WEBVTT 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:14.240 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:16.519 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:19.760 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:22.940 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:27.160 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:31.000 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:35.509 by this week's sermon. It's been a joy to be 00:00:35.509 --> 00:00:39.609 able to start this new study together, and it 00:00:39.609 --> 00:00:41.850 will take us all the way through August. But 00:00:41.850 --> 00:00:44.649 it's a study that is like learning to read. You 00:00:44.649 --> 00:00:46.729 start with the letters, then you put things together, 00:00:46.969 --> 00:00:50.070 then you write sentences and paragraphs. It's 00:00:50.070 --> 00:00:52.570 like that. It accumulates. So we have to make 00:00:52.570 --> 00:00:56.229 sure that you follow all the studies. If for 00:00:56.229 --> 00:00:58.570 some reason you have missed the first two, you 00:00:58.570 --> 00:01:00.990 can find them in our website or our app as well. 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:04.640 But as we begin the study in the book of Colossians, 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:07.680 I also want us to pray just for this time. So 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:11.379 please join me again. Lord, I want to ask you 00:01:11.379 --> 00:01:17.599 for your power. That your word will speak to 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:22.840 us, will break through barriers, will break strongholds. 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:27.920 That today, Father, you will bless us with truth. 00:01:30.189 --> 00:01:32.730 And use me, Lord, in the power of your spirit 00:01:32.730 --> 00:01:38.409 and in your grace. In Jesus' name, amen. Grace 00:01:38.409 --> 00:01:42.829 and peace. Journey through the book of Colossians. 00:01:43.109 --> 00:01:46.849 And what we have done in the past sessions, we 00:01:46.849 --> 00:01:48.689 will learn a little bit because we will do a 00:01:48.689 --> 00:01:52.930 little review today as well in the study. But 00:01:52.930 --> 00:01:58.230 the book of Colossians was written in the year 00:01:58.230 --> 00:02:03.980 about 60. of our era. And it was written to Christians 00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:08.300 for the first generation ever of Christians in 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:11.939 the world. And this generation of Christians 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:14.680 were in different parts of the Roman Empire, 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:19.060 but this particular city, Colossae, was in the 00:02:19.060 --> 00:02:22.949 region that today is known as Turkey. And a church 00:02:22.949 --> 00:02:26.650 has been planted in that place, and Paul writes 00:02:26.650 --> 00:02:29.650 this letter to encourage these Christians not 00:02:29.650 --> 00:02:32.430 to be deceived by some things that were going 00:02:32.430 --> 00:02:36.830 around. Now, I want to do this little review. 00:02:37.110 --> 00:02:40.789 The first question is, what are the two legs 00:02:40.789 --> 00:02:43.930 of the Christian walk that the Apostle Paul wants 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:46.090 the Christians to make sure that they experience? 00:02:46.389 --> 00:02:51.110 What are they? Grace and peace. God wants you 00:02:51.110 --> 00:02:53.990 to experience His grace. He wants you to experience 00:02:53.990 --> 00:02:57.050 His peace. If you are not experiencing them, 00:02:57.270 --> 00:03:01.110 then that's a problem because something is not 00:03:01.110 --> 00:03:03.349 right and we'll have to figure out what is it 00:03:03.349 --> 00:03:06.129 as we go through the book of Colossians. Second 00:03:06.129 --> 00:03:08.889 question. Oh, sorry, I want to show you here 00:03:08.889 --> 00:03:12.069 the picture of grace and peace because in the... 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:15.020 Previous session, what we discovered is that 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:17.520 the way the grace and peace have been compromised 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:20.300 in the Colossians was because some people were 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:22.460 saying you need Jesus plus other things. And 00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:26.000 Paul says, no, Jesus is all you need. The second 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:29.280 question, what did Jesus do when he saved us? 00:03:29.900 --> 00:03:33.419 What we covered in the first study in salvation 00:03:33.419 --> 00:03:37.080 redefined was to understand that salvation is 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:38.800 not just, hey, when you die, you go to heaven. 00:03:39.510 --> 00:03:44.270 That's like really minimizing it to this. It's 00:03:44.270 --> 00:03:46.969 much bigger than that. The Apostle Paul told 00:03:46.969 --> 00:03:50.509 us that when God saved us, the moment we gave 00:03:50.509 --> 00:03:53.370 our lives to Jesus, he transferred us from the 00:03:53.370 --> 00:03:55.490 kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. 00:03:56.090 --> 00:03:58.830 Before we were his enemies, now we are completely, 00:03:59.030 --> 00:04:02.789 100 % reconciled forever. And before we were 00:04:02.789 --> 00:04:05.689 under the spiritual oppression of the enemy, 00:04:05.750 --> 00:04:09.680 now we have spiritual authority. Over the spirits 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:13.020 of darkness. All of this is what happened when 00:04:13.020 --> 00:04:15.780 Jesus saved us. So if you are a follower of Jesus, 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:19.339 this is true of you. And then the next question, 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:23.879 who is Jesus? Because some of the teaching that 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:26.720 was infiltrating the church of the Colossians 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.879 was distorting who Jesus was. So Paul writes 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:32.259 very specifically, he says four things. Look, 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:37.800 Jesus is God. He is your creator. He is Lord 00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:42.019 over all creation and over all the redeemed people. 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:46.480 And He is the only Savior that came and died 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:49.180 for our sins and overcame the power of Satan 00:04:49.180 --> 00:04:53.819 and the power of sin. So we can really trust 00:04:53.819 --> 00:04:56.879 in the Savior and in what He has accomplished 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:00.459 for us. This is what we have covered so far. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:03.699 Today we're going to be talking about inner peace. 00:05:04.410 --> 00:05:07.470 Because this aspect of peace is something that 00:05:07.470 --> 00:05:10.550 God wants you to experience so that it flows 00:05:10.550 --> 00:05:14.629 from you into your surrounding. And what the 00:05:14.629 --> 00:05:17.350 rest of the book will do, it will start showing 00:05:17.350 --> 00:05:20.649 you what does grace and peace look like on the 00:05:20.649 --> 00:05:24.129 outside. But it has to start on the inside. And 00:05:24.129 --> 00:05:27.050 the problem is that even though people were following 00:05:27.050 --> 00:05:30.689 Jesus and believing Jesus, some of them started 00:05:30.689 --> 00:05:34.000 getting this peace compromised. And now that 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:37.439 we're not experiencing it anymore. That's why 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:41.660 he writes in chapter 3 verse 15. Would you read 00:05:41.660 --> 00:05:45.579 it out loud with me? Let the peace that comes 00:05:45.579 --> 00:05:49.160 from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:52.459 of one body, you are called to live in peace 00:05:52.459 --> 00:05:58.100 and always be thankful. He says that you and 00:05:58.100 --> 00:06:00.620 I, if we're going to experience God's peace. 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:06.519 We have to let it rule in our hearts. And this 00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:09.439 is the thing about grace and peace. God has given 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:12.579 you his grace completely. But if we don't understand 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:16.560 how this works, then we will experience the lack 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:20.699 of peace in our lives. And if you experience 00:06:20.699 --> 00:06:23.079 the lack of peace in your life, you're going 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:28.100 to feel much more like broken and empty and aimless. 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:34.899 That is not. What God saved you for. It is recommended 00:06:34.899 --> 00:06:37.360 if you're going to take a road trip. Like some 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:40.860 of you did. Take during this break here in Thailand. 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:46.079 That you not only get a full tank. But also. 00:06:46.259 --> 00:06:48.980 That you check something very important. What 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:53.620 is that? Air pressure. In your tires. Because 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:56.100 if the air pressure is not right. You're going 00:06:56.100 --> 00:06:58.759 to start driving. And suddenly you're going to 00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:02.850 feel like. How come I have to like work hard 00:07:02.850 --> 00:07:06.610 at making it go straight? And not only that, 00:07:06.730 --> 00:07:10.290 which becomes a pain, but also you're going to 00:07:10.290 --> 00:07:13.949 have a little sensor light come on. And you try 00:07:13.949 --> 00:07:16.089 not to look at it, but it's like you cannot not 00:07:16.089 --> 00:07:18.790 notice it. And now you're all stressed out in 00:07:18.790 --> 00:07:21.129 your road trip because you did not check the 00:07:21.129 --> 00:07:23.610 pressure tire. So now you're going to the tire 00:07:23.610 --> 00:07:25.709 pressure. I mean, what you will do is that you 00:07:25.709 --> 00:07:30.009 have to stop, correct the tires. Now everything 00:07:30.009 --> 00:07:33.370 is aligned again. And then, oh, such a different 00:07:33.370 --> 00:07:38.230 trip. And when you have lack of peace in your 00:07:38.230 --> 00:07:42.430 life, it's simply a sign that you have lack of 00:07:42.430 --> 00:07:47.370 alignment. You have not checked the tires very 00:07:47.370 --> 00:07:50.730 well. And it feels like an effort when it's supposed 00:07:50.730 --> 00:07:55.230 to feel like just right. Peace means that everything 00:07:55.230 --> 00:07:59.029 is just right. It's just as it's meant to be. 00:07:59.129 --> 00:08:03.649 As God is working through you and in you. And 00:08:03.649 --> 00:08:08.829 you are just going for the ride. So if it feels 00:08:08.829 --> 00:08:12.529 like so much effort and so much work and such 00:08:12.529 --> 00:08:17.709 a burden and such a pain. Then that is not what 00:08:17.709 --> 00:08:21.939 God wants us to experience. If what you have 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:25.379 is lack of peace, what the apostle is telling 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:27.660 us is that you will have to understand that peace 00:08:27.660 --> 00:08:31.860 is something that happens out of an intentional 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:36.080 process, just as shaking your tires before you 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:39.480 take the trip. And what's going to happen in 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:42.759 this study is that he's going to first tell us 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:45.759 what is the problem that these Christians were 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:52.179 facing. And he starts... Very small. Let's find 00:08:52.179 --> 00:08:55.419 out what was the problem they were facing. He 00:08:55.419 --> 00:08:58.659 tells them. Right here on chapter 1 verse 21. 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:02.440 Look guys. Remember before you came to know Christ. 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:07.480 When you were not saved yet. You were his enemies. 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:11.759 Separated from him by your evil thoughts and 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:15.980 actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself 00:09:15.980 --> 00:09:19.460 through the death of Christ in his physical body. 00:09:19.539 --> 00:09:21.960 Because remember, Jesus was a real human with 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:25.759 a real body. And he died on the cross for you. 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:28.500 And when he died on the cross for you, he reconciled 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:32.019 you with God. And as a result, he has brought 00:09:32.019 --> 00:09:36.039 you now into his own presence. And you are holy 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:40.100 and blameless as you stand before him without... 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:44.539 A single fault. Completely forgiven. Completely 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:47.440 reconciled. Because of what he did on the cross. 00:09:49.460 --> 00:09:53.980 That's the truth. But you. You must continue 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:57.220 to believe this truth. And stand firmly in it. 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:01.139 Because it might be true. But if you're not believing 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:03.019 in it. You're not going to experience it. You 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:06.159 need to believe it. Align yourself with that 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:11.460 truth. Don't drift away. From the assurance you 00:10:11.460 --> 00:10:15.720 received when you heard the good news. The gospel 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:18.860 is called the good news for a reason. It's because 00:10:18.860 --> 00:10:22.080 it was God's full forgiveness. Reconciling you 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:25.220 as a gift from God. Not based on your efforts. 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:28.419 But based on your repentance. Your response to 00:10:28.419 --> 00:10:33.000 the message that he has given you. And now you 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:37.600 are his forever. But don't drift away from that 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:42.360 truth. And this is where we realize the beginning 00:10:42.360 --> 00:10:46.919 of the problem. They had lost their way. Instead 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:50.240 of walking in the path of grace and truth, trusting 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:53.620 God's love, His embrace, His acceptance fully, 00:10:53.860 --> 00:10:58.259 they started second -guessing, thinking, oh, 00:10:58.259 --> 00:11:00.860 maybe what these people are telling us is true. 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:04.779 Maybe Jesus helps us be saved, but we need also 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:07.320 to work for it, and maybe we need to do certain 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:14.110 things. For God to really accept us. And Paul 00:11:14.110 --> 00:11:19.149 says. No. No. The moment you believe. That the 00:11:19.149 --> 00:11:22.549 grace of God is not enough. And you have to start 00:11:22.549 --> 00:11:24.909 working for it. You are going to start drifting. 00:11:26.230 --> 00:11:28.889 And that is why he continues. And he tells them 00:11:28.889 --> 00:11:35.149 this. In the following verse. Can you help me 00:11:35.149 --> 00:11:39.629 with the clicker? There, okay, thank you. And 00:11:39.629 --> 00:11:42.710 now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your 00:11:42.710 --> 00:11:47.950 Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Don't 00:11:47.950 --> 00:11:53.509 follow this other message. You know, your God, 00:11:53.649 --> 00:11:57.110 your Creator, the Lord, the Savior, this Jesus, 00:11:57.429 --> 00:12:02.149 continue to follow Him. Don't leave the path. 00:12:03.230 --> 00:12:08.000 Continue to follow the Lord. You were dead because 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:10.259 of your sins and because your sinful nature was 00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:13.100 not yet cut away. But then God made you alive 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:17.519 with Christ. He forgave all of your sins. He 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:20.840 canceled the record of the charges against us 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:23.100 and took it away by nailing it on the cross. 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:26.799 It's like, I'm trying to tell you here the picture 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:30.639 of God's grace. Because I don't understand why 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:36.220 you are walking away from that grace. When Jesus 00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:40.019 died on the cross, he canceled all the charges 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:45.539 against you. Done. In this way, he disarmed the 00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:48.500 spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them 00:12:48.500 --> 00:12:52.740 publicly by his victory over them on the cross. 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:59.720 So don't let anyone. condemn you for what you 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:03.600 eat or drink or for not celebrating certain holy 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:09.879 days or new moon ceremonies or sabbaths these 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:12.820 people that are infiltrating your church are 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:15.100 telling you that you need to now follow these 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:17.679 laws and you need to keep the sabbath like the 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.000 jews do and you need to do this and that and 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:26.259 this and that don't let that message get to you 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:29.759 You don't need Jesus plus all these other things. 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:34.059 Don't let them convince you that you are condemned 00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:36.279 because you are not following all of these things. 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:41.820 Don't fall for that. For these rules are only 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:44.860 shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ 00:13:44.860 --> 00:13:51.039 himself is that reality. Listen, when Jesus saved 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.779 you, when you came to be part of his kingdom, 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.929 now you have died with Christ. And he has set 00:13:57.929 --> 00:14:00.750 you free from the spiritual powers of this world. 00:14:00.889 --> 00:14:04.669 So why do you keep on following the rules of 00:14:04.669 --> 00:14:08.610 the world such as, don't handle. You're not going 00:14:08.610 --> 00:14:12.289 to go to heaven if you handle that. Don't touch, 00:14:12.490 --> 00:14:14.909 don't taste. If you do, you're going to lose 00:14:14.909 --> 00:14:21.009 your salvation. Such rules are mere human teachings 00:14:21.009 --> 00:14:24.570 about things that deteriorate as we use them. 00:14:26.090 --> 00:14:29.409 These rules may seem wise because they require 00:14:29.409 --> 00:14:33.629 strong devotion, pious self -denial, and severe 00:14:33.629 --> 00:14:38.850 bodily discipline. But in reality, if we get 00:14:38.850 --> 00:14:43.450 real, they provide no help in conquering your 00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:54.230 inner world, your sinful, evil desires. So don't 00:14:54.230 --> 00:15:00.039 fall for it. The moment they started drifting 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:03.500 away from just being rooted in Jesus. Jesus period. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:06.259 We don't need plus this, plus this, plus this. 00:15:06.299 --> 00:15:09.659 No, Jesus. In Him, I'm fully forgiven, fully 00:15:09.659 --> 00:15:14.120 accepted, fully embraced. I belong to Him. I'm 00:15:14.120 --> 00:15:18.399 part of His kingdom. Instead of being rooted 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:21.799 in that and letting them grow into these fruitful 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:27.029 trees, they started doubting that truth. And 00:15:27.029 --> 00:15:31.570 they started replacing that assurance and that 00:15:31.570 --> 00:15:36.009 confidence and that power and freedom to live 00:15:36.009 --> 00:15:40.409 for God and serve Him fully. They started replacing 00:15:40.409 --> 00:15:46.610 it with what we call legalism. Legalism is the 00:15:46.610 --> 00:15:50.529 idea that I have to try very hard at doing good 00:15:50.529 --> 00:15:55.059 things so that God... Will like me and be happy 00:15:55.059 --> 00:16:01.460 with me. And accept me. And therefore. I believe. 00:16:02.259 --> 00:16:05.799 That God's acceptance of me. Is based on my effort. 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:09.860 Are you a good boy? Are you a good girl? Okay. 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:16.019 But if you are not. Watch out. You may not go 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:21.740 to heaven after all. Well, the problem with legalism, 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:25.039 therefore, is that it gives you all these extra 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:27.940 rules you have to follow. And these rules are 00:16:27.940 --> 00:16:33.980 what make you righteous. Not Jesus. Your effort. 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:38.159 And therefore, because I'm never sure if I'm 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:41.700 good enough or not, the way I experience following 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:46.240 Jesus becomes worse than the economy. If I put 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:50.529 it in a graphic, it will look like this. Today 00:16:50.529 --> 00:16:52.669 I feel very close to God. Today not so much. 00:16:53.570 --> 00:16:55.990 Today God's grace is great. Today it's very little. 00:16:56.970 --> 00:16:59.990 And it's like God loves me. Maybe God doesn't 00:16:59.990 --> 00:17:04.529 love me. And I am in that space. It changes by 00:17:04.529 --> 00:17:08.849 the day. And therefore rather than experiencing 00:17:08.849 --> 00:17:12.730 God's peace. God's peace has been compromised. 00:17:13.789 --> 00:17:17.230 And it has been compromised. The reason why it's 00:17:17.230 --> 00:17:21.049 not reigning in my heart. And it's not defining 00:17:21.049 --> 00:17:24.009 the way I experience my relationship with God. 00:17:24.170 --> 00:17:27.829 It's simply because I have stopped standing on 00:17:27.829 --> 00:17:31.650 God's grace. You abandon God's grace, you cannot 00:17:31.650 --> 00:17:34.930 experience peace. You only have fear and insecurity. 00:17:36.170 --> 00:17:42.750 You see, God's grace is so different. So different. 00:17:44.250 --> 00:17:48.130 Because God says, look, you want to follow me? 00:17:50.009 --> 00:17:52.450 Sure? Okay, but you're a sinner. You recognize 00:17:52.450 --> 00:17:57.710 that? Do you repent of living life without me? 00:17:57.750 --> 00:18:01.890 You really want to love me? Yes. Okay. Forgiven. 00:18:02.289 --> 00:18:05.990 All, everything. Past, present, future. All done. 00:18:06.069 --> 00:18:08.509 I'm going to give you my Holy Spirit. And now 00:18:08.509 --> 00:18:11.650 follow me. But God, I'm not perfect. I know. 00:18:11.730 --> 00:18:13.829 I know you'll struggle and all that stuff. But 00:18:13.829 --> 00:18:17.170 I am making you perfect. Not you. Just follow 00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:21.069 me. And you follow God. And now the Holy Spirit 00:18:21.069 --> 00:18:25.009 in you. Wants intimacy with you. He wants you 00:18:25.009 --> 00:18:27.869 to experience inner healing. He wants you to 00:18:27.869 --> 00:18:31.569 start experiencing the freedom. Of living for 00:18:31.569 --> 00:18:35.029 him. Where guilt and shame and fear are no longer 00:18:35.029 --> 00:18:39.630 defining you. God's grace is an invitation. To 00:18:39.630 --> 00:18:46.650 be transformed. Into freedom. Into life. God's 00:18:46.650 --> 00:18:50.400 grace. It's not a work permit that you get so 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:53.660 you can make a bigger hole and live in it. It's 00:18:53.660 --> 00:18:58.640 already terrible. God's grace is a ladder that 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:01.460 is inviting you to come out of it. So you can 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:08.059 live in his freedom. But legalism is a whole 00:19:08.059 --> 00:19:11.390 different story. Because legalism is not about 00:19:11.390 --> 00:19:14.150 intimacy with God. It's not about any transformation. 00:19:14.869 --> 00:19:18.470 It's about your effort and a bunch of rules that 00:19:18.470 --> 00:19:24.210 define who you are. If this is not clear, let 00:19:24.210 --> 00:19:27.890 me summarize it to you in 10 statements that 00:19:27.890 --> 00:19:32.049 contrast legalism with grace. Listen to them. 00:19:33.130 --> 00:19:35.650 Legalism is trying to be holy without the Holy 00:19:35.650 --> 00:19:52.289 Spirit. Legalism... What about the next group? 00:19:52.769 --> 00:19:56.809 A legalist obeys to be accepted. A Christian 00:19:56.809 --> 00:20:00.130 obeys because they have already been accepted. 00:20:01.690 --> 00:20:06.069 Grace whispers, you are free. Legalism shouts, 00:20:06.170 --> 00:20:10.970 try harder. A little harder. Maybe then God will 00:20:10.970 --> 00:20:13.809 accept you. Maybe then you will be good enough. 00:20:14.130 --> 00:20:19.470 And if not, we have purgatory for that. Legalism 00:20:19.470 --> 00:20:24.730 is trusting in your hands more than his scars. 00:20:25.009 --> 00:20:28.549 I love that one. What about the next section? 00:20:29.430 --> 00:20:33.190 Grace transforms hearts. Legalism just manages 00:20:33.190 --> 00:20:37.319 behavior. Legalism... Let me look at it here 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:40.140 because my sight is terrible now. Legalism wears 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:44.880 the mask of holiness but forgets the heart of 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:48.420 Jesus. I love that one too. Legalism builds a 00:20:48.420 --> 00:20:55.339 prison with Bible verses as bars. Oh, wow. Where 00:20:55.339 --> 00:21:01.480 legalism thrives, joy dies. And that's true. 00:21:02.619 --> 00:21:05.059 Because instead of being this thriving tree, 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:08.220 Flourishing with the freedom knowing that you've 00:21:08.220 --> 00:21:14.259 been accepted, forgiven, and his forever. Now 00:21:14.259 --> 00:21:17.299 you experience life from this place of insecurity 00:21:17.299 --> 00:21:28.039 and fear and compromised peace. Have you fallen 00:21:28.039 --> 00:21:32.799 for the lie of legalism? Have you stopped resting 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:37.960 in God's grace? If so, that explains why you're 00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:43.279 not experiencing peace. You need to check the 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:47.960 tires. Stop where you are. Make sure that they 00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:51.579 are right before you keep following. Because 00:21:51.579 --> 00:21:53.799 this journey is meant to be a journey marked 00:21:53.799 --> 00:22:00.039 by peace. But what the Apostle Paul does is that 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:03.420 after he confronts them with the distortion of 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:06.910 legalism, He's going to help them understand 00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:10.230 that at the core of letting the peace of God 00:22:10.230 --> 00:22:13.529 reign in you is simply an issue of alignment. 00:22:14.529 --> 00:22:19.890 You have to learn to live life according to who 00:22:19.890 --> 00:22:24.450 you truly are. I remember there was a professor 00:22:24.450 --> 00:22:27.630 in seminary that told us that when he got married 00:22:27.630 --> 00:22:29.630 at the beginning, well before he got married, 00:22:29.730 --> 00:22:32.130 he loved canoeing. In fact, he had built his 00:22:32.130 --> 00:22:37.069 own canoe. And he always loved going canoeing. 00:22:38.210 --> 00:22:41.690 So he would take his canoe, go for the whole 00:22:41.690 --> 00:22:44.509 day, then come back tired. You know, he did that 00:22:44.509 --> 00:22:47.450 all the time. So he got married. And the first 00:22:47.450 --> 00:22:50.109 week that he got married, one day he thought, 00:22:50.150 --> 00:22:52.670 I want to go canoeing. So he got up very early, 00:22:52.710 --> 00:22:55.950 went canoeing, spent the whole day, except he 00:22:55.950 --> 00:22:59.809 didn't tell his wife. So when his wife woke up, 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:02.319 And didn't see him there. And there was no way 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:04.539 to contact him. She had no idea where he was. 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:07.579 What had happened to him. She was freaking out. 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:10.279 Not knowing what's going on here. And he comes 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:14.559 back happy after a day canoeing. And it's like 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:19.220 that's when he discovered. That he had to learn 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:22.500 to live as a married person. He was acting like 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:25.319 a single one. You see. You did that when you 00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:26.980 were single. But now that you're married. You 00:23:26.980 --> 00:23:30.220 just disappear. Like that. It's okay to use your 00:23:30.220 --> 00:23:33.500 canoe and love doing this, but at least can you 00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:36.400 check with your wife now that you're one? Make 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:38.539 sure that this is okay and it's going to be fine. 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:41.839 And take your cell phone with you because most 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:43.519 likely she will want to check on you to make 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:48.619 sure you're safe. What he was experiencing is 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:50.779 that even though he had a change of identity, 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:58.880 he had to learn to live that new identity. The 00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:02.140 fact that you are not a good husband doesn't 00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:05.299 mean you're not a husband. It means that you 00:24:05.299 --> 00:24:09.359 have to learn to live according to this identity. 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:13.579 And the same thing will happen in following Jesus. 00:24:14.859 --> 00:24:20.480 Lack of peace in our lives is a symptom, an indicator. 00:24:21.530 --> 00:24:25.390 That you are not living your life according to 00:24:25.390 --> 00:24:28.789 who you are. And that is going to have to be 00:24:28.789 --> 00:24:33.190 the focus of your attention. Not trying harder 00:24:33.190 --> 00:24:37.509 like legalism does. It's paying more attention 00:24:37.509 --> 00:24:40.990 to what is the root of the problem. So I can 00:24:40.990 --> 00:24:43.569 correct it. Because the concept of acceptance 00:24:43.569 --> 00:24:46.210 and forgiveness, that's done. That's an old song. 00:24:46.289 --> 00:24:49.539 I don't need to revisit it. I need to understand 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:53.440 what is robbing me from this peace that Jesus 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:59.440 died to give me. And that's why the Apostle Paul 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:02.039 is going to use the rest of this section to tell 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:06.640 us about it. And as I read this section, I picture 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:09.440 it like the person that goes to the doctor. Except 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:12.299 that in this case, the Apostle Paul is the doctor. 00:25:12.619 --> 00:25:18.039 Last time I got my checkup done. It goes like 00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:22.019 this, you know, it's like typical, basic health 00:25:22.019 --> 00:25:27.279 questions. So, Pablo, are you working out? Are 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:32.680 you running? Are you exercising? Well, not really. 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:35.680 I used to, but not much. I'm so busy. It's like, 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:40.299 I don't have time to exercise. Okay, and how 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:41.720 are you doing with your diet? Are you eating 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:45.599 enough veggies and fruits and avoiding all the 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:47.960 carbs and cholesterol and sugar and all this 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:52.259 stuff? It's like, well, you know, it's like I 00:25:52.259 --> 00:25:54.420 can always add a little bit more veggies to my 00:25:54.420 --> 00:25:57.400 diet, but the sugar, I just love the coffee with 00:25:57.400 --> 00:26:01.240 the sweet, you know? Paolo, what about sleeping? 00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:03.700 Are you sleeping okay? Because, you know, your 00:26:03.700 --> 00:26:07.480 body needs enough hours to sleep. Well, sleeping. 00:26:08.629 --> 00:26:11.750 It's kind of like hard because I'm so stressed 00:26:11.750 --> 00:26:15.789 out. I just wake up so early, you know, and it's 00:26:15.789 --> 00:26:19.690 like, and just in those three questions, the 00:26:19.690 --> 00:26:22.109 doctor could already tell that my health is not 00:26:22.109 --> 00:26:25.410 very good. Not because I needed an MRI. This 00:26:25.410 --> 00:26:30.710 is basic health questions. Everybody knows if 00:26:30.710 --> 00:26:32.670 you want to be healthy, you need to work out, 00:26:32.710 --> 00:26:37.380 eat well, and rest well, right? Well, the Apostle 00:26:37.380 --> 00:26:40.880 Paul is going to now turn to you and to me. And 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:43.960 he's going to help us understand how we're doing 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:47.759 with our health, but our spiritual inner health. 00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:51.380 Is the peace of God being compromised in your 00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:55.279 life? Then let's find out how you're doing. Pablo, 00:26:55.380 --> 00:26:57.960 the first question I'm going to ask you, what's 00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:00.700 your perspective? You are living life, you're 00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:03.519 following Jesus, you love God, right? Okay, you're 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:05.539 a Christian, yeah, okay, so what's your perspective? 00:27:05.700 --> 00:27:09.420 It's like, what do you mean? It's like, I have 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:12.859 my family, and I'm trying to work, and be a good 00:27:12.859 --> 00:27:17.559 father, and you know. No, no, I mean, what is 00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:19.859 your perspective? The way you are seeing your 00:27:19.859 --> 00:27:23.940 life. Because if you don't have the right perspective 00:27:23.940 --> 00:27:26.099 on your life. Your peace will be compromised. 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:29.140 And you have to make sure that you let the peace 00:27:29.140 --> 00:27:35.099 of God rule in your heart. And for that you have 00:27:35.099 --> 00:27:37.599 to have the right perspective. What I mean is 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:40.619 this. Since you have been raised to new life 00:27:40.619 --> 00:27:44.319 with Christ. Since now you belong to his kingdom. 00:27:44.380 --> 00:27:49.029 100 % reconciled with God. And you are his. Since 00:27:49.029 --> 00:27:51.970 now you have been raised with Christ, you have 00:27:51.970 --> 00:27:54.369 to set your sights on the realities of heaven, 00:27:54.589 --> 00:27:57.890 where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's 00:27:57.890 --> 00:28:02.250 right hand. Think about the things of heaven, 00:28:02.430 --> 00:28:06.630 not the things of earth. For you died to this 00:28:06.630 --> 00:28:10.670 life, and your real life is hidden with Christ 00:28:10.670 --> 00:28:15.410 in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is 00:28:15.410 --> 00:28:20.319 revealed to the whole world, You will share in 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:27.599 all of his glory. Is this your perspective? Oh, 00:28:27.619 --> 00:28:30.980 wait. If that's what you mean, well, you know, 00:28:30.980 --> 00:28:33.380 once a week when I go to church on Sundays, you 00:28:33.380 --> 00:28:36.400 know, I kind of think about these things. But 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:41.680 the rest of the week, not much. Ah, that explains 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:45.319 it. That means we're living just like the world. 00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:51.859 Day to day for the mundane stuff. You have to 00:28:51.859 --> 00:28:54.940 have the right perspective on your life. Because 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:57.559 otherwise the peace of God was not something 00:28:57.559 --> 00:29:01.740 that you're going to be experiencing. Let me 00:29:01.740 --> 00:29:06.619 put it this way. You see this picture? There's 00:29:06.619 --> 00:29:09.759 a little insect called a caterpillar. This caterpillar 00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:13.299 doesn't know. It's just so busy eating every 00:29:13.299 --> 00:29:15.990 day. Eating and getting fatter. Eating and getting 00:29:15.990 --> 00:29:18.970 fatter. That's all it does. It was programmed 00:29:18.970 --> 00:29:23.769 for that. This is in its DNA. But this caterpillar 00:29:23.769 --> 00:29:28.130 doesn't know that soon he's going to be in this 00:29:28.130 --> 00:29:35.349 chrysalis. And that all his cells, everything, 00:29:35.849 --> 00:29:38.970 the whole body is going to melt. And all the 00:29:38.970 --> 00:29:43.200 cells are going to reassign. And now, all of 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:46.460 it is built in its DNA already. And it's going 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:50.099 to suddenly, one day come out of that chrysalis, 00:29:50.099 --> 00:29:55.700 now completely reassemble into a butterfly. It 00:29:55.700 --> 00:29:59.640 doesn't know that. But this is what this is. 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:05.920 This caterpillar is basically a butterfly in 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:08.720 the making. It's just a matter of time. It's 00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:11.619 going to happen with a... the caterpillar knows 00:30:11.619 --> 00:30:17.700 it or not. But what if he knows it? What if he 00:30:17.700 --> 00:30:21.140 knows that he's going to become a butterfly? 00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:24.440 What if he knows that a chrysalis is going to 00:30:24.440 --> 00:30:28.599 be soon formed? What if he knows that this is 00:30:28.599 --> 00:30:32.200 the future? Oh, that changes everything. Because 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:35.519 otherwise, that poor caterpillar may be eating 00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:37.700 and getting fatter, eating and getting fatter. 00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:41.920 And then, he starts hearing people saying, you 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:47.380 fat insect. You don't have self -control. Can 00:30:47.380 --> 00:30:50.059 you ever stop eating? Look what you have become. 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:57.119 You are just a fat worm. And that book caterpillar 00:30:57.119 --> 00:31:00.380 starts believing it. A fat worm. And every time 00:31:00.380 --> 00:31:03.240 he looks at the mirror, he goes like, I'm so 00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:10.299 ugly. I'm so ashamed of myself. You see, that 00:31:10.299 --> 00:31:12.279 doesn't change the fact that it's a butterfly 00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:14.660 in the making, does it? It's going to become 00:31:14.660 --> 00:31:17.279 a butterfly whether it realizes it or not. But 00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:20.539 what changed is that this caterpillar is not 00:31:20.539 --> 00:31:24.740 experiencing peace. It's not enjoying the ride. 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:27.940 It's not looking forward to what is it going 00:31:27.940 --> 00:31:30.259 to be like flying. I can't wait till that day. 00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:35.160 Because I'm never thinking about that. You see, 00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:40.789 the caterpillar is not a fat worm. The caterpillar 00:31:40.789 --> 00:31:44.349 is a butterfly in the making and so are you. 00:31:50.250 --> 00:31:56.849 Think about the things of heaven. Because when 00:31:56.849 --> 00:32:00.130 Jesus comes back, the one you're following, you 00:32:00.130 --> 00:32:01.789 know what's going to happen? You're going to 00:32:01.789 --> 00:32:04.210 be glorified. You're going to become sinless, 00:32:04.269 --> 00:32:06.369 immortal. You're going to be transformed. You're 00:32:06.369 --> 00:32:08.630 going to be with the Lord forever. Do you know 00:32:08.630 --> 00:32:10.869 that you're going to reign with Christ? That 00:32:10.869 --> 00:32:12.529 you're going to judge angels? That you're going 00:32:12.529 --> 00:32:14.869 to judge the world? Did you know the future that 00:32:14.869 --> 00:32:18.170 is awaiting you? I know you can understand it. 00:32:18.230 --> 00:32:19.869 It's beyond you because you never experienced 00:32:19.869 --> 00:32:26.910 it. But I can't wait to tell you. Perspective 00:32:26.910 --> 00:32:30.589 matters. And the first thing that the Apostle 00:32:30.589 --> 00:32:34.279 Paul is going to say. Is that you have to learn 00:32:34.279 --> 00:32:38.099 to be who you already are. And what you are is 00:32:38.099 --> 00:32:41.420 this butterfly in the making. In biblical terms. 00:32:42.279 --> 00:32:45.740 Who you are is this. You have been justified. 00:32:46.380 --> 00:32:52.180 Jesus reconciled you with God 100%. No more guilt. 00:32:52.259 --> 00:32:57.059 No more shame. Done. Also he gave you his Holy 00:32:57.059 --> 00:32:59.880 Spirit. You are sanctified. Now you have within 00:32:59.880 --> 00:33:04.700 you. The power of God. That wants to transform 00:33:04.700 --> 00:33:07.460 you from within. So you can experience freedom. 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:11.779 It can heal your wounds. Because God heals the 00:33:11.779 --> 00:33:14.680 broken hearted. And he does bandage their wounds. 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:18.660 And you will be glorified. You will be transformed 00:33:18.660 --> 00:33:20.920 and you will be loved with the Lord forever. 00:33:21.039 --> 00:33:25.140 This is who you are if you are a born again Christian. 00:33:27.160 --> 00:33:30.740 And therefore, we have to live our lives with 00:33:30.740 --> 00:33:35.960 the right perspective. Otherwise, peace is not 00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:37.980 going to define your experience on day to day. 00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:44.099 Has your peace been compromised? because you 00:33:44.099 --> 00:33:47.559 realize you have the wrong perspective, and you 00:33:47.559 --> 00:33:50.960 are thinking of you just as a worthless worm, 00:33:51.140 --> 00:33:58.359 then what you have to do is change perspective. 00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:02.680 There's a second question that this doctor wants 00:34:02.680 --> 00:34:04.940 to ask us, because remember, it's checking our 00:34:04.940 --> 00:34:09.639 health. The second question is, you know, what 00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:17.239 is your identity? Who are you? Because what you 00:34:17.239 --> 00:34:20.480 believe you are is going to affect how you behave. 00:34:23.599 --> 00:34:27.940 So if you're not happy with your behaviors, then 00:34:27.940 --> 00:34:32.099 don't try harder. Start thinking about what is 00:34:32.099 --> 00:34:34.099 it you're thinking you are that is leading you 00:34:34.099 --> 00:34:38.880 to those behaviors. And align yourself with the 00:34:38.880 --> 00:34:41.599 Holy Spirit in that place because He's the Spirit 00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:44.719 of Truth. And when you start walking in truth, 00:34:44.920 --> 00:34:48.780 the behaviors change. But the behaviors won't 00:34:48.780 --> 00:34:54.659 change if you keep believing lies. So what's 00:34:54.659 --> 00:34:59.099 your identity? It's like, I mean, I don't know 00:34:59.099 --> 00:35:01.619 how to answer that question. Where do I even 00:35:01.619 --> 00:35:07.599 begin? It's like, I don't know. I mean... I know 00:35:07.599 --> 00:35:11.599 God loves me, and He saved me, and Pastor Pablo 00:35:11.599 --> 00:35:13.219 says, you know, I'll go to heaven after I die, 00:35:13.360 --> 00:35:15.679 even though sometimes, you know, it's like, yeah, 00:35:15.699 --> 00:35:18.119 but the grace, yeah, you know, and all this. 00:35:20.659 --> 00:35:22.980 Let me make it easier for you. I'm going to put 00:35:22.980 --> 00:35:26.059 three mirrors in front of you. You see these 00:35:26.059 --> 00:35:32.619 mirrors? Okay, stand in front of them. Now, the 00:35:32.619 --> 00:35:36.000 problem with these mirrors, is that they want 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:38.199 to do everything in their power to deceive you, 00:35:38.260 --> 00:35:40.739 to make you believe that you are that which is 00:35:40.739 --> 00:35:43.139 in the mirror. But here I'm telling you, you 00:35:43.139 --> 00:35:45.940 are not that. Remember who you are. I already 00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:51.619 covered it. Remember who you are. The first mirror 00:35:51.619 --> 00:35:55.539 is the mirror of your body. You see, this mirror 00:35:55.539 --> 00:35:59.519 that comes from the world tells you that the 00:35:59.519 --> 00:36:04.730 goal in your life is to be happy, not holy. And 00:36:04.730 --> 00:36:08.949 that you need to simply embrace every desire 00:36:08.949 --> 00:36:12.710 you have. That if you have any sexual desire 00:36:12.710 --> 00:36:14.869 in your life, just pursue it. It will make you 00:36:14.869 --> 00:36:18.869 happy. It will also tell you that as long as 00:36:18.869 --> 00:36:22.130 there's consent, that's all you need. You don't 00:36:22.130 --> 00:36:26.610 need to be married. Don't put that thing on your 00:36:26.610 --> 00:36:32.980 neck. It's a marriage. As long as the person 00:36:32.980 --> 00:36:37.840 likes you, it's fine. Plus, everybody does it. 00:36:38.179 --> 00:36:41.139 And you know like the song says, as mammals do, 00:36:41.300 --> 00:36:45.920 you're just a mammal, just live your life. That's 00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:51.320 not who you are. Don't believe that mirror. The 00:36:51.320 --> 00:36:53.579 moment you believe that mirror, your peace will 00:36:53.579 --> 00:36:59.469 be compromised. So listen. Put to death. The 00:36:59.469 --> 00:37:02.750 sinful earthly things lurking within you have 00:37:02.750 --> 00:37:06.610 nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, 00:37:06.869 --> 00:37:11.570 lust, and evil desires. Don't fall for it. And 00:37:11.570 --> 00:37:15.469 if you already fell for it, come out of it. That 00:37:15.469 --> 00:37:20.590 is not who you are. Don't believe that mirror. 00:37:22.889 --> 00:37:26.130 Because what do you get when you believe that 00:37:26.130 --> 00:37:30.719 mirror? Peace? Ah, no peace, huh? What do you 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:38.000 get instead? Do you happen to feel filthy? Worthless? 00:37:39.480 --> 00:37:46.159 Used? Yeah, exactly. That's how you're going 00:37:46.159 --> 00:37:49.519 to feel every time you're engaged in sexual behaviors 00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:52.639 that do not align with who you are and you are 00:37:52.639 --> 00:38:00.289 not just a mammal. Your body now is a temple 00:38:00.289 --> 00:38:02.809 of the Holy Spirit and you are called to honor 00:38:02.809 --> 00:38:07.449 God with your body. And when you grow in honoring 00:38:07.449 --> 00:38:10.050 God with your body, you will experience more 00:38:10.050 --> 00:38:14.110 and more peace. And that's exactly what Jackie 00:38:14.110 --> 00:38:16.809 experienced. Because you see, Jackie believed 00:38:16.809 --> 00:38:19.550 the mirror the world gave her that told her you 00:38:19.550 --> 00:38:22.329 are your sexual desires. So whatever desire you 00:38:22.329 --> 00:38:25.269 have, that's your identity. And she started pursuing 00:38:25.269 --> 00:38:29.460 that. And she's very honest. She says, I really 00:38:29.460 --> 00:38:34.960 enjoyed my sin, but I had no peace. And when 00:38:34.960 --> 00:38:38.940 I started wrestling with these things, I had 00:38:38.940 --> 00:38:43.639 a friend that prayed for me and said, God, help 00:38:43.639 --> 00:38:49.880 her know how much you love her by helping her 00:38:49.880 --> 00:38:55.300 see how much she needs you. And when that friend 00:38:55.300 --> 00:38:58.880 prayed that, oh, did she start understanding 00:38:58.880 --> 00:39:01.880 how much she needed God. Things started going 00:39:01.880 --> 00:39:05.079 not so well. And the lack of peace became more 00:39:05.079 --> 00:39:09.860 and more obvious. Until one day Jackie heard 00:39:09.860 --> 00:39:13.900 the gospel and understood God's grace. That Jesus 00:39:13.900 --> 00:39:16.519 had paid for all of her sins. She just needed 00:39:16.519 --> 00:39:20.059 to come into the family. And now accepted and 00:39:20.059 --> 00:39:22.000 embraced the Holy Spirit was going to empower 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:26.500 her. And that changed completely her way of thinking. 00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:29.579 Because until that point she thought that to 00:39:29.579 --> 00:39:32.860 be a Christian was a life of trying hard, of 00:39:32.860 --> 00:39:35.559 being miserable, following rules that you don't 00:39:35.559 --> 00:39:39.340 like and that you cannot fulfill. Rather than 00:39:39.340 --> 00:39:41.960 an intimate relationship with God where He is 00:39:41.960 --> 00:39:43.760 healing your wounds and transforming you from 00:39:43.760 --> 00:39:48.940 within. So as she started experiencing this transformation, 00:39:49.119 --> 00:39:52.639 she writes it and she says, I discovered that 00:39:52.639 --> 00:39:56.440 holiness is not the absence of sin, but the presence 00:39:56.440 --> 00:40:04.099 of God. Intimacy with God makes you realize how 00:40:04.099 --> 00:40:08.079 much He loves you and how miserable you are away 00:40:08.079 --> 00:40:11.019 from Him. That you start looking at sin as like, 00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:15.699 nah, not anymore. I know what follows after it. 00:40:15.980 --> 00:40:21.039 and I'm done with that. Have you believed the 00:40:21.039 --> 00:40:24.480 mirror of distortion about your body? But there's 00:40:24.480 --> 00:40:27.800 a second mirror. The second mirror is the mirror 00:40:27.800 --> 00:40:30.920 of money. This mirror tells you that you are 00:40:30.920 --> 00:40:33.900 what you have. That if you have a lot of money, 00:40:33.960 --> 00:40:37.659 then you are a worthy person, successful, someone 00:40:37.659 --> 00:40:41.820 with stature. You are defined by your belongings. 00:40:42.920 --> 00:40:45.039 Which also means that if you don't have much, 00:40:45.079 --> 00:40:48.360 you're a loser. And if you're a loser, then act 00:40:48.360 --> 00:40:55.440 like one. The problem with this mirror is that 00:40:55.440 --> 00:40:58.139 it's a distortion because you are not what you 00:40:58.139 --> 00:41:03.760 have. Your worth is defined by God, not by your 00:41:03.760 --> 00:41:08.489 belongings. And your belongings... are not to 00:41:08.489 --> 00:41:12.170 define you, are simply tools that God has given 00:41:12.170 --> 00:41:15.989 you so that your needs can be met and then he 00:41:15.989 --> 00:41:18.989 can use you to address the needs of others. In 00:41:18.989 --> 00:41:22.110 other words, money is not the goal of life. Money 00:41:22.110 --> 00:41:26.489 is simply a tool to serve God with it. The more 00:41:26.489 --> 00:41:29.650 money I have, the more things I have to serve 00:41:29.650 --> 00:41:36.469 God with. So don't believe the distortion of 00:41:36.469 --> 00:41:40.559 this mirror. Instead, don't be greedy, for a 00:41:40.559 --> 00:41:43.519 greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the 00:41:43.519 --> 00:41:46.340 things of this world. And in the past, listen, 00:41:46.599 --> 00:41:49.360 you used to do these things, when your life was 00:41:49.360 --> 00:41:51.260 still part of this world, but you are not part 00:41:51.260 --> 00:41:58.780 of this world anymore. If you live to have more, 00:42:00.199 --> 00:42:05.559 you will experience like the song says, Never 00:42:05.559 --> 00:42:10.139 enough, never enough for me, for me, never enough. 00:42:11.980 --> 00:42:17.559 Never. Always a little bit more. And there's 00:42:17.559 --> 00:42:26.139 no peace in that. There is an author that wrote 00:42:26.139 --> 00:42:31.860 a book called Heaven. Thick study on everything 00:42:31.860 --> 00:42:34.579 the Bible says about heaven. His name is Andy 00:42:34.579 --> 00:42:38.539 Alcorn. And as he was following God, and he became 00:42:38.539 --> 00:42:41.539 more and more aware of, wow, that's where we're 00:42:41.539 --> 00:42:44.159 going, and this is what it means, and this is 00:42:44.159 --> 00:42:47.940 what it implies, he started changing the way 00:42:47.940 --> 00:42:55.420 he saw his money and his pursuit. And he puts 00:42:55.420 --> 00:42:59.639 it in a way that is so powerful. He says, what 00:42:59.639 --> 00:43:02.900 I discover is that God prospers me. Not to raise 00:43:02.900 --> 00:43:05.840 my standard of living, but to raise my standard 00:43:05.840 --> 00:43:11.239 of giving. My ability to give more so I can serve 00:43:11.239 --> 00:43:14.059 God more with the impact more people. Imagine 00:43:14.059 --> 00:43:16.480 giving more to this ministry that is working 00:43:16.480 --> 00:43:19.559 with the prisons, the house of blessing. Wow, 00:43:19.679 --> 00:43:24.260 I can help those people now. I have more. There's 00:43:24.260 --> 00:43:27.780 freedom and there's joy in that. Instead of, 00:43:27.820 --> 00:43:29.539 well, I never have enough. I need more because 00:43:29.539 --> 00:43:34.489 I never have enough. Have you fallen for this 00:43:34.489 --> 00:43:38.530 mirror? It's a distortion. It's going to compromise 00:43:38.530 --> 00:43:42.789 your peace. But there's a third mirror. And this 00:43:42.789 --> 00:43:46.849 third mirror is people. This mirror is going 00:43:46.849 --> 00:43:49.309 to tell you that what people think of you is 00:43:49.309 --> 00:43:52.190 what matters most. So when they don't think nicely 00:43:52.190 --> 00:43:55.760 of you, oh, you're all stressed out. And therefore, 00:43:55.900 --> 00:43:59.019 you want to make sure that you do the right thing. 00:43:59.039 --> 00:44:01.219 And you say the right thing. And that they think 00:44:01.219 --> 00:44:02.940 of you the right thing. Because you want them 00:44:02.940 --> 00:44:05.920 so desperately to like you. And when they don't 00:44:05.920 --> 00:44:11.260 like you, you feel so discouraged. That mirror 00:44:11.260 --> 00:44:16.139 is a distortion. You do not live to impress people. 00:44:16.619 --> 00:44:19.960 What they think of you is not what matters. What 00:44:19.960 --> 00:44:23.519 matters is what God thinks of you. So listen. 00:44:24.880 --> 00:44:28.659 You have to understand that now is the time to 00:44:28.659 --> 00:44:33.199 get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, 00:44:33.400 --> 00:44:36.860 dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for 00:44:36.860 --> 00:44:39.099 you have stripped off your all sinful nature 00:44:39.099 --> 00:44:45.300 and all of its wicked deeds. You don't need to 00:44:45.300 --> 00:44:48.320 start using the F word to sound cool so that 00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:52.079 your friends will like you. You don't need to 00:44:52.079 --> 00:44:54.500 act like the world so that they will think of 00:44:54.500 --> 00:44:57.300 you a certain way. That is going to compromise 00:44:57.300 --> 00:45:00.940 your peace. This is not who you are. You don't 00:45:00.940 --> 00:45:03.280 need to start lying and manipulating so that 00:45:03.280 --> 00:45:07.539 people will think highly of you. No. That is 00:45:07.539 --> 00:45:10.059 compromising your peace. That's why you're not 00:45:10.059 --> 00:45:13.119 experiencing it. And you need to let the peace 00:45:13.119 --> 00:45:16.280 of God rule in your heart by aligning yourself 00:45:16.280 --> 00:45:24.460 with Him. What matters most is not what people 00:45:24.460 --> 00:45:32.460 think of you. What matters most is truth. There 00:45:32.460 --> 00:45:35.679 is a pastor and theologian that now is with the 00:45:35.679 --> 00:45:39.840 Lord. Admired by many. His name is Timothy Keller. 00:45:41.320 --> 00:45:44.360 On his own journey of following the Lord, he 00:45:44.360 --> 00:45:46.639 realized that people pleasing was not the way. 00:45:46.739 --> 00:45:50.800 Compromise is peace. And there is freedom. In 00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:52.519 knowing that the only person that will live to 00:45:52.519 --> 00:45:54.840 please is the Lord. And this is what he says. 00:45:54.940 --> 00:45:57.320 The only person whose opinion counts looks at 00:45:57.320 --> 00:46:02.179 me and sees Jesus. I don't have to impress anyone 00:46:02.179 --> 00:46:08.679 anymore. Not even God. There's freedom in being 00:46:08.679 --> 00:46:13.940 known and being loved and embraced. Because God 00:46:13.940 --> 00:46:17.519 knows that you are a butterfly in the making. 00:46:18.730 --> 00:46:22.289 He sees you as that fat, never stopping eating 00:46:22.289 --> 00:46:31.510 insect. And he sees a butterfly in you. Have 00:46:31.510 --> 00:46:33.730 you fallen for this distortion? Because if you 00:46:33.730 --> 00:46:36.630 have, that's why your peace has been compromised. 00:46:38.150 --> 00:46:43.250 So there it is. The three mirrors. If you look 00:46:43.250 --> 00:46:46.139 at these three things. And you say, Pastor Paolo, 00:46:46.219 --> 00:46:48.639 I don't struggle with this one at all. Then it's 00:46:48.639 --> 00:46:51.820 a zero. If you say, oh, that mirror, I've been 00:46:51.820 --> 00:46:54.860 believing it almost like the whole picture. Then 00:46:54.860 --> 00:46:58.619 the more struggle, it's a ten. Anything in between. 00:46:59.099 --> 00:47:03.139 What would you score yourself? Have you fallen 00:47:03.139 --> 00:47:06.539 for the distortion of sex in the world? Have 00:47:06.539 --> 00:47:10.019 you fallen for the distortion of money as identity? 00:47:10.699 --> 00:47:14.789 Success as the goal of life? Or impressing people? 00:47:17.469 --> 00:47:20.750 If you have, then the last question the Apostle 00:47:20.750 --> 00:47:26.769 Paul has for us is this. What is your plan? What 00:47:26.769 --> 00:47:28.769 are you going to do to get healthier and make 00:47:28.769 --> 00:47:32.550 sure the peace of God is now reigning in your 00:47:32.550 --> 00:47:35.510 heart? What are you going to do, Pablo? It's 00:47:35.510 --> 00:47:37.550 like, what do you mean what I'm going to do? 00:47:37.570 --> 00:47:40.550 I guess I'll try harder. No, that's legalism. 00:47:42.590 --> 00:47:44.409 Try harder. It's not going to lead you anywhere. 00:47:45.750 --> 00:47:49.969 What you need is to love more deeply. Love the 00:47:49.969 --> 00:47:54.309 Holy Spirit more deeply. And it's in this loving 00:47:54.309 --> 00:47:59.489 more deeply. That you start looking at the things 00:47:59.489 --> 00:48:01.349 that you engaged with before. And now you can 00:48:01.349 --> 00:48:04.010 see them for what they are. And it's like. I 00:48:04.010 --> 00:48:08.829 don't like that anymore. When you focus your 00:48:08.829 --> 00:48:14.219 energy. Is in seeking intimacy with God. That 00:48:14.219 --> 00:48:18.360 is the plan. And I don't mean read your Bible 00:48:18.360 --> 00:48:22.500 more and pray more. I mean seek intimacy with 00:48:22.500 --> 00:48:26.739 God more. Because what you need is to put on 00:48:26.739 --> 00:48:30.099 your new nature. And be renewed as you learn 00:48:30.099 --> 00:48:35.389 to know your creator. And become like him. Because 00:48:35.389 --> 00:48:38.250 that is the journey that we are in. We are in 00:48:38.250 --> 00:48:41.530 this place of transformation where the Holy Spirit 00:48:41.530 --> 00:48:45.730 is healing us so that we can experience His life 00:48:45.730 --> 00:48:49.530 more and more. You are becoming like Him with 00:48:49.530 --> 00:48:52.829 more joy, with more peace, with more self -control, 00:48:53.030 --> 00:48:58.210 with more love flowing through you because you 00:48:58.210 --> 00:49:06.840 are loving the Holy Spirit more in you. And what 00:49:06.840 --> 00:49:10.039 this looks like, if your peace has been compromised 00:49:10.039 --> 00:49:15.239 by any of the things that Paul told us, it means 00:49:15.239 --> 00:49:18.260 that the first thing you have to do is to simply 00:49:18.260 --> 00:49:21.420 confess. You will come to God, you call it for 00:49:21.420 --> 00:49:23.579 what it is, and you say, God, I have been believing 00:49:23.579 --> 00:49:28.619 this lie. I acknowledged that I've been engaging 00:49:28.619 --> 00:49:33.050 in these behaviors and that's not who I am. My 00:49:33.050 --> 00:49:35.710 peace has been compromised. That is confessing. 00:49:35.710 --> 00:49:38.690 You're acknowledging in the raw form. Calling 00:49:38.690 --> 00:49:41.769 it for what it is. And after that you get honest 00:49:41.769 --> 00:49:44.969 with God. And you say but God I renounce that. 00:49:45.090 --> 00:49:48.110 Because that is not what I want in my life. What 00:49:48.110 --> 00:49:54.570 I want is you. So break the power of this thing 00:49:54.570 --> 00:50:00.730 from me. Because you is the one I want. Now we're 00:50:00.730 --> 00:50:06.869 seeking intimacy. You see, you can pray all the 00:50:06.869 --> 00:50:09.289 prayers, you can read all the Bible, and you 00:50:09.289 --> 00:50:13.030 can go to all the worship services, but if we 00:50:13.030 --> 00:50:15.989 don't get real with God, and there's no intimacy 00:50:15.989 --> 00:50:20.489 growing, nothing changes. You are just managing 00:50:20.489 --> 00:50:27.389 behavior rather than experiencing peace. So remember, 00:50:27.590 --> 00:50:36.480 learn to be Who you are. If your perspective 00:50:36.480 --> 00:50:39.739 has been compromised. Your identity has been 00:50:39.739 --> 00:50:43.500 distorted. If your plan became trying harder. 00:50:43.920 --> 00:50:48.280 Rather than just seeking more intimacy. Now you 00:50:48.280 --> 00:50:51.000 know where you need to focus. To make sure that 00:50:51.000 --> 00:50:54.500 the peace of God is ruling in your heart. Because 00:50:54.500 --> 00:50:57.960 the grace part is not a problem. It's done. But 00:50:57.960 --> 00:51:02.139 the peace part. You have to align your car. Before 00:51:02.139 --> 00:51:06.699 you continue the journey. So I conclude this 00:51:06.699 --> 00:51:09.900 study simply with this question. Has your peace 00:51:09.900 --> 00:51:15.400 been compromised? Let the peace of Christ reign 00:51:15.400 --> 00:51:25.880 in your heart. Lord, encounter us. Open our eyes 00:51:25.880 --> 00:51:28.760 so that we can see our distortions for what they 00:51:28.760 --> 00:51:34.579 truly are. Bless us with seeing truth, because 00:51:34.579 --> 00:51:56.289 truth is what sets us free. In Jesus' name. we 00:51:56.289 --> 00:51:59.070 welcome you to engage by sending us an email 00:51:59.070 --> 00:52:04.449 to office at ecb .asia. If God is calling you 00:52:04.449 --> 00:52:07.190 to support our ministries, you will find giving 00:52:07.190 --> 00:52:10.989 options on our website. And remember to join 00:52:10.989 --> 00:52:13.070 us next week. God bless you.