WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.839 Heights Church, how we doing today? Good? Anybody 00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:06.940 glad to be in church? Yeah? Okay, good. I'm in 00:00:06.940 --> 00:00:10.060 the right place. If you're new, welcome. We always 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:11.939 want to slow down and welcome everyone online. 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:15.339 You are part of our Heights family, and we love 00:00:15.339 --> 00:00:18.160 you and are so glad you're here. A couple things 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:20.239 I need to let you know right off the bat is, 00:00:20.260 --> 00:00:23.019 one, me and my wife, Piper, just love y 'all 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:26.699 so much. We pray for you constantly. We're down 00:00:26.699 --> 00:00:29.359 at our Prescott Valley Park collective location, 00:00:29.620 --> 00:00:31.500 so we don't get to make it up here a lot. But 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:34.179 just please know that you are loved and prayed 00:00:34.179 --> 00:00:37.399 over, not just by us, but our staff, and we just 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:40.200 care for you greatly. The other thing is, is 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:43.560 that Pastor John will be back next weekend. Okay? 00:00:43.700 --> 00:00:48.420 Yep. I already know some of you are like, thank 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:52.240 you, Jesus. And that's okay. I don't take that 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:54.539 personal. I feel that way too. I'm like, I'm 00:00:54.539 --> 00:00:57.460 so glad he's coming back. If you're new to Heights, 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:00.799 Pastor John is our lead pastor, okay? And he's 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:03.000 been on a three -month sabbatical. And it's been 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:05.840 a sabbatical of restoration, rest, and celebration 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:08.500 because we want to create longevity for John. 00:01:09.069 --> 00:01:11.769 So he'll be here for decades to come. And so 00:01:11.769 --> 00:01:13.590 I'm sure you're gonna get to hear more about 00:01:13.590 --> 00:01:16.469 it when he speaks next weekend, okay? So I know 00:01:16.469 --> 00:01:17.950 I don't need to tell y 'all this, but when y 00:01:17.950 --> 00:01:20.310 'all see him, y 'all let him feel the love, okay? 00:01:21.129 --> 00:01:24.810 Good, good. So have you ever been confronted 00:01:24.810 --> 00:01:29.510 face -to -face? Have you ever felt the need like 00:01:29.510 --> 00:01:31.469 you needed to confront someone face -to -face? 00:01:32.510 --> 00:01:34.909 I actually had to do this a couple weeks ago 00:01:34.909 --> 00:01:38.640 in churches. It's not easy. These are hard conversations. 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:41.340 They can be difficult. And the situation was, 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:44.700 is we were at our home and it was early in the 00:01:44.700 --> 00:01:46.900 morning and our kids had got up earlier than 00:01:46.900 --> 00:01:48.980 normal. And it was 5 .30. It was one of those 00:01:48.980 --> 00:01:52.840 mornings where 5 .30 to 7 a .m. felt like 39 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:56.030 hours. I mean, we got a three and a two -year 00:01:56.030 --> 00:01:58.549 -old. Kids are running around. Dogs are running 00:01:58.549 --> 00:02:01.909 around. Wife's getting ready. I see my two toddlers 00:02:01.909 --> 00:02:04.109 leave the kitchen table with half -eaten peanut 00:02:04.109 --> 00:02:06.750 butter jelly sandwiches disappearing. That's 00:02:06.750 --> 00:02:10.310 getting smeared somewhere. And I hear in their 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:13.729 back room, I hear this very aggressive sound 00:02:13.729 --> 00:02:18.629 of my little girl Izzy going, no puppy, no puppy. 00:02:18.969 --> 00:02:21.250 And then you hear the distinct sound of nails 00:02:21.250 --> 00:02:25.729 on hardwood floor. And my dog runs around and 00:02:25.729 --> 00:02:28.689 runs right past me down the hall. And my sweet 00:02:28.689 --> 00:02:32.349 little princess is right behind that dog with 00:02:32.349 --> 00:02:36.050 a toy kitchen kid's butcher knife chasing my 00:02:36.050 --> 00:02:41.289 dog. And doing this motion. I had to confront 00:02:41.289 --> 00:02:48.449 her. I said, you look crazy right now. You can't 00:02:48.449 --> 00:02:53.069 be acting like that. But my hope is, is that 00:02:53.069 --> 00:02:55.569 we all have people in our lives that can have 00:02:55.569 --> 00:02:59.090 difficult, face -to -face, honest conversations. 00:02:59.770 --> 00:03:01.830 You know, I hope we've had teachers, bosses, 00:03:02.110 --> 00:03:06.340 mentors, friends. Spouses, one of the things 00:03:06.340 --> 00:03:09.879 my wife Piper does really well is after we leave 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:12.900 whatever type of gathering it is, there are times 00:03:12.900 --> 00:03:15.699 in the car or at home, she'll go, hey, did you 00:03:15.699 --> 00:03:18.539 mean to come across like that? And I'll be like, 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:22.479 huh? Because I don't see things in my life. I 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:24.979 have blind spots. And if I'm being really honest, 00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:29.740 church, there's things I don't want to see. And 00:03:29.740 --> 00:03:32.500 so spouses are great, but church, we need more 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:35.379 than that. We need, I would say, anywhere from 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:38.659 three to five people in our lives that we have 00:03:38.659 --> 00:03:43.039 given permission to, to have honest, hard conversations. 00:03:43.539 --> 00:03:45.460 So the question I want to wrestle with today, 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:48.900 church, is do you give people the right to speak 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:53.120 into your life? Do you give people the right 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:55.099 to speak into your life? And we've been studying 00:03:55.099 --> 00:03:57.300 the book of Galatians, and we've been talking 00:03:57.300 --> 00:03:59.699 about, like, Paul's super direct with this church. 00:04:00.099 --> 00:04:03.419 It's the early church. It's a young church. But 00:04:03.419 --> 00:04:06.060 he's not being direct just because they're messing 00:04:06.060 --> 00:04:08.840 up. He's also being direct because he loves them 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:11.939 dearly, and he wants to see them grow, and he 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:13.639 wants to see them to be able to mature. And we're 00:04:13.639 --> 00:04:16.819 going to continue with Paul's directness in Galatians 00:04:16.819 --> 00:04:23.720 2, verses 11 and 12. When Peter came to Antioch, 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:27.139 I, Paul, opposed him to his face because he was 00:04:27.139 --> 00:04:30.240 clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.800 from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. 00:04:32.860 --> 00:04:35.660 But when they arrived, he began to draw back 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:38.379 and separate himself from the Gentiles because 00:04:38.379 --> 00:04:41.379 he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:44.750 group. Okay, so right off the bat, you hear words 00:04:44.750 --> 00:04:47.730 like circumcision group, Gentiles. So there was 00:04:47.730 --> 00:04:50.009 the Jewish people and anyone who wasn't Jewish 00:04:50.009 --> 00:04:52.449 was considered a Gentile. And the circumcision 00:04:52.449 --> 00:04:55.689 group were the Jewish people. But we see Paul 00:04:55.689 --> 00:04:59.709 opposing Peter. This is the same Peter in Matthew 00:04:59.709 --> 00:05:03.569 17 that was on the mountaintop with Jesus, James, 00:05:03.649 --> 00:05:07.470 and John and heard God say, this is my son with 00:05:07.470 --> 00:05:11.339 who I'm well pleased. This is the same Peter 00:05:11.339 --> 00:05:13.800 that said, you are the Christ, the son of the 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:17.740 living God in Matthew 16. This is the same Peter 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:21.199 who denied knowing Jesus three times in Mark 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:24.939 14. And it's the same Peter who walked on water 00:05:24.939 --> 00:05:27.519 with Jesus and then a few moments later began 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:31.000 to sink. One of the things we do at night is 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:34.060 we love to tell. stories to our children. And 00:05:34.060 --> 00:05:37.180 my son loves Marvel comic stories and he loves 00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:39.720 Bible stories. And his favorite Marvel comic 00:05:39.720 --> 00:05:44.019 character is Spider -Man. Okay. And everyone 00:05:44.019 --> 00:05:46.920 knows his true identity is Peter Parker. And 00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:50.079 so one night we're telling this Bible story and 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:52.139 I'm talking to him about Jesus walking on water 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:54.680 and I'm telling him how Peter got to go out there 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:57.180 and he is... Hearing this story, and he's in 00:05:57.180 --> 00:05:59.120 this deep thought, as much as a three -year -old 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:01.480 can be. And his face is squinched up, and I'm 00:06:01.480 --> 00:06:05.199 like, what is it, son? And he goes, Peter Paca 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:10.519 can walk on water? Getting your genres mixed 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:14.800 up, son. We got to keep those straight. But this 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.480 is the same Peter who gave the first sermon in 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:20.319 Acts 2 when the church as we know it was birthed. 00:06:21.319 --> 00:06:23.980 And it's the same Peter who got confronted by 00:06:23.980 --> 00:06:27.319 Jesus. And Jesus told Peter, get behind me, Satan. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:30.259 Because Peter was saying he wasn't going to let 00:06:30.259 --> 00:06:33.319 him die on the cross. You could call Peter the 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:37.120 apostle of extremes. One of my favorite things 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:39.420 about the Bible is how it doesn't hide all the 00:06:39.420 --> 00:06:42.160 scars and character defects that God chooses 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:45.939 to use. Because the story's not about them, is 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:48.620 it? It's about God and his character and his 00:06:48.620 --> 00:06:52.639 interaction with humanity. But why do we have 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:55.540 these peaks and valleys in our walk with Christ? 00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:00.379 Why are we still learning the same lessons today 00:07:00.379 --> 00:07:04.399 that humanity's been learning for thousands of 00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:11.259 years? In 1 Thessalonians 5, 23 -24, it says, 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:16.160 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.629 through and through. May your spirit, soul, and 00:07:19.629 --> 00:07:22.269 body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord 00:07:22.269 --> 00:07:25.629 Jesus Christ, the one who calls you as faithful, 00:07:25.850 --> 00:07:30.009 and he will do it. So you hear, may God sanctify 00:07:30.009 --> 00:07:33.389 you through and through in your spirit, in your 00:07:33.389 --> 00:07:37.610 soul, and in your body. We know as believers 00:07:37.610 --> 00:07:41.329 that the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our 00:07:41.329 --> 00:07:43.250 Lord and Savior and that he died on the cross 00:07:43.250 --> 00:07:46.589 for our sins, and it was the only way, to be 00:07:46.589 --> 00:07:48.930 in communion with God. The only way to pay for 00:07:48.930 --> 00:07:51.050 sin was through Jesus. The moment that happens, 00:07:51.290 --> 00:07:54.269 we're sealed with the Holy Spirit, it says. It's 00:07:54.269 --> 00:07:57.329 a promise in Ephesians. And we're covered in 00:07:57.329 --> 00:08:01.329 the blood of Jesus. And God sees us perfectly. 00:08:01.910 --> 00:08:04.470 It says we are without blemish. We can approach 00:08:04.470 --> 00:08:07.930 him with confidence, church. But then you also 00:08:07.930 --> 00:08:10.430 still have your soul and body, and that's your 00:08:10.430 --> 00:08:15.339 feelings, your thoughts, your emotions. You ask 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:17.740 any believer worth their weight in salt, they'll 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:21.220 go, I'm redeemed in Christ. But this is a work 00:08:21.220 --> 00:08:25.459 in progress. We're continuously being worked 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:29.439 on until the day we die, church, we should not 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:33.360 stop growing. Because it's the age old question, 00:08:33.580 --> 00:08:37.179 how do people sinful by nature come to God who 00:08:37.179 --> 00:08:40.860 is holy by nature? See, it's not just a clash 00:08:40.860 --> 00:08:43.409 between Paul and Peter. It's also a collision 00:08:43.409 --> 00:08:46.929 against Christ and culture because there's all 00:08:46.929 --> 00:08:49.029 these things that affect our feelings, thoughts, 00:08:49.190 --> 00:08:51.909 and emotions. Our environments can affect it. 00:08:51.929 --> 00:08:54.129 The people we're around can affect it. The traditions 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:57.549 we grew up in can affect it. Our old way of dealing 00:08:57.549 --> 00:09:02.090 with problems and issues can come back in. And 00:09:02.090 --> 00:09:04.429 so we see that here in these verses as these 00:09:04.429 --> 00:09:08.070 Jewish Christians, and this is a church of believers. 00:09:08.210 --> 00:09:11.350 So you have Paul, you have Peter, it says, People 00:09:11.350 --> 00:09:14.110 from James were sent, which means that these 00:09:14.110 --> 00:09:16.629 disciples were sent from the half brother of 00:09:16.629 --> 00:09:19.649 Jesus. So this is a church letter, right? I mean, 00:09:19.669 --> 00:09:22.210 these people are saved. We don't have any question 00:09:22.210 --> 00:09:24.970 whether or not Peter was saved. And yet we see 00:09:24.970 --> 00:09:28.649 him being pulled off center because of what's 00:09:28.649 --> 00:09:30.730 going on around him. And these Jewish Christians 00:09:30.730 --> 00:09:34.970 are saying, hey, I believe in Jesus. But man, 00:09:35.049 --> 00:09:37.210 I really think a lot of this other stuff is super 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:40.210 important and it helps keep me clean. And so 00:09:40.210 --> 00:09:43.389 we see where Peter starts to pull back from eating 00:09:43.389 --> 00:09:45.789 with the Gentiles. And in our Western fast food 00:09:45.789 --> 00:09:48.129 culture, we're like, Peter, go have a burger 00:09:48.129 --> 00:09:51.970 with them. What's the big deal? But to the Jewish 00:09:51.970 --> 00:09:55.110 culture, it was super significant. When you broke 00:09:55.110 --> 00:09:57.649 bread with somebody over a meal, you were saying, 00:09:57.710 --> 00:10:01.659 we're in alignment with God together. You have 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:04.919 the Mosaic law where you had ceremonial washing 00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:08.220 of hands. No pork. You had a lot of other food 00:10:08.220 --> 00:10:11.960 restrictions. No blood for the food. And so what 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:14.720 you see is these believers who have accepted 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:18.419 Christ start to pull in these old habits, these 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:21.220 old traditions, these old religions. And when 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:25.600 we do that, church, it becomes Jesus plus. Anytime 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:29.149 it is Jesus plus, we are off center. When it 00:10:29.149 --> 00:10:33.350 becomes a what and not a who church, we have 00:10:33.350 --> 00:10:38.470 lost our center bearing in Christ. So how does 00:10:38.470 --> 00:10:41.169 that play out in today's culture? I mean, not 00:10:41.169 --> 00:10:44.110 many of us, if any, grew up within those Jewish 00:10:44.110 --> 00:10:46.629 customs. But let me ask you this, church. Have 00:10:46.629 --> 00:10:49.210 you ever felt like God was disappointed in you 00:10:49.210 --> 00:10:51.210 because you weren't reading your Bible like you 00:10:51.210 --> 00:10:56.059 used to? You felt like God was frustrated with 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:58.340 you because you didn't pray or give or serve 00:10:58.340 --> 00:11:00.759 as much as you did the month before. Anytime 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:03.080 you've done that, you've brought yourself back 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:07.299 under the power of the law, church. What about 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:11.179 the flip side of that coin? We've been redeemed 00:11:11.179 --> 00:11:14.259 in Christ, but there's these things that used 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:18.279 to bring us relief. Whether they were chemicals 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:21.059 or substances, or maybe we found our worth within 00:11:21.059 --> 00:11:24.159 a relationship or somebody we were dating. We 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:26.539 found our identity within our bank account and 00:11:26.539 --> 00:11:30.539 our influence in the community. Church, all these 00:11:30.539 --> 00:11:34.679 things means we've taken our eyes off all that 00:11:34.679 --> 00:11:38.779 matters, which is Christ. In verses 13, 14, it 00:11:38.779 --> 00:11:41.960 says, the other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.720 so that by their hypocrisy, even Barnabas was 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.990 led astray. When I saw that they were not acting 00:11:47.990 --> 00:11:50.090 in line with the truth of the gospel, I said 00:11:50.090 --> 00:11:52.789 to Peter in front of them all, you are a Jew, 00:11:52.909 --> 00:11:55.330 yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. 00:11:55.429 --> 00:11:58.990 How is it then that you force Gentiles to follow 00:11:58.990 --> 00:12:03.570 Jewish customs? I mean, it says right here that 00:12:03.570 --> 00:12:08.610 Paul confronted Peter in front of everyone. Church, 00:12:08.929 --> 00:12:10.669 I don't want this to be our get out of jail free 00:12:10.669 --> 00:12:13.720 card. This is something, there's one thing I 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:15.740 want us to catch is in the previous verses that 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:19.639 said Peter began to draw away, okay? So this 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:22.460 wasn't a one -time mistake. This wasn't a one 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:25.759 -time slip. It had become habitual sin, okay? 00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:28.679 But the verse is also telling us sometimes it 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:32.360 is required for us to confront someone face -to 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:35.340 -face in a group setting, okay? But don't let 00:12:35.340 --> 00:12:37.320 it be our get -out -of -jail -free card. Have 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:39.740 you ever heard someone say, I'm not being mean, 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:44.720 I'm just being honest? Hmm. Probably being mean 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:46.659 too. At least the times I've heard someone say 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:51.899 that. How about if we memorize Galatians 6? Someone 00:12:51.899 --> 00:12:55.080 who's caught in a sin, we gently restore them. 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:58.460 How about we memorize that one? How about Matthew 00:12:58.460 --> 00:13:01.159 18 when it says, if your brother or sister sins 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:05.139 against you, it says, go to them in private, 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:08.000 one -on -one and have an honest conversation 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:11.179 with them. Then it says, if that doesn't work, 00:13:11.379 --> 00:13:15.120 bring a couple more. And then it escalates from 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:18.639 there. There's a bunch of different ways to have 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:22.440 hard face -to -face conversations. What we ought 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:27.559 to do is stay prayerful, always praying for God 00:13:27.559 --> 00:13:30.639 to let us know what to say and when to say it. 00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:34.019 What these do have in common, though, is they're 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:38.460 all built in relationships. within community 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:43.320 through honest conversations. Just as Jesus came 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:47.799 full of grace and truth in 114 John, our conversations 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:51.659 should be seasoned in grace and truth. Because 00:13:51.659 --> 00:13:54.100 God designed us to be in community churches. 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:58.139 He's a God of relationships. Before creation, 00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:02.059 God was in relationship with the Holy Spirit 00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:06.080 and the Son. And he's designed our church to 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:09.740 be in a community that we're the body of Christ, 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:15.980 built up of many parts and many giftings. Church, 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:19.440 that's why we have Growth Track, so that we can 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.799 get to know you and you can get to know us. And 00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:23.779 then you can step in somewhere to serve and you 00:14:23.779 --> 00:14:26.220 can have a smaller community within a larger 00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:29.379 community. That's why we have life groups, so 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:31.620 you can be part of a smaller community within 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:34.559 a larger community. That's why we have local 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:37.379 partners. That's why we just sent three teams 00:14:37.379 --> 00:14:41.860 across the globe. That's why with our online 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:45.279 family, we have Baghdad and Paulding where people 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:49.759 gather together in communities because church, 00:14:49.899 --> 00:14:55.159 we are better together. In 1 Peter 5, it says 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:57.220 to be self -controlled and alert because your 00:14:57.220 --> 00:15:00.200 enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring 00:15:00.200 --> 00:15:03.840 lion looking for someone to devour. What are 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:08.720 the traits of a lion when it hunts? Don't they 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:11.840 stand back and they look at and observe the herd 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:15.440 and they see who's on the outskirts? They see 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:20.799 who's unhealthy, who's sick, who's young, who's 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:25.000 not paying attention. And then they break them 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:28.360 off from the herd and devour them. Church, we 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:32.409 are at our strongest when we are together. as 00:15:32.409 --> 00:15:36.049 a community centered on Christ. And we're at 00:15:36.049 --> 00:15:41.149 our weakest when we're isolated. Verses 15 and 00:15:41.149 --> 00:15:44.970 16. We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile 00:15:44.970 --> 00:15:47.970 sinners know that a man is not justified by observing 00:15:47.970 --> 00:15:52.690 the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we 00:15:52.690 --> 00:15:55.470 too have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we 00:15:55.470 --> 00:15:59.490 may be justified by faith in Christ and not by 00:15:59.490 --> 00:16:02.409 observing the law. Because by observing the law, 00:16:02.509 --> 00:16:05.889 no one will be justified. Okay, in verse 16, 00:16:05.929 --> 00:16:08.889 you hear justified three times. And I know we're 00:16:08.889 --> 00:16:11.629 familiar with these words, justification, sanctification, 00:16:12.090 --> 00:16:16.549 reconciliation. But sometimes I wonder, like, 00:16:16.570 --> 00:16:18.549 how well do we really know those words? We're 00:16:18.549 --> 00:16:20.070 like reading through the Bible. We're like, I 00:16:20.070 --> 00:16:22.450 think I can figure out exactly what it means. 00:16:22.789 --> 00:16:26.190 But justification is declared righteous in God's 00:16:26.190 --> 00:16:31.080 sight. I mean, is that not the best phrase? declared 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:35.480 righteous in God's sight. So I wanna reread verse 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:38.820 16 and I'm gonna replace justified with the definition. 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:45.259 Know that a man is not declared righteous in 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:48.220 God's sight by observing the law. but by faith 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:51.879 in Jesus Christ. So we too have put our faith 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:54.679 in Christ Jesus that we may be declared righteous 00:16:54.679 --> 00:16:58.360 in God's sight by faith in Christ and not by 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:01.259 observing the law. Because by observing the law, 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:04.599 no one will be declared righteous in God's sight. 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:08.180 Doesn't that have a different ring to it? I mean, 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:11.059 think about it, church. In Genesis 2, we were 00:17:11.059 --> 00:17:13.859 given just one command. Don't eat of the tree 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:16.059 of knowledge and good and evil. We broke that 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:19.519 one. Exodus 20, we were given the 10 commandments. 00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:23.460 We've broke those. The Israelites were given 00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:26.920 600 laws in Deuteronomy, and they didn't do very 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:29.420 well with those either. Does that make the law 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:34.400 bad, church? Absolutely not. The law was sent 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:39.559 by God. Paul goes, if I didn't know what coveting 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:42.339 was, if I wasn't told what coveting my neighbor's 00:17:42.339 --> 00:17:45.589 things was, then how would I know about it? The 00:17:45.589 --> 00:17:49.410 law is good, but we were never ever gonna fulfill 00:17:49.410 --> 00:17:52.690 it. And it was never ever gonna be able to make 00:17:52.690 --> 00:17:55.430 us clean. It was always meant to point us to 00:17:55.430 --> 00:17:58.789 something greater, a final sacrifice, a final 00:17:58.789 --> 00:18:01.690 answer. Because Jesus has perfectly fulfilled 00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:05.609 the law. We have utterly failed to keep it, church. 00:18:05.930 --> 00:18:08.910 So what Paul's teaching here within these verses 00:18:08.910 --> 00:18:14.000 is justification by faith. So declared righteous 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:21.140 in God's sight by faith plus nothing, church. 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:25.759 That's what we put our hope in. And that faith 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:28.559 is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:18:29.259 --> 00:18:34.039 That in an instant, you can repent of your sins 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:39.039 and ask God to forgive you and put your faith 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:44.700 and trust and hope and a savior that came down 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:47.660 to earth and died on a cross for your sins and 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:51.200 my sins for all eternity. You just have to accept 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:56.039 it. When we have salvation based off works, it's 00:18:56.039 --> 00:18:58.880 really our attempt to obligate God to save us 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:02.039 based off our performance. But when you see works 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:04.900 that are produced through grace and faith, that's 00:19:04.900 --> 00:19:10.200 the fruit of a transformed heart. It doesn't 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:14.519 say how Peter responded here in these verses. 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:18.859 Reading about Peter, there's a good chance it 00:19:18.859 --> 00:19:21.700 might not have been a very good response, Paul 00:19:21.700 --> 00:19:23.700 calling him out, but that's nowhere in Scripture. 00:19:24.420 --> 00:19:26.519 So we're not going to focus on that. That's just 00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:30.000 a guess. But what do we know? For those of you 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.980 that like to dig deeper, I want to encourage 00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:36.740 you this week to read 1 and 2 Peter. And keep 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:41.109 in mind, the Paul or the Peter rather, excuse 00:19:41.109 --> 00:19:43.990 me, that you read about in the gospels and that 00:19:43.990 --> 00:19:46.269 you read about here. And you tell me if that's 00:19:46.269 --> 00:19:51.150 not the fruit of a transformed heart that is 00:19:51.150 --> 00:19:54.430 being sanctified daily and growing in Christ. 00:19:55.690 --> 00:19:57.789 Church, we gotta look different than we did. 00:19:58.829 --> 00:20:03.690 It's the power of the Holy Spirit. Verses 17 00:20:03.690 --> 00:20:07.579 through 19. If while we seek to be justified 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:09.880 in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves 00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:12.539 are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes 00:20:12.539 --> 00:20:16.299 sin? Absolutely not. If I rebuild what I destroy, 00:20:16.619 --> 00:20:19.680 I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:23.279 law, I died to the law so that I might live for 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:27.319 God. Okay, so Paul's really delivering the same 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:30.640 message in a different way, okay? Once you're 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:33.849 saved, you can't go back under the power of the 00:20:33.849 --> 00:20:39.150 law. Really verses 15 through 21, he's just hammering 00:20:39.150 --> 00:20:42.549 a point of what he just saw happen within this 00:20:42.549 --> 00:20:45.710 church setting. I think these verses really would 00:20:45.710 --> 00:20:47.769 have resonated with the Jewish Christians. It's 00:20:47.769 --> 00:20:53.130 like speaking Klingon to Klingons, okay? So he's 00:20:53.130 --> 00:20:55.190 just trying to get a point across because you 00:20:55.190 --> 00:20:57.990 have Jewish Christians, you have Gentile Christians. 00:20:58.859 --> 00:21:01.420 And I really believe these next ones are what's 00:21:01.420 --> 00:21:05.079 gonna resonate with us as a church. Verses 20 00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:09.140 and 21. I have been crucified with Christ and 00:21:09.140 --> 00:21:12.579 I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The 00:21:12.579 --> 00:21:15.619 life I live and the body I live by faith in the 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:18.420 son of God who loved me and gave himself for 00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:22.660 me. I do not set aside the grace of God for if 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:24.740 righteousness could be gained through the law, 00:21:24.900 --> 00:21:30.299 Christ died for nothing. I have been crucified 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:35.059 with Christ. It is no longer I that live, but 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:38.440 Christ that lives in me. 13 years ago, church, 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:42.319 I was crucified with Christ. I was saved from 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:45.220 a 20 -year drug addiction and radically transformed. 00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:50.880 And 13 years later, I'm still being transformed. 00:21:52.910 --> 00:21:56.170 I'm not as prideful as I was before Christ, but 00:21:56.170 --> 00:21:59.369 I still have a bunch of pride that needs to get 00:21:59.369 --> 00:22:04.230 out of me. I'm not as selfish as I was before 00:22:04.230 --> 00:22:08.349 Christ, but I have a lot of selfishness that 00:22:08.349 --> 00:22:12.309 needs to be removed from me because my emotions, 00:22:12.349 --> 00:22:15.890 thoughts, and feelings get off center all the 00:22:15.890 --> 00:22:18.369 time based off my surroundings. And I need the 00:22:18.369 --> 00:22:21.069 Holy Spirit to guide me and direct me and prune 00:22:21.069 --> 00:22:25.509 me. Why do we keep trying to resurrect our old 00:22:25.509 --> 00:22:29.609 selves, church? The old person is buried in Christ. 00:22:30.470 --> 00:22:34.630 The only type of person you bury is a dead person, 00:22:34.910 --> 00:22:40.869 church. That means that addiction in Christ is 00:22:40.869 --> 00:22:45.930 buried. That means that crushing anxiety and 00:22:45.930 --> 00:22:52.369 worry has been buried. That means that need to 00:22:52.369 --> 00:22:55.769 control every aspect of your life or think you 00:22:55.769 --> 00:22:58.009 control your kids and your business and your 00:22:58.009 --> 00:23:02.690 family has been buried. It means the need to 00:23:02.690 --> 00:23:06.410 act sexually immoral and have anything sexual 00:23:06.410 --> 00:23:09.329 outside of how God intended it with a man and 00:23:09.329 --> 00:23:12.930 a woman in marriage has been buried. It means 00:23:12.930 --> 00:23:16.539 that resentment That judgment, that unforgiveness, 00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:23.039 that gossip, that mockery has all been buried 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:27.640 in Christ. We have to stop trying to dig up these 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:30.259 things that are dead and have no power over us, 00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:34.200 church. Do you know what you call something when 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:36.779 you get on the ground and you dig up something 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:40.680 that was dead and you try to get it up moving 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:47.019 around? They're called zombies, church. Nobody 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:51.779 likes zombies. They're gross. They try to kill 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:58.480 you. They're not good for you. Church, let's 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:03.500 stop digging up zombies. And every time we try 00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:06.759 to go back to that old way of living and try 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:12.109 to dig up something that is dead. We are no longer 00:24:12.109 --> 00:24:14.650 a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness. 00:24:14.849 --> 00:24:17.190 Every time we do that, we've lost sight of what 00:24:17.190 --> 00:24:20.490 Christ did on the cross and the power that is 00:24:20.490 --> 00:24:25.950 there. In church, every time we know we're saved 00:24:25.950 --> 00:24:29.069 by the grace of God and through Jesus on the 00:24:29.069 --> 00:24:31.529 cross, but go, that can't be all there is to 00:24:31.529 --> 00:24:34.630 it. I have to, I need to, I need to be in this 00:24:34.630 --> 00:24:36.250 study more. I need to serve more. I need to, 00:24:36.250 --> 00:24:38.150 I need to give more. I need to pray more. And 00:24:38.150 --> 00:24:40.369 all those things are great, but there is no power 00:24:40.369 --> 00:24:43.670 in them of themselves. We have come back under 00:24:43.670 --> 00:24:53.210 the power of the law church. If this book right 00:24:53.210 --> 00:24:58.009 here, this Bible feels weighty to you and like 00:24:58.009 --> 00:25:01.069 its commands are restraining you, and they're 00:25:01.069 --> 00:25:08.109 a burden to keep, and you don't like them, I 00:25:08.109 --> 00:25:11.390 would say you've come back under the law. Because 00:25:11.390 --> 00:25:15.369 Jesus' yoke is easy, and his burden is light, 00:25:15.430 --> 00:25:21.190 church. We get to live this book out. We get 00:25:21.190 --> 00:25:27.329 to obey these commands. We get to give, we get 00:25:27.329 --> 00:25:32.759 to serve. We get to forgive because of what Christ 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:37.839 has done. Because it's no longer I that live, 00:25:38.099 --> 00:25:43.039 but Christ that lives in me. So what does this 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:45.740 look like going through the weeks to come? If 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:47.240 you go, all right, Ben, I'm on board with that. 00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:50.720 That all sounds good. How do we practically live 00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:57.259 that out? We gotta know this book, church. We 00:25:57.259 --> 00:26:00.210 gotta know this book. Because there are so many 00:26:00.210 --> 00:26:03.170 things in our life that mess up our emotions, 00:26:03.230 --> 00:26:07.250 thoughts, and feelings. We have to have this 00:26:07.250 --> 00:26:09.490 word written on our heart. And what I mean by 00:26:09.490 --> 00:26:11.869 that is we have to have it memorized. We have 00:26:11.869 --> 00:26:14.569 to be able in a moment, no matter the stressful 00:26:14.569 --> 00:26:17.509 situation, no matter the difficult people, I 00:26:17.509 --> 00:26:21.150 can call on the word of God and the power of 00:26:21.150 --> 00:26:24.069 Jesus Christ. And I can declare these truths 00:26:24.069 --> 00:26:28.079 over my life and over my situation. And I'll 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:30.339 put my hope and trust in that and that alone. 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:34.420 I will not let my circumstances dictate my mood. 00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:37.799 I will not match anger for anger or evil for 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:43.160 evil, but to be a light in the world so that 00:26:43.160 --> 00:26:46.039 our deeds can be seen and that God can be glorified 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:50.599 in heaven, church. And so I wanna declare some 00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:52.619 verses over you and they're gonna be up for a 00:26:52.619 --> 00:26:54.279 while. And if you wanna take a picture of them 00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:56.839 or write her down, you can, but I just wanna 00:26:56.839 --> 00:27:02.559 declare these truths over you. In Christ, you 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:05.160 are without blemish and free from accusation. 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:09.240 You have been made holy through the sacrifice 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:15.700 of Jesus Christ once and for all, church. There 00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:18.839 is now no condemnation for those of us that are 00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:21.559 in Christ Jesus. You cannot be separated from 00:27:21.559 --> 00:27:24.980 his love, church. We are without spot or wrinkle. 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:28.420 We are holy and without blemish. We have been 00:27:28.420 --> 00:27:31.339 blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual 00:27:31.339 --> 00:27:36.319 blessing in Christ. He who is in you is greater 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:39.299 than the one who is in the world. Where the spirit 00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:44.779 of the Lord is, there is freedom, church. And 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:47.420 finally, the one we started with in 1 Thessalonians, 00:27:47.640 --> 00:27:52.140 the one who calls you as faithful and he will 00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:58.380 do it. These verses, church, are written in what's 00:27:58.380 --> 00:28:02.319 called a perfect tense. It means they were true. 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:07.400 It means they are true. It means they will be 00:28:07.400 --> 00:28:15.329 true. This is our anchor. What Christ did is 00:28:15.329 --> 00:28:20.750 what we put our faith in, not our works. Jesus 00:28:20.750 --> 00:28:26.849 said, truly I tell you, unless you change and 00:28:26.849 --> 00:28:30.269 become like little children, you will not enter 00:28:30.269 --> 00:28:34.849 the kingdom of heaven. What I used to think Jesus 00:28:34.849 --> 00:28:37.809 was teaching was talking about kids' innocence. 00:28:39.049 --> 00:28:45.390 Then I had kids. They're just a bunch of little 00:28:45.390 --> 00:28:50.470 sinners running all over the place. Am I wrong? 00:28:51.930 --> 00:28:55.190 I mean, come on. You don't have to teach a kid 00:28:55.190 --> 00:28:57.650 to be selfish. You don't have to teach them the 00:28:57.650 --> 00:28:59.809 word mine. You don't have to teach them to lie. 00:29:00.029 --> 00:29:03.470 They come by it honestly. Because you see the 00:29:03.470 --> 00:29:08.690 fall of humanity in a toddler. Honestly, I see 00:29:08.690 --> 00:29:10.809 the fall of humanity in me trying to parent. 00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:15.660 I'll tell you, though, what I have fully come 00:29:15.660 --> 00:29:20.940 to believe Jesus was teaching was that of a little 00:29:20.940 --> 00:29:27.220 kid is unapologetically dependent upon something 00:29:27.220 --> 00:29:31.119 else to provide for. It's food, it's clothing, 00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:37.460 it's shelter, it's protection, it's safety. Church, 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:44.029 let's be unapologetically dependent. upon what 00:29:44.029 --> 00:29:50.289 Christ did on the cross. Amen? Let's pray. Heavenly 00:29:50.289 --> 00:29:54.690 Father, I come before you, Lord, just with a 00:29:54.690 --> 00:29:57.049 repentant heart of the times I've tried to do 00:29:57.049 --> 00:29:59.829 things out of my own power and my own strength. 00:30:00.809 --> 00:30:04.950 Lord, that you would ignite a fire within us 00:30:04.950 --> 00:30:08.289 as individuals and as a community, Lord, to be 00:30:08.289 --> 00:30:13.329 unapologetically dependent upon you. Lord, we 00:30:13.329 --> 00:30:16.490 were saved by you. We were saved through you. 00:30:16.589 --> 00:30:20.369 We were saved for you. Father, let us be reminded 00:30:20.369 --> 00:30:22.789 of your goodness. Lord, let us have people in 00:30:22.789 --> 00:30:26.710 our lives that we trust, that can have honest 00:30:26.710 --> 00:30:29.430 face -to -face conversations. So Lord, there 00:30:29.430 --> 00:30:32.509 will be no division, but we will be a unified 00:30:32.509 --> 00:30:35.450 body together, supporting one another, lifting 00:30:35.450 --> 00:30:38.579 one another up, Lord. Father, that you would 00:30:38.579 --> 00:30:40.900 put people in our lives that would help carry 00:30:40.900 --> 00:30:45.460 us and that we could also help carry, Lord. Lord, 00:30:45.500 --> 00:30:49.619 forgive us for any time we have added to Christ. 00:30:50.660 --> 00:30:53.279 Lord, any time we have gone and tried to dig 00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:58.140 up our old selves, Lord. Lord, that we would 00:30:58.140 --> 00:31:01.180 recognize those moments when our feelings, thoughts, 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:04.430 and emotions are off -center, Lord. Lord, and 00:31:04.430 --> 00:31:06.809 we would be reminded of your word, Lord, that 00:31:06.809 --> 00:31:10.450 does not change like sand, but is steadfast and 00:31:10.450 --> 00:31:14.069 it is the truth, the way. You are the life and 00:31:14.069 --> 00:31:18.329 the light of the world. Father, open our eyes 00:31:18.329 --> 00:31:20.670 to that, Father. Father, if there is someone 00:31:20.670 --> 00:31:22.609 in this room right now that does not know you, 00:31:22.670 --> 00:31:25.190 Lord, that you would reveal yourselves to them, 00:31:25.210 --> 00:31:28.250 that this... That we can be seen without blemish, 00:31:28.250 --> 00:31:30.930 that we can be forgiven of our sins. You don't 00:31:30.930 --> 00:31:33.109 hold these things against us, can be in a moment 00:31:33.109 --> 00:31:36.930 of accepting you. And what Jesus did on the cross, 00:31:37.730 --> 00:31:39.750 Lord, and everyone said, amen.