus, I'm broken, I'm full of doubt, shame, regret, sin. 708 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:01,640 Change me. 709 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:04,640 I believe you're God's Son. 710 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:07,960 I believe you died for me. 711 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:09,560 Make me new. 712 00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:11,680 Set me free. 713 00:43:11,680 --> 00:43:14,040 Fill me with your Spirit. 714 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:19,800 Help me God to move past the past and forward with you. 715 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:23,000 In Jesus' name, amen. 716 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:26,960 So if you prayed that prayer, see me, hug me, don't leave yet. 717 00:43:26,960 --> 00:43:30,360 See me, hug me, let me know, text me, do something. 718 00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:31,880 I want to get you baptized. 719 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:40,380 Now listen, the Christmas season, the Christmas season, statistics prove that people that 720 00:43:40,380 --> 00:43:46,880 are invited to church on the holidays during Christmas come more often than any time at 721 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:48,760 any other point during the year. 722 00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:54,000 We have created Christmas invite cards for you with our Dickens logo on them. 723 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:55,760 They're out on our poster wall. 724 00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:57,840 We have thousands of them. 725 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:01,200 8, 5, 10, 50, I don't care. 726 00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:02,200 Give them out. 727 00:44:02,200 --> 00:44:06,640 Invite people to experience all that God has for them this holiday season. 728 00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:07,640 Amen. 729 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:09,440 Now hold on, now hold on, hold on. 730 00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:10,920 There are several words of knowledge. 731 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:14,560 Our prayer team will be here on my right to pray for you. 732 00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:17,960 You have a puncture wound in your right leg above the knee. 733 00:44:17,960 --> 00:44:21,120 You have a broken nose or a deviated septum. 734 00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:23,600 Dude, if that's you, you've got to get prayer. 735 00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:27,580 Because I don't even know what a deviated septum is. 736 00:44:27,580 --> 00:44:30,720 You have right shoulder pain in your rotator cuff. 737 00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:35,340 You have an abnormality on the left top of your head. 738 00:44:35,340 --> 00:44:38,720 You have stomach issues similar to Crohn's disease. 739 00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:42,760 You have glaucoma in your right eye or you have left ear pain. 740 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:46,760 Okay, so if any of those address or speak to you, our prayer team will be here on my 741 00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:48,760 right to pray for you. 742 00:44:48,760 --> 00:44:52,880 I'm going to that door to say goodbye so no one can leave on that side. 743 00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:55,120 God bless you guys for joining us online. 744 00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:56,120 We love you. 745 00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:58,120 We'll see you next week.