WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:03.899 Morning, church. Good morning to those of you 00:00:03.899 --> 00:00:07.700 online. Julaine in Michigan and Elizabeth in 00:00:07.700 --> 00:00:11.660 Wisconsin are there today. And you guys are close 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:13.720 enough. That probably makes it a micro location. 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:16.160 We'll just call it that. But no, welcome. Glad 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:19.579 you guys are with us. Pauldin, Baghdad. Super, 00:00:19.660 --> 00:00:22.260 super glad that you guys are on the journey with 00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:24.460 us and to hear what God is doing. Got a little 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:27.239 feedback of what God's up to. Exciting things 00:00:27.239 --> 00:00:30.120 are happening in both of those places. Even like 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:34.039 ministry merging, so locations merging across, 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:36.259 which is really cool, and relationships being 00:00:36.259 --> 00:00:38.539 built. And so just super grateful for that and 00:00:38.539 --> 00:00:40.979 glad you guys are there today. And welcome to 00:00:40.979 --> 00:00:43.479 the room. If you're here, welcome to you. Glad 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:45.759 you are in the room. Okay, we got to get something 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:47.820 out of the way real quick because we got to understand 00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:50.460 who's in the room and who's online with us today 00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:54.340 on the online fam. Okay, if I do this, if I go 00:00:54.340 --> 00:00:56.380 like this, how many of you are like, yeah, I 00:00:56.380 --> 00:01:00.670 remember those days? Okay. All right. All right. 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:03.509 Just make sure. Maybe throw some radio chats 00:01:03.509 --> 00:01:07.450 in the emoji. Radio emoji chat. Whatever. In 00:01:07.450 --> 00:01:10.849 the chat. There you go. I thought I'd bring out 00:01:10.849 --> 00:01:13.349 the big guns, by the way, just so you know. Some 00:01:13.349 --> 00:01:15.569 of you got stories. I know it. Some of you got 00:01:15.569 --> 00:01:19.870 stories of carrying your box and how you breakdanced 00:01:19.870 --> 00:01:23.290 after. I know it. I know some of you got those 00:01:23.290 --> 00:01:27.730 tales. And then they went to iPods and everything 00:01:27.730 --> 00:01:32.349 just kind of fell apart, you know? But yeah, 00:01:32.489 --> 00:01:37.090 super, super, super glad you are here. And maybe 00:01:37.090 --> 00:01:41.109 just kind of walking into going, right, this, 00:01:41.189 --> 00:01:48.870 this, this, not the specific like layout and 00:01:48.870 --> 00:01:52.370 structure and all of that and the room and the 00:01:52.370 --> 00:01:57.379 lights and whatever. But what God intended when 00:01:57.379 --> 00:02:01.620 he came, died on a cross, rose again, is that 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:07.260 a community of people would be born. And you 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:08.979 get right. Like some of you are like, wait, we 00:02:08.979 --> 00:02:12.280 laughed in church. Yes, we laughed in church. 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:16.520 You realize this is supposed to be fun. You get 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:18.759 that right. Like like God is the inventor of 00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:21.719 laughing and he gifted you with the ability to 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:24.520 laugh. you should be able to laugh, right? Like 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:27.520 it's honoring to him just as much as when you 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:31.599 do other stuff. And sometimes I think like when 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:35.020 it comes down to community and church, we miss 00:02:35.020 --> 00:02:39.500 it. If you're not having fun, you're doing this 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:43.479 wrong. Okay, four of you believe that. That's 00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:48.280 good. Good. That means I got about 96 % of you 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:51.360 that I still got to work on. But seriously, if 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:55.699 this isn't fun, we're doing it wrong. This is 00:02:55.699 --> 00:02:58.639 supposed to be something that when we gather 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:01.659 together, what happens is that hopefully we're 00:03:01.659 --> 00:03:05.060 here because we like it. We're here because you 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:08.340 get to hear somebody next to you sing. And you're 00:03:08.340 --> 00:03:10.159 like, I can't sing. I'm glad they're singing. 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:12.580 I'm just going to tuck in underneath them and 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:14.319 I'm going to sound good because they sound good. 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:17.060 You know what I mean? But it's supposed to be 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:18.860 something where you come and you're encouraged 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:22.680 and you're around people that have joy. You know 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:26.759 you were given by God this immense joy to carry 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:29.759 everywhere you go? That means you shouldn't be 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:32.979 a lemon face. You shouldn't walk around looking 00:03:32.979 --> 00:03:37.139 like you've been sucking on lemons. But how often 00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:39.900 do you run into believers, to Christians, to 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:42.379 people who say they trust Jesus and they're the 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:45.840 most miserable people on the planet? You're doing 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:50.319 it wrong. You're doing it wrong. This was meant 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:52.599 to be something that's in, like when somebody 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:55.800 sees you and they see us and especially in a 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:57.900 gathering like this, they're like, I gotta be 00:03:57.900 --> 00:04:00.960 a part of that. Because what they see here is 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:03.879 different. What they see here is this thing that 00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:07.460 they can't get anywhere else. That's what this 00:04:07.460 --> 00:04:13.159 is supposed to be. It's incredible the gift that 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:17.779 we have been given by God. And yet so often, 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:23.980 what do we do? Oh, I got to go to church. I just 00:04:23.980 --> 00:04:26.759 got to survive the next, I don't know, 33 minutes 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:34.100 roughly. 38, thank you. Thank you for clarifying. 00:04:35.019 --> 00:04:37.079 Somebody's being very kind because I'm speaking, 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:39.259 it's probably more like 45. Let's be honest. 00:04:46.410 --> 00:04:48.769 How many of us, how many of us have the absolute 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:51.750 joy sucked out of this life? You said yes to 00:04:51.750 --> 00:04:55.769 Jesus, and now all you do is feel a weight, this 00:04:55.769 --> 00:04:57.970 immense pressure of you've got to show up, you've 00:04:57.970 --> 00:05:01.350 got to perform, you've got to do. That God somehow 00:05:01.350 --> 00:05:04.410 is unhappy with you, and he is not towards you, 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:07.170 and so you're constantly trying to earn the favor 00:05:07.170 --> 00:05:10.129 of God and bring him towards you. And just, if 00:05:10.129 --> 00:05:12.810 I could just get God to give me an attaboy today. 00:05:13.350 --> 00:05:17.769 God, you see me in church today, right? Nobody 00:05:17.769 --> 00:05:23.410 wants to be a part of that. Including me. That 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:28.170 sounds miserable. And how many of us, how many 00:05:28.170 --> 00:05:31.490 of us, if we were really honest, believe that 00:05:31.490 --> 00:05:36.449 God is this egotistical being that is just waiting 00:05:36.449 --> 00:05:39.410 for you to screw up so he can show you how much 00:05:39.410 --> 00:05:43.370 you screwed up. He's just this being that's just 00:05:43.370 --> 00:05:45.769 waiting. He's waiting. He's got a big old baseball 00:05:45.769 --> 00:05:52.310 bat. Right? I don't know how many of us are just 00:05:52.310 --> 00:05:56.509 like on the edge of, man, I'm going to do something 00:05:56.509 --> 00:05:58.230 that's going to set him off, and he's going to 00:05:58.230 --> 00:06:00.790 remove all the blessings. And so I'm just here 00:06:00.790 --> 00:06:03.209 managing blessings, right? I'm just keeping this 00:06:03.209 --> 00:06:05.970 being out there, like keep him happy. Can I tell 00:06:05.970 --> 00:06:08.089 you something? You never got one blessing because 00:06:08.089 --> 00:06:13.790 of anything you did. That's not the gospel. That's 00:06:13.790 --> 00:06:16.990 not good news. Good news is that I couldn't do 00:06:16.990 --> 00:06:19.129 anything to earn a blessing and God showed up 00:06:19.129 --> 00:06:20.870 and goes, hey, you're the most blessed person 00:06:20.870 --> 00:06:25.189 on the planet. That's what we have in the person 00:06:25.189 --> 00:06:28.750 of Jesus. And that's why we should walk around 00:06:28.750 --> 00:06:34.470 going, have you seen those people? Have you seen 00:06:34.470 --> 00:06:44.079 how free they are? It is for what? Wow. Three 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:46.220 of you. Thanks for being here last week. Cause 00:06:46.220 --> 00:06:48.720 you're really encouraging me by remembering that 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:52.560 whole thing from last week. It is for freedom 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:56.920 that you have been what? Set free. Okay. We got 00:06:56.920 --> 00:06:59.740 about 10 of you. We're getting better. It is 00:06:59.740 --> 00:07:04.560 for freedom, freedom, freedom that you have been 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:09.060 set free. Okay, so last week we talked about 00:07:09.060 --> 00:07:11.519 this idea, right? And just so you know, because 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:12.720 some people were like, I don't know what you 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:13.939 were pointing to last week. You were doing a 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:16.560 lot of this, right? There's a phrase no longer 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:18.480 on one side and there's a phrase not yet on the 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:20.540 other. Hopefully you can see that. The no longer 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:23.160 side is before that, before that, when you were 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:24.980 born on this planet, you were born into slavery. 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:29.779 What was slavery? You were born into, into, if 00:07:29.779 --> 00:07:32.600 you were going to get anything, you had to earn 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:34.139 it. You had to work for it. You had to figure 00:07:34.139 --> 00:07:37.269 out your way. You were a slave to your own indulgences. 00:07:37.430 --> 00:07:39.889 All of that, right? You were a slave. Then you 00:07:39.889 --> 00:07:43.189 met Jesus. And Paul says, because you met Jesus, 00:07:43.310 --> 00:07:48.449 you are free. It is for freedom that you're set 00:07:48.449 --> 00:07:53.069 free. So what happens now is right now, here 00:07:53.069 --> 00:07:55.209 and now, even with the struggles of this life, 00:07:55.269 --> 00:07:57.790 I'm free. And we'll talk about that more in a 00:07:57.790 --> 00:08:00.689 minute. However, however, I know we're not there 00:08:00.689 --> 00:08:03.680 yet. You know how I know? I sat down, second 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:05.779 row, right where you guys are, sat down there 00:08:05.779 --> 00:08:08.339 this morning, crossed my leg. I looked to David, 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:10.199 who was sitting next to me. I go, you know you're 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:11.759 getting old when you cross your leg and go, ooh, 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:17.139 that hip is tight. Right? We know we're not there 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:20.959 yet. We got pain. We got pain. We know that there's 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:23.259 more to come. We know the inheritance to come, 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:24.839 the new heavens, new earth. We're not there yet. 00:08:25.310 --> 00:08:27.269 And so we live in this in between. And what you 00:08:27.269 --> 00:08:30.610 have in Galatians chapter five is the roadmap 00:08:30.610 --> 00:08:34.009 that if you like, it's the cheat code from God, 00:08:34.090 --> 00:08:37.850 how to live this life as a Christian, how to 00:08:37.850 --> 00:08:40.509 live on this planet with all this stuff, all 00:08:40.509 --> 00:08:43.370 the stuff, all the messaging, all the things 00:08:43.370 --> 00:08:44.970 that the media wants to throw at you, everything, 00:08:45.129 --> 00:08:48.190 right? Like with all of that stuff, this is how 00:08:48.190 --> 00:08:53.210 you live. This is how you live the in -between 00:08:53.210 --> 00:08:56.789 life. where I'm no longer a slave, I'm no longer 00:08:56.789 --> 00:08:59.690 controlled by everything, but now I'm in this 00:08:59.690 --> 00:09:03.450 in -between. And so then he starts in chapter 00:09:03.450 --> 00:09:08.789 5, verse 13. And he says, you, you, my brothers 00:09:08.789 --> 00:09:11.889 and sisters, so speaking to church people, speaking 00:09:11.889 --> 00:09:13.909 to the church, those that have put their trust 00:09:13.909 --> 00:09:15.929 in Jesus, right? They cross that finish line 00:09:15.929 --> 00:09:20.850 of faith. We're called, we're called to be free. 00:09:22.849 --> 00:09:28.250 You're called to be free. That's who you are 00:09:28.250 --> 00:09:31.490 as a follower of Jesus. Now, we got to be really 00:09:31.490 --> 00:09:35.789 clear what we mean by free. Free means what? 00:09:36.909 --> 00:09:44.389 Free. You're free to do whatever you want. Some 00:09:44.389 --> 00:09:46.210 of you as parents are going, please don't tell 00:09:46.210 --> 00:09:50.210 my kids that. But it's the truth of the good 00:09:50.210 --> 00:09:55.899 news. You're free to do whatever you want. How 00:09:55.899 --> 00:09:59.159 do I know? You, my brothers and sisters, were 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:01.659 called to be free. But do not use your freedom 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:04.559 to indulge the flesh. Rather, serve one another 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:08.000 humbly in love. What does he say? You're called 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:11.000 to be free. Who are you? You are no longer a 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:14.460 slave. You are free. In this in -between life. 00:10:14.809 --> 00:10:17.250 Who you are is you are free. Now, what does free 00:10:17.250 --> 00:10:19.809 mean? It's that you have been granted freedom. 00:10:20.169 --> 00:10:23.029 Why is that such a big deal? Because freedom 00:10:23.029 --> 00:10:27.870 means that you have the power of choice. If you 00:10:27.870 --> 00:10:29.289 were here last week, you heard us talk about 00:10:29.289 --> 00:10:31.470 when you're a slave, you don't have options. 00:10:32.389 --> 00:10:36.110 So he frees you from slavery. So remember, I 00:10:36.110 --> 00:10:38.090 don't have an option. Don't get mad at people 00:10:38.090 --> 00:10:39.870 that don't know Jesus, that live like they don't 00:10:39.870 --> 00:10:41.830 know Jesus. Don't get mad at them. They're just 00:10:41.830 --> 00:10:44.299 doing what they can only do. Right? Let's stop 00:10:44.299 --> 00:10:46.480 judging them. Let's stop putting them to a higher 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:48.860 standard. And let's look at ourselves and go, 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:51.899 wait a minute. For me, for me, as a follower 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:55.440 of Jesus, I have met the living Jesus. That has 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:58.820 transformed me. And now I am free. And the gift 00:10:58.820 --> 00:11:02.500 that I have been given is freedom. It's freedom. 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:08.399 You have the choice. You know, you know, okay, 00:11:08.460 --> 00:11:14.649 okay. You leave here. And you go out and do the 00:11:14.649 --> 00:11:20.090 very thing that God don't want you to do. God, 00:11:20.129 --> 00:11:24.129 more happy with you, more sad with you. He hasn't 00:11:24.129 --> 00:11:28.669 moved. Why? Because he made you free. He gave 00:11:28.669 --> 00:11:31.789 you a choice. And what you did with the choice 00:11:31.789 --> 00:11:33.730 is you exercise what you have, but it does not 00:11:33.730 --> 00:11:35.669 change who you are and it does not change what 00:11:35.669 --> 00:11:39.389 he has done. It's called grace. You can't change 00:11:39.389 --> 00:11:41.129 your standing with God because you didn't do 00:11:41.129 --> 00:11:43.690 anything to get it in the first place. We've 00:11:43.690 --> 00:11:46.610 talked over and over all these last few weeks. 00:11:47.070 --> 00:11:49.750 You will never be more forgiven than you are 00:11:49.750 --> 00:11:53.169 right now. And at some point, we've got to get 00:11:53.169 --> 00:11:56.210 that through our heads, right? The idea of, man, 00:11:56.210 --> 00:11:59.470 I have a good day and I have a bad day. Okay, 00:11:59.549 --> 00:12:02.190 that's human. But that doesn't change who God 00:12:02.190 --> 00:12:06.350 is and it doesn't change who I am to God. You're 00:12:06.350 --> 00:12:08.789 completely, completely, this is the good news 00:12:08.789 --> 00:12:14.419 of the gospel. You are completely. Free to choose. 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:16.440 Why choose? Go all the way back to the garden. 00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:18.440 Remember in the garden, they had a choice, right? 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:21.980 They got to choose. Why? Because they were free. 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:24.840 And out of that choice, they chose something. 00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:28.100 They chose what? To display what they loved. 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:30.139 And they chose that they loved themselves. What 00:12:30.139 --> 00:12:32.320 do you have? You have the freedom to choose. 00:12:32.460 --> 00:12:34.039 What are you doing with your freedom to choose? 00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:36.440 You get to put it towards what you're saying 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:39.960 is valuable. And what he says here is don't use 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:43.200 your freedom. Don't use your freedom. This life 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:46.120 you've been given, these options you have to 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:49.279 do whatever you want, whenever you want. And 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:51.779 by whatever you want, I mean whatever you want. 00:12:52.379 --> 00:12:56.759 You can do it because you're free. But he says, 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:01.700 don't use it to indulge your selfish indulgences. 00:13:01.700 --> 00:13:06.580 Don't use it to indulge your sin nature, what 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:10.860 I inherited from Adam. Don't use it. Don't use 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:13.000 your freedom. And so the original language at 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.320 this point, it talks about, or it says to indulge 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:20.539 the flesh. That is actually, it's hard to translate 00:13:20.539 --> 00:13:23.049 into English. But what it means is don't set 00:13:23.049 --> 00:13:26.730 up a base of operations to get from here to there. 00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:29.490 So what he's saying is don't take your freedom 00:13:29.490 --> 00:13:33.350 in this in -between life. Don't take the freedom 00:13:33.350 --> 00:13:36.649 you've been given and now use it like a launch 00:13:36.649 --> 00:13:40.330 pad to set off towards what your sinful desires 00:13:40.330 --> 00:13:45.730 want. He goes, you can because you're free. But 00:13:45.730 --> 00:13:50.139 don't do it. Because why? I'm no longer a slave. 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:53.799 I'm no longer a slave to the sin and the self 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:55.759 -indulgence and the self -centeredness and the 00:13:55.759 --> 00:13:58.779 selfishness that I had before. I'm now free to 00:13:58.779 --> 00:14:01.279 what? To use my freedom. And what does he say 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:06.019 to use it towards? Rather serve one another humbly 00:14:06.019 --> 00:14:10.600 in love. You see what's amazing with freedom? 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:13.620 Is freedom means I don't have to act like that 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:16.840 no more. Which makes me free to act like this. 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:19.919 So it means that, let's make it real practical. 00:14:20.860 --> 00:14:25.299 In my marriage, I don't have to take this thing 00:14:25.299 --> 00:14:27.440 that is beautiful, that's God designed, and make 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:31.240 it all about me and my wants and my selfish indulgences. 00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:33.460 I don't have to. Why? Because I've been given 00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:36.059 freedom. And that freedom is best served, best 00:14:36.059 --> 00:14:39.320 used, what? When I humbly serve my wife in love. 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:42.759 I mean, if we just pause there for a second. 00:14:43.789 --> 00:14:46.549 If every marriage relationship under the sound 00:14:46.549 --> 00:14:49.190 of this microphone went, you know what? I'm going 00:14:49.190 --> 00:14:51.090 to take my freedom and I'm going to serve my 00:14:51.090 --> 00:14:52.850 spouse humbly in love. What would happen to our 00:14:52.850 --> 00:14:55.610 families? They'd be stronger than any you've 00:14:55.610 --> 00:14:58.629 ever seen. Why? Because that's what freedom does. 00:14:58.690 --> 00:15:01.230 It gives me the freedom. I'm not bound to go 00:15:01.230 --> 00:15:03.389 serve myself. I don't have to go back to this 00:15:03.389 --> 00:15:06.809 old life and try and rally around this. I am 00:15:06.809 --> 00:15:13.169 free. I am free to serve you. I don't have to. 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:16.000 I'm not stuck just making myself happy anymore. 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:20.960 Jesus set me free. And he's saying, use this 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:25.919 launch pad. Use this launch pad to what? To see 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:29.519 others. Don't go back and see yourself. What 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:31.899 does the enemy want to do? Remember the enemy 00:15:31.899 --> 00:15:34.200 has a battle plan from last week? What does the 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:37.340 enemy want to do? He can't touch your new identity. 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:41.159 He can't steal your future, but he can steal 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:44.720 your life. So what is the enemy's game plan? 00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:47.620 He wants to convince you that what? You're still 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:49.720 the same old person you always were. You're still 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:52.399 a slave to those desires. You still can't control 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:55.120 them. He wants to tell you that you're never 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:57.259 going to have victory over the thing that you're 00:15:57.259 --> 00:15:59.779 struggling with. He wants to tell you that there 00:15:59.779 --> 00:16:02.879 is no chance that you will ever overcome the 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:04.700 struggle that's in your life. That same old vice 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:06.960 you go back to over and over. That same old thought 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:09.480 pattern you go over and over. That same old mouth, 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:11.700 right? When you open your mouth. All you got 00:16:11.700 --> 00:16:13.580 is gossip for everybody else, right? Like you're 00:16:13.580 --> 00:16:16.159 going, you're going, I can't. The enemy is telling 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:19.480 you, you can't. God is telling you, you can't. 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:24.039 The enemy is telling you, you will always be 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:26.580 the same. Sorry, you're not the same person. 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:28.840 You were transformed by the person of Jesus Christ. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:31.740 You were made free. And so those old patterns, 00:16:31.820 --> 00:16:36.759 they do not have a hold on you anymore. So use 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:41.720 your freedom. And so he continues on. He goes, 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:45.799 for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping one 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:49.019 command. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love 00:16:49.019 --> 00:16:50.720 your neighbor as yourself. If you've been around 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:52.240 church, you've heard this before, right? But 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:55.159 what he's getting at is you go back to the law, 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:56.460 and we'll just take the Ten Commandments for 00:16:56.460 --> 00:16:59.019 right now. But you go back to the Ten Commandments, 00:16:59.019 --> 00:17:02.019 and if we just pick a couple. Don't covet your 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:04.299 neighbor's stuff, or specifically your neighbor's 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:07.480 wife. If I'm going to love you as I love myself, 00:17:08.209 --> 00:17:09.970 I'm not going to covet your wife. Why? Because 00:17:09.970 --> 00:17:13.789 I don't want you coveting my wife. Right? She's 00:17:13.789 --> 00:17:18.329 not yours. She's mine. Think of another one, 00:17:18.329 --> 00:17:20.230 right? I'm not going to steal from you. Why wouldn't 00:17:20.230 --> 00:17:23.089 I steal from you? Because I don't want you stealing 00:17:23.089 --> 00:17:27.910 from me. Right? You're now free to what? To love 00:17:27.910 --> 00:17:31.730 your neighbor the way you want to be loved. Because 00:17:31.730 --> 00:17:33.390 my eyes aren't on me and I'm not trying to get 00:17:33.390 --> 00:17:35.650 it. So he goes, listen, you fulfill the entire 00:17:35.650 --> 00:17:38.720 law. By just loving your neighbor as yourself. 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:42.319 Because that'll put your eyes off of you and 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:45.339 onto what? Onto other people, which is what your 00:17:45.339 --> 00:17:48.559 freedom was designed for. But notice he pulls 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:51.779 it now to a specific problem in the church in 00:17:51.779 --> 00:17:54.619 Galatia. If you bite and devour each other, watch 00:17:54.619 --> 00:17:59.000 out or you will be destroyed by each other. Like 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:01.599 another translation says backbiting. If you go 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:04.200 about backbiting, like that's a phrase we should 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:07.470 bring back. Right? Like it's so graphic. Like, 00:18:07.490 --> 00:18:10.069 just think about it for a second. You run around 00:18:10.069 --> 00:18:13.609 backbiting each other. It's like, oh man, a bunch 00:18:13.609 --> 00:18:17.470 of wild animals up in here. That's the imagery 00:18:17.470 --> 00:18:20.509 that he wants them to get. You see, somewhere 00:18:20.509 --> 00:18:22.269 along the way in the church in Galatia, they 00:18:22.269 --> 00:18:26.170 were using their freedom as a launch pad to what? 00:18:26.230 --> 00:18:28.710 Tear each other apart with their words. They 00:18:28.710 --> 00:18:31.240 were fighting with each other. And the imagery 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:33.380 here is, if you were hearing it for the first 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:35.940 time in this original cultural context, within 00:18:35.940 --> 00:18:39.180 Greek culture, the same phrase is used for wild 00:18:39.180 --> 00:18:42.579 animals that continue to go at each other until 00:18:42.579 --> 00:18:45.240 they tear each other apart, and more than likely, 00:18:45.339 --> 00:18:48.250 both of them are left dead. What he is telling 00:18:48.250 --> 00:18:51.410 them here is very real in the early church, that 00:18:51.410 --> 00:18:53.730 if they carry on the way they are using their 00:18:53.730 --> 00:18:56.710 freedom to go at each other, because you're free. 00:18:56.990 --> 00:18:59.750 You're free to yell. You're free to gossip. You're 00:18:59.750 --> 00:19:01.269 free to, you can do all that, right? Because 00:19:01.269 --> 00:19:03.950 you've been made free in what? In Christ. And 00:19:03.950 --> 00:19:06.609 you won't be, you won't be what? Punished for 00:19:06.609 --> 00:19:08.450 it. Why? Because Jesus already received all your 00:19:08.450 --> 00:19:11.529 punishment. And so you can go about that way, 00:19:11.569 --> 00:19:14.099 church. Is what he's saying. But what he's getting 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:16.619 at is if you, and it's to the point where he 00:19:16.619 --> 00:19:18.619 goes, if you carry on, there's a chance that 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:21.019 the church in the Galatia area, you're going 00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:23.019 to destroy each other. There'll be nothing left. 00:19:25.859 --> 00:19:29.119 So it's a practical example of what it looks 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:36.900 like to use your launch pad for yourself. I don't 00:19:36.900 --> 00:19:42.359 know. It's worth saying. If you make this all 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:47.940 about you, you're going to destroy it. Right? 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:53.019 You make this about you and what you like. My 00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:58.279 latte wasn't hot enough. Right? Nobody said hi 00:19:58.279 --> 00:20:03.619 to me. Well, did you say hi to anybody? Did you 00:20:03.619 --> 00:20:05.779 choose to become a door greeter so that you could 00:20:05.779 --> 00:20:10.349 say hi to fix the problem? I can't get in a life 00:20:10.349 --> 00:20:13.049 group. There's no life groups, man. I tried. 00:20:13.269 --> 00:20:17.009 There's a wait list. Okay, so did you go, hey, 00:20:17.069 --> 00:20:18.730 how do I become a leader? Can you train me to 00:20:18.730 --> 00:20:19.990 become a leader? What does that look like? Would 00:20:19.990 --> 00:20:21.829 you disciple me to be a leader so I can help 00:20:21.829 --> 00:20:26.890 fix the problem that's there? Isn't it interesting? 00:20:27.289 --> 00:20:29.970 Like when we take our freedom and make it about 00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:31.970 us, we can make this about us. And you just need 00:20:31.970 --> 00:20:33.490 to know what Paul's saying. When you make this 00:20:33.490 --> 00:20:35.730 about us, when you make it about you, you're 00:20:35.730 --> 00:20:37.849 going to destroy it because it's not about you. 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:43.720 That's how churches come and go. It's not long. 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:46.960 I've lived in Prescott long enough. I've seen 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:50.259 the crowd move from church to church to church 00:20:50.259 --> 00:20:52.400 to church. Me and God got an ongoing conversation. 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:55.960 How long is it till heights? We do something, 00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:57.559 say something. All of a sudden it's like, boom, 00:20:57.779 --> 00:21:03.819 we're going to pick a church. That's not what 00:21:03.819 --> 00:21:06.630 this is meant to be. You know that, right? This 00:21:06.630 --> 00:21:09.069 is so much greater than we give it pictures for. 00:21:09.730 --> 00:21:12.450 And what he's getting at here is if you choose 00:21:12.450 --> 00:21:16.369 to use your launch pad for your own selfish indulgences 00:21:16.369 --> 00:21:19.670 that used to be who you were, instead of living 00:21:19.670 --> 00:21:22.150 in the freedom in this life, he's going, now 00:21:22.150 --> 00:21:24.730 let me teach you how to live. And look what he 00:21:24.730 --> 00:21:31.910 says next. So I say, walk by the spirit and you 00:21:31.910 --> 00:21:36.180 will not gratify the desires. of the flesh. Walk 00:21:36.180 --> 00:21:41.759 by the Spirit. Okay, people in the room that 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:45.180 you're like, man, I just love me some promises 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:49.059 of God. You know who you are. You got them on 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:53.579 your wall. You got them in your car, right? And 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:54.980 you've been naming and claiming all kinds of 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:56.299 stuff. You've been pulling it from everywhere 00:21:56.299 --> 00:21:59.319 you can find it, right? So half the time I sit 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:00.619 with people and they're like, yeah, I got this 00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:02.619 promise from God. And they read it. I'm like, 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:05.759 that's not even written to you. That was written 00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:11.799 to somebody else. That ain't your promise. If 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:15.400 you're looking for a new tattoo, this is your 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:24.619 tattoo. So I say, walk by the Spirit. Okay, so 00:22:24.619 --> 00:22:27.700 let's just all get on the same page there. When 00:22:27.700 --> 00:22:31.880 you said yes to Jesus, when you crossed the finish 00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:34.400 line of faith, you were given the greatest gift. 00:22:34.680 --> 00:22:38.940 that God himself would now indwell you in his 00:22:38.940 --> 00:22:42.539 spirit. He would make his home in you. You became 00:22:42.539 --> 00:22:47.880 the temple of the living God. Generations would 00:22:47.880 --> 00:22:51.700 have longed for what we have. And you became 00:22:51.700 --> 00:22:54.920 the temple of the living God. The Holy Spirit's 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:59.200 presence is with you wherever you go. So there 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:02.299 is no reason you can't do what this says when 00:23:02.299 --> 00:23:05.250 it says walk. By the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit. 00:23:06.509 --> 00:23:08.250 Why? Because the Holy Spirit is with you everywhere 00:23:08.250 --> 00:23:10.730 you go. That word walk is to conduct your life, 00:23:10.910 --> 00:23:17.710 everything that you do, in the Spirit. But here's 00:23:17.710 --> 00:23:21.069 the beautiful part. You ready? Those of you that 00:23:21.069 --> 00:23:23.650 maybe, maybe we're in church, so maybe we'll 00:23:23.650 --> 00:23:32.049 be honest. Y 'all got that stuff that you just 00:23:32.049 --> 00:23:35.539 always struggle with? You just can't seem to 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:39.640 be. It just always seems to have a control on 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:43.059 you. Remember, you were what? You were made free, 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:49.000 so something's wrong. What's wrong is we're not 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:52.319 living the promise that we've been given. See 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:55.640 this language, this language right here? This 00:23:55.640 --> 00:23:59.460 language is promised language. In fact, if you 00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:02.259 go back to the original language, Because sometimes 00:24:02.259 --> 00:24:04.279 in translation, we lose stuff. Go back to the 00:24:04.279 --> 00:24:07.039 original language. There are markers on here 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:10.740 to say it is a guarantee. It's a promise. It's 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:14.000 an assurance that what it is saying will happen. 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:17.980 So now let me read it to you. So I say, walk 00:24:17.980 --> 00:24:23.440 by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:28.740 of the flesh. Walk. by the Spirit. Walk in the 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:31.539 Spirit and you will not. That's the promise. 00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:37.380 You will not. It is not possible for you to live 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:41.119 out my selfish, self -centered indulgences that 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:44.240 I once was. It is not possible in the new life 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:46.779 in Christ, in my freedom. It is not possible 00:24:46.779 --> 00:24:49.519 in the in -between life for me to live for myself 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:53.180 and walk in the Spirit at the same time. It's 00:24:53.180 --> 00:24:58.079 not possible. And so what it's getting at is 00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:00.319 that if you want victory in this life, it's not 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:02.640 about, hey, I just become more self -disciplined, 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:05.500 like I'm going to Tom Brady this thing. I'm going 00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:09.559 to stop eating anything. Right? That's not what 00:25:09.559 --> 00:25:11.240 this is talking about. It's not talking about 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:13.259 you just get a few more rules, which, by the 00:25:13.259 --> 00:25:16.319 way, church people, we love to throw those. Right? 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:18.160 Oh, you met Jesus? Oh, you need to start doing 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:21.200 this. No, you don't. You need to just enjoy Jesus. 00:25:23.939 --> 00:25:26.359 We get all these self -disciplines. If I just 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:28.240 get enough of these, I won't do that anymore. 00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:32.079 That's not how the Christian life works. That's 00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:35.759 slavery, not freedom. Freedom is what I commit 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:37.799 to. I'm going to walk by the Spirit of God, and 00:25:37.799 --> 00:25:41.460 if I walk by the Spirit of God, I will not, will 00:25:41.460 --> 00:25:44.700 not live like I once was. What does the enemy 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:47.799 want to convince you? You can never, that struggle 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:49.920 you have, you're going to have it until you die. 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:53.750 Oh, that thing that's got control. That's who 00:25:53.750 --> 00:25:56.250 you, it's not who you are. Stop believing lies. 00:25:57.390 --> 00:25:59.710 You have been set free by the very Spirit of 00:25:59.710 --> 00:26:03.109 God. You have been empowered by the Spirit of 00:26:03.109 --> 00:26:07.849 God. And the Spirit of God tells you that if 00:26:07.849 --> 00:26:10.869 you will walk in the Spirit, you will not gratify 00:26:10.869 --> 00:26:17.390 the sinful nature. It's a promise. It's a promise. 00:26:18.430 --> 00:26:24.839 So, big question. How? How do I walk in the spirit? 00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:28.859 That sounds pretty mystical, right? Is it like 00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:33.559 the force? Well, maybe the radio can help us. 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:42.619 Not just because it's cute. So the radio has 00:26:42.619 --> 00:26:47.480 an antenna, right? What the antenna does is the 00:26:47.480 --> 00:26:52.789 antenna helps put you into proximity. Into presence. 00:26:54.970 --> 00:26:56.450 Here's what's interesting with the Holy Spirit. 00:26:56.589 --> 00:26:58.750 The Holy Spirit is present in you right now. 00:26:59.009 --> 00:27:02.369 Are you present with the Holy Spirit? I don't 00:27:02.369 --> 00:27:04.569 say that judgingly. I have days just like you. 00:27:04.650 --> 00:27:06.410 You ever go through a day and you're like, I 00:27:06.410 --> 00:27:08.950 did not even think about the Holy Spirit today. 00:27:09.710 --> 00:27:13.029 All day. I got busy and I was just doing stuff 00:27:13.029 --> 00:27:14.549 and then got to the end of the day and I'm like, 00:27:14.630 --> 00:27:22.960 oh, we miss that. But see what the antenna does. 00:27:23.019 --> 00:27:25.039 I have to intentionally put the antenna up to 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:29.980 help get inside of the radio frequencies. And 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:32.799 so for you with the presence of God, you with 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:34.299 the presence of the Holy Spirit, what it means 00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:36.059 to walk in the Holy Spirit, and we have a list 00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:39.799 we can put up. But you have to intentionally, 00:27:40.140 --> 00:27:43.480 you have to intentionally recognize that the 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:45.759 presence of God is here right now in the form 00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:48.910 of the Holy Spirit. And he will be there tomorrow 00:27:48.910 --> 00:27:51.450 morning. And he will be there tonight when the 00:27:51.450 --> 00:27:53.349 walls start coming in. And he will be there next 00:27:53.349 --> 00:27:55.170 week. And he will be there when you guys go back 00:27:55.170 --> 00:27:59.970 to school. He is there. And so we have to make 00:27:59.970 --> 00:28:06.029 an effort to put ourselves in proximity. The 00:28:06.029 --> 00:28:10.029 next thing is that the Holy Spirit's got a voice. 00:28:10.089 --> 00:28:14.269 You know that, right? And so we have to begin 00:28:14.269 --> 00:28:16.170 to go, well, what does the Holy Spirit's voice 00:28:16.170 --> 00:28:27.779 sound like? And if we're really honest, can you 00:28:27.779 --> 00:28:31.660 guys hear that? I can't tell. It's all static. 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:36.720 Just kidding. It's supposed to be static. But 00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:39.839 you realize that if we're really honest, this 00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:41.500 is for a lot of us, this is what the Holy Spirit 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:45.380 sounds like, right? We just don't know what his 00:28:45.380 --> 00:28:48.779 voice sounds like. And so we try and listen and 00:28:48.779 --> 00:28:53.079 what we get is static. You know that just like 00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:57.859 with somebody in your life, to hear their voice, 00:28:58.119 --> 00:29:02.480 right, to recognize their voice, it takes time. 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:07.819 It takes intentionality. And so I recognize the 00:29:07.819 --> 00:29:16.849 presence and then I begin to tune. And this is 00:29:16.849 --> 00:29:18.809 why nobody listens to the radio commercials. 00:29:29.190 --> 00:29:31.150 Oh, we got a head bob. Okay, we'll take a head 00:29:31.150 --> 00:29:37.509 bob. Yeah. I think he was high when he read this, 00:29:37.529 --> 00:29:47.089 just saying. Isn't it? Isn't it interesting that 00:29:47.089 --> 00:29:54.289 if I was to ask you, just off that short clip, 00:29:54.470 --> 00:30:01.849 if I was to ask you, we tuned to a voice, what 00:30:01.849 --> 00:30:03.809 would you say the purpose of that radio station 00:30:03.809 --> 00:30:11.650 is? What kind of music? Easy listening, pop of 00:30:11.650 --> 00:30:19.470 old, right? Verses. This is so dangerous, by 00:30:19.470 --> 00:30:28.670 the way. Anything could come on. What is that? 00:30:36.450 --> 00:30:38.990 Lyrics just aren't the same nowadays, huh? Just 00:30:38.990 --> 00:30:41.470 not the same. Just going to put that out there. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:31:02.539 What about this one? Not helpful. So much stuff 00:31:02.539 --> 00:31:04.160 I could say about Christian radio right now that 00:31:04.160 --> 00:31:10.319 I won't. What's the purpose of the one you just 00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:16.279 heard? Positive, uplifting, right? Like they 00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:18.420 want to bring something positive to your world. 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:20.619 It's going to have a Christian vibe to it, right? 00:31:20.740 --> 00:31:23.480 But here's the thing. You had to listen. You 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:29.619 had to listen to gain the purpose. And if we're 00:31:29.619 --> 00:31:31.440 really honest with God and we're really honest 00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:33.559 with the Holy Spirit, too often we are too busy 00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:37.180 talking at God and telling God what we want that 00:31:37.180 --> 00:31:39.039 we don't just shut up and listen to the Holy 00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:42.500 Spirit. But there is a part that if you are going 00:31:42.500 --> 00:31:45.619 to tune into his voice and you want to know his 00:31:45.619 --> 00:31:48.259 purpose and direction and discern it, that you 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:52.420 have to listen to what he's saying. Right. So 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:55.059 this is a tuning of my ear to the Holy Spirit. 00:31:56.160 --> 00:31:59.579 And as the Holy Spirit then begins to show me 00:31:59.579 --> 00:32:12.160 stuff. See if we can do one more. Country fans, 00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:18.900 come. And here's what would happen, because I 00:32:18.900 --> 00:32:21.579 know country fans enough, that if we listen to 00:32:21.579 --> 00:32:23.319 country long enough, it wouldn't be long until 00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:26.599 you're kind of scooting. It wouldn't be long 00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:27.859 until some of you are like, we've got to get 00:32:27.859 --> 00:32:30.440 rid of these chairs and we've got to line dance 00:32:30.440 --> 00:32:33.720 in this room. Why? Because what happens is there's 00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:36.940 a beat that's being played. There's a beat that's 00:32:36.940 --> 00:32:38.960 being played and you begin to follow the beat. 00:32:40.490 --> 00:32:43.109 But what it requires is that you are willing 00:32:43.109 --> 00:32:45.789 to follow and not lead. You know what's amazing 00:32:45.789 --> 00:32:48.529 about the radio? You don't get to choose what 00:32:48.529 --> 00:32:51.089 the programming is. Somebody chose it for you 00:32:51.089 --> 00:32:54.589 ahead of you. When you walk in the spirit, you 00:32:54.589 --> 00:32:58.430 don't get to pick the program. The program's 00:32:58.430 --> 00:33:01.319 already picked in front of you. You know that 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:03.359 the Holy Spirit is never going to lead you to 00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:05.640 do something the opposite of God. He never will, 00:33:05.839 --> 00:33:08.779 which is why the guarantee is you won't gratify 00:33:08.779 --> 00:33:12.220 your sinful nature because he won't lead you 00:33:12.220 --> 00:33:16.380 there. And so what happens then is the last part 00:33:16.380 --> 00:33:19.940 is it requires action. That if I'm going to follow, 00:33:19.980 --> 00:33:24.700 it requires that I move. A different picture, 00:33:24.759 --> 00:33:27.920 a different scenario is I was following my wife 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:31.069 recently through an airport. And if you know 00:33:31.069 --> 00:33:33.210 my wife, she's literally five foot nothing. I 00:33:33.210 --> 00:33:34.950 measured her in Walmart one day to make sure 00:33:34.950 --> 00:33:40.089 she was five foot nothing. True story. And for 00:33:40.089 --> 00:33:42.990 a five foot nothing lady, she walks so fast. 00:33:43.930 --> 00:33:47.349 Right? And so we're walking through this airport. 00:33:48.690 --> 00:33:50.730 If I'm going to follow her, because I didn't 00:33:50.730 --> 00:33:52.069 know what we were doing. She knew what we were 00:33:52.069 --> 00:33:56.289 doing. If I'm going to follow her, I have to 00:33:56.289 --> 00:34:00.619 be what? In her presence. I got to be able to 00:34:00.619 --> 00:34:03.240 see her. And then because I don't know where 00:34:03.240 --> 00:34:06.380 I'm going, over time, I have attuned my voice 00:34:06.380 --> 00:34:09.639 to what? To know who my wife is. So with all 00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:11.860 the noise of an airport, I could pick out her 00:34:11.860 --> 00:34:14.219 voice over other people. Why? Because there's 00:34:14.219 --> 00:34:17.960 taken time to get to know. And she can tell me 00:34:17.960 --> 00:34:19.699 the purpose of what we're doing, where we're 00:34:19.699 --> 00:34:24.159 going. But it requires that what? I listen. The 00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:26.280 information does me no good if I don't listen. 00:34:27.150 --> 00:34:29.909 But there's a point then in following her where 00:34:29.909 --> 00:34:34.030 I have to what? Physically let her lead and stop 00:34:34.030 --> 00:34:36.090 leading. And some of you need to stop trying 00:34:36.090 --> 00:34:39.289 to tell God where you're going and start following. 00:34:40.010 --> 00:34:42.889 And then then I have to move, because if I stand 00:34:42.889 --> 00:34:45.190 still in an airport and she walking, she's gone. 00:34:45.849 --> 00:34:48.929 Right. I've got to move. I've got to move to 00:34:48.929 --> 00:34:53.929 follow her. And here's what's amazing about this, 00:34:53.949 --> 00:34:58.230 this passage. Verse 17, for the flesh desires 00:34:58.230 --> 00:35:00.190 what is contrary to the spirit and the spirit 00:35:00.190 --> 00:35:02.730 what is contrary to the flesh. They're in conflict 00:35:02.730 --> 00:35:05.170 with each other so that you are not to do whatever 00:35:05.170 --> 00:35:09.150 you want. What that just said is in your chest 00:35:09.150 --> 00:35:11.929 as a follower of Jesus, in your soul, inside 00:35:11.929 --> 00:35:14.929 of you right now, there is a battle, a cosmic 00:35:14.929 --> 00:35:18.489 battle being fought. You are at war right now. 00:35:19.489 --> 00:35:25.900 You're at war. And inside of you, There's a battle 00:35:25.900 --> 00:35:29.260 taking place for how you will choose to launch 00:35:29.260 --> 00:35:31.840 or use your freedom, whether it's a launch to 00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:34.380 where you're following the Spirit and doing what 00:35:34.380 --> 00:35:36.699 God is doing, or it's going to be to my selfish 00:35:36.699 --> 00:35:38.800 indulgence, right? There's this battle that's 00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:40.960 taking place. And I'll tell you guys, I've taught 00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:43.400 this passage, I don't know how many times, and 00:35:43.400 --> 00:35:45.880 every single time, I've never seen what I saw 00:35:45.880 --> 00:35:48.480 this week. And what I saw this week is this, 00:35:48.519 --> 00:35:51.929 that if you go to battle alone, you lose. You 00:35:51.929 --> 00:35:56.369 know, in this passage, the pronouns are all plural. 00:35:56.949 --> 00:36:00.349 It's about all of us. So yes, you can teach it 00:36:00.349 --> 00:36:01.949 individually. You need to walk in the Holy Spirit. 00:36:02.030 --> 00:36:03.269 You need to walk in the Holy Spirit. You need 00:36:03.269 --> 00:36:05.329 to walk in the Holy Spirit. But you know where 00:36:05.329 --> 00:36:08.170 we're supposed to do that is in community. We 00:36:08.170 --> 00:36:11.510 go to war together. Why? Because inside of you, 00:36:11.550 --> 00:36:14.090 there is a war taking place. And inside of me, 00:36:14.110 --> 00:36:16.510 there's a war taking place. And it is a cosmic 00:36:16.510 --> 00:36:19.210 war that we need each other to fight for one 00:36:19.210 --> 00:36:23.300 another. That I fight for you, right? Because 00:36:23.300 --> 00:36:24.880 there's going to be a day when I come in this 00:36:24.880 --> 00:36:27.539 room and I can't sing because of what's happening 00:36:27.539 --> 00:36:31.539 in my life. And I need to hear your voice. There's 00:36:31.539 --> 00:36:33.440 going to be a day when I come alongside. I hope 00:36:33.440 --> 00:36:35.719 that when you leave the church, when you leave 00:36:35.719 --> 00:36:37.900 this hour together, you're uplifted and encouraged. 00:36:38.260 --> 00:36:41.559 You're empowered for life. That's what this is 00:36:41.559 --> 00:36:43.980 supposed to be. Why? Because we recognize it's 00:36:43.980 --> 00:36:47.480 a war and we need to rally. This is a rally to 00:36:47.480 --> 00:36:52.320 not only one another, to what God tells us. And 00:36:52.320 --> 00:36:56.219 you realize, church, we need each other. We need 00:36:56.219 --> 00:37:01.559 each other. I need a space, as James says, where 00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:06.179 I can sit and confess my sins so that those sins 00:37:06.179 --> 00:37:09.579 don't have a hold. I need a space where I can 00:37:09.579 --> 00:37:12.360 walk in and go, you know what? The enemy's been 00:37:12.360 --> 00:37:14.079 telling me this and I've been believing it lately 00:37:14.079 --> 00:37:18.059 and here's how it's being lived out. This is 00:37:18.059 --> 00:37:21.039 the sin that's overtaking my life. These are 00:37:21.039 --> 00:37:24.320 the thoughts. This is the way my mouth's been 00:37:24.320 --> 00:37:27.619 going. It's not good. These are the actions. 00:37:29.639 --> 00:37:33.719 But you guys, we have to be a community where 00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:36.420 we recognize we are at war together and we need 00:37:36.420 --> 00:37:39.019 each other to fight this battle. If you try to 00:37:39.019 --> 00:37:41.500 fight the battle of your flesh, you will lose 00:37:41.500 --> 00:37:47.300 on your own. You're not strong enough. And if 00:37:47.300 --> 00:37:49.320 you try to go, okay, I can walk in the spirit. 00:37:49.380 --> 00:37:51.840 That's my own personal. Yes, it's personal. It's 00:37:51.840 --> 00:37:54.400 also public. If you only keep it personal, you 00:37:54.400 --> 00:38:01.039 will fail. But don't miss, don't miss what God 00:38:01.039 --> 00:38:04.639 has and what he's given you, right? The next 00:38:04.639 --> 00:38:06.719 verse is explain what the sinful nature is. And 00:38:06.719 --> 00:38:08.619 Pastor Todd was like, I don't think we need to 00:38:08.619 --> 00:38:10.900 cover those. Like everybody, the minute you mentioned 00:38:10.900 --> 00:38:13.139 sin and sinful nature and desires, instantly 00:38:13.139 --> 00:38:15.059 everybody's got their own, right? Like we know. 00:38:16.860 --> 00:38:21.440 But then in verse 22, it says this. So when I 00:38:21.440 --> 00:38:23.119 take my freedom, right, I take my freedom and 00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:26.440 I use it to launch into walking, walking in the 00:38:26.440 --> 00:38:29.559 spirit. Listen, listen to what happens from you. 00:38:31.699 --> 00:38:34.940 But the fruit of the spirit, what is flowing 00:38:34.940 --> 00:38:41.860 out of your life is love and joy and peace. And 00:38:41.860 --> 00:38:44.389 by the way. Flowing out, you can't control it. 00:38:44.449 --> 00:38:47.349 It's not like, oh, I'm going to make an apple. 00:38:48.289 --> 00:38:53.070 Right? It doesn't work that way. You can't control 00:38:53.070 --> 00:38:55.750 it. It flows out of you. Why? It's a byproduct 00:38:55.750 --> 00:38:59.010 of what? Attuning to the Spirit, to walking in 00:38:59.010 --> 00:39:02.989 the Spirit. The byproduct is that you love, that 00:39:02.989 --> 00:39:05.469 you have joy, that there's peace. forbearance 00:39:05.469 --> 00:39:08.329 or patience right there's kindness goodness faithfulness 00:39:08.329 --> 00:39:11.090 gentleness and self -control against such things 00:39:11.090 --> 00:39:13.889 there is no law these things flow out of you 00:39:13.889 --> 00:39:15.969 you need to understand something that when you 00:39:15.969 --> 00:39:18.690 walk when you take your freedom in this life 00:39:18.690 --> 00:39:20.909 in this in -between life i take my freedom i 00:39:20.909 --> 00:39:24.309 attune to the holy spirit right i listen to his 00:39:24.309 --> 00:39:26.829 voice i know his voice i listen to his purpose 00:39:26.829 --> 00:39:30.369 what happens is when i follow and i take my actions 00:39:30.369 --> 00:39:35.880 what starts to flow out of you What is coming 00:39:35.880 --> 00:39:40.860 to everyone else around you is a taste of heaven. 00:39:42.460 --> 00:39:46.400 The soundtrack of heaven is played through you. 00:39:47.219 --> 00:39:51.699 And it sounds like love. And it sounds like joy. 00:39:52.539 --> 00:39:57.500 And it feels like you're at peace. And you've 00:39:57.500 --> 00:40:05.400 got patience and kindness. And gentleness. And 00:40:05.400 --> 00:40:10.659 control of the self. That's what the soundtrack 00:40:10.659 --> 00:40:13.519 of heaven sounds like. And God has gifted you 00:40:13.519 --> 00:40:16.820 to be that today. You are a taste of heaven for 00:40:16.820 --> 00:40:23.460 someone else today. Can you imagine? I don't 00:40:23.460 --> 00:40:25.380 know how many people are in this room. I don't 00:40:25.380 --> 00:40:26.880 know how many people are in the sound of the 00:40:26.880 --> 00:40:29.460 mic or through a screen. I don't know. But what 00:40:29.460 --> 00:40:31.579 I do know is this. Can you imagine a group of 00:40:31.579 --> 00:40:33.760 people who go, I'm going to walk in the spirit. 00:40:33.980 --> 00:40:36.619 And when I walk in the spirit, the soundtrack 00:40:36.619 --> 00:40:40.119 that comes out is this taste of heaven. That'll 00:40:40.119 --> 00:40:42.320 change everything. Your community, your school, 00:40:42.519 --> 00:40:45.559 your homes, your marriage, your friendships. 00:40:46.280 --> 00:40:50.659 It'll change all of it. And so I feel like we 00:40:50.659 --> 00:40:54.000 got some things to thank the Lord for. So if 00:40:54.000 --> 00:41:03.909 you would stand. You realize you, you are free 00:41:03.909 --> 00:41:09.409 today. I can thank the Lord. You realize that 00:41:09.409 --> 00:41:12.570 there's no account. There's no count. If God's 00:41:12.570 --> 00:41:15.369 scrolling your highlights of sin, it's blank 00:41:15.369 --> 00:41:21.070 because the blood of Jesus has covered it. You 00:41:21.070 --> 00:41:26.809 today, today, church, you today, you today have 00:41:26.809 --> 00:41:29.489 a reason to thank the God. Thank God, but only 00:41:29.489 --> 00:41:31.570 you can do it. Let's sing.